Second BEST stop in Waseca

Members of the Business and Entrepreneurial Support Team (known as BEST) of Waseca County have been making the rounds this summer by touring each of the county’s towns. Their first stop was New Richland June 8. Last Wednesday, July 20, they visited Waseca.

BEST is made up of a group of individuals who have a personal vested interest in the growth of Waseca County and the communities within it. These individuals come from different backgrounds such as school administration, city government, and small business ownership. City of Janesville’s Community Development Director Marley Rohwer, Waseca School Superintendent Eric Hudspith, Lead for America co-founder and Waseca native Benya Kraus, New Richland Councilperson Jason Casey, and Waldorf City Clerk DeAnne Britton are five out of many examples of prominent figures who participated last week.

The point of the tour is to introduce community members to different businesses, letting its owners share their stories, why they chose their respective city to start a business, and then brainstorming how BEST can help grow Waseca County and its communities.

WaSeekers was the first stop of the day. Tina Mittelsteadt explained how she got into the auctioning business and how Otown in Owatonna helped her out.

“They did a lot for me,” she said. “I used the same software as them, bought items from them for years, and I even talked to the owners before the small business development classes started. And they said, ‘We cannot keep up with all the items we get in, so we’d be willing to help you with whatever you need.’”

Mittelsteadt took a ten-week small business development class in Waseca which gave her the know-how she needed to make the right moves for her business. The class included a contest that she admitted she didn’t win. “I got a lot of information from them to write my plan on,” she said. “I was a bit nervous the day we had the competition. But it was quite an experience. And once I had a business plan, I figured I really could do it.”

After Mittelsteadt finished sharing her experience, Zinnias Boutique was the next stop. With the business opening in 2007, Tamie and Tim Collins explained how they bought the building they operate out of now and the renovations needed to restore it.

BEST group member Bob Hoffman praised the Collinses for their work on Zinnias. “When going around southern Minnesota, two things pop up about Waseca – Suburban Furniture and Zinnias. You get quite a name out there right now, and that’s fantastic.”

Tim Collins then talked about an idea of having a real estate investment group to provide opportunities for those interested in doing business in Waseca. According to him, it was the idea of fellow BEST group member Benya Kraus and a few others.

“We’ve been working on this for the past year,” he said. “We knew we were not the experts. And if you’re going to do something and do it right, go to somebody who does it right.”

This investment opportunity would try to achieve the goal of bringing new projects to Waseca. Collins shared that this new group in Waseca has partnered with the city of Northfield to brainstorm investment opportunities. “They have had projects done right there, and that was with a dedicated investment club,” he said. “If someone wants to come to Waseca and open a business but don’t have the funds, means, or connectivity, our group can help supply that whether that’d be business or housing.”

The hope is to have others interested in investing in Waseca as well.

The tour ended at the Bar on Main Street where the members of the BEST group discussed future goals. Before opening up for discussion, member Benya Kraus had two questions for everyone to ponder. “How do we move the momentum forward of what’s taken place in Waseca County and also here in the city? And how can we keep this collaboration alive?”

“We can’t only set goals,” Bob Hoffman stated. “We need to be the vehicle for change. We need to be the ones that make those goals happen.”

DeAnne Britton also threw out that the goals they set should benefit all residents of the county. “Whenever we come up with ideas, I always ask, ‘How does it benefit Waldorf?’ That’s always my primary concern.”

Mayor Rob Wilkening excitedly stated that the city of Waseca had a real opportunity to grow. “For Waldorf, it was a perfect storm of stuff that helped us grow to where we are currently,” he said. “But Waseca shouldn’t wait for that. You have a chance to make this city grow with the right people investing in it.”

The meeting ended with BEST excited to meet on August 8 to discuss plans and how to take action. Their final stop on their county-wide tour is in Janesville on August 10.