Laura Monn Ginsburg, partner and principal of Apparatus GBC, is the kind of person who feels energized by potential. From launching Apparatus, a general benefit corporation that seeks to serve the common good, to then deciding to specialize part of her consultancy work in cannabis, Monn Ginsburg believes people who care can get things done, she says in the latest episode of Off the Record.

“The thing that was enticing to me was just the possibility of it all,” says Monn Ginsburg in her conversation with hosts Dave Faust, CEO of Platinum Bank, and Jen Hellman, CEO of Goff Public.

Listen to the episode to hear more about:

• The time management lesson that came from Monn Ginsburg’s first internship interview (13:56).
• When she became a person with two last names — and why (17:32).
• What Apparatus is all about (21:24).
• The launch of Apparatus’ cannabis division, Blunt Strategies (26:50).
• Monn Ginsburg’s unique hobby, for which she has a dedicated Instagram account (35:13).

Leaders like Monn Ginsburg understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.

As Dan Vansteenburg knows, mindset can make the difference between success and failure. Now the CEO of Spin the Planet, which owns and operates 46 Jimmy John's franchise stores and other restaurants, Vansteenburg admits he had to overcome a lot of challenges during his school years.

He was small and unathletic for his age and a “horrible student,” Vansteenburg tells Off the Record podcast hosts Kathy Robideau, former market president and publisher for the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank, in this episode. But one day, after his family moved to Brooklyn Park during his high school years, he had a moment of clarity.

“I felt the hand of God on my shoulder,” Vansteenburg says. “I heard Him say, your arms work, your legs work, your ears and eyes and mouth work. You’ll never be the football player. You’re not going to go to state wrestling as a high school student. You’re not going to be a lot of things, but I want you to try. I want you to work at it. I want you to try.”

Listen to the episode to hear Vansteenburg’s success journey and more about:

Memories of Vansteenburg’s early teaching career (21:17).

• Doing the homework on where to open his first Jimmy John’s franchise store (27:35).
• Why Vansteenburg decided to give 25-30% of the monthly net income of each store to the store managers — and what impact that has had on the team (36:06).
• The sign Vansteenburg put up in all his Jimmy John’s stores that the company founder saw and asked every franchisee to replicate (41:20).
• The creation of Tenacity Restaurant Group and what’s on the horizon (50:19).

Leaders like Vansteenburg understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.

Never miss an episode of Off the Record. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

When Jill Renslow saw the joy she could create for others as the events chair with her college’s American Marketing Association chapter, she knew the event marketing field was right for her.

Deciding her dream job at Disney presented a geographic challenge after getting engaged to her college sweetheart, the Minnesota-based Renslow set her sights on “the Disney that’s closer to home” — in her case, the Mall of America (MOA).

She started as an events intern in 1997. Now, as the chief marketing officer, Renslow combines hospitality with a passion to lead the way in the entertainment industry. “If there’s something new in the retail and entertainment space, (customers) are going to expect us to have some facet of that. And that’s what we love,” she says on the latest episode of the Off the Record podcast, brought to you by Platinum Bank. “We want locals to have something unique to come and experience.”

Renslow shares stories about everything from riding roller coasters with Justin Timberlake to keeping a seven-acre theme park running during COVID-19 with hosts Kathy Robideau, market president and publisher of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, and Dave Faust, president and CEO of Platinum Bank. Listen to learn more about:

• Spearheading MOA’s huge transition from “Camp Snoopy” to “Nickelodeon Universe” (18:37).
• What happens when COVID-19 meets a seven-acre theme park (21:19).
• Developments with the upcoming waterpark (31:28).
• How MOA provided free brick-and-mortar space for local businesses displaced in the wake of COVID-19 and the unrest stemming from the 2020 murder of George Floyd (34:29).
• The value of saying “no” as a working mom (47:04).
• Why taking risks to give back to employees pays off (49:24).

Leaders like Renslow understand the value of moving quickly and acting creatively, just like Platinum Bank. Learn more about business banking with a different kind of bank.