Trailblazer and chemist Jamice Obianyo empowers others—women, children, the community and her employer. Not only was Obianyo the first African-American technical director for Ecolab, but she is also a founding…

Peltier, a former Gopher hocket player, joined Edina Realty in 1977 and climbed into the CEO seat in 1992. He retained his title as leader of Edina's parent company, HomeServices…

The IRRRB distributes much of the iron ore production tax revenue paid by northern Minnesota mines, with an eye toward diversifying the Iron Range economy. It’s a state agency, but…

Since becoming CEO of Land O’Lakes in 2005, Chris Policinski has doubled the size of the farmer-owned co-op despite one of the worst downturns in global commodity prices. By sticking…

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…

Money manager Noel Rahn had no experience in renewable energy when he launched Edina-based Geronimo in 2005. Last year, his company won a state contract to develop Minnesota’s largest solar…

Thomas Boemer and Nick Rancone are the duo behind the phenomenally successful (and tiny) Southern restaurant on south Nicollet Avenue—arguably the first restaurateurs in memory to successfully bridge the Mason-Dixon…

Most shopping malls around the United States face falling foot traffic and are looking for creative uses for their empty spaces. That’s hardly an issue for Mall of America, which…

2021, Change agent: The Pohlad Family Foundation made headlines in June, after the killing of George Floyd, with a $25 million commitment to racial justice. The person who will oversee…

Laws on the book since the Great Depression have kept unaccredited investors from providing money to local startups in exchange for equity. But that changed in Minnesota in June, thanks…

Already the point man for the Mayo Clinic’s spin-off incubator and licensure of its intellectual property to outside health care companies, Jim Rogers in 2016 widened his portfolio to include…

A first-generation college graduate from Dickinson, N.D., ReBecca Koenig Roloff was inaugurated as the 11th president of St. Catherine University in October. She did not take a conventional academic route.…

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…

Brian Ryks, who started his airport management career in 1986 as a MAC noise technician, was appointed in May to succeed Jeff Hamiel, who led the MAC for decades. Before…

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…

Behemoth General Mills has been struggling to keep pace with customers’ rapidly changing food tastes, but Harvard MBA Ann Simonds, who became chief marketing officer in 2014, will help the…

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…

The new CEO of Hormel, James Snee, has a tough act to follow. Since 2006, under former CEO Jeffrey Ettinger, Hormel’s stock price increased nearly fivefold. Ettinger leaves the multinational…