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Jumpstart Your Year

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About

Invest in yourself with expert advice to help you work more efficiently and make new connections that will support business growth. Get tips on tech, productivity, and wellness, all while networking with business leaders you’ve been wanting to meet.

Join us at Life Time Work in downtown Minneapolis to hear from three key experts on practical ways to improve and set goals in 2026. Following each mini-talk, join in small group discussions led by admired executives you’ll want to know.

Engage with and receive advice from Twin Cities business leaders
Expand your professional network
Kickstart your 2026 professional goals and learn how to achieve them

Schedule

Registration & Social Hour

Presentations & Table Discussions

Program Concludes

Event Concludes

Featured Speakers

Each speaker will share insights in 10 minute lightning rounds, followed by table group discussion.

Joe Meier

Life Time Personal Training Leader & Nutitionist

MJ Johnson

CEO, Blank Metal

Sarah Moe

CEO, Sleep Health Specialists

Table Captains

Goal: Improve My Personal Brand

Aaron Keller

CEO & Founder, Capsule

Kymm Martinez

CEO, Wilder Marketing

Sharon Smith-Akinsanya

CEO, Rae Mackenzie Group

Goal: Scale My Business, Build An Engaged Team

Tyler Lorenzen

CEO, Puris Proteins

Michelle Henry

CEO and Founder, Face Foundrie

Scott Burns

General Partner, Mairs & Power Venture Capital

Goal: Expand My Leadership Skills

Rocky Novak

Co-CEO, Zeus Jones

Christine Fruechte

Board Chair & Board Director, The Minnesota Star Tribune

Margaret Murphy

CEO, Bold Orange

Tiffani Daniels

Director of Consumer Loyalty & Rewards, General Mills

Sponsors

Special thanks to our event sponsors, Life Time Work and College of St. Ben's & St. John's University.

Life Time Work

College of St. Ben's & St. John's University

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Photos

Location

Location

Life Time Work

30 South 9th Street Minneapolis, MN 55402

Contact Info

Star Tribune Event Team

rsvp@startribune.com

VIEW FULL SCHEDULE

Schedule Coming Soon.

Speaker Information

Joe Meier

Life Time Personal Training Leader & Nutritionist

Joe is the personal training manager at Life Time Eden Prairie Athletic and has over 10 years of experience in the industry. He has authored two fitness-focused books, the most recent being Lift for Life, A practical, evidence-based guide to training. He has been a health and fitness contributor for Experience Life and TIME magazines, Life Time Talks Podcast, Yahoo! Fitness, Men’s Journal at This, Not That!, Twin Cities Live, FOX 9, and WCCO.
He has a passion for developing other personal trainers and has contributed to their growth by creating the Racquet Sport Specialist Certification for Life Time and conducting the Dynamic Personal Training Development Series. Joe has worked with business leaders and executives and knows how important it is to plan time-efficient strategies for optimizing nutrition and exercise habits with a busy schedule. It’s not just about aesthetics – it’s about feeling physically and mentally sharp day in and out.

Speaker Information

MJ Johnson

CEO, Blank Metal

Matt brings entrepreneurial vision and technical depth to Blank Metal, having successfully launched multiple startups that blend advanced technology with human-centered design. With a knack for identifying opportunities where technologies like AI can solve genuine human problems, Matt has guided teams through the entire product lifecycle—from initial concept to market adoption. His background spans healthcare innovation, enterprise software, and digital transformation initiatives where he has consistently placed user needs at the center while pushing technical boundaries. At Blank Metal, Matt sets our strategic direction, ensuring we build solutions that are both technically brilliant and genuinely useful to the people who interact with them.

Speaker Information

Sarah Moe

CEO, Sleep Health Specialists

Sarah started her career in Sleep Medicine in 2006 and is the Founder and CEO of Sleep Health Specialists, which provides sleep education to businesses and corporations around the world. She has sat on the Board of Directors for the MN Sleep society as well as the Educational Products committee for the American Association of Sleep Technologists. For her role in Sleep Education in our workforce, Sarah has been named to the Minnesota Business Magazine’s “35 Under 35” 2016, “Most Likely to Succeed- Healthcare Division” finalist in 2017, “Women Who Lead” 2018, the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal’s “Women In Business” 2019, TeamWomen’s “WaveMaker Award- Uncharted Territory” finalist, 2019, and the Twin Cities Business Magazine’s “Female Entrepreneurs” 2022.

Speaker Information

Aaron Keller

CEO & Co-Founder, Capsule

Aaron is a founding partner and managing principal of Capsule, where he leads brand development, strategy, research and naming for the firm’s clients. He has over 20 years of consulting experience in marketing, branding and retail strategy for a range of brands, including Patagonia, Arc’teryx and KwikTrip. Aaron has a B.A. in Marketing Management from the University of St. Thomas and an M.B.A. from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He is also a columnist for Twin Cities Business magazine and co-author of the Physics of Brand.

Speaker Information

Kymm Martinez

CEO, Wilder Marketing

Kymm is an AI-enabled strategic marketing advisor and the Founder & CEO of Wilder Marketing Group, a boutique consultancy that helps mission-driven organizations move from tactical swirl to strategic momentum—strengthening marketing strategy, leadership capacity, and storytelling impact. Clients turn to Wilder Marketing Group for support with marketing strategy and plans, upskilling and coaching marketing teams,
designing the right marketing organization for their stage of growth, and incorporating AI in ways that amplify human contribution rather than replace it. Kymm brings 30+ years of C-suite and boardroom experience across Fortune 200 companies, nonprofits, and higher education. She has served as Chief Marketing Officer
for both the American Cancer Society and the University of St. Thomas, and previously was a corporate officer and P&L leader at General Mills, overseeing brands such as Cheerios, Pillsbury, Chex Mix, and Fruit Roll-Ups. She began her career in marketing with MetLife in New York. Her experience spans digital transformation, growth strategy, new product and program pipelines, and reinvigorating legacy brands while navigating complex organizational change. She’s worked closely with CEOs and executive teams to help clarify priorities,
strengthen brand performance, and get more impact from their marketing investments. Kymm holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA from Mount Holyoke College. She is based in Minneapolis, MN.

Speaker Information

Sharon Smith-Akinsanya

CEO, Rae Mackenzie Group

Sharon is a Regional Emmy®-nominated Executive Producer and the CEO of the Rae Mackenzie Group, an award-winning marketing firm that helps major corporations build deeper relationships with the fastest growing talent and consumer markets in Minnesota. Sharon is best known as the Founder of the People Of Color Career Fair® and the Executive Producer of Celebrating the Sistas®.. In all that she does, Sharon upholds her lifetime commitment to proximity and creating experiences that provide access to “get us in the same room as people who don’t look like us.” Sharon also leverages her relationships with CEOs and C-suite executives to create experiences that bring us together. This includes launching Access Commitment LIVE! powered by U.S. Bank, Andersen Corporation’s Celebration of Black Music, and the Business Bridge RESULTS initiative. Sharon is also the author of COLORFULL: Competitive Strategies to Attract and Retain Top Talent of Color.

Speaker Information

Tyler Lorenzen

CEO, Puris Proteins

Tyler is CEO of PURIS Proteins, where he has scaled his family’s business into North America’s largest pea protein producer. Since joining PURIS in 2011, Tyler has pioneered a first-to-market domestic pea protein platform,
growing it from concept to industry standard while navigating multiple market cycles and advancing a more sustainable, resilient food system. A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a degree in International
Business Management, Tyler brings a disciplined, team-first leadership style shaped by his experience as a collegiate quarterback and NFL player, including a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints. Known for his collaborative, captain-style approach, he is passionate about building high-performing teams and leading through complexity.

Speaker Information

Michelle Henry

CEO and Founder, Face Foundrie

Michelle is the Founder and CEO of FACE FOUNDRIÉ. She leads the company’s senior management team and oversees daily operations and nationwide expansion. Henry is the creator of the world’s largest focused facial bar chain. Henry helps to lead the company in new innovations and expansion. The company was founded in 2019 and now boasts over 65 national locations and nearly 125 more in development. As a member of the Women’s President Organization, Henry represents the beauty industry with some of the most prominent and well regarded women in business throughout the world. In addition to this, she served on the board of Young Presidents Organization (YPO), a 2022 40 under 40 Business Journal Honoree and winner of EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023. Her most recent adventure was launching Savant Aesthetics Institute where her team empowers students getting into the aesthetics industry. Henry is a mother of four, she holds two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota where she studied Business and Apparel Design. Soon after graduating she launched a series of companies including PRIMP, a cheap chic boutique, that she started with just $8,000 dollars in the middle of the recession. The company garnered over $25 million
in sales during her tenure. She sold her shares of PRIMP to pursue FACE FOUNDRIÉ. All of her businesses have been self-funded, grown 100% organically and debt-free.

Speaker Information

Tiffani Daniels

Director of Consumer Loyalty & Rewards, General Mills

With over 15 years of experience in brand management and marketing, Tiffani is a transformation leader. She has spearheaded consumer-centric strategy to achieve growth on household brands, led sustained change across an
enterprise and built inclusive teams as a people-first leader. As the inaugural Managing Director of the Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity (MBCRE), she designed a cross-sector initiative that brought together Fortune 500 companies and community partners to advance systemic change. She drew on her business acumen, personal experience, and operational discipline to establish MBCRE as a respected voice and convener in Minnesota. Across roles in both corporate and civic spaces, Tiffani has remained steadfast in her commitment to uplifting underserved communities while delivering impact through strategic clarity, innovation, and executional excellence.

Speaker Information

Scott Burns

General Partner, Mairs & Power Venture Capital

Scott joined Mairs & Power Private Capital Management in 2023 as General Partner after nearly 25 years leading venture-stage companies. With a deep-rooted passion for supporting entrepreneurs, Scott brings his own extensive entrepreneurial experience across multiple successful ventures, having founded GovDelivery and Structural. GovDelivery was one of the first companies to move governments into the cloud and was sold in 2016 to an investment group led by Vista Equity Partners for $153 million. Structural was an employee
connectivity and engagement platform that was sold to Augeo, a global leader in enterprise engagement and loyalty, in October 2022. Scott has been an active investor in startups and growth enterprises since 2010 through his own direct investments and through investments in a number of venture capital funds. He’s
served as an informal and formal advisor to countless entrepreneurial ventures. Scott is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a bachelor’s degree in economics and environmental studies. He started his career at McKinsey & Company in the Chicago / Minneapolis Office. He is committed to the St. Paul and Minneapolis
community, sitting on the board of the Star Tribune currently and serving in past board leadership roles with the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the St.Paul Library, and the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation. In 2021, Scott was appointed by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to serve on the Council for Economic
Expansion.

Speaker Information

Rocky Novak

Co-Ceo, Zeus Jones

Rocky is the President and Co-CEO of Zeus Jones, a brand strategy and design company helping blue chip brands unlock potential in the age of AI. Previously, as CEO of Fallon, he led the 44-year-old legacy agency through a period of 50% top-line growth, historically low employee turnover, and being named #2 on
the Ad Age list of “Best Places to Work for 2025.” Rocky has helped author chapters of growth for a wide variety of clients, including Arby’s (“We Have the Meats”), Comedy Central, Samsung, NBCUniversal, Citi,
Cadillac, Meta, H&R Block, American Home Shield, Disney, and Mattress Firm. These relationships have resulted in strong business performance and award-winning work. But more than anything, they’ve shown him the power of a client/agency partnership based on low ego and high ambition. Rocky is a frequent lecturer and is truly happy in a classroom. He co-created the University of Minnesota’s e-marketing curriculum and helped open the Digital Marketing Executive program at the American College of Thessaloniki, Greece

Speaker Information

Christine Fruechte

Board Chair & Board Director, The Minnesota Star Tribune

Christine is a former CEO, Board Chair, and trusted board director with more than three decades of leadership experience across public, private, and nonprofit organizations—helping leaders sharpen their brand, scale their impact, and lead through change with confidence. As CEO of Colle McVoy, she helped turn a great creative agency into a powerhouse—tripling revenue, growing earnings more than tenfold, and leaning early into B Corp certification, AI and data. Along the way, she partnered with iconic brands and built teams that thrived through constant change, earning the agency Best Place to Work recognition for 15 consecutive years and Adweek’s Midsized Agency of the Year. At the heart of that success was Christine’s belief that great leadership and great
outcomes start with people: when you take care of your people, they take care of the business. Christine loves helping leaders sharpen their purpose, scale their business without losing their soul, and grow their leadership skills as the stakes get higher. Today, she’s Board Chair of the Minnesota Star Tribune and serves on the boards of Red Wing Shoe Company, Wenger Corporation, and Minnetonka. She brings clarity, energy, and a people-first lens to every conversation—and believes the best leadership journeys are the ones where everyone grows along the way

Speaker Information

Margaret Murphy

CEO, Bold Orange

Margaret is founder and CEO of Bold Orange Company (BOCO), a leading customer experience agency focused on helping brands outperform in the areas of acquisition, growth, and retention.
Bold Orange has been recognized as the #1 fastest growing agency in the Midwest by Ad Age and the #2 fastest growing private company in MN, as well as named a Best Place To Work. In 2024, Margaret was named by Twin Cities Business to the TCB 100 list, an honor recognizing trailblazers and leaders driving innovation in the community. She was also named a Most Admired CEO from Mpls St Paul Business Journal, and an Ernst
& Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. Prior to founding Bold Orange, Margaret spent 16 years of her career at Carlson Companies and was also President and COO of Olson, once the Twin Cities largest marketing agency. Named a “Woman to Watch”, her strength is in building cultures that foster empowerment, inspiration, and growth.