Innovation + Job News
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
In schools, it’s common for there to be a divide between the administration and the student body that’s hard to bridge. Local schools are trying to reach out, shown by the Minneapolis Board of Education’s decision to give a student representative a nonvoting seat on the board.
For students, though, that move rung hollow: a token position that didn’t have voting rights. Looking to improve its own interactions with students, St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is taking a new approach through Student Engagement and Advancement Board (SEAB), a 13-student group that researches and recommends changes to improve the educational experience.
SEAB, now in its second school year, was formed under the guidance of Shaun Walsh and two of her peers. To mitigate the popularity factor of an election, Walsh and her peers chose an application process and interviewed students, grades 10-12, from St. Paul schools.
The first year SEAB established a framework. This year’s agenda is action focused. To improve student inclusiveness, SEAB recommends three changes: The ability of students to choose to wear cultural garments at graduation; to examine the district’s disciplinary programs; and to adjust the district’s social studies program to better reflect the diverse student population of St. Paul schools.
Last year, graduating senior Chandra Her was asked to remove a traditional Hmong stole that violated an existing rule against personal modifications to the graduation uniform.
“Many of the other students had their cultural items physically taken off of them and confiscated,” says Skyler Kuczaboski, a senior at Harding Senior High School. “I think this is extremely disrespectful and I want to make sure none of this happens ever again.”
This disconnect between student emotions and the Board of Education is what inspired Central sophomore Rajni Schulz to join SEAB this year. “It confuses me that decisions in SPPS are not made by the people ultimately effected by them; the students,” she says. “The diversity present in the SPPS community is a beautiful thing,” she adds, which is why the graduation rule has become one area of focus.
While the experience gives its participants valuable leadership and community building experience, the purpose of the group is to improve the student experience for all 60,000 SPPS students. They research and identify issues, taking suggestions from the Board of Education but making their own decisions on topic, tone and recommendations, and speaking with the general student population.
Walsh recalls a presentation at the close of the 2015-2016 school year as evidence of SEAB’s influence on students’ lives. “[A SEAB student] was in a meeting with a board policy work group with kind of cantankerous adults and she really held her own,” Walsh says. She’s also proud that the students followed her advice and requested the right to evaluate their facilitators. In other words, the students can fire her.
The purpose all along was “to take the power to the people,” Walsh explains. Students are standing up for themselves, using their power in constructive methods that are bearing results.
“I’ve been surprised at the receptiveness with adults,” she says, citing a presentation from late last school year where SEAB members used their own experiences as students to describe challenges to their learning environment. “Different departments have used that phrasing in their presentations [this year],” Walsh says, showing that when SEAB speaks, educators listen.
“They still only represent 13 students, they don’t represent the student body,” Walsh admits, but she sees SEAB as a foundation for more effective student-education board interaction.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
An organization’s name needs to reflect its mission. New Rules does exactly that. The North Minneapolis for-profit/non-profit hybrid merges community event center, coworking office space, retail and, eventually, a café. At its core, the multi-prong concept blends creative enterprise, social entrepreneurship and community engagement, with a focus on improving and connecting the immediate community near its home on Lowry Avenue.
New Rules seeks to meet the needs of artistic creatives and small businesses while giving back to the local community. “It started with my love for community building and visualizing resources,” says founder Chris Webley. In speaking with artists, he saw a connection between the artisans’ needs and those of other small businesses. While fleshing out the New Rules concept, he realized it naturally extended to the North Minneapolis community where he wished to set up shop.
“We’re looking at ways of engaging different audiences and having conversations to help,” he explains. “The idea is that everybody is doing something. I cut the check, do the heavy-lifting,” he admits, then artisans create products in the work space and then sell them to the community through the retail store. “Everybody has something to contribute…we’re trying to get people to rally behind that idea.”
The event space is open to the community now, whether that means a neighborhood gathering or an art exhibit. Webley hopes to add a café later, which will then feed the community as well.
“Our niche is creative occupations,” he says, but it’s not limited by that mission. New Rules is adaptive based on who can help and what services they can offer.
To cater to creative industries, Webley wired a state-of-the-art sound system, and is actively seeking funds and donations from local corporations for other high-end equipment such as a 3D printer. “I’m gung-ho on doing things the right way the first time around,” says Webley, emphasizing that high-end equipment establishes a sense of pride and professionalism that patchwork gear cannot. New Rules seeks to invest in the community and to give back, which is why he wants the best technology he can find.
Webley purchased the building himself and has overseen renovations. Though the coworking spaces are open now and the retail shop is running in a pilot mode since October 15, he considers New Rules a work in progress. The idea is fully formed and he’s built it from the ground-up, but there is room to grow.
Tenants will come, he says. Currently, he continues, “It’s more about getting the right things that are going to enable us to have an impact.” As the creative businesses grow, so will the retail store and the overall entity’s ability to reach out to their neighbors.
“The biggest needs for a lot of our immediate neighbors are financial resources,” Webley continues. By emphasizing sustainable leadership and economic development through an adaptive format, New Rules can improve lives directly. “There are many examples I can give you where the underlying factor is not having traditional limitations on how you can help,” he explains, “but getting creative.” He cites an example from last summer, when the building lent its lawnmower to a local homeless couple, who used it to earn funds for food and shelter.
By truly engaging their neighbors and finding unique solutions, Webley wants to achieve far more than a high-tech workspace for small businesses. He sees New Rules as connecting workers and neighbors, forging bonds that go beyond vocation.
The New Rules event center will be buzzing this February in honor of Black History Month, serving as a launch pad for the fully integrated concept. The cowork space will be upgraded and the retail store remodeled. “We’re not going to have everything that we want in terms of amenities,” Webley admits. “But we’re continuing to trek toward things.”
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
The Internet’s effect on the brick-and-mortar economy gets more pronounced each year. With new restaurant delivery services flocking to the Twin Cities and Amazon continuing to grow, the way that consumers shop for their food is also changing. With a redesigned website, CobornsDelivers is betting that now is the time to make its presence felt.
A subsidiary of Coborn’s Inc., the St. Cloud-based grocery store founded in 1921, CobornsDelivers began with the 2008 acquisition of SimonDelivers. With a name change and a connection to a Minnesota brick and mortar, the yellow CobornsDelivers trucks have been a regular site in the Twin Cities for the past 8 years.
“People come to us because they’re seeking convenience,” says e-commerce marketing manager Katie Boegel. “They stay with us because of our service.”
“We wanted to reintroduce ourselves to the Twin Cities market in a time when shopping online is more relevant than it was in 2008 when we first came here,” she further explains. The e-commerce company approached its web redesign the same way the company would remodel a physical store.
The emphasis was on mobile web use, and to make the process of buying groceries at home easier for both regular customers and first-time users by underscoring a navigation overhaul and better search and filtering options to speed up shopping. At the end, the checkout cart was a point of emphasis. Rolled out from May to September, the dividends already show. “Around 40 percent of our customers use their ‘Previously Purchased List,’” notes Boegel. The site is also seeing more mobile use.
Grocery delivery is popular for those with life changes: new disabilities, the elderly and new parents. But Coborn’s is hoping to extend its services all busy parents. Grocery delivery saves valuable time that can be reallocated to children or meeting other needs. It’s a new market and now is the time to forge those connections.
“The best practices that might work for the Amazons of the world aren’t always applicable to us,” Boegel stresses. There is a sensory and personal attachment to food. CobornsDelivers works hard to maintain that trust between computer, customer and neighborhood service reps (e.g. drivers).
“People have a tough time wrapping their mind around it: how fresh are your groceries really going to be; where are they coming from; and how are they getting to me? I think that’s easier for material goods like shoes or jeans,” she says of online shopping.
As a Minnesota based employee-owned company, she feels Coborns has a leg up on the competition. Drivers form bonds with customers through regular deliveries and "our warehouse model (which we call superstore) has real professional shoppers shopping for you very similarly to a grocery store," she adds. The company trains professional shoppers to pick out customer orders and select the freshest produce.
“They inspect your produce and we handpick every piece that goes in our orders,” she says. Though the process feels robotic to an online shopper, CobornsDelivers has over 200 employees, most of whom are on the delivery team or the shopping team. The company uses special internal software inside a superstore environment where employees fill multiple orders at once, before they are put into the big yellow delivery trucks.
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Businesses begin with an idea, but also a motive. At Asiya, the idea is to provide sports hijabs that are culturally appropriate, yet comfortable and flexible enough to stay in place while young Muslim girls play sports. The motive is to encourage confidence and community in a segment of the population that’s been hesitant to participate.
Founded by Fatimah Hussein and Jamie Glover, Asiya’s mission is to use sports to inspire self-confidence and leadership skills that will carry into adult life. As a whole, Muslim girls are about 50 percent less likely to participate in sports than their peers in other religions. Asiya hopes to reverse that trend, starting with the uniform.
Muslim garments emphasize modesty while sacrificing the flexibility and comfort needed in athletics. Asiya’s active wear is designed to bridge the gap. It respects traditional norms but modifies the style and material to make more breathable clothing. The company is launching with three sports hijabs, all designed by local Muslim women. The response has exceeded expectation.
The company’s crowdfunding campaign closed at 152 percent of its goal, with orders and press from all over the world. Other sports hijabs are made in foreign countries and are less comfortable, Hussein explains. Asiya’s products are designed by women who wear them and understand the needs and feel.
The hijabs will be manufactured locally. “Our mission was always to be made in Minnesota,” she says, even before the funding campaign took off. Materials cost more locally, but making the hijabs at home decreases the cost of shipping and ensures ethical labor practices, Hussein says.
Asiya is currently producing its first run of hijabs, which are currently sold online. Hussein says swimwear and casual active wear like yoga pants and longer tunic shirts are on the horizon: clothes that any modest woman will want to wear, whether she’s a practicing Muslim or of another faith. She sees potential markets in college and university bookstores.
Ultimately, Asiya’s garments are about comfort, modesty and safety, but also strong. “I think a lot of girls are not playing sports because the encouragement is not there from a young age,” Hussein says, summarizing her goal for the business. “Now there is a product to make sure these girls can play just like any girl.”
She’s already received feedback from the local community who have tested her product. “The girls say they feel very confident: that it has made them play more fairly.”
That’s exactly the message Hussein wants to hear. As Asiya grows in the next year, Hussein plans to enlist brand ambassadors to spread that word worldwide. It’s not strictly a product that Asiya is selling, it is the idea that, with confidence, young girls can become leaders.
Tuesday, November 08, 2016
Since 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has ensured equal opportunity for Americans who suffer from physical and mental conditions that limit their means. While wheelchair ramps, closed captioning and wider doorways have become commonplace, the digital realm still lags behind.
Accessible360, founded by entrepreneur Mark Lacek, seeks to fix that oversight. The company’s purpose is to make websites and digital apps fully functional for those impaired by blindness, deafness, or physical or cognitive restrictions. The company was launched this April and began promotion last month, just in time to help businesses comply with a rollout of new regulations from the Department of Justice in 2018.
Technology has changed since 1990 when the ADA was passed, and the Department of Justice announced last year that it the law applies both to physical buildings as well as digital areas. Accessible360 is here to make companies accessible today.
Many screen readers don’t recognize 100 percent of a website, Lacek says. When a blind user can’t access an offer, it’s discrimination and a violation of the law. Some compliance issues are obvious, like font sizes that affect the visually impaired but, he says, most are subtle. “There are things you would never recognize as a sighted person. Technology just doesn’t pick them up.”
Checkout screens are a notorious problem for blind users, he explains, which alienates disabled users and decreases potential sales. Studies show that disabled Americans spend more time online than their non-disabled counterparts, so it’s essential for companies to adapt to their needs. “Up to 85 percent of websites are not compliant based on what the current ADA guidelines are,” says Lacek.
“It’s somewhat Y2Kish,” says Lacek, explaining digital ADA compliance. “There’s this pending thing on the horizon. The difference is everyone knew about Y2K and people are just becoming aware of this issue.”
Accessible360 offers three core services. Lacek’s team of 10— led by accessibility engineer Aaron Cannon (who is blind)—will provide an audit of a website to determine issues and potential fixes for a client. Other services are remediation (fixing the issues) and monitoring. Monitoring, he explains, works like a home security system or credit card alert program, where Accessible360 makes sure that any new content uploaded to a website remains in compliance even after the first two phases are complete.
“The biggest challenge is really awareness and education of the general public,” says Lacek. “A lot of people don’t realize that the ADA regulations applies to the internet and their sites need to be accessible.” The company was inspired by the number of lawsuits being filed about website accessibility.
So far, Lacek’s team has worked with retail, financial services, travel, health and medical, and educational websites. It’s important to be compliant, he says, but it’s more important to make the world a better place.
“No one wants to be that company or that website that’s not empathetic to all of society,” he adds, “including the disabled.”
Tuesday, November 08, 2016
MSP proudly hosts “major product design companies like Target, 3M, Medtronic, General Mills, Cargill,” says Dr. Barry Kudrowitz, McKnight Land-Grant Professor of Product Design at the University of Minnesota. However, he adds, “They’re all hiring their product designers from other states.”
Kudrowitz and the U of M are changing that, as Kudrowitz has helped spearhead the new Product Design major that the college introduced this fall and he’s excited to see how it develops with time.
Product Design is similar to engineering, he says, but with more creativity and humanistic skills. “There is a need for a different kind of designer, someone that can do the technical stuff and the artistic side of things,” he explains. Product Design will bring a new type of designer to the workforce, he says, one that has the technical skills to make a product work, but is also a dynamic and creative team player.
Kudrowitz was inspired by programs in northern Europe, having worked as a visiting researcher in the Netherlands and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The U of M recruited him after he earned his Ph.D. at MIT, where he developed a Toy Design class that he’s brought to the U of M as part of his new program. He also teaches the intro course, Creative Design Methods.
Product Design began as a minor in the graduate school before moving to the U’s undergraduate program a few years ago. As more students signed up for the classes, the U was also approached by local businesses to develop something in tune with their needs.
“We had a handful of town hall meetings where we would get several dozen industry representatives sharing what they think the major should be,” Kudrowitz explains. “They all want to hire people from this program.” While there is industry support, the U has been careful that it maintains an educational focus while cultivating tomorrow’s designers—who will hopefully stay in the Minnesota workforce.
Local companies are involved in the classroom, leading development ideas and sponsoring design concepts, but for Dr. Kudrowitz it’s about using that experience to show how design works at a fundamental level, whether that’s starting with a toy or making a specialized manufacturing product. It’s about building a portfolio and experience for students in a hands-on environment that mixes engineering, anthropology, business and industrial design.
In his U of M Toy Design class, the emphasis is on process while using a product that everyone understands. “We could call the class Product Design,” he says. “We just happen to be making toys because it’s naturally fun to design something for play.” But whether designing a toy or a medical device, he says, his classes teach the same business lessons.
In the 2016-2017 school year, the Product Design program is only open to transfer students who have changed majors, about 30 in total. Kudrowitz expects about 40 new students will be accepted when the program opens to incoming freshmen next year.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
It’s a world in which the rugged coastline of Lake Superior’s North Shore is rendered in brightly colored forms and tribal motifs, and populated with T Rexes, octopi and UFOs. National parks receive the same treatment, swirling in ribbons of pattern and color; places where silvery robots and furry Bigfoots camp and fly fish with their dinosaur pals.
If you haven’t guessed by now, this is Auslandish, worlds created by St. Paul artist and illustrator Sarah Nelson. She recently hosted her first pop-up art sale in the Creative Enterprise Zone of St. Paul, in conjunction with the opening of an online store featuring her work and collaborations with other artists. A hot item during the pop up was a new bag designed by Ashley Duke of Viska, a Minneapolis company, festooned with one of Nelson’s whimsical images.
The story begins when Nelson was working at a café and her boss told her to take a Sharpie and draw on the walls. “So I did,” she says. “And a style emerged.”
“The art I do is primarily whimsical and illustration based,” she says, “and incorporates a lot of detail, pattern and story.” Why the UFOs and dinosaurs? “I like to take moments and natural places that are magical and bring in the otherworldly, to reflect what’s being experienced in your mind and heart at the moment. Weird whimsical creates help commemorate that feeling.”
In 2013, Corner Table restaurant in Minneapolis commissioned Nelson to create a hand-illustrated, custom wallpaper for the space. “People strted resonating with the work,” she says, “and I started getting commissions,” including from City Pages. “I realized this could become a business. I decided this work was bringing joy to people.” So mashing up words like outside and outlandish, while referencing her Austrian upbringing, resulted in Auslandish. An early show of her work sold out in less then 24 hours.
Nelson creates from her studio in the Midway neighborhood and she’s seeking out new collaborative opportunities. She’s currently working on a local band’s album, exploring innovative work with textile artists and still designing wallpaper.
The online store includes prints, originals and hand-crafted goods created in collaboration with other artisans. Auslandish next pops up at the Women Artists + Entrepreneurs Holiday Bazaar, November 10 at Woodford Sister Photography in the California Building in NE Minneapolis.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
A year ago, the Minneapolis Idea eXchange (MiX) launched its
festival of ideas in downtown Minneapolis during a lively event in which innovators from throughout MSP inspired participants to think in fresh new ways about the initiatives proposed in the Minneapolis Downtown Council’s 2025 Plan. On Wednesday, October 12, MiX resumes with its 2016 program, “The Power of Ideas.” Networking begins at 4:30 p.m., with the program scheduled from 5-6 p.m. The event takes place at Brave New Workshop.
John Sweeney, owner of Brave New Workshop, is kicking off the event along with Elena Imaretska. The two co-wrote the recently published book
The Innovative Mindset. “MiX is a program that recognizes MSP as a world-class wellspring of innovation and a place of ideas,” Sweeney says. “The premise of our book is that you choose your mindset during your every waking hour. We work on helping people take a very practical approach to cultivating and maintaining an innovative mindset, in order to use skills like brainstorming and methodologies like design thinking to solve challenges.”
Following Sweeney and Imaretska’s group exercise in finding an innovative mindset, Tom Fisher, director of the University of Minnesota’s Metropolitan Design Center and author of
Designing Our Way to a Better World, will guide an introduction to design thinking and launch the workshop portion of the event. Other panelists scheduled to participate in the event include Sondra Samuels of Northside Achievement Zone and Peter Frosch of Greater MSP.
Minneapolis is “working on a commitment to end homelessness by 2025, figuring out how bicyclists and pedestrians and cars can navigate our roads together, how we can have a more equitable distribution of graduation rates in high schools, how to make the arts more accessible for everyone—the list goes on and on,” Sweeney says. MiX was created, in part, to address and provide working solutions for such problems.
“I’m passionate about gathering together a group of people with many different points of view to generate opportunities for harvesting the creativity and innovation that already exist here,” adds Imaretska. “That’s the beauty of innovation: Who knows what spark of an idea may trigger something bigger.”
The event will include a service component: A new take on the idea of “happy hour,” during which participants will make sandwiches that will be distributed to the homeless. “By matching a sense of service with a culture of innovation, we hope powerful things will be happening," says Imaretska.
Sweeney adds that he hopes this year’s MiX will result in outcomes that reflect “the hopefulness of starting. When you have 200 people in a room with open minds and a beer in their hands and a smile on their faces, then it’s a start. I'm excited to be a part of something that could someday be referred to as ‘the start.’”
MiX is free and open to the public. Register for MiX 2016: “The Power of Ideas” here.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Artists are entrepreneurs. Which is why including muralist Greta McLain, founder of GoodSpace Murals, based in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis, is such a valuable addition to the Entrepreneur Expo: Essentials for Small Business Growth, on Thursday, Sept., 22, 12:30-5 p.m. at the Minneapolis Central Library.
McClain and Candida Gonzalez, GoodSpace Murals’ administrator and project manager, will both participate in the expo to discuss the ways in which GoodSpace Murals facilitates community development through creating large-scale artworks that express a neighborhood’s unique characteristics and values, reflect its stories, and communicate themes of inclusivity and free expression.
McClain and Gonzalez will speak as part of the expo’s panel Startup Success Stories: Twin Cities Entrepreneurs Tell All. The panel’s participants also include the Minnesota 2016 Small Business Person of the Year, Gloria Freeman, founder and CEO of Olu’s Home Inc. and Olu’s Center, which provide care and activities for seniors; Mohamed Omer, who owns Alimama East African Catering; and LaMont Bowens, CEO of CEO of Bowens Companies, a commercial contracting company specializing in interior and exterior construction.
The expo also include workshops offered by Springboard for the Arts, WomenVenture and the University of St. Thomas Small Business Development Center on topics ranging from building a website and bookkeeping to branding and business plans for artists. Nonprofit and government business development exhibitors will be on hand to share resources and answer questions about planning, licensing and funding.
The Entrepreneur Expo is sponsored by the Friends of the Minneapolis Central Library in collaboration with African Economic Development Solutions, Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Northside Economic Opportunity Network, U
.S. Small Business Administration, University of St. Thomas Small Business Development Center and WomenVenture. The event is free. Register here or call 612-543-8000.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
ChangeX, the Dublin-based, technology-driven social enterprise startup, has yet to celebrate its second birthday, but it’s already looking to conquer its first overseas market: Minnesota. To mark its international launch, ChangeX held a (local) star-studded launch gala September 12 at the Pillsbury A-Mill Artist Lofts in St. Anthony Main. The event showcased remarks from CEO Paul O’Hara, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter, and Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield (ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s was also on hand).
ChangeX is a standardized platform, or more accurately a collection of local communities, operating on the same digital architecture that puts proven social enterprise concepts in front of local stakeholders, who can choose to adopt or not adopt them at their discretion. Think of it as a bottom-up approach to philanthropy and community building — or, less charitably, Craigslist for social entrepreneurs. O’Hara wants to put 100 social change concepts to work in Minnesota within a year — an ambitious, “but hopefully possible,” goal.
“It’s crazy to think that barely a year ago, we were just getting started, and now we’re getting ready to launch in another country,” O’Hara said before introducing 10 potential change concepts. Among them: Men’s Sheds, an established international organization dedicated to improving social connections and quality of life for isolated men around the world; Welcoming America, an American charity built to bridge gaps in understanding between immigrants and the communities they seek to join; and Coder Dojo, an Irish initiative that makes programming languages fun and accessible for children of all ages.
According to O’Hara, the company’s engagement rates grew by an average of 120 percent per month over the past year, albeit from a very small baseline. That kind of growth is almost unheard of, even in the tech world.
Still, the company’s experienced leadership, all too cognizant of the complexities of international business, remained reticent to move beyond its country of origin too soon. It took a decisive show of support by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Ben & Jerry’s charitable arm, plus a serendipitous encounter with the person who’d become their local leader—Jen Aspengren, a seasoned nonprofit leader most recently with Ashoka United States—to change the calculus.
“We chose Minnesota for a combination of reasons,” said O’Hara, including “a vibrant civic society, a thriving nonprofit sector and a variety of social issues” that the ChangeX team felt its platform could tackle. The linchpin, he added, was Aspengren, who has a big task ahead of her. She’ll play a key role in what O’Hara calls ChangeX’s “humble” goal: improving the lives of 1 billion people over the next 10 years. “Improving” is defined pretty broadly here, but even so, O’Hara readily admits he “has no idea how we’re going to do it.”
Nevertheless, local leaders are happy to have a new social enterprise kid on the block. “So many folks out there are creating these nuggets [of ideas] that can change the world,” said Mayor Coleman, adding that “the more dysfunctional our federal and state governments get,” the harder it is to achieve real change through traditional top-down processes.
Fittingly, ChangeX’s Minnesota experiment will sink or swim on the strength of the state’s greatest asset: its people. “This whole thing is pointless without you all,” said O’Hara, gesturing to the gathered crowd. “So please share your ideas, join other initiatives and spread the word about ChangeX.”
Mia is teaming up with 3M and Accenture to bankroll MSP’s most innovative—not to mention financially rewarding—art prize of the year: The 3M Art and Technology Award Competition (#ARTtech16), which is accepting entries now through September 30.
The competition promises up to $50,000 in prize money for the lucky winner. The pot is split between a $25,000 cash prize and up to $25,000 more for research, development and travel. According to Mia’s award explainer page, the winner earns the opportunity “to work with Mia, 3M, Best Buy, Microsoft and others to help bring [their] concept to life.”
3M Art and Technology Award Competition submissions are intended to slough off “stuffy” artistic conventions and explore the intersection of art and technology. “If you’re passionate about art and technology and have an idea about how to enhance the museum experience [at Mia], here’s your chance to impress the best,” according to Mia’s website. “Our panel of digital experts is looking for innovative, out-of-the box concepts that will inspire, connect, and engage museum audiences—young and old alike.”
According to Mia, the best submissions will have all these attributes:
- Innovative and creative: “something that’s never been done before”
- Engaging to viewers and users
- Accessible to everyone, including “historically underserved” audiences
- Multifaceted: offering “deep audience engagement via digital platforms, interfaces, tools, experiences”
- Impressive and impactful: offering a “wow factor” or “pleasant surprise”
- Feasible to implement
Additionally, entrants need to clearly communicate their ideas and demonstrate they can implement their proposals as planned. Contestants can submit as many ideas as they like through Mia’s application form.
Sansoro Health, a Minneapolis-based electronic health records startup, has had a pretty good month. The company announced earlier this week that it had raised approximately $1.2 million in seed capital, including a substantial sum from TreeHouse Health, a health tech incubator on Loring Park.
Healthy Ventures, a San Francisco-based health tech fund, led the seed round. The fund’s involvement is a clear vote of confidence not just for Sansoro Health’s innovative EHR solution, but also or the state of MSP’s medtech industry in general.
“The seamless clinical data exchange between EMR [EHR] platforms and digital health vendors is critically important to achieving better health outcomes,” enthused Anya Schiess, Healthy Ventures general partner, in a statement announcing the round’s closing. “Sansoro Health’s real-time integration software bridges the gap to improve patient care.”
And the feeling was mutual. “We are proud to have the support of investors like Healthy Ventures who share our vision for EMR integration,” added Jeremy Edes Pierotti, Sansoro Health’s CEO. “We’ve had strong revenue since inception, which enabled us to bootstrap our development. This funding will allow us to further empower innovation by providers, payers, and digital health pioneers.”
Sansoro Health isn’t unique in its ability to bootstrap (until now). But it’s one more data point in favor of the argument that healthcare funders, including local players like TreeHouse and Bay Area guns like Healthy Ventures, are taking a more conservative approach in a capital-raising market that many impartial observers believe is overheated. When the smart money gets conservative, companies that can demonstrate their market potential — ideally, by pointing to balance sheets with real revenue from real clients — tend to come out ahead.
And a more measured funding landscape is good for MSP companies in general. Though data is sparse, Minnesota companies enjoy a longstanding reputation for prudent, iterative governance — a disadvantage when funders are all about flashy “next big things,” but a pronounced benefit during pullbacks.
And what about Sansoro Health, specifically? The company came into its seed round with a healthy head of steam. Healthcare Informatics, a noted industry publication, selected Sansoro as one of six “up and comers” for 2016 — a prestigious honor that the company is understandably touting left and right. It also won Venture+ Forum’s 2016 startup competition at this year’s Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Annual Conference.
CBRE, a Los Angeles-based commercial real estate company with a global footprint and a presence in virtually every major American city, is consolidating its entire Minnesota team in one chic downtown Minneapolis location. CBRE’s move is the latest in a long string of
companies relocating from the suburbs to MSP’s twin downtowns.
The 34,000-square-foot office, on the 19th and 20th floors of LaSalle Plaza, brings together nearly 200 employees previously housed in Bloomington’s Two MarketPointe and downtown Minneapolis’ Young Quinlan Building.
CBRE’s Minnesota move is part of the company’s global “Workplace 360” initiative, an ambitious plan to reposition the firm as a millennial-friendly innovation engine. According to a press release, Workplace 360 “promote(s) flexibility, mobility and productivity through technology-enabled, free-address and paperless offices.”
In Minneapolis, Workplace 360 means open, airy offices connected by spacious hallways and a custom-designed internal staircase. CBRE’s MSP employees don’t have assigned desks; the bulk of the space qualifies as “collaborative.” (“Employees have the flexibility to choose where they want to work for the day,” says CBRE, “whether at a desk, in a team huddle room or the social cafe area.”) The office is paperless, and designed around employees’ mobile devices, not company-owned desktop computers and printers.
“We understand how the office environment impacts culture, productivity, and talent recruitment and retention,” says Blake Hastings, CBRE’s managing director in Minneapolis. “The nature of work is changing in our industry and we see it every day with the clients we serve.” To paraphrase, CBRE is working to attract and retain more talented young people, and keep them engaged and on point.
CBRE Minneapolis seems off to a good start. Though CBRE’s corporate Workplace Strategy Team oversaw the buildout in collaboration with its Project Management Team, the company did assign key design, decorating and culture choices to local employees — for instance, they selected the “WELCOME TO MINNESOTA” wall mural centerpiece and developed the office wellness program.
“The whole design is inspired by the Mississippi River running through Minneapolis,” says Tiffany Bagley, CBRE Workplace Strategy director, “and fully represents CBRE’s embrace of the concept ‘think globally, act locally.’”
Even if you’ve never been to the Big Apple, you’ve probably heard of Humans of New York — the wildly successful, ongoing photo essay that’s touched more than 20 countries and earned millions of social shares.
New York City has more than eight million inhabitants from all over the world, but it’s not the only place with a multitude of human-scale stories worth sharing. MSP has its very own analog: Humans of Minneapolis, Minneapolis-based photographer Stephanie Glaros’ often poignant look at the joys, sorrows and oddities of life in the urban North.
Glaros started Humans of Minneapolis as an occasional tumblr blog — a useful vehicle for her ample interactive talents. She’s since added a Facebook page and Instagram feed to bring her subjects to a wider audience. Last month, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation announced that Glaros would conduct a “summer-long portrait series profiling visitors to Minneapolis neighborhood parks,” showcased in Humans of Minneapolis’ digital ecosystem and the Park Foundation’s own social properties.
According to the Parks Foundation, Glaros will profile 15 park visitors in all. The portrait series aims to draw attention to Minneapolis’ 160-plus parks, which (per the Parks Foundation) attracted more than six million visitors last year. Shortly after the portrait series’ announcement, the Trust for Public Land announced that Minneapolis had once again earned the top spot in its closely watched urban U.S. park system rankings, continuing a dominant run that dates back to the early 2010s.
“Stephanie’s series will help us begin to tell the stories of the people who use our parks every day and show the multitude of ways people use and love our Minneapolis parks,” the Parks Foundation said in a release.
Some of the stories Glaros captures on the Humans of Minneapolis blog are challenging, to put it mildly. Interviews conducted immediately following Prince’s death were heartbreaking. More recently, she spoke with a young man whose ex-girlfriend’s brother had died violently the previous week; in the interview, he talked openly about his own mortality and agonized about carrying a firearm for protection.
It’s not yet clear whether Glaros’ park stories will hew toward the weighty, or whether they’ll focus on the lighter side of summer in MSP. No matter what the next few months bring, Glaros is excited to explore her beloved, snow-less home city and forge new connections with her fellow Minneapolitans.
“People are reserved here and they don’t want attention, so it can be a bit of a challenge to draw people out,” she told the Star Tribune in April. “I look at that as a challenge to get real and get outside of our shells and make a connection…[t]here’s something magical about connecting with a complete stranger.”
Player’s Health, a sports medicine startup based out of COCO’s Northeast Minneapolis hub, has made quite a name for itself in the short time it’s been in Minnesota. Last week, the company earned top prize at Google Demo Day, arguably the United States’ most visible startup pitch competition. Though the award itself doesn’t have a monetary component, more than 100 Silicon Valley financiers attend Demo Day each year, and the event is widely regarded as one of the world’s best places to raise startup capital.
Case in point: according to the Star Tribune, more than 100 Silicon Valley-based investment firms listened to this year’s 11 pitches.
Though Player’s Health hasn’t raised any funding off the award yet, there’s plenty of opportunity in the weeks ahead. AOL founder and former CEO Steve Case has pledged to personally give $100,000 to any finalist that raises $1 million within 100 days of Demo Day. Player’s Health has a head start: It’s currently in the midst of its first major fundraising push, slated to continue through the spring.
Founded by Chicago native and former pro football player Tyrre Burks, Player’s Health uses data to make youth sports safer for kids, less worrisome for parents, and less logistically challenging for coaches and school systems. The company’s signature solution is a HIPAA-compliant platform that builds and stores complete player profiles for youth sports participants.
These profiles contain a stunning breadth of information: not just personal health data, but also the type of field each kid plays on, the type of equipment used, where injuries occur and more. Over the long term, Burks hopes to tap an ever-growing body of injury data to produce targeted insights about where, how and why injuries occur. School systems and non-academic sports leagues can then use those insights to mitigate injury risk and ensure injured athletes recover properly.
“We manage not just injury, but record proper diagnosis and when patients can come back,” Burks told the Star Tribune. He saw his promising football career cut short by injury. “We need an app that collects this info to better understand the environment and how to make it safer.”
Player’s Health’s platform won’t be fully operational until June, when it begins tracking player injuries as they occur. But that hasn’t stopped Player’s Health from lining up a host of clients from Minnesota and surrounding states — including Minneapolis’ Homegrown Lacrosse, a youth lacrosse league.
On May 13, the University of St. Thomas’s Schulze School of Entrepreneurship hosted at least 50 MSP and Greater Minnesota nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs at DesignHack!, a one-of-a-kind event billed as a crash course in “human centered design.” The goal: to leverage the same principles behind simple but radical consumer product improvements, like OXO’s now-ubiquitous kitchen measuring cup with angled 3D fill lines.
DesignHack! Used Stanford University’s five-step design thinking model — which asks designers to approach problems “looking out from the inside, not outside in” — to tackle a core challenge: How do we rethink philanthropy to increase public engagement?
Dr. AnnMarie Thomas and Laura Dunham, who teach at the Schulze School, led attendees through design thinking’s five steps:
- Empathy: Discovering users’ implicit and explicit needs — the learning phase
- Define: Refocusing questions to drill deeper into users’ needs and determine how they can be met through design
- Ideate: Brainstorming creative design solutions
- Prototype: Making those solutions tangible
- Test: Determining whether those solutions work in practice
The typical design project takes weeks or even months, noted Dunham. DesignHack! attendees had just a single workday, so they weren’t able to run through a proper start-to-finish simulation.
But they did get to wander Minneapolis’s skyway system on a busy Friday, pulling aside passersby and asking open-ended questions about their relationship with modern philanthropy. Participants worked in pairs: one lead questioner and one note-taker/observer, with roles flipping periodically.
Per Dunham, they followed some basic design thinking “do’s” and “don’ts”:
- Do listen more than you speak
- Do ask how, then follow up with why
- Do probe for specific experiences and stories, not abstractions or generalizations
- Don’t ask leading questions (“push polling”)
- Don’t monopolize the conversation
- Don’t try to fill silences
- Don’t push the respondent to wrap up or conclude
- Don’t reaffirm your own bias
- Don’t ask what respondents want
In other words, don’t look for empirical conclusions right away. Instead, allow respondents to create their own narratives. “Be more Oprah than Edison,” quipped Dunham.
“Channel your inner two-year-old,” added Thomas. “Ask ‘how this’ and ‘why that.’”
It’s safe to bet that DesignHack! attendees didn’t solve philanthropy’s engagement problem in the course of a single afternoon. But they definitely left Minneapolis equipped with new tools for tackling the complex issues that vex their organizations every day.
Knight Cities Challenge, a massive social enterprise contest supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, announced the 37 winners of its 2016 competition last week. Two innovative concepts hatched in St. Paul made the cut, taking home more than $250,000 (of the contest’s $5 million total prize) between them.
Front Lawn Placemaking Platform, submitted by The Musicant Group, won about $82,000 — payable over the coming year — to support its goal: “Transforming front lawns from empty expanses of grass to vibrant places full of life through the development of a toolkit that encourages residents to create community hubs on their doorsteps.”
I’m Going to Vote Today, submitted by the University of St. Thomas (UST), won about $170,000 — also payable over the coming year — to put an updated spin on the age-old “I Voted!” trope. Instead of distributing “I Voted!” clothing or bumper stickers at polling places, the initiative hands out “I’m Going to Vote Today” stickers to eligible voters.
The goal, according to UST associate professor for marketing Aaron Sackett, is “behavioral intervention.” In an article released by UST, he explained: “First, sending out this sticker should serve as a reminder for people to make a plan for how and when to vote…[s]econd, the sticker and accompanying message serve as an indicator that voting is a socially desirable action, and that by wearing the sticker they can show both themselves and others that they engage in this desirable action.”
By labeling themselves voters, Sackett added, people wearing the sticker positively affect the behavior of “people who generally have a positive attitude toward voting but who don’t always follow through and vote” — rendering them more likely to vote. Now that his concept is funded, Sackett plans to test it across St. Paul, which has tens of thousands of registered voters.
These two initiatives were among more than 500 submissions. Following a rigorous review, Knight Cities Challenge narrowed the pool down to about 160 finalists, a significant increase over previous years. Knight then subjected finalists to a further round of view before settling on the 37 finalists. According to the organization, Challenge winners hail from 19 cities around the country — most of the markets in which Knight operates.
According to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Knight Cities Challenge contestants must “focus on one or more of three drivers of city success: attracting and keeping talented people, expanding economic opportunity and creating a culture of civic engagement.”
The Florida-based Knight Foundation, which has an active presence in Minnesota but invests nationwide, is sometimes confused with the Minneapolis-based McKnight Foundation. McKnight invests heavily in sectors such as clean energy and sustainability, arts, education and community building, training most of its firepower in the MSP region and surrounding parts of the
North.
If you’re a regular on the yoga circuit, you know that most studios’ climate-control settings pay little or no mind to accepted indoor heating and cooling conventions. When you walk into your morning vinyasa class, you’re primed to expect a fetid sauna, frost-lined meat locker or something in between—or maybe, as your session progresses, all of the above.
Good news, perennially uncomfortable yogis. With help from 75F, an ambitious Minnesota startup that makes responsive, Internet-connected climate control solutions, two Minneapolis YogaFit studios are bringing predictability (and comfort!) back to the yoga routine.
The studios, in Northeast and Linden Hills, tapped 75F to remedy years of HVAC frustration. Each studio operates 24/7, with a mix of class and open studio time, and attendance varies widely from hour to hour. During cold-season peak periods, attendees’ body heat is often sufficient to heat each studio with little to no assistance from the HVAC system. When attendance is sparse, passive heating can’t keep things comfortable. The inverse (or nearly so) is true during the warm season: heavily attended sessions require nonstop AC on full blast, while unoccupied studios require little to no climate control.
Needless to say, the studios’ multiple non-programmable digital thermostats simply couldn’t manage this constantly shifting demand. According to a 75F case study, studio temperatures ranged anywhere from 73 to 90 degrees on a typical day. Instructors would arrive 30 to 45 minutes early to set the proper temperature for each class, and had zero control over the studios’ temperature during unoccupied periods.
75F’s solution was seamless and elegant: unlike typical programmable thermostats, its multi-zone thermostats integrated directly with the studios’ scheduling software, empowering instructors to set comfortable class and open studio temperatures days in advance. And the system’s detailed analytics enabled management to track temperature changes (and anomalies) in near real time. The result: more comfortable studio environments, and more relaxed instructors, around the clock.
“We needed a partner, and a solution, that could react to our business—not the other way around,” says Ashok Dhariwal, YogaFit’s Minneapolis franchisee. “75F delivered a customized solution based on our business needs, [implemented] it very fas and has supported us every step of the way.”
75F’s smart climate control systems are also suitable for restaurants, retail outlets and offices of virtually any size. According to 75F’s website, the technology reduces customers’ heating and cooling costs by up to 40 percent.
Assemble, a new player in MSP’s growing coworking scene, recently opened a 16,000-square-foot coworking hub near the Nicollet Mall LRT station, in the historic 15 Building. Outside the building, Bob Dylan’s gigantic visage
(Eduardo Kobra’s mural) marks the way for Hennepin Avenue pedestrians and cyclists. Inside, entrepreneurs and solo professionals put their noses to the grindstone in a 24/7, all-inclusive shared office.
Assemble’s key differentiator is its pricing model: Unlike many coworking spaces, Assemble doesn’t charge members extra to use certain amenities. The conference room, printer, 24/7 access, coffee (offered in partnership with locally owned Driven Coffee) and cleaning service are included in the price of membership for all members.
Packages start at $350 per month and increase depending on space requirements and employee counts. Until further notice, Assemble lets new members try our the space for one month free. Flexible month-to-month leases are available, and are ideal for growing or seasonal businesses that don’t want to be locked into long-term space commitments. And Assemble is dog friendly, so the office mascot can come along, too.
Assemble offers several workspace options. Stimulation-seeking solo professionals can use Assemble’s shared coworking space — a bullpen-style area perfect for collaboration. Shared workspaces split the difference between collaborative and private space, while glass-walled offices cater to larger teams looking to remain sequestered.
“What Assemble will uniquely bring to the Minneapolis coworking market is twofold. The first is a turnkey solution for a shared office, where everything is included in the cost of your space,” says Phillip Domenico, Assemble co-founder. “And second, it’s a community where we regularly offer networking and business development opportunities to enhance our members’ businesses, yet if they need privacy they can have it in their own space without interruption. Our goal is to listen to our members and provide them with benefits that best fit their work/life style.”
Assemble has at least seven anchor tenants in its downtown Minneapolis space: Synergy Construction, GO Intellectual Capital, Flipboard, Fresh Expertise, Praxis Capital, Ranstrom-Berg Wealth Management and Walden University. The company isn’t ruling out additional coworking spaces in MSP, and is also planning an ambitious nationwide expansion in the coming year: workspaces in Atlanta, Austin, Columbus, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, Philadelphia and Raleigh are slated to come online by next spring.
Once you’ve become a limerick on “Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me,” the NPR news quiz, you’ve arrived, right?
On the March 12 show, Shanai Matteson and Colin Kloecker, who founded the Minneapolis-based social practice arts group Works Progress Studio, were surprised to hear host Peter Sagal and “judge and scorekeeper” Bill Kurtis source their new project, Water Bar, as one of the show’s weekly limericks. The surprising national exposure came hot on the heels of a Minnpost article about the couple’s art and environmental project that went viral, as well as other articles.
Why the explosion of attention? Especially because the Water Bar has already toured to several locations throughout the U.S., including
Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas? “It’s a couple of things,” says Matteson. The Minnpost article “had a headline that was easy to share via social media and it kind of glossed over what we’re really about,” she explains. “But I also think people are really interested in water and it’s a hot topic for a number of reasons,” including climate change, drought and the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
“People are remembering how important water is to our lives, communities, the places where we live,” she continues. “I also realized, looking at the articles, that water is an interesting mirror. When people hear about the project they tend to see things in it that we may not see.” The responses generated by the Minnpost article, for example, “became this mirror about anxiety related to economic development in Northeast Minneapolis--some people thought we were creating a boutique retail space selling 'artisanal' water, which is not what we're doing."
When the Water Bar and Public Studio, as the project is officially known, opens on Central Avenue off Lowry in April, it will be a collaborative public art project or an “art and sustainability incubator or hub,” Matteson says. “It’s a space where artists, designers, researchers and organizers can learn about water and how it touches various aspects of our lives and communities, and share work they’re doing.”
The studio may also show films about water, provide tap water testing, and offer space to artists and organizations that want to work through their ideas about art, water, sustainability and community with like minded people. Currently, Water Bar collaborates with the Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association, the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment, and the Healing Place Collaborative.
But the Water Bar also is a tasting room serving—you guessed it—water. Tap water. “We are not a business, even though we’re playing with the idea of ‘tap rooms’ since there are so many brewery tap rooms in Northeast,” Matteson says. “But we really will only have tap water. It won’t be for sale. It’s free. And we’re doing a lot more than that. We’re an art space.”
Matteson and Kloecker had intended on a quiet launch for the project, while they continued fundraising for the SIP (studio in progress) Fund. Now they’re planning a series of interactive events open to SIP funders first, then the general public; some pop-up Water Bars with guest bartenders; and a real opening during Art-A-Whirl in May.
For now, though, the Water Bar is “doing what we’ve always intended it to do,” Matteson says. “Spark conversation.”
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
MSP’s edgiest marketing agency is growing — fast. Back in 2012, when
The Line first caught up with SixSpeed Agency, the irreverent “brand experience” outfit had just over 20 employees. Today, it’s topped 50, with more hires planned for this year.
And that’s just the human headcount. SixSpeed has three canine helpers: Samson, the office dog; Hank, the shop dog; and Frannie, the office princess. (She clearly runs the show.)
SixSpeed occupies an unusual niche in MSP’s busy creative landscape. The agency has an internal creative/design team staffed with graphic artists, digital gurus, copywriters, editors: fairly standard. But SixSpeed also has a “production” team responsible for putting on singular events and experiences — the “experience” in “brand experiences” — for clients like Red Bull and Polaris. The agency has a heavy hand in Red Bull’s Crashed Ice series; in 2013, SixSpeed put on an off-road extravaganza tour to promote Polaris’s new RZR vehicle line.
SixSpeed also has an in-house “build” team, housed in an 8,000-square-foot shop at the agency’s headquarters. The build team is responsible for turning SixSpeed’s offbeat ideas into tangible things. Its most recent creation is a “mobile speakeasy” cart dubbed Thunderbuss, or ‘Buss for short: a “custom chopped” vintage motorbike attached to a monstrous wood-paneled cart with taps, holders and all the supplies needed to make a killer cocktail.
According to principal Andi Dickson, it’s rare for an agency to have in-house creative design and build capabilities under the same roof. In fact, Dickson isn’t aware of any MSP agencies that fit the bill. Rather than invest in an internal build team, most agencies work with external contractors as needed. That might help control costs, but at what cost?
SixSpeed’s blue-chip clients hold the agency to high standards, notes Dickson. They expect projects to be completed quickly, on spec, and with a level of quality and consistency that’s difficult to find on the freelance market.
Aside from being good for business, keeping everything in-house is great for employee morale. SixSpeed’s design team can walk across the office and actually touch the fruits of their labor, gaining a sense of pride and ownership that’s out of reach for creatives at less hands-on agencies.
“Creative people like nothing more than watching their ideas come to life,” says Dickson. “SixSpeed’s creative and build sides are really like two halves of the same brain.”
Tuesday, February 09, 2016
Phantom Records AMG-TCLA, an ascendant Minneapolis-based record label, hopes to raise MSP’s already significant profile as a creative hub for the auditory arts. Phantom is the brainchild of founder Alex Guerrero (stage name: Dweedo). He pulls quintuple duty as a producer, songwriter, talent scout, manager and promoter.
“Our inspiration for starting up a record label is to give Minnesota the attention it deserves within the music industry,” says Guerrero. “We want to continue the work of former producers like Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who put MSP on the map. …[B]ut we [also] want the world to see that...amazing sounds are being produced outside New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.”
Guerrero has help from four other MSP music notables. Ariel Padilla (stage name: A.P.) serves as associate producer. Julian Scott (JuChefe) is the in-house arranger and DJ. Rob Skalsky (Robby Cur$ed) is co-talent scout, assistant editor, photographer/videographer and musical artist. Lou Oberg (J3b Adea) is lead graphic designer and co-photographer/videographer. And Cameron McCrimmon (Malovinci) is a promising artist.
Record labels come and go. Phantom plans to stick around by adding a human touch to an industry that’s increasingly focused on flashy, transient trends — good for the bottom line, perhaps, but not for music lovers or artists.
“Our goal is simple: we want to make music that you can feel and relate to on another level,” explains Guerrero. “We want to be more than just a record label. We want to be a part of our listeners’ experience.”
“Phantom Records is all about putting emotion back into music,” he adds.
According to Guerrero, Phantom is actively recruiting “hardworking, dedicated artists” willing to work with a startup label. He’s also hunting for “influential” artists capable of lending visibility to a nascent label in a crowded marketplace.
“We plan on keeping up with the latest trends, while having veteran artists over time help groom younger artists coming into the industry,” says Guerrero. “We want our artists, our company and our values to feel like they're part of a really special movement that brings people together from all walks of life.” Phantom Records plans to keep its operational base in MSP for the foreseeable future.
Tuesday, February 02, 2016
MSP has long been the hub of
winter biking innovation and locals are
staying car-free through the winter in ever-growing numbers. But this week, MSP is
actually the center of the winter biking universe.
That’s because the annual Winter Cycling Congress is in town through February 4. As the
St. Paul Winter Carnival sashays to a jolly crescendo, several hundred hardy souls are suiting up across (and around) town to show off the latest in winter biking technology and policy.
Winter Cycling Congress 2016 is the fourth ever and the first to be held in the United States. (Previous locations: Oulu, Finland; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Leeuwarden, Netherlands.
Winter Cycling Congress 2016 “celebrate[s] the diversity of the North American cycling movement while also welcoming inspiration, best practices and lessons from bicycle-friendly communities around the world,” according to the event’s website. The event takes place at four venues: The Commons Hotel in
Downtown East, Minneapolis; Coffman Memorial Union at the U of M; the Weisman Art Museum, also at the U of M; and, of course, at the St. Paul Winter Carnival.
Winter Cycling Congress 2016’s programming includes formal lectures from cycling experts, meet-and-greet networking sessions, informal discussions, group workshops, extracurricular activities (such as bike-themed trivia at St. Paul’s Amsterdam Bar), and — of course — lots and lots of cycling.
Winter Cycling Congress 2016 is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to kick local bike culture into another gear. Although MSP takes for granted its hardy winter cyclists, the region’s winter cycling rates (known as mode share) actually trail many European cities’.
Oulu, the first Winter Cycling Congress host city, maintains a 25 percent cycling mode share through the entire winter, despite a snowier climate and a near-Arctic location that makes for depressingly short winter days. In MSP, cycling’s mode share drops precipitously on cold days, according to data collected by Nice Ride, and falls further once the snow starts flying.
“One of our goals is to make bicycling more inclusive for everyone and we recognize that our climate plays a role in that. We know there are creative strategies to enable people to be able to still bike in the more snowy months,” said Janelle Waldock, vice president of community health and health equity for Winter Cycling Congress 2016 title sponsor BlueCross and BlueShield of Minnesota, in a recent MinnPost feature.
The Winter Cycling Congress is organized by the Winter Cycling Federation, an international organization dedicated to furthering winter cycling, and locally by the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota. Keep up with the latest news from Winter Cycling Congress 2016 on the event’s website or follow the hashtag #WCC16 (official Twitter handle @wintercycle2016).
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Accolades for MSP’s enviable work-life benefits are flying faster and thicker than snow this season, and it’s getting tough to keep up with the latest hits. Earlier this month, influential personal finance site NerdWallet dropped the latest data-driven love letter to the Twin Cities: a Best Cities for Young Entrepreneurs roundup that placed MSP fifth, ahead of regional rivals (Madison) and heavy-hitting coastal tech hubs (Seattle and Boston).
The study examined about 180 of the country’s largest metro areas and assigned a young entrepreneur friendliness score to each. MSP earned its fifth-place spot thanks to two data points in particular: unemployment rate and SBA loan value per 100,000 residents.
On the unemployment front, MSP is peerless among major cities. Metro-wide unemployment was just a tick over 3 percent as of September 2015, the latest month for which final figures were available as the study went to press. That’s lower than San Francisco (3.4 percent), Denver (4.2 percent) and Washington, D.C. (7.5 percent).
The SBA loans metric is admittedly wonkier, but it’s a critical factor in local small business health. Many startups rely on SBA funding to get off the ground and gain traction; an adequate SBA loan is often the difference-maker for businesses navigating the dreaded “death zone” — the first two to three years of existence.
According to Jonathan Todd, the study’s author, the SBA loan factor counts for 20 percent of the overall score, more than unemployment rate, small businesses per 100 residents and other factors. MSP ranked seventh, just behind famously entrepreneurial Austin and industrious Salt Lake City — and well ahead of major metropolises like New York City, which ranked 52nd.
In the study, Todd notes that small business success comes down to a confluence of other factors: cost of living, educational attainment and existing resources for entrepreneurs. MSP has long led most other big cities with regards to cost of living and educational attainment. Until recently, though, it hasn’t done so hot on the admittedly hard-to-measure entrepreneurial resources metric.
Here’s a sign of change and that MSP’s startup-friendly secret is finally getting out: Industrious, a well-funded coworking company with outposts in more than a dozen major U.S. cities, recently opened a gleaming new space in the North Loop. Industrious’s arrival comes on the heels of COCO NE’s debut — joining the swelling ranks of private coworking spaces around the Twin Cities.
Entrepreneurs take note: MSP is open for business.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Public Art St. Paul has big plans for 2016. Pop Up Meeting, the city’s ambitious drive to “increase diversity and participation in St. Paul’s urban planning process,” is leading the way.
Pop Up Meeting’s specially retrofitted, immediately recognizable red van hit the streets in 2015. Drivers Amanda Lovelee, a St. Paul City Artist, and intern Abby Kapler hold meetings during which they solicit survey responses, verbal opinions and other feedback, then “visibly and comprehensibly share” those ideas with others.
Pop Up Meeting had a great inaugural season. According to Lovelee, 70 percent of the initiative’s participants had never before engaged with the city planning process. “We think that’s a great measure of success,” she says.
This year, Pop Up Meeting aims to reach St. Paul’s most underrepresented citizens, particularly those with limited or nonexistent English fluency. Lovelee plans to use tablets to present questions and solicit feedback from respondents in their native tongues, rather than rely on ad hoc translators.
“[Non-English speakers] tend to be more disengaged from the planning process,” says Lovelee, “so we’re really doubling down on our efforts to reach them.”
No matter what language they speak, Pop Up Meeting participants get a free, locally made popsicle — courtesy of St. Pops — for their troubles. Lovelee tapped St. Pops to design a healthy, organic popsicle that “captures the flavor of St. Paul,” says Lovelee. They settled on mint lemonade, “which tastes like a super-delicious mojito, without the alcohol.”
“I lost count of how many popsicles I had last summer,” she adds. “Seriously, they’re amazing.”
Lovelee is putting together Pop Up Meeting’s official 2016 schedule this month, but the broad strokes are already clear. She’s devoting plenty of bandwidth to Mayor Chris Coleman’s 8 to 80 Vitality Fund, whose component projects include the
River Balcony and elevated downtown bikeway loop. Lovelee also plans to spent lots of time in Highland Park, soliciting residents’ thoughts and visions for the Ford site redevelopment, which isn’t projected to begin until 2018 at the earliest.
“The city planning process is partly about getting out in front of big, multi-year projects and setting expectations that conform to residents’ needs and desires,” says Lovelee.
Besides Pop Up Meeting, Lovelee and Public Art St. Paul have some other big projects on tap.
Public Art St. Paul recently received a Knight Foundation grant to deploy pollinator-friendly streetscapes around the city. This ear a prototype will be constructed in a single St. Paul neighborhood “to make sure the plants survive the winter,” says Lovelee. Also this year, a mobile seed cart slated to distribute seeds to local residents will be launched.
At the corner of 10th & Robert, work just wrapped on the first biodiversity study of Public Art St. Paul’s Urban Flower Garden. The study’s findings will inform future work on that site through the 2016 growing season and beyond.
All in all, it’s shaping up to be a banner year for Public Art St. Paul. “Start dreaming of warm weather and popsicles,” advises Lovelee. “We’ll be out on the streets again before you know it.”
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Barely six months after its launch, Minneapolis women’s health startup Ova Woman is taking the reins as a national thought leader on issues routinely — and entirely without justification — dismissed as taboo.
Elise Maxwell, Ova Woman founder and CEO (and full-time Carlson School of Management MBA student), calls Ova Woman “the [country’s] only comprehensive, puberty-to-post-menopause women’s health e-commerce community.”
Maxwell is funding Ova Woman with the proceeds from two entrepreneurship competitions — $5,000 from the 2015 Acara Challenge and $31,000 from the 2015 MN Cup — and a $5,000 Sands Fellowship grant. According to remarks at October’s Minnesota Venture Conference, she’s targeting a $500,000 raise by June of 2016 and $1.6 million by the end of 2017.
Ova Woman publishes a lively mix of frank, useful content through four professional, if not always polished, channels: the Ova Vlog, a video blog usually featuring Maxwell and at least one friend or colleague; Your Questions, Our Answers, an in-depth question-and-answer resource with input from clinicians; Ova Stories, a long-form content portal; and The Speculum podcast, which “explores different intimate health issues,” says Maxwell.
Ova Woman is unsparing in its treatment of taboo topics. The inaugural Speculum podcast, for instance, devotes more than 20 minutes to the topic of douching; the second gives similar play to genital exams and anatomical awareness.
Maxwell wants to turn Ova Woman into an authoritative resource for fact-based information about women’s health, including potentially embarrassing issues that many refrain from discussing in public.
When it comes to women’s health issues, “[t]rust shouldn’t just mean a medical practitioner’s voice,” says Maxwell. “Other women’s opinions and experiences are valuable as well.”
Maxwell stresses that Ova Woman’s content isn’t meant to replace or counterbalance clinical advice. In the short term, her aim is to create a friendly, useful portal that offers actionable advice: a crowd-sourced alternative to WebMD.
Ova Woman’s longer-term plan — and the reason for its ambitious fundraising goal — is to build out a comprehensive retail platform with common and lesser-known products for a wide range of women’s health needs. There’s a huge market to reach: More than 100 million U.S. women experience incontinence, painful intercourse or period leaks, according to Ova Woman.
Ova Woman won’t manufacture its own products, at least to start. Instead, Maxwell plans to aggregate the best women’s health gear on the market for sale on its website, along with detailed, unbiased educational material, reviews and testimonials culled from a growing network of Ova Woman product testers: a cross between Amazon and Consumer Reports, with a laser focus on women’s health.
If Ova Woman’s retailing efforts are successful, says Maxwell, the company may launch its own white label — literally stamping its seal of approval on the best women’s health products available.
Tuesday, December 08, 2015
Minneapolis’ most ambitious antipoverty and community empowerment network just got a big boost. In early October, Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) received $6 million in combined grants from Target and General Mills — $1 million per year for three years from each company. These funds will help replace a federal grant that is ending.
NAZ has a revolutionary mission: to coordinate and empower “more than 40 local organizations and schools...working in radically new ways to permanently close the academic achievement gap and end poverty,” according to a Fallon-produced promotional video. Partner organizations include early childhood program providers like the YWCA and Minneapolis Public Schools; public, charter and private K-12 schools; expanded learning/mentoring programs like Plymouth Youth Center; health, housing and career organizations like Washburn Center for Children, Urban Homeworks and Twin Cities RISE!; and higher education institutions like Minneapolis Community and Technical College and the University of Minnesota.
NAZ is broadly modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zone, an antipoverty and childhood education network in New York City. But its huge partner network and bottom-up approach to empowerment make NAZ arguably the most ambitious initiative of its kind anywhere in the U.S.
NAZ specifically seeks out the most vulnerable, hard-to-reach families, many of whom face housing insecurity, chronic joblessness and other obstacles. Ideally, each participating mom enrolls her child before birth, signing a commitment to make college a top priority for the little one. She and her partner, if present, pair with a coach responsible for building a customized support plan with the family’s input — complete with “specific, individualized goals that make sense for that particular family,” all framed in terms of college-readiness, says NAZ communications director Katie Murphy.
The typical NAZ family works with various partner organizations to find suitable, stable housing, stay on top of their healthcare needs (including mental health, a big issue for new moms), improve financial literacy and enroll in parenting classes, among other things. As they grow, kids tap into these networks too; North High School, for instance, has NAZ academic coaches who work with students on site.
“When it’s time to meet with their academic coaches, students can just walk down the hall,” says Murphy.
NAZ’s new grants could help the organization reach a long-held goal — to impact 1,000 families and 2,500 kids, representing 40 percent of Northside families with children under 18 — as early as next year. NAZ is already most of the way there: At last count, the network had about 870 families and nearly 1,900 kids.
By 2020, says NAZ President & CEO Sondra Samuels, NAZ is poised to impact 1,700 or more families per year. That number includes families actively engaged with partner organizations, plus those who’ve “graduated” and no longer need to tap NAZ’s services.
Graduated parents and older students often assume mentorship or advisory roles within the NAZ structure. With preexisting social networks and ample reserves of community trust, says Murphy, current and past participants are NAZ’s most effective on-the-ground recruiters. When NAZ hires family coaches, they look exclusively at their roster of enrolled parents.
NAZ is so confident in its approach, and in the power of community-driven family empowerment in general, that it hands out T-shirts — to toddlers—proclaiming their expected college graduation year. For parents used to hearing that their kids won’t amount to much, or that they need to have “realistic” expectations, something as simple as a T-shirt can inspire belief in what’s possible.
“NAZ addresses the achievement gap by striking at the heart of the belief gap,” says Samuels, “and coupling the power to inspire with a proven system that provides our families with a ladder out of poverty.”
Though today’s NAZ takes a holistic approach to antipoverty work, its predecessor organization did far more targeted work. Founded in 2003, the PEACE Foundation was a “grassroots movement across race, class and geography [with] the common goal of significantly reducing violence in North Minneapolis,” according to NAZ’s website. The PEACE Foundation enjoyed ample community support, but stakeholders worried that it wasn’t doing enough to address the root causes of violence, including what Samuels calls “a direct correlation” between poor educational outcomes and violent crime.
“In recognition of the clear link between poverty, the educational achievement gap and violence, the PEACE Foundation was already moving toward” an approach that included support for families and early childhood education initiatives, says Samuels. “When we heard about the Harlem Children’s Zone, we realized that it was possible to pull all the levers that hold the people back and empower the community to change.”
“We’ve been told that what we’re trying to do is unrealistic,” she adds. “But we remind ourselves that every great advance” — women’s suffrage, marriage equality, putting a man on the moon — “was also ‘unrealistic’ once.”
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Love TED Talks? Then Ignite Minneapolis, a cross between open-mic night at your local bar and a scripted TED Talks session, is for you.
Patrick Kuntz and a team of committed volunteers have organized nine semiannual Ignite Minneapolis events thus far; the latest (Ignite Minneapolis 9) went down on November 18 at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis.
The nearly three-hour event holds dozens of scheduled speakers to strict time and material limits: five minutes and 20 slides. The slides advance automatically, forcing speakers to keep up. That sounds scary, says Kuntz, but it’s actually a helpful crutch for nervous or less experienced presenters.
Ignite’s rapid-fire talks are, to put it mildly, eclectic. “There’s no set subject matter,” says Kuntz, “though our attendees tend to focus more on cultural and ‘writerly’ topics, and not so much on technical things.”
Ignite 9’s speakers and topics ran the gamut: light, if worthy, topics like ornithophobia (the crippling fear of birds) and reality television shared equal time with serious social and political issues such as sex trafficking in MSP’s Native American community and gender inequality in the Muslim community. The 700-plus attendees, who paid $15, tweeted actively and applauded heartily.
Kuntz can’t claim credit for inventing Ignite. Nor can any MSPer. Bre Bettis and Brady Forrest, with patronage from local media organizations, started the first Ignite in Seattle back in 2006. The format has since expanded to more than 300 cities across the globe.
But Ignite Minneapolis certainly captures the flavor of MSP. “The Ignite format is a window into local culture,” says Kuntz. “Every Ignite is unique and that’s the beauty of it.”
“Tickets typically sell out in minutes,” adds Kuntz. “We’re continually impressed and gratified by the community’s support.” Ignite Minneapolis 10 is tentatively scheduled for next April at the Riverview Theater.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
MSP’s economic vitality is a perennial source of envy for other metro regions. Some of the country’s most recognizable brands live here, unemployment is chronically low, and local educational institutions do an excellent job of preparing young people for the workforce.
But MSP can’t rest on its laurels. The competitive landscape is changing faster than many realize.
“The global economy is catching up with us,” says Peter Frosch, vice president of strategic partnerships at the MSP Regional Economic Development Partnership (GREATER MSP). “As other regions try to be more like MSP, our competitive advantage is waning.”
Meanwhile, the region’s labor force growth rate is slowing as employer demand for high-skill positions takes off. Even if every current MSP high school student graduated from two- or four-year college on time, the region’s homegrown talent pipeline wouldn’t be sufficient to fill the growing “skills gap.” To keep pace, MSP needs to pull talent from other U.S. and international regions. Problem is, few outsiders know much about MSP beyond “It’s cold, right?” And they certainly don’t know whether they’d want to move here, should the opportunity present itself. (“It’s cold, right?”)
That’s where Make It. MSP. comes in. Make It. MSP. is “an initiative designed to attract and retain talent” in MSP, while “[seeking] to improve the transplant experience for new residents as they put down roots in the community,” according to a GREATER MSP release.
Make It. MSP.’s most visible component is an interactive online portal that leans heavily on user-generated input. The Q&A page, for instance, is a clickable panel of open-ended questions about life in MSP: favorite month to be outside, what’s great about your neighborhood, what makes MSP different than other places, and so on.
“Authentic stories, told by real people, are critical to Make It. MSP.’s success,” says Frosch.
Make It. MSP. also features an in-depth, internally generated rundown of MSP, geared toward individuals and employers. Topics include arts and culture, cities/neighborhoods, outdoor activities, cost of living and weather.
Finally, Make It. MSP. has an impressive, MSP-centric careers portal, complete with tens of thousands of job postings from regional employers — a one-stop resource for current residents looking to change jobs (key to retention) and recently relocated “trailing spouses” who need jobs of their own.
According to Frosch, Make It. MSP.’s scope is unprecedented both here and around the country. Though Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Detroit all have similar attraction strategies, “[Make It. MSP.] is a next-generation approach to attraction and retention that functions as a comprehensive resource for workers and families,” not just a glorified visitors’ bureau.
Formally announced October 13, Make It. MSP. is the fruit of a two-year collaboration between upward of 80 MSP employers (including blue chip companies like St. Paul-based Ecolab), public institutions (including the University of Minnesota) and a host of nonprofit organizations, collectively dubbed the “makers’ network.” Makers’ network participants agreed on five goals to focus and shape Make It. MSP.:
- Improve social inclusion, particularly for newcomers, people of color and “rising leaders” (Frosch: “We don’t want people to struggle to fit in or struggle to find passion for months or years here”)
- Support innovative talent, including traditional entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, creatives and others
- Connect talent to community
- Connect talent to employers
- Close near-term talent gaps, particularly in technology and engineering disciplines
And Make It. MSP. isn’t just for people and employers who’ve never set foot in MSP. It’s also about keeping members of MSP’s diaspora — people who’ve moved away for school or jobs — informed and engaged around their home region. Diasporans who’ve stayed in touch are more likely to remember MSP fondly, the thinking goes, and jump at opportunities to return.
“Make It. MSP’s message [for wayard Minnesotans] is simple,” says Frosch. “We say, ‘This is home. If you leave, it’s always okay to come back.’”
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Thread Connected Content is MSP’s newest independent creative agency — and it’s an overnight powerhouse, thanks to its cofounders’ combined decades of agency experience, a multidisciplinary approach to creative campaigns, a unique penchant for high-touch storytelling and one of the most unique internship programs around.
Launched in July on St. Paul’s East Side, Thread already has 30 employees and is hiring for a handful of additional positions: digital designers, account managers and others as the need arises.
Thread’s client roster, burnished by its cofounders’ and employees’ past professional relationships, is already wildly diverse: blue chips like 3M and Target coexist comfortably alongside public institutions like Mia, and MSP originals like The Wedge Co-op and
FOOD BUILDING.
“Our client strategy is a three-legged stool,” says Kim Rudrud, vice president. The first leg is “large companies with multiple brands and distinct visions,” like 3M and General Mills, she says. The second is the middle market, broadly defined: mostly MSP-, Minnesota-, and Midwest-based companies with eight- or nine-figure annual revenues and “similar cultural philosophies,” says Rudrud. And the third is “passion projects,” clients that more traditional firms might work with on a pro bono basis to burnish their creative bona fides and impress deeper-pocketed prospects.
“We’re not looking to leverage [the third leg] so that someone bigger and better walks through our door,” says Rudrud. “We’re actually passionate about helping these clients.” Earlier this year, Christiana Kippels, Thread’s director of accounts and business development, brought in a friend who’d just purchased St. Paul’s Treadle Yard Goods and sought to rebrand on a shoestring budget.
Thread’s diverse client base is reflective of its cofounders’ and employees’ diverse professional backgrounds. Many came from top-tier MSP creative agencies, like Campbell + Mithun (now simply Mithun) and Olson. Some cut their chops as internal communications and branding gurus: Kippels came over from
Thymes’ product development department. Others have boutique backgrounds: Rudrud honed her storytelling intuition at WomanWise, a marketing research consultancy that “uncovers insights into what makes people tick,” she says.
Thread’s diverse staff, in turn, supports an impressive range of in-house capabilities: market research, brand strategy, copywriting and graphic design, technical digital marketing work, video production and more. “We do have outside research partners,” says Rudrud, “but we handle the bulk of our research and all of our production work internally.”
According to Rudrud, Thread’s in-house approach sets the agency apart from MSP’s smaller independents — and even many of the region’s biggest players, which tend to farm out labor-intensive production to specialized studios. “It’s not an accident that we call ourselves a ‘studio,’” says Rudrud.
Thread has a couple other differentiators up its sleeve, too. Compelling stories, not overcooked data, form the nub of each Thread campaign. According to Kippels, other agencies have “veered away from the creative side of marketing and branding,” creating an opportunity for an agency willing to mount comprehensive, authentic and human-scale — if subjective — campaigns.
“Human relationships are messy in the best possible way,” she explains. “More than ever, [marketing] is about creating useful, authentic experiences.”
When it comes to messy and authentic, thread definitely walks the walk. The agency’s website deftly blends what you’d expect from a well-produced business property — succinctly described services, employee headshots and bios, “about us” copy — with edgy, interactive elements that drive interaction. Each service description, for instance, ends with an open-ended question and live tweet button, inviting visitors to loop their followers into the conversation. Thread’s “Connect” page is a constantly evolving social feed that changes daily. Even its website logo is interactive, morphing and changing color in response to qualitative social media interactions (“a major development challenge,” says Rudrud).
In its employees’ admittedly biased collective opinion, Thread offers MSP’s best creative-industry internship. Dubbed “Spool,” Thread’s three- to six-month program is “not your typical internship,” says Rudrud. “Spoolers” hail from diverse academic backgrounds — from graphic design and comp sci to English lit — and can choose from several openended programs (“blogs to code,” “apps to animation,” and others).
“In many cases, we just give [interns] cameras, send them out into the world and tell them, ‘See what you can find,’” says Rudrud. The current crop recently spent a week producing and editing creative content onsite at the FOOD BUILDING, for instance. The results, says Rudrud, were “amazing.”
“The Spoolers are our Ph.Ds of pop culture,” says Rudrud. “As digital natives, they see the world differently — they provide us with insights that we don’t have and help us tell stories that we couldn’t tell on our own.”
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Bringing a new medical device to market is a costly, time-consuming process. Innovations that seem like a slam dunk in the research lab often turn out not to work as intended during development. Clinical trials require minute, painstaking attention to detail. Federal regulators, understandably, demand proof that any new device is reasonably safe and works as its manufacturer claims. Each of these steps requires adequate funding and skilled manpower.
At the end of it all, Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance firms must be willing to reimburse providers that use the device. With rare exceptions, devices that don’t qualify for reimbursement—a highly complex consideration—fail to find traction in the market.
“Even with unlimited funding, it can take two years or more to complete the process for relatively simple medical devices,” says FocusStart founder and CEO Dr. Daniel Sigg.
Sigg and FocusStart co-founder Peter DeLange, who previously ran a successful medical device startup called Devicix (recently purchased by Nortech Systems, a local medical engineering company), had each spent years searching for a better early-stage device development model. When they met a few years back, they quickly realized their professional skills complemented each other.
So they founded FocusStart, a St. Paul startup that shepherds promising medical technologies through the tricky testing and development phase, refines validated devices for commercialization, and seeks strategic partners (typically multinationals) to complete the regulatory approval process and actually bring devices to market. FocusStart’s model is less capital-intensive than traditional medical device development models, though the company still assumes risk for technologies that don’t pan out during development.
FocusStart currently has four promising technologies in its portfolio: a cardiac product that may reduce blood clot risk following certain surgical procedures; a urological catheter that may reduce the risk of certain infections; a “smart” respiratory inhaler; and a “tissue tension sensor” that may promote better outcomes following partial and total knee replacement procedures.
Sigg and the team are devoting substantial energy and attention to the tissue tension sensor, which is capable of directly measuring ligament tension without requiring an invasive cut. Direct measurement enables surgeons to properly “balance” the knee during the replacement procedure, reducing the likelihood of complications or outright failure.
The sensor could potentially benefit other orthopedic procedures, such as rotator cuff and ACL surgeries, though FocusStart is concentrating on knee replacement for now. According to Sigg, it also has potential as a training tool for newer surgeons, who lack the intuitive “feel” of more experienced operators.
Although each technology is different, FocusStart’s development approach is fairly standardized. First, the company approaches a research institution to work out a licensing agreement for the technology. FocusStart works with the University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic, the University of Zurich (in Switzerland) and an Israeli inventor.
“We quickly found that these agreements are fairly standard, with some variation,” says Sigg.
FocusStart generally would pay a royalty on future sales of the product, possibly with an equity component to sweeten the deal for the institution should the technology find its way into a marketable device.
“We find it easier to develop relationships locally,” says Sigg, adding that his Swiss background (he grew up in Switzerland and attended medical school at the University of Basel) probably helped with the Zurich partnership.
FocusStart’s lean model helps, too. “Once [our partners] understood our approach, we become more successful in finding very interesting technologies,” says Sigg. And the combined expertise of the firm’s principals—Sigg was a board-certified anesthesiologist and subsequently amassed almost two decades of medical research and development experience, while DeLange had the business chops to build Devicix into a successful concern and boasts insider knowledge of the medical device field—doesn’t hurt.
But that doesn’t mean swift success is assured. FocusStart has been “fortunate” to receive National Institutes of Health grants during the early going, but the company continues to seek government grants and private funding—a process that will likely continue as Sigg and DeLange seek out and develop promising new technologies.
There’s no such thing as a perfect batting record in the medical device business. “As we do our own work, we may find challenges or problems that weren’t apparent previously,” says Sigg. “Occasionally, you have to know when to say ‘that’s it’ and walk away [from a technology].”
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
In August, downtown Minneapolis-based healthcare incubator TreeHouse Health teamed up with LifeScience Alley, a local biotech accelerator, for a well-attended demo day called Healthcare Innovation Is Alive and Well in Minnesota. According to Dr. John Blank, a TreeHouse Health cofounder (and, previously, a pediatric oncologist and health system administrator), the event supported TreeHouse’s ambitious-sounding mission: to turn MSP into the “Silicon Valley of medical technology innovation.”
Healthcare Innovation is Alive and Well featured lectures and workshops on pressing issues facing early-stage medical technology and life science companies — raising capital, bringing ideas to market, becoming cashflow-positive and more — plus an open, craft brew-fueled networking hour with some of the region’s top healthcare decision-makers.
But the real stars of the show were the innovative startups tapped to pitch their solutions to the high-profile crowd. Many were current TreeHouse Health tenants: Cellanyx, whose diagnostic solution could revolutionize the industry’s approach to certain cancers; PerkHealth, a virtual health coaching app that made
The Line’s
10 life-changing startups list last year; and VitalSims, an education platform for medical professionals.
TreeHouse Health’s portfolio is compelling. But Blank believes that if MSP is to live up to TreeHouse’s “Silicon Valley” promise, more needs to be done to support current and future medical technology entrepreneurs. At the moment, MSP lacks a critical mass of native venture capitalists willing to go out on a limb for potentially disruptive healthcare ideas.
Blank cites an early-stage health IT firm, currently in residence at TreeHouse Health, that had struggled to meet a $2 million funding round target with local backers despite a proven technology solution and more than $1 million in annual revenues. After six or seven months of banging on doors in MSP, the firm broadened its search and eventually completed the round with outside investors.
“There are plenty of investors interested in the health IT space,” says Blank, a Massachusetts native, “but they’re mostly based on the East or West Coasts and tend to fly over Minnesota.”
That’s why Blank and the TreeHouse team are fanatical about boosting the visibility of the companies in and outside of TreeHouse’s portfolio, starting with initiatives like the Life Science Alley collaboration.
TreeHouse is also working to attract promising companies that began life in regions better known for tech innovation, like Boston (arguably the capital of the U.S. life sciences industry) and the Bay Area. According to Blank, TreeHouse currently has one tenant from each region, with an eye for more.
A key selling point for TreeHouse and MSP in general, he says, is location. “You can easily travel anywhere in the continental United States and back within a 24-hour period, or even in the same business day” from MSP, says Blank. He mentions a TreeHouse tenant that recently flew overnight to Seattle for morning meetings with hospital executives there, then caught an early-afternoon flight back in time for dinner—a nearly 3,000-mile round trip in less than 24 hours.
“That kind of turnaround isn’t possible when you’re based on the coasts,” says Blank.
Another big advantage for MSP: a diverse array of established medical “payers” (health systems like Mayo and HealthPartners), insurers (like UnitedHealth Group), and device/technology manufacturers (like Medtronic and St. Jude Medical).
In other words, local life science and medical technology startups that
do manage to find funding here are apt to find lots of paying customers close by, regardless of niche—an important measure of security for any early-stage company. Over the long term, that existing customer base, coupled with a healthy dose of Minnesota nice, should prove enticing for coastal entrepreneurs looking to relocate to a cheaper, business-friendly locale.
“[MSP] is one of the few places in the country where you have Fortune 100 companies in every major healthcare sector,” says Blank. “And it’s a friendly enough place that you can make real progress toward building a professional network within a few days.”
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Healthcare spending accounts for a huge chunk of national GDP. And with dozens of major providers, insurers and medical device companies headquartered in and around MSP, the sector is absolutely critical for the local economy.
But the healthcare industry is notoriously inefficient. “Up to 30 percent of every dollar spent on healthcare is wasted due to unnecessary variations in care,” says Patrick Yoder, founder and CEO of LogicStream Health.
Yoder and LogicStream co-founder Dan Rubin want to bring healthcare delivery into the 21st century by making hospitals, clinics and individual medical professionals smarter about the care they provide.
Dozens of hospitals around the country believe in LogicStream’s solutions. Fairview, one of MSP’s largest hospital systems, is a current client; so is Yale-New Haven, a prestigious East Coast provider. LogicStream has nearly 500 ambulatory (walk-in) clinics in its system, too; not bad for a company that got its start just two years ago and still offices out of TreeHouse Health, a downtown Minneapolis healthcare business incubator.
LogicStream is built around the aptly named LogicStream Intelligence Platform, an algorithmic “learning system built for standardization,” as Yoder described it in an October 1 presentation at the MN Venture Conference. The goal of the LogicStream Intelligence Platform is to “improve clinical quality, provider satisfaction and cost efficiencies throughout the enterprise [while reducing or even eliminating] some critical hospital acquired conditions,” according to the company’s website.
While the technical aspects of LogicStream’s platform are complex, the gist is simple: It runs the huge amounts of data generated by each patient’s journey through the hospital or ambulatory clinic through a constantly evolving algorithm that spots trends and develops “rigid, clinically appropriate” (in other words, medically sound) protocols to reduce the risk of complications or waste.
LogicStream’s platform is designed to develop protocols rapidly, without hands-on human guidance. The platform’s speed and accuracy allows it to cover potentially thousands of life-threatening conditions that can affect hospital and clinic patients.
One early success: venous thromboembolism, a common clotting condition responsible for thousands of hospital deaths each year. According to a LogicStream case study, one client “reduced the rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in post-surgical patients by more than 80%, resulting in a significant overall decline in associated morbidity and mortality and $1.1M in cost savings.”
Yoder notes that, in most cases, reducing VTE risk is straightforward: Upon admission, “a patient’s care team needs to assess his or her individual risk for clots,” he says, not rely on statistical data that may not be relevant to the situation. LogicStream’s VTE protocols include an individual risk assessment; most electronic health records (EHRs), which clinicians use to track patient data and monitor condition changes, don’t.
As more clients discover LogicStream’s solution, Yoder expects the LogicStream Intelligence Platform to scale rapidly. At MN Venture, he projected three- to four-fold growth in total protocol content between Q3 2015 and Q1 2017, a huge boost to the platform’s power and reach. The company currently has 12 employees, and that count is likely to increase through 2016.
Job Listings
- Executive Vice President of Sales, Minneapolis (downtown)
Tuesday, October 06, 2015
Any attentive MSP citizen knows that F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of
The Great Gatsby, was a born-and-bred St. Paulite. Fitzgerald’s most famous novel explored the excesses of 1920s “Jazz Age” culture in the New York City area, but St. Paul was a pretty hopping place back then, too. Now, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age tour, hosted by St. Paul pastry chef and local historian Joan Mathison, lets you experience the era firsthand.
“I looked at the assets that would differentiate St. Paul from Minneapolis and appeal to a wide audience of travelers and potential residents,” explains Mathison, founder of Adventures with a Locavore. “It also happens that the 1920s is my favorite era in history.” Her next tour commences on Saturday, October 10.
Mathison’s tour, a walking excursion that winds through downtown St. Paul, hits more than a dozen examples of Art Deco design—an ascendant architectural style during the 1920s.
“St. Paul is the only city designated as a Distinctive American Destination by the National Trust, so I decided to focus the tour on historic preservation,” she says.
Mathison also conducted a fair bit of original research during the run-up to her inaugural tour this year. She was particularly intrigued by the old Kilmarnock Bookstore, which (according to period maps) sat at the corner of 4th and Cedar in downtown St. Paul.
Founded by a wealthy intellectual with a penchant for rare books and managed by a talented, aspiring writer (Thomas Boyd of
Through the Wheat fame), the Kilmarnock was never financially successful. In fact, it lasted less than a decade. But for a brief period during the early 1920s, it was the haunt for the cream of the American literary crop. On cold winter afternoons, Fitzgerald and other young writers met around the fireplace in the Kilmarnock’s smoky back room to trade stories and inspiration.
“The important thing I learned from that research was how critical collaboration is to innovation,” says Mathison. “The young writers that gathered in the back room of the avant-garde Kilmarnock Bookstore to talk about their work and other books...did the best work of their careers during those few years in the early 1920s.”
As an ode to the Jazz Age’s literary side, Mathison chose to pair the tour with three well-known books (not all written in the 1920s):
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, a nod to “St. Paul's sustainability evolution;”
The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs, which ties in to former St. Paul mayor George Latimer's downtown revitalization efforts; and, naturally,
The Great Gatsby.
The Kilmarnock inspired Mathison to connect with the just-as-vibrant community of modern artists and makers who live and work in downtown St. Paul. Mathison produced a “Meet the Makers” guide highlighting some of downtown’s top creatives; every tour-goer gets a complimentary copy.
Featured makers and artists include Susan Brown of Mademoiselle Miel, Stephen Gallilvan of Leprechaun's Dreamcycle, Alicia Hinze of The Buttered Tin, Jeff Moriarty of
Tin Whiskers, Monica Larsen and Bill Moran of Hamilton Ink Spot, and Jan Selby of Quiet Island Films.
John Anfinson, superintendent of the Mississippi River & National Recreation Area, Lee George of the James J. Hill Center, and Andy Sturdevant of Springboard for the Arts are also involved.
Longer-term, Mathison wants to bring her special brand of walking tour to other MSP neighborhoods. “I'm curious about 38th and Chicago [in Minneapolis], and Lake Street is so amazing,” she says. “The more tours we can offer in the Twin Cities, the higher we’ll raise our profile as a tourist destination.”
Tuesday, October 06, 2015
MSP’s rapidly growing pro-pollinator community is turning the region into an urban oasis for honeybees and other pollinating insects, raising the likelihood that future generations will know the joys of easily accessible fresh produce and biodiverse green spaces.
But plenty of intrepid pollinator entrepreneurs are focused on the here and now. Susan Brown of Mademoiselle Miel, a hyper-local sweet treats company based in downtown St. Paul, was an early evangelist for pollinator power—and continues to inspire a growing cohort of makers, chefs and educators who earn a living at the intersection of
urban agriculture, environmental stewardship and old-fashioned craftiness.
Mademoiselle Miel is a “beekeeping chocolatier” specializing in rich chocolate honey bon-bons, many wrapped in edible 23 karat gold leaf—“a brilliant union of elegance and raw nature,” according to Brown’s website. The bon-bons come in several varieties, including a decadent Scotch infusion and various seasonal flavors.
The honey for Brown’s bon-bons comes from hives situated on rooftops throughout MSP—for instance, at Union Depot (near Brown’s downtown St. Paul headquarters) and atop
Tiny Diner in Longfellow. The bees collect pollen from whatever flowers happen to be in bloom, providing Brown’s creations with an ever-changing array of local flavors.
Brown has been fascinated with bees and honey since she her youth. Ironically, though, she hasn’t always been a fan of honey’s taste. “I didn't actually like the taste of honey when I was young,” she told CityPages earlier this year. “I just started cooking with it because I was trying to eat in a way that made me feel good.”
In the intervening decades, Brown embarked on a successful cooking and catering career that found plenty of uses for the sticky substance. But she didn’t start making honey full-time until 2011, when she launched Mademoiselle Miel in St. Paul.
Hungry for a hyper-local alternative to sickly sweet candies and ho-hum storebought honey without a distinctive terroir, MSP foodies embraced Brown’s concept with gusto. Her creations quickly found their way into high-end cooking stores like Cooks of Crocus Hill and crunchy grocery outlets like Seward Co-op.
Brown’s products have since appeared in prominent hotel and restaurant properties around the area: high-end Minneapolis hotels like the Hyatt Regency, W Minneapolis and Le Meridien Chambers are customers, as is Surdyks Flights (at MSP International) and the Walker Art Center.
More exciting still, Mademoiselle Miel has lately joined a growing list of successful Minnesota exports. Brown’s sweet creations aren’t quite as well-known or widely available as SPAM and Post-it notes—yet —but they’re nevertheless available at select boutiques in New York City, Seattle and the Washington, D.C., area. More accounts could be in the works, though Brown’s production capacity is somewhat limited by bee, hive and rooftop counts.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
The Minneapolis Idea eXchange (MiX) was launched a year ago during an interactive event at City Center featuring city leaders, performances and networking between the hundreds of attendees curious about MiX. The brainchild of the city’s Downtown 2025 Plan’s Festival of Ideas committee, MiX’s purpose is to bring together citizens and visitors with energetic thinking and civic engagement in order to further Minneapolis’ already considerable vitality.
On September 28, and October 1 and 2, MiX builds on its momentum with a free speaker series created in collaboration with Westminster Town Hall Forum. Pete Docter, a Bloomington native who helped create the blockbuster films “Toy Story,” “Wall-E,” “Up” and “Inside Out” with Pixar Animation Studios, speaks on Monday, September 28 (7 p.m.), on “Inside the Creative Community: The Power and Process of Animated Film.”
Later in the week, on Thursday evening (7 p.m.), October 1, author and social justice advocate Tavis Smiley will galvanize audience members with his talk, “No One Left Out: Creating Communities of Justice.” Friday, October 2, at noon, Minnesotan Dan Buettner — explorer, educator and three-time world record holder for endurance bicycling — discusses Blue Zones, the organization he founded to help people live longer, healthier lives.
The overall idea behind the series, says Mary Shaffer, co-chair of the MiX organizational committee, “is to inspire people to think about how they want to live, work and play in their city.” To that end, activities will also take place outside of Westminster Presbyterian Church (the location for the speaker series), at the corner of Nicollet Mall and 12th Street.
“We’re not only offering participants a chance to hear these high caliber, nationally recognized speakers, but we’re also activating the area outside the church to bring new energy to that part of the city and further conversation,” Shaffer says. The Independent Film Project will capture attendee responses to Docter’s speech and their thoughts about the future of Minneapolis; a screening of a Docter film may also take place. Brave New Workshop will host improv workshops in conjunction with Smiley’s talk. The downtown YWCA will offer fitness classes and the Minneapolis Bike Coalition will be present for Buettner’s appearance.
“For last century, Minneapolis has been a leader in innovation,” says Rev. Dr. Timothy Hart-Andersen, senior pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church, and chair of the MiX committee. “MiX is simply picking up on the innovative, creative spirit of civic engagement in our city. The three speakers will each bring fascinating and provocative perspectives to the question of how we can be a better city and better citizens.”
Continuing, Hart-Andersen adds that, “Part of what makes Minneapolis work so well is the social connectivity, and the civic engagement, not only inside board rooms, classrooms, labs and churches across the city, but also over a beer and something good to eat. The space we’re activating at the end of the mall will give people the opportunity to enjoy food and beverages, share time together and further the conversations that began with the speakers.”
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
There’s about to be a new way for amateur and professional musicians to collaborate on original music without regard for geography — and it’s made in MSP.
Record Together, an innovative recording and idea-sharing platform developed and promoted by MSP brothers Scott and Mike Bishop, is nearing the launch of a completely revamped application that allows multiple musicians to collaborate on the same song, no matter where they live or whether they have access to sophisticated instruments and recording equipment.
Think of Record Together as a virtual, remote music studio that connects musicians who’d otherwise never even hear of each other, let alone meet up for a recording session. Users lay down one or more tracks — anything from an isolated piano line to a four-piece band’s guitar, bass, drum and vocal tracks. They then “draw in” outlines for other tracks (for instance, a vocal harmony to accompany the piano line) using automated music software and publish to Record Together’s online marketplace. Once published, other users record their own tracks to replace the drawn-in outlines and create a whole (or at least more complete) composition.
Record Together is intentionally designed for musicians of all ages, abilities and levels of seriousness. “We cater to professional jazz musicians with mindblowing musical skills and years of experience,” says Mike Bishop, “along with high school kids just messing around with a guitar or saxophone in the basement.”
The Bishop brothers fleshed out the revamped Record Together platform with non-technical, cost-conscious users in mind. According to Scott Bishop, Record Together isn’t the only cloud-based music recording solution that empowers cross-border collaboration. But musicians would be hard-pressed to find a simpler, more cost-effective option.
“Access to a professional recording studio is a major barrier to entry for most musicians,” he says, “due to the high cost of reserving studio space and the limited amount of space available.” Musicians who record demo tapes or digital imprints on their own solve the cost problem, he adds, but sacrifice collaborative potential and sound quality.
“Our objective with Record Together is to reduce recording expenses and remove every possible barrier to enjoyment and creativity,” says Mike Bishop. “We want to move users closer to their end goal — making great music.”
The updated Record Together app replaces a legacy platform born in 2011. The legacy platform was built around “opportunities” — calls for single-track contributions to unfinished songs. For each opportunity, users submitted recordings that fit the stated requirements; the opportunity’s poster then selected the winner and paid the creator an agreed-upon sum. The new platform is still transactional — “We want users to get something back for their contributions,” says Scott Bishop — but the “draw in” feature allows for a more seamless and expansive collaboration process.
Although the Bishops are coy about when the new platform will roll out to the public, they’re not shy about their plans or ambition. The brothers are currently putting out feelers for a seed funding round, says Scott Bishop, in the hopes of scaling the platform and ensuring that “everyone who wants to use it will be able to from day one.”
After that, the sky’s the limit. “We believe that Record Together has the potential to do for music what YouTube did for video,” he says.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Eureka Recycling, a homegrown, progressive recycling nonprofit based in Northeast Minneapolis, is upping its “zero waste” game. The company is sponsoring MSP’s first-ever Zero Waste Summit on September 18 from 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm.
Brave New Workshop, an all-purpose venue and gathering space in downtown Minneapolis, is hosting the event. General admission tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students. Scholarship tickets, which include the cost of admission, two drink tickets and an admission scholarship for another attendee, are $100. Anyone who arrives by public or active transportation (bus, LRT, bike or foot) earns free admission to a future Brave New Workshop event of their choice.
“We want attendees to get information and thoughts from the people who really live the vision of zero waste,” says Lynn Hoffman, Eureka Recycling’s chief of community engagement and principal event organizer. “Equally important will be the time to connect and collaborate so we can take action while inspiration is still fresh in our hearts and minds.”
To that end, Eureka’s first-ever Zero Waste Summit features nearly 20 speakers, many of whom have close ties to MSP’s sustainability movement.
Amanda LaGrange works as marketing director for
Tech Dump St. Paul, an innovative electronics recycling outfit that offers free, eco-friendly disposal services (to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds per year) and provides living-wage jobs for economically disadvantaged adults.
Eartha Bell is director for the soon-to-be-operational Frogtown Farm, an ambitious project that promises to be Minnesota’s largest
urban farm (and one of the country’s biggest, as well).
Tracy Sides is director of Urban Oasis, a “sustainable food center” that offers healthy cooking education, small business training, catering with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, and other sorely needed food services on St. Paul’s East Side.
These speakers and their organizations, and all the others represented at the Zero Waste Summit, live and breathe Eureka’s commitment to low-impact communities.
“Eureka Recycling is the only organization in Minnesota that specializes in zero waste,” says Christine Weeks, co-principal at Field Guide, a St. Paul-based boutique communications firm that caters to progressive clients. “The organization's services, programs and policy work present solutions to the social, environmental and health problems caused by wasting.”
“Zero waste is more than an empty garbage can,” adds Hoffman. “The way we consume accounts for almost half of the CO2 that threatens [our] healthy food, abundant resources, clean air and water, safe and reliable products, and healthy families and communities.”
In February 2015, Minneapolis startup Vidku raised $17 million in a 17-day Series A funding round led by Arthur Ventures, a Fargo-based venture capital group. The speed and size of Vidku’s fundraising effort was unusual: According to data from CrunchBase, the average Series A raised $6.9 million in 2014 and it often takes months to close a successful round.
So it’s no surprise that MSP’s investors and innovators sat up and took note of Vidku’s breakout success. CEO Jim Leslie attributes his company’s achievement both to the far-reaching capabilities of Flipgrid, its core “asynchronous video sharing” product, and the boundless belief of Vidku’s 35-plus employees.
“Our investors weren’t interested because they knew who [Vidku’s leaders] were or trusted us to execute,” says Leslie, a self-described “serial entrepreneur” who ran a handful of successful firms (and sold his most recent venture for a cool $100 million in 2011) before joining the Vidku team. “The passion of our entire team regarding Flipgrid’s future possibilities was infectious — our investors got as excited as we were” about Vidku and Flipgrid.
Users believe in Flipgrid, too. According to Leslie, the product has hosted more than 3 million video shares since its January 2014 launch, spreading chiefly through word of mouth. (Vidku has no formal marketing operation to speak of, though that may change in the future.)
Flipgrid admins, typically classroom educators, populate “grids” with video or text questions, prompting video responses from student users. Everyone with access to the grid can see and share the responses. There’s no limit to each grid’s capacity for questions and responses, though admins are limited to a specific number of grids per year — typically five to 10, or roughly one per class for full-time educators.
Though Flipgrid was originally designed for educators, Leslie is quick to point out that about 20 percent of the platform’s volume is devoted to non-educational use. Private businesses and government agencies use Flipgrid as a collaborative tool, while wedding planners and religious institutions leverage it to create more social events and environments.
“Flipgrid is a growing, powerful and highly effective technology tool that’s getting stronger all the time,” says Leslie. Following Vidku’s “design first” imperative, “we’re constantly developing new ways for users to participate.”
Vidku’s development activities have accelerated since the company spun out from an eight-person University of Minnesota team led by Dr. Charles Miller. Miller’s team is responsible for designing and building out Flipgrid’s base technology and critical elements. Leslie and co-founder Phil Soran, also a wildly successful tech entrepreneur, caught wind of Miller’s innovation and offered to form a private company capable of turning Flipgrid into a disruptive technological force.
“We were only interested in [spinning Flipgrid out of the U and forming Vidku] if [Miller’s] entire team was on board,” says Leslie. He didn’t need to worry: The response was an enthusiastic “yes.”
For Flipgrid’s core team and the U itself, the transition to private enterprise has thus far been smooth. All eight team members remain on staff at Vidku, generously compensated for their efforts and diligently working on the next big thing.
Perhaps more importantly, the U is a major shareholder in Vidku; Vidku’s success is quite literally the U’s success. Such public-private synergies, wherein universities drive innovation and investors provide the capital necessary to bring transformative ideas to market, are commonplace in established tech centers like Boston and Silicon Valley, says Leslie, but less so in MSP.
“A strong public-private linkage is the hallmark of a healthy entrepreneurial community,” he says. “We’re on the cusp of that here” in MSP.
In addition to Flipgrid, Vidku also offers a video-based assessment tool called Avenue. “Whereas Flipgrid is suited for discussions” and other forms of knowledge and experience delivery, Leslie explains, “Avenue is ideal for more formally assessing knowledge.”
Vidku’s team also handles development work for Passport, a language-learning application initially developed by St. Paul-based EMC Publishing. Though Vidku doesn’t own Passport, Fligrid and Passport are kindred spirits with the same lofty goal: reducing friction and improving knowledge delivery in the classroom.
Later this year, Vidku plans to launch an application that offers a “significant enhancement” to Flipgrid’s capabilities, says Leslie. The new update “is the first tangible fruit of our intensive development efforts” since spinning off from the U, he adds, though he’s mum on the software’s specifics.
Seven recent graduates of the University of Minnesota, who met in the Carlson School’s Entrepreneurship in Action class, are taking the course’s title to heart. Within weeks of coming together last fall, the group had hatched an idea for a homegrown premium hard cider brand called Lionheart Cider.
Thanks in part to ample startup funding secured through Entrepreneurship in Action, Lionheart was a student division semi-finalist in the 2015 MN Cup — a huge leap for a concept that has yet to see its first birthday.
Lionheart closed its first production round last month and is now on shelves in about 120 liquor stores in MSP and surrounding areas, with Artisan Beer Company handling distribution. The suggested retail price on its 16-ounce can 4-packs is $7.99, which co-founder Anna Lin says is “affordable” relative to other premium craft cider brands.
Co-founder Jason Dayton, one half of an avid father-son home cidermaking team, developed Lionheart’s “not too sweet” recipe. “Lionheart is designed for people who find popular brands like Angry Orchard to sweet,” Lin says.
Lionheart’s co-founders aren’t typical startup types. Some were finance and business majors, but others focused on journalism (like Lin), agriculture and music during their undergrad years. All are first-time entrepreneurs “who don’t always know what we’re doing,” says Lin, who admits that the group has quibbled over plans and tactics.
“But the difficult periods present the greatest learning opportunities,” she adds.
Some Lionheart co-founders do have entrepreneurial pedigrees, including Lin herself. Lin’s father, a former truck driver, worked his way into the fueling industry shortly after China’s economy liberalized in the 1980s. He now owns a thriving gas station business. Not to be outdone, her mother runs two coffee shop franchises in China.
“[My parents’] hard work is why I’m here in Minnesota, speaking a second language fluently, meeting amazing people,” and learning firsthand what it takes to be an entrepreneur, says Lin.
In the near term, Lionheart’s team is looking forward to soliciting customer feedback on its original cider recipe and growing its Minnesota account base. But Dayton and the rest of the group are already mulling new flavors and styles within the “not too sweet” universe, plus an expanded distribution footprint.
“We eventually hope to have several varieties and distribute in multiple states, perhaps even nationally,” says Lin.
Lin herself may not take part in Lionheart’s long-term growth. Her current visa expires next year, and she’ll have to find work in journalism or a related field — and a sponsorship from any potential employer (Lionheart may not count) — to qualify for a longer-term work visa that allows her to stay in the United States. Given federal work visa caps and intense competition from highly qualified candidates, Lin knows she might not make the cut — though she’s eternally optimistic.
Regardless of how Lionheart’s leadership team — or the company itself — looks in three years, the experience has already been immensely rewarding for Lin and her colleagues. “It’s an amazing blessing to be able to come [to the United States] and work on a project like this,” she says. “I never would have hung out with or spoken to any of [my colleagues] were it not for Lionheart.”
Prolific MSP artist Cindy Lindgren is teaming up with Modern Yardage, a digital fabric printing company, to launch a Minneapolis-centric fabric line called “City of Lakes.” Lindgren debuted City of Lakes this May at the International Quilt Market, a national trade show. The fabrics feature iconic Minneapolis images, including Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles and Lake Harriet, plus the downtown skyline, Uptown theater marquee, bikes and Nordic skis.
“City of Lakes is my tribute to the wonderful chain of lakes and all the activities we love to participate in, whether it's music, nature or biking,” Lindgren explains.
The City of Lakes concept could soon go national. “[City of Lakes] got a lot of attention” at the International Quilt Market, says Lindgren. She’s already been approached by several other U.S. cities about custom-designed hometown fabric lines. She plans to finish work on her first two non-MSP city lines — Appleton, Wisconsin, and Watkins Glen, New York — in the coming months, with an eye to snagging additional clients and selling her work in local stores.
For now, Lindgren is throwing her multi-pronged marketing operation behind City of Lakes. She sells the fabrics themselves through Modern Yardage, her preferred fabric production partner. “Modern Yardage prints fabric on demand, so it can offer niche themes to their customers,” she says, giving “designers...a lot of freedom to create unique designs not offered by other large fabric companies.”
Lindgren sells City of Lakes prints and cards at her personal Etsy shop and “various gift shops and stores around MSP,” including The Minnesota History Center, Bibelot, The University of Minnesota Book Store and The Como Conservatory. Suburban outposts, such as the Mall of America’s Afternoon Store and Edina’s West Elm outlet, offer Lindgren’s work as well.
Lindgren also maintains a fruitful collaborative relationship with The Linden Tree, a specialty fabric shop and creative hub in Linden Hills. Linden Tree staffers consulted closely with Lindgren during the City of Lakes project’s design phase, produced prototype samples and reserved ample shelf space for the finished products.
Though MSP will always be City of Lakes fabrics’ natural home, Lindgren is actively seeking licensing partnerships with printers, retailers and apparel-makers in Minnesota and beyond. Current licensees include Great Arrow Graphics, Check Advantage (a personal check printer) and Janome (pending).
Lindgren describes her artistic style as “Craftsman Nouveau,” which include such stylistic hallmarks as “rich color palettes” and clean lines.
“My inspiration comes from William Morris, Frank Lloyd Wright and the WPA-era posters,” says Lindgren. “I'm also influenced by my midwestern upbringing and choose to illustrate the places, plants, flowers and birds around me.”
mini_polis, the winner of Minneapolis’ third annual Creative City Challenge, will be on display August 13 at the second Creative City Market, held from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Minneapolis Convention Center Plaza. mini_polis will be on display at the plaza for the third and final Creative City Market, on September 10, and remain outdoors until October 15.
Dubbed “a miniature city of collective imagination,” mini_polis is a scale model of downtown Minneapolis some 50 feet in diameter.
Unlike the past two Creative City Challenge winners, which were constructed by small teams of dedicated artists, mini_polis is the fruit of dozens of professional and amateur craftspeople’s labor. SocialSculpture, a Minneapolis-based sculpture collective led by Niko Kubota, oversaw the basic design and provided pre-made kits for guided construction of individual houses and apartment buildings at five supervised workshops held in April and May this year. Staff members from Leonardo’s Basement were on hand at all five workshops to guide less experienced makers. All participants were invited to record their stories and thoughts for a multimedia station that accompanies mini_polis on the Convention Center Plaza.
mini_polis’s miniature buildings are surrounded by gentle ramps and walkways that follow the outline of Minneapolis’ Interstate highways, allowing viewers (including those in wheelchairs) to enter and explore the sculpture. According to mini_polis’s website, visitors can “respond to builder’s dreams…[and] make their own place-specific comments about the city” using chalkboard paint on the sculpture’s surface.
mini_polis’s showcase event, Creative City Market, is no less engaging. The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild will be on hand to pour local craft beer favorites, with fair food (roasted corn, brats and hot dogs) for sustenance. The plaza’s performance space hosts local musician Mayda from 5 to 6, the Milu Milu Couture fashion show from 6 to 6:30, and spoken word performances (various artists) from 7 to 9. A locally produced movie, presented by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Film Society, will be shown. Local makers and vendors — painters, tattoo artists, textile and jewelry specialists, potters and others — will mingle with the crowd, educating and delighting patrons.
“Creative City Market is a free monthly experience in the heart of our downtown that celebrates the art of making,” says Kristen Montag, Meet Minneapolis communications and public relations manager.
Creative City Market is sponsored by the Minneapolis Convention Center, the City of Minneapolis and Meet Minneapolis, with support from Northern Lights.mn and the Musicant Group.
SaundersDailey, a first-of-its-kind web platform by local real estate veteran Marshall Saunders and digital marketing whiz Jason Dailey, is empowering MSP locals to invest in the region’s accelerating real estate market — without actually moving into the properties they help build or buy.
Saunders’ and Dailey’s platform is the latest innovation in the equity crowdfunding space — an emerging financial sector, made legal by the sweeping federal JOBS Act of 2012, that allows people who meet certain financial requirements to make small but meaningful equity investments in a variety of asset classes.
“Equity crowdfunding appeals to investors who want to support promising ideas and assets,” as they would on classic crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, says Saunders. “The difference is that it allows investors to take an actual stake in the asset,” and, hopefully, see a return on their investment.
SaundersDailey officially debuted at a July 14 launch party in Minneapolis’ Kenwood neighborhood. The company began with a single investment opportunity: Residential Fund One, a bundle that includes more than a dozen residential properties throughout the region. “Residential Fund One is basically a local real estate mutual fund,” says Saunders.
According to Saunders, future investment opportunities — including some that should become available in the coming weeks — will focus on discrete properties, mostly multifamily residential buildings. Saunders cites a seven-unit building on Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, currently part of Residential Fund One, as an ideal SaundersDailey property.
For now, SaundersDailey owns, or has under contract, most of the properties listed on the site. But in the future, SaundersDailey plans to serve as a sort of clearinghouse for property owners and developers looking to raise funds for their own investments.
The platform already has one listed property that it doesn’t directly own: a retirement community in New Ulm, Minnesota. The community’s owners pay SaundersDailey to use the site and put its offering in front of a growing cohort of MSP-based investors; Saunders is betting that this arrangement will appear increasingly attractive to property owners who might otherwise struggle to attract backers.
Saunders says SaundersDailey is developing a thorough vetting process for future third-party property listings. He sees SaundersDailey-owned properties representing the bulk of the company’s business for the foreseeable future, but estimates that third-party listings “could represent 20 to 25 percent of our revenue stream” over the medium to long term.
Most SaundersDailey properties, including third-party listings, are residential. “Residential is what I know best,” says Saunders, who cut his chops at the helm of RE/MAX Results, now Minnesota’s third-largest residential real estate brokerage. In the future, SaundersDailey may “dabble” in commercial real estate, but Saunders expects residential to remain the focus. And though Saunders doesn’t categorically rule out the possibility of expanding to other midwestern markets, he’s cautious about setting his sights too high, due both to stricter legal standards for interstate offerings and the simple fact that “every market is different.”
For MSP residents keen to own a piece of the region’s hot real estate market without actually buying a house or condo themselves, SaundersDailey has a big catch. By law, the platform can only accept investments from accredited investors — individuals who earn at least $200,000 per year (or married couples earning at least $300,000 per year) on a consistent basis, or individuals worth at least $1 million.
Saunders is optimistic that the laws restricting equity crowdfunding investments to accredited investors will change as the concept goes mainstream. He’s also hopeful that regulations made possible by the recently passed
MNvest legislation will ease the burden for non-accredited investors, though he estimates a year or more will pass before those regulations are ready.
Nordeast continues its growth boom with the addition of
COCO. In June, COC) revealed the location of its fourth coworking space — 1400 Van Buren Street NE — in a century-old building that’s been almost totally remodeled and updated to meet the demands of the modern workspace.
COCO’s Northeast Minneapolis outpost joins locations in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, and Uptown Minneapolis. The Northeast location is also right around the corner from another Nordeast fixture that’s also in the midst of a growth boom:
Indeed Brewery. Bauhaus BrewLabs is just across Central Avenue, too. Thirsty COCO tenants certainly won’t lack for happy hour options at their new digs.
COCO Northeast looks to be a bit cozier than the two downtown locations. According to the release announcing the move, the new space will feature 10 closed-door startup suites designed for two- to 14-person teams. These suites function as separate offices with all the benefits of COCO membership; rents are likely to be in-line with or lower than prevailing rents for standalone suites in Northeast.
COCO Northeast also has plans for six campsites, semi-open — literally tented, in some cases — workspaces designed for teams of four to eight. For “solopreneurs” and remote workers, the space will feature 14 standalone, dedicated desks arranged in a bullpen-style configuration. A mishmash of tables, benches and standing areas, all perfect for solo work in a social environment, will flesh out the main space. Off the common bullpen, COCO plans to make five meeting rooms available for meetings and group presentations. The common area is available for meetings, too, though privacy is limited.
Tours of the entire space are available on Fridays at 11 am. Prospective members are encouraged to register online; others should contact COCO directly for arrangements.
COCO’s new space has a tech-y pedigree: It’s the former home of Sport Ngin, an MSP-made software platform that provides comprehensive web publishing and management solutions for sports organizations. Sport Ngin vacated the space for larger digs a few blocks south, at the corner of Broadway Street NE and Quincy Street NE.
COCO’s move adds mass to an emerging tech cluster running along Central Avenue NE, from roughly 18th Avenue NE in the north to St. Anthony Main in the south — the heart of Nordeast’s startup scene. In addition to Sport Ngin, the area is already home to BuzzFeed, SmartThings and Code42, among dozens of smaller startups.
Handsome Cycles and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts have entered into what could be MSP’s coolest creative partnership so far this year. In celebration of its 100th year, the MIA commissioned Handsome to create three custom cycles inspired by works in the museum’s world-famous collection. Handsome and MIA unveiled the bikes at MIA’s most recent Third Thursday event, on July 16. The event, dubbed “Bike Night,” turned into a celebration of all things bike.
Cyclists pedaled to the event from St. Paul’s Onmium Bike Shop. When they arrived, they were invited to bike right through MIA’s front doors and into its atrium. Minneapolis’ One on One Bikes was on hand with free bike checks, and both One on One and Twin Six unveiled new bike gear at adjacent booths.
Key MSP bike advocacy groups, including the Midtown Greenway Coalition, 30 Days of Biking and Powderhorn 24, were on hand. Custom frame builders, including Peacock Groove and Prairie Cow, networked with discerning cyclists.
“[MIA’s] continued support of the bike community is absolutely amazing,” says Jesse Erickson, Handsome Cycles co-founder and COO.
The custom bike design process unfolded over the course of several months. “Handsome Cycles...shares the museum’s commitment to embracing the local and integrating great design, technology and experimentation, while staying true to its core values and community,” says Hunter Wright, MIA’s Venture Innovation Director.
Handsome Cycles took inspiration from several works in MIA’s collection, notably the 1948 Tatra T87 Sedan, a petite car housed in an MIA hall; Claude Monet’s Grainstack; and Frank Stella’s Tahkt-I-Sulayman Variation II. The finished bikes blended the inspiration works’ color schemes, shapes and themes in attractive, functional packages that looked (and rode) like regular bikes.
The MIA-Handsome partnership didn’t end on July 16. Handsome Cycles is making a limited number of “MIA bikes” available for sale in its Northeast Minneapolis store and through MIA’s gift shop. The sleek single-speed bikes, available in white or black frames, are listed at about $1,100 on Handsome’s website.
Minnesota Social Impact Center, a North Loop coworking and social entrepreneurship organization charged with “connecting change agents” from disparate professions and walks of life, is now Impact Hub Minneapolis-St. Paul.
The name change is about more than semantics. Impact Hub Minneapolis-St. Paul joins more than 80 other Impact Hubs worldwide — the latest addition to a disparate network of cohesively branded, locally controlled organizations that offer “a unique ecosystem of resources, inspiration and collaboration opportunities to grow the positive impact of the work of impact-focused innovators,” says Danielle Steer, Impact Hub’s manager of operations and member services.
As part of the global Impact Hub network, Impact Hub Minneapolis-St. Paul gains access to a “shared international database” that leverages the experiences and expertise of Impact Hub’s global membership, dubbed “Hubbers.” The global Impact Hub network provides consulting and logistical support to each member organization, a helpful perk as Impact Hub Minneapolis-St. Paul grows its membership and deepens ties to the MSP community.
With a much higher profile and the cachet of an international social entrepreneurship brand behind it, Impact Hub Minneapolis-St. Paul is “actively seeking organizational partners, financial support and more members to make this venture a success,” says Steer. The board is also expecting to outgrow its North Loop “prototype space” and is looking for larger digs nearby. And Impact Hub Minneapolis-St. Paul is looking to expand its day-to-day programming and special event schedule, building off a launch event in May and a just-finished meeting/event space at its current headquarters.
Before the organization could officially adopt the Impact Hub brand, Steer, her teammates and Impact Hub’s six-member board of directors (led by board chair Terri Barreiro and staffed, among others, by organization founder Katie Kalkman) put the question to an up-or-down vote of the full Impact Hub membership.
According to Steer, preparing the necessary applications and supplemental materials — including a polished team video — took the better part of a year. Throughout the process, Steer and her colleagues solicited input from Impact Hubs that had recently achieved full membership in the global network: Impact Hub Sydney (Australia), Impact Hub Oakland, Impact Hub Boulder and Impact Hub Malaysia.
The Impact Hub concept was born in Vienna, Austria, and now has a presence on four continents. Impact Hub Minneapolis-St. Paul is the first and only Impact Hub in The North; other U.S. locations include Boston, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco.
Minneapolis’ status as the Internet hub of The North
(and IOT, or Internet of Things), is now even more secure. Just months after opening an ultra-connected “Meet Me Room” in a
new, state-of-the-art facility at the 511 Building in downtown Minneapolis,
Cologix has announced a high-profile partnership with Nebraska-based Great Plains Communications, a network provider for carriers and enterprise clients across the Heartland.
The deal sees Great Plains establishing a major presence, known as a Point of Presence (POP), at Cologix’s Minneapolis data center, colloquially known as a “carrier hotel.” Great Plains’ Minneapolis POP will serve about 75 clients in MSP, greater Minnesota and other areas throughout The North.
According to Lynn Mead, Great Plains’ head of carrier and wholesale communications, the new POP is part of a major expansion and modernization drive that includes the laying of about 5,000 miles of additional broadband fiber in Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota.
“Across our markets, we saw new demand from customers seeking connectivity into Minnesota, including both carrier and enterprise clients,” says Mead. “Our customers want low latency and high bandwidth connections into The North” — two advantages Cologix’s carrier hotel, part of the “most connected building in Minneapolis,” is equipped to provide.
“Cologix’s Minneapolis facility is designed very well and the staff accommodates customers by ensuring the framework to extend fiber is in place,” she adds.
Cologix’s staff is thrilled to have another high-profile partner to add to the likes of Netflix, a key bandwidth user at its carrier hotel.
“We are thrilled to add a prominent company like Great Plains Communications to the ecosystem of our Minneapolis data center,” says Mike Hemphill, general manager at Cologix’s Minneapolis facility. “As we continue to increase the fiber connectivity with a robust collection of carriers, the network fabric of [The North] is strengthened to sustain the increasing demand we continue to see in this market.”
Cologix’s carrier hotel isn’t the only super-connected hub in MSP. The area is home to several other major data centers, most clustered at or near the intersection of several high-traffic fiber lines in downtown Minneapolis. For instance, the AT&T Building hosts IronGate’s main data center, which itself hosts dozens of network providers and high-bandwidth enterprise clients.
MSP has emerged as the Internet hub of The North — the most connected place between Chicago and Seattle, and the north-central United States’ only real data center alternative to Chicago — for a host of economic reasons. Two are worth singling out.
In 2011, the Minnesota State Legislature passed a 20-year tax holiday on qualifying data center investments, including infrastructure and power generation. That dramatically lowers the cost of opening and maintaining data centers here.
MSP’s climate helps, too. The long cold season reduces year-round cooling bills — typically a huge overhead expense for data centers, which are prone to overheating. In places like Dallas and Jacksonville, both popular data center hubs with famously scorching summers, cooling costs can eat into centers’ profits and raise costs for carriers and enterprise clients.
Medical cannabis or marijuana officially became legal statewide on July 1, with MSP quickly emerging as the de facto hub for sales and cultivation. Two MSP-area companies, Minnesota Medical Solutions (MinnMed) and LeafLine Labs, are leading the way.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, more than 200 healthcare practitioners were certified to recommend patients for medical marijuana during the first month of registrations. About 100 patients are certified to purchase medical marijuana statewide, though that number is expected to increase as the state works through its backlog of patient applications and more providers come online.
MinnMed’s flagship clinic, where medical marijuana cardholders can purchase cannabis oil and other derivatives, recently moved into the old League of Catholic Women space in downtown Minneapolis. LeafLine’s first clinic is located in suburban Eagan.
Each organization plans three more dispensaries around the state: MinnMed in Moorhead, Rochester and Eden Prairie; LeafLine in St. Paul, St. Cloud and Hibbing. LeafLine grows its product at a tightly controlled, 24-acre facility in suburban Cottage Grove, while MinnMed works a state-of-the-art greenhouse complex in rural Otsego.
Combined, LeafLine and MinnMed have already raised about $30 million in venture capital funding, with more potentially in the works. But with some of the nation’s most restrictive medical cannabis laws here in Minnesota, it could be a while before funders see a return on their investment. Unlike California, Colorado, Washington State and other pro-cannabis states, Minnesota — even liberal MSP — won’t have ostentatious storefront dispensaries or open-to-the-public cannabis clubs anytime soon.
‘‘The [national] industry doesn’t do it this way,’’ MinnMed principal Dr. Kyle Kingsley said in a recent interview with the Boston Globe. ‘‘It’s all new.’’
The law also sets strict qualifying standards for prospective patients. Patients need to demonstrate — and healthcare providers must confirm — that their conditions are truly debilitating or life threatening. Qualifying conditions include glaucoma; Crohn’s disease; cancer or cancer treatment associated with nausea, vomiting, wasting and/or severe pain; HIV/AIDS; seizure disorders; severe muscle spasms, such as caused by multiple sclerosis; ALS; and Tourette’s Syndrome.
To promote safer modes of ingestion and prevent patients from smoking their medicine, Minnesota’s law forbids direct sales of plant material. Instead, producers are required to extract the plant’s active ingredients, condensing them into potent oils that can be incorporated into pill capsules, oral sprays, tinctures, suspensions and oils designed to be heated, vaporized and inhaled.
Dosages vary between and within each mode. Both MinnMed and LeafLife offer detailed dosing instructions to patients and healthcare providers, with MinnMed advocating a “start low, go slow” approach for patients unfamiliar with marijuana’s effects. Over time, each patient is encouraged to develop a customized dosing regimen in consultation with their healthcare provider.
“Different patients have different needs, and there are a lot of compounds in cannabis that are helpful to patients,” said Kingsley in a recent interview with KSTP. “[W]e want to...make these medications for specific patients.”
Though debate continues as to whether the average person needs eight glasses of water per day, many of us still forget to stay hydrated when we’re busy. Hidrate co-founder and recent University of Minnesota graduate Nadya Nguyen found out the hard way.
On the bus home from a 10-hour volunteer shift at TEDxMinneapolis, Nguyen felt faint and disoriented. Her head was pounding. With effort, she recounted the events of her jam-packed day and realized that she hadn’t taken a single sip of water since the morning. She simply hadn’t had the time, to say nothing of the mental bandwidth necessary, to stop what she was doing and take a drink.
Then it hit her: In the age of cloud-connected smartphones and tiny, powerful sensors, she didn’t
need to remember to drink water. She could simply build an app that connected to a special water bottle that would remind her to hydrate. Along with three other recent U of M grads, she built out the app and a prototype water bottle—called Hidrate—during least year’s Twin Cities Startup Weekend.
“It’s so easy to forget to take care of yourself when life gets busy,” says Nguyen. “I wanted to create something that would make life better for people in this small but important way.”
The idea is breathtakingly simple: Users download the app for free on their phones and enter personal parameters (weight and other factors), location (temperature, relative humidity and altitude can affect water needs), and daily activity level, editing over time as this information changes. Hidrate uses this data to create a personal “daily water goal,” expressed in both ounces and water bottle equivalents. The app syncs with a 24-ounce, BPA-free, dishwasher-safe water bottle that can sense its own fill level and updates your total daily intake whenever you take a sip. If you go too long without drinking, a reminder message appears on your phone; if you really fall behind, the bottle glows gently until your fluid intake gets back on pace.
Hidrate isn’t the first smart water bottle to hit the market. But the talented, driven team enjoys the benefits of a heavily discounted shared workspace at
Startup Venture Loft in the North Loop — a huge help for any startup operating on a shoestring budget.
The company’s Kickstarter campaign, launched June 1, had a seemingly ambitious goal: $35,000. Thanks to tremendous support from what Nguyen calls “a dedicated group of early adopters” and a high-visibility mention in widely read tech publication TechCrunch, the campaign blew through that ceiling in a couple days, notching nearly $200,000 from more than 2,500 individual donors in its first week. Everyone who donates $39 or more gets a personal bottle, with delivery expected in December 2015 or January 2016.
The Kickstarter campaign’s proceeds will mostly cover costs for the initial bottle-manufacturing round, which is likely to be larger than expected given the campaign’s success. Nguyen and the team are still working out a retail price for the bottle, but “it’ll probably be in the $39 to $45 range,” she says.
For now, interested buyers can reserve a bottle — in the color of their choosing — on Hidrate’s website. Longer-term, Nguyen expects to sell through gyms, sporting goods stores and other retailers. The team is already courting potential partners, though nothing’s ready to announce.
“We’re willing to work with any gym, specialty store or retailer that caters to our customer base,” says Nguyen. “We’ve been blown away by early demand for the product and can’t wait for the next phase of our growth.”
Hidrate Jobs i
n Minneapolis
- iOS Mobile Developer
- Android Mobile Developer
Field Nation, an online work platform that connects skilled IT contractors with companies that need to complete time-sensitive tasks or fill temporary positions, recently doubled in size after acquiring Field Solutions, its main competitor in the Upper Midwest. The acquisition boosted Field Nation’s internal employee count from about 50 to more than 100, and allowed the company to double down on its innovation, MSP-made business model.
Field Nation chief marketing officer Billy Cripe expects the firm to “grow into” its new offices in the AT&T Building in downtown Minneapolis. But rather than let half of its square footage languish, the firm’s management team landed on an ingenious idea: a free, fully wired coworking — Cripe prefers “colocation” — space where Field Nation’s out-of-town contractors, clients and kindred spirits can set up shop for a day or two as they go about their business in MSP.
“The recent move left us with all this extra space,” says Cripe. “We thought, ‘Why not open a free colocation space?’”
Field Nation’s colocation “tenants” come and go on the honor system. Field Nation doesn’t formally assign a gatekeeper or space manager, though employees do approve (or invite) and keep tabs on everyone who passes through. Stays typically last a couple days, rarely longer than a week.
For instance, video game maker and existing Field Nation client Activision recently sent a team to MSP to meet with executives at Target and Best Buy. The team approached Field Nation about using the colocation space as a home away from home during their brief trip. Cripe and the team were happy to oblige.
Tenants that need a longer-term office space, whether they’re permanently relocating to MSP or transitioning out of a home office, can leverage Field Nation’s ongoing partnership with
CoCo to make arrangements.
“We don’t want to be the go-to for people who need a permanent coworking option,” explains Cripe. “But we definitely want our office to be a launching and landing pad for on-the-go professionals.”
Field Nation’s new colocation space is a great fit for an ambitious, growing company that fosters flexible connections between talented contractors and labor-seeking employers. Field Nation’s “contingent workforce” platform doesn’t require upfront payment from contractors or employers; the company simply takes a cut from payments for completed work before forwarding the remainder to the worker.
Jobs come in many different forms, from multi-month “distributed projects” that require dozens of workers in multiple locations to 15-minute gigs “that contractors can fit in as they’re driving home from their regular job,” says Cripe.
For contractors, Field Nation offers a more secure and predictable payment system than “a la carte” work arrangements that can take months to produce a paycheck — if one comes at all. And the company provides each worker with a single 1099 for all gigs completed through Field Nation, regardless of how many individual clients were involved — dramatically simplifying tax-time paperwork.
For clients, Field Nation provides a large, reliable, on-demand pool of skilled, often formally credentialed technicians and IT professionals. Clients and contractors are free to negotiate rates; a mutual rating system controls quality and mitigates disagreements. According to Cripe, Field Nation’s goal is simple: “We’re cutting out the middleman” — i.e., traditional staffing agencies — “and making it easier to get work done.”
In the groan-inducing 2000 film What Women Want, Mel Gibson’s misogynistic executive used an acquired ability to hear women’s thoughts to amusing, mostly self-serving ends.
Mary Van Note and Beth Perro-Jarvis, MSP-based Ginger Consulting’s co-founders, can’t read minds. But thanks to decades of marketing experience and a comprehensive, highly authoritative survey for female householders, they’ve got a pretty good handle on what drives women consumers in MSP and across the country — certainly more so than Gibson’s fictional mind-reading cad.
Van Note and Perro-Jarvis released their sixth annual “What Women Want” survey in April. The survey touched on of-the-moment health trends, like juicing and the Paleo diet, plus political issues, personal finance, household division of labor, popular culture and more.
Some of the headline findings were surprising. For instance, nearly two-thirds of survey respondents believe the “latest diet and nutrition trends” — i.e., Paleo — are “just fads.” A similar proportion claimed to be fine with making dinner at home every night. And more than a quarter believed that Hillary Clinton and any other female Presidential candidates in the 2016 election cycle will be judged more harshly than male candidates — in other words, that voters hold prospective women leaders to a higher standard.
The “What Women Want” survey processes responses from Ginger Consulting’s Alpha Panel, a 350-strong cohort of hand-selected women, most of them affluent and well-educated.
“The Alpha Panel isn’t a random sample,” explains Van Note. “We have longstanding relationships with most of these women and value their input in a way that goes beyond many other consumer surveys.” Ginger’s partners are particularly dismissive of teen surveys, which are highly sought after by marketers due to teens’ notoriously fickle tastes — but can be unreliable to the point of uselessness precisely because teens are so fickle.
By contrast, “our ‘alpha-females’ are a representative sample of America’s largest consumer group — the powerhouse that buys and sells 85 percent of all products bought and sold in the U.S.,” says Perro-Jarvis, referring to the single and family-attached women who make the vast majority of purchasing decisions, often on behalf of domestic partners and dependents. “Naturally, they have a lot to say about the marketplace, and life in it.”
In many ways, Perro-Jarvis and Van Note epitomize their Alpha Panel. Whip-smart, both left prominent positions at Fallon (the two were team members for some time, in fact) to work on their own terms and achieve that elusive work-life balance.
“The world of marketing and advertising is incredibly stressful and not particularly conducive to raising a family,” says Van Note. “At the same time, we were having these back-of-the-napkin conversations about what it would look like if we went into business together.”
During those conversations, the pair decided to focus more on big-picture, data-driven strategy instead of the full-service marketing work typically done by larger agencies.
“We don’t have the resources to manage the teams we’d need to execute client campaigns,” explains Perro-Jarvis. “We’ve found a niche as ‘strategy outsourcing’ specialists who consult on high-level tactics, custom research, ideation and brand strategy.”
“We’re basically strategic brains for hire,” she adds.
Now that they’re masters of their own destiny, Van Note and Perro-Jarvis are reaping the rewards. “We take calls in line at Target, work out of home offices and structure our workdays around other obligations,” says Perro-Jarvis.
“Who wants an office anyway?” she laughs. “It’s just another place to clean up.”
A while back, as Prodality co-founder Parag Shah scanned a credit card statement, he noticed a restaurant charge that seemed suspiciously high. Though he couldn’t remember the bill’s exact amount, he recalled the meal well enough to know he’d been overcharged. But Shah couldn’t find his receipt, and thus couldn’t confront the restaurant about the mistake.
“I hate paper, so I probably just threw the receipt out after signing,” says Shah. “But the experience made me ask why I didn’t have the option to receive my receipt by email and search through an archive of all my purchases.” Such an archive would also help with returns that required a receipt, he reasoned.
Shah set about developing the searchable receipt database that would become PurchaseBox. He soon saw the value in including promo emails in the concept: “The average person gets way too many promotional messages to keep track of, even with email systems like Gmail [which collects promo emails in a separate inbox],” explains Shah. “Most people just delete them as they come in, even if there’s a chance that they’d come in handy at a later time.”
By organizing retailer-specific promotional emails in a searchable database, PurchaseBox makes it easier for consumers to call up and use coupons while shopping online or in-store. Each PurchaseBox user gets an @purchasebox.com email account to which retailers can send digital offers and receipts. (Users can also photograph and upload paper receipts to their accounts, though that’s likely to become less common as more retailers switch to digital receipts.)
PurchaseBox exemplifies the customer-first approach to big-picture technology solutions of its parent company, Prodality. From its office near Uptown, Prodality is honing a unique business-building approach that could have a big impact on MSP’s burgeoning startup economy.
Shah, who serves as founder and chief executive, runs Prodality with business partner Whitney Johnson, who serves as director of marketing and oversees the company’s day-to-day operations. According to Johnson, Prodality is a “mix between a startup incubator and a capital investment firm.” Prodality turns ideas into new subsidiaries, taking an equity stake in every concept that makes it past the idea stage.
To get each new business off the ground, Prodality’s core team offers “labor support” during the startup phase, says Johnson, then builds “specific teams around each company as they continue to grow.” Prodality's startups are structured as separate legal entities, not departments of Prodality itself.
Prodality focuses on “big ideas” that can potentially achieve seven- or eight-figure valuations within three to five years, Shah says. “Before launching a new idea, we ask ourselves, is it a large enough opportunity?” he explains. “If the answer is ‘no,’ we don’t pursue it.”
Prodality’s ideas generally focus on business and consumer needs, depending on the company. Its most successful subsidiary to date, BookBottles, is an event management platform that caters to nightclub and entertainment venue owners. Regardless of target audience, Prodality’s startups must be cost-effective and “bootstrappable,” backed by software systems — either web or mobile — capable of being rolled out within weeks.
“One of the biggest advantages of our model is that it’s scalable,” says Shah. “We’ve put together a framework for providing the seed funding and labor to develop apps and other necessary technologies really quickly.”
Prodality’s model is attractive to local and national tech investors, who have participated in multiple funding rounds for the firm’s most successful startups. The ultimate goal of any Prodality backed startup, says Shah, is a full exit: the sale of Prodality’s stake to another firm or investment group. Prodality reinvests the proceeds of these sales into new ideas, some of which — hopefully — eventually make it through the same cycle.
As for PurchaseBox, it’s still early days. The app remains invite-only as the team works on functionality enhancements and tests new features, which Johnson says are critical to PurchaseBox’s eventual success. Current users tend to be tech-savvy “early adopters,” she says. “We count on experienced technology users to evangelize the product for us, and we always welcome feedback that helps us focus our development efforts.”
“The goal is to make PurchaseBox as user-friendly, seamless and convenient as possible,” Johnson adds. “Those attributes are what will ultimately drive adoption.”
According to Shah and Johnson, PurchaseBox is planning a big push — aided, again, by its early users — to put the app in front of retailers in MSP and beyond. “Our goal is to build a base of at least one million users” in the near term, says Shah. “Hitting that target will create a compelling value proposition for merchants and encourage adoption.”
Though one million users sounds like an ambitious target for an app that’s still technically in beta mode, Shah and Johnson clearly believe in PurchaseBox’s potential. And they’re fresh off a big visibility boost: PurchaseBox was one of a few hundred startups (out of 15,000 applicants) to appear at this year’s Collision, an annual tech expo held in Las Vegas in early May.
It’s no secret that women and minority entrepreneurs struggle to achieve equal footing with their white male counterparts, particularly in the fast-growing science and tech fields. The problem isn’t unique to MSP: According to American Express OPEN’s much-cited 2014 State of Women-Owned Businesses report, women-owned firms account for 30 percent of all U.S. businesses. Though the number of women entrepreneurs is growing at a rapid clip, women-owned businesses still employ just 6 percent of all U.S. workers — a proportion that hasn’t budged since the late 1990s.
MSP’s talented cohort of current and future women entrepreneurs may soon lead the nation on these critical representation and employment metrics. Locally based Technovation[MN] is expanding an exciting new initiative to level the playing field for local women and girls, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds — and seeing impressive early results.
Now in its second year, Technovation[MN] helps small, all-female teams conceive, develop and pitch apps to the thousands-strong audience at the global Technovation Challenge, held in San Francisco every June since the late 2000s.
Led by Thomson Reuters veteran (now Bluespire marketing director of product development) Shawn Stavseth and sponsored in part by Code Savvy, the volunteer-run organization draws entrants mostly from MSP (including historically disadvantaged areas like Cedar-Riverside and North Minneapolis), its suburbs and the Rochester area. According to International Falls native Stavseth, the organization plans a push into outstate Minnesota over the next couple years.
Technovation[MN]’s volunteer mentors — tech-savvy parents, local tech entrepreneurs or computer science entrepreneurs — walk participating kids through an intense, 12-week course that includes ideation, competitor research, big-picture market analysis, actual app building and pitch practice. According to Stavseth, most apps focus on social entrepreneurship.
“The girls are incredibly passionate about the social issues of our time,” she says.
Each team works roughly four hours per week, usually after school or at local community centers. Due to the significant time investment required and the fact that mentors are usually busy professionals, Technovation[MN] requires no fewer than three mentors per team — basically a one-mentor-to-one-student ratio. The 12-week course culminates in a pitch day called Appapalooza, when each team debuts its idea.
In addition to the usual suspects like local financial institutions and tech companies, says Stavseth, Technovation[MN] has cross-disciplinary classroom support.
“We’ve heard from English teachers who frame coding as a second language and make the argument that kids who can ‘talk’ to computers will be more successful than those who can’t,” says Stavseth. Meanwhile, “[g]ym teachers and coaches are enthusiastic about the wearable-device revolution” and want students to know how to make fitness apps for those devices.
Despite its newcomer status, Technovation[MN] is clearly on the ascendancy. The global Technovation Challenge’s judging panel chooses a relative handful of finalists — this year featured just 10 teams in all, split between high school and middle school groups — from among hundreds of global entries. Though no MSP teams are slated to compete at this year’s event, a Rochester-area middle school team called Furst Class did make the finalist cut.
Technovation[MN] is also growing. The group boasted 28 teams this year, up from 11 last year, and Stavseth expects even more to sign up this coming school year, despite a barebones publicity campaign that turns mainly on word of mouth. But Stavseth cautions that Technovation[MN] can only grow so fast: Since its talented teens need intense support from mentors, the total number of teams depends on how many parents, educators and community members are willing to devote substantial amounts of their time to the cause.
“We’re very pleased with how things are going, but we’re also fighting a huge battle,” says Stavseth. “There’s a tremendous need to have girls in computer science and to fight the stereotypes associated with the field.”
St. Paul’s Macalester College is aiming to be the first higher education institution in MSP to generate all of its electricity from renewable sources. In mid-April, the college announced a partnership with SunEdison, a leading builder of solar generation infrastructure, to purchase a share of the output of a soon-to-be-constructed community solar garden in rural Dakota County. The deal permits Macalester to offset up to 120 percent of its campus consumption.
According to the college and SunEdison, the solar garden should be mostly built out by the end of the year and will be operational sometime in 2016. As soon as the facility is reliably generating enough electricity to offset consumption on Macalester’s campus, the college will be functionally carbon-free (or better). The agreement will remain in force for 25 years, guaranteeing Macalester’s carbon-free status for a generation.
“Given our projected consumption patterns and the expected rising trend in electricity rates over the period of the agreement, we believe that the savings over the term of the agreement could be in the millions of dollars,” said David Wheaton, Macalester’s vice president for finance and administration, in a recent release.
Wheaton estimates that the partnership will cut the college’s power bills by 50 to 67 percent over the life of the agreement, though the exact savings depend on long-term pricing for carbon-intensive energy sources. It costs more than $1 million annually to power Macalester’s roughly 50-acre campus at current prices. Colorado College, a similarly sized institution near Colorado Springs, has saved more than $1 million per year since switching to solar.
Macalester also recently applied for a state grant to fund the installation of solar panels on the roof of Markim Hall, a building on campus. Those panels would supply some of the energy used on that part of campus and would help make up any deficit if output at the SunEdison garden dips temporarily.
Given the clear financial benefits — not to mention the cachet of being a sustainable trailblazer — other MSP higher education institutions may soon hop on the solar bandwagon. Just down Summit Avenue from Macalester, the much larger University of St. Thomas has committed to carbon-neutrality by 2035, and may push that timetable forward if circumstances dictate. Even the University of Minnesota, a far larger institution, has made noises about going carbon-neutral. Such moves could be a boon to Minnesota’s solar industry, which employed about 1,000 people last year, not to mention MSP companies like
SimpleRay Solar.
Macalester’s ambitious 100 percent-solar initiative was made possible by the passage of a solar-friendly law during last year’s legislative session. Though Xcel Energy, Minnesota’s largest utility, recently warned the state utility commission that the law was promoting the growth of “utility-scale” solar installations that could have unintended consequences for the state’s energy grid, the commission isn’t bound to act on Xcel’s recommendations. Macalester officials have expressed confidence that the college can make good on its 100 percent-solar commitment in the still-unlikely event that the SunEdison deal falls through.
Gardening Matters, a community gardening nonprofit based in South Minneapolis, is putting on an MSP-wide seed and plant distribution event Saturday, May 16, at three locations around town: St. Olaf Lutheran Church in North Minneapolis, Waite House in South Minneapolis and Great River School in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood.
The organization’s members can choose from three packages. Per Gardening Matters’ website, a Small Garden Package contains 12 seed packs and 12 seedlings, enough for a container garden, small plot or raised bed. With 20 seed packs and 20 seedlings, a Medium Garden Package is sufficient for a 12’ x 12’ backyard garden or community plot. A Large Garden Package, brimming with 40 seed packs and 72 seedlings, is ideal for a “very large” backyard garden or larger community garden plot.
Each package comes with a suggested membership fee, calculated at a significant discount to the seeds’ and plants’ retail value. Members can further defray their packages’ cost by participating in Gardening Matters’ work-share program, which requires at least one annual volunteer stint at a Gardening Matters event.
With snacks, kid-friendly outdoor activities and live music, each May 16 distribution hub will double as a “pop-up celebration of spring,” says Susan Phillips, Gardening Matters’ executive director — a great kick-off to the growing season after a long winter hibernation.
“Broadly speaking, Gardening Matters’ mission is to support MSP residents who want to grow their own food, either as part of a community garden or in their own backyards, while building connections and facilitating knowledge-sharing among its members,” says Phillips.
This mission is gaining traction by the month. The three May 16 distribution locations are just three of about 10 Food Resource Hubs across MSP: three in St. Paul and seven in Minneapolis, up from none in St. Paul and just three in Minneapolis when Gardening Matters launched the Food Resource Hubs program in 2011. Collectively, Food Resource Hubs serve 3,000 adult members and 3,000 kids, with about 20 urban acres under cultivation as a direct result of members’ activities.
(Incidentally, Gardening Matters is likely to rename the Food Resource Hubs program soon due to a conflict with an unrelated but similarly named federal program.)
Although Gardening Matters still plays a critical role in overseeing and organizing each hub, the organization ultimately aims for hubs to be semi-autonomous and largely self-sustaining. “Each of our hubs has a unique mix of members and a unique culture,” explains Phillips.
Gardening Matters’ hubs also serve as a focal point for education and leadership training, both critical to fostering self-sustaining networks — not to mention good gardening practices. Founded to support cooperation among community gardeners, the group’s community-building power isn’t to be underestimated: Phillips recounts the story of a Gardening Matters-affiliated North Minneapolis community garden whose members cooperated to clean up a blighted, drug-ridden property on their block.
Thanks to the connections the neighbors built in the garden, says Phillips, “they were empowered to tackle bigger issues in their community.”
Phillips is turning Gardening Matters into a force for advocacy and city-wide change, too. “Land tenure is a huge issue right now,” she says, noting that many MSP community gardens have long waiting lists. This year, Gardening Matters is launching a major push to empower renters who don’t have access to suitable outdoor plots. Container gardens, which can easily fit on porches or even windowsills, are viable solutions for thousands of land-poor urban gardeners; the challenge is educating people about how to properly set up and care for them.
Phillips is also spearheading educational programs and outreach initiatives targeting immigrant communities, particularly Latino and Hmong groups, whose first-generation members have prior agricultural experience but aren’t aware of the urban gardening resources available in their adopted city.
“In everything Gardening Matters does, the goal is to expand the number of [MSP residents] who feel empowered to grow their own food,” says Phillips.
The BrandLab, an innovative nonprofit supported by MSP’s biggest creative agencies, is actively broadening creative-industry networks to introduce young people from diverse backgrounds to the dynamic world of advertising and marketing. With more than 600 students enrolled in The BrandLab's classes this semester and with ambitious plans for growth, the organization is wrapping up a curriculum revamp that will make its lessons even more engaging to MSP’s brightest young minds.
The BrandLab has a simple yet ambitious goal: To boost diversity and inclusion in the creative industries through education and network building. According to Ellen Walthour, The BrandLab’s executive director, MSP’s advertising and marketing agencies — from big players like Olson and Carmichael Lynch to smaller, independently run outfits — should be every bit as diverse as the clients they represent and the consumers to whom they market.
“The ad industry is trying to break out of traditional modes of hiring, which tend to be network-based and thus less diverse than the talent pool as a whole,” says Walthour. “The BrandLab’s goal is not to eliminate personal networks from the equation, but rather to broaden and reframe them to include a more representative range of perspectives.”
According to Walthour, the industry’s long-term success could turn on its ability to attract and retain diverse talent. “Our region’s demographics are rapidly shifting,” she says. In Hennepin County, children of color account for about one in two births, and nearly 20 percent of the county’s college grads are people of color.
The industry recognizes the need to adapt to this new demographic reality. On April 22, more than 200 advertising professionals, Fortune 500 executives and media types packed into Brand New Workshop for “Moving Beyond Representation to Full Inclusion,” the latest panel discussion in The Brandlab’s Fearless Conversation Series. Panelists from General Mills, Cargill and Minneapolis ad agency Carmichael Lynch offered frank, occasionally uncomfortable answers to MPR host Tom Weber’s questions about racial and ethnic diversity in MSP’s creative industries.
Judging by the probing queries and nuanced answers, diversity and multiculturalism clearly weigh on the minds of MSP’s advertisers, marketers and commercial artists. The consensus: Though creative workplaces are slowly becoming more diverse, full inclusion is more elusive than would appear from the increasingly multicultural TV, print and digital ads produced by many local agencies.
The BrandLab may have the solution. Founded in 2008 by John Olson, the late principal at the legendary agency Olson, the organization hires professional instructors to teach elective marketing and advertising classes at local high schools, including St. Paul’s Johnson Senior High. Volunteer helpers, who are often creative-industry professionals, share real-world experiences and techniques to add context and perspective.
These classes cover industry history, ethics, culture and theory. One highlight: An engaging, if uncomfortable, lesson on “extraordinarily racist and sexist ads from the early 20th century,” says jabber logic principal Amee Tomlinson McDonald. Along with Emily Ronning, The BrandLab’s curriculum design director, she’s spearheading the organization’s curriculum redesign. By confronting advertising’s ugly past, The BrandLab’s multicultural students gain a visceral understanding of what they’re up against — and why they need to lend their voices and talents to the conversation.
These awkward ads are just one example of Tomlinson McDonald and Ronning’s revamp, which shifts the focus from traditional pedagogy (think half-hour lessons) to a more interactive, engaging model.
“It sounds cliched, but kids really do have short attention spans,” explains Tomlinson McDonald. “We’re using 30 to 60 second videos, real-world case studies, digital images” and other varied media “to keep kids engaged.” J. Crew’s YouTube page proved a particularly effective teaching tool, she mentions.
Students also dive deep into key agency roles: copywriting, graphic design, video production, project management, and even positions like accounting. By the end of the semester, they’re knowledgeable enough to put together mock projects for actual clients, whose employees hear pitches, critique work, and sometimes adopt aspects of a draft campaign.
The new curriculum is “in beta” in all of The BrandLab’s classrooms this semester. After some tweaks and improvements, a more finalized version will roll out for the next school year, though Walthour notes that The BrandLab’s curriculum is “always looking for ways to improve and adapt.”
The BrandLab doesn’t rely solely on classroom instruction. Throughout the semester, heavily programmed field trips to MSP-area agencies give students the chance to interact with creatives in their natural environments — and, possibly, get a sneak peek at their future workplaces.
On an April 21 trip, for example, Carmichael Lynch, Colle+McVoy and Olson each hosted 20+ Johnson Senior High students for two hours of tours, informational videos, Q&A time and — of course — a Pizza Luce-catered lunch. At Carmichael Lynch, students engaged fearlessly with agency staff and appeared genuinely surprised at the creativity that pervaded the building. (After passing by a midday yoga class in the agency’s lobby, one bright-eyed young lady remarked, “I had no idea people would be having fun at the office.”)
The BrandLab cultivates and focuses such sentiments in hopes of transforming curious students into the next generation of passionate creative professionals. Each year, the organization places dozens of classroom alums in paid summer internships at local agencies. Whereas other organizations focus on supporting older college students who have already self-selected into creative majors, The BrandLab deals exclusively with high school students and college freshmen. “The goal is to captivate kids early, before they’ve really considered [and potentially dismissed, due to lack of professional support] marketing or advertising as a career,” explains Walthour.
After an intense “boot camp” that prepares them for a “real world” workplace, interns work 12 to 20 hours per week during the summer. Every Monday, they pair up with a “coach” — someone with academic or professional experience in marketing and advertising — for debriefing sessions, all held on the University of Minnesota campus. These sessions help the interns process their often intense summer experiences while providing additional instruction in advanced concepts like brand strategy and personal branding.
The BrandLab’s model is clearly successful. Many first-time interns return the following summer. The BrandLab alums often major in creative or marketing-related disciplines after heading off to college. As the organization’s first alums graduate from college, they’ll disperse into the creative workforce to build the broad, inclusive networks the industry needs.
The U of M’s Carlson School of Business hosted its annual Tech Cities conference on March 27. The event drew hundreds of local innovators, investors and social entrepreneurs to the West Bank on the University of Minnesota campus in search of answers to a simple but vexing question: “How can we strengthen and promote MSP as a source for tech leadership, talent and innovation?”
The packed “Supporting Innovators in the Tech Cities” workshop offered a glimpse of the problems the region faces — and offered hope that workable solutions are within reach.
According to Matt Lewis, Greater MSP Strategy Manager and workshop moderator, MSP could produce “tens of thousands of jobs by 2020” that the region currently lacks the talent to fill. This “talent gap” is mostly due to two structural forces.
First, the accelerating pace of technological change is dramatically reordering the economy, rewarding highly skilled professionals and tech-savvy innovators while challenging those who don’t acquire new, relevant skills. This shift is happening everywhere, but it’s more pronounced in regional hubs like MSP (i.e.,
the capital of the North), where much of the tech economy’s most exciting, cutting-edge advances are forged.
The second structural force is unique to MSP: Despite a strong economy, reasonable living costs and excellent quality-of-life metrics, the region perennially struggles to attract the country’s — and world’s — best and brightest. The upside is that once transplants find their way here, they tend to stick around.
“The cliche that it’s hard to get people to come here and even harder to get them to leave holds true,” Lewis noted at the workshop. “We need to change the conversation and make [MSP] a global destination for people who self-identify as innovators.” Doing so would solve both problems: the technological talent gap and MSP’s “attraction issue.”
Four self-identified innovators who already call MSP home piped up to offer their ideas. Scott Cole, co-founder of the local tech cooperative Collectivity, proposed a “comprehensive tech accelerator” that would combine and magnify the efforts of existing local initiatives like the Minnesota High Tech Association, Greater MSP, MN Cup, university-based tech groups and others. The ultimate goal: to create a pervasive culture of innovation wherein cash-strapped innovators with great ideas effortlessly connect with investors, mentors and customers.
Melissa Kjolsing, MN Cup director, highlighted the tech world’s persistent gender gap — an issue that has gotten plenty of press in MSP and elsewhere. She noted that while women run 30 percent of all U.S. companies, most are solo operators. The solution: “deeper peer networks for women,” she argued. Women entrepreneurs need positive role models, namely successful female business owners who have made it through the male-dominated startup gauntlet.
Kjolsing noted that though MN Cup has yet to achieve parity, the prestigious tech competition is spearheading the drive to empower women entrepreneurs: In 2014, about one-third of MN Cup entries came from all-women teams, up from 25 percent the previous year; 45 percent of 2014’s teams had at least one woman on the roster.
Lee George of the James J. Hill Reference Library argued that MSP must do more to support ambitious people at the two biggest “pinch points”: the moment when the entrepreneur moves from tinkering with an idea in their spare time to quitting their day job and fully plunging into their startup; and the exit strategy, or the point at which the entrepreneur steps away from the company he or she founded to focus on a new project or simply “cash out.”
Without support from mentors, investors and talented employees, many entrepreneurs never make it past the first pinch point, and their dream either dies or goes into a long slumber. Meanwhile, those fortunate enough to be able to contemplate an exit strategy often don’t know how to forge the connections with leaders of the established firms that typically buy up successful startups. It’s worth noting, for instance, that though MSP has a deep bench of Fortune 500 firms capable of financing numerous buyouts, one of the region’s most successful startups —
SmartThings — turned to a Korean firm (Samsung) for its exit.
George advised existing organizations like Greater MSP and MHTA to adjust their programming in two ways: creating better and more numerous mentorship opportunities for soon-to-be-full-time entrepreneurs, and deepening connections between successful startups and major firms.
David Berglund, the fourth speaker, exemplifies the power of connections between MSP’s startup community and established business players. He’s UnitedHealth’s “entrepreneur in residence” and co-founder of
Hoodstarter, a real-estate crowdfunding app. At UnitedHealth, he’s more or less in charge of “building healthcare startups from the ground up.”
“We need to accelerate the pace of innovation in large, sometimes bureaucratic corporations,” he said. “To do that, we need to get off the corporate campus and out of our comfort zone.”
Berglund believes that MSP’s major corporations need to communicate better and experiment more, both with one another and with the region’s entrepreneurs. Knowledge — and knowledge sharing — is power, after all. Berglund’s dream: an MSP in which big companies, successful small businesses and fledgling startups “forge partnerships and come together without fear of stealing each other’s ideas.” Such an outcome could accelerate the pace of business formation here and transform MSP into a truly global innovation hub.
Confluence Capital, the groundbreaking MSP venture capital (VC) fund, is now Matchstick Ventures. The rebrand comes amid a flurry of other changes announced early last month, notably the addition of several high-profile investors and advisors.
New investors, according to Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, include Seth Levine, managing director at Boulder-based Foundry Group, a venture capital fund; Lisa Crump, co-founder of Eden Prairie-based
digifab giant Stratasys; Scott Burns, CEO of St. Paul-based GovDelivery, a software communication platform that serves government organizations; and Darren Cotter, founder of St. Paul-based online rewards company InboxDollars. Advisors include Levine and Joy Lindsay, principal at Minneapolis-based StarTec Investments.
But why “Matchstick”?
“The ‘Matchstick’ name rings truer to the entrepreneurs and startups that we exist to serve,” says founder and managing director Ryan Broshar, who also founded beta.mn and Twin Cities Startup Week. “Our goal is to act as a catalyst — not just for the companies we invest in, but for MSP’s startup economy as a whole.”
To date, Matchstick/Confluence has invested in 14 early-stage companies. Though most are headquartered in the MSP area, there are a few outliers: Denver, Seattle, Chicago, St. Louis, and Lincoln, Nebraska. Far from diluting Matchstick’s local potency, Broshar sees these wayward investments as central to the fund’s mission: “evangelizing” MSP’s emerging tech ecosystem.
“We talk up the region every time we interact with out-of-market clients and prospects,” says Broshar, adding that his company gets at least one inquiry from outside entrepreneurs or VC funds who’ve heard about Matchstick and are excited about what’s happening in MSP. “Interest in the Twin Cities is definitely gaining momentum.”
“The writing is on the wall for MSP’s startup scene and capital ecosystem,” he adds.
Broshar should know what an up-and-coming tech hub looks like. He lived in the Denver-Boulder area in the late 2000s and early 2010s, when the Front Range’s tech economy was blowing up. Broshar threw himself into the local scene, parlaying a pending MBA at UC-Boulder into a gig as a consulting firm principal. He networked with and advised ambitious Front Range entrepreneurs for a few years, then turned his focus to finding and investing in early-stage companies through partnerships with the Foundry Group and other local VCs.
When he moved back to MSP in fall 2012, Broshar found the same entrepreneurial energy he’d grown accustomed to in Denver-Boulder. But with few notable VC firms and a relatively conservative commercial financing ecosystem that eschewed risk, many local startups had to look elsewhere for capital.
“We’re blessed with a lot of gritty entrepreneurs who just go to work and get stuff done, rather than talking about what they have yet to do,” says Broshar. “But even the most talented and ambitious entrepreneurs can’t survive without capital,” along with the mentoring and peer support services provided by organizations and initiatives like Broshar’s beta.mn and Twin Cities Startup Week.
“The goal was, and still is, to put MSP on the map,” he says.
Cologix, one of the country’s most prolific data center operators, recently unveiled a new state-of-the-art facility in Downtown East’s 511 Building, the company’s MSP headquarters. According to a company press release, the 28,000-square-foot hub has space for more than 250 server cabinets and upward of 70 network connections, making it the most connected piece of real estate between Chicago and Seattle — the Internet capital of The North.
“People think of the Internet as this ethereal cloud,” says Graham Williams, chief operating officer, Cologix. “But in reality, that cloud is very solid. The world is crisscrossed with untold miles of fiber optic cables and dotted with servers, routers and switches. That physical infrastructure — the Internet’s plumbing — intersects at data hubs like [the 511 Building].”
The heart of Cologix’s new facility is the Meet Me Room, the hub where the networks actually intersect. Clients who rent space in the facility can pick and choose which networks to use. The setup is akin to a co-working space: Tenants pay to be there and provide their own equipment, but they get access to most of the service providers operating in MSP.
They also enjoy lower latency (faster connection speeds), which is particularly important in the video streaming business. “We enable companies like Netflix to get closer to their end users,” explains Mike Hemphill, general manager of Cologix’s Minneapolis facility. “They’re pushing copies of the shows and movies people want to watch to their servers here in Minneapolis, rather than calling everything up from California and traversing thousands of miles of fiber to get here.”
Increased competition for clients in the Meet Me Room reduces’ service providers’ pricing power by as much as 20 to 40 percent, says Williams. But it’s a worthwhile tradeoff. The alternative is an expensive, piecemeal approach wherein providers lay fiber all the way to clients’ offices, wherever they might be located. Depending on the fiber’s final cost per mile, directly connecting to clients could end up being less cost-effective than using a facility like the 511 Building.
Cologix’s new data center also houses the Midwest Internet Cooperative Exchange (MICE), a nonprofit, donation-supported network exchange used by smaller Internet service providers and telecoms as well as data-hungry content providers like Netflix. MICE was devised in 2010 to improve MSP-area bandwidth and connection speeds, and to level the playing field for smaller operators. FWR Communications, Cologix’s predecessor in the 511 Building, donated a modest square footage to house MICE’s first servers; with more than 50 participants at last count, MICE is now a major Cologix tenant.
“It’s an exciting time to be in this business,” muses Hemphill, whose telecommunications career has spanned nearly a half-century. “I’ve had more fun in the last decade than at any time previously.”
Visual, a Northeast Minneapolis startup run by co-founders Chuck Olsen and Taylor Carik, has an ambitious vision for “social VR,” a blend of social media, virtual reality and everyday experience. The company’s current app, an interactive social dashboard that hovers in an immersive, computer-generated 3D environment, will soon be available on two virtual reality headsets: Samsung’s Gear VR, an affordable consumer model, and Oculus’s DK2, a higher-end device ideal for gaming.
Visual’s app grew out of Futurekave, a far-reaching “virtual world platform” developed by Olsen and Carik. To help build it, the pair tapped Dual Reality Games, a group of talented app designers with members in MSP and Oregon. Users sync their social media profiles with the app, manipulating photos, posts, tweets and profile information using a keyboard or touchpad. Visual only works with Instagram at the moment, but other social networks are in the works.
Social VR’s time has come, explains Olsen. “Facebook is hiring 1,200 employees right now,” he says, “many of whom will be working on building a VR presence for the company.”
“But Facebook [and other tech companies like Apple] aren’t VR natives, like we are,” he adds. “That puts them at a disadvantage.”
As a small, lean startup, Visual is more nimble than Facebook et al. And as possibly the first independent social VR company anywhere in the country, Visual is uniquely positioned to take advantage of what Olsen and Carik believe will be a fundamental change in the public’s relationship with mobile computing and connectivity.
In the short term, VR is about to get a lot more accessible. Samsung is planning a big consumer push later this year for its $200 Gear VR headset, a goggled apparatus that syncs up with the Note 4 smartphone’s screen to immerse wearers in a 360-degree VR. Thus far, the Note 4 is the only piece of hardware that works with Gear VR, though (according to Olsen) that’s not as big of an obstacle as it seems.
“[Gear VR] is going to be under Christmas trees this year,” predicts Olsen. “If you’ve got a free phone upgrade, it’s not a huge commitment to get a Note 4 and then buy the headset.” And Samsung may tweak the Gear VR interface to work with other mobile devices, he adds.
Visual’s social VR app is also compatible with the DK2, a similar headset device from Oculus, the company responsible for many of the recent advances in VR interfacing.
In both cases, the headset experience is incredibly lifelike, with realistic sound, HD-quality video and just-barely-perceptible lag when the user moves his or her head. The big drawback, explains Olsen, is that VR is not yet interactive: You can move your head to look at different parts of the virtual environment, but you can’t reach out and manipulate your surroundings.
Visual’s social VR system could solve, or at least mitigate, the interactivity problem. Olsen and Carik imagine headset-wearing concert-goers using Virtual’s app to post real-time images and video with friends who aren’t at the event, or meet and engage with other social VR users who are present. While users wouldn’t actually be able to manipulate the performers or anything else about the environment, they’d be able to process and share it socially.
Olsen, Carik and the Dual Reality Games crew aren’t placing all their eggs in the headset basket, of course. Longer-term, they’re interested in the concept of augmented reality: a virtual, Internet-connected field of vision overlay, like a much more advanced version of Google Glass. They see Visual as a “hardware agnostic” app that can handle the social element of augmented reality, which some technology experts believe is the future of mobile Internet — the post-smartphone world.
“Imagine having your social dashboard in the corner of your living room, waiting for you to engage with it,” says Olsen. “That could really be powerful.”
Rising costs and inconvenient delivery modes beset healthcare consumers. Thompson Aderinkomi, a trained economist with an MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business, has a novel solution.
His new startup, Retrace Health, offers at-home, on-demand consultations and care from licensed doctors and nurse practitioners, either by videoconference or in-person visit.
Retrace has grown rapidly since its late 2013 launch, when the company had a roster of about 40 patients, mostly Aderinkomi’s friends and family members. The company began accepting corporate clients in June 2014: Aderinkomi now counts at least seven client companies, ranging in size from a few hundred to a few thousand employees, whose employees can tap Retrace’s services. Between individual and corporate clients, Retrace now brokers “double-digit weekly consultation counts,” says Aderinkomi.
According to Aderinkomi, convenience — the fact that patients don’t have to drive to a clinic or hospital and sit in a waiting room for hours on end — is a huge factor in Retrace’s success. “We’ve found that once people try Retrace and realize how seamless the process can be, they use us more than they’d use a regular doctor or care provider,” says Aderinkomi.
Retrace’s doctors and NPs keep longer hours than a typical health clinic. Video consults are available 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Mondays, and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. In-person consults occur from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For simple issues, users can schedule a three-minute video consultation and be on their way. For more complex problems, a 30- or 60-minute home visit may be necessary. Retrace’s care providers can schedule same-day appointments with as little as 60 minutes’ notice, though off-hours requests need to wait until the following business day.
Retrace users also value the company’s untimed appointments. Whereas a traditional clinic might schedule 15 or 20 daily appointments per doctor or NP, Retrace’s care providers don’t have such heavy workloads. A lighter workload allows care providers to linger longer with each patient, answering questions and addressing issues that might normally get pushed aside due to time constraints.
Financially, Retrace isn’t out of reach for most patients. Individual patients who want to pay through their insurance provider (Retrace works with most providers) don’t have to pay anything to use the service, aside from premiums and co-pays set by their providers.
Individual patients who don’t want to tap their insurance providers can choose from three packages: Basic, Premium and Unlimited. Basic, which doesn’t come with an annual fee, requires users to pay a la carte for labs, visits and other services. (For instance, an in-home X-ray costs $150). Premium and Unlimited come with respective annual fees of $99 and $599; costs for visits and services are reduced or waived altogether. (Corporate prices are customized based on the client’s employee count and other factors.)
Retrace’s simple pricing scheme is a breath of fresh air in a healthcare sector that famous for confusing statements and wildly variable prices. “We’re huge believers in price transparency and simplicity,” says Aderinkomi. “Customers have a right to know upfront how much they’re paying for their care.”
And not everyone is bound by Retrace’s standard prices. The company’s “original 40” patients got a sweetheart deal in exchange for their faith in the company: An all-inclusive lifetime membership for a one-time fee of $300. That deal, unfortunately, is off the table, replaced by a limited-time promotion that waives all visit and lab fees for 12 months with the payment of an annual membership fee.
Kari Severson, a Minneapolis-based inventor and entrepreneur, has a fun, healthy, ultra-connected solution for sedentary office workers: the Walkway Workstation, a “treadmill desk designed with the purposeful user in mind.” On March 2, Severson and her team of contract designers and developers celebrated Walkway’s official launch at
Startup Venture Loft (SVL), a North Loop coworking space and startup incubator.
SVL will permanently feature at least one Walkway desk, a high-visibility win for Severson’s health-and-productivity startup.
“We’re thrilled to have the support of Startup Venture Loft’s tenants and management,” says Severson, a self-professed fitness enthusiast who juggles a full-time job at United Health Group with her entrepreneurial duties at Walkway. “It’s gratifying to see people embracing the Walkway concept so enthusiastically.”
Walkway Workstation also recently announced a partnership with MSP International Airport. Severson’s team will deliver two Walkways to Concourse C, near gate C21, and one to Concourse F, near gate F3. More could follow in other locations this year or next.
The airport partnership is apt. Severson first came up with the idea for Walkway during a hectic, travel-heavy period in her life. Because her boyfriend was enrolled in graduate school at the University of California Los Angeles, and Severson had a full-time job in MSP and was pursuing master’s program Duke University in North Carolina, she was constantly crisscrossing the country.
“With all the travel and a generally unpredictable schedule, I found myself really inactive,” she says. She came up with a concept that improved upon existing treadmill desks, which didn’t feature the amenities or built-in controls that would eventually adorn the Walkway.
Each Walkway is a self-contained unit equipped with a sturdy treadmill, ample desk space, device charging ports and a free Internet hotspot. The treadmill’s speed is capped at two miles per hour, a relatively leisurely pace that facilitates multitasking and doesn’t tire out users too quickly. The setup is ideal for individual offices, common areas in open-plan workplaces, waiting rooms and institutional public spaces, says Severson.
“The goal is to make everyday lifestyle resources available to busy people,” she says, “and to seamlessly facilitate healthy choices in a convenient setting.”
Severson offers several different Walkway configurations, each ideal for a particular end-user. A light-duty treadmill base is ideal for home offices and small workplaces; a moderate-duty base works better in medium-sized, collaborative workplaces; and a heavy-duty treadmill supports near-constant use at large corporate offices, and airports and other public spaces. Each version comes with the user’s choice of a manually or electronically adjustable desk.
Though individual buyers and small offices can purchase Walkways at market price, Severson’s team seeks sponsorships to subsidize the cost of units in heavily trafficked public spaces. In effect, each public Walkway is an interactive billboard; sponsors pay for customized user interfaces and prominent, outward-facing logo displays visible to anyone who walks by.
And a lot of people can walk by: According to Walkway’s website, about 26,000 people per day walk by the company’s two MSP airport sites.
Severson is looking at other revenue-generation ideas, too, including a “freemium” model that offers free access for an initial period, and then imposes a per-minute or per-hour rate for continued use. She’s also mulling partnerships with content providers to deliver premium music and video to users willing to pay a fee for the service.
Severson is also keen on the concept of “Walkway pods,” which would feature two, three or more Walkways facing one another — good for “walking meetings” and other collaborative activities, she says.
Little, one of Minneapolis’s oldest and best-known design and branding firms, has emerged stronger and more focused from a recession that left some local peers reeling and put others out of business altogether. Since the beginning of 2014, the company has signed a dozen new clients — including high-profile organizations like US Bank and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Collectively, the new accounts will add about $2 million to the company’s top line — a hefty boost for a firm with revenues of about $10 million last year.
Little is also refreshing its leadership ranks. Monica Little, the firm’s founder and principal, stepped aside last year. Into her shoes stepped competent leaders like president/chief creative officer Joe Cecere, vice president of finance and administration Kirk Grandstrand, and director of marketing and business development Traci Elder. Cecere is a Little veteran, but Grandstrand and Elder are outsiders to Little and the agency world writ large: Little hired both away from Best Buy.
The leadership change, says Cecere, brought a rare opportunity to reassess Little’s priorities and refine the company’s approach in a competitive, rapidly changing industry that’s sensitive to economic disruption. Little has historically focused on high-quality, brand-focused design; in the 1980s, the company cut its chops producing colorful annual reports for MSP-based corporate behemoths like Hudson-Dayton (later Target) and Polaris. But the past decade’s economic turmoil and technological changes drove home the need for a broader, bottom-up approach to branding.
“At our core, we still believe in the power of design,” says Cecere, “but we’re a much more holistic brand agency now than even five years ago.”
Brand strategy and effective communications, both internal and external, are now critical components of Little’s work. “We want our clients to know what they stand for,” says Cecere, “and to be able to effectively communicate that to employees and customers.”
Cecere cites the Minnesota Timberwolves as a prime example. Little is currently helping the Wolves through an “inside out rebranding,” asking employees at every level of the organization for insight into its identity and purpose. The eventual goal: a recognizable, unified brand that produces a compelling, consistent fan experience “that feels right from the moment [fans] enter the arena to the moment they leave,” says Cecere. “As an organization’s most important brand stewards, employees are integral to a positive customer experience.”
A broad-based, recession-related drop in marketing budgets and promotional spending complicated Little’s “reset,” though the company survived the downturn relatively unscathed.
“Companies typically cut ad spending after they’ve reduced costs elsewhere,” says Cecere, “but we were fortunate not to lose any clients during the recession, just individual projects.”
In some ways, the recent economic downturn was a boon for Little, despite the temporary hit to revenues. Lean times tend to disrupt “comfortable” sectors; well-run companies and organizations typically respond by refocusing and rebranding. For instance, Carleton College and the University of St. Thomas Law School, both recent additions to Little’s portfolio, are trying to remain competitive and relevant in an increasingly cluttered higher-education market.
“[These schools are] competing against larger institutions with inherent structural advantages,” says Cecere. “For organizations in such a position, the importance of effective branding and communication is clear.” Especially in a world where disruption is the new norm, and companies large and small struggle to stand out from the crowd.
SparkStarter, a matchmaking and dating app developed by MSP entrepreneur Tony Kramer, promises a better, less awkward way for singles to meet, mingle and (maybe) fall in love.
Launched nationally in mid-February, SparkStarter already has nearly 2 million unique user profiles. The business also has about a dozen collaborators working part- or full-time. The app is available for download at the Google Play store and the iTunes App Store.
Kramer has an aggressive plan to drive user growth over the coming months, relying on a combination of organic growth and collaborations with nonprofit organizations.
“We’re developing win-win partnerships to grow our user base in return for supporting worthy causes,” says Kramer. “We love giving back to charities and the community in general, as we see SparkStarter as a thriving community of its own.”
Kramer is also laser-focused on the user experience, a weak point for some other dating apps. “We’re continuously adding features to engage users,” he says, describing how customer feedback led his team to add a social feed that strengthens the connections between Sparkstarter users.
SparkStarter syncs with Facebook for a twist on the now-familiar dating app archetype. As a single user, you browse your friends and friends-of-friends lists to find other eligible singles who catch your eye. When you find someone appealing, you can “vote up” to create a “Spark” — a potential match — and get formally introduced by a mutual friend.
Since both individuals know the matchmaker, these matches involve an element of trust and familiarity that may be missing from chance encounters or dates brokered by a computerized dating app. And since the matchmaker knows the individuals well, he or she is likely to be a great judge of their mutual compatibility.
Once the introduction has been made, other SparkStarter users in your Facebook network can upvote or downvote the Spark; upvotes increase your compatibility score relative to your match partner, while downvotes decrease compatibility. A built-in messaging system lets you communicate with your Spark partner. If things go well, you and your partner can mutually decide to meet offline as well.
Unlike most other dating apps, SparkStarter has a distinctly social element, welcoming — even relying on — input from other users (who may not even be single) to determine the compatibility of each match. Each upvote is a literal vote of confidence that the two individuals go well together — and that the match will ultimately succeed.
Kramer’s confidence in the SparkStarter model comes, in part, from personal experience. Five years ago, while trawling Facebook, a good friend of Kramer’s found an old female acquaintance who seemed to be compatible with Kramer. He introduced the two online, and a real-world relationship soon blossomed.
“Within 3 years after that first date, we were married,” Kramer recalls. “It was simple, easy” and not at all awkward, he adds. After speaking with friends and colleagues, Kramer realized that his experience wasn’t unique: Lasting relationships often form when a matchmaker introduces two mutual friends to one another, whether online or in person. But when he met his future wife, Astyn, Kramer wasn’t aware of any apps or websites that facilitated person-to-person matchmaking.
“While online dating and apps had become more popular, there still wasn't a digital concept that involved a common way for people meet, through a mutual friend,” says Kramer. “That's when the idea for SparkStarter was born.”
Humdinger and Sons, a young ad agency in Minneapolis’ Mill District, may have found the formula for startup success in a competitive industry dominated by entrenched behemoths: seek out, and partner with, other ambitious startups.
With a full-time staff of six and a trusted supporting cast of freelance scriptwriters, developers and designers, Humdinger has built and scaled a business around memorable, well-produced promotional videos.
Thanks to a rapidly rising profile and impressive client retention rate, Humdinger is growing faster than at any point in its two-year history. At least two new hires, including for business development, are imminent.
“We’re taking the expertise we’ve developed over the years in the ad business and reinventing a business model that really hasn’t changed in 40 years,” says Nicolas Will, who co-founded the company along with fellow Minneapolis native Andrew Berg. “Our clients are immensely receptive — we haven’t lost a single one since we’ve been in business.”
Will and Berg tie Humdinger’s retention figures to the company’s unique niche and approach. Unlike traditional agencies, which typically compete for high-profile clients like Target and Wells Fargo, Humdinger seeks out ambitious but often cash-strapped startups — in MSP, coastal innovation centers and even international markets — that simultaneously need funding and exposure. In many cases, Humdinger clients can’t even afford an in-house marketing employee.
“For a lot of our clients, we’re basically operating as an external marketing department,” says Berg. “Once they see what we can do [after the first project], they totally trust us to handle their promotional needs.”
Humdinger’s startup culture appeals to entrepreneurs and innovators, too. Startup owners are used to devising and implementing solutions quickly, without filtering decisions through multiple layers of red tape or aligning directives with corporate protocols. For people used to results, says Will, working with a traditional agency can be a frustrating experience. With Humdinger, there are few if any barriers between agency and client.
And for Will, Berg and the rest of the Humdinger team, working with smaller firms ensures that creative work doesn’t get diluted or shelved by an in-house marketing department or hands-on C-suite employees, as sometimes happens with larger corporate clients.
There’s an additional benefit to Humdinger’s niche: a relative lack of competition. Will and Berg struggle to identify their closest competitors, largely because established agencies — even small ones — tend to pass on unproven startups that may still be scrounging for funding.
While Will estimates that 80 percent of Humdinger’s business is paid upfront, the company will often exchange its services for a percentage of a client’s Kickstarter funding, or even (though less frequently) for an equity stake. Some of Humdinger’s most promising clients” have accepted Humdinger’s services in exchange for equity or a “Kickstarter kickback.”
Accepting equity or a percentage of a crowdfunding round — which isn’t guaranteed to succeed — “is a bit of a risk,” says Berg. But for truly promising startups, it’s an acceptable risk.
Will and Berg weren’t always risk-takers. Both cut their chops at big coastal ad agencies with high-profile clients — Will was part of a team that designed LeBron James’ first website, after the NBA superstar signed a massive deal with Nike. But in the early 2010s, Will and Berg returned to their native MSP, ostensibly to settle down. The pair first crossed paths at Olson, where they worked for a few months on the company’s Tivo account.
Though Will and Berg enjoyed working at Olson, they soon grew frustrated by the sheer volume of inquiries they and their colleagues received from smaller companies and startups without the six- or seven-figure budgets necessary to support a full-scale campaign with a major agency — the types of companies that would later become Humdinger’s bread and butter. So Will and Berg conceived the “Humdinger model.”
Current Humdinger Job Listings in Minneapolis
- Business Development Manager
- PR Specialist
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
A successful Kickstarter that netted Great Lakes Clothing Company more than $20,000 will allow the custom clothing company to move into a new collaborative work space on March 1. The company will share space near the North Minneapolis riverfront with several other Minnesota companies—including
Marked Leather, Mill City Fineries, and the U.S.-made artisanal clothing and product distributor William Rogue & Co.
“We’re committed to the idea of native businesses sticking together, sharing resources and space,” says cofounder Spencer Barrett, hinting at the prospect of future apparel and branding partnerships with Great Lakes’ co-tenants. The move will roughly quadruple Great Lakes’ floor space, from 600 to about 2,400 square feet,
For now, cofounders Barrett and David Burke plan to use the expanded space to grow their inventory and make way for new hires to manage inventory, sales and the company’s expanding online presence.
Great Lakes has already shipped its branded T-shirts, crew sweaters, polos and accessories — including koozies — to 47 states, building buzz largely through word of mouth, a no-frills video marketing campaign orchestrated by Barrett, and a “brand ambassador” program that recruits college students to sport its clothing on campuses across the Midwest.
Customer service doesn’t hurt either. The co-founders include a handwritten thank-you note with every online order and send a follow-up email about a week after each customer’s order arrives.
According to the co-founders, Great Lakes’ brand centers around “life at the lake,” a laid-back, nostalgic vibe that’s instantly recognizable to anyone who has spent a warm day near a body of water in Minnesota. The brand’s mascot is an understated loon, a Northern archetype that needs no introduction.
“We found a huge gap in the apparel market,” explains Burke. “No one in Minnesota, or anywhere in the Midwest for that matter, was taking advantage of our unique Northern lifestyle and fusing those ideals into a brand. We strive to create fun, useful and well-made products inspired by life at the lake.”
“We were inspired by shared memories of time spent around the water” in the Twin Cities and up north, adds Barrett. “It’s a common experience shared not just by people in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Minnesota, but by anyone who lives near fresh water.”
Another Great Lakes differentiator: Unlike many of their competitors, including similarly sized startups, Burke and Barrett are committed to a totally American-made supply chain. The pair will oversee all design work at their new Minneapolis studio, even as the company grows.
Great Lakes currently relies on a North Carolina manufacturer to supply the bulk of their unfinished shirts — “that’s where most of the American textile industry operates these days,” explains Barrett — with partners in the Twin Cities handling embroidering, printing and other final touches.
Though the online sales model is working well for now, Burke and Barrett are hoping to diversify in the months ahead. A last-minute decision to put on a popup store during the holiday season paid off big time, “blowing past our already pretty ambitious projections for November,” says Burke.
The co-founders are already exploring additional popup opportunities at outdoor events — including a “winter golf” tournament on Lake Minnetonka in mid-February — and, possibly, local brewery taprooms.
But “the dream,” says Burke, “is a flagship store that gets right to the core of the Great Lakes brand,” with an expansive retail area up front and a fulfillment center in the back.
“The popup experience has really reinforced the importance of personal connections for us,” says Burke, noting that in-store conversion rates are about five times higher than online. “We want to be as friendly and hospitable to the customer as we can.”
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
The calendar still says winter, but Tangletown Gardens is ramping up hiring, and investing in initiatives to make the popular South Minneapolis business “even better at what we grow, what we produce, and what we create for our customers and the communities we serve,” says co-founder and principal Scott Endres.
That doesn’t mean, however, that Endres and co-owner Dean Engelmann will tear up a playbook that has worked for more than a decade.
“The growth of our business has always been organic,” Endres says. “We make sure things as are as good as they can be before taking the next step. Right now, we feel there is room to grow and refine all aspects of our business without having to take on new ventures.”
Tangletown Gardens’ current ventures keep Endres, Engelmann and their staffers plenty busy. The flagship garden center at 54th & Nicollet supports a flourishing garden design and consulting business that counts some of the Twin Cities’ most notable companies, nonprofits, government organizations and individuals as clients. Off the top of his head, Endres lists the Museum of Russian Art, the Minneapolis Park Board, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and the U of M’s Horticulture Department as “garden partners.”
Endres and Engelmann met while enrolled in the University of Minnesota’s horticulture program. They worked in the landscape design business before setting out as partners and founding Tangletown. Careful product selection and innovative cultivation strategies play a role in their success, along with their backgrounds. According to Endres, Tangletown has “thousands of...perennial, annual and vegetable varieties,” along with “the most diverse group of unusual and hard-to-find woody plants in the Upper Midwest.”
In addition to the garden center, Endres and Engelmann run
Wise Acre Eatery, a bastion of the Twin Cities’ farm-to-fork movement, and a 100-acre farm in Plato, which supplies Wise Acre and a flourishing CSA. According to Wise Acre’s website, “80 to 90 percent of what we serve is grown sustainably” on the Plato farm.
Since opening in 2012, Wise Acre has been joined by a host of farm-centric restaurants across town. But it remains unique. “Unlike the owners of any other restaurant we know of, we are the folks sowing the seeds, nurturing plants, and tending the animals in the morning, then delivering the harvest to our restaurant’s kitchen in the afternoon,” says Endres.
Endres and Engelmann grow produce year-round in state-of-the-art greenhouses to maintain their locally grown supply. The owners also keep Scottish Highland cattle, two heritage pork breeds and free-range poultry on the farm — a self-contained food ecosystem that relies on “biology, not toxic chemicals,” says Endres.
“Healthy soil creates healthy food and gardens, which ultimately create healthy people,” adds Engelmann.
This philosophy reflects Endres’ and Engelmann’s upbringing. Though horticulturalists by training, both grew up on small working farms in the family for generations. “Our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers knew the way they treated their land would shape its future,” says Endres. “We farm today in much the same way as the farms we grew up on.”
Current Tangletown Job Listings in Minneapolis
- Garden Designer
- Container Designer
- Gardener
- Seasonal Garden Center Associate
- Seasonal Landscape Team Member
Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Two new initiatives, MNvest and MN-SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research), are aiming to give Minneapolis-St. Paul startups and entrepreneurs a competitive leg up. Both initiatives lessen or remove existing barriers to funding for early-stage companies.
MNvest is a legislative proposal that could pave the way for “equity crowdfunding,” which would remove some red tape from existing securities law and allow young companies to raise up to $5 million from members of the public in any 12-month period.
Currently, Minnesota startups can raise funds in three ways, none of them ideal. First, they can register with state and federal securities regulators, a costly and stringent process that’s unrealistic for capital-starved entrepreneurs. Second, they can limit advertised investment offerings to accredited investors — roughly the state’s wealthiest one percent.
Third and most common: They can make a private, unadvertised offering, sometimes known as a “friends and family round,” but can’t solicit on the Internet or through other public means. In all cases, startups must either shoulder unreasonable costs or remain unable to accept investments from most members of the public.
MNvest’s value proposition appeals to lawmakers and constituents alike, says Winthrop & Weinstine attorney and MNvest proponent Ryan Schildkraut. “The question is simple: Why should only the wealthiest people be able to use the Internet to invest in businesses with compelling ideas?”
MN-SBIR is a conduit to the federal SBIR program, which offers access to more than $2 billion in business grants from nearly a dozen federal agencies. Individual grants range from less than $150,000 for Phase I (early stage) companies to as much as $4 million for Phase III (established, generally medium-sized) companies.
MN-SBIR provides technical support, proposal writing assistance, cost analyses, commercialization planning and other services for startups and small-to-medium-sized businesses seeking grant money. The Minnesota program also offers regular workshops, including a February 24 proposal-writing workshop and a March 26 overview workshop, for participants and interested parties.
MN-SBIR is “often the only source of capital available” to startups and small companies perceived as high-risk by traditional lenders, including venture capitalists, says MN-SBIR director Pat Dillon.
The program also pumps federal dollars into Minnesota’s economy. “We send so much of our [tax] money to Washington,” says Dillon. “This is one way for us to get some of it back.”
But both MN-SBIR and MNvest face challenges.
As a legislative proposal, MNvest is currently working its way through committees at the Capitol. Though the bill has bipartisan support and “has not run into major opposition from any group,” the legislative process offers no guarantees, says Zachary Robins, Schildkraut’s Winthrop colleague and fellow MNvest proponent. House and Senate versions of the bill still need to be reconciled into a single draft, a process that can take time. A full vote could happen anytime between now and late spring, with the governor’s signature required for MNvest to become law.
“We’re cautiously optimistic about MNvest’s prospects,” says Robins.
MN-SBIR faces a different set of obstacles. The state government recently restarted the program after a decade-long hiatus. MN-SBIR remains under-resourced due to its newness and funding realities, with Dillon and a small team of consultants sharing responsibilities.
“I’m a hard worker, but I’m not Superwoman,” Dillon laughs.
The continued economic vitality of Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Minnesota more broadly, could hinge on the success of MNvest and MN-SBIR. Both find the state in the unfamiliar position of playing catch-up with others, including some of its closest neighbors.
MNvest, for instance, is similar to bills already passed in Wisconsin, Indiana and other midwestern states. Last year, Schildkraut found out about Craftfund, a Milwaukee-based brewery crowdfunding platform that takes advantage of the Wisconsin law.
“I assumed we had something similar on the books in Minnesota,” he recalls. When subsequent research failed to turn up anything similar, he and Robins set MNvest in motion.
“We’re just young and energetic enough to try to get a law passed,” says Schildkraut.
Meanwhile, MN-SBIR aims to dramatically increase Minnesota’s share of the federal SBIR pie. Local companies account for just $30 million of the $2.3 billion total, a disproportionately small share relative to population. California and Massachusetts alone account for nearly 50 percent of the available amount.
“We could do a whole lot better given our size and existing entrepreneurial energy,” says Dillon.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
A novel partnership between several local craft breweries and the students in a College of Design class at the University of Minnesota produced innovative tap-handle designs, and laid the groundwork for future collaborations between creative students and the Twin Cities’ booming beer industry. Sarah Sheber, a fabric developer at Target, taught the Product Form and Model Making class. Her intention was to give students a window into the workings of the small, creative businesses reshaping the Twin Cities’ economy.
“I pursued smaller [breweries] purposefully,” she says. “I wanted students to have a chance to learn as much about [the breweries’] brands as they could, to see as much of the business as possible and understand the different roles that go into producing local brews. With a large company [like Target], individuals own a small piece of the process. With small companies, each member of the team needs to be flexible, to know the business and the brand, and be able to wear a lot of hats.”
Fair State Brewing Cooperative in Northeast Minneapolis participated in the project. So did Mighty Axe Hops, which produces high-quality, locally grown hops for brewers in Minneapolis, St. Paul and elsewhere; and Excelsior Brewing, a suburban taproom and brewery.
Students produced multiple tap-handle designs for each business, some attempting improvements on existing designs and others completely reimagining the brands’ ethos. Breweries had the option to purchase finalized tap handles, which otherwise remain student property.
The collaboration had two overarching goals. First, Sheber wanted to students to experience the creative freedom and creative expression that inform commercial design projects. “The idea was to act like a client, providing support and feedback as students worked through each design,” says Matt Hauck, Fair State’s director of operations.
Not every design was practical. One student incorporated powerful rare earth magnets into a prototype, recalls Fair State CEO Evan Sallee, making it impossible to detach and move. “There was a lot of trial and error,” says Sallee, “but it was great to be engaged with talented students who are passionate about design.”
Some designs eventually solved problems of which Hauck and Sallee weren’t even aware. “The students we worked with put a lot of thought into the ergonomics of their final designs, something we’d never even considered,” says Sallee.
Sheber and her students unveiled the final tap-handle designs during a December 16 happy hour fueled, naturally, by free beer from Fair State and Excelsior. Sheber is already planning to bring back the collaboration for next year’s class, possibly with new brewery partners.
“We’ve had interest from brewers of all scales,” says Sheber, some of whom urgently need updated branding.
At Fair State, Sallee and Hauck may take a pass on using any of last semester’s designs. But they’re open to future collaborations that keep their branding fresh and distinctive.
The local craft beer community is largely chummy and supportive of new entrants, says Sallee. “But positioning among other breweries’ tap handles at bars is still important,” he notes. “You want your design to stand out in the right way.”
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Kim Bartmann’s Tiny Diner has just been honored as the country’s top “Small Business Revolution” story by Deluxe, a business services company based in the Twin Cities’ northern suburbs. The South Minneapolis restaurant was the first stop on Deluxe’s nationwide Small Business Revolution tour, which will profile 100 U.S. companies during the coming months in honor of Deluxe’s 100th anniversary.
Small Business Revolution was initiated in response to what Deluxe sees as the country’s increasingly impersonal, digitized economy; a place where conducting anonymous online transactions is often easier than seeking out independent, brick-and-mortar businesses owned by our friends and neighbors.
“We’re less likely to know who we’re buying from,” according to Deluxe’s Small Business Revolution website. “We’re exchanging data instead of sharing experiences. In too many places, the magic and the meaning [of doing business] have begun to fade.”
According to Deluxe, Small Business Revolution taps “award-winning independent filmmakers and photographers to honor” businesses that “create something more personal, more local, more meaningful for all of us.”
Bartmann’s participation required a couple of phone interviews and a “fairly long day of shooting,” Bartmann says—not a bad deal for national exposure.
“I was thrilled to be approached,” she says. Bartmann owns
Tiny Diner and seven other restaurants across the Twin Cities. “I’m interested in taking part in anything that promotes small business here.” She found her way onto Deluxe’s radar, she says, because she’s a prominent booster for the Twin Cities Metro Independent Business Alliance, a key small business organization.
Deluxe immediately bought into “the pretty powerful little project we have here,” says Bartmann.
Tiny Diner is “engaging sustainable food production in a real way,” she says, “thinking through how we can close the loop in the traditionally wasteful restaurant industry.”
As a diner that offers food at a moderate price point and caters to a regular, neighborhood-centric crowd, says Bartmann, Tiny Diner has an even greater responsibility to be sustainable than high-end “destination” restaurants.
Case in point: Tiny Diner’s patio-top solar setup is “the largest visible solar array” in the Twin Cities, she said, as all larger arrays are on high roofs or hidden behind greenery. Despite the array’s size, Bartmann offset about 90 percent of its cost through various state and federal rebates.
Bartmann is justifiably proud of Tiny Diner’s food, too. “Our challenge is to think about how we can make typical diner food, like hash browns, better,” she says. “You can go and eat at a lot of restaurants, but you’re not always being fed.”
After Tiny Diner, the Small Business Revolution tour hit The Shed Fitness and Bogart’s Donuts, both also in Minneapolis. The tour heads south to Kansas next, though Deluxe is still accepting nominations for businesses to be featured in the tour’s later stages, regardless of location.
Tuesday, January 06, 2015
Startup Venture Loft (SVL) tripled its physical footprint with a move into an 8,500 square foot space in the North Loop’s McKesson Building last September. The new digs were the final piece of a year-long rebranding and restructuring process that transformed SVL from Healthcare.mn, a healthcare-focused business accelerator, into a coworking hub and incubator for “investable startup companies with high growth potential,” says owner and executive director Peter Kane.
“Expanding to an 8,500 square foot space grabs people’s attention and lets them know we’re serious,” says Kane, who wants to “make the Twin Cities the best place in the country to launch a startup.”
Thirty early stage companies mostly in the healthcare and technology sectors now rent space at SVL, up from just five in November 2013. Healthcare.mn remains an SVL tenant.
Turning the Twin Cities into a tech hub requires a self-contained ecosystem of entrepreneurs and talented knowledge workers, plus venture capital funds, angel investors and service providers such as intellectual property lawyers and marketing specialists, who support and promote entrepreneurial efforts.
Kane cites Chicago—a city not known for its technology industry until recently—as a model for the Twin Cities. 1871 is the beating heart of Chicago’s tech startup scene, with tenants ranging from idea-stage one-person companies to established VC funds that funnel capital into proven technology concepts. Decision-makers from big technology and healthcare firms, including Google, either rent space in or routinely visit 1871, providing startups with access to larger, more lucrative markets and creating buyout opportunities—known as “exit strategies” in startup parlance.
SVL also aims to bridge a generational and cultural gap that hinders local startups’ growth. Many Twin Cities entrepreneurs, especially in tech and healthcare, are Millennials with different values and business strategies than the older, more experienced executives and investors they typically pitch ideas to. Kane’s two previous startups both failed in part, he says, because established company executives didn’t take him seriously.
“Our culture is somewhat risk averse, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” says Kane. “But [decision makers] want to know that you’ve been vetted, and that’s a tough sell when you’re a 20-something entrepreneur and everyone across the table from you is a baby boomer Pharm.D.”
“The response is often ‘who are you’ and ‘why should I trust that you know what you’re doing,’” he adds. “There isn’t the sort of informal vetting network that exists in more established tech centers like Silicon Valley and New York.” Kane wants SVL to be a core node in that network. With the support of a competent, technology-driven community, entrepreneurs associated with SVL would have a de facto stamp of approval from investors and corporate decision makers.
Bringing entrepreneurs and business leaders together also requires a mature digital media sector that trumpets the Twin Cities’ startup scene as worth of national and international attention—and investment.
“We’re not always great at telling our story [in the Twin Cities],” says Kane. “We need a beacon—the media—that churns out stories with national appeal and raises the local startup scene’s profile to where it needs to be.”
Sunday, December 14, 2014
SPS Commerce, a retail supply-chain software company that occupies six floors in downtown Minneapolis’ Accenture Tower, has added about 200 employees since 2012. “And the rate of hiring is not slowing down,” says Peter Zaballos, VP of marketing and product. SPS Commerce has more than 800 employees as of this month. The company just added a new floor to its downtown headquarters, with an option for additional space in the building.
“We’re positioning to become a world-class, global supply-chain business” in the tech space, he adds. “That’s making us a magnet for talent in the Twin Cities region and around the world.”
Most of SPS’ employees work at its Minneapolis headquarters. The firm also has a big presence in New Jersey, as well as international operations centers in Beijing, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Sydney, Melbourne, London and Kiev. Each office will grow “organically” even as SPS adds employees in Minneapolis, says Zaballos.
SPS Commerce’s ambition got big boost last month, winning MHTA’s prestigious Tekne Award for best software platform in the “established company” category. SPS was one of 12 Tekne winners this year, out of more than 100 entrants. According to an SPS release, the company won plaudits for “embracing innovation and the changes that today’s retailers are facing, while giving global organizations access to an established online trading community.”
“The Tekne win really communicates to the local and national tech communities that SPS is on the forefront of the ongoing reinvention of retail,” says Zaballos. “We’re on the move.”
SPS Commerce is also raising its profile in the booming Twin Cities tech community. The company’s CEO and CTO earned
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s prestigious Titans of Technology Award in September. And the company routinely hosts events for programmers and business professionals at its offices.
“We enjoy sharing our success with other members of the local technology community,” says Zaballos. “It’s a great opportunity.”
Zaballos and other SPS executives are thrilled with the Twin Cities tech community’s progress. Zaballos came to SPS less than three years ago, after extended stints in major coastal tech hubs: Silicon Valley, Boston, Seattle. He’d never set foot in the Twin Cities. But he was “stunned by the breadth, vibrancy and depth” of the industry.
“The quality of the people here is amazing,” he says. Local professionals are also “aware of the game they’re playing”—a game, Zaballos argues, largely controlled by elites in the Bay Area and New York. “To compete on a global basis, you need to play in that league,” which the Twin Cities does very well, he says. Finding competent, talented workers is easy here.
SPS Commerce helps retail clients manage and expand digital sales channels, providing analytics, inventory management and seamless interfacing with suppliers and other software platforms.
“Things that seem easy to do when you’re shopping online are actually super complicated for retailers,” says Zaballos. A dramatic increase in mobile device use complicates matters further. “Mobile shoppers are especially high maintenance,” he says.
More than 55,000 retailers and suppliers now use SPS’ solutions. But most local residents have still never heard of SPS Commerce, despite current revenues of nearly $130 million.
When Zaballos took his current job, the company had no marketing department to speak of. “Our sales team was and is really good at getting suppliers into our network,” he says. “We got to around $100 million in revenues and tens of thousands of users before anyone [outside the retail industry] had heard of us.”
SPS kept its low profile despite an IPO back in 2010. It’s listed on the NASDAQ, under the ticker symbol SPSC. “Being public is a big advantage for us,” says Zaballos. “Prospective clients and employees can look at our annual reports and financial disclosures and know that we’re a fundamentally sound, growing business.”
One item of note in SPS’ public filings: The company currently has $170 million in cash on hand, an impressive sum for a firm of its size. That cash pile will support SPS’ aggressive hiring and expansion drives—and possibly spur more exciting investments in the future.
And the company is finally investing in publicity for itself. “We’re thrilled to be telling our story,” says Zaballos. “We want talented Twin Cities professionals who share our values to see a future with us.”
Current SPS Commerce Job Listings in Minneapolis
- Account Executive
- Business Analyst
- Marketing Acquisition Manager
- Software Engineer
- Supply Chain Strategist
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Urban Growler is booming. And co-founders Deb Loch and Jill Pavlak have a lot on their plate, from a long-awaited kitchen and menu expansion to a new Kickstarter campaign and a rapidly growing distribution footprint. The St. Anthony Park brewery now has 22 employees, with 17 between the brewery and taproom, and 5 in the kitchen. That’s up from about a dozen when the brewery first opened.
“We thought we could get by with 12 or 13 people,” says Pavlak, but Urban Growler’s runaway popularity quickly spurred another hiring round. “You need to have enough [employees] to provide excellent customer service,” she says. “That’s what keeps people coming back.”
The kitchen expansion tops on the agenda. Pavlak hopes to have the kitchen expanded by mid-winter, but warns of unexpected delays or complications.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned since we began,” she laughs, “it’s that timetables can slip.” She and Loch had to push back Urban Growler’s opening date several times due to unforeseen complications.
The new kitchen’s menu will expand to include burgers and other entrees made from organic, locally sourced meats. Urban Growler cultivates relationships with local producers whenever possible, says Pavlak, noting a particularly poetic relationship with Mark and Jesse Gilbertson, a pair of western Wisconsin farmers who frequent the St. Paul Farmers’ Market. Pavlak hands off Urban Growler’s spent grains to the Gilbertsons to be used as animal feed
“They tell us their cows, hogs and chickens love them,” says Pavlak. “The grains are sweet, but also wholesome and protein-rich.”
Once the new menu is in place, Pavlak and Loch plan to buy beef, and possibly pork and chicken, from the Gilbertsons, creating a sustainable circle. Pavlak says the new kitchen may also use spent grains in house-made bread and cookies, though “we’re still working on the recipes,” she warns.
Pavlak says the new kitchen’s Kickstarter campaign should be live before Christmas, but details on the funding amount and timeline still have to be worked out.
Separately, Urban Growler is also feverishly producing more beer to satisfy an expanding roster of brewery and restaurant clients, despite frustrating delays in fulfillment for Urban Growler’s branded tap handles. “We’re still sending out prototype tap handles,” laughs Pavlak.
Distributed beers include Cowbell Cream Ale, City Day Ale and Graffiti IPA. Most confirmed accounts are in the western suburbs, but Pavlak mentions Bar Louie in Uptown and Muffuletta in St. Anthony Park as local adopters. In October, a Muffuletta-Urban Growler beer dinner sold out in seven hours. “[Muffuletta’s manager] said that was a record,” says Pavlak.
Beyond the kitchen, Urban Growler’s interior configuration is changing for the better. Come January 1, the co-founders will take over a storage area next door that will house a gigantic cooler that now juts out into the seating area. The expanded kitchen will occupy part of its former footprint, with expanded seating and standing room in the remainder.
And Pavlak and Loch are weatherproofing the brewery, widely known for its spacious, sunny patio. An interior vestibule, installed in November, should shield the high-ceilinged brewhouse/taproom from outdoor cold.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Drivers can now reserve and pay for parking spots in advance at most major sports and event venues in the Twin Cities, including the XCel Energy Center, Target Center, Target Field and the Hennepin Theater Trust, thanks to Baltimore-based Parking Panda. The parking-logistics company entered the Twin Cities market within the past 12 months and has already amassed more than two-dozen clients.
That initial response vastly exceeded Parking Panda’s expectations. Target Center saw more than 3,500 reservations for a single concert, says Parking Panda marketing director Bryan Lozano, just days after the company went online there.
“The Twin Cities has quickly become one of our best markets,” says Lozano. “We’re providing a service that really wasn’t available before and tapping into the region’s dynamic urbanism,” he adds. Parking Panda, he continues, is one more solution in a transportation mix that includes a world-class bike infrastructure. and multiple bus and train lines running connecting the two cities.
Lozano ascribes Parking Panda’s rapid adoption to its “great partners.” The company works directly with teams, like the Minnesota Wild and Twins, to promote its parking services and encourage fans to reserve space ahead of time. That reduces congestion before and after games.
“One of the biggest drivers of traffic and congestion is people driving around looking for parking,” says Lozano.
In addition to major sports and entertainment venues, the company also contracts with garages near West Bank academic buildings, the Minneapolis Convention Center and in the heart of Uptown’s business district. All are big draws for out-of-towners likely to be impressed by the Twin Cities’ smooth parking and transit infrastructure.
Parking Panda lets garage and lot operators set prices for individual parking spaces on the Parking Panda site. Drivers can search for spaces near their destination, selecting the cheapest or most affordable ones, and then reserve and pay in advance. Parking Panda takes 20 percent of each transaction and forwards the remaining 80 percent to operators.
Though it doesn’t yet do so in the Twin Cities, Parking Panda also lets homeowners and small business owners rent out extra spaces in small lots, driveways or alley, creating new income streams for individuals.
Parking Panda doesn’t have a local office, though a single sales rep does support operations in the Twin Cities. The company is exploring opportunities to organize parking for major events like the Minnesota State Fair—which could involve working with hundreds of property owners in Midway and the North Side of St. Paul. That may require a more robust local infrastructure and could create more opportunities for frustrated Twin Cities’ drivers.
“Parking can be a painful experience,” says Lozano. “Parking Panda works every day to take the pain out of parking.”
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Twin Cities’ parents have a new source for unique, high-quality baby apparel and nursery decorations: BoomBoom Prints, an online marketplace based out of an “informal coworking space” in downtown Minneapolis. BoomBoom Prints (BBP), says Jennifer Weismann, BBP’s PR consultant, is “Etsy meets Pottery Barn.”
Fresh off a July 2014 launch, BBP already has 4,000 unique pieces for sale and about 500 participating designers—many of them based in the Twin Cities. The company has four full-time employees and three part-timers, says CEO Brett Brohl, with tentative plans to add more after the holidays.
A recently closed fundraising effort earned $400,000, a tidy sum for a startup. “Our funding round allowed us to make key hires, invest in our platform and expand our offerings,” says Brohl. BBP started as a marketplace for wall art, he explains, but now offers clothing, stationery and baby/parent accessories as well.
Founded by new dad Ryan Broshar and “serial entrepreneur” Brohl, BBP sources designs from a rapidly growing community of artists—including many in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
“I heard about the site from a friend of a friend,” says Twin Cities’ artist Kate Worum, who chose BBP as her first online sales channel. “BoomBoom Prints felt more approachable: They are local, have the artists’ interests in mind and they advertise by word of mouth.”
Worum is not alone. Another local BBP artist, John Gerber, has created such items as a bib captioned “Feed me” and a onesie that asks “Who you calling baby? Thought so.” Kate McCollow’s wall art features baby-themed fantasy scenes and serene watercolors depicting familiar Twin Cities’ landscapes.
BBP artists set their own prices, using the company’s suggested multipliers to arrive at a fair retail price. BBP then takes a cut of the sale and passes the rest on to the designer.
Though the Etsy comparisons are inevitable, Brohl points out a key difference: BBP is completely turnkey, handling every nitty-gritty aspect of selling artwork online, from printing and shipping to returns and customer contact. Etsy and other online marketplaces ask artists to do these tasks.
Worum appreciates BBP’s full-service approach. “I run a freelance illustration and design business by night, and work as a trend forecaster for apparel and accessories at Target during the day,” she says. Her hectic schedule makes it impossible to fulfill orders herself or even print her own work. “With BoomBoom Prints, all I have to do is make my art, click a few buttons and move on with my day.”
There may soon be more local “BoomBoomers” like Worum. Though about 50 percent of BBP’s designers are international, says Brohl, “we’re really concentrating our efforts on developing artists in our backyard. There’s so much artistic talent and diversity here.”
Brohl and his team often reach out directly to local artists and invite them to sell their work on BBP. With no upfront costs, they’ve already found lots of takers. “We’re excited about the future,” says Brohl. “We’re making a go of it.”
Wednesday, December 03, 2014
Outsell, based on the 32nd floor of the Capella Tower in downtown Minneapolis, is one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. according to Inc. Since 2010, Outsell has roughly tripled its employee base and quadrupled its revenue. The company earned a spot (#455) on the 2014 Deloitte Fast 500, a closely watched list that tracks revenue growth at public and private North American companies. According to Deloitte, Outsell is Minnesota’s third-fastest growing tech company.
And Outsell shows not signs of slowing down. The company has added 15 jobs this year, bringing its total headcount to more than 100, and predicts an equal or greater number of employees for 2015.
“Our people are our most important asset by far,” says founder and CEO Mike Wethington. “We’re constantly looking for talented, self-starting candidates, especially web developers, data analysts and marketing specialists.”
Outsell’s current office space measures about 18,000 square feet, with a variety of spaces that encourage collaboration. Depending on the pace of hiring next year and beyond, says Wethington, his company may soon need to exercise an option to expand into the Capella Tower’s 31st floor.
Outsell was started in 2004, when Wethington, a self-described “serial entrepreneur,” bought Judson Bemis’s Solv Technology, which had developed an online lead generation solution for auto dealers. Wethington and his first employees improved and streamlined the platform, developing analytics to predict customer preferences and deliver automated, high-value marketing material.
For instance, a recent car buyer might receive emails or texts advertising oil changes, tune-ups and vehicle-appropriate accessories consistent with the buyer’s past purchasing and web navigating habits. “We customize and automate everything for the dealers so they can devote more resources to selling and fixing cars,” says Wethington.
“The experience is brand-consistent, like Amazon,” he explains, allowing independently owned and franchised dealers to use the same platform and analytics as others selling the same model. Outsell currently works with about 1,000 U.S. dealers and seven automotive brands, sending out automated communications to about 10 million consumers per month.
If you’ve recently purchased a new or used vehicle from a franchised dealer, there’s a good chance Outsell is behind the marketing emails and texts it sends you.
Despite its reach, there’s room for Outsell to grow. Dealers spend well over $1 billion per year on marketing, says Wethington, and many don’t yet use automated customer-contact solutions.
Even as Outsell racks up impressive growth figures and finds new ways to improve the customer experience, the company devotes significant resources to employee retention. The company offers unlimited paid time off, with no questions asked, and no distinction between sick days and vacation time, a rarity in the modern workplace.
“We place a lot of trust in our employees,” Wethington explains. “We expect them to take care of their work and reward them for holding up their end of the bargain,” –i.e., getting their work done on time.
Outsell also offers a profit sharing program for all associates, including entry-level employees, as well as performance bonuses, a matching 401(k) and tuition reimbursements for associates looking to further their careers with advanced degrees.
In a typical year, says Wethington, Outsell devotes 3 to 5 percent of total operating income to charitable contributions. The company’s employee-led Caring Committee partners with the Minnesota Keystone Program to distribute financial resources and manpower to groups like the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the ASPCA.
Giving back to the local community is a win-win experience for employees, says Wethington—just like every workday at Outsell. The company’s perks earned it a spot on a recent Star Tribune list of best Minnesota work environments.
“We love being based in the Twin Cities,” he says. “We’ve got a talented, smart, kind workforce that understands the value of hard work and doing the right thing.”
Outsell Jobs in Minneapolis
Senior Software Analyst
Senior Software Developers
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
The Minneapolis Downtown Council recently announced that Aimia, a consumer loyalty and engagement management firm, would move its U.S. headquarters, along with more than 300 employees, to a 50,000-square-foot space in the North Loop’s Butler Square building. Aimia previously occupied space in a Plymouth office park near I-494.
Aimia is the latest company to relocate, expand or retain space in downtown Minneapolis since the launch of the Minneapolis Downtown 2025 Plan. Other notable companies include CenterPoint Energy, Valspar, XCel Energy, Olson and Be the Match. Three years into the Downtown 2025 Plan, the momentum is palpable.
“Aimia saw the merits of moving downtown...and all the opportunities and progress on display here right now,” says Steve Cramer, president and CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council & Downtown Improvement District. “Our mission is to create an extraordinary downtown.”
One of the core goals of the Downtown 2025 Plan is to create a more vibrant, energetic downtown for workers, businesses and residents. Another goal is to accelerate economic and cultural progress by eliminating the either/or distinctions between those three categories. The plan recognizes that a truly world-class downtown core needs a diverse mix of uses, and a high density of people, ideas and economic activity.
“Cities with a strong central business district thrive because they have companies, big and small, working in close proximity [and collaborating] with clients and partners,” Cramer says. “When the area as a whole succeeds, it creates new opportunities for everyone involved.”
The addition of thousands of
new residents has raised downtown Minneapolis’s profile, too. With a broader, more creative pool of potential recruits within walking or biking distance, talent-driven companies like Aimia find it much easier to justify the temporary cost of moving downtown.
“Our population has risen to more than 37,000 people,” Cramer says, “and we’re seeing apartments and condos under construction across the area.” The increasing density of creatives downtown dovetails with other Downtown 2025 Plan initiatives, including the recently announced
Minneapolis Idea eXchange and a street beautification partnership with the University of Minnesota’s College of Design.
Aimia’s move is just another sign of how far downtown Minneapolis has come. “For the first time in decades, we’re seeing an incredible trend of people moving in toward the downtown area,” Cramer adds.
“Downtown Minneapolis is a leader for the [Twin Cities] region,” he adds. “If it thrives, the region as a whole thrives.”
Aimia Jobs in Minneapolis
Director of Business Development - CPG, Retail, Finance
IT Sales Engineer
Mobile Delivery Manager
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
The latest craft brew to come out of Minneapolis-St. Paul isn’t made from barley and hops. It’s Prohibition Kombucha, a fermented beverage made from high-quality teas and fruit or floral flavorings.
The tasty product of a partnership between former Herkimer brewer Nathan Uri and Verdant Tea founder David Duckler, Prohibition is the region’s first homegrown kombucha. The company’s three kombucha flavors are available at about a dozen co-ops, coffee shops and farmers markets around the Twin Cities, including Mill City Farmers’ Market, Seward Co-op, Spyhouse and Kopplin’s Coffee.
Uri has bigger aspirations, though: He’s teaming up with Minneapolis-based Tree Fort Soda to build a larger kombucha brewery at a to-be-determined location in the Twin Cities. Eventually, Uri envisions a product line available at cafes, restaurants and grocery stores throughout the country, plus satellite breweries on the East and West Coasts to supply customers in other regions.
Prohibition Kombucha’s creations are healthy -- really healthy. “Depending on the quality of tea and type of yeasts and bacteria used, there can be varying levels of amino acids like L-theanine, healthy sour acids like malic and acetic acid, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and other nutrients,” says Uri. “Our kombucha is also low in sugar and calories, slowing the glycemic load of a meal when consumed with food.”
According to Uri, all Prohibition Kombucha varieties have less than one gram of sugar per ounce and no more than 56 calories per pint.
Popular with the counterculture movement in the Southwest and West Coast, kombucha is novel concept in the Twin Cities. “Currently, the main reason people drink Kombucha is for the probiotic content,” explains Uri, “which can be as simple as one bacteria or as many as 20 beneficial yeasts and bacteria.”
The microbes ferment a mixture of tea, sugar and other natural ingredients, producing carbonation, crisp flavors and a trace, non-intoxicating amount of alcohol. A multi-organism fermenting base is called a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts, or SCOBY.
Kombucha doesn’t always taste great, though. Without naming names, Uri fingers “some other brands” that have a funky, sour, “sharkbite” flavor that’s too tangy to be pleasant. Prohibition uses high-quality black and oolong teas, plus carefully selected secondary ingredients, to achieve a “crisp, cider-like acid-sugar balance,” Uri says.
The fermenting process does produce trace amounts of alcohol -- less than 0.5% by volume. Though 0.5% isn’t intoxicating, Uri and Duckler are sensitive to sober customers’ concerns.
“We completely and unequivocally respect and support” those who avoid kombucha for any reason, says Uri. “That said, others in recovery enjoy our Kombucha without issue. It's a very personal choice and we want everyone to lead healthy and happy lives, so we label our product accordingly.”
In fact, Prohibition Kombucha probably wouldn’t exist if not for Uri’s temporary decision to quit drinking. In 2012, while living in Portland, he hankered for the sensory and aesthetic experience of a fine wine, great beer or perfect cocktail.” He tried his first “small batch craft” kombucha, loved it, and began brewing kombucha at home.
Soon realizing the importance of quality tea to quality kombucha -- many other kombucha producers use low-quality teas or “the bare minimum” of a higher-grade variety, he says -- Uri moved back to the Twin Cities and contacted Duckler, an old friend. Now, Uri exclusively uses Verdant Tea’s black and oolong teas in his kombuchas.
“Since [Duckler] sources the finest, freshest and highest quality Chinese teas available in the US, it’s a natural partnership,” he says. One that could soon bring a fermented, cocktail-quality and (almost) totally non-alcoholic beverage to your local coffee shop or grocery store shelf.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Creative City Roadmap, the City of Minneapolis’ ambitious plan to highlight and strengthen the city’s creative assets, is entering its next phase. Until November 21, an online survey allows city residents to share insights about Minneapolis’ current cultural strengths and offer new ideas for widening the city’s “dot” on the American cultural map.
The results of the survey will inform the drafting of the actual Creative City Roadmap, a 10-year arts and culture plan to be released in 2015. The Creative City Roadmap will replace Minneapolis’ current 10-year arts and culture plan released in 2005.
In addition to inviting rank and file Minneapolitans to take part in the survey, the city tapped two “artist engagement teams” to “engage with people [around the survey], especially those who are part of traditionally underrepresented and underserved communities,” says Rachel Engh, creative economy program associate for the City of Minneapolis.
The teams include local creatives Chrys Carroll, Keegan Xavi, Sha Cage and E.G. Bailey. Their duties encompass in-person surveying, “anecdotal data gathering” through community engagement initiatives, and drafting and editing the Creative City Roadmap document.
The Creative City Roadmap process is run by a steering committee that oversees five working groups focused on core intersections of the creative economy: placemaking, creative engagement, lifelong learning and sharing, supporting artists’ work and the arts’ relationship with the “mainstream” economy.
“The role of arts and culture in the city of Minneapolis, and the way the city chooses to support these industries and activities, is changing,” says Engh. “The Creative City Road Map’s vision is that arts and cultural activities have the capacity to expand the economic pie and help more people reap benefits.”
“Many major U.S. cities have citywide arts and culture planning documents,” she adds. “[We’re also] acknowledging the value a new plan for arts, culture and the creative economy could have for Minneapolis,” both by “making Minneapolis a more welcoming and desirable place to live and giving underserved Minneapolitans access to economic and social returns.”
Creative City Roadmap kicked off with a September 17 public house at the Textile Center on University Avenue and a September 24 followup event at the Pillsbury House & Theater in South Minneapolis. The information-gathering phase of the project will run through September 2015, with regular programming and feedback during that time. According to Engh, at least two more open houses, in the mold of the Textile Center and Pillsbury House events, are planned for the coming months.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
The Foundation is moving its 20+ employees from a small office shared with Atomic Data into a bigger space in the recently renovated Ford Center, near the heart of the North Loop. The “single source IT provider,” which serves as a one-stop help desk for design, architecture and nonprofit firms that use Apple systems, is also opening a new office in Co-Merge, a coworking space in San Diego, in what could be the first phase of a multi-city expansion.
A rapid expansion and a shift into mobile device support for national retail chains “caused us to run out of physical space” for housing employees and “storing pallets of iPads and iPhones,” says Matt Woestehoff, director of operations and business development. “Meanwhile, Atomic Data”—a data center operator co-owned by Jim Wolford, sole owner and CEO of The Foundation—“was growing rapidly and basically kicked us out of their office,” Woestehoff says with a laugh.
The new digs are “definitely an upgrade,” he adds. The Foundation shares one floor of the Ford Center with Seed, a small startup incubator that focuses on biotechnology and other high-tech ideas. Seed uses an old chemistry lab on one side of the building.
The Foundation’s new space belonged to a boutique soap manufacturer, a longtime client of The Foundation’s, which moved its operations to Milwaukee after a buyout by Johnson & Johnson. The space has a 32-desk bullpen and easy access to a highly secure storage area for valuable electronics. The Foundation has access to a guest parking lot, a huge perk for the 300-odd local clients that had to use meter parking at its old location.
Though The Foundation is growing rapidly, the Ford Center space should be fine for the foreseeable future. Unlike many IT companies, The Foundation lacks an office-based salesforce. “We’re not salesy people,” says Woestehoff. Instead, the company relies on referrals and search traffic to generate new business. The company’s engineer-heavy workforce spends “40 to 45 hours per week, per person” on site at local clients’ offices, freeing up space at the Ford Center.
The flexible work model first led Woestehoff and the team to explore the possibility of a second office last year. Two employees, an engineer and operations specialist, expressed interest in moving to southern California and remaining part of the team. Woestehoff investigated and found that San Diego’s business culture is remarkably like the Twin Cities’, “very forward-looking in terms of technology, but laid back and supportive too,” he says, without the competitiveness of tech hubs like San Francisco and New York.
Using The Foundation’s experience with CoCo, “a valued partner” that the company has worked with for years, Woestehoff found Co-Merge and set the two employees up there. It’s still early going, but initial business development efforts have been successful. He’s confident the move will pay off, noting that other cities with similarly forward-looking yet supportive cultures could be ripe for additional offices for The Foundation.
But not too fast. In today’s fast-paced IT world, The Foundation, now in its 15th year, prides itself on patience and strategic thinking. “A lot of our friends have gone out of business because they’ve acted fast and made mistakes,” he says. “If it takes another 15 years to open a third office, so be it.”
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
Tunde Wey, a Detroit chef with a reputation as hot as his cuisine, is making his way to Loring Park on November 11. He’s on a mission to “unfetter diners from the tedium of modern American cuisine,” using the newly opened Third Bird (on Harmon Place) as his canvas for Lagos x Minneapolis.
Wey’s ticketed event features a six-course meal of authentic Nigerian dishes, including a traditional rice pilaf, peppered goat and fried plantains. The gathering is aptly named after the capital and largest city of Wey’s home country. The event, Wey says, is a way for American diners “to allow themselves to be colonized by Nigerian food,” which isn’t as popular in the Twin Cities as many other ethnic cuisines.
“Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with about 150 million people in an area the size of Texas,” Wey says. “So I find it amazing that its cuisine isn’t more widely available.”
Then again, says Wey, “Nigerian food” is something of a misnomer. His home country’s cuisine is much like what’s available in across West Africa, which has a common climate and dozens of cultures with a shared, ancient history. Labeling country-specific cuisines is a much newer concept, the byproduct of European colonial activity in the region.
The idea of an authentic, intimate West African experience in a newly opened restaurant resonated with Kim Bartmann, owner of the Third Bird and the force behind such notable Minneapolis-St. Paul establishments as the
Tiny Diner, Red Stag Supper Club and Barbette. Wey and Bartmann met at IMG’s
Urban Innovation Exchange in September, and the partnership quickly took root.
“It seemed to be a good match,” says Wey. He’ll be first on a slate of monthly guest chefs that Bartmann wants to feature at the Third Bird.
Wey formerly co-owned (revolver), a “permanent pop-up” restaurant in Detroit’s up-and-coming Hamtramck area. Typically open just two days a week, (revolver) hosts a “revolving” slate of notable, innovative chefs from around the U.S. and world, allowing them to create a completely new menu during temporary stints in the kitchen.
Though (revolver) raised Wey’s profile considerably, he came to feel that the restaurant constrained his creativity. (revolver)’s guest chefs were all incredibly talented, but most adhered to the orthodoxy of modern American cuisine. Six months after opening (revolver) with his business partner, Wey was regularly experimenting with traditional African dishes—“what my mother, grandmother and relatives on back have been cooking for hundreds of years.” Earlier this year, he sold his shares to his partner and left (revolver) behind.
“People were very supportive of the idea behind Lagos,” says Wey, “which gave me the confidence to go out and do this.”
Without a permanent restaurant home, though, Wey is keen to drum up even more public support. In addition to Minneapolis, Lagos has made stops in New Orleans and Chicago, with Cincinnati, Buffalo, Philadelphia and Brooklyn still to come.
Asked what he’s looking to take away from the experience, Wey says, “I have no expectations. I’ll take whatever the good people of Minneapolis want to give me.”
When the Lagos tour ends, he does have his sights set on opening a Nigerian (or West African) restaurant in Detroit. Longer-term, he can see himself as a restaurateur in the mold of Bartmann, opening unique, independently branded restaurants in Detroit and other Midwestern cities.
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
Hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors and corporate executives gathered at the Depot Hotel in Minneapolis on October 27 and 28 for the Midwest Innovation Summit, an annual gathering that showcases what’s next in technology and manufacturing across the region. About 75 exhibitors were on hand, including promising Minnesota startups like 75F—winner of this year’s
Minnesota Cup— and Water Meter Solutions, which operates out of
CoCo Minneapolis.
“The Midwest Innovation Summit is about attracting entrepreneurs and business leaders from all across the region to display any solution that uses natural resources more efficiently,” says Justin Kaster, executive director of Midwest CleanTech Open, the summit’s sponsor. “Many of the exhibitors here are committed to sustainability for ethical and environmental reasons, but [Midwest Innovation Summit] really shows that clean technology is a great business opportunity as well.”
In innovation capitals like the Twin Cities, Kaster adds, entrepreneurs and investors have “started to respond to that value proposition” over the last decade. “Everyone realizes that clean technology is a win-win situation now,” he says. “You don’t have work overtime to convince people of that anymore.”
Several Twin Cities companies have clearly bought in. Water Meter Solutions makes two water-saving technologies. Floo-id is a “smart toilet monitoring device” that allows property managers and homeowners to monitor their toilets’ water use in real time, quickly identifying leaks and other issues that could affect their water bills. Floo-id is powered by flowing water, making it energy neutral. Water Meter Solutions’ other technology, H2O Pro, performs a similar function for entire buildings’ water systems, offering value to multi-unit landlords.
Nearby, Minneapolis-based Irri-Green’s exhibitor booth showed off the Genius irrigation system, a patent pending lawn-watering setup that analyzes landscape contours and other factors to deliver water as efficiently as possible. Each Genius irrigator’s range overlaps precisely with that of the next, “eliminating the wasteful, overlapping arcs of water that conventional irrigation systems” produce, says Irri-Green.
Garden Fresh Farms, a Minneapolis startup and 2013 Minnesota Cup division winner with an aquaculture facility in the city, was on hand as well. The fish in the company’s growing tanks continuously fertilize the plants suspended above them, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that produces plant and animal products for harvest.
These local companies are part of what Kaster calls “a regional ecosystem of innovation.” He urges entrepreneurs, investors, nonprofits and government entities across the Midwest to “think bigger than the city or county level” and “move past the state versus state competition” that can hinder the exchange of ideas, people and investment. The Northeast, Kaster says, is a great example of a region where innovators have banded together to create sustainable, big-picture solutions, like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
“We have a tremendous amount of intellectual and creative capital here in the Twin Cities,” he says. “Events like the Midwest Innovation Summit are conduits for ideas and investment from nearby areas” that ultimately raise the profiles and prospects of local innovators.
Wednesday, November 05, 2014
The St. Paul Healthy Transportation for All Convening, held on October 25 at Carpenter’s Hall in St. Paul, found St. Paul’s alternative transportation advocates celebrating their movement’s growing momentum and planning for challenges ahead. The goal of the conference, according to St. Paul Healthy Transportation for All (SPHTFA), was to “actively engage St. Paul grassroots community leaders to create a sustainable multimodal transportation system.”
“Based on what our planning team has heard from community members, walkable streets with safe and accessible infrastructure is the most widespread issue,” says Lauren Fulner, who coordinates the “District Council [members], transportation focused non-profits and relevant agencies” that comprise SPHTFA. “[Our unofficial motto is] ‘everyone is a pedestrian at some point', so...awareness of the pedestrian realm is a natural place to focus.”
As SPHTFA’s first major event, the Convening drew community leaders and citizens from nearly every St. Paul neighborhood. At workshops and breakout sessions, participants learned how to lead conversations and initiatives around public and alternative transportation, collaborate with counterparts in other communities, and work directly with city and state decision-makers to effect positive change.
The Convening covered most of the day’s hot transit topics. Workshops included “You and the St. Paul Bike Plan,” “Racial Equity in Transit Decision Making” and “From Vision to Plan to Project.” The event also featured a session devoted to “Organizing Friendly Streets and Better Blocks,” which highlighted Fulner’s work with the
Friendly Streets Initiative. And the conference explored useful tools for transportation advocates, including an “Equitable Development Scorecard” and a “walkability/accessibility survey” for SPHTFA attendees.
Despite St. Paul Healthy Transportation for All’s community-driven focus, the conference attracted key state and local leaders. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman opened with remarks on St. Paul’s transportation system, followed by Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Ed Ehlinger’s keynote speech on the health benefits of walking, biking and public transit. Charles Zelle, Minnesota’s Transportation Commissioner, closed with remarks on past and future developments in road use and public transit.
According to Fulner, SPHTFA formed out of “several years of conversations around more intentional collaboration and sharing of resources between District Councils,” with the Macalester-Groveland and Hamline-Midway councils taking the lead. Fulner stresses that SPHTFA is “in it for the long haul, in the sense that [this isn’t] a one event or one meeting kind of project,” she says. “We want to foster increased collaboration and creative, big picture thinking in community members and decision makers.”
SPHTFA takes a “whole city” approach to transportation, paying special attention to the needs of traditionally underserved communities and marginalized demographic groups, such as the elderly and people with disabilities. While celebrating the better-than-expected debut of the Green Line, Fulner is quick to point out that it “does not serve many of the traditionally under-represented and under-resourced neighborhoods and populations.”
“There needs to be more focus of the city as a whole, including the East Side and the West Side [meaning the area south of downtown],” she adds.
Overall, Fulner and SPHTFA would like stakeholders and citizens to recognize the fundamentally interconnected nature of St. Paul’s urban fabric and work to strengthen it. “Transportation and health are both issues that function in a web of interconnectivity, rather than as a series of isolated issues, and should be addressed with this in mind,” she says.”
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
The Weisman Art Museum’s (WAM) Wanderlust event, on Friday evening starting at 7 p.m., was named for the museum’s fall exhibitions—all of which are related to travel or transportation. One of those exhibitions, “Trains That Passed in the Night: The Photographs of O. Winston Link,” has inspired an elaborate re-creation of a signature Link photo using a Green Line train.
The re-creation is based on Link’s most famous photograph, which captured one of the country’s last commercially operational steam trains in the mid-1950s. The photo was shot at night, using flashes that illuminated the sides and top of the train, with a drive-in movie theater—replete with a symbolic airplane onscreen—in the foreground.
The recreated photograph will capture a specific Green Line train traveling out of the East Bank Station at around 7:15 p.m. The new image, overseen by well-known photographer and University of Minnesota assistant professor of photography Paul Shambroom, will feature a couple holding an iPad in the foreground, with the train negotiating a curved section of track in the middle ground.
Ten crews made up of MFA students and local photographers will set up lighting and other equipment (mostly donated by local companies) at various points along the route. Metro Transit will prepare the interior of the train with special lighting for better contrast. A radio-controlled system will ensure all the flashbulbs go off simultaneously.
“Paul really jumped on the idea when we pitched it to him,” says Erin Lauderman, WAM’s communications director. The completed photograph will hang in one of WAM’s galleries next to Link’s work.
The free Wanderlust event also includes “EXISTENTIA,” a performance art piece by Robert Niebor; Native Kids Ride Bikes, a traveling collection of lowrider bikes crafted by Native American kids from Michigan; and smoothies mixed using bicycle power.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Hothouse @ MIA, Sarah Lutman’s pop-up coworking space in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts’ (MIA) Villa Rosa Room, just reached the end of its 12-week run. To sustain momentum for the experiment, Lutman is partnering with OTA and Philadelphia-based coworking guru Alex Hillman to produce “What’s Up with Alex Hillman,” a TED-style conversation this Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. in the MIA. Thursday’s event, coupled with “ongoing conversations with fellow Hothousers,” could help Hothouse secure a permanent location somewhere in the MIA.
“What’s Up with Alex Hillman” is the final event of several produced with the participation or collaboration of Hothouse residents. “Hothouse participants who produce public programs as part of their professional work were tasked with directly connecting the MIA to their programs during the 12-week pilot,” says Hunter Wright-Palmer, MIA’s Venture Innovation Director. “Programs as diverse as Climate Hack Twin Cities, Chris Farrell's Unretirement, Sing the Museum, and an FD:13 performance by Jen Rosenblit were enhanced by authentic connections to different elements of the MIA and the collection.”
On Thursday, Hillman—founder of Philadelphia’s Indy Hall coworking hub and first-time Twin Cities visitor—will talk about “taking an active role in creating community and pursuing ‘the good life,’” says Lutman, MIA’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Hillman defines “the good life” as one “rich with relationships, ideas, emotions, health and vigor, recognition and contribution, passion and fulfillment, great accomplishment and enduring achievement.”
The overarching goal of “What’s Up with Alex Hillman” is to spark conversations about creative approaches to coworking here in the Twin Cities, using Indy Hall’s community-driven art shows, readings, pop-ups, farmers’ market and spin-off organizations as models. Those conversations could help determine the future of Hothouse and coworking at the MIA.
“There are a lot of spaces at the MIA that are episodically not in use,” says Lutman, stressing that no decisions have been made about how Hothouse will look or where it will “live” if it returns later this year or next.
“[Lutman] and I are working together to determine the future of Hothouse,” says Palmer-Wright, “exploring...benefits thus far from both the participant side and MIA side to address next steps.”
Hothouse @ MIA, and community-driven coworking more broadly, is an important component of MIA’s development strategy, which “emerged directly out of two prongs of our strategic plan DNA, audience engagement and [revenue generation],” says Palmer-Wright. For Lutman, Hothouse offered an opportunity to “foster [community] connections and create an opportunity for authentic co-working experiences,” a longtime passion. Hothouse naturally arose from the intersection of these complementary goals.
“Hothouse posed an opportunity to connect a new audience with new ways to use the MIA's resources by activating our collection, physical spaces and staff to catalyze innovation, productivity and connection in the everyday work of Hothouse members,” explains Palmer-Wright.
Like Indy Hall, Lutman’s inspiration, Hothouse is more than a “transactional” coworking space where independents share resources with peers but otherwise remain aloof. Rather, Hothouse is “an opportunity to take a deeper dive into the MIA in the daily lives and needs of members,” says Palmer-Wright.
“The key differentiator between Hothouse @ MIA and other co-working spaces, locally or nationally, is the intentional connection between the co-working members and the MIA,” she adds.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Green Line Theater, an “original, mobile theater production” sponsored by the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative’s Catalyst Fund, will enliven the Green Line at 1 p.m. this Saturday, Oct 18, (or 1 p.m. this Sunday, in the event of a rainout). The production—created in partnership with the Minnesota Museum of American Art’s (MMAA) Project Space exhibition “From There to Here”—includes visual art and performances from artists Wing Young Huie, Ashley Hanson and Jessica Huang, as well as from members of the communities surrounding the Green Line.
The play comprises five scenes at five stops—Raymond, Hamline, Dale, Capitol/Rice and Central—and explores the “rich history, stories and collective memories associated with [Green Line] neighborhoods,” according to the MMAA. Creatively, it’s an extension and expansion of “Bus Stop Theater,” a
Creative CityMaking collaboration that brought Huie and Hanson together last year.
Huie, Hanson, Huang and others developed the script in close consultation with Springboard for the Arts, the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent, and the African Development Center. The three organizations held “workshops and street engagements to collect stories about the neighborhoods along the Green Line,” using the information to “inform the script for the interactive play,” according to MMAA.
The audience will travel together from scene to scene, using the light rail as transportation, in a style of site-specific theater know as mobile theater. “Utilizing public transportation to move from scene to scene is not anything we have heard of happening here before last year, when [Wing and I] produced ‘Bus Stop Theater’,” Hanson says.
“The idea behind this type of mobile theater is to get the audience engaged with their public transportation system, the landscape that it moves through, and the other people who utilize public transportation,” adds Hanson. “In a way, we are turning transit vehicles into community meeting places.”
In addition to her work along the Green Line, Hanson’s PlaceBase Productions—a collaboration with artist Andrew Gaylord—puts on site-specific performances at locations across Minnesota. Paddling Theater, for instance, makes its way through the Minnesota River Valley by boat. We use “mobile theater to connect audiences to their physical landscape by producing stories...in the landscape [where they] occurred,” Hanson says.
Performers and audience members meet at the parking lot for 2314 University Ave W, near the Raymond Station. Though “Green Line Theater” is free, register for the event. A free, open-admission reception follows the last scene at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, in downtown St. Paul.
“We hope to continue exploring this medium in the hope that more people will bring theater outside the box,” Hanson says, “and engage with an audience that might not otherwise attend a theater production.”
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
More than 100 Twin Cities’ creatives gathered last week in the Minneapolis Convention Center for the fifth annual Giant Steps, an all-day conference for “entrepreneurial creatives and creative entrepreneurs.” Giant Steps featured three plenary panel conversations, covering broad topics like overcoming creative and practical challenges, defining success and scaling a creative business. Smaller breakout sessions included “Finding Your Audience/Finding Your Niche,” “Tax: Thinking Outside the Shoebox” and “Self-Care for Creatives.”
Founded by Susan Campion of Camponovo Consulting and M.anifest, a Ghana-born hip hop artist with close ties to the Twin Cities, Giant Steps is all about helping local creatives, freelancers and self-employed “independents” overcome obstacles to creative and financial success. This year’s conference was hosted by Campion, who’s also a professor at the University of St. Thomas, and Kevin Beacham, a DJ, hip-hop historian and manager at Rhymesayers.
According to Giant Steps, attendees included people from all over the creative spectrum: “Chefs, designers, dancers, architects, photographers, playwrights, film-makers, inventors [and] hip hop artists.”
“We believe we'll learn more and learn faster if we cast a wider net—connecting with and learning from folks beyond our current discipline or industry,” according to the Giant Steps’ website. “By creating conversations around interesting examples and challenges we all share, we set the stage for cross-pollination and future collaborations.”
Giant Steps’ three panel conversations shaped the dialogue. In the morning, “Resilience: Overcoming Challenges and Moving Forward” found four local entrepreneurs and artists (including Teresa Fox of Glam Doll Donuts) sharing insights on early roadblocks to creative and financial success—writer’s block, business setbacks and more. “Success: How Do You Define It and How Does It Define You?” featured dancer/choreographer Ananya Chatterjea, founder of Ananya Dance Theater, and three others, discussing the importance of setting manageable goals and crafting a long-term creative or entrepreneurial vision.
The final panel conversation, “Good Problems to Have: Insights on Scaling Your Work and Increasing Your Impact,” featured four successful “creative entrepreneurs” who have “graduated” to managing sizable teams: Chris Cloud of MPLS.TV,
Joan Vorderbruggen of Made Here and the Hennepin Theater Trust, Mark Fox of creative-friendly Fox Tax and Maurice Blanks of local modern furniture designer Blu Dot.
All talked about what drove them to move beyond the “independent” mindset and recruit teams to work under them. “We started with the narcissistic assumption that our need”— fashionable furniture at an affordable price—“was shared by others [in the Twin Cities],” said Blanks, whose company now has nearly 100 employees. “The initial goal was to create jobs we liked.”
Campion, who moderated the conversation, asked the panelists about limits to growth as well. “The most important thing we learned was when to say ‘no,’” said Fox. “You never want quality to suffer” as a result of ambition.
For Vorderbruggen, success—specifically, managing a team of artists for the Hennepin Theater Trust—meant sticking up for her fellow creatives. Asked by Campion what prerogatives her newfound power provided, she recalled convincing her superiors not to request free work from artists. “If I’m getting paid, my artists are getting paid,” she said.
Vorderbruggen also talked about staying in tune with the creative community as she transitioned to an oversight role. She was instrumental in putting together a panel that represented the diversity of Minneapolis’ arts community, ensuring that many viewpoints would be included in Made Here’s work.
Giant Steps packed a lot of insight into a single day, but the theme that tied it together was simple: Creatives and entrepreneurs have more in common than they might think—and they’re more powerful when they work together.
“You need to make sure that others know what you stand for,” said Cloud, “and know when to rely on people who can do a great job at things you might not be so good at.”
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
You no longer need to bike to the boutique to find the latest in Twin Cities fashion. With HOTROCITY, a Minneapolis-based e-shop run by model, blogger, event promoter and fashion guru John-Mark, you can shop for local designs in the comfort of your living room. Still, you may want to pedal over to Public Functionary on Friday (October 17), where HOTROCITY will be featured during an open-admission launch party.
HOTROCITY launched at the beginning of October, drawing inspiration from (among many others) local artist Jesse Draxler, “the exquisite personal style” of Twin Cities’ fashionista Sarah Edwards and the collaborative fashion blog MPLSTYLE, which John-Mark ran with locals Drew Krason and Savanna Ruedy.
HOTROCITY specializes in such items as pendants, bracelets, earrings and bags, made right here in the Twin Cities. Featured local designers include East Fourth Street, Silver Cocoon and Objects & Subjects. Some items are instantly memorable, like Silver Cocoon’s “Moon Rabbit Rice Pack Draw String” and Objects & Subjects’ “Bullet Bracelet” (yes, those are shell casings).
“At HOTROCITY, we have a very unique relationship with each individual designer,” says John-Mark. “It's been so much fun getting to know [them all]. We're pretty flexible with our designers and do our best to accommodate wherever they're at in their own journey as artists and business people.”
Though the focus is on local artists, HOTROCITY also curates designs from creatives in L.A., Chicago, Seoul and Shanghai. And John-Mark is always on the hunt for new looks, wherever they’re found.
“We have an intensive checklist of standards to ensure that we're providing our customers with high quality product, manufactured with care,” he says. To keep things fresh, he adds, HOTROCITY will add to its lineup on a monthly basis and “do an aggressive turnover of store product bi-annually.”
HOTROCITY launched after a year of “brainstorming how I could foster a greater impact on the local design community that extended beyond blogging,” says John-Mark. He paired with Irv Briscoe of VON91, a web design agency based in downtown Minneapolis, to craft an arresting website and e-commerce platform: “something notorious,” according to the website.
John-Mark expects the “relentless creativity” of the Twin Cities to seal HOTROCITY’s success. The region isn’t known as a fashion hub, but there’s enough inspiration here to support a locally focused fashion boutique.
“This is an easy job when I see all the talent we have in the local design community,” he says. “Starting a business can be scary, but I've seen enough positive growth in our design community to be confident in the sustainability of HOTROCITY.”
John-Mark is a big fan of the buy-local concept, too. “Most women make the pilgrimage to Uptown, the Mall of America or the Internet to buy clothing or accessories at least once a year, if not more,” he says. “Wouldn't it be great if that shopping also supported local artists?”
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
A $200,000 grant from the Bush Foundation could dramatically transform the Chicago Avenue streetscape over the next decade. The two-year Community Innovation Grant, awarded to Arts on Chicago, will fund existing artistic placemaking projects on Chicago Avenue between 32nd and 42nd Streets.
The corridor sits at the intersection of the Powderhorn, Bancroft, Central and Bryant neighborhoods, and local Arts on Chicago stakeholders include the Pillsbury House & Theater, Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association, Upstream Arts, Wing Young Huie’s Third Place gallery and local artist/MCAD professor Natasha Pestich.
The Bush Foundation grant will also facilitate the development of a Creative Community Development Plan, to be finalized in 2016, that dovetails with the City of Minneapolis’ 38th & Chicago Small Area Plan. According to Mike Hoyt, Pillsbury House & Theater’s Creative Community Liaison, the grant will provide direct support for 8 to 12 artists engaged in creative placemaking projects around the neighborhood. The subsequent CCDP could build on this foundation, offering equity in development projects to local artists and other community members, though discussions are still in the early stages.
Thanks to a $150,000 grant from Artplace America in 2012, Arts on Chicago has already begun or completed about 20 small-scale placemaking projects along the 10-block corridor. “Since they last for just one year, ArtPlace grants compel you to sprint to accomplish everything you’ve planned,” says Hoyt, adding that the 2012 grant allowed Arts on Chicago to chart an ambitious path forward.
“We used to envision ourselves as a creative and cultural hub for the community,” he adds. “We’re now in the process of building a web of artistic assets across the area.” Arts on Chicago, and any initiatives that arise out of its Creative Community Development Plan, may eventually broaden to include the entire area bounded by 35W, Lake Street, Cedar Avenue and 42nd Street, with funding for creative placemaking projects throughout.
The overarching goal is to use art-focused placemaking to empower the entire cross-section of community members, including those whose agency and input has been limited until now. As the area’s character changes, says Hoyt, Arts on Chicago aims to turn local creatives into stakeholders, providing equity—“owning the dirt,” he says—so that they can’t easily be displaced by development.
“We’re trying to create a growth and development plan that doesn’t force people out,” he says, “but there’s still a lot we don’t know.” Conversations with Twin Cities’ policy makers and traditional community development efforts are ongoing. Arts on Chicago is also funding temporary research assistant positions, awarded to four Humphrey Institute students in late September, to canvas the community and get a better sense of locals’ needs and wants.
More ambitiously, Arts on Chicago is exploring hybrid approaches beyond traditional nonprofit models to facilitate sustainable development that empowers and enriches current residents. Hoyt cites the
Northeast Investment Cooperative’s model, as well as “social venture” models in use elsewhere. Such plans could be particularly attractive in the Central neighborhood, which Hoyt says has a housing vacancy rate of more than 10 percent.
“A surplus of housing creates more opportunities to keep people in place” using existing assets, says Hoyt. But these efforts would require buy-in and support from other organizations, he cautions, and could take years to bear fruit.
“The most important thing now is tracking, measuring and assessing” Arts on Chicago’s initial placemaking work, and putting plans in place to build on its successful elements, says Hoyt. “It might take 5 to 10 years to see a real impact on the communities we serve.”
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
The Knight Foundation recently announced 42 winners of its first-ever St. Paul Knight Arts Challenge. The challenge tasked applicants with answering this question: “What’s your best idea for the arts in St. Paul?” The grants, totaling nearly $1.4 million, recognize creative initiatives from the Far East Side to St. Anthony Park.
In addition to providing their best ideas for the arts in St. Paul, the Knight Foundation requires successful applicants to demonstrate that that project will either “take place in or benefit St. Paul,” according to a release from the foundation. And each applicant must find funds to match the Knight Foundation’s awards. Some of notable winners include:
The “Smallest Museum in St. Paul,” $5,000
A project of almost-open WorkHorse Coffee Shop, in the Creative Enterprise Zone in St. Anthony Park, the “Smallest Museum in St. Paul” will be really, really small—a vintage fire-hose cabinet that couldn’t even hold a Labrador retriever. The museum will host rotating collections of artifacts, art and memorabilia from the neighborhood’s vibrant creative and academic communities. The first exhibit is scheduled for June. Future exhibits must follow three simple rules: celebrate local themes or history, engage the coffee shop’s patrons, and avoid high-value, theft-prone artifacts.
Fresh Traditions Fashion Show, $35,000
The Center for Hmong Arts and Talent won a sizable grant to expand its Fresh Traditions Fashion Show, the Twin Cities’ “only culturally inspired fashion event that exhibits the creativity, originality and quality of work by Hmong designers,” according to the Knight Foundation. At the show, designers must incorporate five traditional Hmong fabrics into clothing that hews to contemporary fashion. Part of the Knight Foundation grant will be set aside for career support and skills-building classes for individual designers.
Radio Novelas on the East Side, $50,000
Nuestro Pueblo San Pablo Productions, led by Barry Madore, will use its Knight award to produce a series of 20 fictional radio novelas that celebrate the history and culture of the East Side’s Latino community. Madore plans to promote the series with three live shows at yet-to-be-named venues around the district. Like Fresh Traditions Fashion Show designers, participating performers can count on support and training from Madore and his partners.
Paleo-osteological Bike Rack, $40,000
Artist and paleo-osteological interpreter Michael Bahl has plans to fabricate the bronze skeleton of a large dinosaur-like animal in repose, with its ribcage functioning as a bike rack. That bony crest on its skull? A bike helmet. The work focuses on how prehistoric skeletons, which are obsessed over by scientists and fossil hunters around the world—can also be viewed as works of art. “When the individual bones are joined in a united effort, a skeleton becomes the ultimate functioning mechanism, or in this case, a whimsical bike rack,” according to Knight’s website.
Twin Cities Jazz Festival, $125,000
More established organizations got a slice of the pie, too. The largest single grant went to the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. The annual festival already draws more than 30,000 attendees, but organizers wanted to add more stage space and spring for better-known headliners. Performers have yet to be announced for next year’s event, in June, but executive director Steve Heckler is considering a move to the brand-new St. Paul Saints stadium, in the heart of Lowertown. That would create more seating space and facilitate pedestrian traffic from the Green Line stop at Union Depot.
The St. Paul Knight Arts Challenge will continue through 2016, with two more rounds of awards. All told, the foundation has earmarked $4.5 million to fund creative ideas, plus another $3.5 million for five established St. Paul arts institutions: Springboard for the Arts, Penumbra Theater, TU Dance, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and The Arts Partnership. St. Paul is just the fourth city to participate in the Knight Arts Challenge, after Miami, Detroit and Philadelphia.
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
Tech Dump, a technology recycling nonprofit based in Golden Valley, opened a second location on North Prior Avenue in St. Paul on September 22. The facility collects more than a dozen varieties of tech waste, from old computer monitors and TVs to batteries, cell phones and printer cartridges.
Tech Dump complements its commitment to responsible waste disposal with a mission to create jobs for “economically disadvantaged adults” who live in the area. The organization is an offshoot of the nonprofit Jobs Foundation, led by Probus Online founders George Lee and Tom McCullough. Lee and McCullough claim that for every 72,000 pounds of waste Tech Dump handles, the organization creates one job for one year.
Tech Dump finds its employees through partnerships with such Twin Cities nonprofits as Goodwill Easter Seals and Better Futures Enterprises, and referrals from current employees. “[The nonprofit partners] provide soft skills training and other pre-employment resources, then refer employees to us when we have openings,” says Amanda LaGrange, marketing director, Tech Dump.
She adds that, “employees are very protective of our organization,” so they can recognize potential candidates who “really want to change and work toward a new future.”
Once hired, employees take on escalating responsibilities until they “graduate” from Tech Dump and find work at another employer. “We want to develop the skills that will make our staff the best employees in their next position,” LaGrange adds, such as “showing up to work on time each day, respecting managers and co-workers, accepting feedback and going the extra mile.”
Tech Dump handles old electronics in two ways: recycling and repurposing. For the former, Tech Dump employees take apart each piece of equipment, separate its electronic components and reduce them to the simplest state possible before shipping them off to a specialized facility for recycling. For the latter, Tech Dump workers repair or replace damaged or broken components and restore each piece of equipment to good working order.
With both processes, any stored data is destroyed (by force, not just erased) before usable components are harvested or recycled.
Tech Dump is cheap and inclusive, too. “We only charge for the items we have to pay to recycle, like CRT/tube TVs and monitors, rear projection TVs and fluorescent bulbs,” LaGrange says. Tech Dump is also “open to anyone—businesses and residents of any city, county or state.”
Ironically, Tech Dump started out as a furniture recycler. But an experimental “Tech Dump Day” in 2011 was wildly successful, turning Lee and McCullough on to local demand for responsible e-recycling. The pair exited the furniture recycling business in 2013 and set about building Tech Dump into a socially responsible powerhouse.
To sharpen its approach and develop new practices, Tech Dump regularly communicates with other recyclers, like Isadore Recycling in Los Angeles and Recycle Force in Indianapolis, which provide employment opportunities for teens and adults who have spent time in the criminal justice system.
Tech Dump is open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., for waste quantities of any size. Tech Dump also operates trucks that travel off-site, by appointment, to pick up larger amounts of waste.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
On Thursday October 2, Minneapolis Idea eXchange (MiX) holds its inaugural event at Minneapolis City Center, to offer “just a taste of what’s to come,” says MiX vice chair Mary Shaffer. The theme of the free event (register here), which runs from 5-8:30 p.m., is “the power of ideas.”
MiX will feature three prominent headliners with a local connection: Sandy Vargas, president and CEO of the 100-year-old Minneapolis Foundation; Barry Kudrowitz, a product design luminary at the University of Minnesota; and Nate Garvis, founder of
Studio/E.
The event, which will immediately follow the Downtown Council’s MPLS 2025 Forum, will also feature a lively cocktail hour for about 500 attendees and a performance from internationally known piano virtuoso (and Twin Cities native) Nachito Herrera. “He’s the icing on the cake,” says Shaffer.
The October 2 event previews the first full Minneapolis Idea eXchange in Fall 2015. Planning for the three-day festival, modeled after similar “festivals of ideas” in Chicago, Aspen and Portland, is just beginning in earnest. About 20 downtown business leaders and residents—“from lawyers, to creatives, to accountants,” says Shaffer—are spearheading the effort, which is chaired by pastor Tim Hart-Andersen of downtown Minneapolis’ Westminster Presbyterian Church and chartered by the Minneapolis Downtown Council.
Despite superficial similarities to other ideas festivals, MiX has some key differentiators. For starters, it’s free and open to the public, unlike more exclusive events. Shaffer hopes for as many as 10,000 attendees over three days next year.
MiX is also multi-locational and multi-format “in a Northern Spark meets TED Talks meets Minneapolis kind of way,” says Shaffer. Other ideas festivals tend to be concentrated in a single ballroom or convention center, reducing opportunities for attendees to interact with the host city.
On the interaction front, the festival’s timing should be a boon. “The early October dates give us the opportunity to celebrate the fall colors and highlight our spectacular landscape, while it's still feasible to do outdoor activities,” says Shaffer.
She adds that MiX hopes to coincide with the Twin Cities Marathon and attract as many of that event’s attendees—many of whom come from out of town—as possible. In fact, Shaffer’s team is actively working with Meet Minneapolis and Twin Cities in Motion to ensure that MiX and the marathon are complementary, not competitive.
Each annual MiX festival will have its own theme, typically an evocative verb like “intersect” (MPLS 2025’s theme) or “captivate.” The organizers encourage restaurants across the city to use these themes as inspiration for special dishes and drinks. By getting local businesses involved, visitors “can participate in an exciting activation of downtown,” says Shaffer.
To make next year’s festival as engaging as possible, MiX is actively courting corporate sponsors. Current sponsors include Ryan Companies, the Bush Foundation, This Is Folly! (the creative agency behind the MiX brand) and several private individuals on the MiX development team.
MiX is the last of 10 initiatives in the Downtown Council’s MPLS 2025 plan, though “that doesn’t mean we’re least important,” says Shaffer. Some of these goals are aspirational, like doubling downtown Minneapolis’ population within the next 10 years and turning the area around the new Vikings stadium into a “sports district.” Others are more concrete, like launching MiX and building Gateway Park.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Mathew Janczewski’s ARENA DANCES recently previewed its upcoming “Main St. Project” at a well-attended event in the patio space between the Marriott Courtyard Minneapolis Downtown and Town Hall Brewery. The event, called “Main St. Project: A Photography Unveiling,” included work from three Twin Cities’ photographers: Keri Pickett, Jack Armour and Wing Young Huie.
Their images of urban and small-town landscapes that have changed as a result of economic forces like suburbanization, big box retail and de-industrialization were projected on the brick exterior wall of the Southern Theater, where the multi-media performance “Main St. Project: The Evolution of Main Street: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” will run October 2-5. Performers from ARENA DANCES animated the imagery, which also included faces from Twin Cities' communities.
Following the show, some of the photographs were also projected onto the broad sides of buildings in the surrounding area, including the silos near the Guthrie Theater. Minneapolis Art on Wheels handled this aspect of the project.
The photographs will be incorporated into the October dance performance, as well. "When Mathew approached me to be a part of [his “Main St. Project”], I combed through my archives of photographs taken over 35 years," Huie says, "and selected 20 photos from about six different projects that I thought reflected a broad range of socio-economic and cultural realities in Minnesota."
According to ARENA DANCES, “Main St. Project” aims to answer a simple question: Does “Main St.” still exist? The dance performance incorporates “visceral and explosive movement [and] electro/techno/pop music, folk-inspired songs, and projections of filmed interviews with people from diverse communities and backgrounds” in pursuit of the answer. The photos add context to the performance by portraying historic and contemporary "Main Sts.," neighborhood intersections and city centers in various states of repair.
"All of the photographers and photography provide a great perspective on what 'Main St.' means," says Janczewski. "We're asking the question, 'How can we have a neighborhood-oriented future?'"
For Janczewski, the “Main St. Project” is personal. He grew up in Round Lake, Illinois, between Chicago and Milwaukee. As a child, he remembers a vibrant, community-focused town with a bustling downtown. Today, the town's economic engine has shifted to generic office parks and big box stores on its outskirts—a transformation repeated in countless other American communities.
Janczewski also wrestles with modern themes of alienation. Though he lives in a condo building, he says, there isn't always a sense of common purpose and community in his own neighborhood. And he's inspired by MIT professor Sherry Turkle's work on "technological isolation"—stories about how, despite being more connected than ever before, we feel depressed or inadequate when we interact with others online.
The project incorporates participants from ARENA DANCES’ Intergenerational Residency Program, an ongoing outreach initiative that facilitates dialogue between members of discrete, age-specific communities. The residency connected local middle- and high-school kids with residents of senior living facilities, who told stories of growing up in close-knit small towns and neighborhoods—quintessential "Main St." experiences.
The show includes a dynamic interplay of multimedia elements. A preview video on ARENA DANCES’ website shows unadorned performers in states of apparent bliss and others marked by frenetic bursts of energy against a backdrop of scattered newspapers, forlorn images and jarring bursts of light. The performing company is comprised of six local dancers: Elise Erickson, Sarah Baumert, Kimmie Allen, Timmy Wagner, Blake Nellis and Dustin Haug.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
The third edition of Spinning Stories, a bi-monthly “place-based storytelling series” that transports cyclists to its stories’ settings, takes place Saturday, September 27. Departing from Northeast Minneapolis’ Recovery Bike Shop at noon, the free and open-to-the-public event features three yarns from three notable Twin Cities storytellers: Amy Salloway, Javier Morillo-Alicea and Heidi Arneson.
According to a release from Spinning Stories, the event covers up to 15 miles at a languid “muppet pace,” says organizer Brian Fanelli. “We’re only as fast as the slowest rider.”
The three storytellers all have deep connections and street cred in the Twin Cities. Salloway is the founder of Rock Star Storytellers and Awkward Moments Productions, among other groups, and has previously won the SlamMN! and Moth slam events. Morillo-Alicea, who is president of the Service Employees International Union’s Local 26 by day, has won two Moth awards. Arneson produces one-woman plays that explore life in the Upper Midwest, and has garnered recognition from
TC Daily Planet and members of the local comedy and storytelling communities.
Fanelli is keeping the subject matter of the stories close to the vest, but he will say that one features a particular parking space on University Avenue—a seemingly mundane setting for performance art. “It all comes back to this parking space,” he says. “Stories happen everywhere, even in the negative space of a parking lot.”
Previous editions of Spinning Stores have attracted about 40 people. The initiative got a big boost in July, with its participation in the city-wide, week-long
Pedalopolis event.
Ongoing support from
Recovery Bike Shop and Re-Cycle (Fanelli jointly serves as Community Involvement Coordinator) has been “hugely helpful” as well. He credits both shops’ broad customer base— “beginner cyclists, veteran cyclists and everyone in between, including storytellers who don’t think of themselves as bikers at all”—with attracting diverse participants to Spinning Stories.
He notes that “bike shops supporting the arts is becoming a thing,” citing this year’s Artcrank series and ongoing exhibitions at One on One Bicycle Studio in the North Loop.
Recovery and Re-Cycle have also provided mechanical support for Spinning Stories’ riders and unspecified “in-kind payments” to storytellers, says Fanelli, and will do so for this event as well. “Their support means I'm able to put more time into the project than I might otherwise be able to.”
Fanelli also credits participating storytellers with generating enthusiasm for Spinning Stories. “The community of storytellers in the Twin Cities is this beautiful, thriving ball of energy,” says Fanelli, “and it's really a wonderful thing to be so welcomed by that community.”
For all three events, he has engaged with “local storytelling producers” to find stories (and tellers). Salloway has been “overwhelmingly helpful with connecting to other storytellers,” says Fanelli. Previous Spinning Stories storytellers have included local luminaries like Paul Canada Nemeth, Taylor Tower and Tristan Jimerson.
Saturday’s edition will likely be the last outdoor Spinning Stories event of the year, but Fanelli is slated to teach a month-long storytelling unit in an ESL classroom at Roosevelt High School this winter. “No one is doing anything like this,” he says, “and I'm incredibly excited to bring story arts into the Minneapolis Public Schools.”
Outdoor rides will begin again in the spring, though Fanelli hasn’t yet set any dates. He does plan to incorporate the “youth voices” from his stint at Roosevelt into next year’s programming, though.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
The Minnesota Social Impact Center (MSIC) will launch in early 2015 spearheaded by Katie Kalkman, Terri Barreiro and Beth Parkhill—three Twin Cities’ residents with deep roots in the local business community. MSIC aims to build on the momentum generated by other recent social innovation startups in the area, including
Social Innovation Lab, Social Enterprise Alliance Twin Cities and GlobalShapers Hub.
According to MSIC's launch-event manager, Michael Bischoff, the organization’s goal is simple: Connecting “change agents” from the nonprofit, business, government and philanthropy sectors to improve citizen engagement, access to education and the arts, and conditions for Twin Cities residents of all ages.
Despite a dense concentration of such change agents right here in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Bischoff laments, there’s no single framework for integrating their activities, or even ensuring that they’re on the same page. “Our goal is to foster real world solutions to address some of the greatest challenges facing our communities and the world,” Barreiro explains. “Pick any major issue and you’ll find groups convening in our region, seeking new answers that will achieve better results than what we have today.”
On November 12, MSIC hosts a “pre-launch” event (6:30 pm to 9:30 pm in Macalester College’s Kagin Ballroom). Macalester College is “a natural choice for the pre-launch event,” says Bischoff, “because social innovators have been gathering there for several years as part of the Bush Foundation’s
Social Innovation Lab.”
The event will include announcements about specific programming initiatives and membership options, as well as material on “more than 30 stories of transformative social impact in Minnesota,” says Bischoff.
There is a sliding-scale fee for the event registration, but for $275 attendees can distinguish themselves as “founding members.” Although many details still have to be worked out, membership at MSIC would include access to a co-working space similar to those currently administered by Joule and
CoCo. Other levels of membership would include access to MSIC’s facilities, staff, collaborators and other members—all offering a wealth of social enterprise expertise—without physical co-working space.
According to Bischoff, MSIC’s programming will initially utilize several spaces around the Twin Cities, but the organizations is in the market for a permanent location. Board members Kalkman and Tim Reardon are heading up the search, weighing site options in downtown St. Paul, along the Green Line and at unspecified locations in Minneapolis.
“We know innovators want us to get this going now,” says Reardon. “We need a minimum of 5,000 square feet to start. Long-term, we’ll need two to three times the space to build the right environment for this dynamic, interactive community.” Reardon and Kalkman hope to find a space, at least on a temporary basis, for the center’s anticipated launch.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
On September 10, the Minnesota Cup announced its best “breakthrough idea” of 2014: 75F, a Mankato-based technology company that makes efficient, cost-effective HVAC sensors. The company, which emerged as the winner of MN Cup’s Energy/Clean Tech/Water category division before emerging as the grand prize winner, took home a total of $105,000 in prize money and funding commitments.
But it wasn’t the only company that won big in this year’s MN Cup. Trovita Health Science, a startup based in Minneapolis' North Loop that makes a meal replacement drink called ENU, took home a $30,000 prize as the winner of the Food/Ag/Beverage category.
YOXO, a St. Paul toymaker that uses simple cardboard connectors in innovative ways, also took earned $30,000 for topping the General/Miscellaneous category. Four other
category winners won between $20,000 and $30,000 in prize money, and earned immeasurable visibility for their ideas.
All told, more than 1,300 Minnesota entrepreneurs and startups participated in this year’s MN Cup—a record turnout. At least 50 percent of all entrants came from the Twin Cities. In a press release, MN Cup co-founder Scott Litman described the field as “the most competitive yet” in the competition’s decade-long history.
Aside from 75F and the rest of MN Cup’s category winners, the September 10 event highlighted the achievements of local entrepreneurs and thought leaders who support the Twin Cities’ growing startup scene. After raising more than $10,000 via Kickstarter,
Twin Cities Mobile Market secured a $1,000 cash prize for its elevator pitch at this year’s Minnesota Cup. TCMM is a “grocery store on wheels” that brings fresh, affordable produce and other nutritious foods to Minneapolis-St. Paul neighborhoods that lack easy access to full-service grocery stores.
MN Cup also recognized Carlson School of Business grad Steve Eilertson as its “2014 Entrepreneur of the Year” for his role as president of locally based Grain Millers, Inc. And thanks to a partnership with the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship, women were much more visible at this year’s event. Published figures indicate that more than one-third of all entries came from women-led teams. Nearly half of all entries had at least one female participant.
For entrepreneurs who missed the May filing deadline for MN Cup 2014, next year brings a new opportunity. In a September 12 interview on Minnesota Public Radio, Litman had some sage advice for those who would participate. “It might seem un-Minnesotan,” he said, “but successful entrepreneurs” have to be unabashed about self-promotion and arguing for their vision.
He sees two big reasons why enthusiastic entrepreneurs fail. First, they don’t ask for enough money. It’s critical to pin down the cost of developing, marketing and scaling an idea, and many startup owners underestimate the costs they’ll incur before revenues start coming in. By holding out the prospect of five-figure prizes for winning entrants, and by connecting all entrants with mentors and investors who can inject additional capital into worthy startups, MN Cup helps bridge this financing gap.
Just as important, entrepreneurs must surround themselves with the right people, who may be more important than the idea itself. “A great idea in the hands of a mediocre team may not work,” said Litman. He argues that MN Cup is designed to help entrepreneurs self-select: Those who thrive on high-stakes pitches and meticulous business plan development leave the process much stronger, while those who flounder realize that they may need help turning their vision into a reality.
“It’s like American Idol,” said Litman. “Lots of people can sing well,” but not everyone’s voice can fill Xcel Energy Center.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Minneapolis event-organizing company, GetKnit Events, is changing the way Twin Cities residents experience local businesses and attractions. On September 13, it pulled off its most ambitious and far-reaching experience yet: Rails & Ales, a self-guided tour of the breweries and brewpubs along the Green Line, from Target Field to Union Depot. Hundreds of participants sipped discounted brews, previewed special cask releases and rubbed shoulders with some of the most innovative brewers in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
For GetKnit founder Matt Plank, connecting Twin Citians with local business owners—preferably on a permanent basis—is the whole point. He and the company’s “core team” of paid employees, most of whom knew each other socially before GetKnit’s founding, are constantly looking for “ways that we [can pursue] our goal of community engagement while supporting local businesses in and around Minnesota,” says Plank.
Tickets for Rails & Ales sold out quickly, but a lucky group of several hundred attendees got their run of three establishments in Minneapolis and five in St. Paul, all within walking distance of the Green Line. (Though pedicabs were out in force to transport customers between stations and breweries, especially at farther-flung spots like
Urban Growler and
Bang Brewing.) Guests checked in at the Target Field, Stadium Village or Union Depot stations, where GetKnit staffers and volunteers handed out T-shirts, drink tokens (two per person, each good for a free pint) and “event passports” that listed participating breweries, their specials and Rails & Ales social media contests.
Other locally owned businesses got in on the act too. The Dubliner Pub, between the popular Raymond Avenue (Urban Growler and Bang) and Fairview Avenue (Burning Brothers) stops, ran all-day drink and food specials. Food trucks like Peeps Hot Box posted up outside participating breweries, tempting customers with daily specials. And even independent vendors, like the woman selling vintage glassware outside Bang, profited from the early-afternoon crush on a beautiful Saturday.
Meanwhile, the brewers themselves relished the chance to mingle with enthusiastic craft beer fans. At the Mill District’s Day Block Brewing, for instance, the head brewer handed out free pints to anyone who correctly guessed the varieties of hops laid out on the table before him. Rails & Ales wrapped up at 6 p.m., but brewery owners have to be hoping that the day provided a permanent boost in visibility.
GetKnit draws inspiration from other tour companies and event organizers, says Plank, but with a twist. Aside from the focus on locally owned business, which is lacking in some areas of the industry, the company aims for “wildly original” events “that our participants likely couldn’t do anywhere but through GetKnit.” You might be able to spend an entire Saturday riding the Green Line between breweries, in other words, but you probably wouldn’t be able to mingle with head brewers, try specially brewed cask releases or enter social media contests for free events and swag.
And unlike more bare-bones tour and event operators, GetKnit organizes well-staffed, all-inclusive events that “allow participants to turn off their brains for a day...and not worry about anything,” says Plank. For Rails & Ales, GetKnit had at least one representative at every participating brewery, in addition to staff at check-in stations. The goal was to facilitate “safe and responsible” enjoyment while showcase the ease of using local transit and “how much is accessible right off of its grid.”
GetKnit also designs bespoke events for private groups. Plank cites a recent example in which a group of Latin American businesspeople came to the Twin Cities for meetings and sightseeing. Many had never been to Minnesota, so Plank’s team set about creating the "quintessential Minnesotan experience” that included a horse-drawn carriage tour of St. Anthony Main, a brewery tour and tasting, a hands-on cooking class featuring Jucy Lucy burgers and even private curling lessons.
For now, GetKnit organizes events in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. But Plank doesn’t rule out the possibility of expanding the model to other regions, possibly with the help of knowledgeable locals. A recent St. Croix Valley winery tour did cross the Wisconsin border, and “we are playing with other events that might do more extensive tours of other areas in our neighbor to the east,” he says.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
This week (through September 14), the best and brightest in the Twin Cities’ booming startup scene will come out to play for Twin Cities Startup Week (TCSW). Sponsored by prominent, entrepreneur-focused local organizations like Beta.mn, Tech[dot]MN, Minnesota Cup and Minne*, the event features free
coworking at CoCo, Minnesota Cup’s final awards reception and the ever-popular Bootstrappers Breakfast get-together.
“Twin Cities Startup Week is inspired by the growth of Minnesota’s tech startup community,” says Morgan Weber of Minnesota Cup. “Our goal is to unite the makers, doers and creators in the local startup scene.”
TCSW events will take place throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul, with many events finding homes at tech-friendly spaces like
CoCo and Maker’s Cafe. They’ll cater to businesses at every stage of the startup process, too.
For instance, on Tuesday, Beta.mn 1.5 invited early-stage startups to demo their ideas, dispensing with formal pitches. It was “a lot like a science fair, but with more booze,” according to the event page. The Minnesota Cup reception on Wed evening caters to startups that are further along, awarding hefty prizes to entrepreneurs and teams with highly promising products. Rejection Therapy, which teaches participants to deal with professional rejection, offers character-building guidance that entrepreneurs can use throughout their careers.
While most TCSW events cater to local startups, tech entrepreneurs and investors will be on hand as well. Showcase events like Twin Cities Startup Crawl, which will tour a handful of downtown Minneapolis startups, and MinneDemo, a formal pitch event, are particularly attractive to outsiders (and local investors) looking for the next big thing.
Twin Cities Startup Week isn’t a first-of-its-kind event. Startup Weeks abound in other parts of the country: In May, Boulder hosted its own Startup Week, sponsored by more than a dozen local tech companies and innovation nonprofits; in June, Maine Startup & Create Week hosted an eight-day conference that showcased that state’s technology sector for the benefit of outside investors. Startup Weekend, a Seattle-based, nonprofit offshoot of Google for Entrepreneurs, hosts frequent local events at which entrepreneurs collaborate to launch a startup within 54 hours.
TCSW, however, is rooted in the unique, collaborative culture of the Twin Cities. Neither the Boulder nor Maine events included free coworking sessions or anything like Minnesota Cup, for example.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Next week, September 21-24, the Twin Cities will host Rail~volution 2014, one of the country’s most visible transit and development conferences.
Founded in 1989 in Portland, Oregon, as a local advocacy organization, Rail~volution expanded in 1995 into an annual conference that brings the country’s top transit and design thinkers together each year. According to the Rail~Volution website, the "conference is for passionate practitioners — people from all perspectives who believe strongly in the role of land use and transit as equal partners in the quest for greater livability and greater communities."
Rail~volution 2014 will showcase the vibrancy of the Twin Cities, thanks to two dozen “mobile workshops” spread across four days. The a la carte events include “Grow, Sell and Eat Local,” which will take attendees to Frogtown Farm,
Urban Organics and the St. Paul Farmers Market. “BOD: Bike-Oriented Development + The Midtown Greenway” shows off “the nation’s best urban bike trail” on a 12-mile bike tour.
Other noteworthy events include a “cultural journey” centered on the Franklin Street LRT station, a tour through the Warehouse District/North Loop, and a “history and vision” workshop about the Northstar commuter rail line. Other workshops and lectures will take place at the Hyatt Regency near the Minneapolis Convention Center.
Another highlight of Rail~volution 2014 is a trade show that features more than a dozen rail-related exhibitors, from multinational rolling stock manufacturers like Siemens to smaller firms like Oregon-based United Streetcar and Northwest Signal. Local sponsors include Kimley Horn, a St. Paul-based design firm, as well as the Central Corridor Funders’ Collaborative, a consortium of organizations dedicated to fostering transit-oriented development and sustainable growth along the Green Line.
Local conference attendees will have plenty of opportunities to network with national players in the transit and development business. Before the conference officially kicks off, the Baseball + Hotdogs + Local Brews event combines a Twins game with a tour of the newly refurbished Ford Center, in the Warehouse District, and free-flowing Twin Cities beers. For non-baseball fans, a paddleboat cruise shows off the cities’ skylines and natural beauty from the Mississippi River. Those who want to pair art and transit can tour the Loring Greenway and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, which precedes a Saturday-evening show at the Jungle Theater.
The location of its signature conference varies each year, but Rail~volution has plans to implement year-round programming that “fufill[s] our mission and vision that America's cities and regions be transformed into livable places—healthy, economically vibrant, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable,” according to its website.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Man Cave Meats, a rapidly growing Minneapolis startup founded by a recent University of Minnesota grad and his brother, aims to do for burgers and brats what Summit and Surly have done for beer. The company sells “craft meat” processed and prepared in small batches from high-quality regional (the pork comes from Iowa and the beef from Nebraska) ingredients.
From its first 20 grocery store accounts in November 2013, Man Cave has grown to around 200 individual accounts, mostly in the Twin Cities, greater Minnesota and North Dakota. Locally, the company deals with homegrown grocers like Lunds, Byerly's, Kowalski’s and some Cub Foods outlets. In its ever-popular beer brats, Man Cave incorporates a hyper-local ingredient: Summit Pilsener.
“You can smell the beer when you cook our beer brats,” says Man Cave marketing coordinator Jessica Hughes.
Man Cave’s goal, Hughes says, is simple: to produce flavorful, high-quality and responsibly sourced meat products that don’t cost an arm and a leg. Everything but the initial butchering and processing, which needs to be done at a specialized plant, happens at Man Cave’s Twin Cities production facility. Unlike larger producers, Man Cave exclusively uses pork shoulder in its brats. Pork shoulder is a relatively lean (80/20) and flavorful cut of meat, and a far cry from the fatty cuts used in mass-produced sausages.
Man Cave also hires locally. About half the full-time staff hails from the U of M or the University of St. Thomas, and most referrals come via word of mouth. During the warm season, when Man Cave’s business picks up, the company retains 20 to 30 part-timers to do grocery store demos and to staff booths at outdoor events, like minor league baseball games, 5K runs and street festivals.
“We’re taking a page right out of the craft beer playbook,” says Hughes, citing local beer festivals like the Summer Beer Dabbler as inspiration for Man Cave’s outdoorsy promotional events. Hands-on demonstrations, preferably outdoors, are in the company’s DNA: As a U of M sophomore, co-founder Nick Beste promoted the nascent Man Cave with backyard grilling events at which guests (and passers-by) sampled brats and socialized.
Early on, the Bestes also secured a stall at the Mill City Farmers Market. “That really got us off the ground,” says Hughes. Until last year, the bulk of the company’s sales came from on-site purchases at the farmers market and the occasional backyard party.
But Man Cave has outgrown its roots. Its exponential growth in the past year is exciting for the company’s nine or 10 full-timers, some of whom started out as part-timers. Finding new markets is exciting as well: Thanks to its growing, affluent and heavily male population, Williston, North Dakota—the epicenter of the shale oil boom—is Man Cave’s most promising market outside of the Twin Cities, says Hughes.
Challenges do remain. With a tight focus on Angus burgers and flavored brats, Man Cave’s product line is heavy on the grillables. But the company has grown to the point where it needs a strong revenue stream all year long, says Hughes, so the team has redoubled its efforts to identify “winter-friendly craft meats.” One such item is Man Cave’s mini-brats. “They’re about a quarter the size of our regular brats and come in packs of 15,” says Hughes, “so they’re perfect for pigs-in-blankets and can easily be cooked in any oven.”
The company is also looking to introduce a new line of bacon. “It can’t just be your standard slice of bacon,” says Hughes. “It needs to uphold that craft theme.” Further down the road, locally sourced chicken and turkey sausage could make their way into the inventory, especially in health-conscious markets like Minneapolis and St. Paul. And the company is focused on fleshing out its online store as well.
But for now, Hughes and the Man Cave team are just happy to be part of an ambitious startup that’s putting the Twin Cities back on the butchery map—and, hopefully, making it possible for people everywhere to pair their craft beer with a craft brat or burger.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
The River City Revue (RCR) is “an annual summer series of river tours throughout the Mississippi National River & Recreation Area organized by Works Progress Studio, the Mississippi River Fund and the National Park Service,” according to its website. And RCR isn’t shy about highlighting the dark side of living in a river city.
After an August 22nd canoe trip between Hastings, Minnesota and Prescott, Wisconsin, the series returns to the Padelford Riverboat in St. Paul for “Filth on the River” on September 10. That program features “performances, participatory games, and short illustrated talks on some of the filthy, debaucherous, and unseemly aspects of life on the Mississippi.”
The overall goal of the series is to showcase the Mississippi River’s impacts on the Twin Cities’ economy, culture and natural environment. “To me, living in a river city means thinking about our relationship to water,” says Shanai Matteson, co-director of Works Progress Studio. “Water connects and sustains us,” adds Colin Kloecker, the studio’s other co-director.
According to Matteson, River City Revue began in 2011 as a public art collaboration with
Northern Spark. Initially planned as a one-off, the initiative was so successful that Matteson and Kloecker pushed to turn it into an annual series. As the only National Park Service-protected waterway in a major urban area, the Twin Cities’ Mississippi River frontage is a unique asset that RCR’s collaborators believe is worth celebrating.
Other events have included “Purity on the River,” a get-together on the Jonathan Padelford Riverboat that featured speeches, performances and material showcases from local artists and thinkers.
The event was a mishmash of water-themed content, including a “water bar” with flights of local tap water and “collaborative panoramic river drawing” with the MAKESH!T Collective. Other highlights included a water-themed photo showcase, a poetry reading by Mary Austin Speaker, and a discussion of “water purity and beer brewing” – always an interesting topic – that included local author Doug Hoverson and representatives from Boom Island, Bang Brewing and Indeed Brewing Company.
“Purity on the River” was the third of five River City Revue events and one of two riverboat cruises in the series. The first RCR event, held at the Science Museum of Minnesota on June 27, featured riverfront walking tours (which had to be modified slightly due to high water levels) and lectures from National Park Service employees and local historians.
The second, which launched from the Soap Factory on July 23, explored the Twin Cities’ best “fishin’ holes” and included input from local fishing experts, chefs and naturalists.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
The AIGA Minnesota Design for Good initiative (#designforgood), first launched nationally by AIGA in 2011, is partnering with The Common Table for a first-of-its-kind showcase at this year’s Minnesota State Fair. The exhibit will highlight the diversity of local food systems, with input from “organic farmers, farm-to-table restaurants, nonprofits working on healthy soil initiatives and other organizations involved with sustainable agricultural initiatives,” says Sandy Wolfe Wood of AIGA Minnesota.
Among other things, the exhibit highlights Design for Good’s commitment to “design thinking,” an “iterative problem-solving process” that “has the power to find innovative solutions to our most challenging social problems,” says Wolfe Wood.
Design for Good's showcase is part of The Common Table's exhibit about local food stories in the Horticulture Building at the state fairgrounds. The Common Table enlisted AIGA Minnesota and the Design for Good initiative to design the graphic and multimedia storyboards for the 18 partner organizations. These storyboards are supported by the Storytelling Pavilion, a structure designed and constructed by The Common Table team that resembles branching trees with a canopy of airy honeycombs. The exhibit is both kid and family friendly, and will remain as a permanent exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair for years to come.
Many of the partner organizations are based in the Twin Cities. Notables include Red Stag Supperclub, Wedge Community Co-op and Birchwood Cafe. All of them source organic and sustainably farmed produce from farms near the Twin Cities.
Several producers will be on hand as well, including Homestead Gardens of Welch (an innovative plot that utilized cold-climate permaculture techniques) and Moonstone Farms. Industry thought leaders from the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy, Environmental Justice Advocates and the Central Minnesota Sustainability Program will participate too.
Design for Good has grown into a key initiative for AIGA Minnesota, which is one of the country’s largest AIGA chapters and one of the state’s largest design organizations. According to its website, Design for Good’s ongoing programming aims to build “a core group of designers interested in design for social impact...who want to be engaged with social change, who have ideas of what issues are most salient, and who can share stories of successful collaborations that have made a difference in the world.”
Fairgoers who aren’t affiliated with AIGA Minnesota, The Common Table or any of the exhibit’s partner organizations can still lend their time and talents to the event in exchange for free State Fair admission on the day they volunteer. The Common Table is handling volunteer scheduling here.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
For drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians in Dinkytown and the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood in Minneapolis, the view has gotten more interesting. The Box Fresh Utility Wraps Project, an initiative spearheaded by the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association (MHNA) and The Soap Factory, was unveiled July 25 and will be on view through the remainder of the summer.
The initiative paid for six artists to transform six utility boxes at high-visibility intersections. "We wanted to use this opportunity as a showcase for professional artists," many of them local, says Chris Lautenschlager of MHNA. "For well over a decade, Marcy-Holmes has conceptualized its streets as an urban gallery," he adds. As examples he points to the Moroni sculptures on 6th Avenue SE and the murals scattered around Dinkytown.
Scott Bean, whose box is at 326 6th Avenue SE, is a local resident and former instructor at the Marcy Open School. Candy Kuehn, whose work is at 327 14th Avenue SE, is a Minneapolis artist. Tony Chrenka and Christina Laskowski, a recent University of Minnesota graduate, are both former residents: Their boxes appear at 1300 4th Street SE and 100 University Avenue SE, respectively.
Though not a resident, Norbert Marklin has collaborated on various art projects with Marcy Open School staff and students. Rachel Orman is an active Marcy Open School parent and patron of the Southeast Library.
Utility boxes are bulky, ground-based assemblies located at intersections with traffic lights. "Their primary purpose is to control the nearby traffic signals," Lautenschlager says. "We chose these locations, along or near University Avenue SE and 4th Street SE, because of their maximized visibility to passing cars, bicycles and pedestrians."
According to the MHNA press release, the artwork ranges from "traditional painting to contemporary conceptual." The project had a price tag of about $12,000. The TCF Bank Stadium Good Neighbor Fund, a neighborhood improvement fund administered by the Stadium Area Advisory Group (which in turn is associated with the University District Alliance), provided $5200.
Although the MHNA had never undertaken a project like this, Lautenschlager says the organization drew inspiration from "Thinking Out of the Box," an initiative undertaken by south Minneapolis' Kingfield Neighborhood Association in 2009 and 2010.
MHNA has plans for more eye-catching street features. The MHNA recently received another Good Neighbor grant to fund a "wayfinding project" for the Dinkytown Greenway, which serves the greater U of M area. "[We'll be] adding signage that will lead to the Dinkytown Greenway and point people in the desired directions away from it," says Lautenschlager.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Social Innovation Lab, a Minneapolis-based social justice organization begun in partnership with the Bush Foundation, is holding its next "Leading Innovation Deep Dive" on September 15 and 16 at the Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center on Minneapolis's North Side. The event will be one of a dozen that the organization has held in the past two years, all focused on training local employers and employees to "solve complex social challenges."
Social Innovation Lab is the brainchild of Sam Grant and Michael Bischoff, two social justice veterans who have decades of combined experience. Grant currently runs two other nonprofits, AfroEco and Full Circle Community Institute. Bischoff is Clarity Foundation's lead consultant. Bo Thao-Urabe, who is the Senior Director of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy and runs RedGreen Rivers (an initiative that supports female artisans), is assisting Grant and Bischoff.
The Deep Dive aims to unite decision makers and role players from diverse backgrounds to talk through—and implement, at least on an experimental level—solutions to the Twin Cities' most entrenched social issues, including broken food systems and racial disparities in housing and hiring. The goal is to customize solutions to fit the needs of individual organizations, creating a graduating class of "change agents" who can apply what they've uncovered to the problems they face.
The Deep Dive walks participants through every step of the change-seeking process, from "clarifying the intent of your team" to "build[ing] prototypes that develop practical solutions" and "scal[ing] innovation for social benefit," according to the Lab's website. Participants are guided by six global principles, from "bring[ing] an open heart, mind, and will" to "honor[ing" commitments."
The ambition and optimism of the Deep Dive—and Social Innovation Lab in general—is a conscious counterweight to the sometimes-overwhelming feeling of powerlessness that can afflict people who work for positive change.
"Everybody that we've talked to is saying...the same things," says Grant in a video posted to Social Innovation Lab's website. "As hard as they work, they feel like they're facing this dynamic...where they're getting one step forward and two steps back, and they can't really sense that what they're doing is leading to the deep change that they desire."
As Bischoff puts it, it's much easier—and more exciting—to work on overcoming these obstacles as part of a team, "instead of just trying harder by yourself." The end result: a "community of social innovators" that drives momentum for positive change and "close[s] all of these persistent gaps," says Grant.
Wednesday, August 06, 2014
On Tuesday, July 22, the West Bank's Southern Theater publicly launched its ARTshare program with a festive gathering at Town Hall Brewery. Beginning in January, ARTshare members will get full access to all 15 of the Southern's resident performance companies for $18 per month, with a minimum commitment of 12 months. Members can reserve seats at performances on a first-come, first-serve basis, with no additional fees or restrictions. The theater is also working on a set of members-only perks, to be announced later this year.
To start, the theater is making a total of 2,100 memberships available. The Southern is already well on its way to this goal: Barely two hours into the celebration, nearly 200 memberships sold online and at Town Hall. Once the cap is reached, membership will be closed until and unless executive director Damon Runnals and his team decide to add more capacity. Memberships help fund a three-year, $11,000 per year residency for each group. The Southern won't charge residents to rent the space, though they must shoulder their own production costs.
In a recent interview with MinnPost, Runnals acknowledged that ARTshare will bring live performance to the Southern Theater for the first time in more than three years. While this means that the space won't be available for rental or other functions for the foreseeable future, it will provide a platform for more than a dozen small, local dance or theater groups. To smooth the transition, Runnals plans to "[hold] meetings with the resident companies to talk and share best practices," according to the interview.
If the Town Hall-hosted event was any indication, the initiative should be successful. Eighty attendees filled the brewery's patio. Free beer and appetizers fueled a merry crowd, many of which were members of Southern's future resident companies. People in orange ARTshare T-shirts circulated through the crowd, speaking with attendees about the initiative and soliciting membership pledges. At 4:30 p.m., the brewery patio hosted three impromptu performances from future ARTshare resident companies.
Members can expect more of the same from ARTshare's nearly untested membership model. As he noted in the MinnPost interview, Runnals and his team didn't have another example to study. Two theaters in Chicago and the Pacific Northwest also offer limited numbers of unrestricted memberships, but they both double as production companies. As a "co-presentation" facility, says Runnals, the Southern is more like Northern Spark - "a platform for artists," who have lots of say over how the theater operates, not to mention its content.
Wednesday, August 06, 2014
The Twin Cities has an entrenched biking culture and a surprising history of local cycling innovations. Soon, MSP will have a cycling museum to celebrate those achievements, as well.
Three cycling enthusiasts, including the two founders of Recovery Bike Shop, are creating the Cycling Museum of Minnesota (CMM)—"an idea that's long overdue," says Nina Clark, Secretary of CMM's Board of Directors. The museum will open sometime in 2015, in the 4,000-square-foot, second floor suite above Recovery.
The idea for a cycling museum originated with Juston Anderson, the captain of the Minnesota chapter of The Wheelmen, a national organization "dedicated to keeping alive the heritage of American cycling," according to its website.
Over the years, CMM has accumulated dozens of bikes and bike-related artifacts from sponsors, including one of the oldest bike repair stands in existence, a solid racing wheel prototype from HED Cycling and the first Surly fat tire prototype. "We want to be a repository for those seminal artifacts," Clark says.
At the moment, CMM's collection is largely made up of items Anderson has loaned out. In turn, Recovery owners Brent Fuqua and Seth Stattmiller permit rent-free use of their second-floor space. But CMM is growing quickly: According to Clark, the organization has already had some success in soliciting donations, pledges and loans from individual biking enthusiasts and companies tied to the industry.
A fundraising/open house event in late July showcased items that represent various cycling eras. "The idea is to represent all periods" of cycling history, says Clark about the museum, while "keeping the focus on Minnesota."
The museum won't just be for physical artifacts. A self-described "biker about town," Clark is particularly interested in literature and exhibits that celebrate cycling's contributions to the development of the Twin Cities' park and trail systems, as well as the manufacturing and retail businesses that profit from growing interest cycling.
CMM's founders and directors envision the space as a force for advocacy, too. "We want to be advocates for cycling's benefits for health, the environment and sustainable urban development," Clark explains, "not just a static collection."
Significant donors can earn membership in one of three "Founders' Clubs": Silver Spoke for contributions of $50 to $249, Gold Spoke for $250 to $499, and Titanium Spoke for $500 to $1,000. Since the cost of refurbishing and maintaining items in a collection like CMM's increases proportionally with its size, the organization is exploring membership and/or sponsorship models that ensure positive cash flow.
After months of anticipation,
Sisyphus Brewing Company opened its doors to the general public on July 11.The new nano-brewery, located in a former Dunwoody College of Technology storage space near the I-394/94 interchange, has a 100-seat taproom with local artwork, shuffleboard tables and exposed brickwork.That's the first phase.
A 100-seat performance space on the opposite side of its building is still under construction. And a massive, Kickstarter-funded mural on the north side of the building--facing busy I-394--is ready for admiration.
The beer is flowing, too.Owner and head brewer Sam Harriman unveiled four brews at the July 7 "thank you" party for Kickstarter contributors.The Kentucky Common, which is brewed with ingredients you'd find in a typical Kentucky bourbon, was chewy yet refreshing. The Oatmeal Pale Ale--"I've only tasted one other example of this before in the many beers I've tried," says Harriman--evokes several different styles without being derivative.
The black ale with coffee displayed the final stage of the "brewing" process, with Harriman's associate pouring an ounce or so of dark roast coffee into the freshly poured beer. The Brett IPA toed the line between brewer's dream and nightmare, using a wild strain of yeast (brettanomyces). Regarded as a malodorous contaminant in most styles of beer, brettanomyces imparts a sour, spicy, slightly floral note in the right doses. (It worked beautifully.)
"The brewing world is steeped in tradition, and that tradition says bringing brett into a production brewery is a dangerous proposition," says Harriman. "But others I've talked to do it successfully, and with proper cleaning we'll be able to do it successfully too...I view the use of brett as an opportunity to differentiate ourselves in the Twin Cities market."
Harriman is also cognizant of how the Twin Cities' brewery scene looks from an outsider's perspective. The region's craft beer advocates, he argues, can get so caught up in new brewery openings and locals' increasingly sophisticated palettes that they downplay the work that still needs to be done.
"People in the Twin Cities may think we have an awesome brewing culture, which we most certainly do," he says, "but we lag behind many, many cities in the US...to set ourselves apart, we need to do things that aren't being done here yet."
Harriman and the Sisyphus crew have no plans to step on other brewers' toes, though. They won't can or distribute, with the possible exception of a partnership with the Comedy Corner (in the basement of the Corner Bar).
Even that will require regulatory wrangling that Harriman doesn't yet have time for. And even if he wanted to, the taproom's volume would probably make that impossible. With a 2-barrel brewing setup, Sisyphus is officially the Twin Cities' only nanobrewery--the smallest brewery designation there is.
Since he can't brew much of any one brew, being small will actually help Harriman experiment with different styles and circle back to fan favorites. "I brew what I like to drink, and I have a really concrete idea about what I like," he says. "There are so many beers out there nowadays, and it takes something really special to stick out in your mind and make you come back for more...Inspiration and focus is what will set us apart in the long run."
A big part of that inspiration are Harriman's plans for a comedy/performance space in the still-in-progress section of his building. The timing of the buildout--and the opening of the space itself--will depend on the taproom's cash flow.
Harriman hesitated to give a timeframe, but was hopeful about its prospects: "If our customers like our beer enough," he says, "we'll be able to build out the other side of that space."
For now, the brewery is open between noon and 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Additional hours are in the works.
On July 1, in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, online business directory Thumbtack released its annual small business survey of U.S. cities. Minneapolis-St. Paul finished in eleventh place and earned an overall "A" rating, falling behind several cities in Texas and smaller Mountain West towns like Colorado Springs and Boise.
The Thumbtack-Kauffman survey subjected the Twin Cities to more than a dozen measurements, based on responses from surveyed small business owners.The region earned an "A" grade for ease of starting a business and an "A+" for the availability of training and networking programs. It earned decent"'B+" grades for environmental and zoning regulations, and a "B" for health and safety. Licensing rules and employment, labor and hiring protocols came in at the '"B-" mark, with the local tax code and ease of hiring scoring "C+"
The Cities' rankings showed marked improvement over the past two years. Minneapolis-St. Paul's overall rating was "B+" in 2013 and "'B" in 2012. The change in availability of training and networking programs was particularly noteworthy, with a jump from "C-" to "A+" between last year and this year. The overall regulatory environment and ease of hiring improved significantly as well.
Although the Twin Cities could have scored higher in some areas, the region fared great next to some well-known locales. Buffalo, Providence, Sacramento, and San Diego earned "F" grades for overall business friendliness, and many other East and West Coast cities failed to clear the "D" bar. At the state level, California, Illinois and Rhode Island earned failing grades.
The survey also sourced subjective opinions from business owners across the Cities. Some of these were glowing: A Minneapolis-based designer reported that "I'm in a great location and have a lot of room for growth." Others were more skeptical of local governments' role in business, with a Minneapolis pet sitter complaining about the state sales tax on dog-walking services.
Relatively high taxes, coupled with byzantine regulations, were a common complaint. But some respondents actually argued for a more hands-on approach by local regulators, including a Minneapolis voice teacher who complained that hands-off licensing was creating room for scam artists in the field.
Thumbtack's survey collected reponses from about 12,000 U.S. small business owners (in the Lower 48 only) over a two-month period in early 2014. For a copy of the full report, contact .
This week the Twin Cities BIKEFUN!'s Pedalopolis extravaganza will take to the streets. Pedalopolis is an annual "crowd-sourced festival of social bike rides" with dozens of user-generated events and themed rides. The celebration kicked off at 5 p.m. yesterday with a parade between Matthews Park and Powderhorn Park, where a potluck lasted into the evening. The parade's centerpiece was the enormous Pedal Bear, a "pedal-powered polar bear" built by the locally based ARTCRANK Collective.
The opening festivities were just the tip of the iceberg. "The Pedalopolis festival is an ever expanding work in progress," writes Nickey Robare, of Twin Cities BIKEFUN! "[We're] creating a space, and the community has stepped in to fill it up." The goal is to create a series of themed rides and gatherings around Minneapolis and St. Paul. BIKEFUN! accepted ideas from members of the public until shortly before the festivities began, with "room for any type of bike ride you can imagine," says Robare. (Awesomeness is encouraged.)
Participants have clearly had fun planning this year's event. Last night, riders could choose from a 15-mile mural tour of Minneapolis or a meditation-themed ride with the DharmaCore Queer Meditation Community. At noon today, the 2DCLOUD Bicycle Distro rounds up riders who'd like to distribute free books at community centers and other locations around the Cities.
This evening, the "It’s Your Birthday Bike Ride" asks riders to pretend it's their birthday and dress accordingly. (No actual birthdays required, according to TC BIKEFUN!'s website.) For a nightcap, St. Anthony Main Theater hosts a screening of "Half The Road: The Passion, Pitfalls, and Power of Women’s Professional Cycling," a film that looks at women's love for the sport and "the pressing issues of inequality that modern-day female athletes face in male dominated sports."
Tomorrow, history and amenities are on the agenda. A 6:30 p.m. ride hits six "overlooked parks" in St. Paul, a simultaneous jaunt visits various architectural gems in the Seward neighborhood, and a 7 p.m. "Replacements Ride" takes a tour of locales mentioned in the Twin Cities band's songs and ends with a drink at the CC Club, a favorite haunt of theirs.
On Friday, the weekend begins in style with "Tour de Breweries," which includes a stop at Town Hall Brewery and other yet-to-be-named locations. At 11 p.m., the "Secret Society of Midnight Cyclists" meets to pedal to "a location known only to the [tour] leader," according to TC BIKEFUN!'s website.
Pedalopolis's last big event will take place at 9 p.m. on Saturday, at Bedlam Lowertown in St. Paul, with a "short jorts" dance party and a performance from River City Soul. The event, like all Pedalopolis gatherings, is free and open to the public. A "Hangover Ride" and other "day-after" activities will take place on Sunday.
In addition to Pedalopolis, its showcase celebration, BIKEFUN! also administers an online biking forum that connects Twin Cities cyclists with safe, community-themed activities in all seasons. In addition to establishing it as a key mode of transport for Twin Cities residents, the organization aims to make biking fun and accessible for kids and adults of all ages.
Made, based in Uptown, takes an approach to designing and manufacturing corporate gifts, apparel and novelties that encapsulates client brands and reduces the environmental impact of the manufacturing process.
Made is the brainchild of Michelle Courtright and Kristin Hollander, two "gift industry" veterans who met through mutual friends in the late 2000s. When the bottom fell out of the economy in 2008, the pair decided to abandon their storefronts and join forces to create memorable corporate gifts—"beyond tchotchkes," says Courtright.
Made takes a bespoke approach to each product, usually designing items from scratch. The company started in government procurement. Through contracts with the Pentagon and FBI, Courtright and Hollander devised complex, multi-step solutions to clients' often-inscrutable requests.
"We gained a reputation for figuring stuff out," says Courtright.
Their approach also led to contracts with Twin Cities businesses like Target, as well as with The New York Times and pop culture icons like Pharrell Williams. In Made's nearly six years of operation, the company has relied exclusively on referrals and organic growth.
Another client, Minnesota Public Radio, still relies on Made to design and fulfill gift orders for its 120,000-strong membership base. Early on, when MPR needed a large order of red mugs, Made advised that red dyes manufactured in the United States were highly toxic, eventually finding a German producer that used a less-toxic vegetable base.
As a general rule, Made doesn't like to create disposable or single-use products, although they women bend this rule for such items as USAID's natural disaster relief kits. Made also structures its supply chain, where possible, to avoid redundant shipments.
But the company balances an earnest commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship with realism. "[Our client] Whole Foods knows that its customers won't want to pay $10 for a single tote bag," says Courtright. So Made finds solutions that incorporate low-impact materials without sacrificing affordability.
Although Made has Minnesota roots –and 13 local employees—its approach to manufacturing is a global endeavor. The company sources materials and components from all over Asia, but tries to acquire as many materials as possible from the United States. “The world is more interconnected than you would believe," says Courtright.
Earlier this summer, more than a dozen Minneapolis-St. Paul 17-21 year olds participated in the inaugural production of Film in the City, a Minnesota State Arts Board-funded initiative that connects at-risk youth with local filmmakers and front-of-the-camera talent. The original short, “A Common Manor,” was entirely written by Film in the City’s young participants, who also made up the majority of its cast. Highlights of the filming process were included in filmmaker Jeff Stonehouse’s contribution to
One Day on Earth, with the edited production to be released in October.
Film in the City is the brainchild of Rich Reeder, a 30-year veteran of the film industry. He was inspired by a tragedy: While he was producing a documentary on the White Earth Reservation, a local high school student suddenly took his own life, shattering the community (and Reeder’s crew). As a filmmaking veteran, he saw the medium’s potential to boost self-esteem and commitment in at-risk youth.
Reeder and an assistant connected with six homeless youth organizations—Ain Dah Yung, Youthlink, Avenues NE, Face to Face/SafeZone, Full Cycle and Kulture Klub Collaborative—across the Twin Cities. Beginning in February of this year, 16 participants attended 12 workshops that covered everything from art and sound design to improvisation.
Filming took place over two weeks in June, at several locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul (the Midtown Farmers’ Market and private residences in St. Paul’s Summit-University and Midway neighborhoods among them). Local arts organizations including the Guthrie Theater and HDMG Studio & Production Center lent backdrops and equipment.
“A Common Manor” wrapped on June 25. There’s still plenty of editing and marketing work to be done before its release. But the project has already paid dividends: As a direct result of their work with Film in the City, says Reeder, at least eight participants have conducted internships or mentoring sessions with “professional Twin Cities’ directors, writers, cinematographers, lighting and sound specialists, makeup and wardrobe mentors.” Two have worked with Stonehouse on a commercial film shoot in Wisconsin.
Reeder also sees Film in the City, and projects like it, as critical for character-building and professional development. “These youth have made major strides in terms of self-esteem, collaboration with other youth and adults, learning the entire film[making] process and focusing…on specific aspects of the creative arts,” he says.
Reeder and crew plan to apply for the same Minnesota State Arts Board grant next year. The hope is that first-year veterans will actively mentor second-year participants, creating an artistic legacy among at-risk youth.
More ambitiously, Film in the City may soon export its concept to other cities. “Youth organization leaders in Seattle and San Francisco have already expressed interest in the concept,” says Reeder, noting that those cities’ famous writing and visual arts workshops for homeless youth haven’t yet been complemented by filmmaking initiatives.
On June 26, for the second year in a row, five Twin Cities’ artists gathered at the Walker Art Center’s ArtPrize Pitch Night to share their ideas for a highly visible installation at Grand Rapids, Michigan’s annual ArtPrize extravaganza – and compete for a $5,000 prize. Each had five minutes to pitch to five jurors.
The winner, Bjorn Sparrman, will construct a “faux border crossing” on the Gillett Bridge, a heavily trafficked pedestrian bridge in downtown Grand Rapids. The installation will stand for the duration of the festival, from September 24 to October 12. Along with work from thousands of other participating artists, Sparrman’s project will contend for one of two $200,000 grand prizes.
The project, which will straddle the dividing line between the east and west sides of Grand Rapids, is a tongue-in-cheek take on an international border crossing. According to Sparrman’s pitch, it will feature “border guards,” a fake customs booth with awning, and signs indicating the “political” barrier.
“[The] jurors were impressed with Bjorn’s awareness of the bridge as a passage,” says Jehra Patrick, one of the five Pitch Night jurors, in an interview with ArtPrize. “We were interested in his ability to create a point of engagement and an obstacle, making people stop and consider the work.”
The four Walker Pitch Night runners-up have impressive CVs: Aaron Dysart is a City Collaboratory Fellow with the City of St. Paul; Alison Hiltner is a prominent Minneapolis-based installation artist; Bill Mullaney is a performance artist and one half of the popular performance duo Fire Drill; and Aaron Squadroni recently served as Grand Rapids, Michigan’s Artist-in-Residence.
The jury included Melinda Childs, Director of Artist Services at Forecast Public Art; John Hock, founder of Franconia Sculpture Park; Mia Lopez, a current Walker Art Center fellow; Jehra Patrick, program director for mnartists.org; and Piotr Szyhalski, professor of media arts at Minneapolis College of Art & Design.
ArtPrize is in its sixth year, but last year’s Walker event – put on in collaboration with Delta Air Lines, mnartists.org, and Open Systems Technologies – was the first organized opportunity for non-Michigan artists to earn funding for more ambitious projects. Pitch Night has since expanded to Cincinnati.
ArtPrize itself is wildly popular with artists. Billed as “a radically open, independently organized international art competition,” ArtPrize turns “three square miles of downtown Grand Rapids [into] an open playing field where anyone can find a voice in the conversation about what is art and why it matters.”
Anyone can participate and any space within the designated district can host installations. In addition to the $400,000 in grand prizes, participants can win eight category prizes of $20,000 each. This year’s event will feature more than 1,500 individual entries.
ArtsMidwest, an Uptown-based arts organization that forms partnerships with artists and local art organizations throughout the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region, has released a major report to publicize the achievements of its ArtsLab subsidiary. Entitled “Capacity Building and Resilience: What Participants Learned Through ArtsLab,” the exhaustive report outlines the experience of eight organizations, including five from the Twin Cities.
According to Anne Romens, ArtsMidwest’s External Relations Manager, the report “offers key takeaways for nonprofit organizations seeking to build their resiliency and for grantmakers supporting the arts and culture sector.” The report itself is intended for “organizations looking to strengthen their adaptability, funders interested in the leadership qualities that support careful fiscal oversight, and…colleagues in other capacity building programs, both within and beyond the arts community.”
ArtsLab partners can enroll in the Peer Learning Community, an intensive, two-year “training and technical assistance program that brings diverse arts leaders together in a supportive, collaborative environment.” Components of the Peer Learning include mentorship assignments, monthly webinars, quarterly retreats, and training sessions that focus on financial management, strategic planning, community engagement and impact evaluation.
The five participating Twin Cities organizations had incisive feedback for ArtsLab—and the program’s future participants. During its first year working with ArtsLab, All My Relations Arts was evicted from its space at the Great Neighborhoods! Development Corporation, forcing the organization to hastily partner with the Native American Community Development Institute and seek funding assistance from ArtsLab. Over the subsequent two years, All My Relations found a new gallery and performance space that now anchors Franklin Avenue’s ascendant American Indian Cultural Corridor.
Mizna, a St. Paul organization that sponsors the Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, nearly went bust when its former director resigned to pursue her writing career. ArtsLab helped the organization secure much-needed funding to carry it through. But Rabi’h Nahas, Mizna’s board director at the time, is even more appreciative of the guidance and experience of ArtsLab’s staff and educators.
In addition to the report and accompanying case studies, ArtsLab released a complementary video series on ArtsMidwest’s YouTube channel, including contributions from the studied organizations.
ArtsLab was founded in 1999 with grants from six funding partners, including the Bush Foundation. According to its website, the initiative aims to “support the acquisition of new skills, tools, and habits [that enable] navigation in a constantly changing environment” through “a highly participatory process.” It’s permanently staffed by Program Director Sharon Rodning Bash, Program Manager Angela Keeton, and Program Assistant Emily Anderson, and supported by a national group of educators and arts leaders.
Local musicians who value realistic, earthy sound quality have a local source for their equipment: Northeast Minneapolis-based Northeast Cable Company (NECC).
Founded in 2012, the company designs and handcrafts reference cables for instruments, microphones and amplifiers. Its wares can be used in live and studio settings. According to Jake Gilbertson, NECC’s operations manager and an engineer by training, the cables are designed for musicians who need “unique, durable, and flexible” cables that won’t wear out with regular use.
Unlike many larger companies, NECC focuses exclusively on these cables – it doesn’t manufacture accessories or other equipment. NECC takes a bespoke approach to its products, creating each order to customer specifications and executing a thorough inspection—“by a real human”—before shipment. Additionally, the XLR (microphone) cable is made to avoid tangling and the patch cable made rigid for stability.
Reliability is a key objective. Larger manufacturers take a quantity over quality approach to cable manufacturing, forcing musicians to go through cables faster and make needless replacement purchases. By outlasting their inferior counterparts, NECC’s cables significantly reduce a major expense for prolific musicians.
Even patch cables, which are notorious throughout the industry for their tendency to wear out, get this treatment. Gilbertson and his colleagues took the “time to figure out what would make these cables last forever,” according to NECC’s website, and developed “the most durable and reliable patch cable on the market.” Despite a higher manufacturing cost, musicians reap long-term benefits because they don’t have to buy replacements as frequently.
Sound quality is also essential. NECC’s cables are designed to minimize feedback and interference, creating a studio-quality listening experience even in sub-optimal settings. All of NECC’s products include features that make this possible, including double-Reussen shielding (which clarifies sound by allowing the cable to lie flat on the stage or floor) and a proprietary ULTRA-FLEX cord jacket that minimizes crimping when the cable is moved, stretched or wound back on itself. The cables’ contacts are gold, a superior material for the purpose.
NECC cables also aim to create a sound that’s as natural and “clean” as can be. “All of the properties of sound are tied up in each cable’s copper strands,” says Gilbertson. “By manipulating the individual strands, you can change how your instrument performs.” Whereas many cable companies sell sound- and even genre-specific cables—rock, acoustic, and so on—NECC’s products can be used by musicians of all stripes.
And they are. Though still small, NECC already has a nascent, global dealer network, with outposts in Bend, Oregon; New York City; Brantford, Ontario; and even Japan. Up-and-coming musicians from Minnesota, Tennessee and California are regular customers. Twin Cities residents can find its stock cables at Twin Town Guitar in Uptown, American Guitar Boutique in Plymouth, and Lavonne Music in Savage, or order custom cables directly through the company’s website.
Crux Collaborative, a user-experience consulting firm based in the southwest Minneapolis, is dramatically changing its approach to business, staff and clients as part of a bold rebranding effort.
During the past year, the firm formerly known as Eaton Golden has adopted a flatter management model, a more collaborative approach to internal problem-solving, and a culture of “trust and even friendship” between clients and employees, says co-principal Mahtab Rezai. She calls the experience overwhelmingly positive, with new clients and new staffers energized—and surprised—by Crux’s highly personal, yet results-driven, approach to its work.
Recently, says Rezai, an increasingly tech-savvy population and a growing volume of digital points of customer-vendor contact created a “sea change” in user experience best practices, from a proscriptive, top-down approach to a more user-friendly, even nurturing one.
“Almost everything we do now is complex and interrelated,” she says, including how we access and communicate information. Crux specializes in improving user experiences for “complex, data-driven, transactional experiences,” Rezai says, which “aren’t optional and haven’t historically provided a lot of choice to the user.”
Ultimately, the goal is to render these experiences—like using a health exchange, executing online financial transactions and accessing employee benefits—more “humane,” making it easier and more natural for people to complete essential, boring tasks in the digital space.
Rebranding has helped Eaton Golden/Crux Collaborative process and take advantage of this shift. Sadly, a tragedy accelerated the process.
In early 2011, principals Emily Eaton and John Golden lost their young son to cancer. Rezai, a former colleague of Golden’s who was already in talks to take a new role with the company, immediately took over day-to-day management of the firm while the parents grieved. Eaton eventually sold her interest to Rezai and left the company completely to write a book about coping with grief.
Rezai still has her operational role. Golden and Rezai are now equal partners. But Crux is no longer “two leads plus a support staff,” says Rezai. Nearly every important decision, including the company’s new name, arises through consultations with rank-and-file staffers. In a larger company, this might produce friction, but Crux is small enough to function as a single team.
So far, the experience has been transformative. Even experienced employees had never seen a rebrand go so smoothly. Morale has spiked. Clients are happy, too: Crux just posted the strongest first quarter in its 10-year history. Last year, with the transition in full swing, the company made Minnesota Business Magazine’s “Top 100 Businesses to Work For” list, a major achievement.
Will Crux’s new approach to business translate into a bigger workforce and a national client pool? For now, Rezai is cautious about such plans.
“Growth is not our objective,” she says. “Excellence is.”
The company has eight full-timers, with room for just a handful more. And since it doesn’t have a business development division or send out RFPs—“We’ve found that they’re a waste of our time”—the firm relies on word of mouth to attract new clients. Crux is picky about accepting new work, essentially “prequalifying” clients before pitching or consulting with them.
“The ability to judiciously say ‘no’ has taught us how to say ‘yes’ when it’s clearly right,” says Rezai.
By choice, Crux also focuses on companies in the banking/finance, medical device, health insurance and benefits administration subsectors—niches heavily represented by Twin Cities businesses. As Rezai puts it, “we stick to what we’re good at.”
FOCI Minnesota Glass Center for the Arts based in Northeast Minneapolis, the state’s only nonprofit glassworking nonprofit, has launched an ambitious crowdfunding initiative to fund the purchase of a new “mobile hot shop.”
The project aims to raise $50,000 to fund the purchase and retrofitting of a vehicle that will carry a fully functional glass studio to schools, community centers and special events around the Twin Cities. Individual donations for this “mobile teaching facility on wheels” are tax deductible and can be made through FOCI’s Go Fund Me page.
In the past, FOCI has done mobile glassworking demonstrations at the St. Cloud State Lemonade Festival and the Swedish American Institute. According to Bryan Ethier, FOCI’s board chairman, the new shop would be a closed trailer with several benches to accommodate glassworkers and an open design to accommodate crowds of spectators.
The mobile hot shop would replace a smaller, less user-friendly mobile shop that contained a single furnace and “glory hole” for reheating glass. Outside spectators had to stand around it or use seating provided by the demonstration venue.
Ethier expects the initiative to enhance FOCI's visibility and reach. The organization’s old State Fair headquarters was demolished to make room for the Heritage Square project. FOCI’s now-defunct satellite shop at the Renaissance Festival formerly anchored its outstate presence.
“The only way we can provide demonstrations now is with a mobile studio,” says Ethier. FOCI’s 120 members, who are proficient in the art of glassworking, typically monopolize the company’s main location.
The new mobile shop will also solve accessibility challenges at FOCI’s headquarters. “We’re located on the basement level of a building with a non-functioning elevator,” says Ethier, making handicapped accessibility impossible.
The organization’s location in an industrial area of Northeast isn’t convenient for visitors without cars, so the shop will facilitate demonstrations in more transit-friendly locales. Eventually, FOCI would also visit suburban and rural schools whose students can’t afford to travel to Minneapolis.
Michael Boyd, FOCI’s artistic director, started Foci as a private studio in 2004 and converted the organization to nonprofit status in 2010. Foci now provides educational services for students and glassworking novices of all ages. It also rents space and supplies to its member artists. In addition to the mobile hot shop, FOCI plans on opening a new studio space at the State Fairgrounds’ West End Market project.
In less than a year, a partnership between Advance IT Minnesota and Metropolitan State University has produced Fusion, an “IT residency” program that will officially launch during the 2014-15 academic year. Fusion places students in various technology degree programs with local employers—ranging from cutting-edge startups to Fortune 500 firms—that need flexible, entry-level IT labor. The program has already accepted applications for the coming year’s roster and is in the process of vetting applicants.
Unlike a traditional internship, which typically runs a single academic semester, each participant’s residency lasts 18 to 24 months—roughly tracking their last two years of college. Students are paid for their time, typically less than 20 hours per week, with projects assigned by their employers and paychecks issued by their school.
Fusion currently has 40 open spots, but Bruce Lindberg, executive director of Advance IT Minnesota, hopes to grow the program significantly in time for the 2015-16 academic year by expanding the program’s enrollment at Metro State and creating an identical residency program at Mankato State. By next year, enrollment could increase twofold, with further growth possible.
“If employer demand and participation grow beyond the capacity of those two partners,” says Lindberg, “we will look to expand by involving other academic partners” around the Twin Cities and outstate areas.
With a projected deficit of nearly 10,000 tech workers in the state by 2020, Fusion aims to accelerate the development of Minneapolis-St. Paul’s high-tech workforce while making it easier—and less risky— for employers and prospective employees to find one another. Currently, the rapidly growing and changing industry suffers from “skill mismatch,” where employers struggle to find candidates who can keep pace with changing job requirements and competencies.
“Many graduates face the frustrating reality of employers asking new grads for two to three years of experience…which they usually don't have,” says John Fairbanks, a third-year Metro State student who applied to the program this spring. “[T]hrough the Fusion program, I will graduate with a degree and have substantial experience to back it…allowing me to enter the job market more quickly and with real-world experience to solve real-world problems.”
The idea for Fusion developed out of conversations between Lindberg and Marty Hebig, Maverick Software Consulting’s founder and president, in January 2013. Lindberg and Hebig, whose company helps firms avoid offshoring by hiring low-cost, U.S.-based student IT workers for special projects and ongoing work, helped recruit other local business leaders to the cause. He also helped them build a compelling case for an IT residency program. In January 2014, Metro State approved the program and began publicizing it to students.
Employers and managers who wish to learn more about Fusion can attend an information session, hosted by Advance IT Minnesota, at MCTC’s campus on June 17 between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. RSVP through Bruce Lindberg at or 612-659-7228.
As part of the
redevelopment at the Schmidt Brewery site, Blue Ox Mini Golf is leveraging a $350,000 grant from ArtPlace America and the proceeds from an ongoing GiveMN campaign to fund its new course on West 7th Street. The course sits amid the site’s 260 residential units and multiple commercial spaces, all of which are part of a $120 million project that’s wrapping up early this summer.
The course “will add art each year in the form of new holes, amenities and supplemental programming,” according to the Blue Ox website. All will be designed and installed by local artists. The course’s permanent features are also artist-designed, creating “multiple points of entry for everyone from committed art-ophiles to the random passerby on the way to the bus stop.”
Blue Ox is taking a page from the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, which has constructed several art- and architecture-focused mini golf courses in the past 10 years. Like its St. Paul counterpart, the Walker’s Artist-Designed Mini Golf regularly incorporates new artist-commissioned holes, examples of which include a foosball area replete with garden gnomes and a “gopher hole vortex.”
Although Artist-Designed Mini Golf is only open during the warm season—May 22 through September 1 this year—its most popular holes enjoy permanent status amid the newcomers. Blue Ox, which will shut down each fall and reopen in late spring, will also recycle perennially popular holes.
The similarities between Blue Ox and the Walker’s course aren’t accidental: Blue Ox’s Christi Atkinson previously served as the Walker’s course director, and Jennifer Pennington, the initiative’s marketing director, is married to the designer of one of the Walker’s most engaging holes. The Walker’s current Sculpture Garden course’s $12 or $18 tickets (for 9 and 18 holes, respectively) include free admission to the museum. This has been a winning formula, with long waits for tee times on weekends and nice evenings.
The St. Paul course presents an additional design challenge thanks to strict historic preservation guidelines to which future artists will be beholden. Each hole has to incorporate themes or design elements that harken back to the brewery that once occupied the site.
Blue Ox doesn’t have a world-class art museum to keep golf-averse family members occupied, although the as-yet-unnamed restaurant tenant of the site’s soon-to-be-renovated keg house could keep visitors fed and watered.
But Blue Ox does double the number of artist-commissioned mini golf holes in the Twin Cities, providing visibility and recognition for installation artists in St. Paul. And as the entertainment centerpiece of the Schmidt redevelopment, the course promises to draw families and local residents who previously sped by the disused site on their way to downtown St. Paul or the airport.
A recent city-ordinance change has paved the way for mobile grocery stores. Now the Wilder Foundation’s Twin Cities Mobile Market, a repurposed Metro Transit bus that cost the foundation just over $6,000, can distribute fresh produce on St. Paul’s East Side and the North Side of Minneapolis.
Both neighborhoods are considered “food deserts” because the corner shops and independent markets that provide residents with groceries lack fresh produce and other wholesome items.
“[Low-income] people living in these neighborhoods are already at higher risk for obesity and diabetes,” explains Leah Driscoll, the Wilder Foundation program manager in charge of the project. “Living in a food desert makes these problems worse.”
Many residents of these lower-income areas also lack reliable transportation to supermarkets in adjacent city neighborhoods or suburbs, further constraining their shopping options.
The ordinance change, which requires each food truck-like mobile grocery store to stock at least 50 individual fruits and vegetables in at least seven varieties, replaces an older ordinance that had restricted mobile grocery sales to areas around senior housing complexes.
The new law permits mobile grocery stores to set up in commercial, industrial and apartment complex parking lots between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. They can’t locate within 100 feet of traditional grocery stores and farmers’ markets without explicit permission from owners or operators. They also can’t sell certain items, including tobacco products and alcohol.
In addition to the requisite variety of fresh fruit and veggies, Twin Cities Mobile Market will also stock other staples, including bread, dairy products, meat, canned goods, and other non-perishables at costs competitive to places like Cub Foods. Before selecting sites for weekly visits—“public housing high-rises, senior buildings, community centers, and churches” will get the highest priority, according to the foundation—Wilder must secure at least 50 signatures from locals interested in using the market.
Driscoll is working closely with local community leaders to ensure that “we’re actually wanted and needed in the neighborhoods that we select—we don’t just want to show up,” she says.
Twin Cities Mobile Market, which Wilder unveiled on Monday at a “sneak preview” event hosted by Icehouse, isn’t the only mobile grocery truck set to take advantage of Minneapolis’s ordinance change. Urban Ventures, a faith-based organization headquartered in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis, is putting the finishing touches on a repurposed refrigerator truck that will begin making grocery sales around South Minneapolis, and eventually the North Side, later this summer. The truck, whose wares will include healthy helpings of local produce, will accept EBT and carry a nutrition specialist to help customers make healthy buying decisions.
Earlier this year, Google selected the University of Minnesota’s MARS Lab as its primary academic partner for Project Tango, a high-profile indoor mapping initiative that has been compared to Google Maps. The selection came with a $1.35 million grant and a directive to explore—and expand on—the possibilities of a prototype smartphone capable of creating 3D maps of indoor spaces. Google’s only other academic partner on the project, Washington, D.C.’s George Washington University, has a much smaller role.
According to Google, the current prototype device is a “5 inch Android phone containing highly customized hardware and software designed to track the full 3D motion of the device as you hold it while simultaneously creating a map of the environment.”
The phone can take up to 250,000 spatial measurements per second to create an intricate map of its surroundings. While this technology isn’t yet available as an app on regular smartphones, part of MARS Lab’s charge is to create apps and APIs—mobile development platforms—that enable the app to be scaled down and included with non-specialized devices. Within a few years, some form of the technology will be available for download like any other Android app. The U of M lab will have played a central role in making that possible.
A major challenge will involve surmounting the technology’s requirement for two independent cameras. It’s unclear whether future versions will be able to work with a single smartphone camera, or whether devices that use it will need to have at least two vision sensors. A strict non-disclosure agreement, breach of which could jeopardize the lab’s funding, prevents MARS Lab director Stergios I. Roumeliotis from getting into such specifics about Project Tango.
A video released last month by the MARS Lab team shows the prototype’s capabilities. Although the current version produces a somewhat slow, abstract representation of its surroundings, future iterations will create near-lifelike interior maps. Google and MARS envision three broad areas in which 3D mapping can play a role: virtual/augmented reality video games, internal navigation in unfamiliar buildings (rendering directions in malls and corporate edifices all but obsolete), and navigation aids for the visually impaired. But innovation probably won’t stop there: In a recent interview, Roumeliotis argued that “the list of potential future applications is endless.”
In addition to Roumeliotis, two MARS Lab alums who have since taken positions with Google—Joel Hesch and Esha Nerurkar—are leading the development charge. The building blocks for the project were actually laid about a decade ago, when the MARS Lab team helped create the internal navigation system, known as VINS, for NASA’s Mars landers. A loss of NASA funding for the project proved to be a blessing in disguise, as Roumeliotis’s team found that the system worked just as well for earthbound mapping and navigation.
Indeed Brewing Company, Northeast Minneapolis’ biggest craft brewery by volume, is partnering with J.J. Taylor Distributing Company—also based in Northeast—to expand its distribution footprint across Minnesota. The partnership, which officially began on May 1, will see Indeed enter or expand in southern Minnesota markets like Rochester, Owatonna/Faribault and Mankato.
According to Indeed marketing director and co-founder Rachel Anderson, Indeed will be available in virtually every major Minnesota market by the end of the year.
The J.J. Taylor partnership represents the last big link in Indeed’s in-state distribution chain. Dahlheimer Distributing already sells Indeed beer in east-central Minnesota, and D & D Beer Company handles distribution for points north of St. Cloud. Indeed also self-distributes in Duluth and Hudson, Wisconsin, the only out-of-state market currently served, and has no plans to stop. According to Anderson, the company envisions a hub-and-spoke network that penetrates deep into Minnesota’s vast rural hinterland, with self-distribution representing a key strategy for ensuring coverage.
Indeed’s partnership with J.J. Taylor,
and two recent expansion initiatives, are born out of necessity. Indeed has roughly doubled its production capacity during the past year, from 6,000 barrels to between 11,000 and 12,000 barrels, and it’s still not at capacity.
“We could make more,” says Anderson, “but we’re trying to grow responsibly.” The brewery just finished adding production capacity, in January, and plans to expand its capabilities again this summer, with the installation of a new fermenter.
As appetite for craft beer grows among suburban and rural drinkers, Indeed expects to utilize this spare capacity. “There’s still a lot of growth left in the state,” especially in smaller markets that are just getting their first taste of Indeed’s products, says Anderson. “We’re not yet at the point where we don’t have enough beer, but we do need to build volume in those territories.”
Indeed is currently Minnesota’s 5th or 6th biggest brewery, behind Summit, Surly, Fulton and Lift Bridge. Long-term, the company is interested in developing out-of-state distribution partnerships that could raise the company’s regional profile, but no concrete plans or timetables exist yet. For now, Indeed is focusing on filling in the gaps in its footprint and further boosting business at its already bustling taproom, which is open Thursday through Saturday and is “busy all the time,” says Anderson.
Ramsey County’s successful Corridors 2 Careers pilot program—which connects economically disadvantaged residents of communities along the Green Line, including Frogtown, Summit-University and Cedar-Riverside, with workforce training resources and employers in the area—already has several notable successes.
According to the program’s exit report, more than 1,400 residents of Green Line neighborhoods participated in the initiative, and nearly 90 percent had no previous knowledge of workforce resources in the area. As a direct result of their participation, 65 local residents found gainful employment and an additional 47 enrolled in basic or continuing education classes.
The pilot project also encouraged local job applicants to obtain—and local employers to recognize—the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate, “a portable credential that demonstrates achievement and a certain level of workplace employability skills,” according to ACT. The public-private partnership between Ramsey County and Goodwill-Easter Seals will continue to push this certification.
Of the five-dozen employers that participated in the pilot project, more than half were unaware about local workforce development resources that connect prospective employees with willing employees in transit-served areas. At least eight hired Corridors 2 Careers participants.
Now, the project has blossomed into a larger partnership between Ramsey County Workforce Solutions, Ramsey County Workforce Investment Board and Goodwill-Easter Seals of Minnesota. At least nine workforce development organizations have already committed to support the partnership, which aims to increase the “alignment of workforce needs between the residents and employers” in the area, according to the press release announcing the partnership.
The Ramsey County Workforce Investment Board’s Alignment and Integration Committees will coordinate the activities of the participating organizations, including Goodwill-Easter Seals, which provides GED tutoring, job-specific skills training and job placement services to individuals who have been chronically unemployed, recently incarcerated, afflicted by homelessness, or who struggle with alcohol or chemical dependency.
Going forward, Corridors 2 Careers aims to connect at least 400 Green Line residents with job search assistance, and place at least 80 percent of those participants in entry-level jobs or job training programs. The goal is a “location-efficient economic development strategy” that encourages local employers to be more receptive to diverse residents’ cultural needs, refer rejected applicants to workforce development agencies, and create new, industry-specific employer clusters along the transit-dense Green Line.
With Goodwill-Easter Seals and the Ramsey County organizations acting as pillars for the initiative, local employers will be able to directly tap C2C for willing, well-trained workers, connecting unemployed residents who urgently need work and employers that require specific skill sets.
GiveMN, an online philanthropy platform launched by the Minnesota Community Foundation and based in downtown St. Paul, is partnering with Kimbia and Minneapolis-based Fast Horse to enhance its fundraising capabilities and improve the users experience. GiveMN’s new fundraising system will debut this summer, with the improved website rolling out in phases beginning later this year.
The partnership with Kimbia, announced earlier this month, comes after a rigorous RFP process that included several competing proposals. “We wanted a partner that was innovative and forward-looking,” says Dana Nelson, GiveMN’s executive director. Kimbia’s mobile-friendly technology integrates with “social media, partner websites, and personal webpages” and “enables donors to give in less than a minute,” according to its website.
GiveMN’s Fast Horse-led website redesign will build off Kimbia’s next-generation technology, with a responsive, “modern” user experience that’s consistent on big-screen desktops, tiny smartphones, and everything in between. The gradual rollout should minimize disruptions for current users, says Nelson, while encouraging newcomers to engage.
“With technology changing so rapidly, it’s hard to predict how people will access our platform in the coming years,” she explains. “We want to be out in front of that and create as many opportunities as possible for Minnesotans to engage with us.” The goal is to encourage donors to respond in real-time to “things that happen”—from unpleasant events like floods to fundraising drives for schools and churches across the Twin Cities and beyond.
“We want GiveMN to be the first place on the minds of local donors,” says Nelson, “whether they’re using their phones, tablets, desktops, or watches to give.”
With Nelson at the helm, GiveMN launched in 2009, drawing inspiration from microlending platforms like Kiva and community-focused charities like DonorsChoose. The goal was to foster closer relationships between donors and recipients, “which felt really radical at the time,” says Nelson.
GiveMN has stayed lean: It maintains its own office in Lowertown, but leverages the HR and finance assets of the Minnesota Community Foundation. GiveMN now supports a wide range of Twin Cities-based organizations, from St. Paul’s Springboard for the Arts (which uses GiveMN as its exclusive online fundraising tool) to Shir Tikvah, a Jewish Reform congregation based in Minneapolis.
The Nathan Hale School PTA in Minneapolis uses the service as well. Whereas bake sales and other commodity-driven school fundraising events can have high overhead costs, says Nelson, 95 percent of every dollar given through GiveMN goes directly to schools.
The Minnesota Inventors Congress’ Invention Expo just wrapped up its first session in the Minneapolis Convention Center, after nearly 60 years of meeting in the small town of Redwood Falls. On May 2 and 3, hundreds of exhibiting inventors, investors and business leaders crowded into the center’s main hall to peruse the latest ideas and designs from the country’s brightest tinkerers, hardware whizzes and gearheads.
The continent’s “oldest annual invention convention,” according to its website, moved to the Twin Cities to take advantage of the local infrastructure. For Zachary Crockett, co-founder of Minneapolis-based Spark and an Invention Expo keynote speaker, the move was about connecting tech-savvy hardware and software experts, who tend to be younger and urban, with practical-minded tinkerers, engineers and designers who come from a “broader demographic” and often live in rural areas.
The exchanges of ideas, partnerships, and capital that result can be game-changing. Early on, Invention Expo’s participants often focused on clever, useful products that made discrete tasks easier—think late-night infomercials. Today’s attendees leverage cutting-edge technology to create products with far broader applications, from Bondhus Arms’ credit card-sized pistol (perfect for a post-“conceal and carry” world) to the Powerizer toolbox, which features a battery-powered charging station, USB outlet and three adapter connections to help users stay connected outdoors. Crockett’s Spark Core, meanwhile, is a node that connects everyday items and systems to the Internet via WiFi.
“Building hardware used to be hard,” says Crockett, “but the process has been democratized. You don’t need a $1 billion factory to make things anymore.” Open-source software (and, increasingly, hardware), coupled with coworking and other efficiency-enhancing trends, are making it easier for teams of three or four to develop, build, market and profit from innovative products.
Trevor Lambert, a University of St. Thomas grad who founded Lambert & Lambert (an IP and product-licensing firm) and Enhance Product Development (which turns invention ideas into marketable products), sees two value propositions for Innovation Expo participants.
First, the expo’s workshops and presentations educate novice inventors about the various aspects of product licensing and development, from pitch support with the “Pitch the Experts” panel (on which Lambert sat this year) to Crockett’s “Inventing Success” address, which discussed the potentially revolutionary impact of always-online devices.
Invention Expo, and events like it, also provides inventors with access to markets, whether through product-development experts like Lambert or direct contact with potential investors. With so many good ideas floating around, competition requires inventors to network relentlessly—something that many are less than comfortable with.
For Lambert and his team, that creates an opportunity. “We’re paid to know people,” he says.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Max Martin, a luxury shoe brand based in the Nokomis neighborhood of Minneapolis and recently featured in celebrity swag bags at the Grammys and Oscars, goes into production next month with its first full high-heel line. In addition to the Fall 2014 line, a Spring/Summer 2015 line is also in the works. If these two big releases prove successful, a more inclusive women’s shoe line—beyond high heels—could be on the horizon, along with men’s shoes and possibly accessories or other clothing items.
Max Martin got its start in 2012 after William Panzarella, founder of the Minneapolis-based Aegis Foundation (which helps “vulnerable, needy, underserved, and imperiled youth plan, prepare, and focus on education” according to the website), was seeking a sponsor for the foundation’s annual High Heel Dash on Nicollet Mall.
Panzarella noticed a proliferation of shoe brands with ties to celebrities. A longtime hip-hop fan, he immediately saw the potential for a hip-hop line that leveraged his connections to the music industry. Panzarella broadened the idea into a high-heel line that wouldn’t just appeal to musicians. He credits MC Lyte, a former president of the L.A. Chapter of the Grammy Association, with generating publicity about Max Martin among L.A.’s fashionable set, which has driven early sales. Panzarella donates a portion of Max Martin’s pre-season sales to charity.
Being featured at two national awards ceremonies, again thanks to MC Lyte, was a big step forward for Max Martin. For Panzarella, the marketing represented a significant investment, but “the press pays for itself,” he says. During awards season, the shoes were features on Entertainment Tonight and ABC News, as well as in local Twin Cities media outlets. Panzarella also hosted Minneapolis’ “official Oscar viewing party” at Muse. Proceeds from that event benefited the Smile Network and Aegis Foundation.
Panzarella’s fall line includes a striking boot called “Leo,” an angular stiletto called “Betty,” and a classic high-heel called “Moma,” among others. The line’s goal: to prove that true luxury footwear can be made by American hands. The shoes are manufactured in Los Angeles and reportedly are easier on the feet than many other designer shoes, which make them easier to wear on the red carpet—and around town.
The American-made angle was present from the get-go: During Panzarella’s initial market research, he realized that virtually every high-end footwear brand is made in low-cost Chinese factories or, at best, Italian workshops. Spurred on by 2012’s Chinese-made U.S. Olympic uniform fiasco, he set aside his romantic notions of master Italian cobblers manning antiquated shoemaking equipment and resolved to create a footwear line made by Americans, for Americans.
So far, Max Martin’s raw materials, components, and production processes exceed the Federal Trade Commission’s “American Made” guidelines. Panzarella has “tentative plans” to move production to Minnesota in the future.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
In early April,
Docalytics and Kidizen, two startups in the Twin Cities that utilize CoCo’s coworking facilities, headed to California to deliver pitches at the first annual Google for Entrepreneurs Demo Day. The event is a gathering for 10 early-stage tech startups from the seven cities in Google’s North American Tech Hub Network.
Both companies networked with tech industry heavier hitters. Both received funding commitments worth $100,000 from Revolution Ventures, a venture capital firm run by former AOL boss Steve Case.
According to those in attendance, Case was so impressed with the quality of the pitches—and the ideas behind them—that he made an on-the-spot decision to evenly divide $1 million of Revolution’s early-stage funding pool among the 10 entrants. At a frenetic post-pitch networking round, the other 60 or so investors in attendance connected with the startups’ principals on an individual basis about potential investments or partnerships.
“How cool is it that two startups out of Minneapolis-Saint Paul were part of this?” remarks Dug Nichols, CEO of Kidizen, an online marketplace for used children’s clothing, accessories, and knickknacks. “I have never been a part of such a truly talented group of startups at an event, and I've done a lot of these types of events.”
After the pitch round, he and Kidizen co-founder Dori Graff (Mary Fallon is the other principal) attended the hour-long networking event with investors. They spent the entire session “in constant conversation with a number of different VC firms,” says Nichols, “and we've had additional firms reach out to us after the event.”
Evan Carothers, one of Docalytics’ three founders, had a similar experience. Case’s investment was merely the most public of the company’s Demo Day wins: For Carothers, “getting up in front of a huge group of our peers, investors, and prospects…and tell[ing] them all about the solution Docalytics provides” was equally important, as was securing “the needed capital to really grow our team and product.”
Although it was widely known that prominent VCs would attend, Demo Day’s organizers framed the event more as an opportunity for entrepreneurs to pitch to industry experts and create connections that could lead to funding commitments, either at the event itself or down the line. No one expected Case to commit $100,000, and in such public fashion, to all 10 entrants.
Not that anyone is complaining. As Kidizen continues to gain users and increase its cash flow, Nichols is feeling the momentum. He plans to hire additional developers and marketing staff to grow the six-person firm.
On top of the Revolution investment, which got a wave of national press, Kidizen’s selection as “best new app” in the iTunes App Store’s lifestyle category has dramatically boosted its visibility.
Brian Martucci
Wednesday, April 09, 2014
In March, the tenth iteration of the Minnesota Cup officially opened to entrepreneurs across the state. The initiative provides mentoring to participants that pass the initial selection phase, as well as financial support for winners. The Cup accepts applications from nascent businesses in seven broad categories, including Food/Agriculture/Beverage, which is new this year and sponsored by General Mills. Melissa Kjolsing, the Cup’s director, ascribes the addition to a massive jump in consumables-related submissions last year. The entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. on May 9.
The Cup’s prize structure isn’t lavish, at least by the inflated standards of the venture capital business. Five of the seven division winners take home $30,000 in cash, with Student and Social winners receiving $20,000 prizes. The grand-prize winner gets an extra $50,000 when the contest wraps up in September. According to past winners, though, the money is almost beside the point.
“Starting anything on your own is difficult,” says Julie Gilbert Newrai, whose PreciouStatus software won the
2012 Minnesota Cup’s grand prize. But, she explains, the serial entrepreneurs, business leaders, and technology experts who donate their time as Cup mentors are “genuinely interested in helping [participants] win.” These veterans help their mentees craft better business plans, hone their investor pitches, and connect with potential partners, employees, and investors.
Newrai is careful not to exaggerate how PreciouStatus’ win influenced the company’s prospects, but it clearly helped. In total, she ascribes more than $1 million in direct investment to her company’s post-win visibility. And that’s just part of the “Cup boost.”
As Newrai sees it, Cup participation does three things for entrepreneurs and their teams. First, it raises startups’ profiles within the state—and, by extension, within the national VC and angel investing communities, which are plugged into local startup scenes. Second, it subjects participants to a barrage of questions and criticisms from veterans who have tried, failed, and succeeded, often in quick succession. “You can’t buy that kind of confidence boost,” says Newrai.
Last but not least, Cup participation shapes and strengthens internal culture: Even if they don’t win, entrepreneurs and their employees derive a well-earned sense of pride and accomplishment from their efforts, validating the sense that they’ve built something valuable.
Minnesota Cup isn’t a radical idea. Businesses have long sought mentoring and funding from more experienced actors, after all. But the initiative dramatically simplifies the process for ambitious entrepreneurs who want to put their ideas in the right hands. The application process is digital and requires entrepreneurs to enter just a page’s worth of data. The competition is open to entrepreneurs at various points in the startup phase, says Kjolsing, from “people with good ideas” to principals of companies with $1 million in annual revenues.
Kjolsing echoes Newrai’s sentiments about the relative merits of money and mentoring. The Minnesota Cup “does provide seed funding, but money isn’t the biggest factor,” she says. “The exposure piece is critical.” Exposure, of course, often leads to investment. And the initiative’s list of sponsors reads like a who’s who of Twin Cities business—from United Health to Digital River—making it an invaluable networking opportunity.
Even entrepreneurs who have existing investor and mentor networks? “There’s no reason why you wouldn’t want to enter the Minnesota Cup,” Newrai says.
Sources: Melissa Kjolsing, Julie Gilbert Newrai
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, April 09, 2014
Got big plans for April 26? Lu Lippold, the local producer for One Day on Earth’s “One Day in the Twin Cities,” has a suggestion: Grab whatever video recording device you can—cameraphones included—and record the audio-visual pulse of your neighborhood.
On the final Saturday of April, the Twin Cities and 10 other U.S. metros will host the fourth installment of One Day on Earth’s celebration of film, culture, and all-around placemaking. Founded by Los Angeles-based film producers Kyle Ruddick and Brandon Litman, One Day on Earth (ODOE) has a “goal of creating a unique worldwide media event where thousands of participants would simultaneously film over a 24-hour period,” according to its website.
The first event took place on October 10, 2010 (10-10-10); 11-11-11 and 12-12-12 followed. ODOE skipped 2013, but its organizers weren’t about to wait until 2101 for their next shot. Instead, they selected a spring Saturday—both to accommodate amateur filmmakers with 9-to-5 jobs, and to give participants in the Northern Hemisphere longer daylight hours to work with—for a bigger, bolder, slightly revamped version of the event.
For the first time, participants get 10 questions to inspire their creativity and guide their storytelling, from “What is the best thing happening in your city today?” to “Who is your city not serving?” The goal is to create a multi-frame snapshot of “cities in progress,” one that doesn’t simply answer the who-what-where of the places it covers.
As One Day in the Twin Cities’ point person, Lippold supervises local filmmakers and pitched the project to dozens of partner organizations, including the Science Museum of Minnesota and Springboard for the Arts to visual media companies like Cinequipt and Vimeo. (The McKnight Foundation and the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative are the largest local sponsors.)
The upside? “[The event] is a great way to shine a light on all the hard work that our nonprofit community does,” says Lippold.
Lippold also works with a handful of local ambassadors, some of whom enjoy national acclaim. These include noted cinematographer Jeff Stonehouse, veteran documentarian Matt Ehling, and community-focused filmmaker D.A. Bullock. They’ll be contributing their talents—and stature—to One Day in the Twin Cities’ promotion and execution.
One Day in the Twin Cities could be seen well beyond Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Along with their counterparts from other participating cities, local filmmakers may see their work incorporated into a condensed, three-part series that Litman and Lichtbau will market to PBS affiliates around the country. No word on whether TPT will air the special, but TPT Rewire has agreed to publicize the event in the coming weeks.
The real stars of One Day in the Twin Cities, though, are its filmmakers. Even if you’ve never filmed anything in your life, says Lippold, you can contribute meaningful work. Thanks to an interactive map feature on ODOE’s main site, the work will visible to anyone who visits.
“If I were just starting out in video, I would see this as a huge opportunity,” says Lippold. Since all contributions are credited by name and location, each participant “instantly becomes a documentary filmmaker,” she adds.
Source: Lu Lippold
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, April 09, 2014
Two key organizations recently released encouraging reports about the state of the Twin Cities’ economy. The State Job Creation Index, a Gallup analysis of job creation at the state level, put Minnesota in fifth place for the 12 months that ended in December 2013. All four “states” (one was the District of Columbia) that finished ahead of Minnesota are significantly smaller; the leader, North Dakota, is currently benefiting from a massive oil boom.
Notably, Minnesota came in just ahead of Texas, which is often touted as a low-tax, low-regulation alternative to slower-growing northern states that often impose heavier tax burdens and stricter environmental regulations. Leaving the political commentary to others, Minnesota is typically lumped in with this “northern contingent.”
Another report ties Minnesota’s impressive job creation figures to a vibrant, apparently accelerating economy in our own backyard. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment Summary looked at job creation and unemployment figures in 372 metro areas across the country. Although some smaller metros had minuscule unemployment rates— Bismarck, ND, and Logan, UT were both at 2.8 percent—Minneapolis-Saint Paul, at 4.9 percent, had the lowest rate among large metro areas (defined by a total population of one million or higher). That marked a 0.2 percent improvement from December 2012, when it also had the lowest unemployment rate among major metro areas.
Twin Cities’ business and civic leaders already have plenty of reasons to pat themselves on the back, so why not add another? Job creation was strong across most economic sectors, with information technology and healthcare leading the way. It’s especially impressive that this growth comes on the heels of a prolonged period of economic malaise. In 2010, a sobering report from the Itasca Project Job Growth Task Force asserted that “well before the current economic downturn…the region [had] fallen behind much of the nation in terms of job growth,” going on to warn that “our quality of life will decline” without action.
To reverse the slump, Itasca’s report urged lawmakers to “address the cost of doing business,” articulate a plan for local and regional growth, and encourage entrepreneurship and research/innovation. In January, Governor Dayton announced the launch of the Minnesota Job Creation Fund, a far-reaching program that offers tax breaks of up to $1 million for businesses that “create at least 10 full-time jobs and invest at least $500,000 in their own property improvements,” according to the Pioneer Press.
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
On April 5, the West Bank Business Association (WBBA) will host a full day of creative merrymaking for artists, business owners, and arts enthusiasts on the West Bank. The West Bank Arts Foundry (WBAF), as the event is known, aims to connect Twin Cities artists with local business owners and “create more opportunities for artistic endeavors on the West Bank,” according to its website.
The neighborhood has long been known as a hotbed of creativity, but West Bank Business Association director Jamie Schumacher sees an opportunity to double down. “The arts are so important to the West Bank’s history…and part of what makes us a great destination district,” she says. “I want to do everything I can to support the creative activity we have and help build more.”
The WBBA already supports local creative events like the West Bank Music Festival, but the district lacks an arts advocacy organization. As an advocate for all local businesses, including many creative enterprises, the WBBA is a natural catalyst to help grow the West Bank’s arts scene. Schumacher cites a glaring need to “recognize and help more of our musicians and artists” and connect them with “businesses [that] want to be more arts-friendly.”
Ultimately, the goal of the West Bank Arts Foundry—hopefully an ongoing one, if WBAF becomes an annual ritual—is to forge, and then build on, partnerships between local property owners and artists. With so many “great minds coming together to collaborate” at WBAF, says Schumacher, “I’m interested in seeing what creative solutions [can be found to solve] some of our area’s issues.”
Owners of temporarily vacant buildings might work with local muralists to keep their properties lively before new tenants move in, for instance. Installation artists might use their talents to help West Bank visitors explore or navigate the neighborhood.
Schumacher is well-suited to oversee WBAF. As an employee of Peace Coffee—and, later, as owner of Altered Esthetics, a nonprofit art studio—she learned the ins and outs of the nonprofit sector. Her tenure as boss of the WBBA, meanwhile, has reinforced the placemaking power of creative enterprise. “[The] arts help to make communities unique, vibrant, livable, and destination worthy,” she says. “The West Bank is a pretty fantastic example of that.”
WBAF will feature 15 (and counting) “breakout sessions.” Many—Budgeting & Accounting for Artists, Marketing for Artists & Events—offer practical advice for working artists. Others, like Underground Art and the Vibrant History of the West Bank/Rekindling the Guerrilla Art Spirit, are meant to be “inspirational and collaborative,” according to Schumacher. WBAF will also feature appearances from prominent artists, including
Joan Vorderbruggen (recently featured in
The Line), who will lead a discussion of street and storefront art called Popping Up in the West Bank.
“It’s going to be a fun day,” says Schumacher, “and a solid opportunity to increase art and creative activity on the West Bank, as well as be a good networking opportunity for artists and businesses.”
Source: Jamie Schumacher
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Docalytics, an ambitious tech company that operates out of CoCo’s Saint Paul coworking space, will be debuting its next-generation document viewing technology at this year’s Google Demo Day. Thanks to a partnership between Google and CoCo, Docalytics’ founders—Evan Carothers, Ryan Morlok, and Steve Peck—are heading to Silicon Valley on April 1 and 2 to show off their cloud-based solution, absorb the wisdom of Google’s top product specialists, and rub shoulders with some of the technology industry’s leading lights.
Not bad for three guys with a startlingly simple idea. According to its website, Docalytics helps marketers “bridge the gap between sales and marketing communication,” boosting lead generation and conversion rates for businesses that utilize online content marketing—which, these days, is just about every business.
The key? “Smart” PDF documents that enable the B2B marketers responsible for putting in-depth marketing materials in the hands of executives, purchasing managers, and other decision-makers to track each prospect’s engagement with their content. Companies that use Docalytics’ application can track, measure, and analyze what potential clients do with key marketing content. That capability generates a treasure trove of relevant data, which marketers didn’t have access to before.
According to Carothers, the idea for Docalytics arose from a simple observation: Few prospects bother to fill out the contact forms on the “gated” landing pages that many companies use to track readers’ engagement with ebooks, white papers, and other marketing materials. These landing pages have “terrible conversion rates,” as Carothers puts it, both because they require effort to get past and because they can seem invasive. This is a classic catch-22: With a lack of viable alternatives, marketers are forced to employ a lead-tracking strategy that actively discourages lead generation. One could argue that they’d be better off not tracking their leads at all.
Unless they had a viable, non-invasive, flexible alternative, that is. Docalytics’ elegant solution removes artificial barriers to prospects’ engagement with high-level pieces of content marketing while dramatically enhancing their ability to analyze each viewer’s experience with the material.
This second bit is particularly important: It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that Docalytics is doing for content marketing analysis what Google Analytics has already done for website analysis. Used properly, the solution could result in far more relevant, personalized, and—perhaps most importantly—authentic-seeming marketing materials. “This tracking provides marketers with data to produce better, more effective content,” says Carothers, “and helps salespeople understand [and cater to] the interests and needs of specific prospects.”
So what do Carothers, Morlok, and Peck stand to gain from Demo Days? First of all, they’ll be pitching directly to a panel that includes some of biggest players in the venture capital space. “This group has the potential to help introduce us to new customers, markets, and growth capital to help us take our company to the next level faster than we could using conventional growth strategies,” says Carothers.
They’ll also get some valuable advice from Google’s product whizzes, who certainly know how to spot and improve game-changing technologies.
Back in Saint Paul, the future looks bright for Docalytics. “We have certainly found a pain point in the market,” says Carothers. “We are already starting to experience great growth and traction and have no plans to slow down.”
If things continue to go Docalytics’ way, the definition of “we” will expand. “[We’ll] be looking for great talent in the Midwest to help us expand and capitalize on the opportunity in the marketplace,” he says.
Source: Evan Carothers
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
After a long, successful career in the technology industry, Swedish-American entrepreneur Carl-Johan Torarp is bringing reliable wireless broadband to small towns and farmsteads in southwestern Minnesota and beyond. His firm, Minneapolis-based LocaLoop, is “an economically viable 4G business solution for operators providing fixed and mobile broadband Internet service and web applications for consumer, business, and government users,” according to its website. Put another way, it’s a “complete 4G business-in-a-box.”
As a (primarily) B2B firm that markets to smaller communication service providers—rural telephone companies, communications/electric cooperatives, local public utilities, and entrepreneurs who see a money-making opportunity in bringing fast, reliable mobile and fixed Internet service to previously underserved areas—LocaLoop doesn’t deal directly with individual subscribers.
It does, however, offer a complementary, consumer-facing brand called synKro, which is enabled by LocaLoop’s four-patent cloud technology. SynKro allows operators to immediately deploy this “brand-in-a-box” and leverage LocaLoop’s existing marketing infrastructure, salesforce, and client-facing services.
On top of the cachet of an increasingly recognizable brand, synKro offers benefits like on-demand support, automatic payment collection and mobile compatibility—“data roaming,” as LocaLoop describes it—with other synKro-enabled providers across the country. Subscribers who want to use their mobile devices outside their regular provider’s service area can be confident that they’ll enjoy access to consistent, high-quality broadband Internet.
If this sounds novel, it should. According to Torarp, LocaLoop’s solution is a superior—and innovatively disruptive—alternative to the three main categories of service providers that currently operate in LocaLoop’s target markets. These are larger telecom firms with huge “legacy” investments in fixed (aka landline) broadband systems that require government subsidies to remain profitable; smaller firms that rely on wireless LANs or early-generation (and thus uncompetitive) broadband technology; and wireless carriers (AT&T, Verizon, and others) whose 4G coverage is designed for high-density markets and isn’t profitable or consistent in rural areas, if it’s available at all.
Each type of provider has its own shortcomings. The legacy operators “don’t know of any other way [to profitability] than relying on subsidies,” says Torarp, and the LAN/first-generation wireless broadband operators can’t afford to scale or maintain the technology at sufficient densities. It’s possible that mobile carriers could one day build out profitable, tower-based 4G networks in rural areas, but that’s still a decade away, at best.
By then, a new technology may have usurped 4G broadband anyway—a problem that LocaLoop’s continuously updated Software-as-a-Service/Infrastructure-as-a-Service (SaaS/IaaS) avoids by adapting its “cloud service platform” to newer generations of wireless broadband hardware as they emerge.
In fact, LocaLoop’s technology is the first rural wireless broadband service that offers a speedy path to profitability for operators. According to Torarp, a new client with access to an existing tower and 180 subscribers needs less than $30,000—or $1,000 per month, if its equipment is leased—to get started.
All things being equal, the technology’s break-even point is around 100 subscribers per tower location, and an operator that adds 50 subscribers per month should recoup its investment in less than six months. When compared to the multimillion-dollar deployment costs of existing rural broadband technologies, LocaLoop’s solution looks like a steal.
Aside from local operators and entrepreneurs, LocaLoop serves vertically integrated customers like energy firms that maintain labor-intensive operations in remote areas. Its solutions are also cost-effective for prosperous farmers and ranchers who wish to set up their own towers and act as their own operators.
What’s next for LocaLoop? Growth—and plenty of it. “From a technology or business point of view, nothing prevents us from becoming a billion-dollar company [over the next decade],” says Torarp. “From now on, it’s about effective business plan execution and access to enough expansion capital.”
Sounds like a plan.
Source: Carl-Johan Torarp
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Even in an increasingly interconnected world, few events or movements are truly global in scope. Global Water Dances (GWD), a biannual event aimed at raising awareness of water issues in various parts of the world, is among the precious few. GWD is a complex effort governed by a steering committee and facilitated by thousands of dancers and choreographers. But it owes its existence, in large part, to the efforts of one woman: Marylee Hardenbergh, a Minneapolis choreographer and Artist-in-Residence at Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education in Saint Paul.
At 1:30 p.m., on March 22 (the United Nations’ World Water Day), the Center will host a film screening to benefit GWD. The event will include short films about GWD and presentations by local water activists from H2O for Life, Friends of the Mississippi River, the National Park Service, and other organizations.
Global Water Dances grew out of Hardenbergh’s “One River Mississippi” project, a simultaneous, six-city dance event that was “the world’s largest site-specific performance,” according to the website for the 2006 event. The project was just one of many that Hardenbergh has overseen as Artistic Director of Global Site Performance, a 501c3 nonprofit.
In 2008, Hardenbergh attended a gathering of Laban Movement Analysts in Europe and showed a documentary about the event. The attendees were floored by the event’s scope, the artistic freedom of performers at individual sites (in New Orleans, for example, one of the performances incorporated local jazz music), and its unabashed advocacy of river-related environmental issues. Many wanted to participate or contribute somehow, but most lived nowhere near the Mississippi. The solution was an international dance event focused on general water issues: Global Water Dances.
Given the scale of the undertaking, the first GWD wasn’t held until June of 2011. In total, 60 sites—on all six populated continents—participated. Part of the appeal, Hardenbergh says, was the fact that “the event can be easily replicated anywhere, using local resources.”
The first GWD was a “rolling” event, scheduled for 5 p.m. local time at each site. The timing was meant to be convenient; folks in North America didn’t want to get up in the wee hours for a truly simultaneous performance. But it was an inconvenience for the Australian contingent, which struggled on through twilight conditions (it was close to the Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice, after all). Hardenbergh hopes to avoid the daylight issue by scheduling the next performance for 2 p.m. on June 15, 2015.
Hardenbergh and the other organizers, which are based in Canada, Germany, Colombia, and the United States, hope to forge official partnerships with local, national, and maybe international water advocacy organizations to a greater degree than the previous two events. While the event is a high-profile, ready-made means of drawing attention to pressing environmental problems, says Hardenbergh, “the nice thing about a dance is that it’s not an overtly political expression.”
Source: Marylee Hardenbergh
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
It’s not quite “Pinterest for professionals” or “Facebook for freelancers.” But CreativeMinneapolis.com, developed by Mark Sandau of the Minneapolis design firm Sandau Creative in the North Loop, is an interactive, user-curated, free online community for designers, illustrators, writers, and other artists who want to get their work noticed.
After kicking the idea around for several months, Sandau soft-launched the site in early February. He invited his close friends and colleagues to make submissions and approvals. He followed up with a proper kick-off at the end of February.
According to the website, Creative Minneapolis’ member-submitted, member-approved content is “about the creative work, people, and events in and around Minneapolis.” After a trial period, during which creatives can submit their own work but can’t approve other members’ submissions, users gain “editing” privileges that give them a say over the approval and placement of the site’s content. By “hyping” chosen posts, editors can push compelling work to the “top” of niche-specific silos like “advertising,” “copywriting,” “photography,” and “digital.”
“This platform isn’t revolutionary,” Sandau says. “It’s evolutionary, an interesting idea.” The fact that users can shape submitted content—and, thus the very appearance and nature of the site—is a powerful proposition.
Sandau’s worked in the industry for nearly two decades. Prior to founding Sandau Creative 10 years ago, he worked several entry-level jobs. He then landed at Fallon for a seven-year stint. He understands how tough it is for rank-and-file creatives—especially freelancers, who often toil around the margins of the media and advertising industries—to get their work noticed by the right people.
Even smaller agencies like Sandau’s, unless they have a “sexy brand” under their belts, might not have the resources to devote to a tradeshow exhibit or promotional campaign. Creative Minneapolis aims to be a highly visible virtual portfolio for these folks.
Current focus notwithstanding, there’s nothing stopping Creative Minneapolis from morphing into something bigger or broader. In the future, Sandau hypothesizes, a close-knit group of gearheads could use the site to share pictures, videos, or animations of modified cars or motorcycles, and the most interesting of the bunch would bubble to the top alongside portfolio pieces from local graphic designers.
“Done right,” he says, “Creative Minneapolis has the potential to mirror the audience that’s watching and contributing.”
For now, Sandau is content to see where this all leads. He has a business to run, after all, and doesn’t have unlimited time to promote the site. That’s okay, he says. “At the end of the day, it’s just fun to see other people’s work.”
Source: Mark Sandau
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, March 05, 2014
Lyft, a San Francisco-based ridesharing company that has expanded into nearly two dozen U.S. cities over the past 12 months, kicked off its Minneapolis-Saint Paul service last week with a stylish launch party at Northeast Minneapolis’ Public Functionary. Guests mingled to beats from DJ Sarah White and quaffed free brews from Indeed Brewing Company. Glam Doll Donuts and Maya Cuisine catered.
The beats and brews weren’t the only free items on display at PF. Lyft used the event to showcase its Lyft Pioneer program, which offers two weeks’ worth of complimentary rides—up to a $25-per-ride limit—for Twin Cities residents who download its app.
Lyft bills itself as “your new best friend with a car.” That’s actually pretty accurate: The company works with freelance drivers who use their own cars to move riders, who “hail” rides using Lyft’s mobile app, around a pre-determined service area. It’s basically a taxi service without a car barn, human dispatcher, or official licensing system.
This last bit has gotten Lyft in hot water with some local governments, including Minneapolis’. Officials fret that Lyft circumvents restrictions against unlicensed, “for hire” taxicabs. Lyft counters that it carries liability insurance worth $1 million per driver, far exceeding that of many taxi companies. For now, riders shouldn’t worry too much about the service’s legality—any liability falls on the shoulders of the company itself, not its users. And Lyft’s proponents contend that the progressive, even revolutionary potential of an on-demand ride-for-hire app is self-evident.
According to Tricia Khutoretsky, Public Functionary’s founder and executive director, such progressiveness drew the two organizations together. Khutoretsky got in touch with Nic Haggart—the point person for Lyft Twin Cities, although he’s actually based in San Francisco—through “mutual contacts,” she says, and the idea for a launch party at PF sprouted from there.
“[Haggart] thought Public Functionary would be a good fit” for the type of launch event that Lyft had already held in 20 other cities, says Khutoretsky. More so than many other galleries, Public Functionary has a diverse audience that’s heavily involved in the Twin Cities’ creative industry. Many members of the “Lyft community,” meanwhile, are hardworking creative types who either drive to make a few extra bucks or ride because they lack cars of their own.
Lyft and PF might be very different organizations, but they share a singular devotion to finding new solutions to old problems.
“We’re always thinking about how we communicate and share resources with an eye towards sustainability,” says Khutoretsky. As a company that promotes ridesharing, Lyft is nothing if not sustainable, and the launch party served as a means of “giving support for their concept, which we are totally behind.”
In return for the warm welcome and much-needed visibility, Lyft will be sponsoring PF’s next exhibition. As the organization looks for new ways to break the “stuffy” art gallery mold, it’s likely to host more mutually beneficial events of this nature.
Khutoretsky is careful to draw the distinction between this “sponsorship” model and the “space-for-hire” approach that many small galleries use to raise funds. Working with like-minded organizations is a boon, she argues, as long as it doesn’t compromise PF’s image as an accessible, progressive, occasionally subversive exhibition space that values small donors and community engagement.
“One of our resources is our space,” says Khutoretsky, “and we continuously seek ways of using it without diluting our identity.”
Source: Tricia Khutoretsky
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, March 05, 2014
Now in its fourth year, Architecture Minnesota’s popular Videotect contest, created “to bring more voices and more creativity into public debates about key built-environment issues,” is getting a bit of a makeover. The basic parameters remain the same: Inspired by the contest’s open-ended, sometimes offbeat prompt related to architecture, design, or the use of public space in the Twin Cities—this year it’s “Two people walk into a bar…”—entrants create informative, entertaining videos.
This year, the entries must be between 30 and 90 seconds in length, which is shorter than in the past. “The first year, entrants had four weeks to create two- to four-minute videos,” says Chris Hudson, Architecture Minnesota’s editor and Videotect’s originator, “and they just about killed themselves” getting it done. That first contest—the topic was the Minneapolis skyway system—produced some memorable videos, though, including a hilarious 3D rap battle about streets vs. the skyways.
Also this year, in addition to a shorter main entry, contestants can submit as many six-second Vine videos as they like. The ultra-shorts must promote contestants’ main entries in some fashion, but don’t come with any other restrictions. “Vine? Everybody’s doing it! So we wanted to, too,” Hudson says.
“Two people walk into a bar…” has inspired entries that focus on design’s power to promote quality social interaction in bars, cafes, and eating establishments. All 15 videos are available for public viewing in the Videotect section of Architecture Minnesota’s website. Notable entries include “Sharing Space,” a heartwarming series of drawings that re-imagines bars as “impromptu performance spaces;” “Taproom Roadshow,” a humorous send-up of the PBS classic, set at Minneapolis’s Victory 44 restaurant; a time-lapse video of Alchemy Architects’ design and construction of the tiny, circular Bang Brewery in Saint Paul.
The contest winners and runners-up are chosen by a rotating panel of notable judges: Top prize is $2,000 and runners-up receive $500 each. There’s also a $1000 Viewers Choice Winner created through public voting on the website. This year’s judges include Omar Ansari, founder of Surly Brewing Company, who has become the panel’s resident expert on the business of socializing, an architect from Gensler, and two local film experts. “We’ve gotten lucky [with the judges],” Hudson says. “We ask people with expertise in film or in the theme, and they're generous enough to say yes.”
WCCO’s hilarious Jason Derusha hosts this year’s Videotect presentation on March 13 in the Walker Art Center’s Cinema. During the event, videos are shown, the audience roars with laughter, judges astutely comment, and attendees hobnob. Hudson wants Videotect to be about much more than a night of conversation and laughter, though.
Videotect welcomes submissions from design and architecture experts, but the contest’s true aim is to get regular folks talking about the important, if sometimes dry and complex, issues that vex people who work in the business. Architecture Minnesota originally planned to organize a more formal design competition for younger architects, but soon discarded that idea in favor of an open-to-all video contest with looser rules and an offbeat approach to weighty questions.
He hasn’t looked back. “I think Videotect's biggest achievement is simply making a subject matter as intimidating as urban and architectural design a whole lot of fun,” says Hudson. “What the videos have lacked in sophisticated design commentary, they've more than made up for in entertainment value…[that’s] a very valuable thing.”
Source: Chris Hudson
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Saint Paul-based ThisClicks, a mobile technology company in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood that specializes in “workforce solutions” apps, recently received $4 million in new funding from three venture capital firms. In its sixth year of operations, ThisClicks is hitting its stride.
Founder and CEO Chad Halvorson aims to boost the company’s sales force and press ahead with the rollout of its time-clock app, WageBase. He’s also planning to move to a larger office in Saint Paul, and double the company’s employee headcount from 15 to 30 by December.
WageBase is ThisClicks’s second product. WageBase is a startlingly simple concept: a remote time-clock app that lets hourly employees clock into and out of work from anywhere. (A GPS tracker ensures that they’re doing so from the workplace, not bed.) The app is especially useful for big diffuse workplaces, such as construction sites.
The building blocks of Halvorson’s company have been in place for a decade and a half. As a part-time grocery jockey in the late 1990s, Halvorson grew sick of making extra trips to the store to check his weekly schedule. He dreamed up an online employee-scheduling program—WhenIWork—that would eliminate this problem. He shopped a prototype version of the app with a contact at the Mall of America, but it didn’t pan out.
“There were just too many barriers,” he says. “Many people still lacked high-speed Internet and the mobile space didn’t really exist yet.”
Halvorson bided his time with other projects. He founded a Web consulting firm in college. In 2005 he partnered with a video design company to found Meditech, a “full-service development and marketing agency for the medical device industry.” Meditech eventually acquired Boston Scientific, St. Jude’s, and Medtronic as clients.
In 2008, with the mobile revolution in full swing, Halvorson gave his teenage dream another shot. He built a new version of WhenIWork—he’d registered its Internet domain back in 1998—and used his own funds to build an organic business-development campaign driven largely by content marketing and word of mouth. He describes this approach as “consumerized B2B marketing.”
“We don’t want to market directly to the guy in the suit,” says Halvorson. Instead, ThisClicks focuses on scheduling managers and supervisors at small- to medium-size companies, counting on WhenIWork’s obvious benefits to impress upper management and engender long-term contracts.
In fact, WhenIWork has taken off—the app now counts recognizable businesses like 1-800-GOT-JUNK? as clients—without a traditional sales force or seed funding. Halvorson hired his first business development staffers in late 2013, and the recent capital infusion represents ThisClicks’s first debt tranche.
This was deliberate. “Before we could consider raising money, we needed to figure out how to make money,” says Halvorson. “When you raise money first, it’s easier to learn how to spend money.” To ensure that his company would survive if it couldn’t find decent financing terms, he vowed not to raise outside funds until ThisClicks was taking in at least $1 million in annual revenues.
It helps that, unlike many tech entrepreneurs, the Minnesota-raised Halvorson took a low-key approach to success. “We weren’t interested in breakneck growth” to start, he says. Figuring out how to appeal to hourly workers and schedulers was far more important.
What’s the endgame for ThisClicks? On this point, Halvorson sounds a lot more ambitious. “We want our apps to be the most important tools in employees’ and managers’ pockets,” he says. “We’re focused on being the premier provider of cloud-based workforce solutions.”
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Corporate sponsors have long played an integral role in the development and dissemination of art and culture. OST USA, an IT company with a 125-employee office in the North Loop's TractorWorks Building, is further advancing corporate sponsorship.
As the highest-profile partner of the Art Leadership Program (ALP), an ongoing collaboration that provides emerging artists with resources, guidance, and access to markets, OST supplies studio space (ArtLab 111) near the building’s loading dock for the dozen or so artists-in-residence it has already sponsored (usually for three to six months), and a lobby gallery (Gallery One) that regularly hosts exhibitions and openings for ALP’s participants.
“OST is the quintessential corporate partner,” says
Ron Ridgeway, ALP’s founder and chief visionary, who launched the partnership. Ridgeway is also a mixed-media artist and corporate branding consultant. “We maintain a meaningful venue [for our artists], as well as curatorial services and placement… as exhibitions are becoming an art form in themselves. These days, it’s all about the experience.”
One ALP alumni launched from the program into high-profile commissions. In early 2012, local artist Elizabeth Simonson displayed her “systems-based” installations at BMW of Minnetonka’s Gallery One—an off-site ALP exhibition space. That same year, she built on a commission for the Walker Art Center’s lobby with a $25,000 fellowship grant from the McKnight Foundation.
Simonson “set the benchmark for our program,” says Ridgeway, but there’s nothing stopping future ALP participants and residents from notching their own victories. Ridgeway describes ALP’s corporate sponsorship model as a classic win-win-win: Artists get funding and market exposure, corporations get the positive PR that accompanies art patronage, and business districts or neighborhoods gain valuable physical assets.
“What’s been most beneficial [about working with ALP] is just getting our work out there,” says Twin Cities artist Booka B (aka Adam Booker), a recent graduate of Metropolitan State University who is showing new work with Lindsay Splichal, a recent graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, beginning March 6 in Gallery One. But creating art is just one piece of the puzzle, he adds: “You also have to connect with the community.”
Traditionally, companies that invested in art curated permanent collections that would eventually “gather dust,” as Ridgeway puts it. The rotating installations or exhibitions put on by ALP’s visiting or resident artists, in contrast, feel like organic additions to offices, building lobbies, and other public spaces, he adds.
ALP has also hosted an exhibition at International Market Square and is currently working with potential tenants of Nicollet Avenue’s 9’s on the Mall. “We hope to build a sustainable model for this type of partnership,” Ridgeway says.
Sources: Ron Ridgeway, Art Leadership Program; Adam Booker
Writer: Brian Martucci
Sunday, February 09, 2014
For most people, a diabetes diagnosis is a wake-up call. For WholeMe co-founders Mary Kosir and Krista Steinbach, it was a business opportunity.
In the mid-2000s, Kosir’s husband developed adult-onset Type I diabetes—an unusual, but not totally unheard of, condition that progresses differently than the age-related insulin resistance we know as Type II diabetes.
The news forced the family to eliminate gluten, grains, and most dairy products from its diet. Kosir embraced the new restrictions, sharing experimental cereal and bar recipes with friends, neighbors, and associates at her local CrossFit gym.
That’s where she met Steinbach, the former pastry chef at Minneapolis’ Bachelor Farmer. Steinbach was coming off a lifestyle change of her own: In 2011, she’d competed in (and won) a 30-day “food challenge” that required contestants to eliminate refined sugar, gluten, grains, and certain other substances from their diets. By the contest’s end date, her chronic gastrointestinal issues had vanished and her energy levels were higher than they’d been in years.
“The challenge taught me how much food impacted my daily life,” she says, “and pushed me to learn more about nutrition.”
The two women had a lot in common, so they officially joined forces in early 2013. Kosir’s first creation, the energy-dense DateMe bar, was already making waves—“Everyone was telling me to start selling them,” she says—but Steinbach brought years of culinary expertise to the table. In addition to the DateMe bar, the duo created the WakeMe cocoa bar and EatMe cereal.
And so WholeMe was born. Thanks to their CrossFit connections, the co-founders had a ready-made market of active, health-conscious clients. Kosir and Steinbach also have stocking arrangements with gyms across the metro area, and they’re looking to find other places, like yoga studios and food co-ops, that attract a similar clientele. “We want to be closer to our customers,” says Steinbach, not tucked away on a shelf at a big-box store.
WholeMe’s bars and cereals are made from whole foods that haven’t been treated or altered in any way. “Our goal is to create relatively simple products where taste comes first,” says Kosir. “At the same time, we need to be mindful of what we’re putting in our bodies.” She’s quick to note, wryly, that WholeMe’s only preservative “is a refrigerator.”
Kosir and Steinbach think they’ve found a sweet spot for their products. “There’s lots of room to grow in this segment,” says Kosir. Many “healthy” foods don’t taste very good, she argues, and most tasty foods aren’t that healthy.
The two women hope WholeMe’s simple promise—healthy, delicious food for all—resonates beyond Minnesota’s borders. Less than a year after their official launch, they’ve already shipped to gyms and stores in North Carolina, California, and Hawaii. Their burgeoning e-store puts the rest of the world at their fingertips. In March, they hope to make some new friends at the Natural Foods Expo West in Anaheim, California.
It doesn’t hurt that they have a cheeky, catchy brand campaign and an experienced chef. They plan to expand their “gear concept” with more merchandise options, like T-shirts and hats, says Kosir. They expect WholeMe’s “beta testing” arm, branded NewMe, to produce seasonal or limited-release products exclusively for online sale. If a NewMe creation is well received, says Steinbach, it could become a permanent addition to the lineup.
Ultimately, Kosir and Steinbach would like to see WakeMe, DateMe, and EatMe—and whatever else they dream up—in the likes of Whole Foods, Lund’s, and Byerly’s.
Their ambition doesn’t come cheap. To cover their travel expenses and fund WholeMe’s ongoing expansion, they’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign that aims to raise $40,000 by February 24. To encourage participation, Kosir and Steinbach plan to give donors dibs on the first-ever NewMe creation.
Source: Mary Kosir
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, February 05, 2014
“And Nick helps make the dough…only now he makes a lot more of it.”
With those words, spoken by President Barack Obama during last week’s State of the Union (SOTU) address, Nick Chute became the Twin Cities’ most famous pizza maker. Moreover, Chute enjoyed those moments of fame while seated with Punch Pizza co-owner John Sorrano behind the First Lady during the joint session of Congress.
Why did President Obama showcase Chute, and his bosses Sorrano and John Puckett, during the State of the Union? Because in a notoriously low-margin industry, Punch’s owners have taken a bold risk, raising the company’s “wage floor” to $10 per hour.
The President devoted several minutes of last week’s address to “honoring the dignity of work,” as he put it, noting that the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is about 20 percent lower than the wage floor during Ronald Reagan’s presidency.
In a recent press release, Punch’s owners characterized their decision to raise workers’ wages as a simple business calculation. “As we continue to grow Punch,” Sorrano stated in the release, “we recognize that only the most dedicated employees will position us to compete and maintain the highest quality food and the best service in the market.”
Puckett also underscores the importance of investing in the things that matter most to a business, regardless of how those investments might affect margins in the short-term. Punch has been around for 18 years, he notes, “and we aim to get 10 percent better each year. We’ve invested in real prosciutto, authentic marble for our customer areas…and now we’re investing in our people.”
Previously, the company started most entry-level employees at $8 per hour, so a bump to $10 represents a 25 percent hike across the board. Puckett isn’t sure how long it will take for this “investment” to pay off, but he does know how much it’ll cost: $3 million over the next decade, assuming Punch stays at its current size—which it won’t.
Although there aren’t any plans to franchise the business or mount an aggressive expansion, Punch’s co-owners plan to open one new store per year for the foreseeable future. With nearly 300 current employees across eight stores, that translates to roughly 30 new hires per year.
As a private company, Punch isn’t required to make detailed financial disclosures, but the wage raise “will result in a significant hit to our profit in the short to medium term,” says Puckett. “Ultimately, we’d rather be higher-quality and less profitable than lower-quality and more profitable.”
By making work worthwhile for entry-level employees, Punch’s co-owners hope to make their managers’ jobs easier. Well-compensated cooks and servers are more likely to prioritize work over other obligations, the thinking goes, increasing the chances that bosses can put schedules together without too much arm-twisting.
And employees who earn a living wage tend to stick around for longer, learning valuable skills that improve the customer experience and create a deeper talent pool from which to draw management candidates. Over time, the whole enterprise runs more smoothly and boosts its reputation among diners, who may even feel comfortable paying a little more for Punch’s irresistible Neapolitan pies.
It’s too early to tell whether other business leaders in traditionally low-wage sectors will follow Punch’s example. While political handicappers are cautiously optimistic about the possibility of a federal minimum wage hike—Obama’s goal is $10.10 per hour—not every SOTU attendee was as thrilled as Chute. Any legislation would have to make it past Republican House Speaker John Boehner, who has always been cool to the idea.
Sources: Punch Pizza release, John Puckett
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Patients at risk for heart disease know they need to eat better, but cooking nutritious meals is time-consuming. Also, truly beneficial foods often don’t taste very good unless they’re well prepared. According to Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a practicing cardiologist, her new company Truhealth MD aims to solve both issues.
Truhealth MD is a Minneapolis company whose four employees manufacture and market its line of health food products. The company’s offerings include heart-healthy pancakes, oatmeal, bars, smoothie mixes, and “anytime sprinkles”—fiber-rich flakes that mix well with yogurt, fruit, and granola.
“[In large part], heart disease is a nutrition-related problem,” says Dr. Klodas. After 18 years as a cardiologist, she’s identified four common nutrients that at-risk patients often lack: antioxidants, omega-3 acids, fiber and phytosterols, a broad class of steroid that may lower “bad” cholesterol.
The trick, she says, is “supplying clinically meaningful amounts of these nutrients in a delicious package…and turn every meal into a therapeutic intervention.” While other “healthy” foods, like FiberOne cereal and Clif bars, may contain sufficient doses of fiber and omega-3 acids, few contain significant quantities of phytosterols. This is largely an issue of ingredient cost, says Klodas, and it’s a major point of distinction for her products.
Meanwhile, the taste issue basically solves itself. “We tend to forget that real, wholesome, nutritious foods actually taste good,” says Dr. Klodas.
Many of the company’s customers report impressive reductions in their LDL and triglyceride readings within weeks of beginning a twice-a-day regimen.
Robert Kirscht, a Twin Cities-based sales director in his late 40s, is a typical case. Kirscht’s job duties—“I’m traveling and entertaining clients about half the time,” he says—make it difficult to eat right or exercise regularly. A family history of heart disease doesn’t help either. Last spring, his longtime physician confronted him with an especially bleak blood-work report and issued an ultimatum: Take a cholesterol-lowering statin drug or else.
“I wasn’t comfortable with that choice,” says Kirscht. “So I asked for 30 days.” He started using Truhealth’s products—“I usually sprinkle the ‘anytime flakes’ on my granola [in the morning] and have a cranberry or chocolate bar in the afternoon,” he says—and began to feel better almost immediately.
When he returned the next month for a round of follow-up tests, Kirscht’s doctor was thoroughly impressed. Among the highlights: his triglyceride reading dropped from 150 to 99, his LDL dropped from 155 to 118, and his HDL rose from 45 to 53. The only drawback, he says, is that he has to hide his “delicious” stash from his two teenage daughters.
Truhealth MD’s products aren’t endorsed by the FDA, and Dr. Klodas stresses that they’re just one component of a healthy lifestyle—albeit a powerful one.
Patients who truly commit to cooking heart-healthy meals, exercising regularly, and making other smart choices, says Dr. Klodas, may see even better results than Truhealth’s meal-replacement regimen can promise. “But those people are rare,” she adds. “[Our products] make dietary advice actionable…and help our customers think about what other lifestyle decisions they might be making.”
What types of decisions? Consider a hypothetical customer who, every day for a solid year, replaces a plain bagel and Snickers bar with single servings of Truhealth pancakes and chocolate bars. To absorb comparable amounts of phytosterols and antioxidants, said customer would need to consume a ton of broccoli and 150 pounds of kale over the same period. For many, that’s not an appetizing prospect.
After all, says Dr. Klodas, “Who wants to eat 150 pounds of kale?”
Source: Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, Truhealth MD
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
For Geoff Stenrick, owner and president of the Saint Paul-based SimpleRay Solar, sunshine is much more than a mood-lifting respite from winter’s bitter chill. It’s a way of life.
In 2006, Stenrick quit his job as a Saturn salesman and channeled his longtime fascination with renewable energy into a nascent solar panel business called SimpleRay Solar. He enrolled in a comprehensive training course in solar technology, installation techniques, and parts engineering, then signed on with three U.S. distributors and began selling their equipment through his website.
His timing couldn’t have been better. While SimpleRay’s early customers were often hard-core environmentalists committed to green living, the launch of California’s rebate program, in 2007, drew building contractors onto the site. Similar incentives followed shortly in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and other East Coast states. Still, Stenrick’s gig remained low-key through the late 2000s: After his daughter’s birth, in 2009, “I would have to send emails and work on the website while she napped,” he says.
Because of generous rebate programs, falling manufacturing costs, and end-users’ increasing demand for panels and accessories, things are much busier now. In 2011, Stenrick hired his first employee, a car-industry colleague. His company’s 2012 revenues were sufficient to earn a spot on the “Inc. 500” list for 2013. Last year, after several additional hires—SimpleRay now has seven employees—he moved into a permanent office on Raymond Avenue, in the Creative Enterprise Zone on the Central Corridor’s Green Line.
Stenrick’s team doesn’t just sell solar panels out of this new space: As part of a transaction, SimpleRay’s in-house engineering and design professionals often help clients plan and optimize their arrays.
The most exciting development, though, may be Minnesota’s recently passed “Omnibus Energy Bill,” an aggressive renewable-energy law that requires “all utilities in the state [to] procure 1.5 percent of their electricity from solar generation by 2020,” according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. By the end of the decade, predicts Stenrick, this requirement could boost in-state solar panel sales by a factor of 40.
Already, the law has dramatically increased the likelihood that the Aurora Solar Project, a planned cluster of about two dozen solar arrays in the state’s eastern half, will be built. SimpleRay doesn’t typically sell to utilities—it prefers small and medium-sized commercial and residential contractors, although it will soon contribute to a one-megawatt array in the area—but the increased demand that accompanies large-scale utility projects is sure to reduce panel costs and render the technology competitive with fossil fuels.
“A solar system works like a furnace,” says Stenrick. “You don’t need to replace it every five years. Instead, you’re basically prepaying for your power over the 20-plus-year lifespan of your system.” Thanks to industry-standard warranties that guarantee efficiencies of at least 80 percent over a 25-year span, this leads to dramatic long-term savings.
Even in Minnesota, with its short winter days and frequent cloud cover?
Yes, says Stenrick, noting that Minnesota gets more sun than many solar-friendly East Coast states—and far more than Germany, the world’s reigning solar energy leader. “On average, Germany gets about as much sunlight as Seattle,” he says, “and look at what they’re doing over there.”
Stenrick doesn’t minimize the obvious environmental benefits of solar power—“It’s better than blowing up a mountaintop for coal,” he half-jokes—but he’s more interested in touting the cost side of the equation. In California, solar power is already cost-competitive with fossil fuels, and the Omnibus Energy Bill suggests that Minnesota isn’t far behind. Eventually, Stenrick believes, the tax credits and rebates that currently support the U.S. solar industry will be obsolete.
“The whole idea of where you get your power from [will] totally change by 2030,” says Stenrick. “We hope to ride that wave.”
Source: Geoff Stenrick, SimpleRay Solar
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
For some time now, CoCo has set the standard for creative and professional collaboration in the Twin Cities. The coworking space recently opened its third location, in Uptown, and now boasts well over 100 startups, creative firms, designers, and developers in its membership rolls.
Two of CoCo’s founders, Kyle Coolbroth and Don Ball, have launched a brand-new project, Jump! A School by CoCo. The school aims to actively develop participants' creative ambitions rather than passively providing a place for them to play out.
“Since starting CoCo four years ago…we've seen many [business owners] succeed. We've also seen many fail,” says Ball. “It's really sad to see the pain that someone goes through when they can't make their dream a reality.”
Part motivational seminar, part team-building exercise, and part business incubator, Jump! aims to give entrepreneurs a head start and reduce the likelihood of “preventable failure.” Ultimately, says Ball, the school can fill a gaping need in the region’s creative economy.
“I'm not sure what else is like Jump! school,” says Ball, although he identifies the School of Life in London and Chris Gillebeau’s World Domination Summit as kindred spirits. “[Currently], entrepreneur education focuses on skills—how to program, design, manage a business, pitch to investors, and so on. All of that is important, depending on what you're up to. But are you up to the right thing? We didn't see anyone helping people figure out that fundamental question.”
Jump!’s mission—to give anyone wanting to launch a radical career shift, charity, business, or other special project the self-confidence, motivation, and practical tools necessary to take the plunge into the startup world—is embodied in three course offerings. The first, Springboard, is a 90-minute crash course in Jump!’s philosophy and approach. The $50 class, which will happen at least once per month through June, promises to “leave [attendees] inspired and dangerous.”
Intrigued Springboard attendees—or truly motivated folks who want to dive right into an intensive curriculum—can sign up for FlightPlan, a two-day, $500 marathon that encourages attendees to strip away external expectations, outgrow learned responses to stress, and discover “what truly activates [their] passion and imagination.”
Graduates of FlightPlan may move on to Solo Club, a practical, immersive experience that runs for 90 days and results in the creation of a formal business plan or creative project. More detail about this offering will emerge as Jump!’s student body grows.
Where does this all lead? Ball and Coolbroth haven’t even taught a class yet—the first Springboard meeting is scheduled for January 20—but the future looks bright. The Twin Cities area has no shortage of creative talent, and Jump! has no direct competitors. Should the school pan out, there’s also nothing stopping Jump! from exporting its model to other creative regions.
“We want to help people zero in on what is truly motivating because it comes from deep inside,” says Ball. “If you build your life's work on that foundation, then you're much more likely to be successful in that work. And everybody from customers to partners to investors [gravitate] to people who are coming from a place of power and authenticity.”
Source: Don Ball, co-founder, Jump! A School by CoCo
Writer: Brian Martucci
Wednesday, January 08, 2014
Last month, a team from Twin Cities Maker, a nonprofit organization that runs a community workshop known as the Hack Factory, snagged the $10,000 grand prize in the Ultimate Maker Vehicle Challenge. Ford Motor Company and Make Magazine sponsored the contest.
The challenge was to reinvent the Ford Transit Connect commercial vehicle to equip makers on the go. Ten teams around the country participated in the contest, by invitation from Ford.
“Makers were given an imaginary budget and certain build constraints, while being encouraged to define what is 'ultimate' to them as a blueprint for a potential vehicle,” the Ford website reads.
The public voted for standout designs in an online platform during the first round, which lasted nearly a month. From there, judges from Ford and Make evaluated several finalists. The Twin Cities Maker’s Hackmobile, as the group calls it, rose to the top.
Now, Ford plans to build the vehicle that came from team members Jon Atkinson, Becca Steffen, Riley Harrison, and Michael Freiert, according to Twin Cities Maker materials.
The Minneapolis-based team created a vehicle that “centered around the idea of a maker or artist being able to fabricate anything they needed out of the back of a vehicle,” a statement from the group reads.
In some ways, the Hackmobile builds on an idea the group already had for a trailer, which it could bring to events, Freiert says. “When Ford invited us to participate, it seemed like a good opportunity to create what we’d been dreaming about over a beer,” he adds.
When the Twin Cities Maker team members put their heads together, they decided that everything within the vehicle should perform multiple functions. It wasn’t about cramming things into the vehicle. “It wasn’t [like the game] Tetris, with components in it. It was a more unique storage and work surface solution all in one,” he says.
The resulting vehicle combines a woodshop, welding, and electronic studio. It also has 3D printing capabilities along with storage for supplies.
The work surface folds away like a Murphy bed while a single tool has several heads that allow for different uses. “I don’t think anyone else had the deep multi-purpose” aspect, he says. In the mobile workshop, someone could “knock together an Adirondack chair,” as just one example, he adds.
However, the Hackmobile is aimed more at coarse work than finishing work. “The Hackmobile isn’t an artist’s studio on wheels,” he says.
Now, the group is deciding how to put the cash prize to best use. That could mean creating a Hackmobile-like trailer for the group or starting a tool lending library, among other possibilities. “We need to look into what’s viable. We’ve got a lot of projects we haven’t been able to get off the ground yet,” he says.
Source: Michael Freiert, founding member, TC Maker
Writer: Anna Pratt
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
When Jeff Freeland Nelson turned eight years old, his parents gave him a cardboard box filled with tape, string, and wire. “I thought it was the best present ever,” he says. As a young child, he was always making toys out of odds and ends.
Nelson grew up to build a resume that includes theater and public policy experience. But he always thought, "Why doesn't someone make a business out of this?" he says, meaning a box of bits that would spur children's creativity.
In 2012, he acted on that impulse and launched the Saint Paul-based toy company, Play from Scratch. Right away, the toy company found success with several items, including the World Famous Box of Boxes, Enormous Tube of Tubes, and One Giant Box, which are sold at various local retail shops. More recently, the company introduced YOXO, a kit containing cardboard pieces that come in Y, O, and X shapes.
YOXO can be used to piece together household items -- such as paper towel tubes, cereal boxes, and silverware -- to create one-of-a-kind toys, company materials state. YOXO has been described as an “eco-friendly alternative to LEGO,” according to company materials.
Nelson has brought home prototypes of toys for his children, who are two and five years old, to play with. “I didn’t tell them what to do. Almost immediately, they were making things,” including toys he’d never thought of, he says.
Nelson has been getting plenty of attention for his company. He even made an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show earlier this month. “We can’t make them fast enough,” he says of the toys. He's also trying “to figure out what to do next and how to make sure as many kids have access to the products as is possible."
Nelson hopes the toy line helps children to grow up to be creative problem-solvers. “Everyday I’m focused on that dream,” he says.
In some ways, he's leading by example with toys that are made out of environmentally friendly materials.
As he was formulating the concept for Play from Scratch, Nelson's wife, Alisa Blackwood, suggested making everything as sustainable as possible, he says. That value has shaped the toys in a big way. “Not only can you create a toy that’s fun and awesome, but it doesn’t have to be an eco disaster,” he says. “You can make durable toys out of recycled wood pulp” that won’t end up in a landfill.
Plus, almost everything that goes into manufacturing the toys is locally sourced, he says.
Source: Jeff Freeland Nelson
Writer: Anna Pratt
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
During a two-week residency, a group of 33 students from St. Paul’s Galtier Community School collaborated with the Minnesota Museum of American Art (MMAA) on a multifaceted art project called CuratorKids. The 4th and 5th grade students’ artworks will be exhibited at Groundswell, a nearby coffee shop, from Dec. 16 through Jan. 19. In the spring of 2014, the childrens' artwork will also be exhibited by MMAA.
MMAA developed CuratorKids to address “the shortage of art education in our public schools by offering a program that brings art and practicing artists directly to the kids,” MMAA materials state.
Through the program, students examined a handful of artworks from the museum’s collection, according to Heidi Swanson, technology integration specialist at Galtier. Students then wrote poems about the museum pieces. The following week, students responded to the artwork in a different way -- by making mixed-media collages. In their collages, Swanson says, "They made artistic choices relating to color, objects, and emotion.”
Diana Johnson, a consultant to the program, says the museum pieces became “source material" for the students. “These kids really were responding emotionally and aesthetically" to the museum works, she says, which they "turned into their own work."
After the residency wrapped up, the students recorded podcasts of their poems and videos of their collages. Their poems can be listened to online here.
Johnson hopes the project helps the students gain confidence in artmaking, as well as in academic subjects. The school hasn’t had an art program for a number of years. But CuratorKids shows students that “they can do things they didn’t know they could," she says. "If they stick with it, they can surprise themselves and see that the world around them cares and is interested in them."
As if in response to that sentiment, a group of school volunteers pitched in $300 to frame the collages for the coffee shop exhibit, according to Swanson. At Groundswell, the students’ recordings will be accessible online via QR codes that can be scanned by smartphones.
Swanson hopes the residency inspires students’ ongoing creativity. Through programs like CuratorKids, she says, "We hope to build a bridge to our community and create opportunities for our students to share their successes beyond the school walls."
Source: Heidi Swanson, technology integration specialist, Galtier Community School
Writer: Anna Pratt
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
A recent survey from the Entrepreneurs Organization of Minnesota found that entrepreneurs are in a good position to hire more workers. More and more, entrepreneurs are also feeling confident about where the economy is headed--and it's up.
The organization, a chapter of a larger network of entrepreneurs around the globe, collected feedback from 72 Minnesota companies that achieve $1 million or more in revenue each year.
Kevin Burkart, president of the local chapter, says the bottom line is that, “It’s a good time to be an entrepreneur.”
The annual study is a strong economic indicator. “Small business owners are significant drivers of many economies,” he says.
As much as 71 percent of entrepreneurs across the state are poised to hire more full-time workers, the study found. Likewise, 62 percent plan to bring on more part-time workers in the next six months. The consensus among survey participants is that the economy is steadily improving.
Also, the vast majority of survey participants were optimistic about the prospect of starting a new venture in the next six months.
That jibes with the national organization’s findings. The trend has been positive over the past few years, with a consistent increase in hiring, particularly in the U.S., according to Burkart. The findings relate to the potential evident in the “domestic rebirth in manufacturing in the U.S., with companies insourcing instead of outsourcing,” as costs overseas go up, he explains.
From 2006 to 2010, survey responses went in the opposite direction. But entrepreneurialism tends to thrive in challenging economic times. “More people get laid off and they pursue those entrepreneurial ideas,” Burkart says.
The next 5 to 10 years “are rich for the U.S. economy,” he says. “I think the future is bright for entrepreneurs and our annual indicator survey supports that conclusion.”
Source: Kevin Burkart, president, StepStoneGroup and Entrepreneurs Organization of Minnesota
Writer: Anna Pratt
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Smart Factory, a new school for mobile app development located in Minneapolis’s Uptown neighborhood, is on a mission to deepen the tech talent pool in Minnesota.
Jeff Lin of Bust Out Solutions, and Mike Bollinger of TechdotMN and Livefront, who are friends and colleagues, founded Smart Factory, which held its inaugural classes in October.
The need for Smart Factory rose out of rapid changes in the web and mobile industry, Lin says. “Formal academic training can’t keep up” with the changes, he says, adding that some developers find it difficult to stay on the cutting-edge while working a full-time job.
The tech scene is “already being pushed forward by market forces and people’s desires and interests. We hope to help that cause by training people directly,” he says.
Smart Factory's program is aimed at experienced designers and engineers who want to expand their skills, especially those related to web and mobile app technology. Companies can also send employees to the school to gain software development skills, as opposed to having to outsource those skills.
Six-week classes, led by leaders in the field, cover Mobile UI Design, Ruby on Rails, Web Production, iOS Development, and Android Development. Students follow along with the lessons on their laptops.
Class sizes are no more than 16 people, to ensure everyone gets plenty of individual attention, Lin says. Two mentor-teachers lead the classes, as well. “In programming and design courses, there’s a lot of hands-on activity, so it’s always good to have one-on-one time with teachers,” he says.
Additionally, students are expected to spend another 10 to 15 hours on their studies outside of the classroom, according to Smart Factory materials.
Lin hopes the school fosters collaboration within the local tech community. “We want to educate people about what we’re passionate about," he says. "It’s less of a competition and more of a collaboration. Collaborative competition is good too."
Although schools like Smart Factory are popping up around the country, few exist in the Twin Cities. With the opening of Smart Factory, Lin expects other schools to will launch within the next couple of years.
Source: Jeff Lin, co-founder, Smart Factory
Writer: Anna Pratt
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
A new microgrants initiative will spur ideas within the Jewish community, locally and internationally.
The Minneapolis Jewish Federation is a community partner to the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Philanthropic Network, which is leading the program called, Make It Happen.
Debbie Stillman, director of community partnerships and engagement at the federation, says the initiative has already stirred “lots of buzz in the community.” Often, people have good ideas, but not the means to “step into the game and to say, ‘I want to try this out,’” she says.
That’s what the program is all about: “This isn’t aimed at organizations or meant to augment somebody’s operating budget. It’s meant for individuals to enter the game with an idea that they think is worthwhile,” she says, adding that young leaders can get involved in the decision-making process, as well.
Projects might relate to cultural, educational, spiritual, or social aspects of Jewish life. For example, pop-up trucks, musical mash-ups, Shabbat dinners, and service projects are just a handful of the possibilities, according to program materials. “Selected projects will identify creative means of engaging, serving, and leading local Jewish communities,” a prepared statement reads.
Schusterman will award $1,000 and $5,000 microgrants to 50 projects, which it will select on a rolling basis between now and December. At the same time, the Minneapolis Jewish Federation will separately dole out additional microgrants through the spring.
Around 10 to 15 projects will be granted locally, depending on the scope of individual projects, Stillman says.
Projects will be uploaded onto the website, which will double as a kind of idea share. “There are a lot of pluses to the platform as well as the microgrants themselves,” she says. "Organizations can look in their own communities and across the globe and if they see an interesting idea, they can execute it. They can see how it might work or how they can change it."
Source: Debbie Stillman, director of community partnerships and engagement, Minneapolis Jewish Federation
Writer: Anna Pratt
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
The Twin Cities is home to a diverse arts and healing community – perhaps the largest nationwide, according to Jack Becker, who leads Forecast Public Art, a nonprofit public art consulting agency based in Saint Paul.
The Twin Cities, Becker adds, is “an arts-rich community, and we’re huge for healthcare and technologies devoted to medicine and bioscience and research into healing. These realms come together in a variety of ways.”
Those intersections are the subject of an exhibit Forecast put together in collaboration with Hennepin County’s Multicultural Arts Committee. Titled "Creative Care: Art + Healing in the Twin Cities," the exhibition is at the Hennepin County Government Center’s gallery in downtown Minneapolis through Jan. 29.
The exhibition pulls together visuals from nine arts-healing organizations in the area. In addition, an opening celebration today, and related forums and performances, are in the works for the coming weeks.
The exhibiton is “about the idea that art can have healing benefits,” Becker says, a notion that often goes unacknowledged in daily life.
As a part of the kickoff for "Creative Care," which begins at 11 a.m., representatives from the exhibiting organizations will be on hand. Some groups, including Illusion Theater, Hopewell Community Choir, and Wilder Band will also perform at the event while county commissioner Peter McLaughlin will make an appearance and T. Mychael Rambo will serve as its emcee.
The show represents all different approaches to art and healing, from Hennepin County Medical Center’s Inspire Arts program to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s Healing Arts Therapies.
As such, the displays are just as diverse as the participants. People can meander through a labyrinth on the floor -- a meditative intentional walk on a path that leads to peaceful calm in the center-- or view snapshots, paintings, installations, and more.
For those who are sick or depressed or are facing other challenges, art can “focus the mind for a period of time on something other than the problem, the ailment, the pain,” Becker says, and art does so in a holistic way. He adds that art can come in the form of a relaxing piece of music or a public memorial in a war-torn community, as just a couple of examples.
Forecast also published a related directory that includes 40 local art-healing programs in order to “raise awareness and increase access to these programs,” he says.
Source: Jack Becker, executive director, Forecast Public Art
Writer: Anna Pratt
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
TreeHouse Health, an “innovation center” with an emphasis on healthcare IT and care coordination, opened its doors on Oct. 17.
The idea behind the for-profit “innovation center,” based in Minneapolis's Loring Park neighborhood, is to help emerging, and larger more established healthcare companies, grow and solve industry issues, the TreeHouse website states.
TreeHouse is in a position to do so, thanks to its six partners with extensive expertise in healthcare and investment.
Jeffrey (J.D.) Blank, the company’s managing director, says TreeHouse can offer networking opportunities, office space, cash for startups, and other resources. Blank’s dad is Dr. John Blank, TreeHouse’s chairman of the board, who is also the president of Dalmore Investments, an angel fund in Minneapolis. “We offer access to customers, make introductions, allow them to leverage the relationships of our partners,” says J.D. Blank.
Collaboration is key, he says. "We view an 'innovation center' as an ecosystem, an environment that supports entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, the innovators within a larger organization.”
“We’re hoping to get small and large companies from every sector of healthcare,” all of which bring different views to solve healthcare issues, he says. “The industry is so broad and complicated that we think having every angle represented, creating a 360-degree ecosystem will help parties navigate the challenges.”
Creating that ecosystem means “getting the right companies with the right mindset, that are willing to collaborate and contribute to the ecosystem at large,” he adds.
As such, TreeHouse intends to cultivate a network of service providers and business professionals that can offer support to companies. TreeHouse intends to bring companies into the fold for six months to two years. “We think companies will see the value in it,” he says.
Already, TreeHouse has signed on RiverSystems LLC, a startup that developed HomeStream, “a tool comprised of easy-to-use, computer-assisted capabilities designed to improve the quality of life for seniors and aging baby boomers,” a prepared statement reads.
Source: Jeffrey (J.D.) Blank, managing director, TreeHouse Health
Writer: Anna Pratt
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
When a large company opens a regional office, sometimes it becomes a remote outpost, with a small staff and limited growth. But sometimes, it turns into an example of how a new office can thrive where it's planted.
Open Systems Technologies (OST)--which is a sponsor of The Line--definitely falls into the latter category, growing from three employees when it opened in 2010 to 20 employees today. David Gerrity, Executive Director of OST's Minneapolis office, says the company brings on a new hire every couple months, and he anticipates a steady pace for that growth in the future.
Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, OST employs 120 direct employees and 70 full-time contractors, and focuses on business process solutions, data center services, application development, and other IT tasks.
The Minneapolis office is nestled inside the historic TractorWorks building in the North Loop, where technology professionals serve clients like Target, United Health Group, and Thomson Reuters.
"We anticipate about 35 percent annual growth," says Gerrity. "While we grow, we want to do so in a way that honors and maintains the culture we have. We put a great deal of emphasis on employee retention, and we think that makes a major difference."
Although hiring is done constantly, the process is also thorough, Gerrity adds. At OST, they want that professional to stay around for a long time — something of a rarity in the technology arena, where job-hopping is common. But focusing so heavily on employee retention allows OST to gain more credibility with clients, Gerrity believes.
Drawing good employees is easier with the office's location, he adds. "Minneapolis-St. Paul is the biggest small town in the country, it has a great culture," he says. "That makes for a very good match between the cities and the company."
Source: David Gerrity, OST
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
Even though bloggers are constantly connecting with readers and each other, it can still feel like a lonely task to send thoughts out into the world and wonder if anyone is reading them.
That's one of the reasons that the Minnesota Blogger Conference, started four years ago, is gaining prominence among the state's busy bloggers. Held on October 12th this year, the conference is a new venue, at Concordia University, and co-founder Arik Hanson says that the change in location should help to draw more interest from students.
Also, this year's lineup is particularly solid, Hanson adds. "It's a very diverse range of individuals, and we're excited about it," he says. "It's such a great chance for us to all learn from each other."
In addition to schmoozing with other bloggers, attendees will able to learn about optimizing content for mobile devices, using WordPress, tapping into Google Analytics tools, and making the most of Tumblr.
An ending keynote on the future of blogging will veer away from the technology of blogging and into the cultural and social implications of this unique form of writing. Weber Shandwick digital strategist Greg Swan will join MinnPost media writer David Brauer, TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Oden, and Fluence Media principal Blois Olson to chat about what blogging could look like in the years ahead.
The conference, in general, is a nod toward the broad blogger community in the Twin Cities, and it's no surprise that it's a growing scene here. Technology and culture are both rich local sources of innovation and creativity, and blogging is at the intersection of those two distinctive arenas.
"This is one of those grassroots conferences that let you geek out for a day," Hanson says. "People won't look at you sideways when you talk about plug-ins."
Source: Arik Hanson, Minnesota Blogger Conference
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
As local food and sustainable farming gains even more momentum in the Twin Cities, entrepreneurial efforts are cropping up to help people navigate this new landscape.
One of the most intriguing is The Everyday Table, recently launched by dietitian Sara Bloms and local chef Polly Pierce. The pair started the venture as a way to help those in the metro area not only learn cooking skills, but also gain knowledge about nutrition, food shopping, and menu planning.
"The [impetus] behind The Everyday Table was frustration, with the constant reminder of the obesity statistics and the impact it has on rising healthcare costs, the rotation of fad diets claiming to be the magic formula to weight loss, and the plethora of processed foods that fill the grocery store shelves," says Bloms.
She adds that information has become a detriment rather than an advantage — so much info is available online in the form of recipes, websites, company newsletters, blogs, and other media that people often feel overwhelmed.
The Everyday Table aims to provide tools and resources in an interactive and engaging way that takes relevant information and puts it into action. For example, Bloms will meet clients at a grocery store and guide them though decisions, and Pierce can go to client homes and teach them how to cook in their own kitchens.
The Twin Cities, in particular, is well suited for the entrepreneurial effort since the area has become a hub for local food, as demonstrated by more farmers markets and an innovative restaurant scene. Also, Bloms believes that the large number of young professionals here is driving a change.
"This generation understands the benefits of using fresh ingredients and cooking at home but wants to learn how to create a meal plan that fits their lifestyle, not their mother's," she says. "They are also the ones that can benefit the most from sustainable, long-term, healthy eating habits."
Source: Sara Bloms, The Everyday Table
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Crossing the finish line in the heated Minnesota Cup entrepreneurial competition is Preceptis Medical, a device manufacturer that's developing surgical tools for pediatric patients.
The company bested almost 1,100 competitors to nab the $40,000 grand prize, as well as $25,000 as the Life Science/Health IT division winner.
What got the judges' attention for Preceptis was the company's focus on the development of surgical innovations that would allow ear tube procedures to be performed with reduced pain and surgical time for children. Any parent who's watched a child suffer through multiple ear infections is likely to laud the kind of relief that Preceptis promises. Ear tube surgery is the most common pediatric surgery in the United States.
Now in clinical evaluation, the ear tube device and procedure have been tested on 60 patients, and Preceptis CEO Steve Anderson notes that it reduces trauma and risk, and offers greater efficiency for the surgeon.
"This year has been exhilarating," says Minnesota Cup co-founder Scott Litman. "We've had the best collection of presentations in our history, including the one from this year's winner, Preceptis Medical."
He added that 2014 will be the competition's 10th anniversary, and the competition's leadership is already brainstorming ways to grow the contest and involve more Minnesotans. Litman says, "We will discover and help more entrepreneurs to build better business plans and achieve long-lasting success. And of course, our ultimate goal is to cement the Minnesota Cup as a permanent part of the business landscape."
Source: Scott Litman, Minnesota Cup
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Minnesota will have yet another technology and business resource on Sept. 18th, when the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) and Minneapolis-based awareness firm Innovosource partner to provide a new monthly innovation series.
Dubbed "A Break for Breakthroughs," the series takes the form of free webinars for MHTA members, with the first event covering the latest breakthroughs in flexible electronics, from films and displays to touch sensor integration.
To kick off the series, the first webinar will be shown both online and at CoCo Minneapolis in the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. Speakers have just been announced, and Innovosource's founder will moderate.
According to Andrew Wittenborg, MHTA's director of outreach, upcoming sessions will cover emerging areas that affect Minnesota's technology landscape most directly. For example, wearable devices and robotics are booming here, so they'll get coverage, as will nanotech, biotech, and stem cells. Advancements in image processing and analysis are also slated to be discussed.
"We are particularly excited by this new partnership because it represents a key aspect of MHTA's mission to fuel Minnesota's prosperity through innovation and technology," Wittenborg notes.
He adds that the mission of the series is to help business leaders, R&D teams, investors, entrepreneurs, and others to learn more about emerging technologies and to build stronger relationships among the top players locally. "We will provide a greater level of awareness beyond the widely accessible information already available," says Wittenborg.
MHTA will also provide programming for Innovosource's Pardon the Disruption program, which connects high technology companies and investors to research universities and laboratories.
Source: Andrew Wittenborg, MHTA
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
The entrepreneurs vying for the grand prize in the heated competition for the Minnesota Cup just passed one more milestone, as 18 finalists were announced in preparation for the Sept. 11th award ceremony.
Now in its ninth year, the Minnesota Cup will award $40,000 to a grand prize winner who displays the most innovative idea in the state. The top three ideas in each of the six divisions (energy/clean tech, general, high tech, life science/health IT, social entrepreneur, and student) will advance to the finalist round, and compete for a share of prize money.
Finalists range in terms of innovation, and include aquaponics company Garden Fresh Farms, teacher-centered tech tool Kidblog, and medical device firm RxFunction. A list of finalists can be found here.
The competition is designed to bring out the best and brightest minds in Minnesota, and to help budding entrepreneurs to make connections within the business community.
Co-founder Scott Litman notes that the competition grows tremendously every year, and this spring, almost 1,100 people entered. More than 8,000 Minnesotans have participated in the Minnesota Cup since the competition began in 2005.
"We're proud to point to our successes, including last year's Grand Prize winner, PreciouStatus, which has raised more than $1.5 million in capital to date," Litman says, adding that other finalists have gone on to raise more than $60 million in capital, to support the development of their ideas, create jobs, and broker numerous business partnerships, collaborations, and distribution agreements.
Source: Scott Litman, Minnesota Cup
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
The University of Minnesota is proving to be particularly adept at turning research into commercial efforts, and this year, it will set a record for the number of startup companies it's launched.
In the university's 2013 fiscal year, 14 startup companies were given a boost into the marketplace through efforts by the Office for Technology Commercialization (OTC). That's up from 12 last year, and it's likely that the momentum will continue into the next fiscal year. Already, five startups are on track to launch in the first few months of 2014 and another 19 technologies are in various stages of startup activity.
"Our continued success as a research institution depends upon our ability to transfer knowledge created at the university into the real world, where it can have a direct impact on our society," notes Brian Herman, the University of Minnesota's Vice President for Research. He adds that the team at the OTC is doing an especially impressive job given the challenging economic climate of the past few years.
The OTC has been aided by the formation of a Venture Center, first opened in 2006. Since then, 52 startup companies have been created, and nearly 80 percent of those are still active. That success rate is notable, Herman points out, since a study done by Harvard Business School showed that 75 percent of all startups fail.
Also worth noting is the breadth of startups coming out of the university. In 2013, the range of products included a plastic bead that cuts off the blood supply to tumors, a smartphone-based breathalyzer, a handheld probe that can measure tension in soft tissues during orthopedic surgery, and a genetic test that assesses certain risks in dogs.
So, investors take note: when looking for the next big startup, it might be time to go back to school.
Source: Brian Herman, University of Minnesota
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Web design firm Byte Technology recently made a major shift when it moved its national headquarters from Monterey, Calif., to Bloomington.
CEO and founder Terry Low notes that he and his wife had been visiting family in Minnesota over the past few years, and he began to see the opportunities here. "I started to see how the state is different, in terms of the business climate," he says. "There's so much here, from the standard of living to the availability of great employees. It opened my eyes."
The company will continue to operate a branch in Monterey as well as Denver, but Low looks forward to building up the new HQ locally. In particular, he anticipates bringing his blend of business savvy and social good to the Twin Cities area.
"I love being able to give back to the community, and that's something I hope to instill in all of my employees," he says.
Founded in 2001, Byte's clients have included Comcast, Colgate-Palmolive, AT&T, and other significant companies. Low anticipates that the company will make an impact here with Byte's distinctive web experience services, and hiring is currently underway.
"The web industry is moving at a breakneck speed, and we're keeping our goals high so that we can stay ahead," Low says.
Source: Terry Low, Byte Technology
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
With continued expansion, Field Nation may have to consider changing its name someday to Field World. The Minneapolis-based firm, which provides an online work platform that connects businesses and independent contractors, is growing fast, leading to a recent expansion into Europe.
"There has been such demand from customers to use our platform in other areas than the U.S. and Canada," says CEO Mynul Khan. "We've been asked to expand into Latin America, parts of Asia, and Western Europe, so really, we just chose a starting point for more international services, but we expect to keep expanding geographically."
Launched in 2008, Field Nation employs 45 but has a contractor database of about 40,000. Although the company did aggressive recruitment in its early years, the momentum is now so strong that hundreds of new companies and contractors sign up every day through word of mouth, Khan says.
The company offers a marketplace where professionals can meet, but also provides a management system with distinctive features and tools that allow customers to create work orders, arrange payment, and keep track of documentation.
In addition to broadening its planetary footprint, Field Nation is also growing vertically, Khan says, by adding more skillsets into the mix. Currently, the company tends to lean toward IT services, but Khan believes that Field Nation's platform and work management automation can extend to any industry that hires independent contractors, including construction, creative work, and telecom.
"Every day is exciting here," he says. "We're always thinking about the next big thing and making new milestones."
Source: Mynul Khan, Field Nation
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Minneapolis-based HighJump Software employees may want to take an accelerated course in Danish so they can visit the company's newest offices.
The supply chain management software provider recently announced that it acquired Evenex, a provider of business-to-business integration solutions. Located in Denmark, Evenex allows customers to exchange business documents through managed cloud services. HighJump Software, with its emphasis on efficient supply chain capabilities, will give the Danish firm greater market reach.
In other words, as they'd say in Denmark, it's a "gode tilbud" (good deal) for both companies.
HighJump Software CEO Russell Fleischer notes that the acquisition is important for expanding the company's reach in Europe, and hints that the Evenex deal could be the kickoff for more acquisitions in the future.
"It's an important first step towards broadening our geographic coverage in Europe," he says. "We look forward to driving organic growth as well as continued to look for logical merger and acquisition opportunities."
The deal will give the Danish firm access to capital that will help foster growth.
The acquisition comes during a strong year for HighJump, which has been busy enhancing its products for SMB customers, attracting large clients with refined software offerings, and cementing new partnerships.
Fleischer notes that all of these moves are enabling customers to have technologies that work for their specific business needs and processes. With the year only half over, it's likely that HighJump will keep its expansion and development going strong for 2013.
Source: Russell Fleischer, HighJump Software
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
St. Paul-based public relations agency Kohnstamm Communications is fueling growth with the addition of four new hires, and it's likely that more team members will join the quartet in the future.
"Kohnstamm's revenue grew at more than 29 percent last year, making us one of the fastest growing [agencies] in the Midwest," says founder and CEO Josh Kohnstamm. "Yet, as a 22-year-old boutique agency with fewer than 20 people, each person must shoulder a lot of responsibility for turning results. And these are exactly the brand of PR people to succeed in that assignment."
Coming from Minneapolis-based Snow Communications is Jeff Trauring, who will join the business-to-business team at Kohnstamm, supporting agency accounts like 3M Food Safety, Nilan Johnson Lewis, and the University of St. Thomas.
Also on the B2B team with a crossover into consumer accounts will be Morgan Woodrow, who will assist with clients like Noosa Yoghurt, Fay Ranches, and MOM Brands. Two interns are part of the new hires as well.
In addition to staff additions, the agency has also announced new client relationships, such as Noosa, which joins the agency's roster of food and beverage industry clients. Kohnstamm represents Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods, the Soyfoods Association, Way Better Snacks, Thai Kitchen, and others in the industry.
"Our agency is representing the very fastest-growing and innovative food companies in the industry today, and it is very exciting for us," Kohnstamm says.
The agency's robust growth is likely to continue for the future, particularly with these strategic hires and new clients, Kohnstamm believes.
Source: Josh Kohnstamm, Kohnstamm Communications
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Major coworking and collaborative space CoCo recently announced plans to open a third location in Uptown, joining the organization's popular Lowertown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis spaces.
Slated to open this fall at the intersection of West Lake St. and Lagoon Ave., the new location will be in the heart of Uptown and just yards from the Greenway bike route. Plans include a 15,000-square-foot space that will be rich with features and amenities, according to CoCo co-founder Don Ball.
Most notably, the space will offer a tap room with craft beers, a movie theater for presentations, a billiard room, and a walkout patio. For those who want to balance work with play, the space will feature two large conference rooms and several private "call booths."
Similar to the organization's location in the Grain Exchange, the new space will offer a large commons area where members can do presentations for up to 100 people, build product prototypes, or network with new ideas. Another open space, dubbed "The Garage," is a 3,500-square-foot area designed for groups that want to do deep work in strategic planning, Ball notes.
There will also be an abundance of coworking seats, as well as "campsites" where members can claim a dedicated desk for individuals or for small groups.
The move is likely to create more growth and buzz for CoCo, which scored a major win this year when it teamed up with Google (see The Line's coverage
here) for an ongoing partnership and event series.
"Membership has been exploding, especially since we launched our partnership earlier this year with Google," says Ball. "So we knew we'd have to expand, not only to create more space, but also to give members more options for where they can drop in and work. Uptown is a great location not only because of its demographics skew younger, but its proximity to so many great neighborhoods, the Greenway, and highways."
Source: Don Ball, CoCo
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
The 3-D printing industry may still be cutting edge and futuristic for most of the marketplace, but a recent acquisition by Eden Prairie-based Stratasys shows that the technology is gaining momentum, and the Minnesota company is leading the way.
The company reported recently that it just inked a deal to acquire competitor MakerBot, in a transaction worth about $403 million. If MakerBot reaches certain performance benchmarks, that amount could grow even more before Stratasys finalizes the deal.
The acquisition is an important one for the industry, and establishes Stratasys as a savvy, well-positioned company that could significantly extend its reach. Already, the firm produces 3D printers for commercial and industrial uses, and the inclusion of MakerBot technology could expand its production to smaller, more entry-level models that may be used by small businesses or even home users.
Industry analysts were quick to note that the combination of the two companies would drive faster adoption for 3D printers for multiple applications, and could bring the technology into the mainstream.
MakerBot will now operate as a separate subsidiary of Stratasys, continuing to maintain its own products and market strategy, and CEO Bre Pettis noted that the deal will continue a robust growth track.
"We have an aggressive model for growth, and partnering with Stratasys will allow us to supercharge our mission to empower individuals to make things," Pettis says. "It will allow us to bring 3D technology to more people."
In addition to the acquisition, Stratasys also announced it would add about 80 jobs by the end of the year.
Source: Bre Pettis, MakerBot
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Minneapolis-based Maverick Software Consulting boasts a distinctive business model that's getting noticed by award presenters.
The company just received the Innovative Partnering and Collaboration Award from Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU), as recognition for its efforts to link companies with entry-level IT staff sourced from colleges and universities.
Drawing on nearly 60 campuses across the Midwest, Maverick recruits, trains, and manages college students who work with companies that are experiencing a shortage of software development talent. The program also provides a supply of experienced IT professionals who've graduated from the program, and notes that Maverick "grads" typically find employment up to six months sooner than typical college graduates.
Started in 2006, the company's growth has been impressive, expanding from an initial staff of 10 student employees on one college campus to 130 employees on 25 campuses. Martin Hebig, the company's founder and president, notes that of the 325 students who've worked for Maverick, all have gone on to full-time employment at companies like Microsoft, Facebook, IBM, and Symantec.
He adds that receiving the MnSCU recognition is an honor, and made possible through academic and corporate partners that keep the program growing strong.
Hebig believes that the technology field in Minnesota will continue to heat up when it comes to hiring and retaining IT talent. "This is the year of the computer geek, nerd, tech diva, and so on," he says. "There are so many great things going on in the state right now to support this strong growth trend, and a lot of efforts to keep high-paying IT jobs in the state."
Source: Martin Hebig, Maverick Software Consulting
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
The summer may be off to a sluggish start weather-wise, but at the Minnesota Cup, the heat of competition just got kicked up a notch.
The annual contest, which supports the development of breakthrough ideas from across the state, just announced the start of its semifinal round, with 57 teams of entrepreneurs and inventors ready for the next stage.
Now in its ninth year, the Minnesota Cup offers six categories of innovation: energy/clean tech, general, high tech, life science/health IT, social entrepreneur, and student. Competitors are able to enter individually or as a four-person team.
The semifinal round will give those innovators a chance to buff up their ideas through exposure to mentors and business leaders, who will act as advisors for the next round. The teams and individuals will also have the opportunity to meet members of the Cup's review board.
A full list of this year’s semifinalists is available on the Cup’s site, and includes companies like Rowbot Systems, Windjuicer, Foodsby, Kidblog, Mode-sty, and Cinch Chix.
The competition is designed to bring out the best and brightest minds in Minnesota, and help those individuals to make connections that can advance innovation in the state, according to Minnesota Cup co-founder Scott Litman. He says, "The 2013 competition is no exception. We're excited to see how the many strong applicants in this year's pool will progress with mentoring and business planning this summer."
Three finalists from each division will be chosen on August 19th, and will be expected to present their business plans for a chance to nab the top prize, which will be awarded on September 11th.
Source: Scott Litman, Minnesota Cup
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Eden Prairie-based Eagle Creek Software Services is proving that bringing IT work back onshore can lead to great results—the technology services company reports 28 percent growth in its customer base this year, with more growth likely in the near future.
"Onshoring" is a term coined recently in the IT and consultancy realms to describe a movement away from offshore strategies, which tend to move numerous tasks to other countries.
Although plenty of companies still push work out to nations like China and India, an increased focus on local resources looks like it could be the next big trend, and Eagle Creek's success is an indicator that the tactic can work well.
"Our growth is positioned around public and private partnerships in the Dakotas," says Ken Behrendt, president of Eagle Creek Software Services. "With a business-friendly state like South Dakota, and an energized university system, Eagle Creek is positioned to thrive by bringing corporate America what they so desperately need—a scalable and reliable workforce."
The company calls its strategy the "Dakota Model." Working with government agencies as well as the University of South Dakota, Eagle Creek will create about 1,000 jobs in technology centers around the state over the next five years. The company is building a $10 million technology center in Vermillion, South Dakota, and plans to staff it with students who graduate from the IT Consultant Academy at the university.
This move will triple the company's number of consultants, and put Eagle Creek in a strong position both regionally and nationally.
Source: Ken Behrendt, Eagle Creek Software Services
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Minneapolis is about to get more connected.
DataBank, a colocation firm that's headquartered in Dallas but boasts a significant Minneapolis presence, recently announced that it will expand its footprint here, based on the acquisition of an Edina data center once owned by tech firm VeriSpace.
Planned for two phases, and with construction already underway, the expansion will boost the facility's size to about 17,500 square feet, and will include more cooling functionality and uninterrupted power supply features. The project will also involve updates to the office space areas, as well as revamped customer areas where DataBank will maintain client technology.
The company acquired VeriSpace in March, as part of an effort to broaden its reach into new markets. DataBank provides managed data center services, with a particular focus on 100 percent uptime availability for data, applications, and equipment.
Company CEO Tim Moore notes that the Edina expansion came as a result of customer demand, and that the company worked quickly to meet the need.
Although the expansion will add a significant amount of data center space to the city, Moore believes that this is just the beginning when it comes to the company's presence in the Twin Cities.
"This expansion only represents the first step in our overall process in this market," he says, "with more to come."
Source: Tim Moore, DataBank
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
A new website, Community and Local Food Resources, is aimed at assisting rural community food systems and development. Sparked by a tri-state collaboration, the site's mission is to improve local food resources, no matter where people might live in the upper Midwest.
"Farmers and community members can face a variety of unique struggles and opportunities when working to develop strong local food systems," says Greg Schweser, Community Food Systems Planner at the University of Minnesota's Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships. "We worked with rural communities in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota to find out what those issues were and addressed them as best we could in this website."
The university collaborated with North Dakota State University Extension Service, Buy Fresh Buy Local South Dakota, and non-profit organization FARRMS to craft a site that will be useful for those working in local food systems. Topics include production, marketing tactics, business advice, sourcing options, education, and public policy.
The site comes at a crucial time, as community support for the farm-to-fork movement is growing. By providing online resources to rural communities, the site's developers hope to connect farmers with local organizations and also assist consumers who might be searching for affordable farmers market options or looking to start a community garden.
"While there is a wealth of information online to help those working on local foods, this website combines and organizes hundreds of resources into one easy-to-use interface," says Schweser.
As food systems change over time and community food strategies develop, the site's developers hope that people will forward new resources so the site can be kept up to date. Schweser is confident that the website can be a major force for change, and a central point for those aiming for stronger, community-based food systems.
Source: Greg Schweser, University of Minnesota
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Minneapolis-based architecture, interiors, and planning firm Architectural Alliance recently merged with smaller-but-prominent design and architecture company 20 Below Studio, also located in Minneapolis.
The merger fuses the two firms' client-centered experience for broader capabilities, notes Carey Brendalen, Principal at Architectural Alliance. "This is two strong organizations coming together," he says. "We've worked with different types of clients and we have different capabilities, and now we're leveraging those differences in a complementary way."
20 Below, an 8-person firm that's established a strong reputation in interior architecture and design, will partner with Architectural Alliance's 74-member team. The newly joined firms are expected to drive growth, Brendalen says.
Architectural Alliance has experience in market segments like aviation, retail, hospitality, and public sector work, and with 20 Below's expertise in interior architecture, growth should come naturally as a result of the combined energy and experience.
"Together, we will offer greater reach, creativity, and expertise in the architecture and design market," Brendalen says, adding that such a combination is especially crucial since client needs are becoming more complex. More variables, like the convergence of work and lifestyle needs, require the firms to approach projects in a new way.
"It sounds trite, but there's shared value in terms of what we can bring to customers," says Brendalen. "We're excited to see what comes out of the partnership. We think there's beauty here as well as pragmatism."
Source: Carey Brendalen, Architectural Alliance
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Minnesota technology leaders, start your engines.
The high-profile Tekne Awards just opened for entries, and five new categories have been added: STEM education and digital learning, healthcare delivery, impact on industry, agricultural technology, and safety and security.
Innovative entrepreneurs, organizations, nonprofits, and government agencies will all compete in the award program, now in its 14th year, presented by the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA).
The state remains at the forefront of cutting-edge technological growth, the MHTA noted, and the robust and growing competition highlights the kind of innovation that's homegrown here, from cleantech to robotics.
Last year, winners included Nova-Tech Engineering, Ecolab, Global Traffic Technologies, Maverick Software Consulting, and Sophia Learning. The City of Minneapolis also received an award, for technology excellence in a non-profit organization, getting a nod for an emergency operations training facility that blends digital data and streaming video.
This year, the five fresh categories showcase new directions in the state's approach to innovation. STEM education, a hot topic these days, gets its own category for programs that engage K-12 students in applied learning opportunities. Healthcare delivery will award innovation in the area of medical devices, diagnostics, data management, and other areas that improve patient care.
"We are watching significant growth in the areas of mobility as well as safety and security and want to make sure the Tekne Awards reflect that," says Andrew Wittenborg, Director of Outreach for MHTA. "At the same time, we want to recognize and support the collaborative efforts that lead to Minnesota breakthroughs."
In addition to its new categories, the awards will feature well-established, competition-rich categories like software, startup, advanced manufacturing, and mobile technologies.
Applications for this year's awards will be open until July 15th, and there's no application fee, nor do applicants have to be MHTA members. Finalists will be announced in September, with an award celebration held in November.
Source: Andrew Wittenborg, Director of Outreach, Minnesota High Tech Association
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
The heat begins to spike in the middle of summer, and suddenly the online ads you see promise thirst-quenching drinks, air conditioning systems, and convertible cars. Coincidence? Far from it: local firm Totally Interactive Weather, helmed by well-known meteorologist Dave Dahl and his son, Andy Dahl, is pioneering an ad platform that utilizes weather information to shape an advertiser's message.
Started in 2007, and often referred to as TiWi, the company was formed as a way to bring more weather information online, and disseminate it to other media properties. But the startup began at a difficult economic time, says Andy Dahl, and some lean years of trying to sell subscription content convinced the founders that they needed a stronger model.
"We began thinking of ways to go toward an advertising revenue model," he says. "Essentially, we were providing weather content for free, and attaching advertising to that content to monetize in that space."
That led to the debut of a technology called Trigger X, connecting weather data with advertising to make online ads more relevant and timely, Dahl says. The new platform provides in-the-moment ad messages based on changing weather patterns. For example, if someone is reading the Denver Post online and snow is moving into the area, Trigger X will prompt advertising that might include last-minute skiing specials, or snow shoveling service offers.
The platform went through beta testing in February, and just launched officially in May. TiWi is working to partner with ad agencies and media companies, and Dahl is confident that growth is as imminent as, well, the next big heat wave.
Source: Andy Dahl, Totally Interactive Weather
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
When attorney Zahra Aljabri went shopping for clothes, she was often disheartened by the lack of conservative-yet-stylish options. "I've always been a modest dresser, and it's been a struggle to find clothing that has some style and yet isn't revealing." When she began talking to friends about her experiences, she discovered that she wasn't alone--and as many entrepreneurs know, where there's struggle, there's opportunity.
Last July, she and her husband, James Faghmous, began working on Mode-sty, an online clothing boutique that meets the need for conservative clothing that looks good and is affordably priced. Aljabri found that by working with small-scale designers who crafted each item by hand, she could provide a range of clothing options for others who prefer more modest fashions.
Although Aljabri is Muslim, she sees the Mode-sty site as a resource that will appeal to numerous religious and cultural groups. "There are many religious communities where women want more coverage, like Muslims, Jewish women, and Christian groups, like Mormons," she says. "But then, there are also women who want to dress conservatively just because it seems more professional, or because they're getting older and they see this style as more age-appropriate."
At first, Aljabri utilized a "pop-up" model for the site, which meant the site would go live for only two weeks at a time until all inventory was sold, then it closed until Aljabri could re-stock. But with increasing attention and customer loyalty, the site is now up continuously, and she's thinking of her next move.
"We've realized that we need to produce our own clothing line, so we're working on that, and we also want this to be a destination site, where women can talk about different issues," says Aljabri.
Source: Zahra Aljabri, Mode-sty
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Although there are a number of software shops in the Twin Cities, very few focus on mobile app development, which makes Livefront into a prominent player, and one that's due to grow in the near future.
Founded in 2001, Livefront got its start when technologist Mike Bollinger was in college and working on mobile software for the Palm Pilot. In 2008, he started building a team and the company now has 10 employees, with hiring and expansion expected in the months ahead.
The company is very active in the local tech space, and Bollinger sees Livefront's role as much more than an app developer in a tech-savvy town.
"Our focus, our energy, and our intensity is centered around helping our clients design and build incredible mobile app experiences," he says. "It's important to us that we lead by example through teaching, speaking, sharing, sponsoring, and giving back to our community."
Livefront has sponsored over 15 events and organizations in the past two years, including Mobile March, Ignite Minneapolis, and Minnesota Developers Conference. The firm has released multiple open-source software projects like Acracadabra, and Bollinger is a co-founder of the well-respected online technology news site TECHdotMN.
Being so involved with the community gives Livefront an advantage when it comes to making connections (especially for its open tech positions), and also highlights the vibrant technology culture that's growing strong in the Twin Cities. As growth occurs, it will come mainly from Livefront's strong expertise and focus on mobile app development — but the robust engagement with the community also plays a major part in why Livefront is front and center.
Source: Mike Bollinger, Livefront
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Just in time for summer visitors, the Walker Art Center recently launched a new website and free mobile app for its well-loved Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
Developed as part of the museum's 25th anniversary, the website revamp includes a wealth of information about the sculpture garden and its artworks. Users can download the smartphone app directly from the site, and use the app's GPS technology to navigate the sculptures.
Video and audio content conveys general information about the Sculpture Garden's history, as well as interesting factual tidbits about each sculpture. The app also includes short interviews with visitors, community members, and prominent local personalities, such as Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak.
Andrew Blauvelt, the Walker's Chief of Communications and Audience Engagement, says that the museum and garden's Art on Call program -- which allows visitors to use cellphones for accessing guided audio tours -- is still available. The new app doesn't replace that service, it simply broadens access, Blauvelt believes.
"It's fitting that the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, which was a truly cutting-edge idea of putting art outdoors in the city, now boasts the Walker's first mobile app, putting interpretation in the hands and pockets of our visitors," he notes.
The redesigned website, spare but informative, highlights different garden events such as the popular Rock the Garden music festival in June and Avant Garden, the end-of-season fundraiser with cocktails and fine dining. An interactive map also helps visitors to pinpoint specific sculptures and access tour guide comments, a visual description, and thoughts from garden visitors.
Source: Andrew Blauvelt, Walker Art Center
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Patients with cardiac issues could be thanking Minneapolis-based healthcare technology startup Preventice for better disease management in the not-too-distant future. The company just unveiled BodyGuardian Remote Patient Monitoring System, a mobile health system designed to monitor patients with cardiac arrhythmias.
Developed in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, the system gives physicians the ability to monitor specific biometrics while patients are doing everyday activities. A small sensor attached to a patient's chest culls info like heart rate, activity level, and respiration rate. The information is sent to physicians through mobile-phone technology, and is also stored in the company's mHealth platform so that it can be retrieved later if necessary.
The need for this type of system is becoming more acute, believes Jon Otterstatter, co-founder and CEO of Preventice. "There is a growing acceptance for monitoring patients outside the hospital setting," he says, adding that BodyGuardian is unique from other monitoring systems, because it creates a constant connection between patients and clinical care teams, rather than sending updates at scheduled intervals.
Although BodyGuardian just launched, the company is already seeing demand, he notes, and the system is in multiple clinical trials in the United States and Europe. One trial is looking at how post-surgical cardiac patients can be better evaluated though remote monitoring, while another is examining whether patients with congestive heart failure can receive more timely interventions in order to prevent serious complications.
This latest release from Preventice joins other health management resources from the company, including products targeted at sleep apnea, diabetes management, migraine headaches, and prescription medication management.
Source: Jon Otterstatter, Preventice
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Right after Minnesota became the 12th state to legalize same sex marriage, St. Paul updated its popular wedding website to reflect the change.
Online resource IDoSaintPaul.com, put together by the city's convention and visitors bureau, Visit Saint Paul, gives engaged couples information on getting married in the city, including an events calendar, restaurant and hotel listings, and suggestions for activities and recreation.
The site now includes photographs of same sex couples, as well as a profile of Reid Bordson and Paul Nolle, who plan to be the first gay couple to tie the knot at Como Park Conservatory. Also on the site is a new page about the Freedom to Marry Act, noting that "it is important for same sex couples to know they are welcomed in Saint Paul for their big day and that they, their family and friends will receive the same top level of service from our hospitality community that all wedding couples receive on their big day."
Visit Saint Paul spokesperson Adam Johnson notes that it was easy to make quick changes to the site, including tweaks to an online form for wedding planning. Since then, vendors have approached the bureau to offer specials for same sex weddings, and Johnson anticipates that the site will get even more interest in the near future.
"The Freedom to Marry Act opened up a whole new pool of people who want to get married, and we want them to know that Saint Paul would be a great place for that," Johnson says.
Source: Adam Johnson, Visit Saint Paul
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Sustainable food, farm-to-table, artisan products: there's no doubt that the food world is changing rapidly, and as it does, Ingle Marketing is picking up clients along the way.
Founded by entrepreneur and marketer Jodi Ingle about seven years ago, the firm draws on Ingle's experience working on foodservice accounts at several advertising agencies. That industry is unique, she notes, because unlike retail, which has a set of measurable metrics, foodservice presents a distinct B2B niche that can be tricky to navigate.
She's drawn to the industry because she simply appreciates food, she says: "Really, I love everything about it, from growing to cooking to grocery shopping. A big goal for me is to be the go-to agency partner for food companies, in terms of branding, marketing strategy, and creative development."
Ingle seems to be reaching that goal nicely, with a roster of clients that include a fresh fish purveyor, a creator of wine jelly, and a developer of "foaming sauce," among others. Although Ingle Marketing is a one-person company at present, Ingle draws on a wide array of contractors, freelancers, and branding experts to put specialized teams together for every project.
Social media is a booming field for her, she notes, and more clients are asking for campaigns that incorporate blogging and other online, interactive communication.
No matter what the medium, though, Ingle is ready to prepare the message. "Each brand has its own flavor," she says, "and our menu is full of new creations."
Source: Jodi Ingle, Ingle Marketing
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
When Drew Geraets and his wife moved back to the Twin Cities from New York in 2010, they bought a 1908 charmer in St. Paul. Like so many older homes in the area, the house had plenty of character, but also boasted a lengthy to-do list of improvements. It also had a distinctive feature: a book of photographs from the previous owner, showing the work that had already been done.
"I got a history of the place, and it was so striking to see how it had changed," Geraets says. "Because of that, I started to notice how often people posted their projects online, in blogs and on Facebook or Instagram. There are a ton of DIYers documenting projects from start to finish."
Although a somewhat popular site, Houzz, tries to collect these kind of efforts, Geraets envisioned a more user-friendly site for DIYers, and eventually, a mobile app. Along with a fellow entrepreneur, Ryan Cavis, he launched HouseTalent, a site that allows users to upload photos, create project sites, and browse other projects.
Currently, the founders are working on an iOS app that will make it easy for users to take photos with smartphones and upload to the site. The app should be ready by the end of June.
HouseTalent is seeing a steady increase in users as word gets out (and the spring renovation momentum takes hold), and Geraets anticipates that the next step will be developing a revenue model that could take the form of premium content. Right now, just like his house, everything is a fun work in progress.
Source: Drew Geraets, HouseTalent
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
As communication and information increasingly go mobile, Leviathan Technology Group is seeing the benefits.
The Minneapolis-based technology services firm is finding significant growth in interest for mobile tools, as well as new methods for pushing content to users. That shift is creating strong expansion opportunities for the firm, propelling it beyond its initial healthcare specialization and into many other industries.
Founded about nine years ago by entrepreneur Steve Engels, the company first focused on software development and product design for health-related nonprofits, helping them build content tools online. Since then, the firm has grown into a developer of mobile tools and web applications, and Engels sees a wealth of opportunity ahead.
One secret to the company's success is local hiring combined with expert contractors in Russia and Ukraine, he notes. Leviathan's system of connecting consultants from all over the world has allowed the small local team of 10 to be more agile, according to Engels, and integrate mobile technology in a creative way.
At this point, he's now trying to anticipate the next big thing. "When it comes to the future, we'll be pushing more, trying to find the cutting edge," he says. "We're seeing strong growth in mobile, but we have to think about what's after that. We need to be experts by the time technology hits the mainstream."
Source: Steve Engels, Leviathan Technology Group
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Successful creative agency KNOCK is likely to find even more open doors in its future, with expansion of its brand strategy, advertising, and design services to global clients.
The agency's CEO, Lili Hall--quoted in our
lead feature this week--has been zipping around the world in the past six months, and just completed a Master's degree in international practice management. She's in talks with business connections in countries like Saudi Arabia and India, and she anticipates much more global work coming to KNOCK in the near future.
"Global is really becoming our focus," she says. "We have a great partner who's consulting with us about cultural relevance, and we feel very connected to global networks in a new way."
Hall founded the company in 2001, just a few months after 9/11, and she admits the timing was challenging. Without a business plan, and in a tricky economic climate, KNOCK might have faltered if it hadn't been for Hall's passionate belief in creating an agency based on the right way to treat colleagues and clients.
"When I started the company, I reflected on the attributes of people I admired and respected," she says. "But I also thought about the situations I'd seen that were negative. I created a list of 'how to never treat people,' and in many ways, that's become a major part of our philosophy."
For example, KNOCK stands apart for blending creatives with account professionals, which is an unusual arrangement for an agency. Those two "sides" tend to do battle, but Hall saw the power of collaboration from the start, and has shown that blending those viewpoints creates more strength for clients. In other words, when thinking about how never to treat people, the first lesson is: don't make your colleagues into enemies, just because of their job titles.
Hall also credits transparency, a proactive approach, and internal entrepreneurial energy for driving growth throughout KNOCK.
Source: Lili Hall, KNOCK
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Most consumers haven't heard of Grocery Shopping Network (GSN), but it's likely that nearly everyone has seen the company's work. The Minneapolis-based firm creates digital tools for grocery retailers and packaged goods manufacturers, resulting in a wealth of online and in-store promotions.
With the surge in digital marketing efforts and greater interest in food and cooking, GSN, currently on a roll of hiring and expansion, is likely to have even broader reach in the near future. The company's distinctive analytics capability is leading sales on a national level, promising to expand GSN's market reach, according to company spokesperson Albin Andolshek.
"We’ve built a great deal of strength on the regional level, and now we’re seeing more national campaigns emerge," he says. "With the new digital shopper marketing tools we have access to, our clients have access to unlimited reach."
Started in 1996 as a website developer for the grocery industry, GSN has been beefing up its offerings ever since. The company added e-grocery.com in the late 90s, then brought in software that let clients add recipes and online coupons to the mix.
GSN still offers end-to-end solutions for websites, but it also integrates online display advertising into its services. Both areas of the company are growing, and attracting partnerships with sites that focus on grocery shopping, coupons, deals, and cooking.
Part of the unique digital marketing that GSN provides is deep integration with digital marketing resources. For example, if a grocer runs a special on coffee and wants to target only coffee drinkers in the store's loyalty card program, GSN helps them find those individuals and tailor a message to reach them.
As a result of strong growth and expanded services, GSN has been hiring and expanding, Andolshek says. "We have milestones we want to hit, and we're excited to keep growing."
Source: Albin Andolshek, Grocery Shopping Network
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Digitiliti was founded in 2005 to offer basic database backup and disaster recovery software, and has been expanding ever since. Having moved to cloud backup services just a few years later, the company is now poised to continue its innovation curve with more services around unstructured data.
In most companies, unstructured data comprises about 80 percent of an enterprise's information, in the form of emails, documents, records, audio and video files, online journal articles, and other non-database formats. This type of data can be difficult to search and store without an effective tool for addressing backups and security.
"We looked at that data and wondered how we could make it useful," says Billy Cripe, Digitiliti's Vice President of Marketing and Sales. The company came out with a flagship product, digiLIBE, that offers archiving, sharing, and access to all unstructured data in an enterprise. Even better, the product can collect all business content from any device and put it into Digitiliti's cloud-based system.
The company currently has nine employees, and Cripe says it will continue to operate in lean and efficient mode, but Digitiliti is growing in terms of client numbers. Enterprise content management as an industry has been stagnant in the last five years, but nimble technology like Digitiliti's is surging in popularity as companies use content for collaboration, peer-to-peer file sharing, and other efficiency gains.
"The technology is changing so rapidly, and that's really exciting," says Cripe. "What we focus on is building functionality that adapts to how people need to deal with information."
Source: Billy Cripe, Digitiliti
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Minneapolis-based social media and digital marketing agency The Social Lights (see The Line's previous coverage
here) recently unveiled a new training and certification program that could boost the number of social media professionals in the Twin Cities.
The six-week accelerated course will be designed to equip qualified candidates with the knowledge and skills to shine as full-time social media community managers. Training is done in a classroom setting as well as online, blending client projects, industry speakers, and case studies. Participants learn to manage multiple platforms and pages, measure the success of their efforts, and develop creative content.
"Over the past three years of managing social media on behalf of a variety of brands, we've learned what it takes to be a strong Community Manager and act as the eyes, ears, and voice of a brand," says Martha McCarthy, co-founder of The Social Lights. "We've also noticed that an increasing number of social media positions require years of experience, but most candidates have no formal training, and limited experience."
During the past year, McCarthy and her partner, Emily Pritchard, have spoken with recruiters, HR managers, brand managers, and others, and discovered that many companies are in a similar position when it comes to recruiting social media professionals: the selection is slim, and those who have great potential lack a deeper level of training.
In addition to providing that instruction, the company will act as a placement agency of sorts, matching training participants with enterprises that need those skills.
"We aim to fill the social media talent gap and provide value to our students and clients alike," says McCarthy.
Source: Martha McCarthy, The Social Lights
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
A beautiful website or app might be satisfying, but if they lack a high degree of usability, they could sink a business.
Minneapolis-based NiceUX focuses on creating digital products that people enjoy using, and their expertise is becoming more in demand as companies across a range of industries rely on sites and applications.
Seeing steady growth, the company recently moved into new offices in the Warehouse District, and expects to grow its three-person team to 10 within the next year.
Founder Jon Hadden says he doesn't want to turn NiceUX into a large agency (or even be considered an agency), but he feels that the firm offers a distinctive service that will prompt further growth.
"What sets us apart is that every project is different, and we have the skills to recognize that," he says. "Each project has unique content and a unique audience, so we do the research upfront before we pick up a pencil to start any design work."
Many agencies produce digital work, he adds, but skimp on making sure that people will be viewing the finished product in a way that most benefits a client. NiceUX makes that endpoint a priority from the beginning, and Hadden believes this creates a higher level of customer service.
"Sometimes at companies, the research on usability gets put on a back burner," he notes. "But it should be a starting point."
Before making the move to new offices, the company was sharing space with another firm in the Grain Belt building, and Hadden feels this shift will kick off a fresh wave of growth. He says, "It's a wonderful space, and we're excited for what's ahead."
Source: Jon Hadden, NiceUX
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Many IT firms keep expanding their services to include more and more options for repair and implementation, and it's not surprising to find techs sent out for everything from high-level security strategy to home office printer repair.
But there's value in specialization, and at Minneapolis-based Whizkids Tech, the company is refining its offerings rather than broadening them.
Founded in 2009, the company gained significant traction just a year later with its first major client, and grew into a managed service provider, offering managed VoIP and managed IT. With seven employees, Whizkids has maintained steady growth over the past four years, and keeping on track will likely include more focus on the company's strengths, according to Kara Zarate Kneen, the company's Director of Operations.
"This year, we'll see growth through refinement," she says. "We offer something unique that sets us apart from other companies, we have a unique company culture and brand, and clients appreciate that."
One area of greater focus for Whizkids will be its managed VoIP, which handles technology-driven phone systems. The company offers VoIP telephony with support and upgrades, as well as customized systems. Zarate Kneen says that service allows Whizkids to be a full-spectrum technology ally to clients, creating a technology mix that isn't a one-size-fits-all solution.
"Work environments are becoming more integrated with VoIP and IT, and it's powerful to have one vendor that can handle both," she says.
Source: Kara Zarate Kneen, Whizkids Tech
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
High school students and others looking at postsecondary education will have a powerful new app, thanks to the state's Office of Higher Education (OHE).
The agency recently unveiled the Minnesota College Planner, a mobile application that can be downloaded for free. The tool provides students with resources for exploring college options and managing tasks associated with applying to college. OHE will be rolling out a new website soon to promote the app, and is already sending a lively video introduction to students.
Students can start planning as early as 8th grade, with reminders set for events like ACT testing and FAFSA form completion. Colleges and universities are sorted according to size, location, price, and majors. App users can browse profiles, set up campus visits, and stay updated on changes like tuition increases or new majors.
The app also lets students address financial aid issues as they search for schools, simplifying a process that has traditionally been "more challenging than a few quick swipes on a phone," says OHE Director Larry Pogemiller.
"The mobile site has been designed for students, giving them the ability to have some control and help with their own college planning," he says. "For example, the planner [tools] guide them as to what classes they should be taking in high school to meet the entrance guidelines for their dream career, which can help keep their goals realistic and focused."
He adds that the app was developed as a way to help more Minnesota students prepare for college in an increasingly technological society.
Source: Larry Pogemiller, Office of Higher Education
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Many times, entrepreneurial inspiration comes from seeing a gap in a specific chain of supply and demand. For University of Minnesota student Benjamin Hohl, that gap was filled with textbooks.
As a freshman, Hohl learned that the average college student spends about $900 per year on textbooks, and receives significantly less than that when selling them back to a campus bookstore. For example, Hohl bought a $200 psychology textbook, and sold it back for $15.
"I wondered why there wasn't a better system to connect students who had the books with those who were willing to buy them," he says. "I thought: why not localize it? We all take the same classes, so why shouldn't we connect with each other to get what we need?"
A few years later, the idea came back to him over a holiday break, and he put together a rough website called TextExchange, which he later changed to the "more catchy" NakedTextbooks. After rebuilding the site several times and adding more functionality, he launched recently and had 2,500 site visitors in the first week. The startup has brought on two other university students to expand its marketing efforts.
The setup is simple: users arrange book exchanges in person, stating how much they'd charge for their used textbooks. Hohl anticipates that the service will always be free for users, but will be monetized by local advertising, especially from potential meet-up sites like coffee shops.
Based on how well the site does at the U. of M. in the near future, Hohl expects that NakedTextbooks could roll out to several more campuses next fall, and expand beyond that in subsequent semesters. In addition to textbooks, he sees the site becoming a major exchange point for students, who could buy and sell items like futons or dorm furniture. Eventually, there could even be subscription fees from universities themselves, he believes.
"We think we have a service that's valuable, and at some point, we'll see a revenue stream," Hohl says. "In the meantime, we're just excited about the different directions this could go."
Source: Benjamin Hohl, NakedTextbooks
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
As farming and ranching increasingly rely on technology for recordkeeping and trend data, Burnsville-based MetaFarms looks ahead to expansion. Within the next year, CEO Chad Becker anticipates that the ag software will translated into other languages, expanding the software's worldwide reach.
Founded in 2000, MetaFarms provides a web-based data platform for those involved in animal production. For example, someone who raises pigs can bring together information on animal growth rates, feed, transportation and other issues. That kind of data allows farmers to create reports that can track farm productivity and trends, information that's crucial for business effectiveness but can be lacking in more paper-based types of recordkeeping.
Becker, who grew up on a small dairy farm and remembers his family keeping records in a farm journal, has seen firsthand how technology is making farms and ranches more efficient. "Technology can be applied in different ways to help farmers track and organize all types of data," he says. "That helps them to do better when running their farms."
In the last three years, MetaFarms has seen steady growth after some challenging years in the ag market. They're adding to their 14-person staff, and diversifying their software to include other types of animals, such as turkeys and goats. Eventually, Becker says, the company hopes to connect into the whole food supply chain, bringing even richer data to customers.
Because farmers in other countries face the same issues as those in the United States, MegaFarms has seen strong interest internationally in its platform. Becker says, "I'm excited about leading MetaFarms in the company's next phase of growth and success."
Source: Chad Becker, MetaFarms
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
When it comes to crowdfunding, most people are familiar with Kickstarter, a site that boosts the potential of artists and businesspeople, with a strong focus on community efforts and creative arts. For those who don't fall into those categories, though, utilizing crowdfunding has been almost impossible.
That is, until now. Savage-based company LiifGroup offers a dynamic platform that allows users to raise money through multiple crowdfunding sites designed by the firm.
Co-founded by Mark Connelly, Jack Cosentino, and Kristi Masser, the platform launched on January 8th, and has already been gaining traction.
"The last couple months have been crazy," says Connelly. "We're vetting projects, looking at financials, and going from meeting to meeting. We're the first crowdfunding company started in Minnesota, and it's obvious already that there was a need for this."
LiifGroup's model differs from Kickstarter, since a venture won't lose all their money if a certain amount isn't reached within a specified timeframe. Instead, they can receive partial funding. LiifGroup generates revenue by receiving five percent of the amount each company raises.
The medical market, in particular, will benefit from the platform. Connelly is an emergency and trauma physician for North Memorial Health Care, while Masser spent 15 years with pharmaceutical giant Merck. That experience, combined with Cosentino's tech startup background, made the trio gravitate first to the many medical device startups in the region.
In addition to its medical crowdfunding site, called LiifMed, the company has a platform for sports-related startups, LiifSport. Connelly notes that another one is being built for luxury goods, and he anticipates a variety of platforms in the future.
"Already, we see growth ahead, and a great deal of opportunity," he says.
Source: Mark Connelly, LiifGroup
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Thanks to online resources, searching for patents is a snap, and local site PatentBuddy makes it even easier. The site offers patent search, analytics, inventor information, and other services, and as its popularity increases, it's likely that growth can't be far behind.
In June, the site will implement changes that turn the not-for-profit model into a revenue-generating powerhouse. Some features will still be free, especially for smaller law firms and individuals, but for Fortune 100 companies and large firms that maintain extensive patent portfolios through PatentBuddy's tools, a "modest fee" will be involved, says company president Leon Steinberg.
Considering how many users the site has, those modest fees could add up fast. The site as become the largest provider of patent analytics in the world, with over 250,000 monthly visitors.
PatentBuddy got its start in 2007, when patent attorneys Steve Lundberg and Janal Kalis, both shareholders at the Schwegman Lundberg firm in Minneapolis, rolled out the site as a way to increase access to patent information. They found that solo inventors had difficulty getting necessary patent data without relying on law firms for searches and analytics.
They built the site without a plan for revenue, but now that PatentBuddy has grown so robust, the fee structure will be put in place to spur further growth. Steinberg was brought on recently to help shepherd the changes.
"We have a large, well-structured database with just about every piece of patent information available, including foreign patents," he says. "That means we have unique reports and analytics, and we intend to keep being a resource with those for companies large and small."
Source: Leon Steinberg, PatentBuddy
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
CaringBridge founder and CEO Sona Mehring will be stepping away from the Eagan-based organization to take on a new challenge: Congress.
Mehring started the nonprofit in 1997 as a way for seriously ill people or their family members to create one central, online resource that could keep others updated about health changes. Since then, the site has recorded over two billion visits, and has added distinctive features like a calendar mechanism that lets people arrange tasks like food delivery and doctor's appointment rides.
It's likely that the site will have even more innovation in the future, Mehring notes, alluding to a bold strategic vision put together by the leadership team and the nonprofit's Board of Directors.
As she transitions out of the organization, Mehring expects it'll take about a year for the full shift to occur, and in that time, she'll be exploring her options for a political campaign.
"Bottom line, I want to continue to impact people's lives in a positive way," says Mehring. "Our representation in Congress is out of step with what we need. We need leaders that want to work together to solve problems."
She adds that her background, particularly when it comes to building the highly visited CaringBridge site, has given her not only the insight she needs for this career move, but also the motivation.
"My life and career experiences have provided me with the skills and drive to work hard to move forward versus backwards," she says. "Making a difference within Congress is a next step for me."
Source: Sona Mehring, CaringBridge
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Although online deal sites like Groupon and LivingSocial boast plenty of fans, the model can be challenging for consumers and businesses alike. Those who change their minds about a product or service will lose money because they paid upfront, and for companies, demand can be so intense that more than one business has been shuttered by a Groupon deal.
Minneapolis-based startup lumaNEAR believes there's a better way.
The idea for the deal site has roots at the University of Minnesota, where co-founders Scott Sailer and Kyle Ries were roommates while attending the Carlson School of Management. Sharing a passion for business efficiency, the pair tried a number of different startup ideas, but none felt large enough for eventual expansion.
Then, they started listening to complaints about the online group-buying model, and like the lightbulb in their logo, something clicked on. "We wondered what would happen if we removed the friction and hassle from both sides," says Sailer. "People could still get deals and companies could still get business, but without the headaches."
Their venture, developed with creative guru Teresa Facciotto, went into beta on April 6th. The platform lets users navigate a map with posted deals, but doesn't require pre-buying to take advantage of them. Unlike other online deal sites, lumaNEAR lets vendors tweak a deal at any time, or even remove them if they choose.
Best of all for both sides, the service is free. As a bootstrapped venture, lumaNEAR will likely add fee-based premium features for businesses in the future in order to begin turning a profit, but the co-founders are adamant that basic functionality will always be free.
"Our mission is to connect these two groups together, easily and with low cost," says Sailer. "We have lofty goals for expansion, and we're excited to see where this takes us."
Source: Scott Sailer, lumaNEAR
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
As the construction industry roars back to life after a difficult recession, Minneapolis startup BuildTools is finding robust growth, less than two years after launching.
The construction management software got its start when a local builder approached business development professional Chad Mayes and asked for a software tool to assist with building projects. After a test run, Mayes and his team took the software platform to other builders to see if it was worth further development.
"It quickly became apparent that we were sitting on something really valuable, so we took it from in-house ugly duckling to polished software platform," says Mayes. The new BuildTools application released nationally in the summer of 2011, and since then, growth has been so solid that the tool quickly went international, and is now translated into six languages.
Timing has been key, Mayes notes. During the darker days of the recession, many in the construction industry learned to streamline operations, and they didn't make investments for new software. As the industry regained health, the ongoing desire for efficiency and looser budgets brought a surge of customers to BuildTools.
Designed by builders, the software is ideal for mobile devices like iPads, which are increasingly used by project managers, contractors, and even carpenters, for making lists and referring to construction plans.
Mayes estimates that BuildTools is currently reaching just under 10 percent of the market, which means that major expansion is likely as the platform becomes more widespread.
"Definitely, we see increased growth, and we'll be looking to expand not just locally but also nationally and internationally," says Mayes.
Source: Chad Mayes, BuildTools
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Minneapolis-based Sport Ngin just received a major funding infusion that will boost the company's already impressive growth even more. The sports software provider recently closed a $6 million financing round with El Dorado Ventures, a venture capital firm with offices in Minnetonka and Silicon Valley. That brings their overall funding total to $10 million since the company's founding in 2008.
Sport Ngin began as TST Media, a design and creative agency started by Justin Kaufenberg and Carson Kipfer while both attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. "Originally, it was just to make a little extra beer money," Kipfer says, with a laugh. "But by the time we were finishing school, we could see the potential for much more."
Looking for a niche, and drawing on their experience playing sports through high school and college, the pair focused on developing software for sports organizations, first for hockey and then for many other sports.
The software they developed allows teams to manage players, post schedules, and track stats, as well as offer online registration. A tournament package offers tools that let users run everything from a Little League event to a professional playoff.
Currently hiring for a number of positions, Sport Ngin sees more growth ahead, both in employee numbers and in products. The company's revenue has increased 100 percent year after year for the past four fiscal years, and aggressive hiring has increased staff numbers to 120.
"This current investment underscores our progress, hard work, and many successes to date, and validates the widespread adoption of Sport Ngin by thousands of sports organizations," says Kaufenberg. "This capital infusion will enable us to further grow our market presence, and to expand and enhance the functionality of Sport Ngin."
Sources: Carson Kipfer and Justin Kaufenberg, Sport Ngin
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Real estate isn't the only industry where location matters.
For marketing, branding, and creative design, a company needs to understand its figurative place among competitors and customers. Susan Hopp and Karl Schweikart, founders of Minneapolis-based creative firm 45 Degrees, have spent the last 16 years as mapmakers for their clients--helping to figure out how each client fits into a specific place in the world.
The married couple started the business in 1997, and chose the company name as a nod toward their geographical position--on the 45 parallel of latitude, which runs through the Twin Cities. They feel that 45 Degrees is unique in the creative industry because of the amount of time they spend in finding a client's "location."
"We need to really understand them before we start designing anything," says Schweikart. "We help them identify their strengths, their emotional connections, in order to give them a solid foundation to move forward."
Hopp adds that other design firms try to capture the essence of a company or brand, but not as in-depth as 45 Degrees. That tendency toward brand cartography can be invaluable for clients, since they might come in thinking they only need a new logo, and end up realizing that they're deeply disconnected from customers.
Looking ahead, the pair don't anticipate growing their employee numbers (currently, it's just the two of them in their happy groove), but they are leaning toward taking on more mid-size companies, which tend to feel the pain of customer disconnection most acutely.
"We have an opportunity to make an impact for clients of any size," says Hopp. "For us, this work is about much more than design."
Sources: Susan Hopp and Karl Schweikart, 45 Degrees
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Now entering its 9th year, the Minnesota Cup is distinctive for its array of innovative ideas and entrepreneurship, attracting startup founders and inventors to showcase their best insights for the chance to win $200,000. This year's kickoff came on March 25th, with ideas accepted until May 17th, and organizers are gearing up for another year of robust competition.
"Just like every year, we're excited about what's ahead," says Scott Litman, Minnesota Cup co-founder. "This has become such a great way to inspire and support the state's early-stage entrepreneurs, and it's become a cornerstone for the entrepreneur ecosystem here."
The competition features six divisions: Energy/Clean Tech, General, High Tech, Life Science/Health IT, Social Entrepreneur, and Student. Those who advance to higher rounds get the opportunity to present their business ideas, get paired with mentors, and network with potential investors.
Since the competition began n 2005, over 7,000 Minnesotans have participated. Finalists from just the past four years have gone on to raise more than $60 million in capital. Last year's Grand Prize winner, PreciouStatus, has raised over $1.5 million since its win.
Although every division is chock full of entrants, Litman notes that there are some trends from year to year. "It's fascinating to find a big surge of quality and ideas in certain areas," he says. High Tech tends to be a busy division, he says, but in teh past few years, Health IT has been growing steadily.
Participation is fairly consistent, though, with about 1,000 participants every year. Those who make it to the semifinal round in June will be paired with mentors, with finalists from every division chosen in August.
Source: Scott Litman, Minnesota Cup
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Nightclubs in Chile are getting more profitable, thanks to Minneapolis-based startup BookBottles.
The company got started in 2011, when founder Parag Shah was chatting with some friends who were nightclub promoters. They began talking about the challenges of bottle service, a VIP-level reservation where club-goers can book a table and buy liquor by the bottle rather than by the drink. A significant revenue driver for clubs, the service varies widely even in nightlife hotspots like New York and Las Vegas.
Shah tested out the reservation services of several clubs in big cities, booking tables online and by phone, and found that over 75 percent of the clubs didn't even contact him to make the reservations, and some got back to him after the reservation date.
"Considering how much customers are willing to spend on bottle service, the terrible customer service was just baffling to me," he says. "This wasn't just a big opportunity; it seemed like it could go global."
After forming a team and creating software that made it easy for club owners to streamline their bottle service offerings, Shah's business partner went to Startup Chile and received funding for expansion into South America.
Success there is translating into more international opportunity, with BookBottles opening in Mexico within the next couple weeks. In another recent win, the company partnered with Apple to create device packages so the app can be used on Apple products like the iPhone and iPad.
"People don't understand how big this market is, and the nuances of bottle service," says Shah. "We're fortunate in that we're getting into this growing, huge industry, and seeing that our application can be modified for different industries like casinos and restaurants. We're very excited about where we can go from here."
Source: Parag Shah, BookBottles
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Fundraising in the Digital Economy
April 2
CoCo Minneapolis
400 S. 4th St., 4th Floor
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
free
INVESTyR co-founders Patrick Donohue and Phil Pogge deliver an overview of the types of tactics used to harness digital media for fundraising. Geared toward entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and companies of any size, the talk gives attendees tools for raising capital and strengthening relationships with investors and financiers.
TechBiz Minnesota 2013
April 5
Earle Brown Heritage Center
6155 Earle Brown Dr., Brooklyn Center
9:30 am - 3:00 pm
$25
Organized by Advance IT Minnesota, this conference brings together employers of IT-related talent and local students. During the event, student projects will be showcased, giving students an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and employers a chance to see accomplished learners.
Hedgeye Embraces Minnesota: CEO Keith McCullough Talks Social Media
April 10
Macy's Oak Grill
700 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
$20 members, $45 non-members
Hosted by the CFA Society of Minnesota, this talk by Hedgeye Risk Management founder Keith McCullough addresses social media in the context of finance and investment. With more than 20,000 followers on Twitter, McCullough can articulate how he uses the medium to engage audiences and spark innovation.
Access the Western Hemisphere Conference
April 23 & 24
Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis
7:30 am - 5:00 pm
registration from $249 to $349 depending on type
Bringing together 10 senior commercial diplomats and sponsored by the Minnesota District Export Council, this conference will provide insight on how attendees can identify new export opportunities, develop strategic relationships, and increase market share in specific countries.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
There's a certain kind of power to a really good metaphor, and for a top example, just consider Bicycle Theory.
The St. Paul-based brand marketing firm, started in 2001 by entrepreneurs Ben McCoy and Jeremy Burgeson, got its distinctive name in part from McCoy's love for cycling, but also from the company's mission.
"It's a great metaphor because when we chose it, we were working with small brands and we could see how bicycles were representative of brand marketing," says McCoy, noting that a strong brand is similar to a well-designed, well-maintained bicycle that can carry its rider farther and faster than a poorly constructed bike. Even the wheels can be metaphorical, he adds--they stand for the two primary media that carry campaigns, print and web.
The idea for a brand management company was first sparked when the founders were just out of college and working for a creative agency. McCoy jokes that they were both the kind of kids who knew how to program VCRs in the 1980s, so they gravitated toward technology, and in 2001, the Internet was still like the Wild West.
"We started in a basement, and then moved into larger spaces over the years," he says. The firm has five full-time employees, and McCoy notes that they're ready to grow, but want to be methodical about expansion.
"There's so much innovation going on, and every day brings a new round of problem solving," he says. "We're excited about the possibilities, but at the same time, our goal isn't to be on the bleeding edge, it's to be on the cutting edge. We always want to make sure our solutions will work."
Source: Ben McCoy, Bicycle Theory
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
As the housing market continues to rebound, real estate agents and house hunters will have a powerful tool in the search for fresh properties, thanks to a new app called 400 Doors.
Created by real estate agent Bill Pauling, designer Nils Hansen, and programmer Robert Nelson, the app allows buyers to get a glimpse of properties potentially coming onto the market before they're formally listed, providing a crystal ball into new listings. Sellers are able to use the app to gauge what sort of price they can get for a property, as a way to determine if the timing is right for them.
"Right now, a lot of buyers are frustrated because there's very little inventory on the market, so when something good does get listed, it's very competitive," says Pauling. "From a seller's standpoint, they want to know if they can get the price they want before they list."
The idea came to Pauling when he was sitting in a weekly meeting at his agency and chatting about pre-listings. This is common practice at every real estate firm, he says, but it's done on such an informal basis that the information isn't captured in any useful way for those who can't make the meeting. Some systems have been created at certain agencies, but they're in-house and agency-specific, so they don't benefit the entire real estate community.
The app's name is a nod toward all the doors that open as a result of getting a deal done, Pauling says. Funded by sponsors like plumbers and electricians, who pay to get their names to users, 400 Doors is free for agents. Launched in February, the app is taking off already, with agents from over 20 brokerages signing up, and more new members every day.
"This model should work anywhere, and the feedback so far has been outstanding," says Pauling. "We try to be modest in our goals, but once we perfect it here, there's no reason we can't go nationwide with the system."
Source: Bill Pauling, 400 Doors
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
In Internet years, The Foundation is practically an institution by now.
Founded in 1999, the Minneapolis-based company began as a managed IT firm for printers, graphic designers, and architects, and even after 14 years, the focus still remains on creative professionals. In the past decade, the company has blended in other services like project implementation and remote network monitoring, but its laser focus on one industry has made The Foundation a go-to IT resource for creatives.
"The difficulty in that particular industry is that they're increasingly reliant on technology, but many of them don't have time to learn about the technical side," says Matt Woestehoff, Director of Business Development and Operations at The Foundation. "We help them get back to work quickly when a problem comes up."
The company's 14 employees tend to come from creative fields--Woestehoff jokes that he's a "failed designer"--and are passionate about supporting the creative community. In addition to getting clients back on track, The Foundation has also seen an uptick in implementation requests. For example, a creative agency might want to deploy 1,000 iPads in retail stores and set up a dedicated help desk for the effort. Not only can The Foundation take on that task easily, but it can also set up relevant apps and handle technology updates.
Mobile technology efforts like that are driving big growth at the company, which looks forward to adding at least five people to its employee roster over the next year. But even if the firm didn't get a major boost from mobile, there would still be contentment with its founding mission, Woestehoff believes: "We have a purpose, and we can see how our work affects the bigger creative community."
Source: Matt Woestehoff, The Foundation
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Back in the old days of Internet business startups (think mid-1990s), usability tended to be a big deal, sparking hundreds of articles about best practices and online navigation strategies. Although the term isn't used as often these days, it's still a vitally important component for companies that want to build effective user experiences.
Founded in 2002, Minneapolis-based Straight Line Theory has focused on information architecture and usability for over a decade, resisting the urge to broaden its offerings into other areas like web design or online branding. The company has no web designers or developers, just usability experts who know how people interact with each other and with companies online.
The business name, says co-founder John Dusek, refers to the route someone would take to get from point A to point B: a straight line. "It's a good metaphor for what we do," he says. "We see what clients are trying to accomplish, and we help them satisfy those goals as efficiently as possible."
With the rise of mobile technologies, usability has become even more important in some ways, giving Straight Line Theory a steady stream of clients. They now do a large chunk of work on mobile devices, tablets, and even mall kiosks and ATM machines.
With seven employees, Straight Line Theory has been conservative in terms of growth, Dusek says. Usually, the firm adds one employee per year, and that rate of expansion keeps the company nimble, notes Dusek: "We don't have layers of project managers and account people, just clients and interface design professionals working directly with one another."
Source: John Dusek, Straight Line Theory
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Mobile apps can provide everything from online banking capability to restaurant reviews, so why wouldn't they be able to untangle your love life, too?
A unique new app, Dear Appvice, is willing to give it a shot. Developed by Todd Gross at media company New World Productions, the app's name is a nod toward popular advice column Dear Abby, and it's designed to make any user into a budding expert on relationships.
Featuring a simple interface, the app lets users pose a question and get up to five responses. Other users can give advice or see what's already been written. The categories are love, sex, dating, and relationships.
Gross thought of the idea after working on corporate projects at New World. Looking for a venture he could do independently, he was struck by a morning talk radio show that featured callers who gave each other advice on love.
"It occurred to me that I could put that in an application, and let people talk to each other, with the same level of anonymity you'd get from a call-in show," he says. "Sometimes online, it feels like everyone is running their own promotional campaign for themselves, but this is something where they could interact instead."
Of course, the app launched on Valentine's Day. Since then, the reaction has been strong, and users are embracing the concept. A couple of very heartfelt interchanges let Gross know that he was on track with his goal of creating something useful and important to users.
"You always think, what can I do to make the world a better place, to increase communication?" he says. "Matters of the heart affect all of us, and that's why I think this app is so well received. I'm excited to see where we can take it."
Source: Todd Gross, Dear Appvice
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Fundraising for nonprofits and political campaigns seems to be as much of an art as a skill. Harnessing innovation can help, and that's where PoliMobile comes in.
Founded by entrepreneur Curt Prins in 2011, the startup initially began as a software-as-a-service platform, until both President Obama and Mitt Romney announced they were adopting Square to help them fundraise. Prins and his team saw that moment as a hook for PoliMobile's platform, showing that new technologies could be used to raised money.
The company switched its focus to mobile, working with a mobile app development agency to create a tool that could be used across a variety of campaigns. Last year, PoliMobile set up mobile capability for Minnesotans United, the major effort to defeat the proposed Marriage Amendment, as well as a mobile project for the organization against the proposed Photo ID Amendment. Prins notes that PoliMobile's market tends to lean toward progressive organizations right now, but could work across the political spectrum.
"Coming out of the 2012 election cycle, campaigns we worked on had an 80 percent win rate, which is pretty decent," Prins says, adding that the PoliMobile platform was able to identify specific communities using census data and send tailored messages that were helpful for building awareness and developing fundraising opportunities. For example, a campaign that wanted to send a customized message to Somali residents could find the top three zip codes for those voters and push out a note to their mobile devices. For populations such as Somali, Hmong, and African Americans, mobile technology is often the only way to reach individuals.
Because of its unique niche, PoliMobile's future looks bright, especially since there will always be political campaigns, from local elections to presidential races, with every level in-between.
"We believe that next year will be big, and if we continue to play it right, 2016 will be even larger," Prins says.
Source: Curt Prins, PoliMobile
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Rochester is ready to see a fresh burst of startup activity, thanks to a new business accelerator put together by the Mayo Clinic and the Rochester Area Economic Development Initiative.
The Mayo Clinic Business Accelerator at the Minnesota BioBusiness Center features space that can be leased by entrepreneurs, startup companies, venture capitalists and professional service provider. According to Dr. John Noseworthy, president and CEO of Mayo Clinic, the accelerator was put together to spark the growth of healthcare-related businesses in the area.
"The accelerator is an example of the strength of a strong partnership between Mayo Clinic and the community, to make it easier and more affordable for companies to start and locate in Rochester," Dr. Noseworthy says.
There are seven founding tenants, including Versant Ventures, a venture capital firm that specializes in investments in medical devices and biopharmaceuticals, and Evidentia Health, an IT company focusing on healthcare clients. Other tenants include Resoundant, Zumbro Discovery, and VitalHealth Software.
Mayo Clinic aims to provide a nurturing space so that companies can avoid the type of startup roadblocks that might hinder growth.
Dr. Noseworthy added that the accelerator fits in well with Destination Medical Center, a $5 billion economic development initiative that is projected to create up to 45,000 new jobs in Rochester and other parts of the state.
Startup companies are willing to locate in Rochester, Dr. Noseworthy notes, but they need to infrastructure to stay in the city. "Without that, they are vulnerable to leaving not only Rochester, but the state of Minnesota."
Source: John Noseworthy, Mayo Clinic
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
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Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Getting young professionals involved in philanthropy is crucial to the health of nonprofits, but often, there's little or no training for how to function on a board of directors, or contribute to a larger mission.
Engine for Social Innovation intends to change that situation.
The startup, founded by local entrepreneur Jim Delaney, draws on his experience working in the for-profit corporate world and participating in nonprofit organizations as a board member for groups like the YMCA. While serving, he began to see a gap between savvy professionals and organizations that could use their skills.
"I had smart friends who wanted to be helpful and make a difference, and at the same time, I saw nonprofits that needed that kind of talent," he says. "But for some reason, there wasn't a solid mechanism for bringing those two groups together." After a pilot project at the YMCA, followed by an Executive Director stint at Free Arts Minnesota, Delaney decided to create Engine in 2010 to fill the gap.
The program features an extensive training curriculum using a cohort model. Corporations send their top candidates to Engine, where they are put in a team of four to five people, with three teams running at a time. The teams work on the type of skills needed to thrive in environments of ambiguity, Delaney notes. At the same time, nonprofits participating in the program determine their strategic needs and benefit from the team-based approach to addressing them.
Companies like PricewaterhouseCoopers and Thrivent have sent participants through the program, and nonprofit clients have included GiveMN.org, Finnegan's Foundation, and Minnesota Jaycees. Currently, Delaney is developing a program for Engine alums to do a global exchange where they can work overseas for two weeks with a social enterprise.
With the expertise available at Engine for Social Innovation, it's likely that the gap between talented young professionals and nonprofits will close up quickly.
Source: Jim Delaney, Engine for Social Innovation
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
A new program at the University of Minnesota could boost the number of startup companies and innovative products in the state, with faculty putting a whole new spin on "office hours."
The Entrepreneurial Leave Program will facilitate temporary leave for faculty inventors who want to assist an external organization in commercializing a product or service that might use university-derived intellectual property.
The university decided on the step because as a land-grant institution, the school wants to stay connected to the local business community, notes Russ Straate, in the Office for Technology Commercialization at the University of Minnesota. That connection is strengthened when technology makes it out of the university and into the marketplace, a transition in which faculty usually plays a key role.
"We put this together to help faculty translate their work into the commercial sector," says Straate. "It gives them permission and time to explore."
Most importantly, the program also gives them benefits. In the past, faculty were granted leaves of absence to pursue projects, but had to give up their health insurance and other plum university benefits. That left many putting their projects on a back burner instead of pursuing commercialization.
"It's important for faculty to continue to grow and learn, that's what sabbaticals are about," Straate says. "When doing a leave of absence, though, you shouldn't be negatively impacting your family and yourself."
The program will be officially in place in July, but Straate notes that there's already buzz among faculty members who've wanted to take their research and development to the next level.
Source: Russ Straate, University of Minnesota
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
Wildly popular with consumers, sites like LivingSocial and Groupon aren't always relevant for young adults, believes entrepreneur Chad Olsen.
"There are so many crazy good deals, but it felt like there wasn't much for college students," he says. To change the situation, he created ByME, an app that focuses on that demographic, and also puts a different spin on the online coupon model.
Unlike Groupon, those using ByME don't need to buy ahead for their deals. They can just bring a smartphone into a participating retailer or service provider and present the e-coupon on the spot. That's an advantage, because it doesn't create a deluge of orders for a small business, and it doesn't lock users into a certain deal before they start shopping.
Olsen got the idea for the company while running a web development agency. One of his clients called, in tears, because a Groupon deal had overloaded the company, and eventually drove it into bankruptcy.
"When I heard that, I thought there must be a way to start with good deals for students, and drive traffic for these businesses, without overwhelming them," he says.
The app does create a bit of a frenzy, however. A recent deal at Noodles & Co. was so popular that the restaurant ran out of food. Olsen jokes that the company's new tagline is "We made Noodles run out of noodles."
As the company approaches its one-year mark, Olsen and his business partner Alec Bronston are already working on the next version, incorporating tweaks that will make ByME even more useful. He says, "We're able to learn from our mistakes to become more agile and lean."
Source: Chad Olsen, ByME
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
Sometimes, great ideas spring from mundane situations--such as watching a delivery person show up multiple times to the same building within a half-hour timeframe.
"While I was working in a corporate setting, there was one day where I saw a delivery driver from a restaurant five blocks away come to our office building five times within about 20 minutes," says Ben Cattoor (see photo at left), "I just thought to myself: there has to be a better system than that."
The idea sparked Foodsby, a startup launched last May that allows restaurants to streamline their deliveries. The company focused on wooing eateries that were smaller, and didn't have delivery service already in place, since Foodsby tends to work best for that type of restaurant.
The app works by allowing restaurants to choose their delivery times and locations. Users can go to the Foodsby site and place orders, relieving the restaurant from taking time to jot down individual orders and deliver them separately.
Because of the efficiencies realized by the app, many customers are finding that they don't have to hire delivery drivers, and can depend on existing employees. For example, if a restaurant decides to deliver to just one certain nearby office building on Fridays, an employee can zip over in less than 15 minutes with all the orders.
Currently, about 20 restaurants use the system, and Cattoor says Foodsby is using Minneapolis as a test market with the hope of going nationwide at some point. "We really think this model is useful, and it gives restaurants much more control," he says. "We're excited to see where it can go from here."
Source: Ben Cattoor, Foodsby
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The Stir
March 14
Minneapolis City Center Marriott
5:00 pm - 8:30 pm
$75
Hosted by the Women's Foundation of Minnesota as a fundraising event for the organization, The Stir is a networking event with dinner and drinks. A keynote from Jacquie Bergland, founder and CEO of Finnegans, will kick off the evening.
TechFuse
March 21
Minneapolis Convention Center
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
$349
Geared toward IT professionals, TechFuse is now in its sixth year, and going strong with a couple sold-out shows in the past few years. The one-day event covers a range of topics, from app-specific sessions on Windows 2012 and PowerShell v3 to broader discussions on change in professional development and IT as a business.
Mobile March 2013
March 21
Earle Brown Heritage Center
6155 Earle Brown Dr., Brooklyn Center
8:00 am - 6:00 pm
$115
The popular Mobile March conference should prove especially lively this year since the Twin Cities seems awash in mobile app development. Attendees will hear presentations on topics like game development, user experience, and mobile advertising, as well as case studies of local businesses that have found success in the mobile space.
Connect India
March 23
Crowne Plaza, Bloomington
5:00 am - 9:30 pm
$40 - $50, depending on membership
Over a sumptuous Indian dinner, attendees at this business event can hear speakers from the Indian-American community discuss their role in the wider economic community. Scheduled to speak are Vikas Narula, creator of Keyhubs, Marie Pillai at General Mills, and Sri Zaheer, Dean at the Carlson School of Management.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
As cabin fever continues across the metro, many local food lovers are signing up for community supported agriculture programs and eagerly looking forward to this year's farmers markets.
That mentality created ideal timing for a recent Living Social sign-up offer from Twin Cities Local Food, an online marketplace and food delivery system that pairs local consumers and growers. Now entering its second year, the company used the deal-making site to offer a discount on its usual membership price, and was rewarded with a stunning surge in new memberships. Within only four days, the firm sold all of those discounted memberships.
"We were amazed, it was a really intense couple of days, and we had no idea it would take off like that," says co-founder Josh Kelly, who started the venture with his wife, Natalie. He left the corporate world to pursue his dream of providing fresh, healthy food to the local community, and after slow-but-steady growth last year, it already looks like they'll need to expand infrastructure to meet demand.
With the Twin Cities Local Food model, farmers and producers of other goods like honey and maple syrup benefit because they can directly market, sell, and package their own products, but skip distribution. Customers can order online weekly and then pick up their food at one of the company's drop-off sites in locations like South Minneapolis, St. Paul, Eagan, and Osseo.
The model has been tried in other states, but so far, Twin Cities Local Food is the only business of its kind here. From the recent reaction to the Living Social deal, it's obvious that demand is strong. As the farming season gears up, it's likely that more new memberships and referrals will be on the way.
Kelly says, "It felt really good to see so much interest and enthusiasm, not just for us, but for local food. Healthy, whole, real food is getting the attention it deserves, and that's bound to drive growth for us."
Source: Josh Kelly, Twin Cities Local Food
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Considering the economic storm that creative placement agency True Talent Group survived in its first few years, the sunny skies ahead are more than welcome.
Started in 2008 by entrepreneur Stacey Stratton, the company began during a dismal time for startups, she believes, but she took a chance anyway. She established a basement office, did sales recruiting, and took only a year to bring on three employees (see
previous coverage in The Line about her start-up track).
Over the past year, Stratton has found even stronger footing, and she notes that the agency is on track for double-digit growth again in 2013. In addition to business revenue growth, True Talent Group has added to their team by hiring staff to help with recruiting and client retention, and the company is now a robust enterprise. What it lacks, however, are actual offices.
The accounting, marketing, legal, and advisory teams consist of individuals and organizations outside the corporate entity of True Talent Group, and Stratton believes that the model demonstrates the strength of a virtual office strategy.
"While we focus exclusively on marketing, interactive, and the creative industry, we think it would be disingenuous for us to build capacity in the categories of legal, accounting, and especially marketing," she says. "We rely on experts with perspective and savvy to deliver for us, just like our clients expect our talented team to deliver for them."
She adds that they company's impressive 90-percent referral rate is keeping the company on track, and it's more than likely that True Talent will keep going strong.
Source: Stacey Stratton, True Talent Group
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
The housing market's slow-but-growing recovery is good news for everyone from homeowners to lenders, and it's particularly welcome news for Minneapolis company Mobile Realty Apps.
Established in 2009, the technology-based startup entered the market at a tricky time, admits founder and CEO Aaron Kardell. But even with a sickly industry, the firm saw modest growth during its first two years. Over the past year, however, the traction really began to build. "We've seen pickup in a significant way, especially as our apps are getting more noticed," he says.
The company has developed a range of applications for tablet computers and smartphones, and is garnering the most attention lately for HomeSpotter, an app that uses a device with a live camera feed to deliver information on a specific property. A user can just point a smartphone or tablet down a street and instantly get info on all the houses for sale on that stretch.
Mobile Realty Apps has also been upgrading its other applications, drawing customers like Edina Realty, RE/MAX, and NorthstarMLS. "Our local success has positioned us well for rollout on a national level," Kardell says. "We're seeing a convergence of key factors in our growth, including increased credibility based on our local customer base, and pickup in the housing market."
The company's wins created the need to find bigger office space, leading Mobile Realty Apps to recently move into the Grain Exchange building.
Kardell expects the momentum to continue, with an expanded client base, more product lines, and strong growth. As the housing market comes back, Mobile Realty Apps will be ready.
Source: Aaron Kardell, Mobile Realty Apps
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
It seems that every college campus and coffee shop is awash in flyers, with announcements about bands, parties, and for-sale items. But what if all that information could be disseminated digitally, creating a robust and hyperlocal connection?
That's the premise behind YELLaround, a startup created in 2011 when friends Kyle Case and Trong Dong came to the Twin Cities after graduating from Iowa State University. The pair were struck by the number of activities locally, but still struggled with feeling connected to the city, and realized that much of their information about events came from flyers and newspaper ads.
"We thought that there must be a way to feel engaged with the people around you in a better way," says Case. "We envisioned an app that would connect you to a community quickly."
They started YELLaround to build the app, and just released the first iteration to the App Store on iTunes in January. Although it's early in the sales cycle to get an idea of popularity, Case is feeling confident that it'll catch on, based on the positive reaction of the first wave of users. The app works by broadcasting a message over a 20-mile radius, making it ideal for local events, and users can expand the range with a feature called "echo."
To extend the app's reach, Case and Dong are focusing on event organizers, but they see a broader future ahead. Case says, "We want it to be a local communication venture, where you can connect with people around you without having to use formal systems like Facebook. You can see why traffic is backed up, or find people to start a band. It's an open platform to connect."
Source: Kyle Case, YELLaround
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Minneapolis-based thedatabank focuses on helping nonprofit organizations with software that makes operations more streamlined, and its latest offering fits right in with its product lineup.
Called SocialCRM, the tool includes capability for social media tracking so that nonprofits can use information effectively. A user can rank Twitter followers, LinkedIn connections and Facebook friends based on a customizable system. With that scoring, a nonprofit can build relationships with social influencers, or even provide targeted messaging to certain members.
Also with SocialCRM, a nonprofit can manage its own social media accounts from a single dashboard. This is particularly valuable when nonprofits have to juggle multiple profiles on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other sites, and keep on top of all social media activity. SocialCRM funnels every post and tweet into a central dashboard that allows for better management and scheduling.
The software provides much-needed organization for nonprofit social media efforts, believes Chris Hanson, CEO and co-founder of thedatabank: "Every nonprofit we talk to is doing something with social media, yet very few of them have the information or tools they need to take advantage of the tremendous opportunity to raise money and increase support through social media."
Hanson adds that SocialCRM was developed when the company heard stories from its nonprofit customers about the difficulties of bridging the divide between a social media list and a database. The tool was developed to help nonprofits get a "full 360-degree view" of their members. "This is a game changer," he says.
Source: Chris Hanson, thedatabank
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Silicon Valley and Silicon Prairie are ready to meet.
On Wednesday, February 20, coworking and collaborative space CoCo hosted a major kickoff with new partner Google for Entrepreneurs, announcing a two-year schedule of events, conferences, and social mixers at CoCo's Minneapolis office.
Focusing on technology and startups, the events are aimed at boosting entrepreneurship in the state, and draw on Google's extensive history of innovation and development. The company's Google for Entrepreneurs initiative was created to support entrepreneurs worldwide, and boasts an array of successful programs already, including Campus London, Women on the Web, and The New Orleans Community Leaders Program. The company even provides guidance and training for child entrepreneurs with Lemonade Day, a nonprofit that teaches children how to start and operate their own businesses.
John Lyman, Entrepreneurship Manager at Google, remarked in a release that the company believes entrepreneurship drives innovation and economic growth. "We see that happening in Minnesota and particularly at CoCo," he noted.
An announcement about the local partnership was made during an all-day conference at CoCo that began with U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak talking about innovation and entrepreneurship. The jam-packed event was free, but filled up quickly, as tech leaders and aspiring business owners jockeyed for a spot at one of the afternoon's sessions with visiting Google employees.
A full 2013 event schedule is still being finalized, and will be released soon, but CoCo did give a glimpse of what's to come. The event series will include affinity and user groups, including Google Developers Group Twin Cities, Android Users Group of Minnesota, and House of Cards, as well as one-day and multi-day conferences. Social and networking events will also play a large role in the partnership, with a particular focus on connecting startup founders with mentors.
Also slated are classes and educational sessions, including online-only instruction geared toward appealing to entrepreneurs across Minnesota who may be far flung from CoCo's office space.
The event series will rely on Google technology, including Google+ Hangouts, a video conferencing app that allows users to connect directly to multiple participants, or to broadcast an event through Google+, a YouTube channel, and a website. The app also lets users record the broadcast so that it can be shared later.
In a release, CoCo founding partner Kyle Coolbroth noted, "This partnership with Google will allow us to continue to expand our mission of creating a robust community of individuals pursuing the work of their dreams."
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Inver Grove Heights-based agribusiness company CHS is owned by farmers, ranchers, and cooperatives across the country, and now, all of those stakeholders will be able to connect even more effectively through a new online platform.
Dubbed the CHS Center for Cooperative Growth and launched in October, the platform gathers diverse viewpoints from the industry and academia, with the goal of making cooperatives more effective.
Jessica Lamker, CHS Director of Marketing and Organizational Development, notes that the project came together when the organization considered the needs of the next generation of agribusiness leaders.
"Many agricultural cooperatives were formed in the 1930s," she says. "What we're finding is that as time goes on, young people don't understand the value of having them, and why they're important."
The online tool will provide clarity about complex topics related to cooperatives. For example, the latest content includes insight about equity management, with four industry leaders offering videos and articles on the topic. A future topic will be how cooperative boards of directors can achieve more alignment with each other and with customers.
The reaction from users has been strong, Lamker notes. Not only are farmers and ranchers turning to the site to access research papers and garner advice, but also to connect with others.
For the future, Lamker expects that content will continue to be king, with tutorials and tools. "Having the opportunity to bring this to life has been exciting, and we look forward to seeing where it goes from here," she says.
Source: Jessica Lamker, CHS
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
When Curenci co-founder Mike Brooks tries to describe the company, the first thing he mentions is Russian nesting dolls--those wooden tchotchkes that are split in the middle to accommodate smaller and smaller dolls tucked into one another.
"When people first see our company, they see a loyalty program, and get the impression that we're just a technology company," he says. "But if you keep going through the layers, you'll find there's more to us than that."
Started last year, the company calls itself "a loyalty program on steroids," and provides a link among merchants, consumers, and fundraising efforts. Retailers and other merchants sign up with Curenci, and when shoppers frequent those stores, they bring along their Curenci card. The merchant sends a rebate amount to a cause chosen by the consumer, as well as a certain amount to the consumer's card to be used like cash.
Merchants set the rebate amount. For example, Berry Blendz in Eden Prairie offers a 3.5 percent rebate amount, while Cloud 9 Carwash in the same city offers seven percent.
The company is finding some traction as it puts the program in place, and Brooks notes that they would like to have whole neighborhoods involved. Since Curenci can be used for any type of transaction, including EBT, car registration, and other tasks, Brooks believes that government agencies could benefit as well as vendors.
Currently, eight merchants have signed up, but now that the technology has been proven, Brooks says the momentum has begun. The tool represents the company's first application to market using its core payment and disbursement technology. Curenci's primary focus is on a patent-pending secure electronic settlement system for transactions and payments through ecommerce and mobile platforms.
"We're really getting things ramped up, and getting to market as quickly as we can," he notes.
Source: Mike Brooks, Curenci
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Although charitable giving can seem straightforward, there's a complexity to that type of generosity, especially if done through an employer. A new startup, DoTopia, aims to simplify the process, and create enormous benefits along the way.
Kicked off by philanthropist Billy Weisman and Target veterans Nate Garvis and Mike Dominowski, the firm offers a better model for giving, based on what the trio experienced in the corporate world.
"We've all seen a number of limitations with how things are handled," says Dominowski. "There are demographic trends that show changes in charitable giving for younger generations, so we wanted to develop a sustainable model of fundraising that would appeal to companies as well as individuals."
Launched in 2012, DoTopia provides a platform where companies can use "DoDollars" for charitable contributions. This digital currency can be utilized for customizing giving programs, funding a nonprofit project, or engaging individuals, Dominowski notes.
"Companies are trying to do more to meet the needs and interests of employees and stakeholders, and the current models don't go far enough to give these people the ability to be engaged in charitable giving at the level they'd like," he says. With DoTopia's platform, people can have more control over where their dollars go, creating a stronger connection between donors and nonprofits.
Recently, the firm signed on its first Fortune 50 client, and is already getting strong feedback. Dominowski anticipates growth as the platform catches on: "We see this as the next iteration of charitable giving. We want to establish ourselves as the norm when it comes to corporate giving programs."
Source: Mike Dominowski, DoTopia
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
At a time when content producers seem to be struggling, Brandpoint is booming. The Hopkins-based firm currently has about 50 employees and plans to add 30 more before the end of the year, a move that's likely to spark even more growth, notes the company's president, Scott Severson.
"We already outgrew the space that we had for a number of years, and we're looking forward to trying to outgrow this one," he says.
Severson is no stranger to the surges that come with digital media. After working as director of Internet business at North American Media Group, he signed on at ARAnet and helped grow the company's revenues by 500 percent (previous coverage about Severson's leadership is
here). ARAnet is the parent company of Brandpoint and online advertising platform Adfusion.
Severson credits the deep experience that ARAnet has provided since 1996, as well as the company's evolution into content-based marketing. Last year, Brandpoint kicked off significantly with a content marketing channel that emphasized how syndication could push content to various websites, reaching more consumers.
"Our content marketing is more of a pull strategy, partnering with clients and doing strategic analysis to integrate content on their site," says Severson. "We really dig in with the client, coming up with a personalized solution."
As the company continues to gain clients and refine its offerings, it's likely that Brandpoint will keep going strong, he believes: "This is the next step in our legacy."
Source: Scott Severson, Brandpoint
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
For many in the legal and political realms of the Twin Cities, Adam Wahlberg is a well-known name. For over a dozen years, he was executive editor of the thought-provoking magazine 'Minnesota Law & Politics,' then went on to helm 'Super Lawyers,' a Thomson Reuters service.
But after 16 years in the business, he was ready for a change. Always interested in advocacy, Wahlberg enrolled at the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota, but found that he missed journalism. "I didn't see how I could connect those worlds, because I was anticipating a new career as a policy wonk," he says. "Then, I had a light bulb moment."
While talking with a friend who worked as a journalist in Afghanistan, the two began discussing PTSD in the military, and the conversation turned to publishing the journalist's thoughts on the subject. Wahlberg began to research self-publishing options, and then realized he could become a publisher himself, and start a venture that put out e-books exclusively.
Think Piece was born. The digital publishing firm is in the 'humble beginnings' stage, with Wahlberg working in CoCo's offices for now. But he's already landed several big projects, including a new book from popular author Janet Burroway, who plans a memoir about her son, a private military contractor in Iraq.
Wahlberg is excited to be hitting the ground running on multiple projects, and is beginning to envision other ways to offer content via mobile devices. "In some ways, I don't have any idea what I'm doing," he says with a laugh. "But it doesn't matter because I'm having a blast."
Source: Adam Wahlberg, Think Piece
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Much has been written about cracking the genome's code, but little is said about how this information will be used, particularly on an individual level. Will your genome data be public property, or will you be able to have a level of ownership over its contents? One Minneapolis-based startup prefers the latter.
Founded in March 2012 by entrepreneur Paul Saarinen and University of Minnesota Associate Professor of Genetics Scott Fahrenkrug, Miinome aims to be the largest member-owned genetic database and genetic data broker in the world. The name Miinome derives from a combination of 'genome' and a play on 'Wii' game controllers, creating a blend that indicates members will have control of their own unique genetic code.
"We believe in the concept of property rights, and genomic data right now isn't necessarily legally yours yet," says Saarinen. "We want to change that, to a model where you would have access to your genetic information, and the ability to choose what you do with it."
The company is in its early stages right now, but sparking quite a bit of interest with partnerships and investors. The pair has filed an initial patent around the idea with plans to release a beta version of their platform in the next six months. Until then, Saarinen is jetting around the country collecting advisors and raising capital.
"This is getting a little crazy in terms of traction, and we're just trying to keep up," he says. In other words, keep an eye on Miinome this year as it goes from stealth to boom.
Source: Paul Saarinen, Miinome
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
MHTA Session Preview: Tech, Innovation, and Life Science Industries
February 5
Science Museum of Minnesota
20 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul
4:30 pm - 7:00 pm
$15
Presented by the Minnesota High Tech Association and Life Science Alley, this event features a panel discussion with several legislators, including Speaker of the House Paul Thissen, talking about the future of tech, innovation, and life sciences in the state.
Health 2.0: Aetna and Azul 7
February 6
Azul 7 offices
800 Hennepin Ave., Suite 700, Minneapolis
5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
$15
For the past year, design firm Azul 7 has been working the Aetna to develop a cohesive user experience across multiple systems. In this talk, both sides will discuss the project, as well as give insight on the challenges and benefits of designing user-friendly technologies in the health care industry.
Business Valuation Conference
February 6
University of St. Thomas
1000 LaSalle Ave., Minneapolis
7:30 am - 4:30 pm
$199
This annual conference, now in its 23rd year, covers an array of business valuation topics, including the basics of a real estate appraisal, use of regression analysis, and eminent domain. Toby Madden, from The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, will give an economic update to kick off the day.
Social Media and Data Analytics for Digital Marketing
February 7 & 8
Carlson School of Management
321 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis
8:00 am - 4:30 pm
$3,000
As part of its Executive Education series, the Carlson School of Management presents this two-day conference on making smarter use of social media and their data. Participants will learn how to extract business intelligence from social tools, why they should tap into open innovation opportunities, and much more.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Home automation has been one of those technology fields where innovation has come before demand. Much like it took e-readers a few decades to really catch on, home automation has been available, but not quite ready for its close-up.
But that situation may be changing fast, thanks in part to local startup SmartThings.
The company has been gaining serious momentum, after a successful Kickstarter campaign and a seed funding round. Co-founder Ben Edwards notes that the industry is on the verge of major growth, and SmartThings is likely to boom along with it.
"We're seeing interest in partnerships with companies like insurance firms, who would benefit from more home automation," he says. "There are many unexpected partnership opportunities that we're pursuing right now."
The SmartThings platform is fairly simple, but ingenious. It allows numerous systems in a home to be connected to technology. For example, you could be at work and get an alert on your iPhone that someone has just opened a window in your house, or that the temperature has dropped by 20 degrees, indicating a potential mechanical issue. There's a level of control as well, allowing you to turn lights on and off while on vacation, for instance.
Just the promise of SmartThing's offering has created significant buzz. The company's seed funding round netted $3 million, augmenting the $1.2 million raised by its Kickstarter campaign.
Thanks to its potential, the company is on a hiring path, with a headcount in Minneapolis of 20, and 10 more employees in other parts of the country. Edwards says, "If feels like we're getting bigger every day."
Source: Ben Edwards, SmartThings
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
"We should do happy hour sometime, I'll buy you a drink." That phrase may be uttered often, but for busy executives who barely have time to eat, putting together a leisurely get-together can feel like planning a trip around the world. It would be nice, but it's not exactly realistic with a jam-packed schedule.
That was the situation facing BreAnna Fisher when she was working at a marketing and advertising agency, and wanted to reward her intern for diligent work. "We had a project and he did an amazing job, so I said, 'I want to buy you a drink,' but later at home, I realized that I had a 3-year-old, I was full-time in school, and had a demanding job," she recalls. "I looked at my husband and said, 'When am I ever going to buy this kid a drink?'"
That realization sparked an idea for a business, DoDrinks, that would allow people to quickly "send a drink" (beer, wine, cocktail, or coffee) to someone else, which they could redeem whenever they like.
The idea is deceptively simple, since it involves some complex technology behind the scenes. Fisher relies on a technology team for development and testing, and the app is now in its third iteration.
The venture has started to gain momentum and garner attention from potential partners. Already, Fisher has linked up with Heineken, and is likely to ink deals with other drink purveyors.
Fisher credits her eight years in the military for giving her the discipline to take on an entrepreneurial venture. "I have a high risk tolerance, and I can complete a mission with limited resources," she says. "You can't be successful in the military without those skills, and as it turns out, they're perfect for leading a company as well."
Source: BreAnna Fisher
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Finding technology professionals, and application developers in particular, is a challenging task these days. With so many companies focused on tech in the Twin Cities, those gurus can be in short supply.
But Minneapolis-based Clockwork Active Media Systems has a knack for attracting this type of talent.
The digital agency has added about 40 technologists in the past couple years, and that boom has led to expansion plans for its existing building. Currently, the 10-year-old company has 73 employees, and a number of new job openings listed on its website.
Nancy Lyons, Clockwork's President and CEO, believes that Clockwork's distinctive team structure plays a large role in garnering more employees, particularly tech professionals, who appreciate being part of a larger vision.
"We have an approach here that anyone on a team can sit at the table with a client, it doesn't matter what your role is," she says. "That's what people are looking for in terms of employment, they want to be part of something bigger than they are."
As hiring continues, the breadth of talent helps to drive overall business growth, Lyons says. Big clients like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the YMCA and YWCA, and Cargill are drawn to the agency's team-based approach.
Lyons anticipates that the momentum will keep going strong, especially with more room thanks to the office expansion.
"People want to work here, and they love what they do," she says. "When you have that, growth comes as a result."
Source: Nancy Lyons, Clockwork
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) might not be well known to actual consumers, but for companies that develop devices, software, gadgets, and games, it's the Olympics of trade shows. Held annually in Las Vegas, the event is awash in big names, dramatic unveilings, and more than a few industry parties.
So, when Minneapolis-based startup Canopy got a burst of attention for its new touch-sensitive iPhone case, Sensus, it was more than just nice recognition for its founder, Andrew Kamin-Lyndgaard--it proved that his idea was ready for the big time.
"People really took notice at CES," he says. "Since then, the attention has been constant."
Kamin-Lyndgaard started the company in 2008 as a solo entrepreneur, working in a 400-square-foot office in Northeast Minneapolis. The company's first product, the Canopy Kapok, was an iPhone case with dedicated buttons for shooting photos and video.
Although the product didn't garner wide adoption, it opened the door, he says, sparking conversations with others in the iOS application community who made products for Apple devices.
The result of those explorations is Sensus, a smartphone case that expands a device's functionality. As Sensus gets more buzz, Canopy is headed for a robust growth track. In the past couple years, Kamin-Lyndgaard has added seven full-time employees, and plans to hire another two or three in the coming months.
The larger goal, he says, is to be acquired by a bigger firm, and with the CES success, that seems a realistic goal. He says, "The nature of Sensus is disruptive, and that's why it's getting attention. That's going to be compelling for a company looking at acquisition opportunities."
Source: Andrew Kamin-Lyndgaard, Canopy
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Sometimes, business ideas come from unlikely places. For Blake Sohn, entrepreneurship started with a lost dog.
In the midst of the family's move to a new house, Sohn's dog, Emma, got free. Emma's ID tags had a previous address, as well as an older phone number, so Sohn considers himself lucky that he and Emma were quickly reunited. The seemingly minor event sparked an idea, however.
"I'd been interested in QR codes for some time, and I thought there had to be a way to use this platform for dynamic data in a new way," he says.
After developing prototype, Sohn founded FinderCodes, a company that creates durable ID tags for animals as well as stickers for possessions like electronics, backpacks, tools, and anything else that needs protection. The tags can be affixed to nearly anything, from a well-loved leather jacket to a kid's hockey stick.
If the item is lost, someone with a smartphone can scan the QR code to find the owner.
The company recently scored a big win: FinderCodes Lost and Found Kits were awarded a top innovation prize at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a major event for the electronics industry.
"I'm still stunned that we won it; it put us on a rocketship ride," Sohn says. The company is likely to keep zooming forward on that momentum with a new software upgrade, and future hiring. Right now, the company has 12 employees, and Sohn is looking toward worldwide opportunities and partnerships in Asia, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
Already, the company has relationships with FedEx and AT&T. Sohn says, "The goal is just to help people manage their favorite things."
Source: Blake Sohn, FinderCodes
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
UnitedHealthcare (UHC) is hoping that plenty of innovation-minded individuals will be ready to take on a new challenge, and perhaps win some prize money as a result.
At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, the health benefit company announced the introduction of a "Breakthrough Health Tech Challenge," meant to spark creativity both within and outside of the health care industry.
Innovators can win a prize of $60,000 for an idea that utilizes common consumer technologies or devices to solve a healthcare challenge. For example, an innovator might propose a mobile app for preventing diabetes, or outline how an online game could reduce the risk of heart disease.
"We believe this groundbreaking challenge will inspire new ideas and concepts that could serve as breakthrough solutions to improving people's health and the healthcare system," says Gail Boudreaux, UnitedHealthcare CEO.
Boudreaux adds that since the competition is worldwide, the "crowdsourcing" technique should be even more potent. Details of the challenge are available here, and ideas are accepted until April 8th.
This isn't the first contest run by UHC for addressing technology and healthcare. The company has developed a series of innovation challenges since mid-2012, and Boudreaux notes that a number of unique ideas and concepts have resulted, with implementation on the horizon.
For the current contest, entrants must submit a written proposal and experimental proof-of-concept data or prototype. UHC offers a partial award of up to $20,000 if a proven solution doesn't exist yet, and there may be opportunities for collaboration between UHC and the innovator if the project sparks interest.
Source: Gail Boudreaux, UnitedHealthcare
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Already boasting a strong growth rate, Edina-based ReconRobotics is now poised for world domination.
The fast-track robotics company announced in June that it had established an international headquarters in Lugano, Switzerland, as part of a multi-year global expansion plan.
Just six months later, that office reported strong year-end sales of micro-robot systems to military and police customers in several European countries, including Germany, Hungary, and France.
Alan Bignall, ReconRobotics CEO, notes that robot sales were up more than 50 percent in 2012, with the international team leading the way in the last quarter. He adds that military and counterterror teams around the world are recognizing the unique capabilities of the company's mini-robots.
The company's mini-robots are particularly attractive to military and law enforcement, since they can be sent into dangerous situations and navigated remotely in order to collect intelligence. For example, a SWAT team can throw one into a house and use the robot's cameras to assess a hostage situation.
Nearly 4,000 of the company's Recon Scout and Throwbot systems have been deployed by military forces. The Throwbot XT weighs only 1.2 pounds and can be deployed in five seconds.
The momentum from domestic and international sales is likely to keep going strong, Bignall says: "The unique capabilities of our Throwbot XT give [our customers] a big tactical advantage during high-risk operations, and this is driving sales at a fast clip. We expect this trend to continue in 2013."
Source: Alan Bignall, ReconRobotics
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Conferences can be rich sources of networking, innovation, education, and sales leads, but those opportunities tend to end when the speakers and the trade show exhibitors begin packing up to leave.
One local entrepreneur wants to keep the energy going.
Michael Lunser, who acts as a project manager for conference content capture firm OrganicVoices, felt that all of the education and connection that occurs at conferences could be put to greater use, and also reach a wider audience, if they could be transferred to an online format.
The result is Exhibit Hall Earth, a startup project that Lunser is rolling out for organic agriculture conferences initially, but which has potential for all types of conferences.
"The traditional model for content capture is to record speakers and then try to sell the materials to attendees," he says. "But that model is starting to wear out; people aren't as interested in buying a pack of CDs anymore."
He envisioned a system where content could be included as part of a registration cost, with all the sessions and workshops online for easier access. Since the exhibit hall would be online and accessible, it could also host articles posted by users, publish classified ads and job listings, and become robust with other content. Lunser has even created a cookbook on the site so that attendees can swap recipes.
"Instead of a couple days networking and learning about topics, you could get exposure to so much more in a virtual exhibit hall," he says. "For conferences, it would allow them to have a presence on a yearly, ongoing basis. Everyone benefits."
Lunser is still fine-tuning the site, but is optimistic about making the model into a must-visit destination for conference attendees.
Source: Michael Lunser, Exhibit Hall Earth
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
Launched last year, RoadTab is gaining speed. The online matchmaking app between auto owners and repair shops began in the Twin Cities, but now offers options for users in Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Seattle.
The service's growth isn't a surprise, notes founder Jacob Phillips. "People are responding to the way the system works, and really liking the way they can get estimates online, instead of taking their vehicles to different shops."
RoadTab allows users to input the type of work they need performed, and to receive estimates via email. Based in Chanhassen, the service got its start when Phillips reflected on his experiences owning a small car dealership. Constantly on the phone to auto repair shops, he sought a tool that would streamline the process. When he couldn't find one, he decided to build his own, with the help of web and mobile development firm Tiny Mission.
The app is free for users, and mechanics pay a yearly membership fee. Phillips has refined the tool so that requests don't get sent out to every mechanic in the system. For example, if a car owner needs repair on a cracked windshield, only specialists in auto glass repair will get the query.
One sticking point is that it can be difficult for mechanics to give estimates for cars they haven't examined, but despite that challenge, the service seems to be picking up more mechanics and site users on a regular basis.
Phillips anticipates that the service will begin rolling out to more cities in the future. Next up is probably Chicago, he believes. "We can see this being nationwide," he says. "It's picking up momentum as it goes."
Source: Jacob Phillips, RoadTab
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
Connecting various players in property transactions, BuyerCurious has seen steady growth since launching last year, and now it's added a free service to be even more useful to homeowners.
The site recently released AgentSmart, which allows home sellers to get competitive bids on real estate listing service. Users can anonymously request and compare quotes for conventional full-service agent representation, or they can ask about custom services like closing assistance.
"We think this will be of tremendous value to homeowners thinking about selling," says Jim Lesinski, founder and CEO of BuyerCurious. "It's agent-friendly as well."
He believes that AgentSmart will save time and money for sellers, because they'll be able to compare multiple bids from agents online. Agents are likely to welcome the service because they'll be able to grow their client list without having to depend only on referrals. Opportunities just "show up," Lesinski says.
The service guides sellers through a process of creating a profile of their property and determining what they need. Users stay anonymous until the point that they select an agent. Lesinski notes that this is appealing for property owners who want to shop around for agents, but don't want to deal with multiple cold calls.
Another benefit, he notes, is that AgentSmart creates a competitive bidding situation. He says, "Many consumers don't know real estate services are negotiable. In fact, two-thirds simply accept the terms proposed by the first person they meet with."
Best of all, for both sellers and agents, the service is free.
Source: Jim Lesinski, BuyerCurious
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
It all started with a lampshade.
When Katherine Hayes was visiting her grandparents in 2010, she noticed stains on a lampshade, and decided to spend some time with bleach and a bucket rather than making a run to the store to buy a new one.
A finance professional, she'd been contemplating a career switch, and somehow, that seemingly minor moment of home maintenance clicked for her. "I love to repair things, put them back in order," she says. "I've always been a tinkerer, and in some ways, it's a reaction against our disposable consumerism. It feels like people don't fix things anymore, they just replace them."
That line of thinking has led Hayes to start Fixity, a service specializing in the small aspects of a home that could use adjustment. From tailoring curtains to mending jewelry to righting a wobbly chair leg, Hayes embraces the long list of to-do items that many people usually avoid. She's repaired a zipper on a travel bag, re-woven small holes in sweaters, assembled IKEA furniture (a talent in itself), and patched holes in upholstery, among numerous other tasks.
To get the business going, she's been relying on grassroots marketing efforts, which involve traditional referrals and social media. Hayes believes that her service is unique, because as a former art major, she utilizes creative solutions that some handyman-type services might skip. For example, she once sewed a round pillow to cover an oddly shaped window in a client's attic space.
"A handyman isn't going to be sewing pillows," Hayes says. "But if that's what you need, and you can't sew it yourself, now there's Fixity."
Source: Katherine Hayes, Fixity
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
The Collaborative Innovation Series
January 10
Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Institute
301 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis
7:45am - 10:25am
Maybe your resolution for 2013 is to put together a great board of directors. If that's the case, you're in luck: The Collaborative presents a morning of insight about how to create, develop, and effectively utilize a board.
Healthy Life Expo
January 12
Minneapolis Convention Center
10am - 5pm
$6 or free with donation to food shelf
This annual expo has been increasing in popularity every year, and this round offers up to 200 exhibitors, three stages of speaker presentations, product samples, free health advice, and plenty of information on wellness, nutrition, and fitness.
Technically Speaking: Leading with Emotional Intelligence
January 17
University of Minnesota
McNamara Alumni Center
5:30pm - 6:30pm
free, but must pre-register
The Technological Leadership Institute (TLI) at the U of M continues its new speaker series with this presentation about emotional intelligence, led by TLI's Kirk Froggatt. Geared toward leaders within organizations, the talk looks at the impact and practice of emotional intelligence as a way to boost leadership qualities.
Leadership Challenge Conference
January 24
St. Catherine University
Rauenhorst Ballroom
8am - 3:45pm
$225
The Leadership Challenge conference brings together professional women from a range of settings, including government, education, nonprofit, and small business sectors. Now in its 16th year, the event is a day of education and discussion focusing on leadership, with interactive workshops and networking opportunities.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Let's say you've been looking for the perfect pair of boots for the last few months — classic but fashion-forward, dressy but office-appropriate — and finally, you find them and put a photo up on social media to show off your prize. How would it feel if a group of your friends then dashed out to buy the exact same boots?
More interestingly, would that feeling change if you got a "reward" every time a pair got purchased based on your recommendation?
It's the answer to the second question that drove the creation of StuffDOT, an online platform that allows users to post items like books, movies, clothes, and housewares, and then earn rewards if those postings lead to purchases by others.
Created by AOI Marketing, a Minneapolis-based loyalty marketing firm, StuffDOT is still in beta testing, but is likely to be widely released soon, according to Amanda Axvig, the company's vice president of marketing.
"Basically, it's just a smarter way to share," she says. "It rewards users for sharing what they like."
Like other referral programs, StuffDOT compensates users through a point system than can be redeemed for cash or gift cards from retailers like Target and Amazon.com, or even Punch Pizza. In look, the site is similar to Pinterest, but tying posts to rewards makes it even more compelling than those types of "inspiration sites," Axvig says.
Currently, StuffDOT is working with over 18,000 retailers, and Axvig notes that nearly every prominent online retailer has signed on as a partner. With that kind of beta, it's likely that the site's popularity (and AOI Marketing's staff numbers) will continue to grow.
Source: Amanda Axvig, AOI Marketing
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
The University of Minnesota is slated to lead an international virtual institute for the study of Earth-surface systems. The multi-university effort will have a particular focus on watersheds and deltas, and is being called Linked Institutions for Future Earth (LIFE).
The effort is funded by the National Science Foundation, which is awarding the U of M a grant of $720,000 to kick off the collaborative network. In total, funding, grants, and resources from all participating universities come to roughly $30 million.
An ambitious project, the initiative will bring together numerous international research institutions and field sites, with the purpose of better understanding the impacts of climatic and human stresses on the environment.
LIFE intends to produce research that can affect policy decisions as well as future scientific directions. Initially, the project will also boost networking and information sharing among researchers. It's also likely to increase awareness about sustainability issues among the general public.
LIFE lead researcher Efi Foufoula-Georgiou notes that the effort will build on another NSF-funded project, the National Center for Earth-Surface Dynamics, and with that foundation, the project will be able to take a significant step toward better understanding watersheds and deltas worldwide.
"LIFE seeks to empower the next generation of Earth-system scientists, engineers, and educators with depth, breadth, and a global perspective on environmental sustainability," she says.
All that global insight will start right here in Minneapolis, at the distinctive experimental facilities at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory.
Source: Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, LIFE
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
For professionals like electricians, plumbers, and builders, referrals are a rich source of marketing. But harnessing this type of business driver is usually done on a casual basis, and often isn't viewed strategically. That's where Referral Buzz comes in.
Co-founder and president Lisa Schneegans and her partner Klaus Schneegans started the company in 2010 after renovating a number of older houses, and talking to contractors along the way. They discovered that the contractors relied heavily on referrals but didn't have a method for making the most of the referral system.
At the beginning of 2012, the service had about 100 contractors, and over the past year, Referral Buzz has steadily built up its reputation and developed new tools that allow small businesses to automate the entire customer life cycle, from lead generation to maintaining contact with past customers. Schneegans says, "These type of automatic tools help businesses during the 'hidden sales cycle.'"
Consumers benefit as well, since the service is a free, easy way to find contractors and others who have earned recommendations.
In 2013, Referral Buzz will get a major boost by becoming a partner of Trulia, an online marketplace for home buyers, sellers, renters, and real estate professionals. Schneegans notes that the arrangement will provide a huge benefit to the company's customers thanks to greater exposure, which will continue to drive growth for Referral Buzz.
The company has also added several features to its service, including an online digital portfolio where home improvement professionals can share photos of their work. Also new is an automatic synch between Referral Buzz and a contractor's Facebook page, and a mobile app is due to launch next year as well.
Source: Lisa Schneegans, Referral Buzz
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Minnesota exports of agricultural, mining, and manufactured products reached a record $5.1 billion in the third quarter for 2012, up by one percent compared to the same period a year ago.
According to figures from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), this marks the eighth straight quarter of record exports in the state. Only three months ago, Minnesota reached an all-time high for a single quarter, when sales peaked at $5.4 billion.
Of the three major export categories, manufacturing has the highest sales, and is up by two percent compared to a year ago.
Ed Dieter, acting director of the Minnesota Trade Office, says that China and Europe had the biggest export gains recently, with China being especially strong. Dieter notes that sales there are up 16 percent over 2011. Other export areas that showed increases include Taiwan, Canada, Chile, and Australia.
In some other markets, sales were down when compared to last year's numbers, particularly for the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Argentina.
Given the state's strong biotech and medical device industries, it's not surprising that medical exports should see a big jump. The category increased by 19 percent during the third quarter, led by sales to China, Japan, and Belgium. The full report is available here on the DEED site.
Source: Ed Dieter, Minnesota Trade Office
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Social media can be a boon for keeping up with personal and business information, but given the number of tools available, feeds can also be a major time sink. That's why entrepreneur Shivani Khanna developed dasBoom, a data visualization application that helps users cut down on the noise and focus on what's important in a feed rather than what's simply new.
Khanna's venture is exactly the type of "intrapreneur" strategy that's often encouraged at tech firm W3i, where Khanna has acted as a software development manager before taking on her own projects. The company fosters incubator projects like these in order to encourage creativity and development growth.
Given its strong start, and large market potential, it's likely that dasBoom is ready to, well, boom. "With the enormous volume of information being generated on social networks, there's a critical need to make sense of all this connected knowledge," Khanna notes. With the tool, users will be able to make more intelligent decisions, she adds.
The application allows users to visualize information from their data feeds, and then organize and filter that content. For example, the app will show which friends have posted in the last few hours, and the user can choose how people should be ranked in terms of importance. Also, the app will show the popularity of those posts so that the user can get a quick glimpse of the amount of buzz being generated.
This strategy gives users the ability to focus on content that's most relevant to them, rather than wading through posts containing game requests or shared articles and photos.
Khanna notes that the app is unique compared to other applications that curate social content, because it doesn't create assumptions about what's important. Instead, it lets users decide what to filter out and what to keep. The app is currently for Facebook, but she anticipates that Twitter and LinkedIn will be covered in the near future.
Source: Shivani Khanna, dasBoom
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
By now, the bright blue bags of The HopeFULL Company are recognizable, even nestled in the shelves of a co-op. The founders of HopeFULL, though, want to boost that recognition even more.
As
noted in previous Line coverage, the company was started by sisters Stephanie Williams and Jessica Welch, as a way to help patients in chemotherapy increase their nutrient intake. The sisters created small, easily transported kits that contain a neoprene bag, silicone molds for making frozen "pops," and Popsicle-type sticks that double as spoons.
Since founding the business a couple years ago, HopeFULL has been steadily growing to expand its product line and distribution. The company recently launched The BellyFULL Kit, inspired by a desire to introduce whole foods to young children.
HopeFULL has also found a larger audience as it gains traction. In addition to helping chemo patients, the kits are being used for any condition in which loss of appetite can be a factor, including gastric bypass surgery, lupus, and even strep throat.
Looking ahead, the company anticipates moving into more wholesale sales to supplement its thriving co-op and natural health care center placement, according to Williams.
"We're moving into the next phase," she says. "We see some strong opportunities in several different places and markets, so we're gearing up for the next stage of growth."
If the sisters succeed, it's likely that those bright blue HopeFULL bags and jaunty BellyFULL junior chefs hats will be coming to a store near you in the year ahead.
Source: Stephanie Williams, HopeFULL Company
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Started in a dorm room in 2005, Minneapolis-based TST Media is growing steadily, and attracting strong investment interest along the way.
Last year, the maker of website-management applications for sports leagues closed on a $3.5 million round of financing with El Dorado Ventures. Although the company hasn't commented yet on its most recent funding round, regulatory filing reports note that it raised an additional $3.3 million in capital.
Going along with that funding is hiring, and the company continues to add employees in areas like sales, marketing development, and design. In addition to regularly promoting job openings on Twitter, company representatives also attend college career conferences and encourage employees to refer contacts from their networks.
"We have a product designed for explosive growth," says TST Media co-founder Carson Kipfer. "We have aggressive hiring goals that will keep us on that growth track."
Over the past year, TST Media has seen several wins in client acquisitions, including the Lake Placid Summit Classic lacrosse tournament, and it has crafted innovations to its main product. Its "Sport Ngin Mobile" app is used by sports teams and leagues in all U.S. states, across Canada, and in Europe and Asia as a way for teams to connect with fans via scores, stats, schedules, and other content.
"Once someone sees the capability of what we provide, it spiders out from there," says Kipfer. "Other teams and organizations want the platform, too, and that just fuels our success."
Source: Carson Kipfer, TST Media
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
As it turns out, being able to pinpoint influential people within an organization is an in-demand talent.
That's the experience of Vikas Narula, founder of Minneapolis-based Keyhubs, a startup that focuses on how connections within an enterprise can affect everything from productivity to executive development.
Narula first had the idea for the company while in business school at Duke University. A professor did an experiment about corporate social networks, and Narula was fascinated (for more on Keyhubs' beginnings, see our previous coverage
here).
After nearly three years since founding the company, Narula is seeing strong growth as the concept is embraced by clients looking for more strategic ways to understand their enterprises.
In the past past year, the company was featured in Forbes, and Narula was listed as one of the 100 Twin Cities leaders to watch by Twin Cities Business magazine. New client engagements include Medtronic, Liberty Diversified International, and a Silicon Valley technology company called Responsys.
Buzz is growing, Narula notes, and that's driving more interest in the distinctive services that Keyhubs offers. Although there are management consulting firms that look at org charts, Keyhubs seems to be the only firm that can give deep insight into how employees interconnect on an informal basis -- information that could be crucial to talent development.
Narula feels that the future looks bright as well. "In 2013, we're looking to deepen relationships with our existing clients and bring on new ones with thoughtful care and consideration," he says.
Source: Vikas Narula, Keyhubs
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Employee performance reviews: the three little words that no one likes to hear.
"Almost universally, it's been a process filled with dread," says J. Forrest, founder and president of Minneapolis-based technology company Alignamite. "Who looks forward to performance reviews, even if they're largely positive?"
Forrest wanted a better strategy, so he built one. Alignamite's new software tool is designed to create alignment between an enterprise's goals and an employee's success. With a dashboard that tracks employee performance and a system that brings in colleague opinions as well as management views, Alignamite looks like it could change how performance is measured.
Founded in 2011, Alignamite got started when Forrest decided to quit building performance tools for other companies and start his own enterprise instead. He envisioned a system that would be more employee-centric, where staff members could get a grasp of their performance on a continual basis and an ongoing sense of how well they were meeting company goals, rather than relying on annual performance reviews.
After completing a beta testing period, Alignamite recently launched a robust, full version and is already seeing strong growth, particularly with clients of about 50 to 200 employees.
"There's great scalability in the tool, so that makes it exciting for organizations," says Forrest. "Most important, though, is that it significantly improves communication within an enterprise, and that benefits everyone."
Source: J. Forrest, Alignamite
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
In 2009, Kate Ryan Reiling and some friends were waiting out a snowstorm in an Uptown apartment, and they quickly became bored by their game selections. That's when the fun really started.
The group put together flat glass beads, Jenga pieces, string, and a dictionary. One person would choose a word, then try to depict it using the game components. Although it was a simple way to pass the time, Reiling was struck by the level of creativity and enjoyment that emerged, and she used her business school background to turn a fun afternoon into a full-time avocation.
Using pieces she first cobbled together from surplus stores, Reiling created Morphology, a game that lets players "morph" wooden sticks, cubes, glass beads, little wooden people, and other elements into a representation of certain words.
When Reiling brought a prototype to a major toy and game show in 2010, she knew she had a winner. She sold 400 games on the spot, and later that year began landing on lists like Time magazine's Toys of the Year. She says, "I began to get emails from around the world asking about the game. It's been really amazing to see the momentum and watch this catch on."
Reiling created a version for kids called Morphology Jr., and her ultimate goal is for Morphology Games to be acquired by one of the major game companies. Until that happens, though, she'll work on getting the game in more stores and expanding distribution. With so much buzz building in this holiday season, she's expecting strong growth in the next month and beyond.
"We see a real opportunity to keep expanding this and designing more games that encourage creativity, and maybe even move into the digital tablet space," she says.
Source: Kate Ryan Reiling, Morphology Games
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
The Lean Startup Conference
December 3
University of Minnesota
Carlson School of Management
11am - 7pm
free
Those who aren't able to attend The Lean Startup Conference in San Francisco can still see great speakers, thanks to this simulcast event that showcases the conference's experts. Presented by the university's Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship and the Minnesota Lean Startup Circle, the event will help attendees jumpstart their businesses.
Women in the Boardroom
December 4
University of St. Thomas
Law School Atrium, 11th St. and Harmon Place, Minneapolis
3pm - 6pm
$105
An organization designed to assist women in pursuing board service, Women in the Boardroom hosts several types of in-person and virtual events throughout the year. This signature event brings together a panel of experts, including the Chief Administrative Officer of the Mayo Clinic.
Automation for the Cloud
December 5
Open Book
1011 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis
4pm - 5:30pm
free
Hosted by cloud management company enStratus, this event looks at extending automation to cloud environments, including auto-provisioning, auto-scaling, and setting automated backups. Attendees will learn more about cloud management and see a product demo.
No Coast Craft-O-Rama
December 7 & 8
Midtown Global Market
3pm - 8pm on Dec. 7; 9am - 5pm on Dec. 8
free
Started in 2005 as a way to feature designers, artists, and creators of handmade crafts, the No Coast Craft-O-Rama has grown into a true showcase for artisans of every type. From letterpress operators to knitters to jewelry makers to many others, the breadth of work is staggering--and the fair is showing up just in time for holiday shopping, too.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Highlighting technology leaders in the state, the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) announced winners for the 2012 Tekne Awards, handing out top honors to companies like MakeMusic, ReconRobotics, JAMF Software.
The award program, now in its 13th year, recognizes innovations from 2011 that impact the lives of Minnesotans, through lifestyle improvement or education. Forty-four finalists were named in fifteen categories. Winners were unveiled at a special event on November 1st.
According to MHTA president Margaret Anderson Kelliher, the awards draw attention to the breadth of innovative and competitive technology companies in the state. Greater awareness of the efforts being done here will boost Minnesota's stature as a "silicon prairie" where tech companies can thrive.
Fifteen winners show the range of businesses here, and the list includes both large companies like Seagate Technology (winner in the advanced manufacturing category) and smaller companies like Code 42 Software and SparkWeave.
Other winners included PeopleNet, Agosto, GiveMN, OrthoCor Medical, Starkey Hearing Technologies, Imation, and The University of Minnesota Rochester.
In addition to showcasing the work of technology-fueled businesses, the awards also honored seven individuals who provided leadership to advance technology and innovation in Minnesota, particularly in state government. The public officials led the effort to consolidate IT services from more than 70 state agencies into a single organization called MN.IT Services.
Speaking about all of the awards, Kelliher says, "This year's recipients, once again, raised the bar with the quality and originality of their entries and should be very proud of their accomplishments."
Source: Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Minnesota High Tech Association
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Founded in 2000 by a group of technology educators, Atomic Learning now boasts customers in more than 45 countries, and it's likely that its reach will keep growing.
The Little Falls-based company has worked for over a decade to provide the K-12 market with tools for teacher development, classroom technology integration, and software support, among other areas. The company focuses on promoting the practical application of technology in education by giving educators the training and resources needed to teach tech-savvy students.
"I think a big part of what's driven our growth is the same thing that allowed us to break into the market in the first place, and that's staying true to customer needs," says Lisa Barnett, Atomic Learning COO. "We adapt as those needs change, and we're always thinking about how to have a meaningful impact."
That focus has allowed the company not only to weather difficult economic storms, but also to keep growing by expanding into higher education. Barnett notes that Atomic Learning recently worked to bring its insights and experience into that market after realizing that the tools used by K-12 teachers would also be relevant for higher education instructors and professors.
"Customer demand really drove our expansion into the higher ed space," says Barnett. "We saw those at colleges and universities finding ways to bring us into their environments, but they had to twist and turn to make it work." The company developed tools specifically for those environments, and the result has been continued growth and interest.
"We have a central theme here, and that's guiding learners from awkward to awesome, no matter where they are," says Barnett.
Source: Lisa Barnett, Atomic Learning
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
With so much information being stored in digital form, it seems inevitable that computer forensics and e-discovery would surge toward growth.
The strategy is used by companies of all sizes to create a digital paper trail that identifies issues such as file theft by departing employees or misuse of company resources. In this competitive arena, Minneapolis-based LuciData is hoping that expertise wins out.
"Our guys come from the IT security world, not the law enforcement world," says CEO Jeremy Wunsch. "You see a lot of companies that hire former cops, and that's fine, but you need a deeper understanding of how technology works to really be effective. That's what we provide."
These days, the most common client requests come from companies fretting about intellectual property theft, he notes. If someone leaves a job and takes information along, that can burn not only the former employer, but also the new company as well. Hiring a seemingly stellar new employee and then getting hit with an IP theft lawsuit soon after can be a nasty surprise.
"We've seen that situation happening much more frequently," Wunsch says. "That's why clients are asking us for more safeguards and prevention measures, so they can detect theft as it's happening."
Because LuciData employs technologists with deep expertise in security, the company can watch the movement of data more easily, Wunsch believes. Called "internal threat management," or "proactive forensics," the field might be burgeoning right now, but look for it to boom in the near future as companies work to protect themselves at every level.
As that happens, Wunsch expects that LuciData will stay on its current growth track, and live up to its name. "We bring clarity to data," he says.
Source: Jeremy Wunsch, LuciData
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Blaine-based Infinite Campus is continuing to build momentum as it heads into another school year, helping K-12 districts to become more cost-efficient, streamlined, and productive.
The company delivers student information systems, and distinguishes its development from competitors, says Karl Beach, whose company title is Evangelist: "We build what districts need, rather than waiting to find out what they want. That puts them ahead in terms of having systems that work for the future, not just for today."
Infinite Campus manages more than 5.3 million students in 43 states. One recent implementation has been Clark County School District in Las Vegas, which selected the company's system for management of over 300,000 students.
Over the past year, Infinite Campus has worked to enhance its systems, and recently released new instructional management tools that assist teachers in offering blended instruction. For example, teachers can post assignments and hyperlinks through a campus portal, allowing students to submit homework online. Capabilities like these reduce the need for data entry, and make information available to administrators, parents, and students as well as teachers.
The systems can even track behavior data such as violence, bullying, and drug use. This type of tracking is crucial for federal grant funding tied to the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act. With Infinite Campus' Behavior Management Tool, districts can streamline incident reporting and improve communication throughout schools.
"Public education can be divisive, fragmented, and resource-constrained," says Beach. "We're working to change that. We want to transform education."
Source: Karl Beach, Infinite Campus
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Thanks to the recent elections, healthcare has been a hot topic lately, and politics aside, it should continue to lead policy debates for some time to come. But apart from competing visions of what healthcare in the U.S. should look like, the issue comes down to a more fundamental level, believes Dr. Peter Mills. "How can providers interact with patients in a more effective way?" he asks. "That's the real question to be asking."
Mills has worked to combine technology with health care in a way that increases doctor-to-patient communication. Previously, he launched employee wellness software firm vielife, which was sold to Cigna in 2006, and now helms a new effort called nGage Health.
The cloud-based online platform is geared toward creating a more robust relationship between doctors and patients, so health activities can be tracked with more accuracy. For example, a patient can input information about exercise and food intake, and a doctor could monitor that data remotely to make sure the person is on track with preventative measures.
That type of system is a radical departure from existing healthcare interactions, Mills says. Currently, most doctor visits occur because a patient is ill, leading to treatment of symptoms rather than an understanding of factors like lifestyle and behavior that can be tweaked to avoid illness.
"I felt that we have so much technology at our fingertips, and it's transformed how we do banking, communication, travel, almost everything," says Mills. "Yet, healthcare is delivered in the exact same way as it has been. Why not use that technology to change the relationship between provider and patient?"
Source: Peter Mills, nGage
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Employee recruitment and online technology have blended together with mixed results in the past decade--Monster.com may have led the way initially in applying innovation to job postings, but these days, talent acquisition calls for more sophisticated tools.
Founded by Jeffery Giesener in 2011, St. Louis Park-based SourceMob aims to meet the need. The startup helps companies expand their recruitment efforts by utilizing social networks more effectively. With modules called Social Media Career Centers, the service taps into major sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, tracking active jobs and conversational content.
"We saw an opportunity to bring a new lens to the talent acquisition space," says Giesener. "There's an e-commerce angle that hasn't existed before."
One particular strength for SourceMob is reaching passive candidates, who are open to new opportunities, but aren't actively sending out resumes or perusing online job boards. These candidates, highly prized by HR departments, have been tricky to acquire, but SourceMob makes the process easier since clients can access them through social platforms.
Better recruitment is particularly crucial right now, Giesener believes, since there are many jobs like software development going unfilled. Regardless of industry, companies are desperately trying to fill those vacancies in order to thrive, and depending on a more robust solution like SourceMob can boost their talent acquisition strategies.
Giesener self-funded the venture, and expects significant growth in the year ahead. He says, "It's getting really exciting to see the potential for what we've built. We're really in the right place at the right time with this."
Source: Jeffery Giesener, SourceMob
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tekne Awards
November 1
Minneapolis Convention Center
4:30pm - 9pm
$195 for individuals; $1,750 for table of ten
The Tekne Awards program, now in its 13th year, recognizes innovations from 2011 that impact the lives of Minnesotans, through lifestyle improvement or education. Forty-four finalists were named in fifteen categories, and this event unveils the winners. Just as importantly, the gathering provides ample opportunity for networking with a "who's who" of Minnesota business, technology, and politics.
Women's Excelerator Workshop: Practice Your Pitch
November 14
St. Catherine University
CDC401 Board room, 4th floor
8am - 12pm
$89
In this workshop, attendees will develop a level of comfort with pitching their business, and will learn to create a value proposition statement. Each entrepreneur will have 10 minutes to present her business to her peers and facilitators, followed by a feedback session to identify which parts of the elevator pitches need work.
Tap the Power of Primal Branding
November 21
Risdall Marketing Group
550 Main St., New Brighton
8:30am - 11am
$99
Led by Patrick Hanlon, the author of the popular book "Primal Branding," this workshop lays out a blueprint for more effective brand marketing. Hanlon advocates creating "brand zealots" who spread a company's message across multiple channels, a process that builds a stronger customer base. After Hanlon's presentation, representatives from Risdall Marketing Group will showcase how primal branding helped a number of their clients.
Selling Globally in a Borderless Society
November 29
The Woman's Club of Minneapolis
410 Oak Grove St.
7:15am - 9am
Fees range from $20 to $60, depending on registration type
Hosted by the Sales & Marketing Professional Association, this expert panel addresses the challenges and benefits of selling and marketing internationally. Participating will be international trade specialists Matthew Woodlee, Mike Danielson, and Jim Thomas. Planned topics include marketing support, hiring consultants, cultural issues, and current political and economic affairs.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
St. Louis Park-based software development firm Warecorp doesn't see boundaries--geographically or otherwise.
Founded in 2004, the company has been growing at a steady pace, thanks in part to expansion into Minsk, Belarus, a hotbed of engineering talent. Warecorp has added about 30 employees there in the past six months, and has also brought on a Montana-based Vice President of Development, Sarmeesha Reddy.
The firm specializes in software engineering, and boasts projects in open source, social media, and software testing. One particularly compelling new project is Drupal Squad, developed by Warecorp engineers who use the programming language to design custom modules for other clients.
"Drupal Squad is an exciting development for us, and one that grew organically," says company cofounder Chris Dykstra. "We just converted a service we'd created to manage our own customer base, and it ended up being something that was really needed in the marketplace."
Because of projects like these, Warecorp is poised for growth, and Reddy notes that she's been tasked with bringing the company from $5 million in annual sales to $20 million. After working on $100 million projects at Motorola, she's ready for the challenge. "This is a company that's full of heart, with a super smart team," she says. "When you bring that together with so many great ideas, it's magic."
Source: Chris Dykstra and Sarmeesha Reddy, Warecorp
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Founded in 2004, Minneapolis-based tapQA began to see an interesting inflection point a few years ago, says consulting partner Mike Faulise.
The company specializes in quality assurance, including software and systems testing, and Faulise notes that clients began to ask about offshore services, and to do pricing comparisons in terms of project costs. When tapQA compared the numbers, the firm founds ways of matching lower offshore pricing and, in some cases, coming in below those figures.
"We use local, Minnesota talent and we compete against offshore rates," says Faulise. "Because of that, we continue to grow, and to be effective in a competitive marketplace."
The company focuses on clients that tend to need contractors for a significant portion of work, particularly for technology projects. Faulise points out that the IT industry in the state is below zero percent unemployment, so finding in-house talent is especially challenging. Because of that, many companies have turned to outsourcing, and tapQA has stepped up as a resource to fill that need.
"We're able to separate strategic from tactical resources; that's one of our strengths," he says. "At the beginning of a project, you need strategy, and we can provide that. During a project, you depend on tactical skills, and we've focused on creating a solution that's just as affordable as offshore contracting, but without the hassles."
As tapQA contines to expand its contractor and client pools, the company anticipates more growth in the years ahead, particularly as it establishes more partnerships within the technology industry.
Source: Michael Faulise, tapQA
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Social media marketing has become crucial for all types of companies, since it allows them to connect with current and potential customers, but there's also a way to boost those efforts: digital advertising.
Minneapolis-based agency 90 Degree Media has been honing the advertising options it offers to clients, and these now include display ads, search advertising, video, mobile, and other selections. Clients can choose how ads get served up within a single medium, like mobile, or they can blanket the Internet with end-to-end solutions.
Since the agency has a couple of key partnerships in place, it offers advertising options at a much lower rate than companies might find if they were to make deals on their own, according to founder Jamison Geisler.
He started the company in 2009, after working in digital marketing and web development since 2001, and noticing that the majority of companies lacked good customer service. "I felt that so many of these companies really just didn't care about their clients or their business," he says. "It was merely a paycheck. Something needed to change." He decided to strike out on his own as a way to provide stellar customer service while developing customized digital advertising campaigns.
The company currently has six employees, but increasing client numbers will likely result in hiring in the year ahead, Geisler says.
He chose the name 90 Degree Media because it implied a sharp increase in profits, the image of a graph line that takes a sudden turn upwards. He says, "Although it's nice to think of that image in terms of our company, we really look at it as that kind of movement in profits for our clients and partners."
Source: Jamison Geisler, 90 Degree Media
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Creative agency Periscope continues to keep its Human Resources department busy.
Following a steady hiring rate in 2011, the agency kept growth strong this year, adding 123 employees as of the beginning of October. That brings the company's total employee count to 475, with the majority of those staffers in the Minneapolis offices.
Lori Sharbono, Periscope's VP and Director of Business Development, notes that hiring is a result of robust business development efforts, which added some new clients and expanded some services as well. Loyalty marketing services, retail branding, and increased analytics capabilities have all been put into the agency's existing services mix of content creation, brand development, website creation, media buying, and other capabilities.
"It sounds simple and basic but what works for us is to focus on client success," says Sharbono. "We grow our capabilities based on what they need, and we try to stay a step ahead of that. In order to achieve that level of innovation, we focus on bringing in subject matter experts who can provide insight."
In addition to its Minneapolis office, Periscope also operates smaller offices in Hong Kong, New Delhi, and Toronto. Most of the new hires this year will be in the local office. Although the growth rate might make it more challenging to keep finding enough office space, it also creates a vibrant culture, Sharbono believes. "We have a very unique culture here, and that's what draws people," she says. "We have commitment to our clients, but we're also committed to creating a fun, lively culture for employees."
Source: Lori Sharbono, Periscope
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Minneapolis health and medical marketing agency StoneArch unveiled an iPad-based mobile selling platform designed for medical device manufacturers and their sales forces.
The platform, dubbed VOLLEY, was developed in response to an observed need, according to company president Jessica Boden.
"Most of our clients are medical device manufacturers, and they depend on their direct sales forces to sell their products," she says. "When the iPad launched, the medical device industry was an early adopter, but because they lacked a strong platform for the industry specifically, the devices became more like toys than tools."
StoneArch brought together a cross-functional team to address the issue, and ended up with its first proprietary application, which launched on Oct. 16th.
VOLLEY allows for customized content across diverse target audiences, and features a sales rep coaching tool that can help reps deal with challenging customer situations. Use of the application also comes with StoneArch support, including training and deployment, and the agency offers rental iPads for small and mid-sized companies.
Boden says that VOLLEY is already being well received in the industry, and the agency is planning its next iteration after getting feedback from users. The project hasn't just filled a need in the marketplace, either--it's also created some new bounce at StoneArch.
"It's been really fun to develop this; the organization has gotten energy out of making it happen," Boden says. "It gives us fuel for thinking about other ways we can use innovation to help our clients accomplish more."
Source: Jessica Boden, StoneArch
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Most conferences feature a tradeshow floor, and exhibitors often compete to have the most innovative, eye-catching booth. That's where Skyline Exhibits shines.
The Eagan-based company designs and produces portable and custom modular exhibits for the tradeshow industry, and their work is seen both at conferences and at museums, mall kiosks, and public events. Skyline's designs combine soaring, two-story graphics with interactive displays, or more compact screens that are lightweight and portable. If you've been to a tradeshow lately and been wowed by the sheer creative force of an exhibit, chances are good that Skyline designed it.
The company employs more than 250 people and is hiring at a steady pace. Customers report that with Skyline's help, they're selling more at trade shows and are distinguishing their services more easily from competitors. In addition to a 270,000-square-foot facility in Eagan, the company has a location in Shanghai, as well as in the four largest venue cities in North America--Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, and Toronto.
But not long ago, Skyline faced some challenges as the economy struggled. Company president Bill Dierberger notes, "After watching the industry suffer the economic consequences of 9/11 and the dot-com bubble burst, we recommitted the company to innovation and re-energized around it."
The firm developed a product commercialization process that spurred growth, and these days, new product sales are increasing 10 percent faster than legacy product. Dierberger credits "sustained innovation" as the secret sauce that's keeping Skyline adding jobs and boosting sales. "We provide unique solutions to the trade show industry," he says. "That helps our clients achieve their objectives."
Source: Bill Dierberger, Skyline Exhibits
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Minneapolis-based startup BuyerCurious has certainly piqued the curiosity of investors: the company recently announced completion of the final phase of its $1.75 million first round Series A funding, led by private angel investors.
The funding should help the firm take advantage of the online real estate transaction platform it's developed, notes co-founder Jim Lesinski. Launched late last year, the service allows homebuyers and sellers to connect and to negotiate with one another--reducing the control of intermediaries like realtors, appraisers, and bankers.
Before the launch, BuyerCurious had to iron out numerous kinks related to real estate regulation, Lesinski says. That proved challenging, since the company was determined to build an offering that could be used in any part of the country.
"From the start, we wanted a very robust platform," says Lesinski. "We've looked toward national expansion before it even rolled out." The new wave of funding should assist in that effort, he adds, and allow the company to pursue a major marketing strategy for the year ahead.
The company had previously secured about $1.4 million from Gopher Angels and other investors, and also became higher profile when it reached the semi-finals round of the Minnesota Cup.
Lesinski looks forward to getting some strong traction for BuyerCurious in the near future, thanks to more financial resources and a platform that's been earning adoptions. "This represents a transformation of the buyer/seller mindset," he says. "We're excited to be offering this first step in creating an electronic marketplace for real estate."
Source: Jim Lesinski, BuyerCurious
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Highlighting technology leaders in the state, the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) announced finalists for the 2012 Tekne Awards.
The award program, now in its 13th year, recognizes innovations from 2011 that impacted the lives of Minnesotans, through lifestyle improvement or education. Forty-four finalists were named in fifteen categories.
The MHTA noted that the state remains at the forefront of cutting-edge technological growth, and the finalists show that the state's technology future is bright indeed, in areas that range from cleantech to robotics to mobile technologies.
In the startup category, finalists are Sophia Learning and Sparkweave, while those competing in the software category are Code 42 Software, Savigent Software and Third Wave Systems.
Finalists in other categories represent a range of companies, from large firms like 3M and Seagate Technology to smaller businesses like SheerWind, Digineer, and Agosto.
The awards are designed to showcase these types of companies, and draw attention to the innovative and competitive companies in the state, according to MHTA president Margaret Anderson Kelliher. They're part of the organization's larger mission to boost education and entrepreneurship along with technology development.
"We're very excited about the opportunities available to technology companies here," says Kelliher. "In general, we believe that individuals and companies in the state have more potential than they do challenges. We're proud and happy to support them in any way we can."
The Tekne Awards will be presented on November 1st at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
Source: Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Minnesota High Tech Association
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Apps can help track stocks, monitor the weather, arrange a yoga sequence, organize business contacts, and just about any other task you might imagine. But the Mayo Clinic has unveiled an app that does more than provide time management: it helps users deal with anxiety issues.
Called Anxiety Coach, the app is available on iTunes for iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touch devices, and is aimed at reducing worry for its users. Through a series of exercises, users can track their anxiety levels and determine their own progress in handling fears and agitation. Even if someone has a lower-level anxiety, such as fear of public speaking, the app can be helpful in minimizing the impact of those reactions.
The Mayo Clinic emphasizes that the app isn't meant to substitute for mental health services, but simply serves as a way to reduce anxiety between health care visits, or to address fears in general.
Developed by two clinical psychologists--Dr. Stephen Whiteside at the Mayo Clinic and Dr. Jonathan Abramowitz at the University of North Carolina--the app relies on cognitive behavioral therapy, which assists people in overcoming anxiety by gradual degrees.
In addition to a short test to measure severity of worries and fears, the app contains more than 500 activities related to specific fears, obsessions, panic attacks, social anxiety, compulsion, and trauma-related anxiety.
Dr. Whiteside notes that the app challenges people to face their fears, as opposed to other apps that tend to focus on relaxation strategies. Those types of apps "don't get the core of what is helpful in the long term," he says.
Source: Stephen Whiteside, Mayo Clinic
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Advocates of sustainability have often demonized lawn care for squandering water, adding fertilizers and herbicides to the environment, and increasing our carbon footprint through gas-powered mowing. But a new research project from the University of Minnesota could make both environmentalists and homeowners happier in the future.
Funded by a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the 5-year project is part of a national research effort aimed at improving specialty crops. Researchers will be investigating ways to develop turf grasses that require less water and mowing, and that stay green without extensive use of pesticides and fertilizers.
The reduction in water usage will be especially important, since this season's lengthy drought isn't seen as a fluke by many climate experts, but as an indication of dry seasons ahead. With a more drought-resistant turf grass, public spaces and lawns could remain healthy even with significantly reduced rainfall.
The project's lead investigator, U. of M. Associate Professor of Horticultural Science Eric Watkins, says: "This project will lead to the development of new varieties of these grasses that are well-adapted to adverse conditions and more available to consumers."
As part of the research, Watkins and his team will work with scientists from Rutgers University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They'll evaluate homeowner buying patterns and breed new varieties of grasses called "fine fescue" that are better at withstanding heat and disease.
As the project evolves, it's likely that a greener and more eco-friendly lawn may be coming soon to a neighborhood or park near you.
Source: Eric Watkins, University of Minnesota
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Just in time for the upcoming snowmobile season, Medina-based Polaris Industries recently broke ground on a major expansion of its research and development facilities in Wyoming, Minn.
Doubling the size of its existing facility, the company is creating capacity for about 350 additional jobs, and it's likely to keep up a strong pace of hiring.
"The company has had record financial performance for a reason," says Jim Williams, VP of Human Resources. "We have profit sharing at every level, a robust bonus plan, and a super high-energy, positive culture."
The sense of collaboration at Polaris draws many candidates, Williams says, and the number of resumes zipping through the HR department can be formidable. Part of the allure is the company's generous policy on borrowing products like all-terrain vehicles, as well as receiving vehicles, accessories, and garments as rewards for good performance.
"There's a huge incentive to work here," says Williams. "We have a team made up of power sports enthusiasts, and the culture creates a tremendous amount of pride in the company."
That level of loyalty and commitment is driving growth for Polaris, he adds. The company recently announced that its one millionth product rolled off its assembly line in Spirit Lake, Iowa.
The new facility in Wyoming should allow the company to stay on its strong growth track and expand product development as well. It shouldn't be too long before Polaris is roaring toward that two millionth product mark.
Source: Jim Williams, Polaris
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Although coffee shops have always attracted book lovers, one local publisher is using technology to make that relationship even more rewarding.
Minneapolis-based Hillcrest Media Group recently launched CoffeeandBooks.com, an online venture that pairs coffee house partners with publishers, with plenty of incentives thrown in for reading groups and bibliophiles.
Hillcrest CEO Mark Levine actually bought the domain name four years ago, but let it idle while he built the company into a leading local publisher, growing the company through other business divisions like Mill City Press, BPR Book Group, and Publish Green. Then, a chance connection with the head of Dunn Bros. put the site on a fast track.
"Once we had that anchor partner, the site became a priority," says Levine. "Dunn Bros. is very entrepreneurial, as are we, so it was a great partnership." The publishing firm tested the model about two months ago by putting together events for authors like Don Shelby and promoting them on CoffeeandBooks.com. When huge crowds showed up, they knew they'd found a powerful combination.
"The success we found with those early tests is very encouraging, and we're ready to go to the next phase," Levine says. That will involve putting a point-of-sale stand in participating coffee shops, with a selection of eight books, including both fiction and non-fiction. Although titles and publishers have yet to be fully finalized, Levine notes that some of the books will come from local favorites like Milkweed Press and the University of Minnesota.
He says, "So many publishers are dying to find non-retail places to sell books, and this is a fresh concept, so we expect to see a great deal of interest." Readers will also benefit from incentives like discounts on food and drinks, and a gift card for each book purchased.
Source: Mark Levine, Hillcrest Media Group
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Healthcare administration can be notoriously complicated, but Minneapolis-based ABILITY Network is determined to untangle the process.
The company, originally called Visionshare, initially provided only network connectivity for Medicare providers. But in the last few years, a major rebranding initiative brought in a larger management team, strategic investors, and a significantly revamped lineup of products and services.
ABILITY now provides workflow management services, cash flow tools, payer eligibility verification, and a secure claims submission solution, among other products.
"We're a company that just used to handle bits and bytes, and through that process, we earned the trust of providers across the country," says Mark Briggs, CEO of ABILITY. "Now, they've turned to us to deliver solutions that lead to better patient care."
Since its rebranding, the company has found itself on a robust growth track, both in hiring and sales. With 150 employees, ABILITY is likely to keep expanding, and recently opened an office in Tampa, with plans to open another in Boston. The new offices are part of a strategic hiring push, since software engineers can be difficult to find in the "silicon prairie" of the Twin Cities.
Providers who need software and services that give them more control over areas like revenue management and medical coding are driving the company's continued growth, Briggs notes.
"We're helping providers do a better job by uniting all the pieces of a patient's chart, and letting them streamline clinical information," he says. "What we provide is an ability to put relevant content to work. We really think there couldn't be a better time in our country's healthcare system for tools like these. Definitely, there's a need."
Source: Mark Briggs, ABILITY Network
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Technology group Advance IT Minnesota unveiled a new award that could give some high school girls a major boost in their technology careers.
The first annual Minnesota Aspirations for Women in Computing Award will be open to girls in grades 9 through 12, and is tied to a national competition from the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT).
Advance IT decided to take on the award because of the shortage of skilled technical workers graduating from college, according to Ann Thureen, a vice president at Unisys Corporation.
She says, "Encouraging students at the high school level to see the possibilities of the STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] field is a great way to get them into the right college tracks to sustain and grow our IT industry in Minnesota. We see more young women going to college than young men. We need to tap into this valuable talent pool and expose them to the opportunities for great paying jobs in IT."
Advance IT is administered through the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, and serves as a connection point among employers, educators, and IT professionals. The group's mission is to position Minnesota as one of the top states in the country for IT-related employment. The award will help to bring the organization closer to that goal, says Russell Fraenkel, Advance IT Minnesota's Director of Collaborative Programs and Outreach.
"The Aspirations Award provides an encouraging environment for young women to gain greater awareness of technology career options and sets the stage for them to become more deeply engaged in determining their education and career path," he says.
For high school girls who are ready to compete for the award, act fast: the deadline for entries is Nov. 16th, but entries that come in before Oct. 31 will be eligible for the national award as well.
Sources: Russell Fraenkel, Advance IT; Ann Thureen, Unisys Corporation
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Cyber Security Summit
October 9 & 10
Minneapolis Convention Center
Fees range from $319 to $779, depending on registration type
Focused on how we look at digital space and security, this event brings together leaders from government, business, and nonprofit organizations to talk about digital infrastructure security issues. Now in its second year, the summit features talks about topics like cyber threat identification, privacy, and cloud computing, and boasts speakers from Medtronic, the FBI, Best Buy, and the Department of Homeland Security.
Minnesota Venture and Finance Conference
October 11
Minneapolis Convention Center
7:00am - 5:00pm
Fees range from $295 to $645, depending on registration type
Hosted by The Collaborative and the Minnesota Venture Capital Association, this one-day conference focuses on the future of innovation in a number of fields, including cloud computing, cleantech, healthcare, and mobile devices. Attendees can choose from a wealth of workshops, many of which are geared toward entrepreneurs who are trying to position a company for financing.
She's Geeky
October 19 & 20
Science Museum of Minnesota
120 W. Kellogg Blvd.
Now in its third year, She's Geeky is a conference designed to connect women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The event is an "unconference," which means that instead of a pre-planned agenda, topics and discussions are generated by attendees. Organizers note that women attending the events (which are held in multiple cities) find inspiration and gain self-confidence because they build peer networks for support and discuss critical issues.
Yancey Strickler talk
October 25
Walker Art Center
7:00pm - 9:00pm
free
Kickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler will speak about the website's inspiration and evolution, and its increasing impact on artists and creative entrepreneurs. In addition to talking about how Kickstarter's success could affect the wider world of arts funding, Strickler will also speculates about what the future might hold for the technology platform itself.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
The campaign to end texting while driving is heating up, especially with the recent announcement by AT&T that it was joining up with the Department of Transportation and the FCC to establish a national movement to halt the practice.
Although individuals can "take the pledge" to stop texting and driving, they can also thwart temptation with DriveScribe, a mobile application that acts as a real-time driving monitor and "coach" that gives tips on better driving. Parents can also use the app to get alerts whenever a teen texts while on the road.
Created by Minneapolis-based tech firm Drive Power, the app launched in August and is seeing a great deal of momentum already, including a pilot project in Saudi Arabia and a partnership with GMAC insurance.
CEO Will England notes that the quick adoption rate is being fueled by a free version of the app, as well as an expanded incentives program and an aggressive awareness campaign. He says, "We're continuing to gain traction in the individual-user market, even hearing from parents that many are requiring their teens to use DriveScribe when they drive."
Another growth driver: corporate partnerships, like the ones with GMAC and the Saudis. The project in Saudi Arabia involved having employees of Saudi Aramco, one of the largest oil companies in the world, use DriveScribe. With a large fleet of vehicles, the company believes that DriveScribe can reduce liabilities and minimize accidents.
"We're actively working with corporate partners to promote safe driving among large groups of drivers," England says. With such high-profile projects leading the app's kickoff, look for DriveScribe to come to a vehicle near you in the not-too-distant future.
Source: Will England, CEO
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Mendota Heights-based healthcare technology firm Healthsense recently got a major boost toward more growth, in the form of strategic funding that will help the company keep expanding its operations.
Healthsense provides a remote monitoring platform, called eNeighbor, targeted toward the senior care market. Caregivers can be alerted to situations like falls or sudden health changes, and can also use the technology to keep on top of regular health issues.
The system--developed under the direction of the National Institute of Aging and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency--relies on a series of wireless sensors placed throughout a residence, which can capture an occupant's activities. The system "learns" a person's routines, like what time he or she gets out of bed, and alerts caregivers if there's a significant change in behavior.
The company will be able to expand the product's reach, thanks to an infusion of $7 million, in a round of Series-D financing, led by new investors Merck Global Health Innovation Fund and Fallon Community Health Plan.
"The addition of these respected investors supports our belief that our technology and approach can both improve quality and reduce cost," notes Healthsense CEO Brian Bischoff. "Both companies represent strong strategic alliances for us at this important point in our growth."
The company has seen a nice amount of traction in the past few years, kicked off by a grant from the Department of Defense, which launched a research program to demonstrate how wellness monitoring and assistive technologies could help keep older adults in their own homes.
Bischoff is confident that the system's steady adoption will keep fueling company growth, especially with the financing round. He says, "As we go forward, our attention will increasingly focus on enhancing care models to advance the adoption of remote monitoring in health management."
Source: Brian Bischoff, Healthsense
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Anyone searching for an indicator of Minnesota's strong tech growth should take a good look at St. Cloud-based W3i.
The company has not only tripled growth for its mobile monetization business within the past year, but it's also nearly doubled its employee numbers, and there's no stopping the momentum now.
To keep pace, the company will be opening an office in the Grain Exchange building in Minneapolis, and has recently added space to its headquarters as well. Another office just opened up in San Francisco, too, to attract developers and potential employees in that technology hub.
"We're excited about everything that's happening, and the surge in revenue we've seen," says Rob Weber, who co-founded W3i with his brothers, Ryan and Aaron, in 2000. "With the growth in mobile technologies and apps, we're in a hot category, with a platform that's creating a lot of value. It's hard not to be excited when you're in that position."
The company helps app developers and publishers make a profit from their apps, through a monetization and distribution system. Services include user acquisition, media buying, and marketing solutions.
Particularly well received is the W3i Games Platform, which provides a hosted virtual goods management system. The platform allows developers to add, modify, or delete inventory items and manage their currency online.
With all the momentum, W3i is likely to keep its current, robust pace, Weber believes. There are 20 open positions in every functional area of the company, and he anticipates that the business side of W3i will get built out as much as the development side. He says, "All areas are growing here, and we're just doing our best to keep up."
Source: Rob Weber, W3i
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
For a decade, marketing and technology have been racing toward each other, and Minneapolis-based Fision expertly demonstrates the powerful effect that can occur when they finally fuse.
The firm, kicked off in 2008 by entrepreneur Mike Brown, provides clients with integrated marketing that boasts high levels of customization and simplicity.
For example, a health and beauty manufacturer with 7,000 distributors, retailers, and salons across 24 countries used Fision to create a centralized online marketing asset repository for sales materials. Each location could build digital and print marketing campaigns and deliver a consistent message, no matter where the salon or distributor was in the world.
Over the past four years, Fision has built a number of software-as-a-service products that give clients more clout in streamlining their marketing and communications efforts. Customers can choose customized e-mail marketing, social media marketing, digital asset management, business rule configuration, list management, and other services.
Recently, the company made a major move into the mobile space as well, by announcing an agreement with 3Cinteractive, a provider of cloud-based enterprise mobile solutions. That partnership should bring more sales and marketing automation across multiple channels, including messaging, smartphone apps, and mobile web.
Currently, Fision has 20 employees, but look for that number to increase as marketing automation keeps catching on, notes Fision spokesperson J.T. Williams. "This is a huge area for growth," he says. "The emergence of marketing automation is a major driver for change within enterprises; it really allows them to be much more effective about their marketing efforts."
Source: J.T. Williams, Fision
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Small companies spend a large chunk of time on customer acquisition and supplier management, but it can be tricky to determine if those external contacts will be a boon to business or a drag on the accounting department.
Minneapolis-based Argos Risk intends to turn the process into a streamlined, simple strategy that can benefit any company. The firm provides a monthly subscription service that allows enterprises to monitor the ongoing financial health of customers, suppliers, and even competitors.
The tactic lets Argos clients manage risk, and also gives them a tool to determine which customers deserve more credit or more sales efforts directed their way. The software-as-service was designed for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in particular, says co-founder Steven Foster, because companies of that size often lack the resources to do extensive risk management.
The Argos "stoplight system" gives users a quick indication of potential credit problems, and an alert system kicks in when a customer or supplier starts heading from yellow to red. Foster says, "We've had very good feedback about the system; people really appreciate how helpful it can be when making decisions about their customers or suppliers."
Recently, the company introduced another risk-management tool, but this time it's for the SMBs themselves. Argos Risk Defender monitors a company's credit and issues an alert if problems are cropping up. Company president Lori Frank compares it to LifeLock, the identity-theft prevention tool for individuals.
"This is an era when identity theft is the fastest growing crime, and businesses aren't immune--far from it," she says. "We're helping to address the problem, and to help companies that may have been compromised."
The company is finding strong traction for its products, and expects strong growth in the year ahead, including hiring in some key positions. "We take a field that's complicated and make it easy for our customers," says Frank. "When you do that, you can always find growth."
Sources: Steven Foster and Lori Frank, Argos Risk
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Minneapolis-based technology firm MentorMate continues on its robust growth track, anticipating more hiring when it moves into new headquarters soon.
Started in 2001 by entrepreneur Bjorn Stasvik, the company was founded on a signature app, iQpakk, which allows users to create education and training courses on a mobile device. Later, it rolled out SpyderMate, a web-based SEO application for marketers.
Despite a challenging economic climate in the past few years, and slow early adoption of mobile tech, MentorMate found its footing and kept on growing. The company expanded internationally, opening offices in Bulgaria and Costa Rica, and Stasvik notes that MentorMate found even more traction when the iPhone debuted.
At the start of 2011, the company had 30 employees, but began this year with 115 employees. Stansvik aimed to increase that number to 200 by the end of 2012, and the move to larger offices should help meet that goal. The company will relocate within Uptown to 3036 Hennepin Ave., occupying space once held by advertising agency mono.
"Software is permeating society as a whole," says Stansvik. "We see demand only increasing, and we're in a great position to take advantage of that."
The company's success is only partially based on innovation, he adds. Also helpful is filling customer need, and excelling at web marketing. He says, "If you have happy clients, the rest can take care of itself. "
Source: Bjorn Stasvik, MentorMate
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
The best breakthrough business idea in Minnesota this year is a mobile application that allows care providers, family members, and loved ones to interact with one another throughout the day.
Called PreciouStatus, the app nabbed the top prize at the lively Minnesota Cup competition, beating out over 100 competitors in the high-tech division, and about 1,000 entrepreneurs total. PreciouStatus founder Julie Gilbert-Newrai started the company about a year and a half after her husband was hospitalized with a severe brain hemorrhage when the couple's child was just eight weeks old.
"I learned firsthand how difficult communication with loved ones can be during times of crisis," she says. "The more I looked at the system at large, it became obvious how broken it was." She mapped out a tool that could provide real-time updates for those in daycare, eldercare, rehabilitation facilities, schools, and other locations.
Using the technology, care providers input updates on activities, medication, mood, and other aspects of care. This allows family members to keep up with what's happening without frequent calls to a facility.
This year's Minnesota Cup competition was closely watched, in part because it offered the highest total prize amounts in the Cup's history. One finalist from each division received $25,000 in seed capital ($10,000 in the student division), and runners-up each received $5,000. PreciouStatus will was awarded an additional $40,000 as grand prize winner.
"The Minnesota Cup is one venue that tells entrepreneurs to keep going while so many tell you that your business isn't going to work," Gilbert-Newrai says.
Source: Julie Gilbert-Newrai, PreciouStatus
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
For parents who want to find toys made in the United States, the search can be challenging, believes Patrick Magnusson, co-founder of a new online retail venture, HomeGrown Kid.
"We have a young daughter, and we became aware of how difficult it could be to find toys and other products made here," he says. "Many were made in countries where the safety standards aren't as rigorous as those of the United States, and that was a concern for us."
He started the venture with his wife, Nousha, and her brother, with the trio bringing on family friend Bobbi Bohnsack to handle marketing. In addition to offering American-made goods, many of the products on the website are eco-friendly as well. For example, a dump truck from Green Toys, a manufacturer in California, is made from recycled plastic milk containers and is BPA-free. Even the packaging for shipping is constructed of recycled materials.
Beyond safety issues, Magnusson and his co-founders have a larger goal of increasing access to American-made products. He says, "We feel that consumers can positively influence the economy by buying products made here. It moves us toward a better future."
The site launched in June, and is finding initial traction through word of mouth, he notes. They plan to do a larger marketing push soon, and by next year, hope to have a steady base of sales and predictable growth. Magnusson says that the step after that will be to expand into other areas, like product development.
"At the end of the day, we're seeing that the 'Made in the USA' options aren't that numerous, but that's one of the main reasons we started this, to begin the process of doing something about that," he notes.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
There are numerous advertising, public relations, digital, and design firms in the Twin Cities, but in combining all those skills, Pocket Hercules is confident that it'll continue to stand out.
The Minneapolis-based agency, founded in 2005, has been growing steadily this year since expanding their offices in the Warehouse District. In addition to representing high-profile brands like Pearl Izumi, Rapala, and Mortenson Construction, the firm is finding strength through brands they've launched on their own: Lakemaid Beer and Tiny Footprint Coffee.
Given the interest in fair-trade coffee, Tiny Footprint in particular is really taking off, and will be sold at the Minnesota State Fair this year, notes agency principal Jack Supple. The coffee is also in the American Swedish Institute and Wilde Roast Cafe, and expectations are high that the eco-conscious brand will become better known in the near future.
Lakemaid is also enjoying some longevity. Launched in 2008, the brand was created for fishermen and cabin owners, and is offered every year at the opening of fishing season. Supple says, "We're humbled by the success we've experienced so far [with Lakemaid]. We owe it all to our dedicated fans who look forward to the beer with great anticipation every year."
The firm is also seeing growth through PH Digital Labs, a new digital marketing agency that the company launched in February. Dedicated to focusing on a client's online presence, the offshoot of Pocket Hercules utilizes search engine marketing, social media marketing, digital content creation, and intelligent web design.
"What we're seeing is organic growth," says Supple. "We're growing our brands and bringing in new business, and as a result we're adding people and seeing a really good year."
Source: Jack Supple, Pocket Hercules
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Now it's down to 19.
The eighth annual Minnesota Cup continues to draw attention in announcing the division finalists, whittling the top contenders down to just three companies in each category. The contest features high tech, bioscience and health IT, clean tech and renewable energy, general, and student divisions. Four contenders are competing in the social entrepreneur category.
Finalists include OrthoCor Medical, which proposed ideas for noninvasive therapeutic devices to alleviate pain, and PreciouStatus, a mobile application that allows care providers to interact with patients' family members throughout the day.
Division finalists will deliver an eight-minute presentation to a panel of judges, and winners will be announced on August 29. The grand prize will be awarded on Sept. 6 at an event held at the University of Minnesota.
This year's competition has been closely watched, in part because it offers the highest total prizes in the Cup's history. One finalist from each division will receive $25,000 in seed capital ($10,000 in the student division), and runners-up each receive $5,000. The grand prize winner will get an additional $40,000.
Cup co-founder Scott Litman believes that the contest serves as a catalyst for innovation in the state. He notes that selecting the top ideas is always a challenge, since the Cup draws impressive applicants every year. Those who've won in the past or have been finalists went on to attract significant investment, he adds: "Our track record shows the level of intelligent and inspiring entrepreneurs in the state is truly remarkable."
Source: Scott Litman, Minnesota Cup
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Minnesota Cup Final Awards Event
September 6
University of Minnesota, McNamara Center
5:00pm - 7:30pm
free
One of the liveliest entrepreneurial competitions, the Minnesota Cup has been a source of innovation and fresh ideas since its founding. (Read about this year's finalists
here.) In its final awards event, attendees will get to hear elevator pitches from the division winners and hear the announcement of the grand prize winner. The event promises to be an ideal networking opportunity for the state's entrepreneurial community.
Work/Life & Flexibility Expo
September 13
Minneapolis Marriott Southwest
8:30am - 4:30pm
$50 - $150, depending on registration type
As the economy recovers, engaging highly skilled talent will be crucial for all organizations, and employee retention will be vital. This conference offers insight and strategies for building a work environment that attracts the best talent and positions a company for future growth.
Minnesota Blogger Conference
September 22
Allina Health
Midtown Exchange Building, Minneapolis
9:00am - 5:00pm
free
The first Minnesota Blogger Conference, in 2010, was such a success that organizers decided to keep it rolling. The highly popular conference--tickets are released at strategic times, as for a rock concert--will feature speakers who've taken blogging to new levels, including turning their blogs into business opportunities. Last year's sessions also included insights on legal issues, writing topics, and video blogging.
Food + Justice = Democracy
September 24 - 26
Radisson Plaza Hotel
35 S. 7th St., Minneapolis
Ranges from $85 - $195 depending on registration type
A distinctive national meeting, this event brings together food-justice activists with the aim of pushing political leaders to prioritize a fair, just, and healthy food system. Instead of traditional breakout sessions, the meeting features "People's Assembly sessions," connecting attendees with fellow participants in order to craft elements of a national food-justice platform.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Fast-growing online education firm SOPHIA has been ramping up hiring and reach over the past 16 months, and with a new way to "flip" a classroom, it's likely to expand even more in the year ahead.
The Flipped Classroom Certificate was introduced in April, and since then, nearly 100 teachers have earned the designation, with another 500 in the process. The professional development certificate involves a relatively new teaching method that reverses or "flips" the traditional homework model.
In a flipped classroom, students view multimedia tutorials as homework, then use class time to complete assignments. This gives teachers the ability to provide one-on-one assistance, and to explore a concept more fully if it seems that students are struggling or particularly curious about an aspect of the subject.
Since students are online so much of the day, the model allows teachers to capture students' time more effectively.
Beyond the certificate, the company provides free teaching and learning tools in a variety of subjects, including math, science, English, humanities, fine arts, and languages. Founder Don Smithmier notes that bringing SOPHIA to the whole world was a goal from the start, and one that the company reached quickly. In just its first two days, SOPHIA saw people logging in for the tools from nearly 70 countries.
"We're working in a new category of education, which we call social education," says Smithmier. "It's at the leading edge of learning effectiveness, so there's no path to follow where someone else has led. That can be daunting, to be the first one to forge the path, but it can be exciting, too."
Source: Don Smithmier, SOPHIA
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Nonprofit site CaringBridge continues on its relentless growth track with the launch of user-generated video that lets site users share their stories with friends and family.
The project, facilitated by Minneapolis-based web design and development firm Nighthawk Marketing, features a pre-designed video template that asks users to create an orange or white heart (the colors of the heart in the CaringBridge logo) with an inspiring word or a loved one's name on it. Users can then upload a photo, and it is added to the video.
CaringBridge debuted in 1997, as a way for seriously ill people to create one central, online page that could keep friends and relatives updated about their health changes. Since then, the site has recorded nearly two billion visits, and founder Sona Mehring says the group is continually looking for ways to expand services and deepen the connections made through the site.
"There's still tremendous potential for how CaringBridge can be used," she says. "All of our development supports the idea that people are now used to sharing online, and that we just need to find ways to harness those networks."
She noted that in addition to the introduction of the video, other service offerings are being refined, such as a calendar program that allows visitors to volunteer for making meals or coming along on a doctor visit.
"People who are using CaringBridge are going through a journey," says Mehring. "They appreciate that they can reach out to others through the site. It lets them know that they don't have to be on this journey alone."
Source: Sona Mehring, CaringBridge
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Started in late 2011, Minneapolis-based KeyedIn Solutions has been on the fast track ever since.
The company provides software-as-a-service (SaaS) and consulting for small to midsize businesses, specializing in areas like enterprise resource planning and project management. The past year has been a whirlwind of acquisition and hiring and CEO Lauri Klaus notes that they see more opportunity ahead.
"We're working to establish ourselves in the marketplace, and we're aggressive in reaching that goal," she says. "We've made more progress in a shorter amount of time than I would have anticipated, and that's exciting. We're looking toward long-term growth, definitely."
To keep up the momentum, KeyedIn is thinking globally. Recently, the company announced that it would be opening a new office in Monterrey, Mexico, and it is likely to expand in South Africa within the next year. Already, the firm has a presence in nine U.S. cities as well as the United Kingdom and Australia.
The Mexico office will be led by Christian Orellana, a software industry veteran with experience in channel and project management, Klaus notes. He'll be responsible for all channel sales in the region as well as strategic partnerships, and Klaus believes that growth in the country will be rapid as a result.
"Technically, I think we're still considered a startup, but we don't feel like that," she says. "With this expansion and other global opportunities, we feel like we're really finding our place and creating new opportunities as we go."
Source: Lauri Klaus, KeyedIn Solutions
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
Some creative agencies can provide stunning strategies and vision, while others are stronger in delivering the technology that turns a promise into a workable project. At Modern Climate, they don't feel the need to choose.
"We can deliver top to bottom, including all the technology" says Geoff Bremner, the agency's president. "We're capable of very strong creative ideas, but also have the ability to deliver the code."
The agency got its start in 2009, with roots in a different interactive agency, Wolfmotell. The founders from that firm joined with Bremner to capitalize on their experience in product development and other services and broaden their approach. The result has been a full range of services for clients, and more national accounts, Bremner says.
The other result has been a nice amount of growth. The agency employs 45 people, and will see about 35 percent growth this year. Bremner predicts that Modern Climate will stay robust, likely sailing along at about 20 percent growth year to year in the near future.
The agency's ability to provide full services is one driver, but Modern Climate also stands out for its expertise in delivering powerful brand experiences for clients.
Recent projects have included the development of the Health4Me mobile app for UnitedHealthcare, the creation of a communications platform for Northern Brewer's recent store opening, and improvement of Geek Squad's consumer site.
"We see so many opportunities for fun consumer engagement," says Bremner. "When people enjoy a brand experience, they want to interact more with that brand. So, our focus is to create a great experience through the whole journey."
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
For Julie Mackenzie, growing up around actors and other theatrical people created a strong sense that life should be lived creatively, and with plenty of improvisation. When she stepped into the business world, she was surprised to discover that not everyone held that belief.
"I was shocked at what some people considered creativity," she recalls. "Right away, I could see the need for more transformation and innovation through a creative approach."
She hatched the idea for a firm focusing on those goals, but then got sidetracked by building a marketing company with her husband. After establishing that firm, she decided to take the leap and open Mindsailing to realize her vision.
The timing has been perfect, she notes: "We have this community of great collaborators right now. They're pursuing their interests, and trying to find a way to be valuable and relevant, while using the momentum of change to pull their businesses forward."
Mackenzie provides some wind for their sails, by bringing together a group that can deliver strategic planning and creative development, while helping clients to connect to a company's value proposition.
Mindsailing tends to work with clients in industries that are experiencing rapid change, such as healthcare, and uses social innovation to boost transformation.
"There are so many well-founded and well-researched strategic plans that simply fail," she says. "It's because those companies aren't responding to changing dynamics through creativity, or they're not finding ways to communicate in a new way."
Source: Julie Mackenzie, Mindsailing
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
Want to report a particularly nasty pothole, or let the city know about a traffic light issue? Now there's an app for that.
The City of Minneapolis recently launched the new Minneapolis 311 smartphone app, which allows users to report service requests, including complaints about road wear, signal problems, and graffiti.
The app uses GPS technology to pinpoint the location of the problem, and sends that information to the appropriate city department.
Minneapolis 311 originated in August 2004 as part of the Minneapolis One Call Project; the number (311 in the city, 612-673-3000 from outside) is staffed between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. According to the program director Don Stickney, about 70 percent of all calls are for information, and the remaining calls are for transfers or requests for service. Stickney notes most of the highest-used service requests can be processed online, which makes the new mobile app a strong addition to the program.
"The City answers between 1,000 to 2,400 calls per day on average," says Stickney. "Not only does the new Minneapolis 311 Mobile App give Minneapolis citizens a convenient and efficient way to report issues, the Open311 integration enables the City to automatically and seamlessly respond to those issues outside of traditional contact center business hours."
Another advantage for residents is the ability to check in on requests that have already been submitted. The app also generates an email when the request has been completed by the relevant agency.
The app was built by Connecticut-based SeeClickFix, a software developer specializing in these type of apps for government and community group clients.
Free to download, the app is available for iPhone and Android, and those with Blackberry or Windows phones can submit reports to 311 through SeeClickFix.com.
Source: Don Stickney, City of Minneapolis
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Online broadcast reporting service BringMeTheNews (BMTN) made some news itself recently, when the company announced that it had raised $3 million in capital from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC).
In announcing the funding infusion, SMSC chairman Stanley Crooks noted that the company is the face of 21st century media since it's local, social, and mobile.
The SMSC has been a sponsor of the firm for almost two years, but this major funding boost will help to spark even more growth, according to founder Rick Kupchella.
He notes that BMTN has grown to nearly 20 employees, including some notable names in the local news scene. In addition to Kupchella, who's been an Emmy-winning investigative reporter and TV news anchor in the Twin Cities for two decades, BMTN includes other high-profile news reporters and producers like Don Shelby, Eric Perkins, William Wilcoxen, and Amy Hockert.
"There's a lot to be proud of with the tremendous growth we've seen in BMTN in just three years," Kupchella notes, adding that the firm has aggressive plans for growth in the next three years.
The investment will allow BMTN to enhance the user experience of the site, he says, as well as provide the funding needed for improving the speed and relevance of the content. Also, the company is eyeing additional markets. Already, the news delivery system has been dubbed the top radio newscast in the state by the Society of Professional Journalists, and Kupchella is hoping to bring that expertise and reputation to other areas.
Source: Rick Kupchella, BringMeTheNews
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
The Twin Cities are rich in creative agencies, and have drawn attention for the breadth of options from spunky startups to established major players. Recently, industry magazine Advertising Age showcased the local area, noting that it's little wonder that so many agencies get their start here since Minneapolis is a "smart and artsy town."
One of the prime examples, the article noted, is Zeus Jones, a Minneapolis-based firm that focuses on building brands and providing customer experiences and messaging that stand out in the marketplace.
Founded by advertising executives who'd worked together at large local agency Fallon, the company was started in 2007 as a way to deliver marketing instead of advertising, states Zeus Jones co-founder Adrian Ho.
"We had a simple idea: that the reason people like companies has to do with what they do, not what they say in ads," he says. "We have an idealistic view of what that means, and for the last five years, we've been figuring out what that means."
In general, he adds, Zeus Jones assists companies in thinking about how they define their brand, and helping to rebuild that brand around a purpose. Ho says, "This goes above and beyond products. We figure out the best ways to bring their purpose to life." That could mean product design, retail design, strategy, or other creative services. Clients have included Thymes, Nordstrom, and Purina ONE.
The agency has 32 employees, and is currently hiring and growing. Ho notes that the business plan didn't center around growth, but as the firm has drawn more clients, it's been a natural evolution.
"We think there are better ways to communicate a company's message than running ads, and we're seeing that proved on a bigger scale here," says Ho. "Clients respond to that."
Source: Adrian Ho, Zeus Jones
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
The Collaborative Innovation Series
August 2
University of St. Thomas College of Business, Minneapolis Campus
46 Eleventh St. South, Minneapolis
7:10am - 11:20am
$45 for members, $105 for non-members
The Collaborative, a membership organization focused on growing companies and investors, frequently provides education opportunities, and this upcoming morning seminar is part of its "innovation series." Speakers will focus on larger topics like choosing angel or VC investors, leveraging advisors, and growing through new hires.
Datavenu
August 7 & 8
University of Minnesota
Carlson School of Management
Fee ranges from $25 - $125, depending on type of pass
Organized by local entrepreneur Barbara Bowen, Datavenu focuses on personal data, economic development, and the information economy. The first day of the event brings together leading speakers to talk about IT developments and data policies, while the second day is an "unconference" that features an agenda created in real time by participants.
Exporting in 2012: The Practices of Profitable Companies
August 22
Mortenson Construction
700 Meadow Lane North, Golden Valley
8:00am - 11:00am
$79 before Aug. 14, $119 afterward
Hosted by Enterprise Minnesota, this seminar brings together experts and business leaders who will discuss the export process and how attendees can better navigate this particular strategy. There will be several examples of how local companies are selling internationally, and connecting with global business experts who can streamline the process.
The Engaged Philanthropy Conference
August 23
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
4:00pm - 8:00pm
$70
Also known as EPCON, this conference focuses on social innovation in Minnesota, and is hosted by Social Venture Partners Minnesota, an organization made up of entrepreneurs and corporate leaders who are attempting to address the state's social issues. Now in its fourth year, the conference features a competition for identifying top social entrepreneurs, and keynote speaker Tim Knowles from the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute.
Identification cards have come a long way in the past decade, and Eden Prairie-based IdentiSys has been a pioneer in that evolution.
These days, cards can carry much more than identity data--they can track history of access to a server room, for example, or provide location info for an emergency worker.
"We're on our second or third generation of capabilities," says IdentiSys CEO Michael Shields. "Our customers are very savvy about what they want in a card, and at the same time, we're happy to keep expanding card uses."
When the company opened in 1999, it was a spinoff of Datacard Group, an ID card printer and issuance firm. Thanks to that connection, IdentiSys had $5 million in business waiting the moment its doors opened. Not many startups can make that claim.
"We found our footing quickly," says Shields. "That allowed us to go from there." The company began acquiring ID firms to expand its reach nationally, and also looked at industries where the card usage was highest. Currently, the largest market share seems to go to casinos, which use ID cards for player reward programs.
Another growing area, Shields says, is emergency management. The company provides identification and tracking systems to police and fire departments so they can create a centralized response station. For instance, in a wildfire, the cards are part of a kit assigned to each firefighter. At the command center, supervisors can track how much air is in each person's tank, where they're located during the fire, and other important factors.
Areas like this are fueling growth for IdentiSys, Shields notes, and the company is looking ahead to a robust future. "When we started, people were using ID cards just for identification," he says. "Now, there's no limit to the innovations and uses."
Source: Michael Shields, IdentiSys
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
There are plenty of wedding planning websites, giving advice on everything from rings to thank-you notes. But GetMarried stands out, thanks to a recent revamp that's made the site more airy, fresh, and useful.
An asset of Taylor Corporation (run by Glen Taylor, former politician and owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves), the site was an underutilized asset that couldn't match major competitors. Heather Dempsey, who worked on strategic accounts and digital print technologies for the company, suggested a major shift toward inspiration and photography rather than the usual articles and advice.
"With the popularity of Pinterest and other visually-oriented sites, it's clear that people love to look at images and take ideas from that," she says. "At the same time, the site needed to feel more personal."
GetMarried relaunched at the end of June, with Dempsey at the helm. True to her vision, the design features plenty of photographs and trend-spotting. For example, she groups wedding photos into areas like "vintage glam" and "preppy chic."
"We feel that the site now is a great start in terms of putting out fresh ideas and letting people translate that into what they want," she says. "One disappointing aspect of some wedding sites is that they have elaborate photo shoots and then you find out that they weren't even real weddings. Brides and planners prefer to see details that other people really loved, and that made the day special."
The format of the site is being tested now, Dempsey notes, and could lend itself to additional lifestyle directions like baby showers, graduation parties, and other common celebrations.
"It's really fun to work on this, and see the different directions it can go," she says.
Source: Heather Dempsey, GetMarried
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
When Minneapolis-based marketing technology firm Spyder Trap decided to expand, company CEO Mike Rynchek didn't look toward an outer ring suburb or a hop just across the river: instead, the company is headed to the mountains.
Recently, it announced plans to open an office in Denver this fall, with a small staff initially. However, the company anticipates expanding both offices in the near future, and is currently hiring to broaden its local presence.
Spyder Trap offers an array of marketing technology services, such as website and mobile site development, social media expertise, search analytics, and email marketing (see previous coverage in The Line
here). In its four-year history, the firm has grown its revenues by 200 percent per year.
The move to Denver makes sense strategically, Rynchek says: "Similar to Minneapolis, Denver is quickly becoming one of the nation's leading marketing technology cities. We view our new location as a gateway to attracting West Coast talent, along with better servicing that clientele."
Another important factor was lifestyle, he adds. Much like the Twin Cities, Denver tends to top lists when it comes to healthy eating and outdoor activities. Spyder Trap wanted a location that would be a great place for employees, with the wellness levels they enjoy here.
Rynchek says, "We continue to look for ways to make Spyder Trap a great place to be for our employees."
Source: Mike Rynchek, Spyder Trap
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Major fuel sources for any university or college program are donations, leading every institute of higher education to refine its fundraising programs as much as possible. That's leading St. Paul-based Reeher, a technology firm that helps institutions fine-tune their fundraising strategies, toward robust growth as a result.
The company recently noted that Fordham University adopted the platform in order to reach a $500 million campaign goal. Before that, the University of Toledo joined Reeher for its own campaign. Saint John's University selected Reeher in April as a way to improve its donor identification and management.
Founded in 2002 by Andy Reeher, the firm has developed a technology platform that helps institutions find up to 40 percent more donors, resulting in more fundraising dollars and less time spent chasing leads. Reeher discovered that most universities and colleges were investing significantly in fundraising relationships, only to find that most of the donations came from a handful of large donors.
Using predictive technology, Reeher is able to make fundraising more cost-effective for institutions, and the company's growing reputation is opening more doors all the time.
Reeher says, "These institutions see a lot of fundraising management technologies come and go, and they tend to wait to see what's working for someone else before they make a choice on what they'll use. So, one of our big drivers is that with this growing list of customers, we anticipate more inquiries and momentum going forward."
Source: Andy Reeher, Reeher
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
The Minnesota Angel Tax Credit Program recently celebrated its second birthday, and boasts some impressive numbers for a two-year-old.
Since its launch in July 2010, the program has attracted more than $126 million in private investments for small, entrepreneur-led companies in the state. According to Mark Phillips, Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), over 100 businesses have received funding in 2012 alone. Companies attracting the most attention from investors and angel funds tend to be software, biotechnology, and medical device firms.
The program has been a tremendous help for promising businesses, Phillips believes. Some of the companies earning funds could be the state's next big high-tech success stories, leading to job growth and a more robust local economy.
Run by DEED, the program provides incentives to investors or investment funds, steering them in the direction of putting money into emerging companies, particularly those focused on high-tech endeavors. The Angel Tax Credit gives investors a credit of 25 percent for investments of at least $10,000, and the past few years have shown that plenty of investors are eager to take advantage of that incentive while helping to get innovative companies off the ground.
Over two-thirds of $12 million in tax credits allocated for this year have already gone out, Phillips noted, and DEED expects the remaining credits of about $3.3 million to be allocated by the end of August.
The program is slated to continue operation through the end of 2014, and if everything works as DEED expects, close to $236 million will have been invested in Minnesota high-tech startups by the time the program ends.
Source: Mark Phillips, Department of Employment and Economic Development
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
For some creative agencies, staying small and nimble means creating strong areas of specialization like logo creation or social media management. But for Deephaven-based DW Creative, sticking with full service sets them apart.
"There aren't many boundaries for what we can do creatively," says Ryan Benson, the firm's director of business development. "We're multi-channel focused, with expertise in all different types of areas." The firm does videos, catalogs, web, print, retail, direct mail, and other materials.
The agency started almost 16 years ago by three former NordicTrack executives, he adds, which kicked off the business with a healthy amount of media savvy. NordicTrack was a pioneer in the direct marketing space--sometimes selling thousands of units every day--and that knowledge of creative approaches became a bedrock for DW (short for "Design Write").
The firm employs six people, and Benson feels that the size and the cohesion of the staff kept the clients coming in even during the tough economic climate of the past few years.
"We've not only survived what went on with the economy, but we're poised to grow, and not too many small agencies can say that," he says. "We take quite a bit of pride in that."
In the past couple years, marketing and ad dollars were significantly reduced in the general business community, and many creative agencies felt the pinch, but DW Creative was able to stay afloat through its breadth of services.
"Our clients see the value in our work, and that will only help us grow," Benson says.
Source: Ryan Benson, DW Creative
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Searching for the right realtor can sometimes feel like dating--everyone is hunting for that special someone who's trustworthy, friendly, and compatible. Where are the sites that give you a strong realtor match the way dating sites pair you up with romantic candidates?
HomeVisor comes awfully close. Started by real estate agent Brett Doshan, the service aims to bring buyers and sellers together with realtors who understand their needs.
Doshan says, "A first-time, 22 year-old buyer usually wants a younger agent, whereas a retiree likes to work with someone their own age. That's just one example of preferences that people have. Buying and selling real estate is a big part of someone's life, so they want to make sure they feel comfortable with the agent."
In order to find just the right agent for each client, Doshan and his team spend hours on the phone, talking with agents around the country to get a sense of personality types, reputations, experience, and other factors that go into a recommendation.
There are some competitors that try to do a similar match-up, but Doshan says that they usually have a pool of agents that pay to be part of the service. When a buyer goes to one of their sites, they simply put in his or her zip code, and get a list of agents. "The focus of those sites is to get agents to sign up, to expand their databases," he notes. "Our focus is on buyers and sellers, to find out what they really need."
Doshan's comprehensive matchmaking skills have allowed HomeVisor to go national, within only a few years since it started. The company employs five people, and the founder expects strong growth for the future. "We just want to constantly get better at our service."
Source: Brett Doshan, HomeVisor
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Sometimes, it pays to specialize. For Golden Valley-based DelaGet, customers come from only one industry segment, and it's that focus that's causing the company to attract investment and keep growing.
Spun out of restaurant franchisee Border Foods in 2000, the firm creates financial reporting software for restaurants, which can use the applications to track information like server performance and food inventory. A franchise restaurant owner can glance at sales results for all restaurants, for example, or look at the transaction-level activity of one cashier.
Over the past five years, DelaGet has expanded its services to include brand programs, notes CEO Bruce Clark: "We go in and create solutions for a brand, and that program becomes a best practice." The company works with some of the most visible restaurant chains in the country, including Taco Bell, KFC, and IHOP.
Another unique aspect comes with creating different platforms that can be customized to a restaurant's needs, Clark adds. DelaGet's software-as-a-service offering is on 40 different platforms, representing a significant part of its intellectual property, he says.
DelaGet's strength in the industry is getting the company noticed: in December, the firm attracted $400,000 from angel investors.
The company currently employs about 80 people, and has strong plans for growth. Although it boasts an impressive customer list, there are still numerous restaurant brands that fall within DelaGet's core market, notes Rick Berglund, VP of Business Development.
He says, "One stage of our growth will be to build brand relationships, and from there, we can expand services. We're seeing success on several levels so we're anticipating that we'll be accelerating our growth in the near future."
Sources: Bruce Clark and Rick Berglund, DelaGet
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Although there are now plenty of tech experts at Apple stores, Martin Thomas was a lone Mac guru when he and his wife, Kate, started Lotus + Lama in 1995.
"At that point, you didn't see everyone with Apple products like you do now," he says. "There was just a smaller, dedicated group of people who loved the technology."
Thomas had been a recording engineer earlier in his career, in an industry where Apple found early adoption. When he showed an aptitude for fixing the computers, people began to find him and ask for help. He says, "At some point, it became obvious that I'd have more work if I focused on computers instead, and since I was only using Macs, that's the direction I went."
The consulting firm has gotten more robust over the past 17 years, particularly with remote log-in ability, freeing Thomas from doing extensive on-site work. Kate provides project management services, and the firm does website design as well. Clients range from advertising agencies to recording studios, non-profits, and graphic designers.
Even with the Apple store Genius Bars offering technical assistance, Lotus + Lama continues to establish a larger client base, mainly due to Thomas' ability to give technology advice with a long-term vision, not just a quick tech tweak.
"With clients, I get to know their frustrations, and how they organize their files," he says. "Every client has a different approach as to how they use their computers and networks. If they go to an Apple store or other tech, they have to tell their story again and again. With me, I already know their story because I've been part of it."
Source: Martin Thomas, Lotus + Lama
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Most college students are focused on class schedules and grades; but Kyle Jordahl and his business partner John Ziemann used the time to buy apartment buildings and then become real estate brokers. Before they graduated, they started their own property management company. So, it's no surprise that only a few years later, they'd be thriving with their own startup, VanquishAP.
The company is unique, Jordahl notes, because it runs on distinctive technology. The pair designed a software tool to make the property management process easier, and they now extend that capability to clients.
"We're able to do tasks more accurately with this technology," says Jordahl. "We can make use of our resources more effectively, and that gives us an advantage."
VanquishAP has seven employees, with offices in downtown Minneapolis and St. Cloud, and expects to keep growing in those areas and eventually extend into other markets. The company is a full-service real estate firm that does everything from automated rent collection to property analysis. The app lets the company take on more properties without adding employees right away, Jordahl says.
"We're still a young company, and we experience the kind of challenges that any young company does," he notes. "But we feel that there are many factors driving our growth and that makes us excited about what's ahead for us."
Source: Kyle Jordahl, VanquishAP
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
A few years ago, 3rd grade teacher Matt Hardy became interested in using blogs to help students express themselves. But there was one problem: he couldn't find a software solution or website that met his needs.
Because his students were so young, the blogs had to be simple to use, as well as secure so that he could moderate comments and block potential creeps. When he couldn't find what he needed, he developed a version himself, and his efforts had an immediate impact on students, who loved their new blogging abilities.
After sharing the application with other teachers, he decided to join forces with entrepreneur Dan Flies and start Kidblog, which now boasts over 1.6 million users, in 80 countries.
"This technology is at the intersection of programming and pedagogy," says Flies. "Matt understood how tools could be effective for students because he'd been a teacher, but he also has an intuitive understanding of web development and business startups."
Although the company is still just the two business leaders, Flies anticipates growth in the near future, as more and more schools adopt the technology. After only a few years, there's been significant expansion, without any marketing.
"Right now, we're the largest educational blogging service in the world," he says, adding that technology access is exploding in the United States and other parts of the world.
"The opportunity to grow this will only get bigger," says Flies. "It's really fun to see how much this is catching on."
Source: Dan Flies, Kidblog
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
For building owners and property managers, staying on top of energy costs can be challenging, especially since statistics can be tough to find. But a St. Paul-based firm is removing the roadblocks.
EnergyPrint provides an online energy management dashboard that helps users understand how a building is doing in terms of energy and water usage. The firm gathers utility data and inputs the information into its proprietary tool, which can track usage over time. That type of historical data lets an owner or manager know if they're making the best use of those environmental resources.
"This kind of monitoring has the benefit of helping to improve the planet, but the main reason for tracking this data is to increase net asset value and improve energy savings," says EnergyPrint's Chief Operations Officer Mike Williams. "Without a doubt, getting these kinds of stats is crucial for property owners."
Collecting this type of information can be tricky for owners to do on their own, however. Every utility company has different measurements in terms of energy usage, Williams says. Comparing a building in Minneapolis to one in St. Paul is difficult, for example, because separate utilities do the usage monitoring. EnergyPrint is determined to smooth out those differences so that building owners have the ability to implement more effective energy management programs.
The program has been so well received that the company is gearing up for growth in the near future, including expansion into Canada and hiring to beef up its staff.
"We're stable and strong and we intend to stay that way," says Williams.
Source: Mike Williams, EnergyPrint
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Small business owners face limitations when it comes to bulk buying; the lack of huge orders sometimes usually means they have to pay higher prices, or order more than they'd like.
For printing, Smartpress.com is trying to correct that imbalance. The Chaska-based company has operated for the past three years, and sees steady growth in offering online printing services that cater to retailers, graphics professionals, and small businesses.
The range of printing options is vast, from car magnets to sales booklets, and a custom banner-printing service can produce hanging banners up to 150 feet long.
An online calculator sets the company apart, believes president Chuck Reese. Clients can get accurate pricing quickly, rather than waiting for a quote request from a more traditional printer.
Another area of differentiation is proofing, he adds: "With many printers, the file that you send in is the one that gets printed, because no one looks at it. But we have someone really look over everything that comes in." Many times, the proofer catches layout and copy errors, saving a client from having to redo an order.
Because of its distinctive service, Smartpress.com has found a dedicated audience, and strong growth as a result. It's been adding to its 128-employee roster, and Reese notes every year brings 250 percent growth.
Currently, the company is adding custom sites for clients so they can implement print-on-demand service, which is helpful for clients like ad agencies and franchises. Reese says, "Everything we see shows that same strong growth rate going forward."
Source: Chuck Reese, Smartpress.com
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
The craft beer scene in the Twin Cities is going strong, to the point where it feels like a new brewery or taproom is opening every week. Distinguishing them from each other can sometimes be a challenging (if delicious) task for craft beer drinkers.
To introduce some rigor into all the efforts, the Better Beer Society (BBS) offers some expertise. The agency focuses on promoting craft beer and every aspect of its service, including staff training for bar servers so they can chat about beers with confidence.
One major focus is certification; the organization awards a "BBS Certified" label to establishments that prove they have a high level of beer service, selection, storage, and server knowledge. So far, only three bars--Bryant Lake Bowl, The Happy Gnome, and Republic--have gotten the BBS stamp of approval, but founder Rob Shellman is working with others to get them to that point.
"We've been pretty hard at work these past few months auditing and meeting with bar and restaurant owners about the certification program," he says. "Most of the response has been very encouraging, with owners and management wanting to get involved and improve on their practices."
Certification isn't an easy task, he notes, but it's not impossible. The BBS works with each establishment closely to track areas of improvement, so that every pour is a clean, predictable one.
A certified Cicerone (the beer world's equivalent of a sommelier), Shellman started the BBS last year after moving back to Minneapolis from Los Angeles. He's seen the strong beer scene in places like Portland and San Diego, and believes that the craft beer movement in the Twin Cities could be just as robust.
"We could really be a major beer destination here," he says. "Our mission is to help make that happen."
Source: Rob Shellman, Better Beer Society
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Loyalty and reward programs have always relied on tried-and-true products that appeal to a wide variety of people: vacations, large TVs, and swanky home goods. But the popularity of digital media like e-books and games points to a new direction for these programs, and PointTunes is leading the way.
Started in 2010, the company takes digital assets and prices them in a way that's customized for a specific reward program. For example, an airline might assign a penny-and-a-half value to each of its miles. PointTunes works with that point value amount and determines how assets like online games can be awarded to customers with an appropriate level of points.
The company works with rewards administrators, and even handles the shopping experience, notes Bill Cunningham, PointTunes founder and CEO. His deep roots and experience in the rewards industry go all the way back to age 16, when he started working for Carlson Marketing Group.
"In 20 years in the business, I was seeing that not much had changed," he says. "Rewards administrators were still tied to physical rewards, while the rest of the world had gone digital. That pushed me toward founding PointTunes."
The rewards and loyalty industry is poised to explode in the next year or so, he notes, and the Millenials who are now getting jobs and starting families are expecting more digital options when they sign up for these types of programs.
"They want to be able to download immediately, and be engaged with those brands," says Cunningham. "At the same time, retiring Boomers are downloading more books and movies, and they have those same expectations of being able to take advantage of their reward points immediately."
That shift should bring more robust growth to Minneapolis-based PointTunes, Cunningham notes.
Source: Bill Cunningham, PointTunes
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Exporting 101
July 11
St. Michael City Center
11800 Town Center Dr. NE, St. Michael
11:30am - 4:30pm
free
Exporting isn't just for big companies; more than 97 percent of exporters are small- to medium-sized businesses. This seminar focuses on strategies that can increase sales and profits, minimize seasonal sales fluctuations, and connect businesses to the many trade resources available through the federal and state governments.
Software Quality Forum: Buyer Beware
July 12
Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Bloomington
7800 Normandale Blvd.
5:00pm - 7:00pm
free
Put on by the Software Quality Forum, this seminar looks at third-party software, and issues tips on how to purchase without getting burned. By applying due diligence upfront during the vendor and selection process, companies can defend against quality problems during implementation.
Crowdfunding: Using Digital Media to Directly Access Capital
July 17
CoCo Minneapolis
400 South 4th Street
3:00pm - 4:30pm
$75
Thanks to sites like Kickstarter.com, crowdfunding is fast becoming a viable way for many startup companies to gain funding from a range of sources. Speaker Patrick Donohue provides an interactive presentation on why digital media is changing the world of finance, and offers some tactics for achieving business goals and raising capital.
TopCoder Roadshow
July 25
Humphrey Institute
301 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis
1:00pm - 5:00pm
free
TopCoder is a community of developers, algorithmists, and digital designers, coming together from private enterprise, academia, and government agencies. On its spin through the Twin Cities, the group will offer an afternoon of sessions focused on open innovation for enterprises, education, and government.
Forget the image of the lonely gamer in the basement rec room, spending hours playing an elaborate game alone. With the huge boom in multiplayer options, gaming is more like a college campus these days, where everyone is rushing around together and having conversations along the way.
But that environment can feel fragmented, believes local technology company Echobit. CEO Adam Sellke says, "Believe it or not, the act of gaming can represent a fair amount of work. It's like downhill skiing without a chairlift; the skiing is fun, but getting to the top of the mountain is tough."
Gamers need to be able to manage their game profiles, find other players, do online chat as they're playing, and coordinate other tasks to streamline their play. Echobit makes it all easy with their product, Evolve, which acts as an online matchmaking engine for gamers in the same way that Facebook aggregates content under single profiles and allows people to "meet" others who share their interests.
The company got kicked off in 2008, but has only been in open beta since the beginning of 2012. Word is spreading fast, though: since January, they've doubled membership for Evolve, and hope to have 100,000 members by the end of the year.
In addition to Sellke are two other co-founders, Soren Dreijer and Michael Amundson, and it's likely that they'll garner more seed capital and look toward hiring in the near future.
"As gaming becomes more and more popular, we all need for it to become simpler," says Sellke. "This is a way of connecting people, making gaming more social, and taking the management out of it so people can enjoy their games more."
Source: Adam Sellke, Echobit
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Paper is so yesterday. The steady march toward digital information is changing the publishing industry, making photo labs increasingly obsolete, and even prompting emailed receipts instead of physical ones.
At Burnsville-based CoraCove, that evolution is taking shape for forms processing, giving professionals the opportunity to replace paper forms with digital ones on tablet computers.
The uses are broad, notes CEO Chris Zweber. An insurance agent might use CoraCove to process a claim instead of pulling out a stack of forms, or a repair person could tap into customer history instead of sorting through a paper-filled file.
In addition to saving time during initial input, the application can create efficiency because it significantly reduces data entry later. Analytics in the software can show field reps important information, such as time spent on service calls.
"In many ways, we're like a combination of Oracle and Salesforce.com," says Zweber. "But we're also unique, since we can customize applications for clients. Basically, we're taking what people already do and making them 10 times faster."
The company got its start in 2011, and Zweber sees plenty of growth ahead as the application gains traction. He says, "We're fine-tuning our ability to scale out already."
Source: Chris Zweber, CoraCove
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Imagine being on a business trip and talking to your dog at home before the next meeting, and even giving him a treat for good behavior. Welcome to PetChatz.
Developed by Minneapolis-based Anser Innovation, the web-based "pet phone" is a unique product that's poised to tap into the enormous pet accessory market. CEO Lisa Lavin notes that even though the product isn't on the market yet--look for it this fall--the reaction has already been strong.
"We did national consumer research, and the response was amazing," she says. "About 76 percent of people we polled said they'd have high interest in PetChatz. We thought the product would be popular, but that number blew us away."
The idea for PetChatz comes from Mark Kroll, a medical device inventor who holds hundreds of patents. During lunch with him, Lavin asked if he had any patents that he wasn't using, and he talked about the "greet and treat videophone" that he'd envisioned for pet owners. The pair worked together, along with others on the Anser team, to make his vision into a working prototype.
The applications for the technology are broad, Lavin believes. For example, a pet boarding facility might install it in suites so that owners can check in on their pets and reduce separation anxiety (on both sides). Anser has teamed with KLN Enterprises' Tuffy's Pet Foods to design treats that can be given via the device.
The company anticipates hiring leading up to the launch in a few months, and growth after the product hits the market. In the future, this type of technology could be used for other markets, like communicating with seniors for elder care, or checking in with children in daycare, Lavin notes.
"We're building a platform for products that enhance remote communication," she says. "We're starting with the retail pet market, but there are so many directions we can go from there."
Source: Lisa Lavin, Anser Innovation
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
The Twin Cities beer revolution continues: a new brewery and taproom, 612Brew, takes its name from the classic Minneapolis area code, and has announced plans to move into a busy intersection in Northeast Minneapolis.
On the auspicious date of 6/12/12, founders Adit Kalra, Robert Kasak, Ryan Libby, and Jamey Rossbach signed a lease for a brewery at the corner of Central and Broadway, in a historic building called The Broadway. The building has exposed brick and timber, as well as polished concrete floors and an outdoor patio, making it an ideal place to hoist a brew, the founders believe.
The taproom should be open by late fall, with growlers planned and two beers ready for launch: a pale ale called "SIX" and an IPA called "Rated R." Another beer, "Mary Ann," is a nod toward Gilligan's Island (complete with freshly grated ginger) and will be served as a summer seasonal beer.
Kalra notes that there's been a trend in the craft beer movement toward aged beers that have high alcohol content, but 612Brew will go the other direction into what he calls the "sessionable" category, with beers that feature moderate to low alcohol content. "That means you can drink a few and not feel over-served," he says.
The booming craft beer scene in Minnesota is bringing the state in line with other beer-friendly places like California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado, adds Libby. He says that with other breweries starting up in Northeast Minneapolis, the 612Brew team is hoping the area adds "Brew District" to its reputation to go along with "Arts District." Cheers to that.
Source: Adit Kalra and Ryan Libby, 612Brew
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Although most people think of search results when they think of Google, the company is a powerhouse when it comes to business applications.
With its web-based email, calendars, document sharing, data storage, and other services, Google is fast becoming a necessary part of business operations for many companies, and that's giving Minneapolis-based Agosto a major boost.
The firm specializes in Google Apps, and was one of the first to partner with Google for application development. CEO Aric Bandy notes that Agosto's Google Apps team grew 400 percent last year, leading to the opening of a Toronto office and more work than the company can handle.
Google is distinctive in the marketplace for offering a platform that's scalable, he says, as well as deeply collaborative. Anyone who's ever worked on a document in Google Docs, for example, knows that the app is user-friendly, efficient, and reliable.
"Google offers a radical way to interact with other people," says Bandy. "Other solutions aren't as flexible in the same way. Because of that, these apps fit well with agile, lean companies and that's driving consumption."
For the near future, Bandy expects Agosto to continue on its strong growth track, with app development leading the way, especially as more people get mobile. Creating workflow technology that synchs well with iPads and tablets, for instance, will be a boon to more growth.
"This is a very exciting time for this field, and we're happy to be part of it," Bandy says.
Source: Aric Bandy, Agosto
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
When Amanda Axvig and her "rockstar team of developers" decided to establish a company for creating social media applications, they ran into just one hitch: many of their potential clients weren't even on Facebook or Twitter yet.
So, their company, SocialBundle, was forced to switch tactics. She says, "We decided to take a step back and get people on social media in the first place, and then we could go back to the app development."
The firm specializes in helping clients work out an overall social media strategy, including content development, scheduling, and site monitoring. For those who don't have time to craft multiple Tweets, put them up regularly, and watch how people are responding, SocialBundle is a boon.
Recently, the company has been seeing an uptick in interest from creative agencies that want to add social media to a broad client strategy.
Axvig notes that SocialBundle's growing reputation for social media insight comes from an ability to work with clients, rather than simply post and Tweet for them. She says, "We can handle everything if that's what someone wants, but we also enjoy working with people to help them learn how social media works, and how they can add to various conversations."
Now that so many businesses are flocking to social media, it's likely that SocialBundle will get back to its original purpose, and start focusing on app building again. But it'll never abandon its larger intent to make social media simple and effective for every client.
Source: Amanda Axvig, SocialBundle
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Can you make the world a better place by building software for companies that do great things? Casey Helbling and his team at Software for Good are willing to give it a shot.
Helbling started his own software consulting firm in 2003, and found success over the next handful of years, but as he brought on more clients, he felt like something was missing.
"I realized that I wanted to create alignment between my need to do good in the world and my day job," he says. "Then, everything would be perfect."
He came up with a model that became Software for Good, a startup firm he runs in addition to his regular consulting work. The new company builds software for progressive companies, nonprofits, and companies that focus on world-changing work.
Recent projects have included revamping the website of the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance, creating software for a diabetes prevention program, and doing bug fixes on the registration site for the National Down Syndrome Congress annual conference.
"We're still too young as a company to pick and choose our projects, so we do some clients that aren't part of the model," Helbling says. "But we hope to get to that point soon."
The company employs five full-time software engineers, but expects to bring on more in the near future. Helbling notes, "I think people are getting the message about what we do, and they like the idea of doing something more with their time than the usual 9 to 5 tasks."
As Software for Good increases its pace over the next couple years, Helbling is hopeful that he'll find the alignment he seeks, and do good while doing well.
Source: Casey Helbling, Software for Good
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Forget the Olympics: for a truly ferocious competitive environment, take a look at the Minnesota Cup.
The annual competition seems to keep gaining prominence and momentum every year, and recently announced the semi-finalists for its eighth go-round.
Designed to accelerate the development of the state's most innovative business ideas, the Minnesota Cup gives applicants the opportunity to compete for a share of $200,000--up from $185,000 last year--and to network with individuals and organizations that can help turn a business plan into a reality.
Judges chose 49 entrepreneurs, inventors, and innovators for the second round of the competition, and Cup co-founder Scott Litman notes that this year is full of exciting and strong business ideas.
"We love seeing all the excitement around the program, and it does seem that we see more applications every year," he says. "Everyone is very supportive of the competition."
The range of semi-finalists is broad, from a yoga studio that specializes in pre- and post-natal classes to a holistic treatment company to a web application developer for forms processing. Companies include BuyerCurious, Omnicron Health Systems, QuadROI, and EnergyPrint.
During this round, the semi-finalists will be paired with entrepreneurial mentors who will help them refine their business plans and presentations. Finalists will be chosen in late August, and winners announced in early September.
Source: Scott Litman, Minnesota Cup
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Twin Cities residents looking for information on urban food growing, zoning changes, permits, community kitchens and other food topics now have a one-stop online location, thanks to the City of St. Paul.
The Healthy and Local Food site is intended to aid the growing number of community organizations and individuals who are working on local food issues like food security and backyard farming.
"One of the things we kept hearing from the community was that they'd like to have a central source of information about local food issues," says Anne Hunt, the city's Environmental Policy Director. "We developed this to help people navigate all the information that's available, especially since there's such a growing interest."
Through the site, visitors can find out about permits for having chickens in their yard, for example, or the rules regarding compost on an urban property. The site also offers guidance on finding resources like gardener networks and food share programs.
St. Paul supports numerous initiatives designed to increase the production and distribution of sustainable, locally grown food. Recently, the city broke ground on the development of a huge greenhouse on Rice St. where fruits and vegetables will be grown for Twin Cities grocery stores.
The Healthy and Local Food site lists a few of these projects, including micro-farm collective Stone's Throw Urban Farm and a master plan for turning Lowertown into a massive urban farm.
"We're trying to make things really clear and straightforward for people," Hunt says. "Hopefully, this will accommodate even more access to urban agriculture."
Source: Anne Hunt, City of St. Paul
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
For Christine Kropp, inspiration came in the form of a thought-for-the-day calendar.
"It sounds so cheesy, but my dad gave me a page from one of those calendars when I was going through a crossroad in my career," she says. "The next day, I founded a company."
The page read, "When you look back on life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did."
That was back in 1998, and since then, Kropp has been aiming toward a regret-free life with Bluewater, a firm that combines brand strategy with smart technology in order to grow brands.
Recently, the company launched a new branding initiative for itself, to reflect the latest evolution of its capabilities and offerings. A new logo, images, and messaging blended together for a revamp of the company's website, and Kropp and her team have been infused with new energy as a result.
"The whole rebranding effort is geared toward showing clients how Bluewater can help them grow their brands by using one-to-one marketing techniques," she says. "We want to show that we're not just marketing automation tools; we're real people who love our jobs."
In the past few years, Bluewater has expanded its service offerings to introduce more multi-channel marketing programs. The company debuted a platform, Fusion, that combines mobile, web, email, and direct mail in order to help clients connect more closely with their customers.
"It's really fun to help a client grow, and then to watch them build on their strategies," says Kropp. "We're looking forward to what's ahead."
The company is on its own growth track, and has added eight employees in the past year. Kropp expects that they'll keep expanding, and continue to ditch any regrets.
Source: Christine Kropp, Bluewater
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
The world of micro-robot systems just got bigger.
Edina-based ReconRobotics, the fast-track robotics company that's been growing quickly, announced that it has established an international headquarters in Lugano, Switzerland.
The move is part of the company's multi-year global expansion plans, and the HQ there will oversee all sales, marketing, and customer service for operations outside of North America.
ReconRobotics has seen a robust amount of traction within the past couple years, garnering some major contracts from U.S. military and law enforcement agencies. Now, the company intends to broaden its international footprint, according to President and CEO Alan Bignall.
The Lugano subsidiary, known as RRI Global SAGL, will expand the company's international reseller network, which currently extends to 33 countries.
Formed in 2006, ReconRobotics started as a way to commercialize technology developed at the University of Minnesota Distributed Robotics Laboratory, with funding from the National Science Foundation and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), among others.
The company's mini-robots are particularly attractive to the military and law enforcement, since they can be sent into dangerous situations and navigated remotely in order to collect intelligence. For example, a SWAT team can throw one into a house and use the robot's cameras to assess a hostage situation.
"These robots are just the beginning of what we're seeing in terms of capability," Bignall says. "There are so many applications for this technology, and we're seeing expansion in both geography and in usage."
Source: Alan Bignall, ReconRobotics
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Although mobile devices like the iPad are wildly attractive to children, local app developer Christopher Black found that the tools don't have many apps that are geared toward that audience.
"You can find some storybooks from major brands like Disney, but there didn't seem to be many options for kids' books, especially from small local publishers," he says. "We wanted to create something people hadn't seen before."
About two years ago, Black founded his own contract work and app development firm, Blacktop Interactive. When his girlfriend had an idea for a children's book, the pair realized it could lend itself well to an online storybook, and "Turtle's Day at the Beach" was born. The interactive storybook, designed for ages 3 and older, is available as an app for Nook, Blackberry, and Apple devices.
That app has been followed by "Rainbows are Colorful," an app to help children learn about colors, and coming soon is a painting app that allows kids to digitally color illustrations of animals.
"Now that we have the platform, we wanted to continue reusing that and going down that path," says Black. "It just makes sense in terms of our strategy and our interests."
Black hopes to have at least eight apps on the market by the end of the year, and to keep going strong after that. So the next time kids reach for a coloring book, they'll want to make sure it's got a full battery charge first.
Source: Chris Black, Blacktop Interactive
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
The Role of Diversity in a World of Opportunity
May 31
Walker Art Center, Skyline Room
5:30pm - 8pm
$35 (rsvp required)
What does diversity in business really mean? It goes beyond race and culture, and extends into creating meaningful messages that resonate with consumers. In this presentation by Chris Roberts, president of Cargill Kitchen Solutions, attendees will hear about how we can check our own biases in order to do good work. All proceeds go to benefit The BrandLab, a non-profit that brings students from diverse backgrounds together with people in the marketing industry.
Eyeo Festival
June 5 - 8
Walker Art Center
9am - 2pm
Pre-conference workshops: $125; festival ticket price: $549
Artists, designers, and coders come together for a series of workshops and mixers to transform digital culture. The festival attracts a wide range of talented individuals, including those interested in creative code, data visualization, design, experience design, 3D printing, architecture, and gestural computing.
d.school Crash Course
June 5
CoCo Minneapolis
6pm - 8pm
$50
A quick introduction to "design thinking" methods and mindsets. In this session, students will take a common experience and redesign it completely. This crash course is based on the original Stanford Design Program d.school curriculum. See The Line's coverage of CoCo's d.school
here.
TechMasters
June 5
Benchmark Learning training facility
4510 W. 77th St., Suite 210, Edina
7:40am - 9am
free
TechMasters is a new Toastmasters chapter in the Twin Cities, dedicated to helping technology professionals improve their skills in public speaking and presentations, impromptu speaking, critical thinking, and communicating with non-technical people. Every week, the group rotates roles to practice speaking in a friendly and supportive environment.
Womens Excelerator Workshop
June 16
St. Catherine University
CDC401 Board room, 4th floor
8am - 12pm
$89
In this workshop, attendees will develop a level of comfort with pitching their business, and will learn to create a value proposition statement. Each entrepreneur will have 10 minutes to present her business to her peers and facilitators, followed by a feedback session to identify which parts of the elevator pitches need work.
School outreach and scholarship program The BrandLab has been growing steadily since its inception in 2007, and this year, the organization is kicking off its summer season with a whole new offering: a work-ready training week.
Started by OLSON and expanded to include other agencies, The BrandLab creates opportunities in the marketing industry for students with diverse cultural and economic backgrounds (see The Line's previous coverage
here).
This year, executive director Ellen Walthour was chatting with a 3M executive about wanting to broaden the initial training that's done when the students arrive. Since the participants range in age from 17 to 20, most haven't had a professional job and sometimes have trouble adjusting to a business environment.
3M offered to pay for a week of training, and that kicked off a flurry of networking and workshop development, with a range of topics planned. Students will learn about how to act at a business lunch, what to wear, how to write in a professional manner, what to expect in an informational interview, and how to brand themselves.
"It's been amazing to see how this has all come together," says Walthour. "People are so eager to help, and we have workshop leaders from several agencies in town."
The main goal, she adds, is to give the students confidence when they're walking into their 7-week internship. From there, they can learn about how to eventually stand out in a competitive job marketplace and compete against a large pool of talented professionals.
If all goes well, it's likely that The BrandLab will implement the week-long workshop again next year, and keep the business insights buzzing for its fortunate interns.
Source: Ellen Walthour, The BrandLab
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
When it comes to predicting a product's shelf life, or detecting leaks or aromas in packaging that could affect flavor, people around the world turn to Minneapolis-based MOCON.
For over 40 years, the company has been a leader in the development of testing services and instruments, and its capabilities are impressive. Numerous clients depend on the firm for insights on packaging, cost reduction, sustainability, and food safety.
Because it's often considered the industry standard when it comes to such tests (many scientific papers note that researchers did a "MOCON test" to demonstrate a specific result), it's not surprising that the company is growing at a nice clip. Now at 150 employees, some have been brought on as the result of acquisition, while the rest were hired to meet demand.
"The packaging industry is a hidden but huge industry," says the company's marketing manager, Guy Wray. "Think about everything around you that has packaging, and you'll get an idea of the scope of this work."
MOCON's expertise lies in detecting moisture and oxygen levels within packaging, as well as other factors. Those two issues in particular can destroy food flavor, affect product safety, and significantly shorten shelf life. After all, nobody wants soggy potato chips.
About 90 percent of the company's product development is done locally, but it also relies on scientists and engineers in Germany, China, Texas, and Colorado.
"We feel very lucky to have gotten to the point we're at," says Wray. "We've become the Hoover or the Kleenex of the industry."
Source: Guy Wray, MOCON
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Imagine being out with your real estate agent and expressing interest in a certain neighborhood. The agent holds up a smartphone, taps a few buttons, and voila! You have for-sale property listings for a multi-block radius, complete with the ability to arrange a viewing.
That future is now, with a mobile app called HomeSpotter, created by MobileRealtyApps.com and recently integrated into the technology mix at NorthstarMLS. The organization serves more than 13,500 realtors in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
"Using this app really increases the 'wow factor' for local agents," says Tom Flaherty, director of marketing and communications for NorthstarMLS.
HomeSpotter uses a technology called augmented reality, which can overlay property info on a device's live camera feed. Using an iPhone or iPad (with Android soon to come), an agent can get data on surrounding properties for sale, including photos of the interior, property specifics, and other relevant details.
"These days, everyone expects a realtor to have information at their fingertips, and with this app, we can meet that expectation," notes Flaherty. "We're finding it to be very beneficial."
The developer is working on a consumer version, but it would only be available if the user is working with a licensed real estate agent.
Since its introduction at NorthstarMLS earlier this year, Flaherty is seeing robust interest and numerous downloads. He says, "Agents tell us that it makes them look good to clients, because it shows that they have the latest technology tools available."
Maybe in the not-too-distant future, people will be be able actually buy a house with a few clicks of a smartphone...
Source: Tom Flaherty, NorthstarMLS
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
What happens when a former executive "fails" at retirement, longing for the type of daily success that only work can bring? Or when a senior director wants to make a switch to another company, but hasn't updated her resume in decades?
In situations like these, Navigate Forward is ready to assist.
Started in 2008 by management consultants Teresa Daly and Mary Kloehn, the firm works with executives in transition. Daly says, "We really saw an opportunity in the marketplace to help this group of people. In the big firms, transition services have changed, they've become more standardized. We felt people needed more personalized services to meet them where they're at."
She adds that many of those in the Baby Boom generation are at a particular crossroads right now in their careers. They've been used to trailblazing, and are now seeing work change as they get older. In the later stages of their careers, they may prefer to switch industries, work longer into their supposed retirement, or even shift into starting their own companies.
"Careers aren't always a straight line," says Daly. "Because of that, making career transitions isn't just about updating a resume or tapping into a network."
Navigate Forward specializes in helping executives to "build their brand," which means packaging themselves based on where they're going, not on where they've been. Daly notes that a resume is helpful for detailing experience, but it's a "look backward" that doesn't usually capture the essence of a person.
The firm prefers to create a "brand profile" instead that captures someone's interests, passions, and personality. Clients often tell Navigate Forward that they come out of the process with more clarity than they've ever had.
"They're able to tell a story about who they are, and what unique contributions they can bring to an organization," Daly says.
The firm currently employs nine people and expects to grow organically as it develops an even stronger foothold in the local executive transition space. Daly notes, "There's such a big trend of seeing the value of a whole generation of executives, and understanding what they bring to the business world."
Source: Teresa Daly, Navigate Forward
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Founded in 1991 by entrepreneur Tom Salonek, Intertech has grown from a one-person operation to the largest combined software-developer training company in the state.
The firm's consulting services and software development give the company an even greater edge and now with more facility space, Intertech is making a splash nationally as well as locally.
Recently, the company moved to a new building, and although it stayed in its hometown of Eagan, it nearly doubled the amount of square footage of its offices and training rooms.
In addition to expanding geographically, the company took the opportunity to boost its virtual technology as well, giving its training spaces a high-tech flair that's increased its client base as a result.
"People have greater ability to attend classes virtually, and that's significantly increased enrollment for us," says Salonek. "Also, it's driven our consulting to a higher level as well." For example, the company just signed a consulting contract with a firm in South Korea, and will conduct business via the virtual technology at the new facility.
Salonek believes that the growth will remain robust, and he predicts that the company should bring in about $12.5 million this year. Several new employees have been added just in the past month, and hiring should continue at a steady pace, Salonek notes, especially in the sales and technology departments.
"We're looking forward to building out additional offerings and bringing on more clients, in addition to serving existing clients," he says. "It's an exciting time for us."
Source: Tom Salonek, Intertech
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
For most business owners, having a website is essential, but they can be tricky to manage for those who aren't IT-savvy.
Local web technology firm Origin Eight believes that it doesn't have to be that way. The company, which brands itself as a consulting group rather than an agency, specializes in a core set of technologies based on Drupal, an open source framework.
(Quick primer for non-techies: "open source software" involves freely available source code that anyone can use for building applications, and Drupal is an open-source content management system that's used specifically for developing websites.)
Because of the use of Drupal, Origin Eight's clients have more power to tweak their own sites, notes company founder Seth Viebrock.
"A lot of existing sites are built on solutions that make it difficult for users to edit their own content," he says. "Redoing these sites in Drupal is worth the effort, because it allows the end user to embrace this new way of doing things. Basically, our growth comes from people looking to make their lives easier."
Founded in early 2010, the firm has built some high-profile sites, including ones for Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, and Rihanna, as well as Boston entrepreneur hub Greenhorn Connect and social networking site swapbeats.com.
For the future, Viebrock notes that the company wants to grow in a sustainable and consistent way, and expand into other sectors like education. "We're always looking at other ways to differentiate ourselves, in addition to building awesome websites," he says. "But of course, we'll keep doing that, too."
Source: Seth Viebrock, Origin Eight
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
A "quad" is a measurement of energy, and the massive unit is used by the U.S. Department of Energy when discussing national and global energy budgets.
The United States uses nearly 100 quads of energy each year, and local entrepreneur Mark Brown (as well as many other experts) believe that the majority of these quads are wasted.
To address the issue, Brown started QuadROI, a Minneapolis-based firm that intends to boost productivity and innovation in the energy industry through the use of better business intelligence. "Regulation is not our enemy," the company's webpage notes. "Waste is our enemy."
Brown believes that waste can be minimized by utilizing existing documents and reports, and tweezing out data that can be used by utility companies and others to create benchmarks and goals. He aims to develop a single, searchable repository of information where subscribers can see high-level trends as well as project-level ROI stats. He also hopes to cultivate an online community where ideas can be shared, and collaboration can occur.
"There's so much information that's available out there, but it can be hard to make use of, especially when it comes to comparison with other programs," he says.
Right now, the site is in beta testing, and Brown expects it to be in full force by the end of the summer. After that, it's likely that QuadROI will assist in making sure those quads aren't getting wasted.
Source: Mark Brown, QuadROI
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Finding skilled employees is always a challenge, but what about staffing a short-term project that requires expertise on thin polymers or medtech regulations? Then it's time to call Talencio.
The staffing firm, founded in 2008 by Paula Norbom, specializes in contract and direct-hire professionals in biotech, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and medtech. Norbom had been an executive in the medical device industry, and found that there was a particular need in the life sciences field for shorter-term experts who could lend their experience to projects.
"The life science industry is really strong here in Minnesota, and there's some great talent," says Norbom. "So, we're all about making those connections."
The company has five employees, and maintains a database of about 2,000 contractors, with around 80 percent located in the state.
Norbom expects that Talencio will keep growing its contractor roster, and expanding its services. Part of that growth will come from a pool of contractors who appreciate the flexibility that a project-based arrangement can bring.
"Many people just want to do what they love and what they know how to do best," Norbom says. "They don't want to be stuck in meetings all day. This way, they can just step in and get the job done and move to the next project."
She adds that companies are changing how they view employment as well. Many of her clients have a core group of talented employees, and bring talent in as needed from Talencio. Norbom expects this strategy to keep booming, and the firm will grow as a result. So, for those in the life science industry who need help with everything from risk management to clinical research, Talencio is ready.
Source: Paula Norbom, Talencio
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Some companies are particularly well named. Here's an example: On-Demand Group, which is bringing such fresh energy to the IT consulting realm that it's driving high client demand.
Helmed by Heather Manley, with her brother Sean acting as COO and partner, the company was started by their father 16 years ago. Manley signed on in 2006 and bought out the firm just two years later.
Over the past five years, they've worked to revamp technology and processes, and as a result, they've seen consistent growth. Last year, the company grew 75 percent, Manley says.
On-Demand Group fuels that surge by distinguishing itself from other IT consulting firms, Manley notes: "We're doing a ton of things that add value. We do a multitude of steps that companies don't do when they're on-boarding." She adds that the firm also has a global component, since it does some work in Latin America and Southeast Asia.
"Every year, we add something that's different and unique," she says. "Whether it's a new perk or more social activities, we create a culture that draws people to us."
The company has about 50 consultants in its pool, and within the next year, Manley expects to double the consultant roster, and to continue expansion of offshore offerings. With second stage growth just around the corner, On-Demand Group is likely to keep creating more demand.
"This is a really exciting time, and we're implementing some fantastic things," Manley says.
Source: Heather Manley, On-Demand Group
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Anthropology and business are rarely put together as complementary fields, but they have more in common than many people might think. The social science deals with the organization of human societies and all characteristics of the human experience, so it makes sense that it could be used to make a company more agile, transparent, and strategic.
That's the theory behind Thinkers & Makers, a firm founded in 2010 by Emilie Hitch, who started her career as an academic anthropologist.
The idea for the company germinated while Hitch was doing field work in Peru. She wondered if she could translate the academic world of anthropology into the business realm of strategy. When she couldn't find a job that fit that idea, she landed at creative agency Olson, and began applying her studies to marketing projects.
After two years there, she saw the need to start Thinkers & Makers, to give clients a unique perspective on their organizations, employees, and customers. "I bring a very different view than what you'd get from an MBA or an economist," Hitch says. "Usually, people come to me with a big question, like how they can find revenue leaks, or learn more about their customer, or what they need to relaunch their brand."
Most of her business comes through referral, and that strong word-of-mouth marketing has helped Hitch to grow the firm. Looking ahead, she's anticipating more expansion into areas like business development for startups, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability. "Many times, I see startups that have great ideas and passion, but they don't understand all aspects of how to put their business together," she says. "My perspective can help."
Source: Emilie Hitch, Thinkers & Makers
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Sometimes, the decision about whether to "build or buy" can lead to even greater things than a more efficient software system.
At least, that's what happened when convention and visitors association Meet Minneapolis began looking for a better database system in 2003. The organization found that a solution didn't exist that was specific to the destination marketing industry. After deciding to build their own, the phones started ringing.
"We heard from other convention bureau leaders who told us that if we built a solution, they were interested in buying it," says Mark Lynch, vice president of sales and marketing at iDSS (Internet Destination Sales System), the company that was formed to market the subsequent system.
Recently, iDSS noted a significant new enhancement that will provide destination marketing organizations with the ability to measure the economic value of an event, and calculate the return on investment to the local community. In other words, if a city wants to know how much sales tax and lodging tax a certain convention would generate, iDSS could give the answer. Other factors can also be reported, like the anticipated number of jobs created as a result of an event.
The advancement comes as part of a technology partnership with Destination Marketing Association International, the trade association for Meet Minneapolis and other convention bureaus. Lynch notes that it should help iDSS get even more traction as it continues to expand.
"We're adding new clients every day," he says. "Many organizations have been waiting for the capability that we have to offer. So, we're looking forward to what's ahead."
Source: Mark Lynch, iDSS
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
When Kristin Pardue left her high-profile corporate position at Carlson Companies, she envisioned starting a distinctive strategic management firm, but she also considered founding a non-profit that helps teens in North Minneapolis learn digital marketing.
Instead of choosing, she established both.
"I felt there was a great need in the marketplace for people to understand organizational purpose," she says. "At the same time, we wanted a way to give back and we thought, why wait?"
Rêve Consulting was started in 2009, and Pardue's husband, Brad von Bank, joined a year later to help round out the team. Pardue says the combination works well, since they bring different skills to the mix. Together, they offer insight to a range of clients like Capella University, Engine for Social Innovation, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and Caribou Coffee.
"Clients come to us with questions about how their organizations can grow, and how their systems might be impacting the levels of their employees," says Pardue. "We encourage them to think strategically on every level, about how they're engaging their organizations."
The company is going strong, and plans to double the size of its small staff in the next year, she adds. She's especially excited about bringing more jobs to North Minneapolis, where the company's located.
For the teens in the area, there's Rêve Academy, an innovative after-school program that prepares students for careers in digital marketing. With an immersive curriculum and potential internships, the program is helping to shape the kind of leaders who could shape the local creative community someday.
"We believe this is a true pathway for these kids," says von Bank. "They're learning real-world skills that they can apply now, and at the end of the program, they make a presentation as if they're at an agency. It's very exciting."
With Rêve Consulting and Rêve Academy going strong, it's obvious that when it comes to choosing a rêve (the French word for "dream"), sometimes it's possible to go even bigger than planned.
Source: Kristin Pardue & Brad von Bank, Rêve Consulting
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
There are plenty of new lunch trucks zipping around the metro, but keep your eyes out for a different kind of fresh food delivery system.
Twin Cities Local Food aims to connect farmers with customers in a unique way: by playing middleman. Started by Josh Kelly, who left the corporate world to pursue his dream of providing fresh, healthy food to the local community, the service intends to give people year-round access to locally grown and produced food.
Farmers benefit because they can directly market, sell, and package their own products, and customers can order online weekly and then pick up their food at a location in South Minneapolis. The system has been successful in other states, such as Michigan, but hasn't been tried here before. The first orders went out just last week, and Kelly is excited to see the online marketplace grow as it becomes better known.
"This is a different kind of model, but we feel that it's needed," he says. "People are busy, and sometimes they just want the convenience of shopping for good, local food online and picking it up easily."
The service includes numerous types of products, including fresh produce, meats and poultry, eggs, honey, syrup, dairy, grains, and preserved foods.
Kelly created the company with his wife, Natalie, and he notes that they always knew they'd make great business partners. Twin Cities Local Food is fulfilling that prediction, and they're both eager to keep the orders rolling in.
Source: Josh Kelly, Twin Cities Local Food
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
At accounting and advisory firm Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, industry experts advise clients on a range of issues, such as management, taxes, transactions, and international expansion. However, when the industries intersect, things can get even more interesting.
That's what's occurring among three to four practice areas within the firm, says John Jackels, Renewable Energy Development and Finance Manager, who notes that the energy group and waste management group are crossing paths with the food and beverage group. The result: huge potential for turning food waste into renewable energy.
Baker Tilly recently spoke at the International Cheese Technology Expo, on the topic of cheese waste becoming an energy product. Although it would take an awful lot of cheese to create a major energy source, when you consider the amount of other food waste that results from manufacturing, the impact could be formidable, Jackels believes.
"Food and beverage manufacturers all have waste as a result of production," he says. "This is called 'high-strength waste' because it requires more time and energy to process. Right now, manufacturers are paying a surcharge for this service, but what if we can use that by-product for energy? Then it would be prevented from going into the watershed, and we'd have a renewable source of energy."
Baker Tilly is looking into tax credits and other federal incentives, and plans to bring together clients from its multiple industry groups to begin working toward more food-to-fuel solutions. Jackels notes that in the near future more treatment facilities could be built to handle the conversion process. Baker Tilly will look at the financial support needed to handle these projects, and play a lead role in shepherding the process.
"This type of effort is just going to continue to get larger as people look for more ways to cut down on waste and find renewable energy sources," says Jackels. "As a result, we can drive more jobs and expansion as well."
Source: John Jackels, Baker Tilly Virchow Krause
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Most people don't think about the light bulbs that illuminate their homes and offices, but Jennifer Sethre isn't like most people.
One of the partners in the new Minnetonka-based venture Lumena, Sethre has been deeply involved with the lighting industry during her career, and is eager to drive more attention and sales to this fresh venture.
Started about a year ago, Lumena is an LED lighting manufacturer that already has operations in Miami and Denver, as well as a 700,000-square-foot factory in China. Going up against major competitors, the company is working to replace the traditional lighting used at large facilities like hospitals and factories with eco-friendly LED alternatives.
"When starting Lumena, we didn't want to be average," says Sethre. "We didn't want to be one more lighting manufacturer. We want to be great, and we think that takes just a little extra effort."
Although the company has barely had its first anniversary, business is already booming, thanks to strategic partnerships, sales and marketing efforts, and a market eager for new products. Sethre believes that the timing is crucial--before now, the LED lighting market wasn't quite ready, she thinks. But now, with the increasing push for environmentally friendly alternatives and a lower price point for products, the time is right.
"Our success is due to our innovation, I believe," says Sethre. "It may sound cheesy, but we really do pride ourselves on our products. We're excited to see where we can take this, and we believe that we'll just keep expanding from here."
Source: Jennifer Sethre, Lumena
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
"Taxi" is a universal word, the same in nearly every language. So, when entrepreneur Peggy Paul wanted to start a new company that would take off quickly and have cross-cultural resonance, she went with SheTaxi.
Paul began the company in 2010 after being laid off from a previous position as an "intrapreneur" who started companies within existing companies. She'd had cancer in 2004 at the age of 34, and she saw the layoff as part of a larger change she'd been making ever since her illness—to lead a life that was non-toxic and spiritually aware.
"After getting sick, I'd go on well-being sites and read blogs about different topics, like meditation," she says. "But alongside that content were ads for liposuction and celebrity gossip. I wanted a place where women could go and talk about real stuff in their lives, without being bombarded by that kind of junk."
SheTaxi became a personal development site that brought together insight on balance and well-being. Paul and others also provide coaching and training services as well as events like "Bringing Your Type A Life into Balance."
The site is geared toward working women, and Paul envisions an annual retreat where women can come together and connect to learn from each other. She's currently in the process of fundraising, and once some funding comes in, she plans to hire employees to keep the growth going.
"We're in an early stage right now, but I think it's very exciting to see how it's all coming together," she says.
Source: Peggy Paul, SheTaxi
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
As a registered dietician, Tamara Brown is used to counseling people about healthy food choices. Now, she can just take their order instead.
Brown had been leading classes and cooking on her own, but a few months ago she decided to take a leap of professional faith and go from advisor to purveyor. Her new venture, Sassy Spoon, will be rolling out at the beginning of May.
The food truck, with its distinctive logo and bright pink hue, stands out visually but also provides a unique culinary experience: gluten-free, high quality, low-glycemic food on the go.
"I felt like it would be such a fun idea to pair my nutrition background with a food truck," she says. "I've always wanted to have my own business, but never had an idea that really felt like a fit until now."
Brown will be basing her dishes around foods used to regulate insulin, which can help balance moods and energy levels. She's focusing on vegetable-oriented carbohydrates, to prevent the type of energy crashes that come from eating refined carbs.
Most of all, she aims to make the choices delicious. Her menu picks include braised beef, sweet potato hash, ginger-garlic coleslaw, and wild rice salad with black beans. Who says eating healthy has to taste boring?
She sees the venture as exhilarating, but also terrifying. "This is the scariest thing I've ever done," she says. "It's been a huge personal challenge, but I've always been drawn to women who have their own businesses, who put themselves out there. I respect them so much, and now I have the chance to be one of those women."
Source: Tamara Brown, Sassy Spoon
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Many brides have fond memories their wedding days, but Meghan Phillips has an unusual recollection: the power of the photo booth.
She and her husband Jacob (founder of RoadTab, which was previously
covered in The Line) had a photo booth at their nuptials, since she's always had an affinity for the quirky kiosks, and the French film Amélie just deepened that love.
In November 2011, they decided to create a side business, to help other wedding parties and guests, as well as corporate workshop attendees. VP Booths was born, and Phillips says it's taken off nicely.
"I've been surprised at how many people want booths at their events," she says. "We'll be busy for quite some time."
In order to accommodate more people in the booths, she and Jacob designed a kiosk that would be larger inside, and have a partition rather than a curtain. Because she missed having video clips from her own wedding, Phillips made sure that users could record short video messages as well as opt for traditional photo strips.
In terms of growth, Phillips has been talking with relatives in other states, as well as an entrepreneur in Canada, but nothing has been decided yet about possible expansion.
"Right now, we're just having fun with it, and enjoying creating the business together," says Phillips, then she laughs. "We now have a one-year-old, so working on VP Booths is like date night."
Source: Meghan Phillips, VP Booths
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Google Workshop: Get Your Business Online
May 3
Rasmussen College
3500 Federal Drive, Eagan
10am - 11:30am
free
Create and publish a website for your business in less than an hour. Presenters will also teach attendees how to customize their Google Places online listing, and how to optimize their new websites. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops. For more insight, stick around for the afternoon, when another free workshop, "Grow Your Business Online" will be presented.
International Conference on Robotics and Automation
May 14 - 18
RiverCentre, St. Paul
Rates vary; visit conference website for more info
The theme for this year's ICRA conference is "Robots and Automation: Innovation for Tomorrow's Needs." Some of the top researchers and entrepreneurs in the field will gather for numerous discussions on topics like nanorobotics and bio-integrated robotics. There will also be six "robot challenges" in which teams compete to solve problems in areas like integrated perception.
RailsBridge
May 20 & 21
Guthrie Theater, 8th floor classrooms
free
RailsBridge workshops were started about three years ago as a way to create more female Ruby developers in San Francisco. Now the organization will bring its expertise to Minneapolis, giving attendees a chance to look at every step involved in deploying a Ruby on Rails application.
Tech.2012
May 22
The Metropolitan
5418 Wayzata Blvd., Golden Valley
$25 for members of The Collaborative, $75 for non-members; rates increase after May 11
As part of The Collaborative's Vanguard Series for this year, the Tech.2012 event features a series of conversational sessions, breakfast, and networking opportunities. Speakers will focus on areas like cloud computing and how it's changing business, the app economy, and changing Minnesota business models. Scheduled to participate in panels are entrepreneurs and established business leaders from companies like Code 42 Software, UnitedHealth Group, and Split Rock Partners.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
In a January opinion piece in TechCrunch, entrepreneur Jon Bischke suggested the most successful urban leaders are those who view cities like startups. CEOs for Cities, a national network of urban leaders dedicated to creating next-generation cities, will examine that premise at its 2012 Spring National Meeting: The City As a Startup--Creating Demand, Attracting Talent, Taking Risks, and Going to Scale.
The meeting is set for May 17-18 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and is made possible with support from The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation. Former AOL Chairman and CEO Steve Case will deliver the morning keynote and also sit on a panel conversation about Startup America.
CEOs for Cities will also release its latest City Vitals report, a framework for measuring the success of cities. Other panels include considering Songdo, South Korea as the planet's smartest city and using the collective-impact approach to catalyze social change. There will also be opportunities to tour Cincinnati attractions and examples of success.
Register here. View a draft agenda here.
Issue Media Group, the parent company of The Line, partners with CEOs for Cities in exploring new options for urban growth.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
About 13 years ago, business partners Cameron Henkel and Dave Gooden were both looking for lake property and shared their war stories about going through newspaper listings and calling multiple realtors.
"We wondered why there wasn't a one-stop shop for that kind of thing," says Henkel. "So, we decided to create it for ourselves." The pair had been selling computer equipment online, and began adding cabin rentals on their site as well. About a year later, they had about 600 realtors and thousands of properties on their site, LakePlace.com.
They decided to expand in 2006 and become a real estate brokerage. That meant giving up their classified-ad revenue and taking a big chance. Henkel says, "We had to make a bet that being a brokerage would be better. It was hard to make that gamble, but it paid off."
They added another site to the lineup, LandBin.com, and opened offices in Brainerd, Hayward, and Wayzata. They employ 30 real estate agents and LakePlace.com has become the second most visited site in the Midwest, with 1.5 million visitors a year.
"We're growing every day, I'm not kidding," says Gooden. "Hopefully, we'll be making some exciting announcements this year. We have a solid roadmap of where to go."
The founders, who've been friends since kindergarten, foresee abundant growth through acquisitions and hiring. And for site visitors, there's finally a place to shop for cabins and land without resorting to the classifieds.
Source: Cameron Henkel, Dave Gooden, LakePlace.com
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Discarded potato waste, manure from dairy cows, and piles of old onions: could these be the ingredients for a renewable fuel source?
Those at Novus Energy think so, and they're working to take "low-value" products such as these and turn them into high-value energy.
Started about seven years ago, the Minneapolis company based its name on the Latin word for "novel, new, fresh." The three founders saw the effects of the ethanol boom and thought that there would be an even better way to achieve energy independence.
"Our chemistry is very innovative, and makes us different than traditional approaches," says CEO Joseph Burke. "We create energy from waste, taking items that might be discarded and turning them into biomethane and liquid fertilizer."
The startup faces challenges in terms of funding and adoption of its technology, Burke says. In the case of its fertilizer, the liquid organic emulsion it produces isn't yet in high demand since it's not as utilized in the agriculture market.
However, with growing interest in organic farming, and a social trend toward more sustainable products, Burke is confident that Novus will be the fresh approach the market needs.
Currently, the firm employs four people, and plans to grow at a manageable rate. Burke notes that the company is structured to bring in partners in order to have a smaller staff, so it can remain a nimble startup. In terms of market growth, though, the opportunities seem endless.
"Wherever there's a combination of low-value feedstock and food processing, we'll have a market," says Burke.
Source: Joseph Burke, Novus Energy
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Never underestimate the power of a basement office.
Take recruitment professional Stacey Stratton. She decided to leave the Minneapolis-based staffing firm Celarity and strike out on her own in 2008 to start True Talent Group, and she laughs now about the timing: "It was a terrible time to start a business, just dismal."
But she wanted to give it a try anyway. She set herself up in the basement, with a bathmat as her office rug, and told her husband that she was giving herself 60 days to make it work. Over the next year, she did sales recruiting, and then got back into working with creative professionals. "I'm so passionate about this industry, I just love it," she says. "And that's translated into triple-digit growth."
In 2009, she brought on three employees and all work out of their homes, which Stratton believes is beneficial for achieving a strong work/life balance.
Although the firm initially focused only on permanent placement for creatives, the industry at the time was more geared toward contract work, so Stratton added freelancers to the pool. She focuses on marketing and creative professionals partly because marketing is her background, but mainly because she finds the fields exciting.
"There's nothing cooler than looking at great creative," she says. "Also, creative is its own animal. If someone says they need a production artist, we know exactly who to find. There's value in sticking with a niche instead of trying to build expertise in all areas."
To keep the growth rolling, Stratton will be launching a new website in the near future, and focusing on keeping her 90 percent referral rate. "The Twin Cities has such a vibrant community when it comes to marketing and creative," she says. "That makes our opportunities seem limitless."
Source: Stacey Stratton, True Talent Group
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Assessing tornado damage, mapping Minnesota's water quality, creating new views of the Frogtown neighborhood, measuring the performance of a fire department's response: these tasks might seem unrelated, but they fall under the umbrella of geographics research, and a new startup is ready to take on even more.
Flat Rock Geographics, based in St. Paul, is the blend of two previous startup companies, mixing the skills and talents of their founders.
Paul Wickman started Northstar Geographics in 2007, growing it into a sizeable organization with international clients. GIS Rangers, started by Blaine Hackett in 2002, provided on-site GIS services to numerous municipalities, watershed districts, and private clients.
The two met while sharing coworking office space at CoCo, and Hackett notes that they complemented each other nicely. "Paul is more into web application development, and I'm in the geographic information systems realm," he says. "In this field, you get many people from a geography background, but they don't know much about computer science. Now, we have the best of both worlds."
They kicked off 2012 with the formation of the new company, and already they have a robust list of services that they offer, including GIS consulting, web applications, mobile apps, and geospatial business intelligence. Clients include municipalities like Fridley and Columbia Heights, as well as the Science Museum of Minnesota, 3M, and Second Harvest Heartland.
Projects can vary--the Frogtown effort, for example, had Flat Rock look at map data collected by interns over the past few years. There wasn't any consistency to the mapping, so Flat Rock created a tool that allowed users to do mobile data collection about the neighborhood.
For the future, Hackett believes that Flat Rock is off to a strong start, thanks to the business and market experience of its founders. "This is a very exciting time for us," he says. "We're looking forward to seeing where we can go."
Source: Blaine Hackett, Flat Rock Geographics
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
As more companies focus on providing preventive health services to employees, RedBrick Health is finding itself in constant hiring mode.
"As we expand our ability to innovate, we're seeing growth in client numbers and in employees," says Eric Zimmerman, the company's chief marketing officer.
Founded six years ago, the Minneapolis-based firm offers health improvement platforms designed to increase employee engagement and provide reporting and analytics to clients.
"There's a rising tide of interest in these types of platforms right now," Zimmerman says. "If you look at health care costs and insurance costs, you can see that it's imperative to create high-performing work forces, particularly in a rapid timeframe."
As a way to get employees more involved in health initiatives, RedBrick recently launched a mobile version of its platform. The app allows people to check in with a health coach, track progress with a personalized plan, and play games related to health. For example, a company that's sponsoring a weight loss contest might create teams, and an employee can use a mobile device to see how the team is doing on the leaderboard.
"The market is very hungry for this type of approach," says Zimmerman. "Employers are frustrated with the slow-moving 'legacy' approaches."
RedBrick has seen triple-digit growth for the past three years, and the strong emphasis on innovation means that it's hiring most within its technology departments.
"We'll continue on this trajectory," Zimmerman notes. "We're seeing robust growth, and we're looking forward to keeping that going."
Source: Eric Zimmerman, RedBrick Health
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Finding a savvy mechanic can be a challenge, especially if you want to compare multiple quotes. But if RoadTab finds its footing, that search might take only a few clicks instead of a dozen phone calls.
Started in January by entrepreneur Jacob Phillips, RoadTab stems from Phillips' experience as an owner of a small car dealership. He constantly had to call auto repair shops, and felt that there had to be a better way. So he partnered with Twin Cities web and mobile development firm Tiny Mission and developed a free system that brings together mechanics and consumers.
Users can anonymously input their vehicle's make, model, year, and repair issue. By also inputting zip code, they can search for a shop within a certain radius. Mechanics get a notification of the job and respond with a parts and labor estimate.
Mechanics can choose between two membership levels: a free level that lets them get three repair queries per month, or $199 per year for receiving unlimited queries.
One strength of the service is that consumers can send in queries for a specific job--such as windshield repair--and get only auto glass repair shops in response.
The next phase, due within a few months, is the inclusion of reviews from people who have used the system to find shops. Phillips notes that the app is also expanding to Milwaukee this month.
"We'll be moving throughout the Midwest, and eventually we'd love to have this be national," he says. "People are really responding well to the service, because we've simplified it as much as possible. You can send out a query about brake pads, for example, and get quotes from two dozen mechanics about what it would cost to replace them."
The company's name is based on the cost of upkeep, or “tab," that a car owner builds up over time, Phillips says. With this new app, that tab may be more reasonable in the future, he believes.
Source: Jacob Phillips, RoadTab
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
It's a simple idea, artfully executed: people who are seriously ill create one central, online page where they can update friends and family about health changes and treatments. This reduces the need for the ill person to repeat the same information, while still keeping loved ones informed.
That concept sparked the creation of CaringBridge back in 1997, and since then the site has recorded more than 1.8 billion visits, with more than 250,000 personal pages created. Founder and CEO Sona Mehring notes that as the site keeps growing, the potential for its use expands.
"When we started, the phrase 'social networking' didn't exist," she recalls. "But the idea that you can support people through online connections was a powerful one, and it still is. We're looking at how to take CaringBridge to the next level of connection."
A nonprofit organization, CaringBridge employs 68 people, and hired nearly 40 percent of them within the last year and a half. That surge came from increased popularity and a stronger focus on innovation, Mehring notes.
The next iteration of the site will have a new service that will allow users to schedule tasks for the friend or family member who's ill. For example, a visitor to a page might see a calendar that lists doctor visits and a request for rides to the clinic offices. Using the online planner, the visitor can sign up to provide a ride on a specific day.
This significantly reduces the need for an ill person to ask for help with certain tasks, and it gives friends and family members more options for assistance.
"This is our first step in expanding our services, and we're very excited about providing more options like this," says Mehring. "People who use CaringBridge are going through a journey, and we want to be able to help them with that, in any way we can."
Source: Sona Mehring, CaringBridge
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Crowdsourcing is a technique that allows tasks to be outsourced to a wide array of people simultaneously. A project that might normally be sent to one individual for help on a specific issue can be sent to "the crowd," where it benefits from numerous perspectives and skill sets.
Minneapolis-based Brand Ninjas brings this concept to design contests, giving clients the ability to create a design brief and set a project budget, then send it out to a crowd of design professionals (which the company calls ninjas).
The artists submit designs and give feedback, and the client can choose the design they like the best. Every time a designer places in the top three rankings for a client, he or she earns a "belt" similar to a martial arts ranking.
Created by entrepreneurs David Throldahl and Brad Haymaker, the company is already gaining traction, even though it was started just a few months ago.
"It's been shocking to us, how much it's taken off," says Throldahl. "People are really honing in on their ability to find reliable resources through this method." He adds that the design ninjas are worldwide, so the "crowd" that sends in designs might include people from Indonesia, Texas, or Eastern Europe. Becoming a ninja is free, which is part of what's driving the growth, Throldahl notes.
"We just wanted to create a platform where artists can get recognition and jobs, and clients can get more access to an international design community," he says.
Next up for the site will be the creation of a brand toolkit, where site users can store multiple brochures and ads, giving designers a better reference point for bidding on projects.
Throldahl says, "We're very excited about the future with this. The fact that it's so well received already gives us a great starting point."
Source: David Throldahl, Brand Ninjas
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
In the marketing arena, how large is the gap between what people say and what they do? And how does that question affect their purchasing habits?
Those are the sorts of inquiries that drive David Bergstrom, founder of Minneapolis-based Reflect Research. Before creating the firm in 2009, the entrepreneur spent 10 years developing products and strategies for Procter & Gamble, and studied engineering at the University of Minnesota before that.
He combines the complex process thinking involved in engineering work with the creative skills he honed as a product designer, he says, and that's what makes Reflect unique.
"Basically, this company is the story of me wanting to do something I love," he says, "and that's creating a very specific niche within the world of market research."
Most market research emphasizes consumer reaction to products, he notes, but Reflect takes a different approach by figuring out what people need, and proposing products, services and campaigns based on that information.
For example, a recent client hired Reflect to find out why people choose to prepare their own tax returns. Bergstrom not only came up with top reasons, but also offered advice on how to draw these potential customers to a professional tax service.
Bergstrom feels that by doing ethnographic research and consumer trend analysis, he can help to develop innovative products and spark new ideas for clients.
"We figure out what people need, not just their reactions," he says. "Then we help to bring those solutions to life."
Source: David Bergstrom, Reflect Research
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Now in its eighth year, the Minnesota Cup is ready to award $200,000 in prize money to innovative entrepreneurs, inventors, and small business owners.
Designed to award breakthrough business ideas, the competition has six main categories: bioscience and health IT, clean tech and renewable energy, general, high tech, social entrepreneur, and student. Since 2005, more than 6,000 people have participated in the competition, and finalists from the last three rounds have gone on to raise $45 million in capital.
The competition's co-founder, Scott Litman, notes that the program expands every year, which has always been one of its major goals. Also, the number of partners increases--this year, UnitedHealth Group and Proto Labs have signed on as partners, bringing more prize money to the competition.
In terms of trends, Litman says he's seen a good deal of energy around high tech ideas in the past few years, and he expects that this year should continue that trend.
The program's judges are expecting a last-minute rush--and that's meant literally. Litman says, "About 10 percent of our entries come in during the last hour of the competition, and some come in during the last couple minutes. It gets pretty intense, actually." Entrants have until May 18th to submit their ideas. The contest ends at 11:59 pm on that day.
That level of excitement is felt during all aspects of the Minnesota Cup, and Litman is looking forward to another lively round of competition. "We love seeing the entries, and watching people talk about the program over social media," he says. "This should be another great year."
Source: Scott Litman, Minnesota Cup
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Founded about 15 years ago by two professors at Carleton College who wanted to create a French/English dictionary for students, Ultralingua has evolved from a small side project to a robust company headed for impressive growth.
The professors--a French linguist and a computer science prof--envisioned a quick-and-easy product that would reduce the need for reference books. They launched an initial version in 1997, and then eventually started making mobile apps for that early handheld organizer, the PalmPilot.
In 2008, when Apple launched its App Store, the company found itself on the fast track. "We grew really quickly, really suddenly," says Ashleigh Lincoln, Marketing and Communications Coordinator at the company. "After being two guys working in a garage, all of a sudden, we were a fast-growing business."
The firm has eight full-time employees, but is ramping up hiring, Lincoln says. They're looking for software developers and marketing gurus, but they're willing to take their time in finding the right fit. "This is a very fast-paced startup environment and our team is small," she says. "So we're really picky about getting the right fit for our culture."
It's possible that Lincoln and other team members will have to speed up the search. Ultralingua is experiencing rapid growth and gaining new customers every day, and the company is considering a move into phrase books and word games, expanding their capability beyond dictionary apps.
"We're having fun making the word games, and everyone is interested in pursuing that," says Lincoln. "We're excited to see where we can go from here."
Source: Ashleigh Lincoln, Ultralingua
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
When it comes to figuring out what's best for clients, Minneapolis-based software development firm Warecorp has Belarus on speed dial.
The company got its start in 2004, when entrepreneur Chris Dykstra decided to strike out on his own after working in the software and web development fields.
Since he'd had some experience in working with offshore software firms, particularly in Belarus, he decided that Warecorp could benefit from a similar arrangement. He quickly built up an office in Minsk, which currently has about 60 employees. Another 10 employees are located throughout the United States.
Minsk is a hotbed of engineering activity, Dykstra notes, and despite some challenges with communication and time zone issues, he feels that such a large office there gives Warecorp an advantage. He says, "The level of expertise there is excellent, and it's much cheaper to hire and maintain an office with that many employees there as opposed to here."
Warecorp also distinguishes itself in the marketplace by being choosy about projects, Dykstra says. "We try to look for companies that are doing something to make the world a better place." The company has clients in the education, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors, as well as media companies and software firms.
"What makes us different is that we focus on social responsibility as well as business expertise," says Dykstra. Drawing on the engineering talent in Belarus gives Warecorp the ability to keep its robust growth rate, and Dysktra believes that the company will keep increasing by almost 50 percent every year.
Source: Chris Dykstra, Warecorp
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Designing Content That Sells
April 4
International Market Square
274 Market St., Suite 180, Minneapolis
11:30am - 1:15pm
$35 members, $55 non-members
Put on by the Society for Marketing Professionals, this workshop for those in the architecture and engineering industries focuses on developing effective online content. Reporter and PR professional Rachel Gold will give tips on making content interesting and on gauging how well design and content work together.
From Focus to Performance
April 6
DoubleTree Hotel
7800 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington
7:00am - 9:00am
$35
Sports psychologist and executive coach Dr. Justin Anderson presents the latest advancements in performance psychology and brain research, providing tips on how to use your mind in a more optimal manner to enhance sales and lead a more meaningful life.
High Heels, Higher Heights
April 10
Minneapolis Convention Center
3:00pm - 6:00pm
$80 members, $95 non-members
This annual event honoring women leaders is a prime networking opportunity, and is put on by the Women's Health Leadership TRUST. This year's speaker is Teri Fontenot, president and CEO of Woman's Hospital in Louisiana. Women leaders in health care will also be recognized for two major awards.
MHTA Spring Conference
April 25
Minneapolis Convention Center
$165 member, $215 non-member
The Minnesota High Tech Association presents its popular spring conference, kicked off by a morning keynote address by Rick King, Thomson Reuters chief operation officer for technology. Participants can network with other technology leaders, visit an expanded exhibit hall of more than 100 technology-related businesses, and attend breakout sessions about research, funding, education, and policy development.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
After working in the organizational and HR field for most of her career, Louise Harris found herself out of job when a project came to its planned end.
"I was presented with a fabulous opportunity," she says. "I thought I'd take six weeks off to rejuvenate myself." That was 10 years ago, and she still hasn't gone back into a corporate position.
Instead, she began consulting and set up shop as Praeeo (Latin for "to lead the way"), a firm that offers strategic development, organizational effectiveness, leader development, and change management.
Harris believes that she fits well into that specific niche because she brings a theoretical foundation together with practical experience. She marries psychology, sociology, training, and development in a way that allows her to balance experience with theory.
When she first started Praeeo, Harris considered growing the business into a mid-size consultancy at some point, but the more she worked as a solo entrepreneur, the more she liked the freedom of that structure. She says, "I think if I had a team, there would be a greater sense of responsibility to manage the business for their sake. Now, I just manage it for me."
In her free time, Harris is also an artist who creates works made out of recycled furnace filters. She donates most of her proceeds from the art to charity, and has been in some art shows. "It's just fun to tap into my artistic side," she says. "Although business can be an art, too."
Source: Louise Harris, Praeeo
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
In the middle of the recession in 2009, Jamie Millard (no relation to this writer) was ready to find work in publishing. There was just one problem: there were no jobs for her.
After graduating at the top of her class and having done five internships, Millard still couldn't find a position. "So, I decided to stop asking for permission and create my own," she says. Together with a couple other enthusiastic, literary friends she formed Paper Darts in order to create a new literary magazine.
"We saw the opportunity to jazz up that genre with a more lighthearted tone, to pull in the mainstream reader," she says. "That was our mission, to fill the void of unemployment with something useful."
Although Millard eventually landed a job at the Charities Review Council, she and the other founders kept the magazine going and even hired an editorial director to bring more cohesion to the firm. Recently, Paper Darts published its first book, and the staff members were excited to learn about the book publishing process from start to finish, Millard notes.
The firm has slowly turned into a creative agency as well. They'll be redesigning the popular Pollen newsletter, and taking on other projects as they crop up. Millard says, "We're trying to build a model that can support a full-time staff, but right now, we're just happy with the creative projects that we have. We're having fun with it."
Source: Jamie Millard, Paper Darts
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
To say that Burnsville-based DigitalTown has school spirit is an understatement.
The enterprise, founded in 1982, purchased its first web domain in 2005, when the founder, Richard Pomije, was chatting with Kay Joyce, then the principal of Burnsville High School. They talked about how effective it would be to have a site outside the school's official website that connected parents, students, and other community members.
Pomije bought www.burnsvilleblaze.com, and then went on a buying spree. The company now owns about 20,000 "school spirit" sites, and CEO Robert Castle notes that they have big plans.
"We want to build a powerful, nationwide publishing tool," he says. "We're ready to take this to the next level."
The sites only have local sports scores right now, but Castle envisions community-provided content as well as advertising that will give half the revenue back to the schools. The advantage of a school spirit site, he notes, is that schools don't have to manage them, or deal with liability issues that might crop up.
DigitalTown has 10 full- or part-time employees, but Castle sees the potential for rapid growth, which would also include hiring. "We've done the hard work in building the sites, and now we're at the point where we'll add the content to get it the rest of the way," he says.
Source: Robert Castle, DigitalTown
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
After Jaim Zuber's wife Cynthia discovered she was allergic to gluten and corn, going to restaurants became a daunting challenge. "We ended up with a list of maybe five or six restaurants that we knew were safe," says Zuber. "Otherwise, it was too time-consuming to call in advance and find out about the ingredients of their dishes."
Zuber figured that there must be others facing the same difficulties. As a software consultant and entrepreneur, he began envisioning a mobile application that would allow people to do searches of restaurants based on food allergies and sensitivities.
He brought the app, Food Seeking, to the entrepreneurial event Startup Weekend Twin Cities, and took second place, which boosted the fledgling firm's profile and gave Zuber the energy he needed to forge ahead.
"There are about four or five people working on this right now, and it's a good mix of people and talents," he says. "We would love to get to the point where we could afford to make this our full-time jobs."
The app is in beta version right now, and Zuber thinks it may launch in early June. In the meantime, he's collecting information on restaurants and specific dishes, and encouraging beta testers to share their experiences as well.
"I think my true long-term goal is to take my wife out to dinner in any neighborhood," he says. "Having the ability to just tap in a restaurant name and get a list of safe dishes would be a dream come true."
Source: Jaim Zuber, Food Seeking
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
The Office for Technology Commercialization (OTC) has helped numerous University of Minnesota researchers, becoming an engine for economic development. Now, it's even more useful for university-based entrepreneurs.
A new program will eliminate the kind of roadblocks that have challenged researchers in the past. Previously, researchers have had difficulties launching startups within the university, since some federal business grants require a certain amount of time spent on the business. Researchers struggled to fit their entrepreneurial ventures together with their academic duties.
But now, they can turn to the OTC for assistance, notes university spokesperson John Merritt. The office will help faculty members create companies and avoid conflicts of interest. Entrepreneurs can use the school's lab for business projects, and the university will own 49 percent of the company.
The OTC will guide faculty in the formation of a business, and will assist in recruitment of formal management teams for each new company.
The new approach is part of a move toward making the university more entrepreneurial, and geared more toward winning federal grants like Small Business Technology Transfer and Small Business Innovation Research.
Merritt adds that the OTC has been in a process of reinvention itself over the last three or four years. This fresh program should help university researchers and faculty to be more competitive for grants, and pursue entrepreneurial ventures in the future.
Source: John Merritt, University of Minnesota
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Fred Haberman never intended to go into public relations. It just turned out that he's very good at it, especially when he's following his passion and encouraging others to do the same.
After starting an adventure travel company and an organizational development counseling firm with his wife, Haberman fell into the PR field. The couple started their own business in their house, with clients meeting at the dining room table, and eventually grew it into a 38-employee firm housed in the Warehouse District.
Growth has been robust, Haberman notes, attracting clients like explorer Ann Bancroft, Great River Energy, National Cooperative Grocers Association, Organic Valley, Slow Money Alliance, HealthSimple, and the Social Venture Network.
Sensing a theme yet?
Haberman's firm specializes in sustainability-focused clients who are trying to make a contribution to their communities, and Haberman has that same vision.
"We're geared toward helping to create a collaborative world," he says. "The question is: how do we make a difference while being financially sustainable? And we think the answer is that we follow our passion."
Companies have begun to seek out Haberman, to tap into that energy and spark that sets the firm apart. As a result, he expects to keep hiring and growing the firm, which benefits not just the company and its employees, but all of us, Haberman believes.
"There's something remarkable about creating shared value," he says. "That's what we've been about from the beginning."
Source: Fred Haberman, Haberman
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
In 2010, Sonal Gerten was pregnant, and began looking for cute clothes for the baby boy she was expecting. "I just wanted clothes he could get dirty," she recalls. "Something really bright and fun."
Although there were no shortage of clothes options, nothing seemed quite right, especially for boys. She found a wealth of muted colors, but nothing like the beautiful colors and patterns that she saw every time she visited relatives in India.
She decided to abandon her search and start her own company instead, launching Tumblewalla (the Hindi word for "one who tumbles") in December 2011. She focused on making play clothes without zippers, stiff fabrics, or complicated button closures, and the colors are crayon-level bright.
One distinctive part of the company is Gerten's emphasis on initiatives that give kids more opportunities to play (whether wearing their Tumblewalla duds or not). In an effort she calls Tumble & Tickle, the entrepreneur supports The Priynaka Foundation, which supports children facing chronic and terminal illness, as well as One Home Many Hopes, a Kenyan organization that houses and educates abandoned and orphaned girls in that country.
Over a year after starting the company, Gerten is seeing traction and is hopeful about growing and expanding operations over the coming year. She wants to increase awareness of the two Tumble & Tickle organizations, and to expand her product line as well. She's been getting picked up in some local retail stores, and envisions going beyond clothing into other play-related items like coloring books and toys.
"I have high hopes for this, and I'm excited about how it's been going," she says. "We're just gauging the consumer appetite right now, but it's looking like a very bright future."
Source: Sonal Gerten, Tumblewalla
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Marketing to the Millennial age group--18-to-28-year-olds--can be more than tricky, but a new Minneapolis-based agency has the savvy and background to help. After all, it's run by a couple of Millennials.
Started in January 2011, The Social Lights got started when friends Martha McCarthy and Emily Pritchard decided to combine their entrepreneurial energies while they were both attending the University of St. Thomas.
They did business plan competitions together and took classes in journalism as well as business topics. They created The Social Lights during their last semester at school, and McCarthy recalls that it wasn't easy. "We were doing homework and pitching clients at the same time," she says.
After graduation, they came to a full boil and took on numerous campaigns, focusing on others in their age group. "Sometimes companies that are trying to use social media can have a hard time reaching Millennials," says McCarthy. "They know how to use the tools, but they don't know how to communicate with them. Since we're in that age range, we have insight into what that audience needs."
With an increasing number of clients, the firm is getting ready to hire its first non-founder employee this summer. McCarthy believes that the hire will be another major step forward for the company: "We're not sure how large we'd like to get eventually, but this is very exciting, to get to this point."
Source: Martha McCarthy, The Social Lights
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Wayzata- and Minneapolis-based RBA Consulting has been advising clients about technology since 2006, and has shown an impressive success rate over the past few years. When it landed on the Inc. 5000 list last year, the magazine noted that its growth over the previous three years came in at 247 percent, with an increase of 89 employees in that timeframe.
Now, the company is ready to get even more robust.
Last September, the consulting firm acquired Ratchet, a Minneapolis-based digital marketing company, and subsequently changed the name of the combined company to just RBA.
The combined company offers a wide range of services, from custom application development and infrastructure expertise to portals and collaboration solutions.
"Historically, marketing organizations and IT departments haven't gotten along well," says RBA President and COO Mike Reinhart. "We see an opportunity for RBA to come in and create cohesion there. We understand marketing and what they're trying to accomplish, and we know how IT needs to work. We're bringing the CIO and the CMO together."
The company is expecting to grow by about 30 percent this year, and is in the midst of active hiring, Reinhart adds. He predicts that with RBA's strong sales force, more hiring will be ahead as well.
Most of all, he and others at the company are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead, now that the usual challenges that come with mergers are behind them.
"I'm a technologist at heart, and I love that I'm surrounded by bright and talented people who are thinking about how best to leverage our capabilities," says Reinhart.
Source: Mike Reinhart, RBA
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Entrepreneurial incubation program Project Skyway was much heralded for its first round of tech acceleration. Although the initial cycle saw a couple of speed bumps--which the founders expected, given that it's the state's first seed-stage startup program--it resulted in the growth of several early-stage companies.
Now comes round two, with a quartet of businesses that are looking to be the next big thing in tech. Here's the lineup, which will be worth watching over the next couple of months:
YumZing: This service is similar to Yelp, but instead of collecting information on restaurants, it'll list menu items. So, if you want to find the best taco in town, or a list of creative cocktails, the site will guide you there.
HypeSpark: Users of this site can earn rewards and freebies by endorsing brands through social media.
Energy Resource Insights: An aggregator of data from thousands of reports, this service relies on a central database that can provide current information on regional energy programs.
Political Harmony: The name might sound like an oxymoron, but the site's creators intend for the service to help voters choose political candidates more effectively.
Focused on building companies that promise long-term and sustainable growth, Project Skyway provides mentorship and support. For this latest round, the competition was ferocious.
"These companies beat out ambitious entrepreneurs from five states and four different countries," says Project Skyway co-founder Casey Allen. "In a nutshell, they're all solid entrepreneurs that we believe are working on solid ideas."
Source: Casey Allen, Project Skyway
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
The unemployment rate for teenagers is dismal, currently at about 25 to 35 percent, but one startup is hoping to change those numbers for local kids.
Rock Your Block aims to provide an easy, simple way for teens to find odd jobs within their neighborhoods--and create a deeper sense of community as a result.
First conceived in late 2010 (see The Line's previous coverage
here) by entrepreneur Sarah Young, the organization's site has been developed over the past year, and has just gone into beta launch. Young and co-founders John Hibscher and Steven Ladin have been meeting with business owners and community organization leaders in the meantime, to find job opportunities that can be posted.
"We want to have the site at the point where teens can apply right away, and that's been a big challenge," she says. "But we're working out those issues, and we're excited by what we see ahead."
Young believes that the model is sound, and once the initial beta is over, the site has the ability to take off. "We're empowering teenagers to develop a strong work ethic, and at the same time we're addressing the needs of the community," she says. "That's a powerful combination."
The site will also include information on internship opportunities and other education, to give teens a chance to develop new skills. For example, they can learn to build a resume, handle a job interview, or budget their time effectively.
Source: Sarah Young, Rock Your Block
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
It was quite a way to kick off a new year. Recently, Edina-based ReconRobotics received a $13.9 million contract from the U.S. Army, in its largest order to date.
The company started in 2006 as a way to commercialize technology from the University of Minnesota's Distributed Robotics Laboratory (see previous Line coverage
here). At this point, the company's micro-robot systems are used around the world by military and police forces.
ReconRobotics employs 52 people, with 22 added in just the last year. CEO Alan Bignall says, "We'll be expanding in many ways: in orders for our current product, in research and development, and in hiring."
Growth is coming from several areas, he adds. First, there's the realization that personal-level robotics are becoming more common. He compares the devices to night-vision goggles, which were once rare in the law enforcement arena, but are now common. He expects that in the not-too-distant future, smaller robots will be standard for many military and law enforcement situations.
Also, demand is increasing in other areas, like healthcare and maintenance. Mini-robots might be used for shoveling your sidewalk, he notes, or even for babysitting.
"Imagine if I could have a robot watch my kids in the backyard and let me know if they stray too far," he says. "We'll find more and more uses for this technology, especially as we add capabilities like additional sensors. It's a very exciting time to be in this field."
Source: Alan Bignall, ReconRobotics
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Urban farming is experiencing a huge boom in the Twin Cities, and is expected to grow stronger in the near future. Community gardens, employer gardens, and mini-farmers'-markets are popping up everywhere, and more municipal initiatives are geared toward encouraging growth.
So it's not surprising that a major new farm could take root. Stone's Throw Urban Farm brings together seven farmers and 12 vacant lots in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, covering four acres altogether.
To get the necessary startup capital, the group just launched a Kickstarter campaign. One of the farmers, Alex Liebman, notes that they wanted to put themselves on the path of independence, where they didn't rely on external funding in order to run.
The farm will offer shares in its community-supported agriculture (CSA) program, and will sell at the Mill City Farmers Market, but it turned to Kickstarter for the funds needed for initial projects, like building a hoophouse that will house spring transplants.
"Our goal is to provide a financially viable source of employment, while also tackling bigger ecological issues," says Liebman. Vegetables and fruits are grown without chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides, and the farmers will hold tours and volunteer days so local residents can participate in the farm.
"There's a lot of coordination with this many sites, and so many people involved," Liebman notes. "But the benefits outweigh the challenges. There's a lot of excitement and great ideas happening right now."
Source: Alex Liebman, Stone's Throw Urban Farm
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
The Twin Cities has been lauded many times for its bike-friendly routes and strategies, but what happens if you have a flat at 10pm?
Until now, repair service has been limited to bike shop hours, but local startup Bike Fixtation aims to change that. Started by entrepreneurs Chad DeBaker and Alex Anderson, the firm creates kiosks that pair a large vending machine with a standalone bike repair rack.
The idea was sparked during DeBaker's bachelor party, when he and a group of friends were bar-hopping by bike. One of them got a flat tire, and no one had a spare tube.
"We thought it was crazy that we live in one of the biggest biking places in the country and we couldn't get a tube after 8pm," he says.
Bicyclists can buy products such as tubes, patch kits, tools, and even sunscreen and energy bars, whenever they like. The repair rack features a collection of tools, attached by theft-proof cords, and an electric tire pump.
The first kiosk was installed inside the Uptown Transit Station, just above the Midtown Greenway. A second location is planned for Lake Street and Hiawatha, in the light rail station there.
Bike Fixtation has been building up its capital by selling equipment--like the bike repair station--worldwide, so other cities can duplicate the effort. In addition to more locations, the company is also working to bring out more products, like public bicycle pumps.
"In general, everyone has been very supportive of the project," says DeBaker. "Cyclists are getting a lot of use out of it, and that's great to see."
Source: Chad DeBaker, Bike Fixtation
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Launched in late February, Minneapolis-based PH Digital Labs may utilize a number of technologies in order to manage brands, but the firm distinguishes itself by focusing on an old-fashioned concept: personal connection.
"The gap that we see in the space is that people still want to connect with brands in a personal way," says co-founder and Director of Strategy Kyle Meehan. "That can get lost in the digital space. We want to make that connection deeper, more meaningful, and more relevant and authentic. We want to turn 'likes' into 'loves.'"
Offering search engine marketing, digital content, web design services, and social media marketing, PH Digital Labs aims to build a customized, digital strategy for each client.
The firm comes out of Pocket Hercules (see The Line's coverage of that company
here), a branding and ad agency that's found success in creating its own products as well as representing major clients. Meehan notes that the relationship is advantageous, because it allows PH Digital Labs to pull from the talent at Pocket Hercules for specific projects.
For the future, he expects that PH Digital Labs will do more hiring to expand its in-house team. Until then, the firm is readying itself for growth through some initial clients.
"Our growth will come from a couple of decent-sized projects, and we're confident that those will come our way soon," says Meehan.
Source: Kyle Meehan, PH Digital Labs
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Twin Cities Software Symposium
March 2 - 4
Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington Hotel
3900 American Blvd. W., Bloomington
$975
Focusing on best practices in the enterprise software development space, this conference is put on by "No Fluff Just Stuff," a technology event company that usually specializes in Java and Agility. For its Twin Cities gathering, the firm promises "hype-free technical training for developers, architects, and technical managers," with over 55 sessions offered over the weekend.
Women Leading in Technology
March 6
The Woman's Club of Minneapolis
5:00 - 7:30
$15; free with valid student ID
Sponsored by the Minnesota High Tech Association, this event is put on quarterly to help women learn more about the technology industry and to network with other professionals. Industry experts share their experience, and the event is particularly valuable for those who are just entering the technology field.
Entrepreneurs Rally
March 13
CoCo Minneapolis
6:00pm - 9:30pm
$10 for keynote plus Mentorlab; free without Mentorlab
Presented by Entrepreneurs' Organization Minnesota, this networking-fest is designed to bring the entrepreneurial community together for a night of think-tank style interaction. The keynote speaker is Ido Leffler, co-founder of Yes To Inc. (makers of Yes to Carrots products). Those who are founders, co-founders, or CEOs of a company with revenues under $1 million can attend Mentorlab, which pairs participants with leading local companies.
Mobile March
March 16 & 17
Embassy Suites-Minneapolis Airport
7901 34th Ave. S., Bloomington
$85
This event offers the latest information in mobile technology and trends. Now in its third year, Mobile March offers two learning tracks: mobile development and mobile business. Sessions range in topic from games to mobile trends for the year ahead, to boosting loyalty through mobile app development.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The local beer scene just keeps getting more and more lively, and the latest entrant is Indeed Brewing, located in Northeast Minneapolis.
The Line recently
covered the growth of craft beer, and also
noted how Indeed is moving into the rehabbed Solar Arts Building. With a strong market and a distinctive location, the brewery has a robust head start for growth.
"We wanted to create a brewery that could offer a fuller approach," says co-founder Tom Whisenand. "We want to sell in bars and restaurants, but also liquor stores."
The use of cans instead of bottles might help that effort. Unlike many of the craft breweries in the Twin Cities, Indeed has chosen to can their beer, emphasizing the durability, portability, and environmental friendliness of cans (lighter to transport, they use less fuel to ship, and are fully recyclable).
Another ingredient for success is Josh Bischoff as head brewer, Whisenand notes. Bischoff comes out of Town Hall Brewery, and has won awards for several of his brews. He's been the force behind the beer's first "hop-forward" brews, due this summer.
Whisenand came up with the name "Indeed" after he and co-founders Rachel Anderson and Nathan Berndt kicked around numerous choices. He felt that it was an affirmation of living in Minnesota, as in, "Despite the winters, this is indeed a great place to live."
That type of positive outlook fuels the company, he says: "We all love living here, and we believe we can create quality beer in a great place."
Source: Tom Whisenand, Indeed Brewing
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Justin Kaufenberg and Carson Kipfer were just a couple of students at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, trying to figure out how to make more beer money. What they developed turned out to be a thriving, successful venture that's likely to have over 100 employees by the end of the year.
The pair mixed Kaufenberg's economics and business background with Kipfer's graphic design experience, and started doing design and creative work for small businesses in Wisconsin. When they began getting more customers, they rented studio space and ramped up production. By graduation, they were talking about the next step.
Having both come from sports backgrounds, the pair decided to focus on developing software that could power sports organizations--everything from online registration to statistics compilation. They originally dubbed their venture Puck Systems, but changed the name to TST Media (Team Sport Technologies) once they moved beyond initial hockey clients.
In 2006, they moved to the Twin Cities, Kipfer notes: "At the time, our niche was hockey, so it was natural to come here. This is the best place in the nation to be in the hockey industry."
The firm continued to gain momentum, and now has 85 employees, with 10 job openings. "Our hiring plans are pretty aggressive for the remainder of the year," Kipfer says. "We have a product that's geared for explosive growth, and we're trying to maintain that."
Source: Carson Kipfer, TST Media
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Strategic expansion, grassroots marketing, and corporate sponsorship: these aren't exactly what you'd imagine when watching the Choo Choo Bob Show. But behind the cheery talk about trains and friendship on the new show, a strong business and brand are being built.
The show started after Bob Medcraft, owner of St. Paul-based Choo Choo Bob's Train Store, did a television commercial for the store with Joe Martin and Wilson Webb. The trio had fun making it and subsequent feedback convinced them to do a TV show about trains. At first, they'd envisioned something on cable access, but then they decided to create something with more polish.
"The finished shows turned out great; kids loved them and parents were really positive," says Medcraft. "I decided that I was going to do everything I could to find someone who could help us raise money and get more episodes made." He turned to University of Minnesota professor Bob Vince, who offered to finance the project. Vince and Medcraft formed a company, and the Choo Choo production engine got turned on.
Because the show is too "old fashioned and atypical" to match what's on Disney and Nickelodeon, Medcraft notes that they're creating a Choo Choo Bob Network, which will pay to broadcast the show throughout the region. They're also putting together a live show that will go on tour, with the first show April 14th at the Riverview Theater.
"We came to the conclusion that if we want to get the show on TV, then we'll have to do it ourselves," he says.
Source: Bob Medcraft, Choo Choo Bob Show
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Imagine being able to post to numerous, major online job boards in less time than it takes to finish your first cup of morning coffee. Just think of how much you can do before lunch.
That ability is part of the offering for Minneapolis-based Resfly, a startup launched last October that gives companies the ability to amp up their online recruiting efforts. The firm allows clients to post to over 20 job boards, including Indeed, Simply Hired, JustJobs, and CareerVitals.
A few specialized job boards are thrown into the mix, too, such as ResearchGate for scientists and Hire Health for healthcare professionals. Resfly also lets users screen candidates through customized questionnaires, solicit video interviews, and create a hosted career portal.
Launched in October 2011, the company is unique, notes Tony Sternberg, product manager for Resfly: "We let you send out listings to more job boards than any other service, and then we have different tools to go along with it."
Since its start, Resfly has seen a twofold increase each month in signups, and developers are constantly tweaking the model to make it more useful. For the future, users can expect even more services that streamline recruitment, including a potential applicant tracking system that will save time and money for HR departments.
Although there are just nine employees now, Sternberg expects that the startup has a bright future rife with growth and hiring. "We're excited about everything we have going on," he says.
Source: Tony Sternberg, Resfly
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Although Minneapolis-based KeyedIn Solutions is technically a startup, it probably won't be for long.
Fired up in late 2011, the company provides software-as-a-service (SaaS) and consulting for small to midsize businesses (SMBs), with specialization in areas like project management and enterprise resource planning. Clients can gain control over their resource capabilities, operational efficiency, business performance, and workflow processes, according to CEO Lauri Klaus.
Part of the reason that KeyedIn has been able to ramp up quickly is that it's in acquisition mode. The company took majority ownership in Datacom International in January, and also recently acquired a UK-based software publisher, Atlantic Global.
"Our strategy is to look for small technology companies with hot technology that can be deployed in an SaaS model," says Klaus. "We look for best-in-breed products and bring those into our portfolio."
Catering to the SMB market also distinguishes the company from potential competitors, she adds: "We believe the SMB market is underserved. That gives us many opportunities for really establishing ourselves in the marketplace."
The combination of acquisition and hiring has meant an employee surge: just a few months ago, only four people worked at KeyedIn, and now, there are 50 employees. Klaus notes that her goal was to have 100 by the end of the year, but she believes she'll reach that number within just a few more months.
"Recruiting isn't an issue for us," Klaus says. "Many people know that we're creating a good, solid company that's creating and deploying business applications in a new way. We're going to be very successful, and people want to be part of that."
Source: Lauri Klaus, CEO
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
"Definitely, everyone here is caffeinated," says Andi Dickson, principal at St. Louis Park-based creative agency SixSpeed.
In some ways, he's joking about how energy drinks fuel innovation at the agency, but on a more figurative level, his comments point to the secret of SixSpeed's success: wild energy, properly harnessed.
Dickson started the agency three years ago with co-founder Tom Cusciotta, and each brought a background in agency work mixed with action sports and marketing. For example, Dickson worked for Red Bull for some time, where he pulled together some stunningly creative events.
In creating SixSpeed, the pair aims to blend traditional agency abilities with event management and, quite simply, a little bit of crazy. They've attracted edgy, fun clients like Polaris, Two Gingers Irish Whiskey, and Colt 45.
"We do lifestyle marketing, that's been a major piece of what we offer," says Dickson. "We provide content generation and events, as well as social strategy. Basically, we provide good old-fashioned hard work, and it's allowed us to grow as a result."
The agency has doubled in size every year since its founding, and recruitment is never much of a problem. The staff skews toward a younger demographic--no one, including the founders, is over 35 years old--and a recent move to new offices included an aerialist show and craft beers.
"We're having a great time, and we're working hard and loving it," says Dickson. "Also, our new offices are attached to a brewery. So, what more could you want?"
Source: Andi Dickson, SixSpeed
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
To say that Minneapolis-based Code 42 Software is having a good year already is something of an understatement.
In late January, the firm announced that it had secured $52.5 million in venture funding, which will accelerate product development and greatly expand the company's sales and marketing efforts. A few weeks later, the Wall Street Journal published a lengthy, favorable review of its data backup system, CrashPlan.
"This year has started with a bang, that's for sure," says Code 42 co-founder and CEO Matthew Dornquast. "We're very happy with how it's been going in terms of growth in the past few years."
The company has added about 60 employees within the last year--bringing the total number to 86--and expects to hire more in the months ahead as CrashPlan gains an even broader customer base. In the last three years, Code 42 has experienced more than 500 percent growth.
First offered in 2007, CrashPlan was developed as a way to streamline backup. The company developed multiple versions of the product, targeting home users, private and public cloud creators, small businesses, and large enterprises.
With the new infusion of financing, Code 42 has become the recipient of the largest venture round ever for a private Minnesota-based software company. Now, that's the way to ring in a new year.
Source: Matthew Dornquast, Code 42
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) recently added three new members to its staff, with the positions reflecting a new strategic plan for the organization.
MHTA is dedicated to making Minnesota one of the country's top five technology states within the next decade, notes President and CEO Margaret Anderson Kelliher, and by boosting skills in certain areas, the group will be able to move forward on that vision.
Tim Barrett joins as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Coordinator, a role that will be instrumental in meeting ambitious goals for more STEM education and outreach in the state.
The organization's previous coordinator left to go to law school, Kelliher says. With Barrett stepping into the role, the MHTA has had a chance to reformulate its position so that it focuses more strongly on STEM connections between business and education sectors.
"This is about being the voice of businesses that are engaged in science and innovation, and making that vital connection to classrooms," says Kelliher. "We want to strengthen that, and create a science and technology ecosystem that's truly dynamic."
Another position was made possible through a grant from the Minnesota Science & Technology Authority: a "SciTechsperience Program Coordinator," who will manage a paid internship program for college students pursuing STEM degrees. Becky Siekmeier, who worked in advertising and marketing at Best Buy for 16 years, will take on the role.
A third new hire, Erika McCallum, will act as the organization's Programs and Events Assistant. The three positions are aimed at increasing MHTA's effectiveness and reach, and Kelliher is excited about the direction that the group is taking.
"There are so many opportunities around science and technology here, there's so much innovation," she says. "We're happy to be fostering the connections needed to make Minnesota one of the top technology states."
Source: Margaret Anderson Kelliher, MHTA
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Fundraising for a college or university has always seemed like a complicated and tricky process, but one local company is making the effort more predictable--and garnering fast growth as a result.
St. Paul-based Reeher helps colleges and universities to amp up their fundraising power by predicting which alumni are most likely to donate (see our previous
coverage of the company).
Started in 2002 by Andy Reeher, the company has been growing quickly, with large institutions like Tulane and Johns Hopkins signing up early for the service. Recent deals have included Temple University, Haverford College, and University of the Pacific.
A large part of the company's success comes from measurable results, says Reeher. The firm's platform helps clients find up to 40 percent more donors, which results in better use of fundraising time and money. Reeher developed the platform after spending time on a project that included Harvard, MIT, and other top colleges.
"I found that they lose money on 94 percent of their relationships," he says. "They invest a great deal, but almost all their funding comes from a handful of very large donors."
By demonstrating how predictive tools can stop that type of loss, the company is gaining a strong reputation in the education sector. Reeher says, "They see that it's working for another institution, and that's very attractive to them, so they come to us and find that it'll work for them, too."
Currently, Reeher has 20 employees, and the company will continue to hire in the sales and marketing departments, as well as in customer care.
With about 30 customers, the goal for the next few years is to build that number to 100, Reeher says. He expects that with additional sales staff and a robust reputation, the company can reach that number within 18 to 24 months. "There's a great deal ahead of us," he says. "Other tools we can add to the platform, more customers. We're looking forward to all of it."
Source: Andy Reeher, Reeher
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Choosing the right employees, empowering them to excel, and maximizing leadership are all strategies that every company attempts to refine, and the best companies have it all down to a science.
Fortunately, for those that are still attempting to tweak their HR tactics, that science can be outsourced.
Minneapolis-based Modern Survey provides a number of tools for boosting an enterprise's effectiveness in major areas like employee engagement and performance management.
Founded 12 years ago by three entrepreneurs, the company was a "big dot-com idea that actually worked," says CEO and co-founder Patrick Riley with a laugh. The trio had all come from large companies like American Express, and saw first-hand how those businesses operated.
When Modern Survey first got started, the focus was on helping that type of large company to go paperless, but over the years, it shifted to become a human-capital-management firm, Riley says: "We help companies to build the right workforce, retain key talent, and understand how the customer connects back. It's getting pretty cool in terms of what we can do."
The firm has 25 employees and is growing steadily, he adds. Over the past year in particular, companies are spending more money on improving their internal processes and software. Although hiring hasn't surged upward for many Modern Survey clients, Riley believes that they're putting tools in place for ramping back up to pre-recession levels.
Recently, Modern Survey completed a significant investment round, so it's ready to keep growing strong and to continue helping companies refine their HR tactics. Riley expects the firm to expand nationally, and a new-generation product line should be released at the end of the year.
"We're in a position to grow aggressively over the next few years," he says.
Source: Patrick Riley, Modern Survey
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Some ad agencies specialize in certain sectors like apparel, sports, or retail. Minneapolis-based Broadhead may be the only one that deals so extensively with cows.
The firm tends to do most of its work for clients in rural America, says CEO Dean Broadhead. That encompasses companies that focus on food safety, agriculture, farm veterinary services, dairy, and fertilizer.
Started in 2001, the agency came together after Broadhead worked at some major agencies in the Twin Cities. He'd always wanted to set off on his own, he notes, and after working with clients involved in rural businesses, he decided to keep following that route.
Recent projects have included creation of a crop nutrition guide for The Mosaic Company, and the development of a program to help wounded veterans through sponsorship by beef and dairy producers.
He stocked his firm with people who have a passion for rural life--either out of interest or because they grew up on farms--and the result has been strong growth and a robust client roster. The agency has consistently grown about 25 to 30 percent per year over the last few years.
"We're very happy with double-digit growth," says Broadhead. "That allows us to expand at the pace we want to expand. It makes us more well-rounded and a better value to the client."
Source: Dean Broadhead, Broadhead
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Helping teenagers and other drivers to put down mobile devices and concentrate on the road seems like a monumental task. But DrivePower is willing to give it a shot.
The company's showcase mobile application, DriveScribe, is geared toward using technology in a way that's appropriate, not distracting. The app functions as a real-time driving monitor and "coach" that gives tips on better driving. If a user tries to sneak some text messaging into drive time, the application immediately alerts parents or other administrators.
Sorry, kids. But it's not all-stick-and-no-carrot: the app also posts scores based on driving safely, and users can "play" against each other or earn rewards. The technology's market reach is enormous, believes founder and CEO Will England.
"We want to be thought of by every parent and every teen when they get in a vehicle," he says. "Our product could become an essential tool when transitioning from a learner's permit, for example."
He anticipates partnerships with insurance companies, which could offer lower rates based on safe driving scores. The app will be released to the general public in April, after an intensive research and development phase, including a number of tests with the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Although the company is anticipating success with DriveScribe, England notes that they're increasing their reach beyond teen driving, and even beyond driving in general. "As a company, we really want to leverage emerging technology to help people make better decisions," he says. "Right now, that's concentrated on driving, but going forward, we'll broaden our scope."
Source: Will England, DrivePower
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Music composition and software programming may seem like they reside in opposite areas of the brain, but one local entrepreneur believes they co-exist quite nicely, and he's built his business around the fusion of the two abilities.
Minneapolis-based Hypergolic Motion got its start when composer Zachary Crockett wanted to keep more of the royalties from his music. In the traditional model, a music publisher would retain a portion of royalties, so Crockett opted to become a publisher himself. Since he's been doing programming for a number of years, it made sense that he'd continue that work under the Hypergolic name as well.
The company gets its name from a term used to describe rocket propellant--something that's "hypergolic" ignites on contact with another substance. After igniting the company in 2009, Crockett has taken on projects like desktop applications and mobile development, as well as internal corporate websites.
The blend isn't as clumsy as it might seem. Crockett notes that although music and programming are distinct arts, they share some unique qualities.
"They're both very natural for me, because there's analysis and synthesis in each," he says. "If you take a problem, whether it's a developing software or creating music, you have to understand the bigger vision, and then break that down into smaller pieces."
Through his work as a composer, Crockett makes many contacts in the non-profit world, and that sometimes leads to discussions about technology needs. As a result, Hypergolic Motion has built up a robust client portfolio of nonprofits.
"I think there's a perception that nonprofits aren't worth pursuing because they don't have a ton of money," says Crockett. "While that may be true, I find that the projects are more satisfying, and the clients are so grateful for the chance to be more efficient and have better systems in place."
For the future, Crockett looks forward to blending more programming with his music, and finding harmony in each.
Source: Zachary Crockett, Hypergolic Motion
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
When Bjorn Stansvik immigrated to Minnesota from Sweden in 1999, he had big ideas about using software to optimize learning. After turning those plans into reality just a few years later, he's now on a fast track toward growth, and expanding his company's capabilities as a result.
In 2001, he launched Minneapolis-based MentorMate as a mobile application development company, with a signature app called iQpakk. The software allows users to create courses and training content on a mobile device, and first debuted at Eagan High School.
From there, MentorMate expanded internationally, with offices in Bulgaria and Costa Rica as well as St. Paul. "We saw a good deal of traction when mobile really started taking off and the iPhone came out," says Stansvik. "The promise of mobility got everyone excited about the possibilities. Since we'd been doing this since 2001, it gave us the level of credibility we needed to stand out in the marketplace."
In another major shift, the company switched its business model to managed services, in order to meet client needs more fully. It also rolled out another product, SpyderMate, a web-based application for marketers.
Currently, MentorMate has about 115 employees, but Stansvik hopes to grow that number to 200 by the year's end. At the start of 2010, the company only had 30 employees. Keeping up with that level of growth can be tricky, Stansvik notes.
"It's like working at a new company every three months," he says. "You have to reinvent constantly, and realize the old ways won't work. We have extremely aggressive growth goals--some people might even call them insane--but we think the demand is strong enough to meet those goals."
Source: Bjorn Stansvik, MentorMate
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
There are plenty of mobile apps for cocktail lovers--like BarHopper, iBartender, Drink Buddy, and Beer Pad--but now those in recovery have their own app, thanks to developers at Hazelden.
The Center City-based addiction treatment organization has created an iPhone application, "Mobile MORE Field Guide to Life," designed to support those who are in recovery from addiction to alcohol and drugs. Accessible through the iTunes App Store, the software is based on MORE (My Ongoing Recovery Experience), Hazelden's web-based program of personalized treatment.
"Our mission is to be the industry leader in publishing information that will benefit people who have issues with drugs and alcohol," says Nick Motu, Hazelden's Publisher and Vice President of Marketing and Communications. "We've been in the publishing business for 65 years, and this app is building on that tradition."
Hazelden developed its web-based application as a way for clients to stay on track with their recovery. The mobile app now extends that expertise to the general public, and Motu is excited about the potential reach: "We want to expand what we know out to the world, for those who aren't fortunate enough to go through treatment," he says.
The organization is gradually pivoting away from print-based publications, he adds, and it's likely that the shift will result in more online applications and mobile apps. Hazelden also recently acquired a social media site, Sober24, which connects those in recovery.
With the addition of the "Field Guide to Life" and the website, Hazelden is hoping to bring its considerable expertise to everyone in recovery, not just those who have been in the treatment center's programs.
Source: Nick Motu, Hazelden
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Innovators & Entrepreneurs of the Twin Cities
February 2
Joe's Garage
1610 Harmon Place, Minneapolis
5:15 pm - 7:00 pm
Free
This casual networking event aims to bring together those who are starting their own businesses or independently developing new products and patents. Founded last June, the group hopes to keep introducing innovators to entrepreneurs so they can learn from each other and make the journey more enjoyable.
MN Society of Women Engineers Career Expo
February 4
University of St. Thomas
2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul
Murray-Herrick Campus Center, 3rd Floor Lounge
Noon to 4:00 pm
Free
Fire up the business attire and spiff up your resume. This career fair is designed to bring together talented job seekers and innovative companies, and is hosted by the Society of Women Engineers. Companies attending include Hormel Foods, Starkey, Nycor, Medtronic, EV3, Loram, Target, and St. Jude Medical.
Minnesota 2012 Entrepreneur Kickoff
February 8
Boy Scout Base Camp at Fort Snelling
5:30 pm
Cost ranges from $5 to $25
The Entrepreneur Kickoff brings together investors and startups, in advance of this year's state business competitions like Project Skyway, IDEA Competition and TiE CONS. Now in its second year, the event features business pitch evaluations and ample networking opportunities.
How to Leverage Digital Media to Raise Capital
February 23
CoCo Minneapolis
400 S. 4th St., 4th floor, Minneapolis
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
$75
Speaker Patrick Donohue gives a presentation on why digital media is changing the world of finance. He'll demonstrate tactics for using digital media to achieve business goals, and give an overview of tools that can be used to raise capital.
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Just in time to kick off the International Year of Cooperatives, nine community organizations will get a bit more operating power thanks to the Minneapolis-based Wedge Co-op.
The natural food grocer, which has 15,000 members, recently announced the recipients of their annual Wedgeshare grant program: The Emergency Foodshelf Network, Youth Farm and Market Project, The Cornucopia Institute, Open Arms of Minnesota, Farmers Legal Action Group, Water Legacy, Minnesota Food Association, Gardening Matters, and Urban Baby.
Since 1997, Wedgeshare grants have been awarded to numerous community organizations, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding. The recipients are chosen by the grocer's members, giving them a strong voice in the process.
"Our members love that they can vote on this, and be involved," says Lindy Bannister, General Manager of The Wedge. "The recipients are always closely linked to our neighborhood, and that helps members feel connected to what's going on here."
The program started as a way for the co-op to give back to the community, and Bannister notes that it's grown into a very popular program.
"It's getting stronger every year, and the applications are becoming better in terms of detail and storytelling," she says. "I think people are more and more aware of the needs in the community; they're paying attention."
The grants are particularly notable this year, since the United Nations declared 2012 the International Year of Cooperatives, with the aim of celebrating the social and economic benefits of cooperative businesses.
Source: Lindy Bannister, The Wedge Co-op
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
With rising healthcare costs and growing interest in wellness and options, StayWell Health Management has become a compelling option for many companies.
The St. Paul-based firm specializes in providing programs that help to improve employee health. Although that sometimes takes the form of weight loss contests or blood pressure screening, StayWell goes far beyond those occasional events, says Lesley Lesch, the company's director of account management.
"We offer a full spectrum of health management services," she says. "What sets us apart is that we do research and use that to design very effective programs."
The company evaluates aspects of a client's overall health and wellness environment, including senior management buy-in, prevention delivery models, and follow-up programs, in order to gauge what approaches are needed. A major focus is keeping employees motivated, Lesch says, and that involves staying involved in wellness all year, not just at a one-time health fair.
"At this point, employers have seen these programs work," she says. "That's driving growth for us, and helping us to lead the industry."
StayWell has about 400 employees, but anticipates a surge of hiring in the year ahead, thanks to the success of its programs. The company will seek a range of professionals, from nurses and dieticians to health educators who can provide individual counseling to employees by phone.
"With healthcare reform and more use of incentives by employers, this is a really exciting time for us," Lesch notes.
Source: Lesley Lesch, StayWell Health Management
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
The way that churches stay in touch with members and involve them in activities is unique in terms of strategy. Now, a local startup is helping them gain some of the advantages of the business world, without having to use software designed for enterprises.
Minneapolis-based Fresh Vine--previously called Nineteen05--provides software that's designed to help churches increase engagement while still staying true to a larger mission.
"It's different than typical administration or sales software," says company president Paul Prins. "Their goal is not to convert leads into customers. Their goal is getting the community involved in what they're doing. For that, they need to be more proactive with their members, rather than reactive."
Prins got the idea for the software when he was involved in the launch of a new church about seven years ago. He was asked to take a look at their software and what he saw was painful, he says: "I thought that they could be doing such a better job of managing members, events, contributions, everything."
Fresh Vine's tool helps to define what a church should be focusing on in the near future, and see its strengths and weaknesses. The software is picking up customers, and Prins hopes to expand his current team of four into a larger group of developers.
"I love the tech scene in Minneapolis, so I want to have a development team here that can keep growing and innovating," he says. "As the company gets more traction, I'm looking forward to more sales and expansion."
Source: Paul Prins, Fresh Vine
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
"You know that moment when you get home, and it's been a long day, and you just want to sit down and treat yourself a little?" asks Terry Williams, founder of food company BlackOnyx Creations. "Well, that moment is what drives our whole business."
Williams and her husband Frank work to develop comfort foods for what they call the "ahh time," when people seek peace and relaxation through a cup of chai or bite of toffee. They produce drinks and snacks like coffee, chai, granola, and candy and market many of them under the label Winter Goddess.
The firm started a few years ago after Frank was injured at his job working for the TSA and the couple had to take a leap of faith in search of a new income source. "Our business is the result of dealing with economic difficulties," Williams notes. "We had to look at the world differently, to see opportunities where we hadn't seen them before. Most of all, we had to look at our community in a more interactive way. It's been a wonderful shift."
BlackOnyx takes it name from the stone, which is thought to increase regeneration, happiness, and intuition. Williams says it helps to create balance, give strength, and boost self-confidence — qualities that are hugely beneficial when starting a new business and gaining traction in the market.
The business began with craft shows and farmers markets, but started to grow after the pair took classes with Kindred Kitchen, the food incubator program in North Minneapolis [see our coverage of the program
here]. That, in turn, led to the Minneapolis Homegrown Business Development Center loan program. BlackOnyx became the first loan recipient of the pilot program, and they're using the funding for marketing and a chocolate tempering machine.
With a strong start for the company, it looks like more local residents are likely to get that "ahh" moment in the future.
Source: Terry and Frank Williams, BlackOnyx Creations
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
In today's technology-driven business arena, mobility is an advantage, and St. Louis Park-based I.T. support firm Backpack Tactics aims to give companies that edge.
Founders Joel Barker and Brian Roemen chose the company's name as a nod toward how they both work--carrying their laptops in backpacks--but also as a representation of what they provide, like mobile technology services and cloud computing insight.
"It's all about lightweight technology," says Barker. "With current technology, you should be able to carry your business with you anywhere."
Before teaming up, the pair had worked as consultants, both independently and together on a few projects. They decided to start a business together in 2010, and the firm has grown through word of mouth since then. Since Barker has worked for nonprofits since 2005, that's one sector that's particularly strong for Backpack Tactics.
Barker says, "Many nonprofits don't understand what tools are out there and how they can be utilized properly, so it's our mission to help them. Essentially, we're trying to put ourselves out of work by providing training and technology, but that's okay because we're really passionate about helping people to help themselves."
He adds that training is a strong focus for most clients, and that many small business owners haven't had any technology training in the past. By blending training with tech-purchasing advice, Backpack Tactics can help them to use tech more effectively.
"For the future, we'd just love to be able to grow more and reach more clients," says Barker. "We continue to learn about new tools and connect with more people, and that's what we envisioned when we started, so we're on a good path."
Source: Joel Barker, Backpack Tactics
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Most people think of purple corn as a nice decoration in late fall. But when Bill Petrich looks at the dark kernels, he sees growth opportunities.
He's CEO of Suntava, a company founded to use plant-based ingredients in new ways. Petrich signed on to helm the firm after reading the founders' business plan. He says, "It's a fascinating idea. I offered to advise them at no charge just to learn more about it, and the more I got involved, the more I saw that this is a venture that could change lives for decades to come. It's game-changing."
Derived from a non-GMO purple corn hybrid, Suntava's signature extract can be utilized in a number of ways. Most notably, the corn can produce a natural coloring source that can act as an alternative to the popular Red Dye 40, found in many products.
Synthetic dye is made from petroleum, and several studies have pointed out health risks associated with its use, Petrich says. Consumers are demanding more natural sources, and he believes that Suntava is a good fit for that market shift.
The company is also able to produce whole grains and nutraceuticals (foods with health benefits) that can be used in dietary supplements, cosmetics, and foods like corn chips and cereals. The high anti-oxidant level of the corn makes it even more attractive as an ingredient and food additive.
Although the corn isn't organic now, that's a direction in which Suntava may go in the future. For now, Petrich notes that using the corn creates a sustainable system: "With this product, we're not disrupting the food chain, we're enhancing it. We're getting more out of an acre of land in every way. And in the process, we're producing what's essentially the next superfood. That's pretty exciting."
Source: Bill Petrich, Suntava
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
In the dystopian novel "Fahrenheit 451," Ray Bradbury describes a world where firefighters start blazes instead of ending them, burning books and libraries because reading is outlawed.
The novel was named for the temperature at which paper burns, and a local technology company has adopted the number for a much more positive outcome: helping businesses to go paperless.
CEO and co-founder Mark Johnson of Minneapolis-based Four51, says that the company isn't a typical startup, since it's been in business for 12 years and has seen continuous growth through some very tricky economic periods.
Four51's signature application, CommerceTools, launched in 1999 and provides a way for product distributors and suppliers to connect with their buyers. The software is used throughout the U.S., as well as in 40 countries.
A newer app, FanTools, lets customers create and publish promotional content. It's similar to the wildly popular Groupon, but unlike that service, merchants with FanTools don't have to pay service fees. The app guides a business owner through the process of marketing in the same way that Turbo Tax or Quicken help businesses navigate tax or financial data.
With the unveiling of its newest offering, the company expects to grow rapidly as a result. After a plateau during the recession, the firm hired nine people last year, and expects to bring on close to 20 new employees this year, adding to its current roster of 41.
"Our focus for this year will be on maintaining our growth rate," says Johnson. "We're confident that we'll see success with this new product, and we'll roll it out to other cities in the near future."
Source: Mark Johnson, Four51
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Local IT companies seem to always be in need of more professionals for development work, and now they have new resource that could fill their IT departments in the future.
The IT-Ready Apprentice Program is launching in Minneapolis and St. Paul, with an eye toward other cities in the future. The non-profit program covers the cost of recruitment, training, and certification for employees taking on help-desk, call-center, and technical duties.
"With unemployment at the level it is, we feel this is important for giving individuals what they need to succeed in what might be a new profession," says Charles Eaton, executive director of the Creating IT Futures Foundation, the group leading the IT-Ready effort.
Eaton notes that the manufacturing and construction industries have been hit hard locally, and that skills from those careers are difficult to bring to other fields.
The apprenticeship program is unique, Eaton added, because it doesn't involve time off from work in order to attend community college. He says, "There aren't many resources for individuals who need to stay in the workforce. Not everyone can afford to take a couple years off to get a different type of training."
Minneapolis-St. Paul was supposed to be just one of five urban areas that would feature the IT-Ready program, but the decision was made to focus on the Twin Cities exclusively for the pilot.
Currently, apprentice program staff members are recruiting local companies to join the effort, and Eaton says the results are encouraging. They expect that the first class of apprentices should number about 15 and will start work in July.
"We think of ourselves as a startup in some ways," Eaton says. "We're coming in without preconceived notions of how this is going to work, but we're hopeful that it will grow and become an incredibly useful resource."
Source: Charles Eaton, IT-Ready Apprentice Program
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The Web fosters the organic growth of small communities--quilters, for example, can swap insights in the forums of online quilting sites--but local startup Itizen brings these discussions to a whole new level.
With its new mobile app, currently in beta testing, users will be able to join groups that are focused on popular hobbies like bicycling, gardening, home decor, guitar playing, and others. Instead of scrolling through forums, users can interact more directly, creating an intimate community of like-minded hobbyists.
The company, helmed by Dori Graff and Mary Fallon, has been around for almost two years, and had a previous incarnation with a different mission. When it launched, the co-founders envisioned using QR codes to track the "lives" of physical objects.
"We were interested in storytelling, and learning about the life of an object as it changed hands," says Graff. "We got great press, but we just weren't getting the traction we needed for it to be a viable business model." The QR codes proved too cumbersome for users, who had to put tags on their objects, then scan the codes and enter content.
After ditching the QR codes, the co-founders looked more closely at their user base and found they were mainly hobbyists and enthusiasts. That realization led to the creation of a platform where they could connect with others who have similar interests. Most notably, users can share insights across a number of categories. So, a gardener who loves to cook can comment on both hobby areas.
"There are a lot of people doing forums and online groups, but they're on platforms that aren't built for that level of sharing," says Graff. "We started with mobile because we want them to be able to connect when they're out doing what they love. This is a touch point for people, a way of interacting in a new way."
Source: Dori Graff, Itizen
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
No matter what the industry, every business benefits from better information, stronger research, and savvy insight. Minneapolis-based Knowteria provides all three.
The company is helmed by Alisa Coddington, who earned a degree in library science, and then branched out into the realms of analysis and insight.
"By definition, I'm a librarian, that's my skill set," she says. "I've always loved research, though, and the investigative aspect of that. No matter how bland a topic might appear, it always becomes interesting the further I get into it. It's a good way to learn a little bit about many different subjects."
Coddington started the firm in 2009 and still works as a solo entrepreneur, but she draws on a large network of other information professionals, and benefits from robust collaboration.
Before starting Knowteria, she worked in an ad agency, and noticed that many smaller, specialized agencies began popping up on the scene. She anticipated that Knowteria would cater only to those agencies, but instead, she's found a broader client base than she expected.
Now, a client might be an investor who needs to get up to speed on a particular industry, or an entrepreneur who's refining a business pitch. Coddington provides customized information packages that she calls "value-added brainpower."
"This type of business research and intelligence is geared toward helping to win business and gain a competitive advantage," she says.
Although her research ranges across industries and topics, she's noticed a trend lately toward questions about emerging markets, from companies that want to expand internationally. Also, she's getting more requests about technology use, leading her to dig into statistics like iPhone usage.
Coddington currently does mainly secondary research--which means that she finds the studies, insights, and stats that others have published and compiles them into a cohesive whole--but she's hoping to begin doing some primary research as well. It's all part of being an information sleuth, she believes.
Source: Alisa Coddington, Knowteria
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Although Minneapolis-based Pocket Hercules successfully represents numerous high-profile brands like Pearl Izumi, Gorilla Glue, and Rapala, the firm has taken its advertising, PR, and branding skills a bit further by developing a few products of its own.
The company puts out Lakemaid Beer and Tiny Footprint Coffee, and its marketing might is getting those products some high-profile attention.
"They're going gangbusters," says agency principal Jack Supple. "We feel like we're learning a great deal by launching our own brands, and that translates into what we do for clients. We know what they're going through with product development and distribution, and there's value to that."
Founded in 2005, the company has grown in the past year to 17 people, and recently expanded their offices in the Warehouse District, taking over a neighboring space. Lakemaid was launched in 2008, and a year later, the company expanded its reach into Michigan, Montana, and Nebraska.
In 2010, Pocket Hercules partnered with a local coffee roaster, Roastery 7, to create Tiny Footprint, which it describes as "the world's first carbon-negative coffee brand." When people buy the coffee, trees are planted in Ecuador that will offset the carbon impact of the coffee's production. Given its appeal of "good karma in every cup," the coffee is gaining in popularity, Supple says.
The experience of producing coffee and beer--two beverages that many people couldn't do without-- has made the agency stronger and more vibrant, Supple believes. "We have an entrepreneurial bent here," he says. "It's been fun to pursue and make real products, and back brands that we really care about."
Source: Jack Supple, Pocket Hercules
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
CityCamp Minnesota
January 11
4:00 pm
Republic at Seven Corners
221 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis
free, but reservations are suggested
Touting itself as an "unconference," CityCamp Minnesota held
its first meeting in November, and now intends to kick off the new year with another networking opportunity. The theme of this quarterly meetup is "nonprofits" and the group will do brainstorming and presentations on the topic.
Low Cost/No Cost Methods to Get Found Online
Monday nights from January 16-February 20th
or full days on January 21st and January 28th
DemandQuest-Minneapolis Marketing Institute
2112 Broadway St. NE, Minneapolis
$299
This extensive workshop series teaches business owners how they can harness social media, blogs, and emails to develop a comprehensive online marketing plan. Available as a 6-week course or two full Saturday classes, the course covers online directories, inbound marketing, and social media tools like Facebook and Twitter.
High Impact Leadership
January 18
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
MAP for Nonprofits
2314 University Ave. W., Suite 28, Saint Paul
$75
Although this workshop is being held by MAP for Nonprofits, which serves the nonprofit sector, the leadership skills offered here would be applicable for any type of business. The workshop centers on emotional intelligence, and notes that increased self-awareness can help leaders to manage their own emotions and improve relationships with others.
Healthy Life Expo
January 21-22
Minneapolis Convention Center
1301 2nd Ave. S., Minneapolis
$6 or a non-perishable food item
Get the info and products necessary to fulfill those New Year resolutions. This popular conference brings together exhibitors and speakers, covering topics such as wellness, natural cooking, meditation, nutrition, and fitness. There are a number of free seminars and free health screenings.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
For website developers, a "spider trap" is created when a site has so many changing links that it ranks high on search engines. But for the past few years, the term has garnered another definition: a fast-growing digital marketing firm.
"The name is a good representation of who we are," says Mike Rynchek, president and founder of Minneapolis-based Spyder Trap. "It's technical, sophisticated, and analytical, but also energetic and playful. We aim to be all of those qualities."
Rynchek started the company in 2008, after working on digital projects in a more traditional agency. He believes that his firm has a jump on agencies because of its laser focus on digital projects, especially as it moves more into mobile technology.
"I think a lot of agencies are still trying to figure out digital," he says. "We're at the point where we're optimizing the online side, and going heavily into mobile. And that will be a point of differentiation for us."
Spyder Trap certainly has a strong start, with considerable growth over the past year. The firm just hired its 23rd employee in December--at the end of 2010, there were only nine employees--and Rynchek anticipates steady hiring as more clients take advantage of Spyder's mobile insights.
"Social media has been the big buzz for the last couple years, but I believe that mobile is about the take over the conversation," he notes. "More and more people are trying to be smarter with their time, they're starting to disconnect in some ways. That will be key for us, as marketers, to understand."
For Spyder, that shift should lead to organic growth, and an even more attractive digital web for clients.
Source: Mike Rynchek, Spyder Trap
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
With an impressive growth rate over the last three years--leading to recognition by Inc. magazine multiple times--Jobs2web made for an attractive acquisition target last year. So, it's no shock that business software firm SuccessFactors snapped it up in December.
But one pleasant surprise is that the Minneapolis-based firm won't get consumed by its new owner. Instead, Jobs2web is likely to get even stronger, believes chief marketing officer Peter Baskin.
"We'll not only remain completely intact, but we may grow even more aggressively," he says. "SuccessFactors wants us to keep on pace and keep expanding, in every way."
The firm is currently shopping for larger office space, and plans to increase its 120-employee base. Baskin notes that Jobs2web has been doing very well for the past few years, but it still struggled with "opening doors" at large prospective clients. The acquisition by the well-respected SuccessFactors should help in that regard, he says.
But Jobs2web will still keep the major attribute that has contributed to its success: the agility to deliver its interactive recruiting solutions quickly, in a customized format.
The firm helps clients draw on digital strategies to streamline recruiting efforts. For example, in addition to traditional employee referrals done by word-of-mouth, Jobs2web can integrate social networks into the mix, and then bring in mobile technology, analytics, and research portals to increase effectiveness.
"By linking so much together and bringing in automation, it's created a great degree of success for us," says Baskin. "It's helped us blow the doors off the barn for the past few years."
He adds that the addition of SuccessFactors as a strategic partner will keep those doors wide open.
Source: Peter Baskin, Jobs2web
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Imagine you run a yoga studio, or a plumbing shop, or a coworking space. How do you link up with other small businesses to build a network, do creative marketing partnerships, or just take advantage of bulk purchasing?
Michael Noble believes he's found the answer to that question, and it's called Nitch.
While working at the CoCo Minneapolis shared business space, Noble came up with idea of a website that connects small businesses to each other and to sponsors that cater to specific industries.
For example, a yoga mat manufacturer could get introduced to all of a city's studios by signing up with Nitch, or could create a private network of existing customers.
"Nitch is supposed to be about saving money, connecting with vendors, collaborating with industry peers," says Noble. "What we found in our initial research was that many small businesses spend the majority of their time trying to get new customers, and they're less adept at managing the back office. They don't have time to submit bids, or team up with others for purchasing."
The site's pilot industry was restaurants, and Nitch has about 100 on the site now. Noble expects that number to grow, and for other industries to start being represented, like bicycle retailers.
Although the site only launched in December, Noble feels that the unique mission and the lack of competitors should make for a strong start.
"We're excited to see where this can go," he says.
Source: Michael Noble, Nitch
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
In the past year, the economy didn't rebound with as much bounce as anyone would have liked, but a few fascinating things are happening on the way to recovery: the Twin Cities business community seems to be getting closer, more creative, and in some ways, more relaxed. The past year has seemed less like a slog and more like a fresh start.
In covering the innovation and jobs beat for The Line, I've spoken to dozens of entrepreneurs, some CEOs of large firms, and quite a few non-profit folks, and the trends are the same across every sector. The recession delivered a blow, certainly, but rather than going right back to business-as-usual, many companies here are seeing success through different measures. They brag about flex time for employees, community-based projects, and buying locally. It's as if the economic storms brought many enterprises under the same roof, and now they've learned that rather than survive independently, they're better off thriving together.
An Incubator Boomlet
For example, look toward the business incubator boomlet, and the wealth of services for entrepreneurs, like
CoCo,
WorkAround, MOJO Minnesota, the
Economic Gardening Network,
Homegrown Business Development Center, Minnesota High Tech Association, and so many others. The University of Minnesota, in particular, is a powerhouse of advice and skill building. Even the engineering school is
teaching its students how to play well together in a business setting.
This level of closeness to each other has created a business community that supports new endeavors so enthusiastically. Look at our recent
feature on Kindred Kitchen, an effort in North Minneapolis that supports food entrepreneurs, for just one example, but there are many others. A sampling of companies that got their start this year include
Sophia,
DogWonderful,
BuyerCurious,
Pashen, and
CRAM.
Through strategic hiring and expansion of services and products, many companies are showing a sense of starting anew, even if they've been around for years. For instance, just look at
Bulk Reef Supply, an aquarium supplies service that has done such tremendous growth through increased product offerings that it landed on the Inc. 5000 list.
Companies Chillaxin'
Finally, there's the relaxation factor. Business can always be a bit of a meat grinder at times, but as companies learned to operate lean and get creative, they started to identify different measures of success, like happiness. As Chris Trifilio, co-founder of
Primordial Soup noted, "We don't want to be a 50-person firm. We want to keep going down the path we're on, because it's fun and we love it." That's a sentiment that I heard often this year, leading me to believe that if a company didn't start fresh in terms of operations, then maybe they did in terms of attitude.
In the year ahead, I predict that these trends will keep rolling strong, because they contribute to the health of the business community, and make the Twin Cities a strong and vital area. Happy, satisfied entrepreneurs and business owners are creating a business climate that's sweeping away the economic clouds of the recent past with something awfully close to a sunny outlook.
Elizabeth Millard, Innovation and Jobs Editor
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
The OpenTable reservation system has become a standard online tool for diners who want to check availability and restaurants that want to streamline their reservation efforts.
But a London-based contender, EVEVE, is now using Minneapolis as a launching point for a U.S. competitive play—and finding great success as a result.
"It's been really exciting for us in the past few months," says Timothy Ryan, director and president of the U.S. operations for EVEVE. "We feel that we're going to be a major challenger to OpenTable in the year ahead."
The company has provided reservation systems in Europe since 2007, and has relationships with over a thousand restaurants worldwide. When the time came to look at the U.S. market, executives considered restaurant-laden cities like New York and San Francisco and chose Minneapolis/St. Paul instead.
"We thought the Twin Cities would be a perfect test market, because there's a lively culture of dining here, and it's very representative of a top North American city," says Ryan. "If we can prove ourselves here, we can take the model anywhere."
EVEVE started its efforts here in July, and the first to switch from OpenTable was Hell's Kitchen, followed by Bar La Grassa, Meritage, and the three Barrio restaurants. Recently, another wave of local restaurants signed on, including Joe's Garage, Fuji Ya, and Jax Cafe.
Although Ryan believes that OpenTable is an excellent reservation system, he thinks that EVEVE is more compelling for restaurants, because the service charges a flat rate for use of its system, instead of a per-booking amount like OpenTable.
Also, OpenTable tends to market certain restaurants to its users, which can frustrate those restaurants that aren't promoted, Ryan notes. Also, restaurants use EVEVE "invisibly," which means that diners believe they're booking through the eatery itself, instead of an outside site like OpenTable.
For the future, EVEVE is confident that the momentum will keep going. The company has eight employees in the Twin Cities area, and anticipates more hiring in the year ahead.
"We've been very happy with this test run," says Ryan. "We think we're going to continue to be a major presence here."
Source: Timothy Ryan, EVEVE
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
"Even in these tough economic times, many of the segments we target are thriving," says Jim Cairns, vice president of marketing at Multi-Tech Systems. "We provide technology that allows for greater efficiency and cost savings, and that's always welcomed."
Founded by Raghu Sharma, Multi-Tech has been producing connectivity technology for nearly 40 years. Part of the company's strength lies in its diversity: products range from smart grids that can monitor a house's electricity, to sensors that allow remote ATM machines to communicate with bank systems quickly, to patient-monitoring systems that make home health care easier and safer.
Health care is a major part of Multi-Tech's offerings, and the company has major clients like Medtronic and Boston Scientific. Cairns says, "The cost for health care these days is almost obscene. So, if we can allow people to manage their health care from their homes instead of rushing to the hospital, that makes for major savings."
Growth in all areas is creating a demand for new talent, he adds, and hiring has been steady at the company's headquarters in Mounds View. Recent hires have joined teams in sales, engineering, and manufacturing.
A unique part of Multi-Tech's operations is its in-house manufacturing facilities. By not outsourcing any production to overseas entities, the company doesn't benefit from cost breaks, Cairns notes, but there's greater control over the supply chain and more adaptability to customer needs.
For the future, Multi-Tech intends to keep hiring at a steady pace and expand into new markets. "We feel fortunate to be growing, while still striving to provide the best solutions for our customers," says Cairns.
Source: Jim Cairns, Multi-Tech Systems
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
With a central koi pond, free lunches for employees (yes, there is such a thing, apparently), and ample space in its new world headquarters, Infinite Campus might seem like a dreamy visit back to the dot-com boom days.
But the Blaine-based company is looking toward the future instead. More specifically, the firm focuses on creating cutting-edge technology for the education market, and it's being rewarded with an increasing number of contracts.
Recently, Jersey City Public Schools, Chandler Unified School District, and others chose Infinite Campus for better data management capability. Infinite Campus is also keeping ahead of technology, by releasing a mobile portal that will be the first of many mobile learning tools.
The company had its start in 1996, when a principal at Centennial High School in Circle Pines challenged his son-in-law, Charlie Kratsch, to do something meaningful for humanity. Working out of the Centennial band room, Kratsch drew on his experience with web-based medical systems to create technology that could help K-12 school districts become more streamlined, cost-efficient, and productive.
"Most of our competitors work to give districts what they want," says Karl Beach, the company's evangelist and interim marketing manager. "They gather requirements, and build the tools from there. We're different, because we build what they need. That puts them ahead on the invention curve, and it may be assertive, but it also works."
Infinite Campus has about 300 employees in its headquarters, but is doing steady hiring to fill out its space and advance its technology. The company is expanding into tools for school finance and HR departments, and plans to focus on more mobile technology as well.
"As we keep moving forward, growth is inevitable," says Beach.
Source: Karl Beach, Infinite Campus
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
When looking for a plumber, electrician or other contractor, most people turn to their network of friends and family for recommendations. Now, they can supplement those efforts with one more powerful resource for finding a pro.
Referral Buzz, a Minneapolis-based startup, aims to connect contractors with homeowners and provide feedback and information from individuals in a homeowner's social network.
"There are some sites that have comments, but if I'm looking for a referral, I want it from someone I trust," says Referral Buzz co-founder and president Lisa Schneegans. "It's like going on Hotels.com and seeing the feedback there. People might be raving about a place, but if I don't know them, I don't trust it as much as a review from someone I know."
The idea for Referral Buzz was sparked when Schneegans and her partner, Klaus Schneegans, sold Praxis Software Solutions in 2006 and decided to renovate old houses as a new career path. Unfortunately, the housing market hadn't quite hit bottom, and the pair ended up losing quite a bit of money, but they came out of the experience with a new business idea.
"During that time, we worked with a lot of contractors, and consistently, they told us that they got business through referrals," she says. "But when we asked how they managed those, it turned out that they didn't have a systematic approach. So, we decided to use our technology backgrounds to create a referral-based system."
In addition to giving homeowners valuable feedback, Referral Buzz gives contractors a way to formalize their referral systems, which allows for better marketing.
Currently, the service has about 100 contractors, which is a strong start, considering the site has only been live for a short time. A notable addition has been Bachman's Landscaping, Schneegans says, which gives Referral Buzz a good boost of credibility.
"Like any entrepreneurs, we want everything to go faster," she says, with a laugh. "We want at least 1,000 Twin Cities contractors on the site by the end of next year."
Source: Lisa Schneegans, Referral Buzz
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Central Minnesota just got a little more connected.
Minneapolis-based Vaultas, a data center, colocation and business continuity provider, is expanding into the St. Cloud market, following completion of the company's newest data center facility in Alexandria.
The decision to build in the area was driven by demand, notes Vaultas president John Unger: "Outstate Minnesota really didn't have a colocation environment that local businesses could use, outside of the metropolitan area. There was one in St. Cloud, but that's somewhat private."
During the recent tough economic times, many companies throughout the state increased their use of managed services, making data center usage more popular. Rather than pay for power and cooling, as well as technology licensing, on their own, companies have been turning to data centers like those run by Vaultas to manage their data and drive down costs.
Although these types of arrangements can be utilized from anywhere—a company in Duluth could outsource to a data center in Denver, for example—there are advantages to having a data center close by, Unger believes.
"Not everyone is so eager to put data into a cloud computing environment," he says. "For some companies, it can be a high risk environment." Also, he adds, having a provider so far away doesn't give an entrepreneur or executive the ability to walk through the data center's doors and check on operations.
Factors like these are driving growth for Vaultas, which has been hiring more sales professionals and contractors in the past year, Unger says. More hiring could come in the future as well, if the provider stays on track with its goals. Unger is considering putting more data centers between Minnesota and Utah, taking advantage of the region's chilly weather to reduce overall cooling costs.
"Absolutely, we're on a growth track," he says. "We're looking forward to seeing what's ahead."
Source: John Unger, Vaultas
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
The traditional method for buying and selling real estate involves realtors, bankers, and appraisal experts, but rarely does it give those most connected to the process the ability to talk directly to each other. For many homebuyers, for example, the first time they ever meet a property's seller is at closing.
But now, the paradigm may shift, thanks to a new Minnesota startup, BuyerCurious, that connects buyers and sellers and allows them to negotiate with one another.
Put out by DealCurious, the service is in its very early stages, having launched only about a month ago. But already people are registering and there's tremendous potential, believes co-founder Jim Lesinski.
"We recognized that real estate is not progressing as fast in the e-commerce realm as other industries," he says. "There have been some strides by innovators like Zillow, and some companies in the valuation process, but not much has been done with respect to actual negotiation and transactions. It felt like there was a real void."
BuyerCurious aims to fill that gap with a simple-to-use site that allows buyers to make offers on properties or to contact a seller. Once an offer is made, the prospective seller can respond, and BuyerCurious assists by setting up a "deal room" where they continue negotiations until a binding purchase agreement is signed.
Like any software development project, BuyerCurious has run into its share of challenges, particularly because the site needs to be in compliance with real estate laws, but Lesinski says it's built to go nationwide. "We have a very robust platform that will allow us to be compliant in every area of the country," he says.
The company is still small right now—Lesinski notes that they've just hired their fourth employee—but it relies on an extensive network of service providers. The team is excited about the chance to create an electronic marketplace for real estate.
Just think: if BuyerCurious catches on, your next home purchase could be only a few clicks away.
Source: Jim Lesinski, BuyerCurious
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
As Internet-based marketing continues to boom, a newer field is growing along with it: online reputation management.
That's good news for companies like Minneapolis-based Internet Exposure, a web design and development firm that specializes in helping companies keep track of what's being said online, and advises them on ways to increase positive buzz.
The firm added two new people within the last month, and is likely to bring on more in the year ahead if demand continues as expected.
"In the last five years, the issue of a company's online reputation has come up more and more," says Internet Exposure CEO Jeff Hahn. "Almost every new business meeting I have covers social media, and although it's more important to certain clients, all of them need to address it in some way."
Companies of any size, particularly those run by multi-hat-wearing entrepreneurs, can find it daunting to build a good reputation online through sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus. They might have an executive blog or a business website, but often they struggle with how to create true influence through social media.
Internet Exposure assists them by using search tools to see what's being said about the business, and then helping executives to use social media more effectively to create a positive image. If a company has negative reviews or feedback online, the firm has tactics that can help to push the comments lower in search results, and also works to address the feedback directly.
Hahn expects to see more interest in the tactics in the future, and as a result, Internet Exposure should see more growth as well. He says, "The Internet is still a bit in the 'Wild West' phase. So, we're excited to help people make these online tools work for them, instead of against them."
Source: Jeff Hahn, Internet Exposure
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Eagan isn't yet known as a telecommunications hub, but that may change in the near future, when the city builds a major new data center.
Known as The Connexion, the colocation facility will be open to all telecom and Internet service providers, as well as local and regional companies that need offsite data storage and disaster recovery.
The facility will be developed and owned by Five 9s Digital, a North Carolina firm that's well versed in the complexities of building and running these types of specialized data centers.
"This is an effort to protect technology jobs and attract new jobs," says Tom Garrison, the city's communications director and the liaison to the Eagan Technology Working Group, which has been studying the city's broadband needs for the past five years.
"The Connexion isn't jobs-intensive on its own, but it will provide the infrastructure for technology companies, and that could bring them to the area," Garrison says. "We think this will go a long way toward establishing Eagan as a top technology location."
The Connexion will provide high-connectivity private data suites, route redundancy, and environmental efficiencies. Private investment in the project is estimated at between $75 million and $100 million. The new facility will provide Tier III space, which is important, given the high demand for space at that classification.
Look for the facility to get kickstarted soon, with a projected completion of mid-2012.
Source: Tom Garrison, City of Eagan
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
In classrooms around the world, Sophia is proving to be a very popular and very smart girl.
The online education site went live last March and experienced an overwhelming response, with people logging on from nearly 70 countries in just the first two days.
Now, just seven months later, Sophia has grown from start-up to robust enterprise, expanding from six to 13 full-time employees, plus approximately 25 contractors and consultants. Founder and CEO Don Smithmier,
whom we profiled in February, anticipates more hiring in the coming year, as Sophia ramps up even more.
"We're now executing a plan that we'd put forth at the beginning, the goal of bringing Sophia to the world," he says. "We're getting traction, and seeing growth as a result."
Sophia is a free social learning community, focused solely on education. The service brings together teachers and students from around the world. Utilizing "learning packets" that combine text, video, and graphics, teachers can create educational units that can be viewed by everyone, or just a select group of students.
Smithmier notes that the approach falls into a growing new category of academics called "social education," in which access to learning is increased. He says, "We're talking about flipping the student-to-teacher ratio. So, instead of 30 students for every teacher, what you'll have are 30 teachers for every student."
The strategy can be particularly effective, he adds, because people tend to "click" with some teachers but not others. Exposing students to so many teachers and different teaching styles keeps those relationships clicking.
As Sophia keeps expanding, in both employees and reach, Smithmier anticipates that the company will be doing more work on its learning programs and refining its offerings. "We want to make Sophia nationally known, and eventually globally known," he says, then laughs. "I guess we just want to be world famous."
Source: Don Smithmier, Sophia
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
CIO Panel
December 6
7:30--9:30 a.m.
Minnesota High Tech Association
Free for MHTA members, $85 for non-members
The annual CIO Panel at the MHTA is an educational forum aimed at addressing key technology issues, trends, and challenges that CIOs are facing. This year's panel includes Abdul Bengali of the Mayo Clinic, Joe Topinka of Red Wing Shoes, and Ranell Hamm of Patterson Companies.
LifeScience Alley Conference & Expo
December 7
Minneapolis Convention Center
From $70 - $525 depending on membership and different attendance options
Now in its 10th year, LifeScience Alley is a must-attend event for medical technology professionals from around the globe. Session topics cover finance, IT, sales and marketing, product development, research, and other issues.
Doing Business in Africa
December 7
Carlson School of Management
321 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis
Suite 2-206
Free
This panel discussion about education and workforce development is being put on by the Carlson Global Institute of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, the Corporate Council on Africa, and Books for Africa. The panelists include Hussein Samatar of the African Development Center, Trevor Gunn of Medtronic, and Michelle Grogg of Cargill.
Kindred Kitchen Food Show and Buyers' Fair
December 15
6:30 p.m.
1200 W. Broadway, Minneapolis
Free
Participants in Kindred Kitchen's food business incubator program have the opportunity to meet industry professionals, food retail buyers, and the general public as they showcase their delicious creations.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Quick: think about a still-sour economy, layoffs, lost clients, and financial difficulties.
Although those are the types of thoughts that many business leaders try to avoid, many entrepreneurs still focus on those negatives, and end up falling short of their potential, believes business consultant Laura Goodrich.
In her work with organizations over the past 17 years, Goodrich has developed a program, "Seeing Red Cars," that applies these principles of unconscious attraction. She named the program after an analogy, in which someone might not think about cars of a certain color until he or she buys a red car, and then, suddenly, begins to notice red cars everywhere. Changing one's focus and attitude about an enterprise can feel exactly like that, she notes.
"Seeing Red Cars is a transformation process, it's about being intentional and about the nature of change," says Goodrich. "When we talk about the unconscious focus that people have, we begin to see the outcome that they're seeking. If you have an unconscious pull toward negative outcomes, that's what you'll get."
Along with a business partner, Goodrich owns On Impact Productions, a content company that specializes in producing videos, coaching, and consulting. She's produced a full-length film that brings together all of her views on how executives can create a more positive environment for themselves and employees.
Goodrich is hoping that as her business grows, so will the reach of her message: that getting stuck in a rut is all too common, and that it takes a new perspective to climb out of that ditch.
"I've worked with executives who don't know they have an unconscious focus on the negative, and yet they're sucking the energy out of their employees," she says. "They're putting a pin in every balloon. At this moment, what we all need is dynamic change, and that's what I want to help provide."
Source: Laura Goodrich, Seeing Red Cars
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
In the crowded healthy-bar space--think Larabar, Clif Bar, Luna, and dozens of others--a new competitor has sprouted from local roots.
Pashen, created by siblings Wendy Sorquist, Pol Sorquist, and Lisa Wilson, aims to bring superfood-level nutrition into the marketplace, and give consumers a taste of delicious, raw, sprouted ingredients.
The small food company was started when Wilson, a health and wellness counselor, came up with a recipe for the bar while teaching raw food classes. The response was overwhelming, and the trio decided to see if they could make them on a commercial scale.
They rented space at Kindred Kitchen, a food incubator in North Minneapolis that's geared toward food entrepreneurs. Within a month, they'd figured out how to make the bars in a cost-effective, efficient way, and ended up selling some to Seward Co-op and Golden Fig, as well as four other locations.
The bars are unique because they incorporate sprouted ingredients that are easier to digest than other raw foods, says Wendy Sorquist. They use items like buckwheat and pumpkin seed and soak them so that key nutrients are maintained, she notes. That helps to promote good bacteria in the digestive system. It doesn't hurt that the bars are also very tasty, too.
The siblings decided on the phonetic spelling of "passion" as a name because of their enthusiasm about the venture, and they're still motivated for what they see ahead: larger sales opportunities, their own commercial kitchen, and eventually, national distribution and expanding the team.
"We're really excited to be spreading the word, and getting these out to stores," says Sorquist. "We want to branch into other categories, maybe do trail mixes, and more flavors. We don't think our product is a good fit for really big supermarkets, but with so many stores focusing on whole food and healthy options, we think we're a great fit for those, and that we have a great start."
Source: Wendy Sorquist, Pashen
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Accounting, tax, and consulting firm McGladrey is clearing plenty of desk space for the months ahead, anticipating an increase of at least 25 more people before January.
The hiring push isn't surprising, considering that the firm has been bringing on new employees at a steady clip over the past six months, adding about 100 employees since the beginning of May. Currently, the Minneapolis office has about 325 people, with most of them getting ready for the busy tax season ahead.
Growth has also come from an increase in business consulting, notes Christine Mack, Northern Plains Assurance Leader and Partner at McGladrey. She says that for the past few years, many companies have been delaying the use of consulting in areas like risk advisory and technology services, but that the demand is increasing again.
She says, "There's a subtle shift in the economy. What was put on the back burner is now coming to the front, as people recognize they need advisory services to keep their businesses growing."
Expanding the firm's employee number comes at the same time as another major effort at McGladrey: implementing a paperless tax process.
The move toward a paperless strategy was sparked by a desire to create more efficiency in the tax process, says Mike Nelson, Managing Director of Tax Services. By going paperless, McGladrey employees can be more mobile and work electronically, allowing them to access files from a client office, for example. It's an innovative approach that's already making McGladrey unique among competitors.
"It just makes sense," says Nelson. "We can be mobile, it helps the environment, and our employees appreciate the flexibility. Everybody wins."
Source: Mike Nelson and Christine Mack, McGladrey
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Billing itself as a site for "all things cool and canine," DogWonderful.com makes it easier for people to travel without leaving their dogs behind. The site offers hotel deals, listings of dog-friendly accommodations, and handy tips for traveling with dogs.
The pet travel site is the creation of Teresa Matsui Sanders, founder of a hospitality management and consulting firm, InnWorks.
After the economic downturn in 2009, and battling breast cancer twice within a year, Sanders was looking for a fresh start and different consulting opportunities. She did some work for an online publisher and learned about monetizing websites, but wasn't sure what to do with the knowledge until her beloved dog, Kendall, died at the end of June.
"The day after she died, I had the inspiration to do a website about dogs and travel," she says. "From my experience in the hospitality industry, I knew there were databases and booking engines that could give dog owners access to thousands of hotels."
Sanders hopes to steadily boost visitor numbers and have DogWonderful.com become a major destination site for people who want to travel with their animal companions. Part of the site's revenue is donated to dog-focused charities like NEADS, an organization that trains hearing dogs by using prisoners and combat veterans as trainers.
The site launched in late October, on a day that would have been Kendall's 17th birthday, Sanders notes. "Dogs just become such a huge part of your life, and what I've found from working on this site is how much people want to share their love of dogs. It's been amazing."
Source: Teresa Matsui Sanders, DogWonderful.com
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
The Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) recognized 14 companies that are contributing to innovation, development, and commercialization of technology in the state, handing out its annual Tekne Awards last week.
The awards included separate categories for small and growing businesses, with revenues under $50 million, and for established businesses. Winners range across a number of fields, from manufacturing to sustainable technologies to non-profit organizations.
"Minnesota’s technology community has responded enthusiastically to the Tekne Awards for the past twelve years," says MHTA President and CEO Margaret Anderson Kelliher. " Year after year the Teknes generate a tremendous amount of pride and help inspire a new generation of innovators."
Nova-Tech Engineering won for advanced manufacturing, Ecolab took home the cleantech and energy award, and Global Traffic Technologies won the computer hardware and electronic devices award.
For the most innovative collaboration of the year, MHTA chose Maverick Software Consulting, which paired with Digital River, Thompson Reuters, and MnSCU to bring together computer science students and corporations providing software development and testing. Students received real-world experience working in the technology field, and companies got talented candidates.
Other winners included Sophia Learning, Minntech Corporation, Pursuit Vascular, GeaCom, Imation, and Calabrio.
The City of Minneapolis received an award for technology excellence in a non-profit organization, with MHTA noting the city's work toward bringing technology and information together to make Minneapolis safer. The city's new emergency operations training facility and strategic information center blend digital data, streaming video and interactive interfaces to create a communications center for the city.
The Tekne Awards also featured more inductees to the Minnesota Science and Technology Hall of Fame, which was created four years ago to acknowledge the work of entrepreneurs, engineers, professors, inventors, researchers, and scientists.
Source: Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Minnesota High Tech Association
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Consumers are switching to credit unions and community banks in record numbers, and this past weekend, "Bank Transfer Day" had some financial institutions jammed full of new customers.
For Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union, that means plenty of hiring to keep up with demand.
President and CEO Kyle Markland notes that the credit union has been adding about 2,000 members per month, which is double the amount they saw a year ago. About 80 percent of those members have been referred by existing members, but they're also seeing an uptick in interest thanks to their "ditch your bank" campaign.
"We've been very public about letting the general population know that there's an alternative to large banks," he says. "Our members see the value in the type of service that we provide, and I think more and more people are looking for that level of service."
Affinity currently has 356 employees, but that number is likely to increase as the credit union sees an increase in transaction volume, Markland notes. He says that in the last five years, members have been depending on the credit union for more of their banking needs, such as loans.
Because of the growth rate, Affinity is likely to add another 100 employees over the next 12 to 18 months. Just in the past two weeks, they've brought on almost 20.
That level of hiring is likely to be tricky, Markland says, because the credit union is very particular about who joins their team. Employees have to be motivated by an environment where they're empowered to make decisions, he says, and can fit in with Affinity's service-oriented culture.
"It all comes down to finding good people who want to work with other good people," says Markland.
Source: Kyle Markland, Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Sometimes, one simple decision can shake a company's entire foundation.
For Eagan-based JumpTech, that moment came about a year ago, when the company decided to move its applications to a mobile platform.
The firm's software for inventory management and proof of delivery was turned into JumpPOD, an app for iPhone and Android that allows anyone with those devices to track deliveries, accept signatures, and do performance reporting.
Since its release about four months ago, the company gets several phone calls per day for orders, says JumpTech CEO John Freund: "This caught us a little off guard, the popularity of JumpPOD. We've had to accommodate for such sudden growth."
The 11-member firm is likely to double its employee size over the next few months, he adds, and is moving soon to new, larger office space down the street from its existing offices.
Fortunately, Freund has been on the fast-growth track before, when a company he co-founded zoomed upward before it was sold. Now, he uses that experience to make sure that he keeps JumpTech on the right path.
"It's a balancing act, because you fight so hard to get customers excited and buy the app, but you have to make sure that you can deliver when they come to order," says Freund. "That's why we're making sure that we're hiring resources now."
Technology companies in particular can be challenged by such a turn in fortunes, he adds, and many overreact to growth by staffing up quickly. Then, if sales don't come through as projected, they need to downsize. Freund says, "The way to prevent that is to focus on what you're delivering, as opposed to what you're selling. Here, we're doing that, and growing organically as a result."
Source: John Freund, JumpTech
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Students at the University of Minnesota's College of Design will now have even more prototyping power, thanks to the debut of a new digital fabrication laboratory, nicknamed the DigiFabLab.
The facility lets students create 3D models of their work, and includes laser cutting technology, and equipment donated by Eden Prairie-based Stratasys.
Previously, students had access to some 3D modeling and fabrication equipment, but the DigiFabLab's new systems let them work in hard plastic to produce stronger models, according to Associate Dean and Professor Lee Anderson. These types of models can be beneficial for simulating joint connections in buildings, for example.
An additional laser cutter in the lab makes it easier for students to cut building facades with more precision, a process that's usually very complicated and time-consuming when done by hand.
In the future, the DigiFabLab anticipates adding more equipment like computer-controlled modeling, a lathe, and routers.
"Whenever you can represent an object in a different way, it gives you new insight into what that design can do, and you can see aspects of it in a fresh way," says Anderson. "Looking at a building design as a sketch and as a 3D model create two different ways of seeing the same thing, and that contributes to your understanding of it."
Source: Lee Anderson, University of Minnesota
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Drawn to the online advertising spending power and retail strength of the Twin Cities, California-based digital marketing company ValueClick recently opened an office here in order to expand its Midwestern presence.
ValueClick combines data, technology, and services to increase brand awareness for advertisers, and focuses on boosting revenue for online and mobile publishers. Some of the brands under its umbrella include Greystripe, Mediaplex, Smarter.com, and PriceRunner.
The Minneapolis office is helmed by Jeff Zoss, who's worked in digital advertising for nearly a dozen years, including stints at CoolSavings and MyPoints. He runs the outpost as a one-person operation now, with another representative in the office for Greystripe, but he anticipates that business will build enough to warrant hiring a team.
"Minneapolis/St. Paul is seen as a very valuable market for ValueClick and for advertising in general," says Zoss. "If you look at what's here, from Target and Best Buy to ad agencies, there's a strong focus for the interactive market."
ValueClick, like other digital marketing companies, had been relying on a Chicago location for its Midwestern presence, but Zoss notes that an office here will allow the company to become a larger part of the community.
"It's nice to be local, to meet someone for coffee instead of flying in," he says. "Sometimes, the best business deals happen because you ran into someone in the skyway."
Source: Jeff Zoss, ValueClick
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
First Tuesday
November 8
University of Minnesota
Carlson School of Management
McNamara Alumni Center
$28, includes lunch
Held for nearly 20 years on the first Tuesday of every month at the McNamara Alumni Center, the First Tuesday Speaker Series has showcased top executives and their insights about business and leadership. This month's round features John Stumpf, the Chairman, President, and CEO of Wells Fargo.
Best Practices in Leadership Effectiveness & Employee Engagement
November 10
Embassy Suites Minneapolis Airport
Bloomington
Main conference: $200 members, $300 for members of partners, $400 non-members
Put on by the Minnesota Council for Quality, this two-day event features a main conference on Nov. 10 and post-conference workshops the following day. Organizations such as Toro, US Bank, and Allina Hospitals & Clinics will share best practices in succession planning, communication, employee engagement, and other topics.
CityCamp Minnesota
November 12
University of Minnesota
Humphrey Center
free
Touting itself as an "unconference," CityCamp Minnesota aims to bring together community organizations, technology startups, social media experts, software developers, open government advocates and "everyday citizens" for a discussion about how to strengthen local communities. Although there will be breakout sessions and at least 25 different interactive discussions, the conference organizers note that the "coffee break becomes the conference."
Robotics Alley
November 17
University of Minnesota
Carlson School of Management
$145
ReconRobotics (see our previous coverage
here) teams up with the Minnesota High Tech Association to host a gathering of 250 leaders in the global robotics industry. Featuring a keynote address by renowned robotics expert Peter Singer, the program also includes a series of open-format talks on the business of robotics from experts in the financial, legal, policy, and academic sectors.
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Innovative marketing firm d.trio is boosting its account services and interactive offerings with the addition of three new employees in the past few months, according to one of the firm's partners, Megan Devine.
"We've been building a comprehensive team for a multi-channel focus," she says. "We bring together a team of people to really develop a plan based on what the client needs. As opposed to hiring out for certain services, we've been developing one in-house that will give us greater breadth."
The agency--named after the trio of co-founders Devine, Maureen Dyvig, and Fred Driver--has clients like Gander Mountain, American Red Cross, Rasmussen College, Synovus, and the University of Minnesota. The marketing group offers strategy, digital services, print production, creative work, and other services.
In its location just a block from the Minnesota Twins stadium, the company prides itself on a culture that's lively and unique, which helps to draw candidates, Devine believes.
The new additions to the 13-member company bring more strategic savvy, she adds. They'll give d.trio the ability to approach new industries and extend the firm's reach into areas like healthcare, retail, and non-profits.
Although many companies claim that clients come first, that's truly the mantra at d.trio, Devine adds: "We think about what we can do to kick up a campaign. Our creative is tied to strategy, and we feel that growing those happy client relationships is what's going to keep us growing."
Source: Megan Devine, d.trio
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
When Ethiopian-born Tashitaa Tufaa lost his civil service position with the Minneapolis Housing Authority in 2003, he saw two possible directions: either go back to his former job as a bus driver, or take a leap of faith and start his own bus company instead.
Fortunately for himself and the 200 people he now employs, he took the entrepreneurial option.
Tufaa brought in family members to help run the business, Metropolitan Transportation Network, and began garnering contracts with public and private schools, steadily growing the Coon Rapids-based company over the years.
"We seem to grow faster every year," he says. "We stay on top of it by working day and night, and also by empowering our management team. They're responsible for big decisions, instead of everything coming from me. I think that builds trust."
With more contracts coming in and expansion into other communities like Crystal and St. Cloud, Tufaa expects to hire at least 50 more people in the next year. He also anticipates that buying more vehicles, broadening the current fleet of 300, and constructing a new building on a six-acre lot in Fridley should help in the effort.
"We're excited by the opportunities that we see ahead," says Tufaa. "We want to start providing public transportation in different cities, that's a major goal. In the meantime, we're just going to work hard and provide excellent service."
Source: Tashitaa Tufaa, Metropolitan Transportation Network
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Sometimes, a small hobby can become big business.
For Ryan Batcheller and Andrew Duneman, an interest in aquarium supplies turned into one of the fastest growing companies in the state.
Started in 2007 by the entrepreneurial pair, Golden Valley-based Bulk Reef Supply has been on such a fast track that it recently landed on the Inc. 5000 list, coming in at number 258. Over the past three years, the company has soared from initial revenues of about $300,000 to nearly $4 million in 2010.
It all started with "fish chili," according to Batcheller. He made up a fish food for his own aquarium dwellers, and when some friends began asking for samples, he thought about selling it in bulk. From there, the idea blossomed into selling aquarium additives online, at bulkreefsupply.com.
Customers began sending them leads on products, and the pair started hiring and adding items to the site at a rapid pace. After creating some structure through the use of the Entrepreneurial Operating System, they managed to develop a system of their own that let them handle growth and keep hiring.
Currently, the company features 1,400 products and employs 21 people. Most likely they'll keep up the pace, but Batcheller isn't worried about hitting a wall: "We don't have revenue goals," he says. "We used to, but then we realized that revenue isn't where we'd find success. Instead, we want to be the best in the industry, the top saltwater aquarium supplier in the country. We'll get there."
Source: Ryan Batcheller, Bulk Reef Supply
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
A new group is hoping to bring more jobs and investment to the Twin Cities, and is amping up its marketing campaign to achieve its ambitious goals.
Called Greater MSP Partnership and based in St. Paul, the organization has developed a website that contains resources for local companies that want to grow their businesses, information for firms that are considering relocation, and tools for finding commercial and industrial properties.
A news feed features upbeat items, such as recent profit increases for St. Jude Medical and Supervalu. For companies looking at the Twin Cities from other parts of the nation, Greater MSP includes information on what makes the region so noteworthy, highlighting areas like our high rate of volunteerism, the arts and culture scene, and healthy lifestyle factors.
Covering the 13-county area around the Twin Cities, Greater MSP is a public-private partnership funded by charitable donations. The partnership works with dozens of partners and intends to set a strategic vision for regional economic development, among other aims.
Helming the effort is Michael Langley, who ran an economic development consulting practice on the East Coast before coming to Greater MSP. Recently, Langley noted that there are already at least 40 projects in the works, and the hope is that the number will expand to 150 to 200 over the next year.
Source: Greater MSP
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Although common wisdom claims that there are only two constants (death and taxes), there's actually one more for the list: weather.
Updates on temperature, storms, humidity, and other weather factors have become crucial for many types of businesses, from farmers to data center managers. "Weather impacts 43 percent of America's GDP," says meteorologist Paul Douglas. "It's rare to find a company that doesn't have some type of weather exposure."
Douglas and his team at WeatherNation are working to meet demand for meteorological insight with a multi-level approach. Launched in 2008, the company is now poised for growth, after a few years of developing a unique strategy for outsourcing.
WeatherNation provides data and info to cable stations--recently, it launched a 24/7 weather channel for the state of Kentucky--and has a national channel of its own. The firm has expanded from one studio to three, and continues to add meteorologists to its team of 12, Douglas says.
"We're looking beyond broadcast and cable into opportunities like mobile and new apps," he notes. "We want to make sure that people can get personalized weather information on any device, anywhere."
Catering to business clients is another major part of WeatherNation's approach, he adds. Clients like Wells Fargo, Polaris, and Home Depot depend on the company to help with energy efficiency efforts. Next up for the company is partnership with wind turbine manufacturers, to pair wind forecasts with technology.
"Weather is becoming more extreme," says Douglas. "That's the bad news. But with technological breakthroughs, mobility, and improvements in severe storm alerts, we have more tools that will help companies stay ahead of the weather."
Source: Paul Douglas, WeatherNation
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Social media is big business these days, and John Marino aims to be at the forefront of the trend.
In 2003, Marino co-founded BRIOprint, an online printing company that reported double-digit growth every year since its founding. Marino sold it to his partner in 2010, wanting to take on new challenges.
While building the multi-million dollar company, he leveraged social media like Twitter and Facebook, and so when the time came to move on from BRIOprint, he knew just where to go.
"I realized that a lot of small- and medium-sized businesses could use some social media management, so I headed in that direction," he says. "RSP Marketing was created to meet that demand."
The company began ramping up through strategic hires, including a sales team, designers, and programmers. In all, RSP has 10 employees, and Marino notes that there are plans to keep hiring, particularly for the sales department. He just brought on three people from the firm's summer internship program, and expects to hire a new employee every few months.
A growing client roster drives the steady pace, he says. Companies come to RSP for video services, websites, a strategic social media plan, and details on how to leverage popular online tools. Usually, they're happy to have RSP do the management while they watch the results.
Marino compares the arrangement to hiring a fitness trainer who can shed pounds for a client by getting on the treadmill himself (if only that possibility existed!).
"By and large, most people just don't have the time to tap into social media, and that's understandable," says Marino. "They don't have time to add one more responsibility to their mix."
He expects that as more companies want social media clout, but don't have the luxury to spend hours on sites, RSP will keep on clicking.
Source: John Marino, RSP Marketing
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
At creative agency Periscope, high demand and a growing client list mean that desk space is getting to be valuable real estate. In the past year, the Minneapolis-based firm has hired 83 people--bringing its employee total to 330--and its Human Resources engine isn't idling yet.
"We've been very fortunate to see our business development efforts translate into several consecutive years of growth," says Lori Sharbono, Periscope's VP and Director of Business Development, adding that the most growth has come from existing clients, but that new clients are always coming into the mix as well.
To meet client needs, Periscope has worked on expanding its services in the past few years, adding services like an end-to-end packaging operation and a brand advocacy unit that organizes events. One newer department handles social media and other online community strategies.
"We're always trying to stay ahead of what our clients will need," says Sharbono. "We try to make sure we have subject matter experts. Someone isn't an art designer one day and a digital person the next day. Having experts in their field makes us more efficient, and more able to help clients."
In expanding their expert-packed offices, Periscope has worked to maintain its distinctive culture, she adds, since many employees note that it's the environment that drew them to the firm. Unique perks include a fitness center, weekly yoga classes, quirky contests like spelling bees, dog-friendly offices, and an opportunity to join a variety of teams like triathlon runners or bowlers.
Sharbono believes that being a privately held firm allows Periscope to be as funky as they like, and it's a formula that's working well. She says, "We offer things that other agencies don't, and the people who apply here know that. So, we plan to keep hiring and keep having fun along the way."
Source: Lori Sharbono, Periscope
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Social commerce firm 8thBridge continues on its growth track by bringing on an experienced ecommerce leader as its Chief Product Officer.
Jon Kubo, former SVP of ecommerce and CIO of Wet Seal, joined the firm at the beginning of October, and 8thBridge CEO Wade Gerten noted that the addition would strengthen the company's position in the marketplace and prepare it for the next stage of growth.
Formerly known as Alvenda, 8thBridge was the 2009 Minnesota Cup winner, and managed to sustain quite a bit of momentum after that win. In March, the company raised $10 million in a series B funding round led by venture firm Trident Capital.
Over the past two years, the company has made some significant deals, such as the opening of the first Facebook retail store for 1-800-Flowers in 2009. A recent win came when 20th Century Fox used 8thBridge to offer group rewards on Facebook. Other clients include Delta Airlines, Paramount Pictures, Best Buy, and Lands' End.
"This is a really compelling opportunity to join one of the hottest social media companies today," Kubo said in a press release about the appointment. "The social commerce industry is projected to grow to $30 billion by 2015 and 8thBridge is best positioned to capitalize on this opportunity."
Kubo's track record at Wet Seal is impressive; he launched the company's website in 2008, then brought on Facebook, iPhone, iPad, and Android versions that allow shoppers to interact with the retailer's content. Prior to Wet Seal, Kubo led the launch of FAO Schwarz's online presence, as well as the relaunch of the toy retailer's stores.
Source: 8th Bridge
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Sorting through resumes can help human resources professionals see who's qualified for a position, and to really get a sense of the candidate, in-person interviews are crucial.
But what if there was another step in between, so HR could see and hear the candidate without the time and effort required for a standard interview process?
That's where the video interview comes in, and local startup Hyier is hoping to be that go-to resource for hiring. The company provides a platform where clients can list a job in Hyier's system, and receive video responses from candidates. Hyier's software allows people to record video in a systematic way, and for client companies to rate and comment on videos for their own files.
Founded by entrepreneur Derek Buschow in July 2010, Hyier sprouted from Buschow's experience in looking for a job while attending the University of St. Thomas. He'd gotten frustrated with the lack of calls after sending out his resume, and wished that he could use video to help him in his search.
He says, "I'm the kind of person who likes to meet face-to-face, and I thought that if I could just get in front of someone, I could get the job. I began to work with that idea and thought it might be like Monster.com, but with video."
Instead of a job board, Hyier ended up being a service that helps clients qualify candidates. Buschow believes that using video helps companies to see the personality and communication skills of a potential employee, and the Hyier system allows clients to ask specific questions to be addressed in the video presentations.
"This provides another dimension to screening," Buschow says. "It's another tool for HR to increase the chances of doing effective searches and hiring."
The software just came out of private beta, and Buschow is now moving forward with marketing. He's already seeing quite a bit of traction, he says, so look for video interviews to be the next big wave.
Source: Derek Buschow, Hyier
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The University of Minnesota provides engineering students with the technical knowledge that makes them leaders in their field--and now, the school gives them an edge in business savvy, too.
The university recently began offering workshops to engineers and scientists on business topics like networking, leadership, teamwork, and creativity, through an initiative called the Gemini Project.
Named after the endowment provided by an anonymous donor who had once been an engineering student himself, the Gemini Project will present the workshops every other Wednesday throughout the school year, focusing on the types of skills that will be useful for engineering professionals. For example, one talk about office dynamics will provide tips on building and maintaining strong workplace relationships.
"We've seen over and over that what makes you successful in your job isn't necessarily your ability to do the task at hand, it's your ability to lead others, think strategically, and meet an organization's goals," says Tess Surprenant, Gemini Chair and Senior Fellow of the Technological Leadership Institute at the university's College of Science and Engineering.
She adds that the information presented in Gemini workshops isn't radical, since they're covering material that's standard for many business schools. But targeting the material specifically for engineering students is a new twist that's becoming a national trend. Every large engineering school is trying to boost these types of professional abilities among its students, Surprenant says, because there's growing awareness of the importance of business skills.
The university is on its way to becoming an example for others to follow. The first Gemini workshop was well attended, considering that it was held only two weeks after school started, Surprenant notes. The program is hoping to grow attendance from its current average of 30 students to over 100 per workshop.
Source: Tess Surprenant, University of Minnesota
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
From bubbles to the cloud: Rocware has a unique history, and an even more compelling future.
The Minneapolis-based company began after siblings Sarah Welle, John Erck, and James Erck worked at Extreme Bubbles, started by their father. The artisan toy company, which makes bubble solution and bubble wands, found distribution in boutique stores, but struggled with expanding in the marketplace.
The situation led the trio to consider more efficient ways to share product information with potential customers. Once they came up with the idea of putting catalogs into a cloud-based environment, they knew other small manufacturers and customers could benefit as well.
"The mom-and-pop store is back," says Welle. "These store owners want to buy local, but they need help in getting started. That's where we come in."
Rocware developed a site where a product purveyor can create an online catalog that can be shared privately with customers. Since manufacturers tend to have different pricing and different product categories depending on the customer, they can tweak the catalog based on who's viewing it.
For example, a natural foods store looking at a soap manufacturer can see a catalog that has only organic products, with pricing based on smaller orders. Welle says, "This makes things better for people on both sides of the equation. It's completely customized." Another benefit is that users can create a purchase order with just a few clicks.
Rocware is unique, Welle says, which may be why the company is growing quickly, with over 50 customers right now, and more signing on every week.
Welle says, "We're really passionate about helping small businesses, and connecting with artisan product creators and mom-and-pop retailers. We aim to keep growing, and have fun along the way."
Source: Sarah Welle, Rocware
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
One of the state's fastest-growing companies, Accurate Home Care is working to manage its growth, and that means dealing with an awful lot of resumes.
According to founder and president Amy Nelson, the Elk River-based firm hires between 10 to 20 people every week, and currently employs about 1,600 people. The Human Resources team sorts through approximately 100 applications per week.
"We have a great HR department," says Nelson. "That's the only reason we can handle the rate of hiring that we have."
In the future, it's possible that she might have to hire even more, since the company is growing so quickly. In the next year, Nelson anticipates adding a couple more facilities in Minnesota, and then expanding into Illinois and Iowa.
Currently, Accurate is the largest provider of home care services in the state, and with Nelson's level of passion and focus, she hopes to bring more extensive services beyond Minnesota. That's impressive, given that the company only started doing branding and marketing efforts over the past few years, and still relies mainly on referrals.
"This is a business where you need to care about people," says Nelson. "That's what we look for when we're hiring, and that's what our clients have come to expect. We may be hiring a large number of people, but we still keep in mind that this type of care is very personal. There has to be a connection, a relationship, between a caregiver and a client."
Employees come to Accurate, in part, because they appreciate the flexibility that comes with providing home health care, she adds. But they stay at the company because of the relationship they forge with clients, Nelson believes.
Source: Amy Nelson, Accurate Home Care
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
In the past three years, St. Paul-based Bay West has boosted its employee number from 110 to 150, with a remarkably low rate of turnover. Company president Lon Larson believes that's just the beginning.
"We're on an upswing," he says. "We're really in a place where we're ready for the next phase of growth."
The environmental consulting firm was founded in 1974, but has seen particularly remarkable growth in the past few years as demand keeps rising for its services, including munitions cleanup, waste management, and emergency response. Recently, the company has garnered over $70 million in business orders as part of existing contracts.
"It sounds simple, but we really work on our core competencies," says Ed Bacig, the company's vice president of operations. "We make sure we're paying attention to customer service, and we make sure that our employees are happy and working in an environment where their ideas are being heard."
Over the past five years, Bay West has put considerable effort into a coaching program that boosts satisfaction among employees and keeps that turnover rate under five percent.
Larson adds that the company has been able to pursue more hiring through the use of teleworking. A significant investment in IT infrastructure gives Bay West the power to recruit employees from across the United States, and create teams that might be geographically separate, but are aligned through collaboration technology.
"We're seeing a lot of traction and momentum," says Bacig.
Source: Lon Larson and Ed Bacig, Bay West
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
If all goes as planned, firefighters in Japan and South Korea will be racing to fires with innovative technology from Minnesota.
The countries have been talking about distribution arrangements with South Saint Paul-based EarthClean Corporation, developer of TetraKO, a system that transforms water into a liquid that sticks to vertical and ceiling surfaces. Once applied and exposed to heat, TetraKO converts to steam, leading to longer fire suppression and fewer incidents of rekindling.
EarthClean has garnered attention in the past year for
its equity financing rounds and
awards in the Cleantech Open and the Minnesota Cup competitions. Also, earlier this year, the company benefitted from being part of an international marketing project out of Stanford University.
Those opportunities have allowed the firm to move forward in its global reach, according to company founder and president Doug Ruth. Last month, the company signed a $4.3 million deal with a clean technology and industrial coatings company based in South Korea.
"Right now, it seems that international sales may be bigger for us than domestic," says Ruth. "We're in the process of negotiating with a Japanese distributor and doing testing with the Tokyo Fire Department."
Expansion globally is easier, he adds, because in some countries, government entities make decisions on fire department purchases, unlike in the U.S., where fire departments each make their own purchasing decisions.
Ruth expects to begin testing and negotiations with departments in Australia and New Zealand, as well as countries in Europe. The company has eight full-time and four part-time employees, and could do more hiring if more big deals come along. "We all feel really good about where the company is headed," says Ruth. "We're on track."
Source: Doug Ruth, EarthClean
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Every company has an org chart, describing its hierarchy and reporting structure, but, as many people know, that's not always how business really gets done.
Instead, a sales manager may have lunch frequently with an executive assistant, or a CFO could go bowling weekly with account managers. Those social interactions, based on friendship and similar interests, have a ripple effect across an organization, and influence how projects are tackled.
For entrepreneur Vikas Narula, it's these informal social networks that are not only fascinating, but also crucial for understanding how businesses run.
To tap into the power of these relationships, he's created Keyhubs, a company that uses software and services to uncover social dynamics and delve into the self-organizing nature of groups. Keyhubs consultants first talk with employees at a client site, and then design custom surveys that are tailored to the organization and ask specific questions about how departments are working.
Narula believes that with this information, companies are in a better position to boost collaboration, grow talent, and leverage key influencers to help drive change.
"Many times, an executive's perception of who's critical is different than reality," says Narula. "My own experience in the corporate world was filled with examples of management making personnel decisions that didn't make any sense. They'd promote someone even though someone else was way more qualified. So, when I learned about this concept of informal networks, I wanted to find a way to apply it."
Narula searched for a tool that could help map these networks, but found only academic and complicated programs. He worked with one of his college classmates to launch Keyhubs as a side project, initially, and then as a full-time endeavor in 2009.
Since then, several Fortune 500 companies have chosen Keyhubs to provide insight into their organizations. Narula anticipates robust growth ahead, as more companies recognize the value of internal social networks. He says, "We're in the business of helping companies to manage in a new and better way, and to make better decisions. As long as we keep providing that, growth will follow."
Source: Vikas Narula, Keyhubs
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Momentum keeps companies growing, and at software firm thisCLICKS, it means they have more desks to buy. The company has nearly doubled in size in the last 14 months, and now has 13 employees. With ongoing software development and client engagements, founder Chad Halvorson anticipates more hiring in 2012.
Part of the potential demand in the next year is likely to come from an application called "When I Work," which allows companies to create efficiencies in their schedule management.
For example, a hospital can use the app to schedule work shifts for doctors and nurses at multiple locations, and to fold in shifts from satellite facilities like nursing homes. That way, a health-care organization can make sure to have the right number of staff members without scrambling to fill last-minute schedule gaps, or paying excessive overtime.
Halvorson thought of the concept in 1998, when he was a bag boy at a grocery store. The Internet was growing in popularity, and he wondered why he had to drive to work every week to check his schedule, when the information could be put online.
After a dozen years of application development, he revisited the idea and looked for software that had been developed for schedule management. He found only complicated programs that were difficult to learn and had too many features to be useful. Also, very few were mobile, he noticed.
In July 2010, he and his team at thisCLICKS launched When I Work, and since then, feedback has been phenomenal, Halvorson notes: "There are a mess of options out there for scheduling tools, but what I hear is that ours is so simple to use that people respond to it in a very positive way."
When I Work is the firm's first product for itself, rather than for a client, and Halvorson anticipates that the program's success will drive more development at the company. "Technology has been my obsession since high school," he says. "It's so much fun to do this work and see how you can make things easier for people."
Source: Chad Halvorson, thisCLICKS
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Can plastics be more environmentally friendly and still remain cost-efficient? That's the question driving researchers at the University of Minnesota, and now they have some additional support for finding the answer.
Recently, researchers at the university's Center for Sustainable Polymers were awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Centers for Chemical Innovation program. The grant also makes the university eligible for additional funding opportunities in the future.
"We are tremendously excited about this new support from the NSF," noted Marc Hillmyer, director of the Center for Sustainable Polymers in a news release. "With our strong history in polymer science and seed funding from the University of Minnesota, we have already been able to establish a national presence in the sustainable polymer arena."
The Center focuses its research on creating advanced plastics from renewable, natural, and sustainable resources instead of fossil fuels. Researchers look at using sources like vegetable oils, sugars, and starches to develop materials that are cost-efficient, non-toxic, and able to be composted.
Hillmyer noted that the grant will help Minnesota become a leading global center of excellence in sustainable polymer science and greatly expand the center's capabilities.
"With Minnesota's leadership in the area of bio-based materials and the University's breadth of expertise, we are well positioned to make significant and important research contributions," he said.
What's the future of environment-friendly initiatives? One word: plastics.
Source: University of Minnesota
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
As the economy works toward a level of robustness, creative agency GdB (short for Gabriel deGrood Bendt) is ready to grow along with it. In the past four months, the firm has hired three people, with two of them coming into new positions--director of strategy and director of public relations--bringing the company's employee total to 32.
Headquartered in Minneapolis, the agency reports about $40 million in billings from advertising, PR, direct mail, and interactive campaigns. Recently, GdB added three major clients: AmericInn, Anytime Fitness, and Abbey's Hope, a charitable foundation.
Public relations director Dan Hauser joked that the account wins have seemed like a professional version of Sesame Street, with today's letter being "A." He noted that they'd now be delighted land more business with companies starting with "B," "C," "D," and the rest of the alphabet.
"I think advertisers are demanding greater nimbleness, and efficiency from their agency partners," says partner and creative director Doug deGrood. "That's one of the drivers of our recent new business success. We are nothing if not streamlined and efficient."
The agency has worked for clients like Goodwill, Andersen Windows, Activision, and Gold'n Plump, as well as having created those distinctive billboards for Black Forest Inn ("Schnitzel happens," reads one).
GdB will share the wealth when it comes to the new projects, partnering with local interactive company The Nerdery for web development on the AmericInn account.
"In terms of goals, we don't necessarily want to get bigger," deGrood says. "We want to get better. And so that means bringing in people with new and unique talents, including disciplines outside the ones we currently offer."
Sources: Dan Hauser, Doug deGrood, GdB
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Imagine playing a game and seeing a shrug of your shoulders or a small bend of your knee translated perfectly on-screen.
At Medibotics, it's those types of visions that are fueling the company's future. The Minneapolis-based company has developed motion recognition clothing that relies on bendable tubes integrated into fabric.
Helmed by inventor Bob Connor, the firm was developed to create an organized structure for the development of patents, and Connor has plenty of patent ideas. For example, he believes his clothing product could be used for medical issues as well as gaming.
If someone is working on weight management, for instance, the garments could track much more than a pedometer's measurements. An individual can record blood pressure changes as he or she exercises or walks, along with general upper body movement, heart rate, the amount of energy expended each day, and more.
"There are so many applications for motion recognition clothing," says Connor. "I feel like I think of new ways to use it every day."
Under the Medibotics umbrella, Connor has a number of inventions at the ready. In attempting to help his son with his carpal tunnel issues, he created a computer mouse that's similar to a tiny beanbag chair, which he calls Blob Mouse. Instead of containing a rollerball, the mouse has pressure sensors on the bottom, alleviating stress on hands and joints.
Looking to deal with his own problem, tinntinitus, Connor is working on a product that can mask the sound without being uncomfortable or disturbing a sleeping partner. He's come up with a headband, called Hushband, now in the prototype stage.
Yet another invention is a wheelchair that can get through snow and ice without difficulty--likely to be a bestseller in the Midwest during our long winters.
Connor notes that he's been inventing products in his mind throughout his life, but it's only in his phased retirement as a University of Minnesota professor that he's really attacked the inventor role with gusto.
Currently, Medibotics has pursued 10 patents, and Connor anticipates more in the years ahead. "I'm always looking for solutions to unmet needs or problems that I see around me," he says.
Source: Bob Connor, Medibotics
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Many inventors apply for awards, but in order to win, they often need working prototypes for judges to examine, and that can be an expensive gamble.
Local manufacturing company Proto Labs aims to change that scenario by offering an award that allows inventors to make those prototypes, with Proto Labs footing all or some of the bill.
Launched in April, The Cool Idea! Award is designed to give product designers, entrepreneurs, and inventors an opportunity to see their visions transformed into working models. The firm is providing an aggregate sum of up to $100,000 worth of prototyping and short-run production services to award recipients, so they can take their product idea from a 3D CAD model to a first-run production stage.
"We wanted to recognize people who have truly cool ideas, but who need help bringing them to market," says Bill Dietrick, Proto Labs' vice president of marketing. "Other award programs only kick in when a product is in the market and commercially viable. We wanted to help people who are further back in the process."
Proto Labs will choose several winners throughout the year. The first award recipient, TruFlavorWare, will use the manufacturer's services to prototype a set a flatware designed for people undergoing chemotherapy. The flatware eliminates the bitter metallic aftertaste caused by traditional forks and spoons.
Entries have been coming in at a rapid pace, and Dietrick notes that they're overwhelmed with applicants. Because of the wealth of great ideas, the company created a new category called "honorable mention" and awards those winners a reduced manufacturing cost if they decide to use Proto Labs.
Although the program is currently available only to innovators in the United States, the company is considering opening up the awards next year to inventors worldwide.
"It's really been wildly successful so far," Dietrick says. "It's great to see all the amazing ideas that inventors have, everything from robotics to household products."
Source: Bill Dietrick, Proto Labs
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
A new type of networking event is on the calendar for early October: a flea market that brings together entrepreneurs so that they can barter their services with one another or embark on collaborations.
That's the hope, anyway. Organizer Kareem Ahmed, an entrepreneur himself, envisions the event as a connection point for those who are trying to grow their businesses.
He hopes to draw a broad array of professionals, including content creators, illustrators, and marketing experts along with musicians, video producers, artists, and fashionistas.
The event's site notes that the flea market was created because Ahmed has heard too many people say, "I have this great idea for an app but I just don't know how to find a programmer," or "I have this great idea for a product but I don't know anyone who can help me create a prototype."
Ahmed says, "As an entrepreneur, I feel like I have a ton of ideas, but I need the connections to help bring them to reality. I think that's very common, so I came up with a way to network--not to find clients, but to grow a network of fellow professionals who can be helpful for projects."
Planned for October 5th at Urban Bean in South Minneapolis, the flea market has only a few spots still open as of this writing, showing that demand for an event of this type is strong.
Ahmed anticipates a monthly flea market where entrepreneurs can share ideas, present case studies, and talk about the future of their particular industries. He says, "We all go through challenges and struggles, and we can learn from one another."
Source: Kareem Ahmed, Entrepreneur Flea Market
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Giant Steps
October 7
Guthrie Theater
818 S. 2nd St., Minneapolis
$120
Designed for "creative entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial creatives," this gathering includes workshops on topics like creative collaborations, networking and promotion, funding models for creative projects, and using social media effectively. Registration includes access to an after-party and concert.
Downtown Minneapolis Job Fair
October 12
Minneapolis Convention Center
1301 2nd Ave. S., Minneapolis
Free
Held in the Convention Center's ballroom, this major job fair features companies that are hiring in fields like accounting, health care, management, sales, and construction.
The Minnesota Venture & Finance Conference
October 12 & 13
Minneapolis Convention Center
1301 2nd Ave. S., Minneapolis
$295 for members, $495 for non-members
Now in its 25th year, this conference showcases entrepreneurship and investment, with presentations, networking opportunities, and workshops. Panels this year cover topics like innovation financing, intellectual property rights, IPOs, tax credits, and general trends in financing.
Women in the Boardroom
October 17
Hyatt Regency
1300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis
$105
This executive leadership event is designed to assist women in preparing for board service, and includes panelists who share their knowledge and expertise. The organization holds these annual events in 15 cities nationwide, as a way to boost interest in diversifying for-profit and non-profit boards.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Highlighting the strength of the state's technology sectors, the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) announced finalists for the 2011 Tekne Awards.
The award program, now in its 12th year, recognizes innovations from 2010 that represent the brightest in development, commercialization, and management of technology in Minnesota. Forty-two finalists were named in fourteen categories.
The MHTA noted that recent growth in Minnesota's educational and robotic technology sectors were particularly visible this year, but that all technology sectors are staying strong.
In the education category, finalists are Capella University, Sophia, and Naiku--which recently won the recent Minnesota Cup award. Finalists in other categories represent a range of companies, from large firms like Imation Corp. and Digital River to smaller businesses like Xollai and QuickCheck Health.
The awards are designed to showcase these types of companies, and draw attention to the innovative and competitive companies in the state, according to MHTA president Margaret Anderson Kelliher. They're part of the organization's larger mission to boost education and entrepreneurship along with technology development.
"We're very excited about the opportunities available to technology companies here," says Kelliher. "In general, we believe that individuals and companies in the state have more potential than they do challenges. We're proud and happy to support them in any way we can."
The Tekne Awards will be presented on November 3 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
Source: Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Minnesota High Tech Association
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
As telecommuting and contract working increases in the Twin Cities, coworking opportunities are keeping pace.
The latest initiative for bringing independent professionals together under one roof is WorkAround, a Minneapolis-based office space that distinguishes itself by providing both shared offices and business consulting services.
Founded by business coach Buffie Blesi and entrepreneur John Burns, the space is located in the Warehouse District, and features both individual desks/cubicles and conference rooms.
Blesi notes that the idea for a coworking space came, in part, from her efforts to bring together business coaches she'd hired as part of her company, KnowledgeSphere, and her part of a franchise, AdviCoach. She says, "I didn't feel like we were a team, we just weren't connecting well. Also, even though I worked from home, I began to feel like I'd do just about anything to get out of the house."
That experience is familiar to many entrepreneurs and small business owners, she believes, and a sense of connection and community can be helpful in fostering creativity and company growth.
WorkAround distinguishes itself from other coworking arrangements in the Twin Cities because of its business coaching, which is part of a member's coworking package. AdviCoach professionals advise members once a month on business matters.
"Our members are primarily small business owners in service-based businesses," she says. "CoCo has a lock on the technology entrepreneurs, and while they're certainly welcome here, we feel that this environment is more geared toward people who have started a business in the last year or two."
Connecting with others in the WorkAround space allows members to be part of a community that cares whether they succeed or fail--something that most people have a hard time getting at home, working alongside pets and kids, Blesi believes.
"We want our members to get to that next level, where they eventually have a space of their own," she says.
Source: Buffie Blesi, WorkAround
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
You wake up with a killer sore throat and suspect that it's strep. Instead of sweet-talking your way into a same-day appointment with your doctor or taking a chance on a short wait at Urgent Care (good luck on that), you just swab your own throat, use a simple device, and get the answer.
If you're right, you go through a quick online clinic visit and get a prescription sent to your local pharmacy. Fifteen minutes after waking up, you're on your way to pick up the antibiotics.
This scenario may seem futuristic, but it's closer than ever, thanks to QuickCheck Health, an Excelsior-based startup that aims to revolutionize home health care.
According to a recent Rand Corporation study, about 90 percent of visits to retail clinics were for ten acute conditions, including upper respiratory infections, sore throats, and urinary tract infections as well as blood tests for issues like STDs.
QuickCheck aims to handle the testing for these conditions with devices that provide rapid diagnostic results for minimal cost. The company is developing devices that can detect the presence of Lyme disease, mono, pregnancy, pinkeye, yeast infections, strep throat, the flu, and urinary tract infections. They're also developing tools that can track cholesterol and glucose levels.
With the ability to provide accurate test results at home, people can utilize online health care services more effectively, says QuickCheck president and CEO Tom Henke.
Launched in February 2010, the company sprang from Henke's 25 years in the health insurance industry. He says, "During that time, I saw that the industry was going down a path that wasn't leading to lower costs or customer satisfaction. In fact, it was quite the opposite."
When he left the industry, he had several business concepts and an entrepreneurial drive, and settled on QuickCheck after watching his four children struggle through multiple bouts of strep throat.
"I thought, why am I bringing them to the doctor every time?" he says. "I wondered why people couldn't just do this at home. So I began reverse-engineering the process."
QuickCheck's devices will be submitted to the FDA soon, and are getting ready for consumer use studies. After that, you can expect to see the devices on store shelves by early next year, and look for QuickCheck to grow rapidly from that point on.
"We love the idea of people taking more charge of their health, and this will help them do just that," says Henke.
Source: Tom Henke, QuickCheck Health
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The corporate world seems awash in personality tests that are designed to improve communication and working relationships: StrengthsFinder, Myers Briggs, the Five Factor Model, and many others. There are even books and websites that give advice on how to "ace" or "beat" these tests for better results.
Inscape Publishing believes that there's a better way.
The Minneapolis-based firm has spent the last decade transitioning from a paper-based testing product to digital corporate training materials, collectively called the DiSC program. Along the way, the scientifically-based approach has also undergone some revision, to make it more useful to organizations.
According to CEO Jeffrey Sugerman, the program differs from competitors in many ways, particularly in that it presents a model for organizational functions, rather than just an assessment of personality types.
"With some of these standard tests like StrengthsFinder, what you get is kind of a data dump," he says. "You have a 30-page report that's filed somewhere and maybe you look at it every once and a while, but it doesn't seem that it changes much in the organization."
Inscape focuses instead on how people think, act, communicate, and prioritize, he notes. As companies continue to operate in a lean way, making sure that employees work together efficiently and amiably is crucial, Sugerman believes. Simply putting people into a team and hoping for the best isn't a very realistic approach, especially if those team members are telecommuters who need help in forming cohesive working relationships.
"Collaboration is a source of competitive advantage," he says. "But collaboration requires a framework in order to work, and that's what we provide."
The DiSC program is a bestseller, with over a million people worldwide using the product every year. Sugerman says, "I'm always surprised that people come up to me and talk about their results from ten years ago, it's that memorable to them."
Source: Jeffrey Sugerman, Inscape Publishing
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
In the seventh annual Minnesota Cup competition, the top winner of $50,000 in seed capital was AUM Cardiovascular, a Northfield-based startup that developed a handheld device that can detect coronary artery disease.
The company's founder and CEO, Dr. Marie Johnson, started the firm after her husband died suddenly at age 41 while she was still a Ph.D. candidate the University of Minnesota.
Although he'd seemed to be in perfect health, Johnson's husband had suffered a heart attack, and it moved her to focus on creating a system that could identify symptoms of coronary artery disease.
Johnson estimates that she'll need about $3 million to accomplish the goal of preparing her device for market, and she believes that the award's seed money, combined with the presentation skills she learned through the award process, will help her to reach a new level of entrepreneurship.
Launched in 2005, the Minnesota Cup has become a high-profile and competitive event among entrepreneurs. Companies compete in six divisions, including biosciences, clean technology, high tech, and social entrepreneurship. There's also a student division.
This year, more than 1,000 participated, and in addition to AUM's win, several semi-finalists also received seed funding to grow their businesses. Other winners are Energy Max Panel, Naiku, Anser Innovation, Tesgen, and HOURCAR.
According to the Minnesota Cup, past participants have many notable success stories to tell. For example, the 2009 grand prize winner, 8th Bridge, raised $5 million in series A funding soon after the competition, and another $10 million in series B in 2011.
Other winners have been acquired, secured new capital, or garnered major distribution agreements as a result of their awards.
So, for entrepreneurs looking to fatten up their funding: start thinking ahead, because Minnesota Cup 2012 is likely to be even livelier.
Source: Minnesota Cup
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
They may not produce ooze, but Primordial Soup (Psoup for short) has plenty of creative juices flowing.
The St. Paul-based medical device design firm got launched in 2008, by three founding partners who "quit their normal jobs just as the economy was becoming so awesome," says co-founder Chris Trifilio, with a laugh. The trio had worked as consultants and often crossed paths, and eventually, they began talking about joining forces.
"One of the main reasons we formed Psoup is that when you work as a consultant, you can't help but feel the excitement of entrepreneurism," Trifilio says. "So we formed to be able to make our own products, instead of consulting on other people's products."
Although the economy was already grim when they launched, he believes that the recession was an advantage as much as a challenge. "When we started, everything was so terrible," he notes. "Because of that, we're lean and focused, with not a lot of overhead. We're super efficient."
The work done at Psoup is distinctive, combining a spare elegance of form to match very specific medical functions. For example, a hip screw implant is not only less invasive to the body, but it's also sleek, with a kind of minimalism that's nearly artistic.
The firm has produced medical device work that was in two Minnesota Cup entries, for Circle Biologics and QuickCheck Health (a runner-up in its division).
Although there's a strong focus on surgical tools and implants, Psoup also takes on consumer electronics for companies like Best Buy, says Trifilio. One major change in the past year in particular, he adds, is that the firm used to work mainly with very large companies like Medtronic. Now, all of their business is for small companies and startups, which Trifilio sees as a compelling change in the industry.
The opportunity is there for plenty of growth, yet the lean-and-focused team is hesitant to expand too quickly, and Trifilio's not sure they even want to go beyond hiring a few more people for their six-person team.
"Our mission is different," he says. "We don't want to be a 50-person firm. We want to keep going down the path we're on, because it's fun and we love it. Right now, our pipeline is full and I expect that will keep going."
Source: Chris Trifilio
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Finding entertainment options isn't much of a feat these days, with Netflix streaming video, Hulu, iTunes, and many others competing for your attention. But what happens when you turn off your connection?
Entrepreneur and technologist Daren Klum believes two things: that a lack of Internet shouldn't mean a night of channel surfing or board games, and that you should have access to a huge amount of entertainment options.
To bring both to life, he created CRAM, a system that uses cartridges loaded with music, movies, TV shows, and other content. "I call us 'Netflix on steroids,'" he says. "Or, like Redbox in the palm of your hand."
With the service, a customer can use a special device that wirelessly streams the content to up to four other devices. That means someone could be watching a movie in the living room, while another is listening to music upstairs, and the kids could be accessing educational content from a handheld out in the treehouse.
Up to 360 movies can be stored on a single device, and users will pay about $20 per month to gain access to unlimited content.
The product hasn't launched yet, but it sure has some heavy hitters getting it ready. In addition to Klum, who has a long track record of creating technology products, the company has advisors that would make any startup swoon, since they hail from CBS, Sony, Disney, and Best Buy.
The startup has secured $600,000 in investment already, with part of that coming from St. Thomas' William C. Norris Institute. The product will officially launch in January, at the high-profile Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
"The growth potential here is phenomenal," says Klum. "Once we hit the market running, we plan to expand from a staff of 8 people to hundreds of employees. It's all really, really exciting."
Source: Daren Klum, CRAM
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Although Naiku didn't win the grand prize in the recent Minnesota Cup competition, just garnering the division win has been enough to raise the company's profile considerably. And after a summer of winning more clients, expect to hear even more about Naiku in the near future.
The education start-up offers an online education assessment platform that benefits both student and teacher, according to Corey Thompson, the company's co-founder and chief executive officer. (See The Line's previous coverage on the enterprise
here.)
Since last March, the company has made impressive gains in traction. There are over 35,000 students signed up for the fall, representing a number of different school districts.
"We're establishing partnerships now, and I think the Minnesota Cup win was helpful as validation for what we're doing," Thompson says. "It just helps us as an early-stage company to get an audience with people in the schools."
Naiku has begun to turn the corner, from having to evangelize its technology to fielding calls from prospective clients. In other words, instead of knocking on doors, they're answering the phone.
"It's so nice to have people call because they've heard about what we do, instead of having to explain it all the time," Thompson notes.
Another big event in the past few months has been the development of a mobile device that can access Naiku's technology directly. Although the platform can be reached through an iPhone or iPad, not all students possess those, or can afford to buy them. The "clicker" developed by Naiku makes it more equitable for students and increases access to the technology.
With school just starting, and more and more customers calling, it seems that Naiku won't be a freshman company for long.
Source: Corey Thompson, Naiku
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Your phone’s wake-up alarm resets itself to 30 minutes earlier than programmed because there’s traffic congestion on your usual route. As you drive to a meeting, your favorite coffee stop has your order ready before you approach the drive-up window. While sipping the latte, you’re directed to a gas station with the lowest price in the area.
Such unseen forces of organization seem like the stuff of science fiction, but Minneapolis-based AsystMe is working to create a legion of “automated personal assistants” that make life easier for all of us.
The company recently garnered a nice chunk of angel funding from private investors in Minnesota and North Dakota, as part of a larger initial round of funding. Investors were impressed with the enterprise’s knack for creating automated assistants that do tasks on users’ behalf. The system works by monitoring relevant data sources, and responding based on user preferences.
AsystMe founder Joel Nash came up with the idea for the company after spending years as an engineer and entrepreneur. In the past, he automated tasks for factories, but began being interested in home automation, and finally, in data automation.
“People always talk about data overload, how people feel stressed because they’re trying to constantly monitor data and work with technology,” he says. “With this approach, our solution is to put a layer of automation between people and these data sources.”
Some of the scenarios that Nash envisions may be a few years away, but they’re not too far-fetched. For example, notification services can already remind users of dry cleaning pickups, client meetings, and personal trainer sessions. Sending an automated order to a coffee shop or monitoring traffic data can easily be folded into those existing tasks.
“There’s no reason why we can’t have more automation to deal with information overload,” Nash says.
Source: Joel Nash, AsystMe
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
What do web and mobile engineers and consultants do for fun? Design mobile games, of course.
The latest local game addiction comes from Bust Out Solutions, a firm that engineers websites and mobile apps for clients like Best Buy, Minnesota Public Radio, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Pedal Brain.
Employees at the firm have long wanted to build a product for themselves, but were always too busy with client work, according to founder and developer Jeff Lin.
Despite the client deluge, a small team eventually got together and created Brahmageddon, a whack-a-mole type of mobile game that uses characters from the great classical epics of India, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Players have to defeat cannibal demons by smacking the on the head as they pop up.
“We had a number of concepts, and this one just seemed silly and unique,” says Lin. “It’s on the simpler side of game design, because we just wanted to see what we could do.”
Although Bust Out engineers designed the game as a nice stress reliever, without intentions of selling it, Lin ended up chatting with a major game distributor who gave him some encouragement about future game development. The game has even provided a return on investment, by selling over 100 copies through Apple’s App Store.
“The project was a success in that we proved we can design games and launch them, and still have fun doing it,” he says. “This has given us all kinds of ideas about where we could go from here.”
Source: Jeff Lin, Bust Out Solutions
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Can office gossip be put to good use? That’s the question behind a new local web service, Office Leaks, which provides an anonymous forum for company employees to express their views.
Founder Ryan Masanz came up with the idea after years of being a network services consultant. Traveling to over 100 companies in that career, he was struck by how often people expressed valuable, interesting opinions about projects or other people, but never went to their managers with those thoughts. At the same time, the managers would ask Masanz for his own opinion regarding operations, communication, and productivity.
“I felt like I was doing therapy,” he says. “I thought, what if we could remove that fear that people have about expressing themselves?”
Launched last April, Office Leaks is currently in startup mode, but already it’s becoming a robust forum, Masanz believes. Employees from over 500 companies are already enrolled in the site, with new companies signing up daily.
Not surprisingly, privacy is a top priority for the site, and Masanz goes to great lengths to make sure that anonymity is cemented into place. There are no backdoors into an employee’s account, and Office Leaks doesn’t keep any identifying information. “The less data we keep, the better,” he says.
Office Leaks is free for employees to use, but the site also invites managers and company owners to join by offering businesses the ability to sponsor forums with their employees for a monthly fee, without compromising employee anonymity. This provides sponsoring companies with several additional functions, like being able to make their community private.
So far, Masanz hasn’t had to install many filters, but as the site gets more popular, he anticipates that additional controls may have to be put in place to make sure that no one is betraying company secrets or infringing copyright. He says. “Our main rule is ‘don’t be evil,’ and that includes libel and trade secrets. Honestly, though, I’m surprised by how civil it’s been. People just want to be heard.”
Source: Ryan Masanz, Office Leaks
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Everything it Takes to Build Your Company
September 8
Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Institute
301 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis
$45 for members and $105 for non-members
Part of The Collaborative’s series on business growth, this event features an array of speakers giving advice on leveraging technology, building revenue, and finding success in medtech. Experts include speakers from Best Buy, Calabrio, Shavlik Technologies, Compellent, GovDelivery, and more.
Minnesota Bioscience Summit
September 20
Nicollet Island Pavilion
40 Power St., Minneapolis
$99 for members and $129 for non-members
Presented by LifeScience Alley and the BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota, the summit features panels that tackle three overarching trends that are poised to radically impact all the bioscience industries.
Advanced Search & Analytics Summit
September 20
2112 Broadway St. NE, Minneapolis
$495
Put on by DemandQuest, this summit is for people who are familiar with Google AdWords and want to dig into a more advanced understanding of how to manage and refine their campaigns.
Minnesota Developers Conference
September 29
DoubleTree Bloomington Hotel
7800 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington
$150
Now in its sixth year, the Minnesota Developers Conference is the largest developers conference in the Midwest. This year features seven tracks totaling 28 sessions, with the spotlight on .NET, Ruby, mobile, Silverlight, cloud computing, and HTML5.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Job hunters have a continually updated resource in LinkUp, a Minneapolis-based company that's part of the national JobDig employment search site.
According to president and CEO Toby Dayton, LinkUp is unique in the way that it indexes company websites for job postings, rather than relying on companies to post jobs in a central site like JobDig or Monster.com. Current openings for about 22,000 companies are brought together at LinkUp, and the firm is careful to weed out duplications, so job seekers won't be trying to determine which listing is the most current.
"We've really reinvented what a job board is on the Web," says Dayton. "The site is updated daily, and companies can't post on here directly, so we've eliminated those garbage listings like 'work at home' types of jobs that expose people to identity theft and fraud."
Although LinkUp has some competitors in the online job-hunt realm, Dayton believes that the company is distinctive because of its technology. It lists about 800,000 jobs that are culled directly from employer sites, and the tech team is constantly refining how searches are done to make them more helpful and efficient.
Despite the advancements, the 28-person company has faced some challenges in the past few years, Dayton notes: "We've been bigger at times, but the recession impacted us. Our growth has been rapid in the past, but it's been muted by the current economic environment."
However, the executive team has experience in leading high-growth companies, he adds, and there's a great deal of optimism that LinkUp will be at the forefront of the job search industry. Dayton says, "We've been well received in the marketplace, and what we have is unique. We're excited to keep the momentum going."
Source: Toby Dayton, LinkUp
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Although e-books took their sweet time catching on with the reading public, the development of e-readers like Nook and Kindle has created a sense of momentum, and now it seems that on every bus and plane, there's someone clicking through their reading selections.
The rush for e-books left some smaller publishers scrambling to stay in the race, but Coffee House Press, an independent literary publisher in Minneapolis, caught up fast. Recently, Coffee House began publishing all of its new-release titles as e-books, and is currently converting selected backlist titles as well.
The progress toward e-books began slowly for the press, says publisher Chris Fischbach. About a year and a half ago, the company released some e-books and saw very slow sales, only about 10 per month. But when it made the shift toward releasing e-books at the same time as its print versions, there was a huge jump in sales.
At this point, e-book sales represent about a third of overall sales, but that number is hard to track because publishers never know exact sales figures until their new releases have been out for at least a few months. That's because bookstores regularly return unsold hardcovers before paperback versions are released. One advantage to e-books, Fischbach says, is that their sales figures are known immediately. Also, they don't get returned by stores or consumers.
Another benefit to e-books is the ability to carry multiple books at the same time, he adds. Some people may download a number of e-books for reading later, instead of buying books and stacking them in an unread pile at home.
Publishers may be gravitating toward e-books because the production costs are low, in addition to high consumer demand. But that doesn't mean the e-books are for everyone.
"Personally, artistically, I prefer a paper copy of a book," says Fischbach. "There's just something about holding a book and reading it that way. I don't think I'll ever be the e-book-reading type of person."
What he anticipates for the future, though, is that more will be done with video elements and graphics within e-books, turning them into their own particular genre. For example, a travel book about Minneapolis could feature short videos to illustrate unique features of the city, or interviews with local celebrities.
Whatever happens with the e-book, look for Coffee House to be ready. At this point, the publisher is on track to meet all that click-click-scroll demand.
Source: Chris Fischbach, Coffee House Press
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Minnesota entrepreneurs may get some of their funding prayers answered, thanks to the launch of the Minnesota Angel Network (MNAN).
MNAN notes that it's a unique educational program for entrepreneurial companies that are looking to raise investment capital, as well as a connection point for investors looking for innovative companies. The typical business that will be boosted by MNAN will be one seeking to garner between $50,000 and $4.5 million, and will be in a high-tech or knowledge-based industry.
The group's advisors are picked out of a pool of experienced investors, business experts, entrepreneurial-minded CEOs, and technology experts. There are a number of foundational service advisors and partners, including Leonard Street and Deinard, Gray Plant Mooty, Fredrikson & Byron, and Messerli & Kramer. These advisors provide their insight on a pro-bono basis.
Designed as a first stop for entrepreneurs looking for investments, MNAN helps to prepare them for the rigors of fundraising--aid that the group believes will save valuable time and resources on both sides of the investment table. Candidate companies go through an evaluation process, and if they're deemed suitable for the program, they're launched into a rigorous training regime provided by up to eight advisors. The education process takes between 60 to 90 days, putting a candidate company on a fast track for investment.
The hotly anticipated MNAN is helmed by Todd Leonard, who's raised more than $50 million in equity for startup companies in the past. An angel investor himself, Leonard has held executive roles at companies in the construction and pharma industries, and has shared his insight on technology transfer processes as a consultant for government agencies.
The debut of MNAN is likely to be welcomed in the state, which has been experiencing increased vigor in its entrepreneurial efforts lately. And after all, who couldn't use a few more angels on their side?
Source: Minnesota Angel Network
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Many times, finding room for company growth is a literal process, as Parallel Technologies recently discovered.
The technology company tripled its office size in a move from St. Louis Park to Eden Prairie, giving employees more space; about 25 were hired within the past eight months. The move also provides the company with the ability to create a more intelligent, efficient space, according to Parallel CEO Dale Klein.
He notes that the move allowed Parallel to implement green-type technologies such as software-based LED and sensor lighting networks that monitor temperature, light levels, and motion. These types of innovations—created by Parallel—will allow the company to better manage resources, he believes, and showcase the company's creativity. The new facility will include a demonstration center for clients, so they can see the company's communications and network technologies up close.
The current real estate climate was another reason for the move, Klein adds. With low interest rates, and a fair number of office properties available, it's a buyer's market right now. Most likely, it doesn't exactly break employees' hearts to be so close to Eden Prairie's myriad options for lunch and shopping, either.
In terms of business growth, Parallel is on track, notes Klein. The company has aggressive goals for reaching $50 million in annual revenue in the next five years. The plan is to reach that mark through organic growth and acquisitions in the Midwest. The new facility should help in many ways, Klein says, including a boost to employee productivity, better building utilization, and energy savings.
Source: Dale Klein, Parallel Technologies
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Hennepin and Carver counties are rife with community garden efforts, but the counties are now embarking on a whole new kind of growth initiative. They're hoping to sow the seeds of business expansion, and they're currently looking for savvy CEOs to benefit from the process.
The Economic Gardening Network is an idea that came out of a project in Colorado, according to Hennepin County senior planning analyst Ron White. He notes that a large defense contractor there began struggling and was forced into layoffs, but the community came together in order to prevent widespread unemployment. They pooled their money to support local businesses in their second stage of growth.
In a similar move, the Economic Gardening Network is now looking for businesses with between 10 and 99 employees, with current revenues between $1 million and $50 million. "Statistics show that companies at this level have the most potential for job growth," says White. "They have a good chance for steady growth, and that's what we want to focus on."
Other eligibility criteria include: having maintained a business presence in Minnesota for at least the last two years, and growth in employment or revenue in two of the past five years.
The counties will be selecting 15 companies for a pilot program that includes technical assistance from a strategic research team, market research, project management, and other resources. It's an all-around education program meant to spark growth, White says.
Already, there's been a very encouraging response, he adds. The counties reached out to economic developers in various cities, then broadened their search from there. White is confident that they'll fill the pilot program, and hopefully keep gardening in the future, too.
Source: Ron White, Hennepin County
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Here's the power of The HopeFULL Company: What might look like cute little homemade Popsicles actually pack a striking amount of nutrition, making them perfect for people with chronic illnesses or cancer. They can even be used to win over finicky kids.
The idea of making a frozen treat that addresses nutritional deficiencies came to sisters Jessica Welsch and Stephanie Williams about three years ago, when a friend of the family was diagnosed with leukemia. As the friend underwent chemotherapy, she lost her appetite so dramatically that she couldn't stand even the smell of food. Since the sisters had been cooking up homemade baby food for each of their daughters, they knew they could come up with an innovation that could help.
Since the treats are frozen, they don't have much of an aroma, and the sisters' recipes blended together healthy foods like beets, sweet potatoes, and kale. They became a hit--not just with the family friend, but among many in their community, and the sisters decided to create a whole foods firm based on the pops, The HopeFULL Company.
Instead of trying to sell the frozen treats themselves, the entrepreneurs created a company that sells kits online for making the nutritious pops. Launched in November 2010, HopeFULL does online sales of the kits. Welsch says, "Trying to bring a food product to market is tough, so with this business model, we created a way to get our idea to the marketplace in a better way."
The pair have been excited to grow the company together, adds Williams. "We've known for a long time that we'd end up having a business together. We feel like our business found us, and fortunately, we work really well together."
Although the pops were originally developed for people who have difficulty eating due to chemotherapy, the frozen HopeFULLs are becoming popular with a wide audience. After all, who wouldn't appreciate a company that can make frozen beets appealing?
Sources: Jessica Welsch and Stephanie Williams, The HopeFULL Company
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Environmental and energy companies will have a fresh crop of attorneys to aid their efforts in the near future: the University of Minnesota Law School is adding concentrations in these areas starting this fall.
Professor Alexandra Klass will serve as faculty chair of the new concentration, which was developed to help students prepare for practicing in these unique areas of law. In making the announcement, Klass noted that addressing environmental and energy needs will be one of the great challenges of the 21st century, and that through this program, the Law School will train the attorneys and leaders needed to tackle those issues.
The new concentrations will build on standard curriculum already being offered through other university programs. Students will be able to learn about environmental and energy topics through capstone courses, guest speaker visits, interdisciplinary course offerings, and simulation exercises.
The capstone courses include seminars on environmental justice and renewable energy, and there's also a course on "brownfields" redevelopment and litigation, an area of law that focuses on underutilized, contaminated properties.
Clinics are offered too, giving students the chance to explore topics in public policy, energy use, environmental sustainability, housing, transportation, and urban growth. As with other concentrations offered by the Law School, this new one will provide opportunities for students to participate in mentorship programs and community projects.
The Law School offers other concentrations as well, including business law, human rights law, and labor and employment law.
Source: University of Minnesota
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
New technology companies may get some heavenly help in the near future, with investment from a just-formed angel investor group.
AngelPolleNation (APN) is the brainchild of attorney Jeffrey Robbins of Messerli & Kramer. After representing entrepreneurs in his practice for nearly three decades, Robbins began to notice that angel investors were lacking in the state more than ever before. Some news reports early this year confirmed his suspicions, and he thought there must be a way to amp up angel funding in the area, especially for technology firms.
Although there are a number of organizations that serve entrepreneurs with resources and networking connections, the crucial angel investment component has been dwindling, Robbins believes.
"When you go to entrepreneurial events, the number-one topic is money," he says. "Everyone in early-stage companies struggles with where to find enough money for what they want to do."
At the same time, investors benefit from joining together, Robbins notes, instead of attempting to fund companies on their own. "It's hard to be a solo investor," he says. "It's really nice to be connected to others."
The initial phase of APN will focus on getting investors and entrepreneurs communicating, and Robbins hopes to draw a number of angels to the group. In July, APN's first meeting at Interlachen Country Club attracted about 70 local investors, and featured presentations by other angel groups like Twin Cities Angels and Minnesota Angel Network.
The next APN event is set for mid-September, and Robbins anticipates that there will be quarterly meetings from that point onward.
Source: Jeffrey Robbins, AngelPolleNation
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Those looking for green jobs have a powerful resource in RENEW (Renewable Energy Networks Empowering Workers), a program that trains Minneapolis and St. Paul residents for green jobs and places them in living-wage positions.
Kicked off in April 2010, the program has already had nearly 600 participants, with 350 of them earning credentials in green-related fields, and 240 gaining employment as a result of the training.
The success of RENEW led Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak and Saint Paul Council Member Lee Helgen to highlight the program at a recent hiring fair, held at the Dunwoody College of Technology.
Funded by a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, RENEW is a unique program, thanks to its strong focus on green-economy skills, notes Cathy Polasky, Director of Economic Development for the City of Minneapolis.
"Having these type of credentials is important, because it allows employers to have a tangible measure of what a prospective employee knows," she says. Even some employers that are not usually recognized as green companies have been eager to talk to program participants, Polasky says. For example, Doubletree Hotels is very interested in those who have learned environmentally-friendly tactics for housekeeping and maintenance, which allow the hotel chain to cut down on water use and streamline its operations.
Seventy different training tracks are offered through RENEW, with 12 training entities partnering with the program. Community-based service providers are also part of the effort, helping to inform low-income workers of the opportunities provided by the program.
Although the program's funding was a one-time award, Polasky and others are hoping that the Feds will come out with "a sequel" to keep the training rolling along.
"There's been such remarkable success with this, that we're really hoping to keep it going," she says.
Source: Cathy Polasky, City of Minneapolis
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Trade association LifeScience Alley is looking to boost its legislative activity, with the creation of a new role: vice president of government and affiliate relations.
The group has hired Shaye Mandle, an expert on policy and coalition-building to take the post. Mandle most recently served as the executive director of the FedEx Institute of Technology at the University of Memphis, where he helmed economic development and industry engagement.
In the private sector, Mandle managed government affairs, university relations, and business strategy for the Science Applications International Corporation, a firm with extensive R&D operations in Arlington, Virginia.
At LifeScience Alley, Mandle will work to develop a public-policy strategy, and be responsible for working with key state and national groups, including federal agencies, other industry associations, and legislators.
The group is hoping to improve the regulatory and economic climate for life-science innovation, and more involvement in legislation and policy is an important next step in that effort.
"The mission of the organization isn't changing," says Mandle. "Part of our core competency is to be a voice for the industry. So, we'll be lobbying on a day-to-day basis around existing legislation, and also looking for other ways to play in the policy arena."
Mandle's first steps will be connecting with the association's membership, to determine levels of need, and what they'd like to see happening in terms of policy action.
"If you look at the evolution of our government relations, you'll see that it's been mainly reactive," says Ryan Baird, director of marketing and communications at the organization. "We've finally gotten to the point where we can take a more proactive approach, and Shaye is a big part of that."
Source: Shaye Mandle and Ryan Baird, LifeScience Alley
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Call it a fast lane for blood donors: Memorial Blood Centers (MBC) recently unveiled an innovative web-based system that allows donors to answer health history questions from their homes or offices, instead of in person.
The iDonate Interview program is designed to increase efficiency for MBC, and speed donors through the process.
The nonprofit is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which requires that every blood donation be subject to rigorous screening techniques, including a health history questionnaire from donors. The interview process could be a pain, though, for donors that come in frequently, since inputting the information at the donation site takes about 20 minutes.
"It was frustrating for people who have answered those same questions multiple times," says Wendy Capetz, MBC's director of marketing and development. "When their answers are always the same, they should be able to go through this process faster."
MBC worked for over a year to tweak the program so that it could be highly secure, user friendly, and compliant with FDA regulations.
Using the program, donors can complete an online form, print out a receipt with a bar code, and bring it into the donation site. That lets them skip the usual registration and health screening steps, and go straight to donation and the subsequent relax-with-cookies time.
Capetz says, "Because it takes less time for the donation process, we're hoping that it will increase the amount of donations in general. The feedback has been great from people who've used it. We just got a comment on our website that the program 'totally rocks.' You can't get better than that."
Source: Wendy Capetz, Memorial Blood Centers
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
The craft beer movement is in full swing, and downtown Minneapolis is about to get another hot spot for hop lovers.
Fulton Brewery is set to open around mid-September, and when it does, the Warehouse District location will feature tours and growler sales, with initial brews like American Blonde and Russian Imperial Stout.
The four founders--Ryan Petz, Brian Hoffman, Pete Grande, and Jim Diley--met in college and bonded over homebrewed beer. As soon as they whipped up a fairly decent version, they started joking about selling their creation, notes Hoffman. "It was one of those conversations that got more serious without any of us realizing it," he says.
About two years ago, Petz was looking at a dismal internship market as he studied at the Carlson School of Management, and came up with the idea of starting a company as his summer project. From there, the momentum built until Fulton went from garage to full-scale brewing space.
"More and more people are getting into the beer scene, so this is great timing for us," says Hoffman. "Also, people who drink craft beer aren't brand loyal, so they tend to try beers from different breweries. That means we all do better as craft beer does better."
As they ready the new space, Fulton is working to build up buzz for their brews, through participation at events like "Brew at the Zoo" and "Eat Ramen, Help Japan." Eventually, Fulton would like to be a major player on the local beer scene, but for now, he and his partners are content to work on opening their Fulton Brewery doors and welcoming the adoring masses.
Source: Brian Hoffman, Fulton Beer
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Last April, web development firm The Nerdery announced that it was about to double its Bloomington headquarters. Now, it turns out that's not enough room.
The 8-year-old firm has been growing at such a steady clip that it's been consistently outgrowing its space for the past two years. In 2009, the company began knocking down walls and taking over other parts of its headquarters to allow for more employees, and recently, it built a 225-seat theater for all-company meetings.
But even that space may have to include significant standing-room-only areas in the near future, according to CEO Mike Derheim, who says the company seems to be always expanding.
"We have a deal right now where we're about to take another 6,000 square-feet of space, but in the meantime, we're looking at another 9,000 square-feet on top of that," he notes. "We're also looking at other geographies in terms of opening offices."
The growth is driven by high demand for Nerdery services, he says. The firm partners with ad agencies and design firms that need the type of creative technology expertise that The Nerdery provides.
To fill that extra office space, the company has a position known as the "Nerd Hunter," who's in charge of recruiting and interviews candidates every day. Three other employees create nerd-finder events and post job openings on career sites. The company has also begun doing a "Nerdery Roadshow" to different parts of the state, in an effort to recruit more talent.
"What's unique about us is that we find people who wake up every morning excited about developing the coolest new technology, and we have clients who recognize that," says Derheim. "That's what's fueling our growth."
Source: Mike Derheim, The Nerdery
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Application developer and data center provider Open Access Technology International (OATI) recently announced its move to a new campus in Northeast Minneapolis, which will house both the company's growing staff and its next-generation data center.
Founded in 1995, OATI pioneered the software-as-a-service business model for the energy industry, and has since created products and services for energy trading, risk management, compliance monitoring, renewable resources, and other strategies. The company won the 2010 Tekne Award in the Technology Services, Small and Growing Company category, presented by the Minnesota High Tech Association.
The software firm purchased the 22-acre property in 2009, scooping up a site once owned and occupied by Honeywell International, located at 3660 Technology Drive NE.
At the time, OATI's President and CEO, Dr. Sasan Mokhtari, noted that the acquisition would allow the company to meet future challenges in the energy industry, OATI's main client base. A centerpiece to the project is a data center with high levels of physical and cyber security, redundancy, and efficiency.
OATI's two data centers are linked into one virtual data center through multiple fiber links, with optimized infrastructure.
Also in the mix are an executive briefing center, conference center, customer care department, and training center, in order to meet the needs of OATI's expanding staff.
In announcing the current move, Dr. Mokhtari stated that the new campus is three times larger than the company's previous space, and provides for continued growth in staff as well as services.
Source: OATI
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Local, fresh produce will now be easier to obtain for people who use food stamps, thanks to an initiative that allows more farmers markets to accept EBT (electronic benefits transfer) cards.
The program is a coordinated effort among Hennepin County, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), and the City of Minneapolis. Launched last year with two markets, the program has been expanded this year as an incentive for people to shop at the markets and eat healthier foods.
Those participating in the program will receive "Market Bucks" coupons, which match the first $5 in EBT card purchases with an additional $5 in coupons. Participating farmers markets are Midtown, Minneapolis, Northeast, West Bank at Augsburg, West Bank at Brian Coyle Community Center, and West Broadway.
"Technically, it was actually complicated to put into place, because EBT is designed to work in retail settings, at places that have Internet access," says JoAnne Berkenkamp, Program Director for Local Foods at IATP. "We're pleased that so many people worked together to solve those issues and make this happen. Our hope is that we can craft a food system that works for everyone."
The program also benefits farmers, she adds, because it brings in more shoppers and encourages more purchasing. Last year, at Midtown Farmers Market--the first market in the Twin Cities to accept EBT cards--the number of people using EBT more than doubled over the previous year.
Berkenkamp notes that there are other markets and municipalities around the state trying to put a similar program in place, and she anticipates that the initiative will expand in the near future.
Source: JoAnne Berkenkamp, IATP
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Marketing Going Mobile
August 11
Metropolitan Ballroom
5418 Wayzata Blvd., Golden Valley
$30 for BMA members and $45 for non-members
The Minnesota chapter of the Business Marketing Association is hosting a panel discussion on how to successfully add mobile technology to B2B marketing campaigns. Topics include: leveraging mobile as a new media channel, integrating mobile into a marketing mix, and challenges associated with building applications for mobile devices. Attendees can register online at BMA's site through August 9, and a limited number of walk-up registrations are also available.
Mobile Twin Cities
August 16
Refactr office
11 Fourth St. NE, Minneapolis
Geared toward mobile developers, but open to non-techies, Mobile Twin Cities is a group of mobile enthusiasts who enjoy meeting on the third Tuesday or each month to discuss trends and software on all platforms. Past topics have included the challenges of training cellular sales teams, the use of QR codes, and the top news in mobile. For those who are interested, but can't make the meeting, Mobile Twin Cities offers videos of previous meetings on its site.
Summer Garden Party in the Sky
August 17
Crowne Plaza's Sky Garden
618 Second Ave. S., Minneapolis
free, but registration recommended
Put on by the MainStreetChamber, this networking mixer is a celebration of the gathering's first-year anniversary in Minnesota. The meetup is expected to draw hundreds of small business owners, and offers magnificent views of downtown as well as the hotel's rooftop garden.
Bootstrappers Breakfast
August 25
Wilde Roast
65 Main St. SE, Minneapolis
$10 fee + your own breakfast costs
Held monthly, the Bootstrappers Breakfast gives those in early-stage technology startups a chance to compare notes on operational, development, and business issues with their peers. The discussion is moderated by Kevin Spreng, an attorney specializing in entrepreneurial and investment issues. The focus isn't on fundraising through venture capital interest, but instead, on sharing ideas about how to grow a business.
Sustainable growth is the holy grail for any small business, and the University of Minnesota is now aiming to help more companies reach that goal.
The university recently developed Small Biz, a 9-month program designed for small, established businesses that will identify and address key growth challenges.
Once a company is selected for inclusion, it can take advantage of monthly advisor sessions, co-working space, workshops, and interaction with peer companies. One particularly distinctive aspect of the program is the access to university graduate student projects, according to Jeffrey Seltz, Manager of Business Development Services in the university's Office for Business & Community Economic Development.
Business owners can depend on implementation support from a "smart and ambitious graduate student," he notes, as well as tap into the university's other research and faculty resources. The university is in the process of choosing its first round of eight to 10 companies (application info is available on the Small Biz site), and kickoff is expected the first week of September.
The program stems from an assessment done by the Carlson School of Management, which looked at small business needs, and specifically at what types of resources could be improved.
Although similar programs are cropping up nationally and in the metro area, Seltz notes that Small Biz is set apart because it's not geared toward starting businesses and entrepreneurs, but instead toward established companies looking to reach the next level of growth. Also, the array of resources available from the university makes it a particularly rich, supportive environment.
"We have access to key resources, cutting-edge research, and a vast network," he says. "It's an intense program, and we're looking forward to seeing it in action."
Source: Jeffrey Seltz, University of Minnesota
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Social networking resources like LinkedIn and Facebook help to expand professional networks, but sometimes you just need the equivalent of a good phonebook.
Toward that end, a particularly valuable resource that lists women entrepreneurs is now being compiled by CoCo, a coworking and collaborative space that recently expanded into Minneapolis.
The project got its start when the founders of CoCo were talking about creating an advisory group of successful business people and entrepreneurs who could offer wisdom and advice, according to co-founder Don Ball.
"We created a short list of candidates that we might approach and it was apparent that we didn't have any women in the list," he says. "Kind of pathetic."
So, Ball tapped into his Twitter network to find a list of successful women entrepreneurs in Minnesota, and discovered that one didn't exist. He put a web form on CoCo's site to collect that information and immediately got questions asking for definition, such as "What do you mean by entrepreneur?" and "In what fields?"
"I made the list really open-ended," Ball says. "We're looking for information about any women entrepreneurs, however one interprets that. So, if you look at the list, you'll see that we have some diversity in peoples' pursuits, which seems healthy and appropriate. I don't need to set the criteria on the collection end. People who want to access the list can determine what kind of entrepreneurs they're interested in knowing about and connecting with."
Currently, the list has about 75 entries, and Ball is hoping to get many more and turn the information into a searchable, sortable database so that the data is more usable.
If the initiative is successful, Ball envisions similar efforts for other directories, like compiling the area's innovators, social entrepreneurs, Hispanic entrepreneurs, or green-energy business owners.
Source: Don Ball, CoCo
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
A firm dedicated to making roadways safer and more efficient is getting some potential speed of its own, thanks to the inclusion of a former congressman.
Global Traffic Technologies (GTT), a developer of traffic sensing and routing systems, is bringing on Jim Oberstar as Senior Strategic Advisor.
"Jim is a passionate advocate for improving the transportation infrastructure in an affordable and sustainable manner, and he has built an incredible reputation not just across the U.S., but around the world, for his commitment to this cause," says Doug Roberts, CEO at GTT.
During his 36-year tenure serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Oberstar championed a wide range of initiatives to improve transportation safety. His efforts culminated in his appointment as chairman for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in 2007, a position that included oversight of all modes of transport, including aviation, maritime, and highway systems.
Oberstar has been familiar with GTT's work, Roberts notes, so the match seemed perfect. He says, "When the opportunity arose, it was a natural fit to combine Jim's passion and ability to communicate with GTT's ability to deliver."
In addition to raising GTT's profile and extending its reach into new markets, Oberstar will be working with customers to identify the public-private partnership models that GTT depends on, Roberts says.
Oberstar's appointment comes at an important time for the company, he adds, since GTT has developed new products that allow customers to draw more benefits from their existing systems. Getting the word out about these fresh offerings will help municipalities save money, and foster growth for GTT going forward.
Source: Doug Roberts, Global Traffic Technologies
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Volunteerism's many benefits include expanded social and professional networks, new-skill building, and community enhancement. And it just plain feels good. So, it's no surprise that job seekers who might feel discouraged and frustrated would have much to gain in taking on volunteer roles.
That's the thinking behind a new effort at the Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA), a statewide organization that acts as a resource around volunteerism.
The group recently did a survey on volunteer trends and found that there's been a significant rise in volunteerism among people looking for work. That shift makes sense, since job seekers tend to have time to spare and can expand their networks that way. Recent college graduates have always been part of the volunteer pool, but now, MAVA is seeing more volunteerism among those who've been laid off.
The group also has distinct needs, believes Mary Quirk, MAVA's Volunteer Resources Leadership Project Manager, since people tend to take on short-term projects and have unpredictable schedules. In order to create a more positive volunteer experience on both sides, MAVA has worked to create more tools and resources for organizations that bring job seekers into their environments.
"When people are laid off, volunteering can make a lot of difference for them," says Quirk. "They might volunteer to learn skills like project management, for example. Beyond that, they're getting assurance that their work has value, which is something they might not have been feeling otherwise. Job loss is a depressing experience, and volunteering can bring people back to a place of strength and confidence."
To help organizations draw more job seekers as volunteers, MAVA created a toolkit, which is offered for free on its website. The resource helps an organization to understand the dynamics of job seekers and gives tips for volunteer roles and tasks that work well with that particular group. MAVA also put together a workshop on the topic that it will be bringing to different parts of the state.
Source: Mary Quirk, MAVA
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Co-ops are a common business structure for groovy food emporiums, energy consortiums, and dairy producers, but now that setup is ready to fuel more growth at entrepreneurial advocacy group MOJO Minnesota.
The collection of Twin Cities attorneys, advisors, entrepreneurs, and investors came together about a year ago, calling themselves "agitators for innovation policy and community." The group's main goal is to shine a light on new technologies through state policy advocacy, unique events, and mentoring. Creating connections among business leaders, industry groups, and investors is another strong focus.
Now, it's a co-operative as well. "Up until this point, we've been an unincorporated association, which just means there was a collection of us working together on these particular issues," says co-founder Ernest Grumbles. "We wanted to formalize our structure, and when we looked at the available options, we latched onto being a co-op because that's how we've been functioning."
MOJO has a populist feel to it, he notes, but more importantly, it allows the group to pursue advocacy action and potential commercialization that would have been more challenging if it had sought non-profit status.
"Minnesota has been a big booster of co-ops," he adds, "where people come together and share resources. There are a number of power co-ops and consumer co-ops, but our group is unique in taking that structure."
Grumbles believes that other business advocacy and networking organizations would be beneficial for the state, and it's his hope that MOJO won't be the only business-focused co-op for long.
Source: Ernest Grumbles, MOJO Minnesota
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
If ReconRobotics has its way, the company's cutting-edge micro-robots will become standard issue for many more government entities.
Although the Edina-based firm already has a number of federal and state contacts, the addition of Andrew Borene--a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq and once worked at the Pentagon--should boost its reach, the company hopes.
ReconRobotics was formed in 2006 in order to commercialize robotics technology developed at the University of Minnesota Robotics Laboratory. The company's devices are used by hundreds of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and military units to obtain real-time video of hostile environments.
The distinctive robots are lightweight, rugged, and versatile, and the newest little robot, the Recon Scout XT, is only 1.2 pounds and can be thrown 120 feet without damage.
Borene steps into the newly created position of Director of Government and Industry Affairs in order to build the company's government-relations activities and support federally funded research and development programs for micro-robot technologies. Most recently, Borene served in a similar capacity at LexisNexis, where he dealt with large contract programs with defense and intelligence agencies.
"ReconRobotics has established itself as a world leader in micro-robotics," he says. "The company is now going from being a start-up to a mature enterprise, and it's my job to help that happen."
He adds that a recent speech by President Obama highlighted several industries that would be pushing the economy forward, and robotics was mentioned as a source of innovation. Borene is ready to make good on that promise by getting ReconRobotics into the spotlight.
"I see my role as helping to marshal government resources and get some development and support," he says. "It's really exciting, what we have ahead. I love it."
Source: Andrew Borene, ReconRobotics
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Because immigrants are settling in areas outside of the Twin Cities, the African Development Council (ADC) decided to begin reaching out beyond its Minneapolis offices.
"The pattern of movement with African immigrants is changing," says Hussein Samatar, ADC's Executive Director. "They were coming to the Cities in the beginning, but gradually, they've been moving outside the metro for job opportunities or housing, or to have more space for their children."
In order to offer assistance to those in other cities, the ADC recently purchased a building in Willmar to serve as a regional satellite office, with plans to open in mid-September. A new location in Rochester opened in June to serve those in that region of the state. Samatar notes that in downtown Willmar, more than 40 percent of businesses are owned by African or Latino people.
ADC was established in 2003, with its first major funding and full-time staff positions coming just a year later. The group believes that immigrant groups help to revitalize neglected neighborhoods, boost the economy through new businesses, and increase home ownership. The organization focuses on these areas with strategic lending, housing assistance, and other services.
According to a report by The Minneapolis Foundation, about 13 percent of the state's foreign-born residents are from Africa--a higher percentage than in any other U.S. state. Most Africans have come to Minnesota from Somalia, Liberia, and the Sudan, according to the ADC, but there's an increasing influx from Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Eritrea as well.
ADC formed to fill a gap that some saw with mainstream development corporations and the complex needs of African immigrants.
Just as the group is expanding northward and southward outside the metro, it got some help itself recently, when it garnered a two-year grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation. Samatar points out that Bremer's founder was a German immigrant, who came to the U.S at a different time, but faced many of the same business and housing issues that still challenge immigrants today.
"We feel that there are so many opportunities where we can provide services, and the grant will help us to keep expanding and serving more people," says Samatar. "We're always seeing where we can fill in gaps and provide assistance."
Source: Hussein Samatar, African Development Council
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Although the state government's operations might be temporarily reduced to a simmer, it seems that Minnesota's exports are at full boil.
According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the state's exports of manufactured, agricultural and mining products grew 13 percent in the first quarter, compared to the same period a year ago. Overall, state exports were a record $4.8 billion for the quarter.
The most dominant export category proved to be manufactured products, bringing in $4.4 billion of total sales, which is a 12 percent increase over last year.
"Minnesota exports continue to be strong, generating more business for companies and contributing to job growth statewide," said DEED Commissioner Mark Phillips in a press release announcing the news. He added that exports to nine of the state's top 10 markets expanded from a year ago, and sales for most of Minnesota's products and commodities grew as well.
Canada remains Minnesota's largest customer, accounting for $1.3 billion in exports in the quarter, up 16 percent from a year ago. Other top markets include China, Japan, Mexico, Germany, and South Korea. Growth in Asia was particularly significant, with exports to China increasing by 35 percent.
Despite the record export growth, the Minnesota Trade Office believes that many small- to mid-sized businesses could be doing even more to bring their products and services to non-Minnesota customers. In a statement, the Trade Office's Executive Director, Katie Clark, noted that Minnesota must focus on selling its products to the global marketplace.
Source: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
With multiple conservation successes over the past decade and a half, Great River Greening is poised to do even more in the near future.
The organization began in 1995 as part of the St. Paul Foundation, with an initial goal of planting 35,000 trees and shrubs in the riverfront area of St. Paul.
By mobilizing over 10,000 volunteers, Great River quickly achieved that mission and moved on to a new project: the "Million Acorns Campaign," which aimed to revive the dwindling oak savannah population in the city.
With that project now completed as well, the group is looking to go state-wide with its initiatives, and is adding two key director positions in development and marketing, to grow the nonprofit.
"We need to go to the next level," says Deborah Karasov, Great River's Executive Director. "We have an amazing group of devoted donors, and now we want to take our message to a wider audience, and grow geographically."
The group is well known in the St. Paul metro area, but Karasov notes that they'd like to do more initiatives in the Minnesota River Valley, as well as in northern counties.
Great River is distinctive, she adds, because they don't do political advocacy or lobbying work, focusing all their energies instead on conservation efforts and community building. The group's ability to get volunteers for hands-on work is particularly inspiring, Karasov believes.
In the future, she anticipates there will be many more projects around water quality protection and land restoration. The newly-minted directorial positions should bring a needed boost to Great River's ambitious-but-realistic goals to green up the state.
Source: Deborah Karasov, Great River Greening
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
A start-up company hopes to use University of Minnesota technology to create a medical device that will treat the debilitating disease pulmonary hypertension.
Aria CV, Inc., has licensed technology that was developed at the U of M's Medical Devices Center through its Innovation Fellows Program, a "year on steroids of product development" says Art Erdman, director of the center.
The cross-disciplinary program brings fellows with backgrounds in engineering, medicine, and biosciences together with faculty, medical professionals, and industry collaborators to develop and test ideas for new medical devices.
The yearlong program starts in the field, identifying medical needs in hospitals and on ambulance rides, says Erdman. Last year, 800 needs were narrowed to about 20 projects, which look at every aspect of medical-device development.
Some of those projects make it through to actual development; in its first three years, the Medical Devices Center has produced two startups, 35 patents, and a license agreement, according to Erdman.
Aria's two active founders--Vice President of Engineering Karl Vollmers and and CEO John Scandurra--and the other inventors were fellows in the program until last fall. Since licensing the technology Aria has filed other patents related to the device, which is in the testing and feasibility stage of development, says Vollmers.
Aria CV is a certified company with the Minnesota Angel Tax Credit and has received funding by private investors through the program, says Vollmers, who says Aria could start hiring employees next year.
Vollmers says the device will not replace the drug therapy that many pulmonary hypertension patients go through, "but we believe it will improve the life span and the quality of living considerably."
It will be years before the device is approved, first in Europe and then in the U.S., says Vollmers.
Sources:
Art Erdman, U of M Medical Devices Center
Karl Vollmers, Aria CV
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Pub Standards MN
Thursday, July 14, 6–8 p.m.
Psycho Suzie's
1900 Marshall Street NE, Minneapolis
Join in the monthly meet-up of Pub Standards MN to "drink, talk shit, complain, and commiserate" with other web professionals, as their website states.
Annual UEL Summer BBQ
Wednesday, July 20, 3–6:30 p.m.
University Enterprises Laboratories
1000 Westgate Drive, St. Paul
Free
Call 651-641-2804 or email to rsvp for this annual gathering at the biosciences research center and early-stage company incubator.
Creativity in the Digital World — MIMA event
Wednesday, July 20, 5:15 p.m.
McNamara Alumni Center, U of M Campus
200 Oak Street SE, Minneapolis
Free to $45
Heath Rudduck, chief creative officer at Campbell Mithun, will present at this event from the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association (MIMA). Registration and cash bar at 5:15 p.m.; presentation at 6 p.m.; networking, food & cash bar at 7 p.m. Pre-register for $40 (free for MIMA members and students) or walk in for $40–$45.
Hacks/Hackers Twin Cities
Hacked! - Why You Should Care about Privacy in Social Media
Thursday, July 21, 6 p.m.
Public Radio International
401 Second Ave. N., Suite 500, Minneapolis
Join the newly established Hacks/Hackers Twin Cities for a conversation about privacy and security in social media.
Bootstrappers Breakfast
Thursday, July 28, 7:30–9 a.m.
Wilde Roast
65 SE Main St., Minneapolis
$10
Early stage technology startups compare notes on operational, development, and business issues with peers who "eat problems for breakfast." Moderated by start-up lawyer Kevin Spreng.
CoCo/Project Skyway Grain Exchange opening party
Saturday, July 30
400 South Fourth Street
details TBA
The early news is that CoCo and Project Skyway will celebrate the opening of their Minneapolis space at the Grain Exchange on July 30. Watch for details on their websites.
Visit Tech.MN for a full listing of tech-related events.
Advisory boards have long been used to help companies boost their strategies and growth potential, and thanks to a local initiative, the standard board structure now has a technological twist.
At BOUNCE (which stands for Business Owners Unite: Networking, Coaching & Education), small business owners can join a team of five to six other owners. The group meets virtually every week, using tools like email, Skype, Google Groups, Twitter, Facebook and even text messaging to discuss a company's priorities and goal attainment.
The idea is to create an advisory board that doesn't take much in-person time — although the groups meet twice in their year-long membership — but still foster a sense of discipline and accountability in its members.
Founders Pam Kearney and Karin Khuhro started BOUNCE in early 2011, and have just put together the first group. They expect that as the system gets more traction, they'll be running several advisory boards concurrently.
"What we've seen is that small business owners and entrepreneurs sometimes need a team approach to help them stay motivated," says Kearney. "They can draw on the creativity and inspirations of others to make sure they stay true to their vision."
The model is similar to a CEO roundtable, she adds, with the use of technology added to increase communication among group members. Each person acts as an advisor to the others, and Khuhro notes that the teams will be made up of professionals from different industries, with varying skill sets.
"We're looking to attract people who have been in business for a couple of years, who have gone past the point of getting their feet wet," says Khuhro. "These will be professionals who want to focus on vision building, strategic planning, determining measurables."
BOUNCE will use the Entrepreneurial Operating System, a business management system that includes specific targets and processes, in order to keep an advisory board on track.
"We can teach people to get traction and solve issues," says Kearney. "We think this should be pretty exciting."
Sources: Pam Kearney and Karin Khuhro, BOUNCE
Writer: Elizabeth Millard
Minnesota companies account for one-fourth of the start-ups that will advance from the North-Central region and hope to compete on the national stage in this year's Cleantech Open.
The 20 semi-finalists from the 10-state North-Central region include five Minnesota companies in three of the six categories. A Cleantech Open news release describes the companies:
Green Building category
Supreme Energy Products of Lakeville--Seamless building envelope systems to enable 50-70 percent greater energy savings
Renewable Energy category
Atmosphere Recovery of Eden Prairie--Dramatic energy output increases from gas or liquid-based renewable energy processes
INVELOX of Chaska--Technology for safe, silent, low-cost and high-efficiency wind power generation
Transportation category
CleanTrack of Plymouth--Fleet fuel consumption and hydrocarbon emissions reduction system.
RoutePerfect of Minneapolis--A new fuel optimization technology for the transportation industry
In October, finalists will be chosen from the regions to compete nationally for up to $250,000 in investment and services and an opportunity to present in front of 2,000 attendees at The Cleantech Open's Global Forum in November.
Perhaps more important is the advice, education, and access to investors that each semifinalist company will receive in the coming months, including coaching from a network of business mentors, one-on-one consulting with specialists, an intensive "boot camp," and other local supporting events and training.
Win or lose, it's an opportunity to develop or perfect business plans and showcase ideas in search of capital to get a start-up off the ground
This year marks the second year of participation for the North-Central region in the competition, which began nationally in 2006. Illinois, new to the region this year, also sends five companies into the semi-final round.
In total, 163 start-ups made the semifinal round nationwide.
Source: Cleantech Open
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
After picking up speed over the last month, Minnesota's first tech accelerator is set to cruise with its first class of companies.
Following a weekend-long "bootcamp" June 10–12, Project Skyway chose eight "Skywalkers" from the field of 25 semi-finalist companies. Over the course of the weekend, the companies pitched their own and each other's ideas to fellow entrepreneurs, Project Skyway organizers, and the public. They attended roundtables with lawyers, investors, accomplished tech and software entrepreneurs, and others, and they met potential investors and customers.
"They certainly got a lot out of it," whether they moved on or not, said Project Skyway founder Cem Erdem of the 25 bootcampers. Project Skyway asked many of those not selected to apply for the next round after fine-tuning their ideas, adding a business partner, raising capital, or otherwise advancing their businesses.
After the bootcamp, the companies were rated by all involved, including each other and members of the public. In the end, eight were chosen:
COR² Technology--The company offers a cloud-based business-process and work-flow automation service to help organizations with 5 to 500 co-workers eliminate piles of paper by integrating simple applications with unlimited user licenses that power the whole organization.
Naiku--Naiku creates an affordable Software-as-a-Service that K-12 teachers use to easily individualize learning with a dashboard created by its proprietary analytics model.
Nitch--Nitch is an online platform for B2B collaboration and commerce.
Paypongo--Paypongo's service is a secure mobile payment solution that allows consumer-to-merchant transactions; consumer-to-consumer transactions; and merchant-to-merchant transactions, all through mobile devices. Transactions can originate from banking accounts or credit cards.
Qualtrx--Qualtrx is a new healthcare sales channel--an online solutions marketplace where healthcare providers publish patient-care needs, goals, and priorities, and where pharma and device vendors purchase these needs as "keywords" to make targeted needs-based proposals via the Qualtrx platform.
Telementry Web--TelemetryWeb helps makers of Internet-connected sensors and industrial devices build a new class of innovative, data-centric solutions by leveraging a ready-to-use, scalable Software-as-a-Service platform to secure, store, process, and integrate sensor data in novel ways.
Vanquish AP--VanquishAP is developing a real estate management platform that connects property managers, building owners, and tenants by creating local social communities while automating redundant tasks and centralizing logistics.
UHungry--UHungry is developing a social networking site to help college students save money and time by making it easy for them to place orders online at quick-serve restaurants with a group of friends while earning points to spend on future orders by completing tasks. This company, hailing from Long Island, was the only one not from Minnesota.
Erdem notes that the Skywalker companies are all early-stage companies, beyond the more basic start-up level.
Erdem and Casey Allen's video run-down of the eight Skywalkers gives an inside look not only at each of the companies, but at the Project Skyway decision process and model.
Cem and Casey Play-by-Play Skywalker Commentary from Casey Allen on Vimeo.
Although the accelerator class was intended to begin Aug. 1, Erdem sent an email this week informing the finalists that they would move forward now with the momentum of the bootcamp.
The class, and Project Skyway in general, will be based out of the tech accelerator's new shared space (with the co-working organization CoCo) in the Grain Exchange building in Downtown Minneapolis. Project Skyway plans a 'big party' at the end of July after the move in mid-July.
Erdem's personal email to each of the eight finalists reflects the tenor of his passion, and it sets the bar high for the participants:
"I bought into your vision," he writes, "but more importantly I bought into your purpose, your character, who you are. Our entire community will be watching you every step of the way. They are thirsty to see you succeed and bring the long lost entrepreneurial fame back to our region."
Source: Cem Erdem
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
A total of 51 companies have moved into the semi-final round of the 2011 Minnesota Cup, which is now in its seventh year.
The list of companies includes two, Naiku and Qualtrx, that were also selected for Project Skyway's inaugural tech accelerator.
The Minnesota Cup is also similar to the national Cleantech Open, which also announced semifinalists last week-- companies compete for divisional and grand prize money (a total of $185,000) but also receive invaluable mentoring and exposure to investors, entrepreneurs, and other business experts.
Companies fall into six divisions: Clean Technology and Renewable Energy, BioSciences, High Tech, Social Entrepreneur, General, and Student.
Matt Hilker, director of the Minnesota Cup, who is in his second full cycle of the competition, says this is where the value starts for the semi-finalists--with "the validation and the exposure they get for their idea, whether it's potential advisors or even customers, that's huge," says Hilker.
"Just the process itself is good, because they're given deadlines of when they have to turn in a business plan," says Hiler. "It's motivation."
Over the next month-and-a-half, each company will be paired with at least one mentor while they write their business plans. In mid-August, three finalists will be chosen from each division, with the winners of each collecting $25,000 and moving on to the final round in September.
The Minnesota Cup's program background and details page gives a good explanation and a timeline of the competition.
Source: Matt Hilker, Minnesota Cup
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Free Geek Twin Cities (FGTC) has a new home.
The Minneapolis-based non-profit, succeeding at its mission to "keep computers off the streets," outgrew its home in Powderhorn Park after about a year, according to a blog post.
Free Geek found a new spot at 2310 Snelling Ave. with the help of Seward Redesign, a community development corporation in the area.
The larger space should work better for FGTC's growing work. With the help of volunteers, the group collects old computers and other electronics, and either builds new computers with the parts or recycles them. (They do suggest a monetary donation along with your old junk…)
Free Geek either gives the computers to volunteers or sells them in their thrift store.
Parallel to this volunteer recycle/rebuild mission is another, related one: to bridge the digital divide and provide access, skills and knowledge about computers to those who don't have it.
Free Geek has expanded its hours since the move, as well:
Wednesday, noon–5 p.m.
Saturday noon–5 p.m.
Sunday, 2pm–7 p.m.
The move will not be a permanent one, writes FGTC on its blog; Seward Redesign has plans to redevelop the building in the next six months–two years, but the CDC will help FGTC find another new home.
Read more about FGTC's move and mission on their blog,
For a good sense of the Free Geek model, take a look at the below video about Free Geek Portland, where the movement began, and which served as a model for the Twin Cities version:
Source: Free Geek Twin CIties
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Ximedica (pronounced "Zye-medica") is already established near one medical device hotspot (Boston) and is now expanding to another: the Twin Cities.
"Minneapolis is the hub of so many medical device companies and the hub of so many of our customers," says Sandra Weiss, director of marketing for the Providence, Rhode Island-based firm.
Ximedica provides up-front research, design, strategy, product development and introduction, and many other services to medical device and consumer healthcare companies.
The new office will be located in the University Enterprise Laboratories (UEL) Center, near University Avenue and Highway 280.
The company will be hiring locally, says Weiss--a key part of maintaining the presence and trust with local partners that the company has established on the East Coast for nearly 25 years.
"We're [hiring locally] so we can continue to maintain that service, we can continue to earn that trust locally, just like we've done in Providence," says Weiss, who notes that the Twin Cities is also a hub of academia and research related to the industry.
Ximedica does not have a solid target for the number of employees there, but it is "actively recruiting" and "aggressively hiring," says Stephanie Chamberlain, human resources manager for Ximedica.
As of mid-June, the staff count was one: Director of Human Factors Industrial Design David Copeland. His team will eventually include a director of engineering; senior level mechanical, software and electrical engineers; and program managers.
The Minnesota facility is expected to be at full capacity this fall, according to a press release, and Ximedica is also expanding its Providence location to 100,000 square feet of "integrated product development space."
Source: Sandra Weiss, Ximedica
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Two University of Minnesota researchers have developed technology that solves one problem--the proliferation of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2)--to work improving another: how to more efficiently tap the heat inside the earth for geothermal energy systems.
Earth sciences faculty member Martin Saar and graduate student Jimmy Randolph have applied for a patent and plan to form a startup company to commercialize the technology, according to a press release.
The CO2-plume geothermal system (CPG) uses high-pressure CO2, rather than the conventional water, to carry the heat from deep in the earth. CO2 travels more easily through porous rock and can extract heat more readily, according to the researchers. The research was published in the most recent issue of Geophysical Research Letters.
The technology was "born in a flash of insight on a northern Minnesota road trip," according to the release, as the two conducted separate research on geothermal energy capture and geologic CO2 sequestration.
"We connected the dots and said, 'Wait a minute--what are the consequences if you use geothermally heated CO2?'" states Saar through the press release.
The consequences, according to Randolph, include being able to capture heat "in areas you couldn't even think about doing regular geothermal for electricity production," Randolph says in the release, stating that the technology could double efficiency in some areas.
The research was jump-started with a $600,00 grant in 2008 from the university's Institute on the Environment's Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment (IREE).
The grant came from an annual pool of $5 million from Xcel Energy's Renewable Development Fund. IREE disburses a number of grants each year through a competition, says Rod Larkins, IREE's associate director.
That funding leveraged another $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, and the researchers are hoping to receive an even larger grant, says Larkins, which would require a 20 percent match, of which IREE would cover half (10 percent of the grant amount). That funding would help move the technology into the pilot phase, according to the release.
Saar called the IREE grant "really critical" in the release. "I think it's fair to say that there's a good chance that it wouldn't have gone anywhere without IREE support in the early days," he says.
Larkins says IREE's interest in funding the research stems from the fact that the technology reduces a waste stream in achieving its main objective of capturing heat for geothermal energy.
Source: Rod Larkins, Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Minneapolis-based children's book publisher Lerner Publishing Group has released its first iPad app, a visually rich and interactive digital version of the book Journey Into the Deep, which Lerner published in 2010.
Rebecca L. Johnson, who wrote the award-winning book, also developed the app for the Apple iPad, says Terri Reden, vice president of marketing and digital products for Lerner Publishing Group.
The book and app highlights the work and newly discovered aquatic life of the Census of Marine Life, an international effort conducted between 2000 and 2010. The app includes content not found in the book, says Reden, as well as photo slideshows, videos of sea creatures, links to websites, a discussion guide, and a video introduction with author Rebecca L. Johnson.
The inaugural app is a new aspect of Lerner's emerging digital catalog, which includes e-versions of its books, as well as more than 120 "interactive books" aimed at K–5 students who struggle with reading.
While those other offerings are aimed at Lerner's primary audience--schools and libraries--the iPad app is targeted more towards families, says Reden, specifically for 9–14-year-olds (although younger and older individuals may appreciate the app's colorful images and/or breadth of information).
Reden described the creation of the app as a sort of act of discovery, spurred by Johnson's own interest in creating the application. Lerner is not actively developing a next app, but the company is looking back at its catalog to see what other titles might work in the format.
The company continues to expand its other digital offerings, says Reden.
Source: Terri Reden, Lerner Publishing Group
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
The Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority (RCRRA) wants to know what kinds of businesses should fill the Union Depot building in Lowertown St. Paul. Once restored, the historic building will be the eastern terminus of the future Central Corridor Light Rail line.
A short, anonymous survey is available online until June 26.
The information will be used for planning purposes, "to understand what kinds of businesses have an interest in opening a shop or selling their goods in Union Depot, and how Union Depot can become a vibrant part of the fabric of Downtown Saint Paul, in addition to serving as the premier multimodal transit hub of the region," says Daniel Fuchs, senior analyst for HR&A Advisors, which is assisting with the survey effort "to explore the best means for developing a vibrant mix of mutually-supportive local businesses and entrepreneurs in the building," according to a Ramsey County Regional Rail News statement.
The purpose of the survey and HR&A work is "to maximize the economic development and job-generation value of The Union Depot project," including to:
— help inform a vision for what kind of marketplace The Union Depot should become, and over what period of time;
— demonstrate your interest in seeing The Union Depot succeed as an economic development driver and jobs-generator for the city and region;
— help identify what kinds of tenant spaces might be made available in the building, along with corresponding infrastructure needs; and
— put businesses on a list to attend an open house for potential tenants of the building.
A six-page pamphlet gives more information about the $150 million project, which is set to be completed in early 2013 and is expected to draw 1 million transit riders by 2014. The pamphlet includes a floor plan showing the 56,000 square feet of tenant space and 38,000 square feet of "civic halls" for retail kiosks.
The pamphlet also offers a market overview for Lowertown and Downtown St. Paul.
Sources: Daniel Fuchs, HR&A Advisors; Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
If you're keeping track of the changes at Code 42, make sure to backup the files, because the updates are coming quickly.
Advancements in the past three months alone include the release of the company's third major product, the acquisition of mobile-app developer Recursive Awesome, and a 10,000-square-foot expansion of its headquarters in near-Northeast Minneapolis.
With the growth and increasing popularity of its backup software Crashplan, the firm is adding employees weekly, says co-founder and CEO Matthew Dornquast.
The addition of Recursive Awesome brings that company's 15 engineers into the fold, and Code 42 has a North American core team of around 75 people. The company has been doubling in size, says Dornquast; it ended last year at around 50 or 60 and should end the year at 100, he says.
With the employee growth and acquisition, Code 42 has also doubled its physical space as well at its headquarters at 1 Main Street along the Mississippi River opposite Downtown Minneapolis. Code 42 moved to the 10,000- square-foot space about a year and a half ago, and added another 10,000 square feet earlier this year, with room to grow again, if necessary.
Like Code 42 itself, Recursive Awesome has moved from Downtown proper to the new offices. Dornquast said the two companies have "familial business DNA" in a press release last week about the acquisition.
Code 42 followed that news this week with the release this week of its third major product, a small-business focused backup solution in between the tiers of its original home/consumer and large-enterprise products. "Several years in the making," according to Dornquast, the mid-tier product will take the Crashplan PRO name of the existing larger-company product, which will be repositioned with the more-apt name of Crashplan-PRO-E.
The new product will support companies with up to 200 computers, and it will make use of Code 42's existing cloud backup capabilities.
Dornquast notes that Code 42's backup capabilities are multi-destination. "Even in the … 0–200 product, you'll be able to do direct to attached storage, onsite to other computers, and then direct to our cloud."
The cloud option works well for small businesses with fewer computers, he notes. "The user's story is being able to rapidly deploy your computers to the cloud; you can turn on backup through your whole company in less than 15 minutes," he says.
That user-friendly experience--"easy on-ramps, easy-to-understand"--belies the reach and power of the company's product. "The same engine that's powering this 0–200 product is running our cloud, for everybody," he says. "In real time, we're monitoring, managing, maintaining these data streams for everyone around the world."
"Everyone" refers to the millions of desktops and laptops Code 42 backs up globally, and the addition of Recursive Awesome will open Code 42 to the mobile market--devices that are emerging as endpoint data destinations--as well, says Dornquast.
"The ability to create mission-critical information on mobile devices is a relatively new thing," Dornquast says. He expects to release products in that vein late this year or in the first quarter of next year.
Source: Matthew Dornquast, Code 42
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
The Minneapolis City Council in April approved the Homegrown Business Development Center, aimed at supporting small and start-up food-based businesses in the city.
The center is a loan program and technical assistance center, through which Minneapolis-based businesses associated with the processing, manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of local food products can apply for loans of up to $10,000 at 2 percent interest. Businesses will need to match the loan amount.
The April approval by the City Council set in motion a year-long pilot with $100,000 in total loan funds available.
The center is part of the larger, ongoing "Homegrown Minneapolis" effort, "one small piece of the homegrown pie," says Kris Maritz, loan and technical assistance specialist for the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD), which administers the loans for the city. It's "another tool in the toolbox of loans that the city provides for small businesses."
Eligible businesses exist in the middle of the continuum of grower-to-consumer local foods, says Maritz. While other resources exist for local growers and retailers, the program might benefit a small producer that has been selling at farmers' markets, for instance, but wants to take the step to packaging and selling in greater volumes.
Maritz says the newly approved center has yet to receive its first application, but she has spoken to about a dozen interested companies. Maritz expects the first round of loans to go to existing companies that already have products and/or sales under their belts. That said, the loans are intended to support start-ups as well.
The center will also refer companies to other resources such as experts in food packaging or nutrition labels, says Maritz.
Such resources could be just a part of a company's preparation to apply for the loan, notes Maritz. "Just because you send in an application doesn't mean you're going to get the cash," she says. "There's a lot of legwork that has to be done before a business is even ready to apply for a loan."
Once off the ground, Maritz says she thinks the program can be very successful. "I think it can really help a lot of the food manufacturers in the city … not just the loan capital, but sending this message to food businesses in the metro. Even if you don't come to us for a loan, you can still get a lot of informational help."
More information is available in the city's Guide to Starting a Local Food Business in Minneapolis. (pdf)
Source: Kris Maritz, Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Roseville-based AbleNet last week announced the acquisition of TeleConcepts, a local company that provides telemarketing services, largely for the hard-of-hearing market.
AbleNet designs, develops and manufactures more than 800 products for people with all kinds of disabilities, "from a switch that enables a person to use a computer, to classroom curriculum for special-education students, to environmental controls for Afghan war veterans," says Jason Voiovich, vice president of marketing for AbleNet.
"Our products are really designed to improve quality of life," he says.
The acquisition of TeleConcepts will improve AbleNet's ability to follow that mission and market its products, and it allows AbleNet access to the hard-of-hearing market, says Voiovich.
TeleConcepts will continue its work with its existing customer base, as well as take on new work for AbleNet.
Both companies have been in business for 25 years. AbleNet will operate TeleConcepts as a wholly-owned subsidiary at its new corporate headquarters, just west of AbleNet's previous offices in Roseville.
AbleNet has been growing in terms of revenue at about 20 percent per year for about five years, says Voiovich. AbleNet, now with 50 employees, has been growing in terms of employees as well, adding six in the past three months, says Voiovich. The new space is "quite a bit larger" and allows the company to as much as double in size in the future.
Source: Jason Voiovich, AbleNet
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
St. Paul co-working group Co-Co and tech accelerator Project Skyway have joined forces to establish Co-Co's second location, this one on the old trading floor of the Minneapolis Grain Exchange building in Downtown Minneapolis.
The16,000-square-foot trading floor of the 1903 building will offer alternative office space for Co-Co's clients: freelance professionals, small businesses, and corporate workgroups; and it will provide working and meeting space for Project Skyway's twice-yearly classes of tech entrepreneurs, according to a press release. The space will also hold educational and social events hosted by CoCo.
The space is set to open July 5.
Project Skyway, billed as "Minnesota's first tech accelerator program for motivated entrepreneurs," is currently in its first round of assisting early-stage tech companies. Project Skyway will hold a weekend–long bootcamp, June 10–12, for 25 select companies at CoCo's flagship St. Paul location, which opened in 2010. Ten of those companies will be the finalists to go through the inaugural three-month program in the new Minneapolis space, starting in August.
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, whose office encouraged the move, said in the release that "entrepreneurs built our region in the 19th century, and their partnership will help a new generation of startups do the same in the 21st century."
Cem Erdem, founder of Project Skyway,and founder and CEO of the educational software company Augusoft, dubbed it "the Brain Exchange."
The organizations promise to post detailed space designs, images and videos in the coming weeks. In the meantime, they invite folks to visit the evolving space, every Wednesday through June 29, between 1 p.m and 5 p.m. (Email first.)
Source: CoCo, Project Skyway
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Everspring Health: Bike Twin Cities
June 1-August 31
Twin Cities Metro
Registration required
The holistic healthcare cooperative Everspring Health is partnering with One on One Bicycle Studio to give away prizes in a summer-long scavenger hunt on bikes. During the hunt, bikers will stop at stations around the Twin Cities to receive clues. The clues will lead them to local landmarks, where riders will snap photographs and post them online. The scavenger hunt is designed to connect the community, both on and off the bike trails.
RAW: Interactive
June 9, 8 p.m.
Fine Line Music Café
318 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis
$10 presale tickets for the 21+ event
RAW showcases emerging artists through monthly film screenings, musical performances, fashion shows and art galleries. Guests in cocktail attire can visit a cash bar and meet the local, hand-picked talent.
GR8 in the US
June 27-28
Holiday Inn Bloomington
1201 W. 94th St., Bloomington
Registration is $500 for the two-day conference
The conference is dedicated to Groovy, Grails, and Griffon technologies. Participants are asked to simply bring their laptops and prepare to dig into code. Separate conference tracks are geared for both novices and experts.
Girls in Tech: Summer Happy Hour
June 29, 5-9 p.m.
Moscow on the Hill
371 Selby Ave., St. Paul
This networking event celebrates Twin Cities women who are changing the world through technology and innovation.
The appliance retailer Warners' Stellian has started compacting leftover Styrofoam packaging and sending it out by the semi-trailer load to be recycled.
The effort has earned the company a "Sustainable Saint Paul" award, a city award that promotes environmental stewardship.
The initiative was a huge undertaking for the company, requiring it to make a large investment and train all of its drivers to separate packaging materials as part of every delivery.
"It was quite a learning curve to get used to the process," said Bob Warner, director of operations. "It took a little over a year."
The new Styrofoam compactor is one of just two in the state, but Warner said the investment makes good business sense. It saves on refuse costs and taxes, and the company is paid for the recycled material. At least three other partners provide Warners' Stellian with additional Styrofoam to compact and recycle.
Warner said his company sells appliances that are more efficient than the industry standard, so going green was a natural choice.
"We already have a consumer that's very conscious about being green and being efficient," Warner said. "We're seeing that philosophy through our entire corporation."
He said the company has added other touches to make it more efficient. Delivery trucks automatically power down after five minutes of idling. A natural air ventilation system in the warehouse circulates cooler air in the northern stretch back through the warmer, southern portion of the building. Warehouse lighting is motion-sensitive, so lights only blink on in the particular aisle a forklift is using. After five minutes of inactivity, the lights power down again.
Warners' Stellian also donates plastic wrap to be recycled and put back into manufacturing.
"Foam was the last big component of our waste stream," Warner said. "We were generating a tremendous amount of waste. Now, very little is going to the landfill."
Source: Bob Warner, director of operations, Warners' Stellian
Writer: Michelle Bruch
The Minnesota Angel Network is beta-testing and fine-tuning its process in anticipation of a public launch in July.
Announced in January, the network will help companies prepare for funding by angel investors and will connect the two groups.
Right now, seven companies are beta-testing the process, says Todd Leonard, executive director of the Minnesota Angel Network. They represent various industries, regions of the state, and even stages of development--"from the whole spectrum of business," he says.
The company types include software, internet sales, biotech/cleantech firms, and animal health, and they include new startups, firms that have been through the equity process previously, and operational companies seeking outside funds for the first time.
"We're finding that even very seasoned CEOs that actually have functional, operating companies still are finding our educational process extremely helpful," says Leonard.
It's that educational process, more than connecting companies with capital, that Leonard stresses the network is about.
"Our primary concern is the educational side to this," he says. "The investment is really an additional benefit that we have, in that we have this relationship with those investors."
Investors are poised for that relationship, however, according to Leonard, and the Minnesota Angel Network is aligned with a number of other states with angel investment networks--at least 18 other network funds that "represent a significant amount of angel investment monies," he says. The network has also partnered with Rain Source Capital and other networked funds in Minnesota and elsewhere.
The network is also leveraging regional economic development organizations across the state with which it partners. While many may refer companies to the emerging program, those that sponsor the network as donors will take an early-stage role, facilitating intake and some of the training.
Those basic steps include due diligence and gap analysis, readying companies and their information for investors --an effort that mitigates risk for investors and companies alike.
The angel network also now has a full-time chief operating officer: David Wagy, a former senior director of finance for Medtronic and an angel investor.
Leonard says his own role is currently focused on fundraising. The network's goal is to not use any funds outside of donors, he says, and to be self-sustaining within its second year of operations.
Source: Todd Leonard, Minnesota Angel Network
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Kristina Halvorson is a self-described "leading advocate" (although not the definitive expert, she modestly claims) of an emerging discipline: content strategy.
"Even a year ago, I was able to track every article that was posted on content strategy," says Halvorson, president of content-strategy firm Brain Traffic, headquartered in Northeast Minneapolis' East Bank neighborhood. "Now it's way beyond anything I could ever keep up with."
That was the vision behind Brain Traffic, for Halvorson's 2009 book Content Strategy for the Web, and for the inaugural Confab conference, which Halvorson and Brain Traffic hosted earlier this month.
Attendees from all over the country and beyond converged on Downtown Minneapolis for the three-day event.
Halvorson cited three main objectives she hoped attendees would get out of the conference: to gain a broader understanding of the discipline, to begin to develop ideas about how to introduce or further integrate content strategy practices in their work, and to begin to identify and explore their own specific roles in the process.
While it was not the first content-focused conference, says Halvorson, Confab's focus went beyond the execution of content to treating it from a strategic standpoint, something that is "becoming more and more critical," she says.
Why? The cross-section of industries represented is one clue; attendees hailed from "just about every sector and sized company," says Halvorson: health care, entertainment, financial, higher education, nonprofits, "mega-global agencies; 1-, 2-, 3-person agencies, marketing folks, tech folks, design folks," she lists, trailing off.
"There were speakers under the same roof at this conference who had never, ever crossed paths before," she says.
That, too, was part of the vision. "All of these people need to be talking to each other within an organization, or between client and agency, about this larger issue of content and how it moves through an organization," Halvorson says.
Halvorson calls content "a gigantic challenge within organizations." While her book focuses on web content, it is just "one piece of the puzzle" that touches many others: print, social media, content management strategy. "There is a method to that madness," she says.
Kate Huebsch, president of St. Paul-based Highpoint Creative, understands this full well. A Confab sponsor, HighPoint's five-woman team provides marketing communication writing across media--and has been for 23 years.
"I don't think [the term content strategy] really lived the way that we're using it now until the last couple of years," Huebsch says. "There's always been something strategic about it, but now it's fun to see a whole discipline building around it.
"You can make things beautiful, you can make things work well, but until you cough up the content, you have nothing," says Huebsch, noting that "anything that's being communicated is content, "from websites to newsletters to call-center scripts."
The strategy is in asking, "Are you being consistent?" she says. "Are you being effective? Are you actually helping somebody with it? I think people, clients have thought of content as an after-thought, and now I think people are realizing it really needs to drive strategy. It really needs to be one of the first things you think about."
Others seem to agree: the conference sold out nine months in advance, and the 200-person waiting list had to be shut down, says Halvorson, who envisions future Confabs and other content-focused events.
"The payoff I have seen is that the conversation has taken off," she says.
Source: Kristina Halvorson, Brain Traffic
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
When it comes to medical diagnosis and treatment, one generally doesn't want the doctor to "phone it in."
That is changing with the advent of companies like Zipnosis. The St. Paul-based firm facilitates online diagnosis and treatment of common health needs like colds, flu, allergies, common infections, tobacco cessation, and more.
For a $25 fee, registered patients can complete an "adaptive online interview" about their ailment. The information is sent digitally to a local, board-certified and licensed clinician, from whom the patient receives a diagnosis, treatment plan, and prescription if necessary, within an hour, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Zipnosis was co-founded in late 2008 by CEO Jon Pearce, then an MBA student at the University of Minnesota.
The company now has six employees, including corporate officers with experience at notable local health care and IT organizations.
Zipnosis completed a year-long, local pilot in early May, partnering with Park Nicollet to provide diagnosis and treatment to approximately 3,500 patients--about 30 percent of them in rural Minnesota.
Pearce says the pilot answered the questions: "'Can we deliver the care effectively? Can we deliver it safely? What sort of marketing responses work?' You get a really good idea for how the business works," he says.
Both clinical quality and patient satisfaction were high, says Pearce--in the mid-to-upper nineties (in terms of percentage) for safe and effective treatment and in terms of positive patient responses to a survey. More than 30 percent of patients served have used Zipnosis more than once, Pearce notes.
With the success of, and lessons learned from, the pilot, "We said, 'OK, we think it's ready to move into multiple states at this point,'" says Pearce. They wasted no time; Zipnosis expanded its services to two other states, Colorado and Washington, on May 15. Pearce expects to add others by the end of the year. Zipnosis has even drawn international interest, which they have had to turn down in this early stage. "We're not quite there," says Pearce. "[With] six people [it's] a little hard to tackle some of the other countries."
Here at home, Pearce anticipates Park Nicollet will remain a long-term partner in Minnesota. The company will similarly partner with local clinics and practitioners in other states, he says.
Pearce said he expects Zipnosis to add employees as the company grows and expands its reach.
Zipnosis can offer two types of service in partnering with providers, according to Pearce: practitioners can use the company's online "turnkey solution, right out of the box," he says, or it can "help them create an identity for their system" using the platform and technology.
"So far most people … have used the off-the-shelf product, because it seems to work fairly well," says Pearce.
Source: Jon Pearce, CEO, Zipnosis
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
"The best burger I've had in quite a long time" is usually a good recommendation, especially when it comes from a local restaurateur with several lauded restaurants and counting.
The source is Kim Bartmann, owner of Barbette, Red Stag Supper Club and Bryant Lake Bowl, and the subject is the grass-fed, "limousine beef" burger at Bread and Pickle, Bartmann's new incarnation of the concession stand near the Lake Harriet bandshell. After a soft opening last week, the reborn refectory is poised to serve the summertime crowds at the lake.
It's pretty busy down there," says Bartmann. "We are thinking of it as a [Bastille Day] block party a few times a week. We feel like we've done it before, just not in a fixed, night-after-night setting."
Bread and Pickle will sell "simple offerings," says Bartmann — burgers, fries, sandwiches, pasta salads, potato salads, as well as breakfast foods like espresso, egg sandwiches, granola and yogurt from 7–¬11 a.m. And of course there is still ice cream, from local favorites Sonny's and Izzy's.
Like at her other restaurants, the fare will be "focused on as much organic, local product as possible," says Bartmann.
One thing that won't be available at Bread and Pickle: waste. "Everything that comes out is compostable," she says, in new compost stations installed by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (Park Board), an effort Bartmann called a "beta-test for zero-waste in the Park Board system."
The composting was in response to the Park Board's request for proposals, which called for sustainability practices that Bartmann new would give her a leg up on the competition. "We do that at all the other restaurants, and at the [Bastille Day] block party," she says.
Even water comes in a sustainable container: stainless-steel water bottles at plastic-bottle prices. Visitors can refill them at a water-filling station, installed by the Park Board, which have counters to see how may times it gets used.
Bread and Pickle will be open until 9 p.m. in the evening, possibly later for busier concerts, says Bartmann.
The refectory is not her only recent project, however. She is planning a remodel and revamped menu at Gigi's, near 36th Street South and Bryant Avenue, which Bartmann took over last November. Prep kitchens and extra cooler space there as support the Bread and Pickle operation.
In the early summer, Bartmann expects to unveil Pat's Tap at the old Casey's location on 35th Street South and Nicollet Avenue. She described the LEED-targeted project as "a little gastro-pub with a few skee ball machines."
At least a handful of local startups will have one cost area covered for them in the coming year: marketing and advertising.
Hopkins-based direct-response advertising company Marketing Architects and sister company MACatalyst have set aside $2 million for a new business incubator, called Project Lab.
Marketing Architects sells direct-to-consumer products through radio and television ads. The company began 15 years ago in radio, "very much at a time when everyone else thought that radio could not work for direct response," says Brand Manager Katelin Johnson. It is now the largest direct-response marketing company in the nation, she says.
The incubator is in response to the Minneapolis and St. Paul mayors' Entrepreneurship Accelerator," initiative, according to a press release from the company.
The Project Lab is a 5,000-square-foot space, designed to be movable and fluid enough to handle as many as 20 businesses, she says. Startups and existing customers may use the "creative" space for strategizing, research and development, testing, and as a "dedicated space … for their product lineups," according to the release.
The $2 million will actually fund businesses above and beyond the development of five products currently in various stages, says Johnson. Marketing Architects expects a couple of them--one a home-goods/lawn-and-garden product, the other a medical device--to launch in July.
"And by launch, I mean spots on the air," says Johnson. Direct-response marketability is a prerequisite for the startups and products, which otherwise may vary widely in type and stage of development, she says, starting with as little as "just an idea."
How much each company will get and how they use it will also vary, "depending on where they are in that startup process," she says. Marketing Architects and MACatalyst are open to dedicating more than the $2 million set aside for this year, and they plan further investment in the coming years, she says.
Marketing Architects has 115 employees, including those added when the company moved into television about four years ago, says Johnson. They stayed steady during the economic downturn and have about ten active job openings right now.
The incubator is in response to the Minneapolis and St. Paul mayors' Entrepreneurship Accelerator," initiative, according to a press release from the company.
The Project Lab is a 5,000-square-foot space, designed to be movable and fluid enough to handle as many as 20 businesses, she says. Startups and existing customers may use the "creative" space for strategizing, research and development, testing, and as a "dedicated space … for their product line ups," according to the release.
(Watch a time-lapse video, with high-powered rock-'n'-roll music, of the Project Lab being built):
Source: Katelin Johnson, Brand Manager, Marketing Architects
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
While RedBrick Health is growing rapidly, its customers are shrinking.
The five-year-old health technology and services company has 85 employees currently, and it expects to add another 50 this year, says chief marketing officer Eric Zimmerman.
The company offers health improvement programs through its consumer health engagement platform. RedBrick has 20 clients of two types. Most are large, self-insured employers that utilize their full product, while a few channel partners license their social engagement platform, a component of the larger corporate platform.
The social engagement platform was the basis for the Biggest Loser Minnesota Challenge, now in its second year and sponsored by the Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota.
Minnesotans lost a collective 75,000 pounds during 23 million minutes of physical activity during the 12-week program, which ended April 15. The challenge was expanded this year from 2010's seven corporations to more than 22,000 people across the state.
RedBrick is measuring its success in more than shed pounds, however. Medical device manufacturer Welch Allyn, a RedBrick client since 2007, has seen an estimated $1.32 million in total health and productivity savings over two years, according to a recent release. That's $443 per year per participant, and a 3-to-1 return on investment, says RedBrick.
The Welch Allyn numbers are typical of other clients RedBrick has such data on, but they're higher than industry averages, says Zimmerman.
The company released the fourth generation of its platform in February, and it had raised one-third of a $15 million equity round, according to an SEC filing that month.
Source: Eric Zimmerman, RedBrick
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
You know those big plastic bins you see in mail rooms and post offices — the ones that say "US Postal Service" on them?
Minnesota Diversified Industries (MDI) makes them, and as the sole provider of the USPS Postal Tote, they've made a lot of them.
In mid-April, MDI proudly passed the 75 million mark, says Peter McDermott, president and CEO. Everyone on the assembly line had a hand in manufacturing the 75 millionth tote, according to MDI's website.
MDI's team is as remarkable as the milestone; the company employs people with disabilities, offering "real jobs that create a sense of pride, value and independence in our workers' lives," states the website.
The company has facilities in St. Paul, Grand Rapids. and Hibbing, and about half of its employees are people with disabilities.
The company works on a "triple bottom line" platform: the "social or mission bottom line" that supports the career and technical development of individuals with disabilities; the financial bottom line, sustained by its competitive contracts with business customers; and the funding bottom line, maintained through grants and contributions from government entities, foundations, and individuals.
The company produces more than its original-product mail totes: plastic trays, plastic boxes, plastic pallet covers, waterjet bricks, plastic tree wrap, and other custom products.
Source: Peter McDermott, MDI
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Central Corridor plus University Avenue businesses hasn't always added up to positive press recently, so the City of St. Paul was happy to welcome a new business along the light-rail corridor, building automation systems firm Automated Logic Twin Cities, which recently moved its offices form Roseville to the Westgate business center near University and Highway 280.
Prior to a ceremonial ribbon cutting with Automated Logic President Fred Meyer, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman addressed the crowd of business leaders and local officials, including State Senators Sandy Pappas and Mary Jo McGuire.
Coleman called Automated Logic part of "a new wave of smart businesses" that would be coming to the corridor, and he promised that the construction "will be quick, … and not too far in the distant future, we are actually going to see the fruits of 30 years of discussion … to finally have light rail connecting our two downtowns."
"Construction of this magnitude is not easy," said Coleman, acknowledging that "there are going to be challenges for businesses." That said, he called Automated Logic's move "the first wave" of new businesses of all sizes that will integrate with existing ones.
"We're going to be seeing a lot of ribbon cuttings along this corridor," said Coleman.
The open house was as much a celebration of sustainability.
"We are committed to [developing the light-rail corridor] in an energy-smart, environmentally friendly manner," by attracting energy smart, environmentally friendly businesses, said Coleman. "Businesses that understand the technology behind it."
Automated Logic fits that bill. The 22-person branch office of an Atlanta-based parent company is in the business of energy management, helping businesses and building owners monitor and control their energy use and related costs.
Other city officials were on hand to showcase sustainability efforts like the St. Paul Port Authority's Trillion Btu loan project.
Port Authority President Louis Jambois addressed the crowd, as well, saying a "quiet evolution has been happening for the last several years, and companies like [Automated Logic] are part of that evolution.
"The notion of lean to green, supply chain to waste stream, in new construction and in existing buildings is something that is taking place right now," he said. "It's not just socially right, it makes sense on the bottom line. This business is one that helps businesses save money, that takes it right to the bottom line."
Photo: The ribbon cutting, with Mayor Coleman at right; Rick Keal, regional vice-president of Automated Logic. in the middle; and Fred Meyers, president of Automated Logic/Twin Cities at left.
Source: Automated Logic, City of St. Paul
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Past patrons of Sgt. Preston's in Cedar-Riverside will see at least a few familiar faces when the new Republic bar and restaurant opens later this month: a bear, a bison, a moose, and a couple of deer.
The mounted menagerie is part of the remaining charm after new owners Matty O'Reilly and Rick Guntzel pulled out the ten flat-screen TVs and 40 neon beer signs from the former Sgt. Preston's Urban Pub.
What's left is three rooms of exposed brick, ornate tin ceilings, stained glass windows and fixtures, and the makings of the neighborhood pub the two restaurateurs imagine.
Republic will cater to the pub crowd, casual diner, music fan, and even families once the dust settles from the rapid renovation, which began less than two weeks ago.
The long signature bar will feature a good selection of Belgian, local, and micro-brewed beers. The by-the-glass wine list features nine reds, nine whites with a couple of sparklers, and rosés to boot.
Both will complement the food menu; Republic will feature small-plates (mussels in white wine; five-spice BBQ ribs) and especially pub fare like sandwiches and burgers, says O'Reilly, but entrees are available as well for the sit-down diner: steaks, walleye, bouillabaisse, and more.
The pub's three rooms will transition steadily from bar to dining room to acoustic music venue (pending licensing later this year).
While this is Guntzel and O'Reilly's first co-venture, the high-school buddies are seasoned vets with work in nearly two dozen restaurants between them. O'Reilly owns the 318 Café in Excelsior and last year took over the Aster Café in St. Anthony Main. Kuntzel spent years at Jacob Restaurant Group, which owns Nye's and several Jake's City Grilles and Sporting Cafes.
The TVs won't be going back up; O'Reilly notes that the stripped-down interior brings the decades-old bar back to its original state, and unplugging the dozens of monitors and signs will save a bundle on energy costs.
They expect the bar to open in mid-May — just in time for patrons to take advantage of one of the property's other natural elements: the signature, 200-seat Seven-Corners patio.
Source: Rick Guntzel and Matty O'Reilly, Republic
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Mobile Technology: Adoption, Design, and Sustainability Lessons
Friday, May 6, 8:30 a.m.–11:!5 a.m., Room 2-206, Carlson School of Management
321 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis
registration required
Alina M. Chircu, associate professor in the Information and Process Management department at Bentley University, will present at this U of M MIS Research Center seminar. Chircu will discuss mobile technology adoption and usage patterns; related mobile phone design practices in developing and developed countries; recent research on sustainability principles employed by top phone manufacturers; how these principles impact business processes for new mobile products design, production and distribution; and more.
MinneBar
Saturday, May 7, 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Best Buy headquarters
7601 Penn Ave. South, Richfield
Free, register online
Registration is open for the "(un)conference" that brings Minnesota's tech and design communities together. Sign up to attend or lead a discussion. Sessions will run throughout the day, and light breakfast and lunch will be provided. An after-party with beer and wine will follow.
Living Green Expo
May 7–8
Minnesota State Fairgrounds
Creative Activities, Education, 4-H, Fine Arts and Progress Center buildings
Free
The 10th annual expo will feature dozens of workshops and presentations on green topics ranging from energy efficiency and sustainable design strategies to the soybean--along with an actual "green wedding." Take a look at the full list.
MedTech Investing Conference
May 18–19
Graves 601 Hotel, Minneapolis
$895–$1,395, registration limited to 300
The 10th annual MedTech Investing Conference will bring together medical device investors, entrepreneurs, and corporate business development executives to network and foster the development and financing of companies. This year's event, with the theme "The New Era of Innovation," will feature more than 45 industry experts as well as clinical specialty sessions.
Mobile Twin Cities
Tuesday, May 17, 7–9 p.m.
Refactr Offices, 11 NE 4th St., Suite 300, Minneapolis
The May installment of this monthly meeting, sponsored by Recursive Awesome, LLC, will feature review and topics from the Mobile March Conference. Contact Justin Grammens at for more information.
After a decade as Vital Images' largest customer, California-based Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (TMSC) plans to take the local visualization and analysis software company into its fold.
Through a $273-million cash tender preceding a merger, a TMSC subsidiary will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Vital Images common stock for $18.75 per share--a 39 percent premium over a recent volume-weighted average, according to a press release.
Executives of both companies applauded the pending merger, which they believe will strengthen their longtime partnership. "This transaction means we can now accelerate our global presence with the strength and backing of TMSC," says Michael Carrel, CEO of Vital Images, in the release.
Toshiba plans to continue to build the Vital Images business locally at its Minnetonka headquarters, where 175 of its 245 employees work, says Nancy Johnson, account supervisor for Padilla Speer Beardsley, which handles press relations for Vital Images. The company expects that the merger will lead to the hiring of more employees in the future, she says.
Vital Images' software allows doctors to non-invasively examine internal organs and more easily make diagnoses and plan for surgeries. The software takes two-dimensional, black-and-white images of internal organs through CT scan, MRI and other formats, then "stacks" them to create more complex imagery.
Doctors can navigate through the images, removing layers for a clear examination and "internal accounting without going through a physical operation," says Johnson.
Originally used in radiology departments, the software has been extended in recent years for hospital-wide accessibility by numerous physicians, she says, and it is accessible beyond the hospital via the Web, according to a product description. Vital Images software also serves as a data-management and work-flow tool.
Sources: Vital Images; Nancy Johnson, Padilla Speer Beardsley
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Federal funding permitting, Minnesota GreenCorps will put 30 people to work on a third round of its annual green-job Americorps program.
Since 2009, the statewide, federally funded employment and training program has placed more than 50 Americorps workers in 11-month green-jobs positions with local governments, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations.
The program's second year is still in process, with 26 full-time employees working at 25 host sites (the bulk of them in the Twin Cities) in the areas of energy conservation and air quality, waste prevention and recycling, living green outreach, and green infrastructure.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is taking applications for both host organizations (through May 5) and workers (through May 26) for the 2011–2012 season, which will run from September 2011 through August of next year.
The program may also offer five half-time positions for current students at the University of Minnesota, Morris, another GreenCorps partner.
The 2011–2012 program is dependent on approval of federal funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service, according to the GreenCorps website. Funding also comes through ServeMinnesota, the state commission for all AmeriCorps' state programs in Minnesota.
Source: Minnesota GreenCorps
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
On May 2, the City of Minneapolis awarded nearly $500,000 in grants to assist small businesses along its commercial corridors through the city's Great Streets Neighborhood Business District Program.
The city funded 15 proposals ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, for a total of $499,873. The funds are passed through community development organizations to the businesses.
This is the fourth year the grants have been awarded. So far, more than 250 new and existing businesses have received technical assistance in marketing, bookkeeping, product mix, licensing and code requirements, and business planning, states a press release announcing the grants. The awarded organizations also use the funds for such things as business development and recruitment, public safety initiatives, real estate/market assessment, construction mitigation, and more.
The list of awarded organizations includes nonprofits across the city.
The Neighborhood Business District grants program is part of the city's $4 million Great Streets initiative, according to Kelly Hoffman, senior project coordinator for the City of Minneapolis.
The greater initiative also includes façade improvement matching grants, real estate development gap financing loans, and marketing of the city's finance programs to help small businesses, she says.
As the program has progressed, the city is measuring progress and collecting success stories, Hoffman says, and the program allows organizations in the city's 118 commercial nodes and corridors to learn from one another.
"One of the benefits of the program being around for a fourth year is we're starting to figure out best practices and different ways for organizations to further best strategies," she says.
Source: Kelly Hoffman, City of Minneapolis.
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Last week, Digi International reported its 33rd straight quarter of growth, dating back more than eight years to early in the last decade.
And while that success is built on more than 25 years of experience, the Minnetonka-based wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) device networking company is seeing major growth in the emerging energy sector, especially with its smart-grid technology and cloud-computing platform.
Digi has begun partnering with companies to build end-to-end energy monitoring and management solutions around the company's X-Grid, says David Mayne, Digi's director of business development.
Under that "extended" grid umbrella is the iDigi Device Cloud--"the embedded industry's first ready-to-use cloud computing platform for device networking and management," according to an online description. The cloud service allows remote metering and management of energy use through communication with devices "beyond the meter," Mayne says.
"The thing that is really driving the growth is the ability to utilize iDigi to provide connectivity from an application down to a device," he says. The smart-grid platform also drives sales of other Digi products like gateways and radio modules, "so we kind of get all the different pieces that become part of this end-to-end solution," he says.
It also puts Digi at the forefront of energy-management innovation that is in its early stages globally, according to Mayne. In January, Digi announced a major partnership with Green Energy Options to develop a real-time, web-based energy management system, based on iDigi and the Digi X-Grid, for the European utility market.
Meanwhile, here in the U.S., Digi and its partner Itron have introduced "Smart Grid Now" bundles that enable utilities to conduct energy-management pilot programs. The cloud-based bundles can be deployed on a small or large scale, Mayne explains.
"For as little as a few thousand dollars, [utilities] can get customers engaged by using smart phones to look at thermostats and get metering information," he says. "Because we're offering this as a cloud service, there's little upfront investment and there's proven capability to expand to millions of devices."
Digi also announced a partnership in January with Calico Energy Services to offer an integrated smart-grid technology solution for energy and demand management.
Mayne notes that while most think of the smart grid in terms of the energy sector, Digi is also seeing business growth beyond energy management and services. Other high-growth areas include the medical device industry and fleet management--trucks and other large mobile assets.
Mayne notes that smart-grid applications can be applied to water conservation and gas utilities as well.
"As new services evolve, things we haven't even thought of yet, we can plug them into iDigi," says Mayne of the "flexible technology," an open platform that he says is ready to handle future innovation--an important point for Digi and its 600 employees, more than half of whom work in Minnesota.
"That's really helping to build or reinvent people's careers as we continue to evolve the organization," Mayne says. "Future-proofing is key. This is something that is new, and this will create innovation."
Source: David Mane, Digi Intrernational
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Dgimed Ortho, Inc. has double the reason to celebrate, with the near-completion of a $2.5 million equity round and a medical device industry award too boot.
By mid-April, the Minnetonka-based early-stage medical device company had sold $2,124,780 of a securities offering, according to an SEC filing. It is the company's fifth offering a various type since its first $3.4 million initial round was completed in 2009.
In 2008, founder and chairman Dan Gladney acquired the rights to technology for a proprietary system to assist orthopedic surgeons in the delivery of long-bone intramedullary nail implants, according to an Orthopedics and Spine News Blog entry that year.
The product Dgimed Ortho developed is the DISTALOCK Intramedullary (IM) Nail and Drill System, which last week received a 2011 Medical Design Excellence Award.
The system offers surgeons the ability to treat long-bone fractures with better clinical outcomes, lower surgery costs, and little or no need for x-rays, according to a press release about the award.
"Our team has worked hard to develop a world-class system to benefit patients and hospital staff," said Dgimed Ortho President and CEO Mark McMahan through the release. Award winners will be honored at a presentation ceremony in June in New York City.
Source: Dgimed Ortho
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Local custom manufacturing company Stratasys stands alongside some pretty big names on Fast Company's Transportation Top 10 list this year: names like Boeing, GE, and IBM.
Eden Prairie-based Stratasys was included on the strength of its work with Canadian company Kor Ecologic on the Urbee hybrid (pictured), a futuristic automobile that can run on free electricity from a garage-mounted solar panel and achieve 200 miles per hour using ethanol or gasoline.
The car's exterior body components were created using Stratsys' Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology, which creates thermoplastic prototypes, manufacturing tools, and parts directly from computer-aided designs (CAD). The patented technology was invented by Statasys CEO Scott Crump.
While the technology has generally been used to make models, companies also use it to "build real parts that go into their end products," says Joe Hiemenz, public relations manager for Stratasys.
Stratasys' technology eliminates the need to build tools needed in traditional methods like injection molding, says Hiemenz The technology is cost-effective for limited-amount or high-end custom production; should the now-prototype Urbee go into mass production, however, traditional manufacturing techniques would likely be used, says Hiemenz.
Stratasys employs 400 people. Its products are used in the aerospace, defense, automotive, medical, business and industrial equipment, education, architecture, and consumer-product industries, according to a press release, in which Crump gave credit to KorEcologic for the recognition by Fast Company. Crump called the "groundbreaking car …a foreshadowing of the future" and "what transportation will look like 100 years from now."
Source: Joe Hiemenz, Stratasys
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
St. Paul-based Synovis Life Technologies received the Manufacturers Alliance Association's 2011 Manufacturer of the Year Award not so much for what it creates, but how it produces it.
The diversified medical device company makes implantable biomaterials, devices for microsurgery, and tools used in surgical repair and reconstruction of soft tissue damaged or destroyed by disease or injury.
The annual award, now in its 15th year, recognizes companies that use lean tools and techniques in their manufacturing. Synovis won in the mid-sized manufacturers' category.
""We started looking at lean five or six years ago," says Brett Reynolds, Synovis' chief financial officer. Synovis switched to the Kanban (or "just-in-time") product scheduling system, reducing its on-hand stores of inventory from 17 weeks to just eight weeks.
Furthermore, work cells organized by product line increased efficiency, says Reynolds. As a result, Synovis has been able to stay in its 65,000-square-foot facility despite an average annual growth of 25 percent over the past five years, and its on-time shipping rate has gone up to virtually 100 percent, says Reynolds.
The MAA award recognizes not only innovation in manufacturing, but a company's willingness and efforts to share those ideas and practices within the industry, something Reynolds says Synovis has been active in doing.
Its operations team shares ideas at conferences, and companies and educational groups tour the facility to see the manufacturing process, he says.
Synovis was founded in 1985 with $300,000 in revenue, a number that grew to almost $69 million last year, says Reynolds, who expects $80–85 million in 2011. Of its 300 employees, 200 work in St. Paul at University Avenue and Highway 280 on the border of Minneapolis.
Source: Brett Reynolds, Synovis Life Technologies
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
"I have long felt the future of journalism is about relationships with people," says Michael Skoler, vice president of interactive for Public Radio International (PRI)--between journalists and "the people we are meant to serve," he says.
Technology and the advance of new and social media are making that relationship more and more possible, and a new Twin Cities chapter of Hacks/Hackers aims to connect two sometimes disparate groups--journalists ("hacks") and technology professionals ("hackers")--whose realms are increasingly converging.
This Friday, PRI and the tech/entrepreneur organization Minne* spearhead the kickoff of the new chapter with a free event at PRI headquarters in Downtown Minneapolis. (Note: the event was full as of Monday, April 18.)
Hacks/Hackers is an international, multi-chapter grassroots movement "that is for hackers exploring technologies to filter and visualize information, and for journalists who use technology to find and tell stories," according to the Hacks/Hackers website.
Skoler and Minne*'s Ben Edwards and Luke Francl are the key organizers. At least 125 hacks and hackers will convene with food and drink to hear NPR's Matt Thompson speak about "data overload, the twilight of news brands" and more, according to the event notice.
The chapter's early work is to form a network and trade ideas--"get together and get inspired," says Skoler. Regular events, speakers and collaborations could follow; other established chapters have held project-based events like New York City's "Great Urban Hack," during which nerds and newshounds teamed up to turn public information into visual displays and community resources.
Skoler, now at PRI, launched Public Insight Media at Minnesota Public Radio in 2003 to engage the audience in the news process.
"I felt like the Twin Cities is a natural place for Hacks and Hackers," says Skoler, who approached Edwards and Francl earlier this year about the tech side of the partnership. PRI has been central in organizing, hosting and supporting the new endeavor, says Skoler.
The direction of the new chapter will largely be up to the network that grows out of it.
"To play in the new media world, you need to have deep contacts," says Skoler.
Source: Michael Skoler, PRI
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul hope green will be gold when it comes to local businesses, manufacturing, jobs, products, and services.
Announced last summer and approved last fall, the first meeting of the Thinc.GreenMSP steering committee was convened by the mayors on April 13.
Thinc.GreenMSP is an economic-development partnership between the two cities, business, organized labor, nonprofits, and government to retain, grow and attract green-manufacturing businesses and jobs in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul region, which St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman envisions as "the center of a burgeoning green economy" in a press release about the endeavor.
The effort involves "buying and using locally made products from green manufacturers," as Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak stated in the release. The partners believe that demand will drive the need for workers to manufacture those products--and new and thriving businesses to employ those workers.
Thinc.GreenMSP involves five "strategic initiatives," according to the press release:
— a "Local Government Green Purchasing Partnership" to help grow the market for green products;
— support for local and state actions to utilize aggressive green building standards and create demand for manufacturers, vendors, and suppliers of green products and services;
— a green-business recruitment strategy to attract new businesses;
— private start-up funding to seed new, growing, or relocating businesses, with financing options to leverage public investment with private capital; and
— a program to recognize corporate leadership in green manufacturing.
The Thinc.GreenMSP initiative falls under the larger joint effort between the cities to create a metropolitan business plan--part of a pilot project by the Brookings Institute. Earlier this month, mayors Coleman and Rybak traveled to Washington, D.C. to present the plan, which aims to improve the business environment, attract companies and "human capital," and foster innovation and entrepreneurship, among other goals.
The joint press release from the two cities includes the list of individuals from business, organized labor, government and nonprofits on the Thinc.GreenMSP steering committee.
Source: City of Minneapolis, City of St. Paul
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
A small Minneapolis design firm has been named winner of a big industry award.
Sevnthsin was selected last week as an honoree of the 15th annual Webby awards in the Mobile category of "Shopping--Tablets & All Other Devices" for the digital creative agency's iPhone, iPad, Android, and mobile internet applications for JCPenney.
Now 12 people strong, Sevnthsin began as a moonlighting freelance effort for owner and creative director Jamey Erickson, who in June of 2006 quit his day job to form the firm as "literally just me and an intern," he says.
In 2007, Sevnthsin moved to its current Northeast Minneapolis location with six people and has experienced slow growth in the years since.
Among the firm's larger and national clients like JCPenney, Target, and Pabst BlueRibbon, some local favorites can be found, including hip-hop outfits Rhymesayers and Doomtree and local fashion designers.
"We still love to work with all of our small, hometown things that we care about," says Erickson.
Sevnthsin worked with The Nerdery Interactive Labs to develop JCPenney's Weekly Deals mobile applications.
Source: Jamey Erickson, Sevnthsin
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The local-government focus on fostering innovation and entrepreneurs echoes a larger effort underway at the federal level, such as the Obama administration's Startup America program, which made its stop in the Twin Cities earlier this month.
Federal officials from the Commerce Department,Patent and Trademark Office, Small Business Administration, and Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs led a number of "Reducing Barriers" roundtable discussions with local small businesses and large corporations to gauge what changes might be made to improve the environment for entrepreneurship and innovation.
Medronic hosted the event at its Fridley headquarters.
Officials intend to take the ideas that come out of the roundtable tour of eight U.S. cities back to Washington "to streamline and simplify unnecessary barriers," according to a description of the April 6 event. President Obama has given an executive order for federal agencies to "identify and take steps to eliminate or reduce regulations that are outdated or overly burdensome to entrepreneurs."
Ideas are also being collected online, where a list of strategies is growing daily.
Specifics from the Twin Cities roundtables were not yet available, but Nancy Libersky, district director of the Minnesota office of the SBA, says the ideas similarly ran the gamut-- "anything from small-government to big-government to non-government questions," says Libersky.
Likewise, changes implemented could range from the congressional level to local fixes, she said.
In similar news, the SBA held the first class this week for its
e200 Emerging Leaders Program, through which selected small businesses receive training, mentoring, and other resources. As with Startup America, the Twin Cities is one of a select group to take part in the program.
"I think that Minnesota is really on the forefront of being highlighted, and I'm really hoping that this continues," says Libersky of the momentum of the programs.
Libersky sees both as part of a larger, necessary collaboration to improve the economic atmosphere for entrepreneurs.
"I think that everybody needs to work together," she says. "I think we have a huge gap that the entrepreneurs really need to fill, and the only way that they're going to be stronger is to help them. It's these types of programs that are really helping these entrepreneurs grow."
Source: Nancy Libersky, Minnesota Office of the Small Business Administration
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
"The only way that someone can come and license [technology or intellectual property] is if they know that it's there," says Darren Cox, founder and chief evangelist of Commerce and Search for Technology Transfer (CaSTT).
CaSTT is an online licensing tool that Cox developed to solve that problem for the
University of Minnesota's Office for Technology Commercialization. It's working; In the past 12 months, Cox reports, the university executed more licenses online for a single item than all the other Big Ten schools did for all of their technologies combined during the year 2008.
"We built it just for our own office; we never intended any one else to use it," says Cox.
Seeing an opportunity, he spun CaSTT out of the university and hired a development team to write a new version of the software, which will debut later this month.
Cox and the U of M finalized a licensing agreement last week for the CaSTT trademark, says Cox. The U of M will receive a free license and will continue to use the upgraded software service, he said.
The commercial version facilitates licensing similarly to the original version--fully online, in some cases--but goes further into marketing, primarily through search engine optimization of technology descriptions.
Research-level communication, for example, is often very technical, "and they don't actually ever say what the thing does, and what you get when you license it," says Cox. "Part of our process is training people on how to figure out what it is people are actually searching for, and then our software takes that information and mechanically optimizes it in such a way that it is very, very easy for search engines to index that information and drive it to the top of search results."
Cox hopes the tool will expand tech transfer beyond its traditional arena to "the other seven-and-a-half billion people in the world.
"There are literally millions of pieces of intellectual property sitting on shelves at universities, national labs, research hospitals, and corporations all over the world that no one knows are available," says Cox.
A subscription to the software-as-a-service platform is $500 per month.
Cox was not able to divulge his list of potential clients, but CaSTT was close to signing a major local corporation in early April, and he said other companies and 150 universities are waiting for the debut of the new software.
Cox expects to close an equity round in June, at which time CaSTT will have been backed by $700,000 in post-university investment, for which Cox credits his connections and colleagues at tech accelerator Project Skyway.
Virteva CEO and Project Skyway mentor Tom Keiffer was CaSTT's first investor and now chairs its board. Virteva has provided development, hosting, and other infrastructure to the project, says Cox. Joy Lindsay, president and co-founder of StarTec Investments, is also an investor.
Source: Darren Cox, CaSTT
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
While web developers were
burning the midnight oil, Overnight Challenge hosts The Nerdery were putting the finishing touches on an expansion that will more than double its Bloomington headquarters.
The 8-year-old web development firm is growing like crazy; the employee count stood at 205 last week, but don't blink.
"We're pretty much adding staff all the time," says Nerdery Communications Manager Mark Malmberg. "Almost every Monday new people are starting."
The buildout will bring the headquarters to 44,625 square feet, about half of which was being occupied in daily phases this week. The rest will be ready around the turn of the year, says Malmberg, likely just in time for the approximately 100 employees they expect to add by then.
New hires have mostly been developers, but The Nerdery has also seeing smaller departments expand--both its user experience and quality assurance departments have grown from a just one or two to 10 people. The company has also been adding account executives; two-thirds of its business is for more than 200 agencies in 30 states.
The expansion includes the addition of a 220-seat theater, in which the "big hive mind" will congregate on Friday late-afternoons for its weekly Bottlecap Talk, a "peer-to-peer with beer," as Malmberg puts it--a company tradition of sharing work from the week before.
The Nerdery will also let other organizations from the web development community, such as iPhone developers and PHP and Wordpress user groups, use the space, Malmberg says. "We like to be the hub for that sort of thing," he says.
The physical and staffing expansions reflect revenue growth, of course; The Nerdery "is tracking to $30 million" this year, says Malmberg.
Source: Mark Malmberg, The Nerdery
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Minnesota's first tech accelerator, Project Skyway, is accepting applications through May 1 for its first three-month program, beginning in August.
For the inaugural round, Project Skyway will select ten software-as-a-service (SaaS) or mobile startups to receive mentorship, co-working space, $6,000 (per founder), two developers, and a connection to key players in Minnesota's emerging startup scene. In June, 25 semi-finalists will participate in a tech accelerator "boot camp," after which the ten finalists will be chosen.
Project Skyway is seeking founders of companies that are beyond the idea stage, preferably with some sort of online presence, according to FAQs posted online.
"We want you to have done some market validation," says Project Skyway mentor Darren Cox. "Go out and talk to your potential customers … do some research, at the very least."
It wouldn't hurt to be in the revenue stage, either.
"We're no different than any other investor, in that folks with revenue actually have something to point to that folks without revenue can't," says Cox.
That said, Project Skyway has "some pretty strong differentiators" from other accelerators, says Cox. "We don't believe that you must be a coder to be a successful technology entrepreneur." Thus the access to two full-time developers per funded company.
The $6,000 per founder amounts to living expenses, explains Cox. "The money is there to allow you to focus 100 percent of your time on building your company."
The greatest value of the accelerator program to the chosen "Skywalkers" will be the mentorship, resources and connections, says Cox.
"That's how you build a company--you build a groundswell of support for the idea and for the people who are shepherding that idea," he says.
The first round is focused on SaaS and mobile "because we really want to dial into the type of startups that we know we can provide the most help to right away," according to the FAQ page. Future accelerator rounds might venture into hardware, cleantech, social ventures, and other types of startups.
In exchange for the program, Project Skyway receives 6–9 percent "founders shares" of common stock from participating (and successful, assuming) startups.
Source: Darren Cox, Project Skyway
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Nature Works doesn't make the plastic products you might use on any given day, it makes the plastic that makes them.
The Minnetonka-based company makes it greener, as well, and it now has the USDA's BioPreferred Program stamp of approval to back that up.
NatureWorks, a 100-employee company owned by Cargill, is the first plastics manufacturer to earn the "certified bio-based" label, and one of only 11 of any kind in the country to receive the new certification. (The BioPreferred program itself was created in 2002.)
NatureWorks received similar certification in Europe last year, says Steve Sterling, president Sterling PR and PR rep for NatureWorks.
The company's Ingeo line of biopolymer is made from industrial-grade corn instead of oil. Its production uses 48 percent less energy than traditional plastics, says Sterling, and produces 60 percent less CO2.
The polymer is used in packaging, electronics, clothing, housewares, health and personal care items, semi-durable products, and the food service industry, according to a press release.
Founded in 2003, the company is growing in double rates in terms of sales, says Sterling. NatureWorks manufactures 70 million pounds of its biopolymer a year--far and away the most of any company doing so, he says.
Sterling notes that the certification puts products made with 100 percent Ingeo on the government's preferred purchasing list of bio-based products. The Secretary of Agriculture has designated 5,100 bio-based products; the USDA estimates there are as many as 20,000 currently being manufactured in the United States, according to the press release.
Source: Steve Sterling for NatureWorks
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
This isn't the first recession Bill Moran's Blinc Publishing has survived.
Founded in 1996, the Lowertown print shop and design studio rode out the "dot bomb" collapse (largely on the back of letterpress printing, fittingly), and Blinc has emerged from the recent economic woes well positioned, if not unscathed.
After a "precipitous drop-off in work from clients, we sort of stumbled through 2009 and 2010," says Blinc proprietor Moran, "and then round about August, September, it just kicked back in again."
Now, the four-person shop is booked through midyear with work for clients like new customer Blue Plate Restaurant Company. Blinc recently helped them launch Scusi at St. Clair and Fairview in St. Paul and is now branding their next endeavor, The Lowry, which Blue Plate plans to open this summer near 22nd and Hennepin in Uptown.
Blue Plate is just one of the large, regular customers Moran is focused on. Blinc also helped long-time customer Minnetronix with the identity branding of a new product in January. Moran also mentions a few not-yet-for-publication projects on the horizon.
That may be a good sign for more than just Blinc, which Moran agrees serves as a bellwether for larger corporate activity. "My business is, in some ways, a reflection of [our clients'] business," he says.
Customers dialed down and halted projects in 2009 and 2010. Now, stalled projects have started moving forward, and Moran finds himself in less of a reactive position in terms of marketing to clients--focusing on fewer, larger customers and bigger projects, and even passing on work he would not (or could not) have two years ago.
The turnaround has allowed him to rehire two longtime employees, and another is sustained as a freelancer.
Meanwhile, buzz is generating around the Hamilton Woodtype Museum in Wisconsin, of which Moran is artistic director and his brother Jim is museum director. A documentary about it is making the rounds at film festivals, and PBS will soon begin airing the film.
Work from the Hamilton Museum and Moran's studio will also be featured in a retail poster shop, part of an exciting multi-firm and multi-tenant-space entertainment and retail development planned for Downtown St. Paul. (Stay tuned for more on this soon.)
Source: Bill Moran, Blinc Publishing
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
A new startup hopes to offer a safer and more effective treatment for atherosclerosis through its licensing of University of Minnesota medical technology.
Emad Ebbini, an electrical and computer engineering professor in the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota, led a team that developed the high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) technology, according to a U of M press release. The university says it has finalized a license agreement with startup International Cardio Corporation, who declined to comment for this article.
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which arteries become blocked by a buildup of plaque, usually treated with drugs or angioplasty.
By contrast, HIFU is a noninvasive, real-time ultrasonic imaging and localized treatment of tissue abnormalities which developers hope may have even broader applications, including the treatment of cancer.
The form of non-ionizing radiation localizes treatment to small areas (the size of a grain of rice or a sesame seed, states the release) at a much faster rate than other current systems such as MRI.
The technology links imaging and therapy by returning dynamic images that allow doctors to almost instantaneously refocus the energy at the target--an outcome that can be faster, more precise, and safer than invasive surgery or radiation therapy.
The equipment necessary for HIFU is less expensive than other imaging techniques, such as MRI, making it more accessible to doctors and less expensive for patients, says the release.
International Cardio Corporation may submit the technology to the FDA for testing later this year.
Source: University of Minnesota
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Everyone was a winner, and nothing was lost but sleep, quips The Nerdery of its fourth annual Nerdery Overnight Website Challenge, March 26–27, at which 175 web development professionals donated approximately a half million dollars worth of web design to help nonprofits further their missions.
Eighteen web design teams worked from 9 a.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday, after which the winner was announced: team TST Media, for their redesign of Bloomington United for Youth's (BUY) website.
(The new site was not yet live as of April 6, but you can see before and after snapshots on BUY's challenge page.)
Speaking with The Line, Nerdery Communications Manager Mark Malmberg reiterated that "it's a win" for each of the web teams to be chosen from the 46 that applied to donate their time. The number of teams has steadily increased each year, from 11 to this year's 18.
"What drives that number up is we keep getting qualified teams that want to do this, and it's hard to turn them away," says Mamlberg.
Through the event's four-year history, $1.5 million of pro bono services have been delivered to 57 Minnesota nonprofits, not including the hundreds of hours of follow-up support that web teams pledge before entering.
Like its signature event, The Nerdery has grown since its 2003 founding; the Bloomington-based web development company employs just shy of 200 people and consumes enough caffeine in a week to kill five adults, according to its website.
The Nerdery has a smaller, 12-employee office in Chicago, as well, where it plans to host a similar challenge in the early summer, says Malmberg.
Source: Mark Malmberg, The Nerdery
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Hey entrepreneurs: how does $50,000 sound? Good?
Well how about $30 million?
The first amount is the take-away for the winner of the 2011 Minnesota Cup competition, through which entrepreneurs pit their best ideas and business endeavors against one another in six categories.
The higher number is the amount of capital raised by companies that were Minnesota Cup finalists in 2009 and 2010.
Through May 20, the seventh annual Minnesota Cup is open for entries in six award divisions--High Tech, BioSciences, Clean Tech and Renewable Energy, Social Entrepreneurship, General, and Student--through a short online form.
Later, judges will select 8–10 semi-finalists from each division who will prepare full business plans and be paired with an industry-specific entrepreneurial mentor.
Division winners are awarded as much as $25,000 and the chance at the grand prize--another $25,000--in September.
While 50 grand and the exposure of winning is nothing to sneeze at, Minnesota Cup Co-founder Dan Mallin notes that the goal is really to "help 30 businesses get started in each category," whether a given business is just a good idea or an existing startup.
"Another good outcome is they might find out it really isn't a good idea," says Mallin.
Participants also benefit from mentorship and resources--far more of which exist in general for the state's entrepreneurs since the advent of the Cup six years ago, notes Mallin.
Two of those resources are the new 2011 partners Minnesota Angel Network and tech accelerator Project Skyway, which will offer the winner of the High Tech division a spot in its startup "boot camp."
Mallin says he sees momentum in the startup scene.
"The Cup is an attempt to be a conduit amongst the players and resources behind that momentum," he says.
That said, Mallin also sees a lot of room for improvement in state's entrepreneurial efforts. "We're being outspent by 30 other states in innovation," he says.
Source: Dan Mallin, Minnesota Cup
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
"Like Twitter for machines" is the shorthand explanation Erik Rorvick gives for the company Exosite.
The Minneapolis-based machine-to-machine (M2M) company's cloud-based data platform connects users to real-world data from sensors and devices.
The conduit is Exosite's One Platform, and many more customers will be using it following the company's deal this month to partner with Fortune 200 company Arrow Electronics. Arrow serves as a supply channel partner for more than 1,200 suppliers and boasts 115,000 customers across a network of 340 locations in 52 countries.
Since its founding in 2009, Exosite has had its "head down" focusing on the development of the cloud-based platform, says Rorvick, Exosite's business development manager. A release in the past month of Exosite's One Platform means it can "push and pull data on any internet-connected device," says Rorvick. The platform is built to handle millions of users and devices concurrently, he says.
Exosite's core focus has been on industrial process, heavy embedded electronics, and the like. Customers might monitor poultry temperature, a patient's medical device, or a complex computer system, Rorvick says.
Applications for Arrow could range from a water-pump monitor for a hobbyist's fish pond to an enterprise software platform to launch a product or corporation.
He calls the partnership a "paradigm shift" for Arrow's business model, while Exosite gains access to Arrow's coast-to-coast sales team. The deal will significantly increase the number of users and puts Exosite in a very good position to grow and reach new markets, says Rorvick.
The big picture is the emerging economic trend of big corporations like IBM, Cisco, Microsoft and Hewlett Packard embracing the connected device and embedded internet, says Rorvick,??
"It's really exciting to see the really big players address and embrace and take some of the mystery out of it," he says.
Source: Erick Rorvick, Exosite
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
St. Paul-based LocaLoop is reaching across the globe--to Israel--to bring 4G broadband internet to rural and under-served areas of the Midwest.
LocaLoop announced last week a strategic marketing and technology agreement with the Israel-based network hardware firm Runcom. LocaLoop's cloud technology business management Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, called aLoopNET, will be deployed using Runcom equipment.
LocaLoop founder and CEO Carl-Johan Torarp invented LocaLoop's 4G Mobile WiMAX/LTE enabling technology and founded the company in 2003 to provide products and solutions for 4G mobile broadband internet designed for the rural markets of the world.
On its website, LocaLoop states that it answers the question: "How can you build a profitable business delivering high-quality Broadband Internet service at an affordable subscriber price in low density areas both at home and on the go?"
The platform's cloud computing architecture is key to that, as it makes deployment of a virtual network operations center affordable for broadband internet service providers.
LocaLoop's target market is the approximately 50 million people in under-served and rural areas of the U.S. alone, according to its website.
The partnership with Runcom is "much more than a marketing and technology agreement," said Torarp in a press release. "Together we are able to deliver a powerful turnkey 4G wireless network solution with capabilities that we could not achieve individually."
The two companies will focus on the nine-state region of the upper Midwestern U.S. initially, and it may be the first of more joint ventures for LocaLoop. The company states on its website that it is currently in a testing phase on its own live 4G network and will begin roll-out with rural joint venture partners in the U.S. during midyear 2011.
Source: LocaLooop
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Ignite Minneapolis
Tuesday, April 12, 6:30–9:30 p.m.
Heights Theatre, 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights
ticket information online
The lineup is set for the third round of Ignite Minneapolis, a high-energy evening of "5-minute talks by people who have an idea." Eighteen speakers will muse on topics ranging from "Can the US government deal with a technically sophisticated citizenry? to karaoke tips, and a history of the vibrator.
The organization will make a donation to Children with Autism Deserve Education, a volunteer-run organization that supports families affected by Autism. Admission includes two free beer tickets.
Greening Your Business Conference
Thursday, April 14
Marriott City Center, 30 S. Seventh St., Minneapolis
Free to $75
The Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council expect 100 exhibitors and 1,200 attendees at this year's conference, which will include a kickoff address by Mayor R.T. Rybak, a keynote panel presentation, a lineup of workshop speakers, and exhibits at which attendees can learn about sustainable and eco-friendly products and services for the workplace.
A free morning workshop on energy management and efficiency is funded by the City of Minneapolis' Climate-Change Grant. Exhibit-hall passes are $15, while a $75 fee grants admission to the entire conference.
Minnesota High Tech Association Spring Conference
Thursday, April 14
Minneapolis Convention Center
$159–$199
Minnesota innovation is the theme at the MHTA's spring conference.
Keynote speakers include Ira Flatow of NPR's Talk of the Nation Science Friday; Geek Squad founder and Best Buy chief technology officer Robert Stephens; Amit Mital, corporate vice president of the Startup Business Group at Microsoft; Carolyn Parnell, the State of Minnesota's chief information officer; and Theresa Wise, senior vice president and chief information officer of Delta Air Lines.
An impressive list of high tech executives will lead more than 20 breakout sessions, as well.
MOJO Mixer: "Speed Mentoring"
Wednesday, April 13, 5 p.m.
PSoup HQ, 287 E. Sixth St., Ste. 160, St. Paul
MOJO Minnesota and Minne* present the first MOJO mixer, described as an evening of "speed dating for entrepreneurs," who will meet, greet and mingle and receive guidance and advice from professional subject matter experts on a wide rang of topics involved in startups.
The educational/inspirational/networking event is open to entrepreneurs who have begun the launch of a business. See website for more detail and a list of experts and topic areas.
Momentum 2011: Hans Rosling
Tuesday, April 26, 7:30 p.m.
Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 S. Fourth St., Minneapolis
$20 ($15 for U of M students, staff, faculty, alumni, UMAA members)
International health guru Hans Rosling will speak on a fact-based world view for this second of three monthly events hosted by the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment. Rosling co-founded the Gapminder Foundation, which promotes "a fact-based world view by converting international statistics into moving, interactive, understandable and enjoyable graphics."
Comedian Cy Amundson opens, and MPR's Kerri Miller will host the event. You can submit a question online for Rosling to answer.
Note: the Launch.MN kickoff event originally scheduled for April 2 has been postponed until May. Watch online for information.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
2009 Minnesota Cup winner 8th Bridge (formerly Alvenda) looks to sustain its momentum following its recent $10 million in a series B funding round led by venture firm Trident Capital. Split Rock Partners also participated.
8thBridge's social commerce platform monetizes social media for some of the largest merchants in the world. The e-commerce pioneer opened the first Facebook retail store for 1-800-Flowers in July 2009. More merchants followed, and 8th Bridge-powered stores made $100,000 in daily sales by December 2010, according to the company's website.
The new round of funding grew out of "accelerated demand" from merchants, says CEO and Founder Wade Gerten in a press release. The funding will be used to enhance the company's technology platform, 8thBridge StoreCast.
Planned enhancements include improving the ability to receive highly personalized offers based on interests, to take advantage of special social promotions, and to receive rewards for advocating for favorite merchants.
8thBridge changed its name from Alvenda in January. The name "is a nod to the company's pioneering development of social graph-based commerce, stemming from the Seven Bridges of Königsberg, the historical mathematical problem that served as the genesis of Euler's Graph Theory," states the release.
Source: 8th Bridge
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The search to "find, fund and foster" entrepreneurs with big ideas in cleantech kicked off last week in the North Central region: the 2011 Cleantech Open.
The second annual business competition is a year-long program through which budding companies receive mentorship and training from local experts and gain exposure to investors. Participants compete in six cleantech categories: renewable energy, transportation, smart power and energy storage, energy efficiency, green building, and air/water/waste.
There are prizes for the regional winners, including the chance to compete in the national Cleantech Open for more than $250,000 in cash and services. The North Central region covers Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, new to the region for the 2011 competition.
Last year, the North Central region contestants outnumbered all other regions but California, with more than 30 collaborations and 200 contributing professionals.
All four 2010 semi-finalists received funding, notes Justin Kaster, Cleantech Open North Central regional director. They included Minnesota startups New Water and EarthClean Corporation, whose innovative and environmentally responsible fire suppression earned them the 2010 Minnesota Cup title, as well.
The competition helps "drive innovation, create jobs, foster early-stage investment, and teach a more sustainable way of doing business," says Kaster in a press release.
Entries for the Cleantech Open are now being accepted online, and the North Central region is recruiting professional volunteers to assist as mentors, judges, and program committee members.
Source: Cleantech Open
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The saying "too many cooks in the kitchen" has a more positive connotation for Kitchen in the Market since the chef's collective moved to its new 1,550-square-foot space in Minneapolis' Midtown Global Market in February.
Kitchen in the Market was born in a 400-square-foot space at the Global Market in 2007 out of a need for affordable shared commercial kitchen space, says manager and owner Molly Hermann, who also runs Tastebud Catering.
After two and a half years at capacity with a waiting list and low turnover, Kitchen in the Market was bursting at its seams. The new space is quadruple the size of the old one and allows more than twice the number of chefs to rent; the number grew from nine to 17 with the move, and more are expected.
Midtown Global Market invested over $100,000 in the new space. Hermann says the City of Minneapolis approached her about the low-interest loans that financed about half of the cost, the other half coming from the Neighborhood Development Center.
The move is more than just a physical expansion. Kitchen in the Market incorporated as a business and added a more formalized cooking class space that allows new and more classes and events.
While the expanded space has improved Kitchen in the Market as an entity, its core benefit remains the availability of affordable commercial space for the caterers and chefs that rent there.
"It definitely allows them to grow their businesses," says Hermann, adding that it's a great opportunity for startups with low overhead. The chefs not only share equipment and resources, they use each other as a network.
"I think all of us have benefited in a lot of different ways from being in the same kitchen," Hermann says.
Source: Molly Hermann, Kitchen in the Market
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Minneapolis-based health-care/IT company formerly known as VisionShare began in February in its offices near the University of Minnesota and ended the month as ABILITY Network in its newly designed headquarters in Downtown Minneapolis' Butler Square.
The new 51,000-square-foot digs--designed to meet LEED Commercial Interior standards--reflect the 11-year-old company's physical growth. Now with 135 employees, ABILITY has added 100 jobs in the past few years and expects to add a hundred more in the next few, including dozens more jobs this year, says CEO Mark Briggs.
Meanwhile, the fresh moniker reflects the substantial growth and change of the business; after many years enabling secure internet Medicare transactions, ABIILTY has extended its services to more health-care providers.
ABILITY now connects 3,500 hospitals nationwide--about half the hospitals in the country, says Briggs--as well as tens of thousands of other health-care facilities.
Furthermore, ABILITY now allows those customers to do more than just administer Medicare transactions, but to work with commercial payers or plans, says Briggs.
He characterizes the network as a "Google for doc[tors]" that "enables clinicians to be aware of the fragmented nature of their patients' clinical record," says Briggs.
"When I show up at the hospital for the first time, I start with a blank manila folder," he explains, "I've got health information scattered across the health-care network. There was no way, pre-ABILTIY, for the health-care-giver to know where all that information was."
ABILITY allows the care-giver to locate the information and bring it together, with patient consent and in a secure way that takes the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) into account, Briggs notes.
The result is "more efficient health care that leads to better patient outcomes, lower costs [for both insurers and patients] and to take the same budget and provide care for more people instead of less-efficient care for fewer," he says.
Briggs notes that stimulus funding and the attention the current administration has given to health care have "been helpful in enabling health-care providers to have the resources to connect." IT advances have made the work possible.
"Only recently did the technology mature to the point where this became feasible," says Briggs, "and hospitals and doctors have funding to enable these types of networks to grow profitably."
Source: Mark Briggs, ABILITY Network
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
If you see a disconnect between Minneapolis-mainstay Freewheel Bike's urban locations and the company's newest store in suburban Eden Prairie, take a look at a bike map.??
A long line of trails--primarily the Midtown Greenway and its western extensions--connects the flagship store, opened in 1974, to the new Eden Prairie location at 12910 Plaza Drive near Eden Prairie Center, where a network of local bike trails weaves its way through the surrounding area. (Along the 17-mile journey, one would pass Freewheel's trailside store near the Midtown Global Market, added in 2008.)
Eden Prairie includes 125 miles of biking trails, according to a press release, and Freewheel cites both leisure and urban/suburban commuters in its decision to locate there, as well as "an overall vision that supports and promotes bicycle riding, for leisure or commuting, throughout the Twin Cities metro area."
Freewheel is celebrating the opening of the new 7,000-square-foot store with a week-long open house, through March 28, with promotions at all three locations, including 20 percent off all the merchandise you can fit in a Freewheel Bike tote bag.
Freewheel owner Kevin Ishaug will manage the new store, which will support 35 new full- and part-time employees, bringing Freewheel's total staff count to 85, according to a press release.
The pairing of Freewheel and Eden Prairie marks the marriage of national elites: Money magazine's "best place to live" for 2010 and a Bicycle Retailer magazine "five-star retailer"--ranking in the top 100 nationwide for five straight years (along with local competitors Erik's and Penn Cycle).
In addition to its three locations, Freewheel also offers its Mobile Repair Squad and Gear Box vending machines, which offer repair kits and snack items along several Twin Cities-area bike trails.
Source: Freewheel Bike
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Minneapolis is one of the most recent additions to a list of cities hoping to boost growth in its existing small businesses through the Small Business Asministration's (SBA) e200 Emerging Leaders Initiative.
The program, administered locally by the Minnesota office of the SBA, delivers 100 hours of training to selected small businesses, as well as mentoring, networking and connections with other businesses, city leaders and the financial community.
Classes begin April 18 and run bi-weekly through November, says Nancy Libersky, district director of the Minnesota office of the SBA. Libersky compared the "high-level, very-intense training" to an MBA worth $10,000 per student. Each company selected may send one executive-level employee ("CEO, CFO--one of the Cs," says Libersky).
Space is limited. Libersky did not say how many companies could participate, only that they have received some "excellent candidates." Minneapolis businesses that generate revenues between $400,000 and $10 million, and which have been in business for at least three years, are eligible.
Minneapolis is one of 17 urban-community participants around the country for fiscal year 2011. More than 600 small businesses have been through the program since its inception is 2008, according to an SBA press release.
The class will be led by a specialized trainer hired out of Washington, D.C. who will interview and train to learn the locality and specifics of the Minneapolis program, says Libersky. The SBA has eight local business, organization and municipal partners assisting in the initiative.
Source: Nancy Libersky, Minnesota Office of the Small Business Administration
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Consider this reality: you're a high school math teacher. One hundred and sixty students cycle through your classroom every a day.
"How would you have any idea which students struggle with certain concepts?" asks Corey Thompson. "What we ask our teachers to do in that realm is not possible."
Thompson is co-founder and chief executive officer of Naiku, a local start-up offering an online education assessment platform that benefits both student and teacher, says Thompson.
Naiku ("teacher" in Lao) gives teachers a "classroom dashboard" that allows both summative assessment--what students know--as well as formative assessment--how they learned it. A formative assessment question might be: "What was the concept that this quiz tested you on?" offers Thompson.
The exercise in "meta-cognition" enriches the students' learning experience, he says. "It helps the students perform better, as well, because it makes them think about what they know and what they don't know."
Teachers can create assessments, share them with other teachers, and customize and organize the student data gathered.
A two-minute video on Naiku's website gives a quick overview of how the platform works.
Naiku was born last fall and is already being used by thousands of students, says Thomspon. In late February, Naiku announced a partnership with Austin, Texas-based Instruction-Driven Measurement Center (IDMC) to market and connect Naiku to more users. Thompson expects to add other partnerships in the near future.
Thompson met co-founder and cognitive psychologist Adisack Nhouyvanisvong while they were earning MBAs at the University of Minnesota. (Both graduated last year.) Kevin Sampers, a third co-founder, is Naiku's COO and VP of sales and marketing.
Naiku works in all major browsers and on all personal devices, Thompson says, including iPhone, iPod Touch, android, iPad and laptop.
Thompson sees schools embracing the use of personal devices more and more. He envisions that, in the near future, students will use their own devices, with subsidies for students that don't own devices, similar to free- and reduced-priced lunch.
"In the next year or two, it's all going to tip," says Thompson. "Student devices will be welcomed."
Source: Corey Thompson, Naiku
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
After four months of private-site testing, the online education site Sophia went live on March 7.
The response was overwhelming: In the first 48 hours, people logged on from 69 different countries. Not bad, considering Sophia had spent nothing on advertising.
"That was really just based on educational blogs and people spreading the word on Twitter and Facebook," says Sophia founder and CEO Don Smithmier,
whom we recently profiled. "It's just the most incredible example of the power of the social web that I've ever seen."
It's exactly that power Smithmier and his team hope to tap with Sophia--a sort-of social media for academia that crowd-sources educational instruction for free, public dissemination.
While the minimum registration age is 13, Sophia's core audience is grades 11–14, says Smithmier, "the last two years of high school and first two years of college, when people are working on general education curriculum … topics that are a gateways to college where a lot of people struggle."
That said, anyone can view Sophia's "learning packets," which registered users create on any subject, with instruction in text, video, graphics and more. (A quick perusal finds topics ranging from graphing rational functions to Chaucer.)
Packet creators may offer their instruction to the whole World Wide Web or create and manage private groups for work amongst students and peers.
Sophia packets are rated for "trustability" in two ways: through a five-star user rating, and by a more rigorous expert review. Though still crowd-sourced, subject experts need to be a teacher or hold a master's degree or higher in the field. Academically sound packets must be vetted by three such experts.
Sophia is one of four companies under
entrepreneur Smithmier's Matter Worldwide umbrella. Based in the Warehouse District in Downtown Minneapolis, Sophia began last November.
Before the public beta launch in March, 1,600 academics from 200 institutions tested the site. Those educators used it in ways the Sophia team didn't expect. "One high school teacher used it as an assessment tool," says Smithmier. "Instead of creating learning packets, he assigned [his algebra students] to create a learning packet … to demonstrate that they understood the concept."
It's an example of how the crowd-sourced, social education site will grow organically.
"I'm a believer that there are a ton of very creative, very innovative educators out there," says Smithmier. "I think Sophia can give them a tool that's out in the cloud, not a cumbersome software package, but something that's very intuitive, very easy to use and consistent with the web's most popular systems like Facebook, Wikipedia, and YouTube."
Sophia is in no hurry to move out of beta; with tongue in cheek, Smithmier cites Google mail's seven-year test period as a benchmark. The company does intend to roll out licensable versions offering more space, functionality, and administrative control later this year.
Minneapolis-based Capella University is one of the owners of Sophia, along with Matter Worldwide. The Sophia leadership team has a strong local strain, as well--a fact that Smithmier believes reflects the city's strong standing in educational technology.
"I'm personally dedicated to … making people more aware of that fact," he says. "There's tremendous brain power here when it comes to educational technology."
Source: Don Smithmier, Sophia
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The results are in for the state's Angel Investor Tax Credit program, passed last April and launched in July of 2010.
The Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) delivered its report to the legislature on March 15. (The 16-page report and some of its contents are linked at the bottom of this page.)
In the last six months of the year, the program drew in $28 million in investment to 67 Minnesota small businesses (those not more than 10 years old and with fewer than 25 employees, among other qualification requirements).
Eleven separate businesses received $1 million or more through the program, including Cachet Financial Solutions, the only company to bring in more than $2 million.
The investments came from 258 certified individuals, who received approximately $7 million in Small Business Investment Tax Credits.
That amount is $4 million shy of the $11 million available for 2010--a remainder that will roll into 2011, totaling $16 million for the current year, according to DEED's Jeff Nelson.
Nelson said that activity accelerated toward the end of the last year, as the program picked up speed. That momentum is expected to continue, aided in part by the new Minnesota Angel Network, launched earlier this year.
No surprise: medical devices and equipment, software, and biotechnology accounted for more than half of the industries and businesses receiving investments, with clean technology close behind. In terms of total investment amount, biotech barely led the field:
Biotech: $5,683,000
Medical devices and equipment: $5,362,484
Software: $5,320,753
Clean tech: $4,281,002
Only six of the 67 businesses receiving investment were outside the Twin Cities metro area, a point of concern noted and addressed in the report.
Monte Hanson, DEED spokesperson, noted that more than a quarter of investors were from out of state--an aspect that differs from other states' angel-investment programs. Non-Minnesota investors receive a direct refundable credit from the state--an opportunity that encourages out-of-state participation, says Hanson.
Sources: Jeff Nelson and Monte Hanson, Department of Employment and Economic Development
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Momentum 2011: You Don't Have to Move Out of Your Neighborhood to Live in a Better One
Thursday, March 10, 7:30 p.m.
Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 S. Fourth St., Minneapolis
$20 ($15 for U of M students, staff, faculty, alumni, UMAA members)
"Eco-entrepreneur" Majora Carter headlines the March installment of Momentum 2011, hosted by the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment. The event bio describes Carter as "one of the nation's pioneers of environment-centered urban renewal and green-collar job training and placement."
Don Shelby will host the event, which will feature a performance by Ananya Dance Theatre. Other Momentum 2011 events will feature "environmental visionaries" in April and May.
Solutions Twin Cities Vol. 4
Friday, March 18, 7 p.m.
Capri Theater, 2027 W. Broadway Ave., Minneapolis
$8–16
See our March 2 article.
Mobile March
Saturday, March 19, 8 a.m.
Best Buy Corporate Offices, 7601 Penn Ave. S., Richfield
$40
The second annual Mobile March conference will be a "day dedicated to understanding mobile." The day-long conference offers two tracks: "developer and programming" for mobile developers and "marketing and use" for businesspeople.
A pre-conference demo, dinner and drinks will be held Friday, March 18 at CoCo, 213 E. 4th St. #400 in Saint Paul. The $40 registration fee covers both events.
Disaster Recovery: It's No Joke
Friday, April 1, 7:30–9:30 a.m.
Westin Hotel, 88 S. Sixth St., Minneapolis
Free.
IBM and VISI team up to present this breakfast seminar about disaster recovery solutions for businesses.
Launch.MN kickoff party
Saturday, April 2, noon—9 p.m.
International Market Square, 275 Market St., Minneapolis
Free
Launch.MN--a new nonprofit to support local entrepreneurs--will kick off with an all-day event described as "a coming-out party and social event for everyone who cares about improving entrepreneurial culture and early-stage business activity in Minnesota."
Stone Brewing Co.'s Stone Week--Minnesota
March 29–April 2
Various locations
OK, it's not exactly innovation, but it's new to us, and it's beer! To kick off its Twin Cities distribution, San Diego-based Stone Brewing Co. will be pouring at local watering holes for five days beginning March 29. The dozens of Stone Brewing beers will include "rarities from the darkest depths of our archives."
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Sometimes it takes the right ingredient to make a recipe work.
In the case of Baldinger Bakery and the St. Paul Port Authority, just add $19 million in New Market Tax Credits to make the dough rise.
The NMTC financing, through the Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF), will result in a new, 145,000-square-foot facility for Baldinger in the Dayton's Bluff area of St. Paul. The project, expected to be completed this year, should create 80 full-time construction jobs.
Moreover, Baldinger will hire 40 new full-time employees over the next ten years--70 percent of those from St. Paul --at a minimum of $11 an hour, according to East Side Pride.
Baldinger's roots go back to 1888, when immigrant Henry Baldinger opened his bakery in St. Paul. Nearly 125 years later, the bakery has grown into a giant commercial operation, shipping to international markets and supplying McDonald's with approximately 30 percent of its buns, along with strategic partner East Balt Bakeries out of Chicago, according to the Baldinger website.
Having grown out of its 60,000 square-foot West Side facility, Baldinger sought to stay in St. Paul through a deal with the St. Paul Port Authority (SPPA), which was looking for a tenant for the 9.4-acre site of the former Griffin Wheelworks foundry. The site is part of the SPPA's 61-acre Beacon Bluff Business Center, a redevelopment of 3M's former headquarters on St. Paul's East Side.
The deal "languished as credit remained tight and Baldinger received a generous incentive offer to move to a nearby suburb," according to a press release from Haberman for the Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF), which became a player in the game when it contributed the $19 million in NMTC financing, along with the SPPA, last year.
The Griffin site is located in a qualified low-income census tract, making the project eligible for the NMTC financing.
Baldinger's website offers a virtual aerial view of the future bakery.
Sources: David Hlavac, Haberman
East Side Pride
Baldinger Bakery
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
While the $3.5 billion allocation of community development funds to 99 organizations might seem generous, consider the demand: 250 organizations in 27 states requesting $23.5 billion in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) fund allocations.
Five Minnesota organizations were among the 99 to receive a portion of $3.5 billion in community redevelopment funds authorized through the federal government's eighth round of NMTC allocations.
The Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund has made 594 awards totaling $29.5 billion since it was established by Congress in December 2000.
Through the NMTC program, taxpayers receive a credit against federal income taxes for making qualified equity investments in designated Community Development Entities (CDEs). Those investment must be used by the CDE "to provide capital for low-income communities, help finance community development projects, stimulate economic growth and create jobs," according to a press release from Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF), a CDE based in Downtown Minneapolis that received $77 million in NMTC funds this round.
"Industry estimates show that for every $1 gained by NMTCs, award recipients are able to leverage an average of $21 in additional investment from the private sector," states CRF. Though headquartered here, CRF serves mainly urban communities in six other states, as well. (See our story on
Baldinger Bakery's new facility for an example of how CRF uses its NMTC funds.)
Other Minnesota CDEs to receive funding include:
University Financial Corporation/Sunrise Community Banks
Headquartered in Saint Paul, Sunrise received $25 million. Comprising Franklin Bank, Park Midway Bank and University Bank, Sunrise's "community stories" include Common Roots Café, Catalyst and Urban Homeworks. Sunrise will utilize its 2010 NMTC allocation to expand its existing investment to small and local businesses in highly distressed neighborhoods, to create small projects loan pools, and to finance energy savings retrofits for commercial buildings.
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
Headquartered in New York, LISC received $70 million in the latest round, and the organization has received a total allocation of $693 million in NMTC allocation since the program's inception--the largest in the country, according to Program Officer Tina Homstad. LISC's Twin Cities office has put NMTC funds into the Midtown Global Market and Plaza Verde projects in Minneapolis, among other local work.
Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation, based in Detroit Lakes, serves non-metro rural communities in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. They received $74 million.
Portland, Oreg.-based National Community Fund I, LLC/Portland Family of Funds Holdings, Inc., which also serves Minnesota, received $77 million.
Sources: Community Reinvestment Fund, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, U.S. Department of Treasury
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
St. Paul-based Transit for Livable Communities (TLC) has released funds for three new projects through its administration of the federal Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Project (NMTPP).
Minneapolis is one of four communities in the country participating; TLC has allocated nearly $20 million of NMTPP funds in four funding rounds so far, much of it through its Bike/Walk Twin Cities program.
This smaller than first round will fund:
— $62,000 in pedestrian improvements on Franklin Avenue between 23rd and 26th avenues in Minneapolis, including countdown timers, marked crosswalks, curb extensions, and possibly future bike lanes;
— $110,000 to fill two "pedestrian gaps" to the North Star Rail Station in Fridley; and
— $1 million additional capital support for the bike-share program Nice Ride, to expand the number of bikes and stations.
Joan Pasiuk, bicycling and walking program director for TLC, describes the effort as more than just "new streetscape and infrastructure.
"We really look at this as…innovative ways to help people connect with their community and use resources in different ways," says Pasiuk.
In Minneapolis, the Franklin Avenue improvements have been "very community-led" and especially included new residents and new immigrants in the process, she says.
Likewise, the Fridley project is part of a transit-oriented development effort in that city, she says--part of a Compete Streets movement and larger comprehensive plan.
"That's very progressive, for suburban communities to take on that type of project," says Pasiuk.
Source: Joan Pasiuk, Transit for Livable Communities
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Joe Tracy has a new paradigm for an old medium: television.
The name of his St. Paul startup MIDART is an acronym for the key elements of the company's strategic platform: mobile, internet, digital, authentication, retransmission and timing.
MIDART's goal is to acquire and operate "under-valued or over-leveraged" television stations around the country and capitalize on new technology, media, and revenue streams.
Tracy, a 25-year veteran of broadcast sales and management, left CW Twin Cities (WUCW) last September to devote himself full-time to MIDART. By mid-February, MIDART had raised more than a third of its $750,000-round equity goal, according to an SEC filing.
"It's a really, really interesting time to be in broadcasting," says Tracy. "Some guys are either shaking their head and getting out, or they're being squeezed out."
Instead, Tracy sees opportunity. While the past couple of years have been "some of the worst years broadcasting has had," he says, "behind that there is this new wave of technology that, in my opinion, represents the next wave of broadcasting growth."
MIDART's "three-screen" approach involves extending traditional broadcasting (and related revenue streams) to newer media models like mobile broadcasting and customized, interactive websites. As general manager at the local CW station, Tracy grew a successful mobile-texting strategy and instituted cross-media collaborations, with the online Star-Tribune, for example.
Tracy also hopes to maximize broadcast capacity with local programming on secondary channels (as in channel 11.2 or channel 2.4) and to capitalize on authentication and retransmission fees from cable companies or web-content providers, for example.
Add to Tracy's own experience MIDART's impressive list of collaborators, which includes meteorologist Paul Douglas and Digital River co-founder Todd Frostad, who have partnered to create Weather Nation and Singular Logic. Like other MIDART team members, the pair's expertise in technology and entrepreneurship fit nicely into key aspects of MIDART's business plan.
While MIDART aims to "streamline operations and content delivery," Tracy doesn't imagine a media-behemoth ownership model--a model that he says has played a part in broadcasting's recent decline.
"We need to buy a bunch of stations to create that economy of scale," he says, "but at the same time, you have to provide local programming that's relevant. If you're too macro, and you're just treating it as a business, then you're not a broadcaster anymore."
MIDART's next step is a big one: to start acquiring stations. Tracy expects to "close a deal or two" in the next few months.
Source: Joe Tracy, MIDART
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
It's a good way to feed your head, 21st-century-style: through the rapid-fire delivery of ideas that will be Solutions Vol. 4.
Since its first gathering in 2007, Solutions Twin Cities has been packing houses (local theaters, to be precise) with audiences eager to hear about the work of "solutionists" from a broad range of disciplines, but with a common goal: to improve the world and the lives of the people who live in and on it.
The evening will include video, music, performance, and conversation on a broad range of ideas in a fast-paced, digestible format: "20 images x 20 seconds each = 6 minutes, 40 seconds."
Solutions Twin Cities is now a project of Works Progress, a West-Bank based "network of creative collaborators" that is behind a growing list of past and ongoing projects.
The event will take place on Friday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at the Capri Theater, 2027 W. Broadway Ave., in Minneapolis. A social hour follows at 9 p.m. Tickets are $8–16 ("pay what you can").
Organizations and individuals may also sponsor some of the 50–100 tickets that Works Progress has set aside for adults and teens in the community through the Northside Residents Redevelopment Council (NRRC), says co-founder Colin Kloecker.
This is Solutions' first foray into North Minneapolis. NRRC member Ariah Fine, whom Solutions Twin Cities co-founder Troy Gallas had met at a separate Works Progress event, was instrumental in bringing the forum to the North Side.
"The more we learned about him, and about the council, it just seemed like a natural fit to work with them," says Kloecker.
While this fourth volume is the first in two years, Kloecker says Works Progress would "like this to happen twice a year, all over the city, and in a new place every time." They hope to direct the content, as much as possible, toward the community into which it is held, he says.
Among the local presenters, for instance, Vol. 4 will feature North Minneapolis resident, educator, artist, organizer, and writer Amoke Kubat, author of Mothering Mothers and founder of the Yo Mama Institute.
Other "solutonists" will include:
Daniel Klein, producer, host and chef of The Perennial Plate, an online video series about "socially responsible and adventurous eating."
Laura Zabel, director of Springboard for the Arts, an economic development organization located in Lowertown St. Paul that connects independent artists "with the skills, information and services they need to make a living and a life."
Joseph Adamji and his students from the Kitty Anderson Youth Science Center, at the Science Museum of Minnesota, that "empowers young people to change their world through science."
Mirelle Zacharis, artist and co-curator of No Assumption, "a collaborative art exhibition that took place inside a foreclosed home in Northeast Minneapolis."
Matt Olson, co-founder of rosenlof/lucus, ro/lu, (ROLU), an independent design and art studio focusing on "landscape work, furniture design, relational architectural projects, urban planning and innovative collaborative public art."
Virajita Singh, senior research fellow at the Center for Sustainable Building Research, who is "working to raise funds for communities that need sustainable design services."
Hamilton Bell, project director of the Wilder Foundation's Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood, a "cradle-to-career" community-wide effort to ensure that children in St.Paul's Summit-University and Frogtown neighborhoods "succeed in school and life."
Scotty Reynolds, founder of Mixed Precipitation, a performance group that produces short-form projects "highlighting social engagement, and encouraging the exploration of public and private spaces, as well as collaboration across disciplines."
Source: Colin Kloecker, Works Progress
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Agitators, innovators, evangelists and maybe even some angels (as in investors) gathered Feb. 23 for a MOJO Minnesota-hosted conversation on technology transfer.
At issue: how to bridge the gap between inventors and entrepreneurs and smooth the runway for the commercialization of innovations and intellectual property produced by Minnesota researchers.
The event took place on the U of M's West Bank campus. The panel of six, which was moderated by MOJO "agitator" Rick Brimacomb, represented the university (and Mayo Clinic) research side, the entrepreneur side, and someone in between: recent U of M graduate-turned entrepreneur Alex Johansson, co-founder and CTO of the startup NewWater, LLC,
Jay Schrankler, executive director of the U of M's Office of Technology Commercialization, offered some statistics about the university's improving track record of "spinning off" companies--and ones that stay in Minnesota.
From 2001–2006, said Schrankler, 14 companies spun out of the university, of which four still exist. Of the147 jobs those companies created, 111 are in California now--an example of the tech-and-talent drain that was a key topic of the MOJO conversation.
By contrast, 23 companies have come out of the U of M since 2006, he said, 21 of which are still around. They account for 50 jobs, all of which are in Minnesota, according to Schrankler.
Early conversation addressed the success or failure of tech-transfer attempts.
"Success is a deal that doesn't fall through," said Jeff Carpenter, senior portfolio manager for Development Capital Networks. He outlined mistakes he sees companies making in the process of bringing research to market.
"The companies tend to … overestimate the stage of development, and they underestimate the cost and the time to get something to market."
Lee Jones, CEO in residence at the university's Venture Center, stressed the importance of similar expectations on the parts of the researchers and entrepreneurs.
"When I hear people say 'it's hard to get technology out of [the university],' what I really hear is that they, a) don't know how to access it, or b) they have expectations that they are getting more than [the concept of the technology].
"There's expectation that the development process has already taken place, or that the inventor is going to willingly hand over all of his information," she said.
Schrankler laid out the four elements necessary for a successful start-up company: the right technology, a good market for that technology, a good management team, and, of course, capital.
Johansson hit on a key point with his advice for entrepreneurs looking to license technology from the university.
"[The university's] one concern is the revenue that's going to get generated by this technology," he said, "and by licensing it to you, they are preventing anyone else from generating revenue with [that] technology."
Schrankler followed with a breakdown of revenue return: one-third rightly goes to the inventor, he said, and the rest goes back into research.
Later, conversation turned to the potential for technology to flee the state. While the university is strong in biotech research, "If you have a biotech invention, and you want to spin off a company, where is it going to end up?" asked Carpenter. "San Francisco or Boston."
Johansson noted that, of 40 recent, top-of-their-class graduates he knows, all have jobs, and only four are in this state.
Schrankler assured potential entrepreneurs that the university is trying to not send technology out of state--despite opportunities to do so--and he asked them to be patient.
"We have more potential companies in our pipeline right now than the system can handle," said Schrankler. "Have patience with us. The longer we can keep that company inside the university and work the problem so that it can stay here…"
An audience member asked why so much emphasis was put on biotech research at the university when the Twin Cities has stronger markets for other technology.
"We are the Silicon Valley of medical devices," said the audience member.
The argument was also made that the region's concentration of med-tech chokes off the potential for growth in other areas.
To this point, Carpenter advised entrepreneurs to diversify their interests in technologies.
"There's more here than just med-tech," he said. "Maintain what you've got with med-tech, but support all the other innovations out there."
"God bless you!" responded Darren Cox, founder and "chief evangelist" of Commerce and Search for Tech Transfer (CaSTT).
Earlier on, he had given prospective entrepreneurs some simple advice:
"Be curious … and figure out what it is that you're interested in that is going on at the U. It's a huge place, and they are some of the most amazing things that I've ever seen coming out of research.
"There are gold mines here, trust me," said Cox. "There are cash machines, and entrepreneurs who ignore the university's innovations are doing themselves a great disservice."
Source: MOJO Minnesota tech transfer conversation, Feb. 23
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
While Kroll Ontrack bills itself as the largest data recovery provider in the world, the Eden Prairie-based company's new Ontrack Data Recovery Partner Program is focused locally: at the level of the storefront, small business, and home.
The online certification program aims to better equip smaller IT equipment and services providers to handle data recovery and data destruction for small- and medium-sized businesses and home users, says Ken Gibson, Ontrack Data Recovery partnership channel manager.
Since the U.S. launch in December, more than 1,000 companies have completed the certification training, including about 50 in the Twin Cities, says Gibson.
The training process is simple and easy by design, he says. Organizations watch at least four of five free podcasts, available online. Topics include the basics of data recovery, how to present and sell data recovery services, data recovery in virtual environments, data destruction, and data management for Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Office SharePoint servers.
Certified organizations are ramping up existing services or adding a new aspect to their businesses in an attempt to differentiate themselves from competitors, says Gibson.
Kroll Ontrack hopes to do the same with the program; while "lots of other partner programs exist," admits Gibson, he believes Kroll Ontrack "provides more value than extending a discount."
The training is designed to improve organizations' handling of data recovery needs--whether that involves performing the service themselves or knowing when and how to pass the work on to Kroll Ontrack.
The program also strengthens a partnership that obviously benefits both Kroll Ontrack and the organization. Certified partners receive promotions and discounts on software, as well as a 10 percent commission for pass-through referrals to Kroll.
Gibson notes specifically the training in data destruction--a growing concern and need as consumers and companies "churn through" hardware at an increasing pace.
"What do you do with that old [laptop]?" asks Gibson rhetorically. "What happens to the data? You need to include data destruction with any data plan," he says, "because you really are protecting the lifeblood of your company."
Source: Ken Gibson, Kroll Ontrack
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Emily Goodman has given the subject some thought.
While earning degrees in geography and psychology at Macalester College, she wrote an honors thesis titled The Green Cities: an Exploration into the Twin Concepts of Urban Sustainability and Conservation Psychology.
In January, after nearly three years working on transportation and bike/walk issues in St. Paul's Department of Planning and Economic Development, Goodman began putting her knowledge and experience to work as the city's first sustainable transportation planner.
The position is a new spoke in the city's larger Sustainable St. Paul strategy. A key part of her work so far has been conducting a survey of bicycle projects in anticipation of a citywide bike plan, which she calls "much-needed and exciting."
Goodman will work to establish a "bicycle priority network"--areas and routes in which the city will support biking with aspects like signage, road treatments, traffic calming, bump-outs, bike boulevards, and off-street trails.
That too supports a larger effort: to create a balanced transportation plan in line with the city's adopted "Complete Streets" policy.
"It acknowledges that the system should serve all users," says Goodman. Cars, bikes, buses, light rail, and pedestrians all have their place. Goodman's position "will focus on types of transportation that…will need a little bit of extra love," she says.
Another part of her role is to partner with other organizations and municipalities--"anybody who is doing good work in the Twin Cities region," she says. St. Paul is currently working on an effort to establish regional way-finding guidelines with nearby counties, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and, of course, that twin city across the river.
While she does feel a bit overshadowed by the country's number-one bike city, St. Paul's relationship with Minneapolis is "friendly and collaborative," says Goodman, who calls Minneapolis "a great asset."
St. Paul has received some funding, for instance, as a rider on Minneapolis' participation in the federal Non-motorized Transportation Pilot Program, administered through St. Paul-based Transit for Livable Communities.
And Goodman agrees that Minneapolis' lauded bike culture is bolstered at least a bit by its metropolitan neighbors.
"St. Paul has done amazing things," Goodman says. "I'm excited to improve on those, but also to improve on telling the story of what we're already doing."
Source: Emily Goodman, St. Paul's Department of Planning and Economic Development
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
We often hear the University of Minnesota described as the "economic engine" of the state. From bioscience to information technology to agriculture, the U is indeed a source and driving factor behind many of Minnesota's successful economic endeavors and sectors.
Earlier this month, the university's Office of the Vice President for Research hosted an event to recognize the innovators at the very beginning of the continuum from research to commercial application.
"It's a key part of what we do as a university, and we want to acknowledge the folks who play a vital role in [the innovation] process," says John Merritt, director of communications for the Office of the Vice President for Research. "They are really the source of the intellectual property and technology that emanates from this place."
In the past two years (fiscal years 2990–2010), 161 inventors from 10 colleges generated 106 patents and 84 license agreements--contributing to the nearly $390 million in revenue over the last five years.
That dollar amount reflects the economic importance of innovation to the state and the nation, and it is a very necessary return on investment that supports additional research at the university. Merritt stresses how critical innovation revenue is to research funding--especially right now.
"As public support declines, as the support of the state in particular declines," says Merritt, "we're looking towards [technology commercialization] revenue to help fill some of that gap."
The university has seen an upward trend in a couple of key measures, says Merritt. The number of disclosures of inventions by faculty increased from 217 in FY2008 to 255 in FY2009. Likewise, the number of patent filings rose from 52 to 66 in that same period.
"We're seeing a nice growth of revenue here that comes from products," says Merritt, even above and beyond the U of M's revenue "home run"--innovation drug Ziagen, licensed to Glaxo Smith Kline (but set to roll off patent in 2013).
Inventors of recently applied research honored at the Feb. 10 event include:
-- Dr. Erik Cressman of the Medical School, whose discovery of a novel treatment for chronic venous insufficience resulted in the formation of the device startup XO Thermix Medical;
-- biochemistry professor Gary Nelsestuen, who licensed technology in 2008 using modified vitamin K as an anti-coagulant or pro-coagulant;
-- Kevin Groenke, coordinator for the College of Design, whose desk for architecture students has been licensed to three companies since 2009;
-- Vipin Kumar, head of the Computer Science and Engineering department, who developed software that allows researchers to track the growth and degradation of forests worldwide;
-- and Tom Levar, forestry and horticulture specialist at U of M Duluth's Natural Resources Research Institute, whose technology to protect plants from browsing by deer and mice was licensed to Repellex, which will release the product this spring.
The event also recognized patent and licensing activity from the St. Paul campus, including:
-- Honeycrisp apple trees;
-- La Crescent, Frontenac gris, and Marquette grape varieties;
-- FINPACK software for farm financial planning and analysis;
-- and the technology behind recent startup NewWater.
Even as it celebrated its recent patents and licenses, the university was finalizing an exclusive, worldwide license agreement with Paris-headquartered biotechnology company Cellectis for gene-modification technology, according to a press release.
U of M representatives will take part in a MOJO Minnesota-hosted conversation about the other end of the research continuum--the transfer of technology to the market--on Wednesday, Feb. 23. (More on that next week.)
Source: John Merritt, University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
We haven't seen a lineup like this since the last Ozzfest.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will headline a group of senior administration officials for a day of trade talk Feb. 17 as the U.S. Department of Commerce kicks off its multi-city National Export Initiative Small Business Tour in Minneapolis. Local opening acts Governor Mark Dayton and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak will also speak.
The tour is designed to further the Obama Administration's "New Markets, New Jobs" outreach, part of the National Export Initiative launched last year. Its goal: to create millions of new jobs by doubling exports in the next five years.
The conference will address export challenges specific to small and medium-sized businesses, which generated 20 percent of Minnesota's total exports of merchandise in 2008. Challenges include foreign competition and access to information, market research, and financing.
The daylong conference will feature panels on topics like federal resources and "lessons learned" from area businesses that have succeeded in expanding into overseas markets.
Asked to comment specifically on opportunities, resources and strategies for Twin Cities businesses, Department of Commerce officials pointed to the most recent statistics on exports, jobs, and foreign investment in Minnesota.
Some key statistics include:
— Almost 20 percent of manufacturing workers in Minnesota depended on exports for their jobs in 2008, during which 6,814 companies exported goods from Minnesota. The vast majority (88 percent) were businesses with fewer than 500 employees.
— That year, foreign-controlled companies employed 97,200 Minnesota workers — 4.1 percent of the state's total private-industry employment.
— In 2009, Minnesota's merchandise exports shipments totaled $15.5 billion. Of that, $4.1 billion (26 percent) went to Canada, our largest foreign market. Computers and electronics accounted for $3.4 billion of that total (22 percent), followed by machinery manufactures ($2.4 billion), miscellaneous manufactures ($1.9 billion), and transportation equipment ($1.7 billion).
— The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington statistical area (11 metro counties and two in Wisconsin) exported $9.3 billion in the first half of 2009 alone.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
It's a simple solution to a widespread problem: stormwater sediment.
The new startup Upstream Technologies is delivering the "SAFL Baffle"--a perforated stainless steel barrier that, once installed inside a manhole, traps debris like leaves and gravel while allowing water to flow through.
Developed at the Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL) of the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering, the baffle is a more cost-effective measure because of its simplicity.
"The current devices that are on the market have a lot of features that are generally not needed," says A.J. Schwidder, CEO of Upstream Technologies and an MBA student at the U of M.
Schwidder connected with co-inventor and civil engineering professor John Gulliver last summer at the university's Office of Technology Commercialization and soon after began to look into applications and markets for the new technology.
"The market looked big enough to justify starting a new company," says Schwidder.
Now in its third week since a Feb. 1 launch, Upstream has 20 orders for the $3,500 baffle--including four in Minneapolis and others in Prior Lake, Bloomington, and Blaine.
Schwidder, who has a background and degrees in civil engineering, believes cities are interested in long-term implementation. One is considering putting it into their 5-year sewer maintenance plan, he said, while another will use it to as part of their stormwater infiltration process.
Given the heavy winter, Schwidder expects installation to begin in April. In the meantime, Upstream is raising capital and taking in other orders. The company will focus on selling in the Upper Midwest, says Schwidder (particularly Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa), with plans for nationwide expansion in 2012.
At this time, manufacturing is subcontracted to Custom Fab Solutions. Both companies are based in Chanhassen.
Source: A.J. Schwidder, Upstream Technologies
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Last winter, when Dan Cleary sought warmer pastures for a bicycle trip, he encountered a huge hassle in a key aspect--bringing his bike.
He could choose from hundreds of dollars in airline charges, days or weeks for shipping and the risk of damage, or a bike shop rental (if he could find one) with a hefty liability premium.
A year later, Velolet was born. The Twin Cities online startup matches local bikes with visiting bikers by facilitating the above transaction, from search to saddling up.
Velolet went live in December in what Cleary calls a soft launch as he builds inventory to fill demand in warmer days and markets.
Icons are sprouting daily on the Google map on Velolet's home page. Most are concentrated in the Twin Cities, which will function as a demo market for his "methodical growth plan" into other cycling cities around the country and even overseas.
Cleary compares his online model to a hotel rental on Orbitz or Expedia. On the supply side, listings have been from individuals early on, but Cleary expects more and more bike shops to get on board.
Demand could come from the single traveler or through references from event promoters, who often field calls from incoming cyclists looking for local bikes. On either side, it's an organic dynamic with the natural potential for scalability.
"All I've done is create a platform for them to make it easy," says Cleary. A huge part of that platform is the handling of liability insurance, which Cleary calls the "secret sauce."
The online venture is also lean on infrastructure, thanks largely to the availability of "cloud space" and online applications and tools.
"You use everything that's available now," says Cleary, who remembers a different era of technology while in San Francisco in the late 1990s. The 20-year competitive cyclist describes himself as a "consummate entrepreneur" with a background in finance and small business with a flair for tech development.
"It allowed us to get off the ground without putting a lot of time and effort into the infrastructure," he says.
Source: Dan Cleary, Velolet
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The phrase "Fill 'er up!" is taking on new meaning--albeit it slowly--with the introduction of electric vehicles. Since the beginning of the year, the Twin Cities has stations for the filling--in Downtown St. Paul and on the 3M campus in Maplewood.
The first of Coulomb Technologies' ChargePoint Network stations was installed in early January in the public parking ramp at St. Paul's First National Bank Building, 332 North Minnesota Street. Located near the Central Corridor light rail line, the station will use 100 percent wind energy as part of Xcel Energy's WindSource program.
Meanwhile, 3M installed a ChargePoint station in the visitors' parking lot at 3M Center, its company headquarters in Maplewood, on Feb. 10. 3M will install a second station in the spring.
Jean Sweeney, vice president of environmental, health, and safety operations, called the addition of the stations "a great way to align our culture with a continued commitment to reduce impact on the environment and underline the connection between 3M values and sustainability."
Last year, 3M's energy savings programs prevented the use of nearly 8 million KWH of electricity and 585,940 Therms of natural gas, according to a press release.
An interactive map on the ChargePoint Network website shows dozens, if not hundreds, of stations across the country, but only three in Minnesota. Another is located in Rochester.
Electric car owners can search for Charge Point Network stations online or find them using an iPhone app.
Sources: Coloumb Technologies, 3M
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
When he took the call last December from Ellen Prosser of Fort Lucas Farm in Massachusetts, Dan Ellsworth could sense the sincerity and concern in her voice.
Hundreds of llamas were starving and in need of rescue at the defunct Montana Large Animal Sanctuary.
"It was a simple answer," says Ellsworth, vice president of marketing for Destron Fearing, a South St. Paul company specializing in animal identification solutions. The company donated 600 of its LifeChip microchips and four microchip readers to aid in the effort.
The chips and readers saved the rescue effort "thousands of dollars," says Gary Kaufman, spokesperson for the Camelid Rescue Coalition, made up of several regional llama rescue organizations from around the country. The chips were used to "provide a permanent form of non-invasive identification of the animals, similar to what people use on their dogs and cats," says Kaufman.
By the first week of February, "well in excess of 500" llamas had been rescued and shipped to recovery areas in at least eight states, according to Kaufman. (Not all the llamas survived; Kaufman estimates the original number was 700.)
Kaufmann had little information about why the rescue was necessary, except that the animal sanctuary "no longer had money for the llamas." It will take months to nurse the animals back to health, he says. Those interested in donating to the effort may contact Northeast Llama Rescue.
Founded in 1945, Destron Fearing was the first animal identification company in the country, according to Ellsworth. Their radio frequency identification (RFID) systems are used to identify livestock, wildlife, fish, pets, and companion animals.
Destron Fearing has 150 employees globally, about three-quarters of them at their headquarters a few miles downriver from downtown St. Paul.
Sources: Dan Ellsworth, Destron Fearing; Gary Kaufman, Camelid Rescue Coalition.
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
In the course of its 25-year history, the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) at the University of Minnesota has helped companies reduce more than 383 million pounds of waste and emissions, with related cost savings of over $29 million.
In 2009, MnTAP responded to more than 1,000 requests from manufacturers in the industries in which it specializes.
But it was the calls from companies outside of its wheelhouse that led MnTAP to launch the new "Greening Your Business" section of its website.
While MnTAP's expertise lies mainly in manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality, the web resource offers a more general starting place for the many other industries who came calling, says Assistant Director Krysta Larson.
The section consists of three main pages: Energy Efficiency, Water Conservation, and 12 "Tips for Going Green." Each page includes specific strategies and acts as a portal to case studies, related news, and other organizations and resources.
The 12 "tip" topics span the spectrum of environmental sustainability, including source and waste reduction, reuse/recycling, lean, green, LEED, and engaging in community environmental education.
Larson says the website is intended as a first step for inquiring companies. She ran through examples of some simple solutions, starting with the front-end practice of source reduction.
"While many environmental strategies focus on waste management once it has been generated," she says, source reduction addresses pollution prevention "by stopping the waste from actually being generated in the first place, so it doesn't have to be managed."
Source: Krysta Larson, MnTAP
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
News of the first round of Enterprise Minnesota's Pathways to Business Growth program in late January highlighted the numbers: a $515,000 federal grant (out of a pool of more than $9 million) aimed at improving manufacturing companies.
Those numbers belie the rigors of the program, particularly the investments in time and money by the ten participating companies, each of which put up $20,000 for what Enterprise Minnesota President and CEO Bob Kill calls a "two-year journey" that he likened to a graduate course.
"People tend to think of grants as free money," says Kill. "We find that, with free money, nobody stays the course. There has to be a commitment."
On-site Enterprise Minnesota consultants will work with the companies on a variety of growth strategies, including strategic planning, marketing, purchasing, innovation, and leadership and business development.
Each company begins with a business assessment, but the program differs for each, based on need and the level of maturity and development, according to Kill.
For example, North Minneapolis-based Absolute Quality--the only round-one participant from the state's two largest cities--has "done a lot of work on the inside with management, lean, employee development," says Kill. "They have a good management team, they want to grow, they're committed, [and] they're large enough to put the resources into it," he says.
Through the program, Kill says, the company will focus on need areas like middle-level leadership and making a "strong marketing push" to introduce its products and technologies to new markets.
Enterprise Minnesota tracks participants' progress twice a year with an independent survey of sales, revenue, and other measures of growth.
For their investment, companies receive "significantly more in the amount of services," says Kill. The program boasts an ambitious goal of a 20-to-1 return on investment in the form of "top-line growth or bottom-line savings," he says.
Source: Bob Kill, Enterprise Minnesota
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Whether the world is flat is open for debate, but there is no denying it is getting smaller as the global economy progresses.
Plus Relocation Services helps companies move and manage their employees and operations both in the US and abroad. Since the turn of the century, Plus has seen a steady annual increase in international business. In 2010, the "global side" grew 80 percent, says Chris Pardo, Plus' vice president of global services.
In response to the increasing international demand, the company will open a small, service-focused office in London, with 3–5 employees. That number could increase, says Pardo, given existing and expected business, and the interest the European office could generate.
Plus has long had activity in the European market, says Pardo, in "bread and butter" cities like London, Zurich, Dublin, Paris, and Munich.
"Now we're seeing Prague, Moscow, Poland, Romania starting to have lot of activity," he says. "The Eastern bloc is opening up."
Business is also heating up beyond Europe, of course. Of the "BRIC" countries--Brazil, Russia, India, and China --Plus has seen the most activity in the latter two.
They are also seeing an increase in country-to-country activity "that doesn't touch the US, and activity within countries," says Pardo.
The activity has led to growth stateside for Plus, as well--the company was busy with at least seven new hires in January, bringing its total employment to almost 90 people.
Source: Chris Pardo, Plus Relocation Services
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
When Tom Fugleberg joined OLSON, he was one of three employees at the Minneapolis-based ad agency. Thirteen years later, that number has skyrocketed to more than 375--well more than double the company's head count at the beginning of 2010.
Following the acquisitions last year of Denali Marketing and public relations firm Dig Communications (see our coverage
here and
here), 2011 has begun with a steady stream of new creative directors.
Fugleberg, now executive creative director, downplays growth as a byproduct of success in an industry that has changed dramatically since his early days.
"We were born in age when we thought advertising was going in a very different direction," says Fugleberg. The traditional ad is now just one tool in the box, alongside newer platforms and strategies such as public relations, mobile and social media, customer relations management, and more.
The result is a talent pool working holistically, says Fugleberg--a "protean company" focusing on brand communities, "built to follow wherever they'll be next, however they are going to connect next," he says.
Fugleberg cited OLSON's Bauer Hockey campaign, which began with the "brand anthropology" that is "at the core of every move we make," he says.
"Before we did anything creatively, we lived with hockey-crazy kids everywhere from Minneapolis to Moscow," says Fugleberg, "to understand them and how they interact as a community."
At the heart of that community is not NHL and Olympic superstar Sidney Crosby, he explains, but "the 17-year-old varsity captain" and the hockey moms that know all too well the ubiquitous aroma of hockey equipment celebrated in OLSON's best-selling "smell my bag" t-shirt campaign for Nike/Bauer.
Even in the new ad world, however, traditional measures of success still count. Fugleberg notes the agency's 22 Effies in the past nine years among its accolades. In 2010, OLSON added the Minnesota State Lottery, Boston Scientific-CRV, Discover Boating, Naked Juice, IZZE Sparkling Juice (among other "wins") to the dozens of clients on its roster.
Source: Tom Fugleberg, OLSON
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) Founder Steve Flagg is emphasizing the "and" in the new "Purpose AND Profit" program, which will provide seed grants of up to $5,000 for student green-business ventures at the University of Minnesota.
QBP has made a two-year commitment to the Carlson School of Management's Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship, which has engaged in similar partnerships in the past.
Small seed grants matched with other investment capital might be used for development work or the design of a website or product, explains Holmes Center Director John Stavig. The center also provides legal and accounting advice, and mentoring by alumni, businesses and other volunteers.
"It's amazing what the students can do with a small amount of money," says Stavig.
Some past Holmes Center startups have gone on to become successful businesses, including NewWater and Bright New Ideas.
This round of QBP-backed ventures must combine environmental stewardship, community service or biking advocacy with sustainable business practices--corporate goals that are by no means at odds, Flagg explains.
"To have a vision and a purpose and values, you have to be around tomorrow to realize the benefits," says Flagg, whose LEED-certified headquarters in Bloomington sport one of the largest solar installations in Minnesota.
Sources: John Stavig, Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship; Steve Flagg, Quality Bicycle Products
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
There is good news both nationally and locally for those seeking jobs in information technology and health care.
Monster.com, the country's largest online jobs database, has ranked the Twin Cities (limited to Minneapolis, St. Paul and Bloomington) sixth among 28 major job markets in the country.
Nationally, IT and health care are leading the job growth by occupation. The local market reflects that trend, says Matt Henson, vice president of public relations for Monster. The Twin Cities' top three jobs in order: systems analyst, web developer and registered nurse.
State data confirms Monster's findings. Kyle Uphoff, regional analysis and outreach unit manager for Minnesota's Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), reports a 79 percent increase over the last 12 months in job openings for health care practitioners such as registered nurses and pharmacists. Health care and social services as a whole are up 56 percent.
Computer and IT job openings have risen even faster: 112 percent in the last year, reports Uphoff.
Those two sectors dominate the state's list of expected long-term growth by occupation, representing seven of the top 10 "growing industries." Atop the list is management and technical consulting services, with an expected 62 percent increase from 2009 to 2019. That matches a national trend toward more and more IT contractors and consultants, Monster's Henson notes.
Uphoff calls DEED's long-term projections "fairly conservative," with total overall job growth of only nine percent over 10 years--a "sluggish rate" of less than 1 percent per year.
While the Twin Cities may be hot for IT and health care, "this is not a tide that is going to lift all boats," cautions Uphoff. He notes that some sectors, like construction, may still be shedding jobs, while other recovering sectors will need to undergo substantial change in industry structure and practice before recovering.
For example (gulp): journalism.
Sources: Kyle Uphoff, Department of Employment and Economic Development; Matt Henson, Monster.com
Writer: Jeremy Stratton
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
The international organization Ashoka has been effecting social change for more than 30 years in over 70 countries. So why did Ashoka's national organization look to the Twin Cities to pilot a new kind of local chapter?
"The Twin Cities is great at sort of homegrown solutions," says Jennifer Aspengren, director of the Ashoka Twin Cities. The chapter was launched in January 2010 with a $99,000 startup grant from The John S. & James L. Knight Foundation, a national partner that is "particularly interested in St. Paul," says Aspengren.
Other factors were Ashoka's Minnesota Changemakers and YouthVenture programs, and that its four active Twin Cities fellows comprise the largest concentration of Ashoka fellows outside of the coasts.
Ashoka fellows are "very, very rare individuals who are making very high-impact systems changes," says Aspengren. They receive $30,000–$50,000 annual stipends, as well as the support of Ashoka's global network of fellow social entrepreneurs and businesses.
Ashoka Fellows Conchy Bretos & Felipe Vergara, both from Miami, will speak at a free Ashoka Solutions Forum on Feb. 8 at the Walker Art Center. The 7 p.m. forum, sponsored by InCommons, Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand, and the Knight Foundation, will focus on three major challenges to growing and expanding a social change initiative: capital, talent, and marketing.
An afternoon session (invite-only) will convene representatives from local businesses including General Mills, Wells Fargo, 3M, and Best Buy.
Private-sector entrepreneurs are an important part of the Ashoka network, says Aspengren, in terms of funding, expertise, and strategic support. "It's the same thing they've been doing in the private sector," she says, "but just trying to push a different question in the public sector."
While Ashoka has local presences in other cities, the Twin Cities chapter is the first to "plant a staff person on the ground," says Aspengren. Its goal is "mapping out how to start building new chapters and integrate Ashoka programs in a new city," she says.
Source: Jennifer Aspengren, Ashoka Twin Cities
Writer: Jeremy Strattton
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
You don't always want to bore your Facebook friends with work-related updates, just like you don't always want to share personal details with your LinkedIn colleagues. Some video gamers have another layer of identity to manage: their online gaming personality.
A Minneapolis startup is developing a social network called Evolve that's built specifically for PC gamers. Echobit has raised $270,000 in angel funding and it hopes to find another $750,000 in funding by summer. The site is currently in a closed beta testing mode. (Sign-up here if you want to try it out.)
"To a slightly younger set we would describe it as Fight Club for gamers, sort of a discreet social network that helps gamers find each other," says co-founder Adam Sellke. And to an older set? "We just say, essentially, it's a knitting circle, but a lot cooler."
Most multiplayer, online games for PCs have social aspects built in already. You can chat with other players or receive updates on their play. The problem is that all of these networks are siloed by game or publisher. Unless you happen to be playing the same game as a friend, you have no idea what they're doing.
Evolve is different in that it's game-agnostic--it doesn't matter what game you or your friends are playing. A pop-up dashboard that can be toggled on and off the screen lets you chat with, and see updates from, all of your gaming friends, regardless whether they're playing the same game at the moment.
Why might that be useful? Maybe you're playing Counter-Strike but you notice a friend is playing World of Warcraft. Maybe you decide to hop over to that game instead, or perhaps you ping him a chat message telling them to join you in your game.
The founders demonstrated the software at this month's MinneDemo event. See the video below via TECHdotMN:
Source: Adam Sellke, Echobit
Writer:
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Social media has given researchers of every stripe a mountain of new data to explore.
As tweets and status updates work their way into studies across the University of Minnesota campus, from computer science to environmental studies, a group of researchers have recognized a need for more cross-department pollination.
This week they'll hold the first monthly gathering of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Group in Social Computing. Organizers have put the call out to researchers across the university who are exploring social media and its impact on society.
"This is our first rattling of the bushes to see who shows up and it should be pretty interesting," says Nora Paul, director of the SJMC Minnesota Journalism Center.
So far, potential participants include students, staff, and faculty from the English department, computer science, journalism, writing studies, public health, mathematics, environmental studies, youth development, and Spanish/Portuguese studies.
The kick-off event will consist of a round of introductions. Participants are asked to bring a single PowerPoint slide and a short description of their work related to social media. After that, monthly meetings will likely revolve around a speaker from outside the University.
The group is particularly aimed at graduate students, but Paul says they want to have the events open to the community as well, with a goal of spurring collaboration not just across departments but also with people outside the University.
The meet-and-greet kick-off event is 4-6pm Thursday, Jan. 27, in the Digital Technology Center Auditorium, room 402 in Walter Library.
Source: Nora Paul, SJMC Minnesota Journalism Center
Writer:
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
A public-private partnership plans to launch a new web portal this summer aimed at better connecting Minnesota startup companies and angel investors.
The Minnesota Angel Network is the result of two years of planning by the BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota and several partner organizations, all stemming from a recent report that identified a need for better "full-spectrum" funding opportunities for growing companies in Minnesota.
The network won't be funding companies, nor will it be making recommendations about what companies deserve investment. Instead, it'll be a clearinghouse of standardized information about startups seeking money.
"Although there are investors throughout the state that are looking for deals, there's no single resource or single access point where they can find quality deals. They can only find the ones that are in their own network," says Todd Leonard, director of the Minnesota Angel Network.
The goal is to standardize a process to help entrepreneurs prepare and organize all of the information that investors are going to expect from them. They'll enter summaries and business plans into a standardized format, and then have them reviewed by mentors to make sure all the pieces are in place.
Once a startup's information is ready, it will be added to the network. Certified investors will then be able to anonymously view summaries of any company in the system. Confidential or proprietary information about a company can be stored in the system and only revealed to specific investors with permission.
While the project is being initiated and hosted by the BioBusiness Alliance, it's meant to serve startups and investors in all industries, not just bioscience. The site is currently being beta tested and is scheduled to be up and running by the middle of this year, likely in July.
Source: Todd Leonard, Minnesota Angel Network
Writer:
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Sen. Amy Klobuchar outlined a national innovation agenda last week at an Innovation Summit at the University of Minnesota.
Klobuchar shared the stage at the Mayo Auditorium with Carlson Companies' chairman Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Medtronic CEO William Hawkins, and University research vice president Tim Mulcahy, among others.
"Innovation has always been a catalyzing force in the American economy," Klobuchar said. "In recent years, however, the country has fallen behind in its efforts to research, develop, and compete in the global economy. We are resting on our laurels at a time when other countries, including China and India, are moving full-steam ahead."
Her strategy to help America regain its innovation edge consists of a series of targeted tax breaks and regulatory reforms, as well as a longer-term focus on improving science, technology, engineering, and math education.
Klobuchar has been collaborating on the legislation with U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, who also spoke at the event. Warner said too much brain power was wasted building a "financial house of cards," and that the country needs fewer financial engineers and more "real engineers."
Other speakers noted Minnesota's struggle converting basic research into commercial products, as well as efforts for the University of Minnesota to work more closely with private companies in the state.
Klobuchar is on the Senate Commerce Committee and chairs the Subcommittee on Innovation, Competitiveness, and Export Promotion.
Source: Sen. Amy Klobuchar Innovation Summit
Writer:
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Pentair expects water reuse systems like the one it installed at Target Field to be big business in certain fast-growing global markets.
Pentair CEO Randy Hogan spoke at a clean technology and renewable energy conference last week in New York, where he said the company forecasts that water reuse systems will become an $8.4 billion market by 2016.
Marketing drove the decision to install the water reuse system at Target Field, but in parts of India, China, and Latin America where clean water can be in short supply, economics will be the driver of demand.
Hogan compared on-site water treatment to wireless technology. Many newly developed countries skipped over wired infrastructure and focused instead on building wireless phone and internet infrastructure. Pentair predicts a similar trend is going to emerge around water supplies.
"They're going to go pipeless," Hogan said.
The economics of Target Field's water reuse system were good, says Hogan, but the math is far more compelling in places where population growth is outstripping (or already has outstripped) the supply of clean water.
The company is installing a graywater reuse system at a Ritz Carlton in Bangalore, India, that will be used for irrigation and sanitation. Meanwhile, Brazil is planning to incorporate water-reuse systems in seven new stadiums for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. Hogan says Pentair hopes to win at least a few of those contracts.
Hogan also said Pentair doubled the number of new products it introduced in 2010, and it hopes to do the same in 2011. R&D grew to account for about 2.3 percent of the company's spending last year, and Hogan says they're on track to eventually increase that amount to 4 percent.
Source: Randy Hogan, Pentair
Writer:
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
What would cause a person to pour their life savings into converting their suburban home into a jungle-themed tropical birdhouse?
That would be the entrepreneurial drive.
Rainforest Cafe founder Steven Schussler gave a pep talk to the Twin Cities entrepreneurial community last week, speaking at a MOJO/Minnesota event in downtown Minneapolis. His talk centered around stories and anecdotes that appear in his recent book, It's a Jungle in There: Inspiring Lessons, Hard-Won Insights, and Other Acts of Entrepreneurial Daring.
"Life has been very interesting to me," said the New York native, who's been in Minnesota for 27 years and now considers it home.
The three and a half years Schussler spent trying to sell investors on the Rainforest Cafe were both financially and emotionally draining. Unable to convey his vision in words, Schussler began building the concept in his St. Louis Park home.
First he painted the walls black. Then he covered them with greenery. His tropical bird collection grew from a few to a few dozen. He added a couple tortoises. Then a full-scale waterfall, which required punching a hole in the roof. Then lights and mechanical displays. Then generators in the back yard to keep his house from blacking out the entire neighborhood. All while neighbors, then eventually he himself, began to question his sanity.
Luck and persistence paid off, and Schussler eventually found his angel investor. The Rainforest Cafe opened in the Mall of America on Oct. 4, 1994, and expanded to 45 locations on three continents over the next seven years. Schussler sold the business in 2000 for $75 million.
Today, Schussler spends his time working as a creative consultant for the retail, restaurant, and entertainment industries. He employs eight full-time people at his creative laboratory in Golden Valley, where they've developed new restaurants and attractions for Disney World, among other partners.
Source: Steven Schussler, Schussler Creative
Writer:
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
When the economy fell apart two years ago, tens of thousands of architects nationwide lost their jobs as the planning and financing of new projects ground to a halt.
Apartments have recently emerged as a source of hope for builders. Now, another bit of information to fuel tepid optimism: a local architecture firm tells us they've been adding employees again.
BWBR Architects in St. Paul hired about a dozen new employees in 2010 as maintenance and small remodeling projects started to trickle in again.
"We typically are not doing developer buildings where somebody builds the building and then flips it to someone else within three, four, five years. The clients of our buildings own their buildings and own them for 50 or 75 or 100 years," says Peter Smith, BWBR's vice president.
As a result of that longer-term focus, Smith says their clients are typically more interested in maintaining the quality of their buildings, and that means small but regular remodeling projects over the course of a building's life. He says BWBR has managed to maintain longer-term relationships with its clients.
Another fortunate factor: "We don't do retail. We don't do housing. Those things tend to have been hit much more severely over the last two years," says Smith. Instead, much of BWBR's work involves projects that require a higher level of sophistication, such as health care facilities, science and research buildings, and correctional facilities.
Completed projects include Maple Grove Hospital, the 3M Innovation Center, the Elmer L. Andersen Health and Human Services Building, and Lawson Commons. The 89-year-old firm is based in the Lawson Commons building in downtown St. Paul. It started 2010 with just under 100 employees and now has 111.
Source: Peter Smith, BWBR Architects
Writer:
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
An effort to develop a regional entrepreneurship action plan for the Twin Cities continues this week with a pair of information-gathering forums.
JumpStart Community Advisors, a Cleveland-based nonprofit, is coordinating the grant-funded effort, with support from local industry and economic development groups.
Mike Mozenter, the group's president, says they've had an advantage in the Twin Cities because the region had already started work with the Brookings Institute on a metropolitan business plan. JumpStart's program will compliment the Brookings planning and focus on identifying ways to better support entrepreneurs in the region.
The JumpStart process, which kicked off in the fall, is expected to take two years to complete. Currently it's in phase one: research and planning. The team has been interviewing local entrepreneurs, investors, and economic development officials about gaps and opportunities for creating and launching new companies in the region.
A pair of community leader meetings Wednesday and Thursday are aimed at gathering more ideas and information about how the region can better serve innovators and entrepreneurs. Mozenter says they plan to conduct an online survey as well, to help gather the input of as many people as possible. Then they'll help write a business plan aimed at capitalizing on the opportunities.
Phase two consists of a year of fundraising to turn the business plan into reality, and the third phase involves JumpStart supporting the region in getting it operational.
"I think one of the preliminary conclusions is that the region has a lot of opportunity, and people there recognize that," says Mozenter. "It's a matter of putting a vehicle in place that helps bring those together and supports those [opportunities]."
This week's community gatherings are free to attend, however, all seats were already reserved for Thursday's event. RSVP for Wednesday's event here.
Source: Mike Mozenter, JumpStart Community Advisors
Writer:
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The financial meltdown grounded his last venture, but serial entrepreneur David-Elias Rachie is back on the runway with a new startup, Adestinn, which will launch its services in June.
Adestinn is an employee vacation savings match program. It works similar to some retirement benefits programs, in which employers match a portion of their employee's contributions. Only in this case, employees are saving money for hotels, resorts, or vacation rentals for their next getaway.
Two years ago, Rachie was working on a modular, green building system that would allow hotel chains to quickly and efficiently construct medium-sized, limited-service hotels. Ten contracts were in place when the financial markets crashed, and suddenly no one was building or financing new hotels.
"It would have been a slam dunk at any other point in history up until that point," says Rachie.
Rachie knew the hospitality space well by this point, but he also knew his hotel construction startup would have to wait. So he started brainstorming and pitching ideas to an investor.
The question became: "How do you fill rooms?" says Rachie. "If you can do that without being a Priceline or Hotwire [discount websites known for squeezing lower and lower rates out of hotels], then hotels will love you."
The Adestinn idea piqued the interest of local investor Rob Furst, who has since funded the company. His $1 million investment in Adestinn is among those to qualify under Minnesota's new angel investor tax credit program.
Employees who participate can spend the funds at approved destinations in 30 different markets. In addition to major chains, Adestinn was seeking to add popular independent hotels with an online contest through its Facebook page.
Employers have to match at least 50 cents on the dollar in order to offer the benefit. Rachie says the cost is relatively small compared to what employers already spend on paid vacation time.
So far: 71 companies with 1.7 million employees are on board with the program. Rachie expects the number of employees offered the benefit in 2012 will be at least 5 million. Adestinn has 10 full-time employees in downtown Minneapolis and is preparing to open a call center, likely in the Fargo area.
"I almost didn't start this, because I had everybody saying you'll never get employers to do that in this environment, with 10 percent unemployment," says Rachie. "But I'm an entrepreneur, and you have to ignore a lot. What I've learned is that the biggest objections are the ones you should probably ignore the most."
Source: David-Elias Rachie, Adestinn
Writer:
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Peapods, like a lot of its customers, is experiencing a growth spurt.
The natural toy and baby care store moved into a new, bigger space last week in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul.
Co-owner Dan Marshall says when the store's Snelling Avenue lease ran up, they wanted to buy a building instead of rent, in part so that they could make their retail space as environmentally sound as possible.
They settled on a former hardware store at 2290 Como Ave. The 3,000-square-foot store is about 50 percent larger than its previous Snelling Avenue location. It also moves them from a busy commercial corridor to a cozier feeling neighborhood, which they hope will appeal to customers.
"We were really drawn to the idea of being part of a community of small businesses and giving people more than one reason to come to the neighborhood and shop with us," says Marshall.
Peapods, which has eight employees, is known for carrying products like wood toys, cloth diapers and organic clothing. Marshall says they avoid selling things like mass-market plastic toys and instead focus on more environmentally friendly items.
Marshall is also known for his active role in the Handmade Toy Alliance, which is seeking to reform the testing and regulations for small, independent toy retailers and manufacturers.
The new store opened on January 6. Marshall says official grand opening events will be planned after they finish setting up and settling in.
Source: Dan Marshall, Peapods Natural Toys & Baby Care
Writer:
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth gets its shoes on, according to an old proverb. And that was before Twitter and other social networks wired the world.
That's the challenge a St. Paul nonprofit media project is grappling with: how to help the facts around important environmental topics catch up with all of the misinformation that can spread so easily and quickly online these days.
Dialogue Earth is a collaboration between the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment and the Foundation for Environmental Research. This week it announced the completion of a pilot project involving a crowdsourced video contest.
The mission is to find ways to inject timely, trustworthy information into the public debate on environmental issues, without advocating for any particular action or solution.
Its recent video project demonstrates one way in which that goal might be accomplished. Dialogue Earth sponsored a video contest in which all entries had to incorporate information from a list of 12 objective facts about ocean acidification. The other rule: videos couldn't make any specific call to action.
"The only thing we're advocates for is getting good information out," says Dialogue Earth founder Kent Cavender-Bares.
First, participants made short pitches for their ideas. Seven concepts were chosen, after which participants were invited to create 90-second videos based on one of the winning concepts.
The result: a collection of creative, factual videos, ranging from a cartoon starring a snail reggae band to a black-and-white public service announcement parody. The idea is to build a collection of videos that can educate, rather than polarize.
"In order for media to be consumed, we feel that if it's science-based, ultimately it's got to be trustworthy. We also realize it's got to be engaging," says Cavender-Bares.
It also needs to be relevant. The next phase will involve finding ways to produce videos more quickly so that they can be released while a topic is still timely. This contest lasted six weeks, an aeon in Internet attention span.
Dialogue Earth is also preparing to launch a social media/public opinion analysis tool in early 2011 called Pulse, which will seek to track what environmental topics people are talking about. That data could then be used to plan topics for future videos.
Source: Kent Cavender-Bares, Dialogue Earth
Writer:
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Minnesota has an economic opportunity ahead of it in designing, developing and implementing less harmful chemical products.
That's the message of the Minnesota Green Chemistry Forum, which hosted a conference January 7 at the University of Minnesota covering topics from public health to environmental marketing.
Green chemistry is a term to describe the production of non-toxic or less toxic chemical products. Examples include plastics made with plant material instead of petroleum compounds.
"Green chemistry is the way forward," said Sen. Al Franken, one of several policy-making officials who spoke at the conference. He said Minnesota companies are already proving that we can create safer, healthier products without sacrificing quality.
One example: Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, whose CEO Kevin Rutherford spoke earlier in the afternoon about the company's environmental philosophy.
"We really like to uncomplicate things," Rutherford said.
The company employs about 50 people in downtown Minneapolis, and it's managed to grow despite the economy, and the fact that it makes a premium-priced product.
Environmental marketing consultant Georgean Adams, a former 3M employee, spoke about the challenges of green marketing, including confusion about definitions and standards. Worldwide, more than 370 green-marketing logos are currently in use.
Bethany Drake, an environmental scientist with Green Seal, spoke about how its certification requirements evolve. It's designed so that no more than 20 percent of products in a certain category can qualify. So as certain green practices become industry standards, the bar is raised.
Members of the Minnesota Green Chemistry Forum include: Activeion, Aveda Corporation, Eureka Recycling, Segetis, and Tennant Company.
Source: Minnesota Green Chemistry Forum
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Wednesday, January 05, 2011
At The Beauty Room in south Minneapolis, the iPad has become as indispensable to its stylists as a pair of scissors.
The six-year-old salon, which recently moved to a new location at 4300 Chicago Ave. S. in the Longfellow neighborhood, was having an increasingly difficult time coordinating the schedules of its 19 specialists. If a customer needed a perm, a wax, and a manicure, for example, a clerk would have to consult three separate paper calendars to find a window of time when all three specialists would be available.
"It was just a nightmare," says owner Mi Shaun Schmidt-Schwab.
In November, the salon switched to an all-electronic scheduling system that syncs to everybody's personal iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. Now, instead of someone at the front desk spending up to five minutes searching for an open time, any of The Beauty Room's specialists can quickly schedule clients from anywhere using their Apple device.
The same system also allows staff to check-in clients when they arrive, which automatically pings an alert to the stylists' iPad or iPhone. It's eliminated the need for front-desk staff to track down people in the often busy salon to tell them their next customer has arrived.
Schmidt-Schwab says switching to the iPad solution has freed up front-desk staff to focus more on customer service, things like greeting and making customers feel welcome, instead of being tied up on the phone. If a customer wants to book another appointment, the stylist can do that from their station while they're still in their chair.
Several stylists already owned Apple devices. Others have since purchased them. The app that runs the scheduling system costs $4.99. Schmidt-Schwab expects the investment will pay for itself by freeing up time from administrative tasks to focus on its services.
Source: Mi Shaun Schmidt-Schwab, The Beauty Room
Writer:
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
The growth of a Minneapolis nonprofit in 2010 suggests that despite the rough economy there was still a market for helping people save money.
The Center for Energy and Environment added 19 new jobs last year. The organization specializes in managing energy-efficiency programs, a service they've seen increasing demand for, says program and policy manager Carl Nelson.
"In the last three to four years it's really been ramping up, and we've been doing it for 30 years," says Nelson. "We have a lot of the institutional knowledge, capacity, and ability to do these programs. We've been ready and able to meet this demand."
As a result, the Center has been a frequent partner for state, federal, and community energy-efficiency programs.
The 19 positions added in-house tell only part of the story. The full impact of its programs extends to several contractors that help implement efficiency upgrades. Using federal government guidelines for job creation estimates, the Center supported roughly 130 jobs through its largest program, a small-business lighting program it runs with Xcel Energy.
Nelson says the Center plans to calculate a more detailed job estimate later in 2011.
Source: Carl Nelson, Center for Energy and Environment
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Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Minnesota is sprouting a green chemistry industry, and a forum at the University of Minnesota this week aims to fertilize it.
The Minnesota Green Chemistry Forum will host a conference on Friday, Jan. 7, called Adding Value Through Green Chemistry.
The event will feature speakers from 3M, Aveda, Ecolab, Segetis, Mrs. Meyers Clean Day--all companies that are using or developing products made with materials that reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous chemical substances.
"We're looking at this as a chance to profile what's going on in the state of Minnesota," says Tim Welle, renewable energy program manager for the BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota, a member of the Green Chemistry Forum.
Minnesota is at the forefront of the young green chemistry industry. It has academic and private sector expertise, with several companies already producing products made from green chemistry, many of which utilize plant materials as an alternative to petroleum-based chemicals.
The state has the potential to become an leader in the field because it has the expertise as well as the natural resources to support an industry, such as forestry and agriculture products.
The goal of the forum, says Welle, is to showcase what's happening today, as well as to get people thinking about the potential applications and long-term opportunities in Minnesota.
Source: Tim Welle, BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota
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Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A copywriter at a growing Minneapolis creative shop this week is laboring away like one of Santa's elves.
Only instead of toys, Tristan Jimerson's gifts to the world are ideas. One every 15 minutes. All day long. Every day this week.
It's called an Ideathon, and it's the holiday gimmick/brainchild of Modern Climate (previously Wolfmotell), a creative agency with about 30 full-time employees in downtown Minneapolis.
Jimerson is sitting in a room with a pencil, a Sharpie, a ruler, three markers, three books, a stack of paper, a fax machine and a web cam. Anyone can go online and request an idea, and the fax machine will spit it out for Jimerson to skim.
The rules: Jimerson has two minutes to choose an assignment. Then he has 15 minutes to come up with an idea to address the assignment, and then another two minutes to present the idea to the web cam. Then it starts again.
Keith Wolf, co-founder and chief creative officer, says the concept was about creating a fun holiday promotion, as well as a discussion about the creative process.
"It was really about looking at the creative process," says Wolf, "and pushing it in a direction so the...creative process is what gets discussed."
As of late last week, it appeared to be working already. The experiment earned a mention on Agency Spy and other blogs, and the Twitter feed had picked up a couple hundred followers. The reaction has been a mix of enthusiasm and skepticism.
"Some people," says Wolf, "are kind of scratching their heads and saying those guys in Minneapolis are banging pots and pans."
The Ideathon will continue through 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17 at http://www.modernclimate.com/ideathon/
Source: Keith Wolf, Modern Climate
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Wednesday, December 15, 2010
'Tis the season for "prize philanthropy."
StoneArch Creative, a Minneapolis company that specializes in health and medical marketing, is giving away $1,000 a day this week to the causes that generate the most tweets for its campaign.
Anyone can vote for a non-profit by posting a public message to Twitter that includes the tag #MyTweetWish. At the end of each day StoneArch will tally a winner.
"My hope would be that we get a nice response from across the country or globally versus just locally," says Jessica Boden, StoneArch's executive creative director.
Boden says StoneArch is celebrating "a great year." Its focus on health and medical marketing has made the 26-year-old agency less vulnerable to economic ups and downs.
Health and medical companies make up 95 percent of StoneArch's clients. The agency bolsters that specialty by hiring employees who come from both the medical and creative worlds, Boden says. That's key to understanding the technical aspects of products they support.
"It's just a much different dialogue than talking to someone who's buying shoes," says Boden.
Until a few years ago, the company's clients were almost entirely based in the Twin Cities, but in 2010 StoneArch continued to gain traction nationally, says Boden. Highlights included winning work as the agency for Abbott Vascular's drug-eluding stent business.
Source: Jessica Boden, StoneArch Creative
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Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A Minneapolis product development shop is partnering with a British telecommunications research firm to come up with new wireless products that use both companies' technologies.
Logic PD announced the strategic partnership with Roke Manor Research last week. The arrangement also gives both companies new contacts for selling across the pond.
Scott Nelson, Logic PD's executive vice president and chief technology officer, says the two companies got to know each other while working on a project for a client they had in common.
"We both fairly quickly identified the ability to be more together," says Nelson.
Roke Manor Research is an engineering and technology company with strong expertise in miniaturized radio frequency antennas. Logic PD brings design and creative strengths, says Nelson. The two companies will collaborate on work for clients, and they also think they'll be able to develop new products faster and with more features by sharing expertise and technology.
Logic PD was founded by two industrial designers in the 1960s and in the decades since then it's expanded its expertise to include mechanical engineering, electrical, and software.
"An entrepreneur or any company can show up at our doorstep with their idea and we can help them get that product to market," says Scott Nelson, Logic PD's chief technology officer.
The company employs about 100 people at its product development center in downtown Minneapolis, and another 300 at a manufacturing site in Eden Prairie.
Source: Scott Nelson, Logic PD
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Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A new, first-in-the-nation indoor solar simulator at the University of Minnesota is already pulling in millions in research funding for the school.
The equipment is set up in a roughly ten-by-ten-foot space in a windowless room at the College of Science and Engineering. It uses seven high-watt bulbs, the kind you'd find behind a movie theater projector, and focuses them with a set of special reflectors.
The light that comes off the reflectors can match the intensity of 3,000 suns.
"It's really a 'wow' kind of thing, to see that you can put a plate of steel in front of it and burn a hole that's about an inch in diameter pretty quick," says Jane Davidson, a mechanical engineering professor and one of the lead solar researchers.
Davidson and others will use the simulator to try to develop new methods and technology for capturing and storing the sun's energy with chemical reactions. The extreme heat can be used to convert water and carbon dioxide into synthetic hydrocarbon fuels. The challenge is finding ways to do so that are both practical and economical.
"The power of the facility and the ability to control it are really amazing, and it's going to be a wonderful way for us to proceed, in a very controlled laboratory setting, to develop these solar reactors," says Davidson.
The simulator cost about $450,000, but it's already brought in a couple of big grants. University researchers have won nearly $1 million from the National Science Foundation and $1.4 million in grants from the Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment.
Source: Jane Davidson, University of Minnesota
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Wednesday, December 08, 2010
One of the taglines for Refactr's project-tracking software is "more useful, not more features."
At the company's Northeast Minneapolis headquarters this year, it's also meant more employees.
The four-year-old software development agency more than doubled in size in 2010, as its three co-founders hired four new employees to refine and relaunch their project tracking app, Lean-to. The cloud-based service came out of "beta" last week and it now accepting paying customers. Accounts range from free for individuals to $99 a month for unlimited users and projects.
Lean-to has been on the company's to-do list since Refactr was incorporated in 2006. Initially, it was developed as a tool for the co-founders to collaborate on software projects. Co-founder Ben Edwards says they found too many project management tools are overly complicated and emphasize reporting for managers over convenience for developers using it.
"We're going to use this every day. We wanted it to be easy and out of the way," says Edwards.
Edwards, Jesse O'Neill-Oine, and Scott Vlaminck, however, quickly found themselves tied up with consulting and outside development work, so progress on Lean-to went slowly. This year, they decided to hire three developers and a marketing person to give full-time attention to its own products, including Lean-to and an idea management app called MileMarker.
"We just said we're going to make the commitment to get these products where they need to be in 2010," says Edwards.
Refactr is looking to grow more soon, too. Edwards says the company is seeking to hire a designer and another one or two more developers as soon as they can find the right candidates.
Source: Ben Edwards, Refactr
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Wednesday, December 08, 2010
A St. Cloud software marketer is trying on a new avatar: mobile video game publisher.
W3i was founded ten years ago in a dorm room at St. Cloud State by three brothers, Rob, Ryan and Aaron Weber. Their mission: to be a leader in the distribution of consumer applications.
At the time, that meant Windows desktop software -- a lot of clip art, wallpaper and screensavers. Windows is still a good business, but they now see mobile gaming as the best bet for future growth.
Last summer, the company made headlines for a new service called Apperang, which pays mobile users 25 cents every time they install an app by one of W3i's clients.
Last week, the company announced the launch of a new subsidiary, Recharge Studios, which is seeking to invest at least $1 million in mobile gaming in the next three to six months.
The market for mobile video games is anticipated to grow somewhere between $4.5 billion and $10 billion over the next few years.
"We think there are going to be a lot of developers who are going to try to go after that market, and we believe we can help them," says Rob Weber, W3i's vice president of business development.
In most cases, Recharge will look to help finance, develop and market new mobile gaming apps in exchange for a share of revenue. In some cases it may seek to acquire full ownership.
The studio already has a handful of games under production and plans to release its first title by the end of the month, followed by a few more in the first quarter of 2011.
Source: Rob Weber, W3i
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Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Give, and you shall receive. That's a lesson learned for Minneapolis branding and design consultancy Imagehaus.
Creative Director Jay Miller started a giving program when he founded the company in 2000. Last month, the firm calculated that it's provided more than $2 million worth of services to nonprofits.
When Imagehaus saw its big-box retailer work shrink in recent years, it was able to fall back on some of those same nonprofits when they returned as paying customers, says Miller.
Twin Cities nonprofits are invited to apply for a grant on Imagehaus' website. The company chooses about one per quarter. Alumni can later get additional services at cost.
The four-person firm recently purchased an 1,800-square-foot commercial condo in the SOHO Lofts building and will be moving there from the other side of downtown early next spring.
As a branding firm, Imagehaus helps retailers come up with names, logos, and store concepts. Besides its nonprofit work, Miller says they benefit from having a mix of large and small clients.
"Our business model has always been very diversified," says Miller.
That's helped them in terms of stability, but also in a creative sense. They're able to take what they learn from working with big-box retailers and apply it to mom-and-pop stores, and vice versa.
"We learn from both--different things," says Miller. "When you have your smaller companies and smaller budgets, it challenges you to be creative in different ways."
Miller says he expects owning instead of renting will reduce the company's overhead and hopefully help it add employees in 2011.
Source: Jay Miller, Imagehaus
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Wednesday, December 08, 2010
A Maple Grove med-tech company has won approval to begin a large clinical trial for its implantable neuro-stimulator, which is designed to help people with obstructive sleep apnea.
Inspire Medical, founded in 2007 with technology spun out of Medtronic, announced last week that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration signed off on a 100-plus-patient clinical trial for the therapy.
"It's the key trial that collects the data necessary for U.S. approval," CEO Tim Herbert said.
The study will test an alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which the tongue and throat muscles relax during sleep and cause the airway to collapse. People with the condition briefly wake up and gasp for breath as many as 30 to 50 times an hour.
The most common treatment today is called continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP. It's a mask that needs to be worn while sleeping and that blows air down the airway with enough pressure to keep it from closing.
"It's a very effective therapy. It's a very efficient therapy. The problem is you have to wear that mask and it's not really comfortable for a lot of people," says Herbert.
Herbert says research has shown that about 50 percent of people who are prescribed a CPAP are no longer using it a year later. Untreated, the condition can increase the odds of a stroke, hypertension, not to mention fatigue.
Inspire's treatment is an implantable system, similar to a pacemaker. Only instead of sending electrical pulses to the heart, the device sends tiny jolts to a nerve under the chin that controls the tongue and throat muscles.
The system is approved for sale in Europe. The company's clinical trial will begin enrolling patients early next year and likely take about two years to be completed. The company has 12 employees and outsources its manufacturing work to other companies, including Medtronic.
Herbert said the company is working toward having the therapy approved for sale in the United States by 2013.
Source: Tim Herbert, Inspire Medical Systems
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Wednesday, December 08, 2010
A Minnesota startup company has licensed a University of Minnesota sensor technology for a product that could help copper and other metal mines reduce their chemical use.
United Science, based in Center City, Minn., is developing a device that looks like a pH meter and aims to help miners more accurately mix the chemical slurries used to separate materials.
The chemicals are used during a process known as flotation. The raw ore is placed in the solution, which binds to the metal, causing it to float to the top, while the ore and clay sink.
As United Science founder Jon Thompson researched the process last year, he saw a large, unmet opportunity in helping mines mix these chemicals more precisely.
"You had ten different people measuring it in ten different ways, and none of them had a real analytical measurement," says Thompson. "I saw one guy actually put his finger in the mining solution and taste it and said, yup, there's enough in there."
The only consistency in how mines mix these slurries: they all use more chemicals than they actually need, because they don't want to risk using too little and losing copper.
Thompson thinks his product can save money for the mines by conserving chemicals. He's partnered with a Pennsylvania company called FLSmidth that makes flotation equipment.
The sensor technology was developed by Philippe Buhlmann, an associate chemistry professor at the University of Minnesota. United Science's first product is for use in copper mines, but Thompson says it could be tailored to function for coal, lead, gold, nickel, uranium, and iron ore.
Thompson has grown the company from a one-person operation last year to six employees today.
Source: Jon Thompson, United Science
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Wednesday, December 01, 2010
A trio of experienced Twin Cities software developers want to take their startup sensibilities and apply them to projects and products for more established companies.
Dan Grigsby, Tom Brice, and Pete Schwamb this week announced the launch of Drivetrain, an app development agency for mobile, web, and social networks.
Grigsby, who has successfully launched companies in the Twin Cities and Silicon Valley, says startups fundamentally need to be nimble and efficient with software projects. "Startups have to launch quickly, have things in the marketplace, and can't afford to get lost in the minutia and constantly push out launch dates," he says.
Drivetrain will aim to apply that same pace beyond the startup world. The Twin Cities is rich with large companies, many of which have a growing need for new software. Grigsby sees strong demand for marketing and branding apps, as well as business automation apps for managing in-house functions such as production and inventory.
Grigsby previously founded Mobile Orchard, a one-man mobile app development shop. His challenges with that company included scaling, as well as switching gears between selling and coding. He hopes a three-person company will alleviate those issues.
Grigsby, Brice and Schwamb will host a Drivetrain launch party 5:30pm Thursday, Dec. 2, at Pizza Luce in downtown Minneapolis. The new company was also preparing to announce the beta launch of one of its first projects, for local custom stationery shop RedStamp.com.
Source: Dan Grigsby, Drivetrain
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Wednesday, December 01, 2010
"We usually just say we're an interactive entertainment company," says Shad Petosky.
He and his team of creative minds at Puny Entertainment in Northeast Minneapolis have had their heads down of late, cranking out everything from cartoon and Flash game animations to restaurant and TV-show concepts.
The company's official capabilities list reads like this: Interactive Programming, Design, Animation, Illustration, Concept/Scripting. And Petosky says Puny is expanding those capabilities, too, branching out into social media work and digital media purchasing.
Petosky co-founded the company in 2007. It's biggest success has been winning animation and web design work for the Nick Jr. show Yo Gabba Gabba! Other clients include the Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, General Mills, and The New Yorker.
The Yo Gabba Gabba! work typifies Puny's aesthetic. The show is aimed at preschool kids, but it appeals to hip adults, too, with cameos by indie musicians and actors. "We like to do stuff that works on two levels, where it works for kids and adults," says Petosky, citing The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show as inspiration.
Another common thread that ties the company's varied, multi-media work together: Petosky says "clients tend to want something that's more playful, fun, humorous. I guess it's mostly light-hearted, but with a classic, strong design sense."
That fun, playful vibe often translates well into social media, he says, which is why Puny is preparing to add new services related to social media.
After a quick growth spurt out of the gate in 2007, Petosky says the company is being more deliberate these days. With 20 employees, they're being more selective about clients and jobs and looking to avoid growing faster than they can integrate new employees.
And a new development: One of Puny's partners has acquired a 25 percent stake in the company. Petosky wasn't yet ready to announce details, but said the investment and the expertise it comes with should help Puny Entertainment manage growth.
Source: Shad Petosky, Puny Entertainment
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Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Vast Enterprises is best known for turning scrap tires and other recycled materials into composite masonry products. Now, a company best known to most people for its brand of tires is going to be turning Vast's products into a line of commercial roofing pavers.
Firestone Building Products, one of the world's largest suppliers of commercial roofing materials, announced last month that it's selected Vast as the exclusive manufacturer of its new Firestone SkyPaver composite roof pavers.
The private-label partnership is a big sign of acceptance for Vast's technology, and it also gives the company broad entry in the growing green-roof market. Vast CEO Andy Vander Woude says they'd like to see the Firestone work be a $10-million piece of business by 2015.
Vast was founded in 2006 and introduced its first line of products a year later. It makes deck and landscaping pavers from 95-percent post-consumer recycled material, largely plastic and tires. About a year ago it started seeking out customers to use its pavers on rooftops.
"We've had two very diametric market forces out there," says Vander Woude. "The first is explosive growth of green building. The other diametric force is the complete bottoming of the construction industry."
Vast has managed to grow throughout the construction downturn, through not as fast as it may have under better conditions, says Vander Woude. One bright spot has been green roofs; the market for them grew by more than 15 percent in 2009, and it's not just for environmental reasons. Building owners are also trying to maximize usable space by making roofs habitable.
These projects require a walkable surface be installed on the roof. Clay brick and concrete pavers are heavy and can be difficult to work with on rooftops. Vast's pavers weigh about one-third as much as conventional masonry products, making them a compelling option for green roofs.
The company, which was founded in 2006, employs nine people at its headquarters in Northeast Minneapolis and another six at its manufacturing facility in Crystal. The company is nearing completion on a round of financing and will likely hire more employees next year.
Source: Andy Vander Woude, Vast Enterprises
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Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Minneapolis health department is helping ten corner stores try to boost the sale of fresh produce.
The state-funded initiative is part of a broader effort to combat obesity and chronic disease by improving access to healthy, fresh foods, especially in certain underserved neighborhoods.
North Minneapolis, for example, has only two full-service grocery stores and limited transit options for getting to and from them, which leaves many residents dependent on corner stores for groceries.
Health officials realized those corner stores could be a key partner in improving food options, so they decided to design a pilot program based on similar ones in New York, New Orleans and Philadelphia. The city asked for applications from 90 corner stores, mostly on the North Side and in the Phillips neighborhood. About 15 responded and 10 were selected for the initial trial, which started this month.
"We have so many corner stores in Minneapolis, it was just a natural fit," says project specialist Aliyah Ali.
The city helped coordinate with a wholesaler, Bix Produce, to distribute fresh produce to the participating stores. It set up training for store owners on how to properly handle produce to maximize shelf life. And it came up with a specific action plan for each store involving signs, displays and store layout changes aimed at making fresh produce more visible, attractive and affordable to customers.
What makes Minneapolis' initiative unique is that the city has a ordinance to back up the program's goals. In 2008, the City Council approved the Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance, which requires all stores with a grocery license to carry a certain variety of fruits, vegetables, meat or protein, dairy and bread or cereal. The Healthy Corner Store Program is helping store owners comply with those rules, says Ali.
A recent review of 35 corner stores found that most were not in compliance with the ordinance and that more than a third didn't carry any fresh produce.
The city plans to track produce sales at the participating corner stores through June 2011 to see if the program boosts sales as it hopes. If it works, officials hope to expand it city wide.
Stores participating in the Healthy Corner Store Program are: Vitalife Pharmacy Rx (4151 Fremont Ave N), Lowry Food Market (628 Lowry Ave. N), One Stop Station (1604 W. Broadway), Northside Food Market (3559 Lyndale Ave. N), Glenwood Market (1501 Glenwood Ave. N), Cedar Food & Grill (2600 Cedar Ave. S), Neighborhood Grocery (814 East Franklin Ave), Shabelle Grocery (2325 E. Franklin), West Bank Grocery (417 Cedar Ave. S), and Flag Foods (2820 East 42nd St).
Source: Aliyah Ali, City of Minneapolis
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Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Medical outcomes vary too much for every doctor or surgeon to be able to claim they're doing the best job.
That idea was one of the premises behind a recent study of bowel surgery data by a team at UnitedHealthcare, says Dr. Ed Dasso, the company's medical director for clinical improvement and analytics.
The company sifted through health care claim data from its network and looked at how outcomes varied for surgeons in similar cases, markets, and specialties. Where it found a wide spectrum of results, it took a closer look at what factors or decisions, such as length of hospitalization, were most often associated with a quick and complete recovery for the patient.
The result was a set of data and a list of evidence-based best practices for preventing bowel surgery complications, both of which UnitedHealthcare shared with gastrointestinal surgeons.
"The approach we took here was no penalties, no promises. We just did a good-faith effort of sharing information with these surgeons," says Dasso. "We said, 'Here are your results compared to your peers'... and then, 'by the way, if you are interested, here are the most current evidence-based treatment guidelines that could help reduce that variance. What you choose to do with that information is totally up to you.'"
"That was one of the premises we wanted to test with this: is just the sharing of this type of information going to result in some sort of action and potentially impact practice patterns? And, fortunately, it did."
Over the next 18 months, the health insurer observed a 50 percent decrease in avoidable hospital days and a decrease in surgery-related readmissions. The changes also produced inpatient cost savings of approximately $7.4 million during that time period. Dasso says cost savings wasn't the motivation, but that they're learning that better care and reduced costs often come hand-in-hand.
The work recently earned the company an innovation and leadership in health care award from Milliman Care Guidelines, a company that develops evidence-based clinical guidelines.
Source: Ed Dasso, UnitedHealthcare
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Wednesday, November 17, 2010
A Minneapolis imaging company is hoping its MRI technology can become a magnet for investors.
Steady State Imaging recently disclosed that it's seeking to raise $4 million to continue refining and commercializing its technology, which enables MRI machines to image both soft and hard tissues. The fundraising round kicked off in October with the sale of $250,000 in equity, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The technology is a software platform called SWIFT (short for SWeep Imaging with Fourier Transformation), which was developed by Dr. Michael Garwood at the University of Minnesota's Center for Magnetic Resonance Research and can be installed on existing MRI machines, much like a firmware update can upgrade a cell phone or video game console.
Currently, MRI machines are good at imaging soft tissue in the body, such as your brain or muscles, but it's not the best option for imaging hard tissue like bone or cartilage. X-rays are still the most common method for imaging those harder tissues, despite the risks from ionizing (x-ray) radiation.
"Dr. Garwood's technique really broadens the applicability of MRI. It allows for really good imaging of hard and soft tissues," says Steady State Imaging CEO Danny Cunagin. "You can kind of think about his invention as combining an X-ray machine and an MRI machine in one device, without the ionizing radiation of X-rays."
Another benefit of the software is that it allows MRI machines to run much quieter than most do today, which makes it more patient-friendly, says Cunagin. It's currently for sale for in the pre-clinical market, and Cunagin says they expect to announce a clinical partner within the next three to four months.
Steady State Imaging was incorporated in 2005 and relaunched in 2008 under new leadership. It employs about half a dozen people at its office just west of downtown Minneapolis. Cunagin says the latest round of fundraising will allow the company to refine the software based on feedback from existing users, as well as prepare for commercialization in the clinical market.
Source: Danny Cunagin, Steady State Imaging
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Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Deluxe Corp. is writing a check for renewable energy.
The Shoreview check printer and business services company recently turned up at No. 3 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of top green power purchasers in the printing industry.
In the 12 months ending Oct. 5, Deluxe Corp. bought wind energy certificates to cover 25.5 million kilowatt hours, or about 41 percent of its total electricity usage. Put another way, the green power purchase covers the electricity used to produce nearly all of its checks for financial institution customers, says Pete Godich, vice president of fulfillment for Deluxe Corp.
The credits were purchased through ConEdison Solutions and Renewable Choice Energy, which are similar to Xcel Energy's WindSource program in Minnesota. Godich says purchasing renewable energy credits is the second piece of its two-pronged green energy strategy. The first was simply reducing energy consumption at its various facilities around the country.
It's paying a little extra to buy electricity generated by wind farms, but its electricity bill is still shrinking because of energy conservation efforts. "Our investments in reducing our overall consumption across the enterprise far outweighs whatever nominal premium we pay for renewable energy," says Godich.
On one hand, it's just the right thing to do, says Godich. But there are also financial benefits to reducing energy use, and supporting renewable energy is something many employees and customers want.
"It's good for the community. It's good for Deluxe, in terms of our profit, and it's good for consumers and our employees as well," says Godich. "It's not often that we can find win on top of win on top of win, but that's what happened."
Source: Pete Godich, Deluxe Corp.
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Wednesday, November 17, 2010
BioMedix Vascular Solutions has outgrown its space in the suburbs and is preparing to move to downtown St. Paul in the spring.
The health care technology company makes a suite of hardware, software, and online services to assist physicians in diagnosing vascular disease.
It's currently headquartered in an 8,000-square-foot office space in White Bear Lake, but spokeswoman Meg Heim says the location can no longer accommodate the company's growth.
BioMedix's new home will be at 178 E. Ninth St., a three-story, 24,000-square-foot building that's currently boarded up and is slated for renovation before the move-in date, likely to be sometime in March. The company will lease two and a half floors of the building -- all but half of the first floor--for its approximately 75 local employees. (The company employs about 150, but half are traveling or remote salespeople.)
"We are looking forward to the energy and the atmosphere that downtown St. Paul offers," Heim said in an e-mail earlier this week.
She said preparations for the move are well underway, and that they're looking forward to seeing the building when the renovation is complete.
The growth that prompted the move has come across several product categories, including its medical hardware and health IT software, Heim said. The new space will help accommodate the growth the company expects to see in 2011, as well as help support its existing, and expanding, client base, she said.
Source: Meg Heim, BioMedix Vascular Solutions
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Kindred Kitchen wants to help food entrepreneurs avoid getting stuck with a half-baked business plan.
The North Side food business incubator celebrates its grand opening this week on West Broadway. The nonprofit will provide affordable, licensed commercial kitchen rental, as well as a series of classes and workshops covering everything from ordering ingredients to refining a menu.
Kitchen Operations Manager Terese Hill says the area is full of "hidden food entrepreneurs"--bakers, caterers and others who either work out of their homes or rent odd hours in church basements or restaurant kitchens. Those arrangements can be illegal or inconvenient and often don't allow businesses to get to the next level.
"You see a lot of churches that rent out their kitchen space, but they may not be licensed and they may not have state-of-the-art commercial equipment," says Hill.
The Twin Cities is home to only a small handful of licensed commercial kitchens for rent, says Hill, and Kindred Kitchen will make this type of space more accessible in the neighborhood. The facility will also offer a three-to-four-month curriculum on operating a food business.
The classes and workshops are open to anyone, with scholarships available for low-income North Side residents. The topics range from food industry essentials such as ordering ingredients, managing inventory, and proper handling and preparation to business basics like planning, marketing, and financials.
The kitchen already has five caterers who are using the facility. Hill says they have space for between 30 and 40 users per month. Rental rates are $25 per hour with a 10-hour-per-month commitment, or $35 per hour with no monthly commitment.
Kindred Kitchen celebrates its grand opening 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, at 1210 West Broadway Ave. N.
Source: Terese Hill, Kindred Kitchen
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010
As the nation recovers from a recession, it's still a depression for teenage job-seekers. The unemployment rate for teenagers was a staggering 27.1 percent last month, nearly three times the overall rate.
The recession appears to have been particularly damaging to teenagers' employment prospects, as laid-off adults trade down to jobs traditionally held by students. A new Minneapolis web startup is aiming to help put some cash in kids' pockets by connecting them with odd jobs around their neighborhood.
Rock Your Block is the brainchild of Sarah Young, who took the idea to last month's
Startup Weekend event in Minneapolis, which we covered in a
video. The web app will be a place where kids can search for work and advertise their services for things like raking, shoveling or babysitting.
"I wanted to provide a quick, easy, simple way for teens to find odd jobs within their neighborhoods" and avoid the hassle of putting up fliers or knocking on strangers' doors, says Young, whose income as a kid included pay for things like babysitting and dog walking. There is no Monster.com for these kind of chores, and that's what Rock Your Block wants to be.
Young and her team are in the process of working out safety and security issues. Before a child can set up an account, they need to get an adult to vouch for them and pay a sponsorship fee and for an optional background check. When they complete a job, customers can post feedback about their work, which will appear on the teenager's job history.
The company is self-funded for now. They hope to roll out a test version of the site this year with a wider beta launch in 2011.
Source: Sarah Young, Rock Your Block
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Could the clothing we wear someday help us monitor our heart rate, track our performance, or even recover from injuries?
That's the future Lucy Dunne is exploring as an assistant professor in the University of Minnesota's apparel design program
Dunne studies wearable technologies, sometimes referred to as "smart clothing." The term describes to clothing or accessories that incorporate come sort of electronic component.
It's an emerging field with a lot of interest but few products on the shelf so far. One example would be Nike shoes that can send information to an iPod or iPhone. Then there are tackier, or should we say more novel, applications, like the mp3 player jacket or light-up T-shirts.
More serious applications, though, revolve around sports and medicine. One challenge with integrating body monitoring technology into clothing, says Dunne, is that in order to pick up a quality signal, such as a heartbeat, most sensors need to be tightly affixed to the body, often with a strap or a patch.
"I was originally a clothing designer, and in clothing design you can't ask the consumer to make those kinds of compromises, where they're uncomfortable or they feel like they look weird," says Dunne. "So my interest is in translating those sensing techniques into everyday clothing."
Dunne recently received a garment-tech innovation award for her work studying how signal quality is affected by looser fitting clothing (or "Joint Sensing in Everyday Clothing: Analysis of Garment Ease and Signal Noise in a Garment-Integrated Optical Bend Sensor.")
The hope is that her work will one day lead to everyday smart clothing that does more than light up or play music.
Source: Lucy Dunne, University of Minnesota
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010
When it comes to boosting participation in health and wellness programs, employees respond to goals and rewards — especially when the message isn't coming from their employer or health insurer.
That's the conclusion of a national health engagement survey commissioned by Minneapolis-based RedBrick Health.
RedBrick Health is a health technology company that partners with employers on health and wellness programs. Chief Marketing Officer Eric Zimmerman says they commissioned the survey to get a better sense of what employers are doing and what's working when it comes to employee health engagement.
Employers spend significant money on health and wellness programs, which can lower health insurance costs and increase productivity. But many of these initiatives suffer from anemic participation levels, often preaching to the health-conscious choir and reaching only around 10 percent of employees, says Zimmerman.
The survey results show, however, that engagement is not universally low, and patterns emerge among the programs that are seeing higher participation rates. Programs that involved setting goals saw 63 percent higher engagement levels, while programs that rewarded meeting those goals with incentives saw 107 percent greater engagement.
Another characteristic associated with success: having a program administered by a third-party other than the company's health insurance provider. Zimmerman speculated that it could be a trust issue, or it could be a matter of specialization, and that having a company like RedBrick that focuses on engagement can deliver better results because it's all they do.
Another finding in the survey was that many employers plan to increase their spending on health and wellness programs, despite the mixed results. Says Zimmerman:
"There's a terrific sense of urgency to address the cost issue and a terrific appetite for a different approach."
Source: Eric Zimmerman, RedBrick Health
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010
When you hear Toro Company and cutting edge, the first thing that comes to mind is probably hedge trimming, not innovation.
But the company has been tinkering now for nearly a decade on next-generation fuel cell vehicles at its Bloomington R&D facility.
Jack Gust, Toro's chief research and development engineer, says there's a growing demand from customers for electric vehicles. The types of turf vehicles it manufactures have to be light, and so several years ago they set out to find electric sources with the most energy-per-pound. Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are among the best potential sources by that measure, along with hybrid and lithium batteries.
The company started visiting fuel cell suppliers and attending conferences to learn about the technology early last decade, and then built its first hydrogen-powered prototype vehicle in 2004. After showing off the vehicle at trade shows, the company got a request from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to build four more, which are used at Niagara Falls State Park.
The Toro Company announced its third hydrogen fuel-cell project last month, a collaboration with Eden Prairie aerospace and defense firm ATK on two mid-duty utility vehicles for the military.
Gust says they've concluded that fuel cell technology is technically viable--"it works," he says--but it still costs too much today to mass-produce hydrogen-powered vehicles. The goal is to learn the technology now so that if and when prices improve the company can be ready to enter the market.
"We're kind of dabbling," says Gust. "Each time we do it, we're trying to just grow our knowledge on what we learned from the prior attempt. Each time we'll assess the technology a little more."
Source: Jack Gust, The Toro Company
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Wednesday, November 03, 2010
A local software shop is experiencing some healthy growth.
PowerObjects helps companies configure and customize Microsoft Dynamics relationship management software, which helps organizations keep track of information about their clients, customers or sales leads.
The company was Microsoft's fastest-growing partner in its last fiscal year. COO Jim Sheehan says revenues are on track to be 40 percent over last year. In June, PowerObjects announced an expansion of its office in the SO|HO building in downtown Minneapolis, where it employs 32 people.
Sheehan credits the company's growth to its "laser focus" on Microsoft Dynamics software. Until three years ago the company was much less specialized and did a variety of custom software projects for customers.
"It was pretty scary for us. We had a few million dollars in business in other software lines, and we said: Nope, we're going to get rid of it all," Sheehan said, and focus exclusively on implementing Microsoft Dynamics software.
As a result, they're known at Microsoft, and that's resulted in some major business referrals.
It also has an expertise in software for health care and life sciences--"pretty much anything that relates to or could touch a patient," says Sheehan.
The company also has about 15 employees in Texas at offices in Dallas and San Antonio.
Source: Jim Sheehan, PowerObjects
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Wednesday, November 03, 2010
The company that invented the first refrigerated trailer in 1938 is now working on technology to make them more energy-efficient.
Thermo King held an "innovation showcase" last month at its headquarters in Bloomington, where it employs more than 500 people.
The company makes refrigeration systems for the trucking industry, as well as heating and cooling systems for buses and trains.
Most conventional heating and cooling systems draw their power from the same diesel engine that drives the vehicle. Thermo King recently introduced systems that run separate from the primary engine, tapping into an electric battery or a separate diesel engine.
"There's a lot of buzz around these electric systems," said Chris Casazza, president of Thermo King in North America.
According to the company, the new systems are more energy-efficient, less complicated to install and maintain, and less expensive over the lifetime of the system.
Casazza said the company is seeing growing interest from vehicle manufacturers in trying out the new units. Meanwhile, the company's overall revenues for the year are about 20 percent ahead of last year.
Source: Chris Casazza, Thermo King
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Wednesday, November 03, 2010
You may not have heard of Scales Advertising, but if you buy office supplies from 3M, odds are you've seen their work.
The under-the-radar St. Paul agency does design, packaging and advertising for a variety of 3M products. Other clients include Scotch, C.H. Robinson Worldwide and the Minnesota High Tech Association.
Scales recently announced the hiring of a new associate creative director, Peter Winecke, and also a new client, Red Wing-based Capital Safety.
The nearly 40-year-old company touts a focus on "becoming part of our clients' daily operation, knowledge base and potential."
"We're going after business from a more integrated standpoint versus just a project-by-project basis," says marketing director Holli Maines.
And it appears to be working. The company's revenue was around $6.5 million last year, and they expect to improve on that by between $500,000 and $1 million this year.
Maines says what helps set the agency apart is its range of in-house services, which include strategic planning as well as packaging design and production, photography and international file preparation.
Source: Holli Maines, Scales Advertising
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Wednesday, November 03, 2010
An Eden Prairie company has helped build a prototype of futuristic gas-electric hybrid car that gets better than 200 mpg.
Stratasys, which manufactures 3D printers and rapid-prototyping systems, printed all of the exterior components for Urbee, an ultra-green vehicle being developed by a Winnipeg engineer group called Kor Ecologic.
The car is the first to have its entire body created by a 3D printing process. The companies are showing off the prototype in Las Vegas this week at the 2010 SEMA Show, an annual automotive trade show.
Urbee aims to be one of the world's greenest and most fuel-efficient vehicles. The hybrid vehicle reaches better than 200 mpg highway and 100 mpg city. It runs on electricity and either gasoline or ethanol.
Jim Kor, president and chief technology officer for Kor Ecologic, said in a press release that Stratasys' technology made the design and prototyping process more efficient by eliminating tooling and machining steps.
Statasys is a public company with about 360 full-time employees. Its machines are used by designers and engineers in the aerospace, automotive, medical device and consumer product industries.
The company's technology was also used to help create another experimental green car, the T.25 City Car, which was unveiled in July.
Source: Joe Hiemenz, Stratasys
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Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Stacy Becker knows there's already a million online dating sites.
But she also knows too many people--herself included--who are disappointed, disillusioned, and uninterested in them all.
So she banded together with a few like-minded singles to create Plume Blue, a local dating site that attempts to offer something different.
"We're really trying to rethink how online dating is done," says Becker, the site's founder and CEO.
The result: a site that's centered around events and things to do instead of personality profiles. Users post their ideas or plans for a night out (Say, Walker Art Center on Thursday night), and other users can respond and make plans to join if the plans fit their idea of a good time too.
Becker says too many online dating services lead to meetups that begin with an awkward coffee shop "interview" instead of having fun.
The site, which launched Oct. 26, is a side project for Becker, who also works as a public policy consultant. She developed some web experience while working on a social networking project for the Citizens League.
Her first goal is getting usership up to a critical mass. The first 250 people to sign-up receive a free lifetime membership. After that, Becker plans to charge $12 for the first two months and $7 per month after that.
Source: Stacy Becker, Plume Blue.
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Wednesday, October 20, 2010
When the Vikings and Packers line up Sunday night at Lambeau Field, and temperatures are plunging toward 40 degrees Fahrenheit, both teams will likely have a made-in-Minneapolis product in their locker rooms to help them stay warm.
Aurora Naturally counts both teams as customers of its Warm Skin product, a cream that moisturizes and insulates skin, helping the body retain its own heat.
The small company came up with the product 25 years ago. At the time it was making a popular udder cream used by farmers on their cows. With a few alterations, founders Kathryn Frommer and David Schanfield were able to turn it into a product for people.
Since then, the product has been used by everyone from arctic explorers to offensive linemen. Ann Bancroft used the cream to help stay warm on trips to both the North and South poles. Mountaineer Neal Mueller used it on a climb of Mt. Everest.
"We have a lot of bragging rights," says Frommer.
The product is used in less extreme settings, too. Frommer says customers include outdoor photographers, high school ski teams, and other outdoorspeople.
Aurora Naturally employs five people in the Southeast Como neighborhood of Minneapolis. It just added a second distributor, natural product wholesaler Lotus Light, and was considering whether to add a national sales manager to its team.
The recession has had an impact on sales, says Frommer. Much of the companies revenue comes from packaging private label, natural personal care products. Warm Skin's success has largely been on word of mouth, which is why 25 years later they're still educating people about the product and finding new customers.
Source: Kathryn Frommer, Aurora Naturally
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Wednesday, October 20, 2010
A nonprofit whose mission is showing low-income high school students a path to economic self-sufficiency looks to be nearly self-funded in its third year.
Genesys Works is a St. Paul program that offers students in an intensive eight-week IT and professional skills training course before placing them in one-year paid internships.
"We are truly a social enterprise. We operate very much like a for-profit IT staffing company, that just also happens to have a nonprofit mission of helping low-income students of color," says Jeff Tollefson, Genesys Works' director in the Twin Cities.
The organization was founded by a former Compaq executive in Houston. It started a Twin Cities branch in 2008 and launched a Chicago program this year.
Tollefson says about 90 percent of the program's budget this year should be covered by fees collected from its corporate partners, mostly large employers that pay to have students placed at their organizations, much as they would working with an IT staffing agency.
Genesys Works partners with Minneapolis, St. Paul, Richfield, and Robbinsdale school districts to recruit students, who apply for the program in the spring. An eight-week training course begins in June, and the top students are then placed at employers, where they work as IT technicians throughout their senior year of high school.
The program hopes to have a summer class of 150 students next year. It's also going to pilot a finance and accounting program in 2011 with about 30 students.
Tollefson says the response from employers suggests the program is working. Not only is it adding partners, but existing ones are increasing their commitment. Medtronic, the largest employer of Genesys Works students, went from 5 to 11 students this year.
Genesys Works will be recognized with the Innovation Collaboration of the Year Award at the Minnesota High Tech Association's Tekne Awards on Nov. 3.
Source: Jeff Tollefson, Genesys Works
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Wednesday, October 20, 2010
A pair of social-media-savvy sweet tooths are nearing the opening of their artisan donut shop thanks to contributions they raised using a social fundraising site.
Dawn Lee & Laura Kennedy used Kickstarter.com to solicit startup capital for their new business, The Donut Cooperative, which is due to open later this fall at 3507 23rd Ave. S. in Minneapolis.
"We love food. We love local food, and we love sweets," says Dawn Lee. "Nobody had really been doing artisan donuts, or local, sustainable donuts. There's really good options for cupcakes in that way, but not donuts. Other cities have it, and we think Minneapolis is awesome and really deserved good donuts."
The idea of opening their own donut shop started out as a joke, but then one day they asked themselves: why not?
They set up a fundraising page on Kickstarter.com, and then promoted it via Facebook and Twitter. Their goal was to collect $10,000 in 45 days. Instead, they took in over $12,000.
That money is helping them pay for all the small things that really add up when setting up a business: filing city permits, registering their business and trademarks, and finding the right location.
Lee and Kennedy were working to open the shop within two months. Meanwhile, they've been taking their creations out for special events and sharing them with donors to get feedback and build buzz.
Source: Dawn Lee, The Donut Cooperative
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Wednesday, October 20, 2010
A Twin Cities software entrepreneur has announced plans for a new venture called Project Skyway that will aim to connect young entrepreneurs with mentors, resources, and funding.
Cem Erdem, born in Turkey, founded Augusoft in 1994 after reading about the Internet in a magazine on his flight from Turkey to the United States with his new wife.
The company makes online software for education administration. A decade and a half later, Erdem has a management team in place that can run the company without his day-to-day involvement, freeing him up to take on a new challenge.
Erdem says he's decided he wants the next phase of his life to be about helping other entrepreneurs achieve their goals faster, better, and more efficiently than he was able to do.
Project Skyway will be a new-business seed fund and incubator, launching in July 2011. The details are still coming together, Erdem admits, but above all he wants it to be a connector.
Erdem envisions a program that will build connections among ideas, entrepreneurs, investors, and other innovation hubs, and bring them together both online and in physical space.
He believes there are probably would-be entrepreneurs attending community colleges, as he did, who are not being reached out to. He wants to use his education connections to cast a broad net for potential entrepreneurs and bring them into an innovation community.
"Lots of people have e-business ideas, but they are not necessarily the programmers. They don't know how to take a concept to the virtual world, and we can help them with that," says Erdem.
Some of the other values that he's making a priority as he develops the program include a focus on long-term value, ethical practices, and making sure the program is accessible.
Erdem admits it's a "high-level model" right now. He's prepared to spend his own money getting the program off the ground. He's not seeking funding help, but he is seeking ideas.
Erdem says people looking to get involved should contact him at .
Source: Cem Erdem, Augusoft
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Another prize should help extinguish any doubts about EarthClean's potential.
The Minneapolis startup, which produces a non-toxic, biodegradable firefighting gel, was one of three winners named last week in the region's first annual Cleantech Open competition.
Other winners for the Cleantech Open North Central region were Xolve, a Platteville, Wisc., company that makes nanocoatings for energy generation and storage, and Silicon Solar Solutions of Rogers, Ark., whose technology improves silicon-based solar power cells.
NewWater, a startup that's
using University of Minnesota technology to develop an atrazine filter for municipal water treatment plants, won given a regional sustainability award.
EarthClean (which we've previously written about
here and
here) was also the grand prize winner in this year's Minnesota Cup entrepreneur competition.
The field for the Cleantech Open North Central competition also included companies from Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
"That's a really important part of the program, to connect all these different geographies and create this ecosystem across the entire Midwest," says regional director Justin Kastor.
The three winners will receive a prize package that includes cash and services worth up to $30,000. They'll also compete for a $250,000 prize at a Nov. 17 national competition.
Next year's North Central competition is likely to include companies from Ohio and Illinois as the Cleantech Open prepares to launch a separate Midwest division in 2012.
The organization aims to help create 100,000 green-collar jobs in the United States by 2015.
Source: Justin Kastor, Clean Tech Open
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010
A Twin Cities solar installer hit a growth spurt in 2010 thanks to lower prices and new rebates.
Innovative Power Systems, which installs solar electric and solar thermal panels, as well as wind turbines, says sales are up about 50 percent compared to this time last year.
The company's growth had previously been averaging about 15 percent to 20 percent.
Sales manager Jamie Borell says the cost of solar electric panels has been cut in half over the past few years. Meanwhile, new state and federal incentives are covering more upfront costs.
The changes are making solar projects more accessible to middle-class budgets, he says.
"I think there's a growing awareness, as well, about where our electricity comes from, and people want cleaner options for their electricity," says Borell.
Since this time last year, the company has grown from 14 employees to 23 (including outside sales reps) and moved from southeast Minneapolis to the western edge of St. Paul. The new office and warehouse space gives it better freeway access and more room to grow.
Meanwhile, there's more competition for the 20-year-old solar pioneer. Borell estimates the number of solar installers in the Twin Cities has grown from about half a dozen a few years ago to more than 50 today. One factor besides the prices and rebates: the recession has pushed some electricians to update and diversify their skills with renewable energy.
Source: Jamie Borell, Innovative Power Systems
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010
What if companies were to pledge a portion of their sales to help fight global poverty?
Nick Pearson believes it would have a substantial impact.
Pearson is founder of 1% For Humanity, an organization seeking to sign up companies to donate 1 percent of their revenues (that's revenues, not profit) to humanitarian causes.
"It's been challenging, for sure," says Pearson, of Robbinsdale. "A lot of entrepreneurs are just getting started and they're trying to build their brands in a really tough economy anyway."
It's taken Pearson longer than he hoped to get the project to where it's at today, but he's not pessimistic. Last year, five members raised over $100,000 for its network of charities.
Pearson, who used to work in real estate and property management, has made 1% For Humanity a full-time volunteer endeavor. He launched the organization in March 2009.
So far he has seven participating companies, which file annual reports with Pearson, who certifies that they are giving the amount they claim to humanitarian-related nonprofits.
1% For Humanity does not take a cut of the donations. Its revenue comes from separate donations and from a marketing fee for member companies to use its logo.
Pearson says he knew he didn't have a passion for real estate, and that he was inspired by the success of 1% For The Planet, which raises millions for environmental causes.
Pearson believes there's a similar need for humanitarian causes. Today, he's focused on continuing to get the word out in order to find more potential partners.
Member companies include two Minneapolis firms, 10,000 Pixel Agency and Bull Run Roasting Co.
Source: Nick Pearson, 1% For Humanity
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Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Luis Fitch makes sure marketers' messages don't get lost in translation.
Fitch founded the UNO Hispanic branding agency in Minneapolis in 1999. A gallery exhibit opening Thursday at Metropolitan State University will celebrate a decade of his work.
The Mexican-born creative director previously worked for agencies including Fame, a division of Martin Williams, and John Ryan Group, which specializes in branding for banking.
Fitch started UNO after seeing U.S. Census figures that confirmed what he already knew: that the U.S. Hispanic population was surging in terms of size and purchasing power.
UNO does some work in Mexico and Latin America, but its focus is on the U.S. Hispanic market, which is incredibly diverse, as Fitch recently explained to a new client:
"They wanted to go after the Latino market, and we said, well, which Latino market?"
UNO uses a method called Filtros (or "filters") to better define who a client is seeking to target. The branding strategy will vary depending on things such as language, religion, and country of origin.
Much of the agency's work involves in-store retail displays or package design. It also helps local advertising agencies adapt their campaigns for Hispanic audiences.
The company has five employees, along with a circle of freelancers. Clients include local Fortune 500 companies such as Target, General Mills, and Nash Finch.
"Ten Years of Hispanic Posters by Luis Fitch of UNO Branding" opens with a reception 4-7pm, Oct. 14, at the Gordon Parks Gallery (645 E. 7th St., St. Paul).
Source: Luis Fitch, UNO Ltd.
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Wednesday, October 06, 2010
A revolving, low-interest loan program by the city of Minneapolis recently marked its 1,000th loan to a small business in the city.
City officials celebrated the milestone last week with an event at the Blackbird Cafe. The restaurant was the recipient of the 1,000th loan.
"These are the right investments for government to make--and now more than ever, this is the right time to do it," said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.
The investments consist of 10-year, 2-percent interest rate loans, which must be matched at least dollar-for-dollar by loans from private lenders. "It's definitely a way to encourage banks to not turn off the spigot, to keep the funds flowing," says Bob Lind, the city's director of business finance.
Since the program started in 1988, it's made 1,000 loans totaling $28 million, and leveraged another $87 million in private investment. The city estimates the program has helped create more than 2,000 jobs and retain another 9,300. The average loan size is $25,000, and more than 97 percent have been fully repaid.
The Blackbird Cafe used a $75,000 loan from the program to relocate after a Feb. 18 fire destroyed its previous home at W. 50th St. and Bryant Ave. S. Owners Gail Mollner and Chris Stevens hosted last week's event at their new location at 3800 Nicollet Ave.
"The whole idea was to get that investment and make sure those commercial corners and commercial nodes continue to thrive, continue to look good, continue to be occupied," says Lind.
In addition to the mayor, speakers included Robert Stephens, founder of the Geek Squad, which received financing through the program in 1998.
Source: Bob Lind, City of Minneapolis
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Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Paging Dr. Device Overload...
A recent survey showed nearly three out of four physicians carry around a smartphone. Yet, when it comes to receiving hospital alerts, many still have to carry around a separate tool belt of pagers or hospital-specific devices.
A fast-growing Minnetonka software company is working to free up some pocket space for doctors with a pager-replacement smartphone application.
Amcom Software has sold hospital call-center technology since the mid-80s. Chris Heim and Dan Mayleben bought the company in 2007 and have since grown annual revenue from $11 million to about $50 million.
Some of that growth is due to acquisitions, says Heim, but some comes from growing interest in new products such as Amcom Mobile Connect. The app lets physicians receive pages on their BlackBerry, iPhone, or Android smartphones.
"We've got pictures of doctors carrying five different devices," says Heim. "What this application allows them to do is consolidate down to one device."
Since releasing the product in December, several major hospital systems have bought in, including Park Nicollet Health Services in St. Louis Park.
"I think there's an increasing awareness within healthcare that communication is the root cause of a lot of inefficiencies," says Heim.
Heim believes better communication can lead to better patient care. Amcom Mobile Connect improves on the pager by automatically sending confirmation messages when alerts are received and read, and allowing text replies.
Amcom has about 230 employees and was seeking to hire another 10 more.
Source: Chris Heim, Amcom
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Wednesday, October 06, 2010
The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota supports businesses that are working with materials on the molecular and cellular level.
In other words, stuff that's too small to see with the naked eye.
Last week, the organization unveiled an original artwork it commissioned that it hopes will help Minnesotans visualize the type of work it promotes.
"We wanted to create a symbol that will help to connect the individual to the science, so that people can feel part of it and connected to it," said Dale Wahlstrom, CEO of the Alliance.
"Unfolding the Natural History and Science of Life" is a 3'-by-6' print by multimedia artist Lynn Fellman, who specializes in science-inspired art. Fellman reversed the scale of her subjects; the largest footprint goes to proteins and DNA strands, while animals and plants are pictured smallest.
Wahlstrom said the goal is for the image to become an identifiable symbol for the life-science community the Alliance represents in the state. It also plans to sell notecards and posters to raise funds for its Destination 2025 mission.
The image is hanging in the BioBusiness Alliance's office. (A small version image can be viewed on its website here.)
Source: Dale Wahlstrom, BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota
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Wednesday, October 06, 2010
A pair of recent announcements put Minnesota at the forefront of digital government.
A survey by the Center for Digital Government gave Minnesota's state government a 'B+' grade and said it was "trending up" when it comes to using digital technology to better serve citizens and streamline operations..
Meanwhile, the state's Office of Enterprise Technology announced last week that Minnesota is the first state to move its collaboration and communications software into a cloud computing environment. (That means the applications are stored online rather than in servers owned by the state.)
The Center for Digital Government report highlighted Minnesota's innovation in the areas of finance and administration and energy and transportation. Only four states received a grade higher than Minnesota's.
An example of the state's recent successes, says OEM spokeswoman Cathy de Moll, was consolidating all state agencies into one centralized e-mail system. Innovations like this let the state "put our attention and dollars toward the kinds of applications that are directly related to citizen services," she says.
The announcement came two days after the state announced a first-of-its-kind cloud computing arrangement with Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite.
The move means the state no longer has to maintain its own servers and hardware for e-mail, file-sharing and other collaboration and communications programs. Instead, it leases those resources from Microsoft, which keeps the state's data in a private cloud environment.
Source: Cathy de Moll, State of Minnesota
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Wednesday, October 06, 2010
A recent campaign by Preston Kelly encouraged people to lose weight and get rid of their "fatpants." Meanwhile, the Minneapolis ad agency is loosening its own belt.
The sixty-year-old agency has added seven new people this year, bringing its team to a total of 45 people.
Chuck Kelly, president and principal, says the agency has seen growth from both existing and new clients. Last year, for example, it added Grand Casino to its client list, which also includes HealthPartners, the Mall of America, and the Minnesota Zoo.
What's working? Kelly says customers are coming to them for "iconic ideas."
"What we say is an iconic idea is an idea that motivates people and inspires them to take the desired action," says Kelly. "I think our insights lead to iconic ideas, and iconic ideas lead to results."
Preston Kelly was named Advertising Age's 2010 Midwest Small Agency of the Year in July. Last week, it won a 2010 Radio Mercury Award for a campaign it did for the YMCA, which encouraged people to lose weight and then donate their old "fatpants" to charity.
"All of a sudden there is a double good," says Kelly.
Kelly says the agency is growing its content management and working on new digital strategies to balance traditional advertising.
Source: Chuck Kelly, Preston Kelly
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Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Online advertisers go to great lengths to gather information about web users. They glean terabytes of data from web searches, social media profiles, and other sources in an attempt to target certain advertisements to certain audiences.
The problem, according to entrepreneur Aaron Weber, is that a lot of this information is outdated, incomplete, and still dependent on guesswork. For example, are those baby clothes you ordered a gift, or are you a new parent?
Weber's solution: instead of forcing advertisers to cyberstalk and guess what consumers want, why not let consumers just tell advertisers what they're interested in?
Weber is co-founder of Inveni, an online "taste profile" that lets Internet users consolidate product ratings from various websites and choose to anonymously share them with advertisers. In exchange, users get help finding other products they may like and hopefully get more relevant advertising at sites they visit.
"The whole goal is to align the interests of advertisers and consumers," says Weber.
The service launched in beta last week. For now it only supports movies and television programs, but Weber says Inveni plans to expand to include books, music, video games, and perhaps other products and restaurants after that.
Inveni will be incorporating display advertising on its site in the coming weeks. Users who choose to share information with advertisers will also have their anonymous information stored in a web cookie so advertisers on other sites can match ads to their taste profiles.
Weber previously co-founded W3i, an online software marketing company that he and his co-founders grew from their dorm rooms in St. Cloud to a $30-million-a-year company.
Source: Aaron Weber, Inveni
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Wednesday, September 29, 2010
If you're a bicycle commuter, you owe a debt of thanks to Steve Flagg, owner and founder of Quality Bicycle Products (QBP). Flagg, who in September was named the University of Minnesota's 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Carlson School of Management, not only leads one of the country's largest bike distribution centers, but uses his company as a vehicle for promoting cycling as an alternative to cars.
From its launch in 1981, QBP has fueled rapid growth by serving as the go-to source for hard-to-find bike components. From a one-man operation, it's grown to employ some 450 workers who service 5,000 independent dealers around the country.
Equally important, says Flagg, is his company's commitment to advocacy. "We have a full-time advocate on staff," he explains, whose job it is to work with politicians and community organizations to build trails and generally support the cycling community. "Our values are deeply integrated into our business."
Given Flagg's focus on cycling, it's not surprising that these core values extend to environmentalism. "We have a strong environmental ethos," he says. QBP operates out of a Bloomington warehouse that earned one of the of the nation's first LEED Gold ratings for a warehouse.
The headquarters sits adjacent to the Hyland Lake Park Reserve bike trail system, with commuter links to Minneapolis. QBP rewards employees who commute by bicycle with a four-dollar-a-day bonus.
While the company's been hit by the downturn, they've maintained positive growth--a fact that Flagg attributes at least in part to being a values-driven business. "There's a huge payoff," he says. "Not only are you doing the right thing, but at the end of the day, you get lower turnover and more motivated employees."
Source: Steve Flagg, Quality Bicycle Products
Writer: Joe Hart
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
If inefficient data storage is the corporate equivalent of searching for your lost car keys, Digitiliti provides valet service. The downtown-St. Paul–based company offers an integrated data management service that files, stores, secures, and backs up company data seamlessly and automatically--functions that are typically spread across half a dozen software platforms.
"The biggest problem is that for data, there's a point solution for every problem," he says. "If you want to store your data, you buy backup software. If you want disaster recovery, you take it offsite. If you want to be able to collaborate, you buy software for that. We've integrated it into one system."
For this nifty achievement, the company picked up a Tech Award Circle gold medal in July and a nomination for a Tekne Award from the Minnesota High Tech Association in September.
The company launched in 2005 with a data protection service, but quickly identified the need for a broader product, explains Ken Peters, executive vice president in sales and marketing. The company's DigiLIBE (Digital Library) product launched two years ago, and has fueled remarkable growth for the tech company right through the recession, doubling the company's workforce to about two dozen.
In growth, Digitiliti has maintained its flexibility. Headquarters are located in St. Paul's artsy Lowertown neighborhood, an environment that "fosters innovation," according to Peters. And rather than bulk up on staff, they've taken a nimble approach to growth: "We have built a flexible workforce, both internal and external," he says. "Our approach is, hire the best talent. It doesn't matter where they're located."
Source: Ken Peters, Digitiliti
Writer: Joe Hart
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Some folks toss the fundraising pitch from their alma mater; others reach for their checkbooks. The St. Paul–based Reeher company aims to help colleges and universities determine which category you fit—before the direct mailers go out.
This task requires "predictive analytics" that crunch data collected about individuals to sort who is likely to donate, and why. "Traditionally, institutions would build that kind of system themselves, which is expensive and requires pretty specialized people," explains company founder Andy Reeher. "We can give them that functionality within a matter of weeks."
Reeher is further differentiated by the fact that its service is web-based, which eliminates any need for software installation and minimizes training.
Growth of the company has been rapid, fueled in part by lean budgets and diminishing funding sources at institutions of higher ed. A number of larger institutions, including Tulane and Johns Hopkins, have signed on for the service. Two weeks ago the company signed up McGill University, one of the oldest and largest institutions in Canada, and it just inked a deal with the University of Kentucky which Reeher says will be announced shortly.
"We're doing very well as a business right now," Reeher says. "With the economy in a tough situation, organizations are learning to use their resources more wisely." Reeher's service helps them do so--and save money while they're doing it.
Source, Andy Reeher, Reeher LLC
Writer: Joe Hart
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
When you think of environmentally friendly businesses, you probably don't think of auto body repair shops. But a chat with Pete Latuff, president of the family-run Latuff Brothers auto body shop in St. Paul is enough to dispel your stereotypes of the industry. In the past five years, the company has introduced a number of environmental innovations--and it's saving them money.
"We saw the trend of going toward green," says Latuff, "and we thought it would be a good way to go."
The business began by introducing a low-emission paint system. "Our licensing is all based on emissions, so there's a cost factor there," explains Latuff. The new paint reduces emissions by 58 percent. It also cuts drying time by 30 percent, resulting in a significant reduction in energy use. Not long after, Latuff went to a paperless office, introducing further savings.
What began as a trend- and cash-savvy business strategy has taken hold as a principle, according to Latuff. "As we get more and more down this road we start thinking about it more and more, too," he says. "We've moved away from plastic bottles now, too, and put in a water cooler with paper cups. We're always thinking about different ways to reduce our trash and try to recycle everything we can."
This kind of self-examination "has made us a more efficient business," Latuff says, while reducing the environmental footprint of the operations. Good for business, and good for the planet--that goes some distance toward taking the sting out of your next fender bender.
Source: Pete Latuff, Latuff Brothers
Writer: Joe Hart
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A Minneapolis software developer is expanding his solo business into a three-person firm this month and moving into an office in the Loring Park neighborhood.
Jon De Long started the Composit Group in July 2009. His company makes automation software to help large, custom manufacturers operate more efficiently. The CAD software lets someone input order specs and generate custom product designs on the spot, instead of having a sales rep relay specs to an engineer.
De Long signed a lease last week on a new office space. (He previously worked from his condo.) He was hauling in equipment by the end of the week. He was also preparing to hire his first two employees by the end of the month.
"Right now, with the economy, manufacturers have the impetus--and oddly enough, also the cash--to try to improve upon their processes," says De Long. "We want to scale up now so we can handle the business down the road."
Source: Jon De Long, Composit Group
Writer:
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A local software shop is up for an innovation award for a web app that streamlines the process of finding new patients for clinical studies.
Fortress Medical Systems, which is based in Hopkins, is one of five finalists for the Society for Clinical Data Management's 2010 Data Driven Innovation Award. The company makes software for managing clinical trial data, particularly for medical device studies, which require tracking of more variables than drug studies.
"What differentiates us is our flexibility, because medical device trials are really different than pharmaceutical trials," says CEO Mark Jones.
Fortress' customers include a few dozen medical device companies in the Twin Cities, from industry giants like Medtronic to emerging startup companies.
Typically, a company conducting a clinical trial will hire a call center to screen prospective patients. The call center then relays information back to the research company, which then contacts the patient's doctor or hospital about enrollment.
Fortress is up for an award for helping design a web-based software program that lets call center screeners report information directly to the doctors or hospitals.
"The benefits are that it increases the speed at which patients can potentially get enrolled into the study," minimizing the risk of patients changing their minds or being lost in the shuffle, explains Jones.
Fortress was founded in 1997 and has nine employees. The Society for Clinical Data Management will announce the innovation award winner at its annual conference in Minneapolis on October 17-20.
Source: Mark Jones, Fortress Medical Systems
Writer:
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A local mobile app developer's profile is rising like, well, a weather balloon.
Sevnthsin has doubled in size over the past two years to 14 employees today. The company's mobile site is on display this week as the Mobile Site of the Day for Wednesday, Sept. 22, on the Favorite Website Awards, a site where marketers and developers go for ideas and inspiration.
And last week it landed on the front page of the Pioneer Press for attaching a cooler full of cameras and mobile devices to a weather balloon and sending it into the upper atmosphere. "We are doing this out of curiosity, as a way to test the limits of mobile-phone technology," Sevnthsin owner Jamey Erickson told reporter Julio Ojeda-Zapata.
Sevnthsin was originally the name of Erickson's band, which never took off. But his web-building business did. During college he started doing web work for various local bands. As those contacts generated more work, he eventually started a full-time company in June 2006.
Erickson's company still does work for local musicians, including Doomtree and Rhymesayers Entertainment, but his clients now also include the likes of Target, Caribou Coffee, and Toyota.
"We basically help clients build a conversation with a twentysomething audience," says Erickson. It's a younger, tech-savvy audience that expects more two-way communication.
Sevnthsin has grown through the recession, and Erickson believes it's because the economy is encouraging companies to experiment with new technologies that cost less than mass media.
"People are trying to innovate and come up with new solutions as the world is rapidly changing around us"--from both a technological and an economic standpoint, says Erickson. "We see people willing to experiment with these new technologies, and experiment with them more seriously."
Sevnthsin plans to launch another weather balloon on Friday, Sept. 24.
Source: Jamey Erickson, Sevnthsin
Writer:
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A new venture in Minneapolis is innovating ways to connect nonprofits with young professionals who want to give their time and skills.
Jim Delaney, a former director with The LEAD Project, started Engine L3C after an experience as a board member at the YMCA.
"I wanted to do more than show up once a quarter and provide my advice and raise a little bit of money in the meantime," says Delaney. "I wanted to use what I thought were my skills and capabilities a little bit more directly to solve the problems that the 'Y' was facing."
So many nonprofit volunteer opportunities consist of one-day opportunities, helping out here and there with events and fundraising, he thought. Meanwhile, he understood that most directors were too busy with day-to-day demands to tackle big-picture challenges.
Delaney's idea: put together small strike teams of young professional volunteers to tackle big-picture projects. He pitched it to the YMCA and recruited 24 volunteers to work on six projects. One team created a guide for social media use. Another created a 140-page best practices handbook after analyzing the best practices at each of the local YMCA's 14 branches and camps.
Delaney recruits and matches volunteers to the project teams that best match their skills. A typical project lasts about six months, after which the volunteers are free to move on or get involved in a different way.
The young volunteers, most of whom are between the ages of 25 and 35, get personal and professional development, as well as a more satisfying volunteer experience. Meanwhile, the nonprofits, which pay $1,000 per month per project, get professional services for a fraction of what they would otherwise cost.
After 10 projects with the YMCA, about a month ago Engine started another project with the Neighborhood Development Center. Next, Delaney hopes to get corporations involved by offering the program to their employees as a professional development tool.
Source: Jim Delaney, Engine L3C
Writer:
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
If you're familiar with the concept of software-as-a-service, consider this lawyering-as-a-service.
The Glover Law Firm in Minneapolis has launched a new practice aimed at serving tech startups, with a billing model inspired by the flat-rate, tiered pricing associated with many web applications.
"We're trying to build a firm that feels similar to the types of businesses we hope to represent," says owner/founder Sam Glover.
Clients choose from one of four service plans that range from $150 to $1,200 per month and include document preparation, annual reviews, and weekly, monthly or quarterly check-ins.
It sounds simple, and that's what makes it such a departure for the legal industry. Since the 1960s, law firms have almost universally charged clients based on "billable hours." Attorneys tally up every six-minute increment of work they do for a client and add it to their tab.
But that system, says Glover, rewards inefficiency and encourages clients to put off asking questions, even though a quick answer might help prevent bigger problems down the line. Glover's model allows an entrepreneur to call with a question without worrying about a new bill.
"It's great for the clients because they know how much they're going to pay next month," says Glover. "It's great for us because we know the money that's coming in next month."
Glover started his law firm in 2005 focusing on business and consumer protection law. He and business partner Aaron Street started signing up clients for the startup practice last month at startuplawyer.mn.
Source: Sam Glover, The Glover Law Firm, LLC
Writer:
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The Nerdery's plot for global domination is going according to plan.
The Bloomington-based web/mobile development shop opened a Chicago office on Aug. 1. Now it's taking notes on what works and what doesn't in preparation to open another remote office next year.
"As it stands right now, the Chicago office is working really well," says owner Luke Bucklin.
"We're not running into as many challenges as we expected, so I think we're well on our way to global domination through opening new offices," Bucklin deadpans.
He's joking about that global domination thing, right? The Nerdery's numbers suggest maybe not: The 7-year-old company started the year with 101 employees. Today it has 147 (including seven in Chicago.) This year's revenue is on track to hit about $14 million compared to $8.6 million in 2009.
The company's primary clients are advertising and marketing agencies, which are having a harder time keeping up with the increasingly specialized programming demands of their customers.
Just five years ago, an agency could more easily get by with a handful of in-house developers. A team of generalists could stay up to speed with all the programming disciplines necessary.
Today, though, advertising and marketing clients are demanding more interactive work, while at the same time the technology has splintered into more and more specialties. Agencies now need to offer development for iPhones, iPads, BlackBerry, Android, mobile web, social media.
"The list is significantly longer now than it used to be," says Bucklin. "We've solved that problem in a way the agencies aren't able to," by hiring teams of specialists in each area. "Today we have specialists in technologies that didn't even exist three years ago."
The Nerdery is looking into Dallas, New York and San Francisco as possible expansion locations in 2011.
Source: Luke Bucklin, The Nerdery
Writer:
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
A local IT consulting firm has packed up its computers and relocated to St. Paul, where it joins a growing cluster of technology companies in the Capital City.
Instrumental, Inc., announced last week that it's moved from Bloomington to a new headquarters at 1450 Energy Park Drive in St. Paul. The company, which has about 15 employees, specializes in consulting for high-performance computing and data storage projects.
"We wanted to be in this cluster of technology companies like Cray and Lawson," says Bill Zwicky, vice president for operations. "There's a lot of access to universities just within a five mile radius of our new St. Paul location."
Instrumental was founded as a software company in 1991 and later transformed itself into a vendor-neutral consulting company. Its management team includes veterans of Cray Research in St. Paul.
The company's clients range from U.S. intelligence and defense agencies to Fortune 1,000 companies. CEO Henry Newman said they've had some "significant" wins in the past 45 days, but added that he wasn't able to disclose either of two new contracts yet.
Instrumental was recently awarded a contract to help the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration design, develop, and implement a data storage system so that historical weather data is safe and accessible to weather and climate researchers.
Source: Bill Zwicky, Instrumental
Writer:
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
A group of civic and business leaders announced an initiative Tuesday to try put Minneapolis-St. Paul on the map in the areas of creativity and innovation.
The nonprofit 4FRONT is made up of local business, education, arts, and government leaders who want the region to take its "rightful place on the world stage."
Executive director John Foley points to a recent ranking of innovative cities worldwide in which Minneapolis slipped to 45th overall from 33rd the previous year.
"Cities all over the world get it. They're working really hard at innovation and trying to figure out how to attract talent, and we're acting like we're not even in the race," says Foley. "We continue to compare ourselves to the likes of Sioux Falls and Mississippi, literally. It's like we don't get it. We're not there yet. We just don't understand the dimensions of this race, and we're missing the big picture that we're competing with Amsterdam and Paris and San Francisco" and other major cities around the globe.
The plan is for 4FRONT to attract, retain, and nurture talent in the areas of food, health, design, and the arts. The centerpiece will be an international symposium and awards event that they hope will annually attract more than 40,000 people.
The Twin Cities are in a global competition for talent, says Foley, and the hope is that the awards will be a way to identify talent and give them a connection to the region. The goal is for Minneapolis-St. Paul to be recognized as the world's premier center of innovation and creativity by 2015 in health, food, design and the arts.
The group is working toward holding its first major event in the summer of 2012, with an abridged event and awards ceremony to introduce the concept in 2011.
Source: John Foley, 4FRONT
Writer:
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
BusinessCard2 just padded its rolodex.
Workface Inc., creator of the BusinessCard2 online business card platform, announced last week that it has acquired a rival service called card.ly. The deal comes with card.ly's more than 40,000 user accounts, which will be converted into BusinessCard2 accounts in the coming months.
"It was less of a defensive move, in terms of trying to defend our market share, but more of an opportunity to grow our footprint," says CEO Lief Larson.
The BusinessCard2 service lets users create and share virtual business cards, which can be easily attached to e-mail signatures or posted to social networks.
A challenge for BusinessCard2 and many other free, web-based services is building up a critical mass of users so that it can become more than just another app.
Larson has always been tight-lipped about how many people use Workface's virtual business card service, but he said the company is seeing double-digit growth month after month. It has users in more than 60 countries but the biggest concentration is in its own backyard in the Twin Cities. Card.ly brings added geographic diversity to its user base.
Workface is based in Northeast Minneapolis and has five full-time employees.
Source: Lief Larson, Workface
Writer:
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
A few years ago, a group of Twin Cities advertising leaders realized they were missing an opportunity by not better marketing their industry to students with diverse backgrounds.
Their concerns led to the creation of The BrandLab, a school outreach and scholarship program, which is expanding to a dozen metro-area classrooms this school year.
Twin Cities agencies routinely create campaigns for diverse populations around the world, says BrandLab executive director Jim Cousins. Yet if you look around at the makeup of the staffs creating them, they don't always match the target audience.
BrandLab was started by OLSON in 2007 and expanded to include other agencies the following year. Its goal is to create opportunities in the marketing industry for students with diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Since the pilot at South High School, the program has expanded to two, then six, and now twelve classrooms at schools in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Bloomington.
"You can't really ask for a job in an industry that you don't know exists," says Cousins.
That's why the program starts with exposure, explaining to students what kind of careers exist in marketing. The hands-on curriculum is often integrated with an existing media arts or mass communication class. The most promising and energetic students then have a chance to apply for internships and scholarships, with two of each awarded per class.
Schools participating this year include South, North, and Patrick Henry high schools in Minneapolis, Arlington High School and Community of Peace Academy in St. Paul, Kennedy High School in Bloomington, and Minnesota Transitions Charter High School.
Source: Jim Cousins, BrandLab
Writer:
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Sara Pearce's baby is growing up fast.
The registered nurse and midwife started Amma Maternity in 2007, leasing time at a Minneapolis yoga studio to offer a popular parenting class for new mothers. Amma Maternity has since been named the exclusive provider of childbirth and newborn classes for Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park.
Meanwhile, Pearce has left the yoga studio for her first storefront location, at 3511 Hazelton Road in the Yorktown Mall in Edina. The company is now looking to partner with other hospitals that would like to outsource their childbirth classes, which are inconvenient and unprofitable for most hospitals.
Pearce says she borrowed the business model from a childbirth center in Boston. She believes Amma Maternity is only the second company nationwide to implement it.
What's a hassle for hospitals can be profitable for Amma Maternity because of its other products and services. In short: they come for the pre-natal, but often sign-up for new-parent classes or shop at the retail boutique. Parents like the service because it's in a "really cute, consumer-friendly space" with up-to-date AV equipment, and provides a sense of community, says Pearce.
"I think people are attracted to the setting and the idea of an updated experience," says Pearce.
The business has been profitable from day one, says Pearce. She estimates that she sees about 125 new families per month, and it's all hospital referrals or word of mouth.
(Amma Maternity is hosting an open house on Tuesday, Sept. 14.)
Source: Sara Pearce, Amma Maternity
Writer:
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Six division winners are in the running for the Minnesota Cup grand prize. The winners of the sixth annual entrepreneur competition were announced last week. Each will receive $20,000, except for the student division winner, which gets $5,000.
"This year's Minnesota Cup winners are behind some of our state's most innovative new business ideas," Minnesota Cup co-founder Scott Litman said in a statement.
The winners are:
GeaCom, a Duluth company developing a device to help doctors and patients communicate across language barriers
BioMatRx, a Twin Cities company that provides tissue engineering products, equipment and information to the dental industry
EarthClean, a Minneapolis startup that is commercializing a non-toxic, biodegradable firefighting gel (See our
previous coverage)
Go Home Gorgeous, a Twin Cities company that provides postpartum recovery treatments to reduce the stress associated with childbirth
Springboard for the Arts, a Twin Cities organization that connects artists with skills, contacts, information, and services
Blue Water Ponds, a Twin Cities company that provides pond restoration services using barley straw and pond weed harvesting
A grand prize winner, to be named on Sept. 13, will win another $20,000. An awards ceremony is scheduled for 5 pm, Sept. 13 at the U of M's McNamara Alumni Center.
Source: Minnesota Cup
Writer:
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
After signing a lease for its future brewery in downtown Minneapolis, Fulton Beer has a plan for its next round of growth.
First, though, it needs to make sure it can pay the tab.
The company is named after the Minneapolis neighborhood where the its four founders started home brewing together. They started leasing time at at Wisconsin brewery last fall so that they could brew beer for commercial sale.
The guys--Ryan Petz, Jim Diley, Brian Hoffman and Peter Grande--have doubled production twice since then, and their hoppy Sweet Child of Vine brew is now on tap at a little over 100 bars and restaurants in the Twin Cities.
About six months ago they started searching for a spot to build their own brewery, and last month they signed a lease on an empty warehouse just northwest of Target Field at 414 N. 6th Ave.
"We couldn't be happier with what we found," says Petz.
The plan is to construct a 15- to 20-barrel brewhouse that would be open to the public for tours and growler sales. They're talking to architects, contractors, and equipment manufacturers. The time line will depend on financing.
"As you can imagine, it's a pretty expensive endeavor. We're looking at getting some traditional bank financing, but are not exactly sure how that is going to play out," says Petz. "We've been able to start saving a little bit of money from our current operations, but it may be that we have to continue to do that longer or find some other alternative means in order to get this thing together."
They're hoping to be brewing beer within about six months of securing financing.
Source: Ryan Petz, Fulton Beer
Writer:
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Tommy Creal rolled into town two years ago on a custom-built chopper with a full tank of ambition.
This fall, the young entrepreneur is retooling his business in hopes of finding the right gear.
As a teenager, Creal started a popular bike-building bootcamp in Chicago. After moving to Minneapolis in 2008, Creal decided to relaunch Chopper College as a "green" technical institute.
Creal's Chopper College partnered with Minneapolis Community & Technical College on a catalog of 40 courses last year aimed at gearheads interested in building alternative-fuel motorcycles.
The demand wasn't what he hoped for, so this fall he's scaled back to two one-weekend workshops that will teach participants how to build a bike that runs on E85 ethanol.
Creal's E85 bike-building workshops will be open to 48 students each. Over the course of three days (Oct. 8-10 or Nov. 12-14) students will help build a pair of motorcycles from scratch.
Meanwhile, Creal is keeping busy on the side by building custom choppers for local organizations, from the Minnesota Wild to Life Science Alley.
If the workshops suggest there's interest in ethanol-powered choppers, Creal says the next phase for Chopper College will be developing a gasoline-to-ethanol conversion kit to sell.
The lower than expected enrollment for last year's classes hasn't soured Creal on the Twin Cities. Instead he says he's struck by how much support there is for businesses here.
"People are lending hands everywhere, opening doors for us, and I'm just trying to figure out how to give back, because everybody's been giving to us," says Creal. "You can trust me on this: it's not like Chicago where everybody's out for themselves."
Source: Tommy Creal, Chopper College
Writer:
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
A Minneapolis health-care startup is hiring as its service graduates out of beta.
Bloom Health aims to simplify the process of picking out health insurance for both employers and their employees. Instead of choosing a few health plans to offer their workers, employers deposit their contribution to a pre-tax Bloom account, which employees can apply to any plan they choose.
CEO Abir Sen says their service is like a Charles-Schwab-meets-eHarmony for health insurance. Bloom acts as a broker and matchmaker. Employees take a survey that measures their health, finances, and appetite for risk and then recommends health plans based on those factors.
The company launched last September and hoped to have one customer by this fall, says Sen. Instead, it announced late last month that five Twin Cities companies are now using its service. Meanwhile, the company is hiring. It has 19 FTEs today and expect about 25 by the end of the year.
"We found the market to be very ready," says Sen.
Sen compares the shift that's underway in health insurance to what happened with retirement saving in the 1980s. Companies were under stress from rising pension liabilities, so they transitioned to 401(k) plans, contributing funds but letting employees invest them as they wished.
Today, says Sen, we're seeing a similar climate around health care with rising costs, recession and regulatory changes.
Source: Abir Sen, Bloom Health
Writer:
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
An interactive marketing agency that counts Hulk and Spider Man as clients has developed a superpower of its own: growing in a downturn.
Antidote X, based in Minneapolis, has been working on interactive campaigns for some major entertainment companies, including comic book giant Marvel. The company recently hired six new employees, more than doubling its size since the start of the year from five people to an 11-person team today.
The company has been around for more than a decade, formed in 1998 by a pair of former developers from Campbell Mithun and Carmichael Lynch. It specializes in designing and developing integrated multi-platform strategies-- campaigns that look and feel the same whether a person is accessing them through a mobile app, their Facebook page, or a micro-website.
"The experience is only different in regards to the platform that it's being delivered on," says co-founder Paul Nealy.
Other clients include DreamWorks, video-game publisher THQ, and bath and kitchen product manufacturer American Standard, whose Antidote X-designed website was recently reviewed as one of the best corporate-designed websites.
While some companies have cut their marketing budgets in recent years, Nealy says in general they're observing an increase in spending on online and interactive--a good thing for a city that's a hub of interactive marketing.
Source: Paul Nealy, Antidote X
Writer:
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A nice thing about taking the skyways: you can walk around with your phone in front of your face and not worry about getting hit by a car.
A pair of local developers have created a free iPhone app to help people navigate and explore the Minneapolis skyway system.
The Minneapolis Skyway app, by Frypan Digital, includes a map and business directory that lets users search for stores, see reviews and save favorites.
Co-creator Casey Holley says the app has been downloaded more than 3,000 times since it was posted in the App Store a few months ago. They're hoping downloads will pick up some when winter arrives and more people are using the skyways to avoid the elements.
"We've had a real steady number of downloads," says Holley. "I think it's just iPhone users saying man, this is confusing, there has to be an app for that."
One of the biggest challenge so far has been keeping information up to date. With around 400 different retail spaces, there's a fairly regular turnover among tenants. They're relying largely on the crowd to keep track of changes, which has worked well so far.
Holley says they've had lots of requests for an Android edition. That's in the long-range plan, but for now their focus is increasing use of the iPhone app and then building out services for skyway business owners to advertise and promote specials.
Source: Casey Holley, Frypan Digital
Writer:
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Minnesota's breakthrough ideas this year include a battery for storing solar power, a device to help doctors communicate across language barriers, and a service for managing online movie and music ratings.
Minnesota Cup organizers last week announced division finalists for this year's sixth annual statewide entrepreneur contest. (We've pasted the complete list below.)
"Some of these ideas, you can tell they are thinking really big, and that's obviously what we want to see," says Matt Hilker, director of the Minnesota Cup.
Next, the finalists will make 12-minute oral presentations to the judges on Aug. 31 before division winners are named. The grand prize winner will then be announced Sept. 13 at McNamara Alumni Center.
One finalist in each division will receive $20,000 in seed capital. The grand prize winner will be awarded an additional $20,000. The student division winner receives a $5,000 prize.
The division finalists are:
High Tech Division
Curation Station--provides a multifaceted tool for gathering, curating and sharing content of nearly any media type on the web.
GeaCom--developing a multilingual medical communication system.
Open Preferences--provides a service that allows users to manage and control their ratings and preferences across many different media (e.g., music, movies, TV) and services (e.g., Netflix, TiVo, Yahoo, Last.FM, Pandora).
BioSciences Division
BioMatRx--provides tissue engineering products, equipment and information to the dental industry.
MRI Robotics--designs and tests medical equipment for use inside an MRI scanner.
NirvaMed--developing an organ-specific therapy-delivery technology platform for various clinical applications.
Clean Tech & Renewable Energy Division
EarthClean--commercializing an environmentally safe liquid that is exponentially more effective than water, Class-A Foams, and toxic retardants at stopping fires.
Silent Power--manufactures and markets easy-to-install, highly reliable, power inverters for the renewable energy and backup power markets.
Visiam--provider of processing technology that reduces the volume of municipal solid waste, dramatically increasing recycling rates and decreasing transportation costs.
General Division
Fresh EcoHarvest--developing a revolutionary greenhouse technology that allows growers to produce abundant, healthy food locally and in any climate with minimal environmental impact.
Fruchi--provides a line of nutritious, real fruit frozen smoothies.
Go Home Gorgeous--provides postpartum recovery treatments that have proven effective in decreasing the physical and emotional stress commonly associated with childbirth.
Student Division
Blue Water Ponds--provides environmentally-friendly services for restoring ponds through the use of barley straw and pond weed harvesting in an effort to control aquatic plants in the long term.
OncomiR--developing a data repository of microRNA expression profiles; this information is critical to the development of drugs for cancer treatment.
Power Trowel Solution Applicator--developing a device that allows a power trowel operator rather than a bystander to apply a chemical solution that slows the rate at which concrete dries.
Source: Matt Hilker, Minnesota Cup
Writer:
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A Minneapolis cleantech startup is loosening the nozzle after raising at least $765,000 from investors to roll out its non-toxic, biodegradable firefighting gel.
EarthClean recently disclosed that it was about a quarter of the way through a $3 million round of equity financing. The company's product, TetraKO, is a low-cost, environmentally safer alternative to conventional firefighting foams.
"We've had a couple of fire chiefs tell us that they understand it performs better, but quite frankly if it was just as good as foam they'd buy it because of the environmental aspects," says EarthClean CEO Doug Ruth.
TetraKO is a patented dry-mix product that, when mixed with water, forms a non-toxic gel that sticks to surfaces and suppresses flames. It was developed over the past decade by a Woodbury volunteer firefighter and a trio of former 3M and H.B. Fuller chemists and engineers.
Ruth acquired their patents and founded EarthClean a couple of years ago. The company is getting ready to manufacture its first 10,000 pounds of the product in the next two weeks and will have it available for commercial sale within four weeks.
It's hitting the market at a time when there's growing concern about the pollution left behind by chemical-based foams and gels. Minnesota health officials last year were investigating potential drinking water contamination in 15 cities. And a federal judge in Montana ruled last month the U.S. Forest Service is breaking the law when it uses harmful chemical retardants on wildfires because they can hurt fish and wildlife.
EarthClean's product is certified as non-toxic and biodegradable and offers a safer alternative, says Ruth. "It's a game-changing technology that really could change the way the world fights fires."
(Also: EarthClean is a division finalist in the 2010 Minnesota Cup competition.
See our update here.)
Source: Doug Ruth, EarthClean Corp.
Writer:
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A former Medtronic manager has found a second career giving greeting cards a second life.
Last fall Christy Eichers started selling kits to help consumers reuse old greeting cards. Regreet kits come with fresh envelopes and recycled-paper labels to affix over the original signatures.
They also come with tracking labels that let users go online and see how many times the cards have been reused and where they wind up (as with the Where's George? dollar bill tracker.)
Eichers describes the inspiration as "a bit of necessity and a bit of red wine."
She was back home visiting family and friends in Mankato two winters ago when the idea struck. She couldn't motivate herself to go out into the cold to buy a birthday card for a friend, so her her mother suggested reusing one of the cards her father had just received for his birthday.
Her first thought: Where's the White Out? But later she started to wonder whether her crafty solution might contain a business idea. She took that thought to a WomenVenture class, developed a business plan, and started her company in October 2009.
Along the way she decided to take a voluntary severance package from her former employer, Medtronic, where she worked as part of the community affairs team. "A little bit of craziness," she says," but sometimes you just have to take the leap."
Regreet's card reuse kits are now for sale online and in 14 retail stores in seven states. And cards with the labels affixed have logged more than 138,000 miles around the globe.
Eichers doesn't have any employees, but she has a regular circle of consultants and creative professionals who work on contract, and she recently started signing up sales reps, too. Much of her energy is going toward building awareness and educating consumers about the product.
The $11.99 kits come with supplies to repurpose eight greeting cards, which works out to about $1.50 per card. In September, $2 from every purchase will support breast cancer research and awareness through the the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.
Source: Christy Eichers, Regreet
Writer:
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A local software firm is attracting global customers for its cloud-computing services.
Minneapolis-based enStratus helps companies manage their cloud-computing activities. Cloud computing is a term for using data or applications that are stored online rather than on a desktop computer's hard drive.
"In 2010, what we've done is managed to become a global business," says George Reese, the company's founder and chief technology officer. And he has numbers to back it up.
As of mid-August, 80 percent of the company's new customers this year have been from outside of the United States. A year ago, enStratus didn't have any non-domestic customers.
The company handles everything from accounting to security for companies that buy cloud-computing resources from companies like Amazon, Google or Rackspace.
Its uptick in global customers coincides with the introduction of multi-currency financial support; enStratus' product can convert and track a company's spending whether it's in dollars, euros, or another unit.
With its new global customer base, enStratus announced this week that it's adding a couple of internationally known cloud-computing experts to its board of advisors:
James Urquhart is a senior market strategist for cloud computing at Cisco and author of a respected CNET blog, The Wisdom of Clouds. He's also a Macalester grad and former Twin Cities resident.
Simon Wardley is a researcher for CSC's Leading Edge Forum and an international speaker on the commoditizing of IT, utility computing, fabrication technologies, and the open-source movement.
Source: George Reese, enStratus
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Americans spend more time on Facebook than any other website. A Minneapolis social commerce company is giving users one less reason to sign off.
Alvenda announced the rollout last week of an e-commerce Facebook tab for Delta Air Lines. The service is the first of its kind for the travel industry and allows Facebook users to search, book, and buy flight tickets without ever leaving the site.
The idea behind Alvenda's technology is to embed their clients' stores on the websites where their customers are already spending time. It also allows retailers to embed stores within advertisement boxes and as a widget on publishers' sites.
Alvendra was founded in 2008 and was the winner of the 2009 Minnesota Cup competition. Its team consists of about 20 people, and it continues to grow, according to product strategist Erik Eliason. Large companies are very interested in social media, he says, and Alvenda's tools give them a way to monetize and prove the ROI of a network like Facebook.
Other services allow companies to add shopping tabs to Facebook pages, he says, but most of them redirect customers to other sites where the transactions are completed. In e-commerce, retailers generally lose customers at every click they require. "You want the search and the transaction to be as frictionless as possible for the consumer," says Eliason.
Alvenda opened the first retail store inside Facebook last summer for 1-800-Flowers.
Source: Erik Eliason, Alvenda
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
A University of Minnesota architecture grad student has designed a unique elementary school and clinic, and now he's part of a team that's raising money to build it in an Ethiopian village.
The project started when Andrew Blaisdell was connected through the College of Design with Wosen Kifle, a Minneapolis resident and Ethiopia native who was looking for help designing a facility for his family's land near Addis Ababa.
Blaisdell made the school project the centerpiece of his thesis, focusing specifically how a school could be designed to reflect changing technology and encourage learning through curiosity. His paper revolves around the theory that computers are going to make all information accessible to everyone within a couple of decades, and how that will change the role of a teacher.
The initial expectation was for a very modern, very Western-style building, but, says Blaisdell, "As you can see from the renderings I've put on the website, it's anything but western."
The open structure is made from compressed earth block, a labor-intensive but low-cost material that is widely available in the area. One of the centerpieces of the design is a wall of television-shaped cubby holes, where Blaisdell imagines students could place interesting things they discover to share with their peers.
Kifle has set up a nonprofit, and he and Blaisdell are trying to make the school a reality by raising $470,000 through its website, http://www.furischool.org.
Source: Andrew Blaisdell
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
A local company's creative outsourcing model is helping put laid-off technicians back to work.
Field Solutions recently announced the completion of its first round of outside fundraising, a $1.5 million investment led by StarTec Investments, whose president, Joy Lindsay, will join Field Solutions' board of directors.
Marty Reader, the company's executive vice president for sales and marketing, says the infusion will allow the company to stay on the aggressive growth track it's been on since it was founded in 2007.
Field Solutions connects large companies with independent field technicians wherever they're needed in North America. The company screens technicians for skills and performance, matches them to the jobs, and handles all the administrative tasks, like pay and taxes.
They're typically small jobs. The average assignment is for less than two hours. A work order, for example, might involve hiring numerous temp technicians to swap out cash registers at several thousand fast food restaurants. Reader says that Field Solutions can save companies 30 percent to 70 percent of what full-time employees would cost.
The company's business has tripled over the past three years, says Reader. It has more than 25 employees at its headquarters in St. Louis Park, but it works with 22,000 independent field technicians.
"This is the working unemployed," says Reader. Scores of skilled people have been laid off during the recession, and many of them, especially older workers, may never find permanent work again. Field Solutions gives them a chance to string together regular work, he says.
Some make over $80,000 a year, and quite a few make over $40,000 a year, according to Reader.
Source: Marty Reader, Field Solutions
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
A Minneapolis marketing and branding firm is growing into its arty new digs in the Lyn-Lake neighborhood.
Zeus Jones is a few months into its fourth year, and it appears to be its best on a record so far, according to founding partner Adrian Ho. It's grown in the past few years from four partners to about 20 employees, and it's still hiring.
Zeus Jones was founded in March 2007 around the idea that actions speak louder than words. Traditional advertising was, and still is, becoming less and less effective, the four co-founders thought, and there had to be a better way.
"Our whole thing was like, look, let's stop annoying customers and take some of that money and start doing things that actually enhance the product or experience," says Ho. "If you do that, people will do a lot of the talking for you." An example: a recent Zeus Jones project for Nordstroms involved putting photo booths next to the junior department dressing rooms so teen girls could share photos with friends or parents before deciding whether to buy.
Over the past few years the firm has outgrown its 1,100-square-foot Uptown space, and so when its lease ran out it made the move to more spacious digs in the Soo Visual Arts Center building near 27th and Lyndale. The gallery's director, Suzy Greenberg, had been looking for a tenant to help share costs, and "it seemed like a great match," says Ho. " She wanted a creative company and we like the idea of helping to support the arts through our rent."
The reasons for the company's growth, says Ho, likely have to do with the fact that businesses know they're getting less and less for their money via traditional advertising, and that Zeus Jones' small size and flexibility make it easy for companies to experiment. The company's clients include General Mills, Nestle Purina, and Haagen-Dazs.
Source: Adrian Ho, Zeus Jones
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Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Adholics have taken a step toward proving their business model.
The freelance advertising collaborative last week signed up its first client, a local web startup company, which they don't plan to name for at least a couple more months.
The Adholics is the brainchild of Josh Fedie, a new business and account manager for various small and mid-sized agencies over the past decade.
The advertising industry is increasingly relying on freelancers. What's bothered Fedie in recent years is the lack of transparency around that trend. Clients are paying top dollar for an agency's work and often don't realize the work is being farmed out to the least expensive freelancers on the market, he says.
"That's not what's being sold to the client," Fedie says.
About six months ago, Fedie started scouting for freelance professionals to join a virtual agency. The result is a 17-member, full-service advertising and marketing shop. Its members' expertise covers most of the major disciplines, from web and graphic design to copywriting and social media strategy.
What separates The Adholics from other collaboratives, Fedie says, is its transparency. All of its partners are listed on its website. It has a photography studio and one partner has donated office space, but the model eliminates most of the overhead associated with running a conventional agency.
Fedie believes the model will allow The Adholics to compete with any agency in town. He says the goal is to win business that would be out of reach for a solo freelancer:
"That's the number-one goal: to go after dream accounts," says Fedie. "We want to work for enthusiast brands. We want to go after those accounts that all of us have always wanted to work for and it's been hard to get to on our own, but I think with a group like this it's definitely in reach, and definitely within our capabilities."
Source: Josh Fedie, The Adholics
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Wednesday, August 11, 2010
"Little" might be in the company's name, but a Twin Cities design shop is thinking big with its web video series.
Little & Company, a strategic design firm that employs about 40 people in downtown Minneapolis, is preparing another batch of videos for its Thirty Conversations on Design project, and they feature some high-profile names, says creative director Joe Cecere.
The series started last year as a celebration of the agency's 30th anniversary. It reached out to 30 creative professionals around the world and asked them to answer, via video, two questions: "What single example of design inspires you most?" and "What problem should design solve next?"
The results were posted on a website where designers, authors, architects, marketers and others could go to find inspiration, as well as participate in a conversation around the videos. In the spirit of TED talks, Little & Company now plans to build on the archive, adding more videos each year.
Little & Company cast a wider net with this year's interviews. Cecere says they wanted to expand beyond graphic design and marketing and include creative fields such as architecture, fashion, and filmmaking. The selection process was the same as last year.
"We get a group of us here. We get together in a room and we put our dream list together," says Cecere.
They draw ideas from pop culture, magazines, and design annuals. Cecere then starts reaching out to people on the list, and if they agree, they box up a digital video camera with instructions and drop it in the mail. This year's confirmed participants include design editor Allan Chochinov, author Daniel Pink, and skateboard entrepreneur Tony Hawk.
"The nice thing about the questions is they're universal enough and they're kind of timeless," says Cecere. "What's going to be interesting every year is to have a new perspective based on what's happening in the world and how those answers change."
Cecere says this year's website, which is scheduled to launch next month, will be more robust, with better tools for interacting with other viewers and sorting and searching the videos. The company is also considering staging a speaking event or series involving some of the participants.
Source: Joe Cecere, Little & Company
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Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A St. Paul med-tech startup has secured a $1 million bridge loan to keep it going until it can finish its next round of fundraising.
NxThera is developing a minimally invasive ablation procedure for treating enlarged prostate and prostate cancer. Unlike existing ablation treatments, NxThera's device uses vapor rather than radio-frequency or microwave energy.
"The best way to describe it is that we're using vapor to kill tissue," says Bob Paulson, a former Medtronic executive who now NxThera's chief executive.
Paulson says the procedure takes less than two minutes, compared to the 30 minutes or more needed for ablation treatments using radio frequency or microwaves instead of vapor.
"As it phase-shifts from vapor to liquid, it releases stored thermal energy and kills the tissue, but kind of does it gently," says Paulson. It's faster and less painful, and leads to fewer complications, he says.
The company is still proving out those results. It started its first human patient study earlier this year in Chile, and the results have been "extremely favorable" so far, according to Paulson.
NxThera was founded in March 2008 by Michael Hoey, a former physiology professor at the University of Minnesota, along with patent attorney John Shadduck.
The company is currently finalizing its product design and working on completing its next round of fundraising, which will pay for a full-scale U.S. clinical study.
"As you may have heard, it's kind of a tough market to raise money these days," says Paulson. "We haven't slowed down any of our development. It's taking longer to get the dollars to finalize the financing, but we'll get there."
Source: Bob Paulson, NxThera
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Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A Fridley company's thin, flexible electronic displays could be the next big thing in credit-card fraud prevention.
Aveso recently secured a $1.04 million investment that will finance the company through the end of the year. By then, it's hoping some of the world's largest credit card companies will have signed on as customers of its credit-card product, Primero.
The product is a printed, blue-and-yellow electronic display that can be affixed to the front of a card. Aveso sees a big potential market for one-time passwords, which unlike regular credit card security codes could continually change.
"This is the next level of security authentication, by having the display on the card," says Nick Wood, Aveso's chairman of the board.
Aveso was spun out of Dow Chemical in Midland, Mich., in 2004. Its founder decided to set up the company in Fridley.
Earlier versions of the display couldn't withstand the heat and stress that credit cards are subjected to, but Aveso has figured out how to make the technology more durable.
Most credit-card fraud occurs when the card is not present, says Wood. The credit-card industry has already started using one-time passwords, but they're currently displayed on a separate keychain device.
Wood says he believes Aveso's product is going to be a disruptive technology. Two of the world's largest credit-card companies are evaluating the technology, and the product now meets the industry's quality standards, says Wood.
The company expects to ship between 50,000 and 100,000 units this year, mostly trials, he says, and probably 3 million next year. It is projecting that it will be profitable in 2012.
Source: Nick Wood, Aveso
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Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Minneapolis Biomass Exchange had added a pair of new directors to its board, giving it new expertise in the areas of cleantech and finance.
Doug Cameron is founder of Alberti Advisors and previously worked for Piper Jaffray, Cargill, and Silicon Valley cleantech venture firm Khosla Ventures.
Rajesh Aggarwal is a professor of financial markets and institutions at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.
The Minneapolis Biomass Exchange is a web application where buyers and sellers of biomass fuel can post for-sale and want ads for fuel crops. Biomass is a term for plant-based materials such as wood chips or corn stover that can be burned as a fuel. (For more on the Minneapolis Biomass Exchange and its business model,
see our previous article on the company here.)
Cameron says he's been interested in biomass for most of his career, specifically with its logistics and how we can use more of it in a smarter way.
"The Minneapolis Biomass Exchange was interesting from that standpoint, but also I was just very impressed with the people behind it," says Cameron. "It was a pretty easy decision for me when they asked me if I would be interested in a board seat."
In his new role with Alberti Advisors, Cameron plans to spend about a third of his time working with "small, exciting, interesting, emerging companies," another third working with financial organizations like venture funds and capital firms, and another third working with larger corporations that also have an interest in cleantech.
Founder/CEO Kevin Triemstra said Cameron and Aggarwal provide knowledge and experience that will help the company reach its goals.
Source: Doug Cameron, Alberti Advisors
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Wednesday, August 04, 2010
OrthoCor Medical kicked off sales last month for its first device: a knee wrap that uses heat and electromagnetic pulses to alleviate pain and swelling.
The product, called the OrthoCor Active Knee System, sells for about $200 and runs on a rechargeable battery and disposable, single-use heat "pods."
The Twin Cities company has been gearing up for sales since December, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the device for sale. In February, OrthoCor disclosed plans to raise $1 million from investors to grow its sales and marketing force. CEO John Dinusson said in an interview last week that fundraising has since exceeded $1.5 million.
(OrthoCor was the first business certified under Minnesota's new angel investor tax credit program.)
While investors appear to be enthusiastic, insurers remain skeptical. Clinical data about the product's effectiveness is limited, which will hinder any efforts to win reimbursement from insurers. Instead, the company is counting on chiropractors to be the primary distribution channel for the device.
"We know that we have a huge patient population," says Dinusson. An estimated 26 million people in the United States suffer from knee pain, and many become less active instead of seeking treatments, says Dinusson. He hopes their product can change that trend.
OrthoCor has five employees, including inventor Kin-Joe Sham. The devices are manufactured at Sham's father's company in China, and Dinusson has been contracting independent sales reps. Several other products are in the pipeline, including devices for relieving wrist, ankle, elbow, and lower back pain.
Source: John Dinusson, OrthoCor Medical
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Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Call it organic growth. A south Minneapolis design shop is finding success in a downturn by focusing on food co-ops and other "mission-oriented" clients.
In fact, the past few years have been the best on record for Spunk Design Machine, a 14-year-old creative boutique in the Nokomis neighborhood.
Founder Jeff Johnson says the shop's work is up at least 30 percent from a year ago, and much of it is in a niche he's coined "mission-oriented branding."
"I feel incredibly excited and bullish about this trend," says Johnson. "All of the clients that are doing mission-oriented branding seem to be succeeding."
They're organizations like the Seward Co-op, Peace Coffee and Galactic Pizza, which, like Spunk, pay attention to a triple bottom line that looks at financial, environmental and community factors. From Johnson's vantage point, it seems that companies selling good products with a clear message are "rocking it" despite, or perhaps because of, the recession.
"We've been just really fortunate that we've been attracting a lot of those clients in the past couple of years," says Johnson. Its current roster includes about 30 clients.
Among the projects he's most proud of: a compostable pizza box he designed with Galactic Pizza. Standard pizza boxes can't be recycled because of the grease content. The solution they came up with was to collect and compost the used boxes. The entire box is a $1-off coupon. After they're turned in, they're composted in a bin behind the store, and then the finished compost is sold for roadside planting projects.
Spunk Design Machine opened a New York office a couple of years ago, but Minneapolis remains its home base. Johnson says he's yet to come across a better town to build a creative business: "Minneapolis is just filled with a lot of dorky, humble, very smart people who make amazing stuff."
Source: Jeff Johnson, Spunk Design Machine
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Wednesday, August 04, 2010
A local cleantech startup announced last week that it's signed a patent licensing agreement with the University of Minnesota.
NewWater was co-founded last year by two recent College of Science and Engineering graduates, Joe Mullenbach and Alex Johansson. The licensing deal allows the company to move forward with its efforts to develop and commercialize an atrazine filter for drinking water that's based on university research.
"Having exclusive access to this intellectual property allows us to openly discuss our plans with potential development partners," says Mullenbach.
We wrote about NewWater earlier this summer after it was selected as a semifinalist in both the Minnesota Cup and Cleantech Open contests.
The University of Minnesota said in a press release that NewWater is the tenth startup spun off from its technology in the past 18 months. As part of the deal the school holds an equity stake in the company.
The technology is based on enzymes developed by University of Minnesota biochemist Lawrence Wackett and microbiologist Michael Sadowsky. The enzymes initiate a bacterial process that decomposes atrazine into harmless by-products, according to the announcement.
Atrazine is among the most widely used herbicides on the planet. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is re-evaluating atrazine in light of recent studies that have linked low levels of the chemical in drinking water to birth defects, low birth weights, and menstrual problems.
Mullenbach says NewWater's filter will be able to help municipalities save money and meet more stringent drinking water standards than is possible with the activated carbon filters currently used.
Source: Joe Mullenbach, NewWater
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Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Mono, a fast-growing Minneapolis advertising and branding agency, has entered into an agency-of-record relationship with cable news network MSNBC.
According to an NBC Universal press release, mono "will be MSNBC's creative and strategic partner for marketing campaign development and advertising efforts."
"Mono has a strong track record of success and we're thrilled to have them as our strategic and creative partner." Sharon Otterman, Chief Marketing Officer of MSNBC, said in the announcement.
Mono's managing partner, James Scott, said that his firm is "thrilled" to help MSNBC continue to build momentum in the competitive news space, but neither company is saying much else about the deal.
It could be that they're just plain too busy. Mono is one of the fastest growing agencies in the country, adding more than 20 employees in the last 12 months. It expects to add at least 12 more in the coming months. A spokesman says new business is up 65 percent year-to-date compared to 2009, with new clients including Parsons The New School for Design, HGTV, Johnson & Johnson's Rolaids brand, and MSNBC.
Mono was
recently named one of the best small agencies in the country by Advertising Age magazine.
The company has a track record in television, too. Mono's very first client was Sesame Street, and it also was behind USA Networks' "Characters Welcome" campaign.
Source: Jim Scott, Mono
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Wednesday, August 04, 2010
A biofuels company spun off from the University of Minnesota disclosed last week that it's raised more than $357,000 in investment capital.
BioCee, which was founded in 2007, is working on a method for creating liquid hydrocarbon fuel from bacteria, water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide.
The company also disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it is seeking to raise another $500,000 in the next year.
Co-founder Luca Zullo said it's the company's policy not to comment on fundraising and financial matters.
The company previously received a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as a $150,000 small business research grant from the National Science Foundation.
BioCee is also a semifinalist in this year's inaugural Cleantech Open North Central competition, which covers a seven-state region.
Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
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A local mobile marketing startup bubbled up to the semifinals this month in a contest-like request by PepsiCo for promising new media communications technology tools.
MixMobi ended up losing its fizz as the field was narrowed from 40 to 20 companies, but founder Lisa Foote says their platform is gaining traction at home and elsewhere.
MixMobi has developed a light, versatile platform that lets retailers, restaurants, and other businesses create and send simple offers and promotions to customers' cell phones.
Unlike other mobile marketing platforms, MixMobi's promotions work on any phone with a web browser. They're delivered via tweets, short links, or, most recently, QR bar codes.
The company's technology is being used to run the QR code promotions in the July and August issues of
Minneapolis/St. Paul magazine. It's also the engine that powers the location-based advertising on the DriveAlternatives app,
which we wrote about earlier this month.
"We're the engine that helps them, but we're very happy being in the background," says Foote.
Foote says it seems like the company is getting more traction. The interest in mobile coupons and promotions is on the rise. MixMobi solves a lot of problems for agencies, which are getting more and more requests to push promotions on multiple different mobile platforms.
Foote started the company in 2008 with her husband, Brad Roberts, and chief technology officer Kelly Heikkila. The company launched publicly in February and has already earned positive reviews from blogs and analysts, including Mashable.com and Juniper Research.
The next step for MixMobi may be augmented reality, the new technology that layers visuals, directional signals, and other information onto digital images of the real world. The company was in talks with a major augmented reality developer about laying MixMobi offers into its augmented reality worlds.
Source: Lisa Foote, MixMobi
Writer: Dan Haugen
A local catalog and e-commece veteran is signing up some big-name users for his new company's social commerce platform.
Jeffery Giesener is the founder/CEO of ShoppeSimple, a web app that lets retailers broadcast deals to customers via e-mail, web sites, and social media.
ShoppeSimple recently added PBS, Rite Aid, and four other clients to be announced in August. Merchants pay a commission for each sale generated by the platform. Consumers can sign up for free and anonymously to receive the deal alerts via RSS, Twitter, Facebook, Google or Yahoo homepages, or other channels.
The ability for consumers to sign up for alerts without handing over personal information is an important part of ShoppeSimple's design. As an employee at DoubleClick during the early 2000s, Giesener saw first-hand how not being careful about protecting consumer's privacy can lead to complications.
"I kind of said: how would I build a marketing channel, knowing what I know but respecting consumer privacy and delivering something that was never in place before?" says Giesener.
Since consumers choose what alerts they want to receive, and how and where they want to receive them, retailers are able to reach an audience that is already interested in their products.
ShoppeSimple has 10 employees. In addition to rolling out pages for new clients, the company is also working on raising capital to support its growth. It also plans to advertise to consumers in 2011.
Source: Jeffery Giesener, ShoppeSimple
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A gene database developed at the University of Minnesota could help reduce the time and cost involved with vetting new cancer drugs.
The school is in the process of copyrighting the database, known as OncomiR, and has plans to license it to pharmaceutical companies and other researchers.
"Our final goal is to make this database the one-stop shop for any information related to this gene," says Rasik Phalak, 24, who created the database while earning a computer science masters degree.
OncomiR and Phalak are also semifinalists in the student division of this year's Minnesota Cup entrepreneurship contest.
As a graduate student, Phalak helped Dr. Subbaya Subramanian, a med school researcher, organize his data related to microRNA. MicroRNA is a gene type scientists think may contain clues about the causes of cancer growth.
OncomiR organizes all of Subramanian's data into a single database. Phalak also developed a web application that allows drug researchers to search via a web browser.
"With this, they'll get a good starting point, which will help to eventually reduce the time and the cost involved in the entire process," says Phalak, who plans to continue to populate and update the database.
Source: Rasik Phalak, OncomiR
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One week after launching the state's new angel investor tax credit program, state officials had received 20 applications for certification as of Monday.
All businesses, investors, and angel funds must be certified before applying for a tax credit allocation. Officials have already received one application for credit allocation.
The statute says state officials can only release the names of businesses and investors that have been certified.
Six entities had been certified through Monday. They include:
--OrthoCor Medical, Inc., a company that makes a device for treating knee pain
--Investors Donald Schreifels, Sheri Aggarwal, and Charles Floyd
--and the Twin Cities Angel II, LLC, fund
Spokeswoman Kirsten Morell said more applications are coming in every day.
Source: Kirsten Morell, Department of Employment and Economic Development
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A revolving investment fund at the University of St. Thomas helped five promising Minnesota technology companies get through a tough year.
The William C. Norris Institute at St. Thomas' Opus College of Business invested $280,000 during its 2010 fiscal year, which ended June 30. That included an investment in an undisclosed cleantech startup that's still in stealth mode, as well as follow-up investments in four companies that were already in the program's portfolio:
—Apinee, which makes an environmentally friendly wood treatment
—Dejen Digital, a web portal that aims to streamline music and dance tryouts
—Seeonic, which makes an RFID-equipped retail display to help track inventory
—and Xollai, which is developing a system for landing unmanned aircraft
Norris Institute Director Mike Moore said it was a difficult year for everyone.
"It was just survival. If a company matched its sales from the year before, or just lost a little bit, that was more than could be expected," Moore said.
The fund was created by the late Control Data Corp. founder and CEO William Norris in 1988 to support early-stage technology-based companies in Minnesota that address social needs as well as business opportunities. In 2001, the program became part of the St. Thomas business school, where students now help perform due diligence and other tasks related to running the fund.
Moore said this year he hopes to make first-time investments in four or five companies. Entrepreneurs can find guidelines and information about submitting business plans at http://www.stthomas.edu/norrisinstitute
Source: Mike Moore, William C. Norris Institute
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Exos Medical Corp. introduced a high-tech alternative to plaster casts last year that can be re-conformed as injuries swell and subside.
The company hopes its new Arden Hills facility will allow it similar flexibility. And right now, sales are swelling.
CEO Fariborz Boor Boor described sales as "nothing short of phenomenal" for a new medical technology, which often have slow adoption curves. (A recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission listed revenue at less than $1 million.)
Meanwhile, Exos' products have been worn by some high-profile athletes, from NFL quarterbacks to Olympic skier Lindsay Vonn, and also noted on national tech blogs by Fast Company and BoingBoing.
"Actually, part of our growth challenge right now is meeting the demand, so we're taking steps to make sure we have product to sell," Boor Boor said.
Exos moved on April 1 from a 4,000-square-foot space in White Bear Lake to a 12,000-square-foot facility in Arden Hills, tripling its floor space. Meanwhile, it's grown from just five employees at the start of the year to more than 20 today. It expects to be at around 30 employees by the end of the year.
The company's technology is a lightweight foam and polymer product that can be molded and hardened into casts, braces, and splints. Unlike plaster casts, they're breathable, waterproof, and adjustable during the course of healing.
"Beyond that, the comfort level of our products is unprecedented," Boor Boor said. "That really was our focus, making sure we could make a product that was comfortable for the patient and easy for the practitioner to apply."
The cost is "a bit higher" than traditional casts, he said, but the price becomes competitive when you factor in that traditional casts often have to be replaced.
The company was created in Aug. 2007 as a spin-off from Boor Boor's previous endeavor, a med-tech incubator called Enova Medical Technologies.
Source: Fariborz Boor Boor, Exos Corporation
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From indie radio to indie T-shirts: A former Twin Cities radio personality is turning music-inspired clothing into an at-home small business.
Pop Frocks started last fall when Mandy Cox bought a T-shirt press and started making toddler and infant clothing inspired by her favorite rock and soul music legends. The goal was not only cool clothes for her then 1-year-old son, but also building a business that would reconnect her with her former music career.
Cox started out her radio career in the mid-'90s as an intern at the late-great Rev 105, and later took that experience to KFAI, where she hosted an overnight music program. She also worked behind the scenes at 89.3 The Current during the first year of the station's existence.
As she settled down a bit and had a kid, she found herself missing her old music lifestyle. "I really missed that, and thought: what can I do from the house that can bring this element back into my life?"
When the Electric Fetus recently invited her to participate in one of its MinnEconomy events (Pop Frocks is one of this month's featured artists), Cox decided to create a whole new series of shirts all inspired by Minnesota artists.
"It all started off by asking (89.3 The Current DJ) Mary Lucia if I could put her face on a T-shirt," says Cox. Since then she's received enthusiastic OKs from more than a dozen local bands and personalities, from punk pioneers The Suicide Commandos to current buzz-band Communist Daughter.
"I'm totally jazzed about the way it's turned out," says Cox. "It's nice to get that e-mail from [Duluth musician] Alan Sparhawk saying, yes, go ahead! Do it! Send me one for my daughter!"
The limited-edition collection (Cox is limiting each design to between 30 and 50 shirts) is for sale at The Electric Fetus and will soon also be available on the Pop Frocks website.
Source: Mandy Cox, Pop Frocks Apparel
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A local boutique marketing firm is doing well by focusing on good.
Marketing That Matters is a three-year-old company started by Lori Schaefer, who has a background in corporate communications, public affairs, and progressive politics.
The emphasis is on clients Schaefer believes are making a difference in the world, including nonprofits, public sector agencies. and social entrepreneurs.
"I really wanted to see if you could take what works from the for-profit marketing world and brand/strategy world and bring some of that expertise to the nonprofit sector," says Schaefer.
The recent growth in her client list suggests you can.
Schaefer has done work for major foundations, as well as the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative (a sponsor of The Line). After working on her own or with a small group of independent contractors for the past few years, she's now preparing to hire her first one or two formal employees.
"One of the best pieces of advice I've received," she says, "is you can't be afraid to take the leap when you see the growth starting to happen."
Schaefer credits the growth to her team's hard work, as well as the company's clearly focused niche, which seems to be timely. More for-profits appear to be recognizing the importance of social responsibility and their role in the community , she says. Meanwhile, President Obama's campaign seems to have started to change the way nonprofits and public agencies think about branding and marketing issues.
Source: Lori Schaefer, Marketing That Matters
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Bringing a new medical device to market is a complicated, highly regulated process, one that requires documentation at every turn.
Kristin Mortenson doesn't believe there's been a simple solution for most medical device companies to keep track of it all, until now.
Mortenson is co-founder of Acera Innovation, maker of a software-as-a-service application built specifically to help medical device companies manage workflow and collaboration around product development, regulatory compliance, and quality management.
"Our goal to lower their time, risk, and cost to bring their product to market," says Mortenson.
Most medical device companies are like the ones Mortenson has worked with the past 20 years: fewer than 100 employees and too small to be able to afford large enterprise software customized to their needs.
As a consultant, she looked for software that would help clients stay organized but couldn't find any good solutions. As a result, regulatory compliance became a time-consuming headache for many firms.
About a year and a half ago she met with a couple of software entrepreneurs, Myke Miller and Steve Swartz, and they formed Acera Innovation. The company signed up its first paying user about a year ago. It's in a "limited-release" mode right now with about a dozen customers, mostly in the Twin Cities.
Because it's a cloud-based service, companies don't need any specialized staff or hardware to run the program, just a computer with Internet access. This frees up companies to concentrate on the task at hand:
"Placing the energy and the time and the creativity on the device."
Acera Innovation is currently raising money and also preparing to release an updated version of the software in the fall.
Source: Kristin Mortenson, Acera Innovation
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A Minneapolis video game developer scored second place last week in a Boing Boing Arcade contest for a game called Infiltration at Dusk.
Creating video games is actually a hobby of Zachary Johnson, whose day job is working as a user experience developer at Worrell, Inc.
The Boing Boing contest asked developers to build a game inspired by a piece of chip music, the chimey tunes used in old-school video games.
Johnson guesses he's made about a dozen video games since the mid-90s. This one took about 30 hours to create and incorporates unique controls. No memorizing buttons. Just mash your keyboard in the direction you want to shoot.
The premise: you're the last gunman protecting a village from a "horde of biomechanical abominations" trying to rid Earth of all humans.
Sound pretty dark? Well, things are looking brighter for indie video game makers.
"The indie game market is big right now," says Johnson. The cost and accessibility of computing power have given hobbyists tools that professionals could have only dreamed about two decades ago.
Meanwhile, indie video game developers have open markets to sell and distribute their creations via mobile devices or web browsers. That said, Johnson has no plans for quitting his day job.
"It's still a hobby for me. For me, it would be more exciting if I made a game that resonated with thousands of people," says Johnson. "It might earn me enough money that I could pour into another game."
Source: Zach Johnson
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A Burnsville startup is making progress vetting its promising but still unproven diabetes treatment.
Exsulin CEO Lisa Jansa says the company's Phase II clinical trial at the Mayo Clinic and Canada's McGill University is now more than 50 percent enrolled and on track to be completed by the end of the year.
"The good news is we're very close to having data," says Jansa, one of more than two dozen scheduled speakers at a diabetes innovation summit Wednesday at Park Nicollet's International Diabetes Center.
The company's product, a drug called ExsulinTM, aims to help the body regenerate insulin-producing cells within the pancreas. If it proves successful, it could reverse the effects of diabetes in Type 1 and Type 2 patients and reduce the use of injected insulin.
Jansa says there's reason for optimism based on previous animal and clinical studies. If the current 27-patient trial suggests the drug is safe and effective, then larger studies will follow. If those are also successful and the drug is approved by regulators, it could be for sale within five years.
Exsulin TM's progress is being tracked closely by the diabetes industry because it's the only treatment of its kind at this stage of development, Jansa said. If it makes it all the way to pharmacy shelves, the product would likely find a massive potential market. Diabetes affects 24 million Americans. In Minnesota alone, 15,000 people are diagnosed each year.
The Twin Cities could play a key role in developing treatments for those patients. The region has strong research expertise at the Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota, and International Diabetes Center, says Jansa, as well as emerging companies like Exsulin that could help diversify the area's reputation beyond medical devices. She hopes Wednesday's event will give a glimpse of that future.
"I'm hoping it'll be the first of what we'll see as some real momentum in the region."
Source: Lisa Jansa, Exsulin Corporation
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Drivers looking to kick their gasoline habits can now get directions on their iPhones.
A new iPhone app by Minneapolis-based DriveAlternatives lets users search for and get directions to the nearest alternative fuel stations and carshares anywhere in the country.
The startup claims to have built the nation's largest database of its kind, compiling information from government and industry sources, as well as some 10,000 phone calls to fuel stations. The app's database covers biodiesel, E85 ethanol, hydrogen, compressed natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and electric vehicle charging stations, as well as carshare locations.
CEO Kavi Turnbull started thinking about the problem five years ago while he was working for statewide DFL political campaigns, which tried to fill up on ethanol or biodiesel whenever possible. Turnbull's job included finding these types of fueling stations and relaying the information to staff out on the campaign trail.
It turned out to be a tricky and at times frustrating task. The Department of Energy hosted a searchable database on its website, but at the time much of the information was outdated or incorrect.
"I was just sick of bad data," says Turnbull.
Turnbull went on to earn an MBA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While studying there and interning at a venture capital fund he developed the business plan for DriveAlternatives.
The app is free to download. The company plans to make its money selling advertising and sponsorships to alternative fuel stations. The number of such stations is projected to surge from around 15,000 today to more than 1 million five years from now.
The app will count on crowdsourcing from users and station owners to help keep the database up to date. Turnbull expects the early adopters to include fleet operators, especially government agencies that require employees to use ethanol or other biofuels when available.
Source: Kavi Turnbull, DriveAlternatives
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A south Minneapolis garage this week gave supporters a sneak peek at its new business, and a glimpse of what might be the future of the automobile.
ReGo Electric Conversions will open for business Aug. 19, but it hosted an open house on Monday for partners and curious neighbors to take a look. Its shop is located under the same solar-panel-covered roof as Mulroy's Body Shop, at 3920 Nicollet Ave. S. in the Kingfield neighborhood.
The company will convert gas-electric hybrid vehicles into plug-in hybrids, which contain an extra battery that can be charged off an ordinary electrical outlet.
Co-founder Shayna Berkowitz says a few years ago she was looking for someone to convert her Toyota RAV4 to an all-electric vehicle. When she couldn't find any shops in town that could do the job, she thought there might be an opportunity.
Gas-to-hybrid-or-electric vehicle conversions are an expensive proposition, more than $40,000 per vehicle. The market for them doesn't exist today, but Berkowitz believes it will someday, and that ReGo will be ready when it arrives. Meanwhile, Berkowitz and her business partner, Alex Danovitch, believe there's enough work to keep them busy converting hybrids to plug-in hybrids.
The company has 11 employees. Over the past two years they've developed a process for winterizing and installing existing battery technology into gas-electric hybrid vehicles. The extra battery allows a hybrid car to travel at higher
speeds and longer distances on battery power alone, which can help save money and reduce emissions. The conversion process takes about 24 hours and costs around $5,000. One of ReGo's first customers is the city of Minneapolis, which is paying to convert one of its Priuses to a plug-in hybrid for Mayor R.T. Rybak.
Berkowitz points to the war in Iraq, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the growing issues of global warming and air pollution as reasons why ReGo couldn't be starting up at better time.
"People have really made a commitment to hybrid vehicles, which have been the best option available for people who want to move toward a more sustainable transportation sector," says Berkowitz. "We're in a place now to be able to offer people a next step with those hybrids."
Source: Shayna Berkowitz, ReGo Electric Conversions
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Minnesota economic development officials expect to be able to launch the state's new angel investor tax credit program sometime next week.
The Department of Employment and Economic Development this week was completing and testing back-office systems for the program, says coordinator Jeff Nelson. If all goes as planned, the department expects to post applications on a new web page the week of July 19, two weeks before the deadline set by the Legislature.
The 25 percent tax credit is designed to incentivize up to $48 million per year in investments in emerging and high-tech startups in the state. The Legislature set aside $11 million for 2010 and $12 million annually for 2011 through 2014.
The money will be awarded through a two-step, first-come-first-served process. First, investors and companies need to be certified to ensure they qualify for the tax credit. Next, the investor may apply for the tax credit allocation.
Among the criteria for companies to qualify: They must be less than 10 years old and have fewer than 25 employees. Their headquarters and more than half their payroll and employees must be in Minnesota, and all employees must make at least $18.55 per hour. Qualifying companies also need to be using or researching proprietary technology in a high-technology field.
Nelson says that based on the volume of questions and requests his office has had, they very well might be swamped in the next few weeks, but it's impossible to say for sure.
"We've had a lot of interest from all parties, but we have no experience in this, so it's kind of hard to tell," says Nelson.
We'll see next week, maybe.
Source: Jeff Nelson, Department of Employment and Economic Development
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A local company that tests software for quality assurance says business is picking up. Could it be a sign the tech economy is preparing for growth?
"Maybe," says Todd Hauschildt, CEO of SWAT Solutions in Plymouth. "We're starting to see a lot of interest in what we do. Quality is getting more and more important as companies are preparing for growth."
SWAT Solutions makes sure software products--everything from iPhone apps to medical devices--work the way they're supposed to before its clients take them to market.
"We make sure it was built and runs as it was designed," says Hauschildt.
Most of its clients are in the Twin Cities, and it's ramping up for what it expects to be a very busy third and fourth quarter. The company had six new job positions posted on its website this week, and planned more new hires before the end of summer.
Hauschildt was hired as CEO earlier this year after resigning from a position at Thomson Reuters.
"I'd been in big companies all my career and I've got too many friends who say, dude, you've got to try this," he says. "I really do like it. It's a different type of work, different type of problems, but it's fun and it's sort of re-energized me."
He said another factor in SWAT's recent pickup is likely a "reshoring" trend by companies that had offshored their quality assurance to other countries.
Source: Todd Hauschildt, Swat Technologies
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All that hopey, changey stuff? It's actually working out quite nicely for GovDelivery.
The fast-growing St. Paul company helps government agencies manage digital communications, everything from e-mail newsletters to social media feeds.
President Obama signed an Open Government Initiative shortly after taking office that calls on federal agencies to be more participatory and transparent in the way they do business. The order has resulted in a spike in demand for the kind of services that GovDelivery provides.
Meanwhile, many state and local governments are facing budget cuts and looking for ways to communicate more efficiently with their constituents.
"There's a lot going on in the public sector market," says GovDelivery founder/CEO Scott Burns. "There's a lot of pressure to communicate what's going on and a lot of pressure to be more efficient and more effective."
GovDelivery recently advertised 14 new positions to keep up with growing demand for its services, which are used to send out more than 10 million messages a day. The company has about 75 employees.
The company was founded in 1999 with an emphasis on local government. It launched a beta version of its e-mail subscription service for the city of St. Paul in 2000. If you've ever signed-up to receive snow emergency alerts in St. Paul, then you've used a GovDelivery service.
The company's clients now include the FBI, the National Guard and U.S. Health & Human Services, which used GovDelivery to get the word out about H1N1 flu.
"We're getting out information on H1N1. We're getting out information on cyber crime. We're getting out information on your local park hours," says Burns. "This is stuff that needs to get into people's hands and that makes their lives better."
Source: Scott Burns, GovDelivery
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Minneapolis and St. Paul announced an economic development partnership last week aimed at boosting green manufacturing in the region.
Thinc.GreenMSP is a marketing and resource-sharing plan aimed largely at growing demand for products from local green businesses in the two cities.
"We think if we grow the demand for for their products, they'll stay and grow," says Cathy Polasky, economic development director for the city of Minneapolis.
The plan lays out five strategies. The first two involve getting the cities to adopt similar green buying and green building policies. Minneapolis requires its departments to buy green office and cleaning products whenever possible, but St. Paul does not. Meanwhile, St. Paul requires both government and city-funded projects to meet certain green building requirements, but Minneapolis only does so for government projects.
Other strategies include establishing a program to recognize green business leaders in both cities, exploring a potential green industrial park or parks, and creating programs and networking opportunities to help green entrepreneurs finance their businesses. The latter may involve helping new business owners network with private investors or tailoring existing city finance programs to better fit green businesses.
Polasky says the partnership will also include working with the private sector. She cited the city's recent work with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce to create a green business-to-business networking group.
"We think we have a solid green environment here already," says Polasky, "and so we think that we have a good starting point to be competitive."
Source: Cathy Polasky, City of Minneapolis
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When musician David Byrne stopped in Minneapolis a couple of weeks ago for a forum on bicycling, he mentioned on stage that he had a chance to visit local bike rack manufacturer, Dero Bike Racks.
We checked in with Dero co-owner Hans Steege last week to ask about getting a shout-out from Byrne, as well as how business has been lately.
The fifteen-year-old company has cruised through the recession. Steege said Dero hasn't had to lay off anyone from its Seward neighborhood shop, which has been busier than ever. He declined to share specific revenue numbers, only that they've averaged double-digit growth in recent years.
What are the factors behind its growth? "A big one, I think, is just kind of a sea change in the way that Americans are looking at bicycling as a form of transportation," says Steege.
As for Byrne, Dero's relationship with him predates the musician's most recent visit. Steege and others from Dero visited Byrne in New York last year to pitch manufacturing a line of Byrne-designed bicycle racks. "It's not a done deal yet, but we're hoping it works out," says Steege.
Even though it wasn't their first meeting, it was still a rush to have the former Talking Head pay a visit. "He's a really interesting, mild-mannered guy. Very humble and super creative. It was a lot of fun to have him walk around our shop, look at our stuff and give us his two cents."
Dero's customers include cities, schools, corporate campuses, and homeowners. It recently started rolling out a system it calls the Dero ZAP, a solar-powered check-in station for tracking and rewarding students or employees who commute by bicycle.
Source: Hans Steege, Dero Bike Racks
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Customers rummaging through the iPhone App Store last week found a new bargain: a free version of iGarageSale.
The garage-sale-mapping app by Performant Design of Maple Grove was downloaded about 10,000 times last week, by far its highest ever weekly total. Now the developer hopes some of those downloaders will eventually decide to upgrade to the $2.99 pro version.
Performant Design is the name for the one-man, bootstrapped company founded in 2007 by Aaron Kardell. It initially focused on Facebook apps, including the Risk-like strategy game World Conquest, which Kardell sold to Sillicon Valley-based SGN.
iGarageSale, Performant's first mobile app, has been in and out of the Top 100 apps for its category since it was introduced about a year ago. Kardell estimated the iGarageSale paid app has been downloaded between 12,000 and 15,000 times.
"If you look at the graphs, I'd characterize it as a little bit of a roller coaster," says Kardell. The app's first big spike came last September when Apple featured it in the "New and Noteworthy" section of its app store homepage. The pace of downloading slowed over winter as garage sale season cooled, but it's picked up again this spring. Last week was the app's biggest week for downloads, although the majority of them were for the free, basic version.
"What we're really looking forward to seeing now is the conversion rate," says Kardell. The paid verison of the app allows users to save favorite locations and search the text of garage sale ads, which are culled from craigslist postings.
Kardell also recently created a company called MobileRealtyApps.com, which creates branded home search apps for realtors.
Source: Aaron Kardell, Performant Design
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A Minneapolis digital communications firm is grabbing attention--and bystanders--with a new interactive billboard in Times Square.
Space150 recently became the agency of record for Forever21, the trendy youth fashion chain. Its first project: creating a giant high-tech display for the retailer's flagship store in New York's Times Square.
In most places, a 61-foot-tall video screen would be enough to turn heads, but not in Times Square. Over the past decade the center has been overtaken by increasingly enormous screens to the point that it now looks like a sports bar for giants. Space150 decided to go different instead of bigger.
"We looked at it and said this is almost like a giant computer screen, versus a television screen where you just have the one-way interaction," says space150 founder/CEO Billy Jurewicz.
The firm created a series of interactive "episodes" that rotate across the screen. One displays recent tweets that include the phrases "love" and "Forever21." Another is "Forever Runway," an ongoing loop of user-generated videos showing fans walking from one side of the screen to the other.
The real eye-catcher, though, is a bit called "getting picked up by a model." A super-high-definition camera mounted on the billboard displays a real-time stream of the people standing below. A superimposed model enters the screen, then reaches out and plucks a person's image from the live video feed. The model might kiss the person, or put them in a shopping bag, or flick them away.
"This is sensational. It's a live image of the crowd. People just start mobbing like they're watching the World Cup or something," says Jurewicz. "If you see it, you're going to say that's something you want to do as a tourist in New York, to go get picked up by a model at Times Square."
Jurewicz founded space150 in March 2000. The company recently celebrated its tenth anniversary in the midst of an expansion. The firm has grown to about 140 employees from about 90 at the start of the year. It's hired about 20 in the past three weeks alone.
Source: Billy Jurewicz, space150
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A pair of industrial designers hopes their new St. Paul firm can help clients create greener housewares and other consumer goods.
Strom Studio celebrates its launch on Thursday, July 1, at its new downtown office in the CoCo coworking space. The industrial design shop will focus on design research and sustainable development.
Co-founders Kerstin Strom and Marshall Young have backgrounds in the children's safety products and medical devices, respectively. They already have clients from networking at this spring's International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago, though they can't drop any names yet.
The timing is right, says Strom, because many companies' green marketing efforts are being met with greenwashing accusations. Strom Studio will help companies work through sustainability issues early on in a product's development instead of waiting until it's complete.
Strom credits CoCo, too, for the timing of their company launch. (She's also events coordinator for CoCo.) The coworking space eliminated much of the overhead related to starting a company, she said.
Another key factor: CoCo is across the street from what's expected by 2014 to be a high-speed rail stop connecting St. Paul to Chicago, where Strom has clients already.
"It's a great opportunity for us to stay in the Twin Cities," Strom says about the future rail link, which she expects will generate significant commerce back and forth between the Twin Cities and Chicago.
Strom Studio celebrates its launch with a open house 4-10 p.m., Thursday, July 1, at CoCo, 213 4th St E., 4th Floor, in St Paul.
Source: Kerstin Strom, Strom Studio
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A University of Minnesota student team edged out competitors for second place last week in a cross-country solar-powered vehicle race.
The student group was among 18 teams that designed, built and drove a solar-powered car more than 1,100 miles, from Tulsa, Okla., to Chicago, Ill., as part of the 2010 American Solar Challenge.
"It's a rather significant feat that in two years a bunch of college kids design, build and race a car from scratch," says Alan Jacobs, a materials science student and project manager of this year's car.
The Minnesota team prides itself on building extremely light and aerodynamic solar cars. This year's model, called Centaurus II, is the school's ninth solar car project. It's about 3 feet tall, 16 feet long, and 6 feet wide, and weighs less than 400 pounds without a driver.
The competition takes place on public highways, meaning the teams need to contend with traffic and gawkers. The vehicles begin charging each morning at 7 a.m., then leave the starting line at 9 a.m. Most of the vehicles have no problem going the speed limit, 55 to 65 mph.
The Gopher team briefly took the lead during Day 5 but then ran out of juice and had to pull over to recharge while Michigan and Stanford passed them by. The Minnesotans passed Stanford the next day but were unable to catch Michigan, which held on to win first place.
"It was a really close race," says Jacobs. "We were just trying to keep going the best we could."
About 30 students from the College of Science and Engineering actively participated in the project, which is funded through cash and in-kind donations of parts and materials.
Source: Alan Jacobs, University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project
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The job market for web and app developers in the Twin Cities appears to be picking up, according to a major IT staffing firm.
An official with Robert Half Technology in the Twin Cities says the agency has seen a significant spike in demand for IT skills, especially in temporary contract positions.
"If you compare this quarter over the same quarter last year, our business is up substantially," says Kathy Northamer, senior regional vice president in the Twin Cities. "Specifically we're seeing a big increase in the application development or the web development space. We're just seeing such a huge increase in need."
Northamer wasn't able to provide specific numbers about the increase. She attributes the activity to a couple of factors. Some companies are feeling more confident about the economy, but others have simply put off website redesigns and other projects as long as they are able to. Also, companies are putting more of their marketing dollars into online campaigns, which require developers.
The company has also noticed growing demand for network administration and help-desk professionals, Northamer says.
Northamer's observation fits with new employment figures released last week by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Temporary hiring was 14.5 percent higher in May than it was the previous year, marking the largest rate of gain since mid 2006.
Source: Kathy Northamer, Robert Half Technology
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A gadget to help doctors diagnose patients across language barriers is one of a dozen outstate Minnesota proposals to make the Minnesota Cup semifinals.
The annual entrepreneur contest has typically been dominated by metro-area inventors, but 12 of the 48 semifinalists announced last week come from Greater Minnesota.
"We had more entries than we've ever had from outstate Minnesota, which is something we've really been trying to develop," says Matt Hilker, director of the Minnesota Cup.
Duluth-based Geacom, for example, makes a medical communication device called Phrazer, which lets patients point to diagrams in more than 100 languages.
Hilker credits the contest's new partnership with the Arrowhead Growth Alliance in northeastern Minnesota for helping to boost participation in Greater Minnesota.
Minnesota Cup organizers received around 400 proposals for this year's contest. The 48 semifinalists will spend the next month refining their business plans before the field is reduced to 16.
By the end of summer, there will be one finalist in each of six divisions: cleantech, biosciences, high-tech, general, student, and social entrepreneur.
The social entrepreneur division, which is on a different schedule than the others, announced its finalist last week: Saint Paul's Springboard for the Arts.
Source: Matt Hilker, Minnesota Cup
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A fast-growing technology services firm in the western suburbs is branching out into energy management.
Comm-Works, headquartered in Plymouth, manages technology and infrastructure for companies such as retail or restaurant chains that have dozens or hundreds of different locations. Its services include everything from setting up cable and phones to integrating software for cash registers.
And now, add to that list help turning off lights and lowering thermostats.
The company said in January that it was adding energy management to its mix of services. Last week it announced a partnership with Advanced Telemetry, a San Diego company that makes an energy management software package.
Amy Baker, director of communications for Comm-Works, said the service will help larger enterprises unify their sustainability goals across all locations. She said they had heard from clients who were making progress with energy conservation goals at corporate headquarters but were struggling to make the goals stick at satellite offices and other remote locations.
The Advanced Telemetry software lets corporate managers monitor energy consumption at individual locations, as well as remotely set high and low limits on thermostat settings.
"We feel good about this energy market," said Amy Baker, Comm-Works' director of communications. "We're very excited about where the growth potential is, or we wouldn't have made such an investment in a significant change in the types of technology we have traditionally been providing."
Comm-Works was founded in 1995 and has about 250 employees. Its 2008 revenue of $130 million helped land it on The Business Journal's 2009 "Fast 50" list of the 50 fastest-growing private companies in the Twin Cities.
Source: Amy Baker, Comm-Works
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The U.S. EPA announced in the fall that it will re-evaluate its regulation of the pesticide atrazine after studies linked low exposure to the chemical with reproductive problems.
It was fortunate timing for a pair of recent University of Minnesota graduates, who a few months earlier started developing a filter to remove atrazine from drinking water.
Their company, NewWater, got another boost last week when it was named a semifinalist in both the Minnesota Cup and Cleantech Open entrepreneur contests.
The technology is based on research by two U of M professors, microbiologist Mike Sadowsky and biochemist Larry Wackett. NewWater co-founders Alex Johansson and Joe Mullenbach met the researchers last spring through an entrepreneurship class at the Carlson School of Management.
Since then, Johansson and Mullenbach have been trying to turn the professors' basic research into a product for municipal water treatment plants to remove more atrazine than is possible with current filters. They're currently developing a prototype and working on a licensing arrangement with the university.
Atrazine is one of the most widely used pesticides on the planet. Current limits on atrazine in drinking water are based on the cancer risk, but recent studies suggest lower levels of the chemical, levels that are currently allowed in drinking water, may cause birth defects, low birth weights and menstrual problems.
If the EPA lowers the threshold for how much atrazine it allows in drinking water, Mullenbach believes NewWater will have a potential $3 million market for their filter product, which uses bacteria enzymes as the active ingredient instead of carbon.
"We provide a lower-cost solution that is capable of treating to much more stringent drinking water standards," Mullenbach said.
NewWater won a seed grant in January from the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Minnesota. It's also applied for federal Small Business Innovation Research grants.
Source: Joe Mullenbach
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A group of ProUroCare Medical investors have upped their anti, loaning the Eden Prairie medical device startup an additional $885,000.
The company is seeking approval from federal regulators to begin selling an imaging product it believes will help doctors detect and document abnormalities that could be related to prostate cancer.
ProUroCare's device is inserted into a patient's rectum and applied against the prostate gland. It can then map how the tissue responds to pressure. Abnormal tissue tends to be denser and less elastic and shows up differently on the electronic image generated by the device.
The new financing, which comes from "a small group of existing investors closely aligned with the company," will be used to pay off debt, as well as boost manufacturing and marketing activities, expand the company's intellectual property portfolio and create a scientific advisory board, the company said. It brings the total amount the company has raised since 2007 to more than $9.3 million.
"We are very pleased by the support that we continue to receive from investors for the ProUroScan prostate imaging system and the market opportunities that exist for this technology," CEO Rick Carlson said in a statement.
The device is not yet for sale in the United States. The company applied for approval to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November. The Star Tribune reported then that the company's next challenge would be convincing Medicare and private insurers that the scans result in improved medical care.
Source: ProUroCare Medical
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A Waconia-based website that aims to be a matchmaker between patients and healthcare providers announced last week that it's received a $1 million angel investment to help expand its services.
WellClicks.com lets consumers search for physicians and other health and wellness providers by criteria such as location, specialty, gender, and years of experience. Providers, meanwhile, pay to be included in the search results.
Mark Prondzinski and Lisa Suchy launched a limited pilot version of the service in July 2009 with backing from Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia. Up to now the site has only covered providers in the southwest metro.
The site's usage has been "low to moderate," but with a limited marketing budget and small geographic area, they didn't expect an overnight blockbuster. The goal was only to prove the concept for investors.
"Our objective now, with the investment funds, is to expand the concept, both from the product side and from a geographic point of view, and then really try to turn the business model into something that is profitable and see and realize some of our longer-term business objectives," Prondzinski said. "It's not a tremendously huge amount, but it's enough to help us take the next steps down that path."
WellClicks.com is the first product from CreateHealth, a for-profit healthcare innovation center created and spun off by Ridgeview Medical Center in 2007. Prondzinski, who previously interned in the hospital's operations department, was tapped with Suchy to co-found the center.
Source: Mark Prondzinski, WellClicks.com
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A Bloomington television recycling company expects good reception when it opens a new location in England next month.
ShopJimmy.com buys damaged televisions cheap from retailers and distributors, then strips out the parts that still work to sell to consumers, repair shops, and warranty companies.
Owner Jimmy Vosika started the company in January 2007 as a hobby while he was still working for his father-in-law's appliance recycling company.
"I basically bought a broken plasma TV off ebay for $200 and then sold it for $700 later that week for parts," says Vosika.
Since then, his company has grown into a 55-employee operation with facilities in Bloomington and Lino Lakes that process between 1,200 and 1,500 televisions a week.
The company's employee count will grow by 10 next month when it opens a location near Oxford, England.
"We're getting so much demand every day from overseas companies," says Vosika. But shipping to Europe and elsewhere from the Twin Cities often costs much more than the actual part.
The Oxford facility will mirror the company's Twin Cities operation. Workers will take apart televisions from ShopJimmy's suppliers, test the parts, then sort and catalog everything so it's ready to sell online.
Vosika believes the company's European operations will eventually eclipse its U.S. business because of greater demand and the ability to ship around the world more affordably.
Source: Jimmy Vosika, ShopJimmy.com
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A south Minneapolis solar installer marks another milestone this week with the celebration of a new 140-panel, 32-kilowatt photovoltaic system on the rooftop of the Seward Co-op.
Solarflow Energy, which is based in the Lomgfellow neighborhood, is trying to prove a solar leasing concept. It received a $1.5 million grant from Xcel Energy two years ago to fund a 280-kilowatt pilot program.
The Seward Co-op is the latest of what will be about 30 installations for the company by the end of the year. The co-op plans to celebrate at a commissioning party from 4-6 p.m., Thursday, June 17.
The company is also kicking off a program with Minneapolis' Bryn Mawr neighborhood this week that will involve using neighborhood revitalization funds to convert 20 homes to solar electricity.
The arrangement eliminates the large up-front cost associated with solar electricity. Solarflow installs and maintains the systems for free, and customers pay a monthly bill for the electricity that's generated.
In order to qualify, customers need to go through a property assessment to make sure the site is suitable for solar, provide a $1,000 refundable deposit, and sign a long-term lease (15 years for residential and 18 years for commercial).
Solarflow Energy has half a dozen full-time employees and another eight to twelve workers who help as needed with installations.
The biggest challenge so far, says founder/CEO Gerardo Ruiz, has been finding financing. The market is interested, the equipment is increasingly affordable, and installation is straightforward. But capital is scarce.
As the Xcel Energy funding winds down, Ruiz says the company will seek out solar rebates and other state and federal incentives for solar installations.
"So far we consider everything to have been successful," Ruiz says. "We'll charge forward and keep moving."
Source: Gerardo Ruiz, Solarflow Energy
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A team of young entrepreneurs thinks they've come up with a better way to let restaurant diners know when their table is ready.
WaitMaster is a web application that lets restaurant hosts digitize their wait lists and send text messages to parties when it's time to have a seat.
The program eliminates the hassle and expense of making customers carry around clunky buzzers, which have limited range and are often lost or stolen.
Prodality, the new name for an aspiring startup agency founded by three recent University of Minnesota graduates, plans to charge restaurants $50 a month for the service, which runs off a netbook at the host stand.
Buffalo Wild Wings started a test of the system in its Apple Valley restaurant a few weeks ago, and set it up two weeks ago at its Roseville location. If the restaurants are full, customers can give their name, phone number, and e-mail address and then roam Bear Valley Road or Har Mar Mall until they get a text alert telling them to come on back.
"You get a text message on your phone saying your table is ready, which makes sense for consumers because they want to walk around. They want to have the flexibility, and the pagers don't really travel that far. Usually it's 100 feet, if that," says Parag Shah, one of Prodality's co-founders.
Restaurants can use the system to keep track of customer visits, and the team plans to add features in the future that will turn WaitMaster into a more robust loyalty tool. Customers who frequently add their names to wait lists, for example, could be awarded discounts, as with Foursquare check-ins.
Prodality teamed up with the local creator of TeeMaster, an online golf reservation system, to create the original wait list application, which it then adapted for restaurants. It's working on another restaurant-related app, too. LunchBox lets users place take-out orders with participating eateries using their computer or smart phone.
Source: Parag Shah, Prodality
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A Minneapolis bicyclist has started a new business delivering fresh produce.
VeloVeggies aims to serve busy locavores who don't always have time to shop the farmers market or pick up their weekly CSA shares.
For a $6 to $12 fee based on distance, Randall Dietel will pick up your produce and deliver it by bicycle to your doorstep.
"VeloVeggies is a sustainable, convenient option for people to add a little extra time to their lives," says Dietel. "It's a guilt-free convenience that does some good."
Dietel came up with the idea last summer after a friend at a co-op invited him to take home a box of CSA produce that was never picked up by the member who bought it.
He starting thinking about a CSA delivery service, and since he lives car-free and pedals 200 to 300 miles a week it was only natural that it would be a bicycle delivery service.
The green-canopied trailer attached to the back of his bicycle can carry 300 pounds. So far his cargo has been lots of leafy greens and radishes, but it'll grow heavier as farmers start selling more substantial produce.
Dietel is getting the word out by dropping fliers in CSA boxes around the city. He's also supplementing his income with other bicycle deliveries, including trips for a bakery and for catering businesses.
For now, VeloVeggies can only guarantee service to Minneapolis residents, but others are welcome to inquire. Dietel hopes to add a second rider and expand his delivery territory as business picks up.
Source: Randall Dietel, VeloVeggies
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Minnesota's medical technology industry employs more people per capita than any other state, according to a new economic study by a national medical technology trade group.
The report (PDF), authored by The Lewin Group and released last week by AdvaMed, says med-tech accounts for 1.06 percent of Minnesota's employment (the next highest per capita figures come from Utah and Delaware). It estimates the total number of med-tech jobs in Minnesota at 26,862, placing it second behind California and ahead of Massachusetts.
"Minnesota has long had a strong network of academic, industry, and government assets working together to support our life-science ecosystem," LifeScience Alley President/CEO Don Gerhardt said in an e-mail statement. LifeScience Alley is the local trade association for life science companies.
Gerhardt said the numbers in AdvaMed's report aren't surprising, and if anything they under-count the number of med-tech jobs in Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development estimates Minnesota has around 35,000 med-tech jobs.
One explanation for the accounting gap: The data used in the AdvaMed report misses jobs at med-tech suppliers, such as Phillips Plastics, that don't operate exclusively in med-tech.
Sources: AdvaMed, LifeScience Alley
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A Minneapolis web startup is beginning work on a new platform to help farmers and foresters to sell leftover materials as a renewable fuel.
Since November, the Minneapolis Biomass Exchange has served as a sort of craigslist for buyers and sellers of biomass, a term for plant-based materials like wood chips or corn stover that can be burned to offset coal or other fossil fuels.
By fall, founder and CEO Kevin Triemstra expects the site will function more like a Priceline.com for energy crops. The company received a fresh infusion of investor funding last week that will allow it to begin building out new online bidding features immediately.
As utilities and other companies seek to cut their carbon footprints and comply with new regulations, there is a growing demand for biomass fuels. Finding a steady supply, however, has been a challenge for buyers.
Triemstra, a former software engineer, started the Minneapolis Biomass Exchange in July 2009 with the goal of providing a more organized marketplace for buyers and sellers to find each other.
So far, users have been able to post free ads and exchange messages, but all of the dealmaking has had to take place offline. The new features will allow buyers to make electronic bids on certain materials. If the seller chooses to accept a bid, the sale would be processed directly through the site, with the Exchange taking a fee.
The Minneapolis Biomass Exchange will also offer to arrange transportation for sales and assist sellers filing for federal renewable energy incentives.
"We'll explore any way that we can help facilitate the movement of biomass," Triemstra said.
Triemstra said he planned to hire local contract programmers to start work on the new features, possibly as soon as this week. He also expects further investment later this summer after the state's new angel investor tax credit takes effect.
Source: Kevin Triemstra, Minneapolis Biomass Exchange
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A renewable energy technology company in central Minnesota will ramp up hiring and production thanks to a $560,000 federal stimulus grant.
Silent Power, in Baxter, Minn., produces boxes that convert energy generated from solar panels into usable electricity. The patented systems include a built-in battery that stores unused power for when it's needed.
"We're working with utilities all over the country to sell this product to homeowners and small businesses to help align the generation of renewable resources with when the utilities have their peak demand," CEO Todd Headlee said.
One challenge with solar panels is that they typically generate the most energy during the hours when it's least needed. Silent Power's systems store electricity generated during the middle of the day and release it later when people are getting home from work and turning on televisions, microwaves, and air conditioners.
Silent Power has been manually assembling about two units per week. New equipment and employees will allow it to up production to about 50 units per week, enough to keep up with anticipated demand for the next couple of years.
The company currently has about 20 employees. Headlee said he expects the federal grant will spur the creation of about 75 new jobs in the next 18 months. About 40 of those will come at Silent Power and another 35 at its suppliers, many of which are also located in Minnesota.
Source: Todd Headlee, Silent Power
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Minneapolis branding agency OLSON announced this week that it's acquired Denali Marketing, the fast-growing loyalty marketing firm
we wrote about last week.
Denali Marketing helps companies manage customer loyalty programs, including Best Buy's Reward Zone and Sun Country's Ufly Rewards.
OLSON has been interested in developing or acquiring loyalty expertise for a few years, and about six months ago started a nationwide search for a partner.
"Sometimes you don't know what's in your own backyard until you scour the country," said OLSON President Kevin DiLorenzo, who has been named the new agency's CEO.
The combination of OLSON and Denali creates a 300-person agency, the largest full-service ad agency in Minnesota with clients that include some of the state's biggest brands (Target, Best Buy, Sun Country, General Mills, Land O'Lakes).
And instead of reducing employees, as is common following many mergers and acquisitions, DiLorenzo said they plan to add about 50 new hires as they combine.
DiLorenzo said Denali's culture and client roster are both complimentary to OLSON's business. There's also connections and familiarity among management teams, he said.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
"Joining forces with Denali is a very good fit for us, and the fact that they happened to be here in our own backyard makes integration issues much more seamless and easy to manage for us," DiLorenzo said.
Source: Kevin DiLorenzo, OLSON
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Minnetonka-based medical device maker Anulex disclosed last week that it's raised about $18.3 million in new venture capital.
The company makes a product that lets doctors repair spinal tissue that's punctured during herniated-disc surgeries. Xclose has been on the market since 2007, but there's still little clinical data about its effectiveness, which makes collecting reimbursements from insurers more difficult.
David Noel, vice president of finance and chief financial officer for Anulex, said the funding will allow the company to continue a two-year clinical study it started in 2009, as well as further commercialization and product development efforts.
About 10 percent of herniated disks require a surgery called a diskectomy that involves removing the part of the disc that's coming in contact with nerves. The soft, outer layer of the disc typically isn't sewn up after the procedure because it's difficult to reach.
"It's been very, very difficult to get down there and suture that defect. Our product allows the surgeon to go in there and in approximate and bring that tissue together," Noel said. "We believe that if you're able to do that you're going to have a better result, and that's what our clinical study is intended to prove."
The 750 patients enrolled in the study will have a one-year follow-up in August and a more intensive two-year check-in next year. The company hopes the results will assist in with both marketing and establishing an insurance reimbursement code.
Source: David Noel, Anulex
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A local firm that helps startups get off the ground announced a new online video service last week for Minnesota entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas.
The Minnesota Startup Showcase won't replace the handshake, creator J.C. Gureghian admits. But it might help cut through some of the clutter, he said.
"Entrepreneurs get 100 no's before they get one yes. The idea here is to be a timesaver for entrepreneurs, to weed through all the no's and get to the yes," Gureghian said.
Gureghian is founder and CEO of the StartupShoppe, which helps new companies with everything from refining business plans to managing human resources paperwork.
For a $300 setup fee and $100 monthly hosting fee, Gureghian will produce a 5-7 minute video and slideshow to appear on the Minnesota Startup Showcase website.
The video plays side-by-side with the entrepreneur's PowerPoint, with links underneath so potential investors can download a summary or share the video on social media.
Gureghian said he's looking to showcase quality startups with promising intellectual property. He doesn't perform intensive due diligence on the companies he profiles, but he does screen them using his instincts from ten years in the local entrepreneur community.
Ten Minnesota startup companies, including LunchBox, PrepAthlete.com and Twin Cities Coworking, are currently featured on the site, though it has no paid clients yet.
Source: J.C. Gureghian, StartupShoppe
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Doris Taylor earned international acclaim in 2008 when she and her team at the University of Minnesota grew a living, beating rat's heart from stem cells in a jar.
Now, the state is betting that a Minneapolis biotech startup can grow that technology into a successful company.
The state Agricultural and Economic Development Board announced an agreement last week to loan $250,000 in seed capital to Miromatrix Medical, a six-month old U of M spinoff. Under the terms, the state's loan is to be matched by private investors.
Miromatrix has an exclusive licensing agreement with the university to commercialize the technology, which might one day be used to grow human replacement organs.
Miromatrix CEO Robert Cohen said in an e-mail that he is pleased with the state's support, but that as a "matter of corporate policy" stopped commenting publicly several months ago.
"Our preference is to let the ultimate success of our products speak for itself," Cohen said.
Cohen and Taylor did speak with MedCity News in January, when they commented on the incredibly high expectations many have for the company and its significance to the state's biotech industry.
The Ag Board has traditionally funded the expansion of manufacturing firms but its scope is broadening to include emerging high-tech businesses, according to the Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Source: Department of Employment and Economic Development
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A team of students from the University of Minnesota believe they can build a sustainable business bringing biogas services to residents of rural India.
A 2007 report estimated that 82 percent of Indians rely on stoves that burn wood, dung, coal and other solid fuels--a major source of indoor air pollution, according to the World Health Organization. Solid fuels are responsible for 3.5 percent of disease in the subcontinent.
Since the 1980s, the Indian government has invested in hundreds of thousands of biogas digesters, which turn cow dung into clean-burning cooking fuel, but it's estimated that nearly half of them no longer work. The student team wants to get to work refurbishing that infrastructure with a new company called BioServ.
The students are collaborating with another group from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, on a business plan that would help families purchase digesters at-cost with a lease-to-own financing model. BioServ's revenue would come from a small monthly fee it would charge for repair and maintenance of the equipment by locally hired technicians.
Most of the cross-continent collaboration so far has taken place over Facebook and on Google Chat exchanges and Skype calls. This summer the students will work face-to-face in Minnesota, then India, to refine their business plan before seeking financing and firing up a pilot project in the fall.
The concept won the energy division last month in the 2010 Acara Challenge, an annual student social entrepreneurship contest.
"It's extremely exciting," said Judd Eder, one of four Minnesota students involved in the project. "This is the first time for me being a part of something this multiculturally dynamic. It's been really exciting and really fun."
Source: Judd Eder, BioServ
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Minnesota researchers may have a brighter future thanks to a new cross-border compact.
The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota signed an agreement last month giving members improved access to the Canadian Light Source synchrotron facility at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada.
The synchrotron is a giant X-ray microscope that lets scientists see what's going on inside cells at the atomic-particle level. The device works by accelerating electrons around a football-field-sized racetrack, then focusing them into a light beam brighter than the sun and sending it through the material being studied.
Only a handful of synchrotrons exist around the world because they are so expensive to build. Canada completed its $174-million national synchrotron facility in 2004.
Canadian researchers have always had preferential pricing and access to the synchrotron, but under the new agreement with the BioBusiness Alliance, "they're in effect treating us as through we're Canadians," said Dale Wahlstrom, CEO of the BioBusiness Alliance.
Wahlstrom said many university and larger companies already use synchrotrons for research, but many other companies aren't aware of the potential applications. The BioBusiness Alliance's next step is educating Minnesotans about the technology.
"It's very broadly applicable," Wahlstrom said, citing the life sciences, computer industry and materials sciences as a few areas where the light source could be used.
The hope is that giving Minnesota researchers better access to the facility will speed up the time it takes to develop products and get them to market, said Wahlstrom.
Source: Dale Wahlstrom, CEO, BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota
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An ad agency whose clients range from Sesame Street to Steve Jobs is growing to keep up with new business.
Minneapolis-based mono announced last week that it's made two new hires, a designer and a project leader, to keep up with recent client growth. They follow three previous hires announced in April and bring its employee count up to 43.
When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad at Apple's annual winter gala earlier this year, the giant graphic on stage behind him was designed by mono.
The six-year-old branding and advertising firm is also responsible for producing back-to-school and other seasonal in-store displays for Apple Stores.
Other clients include Macy's, Rolaids, Herman Miller, General Mills, Sesame Street, and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day.
The most recent hires by mono were in preparation for another large client that's expected to be announced soon.
James Scott, a co-founder and managing partner, said the company is as busy as it's ever been. It grew last year despite the recession, and it expects to grow more this year.
"I think it was because we were able to retain and maintain a really, really smart and talented bunch of people," Scott said.
While others were downsizing, mono manged to avoid layoffs, and that's helped it win new clients, such as Macy's and Rolaids, which it might have missed had the company scaled back, he said.
"We were able to capitalize in a very tough year on opportunities that came our way, and we grew."
Source: James Scott, managing partner, mono
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Boston's Fenway Park is already known for the Green Monster, its towering, forest-colored outfield wall.
Now, a growing Minneapolis agency has been hired to make fans associate the ballpark with environmental "green."
GreenMark is the world's first environmental sports sponsorship agency. President Mark Andrew plays matchmaker between sports teams and facilities and companies that have environmental causes or products to promote.
"We create opportunities for companies to showcase their green products and services from a sports platform," Andrew said. "It's very experiential. We don't do signs on walls."
The concept first came to life at Target Field when Pentair signed on as "The Official Sustainable Water Provider" for the Minnesota Twins. The sponsorship centers around the high-tech rainwater recycling system Pentair installed under the field.
GreenMark's clients include the Twins and Wild, as well as Target Center and TCF Stadium. It also represents the San Francisco 49ers.
"The reason we want to be in sports is that sports buildings are enormous platforms to tell sustainability stories," said Andrew, a former Hennepin County commissioner and state DFL chairman who started the company in 2006.
The Boston Red Sox last week announced the hiring of GreenMark as the team's green sponsorship agency for Fenway Park. Andrew and his team are now scouting for green technologies that might be incorporated into the century-old ballpark. The brainstorming includes the obvious question of how to best incorporate the iconic Green Monster in left field.
The company has about half a dozen full-time employees. Andrew expects it to grow to about a dozen by the end of 2011.
Source: Mark Andrew, President & Founder, GreenMark
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The success of Denali Marketing's Tally software is helping it add to its employee count.
The Minneapolis marketing firm, which helps companies like Best Buy, Sun Country, and Toys "R" Us manage customer loyalty programs, announced three new hires last week: a web app developer, a marketing analytics specialist, and a senior IT project manager.
The company has grown from fewer than 10 employees when it started in 2006 to more than 70 today. Guy Cierzan, partner for client services, said one factor in the company's growth has been Denali's proprietary Tally software.
"It's really been a differentiator," Cierzan said.
The software collects and mines data on customer behavior and lets companies manage and monitor every aspect of customer loyalty programs. For example, clients can use it to set program rules and send targeted communications to members.
The company provides a variety of other marketing-related services. One of its higher-profile assignments lately was working with Best Buy on the design and placement of its advertisements at Target Field.
Source: Guy Cierzan, partner for client services, Denali Marketing
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Could mobile phones help the homeless find permanent shelter?
A St. Paul nonprofit started distributing cell phones last month to homeless residents. It's part of a small pilot program to show how cell phones can help people in transition find jobs and permanent housing, as well as stay better connected with family, friends and agencies.
"There's just no way to survive in this world without a phone. It really puts people further out of the mainstream than they are already," says Marcy Shapiro, executive director of Twin Cities Community Voice Mail.
The cell phone pilot is a first step toward updating the group's model for the wireless era. Twin Cities Community Voice Mail has offered free phone numbers and voice-mail accounts to low-income Minnesotans since 1994. Today, finding pay phones to retrieve and respond to voice-mails is increasingly difficult. Meanwhile, many employers and landlords expect people to be reachable on demand. Missed phone calls can mean missed opportunities.
The phones are being distributed by three partner agencies, the Dorothy Day Center, the St. Paul YWCA and Face to Face Safe Zone, which are offering the phones to participants in a federally funded Rapid Re-housing program. The cell phone plans are covered for six months, after which participants can keep the phone and number.
Similar experiments have been tried in Fort Worth, Tex., and Washington, D.C., but Shapiro believes the program is the first of its kind in Minnesota and among the first in the nation.
The trial is being funded through a $12,000 grant from the St. Paul Foundation that will cover the cost of 30 phones. Long-term funding is the major challenge. Voice mail accounts cost the organization about $10 per month per client, but cell phones cost three times that amount. After much research, the nonprofit settled on a $30 monthly plan from Virgin Mobile that includes 300 daytime and 1,000 night/weekend minutes.
"The money is what's really kept people from doing it," she says. "The need is there. It's really just about figuring out how to pay for it."
Source: Marcy Shapiro, Twin Cities Community Voice Mail
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Thanks to a sort of American Idol for ideas, a Twin Cities woman gets $15,000 to implement her concept, and a Minnesota foundation gets an experience that could help change the way local institutions make decisions in the future.
Christine Tubbs of Stillwater was named winner Tuesday of the inaugural Minnesota Idea Open challenge. Her idea was culled from more that 400 submissions in an online contest that asked Minnesotans to submit their best ideas to encourage healthier eating and more active lifestyles.
All submissions were posted on the contest's website, where they could be viewed and comment on by other participants. Judges picked three finalists, which were then put to an Idol-style vote. Tubbs' proposal, to put on a series of youth-led activity field days, was selected as the winner by the nearly 5,000 Minnesotans who cast their votes on the website since early April.
The Minnesota Community Foundation had the web application built through a partnership with Ashoka Changemakers, which organizes similar international contests for social entrepreneurs. Major funding came from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The two-month contest showed how the Web can be used to get more people involved in public dialogue.
"We have been able to have conversations and get ideas from people from all walks of life, all across the state," said Jennifer Ford Reedy, the foundation's vice president for strategy and knowledge management. "We didn't reach everybody, but we reached people who were not usually a part of the conversation."
The local foundation now owns the web application and plans to make it available for other organizations in the state, as well as to sponsor one or two statewide contests per year.
Up next, though: helping Tubbs turn her idea into reality.
Source: Jennifer Ford Reedy, Minnesota Community Foundation
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Think of it as Minnesota's Next Top Entrepreneur.
The deadline for entries in this year's Minnesota Cup contest was Friday, May 21.
The sixth annual entrepreneurship invited Minnesota inventors to submit ideas in four areas: bioscience, high tech, clean tech, social entrepreneurship, as well as a general entrepreneurship and student category.
Minnesota Cup director Matt Hilker said he's hoping this year's contest will match or exceed the 1,100 participants who submitted entries last year.
Judges for each category will spend the next month choosing about half a dozen semifinalists in each category. Those entrepreneurs will then spend the summer developing in-depth business plans and presentations for a chance to win up to $40,000 in startup or growth capital.
"The biggest benefit, even more than the prize money, is just the exposure they get," Hilker said. Judges include prominent and experienced entrepreneurs and investors.
The finalists from the 2009 Minnesota Cup have collectively raised more than $8 million in capital since September.
Last year's winner was a Minneapolis app developer called Alvenda, which garnered the grand prize for an e-commerce tool that allows retailers to sell products directly from web banner advertisements.
Source: Matt Hilker, Minnesota Cup
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Starting your own company doesn't have to mean working alone.
A St. Paul co-working center recently kicked off a new Startup Saturdays theme. The 3rd Place, 2190 Como Ave., is one of two co-working centers that opened in the city earlier this year. The other is CoCo in Lowertown St. Paul.
Co-working centers are meant to be an alternative to the kitchen table or coffee shop for self-employed and telecommuting professionals, who typically pay a membership fee for access to a workstation, Internet connection and other office amenities.
The 3rd Place, a project of the social-media marketing firm Monkey Island, centers on the hope that a handful of aspiring tech startups will decide to take their projects out of the garage or basement and into its co-working space one day a week.
The sessions are free during the month of May. Amenities include high-speed wi-fi, whiteboards, and a conference room with a projector, but co-founder Zack Steven said the real reason to participate is the chance to be around other startup-minded people.
The real benefit is getting to "talk to people who have done it, and are doing it, and dedicate time to it so you can actually find out if what you're working on is worth while from a market/business standpoint," Steven said.
So far, Startup Saturdays have no formal program or curriculum — participants just show up between 9 and 5 — but Steven said they're talking with local tech groups about possibly developing sessions specifically aimed at entrepreneurs.
Source: Zack Steven, The 3rd Place
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Minnesota economic officials expect applications to be available for the state's angel investor tax credit before the Aug. 1 deadline set by the Legislature.
Dan McElroy, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, told an audience Monday that his department hopes to have documents related to the tax credit posted on its website as soon as July 1.
McElroy spoke at an angel tax credit panel discussion at ADC Auditorium presented by several local science and technology organizations.
The Angel Tax Credit was signed into law April 1. It set aside $11 million in 2010 and $12 million for each of the following four years for a 25-percent tax credit for investment in Minnesota technology startups.
"We're most interested in jobs, and good paying jobs," McElroy said. "We'd love to see a couple relatively early successes."
Among the criteria for companies to qualify: They must be less than 10 years old and have fewer than 25 employees. Their headquarters and more than half their payroll and employees must be in Minnesota, and all employees must make at least $18.55. Qualifying companies also need to be using or researching proprietary technology in a high-technology field.
More information is available at http://www.positivelyminnesota.com/angelcredit
Source: Dan McElroy, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
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An energy management software company is expanding in the western suburbs.
Open Systems International broke ground Friday on a new $20 million corporate headquarters in Medina. The 100,000-square-foot building will be LEED-Gold certified and incorporate some of the company's own energy management technologies.
"We are growing rapidly, leaps and bounds, and the space we're in right now just isn't able to accommodate our fast growth any more," said Mimi Nelson, OSI's director of marketing and communication.
The privately held company currently employs about 240 people in Plymouth, where it rents space in an office park. The new headquarters, on the corner of Highway 55 and Arrowhead Drive, will put everyone under the same roof and allow Open Systems to add more employees.
OSI, which was founded in 1992, makes automation software for the gas, electric, and transportation industries that allows companies to monitor and control their systems. A couple of years ago the company started upgrading its software to support smart-grid projects.
Source: Mimi Nelson, Open Systems International
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