HONORS
Bob Dunning
Stearns County announced that Agricultural Inspector Bob Dunning was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Minnesota Association of County Agricultural Inspectors and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Dunning was to retire at the end of August.
AGRICULTURE
Bongards Creameries, a Chanhassen-based dairy cooperative and cheese supplier for retail and institutional clients, announced that Dennis Thomas has been appointed president and chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1, succeeding Daryl Larson. Thomas currently is Bongards’ chief operating officer. Prior to Bongards, Thomas held management roles with Dairy Farmers of America, Foremost Farms, Land O’Lakes and Kraft Foods.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Merchants Bank, Winona, announced that Julie Carstensen has joined as senior vice president / chief operations / process officer. Carstensen previously was SVP / manager, consumer operations for UMB Bank in Kansas City, Mo.
HEALTH CARE
The Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation announced that Dr. Wendaline M. VanBuren, a radiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., has been awarded the Dr. Scott C. Goodwin Grant for Adenomyosis. The grant will support VanBuren’s study, “Endo-Deep: An AI-Powered Model for Diagnosis and Treatment Planning in Adenomyosis and Endometriosis.” … Allina Health, a Minneapolis-based metrowide chain of hospitals and clinics, announced it has received American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines achievement awards for treatment of stroke. Eight Allina hospitals received recognitions. … Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, an Eagan-based health insurer, announced the appointments of Erin Barney as president of commercial markets and Jamie Reuter as vice president of pharmacy solutions. Barney has more than 20 years of leadership in the organization, most recently serving as vice president of network solutions for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association; Reuter’s career path includes serving as director of pharmacy policy at CareFirst BlueCross.
LAW
Gov. Tim Walz announced the appointment of Jacob Fischmann and Carrie Doom as district court judges in Minnesota’s Tenth Judicial District, serving Kanabec County and Isanti County respectively. Fischmann succeeds the Honorable Krista K. Martin and Doom will be replacing the Honorable Amy R. Brosnahan.
MANUFACTURING
Sappi North America, a Boston-based maker of paper, packaging and other wood-derived products for industry, announced that Jeff Boulden has been appointed managing director of its Cloquet Mill in Cloquet, Minn. Boulden previously was director of manufacturing at the company and previously held leadership positions at other paper product manufacturers in the upper Midwest.
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
Inspire Medical Systems, a Golden Valley-based developer and provider of sleep apnea treatments, announced that Chief Financial Officer Rick Buchholz will step down effective Dec. 31. Buchholz will remain employed with the company in a financial advisory role through February 2026.
NONPROFITS
The Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance, a Minneapolis-based support organization for ovarian cancer survivors and their families, announced the appointment of Mary Uran as executive director. Uran previously worked as managing director at Compass Pro Bono and is a co-founder of Girls on the Run Minnesota. … The Minnesota Zoo Foundation, Apple Valley, announced it has been awarded a $200,000 strategic grant from the Otto Bremer Trust, St. Paul, to support the zoo’s access programs.
RESTAURANTS
Caribou Coffee, a Minneapolis-based national specialty coffee retailer, announced the appointment of Scott Kennedy as president and chief executive officer. Kennedy previously served as the company’s chief financial officer and was appointed interim CEO in March 2025. Before joining Caribou, Kennedy spent 14 years in executive positions at Target Corp.
TECHNOLOGY
Izzi Software, a Minneapolis-based aggregator of smaller founder-led tech companies for investment and growth, announced that Frank Chu, software engineer at subsidiary ColeSoft Marketing, has been elected to join the board of SHARE, an independent volunteer-run information technology association that provides education, professional networking and industry influence for the enterprise IT community.
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