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When Kevin Wald started Ritalka, Inc. in March of 1997, it was housed in a single room of his home – a house built by C.A. Fosnes in Montevideo. At the time, Wald says he had no grandiose plan for how large the company could grow but knew he wanted to try his hand at being an entrepreneur. Wald, who had grown up in Pierre, South Dakota, was a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. He had started his career in Los Angeles, where he worked on ballistic missiles for land and submarine launch platforms. From there, he moved to Minnesota, completing his MBA at the University of St. Thomas and moving into a career at a company in Benson that was on the brink of becoming Case New Holland. “I knew they were getting ready to sell. I had already worked for a large corporation back in the 80s. I wasn’t excited to be with a large corporation, and so I decided I wanted to try the entrepreneurial thing,” Wald says.

On March 22nd, Celtic Cross Massage opened in a space located inside Cornerstone Chiropractic in Montevideo. Cindy Miller has been a licensed massage therapist for over 15 years, and recently moved to town, relocating her massage business from Fridley to Montevideo.

On Monday evening, the Montevideo High School hosted a Jazz Concert that included performances by the Montevideo High School Jazz Band as well as the SMSU Jazz Ensemble with guest drummer Allison Miller. The community was able to listen to the sounds of the SMSU Jazz Ensemble’s special guest drummer Allison Miller due in part to a grant from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council. Miller is a New York City based drummer, composer and teacher. She has been a three time Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. State Department among being named best of in a variety of polls as a solo drummer and member of a band. She teaches at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, as well as workshops, and camps in NYC. The musical performance by the SMSU Jazz Ensemble featured an exploration of music by female composers, including numbers such as “Crystal Cove” by Patty Darling and “Struttin’ With Some Barbecue” by Lillian Hardin Armstrong. Photos by Jessica Stolen-Jacobson

Around 15 years ago, a group of community members formed a committee to explore the idea of providing an after school program for parents in need of a safe place for their kids to spend time who were not yet old enough to be home alone. The program initially started as a branch of the Boys and Girls Club, but after some years it was determined that the cost of membership was too much, and so the group transformed to today’s Chippewa Valley Youth Club.

It was a chilly weekend across the state of Minnesota. Highs on Sunday were only in the 20s and 30s.

Editor’s Note: “Meet your local business community” is a new feature of the Montevideo-American News that aims to better connect our community to the people behind the businesses and services in our local area. To participate in this feature, contact Jessica Stölen-Jacobson at jstolen-jacobson@ cherryroad.com