Uplifting the community

Group of business people building a new Karlstad Chamber of Commerce

By Anna Jauhola
Over the last several months, a wayward and ambitious group of businesspeople in Karlstad has gathered to form a group to better support local entities.
As of the beginning of January, the Karlstad Chamber of Commerce will be an official chamber through the state of Minnesota.
The idea came about when brother Marcus and Matt Steien were operating an American Family Insurance agency in Grand Forks. The brothers noticed how the Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce, which also covered East Grand Forks and a surrounding area, benefitted and promoted small businesses.
“The second part we really appreciated was the education,” said Steien. “They bring educators in and train new small business owners. So that was huge and I saw no negatives to a chamber of commerce.”
The Steiens are natives of Karlstad and returned to town when Marcus took over the State Farm Insurance agency a few years ago.
“The chamber is a great idea for our community,” said Steien, who lives in Karlstad, noting Marcus lives in Warren and commutes. “I thought a big pro to a chamber here would be to catch our young people in our two schools to say, ‘Hey, this is what the opportunities we do have in our small town. We’d love to keep you here.’”

To read the whole story, see the Dec. 31, 2025, edition of the Kittson County Enterprise