Finance and Commerce Daily Newspaper, MN articles from February 2006

Finance and Commerce Daily Newspaper, MN archives from February 2006

Milwaukee aldermen to deliberate whether Manpower Inc. deal is good for city.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan (This story originally ran in the Daily Reporter, Milwaukee, another Dolan Media publication). Any city that wants to land Manpower Inc.'s 900 corporate headquarters jobs must satisfy the company's list of...

Time may be running out for condo developers in some regions.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Jen Degregorio (This story originally appeared in the Daily Record, Baltimore, MD., another Dolan Media publication). The frenzied pace of condominium conversions across the nation has become "played out" in some housing markets...

Developer fights for three downtown Minneapolis landmarks.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Todd Messelt Developer Ray Harris is a lifelong Minneapolis resident with a penchant for the city's urban landscape. Nearly all of his notable projects, including Calhoun Square in the heart of Uptown, have targeted high-density,...

Calhoun Square redevelopment in Uptown Minneapolis is set to begin.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard It's been a long road to redevelopment at Calhoun Square, in the heart of the Uptown neighborhood in Minneapolis. Des Moines-based Principal Real Estate Investors paid $28.1 million for the 1980s-era urban retail hub...

Sheraton Hotel adds to Midtown revival in Minneapolis.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Mark Anderson The markets for hotels and hotel investments rebounded nicely during the last 30 months from their post-9/11 collapse, but the new Midtown Sheraton Hotel still seemed to face an interesting challenge when it opened...

Speculation about real estate magnate Zygi Wilf's project in Blaine increases property values.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Real estate magnate Zygi Wilf made his debut appearance before the local commercial real community two weeks ago at the Interlachen Country Club in Edina. Roughly 300 people were on hand for the Minnesota Commercial...

Two downtown Minneapolis skyscrapers go up for sale.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Chicago-based John Buck Co. closed on the purchase of the IDS Center on Dec. 15, 2004. On Monday, tenants of the iconic downtown Minneapolis skyscraper learned that the building was for sale again a mere 13 months...

MN Real Estate Briefs: February 2, 2006.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard The long-running dispute over the former Skyway Theater building in downtown Minneapolis was quietly settled in December. In an unusual real estate dispute, the 719 Company LLC including Jim Graves, CEO of Graves...

Burgeoning Web sites make condo shopping convenient.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger Minneapolis-based Kamper Brands plans to rev up its UrbanSearch condominium search engine on Feb. 14 in a move that underscores the competitive nature of the condominium industry.Kamper, an advertising and real estate...

Neighborhood south Minneapolis hardware store takes on the big boxes.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger In a battle pitting shoe box against big box, Diamond Lake Ace Hardware has expanded and remodeled its south Minneapolis store to compete against such larger competitors as Home Depot.The makeover of Diamond Lake Ace...

Many partners helped write story of redevelopment of Phalen Corridor and St. Paul's East Side.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements Any number of watershed moments punctuate the story of the now $600 million redevelopment of the Phalen Corridor and St. Paul's East Side during the past 11 years.But Curt Milburn, project director of the Phalen...

Human resources executive joins Minneapolis-based CSM Corp.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff CSM Corp., a Minneapolis-based commercial and residential real estate development firm, has hired Lisa Sorenson as vice president of human resources. She will be responsible for recruitment, training and...

Duke Realty of Indianapolis plans office tower in Bloomington.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Duke Realty Corp. of Indianapolis has announced plans to build a 10-story, 322,000-square-foot office tower called Norman Pointe II in Bloomington.The project, part of the Norman Pointe Business Center at...

Minnesota gets straight A's on development report card.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Minnesota has earned a perfect score on the 2006 Development Report Card for the States.Released by the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED), a Washington, D.C., based nonprofit economic...

Mendota Heights firm merges with Westwood Professional Services Inc. of Eden Prairie.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Peterson Environmental Consulting Inc. of Mendota Heights has merged with Westwood Professional Services Inc. of Eden Prairie. Both firms specialize in natural resources consulting, using teams of natural...

Minnesota Shopping Center Association to examine mixed-used development.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Trends in mixed-use development will be the subject of the March meeting of the Minnesota Shopping Center Association.The group will meet Wednesday, March 1, at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel, 7800...

Deal for Carmichael Lynch Building in Minneapolis expires.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff The Carmichael Lynch Building is back on the market after the due diligence period for a prospective buyer of the eight-story, 103,275-square-foot structure expired. Steve Eriksson, president of...

Minnesota Marketing Briefs: February 4, 2006.
February 4, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger Just two months after tax and financial services giant H&R Block picked a Massachusetts ad agency over Minneapolis shop Campbell Mithun for its online ad account, the same two firms are vying for the company's entire...

Critics assail gov's transportation spending plan.
February 4, 2006... Byline: Charley Shaw Gov. Tim Pawlenty's $2.5 billion proposal to pay for road projects this week prompted criticism from legislators about its reliance on borrowing.Rep. Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester, drew a common personal finance analogy...

Miami firm to 'rejuvenate' Falls and Pinnacle complex in Minneapolis.
February 7, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Miami-based Crescent Heights development is renovating the Falls and Pinnacle apartment complex in Minneapolis as part of a condo conversion project, but some tenants say the project doesn't adequately address the...

Williams Steel building in northeast Minneapolis finds new life with renovation.
February 7, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson A growing business that makes air handling equipment is settling into the old Williams Steel building in northeast Minneapolis this week, thanks to a major renovation of the 55-year-old structure. Innovent, a...

Experts see more 'mixed construction' projects in Minnesota's future.
February 7, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Mixed construction projects the practice of union and nonunion contractors working side-by-side on a given jobsite are the wave of the future in Minnesota, according to a panel of local construction experts....

MN Construction Briefs: February 7, 2006.
February 7, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson A handful of Minnesota school buildings are at the head of the class when it comes to design, according to an annual publication put out by the National School Boards Association. The publication, Learning by Design,...

Wisconsin contractor group wants water and sewer laterals mapped.
February 7, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder (This story originally appeared in the Daily Reporter, Milwaukee, WI, another Dolan Media publication.) Richard Wanta doesn't want anyone's house to blow up. Citing safety concerns, the Wisconsin Underground...

Company moves to alleviate cement shortage in Northwest.
February 7, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker (This story originally appeared in the Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland, Ore., another Dolan Media publication.) The Pacific Northwest can expect a big boost to its cement supply this fall. Ash Grove Cement Co....

St. Bonifacius Library, part of the Hennepin County system, celebrating 75 years.
February 7, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff A 75th anniversary celebration of the newly remodeled St. Bonifacius Library will be held Saturday, Feb. 18.The event, a part of the "Winter Blast Family Festival," will be held from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m....

Minneapolis-based BKV Group hires senior design architect.
February 7, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Victor Pechaty has joined Minneapolis-based BKV Group as a senior design architect and associate.Pechaty has 16 years of experience, specializing in educational and community architecture. He has worked on...

Granroth joins Horizon Roofing and Sheet Metal of St. Cloud and Minneapolis.
February 7, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Craig Granroth has been named director of business development at Horizon Roofing and Sheet Metal of St. Cloud and Minneapolis.Before joining the firm, Granroth spent the last five years as senior pavement...

Elk River-based Great River Energy plans new headquarters in Maple Grove.
February 7, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Elk River-based Great River Energy plans to build a 150,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in Maple Grove.The TEGRA Group of Minneapolis will act as the owner's representative for the project. Perkins...

Hay Dobbs adds three workers at Minneapolis office.
February 7, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Three employees have joined the staff of Minneapolis-based Hay Dobbs.Marc Miller was hired as an urban designer, Jim Schoemer as an intern architect and Staci Hobbs as an interior designer. Miller has a...

Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson hires new project manager.
February 7, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Brandon Sandberg has been named project manager at Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson Construction Co.Sandberg is an engineer who had been project manager with Construction Engineers Ltd. of Grand Forks,...

New 'boutique' hotel opens in Twin Cities.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Mark Anderson Le Bourget Aero Suites is the newest hotel flag in the Twin Cities, and the first of the new-wave boutique hotel brands to reach the suburban market. An investment group led by Jasen Marks, founder of Wayzata-based...

Dispute underscores eminent domain debate.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements Eminent domain is rearing its hot head in Minnetonka.And while Minnetonka's threat to use eminent domain to take private property to make way for the Glen Lake redevelopment project has kicked up some public outcry,...

Web site shines spotlight on eminent domain.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements Need information about the use of eminent domain in the United States or advice on how to fight its abuse?The Institute of Justice has just the Web site for you.The site comes compliments of the Castle Coalition, the...

St. Paul business owner ponders West Seventh Street housing project.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Cossetta Italian Market & Pizzeria is an institution along West Seventh Street near downtown St. Paul. But now, business owner Dave Cossetta is floating ideas for a major housing development not far from the site of...

Leaks or not, IDS Center a premier address.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard The IDS Center, which sold for $224.5 million at the end of 2004, is back on the sales block. Market observers expect the building to claim an even richer sum this time around. Designed by Philip Johnson, the building...

Minnesota Real Estate Briefs: February 9, 2006.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Bloomington-based Frauenshuh Cos. is negotiating with the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) to buy the Metro Office Park office complex at 2850 Metro Drive in Bloomington. The office building offers 365,000 square...

Twin Cities lenders step to the plate for complex projects.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Mark Anderson North Minneapolis-based Master Development Group has been one of the busiest mid-market developers in the Twin Cities over the last several years, rolling out a bushel of mixed-use developments, including condo,...

Colliers Turley Martin Tucker VP sees real estate rainbow dimming.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard With two of the largest towers in downtown Minneapolis (IDS Center, 225 South Sixth) currently up for sale, there's a lot of talk about the continued, heated demand for commercial real estate by investors. "We have, in...

Minneapolis BOMA meeting will address energy costs.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff The next meeting of the Greater Minneapolis Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA) will look at the cost of electricity and natural gas.The speaker will be Kent Larson, vice president of...

Condominium Townhome Summit will examine trends in condos, townhouses.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff The Condominium Townhome Summit will be held from 7:45 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at the Bloomington Sheraton hotel.Sessions include "New Development vs. Redevelopment," "Capital Market Strategies...

Hempel Properties represents buyer in four-building deal.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Hempel Properties of Maple Grove represented Clear Choice Properties LLC in the recent purchase of a retail portfolio totaling 125,000 square feet from CG Rein and Co.The four properties were East Valley...

Minnesota says JOBZ initiative is working.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff The Minnesota Job Opportunity Building Zone (JOBZ) initiative was responsible for creating more than 2,600 jobs and generating more than $70 million in new annual wages, according to a preliminary analysis...

Bayport project billed as 'natural neighborhood'.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff The first model home has opened and three more are expected to be completed this month at Inspiration, a 245-acre housing development in Bayport that is being marketed as a "natural neighborhood."Project...

Minnesota Marketing Briefs: February 11, 2006.
February 11, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger Bill Westbrook, the former president and creative director of Fallon Worldwide, has agreed to help the Minneapolis-based agency search for a new creative director and give a seminar to the department he used to head."The...

Commentary: Lessons I've learned about fraud.
February 11, 2006... Byline: Tracy Coenen For almost 12 years, I've been performing a variety of investigations. They have ranged from petty theft and street crimes, to tax fraud and big-time white collar crime. I've learned many things from both the...

Spring Park City Council passes one-year moratorium on projects valued at $500,000 or more.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson The little town of Spring Park is feeling some big redevelopment pressures these days. The city of 1,700, located on the shores of Lake Minnetonka near Orono and Mound, is dealing with those pressures by putting the...

Court battle puts Farmington's $86.5 million school on hold.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Farmington voters handed their local school district a big victory a year ago when they approved a $111.8 million bond referendum to pay for several building projects, including a new high school. But construction has...

Iowa-based Mangan Communications comes up with dictionary for OSHA lingo.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson An Iowa-based provider of safety and training products has come up with a dictionary that makes it easier to decipher the sometimes-confusing lingo of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Mangan...

President Bush's proposed OSHA budget would maintain status quo.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Sean Ryan (This story originally appeared in the Daily Reporter, Milwaukee, WI another Dolan Media publication.) President Bush's proposed 2007 Occupational Safety and Health Administration budget has the same goals as last...

Tower crane shortage means delays for Portland contractors.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker (This story originally appeared in the Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland, Ore., another Dolan Media publication.) A backlog of work and a shortage of tower cranes could mean project delays for Portland...

Minneapolis-based Cuningham Group adds two architects.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff William McCrum and Jeffry Kagermeier have joined Minneapolis-based Cuningham Group Architecture.McCrum has more than 28 years of experience in a variety of project types, including the design of...

Fridley-based Hans Hagen Homes begins $500 million housing project.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Fridley-based Hans Hagen Homes has begun construction on a 500-acre residential community in the southwestern suburb of Cologne.The Village at Cologne will include 1,440 homes, as well as trails, parks, a...

Horner promoted at St. Paul office of Iowa-based Howard R. Green Co.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Howard R. Green Co. has appointed Dawn Horner as group leader of the water business unit in its St. Paul office. Horner, who has nearly 10 years of experience, previously was project manager and chief...

MN projects considered for top honors.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Several Minnesota projects and developers are getting national recognition as finalists for the National Association of Home Builders' "2006 Pillars of the Industry Awards." Minneapolis-based Lander Group...

Bloomington-based Peer Engineering announces hiring of Mark Johnson.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Mark Johnson has joined Bloomington-based Peer Engineering Inc. as a senior environmental specialist and project manager.Johnson has 17 years of experience managing all phases of environmental due...

MN chapter/Nat. Assn. of Industrial and Office Properties recognizes Silver Lake Village project.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff A redevelopment of the Apache Plaza retail center recently garnered an "Award of Excellence" from the Minnesota chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.The master plan for...

Minnetonka Boulevard gets mini-makeover.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard In recent years, the Excelsior & Grand project along Excelsior Boulevard has grabbed the development headlines in St. Louis Park. But a series of smaller projects is sparking interest along another commercial corridor...

Demographics, other factors drive medical office sector in the Twin Cities.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Mark Anderson Medical office buildings have provided one of the rare bright spots in the office development sector in the last several years, and the new construction pace looks like it's reaching its peak in 2006. Growth in the...

Minneapolis-based Wirth Cos. plans major expansion at Central Medical.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard With one of his properties losing tenants, Wirth Cos. CEO Jeff Wirth is taking a unique approach: build an addition that will boost available space by at least 40 percent. The Minneapolis-based Wirth Cos. is planning a...

Target Corp. plans five SuperTarget stores in suburbs surrounding Minneapolis and St. Paul.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger Target Corp. has developed or plans to build at least five SuperTarget discount retail and grocery stores in first-ring suburbs surrounding Minneapolis and St. Paul.In 2005, Target opened a 175,000-square-foot...

Minnesota Real Estate Briefs: February 16, 2006.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Minneapolis-based Master Development has teed up another commercial redevelopment project. Master has the American Importing Building at 2112 Broadway St. N.E. in Minneapolis under contract and hopes to close in May...

Minnesota Marketing Briefs: February 16, 2006.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger Eggs?Three robin eggs, to be exact. All nestled in a bird's nest with a "Welcome home" headline.Bird nests aren't the first topic that comes to mind when single-family and condominium developments are mentioned. But...

Lawmakers in Minnesota consider how to do things better.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Charley Shaw (This article previously appeared in the St. Paul Legal Ledger, another Dolan Media publication). Rigid philosophical differences often have been blamed for political gridlock at the Capitol in recent years.But a...

Baltimore Co. lawmakers seek to tighten rules on developers.
February 16, 2006... Byline: James Mosher (This story originally appeared in the Daily Record, Baltimore, another Dolan Media publication). With Baltimore County government considered by some activists to be too accommodating to real estate developers, county...

Programs, funding workshops for cleaning up contaminated land planned in MN.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Workshops on programs and funding for cleaning up contaminated land will be offered next week in St. Paul, Montevideo and Brainerd. The sessions will explore state and federal funding for investigating...

Byerly's leaving Bloomington center.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Despite the imminent loss of upscale grocery store Byerly's, the Oxboro Square retail center in Bloomington already has three prospective grocery tenants interested in the 46,882-square-foot space.Tricia...

Regional Certified Commercial Investment Members Minnesota-Dakotas chapter elects officers.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Michael Houge of Upland Real Estate Group Inc. has been elected president of the Minnesota-Dakotas chapter of CCIM-Certified Commercial Investment Members. J. Lindsay of the Lindsay Group has been named...

Hempel Properties opens new Maple Grove headquarters, West Coast office.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Hempel Properties has moved to new headquarters in Maple Grove and opened a West Coast office in Santa Rosa, Calif. The new headquarters is in the Maple Ridge Center at 9700 63rd Ave. N. The development firm...

Liberty Property completes three Twin Cities leasing deals.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Liberty Property Trust, a Malvern, Pa., real estate investment trust that owns and manages nearly 4 million square feet of office, flex and industrial space in Minnesota, has completed local lease deals with...

Event in St. Cloud will cover economics of stadiums, convention centers.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff The 44th annual Winter Institute at St. Cloud State University next week will focus on sports, stadiums, convention centers and economic development. The Tuesday session will feature Dan Laufenberg, chief...

Minnesota Marketing Briefs: February 18, 2006.
February 18, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger If your company's Web site stinks, Tom Niccum wants to help.Niccum, president of Burnsville-based Lancet Software Development Inc., intends to give $2,800 worth of service to the worst Web site in the company's Complete...

Housing project could quintuple city of Cologne, Minnesota.
February 21, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Want to see evidence that the Twin Cities' homebuilding market is still going strong? Look no further than the city of Cologne.Hans Hagen Homes is building homes there a lot of homes. The Fridley-based builder is...

From 'Wisteria Lane' to 'Haggard Way': Street names stir controversy.
February 21, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Duluth's city council made news last week when it rejected a proposal to rename a city street "Wisteria Lane." Apparently, the name "Wisteria Lane" has some connection to the TV show "Desperate Housewives." A Duluth...

New Farmington school to be four smaller schools in one.
February 21, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Griff Davenport has a concise, four-word explanation of why the Farmington School District needs a new high school: "The kids are coming." "Growth is the driver here," said Davenport, managing principal for the Eden...

Construction boom still hasn't come to New Orleans.
February 21, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts (This story originally appeared in CityBusiness, New Orleans, LA, another Dolan Media publication.) The construction industry has built up enormous momentum nationwide.U.S. construction added 46,000 jobs in January...

Builders want fewer subcontractors on New Orleans cleanup.
February 21, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts (This story originally appeared in CityBusiness, New Orleans, LA, another Dolan Media publication.) Throughout south Louisiana, three primary contractors are leading a $1.5 billion demolition and debris removal...

Solar power victim of success in some areas.
February 21, 2006... Byline: Claude Solnik (This story originally appeared in the Long Island Business News, another Dolan Media publication.) Peter Moloney, president of Moloney Family Funeral Homes, last spring decided to install solar panels at his...

Howard R. Green Co. of St. Paul named for Champlin project.
February 21, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Champlin officials have selected the Howard R. Green Co. of St. Paul to provide professional engineering services for the reconstruction and improvement of Lakeside Trail. The project involves street...

Collections will be subject of Minnesota Construction Association meeting.
February 21, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Legal advice on how to collect money from customers will be the topic of the February breakfast meeting of the Minnesota Construction Association (MCA).The event will be held Wednesday from 7:30 to 9:15...

Hastings business group honors Stotko Speedling.
February 21, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff The Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce has honored Stotko Speedling Co. as its "2005 Hastings Business of the Year." Hastings-based Stotko Speedling has completed a number of building projects in the...

Architect specializing in health care joins TSP Inc.
February 21, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff TSP Inc., an architectural, engineering, construction services and interior design firm, has hired John Rode for its architectural health-care team. Rode has extensive experience with health-care projects...

O'Brien to receive award from Associated Builders and Contractors.
February 21, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Kevin O'Brien of Shakopee-based Greystone Construction is the 2006 recipient of the "Supportive Contractor Award" from the Associated Builders and Contractors. ABC recognized O'Brien for his work with...

Complex underground utility grids present big challenges to engineers and excavators.
February 23, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements So, how often do you think of exactly what's under your feet as you make your way along a suburban sidewalk or city street?Probably, not often.What's underground is a complex assembly of pipes, cables and power lines...