Minneapolis, MN
Business People: Former Dayton spokeswoman Laura Cederberg to head Weber Shandwick’s Minneapolis office
OF NOTE
National PR firm Weber Shandwick announced the promotion of Laura Cederberg to Minneapolis market leader. Cederberg most recently was a senior vice president on the firm’s corporate and public affairs team and before that served as a spokesperson for former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and former Lt. Gov. Tina Smith.
ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONS
Minneapolis-based ad agencies Preston Spire and Carmichael Lynch were named to Ad Age’s Best Places to Work 2024 list.
ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING
HGA, Minneapolis, announced the appointment of Mia Blanchett as chief executive officer, succeeding Tim Carl; Blanchett has been with the firm since 1989.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union, St. Paul, announced the opening of a branch at 1460 S. 12th Ave West, Virginia, Minn. … Bell Bank, Fargo, N.D., announced that Jenny Senecal has been named executive vice president/chief credit officer, based at Bell Plaza in Bloomington and in Fargo. Senecal has been a member of the executive leadership team since 2022. … First Interstate Bank announced that Tim Schmidt was promoted to director of Treasury Solutions, based in the Twin Cities; Schmidt is a board member on the St. Paul District Council and member of St. Paul’s annual Capital Improvement Budget Task Force. … BGM, a Bloomington CPA, advisory and financial firm, announced that Nathan Panning has been promoted to lead the Tax Group. Panning has been with the firm since 2007 and was promoted to principal in 2021.
GOVERNMENT
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development has named Jeanna Fortney as its next CareerForce director in the agency’s Workforce Development Division. Fortney previously was executive director of the Minnesota Association of Workforce Development Board. … The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced the hiring of Brian Walsh to lead a new Worker Protection Unit. Walsh previously served as director of labor standards enforcement for the city of Minneapolis.
HONORS
The city of Rosemount announced Senior Planner Anthony Nemcek as its 2023 Employee of the Year. Nemcek has worked for the city since 2016; he was promoted to senior planner in 2021.
LAW
Lockridge Grindal Nauen, Minneapolis, announced the promotion of Joseph Bourne to partner; Bourne’s fields are antitrust, consumer protection and business litigation. … Moss & Barnett, Minneapolis, announced that Brian T. Grogan was re-elected and Brian J. Schoenborn was elected to three-year terms on the firm’s board of directors. … Chestnut Cambronne, Minneapolis, announced that Elizabeth (Lisa) Henry has been elected shareholder and also that she has been selected by Minnesota Lawyer as an inaugural 2023 Top Women in Law award recipient. Henry sits on the firm’s board of directors and practices primarily in trust and estate litigation and elder law.
MANUFACTURING
BioMADE, a Manufacturing Innovation Institute sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, announced the appointment of Jack Starr as its inaugural chief manufacturing officer. Starr previously held similar roles at Cargill and NatureWorks. BioMADE is based jointly in St. Paul and Emeryville, Calif. … Malco Tools, an Annandale, Minn.-based maker of professional hand tools for workers in the HVAC, construction and automotive trades, announced that Marc Kermisch, chief digital and information officer at CNH Industrial, has joined its board of directors. … Industrial Louvers and Verta, Delano, Minn.-based makers of architectural metal and metal coatings for industry, announced the retirement of CEO and President Jo Reinhardt, to be succeeded by Brett Reinhardt, now president of both companies. Reinhardt family leadership at Industrial Louvers dates back to 1971.
NONPROFITS
St. Croix Valley Habitat for Humanity, Hudson, Wis., announced new board members Lisa Lyon, Pillar Bank, and Dave Grambow, Hudson Schools; Gina Moe-Knutson, WESTconsin Realty, was named board president and Clark Schroeder, city of Lake Elmo, vice president.
RETAIL
Scooter’s Coffee, an Omaha, Neb.-based drive-thru coffee chain, announced the opening of a location in Rockford, Minn., the franchisees are Josh and Kaiyah Herscheid, and the planned summer opening of an end-cap location at the National Sports Village in Blaine, Susan and Brent Nygaard franchisees.
SPONSORSHIPS
USA Fencing announced a multiyear partnership for Bell Bank become its official bank. Fargo, N.D.-based Bell Bank is Minnesota’s seventh largest bank by deposit market share.
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Minneapolis, MN
North Loop restaurant sends urgent plea to customers to come back to downtown Minneapolis
In a popular night spot like Minneapolis’ North Loop, it may come as a surprise to learn there are struggling restaurants there, but the owners of Dario said that is their new reality.
For two years, Dario has been serving up homemade pasta and cocktails.
“We’re not going to last much longer, nor are any of the other places you like to frequent, if we don’t get out here and try to experience these places,” said Stephen Rowe, Dario’s co-owner and beverage director.
Rowe and Executive Chef Joe Rolle recently sent a message to those on the restaurant’s e-mail list, writing that the recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge, combined with a challenging winter season, has caused a nosedive in reservations. They’re asking for customers to come back downtown.
“Like everybody else who owns a business around here and in the city, it’s just kind of like a gut punch,” said Rowe.
Customers, in particular from the suburbs, haven’t been coming in as much, Rolle said.
“They see a lot of things online, they see things on TV,” said Rowe.
“No one thought that North Loop was really affected, but we were,” said Mary Binkley, president of the North Loop Neighborhood Association.
Binkley said the past few months have been tough for North Loop restaurants.
“January and February were certainly heavy and that’s because people were spending their restaurant dollars elsewhere, in immigrant-owned restaurants, restaurants in neighborhoods where there was more ICE activity,” said Binkley.
Recently, foot traffic has been steadily improving in the neighborhood, Binkley said. With St. Patrick’s Day and Minnesota Twins games right around the corner, she said she is confident people will return.
“This is a place in a two-block radius where a lot of everyone’s favorite restaurants are,” said Binkley.
Dario’s owners said they have been forced to cut back on hours and shifts for employees. Meanwhile, they’ve launched lunch service on Thursdays and catering with the hopes of boosting business and saving the jobs of their 80 employees.
“A restaurant can take, you know, one or two bad weeks, but we’ve all had eight bad weeks in a row, so we’ve got a lot of digging out to do,” said Rolle.
Minneapolis, MN
Remembering Joshua Denstedt: A Life Full Of Grilling And Outdoor Adventures
April 21, 1993 – February 27, 2026
Via Miller-Carlin Funeral Home
Joshua James Denstedt, age 32, unexpectedly passed away on February 27, 2026.
Joshua was born on April 21, 1993, in, Fridley, Minnesota. He later made his home in Minneapolis, where he spent much of his life.
Joshua will be remembered by those who knew him for his presence, his experiences in life, and the memories shared with family and friends. Joshua loved grilling,cooking, spending time out side working on cars . He loved his cat katie.
He is survived by his father, Sam Denstedt and his sister Samantha Denstedt and his niece sara Barrows.
Joshua was preceded in death by his mother, Cheryl Thoreson.
Family and friends who knew Joshua are encouraged to remember him in their own way and keep his memory close in their hearts.
Details regarding services or memorial gatherings may be announced by the family at a later time.
Minneapolis, MN
MN weather: Bright with highs in the 50s Monday
Expect a pleasant Monday with light breezes, filtered sunshine, and highs in the 50s. Temperatures cool into the 40s this week with chances for rain and snow. FOX 9 meteorologist Cody Matz has the full forecast.
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