Gene Rebeck

2 weeks ago | tcbmag.com | Gene Rebeck

If you’ve lived or still live in a smaller outstate city or a larger Twin Cities suburb, chances are you’ve bought a six-pack or a bottle of wine at your community-owned municipal liquor store. And a lot of those munis are doing pretty well. This month, the Office of the Minnesota State Auditor published an analysis of municipal liquor store operations for 2023.

3 weeks ago | tcbmag.com | Gene Rebeck

With spring warming at least most of Minnesota, residents are asking once again: Where did winter go? A deep, cold, snowy Minnesota winter like the ones we used to know? Last month, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis addressed that question from a business perspective. As residents of an Upper Midwestern state, we’ve learned how to make the most (or at least the best) of winter. That means skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice fishing, and maybe some time in the sauna.

1 month ago | tcbmag.com | Gene Rebeck

The announcement earlier this month of the sale of Cragun’s Resort inspired an outpouring of nostalgia in the press. The Cragun family has owned the resort on Gull Lake north of Brainerd for 85 years, during which time it has grown from a modest family-run property into one of Minnesota’s biggest and most beloved vacation destinations. The buyer, Baxter-based Leisure Hotels and Resorts, saw an opportunity to take Cragun’s “into the next generation,” company CEO Jamie Tatge says.

1 month ago | tcbmag.com | Gene Rebeck

Based in the city whose name it bears, Duluth Pack has been as durable as the backpacks, bags, and other outdoor-oriented cut-and-sew products it produces in its hometown. Founded in 1882, it is reputedly the oldest canvas-and-leather bag and pack manufacturer in the U.S. On Feb. 19, the company announced that Tom Sega, who’d owned Duluth Pack since 2007, had sold the business to Alexandria-based entrepreneur Kevin Hall and a silent partner who prefers to remain anonymous.

2 months ago | tcbmag.com | Gene Rebeck

You might have read last year about a potentially significant deposit of helium found underground near Babbitt in northern Minnesota. That part of the state has long been known as a source for extractable metals, including iron, nickel, and copper. But a gas? One that’s known to most of us for lighter-than-air party balloons? In fact, helium is one of the world’s most commercially important elements.