Presenters Enge and Stordahl to Share Their Stories
Thief River Falls, MN—September 21, 2020: Two Rivers Entrepreneur “Kinnection,” or TREK, will host its first gathering on October 6.
TREK is a monthly gathering of entrepreneurs, mentors, advisors, and others, to educate, engage, and “kinnect” area entrepreneurs. It is modeled after the 1 Million Cups initiative founded by the Kauffman Foundation. Entrepreneur leaders in the Thief River Falls area have decided to build on the 1 Million Cups format, but make it their own, adapting it to fit the unique characteristics of the Thief River Falls area.
Each meeting will feature two presenters—one that has been in business for more than five years and one that is an emerging entrepreneur. Meetings are open to anyone interested in hearing, supporting, and connecting with the area’s entrepreneurs. There are no attendance requirements or membership fees.
October 6 presenters will be Allie Enge, owner of The Shed, and Andrea Stordahl, owner of Minnesota Rust. Both presenters will tell their unique stories, explaining who they are, what they do, and why they do it.
Andrea Stordahl is the owner of Minnesota Rust and together with her husband, Bryce Stordahl, has been responsible for redevelopment of an entire block in downtown McIntosh. As a result, four women-owned businesses have opened up for business in town—The Beauty Room, The Red Poppy, and Howard Soap Company.
Allie Enge is owner of The Shed, which has significantly expanded their footprint in downtown Thief River Falls in the former Elks building. Allie has grown the business exponentially, expanding product lines as well as building an e-commerce website.
TREK organizers have been planning for several months, well in advance of COVID-19. Although state regulations and restrictions have delayed the launch of TREK, the TREK team felt it was time to move ahead, with this first meeting being held via Zoom. The plan is to transition to face-to-face meetings as soon as it is feasible to do so.
One of the hallmarks of TREK is to meet over good coffee. Since the meeting will be held virtually, attendees are encouraged to BYOC—bring your own coffee.
TREK is led by Advance Thief River, a nonprofit organization with a focus on growing the area economy. “Entrepreneurs and small businesses are the bedrock of our local economy,” says Michelle Landsverk, Advance Thief River Director. “We want to do all we can to support them and nurture a culture of entrepreneurship in this community.” Additional TREK team members include Mike Barry, Kelsey Brateng, Brian Carlson, Kendall DeHaan, Beth Nelson, John Syvertson, and Angie Westling.
