Although Mike Thorson’s original career plan of becoming a social studies teacher didn’t work out the way he’d imagined, in many ways he ended up immersed in the field anyway.
According to the National Council for the Social Studies, the discipline centers around how individuals and communities interact in ways that move society forward — it’s all about applying knowledge while considering multiple perspectives and planning for a future based on civic engagement. That might not be what Thorson is talking about in a classroom, but it certainly applies to what he’s brought to Fergus Falls and the companies he leads: Cornerstone Kitchen & Bath, Midwest Bevel Edge, and Wayne Enterprises.
“The real story of the businesses here isn’t what I’ve done as an individual, it’s really about all the people and organizations who came together to create this level of economic development,” says Thorson. “All I’ve done is to see those opportunities and keep pivoting toward them, and doing the next right thing.”
As a reminder to keep going in that direction, he keeps a photo of President Theodore Roosevelt behind his desk, with a quote related to resolution: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
For Thorson, as well as his companies, this plays out in a blend of entrepreneurship, civic engagement, customer growth, repurposed space, and a healthy amount of optimism mixed with gratitude. Plus, just a pinch of fearlessness for good measure.
“Multiple times in my story I wasn’t sure how we would get through some tough spots, but the support I’ve received along the way has kept me going,” he says. “I’m a hard worker, but it’s also important to acknowledge I didn’t do any of this on my own.”
Building a foundation
After attending Minnesota State University Moorhead where Thorson studied social studies, he thought he knew what was ahead: decades of educating high schoolers in his hometown of Fergus Falls. That might have happened, too, except that there were zero job openings for teachers.
Wanting to stay in the area as he and his wife raised a family, he undertook his first major pivot and did what many entrepreneurs have done before him. He cleared space in the garage.
“It sounds like a cliche, but I had the garage-based startup,” he says. Drawing on experience in construction — he still keeps a photo of himself with his dad on a building site for a project in Ensenada, Mexico — Thorson opened a residential contractor business, focusing on home additions and decking. When customers started asking about kitchen remodeling, including countertops and cabinetry work, he added that to the list of services, and Cornerstone was launched.
As the business grew, so did his need for more space. From the garage, he moved into a 1,000-square-foot building, followed by shifting to 5,000 square feet, but that was quickly outgrown as well. The need for more space became even more acute when a client asked for counters and other items that had beveled edges. Although it’s possible to bevel by hand, it’s not realistic to do that in a way that’s scalable.
To grow that aspect of the construction firm, Thorson created a second business entity, Midwest Bevel Edge, that fit into Cornerstone at first but eventually got split off into its own company still under Thorson’s LLC, Wayne Enterprises (and yes, it’s named after Bruce Wayne, since he couldn’t resist having some fun with it).
With both Cornerstone and Midwest Bevel attracting residential and commercial customers, growth was solid, but employees were feeling squeezed.
“Think of a chef having to cook in a kitchen where there’s only a few inches of space from the counter to the stove,”
Thorson says. “That’s what it felt like. We knew we had to expand, and we figured 10,000 to 15,000 square feet was the next logical step up for us. But just because you can fill that space doesn’t mean it’s available.” For nearly four years, he scoured Fergus Falls for options, only to encounter a classic Goldilocks problem: Everything was too small or too big, with nothing that was just right.
That’s when the social studies mindset kicked in. If he couldn’t find the space on his own, why not bring in those multiple perspectives and civic engagement? Turns out, that made all the difference.
Connecting with community
To come up with fresh ideas for getting his employees out of their tight-squeeze manufacturing space and into a situation where they could create greater efficiency, Thorson turned to the Greater Fergus Falls Economic Development Board, and its director, Annie Deckert.
“In discussing my frustration over not finding a building in the size I wanted, she suggested another big pivot: Buy a much larger space and have other companies move into what we didn’t need,” says Thorson. At the time, there were five big-box stores that sat empty, including a former Target and a grocery store named Sun Mart. Thorson hadn’t considered the larger buildings since he didn’t think the zoning laws would allow Cornerstone to occupy one of them. And he was right.
“Technically, what we’re doing is not allowed if you only look at zoning,” he says. “But Annie worked with the city and they changed the city ordinances for big-box store space in particular, because those felt like an issue, to have these large buildings sitting empty. Because of that, we were able to move into the Sun Mart space, which is about 54,000 square feet.”
Thorson credits then sitting Mayor Ben Schierer and members of the city council for providing help when the company needed it. But having the board and the city in agreement that business growth is better than blight doesn’t mean it was easy.
“We had to work closely with Mike and many others to navigate the complexities of amending zoning regulations in order to revitalize commercial spaces, and specifically the building he invested in,” says Deckert. “The process required significant time, patience, and dedication. Fortunately, collaborating with Mike and the Cornerstone team was an incredibly rewarding experience. His sharp intellect, infectious personality, and unwavering entrepreneurial drive made it a true pleasure.”
The effort also served as an exploration into what was possible — with the understanding that other companies could follow Cornerstone’s example and also turn empty big-box stores into thriving businesses that bring jobs and economic resilience into Fergus Falls.
“This strategic acquisition of a former grocery store for business expansion marked a pivotal moment in our collaborative efforts to address vacant properties within the region,” Deckert says. The amended regulations have led to renovation of other abandoned big-box stores in Fergus Falls, giving other manufacturers and retailers more opportunities for expansion, similar to what Cornerstone experienced.
With much more room for manufacturing, both Cornerstone — which still manufactures its own cabinetry — and Midwest Bevel were able to optimize their workflows, says Thorson. That’s led to greater efficiency and certainly a higher level of employee happiness from not having to navigate around each other every day, he adds.
With Cornerstone and Midwest Bevel in place, the next step was simply to fill the rest of the building’s space, but that seemed like a snap. After all, Thorson, Deckert, realtor Ryan Hanson, and other local economic development advisors had put together a list of 15 prospective tenants, and five had already expressed enough interest for Thorson to feel like it would all go according to plan.
But as President Roosevelt also once said: Sometimes a proposed plan contains elements of folly as well as wisdom.
New pivot
While Cornerstone was building out its new space in May 2020, Thorson followed up on the seemingly robust leads for tenants. But this was a time of peak COVID, and not only did construction take twice as long and cost twice as much as expected, all of the potential renters backed out. That left Cornerstone with about 40,000 square feet of empty space — and it stayed that way for almost a year.
Just when Thorson began to worry that his efforts with community economic development weren’t as impactful as he hoped, he got a call from a Twin Cities-based realtor who represented a client who didn’t want to be named. In fact, both Thorson and his own realtor had to sign NDAs just to be considered.
After a whirlwind, 10-minute tour from the realtor, Thorson got a call from the secretive possible tenant, and it was Amazon. The company wanted to put a final-mile delivery center in west-central Minnesota, and Cornerstone’s available space was ideal and in the right location. After six months of negotiations, Amazon moved in during the fall of 2022, bringing about 150 new jobs along with the effort.
Today, a tour around the Cornerstone building shows that the Amazon addition has been a success. Unlike a sorting warehouse, a final-mile delivery center is similar to a postal operation but only for Amazon packages. Every day, Amazon trucks rumble to the back of the warehouse and contract drivers scurry inside the front to pick up loads of boxes and drive them to recipients.
Next to the Amazon space, a gym is slated to go in within the next year, and the end of the building has yet another boon for the community: a Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic that will come in at 11,000 square feet, with a waiting room that once used to house the Sun Mart deli area. The current Fergus Falls VA clinic is a fraction of the size, and yet provides primary care, mental health care, laboratory and pathology services, and more. With such an expanded space, the VA will be able to offer those options in a more meaningful way, and to more veterans.
As he walks around the VA space, Thorson points out the exam rooms that are only just being framed, and the way the construction company is making ample use of the space.
Despite the many pivots it’s taken to get to this point, Thorson takes all the changes, delays, disappearing potential tenants, and strategy shifts in stride. He split Midwest Bevel into its own business entity five years ago because its manufacturing process is very different from Cornerstone, he says.
“I feel like Midwest Bevel is worth more as a separate company, and because of that, it would be more likely to be bought by a competitor,” he adds. “If that happens, I wanted it to be tidy and packaged to streamline that sale.”
As for Cornerstone, Thorson believes that it occupies a unique spot in the local community — the high level of customer service and customization sets it apart from the warehouse style and inventory of Home Depot, while its price points make it more affordable than hiring high-end master woodworkers and craftsmen. Also, Cornerstone’s expanding offerings have increasingly gone well beyond just counters and cabinets. The showroom is filled with sinks, tiles, and other parts of any kitchen or bathroom remodeling project.
In other words, Cornerstone is in the best type of Goldilocks situation: Not too big, not too small, and like so many of the company’s pivot points, it’s just right.
Value proposition
According to the American Historical Association, a good social studies teacher should possess qualities like strong communication skills, the ability to display empathy and sensitivity, and a passion for critical thinking, as well as curiosity and adaptability. Those also seem to match what’s necessary for a business leader who’s always looking for the next right thing and tapping into a team who helps harness those opportunities.
“Beyond his business acumen, Mike is a dedicated community leader, actively contributing to the betterment of Fergus Falls through his professional endeavors and charitable support,” says Deckert. “His commitment to excellence is evident in the quality of his products and services, his dedicated team, and his unwavering focus on client satisfaction.”
Thorson and his team at Cornerstone and Midwest Bevel epitomize the spirit of civic engagement — their values encompass not just business growth for the sake of it, but as a way to raise the tide and lift all boats.
Even the part of the building housing the two manufacturing spaces and showroom is community-oriented: For a few months, an unused part of the office became a gallery for a local artist to showcase his work. Cornerstone also lets community groups use the space for events, and they invite food trucks to park nearby every Wednesday in the summer so people have a place to hang out at lunch and connect with one another.
Cornerstone acknowledges the past, too, by keeping a checkout light from the old Sun Mart store in a prominent spot inside the showroom, sparking nostalgia for everyone who grew up in the area and shopped there.
“All of us — me, the staff, and everyone working on local economic development — wanted this to be more than just another project, or a way for a company to expand,” says Thorson. “We wanted to show what could be done in a way that supports the community as well as these businesses. I think that by working together, we’re succeeding.”
Return to the Spring 2025 issue of Enterprise Minnesota® magazine.
