The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across the Voyage family.
Sofia Dzyubanyuk
I am a passionate personal chef, dedicated to crafting menus for my clients, with a focus on flavorful, high-quality foods. Elegantly spiced started from a cooking class where a mom hired me to teach her daughter how to make a meal after seeing my content online. Shortly after, more people inquired. Read more>>
Anthony Nold
From a young age I was interested in art. I remember in about 2nd grade I wanted to ‘be good at drawing’ and because a friend of mine at the time was a good artist. This became a lifelong goal and journey as I spent a lot of my free time and a lot of my in school time trying to get better. Read more>>
Allyce Kozlowski
The Warren Collection is a vintage home decor business that specializes in bringing warmth and history to your home. As a child, thrifting and ‘treasure hunting’ were always a part of life. Garage sales were a weekend adventure with my mom or grandma, and that early love for finding pieces with history never really left me. Read more>>
David Warner
efore coming to the USA, I was born and lived in England spending a lot of my time living in Cornwall. I moved to Minnesota with my wife (who grew up in Rochester, MN) in 2004. I met my wife while taking two years off to travel and see more of the world; she was doing the same thing for a year. Read more>>
Brandon Johnson
Copper Pony started in the most humble of places—a small timber-frame garage. My partner, Joshua Hoffman, had been hosting occasional sales featuring stylish, eclectic, and affordable home accessories and furnishings. What began as a creative outlet quickly developed a loyal following of customers who were hungry for something different from the big-box experience. Read more>>
Jennifer Engler
My name is Jennifer Engler and I am a St. Paul, Minnesota, based Coach, Teacher, Intuitive, Hypnotist and Reiki Master. The truth of who I am is that I am most at peace in the trees, the deep woods, in all of nature. This has always been true. I just forgot. Read more>>
Andra Suchy
I grew up on an actual farm in North Dakota in a musical family, where music was just part of everyday life. Read more>>
Tammy Schotzko
When I became a professional organizer in 2009, I quickly learned that the job is about far more than decluttering. It involves understanding *why* we keep the things we keep—what our homes say about who we are, what we’ve been through, and where we’re going. Every drawer, closet, and box holds a story. Read more>>
Meenu Howland
I started My Current Obsessions Company because my brain has never worked in straight lines. I’m ADHD and proudly neurodivergent, which means my creativity comes in waves, my ideas arrive fast, and my interests evolve in big, beautiful cycles. For most of my life, that was something I tried to hide or “manage.” Eventually I realized it was actually my greatest strength. Read more>>
Carolina Bruni
My name is Caro Bruni. I’m originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I earned my architecture degree from the University of Buenos Aires. My life has taken me through Argentina, Barcelona, and eventually to the United States, always with design, creativity, and nature at the center of everything I do. Read more>>
Justin Boehne
I’m an artist and musician from Bloomington MN. I worked in the printing industry for 20+ years before starting my own LLC doing freelance design (Gnarwhal Design Solutions). I have played bass in bands the last 25 years (Current bands – Cymothoa and Den of Thieves). Read more>>
Mark Joseph
Hello! My name is Mark Joseph. I’ve been on the road as a full time entertainer for 22 years. I’ve performed and traveled all over the world, recorded many LP’s and singles. I started playing guitar when I heard BB King when I was 10 years old. The Blues have always been my cornerstone in music. Read more>>
Crystal Alvarez
Where it began It was the spring of 2020 and the world was faced with new challenges. Everything that was normal had changed. Realizing something needed to be done to draw her community together, Crystal (company founder) wondered what she could do to make a difference. What was that special something that could bring us all joy? Then it hit her: sidewalk chalk! Read more>>
Joe Graczyk
Our beginning all started from planning our oldest daughter’s wedding back in 2021 and 2022. We were in the market for renting quite a few items for her wedding and we quickly realized the was a local need for what we currently do now. Read more>>
Pam Johns
My career in coaching stemmed from my love of competing in sports. I was a competitive tennis player and ski racer, and naturally after my competition days were over, I decided to help others excel in sports, too. Read more>>
Marci Hoard
As a young girl I loved planting flowers and taking care of them. That started me on my journey. In 9th grade when we had to interview someone in the community about their job I chose the local flower shop owner. I received a degree in Floriculture in the early 80’s. I love this industry and how there are never 2 days alike. Read more>>
Brad and Bess Munsterteiger
Our story starts in 1983 when Brad’s parents started raising strawberries in Freeport, MN. Working with them, Brad learned the ins and outs of running a pick your own farm and he developed a love for growing strawberries. Fast forward 15 years: We bought our land in the Monticello, MN area in 1998 with the dream of starting our own berry farm. Read more>>
Jason Obergfoll
Reservoir Doggies truly began with Emma. She started the business from the ground up in Los Angeles, and then rebuilt it again from scratch when we moved to Minneapolis. Emma has always had a natural, intuitive connection with animals, she’s the kind of person dogs instantly trust. Her passion for rescue work, behavior, holistic wellness, and structure is what shaped the foundation of the company. Read more>>
Ananda Peterson
My journey really began in 2022, when I officially opened and started offering music lessons. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in the Twin Cities, where I took music lessons from a local teacher who had a huge impact on me. Read more>>
Paul Burnstein
A little over a decade ago, I was still working in an office environment and working long hours. I would rush my kids to daycare in the morning and then be lucky to see them at night before they went to bed. I was not happy with that lifestyle and wanted to have more time for my family. Read more>>
Johnny Pollnow
Before starting Northern Stump Solutions, I was working in the wine and spirits industry for one of the top private companies in the country. When my division was laid off nationwide, I suddenly had a decision to make: return to my previous role within the company or take the severance package and move on. Read more>>
Zach Tharge
I started Detail & Dash in 2018 as a mobile detailer out of the trunk of my Chevy Impala. Read more>>
Lucas Krause
Suburban Tire Storage began in 2017 with a discussion in a garage between two friends looking at a stack of seasonal tires taking up room. The idea of seasonal tire storage in northern climates is not a new one, but what was missing is a high level of service with a direct human connection. Read more>>
Calyn Lalone
With hopes and dreams to restore an old building to make the first full service Salon in Bemidji, Matt took on the project, honed his years of knowledge from his father and built out the old TJuans. Read more>>
Melinda Tamm
Ms. Melinda’s Dance Studio was born long before the doors ever opened. It started when a 10-year-old girl sat on her bedroom floor with crayons and notebook paper, sketching out her dream studio—rooms filled with music, dancers twirling in bright costumes, and a space where everyone felt welcome, inspired, and valued. That little girl was Melinda. Read more>>
Carolyn Reisinger
Jenny, I am not quite sure if this is what you are looking for-if not I can redo this. I am not the greatest at this sort of thing:) Christopher will also submit his interview too. We weren’t sure if we should do it together or alone. Read more>>
Penny Olson
In 1992 I was assistant manager of a jewelry store when corporate fired my boss. Due to their labor practices I quit. My boss went to work for an accountant, their client needed help. This led to a phone call and a job interview. Hired me on the spot. Small business, family owned. Was supposed to be a part time job. This lasted one week. Read more>>
Anthony Branitski
I Started the company, A+ Sealcoating in 2019. It started out as a teacher summer side hustle. It was just me and a fellow teacher doing some driveway sealcoating for friends, family and a few customers. Since then I started adding employees, equipment, trucks and have hired over 40 of my current and former students. Read more>>
Bruno Silikowski
AutoMotorPlex is a Minnesota-born concept that transformed car storage into a lifestyle community. The first location created a new standard for garage condominiums — discreet, secure, climate controlled and fully customizable private spaces where enthusiasts and collectors could store, showcase, and tinker with their vehicles. Quickly, it became a hub for not just cars, but a social community. Read more>>
Jo Abbott
During a really dark point in my life I was introduced to Shamanic Energy work which was the only modality that brought me relief in that time. In receiving such powerful healing and support, a passion was ignited within me to offer the same. In stepping onto the shamanic path new skills and offerings have continued to unfold. Read more>>
Lisa Loucks-Christenson
I’ve been telling stories and creating art for as long as I can remember. By age three, I illustrated my first fan art book—a retelling of Sleeping Beauty—and picked up photography by eight. My passion for capturing life’s beauty continued to grow, winning my first national photography contest at fourteen and becoming published by fifteen. Read more>>
Zoé Henrot
I moved to the Twin Cities after graduation from Mount Holyoke College in 2012. I started diving into the dance community with gig work and soon met a group of dancers who needed an Artistic Director. In college, I had directed a few student dance concerts, so I had some experience leading a team through a production. Read more>>
Big Sug
I’m a Young girl from Brunswick Ga who always was around entertainment and music and my family and friends always told jokes so everything I do now is to express how I came up where I am from and I always loved to sing and I always loved music and the show business. Read more>>
Jennifer Merrill
I am a Blackhawk pilot in the MN Army National Guard. I was on deployment overseas when my friend asked if I would be interested in going into business with her in Worker B. I was familiar with the company because I already loved their products. After speaking with my husband, we decided that we would love to be part of Worker B. Read more>>
Courtney Childers & Kari Ziesemer
Funding for a house so large proved challenging, and making sure we had proper insurance coverage, damage protection, etc for the historic features in the house was not easy to secure. We also ran into several challenges as we remodeled due to the age of the home (plaster walls, custom millwork that was hard to replicate, old plumbing, etc). Also, once we went live, it was hard to secure our first bookings with no reviews. But once people started staying and leaving good reviews, the future bookings got easier. Read more>>
Barbara Marshak
Life. It’s what happens along the way. Like when you fall off the teeter-totter as a kid and need stitches in your forehead. Or when you’re running late for work and don’t quite stop at the stop sign—and yup, broadside a police car in your hometown where everybody knows your name. Read more>>
