said of the award in a press release. “The Horatio Al-
ger Association’s longstanding belief in the American
Dream is reflected in the inspiring life stories of some
very special Americans who have given much to pre-
serve our cherished way of life. I share this award with
my hometown of St. Peter whose town folk looked af-
ter me in my youth. I share this honor with my family
and friends and the good people in Owatonna. And I
share this honor with Federated employees, past and
present, who embrace my belief that our country is
truly one of unlimited opportunity for those who wish
to grasp it.”
The youngest of four children, Annexstad was
born on a small dairy farm near St. Peter in 1940.
When he was five years old, his father died, and
through sacrifice and fortitude his mother raised the
family alone, he said, and he attributes much of his
success to her. He will become just the 10th Minne-
Cybex International, a
manufacturer of exercise
equipment, recently re-
newed their commitment
to the community, as the
mayor explains.
Owatonna’s
Top Employers
Viracon/Curvlite Inc.,
architectural glass &
glass products
1,700
Federated
Insurance Co.,
business insurance
carrier
1,500
in Owatonna
Total
2,700
Truth Hardware,
window hardware
901
SPX Corp- OTC
Division, auto
electrical equipment
800
“The Midwestern work
force, and work ethic, is still
head and shoulders above
anyone else, and anywhere
else, in the country.”
—OWATONNA MAYOR TOM KUNTZ
sotan to be given the honor in the Horatio Alger Association’s 62-year history.
To this day, one-tenth of Federated Insurance’s
2,600 employees nationwide are from towns around
southern Minnesota, and graduates of places such
as Gustavus Adolphus College and Minnesota State
University Mankato. The mayor of Owatonna thinks
he knows why.
“The Midwestern work force, and work ethic, is
still head and shoulders above anyone else, and anywhere else, in the country,” says Tom Kuntz, who grew
up in Owatonna, and has been mayor since 2004.
Though a strong work ethic has been a constant,
and Owatonna is home to some long-standing businesses, he has seen change.
“Owatonna has been very privileged because its
been historically made up of home-grown businesses.
We are, however, transitioning from those types of
businesses to larger corporations. Even as that happens though, we have been fortunate that as they grow
or change ownership or what have you, the commitment to Owatonna remains.”
Owatonna Public
School District
750
Wenger Corp.,
musical equipment
manufacturing
460
Josten’s, school
rings, recognition
and printing
376
Cybex Corp.,
exercise equipment
manufacturing
358
Cabela’s,
sporting goods
353
Owatonna Clinic,
multi-specialty
medical clinic
350
Steele County
Government
317
SOURCE: OWATONNA
PARTNERS FOR ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
ous plant, and then also
find some financing for
their new facility.”
That new facility in
Owatonna is located on
36 acres and measures
340,000 square feet—
eight football fields—
under one roof. That
includes 275,000 square feet of manufacturing space,
35,000 square feet of office space and 30,000 square
feet of warehouse space.
In February 2009 the company reduced its total
workforce by five percent, including 20 people in
Owatonna, but the mayor says “they still employ more
people in Owatonna than they did before they had the
new building.”
“The entrepreneurial spirit is what has created so
much business success for this community,” echoes
Brad Meier, president of the Owatonna Chamber
of Commerce. “We hope that the bright spot from
the recession will be an increase in people starting
new businesses. The Owatonna Business Incubator
for example is set up to assist with those great ideas
through small business development services as well
as physical space to start up in.”
“Currently there is much talk about entrepre-
neurs,” writes former Congressman Tim Penny, in an
article for Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation,
a 501(c)( 3) organization he now heads. “We strongly
believe small business entrepreneurs are the key to
growing our communities in the 21st century. Stud-
ies show that 80 percent of all new jobs are created by
small businesses. So growing small business entrepre-
neurs is a vital economic development strategy.”
SMIF was one of six Minnesota regional founda-
tions established by the Minneapolis-based McKnight
Foundation and others in 1986. The organization has
provided $19.5 million to support over 350 business-
es in the 20-county area around southern Minnesota.
That includes helping grow small business entrepre-
neurs as a micro enterprise lender. Under contract
with the Small Business Administration (SBA), they
distribute roughly $230,000 in loans annually within
their region.
