April 25, 2016
The Campaign is Coming! Join a Team Today. 
 

When the Chamber grows, YOUR business grows as well! Each year, Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce organizes a Membership Campaign. The campaign is a wonderful opportunity for members to develop comradery, create relationships and build a larger network!
 
The 2016 Membership Campaign will be a 7-week concentrated effort focused on attracting 50 new members to DCR Chamber. This year will be a "virtual" campaign beginning May 1 and ending June 22 followed by a Member Madness Finale Celebration on June 23. The campaign will feature a competition between two teams comprised of volunteers. The teams will be led by Cindy Haas (Team Cindy), your current board chair, and Mark Lofthus (Team Mark), your incoming board chair.
 
Start making a list of who you know that would make great Chamber members as more information will be coming your way next week on how the virtual campaign will work but right now we need to build the teams! Participating in the campaign is a great way to get involved with your Chamber, build relationships and help grow your network. Best of all, we are going to make it really easy for you! Get involved by joining a team this week by emailing Heather Waterland or calling 651.288.9200. Let the competition begin!
  
Sponsoring the Member Madness Campaign is a great way to get involved. Check out this great opportunity here.   
 
Committed to Business... for YOU.
Have you heard the news? Minnesota has an 'extra' property tax!
Minnesota business property taxes are among the highest in the nation. Businesses comprise 12.4% of the total market value but pay 32% of the total property tax. One of the reasons: businesses pay an extra property tax. The statewide property tax ($860 million) goes to the general fund - not local units of government - and is automatically increased each year.
 
Minnesota has a $900 million budget surplus. Urge Governor Dayton and your legislators to provide meaningful relief for businesses by reducing the state business property tax and removing the automatic inflator. Let's help make Minnesota businesses more competitive by providing business property tax relief this year! Find your legislators.
A Visit with Rep. Roz Peterson at Business Day at the Capitol! 
 

Vicki Stute, along with a number of Chamber members, had the opportunity to attend a luncheon and meet with legislators at Business Day at the Capitol on April 20. Pictured: Laura Gill, Christianson & Co. Commercial Real Estate; Rep. Roz Peterson; Vicki Stute, DCR Chamber; and Anita Johnson, commercial broker.
Join Us for Coffee Break on April 26 
 
Start your morning off right with a fresh cup of coffee, a business card, and a visit with Lifeworks, MRCI and ProAct at The Steeple Center in Rosemount on Tuesday, April 26 from 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. The monthly Coffee Break was established to casually network while gathering in a comfortable relaxed atmosphere. Join us for a great morning of networking. Register today.
 
Events Calendar
 
 
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
25
26
8:00 a.m.
27

7:30 a.m. 		28
7:30 a.m.
29
2
7:30 a.m.
Executive Committee
3
7:30 a.m.
Small Business Academy Committee

7:30 a.m.
PAC Board

11:30 a.m.
SMYPro Committee
3:30 p.m.
Ambassador Committee
 
4
8:00 a.m.
Small Business Academy Committee
5

4:00 p.m.
6

7:30 a.m.
Legislative Breakfast

11:30 a.m.
Nominating Committee
9
10
11

8:00 a.m.
Noon

12

8:00 a.m.

13
16

Noon
17

7:30 a.m.
Board of Directors

Noon

18

7:30 a.m.

19

7:30 a.m.
Golf Committee

11:30 a.m.

20
Did You Know?
Minnesota's own Charles Schultz's Snoopy character is getting his own museum in Japan! Check out this video of the museum on Reuters.com.
Your Participation is Needed: Community & State Ratings Survey
 
Your Chamber's Business Retention and Expansion program, Grow MN invites you to complete a brief Community & State Ratings Survey. The survey will help us along with our statewide Chamber partners better understand how Minnesota companies feel about their community and the State as a place to operate a business. The survey will take less than 5 minutes to complete and is available until April 30. Results will be shared in early June. Thanks to the Minnesota Chamber for administering the survey.    
 
ISD 196 Filing Dates Set for Vacant School Board Seat

  
School District 196 (Apple Valley, Eagan, Rosemount) has set filing dates of May 17-31 for district residents interested in filing for candidacy to fill Rob Duchscher's recent vacancy on the school board. For those interested, please contact 651-423-7700.
Local Focus: Find Out What's Happening In Your Community
 
West St. Paul City Council meets April 25 - see the agenda
West St. Paul Economic Development Authority meets April 25 - see the agenda
Rosemount Planning Commission meets April 26 - see the agenda
Eagan City Council meets April 26 - see the agenda
Eagan Planning Commission meets April 26 - see the agenda
Mendota Heights Planning Commission meets April 26 - see the agenda  
Farmington Economic Development Authority meets April 28 - see the agenda  
Member Spotlight: Be Involved to Maximize Your Investment
 
Peggy Johnson
As Dakota Electric's Community Relations Director, I am actively involved in Chambers in and around Dakota County. DCR Chamber activities like Women's Circle and the Women's Conference, Ambassadors and government affairs initiatives have been invaluable in creating a network of business leaders and community leaders that help me stay current on issues and help Dakota Electric to communicate important information to our members.
 
Over the years, the business partnerships and true friendships that I have been so fortunate to be a part of have supported the work that I do on behalf of Dakota Electric. I served on the Dakota Regional Chamber Board and as its chair a few years ago. What an awesome opportunity to connect with so many terrific leaders. I encourage members to become involved and take on leadership roles within the chamber to maximize your investment. 
 
New Members
We welcome the following new members!
 

Ergotron Inc.


ABRA® Auto Body and Glass- Eagan
Jeffrey C. Blesener 
1399 Town Centre Drive
Eagan, MN 55123
(651) 452-0717
Visit website here 
 
ABRA Auto Body provides outstanding customer service to our customers. Our friendly, professional staff and skilled repair technicians are dedicated to repairing your vehicle right the first time, on time and getting you back on the road as quickly as possible. ABRA works hard to earn your trust and provide unparalleled customer service combined with top quality repair work. Our highly trained vehicle repair technicians use top-of-the-line equipment along with the best products available. We offer auto body collision repair, paint-less-dent-repair, and auto glass repair and replacement. All services include a Lifetime Guarantee.


Teresa's Mexican Restaurant 
Fernando Arellano
672 Highway 100, #2
Mendota Heights, MN 55120

Now Open!
1008 Diffley Road
Eagan, MN 55121
Visit website here 
 
Felipe Mata, the owner of Teresa's Mexican Restaurant, is originally from the small town of San José de la Paz in the Mexican state of Jalisco. He immigrated to Atlanta, Georgia at age 13 in search of the American dream. When he arrived, he received a job as a dishwasher. Throughout the years, he worked his way up to becoming a cook, and then a manager. During these years he met his now wife, Teresa.

In 1980, with his brother Arturo by his side, Felipe decided to begin his own restaurant in Rome, Georgia. He named this new restaurant El Zarape, which still remains in business to this day. In the mid 1980's he decided to start expanding his flourishing business. In 1985 he established another restaurant in Augusta, Georgia and decided to name it after his wife, Teresa. After the success of this new restaurant, Felipe decided to open more locations in three states: Georgia, South Carolina, and Minnesota.   
 
Watch for more information about these fine companies in upcoming Weekly Updates.
 
Celebrate Business Success
News on what's happening with our members and in the community!
 

Thank you to Jon Hohenstein for his leadership over the past 13 years as the City of Eagan's Community Development Director. Jon plans to retire at the end of May and will leave behind a legacy filled with many development projects that have helped the City of Eagan to continue to evolve and grow. Read more about Jon's leadership.

The Minnesota Business Ethics Awards recently announced their 2016 finalist companies. Congratulations to two of our members, Ecolab, Inc. and HealthPartners, who were selected as finalists. Recipients will be announced at the May 11, 2016 Luncheon.


Xcel Energy has been named the country's top utility wind energy provider for the 12th consecutive year by the American Wind Energy Association. They are proud of this distinction, and feel that wind energy is good both for their customers and their bottom line. They are continuing to make investments in wind energy, as an important part of their electricity generation portfolio.

The City of Eagan has named an up-and-coming manager from the Minneapolis and suburban Denver park systems, as its new Director of Parks and Recreation. Andrew Pimental has overseen recreation programs, facilities and services in Northeast Minneapolis the last three years, following his move to Minnesota with his wife, Kristin, a Minnesota native. Please join us in welcoming Andrew!
 Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce
3352 Sherman Court, Suite 201
Eagan, MN 55121
www.dcrchamber.com
651.452.9872