JOHN GESSNER T.W. BUDIG T.W. BUDIG
Amid controversy, Humane Society will close 2A Emmer concedes, Dayton to be sworn in Jan. 3 10A Mike Hatch’s daughter, Anne, commits suicide 11A
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DATE ##, 2009 DECEMBER 16, 2010
VOLUME 30, NUMBER # VOLUME 31, NUMBER 42
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Darlene Miller named Business Person of the Year by Jessica Harper
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INSIDE BIZ FORUM
Profiles in Business
DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
After a difficult year, Darlene Miller, president and CEO of Burnsville-based Permac Industries, finally received some good news. She was named Business Person of the Year by the Burnsville Chamber of Commerce. “When I won the U.S. Chamber award, I felt that it was truly like winning an Oscar, but this award meant more to me because it’s from my peers,” Miller said. Her company, which manufactures precision machine parts, was named Small Business of the Year in 2008 by the United States Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. Miller and Permac Industries have received numerous awards over the years. Permac received the U.S. Chamber Blue Ribbon Award in 2007, and in 2006 Miller was named Minnesota’s Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Miller was also named among the 2010 Exceptional Business Women by the Dakota County Tribune Business Weekly. “She is an individual who has the respect of the business community,” said Dick Sjoquist, owner of Burnsville Toyota and a member of the Business
PHIL KRINKIE
FORUM
Fifteen cities are taking steps to conserve energy and prevent pollution by joining Minnesota Greenstep. DON HEINZMAN 4A
Photo by Jessica Harper
Permac Industries President and CEO Darlene Miller was recently named Business Person of the Year by the Burnsville Chamber of Commerce. Person of the Year selection committee. Miller was selected by the committee of previous award winners for her commitment to the Burnsville chamber and community, Sjoquist said.
Community activist Miller has been a member of the Burnsville chamber for about eight years and served as chairwoman in 2007. Miller is also a member of numerous other business organizations, including the Minnesota Valley Medical Manufacturers’ Network, the United States Chamber of Commerce and the Precision Machined Products Association.
BEST PRACTICES
Photo by Rick Orndorf
Darlene Miller of Permac Industries volunteers for local chambers and nonprofits in the community, and is politically outspoken. In September, she held a rally for GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer at Permac. Although Miller has been popular in the business community, she has encountered a few foes in the political sphere. Last fall, she held a rally for Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer at Permac Industries – something for which she received some flack. Regardless of a few spiteful e-mails, Miller said she does
Pawlenty cabinet member and ex-Burnsville mayor will head state’s hospitality trade association by John Gessner
Profiles in Business
There are less pleasant jobs in state government than the one Dan McElroy will exit this month to become president of Minnesota’s hospitality trade association. The days of engineering wrenching state budget cuts are behind Minnesota’s former finance commissioner, a top official in Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s administration since the Eagan Republican took office in 2003. McElroy has spent the last three years as
commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development. And lately, he’s had relatively good news to report in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Minnesota’s un- Dan McElroy employment rate as of Dec. 13 was 7.1 percent, well below the national rate of 9.8 percent. The average work week in Minnesota is getting longer, postings on job websites are up and state work-force centers report more hiring, McElroy said.
Help the economy and environment by buying locally and sustainably this holiday. It will benef it your own quality of life. LEE EGERSTROM 5A
BUSINESS 101
See Miller, Page 40A
Jobs picture looking up as McElroy exits Capitol DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
It’s time for the Vikings to get real about building a new stadium. Owner Ziggy Wilf needs to lower his expectations 4A
“The short story is we’re better than many other states; we’re not as good as we would like to be,” said the longtime Burnsville resident and former mayor. “We have higher unemployment than prerecession levels, and I’m not satisfied that our unemployment rate is lower than other states’ until we get at or below the mid-4 percent range that we have when we’re not in recession.” Come Jan. 4, the former travel-industry pro will return to the private sector, this time as president of Hospitality Minnesota, the trade group for the state’s restaurant, lodging, and resort and campground associations. After eight years in the Pawlenty administration, and eight years before that as a state representative from Burnsville, McElroy said See McElroy, Page 40A
LISA BAH
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A culture shift that creates happy employees will take your business to the next level. Open dialogue will make it possible. 6A
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