November-December 2020 by Connect Business Magazine

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CONTENTS

November | December 2020

COVER INTERVIEW

COMPANY PROFILE

Lenny Tvedten

Suburban Furniture & Flooring Chad Surprenant

ISG

FEATURES

31 33 40

Taking the Show on the Road: Virtually Working Together Proves to be a Good Investment for Area Cities and Counties

Martin County Historical Society

Next Generation HOT STARTZ! NICOLLET

Great New York Pizza

DEPARTMENTS

JACKSON

R.E.S.T. Stop MANKATO

JP Fitness

The Hidden Workforce: Part 2

32 52

Connecting Southern Minnesota Business People Since 1994

Editor’s Introduction Entrepreneurial Insight

Brianna Anderson and Jamie Spaid, S.S. Boutique

Day In The Life

Sheri Sander-Silva, Feeding Our Communities Partners

Ask A Professional Ask A Professional

Connect Business Magazine www.ConnectBiz.com

STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS

CIRCULATION

ADVERTISING

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Editor: Lisa Cownie

Published bimonthly

E-mail: sales@connectbiz.com

Art/Photography: Jonathan Smith, conceptanddesign.com

CORRESPONDENCE

Contributing Writers: Mark Cipos and Brent Dammann, John Considine, Ashley Hanley, Ryan Vesey, Nancy Zallek Production & Circulation: Becky Wagner Printing: Corporate Graphics, N. Mankato Mailing: Streamworks

8 22

November | December 2020

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INTRODUCTION

Moving in the Right Direction I often talk to all of you about how brave I think business leaders and entrepreneurs must be, and the ones featured in this issue are no exception. Our cover story on Chad Surprenant, brings a different narrative to what you hear and read in mainstream media in Minnesota. I hope you read and consider Surprenantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspective in how Minnesotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leaders are handling the pandemic. Also featured, another family that made a move because they thought it would benefit family: Abby Hughes, who moved from the cities to Waseca to take over the family business, Suburban Furniture & Flooring. Sprinkled throughout you will also find stories on area nonprofits, who even through a pandemic, are working tirelessly to meet the needs of our community.

Lisa Cownie

Happy reading and, hopefully, learning,

EDITOR

Lisa Cownie

November | December 2020

SIESTA H

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NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN MANKATO! An exciting and fulfilling lifestyle awaits at Siesta Hills. Amazing lots and home plans to match are available now. Enjoy healthy and active living in an adult lifestyle community that offers exceptional amenities and facilities- indoor/outdoor pool, fitness center, meeting place, wine cellar and more!

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Don’t delay, dirt is starting to move. Join the Siesta Hills community. Patio Home A

PATIO A HOUSE PLAN A N I M AT I O N & VI RTUAL TOU R https://youtu.be/KLpDyPCtbuo

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Siesta Hills - Patio Home https://tourmkr.com/f/F19VAURGox/

Animation

Virtual Tour

New Construction / Mankato, Minn

SUNROOM

Theuninck Construction

EXTERIOR OPENINGS

· · ·

CONDITIONS AND ADAPT FOUNDATION PLANS ACCORDINGLY.

WINDOW FALL PROTECTION: REQ'D ON ALL OPERABLE WINDOWS LESS THAN 36" ABOVE THE FINISHED FLOOR AND 72" ABOVE GRADE OR SURFACE BELOW R312.2 ASTM 2090

Gable Roof Option

ROOF PLAN

· ·

SCALE: 1/8" = 1'-0"

· WINDOW SILL PROTECTION: PROVIDE PAN FLASHING UNDER ALL CLOSET EXTERIOR DOORS & WINDOWS, SLOPED TO DRAIN WATER TO THE

REFER TO CHAPTER 8 FOR ROOF CEILING DESIGN REQUIREMENTS INCLUDING FRAMING, BRACING, BRIDGING AND TRUSS DESIGN. VENT ATTIC WITH AT LEAST ONE SQUARE FOOT OF VENT FOR EVERY 300 SQUARE FEET OF ATTIC SPLIT EQUALLY BETWEEN THE SOFFIT AND THE RIDGE.

WINDOW FALL PROTECTION: REQ'D ON ALL OPERABLE WINDOWS LESS THAN 36" ABOVE THE FINISHED FLOOR AND 72" ABOVE GRADE OR SURFACE BELOW R312.2 ASTM 2090

MUDROOM

ROOF PLAN SCALE: 1/8" = 1'-0"

· ·

MECH.

WINDOW FALL PROTECTION: REQ'D ON ALL OPERABLE WINDOWS LESS THAN 36" ABOVE THE FINISHED FLOOR AND 72" ABOVE GRADE OR SURFACE BELOW R312.2 ASTM 2090

ADHERED (MASONRY) VENEER: INSTALL PER MFR INSTRUCTIONS. WEATHER-RESISTIVE BARRIER EQUIVALENT TO TWO LAYERS OF GRADE 'D' PAPER IS REQ'D UNDER ADHERED VENEER SUCH AS STONE OR STUCCO

Find the space and plan that’s just right for you! TEMPERED

PROVIDE KI

WINDOW FA LESS THAN 3 OR SURFAC

SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0" or 1/8" = 1'-0"

TEMPERED

ALL EXTERIOR OPENINGS AND INTERSECTIONS OF WALL AND ROOF TO BE FLASHED & SEALED TO PREVENT THE ENTRY OF WATER IN THE WALL CAVITY PER IRC 703.8

WINDOW SILL PROTECTION - PROVIDE PAN FLASHING UNDER ALL EXTERIOR DOORS & WINDOWS, SLOPED TO DRAIN WATER TO THE EXTERIOR R703.8.1

FINISHED GRADE SHALL FALL FROM FOUNDATION A MINIMUM OF 6" IN THE FIRST 10'-0"

6" WOOD/EARTH SEPARATION REQ'D WHILE PROVIDING POSITIVE DRAINAGE AWAY FROM STRUCTURE. BUILDER/HOMEOWNER SHALL COMPLY WITH GRADING PLAN TO ASSURE PROPER DRAINAGE

WINDOW FALL PROTECTION - REQ'D ON ALL OPERABLE WINDOWS LESS THAN 36" ABOVE THE FINISHED FLOOR AND 72" ABOVE GRADE OR SURFACE BELOW R312.2 ASTM 2090

ROOF PLAN SCALE: 1/8" = 1'-0"

· ·

REFER TO CHAPTER 8 FOR ROOF CEIL REQUIREMENTS INCLUDING FRAMING BRIDGING AND TRUSS DESIGN. VENT ATTIC WITH AT LEAST ONE SQUA FOR EVERY 300 SQUARE FEET OF ATTI BETWEEN THE SOFFIT AND THE RIDGE.

VEHICLE ACCESS DOORS: SHALL MEET ASTM E-330 OR ANSI/DHSMA 108 FOR 90 MPH WIND RATING, PLACE COMPLIANCE STICKER ON THE DOORS

IN ASSOCIATION WITH:

EXTERIOR ELEVATIONS

TEMPE

SCALE: 1/4" = 1'-0" or 1/8" = 1'-0"

ALL EXTERIOR OPENINGS AND INTERSECTIONS OF WALL AND ROOF TO BE FLASHED & SEALED TO PREVENT THE ENTRY OF WATER IN THE WALL CAVITY PER IRC 703.8

WINDOW SILL PROTECTION - PROVIDE PAN FLASHING UNDER ALL EXTERIOR DOORS & WINDOWS, SLOPED TO DRAIN WATER TO THE EXTERIOR R703.8.1

FINISHED GRADE SHALL FALL FROM FOUNDATION A MINIMUM OF 6" IN THE FIRST 10'-0"

SITE FINISH GRADE: · 6" WOOD/EARTH SEPARATION REQ'D WHILE PROVIDING POSITIVE DRAINAGE AWAY SITE SHALL BE GRADED A MIN OF 6" PER FROM STRUCTURE. BUILDER/HOMEOWNER SHALL COMPLY WITH GRADING PLAN TO 10'-0" & AS SUCH TO DRAIN SURFACE ASSURE PROPER DRAINAGE Blueprint Home Design WATER AWAY FROM FOUNDATION The Hugo Bldg, 530 North Riverfront Dr, Suite 160 WALLS. · WINDOW Mankato, MN 56001FALL PROTECTION - REQ'D ON ALL OPERABLE WINDOWS LESS THAN 36" ABOVE

EXTERIOR ELEVATIONS ·

THE FINISHED FLOOR AND 72" ABOVE GRADE OR SURFACE BELOW R312.2 ASTM 2090 507 351-5740 julie@blueprinthomedesign.com ________________________________________________

DISCLAIMER - Due to the lack of "on site" consultation & supervision, and control over the actual construction process, and because of the various local building code requirements & weather conditions, the drafter/designer ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY in the use of these plans for any damages. This includes structural failures due to any deficiencies, omissions, or errors in the design or blueprints. It is recommended you consult with a local building official or inspector prior to the start of actual construction.

ADHERED (MASO INSTALL PER MFR WEATHER-RESISTIV TWO LAYERS OF G UNDER ADHERED STUCCO

COPYRIGHT 2018 - This is a copyrighted plan and is the exclusive property of Blueprint Home Design. All rights are reserved. These plans may not be used, built from, or reproduced in any form or buy any means without the written permission of Blueprint Home Design.

EXTERIOR ELEVATION - REAR SCALE: 1/8" = 1'-0"

TEMPERED

EXTERIOR ELEVATION - REAR SCALE: 1/8" = 1'-0"

ALTERNATE FRONT ELEVATION 3

ALTERNATE FRONT ELEVATIONS

SCALE: 1/8" = 1'-0"

Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning

PAN FLASH PRIOR TO IN

WINDOW SI EXTERIOR D EXTERIOR R

WALKOUT C HOUSE PLAN - FRONT

TEMPERED

ALTERNATE FRONT ELEVATION 2

TWO LAYERS OF GRADE 'D' PAPER IS REQ'D

REFER TO CHAPTER 8 FOR ROOF CEILING DESIGN UNDER ADHERED VENEER SUCH AS STONE OR REQUIREMENTS INCLUDING FRAMING, BRACING, STUCCO BRIDGING AND TRUSS DESIGN. VENT ATTIC WITH AT LEAST ONE SQUARE FOOT OF VENT FOR EVERY 300 SQUARE FEET OF ATTIC SPLIT EQUALLY BETWEEN THE SOFFIT AND THE RIDGE.

VEHICLE ACCESS DOORS: SHALL MEET ASTM E-330 OR ANSI/DHSMA 108 FOR 90 MPH WIND RATING, PLACE COMPLIANCE STICKER ON THE DOORS

TEMPERED

ALTERNATE FRONT ELEVATION 4

ALTERNATE FRONT ELEVATIONS

Siesta Hills Development

EXTERIOR ELEVATION - LEFT

Mankato, Minnesota - 06/03/2020 ISG Project No. 23092

360

WINDOW SILL PROTECTION: PROVIDE PAN FLASHING UNDER ALL EXTERIOR DOORS & WINDOWS, SLOPED TO DRAIN WATER TO THE EXTERIOR R703.8.1

ADHERED (MASONRY) VENEER: INSTALL PER MFR INSTRUCTIONS.

SITE FINISH GRADE: SITE SHALL BE GRADED A MIN OF 6" PER 10'-0" & AS SUCH TO DRAIN SURFACE WATER AWAY FROM FOUNDATION WALLS.

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

TOUR

TEMPERED

SCALE: 1/8" = 1'-0"WEATHER-RESISTIVE BARRIER EQUIVALENT TO

TEMPERED

LAUNDRY

TEMPERED

PAN FLASHING REQ'D UNDER ALL EXTERIOR DOORS & WINODWS PRIOR TO INSTALLATION PROVIDE KICK OUT FLASHING AS REQ'D

ROOF PLAN

GARAGE

ALTERNATE FRONT ELEVATION 1

FLASH OVE

FLASH ALL E PER IRC SEC

· ·

PROJECT BY:

FLASH OVER AND CAULK ALL EXTERIOR OPENINGS FLASH ALL EXTERIOR OPENINGS & INTERSECTIONS OF WALL & ROOF PER IRC SECTION R703.8.

· ·

SITE FINISH GRADE: SITE SHALL BE GRADED A MIN OF 6" PER 10'-0" & AS SUCH TO DRAIN SURFACE WATER AWAY FROM FOUNDATION WALLS.

OFFICE / BEDROOM

New Cons

New Constuction

MASTER BATH

BID DOCUMENTS - NOT FOR CONSTRUCTION

PROVIDE KICK OUT FLASHING AS REQ'D

Theuninck Construction Siesta Hills - Patio Home A

FLASH ALL EXTERIOR OPENINGS & INTERSECTIONS OF WALL & ROOF PER IRC SECTION R703.8. PAN FLASHING REQ'D UNDER ALL EXTERIOR DOORS & WINODWS PRIOR TO INSTALLATION

EXTERIOR R703.8.1

BATHROOM

45 DEGREE ANGLE, UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE.

ISSUES PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION.

u VERIFY TOPOGRAPHIC AND SUBSURFACE

u CODES GOVERN OVER DRAWINGS. u DIMENSIONS GOVERN OVER SCALE.

EXTERIOR OPENINGS

FLASH OVER AND CAULK ALL EXTERIOR OPENINGS

· ·

EXTERIOR

NOMINAL (NOT ACTUAL) SIZE AND DIMENSIONED TO THE OUTSIDE FACE OF BLOCK OR FOAM, UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE.

u ANGLED WALLS ON FLOOR PLANS ARE AT A u VERIFY ALL APPLICABLE BUILDING & CODE

WINDOW SILL PROTECTION: PROVIDE PAN FLASHING UNDER ALL EXTERIOR DOORS & WINDOWS, SLOPED TO DRAIN WATER TO THE EXTERIOR R703.8.1

SCALE: 1/8" = 1'-0"

PROJECT INFO

PANTRY

DIMENSIONED TO THE OUTSIDE FACE OF SHEATHING, UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE.

AND DIMENSIONED TO CENTER OF WALL, UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE.

u MASONRY OR ICF WALLS ARE DRAWN AT

PROVIDE KICK OUT FLASHING AS REQ'D

GREAT ROOM EXTERIOR OPENINGS

KITCHEN

u EXTERIOR WALLS ARE DRAWN AT 6" AND

u INTERIOR PARTITIONS ARE DRAWN AT 3-1/2"

FLASH OVER AND CAULK ALL EXTERIOR OPENINGS

FLASH ALL EXTERIOR OPENINGS & INTERSECTIONS OF WALL & ROOF PER IRC SECTION R703.8.

PAN FLASHING REQ'D UNDER ALL EXTERIOR DOORS & WINODWS PRIOR TO INSTALLATION

Gable Roof O

Siesta Hills - Patio Home A Siesta Hills New Construction / Mankato, Minnesota

MASTER BEDROOM

DINING

GENERAL PLAN NOTES:

WALKOUT C HOUSE PLAN - BACK

Owner is a licensed Agent.

EXTERIOR ELEVATION - RIGHT ISGinc.com SCALE: 1/8" = 1'-0"

TEMPERED

PLANS ISSUED: pricing const docs revised revised revised

03/24/2020

PHOTOS, SITE PLANS & MORE! VISIT: SIESTAHILLSLIVING.COM

By Lisa Cownie Photos by Jonathan Smith

Long-time Mankato area community leader, Chad Surprenant leaves Minnesota but not without leaving behind a great legacy. The Surprenant family legacy can be found all around us: Surprenant Field at Community Athletic Fields, the Surprenant Alumni Center at Mankato East High School; Franklin Rogers Park (soon to be ISG Field); and of course, the family business ISG, standing tall in downtown Mankato. A legacy earned by a family who built a business by building up their community through giving of their time, talents and treasures. Beginning with Ken and Mary Jo in the early 70s and continuing with the second generation to take over the family business, their son Chad. Chad following in his parents’ footsteps in showing his commitment to Mankato and the state through involvement at all levels from youth baseball, to Greater Mankato Growth, to state committees. “I feel like I have earned the right and paid the price to speak up, to try to help and fight for my community,” explains Chad Surprenant, now Chief Strategy Officer for ISG. “As a leader, you also feel that by giving of yourself in so many ways, you should be able to have some influence – guidance, direction, meaningful input – on what this community could accomplish and where it should go. How can we have a bigger regional impact? And for many years I’ve been engaged in doing just that. I have been fortunate to have that voice in many areas, such as ISG where I get a paycheck, but also volunteering with Greater Mankato Growth, its bigger-picture regional entity GreenSeam, MSU’s Civil Engineering Program, and others. You get what you put into those things and you don’t do it for any reason other than to help a place or entity fulfill its potential. After a while, you learn that people are expecting and desiring opinion and leadership from you.” Indeed, that is a role Surprenant takes to heart. It’s what drives him. He wants to live in a world in which he can make a difference. “But what I discovered over the course of 2020 from May through August, is that my ability to influence went from something that I thought was relatively high to practically nil. That's not how I want to live. Other places are meeting face to face, having their children in school, and are competitively figuring out how to get a leg up. As a lifelong Minnesotan and seeing little competitive drive to keep up or exceed other places is beyond troubling. The day to learn about how bad COVID may be is months behind us. Rather than figure out how to better ourselves, Minnesota is still trying to convince us that it is going to get worse. I won’t live in that fear.” Continues

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November | December 2020

While his family legacy lives on in Mankato, Chad Surprenant moved his family to Sioux Falls, South Dakota just before the school year began. He and his wife, Tara, thought they may eventually travel and move on...once the kids were out of high school. Surprenant says the direction Minnesota is now headed was an accelerant to his family leaving. “I think it’s an uphill battle for all of us, but it feels like Minnesota is making that hill steeper than what everybody else is making it,” says Surprenant. “I’m not going to say business is everything and that you should throw caution to the wind all in the sake of business. The message delivered here in Minnesota is not business-friendly. What is worse is that it is being heard, not just by Minnesotans, but more importantly, it’s being heard by people outside of Minnesota. “We’re already one of the higher-taxed states. And the continued message by our state leaders is not a can-do type of message, but rather it’s a, ‘Geez, this could get worse, we will never get back to before, there will be a new normal, etc.’ Every single state is dealing with COVID and every single state is dealing with it in a different fashion of messaging and openness and personal responsibility, but Minnesota seems sluggish with moving forward or maybe still assessing how bad is it. Here we are in September with numbers going in the right direction, fewer hospitalizations, ICUs, and deaths; yet according to MPR, the State of Minnesota is planning a $9M ad campaign about COVID-19 seriousness. That direct and subliminal messaging is the equivalent of fighting with one’s hands tied behind your back. “Ultimately, time will tell who wins out of that but in the short-term, I can tell you what the business perspective is, and I think it bleeds into mid and long-term and that is people aren’t interested in doing business here and they’re going to go elsewhere.” And that is driving the Surprenants elsewhere. A family that has been woven into the fabric of Mankato area for decades, Chad and Tara Surprenant, along with his children, are now residents of South Dakota. As he has always done, Surprenant isn’t running away but rather trying to find a solution, which he believes is in place, but

Surprenant Strategy | ISG not being utilized. “The emergency powers is another part that is to me very damaging. You may not like the President or his party, or the Governor or his party. You may not like what the House looks like, you may not like what the Senate looks like, but we jointly elected all of them. “In Minnesota, the governor is one party and the House is the same party and the Senate is a different party, but all you need is two of those three things to say the governor can have emergency powers. All these people that we elected as senators and frankly in the House too, why do we even elect them if they have no influence of the decisions being made? “I’m not going to sit here and just complain about something and not do something about it, but that too is part of the challenge. I don’t want to run away from a fight. If I still had influence, I’d stay here. It was the loss of influence, that feeling of helplessness, that I can’t get this thing accomplished. That’s the difference-maker. Otherwise we would still be in Mankato.” Outspoken. Competitive. Strategic. Thoughtful. There are a lot of adjectives to describe Surprenant. In the following interview we learn about his decision to move his family, and his influence out of state: “From the personal side, ultimately Tara and I felt that the best education is in person, and there were options available to us that provided that. We trust South Dakota the most in delivering that,” he explains. “From a professional side, due to lack of confidence in safety and business climate, corporate and development investment is being made in other states. At ISG, we share our work very well internally regardless of where it was won, and it is necessary for us to win work in areas where those things are happening, and it’s happening in South Dakota and elsewhere. COVID and other turmoil pushed us to make an abrupt change that affects our children in their important last years of high school education.” We also learn how he continues to keep the best interest of his community and ISG in mind: “Regardless of where I am, I want to help that area or entity to reach its potential. That truly excites me, but it requires fertile ground,” he says. “I have

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Chad Surprenant short-and long-term obligations to ISG and if I am spending time and resources on things with little potential for gain, then I am obligated to find better return on those efforts. I still have business interests in Mankato and Rochester and will support those the best way I can.” Strategy is defined as a plan, method, or series of maneuvers for obtaining a specific goal, Surprenant operates on strategy. It’s what has gotten him to where he is today, and it is what drives his future. Many of our readers know a bit about your background, but let’s talk about how you got started in the family business. 1993 is when I graduated from Iowa State with a degree in civil engineering. At that time, I had a couple different opportunities presented to myself. I didn’t know I was going to end up working here, that was never part of the equation at all. Although the job market wasn’t great in '93, I had a couple different job offers. I was about ready to accept one of the jobs when my parents pulled me

Surprenant’s Side Gigs • ISG, Board of Directors, Chair • Minnesota State University, Mankato, Civil Engineering Advisory Board, Chair • Iowa State University Civil Engineering External Advisory Council, Member • Greater Mankato Growth Board, Director • South Central College Foundation Board, Former President • Mankato Area Foundation, Former Board Member • Mankato Golf Club, Former President • Mankato Area Youth Baseball Association, Former Board Member • GreenSeam Steering Committee, Founding Member • GreenSeam Board, Director • Cultivation Corridor Board, Director • Iowa State University Surprenant Ingenuity Lab, Donor • Northwoods League Mankato MoonDogs, Co-Owner • Northwoods League Rochester Honkers, Co-Owner • Mankato Area Foundation Shared Spaces, Donor

November | December 2020

Surprenant Strategy | ISG

LET'S BREAK THRU THE NOISE TOGETHER

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You once told me you felt added pressure in that CEO role because you wanted to earn it and for people to know it was not given to you because it was the family business. It’s pressure that I took to the very last day that I was CEO. Talking about that amongst the leadership people here too, they’re like, ‘Chad, you’re overthinking it. ISG has 300+ people, most of whom don’t even really know the story of who you are. They’re not looking at ISG and even thinking that the S is your last name.” I got that, but I still felt the pressure. That was the negative, but at the same time that pressure provided a lot of fuel to prove myself and push and grow. That competitiveness and some level of tenacity is something that I think pushed us all the time.

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aside and said, ‘Hey, we never talked about this, but we would have an opportunity for you here if you want.’ That’s probably the first thing that I really debated as an adult: did I want to work for my family? There are some real positivesMtoarketing through soci al mediaSocial is a process of monitoring the canlistening heWlp in it, but there are some negatives. Ultimately, the deal I made with crea about you, your social media ith “h chatterse a te spe recoogn f thits h” anits brand -- In myself was to observe as much as I could in the industry whilebrandcompany, one.cand eiti d “fleaders create day, perh ake n eThere coin-depth ws” b are s it real-timeb with mmu apreporting. eing b ra nity g ’s time to n d's id taking a job at ISG, knowing that it would provide accelerated companies th u id in ehave created algorithms e publi who n k to uzzwords li tity. c deb ecentl nes that re about how ate on Ryou soand y monitorayour brand, competitors , th n th e d re h s nate with to responsibilities for me. brand e resposuch your been busin the Companies nsibilas aZygnal, your industry. s th a e

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Surprenant the Restauranteur “When I was working with Tony Frentz and Rob Else on the design of the Eide Bailly Building, the three of us had always thought it would be super cool if we reserved the top floor for a restaurant. We felt like we were underserved in the community from the restaurant perspective. We’ve got an ownership group that’s looking at getting that done. In fact, we’re designing it actively here at ISG and unfortunately, with the COVID deal things are moving slowly. A lot of the prices are going down, but the disadvantage is the delivery of manufacturing materials is dragging out longer and longer. When exactly do we open up? We don’t know. Probably March, April maybe. The views up there are stunning. I have been involved personally a lot in the design process and just having a vision of what it is that we want to get accomplished.”

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Chad Surprenant Under your leadership, ISG grew beyond Mankato. It was really fueled by two things. First, we had a lot of young people and we didn’t want barriers in front of them. How do you provide leadership opportunities and things like that as well as client-facing relationships for them? You can’t do that in a static environment. The business has to grow, or they have to wait for their current leader to die or retire or quit or whatever for them to move up. We felt we needed to expand geographically a little bit to provide more opportunities. Our first foray into that was January 2004, starting up a small office in Faribault. Ideally, we would’ve made it further away, but we had clients that were there and we can’t move I-35, that’s just where it was. The second part of that though, was we were starting to look at the potential of a recession or something coming up. We realized that we were winning a large segment of local work. The business model of almost everybody in the architecture and engineering world at that point in time was, what I would call, a geographic business model. In essence, you define the radius by whatever you want, maybe it’s an hour and a half drive, then you just have to win as much in that pie as you possibly can. Frankly, we were winning more than our fair share. The pie was super inflated by a super inflated economy pre-recession, and we were winning too much of a percentage of it. We were too big for the geography. So we had to ask ourselves, ‘Is there something that we can do alternatively to benefit that?’ Part

of that was expand geographically, but also part of it then was to think about how to become a more client-centric company. How do we find clients that maybe have 20 projects that they want to do next year instead of 20 clients that want to do one project? It’s much more efficient from a business development standpoint, much more efficient from a managing projects standpoint. Anyway, our geographical growth was started so that we could provide opportunity for young people, as well as expand our geographic footprint. It was also a little bit of a diversity push against maybe an upcoming recession. And how did you fare when the recession hit? It hurt us a little bit, but it made us far stronger than it ever hurt us. We had always been on a growth curve. We were generally growing about 20% per year. From 2005 through 2009, we had really plateaued out. 2009 was a 15% drop. So we looked at expanding even further geographically. We really wanted to get down to the Des Moines area just because from a movement of goods and general business perspective, the I-80 corridor going through Des Moines is great. It’s not impeded by the Great Lakes. We just wanted to get down where there’s probably more industrial work, more transportation work, those types of things. We acquired an Iowa company in January 2012 and in one stroke of the pen, we went from a 60-person organization to a 100-person organization. That kind of started fueling some things. It wasn’t an

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November | December 2020

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Surprenant Strategy | ISG easy acquisition, it was not smooth sailing but it taught us a lot of things. It taught us that we can do it, taught us a lot about the people component, things that you have to root out, and distractions that will kill you. Distractions must be minimized. It was a great learning process but we came out of the recession because of the things that we did changing from a geographic centric to a client centric or business unit-centric company. We came out of the recession very strong and very swiftly, that’s how we were able to do that acquisition and then 18 months after that, acquiring Paulsen Architects here in Mankato, a very rewarding experience. Of course, you’ve gone on to expand to more locations since then as well, but let’s switch gears and talk about another feather in your cap, the ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan). How did that decision come about? That was also a very pivotal time. Ownership and leadership transitions in firms like ours are frequently the biggest sticking points. In slow growth firms, they can be profitable, but they appear very static. If you are a C-Corp firm, you are incented as owners to take out all of the firm’s earnings annually to avoid steep taxes. We call that eating the frosting. It tastes good, but it keeps you away from investing in growth and other more lasting elements. We decided that with the youthful employee base, we wanted to make sure they had real career opportunities. So rather than eating

frosting, we were just going to reinvest it in growth. My parents were very generous in getting ownership out of their hands and getting it into other people’s hands. At the time that we initially made the decision to become an ESOP, we had 19 shareholders. I was the largest of those 19 shareholders. My parents were completely out of it. The company was worth more than we could transact internally, a good problem to have. No small group of ISG employees would have been able to purchase it. Again, we have young people so they’re still paying off their college loans. They’re paying for their weddings, etc. So, we had three options, we could essentially do nothing and keep doing it the way we’re doing it as bringing on shareholders but at greatly discounted rates which was unfair to the original shareholders. We could get acquired, which the shareholders immediately dismissed. And then the third option was to look at an alternative means like employee ownership. The ESOP ended up being great. The 19 selling shareholders got fair market value for what we were selling. The added benefit of it was that now everybody becomes an owner. We’ve been able to utilize that from a recruiting perspective or retention perspective, it’s very much part of our culture. Now, every ISGer has an ownership interest in ISG. Very cool. How many employees are you up to now? About 320 right now.

CHAOS CLARITY Whether you are reopening or repositioning, we can help you pause, reassess and prepare your organization for the new normal.

What inspires you, inspires us. eidebailly.com CONNECT Business Magazine

Chad Surprenant You have locations in? Let me start in Minnesota: Mankato, Rochester, Bloomington, St. Louis Park and two in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. In Wisconsin we are in La Crosse and Green Bay. In Iowa, we have offices in Des Moines, Storm Lake and Waterloo. We are also in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. You have a lot to be proud of. How did you know when it was time to hand things over? Going back to a Humanities class I had back at Mankato East, Plato stated, “I know what I do not know; therefore, I am wise.” That always stuck with me. Stated a similar way, I feel strongly that you should never limit your organization by your own limitations. Successful businesses need many things, but two are exceptionally important; positivity and the ability to have vision and strategy. I have positivity and a can-do drive, but I have never considered myself very charismatic. Amongst other things, charisma is the ability to be positive when circumstances are not all that great. I do know that I am very competitive, strategic, certainly willing to work, not greedy. The larger ISG has gotten, we need a leader who has an unwavering air of positivity. That simply is not who I am. My role is to see big picture, figure out how to accomplish our goals, develop and utilize relationships, and provide internal critique. I can do that job regardless of our size, 10 people or 20,000, but I just don’t think my strengths align with being our CEO beyond where

we have gotten. I’ll support that person wholeheartedly. As I was getting ready to turn 50 in April of this year, we knew that we always wanted youthful leadership and we were always competing against firms that had baby boomer leaders. A lot of those firms are still dealing with transaction issues, distractions, how do we transition our leadership, our ownership, and whatever? We’ve already taken care of that with our ESOP, a fair, mechanical way of transitioning ownership. We removed that distraction. So we think that competitively we’re ahead of baby boomer firms in that regard. We may be this young, they may be that old, but we’re ahead of them as far as distractions. What happens is I get older and older, and I still hold onto a CEO title, I started looking more and more like the people that we’re trying to compete against. So, can we outwardly and inwardly act and behave different than that? It just felt like there are things that were piling up, whether it’s real or perceived, but emotionally, the losses hit me more than the celebration of the victories, but the founder’s kid component was there also—I don’t want ISG to look like those firms and I’ve been treated very well through this throughout this organization. Our new CEO, Lynn Bruns is 44 years old, and is not saddled with the same insecurities or weaknesses that I have. He is a great leader, has a different style and is doing a phenomenal job of getting our company’s individuals’ strengths to rise and align. He is a positive force. We also separated the CEO and President roles that I had.

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November | December 2020

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Surprenant Strategy | ISG David Doxtad is our President. He is tough, driven, and fearless. He is 33 years old. I am now the Chair of our Board, and we have shrunk our internal directors on the Board to four and increased the external Directors to three. Better perspective, vision, and accountability to where we want to go. It just got to a point where I was ready to just, I don’t want to say, do something else because it sounds like I want a different business card. I was ready to have a different role and just really focus on that. Focus on what I think my strengths are. Let’s talk about COVID and its effect on the state, on your business and on your life personally. Well, it’s interesting. At first you know, it was scary. We didn’t know very much about it. Every day since mid March was like getting another gut-punch. At first we were encouraging people to work from home. Just every day it stacks on top of each other, and ultimately, by the end of March, it’s like, ‘Okay, we’ve got to work from home or work remote environment for some period of time.’ We were very fortunate. Our IT was set up perfectly for this. I’d love to say that we saw it coming and therefore that was what the goal was. We had set up our IT so that people could work remotely, primarily thinking about them just being on the road or being able to share work. For example, a seasoned leader is in Mankato, but there’s a young leader that we want to groom in Green

Bay. Can that seasoned leader go to Green Bay and work remotely and be productive? That’s why we set up our systems the way we did, but it worked out perfectly for COVID. We didn’t miss a beat from a production standpoint. Funny that it rhymes, but we don’t want to just survive, we want to thrive as a result of this. We want to get out of this thing like the recession. We got out of the recession so much better than what we went into it and we wanted to do the same thing here. We already were headstrong and headlong into CEO transition, but there were other leadership transitions, different structural elements within our organization that we wanted to modify. It gave us a huge opportunity but in the laundry list of things that we made and instigated from say April 1st through June 1st, it was amazing. That’s one of the things I’m so proud of the team and it was in that time frame when we took a long look at ourselves with many variables removed, critiqued ourselves, and challenged us to improve. A tremendous amount of work occurred between April 1 and June 1. Then June 1st people started coming back into the office and feeling better about that and depending on the offices that we’ve got, we’ve got anywhere from probably 50% people back in the office to 100%. Some of the other things that we’ve been noticing are roughly half of our people are in Minnesota offices and the other half are in South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa. By June 1, we certainly felt that our ability to assess how serious COVID was had come. The negativity since then with more COVID

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Chad Surprenant fear, civil unrest, violence, etc. started to feel very political. We had already moved into solutions and competitive mode, yet so many were still in paralysis mode. That is not who we are, and when competing, you have to assume your competition is in can-do mode as well. Frequently, we will put opportunities in front of our regional and national clients to be met with, “No, we will never invest in Minnesota again.” In some instances, some of those things were being said to us before COVID, but the Minnesota response has not improved the feeling. Since mid-May, I have made it a point to get out of Minnesota at least once a week. To me, it is about gaining a perspective of what others are doing. If you are locked up in your basement, you can believe almost anything. Yet, if you actually get out, you see all of the people who never stopped working to provide all of us service, food, and so many of the things we take for granted. In white-collar America, many of us can work from home, but we can also believe that we are self-sufficient when in reality, we are not. In late June and early July, we took the entire family on an 18 state, 6,862 mile, 20 college, 4 time zone trip from Minnesota to Oregon to Tennessee to Michigan and back to Minnesota. Perspective. It also provided us a great opportunity to learn what people across the nation felt about Minnesota. None were impressed.

Growing up Surprenant “I’m the youngest of four kids and the other three were bing, bing, bing, born in 1960, ‘61, ‘62 and then I came along in 1970. In between those events, my dad went to Iowa State on the GI Bill, and with three young kids. I wouldn’t say a failed farmer, but the family didn’t have a lot of money and the family name probably wasn’t so great down at Murray County, Minnesota and so couldn’t get any more loans. They just said, “Well, what do we do next?” “They actually debated whether or not my dad should go to college or my mom should. The times were such that ultimately, they decided probably that my mom would end up being more of a stay-at-home, which is kind of ironic because over the course of time, then once my dad had a couple of jobs outside of his education, then my mom was the do it all, do everything within the company. She was the secretary, receptionist, writer, and bookkeeper. She was all of that from 1973 when the company started until probably about 2000 when we actually started getting that type of administrative and bookkeeping help. Then grew from there.”

November | December 2020

Surprenant Strategy | ISG

Pictured from left to right: children Noah, Caleb and Ellie cooking in their new home.

Chad and Tara enjoying a beer at Remedy Brewing Company in Sioux Falls.

You are deeply rooted in the community and I know that you will continue to be but you’ve made a personal decision to move your family to another state. Do you want to talk a little bit about what went into that decision? In 2011, my father died at the age of 76. He was exceptionally healthy, except that he had cancer. He died three years after he retired. I don’t want that to be me. Tara and I want to experience other things, travel, maybe live somewhere else. That would have happened later, but we ramped that up so that our kids could go to school in person and so I could put my talents to work for ISG in a more fertile place. I believe the best place I can do all of those things right now – support my family, support ISG – is in South Dakota. If Minnesota doesn’t change its approach, there will be more and more families like ours moving elsewhere.

THE ESSENTIALS ISG 115 East Hickory Street, #300 Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-387-6651 Web: isginc.com CONNECT Business Magazine

ENTREPRENEURIAL INSIGHT

S.S. Boutique Brianna Anderson and Jaime Spaid

Normally in our Entrepreneurial Insight section, we offer advice and resources from local entrepreneurs on the challenges of starting a new business. Since this issue of Connect has a focus on nonprofits, we thought it appropriate to talk about the challenges of starting a nonprofit. We went right to two ladies who recently did just that, Brianna Anderson and Jaime Spaid of S.S. Boutique. They went through the process of officially becoming a 501(c)3 in 2015. “First of all, know it is not easy but don’t over analyze it,” says Anderson. “The starting of the nonprofit was the easy part.

Jaime Spaid (pictured above) “I am 44 years old and have worked primarily in health care and human services for most of my career. In 2011 I had my daughter and took a little break. I had not worked nonprofit, but I was getting back in the job market and was approached with an opportunity to host a small breakfast program at my church. I worked there for two years and grew our reach from just a few homeless men from the local shelter, to serving 80-100 per day a hot breakfast. In 2018 I saw myself going a different direction and decided it was time to move on. Brianna jumped on it right away and asked me 22

November | December 2020

Writing the Bylaws and the Articles of Incorporation was a cake walk. However, it’s the keeping up with everything once you are official. That is the hard part. I have even let our 501(c)3 status fall because I didn’t know I missed filling out a tax form for three years, but after melting down to Jaime and the board, I got the status resolved and back. Which brings me to my next tip: have a good board to help you navigate things. That is extremely beneficial. Realize what areas you need help in and find those people to help by being on the board.” S.S. Boutique’s mission is to reduce waste in the community and to lighten the financial burden of caregivers by recycling gently used clothes and home goods that can be given to those that can put the items to good use at no cost to them. But taking a mission and turning it into an actual

organized nonprofit is a process. “When I joined S.S. Boutique, a free store was operating out of a room at Good Counsel. The idea was fantastic and well utilized, but the location made it very difficult to get to for a lot of folks,” says Spaid. “When Brianna asked me to join, she said I either need to start making money to support myself or I need to give this up. So we put out a call for help. Volunteers for sorting, board members, people with organizational skills. The call was answered. Our advisory board was developed and off we went as a real grown up non-profit.” Anderson and Spaid have learned lessons the hard way over the years...so adapting to survive has been key. Even with change though, the duo agrees keeping the original mission front and center, helps them adapt quickly.

to join her at S.S. Boutique. That was the beginning of our partnership.”

made them feel that alone, that sad, that angry, that they turned to violence of that degree. I wanted parents and kids to know they were loved and had people fighting for them even if it didn’t always seem that way. I wanted kids to feel like they belonged with the “cool kids” and had the “cool” clothes to fit in. I wanted parents to stand taller having clean clothes they could feel good wearing. When you feel good in what you have on, you then portray that energy forward. That energy can give a person confidence, can push them to do more and be more for themselves and their family. I wanted to help give that type of confidence to people.”

Brianna Anderson “I went to school to be a special education teacher, but after learning being a teacher wasn’t what I wanted, I decided to find other jobs until I figured out what I wanted to do. My love of kids, and of course my six little ones, definitely gave me the drive to do more for children in tough situations. The biggest push for me was learning of so many school shootings that were done by students. I would always wonder what made that kid feel they had no other choice, what

“I think our success - and by success I don’t mean monetary success, I mean personal growth and building a name to help others - has come from the fact that Jaime and I are not afraid to try new things. If one of us has an idea we talk it over, usually during a phone call, and then decide to give it a try. The worst that can happen is that our idea fails and we learned not to do that again. But by never trying new things we will never grow in who we are. We also have a really good partnership where we allow each other moments to freak out when we think we can’t handle any more stress. We also give each other grace when we realize we were being irrational and come to our senses.” Anderson and Spaid are quick to point out, S.S. is not a hand out, but a hand up. “We started out in a small room, mainly providing shelter for the winter during the day to some folks, from the breakfast program. Realizing that we needed to have space to incorporate the free shop, we started looking for more room. With some small donations of money from community members we opened the free store on 1st Avenue. It was again very heavily utilized but bleeding us dry of time and money. We had to make a decision. Do we let S.S. go or will the community invest to keep us going. We put it out there, and the community didn’t disappoint. People didn’t just hand over checks, there was a lot of meeting, and justifying. We had work to do to become something worth investing in. It was exhausting but in the end, we received some donations from community members and felt confident enough to make the next move. So we shut down the free store in November of last year and in February of this year we opened our current location, which offers all clothing for $3 or less, while still providing items to people in need at no cost. It is providing the capital we need to keep doing what we do best. Give other people a hand up and a chance to realize their value.” THE ESSENTIALS

S.S. Boutique 2144 Hoffman Road Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: (952) 688-6623 Facebook: ssboutique.co CONNECT Business Magazine

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STR ATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS SERIES

Partnership Perspective: A Year in Review On September 17th, the South Central Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Minnesota State University, Mankato was named as the Minnesota 2019 SBDC of Excellence by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA serves the purpose of making the American dream of business ownership a reality, empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, or expand their businesses- especially in times of disaster. In 2019, the South Central SBDC facilitated over $56 million in SBA loans, and assisted clients in exceeding $10 million in capital infusion in the region. Additionally, the Minnesota State Mankato SBDC has established multiple other avenues for assisting small businesses throughout the region. Examples include BizLink North, a new online tool dedicated to matching business owners with prospective buyers, the Women Mean Business initiative, designed to meet the specific needs of women entrepreneurs, and monthly Consulting Cafés, serving as walk-in clinics to provide entrepreneurs assistance outside of work week hours. In the announcement of the award, Brian McDonald, Minnesota’s SBA district director shared, “The South Central Region demonstrates the value that SBA entrepreneurial development programs bring to communities and small businesses, particularly in rural areas. We are thrilled to recognize its outstanding training and outreach efforts to educate and inform small businesses.”

The announcement was celebrated during National Small Business Week 2020, which included virtual events, activities, and educational panels. The week had a focus on driving small business recovery to create a stronger economy. The announcement comes on the heels of a partnership between the south central SBDC and Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Center for Workforce Professional Education (WPE). The two external, business and community focused departments on campus partnered to offer fourteen free, unique professional and personal workforce development opportunities for individuals and organizations throughout the region. Along with celebrating the wins of regional small businesses, September was also Workforce Development Month. WPE has undergone several changes within the last year to further define the purpose of this department on campus and drive workforce development initiatives throughout the region. The center currently manages over $2.6 million in Minnesota Job Skills Partnership grants, an initiative driven by DEED and the state of Minnesota to foster the employment pipeline. There is no denying that this year has been challenging for the state of Minnesota’s workforce and small businesses. Despite the circumstances, Minnesota State University, Mankato has been fortunate enough to partner with several organizations across the state to work towards assisting individuals and businesses throughout the region. Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Greater Mankato Growth (GMG), the Edina Chamber, and others have played major roles in the advancements made in entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the region. As we look towards an ever-changing future, there is certainty in knowing there are resources in the Greater Mankato Area and throughout the state of Minnesota for those seeking workforce and small business recovery.

LEARN MORE: https://link.mnsu.edu/maverickacademy

UPCOMING TRAINING EVENTS

Communication Across Generations With different generations converging on the workplace, everyone needs to be equipped with practical strategies to deal with the differences. Learn to sort through stereotypes and identify strengths.

DATE: November 5th TIME: 1:00pm-2:30pm COST: FREE

Integrating Microsoft Office Suite This session focuses on establishing seamless work flows using the Microsoft applications Teams, Word, Excel and OneDrive. After a best practices-based demonstration, participants will engage in discussion about how to deploy efficient work flows using these applications within their own daily tasks or businesses.

DATE: November 18th TIME: 10:00am-12:00pm COST: FREE

Exec Prep Academy The Exec Prep Academy provides new and emerging leaders unique perspectives on how to drive customer-strategic thinking across the enterprise. Gain best practices to manage teams, handle adversity, and define your personal leadership style and brand.

DATE: January 12th TIME: 8:00am-12:00pm COST: $1,495

DEVELOPING LEADERS | MEETING INDUSTRY NEEDS

TO SIGN UP, OR FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://link.mnsu.edu/courses-and-programs Sessions are offered in virtual and in-person settings. Please visit our registration site for details on a specific program. 424 North Riverfront Drive, Mankato, MN Phone: 507-389-1094

A DAY IN THE LIFE

Sheri Sander-Silva

By far, the simplest and most efficient organizational tool I rely on is my google calendar. All scheduled meetings and appointments make their way onto one of two electronic calendars (personal and professional). If I overbook myself, it was only due to lack of utilizing these. Those are painful lessons, easily learned.

PHOTO: SUBMITTED

Executive Director, Feeding Our Communities Partners

There are self-help books, motivational blogs and leadership symposiums to help the business and entrepreneurial-minded make the most of each day to maximize productivity. Connect Business Magazine, though, recognizes we have great resources right in our own communities. So we are going right to local business and nonprofit leaders to give all of you a glimpse into how they manage their days. The goal is that readers may be able to take away little tidbits to incorporate into their own lives to be at their best in and out of the office. This issue we feature Sheri Sander-Silva, Executive Director of nonprofit Feeding Our Communities Partners. She oversees strategy and operations related to staff, programs and funding. Responsibilities include: organizational leadership, fund development and financial oversight, grant writing, operational management, public relations and partnership cultivation. A tall order for a critical organization that offers the BackPack Food Program, which discreetly provides over 900 elementary students with packs of nutritious food to make sure they have adequate nutrition over weekends and holidays. You are one busy lady. Is there a certain way you like to start each day? My favorite way to start a day is with a morning run. While this isn’t happening as frequently as it once was, it is still something I strive towards each day. It grounds me and clears my mind, which is welcomed on the front end of the day. Coupled with my morning run, I always have strong coffee (and a lot of it). You have a lot to keep track of...people, schools, supplies...what is your best organization tool? Tip for our readers? Lists, lists, lists. I take notes and make lists to assist with organizing many aspects of my personal and professional life. Jotting something down and storing it front and center helps keep me on track and ensures that I do not miss a beat. Knowing that many days I am on the go, I often use an app on my phone called Listbook. This way I can easily check off items or tasks while not physically at my desk. It also serves as a placeholder for thoughts and ideas so that I can free up brain space for the current and the present. 26

November | December 2020

How would you describe your leadership style? I strive to utilize a collaborative leadership style. I love to brainstorm with a team and prefer working alongside my peers over directing them. As a natural team player, I like to provide hands-on help whenever possible. I was taught by mentors that helped me to grow from my experiences. This solidified my value in expecting and accepting mistakes, as they often provide the most opportunity for growth. Ultimately, I feel most successful when our staff, board, and volunteers have the necessary information, tools, and confidence to carry out the work of FOCP as they see fit. Why is working in the nonprofit world so important to you? This is easy. It fills my heart and gives me purpose. I found my path to nonprofit work very early in my professional career. Working hard for something you truly care about and seeing the impact of those efforts realized as a positive impact on others is unmatched. The more I became involved in community efforts, the more I wanted to be involved. I feel connected to my community through my work and the various volunteer roles I have had. How does a healthy nonprofit sector benefit the community as a whole? How do I keep this brief? Henry Ford said “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” I truly believe that all deserve the basic resources necessary for life success. I also know that challenges arise in diverse and often unexpected ways. Significant life events can create significant hurdles. This is even more evident as we navigate a time with new and growing needs connected to minimized personal resources. Many are experiencing hardship that have not before. Nonprofits are essential to overall community health and economic stability. An eighth-grade student shared the following after receiving the hunger relief services of the FOCP Power Pack program: “It makes me feel good that somebody cares and is willing to help. I don’t feel embarrassed because it happens to everyone at some point in life.” It is feedback like this that reinforces the importance of nonprofits in our community. We are here to help when that, “some point in life,” comes along. Mankato is fortunate to have the robust nonprofit sector that it does. Together, we can move forward toward success. THE ESSENTIALS

Feeding Our Communities Partners 2120 Howard Drive, Suite F North Mankato, MN 56003 Phone: (507) 385-3627 Website: feedingourcommunitiespartners.org

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HOT STARTZ! NICOLLET

Great New York Pizza

Catch the Hometown Business Connection on KEYC News 12! KEYC News 12 and Connect Business Magazine bring you the stories of area local businesses and how they impact Southern Minnesota. • First Wednesday of the month on KEYC News 12 at 6 • Repeats Thursday on KEYC News 12 Midday • See all previous episodes on keyc.com

November | December 2020

You might think Nicollet is an odd place for a restaurant called Great New York Pizza. You might think it odder, still, that an authentic Italian pizza place is owned by a East African native, Hentsa Tesfai. “I came to United States in 1993, because there was war in my country,” explains Tesfai. Eritea is a country of the Horn of Africa, located on the Red Sea, often at war with its neighbors, like Ethiopia. “My brother had already come to America. When I got here he got me a job as a dishwasher. I worked in restaurants for 25 years, and I learned a lot.” One lesson he learned is that New York has great pizza. So when he got to a point of wanting to open his own restaurant, he knew that is what he would serve. “New York pizza is just so good, and I feel like it is different than other pizza places in this area,” he explains. He came to Mankato in 2001, passing through Nicollet on occasion. Realizing it would be a great place to start his own business, he opened Great New York Pizza in August of 2019. “Business is not bad, especially with the COVID situation,” he says. “We are doing okay even though we are new and in a small city.” A small city that Tesfai says has a big heart. “I love it here,” he says. “It’s a nice community where everyone tries to help me. So I am very happy with this community. They all tell other people and their friends from other towns to come eat here.” Great New York Pizza 308 Pine Street Phone: (507) 225-9864 Facebook: Great New York Pizza

To be considered for Hot Startz, tell us about a new business or new professional in the area by emailing editor@connectbiz.com.

JACKSON

The R.E.S.T. Stop Inspired by the Jackson Business Challenge, a local Shark Tank-type contest meant to bring new business ventures to Jackson, Tom and Heidi Turner decided the time was right to plunge right in. “We came up with the sauna business first and thought ‘what pairs well with a sauna?’” explains Tom Turner. “Real fruit smoothies of course. After sweating out all the toxins from your body during the sauna session, you can enjoy the refreshing smoothie mixed up by one of our creators.” It was an idea the challenge judges liked, and after being awarded $10,000, the pair made their pitch a reality. They opened The R.E.S.T. Stop in historic downtown Jackson in September. “We picked this location as we wanted to revitalize downtown by giving a 118-yearold building a new life both inside and out,” he says. R.E.S.T. stands for relax, energize, sweat and thrive. “We have a healthy living focused business, where we offer real fruit smoothies with no syrups or added sweeteners, paired with Far Infrared Saunas. We want our guests to always walk away feeling refreshed and better than when they walked in. Everything we do is driven by our mission statement: It is our mission to make healthy living effortless, efficient and simple, so our guests can add in the good which naturally crowds out the bad,” he explains. The Turner’s say, aside from COVID, finding food suppliers for healthy food has been the biggest challenge. The best surprise has been the support they have received from the community and from fellow business owners. The R.E.S.T. Stop 513 2nd Street Phone: (507) 841-4422 Website: saunasandsmoothies.com

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HOT STARTZ! MANKATO

JP Fitness Out of college at the University of Minnesota, Pemberton native Jon Jamieson had not only a passion for personal training, but a passion to establish his own brand in the field and break the mold of what a gym could be in a city like Mankato. He took a few years to develop his skills and learn about the business end of the industry as an assistant manager at a Lifetime Fitness in the Twin Cities. He was enjoying it, but he met a woman, who would eventually become his wife, in Mankato and commuting from Mankato to the Twin Cities was wearing on him. He started thinking, it might be time to go out on his own. He started JP Fitness out of his garage in April 2016. In January 2017 he moved into the Graif Building in downtown Mankato. Now he has moved, once again, to be an anchor of the Madison East Mall. “I thought the Mankato market was missing something like this. Even with all the low-cost gyms, a lot of people fall through the cracks because they sign up at a low cost but then never use it. We do tend to be more expensive because you are paying for training sessions, paying for people’s time while you are here. But it allows you to get in here, learn the proper way to exercise, and just feel comfortable in a gym. So many come here because they are intimidated in bigger gyms. JP’s is in between so people feel comfortable here. That’s what I was counting on would attract more and more clients.” His intuition was spot on, with steady growth he was able to expand into the larger location at Madison East Mall, increasing in size from 2,800 square feet to 6,500 square feet. His new location boasts not only more space and equipment, but also new dressing rooms, complete with saunas. “JP Fitness was designed to show people that there are places in

this industry that truly want to help them improve their health and succeed with their fitness goals.” JP Fitness 1400 Madison Avenue, Suite 50 Phone: (507) 594-9550 Web: jpfitnessmn.com

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November | December 2020

FEATURE

Lisa Cownie EDITOR

Taking the Show on the Road: Virtually The 1 Million Cups movement in Mankato had big plans for their second year in southern Minnesota: they wanted to take 1MC “On the Road” (OTR) in 2020, expanding their reach and their resources. Normally at 1MC meetings, the room is full of community business leaders ready to mentor presenters just starting a business. 2020 started off promising for the On the Road team, but then March arrived and so did, of course, COVID. “Like most in-person meeting formats, with COVID, we had to switch to a Zoom format,” explains 1MC organizer Gary Schott. “Not only did we as organizers have to learn how to navigate it, but also our presenters and participants did too. At early Zoom meetings, we would spend time helping participants get familiar with the Zoom features. For the OTR presenters, we would check their background with using Zoom and schedule practice meetings with them prior to presenting. Those run throughs were very beneficial.” In 2020, On The Road reached the communities of Waseca, St. Peter, Montgomery, New Ulm, and Springfield. “For the communities, it was disappointing to lose the opportunity to gather local people to hear and support their entrepreneurs. The local excitement, energy and connection for the presenters were diminished; however, Zoom actually made it easier for the presenters. They could present from their own businesses. In some cases, it allowed them to give a video tour of their business. In addition, Zoom meetings helped to broaden the audience that the presenter could connect with. The entrepreneurs consistently received feedback from a range of people from different communities,” says Schott.

With an average of 30 attendees at each virtual meeting, Schott and the other organizers did have some key take aways from their inaugural year on the road. “Strong, cooperative partners at our participating communities were really key to having a successful OTR. Those individuals were important in finding the community’s entrepreneurs and getting them to agree to present. In addition, their efforts to promote the event were valued,” says Schott. Relationships the 1MC crew hopes will carry on into the future. “We are hopeful that all of the communities who partnered with us in year one will return. In addition, we will add new towns. Several had interest this year, but postponed joining in during COVID. Albert Lea recently reached out and expressed interest to get involved,” he says. The 1MC team has some definite goals for year two of On The Road. “Hopefully, sometime during the year, we can return to an in-person format; however, if not, we will work to improve the “Zoom OTR Production,” says Schott. “Perhaps have more tours of businesses;

host COVID safe Zoom nodes for multiple people to attend at one spot, sort of a hybrid model. “We would also like to have a panel of economic development representatives from our OTR communities share what they are doing to support their entrepreneurs.” Schott also says in the future they hope to recruit a more diverse group of entrepreneurs to better represent the range of business owners in our region. “There are many interesting entrepreneurs around our region doing neat things. Stories of how they had to pivot during the pandemic were especially impactful and motivating to others,” he says. Stories that have an impact not only in Mankato, where 1MC started in our region, but stories that have a far reaching impact. “The responses to the OTR Initiative further confirmed the commitment in our region to support the growth and success of our entrepreneurs,” Schott reflects. “First, OTR helps to demonstrate that 1MC is a regional initiative. It is not just about Mankato/North Mankato. With our region being one of the Launch Minnesota hubs, that is very important. 1MC is a very impactful and effective way to build entrepreneurial connections in our region.” Join 1MC Mankato at 8:30 am, via Zoom, every Wednesday morning. The link each week is posted on facebook.com/1mcmankato/.

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way to manage their charitable giving with the flexibility to support multiple nonprofit organizations over time. A Donor Advised Fund may also be appropriate as an alternative to a private or family foundation. Whatever your giving goals might be, the Mankato Area Foundation can create a fund to help you make the most of your philanthropy.

Donor Advised Funds 101 What You Need to Know What is a Donor Advised Fund? A Donor Advised Fund is an effective tool for charitable giving that provides benefits similar to a private or family foundation without the hassles. Donor Advised Funds minimize the worries and administrative burdens of grantmaking, so you can put your time and energy into what really matters: making a meaningful impact on the community, organizations and causes you value. What are the benefits of a Donor Advised Fund with the Mankato Area Foundation? • Experienced, professional staff with indepth knowledge to help you achieve your charitable giving goals • A low-cost, flexible giving vehicle that is easy to establish • Administrative convenience (e.g., consolidation of the management and tracking of tax receipts associated with charitable donations) 32

November | December 2020

When to Start a Donor Advised Fund • Because of a desire to give something back to your community now • You want to leave a legacy for future generations • To receive a charitable tax deduction now, with the flexibility to make distributions in the future • During a “transition” phase in your life—empty nest, retirement, or estate planning • When planning to sell a private business

Nancy Zallek MANKATO AREA FOUNDATION

• Give complex or unusual assets at fair market value (e.g., real estate, closely-held stock) • Continue to work with your trusted financial advisor through our Investment Partners Program • Opportunity to name the fund after you or in honor of a family member, a friend or an organization (e.g., the John Doe Family Fund) • Opportunity to involve children or other relatives in your philanthropy • Choose if you would like recognition or anonymity for all of your charitable activities or on a grant-by-grant basis • No annual minimum distribution requirements, unlike private foundations • You can contribute to the fund when it is most convenient and receive a tax deduction for the contribution. What’s more, you can appoint others, such as children or grandchildren, to serve as advisors and share in your family’s tradition of giving and growing a legacy. Who should consider a Donor Advised Fund? Donors who want a simple and efficient

Why choose the Mankato Area Foundation for your Donor Advised Fund? Our extensive knowledge about local charitable organizations and community needs allows us to match you with causes you care deeply about. From arts and culture to recreation, education or even aesthetics, we are a neutral resource that works with the entire nonprofit sector to improve livability within our community for now and future generations. If you have a financial advisor that you prefer to work with, we offer a program specifically created to enable donors to maintain existing relationships with their trusted advisor while benefiting from our community knowledge and philanthropic expertise. Through the program, your advisor remains involved in managing the assets while fulfilling your charitable goals. How to Get Started Call the Mankato Area Foundation! We will talk with you about your charitable goals so that we can create a fund that facilitates your personal philanthropy in a way that aligns with those objectives. We will help you make a difference! Nancy Zallek is the President and CEO of Mankato Area Foundation (MAF) and an advocate for our local nonprofits. Nancy dedicates herself to building a community of individuals who believe in the strength of giving, while supporting the work of the nonprofit sector.

FEATURE Collaboration Connection

Working Together Proves to be a Good Investment for Area Cities and Counties

The phrase “we’re all in this together” is used frequently these days. However, it is not a new concept for leaders around southern Minnesota. In fact, they had this vision 12 years ago when local government jurisdictions started conversations to form a Regional Economic Development Alliance (REDA). “The region was on the verge of being federally designated a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). With this designation, the region would be put onto a national list that is utilized by national real estate brokers and site selectors. Because the MSA would likely be comprised of Nicollet and Blue Earth counties, elected and appointed officials believed this region should have mechanisms in place for collaboration that would leverage this new designation,” explains John Considine, Director of Regional Business Intelligence for Greater Mankato Growth. REDA encompasses Eagle Lake, Lake Crystal, Mankato, North Mankato, St. Peter as well as Blue Earth County and Nicollet County. REDA is funded by these different entities as cities and counties pay a per capita participation fee based on population. Together, these entities partner to tackle such things as responding to RFIs and RFPs, connecting resources within com-

munities such as SBDC, utilities, public partners. The group provides statistics to city and county staff, try to find workforce solutions and market the region to outside parties of interest. The list goes on and on. “The collaboration of both counties, Eagle Lake, Greater Mankato Growth, Mankato, Lake Crystal, North Mankato, and St. Peter enable existing businesses to get connected to resources and gain market insights. Additionally, new businesses that are looking to expand or relocate can have a point of contact that will facilitate a soft landing. REDA focuses on the Primary Sector (manufacturing) in it’s recruitment of new businesses,” says Considine. Here are some numbers that are evidence

John Considine GREATER MANKATO GROWTHI

of the impact REDA is having on the region’s business community: • 109 business contacts made • 39 new business assists • 70 existing businesses supported • 38 blog posts • 50 press releases sent • 29 ads placed The group also established a Community Venture Network and provided marketplace intelligence to countless others. “If a business is exploring expansion plans, Greater Mankato Growth staff and local government staff can assist in the process. Whether that is looking for a building or site, reviewing the market’s characteristics, or determining the economic impact of the project, confidential assistance is available,” says Considine. Demand for services and intel that REDA can offer is growing each year. “If you know of a business that is growing, visit Greater Mankato Growth’s website for information that can assist them in their decision making process. Staff are happy to meet and provide customized information as well,” says Considine. For more information, contact John Considine, Director of Regional Business Intelligence for Greater Mankato Growth, at 507‐385‐6649 or jconsidine@greatermankato.com.

CONNECT Business Magazine

November | December 2020

By Lisa Cownie Photos by Jonathan Smith

When Lawrence and Leta Clemons decided to open their own furniture store in 1959, the space they had was just outside Waseca city limits along Highway 14. So they decided to call their new venture, Suburban Furniture. The name stuck, even though things started changing quickly. Not long after opening, they added a flooring department and soon after that, bedding...offering more than just furniture. And in fact, while the actual location didn’t change, its proximity to the city limits did, with the building of a new Highway 14, Suburban Furniture & Flooring ended up in the city after all. Other changes the Clemons couldn’t see coming? Well, in 1959, Americans spent less than $500,000 on furniture. Today the value of all furniture and furnishing store sales in the United States net 106.78 billion dollars. Independent furniture retailers, like Suburban Furniture & Flooring, make up about 15 percent of the market today. The entire Clemons family has been there along the way to get a first-hand look at the growth in the industry as Suburban Furniture & Flooring now enters its third generation of family ownership. In 1994 Lawrence’s son, Kevin Clemons, bought the store and grew the business alongside his wife Keri. Then in late 2019, Kevin and Keri’s daughter, Abby, moved back to Waseca with her family to take the reins of Suburban: just in time for COVID to hit and halt the trajectory of the industry. "Right after I officially took over, COVID came to be,” reflects Abby Hughes. “So I had a choice to make: to sit back and see what happens, or take the bull by the horns and try some new things.” Continues

CONNECT Business Magazine

Next Generation

LISA KAYE

November | December 2020

And that is exactly what she did. Hughes fully understands that furniture pieces are items that consumers want to see with their own eyes, touch with their own hands and just generally “try on for size”. In most cases, customers crave connection with retail furniture. A connection lost in the reaction to COVID. With the doors to her store closed for a time, she had to figure out how to make her customers feel that connection once again. “So that has been a huge challenge for our team,” she admits. “How do we take this brick and mortar store and turn it into a virtual experience? We still want to keep the way we work with customers but turn it into something we can do from a safe distance. We had to ask ourselves, ‘how do we still bring in revenue?’ “We’re quite old school, in fact we still have paper sales tickets! We don’t sell anything online, so there was a long way to go and we had to learn pretty quickly. But the thing that came out of it was the Facebook videos. Those have been huge for us. We’ve been selling through Facebook and teaching too! We teach on a variety of things such as how to decorate your end tables or how to hang your art in your house, how high do you hang it or how to match colors. We choose different topics and that’s been a huge stage and has helped us stay in front of customers.” As people are slowly allowed back into Suburban’s 10,000sf showroom, it is clear that while online shopping and social media experiences are still popular, the need for physical space in furniture retail isn’t diminishing. For Hughes, the goal is to grow both the physical and technical sides together. Help them co-exist, which she believes will add value to her customers’ shopping journey. “We didn’t have an online presence really before COVID hit, but now we see the value in adding that to our business model. Truly it is getting outside of our comfort zone,” she says. “I never would have done it on my own. I am not too afraid of talking in front of people, but it does take some courage to get in front of the camera and to ad lib and show people what you know. It’s been fun, but I never, ever would have done that on my own if COVID hadn’t happened.” In fact, her life has a record of finding success by getting out of her comfort zone. “I think about that all the time,” reflects

Suburban Furniture & Flooring

“I am not too afraid of talking in front of people, but it does take some courage to get in front of the camera and to ad lib and show people what you know. It’s been fun, but I never, ever would have done that on my own if COVID hadn’t happened.” Hughes. “I really could have missed an opportunity. When we were living up in the cities everyone thought we were completely crazy for wanting to move. We had great jobs, we were doing really well, had a fun life. People just couldn’t understand our desire to move back to a small town, but it is the very best thing that could have happened to us.” Moving back to Waseca was something she and her husband had always planned to do eventually, however working in the family business was not in the plans...let alone running the whole thing. “To be totally honest, I never had any intention of buying the business. I was happy working in finance. But when we moved back down here, I was spending more and more time with my parents and helping them and I realized how much I loved it. It is so perfect because it marries my business side, my finance and my numbers side, with my creative side. As soon as I actually got involved with the behind the scenes work and then out there with customers, it was a match made in heaven. I had no idea how much I would love it.” Love and passion are what got her through a pretty rocky beginning to business ownership. “I bought it in December of 2019 and to be honest, January and February were tough months for us,” she says. “Historically they have never been great months, but this year we got off to a pretty slow and scary start, and that’s before COVID hit.” Technology was one key to survival, but overall she acknowledges, they stuck to their roots to truly keep their doors open. “I really think it comes down to service,” she continues. “We care about our customers.

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Next Generation

Hughes Outside the Store “I grew up in Waseca, born and raised,” explains Hughes. “I attended St. Thomas, and believe it or not, got my degrees in Spanish and Public Relations. I did the city thing for a few years out of college, but moved back here to raise my family. I’ve got three daughters, Violet is seven, Leta is six and Indie is five.” Her partner in the family unit is her husband, Matthew. “My husband and I moved here to raise our kids. We wanted to be in small town where we knew people and had family. My husband is not from here originally. I met him in St. Paul. We both worked at Meritage Restaurant. He was the sous chef and I was a part-time hostess!” The family lives just outside of town. “We live in the country and the girls have acres to roam. Plus we have farm cats and kitties so they love it. Because Matthew is a chef, we like to cook and entertain and try new recipes. We love the local farmers’ markets. We also love to travel with the kiddos and take them as many places as we can, well, right now is different, of course, with COVID.”

November | December 2020

Suburban Furniture & Flooring | Waseca

Pictured from left to right: Keri Clemons, Rebecca Schimming, April Spies and Abby Hughes.

Because we end up getting to know them, they end up being our friends. I know everyone probably says that, but we truly want to do the right thing for them. When you put customers first, you just genuinely want to make it a great experience and make it fun when they come in the store and you want them to love what they take home, well...I don’t think you can lose.” A fun part of Hughes’ job is to find those treasures she feels her friends, neighbors, customers, will like. “That is a huge thing people are really starting to know us for,” says Hughes. “We source things from all over the place. We go to market and we do our buying there, but we also try to find things that are super unique and that you can’t find anywhere else. “We keep price point in mind, so we are constantly on the hunt for what’s on trend but also what’s a good price. So when we put it all together and people walk in and look at the vignettes and see how we put things together, they get inspired and get ideas they can take home with them.” Hughes is glad she and her family are home again in Waseca. “We are getting quite a little following and it is kind of neat. People come to our store from Owatonna, Mankato, Faribault, New Richland and, lately, quite a lot are coming down from the cities. We can’t take all the credit for that. Waseca has a lot of other great shops as well, so they can make a day of it and go to other boutiques and eateries in the city.”

THE ESSENTIALS Suburban Furniture & Flooring 2200 North State Street Waseca, MN 56093 Phone: 507-835-3670 Web: subfurn.com CONNECT Business Magazine

FEATURE Collaboration Connection

PHOTO: SUBMITTED

The Hidden Workforce: Part 2 Resources to Help Hire Refugees, Asylees, and Immigrants In the May/June edition of Connect Business Magazine, we wrote about the importance of hiring refugees, asylees, and immigrants. While much has changed in our community since then, the importance of taking steps to include this underutilized and motivated workforce has not decreased. In Part 1 of this article, we focused on why businesses should seek to hire refugees, asylees, and immigrants. In Part 2, we hope to share some community resources that can help make this possible.

Minnesota Council of Churches

Minnesota Council of Churches (MCC) Refugee Services provides resettlement support to refugees coming to the area. We asked the Minnesota Council of Churches to contribute to this article – addressing some 40

November | December 2020

of the legalities surrounding hiring refugees, as well as some of the challenges faced by refugees in our community. Contributing to this section are Habiba Rashid, Ahmed (Jaffer) Mohamud, and Raahmo Hersi. Habiba is Associate Director of Mankato Area Refugee Services and Ahmed and Raahmo are Community Navigators. “Refugee” is a legal status given to people who permanently resettle in the United States as part of a Humanitarian program protecting those fleeing persecution. As they come to the country, people with the refugee status have the right to work on day one of their arrival. Although they went through a lot of trauma, they are bringing valuable skills and cultural diversity to our work force. The question is, which type of jobs can this population be hired for. Both Blue Earth and Nicollet counties are becoming

increasingly diverse, thus people with Refugee/Asylee status are continuously joining our workforce. The foreign educational degrees, licenses, and other credits refugees come with are typically not recognized by professional entities and employers. Because of that, many must start from scratch and become employed in entry level jobs. As the area is getting diverse with Refugee population, MCC’s Mankato office is facilitating workforce integration of this population. There are always some challenges which we will briefly mention below: Because the foreign educational degrees, licenses, and other credits are not recognized by professional entities and employers, some choose to work hard to achieve higher education within the area. Still, they find difficulty finding jobs in the area, which forces them to move to the Twin Cities.

“Individuals that come to this country, refugees, they want to work… They have experienced a true desire to create a better life for the next generation. They typically do not stop coming to ABE once they get a job.” – Karen Wolters, Adult Basic Education Coordinator

Many refugees have a transportation barrier. The lack of public transit between the counties causes a lot of burden to those families who work for employers located on the outskirts of Mankato, such as Le Center and Gaylord. Some employers are still enforcing interviews in English, even where language skill is not necessary. Other employers have started waiving language barriers for entry level jobs which benefits them well in terms of employee shortages. One of the extreme challenges is faith related principles such as praying, dress code, and breaking fast in the month of Ramadan. Unfortunately, many employers need additional education on how to make faith-based accommodations as required by law. Muslim employees fast 29 to 30 days in the month of Ramadan each year. Employers will benefit by sitting with their employees to discuss time management for their prayer time and breaking the fast, especially in the month of Ramadan.

MRCI/Blue Earth County Employment Services

In addition to MCC, MRCI provides resources for both businesses and job seekers through their County Employment Services division. While MRCI works directly with Blue Earth County as Blue Earth County Employment Services, they offer their employer services to employers both inside and outside of Blue Earth County. In an interview with Marcia Highum, Director of Public Support Programs, she shared details about the services that can be offered through the program. Marcia noted that their program helps people find jobs, coaches both employees and employers, and assists employees through the interview process. Marcia noted that as part of their employment plan, MRCI/Blue Earth County Employment Services will frequently refer seekers to Adult Basic Education (ABE) a program that will be highlighted further later in this article. At any given time, 1/3 of the individuals seeking support from MRCI/ Blue Earth County Employer Services are refugees. Marcia highlighted the resources that Mohamed Abdulkadir, MRCI’s Refugee Training Specialist, can offer to businesses.

Marcia noted that Mohamed focusses on finding out what employers want and need by going into manufacturing sites and reviewing the work process step by step to figure out what employees need to do. He then helps find the appropriate people to fill the positions. As an example, Marcia highlighted the work that Mohamed did with Imperial Plastics in Mankato when they needed to ramp employment by 60 people. Mohamed and MRCI helped identify these employees, and also helped support their employment post-hire. Mohamed helped train a lead for each shift, who could help translate between the workers and other supervisors at the company. He conducted orientations with new employees based on Imperial Plastics request. He also conducted check-ins with all of the employees. When Imperial Plastics first began working with them, Mohamed conducted daily check-ins at the beginning of both first and second shift. Over time, he backed off of daily check-ins and conducted them once a week on Fridays. He remained in constant contact with human resources and supervisors at the company. In addition to his work with Imperial Plastics, Mohamed has supported other companies including Mankato Area Public Schools, Alumacraft, Creation Technologies, and Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP.

Adult Basic Education

While both MCC and MRCI/Blue Earth County Employment Services offer business focused support, Adult Basic Education (ABE) provides the educational background to help them get ready for work in the United States. Of the refugees who work with MRCI/Blue Earth County Employment Services, 2/3 are improving their language or other skills through ABE programs. Many of the Adult Basic Education programs are offered with support of MCC and MRCI/Blue Earth County Employment Services. Each summer, a class called “Ready to Work” is held and Jaffer Mohamud, with MCC, and Mohammed Abdulkadir, with MRCI work as instructors. In that class, they talk about American business culture, American business expectations, and conduct tours of various industries.

Ryan Vesey GREATER MANKATO GROWTH

Businesses can also get involved with Adult Basic Education in numerous ways. Many businesses will refer workers who require basic education in reading, writing, math, and computer literacy to ABE. Businesses who would like to present to classes can work with Adult Basic Education and they will find ways to fit the businesses into the curriculum they’re studying. Businesses can also get the opportunity to set up a booth and talk about what they do and what they’re hiring for. Other businesses have partnered with Adult Basic Education by helping with mock interviews for those taking classes. While the services described earlier in the article are all free, some businesses have paid for customized on-site training. Examples of this include on-site GED classes or on-site ESL teachers.

Getting Access to Resources

In addition to the free support of organizations like MCC and MRCI/Blue Earth County Employment Services, the State of Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has numerous programs designed to support employment programs that remove barriers. The state also has a team of workforce strategy consultants who helps companies find innovative solutions and connect them to resources. Jessica Miller is the Workforce Strategy Consultant for DEED’s South Central region – in addition to the Southwest and Southeast regions – and is an excellent resource for businesses. If you would like to get connected to Minnesota Council of Churches, MRCI/ Blue Earth County Employment Services, Adult Basic Education or DEED, Greater Mankato Growth is happy to help facilitate a connection. We can also help get your business connected directly with another area business that has already taken steps to become an employer of choice for Refugee, Immigrant, and Asylee communities. Please contact Ryan Vesey at rvesey@ greatermankato.com if you’d like an introduction to any of these resources. CONNECT Business Magazine

By Ashley Hanley

Photos by Jonathan Smith

enny Tvedten was a 5th grade teacher in Fairmont for 30 years. When he was about to retire in 2001, a personal, professional, and history-changing event took place. "Two of the Martin County Historical Society (MCHS) board members approached me asking if I would be interested in filling a new position, that of Executive Director," Tvedten said. He knew he wanted to stay active following his retirement from teaching, but he was unsure of what direction he might go. "I really knew nothing about museums, other than how to spell museum, but thought I would give it a try for a couple of years." The rest they say...is history. And for almost 20 years, that path has led him back in time to help preserve his beloved community's history. "I soon found that my background did lend itself to a good share of the work of the museum, and with the help and support of excellent boards of directors, a great staff, and outstanding county and community support, I have been blessed with a second career that I never saw coming," said Tvedten. As Executive Director of the Martin County Historical Society, Tvedten knows the past has helped to shape the future of the Fairmont area. "Today's citizens have undoubtedly learned from the efforts of their predecessors and continued to make advancements and improvements in their respective fields." Those fields in Martin County have blessed the area with a rich history in agriculture, business, education, medicine, entertainment, and more. And Tvedten is hoping the history lessons from those entities can resonate with both young and old alike. "History is important so that we can learn from where we came as a nation, as a state, and as a county. Local history is important because it has influenced what we have become. Hopefully, we will learn from the lessons of history and have a greater appreciation of where we are today and where we will be going tomorrow." Continues

CONNECT Business Magazine

A Brief History

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There have been many unique and talented individuals throughout Martin County’s history, including former Vice President Walter Mondale. “I had the opportunity to interview Martin County native, Walter F. Mondale, in 2008. The video interview was shown throughout Minnesota by Our Story Productions, is on YouTube and is on our website as well,” Tvedten said. Mondale’s past, and the history of the other individuals who’ve shaped the county’s history are all documented within the walls of the Martin County Historical Society, located on Blue Earth Avenue in Fairmont. So where else to begin this local history lesson than at the beginning? Martin County was part of the Louisiana, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota Territories between 1805 and 1858. It was actually established before Minnesota became a state on May 23, 1857, taking portions of Brown County and Faribault County. The early settlers in Martin County were primarily of English origin. In 1872, H. F. Shearman, a Connecticut lawyer, went on a hunting trip to Martin County. Being very impressed with the economic potential of the area, he purchased land near Fairmont and developed it into a model farm. He then went back to England and influenced many Englishmen, some quite wealthy, to invest in Martin County. This became the “English Colony,” or “Bean Colony,” as they planned to become wealthy raising beans. They arrived in the spring of 1873 and planted approximately 1,000 to 1,200 acres of beans around Fairmont in Tenhassen and Rolling Green Townships. The first business connection of the area. And it wasn’t long after that, that history was set in stone, paper, photographs and more. The Martin County Historical Society (MCHS) came into existence on February 2, 1929 at the Martin County Courthouse, at which time the constitution was adopted. Mrs. H. W. Brodt founded it. The first board of directors included several famous Martin County citizens such as Judge Julius Haycraft (the first president) and Major Arthur M. Nelson.

Martin County Historical Society In 1956, Dr. & Mrs. Roscoe C. Hunt donated $15,000 to the MCHS for the purchase of the former Catholic School on Blue Earth Avenue. This then became the Pioneer Museum, which is made up of three floors of displays. It is the current home of the historical society. Dr. Hunt had a room named after him in the museum for his generosity. A new addition on the west side of the museum was completed in 1995, which expanded the staff ’s office space and created the main lobby area. Tvedten says this has turned into another popular display area. A state-of-the-art Research Library was completed in 2003. Tvedten says this houses the majority of MCHS’s many research materials. The library also holds a special connection for other businesses in the community. “It makes for a great location to hold meetings and an elevator was added in 2007 to the museum to make our displays much more accessible,” Tvedten said. In 2019, the Martin County Historical Society (with Advantage Preservation) completed a project to have all of its microfilmed newspaper holdings and other reference resources digitized for the sake of preservation, increased access and efficiency. A local business is credited with helping to preserve that history through contributions that have made it not only a big part of the community’s history, but the historical society’s history as well. According to the archive records found at the historical society, Fairmont Railway Motors, first known as the Fairmont Machine Company, started out as a small machine shop in the early 1900s. It made things such as single cylinder engines that were used mainly to pump water, saw wood, and much more. The archives say a breakthrough for the company occurred in the later portion of the 1900s when a railroad section hand, Fred Mahlman Sr., suggested placing an engine on a railroad handcar. “This application had a profound and significant effect on the railroad maintenance industry and put the company on the map”, according to archive records. Records say its first President, Frank Wade, guided the company. Wade was also a prominent local businessman and

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A Brief History

the proprietor of the famed Interlaken Park. The business prospered and, in 1913, the city of Duluth provided the company with an attractive offer to move their offices and plant there. However, a group of concerned and interested Fairmont citizens pledged to support the company and, consequently, the directors decided to remain in Fairmont. The company name was changed to Fairmont Gas Engine and Railway Motor Car Company in 1915. Soon the company began the design and development of complete motorcars and began producing their own models in the early 1920s. In addition, during that same decade, the company began to produce and sell “maintenance-of way” work equipment that included weed burners, weed mowers, and ballast discers. In 1923, Fairmont Railway Motors, Inc. was officially adopted as the firm name. In 1928, the company purchased the railway motorcar business of Mudge and Company of Chicago, and moved all tools and equipment to Fairmont. Soon after, the Chicago properties were sold. Throughout the 1920s and 30s Harold Wade, son of Frank Wade, managed the business as its president. And to say the company had a profound impact on the community might be an understatement. During the Second World War, the company employed nearly one out of every 10 townspeople as it made different parts and railcars

for the war effort. Making it where several residents of the area today could trace their roots back to the railway company. Like many small-town companies, big offers may come in to better the business. Stockholders approved a merger with Harsco, located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on June 8, 1979. The goal of this merger from a local perspective was apparently to enhance the operation of the company by providing stability and continued growth. As a result, when the company was later sold, the MCHS became the recipient of many examples of products, documents, pictures, and records from its past. “Consequently, one of our latest improvements was to create a room dedicated to that industry, named the Kesler Room, in honor of a long-time custodian at the museum that passed away several years ago. In addition, there is a smaller room adjoining the Kesler Room that houses all the records of rail cars manufactured in Fairmont which numbers in the hundreds of thousands. This room is called the “Birth Record Room” because each individual 6 x 9 card provides all the “Birth” information as to when the rail car was made, including paint color, type of car, railroad it was shipped to, and more. Because there are many rail car enthusiasts throughout the world that buy and renovate these cars, we are frequently contacted from throughout the United States, Canada, England, and Australia for information about the specific rail car

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November | December 2020

Martin County Historical Society | Fairmont

they are renovating. We can then provide this information from the “Birth Record” that we have in our files in the “Birth Record Room” in the Kesler Room,” said Tvedten.

grounds such as painting, minor repairs, and more. The help and expertise provided by these volunteers is extremely significant to the smooth operation of the organization.”

Helping to preserve and keep that storied history right on track. In 2009 the MCHS purchased the house next-door, now called the Pioneer Parsonage, which used to be the Catholic Rectory, and added the building and property to the Pioneer Museum’s grounds. The Pioneer Parsonage serves as an extension of the museum’s displays and has been renovated to represent a 1910-1930s era home. It is available to be rented for wedding showers, baby showers, birthday parties, business meetings, and more. Also, the Martin County Genealogical Society moved into the building in 2009 bringing their research expertise, knowledge, and resources with them. The MCHS has three employees: the Executive Director, Lenny Tvedten; the curator, James Marushin; and the administrative assistant, Dona Paris. But that’s not all who help keep the museum up and running. “We have approximately 35-50 very capable and willing volunteers that, depending upon their skill set, help with a wide variety of things including preparing the newsletter for mailing, serving as guides for school tours, and providing necessary work on the buildings and

And extremely important to the local community for all ages. Tvedten adds, “Our mission is to provide Martin County residents and beyond the opportunity to explore and learn about local history through research, documents, artifacts, presentations, publications, and tours. We annually invite all schools in Martin County to visit the museum and we provide them with a structured scavenger hunt with retired teachers supervising nine different stations in the museum. We also partner with Heritage Acres in providing a “Fifth Grade Walking Tour” of a replica set of downtown businesses in Martin County’s past. We provide on-site and off-site PowerPoint and other presentations in addition to creating video histories of Martin County military veterans. We also create an annual historic calendar and provide monthly historic articles to the four county newspapers. In addition, we have recently digitized our vast newspaper collection with papers dating back to the 1870s. I published a book, “Tales of Martin County’s Past” in 2019. It was a compilation of many of the historic articles submitted to county newspapers since 2003. The addition of the Genealogy Society in 2009 adds significantly to our ability to provide family genealogy materials to those interested in

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A Brief History

Martin County Historical Society | Fairmont

Martin County Historical Society’s Executive Director, Lenny Tvedten; Curator, James Marushin and Administrative Assistant, Dona Paris.

pursuing their family lineage.” And that’s just a sample of what Tvedten hopes you can appreciate when you plan your visit. “I would hope that visitors to the museum take away an appreciation of Martin County’s past coupled with a greater appreciation of its present. Being able to view the artifacts and documents from the past shows the progress that has been made, the people that contributed to its progress, and how it has been accomplished. Visitors will grasp the hardship of past generations coupled with their accomplishments that have led to where we are today.” And where the county is today, is currently being documented at the historical society for future generations. “We are documenting the pandemic’s influence on Martin County through photos and a questionnaire we are asking our members to complete that will be in our summer newsletter. This, in addition to our virtual museum tour, is in and of itself, history in the making.” Making that history has come with its challenges, like mostly everything due to COVID-19. Tvedten says there have been some programs and activities that they’ve had to adjust to try and serve the students and visitors to the museum with as close to the same experience as possible. “Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the pandemic was the fact that we were unable to complete our school tours in the spring. Consequently, we created a virtual museum tour that we were able to get out to schools that were unable to visit the museum this year. The virtual tour is provided on our website and YouTube channel and was appreciated by students and teachers alike.” November | December 2020

Tvedten says as a result of the pandemic, the historical society staff has been working from home since mid-March. But that hasn’t stopped the museum from providing services and answers to inquiring minds. “Thanks to technology, we are able to do virtually all of what we normally accomplish at the museum from home such as maintaining financial records, responding to email and telephone inquires, conducting research, and providing historical articles to the four county newspapers on a monthly basis. In addition, we are open by appointment and are following all safety guidelines for staff and visitors alike.” Keeping those visitors and staff safe, because there’s no stopping history from rolling down the track of time. And if you needed one more reason to visit the museum: “Although I might be biased, I believe that Martin County has one of the finest historical societies in the state of Minnesota!” Even though Tvedten doesn’t teach in a traditional classroom anymore, he’s found a new passion to bring history to life for all who walk through the Martin County Historical Society’s doors.

THE ESSENTIALS Martin County Historical Society 304 East Blue Earth Avenue Fairmont, MN 56031 Phone: 507-235-5178 Web: fairmont.org/mchs

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Strategies to Contend with Covid-19 in the Workplace As you contemplate a return to something resembling a normal workplace, at whatever pace is appropriate for your business, everyone from your employees to clients to service providers who visit your building frequently will need to have confidence you’ve taken the necessary precautions to ensure their health and safety. There’s a lot on your plate right now as you wade through state and federal orders, CDC guidelines, OSHA standards and regulations, and more. The following are just a few suggestions to help you identify risks in your facilities and on your sites, and some adjustments you can make to support the wellbeing of your employees and other building users. Entrances: Consolidating visitor entrances will help control external traffic, while a separate entrance for employees would curtail their exposure to outside visitors. Handsfree door hardware will minimize touching of commonly used doors (e.g., restrooms, entryways). Solutions may range from foot or arm pulls to automatic door operators. Access: For businesses that need to continue to offer in-person customer service (e.g., 50

November | December 2020

DMVs), employing door access control systems to “buzz” people into the building when they are ready to be served reduces contact with the door as well as controls building occupancy. This can also free up staff who may be standing at a door admitting people as space is available. Water Coolers: Staying hydrated is part of staying healthy. Merely shutting down public water fountains is an incomplete solution. Instead, consider installing handsfree bottle fillers at electric water coolers in addition to shutting down fountains. Air Quality: Improvements to a facility’s ventilation system such as incorporating HEPA or other filters into existing systems, increasing ventilation rates, and integrating additional outdoor air circulation can support a healthier indoor environment. Open Office Areas: Shared spaces nurture interpersonal collaboration within teams. At least for the time being, however, employees need spaces that support teamwork in a safer environment. Some offices have the floor space needed to rearrange workstations to achieve six feet of separation. In

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tighter spaces, new partitions, extensions added to existing partitions, or glass panels could be added between workstations as barriers between employees. Connectivity: Group meetings have been passed over for video conferencing. If your employees’ work spaces did not already support connectivity, you may need to integrate high-speed network or internet access at employees’ workstations. Break Rooms: The shared coffee pot is on hiatus. Short of closing break rooms and other common spaces, removing or rearranging some furniture will encourage distancing. Stations with hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, and wipes placed throughout common areas will encourage sanitizing these spaces and serve as a reminder to maintain good hygiene. Manufacturing Floors: For those that have the space and flexibility, work areas can be