With over 200 employees across multiple locations, Citizens Alliance Bank focuses on small towns, family-owned businesses, and the local communities where their branches are located. Locally, Citizens Alliance Bank has locations in both Montevideo and Granite Falls, where they offer agricultural, commercial, and personal banking done locally.

Benson & Helgeson Insurance dealt with a number of challenges in 2022 with storms and retirements of long term employees Barb Boike and Steve Helgeson. The agency added two new employees to the team in 2022 - Megg Sachariason and Melissa Erickson. Megg has taken over the agency’s auto, home and commercial policies, and Melissa is the new office manager.

Dryer Doctors LLC in Montevideo has been in business for six years, offering grain dryer, and grain handling sales and service. The company found its beginnings in 2017, when Josh Bauman, John Keller, and Leon Fokken, all co-workers at Custom Ag left to work for Northern Grain, and only a year and a half later, Northern Grain closed its doors. “We had calls from farmers saying we don’t care if you’re working at Walmart - you’d better figure this out because this fall when we have harvest, you’re going to be in my yard,” says John Keller. “So out of necessity for the farmers, we just said ok.”

In the past year, the Montevideo School District made significant changes to class offerings, expanding the College in School program, which doubled the number of credits offered. In addition, the Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities offered by the district received a makeover through an effort to create partnerships with local industries. “Industry partners are helping teach courses, advising in relevant and essential curriculum that matches work force outcomes, and more broadly opening their doors for industry tours, job shadowing and internships,” says Montevideo Schools Superintendent Wade McKittrick.

Simply Blessed Boutique opened its doors for the first time in April of 2019. Since then, owner Miranda Gilbertson has expanded the boutiques offerings, most recently adding a line of candles from Chalkboard Candle Co. “They are non-toxic, clean burning candles. A portion of the profits go directly to teachers via a check sent directly to them,” says Gilbertson.

The Southwest Minnesota Chief Elected Officials Board recently appointed Jacque Peters to the Southwest Minnesota Workforce Development Board. Ms. Peters serves as a Private Sector Representative for Chippewa County. She is the Human Resources Manager for Chandler Industries in Montevideo, and Long Prairie, and the Corporate Benefits and Safety Manager for all five of Chandler Industries’ locations in Minnesota - Bethel, Blaine, Lindstrom, Long Prairie, and Montevideo. She is passionate about the HR field and enjoys the fast paced, dynamic, and changing environment the manufacturing industry provides.