Publisher Perspective

The nominations were collected, the votes were tallied and the suspense is over: We’ve got the names of our 2016 Business Person of the Year winners…

Heroes come in many forms, but perhaps the easiest to identify is the American service member. Many of these veterans have gone on to start their own businesses, grounded in the same core principles that they refined in the military.

You won’t get far if you never step out of your comfort zone. Business owners know this. They know the importance of weighing risks with possibilities, of balancing security and innovation. No matter the situation, rarely will a business evolve without first stepping out of that comfort zone.

When it comes to running a successful business, you’ve got to find your niche. Sometimes, it’s creating a product that’s superior to those produced by your competitors. Sometimes, it’s by delivering that product more quickly and accurately.

Change. It can be frightening. It can be difficult. It can be unpopular. But sometimes, it can open the door to opportunities that never could have existed if you didn’t take that uncertain first step.

A lot of factors go into running a successful business: business smarts, organization, the ability to look ahead and prepare for future trends. But beyond the nuts and bolts of every success story, there’s one common denominator: relationships.

It was a merry Mankato fest this time around in our annual Business Person of the Year competition. Our Minnesota State University College of Business panel of professors judged CEO/president Steve VanRoekel of Ridley Inc. our Business Person of the Year.

The Taylor flair for fluid conversation and business acumen became apparent after we spent 90 minutes interviewing her at Taylor Corporation headquarters.

In agriculture, we feature 25-year industry veteran Roger Kienholz, 57-year-old general manager of $375 million Crystal Valley, which serves customers and members in its four business segments of grain, energy, feed, and agronomy.