Entrepreneurs House
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
Twin Cities Entrepreneurs House is a community service project where mid-tier companies make a big difference. With about 50 other small businesses joining together, we build an entire Habitat house every year for a deserving family – a truly lasting social contribution.
History
Cherry Tree’s Wayne Atkins and John Bergstrom: Co-Founders
Wayne Atkins’ career was spent working with entrepreneurial businesses and investment firms; companies that were too small to sponsor a Habitat home on their own. That’s where Wayne and his good friend and colleague, John Bergstrom, got the idea for the Entrepreneurs House. The house – affectionately known as “eHouse” – is part of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and was designed to bring dozens of companies, investments firms and other smaller businesses together to build and sponsor a Habitat home.
The Entrepreneurs House project has been a growing success since 2003.
Within its first year, we started with 125 volunteers who committed to 10 days. Since then, involvement has increased five-fold, as more and more companies have blended their financial support and volunteer labor to build one Entrepreneurs House each year. The generosity and dedication of the people of Minnesota to issues of affordable housing is one reason the Twin Cities is a leader in business, culture, and quality of life in general.
PROJECT DETAILS
An all-volunteer steering committee of Twin Cities entrepreneurial leaders recruits companies, raises funds, and schedules volunteers.
VOLUNTEER
We involve 600+ employees from an average of 50 companies and aim to raise $150,000 each year. Volunteer companies bring a team to work on the house for one full day (8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) in the spring and summer.
CONTACT:
Mik Gusenius, Steering Committee Member
(952) 253-6005 • mgusenius@cherrytree.com
WAYNE ATKINS: Co-FounderIn true entrepreneurial fashion, Wayne Atkins co-founded and helped build the Entrepreneurs House program from the ground up. He was an extraordinary leader who also served on Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity’s board of directors and finance committee, among other civic contributions. His vision and dedication made the program what it is today. He served 14 years as Managing Director in the investment banking practice of Cherry Tree Companies. Wayne passed away on March 11, 2014, after a long battle with cancer. He had a tremendous influence on everyone at Cherry Tree and is sorely missed. Wayne was deeply admired and his memory continues to be an inspiration to all of us. | |
 | JOHN BERGSTROM: Co-FounderWhile John Bergstrom was on the board for Habitat, he realized the huge impact that owning a house has on a family and on the community. He also noticed it wasn’t easy for smaller businesses to participate. As an active member of the Twin Cities entrepreneurial community, he helped co-found the Entrepreneurs House. He spent 10 years with Cherry Tree working on Fund portfolio companies, and for the last 20 years he has spent about 20-30% of his time providing consulting and advisory services to Cherry Tree and its related companies, through his own company, Riverpoint Investments. |
 | Mik Gusenius: Steering Committee MemberMik Gusenius first got involved in Habitat for Humanity while in college as part of a group that traveled to Oklahoma City during Spring Break to build houses. After graduation, Mik started working at Cherry Tree and became involved with Wayne Atkins and John Bergstrom in the Entrepreneurs House project. Mik joined the Entrepreneurs House Steering Committee in 2010 and served as Chair of the committee for many years. Mik is now a Managing Director in Cherry Tree & Associates’ investment banking practice. With more than 13 years of experience advising companies across a range of industries, Mik has been involved in more than 40 completed M&A transactions totaling more than $1 billion of transaction value. |
Twin Cities Entrepreneurs House supporters have raised over $1 million and recruited more than 3,000 volunteers to support local affordable housing.
Cherry Tree & Associates provides investment banking services through our FINRA-licensed broker dealer.