PEOPLE PROFILES
JIM VOLP PLAZA OWNER
Heights Plaza , at the intersection of Centerville Road and Hwy 96 , is a gateway to Vadnais Heights from the north , and if you haven ’ t noticed lately , it ’ s looking mighty fine with modern signage and a new Punch Pizza / Starbucks building in place of the old PDQ gas pumps . People around town have often referred to it as “ the PDQ plaza ,” and plaza owner Jim Volp wants you to know , “ It ’ s never been ‘ PDQ Plaza .’ It ’ s always been Heights Plaza , since its opening in 1988 .” ( PDQ started in Madison , Wisconsin and is still there ; Volp ’ s parents actually built / leased the first 16 PDQ stores in Minnesota to PDQ - Wisconsin , beginning in 1966 .)
Volp is Chief Manager of Volp Vadnais Heights LLC and has been part of the family business since 1965 . “ Personally , I love making real estate meet and serve people ’ s needs . Real estate can be the catalyst for most any group ’ s successes ( until the internet ). When both private and public organizations small and large succeed , the communities grow and succeed also . I ’ ve worked with numerous cities that grew quite large through necessity because of their geographic size , but it ’ s a welcoming feeling to still walk into Vadnais Heights and be greeted by name by the City staff , instead of just being a number .”
A quick , abbreviated Heights Plaza history , according to Volp : “ We built in 1987 , and the first tenant to hang its sign was Clean ‘ n ’ Press , then PDQ Food and Gas opened January 1998 . Salon Zeo ( was City Looks ) is in its second generation ; they opened in 1988 as well . The Subway space was a butcher shop and small liquor store before Subway opened in 1990 . The MGM Wine & Spirits ’ space was a drugstore that closed , so in 1997 we added on more space to accommodate MGM ’ s larger needs , and space for a restaurant , but USPS quickly took that before it was even built . A chiropractor was in the H & R Block space until 2005 . PDQ left Minnesota in 2013 and was replaced by Noodles & Company in 2015 , then came Punch Pizza / Starbucks in 2016 . A lot of people don ’ t know that Culver ’ s is part of Heights Plaza ; it opened in early 2001 and is a top 10 percent performer in the U . S .”
DRS . KATRINA LEANO AND STEVE MEANS
DENTISTS
Dr . Katrina Leano enjoys channeling her creative side into her profession : “ I started taking an interest in interior design when my husband and I were renovating our home . The aesthetics and symmetry aspects are like dentistry .”
Dr . Steve Means , one of Leano ’ s partners at Metro Dentalcare in Vadnais Heights , appreciates the aesthetics as well ; he was inspired to pursue his career by his father ’ s uncle , an educator and pioneer in cosmetic dentistry in California . “ He helped invent the first white crowns ; a lot of his patients were movie stars . Also , he stayed active in his profession , teaching at foreign dental schools in third world countries until late in life .”
Both dentists are passionate about the human side of their profession . Means , who has more than 30 years experience , says , “ Many people do not enjoy going to the dentist . I really love making dental care a good experience for my patients ; I enjoy using humor to put them at ease .” Leano , a 2007 Marquette University graduate , says , “ For me , the most rewarding aspects of being a dentist are taking care of patients and their dental needs ; meeting new patients and building relationships ; and , educating patients about their dental care .”
Leano grew up in the Philippines and emigrated with her family to the U . S . in 2000 , when she was 20 ; she says her grandparents , who were already in the U . S ., have been her greatest inspirations : “ They have given me unconditional love my entire life ; it ’ s inspired me to do the same for my son and husband , and be the best wife , mother , daughter , sister , cousin , friend , dentist and human being I can be .”
Means was a Professor of Clinical Dentistry at the University of Minnesota and the team dentist for all Minnesota Gophers ’ sports teams . He says , “ I especially enjoyed teaching clinical dentistry to fourth-year students at the university and am contemplating doing it again .”
18 Vadnais Heights Business Guide & Community Profile