Business People: GOP strategist JP Yates joins Goff Public

Pioneer Press
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OF NOTE – ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONS

Goff Public, a St. Paul-based public relations and lobbying firm, announced that John-Paul (JP) Yates will join the firm as a director. Yates is a longtime Republican strategist who previously worked with former U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen and the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce.

ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING

MSR Design, Minneapolis, announced that cofounder Tom Meyer received the 2022 American Institute of Architects Minnesota Gold Medal — the highest honor bestowed by the association.

EDUCATION

160 Driving Academy, a national chain of truck-driving schools, announced the opening of a location at 3410 Federal Drive, Suite 109, Eagan. Emma Skoubas is the location manager.

ENTERTAINMENT

Canterbury Park Holding Corp., a Shakopee-based owner and operator of horse racing and gambling facilities, announced the promotion of Jason Haugen to vice president of real estate for Canterbury Park Development; Haugen previously was director of real estate development.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

WESTconsin Credit Union, Menomonie, Wis., announced that Chief Experience Officer Stephanie Rasmussen has earned the Credit Union Certified Marketing Executive designation from the Credit Union National Association. … Boeckermann Grafstrom & Mayer, a Bloomington-based business accounting firm, announced that Michael Andrews has joined as principal and leader of the firm’s Estate and Trust Services Group. … U.S. Bank, Minneapolis, announced the following executive leadership changes: Jeff von Gillern, vice chair of Technology and Operations Services, intends to retire from the company in late 2023; Dilip Venkatachar joins as executive vice president and global chief information and technology officer, and Souheil Badran, senior executive vice president and chief operations officer. … Bell Bank, Fargo, N.D., announced the hires of Charlie Parkhurst and Brett Hale as commercial lenders, based at Bell Plaza in Bloomington. … Minneapolis-based pre-seed investment firm Groove Capital announced that Mickayla Rosard, the firm’s head of platform, has been promoted to partner.

HEALTH CARE

Gravie, a Minneapolis-based health benefits manager for business, announced the hire of Kevin Kickhaefer as president and chief growth officer. Kickhaefer previously was CEO of Consumer Medical.

HONORS

The Minnesota Transportation Alliance, a lobbying organization, announced it presented its 2022 Transportation Advocate Awards to former Wright County Commissioner Michael Potter and the I-94 West Corridor Coalition.

LAW

Fredrikson & Byron announced the addition of the following attorneys to the firm’s Minneapolis office: Claire E. Beyer, Andrea S. Boeckers, Eric D. Buss, L. Adam Mowder, David J.T. Salmon, Tarun Sharma, Noah J. Stommel, Sarah Theisen, Brooke C. Trottier and Schuyler G. Troy. … Cozen O’Connor announced that John Reich has joined the firm as senior principal, Public Strategies, in the Minneapolis office. Reich previously was director of government relations at Winthrop and Weinstein.

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

Coloplast, a developer of technology that aids in the elimination of bodily waste, announced that Tommy Johns has been promoted to president and senior vice president of the company’s global Interventional Urology business, replacing Steve Blum, who is retiring. Johns previously was vice president of global marketing and innovation, Interventional Urology. Coloplast’s U.S. headquarters are in Minneapolis.

NONPROFITS

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation announced the election of Nausheena Hussain, Richard Senese and Bo Thao-Urabe to its board of directors. Hussain is principal of Nissa Consulting; Senese is president of Capella University, and Thao-Urabe is founder and president of Seed. Grow. Bloom.

OPENINGS

Planet Fitness, a national operator of fitness centers, announced the opening of franchised location at Ridgedale Center mall in Minnetonka, operated by Baseline Fitness.

TECHNOLOGY

SharpLink Gaming Ltd., a Minneapolis-based provider of sports betting and iGaming technology, announced that Dave Abbott has been appointed chief technology officer; Abbott is former managing director of U.S. Sports Media at Sportradar. … Calabrio, a Minneapolis-based provider of human resources software and services, announced the hire of Jim Davies as chief experience officer; Davies previously was an analyst at Gartner.

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