Off the Record: Recent Episodes
Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal and Platinum Bank
Off the Record is a podcast exploring the lives and stories of Twin Cities executives. Join the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, in partnership with Platinum Bank, for robust conversations with local leaders as they share pivotal moments in their lives, some of their career highlights, and their goals for the coming years. You know their names and faces, now get to know their stories.
At an early age, UNRL Founder and CEO Michael E. Jordan knew he didn’t want to enter the construction industry like his parents and brother.
“My roommates, they were always up all night playing Call of Duty. And I was … in the middle of designing a catalog for a company that does sublimation printed jerseys.”
When Jordan saw the hockey team Minnesota Wild’s logo, he thought, “How cool is that? All of the depth in that logo of the river and the sun. … I want to design logos like that when I grow up.”
Jordan started his first “mini business” crafting web and graphic designs around the age of 13, and he hasn’t stopped since. Shortly after closing the doors on the company he started in college, Jordan started UNRL, an athleisure clothing company designed to take you from the office to the gym.
“Our true end goal is to leave a legacy … to have a company that stands the test of time and is bigger than all of us individually.”
Jordan discusses his exciting career journey and more in this episode of Off the Record with hosts Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, and Jen Hellman, president and CEO of Goff Public. Listen in to hear more on:
· Pitching a design idea for a large engineering company at age 16 (4:07)
· Getting a deal opportunity with “the NFL of video games” in college (10:53)
· Starting UNRL a month after dropping out of college (14:56)
· What’s helped UNRL stay ahead in a competitive industry (24:04)
· Where you’ll find Jordan on a Saturday morning (39:16)
Leaders like Jordan understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
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On the eve of starting grad school, Benjamin Jo VandenWymelenberg dropped and shattered his phone. After building an early prototype of a wood phone case to protect it, he nixed the grad school idea and started a business selling high-end custom wood products.
As the founder and CEO of Woodchuck USA, VandenWymelenberg now aims to “connect people with nature,” as he says on the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast. The company is proud of its “Buy one. Plant one.” program, where a tree is planted for every product sold, he says.
“When we came up with that idea, I had a strong feeling like, this is going to do really well because we can literally show an end consumer exactly where their tree was planted,” VandenWymelenberg says. “I think there’s something extremely magical that happens when you can get your hands physically on dirt, and I’ve witnessed this with corporate teams we will take out (on a planting day).”
Listen to the episode as VandenWymelenberg shares more about his company’s inception and career journey. Learn more about:
- VandenWymelenberg’s passion for architecture and how those design skills have translated to his business (8:59)
- Woodchuck USA’s most popular items (14:46)
- How VandenWymelenberg’s other business, Nature Link, feeds into his goal of connecting people with nature (15:46)
- Giving back to the community in the realms of nature and entrepreneurship (24:27)
- VandenWymelenberg’s favorite national park (27:12)
Leaders like VandenWymelenberg understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
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Someone who thinks of Minnesota Ice as a company that sells frozen water is sort of missing the point, according to Robbie Harrell, the company’s CEO. From ice sculptures to craft cocktail cubes to life-size ice block mazes, Minnesota Ice’s products are innovative in their design and function.
“You think of it as, ‘Oh, it’s just freezing water.’ It’s so much more than that. I’ve somehow managed to get into a complicated business where you take this raw material you get out of a spigot. You freeze it using these expensive machines, and then you have to store it in a very expensive room that stays below freezing,” Harrell says on this episode of the Off the Record podcast.
Harrell shares more about the company’s origins and what it’s doing to “embrace the winter” in Minnesota through ice mazes and more special events with hosts Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, and Jen Hellman, CEO of Goff Public.
Listen to the episode to learn more about:
- Harrell’s first job frying cheese curds at the state fair (3:18)
- Coming to learn who you want to work with and who you don’t (6:24)
- Business serendipity on a flight to Texas (8:41)
- Minnesota Ice’s big break with the Super Bowl (16:26)
- How ice events came to be (20:54)
- Where you’ll find Harrell on a Saturday morning (33:36)
Leaders like Harrell understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
When Todd Duesing became the president and CEO of Hennepin Arts, formerly Hennepin Theatre Trust, one of the first things he wanted to do was make some bold decisions about the Twin Cities’ theater district. He saw so much potential there, he says on the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast.
“Our new tagline is braver, brighter, bolder — and that’s our vision for Hennepin Avenue. We want to be braver and take risks on buildings that could be great things. We want to brighten up the district, make it lively and really illuminate it,” says Deusing.
Duesing expands on his big, bold decisions and what it’s been like to relocate to Minneapolis from Cincinnati in his conversation with Off the Record hosts Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, and Jen Hellman, president and CEO of Goff Public. Listen to the episode to hear more about:
- Putting on festivals in his family’s backyard in Northern Kentucky as a kid (2:08)
- Duesing’s involvement in campus concerts during college — and what happened when he picked up Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers from the airport (8:41)
- Bringing 35,000 international visitors to Cincinnati as part of the World Choir Games (15:06)
- Duesing’s vision for the Twin Cities’ theater district (22:45)
- Projections for the Broadway show industry (28:22)
- Area restaurants Duesing is excited to visit with his husband — and what song he’s likely to sing at karaoke (37:52)
Leaders like Duesing understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Renee Alexander realized she loved being a part of creating performance magic as a young girl in southeast Kansas, when she and her siblings would put on after-dinner theatre for their parents. On this episode of the Off the Record podcast, Alexander, now the CEO of the Minnesota State Fair, recalls producing, directing and starring in those homegrown shows.
“Honestly, I’m more of a behind-the-scenes person,” she says to hosts Dave Faust, CEO of Platinum Bank, and Jen Hellman, CEO of Goff Public.
To illustrate, Alexander recounts an early summer working with the fair’s entertainment department, when New Kids on the Block were at the height of their popularity.
“At that point in time, the venue itself was 21,000 seats. My boss took me backstage, and I got to look up to see 21,000 screaming people. To see that was just magic to me, to be behind the scenes of it, not to be the one actually on the stage,” she says.
Listen to the episode to learn more about:
· The annual “Super Bowl of food vendors” that determines what food will be served at the fair (9:48).
· When Alexander fell in love with the fair (11:07).
· The famous artist who made a huge impact on Alexander when they met (13:04).
· What it feels like on opening day when the gates open at 7 a.m. (17:37).
· Initiating innovation while honoring fair traditions (20:44).
· What Alexander wants to be remembered by (30:15).
Leaders like Alexander understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Laura Monn Ginsburg, partner and principal of Apparatus GBC, is the kind of person who feels energized by potential. From launching Apparatus, a general benefit corporation that seeks to serve the common good, to then deciding to specialize part of her consultancy work in cannabis, Monn Ginsburg believes people who care can get things done, she says in the latest episode of Off the Record.
“The thing that was enticing to me was just the possibility of it all,” says Monn Ginsburg in her conversation with hosts Dave Faust, CEO of Platinum Bank, and Jen Hellman, CEO of Goff Public.
Listen to the episode to hear more about:
- The time management lesson that came from Monn Ginsburg’s first internship interview (13:56).
- When she became a person with two last names — and why (17:32).
- What Apparatus is all about (21:24).
- The launch of Apparatus’ cannabis division, Blunt Strategies (26:50).
- Monn Ginsburg’s unique hobby, for which she has a dedicated Instagram account (35:13).
Leaders like Monn Ginsburg understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
As Dan Vansteenburg knows, mindset can make the difference between success and failure. Now the CEO of Spin the Planet, which owns and operates 46 Jimmy John's franchise stores and other restaurants, Vansteenburg admits he had to overcome a lot of challenges during his school years.
He was small and unathletic for his age and a “horrible student,” Vansteenburg tells Off the Record podcast hosts Kathy Robideau, former market president and publisher for the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, in this episode. But one day, after his family moved to Brooklyn Park during his high school years, he had a moment of clarity.
“I felt the hand of God on my shoulder,” Vansteenburg says. “I heard Him say, your arms work, your legs work, your ears and eyes and mouth work. You’ll never be the football player. You’re not going to go to state wrestling as a high school student. You’re not going to be a lot of things, but I want you to try. I want you to work at it. I want you to try.”
Listen to the episode to hear Vansteenburg’s success journey and more about:
Memories of Vansteenburg’s early teaching career (21:17).
- Doing the homework on where to open his first Jimmy John’s franchise store (27:35).
- Why Vansteenburg decided to give 25-30% of the monthly net income of each store to the store managers — and what impact that has had on the team (36:06).
- The sign Vansteenburg put up in all his Jimmy John’s stores that the company founder saw and asked every franchisee to replicate (41:20).
- The creation of Tenacity Restaurant Group and what’s on the horizon (50:19).
Leaders like Vansteenburg understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
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When Jill Renslow saw the joy she could create for others as the events chair with her college’s American Marketing Association chapter, she knew the event marketing field was right for her.
Deciding her dream job at Disney presented a geographic challenge after getting engaged to her college sweetheart, the Minnesota-based Renslow set her sights on “the Disney that’s closer to home” — in her case, the Mall of America (MOA).
She started as an events intern in 1997. Now, as the chief marketing officer, Renslow combines hospitality with a passion to lead the way in the entertainment industry. “If there’s something new in the retail and entertainment space, (customers) are going to expect us to have some facet of that. And that’s what we love,” she says on the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast, brought to you by Platinum Bank. “We want locals to have something unique to come and experience.”
Renslow shares stories about everything from riding roller coasters with Justin Timberlake to keeping a seven-acre theme park running during COVID-19 with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank. Listen to learn more about:
- Spearheading MOA’s huge transition from “Camp Snoopy” to “Nickelodeon Universe” (18:37).
- What happens when COVID-19 meets a seven-acre theme park (21:19).
- Developments with the upcoming waterpark (31:28).
- How MOA provided free brick-and-mortar space for local businesses displaced in the wake of COVID-19 and the unrest stemming from the 2020 murder of George Floyd (34:29).
- The value of saying “no” as a working mom (47:04).
- Why taking risks to give back to employees pays off (49:24).
Leaders like Renslow understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Paul Marvin is part of the fourth generation of his family to be involved with the eponymous family business. As the CEO and board chair of Warroad, Minnesota-based Marvin, he has learned a lot about building the highest-quality windows and doors over the years — but he’s also learned what’s equally important when it comes to a family business.
“To be a family business in perpetuity, which we aspire to be, you have to be a parent,” Marvin, who has six kids with his wife Maureen, says in this episode of the Off the Record podcast. “You have to show up. You have to run the business. But if you’re neglecting your duties of being a good parent, how are you raising the next generation to run the company?”
Listen to Marvin’s conversation with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, as they discuss:
- What’s special about growing up in a small town (3:35).
- The value of a liberal arts education (10:59).
- What it was like for Marvin to start his own business at age 23 (19:27).
- The rules for ownership succession in Marvin’s family business — and how he decided he was ready to be all in with the company (24:04).
- Being a “business-first” family rather than a “family-first” business (37:51).
- Qualities that made Marvin the right choice for CEO (40:07).
- How the company is innovating to help customers live better (48:05).
Leaders like Marvin understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Cale Johnston enjoyed noteworthy success with his first fintech startup, ClickSWITCH, which he sold in 2021. But despite his positive experience, Johnston is prioritizing a smaller-scale legacy as he looks at his career in aggregate, he says in this episode of the Off the Record podcast.
“(Five years ago) my focus and my drive were about the company,” Johnston, who is now the founder and CEO of athletics platform Roy Inc., says, but it didn’t take long for people to forget about the business after he sold it. “My legacy needs to be focused on what goes on between the four walls of our house. My kids, my wife, my family.”
Johnston talks with hosts Kathy Robideau and Dave Faust about his career journey. Listen to learn more about:
- The value of a good coach (5:08).
- What led Johnston to the idea for ClickSWITCH (9:40).
- Working with check services company Harland Clarke (16:38).
- How the Q2 acquisition of ClickSWITCH came about in 2021 – and why Johnston took the deal (23:25).
- Finding fulfillment and purpose after a business sale (29:30).
- Johnston’s goal to democratize sports with Roy (32:59).
- Coming full circle as a coach for his kids’ sports teams (47:38).
Leaders like Johnston understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
In the professional services industry, relationships are the differentiator. One of the biggest challenges Nikki Rohloff has faced in her career was the sudden loss of her firm’s business partner, she says in this episode of the Off the Record podcast, brought to you by Platinum Bank.
She’s now the managing partner of Rohloff and Associates, but back in 2017, it was Roach Associates — named for her late business partner, Kevin Roach, who passed away in 2021. When it happened, Rohloff not only mourned her colleague, she says, but she worried about his client connections.
“We weren’t sure if we were going to lose a bunch of clients because their relationship was with Kevin,” Rohloff says. “But the way we built the firm, with being very hands-on, where everyone gets to talk to everybody, our clients were amazing. They literally stood by us. They gave us all the grace in the world to be able to process his passing and work through how we keep things going.”
Rohloff shares how they kept the lights on during "one of the hardest things ever" and more with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, in this episode. Listen to learn more about:
- Growing the firm’s fractional CFO business (19:25).
- Showing vulnerability to your team as a business leader (21:18).
- The exciting launch of Canopy Accounting in November 2023 (27:37).
- Rohloff’s ongoing struggle with impostor syndrome despite her many achievements (31:38).
- Seeking balance between building a business and being present for family (36:25).
Leaders like Rohloff understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Heide Olson, founder and CEO of Accountinuity and Veracity Pros, believes there may be no time like the present to start a business. In her case, she left her job and “threw out her shingle” just before she and her husband were due to have their first baby, Olson reveals in the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast, brought to you by Platinum Bank.
“My husband thought I was absolutely insane,” she says. But she points to the side business she had been doing all along and the relationships she’d been building as the necessary springboard to get her started.
“The reality is, you’re never going to be fully ready. You just have to jump. And I would say that to any person who’s thinking about starting a business. You can’t wait until it’s the perfect time or until you have the perfect plan,” Olson says. “You just have to be semi ready, and then make the plunge.”
Olson talks about her career challenges and achievements in this conversation with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank. Check out the episode to learn more about:
- The one thing entrepreneurs won’t learn in college (13:52).
- Hiring for technical skills vs. hiring for core values (16:32).
- What Accountinuity and Veracity Pros do to attract talent (23:16).
- The tale of one client whose books “were completely off the rails” — and what Olson learned from that experience (26:51).
- What gives Olson fulfillment in her work (33:00).
Leaders like Olson understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Sara Dziuk still has the pencil drawings she used to do of the stapler and tape dispenser in her cubicle at a previous job. Dziuk, now the CEO of Junior Achievement North, says she keeps those drawings as a reminder of her “aha moment” of realizing she needed a job that would “fill her cup,” she says in the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast.
“The environment just wasn’t the right fit for me,” she says. “I learned a lot, very quickly, about what I need to thrive in an organization and what is important to me.”
Instead, Dziuk realized later how comfortable she truly felt in the nonprofit world. “Where I feel really, truly passionate about the work I’m doing, that’s where I need to be,” Dziuk says.
Listen to the episode to learn how that passion led her to work with Junior Achievement North. Dziuk chats with Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, about her career journey. Learn more about:
•Dziuk’s one regret from her college experience. (9:08)
•Leadership takeaways from an early career role with the Greater Mankato Chamber of Commerce. (13:30)
•What Dziuk learned about being competitive in the first five or 10 years of her career. (17:10)
•Leading Junior Achievement’s capstone programs, including JA BizTown. (28:51)
•College Possible’s mission and impact in the Twin Cities. (33:22)
•What it was like to join Junior Achievement North as the CEO during the Covid-19 pandemic. (37:06)
•Reimagining the high school experience for students with the new 3DE model. (43:16)
Leaders like Dziuk understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Dan Stoltz took the reins at Spire Credit Union (before it became Blaze) in 2010 — just as the economy was facing some serious difficulties.
“It was a tough way to start out as a CEO, but I love challenges,” Stoltz says in the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast. “I’ll never forget calling in my leadership group, sitting in a room just like this, and saying, ‘Look, we’ve got to do this. We’ve got to figure this out. That might mean some pay cuts for the short term. It might mean some downsizing. We’ve got to be careful and compassionate about that — but we also have to think boldly.”
Stoltz then took a step he admits was a risky and unpopular move: he doubled down on advertising. And it paid off, he says. “Long story short, we were $500 million (in assets) in 2010, and with this merger that just happened a couple months ago, we’re at $4 billion.”
Stoltz shares more details of the credit union’s journey and his own with Off the Record hosts Kathy Robideau, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal publisher and market president, and Dave Faust, Platinum Bank CEO.
Listen to the episode to hear more about:
- Advice Stoltz received from his father about business success (18:18).
- Why leadership is less about doing and more about being (21:26).
- What worked well about the merger between Spire and Hiway to create Blaze Credit Union (25:07).
- Being a ‘go-getter’ and a ‘go-giver’ every day (36:31).
- Stoltz’s experience making a commercial with Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins (47:23).
Leaders like Stoltz understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Even though Red Wing Shoe Co. is her family’s business, it wasn’t always clear to Allison Gettings that she would eventually become the company’s CEO. She had to prove herself, and she faced her first test during her college years, Gettings explains on this episode of the Off the Record podcast.
“It was a tough few years in the sense that, like any 20-year-old, I’m doing grunt work, which is exactly what I should have been doing,” Gettings says. “It was the right place to start. That doesn’t mean it was fun.”
Gettings takes a deep dive into her career journey with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank. Listen to the episode to hear more about:
- Wrestling with feelings of the heavy responsibility as part of to the family organization.
- Creating a women’s shoe brand from scratch — and putting it to rest after learning some key lessons.
- COVID-19’s effect on the Red Wing’s operations.
- Honoring the company’s 119-year legacy while keeping up with current consumer tastes.
- Why Getting considers employees, communities and future generations in her business decisions.
Leaders like Gettings understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Traveling abroad as a leader of a youth ministry at age 22 taught Kelly McGrath a few key things about teamwork. As a regular overnight guest in strangers’ homes, she quickly learned to navigate conversations in a way that put others at ease. In her team leader role, she also had to look ahead at logistics to determine where the group would eat, sleep and host the next retreat.
“I love all the different elements that are part of something (bigger) coming together,” says McGrath, now the general manager and executive director of Xcel Energy Center. “Changing on the fly. That aspect of, OK, that’s not working, let’s do something else. And that absolutely has translated through my career.”
In this episode of the Off the Record podcast, McGrath tells hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, about her career story.
Listen to hear more about:
•McGrath’s stint at the MSPBJ.
•A day in the life of someone who oversees operations at a major arena.
•Requests from the riders of performers who come to Xcel for concerts and shows.
•What’s coming with the renovation for “Xcel Energy Center 2.0” — and some major events on the horizon.
Leaders like McGrath understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Even though she’s now the CEO of Kowalski Co., Kris Kowalski Christiansen wasn’t especially passionate about groceries in her youth. She also never felt pressured to be a part of her family’s grocery business. But she did have a deep respect for the way her mom and dad ran things, she reveals in this episode of the Off the Record podcast.
“We were super close, a tight-knit, threesome family. I respected everything they did. I respected how they were with people (and) the way they went about their business, the integrity, all the good values — and they were fun,” Kowalski Christiansen says. “So I thought, well, OK, I’m going to do it for them. I’m going to learn from the people I respect most in the world. That’s what pushed me to say, ‘Sure, I’ll give it a try.’ Then I never left.”
Kowalski Christiansen takes a deep dive into her career journey and what sets Kowalski’s apart with Off the Record hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank.
Listen to the episode to hear more about:
· How the Kowalski’s team decided where its first stores would go and why.
· Store partnerships ranging in size from Starbucks to local brands, including those led by women or BIPOC entrepreneurs.
· Setting up a system for ongoing customer feedback.
· What it means to say Kowalski’s is a civic business.
· New partners and openings for Kowalski’s in the coming months.
Leaders like Kowalski Christiansen understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
When Melvin Tennant’s mother learned he would become the CEO of the Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau in 1990 — only a few years into his career — she was pleased, but not surprised, he says. “She never placed limits on anything I could do,” according to Tennant, now president and CEO of Meet Minneapolis, in this podcast episode of Off the Record, brought to you by Platinum Bank.
Tennant shares highlights of building his career in destination marketing with Off the Record hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank.
Listen to the episode to hear more about:
- Lessons learned from managing a former retiree as a 22-year-old.
- Tennant’s take on his 11 years working in destination marketing for Charlotte, N.C. — and the best parts of his time there.
- Significant challenges Tennant faced in his early tenure in Minneapolis, including the 2007 I-35 bridge collapse.
- Taking care of yourself as a leader when others are counting on you.
- The importance of telling authentic stories about Minneapolis — from its challenges to its changemakers.
Leaders like Tennant understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Brian Bruess, Ph.D., president of the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University (CSB+SJU), has a clear memory of a conversation he had with his wife when they were leaving graduate school in Athens, Ohio.
“After (we spent) five years grinding away in graduate school, Carol and I were driving out of Athens. We made a commitment to each other that we’re in this more vocationally than we are career-wise. We wanted to make choices that would reflect our values in terms of how we led and the kinds of work we did,” Bruess says in the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast.
Bruess says his dissertation looked at moral reasoning and identity formation in college-age students and explored how to create environments for their optimal growth. Helping students become something they’ve not yet even imagined for themselves is pretty important work, he says: “I’m not sure if there’s a better job in the country.”
Hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, explore changes in education in their wide-ranging conversation with Bruess. Listen to the episode to hear more about:
· Why Bruess developed an interest in higher education as a student himself.
· How Bruess’ high expectations coming into his role as president of CSB+SJU have been exceeded.
· Innovating new programs by giving resources to talented faculty members.
· Splitting time among three offices — and where the fourth one should be.
· Areas of study that are next up on Bruess’ to-learn list.
Leaders like Bruess understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Dave St. Peter, president and CEO of the Minnesota Twins, recognizes how much the experience of a game matters to sports fans — from the talented players on the field down to the malt cups in the stands.
On this episode of the Off the Record podcast, St. Peter shares the story of “the biggest break in (his career),” which involved the creation of what would eventually become Target Field. The project gave him a runway to build relationships and credibility in his role as the team’s president, St. Peter says. It also empowered him to “figure out how we preserve the long-term viability of Major League Baseball in this marketplace.” Optimizing everything from baseball operations to the fan experience was a big part of that effort, according to St. Peter.
“Target Field’s food and beverage, for me, is miles ahead of anybody else. That’s something we spend a tremendous amount of time on because it’s really important to our fans,” St. Peter says. “I learned a few years ago the vendor that had done the malt cups did not renew their sponsorships. I said, ‘We cannot be a Major League stadium without a malt cup.’ So we figured out how to bring malt cups back.”
Listen as St. Peter shares his career journey with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank. Learn more about:
•How an “insatiable appetite for sports,” hard work and sacrifices led to St. Peter’s foot in the door with the Twins.
•Where St. Peter "lets his hair down” for a bit.
•What feels most exciting about the future of baseball.
•The game-day experience for the team’s CEO.
•The biweekly call that takes place among leaders of Twin Cities’ professional sports teams.
•What St. Peter hopes people will say about his career legacy.
Leaders like St. Peter understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
WomenVenture CEO LeeAnn Rasachak admits she’s known for not necessarily staying in her lane. Over her career trajectory, she’s worn many hats, including those in PR, retail and financial services, she reveals in the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast.
“When you’re wearing multiple hats, you learn faster, you get to test, you get to fail,” Rasachak says.
The idea of trying on a new hat — that of a first-time CEO — came in 2021, after Rasachak returned from maternity leave and started asking herself: What’s next? When she learned WomenVenture, a financial services nonprofit, was seeking a CEO, the idea caught in her mind. “And if I’ve learned anything in the last few years, it’s to go for it,” she says.
Listen as Rasachak dives deep with Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal Publisher Kathy Robideau and Platinum Bank CEO Dave Faust on topics like:
- Rasachak’s spirit of entrepreneurship that comes from her family history.
- Leading businesses like Sleep Number, Securian Financial and RBC Wealth Management through digital transformations.
- The importance of sharing ideas and gathering recommendations from colleagues, mentors and allies before pursuing a new endeavor.
- What has changed at WomenVenture since Rasachak stepped into the CEO role two years ago.
- Approaching fundraising in the nonprofit space with an “abundance mindset.”
- Rasachak’s best advice for young female entrepreneurs with a dream.
Leaders like Rasachak understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Luke Palen, president and co-owner of Spectro Alloys, once learned some key leadership lessons from two tarps and a rope, he tells listeners in this episode of Off the Record.
At an outdoor challenge experience in the Canadian backcountry just before his first year at St. John’s University, Palen’s Outward Bound group realized they didn’t have any tents among their gear — as the rain was beginning to fall.
“We had tarps and rope,” Palen says on the podcast. “We had to figure it out on our own. And it started raining harder and harder. Long story short, it was obviously a miserable first night.”
But the group worked together on the second night to overcome the tent challenge, which ultimately made the trip “a rewarding experience,” according to Palen.
Palen tells hosts Kathy Robideau, president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, the experience taught him about that “facilitative style” of leadership. “I try really hard to lead by sharing a vision and asking questions. And I try not to dictate how things go.”
This approach means “ultimately, you’re going to get a better result and more buy-in,” Palen says. “If somebody bought into a vision and it didn’t work, they’re bought in — they’re going to find a way to make it work. And that’s almost more important. In the same way that first night we all got wet in the tent, we found a better way to put the tarp up. Those small failures in business many times lead to even better successes.”
Listen to the episode to hear more about:
- Palen’s early roles with Spectro Alloys — a family business — and how those physically demanding manual jobs are now done by robots.
- How Palen knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur.
- An expert's view of aluminum’s amazing environmental properties and post-consumer opportunities.
- What visitors might see on a tour of Spectro Alloys.
Leaders like Palen understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Five years ago, Pathfinder Solutions CEO and Co-founder Dave Wellstone had an epiphany in a helicopter. He had just had a heart attack and a “weird calmness about what’s important to me” came over him as he was being transported to the hospital, he says in this episode of Off the Record.
“I’m thinking I’m going to die, and I’m in a helicopter getting flown into the city here from Northfield,” Wellstone says. “The things that were (in my mind), it was like family and what you’re leaving on this earth…This notion of ‘doing well by doing good’ really came back.”
Listen to Wellstone’s conversation with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, to hear more about:
- Building mobile chicken coops in the Peace Corps.
- Lessons Wellstone learned as a corrections officer in Chicago’s Cook County Jail.
- How Wellstone is continuing the work of his late father, Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone, on mental health parity.
- Connection as the opposite of addiction — and how that mindset drives Pathfinder’s mission.
Leaders like Wellstone understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Pete Scherer’s family business, the Scherer Bros. Lumber Co., was started by his grandfather and his great uncle back in 1930.
“They were the two original Scherer Brothers. They started it from nothing (at) the height of the Depression and made something of it,” Scherer, now the chairman and CEO of the company, recounts in this episode of the Off the Record podcast, brought to you by Platinum Bank.
Upon his graduation from Notre Dame, however, Scherer was surprised when his father told him that while he was proud of his son, Scherer shouldn’t expect to work at the family business right away. “We have an employment policy now that my father and uncles created, which is you will work outside the family business” in order to be eligible for consideration, he says.
Listen to Scherer’s conversation as he “rolls the tape way back” with hosts Kathy Robideau, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal market president and publisher, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, to learn more about:
- Why “fit” matters more than family relation when it comes to hiring someone into a family business.
- Stepping into a CEO role at age 33.
- Scherer’s mentorship experiences with the Young Presidents’ Organization.
- What’s ahead for Scherer Bros. in the next five to 10 years.
- The biggest challenges Scherer has faced as a leader — and his favorite Twin Cities restaurant.
Leaders like Scherer understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Now the co-founders of Roers Companies, a Plymouth-based real estate developer, brothers Kent and Brian Roers had a hand in business from a young age. From power washing pig barns for the family farm to selling hockey skate sharpeners to their junior high classmates, the Roers brothers know what it’s like to work hard and take advantage of life’s opportunities.
“It was ingrained in us early on that you should take chances,” Kent Roers says in this episode of the Off the Record podcast. “You should take opportunities — and take advantage of them.”
Listen as the Roers brothers chat about their career trajectories with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank. Hear more about:
- Why Kent and Brian went to work for companies after graduating from college, rather than starting off as entrepreneurs.
- Starting their company with a car, a phone and a laptop — and no formally written plan.
- Why the ability to commit is critical in any relationship, but especially in business transactions.
- Which brother is the visionary and which is the integrator.
- Hiring people who are “hungry, humble and smart.”
- Conversations and challenges in today’s housing market.
Leaders like the Roers brothers understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
A basketball player starting in childhood, Ethan Casson, CEO of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx recalled, “There was a grit, (to) outwork everybody, no matter what the circumstances, component to it,” in this episode of the Off the Record podcast. That drive shapes his approach to work today.
When interviewing young job candidates, Casson said to hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, he looks for “points of differentiation. Why do I feel differently about this person that I just spoke with?” That type of distinction is what Casson was determined to establish while cold-calling and faxing resumes to potential employers after college graduation. Casson’s “grit” and “points of differentiation” eventually led to his first job, in corporate sales, with the Timberwolves.
Once there, Casson’s endeavored to “do my job that I've been hired to do at a high level because nobody wants somebody that’s coming in that’s already like, ‘What’s next for me?’”
Listen to the latest episode to hear more about Casson’s career and outlook as a sports executive, including:
•Growing up as an “ultracompetitive” twin in Milford, Connecticut.
•The life lesson about work Casson’s parents instilled in him.
•The “master’s degree” in being a sports executive earned during his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers.
•His return to the Minnesota Timberwolves organization.
Leaders like Casson understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Nancy Korsah founded Black Business Enterprise, a hub of resources to help minorities get ahead. She can relate to the trials of fellow people of color in the U.S. and abroad. She recalls her teenage years in Italy where, “if you’re of color there, you’re not getting a job. Definitely not that early,” she says in this episode of the Off the Record podcast.
Similar encounters have continued into adulthood and her professional life, Korsah said to hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank. Korsah – who’s fluent in six languages but spoke little English when she first arrived in the U.S. from Italy – struggled with her limited job opportunities.
At one point, out of necessity, she began cleaning homes and eventually operated a successfully business servicing hotels and clients, with the help of employees, such as Steve Harvey and Ozzy Osbourne.
“I really love that independence,” said Korsah, “or that being able to manage something bigger than myself.”
Listen to the latest episode to hear more about Korsah's career and outlook, including:
- “An extreme sense of freedom” she felt in her six-plus years as a flight attendant.
- Operating a women’s clothing shop while working at a bank in North Carolina.
- How being denied entrance to her workplace in Minnesota led to her launching Black Business Enterprise.
- What it means to be able to help other people of color launch businesses.
- How her mother’s words – “Everything is yours” – inspires her to “just go get it” every day.
- Maintaining passion and energy for her business despite working 18-hour days.
Leaders like Korsah understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Today, Ravi Norman serves as the CEO and chairman of energy management services company Sagiliti — but in truth, his first entrepreneurial endeavor was his newspaper route, he says in this episode of the Off the Record podcast.
“I learned a lot about how business works inside that paper route,” Norman said to hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank. According to Norman, he and his cousins all had paper routes — but he did them all.
“They didn’t like to get up and do their paper route,” Norman said. “So, I gave them a bit of money to just stay in bed, give me (their) routes, I’ll do them. It was a great model.”
Listen to the latest episode to hear more about Norman's career trajectory, including:
- Finding a tangible source of “aspiration and inspiration” in a nearby mentor.
- How Norman realized he was going to have to dream big to transcend his adolescent environment.
- Norman’s wrap-up presentation from his college internship — and where it led him.
- The wide-ranging opportunities that came from banking and coaching.
- Sagiliti’s core mission and offerings for the 15,000 buildings it serves in North America.
- Why Norman’s whole agenda is “the synthesis of Black and green” — in other words, reducing consumption and boosting sustainability through the lens of the Black experience.
Leaders like Norman understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
As a student, Dario Otero didn’t love school. “I had all these other skills, (but) school didn’t necessarily rank,” says the founder and CEO of video production service Youth Lens 360 on this episode of the Off the Record podcast. But when he took a job in a St. Paul high school during a career transition, he knew he had to reframe his thinking.
“How do I do this so I don’t drive somebody away from education?” Otero says of his mindset at the time. “How do I inspire, motivate and create different programs students would love to do?”
In this episode, Otero shares his career journey from teaching students about video production to the creation of his company, Youth Lens 360, with MSPBJ President and Publisher Kathy Robideau and Platinum Bank President and CEO Dave Faust. Listen to hear more about:
- The inspiration for Youth Lens 360 — and the wild experience of the first contract.
- How Otero balances his life as an entrepreneur and single parent.
- The value of building a roundtable of mentors and fellow business leaders to learn from.
- Video production as a 21st-century trade skill.
- What Otero sees as his superpower.
Leaders like Otero understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Face Foundrie Founder and CEO Michele Henry knows what it’s like to be scrappy in business. Years ago, to secure a loan for her first company, Primp, she put up her Mitsubishi as collateral. She didn’t mention to the bank that the car didn’t work — and that she planned to ride her bike to Primp’s retail buildouts, she says in the latest episode of Off the Record.
“We opened the doors at 4, we were serving wine, we were all excited, and we sold out of every single piece of merchandise that night,” Henry says of Primp’s grand opening party. “We didn’t even have backstock. We didn’t have that in the budget.”
According to Henry, she and her business partner ended up overnighting an order of inventory from California at 10 p.m. that night — and they kept going.
Listen to Henry’s conversation with MSPBJ Publisher Kathy Robideau and Platinum Bank CEO Dave Faust to hear how she transitioned away from Primp and the inspiration that sparked the genesis of her facial bar, Face Foundrie. Other topics explored in the episode include:
- Formulating Face Foundrie’s skincare line.
- How Face Foundrie protected clients and staff during Covid-19.
- Elements that must align for a franchisee to be successful.
- What Henry sees as the biggest challenges with Face Foundrie’s niche concept.
- How the Savant Aesthetics Institute aims to close the gaps in esthetician education.
Leaders like Henry understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
When he was carrying out his medical school rotations at the University of Michigan, Dr. Mark Lobanoff thought the people working in the ophthalmology clinic somehow seemed the happiest, he says in this episode of the Off the Record podcast. That positive attitude all made sense to him one day when a legally blind patient came to the clinic, according to Lobanoff.
"I got to sit in on their cataract surgery and was amazed. It only took 15 minutes. I thought it was incredible. The next day, that patient came back, and they could see,” he says. “We had restored vision to this blind patient. Here’s a field where you can make an immediate, permanent, positive impact on someone’s life.”
Now the founder and president of OVO LASIK + Lens, which opened in Saint Louis Park in 2021, Lobanoff aims to continue that mission of making positive changes in medicine for Minnesotans and beyond. In the episode, Lobanoff shares his career journey and goals with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank. Listen to hear about:
- Unexpected help from an educator in Lobanoff’s undergrad years.
- Taking a year off from med school to participate in a coveted research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health.
- The unwritten rule that led to Lobanoff choosing to practice long term in Minnesota.
- What it feels like to do your first surgery.
- How Lobanoff’s “best-of-the-best” mentality led to the creation of OVO LASIK + Lens.
- The journey of creating a disruptive technology, Phorcides, to achieve better and more accurate LASIK results.
Leaders like Lobanoff understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
There once was a time when Kalyn Hove — now a regional senior VP for Comcast — felt like she couldn’t bring her authentic self to work. In an earlier sales role, she was the lone woman managing a team of men, all of whom who were older than her, she says in this episode of Off the Record.
“I seldom talked about my kids or anything like that because I was sitting with men (who had) stay-at-home wives,” Hove says. “I was fearful they would view me as less committed to my role and my job. What I realize now, in hindsight, is that I put that on myself.”
Hove dives into her career journey in this podcast with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank. Listen to the episode to hear more about:
- How authenticity became Hove’s “why.”
- What Hove’s mother taught her about taking care of herself.
- Offering guidance and/or resources to younger team members to help them with caretaking and family responsibilities.
- Visiting South Dakota’s tourist attractions.
- Comcast’s initiatives to bridge the digital divide and address inequities in internet access.
- Hove’s mentors at Comcast and in the Twin Cities business community.
Leaders like Hove understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Minnesota is known by many as “the State of Hockey.” It’s a moniker that Matt Majka, president of the Minnesota Wild, finds beautiful, as he says in the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast.
“It’s not marketing mumbo-jumbo. It’s true. You don’t have to explain it to a Minnesotan. They know it. They’re proud of it,” Majka says. “Some sports teams have a new brand or theme every year. Our brand has never changed.”
Listen to Majka’s conversation with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, to hear more about:
- Majka’s parents’ reaction when they thought he was going to sell roller skates for a living.
- What it was like launching the Wild franchise in 1997.
- Why Majka’s role as a marketing leader doesn’t really involve the “product” — which is what happens on the ice.
- How the 32 NHL presidents share thinking and ideas.
- Three things Majka always tells young people as they are starting out in a business career.
- Why the Wild’s volunteer time off program is part of the organization’s DNA.
- Why Majka’s pickleball hobby doesn’t make him a bandwagon-jumper — and what he wants his legacy to be.
Leaders like Majka understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Medica President and CEO John Naylor vividly remembers the rotary phone on the wall of his dorm at Drake University. As a senior in college, he used that phone to call a St. Louis-based company, Tilling House, to inquire about a job back in his hometown — but no one picked up.
Instead, Naylor ended up taking an actuary position with Transamerica, a role which took him to Los Angeles. “Those are the doors that just present an opportunity,” Naylor said in this episode of the Off the Record podcast. “If they’d have picked up, I’d have taken the job in St. Louis, and my career would have been different. But instead, I went to California.”
L.A. was where he met “a lot of self starters,” according to Naylor. It was also where he met his future wife. “It was a great experience,” Naylor said. “But we said, ‘We’re not going to settle out here.’ Let’s move back to the Midwest.”
In the episode, hosts Kathy Robideau, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal market president and publisher, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, talk Midwestern values and more with Naylor. Listen to the episode to hear:
- The family decision that led to his first role with Medica.
- A framework that has been helpful in Naylor’s leadership roles.
- Naylor’s words of wisdom when it comes to change management
- Building trust using the CRIS formula.
- How Naylor views the future of health care in Minnesota and beyond.
Leaders like Naylor understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Jen Hellman, CEO of independent communications agency Goff Public, has always managed to stand out from the crowd. In high school, for example, of all the instruments she could have played, she made a rare choice: the piccolo.
“Want to know the best thing about playing piccolo?” Hellman asked Kathy Robideau, MSPBJ market president and publisher, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, in this podcast. “You can actually hear it in an orchestra full of musicians.”
Excelling at what she referred to as an “endangered instrument” wasn’t the only way Hellman distinguished herself throughout her life.
Check out this episode of Off the Record to hear about Hellman’s career journey, including:
· Switching from a music major at St. Olaf to creating her own work study program in PR.
· How Hellman leveraged the MSPBJ Book of Lists in her post-college job search.
· Lessons in how to be a professional from a great mentor.
· What companies should consider before doing media interviews or issuing statements on current events.
· Instances when Goff Public has turned down work.
· Why it’s critical to build an executive presence if you want to be a leader.
· Holding an amazing culture together after you’ve inherited it.
· The best parts about belonging to the Twin Cities business community.
Leaders like Hellman understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Before David Wilson became the general manager of renowned Manny’s Steakhouse, most of his career journey in the restaurant industry seemed like a traditional one. In his youth, he worked in a restaurant owned by his family. As a young man, he took a corporate role with a major chain to learn how to establish new restaurants. Oh, and there was that one “little sidestep in Hawaii,” according to Wilson in this podcast episode of Off the Record.
“I came across this one guy who used to work at (my family’s restaurant) Brennan’s, and he had a friend working on a cruise ship in Hawaii. So he got me an interview, and I did it,” Wilson said. “When I got on the boat, it was on for 13 weeks, and then there were four weeks off. It was kind of a whirlwind. And I did that for a year.”
Wilson shares his cruise ship adventure — and much more about how his career path led to his success today, including how he believes in creating an environment where good things happen — with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank.
Listen to this podcast episode to learn more about:
· What it takes to build community and relationships when opening a new restaurant location.
· How Wilson fed his entrepreneurial spirit with a stint at Water Street Seafood Company, for whom he opened five restaurants over eight years.
· The “energy and volume” of working with ESPN Zone, a major entertainment center in Washington, D.C.
· Why Wilson and his wife decided to leave D.C. for Miami after a few years.
· How Manny’s became a Minneapolis institution — one where VIPs go while they’re in town.
· The importance of not taking criticisms personally when you’re putting your passion out there.
Leaders like Wilson understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Faced with the disheartening prospect of a summer without corn dogs and slushies, 16-year-old Margaret Murphy decided to step up. With their father’s help, Murphy and her brothers spent the summer operating their town’s local drive-in for the owner, who was otherwise unavailable that season. It was her first crack at becoming an entrepreneur, Murphy says in this episode of Off the Record.
“We made enough (money) to pay ourselves,” says Murphy, now the CEO and founder of Bold Orange, a customer experience agency. “I made enough to buy my books in college, so that was the win.”
In this podcast, Murphy takes a deep dive into her career story, from the drive-in days all the way up to the creation of her own company, Bold Orange, in 2018. Listen to her chat with Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, to learn more about:
- How Murphy worked her way up within Carlson Companies — even after her initial rejection letter.
- Navigating the difficult conversations when it’s time to leave a job.
- What it’s like to integrate a small marketing firm into one of the area’s largest advertising agencies.
- The value of taking “an adult gap year” when trying to figure out where to go next.
- Murphy’s take on how to build a high-quality brand.
- Elements that make up a successful team — and what’s next for Bold Orange.
Leaders like Murphy understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
When Gavin Kaysen was a teenager making sandwiches at his local Subway, the owner of the fast-casual pasta place next door came in on a regular basis. It didn’t take long for him to see Kaysen’s potential.
One day, according to Kaysen, the guy from Pasta Time told him: “You understand how to interact with customers. Your hands understand food. I would like to teach you how to cook.” Kaysen, now an award-winning chef and founder of Soigné Hospitality Group, reflects on this incident as a driving force in his early culinary career in the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast.
“What I’ve realized over time is that (my supposed cooking skill) was more that [JW1] I understood how to nurture. I enjoyed the intention of serving people. Food was the vehicle for that,” Kaysen explains to co-hosts Kathy Robideau, president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank.
Listen to this podcast episode to hear about:
· How Kaysen negotiated an internship at a Swiss restaurant.
· What felt right about the space that became Spoon and Stable — and why Kaysen chose Minneapolis to open his first restaurant.
· The first question to ask when hiring a new chef.
· Kaysen’s flavor inspirations and process for developing new recipes.
· How to respond to negative reviews from critics.
· The intention behind Heart of the House Foundation.
· The future of the restaurant industry in the Twin Cities and beyond — and Kaysen’s hope for his legacy.
Leaders like Kaysen understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Jatin Setia did not start in the business of film. The founder and executive director of Twin Cities Film Fest has always been a cinephile with an entrepreneurial bent, but early in his career, he worked in corporate America. It was a layoff during the Great Recession that gave him the opportunity to “find his smile,” as his wife put it.
“Growing up in India, one of my first-ever memories is going to a movie theatre with a thousand people (to) this big, Bollywood blockbuster,” Setia says in this fourth episode of Off the Record. “That to me was community. It didn’t matter what you did, we were all on this journey together for that three hours.” Setia was inspired by the idea of bringing community together, so he formed Twin Cities Film Fest in 2009.
In the episode, Setia speaks to MSPBJ Market President and Publisher Kathy Robideau and Platinum Bank President Dave Faust about how he built the Twin Cities Film Fest into what it is today — and what he learned along the way. Listen to learn more about:
- How Setia knew there was an appetite for a film fest in the Twin Cities.
- The process of curating a list of films from 800 submissions to 140 festival premieres.
- Ways the Twin Cities Film Fest gives access to Minnesota filmmakers and creators.
- Leaning into art and entertainment during the pandemic.
- The most successful or impactful Minnesota films.
- Where Setia might find his next “smile.”
Leaders like Setia understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
Growing up in South Minneapolis, Allison O’Toole, now the CEO of Second Harvest Heartland, learned the importance of community connection at her family’s store. Her dad and grandpa owned O’Toole Drug Store. It was there she shaped her early entrepreneurial spirit — by selling cigars at the counter at age 7.
“(My dad) would have me run the cigar counter at the front, and he could see me from the pharmacy,” she says in this episode of Off the Record, a podcast about the personal and professional lives of business leaders in the Twin Cities, brought to you by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal in partnership with Platinum Bank. “It was the ‘70s.”
In this episode, O’Toole, a self-proclaimed “lifelong Minnesotan,” speaks to MSPBJ Market President and Publisher Kathy Robideau and Platinum Bank President Dave Faust about the varied circumstances that fueled her career journey. Listen to learn more about:
- O’Toole’s pivotal moments working with the Minnesota attorney general’s office under Skip Humphrey.
- Leadership lessons learned from O’Toole’s time at MNSure, Minnesota’s health insurance marketplace.
- Why working with Second Harvest Heartland is the best job O’Toole’s ever had.
- Covid-19’s effect on local community needs and hunger issues.
- Elements that build a strong organizational culture — and how O’Toole stays disciplined as a leader.
- Ways people can help with Second Harvest Heartland’s “hunger moonshot” goal.
Leaders like O’Toole understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
The inception of Anytime Fitness didn’t come from CEO and Co-founder Chuck Runyon’s deep passion for health and exercise. “Still, to this day, I probably couldn’t pass a personal trainer test,” he says in this episode of Off the Record, a new podcast about the personal and professional lives of business leaders in the Twin Cities, brought to you by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal in partnership with Platinum Bank.
Instead, Runyon reveals it was his knack for sales and marketing — and his ideas for streamlining club operations and expanding member access — that led to the start of the Anytime Fitness model in 2002.
In this episode, Runyon speaks to MSPBJ Market President and Publisher Kathy Robideau and Platinum Bank President Dave Faust about the early days of Anytime Fitness and his career journey. Listen in to learn more about:
- Helping entrepreneurs (franchise owners) achieve business acumen.
- A courageous move made by Runyon and his partner Dave Mortenson in 2009.
- The toughest decision Runyon had to make in the past 20 years.
- How Runyon has changed as a leader over the course of his career — and what he wishes he would have done differently.
- One Anytime Fitness member’s incredible transformation story.
Leaders like Runyon understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
When it comes to business and making an impact in the community, Kris Lindahl, CEO of Kris Lindahl Real Estate, likes to do things differently. His signature ‘arms out” pose is one example of his unique approach to marketing his company — and his clients’ homes.
The attention-grabbing gesture exemplifies inclusion. It’s meant to show generosity and impacting the lives of others, according to Lindahl in this premiere episode of Off the Record, a podcast showcasing local leaders by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal and Platinum Bank.
In the episode, Lindahl shares his compelling story with Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal Publisher Kathy Robideau and Platinum Bank President Dave Faust. Listen to learn more about:
- The family tragedy that catalyzed Lindahl’s decision to make his own opportunities.
- What Lindahl forgot to do as part of his first major sale.
- How the Kris Lindahl Team came about — and the challenges his company faced as it grew.
- Lessons learned about what works in marketing and branding.
- Why a big ego has no place in a successful business.
- Trends and projections in the residential real estate industry.
Leaders like Lindahl understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.
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Starting this January, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal and Platinum Bank are teaming up to launch a new podcast called Off the Record. Hosted by MSPBJ's Market President and Publisher Kathy Robideau and Platinum Bank's President and CEO Dave Faust, the show will feature a deep dive with well-known business leaders in the Twin Cities. You know their names and faces — now get to know their stories.