Summer in Minnesota can be delightful, with beautiful scenery, many outdoor activities and generally great weather. But as night follows day, winter usually comes upon us quickly and with little ceremony. Soon enough we’ll be driving past festive Christmas decorations in snow-covered neighborhoods, shoveling our vehicles out of their parking spots, and slipping along icy roads during our daily commutes. Winter is a welcomed season for skiers, snowmobilers and other aficionados of such outdoor activities, but perhaps less enjoyable for those of us who need to dig ourselves out of our driveways before we can get to work.

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Recent times have been unusual in more ways than one. The pandemic has profoundly changed the landscape of life as we knew it. Government mandates and lockdowns caused retail sales to plummet. Supply chain vulnerabilities manifested themselves as shortages of daily staples such as toilet paper, sanitizing products and other goods. These and other business disruptions called for a new approach to mitigate losses. Curb side pickups and social distancing became part of the lexicon, yet many businesses were still unable to weather the storm.

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