Cass County Economic Development Corp. Recognizes Standout Businesses at Annual Meeting

Small business owners from all over central Minnesota recently gathered in East Gull Lake at the Cragun’s Legacy Clubhouse for the Cass County Economic Development Corporation’s annual meeting.

The CCEDC’s annual meeting provides its partners with an opportunity to take a step back and process all the hard work done and the progress made in the year.

“We provided over 1,052 hours of technical assistance,” said CCEDC Executive Director Mike Paulus at the gathering. “That work is economic development at the core, to be able to take somebody who has an idea and see it through to fruition is the most rewarding thing that I do. Included in that time is working with established businesses who want to grow.”

The annual meeting gives the CCEDC a chance to acknowledge its highlight businesses and business owners. Two people being recognized were Natasha and Conrad Ellestad, who own the Lakeview Inn in Walker.

“This transformation has been remarkable,” said Conrad Ellestad of renovations to the motel. “The building is undergoing a full cosmetic update, including a full facelift. We’re redoing the parking lot, the siding, the roof. We’re updating all the units, we’re adding kitchenettes in there. We’re adding 12 apartment units in there for long-term tenants and then we’ll have a couple of Airbnbs, to, right across the lake.”

The CCEDC also takes time to shed light on the organizations in central Minnesota devoted to small business development, such as the North Central Small Business Development Center.

Katie Heppner, North Central, SBDC Region Director, posed a question to the audience: “What really represents Cass County? And I thought of the Boss, Bruce Springsteen. I thought of ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ and all the great businesses that start here and become national, international brands or just hometown favorites, and how that really is the vision of the American dream.”

And while the CCEDC focuses mainly on small business in rural Minnesota, representatives on both the state and federal level stopped by to offer their insights.

“In the state of Minnesota there are over 500,000 small businesses as we define them, and they employ 1.3 million individuals, and in particular in rural communities where they operate about 85% of establishments and employ 53.4% of workers,” said Brian McDonald, Minnesota District Director for the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The CCEDC also took the time to honor retiring director Bill Palmer.