Waseca: Waseca Enews – Waseca Enews launched on August 11 webcasting print, video, and audio over its WasecaEnews.com website.
Garden City: Red Barn Retreats – Shelley and Marty Leenhouts began Red Barn Retreats on August 22 with a well-attended grand opening.
Mankato: Vanderberg Clean – You could almost say Joshua Vanderberg has cleaning supplies coursing through his veins.
Le Sueur: KOSA, Inc. – Sandra and Jorge Brenes have turned love into a full-time business teaching Spanish.
Mankato: Office Space Design – “I found there wasn’t really anyone competing here in office furniture and design, so I developed my own business plan.”
St. Peter: Pheasant’s Ridge Memory Care Center – “We realized there was a need for assisted living for seniors in St. Peter. From there, we opened a building with 16 assisted-living units three years ago.”
Fairmont: AdMfg. – Owner Ruth Theobald founded AdMfg Inc. on January 1. Her career path has taken many twists and turns, yet seems a perfect background for her current venture.
Le Center: ABC Office Supplies – 37-year-old Brad Arndt was homegrown, graduated from Le Center High, and majored in multi-housing management at college.
St. Peter: Bendura – When starting injection molding company Rolco in 1980, Vern Olson also had a “rep company” called Olson Sales LLC.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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,
