After 38 years in business, Exclusively Diamonds continues to grow prompting a move to a bigger space at 1601 Adams Street in Mankato. “The larger showroom has a more extensive Rolex buildout, increases our bridal/engagement ring space, and provides ample space for us to host our annual Holiday Party and Ladies’ Night complete with live music and catering,” says Maria Person, Vice President of Exclusively Diamonds.
Read More
Betty Ouren: mom, community leader and powerful professional. Ouren is Vice President of Human Resources and Marketing for MinnStar Bank. She is responsible for staffing administration, marketing and bank philanthropy. She has been with MinnStar for 22 years…and counting! Ouren was also the 2017 recipient of Greater Mankato Growth’s Hap Halligan Award for leadership, an honor Ouren has certainly earned through her involvement in many civic-minded projects.
Read More
According to an old Chinese proverb, “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” The life of Wu Lin, born in Fuzhou, China 34 years ago, certainly reflects that teaching. From learning the art of sushi, to learning English, to learning how to run a business: Lin says his constant yearning for learning got him where is today. Where he is today, is a long, long way from his birthplace. For Lin that single step was discovering his true passion in the kitchen: sushi. A passion that led him on a journey from China to Japan and eventually the United States.
Read More
Diet and weight loss centers seem to pop up daily, but as Tina McClain watched this happening, she could see a few things that could be done better. “I want to offer people an affordable diet/wellness plan along with the family grab and bake at-home meals to complete what I feel teaches people healthy living without the large yearly fees or initial fees,” she explains.
Read More
Jeremy and Jacque Whiteford met each other while attending college at Minnesota State University Moorhead. The two became partners in life, getting married, but didn’t know at the time they would also become partners in business.
Read More
For Nathan Stolt, being a successful entrepreneur means knowing how to use mistakes to identify your strengths. It means asking questions of those that came before you. And it means offering a helping hand to others. “We’ve been fortunate because we get to meet a lot of other small businesses of all types,” says Stolt. “We get to interact with so many different types so we can start introducing them to each other which is fantastic to see.”
Read More
Twenty three years ago, Kathy Sanger was a new college graduate working as an evening admissions representative at Rasmussen College. Today, she leads the campus in Mankato that now serves more than 700 students. She has filled a variety of roles in her tenure at Rasmussen including Admissions Manager, Director of Admissions and Director of Campus Operations.
Read More
For James Hebl, medicine and a positive patient experience are not only professional pursuits, but are very personal as well. “When I was a sophomore in high school, my youngest brother was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus at age 5. I saw the impact diabetes had on not only my brother – but the entire family. The pediatrician caring for my brother was so kind, patient and knowledgeable when describing the condition and what we needed to do as a family. This life event, in addition to my passion for pharmacology and the biologic sciences, played a major role in my decision to enter medicine,” he reflects.
Read More
During the 2018 season, the renovated Franklin Rogers Park in Mankato has made nearly as many headlines as the final scores of Moondogs games. The team has been playing over .500 baseball, but the ballpark is hitting a homerun with each home game played. Lost somewhere in the box scores is the fact that new ownership took over the Northwoods League team in the off-season, giving the 19-year-old collegiate summer baseball team something it has never had before: local ownership.
Read More