Members of the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce have big things happening! Here are the news briefs from September & October, 2021.
Have some news to submit? Send press releases, staff additions, awards and more to Emily Bertram.
Neuman celebrates 30 years with Boys & Girls Clubs
Tommi Neuman has been with Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota since 1991, celebrating 30 years of service in June. She began as a youth development staff member and now serves as senior director of human resources.
Leigh is ATHENA recipient
Debra L. Leigh received the 2021 ATHENA award for her dedication to mentoring women in her career and as a community member. Leigh is the interim vice president of Cultural Fluency, Equity and Inclusion at St. Cloud Technical and Community College. The ATHENA Award is a lifetime achievement award, hosted by the Women’s Fund of Central Minnesota Community Foundation, that recognizes exceptional and inspiring women leaders.
Stearns Bank acquires Productfy, South End Capital
Stearns Bank acquired South End Capital and Productfy in May and June 2021, respectively. Productfy is a technology banking service partnering with Stearns Bank to streamline banking technology. South End Capital will join Stearns Bank as a specialized division, offering mortgages, residential real estate, business loans, and equipment financing through an advanced online banking platform.
Brenny Transportation named a “Top Workplace”
Brenny Transportation is a “Top 175 Workplace in Minnesota,” as published in the Star Tribune Top Workplaces special section in June 2021. Top Workplaces is based on employee opinions measuring engagement, organizational health, and satisfaction. Brenny Transportation was ranked 27 on the small company list, and has been listed in Top Workplaces nine times in the last ten years.
Cold Spring Brewing earns Governor’s Safety Award
Cold Spring Brewing Company was recognized by the 2021 Virtual Minnesota Safety and Health Conference for excellence in workplace safety and health. Award applicants were judged on several years of injury data and progress in safety program implementation. Cold Spring Brewing was one of 221 employers to be honored through the awards program.
SPIRE Credit Union honored
SPIRE Credit Union was selected as one of 70 businesses in Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s 2021 “Best Places to Work.” Recognition was based on employee surveys evaluating management and communication.
Mahowald Insurance awarded Advisor Cornerstone Award
Granite Partners announced that Mahowald Insurance is the recipient of the Advisor Cornerstone award. The award honors Mahowald Insurance’s contributions to granite companies’ employees’ overall health and wellbeing through improved employee benefits packages.
Dancing with Our stars raises over $389,000
The Women’s Fund’s annual “Dancing with Our Stars” fundraising event brought in $389,000 for local organizations benefitting women and girls in the St. Cloud area. The event featured a dance competition of local community members raising money for their chosen charities.
DeZURIK earns Governor’s Safety Award
DeZURIK was recognized by the 2021 Virtual Minnesota Safety and Health Conference for excellence in workplace safety and health. DeZURIK received the Outstanding Achievement award for incident rates 51-90 percent better than the industry average and a high score on a safety program evaluation scale.
Marco donates $10,000 to nonprofits
Marco donated $10,000 to nonprofits across 10 states and employees delivered flowerpots to senior citizens. It was part of the company’s “Great Give Back Week” where they celebrated the importance of nonprofit organizations and volunteerism.
Stark-Kraker is new CMCF executive director
Greta Stark-Kraker has been promoted to executive director of the Central Minnesota Community Foundation (CMCF). She has been with CMCF for nearly 20 years and most recently served as director of donor relations.
DAYTA Marketing hires chief technology officer
Daine Billmark joined DAYTA Marketing as chief technology officer. Prior to joining DAYTA, Billmark oversaw a 40-person application development and analytics team at TransUnion, a major U.S. credit bureau headquartered in Chicago. Billmark will be responsible for leading the development of DAYTA Marketing’s platform technology to enhance client visibility and control of marketing data.
Caribou adds location
A new Caribou Coffee location opened earlier this summer at Highway 23 and Lincoln Ave. The coffeehouse features both indoor and outdoor dining spaces, as well as a drive-through.
Rajkowski Hansmeier attorneys named Super Lawyers
Gordon H. Hansmeier, Paul A. Rajkowski, Kevin F. Gray, Troy A. Poetz, and Chad Roggeman, attorneys with Rajkowski Hansmeier Ltd. law firm in St. Cloud, were recently selected for inclusion in the 2021 Minnesota Super Lawyers. Super Lawyers recognizes attorneys who have distinguished themselves in their legal practice. Only the top 5 percent of lawyers in the state are named to this list.
Eric S. Oelrich, another Rajkowski Hansmeier attorney, was selected for inclusion in the 2021 Minnesota Rising Stars. The Minnesota Rising Stars are based on a search for evidence of peer recognition and professional achievement. Only 2.5 percent of lawyers in the state are named to this list.