Twin Cities businessman leaves lasting legacy

Andy Schweizer is a commercial real estate professional who invests his time, treasure and talents into improving the lives of Minnesotans through the work of The Salvation Army.

Schweizer, 65, has been passionate about The Salvation Army his entire life. His parents were officers of The Salvation Army and taught him the value of faith, hard work, and service.

“While being raised in a Christian home, I learned to pray,” recalled Schweizer, who grew up attending local Salvation Army churches – and still does. “My favorite prayer always included asking God for wisdom, courage and understanding.”

God answered those prayers, giving Schweizer the accumen to build several successful businesses from scratch and become a respected advisor to The Salvation Army.  

Trash talk

Schweizer’s success in business stems from a solid-waste removal company he and his brother founded in the early 1980s.

“In business I had dreams, goals and plans – and I took action,” Schweizer said.

Took action indeed: The brothers started their business with one garbage truck and grew it to include 200 trucks and one landfill over a 35-year period.

After selling the company in the mid-2010s, Schweizer formed a commercial real estate firm called Wheelhouse Capital. He now operates Wheelhouse out of a high-profile hotel and event center the company owns: the Radisson and Capitol Ridge Building in downtown St. Paul.

“The thrill, experience, and character built during my business career was more valuable than the millions it produced,” Schweizer said. “Earning money is much more exciting than spending it, and giving it to others feels better than spending it on myself." 

Giving back

Schweizer has spent decades giving back by serving on several Twin Cities Salvation Army advisory boards. 

That includes 10 years of serving on the Advisory Council for The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) in Minneapolis, which provides free or affordable rehabilitation services for men battling addiction. In this role – which included five years as Advisory Chair – he helped oversee a two-year, $39 million renovation project and its corresponding capital campaign. Renovations to the century-old facility were completed in 2022, yielding state-of-the-art improvements while boosting resident capacity from 100 to 142.  

In addition to providing leadership for this project, Schweizer made a significant financial contribution to it.

Schweizer also spent nearly 10 years as a member of the Advisory Board for the Twin Cities Salvation Army, including two years as Board Chair. In this role he helped make critical decisions about The Salvation Army’s dozens of local facilities, hundreds of employees, and annual operating budget of about $17.5 million. 

He wrapped up his tenure for both advisory board positions in recent years, satisfied with the work he performed to help ensure that thousands of Minnesotans in need can receive food, shelter and care for years to come.

“In my involvement with The Salvation Army, I’ve never had a goal or a plan,” Schweizer admitted. “It was all God’s plan. I just followed His lead.”

Receiving

While Schweizer has given much to The Salvation Army, he has received much in return.

Most notably, a family. Schweizer met his wife, Brenda, at a former Salvation Army music camp in New Brighton when he was just 12 years old. The couple now has three kids – ages 29, 32 and 35 – and five grandchildren. All live in Minnesota within 30 minutes of each other.

The Salvation Army is also where Schweizer developed his passion for performing music. He learned to play the drums at a Salvation Army location in Minneapolis when he was a boy. Now, more than 50 years later, he continues to perform in a brass band at the Lakewood Salvation Army in Maplewood. 

Schweizer is a humble leader whose expansive knowledge of The Salvation Army and business have been an immeasurable boon to thousands of Minnesotans served by The Salvation Army.  

“Change lives and save souls – that’s why I’m here today,” he said.

Join our Advisory Board

Are you a seasoned business professional who would like to give back to the Twin Cities community? Consider joining our Advisory Board.  

Salvation Army Advisory Board members meet once a month for 90 minutes to share their ideas, knowledge and expertise. Each member also serves on a committee that meets one additional day per month for 90 minutes. Committees include:

• Executive
• Finance
• Property and Facilities
• Programs and Services
• Communications and Marketing

The time commitment of our Advisory Board members is small, but their impact is enormous.

Learn more about serving as an Advisory Board member or fill out an application.