The MinnWest Podcast: Recent Episodes
Joanna Schrupp
Our goal with this podcast is to share the stories of businesses and individuals on the MinnWest Campus. The businesses range from multi-generational agriculture organizations to cutting-edge technology companies.
Key Topics CoveredIntroduction to Scott Norling and MinnWest Technology Campus
- Joanna introduces Scott Norling, highlighting his pivotal role as President of MinnWest Technology Campus and his involvement with Life Science Innovations (LSI).
- Scott shares an overview of his responsibilities, managing both day-to-day operations and long-term planning for the campus, as well as his leadership within the Norling and Eisinger family of companies.
Family Legacy in Agriculture and Innovation
- Scott reflects on his family's century-old history in Minnesota, beginning with his grandfather’s early farm acquisitions during the Great Depression.
- Discussion of how his family transitioned from traditional farming to pioneering the local poultry industry and later developing the MinnWest Technology Campus.
Origins of the MinnWest Technology Campus
- Joanna and Scott discuss the origins of the MinnWest Technology Campus, created as a research hub and a space to expand operations when existing facilities became insufficient.
- Scott recounts the collaboration between Norling and Eisinger family companies with leaders from Novatech to purchase and renovate the former state hospital property into what is now MinnWest.
- The vision for the campus as a collaborative environment for technology, research, and manufacturing.
Growth and Impact of Life Science Innovations (LSI)
- Insights into LSI's purpose as an umbrella organization that provides essential services like HR, IT, and accounting for affiliates, supporting around a dozen active businesses.
- Discussion of LSI’s research initiatives, particularly in poultry research, which led to the establishment of a new hatchery in Willmar, creating significant employment opportunities.
The Unique Culture and Collaborative Environment at MinnWest
- How the MinnWest Technology Campus fosters a strong sense of community and collaboration among tenants from diverse fields, including research, development, technology, and general office functions.
- Description of on-campus amenities such as a fitness center, pool, cafeteria, and daycare center that support employee wellness and satisfaction.
Future Vision and Development Goals
- Scott shares his perspective on the campus’s future, emphasizing the importance of filling remaining vacant buildings and attracting more technology-oriented businesses.
- Insights on expansion plans, including upcoming renovations and continued efforts to position MinnWest as a regional innovation hub.
Managing and Maintaining a Historic Campus
- Joanna and Scott discuss the logistical challenges of maintaining the century-old campus buildings, balancing historical preservation with modern functionality.
- Insights into the extensive renovations and investments required to preserve the facility’s character while supporting a modern, high-tech campus environment.
Multi-Generational Family Business Dynamics
- Scott provides advice for managing a multi-generational family business, emphasizing the importance of communication, inclusivity, and adaptability.
- The role of structured family councils in strategic planning, ensuring alignment across generations while welcoming fresh perspectives and innovative ideas.
Closing Reflections on Community and Legacy
- Scott reflects on the MinnWest Technology Campus’s impact on the community, noting the campus as a quiet, collaborative space that supports a family-like atmosphere for employees and tenants.
- Joanna and Scott conclude with thoughts on the importance of fostering a unique work environment and community feel, making MinnWest a welcoming and productive space for companies and families alike.
Podcast Show NotesEpisode Title: A Journey of Success with Jon Schmidt of Data Success
Episode Summary: In this episode of the MinnWEST Technology Campus Podcast, we sit down with Jon Schmidt, the manager of the Willmar branch of Data Success. Jon shares his journey from the Air Force to managing a successful IT business, discussing his experiences, challenges, and the importance of community involvement.
Guest: Jon Schmidt, Manager of Data Success Wilmer Branch
Key Topics Discussed:
Jon's Background:
- Originally from Buffalo, graduated in 1988 as a Buffalo Bison.
- Joined the Air Force, serving 12 and a half years, split between active duty and reserves.
- Developed an interest in electronics and computers, leading to a career in IT.
Career Path:
- Worked for Entel and then Hutchinson Telephone Company in IT.
- Transitioned to maintaining emergency services call centers, managing 75% of 911 call centers in the state.
- Founded the Wilmer branch of Data Success in March 2012 with encouragement from long-time friend Kevin Thompson.
Data Success Overview:
- Provides IT services for small businesses that don’t need a full-time IT person.
- Services include computer setups, networking, security, and backups.
- Focuses on personalized IT solutions, emphasizing understanding customer needs and future growth.
Starting and Growing the Business:
- Jon shared the challenges of starting the Wilmar branch, including building a customer base and joining local networking groups like the Chamber of Commerce and BNI.
- Highlighted the importance of persistence and community involvement in growing the business.
Community Involvement:
- Jon's involvement in local singing groups like the West Central Connection Chorus.
- Participation in community events like Celebrate the Light of the World at Robbins Island.
- Emphasis on the importance of giving back to the community and building strong local connections.
Looking Ahead:
- Plans for expanding the Willmar branch by potentially hiring additional staff.
- Jon’s vision for maintaining the personalized, small-business approach while growing the company.
Favorite Quotes:
- "We do sit down and listen; we don't just say, 'okay, you need a computer, here's one for you.' We ask questions to understand what you need and where you want to be in the next few years."
- "It's an honor to work with small businesses and be invited into their world. It's very humbling that folks put that kind of trust in you."
Joanna traveled to Perham, MN and met Doug at The Nest, a cute coffeeshop / gift store located off of State Highway 10.
Perham's Goose Group, Inc. traces its roots back to 1997 when Sue Huebsch opened The Wild Goose, a gift and coffee shop. Over the years, the company expanded its presence, incorporating in 2001 and introducing stores like Goose Gang and Nest. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Goose Group demonstrated resilience, adapting its offerings and even adding Disgruntled Brewing to its portfolio in 2022. The company continued to grow with ventures in New London, MN, acquiring Lucky Duck and Happy Sol. In 2022, the group established the Goose Market and Outlet Store, emphasizing a commitment to community needs and providing unique shopping experiences. In the summer of 2023, The Goose Group purchased Mr. B's Chocolates from Brian Bollig and are excited to get the sweet treats out into their other locations! Currently employing around 100 people, Goose Group remains open to future expansions aligned with community demands.
On today's episode, Joanna sits down with campus tenant, Kristine Fladeboe Duinick - Co-Owner of Fladeboe Land. Fladeboe Land (formerly known as Fladeboe Auctions) has been a staple auctioneering business of the Willmar Lakes Area for the past 40+ years. Kristine and her brother Glen took over the business about 20 years ago and have continued to build upon in success in a variety of ways, including adding a non-profit focused sector called Fladeboe Advancement.
Kristine and her team have had an office on the Minnwest Campus for nearly 10 years. So it's about time we dig a little deeper into the Fladeboe story and learn more about what makes them so special!
Discussion Topics:
- The dynamics of family business.
- Business lessons Kristine learned from her Mom and Dad.
- The evolution of the auction world.
- The psychology of sales + selling land.
- Operating a business with integrity and compassion.
- A few big highlights of Kristine's auctioning career - 1 involving an auction in the Philippines!
Like + Follow Fladeboe Land: facebook.com/fladeboefamilyauctions
Connect with Kristine Fladeboe: fladeboeland.com/contact/
Learn more about MinnWest Campus: mnwesttechnology.com
Connect with Joanna on Linkedin!
On today's episode, we sit down to chat with Pastor Justin Ask + Chris Cortez from Vinje Lutheran Church about an exciting new amenity opening on campus very soon - Discovery Hill Child Care!! We are thrilled about this partnership with the awesome folks at Vinje and wanted to share more about the story behind how this idea came to life. Listen in to get the full scoop!
We look forward to their campus grand opening in the near future.
Discussion Topics:
- State of childcare in Kandiyohi County
- Childcare shortage in MN + potential solutions
- Creative ideas for campus childcare
- Facility upgrades + DH occupancy numbers
- Phases of opening a childcare center
Like + Follow Discovery Hill Child Care: facebook.com/discoveryhill
Apply to become a DH Team Member: vinjechurch.com/loving-arms-child-care-center/
Learn more about MinnWest Campus: mnwesttechnology.com
Connect with Joanna on Linkedin!
On today's episode, we are joined by Landon Fries - current head of Product Development at Nova-Tech Engineering. Landon is also the incoming President of the company. Landon shared the story behind NTE, which spoiler, was founded by his uncle Marc Gorans in the late 1980's. Since the beginning, Nova Tech has been driven by their mission of "creating revolutionary solutions to advance their customers ability to feed the world." They have taken the turkey world by storm and most recently found a new foothold in the shrimp industry. We were thrilled to get some of Landon's time to talk about where things are headed for this progressive engineering company.
Discussion Topics:
- The history of Nova-tech Engineering + the farm problem that started it all
- Landon's background + how he got involved with the family business
- How NTE became a global business with a revolutionary business model
- The connection between Landon + the founder of NTE, Marc Gorans
- From turkeys to shrimp... who knows what's next!
- Leadership transitions + future goals of the company
Learn more about NovaTech Engineering: nteglobal.com
Learn more about MinnWest Campus: www.mnwesttechnology.com
Connect with Landon or Joanna on Linkedin!
Discussion Topics:
- Sara's professional background + a little about her event planning business - Stark Group
- A breakdown of the 2022 Partners in Ag Innovation
- Benefits of working with a speaker's bureau
- The role + importance of conference sponsors
- How to stay calm while executing a large business conference ;-)
Learn more about Stark Group, Inc: starkgroupinc.com
Register for MWTC's Partners in Ag Innovation Conference: partnersinag.com/v2/page/WelcomePage
Learn more about MinnWest Campus: www.mnwesttechnology.com
Connect with Sara or Joanna or on Linkedin!
Discussion Topics:
- An overview of SWIF + some of the big ways they help rural communities
- The childcare crisis post-pandemic
- SWIF's history + partnership with MinnWest Technology Campus
- What is a site selector? What do they do for our region?
- Gap financing + loan opportunities for small businesses
Learn more about the Southwest Initiative Foundation: swifoundation.org
Learn more about MinnWest Campus: www.mnwesttechnology.com
Connect with Scott or Joanna or on Linkedin
Discussion Topics:
- Luke's longtime love of economics + finance
- Valuable tools that DEED can provide businesses looking to hire + retain employees
- An overview of MN's current labor market + the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Interpreting unemployment + labor force participation rates
- The impact of childcare on the job market
- Expectations of the Gen Z workforce
Learn more about DEED: mn.gov/deed/
Learn more about MinnWest Campus: www.mnwesttechnology.com
Connect with Luke or Joanna or on Linkedin!
Discussion Topics:
- Tyler's career path thus far - from chemist to customer support...
- How PROCORE found its home on MinnWest Campus
- The three values that drive the company culture at PROCORE
- How to attract + retain talent
- What is means to be a unicorn company
- How the pandemic changed PROCORE
- The next steps for this growing company!
Learn more about PROCORE: www.procore.com/
Learn more about MinnWest Campus: www.mnwesttechnology.com
Connect with Tyler or Joanna or on Linkedin!
Discussion Topics:
- Breakdown of the economic development picture within the county
- Silver linings that came out of the pandemic
- How do EDC projects + ideas come about?
- Community broadband initiatives
- The Elevate Program = a new opportunity for local entrepreneurs
- One dream project to bring to life in our community...
Learn more about the EDC: http://kandiyohi.com/
Learn more about MinnWest Campus: www.mnwesttechnology.com
Connect with Aaron, Sarah, Joanna or Liz on Linkedin!
It was 2005 and a group of business leaders had a vision for this community.
With jobs disappearing from the once-state owned healthcare facility, many thought the 100 acre property would continue to slip into disrepair and become an eyesore in Willmar...and it almost happened.
Businesses are the lifeblood of thriving communities and at the head of those businesses are entrepreneurial leaders with visions of a brighter future.
Grab a coffee and take a few minutes to hear the story of how the MinnWest Campus came to be.
Some of the good stuff we chatted about with Kristi + Bethany!
- What is servant leadership? And how do you go about implementing this belief system into an organization?
- The (somewhat long) process of developing company values + establishing a company purpose.
- Performance reviews + values… how are they related?
- How to have productive team meetings.
- Creating a virtual professional development program.
Learn more about Life Science Innovations: https://life-scienceinnovations.com/
Learn more about MinnWest Campus: www.mnwesttechnology.com
Connect with Kristi, Bethany, Liz + Joanna on Linkedin!
Some of the fun things we chatted about with Katie, Linda + Beth!
- making decisions about your career path
- finding mentors... sometimes other people can see things in you that you don’t see in yourself
- the importance of taking risk + leaning into your strengths
- advice for females in the workplace
- Netflix binge watches
- Life Science Innovations… things you might not know!
Learn more about Life Science Innovations: https://life-scienceinnovations.com/
Learn more about MinnWest Campus: www.mnwesttechnology.com
Connect with Katie, Beth, Linda + Joanna on Linkedin!
The MMDC has been serving regions all across MN since 1974 with a mission to assist + improve the quality of life within small communities. The commission located in Willmar (and as of late - here on campus!) is one of 9 regional development organizations that all work together to have a pretty substantial impact on greater MN.
Here's a snapshot of some of the things you'll learn about from Eric:
- how collaboration is key to making change
- what types of projects the MMDC has had a hand in bringing to life
- who is able to benefit from the MMDC's services + access funding opportunities
- a few exciting upcoming economic development projects currently in the works for our area
Learn more about the Mid-Minnesota Development Commission: http://mmrdc.org/
Learn more about MinnWest Campus: www.mnwesttechnology.com
Connect with Eric + Joanna on Linkedin!
Curious to find out more about your own strengths? Check out Gallup StrengthsFinder!
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Learn more about MinnWest Campus: www.mnwesttechnology.com
Connect with Liz // Tyler // Joanna on Linkedin!
Episode 6: Jamie Duininck On this episode, we sit down to chat with Jamie Duininck, co-President + 3rd generation owner of Prinsco to learn a little more about the family businesses and how it all started in Prinsburg MN nearly 50 years ago.
Prinsco first got its start in the water management industry in 1975 making gravity flow storm sewers out of concrete. It began as a solution for the agriculture market - specifically farmers - to help manage the amount of water that stays on their land. The concrete pipes were short lived, as they transitioned to all plastic in the 80’s - but the need for their product continued to grow. With evolution of demand and the customers they serve, Prinsco has since expanded into the residential and storm/sewer markets. A company growth made possible through additional plants (now 7 total) all across the midwest and southwest parts of the U.S.
note: the Prinsburg plant still holds the title of most pounds of pipe produced per year!
Jamie always had a desire to do something in the family business. After exploring other opportunities after college (including being a private pilot!), he inevitably came back to the Willmar area and started at Prinsco in 1997. Jamie eventually found his way into the Co-President role alongside his cousin, Jeremy Duininck. Staying true to their strengths, Jamie focuses on sales + marketing initiatives while Jeremy focuses on the operations side of things. The two have worked extremely hard to maintain the mission of Prinsco and stay true to their core values of integrity, hard work + relationships. If you’ve ever worked with Prinsco, you’ll understand how those three values are weaved into everything they do.
Special thanks to Jamie for the always entertaining conversation, and for giving us more insight into the dynamics of the family business. We’re proud to have your team here on the MinnWest campus!
Learn more about Prinsco: https://www.prinsco.com/ Learn more about MinnWest Campus: http://www.mnwesttechnology.com/
connect with Jill + learn more about the Kandiyohi Historical Society: http://www.kandiyohicountyhistory.com/
connect with Joanna + learn more about MWTC: http://www.mnwesttechnology.com/
Melissa + Jami have been in the human resource and talent acquisition field for a combined 15+ years. So, we were super excited to pick their brains on what all goes into the work and why they love it.
Here's a snapshot of some of the topics we covered:
- company culture + why it's critical to effective recruitment
- how to engage the next generation of employees
- what to ask a recruiter in an interview
- the impact of COVID-19 on recruitment
- the benefits of an internship or Co-Op program
Learn more about: Life Science Innovations // Nova-Tech Engineering
Learn more about MinnWest Campus: www.mnwesttechnology.com
Connect with Jami // Melissa // Joanna on Linkedin!
Episode 2: Tim Johnson + Kathy Schwantes On this episode, we sat down with Kathy Schwantes and Tim Johnson from the Mid Central Research + Outreach Center (aka MCROC) on campus. Many people are often surprised to learn that the University of Minnesota has a presence on MWTC, so we brought in Kathy and Tim to help tell - and share - the story.
Kathy is currently the West Central Regional Director for the U of M Extension AND the Director of Operations at MCROC. She’s had quite the career in the Willmar area, from starting out at Heritage Bank, to becoming a teacher + dean at Ridgewater College, then transitioning into economic development working for the EDC, all the way to her current gig with the U of M / MCROC. These days she spends her time traveling across 10 counties in central MN connecting people to the resources that Extension has to offer.
Tim is currently a professor at the U of M’s vet school + the Director of R&D for MCROC. After splitting time between St. Paul and Willmar for a few years, him and his family officially moved “out west” in 2015. Tim has a huge passion for teaching and connecting younger generations with the poultry industry through the research side of things. As he says, much of what his does involves finding ways to “make science sexy.”
After many conversations and a lot of hard work behind the scenes, the MCROC lab opened on campus in 2012. Due to the nature of the work, many things that MCROC lab actually does flies under the radar. The large majority of their research and testing revolves around the turkey industry. In fact, many of the projects are spurred from conversations with local ag workers and the challenges they face every day. Which is an advantage of having their rural location - specially of MWTC alongside other turkey/ag related businesses.
MCROC is also able to partner with our local college and other M-state schools to provide more opportunities for students to learn about research and all of its applications in the ag industry. In collaboration with Ridgewater College and others, Tim is currently working on launching the U of M’s first 100% online poultry training program. It’ll be starting this Fall, so stay tuned for more info on that!
Learn more about the U of M Extension + MCROC: https://extension.umn.edu/ Learn more about MinnWest Campus: http://www.mnwesttechnology.com/
Episode 1: Jim Sieben For the first episode of the MinnWest Podcast, it only felt right to sit down with Jim Sieben. As the President of both MinnWest Technology Campus + Nova-Tech Engineering, Jim has had a hand in things since the beginning. It was fun to spend some time talking (and frankly reminiscing) about how it all began over 15 years ago.
Back in 2005, Nova-Tech was around 40 employees strong and outgrowing their space. Jim and Mark Gorans - the founder of NTE, along with Ted, Ray + Rick Huisinga from Willmar Poultry had a “crazy idea” to purchase the former regional treatment center. This would not only allow for the growth of NTE, but also create a community where other businesses could start and grow. It was by no means an easy feat to purchase and transition the buildings to be suited for business, but the MWTC campus officially opened in 2007.
Jim was raised on a dairy farm in the area alongside his FIFTEEN brothers and sisters. He falls somewhere in the middle of that large Sieben crew! Ever since he graduated from college with a degree in electronics, Jim has found himself connected to early development companies. It’s what eventually led himself to Willmar to work for NTE in their genesis of streamlining hatchery processes.
NTE has been driven by the mission to create revolutionary solutions that advance their customers ability to feed the world. Their unique business model and innovative culture has taken the turkey industry by storm, and has recently gained traction in the shrimp industry. All from their headquarters in Willmar MN, NTE’s products can be found in 59 countries around the world. That equates to impacting nearly 2.6 billion birds per year, and touching 100% of the turkeys in U.S. and Canada. (Some impressive stats that often take people by surprise!)
And as far as the campus goes, MWTC is now home to over 30 businesses with nearly 800 employees that spend their work days on the beautiful and historic 1200 acres. Learn more about the campus or come see it for yourself by scheduling a tour with Joanna here!
“I have always felt, I am where I want to be. No matter where I was.”
Learn more about Nova-Tech Engineering: https://nteglobal.com/