Connect Business Magazine

In the game of football, linebackers are often regarded as a key position in defense. Linebackers are known to be versatile, either providing hard hits on running plays or providing an additional layer of pass protection, whichever the situation calls for. Linebackers are required to use their judgment on every snap, to quickly determine their role after “reading” the offensive play. Why the sports primer in a business magazine? Because linebacker is a position that Mankato City Manager Pat Hentges knows well.

I don’t mean to scare you, but if you own or manage a small to medium size business (under 500 employees), a recent study shows you have a one in five chance of getting hit with an employment claim. The study, by business insurer Hiscox, also finds the average cost to defend employment charges is $125,000, which includes expenses such as attorney’s fees and settlement costs. If you are not prepared, these can be alarming statistics.  

I would like to share with you a little known fact about Tony Frentz. But, I have discovered, there are no little known facts about Tony Frentz. His reputation and personality, just like the buildings he has developed, loom large in Mankato. With Tony Frentz what you see is what you get; a man with a big, genuine smile and big, genuine dreams for his hometown.

Business Person of the Year 2018
Forty plus years farming the land near Eagle Lake taught Dennis Terrell a thing or two. He learned if you plant a seed and nurture it, it will grow to reap good reward. He learned that cultivating the land with care will keep it productive for many years. And he learned that there are ups and downs due to circumstances out of his control.

Vanyo Moody will likely take exception to this description, but he is truly a Renaissance Man. Consider this: a Renaissance Man is defined as someone who is neither an expert nor a specialist in any one area, but rather is multidimensional and has knowledge in many different areas. Indeed, Vanyo Moody fits the bill. His time and talents are spread across his myriad of business enterprises.

In 1932, the United States was in the throes of the Great Depression. Unemployment hit 24%. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President of the United States. Al Capone was convicted for Income Tax evasion. Indeed, these are historical events that would shape the future of our country. Events that would go down in the history books. And chances are, some of those books would be published in Mankato, Minnesota. By one of the last remaining independent publishing companies in the United States, The Creative Company.