2025-2026 Leadership Minnesota participant profiles

Minnesota’s economic engine is powered by more than 100,000 businesses, a diverse landscape interconnected in ways not understood by the casual observer. For a select group, Leadership Minnesota opens the window to a behind-the-scenes look at what makes our state’s economy tick. This exclusive program also helps you understand how public policy crafted at the Capitol impacts the vitality of each and every Minnesota company. By establishing a rich network of Minnesota business leaders, your shared experiences make you more effective leaders at your workplace.

Check back to this page as more of our wonderful 2025-2026 Leadership Minnesota participants are profiled!

Tell us why you love your company.
Our people. We have first class project managers and even better humans, who enjoy spending time together.            

Who or what are you inspired by?    
I'm inspired by my wife and kids - to give us all the opportunity to live healthy and full lives.   

What is one piece of leadership advice you’d be willing to share that you use? OR If you could give your 22 year old self some advice, what would it be?    
Be curious, not judgmental. Listen first and seek to understand perspectives before making decisions on how to move forward. 

What’s on the top of your bucket list?
Attending an Olympics. 

What’s a good book, podcast or TV series/show you are into now?
Alchemy by Rory Sutherland. Great think piece about how to think differently.

What is your favorite part of your Leadership Minnesota experience so far OR what are you most excited for coming up in the program?    
The visit to Marvin Windows and seeing how intertwined the town and company cultures are.

The Minnesota Chamber just concluded their second year of the “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” Award. What do you think is the Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota? 
 I'm going with Honeycrisp Apples. Yum.

Tell us why you love your company.
I came to Ames because of the value they place on the construction workforce that makes the company what it is. Here at Ames, the construction craft worker is respected in a way that's different from most construction companies. The Ames family would be the first to tell you that they owe everything to the workers who build the projects, and that is reflected in how the workers are treated here. In my previous life I was the elected leader of the largest construction union in MN. Hundreds of my members worked for Ames. I heard first hand how they were respected, and how they were treated as family. That is why I came here, to continue that tradition and help the company maintain those values for the decades to come.   

What’s something super interesting about yourself?
I come from an untraditional background I would say for a business leader. I was raised by a single mother. I dropped out of high school and was getting in trouble as a kid. I eventually got it together thankfully, with help, by taking advantage of opportunities that came my way and working hard. I don't come across people very often in my work life that have this kind of background and lived experience. I guess that's interesting to me. I actually find my life experiences helpful in business and my career. I don't think I would have gotten as far as I have without those lived experiences.

Who or what are you inspired by?    
Workers. The people that get up every day and do the work. Long hours, tough conditions, little celebrations of their efforts. These are the people that make our country go, they are the backbone of America. It was an honor to be elected by them three times to be their leader, and it's an honor now to advocate for them within Ames and be a part of making sure this great company continues our founders respect for the craft worker.  

What is one piece of leadership advice you’d be willing to share that you use? OR If you could give your 22 year old self some advice, what would it be?    
If I could give my 22 year old self some advice it would be to listen more, talk less and slow down. In terms of leadership advice, the only way you can be a truly effective leader is to be authentic to who you are. People don't follow fake. In the construction world they spot fake a mile away. You have to be authentic, honest, direct, and run into problems not away from them. That is the only way to earn respect.

What’s on the top of your bucket list?
Owning a piece of a horse that runs in the Kentucky Derby. 

What’s a good book, podcast or TV series/show you are into now?
Re-watching an HBO TV Series called The Wire. The greatest TV show of all time.  

What is your favorite part of your Leadership Minnesota experience so far OR what are you most excited for coming up in the program?    
I am enjoying learning about many different kinds of businesses, the challenges they face and how they are overcoming them. You can learn a lot from listening to the experiences of others. It's also a great group of people, always good to get to know good people.

The Minnesota Chamber just concluded their second year of the “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” Award. What do you think is the Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota? 
For me, the coolest thing made here is the infrastructure we use every day that makes our lives work. The people that build it are the best people in the world. 

What’s something super interesting about yourself?
I'm a quadruplet (not identical; three boys, one girl).

What is one piece of leadership advice you’d be willing to share that you use? OR If you could give your 22 year old self some advice, what would it be?    
Great leaders are active listeners.

If you had to pick a karaoke song to sing, what would it be and why?
Take Me House, County Roads by John Denver. It's forgiving for irregular singers! 

What’s a good book, podcast or TV series/show you are into now?
Task on HBO (TV series), Apple in China by Patrick McGee (book), and Heavyweight (podcast).

What is your favorite part of your Leadership Minnesota experience so far OR what are you most excited for coming up in the program?    
Spending time in Warroad and seeing the Marvin significant community and economic impact the company has on the community. 

The Minnesota Chamber just concluded their second year of the “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” Award. What do you think is the Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota? 
3M's Post-it note as a very frequent user of Post-its.    

Tell us why you love your company.
What I love most about the Vikings organization is that our business team is just as talented as our football team, and it inspires me to pursue excellence every day. 

What’s something super interesting about yourself?
Believe it or not, I own two harmonicas. That fun fact should not be interpreted as an indication of my ability to play the harmonica, though... I just happen to own two of them.

Who or what are you inspired by?    
My parents. They're the real MVPs and they gave me the tools I needed to be holistically successful in life.

What is one piece of leadership advice you’d be willing to share that you use? OR If you could give your 22 year old self some advice, what would it be?    
Accountability is key.

If you had to pick a karaoke song to sing, what would it be and why?
Karaoke is a waking nightmare to me! When forced, I like low register country songs so that I can avoid having to hit too much of my register. 

What’s on the top of your bucket list?
Visiting several Greek Islands (and thankfully, I crossed this one off of the list earlier this year).    

What’s a good book, podcast or TV series/show you are into now?
IMO Podcast with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. 

What is your favorite part of your Leadership Minnesota experience so far OR what are you most excited for coming up in the program?    
Thus far, my favorite part of my Leadership Minnesota has been meeting my colleagues in the program. They are super talented, impressive, and funny. I hope these connections grow into lasting friendships.

The Minnesota Chamber just concluded their second year of the “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” Award. What do you think is the Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota? 
My perspective may be a bit skewed, but I think the coolest things made in Minnesota are memories at U.S. Bank Stadium! We have the best fans in the world, and I sometimes get chills when I watch them come together to support our team. SKOL!
 

Tell us why you love your company.
My passion is working with Industrial and Manufacturing clients to help them improve their physical space so they can grow their businesses and become even bigger contributors to the success of MN. Pope has created an environment that fosters an entrepreneurial spirit and allows my team and I to pursue our passions and help develop the future of Minnesota!

What’s something super interesting about yourself?
I divide my years into 4 seasons: golf, pheasant hunting, ice fishing, and fly fishing. 

Who or what are you inspired by?    
 I'm inspired by the ingenuity and grit of the business owners that I work with on a daily basis. The amount of sheer determination that it takes to be successful is incredible and I fully appreciate getting to see it firsthand. 

What is one piece of leadership advice you’d be willing to share that you use? OR If you could give your 22 year old self some advice, what would it be?    
Growing a business is a long game. I often compare business to farming because it can take years to plant the right seeds, cultivate and foster them, and then finally harvest and reap the rewards.

If you had to pick a karaoke song to sing, what would it be and why?
Karaoke is a waking nightmare to me! When forced, I like low register country songs so that I can avoid having to hit too much of my register. 

What’s on the top of your bucket list?
Going in a dive cage in great white waters. I'm terrified of sharks and I think that would be a profound adrenaline rush.    

What’s a good book, podcast or TV series/show you are into now?
All I watch on TV is golf and football!

What is your favorite part of your Leadership Minnesota experience so far OR what are you most excited for coming up in the program?    
I really appreciate the depth of relationships that we're forming as a class. I also really enjoy hearing about the state of industry in MN. It's extremely relevant and important and I really value the insights that are shared from business leaders statewide!

The Minnesota Chamber just concluded their second year of the “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” Award. What do you think is the Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota? 
There's really too many to name, we're lucky to have such an incredible manufacturing industry here!

Tell us why you love your company.
I am incredibly passionate about supply chain and problem-solving, and I deeply admire the entrepreneurial spirit of small and medium businesses. I'm thrilled to bring our talented team to the companies they can help most!

What’s something super interesting about yourself?
The LeVasseur last name can be traced back to siblings that immigrated from Paris in the mid-1600s, landed in Quebec, and migrated over the Great Lakes to settle in Northern MN, and eventually land in the St. Paul area toward the end of the 1800s.  

Who or what are you inspired by?    
I'm always inspired by ordinary people who do extraordinary things. I love meeting people who seem completely down-to-earth and kind and then learning that they're some big inventor or CEO. 

What is one piece of leadership advice you’d be willing to share that you use? OR If you could give your 22 year old self some advice, what would it be?    
You need to prioritize time, space (and sleep!) to be your optimal self. You cannot be a good leader if you're not able to be thoughtful, emotionally stable, dependable, consistent, and strategic. If you don't take care of yourself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, it's hard to show-up for your team in a meaningful way.

If you had to pick a karaoke song to sing, what would it be and why?
311 - Amber (one of my favorites from my youth).

What’s on the top of your bucket list?
I lived in Valparaiso, Chile for my last semester of college in 2005. I haven't been back since, but it's on my list to visit and take my daughter (who also speaks Spanish).

What’s a good book, podcast or TV series/show you are into now?
I always love the Freakonomics podcast and many of the podcasts in their ecosystem (No Stupid Questions, People I Mostly Admire, etc).

What is your favorite part of your Leadership Minnesota experience so far OR what are you most excited for coming up in the program?    
I really loved seeing mining/logging/power in the Iron Range. It's such a deep part of our state's heritage - I think every Minnesotan should have to understand how it all works.

The Minnesota Chamber just concluded their second year of the “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” Award. What do you think is the Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota? 
I voted for Cirrus. A plane that can land itself? I mean, come on.  :)