DISTILLING John Kriesel John Kriesel, a former Minnesota state legislator and wounded combat veteran, announced he has joined Minnesota-based Northland Vodka as a co-owner. Kriesel, a Republican, previously represented the southeast suburban Twin Cities metro. EDUCATION Zinpro Corp., an Eden Prairie-based maker of organic trace minerals for animal nutrition, announced that Joshua Legaspi, a first-year Ph.D. student in medicinal chemistry at the University of Minnesota, is the second recipient of the Dr. Mahmoud M. Abdel-Monem Memorial Fellowship in Medicinal Chemistry at the U, named in honor of the scientist who developed the metal amino acid complex that was instrumental in the company’s founding. FINANCIAL SERVICES Alerus Financial Corp., a Grand Forks, N.D.-based financial services company with operations in the Twin Cities, announced Jon Hendry, executive vice president and chief technology officer, will retire at year’s end. Karin Taylor will assume the role of executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective Jan. 1, and Joe Birkholz has joined the company as chief risk officer. … Bloomington accounting firm BGM announced that Dane Boeckermann, current principal and president of CPA Services, has been named CEO of the firm, effective Jan. 1, succeeding Cory Parnell, who will continue to support the organization in a different capacity. Succeeding Boeckermann as president of CPA Services is Jason Marvin, currently principal and audit practice leader. … Ameriprise Financial, Minneapolis, announced that Brian Mora has been named senior vice president of experienced adviser recruiting. Mora has more than 20 years with Ameriprise, most recently as regional vice president in the central region of the firm’s branch channel. HONORS KLC Financial, a Minnetonka-based provider of equipment lease and purchase financing for business, announced that Amy Lewis, vice president of operations, has been selected by Monitor as one of the Top 50 Women in Equipment Finance; Lewis previously was named one of Finance & Commerce’s Top Women in Finance. Monitor is a trade magazine covering the equipment finance industry. … Midas, a national retail automotive services provider, announced that Peter Santovi, a technician at the Midas franchise shop in Shakopee, has been named the 2024 Automotive Service Excellence Master Technician of the Year for the Midas franchise system. The franchise is owned by Reed Styve. LAW Chestnut Cambronne, Minneapolis, has welcomed Elizabeth (“Ellie”) Orrick to the Class Action practice group as an associate attorney. Prior to joining the firm, Orrick served as a law clerk for the Honorable Denise D. Reilly, the Honorable Jeffrey M. Bryan, and the Honorable Jeanne M. Cochran at the Minnesota Court of Appeals. … Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, St. Paul, announced the following staff additions: Sidney Ahles, paralegal, Moorhead; Samira Haji, administrative assistant, Mankato; Payton Yahn, staff attorney, St. Paul Bethesda Clinic; Jen Kelso, staff attorney, St. Paul; Stacy Huntington, outreach worker, Mankato. MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY DiaMedica Therapeutics, a Minnetonka-based biopharmaceutical company, announced the formation of a Scientific Advisory Board to support development of a treatment of preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy condition. The members of the newly formed SAB include: Vincenzo Berghella, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia; Cathy Cluver, Tygerberg Hospital, South Africa; Dr. Bob Silver, University of Utah Health Sciences Center; Stephen Tong, Mercy Hospital for Women, Australia; Susan Walker; University of Melbourne, Australia. OPENINGS Rally House, a fan-centric licensed sports apparel and merchandise retailer, announced the opening of a location in Maple Grove Crossing shopping mall. SERVICES Restaurant Technologies, a Mendota Heights-based provider of cooking oil waste management to restaurants, announced that Chief People Officer Alissa Partee has transitioned into a new role as the company’s chief operations officer. Partee joined the company as CPO in 2020. TECHNOLOGY New Wave Design, an Eden Prairie-based provider of embedded computing solutions for the defense and aerospace industry, announced the appointment of Brian Paul as vice president of sales and marketing. Paul previously held leadership roles at General Dynamics, Milpower Source, Aviation Ground Equipment Corp., GPS Source and SSI Technology.Related Articles Business | Business People: Jan Malcolm, Brian Thun added to Blue Cross board Business | Presbyterian Homes and Services appoints new CEO Business | Ramsey County selects Catrice O’Neal to lead Workforce Solutions, Workforce Innovation Board Business | Business People: Symone Woolridge to anchor Fox 9 evening newscasts Business | Ramsey County selects Maria Sarabia as chief of staff EMAIL ITEMS to [email protected].