Mariah Lynne is a seasoned businesswoman, agriculture/clean energy enthusiast, and mother. She spent nine years as a farm wife on a corn and soybean farm west of Hartland, Minnesota with then her husband, Chris, and their two children (John Paul, 10 and Camellia, 7). She awoke every morning to the beauty of wind turbines on her horizon, delivered seed/parts/meals to Chris and his crew via wind farm access road every spring and fall, and she’s been known to invite curious community members into their fields to experience the majesty of wind turbines. You can learn more about her passion for renewables by reviewing her support letter for the Freeborn Wind Farm here.

Before embarking on her journey as The Good Steward, she co-founded The Marketing Plant (TMP). TMP became a blossoming entity with clients in 8 states by the end of year one and 18 states by the end of year three. Prior to launching TMP, Mariah served as Vice President of Client Services for intellicents (formerly Alliance Benefit Group Financial Services, Corp.) where she cut her teeth in the financial services industry (earning her Series 7 license), management world, and executive leadership circle. Mariah managed a team of 36 employees for the multi-million-dollar family-owned company which held over $3 billion in assets under management. Good Steward Consulting was named the 2017 Small Business of the Year by the Albert Lea – Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce. Mariah has been featured in Minnesota Business Magazine (January, 2016) as one of the state's most creative and ambitious female leaders. Check out the article here.

Abby Flatness is an Assistant Project Manager for Good Steward Consulting. She and her husband, Gage, live on the northern edge of the Bent Tree Wind Farm near Hartland, MN with their cat (Luna) and German Shepard (Ava). Abby knew she wanted to be a part of the Ag world after several years of participation in the local 4-H club and FFA. As such, she attended the University of Wisconsin – River Falls and graduated with a B.S. in Agriculture Studies. Abby enjoys meeting and chatting with new people and helping in any way she can. In her spare time, she cherishes nights around the campfire with family and friends, traveling to the mountains with her mom (Julie), and helping her Dad (Dennis) with his auction business. She hopes to one day raise a family near the Hartland area… yes, raise healthy children right near a wind farm! Fun fact: Abby has an identical twin sister, Claire.

Seth Light was born and raised in Albert Lea, MN, and has always been innovating and thinking about the next big thing. He graduated with a degree in marketing communications from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls, after developing his creativity as an on-field promotions intern with the St.Paul Saints. Seth returned home after college to work for a local marketing firm, where he first met Mariah Lynne. Seth began using his digital marketing skills to create and produce real-world marketing efforts. He developed and expanded new skills that led him to start his own business, Digital Lighthouse. With the thrill of running his own business, he was ,once again, approached by Mariah to work for Good Steward Consulting. With GSC leading the charge for a local renewable energy project, Seth hopped on board to help lead the charge for social media and other digital marketing efforts. He continuously strives to improve his skills and bring fresh ideas to any company or industry for which he works.

Tracy has spent her career in the customer service industry, starting back in high school.  It has always been her pleasure to work with people, both in person and over the phone.  Her first job was as a Claims Adjuster for American Family Insurance, and then moved to the agency side of insurance: sales and handling customer calls.  She has been married to her husband (Mark) for 21 years and they have been blessed with two children (Ellie and Luke).  Tracy was the “CEO” of the Fillback Family for many of those years, sharing experiences with her kids, volunteering in their classrooms, and working with the Parent/Teacher Club.  She maintained her insurance accreditations through the years and worked part-time for an agency. The opportunity to work with the Badger Hollow Solar Farm came along when Tracy was looking for a way to reengage with the public.  As the local representative, she is able to use her people skills to make contacts, answer questions, and present information about this exciting new energy source for Wisconsin.  Other than time with her family, this is her sunny place!

Stacey Kincaid joins Good Steward Consulting as the local representative for the Darien Solar Project. She was born, raised, and lives in rural Wisconsin and is proud of the deep tradition of farming in her family. She feels it was truly a blessing to grow up "a farm girl,” where daily chores helped shape her work ethic. She fondly remembers playing in the haymow, chasing kittens, showing cattle at the fair, participating in 4-H, selling sweet corn, and painting fences. 

She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2001 with a BS in Merchandising Business Management.  Stacey worked in product development, marketing, retail leadership, human resources, and customer relations for several large organizations. For 11 years, she focused her energy at home raising three young boys. She lives on a 3rd generation family vegetable farm in Palmyra with her husband, Corey. Stacey has worked on many successful community projects and events while volunteering her time with the School PTO, Waterski Team, and Cub Scouts.

Stacey enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, fitness endeavors, running marathons, and cooking. This good steward plans to join her keen perspective of being raised in a farming family with the forthcoming local opportunities for renewable energy development. Stacey feels that traditional farming, in tandem with, renewable energy possibilities hold a bright future for generations of farming families in Wisconsin.

Katie is a farm wife and mother from Southern Minnesota with a B.S. in Marketing and Management from Waldorf University (formerly Waldorf College). Alongside her husband (Cole), they are raising the 7th generation on their family farm near Albert Lea.  For the past 12 years, she dedicated her life to raising her three children (Danica, 11, Bridget, 9 and Cael, 6). Growing up on a farm, Katie has always had a passion for agriculture and the community surrounding it.  She enjoys volunteering for local organizations and brought the first Progressive Agriculture Safety Day into Freeborn County, annually teaching children the importance of safety at home and on the farm.  In recent years, Katie has found an interest in the world of renewable energy, after learning more about it in Kazakhstan at the World Expo.

Laura grew up on a dairy farm in Hayward, MN. In her youth, she spent her time loving the outdoors and
the resources around her family farm. She graduated from the University of MN with a B.A. in
Communications. She is an avid volunteer and community advocate. She is a positive presence for the
local lake restoration efforts and lends her passion to environmental stewardship awareness. She served
as the President of the Albert Lea Lakes Foundation for 10 years. The effort resulted in a community
collaboration that brought in $30M+ for area water resources.

Laura’s career background involves wholesale distribution, marketing, recruiting and business
consulting. She is energized by the opportunity to do good for the benefit of an entire community.
Laura’s husband, Colby hails from the great Driftless Area of northeast Iowa. Together, they are raising
their young son, Cooper, to respect and love all of the resources that nature has to offer. They will
welcome a new family member in February.

In her downtime, she loves to golf, explore, create, and travel to destinations with State and National
Parks. Laura comes to Good Steward Consulting as a Project Relationship Manager and is interested in
seeing projects develop and thrive, all the while leaving a lasting legacy for their home communities. She
believes in harvesting renewable energy and innovative strategies to reduce our carbon emissions.

Emily was born and raised in rural Hartland, MN, on the family farm, with her mother (Carol), father (Randy), and sister (Hannah). Many of her early memories involved playing with her German Shepherds, raising her 4-H show pigs, and running meals to dad in the field. She was active in the Hartland 4-H Club, where her passion for agriculture grew; she loved being a leader and channeling her creativity throughout her 13-year involvement with the program. Emily graduated from South Dakota State University in December of 2015, with a B.S. in Agriculture Communications - she will always be a proud Jackrabbit Alumni!

Emily has been with Good Steward Consulting since February of 2018, as an Assistant Project Manager. Her favorite part of this job involves making new contacts and meeting people in various communities. She has made some great connections in the past 9 months and feels that the Good Steward brand is growing and developing a positive name within the community.

Emily resides in Wells, MN, with her boyfriend (Taylor), and her Border Collie/Blue Healer mix puppy (Cash). She stays busy with a number of social and volunteer activities, and enjoys being part of the Wells Area Jaycees and giving back to the community. Emily also makes time to visit family in Northern Minnesota, which is her favorite place to travel - especially in the summer. Her future goals include raising a family in rural Minnesota and growing professionally with Good Steward Consulting.

Mark Raney is an experienced graphic designer with a truly amazing artistic talent. He has nearly 20 years of experience and has worked in print shops, for ad agencies, in-house art departments, and he even once owned a retail store with his wife. Mark and his family love the outdoors and nature. Mark was born with a passion for art and has always loved to draw. He knew his future as a graphic designer was set in stone when his fourth grade art teacher told him he was going to be a commercial artist when he grew up... undoubtedly, he was right. With a creative eye and experienced graphic touch, Mark delivers excellence in all forms of design.

Tammi is our Sinnissippi Solar Project representative in Jefferson County, Wisconsin. She joined the Good Steward Consulting team in October of 2018. She brings energy, leadership, and creativity to the team, along with valuable insight of the Jefferson County area.

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She worked in the floral industry for 11 years, managing multiple teams of people and locations. Tammi also has 16 years working in the winery business. Tammi has developed communication, marketing, and business building skills through all her unique job experiences. Before becoming a Good Steward, she was the Executive Director for the Johnson Creek Area Chamber of Commerce.

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Tammi keeps busy volunteering for multiple organizations and groups within her area. When she isn’t working or volunteering, she is also building a new home and trying to keep up with her two children plus her boyfriend’s three children. She feels blessed to have a blended family. Did we mention she has a mini zoo, too? The family of seven has one dog, five cats, three birds, 75 gallons of fish, an iguana, a chinchilla, cows and (soon to welcome) chickens to the mix. Tammi winds down by spending time in the garden, maintaining 15 grapevines to make wine and roadside pumpkins in the fall.

Frank is our Paris Solar project representative in Kenosha County Wisconsin. He joined the Good Steward Consulting team in April of 2019. Frank, born and raised in Chicago, Illinois has lived in Southeast Wisconsin for the last 35 years and brings with him knowledge of the area, creativity, and business experience. Having resided in both urban and rural areas. 

Frank brings with over 25 years of experience in project management, technology, and customer service. This experience along with his involvement in the community makes him a great fit for the Paris Solar project. He is also currently active as a small business owner running both a website development business and a travel agency.

Frank has been involved in many aspects of the communities he has lived in. Some of his community involvement includes, elected to a village board member position in the Village of Union Grove, coaching youth soccer, a board member of the local youth baseball association, a volunteer firefighter/EMT as well as roles in the local chamber of commerce where he has held the offices of President and Vice President.

In his free time, he enjoys many activities such as local festivals, concerts, camping, cruise vacations, watching the Green Bay Packers, and spending time with his 7 grandchildren. You may have even seen him on a few episodes of Chicago Fire where he worked as an extra portraying a Firefighter.