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One Take CEO Interviews

One Take CEO Interviews

By Dale Kurschner

CEOs share how they’re leading through challenges ranging from Covid-19 to attracting great talent during candid ‘one take,’ unedited discussions with award-winning journalist Dale Kurschner. These interviews are independently produced with no funding from, or other financial affiliation with, the companies that are interviewed. Programming relies upon sponsorships. To inquire about sponsoring, write to dale.kurschner@theplatinumgrp.com.
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CEO Jeff Kiesel on Leading Restaurant Technologies Inc. During and Out of COVID-19

One Take CEO InterviewsNov 19, 2021

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23:02
CEO Jeff Kiesel on Leading Restaurant Technologies Inc. During and Out of COVID-19

CEO Jeff Kiesel on Leading Restaurant Technologies Inc. During and Out of COVID-19

During this unrehearsed, unedited interview, Restaurant Technologies Inc. (RTI) CEO Jeff Kiesel shares how his business overcame significant COVID-19-related challenges and along the way, improved its go-to-market strategy and how it takes care of its 10 largest clients. It also consolidated/simplified its IT systems and centralized administrative work. When COVID first affected RTI’s business, it furloughed 250 people. All but 7 have since returned to work (five retired), plus another 350 have been hired during 2021 and dozens more a month are expected to be added through December.

RTI delivers new and recovers used cooking oil for more than 30,000 restaurants as well as food service providers serving commercial and non-commercial customers. RTI is based in Mendota Heights, Minn., and operates though 40 depots located across most of the country. It also provides fry cook hood cleaning systems and services, a niche it began covering about four years ago.

About One Take: Minnesota CEOs discuss how they're navigating the latest challenges and opportunities facing their businesses, leadership teams and employees during one-on-one unrehearsed, unscripted and unedited interviews. CEOs are selected based upon the degree of interest they may provide to One Take's audience. One Take receives no compensation from those it interviews or their companies. The interviews are produced by award-winning journalist Dale Kurschner, who today serves as an executive consultant with Platinum Group, Minnesota's most experienced firm guiding business owners and leaders through acquisitions, divestitures, turnarounds, family business disputes, and crises.

Nov 19, 202123:02
Doug Jaeger on Buying a Canadian Company During a Pandemic, Employing Talent Where it Lives, Using Mixed-Reality Smartglasses for Site Visits & More

Doug Jaeger on Buying a Canadian Company During a Pandemic, Employing Talent Where it Lives, Using Mixed-Reality Smartglasses for Site Visits & More

Jaeger's company Ulteig recently acquired a Canadian business without visiting it due to Covide-19 travel restrictions. This after Ulteig grew 20 percent a year for five consecutive years and expanded from 300 to 700 employees. 

One of several fascinating takeaways from this One Take CEO Interview is how Jaeger maintains a healthy corporate culture regardless of where employees may now be working. He also plans to locate collaboration centers or small offices where the best talent can be found, rather than requiring talent to move to an existing Ulteig office. And he says, what his company achieved during the last 12 months proves, “you don’t need to set your strategy aside when the world around you changes dramatically.” 

Ulteig provides engineering services primarily in the life line sectors of power, renewables, transportation and water. It recently acquired NLS Engineering, a firm widely recognized as one of the most experienced integrators in the North American energy and water sectors.


About One Take CEO Interviews: In each episode, one CEO shares his or her take on leading through myriad challenges ranging from Covid-19 to attracting and retaining great talent. Each interview is recorded in one take with no edits. The interviews are produced by multi award-winning journalist Dale Kurschner, who today serves as strategic consultant at Platinum Group, Minnesota's most experienced firm helping business owners and leaders with extreme challenges ranging from rapid growth and acquisitions, to turnarounds and divestitures.

Sep 15, 202123:00
CEO Christine Lantinen on how Maud Borup Grew Sales 50 percent While Fighting a Pandemic

CEO Christine Lantinen on how Maud Borup Grew Sales 50 percent While Fighting a Pandemic

One year after her first One Take interview, Christine Lantinen returns to discuss how Maud Borup weathered the pandemic; how its attracting and retaining talent both in the Twin Cities and Le Center, Minn.; why it's looking to expand capacity yet again after just adding 70,000 square feet last year; whether employees are required to work at the corporate office; and more.

Lantinen is owner and CEO of Maud Borup, a candy and gourmet foods maker with nearly 40 million dollars in annual sales, which is up almost 50 percent from a year ago, and more than 200 employees, double from a year ago. The company sells to specialty and mass retailers such as Walmart and Target, and has licensing agreements to make food items for large global brands such as Hell's Kitchen. Maud Borup develops more than 150 products each year and each item can be customized to fit what each client would like. During 2020, the company cornered the U.S. market for hot cocoa bombs.

You can watch this interview on YouTube here.

About One Take CEO Interviews: In each episode, one CEO shares his or her take on leading through myriad challenges ranging from Covid-19 to attracting and retaining great talent. Each interview is recorded in one take with no edits. The interviews are produced by award-winning journalist Dale Kurschner, who today serves as consultant at Platinum Group, Minnesota's most experienced firm helping business owners and leaders with extreme challenges ranging from rapid growth and acquisitions, to turnarounds and divestitures.

Sep 02, 202129:06
CEO Chuck Runyon on How Self Esteem Brands Made its Largest Acquisition in History While Fighting a Pandemic

CEO Chuck Runyon on How Self Esteem Brands Made its Largest Acquisition in History While Fighting a Pandemic

Self Esteem Brands (SEB) recently completed its largest acquisition in history despite all the challenges and uncertainty brought on by COVID-19. One year after his first One Take interview, co-founder and CEO Chuck Runyon returns for a “Take Two” to share how and why the acquisition was able to happen. He also discusses how his company helped franchisees since the pandemic began (and looming cost increases once rent abatements or deferrals end); the introduction of a bill to provide financial relief to the gym and fitness industry (the Gyms Act); whether employees will be coming back to work full time at the company’s headquarters; and why the nation needs to focus more on physical and mental health. 

SEB is a global collection of health improvement and fitness-related companies including Anytime Fitness, The Bar Method, Base Camp, Wax the City and as of this June, Stronger U, a digital, personalized nutrition-based health coaching services brand. SEB was founded in 2002 and for several consecutive years ranked as the world’s fastest growing franchise. Today it serves millions of people in 40 countries.

About One Take CEO Interviews: In each episode, one CEO shares his or her take on leading through myriad challenges ranging from Covid-19 to attracting and retaining great talent. Each interview is recorded in one take with no edits, and runs 10 to 20 minutes in duration. They are produced by Dale Kurschner at the executive consulting firm Platinum Group.

Aug 19, 202123:19
CEO Nick Elders on how his startup facilitated $7 billion in loans within two weeks

CEO Nick Elders on how his startup facilitated $7 billion in loans within two weeks

Nick is CEO of Ignify Technologies, an early stage fintech company whose SPARK loan origination platform facilitated 50,000 SBA loans worth $7 billion in two weeks last year. Those loans in turn helped save 500,000 jobs. During this One Take CEO Interview presented by Platinum Group, he explains how the company quickly scaled up to meet demand, how it plans to grow and how it does so well attracting and retaining talent—something its top three leaders spend 30-40 percent of their time doing. Ignify is a public benefit corporation, spun out from Minneapolis-based Community Reinvestment Fund USA in 2020.

About One Take CEO Interviews: In each episode, one CEO shares his or her take on leading through myriad challenges ranging from Covid-19 to attracting and retaining great talent. Each interview is recorded in one take with no edits, and runs 10 to 20 minutes in duration.  

Aug 11, 202128:41
Pinnacle Performance Group CEO Leslie Holman on the Importance of Front Line Employees, and More

Pinnacle Performance Group CEO Leslie Holman on the Importance of Front Line Employees, and More

In this One Take CEO Interview presented by Platinum Group, Leslie Holman, owner and CEO of Pinnacle Performance Group, discusses how her firm helps fill the gap that can often exist between front line employees and senior leadership, and how COVID-19 has helped narrow this gap.

In companies of all sizes, she says, “there is that common thread that success is bred through employees at all levels, and it's often that front line employee who has not been heard or listened to, or often sadly, not respected enough when it comes to how critically important they are in the success of the organization.”

Holman explains ways to identify such gaps and more importantly, how to translate or explain those findings to senior leadership. She also addresses other topics including how the healthy work/life balance and culture at her company helped it weather all of the challenges that have come up since the COVID-19 first flared up in March 2020.

About One Take CEO Interviews: These are frank, unedited, unscripted "one-take" discussions facing business owners and CEOs today from business leaders, for business leaders. In Season 1 (May 2020 to April 2021), 26 Minnesota CEOs shared their take on how best to lead during the Covid-19 pandemic and its unprecedented impact on their operations, and the economy. In Season 2 (April 2021 to Dec. 31, 2021), CEOs share how they're leading as the pandemic winds down, and how they plan to operate thereafter.  

One Take CEO Interviews are produced by award-winning journalist Dale Kurschner, who today serves as a strategic communication, crisis response and reputation management consultant with Platinum Group, Minnesota's most experienced firm helping business owners and leaders with extreme challenges ranging from rapid growth and acquisitions, to turnarounds and divestitures.

Guests are interviewed solely on the merit of the content they may provide; no funding or financial consideration is provided by the individuals and organizations featured on One Take CEO Interviews.

Apr 29, 202116:06
Bushel Boy President Chuck Tryon on Growing Beyond Tomatoes

Bushel Boy President Chuck Tryon on Growing Beyond Tomatoes

Owatonna, Minn.-based Bushel Boy is well known in Minnesota for first perfecting indoor grown, vine-ripened tomatoes available in local grocery stores year-round 41 years ago. Competition has increased rapidly in recent years, leading the company to both expand production and explore other crops to produce indoors, beginning with strawberries.

Chuck Tryon was hired as Bushel Boy’s president last October to expand upon these efforts. In this One Take CEO Interview (watch here), he explains how he plans to do this, and how he addressed COVID-19-related challenges including potential delays on the company’s $35 million, 50-acre expansion project in Mason City, Iowa. Key to Bushel Boy’s future success, he says, will be doing better at finding and retaining talent. (Tryon’s interview is also available as a podcast on seven audio platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.)

Bushel Boy employs about 100 people in Owatonna and 50 in Mason City, where the recent expansion is expected to increase production by 50 percent and allow the company to maintain a more consistent crop of tomatoes during the year. Bushel Boy also recently completed a 4.5-acre research and development greenhouse in Owatonna. While strawberries are being tested today, other crops to be experimented with for possible indoor growing include cucumbers and peppers.

Innovation is a must and includes a vigilant focus on producing the best quality product, Tryon says. While Bushel Boy was a leader in this niche 41 years ago, the square footage of indoor agriculture for tomatoes nationwide increased 45 percent between 2007 and 2017. Just within the last five years in Minnesota, indoor tomato square footage increased 43 percent, according to the Star Tribune.

Bushel Boy was acquired in 2018 by Shakopee, Minn.-based Rahr Corp., which is best known for its malting business.

ABOUT ONE TAKE CEO INTERVIEWS: CEOs share how they’re leading during the Covid-19 pandemic and other unprecedented challenges during these unscripted, unedited one-take interviews. Each is produced by award-winning journalist Dale Kurschner, who today serves as an executive consultant with Platinum Group, Minnesota’s most experienced firm at helping business owners with financial turnarounds, acquisitions or divestitures, family business issues and other complex challenges. No funding or other financial consideration is provided by companies interviewed, and interviews are selected solely upon the relevance of what may be discussed during an interview.

Apr 14, 202113:24
How Claire Ferrara Led Through a Covid-19 Triple Whammy

How Claire Ferrara Led Through a Covid-19 Triple Whammy

One of the most challenging aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic as it hit last year was how to still service heating and air conditioning systems in peoples’ homes. How could shelter in place, work from home and remote learning all remain safe with an outsider coming into the house? And how could a repair person be assured he or she wouldn’t catch Covid while in someone’s home?

There were only a few of the challenges needing to be addressed by Claire Ferrara, president and majority owner of Minneapolis-based Standard Heating and Air Conditioning, a fourth-generation family-owned business employing about 100 people. “We're in the heating and air conditioning business but we're really in the people business and it's very much about a person-to-person interaction,” she says.

Making matters even more challenging: Ferrara took over leading the business only one month earlier.

In this episode of One Take CEO Interviews sponsored by Platinum Group, she shares how she dealt with those and other challenges, both professionally and personally. Here are a few excerpts:

“One thing that got us through the whole year was the level of transparency and constant communications that we had. We started by convening employees from every department and said, ‘okay how do we make this work; what's going to make you feel safe?’ That was the first step, making people feel heard and part of the process. The other part was they knew I had their back. I made it very clear up front if anyone is ever uncomfortable or feels unsafe, just like if they did outside a pandemic, you do not have to go into a home or do whatever the task is in front of you.”

“The customer did go away for a while. If you had asked me the first couple of weeks of April [2020] I would have said, gosh by the end of the year, my business needs to be half the size it is today.” Everyone working from home, however, led to a surge in business and the challenges of meeting it both with staffing and with equipment and supplies.

“Leadership can feel thankless sometimes, but you have to find the good and the motivation in all the little moments and there have been so many, like the technician who suddenly pulls you aside and to say ‘‘hey, how are you doing?’ or to say ‘thank you for that.’”

Mar 18, 202119:15
Betsy Niemeier on Leading a Steel Fabrication Business During Covid-19

Betsy Niemeier on Leading a Steel Fabrication Business During Covid-19

During this One Take CEO Interview presented by Platinum Group, Co-Owner and President of M&N Structures Betsy Niemeier shares how she has dealt with all the challenges thrown her way recently, including Covid-19, another surge in steel prices, delays in vendor delivery time and political polarization in the workplace.

One Take CEO Interviews are produced by award-winning journalist Dale Kurschner, who today serves as a strategic analyst and advisor with Platinum Group, Minnesota's most experienced firm helping businesses facing extreme challenges ranging from rapid growth and acquisitions, to turnarounds, divestitures, ownership/leadership transitions and crises.

In each of these one-take interviews, a CEO shares how he or she is leading through the Covid-19 pandemic and other unprecedented issues that emerged in 2020 and early 2021. No script, no edits, just frank talk from CEOs for CEOs. 

Feb 18, 202124:32
One Take CEO Interview with Xcel Energy's Ben Fowke

One Take CEO Interview with Xcel Energy's Ben Fowke

Xcel Energy Chairman and CEO Ben Fowke talks about a wide range of issues during this interview including how the utility is investing so much in carbon-free energy production while keeping rates comparable or lower than its peers. With about half of his workforce working remotely, Fowke shares what he’s doing to keep morale up and accelerate innovation even when people cannot collaborate together. He also discusses how the company is addressing racial issues elevated by George Floyd’s death, the sense amongst many that downtown Minneapolis is no longer a safe place to work, and his greatest challenge this year.

Feb 03, 202122:45
How HR-Tech Firm When I Work is Growing Despite Covid-19’s Impact

How HR-Tech Firm When I Work is Growing Despite Covid-19’s Impact

Imagine having about half of your revenues tied to serving the restaurant and hospitality industries last year... How would you have dealt with Covid-19-related temporary closures and ongoing restrictions in those industries, the plunge in their revenues and the potential harm to yours?

Chad Halvorson and his leadership team had to deal with that challenge, and more, during 2020 and he talks about it all in this week’s One Take CEO Interview. 

Halvorson is founder, chairman and chief experience officer of the Minneapolis-based HR-technology firm When I Work. His 10-year-old business provides a unique employee engagement-focused integrated scheduling, time tracking and messaging solution ensuring reliable shift coverage and faster decisions amongst more than one million hourly employees at 150,000 workplaces across the United States. Annual revenue is “in the tens of millions” and headcount is expected to grow from 130 to 200 by the end of the year, he says. The company has conducted two rounds of financing totaling $25 million, with the most recent a $15 million raise in 2016.

In his interview, Halvorson explains how his business managed to end 2020 strong financially, the greatest challenge he overcame last year, and the greatest challenge he anticipates in 2021. 

Jan 21, 202126:13
How NetSPI is Growing Despite Covid-19, PLUS 3 Things to Do Now to Protect Your Data

How NetSPI is Growing Despite Covid-19, PLUS 3 Things to Do Now to Protect Your Data

Cybersecurity business leader Aaron Shilts discusses how he is leading his employees through the stresses and changes brought on by Covid-19, organic growth and a recent acquisition. He also shares three things your business should do if it hasn’t already done so to avoid a devastating cyberattack.

Shilts is president and COO of Minneapolis-based NetSPI, the industry leader in enterprise security testing and vulnerability management. NetSPI works with eight of the top 10 U.S. banks, three of the world’s five largest health care companies and the largest cloud providers. In December, it acquired Utah-based Silent Break Security to create a complete package for offensive cyber security and attack surface management.

Other points covered in this One Take CEO Interview interview include:

  • How Covid-19 affected NetSPI's workforce
  • Nothing connected to the Internet is safe, so what can you do?
  • How much cyber security can affect mergers and acquisitions
  • What he anticipates his greatest challenge will be in 2021
  • The upsides of working through a pandemic

About One Take CEO Interviews: CEOs share their take on how best to lead during the Covid-19 pandemic and it's unprecedented impact on their operations, and the economy. Each interview is recorded in one take with no edits, and runs 10 to 20 minutes in duration. The interviews are produced award-winning journalist Dale Kurschner, who today provides strategic communication, crisis response and reputation management services to business owners and leaders as a consultant with Platinum Group.

Jan 05, 202119:51
How Rihm Family Companies’ Kari Rihm led During 2020

How Rihm Family Companies’ Kari Rihm led During 2020

Kari Rihm discusses everything from quickly fixing ‘leaking pipes’ and adjusting to market demands, to soul searching for hidden bias and getting others to care more about people they don’t know during this 20th episode of One Take CEO Interviews.

She is owner, president and CEO of South St. Paul-based Rihm Family Companies (RFC), a fourth-generation family-owned business that employs more than 350 people in 21 locations. RFC is comprised of Rihm Kenworth, the world’s second oldest continuously operated Rihm Kenworth truck dealership, and three related businesses providing genuine and aftermarket truck parts and accessories, truck rental and leasing, and international truck and parts sales and service training. 

One take away regarding Covid-19’s pressure on her business: “When the pressure's on the pipes you find out where the leaks are,” she says. Rapid shifts in market demand compared with initial expectations about the pandemic’s impact on her industry led Rihm and her leadership team to look at processes more quickly, ask whether they were “leaking” and if so, how to fix them. “The other thing was finding out really who you can depend on in terms of your external resources.” 

George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police officers, and the elevated awareness of racial discrimination that still exists in Minnesota, also affected Rihm.  “I thought that I lived in a state that was very welcoming and that that enjoyed its immigrant communities [truck drivers in this region have become much more diverse in the last 10 years]. And when I heard that Minnesota is one of the most racist states in the nation...it caused some soul searching but also some researching as to why people are saying that the state is so discriminatory. I learned more about what institutional racism means and how it's been employed in our state, and it's shocking. I have been very open with our employees after that happened, asking them also to do some soul searching themselves, and I hope that they have.” 

Rihm is optimistic that 2021 will be a good year for the industry and her business. But she remains concerned about Covid-19 and how people’s individual beliefs can hurt her business, not to mention other people. The biggest challenge is, “still needing to constantly communicate what the symptoms are and when you should stay home,” instead of coming to work and possibly giving the virus to others.

“The other part is caring about the people you don’t know. You know you should maybe care about who you work next to and your family, but I think it’s hard for people to think about caring about somebody who lives across town, or is just passing through, such as our transient truck drivers who could catch the virus here and take it to another community,” she says. “So, it’s tough. Our society has been a “me society” for so long it’s all about me. Well, I think we’re finding out it’s not all about me, it’s all about us.”

Dec 22, 202033:51
Kyle Kottke on How His Trucking Business is Navigating the Covid-19 Economy

Kyle Kottke on How His Trucking Business is Navigating the Covid-19 Economy

Kottke Trucking Co. Co-Owner and CEO Kyle Kottke shares how his Buffalo Lake, MN-based trucking business has adapted in many ways since Covid-19 began to affect the economy back in March. This includes helping truckers find places to stop for gas and to stay overnight, when most locations shut down during the late spring months; and quickly adapting to a major drop in long-term business and demand for spot-contract service, to then moving back toward long-term. Kottke Trucking is a third-generation family business with about 260 employees and operations in Minnesota and Florida.

About One Take CEO Interviews: CEOs share how they’re leading during 2020’s pandemic and other challenges in unscripted ‘one take’ interviews with Dale Kurschner, who for 30 years served as one of the Upper Midwest’s most trustworthy, timely leaders in business journalism. Dale most recently led Twin Cities Business magazine as its Editor in Chief (2010-2018) and today serves as a strategic communication consultant at Platinum Group. Note: No funding or other financial consideration is provided by companies interviewed in this series. Interviews are by invitation only and chosen based upon the relevance of what may be discussed during an interview.

Dec 02, 202021:34
Tastefully Simple CEO Jill Blashak Strahan on Lessons Learned from Quick Success, 7 Years of Losses & Returning to Profitability

Tastefully Simple CEO Jill Blashak Strahan on Lessons Learned from Quick Success, 7 Years of Losses & Returning to Profitability

During this week’s One Take CEO Interview, Tastefully Simple Founder and CEO Jill Blashak Strahan discusses what it was like to grow her 1995 startup into a $143 million-a-year business, and then lead through seven consecutive years of losses running into this year, when Covid-19 hit. Ironically, those bad times forced her organization to return to being scrappy like a startup: lean, creative and agile—must-have traits for most businesses looking to grow this year.

“We ran though about $32 million in reserves...My turnaround advisors said, ‘too bad you had reserves because you know, you might have done something sooner [to turn things around]’,” she says. At the time, Blashak Strahan was doing everything possible to improve the business—including investing another $5 million into it with a line of credit. But in hindsight, matters she wishes she would have addressed sooner include recognizing the company had become too top-heavy (of 350 employees, about 50 were in leadership), and that she as a leader had stopped focusing on what she’s best at—building and creating. Also, headcount reductions—as painful as they are—needed to happen faster, as did initiation of a new discipline of always asking why a new hire is really needed.

Based in Alexandria, Minn., Tastefully Simple taps thousands of independent consultants across the United States to sell its seasonings, sauces, baking mixes, meal and entertainment kits and gifts through home tastings, online parties, catalog sales and website.

About One Take CEO Interviews

CEOs openly share how they’re leading during 2020’s pandemic and other challenges during candid, un-rehearsed and unscripted ‘one take’ interviews begun in May 2020. Each is independently produced by Dale Kurschner, who for 30 years served as one of the Upper Midwest’s most trustworthy, timely leaders in business journalism. Dale most recently led Twin Cities Business magazine as its Editor in Chief (2010-2018) and today serves as a strategic communication consultant at Platinum Group. No funding or other financial consideration is provided by companies interviewed in this series. Interviews are by invitation only and chosen based upon the relevance of what may be discussed during an interview.

Nov 17, 202028:57
Northern Ingredients CEO Robert Schafer on Placing Workplace Culture Before Profit

Northern Ingredients CEO Robert Schafer on Placing Workplace Culture Before Profit

Founder and CEO Bob Schafer created a highly successful bakery supply business from scratch all from operating cash flow; no debt.  Mixing and/or distributing 150 million pounds a year of ingredients to food manufacturers, this Minnesota Family Business Award-winning company has weathered three recessions since its founding in 1991. Thus far it is handing the Covid-19 recession well by adapting to the times, while also protecting its values. This includes how it pivoted to handle new business without hiring more people.

Schafer discusses this and more in this interview, shot on location at Northland Ingredients in Arden Hills, MN. He talks about how to attract and retain talent beyond wage increases (which the competition can simply match) and provides tips for struggling business on how to survive this recession. These  include working out creative terms with vendors and taking an honest look at parts of your business that could be eliminated, allowing you to focus on those most valuable.  

About One Take CEO Interviews CEOs and chairs openly share how they’re leading during 2020’s pandemic, recession and other challenges during candid, ‘one take’ unedited discussions. The series is produced by Dale Kurschner, who for 30 years served as one of the most trustworthy, timely business journalists in Minnesota. Dale most recently led Twin Cities Business magazine as its Editor in Chief (2010-2018) and today serves as a strategic communication consultant at Platinum Group. These interviews are independently produced with no funding or other financial  affiliation with the CEOs who are interviewed.

Nov 10, 202023:09
Refinance if Your Rates Are High, Think Outside the Box & Go Ahead and Be Stressed Sometimes

Refinance if Your Rates Are High, Think Outside the Box & Go Ahead and Be Stressed Sometimes

This week’s One Take CEO Interview is with Aleesha Webb, vice chair and president of Blaine, MN-based Village Bank. Her second-generation family owned community bank has 69 employees, about $390 million in assets under management and offices in Blaine, East Bethel, Ramsey and St. Francis, MN.

Webb advises business owners to take advantage of low interest rates if they haven’t done so already, and to be strategic while thinking outside the box.  Amongst her clients, “there’s this 70-plus year old man that's been in investment real estate forever and this budding entrepreneur a woman that decided to be an entrepreneur in her 50s, and... [with Covid-19’s impact on the economy], “they flipped the situation and said, ‘how am I going to take on this opportunity.’ These two are really nice examples of what people are doing and to what I mean when I say there’s a silver lining to everything.” [She explains what each is doing during the interview.]

Among other topics, Webb also discusses the importance of allowing oneself to feel stressed when something adversely affects employees and there’s no readily apparent solution. “The things that stress me out are never the things that most people think would stress me out. I actually have appreciated the time where I can’t go anywhere because I get to be with my children and my husband,” she says. “When I see our retail team struggling with having to be at the bank after one of our employees had Covid, and how worried they are about their families, that was the part that was hard for me. It’s the soft side of business, the soft side of culture, that if you lose, if it doesn’t shake you a little, you’re not a good president. You need to be shaken, and sometimes you need to not be able to fix things and really care.”

ABOUT ONE TAKE CEO INTERVIEWS: CEOs and chairs openly share how they’re leading during 2020’s pandemic, recession and other challenges during these candid, ‘one take’ unedited discussions with Dale Kurschner, a former business owner, corporate communications leader and award-winning business editor and writer who today helps Platinum Group clients with strategic marketing, strategic communication and crisis management. 

Nov 02, 202019:06
Leading Stressed Employees & How Best (Including Legally) to Bring Some Back to the Office

Leading Stressed Employees & How Best (Including Legally) to Bring Some Back to the Office

Key points on how to safely bring employees back to the office (do you have a detailed COVID-19 Preparedness Plan?); what's trending when it comes to renegotiating contracts with landlords, vendors or customers; and fresh perspective on leading through this period of increased stress when employees and customers snap at things they wouldn't have a year ago. These issues and more are explored in this week's One Take CEO Interview with Jim Snoxell of the law firm Henningson & Snoxell.

One Take CEO Interviews candidly explore how Minnesota CEOs are leading during the Covid-19 pandemic and it's unprecedented impact on society, the economy and their operations. Each interview is recorded in one take with no edits, and runs 10 to 20 minutes in duration. They're produced by Dale Kurschner, a seasoned business leader, corporate communications executive, award-winning business journalist and multi-platform content producer who today helps Platinum Group clients protect and grow their brands during tough times.

Note: This episode provides only very general information about legal issues. Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd. is not providing legal advice through this interview and is not doing this interview as an advertisement for or solicitation of legal services. This interview does not create an attorney-client relationship between this firm and anyone else. No viewer, reader or listener should rely on this interview as a source of legal advice, but rather should be advised by a local attorney.


Oct 27, 202019:38
What's Working Best in Digital Marketing

What's Working Best in Digital Marketing

Liz Diedrich, founder and CEO of Diedrich RPM (research propelled marketing), provides a variety of helpful perspectives in this week’s One Take CEO Interviews.

One pertains to what’s working best in marketing today. “We’re seeing very dramatic shifts in terms of what is working digitally: Retargeting—the ads that follow you around— has produced huge conversions in of all things hospitality,” she says. “The lesson here is to not give up, to be agile, look at what’s happening and test things.”

Another observation: “Get out there and talk with other people that have your best interest at heart, and take care of yourself, too,” Diedrich says. This may have seemed rather basic a concept pre-Covid-19, but she’s noticed more and more business owners who are instead falling into the trap of hunkering down to fight the pandemic and related recession, alone.


ABOUT ONE TAKE CEO INTERVIEWS Minnesota CEOs share their take on how best to lead during the Covid-19 pandemic and it's unprecedented impact on their operations, and the economy. Each interview is recorded in one take with no edits, and runs 10 to 20 minutes in duration. 

One Take CEO Interviews are produced by Dale Kurschner, a seasoned business leader and former award winning business journalist who today serves as a strategic planning, crisis management and PR/marketing consultant with Platinum Group, Minnesota's most experienced advisory group helping business owners and leaders with extreme challenges including turnarounds and crises.



Oct 20, 202017:03
One Take CEO Interview with Mathnasium Franchisee Bobby Tarnowski

One Take CEO Interview with Mathnasium Franchisee Bobby Tarnowski

Covid-19 related restrictions are forcing many businesses owners to contemplate raising prices, yet doing so can hurt sales. Better options, says Bobby Tarnowski, are to create new types of product or service offerings, provide financing to those who cannot afford to pay for things outright, and try new and unique ways of marketing. Such constructive problem solving makes sense given he's a math enthusiast who owns a 10-location, 65-employee Mathnasium franchise in the Twin Cities. Tarnowski shares these ideas and more during this week’s One Take CEO Interviews. [One of his creative ways of marketing is to ask business leaders to present to Mathnasium students fun examples of how they and their companies use math every day. If you have such an example to share, contact him at 763-269-6966.]

One Take CEO Interviews are objective, unscripted, unedited discussions on how Minnesota CEOs are leading during the Covid-19 pandemic and its unprecedented impact on their operations, and the economy. They are produced by Dale Kurschner, a former award winning business journalist who today serves as a strategic planning, crisis management and PR/marketing consultant with Platinum Group, Minnesota's most experienced advisory group helping business owners and leaders with extreme challenges including financial turnarounds.

Oct 12, 202014:36
How to Deal with Differing Perceptions of Covid-19?

How to Deal with Differing Perceptions of Covid-19?

Covid-19 has created two worlds; those who are extremely concerned about catching Covid-19 and those who don't understand why businesses and other aspects of "normal life" aren't more open. In this segment of One Take CEO Interviews, Chad Nesbit of the business insurance firm Nesbit Agencies shares how his firm and some of his clients are dealing with this dilemma. He also shares how they're dealing with the inability to have those crucial, face-to-face meetings.

One Take CEO Interviews are objective, unscripted, unedited discussions on how Minnesota CEOs are leading during the Covid-19 pandemic and its unprecedented impact on their operations, and the economy. They are produced by Dale Kurschner, a former award winning business journalist who today serves as a reputation management, strategic communication and PR consultant with Platinum Group, Minnesota's most experienced advisory group helping business owners and leaders with extreme challenges including turnarounds and crises.

Oct 07, 202019:47
Increasing Sales During Covid-19: A One Take CEO Interview with Gary Braun of Pivotal Advisors

Increasing Sales During Covid-19: A One Take CEO Interview with Gary Braun of Pivotal Advisors

Braun is CEO and co-owner with brother Mike of Pivotal Advisors, a Prior Lake, Minn.-based firm that helps organizations improve their sales results. In this interview he shares what the two of them learned the hard way while growing sales from thousands to hundreds of millions at various companies before starting their own firm during the Great Recession. 

Each “One Take" interview is spontaneous and recorded in one take with no edits. The series is sponsored by the Platinum Group, the Upper Midwest's most experienced advisory firm helping businesses through challenging times including restructurings, recapitalizations, reorganizations, divestitures, acquisitions and crises. The interviews are conducted by one of its consultants, Dale Kurschner, who specializes in strategic communication, reputation management and crisis communications.

Sep 22, 202013:43
Time to Start Planning for Post-Covid, says Reviva Corp.'s Dave Goodwin

Time to Start Planning for Post-Covid, says Reviva Corp.'s Dave Goodwin

What needs to be addressed today to ensure American enterprise will still lead the world after Covid-19 subsides? In this One Take CEO Interview, Reviva Corp.'s Dave Goodwin shares his thoughts, including the need to improve what's being taught by our colleges and universities. Goodwin also explains how his company has continued to run at full-speed this year despite the disruptions caused by Covid-19.  

About One Take CEO Interviews: Minnesota CEOs share their take on how best to lead during the Covid-19 pandemic and it's unprecedented impact on their operations, and the economy. Each interview is recorded in one take with no edits, and runs 10 to 20 minutes in duration.  The interviews are produced by Dale Kurschner, a consultant who helps business leaders navigate complex and sensitive business situations. 

Aug 12, 202014:35
One Take CEO Interview with Eric Gibson of Indigo Signworks

One Take CEO Interview with Eric Gibson of Indigo Signworks

Gibson runs Indigo Signworks, a substantial sign manufacturing, installation and servicing business with locations in North Dakota and Minnesota. In this interview he shares his take on how best to lead employees in multiple locations during the Covid-19 pandemic and it's unprecedented impact on people, businesses and the ability to plan. Each "One Take" interview is spontaneous and recorded in one take with no edits.

One Take CEO Interviews are sponsored by the Platinum Group, the Upper Midwest's most experienced advisory firm helping businesses through challenging times including restructurings, recapitalizations, reorganizations, divestitures, acquisitions and crises. The interviews are conducted by one of its consultants, multi-award winning editor, writer and interviewer Dale Kurschner.



Aug 05, 202022:17
One Take CEO Interview with Manny Villafana, Legendary Medtech Pioneer & CEO of Medical 21

One Take CEO Interview with Manny Villafana, Legendary Medtech Pioneer & CEO of Medical 21

Villafana started several successful medtech companies including Cardiac Pacemakers Inc., which revolutionized the pacemaker industry by making the device smaller and longer lasting. He's taken seven companies public and he's at it yet again with Medical 21. In this interview he shares his take on how best to lead during the Covid-19 pandemic and it's unprecedented impact on people, businesses, the ability to raise capital and the overall economy. Each "One Take" interview is recorded in one take with no edits.


Jul 28, 202023:41
Allina Health CEO Penny Wheeler on Caring for People During Covid-19, Riots and an Uncertain Economy

Allina Health CEO Penny Wheeler on Caring for People During Covid-19, Riots and an Uncertain Economy

During this week’s One Take CEO Interview, President and CEO Penny Wheeler discusses how she’s leading $4 billion health care provider Allina Health during Covid-19, how Allina survived fires and looting last month that damaged or destroyed most neighboring properties, and how she and her employees look to effect meaningful change while facing an unpredictable future.

One Take CEO Interviews consist of one Minnesota CEO sharing his or her take on how best to lead during the Covid-19 pandemic and it's unprecedented impact on their operations, and the economy. Each interview is recorded in one take with no edits. The first 10 episodes are sponsored by Platinum Group, Minnesota's most experienced advisory group helping business owners and leaders with extreme challenges including financial setbacks, lender and landlord re-negotiations, turnarounds and bankruptcies.

Jul 10, 202032:33
Providing Normalcy is Purpose in Today's Economy, says Mainstreet Bakery's Stacy Demskie

Providing Normalcy is Purpose in Today's Economy, says Mainstreet Bakery's Stacy Demskie

"Our vision is so important right now: where we wanted to take this company before [Covid-19] and how we wanted everyone to be successful in it by coming to work every day and working as a team. We still want that success, and I think that is easy to be lost in the fear right now,” Demskie says during this week's One Take interview. “Just having the normalcy of getting up in the morning and going to work. That’s what we do best. That’s what we know. And being able to to give that to employees is really important. A lot of people long for that normalcy even though they’re fearing. That normalcy is purpose.”  

In each One Take interview, a Minnesota business leader shares his or her take on how best to lead during the Covid-19 pandemic and it's unprecedented impact on their operations, and the economy. Each interview is recorded in one take with no edits, and runs 10 to 20 minutes in duration. 

One Take interviews are sponsored by the Platinum Group, the Upper Midwest's most experienced advisory firm assisting companies through financial challenges ranging from turnarounds to fundraising, acquisitions and managing through periods of rapid growth.

Jun 26, 202019:02
Summit Brewing Founder Mark Stutrud re. Covid-19's Impact on Craft Brewing & How He's Responding

Summit Brewing Founder Mark Stutrud re. Covid-19's Impact on Craft Brewing & How He's Responding

During this One Take CEO Interview, Mark shares what he's seeing in the industry, how he believes restaurants and bars will operate for the foreseeable future, and how Summit Brewing responded, and is moving forward, in the Covid-19 economy. Mark also shares lessons learned in other extremely challenging situations since founding Summit in 1986.

One Take CEO Interviews are independently produced, unedited one-on-one discussions between a business leader and former Twin Cities Business Editor in Chief Dale Kurschner.  This interview is sponsored by the Platinum Group, which for 40 years has served as Minnesota's best resource for helping businesses survive surprises and setbacks. 

Jun 18, 202031:37
One Take CEO Interview with Restaurant Technologies' Jeff Kiesel

One Take CEO Interview with Restaurant Technologies' Jeff Kiesel

In this week’s One Take CEO Interview podcast, Restaurant Technologies chief Jeff Kiesel shares how his business prepared for and then adjusted to a drop in business due to Covid-19 shutdowns.

His Mendota Heights, MN-based company is the nation's most efficient fry-oil business, providing everything from fresh oil appropriate for what's being fried, to equipment in the kitchen that dispenses new oil and then collects used oil. Its 1,000+ employees serve the food service, restaurant and hospitality industries that have been hit hard since mid-March. 

Kiesel explains how the company was able to minimize the level to which revenue dropped, keep most of its workers employed and is now gearing up for growth. What worked well for Restaurant Technologies? Focusing on its core values, doing scenario planning that slanted worst-case and then adjusting spending accordingly, and communicating daily and equally with everyone from executives to front-line employees. 

One Take CEO Interviews are independently produced by former Twin Cities Business Editor in Chief Dale Kurschner to provide listeners with unscripted, unedited discussions on how Minnesota CEOs are leading during the Covid-19 pandemic and its unprecedented impact on their operations, and the economy. 

The first episodes are recorded home-to-home via Zoom, due to then-required "work from home" rules. The host is rusty at sounding good "on the air,” but the CEOs are excellent at sharing how their organizations are prevailing during the greatest economic upheaval and uncertainty in our lifetimes. 

The CEO interview series is sponsored by the Platinum Group, Minnesota's most experienced advisory group helping business owners and leaders with extreme challenges including financial setbacks, lender and landlord re-negotiations, turnarounds and bankruptcies. Kurschner is one of its consultants.

Jun 10, 202018:26
One Take CEO Interview with Christine Lantinen, Owner of Maud Borup

One Take CEO Interview with Christine Lantinen, Owner of Maud Borup

Maud Borup owner Christine Lantinen discusses how her business is re-orientating production and marketing while wrapping up a $6 million expansion of its production facility in Le Center, MN. And she talks about the importance of finding a way to constructively deal with the emotional toll Covid-19 is having on everyone, including business leaders.  (This interview was conducted on May 20, 2020). 

Jun 03, 202017:09
Anytime Fitness Chief Chuck Runyon Re. Covid-19's Impact on 5,000 Franchisees, & the Future

Anytime Fitness Chief Chuck Runyon Re. Covid-19's Impact on 5,000 Franchisees, & the Future

During a work-from-home Zoom interview, Self Esteem Brands co-founder and CEO Chuck Runyon discusses what his team has done to help 5,000 franchise owners deal with everything from negotiating rent deferrals and abatements to reopening safely. He talks about the value of culture and decentralized decision making. And the talks about the future for the world’s all time fastest growing franchise company, as ranked by Inc. magazine. 

This is a One Take CEO Interview with no edits. The video version is available on YouTube, and more about Runyon can be found at MNPerspectives.com.

May 28, 202015:16
One Take Interview with Paul Grangaard, Chair & CEO, Faribault Woolen Mills
May 21, 202013:24