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Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal
West metro could get first bouldering gym
Chris Massoll is looking to open the west metro's first indoor bouldering gym with a 20,000-square-foot facility in Plymouth.<\p> Massoll is the owner of Minnetonka-based Big Island Bouldering and he has applied to the City of Plymouth for a conditional use permit to open the gym at 161 Cheshire Lane N., which is home to a 70,000-square-foot multi-tenant building within an industrial park. <\p>
New restaurant slated for Arezzo space at 50th and France
The people behind Mr. Paul’s Supper Club have new plans for the 50th and France space once occupied by Arezzo Ristorante.<\p> Arezzo closed in January of last year amid drama between the eatery and its landlord, Kalsybro Co. A $175,000 building permit has since been pulled for the spot at 5057 France Ave. S. noting a new restaurant is underway.<\p>
Icehouse has a new owner, dodges eviction attempt
Icehouse Music Club will continue operations after a lawsuit over allegedly unpaid rent was settled out of court.<\p> The Minneapolis bar and music venue on Eat Street restructured its business and lease agreements, which puts John Higgins — the director of Minneapolis-based biotechnology tools company Biotechne and a Walker Art Center trustee — as new majority owner and an executive leader. <\p>
Tool maker builds on past success to shape its future growth
Next year, Malco Tools Inc. will celebrate its 75th anniversary, but while President and CEO Rich Benninghoff keeps one eye on what’s ahead, he is also looking to the company’s history to help shape its future and growth.<\p> Malco was founded in 1950 by Mark Keymer after he developed a series of sheet metal tools. It now specializes in hand tools for HVAC systems and building construction. <\p>
Son maintains father’s legacy, one handcrafted piece at a time
Randy Kissoondath started building restaurant booths after immigrating to the U.S. from Trinidad and Tobago in the 1970s. Due to health problems, he was forced to sell the successful business and take a 13-year break. <\p> When he returned, he founded Randy’s Booth Co. Inc. and recruited his son, Bert Kissoondath, to help him rebuild the manufacturing company. Bert started from scratch, sweeping the shop, building frames and delivering finished pieces, which included booths, chairs, tables and other furnishings for the hospitality industry.<\p>
Laser focus on innovation enables Wadena manufacturer to grow
Kern Laser Systems began designing and manufacturing laser cutting and engraving systems in Wadena in 1982. In the past four decades, the company has thrived in the Central Minnesota city of approximately 4,000 residents.<\p> Of the company’s 36 employees, 21 have more than five years of tenure, and a dozen have been there for more than a decade. The family business's track record of long tenures is helped by its sharing of $1.7 million in profits between 2019 and 2023.<\p>
NYT lists Detroit Lakes restaurant in favorite pizza places
Zorbaz, a Detroit Lakes-based restaurant chain, was included by the New York Times’ feature of 15 favorite pizza places around the world.<\p> The article titled, “15 of Our Readers’ Favorite Pizza Places Around the World” went through over a thousand reader submissions to create the list. <\p>
Cyberattack will cost UnitedHealth more than forecast
UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) on Tuesday posted better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the second quarter, but also said that the total financial hit from the cyberattack against its Change Healthcare subsidiary would likely be higher than earlier forecast.<\p> The Minnetonka, Minnesota-based insurance giant reported net income of $4.22 billion, or $4.54 per share, down from $5.47 billion, or $5.82 per share in the same period a year earlier.<\p>
Cancer-fighting medtech company looks to double HQ size
Histosonics, a medical device company developing a device to kill cancerous tissues with sound waves, plans to almost double the size of its headquarters in Plymouth, Minnesota. And it has more growth in mind for the future. <\p> "Our expansion at our Plymouth headquarters is designed to accommodate our planned growth throughout the end of 2024 and into the following years," said Joshua King, vice president of marketing for Histosonics.<\p>
Bottle-filling 'Hydrostations' debut at MSP airport
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will get a $525,000 boost through a brand partnership with Pentair (NYSE: PNR) and water-tech startup Hope Hydration.<\p> The Golden Valley-based water solutions provider installed 10 Hope HydroStations — freestanding filtered, touch-free water dispensers with display screens for advertising — within the airport's two terminals. <\p>
Local salad chain plans Rochester location, seeks franchisees
Minneapolis lunchtime salad chain Green + The Grain has started seeking franchisees to expand the concept beyond the Twin Cities.<\p> The fast-casual salad chain named a few markets as prime examples for expansion on its website: Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Nashville and Rochester, Minnesota. It’s already working out a deal to seed a corporate-owned store in downtown Rochester that it could eventually sell to a franchisee, said founder and co-owner Tiffany Hauser. The deal for that location could close this week.<\p>
Sahan Journal names its next leader
St. Paul-based news outlet Sahan Journal has found its next executive director to succeed founder and CEO Mukhtar Ibrahim, who is leaving the organization.<\p> Sahan Journal on Monday named Vanan Murugesan executive director. He will start Sept. 3. <\p>
Woodchuck's recipe for sustainable growth
Key factors to Woodchuck USA's continued success and growth is its ability to adapt and its focus on sustainability. <\p> St. Paul-based Woodchuck produces custom wood products, ranging from luxury wood packaging for liquor brands to wood journals and corporate gifts. Last year, it grew enough to create 20 new jobs. <\p>
Colliers picks up two retail brokers from competitor
Colliers added Jim Rock and Suzanne Schefcik to its retail services group in Minneapolis.<\p> The two will advise clients across the region and offer expertise in leasing, acquisitions, dispositions and real estate planning. Both joined from Avison Young, where they led the firm's capital markets and retail efforts in Minneapolis. They had a special focus on net lease, automotive and strip center real estate.<\p>
153 market-rate apartments planned for Edina's France Ave.
The development team behind a proposal to transform a 5-acre site along Edina’s France Avenue will return to the city this month with detailed plans for an apartment building on the site.<\p> Co-developers Orion Investments, which is based in Edina, and Minneapolis-based Afton Park requested final site plan approval to move forward with a 153-unit market-rate apartment building on the northern portion of a 5-acre project site, located at 7200 and 7250 France Ave.<\p>
U.S. Bank bondholders owed $47 million in media company's bankruptcy
Media company Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, the parent company of Redbox, owes bondholders of U.S. Bank National Association $47 million, according to filings in the media company's bankruptcy case.<\p> A June 28th filing shows that U.S. Bank is Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment's largest creditor by more than $20 million. While U.S. Bank does not have a stake in the company directly, it is acting as a trustee for others that do.<\p>
The Minnesota companies ranked best for salespeople
Three Minnesota companies were recently recognized for their sales organizations in a national list of 60 Best Companies to Sell for.<\p> Sales management magazine Selling Power gave the honors to Hormel Foods, Ecolab and Action Selling. <\p>
Heavy-metal maker creates legacy for family, and hometown
With a knack for doing whatever needed to get done, Paul Millerbernd built Millerbernd Manufacturing Co. from the ground up, creating a legacy for his family and the small Minnesota town of Winsted. <\p> Now, CEO Trevor Millerbernd is the third generation to be involved in the company his grandfather founded in 1933, and he is incredibly proud of all his grandfather built despite dropping out of school after eighth grade to help with the family farm and shop.<\p>
Puris feeds a growing plant protein market
The World Economic Forum estimates that a global population of 10 billion, expected in 2050, will be unable to consume the amount of protein typical of diets in North America and Europe.<\p> Puris, a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of plant-based proteins, is attempting to make a dent in reversing that outlook. The company’s mission is to restore trust and knowledge in the food system while nourishing people and the planet.<\p>
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