Smiles All Around by Initiative Foundation

SPRING 2020

ECONOMY

7 Fine Fellows— Meet Greater Minnesota’s rising social entrepreneurs. Pg. 12

COMMUNITY

A New Act— An historic opera house gets new life in Staples. Pg. 8

GENEROSITY

Smart Planning, Smart Giving— Experts decipher new federal rules about retirement assets. Pg. 32

VISIT IFOUND.ORG/RELIEF

Support the Foundation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

SMILES ALL AROUND Why diversity matters in the dental workforce. Pg. 34

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IQ Initiative Foundation SPRING 2020

Contents FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

20 34

7 Fine Fellows

Meet Greater Minnesota’s rising social entrepreneurs.

McKnight’s Mission

Turning crisis into opportunities for Greater Minnesota.

Smiles All Around

Why diversity matters in the dental workforce.

Succession Successes

How local businesses thrive after their owners move on.

Initiatives:

Regional Highlights

Get the latest highlights from the 14-county area.

Community:

A New Act

An historic opera house gets new life in Staples.

Economy:

Out of the Margins

How once-overlooked workers are part of the workforce solution.

Generosity:

Smart Planning for Smart Giving

Deciphering the new federal rules about retirement assets.

Home Made:

Victual

An artisan food shop opens in Crosby.

Where’s IQ?

Editor’s Note: The stories in this edition of IQ Magazine were developed prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For news and updates on the Initiative Foundation’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, visit ifound.org/relief.

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SPRING 2020

Dear Friends, Because we exist to serve an ever-changing region, we at the Initiative Foundation have long been committed to adapting our own work in a nimble, entrepreneurial way. But we’re hardpressed to recall any period of change so great, or so fast, as what we’ve all experienced between the time when the stories for this edition were crafted and the time it took for the magazine to reach your mailbox.

VOLUME 31, SPRING 2020

That period happens to correspond with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has upended life in Central Minnesota, the United States and across the globe. As a result, we are called once again to adapt our work. And so we have, in very short order.

Initiative Foundation President | Matt Varilek Marketing & Communications Director | Bob McClintick Marketing & Communications Associate | Allison Norgren

We’ve pivoted our unique blend of grants, loans and training programs to address some of the most critical needs in the region. Most notably, in a call with the six Minnesota Initiative Foundation presidents, Gov. Tim Walz reminded us that health care, law enforcement, grocery workers and others providing essential services won’t be able to do their jobs if their child care providers close. So each foundation established emergency child care grant programs, awarding $150,000 or more to help keep providers afloat. The Initiative Foundation received nearly 800 applications and awarded 110 grants. While not nearly enough to meet the overwhelming demand, we consider it a meaningful and timely form of support.

In addition, the Initiative Foundation and several local Partner Funds have established emergency relief funds to provide support for nonprofits serving essential needs related to nutrition and housing (which you can support at ifound.org/relief). And to assist the many small businesses suffering through this period of reduced demand, the Initiative Foundation is among nearly two dozen lenders across Minnesota delivering the Department of Employment and Economic Development’s emergency small business loan program. If the past is prologue, by the time you read these words, much more change and adaptation will have occurred. Meanwhile, enjoy these great articles about the dynamic partnership between the McKnight Foundation and the six Minnesota Initiative Foundations, the great potential of our seven new Initiators Fellows and their social enterprise ventures, and three successful hometown efforts at business succession planning. These stories and more serve as a snapshot of our world before the virus, and as a reminder of work to resume once this challenge is behind us! Enjoy the magazine.

Matt Varilek PRESIDENT

Art Art Director | Photographer Photographer Photographer

Teresa Lund | John Linn | Paul Middlestaedt | Michael Schoenecker

Advertising Advertising Director | Brian Lehman Advertising Manager | Lois Head Advertiser Services | Julie Engelmeyer Subscriptions Email info@ifound.org to subscribe or to make subscription inquiries.

405 First Street SE Little Falls, MN 56345 (320) 632-9255 | ifound.org

IQ Magazine unlocks the power of Minnesota leaders to understand and take action on regional issues.

DELUXE.COM Printed at Deluxe Branded Marketing with Soy-Based Ink on Recycled Paper

4 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

Making an impact Finding solutions to help our communities

Stepping up to cover up Sourcewell has joined the army of innovators exploring new and creative ways to provide personal protective equipment to those on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.

Watch a mask being printed in 3D here:

sourcewell.co/ppe_covid

With the capabilities of 3D printers, Sourcewell is constructing shields and face masks to be tested locally at Tri-County Health Care in Wadena before distribution to local health facilities. Sourcewell is driven to serve its members with the support and resources to make this an ever greater place to live, work, and play.

sourcewell-mn.gov

Initiatives

WADENA TODD

CROW WING

MORRISON

MILLE LACS

PINE

BENTON STEARNS

ISANTI SHERBURNE

CHISAGO

Regional Investment Highlights

CASS

KANABEC

WRIGHT

WESTERN MORRISON COUNTY | Upsala Elementary Ramps Up People-Powered Playground Plan Plans for a new playground are being drawn by a teacher group from Upsala Elementary. With goals for a safe, accessible and fun playground, funds are being collected for a community build planned in the future. The group hopes to add communication signs for the nonverbal, picnic tables, kickball fields, a zipline and more. Their efforts are supported by grants from Sourcewell’s Innovative Schools Project and the Initiative Foundation.

TODD COUNTY | Sourcewell Models the Way in Addressing Child Care Shortage Sourcewell, a friend and partner of the Initiative Foundation, has developed a plan to address the child care shortage in Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison,Todd and Wadena counties. Through its licensing model, the nonprofit will standardize and simplify the process of opening a child care facility. The organization recently received the Circle of Excellence Award from the Minnesota Department of Human Services for its work as a regional licensing center for providers. Photo credit: Jeremy Doyle, Sourcewell TODD: Sourcewell staff receive the Commissioner’s Circle of Excellence Award from Department of Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead.

NORTHERN

WADENA COUNTY | Staples Revs Up Business Expansion Plans Thanks to a newly released business retention and expansion report by University of Minnesota Extension—supported in part by the Initiative Foundation—the Staples Economic Development Authority and a Wadena task force set new business growth and retention goals for the area. While residents report being happy with the quality of life in Staples, there still are gaps in opportunities for entrepreneurs and shortages in housing and child care. Work will continue to identify creative solutions.

CASS COUNTY | Historic Farm Site May Become Heritage Center What did a farmstead look like in 1903? One day, visitors to the proposed Abe and Lydia White Heritage Center in Cass Lake may be able to find out. Through the work of Heritage Group North, Inc., and grant support from the Initiative Foundation, a University of Minnesota graduate student has been hired to identify opportunities at the farm site, which could include a commercial cannery and kitchen, garden demonstrations and chances to learn about the history of the area.

CROW WING COUNTY | An App For Crow Wing Heart Health Each year, more than 475,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest. Thanks to the Brainerd Fire Department and a host of community sponsors, including the Initiative Foundation, the PulsePoint app will soon help drive that number down in Crow Wing County. PulsePoint pushes CPR notifications when there is a sudden cardiac arrest incident and directs responders to the nearest automated external defibrillator.

Photo credit: Paul Middlestaedt MILLE LACS: The Initiative Foundation has long supported work in early childhood dental care, including mobile dental clinics in Mille Lacs County.

6 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

MILLE LACS COUNTY | Mobile Dental Unit Helps Heal Smiles for Hundreds Tooth pain can make it tough for kids to focus on school. Thanks to continued support from Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation, more than 400 income-eligible Mille Lacs County children and mothers visited a mobile dental clinic in 2019, with nearly 200 receiving restorative treatment. The Initiative Foundation has long supported this work in conjunction with local partners. The goal is to double patients served in 2020, thanks to new funding from Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation.

“ We wouldn’t be where we are today without the Initiative Foundation’s continued support. The folks who work for the Foundation are helpful and forward-thinking.” – Kim Brubaken, A Place For You, Pine City

SOUTHERN BENTON COUNTY | Students Gain EPIC Glimpse Into High-Demand Careers More than 2,500 local 10th-grade students took a career analysis inventory as part of the second annual Exploring Potential Interests & Careers (EPIC) day in February 2020 at St. Cloud Technical & Community College. Sponsored in part by an Initiative Foundation grant, the event also offered students hands-on activities related to high-demand careers. Stations included toolbox building, welding, identifying blood type, solving a crime and more.

SHERBURNE COUNTY | Pathways Makes Inroads on Youth Homelessness On any given night, as many as 100 youth experience homelessness in the greater St. Cloud area. Pathways 4 Youth is a resource center that helps 16- to 24-year-olds finish their education, find secure employment and gain stable housing. In 2019, with Initiative Foundation grant support, Pathways tallied 2,000-plus visits while helping more than 260 homeless and highly mobile young people. Even better, 35 percent of youth served by the nonprofit found jobs, while 17 percent gained housing.

STEARNS COUNTY | Arts Board Builds Cultural Bridges The Central Minnesota Arts Board (CMAB) in Foley believes art can travel across cultures and language barriers to bring people together. Thanks to an Initiative Foundation grant, CMAB staff recently took the Intercultural Development Inventory and hired a consultant to review results and talk about using art to build bridges across Stearns, Sherburne, Benton and Wright counties.

BENTON: Students learned about the culinary arts during the second annual Exploring Potential Interests & Careers (EPIC) day.

WRIGHT COUNTY | Community Team Takes Action on Census Count Federal funding and congressional representation are driven by census numbers, so we all benefit when everyone is counted. Wright County Community Action (WCCA) will use Initiative Foundation funding to rally community members and ensure hard-to-count populations fill out their 2020 census. Visit wccaweb.com for more information.

EASTERN CHISAGO COUNTY | Read This: One Thousand Books Before Kindergarten Being read to as a young child results in higher reading scores throughout elementary school. East Central Regional Library wants to make sure Central Minnesota kids are on track. With grant support from the Initiative Foundation, the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program is proving to be successful. Participants celebrate with prizes and events throughout the year.

ISANTI COUNTY | Giving Nursing Students A Hand About 25 nursing students at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Cambridge campus, received a nice boost through the generous support from the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Foundation, a Partner Fund of the Initiative Foundation. Students from the Cambridge, Isanti and Braham areas each received up to $1,500 to assist in their nursing education goals. Without this funding, some of the students may not have been able to attend college.

KANABEC COUNTY | Hometown Team Tackles Mora’s Housing Shortage Communities across Greater Minnesota struggle with affordable and available housing. Last fall, Mora community members decided to take action by forming the Housing Fund of the Greater Mora Area, an Initiative Foundation Partner Fund. Recognizing a need for affordable housing and apartment options, a committee was formed to come up with innovative solutions to help ease the housing shortage. The Initiative Foundation welcomes this new Partner Fund!

KANABEC: The Initiative Foundation awarded a $1,000 grant to the Housing Fund of the Greater Mora Area during a 2019 event in Mora.

PINE COUNTY | Community Garden Gets Masterful Makeover Thanks to a grant from the Greater Pine Area Endowment, an Initiative Foundation Partner Fund, the Pine City Community Garden has been revamped after being closed due to the city’s pump station construction project. Managed by the Pine County Master Gardeners, the upgrades include seven raised beds, coordination of six gardening classes and the installation of 24 plots and a pollinator garden. More improvements and a grand opening are planned for this summer. SPRING 2020

community

SET THE STAGE: The Batcher Block Opera House Building was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

A New Act An historic opera house renovation will bring new economic opportunities to Staples. By Lisa Meyers McClintick

Eighteen years ago, Colleen Frost was facing cancer, grueling chemo and a divorce. She desperately needed something to pull her forward. “I was told I had a year to live and a 10 percent chance of living longer,” Frost said. Frost’s twin brother, Chris Frost, knew she had always wanted an extreme makeover home. So it felt like providence when he found a one-block building in downtown Staples with a hidden architectural gem: The 1907 Batcher Block Opera House, which was shuttered half a century ago. It quietly sat like a time capsule waiting to be reopened. “A new dream happened,” Frost said of her decision to buy the opera house in 2003. She and her brother credit their work to give the opera house new life with helping to save hers. She remembers clearing the space out in those early years and happily “laying on the floor and looking up at the monkey faces, lion’s heads, and dragons, and cabbage roses [in the Bavarian fresco work], and listening to my brother playing a baby grand.” The siblings dreamed big and worked hard to get the Batcher

Block Opera House building on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. They brought in actor Mickey Rooney, musician Lamont Cranston and comedian Louie Anderson to perform and enjoy the theater’s stellar acoustics. They held dozens of other events to build enthusiasm and fundraising momentum. The project lost steam as the 2008 Recession hit and Frost diverted energy to helping local leaders successfully save the 1909 Northern Pacific Railway Depot, which is a short stroll from the Batcher Block opera house. Armed with a recent business plan, community leaders and a steering committee are now looking at reviving the Opera House and its building as a regional arts hub and cultural centerpiece. “From what I understand, it’s one of 13 [opera houses] in the nation with the original artwork and structure,” said Melissa Radermacher, Staples economic development director. “When I walked in there, I got goosebumps. . . . You literally feel like you stepped back 100 years.” A $5,000 grant from the Initiative Foundation, and a $2,500 grant from the Staples-Motley Area Community Foundation, helped CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

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HIDDEN GEM: The upper level of the building eventually was turned into apartments, and many renters who lived there never knew about the locked-up opera house down the hall.

It’s estimated the renovation alone could generate more than $15 million in regional spending, with about $5 million of that going toward 110 jobs. to fund an economic impact study. The final report showed that a $17 million renovation could spark an economic and cultural renaissance that could have a positive ripple effect that extends beyond this city of almost 3,000 residents.

Glory Days

At the time the Batcher Block Opera House was built, it was one of several opera houses in Staples, which was a hub for train travelers. Up to 25,000 passengers a day stopped in this Central Minnesota town and needed to find something to do while their trains were rerouted or rearranged at the switchyard. Charles Batcher, who built many of Staples’ homes, held off finishing his opera house until he could add electricity and get water pumped to the upper levels. When completed, it was considered the nicest opera house in town. The original chairs still have hooks for top hats. “Cities in that era would show their sophistication by having performance centers,” explained Don Hickman, vice president for community and workforce development at the Initiative Foundation. The theater weathered the transition from opera and vaudeville to silent pictures and movies. It was used for roller skating during the 1930s Depression before being shuttered. The upper level of the building eventually was turned into apartments, and many renters who lived there never knew about the locked-up opera house down the hall.

Arts and Economy

Local supporters are hoping state lawmakers will include the Batcher Block Opera House among its bonding projects to cover half of the projected restoration costs—roughly $8.5 million. That would allow the city to buy the building from Frost and begin restoration, which would include fixing the leaking roof, removing mold from walls, modernizing the electrical work, restoring the original Bavarian frescos and murals, installing a commercial kitchen for catering and cooking classes and creating accommodations for visiting performers and artists. The opera house takes up about 5,000 square feet of the Batcher building’s second and third floors and can seat about 750 10 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

people with the main floor, two private boxes and a balcony. McClure Engineering prepared a business plan for Staples and the Batcher Block restoration project while the University of Minnesota Extension Service—supported by Initiative Foundation and local community foundation grant funding—looked at the broader economic impact. It’s estimated the renovation phase alone could generate more than $15 million in regional spending, with about $5 million of that going toward 110 jobs. Once completed, retail space and special events are expected to generate $1.7 million a year. The building also could employ four to five full-time employees, up to 20 part-time staff and draw 4,460 visitors who are expected to spend $540,900 annually. Having a cultural attraction may make it easier for existing local employers, including Lakewood Health Systems, Trident Seafoods, Central Lakes College and 3M, to recruit employees. “It’s a quality-of-life factor,” Radermacher said. “The arts and the economy go hand in hand. It also connects people in the community.” The building could draw additional businesses, such as a brewery, boutiques and restaurants. While the glory days of train travel are long gone, Amtrak’s Empire Builder passenger route has been growing with an estimated 139,091 passengers using Minnesota’s six stations each year. About 6,000 of them are dropped off at the Staples Depot, now owned by the Staples Historical Society and home to the Staples-Motley Area Chamber of Commerce. Frost says about 10,600 cars go by a day on U.S. Highway 10. If local organizers can get the opera house humming again, “the city hopes to draw from a wide radius that includes St. Cloud, the Brainerd Lakes area and seasonal residents and vacationers.” Without a renovation, however, the building could be lost. But Frost and local organizers are optimistic they will get the lights back on and that once again music will lift its way up to the balcony. “It needs to be done, or [the opera house] will end up disappearing,” Radermacher said. “I think everyone is ecstatic we’re moving forward.”

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FINE FELLOWS

The expanded Initiators Fellowship supports emerging social entrepreneurs in Greater Minnesota. Meet our new cohort of regional difference-makers. By Lynette Lamb | Photography by John Linn & Michael Schoenecker

Designed to develop new leaders and accelerate social entrepreneurship across Greater Minnesota, the Initiators Fellowship program is an opportunity to support people who are eager and ready to make a difference. “We’re trying to find people who have the ability to make things happen in their communities and regions,” said Jeff Wig, Initiative Foundation vice president for entrepreneurship. “We want to elevate high-potential leaders.”

Fast-tracking Leadership in Greater Minnesota. The Initiators Fellowship launched in 2017 as a way to help aspiring social entrepreneurs fast-track their ideas, grow their social and professional networks and further develop their business and community leadership skills. The two-year program, which graduated four fellows in 2018, provides a $30,000 annual stipend along with an executive-level mentor, comprehensive programming, educational opportunities and support from dedicated staff members. The original 2017-2018 cohort of four Central Minnesota fellows already has made an impact with the launch of three businesses and two published books. One fellow is a candidate for Congress. This year marks the beginning of the program’s second and expanded cohort of seven fellows. With the addition of the West Central and Southwest Minnesota Initiative Foundation regions, the Initiators Fellowship now covers 41 counties, or more than half of Greater Minnesota. The long-term goal is to expand the program to serve all of Greater Minnesota. That, of course, will only be realized with additional partners and funding beyond the multiyear support of the Bush Foundation, local backing from Sourcewell, and the founding and extraordinary generosity of Granite Equity Partners, a longtime friend and partner of the Minnesota Initiative Foundations, said Jeff Wig, Initiative Foundation vice president for entrepreneurship. Let’s meet our seven fine fellows:

JONATHAN FRIESNER

Indoor Agriculture | Crow Wing County

devoted gardener, Jonathan Friesner wondered how he could grow food during Minnesota’s long off-season. Now, he is part of a six-person collaboration that has solved the challenge using their new product, GroShed (groshed.org). An automated indoor agriculture solution, a GroShed building—or farm—employs nutrient-rich water rather than soil and can be used to grow produce year-round. The all-volunteer GroShed team is investing their time, effort, and money in this passion project. “There is lots of processed food around here,” Friesner said. “Gaining access to fresh, local foods is almost impossible in Northern Minnesota outside of our short growing season.” To change the equation, Friesner, a former contractor, and his partners have scaled down typical hydroponics technology so the average person can grow what they want: tomatoes, broccoli, onions, herbs, lettuces, peppers, chilies. By early 2020, GroShed had sold seven shed-sized farms and was fielding interest from a range of potential customers— from restaurants to food shelves. For now, the startup is sticking to Minnesota customers. “We want to see as many farms as possible in our own state so we can warranty and fix things easily,” said Friesner. He dreams of bringing fresh food to Minnesotans, and he envisions boosting the state’s economy as larger commercial farmers realize GroShed’s potential for providing winter income. “Rural Minnesota is a place of great innovation and untapped resources, but we’re frequently overlooked and can’t always compete with Twin Cities operations,” he said. “It’s so cool that the Initiative Foundation is seeking out ingenuity and entrepreneurship in the rest of the state. [Ours] is a big mission, but we absolutely believe it’s doable.” JONATHAN’S MENTOR IS MIKE DILLON President of Lexington Manufacturing in Brainerd

SPRING 2020

HAMDIA MOHAMED

Sober Housing | Stearns County

hen Hamdia Mohamed’s husband first came to the United States from Ethiopia, he was homeless for a time. Later, after the couple moved to St. Cloud, the convenience store they owned was next door to a shelter. “We have seen a lot of people struggling with homelessness,” said Mohamed, “and we would like to help those people get back on their feet.” To achieve that goal, the couple sold their convenience store and bought two duplexes and a house in which they provide sober housing for men in long-term recovery or who are coming out of treatment, some of whom were previously homeless. Named Victory Plus Housing (victoryplushousing.com), the organization rents rooms for $500 a month, which includes transportation and counseling services. For now, Victory Plus Housing has 10 rooms—already in great demand in St. Cloud—but “we are planning to buy more houses as we go,” said Mohamed. “We are getting a lot of phone calls from social service agencies.” Mohamed and her husband have their hearts in this project. “We know the struggle,” she said. “You lose dignity and worth when you don’t have a place to live. It means a lot to us to help people in need and to help transform their lives.”

nne O’Keefe-Jackson has lived on the Lower Sioux Indian reservation for 15 years, but only in the last five has she focused on tribal arts. “There’s been a real resurgence of interest in traditional arts on the reservation and in this community of Morton, Minnesota,” she said. “We’re bringing that back as an important cultural piece.” While learning beadwork, quilting and quill work from master tribal artists, O’Keefe-Jackson noticed that obtaining the proper supplies wasn’t easy. Her goal during her time as an Initiators Fellow is to focus on sourcing and providing authentic materials. “We need beads, rawhide, quills. Right now, we have to either drive to Minneapolis or order something sight unseen from the internet,” she said. One example: O’Keefe-Jackson prefers braintanned hides to those that are chemically tanned because they are easier to sew. Unfortunately, finding the people who do that work is a challenge. O’Keefe-Jackson envisions outfitting a trailer or a small school bus with supplies and possibly a small gallery, which she can bring to any location where an artist is teaching. “I’d like to push it out further than my own reservation,” she said. “With relocation and boarding schools, many of these arts were lost. And now so many people want to learn.” ANNE’S MENTOR IS MARY BORDEAUX

Co-owner and creative director of Racing Magpie in Rapid City, S.D., and a vice president with the First Peoples Fund. CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

HAMDIA’S MENTOR IS LISA MAURER

Senior vice president of business banking for Bremer Bank in St. Cloud.

ANNE O’KEEFE-JACKSON

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ALISE SJOSTROM

Cheesemaking & Agricultural Tourism | Stearns County

hen she was 16, Alise Sjostrom returned from a 4-H trip and announced to her parents that she planned to become a cheesemaker. Unlike many adolescent dreams, hers came true. To make it happen, Sjostrom developed her own major at the University of Minnesota—a combination of applied economics, food science and agricultural marketing. Next, she worked for established cheese operations in Vermont and Wisconsin. Today the 34-year-old runs Redhead Creamery (redheadcreamery.com) on the Brooten-area farm where she grew up. Sjostrom and her husband, Lucas, now co-own the farm with her parents, Linda and Jerry Jennissen. While the Jennissens care for 200 dairy cows—the source of Redhead Creamery’s milk—Alise runs the cheesemaking operation, which she started in 2014. From its own building on the family farm, Redhead Creamery sells cheese online and in a retail outlet. They offer tours and host concerts and other events. Sjostrom hopes to use her term in the Initiators Fellowship to increase the business’s educational offerings. “Our whole family is passionate about teaching people about agriculture and dairy farming,” she said. “We hope to expand that aspect of our business and make it profitable.” What shape that takes remains to be seen. “It could be anything from beer tastings to school tours,” Sjostrom said. She hopes the Fellowship program will help her determine which of her ideas are financially viable. Meanwhile, she has her hands full with Redhead Creamery, as well as with her three young children. In fact, Sjostrom went into labor with her youngest child the same day she learned she had been selected for the Initiators Fellowship. “I’m still kind of soaking it all in,” she said later. “That was quite a week.”

ver the period of a dozen years working as a lunch lady, security worker and paraeducator in the Fargo and Moorhead school districts, Rachel Stone watched the struggle between students and teachers. “There was a wall or gap there that prevented some students from focusing on education,” she said. “And I realized that first they needed to understand that they’re loved and supported; they needed help coping with life experiences.” Her years as “Mama Rachel,” when she saw the impact she could have even while “serving nuggets and mashed potatoes,” set the stage for Stone’s empowerment program for youth—P’s and Q’s Etiquette (psnqs.org). Although she offers a variety of classes, her capstone course, “Leaderlicious,” focuses on learning to lead, discovering strengths and goals and speaking out. “I take it step by step. How do you use your voice in a positive manner? How can you take control of your lives?” Starting this youth empowerment program represents the fulfillment of a promise Stone made to herself when she was a struggling Chicago teenager. “I vowed if I could ever do something to help girls, I would—I have a passion for that.” Later, after parenting three sons and recognizing that most of the kids getting kicked out of school were boys, she expanded her program to support girls and boys. Support from the Initiators Fellowship program will help Stone and her students start a youth publication, which she considers a critical piece for their community. “Our [children of color] don’t see themselves represented in this region,” she said. “They need a place to share their stories and to shine.” RACHEL’S MENTOR IS KARA GRAVLEY-STACK Dean of students at Minnesota State University Moorhead

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

ALISE’S MENTOR IS NICOLE FERNHOLZ

Executive director of the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission

RACHEL STONE

16 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

Youth Empowerment | Clay County

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“ Rural Minnesota is a place of

great innovation and untapped resources, MARC VAN HERR

but we’re frequently

Mental Health Advocacy | Stearns County

overlooked and

can’t always compete

hen Marc Van Herr found out he had diabetes five years ago, the St. Cloud man immediately shared his diagnosis on social media. That experience led him to an epiphany: Why had he so readily told the world about his diabetes when he had never felt free to share openly about his bipolar disorder, which he’d been managing for a decade? “When I realized that both conditions are chemical imbalances that require medicine for my body to work properly, a light went on,” he said. That light is now shining throughout Central Minnesota, thanks to the project that Van Herr was inspired to start. The mission of The Beautiful Mind Project is to “change the way we treat mental health in our community, both from a cultural and clinical perspective.” To achieve that, The Beautiful Mind Project (thebeautifulmind project.org) has three parts: providing mental health education; granting college scholarships to youth who share how mental health has affected their lives; and establishing a network of mental health providers committed to providing same- or next-day appointments. “We’re like the Uber of mental health,” Van Herr said. “We connect people who need counseling with those who can provide it.” The Beautiful Mind Project’s network of mental health providers has grown quickly, with eight locations in Central Minnesota and plans to have as many as 30 locations in Central and Southern Minnesota by year-end. “Access is everything,” Van Herr said. “If you need help and you finally make that call but you can’t get an appointment for a month, you may lose motivation. We want people to quickly get the help they need.”

with Twin Cities operations.

”

Jonathan Friesner, GroShed

MARC’S MENTOR IS JOHN RUIS

Director of strategy and business development for St. Cloud law firm Quinlivan & Hughes and former United Way of Central Minnesota CEO and president. CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

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Partners

in Innovation

Meet the Minnesota

Initiative Foundations Central Based in Little Falls, the Initiative Foundation serves 14 counties and two tribal nations in Central Minnesota with an emphasis on entrepreneurial programs, child care, and community and economic development. ifound.org

Together, the McKnight Foundation and Minnesota’s Initiative Foundations have transformed hardship into opportunity.

By Gene Rebeck

In 1986, as Greater Minnesota communities experienced high rates of farm foreclosures, widespread unemployment and the shuttering of main street stores, the Minneapolis-based McKnight Foundation pursued a vision that would plant seeds of rural renewal. More than three decades later, their work is paying dividends across the state.

NORTHWEST Serving 12 counties, the Northwest Minnesota Foundation promotes initiatives that include early childhood development, housing and support for entrepreneurs in a largely rural region. nwmf.org

Mindful that they couldn’t solve the farm crisis from their headquarters in the Twin Cities, McKnight—with additional funding from the Minnesota Legislature and the active participation of rural leaders and residents throughout the state—led the charge to launch six regional foundations. Known as the Minnesota Initiative Foundations, these regional entities cover all 80 counties outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. With a commitment to rely on local knowledge and leadership, the Minnesota Initiative Foundations have helped to transform desperate economic times into opportunity. Each foundation’s grants, loans and programming support economic and community development based on priorities established by local leaders who serve on each organization’s board of trustees. To date, the McKnight Foundation has delivered more than $270 million in financial support to Greater Minnesota via the Minnesota Initiative Foundations, an investment that has proven to be one of the most durable in Minnesota’s rural areas. “For any foundation to support something for 33 years straight is pretty extraordinary, particularly support that has been so steady and on such a large scale,” said Matt Varilek, president of the Initiative Foundation, which serves the 14 counties of Central Minnesota. During those three-plus decades, each of the Minnesota Initiative Foundations has evolved as they’ve matured. McKnight has provided core funding throughout that time. But that has also made up a smaller share of the foundations’ overall budgets, as they’ve established a track record yielding greater support from donors within and

NORTHLAND Serving seven northeastern

20 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

Minnesota counties and five tribal nations, the Northland Foundation’s focus areas include children and youth; individual and community wellbeing; and economy and jobs. northlandfdn.org

WEST CENTRAL Serving nine mostly rural counties that reach all the way to the North and South Dakota borders, West Central Initiative's focus areas include business development, community development and early childhood. wcif.org SOUTHWEST Serving 18 counties and two tribal

nations in a region that includes the Minnesota River Valley, focus areas include preventing childhood poverty, business development and supporting community foundations. swifoundation.org

SOUTHERN Serving 20 counties in the south central and southeast sections of the state, key programs of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation include those geared toward economic development, early childhood and community vitality. smifoundation.org

Northwest Northland West Central Central

“ There’s nothing like the Minnesota Initiative Foundations anywhere else in the country, at least not on the same scale. Rural Minnesota is grateful to McKnight for making this investment over this period of time. It has made a huge difference.

”

Southwest

TIM PENNY President, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation

Southern Photos courtesy of Northland Foundation; Northwest Minnesota Foundation; Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (photo by Red Bird Hills); Southwest Initiative Foundation; and West Central Initiative.

SPRING 2020

childhood development, a primary point of programmatic intersection for the foundations. The Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation also has been awarded additional grants for projects devoted to local food production and public art. And the Little Falls-based Initiative Foundation has received special programming money to improve the quality of the region’s lakes and streams and to help the city of Becker and Sherburne County prepare for the economic transition and tax-base implications of Xcel Energy’s plan to decommission the Sherco coal plants. “Each of the Minnesota Initiative Foundations has really In seeding the creation of the Minnesota Initiative Foundations, evolved to meet the needs of their respective regions,” said Kara “the McKnight Foundation really put a lot of trust in local people Carlisle, who as McKnight’s vice president of programs oversees to make decisions and guide decisions for their respective regions, the foundation’s grant-making. “Those regions are so vast, and while providing guidance when needed,” said Dave Gruenes, who also so very different, that over the years, McKnight has continued served on the Initiative Foundation’s Board of Trustees from 1999 to see a deep value in the partnership. The Minnesota Initiative through 2009, including a role as board chair. He continues to Foundations can do things that we can’t easily do.” lead its investment and audit committee. In addressing the rural Carlisle noted the deepening economic development role crisis, McKnight didn’t want to impose a top-down, one-size-fitseach foundation has assumed in its region. All of the Minnesota all approach. Its research and face-to-face visits with residents Initiative Foundations have special IRS authorization to function revealed that Greater Minnesota was diverse in its needs and as gap lenders in partnership with local financial institutions, often economic assets. Its largely hands-off approach “is a tribute to the collaborating with the U.S. Small Business Administration and other McKnight Foundation, and it certainly contributed to the success of regional and statewide economic development entities. This kind of the Minnesota Initiative Foundations,” Gruenes added. lending is customized on a project-by-project basis. A case in point: “McKnight played that critical founder’s role for us at the Initiative Foundation gap lending is helping to fund construction beginning, ensuring that we had adequate resources to get off the of Brainerd-based Barrett Petfood Innovations’ second production ground,” said Diana Anderson, president of the Southwest Initiative facility, which broke ground in Little Falls in the summer of 2019. Foundation based in Hutchinson. “As each of the Minnesota Initiative The Initiative Foundation joined a large group of lenders, including Foundations built its own capacity, the McKnight Foundation was Alexandria-based Bell Bank (the lead lender), Morrison County very quick to respond.” Community Development and the Minnesota Business Finance In many cases, McKnight also has provided additional Corporation. Equipment for the new is being financed via the SBA resources for special projects, said Tim Penny, president 504 program, which provides loans for purchasing fixed assets. of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation McKnight and the Minnesota Initiative Foundations also have in Owatonna. For example, for more than 15 collaborated on special programming initiatives. An example is years McKnight funded a Minnesota Initiative a new Southwest Minnesota Teacher Preparation Partnership, Foundation collaboration devoted to early a unique career pathway model created by Worthington public schools, Minnesota West Community and Technical College, Southwest Minnesota State University and Southwest Initiative “ The McKnight’s Foundation generosity, creativity, Foundation. The program’s goal is to bring “more teachers in the and commitment to philanthropy in rural Minnesota front of the classroom who reflect the faces of the children in the has forever changed northwest Minnesota. The classroom,” Anderson said. The McKnight Foundation awarded a McKnight Foundation’s vision of the power of two-year, $600,000 grant to support the program. rural philanthropy will continue to impact In developing the program, “there was a reciprocal relationship the region for generations to come. around something that is important to both of our foundations,” We are forever Anderson said. McKnight has appreciated “the approach grateful.” these rural educators were taking to this work,” she added. “And we have learned so much from “Each of the Minnesota Initiative Foundations KAREN WHITE their connections.” McKnight has introduced has really evolved to meet the needs of those local regions. President, Northwest partnership organizations to national education Minnesota Foundation Those regions are so vast, and also so very different, that experts who are versed on closing the over the years, McKnight has continued to see a deep value opportunity gap, as well as university faculty in the partnership. The Minnesota Initiative Foundations who are developing curricula for teacher can do things that we can’t easily do.” pathway programs. KARA CARLISLE “We were really thinking about how we Vice President of Programs, McKnight Foundation were going to ensure that the faculty and staff that were involved in the program were culturally competent,” Anderson said. “We developed a plan to beyond their respective regions. Last year, McKnight released its 2019-2021 Strategic Framework, which includes two new focus areas: advancing climate solutions in the Midwest, and building a more equitable and inclusive Minnesota. These add to its portfolio, which also includes the arts, neuroscience and international crop research. As McKnight shifts its emphasis, its relationship with the Minnesota Initiative Foundations also will evolve.

Collaboration and Innovation

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

22 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

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bring training and resources around cultural competence . . . and that was a real learning opportunity for the McKnight Foundation to see how we did that.” Another fruitful relationship is the interconnection between the Minnesota Initiative Foundations themselves. “If McKnight had helped to get six of these established anywhere in the country, that would be a great accomplishment on its own,” Varilek said. “But they’ve also done it in a way that creates a cohort of six organizations that collaborate extensively and serve every county of Greater Minnesota, making the Minnesota Initiative Foundation network much greater than the sum of its parts. We have each other to learn from and work with, which illustrates the strength of the network as well as the vision of McKnight and the local residents who established this model more than three decades ago.” Perhaps the best examples of that collaboration—one that included financial and technical support from the McKnight Foundation—are the programs the Minnesota Initiative Foundations have created to boost early childhood development. “That work has evolved into a significant focus on child care in particular,” Varilek noted. In recent years, the Legislature and the administration of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz have identified the shortage of quality, affordable child care as a policy priority. “Because we have a state-wide reputation and serve all of Minnesota outside the seven counties of the metro, the Minnesota Legislature understood if they direct resources to the Minnesota Initiative Foundation network, they can make a broad impact,” Varilek said. “So we were fortunate to receive funding in the last legislative session through two state agencies.”

What’s Next

With McKnight’s emphasis changing, might the relationship between the Minnesota Initiative Foundations and McKnight also

change? McKnight’s Carlisle noted that the Strategic Framework is “not a departure from where we’ve been.” “We have always looked to the Minnesota Initiative Foundations for guidance and insights to help us improve our work,” she said. “For example, as McKnight increased its focus on climate solutions, we partnered with the Initiative Foundation to help the places where the closing of coal plants requires help transitioning to a clean energy economy and the new jobs associated with it. And the collaboration with the Southwest Initiative Foundation is just another example of McKnight’s long-time focus on inclusion and equity throughout Minnesota. Climate change and demographic diversity are issues that affect the entire state.” The new Strategic Framework reflects McKnight’s desire “to take a more integrated view of transformational systems that we could help support,” Carlisle said, rather than focusing solely on a traditional grantby-grant approach to change. “It’s a natural evolution about how we think change happens.” As part of that evolution, McKnight is developing a more integrated systems approach that addresses interrelated issues. “The nature of the collaboration between McKnight and the Minnesota Initiative Foundations will continue to evolve over time,” said Varilek. “And that makes sense.” McKnight will continue its work with its partner regional foundations to further its mission in Greater Minnesota, and McKnight’s new Strategic Framework could be the basis of innovative, collaborative partnership-based programs. No matter the form of the next evolution, there’s no doubt that the McKnight-Minnesota Initiative Foundation connection will remain strong and beneficial. “There’s nothing like the Minnesota Initiative Foundations anywhere else in the country, at least not on the same scale,” Penny said. “Rural Minnesota is grateful to McKnight for making this investment over this period of time. It has made a huge difference.”

“McKnight played that very critical

“ McKnight is far more than just a critical funder. Their organizational curiosity and commitment to maximizing their impact, here in rural Minnesota and worldwide, inspires us to also grow, change and improve.

”

TONY SERTICH

President, Northland Foundation

founder’s role for us at the beginning, ensuring that we had adequate resources to get off the ground. As each of the Minnesota Initiative Foundations built its own capacity, the McKnight Foundation was very quick to respond to that.

”

“ In September 2019 the McKnight Foundation announced an increased focus on building a more equitable and inclusive Minnesota. We are so ready to be a strategic partner in that work.

”

ANNA WASESCHA

President, West Central Initiative

24 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

DIANA ANDERSON

President, Southwest Initiative Foundation

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SPRING 2020

economy

A PERFECT FIT: Alex Gans (center, pictured with job coach Chad Alred and his father at a weekly visit to Best Burger) loves his job at National Vision in St. Cloud.

Out of the Margins How once-overlooked workers are part of the solution to the region’s workforce shortage. By Andy Steiner | Photography by John Linn

When Alex Gans graduated from high school, he and his parents worried that his diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder meant that he would never find a job. Meanwhile, managers at National Vision in St. Cloud had an open position, but no workers to fill it. The job—sorting piles of eyeglasses by ZIP code for mailing to customers—is tedious. In a labor market hampered by record-low unemployment rates and an aging population, it seemed the optical retailer would never find anyone for the job. National Vision reached out to WACOSA, a Waite Park-based nonprofit that provides services to people with disabilities. When WACOSA job coach Chad Alred read the position description, he thought of Gans. “We knew the repetition of the work would really appeal to him,” Alred said. “Alex has this great attention to detail and doesn’t get bored.” The job is a perfect fit, according to Gans, who says he also loves getting a paycheck. Until he landed the position at National Vision, Gans would fit 28 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

the description of a marginalized worker, a person who wants a job but has not traditionally been considered employable. In economies where there are more workers than jobs, marginalized workers— including those with disabilities, felons, seniors, immigrants and two-parent homes hindered by the regional child care shortage— often get overlooked by employers who believe it’s too much effort to hire and accommodate their needs. But in today’s economy, employers in Greater Minnesota are hungry for workers. And many are willing and eager to hire people they hadn’t considered in the past. “Bringing underutilized workers into the workforce has an almost enlightened self-interest for our region,” said Don Hickman, Initiative Foundation vice president for community and workforce development. Beyond self-interest, Hickman adds that finding jobs for workers formerly considered unemployable is good for everyone. “If there is talent out there that we haven’t found because of language or physical ability or life circumstance, we need to help them find their way into the labor force,” he said. “Right now all of us are open minded about

things that previously might have been a barrier. If that can lead to productivity for the employer and new opportunity for the worker, then everybody wins.”

Matchmakers

Last fall, WACOSA, in partnership with St. Cloud Area School District 742 and the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation, hosted Project Connect, an event designed to highlight the benefits of hiring workers with disabilities. The program was funded by an Initiative Foundation grant. “It was an opportunity to have candid conversations about the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities,” said Carrie Peterson, WACOSA fund development manager. About 60 people attended, including employers and representatives from area school districts. Employers have been known to express concern about hiring people who’ve been traditionally excluded from the workforce, according to Ann Kennedy, WACOSA sales, marketing and communication manager. “I find the number one thing we need to do is to break down the barriers,” she said. “There are oftentimes concerns about hiring marginalized workers, but when you address those issues head-on, it takes the fear factor out of it.” Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services, Inc. (CMJTS), a nonprofit dedicated to finding work for the region’s underutilized job seekers, has hosted a series of “Untapped Workforce” events for employers to highlight the benefits of hiring marginalized workers. There have been three events so far this year. All were funded through Initiative Foundation grants. Another untapped segment of the workforce is new Americans, especially those with limited English skills. A year ago, CMJTS ran a hospitality training program for a group of 23 local Somali women, who felt like their options for employment in the region were limited to working in a processing plant. “The program was very successful in helping expose these women to new careers,” said Leslie Wojtowicz, development manager at CMJTS.

New Possibilities

Minnesota is changing, and employers increasingly recognize that the job market is also evolving. “At a time when many conventional workers with traditional credentials and long work histories are already employed, employers need to look elsewhere,” Hickman said. “The coronavirus pandemic may change that outlook for the immediate future, but this is a national demographic trend that is going to last for at least 20 years. We need to use every angle possible to surface talent.” Traci Tapani, chair of the Initiative Foundation’s Board of Trustees, knows this truth better than most. As co-president of Wyoming Machine, a precision sheet-metal company with about 55 employees, she has adapted her hiring practices over time. When she bought her company back in 1994, Tapani said workers came to her with more job-specific skills and experience. And a different job market meant that she had her pick of candidates. Today, Tapani, who served a three-year term on the Governor’s Workforce Development Board, says she’s had to reframe her definition of the perfect employee.

“Part of our workforce plan in Minnesota is to try to eliminate barriers for people who are seeking employment,” Tapani said. “My tendency now is to think about what barriers I am throwing up that would make it difficult for someone to join me as an employee. How can I be more accessible to someone who has been shut out of the workforce?” That includes people with felony convictions. “I’ve found out in our own environment that it doesn’t really matter,” said Tapani. She prefers to put her employees’ histories—like that of the former gang member who served time in prison but has been a dedicated worker for over a decade—in the past. “[This isn’t] charity,” Tapani said. “I need people. It’s a win-win for both of us.” Most of the time, she adds, “You’d never know an employee had a felony if they didn’t tell you. They’re just like everyone else in your facility.” Likewise, Alex Gans’ wants to be like everyone else who works at National Vision. And, thanks to support from Alred and WACOSA, he’s achieving that. When he got hired, he picked a day each week that he’d buy lunch for his father and his friends. “We go to Best Burger in Waite Park,” he said, proudly. “I buy.”

SUCCESS STORIES How the Initiative Foundation is supporting marginalized workers. CENTRAL MINNESOTA JOBS AND TRAINING SERVICES, INC., ST. CLOUD AND MONTICELLO A $7,000 grant was used to sponsor the Untapped Workforce Series, which highlighted the benefits of hiring Fair Chance workers. CUYUNA RANGE YOUTH CENTER, CROSBY A $5,000 grant supported an internship program to connect local youth with businesses. CENTRAL MINNESOTA JOBS AND TRAINING SERVICES, INC., MONTICELLO A $10,000 grant supported a K-12 Connection webpage, which will help educators, parents and students connect with manufacturers for career development resources, tours, classroom visits, training tools and apprenticeship placement. AVIVO, GREATER ST. CLOUD AREA A total of $10,000 was given to support services and training scholarships to immigrants, refugees and first-generation Americans to help gain skills to find employment. Avivo also works with high school students to prepare them for the workforce. GPS 45:93, PINE CITY A $10,000 grant is helping area schools to partner with local businesses and community organizations to provide innovative opportunities for students to enhance their career options prior to graduation. Rush City, Willow River and Wolf Creek Trio school districts received the first round of grants.

SPRING 2020

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Smart Planning for Smart Giving New federal rules about retirement assets could change your philanthropic plans. Here’s what to consider in 2020. By Gene Rebeck

You may have already wrapped up your 2019 tax returns. But there’s good reason to start thinking about next year’s taxes—which, after all, cover this year. The federal Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, which became law on Jan. 1, has changed many of the rules for estate and charitable planning. In fact, under the SECURE Act, you can maximize your charitable giving and minimize the taxes your beneficiaries have to pay on the retirement accounts they inherit from you.

We asked three veteran advisers to share their insights about how families can best benefit from the new rules. The experts we’ve talked to aren’t offering tax, legal or financial advice. Consider their thoughts the start of discussions to have with your tax preparer, attorney or financial adviser.

“ The SECURE Act dramatically shortens the period of time over which most beneficiaries must withdraw from inherited IRAs.” 32 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

Julie Nelson, CPA

Mayer, Porter & Nelson, Ltd., Staples Even before the SECURE Act, we’ve advised our clients with charitable giving plans to make a direct transfer of their required minimum distribution, or RMD, from their tax-deferred retirement accounts. This is especially a good tactic now that the standard deduction is so high that many charitable deductions have no effect on federal taxable income. By making a direct transfer of an RMD to a qualified charity, you can eliminate that income from your tax return. If you follow this strategy, taxpayers should be sure to have the check written directly from the IRA custodian to the charity. If the check is made payable to you, it won’t be considered a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD. That means it will be treated as taxable income. You can give more than your RMD—up to $100,000, in fact. Be sure to let your tax preparer know that you made a QCD in 2020 when you do your tax return next year. The SECURE Act has increased the age by which individuals are required to make RMDs from their tax-deferred retirement account, from 70½ to 72. The RMD starting age doesn’t affect the starting age for QCDs. You can make a QCD after age 70½, even if you don’t start taking RMDs until you’re 72. Another change that can benefit certain retirees who want to work part-time is the ability to contribute to an IRA past the age of 70½. This means a couple over 70½ can contribute up to $14,000 in 2020 if both spouses are contributing the maximum of $7,000 a year and have at least that much in earned income. If you plan to make post-70½ QCDs or post-70½ contributions, be sure to consult your tax professional to ensure you navigate these rules successfully.

Julie Nelson generously gives of her time as a member of the Initiative Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

Bradley Hanson

Quinlivan & Hughes, P.A., St. Cloud The good news is that the SECURE Act provides several improved opportunities for tax savings for the participants. For instance, the new law permits early withdrawals from retirement plans or IRAs, without a penalty tax, of up to $5,000 (per spouse) if the money is used to pay for the expenses associated with childbirth or adoption. The bad news is that the SECURE Act dramatically shortens the period of time over which most beneficiaries must withdraw from inherited IRAs. Before 2020, all non-spouse beneficiaries could “stretch” their distributions from inherited IRAs over their life expectancies. This allowed them to defer those taxes over more years and to take advantage of lower tax brackets.

Under the SECURE Act, the only beneficiaries who still can stretch an inherited IRA over their life expectancies are known as EDBs, or eligible designated beneficiaries. EDBs can be surviving spouses, minor children, disabled or chronically ill individuals, and individuals who are less than 10 years younger than the participant, such as a sibling or a non-spouse partner. After minor children reach adulthood, they cease to be considered EDBs and must switch to the 10-year distribution period for what’s left of their inherited IRA. Minor grandchildren don’t qualify as EDBs, so they must take the distributions over 10 years regardless of their age. In any case, the SECURE Act’s distribution rules may require you to make changes to your estate planning to avoid unintended results, especially regarding trusts for children or grandchildren.

Paul Grassmann

Thompson & Associates, CentraCare Foundation Consultant In 2020, many individuals and families will be reassessing if their planning continues to meet their goals and objectives in light of the SECURE Act. For many, the new legislation creates significant planning quandaries, especially for those who’d like to control these funds beyond the 10-year window, or who simply desire further tax-deferred growth on these funds for their families. While there still are trusts that can hold and secure retirement assets beyond the 10-year liquidation period, income over $12,950 retained in trust is taxed at 37 percent, the highest federal rate. But there’s another option: charitable planning. For those who already have set up outright gifts or are considering making them, ensuring these gifts come from retirement assets when possible is now more important than ever. This can be done either through the IRA Charitable Rollover after age 70½ or as a beneficiary designation on the retirement account. Most people view their charitable actions as a pure gift, with no thought of a personal benefit. In fact, there are numerous other ways you can structure these gifts to create charitable impact AND provide for your family. For instance, there’s what’s called a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT). A CRT doubles the amount of time retirement funds can remain invested tax-free from 10 years under the SECURE Act to 20 years. In certain situations, the funds can remain in the trust throughout the beneficiary’s lifetime. During the trust term, the trust will typically pay out to your children or other heirs. At the end of the term, what’s left over can be given to the charitable causes of your choice. A CRT can result in a small decrease for heirs, but it also allows for a structured payout over a long period of time for heirs while creating a significant charitable gift. However, in some situations when the beneficiary’s tax rate or the trust tax rates are factored in, your beneficiaries might actually receive more through the CRT than with non-charitable options.

As you consider how your estate plan will best provide for those you love, remember that charitable giving can offer additional benefits and leave a legacy that reflects your values for years to come. Contact Carl Newbanks (cnewbanks@ifound.org) or Mike Burton (mburton@ifound.org) and we will help you discover the many charitable options available in Central Minnesota. SPRING 2020

SMILES All Around

A scholarship program from Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation aims to diversify the dental profession in Central Minnesota. By Elizabeth Foy Larsen | Photography by John Linn

In 2017, Alexandra Lucken graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and was set to embark on a career in marketing. Then, her father got sick and she moved back home to Pierz. She was able to find a job in her field, but the work was mostly done via computer, which didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play to her strengths as a people person. So, it was a welcome opportunity when Lucken learned about the Dental Assistant Diploma at Central Lakes College (CLC) in Brainerd. A one-year course that prepares students to become dental assistants, the diploma is the ticket to a career that includes teaching patients about oral hygiene, taking and developing X-rays and assisting dentists during treatment procedures. Graduates can also go on to become dental hygienists, dental sales representatives and dental therapists, which are licensed practitioners who work with a dentist and provide basic dental treatments such as fillings. Lucken had received her associateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree at CLC, so she was already familiar with the campus and the community. To make sure she could see a future for herself in this potential career, she shadowed a dental assistant and discovered that the direct interaction with patients appealed to her. Lucken was 22-years-old when she entered the CLC program, which meant she was an adult, with real-life expenses and bills to pay. To make ends meet, she worked daily from 5 to 8 a.m. before long days of classes that started at 9 a.m. Exhausted and looking for some options, she confided in LeAnn Schoenle, a CLC dental instructor. Schoenle suggested that Lucken, who is of Sioux heritage, apply for a Diversity in the Dental Workforce in Central Minnesota scholarship. Sponsored by the Initiative Foundation 34 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

ALEXANDRA LUCKEN: “Having something in common with my patients helps them feel a little bit more confident.”

“

We want our kids, our elders, our families, to see people that look like them and understand their values and traditions in the places where they – Mary Sam, Central Lakes College director of diversity receive pretty intimate care.

”

SPRING 2020

“I think diversity just broadens your horizons on how you see the world, especially in the dental field.” – Dominique Kotzer

DOMINIQUE KOTZER: “Everyone comes from a different background, especially different cultures.”

through a $200,000 grant from the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation, the Diversity in the Dental Workforce program was created in 2014 to increase the gender, racial and cultural diversity of a field that is almost entirely white and English-speaking—two qualities that don’t fully match the changing demographics of the region. “The Foundation’s purpose is to improve the oral health of Minnesotans, and this funding is encouraging the workforce that is needed to be successful,” said Joseph Lally, the executive director of Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation. Since 2010, Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation has funded projects around the state to improve oral health through dental workforce innovation, increased access to care and prevention efforts. During the years it was offered—this school year marks the end of the program—the scholarship helped 20 students from diverse backgrounds at both CLC and St. Cloud Technical & Community College (SCTCC) complete the program. The scholarship helps push the dentistry field to better meet the needs of its patients. “Disadvantaged populations, including new Americans, often experience greater oral health issues due to economic constraints as well as cultural and language barriers,” said Annesa Cheek, SCTCC’s president. “Providing educational grant opportunities to recruit and retain a more inclusive and representative student population into dental health programs has introduced students, who would not otherwise have explored a career in the dental health field, to these programs. These students have graduated from dental assistance programs, entered the workforce earning sustainable wages, and become ambassadors to

reach under-represented populations who may not have knowledge of or access to preventative and restorative oral health care.”

Beyond Good Intentions

The idea for the diversity scholarship was born in 2013, when the Initiative Foundation was launching other programs to improve the dental health of the region’s young children. “We quickly discovered that our intentions were good, but our cultural agility was not as polished as one would like,” said Don Hickman, the Foundation’s vice president for community and workforce development. Case in point: In an effort to serve children from the region’s East African community, a one-time free clinic in a St. Cloud church basement wasn’t staffed with anyone who spoke the Somali language. Furthermore, the male dentist received his patients alone in a private room, which is not a scenario that is comfortable or appropriate for some devout Muslim women. “Everyone had good intentions and gave each other grace,” said Hickman. “But we realized that if we really want to reach people who are struggling to access care, we have to be smarter about what their needs are.” These lessons in sensitivity can start in the classroom. “A more diverse setting within the medical assistant program helped all of our students learn a lot more about each other,” said Mary Sam, CLC’s director of diversity and a former member of the Initiative Foundation’s Board of Trustees. “And I think that experience is going to make each one of those students, as they go out into their professional careers, a little bit more culturally competent—more CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

36 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

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Smiles All Around CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36

empathetic, more compassionate, and to be able to serve people better as a result of their relationships that they established here at Central Lakes College.” The hope is that this initiative will ultimately improve dental care throughout the region. “We want our kids, our elders, our families to see people that look and feel like them in the places where they receive pretty intimate care,” said Sam. “If people feel safe in the surroundings, I think they are more apt to go back, ask tough questions about their health and invest more in their care.”

New Opportunities

That sense of personal empowerment is important to SCTCC grad Dominique Kotzer. Kotzer, who is Latina, moved from her hometown of Fargo to St. Cloud in 2015 and heard about the dental assistance program from friends who were already employed in the field. She entered the program in 2017. To support herself, she worked the 2 to 10 p.m. shift at a nursing home in Howard Lake. After breaking up with a live-in partner, she moved out of her apartment and kept her clothes in her car while she couch surfed at friends’ homes. The scholarship allowed her to work fewer hours and stabilize her housing. She landed a fulltime job as a dental assistant at Crow Wing Dental in Delano after graduation. “I love it,” she says of the close-knit work atmosphere. She

believes that diversity in the field of dentistry is important. “Everyone comes from a different background, especially different cultures,” she said. “I think it just broadens your horizons on how you see the world, especially in the dental field.” The broadening of horizons that was initiated by the dental diversity program even made its way to the offices of the Initiative Foundation. “It was our first program that intentionally sought to serve people of color and new Americans,” said Hickman. “We learned so much about how one humbly approaches and learns how to engage with diversity, equity and inclusion. Thanks to this project we have become a far more diverse staff and have changed many of our practices.” For Alexandra Lucken, the scholarship turned out to be the pathway to a rewarding career. “I love the patient contact,” she said. “You are caring for a person, helping them out.” Lucken feels that her background is an asset to her workplace. ”I think diversity is hugely important,” she said. “Having something in common with my patients helps them feel a little bit more confident.”

How can the Initiative Foundation help you advance diversity, equity and inclusion in all its forms in your sector? Contact Don Hickman at dhickman@ifound.org or (320) 631-2043.

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How three Central Minnesota businesses have survived and even thrived after their owners have decided to move on. By Lisa Meyers McClintick | Photography by John Linn

WILLOW SCHULLER: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I took a welding class for fun, but I ended up really liking it.â&#x20AC;?

40 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

Keeping companies local when an owner is ready to retire or when they’re facing a restructuring or buyout can be vital to communities. In 2005, Bob Thompson heard that Imation, the manufacturing company he managed in Pine City, was going to be sold. He knew the business was at risk of being moved or shuttered, and he knew he needed to do what he could to keep the doors open. The plant employed up to 60 people and provided an economic anchor in a town of 3,100 working residents, many of whom commuted 60 miles each way to the Twin Cities.

The payroll when Thompson purchased the company—which he renamed MINPACK—was $1.5 million. “It was important to the community,” Thompson said, referencing the fact that Pine County has historically had one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. Since 2005, the average production wage of $9.50/hour has risen to about $16.40/ hour and MINPACK is among the county’s top five employers. The company makes film and paper products people can find in large retail stores, such as office supplies, tape, promotional items, sporting goods, packages for small items to hang in retail displays, and has a clean room for health care products. Keeping companies local when an owner is ready to retire or when they’re facing a restructuring or buyout—possibly

due to technology or market changes—can be vital to communities, with a ripple effect that extends to housing, education and health care. Sometimes, it can be difficult for banks to completely finance a business transition. And that’s where gap financing through the Initiative Foundation has played an important regional role in enabling new owners to take over and keep the doors open. In 2005, the Initiative Foundation loaned MINPACK about $300,000 for inventory used to make retail packaging, office supplies and more. “We can step in with financing that can help companies through succession and to retain high quality jobs in the community,” said Dan Bullert, business finance manager at the Initiative Foundation.

All in the family

After steady growth for several years, Monticello’s Karlsburger Foods in Wright County was facing the need for an expansion just as the company’s thirdgeneration owners were yearning to sell. Three serious purchase offers came in for the company, which makes stocks, soupbases, sauces, gravies and seasonings. But all involved some form of relocation,

according to Mike Maher, who has served as company president since 1998. Maher wanted the company and its 40-some employees and 21 independent contractors to stay in Monticello, where production crews work three shifts to make the equivalent of 2.4 million cups of broth a day. Maher was able to purchase the business and building in January 2020. A $500,000 loan from the Initiative Foundation covered gaps in bank loans. The company got its start in the Twin Cities, when Frank Cserpes Sr. began making sausage. It evolved into a manufacturer of soup bases and spice blends for restaurants, schools, nursing homes and private labels and grew enough that they moved from the company’s location in Dayton to a more spacious building Monticello in 2007. Karlsburger Foods is also a proud partner of Feed My Starving Children and other programs that provide meal kits to people in need. In 2019, the company helped produce 600 million meals for children around the world. That socially focused work appeals to many of Karlsburger’s restaurant customers, some of whom have been purchasing

SPRING 2020

LEFT TO RIGHT: MINPACK’s Bob Thompson; Karlsburger Food’s Mike Maher; Gustaf’s Up North Gallery’s Jana Lensing.

The owner wanted assurance that loyal customers would be served well and that his family’s business would be in good hands. products from the company for decades. Karlsburger staff—many of whom are former chefs—deliver soup bases and seasonings to these customers every two weeks. Maher has known the Cserpes family since he was a teenager. Their retired father, Frank Cserpes Jr., wanted assurance that loyal customers would be served well and that his family’s business would be in good hands. “Our relationship, and the ability to communicate, was critical,” Maher said. “There are a lot of moving pieces to buying a company this size.” For now Maher is focused on inventory software upgrades to increase efficiency with the 500 products they make or pack. He also is looking at brand development and trends and keeping up with the company’s tradition of steady growth. He wants to keep Karlsburger Foods a family company and bring in his three sons: Matthew and Spencer, two experienced Culinary Institute of America chefs who have been working in New York and California, and Justin, who has a master’s degree in supply chain management. “The long-term plan is for my boys to run this with me as a family business,” he said. “I think this combination will make us a really strong team going forward.”

Local Traditions

In the Chisago County town of Lindstrom, finding a new owner for Gustaf ’s Up North Gallery was important not only to its

founder, MaryAnn Jindra, but to a community of 2,500 residents that was eager to keep its identity as “Little Sweden.” The gallery represents more than three dozen painters, jewelry makers and furniture makers, whose work often mirrors the beauty and heritage of Minnesota and Wisconsin’s northwoods. It is also known for its Scandinavian imports, including tomte figurines, handmade pottery and Swedish textiles. Jindra’s husband, John, runs a framing business on the premises. In 2017, Jana Lensing had a goose-bump moment after she and Jindra discovered both had a dream—yes, an actual dream—that Lensing would one day take over as the business’s next owner. They began a succession plan shortly after, allowing Lensing more than a year to learn the intricacies of the business and to figure out financing. A $110,000 Initiative Foundation loan went toward purchasing the gallery’s historic building, which was built in the early 1930s. “I could not have done this without the Initiative Foundation,” said Lensing, who took ownership in October. The project’s lead lender is MidWestOne Bank with additional support from the North Central Economic Development Association. Lensing wants to keep Jindra’s vision and faithful customers. She also is looking for ways to freshen the building’s curb appeal and create more community interaction, especially in the quieter winter season when there may be 24,000 vehicles a day going past on U.S. Highway 8 versus the 48,000 vehicles when people head to second homes and cabins in the summer. CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

42 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

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Succession Successes

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Lensing is doing what economic experts at the University of Minnesota say is essential: She’s getting solid mentoring from Jindra, and she’s tapping some fresh energy with the talents of her daughters, both in their early 20s, who helped market a 2019 holiday open house that drew thousands of visitors. Lensing has also taken community leadership seriously. She is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and a participant in the Blandin Community Leadership Program. She doesn’t see herself retiring for many years, but she—and maybe her daughters—hope to keep supporting artists and contributing to Lindstrom’s Swedish vibe. “MaryAnn did this for 45 years. This was her baby,” Lensing said. “It was important for her to know that it’s cared for.”

Experts at the University of Minnesota recommend getting solid mentoring and tapping fresh energy with the talents of newcomers.

Main Street Success

How communities can proactively keep their businesses. For communities that are eager to have their businesses stay put, it helps to be proactive and aware of the transitions that may happen, say experts at the University of Minnesota Extension program, which can help bring buyers and sellers together. The program also can help set up an employee co-operative as another ownership alternative. “It’s a better bang for your buck to keep existing businesses rather than bring in new ones,” said John Bennett, a community economics educator with Extension’s Center for Community Vitality.

The importance of business succession planning is crucial, especially in light of the wave of Baby Boomers retiring in the next decade. Experts agree there should be a full year to plan a transition. Three years is even wiser for making any needed improvements and to show the kind of sustained profits that are needed to secure loans. It’s also important to have people in place who are willing to be business mentors, especially for the roughly 35 percent of owners who are newcomers to a community, said Jennifer Hawkins, another Extension educator.

The payoff often goes beyond retaining small retailers and larger employers. In most cases, Bennett and Hawkins say, the new owners can take a successful business foundation and then add their own fresh energy and ideas. That typically translates into stronger businesses and growth that can bring in more employees. “You’re not just keeping a business,” Hawkins said, “You’re growing an economy.”

For more information about business succession planning, visit extension.umn.edu and search for “community economics.” To learn about the Initiative Foundation’s gap-lending program, visit ifound.org/economy/business-financing or contact Dan Bullert, business finance manager, at (320) 631-2013 or dbullert@ifound.org. To support job-creating, community-enriching economic development initiatives in Central Minnesota, visit ifound.org/give.

44 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

Headline

7 Fine Fellows

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 44

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18

ERIN SCHUTTE WADZINSKI

Immigration lawyer | Nobles County

fter 10 years at Yale University—first as a student and then as a staff member—Erin Schutte Wadzinski came home to Worthington in 2018. She was drawn back to be closer to family and “to serve my community by providing immigration legal services.” Schutte Wadzinski earned her law degree at night from the University of Connecticut while serving as director of Yale’s Young Global Scholars program. From afar, she watched as Worthington’s foreign-born immigrant community expanded to become a third of the city’s 13,000 residents. These new Americans hail from many regions, including Central America, East Africa and Southeast Asia. Many were attracted to jobs at the city’s large meat packing plant. Others moved to join family in the area. Schutte Wadzinski spent her first months back in Worthington working for the St. Paul-based nonprofit Immigrant Law Center, which provides immigrants with free legal help. While there, she recognized a service gap. Her new firm, Kivu Immigration Law, which she will develop as an Initiators Fellow, will help immigrants who can’t qualify for free services but also cannot afford large hourly legal fees. Schutte Wadzinski will offer below-market flat rates for legal services, “so a client will know up front how much it will cost

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46 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

to hire me.” She has signed a lease for a downtown storefront office and plans to hire a part-time bilingual legal assistant/office manager. Once her office is up and running, Schutte Wadzinski plans to handle about 15 clients a month, most of whom will be applying for green cards and citizenship or sponsoring family members seeking to move to the United States. “Worthington’s immigrant population makes our city a special place,” she said. “I want people to hear that we are growing and thriving and understand that diversity is something our city should celebrate.”

“ I want people to hear

that we are growing and thriving and understand that diversity is something

ERIN’S MENTOR IS PATRICK COSTELLO

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our city should celebrate.

Learn more about the Initiators Fellowship program by visiting greaterminnesota.net/fellows.

”

Lifting Up Leaders This cohort of the Initiators Fellowship will graduate in December 2021. The goal is to strengthen each Fellow’s leadership within their respective communities and to support the growth and development of their social enterprise ventures. Visit ifound.org/give to support this important work.

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For thirteen years, the Anderson Brothers Family Foundation has supported organizations in our community that focus on families and children in need, environmental protection, and economic development. In partnership with the Initiative Foundation, our foundation provides summer camping experiences for children with autism, skin diseases, heart disease, down syndrome, and families affected by AIDS at Camp Knutson in Crosslake. We care, because we live here, too.

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By Maria Surma Manka Photography by John Linn

It’s usually not a good sign when a customer cries. But at Victual (shopvictual.com), a gourmet food shop in downtown Crosby that makes its own super-premium, lactose-free ice cream, more than one customer has wept tears of joy. “We have lactose-intolerant customers literally in tears because they can eat ice cream for the first time in 20 years,” said Paul Kirkman, owner and president of Victual. “It’s such an emotional thing.” With few options for specialty foods in Greater Minnesota, Victual has found a niche selling gourmet foodstuffs, including artisan cheeses, charcuterie and specialty spirits. Kirkman worked with the Small Business Development Center at Central Lakes College and the Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corporation (BLAEDC) to bring Victual to life. A financing package that leverage’s BLAEDC’s Unified Fund is being serviced by the Initiative Foundation. Soon after opening Victual last summer, Kirkman and his husband, Paul VanderWaal, realized that their ice cream brand, Rave Creamworks, was going to be Victual’s biggest star. The idea for the product came about because VanderWaal is lactose intolerant and wasn’t able to join in Kirkman’s family tradition of making homemade ice cream. So, Kirkman set out to create a lactose-free ice cream that was also delicious. “I am really, really picky about ice cream!” said Kirkman. “What I make has to be absolutely fantastic; the feel of it, the melt of it, everything. I have a very high bar.” We sat down with Kirkman to get the scoop on Victual.

50 Initiative Foundation ifound.org

CREATED WITH CARE: Rave’s base ice cream mix is made at a small dairy farm in Forest Lake where ingredients are blended, pasteurized and bottled.

•F OOD SCHOOL Kirkman was committed to being knowledgeable about his products, so he enrolled in the University of Wisconsin’s Ice Cream Makers Short Course and the Cheese School of San Francisco. •F AT FACTS What makes an ice cream “super-premium?” Butter fat. Rave Creamworks ice cream contains a high butter fat content that gives it an especially creamy texture. Rave’s base mix is made at a small dairy farm in Forest Lake where ingredients are blended, pasteurized and bottled. These base packages are delivered to Victual, where the ice cream is turned and flavored on site.

•G UT INSTINCT Lactose is a sugar molecule in milk products. An enzyme in our gut, lactase, breaks down lactose into sugars that can be digested. If someone’s gut doesn’t have lactase, they are lactose intolerant and may feel bloated, crampy or nauseous after consuming a milk product. To avoid the lactose problem, Rave adds the lactase enzyme to its ice cream. The enzyme then breaks down the lactose into sugar so that it can be digested by everyone. •T ASTE TESTS Rave offers an ever-changing roster of 16 flavors. Oreo and snickerdoodle are year-round favorites. Seasonal offerings such as white chocolate peppermint and lemon maple ginger fly off scoopers and freezer shelves. •S UPERIOR STOCK Victual’s products fall into six categories: Ice cream, cheese, charcuterie, gourmet, gifts and spirits. Victual has one of the largest bean-to-bar chocolate selections in Minnesota.

•S PIRITED Victual has Minnesota’s smallest stand-alone liquor store, which includes wines from family-owned vineyards, spirits from small distilleries and liqueurs. “Liqueurs are almost ignored in liquor stores in Greater Minnesota,” explained Vickman. “We carry liqueurs that have an interesting backstory, such as medicinal uses or originating from a distillery tended by monks.” •G O LOCAL Victual avoids mass-produced home goods and gifts, preferring instead to source from local artists that make unique items, such as iron-forged cheese knives and ceramic ware that resembles birch bark.

SPRING 2020

where’s IQ?

THINK YOU KNOW? Send your best guess to IQ@ifound.org by June 1, 2020. Three winners will be chosen, at random, to receive a $25 credit to apply toward their favorite Initiative Foundationhosted Partner Fund. HINT: These fictional characters are the invention of novelist Vilhelm Moberg. Thousands of Swedish tourists visit the statue each year. Congratulations to everyone who correctly recognized St. Cloud’s Tied to the River sculpture. Chris Shorba, Kurt Franke and Denise Slipy were the lucky fall 2019 winners of the “Where’s IQ” contest.

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