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

• Graco – 64 projects to date
• Lid Boss – touchless coffee lid dispenser
• Boating-related projects for Brunswick, Lunds, Mercury, and Varatti (wake-surfing board)
• Target: Bullseye the Dog and seating benches
• Prosthetic leg
• Low-speed vehicle to market to retirement communities
• Bobcat
• Hotels – a sheet folding machine
• Prisons – Reliance Telephone for prisoner use, restraint recliner
• Histotripsy System – pinpoints cancer tumors and erases them, non-invasive cancer-removal, resulting in patients being cancer-free after a treatment.

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

•          Units are “non-combustible” because the shell is made entirely from concrete.
•          Each unit has in-floor heating.
•          Units are customizable.
•          Units cannot be lived in or used as a vacation rental.
•          Condo/business loans can be used for purchase financing.
•          Unit owner is responsible for all utilities.
•          An HOA will be created when a threshold of sales is met.

 

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.

•          Buyers in St. Michael are coming for the school district as well as the sense of community they feel when they are here.
•          There has been a low inventory of homes for sale in the area over the past 10 years.
•          Prices of homes over the last few years have been steady even with higher interest rates due to year over year of low inventory.
•          The number of short sales has increased, and foreclosures have decreased.

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.

History

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. 

Ties to the Community

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’s Future

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.

Millside Facts

• Established in 1938
• Building is 2,680 square feet that sits on 300 feet of river front
• The building has a bar, cooler, small kitchen, inside seating, a game room and two restrooms
• All staff are part-time
• Voted the Best Burger in Minnesota each year since 2011 in the Crow River News Reader’s Choice Awards
• Voted Best Burger in Minnesota in 2023 by the Star Tribune
• The Tavern is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. and Sunday Noon – 9 p.m. They are closed on all holidays.

Most Popular Items

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 Home Grown on May 22, 2024

Ellie and Drew Anderson, owners of the newly opened Home Grown Restaurant, met with members onsite and explained they provided meals with quality locally sourced ingredients, making from scratch simple foods customers could feel good about. Ellie gave a brief background of the old building saying they wanted to preserve the building’s history while adding a new piece to St. Michael’s growing downtown area. In the next couple of years, the plan is to construct a 2-story commercial building to include shops and hopefully create a fun walkable atmosphere.  Home Grown has six full-time employees and approximately 50 part-time.

Home Grown is located at 11 St. Michael Parkway E.

For more information on Home Grown Restaurant visit saintmichaelhomegrown.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:

•          United States Post Office
•          Dollar Tree
•          Subway
•          H&R Block
•          Refine Pilates
•          Auto Zone (scheduled to open in October 2024)
•          Big Al’s Bowling & Bar

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 43^rd St NE, St. Michael, MN

For more information on Apollo Technology Group visit apollotechnologygroup.com