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In case you’ve been living outside the area, Chanhassen has just exploded in the past several years. New restaurants, a new brewery, a funky barber shop and lots of new homes have created a major shift in what was at one time, “the first town on your way out of town.” Mayor Elise Ryan is…

My guest is Keith Payne of Sunbelt Business Advisors talks about buying an existing business and what that takes as well as what to be thinking about if you have a business and are thinking about an exit strategy.  Keith brings his years of business experience to help people make wise decisions about this type…

Recently elected to represent Waconia’s Ward 2 city council, Carl Pierson dishes on some new things on the horizon for the City of Waconia and then we talk about connecting civics in a classroom setting with “Boots on the ground” involvement in local government. We discuss how things have changed for local governance in a…

Bob Moeller has been a major driving force behind the biking/ walking trails that connect several cities in Carver County. What started out as a response to the frustration from getting run off the road by irritated and/or distracted drivers has become a serious group of citizens committed to making Carver County a place where…

With the 212 expansion looking like a near term reality, the western part of Carver County will soon experience a rush of new people moving out. Long time resident, educator and civic volunteer and now Mayor Carol Lagergren is guiding NYA (The “Mini-Twin Cities”) into this new era. Her passion for small town living and…

Guess what Carver County city will have the largest population according to the 2040 Comprehensive Plans? I know it is hard to imagine that when you drive through the current downtown which has become Carver County’s unofficial Friday and Saturday night Hot Spot over the past few years.   Victoria has been mostly a bedroom community…

In Feb of 2021 the US had a record cold spell that caused massive power outages across the country forcing rolling blackouts.  No state was as profoundly affected as Texas.  As we watched on TV and talked to friends (I used to live there and have many friends there still) we were horrified at the…

What is the real value of small town newspapers? Can’t we just get our local news on Facebook or Instagram? Abraham Lincoln said it best; “Half of everything you read on the internet is false” 🙂  Local news plays an important part in our communities. The things that get reported locally have a more profound…

In this time of uncertainty and unrest, it can help to have some constants and Cara Thorpe believes one of those is the power of life long learning.  People often talk about this idea but very few have the skills to teach people how they learn so they can harness the power within themselves.  Yellow…

My guest for this episode is Elise Durbin, Director of Community and Economic Development with the Carver County CDA. We discuss the mission and purpose of Community Development Agencies and how they serve residents and businesses by filling voids left by the regular market. This is done with certain types of housing, counseling and also…