OF NOTE- FOOD

Hormel Foods Corp., an Austin, Minn.-based provider of grocery store prepared food brands, announced the appointment of Scott Aakre as senior vice president of Brand Fuel, a Hormel center of excellence focused on consumer insights and innovation. Aakre has been with Hormel Foods since 1990.

AIRLINES

Twin Cities-based Sun Country Airlines announced the appointment Jennifer L. Vogel to its board of directors; Vogel was senior vice president, general counsel, secretary and chief compliance officer at the former Continental Airlines.

ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING

Golden Valley-based engineering and consulting firm WSB announced that Ryan Earp has joined the organization as director of public engagement. Earp most recently was principal consultant with Environmental Resources Management.

DEVELOPMENT

LISC Twin Cities (Local Initiatives Support Corp.), St. Paul, announced its 2022 Developers of Color Initiative Cohort, focused on projects in Minneapolis recovery areas such as Lake Street, George Floyd Square, North Minneapolis, and a site in Brooklyn Center: Oduwa Aganmwonyi, Global Equity Holdings; Liam Cavin, ADL Urban Developers; Belkis Cruz, LBR Partners; Abe (Ibrahim) Demmaj, Grass Roots; Kamillah El-Amin, Hurriya Village Developments; Ephraim Eusebio, Modus Locus; Jennifer Kuria, Amani Construction & Development/Jenny Investments; Jimmy Loyd, Loyd Real Estate Partners; Wilson Molina, Molina Realtors; R. Lynn Pingol, MaKee Co.; Nawal Noor, Noor Companies; Olivia Maria Rodriquez Arrellin, Monarcas LVC; Nesret Theba, A.T.J.W., and Victoria Yepez, VY Management.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

JNBA Financial Advisors, Bloomington, announced that for the eighth year in a row, Barron’s has named CEO Richard S. Brown to its list of the Top 100 Independent Advisors. JNBA said Brown ranked tops on the list for Minnesota and 51st highest in the country. … U.S. Bancorp, Minneapolis, announced the election of Loretta E. Reynolds as a director of the company. Reynolds is a retired 3-star lieutenant general in the U.S. Marine Corps and is founder and chief executive officer of LEReynolds Group, an IT risk management consulting firm for business.

HEALTH CARE

Pathways, a Minneapolis nonprofit provider of holistic healing services for people with life-threatening and chronic physical illnesses, announced it has named Erika Backberg as executive director. Backberg previously was chief impact officer at the Kresser Institute for Functional Medicine. … Starkey, an Eden Prairie-based provider of hearing aids, announced the hire of Kenny Landherr as chief financial officer.

HONORS

The Minnesota National Guard announced that it has named Prime Therapeutics, an Eagan-based pharmacy benefits manager, as a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon company for its efforts in supporting military veterans and service members. … The Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District announced that family farmers Dave and Maureen Fasbender have been named 2022 Outstanding Conservationist. … The Sea Tow Foundation, in conjunction with its Boating Safety Advisory Council, announced that Minneapolis advertising agency Colle McVoy received Second Place in the National Boating Industry Safety Awards in the Marine Public Relations, Advertising or Marketing category for its work for the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, promoting boating and fishing safety.

LAW

Larkin Hoffman, Minneapolis, announced the addition of Heidi J. Bassett to its business litigation team. … Cozen O’Connor announced the addition of Miguel Alexander Pozo to its Minneapolis commercial litigation department. Pozo was most recently a senior vice president, general counsel and compliance officer at Minnesota Community Care.

SERVICES

Dog Training Elite, a national provider of dog training services, announced the opening of a franchise in the Twin Cities area, owned and operated by George Rehbein.

TECHNOLOGY

Yardstik, an Edina-based technology internet security company tailored to gig marketplaces and SaaS platforms, announced the promotion of Andrew Johnson from vice president of revenue and Go-to-Market at Branch, to chief operating officer. … Calabrio, a Minneapolis-based provider of customer engagement software, announced the hire of Dave Orstad as senior vice president of professional services and support. Previously, Orstad led global professional services at Accruent Software.

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