Off the Record

Jen Hellman, CEO of independent communications agency Goff Public, has always managed to stand out from the crowd. In high school, for example, of all the instruments she could have played, she made a rare choice: the piccolo.  

“Want to know the best thing about playing piccolo?” Hellman asked Kathy Robideau, MSPBJ market president and publisher, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, in this podcast. “You can actually hear it in an orchestra full of musicians.” 

Excelling at what she referred to as an “endangered instrument” wasn’t the only way Hellman distinguished herself throughout her life. 

Check out this episode of Off the Record to hear about Hellman’s career journey, including: 

·      Switching from a music major at St. Olaf to creating her own work study program in PR. 

·      How Hellman leveraged the MSPBJ Book of Lists in her post-college job search.

·      Lessons in how to be a professional from a great mentor. 

·      What companies should consider before doing media interviews or issuing statements on current events. 

·      Instances when Goff Public has turned down work. 

·      Why it’s critical to build an executive presence if you want to be a leader.

·      Holding an amazing culture together after you’ve inherited it. 

·      The best parts about belonging to the Twin Cities business community. 

Leaders like Hellman understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.

Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Before David Wilson became the general manager of renowned Manny’s Steakhouse, most of his career journey in the restaurant industry seemed like a traditional one. In his youth, he worked in a restaurant owned by his family. As a young man, he took a corporate role with a major chain to learn how to establish new restaurants. Oh, and there was that one “little sidestep in Hawaii,” according to Wilson in this podcast episode of Off the Record. 

“I came across this one guy who used to work at (my family’s restaurant) Brennan’s, and he had a friend working on a cruise ship in Hawaii. So he got me an interview, and I did it,” Wilson said. “When I got on the boat, it was on for 13 weeks, and then there were four weeks off. It was kind of a whirlwind. And I did that for a year.” 

Wilson shares his cruise ship adventure — and much more about how his career path led to his success today, including how he believes in creating an environment where good things happen — with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank. 

Listen to this podcast episode to learn more about: 

·      What it takes to build community and relationships when opening a new restaurant location. 

·      How Wilson fed his entrepreneurial spirit with a stint at Water Street Seafood Company, for whom he opened five restaurants over eight years.

·      The “energy and volume” of working with ESPN Zone, a major entertainment center in Washington, D.C.  

·      Why Wilson and his wife decided to leave D.C. for Miami after a few years.

·      How Manny’s became a Minneapolis institution — one where VIPs go while they’re in town. 

·      The importance of not taking criticisms personally when you’re putting your passion out there. 

Leaders like Wilson understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.

Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Faced with the disheartening prospect of a summer without corn dogs and slushies, 16-year-old Margaret Murphy decided to step up. With their father’s help, Murphy and her brothers spent the summer operating their town’s local drive-in for the owner, who was otherwise unavailable that season. It was her first crack at becoming an entrepreneur, Murphy says in this episode of Off the Record. 

“We made enough (money) to pay ourselves,” says Murphy, now the CEO and founder of Bold Orange, a customer experience agency. “I made enough to buy my books in college, so that was the win.” 

In this podcast, Murphy takes a deep dive into her career story, from the drive-in days all the way up to the creation of her own company, Bold Orange, in 2018. Listen to her chat with Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, to learn more about: 

• How Murphy worked her way up within Carlson Companies — even after her initial rejection letter. 
• Navigating the difficult conversations when it’s time to leave a job. 
• What it’s like to integrate a small marketing firm into one of the area’s largest advertising agencies. 
• The value of taking “an adult gap year” when trying to figure out where to go next. 
• Murphy’s take on how to build a high-quality brand. 
• Elements that make up a successful team — and what’s next for Bold Orange. 

Leaders like Murphy understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.

Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

When Gavin Kaysen was a teenager making sandwiches at his local Subway, the owner of the fast-casual pasta place next door came in on a regular basis. It didn’t take long for him to see Kaysen’s potential. 

One day, according to Kaysen, the guy from Pasta Time told him: “You understand how to interact with customers. Your hands understand food. I would like to teach you how to cook.” Kaysen, now an award-winning chef and founder of Soigné Hospitality Group, reflects on this incident as a driving force in his early culinary career in the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast.

“What I’ve realized over time is that (my supposed cooking skill) was more that [JW1] I understood how to nurture. I enjoyed the intention of serving people. Food was the vehicle for that,” Kaysen explains to co-hosts Kathy Robideau, president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank. 

Listen to this podcast episode to hear about: 

·      How Kaysen negotiated an internship at a Swiss restaurant. 

·      What felt right about the space that became Spoon and Stable — and why Kaysen chose Minneapolis to open his first restaurant. 

·      The first question to ask when hiring a new chef. 

·      Kaysen’s flavor inspirations and process for developing new recipes. 

·      How to respond to negative reviews from critics. 

·      The intention behind Heart of the House Foundation.  

·      The future of the restaurant industry in the Twin Cities and beyond — and Kaysen’s hope for his legacy. 

Leaders like Kaysen understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.

Jatin Setia did not start in the business of film. The founder and executive director of Twin Cities Film Fest has always been a cinephile with an entrepreneurial bent, but early in his career, he worked in corporate America. It was a layoff during the Great Recession that gave him the opportunity to “find his smile,” as his wife put it. 

“Growing up in India, one of my first-ever memories is going to a movie theatre with a thousand people (to) this big, Bollywood blockbuster,” Setia says in this fourth episode of Off the Record. “That to me was community. It didn’t matter what you did, we were all on this journey together for that three hours.” Setia was inspired by the idea of bringing community together, so he formed Twin Cities Film Fest in 2009. 

In the episode, Setia speaks to MSPBJ Market President and Publisher Kathy Robideau and Platinum Bank President Dave Faust about how he built the Twin Cities Film Fest into what it is today — and what he learned along the way. Listen to learn more about: 

• How Setia knew there was an appetite for a film fest in the Twin Cities. 
• The process of curating a list of films from 800 submissions to 140 festival premieres. 
• Ways the Twin Cities Film Fest gives access to Minnesota filmmakers and creators.  
• Leaning into art and entertainment during the pandemic.
• The most successful or impactful Minnesota films.
• Where Setia might find his next “smile.” 

Leaders like Setia understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.

Growing up in South Minneapolis, Allison O’Toole, now the CEO of Second Harvest Heartland, learned the importance of community connection at her family’s store. Her dad and grandpa owned O’Toole Drug Store. It was there she shaped her early entrepreneurial spirit — by selling cigars at the counter at age 7.

“(My dad) would have me run the cigar counter at the front, and he could see me from the pharmacy,” she says in this episode of Off the Record, a podcast about the personal and professional lives of business leaders in the Twin Cities, brought to you by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal in partnership with Platinum Bank. “It was the ‘70s.” 

In this episode, O’Toole, a self-proclaimed “lifelong Minnesotan,” speaks to MSPBJ Market President and Publisher Kathy Robideau and Platinum Bank President Dave Faust about the varied circumstances that fueled her career journey. Listen to learn more about:

•  O’Toole’s pivotal moments working with the Minnesota attorney general’s office under Skip Humphrey.
• Leadership lessons learned from O’Toole’s time at MNSure, Minnesota’s health insurance marketplace.
• Why working with Second Harvest Heartland is the best job O’Toole’s ever had. 
• Covid-19’s effect on local community needs and hunger issues. 
• Elements that build a strong organizational culture — and how O’Toole stays disciplined as a leader.
• Ways people can help with Second Harvest Heartland’s “hunger moonshot” goal. 

Leaders like O’Toole understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.

The inception of Anytime Fitness didn’t come from CEO and Co-founder Chuck Runyon’s deep passion for health and exercise. “Still, to this day, I probably couldn’t pass a personal trainer test,” he says in this episode of Off the Record, a new podcast about the personal and professional lives of business leaders in the Twin Cities, brought to you by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal in partnership with Platinum Bank.

Instead, Runyon reveals it was his knack for sales and marketing — and his ideas for streamlining club operations and expanding member access — that led to the start of the Anytime Fitness model in 2002. 

In this episode, Runyon speaks to MSPBJ Market President and Publisher Kathy Robideau and Platinum Bank President Dave Faust about the early days of Anytime Fitness and his career journey. Listen in to learn more about: 

• Helping entrepreneurs (franchise owners) achieve business acumen.
• A courageous move made by Runyon and his partner David Mortensen in 2009. 
• The toughest decision Runyon had to make in the past 20 years. 
• How Runyon has changed as a leader over the course of his career — and what he wishes he would have done differently.
• One Anytime Fitness member’s incredible transformation story.

Leaders like Runyon understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.

When it comes to business and making an impact in the community, Kris Lindahl, CEO of Kris Lindahl Real Estate, likes to do things differently. His signature ‘arms out” pose is one example of his unique approach to marketing his company — and his clients’ homes. 

The attention-grabbing gesture exemplifies inclusion. It’s meant to show generosity and impacting the lives of others, according to Lindahl in this premiere episode of Off the Record, a podcast showcasing local leaders by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal and Platinum Bank. 

In the episode, Lindahl shares his compelling story with Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal Publisher Kathy Robideau and Platinum Bank President Dave Faust. Listen to learn more about: 

• The family tragedy that catalyzed Lindahl’s decision to make his own opportunities.
• What Lindahl forgot to do as part of his first major sale. 
• How the Kris Lindahl Team came about — and the challenges his company faced as it grew. 
• Lessons learned about what works in marketing and branding. 
• Why a big ego has no place in a successful business. 
• Trends and projections in the residential real estate industry.  

Leaders like Lindahl understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.

Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 

Starting this January, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal and Platinum Bank are teaming up to launch a new podcast called Off the Record. Hosted by MSPBJ's Market President and Publisher Kathy Robideau and Platinum Bank's President and CEO Dave Faust, the show will feature a deep dive with well-known business leaders in the Twin Cities. You know their names and faces — now get to know their stories.