Board of Directors

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Pat Murphy – President, Chamber Representative

Pat Murphy brings an abundance of business knowledge and expertise to the Lake City Economic Development Authority. His experience, which ranges from the corporate business level to the grass-roots organizational level, has equipped him with a keen understanding of business models and practices.

Murphy, who spent 20 years in workstation development and manufacturing engineering at IBM, a fortune 500 company, was also a founding member and president of the Organic Crop Improvement Association of Minnesota, an organization providing organic certification and market access to Minnesota farmers. 15 years ago, Murphy became an entrepreneur when he opened Automation Services Inc., an automation integration and fluid power engineering company in Lake City. As owner and president, he has focused on hiring quality employees and providing excellent customer service to his clients. Automation Services, Inc. today employs a highly-skilled team of engineers and serves customers around the globe.

Murphy has an Associates Degree in electronics from Northwest Electronics Institute. He is active in the Lake City Chamber of Commerce, serving four years on the Board of Directors and one year as President. In 2005, he was appointed to the Lake City Economic Development Authority as a Chamber of Commerce representative and has served as President of the EDA since 2006.

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Cheri Kramer – Vice President

Cheri Kramer is Chief Administrative Officer of Lake City Medical Center - Mayo Health System, including the off-campus locations in Wabasha, Alma, and Plainview. She has Masters of Arts degrees in management and health and human services administration from St. Mary’s College in Winona. Her previous economic development experience includes serving on the board of Winneshiek County Development, Inc. and Decorah Jobs/Decorah Development in Decorah, Iowa. In 2000, she was appointed by Governor Vilsak to serve on the Regional Workforce Investment Board for Iowa Workforce. She is a current board member of Southeast Minnesota Development Corporation.

Cheri and her husband returned to the Lake City area in 2001, having also lived in Lake City from 1982 - 1990. She was charter president of the Lake City Rotary Club, which was founded in 2002, and has been actively involved in various community activities.

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Cheryl Key – Member at large

Cheryl Key joined the EDA Board of Directors in January of this year, but is not new to the   EDA.  She  previously served on the EDA Board as a City Council Representative from 1999-2002. Key brings an extensive knowledge of housing programs and practices to the Board having worked in the field over twenty years. Currently Key is a Program Officer with the Rochester Area Foundation working primarily with the First Homes Initiative administering the Community Land Trust Program. Prior to this, Key spent thirteen years with the Southeastern Minnesota Multi-County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (SEMMCHRA) an organization aimed at providing quality housing options for citizens residing within the multi-county service area.

Key, a lifelong resident of Lake City, has been quite active in the community serving on the Library Board, Ambulance Commission, Streets and Parks Board, Tree Board, Charter Commission and three terms on the Lake City Council (1994-2002). Key also serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Community Land Trust Coalition. Key has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology from Winona State University, and Housing Development Finance Professional (HDFP) Certification from the National Development Council.     

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Jan Bruce – Secretary, Chamber Representative

Jan Bruce is a Lake City native with strong roots in the local business community. Her retail knowledge and expertise have been a valuable asset to the Lake City Economic Development Authority. Bruce has been in retail for over 20 years, working at the Girl Scouts retail shop in Rochester for 10 years before opening her own retail business, Rather Bee Quilting, 11 years ago. Bruce turned a hobby of hers into a successful business venture when she opened Rather Bee Quilting, a retail quilting supply and fabric store she co-owns with her sister Judy in downtown Lake City.

Bruce is an active member of the Lake City Chamber of Commerce, previously serving as Chair of the Business Committee for three years. She has also served on the Florence Township Board of Supervisors for six years and Florence Township Planning Commission for 12 years. Bruce joined the Lake City Economic Development Authority in 2006 as a member at large, and has served as the EDA Secretary since 2008.

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Jerry Dunbar – City Council Representative, Mayor

Jerry Dunbar, a life long resident and the current Mayor of Lake City, has served the Lake City community for the past 26 years in almost every possible arena. He has spent 14 years on the City Council, nine years on the City Finance Committee, six years on the Hospital Board, four years on the Planning Commission and Board of Adjustments, three years on the Revolving Loan Fund Committee, and two years on the Health Care Board. These experiences have equipped Dunbar with a wealth of knowledge in all areas of the city.

Dunbar also has strong ties to the business community in Lake City having held positions in human resources, facility, and materials and purchasing management at three of the city’s major employers including the former Di-Acro, Wild Wings, and currently at Hearth and Home Technologies.

Dunbar spent 21 years in the MN Army National Guard – Co. B., 1st Battalion, 135th Infantry and is a member of the American Legion.

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Andru Peters – City Council Representative

Andru Peters is a consultant to the business community working in the manufacturing, materials, and logistics arena for over 45 years as a practitioner, educator, and consultant. His background includes line management and consulting experience in the functional areas of materials management, MIS and EDI systems, manufacturing operations, production scheduling, inventory management, warehousing, transportation, distribution, and logistics management. He has held adjunct faculty positions for the Minnesota School of Business, Rochester, and the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire.

Mr. Peters has a Master of Science in systems management from the University of So. California, a Bachelor of Arts in political science and economics from Macalester College, and an Associate of Arts in transportation from DeAnza College. He is a certified Fellow in Production and Inventory Control, and is a practitioner before both the Interstate Commerce Commission, and the Federal Maritime Commission.

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Brent Meincke

Brent Meincke, a Lake City native, has worked in sales and sales management for two Lake City companies including Valley Craft, Inc., where he served as a Sales and service technician for three years. Meincke has since shifted his focus to banking, primarily commercial, agricultural, mortgage and consumer lending. He currently holds the position of Vice President and Manager of the Lake City branch of Alliance Bank, a family-owned community bank with 11 locations throughout Southern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. Meincke holds a Bachelor of Science degree in sales and marketing from Winona State University and is appointed as a member at large to the EDA of Lake City.