The new man on the block at McGough Construction

It would be easy to say that with his new job, Jim Rothstein is returning home to St. Cloud. But, in truth, he never really left. Rothstein was recently named general manager for the St. Cloud office of McGough Construction, one of the largest commercial builders in the Upper Midwest. He came over from Donlar Construction, also in St. Cloud.

When McGough decided to expand in the central Minnesota city, it looked to Rothstein, a lifelong resident and a graduate of St. Cloud Technical and Community College. "I've lived here my entire life, so this is really exciting," Rothstein said.

St. Paul-based McGough has a long track record in central Minnesota, including the construction of St. John's Abbey Church in Collegeville in the late 1950s. Even now, the firm is working on two big projects in St. Cloud — an expansion of CentraCare's St. Cloud Hospital and a new Integrated Science and Engineering Laboratory building for St. Cloud State University. But Rothstein thinks there's more business out there in the region.

"In this economy, you have to go where the work is, you have to diversify your base," he said. In his free time, the 35-year-old husband and father of two enjoys golfing, hunting and coaching Little League. His wife, Melissa, is a special-ed teacher for the St. Cloud school district. When asked about his golf game, Rothstein demurred: "I'm OK. I have good days and bad days." Spoken like a true Minnesotan