Mnvalley 10 14 by Free Press Media

Ridley CEO Steve VanRoekel at the Hubbard plant in Mankato. Photo by Pat Christman

Change of fortunes in ag

Agribusiness strong, but crop prices down while livestock up Also in this issue • MD Advisors Group, formerly Milbrett, Dauk & Co. • Play it Again Sports • Mankato Design Center

The Free Press MEDIA

LESS TRAVEL.

More time to be a kid. That’s thriving to Konnor Wojcik and his family. Having the specialized care he needs right here means Konnor has more time to goof around with his brothers. More time to play baseball and soccer. More time for school and friends. More coordinated care. More immediate care. The new Mankato Clinic Children’s Health Center means more time to thrive for Konnor and for all children in our region.

➜ mankatoclinic.com

Wickersham Health Campus 1421 Premier Drive, Mankato Call for an appointment (507) 389-8529. We’re here to take your call as early as 7 a.m. Please call us first to make a same-day appointment for your sick child before going to Urgent Care.

Carving A NEW LOOK ? PriNt SOLutiONS tO Fit yOur NEEdS Brochures annual reports catalogs magazines posters hard cover Books soft cover Books print on demand direct mail and more . . .

Our roots run deep. Did you know that Minnesota is home to 81,000 farms totaling nearly 27 million acres? And, it’s important to note that the agriculture and food industry is the second largest employer in Minnesota. At AgStar Financial Services, we know how important agriculture is to the state and to this community. We’re proud to have served agriculture and rural communities for more than 95 years. For generations, we have served farm families and agribusinesses as their trusted financial partner. We wouldn’t want it any other way.

& proud sponso

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424 N. Riverfront Drive • Mankato, MN 56001 • www.ridleyinc.com MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 3

» C OME JUDGE

for Yourself.

GOLFERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD COME TO CHALLENGE THE JUDGE and the two other golf courses in Prattville at RTJ Capitol Hill. Bring your clubs and come take on Judge hole number 1, voted the favorite hole on the Trail. Complete your day in luxury at the Marriott and enjoy dining, firepits and guest rooms overlooking the Senator golf course. With the Marriott’s 20,000 square feet of meeting space, 96 guest rooms and luxurious Presidential Cottage combined with three world-class golf courses, business and pleasure can definitely interact in Prattville.

THE ROBERT TRENT JONES GOLF TRAIL AT CAPITOL HILL is home of the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic on the Senator Course September 18 to 24, 2014. The Marriott Prattville is part of the Resort Collection on Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Visit www.rtjgolf.com or call 800.949.4444 to learn more.

F E A T U R E S October 2014 • Volume 7, Issue 1

Crop farmers face lower prices while hog and dairy producers see an uplift as the region’s $6 billion ag economy continues to fuel the economy.

Steve Eckers and Andy Oberle have moved their Play it Again Sports store and continue to serve clients from a wide area.

Interior designer Margot Weyhe and her husband Rich created the Mankato Design Center to put several services under one roof.

This year Milbrett, Dauk & Co. has become MD Advisors Group to reflect the three service companies housed within their building.

MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 5

■ october 2014 • VOLUME 7, ISSUE 1 PUBLISHER James P. Santori EXECUTIVE EDITOR Joe Spear ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tim Krohn CONTRIBUTING Tim Krohn WRITERS Nell Musolf Kent Thiesse Heidi Sampson Matthew Michaletz PHOTOGRAPHERS Pat Christman John Cross COVER PHOTO John Cross PAGE DESIGNER Christina Sankey ADVERTISING Ginny Bergerson MANAGER ADVERTISING sales Jen Wanderscheid Theresa Haefner ADVERTISING Barb Wass ASSISTANT ADVERTISING Sue Hammar DESIGNERS Christina Sankey CIRCULATION Denise Zernechel DIRECTOR For editorial inquiries, call Tim Krohn at 507-344-6383. For advertising, call 344-6336, or e-mail mankatomag@mankatofreepress.com. MN Valley Business is published by The Free Press Media monthly at 418 South 2nd Street., Mankato MN 56001.

■ Local Business memos/ Company news................................7 ■ Business and Industry trends.........9 ■ Minnesota Business updates....... 10 ■ Business Commentary................. 12 ■ Construction, real estate trends.. 29 ■ Agriculture Outlook...................... 30 ■ Agribusiness trends..................... 31 ■ Job trends..................................... 32 ■ Retail trends................................. 33 ■ Greater Mankato Growth.............. 34 ■ Greater Mankato Growth Member Activities ....................... 36

From the editor

By Joe Spear

Agriculture’s influence flourishes

Regional ag sales match retail, manufacturing.

griculture plays a huge role in the Mankato regional economy. Our report this month may surprise a lot of readers who are not closely associated with agribusiness in the region. Our cover story details a study by South Central College that shows $6.3 billion in annual agriculture-related sales in a 13-county area of south central Minnesota. That translates into $10 billion of related economic activity. The agricultural sales in a 13-county Greater Mankato Agricultural Region are nearly equal to the combined sales of retail trade and manufacturing, according to a report by Greater Mankato Growth. By rough estimates, one could posit that agriculture and related business activity make up maybe 30 percent of the region’s economy. The figures are impressive and surprising. There are 120 food processors in the region, including some of the world’s largest soybean processing plants in ADM and CHS. There are 50 ag service providers, 40 implement dealers and 30 agriculturerelated cooperatives in the region. We talk to the new president of AgStar financial services, Rod Hebrink, who notes the firm with 620 employees, about 200 locally, has $7 billion in assets and loans that translate into $225 million in annual revenue. Says Hebrink: “Ag is very significant in Mankato. ADM, CHS - those are very, very large. Feed, machinery, equipment and all of the dollars that flow from the local ag economy to the local businesses is huge.” The Mankato/North Mankato metropolitan area has $911 million of agriculture income, more than any other outstate area of Minnesota and more agriculture income than Grand Forks and Fargo MSAs in North Dakota. Of course, there are risks and rewards with an economy significantly influenced by agriculture. Farmers

6 • october 2014 • MN Valley Business

and livestock producers are one of the few businesses whose fortunes rise and fall, sometimes in extremely volatile ways, based on the world prices for agricultural commodities. Very few other businesses have to watch the price of their products rise and fall 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And very few businesses have their success or failure based on a factor that may be the most unpredictable of all: the weather. So it’s always impressive to see an agriculture industry that seems to be able to sustain itself and indeed grow from year to year, from decade to decade. And if farmers and agribusiness didn’t have enough to worry about with the volatile world prices and the weather, they too must deal with the idiosyncrasies of the government and those individuals who purport to know something about what’s best for farmers. Last year’s fight over the farm bill showed that public opinion and those elected leaders influenced by it can be almost as volatile as the commodity prices themselves. It seems like it took an act of god to pass the farm bill and those battles are likely to come up as frequent as summer thunderstorms in the future. A few years ago commodity prices were at an all-time high, making it a banner year for crop farmers but a bad year for the thousands of farmers in the region that had to buy those crops to feed livestock. This year, the tables are flipped. Crop prices are low, but hog producers are more profitable. It gets you to thinking that if every business, including news organizations, had to study and predict and react to changes in the market as quickly as farmers, we would all be a little better off. MV Joe Spear is executive editor of Minnesota Valley Business. Contact him at 344-6382 or jspear@mankatofreepress.com

Local Business People/Company News

■

Feltault joins Farrish Johnson Law Office

Farrish Johnson Law Office announce the addition of new attorney Nicole M. Feltault. She focuses her practice in the areas of business planning, estate planning, real estate, and employment law. Feltault is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law. During law school, she focused on tax law and gained insight into estate planning and business planning. Nicole M. Feltault Feltault, a Minnesota native, has previous experience working with inhouse counsel.

Eide Bailly adds staff

Eide Bailly, regional certified public accounting and business advisory firm announced the following additions: Kyle Krause interned in the tax department and has now accepted a full time associate position. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a double major in accounting and finance. Anthony May was an intern in the audit department and has accepted a full time associate position. He graduated from Minnesota State University with a degree in accounting and corporate finance. Nicole Beck has accepted a full time position after interning in the FISG tax department. She graduated from Mankato State University with a degree in accounting. ■■■

■■■

Ballenger hired at GMG

Richelle Ballenger has been selected as Greater Mankato Growth’s new marketing & communications assistant. Previously she was a workflow analyst at Carlson Craft, where she was responsible for managing customer service inquires and responses. ■■■

Cramblit joins Heintz Toyota

Heintz Toyota announce Andy Cramblit from Mankato has been hired as a new Sales and Leasing Consultant. Heintz Toyota has been family owned and operated in Mankato since 1960 and sells new Toyota and Scion vehicles. ■■■

Hubbard launches new line

Mankato-based Hubbard Feeds launched its new STRIVE Calf Program at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. STRIVE is Hubbard’s next generation calf feeding program designed to provide early growth and a smooth transition to dry feed.

Rasmussen becomes Public Benefit Corp.

Rasmussen College recently became a Public Benefit Corporation meaning the College voluntarily decided to adopt a mission that puts purpose before profits. Rasmussen said in a statement that it believes providing educational opportunities that meet the needs of today’s workforce helps build strong and sustainable communities. The College hosts free bi-annual career fairs that are open to the community, participates in an annual Community Service Day and offers free meeting space to community organizations for education and training needs.

To submit your company or employee news. e-mail to tkrohn@mankatofreepress.com Put “Business memo” in the subject line. Call or e-mail Associate Editor Tim Krohn at tkrohn@mankatofreepress.com or 344-6383 for questions.

MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 7

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8 • october 2014 • MN Valley Business

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■

Business and Industry Trends

Economy

Energy

Minnesota’s product exports rose at a faster pace during the second quarter even though shipments to the state’s biggest customer, Canada, fell again. Exports of manufactured, agricultural and mining products grew to $5.4 billion in the April-to-June period, up 3.6 percent from the same period a year ago. Exports grew 2 percent in the first three months of this year. Sales to Canada fell 1 percent, however, amid continuing currency pressure. Minnesota’s shipments to Canada were down 12 percent in the first quarter of the year and off 8 percent for all of last year. In the latest period, Minnesota’s second-biggest market, China, bought $580 million worth of goods, down 2 percent. Exports to Mexico skyrocketed 61 percent to $542 million, and sales to Japan rose 15 percent to $301 million. In a statement, Katie Clark Sieben, commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, said, “Minnesota’s strong second quarter reflects an economy that is healthy and expanding.” Optical and medical products proved the quarter’s largest export, displacing machinery for the top spot from a year ago. This year, medical product orders were particularly heavy from Belgium, China and Japan, the department reported.

Driven in large part by falling crude oil prices, U.S. regular gasoline retail prices fell to an average of $3.49/per gallon in August, 12 cents below the July average and 21 cents below the average in June, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. U.S. regular gasoline retail prices are projected to continue to decline to an average of $3.18/gal in December. Regular gasoline retail prices, which averaged $3.51/gal in 2013, should average $3.46 in 2014 and $3.41 in 2015.

State exports rising

Expansions to add 950 jobs

About $241 million and 950 new jobs are expected to be created over the next two years due to company expansions Minnesota expects to see hundreds of millions of dollars in investments and new hiring due to the expansion of nearly two dozen companies throughout the state. Over the next two years, 22 separate projects will invest $241 million in the state and result in 950 jobs, according to a second-quarter report by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. “Minnesota had a strong second quarter, with corporate investments nearly triple the investments in this year’s first quarter,” said DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben in a statement. Among the largest expansions announced was Anderson Corporation, the Bayport-based window manufacturer, which is investing $18 million in its facility and adding 100 employees. Medical device manufacturer Cardiovascular Systems, based in New Brighton, plans to build a new $30 million headquarters and add 205 jobs. Projects were scattered throughout the state, with about half occurring in the Twin Cities metro area and the rest in Greater Minnesota. Manufacturing dominated the list, with 15 projects in that sector.

Falling gas prices continue

Weak global demand for crude

Weakening global demand and increased Libyan oil exports contributed to a drop in the North Sea Brent crude oil spot price to an average of $102 per barrel in August, $5 lower than the July average and $10 below the average in June. The administration projects that Brent crude oil prices will average $103 in fourth-quarter 2014 and $103 in 2015.

U.S. oil production highest since ’86

Total U.S. crude oil production averaged an estimated 8.6 million barrels per day in August, the highest monthly production since July 1986. Total crude oil production, which averaged 7.5 million barrels per day in 2013, is expected to average 9.5 million barrels in 2015. If achieved, the 2015 forecast would be the highest annual average crude oil production since 1970. Natural gas plant liquids production increases from an average of 2.6 million barrels per day in 2013 to 3.1 million in 2015. The growth in domestic liquids production has contributed to a significant decline in petroleum imports. The share of total U.S. petroleum and other liquids consumption met by net imports fell from 60 percent in 2005 to an average of 32 percent in 2013. The administration expects the net import share to decline to 21 percent in 2015, which would be the lowest level since 1968.

Natural gas prices down 15 percent

Natural gas spot prices fell 15 percent from an average of $4.59/million British thermal units in June to $3.91 in August even as natural gas stock builds continued to outpace historical norms. Natural gas working inventories on August 29 totaled 2.71 trillion cubic feet, 15 percent below the level at the same time a year ago. The Henry Hub natural gas spot price, which averaged $3.73 per MMBtu in 2013, will average $4.46 in 2014 and $3.87 in 2015.

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MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 9

Minnesota Business Updates

■

■ ADM moves headquarters to Chicago Archer Daniels Midland officially became a Chicago-based company as the agribusiness giant opened its global headquarters and customer center in downtown Chicago. However, the location of a new ADM technology center and 100 additional jobs is still up in the air. About 70 ADM employees are based in the two-floor space in the former United Airlines building. “As we continue to grow our company, this location allows us to more easily reach global markets, while keeping us in close contact with U.S. farmers, customers and operations,” said CEO Patricia Woertz in a statement. ADM’s space in the building includes a culinary facility for the company to showcase its portfolio of food ingredients, the company said. ADM announced its plans to make Chicago its new home in December, shortly after it was unable to secure the special tax incentives it sought from Illinois lawmakers to stay in Decatur. However, the search goes on for a new information technology center, which last year was touted as part of the headquarters move but was separated into a separate search after ADM didn’t get the tax incentives it sought.

■ Target CEO lays out strategy One month into his new job at Target’s top executive, Brian Cornell’s vision for the company is taking shape. In a speech at the company’s annual employee meeting, the new CEO laid out elements of his strategy and his expectations for the struggling retailer, according to Minnesota Public Radio. Chief among them are making Target a leader in fashion, clothing, home, beauty, babies, children and wellness. It’s a plan that some think makes sense, but others don’t. Cornell told employees that Target’s “Expect More, Pay Less” mantra is key to redefining the company. But he said, “We start by expecting more from ourselves.” Although Target’s U.S. store traffic has declined every quarter for almost two years, it can distinguish itself in the categories Cornell wants to emphasize, Edward Jones retail analyst Brian Yarbrough said. Yarbrough especially likes Target’s chances of grabbing a bigger share of baby product sales. He said only two other major retailers, BabiesRUs and Bed Bath and Beyond, focus on the baby crowd. “I think there’s an opportunity there to put a little more focus on customer service, improve the product offering,” he said. “They could really do some damage and take some share in that category.”

10 • october 2014 • MN Valley Business

■ Pioneer Press owner may sell papers Digital First Media, owner of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and scores of other newspapers across the country, The company said it is evaluating “strategic alternatives” that could mean selling its papers, Minnesota Public Radio reported. The company, currently the country’s second largest newspaper chain by circulation, hired UBS Securities to serve as financial adviser to review its future. Company officials cautioned nothing is final. “Strategic alternatives, what does that mean exactly? Well, it could mean we decide to sell the company. Or sell parts of it. Or expand it. Or stay the course,” Digital First chief executive John Paton said in a blog post. Digital First was formed through the December 2013 merger of Media News Group, which had run the Pioneer Press, and the former Journal Register Co. Digital First and its majority owner, Alden Global Capital have signaled for months that changes were coming, industry observers say.

■ 3M announces dividend 3M announced a quarterly dividend for investors of record on Friday, Aug. 22 who will be paid a dividend of 0.855 per share on Sept. 12. This represents a $3.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%.

■ Many Target stores to stay open later Target announced that it will stay open and extend timings in more than half of its stores, until midnight, to attract late-night shoppers. Target stores typically close at 10 p.m. during the week, and 9 p.m. on Sundays. Now it plans to keep 900 of its stores open until 11 p.m. or midnight. The strategy by the Minneapolis-based retail chain is meant to provide more convenience to its customers especially late-night shoppers. Wal-Mart Stores, has 70 percent of its stores open 24 hours a day. According to a Target spokesperson, shoppers have requested that stores be kept open for longer hours and customers are usually seen in stores till closing time. However, according to a survey conducted by the Labor Department, only 0.3 percent of Americans shop at night.

■ State corn crop larger than expected Minnesota’s corn crop should be larger than first expected. But while the U.S. Department of Agriculture says record yields will be set in 18 states, Minnesota isn’t one of them, according to the Associated Press. Statewide corn yields are forecast at 170 bushels an acre, up 10 from 2013. That’s up 2 bushels from the September forecast thanks to plentiful rain and mild temperatures. But it’s shy of the 177-bushel record in 2010. Corn production is estimated at 1.36 billion bushels, second-highest in Minnesota history. Minnesota’s new soybean forecast is unchanged at 42 bushels an acre. State’s soybean production is estimated at 312 million bushels, up 15 percent over last year.

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MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 11

■

Business Commentary

By Matthew Michaletz

2014: Not your grandparent’s business risk exposures

hen I was first asked to write this article about risk and exposures that businesses today are facing, many thoughts came to mind that I wish every business owner knew. Then there are the risks and solutions unique to specific industries, such as the ongoing frustrations in risk transfer in construction contracts which absolutely require the obsolete CG 20 10 11-85 Additional Insured endorsement on a “Primary and Non-Contributory Basis with a ‘Full’ Waiver of Subrogation and Liability for the sole negligence of the Contract Holder and any and all affiliates, third parties, brothers, in-laws, pets and anyone else we forgot about… [sic]” even a year after the AntiIndemnity Statute MS 337.05 was amended effective August 2013 making such provisions void and unenforceable. But with only one page and the possibility that I have already lost most of my audience with the jargon in the above paragraph, I will try to touch on the hot button issues and exposures facing a majority of small to midsize businesses today, short of the Affordable Care Act, which would require an additional 43 pages. Data Privacy and Security/Cyber Liability The newest coverage enhancements and standalone products in the marketplace all seem to address data security. With many well-publicized breaches, and many more on a smaller scale that don’t make the headlines, the exposure is real for businesses of any size. The costs to comply with notification requirements, credit monitoring services, and lost business after a breach can be significant. The cost estimates vary greatly, but have been quoted as high as $200 per record stolen. With the increase in employees working remotely, it’s not too difficult to fathom the consequences of a stolen laptop containing information such as Social Security and credit card numbers and other personally identifiable information. Employment Practices Liability Ten or 15 years ago, Employment Practices Liability (EPL) was at the same stage as where the new data privacy products are today with a few carriers offering their own proprietary products. In 2014, most insurance carriers offer some form of EPL coverage. Attorneys specializing in employment law are keenly aware of the risks posed in the hiring and firing of employees, even in an employment-at-will state such as Minnesota. Claims based on discrimination due to race, gender, age, etc. are all fairly common, and need to be defended whether the claim has merit or not. (Re-)Read your Lease Agreement It is important to review the tenant lease agreement when purchasing or renewing your policy (for both tenants and owners). Quite simply it stipulates what you

are responsible for insuring, whether you own it or not. And they change from time to time, or tenants come and go, without so much as a whisper to their insurance agent. A situation that reared its head on June 25, 2010 (for those not in the insurance industry who don’t have that date burned in your head from filing claims, it hailed that day in Minnesota. A lot.) What happened was a few tenants and owners discovered that their lease agreements dictated that the tenants were responsible for any and all damage to utilities servicing their premises, including rooftop A/C units. Some building owners and tenants were left with coverage disputes for damage that went anywhere from $5,000 - $10,000 per unit to replace damage to rooftop A/C unit covers, due to the building owner transferring the risk to the tenants who were never confirmed to have been carrying the appropriate building coverage, and a few who didn’t have any coverage in place at all. Same goes for tenant’s improvements and betterments to the building itself, outdoor signs, and liability items such as snow/ice removal. Then there is the common situation where the business owns their own building in the entity “Building Owner Properties LLC” and operates the tenant business as “Business Operator, Inc.” Oftentimes, the building is insured with one carrier on one policy and the business insured with a different carrier on a different policy. More often than not there is no lease agreement in place between the two wholly owned entities to determine which policy/entity is responsible for a slip and fall in the entryway (Commence bickering between two insurance carriers who both claim to be defending your policy). Also it is a good waste of an additional deductible in the event of a small fire where two policies with two carriers are responding separately to the building and contents property loss. Workers’ Compensation I wanted to touch on the experience modification split point changes that became effective over a three year period beginning Jan. 1, 2013 and the impact on Experience Modification Factors. However, my word count is running low. For a full summary, please read the MWCIA release on our Twitter page at twitter.com/ katoinsurance. Mankato is a great place to be right now. Today I walked down the newly refreshed South Front Street to grab some lunch, past the new office tower project, thinking of all of the new development going on to the North and East. To everyone: Be bold, but keep your agent in the loop. MV Matthew Michaletz, CIC, CRIS, is commercial account executive at Kato Insurance. 507-386-2013; mmichaletz@katoins.com

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MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 13

Soybean farmers are seeing lower prices than they have the past few years.

Urban setting Agricultural Mecca

By Tim Krohn | Photos by Pat Christman and John Cross

he past year has seen a major shift in the region’s $6 billion agricultural economy. In recent years, corn and soybean farmers have seen unprecedented wealth as record high crop prices, lower debt and increasing land valuations fueled a bonanza. At the same time, hog and dairy farmers were struggling with higher feed costs due to high crop prices, low meat and dairy prices and, in the case of hog producers, high losses in many herds because of a pig virus. Going into this harvest season, those scenarios have largely been reversed. Corn prices are hovering just above $3 per bushel after ranging from $5-$7 over much of last year, while soybeans have seen a slightly less dramatic decline. Farm management analyst Kent Thiesse said the area’s

crop farmers are at a point of break-even profits and could face losses next year if crop production and price predictions hold true. (See Thiesse’s full evaluation on Page 34 of this issue.) Meanwhile, hog prices have held at about $10-$20 per hog higher this year than last and milk has been selling for about $5 per hundredweight more this year than last. But despite the change of fortunes, farmers’ balance sheets remain stronger than they ever have been as debt remains relatively low. “The grain industry has had a decade of strong performance and extraordinarily strong the last three or four years. We saw a lot of clients upgrading their machinery and interested in purchasing more land,” said Rod Hebrink, the new president and CEO of AgStar

Cover Story

14 • october 2014 • MN Valley Business

Tom Slunecka, executive director of the Mankato-based Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and Soybean Research & Promotion Council financial services. “We understand agriculture is cyclical. We knew $7 corn wasn’t here to stay. Most of our clients understood that and are well prepared for that. A strong financial position with good liquidity can withstand a couple of years of decline in the market.” Tom Slunecka, executive director of the Mankato-based Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and Soybean Research & Promotion Council, said soybean farmers are seeing lower revenues and facing rail problems that make it more costly to ship. But he sees positives as well, including this summer’s successful launch of a biodiesel mandate in Minnesota and the opportunity for other soybean value-added production opportunities. “Last year the organization accomplished a lot for all of ag by passing the B10 mandate,” he said, referring to the legislation requiring 10 percent biodiesel during the summer and 5 percent in the winter. “Seventy three cents of every bushel of soybeans can be attributed to biodiesel and in a year when beans are less than $10 that 73 cents makes a lot of difference.” While there are expected cyclical changes among farm producers, the massive agribusiness sector based largely in Mankato remains an economic juggernaut. In the 13-county region of south central Minnesota there are some 120 food processors, including soybean processing at ADM and CHS that are among the biggest in the world. Add 50 ag service providers, 40 implement dealers, 30 cooperatives and countless other businesses that profit from agriculture and the region has $6.3 billion in annual

agriculture-related sales, according to analysis by South Central College and others. “Ag is very significant in Mankato,” Hebrink said. “ADM, CHS - those are very, very large. Feed, machinery, equipment and all of the dollars that flow from the local ag economy to the local businesses is huge.” Steve VanRoekel, CEO of Ridley, oversees the nation’s leading animal nutrition company. The Mankato-based business makes and sells a wide variety of feed and supplements under well-known brand names such as Hubbard as well as a variety of other labels. VanRoekel said the Mankato region’s agricultural wealth is good for everyone. “My dad told me when I left the farm and was going to be in agribusiness that anything good for farming is going to be good for agribusiness and that’s true. Whatever is good for ag in any sector is good for us and for the economy.” Ridley among oldest local companies VanRoekel admits that while it’s been nearly 20 years since Ridley acquired Hubbard in Mankato, the Ridley name remains somewhat under the radar locally. Mankato-based Ridley has 700 employees at 29 plants in the United States and another 700 employees in Canada under a joint venture there. “It’s interesting how little people know about Hubbard. It was one of the first businesses in Mankato in the 1800s.” He said Ridley has long been involved in the local community but is trying to increase its profile. That profile will get a big boost when Ridley moves from its offices along North Riverfront Drive to one of the new office

MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 15

TOP: Steve VanRoeckel, CEO of Ridley, visits with employee Brad Hanson at the Hubbard plant in Mankato. Right: State Sen. Kathy Sheran gets a tour of the Hubbard plant in Mankato. towers being built in downtown Mankato. He said the company does a lot for local nonprofits and in the other communities it operates in. “We donate more than 1 percent of pretax profits to charities and non-profits, more than $300,000 this year,” VanRoeckel said. “A number of those are local, Backpack Food program and others. In addition to that we’re sponsoring the live animal exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota. We’ve donated well over $100,000 to the museum. We believe it’s a good cause and we’re hoping that it will help get our name out there.” Any farmer with livestock already knows the Ridley brands, but virtually any pet owner who has a dog, cat or even gerbil is likely using some product made with Ridley ingredients. “We have a long list of brands. Most prominent is Hubbard Feeds and Crystalyx, our block supplements for ruminants.” The Mankato plant has the Hubbard feeds division, which produces a wide variety of supplements for all types of livestock and poultry. “We manufacture things for large animals – meat, milk, and egg producers. But we also manufacture for other companies, things like hamster, gerbil and rabbit products you might find on the shelves of a mass merchandiser like Wal-Mart. Our equine supplements you might find at a Tractor Supply store.” Ridley even has a Kentucky plant that makes nothing but the feed for thoroughbreds for the Bluegrass area of

16 • october 2014 • MN Valley Business

Kentucky. “When the Kentucky Derby runs, the majority of horses in the starting gates were raised on our products,” VanRoeckel said. He said the lower crop prices are a benefit to Ridley. “We’d rather see lower crop prices for our egg, meat and dairy producers. When they are doing well, it’s good for us because those are our customers.” Besides producing nutrition products in Mankato, the headquarters houses some 90 professionals, including many chemists and animal scientists. Ridley has nutrition research ventures with two large hog producers, Comparts of Nicollet and New Fashion Pork in Jackson. They also have a research venture with the University of Minnesota in Waseca for dairy calf

Rod Hebrink is the new president and CEO of AgStar financial services. nutrition. AgStar’s rapid growth continues While Hebrink is new as CEO at AgStar, he was the firm’s chief financial officer for 30 years. Hebrink, who grew up on a Renville farm, took over this summer after long-time CEO Paul DeBriyn retired. With 620 employees, 200 of them based in the Mankato headquarters, AgStar serves a large portion of Minnesota and Wisconsin. “Mankato is a great place for us to be based. Mankato is doing very, very well,” Hebrink said. “Having the university here for recruitment is nice too.” Eighty percent of AgStar’s revenue comes from lending and income from lending activity. The rest comes from crop insurance and for consulting farmers about generational transition planning, business expansion or acquisitions. AgStar has $7 billion in assets in loans and leases, which translates to $225 million in annual revenue, according to Hebrink. Hebrink said grain farmers are the largest portion of AgStar’s portfolio. He said the decline in grain prices and the rapid run-up in land prices in recent years have left grain farmers taking a harder look at their operations. “They are more cautious. Machinery and land sales have slowed down.” He said meat and dairy farmers are focusing on strengthening their balance sheets. “They’re paying down debt and looking at some improvement in facilities.” Hebrink said his employees and farm clients are waiting to see how the rules in the new Farm Bill roll out because it will affect a wide variety of things in farm operations. “The Farm Bill was delayed two years. There’s a whole range of rules that have to be issued by the USDA and for

the most part they’re not out yet. There’s uncertainty there.” He said rules include the new dairy revenue insurance program. “(Dairy) producers may not look at that as necessary now, but we encourage them to look for the downturn that could come. “Crop insurance is an important tool so we’re glad to see that maintained.” Hebrink said that beyond financial and consulting services, AgStar has a big role in representing agriculture when it comes to government policies. “We have strong relationships with all the agricultural organizations like corn, soybean and the pork producers in Mankato. Farm Bureau and Farmers Union. They have different ideas on policy at times but they’re all supporting agriculture.” He said one of the biggest worries for farmers is rules being looked at by the EPA regarding water quality. “It’s very important. It could introduce new regulatory rules that have never existed before.” He said the main worry is that the EPA would begin counting “minor wetlands” as a water body of the United States, which would put them under the purview of the federal government and EPA rather than under the state’s or USDA’s jurisdiction. “Agriculture in general believes EPA has overstepped its bounds.” Soybean growers face shipping issues Slunecka said that while revenues for his soybean farmer members is going to be down, and perhaps at a break-even point, this year, many of them had forward contracted their crops when prices were higher. “The biggest problem we’re facing this year is the late planting. We were two to three weeks behind. The frost (in

MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 17

TOP: Biodiesel sign on pickup. Bottom: While a record corn harvest is predicted nationally, yields are expected to be lower in this area due to a cool, wet spring. mid-September) from Mankato to Worthington was spotty but hit low-lying areas. There will be some reduction in yield from that.” Slunecka, who has a background in bio-fuels, said the passage of the biodiesel requirement was a big bright spot for soybean producers. The mandate was fought by the trucking industry and Mercedes Benz, who feared it would cause problems with diesel engines. The mandate started on July 1. “All of the concerns that were posed during last year’s legislative session, none of them came to fruition. All of the other auto makers have said their engines are good to B20.” That 20 percent biodiesel mixture could kick in under the state law, but under the law enough biodiesel has to be produced in the state to accomplish it. “That creates business opportunities,” Slunecka said of the potential market for more biodiesel. The biggest issue his group is working on now is to develop more shipping opportunities. Last winter’s harsh winter and a big surge in North Dakota oil production has meant railroads are behind schedule and lack enough cars to meet all the demands for rail shipments. “The oil in North Dakota continues to ramp up and the only way to get it out is by rail. And at the same time they’re bringing frac sand in. Even as they add more rail cars, the oil output is just going to keep going up too.” “I anticipate agriculture will be dealing with this for quite some time.” Still, he said the dilemma could offer some opportunities. Particularly finding more ways to process soybeans within the state, be it for soy oil, meal, biodiesel or other uses

18 • october 2014 • MN Valley Business

including livestock feed. “There is opportunity for more value-added processing locally.” He said there also may be opportunities to ship more out of the Duluth ports. He said shippers there are looking for business and there is also a good market for biofuel in New York State, which has a bio-heat mandate. “Biodiesel from Minnesota is going to New York State but it’s shipped by rail. So that could go out of the Duluth port.” MV

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MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 19

Left to right: Andy Oberle, Steve Eckers and J.T. Miller carry a variety of used sports equipment at Play it Again Sports in Mankato.

Their work is play

Used sports equipment draws a wide customer base

By Heidi Sampson | Photos by John Cross

teve Eckers, co-owner of Play it Again Sports, purchased the business in 1997. A year later, he hired Andy Oberle to assist him as one of his part-timers within the store. Previous to his hire, Andy’s family had been active customers purchasing sports equipment on a regular basis for Andy. In fact, Play it Again Sports rarely advertises its need for help, but rather looks for possible assistance from those who are actively involved in sports and have been past customers of the store. After attending college, Andy would become a co-owner of Play it Again Sports, buying into the business in 2006. “We are around our customers’ children from the time they are 5 or 6 through high school, and in some cases, through their college years as well,” Eckers said. “That’s who most of our employees are, actually. I can’t remember the last time we did an interview. We’ve always hired the

kids we’ve known since they were young. When those children become 13 and 14, they start asking when they can work here. By the time they apply at 16, we already know if a certain person is going to be a good fit for our store.” Over Memorial Day Weekend, Eckers and Oberle moved Play it Again Sports to its new location on Star Street, just off Madison Avenue. Their new location is 400 square feet larger in actually floor space, and if one adds the second floor it is 1,200 square feet larger than their previous store. “We moved that Saturday of Memorial Day weekend,” Eckers said. “We started early in the morning and moved clear through the evening hours. It took every employee, Andy and I, our manager J.T., and whoever else wanted to help. Once we got everything unloaded, we arranged the store on Sunday and Monday. We were here literally from morning till night, unpacking. Our first business day

Profile

20 • october 2014 • MN Valley Business

within the new location was May 27th, 2014.” Hockey to Baseball From early October until the beginning of January, Play it Again Sports is actively selling hockey gear, sharpening skates and assisting with trade-in hockey equipment. From April to the middle of June, the baseball/softball season swings into full gear creating a flurry of glove, bat and spike shoe sales, as well as glove re-lacing needs. “It’s starting to get where hockey is almost a year around sport,” Eckers said. “Baseball and softball seem to be following the same track, which keeps us busy. If it’s not hockey, baseball, or softball, we are busy with football, soccer, and volleyball. Things really tend to pick up with the start of the new school year.” For Play it Again Sports, the individual sport drives their radius of operation. Depending upon the sport, their customers could travel well over a hundred miles. For instance, they sell hockey items to families within the Albert Lea/Austin area and well into northern Iowa. Steve believes that there are not a lot of businesses that can handle sports needs in a full service way, which brings many of their customers back for repeat business. “We do see a wider range of people willing to drive for hockey,” Eckers said, “and maybe not quite as wide of a

range for other sports like volleyball and wrestling, as those kinds of sports tend to be a little bit more localized.” Play it Again Sports also sees a fair amount of business from the local college students, who more times than not, are living on a budget. Most times the college students are looking for good quality used items or affordable new items. Of course, college students always have something to trade in as well, especially if they are looking for book money. “Our relationship with them works out both ways,” Eckers said. “Maybe they have old sports equipment they

MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 21

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are not using, they need the cash and we need the item to assist our inventory. If they are not trading something in, we can always assist them in finding affordable equipment for the student living on a budget.” According to Oberle, the worth of used items plays into having experienced the sports industry’s ups and downs over a long period of time. Within Play it Again Sport’s business structure, only Oberle, Eckers and J.T. handle the trade-in items. Their seven part-time employees assist with sales. “After a few years you kind of know that there is only so much you can get for a pair of shoes,” said Andy. “That’s regardless of what the price was to start with. Having the three of us who are here day in and day out, we have a real good idea of what works and what was way too much for a particular item. Also, the people will kind of dictate what was too much and what was too little, based on demand.” Play it Again Sports tries to cover the vast majority of the team sports, as well as the individual sport needs, such as rollerblading and inline wheel rotation. They try to carry a wide variety of new and used equipment. However, there are a few select sports where they only carry used or only carry new items, but for the most part they try to provide customers with a wide variety of options to fit their individual budgets. “Our number one goal is to try and create a relationship with the customer,” Oberle said. “We want people to come back. Nobody here’s on commission. We tell our kids from day one that they need to sell people what they need and not necessarily what costs the most. We’d much rather have customers come back for years and years, then have someone be upset with us because we sold them something they didn’t need.” MV

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MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 23

Margot Weyhe owns The Design Element and Lights on Madison in Mankato.

Pulling it all together Mankato Design Center one-stop shop for interior design By Nell Musolf Photos by Pat Christman

magine deciding to redo your kitchen. Or living room. Or entire house for that matter. Instead of traveling from a kitchen center to the tile place to somewhere you could see fabric samples, wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it be nice to go to one place where everything you wanted was conveniently located under the same

roof? Interior designer Margot Weyhe and her husband Rich (an owner of R. Henry construction) thought having everything needed in one spot was a good idea. Weyhe always wanted to have all of the elements necessary to decorate and design in one large space so

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24 â&#x20AC;˘ october 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ MN Valley Business

Margot Weyhe envisioned having everything needed for interior designs under one roof in the Mankato Design Center. that her clients would be able to see what was available without a lot of extra trips for anyone involved. In 2009 that concept became a reality and the Mankato Design Center at 1351 Madison Ave. opened its doors. The space includes The Design Element, Lights on Madison, both owned by Weyhe, as well as Artisans, a cabinet, countertop and exterior products business. “We’ve made sure that between these three spaces we can cover everything you need for your home,” Weyhe said. Weyhe, who has more than 20 years’ experience as an interior designer, believes that the all-under-one-roof concept has been a plus for clients. “For me, keeping everything together under one roof has made everything a lot more cohesive. It’s so easy to move from one space to another. A client can go from kitchen cabinets to tile to lighting with just a few steps.” Although the designers have a natural alliance with R. Henry Construction, Weyhe emphasized that the groups works with any and all contractors. The group does both commercial and residential design for homes and businesses in the Mankato area and beyond. A recent client was the United Prairie Bank in Owatonna but Weyhe has also worked with clients in northern Minnesota, in South Dakota and as far away as Palm Springs, California. The Palm Springs assignment came about when a client in Mankato asked Weyhe to redecorate their winter house in California. “That was fun,” Weyhe recalled. “When everything was finished we had a reveal, much like on television. We all enjoyed that one.” Weyhe and her team get close to their clients, a natural result of all the poking and prodding that comes with a

decorating project. “When you think about it, we’re really into everything that’s in a home,” Weyhe said. “We have to look in cabinets and closets (just to name a couple) and as a result we get to know our clients very well. It’s part of our job and also important so that we can figure out how to use their space to its best advantage.” Weyhe said that she sees interior design as a business that has an intensely high degree of customer service. “I really do believe that in this business there is the highest level of customer service,” Weyhe said. “We are in people’s homes. It’s so personal. We want the people we work with to be happy with the results.” According to Weyhe, Working with the customers and having them love the end result is one of the best things about being a designer. “That’s really what feeds us,” Weyhe said. “The best thing is to hear the words ‘we love it’ when we’re done with a project. All of us here are kind of perfectionists and we all like to hear that positive reinforcement from our clients. It’s a great feeling.” The Mankato Design Center offers a wide range of products in an equally wide range of prices. When it comes to decorating or renovating, Weyhe said that it’s possible to meet the needs of any budget and noted that it is a common misconception that professional design services are far more cost prohibitive than big box stores. “It’s unfortunate but many people do assume that they can’t afford the kind of things that we have to offer at our store,” Weyhe said. “But that assumption is wrong. We have product that’s comparable to any other store along with the expertise to guide customers on what will work best for them.”

MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 25

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The key, according to Weyhe, is knowing what kind of budget her team has to work with. Then the design group can strive to do the best that they can within that budget while drawing on their creative resources. When Weyhe is working on a project that has a smaller budget she will often focus on one unique item or textile and incorporate it to make the end result special. “People can sometimes misunderstand the process of decorating and it is a process,” Weyhe said. “It starts with a desire to change a room or a house or a business and moves on from there.” Weyhe urged people not to fear the process but instead to enjoy it and to let the client and the design team work together toward an end product that will be not only attractive but utilitarian as well. Weyhe and her team see their job as one to guide clients, help keep projects on schedule and manage the myriad of details that are a part of any design plan. In addition to lead designer Weyhe, the Design Element and Lights On Madison has a team of five other designers and specialists. Megan Rolloff has a degree in Art Education from Minnesota State University and has an extensive interest in art. Design assistant Debra Steichen has been in the field for over 20 years. Steichen has a strong interest in photography that the Design Element utilizes for progress photos of projects from beginning to completion. Sara Ruffing is the team’s lead lighting specialist and is certified as a lighting

specialist from the American Lighting Association. Ian Laird is another graduate of MSU with a Fine Arts degree in drawing/printmaking. Ian’s job at the Design Element and Lights on Madison is to assist with marketing and graphic design and is also a certified lighting specialist. The newest addition, Cassie Bowser, studied interior design at MSU and at the Art Institute. Cassie has made many cross country trips with her husband and feels seeing the country first hand has helped increase her broad and extensive interest in architecture and regional styles. As for owner Weyhe, her personal favorite in the design business is what she terms the “pretties” — furnishings, accessories, fabrics and wallcoverings. “I do love furnishings,” Weyhe said. “I’m planning to offer more of them at our new location.” A new location located off Highway 22 near the new Mankato Clinic’s Children’s Health Center is in the works for the design center. With a summer 2015 completion date, Weyhe and her team of associates are looking forward to the move from their current location into a new and more streamlined space. “I feel like we’re evolving and figuring out the process of what we need,” Weyhe said. “We’ll have more space and that means more room for a lot more beautiful things.’ We’ll have more furniture lines, fabrics — and I think we may already have more fabric samples than anywhere else in town — it’s going to be fabulous.” MV

MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 27

Randy Milbrett and daughter Robyn James this year changed the name of Milbrett, Dauk & Co, to MD Advisors Group.

New name, expanded services

Milbrett, Dauk now MD Advisors Group By Heidi Sampson Photos by John Cross

n September of 1949, L.K. (Pete) Peterson opened an accounting office, known as L.K. Peterson Accounting, in downtown Mankato. Since that time, Peterson’s accounting firm has always changed hands internally, having never been sold to anyone outside of their own employee base. In 1978, Randy Milbrett started with Peterson’s firm when it was known as Clapper, Kitchenmaster & Co. Randy worked his way to a minority partner position by 1990. Around 2000, Randy achieved majority partner status. In 2003, the company became known as Milbrett, Dauk & Co. when James Dauk was established as co-owner and Randy’s vice president, after having started with the

company in 1996. Randy’s daughter, Robyn James, started with the firm when she was 15 or 16 working part time sorting checks for payroll. In 2004, Robyn moved into full time status with the firm. Within a year, she was promoted to an office administrator position. A few years’ later, she received the title of Office Manager. This year Milbrett, Dauk & Co. launched a rebranding, in which their name changed in order to reflect the three different service companies housed within their building. Now known as MD Advisors Group, the new rebranding encompasses MD CPAs & advisors, whose mission is to help clients accomplish their goals by providing tax, accounting,

All In The Family

28 • october 2014 • MN Valley Business

Randy Milbrett started in the firm, then known as Clapper, Kitchenmaster & Co., in 1978. bookkeeping, and related advisory services, while MD Payroll Advisors provides payroll processing to their clients and MD Wealth Advisors provides financial advisory services to their clients. Although the company offers a wide variety of services under one roof, they are only a firm of seven or eight employees. “One thing that is unique about us is that our separate companies operate independently and within their own business structure,” said Robyn. “We are fully dedicated to all aspects of each business, as if we didn’t have our sister companies to fall on.” MVB: How do you divide up your time and duties? Robyn: I wear multiple hats within the company. The majority of my day is administrative, which entails dealing with customer, vendor, employee or project related matters. I handle all of our marketing and advertising, especially with the rebranding that took place on June 1st. I also handle our social media, website articles and web development, as well as some accounting and payroll. There is also a lot of compliance related matters, forms, and paperwork that goes along with the financial and wealth management business. Randy: Robyn supervises the work load and manages the team, so that Jim and I are more able to focus on our clients, as opposed to having to focus on running the office side of things. However, I also wear many different hats because I have different designations within the company. I’m a Certified Public Accountant, which means I handle all of those tax functions, returns and financial statements associated with that side of the business. I’m also a registered representative with Cetera Financial Specialists,

member FINRA\SIPC, as well as an investment advisor representative with Cetera Investment Advisers. I also do a lot of the wealth management and financial planning, as I integrate tax returns, financial statements, investing and retirement planning. MVB: Do you do anything special to offset tax season demands? Robyn: Our normal business hours are basically 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. We will take appointments during tax season on the weekends. However, during the summer months our hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Randy: Around six or seven years ago, we also started taking Fridays off at noon. We wanted to try to have everybody gone at the same time, for at least part of the summer. We viewed it as a reward for working long hours during tax season. It was interesting launching that plan, as a few of our clients gave us some good natured ribbing for leaving on Fridays at noon. We heard, ‘Boy, it must be nice to be an accountant and close at noon. You don’t even have banker’s hours,” but then they realized what we were trying to do made a lot of sense. MVB: What would be the biggest challenge of your business? Robyn: There can be a challenge in obtaining new clients. How do you attract them? How do you set yourself apart from the competition? Why do our customers want to come here over our competitors? For us, our biggest challenge is communicating what it is that we do differently than all the other firms in town. Randy: When I first got started, there were many more

MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 29

Robyn James runs the office, allowing the CPAs and advisers more time to serve clients. firms of our type of size around Mankato then there are today. I think it’s always a battle for the smaller firm to try and stick out in the crowd but I find that we grow as our clients grow. If they are expanding, so are we. If our clients are selling, retiring or struggling financially with their businesses, then that affects us too. Sometimes a change or a slump may have nothing to do with something we’ve done, but rather it’s strictly related to what is going on with our clients. MVB: What’s the best part about owning your own business? Randy: It’s the ability to make it what you want. I think another big thing of owning your own business, is seeing all of the changes that take place over the years. For instance, as my longevity is getting toward the back end, I find that I am working with a lot of my original client’s children who either weren’t here or were in diapers when I started with the firm 36 years ago. Today, those children have taken over or become an important part of their family businesses, as farming clients, and as retail business owners. MV

30 • october 2014 • MN Valley Business

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Construction/Real Estate Residential building permits Mankato

(in thousands)

- 2013 - 2014

11000

$3,486 $2,435

5500

Source: City of North Mankato Information based on Multiple Listing Service and may not reflect all sales

Existing home sales: Mankato region - 2013 - 2014

204 255

275

- 2013 - 2014

14 13

165

Includes single family homes attached and detached, and town homes and condos

Housing starts: Mankato/North Mankato 40

220

110

55 J

Source: Realtors Association of Southern Minnesota

Source: Cities of Mankato/North Mankato

Commercial building permits Mankato

(in thousands)

- 2013 - 2014

Commercial building permits North Mankato

- 2013 - 2014 (in thousands)

2000 1500

500 N

— 2013 — 2014

5.5 5.0

4.4%

4.5 4.0

4.1%

3.5 F

Source: Freddie Mac

Source: City of North Mankato

Interest Rates: 30-year fixed-rate mortgage

$313 $238

1000

$18,667 $4,811

Source: City of Mankato

3.0

$2,340

1000

Source: City of Mankato

80000 70000 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0

$1,156

2000

2750

- 2013 - 2014 (in thousands)

3000

8250

Residential building permits North Mankato

Foreclosures: 2013 Year End County

2012

2013

Percent change

Blue Earth Brown Faribault Le Sueur Martin Nicollet Sibley Waseca Watonwan

126 37 46 98 42 49 58 57 17

101 19 27 70 25 43 39 36 24

-20% -49% -41% -29% -40% -12% -33% -37% +41%

Source: Minnesota Foreclosure Partners Council C. Sankey

MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 33

â&#x2013;

Agricultural Outlook

By Kent Thiesse

Record crops will bring tighter profit margins

he USDA Crop Production Report released on Sept. 11 is projecting record U.S. production in 2014 for both corn and soybeans. Production levels for both crops were increased by about 3 percent in the latest USDA Report, as compared to the August USDA Report. USDA left the anticipated harvested acres for corn at 83.8 million acres, and for soybeans at 84.1 million acres, which are unchanged from August. The report is also estimating record national yield levels for both corn and soybeans in 2014, with increases from the August estimates, and significant increases compared to recent years. The increased corn and soybean yield expectations by USDA are due to very favorable weather conditions in the 2014 growing season in many of the prime corn and soybean production regions. 2014 corn production is estimated at a record level of 14.4 billion bushels, which compares to a 13.9 billion bushel corn production level in 2013. Total U.S. corn production was 10.8 billion bushels in the drought year of 2012, 12.3 billion bushels in 2011, and 12.5 billion bushels in 2010. The 2014 average U.S. corn yield is now estimated at a new record level of 171.7 bushels per acre, which is an increase of 4.3 bushels per acre from the August yield estimate. The USDA Report is now estimating total soybean production in 2014 at a record level of 3.91 billion bushels, which compares to a soybean production level of 3.15 billion bushels in 2013. Other recent U.S. soybean production levels were 3.01 billion bushels in 2012, 3.06 billion bushels in 2011, and 3.33 billion bushels in 2010. The average U.S. soybean yield for 2014 is now estimated at the record level of 46.6 bushels per acre, which is an increase from the August USDA estimate of 45.4 bushels per acre. Minnesota is one of the few Midwestern States not projecting record corn and soybean yields for 2014. USDA is estimating the 2014 corn yield in Minnesota at 170 bushels per acre, which is an increase of 4 bushels per acre from the August estimate. The 2014 Minnesota soybean yield is estimated at 42 bushels per acre, which is above recent statewide soybean yields. USDA is now estimating the 2014 average corn yield in Iowa to be a new record at 185 bushels per acre, which is well above yield levels of 165 bushels per acre in 2013. Illinois is also projected to have a record 2014 average corn yield of 194 bushels per acre. Other 2014 estimated corn yields are 184 bushels per acre for Indiana, compared to 177 bushels per acre in 2013; 179 bushels per acre in Nebraska, compared to 170 bushels per acre in 2013; and 148 bushels per acre in South Dakota, compared to 138 bushels per acre in 2013. Based on the latest USDA Report, the 2014 Iowa soybean yield is estimated at 51 bushels per acre, which is well above the 2013 average yield of 44.5 bushels per acre. Other 2014 state average soybean yields are Illinois at 56 bushels per acre, compared to 49 bushels per acre in 2013;

34 â&#x20AC;˘ october 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ MN Valley Business

Indiana at 52 bushels per acre, compared to 51 bushels per acre in 2013; Nebraska at 53 bushels per acre, which is the same as 2013; and South Dakota at 42 bushels per acre, compared to 40 bushels per acre in 2013.

Stored grains also at record levels USDA also released the monthly World Supply Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, which includes the latest estimates for 2014-2015 carryover stocks of corn, soybeans, and other grains. USDA is now estimating 2014-2015 U.S. corn ending stocks at just over 2 billion bushels, which is an increase of nearly 200 million bushels from to the August 1 estimate. If the current projection is correct, U.S. corn stocks for 2014-2015 will be at the highest level since 2004-2005. USDA is expecting 2014-2015 soybean carryover stocks to be 475 million bushels, which is an increase from the August 1 estimate of 430 million bushels, and would be at the highest level since 2006-2007. Crop prices lower USDA is currently estimating the average cash corn price for the 2014-2015 marketing year (September 1 to August 31) at an average of $3.50 per bushel, which was a decrease of $.40 per bushel from August estimates. The final U.S. average corn price is currently estimated at $4.45 per bushel for 2013-2014. USDA is projecting the average cash soybean price for 2014-2015 to average $10 per bushel, which is a decrease of $.35 per bushel from the August estimates. The final U.S. average soybean price for 2013-2014 is currently estimated at $13. Tight profit margins expected Based on the current reports corn and soybean price projections for the coming year, Southern Minnesota crop producers are likely to face some very tight profit margins for the 2015 crop year. The average costs of production for direct and overhead expenses on cash rental land in Southern Minnesota in 2014 is estimated to be about $850 per acre for corn and $530 per acre for soybeans, using an average cash rental rate of $250 per acre. Based on those levels of expenses, the breakeven levels for the 2014 crop year would be approximately $4.70 per bushel for corn and $10.50 per bushel for soybeans. Early indications are that seed, fertilizer, chemical, and fuel costs are not likely to decline very much for the 2015 crop year, meaning that most producers will be looking at negative profit margins for 2015 on cash rented farm land in Southern Minnesota. MV Kent Thiesse is farm management analyst and vice president, MinnStar Bank, Lake Crystal. 507- 381-7960; kent.thiesse@minnstarbank.com

Agriculture/Agribusiness Corn prices — southern Minnesota

(dollars per bushel)

— 2013 — 2014 8

$4.69

$13.47

16 12

Iowa-Minnesota hog prices

Source: USDA

Milk prices

185 pound carcass, negotiated price, weighted average

— 2013 — 2014 140

$12.47

$3.19

Source: USDA

Minimum prices, class 1 milk Dollars per hundredweight

— 2013 — 2014

$25.67

126

25.2

112

23.4

$98.71

$20.68

21.6

84 70

(dollars per bushel)

— 2013 — 2014 20

Soybean prices — southern Minnesota

19.8

$96.48 J

Source: USDA

18.0

Source: USDA. Based on federal milk orders.

Corn and soybean prices are for rail delivery points in Southern Minnesota. Milk prices are for Upper Midwest points.

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MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 35

Employment/Unemployment Initial unemployment claims

Minnesota initial unemployment claims

Nine-county Mankato region Major August Industry ‘13 ‘14 Construction Manufacturing Retail Services Total*

50 128 34 167 379

Percent change ‘13-’14

59 90 39 158 346

+18% -29.7% +14.7% -5.3% -8.7%

Major Industry

August

Construction Manufacturing Retail Services Total*

‘13

‘14

Percent change ‘13-’14

1,883 2,036 1,063 4,696 9,678

1,879 1,423 970 3,818 8,090

-0.2% -30% -8.7% -18.7% -16.4%

Services consist of administration, educational, health care and social assistance, food and other miscellaneous services. *Categories don’t equal total because some categories not listed.

Local non-farm jobs

Minnesota Local non-farm jobs

- 2013 - 2014

Nine-county Mankato region

126,757 126,871

30000

2000

10000

1000

Local number of unemployed

- 2013 - 2014

Nine-county Mankato region 10000

Minnesota number of unemployed

- 2013 - 2014

152,775 130,497

150000

5,600

6000

100000

4000

50000

2000 0

200000

6,473

8000

2,860 2,892

3000

20000

00000

- 2013 - 2014

(in thousands)

Mankato/North Mankato Metropolitan statistical area

Unemployment rate Number of non-farm jobs Number of unemployed

2013

2014

4.4% 55,200 2,515

3.8% 56,128 2,189

Source: Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

36 • october 2014 • MN Valley Business

Unemployment rates Counties, state, nation

(includes all of Blue Earth and Nicollet Counties) July

County/area Blue Earth Brown Faribault Le Sueur Martin Nicollet Sibley Waseca Watonwan Minneapolis/St. Paul Minnesota U.S.

July 2013 4.6% 4.4% 5.1% 5.6% 5.1% 4.0% 4.5% 5.5% 6.3% 5.0% 5.0% 7.7%

July 2014 3.9% 3.9% 4.8% 4.8% 5.2% 3.4% 3.6% 4.9% 5.2% 4.2% 4.3% 6.5% C. Sankey

Retail/Consumer Spending Vehicle Sales Mankato — Number of vehicles sold - 2013 - 2014

987 1200

(In thousands)

- 2013 - 2014

500

1,111

1000

400

800

300

600

$413

$425

200

400

100

200 0

Includes restaurants, bars, telecommunications and general merchandise store sales. Excludes most clothing, grocery store sales.

Sales tax collections Mankato

Source: Sales tax figures, City of Mankato

Lodging tax collections Mankato/North Mankato

40000

$32,184

51000 34000

20000

17000

10000 J

— 2013 — 2014 $3.49

4 3 $3.33

2 1 J

Gas prices-Minnesota — 2013 — 2014

$3.47

4 3 $3.32

2 1 0

Source: City of Mankato

Gas prices-Mankato

Source: City of Mankato

$58,043 $60,700

68000

30000

- 2013 - 2014

85000

60000

$37,728

Mankato food and beverage tax

- 2013 - 2014 50000

Source: Sales tax figures, City of Mankato

Stocks of local interest

Aug. 13

Sept. 12

Percent change

Archer Daniels

$50.04

$50.39

+0.7

Ameriprise

$119.95

$123.60

Best Buy

$29.57

$33.90

+14.6

Crown Cork & Seal

$45.96

$49.12

+6.9

Eventis

$17.19

$17.65

+2.7

Fastenal

$44.38

$45.60

+2.7

General Growth

$24.10

$23.77

-1.3

General Mills

$52.55

$53.05

Hutchinson Technology

$3.61

$4.21

+16.8

Itron

$39.58

$40.67

+2.8

Johnson Outdoors

$26.49

$25.30

-4.5

$141.80

$143.90

+1.5

Target

$58.26

$62.09

+6.6

U.S. Bancorp

$41.36

$42.31

+2.8

Wells Financial

$24.30

$26.00

Winland

$0.70

$.76

+8.6

Xcel

$30.66

$31.28

Source: GasBuddy.com C. Sankey

MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 37

G R E A T E R MANKATO MADE

Greater Mankato Growth

By Richelle Ballenger, Marketing & Communications Assistant, Greater Mankato Growth Driving down the highway on your way to work each morning you may never think about the mechanical parts on 75% of the semi-trucks on the roads in North America coming from the area. Or the stone that created structures like Target Field and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian being quarried right around your hometown. Even the sandwich that you packed for lunch may include pieces of cheese that was made close to home. With a broad manufacturing sector in the area it may be easier than you think to look around and find products that are Greater Mankato made. MANUFACTURING IN GREATER MANKATO Manufacturing is the largest economic sector of the Mankato - North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). At 18% of the area’s economy, the manufacturing industry is wide spread and contains multiple focuses

38 october2013 2014• •MN MN ValleyBusiness Business 1 •• JANUARY Valley

including metal manufacturing and fabrication, power generation manufacturing, electronic manufacturing services, food processing and manufacturing, printing and outdoor recreational product manufacturing. With such integration in the area it is no surprise that the manufacturing industry is able to boast some of the largest employment numbers in the MSA. In 2013 over 7,800 individuals were employed in manufacturing positions with the majority of those individuals working in the food and print manufacturing sectors. In 2013 the average salary for all industries in the region was $37,172.22, the manufacturing industry paid 18.4% more with individuals averaging a $43,999 annual salary. MANUFACTURING IN MINNESOTA According to the Minnesota Tour of Manufacturing website, tourofmanufacturingmn.com, manufacturing is

Minnesota State University, Mankato Department of Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering and Technology Professor Winston Sealy pictured with a student of the program

See all the products that are manufactured in the Greater Mankato region at greatermankato. com/greater-mankato-made. If you would like to add the products your business manufacturers to our ever growing list please contact us at jconsidine@greatermankato.

TOUR OF MANUFACTURING In conjunction with the Statewide Tour of Manufacturing, the Economic Growth Collaborative of South Central Minnesota is proud to host the Tour of Manufacturing in the Greater Mankato region. This event is similar to a “parade of homes” with community members able to stop by participating manufacturers throughout the

day to take a tour, learn about the business and what is manufactured,as well as the career opportunities available now and in the future. More information, including an event map, can be found on tourofmanufacturing.com.

Advancing Business for a Stronger Community

MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 39

Greater Mankato Growth

the third largest industry, affects over 33% of jobs in the state, and creates 1.6 jobs for every 1 job filled. With over 3,300 job openings every year the manufacturing industry continues to grow. In order to spread the word about the job openings and the industry in general, the state of Minnesota is hosting a Statewide Tour of Manufacturing held October 23 - 25. The tour includes cities across the state with the goal of having more than 100 manufacturers open their doors for visitors throughout the course of the tour.

Cavaliers

COMMUNITY GATHERING AND C E L E B R AT I O N It’s time to celebrate and recognize what has been accomplished since the inception of the Envision 2020 Community Vision plan in 2006. Everyone from the community is invited to attend the E2020 Community Celebration Gathering on October 21, 2014 from 6:30 – 8:00 pm at the Verizon Wireless Center. The meeting will also engage stakeholders in strategizing for the desired future state of the community. Envision 2020 began in 2006, with a planning and visioning stage that included well over 400 citizens taking the time to engage in the important work of envisioning a desired future for the Greater Mankato region. Together, they organized a visionary plan into six Key Performance Areas and identified a total of 34 goals.Task forces were created to implement specific goals of the plan, with more than 200 generous volunteers participating in this implementation process thus far.

Greater Mankato Growth

For more information and to RSVP visit envision-2020.com.

RAISING AWARENESS AT THE CAPITOL Mark your calendars, the annual Greater Mankato at the Capitol will be held on January 20, 2015.This is your chance to present the issues of importance to your business, connect on a one-on-one basis with leaders and be an advocate on your own behalf. Everyone from the Greater Mankato community is invited and strongly encouraged to participate. Attendance is absolutely critical to the success of this event and all of our efforts to raise awareness of Greater Mankato among those making and influencing public policy. To learn more, view sponsorship opportunities or register for the event, visit greatermankato.com/capitol.

40 october2013 2014• •MN MN ValleyBusiness Business 1 •• JANUARY Valley

Cavalier Calls on the Newest Greater Mankato Growth Members

Massad’s Mediterranean Grille 1633 Monks Avenue, Suite 100, Mankato massadgroup.com/about.html

Master Electric 1653 Stadium Lane, Mankato masterelectric.com

Peoples State Bank of Eagle Lake 405 Parkway Avenue, Mankato psbmadlake.com/contact-us/eagle-lake.html

TacAero 3030 Airport Road North, Mankato goo.gl/aK4zw

Navigating through greatermankato.com Resources available on Greater Mankato Growth’s website, greatermankato.com

How to Navigate the Data Center Greater Mankato has everything businesses look for in the ideal location - and the data that demonstrates this. GMGs website offers information on Greater Mankato’s low cost of living and doing business, demographics, economy, education and maps as well as workforce and labor statistics. This information is constantly updated to ensure the most recent and accurate information. If you would like to receive more customized data to meet your individual business needs, we are happy to provide you with this. Please contact John Considine at jconsidine@greatermankato.com if this is of interest to you. To access data downloads, visit greatermankato.com/data-center.

5:00 - 7:00 p.m. October 7 November 4 December 2

Schwickert’s Tecta America Mankato Clinic Country Inn & Suites Hotel & Conference Center By Carlson

2014 Business After Hours Sponsored by:

October 15 Old Country Buffet November 19 Emergent Networks December 17 Unique Specialty & Classics

2014 Business Before Hours Sponsored by:

August Business Before Hours hosted by Jake’s Stadium Pizza

MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 41

Greater Mankato Growth

August Business After Hours hosted by Thomas Tree & Landscape

7:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Growth in Greater Mankato GROUNDBREAKING

NEW LOCATION

25th ANNIVERSARY

Dakota Meadows Middle School 1900 Howard Drive West, North Mankato

Double Play 1901 Madison Avenue, Suite 400, Mankato

Prairie River Home Care Inc. 1961 Premier Drive, Suite 340, Mankato

NEW BUSINESS

NEW LOCATION

White Orchid 237 Belgrade Avenue, Mankato

Y Barbers / Onatah On Belgrade 231 Belgrade Avenue, Mankato

Greater Mankato Growth

Pathfinder Award Nominations Now Being Accepted The Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Board is seeking nominations for the annual Pathfinder,Young Pathfinder and Business Pathfinder Awards.

and is presented by Greater Mankato Growth to recognize businesses that strive for equal treatment, human rights and non-violence in the workplace.

The Pathfinder Award was created in 1986 to recognize individuals or organizations that, in the spirit of Dr. King, are initiators or action takers in the struggle for equal treatment, human rights and non-violence. The award represents the ideal that all people should be treated fairly and equally without the fear of discrimination on any basis.

The deadline for the 2015 Pathfinder Award nominations is November 25, 2014.

The Young Pathfinder Award was added in 2002 to recognize the commitment and courage displayed by area young people to achieve fair and equal treatment for all, healthy communities and peaceful resolution to conflicts. The Business Pathfinder Award was established in 2003

42 october2013 2014• •MN MNValley ValleyBusiness Business 1 •• JANUARY

For an application, visit greatermankato.com/pathfinderawards or contact Amy Linde at 507.385.6647, alinde@ greatermankato.com or Judy Arzdorf at 507.387.8281, jarzdorf@harrymeyeringcenter.org. Pathfinder Award recipients will be honored at the 31st Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration, which will be held on Monday, January19, 2015 at the Centennial Student Union Ballroom on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Start line of Inaugural Mankato Marathon – 2010

N O H T D A L R O A sB

M O T A K N A M

r 5 yea

By Kathryn Reeder,Visit Mankato Brand Manager The Mankato Marathon, presented by Mayo Clinic Health System, got off to its bold start in 2010 when community leaders and Visit Mankato staff came together, found a race director and started planning. Mankato is home to over 50 miles of paved trails, more than 600 acres of quality parks and miles of low-traffic, wide-shouldered country roads; all nestled into the scenic Minnesota River Valley. All of this, combined with vibrant autumn colors and the cool, crisp air of fall made for a simple decision to plan the inaugural Mankato Marathon in 2010. The event has been a tremendous success and has continued to evolve over the last five years.

To honor the runners who have completed the full Mankato Marathon

The inaugural Mankato Marathon hosted 2,200 runners in 2010 and after four years of success and continued growth, the 2014 Mankato Marathon is expected to host 5,000 runners. In addition to growth in registration numbers, the marathon has also grown its races. In 2011, a 5K was added to the race line-up and in 2013, the Diaper Dash and Toddler Trot races were added. Now the Mankato Marathon offers eight races of different distances for all ages. The event was created to give something good to the community.This has come through opportunities to improve one’s health through running, economic impact to local businesses and, added in 2013, a Charities Program, which allows non-profits to raise money through Champion Runners. This program will continue to evolve as well as more non-profits become interested in participation. For more information on the Charity Program, visit mankatomarathon.com/

charity.

Sneak peek – 2014 Mankato Marathon medals

The race options, combined with the the Scheels & Under Armour Sport & Health Expo and the Orthopaedic & Fracture Clinic Speaker Series, makes for a fun-filled weekend for the family. All around it is a great opportunity to get involved, whether it be participating, volunteering or joining in the post-race celebration. For more information on the Fifth Annual Mankato Marathon, visit mankatomarathon.com.

MN Valley Business • october 2014 • 43

Greater Mankato Growth

New this year, all runners of every race will receive a finisher medal. To celebrate the marathon’s fifth anniversary, all swag items will incorporate the number five (award winner medals, t-shirts and commemorative print). The post-race celebration will be kicked up a notch with the addition of live music and Mankato Brewery on site providing beer in partnership with Pub 500. Runner or not, everyone is welcome to help celebrate the Mankato Marathon’s anniversary at the postrace event.

all four years and are signed up to run the fifth, a Legacy Runner status has been established. Legacy Runners will receive a unique bib and be recognized in the Mankato Marathon Activities Guide, on the website and during the Expo. They will also receive a unique clothing item and the 2014 Commemorative Print.

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44 • october 2014 • MN Valley Business

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