Photo by Jason Sethre
As a newspaper, we have an opportunity to bring people together for a common good. To inspire and foster positive news presented by our readers that lifts people up in the communities we serve.
Starting in 2020, the staff at the Fillmore County Journal coordinated the first-ever recognition for the Business Person of the Year.
The newspaper publishes a form to fill out and submit in person, by mail, along with providing an online option for readers to nominate a business person in the newspaper coverage area to be recognized for this distinguished honor.
The 2020 Business Person of the Year was Todd Jones, owner of Ace Hardware in Spring Valley, Minn. For the 2021 Business Persons of the Year, Alex and Jenn Slifka, located in Spring Valley, Minn., were recognized for their revitalization efforts in the downtown area, with their continuous business expansion involving Chateau de Chic Salon & Spa, Chic by Chateau, Some Like It Hot, and Stellar 181 Taphouse. In 2022, we presented this award to Jerry and Nancy Kraus, owners of Kraus Oil in Spring Grove and Kraus Oil and Country Store in Caledonia. For 2023, it was Suzanne Gardner, owner of Some Like It Hot in Spring Valley, Minn.
Drumroll please…
The 2024 Business Persons of the Year are Amanda and Jeremiah Ninneman, owners of The Wired Rooster in Caledonia, Minn.
The story of The Wired Rooster coffee shop started back in August 2014 when Ninnemans purchased the downtown building from Torgerson Paint & Flooring. They opened the doors to The Wired Rooster in June 2015.
The name was inspired from a family brainstorming session, and her father’s idea prevailed.
Before The Roost
Amanda was born and raised in Caledonia, moving away after high school to places like New York and Minneapolis, to name a few. She spent several years working at a coffee shop in The Big Apple. Jeremiah graduated from high school in Hutchinson, Minn., spent some time in Duluth, and other places throughout Minnesota. He spent the first part of his career as a buyer for Whole Foods Market.
Today, married with four children ranging from ages 5 to 15, they are quite busy. And, apparently, twins run in their family. They have twin daughters, and Amanda has a sister and brother who are also twins.
During their earlier years of owning and operating The Wired Rooster, they lived upstairs. But, as their family grew, they chose to move into a house down the street.
Over The Past 10 Years
Today, 10 years later, there’s a steady flow of patrons all throughout the day. Scanning the space, you’ll see people reading books and newspapers, lounging with a cup of brew, enjoying a panini, or working on a project on their laptop. They currently employ two full-time and eight part-time staff at The Wired Rooster, in addition to Amanda and Jeremiah.
After school lets out just a few blocks down the street from downtown, the elementary school-aged kids stroll in to purchase ice cream.
Amanda says it’s been amazing to watch the kids who came in to buy ice cream when they first opened are now coming into The Wired Rooster to buy coffee.
When asked about how owning the business has been both challenging and rewarding, she reflected on the past decade.
The pandemic was definitely hard on a lot of businesses, but they got creative.
Amanda shared her thoughts, “Financially it wasn’t great, of course, but we were lucky enough to make it through with the state and federal aid, and simply by virtue of being in a small town. Businesses like ours in larger cities had a much rougher go, simply because they were competing with so many other similarly struggling businesses. In a small town, the loyalty and regularity of your customers are a much more reliable, steady and constant base to stand on. We were incredibly grateful to be in our community during COVID. The toughest part of that period, though, was all of the difficult decisions that had to be made. Parsing through all of the politics, figuring out safety measures and making sure we were doing right by our customers. Making decisions like closing the shop, and being takeout only for months were particularly hard, because they went against our purpose of being a community gathering space. Figuring out how to still be there for the community through that was tricky, but we did our best and tried to get creative, with sidewalk chalk challenges, postcard mailings, selling picnic bags and snacks, and so on.”
For Amanda, over the years, the rewards have outweighed the challenges, “My favorite part of being here are the moments when you know you’ve made a difference in a customer’s day. Little things like getting comments on the doodles and notes we write on our sandwich bags, to more directly helping someone in the moment. We’ve helped kids put chains back on their bikes, helped customers change settings on their phones — one night a kid came in wondering what to do because his mom was over an hour late coming home. So he decided to come to the coffee shop to get help. We did get a hold of his mom eventually, and all was OK, but it really hit home how glad I was that he had somewhere to go.”
Jeremiah said, for him, “It’s feeling like I’m part of this community. Building relationships with customers and the community.”
Customers and employees of The Wired Rooster echo this sense of community.
One customer shared with their nomination, “The Wired Rooster is a spot where multiple groups of different groups of people meet for coffee and great food. [It’s] a hub for the community. It’s a relaxing, happy place, a great place to distress.”
The Caledonia Area Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club have conducted regular meetings at The Wired Rooster, bringing business and community leaders together for the betterment of the greater Caledonia area.
“I think the Ninnemans have tried to create a place in the community where people can come to meet, relax and enjoy themselves. There are no TVs, just a relaxing space to meet face-to-face with people. A great community space is what Amanda and Jeremiah have successfully created,” continued one of their loyal customers.
As one of their employees offered with another nomination, “Amanda and Jeremiah are two of the most giving, kind-hearted, person-centered individuals I have had the privilege to have in my life.” Their “business model brings town and country together. Their way of being provides joy to everyone they encounter.” They “are wholeheartedly invested in building and preserving a sense of community. They are fulfilled by providing a brick-and-mortar space, welcoming to locals and visitors, further enhancing their commitment to sustaining a close-knit community.”
Whether customers or employees, they have nothing but good things to say about what the Ninnemans have done with The Wired Rooster and how they serve the community.
“Friendly, very community-oriented. Positive! Good sense of humor, fun, energetic.”
“Humble, giving, and community-oriented.”
Amanda serves on the Caledonia City Council, beginning her civic duty in 2021. She’s now serving her second term. Prior to that, she was on the EDA board for a few years.
The Ninnemans have appreciated seeing the growth and economic development of the downtown area. “Since opening, we have seen multiple businesses open up. A lot of buildings have been fixed up. Downtown is looking a lot better than it did in 2012.”
With any business like The Wired Rooster, there’s a trifecta for success. They have outstanding food and beverages. They have a welcoming and relaxing environment. And, customers and employees alike love the owners because they care about the community and it shows.
To see the rest of the nominees and what nominators had to say about them, look to page 4 of today’s newspaper. To be nominated is an honor in itself.
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