College Is Changing Forever – Here's Where the Best Jobs Are | Dunwoody President Scott Stallman

College Is Changing Forever – Here's Where the Best Jobs Are | Dunwoody President Scott Stallman

Scott Stallman, President of Dunwoody College of Technology, joins the Twin Cities Business Show to discuss why higher education is facing generational challenges, what Minnesota needs to build the workforce of the future, the careers that have salaries that might surprise you, and where the economy is headed.Dunwoody partners with corporations across the state to help build a pipeline of skilled workers. While many colleges have seen their enrollment drop, Dunwoody's is up 45% since 2015. From the coming enrollment cliff in higher education to artificial intelligence to automation to skilled trades to young people today, , Stallman explains why Dunwoody is taking a dramatically different approach to preparing students for high-paying, high-demand careers.In this episode:00:00 – Introduction00:42 – What makes Dunwoody College unique?03:48 – The highest-paying careers people overlook04:08 – The $80,000 surveying job (plus a signing bonus)06:43 – How Dunwoody partners directly with industry09:58 – Why higher education is undergoing a seismic shift17:20 – Why many colleges will become smaller or disappear18:24 – The tough decisions that transformed Dunwoody19:28 – Why today's engineers need to know how to use a wrench22:40 – The real return on investment of a college degree23:46 – Do electricians really make as much as lawyers?25:30 – Why technical education costs so much to deliver28:36 – How students build real products not just classroom projects34:48 – Student inventions solving real business problems37:48 – The future of AI, automation, and Minnesota's workforce41:35 – The one thing Scott would change about American high schools

From Apprentice Carpenter to CEO with Greiner Construction's Josh Helgesen

Greiner Construction CEO Josh Helgesen started his career counting nuts and bolts at his family's lumberyard in small town Wisconsin. After dropping out of college and becoming an apprentice carpenter, he worked his way up at the company until becoming a CEO and part-owner.Josh joins the Twin Cities Business Show to discuss the future of commercial construction, where downtown Minneapolis is headed (he's optimistic), the biggest trends shaping the industry, how technology is changing the job site, and what it takes to lead a company with more than a century of history.The company has several exciting new projects in the works, including the remodeled 20 Washington and the Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame.Chapters00:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekbpLq3uuMs] Intro01:34 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekbpLq3uuMs&t=94s] Growing up around construction05:58 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekbpLq3uuMs&t=358s] Becoming CEO of Greiner11:47 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekbpLq3uuMs&t=707s] The state of Minnesota's construction industry18:26 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekbpLq3uuMs&t=1106s] The future of downtown Minneapolis24:53 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekbpLq3uuMs&t=1493s] Building great company culture31:40 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekbpLq3uuMs&t=1900s] Labor and workforce challenges38:18 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekbpLq3uuMs&t=2298s] Technology on the job site45:21 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekbpLq3uuMs&t=2721s] Tariffs, costs, and the economy51:46 What's next for Greiner Construction56:18 Getting to know Josh; Green Bay Packers

The Minnesota Company That's 3D Printing Rocket Fuel

What if the future of rocket propulsion was printed instead of molded?On this episode of the Twin Cities Business Show, we sit down with Cora Leibig, founder and CEO of Chromatic 3D Materials, a company based in Golden Valley that's pioneering advanced 3D printing technologies for industrial applications — including a breakthrough approach to 3D printing solid rocket fuel.Cora explains how Chromatic went from printing industrial rubber parts and medical components to working with the defense industry, why 3D printing could reshape American manufacturing, and how Minnesota is becoming a hub for defense and advanced manufacturing innovation. Topics covered in this conversation include: * 00:00 Introduction: 3D printing rocket fuel in Golden Valley * 00:31 Why 3D print solid rocket fuel? * 02:40 How Chromatic entered the rocket fuel business * 05:35 Pitching breakthrough technology to the Department of Defense * 07:26 Minnesota's growing defense and national security ecosystem * 09:21 What is additive manufacturing? * 13:23 From Dow Chemical to Minnesota entrepreneurship * 16:09 Founding Chromatic 3D Materials * 19:29 Why 3D printing can transform manufacturing * 23:27 Can 3D printing rebuild America's manufacturing base? * 25:09 Why Chromatic pivoted toward defense applications * 27:52 America's manufacturing capacity and defense readiness * 29:04 Why U.S. manufacturing slowed compared with China * 33:03 Operating a technology company in the U.S. and Germany * 34:27 Chromatic's future growth plans * 38:01 Solving impossible problems: the future of rocket technology * 41:19 Testing rocket technology at Camp Ripley * 42:17 Cora's path from MIT to entrepreneurship * 45:20 Lessons learned from Dow Chemical * 48:00 Building a deep-tech company in Minnesota * 52:16 Investing in people and the future of Chromatic * 55:06 The technical problems Cora loves solving * 56:27 The science of baking sourdough bread

GearJunkie Founder: "The Rules of Media Are Completely Broken"

Stephen Regenold is the founder of GearJunkie and a leading voice in outdoor media, entrepreneurship, affiliate commerce, and digital publishing.Stephen built GearJunkie from the ground up, starting as a newspaper column to review new gear before turning it into one of the most influential outdoor media brands in America. Along the way, he sold the company, helped spearhead a $40 million media rollup involving the company at All Gear Digital, traveled the world as a journalist, and learned firsthand how digital media has changed over the last two decades.In this episode of the Twin Cities Business Show, Steven shares lessons from building and selling GearJunkie, the future of media in the AI era, affiliate marketing, startup investing, outdoor culture, and why he thinks many media companies failed while GearJunkie survived.00:00 Introduction00:18 Building GearJunkie Into a Media Powerhouse02:34 The First Gear Review and Early Journalism Career04:11 Creating a Media Business While in College06:17 How Affiliate Marketing Changed GearJunkie07:58 Staying Ahead in Digital Media09:29 Selling GearJunkie and the $40M Rollup Strategy12:24 The GearJunkie Hammer and Branded Content13:56 The Sales Lesson That Transformed the Business16:04 Do You Need Passion to Build a Media Company?17:48 Why Niche Media Is Winning19:32 Can Media Brands Still Be Built Today?21:02 Why Print Is Making a Comeback24:15 How Steven Would Build GearJunkie in 202626:01 Why GearJunkie Survived When Other Blogs Died29:01 The Moment Entrepreneurship Became the Focus31:31 Advice for Journalists Going Independent32:30 Raising Five Kids While Building a Company35:34 Can Journalism Be Fixed?37:54 Bringing Outdoor Retailer to Minneapolis40:02 Life After GearJunkie41:49 What Founders Bring to Investing43:03 The Craziest Adventures and Finding a Kidney in Patagonia45:47 How COVID Changed the Outdoor Industry47:48 The Rise of Run Commuting49:22 Getting Started in Outdoor Adventure51:25 What Makes Minnesota's Outdoor Culture Unique54:31 Closing Thoughts

The Secret Science Behind Dairy Queen's Blizzards

How does Dairy Queen create new Blizzard flavors? Why do some menu items go viral while others never make it to stores? And could a Mango Sticky Rice Blizzard ever come to America?In this episode of the Twin Cities Business Show, we sit down with Jane Friedrich, Executive Vice President of Research & Development at Dairy Queen, to go inside one of Minnesota's most iconic brands.Jane is a food scientist with a Ph.D. in flavor chemistry and a former Cargill executive. In this episode, she explains the science behind creating new menu items, how consumer trends shape innovation, and why social media has become a powerful force in determining what ends up on the menu. Topics include: * 00:00 Introduction * 00:35 How New Blizzard Flavors Are Created * 02:15 How Many Flavor Ideas Does Dairy Queen Start With? * 03:13 The "Blizzard Freezer" and Bringing Back Fan Favorites * 05:03 Food Trends Shaping Dairy Queen's Future06:19 Why Dairy Queen Invests in Food Beyond Ice Cream * 07:31 The Science Behind a Perfect Chicken Strip and Blizzard * 09:13 Why the Oreo Blizzard Is Still No. 1 * 10:47 How GLP-1 Drugs Could Change the Food Industry * 11:13 Jane Friedrich's Journey from Cargill to Dairy Queen * 13:42 What It's Like Working at Berkshire Hathaway-Owned Dairy Queen * 15:01 How Franchisees Influence New Menu Items * 16:29 Cocoa Prices, Inflation, and Food Costs * 18:11 Products That Flopped—and Ones That Went Viral * 19:58 How Dairy Queen Monitors Social Media Trends * 20:45 The Science of Taste, Smell, and Flavor Chemistry * 22:45 Why Dairy Queen Creates Powerful Childhood Memories * 24:54 Why Dairy Queen Introduced the Mini Blizzard * 26:38 Where Dairy Queen Is Headed Next * 28:24 International Expansion and the Mango Sticky Rice Blizzard * 31:01 Why You Can't Build a Menu Based on Your Personal Favorites * 32:30 Closing ThoughtsIf you're interested in food innovation, consumer trends, branding, or the business behind iconic products, this conversation offers a rare look inside the R&D engine of Dairy Queen.