Two St. Cloud professionals were appointed to the Minnesota Emerging Entrepreneur Board.

Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan appointed Mohamed Farah and Ismael Mohamed, both of St. Cloud, to the Minnesota Emerging Entrepreneur Board effective Wednesday. Their terms expire in January 2026.

Farah is the community development coordinator for Stearns Bank. Mohamed is the Enterprise Academy program officer for the Initiative Foundation.

The Minnesota Emerging Entrepreneur Board works to reduce disparities in small business ownership by people in minority groups, diversify the Minnesota economy and help shape DEED programming.

More:Survey results reveal needs for BIPOC business owners in Central Minnesota

GeoComm appoints new president, COO

GeoComm has a newly appointed president and chief operating officer.

Jeff Liebl is the company's new president and COO. He brings with him almost 30 years of industry experience both in Minnesota and Silicon Valley, GeoComm said in a press release.

"(Liebl) has a passion for leading high performing teams and is an excellent fit for GeoComm’s culture," GeoComm Chief Executive Officer John Bryant said in the release. "Jeff’s vast experience in technology will be invaluable in ensuring both short- and long-term growth."

GeoComm is a St. Cloud company that specializes in public safety GIS systems.

Malco Products has two new company leaders

Malco Products has hired a new vice president of supply chain management and new director of engineering and plant operations.

Jim Finneman took the role of executive vice president of supply chain management. He's built more than 20 years of professional expertise in global supply chain operations, manufacturing and logistics during his career working for global corporations as well as family-owned companies, Malco said in a press release.

Jeff Widdel is Malco's director of engineering and plant operations. He has more than 20 years of engineering and operations experience and has held strategic management roles at industrial and medical device companies.

“The Malco team is proud to have Jim and Jeff join us as we plan for future growth and optimize our current operations,” Malco Products Rich Benninghoff said in the release. “Their expertise and leadership will help Malco continue to position itself strategically in the market and improve our existing processes to find efficiencies and better serve our customers.“

Malco is an Annandale manufacturer of specialty hand tools for the HVAC trade.

Stearns Financial Services has new director on board

Stearns Financial Services Inc. has a new member on its board of directors.

Margrette Newhouse has joined the board for Stearns Financial Services, which is the holding company for three Stearns Bank charters, according to a press release from the company. She's taught business, leadership and entrepreneurship courses at the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University for 17 years.

Stearns Financial Services Inc. is a $2.4 billion independent financial holding company based in St. Cloud.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: In Business: 2 St. Cloud professionals appointed to state board