After riding the waterbed wave in the 1980s, brothers Wayne and Rod Johansen changed tack in the next decade and struck pay dirt in their astute observation that the Twin
Honors
Mark Stutrud still has the 1983 letter from the Brewers’ Association of America advising him that starting a microbrewery in the Twin Cities would be a long and hard road.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul area has a reputation as a literary center, and Erdrich has been one of its leading lights since her debut with 1984’s Love Medicine. Erdrich’s work focuses
Don’t bet against Kelly Doran. For years, Doran was best known as a developer of retail properties. But when he returned to the industry after a sabbatical in 2007, Doran
Who says there’s no money in amateur sports? Sport Ngin has created a software platform providing websites, mobile applications and technology tailored to youth and amateur sports leagues. Founded in
John Gabbert looked at his family’s eponymous furniture store and saw the future of retailing. His vision extended beyond furniture to include stylish casual home accessories such as blankets, picture
The name John Nasseff is well known in St. Paul, Nasseff’s hometown. Nasseff began working for West Publishing in 1946. Fifty years later, when the legal publisher was sold for
It seemed kind of a crazy idea at the time: an online-only “newspaper” in a town that already had two full-service ones. But former Star Tribune publisher Kramer and his
This local candy company traces its history to 1907, when its namesake started a business making homemade chocolates. Over the years, there have been several owners. Now in its second
Dave Mortensen and Chuck Runyon were convinced that getting people to work out would work out. Has it ever—Anytime Fitness has been the world’s fastest-growing fitness chain in each of
Bahram Akradi revolutionized the workout world with his concept of 100,000-square-foot Life Time Fitness centers that meshed with the suburban zeitgeist of “bigger is better,” opening 47 of them between
In 1981, at age 27 and in the wake of the AT&T breakup, Bill Popp started his eponymous Golden Valley-based company. It has evolved from a telecommunications firm to broad-based
More than a decade ago, Abir Sen was diagnosed with a rare bacterial infection. After a year and a half of illness and numerous medical appointments, he says he felt