Reimagining Main Street

Stacey and Jordan Smidt have been operating a tent rental business and snow removal service since 2015 in Luverne, MN. Stacey contacted the Southwest MN SBDC In 2021 to help develop a business plan and financial projections to renovate half of the building they own to provide a year-round indoor event center. They wanted to use the space to host wedding receptions, family events, meetings, and community gatherings. In October of 2021, the Smidts hosted a celebrity wedding for Luverne native Shantel VanSanten and her husband, Victor Webster. Shantel and Victor met while filming a movie in Belgium. The celebrity wedding story was featured in the November issue of Brides magazine. It looks like a blissful future!

During the past year, many articles have been written about the shortage of truckers and how that contributes to supply chain issues. This problem was seen as an opportunity by Hassan Abdi. With assistance from Ahmed Mohidin, Professional Business Consultant from the Central Region SBDC, Abdi was able to launch Gatamow Logistics, LLC. A ribbon-cutting ceremony at the SBDC recently celebrated the launch.

The Waseca New Business Challenge helps local entrepreneurs become “pitch ready” by engaging in a 10-week program to develop a more robust small business network and receive 1:1 mentoring from the SBDC. Colette Drager, President and Co-Founder of The Meatery, said, “The Waseca Challenge was really what we needed to hold us accountable and help us get started.” Following that experience, their team entered the state's largest startup competition - the Minnesota Cup, where they finished in the top 10.

Ron and Adam Bergman have created a snowblower unlike any other. The father and son inventors solved the problems of having to get out of your machine to make changes, and the need for shoveling when you're done blowing snow with the MUSKOX Bidirectional Snowblower and its patented “back dra and blow” feature. After winning the IDEA competition in northwestern Minnesota, they're ready to export to their first world market - where else but CANADA!

Mark and Becky LaTour began Sheet Metal Solutions (SMS) in Duluth, Minnesota, in 2013. SMS tackles a surprisingly diverse array of projects - commercial, residential, HVAC, welding, architectural, fabrication, custom stainless steel, and more. We are passionate about our employees, our work, and our clients' experiences. When it comes to metal - projects large or small - we guarantee satisfaction from start to finish!

TrimaxSecure is a global provider of IT services and solutions for companies looking to modernize how they do business. Our mission is to increase the future viability of our clients with the power of Cloud computing. We empower teams to be more productive with the right amount of support and technology education to make smarter business decisions.  

Since our founding in 2013, we have assisted dozens of companies by moving their business applications, databases, websites, email and phone systems to the Cloud. We found that we needed help with our own strategic growth plans and reached out to the SBDC. The SBDC was most helpful in working with us to define growth strategies, improve marketing and secure government contracts.

Nearly 200 new childcare slots are expected to become available in Crow Wing County thanks to grants awarded to providers from American Rescue Plan Act funding. The Crow Wing County Board approved grants totaling $800,000 for a list of 25 organizations seeking to expand availability or to start a new childcare business, according to Tyler Glynn, executive director of the Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corp. “They worked with us as well as the SBDC and First Children's Finance to develop one of the best business plans I've seen.”  Becky Dryburgh, director of Trinity Children's Center, said the funding would be a massive help for the nonprofit childcare operation.

Minnesota has the highest 5-year business survival rate of any state in the US. The SBDC helped businesses recover from the COVID-19 disaster.

When childhood best friends Zak Fellman and Dan Watson first turned their hobby of making baseball bats into a business in 2015, they never imagined the opportunity to create bats with art honoring their favorite baseball team: the Minnesota Twins. Now, Fellman, Watson, and their coworkers at Pillbox Bat Company, have achieved their Major League dreams, striking a licensing deal with Major League Baseball to officially design bats, pennants, and other art for all 30 MLB teams.

Megan Schnitker learned from a young age that she could turn to nature’s medicine to ease many of the aches and pains she experienced while growing up on a farm in South Dakota.

“My uncle Neil started teaching me about healing plants when we were pretty little because as soon as the sun comes up, you go outside and play or you help do chores all day,” said Schnitker. “And you know, cuts, scrapes, burns, and bug bites, all happen because it's the farm.” 

As her interest in the healing properties of plants grew, Schnitker realized she wanted to share her knowledge with others. In 2018, with help from the SBDC, she launched Lakota Made – a retail store in Old Town Mankato. She has also begun teaching her 8-year old daughter about the healing plants.

F and K HomeCare Services has opened for business in Otsego, MN. The company is dedicated to helping individuals with developmental disabilities live independently by providing services that enhance their quality of life and create a family atmosphere that is both convenient and familiar to their lifestyle. The company was founded by Angelle Kanneh, Mohammed Kanneh, Musa Fofana, and Jessica Albritton. Angelle stated, “As a new small business owner, it was beneficial getting help from SBDC with my business plan and getting the right information of what you need to start a business.” F & K HomeCare strives to offer a community that promotes self-respect, dignity, and independence that improves their clients' quality of life.