It’s awesome that Alexandria was named the 2019 Best Minnesota Town by Minnesota Monthly magazine. Of course there are the skeptics (I’ll admit sometimes I am one) who will try to rationalize why this isn’t a big deal.
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• The winner was selected from nominations (maybe there weren’t many nominations!)
•  Online voting played a part in the selection (it’s just people with nothing better to do who sit around and vote as much as they can).
• It’s a great honor for the community (it’s really just a ploy by the magazine to get some editorial content and to sell ads and generate revenue from our community).

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Of course there is probably truth to all of the above. But the way I see it, it’s simply just another reason to celebrate our great community. Let’s celebrate the fact that the win comes with a multi-page editorial feature in the March/April 2020 issue of Minnesota Monthly and a media campaign valued at more than $50,000! That’s an incredible boost for our community, which relies heavily on tourism and desperately needs to attract more workforce.

Let’s celebrate the fact that it puts our community in the spotlight for a while and gives us bragging rights for an entire year! Let’s celebrate the fact that many people believe we really are the best town in Minnesota and don’t need a contest to provide the title.

Reed Fischer, senior editor of Minnesota Monthly, described Alexandria as “a beautiful year-round destination with a rich history and a bright future.” Let’s celebrate the fact that Alexandria most definitely IS that, and let’s bask in the spotlight for as long as we can.

Mary Becker is an Independent Sales Representative for Avon and has been working for this company since 2009. Avon has products for all men, women and children of every age including skin care, makeup, clothing, bath and body, wellness and more.

By Katie DeGier, Visitor and Member Relations Specialist, Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce

I recently joined the team at the Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce as the Visitor and Member Relations Specialist. I am your first point of contact for the Chamber, answering phones, greeting guests, and organizing and stocking the Visitor Center with Chamber member information. I also work with new residents of the area and send out relocation packets and connect with our members periodically to ensure they are utilizing all of their membership benefits. I am so excited to have the opportunity to work with the wonderful community we live in!
 
Over the course of the last 3 ½ years I have worked with the Douglas County Safe Communities Coalition to help spread awareness about the dangers of distracted driving. I have had the opportunity to speak at two Towards Zero Death (TZD) conferences, two area high schools during their mock crashes and the parent and teen distracted driving event held at Casey’s Amusement Park in the spring. Spreading awareness about the dangers of distracted driving in our community and beyond is very important to me and I hope to continue on that journey. This last summer I was a mentor for BIO girls in Alexandria, which is an organization that helps build confidence and life skills in young girls while also teaching them about health and wellness.
 
My husband, Travis and I both grew up in the Alexandria area. We live in Nelson with our four kids, Alexa, Easton, Blake and Silvie, and they all bring their own unique personality to our family. They occupy most of our free time being involved in dance, hockey and baseball. We also enjoy being home riding four-wheelers, in the pool or relaxing on the couch watching our favorite shows!
 
I am excited to get to know each of our members better in the coming days and months. I look forward to serving you, along with the rest of the Chamber team!

Bonnie Bina is the Manager at Profile by Sanford in Alexandria. Profile by Sanford creates personalized nutrition, activity and lifestyle coaching programs designed to help members lose weight and keep it off. The coaches at Profile by Sanford are certified and motivate members through every stage of their weight loss journey. Best of all, the personalized weight loss programs are designed to instill internalized habits that will allow the member to maintain the results for years to come.