The Small Business Advisory Board is happy to have Interact4Impact of Burnsville as a sponsor of our June luncheon event. Representing Interact4Impact at the luncheon will be Shannon Lovejoy, Business Development, and Deb Sauder, Founder, CEO. Read more below to learn about Deb and Shannon and how Interact4Impact makes a difference with businesses and their teams.

Interact4Impact works with growing, small to midsize businesses to elevate the performance of their people. They do this by providing simple and effective tools and strategies to align, hire, develop, and retain great talent and create healthy, engaged, and productive workplaces.

CEO, and long-time SBAB member, Deb Sauder, has over 25 years of experience in equipping people to generate meaningful results in their personal and professional lives, over 15 years of experience in leading teams in organizational and community projects, and over 10 years of experience in helping small businesses and organizations thrive.  Through her candid and innovative approach, Deb motivates leaders and teams to interact effectively and take strategic, purposeful actions towards their vision of success.

Shannon Lovejoy is a recent addition to the Interact4Impact team, but she is not new to successfully serving and leading others. Shannon comes to Interact4Impact from the hospitality industry with years of experience in sales and event planning. Through her own personal experience, Shannon understands the impact Interact4Impact’s services can have for people in the workplace. This is one of the reasons she is so excited to be on the Interact4Impact team.

For more information about Interat4Impact and their team, please contact Deb or Shannon at 952-222-3067 or go to their website at www.interact4impact.com.

The Small Business Advisory Board is lucky to have Anne McClimon of the UPS Store as both a member AND a sponsor for this month’s luncheon!! Read below to learn more about Anne and her business!

As the owner/operator of The UPS Store Eagan and Bloomington, I am committed to providing the highest levels of quality and service to our customers. I have 16+ years of experience with The UPS Store and my team is prepared to create everything from business cards to vehicle decals!

Working with businesses of all sizes, we support all types of organizations, from start-up companies to large corporations.

We can do everything from designing your material and creating a new unique brand – taking it one step further and designing a consistent look for all of your business needs.

Working closely with our clients, we identify solutions for all of their printing and design needs. Our goal is to help our clients to stand out from their competition and leave a lasting impression.

For more information please contact Anne McClimon at 651-687-0440 or visit their website at  https://eagan-mn-2636.theupsstorelocal.com/

By now you probably heard about our new one of a kind “Business Health Check” but you might be wondering, “What could it possibly do for me?”  The easiest way for us to answer that question is list some of the best things that we were able to identify and help fix for our clients following a simple health check!  Here are some amazing things we have helped with so far in 2017:

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The SBAB in proud to welcome Tim Swanson of CorTrust bank as our May luncheon sponsor!

With an 85-year history and the most modern banking technology, CorTrust provides the financial solutions you need to get the most out of every day and every dollar. From the convenience of our 25 multi state locations, including Woodbury, Blaine, and Brooklyn Park;  plus online banking to mortgages, wealth management and insurance, you can rest assured you’ll always receive a higher level of personal service and expert advice.

As an experienced commercial banking officer, I am committed to helping our business clients grow and prosper. My goal is to provide customized lending solutions which may include loans for working capital, equipment purchases, and owner-occupied commercial real estate. My specialties include SBA and conventional loans for businesses with needs ranging from $250,000 to $7,500,000. I have experience working with manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and professional service firms.

For more information please contact Tim directly at 651-289-5000  TSwanson@cortrustbank.com .

Please join us Thursday May 18th for a one of a kind marketing workshop!

Marketing Analysis starts with  the understanding of your current marketing and advertising efforts, customer insights and your brand positioning against your competitor. This workshop will cover the core areas of building a current marketing plan and budget as well as some best practices for auditing your current Social Media and digital marketing programs.

Marketing Specialist – Larry Davis and Digital Marketing Specialist – Kyle Payne will lead this workshop that is guaranteed to provide you some tips and action plans that you can implement in your own company’s marketing journey.

Topics to Include:

Sign up today at https://smallbizab.com/events/marketing-workshop/

The Small Business Advisory Board of Minnesota is happy to introduce our April Sponsor, Amy Lokken with MüD Modular. MüD Modular is also a Preferred Vendor of the SBAB and offers a unique product to businesses.

MüD Modular goes beyond creating dynamic and versatile displays that make you stand out. When you partner with MüD Modular we take away the stress of keeping your brand fresh and consistent. By recognizing the value of your brand we help you discover your confidence. After all, your image is a part of your reputation and your success is our business.

After working in the retail and design industries, Amy Lokken saw a need for businesses to learn how to showcase their products and services in everyday places (like the middle of a shopping mall), in a creative and unique way.

As the go-getter and hard-worker she is, Amy founded MüD Modular in 2009; but not without the help of her dad, Ralph Fedie. With the loving support of her parents, and her father’s help building her first prototype, MüD was born and Amy had taken the leap of faith into the world of entrepreneurship.

With her powerful eye for visual impact and the ability to understand human psychology, Amy has made herself the go-to person for anyone who is ready to wow their potential and current customers.

MüD, located in the Greater Minneapolis Area, is Amy’s dedication to her father – a hard-working, true idea guy and self-taught inventor. He looked at life as one big open book of exploration and loved to learn. Amy adopted not only these qualities from him but he also taught her to have a very high work ethic and to do the things she loved to do.

In 2008, as Amy was making her move from retail design and visual merchandiser and beginning her next journey: MüD Modular, her father’s health declined and he could no longer care for himself or her mother.

Amy became her parents’ primary caregiver while she continued to develop MüD, having faith that the journey we are all on has a purpose.  Today, Amy is watched closely from above. “Thank you, mom and dad, for allowing me to be part of your journey.” –Amy Lokken

Amy’s background includes over 15 years of experience in industrial design, visual merchandising, and retail design on a national basis, and also helping small business and corporations to build brand awareness.

“I believe it is how we stumble through one journey that creates our next.” –Amy Lokken

Feel free to contact Amy at

715.379.3148

Website: MüD Modular