Finance and Commerce Daily Newspaper, MN articles from August 2006

Finance and Commerce Daily Newspaper, MN archives from August 2006

Planned maintenance facility in Minneapolis to be unlike any other industrial structure in state.
August 1, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson It might be a stretch to call the planned Hiawatha maintenance facility in Minneapolis the Taj Mahal of public works buildings. But it's safe to say that the building will be unlike any other industrial structure in...

City of Minneapolis sets green goal.
August 1, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson The city of Minneapolis is going green. Just days after releasing designs for a planned green roof for Minneapolis City Hall, the city council on July 21 approved a resolution that calls for all city-financed...

Merit shop contractors hope to be represented on Minnesota Twins stadium project.
August 1, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Unions will be well represented on the Minnesota Twins stadium project, but merit shop contractors are hoping to find their names in the lineup as well. The Minnesota Associated Builders and Contractors, which...

Voluntary protection program for contractors launched.
August 1, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan (This story originally appeared in the Daily Reporter, Milwaukee, another Dolan Media publication.) Starting Oct. 1, contractors nationwide will be able to participate in the Occupational Safety and Health...

Maple Grove-based FlowSense wins HVAC contract for Fort Snelling facility.
August 1, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report Maple Grove-based FlowSense has been awarded a contract to replace the HVAC system at a U.S. Naval facility at Fort Snelling. The project will include engineering design and installation of several rooftop...

University of Minnesota Duluth begins construction of 'green' business school.
August 1, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report The University of Minnesota Duluth broke ground last week on a resource-efficient business school building. The Labovitz School of Business and Economics building will be the first higher education building in the...

Art exhibit at Hennepin County Government Center's art gallery features hurricane debris.
August 1, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report Works of art stemming from Hurricane Katrina will be on display in August at the Hennepin County Government Center's art gallery. Presented by MinnesotaHelpers, a charitable relief organization, the "Art of the...

Workshop to examine minority contracting issues to be held at Hilton Hotel in Minneapolis.
August 1, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report Minority contracting on highway projects will be the topic of an Aug. 19 event at the Hilton Hotel in Minneapolis. The free event, presented by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway...

Minneapolis-based Residential Capital Corp. contributes $400,000 for housing.
August 1, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report Residential Capital Corp. (ResCap), a Minneapolis-based residential real estate finance company, is working with Habitat for Humanity to create homeownership opportunities for 20 families in 2006. Habitat and...

City's staff shortages delay New Orleans projects.
August 1, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts (This story originally appeared in New Orleans CityBusiness, another Dolan Media publication.) Angelo Farrell wants to invest $50 million to open a hotel and condominiums in New Orleans. But Farrell has just about...

Round homes gaining post-Katrina attention.
August 1, 2006... Byline: Matthew Penix (This story originally appeared in New Orleans CityBusiness, another Dolan Media publication.) From his nearly finished home's vantage point, 50 feet above the hurricane ruins beneath him, Ted Modica saw the...

Downtown Minneapolis development project to submit plans this week to city officials.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Mark Anderson The neighbors have signed on. Now the would-be developers of the historic Monte Carlo restaurant block north of downtown Minneapolis will try to persuade city and historic preservation officials to do the same. New...

Fall from building inspires push for 'Laela's Law' in MN.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements Minnesota would become the first state to mandate the use of stronger, security-type window screens for some new developments under a bill that is expected to be introduced next year. State Sen. Linda Berglin,...

Iowa company finds its niche in security screens.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements As a demonstration of the sturdiness of the security screens his company sells, Brian Houlihan will strafe a screen from 10 paces with a load of BB shot. "It'll take a pretty serious blow and still not give," says...

Injuries from window falls relatively common.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements How many children get hurt or die in falls from windows? The latest available data from 2004 show that 3,200 children through the age of 10 were known to have been treated in U.S. emergency rooms for injuries related...

Minneapolis-based Select Comfort Corp. to get new headquarters facility.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Fast-growing Select Comfort Corp., known for its patented "Sleep Number" beds, has signed a deal with Opus Northwest for a new headquarters facility. Opus will build a four-story, 160,000-square-foot building in the...

Wayzata-based Steiner, Prima to partner up on Brooklyn Center project.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard The city of Brooklyn Center has tapped Wayzata-based Steiner Development as the developer for the former Northbrook Plaza shopping center site. The redevelopment, dubbed Northbrook Village, will feature a combination...

Next phase of Sexton condo project in downtown Minneapolis grows taller.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard The second phase of the Sexton condo project in downtown Minneapolis has grown again. Plans slated to come before the Minneapolis City Planning Commission on Aug. 14 call for a 34-story tower with 282 new residential...

Minneapolis-based Olson Adverising gets whimsical with expansion idea.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger Minneapolis ad agency Olson plans to remodel 35,000 square feet of space in four Loring Corners buildings -- a project that it is spoofing on an outdoor billboard and on its Web page with a space ship-like structure that...

Former Minneapolis gas station gets new lease on life.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger The 1949 vintage auto service station at 3601 Lyndale Ave. S. has long appealed to John Gross, a partner in Minneapolis-based Harmon Place LLC. So in January, Harmon Place LLC acquired the 0.41-acre parcel on the...

Groundbreaking today for e2 City Homes project in Minneapolis.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Officials will break ground this afternoon on the e2 City Homes project at 3445 First Ave. S. in Minneapolis. The project will feature four green sustainable townhomes -- the first multifamily,...

Minneapolis-based Geneva Organization sells housing complex in Phoenix.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff The Geneva Organization of Minneapolis has completed the sale of Adobe Ridge, a 224-unit residential complex in Phoenix. Geneva, which purchased the property last year, sold the complex to a private, high...

Minneapolis-based Graco Inc. buys industrial building in Anoka.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Graco Inc. of Minneapolis has purchased a building in Anoka from Fransden Corp. for $6.4 million. The 207,000-square-foot facility, located at 1201 Lund Blvd., will house operations for the company's...

PA-based Liberty Property Trust completes two Twin Cities lease deals.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Liberty Property Trust, a Malvern, Pa., based real estate investment trust that owns property in Minnesota, announced two local lease deals. Liberty said Time Warner Telecom of Minnesota LLC has expanded...

Minnesota property is included in sale portfolio.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff New York-based Prescott Capital Management LLC paid $110.4 million for six retail outlet centers, including a property in Medford, just north of Owatonna. Prescott bought the 1.34 million-square-foot...

Federal economist scheduled for NAIOP meeting.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Toby Madden, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, will be the guest speaker at this month's meeting of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP). The event...

Maple Grove-based Pfeffer Company Inc. adds sales associate.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Patricia Bertram has been hired as a sales associate with the brokerage and development team at Maple Grove-based Pfeffer Company Inc. Charles Pfeffer Jr., president of the firm, said Bertram's primary...

Fire damages downtown Minneapolis office.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff A rooftop blaze at the 12-story Wyman-Partridge Building in downtown Minneapolis was quickly extinguished on Tuesday. Alex Jackson, deputy chief of the Minneapolis Fire Department, estimated damage from...

County attorneys hope state fair presence will help fight meth.
August 5, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger People hoping to get away from it all at the Minnesota State Fair later this month could be in for a rude awakening. Concerned about a sharp increase in methamphetamine use, the Minnesota County Attorneys Association...

Rachel Contracting is new-yet-familiar name in Minneapolis earthwork-demolition industry.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Rachel Contracting is a new-yet-familiar name in the local earthwork-demolition industry. The Maple Grove-based company has only been in business for a few months -- it officially incorporated early this year and...

Miracle League is a hit with Minnesota contractors.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Jeff Hanson was sitting in on a meeting of the Twins Community Fund when he first heard about the Miracle League of Minnesota's desire to build some special ball fields for children with disabilities. It just happens...

Demolition industry tries to spruce up its image.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson The demolition industry is trying to detonate its negative image. The National Demolition Association, on its Web site, lists 10 "common misconceptions" about the industry, including the notion that demolition...

Highway conference in Minneapolis to focus on disadvantaged businesses.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Minneapolis is the place to be this month for transportation officials and highway contractors. For the first time, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Civil Rights Conference is...

Planners mull mechanical overhaul of the state Capitol in St. Paul.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Charley Shaw (This story previously appeared in the St. Paul Legal Ledger, another Dolan Media publication.) The classical grandeur of the state Capitol is belied by clunky old mechanical systems, according to state officials....

Wisconsin contractors show their big hearts.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Joe Grundle (This story originally appeared in the Daily Reporter, Milwaukee, WI, another Dolan Media publication.) Miranda Effert was born with half a heart but a full measure of spunk. The 4-year-old Brookfield, Wis., girl...

New Orleans developers plan 1,000 concrete homes.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Matthew Penix (This story originally appeared in New Orleans CityBusiness, another Dolan Media publication.) A coalition of New Orleans developers is planning to build more than 1,000 mold-proof, eco-friendly,...

Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson names Duluth project manager.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. has hired Kelly Davidson as a project manager at the company's Duluth office. Davidson previously was a project manager with Northstar Fire Protection in...

Three employees join TSP's Minnesota offices.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff TSP Inc., an architectural, engineering, construction services and interior design firm with offices in Minneapolis, has hired three new employees. Mark Fauske joined the firm as a mechanical engineer,...

Manager named for St. Paul office of PSI.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., based PSI has named Matthew Stevens to serve as the branch manager of its St. Paul office. Stevens, who joined the firm in 2005, has a bachelor's degree in geology from Winona...

Owatonna-based Viracon hires operations head at Georgia facility.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Bob Randall, a 13-year employee at Owatonna-based Viracon, has been named vice president of operations at the company's Statesboro, Ga., facility. Randall has held numerous leadership positions with the...

Braun Intertec names Barr as principal hydrogeologist.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Groundwater studies and hazardous waste expert Kelton Barr has been named principal hydrogeologist at Braun Intertec Corp. of Bloomington. Barr, a 31-year industry veteran, has overseen projects in 48...

Mounds Park Academy of St. Paul to unveil $16 million project.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Mounds Park Academy of St. Paul is nearing completion on the second phase of a $16 million expansion project. The project, which will be finished in time for the start of fall classes on Aug. 28, includes...

Grand re-opening planned for Nick's Sports World in Minneapolis.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Sports fans love a comeback story. Nick's Sports World is back. This spring, reports surfaced that the downtown pro sportswear retailer would close up shop after a 19-year run. As it turned out, the store never really...

Salt Lake City-based Sinclair Oil unloading 19 Minnesota service stations.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger Salt Lake City-based Sinclair Oil Corp. is selling 19 Minnesota service stations, including 13 in the Twin Cities, to help pay for developing larger, high-volume stations with expanded convenience store offerings. "The...

Two Twenty Two condominium partners with Whole Foods in ad campaign.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger The Two Twenty Two condominium project isn't expected to open for another 2 1/2 years, but Seattle-based Milliken Development Group has hired a Bloomington public relations firm to start positioning the Minneapolis...

The Portico condos coming to Minneapolis's Uptown.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard The latest condo project in the Uptown area of Minneapolis has a name: The Portico. The project is the first condo development for Minneapolis-based Horning Cos., which owns and manages 3,000 apartment units in the...

CSM Corp. hires Michele Foster as V.P. of development.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Michele Foster is the new vice president of development at Minneapolis-based CSM Corp. Foster will oversee the company's commercial development group, a 20-person team responsible for commercial, industrial...

Art Partners Group launched for real estate, design firms.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Kim Cameron, Connie Shields and Brian Knudsvig have launched Art Partners Group, a Minneapolis-based commercial art firm that will specialize in working with architects, interior designers and commercial...

Two brokers hired at Twin Cities' Colliers Turley Martin Tucker.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff David Stokes and Mark Stevens have joined the Twin Cities office of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker as brokers. Stokes will serve as a vice president in the industrial division, focusing on sales and...

Minneapolis-based Geneva Organization buys medical-office building in St. Louis area.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff The Minneapolis-based Geneva Organization has completed the purchase of a 64,455-square-foot medical-office facility in Chesterfield, Mo., a western suburb of St. Louis. The Chesterfield Valley Medical...

Westwood Professional Services hires senior project manager.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Westwood Professional Services Inc. has hired Michele Caron as a senior project manager within its commercial development services group in Eden Prairie. Caron has 23 years of experience, including work on...

Investors Real Estate Trust hires property management head.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Edward Chapman has been named director of property management at the Eden Prairie office of Investors Real Estate Trust (IRET). He will be responsible for internal property management of all assets owned by...

Gunsbury team gets jump in race for first Uptown Minneapolis hotel.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Mark Anderson The first of the proposed hotel projects to emerge from the starting gate in Uptown will be backed by a relatively unfamiliar list of local real estate names. A team of local investors led by Curt Gunsbury obtained...

At City Center, a continuing struggle.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard City Center opened with great fanfare in 1983 as a suburban-style, enclosed shopping mall in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. "I remember the opening day. The Rockettes came into town from Radio City in New York,...

Thinking globally: Minneapolis architectural firm discusses international projects.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements On the back of a new piece of promotional material, Minneapolis architecture firm Durrant lists 68 development projects it has done or is doing in South Korea. Another listed project is in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam....

The Durrant Group: Twin Cities work includes crime lab, restaurant.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements Locally, The Durrant Group is responsible for designing Cue, the 7,760-square-feet restaurant at the new Guthrie Theater. (The Guthrie itself was designed by renowned French architect Jean Nouvel along with local firm...

The do's and don'ts of working in Asia.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements Francis Bulbulian, a principal with the Minneapolis office of The Durrant Group, says firms that want to work in Asia should consider 10 starting points. He listed them in a story published in the March issue of...

BPG Properties pays $86 million for Interchange Office Park.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Philadelphia-based BPG Properties Ltd. has closed on the Interchange Office Park, paying $86 million for the four-building, 936,856-square-foot property. The sale price works out to $91.80 per square foot for the...

Minneapolis Colliers Turley office keeps expanding.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard The local office of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker has been on a hiring streak of late. CTMT now has 41 brokers, up from 30 in June 2005. The real estate firm added two brokers in March, two more in June and announced...

Some MN groups rankled by opposition to Chicago's proposed living wage ordinance.
August 12, 2006... Byline: Charley Shaw Some Minnesota lawmakers, union officials and nonprofit groups are rankled by the opposition of Target Corp. to Chicago's proposed living wage ordinance. The Minneapolis-based retailer recently told Chicago officials...

Some Minneapolis-area construction firms are increasing their use of 3D/4D technology.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Construction still lags behind other industries when it comes to the use of 3D/4D technology, but some local firms are working to close the gap. M.A. Mortenson Co. of Golden Valley is positioning itself as an industry...

NJ-based K. Hovnanian Homes streamlines Twin Cities operations.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson K. Hovnanian Homes is shaking things up a bit in the Twin Cities as the local homebuilding market cools off. The New Jersey-based homebuilder announced last week that it's "combining its two Twin Cities homebuilding...

Commentary: Golf corners the market at industry outings.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Remember that Honeymooners episode in which Ralph Kramden was trying to learn how to play golf? Naturally, the Jackie Gleason character quickly became frustrated. As I recall, he said the only reason men play the...

Board members named to Association of Women Contractors.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff The Association of Women Contractors has selected a new board of directors for fiscal year 2006-2007. Officers are president, Cindy Hemmer, Swan Ornamental Iron; vice president, Sue Blanchard, Safety...

Minnetonka-based Benson-Orth Associates is building in Plymouth, Wayzata.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Benson-Orth Associates, a Minnetonka-based general contractor, is building two multi-tenant retail centers in the western suburbs. Waterford Plaza is a 6,500-square-foot project in Plymouth, just west of...

Carlson joins Brainerd office of Minneapolis-based Short Elliott Hendrickson.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Joe Carlson has been hired as a project engineer and manager at the Brainerd office of Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. Carlson, who specializes in environmental engineering, will be responsible for...

National Society of Professional Engineers names Cameron G. Kruse a fellow.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) has announced that Cameron G. Kruse, P.E., of Bloomington-based Braun Intertec Corp., has been honored with membership in its 2006 Class of Fellows....

NYC-based Turner Construction joins construction team for Univ. of MN stadium.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. has formed a joint venture with New York City-based Turner Construction Co. to build a new football stadium at the University of Minnesota. Turner is a...

Minneapolis Planning Commission gives green light to Two Twenty Two site plan.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff The Minneapolis Planning Commission has approved the Seattle-based Milliken Development Group's site plan for the Two Twenty Two condominium project at Hennepin and Washington avenues in downtown...

Empire Home Services signs lease at Duke Realty-owned building.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Empire Home Services has signed a lease for 18,254 square feet in Silverbell Commons at 2015 Silverbell Road in Eagan, bringing the building to full occupancy. The structure is owned by Indianapolis-based...

Wanted: Real estate lawyers.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Michael Krieger (This article originally ran in Minnesota Lawyer, Minneapolis, MN, another Dolan Media publication.) Those who like to say, "There are too many lawyers," haven't visited a real estate group lately. Many large-...

Farmers' market/condo project in downtown St. Paul delayed again.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements The indoor farmers' market/condo loft project in downtown St. Paul is weathering yet another delay, with the developer now targeting spring 2008 for completion. While officials with the developer and the city of St....

John Mannillo selling historic St. Paul building.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Twenty years ago, John Mannillo and partners bought and rehabbed the historic Gilbert Building in downtown St. Paul. The vintage 1893 building was designed by celebrated architect Cass Gilbert, best known locally as...

Presbyterian Homes & Services eyes site in Eden Prairie.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Roseville-based Presbyterian Homes & Services is negotiating with the city of Eden Prairie about buying a 4.5-acre site for possible redevelopment into a senior living campus. The site, at Prairie Center Drive and...

Founder of Minneapolis-based RMF Group finds both risks and rewards in urban development.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Mark Anderson It takes patience to be a real estate developer, especially when you specialize in urban redevelopment. Just ask Ross Fefercorn. The founder of Minneapolis-based RMF Group has led several groundbreaking but...

Commentary: Good-bye to an old friend -- and friendly competitor.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard When I started working for Finance and Commerce a few years ago, I found myself in competition with my old friend Terry Fiedler. Fiedler was then covering the commercial real estate beat for the Minneapolis Star...

Capmark Financial exits mortgage banking market, closes its Minnetonka office.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Mark Anderson A short-lived mortgage banking era came to an end in the Twin Cities on July 31 when Capmark Financial Group closed its Minnetonka office. Capmark had operated between early 2002 and March of this year as GMAC...

Real Estate Law 101.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Jane Pribek (This article originally ran in Minnesota Lawyer, Minneapolis, MN, another Dolan Media publication.) There's a reason property law is among the first classes required in law school -- property is everywhere, both...

Attorney specialization gains popularity in Minnesota.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Jane Pribek (This article originally ran in Minnesota Lawyer, Minneapolis, MN, another Dolan Media publication.) In Minnesota's legal community, one aspect that makes 877 attorneys "special" is they have been certified as...

Tips and trends in real estate law.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Jane Pribek (This article originally ran in Minnesota Lawyer, Minneapolis, MN, another Dolan Media publication.) Beware of online legal descriptions Ahhh, the Internet. Convenient, yes. Infallible, no. In the family law...

Eminent domain tops list of 'hot' issues in real estate.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Michael Krieger Finance and Commerce sent out a survey to certified real property specialists asking them what they saw as important issues for developers and practitioners in the field. Not surprisingly, the overwhelming majority...

Commentary: When representing clients before City Hall, some attorneys are required to register as lobbyists.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Tammera R. Diehm In the world of real estate, attorneys regularly find themselves dealing with city officials and local boards -- whether negotiating a development agreement, requesting a zoning variance or challenging an adverse...

Legislative update on eminent domain.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Kevin J. Dunlevy and Charles A. Parsons Jr. What follows is an overview of the eminent domain bill -- S.F. 2750 -- signed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty this spring. *** Prohibits the use of eminent domain for economic development purposes...

Future for wind energy looks bright, but a number of factors are casting shadows over industry.
August 22, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Bob Dylan may have been on to something when he said the answer is "blowing in the wind." Skeptics need to look no further than the Minnesota state fairgrounds, where Golden Valley-based M.A. Mortenson Co. recently...