Finance and Commerce Daily Newspaper, MN articles from January 2008

Finance and Commerce Daily Newspaper, MN archives from January 2008

Minneapolis engineer to receive construction award from American Concrete Institute.
January 2, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Rachel Detwiler's in-depth knowledge of supplementary cementious materials and concrete cylinders may not seem like a big deal to some people, but her peers are taking notice. This spring, the American Concrete...

What's historic designation worth? Fate of 89-year-old building in southern Minnesota in doubt.
January 2, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson An 89-year-old school building in the southern Minnesota town of Kasson made the National Register of Historic Places last month, but fans of the prairie-style brick building aren't breaking out the champagne just...

Big business arises from death discussion.
January 2, 2008... Byline: Sean Ryan MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- People like to have a roof over their heads, even when they're dead. A home for the afterlife is a necessary topic of discussion. And when people talk, a special breed of builders is listening....

Builders Exchange in St. Paul elects new leaders.
January 2, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Andy Anderson is the new president of the Builders Exchange in St. Paul. Anderson, of St. Paul Linoleum & Carpet Co., was elected to the position at the organization's annual meeting in December. Dan Molin of Molin...

Upper Midwest chapter of Design-Build Institute of America's program to examine bridge project.
January 2, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report The 35W bridge project is the topic of an upcoming meeting of the Design-Build Institute of America's Upper Midwest chapter. The meeting, set for Jan. 16 at the Midland Hills Country Club in St. Paul, will present...

Design-Build Institute of America recognizes Midtown Exchange project in Minneapolis.
January 2, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Ryan Cos. has received another award for its Midtown Exchange redevelopment project. In December, the Design-Build Institute of America selected the project for a merit award. It was the project's 12th award since...

North Minneapolis to get new library.
January 2, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Hennepin County hopes to begin construction on a new north Minneapolis library in 2009. In December, the county board approved $15 million in funding for the project, including $7.5 million in 2009 and another...

SmithGroup to design Virchow Krause's new space in downtown Minneapolis.
January 2, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Virchow, Krause & Co. has selected SmithGroup to design the accounting and financial consulting firm's new downtown Minneapolis office. Virchow Krause plans to occupy 73,000 square feet of class A office space at...

City of Minneapolis has big plans for Bassett Creek but little money.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard The city of Minneapolis has big plans for Bassett Creek. Early estimates on the price tag for the Bassett Creek Stream and Habitat Restoration Plan range from $20.4 million to $46.1 million, depending on the...

The high costs of going places in Minnesota.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Charley Shaw A transportation study released Wednesday by a St. Paul-based public policy group argues that traffic congestion and deteriorating roads are chipping away at Minnesota's economic competitiveness. The report from...

Defining 'nonprofit' in Minnesota.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard Minnesota nonprofits were stunned by a recent state Supreme Court decision that provided a new and narrower definition of a "purely public charity." The immediate concern is that, under the decision, many nonprofits...

Burnsville industrial site expanding.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard Bloomington-based United Properties just completed work on the 35/13 Crossings in November. But now the firm is already looking to add a second phase to the Burnsville industrial project. United Properties has an...

Commentary: The only constant is change - even in real estate.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard It's not polite to say impolite things about the dead. But the year 2007 is now over and many of you are probably thinking: "Good riddance!" In many respects, the year just gone was a tough one for real estate....

Australia's Centro Properties Group now up for sale.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Centro Properties Group will put itself up for sale ahead of a Feb. 15 deadline to refinance $3.4 billion in debt, the beleaguered Australian shopping mall giant said Wednesday. Centro took on...

Minneapolis-based commercial real estate firm Griffin Companies promotes Tucker.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Minneapolis-based commercial real estate firm Griffin Companies has promoted Gail Tucker from the role of office manager to her new job as vice president of administration. Tucker, who has been with...

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency seeking comments on ash landfill.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is looking for public comments on a draft environmental impact statement for a proposal by Xcel Energy to build and operate a landfill for coal ash from...

President of Bloomington-based Welsh Cos., Jean Kane, elected to national NAIOP post.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Jean Kane, president and chief operating officer at Bloomington-based Welsh Cos., was elected last month to chair the Industry Trends Task Force for the National Association of Industrial and...

University of St. Thomas offering new real estate program at Minneapolis campus.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report The Center for Business Excellence at the University of St. Thomas is offering a new program this winter for real estate and facility management professionals. Participants in the Developing an...

Minneapolis-based Hay Dobbs hires Tom Johnson.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report A local architecture and urban design firm has hired Tom Johnson to handle its governmental relations work and oversee its business development efforts. In a press release, Hay Dobbs said Johnson is...

Willmar mall in western Minnesota sells for $6.3 million.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report An upscale retail center called The Shoppes of Willmar in the western Minnesota town of 18,350 has changed hands for $6.3 million, which represents $179 per square-foot, and a 6.9 percent...

'Most Wanted' digital billboards to hit Twin Cities.
January 4, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger In an expansion of its "Amber Alerts" messaging service, the Minneapolis office of Clear Channel Outdoor has agreed to post eight-second most-wanted-criminal alerts from the FBI on digital advertising billboards. In all,...

Minneapolis-based public relations firm expands its reach.
January 4, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger Minneapolis public relations firm Carmichael Lynch Spong has acquired Stanwood & Partners, Jackson Hole, Wyo., in a buy that expands the national reach of the 18-year-old company to five markets. No terms were disclosed...

Profiling the Minnesota Legislature: State Rep. David Dill.
January 4, 2008... Byline: Frank Jossi Everything about David Dill is big: He's tall, lumbering and wide of girth; he has an outsized life story and, by all accounts, an ego to match that. Dill also comes across as a big entertainer, a salt of the earth-type...

Forest Lake-based Mainstreet Bank's new twist in bank deposits war.
January 5, 2008... Byline: Mark Anderson Mainstreet Bank is trying a new approach to marketing its deposits business. This time it's all carrots and no sticks. The Forest Lake-based bank launched its newest certificate of deposit account in December,...

Arden Hills-based IntriCon jumps to the NASDAQ.
January 5, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson In order to boost its chances of future financing, Arden Hills-based medical device company IntriCon shifted its common stock listing to the tech-heavy NASDAQ stock exchange from the American Stock Exchange last week....

Cathy Polasky named director of economic development for Minneapolis' community planning dept.
January 5, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard Cathy Polasky hasn't had a "real job" for seven years. But on Monday, Polasky will report for work as the new director of economic development for the city of Minneapolis' Community Planning and Economic Development...

New MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis starts classes this week.
January 8, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson The public got its first look at the new MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis on Saturday, a building that takes sound control and manipulation to an unprecedented level. One of the nation's largest community music...

Audit: MnDOT construction costs inflated by $141M.
January 8, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson An internal audit of the Minnesota Department of Transportation has found that more than $141 million in unexpected costs were added to construction projects from 1999 to 2006. The report, which has not previously...

Weak jobs report may disguise deeper residential losses.
January 8, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson The number of jobs created in December grew at the slowest pace in four years, according to a national employment report released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But one construction economist believes that...

Iron nugget plant means gold for Minnesota's Iron Range.
January 8, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson There's a building boom on Minnesota's Iron Range. Construction began in November on a $225 million iron nugget manufacturing plant in Hoyt Lakes, which is on schedule to begin production in mid-2009. The plant, a...

Minnesota's District 833 school bond vote spreads the construction wealth.
January 8, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson A share-and-share-alike mentality is driving a spate of construction in School District 833, South Washington County Schools. As the east metro district builds a spiffy new $95 million East Ridge High School in...

Safety official to discuss 35W bridge recovery effort for Minneapolis Construction Safety Day.
January 8, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Dan Penny, safety director for Carl Bolander & Sons, will discuss recovery and removal efforts related to the 35W bridge collapse. Penny's presentation is part of the Feb. 7 Minneapolis Construction Safety Day...

Rochester office of HGA Architects and Engineers named 'Business of the Year'.
January 8, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report The Rochester office of HGA Architects and Engineers received the "Business of the Year" award from the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce at its most recent member celebration, the firm announced last week. The...

Aggregate & Ready Mix Association of Minnesota hires promotions director.
January 8, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report The Aggregate & Ready Mix Association of Minnesota has hired David Fennessy as promotions director. Fennessy has 20 years of experience in the concrete and cement industries. He has volunteered with the...

Old Swedish Bank Building in St. Paul to reopen.
January 8, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report A new financial center is scheduled to open to the public on Jan. 14 in the newly renovated Old Swedish Bank Building in St. Paul. The Eastside Financial Center will house financial counseling services from U.S....

Minneapolis office furniture supplier Henricksen hires Mike Stack.
January 8, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Dan Penny, safety director for Carl Bolander & Sons, will discuss recovery and removal efforts related to the 35W bridge collapse. Minneapolis office furniture supplier Henricksen has announced the creation of an...

Employee at Minneapolis-based Westwood Professional Services, Inc. earns LEED accreditation.
January 8, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Sarah Stai, coordinator of sustainable development services at Minneapolis-based Westwood Professional Services, Inc., attained Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation last week through...

St. Paul cancer survivor 'pumped' about new fitness center.
January 9, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Wendy Rahn is living proof that weights and cardio workouts can be powerful tools in the fight against cancer. Rahn, a University of Minnesota political science professor, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006....

Keeping Twin Cities-area companies clean.
January 9, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson The use of "cleanrooms" by Twin Cities-area companies has exploded in recent years, as more medical startups and tech firms spring to life. And, the thing is, almost every one of these clean facilities was designed...

Thief River Falls-based Arctic Cat sledding into Plymouth.
January 9, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard It's a long snowmobile ride from Thief River Falls to the Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth. But in late December, Thief River Falls-based Arctic Cat. Inc. announced that it had selected office space in Plymouth for the...

Hines buys three-building ING campus in downtown Minneapolis.
January 10, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard Hines Interests may be based in Houston, but the firm is increasingly ubiquitous in Minneapolis. On Jan. 3, Hines increased its local footprint in downtown Minneapolis, closing on a deal to buy the three-building ING...

Cost of building Central Corridor LRT between St. Paul and Minneapolis downtowns almost to $1B.
January 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff It's official for now: Building a light rail line between downtowns would run nearly $1 billion. On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Council released a new cost estimate for the Central Corridor LRT project of...

Ex-project manager sues Twin Cities developer Bob Lux.
January 10, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard A long-time associate is suing prominent Twin Cities developer Bob Lux, charging breach of contract and claiming that he has been elbowed out of his share of Lux's recent deals. Tom Dillon sued Lux, Minneapolis-based...

Oakdale hoping Oregon Legislature will create 35-year TIF district.
January 10, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard Like most cities, Oakdale has some commercial properties that city planners are eyeballing for redevelopment. And like many cities, Oakdale is looking at using tax increment financing (TIF) to help pay for some of the...

Minnesota Environmental Partnership's wish list.
January 10, 2008... Byline: Charley Shaw Two years ago, funding for public transit projects in the state was just a blip on the Minnesota Environmental Partnership's radar screen of legislative priorities. In fact, in 2006, the St. Paul-based coalition of...

Minneapolis shops downtown parcel to developers.
January 10, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard The housing market remains in tough shape. But the city of Minneapolis is trying to lure developers by shopping another downtown Minneapolis site for potential redevelopment. Known as "Parcel A" in city development...

Bloomington-based United Properties buys Denver developer.
January 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff On January 4, Bloomington-based United Properties closed on its purchase of Ojala & Company, a Denver-area developer of office and industrial park properties. Ojala & Company, which has 38 employees and...

Oregon-based Dominium Development and Acquisition LLC announces personnel changes.
January 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Dominium, one of the Midwest's largest apartment management firms, announced two personnel changes this week. Dominium Development and Acquisition LLC hired Brendt Rusten to be the firm's director of...

Willis of Minnesota signs lease in Duke Realty Corp.'s 1600 Tower.
January 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Duke Realty Corp. signed Willis of Minnesota to a long-term lease for an entire floor at 1600 Tower in St. Louis Park. Willis will move its offices to the 30,000-square foot space in the Class A office...

Preservation Alliance of Minnesota accepts nominations for Endangered Historic Minnesota Places List.
January 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota is accepting nominations for its 2008 Ten Most Endangered Historic Minnesota Places List. The Ten Most Endangered program brings attention to historic sites and...

Open houses set for Minneapolis Plan.
January 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff A draft of the city of Minneapolis' plan for long-term growth and development will be presented at a series of open houses this month. The "Minneapolis Plan for Sustainable Growth," an update to the...

Saint Paul Hotel makes elite list.
January 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Travel + Leisure Magazine has named the Saint Paul Hotel to its "Top 500 Hotels in the World" list. The list, which appears in the magazine's January issue, is based on reports from a worldwide team of...

Minnetonka-based Carlson names Juby president/CEO.
January 11, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger Minnetonka-based Carlson this week named Hubert Joly as its next president and CEO, and the move is expected to boost the number of shared clients between the company's Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Carlson Marketing...

Commentary: Expect less. Wait more.
January 11, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger With due respect to Target Corp.'s "Expect More. Pay Less" advertising tag line, what news media reporters usually get from the discount retailer's communications staff is: Expect Less. Wait More. Especially after I...

Minneapolisl ad firm brings marketing contract for Lynx back home.
January 11, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger The Minnesota Lynx WNBA franchise has hired Minneapolis ad agency A/B Group One to create its 2008 advertising and marketing, including a campaign starring leading scorer Seimone Augustus. Previously, the Lynx account...

Minneapolis-bsed Target executive finds new 'HAUS'.
January 11, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Minneapolis branding and graphic design consultancy IMAGEHAUS has hired Sigrid Nord as director of strategy and client services. Most recently, Nord worked as a group manager with Target Corp.'s marketing planning team,...

Mining giant Cleveland Cliffs buys majority share in Rosemount-based Renewafuel.
January 12, 2008... Byline: Mark Anderson The energy sector just got a little larger and a little greener. Mining giant Cleveland Cliffs, owner of three mines and ore processing plants in Minnesota's Iron Range, last month announced its acquisition of a...

Minor Minneapolis landmark scheduled for demolition.
January 12, 2008... Byline: Mark Anderson A minor Minneapolis landmark is about to disappear. The landmark in question is the four-story building at 400 10th St. S., a nondescript 1960s-vintage structure that served as a motel and low-income housing shelter...

Minnesota governor's bonding plan 'strong' on bridge projects.
January 15, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Amid growing calls for more transportation funding, Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Monday unveiled his bonding proposal, which includes $416 million for roads, bridges and mass transit projects. Transportation accounts for...

Labor costs for energy-related construction projects may increase by 10 percent or more.
January 15, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson Labor costs for energy-related construction projects may increase by 10 percent or more this year, as a limited pool of skilled tradesman will be building new fuel refineries and transmission lines. U.S. spending in...

Longtime Stillwater hospital may have to move.
January 15, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Lakeview Hospital, a fixture in Stillwater for 128 years, is considering long-term expansion plans that may force the hospital to move to neighboring Lake Elmo. The hospital is looking at as much as $40 million in...

Perception vs. reality: Dramatic growth of biopharmaceutical companies across Midwest.
January 15, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson According to a recent survey of venture capital firms, many investors aren't yet aware of the dramatic growth of biopharmaceutical companies across the Midwest. BioEnterprise, a Cleveland-based bioscience advocacy and...

Northfield church bucks trend in religious construction slowdown.
January 15, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson It wasn't a great leap of faith when Bethel Lutheran Church of Northfield decided to break down walls and expand its facility. In some ways, the decision was a no-brainer. Bethel had space for about 600 people and a...

Minneapolis-based Project for Pride in Living eyes Richfield cemetery property.
January 15, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Project for Pride in Living is digging into plans to develop a Richfield cemetery property. The Minneapolis-based low-income housing developer, along with Partnership Academy, wants to build a charter...

Minneapolis-based Perkins+Will hires change management expert.
January 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Minneapolis-based Perkins+Will has hired Kevin Knudson to work in its new change management and communication service division. Knudson has worked with several Fortune 500 companies to implement an employee...

Minneapolis law firm of Fredrikson & Byron hosts wind conference.(Conference news)
January 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Key wind industry professionals will speak about how to develop and capture the financial benefits of community-based wind projects at the upcoming Midwest Community-Wind Conference. The Minneapolis law firm of...

U.S. Green Building Council publishes LEED Innovation & Design catalog online.
January 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report The U.S. Green Building Council has launched a new Web site that lists proven green building strategies for those seeking LEED certification. Called the Innovation & Design Credit Catalog, the list debuted at...

Lambert in Minnesota Manufactured Housing Association's Hall of Fame.
January 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report The Minnesota Manufactured Housing Association inducted industry veteran Mark Lambert into its MMHA Hall of Fame last week. Lambert was selected for his unselfish service to the association and his leadership in...

Ostendorf joins St. Paul-based Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. as engineer.
January 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report St. Paul-based Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. hired engineer Michael Ostendorf last week to work in the professional consulting service firm's "heavy civil" group. Ostendorf's responsibilities include flood...

Fatal Flaw: NTSB investigators discover that a design flaw likely factor in collaspe of I-35 bridge.
January 16, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson National Transportation Safety Board investigators were shocked when they discovered that a design flaw was a likely factor in the Aug. 1 collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge that killed 13 people, NTSB chairman Mark...

Shakeup at St. Paul Building Owners and Managers Assn.
January 16, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard After less than a year on the job, Curt Milburn is out as president of the Greater St. Paul Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). "He did great work for us and we thank him for the great work he did for us,"...

In Minneapolis, public policy goes 'Wiki'.
January 16, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson Ever wish you could rewrite your city's plans and policies? Yes, you say? Well now, if you live in Minneapolis, you can -- at least in theory. A new Web site (www.masla.org/mn_resources/MplsComp.htm) allows Minneapolis...

Eden Prairie-based ValueVision Media Inc.shopping for a new strategy.
January 16, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger Eden Prairie-based ValueVision Media Inc. cut 10 percent of its corporate workforce on Monday, in an effort to shore up the finances of the direct marketing firm, parent of the ShopNBC home shopping channel. ValueVision...

Old St. Paul building, new approach.
January 17, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson The Old Swedish Bank Building isn't just old. For years, the Payne Avenue structure was battered, bruised and neglected, a victim of disinvestment on the East Side of St. Paul. If it could talk, it would probably...

Vacant Metrodome Square in downtown Minneapolis up for sale.
January 17, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard 1010 Metrodome Square, a vacant building on the eastern edge of downtown Minneapolis, has hit the market. Hal Ulvestad and Frank Sherwood of the Minneapolis office of Dallas-based Staubach Company are marketing the...

San Francisco firm purchases its first Twin Cities property.
January 17, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard San Francisco-based City Center Retail has purchased its first local property, closing on a deal for the converted Ames & Fisher warehouse at 800 Washington Ave. N. in downtown Minneapolis. The deal closed on January...

Hot corner in Minneapolis defies cool retail sector.
January 17, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard Retail development has cooled amid the housing market slowdown. But on a busy corner in St. Louis Park, JMW Development is remaking a former industrial site into a new retail project. Paul Maenner, a principal with...

Taking that first step for long-planned major redevelopment in Minneapolis.
January 17, 2008... Byline: Mark Anderson Brooklyn Center's long-planned major redevelopment north of Brookdale Mall took its first concrete step forward last month when the city agreed to buy the 8.6-acre Brookdale Ford site. Officials would not disclose the...

URS Corp. moving to Fifth Street Towers in downtown Minneapolis.
January 17, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard International engineering firm URS Corp. has inked a lease for 40,000 square feet at the Fifth Street Towers in downtown Minneapolis. The San Francisco firm's local office will move in August from its current home in...

Eastside Financial Center rolls up its sleeves for St. Paul.
January 17, 2008... Byline: Mark Anderson Banks and credit unions often talk about their bricks and mortar presence in a community. The folks at the Eastside Financial Center are thinking more along the lines of hearts and minds as they open their doors this...

CB Richard Ellis' Multi-Housing Group in Minneapolis announces addition of new team member.
January 17, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Abe Appert has joined CB Richard Ellis' Multi-Housing Group in Minneapolis. Abe has worked for 13 years in multi-housing sales, most with Fransen Appert Real Estate Group where he sold over $330...

Carlson Real Estate signs The Hartford to Oakdale lease.
January 17, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Carlson Real Estate Company has signed a lease with The Hartford, the international insurance and investment company, to occupy a 60,000 square-foot office building in The Oaks Business Park which...

Minneapolis/St. Paul office of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker to lease, manage North Branch Outlet.
January 17, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report The Minneapolis/St. Paul office of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker took over property management and leasing duties for the Tanger Outlet Center in North Branch on Jan. 1. Along with its new manager,...

Banks invest in Twin Cities housing aid.
January 17, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Several major financial institutions have made investments in the Home Prosperity Fund, a loan program designed to provide money to revitalize neighborhoods and increase housing opportunities for...