Welcome! Today’s guest for the @MNMOmag Twitterview is #TCStyle blogger @JustineHornick. Lets go!

Thanks for having me!

To start off with, when did you know that hair and beauty was a field that you wanted to get involved with?

Justine:    I was very young, buying box color with my allowance and stealing my mom’s Reynold’s Wrap to color my sisters’ hair!

When did you start to get schooling in that industry, and was that an easy decision for you?

Justine:    I moved to Mpls from Green Bay at 18 for the Aveda Institute, and felt at home the min I walked through the door!

It was a very easy decision, there was nothing at a University that peaked my interest! I went with what felt natural.

How long was your was your schooling, and what aspects of it were you drawn to? Color, cuts, makeovers?

Justine:    Aveda’s program is just under 1yr, but went on to do a 1yr. apprenticeship at @rootsalons under owner Jim Koktavy.

I have since done extensive ongoing training where i’ve found the passion for full makeovers! Color/Cut/Styling

It is all-inclusive, each component plays a big role!

So how long have you been doing that kind of work? How did you end up connecting with @MNMOstyle?

Justine:    It’s been about 7 years of makeovers at @rootsalons on a regular basis!

I connected with @MNMOstyle when she agreed to let me transform her girl-next-door blonde into shades of sherbet!

And now @MNMOstyle is a red head. Your doing? So what are you going to cover for #TCStyle in @MNMOmag?

Justine:    My BFF @MarkatHAUS has taken her full blown red! We share the @MNMOstyle love between us!

This month I’m talking about the best Father’s Day (lack of hair) Gift, Beachy Waves, Hair Sunscreen & Wedding styles!

Okay. We have a little time left. What’s hot for summer, and is @Pinterest affecting what people want done?

Justine:    Texture (think sea salt sprays, messy beach hair, curling irons), lots of braids (waterfall, rope, small fishtails)

For color: evolution of Ombre= more blended, think soft dark root, light mid-strand of the hair and medium brown ends

Hair accessories are huge! Headbands, Turbans, head chains, colored barrettes and bobby pins for DIY updos!

Everything I just listed can be found on @Pinterest. Clients are SO smart thanks to it! They come w/ inspiration,

And I have to either say, “yes this works for you” or “nope, but try this… for your face shape or hair type”

If my clients aren’t already using @Pinterest, we download it together and get them up and running!

Joel:    Thanks Justine for your time and tips today. Be sure catch her with @MNMOmag and the #TCStyle blogger crew.

Justine:    Thank you @JoelECarlson!

Hello everybody! Welcome to today’s Twitterview with @mallofamerica Exec VP of Biz Development, Maureen Bausch. Time to roll!

Good morning Joel!

Hi Maureen! Can you briefly explain what your role is so that we can understand your perspective & responsibilities?

Maureen:    I am EVP of Business Development. My main responsibility is making sure @MallofAmerica always has something fresh & new for guests!

Sounds fun & rewarding! This year the mall hit the 20 years old mark. Congrats! How is it being celebrated?

Maureen:    We are so excited to celebrate 20 years and we have so much in store for our guests!

So far every month we have done something special for our anniversary beginning with a passport of savings in January

Opening of Diana: A Celebration in Feb. as well as marrying 20 couples on the Ferris wheel!

7/8 We’ll celebrate with first outdoor concert at Target Field. We’ll be doing a Pepsi Golden Can promotion… and…

Aug. 11 is our real birthday and we’ll have a big cake celebration, Beerfest and culminate our 20 wks of giveaways.

Phew, that’s a lot of celebrating! We’ll have all the ways guests can participate on our website http://mallofamerica.com

Lots of things to check out for sure! In that 20yrs, there have been lots of changes. Care to share some history?

Maureen:    Technology, social media, cell phones were not popular 20 yrs ago. This has changed the way we communicate with guests

Fast fashion – people want things now! Black Friday now starts on Thursday – all of these things have changed business

9/11 has changed the way we protect the building and our guests.

International retail is invading the U.S. in a positive way and many retailers have joined MOA!

Checks were king 20 years ago and today you pay with your cell phone.

A lot more ‘high-end” fashion has been brought into the mall too. How has the response been to that?

Maureen:    Excellent response. People will either spend for investment they will wear for many years or they want fast fashion.

Luxury and fast fashion are exploding – opposite ends of the spectrum

The mall is well balanced then. Lets talk about food and restaurants. How has that changed over the years?

Maureen:    Certainly sushi is king now – we’re excited to welcome Masu this summer! Sushi wasn’t very popular 20 years ago!

An onset of fast casual where you can sit down. Themed restaurants not as popular as the ’90′s.

One thing that hasn’t changed – it’s all about good food!

How about in the way of entertainment, beyond food and fashion. How has that evolved/changed over the years?

Maureen:    Country music was huge when we opened (Gatlin Bros. Bar) , then it dropped in popularity, now it is popular again!

An insurgence in stand-up comedy – House of Comedy is doing well – people love to go and see a show!

We switched from Peanuts to Nickelodeon in ’08 which is #1 brand for kids and Nickelodeon Universe is very popular.

Lets look forward to the future of the mall. There’s something about a hotel being built right? :)

Maureen:    11 stories, 500 rooms, an upper-upscale hotel called Radisson Blu opening in Spring of 2013. We can’t wait!

We’re beginning construction next year on the north side with another hotel, medical office and add’tl retail.

Any brand associated with the north hotel yet? Isn’t the medical space going to be for the #MayoClinic?

Maureen:    No brand yet for the hotel and yes #MayoClinic will be the medical space!

Any store openings that people should look forward to this summer? New details on the Bloomingdale’s space?

Maureen:    Henri Bendel, Athleta, Juicy Couture, Masu Sushi and Robata and more coming soon! Forever 21 superstore in Bloomie’s.

Newly opened stores include Cotton On, Typo, Dr. Martens and Tilly’s.

Stil working on other details for the Bloomie’s space so be sure to stay tuned!

Fabulous! To close, please remind people the hours that the mall is open so they can see all of the new stores.

Maureen:    We are open 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mon. – Sat. and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday!

Joel:    Thanks Maureen and the digital team at the mall for making this work out today! Have a great day & shop everyone!

Maureen:    Thank you!! Be sure to stay tuned to participate in all the fun activities for the 20th!!

Jen Sinkler is a very successful fitness and athletic minded and active person  She’s the Editorial Director of Fitness Content for Experience Life magazine. Owned and operated by the Lifetime Fitness chain. She has played rugby at many levels, and even after ending her participation, she still keeps up on how to stay fit through exercise and eating right.

When she’s not working out, pumping iron, running and staying in shape, what kinds of things does Jen like to do with her time?  Even though she is very health conscious, does she have any weaknesses when it comes to food?  With the craze of Apps, does she have any that she uses to help herself with keeping track, monitor or improving her activities?

In this 3-part series of interviews, get to know more about Jen, her personality and what drives her to do what she does.

In part 1 of the Jen Sinkler interview, Jen talks about how she became interested in rugby and built up her interest in fitness. She then shares what some of her favorite fitness brands are and her thoughts on fitness apps.

In part 2 of Jen’s interview, she talks about her diet, her exercise regiment what she feels about lifting weights for women.

In part 3 of Jen’s interview, she talks about some of her interests outside of fitness. Where she’d like to travel to and what her favorite animals.

Looking for a Happy Hour? You’ve come to right right place! Time for a @MNMOMag Twitterview w/ Kieran Folliard of @2GingersWhiskey.

So Kieran, how long have you been working and living in Minnesota?

Kieran:    Hi Joel, thanks for having me! I arrived in MN on April 16, 1987.

You are clearly VERY entrepreneurial, have you always been that way, and how did you develop that skill?

Kieran:    No I’m not!

Only joking! I started growing and selling carrots at twelve years of age – I suppose that was the start

It’s been all downhill since then!

I don’t think that’s true! You’ve helped many too. :) What made you get into the restaurant biz to start off with?

Kieran:    It was the only way to spend more time in a pub and not have a real job! That was after 17 yrs in corporate world.

Twitter is not for Irish guys – I can’t be so succinct!

@2GingersWhiskey You’re doing good! While you were building a restaurant empire, how did the idea of a new whiskey come to you?

Kieran:    Mostly from drinking whiskey! I never had a good idea over a cup of coffee.

I like starting businesses. We sold a lot of whiskey at my former pubs – my instinct told me there was an opportunity

Sure. How long then was the process from idea to getting the first bottle? How long until you knew it was a hit?

Kieran:    The process really started when I trademarked the Big Ginger in 2007, and success is all relative – TBD

True. When then did you decide to get out of the restaurant biz and focus solely on whiskey distribution?

Kieran:    2 months after launching 2 GINGERS in the Cara pubs (3-16-2011) I saw people loved it and decided to take the plunge

I sold my shares of the pubs internally to the other owners, and went on my merry way in early July 2011

A NEW adventure for you! How has distribution been going for you in MN and around the country?

Kieran:    Currently 2 GINGERS is available exclusively in our home state of MN, and we’re approaching 1700 accounts

Distribution is strong. Our accts are split evenly between liquor stores and bars/restaurants. We’ve had great support

I know that you LOVE to tell stories. Any stories that you can share about signing a bottle at a “launch” party?

Kieran:    There are lots of good ones, and lots of people out there. My favorite was at @ZippsLiquor – a lady bought a bottle…

and wanted me to sign it for her boyfriend. After I started writing his name she said “OH NO!” and gave a dif. name!

I ended up giving her both bottles!

LOL! I knew that you’d have a good one share! So what’s the plan for the next year or so?

Kieran:    Goal for the next year: to sell a load of whiskey!

Looking to expand our distribution in MN, build a strong brand, and introduce whiskey to a broader market

Joel:    That’s great!  Thanks for your time today Kieran. All the best to you and your thriving business!

Kieran:    Thanks Joel and @MNMOmag for having me and for tippling 2 GINGERS!

[Interview conducted on May 22, 2012]

Good afternoon everybody! Today’s @MNMOMag Twitterview guest is Nate Beck of @Nate_Dogs. So lets get rolling!

Nate:    Great! Thanks Joel.

To start off with Nate, how are you and your cart? There was some kind of an incident this weekend right?

Nate:    I’m fine & the cart seems to still work fine. It’s got a pretty sweet dent, though. @wcco is doing a piece today at 5

Good that you’re okay. Did you get a license plate No. or a description of the car? Twitterville can help! :)

Nate:    Unfortunately no lic. plate. It was a black, two door sedan. Early 2000′s. Maybe a Cadillac STS.

Moving forward, what gave you the idea to start a food cart in Minneapolis?

Nate:    It was a way I could do a food biz and still pay cash. I have really enjoyed the cart. It lets me be able to really interact…

with customers!! It’s the part of retail sales I really liked. I didn’t want to be back in the kitchen. As you know, I like to talk!

With a VERY personable and friendly disposition I might add! :) So how did you choose hot dogs, and how are yours unique?

Nate:    Thanks! Skin-on wieners are my absolute favorite food. No contest. Plus, if people liked my condiments I could bottle and sell em.

Mine are unique in that they are all-pork, skin-on and all natural.(no hormones or junk!)Locally sourced from Pastures A Plenty.

Which flavors/types of wieners do you always have on hand, and what are some of the more uniquely blended ones?

Nate:    I have an uncured, smoked wiener and brat. They are both very balanced and not overly salty like so many dogs.

Also, I plan to try and feature a new sausage from other local butchers every few weeks. Also using local, natural meats.

I am going to maybe start with a chicken or lamb sausage still made in the smaller wiener casing to keep them unique

They’re VERY tasty! Did it take you awhile to find the right sources for the quality of wieners that you wanted to offer?

Nate:    THANKS! It took me about six months to find the right one. 8 butchers/farms and 12 wiener choices later I had the winner.

You also now have a personally branded condiment available. Can you share what it is and wear people can get some?

Nate:    Sure! It’s signature “Honey-Spiced Mustard” It can be purchased from my cart/website & a couple stores -@Kramarczuks @PairingsFW

Here’s a pic: http://ow.ly/i/DPNb

Super! How long did that take to get from being an idea to reality? Any other flavors now or to come out soon?

Nate:    Customers started asking for it last summer and I really got started planning in Oct. I finally got my Ag. Lic. in march to bottle.

It was a pretty long process!

Congrats on the branding expansion! So where can people generally find you and your cart parked?

Nate:    Thanks!! May has been crazy with private lunches & catering…

…but next week going into summer will look like: M/W/F St. Paul locations. T/TH Mpls locations. Sat @nefarmersmarket (1/2 season)

In St.Paul, are you at the #FoodTruckCourt? What’s you’re price range for say 2 dogs, chips and a pop/soda?

Nate:    I sure am at #foodtruckcourt. It’s great! The special for 2 dogs/chips/soda is $9!! Pretty good deal for natural/local products.

That’s a GREAT deal! Any special events coming up that we could see you and try a dog of yours?

Nate:    YES! @metromag Monster food truck rally Sunday after the Saints game. @nefarmersmarket for half the season.

Also, the @loringartfair (8/4-8/5), the Midwest Tomato Fest (7/14) and the Twin Cities Beer Fest at MOA (8/11). Plus more in Fall!

Okay. Well thank you very much for your time and sharing a passion of yours with us on #MNMOtv. Have a great summer Nate! :)

Nate:    It was my pleasure, Joel!! Thank you do much for having me and letting me talk about Natedogs. See you all soon!!

Good afternoon everybody! Sorry for the delay. Today’s #jectv Twitterview is with @CoreyLAnderson of the @MinnPost. Lets go!

Corey:    For a second, I thought I was going to get twood up by

So Corey, share a little about yourself. Where did you grow up and go to school?

Corey:    I grew up on a farm south of Hector, MN (pop.1,110 or so) and moved to Mpls after high school to attend MCAD

What did you focus on learning at MCAD, and how did you get to start using your schooling in the workforce?

Corey:    I studied illustration and graphic design while at MCAD – long enough ago that it involved marker renderings & colored pencils

… as well as some preliminary computer graphic design. Soon after graduating I got a job designing ads for Comedy Gallery…

… show biz! The big time! Laid off after six months. Soon became an intern, then fulll-time at @citypages.

When did you connect with @MinnPost, and how did the redesign of their website go at the early stages?

Corey:    I joined MinnPost in Aug ’07, a few months before launch. Thanks to @bigboxcar, then @Kaeti and @gortonstudios, redesign was

not a very painful experience. We knew how we wanted to improve the site – the look, user experience, etc and took our time.

That’s good! Once the redesign was done, what kind of response has there been to it and has traffic improved?

Corey:    Very positive from most on design and more pages viewed per visit, which was one of our top goals…

Mobile numbers are up as well – the reactive design has enabled better @MinnPost reading on mobile and pads.

That’s great! It’s a nice design for sure. So beyond your work, what other interest/hobbies do you enjoy?

Corey:    I play bocce on Tuesdays at @NomadPubMpls trying to love camping. Any activity where you can also drink beer – I’m in.

I’m also in a book club – current pick is “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.” Very good so far.

Do you get to network with the web design community in MN much? If so, what’s the skill level here?

Corey:    I’d like to more. During the initial growth stage at @MinnPost I was sort of chained to my desk, but more recently…

‘ve been able to attend some breakfasts, ONA meetings, etc. Great MN designers & journalists and I need to know more.

Joel:    Thanks Corey for your time today and sharing some of your thoughts and life on #jectv Twitterviews. Have a great afternoon!

Corey:    Thank you, Joel, it was very fun! Hope to see you in real life over a beer some time.

Good morning everybody! Welcome to the Twitterview of @simasays (Sima Dahl)! How are things in Chicago today Sima?

Sima:    Today is classic early summer Chicago… sunny, mild breeze off the lake, just stunning!

We’re supposed to see high’s in the 90′s this weekend. As we always say in Chi-town, “it’s cooler by the lake.”

Glad to hear it! So to start off with, where did you grow up and attend school? What interests did you have growing up?

Sima:    I grew up in the NW suburbs of Chicago. We moved to a town called Barrington when I was 10 and I went to HS there.

Growing up I loved to read, watch movies (sci-fi, fantasy, suspense) & ride my bike. I still do all those things now!

I also loved going to see live music and musicals. My very first concert was the Jackson 5 feat. Michael himself.

My parents were divorced and my dad would have me on weekends. Saw a ton of theatre, sports and more.

Growing up near a world class city like Chicago has its advantages to be sure. And we haven’t even talked about food!

Alright then. What kinds of places did you enjoy eating at when you were growing up? Deep dish or thin crust?

Sima:    Oh the classic pizza debate! I myself prefer thin but every blue moon a deep dish pizza hits the spot.

Chicago is really a melting pot of ethnicities and you can find any kind of food in the world here.

Growing up I was a picky eater, now I’ll try anything. My husband and I, along with 2 couples, have “Ethnic Night.”

We take turns picking different ethnic experiences – here’s where we’ve been: http://simasays.com/dining/

So how did you get interested and involved with social media, marketing and networking? What kind of schooling helped you?

Sima:    I did my undergrad at U of I in Champaign, and my MBA part-time evenings at DePaul.

At U of I, I studied marketing and communications and I fell in love with all things “messaging.” I am a word-geek.

I did my MBA in Management to round out my liberal arts undergrad. Helped me gain perspective beyond the marcom role.

I have always been in marketing but my career took lots of twists and turns. I used social networking to market myself

I am a B2B and professional services marketer – it’s all about relationships… slow and complex. #SM amplifies that.

None of us is an expert. The smartest #SM marketers still think of themselves as students – we are all still learning

Agreed! Many people and companies find B2B Social Media more challenging than say B2C. Do you feel that way?

Sima:    The #B2B #SM marketer has to know their audience well, find them, and then edu-tain them. No easy feat

What I find is that just because the #b2b buyer is less vocal doesn’t mean they’re not social. Content is king.

Much of the work we do is identifying the greatest #SM opportunity, packaging the content, and training the team

Good points! How did you get to be a columnist, author and keynote speaker? Did they come easy to you?

Sima:    When I set out to reinvent my career and rebrand myself 4 years ago, I met a woman who gave me some sage advice.

She simply said, “You have to name it to claim it.” And so I started telling the universe exactly what I wanted…

I rebranded myself as a consultant, speaker, trainer, author… like advertising, consistent messaging is key.

I’ve always loved writing & have no fear of public speaking. I had raw talent but had much to learn and still do.

My earliest opportunities all came from my network. A friend invited me to blog, another to speak… so grateful!

Good planning! With today’s economy, MANY people are having to re-brand themselves. What are some hurdles to overcome?

Sima:    Rebranding takes consistency, repetition, patience. Also clarity of message. And passion.

I tell ppl, “If you’re not excited about what you do, how can you expect me to be?”

Everyone needs a personal positioning statement… be able to articulate who you are, what you do, why you’re special

I wrote a column about positioning statements for @SMMmagazine that #JECTV followers might enjoy. http://ow.ly/bs9lR

The good news is, you can always change your mind. Personal brands evolve, just like people :)

Excellent advice! So put your “in the future” Google goggles on! :) What do you see happening with #SM in the future?

Sima:    I don’t have a crystal ball by any means but I see “integration” becoming sexy again. #SM can’t stand alone for long

Also tighter partnerships between client and agency – you can’t outsource #SM entirely, but most do need help!

I see we’re almost out of time, how’d I do? Any last questions for me? If not, I’ve got one for you :)

What’s that?

Sima:    It’s Jan 1st, 2013. What happened in the last 6 months that you are most proud of? Tell the universe, make it happen!

That’s a great way to make a goal! To close Sima, where will you be speaking in the next few months?

Sima:    You’re not going to answer? Darn :(

Upcoming engagements at @LFGSM, Fed. Reserve Bank Chg, USG, HTSA, UBA, JAMA and loads of training.

I plan to pilot a web-based training program for sales pro’s and biz owners later this summer.

This has been a real pleasure Joel! A very happy #FF to you. And thanks for not asking me to do math :)

Joel:    I plan to do more writing about social media, hopefully for some publications. More involved with food writing too.

Thanks for your time and helpful tips today. Have a great weekend!

Sima:    Awesome – now that it’s out there – it’ll be far easier to achieve, and I look forward to reading your work!