I saw a post about the most corrupt business people in Minnesota on here and thought it’d be great to give some shout-outs to people we know who do business ethically. I’ll start with a few:
Cyndi McReavy at Washburn-McReavy Funeral Homes
Umut Kaplan at Coccinella
Dietrich Nissen at Inherited Stories
Edit: Thank you for all the responses! I appreciate the people who shared in earnest. We really got to support good businesses and call out the ones who don’t; especially if they’re local.
That's really great to hear!
The Cedar's Secret and their smoked Lake Trout are among my favorite foods in Minnesota.
The trout is magic.
I'll swear by half that sandwich menu, it all so dang good.
My wife and I go there often and always comment on how happy and efficient all the staff are. We never have had a bad time there. The food is amazing and the staff seem well cared for. This is the right way to operate a business.
It truly is. What an example of patient, stable, employee and ingredient prioritized growth.
This is nice to hear because I friggin love their sandwiches.
The guy who owns Cry Baby Craig's hot sauce, Craig Kaiser, is a really good dude.
I know several people who know him personally and they all go way out of their way to keep buying his sauce. Just sounds like a cool guy who started making hot sauce and it was really good.
Their company truck has a novelty horn, it plays "Tequila" and I love it.
Can you ask him about what someone else said about him ripping off the artwork?
Full disclosure: consumer of the sausage that loves it but the label is what caught my eye.
If Craig stiffed someone, I am not supporting that.
Care to actually provide a news article with details on this? I've heard it before but googling turned up nothing and I'd actually like some evidence before I go around accusing him of being a thief, ya know?
Unsubstantial claims have ruined good peoples businesses and destroyed their lives many times in the past.
Care to read through this whole thread before coming at someone for ASKING a question?
Didn't realize asking a question is now an ACCUSATION.
Someone made a claim here, others said they know Craig. So I am trying to get to the bottom of it via this sub.
Knee jerk reactions aren't a good look, ya know?
eta: the comment you replied to led with me stating outright I am trying to find confirmation for WHAT SOMEONE ELSE SAID. Clearly you didn't comprehend what you read.
So go get confirmation from the person who said it instead of spreading the unconfirmed info. This is giving crackpot conspiracy theory logic. "I'm not saying there's trafficking happening in the pizza parlor basement, just asking the hard questions nobody wants to hear apparently!?!!"
I am asking people that claim to know him, to ask him for the story.
If asking for a story to be confirmed is spreading conspiracy, then you may need to re evaluate your mental health.
Asking questions to gather information is very normal in the vein of CONFIRMATION.
Eventually I'd have yo literally ask a question, just like I did, yes?
Are you conflating things, yes.
You’re being obtuse.
I know several people who know him personally and they all go way out of their way to keep buying his sauce.
The person you replied to never implied they know him, friend of a friend thing.
Like I said in my original comment, I have also heard that rumor, but I have literally never seen official reporting on it and I thought you might have knowledge I didn't since again, in that specific chain of the thread you were the one who brought it up.
I do not know him personally. I know several people that do, I really don’t care to reach out to them and ask them to do that either. It would be an awkward spot to put someone in.
It's sure help settle whether he did something bad or not and whether I should continue to support him.
But I understand. Confrontation is hard and that is not an insult, I get it.
Awkwardness is what is needed to get throug bad situations. It's awkward to call someone out for being a bad person, butnits worth it as we all benefit. The whole treat others as you want, and all that.
Awkward can force change for the better.
GUYS, GUYS! This isn’t very “Minnesota nice” careful or they’re gonna revoke our membership cards and vanity license plates!
Good one! I met him at a MN United game and he was happy to meet me and take a picture. They shared the pic on the CBC Instagram. Super nice guy!!
We love having his facility in downtown Faribault!
Can you ask him about what someone else said about him ripping off the artwork?
Full disclosure: consumer of the sausage that loves it but the label is what caught my eye.
If Craig stiffed someone, I am not supporting that.
ETA: I meant sauce, I swear.
Lol, I know it's a typo, but it's too good.
Full disclosure: consumer of the sausage that loves it
But in all seriousness, I've never heard that before, but now another commenter has said something similar. If that's true, it would be really disappointing. I've only dealt with him as a pepper grower/hot sauce hobbiest. He's done a lot to support the growers of hot peppers in the area. It would shock me if he really did steal the artwork, but I can't honestly speak to that allegation, one way or the other
Amazing, I'll put my eyes on now.
I heard from source that Craig stole/didn’t compensate the artist of the image on the bottle of his hot sauce.
I’ve heard that too from someone who knew the artist.
Yeah, I heard it from the artist’s mom
I've never heard that before, but another commenter has said something similar as well. If that's true, it would be really disappointing.
I've only dealt with him as a pepper grower/hot sauce hobbiest. He's done a lot to support the growers of hot peppers in the area. It would shock me if he really did steal the artwork, but I can't honestly speak to that allegation, one way or the other
I hope it's not true because this is really triggering for me. A few years ago someone did exactly that to me and stole a drawing of mine for their brand. It's been years and it still hurts like it just happened.
Reuben Saltzman of Structure Tech Home Inspections
They have a podcast called Structure Talk and based on what I hear from them, both they and their company seem like they want to do the right thing more than maximize profits.
My realtor swore by them for home inspections, we hired them, and I was extremely impressed with how thorough of a job they did.
Wasn't Ruben himself who did ours, but the guy who came said he was only scheduled for two inspections per day to ensure they had time to be thorough and didn't cut corners in a rush. Definitely a focus on doing the right thing. Clearly very knowledgeable too. 10/10.
I first discovered them when they would have a weekly article in the StarTribune. Been following his blog ever since, I can just tell he's a decent guy.
Those were awesome. They would also do a top 10 each year. My favorite was the toilet that was plumbed with the hot water line. Not a bad idea, actually, it might add a bit of warmth to the porcelin!
We were on our original gas water heater that was 31 years old. I wanted a tankless water heater, but those require venting and we don't have that; I couldn't convince the husband with it either. Been hemming and hawing for several years.
Then Reuben posted that basically all water heaters were the same and to just get the cheapest one from Home Depot and also purchase the extra 5-year warranty $75. - Okay fine, I'm frugal and if Reuben says this is a good deal, then we'll do it.
My husband and son installed it in a couple of hours and now I don't have to worry about our old tank konking out.
I'm a building official and I've met and interacted with Reuben and his dad Neil many times in the past decade. He is a good guy. I recommend Structure Tech to everyone for home inspections because they are genuinely the cream of the crop.
I actually had Reuben do my home inspection when I purchased my house, this was before he took over and was still doing inspections. He found a couple minor things that I had missed during my preliminary inspection. That says a lot to me because both of the items that he found are things that easily 90-95+% of inspectors would miss because they were not apparent on the surface. He actually had to go looking for them and he did because he had run into them before on similar houses.
Honestly it kind of sucks that he is no longer doing inspections but the company is in good hands.
He has 487 videos on YouTube... He has effectively given all of his knowledge away for FREE, you just have to do the work of watching the videos.
I've been a computer programmer dude my whole career, and by none the best person I worked for was Darin Lynch of "Irish Titan". Darin has gone out of his way to make sure that the people in his organization are treated with dignity and respect, always considers the morality of his decisions with the clients he works with, and he lives a humble life and gives back to the community to the best of his ability.
I’ve personally have known Darin for almost 20 years - great guy, great business owner, and a humble man with a fiercely loyal customer base.
Prime example of how to build a well respected boutique tech company without going all tech bro and trying to be the worlds richest man, while giving back to what made his company great - the community and people around him.
Darin considers morality? Thanks for the laugh on that. I worked with him well before Irish Titan and his morals were questionable.
He’s a good guy. Can confirm.
I can't speak to their ethics, but the people at Heights Bakery in Columbia Heights are so frickin' nice...plus, the bakery is one of the best I have found in the cities.
Also in Columbia Heights, Pizza Man. They do so much to give back to the community.
When my boyfriend and I lived in CH we really wanted to love and support Pizza Man . . . but the pizza fucking sucks 😞 The owner is constantly guilt trip posting on fb about how they’ve had a rough month and might need to make some “tough decisions” or are barely keeping the place open. Like dude maybe if your food didn’t taste like rubber you would get more business.
A few years back the ownership changed hands and the whole place did a 180° change and they started making quality food.
I mean obviously taste is subjective but I ordered Pizza Man for the first time about 2 months ago based on a reddit post and I was very underwhelmed. It was very low tier pizza in my opinion, on par with Dominoes. They were very fast and the delivery driver was very polite though.
Also in Heights, Lowell's Auto. Lane is the best. I don't let anyone else touch my car.
I just feel like there's a lot of burner accounts from people that own these businesses.
“No I just love patronizing funeral homes and want people to know how awesome it was working with them!”
If you ever had an amazingly empathetic funeral director with an excellent bed side manner show up at your house to take your dead relative you would know what it feels like to be beholden to a company
The Drkula family (owns a bowling alley in Inver Grove Heights) have always gone above and beyond to help support families in need. May be smaller time than some others in this thread, but worth the shoutout nonetheless.
I know a bunch of extremely ethical and community minded business owners in Cook County and up the Gunflint Trail.
Two exemplary standouts are Sarah and Anna Hamilton. They are sisters who moved up here in the mid 80s about bought Trail Center Restaurant and Lodge on a contract for deed. They subsequently have bought and sold a few businesses in Grand Marais after making them successful ( My Sisters Place, Hughies/ now Hungry Hippy Tacos).
Their community minded work has come in by hiring people through the One Spirit employment program which brings folls from the reservations in the Dakotas to make money during the busy summer season here. They provide housing and a living wage so those folks can establish themselves and help their families back home in what is historically one of the most economically depressed areas in the usa.
They also have founded Hamilton Habitat which buys land, builds affordable housing, and sells it essentially at cost to locals who could otherwise never afford to purchase land or a home here. They also make sure language is added to the sale so that the housing always stays as long term housing units so they can not be taken advantage of by people who might want to eventually use them as short term vacation rentals. So far they have helped at least a dozen families and individuals in our community buy homes that likely never would have been able to otherwise.
This is not to mention the hundreds, maybe now thousands, of meals they have donated to hungry families through their Camp Chow backwoods camping dehydrated meals business and the TONS of cloths, household goods, and other donations they have collected and dispersed to those in need throughout Minnesota and the Dakotas.
They are truly local heros and I don't think I had ever met a pair of people I respect more. They really are making a difference in this community and on the lives of many many people. Im so proud to call them friends and neighbors. I'm kind of tearing up writing all this because it just brings me so much joy to know there are such kind, caring, and decent people in this world.
We need more folks like them. They do what they do because it is the right thing to do and rarely if ever get the credit they deserve for being such amazing people.
If you have ever lived on the Trail or spent any significant amount of time in Cook County you probably have heard of these two amazing women.
I hope this gets the word out to the rest of the state.
EDIT:
Here are some links to their charitable orgs and businesses.
https://www.onespiritlakota.org/program/employment-program
https://hamiltonhabitat.wordpress.com/
Good topic.
Jacquie Berglund, FINNEGANS CEO
Better Futures MN - seems like a good business model to me.
The guy who owns GovDocs, inc in Eagan is a super chill guy and he gives us every Friday half in off in the summer and we get to do a lot volunteering for the community. He’s awesome!!
I went to school with Zack. He always was a nice down to earth person.
Wow some things never change then lol. Hes awesome 🫡
I'm not sure how the employees feel, but as a customer I'm a fan of White Bear Mitsubishi. I see so many women working jobs typically held by men, there's a good balance of races, the owner guy knows sign language and has deaf employees, they give to charities, they're a sponsor of TC Pride and in general everyone just seems somewhat happy there (could be an act, but IDK)
1000% this dealership. The staff has been incredibly helpful over the several models I’ve owned over the years, the waiting room is very spacious and welcoming, and they go out of their way to give you great advice, even at the expense of their own pockets.
When I was younger and more naïve, my exhaust pipe had rusted off of my muffler. The staff explained that replacing the part would exceed $1000, but recommended I just go to a muffler shop to have the pieces welded back together. Never felt like I was being ripped off there, ever. And you get a free car wash!
Marty at Marty’s Deli. The hash browns are so good she must be pure of spirit.
Hell yeah, best breakfast sandwich in the cities imo
First time I went there, the person at the till recommended I get the hash brown IN the sandwich; game changer.
Will guarantee there is not an ethical C-level executive that works under the UHG umbrella (UHG, UHC, or Optum)
Or ever has??? My guess.
They do exist, and they fight the good fight everyday.
Imagine if they didn’t though…
Not in the C-Suite there isn't. VPs and SVPs sure, but the actual c-suite is evil
Toni @ Toni's Flowers in Anoka. The best there is!
Best boss I’ve ever had is Dustin, the owner of Rhodes Hardwood. He’s on every job alongside his employees, and never asks anyone to do anything he wouldn’t.
The owner of Curiosi-Tea in New ulm and Mankato. She hosts events. She helps local businesses. She's all around a great person too. She'll even chat with ya and give advice on tea if you're hanging out at the shop.
I mean, I'll throw this into the mix: https://www.amilestonepaperco.com/about
Business started from scratch 15+ years ago so she could be home with her growing family. Does projects worldwide and has won all sorts of industry awards. Could have easily charged "premium rates" for years based on reputation and some of her clients' obscene wealth but doesn't. Treats every single client, planner, vendor, supplier, etc. with total love and respect. She's uber talented and creative. Genuinely loves being a part of people's most special life moments.
INCREDIBLE Mom, friend, woman, and role model.
A few years ago, she felt a draw to get into higher ed and took an hourly job a Concordia-St. Paul in their Alumni Relations department. She quickly advanced to Director of Philanthropy and Engagement. She pours herself into that job because she believes in the work and loves the student body and role of CSP (opportunity to impact a more diverse population, more inclusive than most colleges/universities).
But she keeps doing Milestone too because she loves the clients and it helps pay for the kids' plane rides to and from colleges. She does zero marketing but her reputation, caring approach, and quality of work (and the kind of person she is) keep her busier than ever.
She's worked 60, 70, 80 hours a week for years but I can count on one hand the number of kids' sporting events or doctor visits or other important moments she's missed in that time.
I'm hard pressed to think of anyone I've personally known that's more ethical, business owner or CEO or otherwise. I think of myself as a pretty damned good person, but she's got me beat by a million miles.
(For full disclosure, she's also my wife.)
This is such a sweet comment. I hope your wife's business continues to do well, and based on this comment and her website, I'd bet your kids are going to be successful too because you both seem like very kind and supportive parents. It's clear from your comment and her website that there's a lot of love in your home.
Thank you! :-)
Feed My Starving Children is a fantastic organization!
Open Door as well!
Im more of a fan of Second Harvest. I like that is it secular and focuses more on local nutirtion.
But not Feeding our Future
I don't support free labor for religious organizations, but they do good work.
Eh… food doesn’t really address the problem. If they sent birth control along with the food I’d be all in, but since they are a religious organization, they don’t care about not making more starving children.
They want converts.
Just because an organization isn't trying to address every facet of a complex, systemic issue doesn't mean we should just write them off. People being fed who otherwise would go hungry or eat a diet of lacking sufficient nutrients is a good thing. If you want to find, fund, or found an organization that distributes birth control to impoverished people groups, by all means do so, but that's just not what FMSC is about.
if you want to find, fund, or found an organization that distributes birth control to impoverished people, by all means do so.
I do. And I encourage other people to contribute to organizations that actually make a difference and don’t perpetuating the problem they claim to be solving.
My daughter had classmates that were adopted from Africa. They grew up eating the food they got from FMSC. It makes a difference.
I didn’t say it didn’t, but their method only encourages more starving kids. What about the kids that don’t get adopted and are left to starve? Birth control would prevent future starving children and increase the resources available to the existing children that need them.
If they stopped handing out bibles and started handing out BC everyone would be better off.
Feed My Starving Children doesn’t hand out bibles. It’s a fantastic organization. Religious-based? Yes, but so are many other legitimate charities that do great work.
I didn’t say they weren’t legitimate. I will disagree that it’s a fantastic organization though. I think the way they operate only makes the problem worse.
lol. Thank you for the contribution of a 15 year old gif. I can tell you have a firm grasp on the issue.
Might want to update your schtick.
Sorry about that boss. Can't believe I didn't consider how important the date of the gif is. Here's a little more modern one for you:
You’re only embarrassing yourself, chief.
Dancing baby is never embarrassing!
You can’t force birth control down peoples throats. These children still need to eat. Get off your soap box and admit that FEEDING CHILDREN FFS is a good thing.
Where did I say it wasn’t good and where did I say “forced”? They could educate the population about BC and family planning, that’s a huge difference than being forced. They won’t do that either. I specifically said:
If they sent birth control along with the food
My only point is that if they are trying to end childhood hunger they would ALSO do something that prevents childhood hunger from happening in the first place. Why aren’t they doing that? It’s because they are religious and don’t believe in birth control. Less kids solve this problem, not an every increasing amount of food required to feed an increasing population. This only kicks the can down the road until they are unable to support the population that they encouraged. Then what?
They are bailing out the boat, but not pluging the hole.
Sure, but someone doesn’t need to solve ALL the problems. This is like criticizing someone cleaning up graffiti for not also stopping gangs. People need to stop jumping down the throats of people doing good for not doing more good. How many children are you feeding?
Life must be tough being so cynical.
Life must be tough when you’re a starving child competing for resources and an organization encourages more children to be born so you get less and continue to be dependent on foreign aid.
Do you know that the average woman in Africa has ~5 kids, that Africa’s population is growing at three times the rate of the rest of the world or that half of the population is children and teenagers? How many starving kids are there going to be when they reach reproductive age? Maybe there wouldn’t be starving children if we bring that average down a couple of kids.
Again, nobody is disagreeing that family management and birth control are beneficial. They are helping with A problem. Would you prefer that these children starve? It’s easy to be a keyboard warrior and complain about the people who actually help people.
I don’t disagree that hard choices need to be made, but the current approach is making the problem worse and actively putting more children at risk. Like I said before, they are bailing the boat and not plugging the hole. The boat is going to sink and all of their “good work” is for naught. Not only that, it’s going to do harm in the long run.
Food scarcity is increasing globally and it’s “charities” like these that are contributing to the problem. Food scarcity is a result of having more people than the local resources can support. How do you expect to solve an issue of scarcity by adding more people and further decreasing resources?
They may be helping people on an individual level, but they are hurting the population at large and perpetuating scarcity to ensure the next (larger) generation is still hungry.
hard choices need to be made
To be clear, are you saying that the hard decision to be made is letting kids go undernourished or starve so that there are fewer mouths in the world to feed?
If you aren’t going to prevent people from having more children, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Almost a billion people are undernourished and ~3 million kids are dying from hunger every year. That number is going to continue to grow until population growth is under control. As far as I’m concerned you’re advocating for 3 million deaths a year by perpetuating bad practices. If you want to feed people, go ahead, but you better stop new ones from being born or you’re making the problem worse.
What’s your solution? Keep an entire populations on the brink of starvation indefinitely with bags of rice and beans? How are you going to solve a scarcity problem by adding more people and increasing scarcity?
Where did I say it wasn’t good
I do. And I encourage other people to contribute to organizations that actually make a difference and don’t perpetuating the problem they claim to be solving.
Food Scarcity is so much more complex than, there are too many babies. War, drought, flooding, farming practices, supply chain issues all significant factors that impact food scarcity. Most of the time food scarcity is a temporary issue, so you plug the gaps. The world can handle the number of people we have, it's distribution that's the issue. That's what FMSC is doing.
that’s what FMSC is doing.
They’re doing a shit job then because there was a 10% jump in food insecurity last year.
Yeah, that is me. Feeding individual children is good, but doing so indefinitely without preventing more people from being born is bad. Do they do good? Yes. Are they a good organization that addresses world hunger? No. In fact, they are making hunger worse by encouraging people to be born into food scarce areas. Like I said before, they are perpetuating hunger for the next generation, which will be larger. You can make your own judgement if that’s good or not. Like you said, it’s complex.
No. In fact, they are making hunger worse by encouraging people to be born into food scarce areas
No one thinks this, there isn't a bunch of African welfare queens relying on FMSC to feed their kids while food is scarce.
They aren't exacerbating an existing issue, they're filling a gap where there is a need. They aren't feeding entire communities they're providing lunches for kids going to school and adding nutrition into areas where they primarily grow staple crops and can't effectively diversify their farms because production is low.
Sorry but humans procreate with or without food, FMSC isn't creating crises they're responding to temporary issues.
Your focus on population numbers is both wrong, and gross. FMSC doesn't create this amazing stable food situation where everyone is like great, all of our meals will be taken care of from now on. They provide relief for areas that are currently struggling.
This idea that people they serve immediately go into, let's make more babies mode, because they got a few meals is honestly, frankly pretty racist on your part.
It also shows how little you understand about the process of making another human and what women go through to do so.
I’m not reading all of that, but we can agree to disagree.
I think we can both agree that you're wrong.
Lol. Now you just sound silly. I think FMSC is a terrible organization that is wasting money that could be spent more effectively to solve the issue. You want to keep giving people rice and beans and hope the problem goes away. This is a population issue, not a food issue.
We do not agree.
Now, I can tell you’re the type of insufferable prick that needs to have the last word so I’ll let you have it, go ahead…
That's a nonprofit, not a business.
Im Chinese, not Asian.
“After several years as a software developer for corporate clients, Casey Helbling founded Software for Good in Minneapolis in 2010 to combine programming and his passion for volunteer work. One of the state’s first public benefit corporations, Software for Good established itself as a go-to web developer for social and environmental impact organizations.”
Great company, great guy.
There's a restaurant in a strip mall on 90th and penn in Bloomington with some generic name I can't remember who's cook would always give my dog leftover meat he'd actually jog across the parking lot to give me a bag of scraps for my dog once in awhile good guy and a great chef
You’re maybe thinking of Penn Lake Roast Beef?
Yeah thats it, they have great food too their Philly cheesesteak is downright disgusting in the best possible way, absolutely worth the heart attack and their BBQ sauce is great, tastes like apple
If I'm not mistaken the owner (Kevin, I think?) was shot a year or two ago. He is a super nice guy. Agreed about the Philly. So f'n good.
Edit: he recovered. And oh my God that is already 4 years ago.
Here's the link:
Yeah I remember that happening, people put up signs for donations and put a whole bunch of flowers outside the door and on the day he came back a few months later the line was out the door and going into the parking lot and their tip jar was literally overflowing it was really cool how people came together for that
Kevan Tran makes just amazing food. Great hot sandwiches and plates.
His sister Fennie, who works there, is wonderful too. Always asks about our kids. She's super cheerful.
Downside for a genealogist is Washburn-McGreavy is stingy with the information of their occupants (as well as most catholic cemeteries).
I love that Lakewood Cemetery has an online database of all those interred there. I'm not fussy, if W-McG could even have a spreadsheet, would be much appreciated.
Quinn Violins, I was pleasantly surprised to see that their markup on accessories is considerably less than the large retail establishments. That made a loyal customer out of me.
I have to give props to H & S hvac/plumbing/electric. They have been servicing our home for a few years now. I don’t know specifically about their ethics, I’m going off my experiences with them.
The staff they send to us are always exemplary and they must retain employees because we always see the same ones depending on which service is required. They are infinitely patient with me, I can be kind of (very) annoying with questions. They are very thorough, honest, friendly, and great at detailed explanations.
I think the level of service we receive from them is a great value for the money. They try to save us money whenever possible without compromising quality. Workmanship and attention to detail are always top notch. They are almost always on time. If not, they stay in contact us to make sure we know what is causing the delay and what time we can expect them. I have a lot of respect for that kind of honesty.
I say all that because I believe their ethical qualities start from the top down. The owner Jeremy Salzbrun has been to our house on two jobs. I was very impressed. He is everything I mentioned above and more. The jobs he did were excellent, his customer interaction is above and beyond. My kids even loved him.
Not sure if my description fits the post because this is the feeling I get from them, not factual data. They deserve a shout out.
Ethical CEO? You don’t get to the top by being nice and playing fair.
Wasn’t there some business on the west coast where the CEO put in rules as he built his business that the lowest paid employee in the company could never be paid less than x% of the highest employee? I think being an ethical CEO is a concept that exists, it just bucks a clear trend. Like Dan Price or whatever cut his own CEO salary to the same salary he was offering as minimum wage, 70k, in Seattle.
Dan Price is an asshole in other business areas
Yes and then there were several articles of him being abusive lol
Yeah, he got milkshake ducked real fast. I think he was also accused of sexual assault.
Oh man that sucks, I did not know. Figures.
I love how you just proved the point entirely. He’s a horrible human being who essentially paid off people to get a good story. His own family sued him because he was that big of an ass.
This. Local small businesses sure, but CEO? Never.
Small business owners can be every bit as bad as the chief officers and board of any large company. It's just that the number of people affected by their actions tends to be a lot smaller.
Oh absolutely, I know of some absolute stinkers when it comes to entitled small business owners. They certainly aren't exempt. C-suites it just tends to be part of the job description.
Small local businesses still have a CEO, at least on paper. When you get loans and business insurance, they want to know who the owners are and who is running the show.
It’s always funny when I hear someone say “I don’t go to “this bar” because the owner is an asshole.”
Be prepared to not go to many bars. Although there are some fantastic owners out there they are the exception.
It's a tough business. It's been quite a few years, but I recall that even the ones that were decent to work for were still kind of assholes.
Sara at Pawsabilities Dog Training. She makes sure her trainers are taken care of, everone has the right education and that they put the dogs they work with first. She will make sure her trainers are paid before she is. Gem of a human being and marvelous with dogs!
I have no opinion on ecolab but did work on my company’s application for worlds most ethical companies and think it’s kind of bs. Also 3M is always on that list so…
You realize those kinds of lists are just corporately funded propaganda, right? Also they only measure certain types of "business ethics" which is nothing like what most people consider to be ethics in the meaningful sense.
I think the reason you're not getting many answers is because you asked about CEOs and business owners, which gives the vision of large companies. Those are few and far between that are ethical.
If you just said small business owners then I think you're getting a good number more of actually responses.
Look for corporations that are Certified B Corporations!
Peace Coffee is a B corp!
Signal Auto Garage in the Twin Cities. They photograph everything they do, the part that is being replaced (and why), and give a complete, well-written narrative of why the part was replaced and any issues they had during the repair. The owner and his family are pretty hands-on involved, and it shows that they care.
Can 2nd this, (assuming phosphorous is a typo for something pleasant). they are great to work with and also have been good customers in our business.
Can confirm. They phosphorus everything they do.
That place is a rip-off.
13 years going there, never been ripped off.
In general, our local beers are run by good people. Not Surly. Almost everyone else I can think of off the top of my head is at least decent if not better.
Business owners and CEO’s get a bad wrap for having to sometimes make tough decisions. There’s a strong contingency of them out there that are also looking out for the best interest of their employees as well though. A business isn’t successful without happy and supported people working for it.
If that was true then union busting wouldn’t exist
That’s like saying everyone is a criminal and that’s why jails exist. You’re making sweeping arguments over individual problems. Flawed logic.
You’re making a sweeping statement that workers are treated well when we have massive wealth disparities
*some
That’s the difference. No group is all good or all bad. And really, you’re generalizing the wealth of approximately 400 people who own a majority of the wealth over a group of 33 million business owners and 42.4 thousand CEO’s. There are many different types of executives and business owners.
But like republicans making sweeping generalizations, I’ve come to find that most people believe what they believe and nothing will really change their mind so good luck with your points of view. There’s some truth to what you’re saying but also loads of falsehood.
Mike…Mike something? I think he runs a pillow business. /s
Ethical and CEO don’t go together
Ryan and Tina North owners of Moss Envy and The North Garden Theater off of W 7th
Thanks for the shout outs Phil! We sure try!
I went to school with the McReavy's kids! Good people, nice to see them get a shout out!
NOT Life Time's.
Dentist:
S-Thetics dental in Fridley. Owner is incredibly thorough and listens to your concerns and offers great advice. A true professional carving their way in this economy with amazing customer service.
Avoid Smisek Family Dental in Shoreview. Owner is an arrogant lutz. Had my veneers molded and fitted there and the initial veneers didn’t fit. He then offered to GRIND MY NATURAL TEETH DOWN TO MAKE THEM FIT. I refused and told him to make a better mold. He retorted with “Hey who makes the big bucks around here?” Disgusting. He ended up remaking the molds to his obvious chagrin, which barely fit and don’t give me a full clench. Outdated technology and the money goes into his pockets instead of back into the business. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
crickets
Oh c’mon! There’s got to be one business owner you’d support. Any coffee shops? Restaurants?
B&H manufacturing Jackson Minnesota Brady Jass
There’s a lawn care company called Upside down Movement. Hired them a couple of years ago. Solid guy who owns it and he mentors low income teens and adults.
This isn't really a fair question because any business shared could be screwing you over and you just don't know it.
However, if you know they're a company to avoid, you know why and how. It's different
Sasquatch Lawn Care & Snow Removal in Andover/Blaine. I know the owner personally and he is an incredibly stand up guy. This particular winter must have been rough, though :(
Dahlia, the owner of Idun in St. Paul. Gave me a huge, crazy expensive gift basket after I had a baby, plus maternity leave which is unheard of in retail.
The owner and all employees at the Texas Tonka Liquor in St. Louis Park are some of the kindest, most interesting people. They also have dog treats ready for my doggo when we visit.
Ethical CEO = Oxymoron
Not necessarily, but it does seem that way sometimes - especially with publicly traded companies.
Erik the bike man
Broken Clock Brewing
A friend of mine did some art for them a few years back and never got paid, so not so much.
I'd vote Dr Ron Stordahl of Digikey. He basically employees a significant portion of the population of NW Minnesota and pays for good Healthcare benefits to keep the town healthy. Also you rarely ever see or hear him so low opportunity to be evil.
Norm Green
Son of a
Go away.
None
Really? There’s not a single small business you’d support?
The Pohlad owned companies where they actually care about their employees and work hard to be ethical
There are no ethical CEOs. This isn't to say they aren't good people, they just have a responsibility to increase shareholder value, so that is their goal. Can we please stop calling places like target "good companies" because they sponsor the gay pride parade? They aren't.
Small business owners are a different story altogether.
The idea that CEOs have to maximize shareholder value is commonly believed but isn’t actually true, it’s something pushed by certain economists.
I didn't say legal, its fiduciary. The ny times piece stating that shareholder value is a nebulous term is dubious at best. I mean come on, what else could it mean other than the price of the stock?
Fiduciary duty doesn't require maximizing shareholder value either. This article talks about the other things that constitute value:
The fiduciary duty of the board is to promote the value of the corporation. In fulfilling that duty, directors must exercise their business judgment in considering and reconciling the interests of various stakeholders—including shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, the environment and communities—and the attendant risks and opportunities for the corporation.
Consider all the companies that have crashed and burned after they were taken over by CEOs who set out to maximize profit and nothing else, and engaged in asset stripping, ruinous internal mandates to maximize profit in each division, and so on. Sears, for example.
Edit: An example happening right now is Boeing.
Definitely not any republicans, amiright!?
There’s a great local company, feeding our future. They were working to feed our future. Making sure our future has food is very ethical. Haven’t heard from them in awhile.
Dan Florness the CEO of Fastenal.
Hahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahhaahhaha……no
As with religion and politics, it's best not to think too much about those who lead or anything really. Just consume, conform, and obey.
Glen Taylor
Woah, was not expecting all the downvotes. Why do people consider him “non ethical”?
He has a couple of instances of some shady dealings, mostly revolving around businesses he was part of that employed family members. There is currently a lawsuit against him based on his dealings with a biotech company, Envoy, based in White Bear Lake. Granted, some of the people (Kevin McHale) who have brought the lawsuit aren't exactly bright shining examples of great ethics either.
There was also a lawsuit in 2008 against one of his businesses for some sexual discrimination. I'm not sure where that went, but I found an article regarding the filing of the lawsuit. https://newscut.mprnews.org/2008/08/the_fall_of_glen_taylor/index.html
He did also get suspended by the NBA for 9 months back in 2000 for an illegal contract he gave player Joe Smith, in violation if the salary cap rules.
Many are also upset about some of the poultry/egg facilities he owns that killed off tons of livestock when they were infected with the bird flu (perhaps you remember several activists trying to glue themselves to the floor during Timberwolves games a season or two back). I'm a little torn on that one though, as millions of birds had to be euthanized during that bird flu outbreak, all over the country/world.
thank you for the insight. I don’t remember the glue incident but would tend to agree. I’d rather avoid another bird fly pandemic
Mike Lindell!
Edit: I think my record is in the -190s? I forget the exact number.
Shut up Mike
Hahaha
Mr. My pillow?
Kris Lindahl
HAHAHA no.
Eric Goerdt, Northern Waters Smokehaus in Duluth. Easily the most humble, hardworking, and generous man I've ever worked for. Short a dishwasher and couldn't find a replacement? He did it. Thank the entire staff after a record year? Raises and a party he catered at his place.
It was collaborative, offered and made superb products, and one of the best work cultures I've ever been part of. If you want a gold standard on how to inspire staff, run an efficient machine and make quality food - this is it.