Hot Startz! - Connect Business Magazine

Mankato: Between The Bridges Healing Center – Earlier this year, Dr. Jeff Kotulski began Between the Bridges Healing Center in the former ProGrowth Bank building at 45 Teton Lane.

St. Peter: Cooks & Company – Veteran retailer Carol Hayes moved Cooks & Company last October to 316 S. Minnesota.

Mankato: ISJ Regional Women’s Imaging Center – Chief Radiologist Dr. Michael Wolf helped open the ISJ Regional Women’s Imaging Center in January 2009.

Hot Startz!

March 2, 2009 Daniel Vance

Olive Leaf Pantry, DCS Fitness, WOW! Zone

Fairmont: Olive Leaf Pantry – Selling hard-to-find grocery, dairy, and frozen items benefiting people whose bodies can’t tolerate gluten, lactose, nuts, eggs, soy, tree nuts or other foods.

Mankato: DCS Fitness – “I decided I wanted to begin competing in figure and bodybuilding—that’s what started the idea of opening DCS Fitness.”

Mankato: WOW! Zone – Over the last six years, Pam and Doug DeMarce were regularly discussing “doing something” because of their running out of space on Victory Drive to expand.

Hot Startz!

January 2, 2009 Daniel Vance

Spinning Spool Quilt Shop, Midwest Horse Digest, Sven and Ole’s Books

New Ulm: Spinning Spool Quilt Shop – “I was sewing by hand with my grandmother and mother when I was little, making doll clothes, for instance,” said Val Besser, owner.

Blue Earth: Midwest Horse Digest – Rahn Greimann’s grandfather and mother owned horses, and his godparents owned a pony farm where children could ride for $1.

New Ulm: Sven and Ole’s Books – Sven—yes, there really is a Sven in New Ulm—came here in 2006 when New Ulm Medical Center hired his wife as an orthopedic surgeon.

Hot Startz!

November 3, 2008 Daniel Vance

Brunton Architects, RE/MAX

Mankato: Brunton Architects – Brunton Architects, an architecture and interior design firm, opened in February 2008 in the Community Bank headquarters building in Mankato.

Mankato: RE/MAX – Patti Schuch opened a RE/MAX franchise a year ago at 1635 North Riverfront. Before getting there, she had quite the experience growing up.

Hot Startz!

September 1, 2008 Daniel Vance

Granada Getaway, Richard’s Restaurant and Pub, Nate’s Barber Shop

Fairmont: Granada Getaway, Granada – Granada Getaway has been customized to please both scrapbookers and quilters. A typical $99 stay lasts Friday through Sunday.

St. Peter: Richard’s Restaurant And Pub – Speech language pathologist Joan Olson opened Richards’ Restaurant and Pub in April 2008—along with a connected five-room, luxurious boutique hotel.

St. Peter: Nate’s Barber Shop – From an early age, Nathan Paschke was interested in the latest clothing, hairstyles, and fashion. “Originally I thought about going to school to be a beautician,” said 32-year-old Paschke in a telephone interview.

Hot Startz!

July 1, 2008 Daniel Vance

Enterprise Minnesota, Uniquely Yours, Studio 34 Fitness

Mankato: Enterprise Minnesota – Enterprise Minnesota (formerly Minnesota Technology) opened a Mankato office in February 2008 staffed by 44-year-old Greg Thomas.

Sleepy Eye: Uniquely Yours – Diane Mullins came to Sleepy Eye looking for love, and the town hasn’t disappointed her.

Sleepy Eye: Studio 34 Fitness – Most people in Sleepy Eye know of 47-year-old Brent Mielke as “The Zoo Man.” Over the last 20 years, he has performed live in front of more than five million people in the U.S. and Canada,

Hot Startz!

May 1, 2008 Daniel Vance

Oak Terrace, Blimpie Subs and Salads, St. Peter Martial Arts

Gaylord: Oak Terrace Healthcare Center – Partners Dennis Hood and Mick Montag purchased 56-bed Gaylord Lakeview Home and 11-bed Heritage House (a memory loss facility) from the City of Gaylord in December 2007.
Gaylord: Blimpie Subs and Salads – On or around May 20, Blimpie Subs and Salads opens where State Highways 22, 5, and 19 meet in downtown Gaylord. Owner Jerry Hahn also owns Jerry’s Home Quality Foods in Gaylord and Arlington.
St. Peter: St. Peter Martial Arts – Bill Hough opened St. Peter Martial Arts last December on the second floor of 101 West Broadway. Trained in hand-to-hand combat as a U.S. Army infantry soldier, Hough, as a sergeant, eventually became a local Army recruiter.

Hot Startz!

March 1, 2008 Daniel Vance

Edelweiss, Antique Store, HR Advisors

New Ulm: Edelweiss – What used to be Edelweiss Flower Haus, is now Edelweiss, Inc., and has a new owner, location, expanded sales floor, and scads of energy.

Vernon Center: Minnesota’s Highway 169 Antiques And Collectibles – For 23 years, Sandy Oppegard was executive director of the South Central Workforce Council, administering employment and training programs in a nine-county area. She retired last August.

Fairmont: HR Advisors – Since beginning HR Advisors in March 2007, Wes Pruett has developed accounts in Minneapolis, Mankato, Fergus Falls, Rochester, Fairmont, Slayton, and other cities.