Lisa L. Heyesen, Director of Business Retention,
joined the APEX team in July, 2006. Her primary role is to provide economic development assistance to existing businesses within the APEX service area. Using all available resources, Heyesen focuses on ensuring that the region’s major employers receive private-sector support. Her primary focus is on growing the manufacturing and information technology industry sectors, and she is an active member of the Great Lakes Manufacturing Council, the Arrowhead Manufacturers and Fabricators Association, and the Northland Technology Consortium.
Heyesen is a graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. Since her graduation, she has gained considerable analytical, sales, and marketing experience with several major corporations. Her experience includes extensive strategic marketing analysis in the headquarter offices of Target Corporation; the development and implementation of competitive business systems for a variety of independent business clients of SYSCO Minnesota; and, most recently, as a marketing representative for pharmaceutical giant, Johnson & Johnson. Heyesen is currently pursuing her MBA at the Labovitz School of Business and Economics at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Heyesen serves on the Board of Directors for the Duluth Workforce Council, the Arrowhead Manufacturers and Fabricators Association-Educational Trust, and Safe Haven Shelter for Battered Women. She also participates on the Executive Committee of the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, serving as the Vice-Chair of Member Resources and Retention.
Heyesen has been involved in various community projects, including serving as a member on the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation’s Attracting and Retaining Young People taskforce, as a catalyst for the Knight Creative Communities Initiative, and as a 2006 graduate of the Blandin Community Leadership Program. In 2007 she was recognized as the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Young Professional of the Year” and was also a recipient of the Duluth News Tribune’s “Top 20 Under 40” award.
She lives in Duluth with her husband, Jon, and black lab, Ella. They enjoy taking advantage what the region offers to runners, cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts!.