Hustle Hour

Hustle Hour is BACK for the 4th year in a row! We’ve put together an impressive panel of Professionals from Central MN who have been part of establishing successful businesses in the area. Mary, Nick, and Lindsay have chased their dreams head-on, hustled their way to the top, and continue to put in the work EVER. DAMN. DAY. They have all built successful brands and formed communities of individuals who trust them as the experts in their respective endeavors. How did they do it? What did they learn? What advice do they have for YOU? Come to Hustle Hour and find out!

Date: Thursday, September 23rd
Venue: Apiary Coworking
Time: 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM; 5 PM Happy Hour + Creative Convos, 5:30 PM Panel Begins

MARY BRUNO

Mary grew up in a small town in Central Minnesota, she is a printer and learned her love of printing from her Design professor father Don Bruno. Since his passing in 2003, she has taken over his small letterpress print shop in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and expanded, both physically and figuratively. Mary has an irreverent line of greeting cards and more that is sold nationwide and she teaches the old school tradition of letterpress printing the way her father taught her. She organizes international traveling art exhibitions with printers all over the world. She carves linoleum and hand-sets wood and lead type to make posters, broadsides, and anything that she comes up with. Mary is a community go-getter and loves to collaborate with other printers, poets, musicians, kids, other designers, you name it.

NICK EVANS

Nick is a true St. Cloud local. After graduating from Apollo Senior High in 2012, he went on to attend multiple universities in pursuit of going to Med school. After discovering his true passion for health and wellness, Nick left school and opened up his own gym, Max Effort Fitness right here in the Pantown neighborhood. He ran his gym for 3+ years, and while he loved it, when starting a new family it wasn’t always easy so he made the tough decision to close the doors. During that time, Nick began dreaming of his next business (during a pandemic, mind you), and soon Cloud 9 Energy Bowls was born. He was inspired by many different avenues to start Cloud 9 but mainly his desire to bring something quick and healthy to Central Minnesota. After being open for just over one year, Cloud 9 Energy Bowls has already opened a second location in Albertville, MN, and Nick has dreams of opening a few more before franchising out of state!

LINDSAY SALZBURN

Lindsay is the owner of White Peony Boutique, an online clothing store with a pop-up shop style brick and mortar location in St. Cloud. When daydreaming about what her boutique could be, Lindsay and her partners realized White Peony was meant for a greater purpose than just being a boutique. Yes, it is a place to shop, browse, and fuel your creativity with personal style, but White Peony is not just about building a business – it’s about building a movement. Lindsay’s mission is to have people come for the beautifully curated pieces but stay for the friendship, community, and connection. At White Peony, YOU are the priority.

CLARE RICHARDS (Moderator)

Clare is a creative by trade with a strong love for building vibrancy through action and storytelling. Clare is no stranger to entrepreneurship. She has worked in a wide variety of roles at Vye, helping build the marketing company over the past seven years. In her time at Vye, she has worked with the team to build strategies that have led to millions in revenue attributed to online lead generation for clients. In addition to her role at Vye, Clare is a co-founder and owner of a socially-focused business called Impacks. Impacks helps schools fundraise while giving parents an easy way to purchase school supplies online. Her experience in starting organizations also includes a non-profit she co-founded in 2015 called the Saint Cloud Rotaract. The volunteer organization brings together young professionals to develop leadership skills and make a difference in the community. When she isn’t volunteering or working, she can be found reading a good book or playing her ukulele..