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The Weekly Update
Good Morning From The Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce!

 

Greetings!

Keep up-to-date with all the happenings at the DCR Chamber and in your community by reading the Weekly Update every Monday!  Have some great business news that you would like to announce?  Let us know so we can spread the news to the rest of our members!
  

 

Update on Search Process to Identify

Next DCR Chamber President

The search process for Ruthe Batulis' replacement is well underway. The Search Committee will be interviewing candidates this month.

 

The Search Committee members include:

 

Michele Engdahl, Chair, Thomson Reuters

Allen Glynn, KLC Financial, Inc.

Gary Huusko, Dougherty, Molenda, Solfest, Hills & Bauer, P.A.

Roz Peterson, Cerron Properties

Phil Stalboerger, Faegre Baker Daniels

Scott Swenson, Home Federal Bank

  

  

Open House Honoring
DCR Chamber President, Ruthe Batulis
   

Please join us for a celebration to recognize and commemorate 9 years of dedicated service to the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce by President, Ruthe Batulis.

Because you have been a valued part of Ruthe's career at the DCR Chamber, you are cordially invited to the celebration on:

Tuesday, April 23, 2013
5:00pm - 7:00pm (program at 6:00pm)
Mendakota Country Club
2075 Mendakota Road, Mendota Heights
$15 per person

Appetizers will be provided and a cash bar will be available.

RSVPs are required. Please contact Jessy Annoni at 651.288.9202 or [email protected] or register online here.

DCR Chamber Events Calendar 
      
Tuesday, April 16th at Noon
DCR Chamber
1121 Town Centre Drive, Suite 102, Eagan
  
Wednesday, April 17th at 7:30am
DCR Chamber
1121 Town Centre Drive, Suite 102, Eagan
  
Tuesday, April 23rd at 8:00am
Brown College
1345 Mendota Heights Road, Mendota Heights
 
Tuesday, April 23rd at 5:00pm
Mendakota Country Club
2075 Mendakota Road, Mendota Heights
 
Wednesday, April 24th at 7:30am
DCR Chamber
1121 Town Centre Drive, Suite 102, Eagan
  
Wednesday, April 24th at Noon
DCR Chamber
1121 Town Centre Drive, Suite 102, Eagan
  
Thursday, April 25th at 7:30am
Holiday Inn Express and Suites
1950 Rahncliff Court, Eagan
  
Friday, April 26th at 8:00am
DCR Chamber
1121 Town Centre Drive, Suite 102, Eagan
Ribbon Cuttings
Opening a new business or remodeling your current business?  Let us know and we can schedule a ribbon cutting!  It is a great way to advertise your new store and meet a few DCR Chamber members!  
  
The Joint, Eagan
  
Upcoming Ribbon Cuttings
We invite you to attend these ribbon cuttings to support
your fellow Chamber members!
  
Thursday, April 18th at 4:00pm
Bellacu Acupuncture Health Clinic
1200 Centre Pointe Curve, Suite 375, Mendota Heights
  
Friday, May 2nd at 10:00am
Groomingdale's Pet Salon
4130 Blackhawk Road, Eagan
  
Call Jessy at 651.288.9202 to schedule yours today!

Advertise In The Weekly Update        

 

   
   

Advertising Options

New Member Ad - New members can run an advertisement at a discounted rate of 50% off. This advertisement should be business card size. This is a great way for new members to introduce their company to other members of the chamber.  $50 per ad, per week

 

Basic Ad - 545(w) x 245(h) pixel area to advertise your news, event, sale, etc. displayed on weekly update. This ad is typically placed in the middle of the weekly update.  $100 per ad, per week

 

Weekly Update Sponsorship - 545(w) x 245(h) pixel area to advertise your news, event, sale, etc. displayed on weekly update. This ad is typically placed in the middle of the weekly update. Additionally, your company logo and web address will be displayed in the top left corner of the weekly update for quicker access to your website and company information, as well as being noticed instantly by all viewers.  $150 per ad, per week


 

Contact Jessy at [email protected] or 651.288.9202

to reserve your space.

 
Action Central 
This section contains items that may require YOU to take action, such as RSVP'ing for an event!         
  
2013 DCR Chamber Golf Classic - Register Today!
Join the DCR Chamber and it's members for a great day of golf with friends and associates at the 2013 DCR Chamber Golf Classic on Monday, June 17th at Mendakota Country Club, one of the premier, private clubs in our area.  Don't miss out on the early bird rate of $140 per golfer (through April 30th).  Contact Jessy at 651.288.9202 or [email protected] or fill out this form and return it to the Chamber to sign up today!  Sponsorship opportunities available, click here for more information.
  
  
  

2013 South of the River

Small Business Expo and Business After Hours 

Join us for the 2013 South of the River Small Business Expo and Business After Hours event at Buck Hill Event Center (15400 Buck Hill Road, Burnsville) on Tuesday, May 14th from 4:30pm - 6:30pm to network with other chamber members from Dakota County. Event includes complimentary hors d'oeuvres, a cash bar and exhibits by members from each of the participating chambers. Information regarding seminars prior to expo to be announced.

 

Interested in exhibiting at this event?  The cost to reserve an 8' table is $125, which includes table skirting and electricity. The fee for a free standing display is $125, which includes electricity. The fee for a � 8' table is $80, which includes table skirting and electricity. Please specify if you have a floor display. Each vendor is asked to provide their own signage. To reserve your space, please return this form to Jessy Annoni via fax at 651.452.8978 or email at [email protected] by Friday, May 3, 2013. Space is limited!

 

  

Help us Grow the South Metro Young Professionals- Get Involved!

Are you looking to connect with other young professionals like yourself in the metro area? Or are you a business owner who would like to help your Young Professionals expand their network and develop new business relationships?  If so, join the South Metro Young Professionals group!  The South Metro Young Professionals Group (SMYP) is for dedicated, enthusiastic, and talented Young Professionals in their 20s, 30s, and 40s and/or those that are "young" in experience within their current industry. The mission of the South Metro Young Professionals Group is personal and professional development as well as a way to interact socially, exchange ideas, share common interests, learn about the area's business environment, and engage in the community's future. SMYPG currently consists of the Dakota County Regional Chamber members but hope to grow and include members from throughout the South Metro Area. You do NOT need to be a member of the DCR Chamber to participate in this group.  Connect with SMYP on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to keep updated on upcoming news and events!  Contact Jessy Annoni at 651.288.9202 or [email protected] for more information on how you can get involved!  

 

 

Did you know?

As a member of the DCR Chamber, you have access to many things on our website.  You can post events, job openings, hot deals, and register online for events that the chamber is hosting.  An online directory of our members is also available for your access.  All you need to do is go to the DCR Chamber Website, click "members only" on the left side, and log in with your company's login information.  If you don't have this information, Jessy can provide it to you, call 651.288.9202 or email [email protected].  This is a great resource for our members to use! 

 

 

Opportunities to Promote Your Business 

The DCR Chamber is looking for member's to host future networking events.  Being a speaker at The Buzz would be a great opportunity for you to share your company's expertise to other members of the community and chamber.  "Why Not Wednesday" Business After Hours, Coffee Break, Farmington Brew HaHa, and The Rosemount Connection are events that would bring customers into your business.  If you are interested in hosting one of these events or would like more information, please contact Jessy at 651.288.9202 or [email protected].

 News You Should Know

 

Minnesota's Angel Tax Credit Program 

Minnesota's Angel Tax Credit program stimulates private investment in startup and emerging companies.  Since the program's inception in 2010, over 300 Minnesota businesses have received over $165 million in investment.  These are businesses that are focused on high technology or new proprietary technology, have fewer than 25 employees, are less than 10 years old, and have not previously raised more than $4 million private equity.  Medical device, software, biotech, and IT startups have been the biggest beneficiaries of the program.

 

The Angel Tax Credit program provides a 25% individual income tax credit for qualified investors or funds who make investments in these qualified businesses.  It is a refundable credit, meaning that non-Minnesota residents, including residents of foreign countries, are eligible for the credit.  For more information about the program, including application forms, visit www.PositivelyMinnesota.com/AngelCredit.

 

For calendar year 2013, a total of $12.7 million in tax credits is available. As of 4/10/2013, $5.5 million is remaining, and the program's administrator anticipates all the credits may be allocated as soon as the end of May.

  

  
Dr. Jim Bohn Presents at the Breakfast With Champions
Is your company or organization going through a significant change? At the DCR Chamber Breakfast With Champions, Dr. Jim Bohn stressed the importance of being prepared for an upcoming organizational change. His 5 principles for managing change are...
  
1. Reduce anxiety to increase adaptation
2. Simply to increase adoption
3. Follow through to assist integration
4. Measure for correction and celebration
5. All change builds or destroy trust
  
Following and understanding these principles will lead to a more manageable and successful change. 

  

Additionally, there are 10 key questions you need to ask and be able to answer to help prepare your organization.  Such as, who are the philosopher-kings and queens or why do you want to change? 

  

If your organization is currently going through a change, contact Jim Bohn at [email protected] or 651.302.1574  to come up with a strategy on how you can best manage your organizations upcoming changes.  Visit www.proaxios.com to learn more.

 

Don't miss out on our next Breakfast With Champions with speaker Sam Richter - Know More, SELLING!  Learn more here.

 

 

Jobs for Minnesotans Testifies Before House

Natural Resources Committee

Ruthe Batulis, president of the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce and member of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Harry Melander, president of the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council, testified before the House Natural Resources Committee Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources about Minnesota's burgeoning strategic metals mining opportunities.  Read more here.

 

 

Governor Dayton Signs House File 5

This past week, Governor Dayton signed House File 5, which establishes a Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange. The exchange legislation enacted fails to meet reasonable standards that were necessary to craft an exchange that would meet the needs of consumers in a responsible way. Click here to learn more.

 

 

Dayton Drops Much-Criticized Business Sales Tax Plan  

As reported by the Star Tribune, Governor Dayton is dramatically retooling his budget proposal and will scrap his heavily criticized tax on businesses services. Read more here.

  

 

The City of Eagan Lodges Complaint Against Comcast

Spurred on by the complaints of upset residents, the City of Eagan has opted to send a complaint regarding Comcast's business practices to Eagan's Congressional delegation.  Read more on Patch.

 

 

Child Care Union Fight is Back at the Capitol

Last year the DCR Chamber has opposed Family Home Day Care Unionization.  The Star Tribune announced this week the "Child care union fight is back at Minnesota Capitol." Click here to read more.

    

 

Hot Deals

Check out the Hot Deals section of the DCR Chamber website for new and exciting specials offered by fellow members. Want to add your own Hot Deal? Login to your "Members Only" section here.

 
Business Briefing 
News on what's happening with our members or businesses in the community! 
 

Chris Barnick has been named Vice President of Community Banking for Think Mutual Bank. In this senior level role, Barnick will oversee Think's Twin Cities business organization that includes branch operations, consumer and small business banking along with mortgage lending, insurance and investment services.

 

Barnick brings an impressive background including 14 years of experience in the banking industry. Most recently Barnick was the Director of Branch Services at Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union.  
 

Think Mutual Bank is community bank headquartered in Rochester, Minnesota, with ten full-service offices in Rochester, Apple Valley, Eagan, Edina, and St. Paul. Think focuses on consumers and small businesses, providing a full array of banking, investment and insurance services.

 

 

The YMCA is celebrating YMCA's Healthy Kids Day� on Saturday, April 27, from 6 - 8 p.m. with a free community event that encourages kids in Eagan, Apple Valley, and Rosemount Community to get moving and learning, and families living healthier. Healthy Kids Day, the Y's national initiative to improve families' health and well-being, takes place at 1,900 Ys and kick-starts healthier behaviors now and throughout the summer, a critical out-of-school time for children's health.

 

Many U.S. children do not get the daily recommended hours of physical activity and reading, and daily amounts of healthy foods. According to the latest findings of the YMCA's Family Health Snapshot - a survey of parents that gauges their children's activity levels during the school year - only 19 percent of children get 60 minutes of physical activity, only 17 percent read books for fun, and only 12 percent eat at least eight fruits and vegetables daily.

 

Research shows that without access to out-of-school physical and learning activities, kids fall behind academically and gain weight twice as fast during summer than the school year. On April 27, YMCA's Healthy Kids Day will help parents begin thinking early about what their kids need to grow and achieve all summer long.

 

The YMCA in Eagan's Healthy Kids Day takes place at 550 Opperman Drive, Eagan from 6 to 8 p.m. and features fun, active play and educational activities to help families get a jump on creating a healthier summer.  This event is FREE and open to the public

 

To learn more about Healthy Kids Day and the activities go to Yhealthykidsday.org or call 612-230-9622.

  

 

Waba Financial has acquired the Eagandale Business Center, a two building office development just off of I-494 and Pilot Knob Road in Eagan, Minnesota. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

 

The Eagandale Business Center consists of two buildings with 24,000 square feet of office space and 12,000 square feet of underground parking. Constructed in 2005, this Class A property has flexible tenant layouts and upgraded improvements. Approximately 50% leased at the time of the transaction, the new owners intend to invest in bringing the property to stable occupancy levels.

 

The purchase was facilitated by Matthew Klein of KW Commercial Midwest and John Chirhart of Gaughan Companies. Leasing activities will be spearheaded by Andrew Manthei of KW Commercial Midwest, "The Southeast Twin Cities Office Market has been rebounding nicely the past few quarters and the Eagandale Business Center is poised to take advantage of the positive market activity. We are excited to be a part of this fine project."

 

The property will be managed by Anderson Property Management, which provides comprehensive real estate management services, specializing in third-party management of commercial property between 5,000 and 100,000 square feet in size.

 

Waba Financial acquires and manages a variety of real estate and related investments, focusing on income producing opportunities in high quality locations in the Midwestern United States. It is privately held and operates out of Mountain View, California.

 

 

The Dakota County/Wescott Library invites you to... Become a LinkedIn Power UserDo you have a LinkedIn account but don't know how to use it.  This free workshop will demonstrate how to set up an accurate profile, discover new contacts and participate in groups. Presented by Twin Cities Media Alliance. Prerequisite: Basic Internet knowledge.  Registration is required at 651-450-2900 or on the website at http://dakotacounty.us/library under Programs/Calendar of Events.

 

  

MPC, a leading IT asset disposition and lifecycle management authority, has launched a service supporting the new Electronics Disposal Efficiency (EDE) metric provided by The Green Grid. The EDE metric follows the data center maturity model (DCMM), which contains clear goals and direction for organizations looking to improve their energy efficiency and sustainability within a data center. This metric is a basic formulation that enables organizations to understand and measure their performance in properly managing equipment that is queued for asset refurbishment, asset recycling or asset disposal. 

 

As IT assets reach end-of-current-use, organizations must adopt processes for proper reuse or disposal, based on the condition of the equipment. In situations where the internal installation of refurbished assets is ineffective, this equipment is still able to be recycled or refurbished for sale or donation. As a known responsible entity, MPC provides end-to-end IT asset installation, IT asset deinstallation, and secure data destruction or data sanitization services to instill the confidence needed to enable organizations to reintroduce their deprecated equipment to other organizations or uses.

 

In situations where internal reuse is a possibility, MPC provides data sanitization and certified refurbishing services to enable IT asset reinstallation after the equipment has been serviced, secured and documented properly.

 

Through these processes, MPC catalogs and analyzes all equipment. By offering a standard report that supplies the specific metrics needed to complete the Green Grid equation for measuring the success of responsible equipment disposal, organizations will be able to easily determine their EDE.

 

MPC proudly offers a new standard report for companies to calculate their success in the responsible management of outdated equipment using the Green Grid's Electronics Disposal Efficiency (EDE) metric.

 

 

Affordable office spaces for lease and for sale are now available through CERRON Commercial Properties, a Dakota County commercial property solutions provider. Our expert staff will work hard to find the perfect solution to your property needs. Whether you are looking to buy, sell or lease, our team is available to help you with every step along the way. Visit our website at www.CERRON.com or call our office at 952.469.9444. No matter how big or how small your space need, our friendly team is here to help!

April 15, 2013
Weekly Update Sponsor
 
 
In This Issue
Events Calendar
Advertising
Action Central
News You Should Know
Business Briefing
New Members

Conference Direct

PO Box 241298, Apple Valley

952.484.9529

Contact: Marilyne Bouteiller

www.conferencedirect.com

Meeting Planning

 

Cornerstone Family Chiropractic

1590 Thomas Center Drive, Eagan

651.209.9710

Contact: Megan Nelsen

Website

Chiropractic/Massage/Nutrition

  

Edward Jones

Sherman Court, Eagan

Contact: Stace Johnson

Financial Services

 

Grand Hall Studio

217 Oak Street, Farmington

952.807.2417

Contact: Amy Nielsen

www.grandhallstudio.com

Venue/Meeting Space/Dance Ballroom

 

Insurance by Design, LLC.

14041 Burnhaven Drive, Suite 100, Burnsville

952.808.7005

Contact: LuAnn Paulet

www.insurancedesign.net

Insurance Agency

 

The Joint... The Chiropractic Place

1380 Duckwood Drive, Suite 102, Eagan

651.964.1010

Contact: Robb Quinlan

www.thejoint.com

Chiropractic

 

Kwik Kopy Business Center

5708 Upper 147th Street West, Suite 108, Apple Valley

952.953.5522

Contact: Mike Maguire

www.kwikkopy116.com

Printing/Graphic Design/Mailing Servies/Marketing

 

Landberg Law Office

16576 Flagstaff Avenue West, Rosemount

952.891.5751

Contact: Kevin Landberg

Collections/Attorney

 

Media Relations

350 West Burnsville Parkway, Suite 350, Burnsville

612.798.7200

Contact: Robin Kocina

www.publicity.com

Public Relations/Marketing

 

Midwest Dental Eagan

1121 Town Centre Drive, Suite 200, Eagan

651.454.4771

Contact: Elaine Stemper

www.midwest-dental.com

Dental Clinic 

 

Open Space

1200 Yankee Doodle Road, Eagan

651.565.9700

Contact: Joe Hoovestol

www.openspace4u.com

Office Leasing

 

ProSign Branding Solutions

4101 Nicols Road, Suite 107, Eagan

651.203.4151

Contact: Carolyn Sampson

www.prosignbranding.com

Signs, Banners, Flags, Displays

 

Randall Clegg

100 River Ridge Court, Burnsville

952.707.2001

Contact: Randall Clegg

www.isd191.org

Education

 

Rodan + Fields Dermatologists

546 White Pine Way, Eagan

651.470.2883

Contact: Becky Mosbrucker

www.bmosbrucker.myrandf.com

Skin Care

 

Sherwin Williams

1295 Town Centre Drive, Eagan

651.454.1030

Contact: Mike Gutknecht

www.sherwinwilliams.com

Paint Store

 

Sherwin Williams

2020 Cliff Road, Eagan

651.454.6660

Contact: Dan Osiecki

www.sherwinwilliams.com

Paint Store

 

Sovran

2915 Commers Drive, Suite 100, Eagan

651.905.5557

Contact: Natalie LaBarbera

www.sovran.com

IT Services

 

The Virtual Desk

18896 Embers Avenue, Farmington

612.554.6627

Contact: Cris Gerster

www.thevirtualdesk.com

Virtual Assistant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Jessy Annoni 

Communications and Events Manager

Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce
1121 Town Centre Drive, Suite 102, Eagan

[email protected]

651.288.9202