Page 40 Thursday, October 17, 2019 countynewsreview.com

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We’re proud of ourCommunity and the

PEOPLE WHOMAKE IT GREAT!

1990 2nd Avenue SECambridge, MN 55008

affinityplus.org

INVEST IN YOU

Name: Carrie Moline Gibbs Company: CENTURY 21 Moline Realty, Inc.Years with the company: CENTURY 21 Moline Realty is celebrating 55

years of service and I joined the company 16 years ago. We’ve been in busi-ness since 1965.

Job duties: I am a third generation Owner and Broker of CENTURY 21 Moline Realty, Inc. For our clients, I represent them in real estate transac-tions through contract negotiations, provide customer service, full execution of sales and marketing of their properties and ultimate success in achieving their goals. For my agents, I help support them as they represent their clients through transactions, provide quality marketing portals and technology to help them be successful, and offer comprehensive administrative services to

assist in their business so they can concentrate on servicing their clients in the best way possible.Services offered: Real estate sales and marketing for residential, commercial, estate, vacant land, water-

front, and investment property. We provide complimentary market evaluations and consultation.What do you enjoy most about your job?: I enjoy the strategies behind each transaction and the op-

portunity to help our clients be successful. The heart of real estate is about being a strong negotiator and understanding how to sell and market real estate better than the competition. I enjoy helping our clients be successful and achieving their goal of selling or buying the property they’ve dreamed of owning. Through our longevity in the business, we have gained the knowledge to effectively handle complicated real estate transactions involving estates, bankruptcy, divorce, foreclosure, 1031 exchange, relocation, and commer-cial transactions.

Future goal for yourself or your business: As business owner, I strive to continue to grow our business through increasing our market share, inviting new agents into CENTURY 21 Moline Realty who fit our culture and share the same mind set, and continually find ways to better represent our clients and find more innovative strategies to better market our listed properties.

Contact information/business information: Please stop by our office on Main Street in downtown Cam-bridge at 202 Main Street South. Feel free to contact us at 763-689-3593, via our website at www.centu-ry21moline.com, find us on Facebook and Instagram, or feel free to contact Carrie directly by calling 763-245-6431. Our office is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to noon, and we are available 7 days a week, so please contact our office and speak to one our highly qualified agents and schedule an appointment today.

Name: Jill BrodingCompany: Mid Minnesota TruckingYears with the company: My husband and I bought the company from Al

Hoffman in 2008 and have been running it ever since.Job duties: I guess you could say, I wear a few hats; from Dispatching, to

Accounts Payable and Receivables, to Customer Service, Human Resources, safety Compliance and just about everything else except driving the trucks and working on them!

Services offered: We are a local trucking company, with two dock trucks (with liftgates) and six Tractor Trailers. Our primary service area is from Moose

Lake to the Twin Cities and Mora to the Twin Cities, and everywhere in between. However, we do service many other areas in Minnesota, just not on a daily basis.

What do you enjoy most about your job?: First and foremost our customers! I have been in the trucking industry all my life and have met a great group of people to work along with.

Future goal for yourself or your business: My husband and I purchased some land in Rush City. We are planning on building a terminal with a dock and a warehouse, possibly do some distribution work in the near future.

Name: Connie ReillyBusiness: Braham Country Flo-

ralYears with company: 12Job duties: Floral designer, Art-

ist, Manager, BaristaServices offered: Wedding Flo-

ral specialist, Funeral Florals, Prom corsages, Party decorating, Holiday Centerpieces, Anniversa-ry and Birthday Florals, and more also we offer an amazing espresso

bar and tanning.What do you enjoy most about your job?: The people that I

am able to bless with my talents, being able to share my cre-ativity with them for their special occasions. I enjoy the smells, of coffee and flowers, and I enjoy the laughter and fun we have here,and the annual live music jams.

Future goal for yourself or your business: My dream is to someday teach art again. Maybe someday I can incorporate that with my business.

Contact information/business information: Braham Country Floral, 128 Central Dr. W. Braham. 320-396-2188 or find us on Facebook

Name: Lynda WoulfeCompany: City of CambridgeYears with the company: 12 yearsJob duties: Oversee all City

departments and work with City Council to ensure professional de-livery of services.

Services offered: Police, fire, community development, econom-ic development, public works and election administration.

What do you enjoy most about your job?: The ability to work with many different people to ensure our community thrives. My favorite quote is “I am of the opinion that my life belongs to community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live.” (Quote from George Bernard Shaw)

Future goal for yourself or your business: Complete the con-struction of the new Cambridge Public Library and find busi-nesses to compliment our downtown’s retail sector.

Contact information/business information: Lynda Woulfe, City of Cambridge, 763-689-3211

countynewsreview.com Thursday, October 17, 2019 Page 41

Braham FordMotor Service

216 S. Main Street, Braham320-396-2962

Jan PetersonEscrow Closer

t: 763.444.5510japeterson@nat.com

ww.nat.com/Minnesota

April Mace-Goranson(763)689-4992 | april@ciacambridge.com

Specializing in Commercial, Personal and Life Insurance.

April M. GoransonApril M. Goranson

Name: Alicia OverbyCompany: Baby Elephant Ears, Inc.Years with the company: 10 Years ! (our anniversary was in September)Job duties: Oh goodness where to begin. In any small business it think this

questions answer can be broad and wide. But in general my job as the Owner and Founder is to oversee the operations. I still prefer to have a hand in our customer service and especially handle our overseas sales and licensing.

Services offered: We began by inventing a pillow that helps support your baby’s head and neck while you’re on the go. I initially invented it for use in the stroller and it has been quite useful in many other places as well.

What do you enjoy most about your job?: People. I truly enjoy the people and their stories. When a customer is passionate about a product they will

tell you and it’s such a joy to hear how my invention has helped them.Future goal for yourself or your business: Future goal? I am so thrilled to have currently just passed 10

years that I am just reveling in that for a bit. As I move into the second decade of owning and operating a small business I look forward to the changes that will bring. Business and purchasing habits are always changing, which means selling methods and advertising never stays the same. I enjoy learning new sales strategies and implementing them. Here’s to the next 10!

Contact information/business information: Alicia Overby 763-203-4500; alicia@babyelephantears.com.

Name: Emily SampsonCompany: Merchants CafeYears with the company: 1 year anniversary on Jan. 14Job duties: The main duties of serving Merchants Cafe to the best

of my abilities are- Constantly strive to better Merchants Cafe in its processes and efficiency- Promote an enjoyable team environment- Im-prove productivity- Focusing on employee job satisfaction- Maintain a high standard for customer satisfaction- Oversee inventory- Manage the finances-Administer payroll- Promote the Cafe- Adhere to food safety regulations- Make people happy

Services offered: Merchants Cafe offers a full menu serving break-fast or lunch anytime. We offer a dinner menu Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. We make homemade meals, soups, dressing and have daily breakfast and lunch specials. We offer catering services, take out and private event space is available.

What do you enjoy most about your job?: I love the customers! And making people happy the best way I know how to, by feeding them good food. I enjoy seeing our regulars feel at home and being a part of a community where we all really care about each other. It is thrilling to find new ways to reach the community by catering to their needs and expanding the Cafe’s capabilities by offering event space for family gatherings and catering to large special events where we get to make so many people happy with quality food. It is exciting to find new ways to make people hap-py and to see what the Café and our people are capable of accomplishing. I am beyond blessed with exceptional employees who equally care about the Café, our customers and our community.

Future goal for yourself or your business: My biggest goal is to continue to focus on quality food and bringing new ideas and recipes to our specials and menu’s while maintaining a high stan-dard for quality service and customer satisfaction. And to make my family and our community proud of Merchants Cafe.

Contact information/business information: Emily Sampson 6338 Main Street, North Branch, MN 55056; 651-237-1028; merchantscafe@outlook.com; https://www.facebook.com/mer-chantscafe.

Name: Jeana StrelowCompany: The Park CafeYears with the company: 30 yearsJob duties: Owner, cook, baker,

waitress, dishwasher, bookkeeperServices offered: Home cooking What do you enjoy most about

your job?: I really enjoy visiting with all the town’s people and visi-tors to our community when they come into The Park Cafe.

Future goal for yourself or your business: I am looking forward to retirement.

Contact information/business information: The Park Cafe is located in downtown Braham at 124 Main Avenue S.; 320-396-3630.

Name: Brandy HerbstCompany: B’s Homecare Inc., Adult Day

Center and health care consulting Years with the company: 12 this monthJob duties: I get to meet all new clients and

spend some one on one getting their paper-work started and training them for what to expect. I also do all building of paperwork for our staff, clients and nurses. I love to do hands on with clients for ADL’s and IADL’s

during the day. I get to enjoy training staff in many areas like CPR first aid and the regulations made by the state of Minnesota.

Services offered: We offer Persona Care attendants, in and out of home respite, companion care, night supervision and many more wa-vered services. Big news is our Adult Day Center is 1-year-old this month and has some opening for anyone who needs a place to be during the day that is safe, that wants amazing food and possibly a shower. Last piece of it is consulting; that is myself and others from my team going out to help other companies so they can join into the love of caring for others.

What do you enjoy most about your job?: I love the hands on care of people who really want and need the help. Giving back to people that may not always be able to give.

Future goal for yourself or your business: I would love to work hard at getting more staff trained into higher levels of care. We as a team have thought about stepping into the private duty nursing, but we are always a one step at a time company to make sure everyone is getting what they need if they are already on our services.

Contact information/business information: bhomecareinc.com; 763-689-8994.

Thank you businesses forsupporting our local women in business!

Page 42 Thursday, October 17, 2019 countynewsreview.com

Make your stay “Grand”• Large Heated Indoor Pool and Spa

• GrandStart® Breakfast• Free Wi-Fi

• all rooms include a fridge,microwave and coffee maker.

300 South Garfield StreetCambridge, MN 55008

763.689.0542Reservations: 855.455.7829

Name: Christine LarsonCompany: Empire Insurance Group, Inc.Years with the company: 10+Job duties: CEO & President; Elite Commercial AdvisorServices offered: Business, Home, Auto, Farm, Life, Health, Seasonal & Sec-

ondary Homes, Toys & More! What do you enjoy most about your job?: It’s hard to decide one thing. I enjoy

most because there are so many enjoyable parts of my position that I am grateful for. First and foremost, I enjoy helping my clients find a “perfect match” of in-surance products and earning their confidence knowing that they are thoroughly protected with the insurance coverage we provide at Empire Insurance. It’s re-freshing to have over seventy insurance companies to offer my clients versus only one or a handful. These options allow myself and my staff to be our clients main

advisor, working for them to obtain the best rates and coverage that has been customized to each individual or business’s unique needs. As the CEO of Empire, I also enjoy building an Elite Team of licensed insurance professionals to tackle all of our client’s needs, ensuring that we represent only top companies in the industry & providing an “Empire of choices” within our three local agencies in North Branch, Wyoming & Lindstrom. Lastly, I really enjoy taking on larger roles within Insurance organizations, local organizations, charities and companies that we represent. I feel it’s critical to give back to those in need, local charities and to volunteer time to make the world just a little bit brighter when we can. Currently, I am the At-Large Director of the Minnesota Independent Agents & Brokers Association, President of the North Branch Beautification Association, Cham-ber of Commerce Member, Veterans Memorial Committee Member & Girls Fastpitch Softball Coach. Empire is also a benefactor in numerous local, state & national charities & programs.

Future goal for yourself or your business: In the future, my goals are to ensure Empire continues to grow and expand our reach in the State of Minnesota while always providing customized local service and specialists that understand the ever-changing needs of our insureds. We are currently licensed to service needs in 10 states and I anticipate this expanding as well to assist our current & new clients. It is critical that our Empire team continues to set the bar of service, technology, education & specialization high to ensure that our commercial and personal insurance clients feel the value of buying from our local, trusted and educated Agent Advisors.

Contact information/business information: Empire Insurance Group, Inc. Main Office 6063 Main St. Suite A North Branch, MN 55056. Christine@MyEmpireAgent.com mail to: Christine@MyEmpireAgent.com www.EmpireInsuranceGroup.com http://www.EmpireInsuranceGroup.com.

Name: Stephanie AronsonCompany: Vixen DefenseYears with the company: 7.5Job duties: As the owner of a small business, I wear lots of hats. My

primary job is creating and teaching the various Carry Permit, Gun Train-ing and Self Defense classes. I also research and study trends in gun laws, violent crime statistics, shooting fundamentals and current self-defense cases. In addition, I maintain national and state licensing standards, train and oversee instructors, and manage scheduling and outreach.

Services offered: I do sell a number of self-defense tools (pepper spray, stun guns, tactical pens and lights, etc.) but Vixen is mostly focused on education. Firearm classes, includ-ing MN Carry Permit (with FL upgrade options), Essential Pistol, Gun Defense, Firearm Familiarization and a specialty class on Women’s Shooting can be scheduled daily. Other classes like Fierce!, Take Control and Home Defense, which train how to use non-lethal weapons, how to create a personal defense plan and how to design a home defense strategy are also available. I also do public appearances, give speeches and provide security training for organizations.

What do you enjoy most about your job?: Occasionally I get to feel like I genuinely made someone feel more confident, more secure, or provided a valuable piece of information they didn’t have and it makes everything else worth it.

Future goal for yourself or your business: I’d love to expand my community outreach into classes on situational awareness for children, teenagers and young adults, really provide a head start on creating a personal safety plan.

Contact information/business information: Vixen Defense, 101 Main Street E, Isanti; 612-516-6304; www.vixendefense.com.

Name: Tina BrownCompany: Total FitnessYears with company: We

just started our 3rd year!Job Duties: Owner, Per-

sonal Trainer and InstructorServices offered: Total Fit-

ness is a full-service gym and fitness facility with some-thing for everyone. We offer

yoga, spin and fitness classes, personal and small-group train-ing, as well as boot camp programs, sport-specific athletic training, and a fully equipped open weight room. We also can help members meet their nutrition goals.

What do you enjoy most about your job?: I am excited to be part of a fitness community where we support and encour-age each other to work hard, have fun, achieve goals, and ulti-mately be the best version of ourselves.

Future goal for yourself or your business: My goal is to con-tinue to provide a healthy, safe, and fun facility and environ-ment for our members and to help them meet their health and fitness goals.

Contact information/business information: Tina Brown Tina@totalfitnessinc.com; 763.237.3245 - office, 612.309.7788 - cell; www.totalfitnessinc.com.

Name: Julia GervaisCompany: North Branch Area

Chamber of CommerceYears with the company: 3.5Job duties: I am responsible

for the full range of Chamber ac-tivities in accordance with the poli-cies, procedures and Bylaws of the Chamber. This includes, but is not limited to, coordination of the pro-gram work, organization structure

and procedures, motivation of volunteers, income and expen-ditures, community outreach, service and promotion, mainte-nance of memberships, employment, training and supervision of staff, interpretation of policy, vision planning and mainte-nance of facility.

Services offered: Member Advocacy; Referrals, Marketing Opportunities, and Business Resources. Professional Develop-ment; Educational Seminars, Various Trainings, and Network-ing Opportunities. Events; connecting business and the commu-nity with the Fall Harvest Festival, Tastings, and Home Show to name a few. Community Involvement; Volunteering, Old Highway 61 Initiative, and the Chamber Scholarship Program.

What do you enjoy most about your job?: I love how dynamic my career is; from the people I work with, collaborate with and assist, to the level of engagement I am afforded every single day. This career allows me to be creative, foster relationships, make a positive impact within my community, and is never boring!

Future goal for yourself or your business: I want the North Branch area to continue to thrive. I know that in order for that to happen, opportunities for growth must be available; whether it is business, leadership, or personal. My goal for our chamber is to offer more trainings, seminars and work-shops that make sense for our area.

Contact information/business information:

North Branch Area Chamber of Commerce, 6063 Main St. Ste B, North Branch, Julia@NorthBranchChamber.com, (651) 674-4077

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Name: Nicole (Nicki) KlanderudCompany: Cambridge Medical Center, part of Allina HealthYears with the company: Almost 8 yearsJob duties: I work in Community Benefit and Engagement department and

our goal is to bring together the assets of the community and Allina Health to improve the health and well-being of people in the communities we serve. The biggest part of my job is building relationships and partnerships that help promote a community health. I work collaboratively with internal and exter-nal stakeholders, including local schools, businesses, governmental units and nonprofit organizations to ensure we are meeting our community health needs. The focus of this work over the next three years will be on youth substance use, mental wellness among youth as well as adults, and addressing the lack of

social connection throughout our region. Services offered: Cambridge Medical Center is a combined clinic and hospital providing comprehen-

sive care to residents of Isanti County and the surrounding areas. As part of our mission, CMC commits to serving community members outside of the hospital and clinic walls. Through various engagement activities, including employee volunteerism, charitable contributions, community health improvement initiatives, we are able to understand and address community health needs, invest in relationships, mo-bilize Allina Health resources and expertise to support community need, partner with communities to inform the work of Allina Health, and engage employees in meaningful ways.

What do you enjoy most about your job?: I dedicate most of my time to community health improvement, which is my passion. I get my energy from the dedicated team members I get to work with every day. It is very important to me to be involved in community projects, committees and coalitions that impact our community. One of the long standing programs Allina Health does and I have the privilege to coordinate is Free Bikes 4 Kidz. Every year we collect gently used bikes from caring community members and then we repair them so that we can give them away to kids that need them in our community. The smiles that come with these bikes whether it’s from the person donating it or the child receiving it, is priceless.

Future goal for yourself: My future goals are simple, but mighty. I want to spend each day spreading kindness and making an impact on at least one person each day. I want to spend doing more of the things that I love, and contribute more of myself. I am learning to get out of my comfort zone and take more risks so that I don’t find myself in a stagnate place, wishing I had done more. I believe it’s important to fill each trip around the sun with love and the things that bring me happiness. I wish this for you too!

Contact information/business information: Nicole Klanderud, 701 Dellwood Street South, Cambridge, Nicole.klanderud@allina.com.

Name: Ann TessneerCompany: North Folk WineryYears with the company: Licensed in 2008 and opened the tasting room in

2012.Job duties: Wine Maker, Marketing, Field Manager, HousekeeperServices offered: North Folk Winery is open Friday 3-8 p.m., Saturday Noon

8 p.m., and Sunday Noon-8 p.m. We offer wine tasting, wine bottle purchases, pizza baked in our brick oven every Friday and Saturday night and a choice of four small plates. We also sell craft beer and non alcoholic beverages. Live and local entertainment every Friday night and special events throughout the year.

What do you enjoy most about your job?: I enjoy making wine which I began doing as hobby 20 years ago. Future goal for yourself or your business: We just finished construction of our new state-of-the-art wine

production building. Our goal is to triple wine production in the next five years.Contact information/business information: Ann and Mike Tessneer, (612)226-6242, wines@northfolk-

winery.com, www.northfolkwinery.com

Name: Bobbi MixCompany: Northbound LiquorYears with the company: 30 yearsJob duties: Store ManagerServices offered: Wine, liquor, beer,

gift items and gift baskets.What do you enjoy most about your

job?: I enjoy creating displays for prod-ucts and interacting with customers; I see a lot of people I grew up with when they come into town and it’s great to be able to catch up with them.

Future goal for yourself or your business: I am looking for-ward to retirement and seeing some of the people I’ve worked with for so long be able to move up and fill the management roles.

Contact information/business information: Northbound Li-quor, 1655 1st Avenue E, Cambridge; 763-689-2468.

Name: Emma SullivanCompany: FIT- Focused, Inspired,

TrainingYears with the company: Personal

Trainer for over 11 years; FIT for almost 6 years

Job duties: Owner and operator of Fit.; one on one personal training, nutrition counseling, group fitness classes, includ-ing Zumba, Yoga, Senior Fitness, Low-Impact Fitness, and my own blend of

Bootcamp style classes. Services offered: Fitness and yoga, Level II Reiki certified. What do you enjoy most about your job?: The people that I

meet absolutely blow my mind. I consider myself a strong and positive person, but some of my clients surpass me by miles. I love that! As you can imagine, I hear a lot of excuses. And I mean a lot! And then I have these clients that show up every time with ailments that I can’t even fathom- Parkinson’s, Fi-bromyalgia, broken bones, bruised ribs, clients that have lost family members the day before, people who walk with canes, parents struggling with special needs children and their com-plicated schedules- these people still show up on a regular basis ready to work hard and blow off steam. I am humbled by their strength and dedication.

Future goal for yourself or your business: I’m currently in a transitional part of my life and business. Big exciting things are happening but I’m not ready to unveil them just yet.

Contact information/business information: 763-219-7845; 104 Central Drive E, Braham; Facebook: FitFocusedIn-spiredTraining.