OF NOTE

John Mulligan

Target Corp., Minneapolis, announced the retirements of John Mulligan, executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective February 2024, and Laysha Ward, executive vice president and chief external engagement officer. The company also announced that Matt Zabel has been named chief corporate affairs officer and Kiera Fernandez has been promoted to executive vice president and chief community impact and equity officer. In 2014, Mulligan served as interim president and CEO of Target.

AGRICULTURE

Syngenta, a Switzerland-based global provider of agricultural products and services with operations in Minnesota, announced the appointment of Jeff Rowe as chief executive officer effective Jan.1, and Hengde Qin as chief financial officer, effective Dec 1. Rowe currently is president, Syngenta Crop Protection, the company’s largest business unit. Its Minnesota operations stem from its acquisitions of seed producers Golden Harvest and Northrup-King. … The trū Shrimp Cos., a Balaton, Minn.-based provider of farmed shrimp and shrimp products for business, announced the appointment of Chairman Brian Knochenmus to the additional roles of president and CEO.

DEVELOPMENT

Kraus-Anderson, Minneapolis, announced the hires of Kevin Bright as sustainability manager, Mauri Solomon as facility assessment manager, Scott Davidson as strategic facility planner and Max Stockbridge as technology services product manager.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

U.S. Bank, Minneapolis, announced Kai Sakstrup as chief product officer for its Wealth, Corporate, Commercial and Institutional Banking division. Sakstrup previously served as chief strategy officer for U.S. Bank and as acting chief marketing officer.

HEALTH CARE

Allina Health, Minneapolis, announced the retirement of Helen Strike, president of Allina Health United Hospital in St. Paul, Hastings Regina Campus in Hastings, and Allina Health River Falls Area Hospital in River Falls, Wis., effective Nov. 17. She will be succeeded by Jill Ostrem, who already serves as president of United Hospital. … About Healthcare, a St. Paul-based provider of health care networking services for providers, announced Jonathan Shoemaker as CEO, succeeding Angie Franks, who will continue as a senior adviser to the board of directors. Most recently, Shoemaker was senior vice president of operations and chief integration officer at Allina.

LAW

The Minnesota Court of Appeals has added judges Keala C. Ede and Jonathon P. Schmidt to the bench. Ede previously served as a trial court judge in the Fourth Judicial District; Schmidt served as principal attorney in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. … Fredrikson, Minneapolis, announced that attorney Erik Money has rejoined its Business Litigation practice after serving as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Carlos Bea, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

MARKETING

CAMP Digital, an Edina-based marketing agency serving the home services industry, announced David Hane as acting chief financial officer.

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

Bio-Techne Corp., a Minneapolis-based provider of genetic materials for medical research and diagnostics, announced Kim Kelderman as president and chief executive officer
effective Feb. 1. Kelderman succeeds Chuck Kummeth, who is retiring. Kelderman has been with the company since 2018. … Kindeva Drug Delivery, a Woodbury-based global drug delivery device contract developer and manufacturer, announced Brian Schubmehl as chief human resources officer. Schubmehl previously worked in a similar role at Curia.

SERVICES

Viking Electric, a Minneapolis-based electrical products distributor and services provider for business, announced Virginia “Gin” DeVries as commodity sales specialist.

TECHNOLOGY

When I Work, a Minneapolis-based provider of employee time-keeping software and services for business, announced Kavitha Radhakrishnan as chief product officer and Paul Cowan as chief growth officer. Cowan previously was chief marketing officer at accounting software company FreshBooks; Radhakrishnan was director of product at Google, where she led multiple product teams for Google Cloud Marketplace. …  ConvergeOne, a Bloomington-based provider of market research technology and services, announced John “JD” DeLozier as chief revenue officer. DeLozier most recently was president of Intelisys.

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EMAIL ITEMS to businessnews@pioneerpress.com.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is bolstering U.S. forces in the Middle East in an effort to deter others from escalating the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

On Saturday, Austin ordered an aircraft carrier to move to the Central Command area of responsibility in the Middle East in an effort to “bolster regional deterrence efforts,” according to a press release.

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with its associated warships and fighter jets, was originally set to join the USS Gerald R. Ford, which is stationed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Eisenhower has now been redirected to Central Command, which covers the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and other Middle Eastern waters. The Pentagon is also fortifying its missile defense systems in the region and putting troops on standby.

“[We’ve] seen rocket and UAV attacks against bases housing our troops in Iraq and Syria. We’re concerned about potential escalation,” Austin said Sunday following the announcement.

“In fact, what we’re seeing is a prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region. And because of that, we’re going to do what’s necessary to make sure that our troops are in the right — in a good position, and they’re protected, and that we have the ability to respond,” Austin told ABC’s Jonathan Karl during an interview on “This Week.”

As Israel ramps up its counter attacks on Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack, concern is growing among U.S. leaders and members of Congress about the potential for Iran to escalate the conflict through its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have threatened to attack U.S. facilities there because of American support for Israel, according to the Associated Press.

The State Department is ordering non-emergency personnel to depart embassies in Baghdad and Erbil “due to increased security threats against U.S. government personnel and interests.”

On Sunday, Austin emphasized the message President Joe Biden hammered since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began earlier this month.

“As President Biden said earlier and as you’ve heard me say, if any group or any country is looking to widen this conflict and take advantage of this very unfortunate situation that we see, our advice is don’t. We maintain the right to defend ourselves, and we won’t hesitate to take the appropriate action,” Austin said.