Invisible Giants

Co-Working, the shared, creative spaces for small business and start-ups to work, collaborate and be social, is perhaps the fastest growing trend in commercial real estate and hospitality.  We sit down to talk with Kyle Coolbroth, Co-Founder & CEO of Fueled Collective, to explore the humble beginnings of one of the original co-working concepts in our nation. We also discuss the success they've seen in the last decade as they uncovered the unrealized opportunities and joy that comes from bringing small businesses and creatives together. Take a listen to learn more!

We've all heard it and we all live it - the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace is more important now than ever before. But just how do we own up to our shortcomings and learn how to build a stronger, more equitable and inclusive workplace? We were fortunate to sit down with a champion in this space, Felecia Boone, and talk to her about her work with Hennepin County. Felecia brings many tireless years of working for these much needed conversations in our communities. As popular as the topic may be, it's important to understand how crucial these lessons are for everyone. Take a listen to learn more! 

In this episode, we will hear the story of a Minnesota native that has had an almost twenty year run with her business, Mercury Mosaics. She talks about her humble beginnings and to where that has taken her company now. This is one of those "feel-good" stories about the prairie land that make us excited about this podcast series; to hear how a company in Minnesota started off small and is growing each and every year, all while positively impacting the community . We had a blast sitting down with Mercedes Austin to hear her story, and we hope you enjoy it, too! 

How you interact with your data matters, and the tools you use to interact with it matter even more. The importance of data is weighing more and more on startups, small businesses, and enterprise organizations alike. We sat down with Shakeeb Rahman, Software Development Manager at Oracle to talk about the growing pains of managing your data. He discussed the power of low-code and how it can help offset the growing needs of all kinds of organizations. Listen to this episode to learn more! 

Developing tech talent can be a burden for organizations that are "heads down" in the weeds of the day-to-day operations. Steve Grunlan, Owner and Senior Recruiter of Stone Arch Services, knows the professional IT Market int the Twin Cities like the back of his hand. He's been around for quite some time and has thousands of connections. Throughout his tenure, he has made connections with businesses, IT Professionals, and consulting organizations to partner and place local, qualified talent that fulfills an organization's immediate need(s). His love for this community and for establishing lifelong relationships is evident in his work, and we are delighted we got to sit down with him and hear his story!

We live in current times where a need for mental health awareness in the workplace is of grave importance. From training of employees on how to recognize it and deal with it, to support of employees dealing with mental illness in their families or themselves; this allows organizations to create a healthy working environment for all. We had the privilege of sitting down with two giants in this space, Laurie Healy and Mark Peterson, and they had some good tidbits to share with us from both personal and corporate experience. 

Have you ever wondered what it takes to get the Super Bowl to Minneapolis? Or the Final Four? Well, we sat down with Jenn Schaal, Director of Partnership Marketing for Meet Minneapolis to hear just how this wonderful city pulls off amazing events. As an organization, Meet Minneapolis works directly with organizations both near and far to ensure that tourism is kept at an all-time high in Minneapolis. There is so much to offer in the great state of Minnesota, and especially right here in Minneapolis, that Jenn and her team want to make it possible for everyone to experience it! Listen to how she is just one member of a large team that works year-round to make this city attractive! 

The growing need for individuals in our workforce is upon us, and we need everyone who is capable of working filling these jobs. There is a subset of our population, however, that find it difficult to work: moms. Mary Kay Ziniewicz, Founder of Bus Stop Mamas, sits down with us to talk about the need for women (and men) parents to be actively engaged in the workforce. Time is of the essence to fulfill these open jobs, and just because you are a "mama" shouldn't preclude you from fulfilling these open roles. Mary Kay's passion and commitment to this cause is evident, and comes across loud and clear in Episode 5 of the Invisible Giants Podcast. Take a listen to learn more! 

Smaller communities across America are hungry for their fill of a growing workforce, and larger companies are recognizing the benefits of expanding into these communities. Essex Capital, LLC is a growing organization that aims to connect larger organizations with these smaller communities to further their reach and to embrace the talents of these small, often rural, environments. Listen to Justin's story and what he is up to today! You won't want to miss this interesting story. 

Jack Engel of Daikin Applied Americas and John Hendrickson of MeausreIT sit down with us to talk about the power of a BI Reporting tool and how it can help enhance your enterprise environment. Daikin Applied was looking for a replacement to their outdated Business Intelligence platform, and with the help of MeasureIT and Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC), they are now transforming how their business reports on operations, manufacturing, etc. These two harnessed their knowledge to showcase their status of "Invisible Giants"! 

Queue-it is a virtual waiting room platform that prevents website and mobile app overload and protects your online business, while providing a fair user experience. Hear how their US CEO, Phil Hanson, began his work with Queue-It in Denmark and has grown the US company since returning a few years ago. 

Shawntan Howell discovered a gap in her community for girls to recognize and harness their innate qualities. She created an organization, Girls are Powerful, to highlight the fact that all girls are beautiful, unique, smart, powerful, confident, and determined. Listen to hear her story.