Change Is In The Air

Change. It can be frightening. It can be difficult. It can be unpopular. But sometimes, it can open the door to opportunities that never could have existed if you didn’t take that uncertain first step.

The May issue of Connect Business Magazine is all about three professionals who have seen great changes in their personal lives and their business experiences.

First, there’s our cover story, featuring Burt Lyman, executive director of Mankato’s Verizon Wireless Center. Lyman has an exhaustive resume that spans several industries, from owning his own business to running a national marketing company. No stranger to change himself, he’s now leading the Verizon Wireless Center through the biggest change in its 20 year history: a $30 million expansion project that promises to bring millions of dollars of economic impact into the Mankato area.

Then there’s Mark Beito of Mark Thomas Co., a funeral supply business that sells to funeral homes nationwide and works with partners from around the world. In the 25 years since he started his business in Sleepy Eye, Beito has overseen four expansions as the company just keeps growing and refining itself.

Finally, there’s Bruce Ankeny of Ankeny Furniture, a third-generation furniture store owner whose building has been the site of everything from a roller rink to a bowling alley. As his family has managed the different businesses within the building, they’ve learned what works and what doesn’t to offer the best business possible to customers.

We hope you enjoy this issue’s selections.

An veritas, an nihil,
Grace Webb