It seemed like the end of an era in 2017 when trailblazing benefit auctioneer Karen Sorbo left Minnesota for a warmer climate. But she’s back—thanks to grandchildren and her tireless…
The TCB 100 - 2025
The TCB 100 is the list of all lists, the essential guide to people in and around Minnesota business likely to make news and drive change in the year ahead. We include not just corporate types, but also leaders in government and philanthropy who intersect with business. We’ve dynamited silos to bridge specialties and industries to introduce you to a group of individuals who may not all be household names, but whom we expect to emerge in that direction in the year ahead. So read on and share in the success of a few old friends and get to know a big bunch of new ones.
Written by Liz Fedor, Allison Kaplan, Kelly Kegans, Sarah Lutman, Stephanie March, Steve Marsh, Tina Nguyen, Dan Niepow, Adam Platt, Gene Rebeck, Hannah Ward
For the music director of a full-time orchestra, planning and leading rehearsals, taking meetings to design future programming, and lunch dates with major donors are all in a day’s work.…
Unlike most higher-ed institutions, Dunwoody’s enrollment has been growing, from 1,264 in 2016 to 1,348 in 2022. Scott Stallman, who became the college’s president in July after serving as its…
Writer, historian, professor, internet pioneer, and designer are past job titles claimed by Molly Wright Steenson, whose web address— girlwonder.com—seems apt. Now she can add nonprofit CEO to her impressive…
Startups participating in Mayo Clinic’s Accelerate program get access to something that many health industry entrepreneurs could only dream of: reams of anonymized patient data from Mayo. Launched in 2022,…
Sean Sweeney has become a voluble presence on X, talking about his firm’s infill work and offering advice to would-be developers, but his backstory is just as interesting—including stints in…
Janice Tam is working to digitize the fitting room with TrueToForm, a body scanning app that helps shoppers gauge whether a garment will actually fit. Launched in 2022, it gained…
Though Myriel in St. Paul has been open since 2021, Karyn Tomlinson was just named a Best New Chef 2024 by Food & Wine. Perhaps it’s the recent interest in…
Because of Snack Media, his savvy social media company, Enkhbileg “Billy” Tserenbat is known as the sushi guy who drives a giant Sherp truck through the streets and hangs out…
2025: Matt Varilek was president of the regional Initiative Foundation in central Minnesota when he joined DEED in mid-2023. Amid a statewide worker shortage, Varilek notes that DEED uses its…
The heirloom apples from the Keepsake orchard in southeastern Minnesota’s Cannon Valley contribute to what many regard as the state’s—some say the nation’s—best dry cider. Made with wild yeast, bottles…
After starring in the Whitney Biennial in 2022 and receiving a MacArthur “genius grant” in 2023, multidisciplinary artist Dyani Whitehawk continued her prolific pace in 2024. She installed Nourish, a…
A 27-year veteran of General Mills, Melissa Wildermuth was appointed global creative director in 2021, which meant leading a dispersed team and balancing fun (see Jason and Travis Kelce’s “Kelce…
Marisa Williams moved to the Twin Cities in 2023 to lead the Girl Scouts beyond cookies and crafts. Her vision came to life in October with the launch of a…
A veteran of more than 35 years in the real estate development industry, Dale Wills established Centra in 2011. Coon Rapids-based Centra Homes expects to build about 160 new homes…
Since breaking the traditional restaurant format 15 years ago using full-time cooks as servers, Travail’s owners have never stopped innovating. They built Travail 2.0 in Robbinsdale with their own hands,…
A self-made businessman who operated his own construction company for nearly 20 years, Virgil Wind succeeded Melanie Benjamin in 2024 as CEO of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Wind…
It’s something when the country’s leading critic of all things smoked meats gives you a mention. Texas Monthly named Animales its only notable spot in the Upper Midwest, adding it…