Beyond the Skyline

Eric Anthony Johnson is a native of New Orleans and has worked and studied throughout the country, but the new president of Minneapolis-based affordable housing developer Aeon is no stranger to Minnesota. Johnson, who starts his job as president and CEO of Aeon on Feb. 8, earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Minnesota State University-Mankato in 1996 and later embarked on a career...

When cities consider requests for tax increment financing or school districts seek help with bond referendums, people like Greg Crowe at Roseville-based Ehlers are oftentimes crunching the relevant numbers behind the scenes. Ehlers, a provider of public finance services for 1,500 clients in five states, recently promoted Crowe to president. An Ehlers employee since 2012, Crowe previously worked as...

After a four-year stint in the U.S. Marines, Justin Rost struggled to make the transition to civilian life. Rost, an infantry rifleman who was deployed in 13 countries, tried his hand at real estate and other careers in his post-military life. Nothing seemed to fit. “When I got back, it took me a long time to be comfortable walking around a mall or moving through my day without my regiment,” he sa...

The past few weeks have been momentous for Margaret Anderson Kelliher and the state department she oversees. In early November, the Minnesota Department of Transportation officially wrapped up its 2021 construction season, which advanced or completed more than 260 projects, including the mammoth $239 million, four-year overhaul of Interstate 35W south of downtown Minneapolis. More recently, the fe...

After roughly 20 years of working in commercial real estate, Andrew Babula recently made the transition to academia – specifically, as director of the real estate program at the University of St. Thomas. Babula, who started his new job in September, has worked in commercial leasing and development, strategy and brokerage. He fills a position left vacant by the death of Herb Tousley, who directed t...

Having launched just this year, A2 Art Storage and Services is M.E. Kirwan’s response to an underserved self-storage market. A2 is a museum-grade art storage facility for objects of nearly any size, shape, medium or value. Kirwan, who is A2’s founder and president, has extensive experience in the self-storage industry. Her father founded Acorn Mini Storage in the mid-1980s, which her husband now r...

Big leadership changes are coming at Ryan Cos. US Inc. On the heels of a busy construction season, Ryan recently announced that company President Jeff Smith is retiring, and that several of its longtime leaders will transition into new roles starting in 2022. Among those with new duties is Mike Ryan, who was promoted to preside over the construction and development company’s Northern Division and...

In this episode, reporter Brian Johnson speaks with the 2021 Finance & Commerce Top Women in Construction winner Joelynne Hanson. After decades of working in the construction industry, Hanson left her daytime job to launch her own custom crushing company in 2008 — right at the start of the Great Recession. It wasn’t the best timing, perhaps, but the gamble paid off. HanSon Custom Crushing, based i...

Interview: Zachary Karabell, bestselling financial author In this special episode, Finance & Commerce editor Joel Schettler speaks with historian, former financial services executive and bestselling author Zachary Karabell about his latest book, Inside Money: Brown Brothers Harriman and the American Way of Power. As business and politicians consider the future of capitalism and its role in democra...

Fabyanske, Westra, Hart & Thomson P.A. is celebrating its 40-year anniversary this month. During its four decades of work, the Minneapolis-based law firm has successfully represented clients in cases and advocated for legislation related to the state’s construction industry. Looking ahead to its next 40 years, the firm plans to continue shaping the real estate and construction industry through its...

UCare recently announced that Joy Marsh would serve as its first associate vice president of equity and inclusion. Marsh is filling a new role at UCare, one that meets employee feedback regarding increasing accountability and leadership in the health plan company’s diversity, equity and inclusion work. Her responsibilities and goals reflect this, including those to advance health and racial equity...

As a business and a builder, Ironmark Building Co. has strong ties to Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood. The company, which specializes in urban infill work and other project types, is based at 1710 W. Lake St. in the heart of an Uptown neighborhood that has seen its share of turmoil in recent months. Violent crime and civil unrest have prompted some Uptown businesses to pull up their stakes in the...

As the new CEO of New Market Bank, Anita Drentlaw is carrying on a family tradition that started with her great-grandfather more than 100 years ago. Drentlaw, the bank’s president since 2014, took on the additional title of CEO in August. Under her watch as president, the bank reached $170 million in deposits for the first time. Drentlaw took over the CEO duties from her father, Bob Vogel, who con...

Last week, the Expanding Black Business Credit (EBBC) announced the launch of its Black Vision Fund, with a goal of reducing the nation’s racial wealth gap. The Black Vision Fund will direct long-term funds to seven Black-led and focused Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), including Minneapolis-based Metropolitan Economic Development Association. The fund’s other CDFI partners in...

As the founder of the newly formed Minnesota Tribal Contractors Council, James Jones is an outspoken advocate for Native American contractors and tribally owned businesses in the construction trades. The nonprofit council, based in northern Minnesota, held its inaugural meeting in May. It offers networking opportunities, mentorship, job and safety training, transportation services, financial educa...

Jennifer Green’s construction career has taken her across a good chunk of the country. In her 20 years of experience working on the financial side of the industry, the new CFO of Knutson Construction has held high-level jobs in Illinois, Kentucky and Texas. The journey began in Arkansas, where she was raised and educated. Green added Minnesota to that list when she started with Knutson in March. B...

There’s no doubt that cryptocurrencies have risen in mainstream popularity over the past year. Still, it’s a market that is largely unregulated, which caused the Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler to recently call the market the “Wild West.” Vivian Fang is an expert in cryptocurrency and blockchain, along with corporate finance and financial accounting. She is an associate pr...

Just a year after the end of World War II, George Adolfson and Gordon Peterson were onto something big when they founded a small construction business in the basement of Adolfson’s Richfield home. The business, which became known as Adolfson & Peterson Construction, has grown dramatically from those modest beginnings. Now with 600 employees and offices in 11 states, Adolfson & Peterson is a top 10...

From housing inspector to senior developer, Will Anderson brings a diverse mix of public and private sector experience to his new role as director of development at Minneapolis-based Sherman Associates. Sherman Associates, a developer of more than 8,000 multifamily units and 600,000 square feet of commercial space, tapped Anderson this month to oversee the company’s development teams. In that role...

When it comes to competing for business talent, Minnesota companies are well served to get out of their comfort zone and cast a wide net that extends well beyond their circle of family and business contacts. So says Lisa Brezonik, CEO of Salo, a Minneapolis-based company that helps businesses recruit and retain talent in finance, accounting, human resources and other fields. “If we want to invite...

Even during a year unlike any other, Minneapolis-based North Lion Capital Management found success and opportunities to grow. Chad Anderson founded the hedge fund in 2016 after spending several years at Piper Jaffray Cos., now called Piper Sandler Cos. North Lion primarily focuses on small-cap investing, allowing the fund to be flexible in its investments and address a need that Anderson identifie...

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Jena Cogswell’s prowess on the soccer field took her all the way to a collegiate national championship, a roster spot on the U.S. women’s national team, and a stint with a Boston-based professional team. These days, the Mahtomedi native is taking her competitive juices to the business world. In her new role as senior vice president and director of marketing for Bell B...

Solutions for some of the construction industry’s most pressing challenges are starting to materialize while others are showing signs that they’re here to stay. As a construction professional for decades, Peter Hilger has direct insight into what’s driving the issues and how they may be alleviated. High material prices, especially for lumber, present one of the leading challenges. Prices are just...

Landscape architect Lydia Major recently received a career achievement award from the Minnesota Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Major is LHB’s landscape architecture and planning studio leader, where she oversees a team of mainly women in the firm’s Minneapolis and Duluth offices. Her leadership and mentorship of this team — which is unique in the industry — helped Major a...

Alan Arthur, a longtime developer and advocate for affordable housing in the Twin Cities, is moving on after more than three decades as CEO of Minneapolis-based Aeon, a prolific provider of homes for low- and moderate-income households. Aeon recently announced that Arthur is “transitioning out of his role” with the company. He’s expected to stay on the job through the end of the year as he assists...