Buzz

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is becoming a top state for telecommuting, as more employees work from home.
 
The StarTribune reports that the Twin Cities posted the fifth-biggest increase among metro areas in workers who are based at home at least part time. According to the agency's estimates, about 82,500 people in the state telecommute part-time or full-time.
 
Among the states containing the top 10 metro areas in the country, Minnesota is the only state with two additional large telecommuting job areas, Mankato and St. Cloud. According to the StarTribune, the exceptionally high work-at-home numbers in those two cities may be an extension of the same phenomenon as in the Twin Cities--tech-savvy employers and, in the words of a Mankato city official, "a culture in this state where people have a good work ethic and can be trusted to work at home.”

City Parks Alliance, a national urban parks advocacy group, has set its sights on the Twin Cities for its 2017 International Urban Parks Conference.

In a prepared statement, Catherine Nagel, who heads the alliance, says the park systems demonstrate “some of the most innovative work happening today around urban park planning, design and programming and each clearly demonstrates the power of partnerships in creating and sustaining urban parks.”

The Twin Cities have two of the most established park systems in the country, the prepared statement reads. That has contributed to the Twin Cities’ reputation as “green cities.”  

“Anchored by the iconic Mississippi River, the Twin Cities offer more than 350 parks and open spaces for experiential learning,” the statement adds.

St. Paul’s Community Neighborhood Housing Services recently put together its own version of the “Harlem Shake,” the music and dance video that went viral on YouTube in February.

Thousands of 30-second “Harlem Shake” videos featuring part of the song went up on YouTube every day when the Internet meme hit its peak.    

In the video, staffers break out in a dance in what appears to be the office lobby.

“Our counselors are up on the latest trends,” it states on the organization’s Facebook page, adding, “It was a great team-builder.”

Three major Minnesota companies have made Fortune magazine's annual list of the world's 50 most admired companies. Target Corporation, St. Jude Medical, and 3M all won a spot, although last year's 50th place entry, General Mills, did not make the list this year.
 
Fortune judged companies based on the opinions of 3,800 executives, directors, and analysts, who were asked to rank companies based on attributes such as quality of products and services, global competitiveness, financial soundness, and social responsibility.
 
The magazine noted that 3M, at number 21 on the list, is "in the history books as one of the world's most innovative companies." Fortune pointed out that 3M is an idea-generating machine, and aims to have 30 percent of its $30 billion annual revenue come from products introduced in the last five years.
 
Target, at number 22, is "known for selling cheap products that don't feel, well, cheap," the magazine noted, before praising the retailer's decision to debut a new collection of stores that promise modern luxury.
 
For the sixth year in a row, Apple was at the top of the list, with Google coming in second place.
 

Advertising and branding industry magazine Adweek recently singled out "Five Famous Female Frontwomen," and Minneapolis-based General Mills won a spot on the list for its iconic creation, Betty Crocker.
 
The persona was first created in 1921, when Gold Medal Flour wanted a personalized way of responding to customer letters. Advice from "Betty" was so popular that the company created a full-blown character in 1936.
 
The article notes that Betty's appearance has been updated seven times since then, transforming her from "a matronly lady to one who today embodies four brand attributes: She's resourceful, committed to family, community-minded, and likes to bake."
 
Other frontwomen who made the list are Progressive's Flo, Mrs. Butterworth, M&M's Ms. Brown, and the Chicken of the Sea mermaid.

Minneapolis has the sixth largest arts economy in the country, according to city information.

A report from the Creative Index, which takes into account arts jobs, consumer spending, and revenue of arts organizations, shows that in Minneapolis, the arts scene “is an integral, thriving part of the local economy that has stayed steady even during tough economic times,” the city’s website states.

Go here to see the Minneapolis Creative Index data for 2013.

The index used some indicators “that have never been measured before in Minneapolis,” drilling down to the zip-code level.

Other cities that came out ahead of Minneapolis in the Creative Index include Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston.

Minneapolis outpaced the national average creative index score by 4.8 times, according to city information.

Local artist Jennifer Davis got a shout-out in the national art magazine, Juxtapoz.

Scroll through a gallery of her work on the magazine’s website.

Davis, who has shown her work all over the U.S., Canada and the U.K., studied art at the University of Minnesota.

It was during that time that she fell in love with painting and drawing, specifically. She’s continued to work in those mediums since she graduated with a B.F.A. in 1998.

“Her portraits of people and animals, acrylic paintings on panel (and sometimes paper) have a surreal candy-land exterior full of innocent charm, which only hint at an undercurrent of darker truths," says the magazine. 
 

In a recent MarketWatch section, The Wall Street Journal named the best U.S. airports for business travelers, and Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport made the list of favorites.
 
Coming in at number four out of ten, the airport was singled out for its WiFi, a fitness walking patch, postal services, and FedEx availability. The newspaper also appreciated the soothing vibe of the airport, which features quiet seating areas for reading and resting, as well as meditation. Business travelers are also likely to appreciate the airport's massage chairs, shoeshine stations, and luggage delivery services.
 
The Journal's top pick for business travelers was Atlanta's airport, thanks to its "minute suites" that allow travelers to nap or watch TV during long layovers. The airport also has four Brookstone stores, a currency exchange, and a spa. Rounding out the top three were Chicago O'Hare and Dallas/Fort Worth.

The University of Minnesota's recent decision to begin offering free online courses via development firm Coursera caused a nice amount of stir after the announcement. Local business and news publications highlighted the story, as well as popular technology blog TechCrunch.
 
A story in the Pioneer Press noted that the university is among a growing number of educational institutions that will be offering free online courses. These types of courses have attracted millions of students, the article states, and five U. of M. professors have already signed on to create the courses.
 
"This partnership will give people from around the world the opportunity to learn from the U's world-class faculty at a time when we are working harder than ever to increase access to higher education, reach broader audiences, and strengthen our land-grant mission," University Provost Karen Hanson told the Pioneer Press.
 

Fast Horse featured Public Functionary, a new nonprofit art gallery in Northeast Minneapolis, in a Q&A on its blog.

The post’s author, Jen Kreilich, was among the 230 people who contributed to the gallery’s $30,000 Kickstarter campaign.

Right now, the gallery is preparing for an event centering on building momentum for such a campaign.

Kreilich says in the post, “I can’t wait for Public Functionary to open its doors. I’m thrilled by their focus on making art more accessible, cultivating young collectors and using content to expand the experience beyond the walls of a gallery.”

Six players from the Minnesota Twins made it into Baseball America's top 100 prospects list, according to a recent Pioneer Press story.

The elite list includes third baseman Miguel Sano (No. 9) and center fielder Byron Buxton (No. 10), who “were ranked with the sport's future stars,” the story reads.

Right fielder Oswaldo Arcia (41), right-handers Alex Meyer (59) and Kyle Gibson (68), and center fielder Aaron Hicks (72) also made the list.

“All except Sano and Buxton, who received a $6 million signing bonus as the second overall pick in the 2012 draft, are in big-league camp this spring. Gibson and Hicks are considered strong candidates to make the Opening Day roster,” the story states.

Major local companies Target and ReconRobotics have landed on business and technology magazine Fast Company's recent list of "Most Innovative Companies 2013."
 
Given the number of technology firms on the list, Target was a surprise pick, but Fast Company noted that it scored a place at the number 10 spot (out of 50) for its ability to "shrink the big box" with a forward-thinking, half-size store that's ideal for urban environments.
 
The smaller footprint stores were launched in Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles last year, and the magazine noted the appeal of strong signage, the use of rehabbed buildings, and free WiFi.
 
Robot maker ReconRobotics got a nod at number 44 for "building the stealthiest robot you'll never see." The article notes that the company's strong growth--with 2012 revenue nearly four times that of 2010 — makes it an innovative company worth watching.

Northern Oil & Gas CEO Michael Reger was recently named one of "America's Most Powerful CEOs 40 and Under" by business magazine Forbes.
 
This is Reger's second consecutive year on the list, and he comes in at 15 out of 20, down two spots over last year's ranking. The 36 year-old CEO co-founded the Wayzata-based energy company in 2006 and recently, Northern has been seeing major growth from the North Dakota oil boom.
 
In terms of the rest of the list, Google's Larry Page ranked no. 1, with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Yahoo!'s Marissa Mayer rounding out the top three. To make the list, candidates had to be a CEO at a major publicly traded company in the United States. 

A new map for navigating the skyways in downtown Minneapolis is out on a website called, Skyway My Way.

The website has a map plus a searchable database of businesses within the skyway system.

This map-app differs from others in that “Searching for a location in other popular mapping applications puts you on the street, not in the skyway,” it states. “Our team of skyway gremlins have meticulously combed every nook and cranny to obtain all of the necessary information.”  

The website can help people find everything from a lunch spot to a chiropractor.

The New York Times recently featured the Minnesota Orchestra, which played a concert in early February despite a lockout that’s been ongoing since October.

“The Minnesota Orchestra and its players have been locked out since Oct. 1, after they rejected management’s proposal for a 32 percent cut in base pay and refused to make a counterproposal,” the story reads.

The special concert took place at the Minneapolis Convention Center, celebrating an orchestra ensemble’s Grammy nomination for its Bis recording of Sibelius’s Symphonies Nos. 2 and 5, the story states.

“The recording is indeed superb, easily one of the best of 2012, and the concert represented it well, despite compromised circumstances,” the story adds.