Feb. 19, 2026
 Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation (IRRR) Commissioner Ida Rukavina visited Rock Ridge High School on Feb. 11. She met with Aimee Krebs’ senior government class to discuss the agency’s economic development work across northeastern Minnesota.
Rukavina spoke about IRRR’s partnerships that support job creation, infrastructure investment and long-term regional growth. She also shared how the agency works with communities, businesses and other partners to strengthen the Iron Range economy.
“Our mission is to invest in northeastern Minnesota and help communities build for the future,” Rukavina said. “That means supporting projects and partnerships that create jobs, improve infrastructure and grow opportunity across the region.”
IRRR Community Development Director Whitney Ridlon joined the visit and talked with students about workforce trends and high-demand occupations in the region, including how education and training align with changing employer needs.
Krebs said she appreciated the opportunity for students to connect with the agency and gain a better understanding of its role in the region.
“Students found the presentation on how the IRRR operates most interesting,” she said. “They came out with a good idea on what the agency does for our area.”
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Ely native Kate Kalan is a media specialist who lived and worked full time in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area until 2020. She returned to her hometown at the start of the pandemic to work remotely and reconnect with her family and community roots.
In 2025, she opened Étoile du Nord Day Spa (French for Star of the North) on Ely’s main street. The spa offers manicures, pedicures, glow facials, energy healing and other self-care services using low-tox and cruelty-free products. The idea came when she couldn’t find a place for her and her mother to get a pedicure. She drew on lessons learned growing up watching her parents, Louie and Flossie, run their own small businesses in downtown Ely.
Kalan utilized technical services provided through Northland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for support with business plan development, human resources, QuickBooks support and startup guidance. Northland SBDC serves the counties of Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis. Their consultants work throughout the region to help anyone seeking assistance to start, manage or grow a business. Their services are offered at no-cost to clients.
Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation (IRRR) provided a Development Partnership grant to Northland Foundation to support SBDC representatives located on the Iron Range and designated to assist small businesses in the Taconite Assistance Area (TAA).
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"I could not have launched my businesses without the tremendous help from three key Northland SBDC consultants,” said Kalan. “Becki Oja helped me integrate my point-of-sale system into QuickBooks, a huge component in my business operations. Katherine Lahti helped me refine my business plan, and Rovena Claxton advised me on hiring employees. Northland SBDC is a game-changer for small business owners.”
Kalan leased a building that previously housed several businesses, including a liquor store and a paddleboard rental shop. She renovated the space and made energy efficiency upgrades using a $9,250 Business Energy Retrofit (BER) grant.
The BER program is designed to help small business owners in the TAA make energy improvements to their buildings. It is funded by IRRR and administered by Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Association (AEOA). BER grants help business owners achieve results such as reduced utility bills, improved building aesthetics and increased building life.
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“The experience of launching a business in my hometown has been very rewarding. The spa has a top-notch team of certified technicians, and we are looking to add a massage therapist in the future. Together we have created a cozy, uplifting space where people can relax and recharge,” said Kalan.
Northland SBDC regional consultants provide no-cost technical support to local businesses (existing and startups) such as business plan development, feasibility and financial analysis, market research, advertising and sales, navigating business financing, strategic planning, accounting systems and e-commerce. To get started, businesses may request services on the Northland SBDC website.
Since BER’s inception in 2013, more than 800 grants have been awarded to help small businesses, which are an imperative part of our region’s economy, communities and workforce. Learn more about BER grants.
Learn more about Étoile du Nord Day Spa.
Pictured above left are Kate Kalan and her parents, Louie and Flossie. Photo by Chris Ellerbroek.
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Beth Pierce, executive director of Discover the Range, has been named the 2026 Explore Minnesota Tourism Industry Leader award recipient. The honor was presented Feb. 12 during the Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference in Duluth. The 2026 Explore Minnesota Tourism Awards were presented in conjunction with the conference, celebrating the outstanding people, marketing and initiatives that make Minnesota a premier travel destination.
“I’m humbled by this honor. Minnesota’s tourism and travel community is full of smart, innovative, creative and hard-working people, and I feel very lucky to be part of this amazing group," said Pierce. "What Minnesotans love about our state, from the great outdoors and everything it offers, to our history, arts and culture, is what unites us. Helping promote that to our neighbors in Minnesota, people in other states, and countries around the world is just about the best job ever. Thank you to Explore Minnesota for their leadership and for recognizing all of us in this incredible industry."
Pierce leads Discover the Range’s efforts to promote northeastern Minnesota’s outdoor recreation, history, arts and culture to visitors from Minnesota, other states and countries around the world.
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Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Commissioner Ida Rukavina credited Pierce with shining a spotlight on the unique places and culture of northeastern Minnesota and the Iron Range.
“Through her work at Discover the Range, Beth has elevated regional storytelling in ways that both reflect community pride and showcase the region, while building strong partnerships that support local businesses, create jobs and enhance quality of life for residents and visitors alike," said Rukavina. "With a deep understanding of the region and its people, Beth has helped shape tourism experiences that resonate with visitors and keep them coming back year after year. Her work continues to strengthen Minnesota’s tourism industry, and this recognition reflects the impact she has made.”
Visit the Discover the Range website.
Pictured: Lauren Bennett McGinty, executive director of Explore Minnesota, presents Beth Pierce, executive director of Discover the Range, with the 2026 Explore Minnesota Tourism Industry Leader award.
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The Gunflint Trail Historical Society (GTHS) operates Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center located on 50 acres in Cook County at the end of the Gunflint Trail on Saganaga Lake. The campus includes five exhibit buildings and over five miles of hiking trails. The museum presents the cultural and natural history of the Gunflint Trail, from its prehistoric beginnings to the development of today’s rural community.
GTHS upgraded a two-mile section of trail with a new ADA accessible boardwalk, and interpretive signage will be added this spring along the trails, incorporating an Anishinaabe perspective of the natural environment. Local Anishinaabe consultants from the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa assisted the project team to ensure signage accuracy. Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation supported the project with a $11,354 Regional Trails grant. Total project investment was $24,026.
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The museum and nature center campus is 60 miles from the nearest town of Grand Marais. Even with its remote location, it draws over 9,000 paid visitors each year and many others who explore the free hiking trails. The newly improved ADA accessible trail enables people using wheelchairs, walkers and other assisted devices to enjoy an overlook of Saganaga Lake.
The Chik-Wauk Lodge, now the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Built in the early 1930s the rock building was representative of the rustic, family-owned fishing resorts that thrived in the Boundary Waters region from the 1920s to 1960s. The lodge was operated as a fishing resort until 1980 when it was purchased by the United States Forest Service and eventually repurposed as a museum.
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Iron Range Brownfields continues to advance redevelopment opportunities across the Taconite Assistance Area through its Lunch & Learn series. The sessions give community members, property owners and local leaders a chance to hear directly from professionals working on site cleanup and reuse projects and to learn about efforts underway across the region.
The next session will be held Monday, Feb. 23, in Grand Rapids. The in-person event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Rapids Brewing Company, 214 N. Pokegama Ave. Lunch will be provided, and space is limited. Registration is required.
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Learn more and register.
The session is sponsored by the Grand Rapids Economic Development Authority, Range Association of Municipalities and Schools, Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation and Iron Range Brownfields.
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