OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY - Wadena, Minnesota
OUTSTANDING ENTERPRISE - Larson Boats, Little Falls
OUTSTANDING GENEROSITY - Jack & Betty Thomas, Hackensack
OUTSTANDING NONPROFIT - Stearns-Benton Employment & Training Council, St. Cloud
OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY:
Wadena, Minnesota
For hometowns like Wadena, the Initiative Foundation’s Healthy Communities Partnership (HCP) program offers hope for rural revitalization and a strong base of support when disaster strikes.
Built around a Northern Pacific Railroad depot that brought newcomers and business opportunities in the late 1800s, Wadena endured the too-common economic challenges that forced out family businesses and longtime residents. For years, the historic depot stood with other vacant cornerstone buildings as stark reminders of unwanted change.
A team of optimistic and dedicated HCP volunteers have helped transform a shared vision into an inspiring story of rural resolve. They helped engineer the restoration of the depot as well as main-street improvements and an art-deco streetscape. A former JCPenney store now serves as an incubator for more than 40 small businesses, and teens serve up coffee and conversation at a youth-managed cyber-café. Even the alleys flaunt puzzle-piece-shaped murals that depict scenes of Minnesota’s rich history.
Then disaster struck. A devastating F4 tornado ripped through parts of Wadena in June 2010, severely damaging community buildings and shared spaces including the high school, community center, cemetery and residential areas. But the community dug deeper - tapping into that base of spirit, teamwork and problem solving. With support from the Initiative Foundation, Wadena has been able to thoughtfully plan for relief, rebuilding and rejuvenation. Wadena will never be the same. But by possessing such a strong shared vision and sense of community pride, it will likely be even better.
OUTSTANDING ENTERPRISE: 
Larson Boats, Little Falls
Larson Boats has been an economic cornerstone and a symbol of Minnesota manufacturing for decades, but the economic recession impacted the recreational boat industry so deeply that it was on the brink of closing its doors. This would have been a crippling blow to the local economy, especially in the wake of the Crestliner and Triton Boat plant closings.
In 2009, the Foundation partnered with four other lenders to provide emergency financing that saved 170 quality jobs. Today, the employees have led the company to a slow-but-steady turnaround by retooling its product lines and focusing on higher end consumers.
Larson Boats - its employees and management - represent what is possible through creative partnerships.
OUTSTANDING GENEROSITY:
Jack & Betty Thomas, Hackensack
Betty and Jack Thomas started Mann Lake Ltd., a beekeeping supply company, out of their garage in 1983. Now with headquarters in Hackensack and another location in California, the company sells beekeeping and candlemaking supplies all over the world.
Having no heirs, the Thomases wanted to find a way to leave their assets in good hands when they died, and use them wisely now. The couple happens to live on what may be the most beautiful parcel of land in Cass County, with 1,000 feet of shoreline on Mann Lake, towering white pines and a 100-year-old log cabin. With some imaginative thinking, the Thomases forged an elegant plan.
To secure Mann Lake Ltd., the Thomases sold the company to their employees through an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan). They then gave a portion of their land to the Initiative Foundation, realizing a sizeable tax deduction. By paying rent to the Foundation, now the landowner, the Thomases can continue to live on the land they love.
At the end of their lifetimes, the Foundation will sell the land and give the proceeds to help support a nonprofit animal shelter that the Thomases and others in the community are now creating. Paws and Claws (pawsandclawsanimalshelter.org), will be the first refuge for homeless animals in Cass County, one of the few counties in the state without such a resource. Planned as a state-of-the-art facility, Paws and Claws will also board pets and train helper dogs for disabled veterans.
By tapping into the Foundation’s robust services for donors, this entrepreneurial couple was able to give their most valuable asset in order to bring their charitable dreams to life.
OUTSTANDING NONPROFIT:
Stearns Benton Employment & Training Council,
St. Cloud
“The belief in the workforce development field is that we’re training people for careers and technologies that don’t even exist yet,” says Kathy Zavala, executive director of the Stearns-Benton Employment & Training Council.
That’s why a new accreditation, called the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), is gaining traction with employers across the country. The certificate program offers workers—from custodians to aerospace engineers—an opportunity to prove that they possess essential skills that transcend industries.
The NCRC project, and other complementary workforce initiatives provided by SBETC, are designed to provide a link between schools, businesses, and a skilled workforce that meets regional workplace demands. SBETC is an innovative organization, giving dislocated workers the tools and confidence to reinvent their careers.
