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…

Ken Powell proved again that he and General Mills have the courage of their convictions, whether that means taking a stand against labeling foods for genetically modified organisms or opposing…

Rautio took the helm of Carlson in August 2012, just as the Minnetonka-based hospitality company was beginning to come back from the recession. She and her predecessor, Hubert Joy (now…

Since arriving in 2012, Reedy has been an energetic innovator who has raised the profile of the Bush Foundation, which supports organizations and individuals developing new ideas to improve their…

As baby boomers retire, many Minnesota employers are looking to the MnSCU system to supply them with the next generation of workers. Steven Rosenstone, who became chancellor in 2011, is…

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…

Minneapolis-based Ryan, founded in 1938 on the Iron Range, has always been a family company. Pat Ryan is a grandson of co-founder James Henry Ryan. He started working for the…

After serving Minneapolis as mayor for 12 years, R.T. Rybak has moved to the nonprofit sector to tackle the most vexing problem in his city—the education achievement gap between whites…

2021, Change Agent: Sondra Samuels and other leaders started NAZ in 2008 to address racial and educational inequity in opportunities. The organization focuses on supporting children in north Minneapolis so…

Being the editor of a major-market daily has not been a great title in recent decades, as it has involved presiding over endless budget cuts and series after series of…

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…

Sheehy was the Minneapolis Department of Community Planning and Economic Development director, and also chief of staff to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, to mention just two resume items. At McKnight, Sheehy…

You aren’t likely to see George Sherman at real estate industry networking events; he has too much work to do. Since founding Minneapolis-based Sherman Associates in 1979, Sherman has developed…

Smith and Buffalo Wild Wings keep flying higher. It's now pushing toward 1,000 franchises, and not all of them are in the United States. The company opened its first restaurants…

With her Stanford degree and Dartmouth MBA, Smith’s intellect is apparent. But it’s her ability to describe a clear vision, build effective coalitions and cross the political goal line that…

Smith assumed interim leadership of the Minnesota Orchestra after the longest labor lockout in American symphony orchestra history and immediately reeled in $13.2 million in private donations, including an extraordinary…

When Maureen Steinwall took over as president of the company in 1985, many customers and employees of the Coon Rapids-based injection-molding company quit in protest because a woman was becoming…

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.…