From home-grown industry to national retailers, it's not difficult to find people who've made it work in Owatonna. The community has a rich entrepreneurial history, such as:

• A corner jewelry store named Jostens that rose to the Fortune 500.
• A music teacher named Wenger who created the world's largest manufacturer of school music equipment.
• A farm implement dealer who helped create what is now a $3 billion nationwide business insurance company called Federated Mutual Insurance.

Others followed, such as Owatonna Tool Company, Truth, National Computer Systems and Viracon. It's not just by accident. It is about creating an environment conducive to entrepreneurial success. Owatonna understands that new businesses create payrolls that in turn increase the tax and economic base of the area. For this reason, there are several services available to assist small business development.

Since 1988 the Owatonna Business Incubator, a non-profit organization, has been helping to foster small and start-up businesses grow, prosper, and contribute to the surrounding community's economic base.