Former Editor-in-Chief

Allison Kaplan

Allison Kaplan is the former editor-in-chief of Twin Cities Business.

Ali led content ideation and development for Twin Cities Business from April 2018 through August 2025. Prior to joining TCB, she spent eight years with sister publication Mpls.St.Paul Magazine where she was senior editor of shopping and style, and served as senior deputy editor, overseeing retail and trend coverage.

Author’s archive

Southdale’s Spillover Effect

Southdale’s Spillover Effect

If it’s true that a rising tide lifts all boats, then the coming of Gucci, Max Mara, and around 30 other retailers this year to Southdale Center seems to be
From the Expert: Getting Real About AI

From the Expert: Getting Real About AI

The inquiries have been pouring in since Matt “MJ” Johnson and several of his co-founders from GoKart Labs launched Minneapolis AI software engineering company Blank Metal this summer. It’s everyone
Founders Over 50

Founders Over 50

They have families and 401(k)s, mortgages and the occasional backache. They don’t pull all-nighters. Their garages are reserved for cars, not makeshift offices, and their actual offices are air-conditioned and
8 Lessons From Successful Founders

8 Lessons From Successful Founders

On the latest season of TCB podcast By All Means, we paired founders whose Minnesota-based businesses are taking off with seasoned entrepreneurs. The result is conversations that encompassed practical know-how
Social Network: Robyn Frank

Social Network: Robyn Frank

Business is personal for Robyn Frank, who created Thumbs Cookies from her mom’s recipe. Packaged in giftable boxes, Thumbs is sold at The Four Seasons Minneapolis, the Lora in Stillwater,
Coworking in the North Woods

Coworking in the North Woods

Success, for many Minnesotans, is getting to spend weeks on end “up north” at the family cabin. Such is the life that Carson Kipfer has created, following the sale of
Has the Modern Office Made Us Miss Our Cubicles?

Has the Modern Office Made Us Miss Our Cubicles?

Following pandemic-driven office downsizing and reorientation toward communal space—more “we,” less “me”—employees want their desks back. Demand for quiet space and an opportunity to keep personal items at work emerged
Seeing the Good in Business

Seeing the Good in Business

As far back as the late 1980s, Burt Cohen, founding publisher and owner of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, was talking about the need for a local business publication that wasn’t anti-business. He
New AI Firm Blank Metal Raises $3 Million

New AI Firm Blank Metal Raises $3 Million

Blank Metal—it’s not a rock band; it’s a new AI-native software engineering company, but this startup’s founders and investors read like a troupe of superstars…in Minnesota tech. Formed by former
Southdale Luxury Wing Opens Thursday

Southdale Luxury Wing Opens Thursday

The barricades will come down overnight, and on Thursday, June 12, Southdale Center's gleaming new luxury wing will open to the public. But most of the shopping is still a