09/15/2011 - Dakota County Tribune Business Weekly

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Toxic pipes allegedly sold by Uponor 7A Burnsville CEO works for jobs 7A Local dance company remembers 9/11 28A

JESSICA HARPER JOHN GESSNER T.W. BUDIG

dakotacountytribune.biz dakotacountytribune.biz

DATE ##, 2009 SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

VOLUME 30, NUMBER # VOLUME 32, NUMBER 29

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INSIDE BIZ

Cutting through life’s clutter with Empty the Nest

FORUM

Cities and counties should look themselves in the mirror when raising property taxes and not blame the state. PHIL 4A KRINKIE

Burnsville company specializes in wall-to-wall property removal

FORUM

by Joe Palmersheim SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE

When it came time for Hamel resident Genevieve Dykhoff to put her house up for sale, the thought of cleaning out more than 50 years of life’s treasures was simply overwhelming. “(My husband George and I) have lived in this house since 1954, and we have a two-car garage and a shed in the back,� she said. “I’m almost 80, and I thought to myself, ‘What am I going to do with all of that stuff?’ There was no way I could get rid of all of it myself.� In the end, she didn’t have to. Dykhoff enlisted the services of Empty the Nest, a Burnsvillebased company specializing in wall-to-wall personal property removal for seniors and homeowners interested in downsizing. Owners Kris Yohn of Eagan and Sharon Fischman of Golden Valley go through homes and apartments to throw away what is garbage, donate what

Photo by Joe Palmersheim

Sharon Fischman of Golden Valley, left, and Kris Yohn of Eagan started Empty the Nest, a Burnsville-based property removal service, last year. The company specializes in cleaning out the homes of senior citizens and those interested in downsizing, and does not charge those it helps move. Usable items recovered during the move are sold at the company’s Burnsville storefront.

In Brief

Kris Yohn of Eagan and Sharon Fischman of Golden Valley operate the Empty the Nest ReUse Center at 1163 E. Cliff Road, Burnsville. For more information, go to emptythenest.net or call 612-998-0102.

can be reused, and sell desirable items for profit at the Empty the Nest ReUse Center at 1163 E. Cliff Road, Burnsville. The business subsidizes its income through the profit of whatever items it can sell, and there is no cost for them to go through a home or apartment. After crossing paths professionally, Yohn and Fischman hatched Empty the Nest last year. Yohn had been doing online sales in her garage, but after the partnership was formed the pair opened their storefront in Burnsville last December. “I was a move manager for a local company here in the Twin Cities,� Fischman said. “It was called Gentle Transitions, and their niche was that they moved seniors. I was the coordinator – I would coordinate the whole move for the seniors. I saw over and over again that there was always nice stuff in the house after they moved, and it was really hard to get rid of it. It’s hard for seniors to get that stuff out to the curb.� When Empty the Nest goes through a house, little goes to waste, Yohn said. Books go to a book service for prisoners, usable food gets donated to food shelves and metal gets taken away by scrappers. A typical clean-out takes two days. When items are processed, they are taken by moving truck or van to the Empty the Nest ReUse

DANE SMITH

More than ever, political leaders must transform and redesign government operations. 4A

FORUM

T.W. BUDIG

Minnesota U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann regained her footing in recent presidential debate. 5A

BUSINESS 101

Business owners should write blogs in order to connect with their current and potential customers. BETTER 5A BUSINESS BUREAU

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General 952-894-1111 Distribution 952-846-2070 Advertising 952-846-2011

See Empty the Nest, Page 27A

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