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.
Matt Graves
I heard about escape rooms back in 2018 and had to learn more. I played a few in Duluth, MN and was hooked. It sounded like a fun business, but living in the sparsely populated area of Northern Minnesota, I wanted to get more information. Read more>>
Savannah Leyde
My husband and I met when I was 15 years old at South Saint Paul High School. After graduation, we were married in 2003 and welcomed our first child, a son named Dylan, in 2004. I had always had the desire to participate in a pageant. However, as a married woman I thought my opportunity had passed. Read more>>
Deanna McCormick
My story is more like a tapestry of art and vison. I was introduced to fashion at the skirt of my mother we made Barbie Doll clothes together and from then on, I was hooked. I saved photos from magazines, used all her fabric scraps to have the fanciest dolls and from there it was making my own clothes. Read more>>
Hope Gorman
I was pulled towards the holistic community when I experienced debilitating symptoms soon after college. I was lucky enough to find doctors that taught me about my mind and body connection. To my surprise I was neglecting my body including my heart. Despite doing vigorous workouts most days, and being vegan at the time, my body was far from well. Read more>>
Tara Block
Dame Errant began with a desire to connect the realms of creativity, wellness, and community building. From the beginning, our mission has been to cultivate wellness through creativity by providing welcoming, hands-on experiences that encourage people to slow down, create, and reconnect with themselves. Our workshops and throwing classes are centered around the belief that creativity is a form of self-care. Read more>>
Jacob Schnabel
Spilled Grain Brewhouse started by happenstance aided by a chance ebcounter at a local ‘mom’s group’ dinner in March of 2104. Co-Owner and Head Brewer Jacob Schnabel’s wife was joking about him ‘stinking up the house’ with his home brewing hobby. Read more>>
Renita Levi
For more than two decades, I worked in the healthcare industry, helping people navigate some of the most challenging moments of their lives. That experience taught me the importance of listening, compassion, problem-solving, and treating every person with dignity—qualities that continue to guide me today. After retirement, I found myself drawn to a new challenge. Read more>>
Breanne Kennedy
Building on a Legacy of Care From clinical check-ups to creative check-ins: How we’re reimagining a neighborhood landmark as a hub for collective power. For decades, the corner of 65th and Nicollet served as a pulse-point for the community’s health. As the longtime home of the Richfield Medical Group, these walls witnessed thousands of diagnoses, recoveries, and quiet moments of clinical care. Read more>>
Wayne Moran
I think my journey as a photographer really started long before I ever picked up a serious camera. I have always been fascinated by beauty, adventure, creativity, and the amazing world around us. Early in my career I served in the United States Air Force as a meteorologist, and that experience shaped the way I see the world. Weather teaches you to pay attention. Read more>>
Todd Ojala
My story is really a story about returning more deeply to community service. I grew up with a strong attachment to International Falls and the Rainy Lake area, and over the years my work has taken me through technology, academia, civic service, nonprofit work, writing, operations, and problem-solving in organizations that needed someone willing to step in and help make things function. Read more>>
Channon Richardson
I am a Duluth native, and caring for others has always been at the heart of who I am. From a young age, I found joy in helping people through babysitting, volunteering, and serving others in a variety of ways. Read more>>
Steve Windels
I was a wildlife biologist with the U.S. National Park Service for nearly 25 years, stationed at Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota. I loved my job most of the time but I always felt like there were certain talents that I wasn’t capitalizing on. Things I was leaving on the table. I’ve always been a funny person. Read more>>
Tyinesha Shaheer
My journey into the beauty industry began right at home. Like many beauty enthusiasts, I spent countless hours watching YouTube videos, teaching myself makeup techniques, and learning how to enhance my own appearance for special occasions and everyday confidence. What started as a personal interest quickly became a passion. Read more>>
Melanie Rix
The first time I received Reiki, I was running on empty. Between working as a special education teacher and caring for two young children, I saw Reiki as an occasional luxury, something I could treat myself to when life became overwhelming. What I didn’t expect was that one Reiki session would spark a much deeper journey of self-discovery. Read more>>
Lewis Leung
I retired two and a half years ago from a 30-year visual journalism career in medium-sized and major metropolitan newspapers such as The Star Tribune, Denver Post, The Orange County Register, etc. Not long after my retirement, I decided to go back to my love of creating art on my own. Read more>>
Kevin Josephson
My desire to own and run a business started at a young age. My grandpa started Ace Solid Waste, and seeing what he built always inspired me. I admired the hard work, responsibility, and pride that went into creating something of your own, and I knew I wanted to do something similar one day. Read more>>
Gabi Jones
I started social media in 2020 as a senior in college getting my theatre degree (on zoom). I actually saw a listing on Backstage for 60 educational TikTok videos for $2000 and applied! Read more>>
Rebecca Hehn
In 1989, Lucy Nelson and Mae Nordeen co-founded Tusen Tack in Braham, Minnesota, as a 501(c)(3) non-profit thrift store. Their goal was to sell affordable donated goods and use the profits to support the community, primarily the Braham Area Food Shelf. Starting in a small $60/month rental space with 19 volunteers, the shop outgrew its location within three months. Read more>>
Jade Becker
I was working at another tax firm in town and I noticed a gap in the market for everyday people trying to find real personalized tax help for their specific situations. The big accounting firms usually want to work with higher net worth folks and the name-brand chain tax companies tend to have under-trained staff. That’s where my business idea began. Read more>>
Tamara von Schmidt-Pauli
We are Irina Safonov, Daria Dzhalalova, and I, Tamara von Schmidt-Pauli, the founders of Игра.Unplugged, also known as Russian Camp MN. Our story began at the Russian Educational Center of Minnesota, where we met while volunteering and working with children and families in the local Russian-speaking community. Read more>>
Brandon Jackson
My story hasn’t been a straight line, and that’s probably what makes it interesting. I grew up in Minnesota and spent much of my adult life building businesses and sales organizations. Before art, I worked in industries ranging from the spirits industry to cannabis cultivation and hydroponics. Read more>>
Anusha Chakraborty
I started Kids Scholarship Fund (KSF) because I believe every child deserves access to opportunities that inspire learning, creativity, and personal growth, regardless of their financial situation. Growing up, I was fortunate to travel to many countries in experience different cultures, which opened my eyes to how education and exposure truly shape a child’s future. Read more>>
Karisten Carpenter
I am a tax preparer, bookkeeper, payroll accountant, notary, and more. I am two months out from receiving my Enrolled Agent certification to be the highest form of tax preparer. I’m a mother of four and married to my husband for 13 years, together for 17 years. All of my children are on the autism spectrum but my two oldest are profound and nonverbal. Read more>>
Jeff Ordal
My Dad served in the US Army from 1955-1957. I wanted to follow in his footsteps and served in the US Air Force from 1987-1991. After the military, I returned to my hometown and went to work at the Golf Course. I met John and Chris Dover through my years at the Golf Course. John and Chris Dover had taken over Cemetery Service Co. Read more>>
JAMIE SCHAFER
I have been a Licensed Acupuncturist since 2012, and my journey began on the beautiful island of Maui. After graduate school, I relocated to Hawaii for a few years and worked at a community acupuncture clinic in Wailuku Heights, primarily serving local residents. It was such a lovely chapter, and so needed after years of hard work, burnout and stress finishing school. Read more>>
Eunice Adjei
I was born and raised in Ghana and immigrated to the United States with a strong desire to create opportunities for myself and others. Like many immigrants, I had to navigate a new culture, build a professional network from scratch, and learn systems that were unfamiliar to me. Those experiences shaped my passion for community engagement, leadership, and economic empowerment. Read more>>
Alexis Tourville
I started my first job out of cosmetology school at nineteen years old in 2015. I was there for almost 5 years, ending my role there as stylist/spa coordinator and moving on to becoming an independent stylist in 2019 at twenty three years old. Read more>>
Philip Blackburn
The doctors attending my birth were named Playfair and Strangeways; I hope I haven’t let them down. At the age of 10 my new school in Abingdon tapped me for the chapel choir (we got to wear a different tie and sing in chilly old buildings). Read more>>
Serhii Pustovit
SoundMN was founded by two partners: myself, Serhii Pustovit, and my business partner, co-founder, and DJ, Maksym Moroz, also known as DJ Maximor. Our story actually started before we came to the United States. Back in Ukraine, around 2019, we began working in the event industry, providing DJ services, sound equipment, lighting, and technical support for weddings, corporate events, birthday parties, and other celebrations. Read more>>
Yolanda Pierson
My story is one of resilience, reinvention, and refusing to let my circumstances define my future. I grew up on the South Side of Chicago and moved to Minnesota at 19 years old with little more than determination and a belief that my life could be different. From a young age, I learned how to navigate challenges. Read more>>
Julie Russo
My husband Matt and I are the owners of Pickle Paradise in Elk River, Minnesota. Before opening the business, I spent more than 25 years building my career in the corporate world, contributing to teams, managing operations, and helping organizations grow and succeed. I’ve always enjoyed building things, creating experiences, and bringing people together. Read more>>
Reggie Carter
I grew up on a farm in Mississippi, where I learned the value of hard work, self-reliance, and the idea that small daily actions eventually lead to meaningful results. My entrepreneurial journey led me to create Must Be Ruff, a pet brand focused on quality dog treats and products. Read more>>
Angie Sedesky
About 17 years ago, I signed up to volunteer in the bingo tent at Andover Family Fun Fest. The person in charge was going to be late, so I ended up running it by myself that very first year. I ran bingo for seven years and then transitioned into coordinator as our previous coordinator was going to retire from the committee. Read more>>
Jodi Miller-Hammes
I started as a financial advisor in 1994 after spending 2 plus years after graduating from college focusing on what I really wanted for a career. I made a list of what I wanted in a career and most importantly what I didn’t want. Read more>>
Amy Thorland
My business began when I was asked to start teaching sewing classes to kids through the Community Education. I then moved the classed to my home studio. I added the Bernina Q24 and began offering longarm quilting services and I needed more space. The Downtown Red Wing Restaurant and retail challenge started and I decided to go for it. Read more>>
Heather Marie Petersen
My healing work began in a season of deep transformation. After giving birth to my son while working at a high-profile advertising agency, something in me awakened. Motherhood opened a doorway to parts of myself I had not fully understood yet, including my intuition, sensitivity, and spiritual gifts. Four years later, I attended a life-changing women’s retreat in Egypt. Read more>>
Annette Lee
As a Black teen growing up in the East Side of St. Paul I sought to attend an HBCU after having difficult High School experiences that weren’t affirming for me in MN. I sought to be around individuals who presumed my competence. I found this at Fisk University in Nashville TN- an HBCU with a powerful legacy that includes, W.E.B. Read more>>
Kristofer Keltgen
I grew up in southern Minnesota surrounded by the sounds of old-time music, polkas, waltzes, and the great Dutchmen-style bands that were such an important part of this region’s culture. That music was never just background noise to me. It was tied to community, family, dance halls, radio programs, church festivals, and the kind of gatherings where generations came together on the same dance floor. Read more>>
