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Meet the 2025 Heartland winners

Congratulations to the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2025 Heartland winners, the shapers of our future! These ambitious visionaries are boldly disrupting markets, revolutionizing industries, and transforming lives, paving the way for a brighter tomorrow.

Learn more about our winners

Sarah Barrett Reiner | Barrett Petfood | Brainerd, Minnesota

Sarah Barrett Reiner is Partner and Co-Managing Director of Barrett Petfood. Located in the heart of central Minnesota, Barrett Petfood develops super premium pet food diets from emerging brands to market leaders in the industry. Its family-owned nature, nimble execution and continuous innovation take pet food manufacturing, packaging and distribution to differentiating levels.

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Tom Barrett | Barrett Petfood | Brainerd, Minnesota

Tom Barrett is Partner and Co-Managing Director of Barrett Petfood. Located in the heart of central Minnesota, Barrett Petfood develops super premium pet food diets from emerging brands to market leaders in the industry. Its family-owned nature, nimble execution and continuous innovation take pet food manufacturing, packaging and distribution to differentiating levels.

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Ben Jackson | Bungii LLC | Overland Park, Kansas

Ben Jackson is CEO and Founder of Bungii LLC. Bungii is a technology company leading the revolution of big-and-bulky, last-mile delivery. Modeled after popular sharing economy platforms, Bungii seamlessly connects businesses with a network of pickup trucks, cargo vans and box trucks to unlock the fastest and most reliable on-demand delivery. Bungii specializes in complex and oversized logistics, bridging the gap between traditional freight and final-mile delivery for the largest retailers, distributors and logistics companies in the United States. By leveraging proprietary technology, Bungii’s platform optimizes order processing, routing, driver utilization and delivery efficiency, ensuring a frictionless experience for both businesses and consumers. Operating across diverse markets nationwide, Bungii is redefining how oversized goods are transported by offering scalable, on-demand delivery solutions that maximize operational efficiency and improve financial outcomes. With a Net Promoter Score of 87, Bungii is setting a new standard for last-mile delivery, making it faster, smarter and more cost-effective.

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Martin Gross | Gross-Wen Technologies | Slater, Iowa

Martin Gross is Founder and CEO of Gross-Wen Technologies. Gross-Wen Technologies (GWT) uses its patented revolving algal biofilm system (RAB) to cost-effectively and sustainably recover nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from the environment. GWT is not afraid of failing in the pursuit of innovative and unorthodox solutions in the water, algae and sustainability industries. It strives to have a company culture that is inviting while curating teamwork, honesty and collaboration and promoting an enjoyable workplace. GWT displays grit in its aspirations for constant improvement.

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Chris Hoffmann | HB Solutions Group | Brentwood, Missouri

Chris Hoffmann is CEO of HB Solutions Group. HB Solutions Group is a Saint Louis-based service business with over 500 team members serving customers in Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee and Colorado.  Services include residential and commercial heating, air conditioning and ventilation (HVAC); electrical; plumbing; appliance repair; roofing; and exteriors.

HB Solutions Group has hired, trained and developed some of the most skilled service professionals in the industry, which has enabled it to serve a broad range of customers to include individual homeowners, distribution centers, retail shopping centers, industrial manufacturing facilities and large office complexes.

HB Solutions Group’s comprehensive service offerings include geothermal heating and cooling, water heater service and installations, ductless mini-split systems, ground source heat pumps, electrical panel service/installations, water-line repair/replacement, drain cleaning, lateral sewer line replacements, high-efficiency residential heating and cooling equipment, appliance repair, appliance installation, roof repair and replacement, siding projects, and many other essential home and facility services.

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Mike Blue | HistoSonics | Plymouth, Minnesota

Mike Blue is President, CEO and Board Director of HistoSonics. HistoSonics is a growth-stage medical device company developing a novel non-invasive sonic beam therapy platform and procedure using the science of histotripsy.  Histotripsy utilizes the pressure created by focused sound energy to liquify and destroy targeted tissue, including diseased tissue and tumors, at subcellular levels.  The company’s new platform, Edison, delivers personalized, tissue-specific treatments with robotic precision and control and without the undesirable side effects of many of today’s interventional, radiation and surgical modalities.  HistoSonics is led by a team of experienced domain experts and industry leaders with offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Plymouth, Minnesota.

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Lindsay Mullenger | Petite Keep, LLC | Saint Louis, Missouri

Lindsay Mullenger is Founder and CEO of Petite Keep, LLC. Petite Keep is a direct-to-consumer brand that creates beautiful, heirloom-quality keepsake trunks designed to hold life’s most cherished memories and mementos. With a focus on timeless design and exceptional craftsmanship, Petite Keep is more than just storage; it's about creating heirlooms that will be passed down for years to come. It all starts here, with #MemoriesInTheMaking.

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Shashi Yadiki | Smart Data Solutions | Eagan, Minnesota

Shashi Yadiki is CEO of Smart Data Solutions. Smart Data Solutions (SDS) is a leader in health care automation, enhancing efficiency through artificial intelligence (AI) and interoperability. Its AI-powered platform delivers an integrated approach to modernizing health care transactions, supporting intelligent intake, AI-driven clearinghouse services, provider data management, prior authorization, claims management and intelligent medical records solutions.

SDS was recently recognized as a Horizon 2 Enterprise Innovator in the HFS Horizons: Healthcare Payer Service Providers, 2024 report, a testament to its commitment to innovation and impact in health care automation. Its platform is designed for seamless integration, real-time adaptability and compliance with evolving industry standards, ensuring payers can operate with efficiency and confidence.

With a global team of 700+ professionals across the US, India, Nepal and China, SDS serves more than 500 health care organizations, including Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, regional health plans, third-party administrators and providers. Committed to a security-first approach which is backed by a HITRUST certification, SDS leverages AI, automation and interoperability to help clients navigate complex health care transactions and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.

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Michael E. Jordan | UNRL | Saint Paul, Minnesota

Michael E. Jordan is Founder and CEO of UNRL. UNRL is an athleisure clothing brand based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Known for its commitment to quality, innovation and unique designs, everything UNRL makes is crafted from scratch with premium hand-selected materials and tailored for a great fit. UNRL's foundation is built off strong core values, designing high-quality products and a passion to leave a legacy in the community.  UNRL is partners with retailers across the country, including Scheels and Von Maur, and has successfully launched collaborations with notable organizations, including the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Wild, Barstool Sports, Folds of Honor, Polaris and many other collegiate/professional sports teams.

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Charlie Tetrick | Walz Tetrick Advertising | Mission, Kansas

Charlie Tetrick is CEO of Walz Tetrick Advertising. Walz Tetrick is not a specialty agency with a focus on just one industry. Instead, it has developed deep expertise across several business categories, fueled by strategists with client and agency-side experience. This unique combination of inside knowledge and diverse marketing know-how enables Walz Tetrick to deliver strategies and solutions that are backed by industry insights but also customized to each brand it serves. It helps clients outsmart their competition by developing data-driven strategies to create highly customized, highly localized campaigns that deliver better bottom-line results. Walz Tetrick’s culture of collaboration and strategic thinking enables it to solve clients’ problems with customized solutions, doing what’s right for their business, every single time.

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Bret Weiss | WSB | Golden Valley, Minnesota

Bret Weiss is President and CEO of WSB. WSB is a design and consulting firm specializing in engineering, community planning, environmental and construction services. Its staff improves the way people engage with communities, transportation, infrastructure, energy and our environment. It offers services in over 50 complementary areas that seamlessly integrate planning, design and implementation. WSB’s coast-to-coast client base is served from over 50 offices in 10 states. It shares a vision to connect the dreams for tomorrow to the needs of today — the future is ours for the making.

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