Get Involved

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Getting involved with Greater Mankato Growth

There are many ways to become involved with our organization. Becoming a member of Greater Mankato Growth and participating in a variety of programs and events, as well as taking advantage of the many marketing opportunities offered throughout the year are all great ways to expand your network, build relationships, and develop upon your skillsets.

Serving as a volunteer on our boards and committees is an additional way to take your involvement to the next level. Take a look at the ways you can help make a positive impact on the Greater Mankato community when you become a Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. volunteer.

Greater Mankato Ambassadors

The Greater Mankato Ambassadors are a dynamic group of business professionals and community leaders serving as representatives of Greater Mankato Growth, the local chamber of commerce. These dedicated volunteers play a vital role in fostering economic development, supporting business growth, and enhancing the quality of life in the region. The Ambassadors encourage GMG member involvement, networking, and retention, actively participate in ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings, celebrating milestones with local businesses and organizations.

As influential members of the business community, Ambassadors leverage their roles to expand their professional visibility, as well as that of their business or organization. They gain exclusive access to leadership opportunities, priority invitations to community events, and a deeper understanding of the local business landscape. Through their involvement, they also influence chamber programs and initiatives, ensuring their alignment with community needs. By fostering connecting and driving collaboration, the Ambassadors not only contribute to the success of Greater Mankato Growth but also bolster their personal and professional success, embodying the spirit of leadership and service.

If you work for a Greater Mankato Growth member business at Engaged level or higher, and are interested in becoming an Ambassador, click here to apply.

Dan Baker, CENTURY 21 Atwood Realty, Inc.
Jenn Faust, Pioneer Bank
Carrie Flanagan, APX Construction Group
JO Guck Bailey, Sign Pro / JGBailey Communications
Bruce Gratz, Bethany Lutheran College
Rick Harbarth, Compeer Financial
Fred Lutz, Retired
Claire Patterson, Mankato Clinic
Amber Pietan, Amber Pietan Travel Agency
Leah Pockrandt, Minnesota River Valley Title & Abstracting
Judy Ringler Mountain, New York Life Insurance Company
Christi Wilking, Mayo Clinic Health System

Nicole Bardon, Hatanpa Insurance Agency – State Farm
Terry Beenken, Goodtimes Manufacturing
Jess Blais, First National Bank
Tammy Bohlke, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Cody Booker, Maschka Personal Injury
Shawn Boyle, Schwickert’s Tecta America
Heather Clark-Esser, Oleson + Oleson Architects
Gabrielle Cohrs, Globe Family Heritage
Martha Croyle, Edina Realty
Jill Cusick, Greater Mankato Area United Way
Laura Doyen, KIA of Mankato
Ashlyn Engebretson, WEB Construction
Sarah Fette, Doherty Staffing Solutions
Tami Gay, Carlson-Tillisch Eye Clinic
Kathy Gerber, BENCO Electric Cooperative
Isiah Godfrey, Old National Bank
Kaaren Grabianowski, Minnesota River Builders Association & Rickway Carpet
Jordan Greer, Mankato Free Press
Dr. Murphy Grotewold, Carlson-Tillisch Eye Clinic
Nate Gruenzner, Reagan Outdoor Advertising of Rochester
John Gunderson, Bethany Lutheran College
Sarah Haman, Monarch Healthcare Management
Amy Jo Hadler
Trae Hobson, Massad Real Estate
Lisa Hoffman Wojcik, LEEP
Mike Holm, Fully Promoted Mankato
Nate Host, APX Construction Group
Tim Huebsch, Community Member
Jake Jaeger, BankVista
Aaron Jones, J. Longs
Austin Kaiser, Aerotek
Carrie Kijenski, Gray Digital Media/KEYC
Lea Kleinschmidt, Birkholz Law
Devin Krienke, Devin Krienke & Associates LLC
Jeff Lang, Radio Mankato
Tara Lang, Performance Foodservice Minnesota
Steve Lawrence, Edge Home Finance, Busch/Lawrence Group
Abby Lewis, Kitchen, Baths, and More
Cameron Lindblom, U.S. Bank
Ann Macgregor, Minnesota Valley Action Council
Leah Macgregor, Spherion Staffing Services
Katie Mons, Junior Achievement North – Greater Mankato Area
Patrick Nord, Aerotek
Bridget Norland, Gustavus Adolphus College
Dakota Odermann
Debbie Ogren, The Integrity Real Estate Group at True Real Estate
Crystal Olson, Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota
Alayna Osborne, Mayo Clinic Health System
Francis Otaigbe, First National Bank
Dustin Paulson, Forward Minded Media
Claire Patterson, Mankato Clinic
Liz Paul, Connections Ministry
Brett Prescher, Culligan
Bob Reeves, Kato Moving & Storage – Mayflower
Christian Rank, Pioneer Bank
Dan Reinke, Aerotek
Leah Ries, Mankato Area Youth Choirs
Tamera Saar, Old National Bank
Jack Schwartz, Brown & Brown
Ashley Sellner, Spherion Staffing & Recruiting
Lee Schuster, Office Space Design
Erin Simmons, Mankato Youth Place
Kristen Simpson, MRCI
Kaitlynn Steele, Brennan Companies
Benjamin Suker, Minnesota Valley Federal Credit Union
Jennifer Svien, Pioneer Bank
Shawna Tousignant, Families First of Minnesota
Kristin Underwood, South Central College
Victoria Vogel, Hilton Garden Inn
Becky Wagner, West Bank
Jake Ward, Forward Minded Media
Jennifer Wanderscheid, Tailwind Group
Chris Westrup, Huntington Bank
Thom Wilkins, RE/MAX Dynamic Agents
Connor Wurm, Ameriprise Financial
Jordan Yess, Radio Mankato
Matt Zebro, Frandsen Bank & Trust

Cavaliers

Greater Mankato Cavaliers provide activities that encourage member involvement, networking, and retention. Cavaliers welcome new members to our organization and serve as friendly greeters at Business After Hours events held every month.

Cavaliers meet monthly over lunch and share experiences from their visits. If you work for a Greater Mankato Growth member business at Engaged level or higher, and are interested in becoming a Cavalier, click here to apply.

Dan Baker, CENTURY 21 Atwood Realty, Inc.
Jenn Faust, Pioneer Bank
Carrie Flanagan, Volk Transfer, Inc.
Rick Harbarth, Compeer Financial
Joy Kelley, Ploog Electric
Megan Lange, Brown & Brown of MN
Amber Pietan, Amber Pietan Travel Agency
Judy Ringler Mountain, New York Life Insurance Company
Lori Rieff, CENTURY 21 Atwood Realty, Inc
Kris Simpson, MRCI Worksource
Liz Thiesse, The Landline Company

Tammy Bohlke, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Ray Brauer, Twin Valley Council Boy Scouts of America
Gabrielle Cohrs, Globe Family Heritage
Laura Doyen, B the Light
Jodie Drager, The Meatery
Tami Gay, Carlson-Tillisch Eye Clinic
Chantal Heetland, Century 21 – Landmark Realtors
Lisa Hoffman Wojcik, LEEP
Nate Host, APX Construction Group
Brittany Johnson, Schmidt Siding and Window
Austin Kaiser, Aerotek
Kate Kelley, Farrish Johnson Law Office
Lea Kleinschmidt, Birkholz Law
Steve Lawrence, Edge Home Finance, Busch/Lawrence Group
Jeff Lang, Radio Mankato
Megan Lange, Brown & Brown of MN, Inc.
Irene Leiferman, Connect Real Estate
Abby Lewis, Kitchen, Baths, and More
Leah Macgregor, Spherion Staffing Services
David McCandless, Primerica
Jean Noren, Gustavus Adolphus College
Bridget Norland, Store It
Shannon Nuy, Schwickert’s Tecta America
Dakota Odermann, Boelter Window & Siding
Sheila Ous, Minnesota Valley Action Council
Dustin Paulson, Forward Minded Media
Brett Prescher, Boelter Window & Siding
Jennifer Svien, Pioneer Bank
Becky Wagner, West Bank
Matt Zebro, Frandsen Bank & Trust

Serving on a Board of Directors

Serving on a board of directors is a wonderful opportunity to take part in supporting and strengthening the Greater Mankato community. It can be a powerful way for leaders to develop and grow a network of peers and professional connections, as well as to cultivate new skillsets.

There are four boards that support the Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. Applications are typically accepted in the last quarter of each year. If you would like to learn more, please contact Greater Mankato Growth.

Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. is governed by a board made up of an intentional composition of stakeholders representing the diverse mix of businesses within the marketplace. GMG’s mission is to support and promote the economic growth and vitality of our members and the regional marketplace.

Monthly board meetings are regularly scheduled on the third Thursday of each month from 7:00 am to 8:30 am. 

 Visit Mankato, LLC is governed by a 16-member board of governors made up of a precise composition of stakeholders representing the tourism industry and marketplace. Visit Mankato’s Mission is to lead the development of the visitor economy in Greater Mankato.

Monthly Board meetings are held the fourth Thursday of each month at 8:00 am Eligibility requirements include alignment with an open seat and ability to meet during the regular Board meeting times.

Downtown Partnership of Mankato-North Mankato, LLC is governed by a board of governors committed to furthering the Partnership’s goal of promoting collaboration and fostering investment in the downtown districts of Mankato and North Mankato. This effort aims to attract and support the growth of a diverse array of businesses, customers, visitors, and residents in the region.

The Board generally meets the third Tuesday of selected months from 8:15 to 9:15 am; board members are asked to serve on at least one committee, with most committees meeting monthly.

GreenSeam, LLC is governed by a 20-member board made up of an intentional composition of stakeholders representing the diverse mix of entities within the GreenSeam region (southern Minnesota and northern Iowa). GreenSeam’s vision is to shape the future of agriculture, businesses, and communities in the region and elevate our region as the world-class food and agribusiness epicenter.

If you are interested in learning more or getting involved, please email or call 507-385-6640.

Committees 

Committee members support specific initiatives that help carry out the mission of the business units within Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. Their time, knowledge, and skills make an incredible impact on our organization and our community. Committments vary by committee.

Our advocacy volunteers provide leadership and expertise to guide and advance Greater Mankato Growth’s advocacy initiatives. Volunteers are made up of diverse business and political backgrounds.

To learn more about being a part of this committee, contact Andy Wilke.

Downtown Partnership of Mankato-North Mankato operates four separate committees with a strategic focus on the core principles of downtown revitalization: Economic Vitality, Promotion, Organization, and Design.

To learn more about joining one of the Downtown Partnership of Mankato-North Mankato committees, call 507-385-6640.

GreenSeam operates four separate committees driving GreenSeam’s strategic initiatives: Business Expansion & Retention; Business Attraction & Creation; Talent Development, Retention & Attraction; and Regional Branding & Promotion.

To learn more about joining one of the GreenSeam committees, email [email protected] or call 507-385-6672.

The Mankato Marathon Taskforce is a group of running enthusiasts who support Visit Mankato, owners of the Mankato Marathon, with many different aspects of the planning process. This dedicated group lends their experiences all throughout the year, from the course, experiences along the course and at the finish line, swag concepts, medal design, and beyond.

To learn more about getting involved with the Mankato Marathon Taskforce, contact Joy Leafblad.

Other Ways to Get Involved

Mankato Marathon Event Volunteer
It takes nearly 500 volunteers to keep the Mankato Marathon event running. From course marshals to water stations, packet pick-up to finish line volunteers, we have something for everyone. Click here to view volunteer opportunities.

Business and Economic Development Engagement
Opportunities to get involved in economic development activities are listed here.

Event Support
The business units that make up Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. host several events throughout the year. If you are interested in assisting with the setup, take down, or other logistical support, call 507-385-6640.

Community Volunteer Opportunities
To check out volunteer opportunities throughout Greater Mankato, please follow this link.

Waterstop Volunteers at the Mankato Marathon