ABOUT US

Brett is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Rebound Partners. Long before Brett started the investments and management firm in 2008, he showed signs of his entrepreneurial spirit and developing business skill sets. At age 12, Brett took out his first loan from Castle Rock Bank to start a cow-calf operation. Today he continues to do business with the bank. Early on he worked in the restaurant industry as a busboy, dishwasher, cook, bartender and manager, eventually purchasing his first business, the “Rueb-N-Stein,” at age 23 with his partners while also working as a CPA for Grant Thornton. These early work experiences helped create a foundation for Brett to develop his business values and philosophies while coupling with his energetic, creative, and visionary leadership qualities. 

Brett has served in leadership roles as President and as a member of the Board of Directors of many non-profit organizations including the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation, Prairie Creek Charter School, Northfield Chamber of Commerce, Northfield Retirement Community Foundation, and Northfield Rotary Club, among others.   

Outside of work, Brett’s life can be summarized in three words - Family, Faith, and Farming. He loves and enjoys his family spending quality time and traveling the world with his daughters Meredith and Milly. He shares his faith in many ways including via Marketplace Ministries and in creating a Kingdom Company. Brett came full circle and went back to his childhood roots by purchasing a 40-acre farm outside of his hometown Northfield, MN, named The Ramblin R Ranch where he contentedly resides with his cows, calves, and  horses, enjoying his daily chores.

Jennifer Rajala Sawyer is a business entrepreneur. She is a Founder and Partner of Rebound Enterprises/Rebound Partners.  She is a General Partner in the Northfield and Grand Rapids Real Estate Funds.  Jennifer is also President and Founder of BoardBOS.

Rebound Partners is an Investment Service and Management company for Real Estate, Hospitality Hotels & Restaurants, Manufacturing and Financial Services.   BoardBOS is a board governance consulting and technology company. BoardBOS offers board operating tools, educational training and technology systems.

Jennifer specializes in three key areas: Board Governance, Strategic Planning and Leadership Development for both the for-profit and nonprofit organizations sectors.  She has been trained as a certified an E-myth executive business coach, a certified Mastermind facilitator, and an expert in the EOS Traction Strategic Planning system. 

Her entrepreneurial spirit comes from being a 4^th generation family member of Rajala Companies, Minnesota’s largest privately owned lumber, logging and sawmilling company.  Jennifer graduated from St. Olaf College and currently lives in Northfield with her 3 sons. When Jennifer is not busy attending children’s football, hockey or baseball games, Jennifer can be found hiking, kayaking, downhill skiing, traveling, and serving on local and regional community and business boards. 

Jennifer is currently a Board Member of Merchants Financial Bank in Winona, MN.  She is currently a Board Member and Governance Chair of Northfield Shares Community Foundation. Past leadership positions include: Board Member of First National Bank of Northfield. Co-founder of Rebound Hospitality Management and Bluewater Commercial Management.  Founding board member of Northfield Area YMCA, Past Board Chair of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation,  St. Olaf Alumni Board, Junior League of Minneapolis,  Northfield Arts Guild, WINGS foundation, and Bethel Lutheran Church.

Lori Bonin  is the President and General Partner for the Rebound Community Real Estate Fund. Her core roles include leading the operations and scale of creating real estate funds. These funds are a form of impact investing, delivering both meaningful financial return for investors while generating economic benefits in local communities. 

Prior to joining Rebound Partners, Lori owned her own consulting business providing executive leadership in a variety of industries. She started her career as a CPA at Ernst & Young (EY) then spent over 19 years at Target Corporation in a variety of senior leadership roles in finance, store facility operations, and property development. Lori has held a variety of board positions for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Through her many leadership roles, she has been described as the “glue” that binds in how she engages, coordinates and collaborates with partners to bring things together. 

Lori’s kitchen is always stocked with coffee, dark chocolate, and red wine. She enjoys a busy lifestyle of traveling, hosting gatherings, and volunteering and loves taking some time to relax at their cabin with her husband Mark, kids Ellie and Luke and her sweet golden retriever Finley.

Todd Byhre is the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Operations for Rebound Hospitality. As an adaptable and analytical leader, Todd has been at the forefront of Rebound Hospitality’s organic growth which now owns and manages a portfolio of hotels, bars, and event centers. In 2008, Todd led an effective transformation of a historic boutique hotel which helped inspire Rebound Partners to form a vertical, Rebound Hospitality,  that focused on turning historically significant properties into alluring lodging opportunities for communities. 

Prior to joining Rebound Partners, Todd was involved in the hospitality industry in a variety of management roles. He served as a General Manager of a hotel for over a decade and was also President of a treasured Northfield, MN restaurant known as the Ole Store. In addition, he was the Director of Sales and Operations for several well-respected lodging brands throughout his career.

Residing in St. Paul, MN, Todd likes to go on walks in his neighborhood and work in his garden. He also likes to downhill ski and spend quality time with his four adult-aged children. Todd also enjoys traveling where he continues to gather new ideas and trends happening  in the hospitality industry at large.

Scott Koester is the president of Rebound Real Estate. With 30 years of industry experience, he effectively leads various aspects of Rebound Real Estate development and acquisition opportunities. His project planning, underwriting, design, and development skill set paired with his collaborative approach has helped Rebound Real Estate successfully expand its portfolio and be an integral part of every community it touches.

With Scott’s industry acumen, he has helped Rebound Real Estate complete numerous developments including the renovation of a historical property in St. Paul MN repositioning  it to the Celeste Hotel and Bar. Before becoming the President of Rebound Real Estate, Scott was the Vice President of WAI Continuum, an architectural design and development consulting firm out of the Twin Cities. He was also the Vice President and Head of Business Development for Lightowler Johnson Associates (LJA) of Minnesota.

In his spare time, Scott enjoys traveling the globe learning about new cultures with his wife Tamara and their two sons, Austin & Bjorn. In addition, he gives back offering both his time and leadership experience to assist non-profit organizations in meeting their charitable goals. These roles have included various board and committee positions with several healthcare service organizations, the Minnesota Construction Associations, Care Providers of MN, and Aging Services of MN.

Prior to joining Rebound, Craig had 25 years of restaurant experience as an owner, consultant and  manager.  You could say he was born into the restaurant industry.  His first jobs were more simplistic though, shoveling driveways, mowing grass and delivering newspapers at a very young age of eight.  These jobs developed his entrepreneurial path, but his passion for food started even earlier when he stood next his mother creating boring hotdishes to be cooked on a dime, pulling up his step stool and assisting in creating the next dinner.  Soon, Craig outgrew the family staples and started out masterminding the simple dishes of his northern Minnesota classic dishes.  His next step was obvious, food and beverage. His first taxed job was a simple pizza operation, that led to management of a successful business and taste for entrepreneurships.

Chasing his dreams, Craig went to one of three colleges, at the time, offering an entrepreneurial degree for his bachelor’s degree.  While attaining his agree he managed two restaurants which improved his culinary skills, business operations and financial acumen.  After graduating, he felt confident with his education and occupation to purchase his first restaurant at the age of 25.  Looking back, he would tell you that he was confident, but lacked the business knowledge he has today.  Since then, he attained his MBA and has owned, consulted or managed 10 restaurants and 9 of them are still in business.

Today, Craig owns and operates Redemption Kitchen and Cocktails and consults for Reunion Restaurant.  He believes in systems and software to improve operations.  His involvement brings truth in numbers and setting budgets with management commitment.  He sets high standards and holds management accountable.  He influences menus, COGS, customer engagement and retention.  He believes your next plate or drink reflects himself, with understanding of each unique customer. 

“Tomorrow is a different than today, we can always improve and accept change.”

Norman Oberto is President of Rebound Self Storage, where he oversees the Dundas Self Storage locations. As the champion for Self Storage, Norman is focused on organic growth of the existing facilities, as well as growing the self-storage business through development and acquisitions.

Prior to self storage, Norman worked in various industries in Illinois, then owned and managed a plastic injection molding company, Imperial Plastics, in Lakeville, MN. Having acquired the company in 1997, Norman guided the company growing in revenue from $9M to $36M before selling the company and retiring in 2017.

Guided by Norman’s vision and determination, his company capitalized on opportunities to redesign metal components and assemblies into plastic. With this design focus, the company was able to provide engineered solutions to customers, accelerating the company’s growth and expanding its customer base.

Norman and his wife Lori currently live in Northfield, MN, where they raised their three daughters. In his free time, he stays busy with a variety of activities. With a background in industrial engineering, Norman enjoys the process of building including custom cars, woodworking & turning, and scale modeling.

Jim Young  is the Chief Financial Officer for Rebound Hospitality. His career has focused on the areas of financial planning, analysis, treasury, and accounting. With his extensive experience in the financial industry serving in various executive positions, Jim brings significant value with his expertise in managing Rebound Partners Hospitality’s portfolio. 

Prior to joining Rebound Hospitality, Jim had a 36-year career in finance where he held executive positions at Ally Bank and Residential Capital Corporation. He was also a Partner at KPMG where he started his career as an Accountant. Jim became the Chief Financial Officer for Ally Bank in 2011 where he was responsible for oversight of all financial related activities for the multi-billion-dollar regulated bank. He was also the Chief Financial Officer for Residential Capital Corporation, a residential mortgage loan originator and servicer.

Jim lives in the Minneapolis area with his wife Jodi. The two enjoy spending time with friends and family as well as traveling, hiking, skiing, and cycling. He serves as a member of the Board of Regents for Luther College in Decorah, IA where he also went to undergraduate school. In addition, Jim is a Board member of the Hennepin Health Foundation.

Andy’s first exposure to the hospitality industry came early in high school when he got his first job as a dishwasher at W.A. Frost in St. Paul. Although he had not found his dream career washing dishes, he did continue to work hospitality jobs while in college at the University of Minnesota in Duluth and Twin Cities campuses.

After school Andy relocated to Northfield where he managed a restaurant before putting his communications education to use as a marketing consultant and sales director for a radio station. In 2019 Andy joined Rebound Hospitality as the Digital Marketing Director. It didn’t take long before he learned in a company this size you wear many hats as his responsibilities expanded to include anything having to do with the internet, computers or things that plug into the wall.

Since settling in Northfield Andy has been an active member in the community through serving on various boards and coaching youth sports. Northfield has proven to be the perfect setting for Andy and his wife to raise their two teenage daughters.

Brent Bielenberg works as the Director of Community Outreach for Rebound Partners.  He brings a diverse background of leadership in the community including coaching high school girls’ hockey and boys soccer for over 20 years, owning and operating a residential painting company for ten years, and has worked in multiple local churches as both the youth and lead pastor. Brent brings unique skills in gathering a diverse group of thinkers, identifying each person’s giftings, defining specific roles, and collaboration of all parties to reach a common goal.  

Brent and his wife, Kiwi, are graduates from St. Olaf College and have three adult children. Over the past twenty-eight years they have been actively involved in the Northfield community building many relationships through multiple spheres in the marketplace and faith communities. Along with pastoring a local church, Brent serves on multiple boards around the state of Minnesota and is excited to work with Rebound Partners, exploring ways for Rebound to serve the greater community. 

Brad Cornell is a project manager for Rebound Partners and leads special investment projects in the residential housing and development space.  His relationship-building and problem-solving skills along with his keen thirst to learn aid in overcoming the frequent road-blocks encountered to bringing these opportunities to fruition.  Through these projects, he enjoys bringing people together to make a positive impact on the community.  

Though Brad’s degree is in Mechanical Design, he and his wife Lauren spent the first 8 years of their professional life as entrepreneurs, owner operating a reclaimed lumber products company they founded in 2012- Signature Woods- that they sold in 2020 after the birth of their first daughter, Genevieve. Brad and Rebound first crossed paths in a deal Brad facilitated back in 2019.  Because of that connection, Brad spent the next two years at G&H Properties as the Operations Manager before joining forces with Rebound.  Additionally, Brad and Lauren are real estate investors and are always on the hunt for new opportunities and connections.    

In his free time, you will find him chasing Genevieve around the house and spending quality time with Lauren.  Both he and Lauren have a never-ending thirst for travel and exploring the world, but closer to home they enjoy evening walks around the lake, spending time with friends, sport shooting, golf and doing home-tours in the twin cities. 

Theresa Goette is the Financial Controller for Rebound Partners. In her position, she manages the overall accounting function for multiple Rebound Partners companies.  She ensures each company is operating on a budget and with adequate cash flow.

Before joining Rebound Partners, Theresa was a financial manager for BerganKDV where she worked directly with charter schools to help assist with budgeting, grant management, and IRS filings. She began her career at a regional public accounting firm preparing business and personal tax filings after graduating from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a degree in accounting.

Outside of work, Theresa and her husband, Zach, love spending time with their two dogs, Beebee & Freddy. During the summer, she enjoys creating and maintaining native landscapes. Theresa is part of the Minnesota Society of CPAs.

Kory has nearly 40 years of accounting, tax, finance, consulting, and project management experience.  He began his career in public accounting and worked in this industry for several years in the auditing, tax, and consulting areas with national and regional public accounting firms before taking a CFO position with Northfield Equipment and Manufacturing Company, a privately held company.  Northfield Equipment and Manufacturing Company was subsequently purchased by York International and later by FMC Corp, both NYSE listed companies.  For the next 6 years Kory lead the Project Management and Operation Departments for Subsidiaries of York and FMC.  Some of his responsibilities in this role included forecasting, budgeting, operating process and costing improvements, working capital management, metric development, ERP implementation, and directing other strategic initiatives. 

For the past nearly 20 years Kory has enjoyed running his own CPA and consulting firm out of his St. Paul office.  He works on a variety of tax, accounting, and consulting issues for a wide range of small business and individual clients.

Kory is a 1991 graduate of the University of St, Thomas MBA program and received a BS Degree in Business Administration and Accounting from the University of Minnesota in 1981 and 1983 respectively and became a CPA in 1983.  Kory enjoys woodworking, family history research, hiking and traveling.  He has been active on non-profit boards and resides in St. Paul, MN.   

Charlie Kyte is a senior consultant for Rebound Partners. He brings his effective leadership skills to support in various projects and community development funds. In addition, Charlie helps create win-win situations for Rebound Partners and the communities it serves through networking and his creative vision.

Serving decades in the public education system, Charlie has held positions as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. While he was the superintendent for Northfield Public Schools, Money Magazine recognized Northfield as a Top 100 School District in the United States. Charlie served as the Executive Director for the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA) and during that time was a leading spokesperson for education in Minnesota as well as nationally.

Charlie and his wife, Diane, reside in Northfield, MN where they enjoy staying involved and supporting their local community. He has a culminating degree (Ph.D.) in public affairs from the University of Minnesota.  In Northfield, he was a founding director of the Northfield Area Foundation, Healthy Community Initiative, and Community Resource Center.  Additionally, Charlie is a past Board member for the Northfield Hospital & Clinics.

Brent Nystrom is the Director of Business and Capital Development & Investors Relations. Since joining Rebound Partners in 2014, Brent has been an integral part of the success and growth of the company.  He is known as the “Go-To” person for the team. In his position, Brent connects, informs, and builds relationships with investors across Rebound Partner’s areas of business and provides support to its vertical champions when it comes to needs like presentations, applications and communications.  

Prior to joining Rebound Partners, Brent worked in higher education at Carleton College for nearly 15 years, both in the Alumni Relations Office and the Career Center, where he helped current students and alums stay connected with the school by facilitating networking.  

Brent is an active volunteer in his community.  He is passionate about affordable housing and is currently the President of the Rice County Chapter of Habitat for Humanity and Chair of the Northfield Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA). In addition, Brent is a dedicated member and upcoming President of the Northfield Rotary Club, chair of the non-profit Carleton Ultimate Fund, and head coach for the Northfield High School Boys Ultimate Frisbee team. 

After growing up in Kentucky, Brent moved to Minnesota to attend Carleton College, where he received his BA in Geology. He also holds a Masters degree from the University of Minnesota in Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development.  Brent is an avid Kentucky Wildcats and Minnesota Timberwolves basketball fan and enjoys running outdoors, traveling, reading, and playing Ultimate Frisbee at the highest levels. Brent, and his wife, Jenny, reside in Northfield, MN with their two nearly-grown children, Kenyon & Elsa.

Ryan Torbenson is a Business Analyst for Rebound Community Real Estate Fund. In his core position, Ryan performs financial analysis, market research and helps support external and internal business operations. He is driven to utilize his strong curiosity surrounding financial markets and real estate investing to make a difference for the Rebound Partners team and the communities it works alongside every day. 

As an intern for Rebound Partners in 2018, Ryan got a glimpse of work life at Rebound Partners while he attended St. Olaf College where he studied Economics and Finance. He decided to come back to the company after graduation to start his career with the growing organization. During his four years at St. Olaf, Ryan studied abroad on four different continents and in six different countries around the globe including month-long stays in Tanzania, China, and Argentina. He also played baseball for the Oles as an outfielder and was a member of the Investments Club, Project Friendship, and the Good Athlete Project.

In the warmer Minnesota months, Ryan plays amateur baseball for the Northfield Knights, coaches baseball and loves to watch the Minnesota Twins. In colder months, Ryan enjoys  downhill skiing,  skating outdoors and coaching hockey. Further, he likes to read about anything business and investing related and enjoys traveling to National Parks or sporting venues across the country.