Finance and Commerce Daily Newspaper, MN articles from July 2008

Finance and Commerce Daily Newspaper, MN archives from July 2008

Minnesota Department of Transportation to celebrate U.S. Highway 212 opening.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report The Minnesota Department of Transportation will mark opening of the new U.S. Highway 212 on Tuesday with an opening celebration on the new highway between the interchanges at Minnesota Highway 41...

American Council of Engineering Cos. of Minnesota announces new board officers.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report The American Council of Engineering Cos. of Minnesota announced that George Kluempke of Braun Intertec Corp. is the new president of the organization's board of directors. Other newly elected...

Adolfson & Peterson Construction announces new hires.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Adolfson & Peterson Construction recently announced the hiring of four new employees. Dwight Elthon, who has 30 years of construction experience, joins the firm as its health care executive....

Upper Midwest chapter of Design-Build Institute of America to host project delivery course.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report The Upper Midwest chapter of the Design-Build Institute of America will present a course on the Principles of Design-Build Project Delivery. The course, scheduled for Aug. 4-5 at the Hammel,...

HGA Architects and Engineers wins design awards.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report HGA Architects and Engineers recently took home a best of competition interior design award for the Ramsey County Library in Maplewood. The award came from the 2008 Celebrate in Design Awards...

Engineer Mark Gehringer joins St. Paul-based Howard R. Green Co.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Mark Gehringer is the new water resources project manager for Howard R. Green Co. Gehringer, a registered engineer in Minnesota and Texas with 12 years of engineering experience, has performed...

Golden Valley-based Knutson Construction announces chief of business development.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Patrick Cruikshank has joined Knutson Construction Services as the firm's director of business development. Cruikshank, who has 12 years of commercial real estate and business development...

Minnesota-based Plekkenpol Builders hires promotion director.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Tana Idstrom has joined Plekkenpol Builders as the firm's business promotion director. Idstrom will provide marketing, public relations and communications services for Bloomington-based Plekkenpol,...

Ulteig promotes Gitzen to land-surveying position in the Twin Cities.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Ulteig Engineers has promoted Pete Gitzen to lead the firm's land-surveying practice in the Twin Cities. Gitzen has worked for Ulteig since 2000, first as an instrument operator on a survey...

Minnesota Governor Pawlenty appoints 20 members to broadband task force.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Arundhati Parmar Gov. Tim Pawlenty has appointed 20 members to the state's High-Speed Broadband Task Force. The task force, created in April, is charged with several tasks including: * Identify a level of broadband...

Minnesota attorney general's office won't appeal ruling on violent game sales.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Arundhati Parmar Minnesota's attorney general will drop the state's efforts to fine underage buyers of violent videogames. The measure, signed into law by Gov. Tim Pawlenty on May 31, 2006, would have fined underage buyers $25...

Volunteers construct accessible house for wounded Minnesota veteran.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Marcus Kuboy has more friends than he realized. A 30-year-old medic and a member of the Minnesota National Guard, Kuboy was severely injured last year while serving in Iraq, and as a result, he'll probably have to...

Economy hurts restaurants while 'fast casual' niche soars.
July 1, 2008... Byline: Kendall Anderson Like many fine-dining restaurateurs, John Schiltz is paying twice as much for meat and fish as he did three years ago. He's also doling out more to employees (starting today, because of the federal minimum wage...

Greater Twin Cities United Way ads quickly removed.
July 2, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger In an effort to cut through the advertising clutter, the Greater Twin Cities United Way officials adopted a unique marketing approach Monday - adorning the sidewalk outside their downtown Minneapolis offices with nine...

Metropolitan Council awards almost $4M in cleanup funds in Twin Cities.
July 2, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff The redevelopment of the Schmidt Brewery in St. Paul was one of several projects awarded brownfield clean up funding last week by the Metropolitan Council. On June 25, the Met Council approved nearly $4 million for...

St. Paul-based Synovis back on Russell 3000 list.
July 2, 2008... Byline: Arundhati Parmar A St. Paul company that dropped off the Russell 3000 index is now back in. Synovis Life Technologies, a medical device company, announced Tuesday that it is part of the newly reconstituted Russell 3000 index....

Dry ice blasting puts a shine on historic state lighthouse in Minnesota.
July 2, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson The Split Rock Light House is shining brightly again, with help from a technology that's gaining favor in historic restorations. The Minnesota Historical Society, which administers the site on Lake Superior, used...

Colliers Turley Martin Tucker hire expands hospitality offerings in Minneapolis.
July 2, 2008... Byline: Mark Anderson Colliers Turley Martin Tucker has hired veteran hotel and gaming market analyst Steve Sherf, putting the pieces in place for what the firm's partners hope will be a nice boost for their developing hospitality group....

DJ replaces Whiplash as Taco John's mascot.
July 3, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger No more monkey-business for Taco John's. Whiplash, the sombrero-wearing, dog-riding Capuchin monkey, is taking a permanent leave from his job as advertising mascot for the Wyoming-based fast-food outlet. Effective...

Renovation Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel in Minneapolis almost done.
July 3, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report The $4.5 million renovation at the 222-room Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel, in the Northstar Center at 618 Second Ave. S., will be done by the middle of this month. The rehab covers guest rooms...

Minneapolis City Hall's green roof gets sustainable irrigation.
July 3, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Minneapolis City Hall's new green roof garden will get its watering done the old-fashioned way. Crews installed a 10,000-gallon cistern on Saturday in the building's interior courtyard, which...

Carlson Real Estate Company promotes Hofstede to senior manager post.
July 3, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Carlson Real Estate Company announced today that it has promoted Kim Hofstede to the position of senior manager, Real Estate Investments. Hofstede joined Carlson Real Estate since 2004 and has...

Minnesota-based CHS Foundation makes community relations hire.
July 3, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Jessie Frank joined the CHS Foundation recently as its community relations specialist. The Foundation is the charitable arm of CHS Inc., a diversified energy grain and foods company In her new...

Minneapolis-area real estate industry supports Cornerhouse at Minnesota Twins event.
July 3, 2008... Byline: F&C News Brief Representatives of many local commercial real estate offices are teaming up to support the CornerHouse Interagency Child Abuse Evaluation and Training Center. This is the 17th year that the industry has sponsored the...

Dan Cheever becomes CFO of Marquette Financial.
July 3, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Dan Cheever has joined Marquette Financial Companies as its chief financial officer. Cheever came to Marquette after four years with GMAC-ResCap, where he was managing director for forecasting,...

Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest offers financial literacy course to Twin Cities students.
July 3, 2008... Byline: Mark Anderson It doesn't grow on trees, it isn't the root of all evil, and it can't buy you love. For all its limitations, however, money plays an important role in our lives. And becoming familiar with it can be part of the...

Class A classrooms: Hamline University in St. Paul offers classes in suburban office building.
July 3, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard Hamline University is a venerable St. Paul college, and it looks the part. The main campus of the university, which traces its history all the way back to 1854, is made up of the brick buildings and leafy grounds that...

Minnetonka-based United Health cuts forecast, settles class-action lawsuits.
July 3, 2008... Byline: Kendall Anderson Minnetonka-based United Health Group Inc. on Wednesday cut its 2008 profit forecast and began cutting what it said would be at least 4,000 jobs companywide due to higher Medicare prescription drug plan and chronic...

Mortgage demand at six-year low.
July 5, 2008... Byline: Mark Anderson Home mortgage applications have dropped steadily over the past six weeks and have reached their lowest level in six-and-a-half years, according to a weekly report on residential demand from the Mortgage Bankers...

Money problems: Twin Cities money management firms want to help.
July 5, 2008... Byline: Kendall Anderson Having $25 million in the bank creates problems - beyond deciding which yacht to buy, that is. Joking aside, high net worth families - and those who help them - say it's a challenge to navigate through...

Environmental preservation strategies in Minnesota.
July 5, 2008... Byline: Charley Shaw A new report of unprecedented scope contains more than 50 recommendations for lawmakers and natural resources officials on how to halt environmental degradation throughout Minnesota. Due Tuesday, the Minnesota...

Local government market specialist from St. Paul receives APWA award.
July 8, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Lloyd Pauly, a local government market specialist for Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH), has received the Donald C. Stone Award for Excellence in Education from the National American Public Works Association. The award...

Cargill approves $2.7M for Minneapolis-area youth education.
July 8, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff The Cargill Foundation has approved more than $2.7 million to help Minneapolis-area disadvantaged youths improve their academic performance. Cargill funds will support programs such as Admission Possible, which...

Foshay tour set for July 16 in downtown Minneapolis.
July 8, 2008... Byline: F&C News Brief Ryan Cos. will lead a tour of the Foshay Tower project in downtown Minneapolis. The July 16 event, presented by the Design-Build Institute of America's Upper Midwest chapter, will focus on the Foshay's...

Operating engineers in St. Anthony to discuss fuel costs.
July 8, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49 will host a fuel cost crisis summit Wednesday at 2829 Anthony Lane S. in St. Anthony. The two-hour event begins at 10 a.m. The goal is to...

Minneapolis-based Greiner employees get LEED certification.
July 8, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Several Greiner Construction officials recently received LEED accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council. The officials - senior project managers Spencer Finseth and Steve Chuba and project manager Bert...

Eden Prairie business center gets LEED Gold.
July 8, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Liberty Property Trust has received LEED Gold certification for its Lake Smetana Business Center in Eden Prairie. Compellent Technologies is leasing space in the 56,000-square-foot building, which was completed in...

MnROAD open house set for July 30 in Albertville.
July 8, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Transportation-related innovations will be on display July 30 at the Minnesota Department of Transportation's MnROAD research facility in Albertville. The MnROAD open house -- which runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. -...

Cargill's Hopkins campus will include three office buildings, day care center.
July 8, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard Privately held agri-giant Cargill keeps growing, which means that the Excelsior Crossings office project at the northeast corner of Highway 169 and Excelsior Boulevard in Hopkins keeps expanding. The Hopkins City...

Home building permits continue decline in Twin Cities.
July 8, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson The latest report on Twin Cities homebuilding activity indicates no sign that the lethargic housing market is poised for a turnaround any time soon. The Keystone Report, which tracks residential construction...

BlackFin Marketing Group will serve agribusiness clients at new office in Edina.
July 8, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger Following the late 2006 closure of its Toronto-based parent, Wayzata-based Adculture Group Inc. has been rechristened as BlackFin Marketing Group and opened new office space in Edina to house the agribusiness and...

Luxury homebuilders in Twin Cities going green.
July 8, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson A Denali Custom Homes offering in the recent Twin Cities Luxury Home Tour, the six-bedroom manor on Crosby Road in Wayzata doesn't wear sustainability on its French Country facade. It's no geodesic dome, that's...

Solar car designed by University of Minnesota entering cross-country race.
July 9, 2008... Byline: Arundhati Parmar Apollo must be one satisfied deity these days. Teams around the country are paying homage to the Greek sun god by building cars that operate on solar cells, and racing them in the North American Solar Challenge...

RNC to the rescue for St. Paul retail.
July 9, 2008... Byline: Kendall Anderson Can the Republican National Convention rescue downtown St. Paul (or at least not embarrass the city with an excess of vacant office space)? That's what St. Paul leaders are hoping - but not banking on - as they...

Central Corridor design plans approved by Hennepin County Board.
July 9, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger The Hennepin County Board on Tuesday approved preliminary design plans for the 11-mile, $892 million Central Corridor light rail transit (LRT) line connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul. Though no ground has been...

Minneapolis-St. Paul area law enforcement agencies train for RNC security detail.
July 9, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger Minneapolis-St. Paul area retailers aren't alone in expecting additional business from the Republican National Convention (RNC). Between 3,000 and 3,500 security officers or personnel from state, county or cities...

The Big House is a greenhouse in some Minnesota counties.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report If anyone still thinks sustainable design is a fad, consider this: Even the people who build jails are going green. Not all the jails, of course. Prisons don't easily lend themselves to...

HealthForce Minnesota programs training minorities for medical field.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Arundhati Parmar Starting Monday, Native Americans in northern Minnesota's White Earth Reservation can get a taste of what it's like to be a health care worker. The program, aimed at attracting minorities to the state's health...

Declaration of Independence returning to St.Paul.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Betsy Sundquist The Declaration of Independence is coming back to St. Paul. For the second time this year, an original copy of the document will be on display in the capital city, this time coinciding with the Republican...

Firm tied to collapsed bridge helps erect new span.
July 10, 2008... Byline: The Associated Press ST. PAUL — The road construction company facing scrutiny and possible lawsuits over its role in the deadly collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge holds one of the biggest subcontracts on the replacement....

Minnesota's Coleman-Franken race drawing national donations.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Betsy Sundquist Norm Coleman and Al Franken are spending record amounts of money on their pursuit of a U.S. Senate seat, but less of that money than usual is coming from some of Minnesota's wealthiest ZIP codes. At least so...

CB Richard Ellis lists recreational, timber site in north central Minnesota.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report The Weyerhaeuser Company has retained CB Richard Ellis to sell approximately 680 acres of timber land near Emily, a village near Cross Lake in north central Minnesota. The CB Richard Ellis Land...

CBC Griffin Cos. negotiates Shakopee Valley Marketplace lease in Shakopee, Minnesota.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Shakopee Vision Center announced this week that it has signed a 10-year lease for a new clinic location at the Shakopee Valley Marketplace at 1747 17th Ave. E. The Vision Center will relocate...

CBC Griffin completes new Healthsense lease in Mendota Heights.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Healthsense has leased 12,476 square feet of office space at Mendota Place, at 1191 Northland Dr. in Mendota Heights. The company provides technologies and services to help many individuals...

Minneapolis/St. Paul office of Colliers, Marcus-Millichap adds multifamily listings.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report The Minneapolis/St. Paul office of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker announced last week that it will bring the 163-unit Uptown City Apartments to the sale market. The Uptown Apartments were...

Pennsylvania-based Liberty Property Trust is NAIOP's top developer.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Liberty Property Trust is a real estate investment trust headquartered in Malvern, Penn. The company was founded in 1972 as Rouse & Associates, and converted to publically traded Liberty in 1994....

National Association of Women Business Owners recognizes three SALO leaders in awards.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report The National Association of Women Business Owners recently recognized three members of Minneapolis-based SALO as winners of its annual awards. NABWO named Amy Langer, SALO's founder and...

Latest airline agony: Minnestoa-based Northwest Airlines to cut 2,500 workers, raise fees.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Kendall Anderson Northwest Airlines Corp. on Wednesday announced it will cut 2,500 jobs and add a new $15 fee for checked bags in what's become an unending pattern of painful belt-tightening from the crippled airline industry. ...

Minnesota-based NTIC reports 26 percent increase in profit despite decline in sales.(Financial report)
July 10, 2008... Byline: Arundhati Parmar Circle Pines-based Northern Technologies International Corporation announced Wednesday that its third quarter profits increased 26 percent from a year earlier. In the quarter that ended May 31, the company had...

Dorothy Bridges to leave Minneapolis-based Franklin Bank in late '08.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report One of the Twin Cities' best friends to small business owners - especially those in the region's most challenged communities - will move on by the end of the year. Dorothy Bridges, president of...

New York-based retailer Steve & Barry's files for bankruptcy.
July 10, 2008... Byline: Kendall Anderson Steve & Barry's, the national discount clothier with celebrity branding that has five Minnesota locations, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday. The chain has begun eliminating employees and is...

Minnesota businesses among fastest-growing public companies.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Arundhati Parmar Five local companies made it to this year's Fortune magazine list of the 100 fastest-growing small public companies - compared to six in 2007. But the top ranked Minnesota company appeared higher on the list...

Minneapolis-based Target posts small sales gain.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Kendall Anderson Target Corp. on Thursday reported a slight gain in June same-store sales - a minor improvement, perhaps, but a cause for celebration in an industry where declining sales, store closings and layoffs are increasingly...

Hotel operators hope Bloomington-based Mall of America's taxes are DOA.
July 11, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Jeffrey Wirth is in the hospitality business, but don't expect him to welcome the proposed $2.1 million Mall of America expansion with open arms. Wirth and other hotel operators in Bloomington are upset about the...

Senate contribution reports for Minn.'s U.S. Senate candidates rife with uncorrected errors.
July 12, 2008... Byline: Betsy Sundquist Campaign-contribution records for both of Minnesota's U.S. Senate candidates show overpayments and mistakes that are not being caught or corrected by their campaign committees. A Capitol Report examination of...

Writedown hits profits at St. Paul-based Lawson Software.
July 12, 2008... Byline: Arundhati Parmar Hit by an impairment charge due to writeoffs of illiquid investments, Lawson Software Inc. saw fiscal fourth quarter profit decline even as revenue jumped more than $100 million. In the quarter that ended May...

Twin Cities housing downturn continues.
July 12, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson and Burl Gilyard The good news: Existing home sales indicate that the Twin Cities housing market is starting to stabilize. The bad news: That's partly because fewer homes are on the market, presumably a result of many...

Minnesota Department of Transportation plans open house.
July 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Highway 10 construction in Coon Rapids will be the subject of an upcoming Minnesota Department of Transportation open house. The open house -- set for July 30, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Coon Rapids City Hall - will include...

Minn. Associated Builders and Contractors golf tournament set.
July 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff The Minnesota Associated Builders and Contractors' 25th annual golf tournament is set for July 28 at the Northfield Golf Club. The event begins at 10:45 a.m. with registration and lunch followed by golf at 12:30 p.m....

PCL completes mall projects in Bloomington.
July 15, 2008... Byline: F&C News Brief PCL Construction Services recently completed two retail projects at the Mall of America. The firm, which has 29 offices in North America and the Caribbean, completed a 46,000-square-foot Best Buy retail store at...

Preservation Alliance of Minnesota accepting award nominations.
July 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota is accepting nominations for the 2008 Minnesota Preservation Awards. The awards will recognize projects, individuals and organizations that advance the cause of preservation in...

Groundbreaking set for senior housing project in Lakeville.
July 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Welsh Cos. is breaking ground July 21 on a $32 million, 115-unit senior housing project in Lakeville. The project, Welsh's first senior housing project in Minnesota, will bring 75 independent-living units, 54...

State surplus auction set for July 19 in Detroit Lakes.
July 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff The state of Minnesota will put more than 100 vehicles and surplus items up for bid during a July 19 public auction in Detroit Lakes. Auction items include four Case 721 four-wheel-drive tractor/loaders, two highway...

Republicans link up with YouTube.
July 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff To combat the Obama campaign's ability to excite people through the Internet, the Republican National Convention announced an online video contest in partnership with YouTube. The national contest encourages...

Victoria-based HEI swings to profit in 3Q.(Financial report)
July 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Victoria-based HEI Inc. announced fiscal third quarter earnings Monday showing that the company swung to a profit. In the quarter that ended May 31, the company had net income of $179,000, or 2 cents per diluted share,...

Minnesota hurt by Medicare, Klobuchar calls for reform.
July 15, 2008... Byline: Kendall Anderson Minnesota offers some of the most efficient and quality-focused medical care for seniors in the nation. And that's bad news for the state. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Monday morning that because of the rules...

Minn. Gov. Pawlenty commission considering controversial changes to Minnesota's sales tax system.
July 15, 2008... Byline: Charley Shaw In recent years, Minnesotans have been consuming more and more services as a percentage of their personal spending than goods. But Minnesota's sales tax laws haven't caught up with the changes in technology and...

Greater Twin Cities United Way needs increasing as business profitability declines.
July 15, 2008... Byline: Kendall Anderson Like Alice in Wonderland, officials with the Greater Twin Cities United Way find themselves running faster than ever just to stay in the same place. The non-profit organization, which last weekend kicked off a...

Minneapolis Convention Center has new chief.
July 16, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard The city of Minneapolis has tapped Steve Ethier as the new executive director of the Minneapolis Convention Center, filling a job that had been vacant for more than a year. Ethier has spent the past two decades...

Delta Airlines names operating team for merged airline.
July 16, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Northwest Airlines will temporarily continue to function - as an operating subsidiary of Delta Air Lines - after the two carriers merge, with Delta President Ed Bastian taking over as CEO and president of the...

Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp earnings fall 18 percent.
July 16, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce staff U.S. Bancorp said Tuesday that its second-quarter earnings fell 18 percent as it more than tripled its provision for credit losses, reflecting the continuing decline in residential sector and flattening...

Banks set their sights on the health savings accounts market.
July 16, 2008... Byline: Mark Anderson Three years ago, the John A. Knutson & Co. CPA firm was facing a dilemma that it shared with virtually every business in the nation: how to pay for the health benefit that it was committed to providing for its...

Pelant joins Colliers' team in Minneapolis.
July 17, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Jennifer Pelant has joined Colliers Turley Martin Tucker as an associate in the Retail Sales & Leasing division. She will work with Molly Townsend on the Buffalo Wild Wings, Tires Plus, and North Oaks...

Liberty signs leases in west suburban markets of Minneapolis.
July 17, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce staff Liberty Property Trust recently announced 50,153 square feet of office and industrial leases and renewals in Minnetonka, Eden Prairie and Maple Grove. Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, Inc. signed a long-term...