We issued a call for nominations in September and the first week of October sent off the nominee list along with supporting information to our panel of judges, who were Minnesota State business faculty. For the fifth straight year, they did a superb job choosing.
Business Person of the Year 2011 – Runner Up
Imagine 63-year-old Warren P. Smith right now as a household appliance plugged into a home electrical outlet. His talkative mouth whirrs like a Sunbeam Blender set on “puree” and his leg and arm appendages gyrate with nervous energy not unlike a Maytag clothes washer on spin cycle.
Business Person of the Year 2010 – Winner
Tourists enjoying kitschy oddities often travel to Minnesota’s Lac qui Parle County and its 1,200-population county seat, Madison, known as the “Lutefisk Capital of the United States.”
Business Person of the Year 2011 – Runner-Up
Imagine creating an official account of Trimont, Minn. movers and shakers. Darwin Anthony’s name will be on the first page. There will be mention of his long career in banking and insurance, his agricultural pursuits, his hands-on leadership…
Greg Stevens grew up in Amboy helping his father farm and manage Stevens Seed Farm, which began operations in 1965.
Both Long Island, New York, and Waseca, Minnesota, share the heart of 46-year-old Justine Meyer.
City Grille officially opened November 24 in the former Country Kitchen Restaurant, but the impetus for starting this new restaurant came about due to an accumulation of experiences.
Has it ever been your hope to leave an indelible mark or have your name live on after you’ve taken your last breath? Fear not. It’s easier than you may think. Simply make a donation or buy on credit.
While growing up on a farm near Harmony, Arvin Vander Plas was driving tractors at age 6 and rebuilding a John Deere 40 at age 10.
Jon Bregel first became interested in locksmithing while growing up in Fairmont. “My friend’s father owned a lock and key business.”
When age 12, Margo Weyhe was telling people she wanted to grow up to be an interior decorator. “I was always the one decorating the Christmas tree, rearranging furniture, moving knick-knacks, and drawing.”
Fairmont resident Wes Clerc (pronounced Clair) serves up more than French fries and Angus Deluxe burgers.
Yes, he and son Rick own and operate five thriving McDonald’s franchises in Fairmont, Blue Earth, St. James, Windom, and Marshall. And yes, 60-year-old Clerc over the last 44 years has been thoroughly batter-dipped and deep-fried in McDonald’s elbow grease, having worked his way up Ronald McDonald’s corporate ladder from being a 16-year-old crew worker to senior business consultant to franchisee.
At this reading, the Editor could still be pumping water out his basement sump pump from the late September aqua deluge. It was Noah’s Ark in Vernon Center—along with everywhere else. As for this election: Be sure to vote your conscience and become part of a human deluge at the November polls.
