Planning and Resource Development
Leadership Succession
Change Management
Planning and Resource Development:
Minnesota Innovation Initiative, NW Minnesota
“We were tasked with providing training to our maintenance departments and our organization was utilizing a company out of Atlanta Ga. With the Idea Circle [through the Minnesota Innovation Initiative] we were able to tailor our training around our own work schedules and not have a negative impact on our business by either shutting down for training or sending our members all the way down south to attend the training. We have been able to use the mechatronics program to help us develop potential maintenance candidates and also to further our existing maintenance personnel in their skills. It has also helped to cross-train our existing members in both mechanical fabrication and hydraulics as well as electrical skills.”
– Jon Anderson, Human Resources Manager, Norbord Minnesota, Bemidji, MN
Leadership Succession:
RJ Zavoral & Sons, East Grand Forks, MN
“The Idea Circle’s vision and structure for larger companies helped a great deal on getting our organization to look where we had to focus and where we needed to grow with our key employees to accomplish our 5-year goals which they helped create. It also helped to move our company to generate the volume and profit we will need to compete within our construction industry. The Idea Circle helped us by stretching our horizons, making goals, attacking our problems head-on and generally getting us to think outside of our own little company mindset and use resources that will help us in the future. It was a lot of thinking outside of what we normally do which was good for the mind and soul to see how hard it is to keep moving forward and not be satisfied with the where we are.”
– Peter Zavoral, President/CEO, RJ Zavoral & Sons
Change Management:
North Country Community Health Service, Bagley, MN
The North Country Accountable Communities for Health is a collaborative of North Country Community Health Services, comprised of the local public health organizations in Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard and Lake of the Woods counties. The Idea Circle acted as the grant manager for a two-year grant with the goal to improve the region’s capacity to support mental health for at-risk youth and youth in crisis. Together, we worked to fulfill this goal through four key objectives based on the Rice County Public Health Model for Mental Health Promotion: Prevention, Promotion, Crisis, and Care/Advocacy. We employed methods informed by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research, linking toxic stress early in life with negative health outcomes later in life. Accomplishments of the grant include: building upon best practice models, improved communication across the region amongst providers, and increased capacity to serve youth through staff development.