Finance and Commerce Daily Newspaper, MN articles from January 2006

Finance and Commerce Daily Newspaper, MN archives from January 2006

Biotech could spur mini-boom in construction.
January 3, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson The emerging biomedical field is creating a need for new research and development facilities in Minnesota, and a local expert says the new facilities will have to be highly flexible to meet the industry's changing...

Problem courthouses in Minnesota have undergone or scheduled for renovation or replacement.
January 3, 2006... Byline: Michelle Lore Early on a Sunday morning in September 2000, the ceiling of a fourth-floor courtroom in the century old Winona County Courthouse came crashing down, pulling down the sprinkler system and flooding the rooms and offices...

Woodbury residents are keen on green.
January 3, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Sustainable design has a lot of fans in an east metro suburb that's not shy about welcoming new development, according to a new survey.The online survey of Woodbury residents, conducted Nov. 16 through Dec. 14 by the...

Ellerbe Becket announces new principals at Minneapolis office.
January 3, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report Ellerbe Becket is adding six new principals at its Minneapolis office. They are Wendy Fimon, director of interiors; Michael Hnastchenko, director of technology; Michael Kennedy, design director; Faye LeDoux,...

Clubhouse project recognized by Minnesota Associated Builders and Contractors of MN.
January 3, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report Hastings-based Stotko Construction has received a "merit award" from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Minnesota for a golf clubhouse project in Lake City. The Jewel Golf Club's new clubhouse includes...

St. Bonifacius Library to close for renovation.
January 3, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report The St. Bonifacius Library will close Saturday for a renovation project, according to Hennepin County Library. The library, at 8624 Kennedy Memorial Dr., will have new furniture, carpet and paint when it reopens in...

EPA pushes renewable fuels.
January 4, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder (This article originally ran in The Daily Reporter, Milwaukee, WI, another Dolan Media publication.) Fuel pumped into vehicles across the country will have a home-grown flavor in 2006.Just as the year drew to a...

Transportation planner with Metropolitan Council, Nacho Diaz, retiring after 27 years.
January 5, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements While being trained as a civil engineer in Madrid, Spain, Nacho Diaz figured he'd spend his career building bridges. And he's done just that, except the bridges he's built have not been of the material kind.As a...

Potential deal in works for empty Minnesota Building in downtown St. Paul.
January 5, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard St. Paul-based DeWitt Development Corp. has a purchase agreement for the Minnesota Building in downtown St. Paul. Principal Troy DeWitt owns The Vintage, a wine bar and restaurant in a renovated mansion on Selby...

Connecticut firm buys Atria Corporate Center in Plymouth, MN.
January 5, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Talcott Realty Investors of Hartford, Conn., has closed on the purchase of the 351,000-square-foot Atria Corporate Center at 3033 Campus Drive in Plymouth.Terms of the deal were not disclosed. "The sellers did a lot of...

Head of JLT Group pushes proposed plans for large mixed-use Bridges of St. Paul project.
January 5, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Jerry Trooien brought his road show to the monthly meeting of the Minnesota Shopping Center Association (MSCA) on Wednesday morning. Trooien, head of the St. Paul-based JLT Group, was there to talk about his favorite...

MN Real Estate Briefs: January 5, 2006.
January 5, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Clark Gassen, Stuart Ackerberg and some partners recently purchased 1312 W. Lake St. in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. The site is home to the Campiello restaurant, which has a long-term lease. The partners paid $3.1...

MN developers say experience still counts in crowded lending field.
January 5, 2006... Byline: Mark Anderson Developers say they're getting cold calls each week from new lenders, each eager to get some money out the door. But despite all that interest, developers say it's still fairly easy to narrow the candidates down to...

Bridge Point Station project completed by Eagan-based JBL Companies Inc.
January 5, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Eagan-based JBL Companies Inc. has completed Bridge Point Station, a seven-building mixed-use office/condominium at Grand Avenue and South Concord Street in South St. Paul.The firm also announced two deals...

Minneapolis group honors 2005 Realtor of the Year.
January 5, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Fran Davis has been named 2005 Realtor of the Year by the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors (MAAR).Davis, who is sales manager at the Minneapolis Lakes office of Coldwell Banker Burnet, was...

Bloomington-based United Properties promotes three.
January 5, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Eva Stevens has been named senior vice president of asset management at Bloomington-based United Properties.She will join existing executive team members Boyd Stofer, president and CEO; Frank Dutke,...

Motives of Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources reform questioned.
January 6, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder (This article originally ran in The Daily Reporter, Milwaukee, WI, another Dolan Media publication.) The action may be taking place in Arbor Vitae and Cadott, but organizations from across the state are chiming in...

Columbia-based iBiquity expects number of digital stations to double in 2006.
January 6, 2006... Byline: Dolan Media Newswires (This story originally ran in The Daily Record, Baltimore, Md., another Dolan Media publication.) The number of digital AM and FM stations on the air more than tripled in 2005, from 200 to 624, according...

Minnesota Marketing Briefs: January 7, 2006.
January 7, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores Inc. is seeking an ad agency to create a fall ad campaign that will coincide with changing the name of Marshall Field's stores to Macy's.Federated acquired St. Louis-based May...

Minnesota builder touts 'radon-free' home construction.
January 10, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson College City Homes, like most homebuilders, has ample information on its Web site about its existing and future developments, home designs and construction services. It has also taken the unusual step of talking...

Minnesota's Historic Chase Hotel to get makeover, new addition.
January 10, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson When Kansas-based Leisure Hotels and Resorts acquired the historic Chase Hotel on Leech Lake last August, the property was listed as "vacant ground," according to Leisure's president and CEO Steve Olson. In other...

California toxic mold case settles for $22 million.
January 10, 2006... Byline: Natalie White (This story was originally published in Lawyers Weekly, Boston, MA, another Dolan Media publication.) A California family recently negotiated a landmark $22.6 million settlement in a toxic mold case, claiming that...

Adolfson & Peterson of St. Louis Park reaches safety milestone.
January 10, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report Adolfson & Peterson Construction of St. Louis Park reached a safety milestone last month when it notched its 1 millionth consecutive man hour with no lost time accidents, the company announced. The "man hours"...

Minnesota subcontractors group sets annual awards dinner.
January 10, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report The American Subcontractors Association of Minnesota will honor the general contractors of the year at its sixth annual awards dinner on Thursday, Jan. 26.The event will be held at the Mendakota Country Club in...

Minnetonka-based Opus Northwest hires designer for St. Louis project.
January 10, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report Minnetonka-based Opus Northwest has hired Julie Abner as residential design coordinator in St. Louis.She will be responsible for assisting owners with their homes at Park East Tower, a high-rise condominium...

Documentary photographer to discuss homelessness in Minnesota.
January 10, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report Documentary photographer Cathy ten Broeke, an advocate for the homeless, will discuss housing issues this Wednesday in conjunction with her Hennepin Gallery photo exhibit, "Portraits of Home: Families in Search of...

Planning experts to discuss GIS tool at Univ. of MN's Humphrey Institute.
January 10, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report A new geographic information systems tool and its potential use in regional planning will be discussed at an upcoming roundtable discussion at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute. The free event,...

Associated General Contractors of Minnesota notes the passing of 'longtime friends'.
January 10, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Dennin Bauers, the Duluth volunteer hockey coach who died recently as a result of a hockey injury, had a connection with the local construction industry as a "safety day" speaker on drug and alcohol abuse. The...

Milwaukee company gets break on financing for parking structure.
January 10, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder (This story originally ran in The Daily Reporter, Milwaukee, WI, another Dolan Media publication.) There's no such thing as a free lunch, and free parking is becoming harder to find, too.So a few feathers were bound...

Woodbury Lakes sold to Connecticut firm.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers of Hartford, Conn., has purchased the Woodbury Lakes lifestyle center a major retail project that development partners Minnetonka-based Opus Northwest and RED Development opened in...

Pulte Homes considers Hugo site for senior housing.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Mark Anderson Michigan-based Pulte Homes has submitted concept plans and environmental data for a 1,100-unit residential development in Hugo that could mark its entry into the senior housing market in Minnesota.Pulte spokesman Todd...

Local developers eye Ford site.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements As politicians scramble to try to keep the Ford plant in St. Paul open amid rumors it will close, local developers see the prime 138 acres as an unprecedented opportunity for a prominent redevelopment project."I don't...

Redevelopment of Ford New Jersey site drags on.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements Ford Motor Co.'s Edison, N.J., assembly plant closed in February 2004 after more than 50 years of operation and years of rumors that it would be shut down.It was one of only two Ford plants in the country that built...

Ford has developed its own sites.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements Ford Motor Co. contains a division that does real estate development.The Ford Motor Land Development Corp., known as Ford Land, was formed in the late 1960s to develop and maintain a massive mixed-use community called...

MN Real Estate Briefs: January 12, 2006.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Minneapolis-based Ryan Companies U.S. Inc. recently purchased the TCF Bank building in downtown Minneapolis, at 801 Marquette Ave., paying $8 million. Ryan previously purchased the adjacent TCF Tower for $28 million in...

Leines brings hotel expertise to GVA Marquette.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Mark Anderson Twin Cities GVA Marquette Advisors is adding brokerage and financing businesses to its package of services for the hospitality industry. The new line, which will operate as a subsidiary, GVA Marquette Capital, will be...

Buyer sought for struggling Midland Building in downtown Minneapolis.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard The Midland Building, 401 Second Ave. S., in downtown Minneapolis is on the market for $11.8 million. The listed price for the 173,000-square-foot building works out to $68 per square foot. The building has struggled...

Eminent domain will get airing in 2006 legislative session.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Charley Shaw With a number of proposals floating around the Capitol, eminent domain is expected to be a dominant issue in the 2006 legislative session.The U.S. Supreme Court reinvigorated the debate in Kelo vs. City of New London...

Edina-based Beard Group beefs up team by one, adds a third partner.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Mark Anderson The Beard Group added a third partner as the new year began, expanding its capabilities as a land acquirer and developer. Bill Beard, who founded the firm in 1990 with Paul Gamst, said Tom Gump has joined the...

Plymouth-based Dominium Management Services hires president, COO.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Joe Segner has been named president and chief operating officer at Dominium Management Services of Plymouth.Segner will oversee all operational functions for the more than 15,000 apartment units that...

Metropolitan Council ponders eminent domain.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff The Metropolitan Council is considering a policy barring the use of council grants for economic development projects that involve local governments using eminent domain to transfer property from one...

Trade mission of the MN Area Association of Realtors visits Thailand.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Fourteen members or staff members of the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors will be participating in a trade mission to Bangkok, Thailand, through next Wednesday.The group, which left last Friday,...

MN chapter of National Assn. of Industrial and Office Properties names 2006 president.
January 12, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Jeff Eaton has been named 2006 president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP).Eaton, senior vice president of real estate services for...

Miron Construction says it will pick up tab for Dane County Courthouse doors.
January 13, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder The folks working in the county prosecutor's office of the new $44 million Dane County Courthouse can rest easy again.Miron Construction has offered to cover the cost of replacing the doors installed in the office after...

Embassy Suites says it believes guests want self-service.
January 13, 2006... Byline: Robin Seaton Jefferson The business traveler: He's had two layovers, switched planes in Atlanta, arrived in St. Louis at 11:40 p.m. and has an 8 a.m. meeting the next day. This consummate professional is really in no mood to speak...

Minnesota Marketing Briefs: January 14, 2006.
January 14, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger After a career that included dozens of fire ants biting his legs while filming a boat commercial in a Florida swamp and barely avoiding an avalanche during a snowmobile TV ad shoot, Frank Haggerty has left Minneapolis ad...

New generation of hospitals stress safety, technology, comfort.
January 17, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson One of Ellerbe Becket's recent design projects includes a "healing room" with a fireplace and comfortable furniture, large windows with impressive views of the city, a two-story glass atrium and feng shui design...

Minnesota's construction firms generally bullish in 2006 outlook.
January 17, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Minnesota's construction industry is generally hopeful about 2006, but the optimism is tempered by concerns related to transportation funding and other issues, according to a new Associated General Contractors of...

Minnesota Construction Association plans awards dinner for Jan. 25.
January 17, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report The Minnesota Construction Association will sponsor its annual awards event on Wednesday, Jan. 25, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Minneapolis Golf Club, 2001 Flag Ave. S., in St. Louis Park.Activities will include an...

KKE Architects of Minneapolis chosen for Maple Grove project.
January 17, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report KKE Architects Inc. of Minneapolis has been selected by Minnetonka-based Opus Northwest LLC to design the Fountains at Arbor Lakes, a 750,000-square-foot mixed-use center in Maple Grove. Construction is under way...

Minnesota Pavement Conference set for February.
January 17, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report The 10th annual Minnesota Pavement Conference will be held Thursday, Feb. 16, at the University of Minnesota.The event will include a general session that examines advances and changes in pavement in the past...

Loss prevention seminar for design professionals set for February 10 in Bloomington, MN.
January 17, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report A one-day seminar titled "Loss Prevention for Design Professionals in Minnesota" is set for Feb. 10 at the Sheraton Hotel, 7800 Normandale Blvd. in Bloomington.The seminar, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,...

Minneapolis-based Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. adds three employees.
January 17, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report Minneapolis-based Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. has hired three new employees.Nick Pond has joined the Brainerd office of the engineering and architectural consulting firm as a water/wastewater operations...

National Academy of Engineering official headlines event in St. Paul, Minnesota.
January 17, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report William Wulf, president of the National Academy of Engineering in Washington, D.C., will keynote an event, "Engineering, Minnesota's Future: A Critical Partnership Opportunity," on Thursday at the University of St....

Wisconsin lawmaker proposes new homebuilding regulations.
January 17, 2006... Byline: Paul Snyder (This story originally appeared in the Daily Reporter, Milwaukee, WI, another Dolan Media publication.) If a wall falls in your new home, and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection can't hear...

Home of former MN governor Harold LeVander to be converted to condos and townhomes.
January 17, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson The Minnesota Historical Society credits former Minnesota Gov. Harold LeVander with creating the Metropolitan Council. So it's fitting that the late governor's name is now being attached to a multi-family development...

Mexican cement producer acquires four ready-mix companies in Minnesota and South Dakota.
January 17, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson A Mexican cement producer announced last week that it has acquired four ready-mix companies in western Minnesota and eastern South Dakota. Terms were not disclosed. The four companies acquired by Chihuahua-based...

New University of MN Gopher stadium would honor vets.
January 17, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson The University of Minnesota and veterans groups are considering ways to honor veterans at a proposed on-campus Gophers football stadium.Minnesota's previous on-campus football facility, Memorial Stadium, was built as...

Owners of Roundabout Signs tap into consumer market for authentic international road signs.
January 18, 2006... Byline: Amy Gillentine (This article was originally published in the Colorado Springs Business Journal, Colorado Springs, Colorado, another Dolan Media publication). Glimpsing the tell-tale round sign with the five diagonal slashes flash...

Fifth Street Towers in downtown Minneapolis rolls out red carpet.
January 19, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard The Fifth Street Towers is facing the same challenge as many other office buildings of the same vintage. No longer the latest and greatest, the towers are roughly 20 years old and nearly 20 percent vacant. That hardly...

St. Paul Port Authority willing to transform Globe Materials Building site into asset.
January 19, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements As Dan Bostrom sees it, the St. Paul Port Authority (SPPA) is the only entity willing and able to transform the heavily contaminated Globe Materials Building site on the East Side from an eyesore into an...

Minneapolis-based Imagehaus trades skyline view for Sixth Street site.
January 19, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger From its offices west of downtown Minneapolis, retail advertising firm Imagehaus had a great view of the skyline.But Jay Miller, president and creative director of the five-employee firm, decided to move downtown and was...

Edina-based PariPassu Corp. stays the course through growth and change.
January 19, 2006... Byline: Mark Anderson PariPassu Corp. ended its first year with a hefty pipeline of planned projects in Sioux Falls, S.D., and the Twin Cities and with new faces in some key company offices. The Edina-based real estate development and...

Chicago-based First Industrial Realty Trust completes deal for Eagan industrial site.
January 19, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Chicago-based First Industrial Realty Trust recently sold Lunar Pointe, an industrial property in Eagan, to the San Francisco-based AMB Property Corp. The REITs are two of the largest owners of local industrial...

A little slice of Paris coming to Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis.
January 19, 2006... Byline: Burl Gilyard Call it Paris on Lyndale Avenue. Developer Mark Dziuk (pronounced "juke") calls it Le Parisien Flats & Marketplace. Construction is now under way at 2301 Lyndale Ave. S. in Minneapolis on the unique, French-styled...

Bloomington ad agency Colle + McVoy inks lease deal in downtown Minneapolis.
January 19, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger After a search that included more than 40 buildings in Minneapolis and its suburbs, Bloomington ad agency Colle + McVoy in September will move to the top floors of the Wyman Building in downtown Minneapolis.The...

Brownfield redevelopment is only part of St. Paul Port Authority role.
January 19, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements The St. Paul Port Authority does more than redevelop brownfields into business centers.And like that endeavor, the SPPA's forays into financing development deals and doing workforce training are activities that have...

Minneapolis marketing expert turns developer in Black Hills.
January 19, 2006... Byline: Bob Geiger Minneapolis marketing consultant Jim Farmer has added real estate development to his menu of services with two "conservation development" projects in the Black Hills of South Dakota.South Dakota native Farmer and his...

Minneapolis Building Owners & Managers Assn. resource fair set for March 8.
January 19, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff The Greater Minneapolis chapter of the Building Owners & Managers Association will hold its 2006 Resource Fair on Wednesday, March. 8. The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Radisson...

Oak Brook, IL-based Inland Real Estate Corp. buys Big Lake retail center.
January 19, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report Oak Brook, Ill., based Inland Real Estate Corp. has acquired Big Lake Town Square, a 67,835-square-foot grocery-anchored retail center at 711 Rose Drive in Big Lake.The real estate investment trust agreed to pay...

Minneapolis-based Griffin Cos. secures leases.
January 19, 2006... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Minneapolis-based Griffin Cos. announced the completion of two deals.Lynn Bones, senior associate at Griffin, represented Tuesday Morning Inc. in securing 7,660 square feet of retail space in the Crossroads...

Minneapolis to Big Lake proposed Northstar EIA on public view.
January 19, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report A new document examining the impact of proposed changes to the Northstar commuter rail project, planned for Minneapolis to Big Lake, will be available for public review until Feb. 16.The new environmental...

Pandemic flu will be topic of St. Paul Building Owners & Managers Assn. event.
January 19, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report The St. Paul chapter of the Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA) will sponsor a seminar next month on concerns about a pandemic flu virus.The free event will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 28, from 1 to 3 p.m....

Minnetonka-based Opus Northwest LLC donates $120,000 to food banks.
January 19, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report Minnetonka-based Opus Northwest LLC has donated $120,000 to food banks in six U.S. cities, including Second Harvest Heartland in St. Paul.Second Harvest received $20,000, which will be used to distribute food to...

Bloomington-based United Properties announces executive-level promotions.
January 19, 2006... Byline: F&C Staff Report Bloomington-based United Properties announced three executive-level promotions.Lisa Dongoske and Julie Hughes were named senior vice presidents and co-directors of the firm's property management division, while...

Calming the storm on state's waters.
January 21, 2006... Byline: Charley Shaw A plan for funding the cleanup of the state's lakes and streams topped the legislative agenda unveiled by the Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP) last week.During the 2005 legislative session, MEP joined with...

Mold-related injuries win $925K for Michigander.
January 21, 2006... Byline: Denise G. Callahan Can a tenant collect significant damages from her landlord for mold-related injuries, even though she admittedly had pre-existing allergies?A $925,000 jury verdict in Michigan indicates the answer is a...

GPS changing construction landscape.
January 21, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker In the next decade, global positioning system technology "will be just like a laser is on a job site now," said Alan Park, owner of Vancouver's Division 2 Services, in a presentation to the National Utility...

Maryland tries to open the door for faith-based real estate development.
January 21, 2006... Byline: Jen Degregorio With religious groups growing increasingly interested in real estate, the state yesterday held an event intended to throw open the door to development.The all-day forum, "Building by Faith," is an offshoot of...

Minnesota construction firms face 'minefields' on out-of-state projects.
January 24, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Venturing into other states can be a good way to expand one's business, but local construction attorneys are warning owners, contractors and subcontractors to know what they're getting into before tackling those...

National expert says high-rises present a whole new set of construction risks.
January 24, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson It's no secret that moisture problems and "toxic mold" are big concerns in single-family residential construction. But what about condominium towers and other multifamily development?At least one national expert is...

Building groups praise agreement on Mexican cement.
January 24, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson Construction trade groups are praising an "agreement in principle" to reduce tariffs on cement from Mexico, saying it's a good step toward reducing shortages and lowering building costs. The agreement, announced by...

MN Construction Briefs: January 24, 2006.
January 24, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson The Highway 610 and Zane Avenue area in Brooklyn Park is shaping up as a major retail hub for the city. Brooklyn Park officials and a local developer broke ground this month on the first phase of the Park Place...

Bloomington-based Braun Intertec Corp. names quality assurance director for lab.
January 24, 2006... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Bloomington-based Braun Intertec Corp. has promoted Craig Foxhoven to quality assurance director in the company's analytical laboratory. He will oversee the laboratory's compliance with regulatory agency...