His sixth company was a swing and a miss. But Manny Villafaña is back and sure that his latest start-up, Kips Bay Medical, will be his most significant ever.
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Xata's Growth Vehicle
Jay Coughlan became CEO of Xata Corporation in 2006, attracted by the challenge of redirecting the company toward a growth strategy.
Lift Bridge Brewery
Lift Bridge Brewery began a few years ago when cofounders Brad Glynn and Steve Rinker discovered their shared passion for making beer.
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Bald Eagle Erectors
Founded in 1994, Bald Eagle has worked on several notable projects, including the Minneapolis Central Library and the new Twins stadium.
Smart Candle
In 2004, these long-time friends were granted distribution rights for Smart Candle, a candle with a rechargeable battery-operated “flame.”
Z Wines USA
Two years after Roy Goslin and Dianne Ferrandi started Z Wines USA, it’s become a key source for South African wine.
Be a Bigger Magnet
With Magnet 360, serial entrepreneurs Dan Mallin and Scott Litman plan to build one of the country’s largest networks of creatives.
How Mortenson Got Game
M. A. Mortenson Company’s first sports project was the Target Center in 1987. Now, it’s one of the nation’s leading sports-facilities builders.
Good in Wood
The dream of Windsor Craft yachts has been long coming for Irwin Jacobs and Genmar Holdings, Inc.
Coming Out of the Shadows
Curtis Nelson has billion-dollar plans for Visible Customer, LLC, a Bloomington-based provider of marketing tools for auto dealerships.
St. Paul to São Paulo
How did CHS convince Midwestern farmers to go along with its plans to open offices outside the United States and to sell other countries’ grain?
The Family Business
Michael Catain, a co-conspirator of Tom Petters, started out as a liquidator and entrepreneur. Now he’s ended up like his father—a financial criminal.
Rooms at the Top
The company behind downtown Minneapolis’ Graves 601 luxury hotel has continued to develop top-end projects despite the recession. Here’s how and why.
"Good leaders know hot to motivate people to produce something that everyone agrees is desirable. You need to listen to all of the feedback and adjust based on how other people feel."
- Paul Mellblom
Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle
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