The Platzke Real Estate Group is Eden Prairie’s Home Selling Team across all brokerages, known for exceptional marketing, expertise, and results. Partnered with the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury® program an industry leader with $288 million in daily sales they provide unmatched local, national, and international exposure across hundreds of websites. Your property reaches countless qualified buyers, delivering outstanding results. You simply will not find better representation.
“Ryan and his team were top-notch! They recommended changes to our house that led to two offers within two showings Working with this professional and personable team was a very simple and seamless process. We would highly recommend ”
Proudly named Minnesota Bride’s 2025 Best Country Club Venue, Bearpath Golf & Country club is where timeless elegance meets personalized service. From “I do” to the last dance, our team is dedicated to making your dream wedding a reality. www.bearpathgolf.com (952) 975-5252
This Is Our Thankful Issue. You’re Welcome!
Dear Eden Prairie Lifestyle reader,
This is the story of John Lee: Eden Prairie Lifestyle publisher and noted hunk.
John knew it would be one of those mornings the instant he found himself in it. His clock radio evicted him from the dreamless by blaring Cher’s worst; her inexplicable ‘98 hit, in which she impersonates a goat being stung by bees.
John plodded from his bed to his bathroom, wondering which of his newest waking aches and pains were destined to become lifelong friends. He gazed at the visage in the vanity mirror – a perfect ten out of ten, as always, but quite possibly less youthful than it had looked at … oh, say, age 25, which John assured himself was not very long ago.
John’s next plod deposited him in his kitchen: a desolate and coffee-less place at that heinous hour, when Wisconsin still hogs all the sunlight. He lost track of the number of beans he was scooping, making him feel especially dotty because his goal had been three. The breakfast he wanted (every form of egg, every form of bacon, buttered pumpernickel) was assuredly not the breakfast he ate (muesli which he suspected his wife of purchasing from Wild Birds Unlimited).
“Sigh. Alas. Woe is me,” lamented John. “Much to my consternation, life doesn’t appear to be quite as peachy as it could. What is there to be thankful for these days, really?”
It was at that very moment when caffeine began kindling the nonreptilian globs of John’s brain.
“Hold on a minute,” John thought to himself in a plea for his own patience with his own train of thought, which he realized was kind of weird in retrospect. “My beautiful wife. My beautiful home. My beautiful cats. I feel thankful for them all. But if I could feel thankful for only one thing (outside of my beautiful wife), then it would have to be the great city of Eden Prairie. It is there where I have the privilege of publishing my magazine: the aforementioned Eden Prairie Lifestyle, featuring great local businesses, nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurs, historic landmarks, memoirists, and advertisements. Yes … yes! Maybe everyone should feel thankful for Eden Prairie today!”
Now, dear reader, let me ask you: How do I know all of this?
Because I … am John .
Best regards,
JOHN
LEE, PUBLISHER
November 2025
PUBLISHER
John Lee | john.lee@citylifestyle.com
PUBLICATION DIRECTOR
David Scheller | david.scheller@citylifestyle.com
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Sue Schadow
Corporate Team
CEO Steven Schowengerdt
President Matthew Perry
COO David Stetler
CRO Jamie Pentz
CoS Janeane Thompson
AD DESIGNER Zach Miller
LAYOUT DESIGNER Kelsi Southard
Unlock Your Best Health with Predictive 360. Discover your personalized health roadmap with LX Medical’s Predictive 360. Our extensive lab panel examines key biomarkers—from insulin sensitivity, hormone levels, and inflammation markers to cortisol and gut health— revealing what your body truly needs. Enhance your insights with optional genomic, allergy, and predictive imaging tests. Benefit from a one-hour expert consult, nutrition and supplement balancing, access to advanced peptides and ongoing monitoring to keep your health plan in tune with your evolving needs. Take charge of your health today.
At Pet Evolution, we serve to be YOUR one-stop shop for all of your pet's needs. With an array of retail, grooming, and self-serve washes, we have something for each of your furry friends! Our Mobile Nail Van goes the extra mile to helping your pets live the Good Life.
Pet Evolution’s mobile nail trim service makes caring for your dog easier than ever! Our technicians will come to you, providing convenient and stress-free nail trims and other essential pet services right in your driveway.
Additional services offered in Mobile Nail Van: (within an 8 mile radius of the store) Nail Grinds Teeth Brushing Gland Expressions Ear Cleaning
$35 for initial service, $5 for every additional service
Book your appointment today!
business monthly
Minnesota Bride Awards Bearpath Best Country Club Venue Award
Congratulations to Bearpath Golf and Country Club for being named Minnesota’s best country club venue by Minnesota Bride for their second year in a row! Catering and events specialists Kim Davis and Katie Dix have perfected their craft for over 20 years, and look forward to planning great weddings for many years to come. Friday and Saturday 2026 dates are still available. Email kdavis@bearpathgolf.com or kdix@bearpathgolf.com or call (952) 975-5252 to book now! BearpathGolf.com
CHOICE, Inc. Cuts the Ribbon
CHOICE, Inc. is a team of professionals dedicated to creating partnerships and programs that enrich the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. The nonprofit organization’s programs in Eden Prairie, Maple Grove and Minnetonka transform lives by helping participants join the workforce, lead healthier lifestyles, express themselves artistically, get around town, foster meaningful relationships, and engage with their communities. It's all possible thanks to those communities’ generous support! ChoiceJobs.org
Paylocity Cuts the Ribbon
Paylocity unifies HR, payroll, finance, and IT on a single, innovative platform –so you can stop piecing things together and start moving forward! Since 1997, Paylocity has partnered with organizations to create workplaces where employees thrive and businesses excel. From their thousands of team members to the millions who use their platform, caring is in Paylocity’s DNA. See why they are driven by this simple truth: people matter most! Paylocity.com
Woodhouse Spa Cuts the Ribbon
Woodhouse Spa believes that well-being profoundly affects how we connect with the world, each other, and ourselves. That’s why they created a unique approach to wellness, where every detail, space, and experience has been carefully crafted with one goal in mind: exceptional care. From their most indulgent treatments right down to their reflexology sandals, every part of the Woodhouse experience is designed to help you feel your best from the inside out. WoodhouseSpas.com
MonRoe Business Solutions Cuts the Ribbon
Your internal IT business systems should support your business – not distract from it. MonRoe Business Solutions is here to fix that. Founder Monica Swanson offers IT modernization, HRIS digital transformation and M&A integration expertise built on a foundation of leadership roles at multibillion-dollar corporations including Thomson Reuters and Cargill. Her goal is to help you achieve success with your IT solutions and then phase out her services so you can function independently. MonRoeBusinessSolutions.com
Sassyfras Cuts the Ribbon
Looking for the perfect cookies for your next special event? Choose Sassyfras, which specializes in baking fancy sugar cookies with velvety flawless decorative frosting. They look almost impossibly perfect, and make the perfect centerpiece for any birthday, wedding, baby shower, bachelor or bachelorette party, or holiday celebration. Founder Crystal Kokal also offers DIY cookie kits, paintyour-own cookies, and themed cookie decorating classes the whole family will love! SassyfrasCookies.com
LIGHTING
Neighbors of Eden Prairie Cuts the Ribbon
Since its beginning in November, 2019, Neighbors of Eden Prairie has become Eden Prairie’s go-to source for uplifting local content, expert insights, community events and more. Neighbors of Eden Prairie is uniting our city with informative articles and compelling stories from around town. Each new edition brings Neighbors of Eden Prairie closer to their vision of bringing our city together – one person, one home, one business at a time. BestVersionMedia.com
WINEHAVEN WINERY
A Family Buzzness
ARTICLE BY DAVID SCHELLER
The sun and the rain make the fruit. This is magic.
The bees make the honey. This is alchemy.
The Petersons make the wine. This is Winehaven.
“Grandpa Ellsworth started producing raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb, and honey here back during the ‘60s,” spoke Kyle Peterson, motioning to his family’s 50-acre emerald farmland, which the Creator surrounded with Chisago Lakes’ eponymous feature, and where every flower wiggles with determined insect behavior.
“The apiary side of grandpa’s business really took off after my father Kevin joined it later that decade. They grew their operation into one of the largest honey-producing farms in Minnesota, managing 3,000 hives at its peak. If a Twin Cities bakery used honey back then, there was a good chance they were buying ours.”
And then Queen Elizabeth came along and changed the trajectory of everything. One of the Petersons discovered her mead recipe (honey, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, briar, acid blend, yeast, water) and determined to perform his own form of alchemy.
“Meadmaking started out as a hobby between them,” Kyle explained. “A fun little science experiment they could enjoy doing together, which just so happened to have the added benefit of giving them a buzz. If they made a few mistakes here and there, then it was all smoothed out by the considerable quality of our honey, which the bees make from a sharp, almost citrusy blend of clover, wildflower and basswood nectar.”
Kyle encourages you to stand beneath any basswood tree in the Chisago Lakes area around the Fourth of July. Listen to the contented hum-bumbling of countless bees gorging, ceaselessly rifling through little white flowers; becoming ridiculous yellow pom-poms that can barely take flight. Take a deep whiff. The faint twang of orange peel cast onto hot iron.
“We lost grandpa in ‘92,” said Kyle. “Dad, my mom Cheri, my brother Troy and I would cut the ribbon on Winehaven Winery in his memory three years later.”
At first Winehaven exclusively produced honey wines, but Kyle had grander designs. He studied winemaking at Cornell, and returned home to plant the finest grapes for Minnesota’s climate that contemporary viticulture had to offer. Said grapes would have required years to establish themselves, but turned out to need considerably less time to die miserably.
“Minnesota’s climate revealed itself to be much harsher than contemporary viticulture could handle,” recounted Kyle. “We needed a hardier grape: one that would thumb its nose at temperatures as low as 40 below, and short growing seasons, and disease. With help from then-retired U of M botanist Elmer Swenson, we were able to develop not just one but three reds plus a white: Chisago (patented 2008), which has faint cherry overtones; Nokomis (2013), an oaky-dry Bordeaux-style grape which takes notes from cab sauv; Franconia (2019), which has a delicate touch of blackberry; and Nicollet (ditto), which brings tropical fruits to mind and makes a killer pinot gris-style wine.
“We’ve grown from producing three flavors of wine to more than 30. That makes us one of the largest wineries in Minnesota that grows its own grapes. And we’re now poised to grow even larger thanks to the quarter-million-dollar grape-picking machine we recently imported from France, which does the job of 40 people, and saves our backs from a whole lot of strain.
“Bottling Minnesotan sunshine using sustainable practices: It’s been the Peterson family tradition for over half a century, and will remain so for what I hope will be a very long time.”
EXPERIENCE WINEHAVEN IN PERSON
It’s only one hour’s drive to Winehaven. Go to 10020 Deer Garden Lane in Chisago City to drink wine on their 2,700-squarefoot patio and see what life, the universe and everything are all about. Better yet, host a party for up to 300 people there. You won’t run out of wine. Winehaven.com
EXPERIENCE WINEHAVEN IN A LESSER-YET-STILLVERY-PLEASING CAPACITY
Winehaven proudly supports PROP: Eden Prairie’s food shelf, and the grateful recipient of two dozen bottles of Winehaven’s award-winning vinos. Go sample the pride of the Petersons and meet their rep at PROP’s Happy Hour 4 Hunger wine tasting to be held at Eden Prairie Liquor (16508 W 78th Street) on Thursday, November 20th from 6 to 8pm. Sample over 50 different wines by Winehaven and many others, and purchase your favorites at exclusive discounted prices. Reserve your ticket with a $10 donation or bring five personal care items with you! PROPFood.org
Visit any Eden Prairie Liquor location to purchase fine reds, whites, fruit wines and meads by Winehaven Winery!
Our Gift Shop is filled with festive items to adorn your home with or give as a gift to someone special. Visit us before Christmas and get 50% off one item!
Just show us this ad (or a picture of it) to get 50% off an item before Dec. 22, 2025.
Exclusions include Gift Cards, Christmas Trees, consignment items and already discounted items. #EP50
ARTICLE BY DAVID SCHELLER
AV8 Flight School’s Fifth Annual Helicopter Expo
They dream of slicing through the sky at triple-digit velocities, pausing to hover high over creation wherever they fancy. They aspire to become professional rotorheads, working prestigious jobs in exciting locales for high salaries. They are children, bespelled by colorful things with big spinning wings.
They all attended AV8 Flight School’s Fifth Annual Helicopter Expo at Flying Cloud Airport on September 6th.
This year’s expo welcomed 150 to 200 guests to get up close and personal with 13 different eggbeaters, including several privately owned helicopters, a Minnesota State Patrol chopper, an air ambulance, and even a Bell UH-1 Iroquois from the Vietnam War.
“And next year will be even bigger!” said George Lichty, general manager of AV8 Flight School – the Twin Cities’ only flight school training both airplane and helicopter pilots, private and commercial alike.
“Most people only see helicopters that are very far away, or in movies,” George continued. “We host our free Helicopter Expo so anyone can gain a better appreciation for these truly amazing machines.
“Guests come with all kinds of questions that our pilots are only too happy to answer, including how much it costs and how long it takes to learn how to fly (around $25,000 and 50 hours for a private license). If they’re apprehensive about training to fly a helicopter – or just riding in one –then they’re a lot more at ease with the idea after speaking with our experts.
“The Helicopter Expo is an especially big treat for kids, who can’t contain their excitement when they find out that Paw Patrol is real (to an extent, at least). One little girl spent an entire two hours just sitting and staring at helicopters in silent, grinning awe. Safe to say she’s caught the whirlybird bug!”
Visit AV8Flight.com to become a pilot. Follow AV8 Flight School on Facebook (flyav8flightschool) and Instagram (av8flight) for news of upcoming events!
carlos family woodworks
It’s a Family Affair
“I started lathing later in life,” said Jack Carlos, the central Carlos in Carlos Family Woodworks. “We were doing medical mission work in Africa around 25 years ago when I picked up woodworking as a hobby. That’s also when I was diagnosed with the neurological disease that would send me back home to Richfield."
“I was fortunate to have found a hobby I could continue doing, even if I can no longer handle larger pieces. I soon settled into a good rhythm of creating bowls and flower vases, and then mushrooms at the recommendation of my daughter Hannah, who is a potter and far more creatively gifted than I am.”
Hannah was also the first to suggest that Jack begin selling his work (no doubt hoping to prevent his burial under an avalanche of decorative wooden mushrooms). Jack insisted that no one would want his wood goods, but Hannah never stopped pushing him to set up shop at a downtown Christmas market. The matter was settled as soon as Cathy, Jack’s wife, joined their daughter’s cause.
“Three years later, and they’re still the brains behind the operation,” said Jack. “My son Raymond also helps, such as when we go and collect fallen trees together. Every piece I turn is made of salvaged wood, by the way. No trees were harmed in the making of these bowls.”
ARTICLE BY DAVID SCHELLER
No dogs were harmed, either. Zara, Jack’s service dog, hangs out outside his shop while he’s working; her long, delicate snoot being too precious to fill up with sawdust.
“But whenever I drop something – which is often, because my hands are shakiest when I’m doing ornate work – Zara comes running to grab it for me,” added Jack. “It’s a testament to those powerful retriever genes, and to the wonderful training she received from Helping Paws.”
Follow @carlos.family.woodworks on Instagram. Email woodenstuff6583 @gmail.com to purchase a piece.
Kyle Luebeck
Dan Geisler
Todd Loudenslager
ARTICLE BY DAVID SCHELLER
RipaLip
Essential Gear for Marine Electronics, Born in Eden Prairie
David Janiszewski, Proprietor
“We were something straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting.” Eden Prairie resident David Janiszewski describes his family – grandfather and father and brothers and sister – assembled along various shorelines to apprehend key ingredients for fish dinners.
“The ponds on my grandpa’s farm were brimming with perch and bullhead, and when I was 5 my parents bought a lake cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,” reminisced David. “If they intended to raise me to love fishing, then they couldn’t have done a better job.”
Let’s go rip a lip. This was David’s father’s proclamation whenever fishing fun was afoot. David held it so dearly that he incorporated and trademarked “RipaLip” in 2006 with the intention of making it into a piscatorial enterprise; one that would run adjacent to his decades-long career in the training industry, and perhaps even one day supplant it.
But what would RipaLip do?
“At first, I had no idea,” David recounted. “The business morphed half a dozen times during its first seven years. I assembled custom lure packs. I learned to pour my own plastics. A former Delta executive buddy of mine and I even explored offering exotic fishing expeditions. But no idea would pan out until I solved a need I had for myself.
“I was towing my boat down the highway when the wind sucked the manufacturer’s protective cover off of one of my marine electronics. I replaced it, only to watch it soar away in my rearview mirror the next time I took the boat out. I said to myself, ‘Someone should really make a better travel cover for this thing.’”
Bing! The realization was instant. David drew up a prototype that he paid a local seamstress to fashion out of a sunbrella. After a few months of fine-tuning, he had something worthy of safeguarding his expensive fish finder. Almost as soon as he began using it, fellow boaters started peppering him with the same question: Where did you get that!?
Once David’s wife was on board with the investment, his prototype entered mass production.
“RipaLip began making travel covers in 2014, followed shortly thereafter by storage cases and screen cleaners,” said David. “The idea was to give anglers affordable, effective tools for preserving electronics that cost thousands and thousands of dollars. I’m happy to say that idea was very warmly received nationwide.
CONTINUED >
“My next aha moment struck at the Chanhassen Chickfil-A drive thru. I noticed the employees were taking orders on iPads outfitted with special sun shades, and realized that was exactly what marine electronics so sorely needed – something that eliminates glare, but which is also soft, flexible, and easy to install and remove.”
After a few months of research and collaboration with Kaiser Manufacturing of St. Paul, David developed precisely what he’d envisioned: the SunShade, which he sold thousands of almost as soon as he patented it. It remains one of RipaLip’s biggest sellers to this day.
“I started doing a lot of Facebook marketing, which included answering anglers’ questions in the hundreds of groups dedicated to various manufacturers’ electronics,” David continued. “I quickly noticed I was answering the same handful of questions regarding menu navigation over and over again. It made sense. Modern marine electronics are incredibly sophisticated, with capabilities ranging from live sonar to trolling motor control. The only problem is that their manuals can easily exceed 200 pages. No one’s reading that!”
David created several of his own Facebook groups, each dedicated to explaining the intricacies of various manufacturers’ electronics. By 2017, those groups’ memberships totaled nearly 60,000. This begged the entrepreneur’s age-old conundrum.
“How do I monetize it? I posed that question to the Navionics rep I neighbored at a tradeshow in 2018, knowing they had the most successful lake mapping app in the fishing industry,” said David. “Once I learned they had millions of subscribers, it didn’t take very much math to reveal my path forward.”
David set to work transmuting his mountains of research into a series of informative guides: simple step-by-step instructions which make every high-tech functionality immediately accessible to every angler. After about nine months of development, the RipaLip University app was born. Today that app covers almost 190 pieces of equipment by companies such as Garmin, Humminbird, Lowrance, Minn Kota, and MotorGuide, and has been downloaded approximately 50,000 times.
“I’m grateful to everyone who downloaded the app, and proud to have helped them make the best use of their investments in their favorite hobby,” said David. “Thanks to them and all the retailers who carry my products (the largest being in the Netherlands, of all places), RipaLip continues to grow and grow. It’s a true American success story: just a regular guy who turned his passion into his business, and whose products will always say ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ on their labels.”
Discover RipaLip’s full product lineup including travel covers, transducer covers, storage cases, SunShades, apparel, and the RipaLip University app at RipaLip.com!
Impact Grants 2025
NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION TO THE EDEN PRAIRIE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
Do you know of a great nonprofit organization serving the needs of Eden Prairie residents? Do you believe that organization could do even better if it had more money? Then this is your chance to make a big impact. The Eden Prairie Community Foundation is accepting applications for their 2025 Impact Grants from December 1st through the end of January!
“It’s finally that time of year,” said Greg Leeper, executive director of the Eden Prairie Community Foundation. “We’re once again asking for Eden Prairie’s help in identifying projects that will fill unmet needs in our community and change residents’ lives for the better!
“We awarded more than $100,000 in grants to over 25 organizations last year, including Onward Eden Prairie which provides transitional housing to young adults, the Sojourner Project which
serves survivors of domestic violence, True Friends which hosts Camp Eden Wood for children and adults with disabilities, and Senior Community Services which performs household and outdoor maintenance that helps keep seniors in their homes.
“Are you excited about an organization that enhances the quality of life in our community through music, visual and performing arts, or other means? Creates educational and development opportunities for youth and adults inside or outside the classroom? Engages residents in activities that sustain or improve the quality of Eden Prairie’s natural resources? Provides for important community needs such as food, housing, clothing, furniture, or assistance for seniors and people with disabilities? Then I humbly ask you to let us know why they’re deserving of one of our grants – which typically average $4,000 in value – by applying today on our website!”
THE FLYING RED HORSE
ARTICLE BY DAVID SCHELLER
“And this also has been one of the dark places of the earth.”
– Joseph Corad, Heart of Darkness
In the midst of asphalt ribbons the Flying Red Horse took aloft, his neon glow crowning the convergence of Highways 5 and 169 in electric vermillion. He was Pegasus – that symbol of freedom, transcendence, and imagination who once nearly bore man to Olympus, and who has also soared over purveyors of fine engine lubricants.
But the Flying Red Horse did far more than herald Mobil’s arrival to our fair city in 1936.
To locals, he was a beacon; an anomaly in their vegetable garden of a city, where the first light bulb had flickered to life only 12 years prior. He greeted them home from the highways, and beckoned them to enjoy the amenities within his little triangular dominion named “The Wye”: a gas station, and the aptly named Wye Café where pie et al. awaited.
Long-in-the-Tooth Landmark Gets Gifted to City
He was no less a welcome sight to aviators. Navy pilots in training sought his guidance during their returns to the rough runway where Pappy Grill once grew asparagus. He would go on to announce fortuitous conclusions to many a commercial flight’s journey to Flying Cloud Airport.
And then, one fateful day – poof – he vanished.
“Jesse Schwartz Sr. bought the gas station in 1956 after having worked there for 20 years,” said Kathie Case, president of the Eden Prairie Historical Society. “In 2008, Jesse Jr. sold the operation to Holiday, which quite obviously had no use for a towering (and by then long defunct) Mobil logo.”
Wye Café
Wye
The Flying Red Horse wasn’t gone, however. He had merely been sent to the stable, where he would remain until 2013 when Katie Schwartz, Jesse Sr.’s granddaughter, graciously donated him to a city which wasn’t quite sure what to do with him.
“The Eden Prairie Historical Society gladly accepted the Flying Red Horse, of course,” said Kathie. “We may not have had money set aside to restore him or proper land ready to display him on, but it’s not like a beloved historic monument falls into our laps every day.”
The City of Eden Prairie found a safe place for the Flying Red Horse while plans were laid out. A joint effort between the Heritage Preservation Commission, Parks and Recreation Department, Historical Society, and city government commenced that would find him a suitable new home, create for him an information kiosk, and restore him to his original state of equiluminescent splendor. Thus refurbished, the Flying Red Horse was installed adjacent to his original location at the intersection of Flying Cloud Drive and Town Center Place in February, 2025.
“We were honored to welcome the Schwartz family to the Flying Red Horse’s dedication ceremony on June 17th,” said Kathie. “Reuniting so many locals with such a strong shared memory also means a lot to us. The Wye was quite the popular hangout over the years; a nexus point in our community, where more than a few romances budded between the gals working at the cafe and the guys working at the gas station.
“Interestingly, a lot of people insisted we hadn’t restored the right sign. Could it have been an impostor? Katie set the record straight. It turns out the gas station received a new sign front whenever the previous one wore out, or franchises changed. The Flying Red Horse may have had many faces over the decades, but the original from 1936 still lies beneath all those façades.”
EdenPrairie.org | EdenPrairieHistory.com
Our clinic specializes in Semaglutide and Tirzepatide treatments along with offering the new and promising Retatrutide. On average, patients lose 15% of their body weight.
These
CLIMBING CLOUDS:
an immigrant’s american story
Love, Computers, and How to Open a Can of Coke
ARTICLE BY DAVID SCHELLER
Ashwin, Melissa, Rahul, Leo, Rohit, and Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson: the smiling salt-and-pepper Eden Prairie resident pictured. He was born in a mountainous region of Southern India in 1964 to parents who knew no more of the Beach Boys than Queen Victoria did about Snoop Dogg.
Brian grew up in a home without television. His mother cooked using the same recipes and wood-fired clay stoves that her ancestors had perfected millennia prior. The number to the telephone nearest to Brian’s home was only three digits long. No one needed it. If Brian’s mother wanted to visit someone, she sent him or his brother to see if they were home.
Sounds like heaven, I know.
But Brian’s father wanted his sons out of there. He had received a Western education, religion and name from a culture shaped long prior by Portuguese traders and priests, and more recently by Anglosphere missionaries. He aspired to make his legacy a Western one, too, so he pushed his boys to set sail.
Brian’s older brother would go on to study in India, thus placing double the paternal pressure on Brian. Upon completing his bachelor’s, Brian began applying to foreign universities more or less agnostically. He wanted to go to a good, affordable school where they speak English. In 1987, those criteria would deposit him in the most alien place on earth.
“Minnesota wasn’t a complete culture shock,” reminisced Brian. “I had been raised Christian, and a Christian implicitly understands many things about how the Midwest works.
“But nothing could have prepared me for how different life here would be. I had never seen a steak before. I had never heard of salads (and still wish I hadn’t). I needed someone to show me how to open a can of Coke. I couldn’t believe a place so beautiful as a department store existed. Even the weather was shocking. High up in the mountains of India, it would never get colder than 40 above. Here? Here, 40 above is called ‘summer.’
“‘You bet your buns.’ When someone first said it to me, I was totally lost. Likewise, I had no idea who John was or why people seemed so eager to visit him in the bathroom. Fortunately, a friend gave me great advice on learning American slang, idioms and culture: Watch David Letterman.”
Brian didn’t come to Minnesota for stupid pet tricks, however. He came here to make something of himself by hard work and, God willing, good fortune. He caught up to his peers in his Moorhead State computer science program despite his computer-free upbringing. He paid his
way by working on campus, and ate things which made his heart ache for his mother’s clay ovens. He locked in to a career in computer programming when a career in computer programming was precisely the thing to lock in to.
He went back to India to bury his father.
Brian returned to Moorhead to work at a bank, processing general ledgers all night to Casey Kasem’s Top 40. He next took a far livelier job at Great Plains Software, which Microsoft purchased in 2001 for $1.1 billion. “Great Plains is where my career really took off,” explained Brian. “I spent five years there helping to develop accounting software for a new operating system called ‘Windows.’ It turned out to be a big hit.”
An accomplished techie could live and work anywhere he chose to back then. Brian chose the Twin Cities, where he joined West Publishing and then Hollander. He is now retired.
WHAT ABOUT LOVE?
“There she was,” Brian recounted. “The most beautiful girl I’d ever seen – a freshman at Moorhead State, attending the Bible study my roommate Greg was hosting in our dorm room.
“Now, you don’t just throw yourself at the beautiful girl you meet at Bible study. You play the long game.”
Neither Brian nor Melissa had a car. If they couldn’t arrange and make themselves half of a double date, then they would instead spend the evening making eyes at one another in some dinky campus coffee shop. They were each other’s first love. Then came marriage. Then came Brian with the baby carriage.
“Melissa and I were blessed with three boys: the oldest, 24, and the twins, now seniors at Iowa State,” said Brian. “After some thought, we decided it best if we didn’t teach them my mother tongue, or interrupt their schooling to visit India. We didn’t want them to feel like they had one foot in one culture and one foot in another. We wanted them to know they are Americans.
“And I’m glad we raised them that way. But still, a part of me has always wished they had a better sense of where I’m from. That’s why I wrote my memoir. It’s the story of a man who came from the past to help start the Information Age, and who found love, family, and his own sense of belonging in the great (but still a little strange, at times) state of Minnesota.
“Would I do it all over again if I could? You bet your buns.”
Climbing Clouds: An Immigrant’s American Story is available in Kindle and paperback on Amazon.
Open daily from 10 a.m.–10 p.m. May 1–October 31 and the first weekend in December
ShakopeeMN.gov/socialdistrict
SAVING THE SPIRIT ONE FAMILY AT A TIME
Best Christmas Ever
ARTICLE BY DAVID SCHELLER
“A
generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
– Proverbs 11:25
Duluth – Christmas Eve, 2010. Don Liimatainen lay plastered against his sofa, gray and withered from the autoimmune disease that would soon claim one of his more important organs. He stared hopelessly at his tree. With its base bereft of toys, it was little more than a balefire crackling at the center of what would become his 3-year-old son’s worst Christmas ever.
Suddenly, Don heard a knocking. Not Santa Claus, but that even more benevolent figure – Mom – plus a host of other relatives in tow. Two giant bags of gifts!
“I was overcome by emotion," said Don. “To receive such generosity at my lowest moment … well, suffice to say it changed me deeply. God planted a seed in me that day. I resolved to pay that kindness forward.”
Don recovered enough by the following year to put action to his intent. He, a group of friends, and several local businesses united to form Best Christmas Ever: a nonprofit organization that would aid a single family in the throes of a similar holiday crisis.
It was a resounding success. Best Christmas Ever proceeded to save the day for five families in need in 2013; twice as many the following year; 169 in 2021. “Our goal has always been to double the number of families we serve every year,” said Don. “That mission has extended Best Christmas Ever across the United States and Canada, and even to Costa Rica.”
HIBBING, MINNESOTA, 2021
A single mother of six, gripping her steering wheel in terror. Could this be the regular trip to Children’s Minnesota that would destroy her decrepit car once and for all? Please, God, don’t let it be, she hoped.
She later thought she was attending a work party in the basement of the Hibbing Memorial Building. She was shocked to discover her entire family there alongside a sea of new faces. All had banded together
to give her children gifts – and she, a sparkling new Subaru Ascent.
“You noticed me in my hardest struggles,” she forced through tears. “Now I know I’m not alone!”
TRURO, IOWA, 2023
A recently widowed mother, who, like half of her four sons, had been diagnosed with cancer. Best Christmas Ever arrived at her door to deliver everything on her boys’ wish lists, plus funds to keep them in sports and pay off bills.
“My husband used to spend summer evenings with our boys down at the baseball field,” she reminisced. “They’d only come home when it grew too dark to play. If I could have one wish, it would be for that ballfield to have lights so others can stay there long into the night.”
The following summer, mother and sons flipped the switch on brand new stadium lighting: installed free of charge by Medina Electric and Muska Sports Lighting.
EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA,
2026
A volunteer steps forward to help yet another family. They have raised a life-changing sum of money, and amassed a mountain of gifts for children who otherwise would have had naught. The volunteer moves toward a door that isn’t their own, and knocks, and feels a warmth rush over them. It comes not from their heart, but from the Light that pierces all darkness.
“Anyone can become that volunteer,” added Don, “and they won’t have to do it alone. They’ll have help from great local businesses, such as SCHEELS which just recently invited 100 of our volunteers to breakfast followed by a massive free shopping spree, and Kowalski’s, whose Kowalski's 4 Kids foundation provided us with a threeyear $100,000 grant during the pandemic, and which also displays our donation boxes at their cash registers.
“I’m also happy to say that volunteers will have excellent leadership. Jason Ianfola, the Eden Prairie resident who owns Medina Electric, became our new chairperson on July 1st earlier this year. He is the perfect person to take up the task. Tireless. Not afraid to roll up his sleeves. A true heart of service. Although, in all fairness, that’s pretty much everyone who gives their time, energy, and resources to Best Christmas Ever.
“Life isn’t about how many breaths you take. It’s about how many moments take your breath away. If you ever find yourself rooting for goodness from the sidelines, then I ask you: Consider joining the game.”
BCEMovement.org
ACCOUNTING THAT SCALES
From day-to-day transactions to month-end close, our team brings structure, accuracy, and visibility to your financial operations.
FRACTIONAL CFO SUPPORT
Get the financial leadership you need—without hiring a full-time executive. We help you make data-backed decisions with confidence.
FINANCIAL REPORTING & FORECASTING
Track performance, plan ahead, and prepare for what’s next. We give you the clarity and tools to lead with purpose.
Thomas & Lynette Wiest, Owners
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT FRANK E.NUTE,
The Business Owner’s Magician
Do you want to know what’s wrong with the world today? It’s simple. There are too few magicians I yearn for a time when pointy-capped wizards roamed the countryside in search of orcs to toast. When circus tents boomed with oohs and aahs as long-mustached prestidigitators yanked entire wardens’ worth of rabbits out of hats. When 1 (800) 9314003 still connected you directly to Miss Cleo, who could see anything coming with the exception of numerous lawsuits.
That’s why I thank goodness one class of magician still exists. I’m speaking, of course, of accountants, and I’m also speaking as someone whose mathematical education
more or less ended the day his teacher told him X is a number.
Frank E. Nute, Certified Public Accountant performs that most fantastical magic of all: preventing the government from taking your money. They’ll still take too much of it, but Frank’s mastery of IRS arcana will keep you more whole nonetheless.
THE MAGIC OF ENTITY SELECTION
“I frequently meet with business owners to discuss that most fundamental key to success: entity selection,” explained Frank. “There are myriad tax and compensation implications to electing S Corporation over LLC or vice versa, and I’m here to help my clients understand all of them.
ARTICLE BY DAVID SCHELLER
“For example, an S Corp allows for potential tax savings by splitting income into two components: reasonable compensation, which is subject to payroll taxes, and shareholder distributions, which aren’t subject to self-employment tax. If my client believes an S Corp’s stricter compliance requirements and closer IRS oversight aren’t worth it, then we may instead explore whether an LLC’s fewer restrictions and greater flexibility in profit distribution (which come at the cost of a larger tax burden) would better serve their purposes.
“We’ll review industry benchmarks. We’ll discuss your role in your business’s daily operations, and your bandwidth for documentation and compliance. Before very long, we’ll have estimated the most generous compensation you can receive –without provoking IRS scrutiny.”
THE MAGIC OF CASH FLOW
“Statistics show that only 35 percent of businesses survive their first ten years,” Frank continued. “The main reason for many of those casualties is cash flow, which I focus on as part of my comprehensive CFO services.
“I regularly partner with businesses ranging from $1 to $5 million in revenue that need clarity, structure and strategy around cash flow. I help my clients turn reactive financial
“I also work with clients who have failed to pay taxes, pay them on time, or both,” said Frank. “If they think all hope is lost, then they’re relieved to discover they still have an excellent chance at leveraging the IRS’s First-Time Abatement (FTA) program."
“For example, I recently worked with a client who had experienced unemployment, and did not file their 2023 taxes until the end of the following year. They owed $10,000, and had incurred a $2,500 penalty for failure to file, a $200 penalty for failure to pay, and interest of $567. Their grand total debt to the IRS? A cool $13,267.
“Upon reviewing my client’s compliance history and determining that it was clean, I submitted a formal request to the IRS citing their FTA program. After some back and forth, the IRS granted the request to eliminate all penalties. My client saved a grand total of $3,267!”
It doesn’t matter if your business is still in its shower thought stage of development. It doesn’t matter if you’ve already shown the world you’re an entrepreneurial powerhouse and own multiple jets with your name on them. It doesn’t matter if the IRS’s army of pencil pushers is currently grinding the mother of all axes for you. Wherever your business might be, you need Frank to make sure you’re set up for success.
Is it really magic? No. It is something even more potent and inscrutable: accountancy.
situations into proactive plans for stability and growth through my proven five-step process: diagnose root causes, improve forecasting and visibility, optimize collections and payables, manage debt and financing options, and control spending while increasing efficiency.
“My process is all in service of enabling cash flow stability, and supporting business owners in making safe investment, hiring, and expansion decisions. I’m proud to say that several of my clients are still in business because of it.”
THE MAGIC OF TAX RESOLUTION
Have you already attracted the wrong kind of attention from the tax man? No worries. Frank is your man.
Call (952) 405-2082 or visit FrankNuteCPA.com for expert tax planning and consulting services!
• Back taxes
• Business accounting
• Business advisory
• Divorce accounting
• Expert witness testimony
• Forensic accounting
• Installment agreements
• IRS problems
• Litigation support
• Offers in compromise
• Specialty tax solutions
Care for the whole you, in Eden Prairie
At Premier Women’s Health of Minnesota-OBGYN West, we’re passionate about delivering high-quality care for the whole you. Our team includes primary care and ObGyn, all under one roof. Discover expert care for pregnancy. Choose from a range of GYN services when you need them. Move toward healthy with services that include weight management, PT, and mammography.
EDEN PRAIRIE schools
INSPIRING TOMORROW’S LEADERS
“First and foremost, we’re just really grateful,” said Dr. Josh Swanson, superintendent of Eden Prairie Schools. “As we start a new school year and look to the future, it’s an exciting time to be in our district. All the time, generosity and support we receive from our community are making such great opportunities available to students. That community support, plus around 2,000 exceptional staff, are allowing us to keep class sizes small and offer fantastic opportunities for Eden Prairie children of all ages – even as we see some of our highest enrollment numbers in the last 10 years.
“Parents, members of the School Board, every new hire, regardless of whether they’re a teacher or a bus driver – I regularly speak with all of them about what our mission should be as educators: not just teaching, but truly inspiring our kids by making positive, lasting impressions on their lives. We want them to be excited for all the big things they’ll do in their future, and how their talents and hard work will shape the world around them.
“Eden Prairie Schools is looking ahead to our own future as well. That’s probably made most clear by Flight Plan 2035: our current academic visioning process, which is shaped by the combined input of 2,500 students, staff, families and community members. That really intentional community outreach helped us discern what an Eden Prairie student should have learned and experienced by the time they graduate ten years from now, and it will help us shape programs and experiences that prepare them for a world we can’t fully imagine.
“Creating authentic and personalized learning experiences, fostering wellbeing for students and staff, and nurturing inclusive environments where everyone feels they belong had already been Eden Prairie Schools’ priorities. What makes Flight Plan 2035 our next iteration is its view toward what’s to come. It’s going to guide us as we continue showing students they’re secure and valued while teaching them transferable skills such as problem-solving, collaboration, and critical thinking, empowering them to apply those skills in real-world contexts, and fostering a love of learning that will last a lifetime.
“Ultimately, our hope for Flight Plan 2035 is that it will help us raise kids to become thinkers, leaders, and community contributors who use technology with purpose and intention, consider problems at their deepest level, and come up with creative solutions that propel Eden Prairie, Minnesota, the United States, and the entire world forward.
“Something else that’s exciting us this year is the launch of a new way to honor alumni, former staff and community contributors who have had big achievements either inside or outside of our district. We named 20 individuals to our inaugural class of the Eden Prairie Schools Hall of Fame, and inducted them during a brand-new event, the Eagle Excellence Showcase. It was held in partnership with the Foundation for Eden Prairie Schools at our new Valley View Campus on October 4, and it was such an amazing night. When you have people like retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Paul Holden Anderson, Peterson Farms owner Sever Peterson, Roblox founder and CEO David Baszucki, University of Minnesota Marching Band and Athletics director Dr. Betsy McCann, healthcare policy leader Dr. Nathan T. Chomilo, and journalist and New York Times published author Connie Wang in your Hall of Fame, you know there’s something really special happening in your district. And I’m only naming a few.
“It really is amazing how so many exemplars all came from the same relatively small city’s school system. It’s a testament to our district’s tradition of excellence. I take that tradition really seriously, and it guides us in every decision we make.
“And according to our community, we’re on the right track! We recently ‘graded ourselves’ by conducting a third-party,
Dr. Josh Swanson, Superintendent of Eden Prairie Schools
statistically valid survey of our students’ families. Ninety-seven percent of families trust Eden Prairie Schools to do what’s right for their kid, 98 percent describe our quality of education as ‘good’ or ‘excellent,’and 99 percent of respondents with EP grads believe we prepared their students for college. We were so proud to achieve such high marks, especially during an era when so much national narrative revolves around low public trust in the education system. It’s such a demonstration of the ongoing partnership and support that our community shows us, and also of the incredible work our staff members do each and every day to inspire our kids.
“And I just have to say how honored I am, personally, to be one of those staff members. As an Eden Prairie resident and proud father of a daughter who recently graduated high school and a son who is currently a sophomore, I am deeply invested in the future of this community. Inspiring its students to continue discovering, exploring, and pursuing their passions is the greatest calling I ever could have hoped for. So again, first and foremost – I’m grateful!” EdenPr.org
Your posture tells a story about your health, energy, and confidence. Join Cadence Chiropractic on Saturday, December 6th at 10 AM for our Power of Posture Workshop. In this one-hour, in-office event, you’ll learn how posture impacts pain, focus, and performance, plus simple strategies and “power poses” you can use daily. With both presentation and live demonstrations, you’ll leave with practical tools to move, feel, and live better.
The PROP Shop
The Shining Light of Eden Prairie Volunteerism
I don’t have to extol the virtue of kindness in this preamble. Minnesotans read this magazine. They’re already onto kindness hook, line, and sinker.
But where, a good-spirited Minnesotan might ask, should one commit kindness? All around themself, at all times? Yes. And especially at The PROP Shop: the Eden Prairie nonprofit which supplies gently used clothing, furniture, cookware, and other household essentials to those who could really use a helping hand right about now.
You’ll find far more at The PROP Shop than the worthiest destination for stuff you no longer need, though. And I’m not talking about the retail store, which sells crème de la crème donations to fund the perpetual acquisition of new socks and underpants. I’m talking about the heart of our town’s volunteerism scene, which has been thump-a-lumping since its inception in 2007.
“We had first row seats to the Great Recession,” said Cindy Eddy, executive director of The PROP Shop. “Sadly, our neighbors’ need for kindness hasn’t died down much since then. We saw a 50 percent increase in clients in 2024 over the year before. We have helped an average of 300 families per month in 2025!
“But we get by with a little help from our friends. A lot of friends – around 800 volunteers per year who selflessly commit their time and energy to our donation center.
“Quite a few of our volunteers started out as shoppers. They asked to see The PROP Shop’s inner workings, and were blown away by its bustle and complexity. They also met several people who had forged lifelong friendships with likeminded philanthropists, and asked to sign up on the spot.
“Many of our volunteers are retired. Many just suffered the loss of a loved one, and need a social outlet outside of their homes. Many have recently taken a particularly salient religious lesson to heart. Several are our former clients, who, upon getting back on their feet, set land speed records coming back to where they can pay it forward. Around 20 percent of our volunteers are high schoolers, who are already eager to give back to the same wonderful community they’re blessed to grow up in.
“There’s really only one thing our volunteers share in common. They’re all just about the nicest human beings you could ever hope to meet.
ARTICLE BY DAVID SCHELLER |
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY SUE SCHADOW
“We
get by with a little help from our friends.”
“And you do meet such wonderful people working here. I think back to Ace, who, in her 90s, discovered a donated book that had once belonged to her father. Pat, who was so disappointed when she was no longer able to drive to our donation center, and so happy when one of our other volunteers doubly volunteered to take her to and fro. Another lady, formerly a client, who recently surprised everyone at the donation center with a Ziploc bag full of delicious cooked hot dogs.
“Of all our volunteers, none shines so brightly as Tyler. He had a disability and came with an aide. If you asked him what day it was, it would invariably be his birthday. If you asked him how he was doing, he would reply ‘I am lucky day.’ He was envious of his brother who wore a uniform for work, and so proud whenever he put on the official PROP Shop T-shirt. It gave him a sense of belonging. Of purpose.
“We were heartbroken when we lost Tyler to cancer. He sometimes needed help himself, but he knew what matters most: Be kind.”
The PROP Shop has served over 3,800 Eden Prairie and Chanhassen families in need since its inception nearly 19 years ago. Be it cash, goods, or time, your generous donation makes the world go round. PropShopEP.org
The holidays have a way of calling us back to what matters most—faith, family, compassion, and the quiet but powerful act of giving. As lights go up and calendars fill, there are still many who sit in silence, carrying burdens too heavy to bear alone. But what if this season, you could be the spark that changes everything for someone else?
The founders of City Lifestyle, through their private foundation, are once again launching its annual Christmas Giving Campaign—a heartfelt effort to seek out and support individuals and families who have quietly fallen through the cracks. The mission is simple: to bring light, dignity, and hope to those who need it most.
Since its beginning just four years ago, this initiative has grown from a humble idea into a life-changing movement. Last Christmas alone, more than 200 families across the country received unexpected support—financial relief, but also something even more powerful.
“We don’t just send checks,” says Steven Schowengerdt, CEO and founder of City Lifestyle. “We send a message: You are seen. You are loved. And you are not forgotten.”
Together with City Lifestyle President Matthew Perry, Steven has helped shape this into a tradition that goes far beyond charity. “This is about community,” Matthew adds. “We believe we’ve been blessed, so now we get to be a blessing.”
Every story begins with a nomination. Often, it’s a neighbor, coworker, friend, or teacher—someone who’s been quietly carrying too much for too long. One past recipient, after receiving unexpected support during a time of deep personal struggle, wrote:
SCAN TO NOMINATE
“We send a message: You are seen. You are loved. And you are not forgotten.”
“Beyond the very practical solution of receiving funds to fix my car, this thing you guys worked together to do is bigger than that. I carry the Christmas card you sent in my purse. When things get really hard, I pull it out and remember what it felt like to be seen. That card represents hope— that change for the better is possible. I’m not sure how many people get to carry hope around in their purse. But I do.”
Another wrote in after her husband was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer and unable to work:
“This support has blessed our family not only financially, but emotionally and spiritually as we trust God to meet our needs throughout this difficult time. Thank you to our anonymous friend and to your foundation. What a joy and gift to be part of God’s family!”
Each year brings countless stories like these—real lives touched by simple acts of kindness. Some use the funds to pay overdue bills, others to afford groceries, medication, or repairs. But no matter the circumstance, the impact is the same: hope is restored.
This season, you have the opportunity to be part of that. The campaign is now open to nominations—completely confidential and prayerfully considered. Whether it’s someone battling illness, facing unemployment, or just in need of a helping hand, you can bring them a moment of grace that will ripple far beyond Christmas morning.
“Knowing my mom was chosen filled my heart with indescribable joy,” said another past recipient. “Your generosity doesn’t just brighten her life; it inspires hope and faith in all of us. It enables her to stay in her home and get back on her feet.”
Nominations are open from November 1st to December 5th, 2025. To submit someone you know, simply scan the QR code or visit @CityLifestyle on Instagram, where you’ll find the nomination form in the bio.
This holiday season, let’s give more than gifts. Let’s give each other the gift of being seen. Because sometimes, the smallest gesture becomes someone’s greatest miracle.
To nominate someone in need, visit: KingdomBuildingFoundation.org or scan the QR code.
events
UNTIL FEBRUARY 7TH
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres
501 West 78th St, Chanhassen
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas on Chanhassen Dinner Theatres’ Main Stage is the must-see holiday event of the season! This newer musical work – written in 2000, and landed on Broadway in 2008 – is a delightful adaptation of the beloved 1954 film classic with added hit Berlin songs including “Blue Skies” and “I Love a Piano.” ChanhassenDT.com
NOVEMBER 8TH
Fall Ladies’ Fair at The Mustard Seed
10000 Great Plains Blvd, Chaska | 10:00 AM
Visit The Mustard Seed’s greenhouses to peruse local vendors and crafters’ amazing creations! Light refreshments, workshops, door prizes, and live music will be featured in addition to the perfect gifts for everyone on your nice list. Fat Pants Brewing Co. will attend to serve the kinds of beverages which enhance the perusing experience! TheMustardSeedInc.com
DECEMBER 3RD
Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce "Of the Year" Awards
14150 Pioneer Trl, Eden Prairie
It’s the greatest luncheon of the year! Join the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce at Green Acres Event Center for a celebration of mem bers’ outstanding contributions and achievements, as well as the chamber’s own accomplishments over the past year. Email kirsten. barott@epchamber.org to RSVP! EPChamber.org
Dog Lover? We Volunteer T
Volunteer
Care for and train our dogs from puppies to service dogs, attending weekly classes and practicing cues in and outside of home.
Host Homes
HELPING PAWS ASSISTANCE DOGS
Open their hearts and homes to our dogs, while our staff trains them during the daytime. Foster a future service dog!
Dog Sitters
Help care for our dogs in training when their Volunteer Dog Trainers or Host Homes travel! Choose the dates that work for you!
