July/August 2014 by St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce

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IN EVERY ISSUE 16

Business Calendar

Top Hats

Network Central

28 TechStrategies Proven Ability

Upfront 10

Book Review Tipping Sacred Cows; Kick the Bad Work Habits that Masquerade as Virtues by Jake Breeden

To Be in Business

14 Your Voice In Government St. Cloud Area Evening at the Capital

17 New in Town

Melinda Vonderahe, Times Media

10 News Reel

18 The Trouble with Business

Business news from around Central Minnesota.

Learning to make the tough decisions will help you take your business to the next level.

What’s happening and who’s moving

Tough Decisions

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This Issue 46 Feature

Growth Trajectory

Women-owned businesses have been making headlines for 25 years. Today their employment and revenue growth outpaces the rest of the economy.

Facebook remains the top social media player for businesses of all sizes and types.

56 Special Focus

Management Tool Kit

58 Business Spotlight

30 Game Changer

12 Getting Going

Plaza Park Bank

N E T WOR K

Community Impact

Since 1997 Royal Tire has been following an aggressive growth strategy. Yet this home-grown company prides itself on maintaining the same family feel it has cultivated for over 60 years.

P ROFIT

26 Doing Good

We’re Here

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JULY/AUGUST 2014

Business Tools

38 Cover Story

B S

G ROW

Profit

GROW • NETWORK • PROFIT

CONTENTS

Editor’s Note

6 President’s Letter

Minnesota’s minimum wage law is changing. Here’s a playbook to help keep you on the right side of the foul line.

Jobs An aging population

puts healthcare in the job-creation driver’s seat.

Brian and Dolora Musech, Batteries Plus Bulbs

32 Civility in the Workplace Unhappiness in the office is costing U.S. companies $450 to $550 billion a year. Economy Central presented by Falcon Bank

34 Opportunity or Threat?

The North Dakota oil boom is stretching its economic fingers into Central Minnesota.

36 2013 Annual Cost of Living Comparison

Special Sections 48

Women in Business Directory

54 Senior Health & Living

ONLY ONLINE •• Startups Aimed at Women

•• The Best Smartphone for Business

•• Thoughtful Leaders

•• Healthcare Startups and FDA

www.BusinessCentralMagazine.com

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PRESIDENT’S LETTER NETWORK

It’s Been a Good Spring!

Main Phone 320-251-2940 Automated Reservation Line 320-251-2940, ext. 126 Program Hotline 320-251-2940, ext. 125 email: information@StCloudAreaChamber.com www.StCloudAreaChamber.com

Chamber President Teresa Bohnen and Board Chair John Herges, Falcon National Bank, celebrate the passage of funding to finish the River’s Edge Convention Center

fter 15 years of asking the Minnesota state legislature for funds to expand St. Cloud’s River’s Edge Convention Center, we have achieved success! I have worked on this project since the first day I walked into our Chamber as president. My paper file is 4 feet high. This year, finally, the state granted us $11.56 million to finish the final phase of the project, a parking ramp, which will allow the facility to realize its full potential. Many people deserve thanks, with St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis chief among them. Dave worked on the project as a state senator, then from a different perspective as mayor. His decision five years ago to fully partner with the Chamber and CVB on advocacy and promotion for the project was a good one. Along the way, our state legislators played key roles in the project. Since Senator John Pederson and Representatives Tama Theis and Zach Dorholt took the final votes to approve the project, I will extend thanks to them, and include all the others who took positive votes along the way by association. Key to keeping our project front and center was House Capital Investment Committee Chair Alice Hausman. She

is a true visionary and leader. Thank you, Alice, for your friendship and your genuine love for the state of Minnesota (especially the piece of your heart that belongs to the St. Cloud area). I cannot wait for the ground breaking. That will certainly be some sweet dirt. On top of the River’s Edge funding success, I took the first direct flight from St. Cloud to Chicago on May 6. Celebration was in the air as we cut the ribbon and the first passengers flooded the gate area. We enjoyed a short flight to Chicago and were treated to a behind-thescenes tour of United Airlines. I even saw the baggage area, which is quite an impressive operation. Then we proceeded to a celebratory dinner with city, state and national dignitaries, and returned to the airport to enjoy a few minutes in the United Club. With free parking, short security lines and timely flights, the St. Cloud to Chicago route is a winner. If Chicago is not your destination, convenient connections will take you anywhere in the world. The connections are not far from the arrival gate, either. Remember the hike from the MSP commuter gates to main terminal gates? Not the case at O’Hare. It is a primary United hub, and the gates are conveniently located and easy to access. Skip all that road construction traffic on I-94 this summer and fly out of St. Cloud. When you’re planning travel, go to www.United.com, use STC as your origination point, and enter any city in the world as your destination. When you come home, you’ll be right at your front door! Until next time,

ST. CLOUD AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE STAFF President | Teresa Bohnen, ext. 104 Vice President | Gail Ivers, ext. 109 Director of Administration Judy Zetterlund, ext. 106 Special Events Coordinator Virginia Kroll, ext. 105 Communications & Workforce Development Coordinator Whitney Bina, ext.130 Membership Sales Specialist Jaime Buley, ext. 134 Administrative Assistant Vicki Lenneman, ext. 122 Administrative Assistant Cindy Swarthout , ext. 100 Administrative Assistant Sharon Henry, ext. 124 CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU STAFF Main Phone: 320-251-4170 Executive Director Julie Lunning, ext. 111 Director of Convention Sales Lori Cates, ext. 113 Director of Sports & Special Events Kelly Sayre, ext. 128 Director of Visitor Services Jean Robbins , ext. 129 Sales Manager Nikki Fisher, ext. 110 2013-14 BOARD MEMBERS Jim Beck Minnesota School of Business Gary Berg G.L. Berg Entertainment, Performing Artists & Speakers Jason Bernick Bernick’s - Beverages & Vending Craig Broman St. Cloud Hospital/CentraCare Health, Past Board Chair Neil Franz Franz Hultgren Evenson, P.A. Jayne Greeney Schill St. Cloud Area School District #742 Jim Gruenke Mark J. Traut Wells John Herges Falcon National Bank, Board Chair Diane Mendel Playhouse Child Care Kris Nelson Custom Accents, Inc., Board Vice Chair Mark Osendorf Xcel Energy Dr. Earl Potter, III St. Cloud State University Roger Schleper Premier Real Estate Services

Teresa Bohnen President

Jodi Speicher The Good Shepherd Community Bea Winkler Pine Cone Pet Hospital Chriss Wohlleber Le St. Germain Suite Hotel

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

EDITOR’S NOTE NETWORK

Publisher Teresa Bohnen Managing Editor Gail Ivers Associate Editor Dawn Zimmerman

Into the Bush

Above: Changing a tire in the African bush. Left: Discretion is the better part of valor when there are lions nearby. These folks, stuck in a sand trap, awaited arrival of a second Land Rover before they could get out and free the vehicle.

n 2008 I had the opportunity to travel to Botswana, Africa with my Aunt Nancy. This was a trip I had been looking forward to since I was in the 8th grade. When we discovered that we both had our hearts set on such a trip, we found a satisfactory tour and were on our way. As we climbed into our Land Rover for our first safari, our guide told a story about someone he had worked with who decided to pick a flower for a guest. The co-worker stepped out of the Land Rover and walked several feet to the flower. At this point, a lion strolled out from under a bush. According to our guide, the co-worker took two steps then flew the last 10 feet, head-first, back into the Land Rover. Moral: Stay in the Land Rover. This begs the question, why would anyone get out of their Land Rover in the first place? Well, you might get caught in the sand. In the Kalahari Desert, the sand is very deep. Following a family of lions through an untraveled area, one of the Land Rovers in our party ended up in a sinkhole. We were about 10 minutes away and received the call. Since there were 12 lions in the area, everyone stayed in the Land Rover until we arrived. Then they scurried from their vehicle and climbed on ours. The Land Rover, now much lighter, was easily driven out of the sinkhole and everyone went on their way. Or you might have a flat tire. Or even, two flat tires. From the ground, it turns

out that the vegetation in the bush is more like 10-15 feet high, not 5 feet like it looks from the Land Rover. And it’s thick. A place to get lost if you wander too far. You soon learn that one green bush looks very much like the next one. And that’s mostly what you can see – green bushes. Of course, that’s all you want to see. Elephants are large enough from a Land Rover. I don’t really need to meet one eye-to-eye (so to speak) in the wild. Talking with Pat and Paul Duininck, owners of Royal Tire (see the cover story on page 38) reminded me of our African tire-changing experience. Royal Tire is in expansion mode. They recently purchased a tire-retreading operation in Rochester, Minn., and are now looking for a multistore operation to add to their growing list of acquisitions. They also pride themselves on providing 24-7 service to their commercial customers. If they ever decide to go overseas, I can think of a place that could really use their help. Until next issue,

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Whitney Bina St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce Teresa Bohnen St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce Julie L. Fisk and Rachael Holthaus Quinlivan & Hughes, P.A. Sharon Henry St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce Dr. Fred E. Hill St. Cloud State University Gail Ivers St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce Tracy Knofla High Impact Training Mike Roth Reventus, LLC Greg Vandal Vox Liberi Dawn Zimmerman The Write Advantage ADVERTISING Associate Publisher/Sales Wendy Hendricks, Hendricks Marketing Ad Traffic & Circulation Yola Hartmann, Hazel Tree Media ART Design & Production Yola Hartmann, Hazel Tree Media Sarah Sucansky Cover Photo Joel Butkowski, BDI Photography ACCOUNTING Judy Zetterlund WEBSITE Vicki Lenneman CORPORATE SPONSOR

110 Sixth Avenue South • P.O. Box 487, St. Cloud, MN 56302-0487 Phone (320) 251-2940 • Fax (320) 251-0081 www.BusinessCentralMagazine.com For advertising information contact Wendy Hendricks, (320) 656-3808 Editorial suggestions can be made in writing to: Editor, Business Central, P.O. Box 487, St. Cloud, MN 56302-0487. Submission of materials does not guarantee publication. Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. © Copyright 2014 Business Central LLC

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Editor

Business Central is published six times a year by the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, 110 Sixth Avenue South; P.O. Box 487, St. Cloud, MN 56302-0487 • Phone (320) 251-2940 Fax (320) 251-0081 • Subscription rate: $18 for 1 year.

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Book Review

Getting Going

People to Know

Your Voice in Government

Business Calendar

New in Town

The Trouble with Business

UPFRONT

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is required to achieve real performance improvement. “The seven business virtues that can turn into the most powerful, hidden, and damaging sacred cows are: balance, collaboration, creativity, excellence, fairness, passion, and preparation.” These seven qualities (sacred cows) show up in workplaces across the globe. And they are too often rarely questioned. Each has a reputation for being good and virtuous. But, unexamined can have harsh effects. Each of the seven is extremely valuable. I’ve listed the seven sacred cows below, with each unproductive masquerade scored out and each virtue bolded: Bland Bold Balance Automatic Accountable Collaboration Narcissistic Useful Creativity Process Outcome Excellence Outcome Process Fairness Obsessive Harmonious Passion Backstage Onstage Preparation Bold Balance at work rejects compromise as a default and saying yes to all things as wisdom. Accountable

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

ipping Sacred Cows reveals what it takes to overcome the dangerous behaviors that masquerade as virtues at work and how you can lead with fewer selfimposed limitations and greater results. Author Jake Breeden identifies the dark side of the seven most sacred cows at work. For each of these sacred cows, Breeden offers proven and powerful strategies for overcoming their allure and achieve real results. An unexamined reverence for sacred cows is a wide-ranging, universal phenomenon. Specificity

ISBN 978-1-118-34591-7

by Jake Breeden, JosseyBass, San Francisco, 2013

Valuable workplace behaviors, left unexamined, can result in self-imposed limits and poor productivity.

that Masquerade as Virtues

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Masquerade

Tipping Sacred Cows;

News & people that make up the chamber network

BOOK REVIEW

Kick the Bad Work Habits

G R O W N E T W OR K P R O F I T

Reviewed by Fred E. Hill

Collaboration means working together instead of just making a decision to do so. Case in point: does this work really need more than me? Useful Creativity delivers value, not just novelty. Sometimes borrowing, modifying, or recycling an existing idea might be best. Outcome Excellence focuses on the outcome, not the process. Sometimes high standards might choke progress. In certain situations constant learning and tweaking could be the best route. Process Fairness requires that leaders are able to discriminate between what they want or need and what someone else wants or needs. Organizations need to focus on beating the competition, not their employees. Harmonious Passion for work is best when it is in harmony with other parts of our life. Read the book to learn about Onstage Preparation. BC Dr. Fred E. Hill is an emeritus professor of Learning Resources and Services, at St. Cloud State University.

Twardowski

Magnan

Initiative Foundation hires; secures grant Alyson Twardowski and Amanda Magnan recently joined the Initiative Foundation. Twardowski, communications and donor services assistant, has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bethel University. Magnan, organizational development assistant, is a student at Minnesota School of Business pursuing a degree in business management. The Corporation for National and Community Service awarded a $250,000 grant to the Initiative Foundation to extend the foundation’s role as a Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) sponsoring organization into August 2015. As a sponsoring organization, the Initiative Foundation oversees the recruitment, placement, training, and supervision of 18 VISTA members across Central Minnesota.

Marco recognized Marco, Inc. was named 2013 Central Area Small to Medium Business Partner of the Year by Cisco, a national networking equipment retailer. The award was presented to Marco for taking a leadership position in implementing unified communications and cloud networking systems through Cisco processes.

SMART BUSINESS: APollo INSURANCE AGENCY

Apollo Delivers Complete Insurance Package From Commercial and Personal Insurance to Benefits, Apollo offers them all business, creating the second largest private insurance agency in Minnesota with $20 million in annual revenue. Among the new resources are a health and wellness division, which helps customers design programs and conduct assessments, and expanded loss control and human resource services that provide a dedicated hotline for customers to call with questions. “These services have been a huge addition to our value-add,” says DeEtte. “We’ve received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from customers already.”

pollo, a division of North Risk Partners, is a complete insurance broker for customers, delivering products and risk management services to address every insurance need. Dedicated People People are key. Founder John Delinsky tapped the community for talent in 1982, hiring hard working, honest, respectful, and reliable people ready to serve. “Our staff is family,” says DeEtte Wurm, partner since 2007, along with Barry Quernemoen. (Steve Thelen became a partner in 2008.) “We don’t stress hierarchy. Instead, our licensed, dedicated people work together

between business insurance, personal insurance, benefits, and bonding departments.” Full Product Line Apollo provides a full line of products—commercial and personal insurance, group health, life, and individual benefits—with agents licensed to offer them all. “Typically, agents handle either Property & Casualty business or benefits, but not both,” says Wurm.

Partnership Power Strong partners increase Apollo’s ability to deliver more. The agency joined forces in 2013 with Johnson McCann of St. Paul, robust in employee benefits, and C.O. Brown of Rochester, complementary with Apollo in Property & Casualty

Future Plans Apollo and its partner agencies are moving to a single management system to increase efficiency. The agency also plans to expand its geographic reach into the Dakotas, recently hiring a producer in western Minnesota to spearhead the effort. Going forward, Apollo will continue to do whatever it takes to provide customers a complete package of risk management capabilities and insurance protection. •

We are always looking to hire good people, explore new markets, “and purchase agencies that are a good fit for us, we will consider any opportunity that helps us enhance the value of services we can bring to our clients. —DeEtte Wurm

622 Roosevelt Rd., Suite 240 • St. Cloud, MN 56301 320.253.1122 • www.apolloinsurance.com

SPONSORED PROFILE

“However, we believe that having multi-line producers is the best way to deliver seamless service to customers.”

”

48 staff: including 35 in St. Cloud Locations: St. Cloud, Albany, Melrose, Monticello Partners: John Delinsky, Steve Thelen, Barry Quernemoen, DeEtte Wurm

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UPFRONT NETWORK

N E WS R E E L Bell joins Trace Design

GETTING GOING

To Be in Business

Rosalie Bell joined Trace Design as client coordinator. Bell Bell has over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and presentations. She works to expand the client base of Trace Design in the Twin Cities metro area.

Sleep Center reaccredited The St. Cloud Hospital Sleep Center received a five-year reaccreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). Accreditation is reserved for facilities that display and maintain proficiency in testing procedures and policies, patient safety and follow-up, and physician and staff training. The St. Cloud Hospital Sleep Center was the first in Central Minnesota to be nationally accredited by the AASM. Chmielewski recognized Linda Chmielewski, MS, RN, NEA, BC, vice president of Chmielewski St. Cloud Hospital Operations/Chief Nursing Officer, was honored by The Women’s Health Leadership TRUST for providing excellence in health care. The Women’s Health Leadership TRUST works to advance women leaders in health care, influence public policy, and improve health care in their communities. She was one of 35 women recognized at the 2014 forum in Minneapolis. Hughes Mathews relocates, changes firm name Hughes Mathews, P.A. has relocated its office to District Square, 622 Roosevelt Road in St. Cloud. The firm also changed its name to Hughes Mathews Greer, P.A. Members of the firm are: Thomas E. Mathews, John L. Greer, John F. Mathews, James P.A. Morrighan, and Kevin J. Hughes (of counsel).

By Greg Vandal

must admit to harboring sensitivity regarding perceptions of what I used to do as opposed to what I do now. There are firm recollections, planted from spirited conversations, about how educators have often been implored to “run (your) school more like a business.” I once developed an address – somewhat snarky in nature, now that I think about it – in which I challenged the state’s Chamber of Commerce Executive Directors when they met in St. Cloud some years back, to “run your business more like a school.” The point being made to me was that, especially in the deployment of resources and in the measurement of results, the education community could benefit from some of the practices regularly employed in the private sector. Ironically, advanced training in school

administration often includes coursework in business finance, organizational management, Six Sigma, and Continuous Quality Improvement. Many of the classes I took were delivered through a respected School of Business rather than through the College of Education. The point I tried to make in return was that an unswerving focus on the bottom line, rather than the organizational mission, often negatively impacts the persons in the organization and/or those served by that company. Besides, I was aware of the failure rates among startup businesses – even today, according to a recent report from the Small Business Development Center at Bradley University, nearly one out of two new businesses are closed after a three-year mark. All of this is mostly a pointless – and near fruitless – debate. One of my nonprofit

clients said not too long back that “we have to be in business to be in business.” When I probed further, she stated what should have been obvious to me from the start: Any organization – public or private, for profit or not – must constantly engage in best business practices in order to survive. Certainly, those best practices have to be tailored to the circumstance. Restaurant owners need to calculate labor costs and food prices carefully in order to deliver high quality, affordable meals to willing customers. And, this must be done to produce enough margin for the operator to keep the establishment open. A school administrator has to consider labor costs to determine staff to student ratios and balance those with supply budgets and other infrastructure expenses to create an environment in which children want to learn. While different market forces and different regulatory agencies might come into play, the fundamental business practices are very much the same. Time has given me a wider face and grayer hair. It has also shown that the old sensitivity was wrongly placed. Both sides, it seems, were right after all. BC

About the writer Greg Vandal is the sole proprietor of Vox Liberi, a consulting business that delivers planning and project management services to clients in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. He can be reached at greg.vandal@voxliberi.com

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

People to know

Get to know them

Chad Houg FaceTime Business Resources (320) 247-4327 cdhoug@gmail.com Chair, Sauk Rapids Chamber

Hire an

The Sauk Rapids Chamber, a division of the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, promotes a healthy business environment in the community of Sauk Rapids. Volunteers and committee members work in cooperation with member businesses, local government, the public school system and other community organizations.

People of interest within the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce community.

Tim McLean Rasmussen College (320) 251-5600 timothy.mclean@rasmussen.edu Chair, Technology and Education Conference Committee The Technology and Education Conference Committee organizes the Chamber’s annual fall conference covering technology and education topics related to medical, legal, business, and information technology. Volunteers recruit speakers and sponsors who provide educational seminars and staff display booths. The event is open to all Chamber members and the general public.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Jessica Mergen Ward Minnesota School of Business (320) 257-2000 jward@msbcollege.edu Chair, Volunteer Committee

Tim Schmidt Rejuv Medical (320) 217-8480 tim@rejuvmedical.com Chair, Waite Park Chamber

The Volunteer Committee creates and maintains a system to communicate volunteer opportunities at the Chamber to interested members, helps recruit volunteers, and helps recognize current volunteers and their companies throughout the year. Committee members are responsible for organizing the Star Celebration, the Chamber’s annual volunteer recognition celebration.

The Waite Park Chamber, a division of the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, is a place where business, education and government come together for the betterment of the community. Programs include the Waite Park State of the City address.

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UPFRONT NETWORK

N E WS R E E L

Stanislawski

Stanislawski joins Jovanovich, Kadlec & Athmann

Kristi Stanislawski joined Jovanovich, Kadlec & Athmann as an attorney. She practices in the areas of litigation, municipal law, criminal prosecution, family law, and elder law. Stanislawski previously worked as an attorney for the licensing boards of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

YOUR VOICe IN GOVERNMENT

St. Cloud Area Evening at the Capital Photos by Jim McAlister, Tell-A-Vision Productions

Scott Mareck, WSB & Associates (L) with Rep. Zach Dorholt

Pam Raden, The Johnson Group Marketing (L) and Sen. Michelle Fischbach

Bernick Family Foundation awards $150,000 The Bernick Family Foundation awarded over $150,000 in grants focused on enriching the lives of youth and improving health. The grants are administered through the Central Minnesota Community Foundation. A climbing wall at Clara’s House and a school outreach tour of the Science Museum of Minnesota are among the projects selected for funding.

John Herges, Falcon National Bank (L) and Sen. LeRoy Stumpf

Rep. Jeff Howe and Jane DeAustin, Central Minnesota Builders Assoc.

Julie Lunning, St. Cloud Area Chamber’s Convention & Visitors Bureau (L) and Rep. Tama Theis

Rep. Paul Torkelson with Chamber President Teresa Bohnen

Ryan Daniel, Metro Bus (L) and Sen. John Pederson

Laraway recognized Steve Laraway, independent financial advisor Laraway with Laraway Financial Advisors, Inc., was named to the Cambridge Premier Club 2014 by his independent broker-dealer, Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. This honor recognizes a financial advisor’s success based on delivering the highest level of client service, a commitment to Cambridge’s core values, and a high level of financial success.

Nordmann joins El Jay Plumbing Sonia Nordmann joined El Jay Nordmann Plumbing as director of business development. She has eight years of industry experience.

POINT OF View

Business Central asked readers: What does your business or organization do to build teams?”

“ “ “

“

We hold special events and get together after work.” —William Hart, US Army Recruiting Center

We have caregiver meetings quarterly to solve our client and caregiver challenges.”

Jessica Mergen Ward Minnesota School of Business

We have a summer party and a Christmas potluck and get together.”

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We create a fun environment through positive attitudes and feeding off the energy from our great students!”

“

—Margaret Kotula, Home Instead Senior Care

—Andrea Lodermeier, Minnwest Bank M.V

Leslie LeCuyer, Central MN Arts Council with St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis

Terry Kritzeck Andy’s Towing Co.

We have incentive programs and we encourage the younger team members to learn from employees with more experience and vice versa.”

IT HAPPENED WHEN?

1982 All About St. Cloud

ere you a resident of St. Cloud in 1982? Do you remember what the city was like? The St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce can help jog your memory with its 1982 game All About St. Cloud. Created by Windsor Publications and sponsored by the Chamber and 59 other businesses, All About St. Cloud – the Game of St. Cloud was a fun, promotional opportunity to go along with the Chamber’s annual Membership Directory. The Chamber and sponsoring organizations sold games throughout the area. Although we no longer

have any copies for sale, the board game might turn up in your family’s storage or basement. One copy is also on display at the Stearns History Museum. The goal of the game is to collect Travel Cards and make your way around St. Cloud circa 1982. Similar to Monopoly, participants were required to visit local banks and collect money in order to pay for Travel Cards and other expenses. All of the game pieces, money, and Travel Cards were sponsored by different businesses and organizations. BC

Top: Chamber members play a game of All About St. Cloud Above: All About St. Cloud board game

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Bremer.com Downtown St. Cloud 251-3300 • West St. Cloud 656-3300 Sauk Rapids 252-1938 • Sartell 255-7121 • Rice 393-2600 800-908-BANK (2265) Member FDIC. ©2014 Bremer Financial Corporation. All rights reserved.

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C J P S A D

UPFRONT NETWORK

N E WS R E E L CentraCare Vascular Center accredited; Ibeling hired CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center has been accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) for its pediatric transthoracic and fetal echocardiography program. It is one of only a few sites in Minnesota to hold this distinction. Sarah Ibeling, CNP, recently joined the CentraCare Clinic – River Campus hospitalist team. She previously served in the United States Army where she was deployed to work in the Abu Ghraib Prison Hospital in Iraq and most recently worked as a registered nurse at Fairview Northland Medical Center in Princeton, Minn.

BUSINESS CALENDAR July-August 2014 •• Visit events.StCloudAreaChamber.com for a detailed calendar.

Can’t-miss opportunities to influence, promote and learn July 16 & August 20

Waite Park Chamber

Sauk Rapids Chamber

For businesses interested in Waite Park issues. Lunch is provided by the host when you register at least two days in advance. 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

For businesses interested in Sauk Rapids issues. Lunch is provided by the host when you register at least two days in advance. 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

July 16: Hosted by The Legends at Heritage Place at Texas Roadhouse, 345 2nd St. S, Waite Park. The meeting includes a presentation on “Why Hiring People with Disabilities Works” by Tom Herges, St. John’s University. August 20: Hosted by Minnesota School of Business, 1201 2nd St. S, Waite Park.

Westra

Theisen

July 17 & August 21

Metzen

Leighton Broadcasting recognizes employees The following Leighton Broadcasting employees were recognized at the 2013 annual awards ceremony for outstanding performance: •• Doris Westra, 2013 Top Biller •• Stephanie Theisen, 2013 Digital Sales Manager “Rookie of the Year” •• Andrew Metzen, “2013 Rising Star”

August 28

Business After Hours A complimentary open house for Chamber members and guests. Bring lots of business cards and prepare to grow your network! 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Chamber Open The 68th annual Chamber Open is August 11 at the St. Cloud Country Club, 301 Montrose Rd., St. Cloud. The event begins with a shotgun start at 11:30 a.m. Dinner follows the event at 5:30 p.m.

July 17: Hosted by D. J. Bitzan Jewelers, 203 Waite Ave. N, Waite Park August 21: Hosted by HealthPartners Central MN Clinics, 2251 Connecticut Ave. S, Sartell

Edmonton Trailer chooses former Verso property for U.S. expansion.

anadian manufacturer Edmonton Trailer recently closed on a property acquisition of an existing 30,000-squarefoot warehouse that was part of the Verso Paper Mill in Sartell.

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August 8 A discussion of local government issues on the second Friday of the month, 7:30 - 9 a.m. at the Chamber office, 110 6th Ave. S. July: No meeting August 8: Emerging legislative topics.

For information on these or other business events, call 320-251-2940.

IN THE NEWS

August 28: Hosted by the Sauk Rapids Chamber. Includes a three-minute Business Showcase. Location: Sauk Rapids Government Center.

Government Affairs

Welter receives ATHENA Award Dr. Patricia Welter, retired educator, was selected as the 2014 ATHENA Award recipient for her dedication to education, domestic violence and for inspiring others in the community. The ATHENA program is administered by the Women’s Fund of the Central Minn. Community Foundation.

JulY: No meeting.

This is the company’s first U.S.based operation and is expected to add 60 jobs in the next two years. This transaction marks the first repurposing for the former paper mill operation.

Edmonton Trailer specializes in the production and sales of heavy transportation equipment for the trucking industry. The new Minnesota facility will allow the company to use complementary local vendors, expand their existing product line, and enhance service to many of their current customers in the United States. The company investigated several locations in the Midwest before selecting Minnesota and Sartell. They worked with Casey O’Malley and Kevin Brink, INH, to complete the sale. BC

new IN town

Melinda Vonderahe Age: 42 When did you start in your current position? July 2013 Who was your previous employer? I’ve been with Gannett for 19 years starting in Cincinnati. Most recently I was in Appleton, WI where I worked for Gannett Wisconsin Media as the Marketing & Digital Director for a group of ten newspapers in the state.

Fun fact: The summer after my senior year in high school, I had an Olympic equestrian rider ask me to move from Ohio to Washington state to train underneath her.

President & Publisher, Times Media

What will you miss most about your previous position? I miss the people that I worked with in Wisconsin. That team shared a lot of the same great attributes that I have experienced since moving to Central Minnesota –great work ethic, trusting, funloving Midwest personalities. What are you looking forward to the most in your new position? I’m looking to make a difference for my organization and the community where I live. I want to look back on my time and experiences in St. Cloud and know that I contributed positively toward the lives of people in this area.

Where did you grow up? The majority of my childhood was spent in the suburbs on the western side of Cincinnati, Ohio. I am a Midwestern girl and prefer to live in areas that share Midwestern values, culture and faith. What are your hobbies? I am married with three children. Between my work and my family time, it leaves me very little time for much else. As a family, we enjoy the theatre, movies, hiking, biking, reading, and just having fun! BC

NO WORRY PRINT SOLUTION It’s funny how the small things we don’t pay much attention to tend to sneak up on us at the worst possible time. Like when you run out of toner and have to order a new cartridge. When you add it up, those little things can cost you a lot of money in the long run. That’s why there is Marco’s Managed Print Services. We simplify your supply ordering process and can save you up to 30% on your overall print costs. So all you have to worry about is managing your business.

Connect with Marco — your trusted technology advisor.

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UPFRONT NETWORK

N E WS R E E L ProcessPro employees named business awards finalists Karly Peters and Dan Erickson, ProcessPro, were named finalists for the 2014 American Business Awards. Peters, marketing manager, was named a Marketer of the Year finalist, while Erickson, product manager, was named Product Developer of the Year finalist.

the trouble with business

Tough Decisions Learning to make the tough decisions will help you take your business to the next level.

Bosek joins Bremer Nathan Bosek joined Bremer Bosek Investment Services and Raymond James as a financial advisor. He is licensed in life and health insurance and has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Concordia College. He has experience as a private banker, investment officer and financial advisor.

Cruikshank joins GSDC Gail Cruikshank joined the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation (GSDC) as talent director. This position is part of the GSDC’s talent initiative, which aims to develop and launch a regional talent portal and create a new brand for the Central Minnesota region. Cruikshank has experience in recruitment, candidate networking, succession planning, training development and administration, and talent management and development. Sayre listed in Who’s Who Kelly Sayre, director of sports and special events Sayre for the St. Cloud Area Chamber’s Convention & Visitors Bureau, was recently recognized as a top 20 “Who’s Who” leader in the sports industry by Sports Destinations Management magazine. Compiled by Whitney Bina. For consideration in News Reel send your news release to givers@ BusinessCentralMagazine.com

By Mike Roth

hy are some businesses more successful than others? Is it because they are smarter than their competition? Are they lucky? Or is it something else? In his most recent book, The Advantage, Patrick Lencioni states that “Healthy trumps smart.” If you had to choose healthy or smart, he suggests you should choose healthy. Healthy will help you become smart, but smart won’t make you healthy. As I work with business owners and their leadership teams implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating

System (EOS), my goal is to make them healthy AND smart. In this process, I see strong evidence that supports Lencioni’s claim. The key to success is definitely in the people component of any business and is directly related to creating a clear compelling vision and a healthy culture. Often teams are made up of smart people that are stuck. On the other hand, I see teams that don’t necessarily have any real strong individuals, but they have achieved success simply because they were very healthy. When teams are both smart and healthy, magic happens.

Smart vs. Healthy The key is the ability to confront and make the difficult decisions. Some of those decisions involve the “Smart” part of running a business, things like strategy, business plans, budgets, investment choices, and so on. We tend to be pretty good at these because they’re objective, often quantifiable, and it’s what we’re taught when we learn how to run businesses. The much tougher decisions are the ones that really determine whether we get what we want. These involve the “Healthy” part of running a business, things like culture, alignment, accountability and, most difficult of all, people.

About the writer Mike Roth is the president of Reventus, a business consulting firm, and a certified implementer for the Entrepreneurial Operating System. He can be reached at Mike.Roth@reventusllc.com.

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Most of us struggle with these issues because they can’t be quantified and often involve letting go of something – or someone – familiar, safe and comfortable. These decisions require us to do things that we’ve been socialized NOT to do, especially telling people things we think they don’t want to hear. To make this even harder, few of us are ever taught how to be good at the “Healthy” part of running a business. “Healthy” means having a strong culture and vision that gets people engaged and aligned. It means being great at accountability. It means being truly open and honest with one another, so that difficult issues

and decisions are addressed, not avoided, allowing the company to move forward. The next time you take a clarity break, try asking yourself these questions: • How strong is our culture? • Does the culture attract and engage the kinds of people we want? • If we asked our people – all of them – to describe our culture and vision, how many different answers would we get? • Are our lines of accountability crystal clear? When an issue arises, do we all know immediately who owns it? • How open and honest are our conversations? What do we hold back?

Lisa Koster

• How clear is our vision? • Are our people willing to come into a meeting having NOT done the things they told their teammates they would do by that date, or is that simply unthinkable?

In the answers to these questions, you will find the places where your team, and therefore your business, is less healthy than it could be. These are the most important issues you face, the ones that are keeping you from getting what you want. The good news is that they can be solved (yes, we can help with that – it’s a process, not a mystery). Solving them will set you on your way. BC

IN THE NEWS Stearns Insurance Services recognized Stearns Insurance Services, Inc., was recognized among Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company’s top 50 agencies and 12 farm companies for outstanding achievement in the insurance profession and for superior performance. The award was presented to Jim Wensel, who received a 2014 President’s Club plaque from Grinnell Mutual. Grinnell Mutual provides reinsurance for farm mutual insurance companies and property and casualty insurance products in the Midwest.

Ashley Ohlemann

Joy Schafer Linda DooleyBauer

Melissa Theisen Rich Remer, President

Tammy Reis, Vice President, Lending Simply Free Business Checking Call us today for a consultation. (320) 253-0142 · 800-821-6326 · anbmn.com 3210 W Division St · St. Cloud

A strong team for business. Bank on it. AMERICANNATIONALBANK OF MINNESOTA

MEMBER FDIC | EQUAL HOUSING LENDER

Where it pays to bank.

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TOP HATS | Milestones

TOP HATS | New Members 25 year Chamber member Vacuum Center & Sewing Room, 41 21st Ave. N, St. Cloud. Pictured: Diane Ohmann, Doug Morris, Perry Pierce, Diane Tucker, Paul Ankenman, Dean Fladmo and Bob Lien.

Seitz Stainless, fabricators of custom and contract processing equipment for food, dairy, and pharmaceutical industries, 17578 400th Street, Avon. Pictured: Jason Bernick, Janet Haviland, Jeff Haviland and Brian Jarl.

TOP HATS | New Members Old Country Buffet, restaurant, 3333 W Division St., St. Cloud. Pictured: John Stachowski, Laura Martinez, OC Bee, Kris Neupauer, Marco Hanson, Luke Cesnik and Stephanie Gerrard.

One Hour Heating & A/C, 2 21st Ave. S, St. Cloud. Pictured: Brian Jarl, Gary Sargent, Joseph Opheim and Diane Ohmann.

Advance Your Goals, 1125 1st St. S, Suite 440, Sartell. Pictured: Diane Ohmann, Maria Mosca and Beth Putz.

Customized Training Affordable. Professional. Personalized. Corporate Education & Outreach provides customized training tailored to fit your needs. We also offer: Seminars Workshops Conference Planning Services Career Training (online & classroom)

scsutraining.com 20

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Stearns Lending, Inc. – Home Loans Division, 4150 2nd St. S, Suite 330, St. Cloud. Pictured: Roger Schleper, Amy Gotvald, Aimee Okerstrom, Patricia Dahl and Diane Ohmann.

Firehouse Subs, submarine sandwiches, catering available, founded by firemen, 335 5th Ave. S, St. Cloud. Pictured: Roger Schleper, David Konshok and Greg E. Theis.

The Wine Shop by Nicholas Barth, high end liquor store that carries craft beer, wine, whiskey and other liquors, 218 6th Ave. S, St. Cloud. Pictured: Roger Schleper, Tom Pickard, Steve Pickard, Nick Barth and Luke Cesnik.

Alliance Building Corporation, a full service general contractor, offering preplanning and site development, architectural design management, estimating and cost control, 3709 Quail Road NE, Sauk Rapids. Pictured: Corey Gerads, Julie Braun and Greg E. Theis.

Your Home Improvement Company, specializing in all types of home repair and improvement and all sizes of projects, 3900 Roosevelt Road, Suite 125, St. Cloud. Pictured: Inese Mehr, Steven Little and Shannon Templin. New Member - Photo omitted. Ted’s RV Land, travel trailer/RV sales, service and parts, 28501 E Highway 55, Paynesville.

TOP HATS | New Members

Auto Excellence, automotive repairs, 30 Lincoln Ave. SE, St. Cloud. Pictured: Dolora Musech, Jay Magney, Tom Rekowski, Josh Theisen, and Mike Moder.

ZeroRez, cleans and sanitizes residential and commercial properties with patented empowered water eliminating the need for harsh soaps, shampoos, and detergents. Zero soaps, zero residue, 24335 18th Ave., St. Augusta. Pictured: Diane Ohmann, Aaron Heath and Beth Putz.

D & B Auto Body, LLC, full service collision repair facility and more, 603 N Benton Dr., Sauk Rapids. Pictured: Scott Anderson, Nikki, Brandon, Kenan and Leilani Anderson.

Minnesota Center Chorale, a regional 80 member choir that performs a wide repertoire of classical and contemporary music, 32351 91st Ave., St. Joseph. Pictured: Keith Larson and Brian Jarl.

Farm Bureau Financial Services, 637 2nd St. S, Waite Park. Pictured: Diane Ohmann, Ben Bjerk and Dolora Musech.

Net V Pro, managed services, 110 6th Ave. S, Suite 100, St. Cloud. Pictured: Paul Berndt, Jon Schloesser, Curt Richter and Brian Jarl.

Graniteman Events, Inc., a race management company, 1009 Industrial Dr. S, Sauk Rapids. Pictured: Roger Schleper, Larry Stracke, Bill Corcoran and Tauna Quimby.

Pearl Dental, 1716 2nd Ave. N, Sauk Rapids. Pictured: Tauna Quimby, Dr. Chris Mertensotto and Dolora Musech.

Cold Spring Bakery Connection, 103 2nd St. S, Waite Park. Pictured: Dave Borgert, Andria Schurman and Dolora Musech.

The Paint Store…and MOOORE!, 3707 3rd St. N, St. Cloud. Pictured: Beth Putz, Karl Hinkemeyer, Ted Statz and Inese Mehr.

People helping people. It’s a simple concept that over 50,000 of your friends and neighbors in Central Minnesota have already discovered. We invite you to see how we can make a difference with your personal or business finances. Ryan Davidson Branch Lender

1300 Elm Street East, St. Joseph 888.330.8482 | myCMCU.org facebook.com/myCMCU Federally Insured by NCUA

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TOP HATS | New Members

Top Tier Cake, a specialty cake business that sells to individuals and restaurants, 335 75th Ave. NE, Sauk Rapids. Pictured: Beth Putz, Lynn Zormeier and Inese Mehr.

Community Grassroots Solutions, non-profit organization serving Central Minnesota, 18 23rd Ave. N, St. Cloud. Pictured: Jama Alimad and Dolora Musech.

Black Financial Services, Inc., focusing on the financial needs of businesses and individuals, 110 Avon Ave. N, Avon. Pictured: Beth Putz, Karen Korneck, Margo Black Scepaniak and Inese Mehr.

C. H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc., one of the world’s largest third party logistics providers, 3717 23rd St. S, Suite 200, St. Cloud. Pictured: Shannon Templin, Brent Weber, Alison Schroeder and Julie Forsberg.

McKay’s Dodge/Chrysler/ Jeep/Ram, 2020 Frontage Road S, Waite Park. Pictured: Marty Golembeski, Travis Benoit, Dolora Musech, Gary Foss and Jeff Zylla.

US Army Recruiting Center, 2719 W Division St., Suite 118, St. Cloud. Pictured: Dolora Musech, SFC Randall Williams, SFC Edward Foust, SSG Brian McCraney, SSG George Mixon and Julie Forsberg.

Lube Tech, offering the most advanced lubrication and energy solution to maximize productivity, efficiency and equipment life, 3341 Southway Drive, St. Cloud. Pictured: Dolora Musech and Jamie Morford.

ADS Designs, LLC, drafting and design of new homes large or small, garages, additions, sheds, decks and more, 3728 Old Stone Court NE, Sauk Rapids. Pictured: Beth Putz, Anthony Steinemann and Jayne Greeney Schill.

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Tyco SimplexGrinnell, provides a comprehensive array of fire alarm, fire sprinkler, fire suppression, integrated security, sound and healthcare communications systems and services, 820 Sundial Dr, Waite Park. Pictured: Dave Borgert, Jon Wiener, Thomas W. Miller, Greg Evans, Josh Wells and Diane Ohmann.

Great Northern Environmental Solutions, LLC, energy audits, litigation consulting, compliance inspection, insurance claims and alternative energy usage, 512 3rd St. N, Waite Park. Pictured: Julie Forsberg, Ron A. Euteneuer and Shannon Templin.

TOP HATS | New Businesses

TOP HATS | New Locations, Ownership & Expansions

Kona Ice Central St. Cloud, a mobile shaved ice vendor, specializing in fundraising, 24681 22nd Ave., St. Augusta. Pictured: Jayne Greeney Schill, Tracy and Mike Sharp, and Inese Mehr.

Negen and Associates, architectural and interior design services for worship, commercial office, retail, funeral, industrial, healthcare, and senior housing clients, 711 41st Ave. N, St. Cloud. Pictured: Jill Magelssen, Lon Negen and Kris Hellickson.

Kalpin Dentistry, high-quality comprehensive dental care for patients of all ages, 1545 Northway Drive, Suite 150, St. Cloud. Pictured: Roger Schleper, Dr. Jennie Kalpin and Diane Ohmann.

Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity, helping low-income families through affordable home ownership, 3335 W Saint Germain St., Suite 108, St. Cloud. Pictured: Brian Jarl, Bruce Johnson and Roger Schleper.

Shrewd Real Estate, 2757 Ocarina Drive, Sauk Rapids. Pictured: Chris Panek, Jason Tangen and Dave Borgert.

Loffler Companies, managed IT services, managed print services, content management, and print solutions, 28 11th Ave. S, Suite 102, St. Cloud. Pictured: Roger Schleper, Darren Kappes, Craig Thielman, John Detra and Inese Mehr.

Abel & Wright, collecting B2B debt using highly-trained professionals who understand business complexities and protect your brand with respect and integrity, 12360 Ronneby Road NE, Foley. Pictured: Greg E. Theis, Amy Marquard and Roger Schleper.

Werschay Homes, 28 11th Ave. S, Suite 101, St. Cloud. Pictured: Beth Putz, Dave Werschay and Roger Schleper.

Rejuv Medical, orthopedic and sports medicine, weight loss and wellness center, aesthetic and regenerative medicine, 901 3rd St. N, Waite Park. Pictured: Brian Jarl, Tag Downare, Tim Schmidt, Joel Baumgartner, MD, J.R. Burgess, and Scott Anderson.

BioLife Plasma Services, collecting blood plasma and compensating the donors for their time, has a second location at 651 10th Ave. S, Waite Park. Pictured: Diane Ohmann, Michael Schroeder, Alison Manderscheid, Matt Nieuwsma, Jeremy Hennessey, Kelly Kadlec, Taylor Kaeter, Shanda Cutler and Shannon Templin,

Continuing to Make a Difference!

Celebrating 42 Years of Excellence in Caring for You! Accredited by Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc.

St. Cloud Surgical Center 1526 Northway Drive • St. Cloud • 251-8385 • 800-349-7272 www.stcsurgicalcenter.com

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UPFRONT NETWORK

Network Central

Network!

2014 Business Awards Luncheon Photography by Todd Myra, Todd Myra Photography

Melissa Kelley, J. F. Kruse Jewelers (L), 2014 Small Business of the Year and Cathy Juilfs, AIS Planning

Andrew Hawkins, AIS Planning (L); Mark Traut, Mark J. Traut Wells, 2008 Small Business of the Year; Stefan Freeman, BankVista

Seated from left: Tim and Sonny Kosloske and Deb Kosloske Kittridge, Granite City Armored Car, 2008 Small Business of the Year. Standing: Corey Hansen, US Bank (L), and Roger Bonn, Peters Body Shop, 1995 Small Business of the Year

Bonnie Supan and Joyce Brenny, Brenny Transportation. Brenny was the 2012 Women in Business Champion

Paul Seipel (L) and Brian Weber, Midwest Machinery, 2014 Emerging Entrepreneurs

Brian Bauerly, formerly of the Bauerly Companies (L), the 2001 Entrepreneurial Success Award, and Ben Swenson, Midwest Machinery, 2014 Emerging Entrepreneur

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John McDowall, McDowall Company, 2009 Entrepreneurial Success Award recipient

Jill Magelssen, Express Employment Professionals and Dick Bitzan, DJ Bitzan Jewelers, 2010 Family Owned Business of the Year

Network Central

Profıt!

John Herges, Falcon National Bank, (center) presents the 2014 Family Owned Business of the year award to Pat (L) and Paul Duininck, Royal Tire

Bill Knoblach, Gilleland Chevrolet Cadillac, sponsor of the Business Central Mark of Excellence, presents the award to Midwest Machinery. From left: Paul Seipel, Knoblach, Andrew Swenson, Ben Swenson, Brian Weber, and Adam Weber.

Melissa Kelley and Jim Kruse, owners, J. F. Kruse Jewelers, the 2014 Small Business of the Year

Some of the employees from Royal Tire celebrate the company’s recognition at the 2014 Business Awards Luncheon. Seated from left: Owner Paul Duininck; company founder and father of the current owners, Roger Duininck; and owner Pat Duininck.

Online now For more photos visit www.BusinessCentral Magazine.com John Herges, Falcon National Bank, presents the 2014 Small Business of the Year award to Melissa Kelley and Jim Kruse, J. F. Kruse Jewelers

Paul Duininck, Royal Tire

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Doing Good

Tech Strategies

29 Going Green

Management Toolkit

Economy Central

BUSINESS TOOLS

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RESOURCES THAT HELP YOUR BUSINESS GROW

DOING GOOD

Community Impact In order to demonstrate value through their charitable giving, Plaza Park Bank uses a Community Impact Committee

ver the years Plaza Park Bank increased its charitable giving and yet company leadership couldn’t clearly demonstrate the difference they were making on the community. In an effort to gain some control over the process, they created a Community Impact Committee in 2012. This committee, consisting of four staff members that rotate each year, meets monthly to make decisions about community requests. The committee developed a number of criteria to help them make their monthly decisions:

Purpose, intended impact, and geo-region. The committee determined that the focus of giving would be on youth and student development. Special preference is given when students or youth themselves demonstrate leadership for a special cause. For example, the Kids for Kids project, hosted by Catholic Charities, is an effort started by students in local high schools to provide essential living items to homeless students in their own school district. When the committee can see that the result will be

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

deep, even for a few children, they are likely to pay closer attention to the request. As a local bank with locations in Waite Park and Sartell, requests within the St. Cloud metro are preferred. One significant change Plaza Park made because of the Community Impact Committee is how they support school sports teams and arts programs. “We were buying ads in almost every sports program and yet not feeling as though we were really making an impact,“ said Tara Gronhovd, director of client experience. Instead the committee chose to give larger gifts to school district foundations so each district can determine the best use of those funds to support the extracurricular activities. The committee still considers special project requests from local teams and organizations. “It’s not about purchasing ad space,” Gronhovd said. “We want to ensure we’re making a difference. This approach has helped PPB become more focused while having a deeper impact on the youth of our community.” BC

TECH NEWS

A Whole New Touch Screen The MIT Media Lab’s Tangible Media Group recently unveiled inFORM, its dynamic shape display which, besides being really cool, allows you to interact with real objects by reaching through your screen. Check out the video at www. BusinessCentralMagazine.com Source: Buzzfeed.com

Stay Vigilant Perch is a mobile app that allows business owners to keep tabs on competitors and track online conversations about their companies. Launched in 2012, it won the 2013 Appy Award for Best Business App. Perch tracks online conversations about your company, then sends you mobile notifications and daily email digests. It also allows you to create a personal Watchlist of nearby businesses that matter to you. Source: PerchApp.com

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A Holographic iPhone

Here’s another cool video. Apple’s recent patent application for a holographic iPhone has imaginations going wild. Fast Company tracked down a concept video by Mike Ko, who has created animations for companies such as Google, Nike, Toyota, and NASCAR. The short clip simulates what it might look like if images left the iPhone screen and floated in the air.

We get the job do

Norm Skalicky, Craig Kern, Jim Peach, Daryn Lecy, Diane Notch, Derrick Meyer, Michelle Fuchs & Mandy Eiynck

Source: Fast Company

You can watch it at www. BusinessCentralMagazine.com

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The Business Technology Simplified online course series teaches the benefits of using modern technology to improve business productivity and creativity. The program covers a range of areas including: Desktop Technology Benefits, Saving Time Using Technology, Using Web-Based Services, Reaching More Customers by Extending Your Business Online, and Managing Your Sales Pipeline. The program is made available to businesses free of charge through the U.S. Small Business Administration and Microsoft. Source: US Small

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BUSINESS TOOLS G R OW

tech Strategies

Proven Ability

Facebook remains the top social media player for businesses of all sizes and types. By Dawn Zimmerman

as well as social media. Photos are more engaging than words and consistently gain more interaction from Facebook users than text-only status updates. Make it a rule to include a photo with every post. When possible, create a series of three or more. Each photo provides an opportunity to tag more users and connect with their friends. Experiment with angles and depth (closer is usually better) to build interest and give your photos more character.

acebook has taken the lead on the business market and continues to make changes and add features to help businesses use the tool to deliver results. Here are five proven practices to help your organization increase engagement, reach, and followers on Facebook:

Play post tag. The more you connect with others, the more others connect with you. When crafting a post about the recent recognition event, tag employees in the status – not just the picture. You can do this by using the @ symbol and then their names as

they appear on Facebook. This is the fastest way to increase the reach of a post on Facebook by allowing you to leverage its social and viral nature. Each time you tag, you connect with the individual and their network of friends. This may require you to build your own friend network and connect with coworkers and customers. Facebook requires administrators to personally be Facebook friends with anyone they tag in a post on a business page.

Make photos a staple. We have become a visuallyhungry culture and there are few places that demonstrate that

Post micro videos. Nothing engages individuals better than a short, entertaining video. It does not have to be professionally produced. In fact, it’s better if it’s not. Facebook users appreciate raw, unplugged and spontaneous videos. The video should be short; 10-20 seconds is best. The next time you think about taking a picture to upload, use your smartphone to take a video instead. Micro videos can capture your target audience’s attention longer than anything else and keep them coming back. Ask a question that almost anyone can answer. One of the best ways to initiate

About the writer Dawn Zimmerman is CEO of The Write Advantage, a St. Cloud-based communications company that specializes in social media.

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

dialogue is to ask a question. Make a weekly question part of your content plan. The question should connect back to your organization and be as easy to answer by the broadest number of fans as possible. Questions about moments of life or asking people to choose between two or three items often achieve the most engagement. Ask a question once a week on the same day and see how much traction you get after 4-6 weeks. Review your insights and post the question when your fans are most active.

Give something away. We like to win – no matter the value. Ask fans to like or comment on a post to win a prize and you will see instant engagement. Boost the post through Facebook’s advertising tool for additional reach to friends of your fans or another target market. Choosing a winner is easy with tools like Woobox.com. You can track engagement on your posts and randomly select a winner with the click of a button. You also can easily develop sweepstakes-type posts or offer coupons. Follow these five practices regularly and within six months, you will be seeing better results. Within a year, your Facebook presence could take on a new level with double the fans, triple the engagement, and reach as far as you want to take it. BC

GOING GREEN

Keep it Cool Implementing a few energy-saving tips in your office can help the bottom line.

“Tune-up” your heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) system with an annual maintenance contract. A contract automatically ensures that your HVAC contractor provides “pre-season” tuneups before each cooling and heating season. You save energy and money, and your system may last years longer. Change, or clean, HVAC filters every month during peak cooling or heating seasons. Dirty filters cost more to use, overwork the equipment and result in lower indoor air quality.

Use fans to maintain comfortable temperature, humidity and air movement, and save energy year round. Moving air can make a somewhat higher temperature and/or humidity feel comfortable. Fans can help delay or reduce the need for air conditioning, and a temperature setting of only three to five degrees higher can feel as comfortable with fans. Each degree of higher temperature can save about three percent on cooling costs. BC Source: U.S. Small Business Administration

BY THE NUMBERS

The Bakken 5X The Bakken oil boom is more than five times larger than the oil boom in the 1980s

29 million The number of barrels of oil produced in North Dakota in January 2014

17 million The number of barrels of oil produced in North Dakota in January 2011

236 The number of building permits issued in Williston, ND in 2013, down 38 percent from 2012

31.2% The increase in construction and land development loans for Bakken oil counties in the 4th quarter of 2013

1.6% The unemployment rate in Bakken oil counties in March 2014 Source: The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

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BUSINESS TOOLS G R OW

Management TOOLKIT

Game Changer

Minnesota’s minimum wage law is changing. Here’s a playbook to help keep you on the right side of the foul line. By Julie L. Fisk and Rachael R. Holthaus

egardless of political views, business ideals or economic situation, the new minimum wage law will take effect before cleats are laced and helmets are strapped for fall captains’ practice. Minnesota’s new minimum wage law begins August 1, 2014, and despite the range of opinions, there are several key points all Minnesotans should know. To start, there will be a new definition of what it means to be a “large” or “small” employer. Large employers are those having gross sales over $500,000 with small employers having gross sales under that amount. This new definition matches the federal definition of “large” and “small” employers.

Understanding the new definition will set the playing field for understanding the rest of the law. Beginning August 1, 2014, Minnesotans will see a progressively increasing minimum wage for the next three years with automatic inflationary increases thereafter. For large employers, the minimum wage will start at $8/hour on August 1, 2014, increasing to $9/hour on August 1, 2015, and then to $9.50/hour on August 1, 2016. Small employers follow a similar stepped increase with the minimum wage starting at $6.50/hour on August 1, 2014, increasing to $7.25/hour on August 1, 2015, and then to $7.75/hour on August 1, 2016.

About the writers

Beginning August 1, 2014, Minnesotans will see a progressively increasing minimum wage for the next three years with automatic inflationary increases thereafter. The law also includes an inflation index sometimes called “indexing,” which will start on January 1, 2018. The inflation index will be used to increase minimum wage in relation to general inflation in the marketplace. To determine this amount, the state will use a calculation set by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis. The inflationary increase is capped at 2.5 percent per year and will not be reduced in a year with negative inflation. The Minnesota and federal

Julie L. Fisk and Rachael Holthaus are attorneys at Quinlivan & Hughes, P.A. in St. Cloud. Fisk practices in the areas of employment law and business law. Holthaus practices in the area of business litigation.

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

minimum wage laws are not identical. Employees are entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages when both the state and federal minimum wage laws apply. Large employers in Minnesota must comply with the higher Minnesota minimum wage. However, because Minnesota’s minimum wage for small employers in 2014 is less than the federal minimum wage (currently set at $7.25/hour), small employers should carefully consider whether the federal or Minnesota statute applies to them and pay the higher minimum wage. In addition, small employers who anticipate crossing the $500,000 in gross sales definitional threshold midyear should speak with their legal counsel ahead of time to

avoid trouble with the Minnesota Department of Labor. Unlike some of our neighboring states, employees in industries that receive tips must still be paid at least the minimum wage per hour, and the employer may not take a tip credit against the minimum wage. In addition, the minimum wage rates apply to all hours worked by the employee, whether part time or full time. The changes to the minimum wage law are quickly approaching and will affect many Minnesotans. Preparing your game plan now will allow your business to take the field on August 1 without receiving a foul under Minnesota’s new wage laws. BC

GOING GREEN

Nature’s Power Source Ozgur Sahin, Ph.D., believes that water evaporation is the largest power source in nature. In an effort to demonstrate the potential of this untapped resource, Sahin and his fellow researchers have created prototype electrical generators with rubber sheets that move in response to changes in humidity thanks to a coating of bacterial spores. In initial experiments, Sahin discovered that a tiny, flexible, spore-coated silicon plank could generate 1,000 times as much force as human muscle when the humidity was increased from that of a dry, sunny day to a humid, misty day. This is 10 times greater than materials currently used to build actuators. Sahin also calculated that moistening 1 lb. of dry spores would generate enough force to lift a car 1 meter off the ground. Source: Gizmag.com

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BUSINESS TOOLS G R OW

Management TOOLKIT

Civility in the Workplace Unhappiness in the office is costing U.S. companies up to $550 billion a year.

By Tracy Knofla

uick, think of three things you wish were happening in your workplace! Realizing greater profits probably tops the list. Followed by better pay and benefits. Possibly ending with, a more harmonious work environment. If these three items appear on your wish list, you’re

in good company. But are they in the right order? According to a 2013 Gallup Poll, 70 percent of Americans feel unhappy at work. Only 30 percent of American employees feel engaged or inspired at their jobs. The 2013 State of the American Workplace Report estimates that “widespread disinterest and unhappiness in the office is not only affecting

According to a 2013 Gallup Poll, 70 percent of Americans feel unhappy at work. Only 30 percent of American employees feel engaged or inspired at their jobs.

company morale, but is costing the U.S. $450 billion to $550 billion a year. Those who are actively disengaged aren’t just unhappy – they act out their unhappiness by undermining what their engaged coworkers accomplish.” The way that employees treat each other on the job matters. Employees in a workplace where incivility is tolerated or ignored often experience a wide range of problems, according to WorkplaceBullying.org. These include high levels of stress, high blood pressure, depression, trouble with personal relationships, insomnia, and substance abuse.

These issues manifest within the workplace as absenteeism, decreased efficiency, high employee turnover, delayed goal achievement, over-worked supervisors, and a lack of trust between employees and management. Most organizations operate in a more streamlined way than in years past. This operational style requires a high level of teamwork and cooperation, both of which are impossible when incivility is present in the workplace. So, how do we create civility in our workplace when today’s world provides so few good examples? Here are a couple of things to try: Implement business policies and practices that make reporting and confronting negative behavior easier for both the employees and managers. ––––––––––– Teach bystander-intervention techniques to all employees so they can help intervene for their co-workers. ––––––––––– Empower employees to create change within the organization, thereby reducing resentment, and decreasing opportunities for maltreatment. BC

About the writer Tracy Knofla is the co-owner and featured consultant of High Impact Training. She has been presenting to audiences across the country for more than 25 years. Special thanks to Peter Cavrell, The Boost Group, for contributions to this article.

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

ChECKLIST

Start at the Top

A workplace that actively encourages civility will demonstrate and support the following behaviors: l Executive staff members enthusiastically and publicly model appropriate behaviors.

l Employees and supervisory staff listen to each other without judgment.

l Employees who add positivity within the workplace are recognized and rewarded.

l Disagreements are handled face-to-face with only the appropriate personnel present.

l The company actively engages in community service events and recognizes and encourages their employees’ civic contributions.

l Expectations are clearly communicated throughout the organization.

l Appropriate training and redirection are offered to employees who have not fully embraced the attitude of civility.

l Employees are encouraged to interact with each other and share their common interests.

l Old disappointments and prior unresolved issues are forgiven.

l Sentiments about company goals and decisions are solicited and shared in a constructive manner. l Performance feedback is delivered and received in a timely and professional manner.

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ECONOMY CENTRAL PRESENTED BY FALCON BANK

SCSU ECONOMIC INSTITUTE

Opportunity or Threat?

The North Dakota oil boom is stretching its economic fingers into Central Minnesota. The Panelists: Brian Schoenborn attorney, Stinson Leonard Street Lisa Ellis, director of construction and real estate, Coborn’s, Inc.

By Whitney Bina

oes the North Dakota oil boom pose a threat to the Central Minnesota economy or are you crazy not to get involved? Local industry leaders gathered at the 52nd Annual Winter Economic Institute to discuss growing business opportunities in North Dakota. A panel of business executives, sponsored by the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, agreed the North Dakota oil boom provides positive economic opportunities for local businesses that have the resources and personnel to expand next door. Panel members were: • Chris Rice, president and CEO, Rice Building Systems • Jay Johnston, president and CEO, American Heritage National Bank • Mark Geller, owner, High Impact Training • Lisa Ellis, director of construction and real estate, Coborn’s, Inc. • Brian Schoenborn, attorney, Stinson Leonard Street

How is your company taking advantage of the huge market potential in North Dakota due to the oil boom? Rice: As the demand for new buildings and establishments continues, the number of job opportunities for our company increases. It’s exciting to see the population of people out there screaming for development. Schoenborn: Many of our clients have opportunities in North Dakota. They need resources and access to professional services. What are some challenges you face as you develop your business in North Dakota? Johnston: The banking industry faces its own challenges. “There are many different people from different areas of the country in North Dakota, which leads to a lack of financial trust.” Can you estimate the financial impact of expanding to North Dakota? Johnston: It has been a substantial new opportunity

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

Mark Geller, owner, High Impact Training Jay Johnston president and CEO, American Heritage National Bank

for us and the region. Local community members who earn money in North Dakota bring it home and spend it here. Schoenborn: Our company continues to grow as North Dakota booms. Our clients go where opportunities are and they are finding opportunities in North Dakota. How does North Dakota’s tax policy compare to Minnesota’s for your business? Geller: Doing business in North Dakota is easier. There are no tax consequences and we don’t experience any red tape in North Dakota as we do in Minnesota. What do you expect to happen in North Dakota in the next 10-20 years? Geller: The boom is here for quite awhile and it’s going to be beautiful for everyone. Johnston: There will always be opportunities in North Dakota, but opportunities will change. Plan resources and financing with this in mind.

Chris Rice president and CEO, Rice Building Systems

What advice can you give to businesses seeking to take advantage of the North Dakota oil boom? Geller: It’s a lot of work. Schoenborn: Be openminded and learn. Connect with resources that are already out there. Ellis: Build relationships and conduct market research. Johnston: There’s no room for mistakes; do your due diligence. Rice: Use acquaintances to discover successes and failures. There are lots of opportunities, but be prepared to work. BC Whitney Bina is the communications and workforce development coordinator at the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce.

Online now For more information visit www.BusinessCentral Magazine.com

Economy Central presented by

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$486,300

of permits 4

$231,218

F A MS AO

$234,300

$486,300

$1M

$0 S OA NM D J

Waite Park Waite Park

TS BUILDING PERMITS AL $0

$800k

$1M

$100k

$1,025,737

apids

No. of 49 50permits 47 45 91 141 7 143 8 170 7 13 181 19 167 31 140 69

$1.5M$231,218

$1M $1M

$1M

$2M

$250k

$.5M

$1.5M

$112,500

$3M $0 A No. of permits 4 $2M

$.5M

$234,300

104

$2,097,018

$17,172,684

$901,692

$112,500

$1M D J

$4M

$1M

$.5M

$6M $1M

$1M $1M

$2M

$2,119,248

$2,622,023

$2,287,838

$2,704,237

$5M

$2,054,485

$1.5M

$3,325,100

$2,750,900

$2,021,194

$2,359,750

$2,284,500

$231,218 $1.5M

$2M

$1M

$9,976,366

$6M $1M

$2M

10 16

129 No. 3621 of 1 permits 8 215 7118 49

St. Joe Waite Park Sauk Rapids

St. Augu

$150k $600k $300k BUILDING PERMITS BUILDING PERMITS BUILDING PERMITS RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS BUILDING PERMITS RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS TS,RESIDENTIAL CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING COMMERCIAL PERMITS, RESIDENTIAL CONSOLIDATED BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING COMMERCIAL BUILDING CONSOLIDATED PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING COMMERCIAL PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLID $150k $600k PERMITS, $300k RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL RESIDENTIAL

N J

48 57

27 65

$400k1 No. of permits

JD JJ 10 $400k $400k 9 No. 21of permits 8 15 1 18 164 9 2 210

$1M AF

82 158

$800k

$1,000

$200k

$90,578

$600k

100

$0 M J J A O N D JA $400k No. 32 of71permits 53 016

2$100k 0

12 4 18

$800k $50k $600k

$0 O MM N S OJ N FM M AJ DA JS FA $400k 16 21 10 192 No. 36 of permits 18 215 7118 46 94

200

N FM

DJ M

AJJ

14 16

12 9

0 3 21

J $0

F A

$0 A

12 36 $400k

S$500k O

N A DM J J F J M A A S $0 A M

No. of permits 8

$400k

J F $0 S OA

No. 8 of 8permits 7 78

8of permits 12 7 8 3 4 1 52 No. 15 11

$600k

0.0

$600k

200

$150k

A DJ

11 16 141 10

$0 S

4.1%$100k0.8

$100k

$90k 4

0.6

100

M D

2.5%011

150

ST. CLOUD

ST. CLOUD $300k

2.4% 0.0

-0.4

A -0.6M

S A

O M

N J

D J

J A

F S

M O

11 141 1 461 No. of 3permits

A N D -0.8 36 1

100 N A DM J J F J MA A S $0 $60k A M

No. of permits 8

8 of 8permits 7 No. 78

D A

J F $0 S OA

16 141 10 11

$486,300

$2,135,900

$10,404

$600k

0 0 $120k

$400k 0

$0 1

SA -0.6 OM NJ

OM NJ

$700k 1 3

$600k

A -0.8 3

0.1%

1 of permits 3 5 80 No.

No. of permits 0

F M A $0 S AO

No. 1 of permits 3 5 80

COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMIT COMMERCIA $800k

$400k

$500k

STEARNS COUNTY2013-14 QUARTERLY % CHANGE IN REAL GDP $700k $300k $300k $120k $120k 5 30 $400k $200k

Food & Be Unemployment Rates 4.1% $600k

$200k

$400k JD JJ

No. of permits 6

1 No.8 of permits 5 6 6 6 198 1 $300k 7 81

$90k 25 20 $60k

$0 J$60k A S

15 $30k

ST. CLOUD

COUNTRY WIDE

$90k 4 $100k

$100k

$21,733

$500k

$300k

$150k

10% AO

2.5%

$30k 2

610 8

$200k 7 1

$120k 2.4%

XXXX

8%$200k

$600k

$400k

JA FS MO AN D J F M A $0 $0 A M J J$60k A S A O M N

FS $0

Gross Domestic Product Sheriff ’s Foreclosure Auctions

$60k

No. of permits 0

$500k

-0.4

$200k

$100k

Lodging Dollars Food & Beverage Tax Tax Collections St. Joe St. Augu ST. CLOUD ST. CLOUD

2 -0.2 2 Sartell, Waite Park, St. -0.2 Building departments $200kfollowing cities:$21,733 $100k Sources: for the St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids, Augusta, and St. Joseph.$90k$200k $200k $90k $90k $0

MS AO $700k 61 82

$150k

XXXX

$30k

St. Joe

Lodging Dollars Food & Beverage Tax Tax Collections

0.4 $0 AM S A AO MN JD JJ 0.2 $200k 29 No. 112 313 5150 0 0$120k 0 2 0 10 of permits JJ

$1M

UNITED STATES - MONTHLY % CHANGE 2013-14$200k QUARTERLY % CHANGE $200k IN REAL GDP $120k 1.0 5 150 $400k $800k

$0 $0 $0 A N J AD J J A F $60k JD JJA AFM SM J OA JN AD SJ A O F MM SM OA N 3 $400k No. 32 No.88 of permits 8 74 8No. 8 of 16permits 81716 0 1010$400k 113 5 10 12 of 13 1015 12 4 310 853 8317 76 1 8No. 3 1712 6 1 11 8 17 9 10 of permits 12 11permits $120k

$800k

$200k

$0 COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS,BUILDING CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL PERMITS, CONSOLIDA 0 $0 $800k $800k

Gross Domestic United ProductStates Nonfarm Jobs

$800k

$100k ST. CLOUD

$0 JM AA S OA

St. Joe

$2,475,200 $19,000

ST. CLOUD

$21,733

$300k

100

J 9

$0 $0 JF NM DJ JJ A FA MMS JAO JN AD SJA O FM $400k $200k of permits 103 1101 10 3 1 No. 82 of 8permits 78No.11 16 141 10 33 5 31 17 61 1 No. 82 17 1 of1permits 10 7 16

$0 $60k M O A N AD MJ S

M N

$3,269,962

$800k

$100k

$200k $21,733

$500k COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, BUILDING CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED $150k $150k $500k

$1M $200k

$100k

Employment

N A

$300k BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED $300k COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED $300k $150k 200

XXXX

O M

$3,397,262 $19,000

0.6

50 8

Sales Closed - Total Lodging TaxHome Dollars

$200k $21,733

0.4 $0 N AD 0.2 permits 28 No. 815 of12 18 4 82

=$200k exceeds chart scale

No. of permits 7

J N

$400k

COMMERCIAL $300k

1.0 0.8 $200k

100

No. of 3permits 11 141 1 61

$400k

M O

$10,404

150

100

$0 JD

$200k

A S

$2,135,900

$8,024,900

$1,170,900

$0 JA N A D S O JAJ M AF SJM O JA 10 $400k $400k 1 1413 13 0 1611 911 No. permits 21 15 11 23 of 18permits 3 18 10

$500k $0 J A

UNITED STATES - MONTHLY $400k 10% CHANGE $200k $400k

$200k BENTON COUNTY $0 $0 $600k

United States Nonfarm Jobs

$1,014,800

$2,135,900

$0 $600k

No. of permits 7

$800k

Sheriff ’s Foreclosure Auctions ome Sales Closed - Total

CLOUD

$1M

$400k $800k

$10,404

$400k

J $0

$400k

$200k

732

$1M

$500k

150

AJD

Home Sales Closed Sheriff - Total ’s Foreclosure Auctions Lodging TaxHome Dollars Sales Closed - Total Waite Park Sauk Rapids ST. CLOUD St. Augusta Waite Park ST. CLOUD BENTON COUNTY ST. CLOUD

$1M

$200k

$500k N D

1 No.17 10$400k 115 of permits

$1,000

$3,269,962

$3,397,262

$1M A S

$600k CONSOLIDATED BUILDING CONSOLIDATED $600k COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, $600k PERMITS, 12 200

$1M

$800k

335 41 $800k

$462,175

$800k

e Auctions Sauk Rapids Sartell COMMERCIAL $600k

$3,269,962

29 122 46

OM NJ DJ J A FS MO AN D $200k 1017 121 1117 910 1211 1310 1512 $400k 11

$3,397,262

238

$90k

$200k $21,733

$200k

$462,175

28 1

FA MS

$2,475,200

$2,135,900

$2,475,200

No. 5 of6permits 0 240 39 6

$800k

$0 S OA NM DJ

$1,025,737

$2,475,200

of permits 6

$1,025,737

$1M

$800k

COMMERCIA COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMIT $300k $600k

$0 A SA

$30k

2 St. Augusta St. Augusta

$200k

$400k 5 No. of permits $120k

TS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS,BUILDING CONSOLIDATED ESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS BUILDING PERMITS AL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS RESIDENTIAL 0 0 0 $500k $1M $1M $0

$400k

$5,000

St. Joe

$200k

$800k

$100k

COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED $600k $600k $150k 200 $600k $150k

150 $200k

$100k

$1M

$0 S

$0 JM AA S OA NM D J

2 Waite Park Waite Park St. Joe

$1M

$234,300 $10,404 $2,475,200

$1,025,737

$8,024,900

$1,170,900

$1,014,800

$2,135,900

$234,300

$9,976,366

St. Augusta St. Augusta apids $200k

$.5M

$600k

$0 $0 $0 $0 D J F MS AJO JN AD SJ OF JF J J FAA M S A NM DA J JJ FA MS AO N AD MJ J F JM AA A J A S $400k $400k 4 permits 10 50 11 No.47 8of permits 13 841 of565 15 722 19 334 157 140No. 252of 10 permits No.8of 3permits 519 of6permits 240 No. 39 6 of 28 1 238 7122 9 4629 7335 No. 21 11 30 150 permits 49 45 24 7 46 8 3 7 7 13 No. 31 0 16 48 27 7 10 1111141 13 124 61 $0 M A AD MJ O N

O M

$200k

$3,269,962

$600k

$800k

$200k

$1M

$3,397,262 $10,404

$50k

$1M

A J J N D F M A $400k No. permits 19 40 4 52 41 of 65 21 16 30 150 22 No. 34 of57 permits $2M

$12,840,741

6 $3M $0 A S A

$0 J

$800k

$500k

$200k

$19,000

$800k

$2,135,900

$200k

$2,475,200

$90,578

$4M

$3M $0 S AO

$800k

$1M

$200k

$400k

$.5M

$1M

$250k

Sheriff ’s Foreclosure Auctions Sales Closed - Total Home Sales Closed - Total Lodging TaxHome Dollars BENTON COUNTY ST. CLOUD ST. CLOUD Waite Park Sauk Rapids ST. CLOUD St. Augusta Waite P

$8,024,900

No. of $400k permits 7

$400k

$1,000 COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED $1,000 $150k $600k $600kCONSOLIDATED 12 200

$1M $1M $1M JD JJ AF SM OA N D J F $100k 7 No.8 of permits 5 15 7 11 9 7 7 3 8 1 51 152 11 10 7 3 1 1 $2M $800k $800k

$1,170,900

$1.5M

$1,014,800

$901,692

$600k

$9,976,366 $0

$.5M

10 11 $5M

$8,024,900

$1,170,900

$800k

$1,014,800

27 1910 5711 408 52 13 48 24 27 50

$112,500

$6M $1M D J

$12,840,741

$8,241,705

$19,854,821

$17,172,684

$1M$1M JD JJ

$8,241,705

$50k $4M

$2,135,900

$50k

COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED $600k 12

$19,854,821

$17,172,684

$200k

$8,024,900

$1,170,900

$5M

Sheriff ’s Foreclosure Auctions Sartell BENTON COUNTY Sauk Rapids

$1M

$2M

$100k

$1,014,800

$800k

$3,325,100

$90,578

$2,750,900

St. Cloud

$2,021,194

$90,578

$1.5M

$2,359,750

Sartell

$100k

$2,284,500 $4,080,908

$9,976,366

$1.5M

$250k

$6M

$486,300 $4,080,908

$1M

$2M

$12,840,741

$8,241,705

$2M

N/A

$100k

$90k

$100k

$0 JD

M S

5OA

A1 S

M N

AF $0

$60k J A

F M $0 S AO M

No. 6% of permits 6

1 No.8 of permits 5 6 06 0

0.1%

-1.0 0 0 0 J F M A M J J$30k A S O N D A M J J A S2ndOQuarter N D 3rdJ Quarter F M 4th A Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter 1st Quarter $30k 1st Quarter N/A COUNTRY WIDE MINNESOTA - MONTHLY % CHANGE - MONTHLY % CHANGE COUNTRY WIDE MINNESOTA 2013-2014 % CHANGE OMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING $150k PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED 2.0 10% 2.0 $150k 10% 0 0 $0 $0 0 $0 $0 4% $500k $800k $500k J F M A J F M A J F M A M J A J M AJ A M J J A S A M J J A $800k SA OM NJ DJ JA FS MO AN D A M J J A S AO MN JD JJ AF SM OA N D 8%O N A D M J J F J M A A S O N D J F M A 2.5% 1.5 1.5 NGE 2013-14 QUARTERLY % CHANGE UNITED INSTATES REAL$700k GDP - MONTHLY % CHANGE STEARNS COUNTY2013-14 QUARTERLY % CHANGE IN REAL GDP STEARNS COUNTY MINNESOTA $700k $120k 2.0% $120k 5 5 30 30 1.0 1.0 $200k 1.0 $400k $400k 1.5% $600k $600k 7% 8% 8% 0.8 0.5 4.1% 4.1% 0.5 $90k . CLOUD MINNESOTA - MONTHLY % CHANGE ST. CLOUD $90k ST. CLOUD ST. CLOUD COUNTRY WIDE ST. CLOUD 1.0% COUNTRY WIDE 25 25 $500k $500k 4 4 0.6 $300k $300k 2.0 150k $150k 10% $150k 0.0 $150k $150k 10% 200 0.0 0.5% 0.4 $400k 6% $400k 20 20 $60k $60k 1.5 0.0% MINNESOTA -0.5 -0.5 UNITED STATES - MONTHLY3% CHANGE IN REAL GDP STEARNS COUNTY MINNESOTA -14 QUARTERLY % CHANGE STEARNS COUNTY2013-14 QUARTERLY % CHANGE6% BENTON AND STEARNS COUNTY 3 0.2 $200k $200k IN REAL GDP 6% $300k 120k $120k $300k $120k $120k 2.5% 2.5% 2.4% 30 2.4% 30 -0.5% $200k 5 1.0 5 $200k 1.0 $100k-1.0 150 15 15 0.0 -1.0 5% $30k $30k $200k $200k 8% St. Cloud 8% St. Cloud N/A N/A 2 2-1.0% -0.2 $100k 4.1% 4.1%$100k0.8 0.5 -1.5 Paul Minneapolis/St. Paul Minneapolis/St. -1.5 $90k $90k $90k $90k 25 0.8 25 10 10 Minnesota Minnesota 4 $100k 0.6 $100k 4 -1.5% -0.4 $150k $150k United States United$50k States 0.0 100 $0 4% -2.0 $0 4% -2.0 J F M A M1-2.0% J J J F AM SA OM NJ D J A S O N D D JJ AF SM OA N D 4% A M J J A S A O MN JD JJ AF SM OA N D J F M A M J J J F AM S A OM N J D J J 0.4 F M A J F M A A S O N 1 -0.6 $0 $0 $0 20 0.6 20$0 St. Cloud 5 N D J F M A 5 $60k A M J J A S OA NM DJ JJ FA MS AO N D J F M A $60k A M J J $60k A S OA N $60k M DJ JJ FA MS AO -0.5 Minneapolis/St. P 3 0.2 3 -0.8 No. of permits 6 19 1 -2.5% 6% 6% permits 0 0 2 No. 1 of 3permits 5 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 8 5 6 6 8 7 1 0 6 10 No. of permits 6 19 1 0 2 1 3 5 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 8 5 6 6 8 7 1 0 6 10 Rochester 0.1% 0.1% 2.5% 2.5% 2.4% 2.4% $100k $100k 15 0.0 15 0.4 -1.0 $0 50 0 -1.0 0 0-3.0% 0 3% A S O N D J $30k F M A M J J$30k A S O N D A M J J A S 2ndOQuarter N D 3rd J Quarter F M 4th A Quarter M DJ S AO N D J F M 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter 1st Quarter 1st Quarter A M J J A S OA N JJ FA M $30k $30k St. CloudD A M J J A S O N J F M A N/A A M J J A S O N D J F M A N/A 2 -0.2 2 -1.5 Minneapolis/St. Paul 10 0.2 10 Minnesota Benton & Stearns Counties A

$3,269,962

Food & Beverage Tax Tax Collections Lodging Dollars

XXXX

$19,000

XXXX

Source: www.positivelyminnesota.com 0

SA -0.6 OM NJ

-0.8

NTRY WIDE

3rd Quarter

-1.0 J F 4th Quarter

MINNESOTA $200k

M A M 1st Quarter

$200k J

$150k

A1 S

$150k

Minnesota Unemploy Nonfarm J

Sheriff ’s Foreclosure Auctions Median Housing Prices

Median Local Nonfarm JobsHo

Local Nonfarm Jobs Local Nonfarm Jobs

D O

United States

0.1%

Minnesota Nonfarm JobsNonfarm Jobs Minnesota A

S2ndOQuarter N D 3rdJ Quarter F M

4th A Quarter

MINNESOTA - MONTHLYMINNESOTA % CHANGE - MONTHLY % CHANGE0.8

COUNTRY WIDE 10%

MINNESOTA

0.1%

employment Rates Unemployment Rates 2nd Quarter

Median Housing Prices Median Housing Prices 5

J A FS MO AN

XXXX XXXX X XXX XXX

Unemployment Rates Food & Beverage Tax Collections

St. Cloud Source: www.positivelyminnesota.com $50k 4% $0 Minneapolis/St. Paul $0 J F M A M J A J M A J SJ OA NS N JD JJ AF S M OA N D AO M J F M A Minnesota 5 BENTON AND STEARNS COUNTY MONTHLY %COUNTY CHANGE - MONTHLY % CHANGE BENTON AND- STEARNS United States

-0.4

1 uctions oreclosure Auctions

Sheriff ’s Foreclosure Auctions Median Housing Prices

XXXX XXXX XXXX

Gross Domestic Product Sheriff ’s Foreclosure Auctions

$19,000

oss Domestic United ProductStates Nonfarm Jobs

Minnesota Nonfarm Jobs Minnesota Nonfarm Jobs

Sheriff ’s Foreclosure Gross Domestic Auctions Product

$3,397,262

$3,269,962

odging TaxHome Dollars Sales Closed - Total

$30k Unemployment Rates Unemployment Non Farm JobsRates

$5,000

Gross Domestic United ProductStates Nonfarm Jobs

$3,397,262

arm Jobs

$5,000

-1.0

$30k Food & Beverage Collections ax Dollars Food Tax & Beverage Tax Collections 2 Rates St. Augusta Unemployment St. Joe ST. CLOUD ST. CLOUD St. Augusta St. Joe 2013-2014

2.0

1st Quarter 0.8

A O

M N

J D

A F

S M

O A

St. Cloud Minneapolis/St. Paul Rochester D

Minnesota -2.0 United States

$50k4% A

0.0

-0.2

J uly / A U gust 2 0 1 4 • • w w w. B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e . c o m

M AJ M J J

57 65 $30k

49 50

8 7 13 19 $0 A M J $60k $0 A3 M No. of permits 6 7

No. of permits 7 A S O N

11 141 3 1 1 D J F M A

$30k Economic Indicators & Trends

XXXX

No. of permits 8 A S O N

4 D

3 J

8 F

8 M

7 A

Housing/Real Estate A

$90,578

-0.5

$300k$0

$100k $200k 0.5 $0 $06% $0 A M J J A S O N $0 N D J F M A 4J J A $0S AO MNA J DM J JJ A FJ SMA OAS N O$100k D J F M A J A M J J A AS MO JN JD AJ SF OM NA D -1.0 16 150 19 57 40 52$100k No. of permits 4 No. of permits 57 65 49 50 47 45 70.0 8 7 13 19 31 48 27 50permits 16 150 No. of permits 3 1 1 2 10 0 No. of 65No.49 50 47 7 45 9 7 7 8 8 7 5 13 1519 1131 7 19of permits 57 40 1 52 1648 9 27 2110 811 158 18 13 424 2 St. Cloud $0 $0 A M J J A S O Minneapolis/St. N D J F Paul M A A 2F M A -1.5 $0 $0 -0.5A M J J A S O Minnesota F 1 M1 A 3 N D J F M A No. of permits 8 No. of permits 0A 4 3 8 8 7 8 16 10 3 3 6 8

XXX

0.0

$200k

100

$1,000

$400k $200k

$.5M

1.0

$500k

0.5

$200k

J O FN M D

$21,733

No. of permits 0

J A-1.0 J A

St. Cloud Minneapolis/St. Paul Minnesota United States

N/A

1.5

$400k

1.0

$400k

150

$112,500

A PRESENTEDJ BY FALCON BANK J5

$.5M $50k

$0 $0 $0 A M J J A S $200k O N D J F M $21,733 A $0 $0 J F M A A M J J A S A O MN J D J J A F S M O A N D A M $0 No. of permits 91 141 143 170 181 167 140 69 23 20 27 58 104 of permits 1506919 23 5720 4027 5258 4810427 10 11 8 13 24 No. of permits 91 141 143No. No. of permits 4 170 181 16716 140 57 $30k $0 N/A S O N D J F M A A M J J A S O N D J $0 J J3 A 1 S 1 O 2 N 1 D 3 J 0 A0 S2 O6 N1 D2 J1 F46 M3 A No. of permits 6% A7 M11 141

XXXX XXXX $300k2.0

$.5M

8% $200k

$90k $200k

$400k

$60k

ECONOMY CENTRAL N

$231,218

$90,578 $400k

$200k

$100k

$19,000

$60k

$90k $.5M

$.5M

$120k $400k

$231,218

$112,500

$400k

$112,500

$90k

10% $600k

$150k $600k

United States 00 0 0 2

-2.0

No. of permits 6 A M J J

-1.5

Gross Domestic Product

-2.0

St.Rapids Cloud Sartell Sauk Rapids Waite Park St. Augusta St. Cloud Sauk Sartell Sauk Rapids COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, United States Nonfarm Jobs Gross Domestic Product Product Creation AL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOL COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS,BUILDING CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS, CONSOLIDATED heriff ’s Foreclosure Auctions Median Housing Prices Local Nonfarm Jobs Home Sales Closed Total Lodging Tax Dollars Unemplo Food & Beverage Tax Collections UNITED STATES 2013-14 QUARTERLY % CHANGE IN REAL GDP BUSINESSES CREATING IN LAST YEAR TEARNS COUNTY ST.Lodging MINNESOTA BENTON NEW ANDPRODUCTS STEARNS COUNTY - MONTHLY % CHANGE CLOUD ST. CLOUD COUNTRY WIDE ST. CLOUD Tax Dollars Unemployment Rates Minneso Food & Beverage Tax Collections 5 0.8%

$30k

XXXX

-0.2

$200k

$3,269,962 $2,135,900

$3,397,262

$8,024,900

$1,170,900

$2,135,900

2.5%

MINNESOTA 10% 2.0 1.5 8%1.0

2.4%

2 $400k

$200k

1 $200k

$100k

0.5

$400k

0.0

$21,733 0.0

6% $30k

6% -0.5

$200k $0

-1.0

0.1%

N/A

$0 St. Cloud $0 0 $0 $0 4th Quarter A 1st D J F M A M Quarter J J A S O N $0 Quarter M ACentral M A MN J M J J A J S A OS N O DN 2nd 3rd Quarter Minnesota J F M A JD AJ SF OM N-1.5 J M J J A S AO MN J D J J A F SM OA N D A M J J Minneapolis/St. A AS MO JN Paul A D No. of permits -0.2 No. of permits 7 11 141 3 6 3 7 5 6 0 $02 6 1 2 1 46 3 14%1 2 1 Minnesota J F M A M J J A S O N D No. of permits No. of permits 8 4 3 8 8 7 8 16 10 3 3 6 8 No. of permits 3 7 5 6 0 2 6 1 2 1 46 3 7 11 141 3 1 0 1 0 2 2 1 1 3 30 51 01 03 0J 0F F M A A M J J A S O N D J F M A United States

$600k $300k = exceeds chart scale

0.2

$200k

St. Cloud -0.8 Minneapolis/St. Paul -1.0 N/A 0.0% Rochester $0 J F

$800k

$400k

$60k = exceeds chart scale

0.1%

A 0.0M

3 $600k

$90k 8%

$400k

0.2%

$30k $30k

St. Cloud Minneapolis/St. Paul Rochester

0.3%

-0.6

$200k

4.1%

$800k

XXXX XXXX XXXX

-0.2 -0.4

0.4$0

0.4

$120k

0.6

0.4%

0.0

0.6

$400k

0.8

$60k $60k

$600k

$1,014,800 $2,475,200

$8,024,900

$1,014,800

$1,170,900

$9,976,366

$8,241,705

$800k

$1M

$500k

$1M

COUNTRY WIDE $150k .79% 10%

.71%

0.5% $600k

0.2

0.8

A M J J A S O 0.2 N D J F M A J A S O N D J F M A J F M A A M J J A S A O MN J D J J A F S M O A N D A $0 40 39 28 38 22 29 35 41 65 21 30 22 34 No. of permits 0S O N D J F M A $0 A 5 M 6 J 0 J 2 A 6 $50k M 3 21J 1 30J 1 22A 2 34 S 1 OA3 NM0 D J1 J J1 F A3 MS ANo. of permits 1A 2M 1J 46 3A 39 A28 No.38 22 29 7 3511 41A14165 J S O No. N ofDpermits J F40 M O ofNpermits D J6 $0

0.7%

0.6

$400k

$800k

$600k

$200k $50k $1M

$1M

$12,840,741

$19,854,821

$9,976,366

$17,172,684

$8,241,705 $2,135,900 $12,840,741

$2M

0.8

Local Nonfarm Jobs

$90k $90k $901,692

$400k

MONTHLY % CHANGE $1M

1.0

CHANGE $120kBENTON AND STEARNS COUNTY - MONTHLY %0.6% 0.4 $120k

$3M

$60k $0

$600k

$100k

50$100k

$4M $150k

$3M

$2M

$19,854,821

$4M

$90k 100$150k

$17,172,684

MINNESOTA 150 $120k $200k

$800k

$901,692

$5M

$1M

ST. CLOUD $150k $150k

$200k

Median Housing Prices

$8,024,900

$1,170,900

$6M

$1M

$6M

ST. 200CLOUD $150k

Sources: Minnesota Compass led4% by Wilder Research; Bureau of Economic Analysis - www.BEA .gov.

-2.0

Commerce/Services

Gross Domestic Product Sheriff ’s Foreclosure Auctions Median Housing Prices Local No QUARTERLY % CHANGE IN REAL GDP STEARNS COUNTY MINNESOTA BENTON AND ’s Foreclosure Auctions Median Housing Local Nonfarm Jobs Sheriff ’s Foreclosure AuctionsPrices Home Sales Closed - Total Lodging TaxRates Dollars les Closed 2013-14 - Sheriff Total Lodging Tax Dollars Unemployment Food & Beverage Tax Collections Sheriff ’s Foreclosure Auctions Home Sales Closed Total Lodging Tax Dollars STEARNS COUNTY MINNESOTA BENTON AND STEARNS COUNTY MONTHLY % CHANGE BENTON COUNTY ST. CLOUD ST. CLOUD 5 30 $200k ST. CLOUD BENTON COUNTY

2.5%

0 O

A F

M M

3rd Quarter J A

4th Quarter O

10 $50k

$30k

0.1% F A

M M

$0 J

0 AA

$0 A NJ

M DA

J JS

J FO

A MN

S AD

A O J

M N F

JD M

JJ A

S M

O A

N0 D

J A

M J

United States of Living Minnesota Sheriff ’s Foreclosure Auctions Jobs United-States Nonfarm Jobs Nonfarm

ACCRA COST OF LIVING INDEX - 2013 Annual Compilation 0.8 0.8 25 Cities0.6of Comparable Size to St. Cloud Minnesota and other Upper Midwest 4 0.6

95.0

-0.2

-0.4

St. Cloud 2nd Qtr 2013 0.1%3rd Qtr 2013 St. Cloud 3rd Quarter

4th Quarter

1st Quarter

St. Cloud, MN Annual Avg. Minneapolis, MN

94.0

-0.8

92.9

-1.0

94.6 110.1

H Ca ealt re h

T po ran rta stio n

Ut ili tie s

Ho us ing

2.5%

100.7

91.2

108.9

101.7

75.3

93.3

97.8 1

111.8

-0.8

100

76.3

101.9 115.7

76.4 117.3

84.7 J F

A M

S A

92.9 97.8

95.7

95.2 103.8

J A

F S

M O

0.0

-0.2

A N

D 4% A

$0 A F NM O

M J J A S O DA JM F J M J A A

$50k

112.3 $0 2nd Quarter

3rd QuarterA

112.7 99.1

2.5% 2.4%

F D

102.8

0.1%

2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter M J J A 1st SQuarter O N 4th Quarter

103.6 109.9

113.5

114.5

96.6

104.5

100.5

109.5

Mankato, MN

94.0

97.7

80.6

95.8

102.1

104.1

97.9

Cedar Rapids, IA

91.9

86.8

82.7

102.3

94.8

101.7

95.6

Eau Claire, WI

91.7

91.4

76.4

93.3

100.0

110.0

97.3

Wausau, WI

93.4

89.1

81.2

104.6

97.9

103.1

98.2

0.8

2.4%

New York (Manhattan), 15 NY

0.2

169.1

Cloud 5 San Francisco,St. CA 161.6 Minneapolis/St. Paul

0.1%

San Jose, CA

Rochester

4th Quarter 1st Quarter D J F M A

New York (Queens), NY

152.0

Stamford, CT

144.1

Washington, D.C.

140.1

Orange County, CA

141.6

Hilo, HI

144.6

0.0

149.3 A

XXXX

15 220.4 0.4

171.5

Honolulu, HI

102.7

TOP TEN 20 Most Expensive Urban Communities 0.6 20 New York (Brooklyn), NY

102.9

109.0

-0.2 S JO

5 0

A M J FN MD AJ

J M F

A MJ

S AJ

Among the 306 urban areas participating in the first quarter report, the after-tax cost for a professional/managerial standard of living ranged from more than twice the national average in Manhattan, NY to almost 18 percent below the national average in Norman, OK.

The Cost of Living index measures regional differences in the cost of consumer goods and services, excluding taxes and non-consumer expenditures, for professional and managerial households in the top income quintile. It is based on more than 90,000 prices covering almost 60 different items for which prices are collected quarterly by the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce. Small differences should not be interpreted as showing any measurable difference, according to ACCRA.

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

STEARNS COUNTY BENTON AND STEARNS COUNTY - MONTHLY % C 30 30 25

St. Paul, MN

Sheriff ’s Foreclosure Auc Local Nonfarm Jobs Sheriff ’s Foreclosure Auctions STEARNS COUNTY

4.1% 4

$100k

76.2

-0.4

-1.0 J F M A M J N D J A A M M J J J J A A SS OO N

4.1% $150k

107.8 -0.6

-0.6

$0A

250

-0.2

200

St. Cloud 1st Qtr 2013

150

XXXX XXXX 0.0

A M J J A S -0.2 0 A M J J A S O N DJ J F F M M A A M J F M A S A O MN J D J J A F SM O A N D

100

0.0

0.2

St. Cloud $30k Minneapolis/St. Paul Rochester

$30k

N/A

2.4%

0.2

G Ite roc m ery s

0.4

Al l It em s

4.1%

0.2

MINNESOTA 2013-14 QUARTERLY % CHANGE IN REAL GDP 5 5 $200k

1.0

0.4

$60k

Gross Domestic Product Median Housing Prices Gross Domestic Product 2013-14 QUARTERLY % CHANGE IN REAL GDP

UNITED STATES - MONTHLY % CHANGE STEARNS COUNTY UNITED STATES - MONTHLY % CHANGE 1.0

0.2

0.0

Minneapolis/St. Paul Rochester

$90k

Sources: Tax Collections – City of St. Cloud Incorporations - MN Secretary of State, Graph courtesy of SCSU

Housing/Real Estate sources: St. Cloud Area Association of Realtors, http://stcloudrealtors.com/pages/statistics; Benton County Sheriff’s Civil Process; Stearn’s County Sheriff’s Office; http://thething.mplsrealtor.com/

ERLY % CHANGE IN REAL GDP

$50k

50 $30k St. Cloud

XXXX XXXX X 0.6

= exceeds chart scale

$90k

0.4

$60k

0 A J

$100k

100

$120k

$90k

$100k

1st Quarter

150

$60k

0.8

$120k 150 0.6

Cost mestic Product

2nd Quarter

0 S

$150k

0.8

$150k

$90k

COUNTRY WIDE $150k 10%

ST. CLOUD

$150k

$120k

2.4%

200

$200k

320

ST. CLOUD 200 $150k

ST. CLOUD

$150k

4.1%

G Se ood rv s/ ice s

Economy Central presented by

O A

N S

D O

John Herges President and CEO

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www.FalconNational.com

Pat (L) and Paul Duininck, owners of Royal Tire in St. Cloud.

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

Written by gail ivers Photos by Joel Butkowski, BDI Photography

We're

here Since 1997 Royal Tire has been following an aggressive growth strategy. Yet this home-grown company prides itself on maintaining the same family feel it has cultivated for over 60 years.

Sometimes, growth hurts. “We made our first acquisition only two months after we bought the company,” said Pat Duininck, CEO of Royal Tire in St. Cloud. Pat, along with his brother, Paul, purchased Royal Tire from their father in 1997. “When we took over, we had this wild idea to grow,” said Paul Duininck, company vice president. “We saw our competition growing and we thought maybe we should grow with them, stay up with the competition. So we expanded the business considerably in the first couple of years.” “We wanted to borrow money, we wanted to expand territories. We basically wanted to make things larger. Not knowing anything, about anything, we did three major acquisitions the year after we took over,” Pat said. “It was tough. It nearly sank us.” Like many family-owned companies, Pat and Paul Duininck grew up in the business. Their father, Roger Duininck, started St. Cloud Tire and Tread in 1963, providing sales, service and retreading for commercial truck tires. Both men recall working in the store as children, sweeping floors, stocking shelves, changing tires, and eventually helping in the retread plant and with service calls. In 1987 Roger Duininck purchased Royal Tire in St. Cloud. The two companies were direct competitors, but similar in size and scope. At $8 million in sales, the purchase doubled the size of St. Cloud Tire and Tread. Royal Tire also brought with it a Bandag retreading plant. St. Cloud Tire and Tread converted to the Bandag retreading method and rebranded itself as Royal Tire. By this time, both Pat and Paul were well established in the company having worked as commercial salesmen and store managers. Paul, with Roger’s help, purchased a small store in Monticello. Pat, with a background in computers and accounting, was in the business office.

By the mid-1990s, Roger was talking about a succession plan and Pat and Paul were pushing to grow. “Dad had this good, mature business that he wanted to protect,” Pat said. “Paul and I were interested in growing the company and the two can’t happen together. So he decided to turn it over to us.” In 1997 the transition was made and Pat and Paul were off and running. “To this day those early acquisitions were probably the biggest challenge we’ve ever faced,” Pat said. “It put a lot of pressure on our people. It put a lot of pressure on our cash flow… but we learned from it, and in the end it turned out just fine.” Maybe better than fine. Today the company has 300 employees, 26 stores, and a growing footprint that extends from Rochester, Minn., to Williston, ND, to Virginia, Minn. They have tripled their sales since 1997 and grew a fledgling wholesale business by 10 times, selling it in 2011. In 2013 they acquired their third manufacturing plant, located in Rochester, Minn., positioning themselves for significant growth and expansion. “The commercial tire business is a pretty old business,” Pat said. “But we’ve incorporated technology that allows us to share information with our customers so they can reduce their costs and be more successful. Some of our competitors use it, too, but we were the first to embrace it years ago.” “One of the things that sets us apart from our competition,” Paul added, “is that we provide service 24-7. Our philosophy is never say no to a commercial customer. We have a service network and whether it’s midnight or 2 a.m., we will have a service truck out to help your fleet. Our competition works 9 to 5. We will service every call we get. We probably did several calls last night.” Royal tire has 50 trucks on the road to service commercial customers at any one time.

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

Recognizing Excellence Royal Tire was started in 1948 and acquired by Roger Duininck, in 1987. As with most small businesses, brothers Pat and Paul Duininck grew up helping out around the family business, which provides retail and commercial tire sales, service and repairs, and operates three retreading plants in Minnesota. Paul officially joined the business in 1979, followed by Pat in 1984. A slow transition process started, which gathered speed as Pat and Paul pushed for a more aggressive growth plan. “We wanted to expand our territory at a quicker pace,” Pat said. “Dad wanted to take things a little more slowly and deliberately. So he decided it was time to sell us the business.” The brothers started their expansion immediately, making three acquisitions within the first year. “That was probably our biggest challenge,” Pat said. Today the company is about three times the size it was when Pat and Paul took over, earning them the 2014 St. Cloud Area Family Owned Business of the Year Award. This award is presented annually to a business that has been passed from one generation to another and run successfully by the next generation for at least 15 years. What really sets the company apart, according to company President Mick Pickens, is the commitment Pat and Paul have for the company to be part of the community and to respect both employees and customers. “I know it sounds cliché,” Pickens said, “but we’re growing because of our employees and the communities we’re in. We really feel that our customers are our guests and members of our family. We’re repairing our neighbors’ cars; our friends’ cars.”

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 • • w w w. B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e . c o m

>> fun fact During the summer, Royal Tire retreads about 700 tires per day across the company. In 2013 the company serviced 137,000 tires.

Something else that sets Royal Tire apart is their network of manufacturing, or retreading, plants. The company currently owns three Minnesota plants: St. Cloud, Montevideo, and Rochester. “The Rochester acquisition was maybe the most amazing thing we’ve done since I’ve been at Royal Tire,” according to Mick Pickens, company president. “It added a manufacturing plant and manufacturing is really key in the commercial tire business.” Retreading operations are franchises offered primarily through Bandag, the largest retreading franchise in the world. “They’re not creating any new franchises so the only way to secure

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

When a retreaded tire comes off the line at Royal Tire it looks like new.

one is through acquisition. We worked on this for about five years,” Pickens said. “It allows us to leap frog into Wisconsin, Iowa, and maybe into Chicago some day.” Retreading is important because of the cost savings for customers. “A new commercial tire might cost $510 – just one tire,” Paul said. “We can retread that tire for $200. And you can retread a tire many times. I’ve seen tires coming off waste fleets that have 10 to 12 retreads. As long as the tires pass inspection, we can retread them. Retreading is also better for the environment.” Plant locations become critical because Royal Tire guarantees one week

Business Profile Royal Tire Corporate Office

Pat Duininck

CEO, Royal Tire

3955 Roosevelt Road St. Cloud, MN 56301

Age: 50

Phone: 877-454-7070

St. Cloud

Hometown: Education:

website:

www.RoyalTire.com Owners: Brothers Pat and

Paul Duininck Leadership team: Pat Duininck,

CEO; Mick Pickens, president; Paul Duininck, vice president of operations; Brad Burley, vice president of retail Mission Statement: To exceed

the expectations of our guests, employees, and community every day. Business Description:

A full service retail and commercial tire company, including auto service, and 24-hour commercial roadside tire service. Locations: Royal Tire has 26

turnaround on retreading, allowing for only one day in the shop. “We have salesmen all over the state,” Paul explained. “They pick up tires from the customers and bring them to plant. They receive a barcode and are identified as the customer’s tires.” The tires then go through a complex inspection process to make sure they’re still good. “If they pass the inspection we grind the rubber off the tire, put new tread on the tire, and run it through a bunch more quality checks. When it’s all done, the tire comes out and looks like a new tire.” Though their focus is on commercial sales and service, along the way Royal

PERSONAL PROFILEs

stores: 10 retail and 16 commercial operations: Alexandria, Brainerd, Fergus Falls, Grand Forks, Hibbing, Marshall, Minneapolis, Montevideo, Monticello, New Ulm, Newport (South St. Paul), Rochester, Savage, St. Cloud (Highway 10 and I94), St. Paul, Virginia, Waite Park/ St. Joseph, and Williston, ND. Many of the retail operations are co-located with the commercial stores. Manufacturing: Royal Tire owns and operates three manufacturing, or retreading, plants in Minnesota: St. Cloud, Montevideo, and Rochester Number of employees: 300

Brown Institute and St. Cloud Business College Work History:

Started at Royal Tire in 1985 Family: Married 24 great years

to Rachel, 2 kids: Megan 24, in medical school at the University of Minnesota; Craig 21, junior hockey player in Canada Hobbies: Fishing and golf Advice to a would-be entrepreneur: Whatever business you pioneer, work to re-invent it and stay ahead of everyone else. Best advice you’ve received and who gave it to you: “Work harder and know more.” — My dad Roger Duininck

Paul Duininck,

Vice President of Operations, Royal Tire AGE: 53 Hometown: St. Cloud Education: 3 years at SCSU, then on the job training Work History: Started working in the shop at Royal Tire in the summers during high school. Started as a tire tech, then retread tech, moved to outside sales, then inside sales, then to store manager to current position. Family: Wife Jeanne, married for 31 years; son Bobby, 29 - married last year to Amber, works for Royal Tire; son David, 26 - teaches 8th grade English in Mesa, AZ. Getting married to Christie in July. Hobbies: Racquetball, golf, fishing, hunting Advice to a would-be entrepreneur: Don’t be afraid to work hard and seek the advice of experts when needed. Best advice you’ve received and who gave it to you: “Build win-win relationships in everything we do.” — My father Roger Duininck

J uly / A U gust 2 0 1 4 • • w w w. B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e . c o m

T I M ELINE 1948 Royal Tire opens at 1020 St. Germain in downtown St. Cloud. 1963 Roger Duininck founds St. Cloud Tire & Tread Company. The focus of the business is commercial truck tires, sales, service, and retreading. Tire retreading is done with a hot cap process. 1981 Duininck acquires Mathisen Tire, including locations in Brainerd and Virginia, Minn. 1986 St. Cloud Tire & Tread purchases Maus Tire in Monticello, Minn. 1987 St. Cloud Tire & Tread acquires St. Cloud-based Royal Tire with two locations: St. Cloud and Maple Grove. The Royal Tire acquisition includes a Bandag retreading plant. All retreading production is converted to the Bandag retreading method. 1989 A retail service location opens under the Mathisen Tire name in Hibbing, Minn. 1990 Royal Tire-St. Cloud adds the first Bandag Off-The-Road retread plant in the United States.

1999 A new retail service location opens in Waite Park. Royal Tire commercial service locations are added in Mankato, MN, and Aberdeen, SD. 2000 New, state-of-the-art, distribution center is built in St. Cloud. 2001 New corporate offices open in St. Cloud. Royal Tire is in the top 40 tire retreaders nationally. 2003 Royal Tire acquires Tri-State Tire in Fergus Falls. The Virginia retread plant, and Mankato and Aberdeen service locations close. 2005 Royal Tire opens a new commercial service location in Shakopee, MN and acquires Brown County Tire in New Ulm, Minn. 2007 Royal Tire obtains exclusive distribution rights for Mighty Auto Parts in their trade area; they add a commercial service location in Grand Forks, ND. 2010 Royal Tire adds a commercial location in Waite Park and remodels the Waite Park retail location.

1995 The TireOne program, a network of independent tire dealers, launches with 35 dealers. The company phases out the St. Cloud Tire & Tread name in favor of Royal Tire. 1996 A Bandag retread plant is added in Virginia, Minn. 1997 St. Cloud Tire & Tread founder Roger Duininck retires and sells the business to sons Pat and Paul. The Maple Grove commercial store relocates to Minneapolis. Pat and Paul purchase Kampa Tire, with locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul and install a commercial rim and wheel reconditioning facility in St. Cloud. The company has about $22 million in sales and 80 employees. 1998 Royal Tire acquires Brandon Tire with service locations in Montevideo and Marshall, as well as a retread shop and distribution center in Montevideo.

2011 Royal Tire sells the TireOne program that has grown to over 325 independent dealers. Royal Tire acquires Dependable Tire and moves its Shakopee location into Dependable's location in Savage, Minn. The retail/ commercial store in Brainerd moves to separate Brainerd locations. 2012 Royal Tire purchases Tires Plus of Alexandria, its first retail store acquisition since 1999. Royal Tire acquires St. Paul Tire in Newport, Minn. 2013 Royal Tire acquires Midstates Retreading & Wholesale and Northwestern Tire in Rochester, Minn. Royal Tire adds a commercial store in Williston, ND. 2014 Royal Tire is named the 2014 St. Cloud Area Family Owned Business of the Year. They are the 24th largest tire retread company in the U.S. and have almost tripled in size since brothers Pat and Paul Duininck purchased the business in 1997.

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

Tire added a retail division. Accounting for only about 20 percent of the company’s business, the Duinincks found that offering retail products was another way to service their commercial clients. “They have pickup trucks and four-wheelers that they’re using. It just made sense to add retail to our mix,” Pat said. When it comes to growth, the Duinincks have learned that finding the right employees is harder than weathering a bad economy. “We added eight stores and sales are up 30 percent since 2008,” Pat said. “The recession wasn’t that bad for us. We had to make some adjustments, but not like other companies did. Retreading and tire repair goes up in an economic downturn because it’s more economical to retread tires than to buy new. We actually can help customers through a bad economy.” Employees are another matter. “Growth is a big challenge for us,” Paul said. “We have a lot of ideas and areas we want to be in, but finding the people to help us achieve that is really tough.” “As our store base gets more distant we have to rely on good people to run those stores,” Pat added. “That’s always a challenge to find as many talented, reliable people as you need. We hire from within. We have longevity among our employees. We provide training, tuition reimbursement, and good benefits. But we always have job openings on our website.” Growth and distance create another type of challenge, according to Pickens. “We have to keep an eye on the fact that we want to be a certain kind of company,” he said. “It’s easier when you’re small to pay attention to little things – the community, giving back, employee recognition, that sort of thing. As we get bigger it takes a concerted effort to remind ourselves that we’re only growing because of our employees and because of the

“We help our customers keep things working, reduce their costs and be more successful. That’s what our role is and when we do it right, it feels really good.” - Pat Duininck

people in our communities. Even when we’re big, we still need to have those same values we had 20 years ago.” The challenges of growth are on everyone’s mind because the Duinincks still have aggressive expansion plans. “We’re going to continue to grow and expand our territory,” Pat said. “That’s our future.” “One of the things I like about working at Royal Tire is that the Duinincks leave the money in the company,” Pickens said. “They do that with the expectation that

the management team is going to grow the business through acquisitions and new store start-ups.” Pickens has his sights set on acquiring a multi-store operation in the next few years. “We’ve mostly acquired single store operations over the last ten years or so,” he said. “But there are some larger opportunities that we’re talking to and working on right now. That will move us up to the next level.” “We’re the largest Minnesota-based tire company,” Pat said. “We have good rapport with our competitors. We tend to

work with them, not against them. We needed to get to a certain size so the big guys wouldn’t gobble us up and we still need to pay attention to that.” “We’re big enough to do just about anything we want,” Paul said. “But we’re small enough that people know us. They can reach us, touch us, talk to us. We’re here.” BC Gail Ivers is vice president of the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce and managing editor of Business Central Magazine.

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 • • w w w. B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e . c o m

FEATURE

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PROFIT

BY THE NUMBERS Trend in growth of women-owned firms in Minnesota employment

123,233

1997

2002

140,525

124,616

change

2007

149,100

19.6 %

2013

Number of Firms

Women-owned businesses have been making headlines for 25 years. Today their employment and revenue growth outpaces the rest of the economy. By Whitney Bina

1997

2002

2007

146,600

133,237

123,905

108,417

Growth Trajectory

35.2% change

2013

Sales ($000)

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

59.2%

1997

2002

2007

$21,419,700

$18,635,862

change

$16,251,660

own businesses,” said Barry Kirchoff, director, Central Minnesota Small Business Development Center (SBDC). “Last year, 18.6 percent of business owners who sought help from the SBDC were women.” In today’s economy, women-owned businesses succeed across all business sectors. Greater access to capital, markets and business networks over the last century have allowed women to expand into various industries, including those traditionally dominated by males, such as manufacturing, technology, construction, and engineering. Central Minnesota is no exception. Christy Gilleland, store manager, Gilleland Chevrolet, began filing papers at

$13,457,542

omen-owned businesses continue to exceed the national average in business growth. Between 1997 and 2013, the number of women-owned companies in the U.S. increased by 59 percent. That’s one-and-ahalf times the national average. At the same time, revenues of women-owned operations rose 63 percent, according to a report by American Express. In Minnesota, the trend continues. Statewide, the American Express report shows over 146,000 small businesses were owned by women in 2013, up from 124,000 in 2002. “Locally, we continue to see increases in the number of women who want to

2013

Source: “The 2013 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report,” American Express OPEN

www.scr-mn.com

the dealership when she was 14 years old. She spent the next several years working her way through the company, and in 2013, took over the family-owned operation. “Trends in the business world are changing,” Kirchoff said. “When it comes to succession planning, daughters are having more of a role in running family-owned businesses.” This was certainly not the case even 30 years ago. Gilleland radiates passion for the company her father built. “The backbone of my success is from my dad,” Gilleland said. “My biggest goal is to continue the legacy he started.” Gilleland knew from an early age that the dealership was the place for her. She worked full time at Gilleland Chevrolet while attending St. Cloud State University, where she earned a business management degree. Upon graduating, she was promoted to department manager and eventually took over the entire company. In 2007, Brenda Eisenschenk began her company as a one-person operation. Today, InteleCONNECT, a telecommunications company, employs three additional full-time employees and supports sub-agents as needed. Eisenschenk founded InteleCONNECT for the customers. “I had worked for telecom carriers in the area where the primary focus was new sale acquisition. After the sale, the customer was typically turned over to a customer care team,” she said. “I wanted to find a way to stay with the customer and their vendors as their needs continued to change. Starting InteleCONNECT allowed me to accomplish that goal.” Customer service remains Eisenschenk’s number one priority. “The biggest identifier of success for us is when we have a new prospect referred to us by one of our customers,” she said. “We know we are doing something right when our customers recommend us to another business to help them with their needs.” Success has not come easily for many privately-held companies in the last six years since the Great Recession. However, one bright spot shines through: women-owned businesses. Women-owned companies have added an estimated 175,000 jobs to the U.S. economy since 2007, according the American

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FEATURE

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PROFIT

THE 2014 Getting Started Are you a prospective business owner who wants to find success? Brenda Eisenschenk, InteleCONNECT, Inc., provides these tips to help you become a better business owner. 1 Have a good plan in place. The Small Business Development Center and Central Minnesota SCORE can help you with this.

4 Align yourself with people who share the same core values as you have.

2 Surround yourself with good mentors.

6 “Always leave the woodpile a little higher than you found it.” – Be sure to always give a little more of your time, talent or money to others than what was there before.

3 Know where your strengths and weaknesses are and do not be afraid to hire good people, or outsource, to help where you are weakest.

5 Treat people with respect.

Women in Business Directory Introduces you to some of the women who are Redefining Business DId you KNow?

Express report. And that growth is only expected to increase. The Guardian Small Business Research Institute projects womenowned businesses will create over 5 million new jobs by 2018. What drives these women-owned operations to success? Some argue that specific leadership styles of women give them an edge to running a successful business. According to Central Minnesota business owners, gender has nothing to do with it. “All business owners need to possess the following: Resourcefulness, passion, independence, and drive,” Kirchoff said. Race, gender, industry, and age do not make a difference if a business owner does not have the internal, integral components of success. Cars and customer service drive Gilleland to succeed. “Customer enthusiasm will always carry the most weight,” said Gilleland, quoting the Gilleland Chevrolet philosophy, a business card-size handout given to every employee and available to customers. “This has been our philosophy since day one.” Eisenschenk’s resourcefulness helps her achieve success. She takes advantage of community resources, such as the St. Cloud Area Chamber’s Executive Dialogue Groups, and connects with mentors to improve the areas of her company she’s not

as well versed in. “I came into the business with a sales background. It was challenging to handle the marketing, operations, accounting, and management of the business in addition to the sales,” she said. “It was so much easier to put some of those tasks on the back burner and concentrate on the sales aspect. “The Chamber’s Executive Dialogue Groups have been extremely effective in using the experience and wisdom of others to help me grow in areas where I need assistance,” she continued. “The group also ensures I’m held accountable for things. It’s like I have a ‘big brother’ watching over me to make sure I stay on track and do what I say I’m going to do.” Whatever motivates these women appears to be working. In Gilleland’s first year as the company leader, Gilleland Chevrolet achieved twenty percent growth in both sales and the overall bottom line. Likewise, Eishenshenk has achieved many successes. “While most of my original goals were sales driven, one was to pay off my initial investment within the first six years,” she said. She did it in three. BC Whitney Bina is the communications and workforce development coordinator at the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce.

New Opportunities for Women-Owned Businesses The Small Business Administration removed the cap on government contracts set aside for women-owned and economically disadvantaged womenowned small businesses. Prior to May 2013, when the rule went into effect, federal government contracts were capped at $6.5 million for manufacturing contracts and $4 million for all other contracts under the Women-Owned SmallBusiness Program.

Source: U.S. Small Business Administration Sources used in this story: American Express OPEN. (2013). The 2013 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report; Sharon Hadary, National Women’s Business Council. (2013). Launching Women-Owned Businesses on to a High Growth Trajectory.

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2014

Women in Business Directory

2014

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2014

Women in Business Directory

2014

, partner in the law firm of Jeddeloh | Snyder, P.A. practices in the area of family law. She serves on the St. Cloud Area Legal Services Board and the Volunteer Attorney Program Advisory Board.

• Divorce & Family • Guardianship/ Conservatorship • Wills & Trusts • Probate • Real Estate • Business

Trusted. Experienced.

(763) 262-2889

(320) 240-9423

(320) 348-2001

35 Lake St. S, Suite #600

803 W. St. Germain

101 Red River Avenue

Big Lake

• Divorce & Family • Guardianship/ Conservatorship • Wills & Trusts • Probate • Real Estate • Business

Trusted. Experienced.

St. Cloud

Cold Spring

graduated from St.Cloud State University in 1982, and received her Juris Doctorate in 1985 from Hamline University School of Law. She is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association and the Stearns-Benton Bar Association.

(763) 262-2889

(320) 240-9423

(320) 348-2001

35 Lake St. S, Suite #600

803 W. St. Germain

101 Red River Avenue

Big Lake

St. Cloud

Cold Spring

The Women’s Fund of the Central Minnesota Community Foundation congratulates

2014 Athena Award Recipient

Dr. Pat Welter

Katherine Fossey Attorney at Law

  

General Litigation Insurance Defense Employment

St. Cloud, MN|320-251-1055|www.rajhan.com 50

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Coming September 2014

Central MN Growth Guide Deadline: July 25, 2014

Featuring: New Businesses, New Ownership, New Locations, and Expansions. The Face of Leadership & Smart Business Profiles For more information contact Wendy Hendricks - 320.656.3808 or whendricks@BusinessCentralMagazine.com Check us out online at www.BusinessCentralMagazine.com

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SMART BUSINESS: Northwestern Mutual

The Impact of Long-Term Care onWomen

Our financial representatives and staff enjoy working with clients to discuss the need for long term care and all other insurance and investment needs.

omen experience extra challenges in life unique to their half of the population; one of them is their longer life span. The average 50 year old women today can expect to live to nearly age 83; almost four years longer than a man of the same age, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 Statistical Abstract. The Census Bureau also reports, for the first time, more women in this country are living without a husband than with one (America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2012. Table A1). A woman’s longer life span means she has an increased chance of suffering a chronic illness which could require some form of long-term care. This fact alone raises questions around who will provide care in your later years, and at what price? Who will decide these issues? By including long-term care planning in your retirement plans, you can assess the risks, provide answers to some of these questions, and maintain some control over your options should long-term care become a necessity. Potential risks ahead As a woman in America today, you also need to consider in your planning whether or not you are likely to become a caregiver. Women

are at greater risk of bearing the costs – financial, physical and emotional - associated with providing care to others. For these reasons, long-term care planning is fundamentally a women’s issue. How will you be cared for if you become unable to do simple things, such as eat, dress, use the bathroom or get in and out of bed alone? Conversely, could you do these things for a loved one should he or she require long-term care and, at the same time, continue to work and take care of yourself? Long-term care can be expensive and, often, it’s an out-of-pocket expense. Typical safety nets such as Medicaid, which is designed for people who meet certain income requirements, will pay for certain types of long-term care. However, eligibility usually comes only after contributing most of any income you receive and exhausting most assets. What’s more, Medicaid may not cover the entire cost of long-term care, even after you are able to qualify. Traditional health insurance and Medicare, which is for people age 65 and older and those who have certain disabilities, don’t cover the costs of most long-term care services. For these and other reasons, long-term care planning has become an essential

part of retirement funding for a growing number of American women today. Because funding long-term care can be challenging, it’s important to work with a professional who understands your needs and can design a strategy that will meet those needs at a cost you can afford. Specifically, look for a financial representative who is supported by a well-established company with a solid history of strength and stability. A company that is well-positioned to be there when you need it most. It’s best to talk about long-term care early—before the need for medical or personal care is imminent. That’s because the plan you establish now can help provide options and preserve the assets you worked so hard to create. By planning ahead, you can also help maintain your independence and work to ensure you have the financial security to live your life your way.

Northwestern Mutual 3315 Roosevelt Rd, Ste. 300, St. Cloud, MN 56301 • 320.223.6639 Securing futures. Enhancing lives. Creating legacies.

Article prepared by Northwestern Mutual with the cooperation of Josh Longnecker. Josh Longnecker is a Managing Director with Northwestern Mutual based in Saint Cloud, MN. Josh Longnecker is a licensed insurance agent. Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI, and its subsidiaries. To contact Josh Longnecker, please call (320) 223-6639 or email at joshua.longnecker@nm.com.

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SPECIAL FOCUS S E N I O R H E A LT H & LIVING

Marketing to Seniors

Seniors and baby boomers make up a whopping 23 percent of the population. If you haven’t thought about how to reach this market, you’d better start. Here are a few suggestions to consider.

1 Focus your Message on Feel Age not Real Age The expression ‘You’re only as old as you feel’ actually has some scientific truth, and brings with it a lesson for marketers: focus on feel age not real age. That may mean adjusting your message. Instead of focusing on osteoporosis medication in order to keep from breaking bones, focus on how the medication helps users play golf or go to the museum. 2 Building Trust Seniors and baby boomers generally buy what everyone

else buys. But they tend to take more time to research and plan where and how they spend their money. As a business owner, this means earning their trust. One of the best tools in your marketing toolkit for achieving this is to perfect your customer service. Satisfaction comes first, but loyalty is earned and in the long term counts for much more. 3 Which Marketing Vehicles Work? As with all target markets, you need to reach your customers where they are - and for more

and more seniors and baby boomers this means taking your marketing online. Seniors are the fastest growing user segment to embrace computer technology; they spend $7 billion online annually. Email marketing also remains a powerful force in marketing to seniors - when used properly it still outranks all other forms of direct marketing in terms of ROI. Depending on your particular target you may need to pay attention to the visual preferences and needs of the senior market - are your fonts too small? Is your email too visually cluttered? Is your call to action clear and apparent? If you are thinking of developing a specific marketing strategy to reach and engage seniors, start small, keep an eye on ROI and adjust your tactics as needed. BC Source: SBA.gov, Caron Beesley, community moderator

B u s i n e s s C e n t r a l M a g a z i n e • • J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

Activity by Demographics The share of entrepreneurs in the ages 45-54 group grew from 25.2% to 30.0% from 2003 to 2013.

Ages 20-34 Ages 20-34 Ages 45-54 Ages 45-54

Ages 35-44 Ages 35-44 Ages 55-64 Ages 55-64

26.4% 26.4% 29.8% 29.8%

25.2% 25.2% 18.7% 18.7%

22.7% 22.7% 24.0% 24.0%

30.0% 30.0% 23.4% 23.4%

Interested in learning more? Visit www.BusinessCentral Magazine.com to watch nine entrepreneurs pitch their products to Baby Boomers.

Correction: In the May-June issue of Business Central, the following businesses were accidentally left out of the Resource List in the “Special Focus - Lifetime Learners:” Minnesota School of Business; Rasmussen College. We apologize for the oversight.

By The Numbers

SENIOR HEALTH & LIVING

About us:

On the following pages you can learn more about the many programs, services, and opportunities available for older adults in Central Minnesota.

Our experienced eye doctors offer comprehensive vision examinations and specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide array of eye diseases, conditions, and problems. We use advanced diagnostic technology and vision correction products to care for our patients in the St. Cloud, Paynesville, and Becker communities.

At a glance:

Insight Eye Care • www.insighteyecare.us St. Cloud (Waite Park) 206 W Division Street 320-253-0365 Becker 12390 Sherburne Ave 763-261-5444

Paynesville 204 Washburne Ave 320-243-3566

About us:

A 25 acre health care facility providing a complete continuum of care. Enriching lives.

Services:

Independent senior living, long term care, memory care, short stay care, rehabilitation services

At a glance: Country Manor Campus Phone: (320) 253-8450 Website: www.redefiningseniorliving.me

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SENIOR HEALTH & LIVING

SPECIAL FOCUS S E N I O R H E A LT H & LIVING

Jobs

An aging population puts healthcare in the job-creation driver’s seat.

mployment among healthcare practitioners and technical occupations is expected to increase by 21.4 percent in the 10-year period ending in 2018. This growth, according to projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, will result in almost 1.6 million new jobs, driven primarily by an increasing demand for healthcare services. As the number of older people continues to grow and as new

developments allow for the treatment of more medical conditions, more healthcare professionals will be needed. In the 2013 report, Occupations with the Most Job Growth, personal care aides and registered nurses are numbers one and two, respectively. The demand for registered nurses is expected to grow by 19.4 percent by 2022, accounting for an increase of 526,800 jobs.

The need for personal care aides is projected to grow from 1.2 million in 2012 to 1.8 million in 2022, an increase of 48 percent. Rounding out the top six fastest growing occupations are: retail salespeople, home health aides, food preparation and serving workers, and nursing assistants. BC Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

By The Numbers

14.3%

Total of entrepreneurs age 55-64 in 1996

20.9%

7.2%

26.9%

Total of entrepreneurs age 55-64 in 2011

Total self-employment rate for those over 65*

Total self-employment rate for those 25-34 years old*

Source: Bloomberg Business Week; *2003 Census

EVERY DAY. EVERY WAY. We’ve got you covered.

Experience Exceptional Senior Living

Are you concerned about a parent living alone or needing more assistance? Let us take care of everything! Variety of housing opportunities:

Benedict Village

Living options and benefits include: • Chapel for all faiths

Benet Place

• Culinary arts chef

Benedict Court Assisted Living

Benedict Homes Memory Care

• Coffee shop • Gift shop

Providing outstanding rehab services through our partnership with

In/ut-atient Therapy YSICL CCTINL SC

• Beauty salon • Planned outings, activities and social events • Attractive, professionally landscaped grounds

We invite you and your loved ones to take a tour and see what makes our community a wonderful place to call home.

320-203-2747

A faith-based, nonprofit organization. All faiths welcome. Equal Housing Opportunity EOE/AA

people.

• Beautiful common areas

Market Rate Retirement Living Income Based Retirement Living

It’s not about the place, it’s about the

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(320) 259-3476

GOODSHEPHERDCAMPU.OR

SENIOR HEALTH & LIVING

Second Act Helping Senior Entrepreneurs

About us:

mericans in the 55-64 age group start new businesses at a higher rate than those in their 20s and 30s and have, every single year, from 1996 to 2013. Research suggests that there are several ways policymakers can support this important phenomenon of older entrepreneurship. •• Lowering barriers to entry in general would make business creation easier. Licensing barriers in several sectors — which exist mostly at the state and local level — also suppress business creation. The complexity — though not necessarily the level — of taxes can also act as a barrier to entrepreneurship. These, of course, apply to entrepreneurs of all ages.

Recovery is often faster at home. CentraCare Health Home Care & Hospice provides high-quality medical care and compassionate emotional and spiritual support. A team of skilled professionals work to provide a total continuum of care. Services include home care, palliative care, hospice, telemonitoring, infusion/IV therapy, pediatrics, rehabilitation and more.

•• For senior entrepreneurship, flexible labor markets are especially important. Moving easily between self-employment, wage-and-salary employment, and entrepreneurship requires flexible labor markets. •• We will likely need more financial innovation to support continuously changing forms of entrepreneurship. •• Finally, policymakers can foster senior entrepreneurship by encouraging intergenerational networks where entrepreneurs of different ages can interact and learn. BC

At a glance: CentraCare Health Home Care & Hospice Phone: (320) 259-9375 Website: www.centracare.com

Source: Excerpt from Testimony by Dane Stangler, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, Feb 12, 2014. For the complete testimony, visit www. BusinessCentralMagazine.com

About us: Your Bridge Between Hospital & Home. St. Cloud’s Leader in Short Stay Care!

Every day. Every way. We’ve got you covered. Services: Rehabilitation services, Short stay care, Memory care and Long term care.

At a glance:

St. Benedict’s Senior Community 1810 Minnesota Boulevard SE, St. Cloud, MN 56304 Contact: Information & Registration Email: sbcinformationregistry@centracare.com Phone: (320) 654-2355 Website: www.centracare.com

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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT PROFIT

It’s a Lifestyle

At a Glance Batteries Plus Bulbs 2710 2nd St S St. Cloud, MN 56301 320-240-2332 fax: 320-240-2333

For Brian and Dolora Musech, business ownership isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle.

27 N Benton Dr. Sauk Rapids, MN 56379 320-230-2332 fax: 320-257-8271 info@mnbattery.com www.BatteriesPlus.com Business Description: Retail and wholesale of a wide variety of batteries and light bulbs; mobile device repair. Open seven days a week. Owners: Brian and Dolora Musech Opened: September 26, 1994 Number of Employees: 13 Joined the Chamber: August 1994

Personal ProfileS Brian Musech, 45 Dolora Musech, 44

Hometowns: Brian - Plymouth; Dolora - Hermantown, near Duluth

By Gail Ivers

Business Central: How did you happen to choose a Batteries Plus franchise? Brian Musech: A friend of Dolora’s family opened one in Duluth and it did pretty well. Dolora Musech: He approached my dad about helping him open one in St. Cloud. My dad thought “I have a daughter in St. Cloud.” I went up to talk to my dad about it and then came back and told Brian, who said... Brian: “How are you going to make a living selling batteries?” Dolora: How many times have we heard that! We were young and not that smart so we plunged in.

Education: They met in college and are both graduates of St. Cloud State University

Family: Two sons: James 21, graduated from St. Cloud State in 2014; Victor, 19, in college in Montana

Brian: Young, dumb and broke. That’s a good combination for going into business. I’ve never really had a job. At least not in the traditional sense. What we do isn’t so much a job, as it’s what we do. Dolora: It’s a lifestyle more than a job. We’ve never been full time in the store — we have good people who do that so we can do other things — work on the business, rather than in the business. But it’s not a job — it’s a lifestyle. BC: What’s your biggest challenge? Dolora: Staffing. Finding people with the right combination

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Hobbies: Hunting and fishing, spending time with friends, outdoor activities, buying and selling businesses

of customer service skills and technical know-how. They have to understand watts, ohms, soldering, volts, color rendering indexing...it goes on and on. It’s very technical, but you need to be able to relate to the customer, too. Brian: Sometimes it’s very hard to turn off the business mode. It can get all consuming. I’m getting better now than when I was younger. I can’t go fishing for the afternoon and stop thinking about work. I need to go 500 miles away to really turn it off. BC

Timeline 1992 - 2007 Owned Professional Mosquito Control, sold to a company out of Chicago 1998-2000 Owned Preferred Service and Repair, sold it to the manager 2002 Opened Batteries Plus in Baxter 2006 Relocated the Baxter store to Brainerd 2007 Sold the Brainerd store to the store manager 2010 Brian began selling real estate for Granite City Real Estate, specifically sales of small and medium sized businesses December 2012 Opened Batteries Plus Bulbs in Sauk Rapids

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