HONORING 2018 BUSINESS LEADERS
T
he Vadnais Heights Economic Development Corporation (VHEDC) annually
presents awards in the spring to several outstanding individuals for their
excellence in business and their valuable contributions to the community:
The Business Leader
Award: Jim Volp
Jim Volp,
formerly
Volp Vadnais
Heights LLC,
was the owner
and chief
manager
of Heights
Plaza from
1990 – 2018.
Under Volp’s
leadership,
the plaza –
located at the VHEDC Board President Debby Gustafson and Jim Volp
intersection
of Centerville Road and Highway 96 – evolved from
a neighborhood shopping corner to a first-class
shopping center for the Northeast Metro area. In
2016, Volp added high-profile tenants Punch Pizza
and Starbucks Coffee after making improvements
that included a new 4,300 square feet building, new
paint and replacement of aging façade material
for the entire complex, two new pylon signs and a
City monument that distinguishes the corner as an
attractive gateway into Vadnais Heights.
Since its construction in 1988, Heights Plaza has
been home to many different businesses; several no
longer there, such as: PDQ Food & Gas, a butcher
shop, a drugstore, Asian restaurants, a chiropractor,
a video store, a floral shop and Little Caesars Pizza.
The plaza’s long-time, current tenants include
Clean’n’Press, Salon Zeo, Subway, MGM Wine &
Spirits, H&R Block and the United States Postal
Service. Newer tenants – in addition to Punch Pizza
and Starbucks Coffee – include Noodles & Company
and T-Mobile. Culver’s Restaurant and various
business offices occupy additional plaza property
directly southwest of Heights Plaza.
Volp said, “I love to make real estate meet and serve
people’s needs. Properly designed, real estate is
the catalyst for most any group’s successes. When
both private and public organizations small & large
succeed, the communities grow and succeed also.”
Rising Stars Awards
Rising Star Awards were presented to three individuals, all under
40 years of age who work in the Northeast Metro area:
David Gunderson, Kristine Fredrickson and Alexandria Schumacher
David Gunderson, Director of Audit for IC System: Gunderson
oversees several initiatives: Strategy, Call Center Administration,
Call Quality, Compliance Audit and Vendor Due Diligence.
Gunderson’s career path at IC System led him from Consumer
Financial Representative to Operations Manager, from the
supervisor of the Call Quality department to Strategy & Analytics,
and finally to his current role.
Kristine Fredrickson, Program Plan Coordinator for Merrick,
Inc.: Fredrickson supports a team of 18 co-workers supporting 56
Merrick clients with disabilities who present challenging behaviors
that can limit work options and community inclusion. Having
completed the 2017 Northeast Metro Young Professionals program
hosted by VHEDC, Fredrickson has strengthened the leadership
skills that are the foundation of her daily work.
Alexandria Schumacher, Vice President of Operations and
HR for MME Group: Schumacher directs all company product
operations. She has created and empowered teams for continuous
improvement, is changing the scheduling processes for two plants
and coaching technical leads to grow their people. Schumacher has
taken the company core beliefs of “treating everyone with dignity
and respect” and built that into company culture.
vhedc.com
13