Liz Fedor

The Minnesota Business Partnership conducted a lengthy search process in 2023 to find a successor for Charlie Weaver, who excelled at leading the organization for 20 years. Kurt Zellers, a former Republican legislator who served as Minnesota House speaker in 2011 and 2012, emerged as a leading candidate from that search process. The Partnership’s leadership hired Zellers, who began the CEO job on Sept. 1, 2023.

Kurt Zellers, a former Minnesota House speaker, is now a former CEO of the Minnesota Business Partnership. Effective Thursday, June 25, the state’s prominent business association is seeking new leadership to represent Minnesota’s biggest employers at the State Capitol and in the state’s civic dialogue. The top staff job at the Minnesota Business Partnership is a coveted role. In addition to its stature, whoever holds the job is well paid.

Many founders look forward to the day their companies are acquired for a substantial amount of money, often by a much larger business. CEO Lisa Hannum, who founded the Beehive communication firm two decades ago, chose to take a different path. On July 1, three senior women from the firm will join Hannum as shareholders, and they’ll become one-third equal owners within the next few years as a management buyout is finalized.