January 2014
Current Issue: January 2014
Keen on exploring trade and investment opportunities in Latin America? Be aware that politics loom large in the region, with 10 countries set to hold national elections this year. Learn about the region's political, economic, and social trends at the Jan.
This month (and other months, too), MAP for Nonprofits will host Board Boot Camp, designed to teach participants what it means to serve on a nonprofit board — and how best to do it. Held on the morning of Jan. 14 in St.
Wish Minnesota had a higher profile in the world? You're not alone. Many local leaders feel the same way, which is why some have joined forces in an advisory committee to bring the World's Fair here. Heading the group is Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. Honorary co-chairs include Walter Mondale and Arne Carlson.
Tinkering around with sustainable agriculture? You might be eligible for a grant of up to $25,000 from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) — if you apply by Jan. 29.
Winning government contracts might involve jumping through more hoops, but the rewards can be rich — just ask the Blaine-based manufacturer Top Tool (see
Laura Kalambokidis
How's the new year going to be for the real estate sector? In Minneapolis, local and national expert panelists will discuss the outlook for the office, retail, multi-family, and industrial real estate markets at a Jan.
It never hurts to get a little recognition — especially when it's for a small company.
If you're in manufacturing — especially the advanced variety — you already know the importance of being able to attract key talent.
It seems like such a waste. A museum painstakingly crafts a large banner to advertise a much-anticipated new art exhibit. Yet even if the banner is a work of art in its own right, it will probably end up in a landfill after the exhibit ends. What use is a banner, after all, if it's promoting something that's finished?
Used to test computer chips, a microelectrical contact from Top Tool
Mark Erickson, president of Blaine-based Top Tool, sums up the strategy that has made the company successful in one, succinct phrase: "The tighter the tolerances, the less competition there is."
Drew Peterson has always been interested in the arts. As a high school student, Peterson found himself expressing his creative energies through graffiti.
Features
Good environments: The Code42 offices (top) and workers at Wilde Roast Cafe (bottom)
The Wilde Roast Cafe in Minneapolis is inhabited by an old fireplace, a Chesterfield couch, and a quaint Victorian charm. It's also inhabited, almost invariably, by techies from Code42, a rapidly growing software firm with nearby offices.
Features
More than 40 years ago, Northwestern University professor Philip Kotler wrote what is generally considered the definitive book on marketing techniques.
Christophe Cooper
Christophe Cooper is a serial entrepreneur, pilot, and inventor whose only serious failure has been flunking retirement. After selling a successful business at 51 years old, two short years later, in 2002, he started a new business, Hummingbird Aviation.
Jim Gilliam, CEO, Montu Staffing Solutions
After years of rising through the ranks of a large corporation, an ambitious executive will eventually ask the question: "What's next?"
Brian Wachtler at Urban Organics
Is your company interesting to anyone else besides you? Put it this way: If you met your business at a party, would you stay put and talk for a while, or would you be looking for any excuse to bolt? Beyond your "selling solutions," your "robust product offerings," or "client-centered, quality service," what might compel a prospective customer to actually contact or want to buy from you?
Shopping for a shirt often involves a choice between overpriced and well made or inexpensive and badly designed. It doesn't have to be that way. Browse a Hammer Made shop and you'll discover reasonably priced shirts that excel at the three F's: fit, fabric, and functionality.
Laura Dunham and John McVea
During the recession, many organizations felt a pressing need to innovate in order to survive and thrive. Partly in response, the University of St. Thomas executive education division launched the Innovation Leadership Program.
Local fare: Wood from the Hood spotted at the Butter Bakery Cafe in Minneapolis
When Cindy and Rick Siewert had to say goodbye to a tree that was growing into their home's foundation, they asked themselves what they could do so the tree could live on in a different form. "We felt that trees were going to waste being put in the dump and landfills," Cindy says. "We wanted to turn them into a higher use."