VOLUME 31, NUMBER 03
©2015 Law Bulletin Publishing Co.
March 2015
Duluth finds the right formula: Natural beauty, strong workforce brings in the business
By Dan Rafter, Editor
D
on Ness has been serving as the mayor of Duluth since 2007, when he won election among a field of 12 candidates. Four years later, Ness was popular enough to become the first mayor of this Minnesota city to run unopposed. This year, Ness is serving his last as Duluth's mayor, as his second term in office comes to an end. He's seen Duluth grow, from a town that people visited and left to one that is attracting a steady stream of new residents and companies.
Ness considers this to be the biggest change to hit Duluth during his time as mayor. The city -- with a population over 86,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau -- is no longer just an industrial town. Today, it is a full-fledged business hub, attracting tech companies, medical providers, law firms and companies of all kind. At the same time, downtown Duluth, like many Midwest downtowns, is attracting new residents in growing numbers, people who want to experience urban living. They want to walk to restaurants, shops and entertainment venues. In downtown Duluth, they can do this. So as Ness prepares to leave office, he's happy, with both the present in Duluth to page 18
Expect a good year for downtown Minneapolis’ signature office tower By Dan Rafter, Editor
J
on Dahl doesn’t hesitate when asked what makes the IDS Center officer tower in downtown Minneapolis so special: “It’s the most iconic centerpiece of downtown,” he said. “It’s always been the skylinedefining building of Minneapolis.” That’s why Dahl, senior vice president of JLL Minneapolis, so enjoys his work leasing office space in this key building.
“The IDS center is the center of the universe,” Dahl said. “Everything starts at the IDS Center and goes out from there.” The IDS Center is busy today, too. Accesso Partners, LLC of Hallandale Beach, Fla., purchased the building in April of 2013. Since that time, JLL has worked steadily to fill the 57-story, 1.4-million-squarefoot building’s office space. These efforts have been successful. Since Accesso’s acquisition, 55 tenants have leased more than 424,000 square feet. In the fourth quarter of 2014 alone, tenants renewed leases covering 76,800 square feet.
Newcomers to the office portion of the building include Lazard Middle Market, which moved its headquarters into 23,300 square feet, a move that fills the entire 27th floor of the tower. Also last year, USB signed a 30,000-square-foot lease and moved more than 100 employees from Minneapolis’ Bancorp Center to the 29th and 30th floors of the IDS Center. The Crystal Court Dahl says that the building’s location is a big draw, as is its recognizable name. IDS to page 19