Finance and Commerce Daily Newspaper, MN articles from March 2008

Finance and Commerce Daily Newspaper, MN archives from March 2008

Minnesota Mechanical Contractors Assn. trying to curb copper thieves.
March 1, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Like many others in the local construction industry, Paul Berg has long been concerned about the growing problem of copper theft. It was a serious enough problem when theft was limited to construction sites and...

Economic stimulus package offers tasty tax advantage for business.
March 1, 2008... Byline: Mark Anderson This week has already delivered enough gloomy economic news, so why not take a little comfort in this notice from the tax adviser. If your business has thoughts of expansion during the next few years, you're...

State officials pitch rural development program.
March 1, 2008... Byline: Charley Shaw Commissioner Dan McElroy isn’t letting the sour state budget numbers released last week get in the way of his agency’s proposed economic development initiative. “You have to make...

Minneapolis-based Martin/Williams Advertising lays off 14 executives.
March 1, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger Martin/Williams Advertising on Thursday laid off 14 executives, or 6 percent of the Minneapolis agency's 215-employee workforce, following the agency's unsuccessful attempt to land the account of investment banking firm...

Xcel can capture wind power - now it seeks to store energy.
March 1, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson Xcel Energy will soon launch a cutting-edge test project to store wind energy in batteries for future use. The announcement Thursday touted the project as the first storage application of its kind in the United States....

Properties along University Avenue in St. Paul expected to increase in value with light rail project.
March 4, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard Do you want to buy an old car dealership? How about two old car dealerships and a former dairy production facility? University Avenue in St. Paul is rich with redevelopment opportunities these days, with several...

Minnesota's grade for government effectiveness dips.
March 4, 2008... Byline: Mark Anderson Minnesota's government may still be above average in effectiveness, but its performance dropped during the last three years, according to researchers from the Pew Center for the States. The performance slide that...

State loan to combat water radium levels in St. Francis.
March 4, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger The city of St. Francis has received a $9.4 million low-interest loan through the state to pay for construction of a new water treatment plant after excessive radium levels forced the closure of two city water wells...

LEED for Homes 'webinars' offered.
March 4, 2008... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Reports The U.S. Green Building Council is offering online instruction for homeowners who want to learn about the new LEED for Homes rating system. A three-session series of 60-minute webinars describe...

Preservation Alliance of Minnesota awarded grant by National Trust for Historic Preservation.
March 4, 2008... Byline: F&C News Brief St. Paul-based Preservation Alliance of Minnesota will receive an $110,000 Partners in the Field matching grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to deliver preservation information and provide...

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency begins crucial groundwater study.
March 4, 2008... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Reports The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and other government organizations begin a study this week to get a better picture of the Twin Cities metropolitan area water supply and what it means for the...

Minneapolis-based Capital Growth Madison Marquette hires new asset management director.
March 4, 2008... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Reports Minneapolis-based Capital Growth Madison Marquette has hired William Horvath as senior vice president of asset management. Horvath will also serve as senior vice president of investments for the...

Minn. Department of Labor and Industry seeking electrical inspectors.
March 4, 2008... Byline: Finance & Commerce Staff Reports The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry has issued a request for proposals to provide electrical inspection service in areas of the state that do not have local electrical inspection service....

Danish medical firm building new $40M headquarters along Mississippi in Minneapolis.
March 5, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard Groundbreakings lately are few and far between, given the cooling economy. But on Tuesday morning, Denmark-based medical firm Coloplast Corp. officially broke ground on a major project - its new North American...

Job growth continues in finance sector.
March 5, 2008... Byline: Mark Anderson Job creation in the finance and accounting industries has bucked the trend over the past year, growing robustly even as other employment sectors and the overall economy slowed to a crawl. And the positive trend...

Researchers solve mystery of electricity-producing bacteria, paving the way for new energy.
March 5, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson Researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered how some bacteria generate electricity, a finding that could lead to future sources of energy, more efficient landfills and rust-resistant metals. The...

Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstart to undergo hip replacement next week.
March 7, 2008... Byline: F&C News Brief Representatives for U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar said the Minnesota Congressman will undergo hip replacement surgery on Tuesday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. In a statement, Oberstar 's staff said he expects to...

Federal agency wants in on Delta-Northwest merger talks.
March 7, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Another potential roadblock has entered the atmosphere surrounding a possible merger between Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines, even as pilot union leaders for both airlines have apparently...

Will Southwest Airlines fill the void at Twin Cities airport after NWA-Delta merger?
March 7, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson They call it the hub premium. It's the very real phenomenon of higher airfare prices for travelers flying into or out of any airport that's a hub for a major airlines - as Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport...

Ad slams tax-veto override in Minnesota House.
March 7, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger Leveling tax-and-spend criticism at the Legislature's DFLers, the Minnesota GOP Party this week launched a TV and Web-based campaign to gain House seats in the Nov. 4 general election. The campaign followed last...

Toyota partners with both Minneapolis and St. Paul.
March 7, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger Japanese car manufacturer Toyota has entered into twin partnerships with the parks and recreation departments of Minneapolis and St. Paul, giving each city the use of 10 fuel-efficient vehicles and $100,000 each year in...

Real estate investment trusts are down, but not out.
March 8, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard A few years ago, real estate investment trusts (REITs) were the darlings of Wall Street. But in today's tough economy, REIT stocks are feeling the same pain as other stocks. Fresh statistics from the National...

St. Paul's Macalester College receives $13.5 million for scholarships.
March 8, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger Macalester College has received a $13.5 million gift from philanthropist Shelby M.C. Davis. The largest such gift of its kind in the St. Paul college's history, Davis' donation will provide scholarships for international...

Lakeville-based 'green' program targets lumberyards.
March 8, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson While there's been a wave of interest in green construction, lumberyards and other companies that provide the materials for such construction largely have been left behind. A new certification program aims to solve...

Minneapolis company gives construction waste gets a new life.
March 11, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Century College is getting high marks for construction recycling, thanks in part to a Minneapolis company that specializes in handling construction waste. The company, Atomic Recycling, has recycled nearly 300...

More Minnesota cities favor prevailing wage rules.
March 11, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Call it a pint-sized Davis-Bacon. That's what the city of Oakdale got in February, when it became the latest Minnesota municipality to adopt or consider a prevailing wage policy for construction projects paid for...

A fact check for new Minn. GOP ad.
March 11, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger Minnesota Republicans have launched an advertising attack on DFL legislators following the Feb. 25 override of GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto of a $6.6 billion transportation package. But a review of a Republican fact...

U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar recovering from surgery.
March 11, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar is recovering from a successful hip replacement surgery he underwent Tuesday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. A statement from Oberstar's office said he will resume his...

Still no contract agreement for security guards in the Twin Cities.
March 12, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson A new union contract for security guards in the Twin Cities isn't yet secured, two weeks after a one-day strike that included rallies in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. Union members involved in negotiations...

Minneapolis-based Ameriprise to offer credit cards.
March 12, 2008... Byline: Mark Anderson Ameriprise -- once a major unit of American Express -- is bringing credit cards back into the mainstream of its business. The Minneapolis-based insurer and money manager is rolling out a trio of rewards-laden...

Edina Realty ads reach out to nervous home buyers.
March 12, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger With foreclosures up and home sales and median prices for sold homes down, Edina Realty last week debuted its spring ad campaign encouraging mismatched pairs of home-buyers and sellers to meet each other. Few...

Minnesota lawmakers eying green manufacturing.
March 12, 2008... Byline: Charley Shaw Some state legislators think its time for state economic development programs to turn a shade of green. Sen. Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul, has proposed two bills this session that ask state officials to focus on...

Sexton soap opera continues in Minneapolis.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard Even in a troubled condo market, the Sexton in downtown Minneapolis stands out as one of the messier deals gone awry. The U.S. Attorney's Office is conducting an ongoing investigation of mortgage fraud at the...

Electricians' union in Minnesota raises concerns about a glut of electrical workers.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Bruce Petterson has seen a lot of foot traffic at his small electrical shop in Hutchinson over the past few years, but not everyone who drops by is a prospective customer. Electricians, including recent graduates...

Into the Blue: An attempt to provide a 'green' apartment alternative to home ownership.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger Got Blue? Even though environmentally friendly buildings are called green developments, ads for a new apartment flex the definition of green to fit the name of the $50 million project: Blue. Betting that...

Minneapolis-St. Paul office of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker will lease Manufacturers Building.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report The Minneapolis-St. Paul office of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker was awarded both the retail and office leasing assignments at the landmark Manufacturers Building, 401 First Ave. N. in Minneapolis,...

Minneapolis-based Travel Acquisitions finds new Eden Prairie home.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Minneapolis-based Travel Acquisitions Group has signed a lease for 50,097 square feet of space formerly occupied by Life Time Fitness at 6442 City West Parkway. The building, owned and leased...

Liberty Property Trust expands leases it owns in Minneapolis area.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Liberty Property Trust has renewed and expanded nearly 30,000 square feet of office and industrial space at properties it owns in Minnetonka and Plymouth. Anulex Technologies, Inc., located at...

St. Paul-based University Bank names Conrad president.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report University Bank has named Jim Conrad to be its new president. The 25-year banking veteran was promoted from his post as senior vice president of commercial lending for the Saint Paul-based bank....

Wells Real Estate Funds names Mitchell senior vice president for the Midwest.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Wells Real Estate Funds, the suburban Atlanta-based investment company, has promoted Peter Mitchell to senior vice president for Midwest acquisitions. He will be responsible for property...

Nelson, Stuart join Auriton Solutions in Roseville, Minnesota.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Auriton Solutions has hired Heather R. Stuart as a financial counselor and Jill Nelson as a financial and housing counselor. Auriton is based in Roseville and is one of the nation's leading...

Bob Minks joins Bloomington-based NAI Welsh.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Bob Minks has joined Bloomington-based NAI Welsh as senior associate in the retail brokerage division. Minks brings extensive experience to the Welsh retail team, with a background in tenant...

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage names David Welsch builder manager for Minn. and Wis.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Wells Fargo Home Mortgage recently named David Welsch as its regional builder manager for Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Welsch will be responsible for business development, marketing,...

Casserly of Casserly Appraisals in Rogers receives MAI designation.
March 13, 2008... Byline: Finance and Commerce Staff Report Kevin Casserly of Casserly Appraisals in Rogers has received the Appraisal Institute's MAI membership designation. The MAI designation is awarded to appraisers who have completed a lengthy...

Minneapolis-based Dolan Media buys Politics in Minnesota.
March 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Dolan Media, which owns Finance and Commerce, has purchased the St. Paul-based Politics in Minnesota multimedia news operation. As part of the deal, political reporter, analyst and commentator Sarah Janecek,...

Dolan buys Politics in Minnesota.
March 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Dolan Media, which owns Finance and Commerce, has purchased the St. Paul-based Politics in Minnesota multimedia news operation. As part of the deal, political reporter, analyst and commentator Sarah Janecek,...

Dolan buys Politics in Minnesota.
March 15, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Dolan Media, which owns Finance and Commerce, has purchased the St. Paul-based Politics in Minnesota multimedia news operation. As part of the deal, political reporter, analyst and commentator Sarah Janecek,...

Minnesota's traffic congestion hits record.
March 15, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson You haven't been imagining it: A new report from the Minnesota Department of Transportation acknowledges that state roads in the Twin Cities metro area are more congested than ever. The Metropolitan Freeway System...

Minnesota lawmakers eye closing farmland tax loophole.
March 15, 2008... Byline: Charley Shaw State legislators are mulling ways to reform a 40-year-old farmland protection program that has allowed large amounts of non-farmland -- swamp and brush -- to qualify for state tax benefits. Senate Property Tax...

Ethanol debate grows more complex.
March 15, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson Is ethanol an eco-friendly alternative to gasoline, or does its production create more environmental problems than it solves? The debate grew more heated this week, as critics warned that political leaders...

Rogers-based Veit acquires Minneapolis specialty contractor.
March 15, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Veit Cos. hopes to expand into new markets with its recent acquisition of Minneapolis-based Layne Minnesota Co. Earlier this week, Veit, a Rogers-based specialty contracting and waste-management company, announced...

Some Minneapolis developers are sticking with condos.
March 18, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard As everyone knows, the once-feverish condo market has gone cold. You don't have to look far to find condo plans that have either been scrapped or fallen into foreclosure. But not every developer is headed for...

Minnesota House bill would allow schools to sell wind energy.
March 18, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger A group of 14 Minnesota school districts could bolster their budgets by about $340,000 a year if House legislation authorizing school boards to form wind-generated electricity businesses becomes law. H.F. 4005,...

Minnesota manufacturing exports hit all-time high.
March 18, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson Manufactured exports departing Minnesota reached a record $4.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to state data released Monday. The export level rose 14.5 percent over the same period a year...

Corn-powered U of Minnesota-Mankato lab to boost biofuel industry.
March 18, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Minnesota State University-Mankato is moving forward with plans to build a high-tech auto emissions lab that will be unique to the Upper Midwest. The lab, which received a $250,000 grant from the Minnesota Corn...

Minnesota public health fund part of deficit debate.
March 18, 2008... Byline: Charley Shaw Minnesota faces a $935 million budget shortfall; Gov. Tim Pawlenty earlier this month proposed that the problem be solved, in part, by dipping into a fund that pays for public health insurance programs. Pawlenty is...

AGC-Minnesota membership meeting set.
March 18, 2008... Byline: F&C News Brief The Associated General Contractors of Minnesota's quarterly membership meeting is set for April 22 at the Northland Inn in Brooklyn Park. The program includes remarks from AGC-Minnesota Chairman Steve Hall and...

Deephaven project wins national housing award.
March 18, 2008... Byline: F&C News Brief A Deephaven home is among 19 recipients of the 2008 American Institute of Architects Housing Awards. The awards recognize the best in housing design and promote the importance of good housing as a necessity of...

Howard R. Green Co. hires project manager at St. Paul office.
March 18, 2008... Byline: F&C News Brief Howard R. Green Company has hired Ross Harris as a project manager at its St. Paul office. He will specialize in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) laws, regulations and compliance requirements. Harris...

Brooklyn Park-based Egan Company announces new VP.
March 18, 2008... Byline: F&C News Brief Brooklyn Park-based Egan Company announced that Denny Lambert joined the company last week as vice president of sales and marketing. Egan, which bills itself as the third largest electrical and mechanical...

USDA awards contract to Maple Grove firm.
March 18, 2008... Byline: F&C News Brief The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a construction services contract to FlowSense's building services group. FlowSense, a Maple Grove-based specialty contractor, will supervise electrical and...

Minneapolis-based Mortenson Construction wins national award for its retirement savings plan.
March 18, 2008... Byline: F&C News Brief Minneapolis-based Mortenson Construction was named 2008 Corporate Plan Sponsor of the Year by Plansponsor magazine last week - a publication that recognizes excellence in corporate-sponsored profit-sharing and...

Professional Service Industries' Mike Tjaden named principal consultant at St. Paul office.
March 18, 2008... Byline: F&C News Brief Professional Service Industries, Inc. appointed Mike Tjaden to principal consultant for a portion of its Environmental Site Assessment services. He will be the primary principal consultant working at the engineering...

In the credit crunch, cash is king.
March 20, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report In a tough economy, cash is king. Consider Scott Tankenoff, managing partner of the Minneapolis-based Hillcrest Development, who finds that his phone is ringing more often these days. The venerable,...

Red Wing-based company benefiting from bad checks.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Kendall Anderson In launching a crackdown on bad check writers this week, St. Paul is following in the footsteps of dozens of other Minnesota municipalities that have contracted with a unique Red Wing-based company. Financial...

St. Paul-based Travelers Companies offers 'green' property insurance.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Bob Geiger Following a growing trend by property and casualty insurers to cover green buildings, St. Paul-based Travelers Companies Inc. this week began offering a variety of coverage enhancements for environmentally friendly...

Twin Cities elected officials back security guards in labor dispute.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Adam Johnson A contentious labor standoff between Twin Cities security guards and their employers grew more heated Wednesday, as government officials publicly called on the security companies to reduce health care costs for the...

House measure would eliminate most of Minnesota's business subsidies.
March 20, 2008... Byline: Charley Shaw Nearly all of Minnesota's business subsidies would be thrown into the dustbin of tax policy history under a bill heard Wednesday in the state House Taxes Committee. The committee's chairwoman, Rep. Ann Lenczewski,...

BBB of Minnesota calls for nominees.
March 20, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota is calling for nominations for its ninth annual Integrity Awards. The awards recognize companies that display outstanding ethics in dealings with...

Minnetonka-based Wolf Marketing launches new Healthcare Real Estate guide.
March 20, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Wolf Marketing & Media has launched a new directory of real estate services for hospital and health system executives, the HREI Resource Guide The guide is a 36-page annual publication that includes news,...

Healthcare Real Estate guide out.
March 20, 2008... Byline: F&C News Brief Wolf Marketing & Media has launched a new directory of real estate services for hospital and health system executives, the HREI Resource Guide  The guide is a 36-page annual publication that includes news,...

Minnetonka-based Carlson Real Estate announces personnel changes.
March 20, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Minnetonka-based Carlson Real Estate announced the hiring or promotion of three employees at its headquarters. Debra Altschuler, a veteran of 10 years in real estate law practice was hired as senior counsel....

Minneapolis-based First Industrial Realty Trust signs tenant.
March 20, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. has announced that Commerce Label, Inc. has signed a lease for 22,036 square feet in the Nathan 54 Building, at 5400 Nathan Lane in Plymouth. Edina-based Commerce designs and...

Minnesota chapter of IREM focuses on emergency plans.
March 20, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report The Minnesota Chapter 45 of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) will host Managing for Emergencies: Emergency Action Plans and a Reflection on the I35W Bridge Collapse on Tuesday, April 1, at the Golden...

Eagan-based JBL Companies completes leases.
March 20, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Eagan-based JBL Companies Inc. announced recent lease transactions at four southeast metro properties. JBL completed new leases with Home Federal Savings Bank and Bankers Title/Wereher Real Estate at Grand Oak...

Travel Acquisitions finds new Eden Prairie home.
March 20, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Minneapolis-based Travel Acquisitions Group has signed a lease for 50,097 square feet of space formerly occupied by Life Time Fitness at 6442 City West Parkway. The building, owned and leased by Kraus-Anderson...

Liberty Property Trust announces Bloomington renewal.
March 20, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report Liberty Property Trust announced this week that it has renewed a major lease with MGI Pharma, Inc., at its 28-acre, four-building West Bloomington Technology Park. MGI Pharma has been a Liberty tenant since...

Minnesota real estate firms combine.
March 20, 2008... Byline: F&C Staff Report The Twin Cities office of Realty Executives Top Producers announced last month that it has form a partnership with Savage-based Auctus Real Estate Group, LLC. Realty Executives is an international real estate...

Republican National Convention dollars in the Twin Cities: Real or hype?
March 22, 2008... Byline: Kendall Anderson Local planners for September's Republican National Convention are projecting some $160 million in direct economic impact to the Twin Cities - the amount Boston says it reaped from the 2004 Democratic National...

Selling the Twin Cities as a brand.
March 22, 2008... Byline: Kendall Anderson Making sure the 45,000 visitors expected in the Twin Cities for September's Republican National Convention are fed, lodged and entertained isn't all that's on event planners' minds. Maximizing the benefit of...

St. Cloud bridge cost estimates vary widely.
March 22, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Replacing the Highway 23 bridge in St. Cloud could cost as little as $25 million or as much as $75 million, depending on who is offering the estimate. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) abruptly...

Minneapolis-based CSM Corp. proposes two hotels for Parcel A.
March 22, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard Minneapolis-based CSM Corp. already operates two hotels on the site of the former Milwaukee Road train depot in downtown Minneapolis. Now, the large private developer is proposing adding two additional hotels...

Minneapolis church site could be born again.
March 25, 2008... Byline: Burl Gilyard Two south Minneapolis churches hope that they've found a plan to save a historic church while adding new retail and housing to a busy neighborhood corner. The Salem English Lutheran Church, 610 28th St. W.,...

Minnesota Department of Public Safety seeking new emergency management training center.
March 25, 2008... Byline: Brian Johnson Inspired in part by the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, state public safety officials want to bring the highest level of emergency-response training to Minnesota. When the bridge fell last August, killing 13 and...