Get Deep Podcast

Tony Friesen, like his father before him, is Mankato's metaphorical king of baking. Starting from a young age in his father's business, Tony has always had a passion for food and specifically for baking. Whether in his Dad's shop, as manager of the local Hy-Vee baking department, or the later rise and eventual disbandment of Friesen's Bakery on Riverfront Drive, Tony hasn't let anything get in the way of his passion. Now Tony operates as a one man shop out of his home under the name of "2 Pin's Bakery." 

Mankato native Troy Volk is the third generation of his family to run Volk Transfer. Started by his grandfather in 1948, then run by his father, Volk Transfer transports products and goods throughout the United States and Canada. Troy Volk took the reins as CEO and president in 1997. In 2012, Volk Transfer completed construction of a 32,000-square-foot facility, quadrupling its space. In a new development, the Volk Transfer team is expanding it's warehouse and fulfillment business with a new 60,000 North Mankato warehouse that they are in the process of adding an 84,000 square foot addition to. On the personal side, Troy currently splits his time between Lake Washington, MN and the Cayman Islands. 

Mike Hastings is the current head ice hockey coach of the Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks. He was formerly the head coach and general manager of the Omaha Lancers in the United States Hockey League. He is also the coach for the United States World Juniors team and once the assistant coach for the 2022 United States Olympic Ice Hockey team in Beijing.

When Hastings arrived in Mankato the program had only one winning season in the previous nine years and he immediately turned the program around. In his first year the team doubled their win total, going 24–14–3 and making the second NCAA tournament appearance since joining Division 1  in 1996. The team improved in each of the next two seasons, winning the WCHA tournament both years and was the #1 seed in the 2015 NCAA tournament.

In the 2021 tournament, Hastings and Minnesota State won 2 games on their way to the Frozen Four. Hastings' 5 consecutive 20+ win seasons to start his career led to Minnesota State giving him a 10-year contract extension in the spring of 2017. The team also reached the frozen four in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons. 

Kelsey Long has been with Chankaska from the beginning, starting behind the tasting room bar, quickly jumping to tasting room manager, and after many years she is now in the role that aligns with her degree from Minnesota State University, marketing coordinator. Kelsey is also a part time personal trainer at JP Fitness where she leads early morning group classes.

Jack Zimmerman who was raised in a small town in Minnesota, joined the U.S. Army and became an Airborne Infantryman. He deployed in 2010 with the legendary 101st Airborne Division. After spending nine months in heavy combat, Zimmerman, while on a foot patrol, stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and suffered catastrophic injuries. As he lie there, his own life flashed before his eyes, while the platoon medic and teammates worked to save him and the rest of his team engaged the enemy. Zimmerman was not expected to survive that day, but twenty surgeries and two years later, he left the San Antonio Military Medical Center and medically retired from the U.S. Army. Today, Zimmerman is a devoted husband and father and is a strong part of his community working both as a motivational speaker and author.

Brandon Scheel is a partner and store leader in a business that bears his family name, Scheels Sporting Goods store. Brandon is the fifth generation of his family to work in the business and he currently serves in the capacity of store leader of the Mankato Scheels location in the River Hills Mall. 

In this episode Brandon talks about his upbringing and education, how he almost didn't go into the retail business, how his great great grandparents started the business, how the business evolved throughout the decades, the move to an employee stock ownership model, and what the future looks like for Scheels as a business and Brandon himself.

Lisa Kaye is the host of Minnesota 100 New Country radio station (formerly Minnesota 93) and is also the host of KTOE Talk of the town, both of which broadcast out of Mankato, Minnesota. Lisa has been a radio disc jockey for various Mankato stations for over 20 years, with the majority of her career taking place on local station 93.1.

In this episode, Lisa discusses what it's like to grow up in Minnesota as a young Korean American, why she got into the radio industry, how she found herself in Mankato, what it was like going through major company mergers, how she handled the departure of her long time former co-host TJ, and her perspective on the moving of her Minnesota New Country show from 93.1 to 100.5. 

Doctor Cindra Kamphoff is a certified mental performance coach and consultant with the association for Applied Sport Psychology, who also comes armed with a PhD and Masters in Sport and Performance Psychology. Cindra has worked along side the Minnesota Vikings, USA Track and Field, and several Fortune 100 and 500 companies throughout her career. She is an author of two books, both related to Grit in either everyday or business life. Cindra is also an avid runner who has completed many races including the Boston Marathon.

In this episode, Cindra dives deep into her purpose and why she got into the performance psychology space. Cindra shares professional stories from coaching NFL and Olympic athletes and she also share her own story of being at the finish line at the time of Boston Marathon bombing.

Sue Worlds is the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) current housing manager for the southern region, and former regional director for the organization. Sue lead the development of the Paul and Dorthy Radichel townhomes near River Hills Mall, which is a three building, 11 unit complex, dedicated to housing veterans in Southern Minnesota. Sue has decades of experience working with veterans through MACV and shares those stories with us in this podcast.

Ron Vetter is the third generation in the Vetter Stone business, has 28 years of experience in the stone industry, is responsible for overseeing and supporting Vetter Stone and Alabama Stone teams, and provides the vision and direction for the companies. Rons a graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato with a degree in Business Management and Aviation Management and also a graduate of the University of St. Thomas with a Masters of Business. Currently Ron serves as a board member for Pioneer Bank and is past president and board member of Schola Foundation supporting Loyola Catholic School, a past chair and board member of Greater Mankato Growth, a board member for Minnesota State University Mankato Foundation, and is the vice-chair and co-founding director of the Child and Family Advocacy Center of South Central Minnesota. In his spare time, Ron enjoys sailing, skiing, boating, and time by the lake shore. He is a fan of the Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Timberwolves and Mankato Moondogs.