June 2014

Oh no, is it Friday already? Our fantasy workplace makes employees want to stick around
At Innovative Office Solutions, Jennifer Smith has made responding to customers a part of the culture

According to the organizers of the Innovation Master Class, it’s no longer enough to be innovative — now, you must develop innovative approaches to innovation itself.

Doing business in Germany is about to get a little easier. From June 26 to Sept. 11, Condor Airlines will offer twice-weekly nonstop flights between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and its base in Frankfurt, continental Europe’s largest financial center and a major hub for air and rail travel.

On June 14, the long-awaited Green Line light-rail system will open for service. It runs on an 11-mile corridor connecting the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Opening day will be celebrated with free rides (June 14-15) and other community events at eight stations on the line.

Ready to take your company’s online presence to the next level? Attend the MNSearch Summit on June 27 and get expert marketing advice on everything from pay-per-click to social media campaigns to search engine optimization. Held at the University of St.

The EY Entrepreneur of the Year program has been dishing out recognition for more than a quarter century. On June 11 at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis, it will host the awards gala for the Upper Midwest. Many of this year’s finalists have been covered in the pages of this magazine.

Minnesota has one of the largest concentrations of women business leaders in the nation. On June 9, many of them will gather for “Leading Transformational Growth,” the second in a three-part lecture series presented by the Minnesota chapters of the Women Presidents’ Organization.

Conducting business across national borders can get complicated. Both big-picture overviews and useful compliance tips will be shared at the 93rd annual conference of the Washington, D.C.–based American Association of Exporters and Importers, held in Minneapolis June 16-18. Learn about current issues and challenges in international commerce, U.S.

On June 12, the seventh Ignite Minneapolis is coming to the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis. The quirky event (of which this magazine is a sponsor) gives people an opportunity to present on a topic of their choice — as long as they keep it short.
Sign painter Dan Madsen likes to take it slow.
“In the world we live in now, everyone wants something really fast,” he says. “They don’t care what their sign looks like because they just want to open up.”
Madsen prefers the old-fashioned form of hand-painted signs. “A hand-painted sign has a timeless look,” he says.
“In the world we live in now, everyone wants something really fast,” he says. “They don’t care what their sign looks like because they just want to open up.”
Madsen prefers the old-fashioned form of hand-painted signs. “A hand-painted sign has a timeless look,” he says.
"Our intention is to be the best digital agency on the planet,” says Nancy Lyons, president and CEO of Minneapolis-based Clockwork Active Media, which creates websites, apps, digital collaborative tools, and intranets.
Soon after its humble launch in 2003, the African Development Center in Minneapolis began receiving major funding and hiring full-time staff. Despite starting as a one-man operation, the nonprofit has become a leader in micro-lending to small businesses and helped more than 100,000 African immigrants in Minnesota achieve financial stability and success.

In her teens, Jennifer Smith helped out at her father’s office supply business in Northfield, Minn.
This being summer, you might assume business is slow for makers of ice-fishing houses. Yet for one such company, American Surplus & Manufacturing in Montevideo, seasonal layoffs have been unnecessary for the past three years and demand has prompted it to start a new manufacturing facility.

If the secret to buying real estate is location, location, location, the secret to selling it is diversify, diversify, diversify.
Welsh and Colliers International | Minneapolis-St. Paul has been an example of just that. The Minnetonka-based commercial real estate firm has expanded substantially over its 37 years in business.
Welsh and Colliers International | Minneapolis-St. Paul has been an example of just that. The Minnetonka-based commercial real estate firm has expanded substantially over its 37 years in business.
SCS Interiors has a history in the Twin Ports area dating back to the 1940s. When the Hudyma family purchased it in the ’80s, it consisted of two people working out of a garage to provide custom upholstery for automotive and other clients.
Note: This page is part of the 2014 100 Best Companies to Work For. Make sure to check out the full list of companies as well as the recipients of the Ultimate Office Awards.
Note: This page is just one part of the 2014 100 Best Companies to Work For.
Note: This page is part of the 2014 100 Best Companies to Work For. Make sure to check out the full list of companies as well as this year's Best in Class winners.

I am an intern. I applied for internships for almost two years before I was finally chosen for one of four internship positions at Coffee House Press, a nonprofit book publisher in Minneapolis. Currently I am an editorial intern here, at Minnesota Business.

Most of us have heard radio or television advertisements that promote hiring veterans, but many small businesses don’t have the time or budget to spend on talent acquisition. Yet veterans’ core attributes — initiative, adaptability, and perseverance — directly mirror the needs of small businesses, making them an ideal off-the-shelf solution to your talent needs.

They say the early bird catches the worm. In the case of innovation, sometimes the worm puts up a fight.

Upscale atmosphere, top-notch service, and sophisticated stylists are the specialties at Salon Rouge in Minneapolis. Located in the basement of a former downtown condo that was vacant for a century, the space was transformed by owner Richard Staab about eight years ago.

Sanborn Canoe Company started as a summer hobby in 2009. Inspired by their Northern Minnesotan heritage at a family reunion, entrepreneurs Todd Randall and Zak Fellman decided to build a cedar-strip canoe by hand.