On June 23, 2026, the Economic Development Authority (EDA) visited with Chris Petrich, owner of Hardware Hank, which has been in St. Michael since 1955! They are proud to provide great service and meet a variety of needs for the community. For more information about Hardware Hank, visit Hardware Hank - St. Michael, MN | Shop Hardware & Home Improvement
On February 25, 2026, the Economic Development Authority (EDA) visited Die Technology, Inc. (Die Tech) and Nanotech Precision (Nanotech), located at 12925 42nd St NE, Suite 100/200. Human Resource Manager James Dolan gave a tour of the facilities.
Die Tech is a high precision machining company and an innovator in tool and die manufacturing, supporting complex, tolerance-critical applications. They design and build precision stamping dies, tools, and fixtures, and offer a full range of precision machining services.
Nanotech Precision is a micro component manufacturer that provides research and development support and focuses on innovation in high-volume micro component manufacturing.
Die Tech and Nanotech operate in separate facilities under the same roof. Die Tech manufactures micron precision dies, tools, and fixtures, while Nanotech manufactures micro components with micro features at high volumes, often utilizing fixtures that have been developed by Die Tech. Both organizations focus on continuous innovation and improvements in people and technology.
Die Tech employs 27 full-time and two part-time staff, while Nanotech employs 41 full-time and one part-time staff. The organizations have hosted many robotics teams as well as the CIM (Computer Integrated Manufacturing) class from the St. Michael-Albertville high school in the past, and in some cases have brought on interns following those tours. On average, the two organizations hire two to three employees per year.
History
1988 | Die Technology was established in Maple Grove, MN.
1998 | Die Technology moved from Maple Grove to Osseo, doubling square footage.
2014 | Acquisition of Custom Jig Grinding.
2019 | Separation of Die Technology, Inc. and Nanotech Precision, LLC.
2021 | Die Technology and Nanotech Precision move from Osseo to newly constructed 30,000-square-foot facility in St. Michael.
For more information about Die Technology, visit dietechnology.com
For more information on Nanotech Precision, visit nanotechmn.com
On January 28, 2026, the Economic Development Authority (EDA) had the pleasure of meeting two people, whose love of music created the SoundHouse, a local music school located at 601 Central Ave. W, Suite 103, St. Michael. SoundHouse owner Tiffini Ventura and Director Justin Bazzani gave the EDA a tour of their facility that opened in October 2023.
Ventura and Bazzani’s goal is to inspire and educate the next generation of musicians. They accomplish that by providing music, voice, and group lessons to students of all ages and skill levels.
SoundHouse employs one full-time employee (Director), the owner, and currently have 14 to 15 contracted music teachers. The school is made up of 12 rooms for music lessons, a large open lounge area where they occasionally hold student recitals and performances, and a waiting area that includes some toddler-friendly musical toys.
Services include:
They also support the musical stylings of four student rock bands, some of which have performed at Family Night in the Park and at the Daze & Knights Festival.
Hours of operation are Monday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday from noon to 7 p.m., and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
For more information about SoundHouse, visit soundhousemn.com.
On Dec. 3, 2025, the Economic Development Authority visited B&D Plumbing, Heating, & A/C which is now located at 12821 44th Court NE, Suite 100. Vice Presidents Claire Cullinan and Kevin Daleiden gave a tour of their new larger facility that they moved into in April 2025. They use the remainder of the 60,000 SF building, which includes a mezzanine area.
B&D is one of the top employers in the City of St. Michael. The staff consists of 128 full-time and one part-time employee, with approximately 40 employees in the office. They have 85 vehicles in their fleet. The company serves clients in residential new construction, commercial construction, home remodels, and service calls.
Their facility houses:
For more information about B&D Plumbing, Heating & A/C, visit bdplumbers.com
On Dec. 3, 2025, the Economic Development Authority visited Backhand Brew, which is located at 12821 44th Court NE, Suite 300. Owners Jaeden Brumm and Aaron Sarvey gave a tour of the facility and explained how the concept was born. Brumm and Sarvey are neighbors and shared their desire to own and operate their own business (Brumm – Coffee Shop, Sarvey – Pickleball Facility). They joined forces, combined both their passions, and opened Backhand Brew the previous Friday, Nov. 28, 2025.
Backhand Brew Notable Items
For more information on Backhand Brew, visit backhandbrew.com
On Aug. 27, 2025, the Economic Development Authority visited Due North Car Wash at 445 Central Ave. E.
Jessica and Cory Kampschroer, owners, provided a tour and shared how the company is using cutting edge technology and processes to use significantly less fresh water than most car washes.
For more information about Due North Car Wash, visit duenorthwash.com.
On July 23, 2025, the EDA visited Cash-Wise Liquor, located at 308 Central Ave. E. Store Manager Svetlana Gunderson gave a tour of the facility and discussed their recent 5,000 square-foot expansion, bringing the store's total square footage to 20,000. The store remained open for business during the entirety of the construction process. They celebrated the completion of the project with a ribbon-cutting on June 30, 2025.
Notable changes:
The store employs four full-time and nine part-time staff. They receive product deliveries daily to accommodate the one deliver dock at the back of the store and minimize backstock and storage space needs.
For more information about Cash-Wise Liquors, visit cashwise.com/CWstore7043.
On June 25, 2025, the Economic Development Authority (EDA) visited the Village at Town Center Apartments, located at 11811 Frankfort Parkway NE.
Property Managers Charlotte Naegele and Stephanie Yang gave a tour of the community amenity building.
Onsite Amenities include:
· Community Room with kitchen and fireplace
· Game room with kitchenette, pool table, and table tennis
· Fitness room
· Movie Theatre
· Sports simulator
· Outdoor patio with grilling area
· Fenced-in dog park
· Pet-washing station
· Basketball court
· Playground
· Free above-ground parking
· Heated underground parking for a fee
Managers shared that out of the 230 units in the complex, they were at approximately 96% capacity at the time of the visit. They offer studio, 1-bedroom, 1-bedroom plus den, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom options with rent ranging between $1,900 and $2,150 per month. They employ three full-time staff and a part-time cleaner.
For more information about Village at Town Square Apartments, visit villageattc.com.
Keller/Baartman Properties owns and manages Village at Town Center Apartments.
On May 28, 2025, the Economic Development Authority visited LADC, which is located at 5900 Quam. LADC was started in 1984 as Landscape Architects Design Contractors, and several years ago, moved to its acronym, LADC, as their official company name.
LADC is a full-service maintenance company that serves clients in five states. Fifty-five percent of their business is commercial snow and ice maintenance. LADC Regional Manager Brandon Reilly shared their unique business model. They assign at least one specific machine and staff member to each client site. The machines are stored at the client site throughout the winter season. That model allows for a quick response to snow events. Staff automatically know where to report and, after a clearing or two, learn the best ways for fast and efficient snow removal for that site. Storing the removal equipment on site eliminates the additional transport time of the machine from LADC to the client site. It also allows back-up staff to go directly to the site if they need to fill in for any reason.
Other services they provide:
Their site is approximately 2.5 acres with an 18,000 square foot mechanic bay and storage. They also have business offices and a conference room onsite. During spring, summer, and fall, they employ 35 full-time employees and expand to around 180 full-time staff during the winter.
For more information on LADC, visit ladcusa.net
On March 26, 2025, the Economic Development Authority (EDA) visited the Center for Advanced Design (CAD) located at 5410 Quam Circle NE in St. Michael.
CAD is a new product design firm that has seven full-time employees. The 3,600-square-foot building gives them plenty of room for creativity and collaboration for the wide array of products they design.
On their website, they describe themselves as always asking,
“What if?’ It’s the question that fuels innovation. At CAD, we understand the difference between invention and innovation. Invention is important; it’s the beginning, it’s the spark, but innovation is where we actually create value for CAD, our customers, and the world.”
CAD creates the most promising inventions while practicing the discipline of design engineering and utilizing fundamental design knowledge to solve difficult problems.
CAD describes their work as,
“The journey from a need to an idea to a product is driven by curiosity and guided by experience. No process can make up for the lack of creativity or curiosity. Design is a collaborative enterprise; we are fortunate to work with the world’s greatest clients, and it’s our will to deliver above and beyond expectations that drives us each day.”
Projects CAD has worked on
History
CAD CEO Marc McCauley and President Jesse Hahne worked for Sportech in Elk River. As Sportech grew and McCauley and Hahne’s work moved away from their true desire to be leaders in product invention and creation, the concept for CAD was born.
Companies reach out to CAD with an idea, and CAD creates a design to make that idea a reality. They develop a mathematical representation of the surface of an object for 3-D rendering and use 3-D printers to create a physical model so that tools for mass production can be made. They consider available materials and means of production during the design process to ensure the feasibility of the products making it to market.
Owners and co-founders Marc and Jesse also started CAM, a business where parts for some of their inventions are manufactured. The owners are constructing a 7,000-square-foot building on the current CAD site to optimize workflow efficiency. Currently, they lease space for their manufacturing and shipping on Quam, further up the street from the CAD building. CAM makes 150 different molds for parts in an average year.
Some mass production is outsourced to offices in China and Vietnam. The benefit of this business model is that the 8-10 full-time employees can be scaled up to 200-250 employees for projects with tight deadlines.
For more information about CAD and the designs they have engineered, visit centerforadvanceddesign.com.
The EDA visited Hideout Supermax Suites on Feb. 26, 2025.
Prior to the meeting, the EDA visited Hideout Supermax Suites located at 5000 Odessa Ave. NE in St. Michael. Hideout is a luxury garage facility with individual units for sale for car enthusiasts and others who want a secure, private space to store and display their vehicles and/or other valuables.
One of the owners, Rick Nuss, gave a tour of three built-out garage units, provided a summary of the project’s process, and gave an update sharing how the company is doing in the first phase of this project.
When all phases of the project are finished, there will be 10 buildings each with multiple luxury garage units that will vary slightly in size. Units available now are 40 feet deep with width options of 20, 30, or 40 feet.
An integral part of the plan is to create a sense of community by hosting both owner events, and also community car shows, or other gatherings open to the general public.
Features of garage units
For more information on Hideout Supermax Suites visit thehideoutus.com.
The EDA visited Zachman Realty Group on Jan. 22, 2025.
Prior to the meeting the EDA visited Zachman Realty Group (ZRG) located at 249 Central Ave. E, Suite 1, in St. Michael. Realtor Stacy Zachman provided a summary and brief history of the company during the visit.
ZRG consists of six realtors with over 50 years of combined experience to assist buyers and sellers with their needs. Most of their work focuses on residential properties in St. Michael, Albertville, Monticello, Big Lake, Rogers, Dayton, and some representation in Plymouth. A benefit they provide sellers is the opportunity to remodel areas in the home that will increase the value of client’s homes prior to listing it for sale. They can also provide staging services to visually highlight the best features of the home or to promote how to use a space to potential buyers.
Stacy Zachman shared what she has seen in the housing market over the years.
The Group was affiliated with Edina Realty but transitioned to REMAX Results at the beginning of 2024. They lease 1,250 square feet of space in a building set on the corner of Central Ave. and Lincoln Drive. You can learn more about this business at zachmanrealtygroup.com.
MidWestOne Bank Vice President/Retail Manager John Jost provided a tour of the bank which is located on the lower level of 750 Central Ave, St. Michael. MidWestOne is based in Iowa City, Iowa and has 52 branches overall. All branches are considered standalone community banks.
The St. Michael branch moved into this building in 2006 and currently employees 15 staff covering a variety of services. Approximately half of the employees have hybrid work schedules working both remotely and in the office. The Retail Staff (about half of the staff) are fulltime at the branch.
Jost shared how banking has changed since the onset of COVID-19 during the tour. He stated that less than 10% of business at this location is in-person. Of that 10% only a small portion are traditional banking services. The bulk of in-person service revolves around online banking challenges.
Bank hours are: Drive-Thru: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m, Lobby: Monday-Friday 9-5 p.m.
For more information visit midwestone.bank
Peggy S. Schumm, CPA is located on the second floor of the 750 Central Ave. building. Schumm has officed in the building for eight years and has nine employees that provide a variety of tax and accounting services to individuals, non-profits, and businesses. Approximately 60% of the company’s customers are from the local area.
For more information about this business visit cpapss.com
The EDA visited Millside Tavern on Oct. 23, 2024.
Prior to the meeting Becky Berning, co-owner of Millside Tavern with her husband Scott, gave a tour of the business. Berning wove a story of family, history, and community that marks the restaurant/tavern as a unique gem for both old and new St. Michael residents.
The story begins with the first Anthony Berning and his family settling near the original Catholic Church in St. Michael along the banks of the Crow River in 1855. Anthony bought the land where the old church stood and established a small farm in 1866 when a new Catholic Church was built. Anthony and his sons stopped farming and established the flour mill in 1881. Anthony worked the mill until he died in 1897. After his passing his oldest son, Joseph Berning took over the mill.
Joseph and his sons worked the mill his entire life until he passed in 1930. The Mill was handed to another son and remained in operation until 1991. During this time the bridge, dam and tavern were constructed.
Anthony Berning was Scott’s third great-grandfather. But it was Scott’s second-great grandfather that established the tavern in 1938. In 1940, the ownership of the tavern passed to Scott’s grandparents Everett and Loretta Berning, and they ran it until 1996 when it was purchased by Scott and Becky.
Becky reminisced about the Banjo Benny’s live music and that it was a hopping place after the dance hall would let out. She pointed out the area where live bait used to be displayed and sold. She spoke of transforming a haven for old snowmobile parts to a game room at the tavern. And perhaps the most endearing story was how they empowered children to help do work (like put up chairs, collect ketchup/mustard bottles, etc.) in exchange for an ice cream cone or malt. This created a long, deep connection with the community and built long-lasting relationships.
“Kids that helped years ago now bring their families in to share a piece of this down-home family atmosphere,” Becky shared with a smile.
Millside Tavern is slated to be taken over by one of Scott and Becky’s sons. There may be interest in expanding the business at that time. But for now, Becky seems very satisfied with how the Tavern serves the community.
Traditionally the most popular burger has been the Double Bacon Cheeseburger with Onion Rings.
However, the Western burger and Berning burger are growing in popularity.
The EDA visited MP Seafood on Sept. 25, 2024.
Hector Perez of MP Seafood (owned by Martinez Produce & Seafood) met with members onsite at their facility and provided a tour of the warehouse, processing area and freezers. Martinez Produce & Seafood provides sashimi-grade fish, other fresh fish, produce and dry goods to commercial customers. They currently occupy a 21,500 square foot facility and will accommodate future growth. They employ 6-7 people and serve approximately 250 customers.
MP Seafood is located at 12321 42nd Street NE, Saint Michael, MN.
For more information on MP Seafood visit mpseafood.com.
The EDA visited Creekside Center (Formerly Colonial Mall) on Aug. 28, 2024.
A presentation and tour provided by Property Owner Jeff Benzinger.
Benzinger purchased the “Colonial Mall” approximately two and a half years ago and renamed the mall to Creekside Center. He remodeled the space to meet needs of businesses that are priced out of new development and create an affordable space/opportunity to locate their business in St. Michael.
The overall square footage of the Center is approximately 54,000 square feet. 41,500 square feet are leased and 12,500 are still available. The most dramatic change residents will see is the new building front, new sign, and that each space now has their own outside entrance and restrooms.
Existing businesses in Creekside Center are:
Benzinger noted he also has purchased the St. Michael Mall across Hwy 241 and plans to continue investing in St. Michael as opportunities arise.
Creekside Mall is located at 403 Central Ave. E, St. Michael, MN
The EDA visited Apollo Technology Group on April 24, 2024.
Matt Robeck, Division Manager – Industrial Controls of Apollo Technology Group, gave a tour and history of the facility. The building is approximately 55,000 square feet and the company is planning an additional 55,000 square foot building be added to the site (which is currently under construction - Oct. 18, 2024).
Apollo has just over 350 employees with 40-45 St. Michael residents. Other Minnesota facilities are in Chanhassen and Princeton.
Apollo is located at 12270 43rd St NE, St. Michael, MN
For more information on Apollo Technology Group visit apollotechnologygroup.com