This prodigious minor league slugger turned Twins cleanup hitter garnered Rookie of the Year votes from around the league—a remarkable feat considering he played only half the regular season. With…

Business owner, community leader and event facilitator, Maya Santamaria is building a burgeoning media/event empire focused on the Twin Cities Latino community. The owner of six businesses, Santamaria operates La…

Nobody knew much about “eatertainment” before Steve Schussler. The boy-who-never-grew-up designer of nostalgic and fantasy environments has long employed a kid’s sense of wonder to conjure dining and entertainment environments…

St. Paul booster and native Robert Senkler worked his way up from an actuarial trainee in 1974 to CEO of St. Paul’s privately held insurance giant Securian. As CEO, he…

As the new president of the Northland Foundation, based in Duluth, Tony Sertich is marshaling philanthropic resources to strengthen the northeastern Minnesota economy and social fabric. But he didn’t rise…

David Burley and Stephanie Shimp founded Highland Grill in St. Paul in 1993 and have not stopped, building on a vision of a restaurant company rooted in eateries with a…

Twenty years ago Tracy Singleton opened Birchwood Café in Minneapolis. Before food was a movement. Before issues of labor ethics and sustainability dominated discussions of what to eat. Before family…

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…

Based in downtown St. Paul, design firm BWBR traces its history to 1922. After 93 years in business, the company is enjoying a growth spurt. Pete Smith joined BWBR in…

Julie Snow had never designed a baseball stadium, but CHS Field in downtown St. Paul has drawn rave reviews for its impressive design. That’s no surprise to anyone who’s followed…

You may remember her as Colleen Needles, a co-anchor of WCCO-TV news during its journalistic heyday. She came to TV production 20 years ago, and today Tremendous! is far and…

Known for his longtime behind-the-scenes work with TCF Bank, prominent Minneapolis attorney and dealmaker Ralph Strangis was a critical player in helping secure the Target Field site through negotiations with…

Kam Talebi left the technology sector for hospitality nearly a decade ago. His prolific company (in 2013 described as a $60 million business) is best known for its glam, female-centric…

Fast-growing retailer Evereve began with a single store in Edina—known as Hot Mama—where the privately held company is still based. Today, the business, renamed Evereve in 2014, has grown to…

Glen Taylor’s niece arrived in Taylor Corp.’s CEO office after just four years with the North Mankato company. Deb Taylor has so far met looming expectations with astuteness similar to…

Rick Trontvet has been a tireless advocate for economic development in northwestern Minnesota, particularly its manufacturing sector. (He’s been equally passionate about working to improve the viability of Thief River…

The former Clear Channel Twin Cities operation has vastly slimmed down from its heyday, due to massive cost-cutting brought on by the company’s staggering debt loads, but the broadcaster remains…

Pope Francis is a tough act to follow for any Christian leader, but Brad Hewitt, CEO of Thrivent, is running a close second by breaking new ground for the Minneapolis-based…