Strong Local Economy : Buzz

The Atlantic magazine features Kopplin’s Coffee in St. Paul in a compilation of 35 top-notch neighborhood coffeehouses around the country.

The article starts out with a point about coffee trends in the U.S.: “Despite, or perhaps because of, the rapid expansion of Starbucks and other standardized chains, small coffeehouses are flourishing,” and Americans are getting more sophisticated in their coffee tastes.

Kopplin’s Coffee in St. Paul stands out in part because it’s “truly about supporting the local community,” with milk from locally raised grass-fed cows and Fair Trade and organic coffee.

The magazine also suggests stopping by Rustica Bakery in Minneapolis for a pastry.

Restaurant industry magazine QSR ranked the Twin Cities in the top 10 in its annual "Growth 40" listings.
 
The list ranks metro areas that are best positioned for more restaurants, particularly those in the quick-service category. The article notes that Minneapolis saw a 25 percent change in spending at these types of restaurants within the past 10 years.
 
Topping the list were Orlando, Seattle, and Portland, which all had similar numbers in terms of spending increases at quick-service restaurants.
 
One major contributor to more growth may be the introduction of Chick-fil-A to the area. The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reported last year that the fast-food chain is looking toward the Twin Cities for future expansion, and has started to scout for locations for next year.

Recently the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released a list of the top 10 states for green building through the internationally recognized LEED standards.

The results are based on U.S. Census data from last year.

Minnesota rounds out the list that’s topped by the District of Columbia.  

The LEED Platinum Marquette Plaza in Minneapolis is named in a prepared statement about the list.

For National Geographic Traveler, the St. Paul Winter Carnival takes fourth-place in the world when it comes to wintry festivals. 

Anchorage's  Fur Rendezvous topped the list.

The Traveler's writeup of the event explains how Winter Carnival began when a reporter wrote that St. Paul was "another Siberia, unfit for human habitation in the winter." Beginning in 1886, St. Paulites asserted their local pride with the winter festivities.

The Huffington Post recently highlighted the historic election of Democrat Susan Allen, an openly lesbian Native American, to the Minnesota legislature.

While campaigning, Allen had publicly stated, "I reflect the great diversity of our district, as a Native American woman and a member of the LGBT community, and hope to bring this important voice to the state capital to offer more balanced, representative contributions and input," according to the story.

Tiffany Muller, who led political operations for Allen, is quoted, saying, ”This is our first win of 2012, and it’s a fantastic way to start off what will be a very exciting year for LGBT candidates.”
 

Downtown St. Paul’s Wells Fargo WinterSkate rink will serve as the backdrop for NBC's live coverage of “Hockey Day in America,” the Pioneer Press reports.

The broadcast features four National Hockey League games on Feb. 19, including the Minnesota Wild vs. the Boston Bruins at the Xcel Energy Center.

“With ice at many lakes too soft to skate on, and temperatures unseasonably pleasant, more than 20,000 skaters have headed to downtown St. Paul for free ice time,” the story states. 

The choice of the rink as a broadcast backdrop means that it will be open an extra two weeks this year. 

Business website 24/7 Wall St. issued its annual report on how well America's 50 states are run, and Minnesota came in fourth, just behind Wyoming, Nebraska, and North Dakota.
 
The site reviewed data on financial health, standard of living, and government services to determine how well each state is managed. Based on that information, 24/7 ranked the states from best to worst.
 
Minnesota moved up one place in this year's rankings due to improvement in several categories, including violent crime rate and health insurance coverage.
 
Admitting that the comparison was a challenge because of the unique characteristics of each state, the site did note that, even given the differences, states can do a great deal to control their fate. The editors write, "Well-run states have a great deal in common with well-run corporations. Books are kept balanced. Investment is prudent. Debt is sustainable. Innovation is prized."

The Huffington Post recently featured a story by local writer Jay Walljasper titled, “How to Boost Biking and Walking in Your Town: Lessons From Minneapolis.”  

Walljasper cites numerous reports that show Minneapolis has become a top biking city.

He attributes it in part to various street improvements “including more bike lanes and special bicycle-and-pedestrian boulevards -- installed around town in the past year as part of the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Project.”

Joan Pasiuk, who heads Bike Walk Twin Cities, is quoted, saying, "The goal of this project from Congress was to shift some trips, and this data shows it is happening," adding, "The implications for overall health and transportation access are outcomes the community will realize from the numbers we're reporting."

Getting accurate bike and pedestrian counts is critical in terms of influencing transportation policies, according to Pasiuk.

Bleacher Report, which covers all kinds of sports news, has a list of “10 Reasons Minnesota Is a Very Underrated Baseball State,” accompanied with a slideshow.

“When you think of Minnesota you think snow, cold, Bob Dylan and Prince, but you really should be thinking about baseball,” it states.

Besides the team’s achievements, its home, Target Field, “is the best stadium in the league.”

The article also notes Minnesota's support of the minor-league St. Paul Saints.

The story and slideshow highlight local baseball greats who are known throughout the major leagues, historic events in Minnesota baseball, and the state's supportive fan base.

The National Association of Town Watch ranked Minneapolis in first place for its National Night Out activities in 2011, according to city information.

National Night Out is a community-building celebration that encourages neighbors to get to know each other through block parties and other get-togethers. It’s been a tradition in Minneapolis for 28 years.  

This past summer, nearly 60,500 people showed up for 1,173 events.

“The impact of NNO lasts throughout the year. Neighbors who know and care about each other, do a better job of watching out for one another and reporting crime and suspicious behavior to police,” a prepared statement from the city reads.  

A study by The Business Journals--the city-specific publications that include Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal--looked at education levels in over 14,000 U.S. cities to discover which have the "brainiest" residents.
 
Topping the list locally was North Oaks, a suburb of St. Paul. Almost 75 percent of North Oaks residents have a bachelor's degree or higher, The Business Journals reported, and more than 39 percent have earned a graduate or professional degree.
 
North Oaks came in 106th in the nation overall. Chevy Chase Village, Md., was considered the national pinnacle, with almost 93 percent of adult residents possessing bachelor degrees. 

According to the 2012 Minnesota Manufacturers Register, an industrial directory published annually by Manufacturers' News, the state lost less than one percent of manufacturing jobs from October 2010 to October 2011.
 
Publisher Tom Dubin noted that the economic recovery is gaining momentum in Minnesota, and added that the state's educated workforce and solid infrastructure have been a draw for a variety of enterprises.
 
Bright spots in the past year have include the opening of a tractor plant in Jackson, the expansion of an ethanol plant in Welcome, and the expansion of a pet litter production facility in Detroit Lakes.

A recent Talking Tech column in USA Today highlighted the beneficial climate for tech startups in the Twin Cities.
 
The newspaper's columnist visited CoCo, the shared workspace with locations in St. Paul and Minneapolis, and talked with entrepreneurs at companies like Mobiata and QONQR.
 
The article also included comments from a tech analyst based in Minneapolis who noted that the Twin Cities are giving Chicago and other tech areas a good amount of competition. As driving factors, he nodded toward the schools, people, big companies, and history of innovative thinking in the local area.

The web-based Education News, which covers various national and international education topics, recently highlighted the comic degree that’s available through the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.  

It’s one of only three such programs around the country, the story states, citing information from MPR and the Star Tribune.

Local author Britt Aamodt, who profiled over 20 area artists in a book called, “Superheroes, Strip Artists & Talking Animals: Minnesota’s Contemporary Cartoonists,” is quoted saying that a “recent crop of artists is taking Minnesota’s scene to new heights.”

Aamodt goes on to say that the local comic artists have "really spread their wings,” and, “They can tell any kind of story. And they just don’t have to be about men in tights.”