Ann Bancroft Awards

Elizabeth (Liz) Kuoppala of Eveleth is one of four recipients of the 12th annual Dream Maker Awards, sponsored by the foundation named after and founded by the Minnesota polar explorer. Kuoppala is executive director of the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless. She was elected to the Eveleth City Council in 2006, becoming the first openly gay elected official on the Iron Range.

Berthiaume Logging

The Minnesota Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee named the Cloquet firm as 2009 Logger of the Year for its environmentally sensitive harvesting methods. The 60-year old company is owned by Don, Dave and Duane Berthiaume, sons of founder Richard Berthiaume.

Bigfork Valley Hospital

The American College of Healthcare Executives awarded Fellow status to the Bigfork hospital’s chief executive officer Dan Odegaard. Only 7,500 healthcare executives nationwide hold this distinction.

The Boldt Company

The Minnesota Safety Council awarded the 2008 Governor’s Safety Award for Outstanding Achievement in Occupational Safety to the Appleton, WI-based construction company with offices in Cloquet and Grand Rapids. The company logged almost 3.2 million man-hours in construction last year.

Carpenters Union Local 361

In observation of the 14th Annual City of Duluth Clean and Green volunteer week in April, local carpenters donated their labor to repair the damaged section of the Lakewalk near the Veterans Memorial. Union volunteers replaced decking and framing dislodged during a November storm. The effort saved the city more than $2,500.

Hibbing Taconite Co.

Cliffs Natural Resources granted the 2008 President’s Award for Safety to its Iron Range mining subsidiary. Hibbing Taconite tied for best safety record with Cliffs Michigan of Ishpeming. Northshore Mining In Silver Bay won the award from 2001 through 2007.

Duluth Seaway Port Authority

Bill Kron was re-elected to a ninth term as port authority’s president. First appointed in 1992 by the St. Louis County board, Kron remains the longest serving president in the authority’s history. He was defeated in his 2008 county board re-election bid, but his term on the Port Authority lasts through 2011.

Steve Raukar of Hibbing, a St. Louis County commissioner since 1989, was re-elected to his seventh term as Port Authority vice president. The county board originally appointed him to the Port Authority in 1998.

Other Port Authority officers are Ray Klosowski, secretary; Thomas Clure, treasurer; and Cal Larson, assistant treasurer. Other board members are Lowell Hellervik and Norm Voorhees.

Duluth-Superior Magazine

The magazine industry publication Folio named Duluth publisher Marti Buscaglia one of 40 individuals who best represent the multi-faceted media landscape.

Johnson, Killen & Seiler

Minnesota Law and Politics magazine named Joseph J. Roby, Jr., a shareholder with the Duluth firm, a Super Lawyer and one of the top employment law attorneys. He joined the firm in 1979.

Junior League of Duluth

Security Jewelers of Duluth sold an entry for the 2009 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon on Ebay for $1,125 and donated the money to the campaign to rebuild Playfront Park on the Bay. The project will cost $163,000 and the league has raised almost $100,000.

Marshfield Clinic

The northern Wisconsin clinic system named Robert Carlson, M.D. chief information officer at the clinic. He will guide efforts to develop information technology assets that will facilitate changes to the way medical care is provided. Carl Christensen, who for several years served simultaneously as chief information officer and chief technology officer, will focus on the latter role.

Midwest Academy of Legal Studies in Business

Duluth attorney Patrick Spott and Kay Biga, business law professor at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, gave a presentation at academy’s conference March 18-20 in Chicago. Their topic was a favorite teaching technique called “Ripped from the Headlines.”

Northwest Builders

Butler Manufacturing Co. named the Rice Lake general contracting company, owned by Robert Buehler and Christopher Mlejnek, Midwest Region Builder of the Year. Butler awards the designation to one company per region that excels in the sale of Butler building and roof systems and demonstrates superior marketing skills. The Midwest region consists of 338 builders in 13 central U.S. states.

Pinehurst Inn

Green America, a national association of socially and environmentally responsible businesses, approved the Bayfield bed and breakfast for the Green Business Network. Pinehurst also is certified by Travel Green Wisconsin, a voluntary program run by the state Department of Tourism.

Port Cities Woman of the Year

Nominees for women doing outstanding work as volunteers are:

• Jan Akervik, Duluth Area Retired Educators Association

• Joanne Docteur, Duluth Curling Club

• Diane Rauschenfels, Proctor Area Chamber of Commerce, American Association of University Women

• Darlene Staudohar, Duluth Woman’s Club, Benedictine Health Center

• Anntoinette (Toni) Thorstad, Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial, Inc.

Winner will be announced May 6 at the annual luncheon. (See Mark the Date.)

St. Mary’s/Duluth Clinic Health System

Kristi Schmidt was named director of marketing and public relations. She had served as marketing manager since 2006. Previously she was a recruiter in physician and provider recruitment. Prior to joining the health system in 2003, she was marketing and public relations director for the Duluth News Tribune. She has a bachelor’s degree in business management from The College of St. Scholastica and plans to pursue a master of business administration degree this fall.

Tri-Campus Coalition on Student Drinking

J. Clark Laundergan was appointed coordinator of the coalition at three participating institutions: The College of St. Scholastica, the University of Minnesota Duluth, and Lake Superior College. He taught at the university 1966-2008 and directed its Center for Addiction Studies 1991–2007. He has published numerous studies on alcohol consumption in college populations.

University of Minnesota Duluth

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Minnesota district office named Elaine Hansen, director of the Center for Economic Development, as Women in Business Champion of the Year. She is co-founder of the Duluth area Professional Women’s Network and a frequent speaker on topics of women in non-traditional careers, financial management, and entrepreneurship.

Susana Pelayo-Woodward, director of the UMD Office of Cultural Diversity, received the 2009 Josie R. Johnson Human Rights and Social Justice Award for the University of Minnesota system. She also is the recipient of the City of Duluth Peace Maker Award (1998), the University of Minnesota President’s Award for Outstanding Service (2002) and the YWCA Women of Distinction Award (2007).

Wealth Enhancement Group

Financial advisor Brenda Aslyn opened the newest branch of the Minneapolis-based financial planning firm in downtown Duluth. The company has opened 14 offices in the Midwest since 1997.

WesternBank

The Duluth-based community bank promoted Niki Laakso to personal banking officer and assistant retail manager. For the past seven years she served as a personal banker.

WITC

The Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Foundation and Alumni association at the Superior campus raised more than $6,000 for scholarships at the second annual “Taste of the Vineyards” wine tasting event, held March 26 at the Nemadji Golf Course clubhouse.

Forty area welding students from WITC Superior and New Richmond campuses, Lake Superior College, and Confederation College in Thunder Bay put their skills to the test for the Fourth Annual WITC-Superior welding competition April 22. Seth Mowers of WITC-Superior was first place winner in the stick welding competition. Cody Popovich of WITC-Superior won the tungsten inert gas welding competition.

Mark the Date: May

6 Port Cities Woman of the Year annual luncheon. Noon, Radisson Hotel in Duluth. Call Marcia at 722-1042 for tickets.

12 Twin Ports Inventors and Entrepreneurs’ Club. 6-8 p.m., room 204, Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College-Superior. 715-394-8351.

14 First steps to starting your own business. May 14 in Superior, May 20 in Hayward, May 21 in Ashland. All classes 5:30-7:30 p.m. $25 registration fee. www.uwsuper.edu/sbdc, 800-410-8351.

14 Cooperative Health Choices of Western Wisconsin. Health care co-op for small businesses. Informational Web cast 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at www.stcroixedc. com. Steve Healy, 715-781-9081.

20 Professional Development Series. Duluth Area Chamber conference room, 5 W. 1st St., Ste. 101, Duluth. 218-722-5501.

• Kim Parmeter -8/31/2010
• Craig Kuske, P.E., S.E. -8/31/2010
• Barb Johnson -8/31/2010
• Doug Aretz -8/31/2010
• Shawna Jokinen -8/31/2010