Finance & Commerce 2025 Top Projects Event
Monday, July 21st, 2025
Finance & Commerce held their annual Top Projects Award Celebration last week, and we are thrilled to share project and firm recognitions!
We celebrated with our clients representing Affordable Housing, Senior Housing, Nonprofit, Healthcare and Industrial & Manufacturing markets. The cherry on top was being selected by Finance & Commerce as this year’s Top Architect AND Top Interior Designer! We couldn’t be more proud of our project teams and the amazing work we do with our clients, partners and colleagues.
Finance & Commerce’s Top Projects Award Celebration was held on July 18, 2025 at the Uptown Theater. The Top Projects of 2024 honorees represent excellence in design and construction, as well as collaboration, resilience, and innovation across industries.
This year’s celebrated projects included: Massman Companies Alexandria Campus, Memorial Blood Centers – Apple Valley, Saint Therese of Corcoran and Wangstad Commons.
MASSMAN COMPANIES
Massman Companies represents a strategic collection of industry-leading manufacturers of packaging equipment, with the unique capability to combine a wide variety of packaging and end-of-line technologies for total turn-key solutions. To support company growth, Massman purchased an 80-acre site in Alexandria, Minnesota to expand their operations. The 73,000 sq. ft. facility consists of manufacturing, office, shipping/receiving, and associated support spaces with a wetland area serving as a focal point of the facility design. The area surrounding the wetland includes trails and carefully preserved natural areas that serve as a resource for Massman and the broader Alexandria community.
The new facility is designed for maximum flexibility, with 75 ft. structural bay sizes vs. the standard 58 ft., and a building pad ready for two potential phases of expansion. The glass walls in the interior provide opportunities for connection between employees in manufacturing, office, shipping/receiving, and associated support spaces. Brand colors are tastefully applied and reflections of nature can be seen in the use of natural materials like wood, creating a warm and welcoming space. The expansive glass exterior invites daylight in and provides wonderful views to the restored wetlands.
MEMORIAL BLOOD CENTERS – APPLE VALLEY DONOR CENTER
Memorial Blood Centers is a nonprofit community-based blood center that provides lifesaving blood and blood products to hospitals and other organizations. The new Apple Valley Donor Center expands lifesaving blood donation to a new Twin Cities suburb, combining healthcare with hospitality by providing donors with a modern facility with many amenities. The donor center, located in a new retail development, features an airy welcoming lounge and cafe for donors with a variety of seating options. The space includes a fireplace, beautiful wooden slats, and ample daylight provided by the building’s expansive glass exterior. Three interview rooms, spacious donor bays with state-of-the-art equipment and lab areas support the donation process. A breakroom and back-of-house offices create an efficient workplace for staff. The new location’s warm and welcoming design along with the increased square footage allows Memorial Blood Centers to offer a pleasant experience for donors and increased functionality for staff to help meet the ongoing need for blood in local hospitals.
SAINT THERESE OF CORCORAN
Saint Therese embarked on a process to develop a new campus in the northwest Twin Cities’ suburb of Corcoran. Planned in partnership with the City of Corcoran, Saint Therese of Corcoran is the first phase of what will become the city’s new town center and downtown district. Saint Therese purchased 13 acres adjacent to the Corcoran City Hall for the new senior living campus. The community allows local residents to age in place and near their families with options for independent and assisted living apartments, and memory care services, all on one campus. This new community enhances the City’s new “urbanist village” by providing opportunities for intergenerational interaction and meaningful connections with the community-at-large. The design extends the walkable pedestrian aesthetic, connecting to an outdoor plaza and amphitheater, and incorporating the look and feel of Main Street.
WANGSTAD COMMONS
Wangstad Commons is a brand new 54-unit affordable housing complex in Brooklyn Center adjacent to the City’s Wangstad Park. JO Companies developed four city-owned parcels into a 4-story, 100% affordable high-quality apartment building. The development offers one, two, three and four-bedroom units, and one third of the units are reserved for people living with disabilities or exiting homelessness and need a fresh start. It is thoughtfully designed to offer many unique amenities that are standard in market rate developments but not often featured in affordable housing. These include both underground and surface parking, a kids’ room with space to play, fitness room, coworking space, onsite management, supportive services, a generously sized, beautifully finished community room that opens to a patio with grill stations and a firepit. In addition, each unit features balconies, laundry, granite countertops, quality millwork and solid core doors. The building is also SB2030 energy compliant through Minnesota’s B3 Program.
Congratulations to all the winners at this year’s event!