Progress in the Lakes Area -- DispatchCast Episode 016

Progress. Movement forward. Development.

The Brainerd lakes area has undergone changes in the past year -- changes in the economy, the landscape, the business environment, the housing market and elected representation. In our once-a-year Progress Edition, released on Labor Day, the Brainerd Dispatch explores economic progress and takes a closer look at some of the small businesses and local entrepreneurs doing extraordinary things in the lakes area.

In this special Progress Edition of the DispatchCast -- the first in a series commemorating the section -- we explore some of the broader themes of progress emerging in the lakes area: a retail building boom in Baxter unlike the city's seen in a decade, renewed optimism and investment in downtown Brainerd and the tenacious spirit of the people who call north-central Minnesota home.

Host/Producer: Chelsey Perkins

Contributors: Editor Matt Erickson, managing editor Renee Richardson