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NATE LACOURSIERE,37
Assistant
PoliticalScience,UMD, whereI coachthe Mock Trialteam; co-chair, SallyTrnka forSchool Boardcommittee;member, YMCA Advisory Council(Downtown); member,UMD Medical School Community Advisory Board; Executive Councilmember, Public LawSection,Minnesota StateBar Association andSenateDistrict 7 DFL; advisor, YMCA YouthinGovernment Program(Courts); and volunteerdrummer at LawLawPalooza.
Native of the area? No IgrewupinFrazee, Minn.
What drew youhere? I wasina’90s rock band in highschoolled by Duluth’sown Lucas Mistelske(Involta), whoperformed each summer during Grand Marais’Fisherman’s Picnic. Ifellhardfor theNorth Shore, and jumped at theopportunity to startmylegal career in Duluthwhen offered ajob at Hanft Fride.
Favorite placeinthe Northland: TiebetweenHawkRidgeBird Observatory, andLester-Amityand Mission Creekmountainbike trails in Duluth.
Howdoyou spend your free time? Run or bike our incomparabletrail systemand, accordingtomywife, evangelizeabout renewable energy,electricvehicles andcraftbeerto anyone whowill listen. Howcan the Northland retain younger people? Keep doing what we’redoing!The DuluthTraverseisnearly completed;wehave world-class outdoor recreational offerings; ourcraftmicrobreweries, distilleries and restaurantsare garneringnationalattention; andour musicand arts scenehas exploded. By making Duluthsuch afun, healthyand rewardingplace foryoung people to stay after college—and even relocate from otherparts of thecountry —young professionals acrossall industries arefinding ways to stay here,even if that meansemploying themselvesand starting their ownbusinesses. Influential person in your life: Ihad the opportunity to work for former U.S. CongressmanDavid Mingein collegeand latertoclerk forhim at theMinnesota CourtofAppeals.
JudgeMinge’s blendof compassionand commonsense,coupled with abrilliant analyticalmindand abelief in thepower andimportanceofreachingacross all divides to achieve fair,equitable andjust results, has served as aconstantinspiration throughout my career. What is your biggest accomplishment? By thesummer of 2013, Duluthhad been recognizedas“ground zero” in thenation’sfight againstsynthetic drugs. The former Last Place on Earthheadshopin downtown Duluthwas sellingsyntheticstoupward of 1,000 customers aday andearninganestimatedrevenue of $610 milliona year.Iwas askedto serveaspoint in thecity’slegalfight to endthe nuisance conditions flowing from thesaleofsynthetics at LPOE,a challenge I accepted.
With supportfrom the mayorand working side-by-side with a number of extraordinary partners,weeventually abated this public health crisis
Itakegreat pride in thedifference it made throughout our region, andcities acrossthe countryhavereached outtoDuluthfor guidance in their own syntheticdrugbattles. Three people –dead or alive– you’dliketo have dinner with: U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone. I methim in 1999 while researchingcampaign finance reform in Washington,D.C. He knew everythingabout thetinyturkeyfarming community Igrewup in. He made ahumble, small-townkid believe anything is possible,and that thoselucky enough to be able to advocate forotherslessfortunate have an absolute duty to do so.I’d tell him that he is missed and remembered,and would askhim forguidance, optimism andstrength during atimeofdifficult divisioninthiscountry Elon Musk.I’d instead askfor toursofTesla’s battery, solarand electric vehicle production facilities, ask what he hopesto accomplish betweennow and2050, andhow he plans to get there.
My great-grandfather, EmilBoock, whowas struck by polioand lostthe useofhis legs as ayoung boy, yetled an extraordinarylife. He wasthe last horsedrawn mail carrier servingthe very ruralarea betweenDetroitLakes andPonsford, Minn.; served as assessor for Erie Township formany years;was awell-known fiddler whoplayedall thelocal weddings; andraisedafamily, maintained afarmstead andstayedtrueto the love of hislife, Nanna JuliaRanghilda Olson Boock(my great-grandmother), formorethan 70 years.Hepassed peacefullyatthe ageof 96. Iwould love to meet andtalktohim when he was37.
Five-yeargoals: To grow as afather, husband andpublic ser- vant;tospend as much time with my boys before Iblinkand they’re leavingthe nest;do everythinginmypower to help this community achieve itsenormous potential; anddoas much mountain biking as possible whiledoing all of that Wheredoyou seethe Twin Portsinthe next fiveto10years? We face significantchallengesinthe next 10 years basedonthe age of ourinfrastructure. The extraordinaryclass of currentand emerging leadersinthiscommunity will solve those challenges, propelling Duluthtonational prominence as ahub for innovation, healthcare, sustainability andthe arts, all fueled by the desireofyoungergenerations to stay andmake their mark alongthe shores of Lake Superior. What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
U.S. Sen. Al Franken’s “Giant of theSenate.” Frankenisabrilliant comedian andwriterby trade,but Ireallyappreciated hishonestand soberassessmentofthe challengesfacingthis country, coupledwith thepowerfulunderlying optimism andmessage that we cansolve these problemswhen we find common ground and work together.
Social media: Facebook, Instagramand @nateoftheunionon Twitter.
What do youactually do? Lots of hats (asdo my otherthree co-founders):marketing coordination, public relations, mediacontact, crisis communication lead,run ourrobust charitable initiative programs, bigger picture legalcoordinationfor thecompany,leadplannerofour 4,000 person Festiversaryevent each May,neighborhood and community outreach work andbusiness visionary work,and dailydecisionmaking alongside my partners Yearsinyourjob: Bent Paddle wasfounded in 2013 but wasconceptualizedin2010, so four to seven years.
Education: Graduated from Marshall School in Duluth andearned abachelor’sdegreein behavioral science and lawfrom theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison.
Family: Parents, Richardand Elizabeth Fryberger; husband, Bent Paddle co-founder Colin Mullen;daugh-
