In my book TaqTyle, I share a story about a priest who had a significant impact on my life. Growing up in Eveleth, I wasn’t involved in many extracurricular activities, but I did serve as an altar boy. It was through this that I got to know the priest at our church. He was familiar with my family, which gave me a sense of credibility early on. I also joined the choir, and this deepened our connection.
This priest was something of a local celebrity in our community. The area I grew up in had a strong immigrant influence—people from Eastern Europe like Czechoslovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, and Poland. Polka music was very popular, and the priest tapped into that by creating an entire Mass centered around polka music. I was the youngest member invited to sing in this Mass, while one of the older members was my uncle, which showed just how close our community was.
Through our shared experiences, the priest and I developed a friendship. When I started my business, Mesaba Finance, he played a key role in helping me. For starters, he invested a small amount of money into the company—not a large sum, but it was symbolic and meaningful. Interestingly, he also had business interests of his own. He was a partner in a restaurant, and we had to negotiate terms with a major supplier in the city. The fact that a priest and a young entrepreneur like me showed up together probably helped ease the negotiations. In the end, we walked away with a favorable deal.
Beyond that, his reputation and connections opened doors for me. I was only 18 when I purchased Mesaba Finance, so I needed all the credibility I could get. His introductions to key business figures in the Iron Range were invaluable. In these small towns, it was the local butcher, banker, and shoemaker who held influence, and those introductions helped me establish the foundation of my business.
That priest wasn’t just a mentor—he was a key figure in my early success.
