In this episode of Leveraged Storytelling, host Arick Wierson sits down with Jonathan Rowntree, CEO of Niron Magnetics—one of the most exciting technology companies in Minnesota—for a conversation about magnets, manufacturing, and the future of American industry. 

Rowntree explains how Niron is developing powerful permanent magnets without relying on rare earth elements or other critical minerals—an innovation with far-reaching implications for global supply chains, national security, clean technology, and the accelerating electrification of the economy. 

The conversation explores why magnets matter far more than most people realize, powering everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to data centers, defense systems, robotics, and next-generation industrial motors. As demand continues to surge, Niron is building a new domestic manufacturing model based on abundant raw materials, cutting-edge science, and high-quality American jobs. 

Arick and Jonathan also discuss Niron’s Minnesota roots, the company’s ambitious manufacturing expansion plans, and what it takes to transform a breakthrough in materials science into a globally competitive industrial business. It’s a conversation about innovation, resilience, and how one of Minnesota’s most exciting companies is helping shape the future—one magnet at a time.

In this episode of Leverage Storytelling, host Arick Wierson sits down with James Hereford of Fairview for a candid conversation about healthcare, leadership, and the future of care delivery in Minnesota. 

Hereford discusses the pressures facing healthcare systems today, from fragile financing models and thin hospital margins to a system that too often rewards more care instead of better care. He makes the case that meaningful change will require moving beyond familiar talking points and confronting how healthcare is actually paid for, organized, and experienced by patients. 

They explore how Fairview is approaching that challenge: strengthening its core care delivery model, diversifying where it can bring value, and using recent years of disruption as a platform for deeper organizational change. 

The conversation offers a unique look at why Minnesota is leading the national healthcare conversation.  

This week Minnesota shines a spotlight on itself in a fascinating conversation with Rick Huebsch of the University of Minnesota’s Technology Commercialization office (better known as Tech Comm). Arick and Rick discuss the amazing true story, that Minnesota does not tell loudly enough: The University of Minnesota is one of the country’s top producers of university-born startups, ranking alongside names like Stanford, MIT, Michigan, and Colorado. 

They break down the work that happens between the lab and the marketplace. Assessing inventions and developing them into new business opportunities. 

Arick and Rick dig into standout companies that have emerged from the U’s research ecosystem, including Niron Magnetics, Claros Technologies, and Miromatrix. This episode is about discovery, commercialization, and why Minnesota’s innovation story may be much bigger than most people realize.

On the latest episode of Leveraged Storytelling, I sit down with Tom Burke, CEO of Vail Scientific, one of Minnesota's most exciting emerging medtech companies. 

Arick and om discuss a silent healthcare crisis that most people have little awareness of: sepsis. Despite causing more than 350,000 deaths annually in the United States and contributing to more than one-third of all hospital deaths, sepsis remains one of the least understood threats in modern medicine. Early detection is critical, yet traditional diagnostic methods can take hours when minutes matter. 

Vail Scientific is developing breakthrough technology designed to detect sepsis in minutes through non-invasive breath analysis, potentially transforming how hospitals identify and treat one of healthcare's deadliest and most costly conditions. 

A fascinating conversation about innovation, entrepreneurship, and how Minnesota's medtech ecosystem continues to produce companies tackling some of the world's biggest healthcare challenges. 

On the next episode of Leverage Storytelling, presented by Tunheim, host Arick Wierson sits down with Professor Ali Ling from the University of St. Thomas  — she is one of the world’s leading voices on the economics and policy surrounding PFAS, the controversial “forever chemicals” used in everything from firefighting foam to advanced manufacturing. 

 Together, they unpack why PFAS has already become a political flashpoint in Europe while remaining a more fragmented issue in the United States, what the future holds for regulation and viable alternatives, and why industries around the world are grappling with what many now call the “PFAS paradox”: how do you phase out chemicals that are simultaneously controversial and, in some cases, essential? 

0:00 – Coming Up 
0:33 – What Are PFAS? 
2:47 – Essential vs Avoidable Uses 
5:10 – The True Cleanup Cost 
7:18 – Why Regulation Failed 
8:32 – Who Controls The Narrative? 
9:52 – Why Americans Aren’t Engaged 
10:55 – PFAS Beyond Drinking Water 
12:01 – The Bigger Generational Crisis 
12:52 – Will We Ever Replace PFAS? 

In this episode of Leveraged Storytelling, host Arick Wierson sits down with Adam Platt, editor of Twin Cities Business, a publication that has long helped shape Minnesota’s business conversation—and is now expanding its voice under his leadership. 

They dive into what it means to cover business news in the state today. They Discuss walking the line between reporting and commentary and making sense of the broader forces shaping Minnesota’s economy. Platt also shares his perspective on the evolving role of business media as local stories increasingly carry national weight. 

The conversation also touches on Minnesota’s moment in the national spotlight and how that pressure is reshaping both the business environment and the media’s role in covering it. 

Editor’s note: This episode was recorded at a time when Minnesota was at the center of national attention due to a surge in federal immigration enforcement activity in the Twin Cities. 

In this episode of Leveraged Storytelling, host Arick Wierson sits down with Phil Steger, founder of Brother Justus Whiskey—one of the most quietly revolutionary whiskey brands to emerge in years. 

Proudly born in Minnesota, Brother Justus is more than a whiskey—it’s a story in liquid form. As Arick explores in this episode, great whiskey isn’t just crafted, it’s told. 

Behind the name is a remarkable legacy: Brother Justus, a real Benedictine monk who, during Prohibition, helped Minnesota farmers survive by transforming their crops into something of enduring value. That spirit of resilience and ingenuity lives on in every bottle. 

Today, Brother Justus is gaining recognition not only across the United States but increasingly around the world as one of the most distinctive and respected American whiskeys. 

This is a conversation about craft, conviction, and the power of storytelling to turn something simple into something unforgettable. 

In this episode of Leverage Storytelling, Arick Wierson sits down with Alison Brown, President and CEO of the Science Museum of Minnesota, for a lively, no-nonsense conversation about what it really takes to run one of Minnesota’s most iconic institutions in the age of endless distraction. 

Brown doesn’t sugarcoat it: her biggest competition isn’t another museum. It’s “the couch.” It’s Netflix. It’s Friday night lights. In other words, the battle for attention, and for families’ increasingly tight discretionary dollars, is very real. 

They also bust a persistent myth: that the Science Museum is just for kids. Brown makes the case that it’s a dynamic hub for lifelong learners, complete with robust adult programming (yes, the two have some fun with the phrase “adult content”) designed to draw in grown-ups as much as school groups. 

Listen to this engaging conversation about leadership, reinvention, and staying culturally relevant in a world where staying home has never been easier. 

Season 2 of Leverage Storytelling, presented by Tunheim, continues with a standout Episode 2 featuring Tyler Lorenzen, CEO of Puris, the Minnesota/Iowa-based plant protein leader. 

A former National Football League quarterback-turned-tight end, Tyler jokes that “NFL” stands for Not For Long. After retiring from pro football, he returned home to run his family’s agricultural business and helped scale it into one of the world’s most important plant-based protein platforms. 

In this candid conversation with Arick Wierson, they dig into: 

• The surge, and cooling, of plant-based meats 

• Why interest in plant-based protein supplements never really went away 

• The difference between consumer hype cycles and long-term nutritional demand 

• The coming rise of “clear proteins” ingredients that could soon power everything from Red Bull and Celsius to Coca-Cola 

The plant-based meat category may have boomed and corrected. But the underlying demand for functional, sustainable protein? That’s remained durable and in many ways, is just getting started. 

This episode is about reinvention, market timing, and building enduring businesses beyond the headlines. 

Season Two of Leverage Storytelling kicks off with a jolt. In the premiere episode, host Arick Wierson sits down with Steve Grove, CEO and publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune, for a candid, high-energy conversation about leadership, reinvention, and why local journalism is anything but dead.  

Grove opens up about building one of the country’s most successful digital media models, the unexpected feedback he’s received since publishing his book last year, and what it’s like leading a newsroom that’s become a national test case for the future of media.  

The conversation also zooms out to something bigger: Minnesota is having a moment—and the state is commanding attention in ways it hasn’t historically. Smart, reflective, and forward-looking, this episode sets the tone for where the season is headed.  

Please note that this interview was recorded prior to the current unrest enveloping Minnesota and the Twin Cities.