by Amanda Theisen     

Summer in Minnesota wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the Minnesota State Fair. Between August 22 and Labor Day, hundreds of thousands of people will descend up on the State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights to get in their fair share of cheese curds, sweet corn, farm animals, Giant Slide and Carousel rides, Grandstand shows…and don’t forget the Sweet Martha’s Cookies!

Here at Sunrise Banks, we love nothing more than supporting our customers when they get the opportunity to share what they love with the people around them. Surprisingly (or not), you’ll find several well-known State Fair vendors that have ties to Sunrise Banks.

So, when you enter the Fairgrounds in the coming days, make sure to stop by their booths and show them some Sunrise love!

Urban Boatbuilders

Urban Boatbuilders is a nonprofit that works with youth ages 16-21 on building skills for trades careers by building boats. It offers a variety of programs, including semester-long apprenticeship programs for students who may have encountered systemic barriers to traditional employment.

“In that semester, they not only build a boat, but they also take field trips to look at union jobs, construction jobs, or opportunities in trades and manufacturing,” says Gretchen Wilbrandt, Director of Development & Community Engagement at Urban Boatbuilders. “They get that worksite exposure and understanding about how they would get paid, the type of training they would need and job expectations.”

Urban Boatbuilders also works with apprentices on career readiness skills, financial literacy, mental health, self-advocacy and working as a team. Gretchen says over time, the staff and instructors develop strong relationships with the participants.

“Some students come into our program not thinking anything is interesting, initially, to being the biggest cheerleader for it,” she says.

Gretchen says the team at Urban Boatbuilders appreciates working with Sunrise Banks because it’s close by and has local roots.

“As a nonprofit, there’s always a lot of moving pieces,” says Gretchen. “So having a financial partner that helps us as we are moving through that is important. And we found that in Sunrise Banks.”

“Often, if you bank with large banks you feel like just a number in a pool,” Gretchen adds. “But we have a relationship where we can chat with our banking team and figure out how we can do business better together.”

At the State Fair, you can visit Urban Boatbuilders inside the DNR building at the corner of Judson Ave. and Nelson St. Volunteers will demonstrate knot-tying skills and share more about the program.

Blue Barn

Blue Barn is part of the Blue Plate Restaurant Group, which includes Freehouse, Highland Grill, Edina Grill and Longfellow Grill. Located in the West End Market, this food spot serves up a variety of innovative dishes that quickly become fan favorites, including Chicken in the Waffle, Nashville Hot Chicken-on-a-Stick, Breakfast Gnocchi and (new this year!) PB Bacon Cakes. Blue Barn also has a selection of local beers, seltzers and wines for sale.

“Having a presence at the fair is like being a host of one of the best parties in town,” says Stephanie Shimp, co-owner of Blue Plate Restaurant Group.

Blue Barn is celebrating its 10^th anniversary in 2024. Sunrise Banks provided financing for the project, which Shimp described as complex because the State Fair is only open for 12 days per year. “It took the expertise of a community-minded bank, like Sunrise Banks, to get the job done,” she says.

Shimp says Sunrise Banks is also helpful with the level of money management needed during the fair, such preparing deposits. Overall, she appreciates the business relationship between her company and Sunrise Banks.

“When I call one of the banks, a real person answers the phone and I can put a face to the name,” she says. “There is both history and innovation – a great combination.”

Union Hmong Kitchen

Chef Yia Vang owns and operates one of the State Fair’s newer food booths – and his Hmong-inspired dishes have quickly won over crowds in that short time span.

Union Hmong Kitchen already has two locations in Minneapolis. His State Fair booth, inside the International Bazar, offers a sampling of those favorites. A new dish this year features grilled purple sticky rice topped with herbs, shredded beef jerky or pickled mushrooms, and chili aioli.

On Facebook, Chef Vang shared that he and his team (including his mom!) made about 25,000 galabaos (steam buns), 15,000 purple sticky rice dishes and about 9,000 ounces of coconut lychee colada for the Fair.

If you can’t make it to the Fair, be sure to visit Chef Vang’s newest restaurant, Vinai, located in Northeast Minneapolis. Sunrise Banks provided SBA financing for Vinai, which is in the old Dangerous Man Brewery taproom.

“For me, it was really important that the bank believed in the community wherever we set up our community,” says Vang. “We also wanted the bank to see the mission in what we were trying to do.”

Que Viet Concessions

Some State Fair vendors run their business with the mantra of doing two or three things exceptionally well. That could be the case for Que Viet Concessions, which is famous for its Giant Eggrolls on-a-Stick, garlic cream cheese wontons and Vietnamese iced coffee.

Since joining as a vendor in 2017, Que Viet’s Eggrolls on-a-stick have been consistently rated one of the Fair’s best foods. They’ve won several “Best of the Fair” awards and have been featured by a variety of media outlets, including the Washington Post in 2023.

“We enjoy the spot where we are located [by the Merchandise Mart],” says Brianna Le, part of the Que Viet ownership team. “We’re close to the main entrance, so we get lots of people coming into the Fair right away. We’re also close to some of the entertainment stages.”

Brianna says Sunrise Banks helped finance both Que Viet’s State Fair booth and their new St. Paul location. She also appreciates that the bank can help them secure financing for things that she calls “quirky.”

“The things we need aren’t always standard. They don’t always fall to a nice, neat category,” she says. “So, I appreciate how flexible Sunrise is to help us get the equipment and products we need to run our businesses.”

Midwest Dairy

Midwest Dairy operates two popular stands at the State Fair – the All-You-Can-Drink Milk Stand (NE Corner of Judson Ave. and Clough St.) and the Dairy Goodness Bar (inside the Dairy Building at Judson Ave. and Underwood St.) The organization represents and supports dairy farmers and families across the region.

“We enjoy having the opportunity to share great dairy products, inform consumers about the nutritional benefits of dairy and dairy's commitment to sustainable practices with State Fairgoers,” says Wendy Meck, Vice President of Accounting at Midwest Dairy.

Midwest Dairy has had a presence at the Minnesota State Fair since 1955. And the organization has been a customer of Sunrise Banks for more than a decade.

 

“We enjoy working with the staff at Sunrise Banks — from employees who are customer-facing to those that are in the bank office. They make sure our needs are met as quickly and efficiently as possible,” says Wendy.

Giggles Campfire Grill

This food stand gives off all those Northern Minnesota vacation vibes, from the rustic log cabin-style building to the vintage car statute with a canoe flipped upside down on the roof. And yes, there’s also a Northwoods cobblestone patio to sit and savor your food and drink.

Giggles Campfire Grill turns out lots of Minnesota food favorites during the fair, including walleye cakes, fries and sandwiches, smoked salmon on-a-stick, an elk burger, even duck bacon wontons. It also features more than 30 varieties of beers and seltzers.

Giggles has been part of the State Fair since 2000. Tim “Giggles” Weiss owns and operates the food stand along with his three adult children. On top of the State Fair, Giggles hosts up to 50 additional public/private events throughout the year.

Weiss says Sunrise Banks has played a big role in Giggles’ success at the Fair. “Sunrise provided financing for my first Fair booth,” he says. “It is also where I do my business banking.”

Weiss also says he appreciates the flexibility of working with the team at Sunrise. It helps make his experience at the Fair much more enjoyable.

“The camaraderie you experience at the Fair is really something special,” he says.

Corn Roast

A trip to the State Fair wouldn’t be complete without visiting the Corn Roast for some freshly grown Minnesota sweet corn. It comes out of the roasters piping hot and golden, then gets dunked in melted butter – the way corn was meant to be eaten!

Brad Ribar is the founder and owner of the Corn Roast stand, which has been at the Fair since 1985.

“When we first started at the Fair, no one in Minnesota had heard of roasted corn,” he says. “So, it was a tough sell for many years. Now, it’s become so popular that it has turned into its own kind of monster!”

Ribar and his team work with the Untiedt to grow sweet corn from special seeds just for the Fair. Last year, the Corn Roast made $1 million in sales during the 12-day run.

Ribar says he has been with Sunrise Banks for as long as the Corn Roast has been around. Even for as long as he’s been a customer, he still appreciates the way employees treat him.

“I still know several of the people there,” he says. “They greet me and are very receptive. My business is not an easy one to manage, financially, but they seem happy doing it.”

Amanda Theisen is the Communications Manager for Sunrise Banks.

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