ABOUT MINNESOTA CENTER FOR EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP

The Minnesota Employee Ownership Center (MNCEO), a member of the Employee Ownership Expansion Network of state centers, serves the entire state of Minnesota as the central hub for free, unbiased information on employee-ownership. Its primary mission is to educate business owners and their advisors on the benefits of employee ownership. MNCEO provides resources, case studies, articles, and a list of service providers who can assist with employee ownership transitions.

 “We’re on a mission to turn the state of Minnesota into a place where every working person can also be an employee-owner.”

Kirsten Kennedy is the executive director of the Minnesota Center for Employee Ownership.

As executive director, Kirsten is responsible for leading MNCEO’s networking, fundraising, and programming initiatives to educate business owners, their employees and financial advisors, and elected officials across Minnesota on the prospect of and long-term benefits of employee ownership.

Prior to joining MNCEO, Kirsten served as the mayor of North Branch, a city in Central Minnesota with more than 10,500 residents. During Kirsten’s tenure as mayor, her public policy initiatives were focused on economic development, affordable housing, infrastructure repair and development, and supporting housing for people with chronic mental health challenges and homelessness.

An ardent advocate for grassroots community building and social justice, Kirsten was recently selected from a pool of 946 candidates to complete a prestigious Bush Fellowship focused on improving community health. During this time, she served as a statewide health improvement partnership administrator in Chisago County, where she was responsible for supporting the implementation of policy, systems, and environmental changes focused on healthy living.

Kirsten holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Political Advocacy and Leadership from the University of Minnesota. She also holds certificates in Continuous Improvement Management and as a Six Sigma Lean Black Belt in Healthcare from the Management and Strategy Institute.

Active in local and statewide business and community organizations, Kirsten is the board chair of the Women’s Environmental Institute, as well as a founding board member of the Chisago AgeWell Coalition. She has also served on the boards of the East Central Regional Development Commission and the Chisago County Housing and Redevelopment Authority-Economic Development Authority. Kirsten is also an active member of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota Economic Development Association.

Born in Norway and raised in East Central Minnesota and Southern California, Kirsten is engaged to the love of her life, Mark, and the mother of five adult children. When Kirsten is not busy helping business

owners navigate their employee ownership journeys, she enjoys reading, theater, travel, and spending quality time with her loved ones.
kkennedy@mnceo.org
connect on LinkedIn →

Laura is a Community & Business Development Specialist at Community and Economic Development Associates (CEDA), where she uses her strong connections with local governments, rural communities, and nonprofit organizations to help cultivate business relationships, implement community improvement projects, and provide technical assistance to businesses in Cannon Falls and Dodge County, Minn.

 Active in the Southeast Region of MN, Laura utilized her marketing and social media skills to assist the Cannon Falls Education Foundation’s endowment from $400,000 to more than $1.2 million as a longtime, dedicated board member.  

 Laura grew up with two successful entrepreneurial parents, who owned small businesses in North Dakota and Southeastern Minnesota. As a result, she has a keen understanding of succession planning, as well as a passion for keeping Minnesota small businesses in their communities.  

She has lived in Cannon Falls, Minn. since 1988, but still has deep roots in North Dakota where a majority of her extended family resides, and she returns often to cheer on the NDSU Bison!  She has one daughter and two grandchildren that she loves spending her free time with.

Steve is the current Executive Director, Secretary, and Treasurer for the Employee Ownership Expansion Network (“EOX”). Storkan brings 25 years of experience in the employee ownership community. Prior to joining the EOX, he was the Director of ESOP Administration Services for Alerus Retirement Solutions. Storkan has also spent over 15 years in volunteer duties for the MN/Dakota’s Chapter of the ESOP Association including past President as well as Vice President of the chapter’s Government Relations Committee.

sstorkan@eoxnetwork.org
connect on LinkedIn →

Fred is the CFO of Landscape Structures Inc., a manufacturer of commercial playground and waterplay equipment. Fred has been with the company for 29 years during which he had the pleasure of working through three ESOP transactions with the founders. The company became 100% ESOP owned in 2012. Fred is passionate about ESOPs and loves to share the story of the founders’ incredible gift of employee ownership. 

Fred is an advisory board member of Bauer Design Build and board member of Teal Lake Insurance Company, a Vermont captive. He also served as  Board Chair and Finance Chair during his 12 years on the Volunteers of America Minnesota and Wisconsin board.

Roger Ryberg was the owner, CEO, Board Chair and Director of Windings, Inc, a manufacturing firm in New Ulm, MN, for 25 years.  Roger purchased the company in 1983, created an ESOP in 1998 and completed 100% sale to the employees in 2008. 

Roger is a passionate supporter of employee ownership and the financial equity benefit an ESOP brings to all employees regardless of their position in the company.

Kyla Hansen is a partner and heads the Audit and Assurance services department at John A. Knutson & Co., PLLP (JAK). She helps her clients navigate their financial statements by providing audit, review, and compilation services and assisting with GAAP compliance and implementation. In addition to being a CPA, Kyla is also a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA). She uses her experience with value calculations and ESOP’s to help guide her clients through ownership transitions and tax related matters, using the additional expertise of the tax partners at the firm when needed. Kyla prides herself in being a trusted advisor for her clients.

OUR GENEROUS BENEFACTORS

OUR FOUNDING SPONSORS INCLUDE