Owatonna – Steele County Seat & Leaders

The southeast regional group of MARL Class 13 traveled to Owatonna for our local experience.  Our goal was to visit different businesses and community members to learn about the strengths of the Owatonna, as well as each individual’s “why”.   Owatonna was named after Princess Owatonna who, according to legend, drank from the local fresh water spring and it cured her of her illnesses.

We kicked off our morning with a visit to Revol Greens.  Revol got its start in Owatonna back in 2017.  They built an initial greenhouse with 4 acres of hydroponics capabilities.  They then expanded their greenhouse and now have 10 acres of hydroponic lettuce production.  Stefan led us through the tour of the greenhouses and showcased the 6 lettuce varieties that they grow. Each variety has unique characteristics and different purposes amongst Revol’s salad mixes.  Stefan’s “why” was very clear from the beginning.  He shared with us that he moved to the USA from the Netherlands.  There, his family is very passionate about greenhouse vegetable production. He carries that same passion in the work he does for Revol!  We then traveled to the east side of the city to tour the Gandy Company. This manufacturer with capabilities in metal fabrication, machining, welding, powder coat painting and turn-key assembly was founded in 1936 with a solution to reduce the labor in land measurement. This family owned company’s “why” is to operate with integrity and provide solutions to agriculture and landscape industries by creating quality products and customer service. The company has been the expert in granular material application for decades evolving their solutions over time to meet new industry needs, custom crafting every piece of equipment from ground up at their facility in Owatonna. At the Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce, Glenda Smith (Director of Conventions and Tourism) shared more insights about the area, business and industry. Notably, the economy relative to the employment rate is better than the State, which in turn is better than the country. It has a mix of agriculture, health, retail, tourism, and more. Being at the intersection of interstate 35 and highway 14; close enough (1 hour) to the Twin Cities, yet not too expensive, and has a small town feel helps. The city has grown more along the interstate (which runs North and South. It would be nice to grow East and West as well. Support and engagement of local businesses and community members is evident. The high school project illustrates that. Support from Federated Insurance and 4 other companies made it possible.  Later, we had a great meeting at a local brewery, Mineral Springs Brewery, with Tim Penny who heads the Southeast Minnesota Initiative Fund.  Tim served as a MN State Senator then as US House Representative for a total of 19 years. Tim shared about their work in key areas such as Early Childhood Development, Economic Development, and Small Towns Support.  His “why” was to passionately continue serving his district in MN. He enjoys seeing the rewards of his work.  Submitting Seminar Management Team – Michelle O’Connor, Okechukwa “Okey” Ukaga, Andrew Thilges & Joel Reiman

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