Sheri Marnell has a passion for helping other companies thrive, and she gets to do that every day in her role as the director of the St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center. The SCVBIC is an incubator for local companies that are looking to either get their business off the ground or grow their company before eventually graduating to their own space. One of the best parts about the center: almost all of the companies that graduate end up staying in the St. Croix Valley region.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, Sheri talks more about what the Business Innovation Center is, the ways in which it helps companies grow and thrive, and discusses some impressive statistics about startups in the St. Croix Valley area.

To learn more about the St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center or to see if it might be a good fit for your young company, visit www.stcroixinnovation.org.

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At just 90 square feet, there isn’t a lot of room to operate inside of Joe to Go. But while the footprint of what owners Jess and Suzi Higgles affectionately call “the hut” is small, it’s filled with big ideas and big flavors.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, hear from Jess and Suzi to learn all about Hudson’s smallest coffee shop — and the big hearts of the married couple that run it. With coffees in hand, Jess and Suzi talk about their venture of owning their own business, share how they come up with the unique and ever-changing drink menu, ponder the challenges of having three people work inside such a confined space, and reflect on the importance of the community they’ve built over the years.

Joe to Go is located near Plaza 94, parked in a lot between Coulee Road and Ward Ave. near the Hudson Bowling Center.

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"Treat others as you want to be treated" is one of the basic interpretations of the Golden Rule, which has other variations throughout different cultures and religions. No matter the translation, the basic principle is the same: be kind to others.

Hudson mayor Rich O'Connor fondly remembered learning about the Golden Rule as an elementary school student. Fast forward to 2019, and Mayor O'Connor opted to declare Hudson the Golden Rule City after seeing how our society had become increasingly divided. Along with the help of Pastor Larry Szyman and others, the Golden Rule Initiative has helped spread that message throughout Hudson through yard signs and other work.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, Rich O'Connor and Larry Szyman join to share more about the Golden Rule initiative, give their insights on the response from the Hudson community, and share more about the upcoming Booyah event on Oct. 5 that brings people together over food and festivities.

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The mission of the St. Croix Valley Foundation is simple: to enhance the quality of life in the St. Croix Valley. The foundation does that by offering numerous grants and scholarships to residents in six counties and two states in the St. Croix Valley — and it's based right here in Hudson at the new Alliance Center, a hub for local nonprofits (including former podcast guests Operation HELP and the Hudson Area Backpack and Food Program).

On this week's episode, Angie Pilgrim and Heidi Herron from the St. Croix Valley Foundation join the podcast to share more about the foundation's work. They give more detail on the types of scholarships and grants that are offered, talk about why they enjoy working for a nonprofit, and even read a few testimonials of previous scholarship winners whose lives were changed by the St. Croix Valley Foundation.

To learn more about the St. Croix Valley Foundation, head to scvfoundation.org.

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Nestled into the woods in a quiet part of Hudson is the beautiful new building of the Carpenter Nature Center, which also has a location in Hastings, Minn. The center's two campuses are home to animals, hiking trails, and education materials for kids and adults alike. Each of the two locations boasts hundreds of acres of land that provide a great escape right in our own backyard.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, we're joined by Jen Vieth, Carpenter Nature Center's executive director, and Abbey Holden, the center's outreach coordinator and animal care coordinator. The two share more about the history of the Carpenter Nature Center, talk about how each of them fell in love with animals at young ages, discuss many of the free activities and opportunities available through the CNC, and much more.

The Carpenter Nature Center's Hudson campus can be found at 279 South Cove Road. The Hastings campus is located at 12805 St. Croix Trail South.

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The Hudson School District has faced challenges in recent years. From the debate over a new high school to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced schools to go remote, tough decisions had to be made in order to do what was best for the Hudson students. Making those tough decisions isn't always easy, but it's something Jamie Johnson has learned to do as the president of the Hudson School Board.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, Jamie joins to talk about his time on the board, how his longtime career as an attorney helped prepare him to be school board president, and shares about what the next five years might look like for the Hudson School District. He also talks about the additional volunteering he does in the local community, and offers some words of advice for parents as the 2024-25 school year approaches.

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Seven years ago, Melissa Abdouch had to pivot her career after losing her job in the corporate world. She decided to open Mei Mei's Cookies and Creamery in downtown River Falls, and the store has been a hit in the community ever since.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, Mei Mei joins to share more about the origins of her store, the lessons she's learned along the way, and her vision for the future of Mei Mei's Cookies and Creamery. Mei Mei also gives an update on her recent battle with cancer — she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May — and explains why she said her cancer diagnosis was "annoying." All of that and more on St. Croix Stories.

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The North Hudson Pepper Fest has grown into a weekend-long celebration filled with food, music, a parade, and much more. But it started with humble roots: residents of North Hudson wanted to find a way to raise money to build a new school. That was 70 years ago in 1954, and the philanthropic mindset of Pepper Fest still exists today, with the nonprofit giving back money to the local community. Other parts of the festival has changed as the organizers continue to add new ideas to the event.

On this week's episode of St. Croix Stories, we're joined by Tim Zais, the longtime president of Pepper Fest, to talk all about the event's history, its evolution, and its future. Tim shares his earliest memories of attending Pepper Fest, discusses the exciting recent developments with the festival's location, and shares what people can expect to see at this year's event, which runs August 16-18.

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