Former Kaiser exec Prat Vemana joins Target’s executive team – Twin Cities

OF NOTE — RETAIL

Target Corp., Minneapolis, announced the hire of Prat Vemana as executive vice president, chief digital and product officer, effective Oct. 31. Vemana previously served in a similar executive role at health insurer and health care provider Kaiser Permanente.

ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONS

KOSE, a Minneapolis-based digital marketing agency, announced the hire of Joe King as vice president, director of account management.

BREWING

The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild announced that six Minnesota craft breweries were honored at the 2022 Great American Beer Festival last month in Denver: Gold medals: Bent Paddle Brewing Co., Duluth; Insight Brewing, Minneapolis; Forgotten Star Brewing Co., Fridley, and Ursa Minor Brewing, Duluth. Silver medals: Forgotten Star Brewing Co., Fridley; Pantown Brewing Co., St. Cloud, and Wooden Hill Brewing Co., Edina.

EDUCATION

The College of American Pathologists announced that Dr. Michael A. Linden has been included in this year’s class of CAP Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. Linden is a professor and director of hematopathology in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

ENTERTAINMENT

Canterbury Park Holding Corp., a Shakopee-based owner and operator of horse racing and gambling facilities, announced that Peter Ahn and Damon Schramm have joined its board of directors. Ahn is chief financial officer at investment firm Hemisphere Cos.; Schramm is a vice president at Togetherwork, a software company.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Bell Bank, Fargo, N.D., announced the hire of Liam Higgins as senior vice president/commercial banking and nonprofit banking team lead, based in the bank’s Twin Cities offices. … Deluxe, a Shoreview-based provider of business payment services and products, announced the appointment of Chip Zint as senior vice president and chief financial officer, succeeding Scott Bomar; Zint has been with Deluxe since 2020, previously serving as vice president, corporate finance. … Ameriprise Financial, Minneapolis, announced that financial adviser Cate Grinney has joined the company’s independent channel from Edward Jones in Faribault, with $331 million in client assets.

FOOD

Hormel Foods Corp., a, Austin, Minn.-based provider of grocery store prepared food brands, announced the promotion of Katie Larson as senior vice president of human resources. Larson most recently served as the company’s director of human resources.

HONORS

NAWBO-MN, the local chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, announced this year’s inductees to its Hall of Fame: Wendy Ethen, Guaranty Commercial Title; Danya Frank, First Avenue Production; Anne Ketz,106 Group; Heather Manly, On-Demand Group, Crooked Water Spirits and Heather’s Dirty Goodness, and Lynn Wehrman, The Wehrman Collaborative, also known as Digital Accessibility by WeCo. … The Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce announced Jon Althoff, founder of sales and marketing consultancy Parachute Consulting Group, Plymouth, as its Legacy Award winner. Althoff has served various leadership roles at the chamber, including as chairman of the board. … The Minnesota Retailers Association announced it has awarded Urban Growler Brewing Co., St. Paul, with its the Building Community Through Retail award as part of the 2022-23 Minnesota’s Retail Champions program.

LAW

Fredrikson & Byron, Minneapolis, announced that attorney Cody M. Bauer has joined the firm’s Energy Group.

MANUFACTURING

LYNX Innovation Inc., a Bloomington-based global diversified manufacturer, announce that Stephen Dopp, the company’s innovation president and board member, has been named chief executive officer, effective Oct. 1. Dopp succeeds co-founder Kurt McNall, who maintains a position on the board.

MARKETING

IWCO Direct, a Chanhassen-based provider of direct mail and loyalty marketing services, announced the following executive appointments: Ken McDonald, chief supply chain officer; Melissa “Missy” Smutny, chief human resources officer; Pat Sondreal, chief production officer, and Wes Sparling, chief marketing officer.

NONPROFITS

YMCA of the North, Minneapolis, announced Michelle T. Edgerton has joined as executive vice president of advancement and development. Edgerton has served in leadership roles at several community organizations and also founded The Edgerton Group, a fundraising and organizational development consulting firm.

ORGANIZATIONS

Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota announced that Carlos Ruiz has joined its board of directors. Ruiz is director of business geographics and insights at Star Tribune, Minneapolis.