While other restaurateurs see the suburbs as a culinary wasteland, Tony Donatell has been quietly building a small empire in the far reaches. It started with a strip mall gas…
The TCB 100 - 2022
Seena Hodges/The Woke Coach; Brian Heimann/Rally Studios; Florian Riedel/Four Seasons Minneapolis; Danny del Prado/Restaurateur; Pilar Cruz/Cargill; Shari Ballard/Minnesota United FC
We like to think of the annual TCB 100 as the “little black book” of the influencers, thought leaders, and key players likely to be making news or driving change in the year ahead. Not just in business, but in key government and philanthropic roles that affect the business community.
So follow along and meet some new people or share in the success of some old friends. And don’t forget to drop us a line if you’d like to suggest a name one of us can yell out for next year’s. —Adam Platt
(The 2020 TCB 100 list was written by Tess Allen, Liz Fedor, Burl Gilyard, Allison Kaplan, Sarah Lutman, Stephanie March, Dan Niepow, Adam Platt and Gene Rebeck)
Over two decades, Roberta Dressen served in leadership roles with Allina Health, UnitedHealth Group, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic. When she was chosen this year to lead the Golden Valley-based Medical…
Nick Elders launched Minneapolis-based Ignify Technologies in October 2020, hoping to help small businesses struggling during the pandemic. Ignify is a public benefit corporation that offers SPARK, its cloud-based platform,…
2022, Overachievers: Maybe it was pandemic foresight that pushed restaurateur Erik Forsberg to grow outside the restaurant industry. His Erik the Red, Devil’s Advocate, and Dan Kelly’s Pub were all popular…
Amid a warming world, Bob Frenzel hopes to put Xcel at the forefront of the “clean energy transition.” Frenzel, a U.S. Navy vet and former investment banker who took the…
Stillwater-based Lift Bridge Brewing Co. made headlines earlier this year when it opened a new taproom and production facility in Wisconsin. For co-founder Brad Glynn, the choice was less political…
All eyes turned to Minnesota when St. Paul native Suni Lee clinched the gold medal in gymnastics at the 2020 Olympics. Her win also solidified Midwest Gymnastics’ position as a…
Minority small business owners face extensive barriers, such as limited access to capital, networks, and business development, that make it difficult for their startups to survive. These challenges are what…
Once upon a time, Curt Gunsbury was a special education teacher. But since becoming a multifamily housing developer, he hasn't looked back. Gunsbury's goal is to build "sustainable, affordable, market-rate…
In times of crisis, the pull of community can be powerful. “When George Floyd was murdered, it reminded me the reason I needed to be here,” says Tonya Jackman Hampton.…
As a boy, Janssen Hang was involved in his family’s vegetable farming business. He remained in the agriculture industry after he graduated in 2001 from St. Olaf with degrees in…
The holder of an MBA and an undergraduate music degree from Wayne State University in Michigan, Chris Harrington started his new job at the St. Paul music venue Nov. 1.…
As director of Duluth’s Glensheen mansion for eight years, Dan Hartman led the transformation of a sleepy attraction into a happening music and special events destination for visitors and locals.…
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota declared racism a public health crisis and began tackling it as such. Last March, the Eagan-based insurer…
Who would have predicted that a small Minneapolis niche videography business would rise to global prominence? In March, Rally Studios’ sweeping drone footage of Bryant Lake Bowl launched the company…
This half-century-old St. Paul-based PR and lobbying firm founded by Bob Goff and Nick Coleman Sr. in 1966 is riding a wave of transition, and Jennifer Hellman is leading the…
Before founding the Minneapolis-based anti-racism training consultancy The Woke Coach in 2018, Seena Hodges worked in the arts, first in New York on Broadway, then for the Guthrie Theatre, Theater…
Ann Holder describes her path to entrepreneurship as “convoluted.” She spent more than three decades in engineering, operations, finance, sales, and operations roles in the U.S. Army and at companies…