My guest is Jay Rohe, who has been a fixture in local Chaska politics for the last 20 years.  We talk about his early days on city council, the lessons learned from his two failed attempts at mayor, and his reelection to council followed by his resignation after moving out of the ward. Jay has had lots of learning opportunities.  As he has matured and become more reflective, he has also developed a new sense of purpose for serving the community of Chaska.  He is now planning on running for mayor next year once again but he believes he is now coming at the position with a better and more correct objective of service of the broader community. I have known Jay for many years and can sense his new found clarity and purpose that maybe was less focused years ago.  Hopefully we all get wiser with age and more life experience.  Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Living In Carver County Minnesota

Jay Rohe, former Chaska Councilman and upcoming Mayoral Candidate talks Chaska, leadership and civility

 Deb Barber serves the residents of Carver and Scott County (District 4) at The Metropolitan Council, a position she was appointed to by then Governor Dayton in 2015 and again in 2019 by Governor Waltz.  She chairs the Transportation Committee which along with the Land Use Committee is one of the most visible and out-front positions of the Council. Some of the topics we discussed are; What exactly is Met Council? What work do they do for us? How does the Council work with the county and the various cities of Carver and Scott County? How does that work fit in with the rest of the Metro? What does our future look like? Deb is clearly a very competent, committed public servant and I enjoyed our conversation very much. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Deb Barber- Carver and Scott County representative at the Metropolitan Council talks about growth in our area

Clark's bio on his Facebook page gives a brief sneak peak of what's behind the Front man for the popular local music group Traveled Ground. ( Singer, Songwriter, Multi-Instrumentalist, Teacher, Farmer and Traveler. Founder of Traveled Ground)   Clark is a long time teacher at Waconia High School, (although not music) a maple syrup farmer, a talented songwriter (which we get a look behind the curtain on that process in this interview) and the founder and lead signer.  He has toured nationally with Crystal Gayle as well as numerous other performers before coming back home to Waconia to marry and settle  down and raise a family.  He went back and got a teaching certificate and has been teaching young minds for over 30 years.  His main passion is music and he and the band played over 50 gigs in 2020 despite being hampered by the pandemic.   Clark is smart, funny and a fantastic story teller.  Please enjoy this wide ranging discussion with one of Carver County's originals. Clark was exactly the type of person I had in mind when we started this podcast experiment about giving a voice not just to elected officials and business people but also to ordinary people who just happen to be extraordinary.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Clark Machtemes, teacher, musician, farmer and all around renaissance guy

Mary Hernandez is a force for good in the community.  From her current role as the Community Project Coordinator with the CAP Agency in Shakopee and as the director and co-founder of Esperanza, Mary is all about helping people in need. She is uniquely positioned to connect people from the Latino community with resources to help them cope with challenges caused by our recent pandemic which disproportionally affected the Latino community as well as many families who wouldn't have ordinarily needed help meeting their basic needs. CAP partners with church groups, The MN Food Bank, Carver and Scott Counties and works with many community stakeholders including the County Sherriff’s Department and the Chaska Police Department.  She has a huge heart for service and is committed to helping people in need with no barriers.  To find our more, visit www.esperanzaishope.org. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Mary Hernandez with CAP and Espirenza discuss how she addresses unmet needs in our community

Andy Schornack President of Security Bank (Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender) talks about banking, changing markets, major regulation changes and the future of non-banking entities.  Andy has been in banking his whole career and offers some great perspectives on the banking industry.  Security Bank is based in Glencoe and is one of a vanishing breed of companies.  Andy is smart, funny and he makes for great conversations.  Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with a great guy from a growing local company.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Andy Schornack- President of Security Bank speaks about the value of community banking

Tom Workman- Tom is the Carver County Commissioner for most of Chanhassen and Victoria. (See S3, E3) He is back for a wide ranging conversation on a variety of topics including; property taxes, the 2022 county budget, school district spending, vaccinations, policing, and the value proposition of Carver County.  Some people will agree, others will oppose, but Tom stands firm in his positions and has the strength of conviction to back it up.  I always really enjoy talking with Tom and it is fun to try and challenge him a little because he takes it all in stride and he has no trouble explaining his thought process.  Please enjoy this winding conversation with a Carver County original. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Tom Workman- (2.0) a follow up conversation with District 2 Commissioner Workman.

I know thinking about your will is one of those things that is easy to push down the road and deal with "Some Day."  The problem is if you are ONE DAY LATE, things can be a real mess! With many of us dealing with elderly parents, boomerang children and the fact that we are all growing older, this estate planning stuff is something that is simply too important to not have handled correctly. Jennifer is a terrific attorney with Chestnut Cambronne, a downtown law firm and she specializes in estate planning. Jennifer also has an office here in Chaska. Many people think that estate planning is only for people who have big bucks. That is a big mistake that has real serious and negative impact on your loved ones if something were to ever happen to you. In this conversation, he discusses what we called; "The minimum effective dose" for responsible adults to have in place and although costs can vary, it is surprisingly inexpensive, especially compared to the huge expense of not having something proper completed. Jennifer can be reached by visiting; http://www.chestnutcambronne.com/bio-jspalding.html Please note: this content is for information purposes only and is NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Be sure and call her and have it done right; your family is counting on you! ;-) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Jennifer Spalding, estate attorney discusses "How to get your S#@t together" ( My description, not hers)

John & Kim Motchenbacher are in the midst of riding their bicycles across America.  They started in Oregon and will eventually end in Virginia in several weeks.  The trip is to raise awareness and funds for Lobular Breast Cancer.  I've included links to their web site for a daily blog update, a link to their Facebook page and of course to their charity's web site.   What I was more interested in discussing though was the why and how of such an endeavor.  How did you decide?  What was the preparation like? How did you clear the space in your lives to take several months off?  So many people aspire to go off on some grand adventure.  Maybe to travel in South America, maybe to live in a van and visit all the National Parks, or perhaps to back pack across Europe.  What prevents people from acting on their big goals?  John and Kim share how they arrived at a place where they were able to act.  They discuss what they've learned about themselves, each other and about seeing the country at 10 miles per hour. (On a good day).  They are a delightful couple and were a blast to visit with.  I plan to do a follow up episode in a few weeks to see how things are progressing and what new distinctions they have made about life on the road.   I hope you enjoy this visit as much as I did doing it.    To connect with "Motch Across America", please visit:  https://motchacrossamerica.com/  https://www.facebook.com/john.motch.3  https://lobularbca.wedid.it/campaigns/8168-lobular-breast-cancer-alliance-peer-to-peer-fundraiser/1686?fbclid=IwAR3kU36qtzluZPxP0cN0vXW7YAL7zbqMXvcv7Ofn72ld0HhtqP0PC9XrOGU --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

"Motch Across America"- Why is this mostly sane, generally happy, couple bicycling all the way across America???

My guest this episode is Victoria resident Ellie Krug.  Ellie is a former trial attorney, book author, public speaker, podcaster, radio show host and transgender woman.  After making the difficult decision to live as her true, authentic self, she had to re-invent herself in almost every aspect of life.  She moved to Minnesota to start over dedicating her life to one of service.  Recent political changes in Iowa made moving back problematic and so Ellie decided to establish roots in Minnesota and she recently moved to Carver County to have a more rural type of surrounding.  Her life is now devoted to sharing her story and life lessons about what she calls "Gray Area Thinking" with service groups, churches, and both large and small corporations.  Her message is one of acceptance of self, compassion for others and for oneself, and that we are all much more alike than different. She believes in the power of human familiarity--that by really getting to know each other on a personal, human to human level, we can be a better community for everyone. To find out more about Ellie's work and or to book her for a speaking engagement, visit- https://elliekrug.com/ Her memoir, Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change, is available on Amazon, Kindle Nook, and Apple iBook. If your book club reads Ellie's book, she will speak to the club (either in-person or virtually) at no charge. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Ellie Krug- Changing the world with empathy, compassion and inclusion

Sarah Carlson is one of those people who make things happen, quietly leading on social justice and housing issues.  She chairs the commissioners on the CDA.  She is active on the Chaska Human Rights Commission. She is active with the League of Women Voters.  She volunteers with Launch Ministries.  She forgot to mention her work with the Historical Society and she was one of the original founders of the "Blessed Bee Thrift Shop."  Sarah was fun to talk to because she is passionate and smart.  We are a better community because of her commitment to doing good work. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Sarah Carlson- Quiet leadership behind the scenes, everywhere.

Dean Hilgers is a life long Waconia resident.  He started off working part time at the local Ford dealership while in school and then became a sales associate and within a very short period of time, one of Ford's youngest dealership owners.  He ran Waconia Ford for 25 years and grew it to over 150 employees.  I suspect a big part of his success was his humility and willingness to give recognition to mentors and team members as he did often in this interview. After selling the dealership, Dean made a major life decision and went back to graduate school. He also started developing land and dove head first into serving the community through his involvement with various organizations.  He and his wife both have a passion for Waconia, Carver County and are committed to leaving a legacy of making things better for all who follow.  Please enjoy this wonderful conversation with a great guy. Also, be sure and visit: www.https://www.carvercountyhistoricalsociety.org/peterson_farm.php --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Waconia Champion Dean Hilgers talks about community

Tom Workman is a long time political guy who served on Chanhassen City Council, at the state legislature and for the past several years as a Carver County Commissioner.  (District 2 includes Chan 1a, 1b, 2a and 3 plus Victoria ward 1.)  Tom is a fun guy to talk to because he doesn't hedge about what he is thinking.  He's pretty outspoken on lots of topics, so no matter if you agree with him or not, you will know where he stands.  He is also passionate about transportation, mental health and something really important given all the recent rainy days; Mosquito Control. This is part 1 of our discussion. We ran out of time so he will be on another episode to finish up but in the meantime, enjoy our conversation.   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Tom Workman, District 2 Carver County Commissioner (Chanhassen/ Victoria)

Carla Struble is a formidable presence on local charitable boards. She brings a wealth of business experience ranging from personally working for large corporations to a starting an electrical company with her husband, to running a 1200 acre large scale hog operation.  In this interview, she shares some of the insights she has gained from a lifetime of hard work and well thought out decisions.  She talks about some of the mindsets that helped a small husband and wife electrical start up become a community pillar with over 70 employees today and that recently moved into a new corporate headquarters here in Carver County.  Carla is funny, thoughtful and smart as a whip.  I hope you enjoy our wide ranging discussion. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Carla Struble- CEO of EPS and Wingen Farms talks about families in business

In case you've been living outside the area, Chanhassen has just exploded in the past several years.  New restaurants, a new brewery, a funky barber shop and lots of new homes have created a major shift in what was at one time, "the first town on your way out of town."  Mayor Elise Ryan is leading the city during this shift.  She is smart, driven and fun to talk to because of her passion for Chanhassen and it's direction keep her inspired.  In this interview, we discuss the recent past, the booming present and the city's realignment to a set of values going forward.  Please enjoy my visit with Elise Ryan. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Elise Ryan, Mayor of Chanhassen gives a 2021 Update

My guest is Keith Payne of Sunbelt Business Advisors talks about buying an existing business and what that takes as well as what to be thinking about if you have a business and are thinking about an exit strategy.  Keith brings his years of business experience to help people make wise decisions about this type of huge investment.  Work is such an integral part of our lives and if the past 12 months has shown us, it is possible to break a long standing work pattern and do what a few years ago would have seemed impossible. Things that you'd been putting up with or decisions to go out on your own have come to the forefront and there may never be such a great opportunity to act. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/greg-anderson29/message

Should I buy a business? Keith Payne, business broker offers some insights

An insider's guide to the people and places that make Carver County Minnesota a fantastic place to live and work and raise a family. We visit with dedicated people who through their jobs, volunteer actives or their businesses, make an important difference in our local communities. The cities of Chaska, Chanhassen, Victoria, Waconia, Cologne, Norwwood Young America, Mayer, Watertown, New Germany and Hamburg as well as in the townships area are places we will be featuring and we'll be talking to behind the scenes people who are stepping up, doing their best every day to make things better.

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Living In Carver County Minnesota

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