Strong Local Economy : Buzz

ArtPlace America, a consortium of arts funders across the country, recently announced a couple of St. Paul winners in its latest round of grant awards, according to the Star Tribune.

Both the Blue Ox Mini Golf project and the Bedlam Theatre won $350,000 grants from the group in a category titled, “Using Art to Connect and Animate Communities.”

The Blue Ox will use the funds to develop an artistic 18-hole course at the old Schmidt Brewery grounds, which is being renovated for artist lofts, while Bedlam is planning a new home base near the Union Depot.

Jennifer Pennington, a spokesperson for Blue Ox, comments in the story about the funding group: “They’re really interested in funding a variety of creative placemaking efforts to spur economic development and increase vibrancy,” she says.


Source: Star Tribune

Minneapolis is a good place for anyone who’s into sports, according to the financial literacy website NerdWallet.

The website examined cities across the country, evaluating them on what sports are represented, attendance at games, ticket prices, and local sports culture.

By its criteria, Minneapolis came in in sixth place, after Dallas, Chicago, Detroit, New York, and San Francisco.

The article cites reasonably priced tickets and the fact that teams like the Vikings and the Wild, which recently went to the playoffs, have generated a lot of enthusiasm from fans.  

When the Vikings play their “archrival,” the Green Bay Packers, “thousands brave the bitter cold to tailgate before these games in mid-winter.”

Minnesota has also been called the State of Hockey, “which locals make clear with attendance at Wild games over 100% this season,” the article states. 

Soon, Minneapolis will host the 2014 MLB All-Star game, when the Midsummer Classic visits Target Field, it adds.

At least 24 Minnesota tech ventures raised in excess of $28 million in the first quarter of the year, according to a report from local technology site TECHdotMN.
 
Analyzing data from January 1 to March 31, the site compiled data from multiple sources, and noted that actual numbers are estimated to be at least 20 percent higher, based on information from investors who couldn't disclose their investment activity publicly.
 
In comparison, 24 companies in the same quarter last year raised $58.6 million, and while this might seem like this year is a decline in tech venture funding, last year's total was skewed by a single deal for Code 42 Software worth $52.5 million. When that deal is removed from consideration, it shows a significant rise in funding overall for tech in the state.

Earth Policy describes various bike-sharing programs around the world in a recent post.

The post mentions Nice Ride, the bike-sharing program in Minneapolis and St. Paul, which is the second largest in the U.S. Nice Ride has 1,550 bikes at 170 stations, it states. Capital Bikeshare, which serves the Washington, D.C. area, is the biggest, with more than 1,800 bikes at 200 stations,the piece notes.

Bike-sharing programs are popping up more and more, these days. “Forward-thinking cities are turning back to the humble bicycle as a way to enhance mobility, alleviate automotive congestion, reduce air pollution, boost health, support local businesses, and attract more young people,” according to the article.

Bike-sharing systems “are being embraced by a growing number of people in the urbanizing world who are starting to view car ownership as more of a hassle than a rite of passage.” 

Personal finance website NerdWallet celebrated May's designation as Small Business Month with a report on "Best Cities to Start a Business," and Minneapolis landed on its list of top 10 cities in the nation.
 
Coming in at number eight, Minneapolis was lauded for strength in healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services, and was called "a growing hotspot for startups and small businesses."
 
The city has a very low unemployment rate of 6.3 percent, the article noted, and a highly educated population. Minneapolis business resources got a nod, including technology group MHTA, nonprofit community development association MCCD, and technical assistance groups funded by the city.
 
The site calculated the results based on ease of obtaining funding, business-friendly resources, local economic indicators, hiring, and affordable living. The top three cities, according to NerdWallet, are Atlanta, Raleigh, and Austin.
 

Online service Thumbtack.com, in partnership with the entrepreneurship organization Kauffman Foundation, conducted its second annual study about business friendliness, compiling survey results from over 7,000 small business owners throughout the United States.
 
Minnesota received a grade of "A-" in the study, showing marked improvement over its "B" grade in 2012. Survey respondents gave high grades to the ease of starting a business in the state and overall friendliness. Zoning and training programs both received lower scores of "B-."
 
In terms of areas for improvement, the state's small business owners gave the state a "D+" for ease of hiring and a "C+" for regulatory issues like health and safety and the tax code.
 
The site also includes some comments from survey respondents, highlighting both advantages and challenges for small businesses in the state. For example, the owner of a moving company in St. Paul complained that "workman's comp in Minnesota is extremely brutal," while an entrepreneur in Cottage Grove noted: "This is a great place to start a business." 

Next month, Peter Kelsey of the New French Bakery will be honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as the Small Business Person of the Year for Minnesota, according to the Star Tribune.

Kelsey, who started out modestly in 1997, “credits his success to hard work, luck and the SBA,” the story states.

In the past, he ran a small shop in the Warehouse District. “Kelsey believed bread could trump booze and a hard-rock joint,” but he needed the money to make it happen, the story states.

Luckily, others believed in him and the New French Bakery grew into the 400-person operation it is today, according to the story.

John Rimarcik, a Minneapolis restaurateur, is quoted in the story, saying that Kelsey "is just driven to be one of the best bread bakers in the United States."

The Twin Cities is in first place in the area of “wallet wellness,” according to an online company that compares credit cards, the Pioneer Press reports.  

The company defines “wallet wellness” cities as those that “lead to a financially satisfying, low-stress lifestyle,” the story reads.

To evaluate the country’s 30 major cities, the company examined “factors such as rate of job growth, cost of living and average commute time. CardHub.com listed the Twin Cities above second- and third-place finishers Houston and Dallas,” the story states.

Given the importance of science and technology in every aspect of social and professional life, being a nerd is a great thing, and it appears that Minneapolis has plenty of that greatness.
 
Real estate site Movoto recently released a list of "nerdiest" cities in the country, and found Minneapolis to be the 5th nerdiest, after Atlanta, Portland, Seattle, and Sacramento. Rounding out the top ten were Boston, Las Vegas, Miami, San Jose, and Denver.
 
The site created the ranking by measuring the number of science museums and computer stores in each city, as well as comic book stores, video game stores, and sci-fi/fantasy conventions. Even distance to a Renaissance faire was a factor.
 
In his blog post, survey author Randy Nelson noted that these cities are "Nerdvana" and that when nerds eventually take over the world, their new capital will be Atlanta. 

The Twin Cities brewery boom isn't going unnoticed.
 
Brewers Association, a craft beer organization, has released its annual list of the top 50 brewing companies in the U.S., based on 2012 beer sales volume.
 
Three Minnesota breweries appeared on the list: Summit Brewing Co., Cold Spring Brewing Co., and August Schell Brewing Co. Topping the craft beer list is Boston Beer Co.
 
Last year, craft beers took just over six percent of the total beer market, with record sales, noted Brewers Association director Paul Gatza.
 
In releasing the association's top brewing companies list, he noted: "Increasingly, beer lovers are turning to craft brewed beer from small and independent producers to satisfy their thirst for bold, innovative and flavor-forward beers."

A recent New York Times story titled “Quietly, Indians Reshape Cities and Reservations,” shows the impact of American Indians in Minneapolis and other major U.S. cities.

In recent years, there’s been a “largely unnoticed mass migration of American Indians, whose move to urban centers over the past several decades has fundamentally changed both reservations and cities,” it reads.

Despite major challenges such as poverty, “many view Minneapolis as a symbol of progress.”

That is, in Minneapolis, the Indian population is “more integrated than in most other metropolitan areas, and there are social services and legal and job training programs specifically focused on them.”

Also, the city also has several Native American leaders,the story states.  

The Star Tribune picked up two Pulitzer Prizes on Monday for local reporting and editorial cartooning, the newspaper reports.

The story goes on to say that Brad Schrade, Jeremy Olson, and Glenn Howatt won the reporting honor for their “powerful series of reports on the spike in infant deaths at poorly regulated day-care homes, resulting in legislative action to strengthen rules.,,,Since the series ran, the number of deaths at day cares has dropped dramatically.”

Steve Sack, an editorial cartoonist, won for his “diverse collection of cartoons, using an original style and clever ideas to drive home his unmistakable point of view,” the story reads.

City Pages has compiled a list of the top local clubs "to see bands before they break big."

"We are truly fortunate to have plenty of intimate rooms here in the Twin Cities, where local and national bands alike can find their footing in a live setting while building a solid reputation within the Minnesota music community--a rep that will follow them as they return to the area to play bigger clubs to match their rising profile," the story reads.

The Triple Rock Social Club, Turf Club and 7th St. Entry are among the most-established venues for seeing artists that have gone on to play for bigger audiences.

But the list also includes some new clubs, like the Icehouse in Minneapolis and the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St. Paul. The Amsterdam has already "seen its fair share of breakout acts, including Cloud Nothings' rousing first local performance...and the emergence of the Girls Got Rhythm Festival."  

A recent Gallup survey shows that Twin Citians "have the highest sense of personal security among Americans living in the nation’s top metro areas," the Star Tribune reports.

Of those interviewed, 80 percent of locals responded that they feel comfortable walking around at night.

That's a couple of points ahead of Denver and Raleigh, N.C., while the national average is 72 percent.

The results are compiled as a part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, the Star Tribune story reads.

A St. Paul grocer landed on the cover of Wells Fargo & Company’s recently released 2012 annual report.   

The annual report leads with an anecdote about Shua Xiong, owner of Golden Harvest Foods, and his conversation with a banker. Eventually, Wells Fargo helped to finance the store’s remodeling project.  

Conversations like this “are also a beginning because they often lead to something more. A deeper relationship. A great idea. A way to solve a problem. That happened over the course of their relationship,” when banker Abby Ward recommended treasury management and equipment finance services to Xiong, the report states.

“Relationships like these are a Wells Fargo staple because they help our customers succeed financially," the report adds.