Steve Hansen is cover boy for trucking magazine

Steve Hansen, marketing manager for Minimizer of Blooming Prairie, didn't make the cover of the Rollin' Stone, but he did make the cover of a popular trucking industry publication, Fleet Equipment.
The song about making the cover of a Rock'n Roll magazine entitled the Rolling Stone was made famous in the early 1970s has no doubt been going through Hansen's head after seeing his handsome face on a magazine cover.
Not too many business people from a small town, like Blooming Prairie, end up on a magazine cover.
"Dad, are you famous?" asked Steve's youngest daughter, Harper, 8. "I told her it’s just part of my job and I’m not famous quite yet," Hansen laughingly relates. He said Harper remembers him being on the news last year discussing a new Minimizer building site in Owatonna.
"To Harper, seeing me on TV and then on the cover of a magazine was a pretty big deal," Hansen explains.
Hansen's magazine cover photo even made its rounds on Facebook. "Who is that hottie on that trucking magazine photo?" asked Rachel Hansen, Steve's wife.
Fleet Equipment is one of the top magazines in the trucking industry with in-depth features related to trucks, tractors and trailers. The magazine features an industry executive on the cover each month.
For the August cover, Fleet Equipment asked Hansen to be recognized as part of an editorial story on Minimizer's growth and branding.
Hansen says he is humbled to be placed on a business magazine cover.
From a business standpoint, the coverage "is great" for Minimizer to be recognized in the magazine with a cover story that allows the editor to provide more detail as it relates to the company's growth over the years and the recent acquisition of Premier Manufacturing, says Hansen.
He says editorial content like this is no-charge and has a high impact with the ability to tell a more in-depth story instead of a paid advertisement that is designed to be short and concise.
The magazine contains many full-page, color ads pertaining to the trucking industry.
Hansen has logged 17 1/2 years with Minimizer. He started in sales. As the company grew, he transitioned to a sales management role and then to be a national account manager position.
In 2015, Hansen took over the marketing department to develop a team capable of managing Minimizer's marketing efforts internally rather than relying on agencies.
 
Hansen says it is "extremely advantageous to leverage 12-plus years in sales with a role in marketing that cohesive ties marketing efforts into sales strategy.
Hansen has a bachelor's degree in marketing from Minnesota State University and he soon will be completing his MBA (Master of Business Administration) later this year.
He actually worked for Minimizer in high school in 1995. At that time, Minimizer had five employees. After college, Hansen moved to Edina and worked for different sales agencies before deciding to return to his hometown where he resumed employment in 2003 with Minimizer. The company had 11 employees at that time.
Today, Minimizer has 90 employees and with the acquisition of Premier Manufacturing of Portland, Ore., that total grows closer to 150.
Hansen's marketing team manages marketing efforts for both Minimizer and Premier Manufacturing.
Minimizer, Hansen said, is excited about its new facility in Owatonna. He says it is bittersweet, leaving Blooming Prairie but he says, no doubt the growth of Minimizer will still have an impact on the Blooming Prairie community with many employees choosing to live in Blooming Prairie and commuting. This includes Hansen.
When the current Blooming Prairie based manufacturing and office space is used by new tenants, it will create even more opportunity for the community, believes Hansen.
Overall, the move could very well be a net win for Blooming Prairie with current employees continuing to live in Blooming Prairie. Minimizer’s growth potential could bring more residents and new businesses using Minimizer’s current buildings to create new employment opportunities.
Hansen says having Minimizer's operations under one roof, plus expanding its space will have a major impact on productivity and communication.