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1992 Summer/Fall Inside EaganPublished by the Eagan Economic Development Commission Summer/ Fall 1992 EDC Chair's Column The Economic Development Commission (EDC) is a commission established by the City Council of the City of Eagan consisting of business people or residents from the commu- nity, each of whom represents a different facet of the business community. The goal of the commission is to recruit, retain and assist business. Our focus in this issue of the newsletter and in future issues is to promote businesses in our community. We hope to show the variety of businesses here, large and small, old and new, and to tell you why they chose Eagan as their home and how they have fared here. For this issue, we will highlight four businesses from three different regions of the community: Northwest Airlines/Unisys, Grand Slam Sports Center and the Cherokee Sirloin Room and Sports Barn. Northwest/Unisys Cooperative Effort The search for a building to house an innovative high-tech expansion of Northwest Airlines' Information System took the company around the country in 1991. But the search ended right at their back door. Unisys, a corporate neighbor in Eagan, had a building that had been built to manufacture semi -conductor chips which sat empty since 1986. The many qualifications es- tablished by Northwest for the project, the ability to provide service and location, and special building and renovation needs were all met with the Unisys facility. As work began to pursue acquisition of the building, Northwest requested assistance from the City of Eagan to help facilitate the project. "Tom Hedges and the city staff were very responsive and kept a very balanced view throughout the process," said Ken Levinson, Vice President -Tax for Northwest. All three (the City, Unisys and Northwest) worked together and explored many financial options before the acquisition took place. The expansion of an Economic Development Zone which already incorporated a TIF The whole process... is a for new construction on contiguous Unisys property win, win, win situation was the option to which all for all " according to parties agreed. Under this Levinson. proposal, the Northwest renovation of the building would become part of the original district. All necessary commission and City Council reviews and approvals then followed. Levinson added that this acquisition and project "reinforced the relationship North- west has with the city as a good corporate neighbor." Currently, work on site is continuing on sched- ule with a $32 million budget established for new construction, renovations, and move -in costs. The office portion of the Data Processing Center is tentatively scheduled to open in early 1993 and will house 800-1000 employees when fully. operational. The majority of physical equipment --computers and hardware-- will move in mid-1993. The whole project has been a cooperative effort between Northwest, Unisys and the City of Eagan and is a "win, win, win situation for all" according to Levinson. Grand Slam Sports Center The VanderAarde family has owned or operated a variety of businesses within the Cedarvale Shopping Center since 1967. Today, John Van- derAarde owns and operates Grand Slam Sports Center and his father, Bob VanderAarde, runs Roberts Drug store. The Van- derAarde family has seen both good times and bad times as John wanted to 'put Cedarvale Mall experienced something back in community change and expan- the mall to draw sion over the last twenty years. John VanderAarde managed the people in. it John Allen Candy and Gift Store before venturing into the sports/ entertainment business just three years ago. John wanted to "put something in the mall to draw people in." The mall needed some "change" he said and the combination of retail and entertainment for the family was an option worth pursuing. The Sports Center offers a wide range of activities and amenities for all ages ranging from mini golf, batting cages and basketball to video arcades and a pro shop. Over the past three years, there has been quite a mixture of people coming through their door says VanderAarde. "We have people on dates, athletes, grandpar- ents and small families coming into the center." The success of the center has facilitated expansion within the complex over the last few years and there are plans for new ac- tivities to be added says VanderAarde. "A training center for hockey is scheduled to be ready in July." The 36'x 80' rink will replace the billiard room and offer practice ice space and time as well as family skating op- portunities throughout the year. John has some concerns with the new Mall of America pulling people away from Eagan for amusement activities, but is optimistic that the way Grand Slam "caters to small families and other groups and offers convenient amusement activities in the community people will keep coming back." Commercial Recycling is the next step in meeting city recycling objectives, Everyone in the community generates waste and it is everyone's responsibility to man- age that waste properly and in the most en- vironmentally sound manner. It is estimated that the commercial sector generates 55% of the waste stream. The City of Eagan would like to work with local businesses to encourage waste reduction and recycling as two methods to incorporate into your waste management system. Beginning 1/1/93 it is required by City Ordi- nance that all refuse haulers make recy- cling opportunities available to all commer- cial customers. Many businesses in the community are currently recycling but there may be others that are not aware of the different waste management options avail- able. The City of Eagan initiated this deadline in an effort to increase commercial recycling activity and subsequently reach increased abatement goals, The language incorpo- rated into the ordinance corresponds to similar recycling requirements at the resi- dential level. There are different methods of recycling in the commercial sector depend- ing on volumes and specific waste streams generated. There are also speck require- ments that must be followed regarding regular refuse and recyciables storage and collec- tion. Over the next few months, city staff, the Eagan Solid Waste Abatement Commis- sion and members of the hauling and busi- ness community will be working to estab- lish a workable program that will encour- age and support increased recycling activ- ity Your comments, suggestions and examples of current recycling activities are all wel- come as we plan for the anticipated in- crease in commercial recycling activity. For more iniomiation, please contact Recycling Coordinator Kris Hageman at 681-4600. Cherokee Sirloin Room and Sports Barn While it has only been in business for a short time in the City of Eagan, the Casper family's Cherokee Sirloin Room is long on tradition as an establishment where your will find "honest food and honest drinks" says Tom Casper. Tom, eldest brother to Rick and Jim who are also involved in the family business, is General Manager of the Eagan Cherokee Sirloin Room and Sports Barn which opened August of 1991. The family looked throughout the St. Paul area and southern suburbs for a new location for their second Sirloin Room and chose the current site located in the old Durnings Restaurant for a number of reasons. "There was good history with the Durning family in the community and there was an easy transition from one family business to another," said Rick Casper. Tom added that, "Another brother, a dentist, has worked in the community for over sixteen years and encouraged the family to pursue a location in Eagan." There is a golden opportunity to build on the past reputation of the Durnings and that is exactly what the Caspers intend to do here in Eagan. Adjacent to the restaurant in Eagan is the Sports Barn. "Our Barn Door is Open" is the slogan for the Sports Barn which offers loft parties, karaoke, softball team sponsorship and a "hungry hour". The Sports Barn has "lots of energy" says Tom Casper and we have worked to tra make it a "safe, casual, neigh- fami borhood place." anot here was an easy n ,ition from one ly business to her." Another aspect of the family business the Caspers are working to expand on here in Eagan is to meet the special occasion/ banquet needs of the community. "We want to be the headquarters for special parties, dinners and celebrations," says Tom Casper. A new menu at both restaurants and the Sports. Barn will be complete in July offering new appetizers and entrees, but the family values and tradition will still remain. Rick Casper added that, "We are basically following our dad's philosophy of business which is to offer good value and service." EDC Chair: Larry Wenzel Vice Chair: Eldon Johnson ,Members: Dan Aberg Kirk Duholm Pat Grinde . Roger Hughes Thomas Korsman Cynthia Luse -McKee Cathy Clark Matuszak Debra McMartin Tom Pederson Printed on Recycled Paper: 60# Patriot Cedarvale Area Retail Redevelopment Study Complete Merchants in the Cedarvale area came to the City of Eagan Council and staff in hopes of finding ways to revitalize the area. The top issues/concerns the merchants expressed to the within the center are competing with other outlets in the community. The report provides comprehensive analysis of the Cedarvale shopping area, including its current characteristics, trade area and purchas- ing power, competition and problems confront- ing existing businesses. city were: (1.) traffic flow and accessibility and Recommendations in the stassed a -� (2.) marketing, including informaiton on who is variety of factors that will require coordi using/visiting the center. and cooperative efforts arts of govern- . mental units, property owners an esses. The study prepared for the City of Eagan by A few of the key recd u ed fo- � ------ avCeWT9i`6­n—a1DVftg land was completed April, 1992. The study was uses and coordinating merchandising and conducted to evaluate commercial development marketing. potential and identify redevelopment options for the area. An executive summary of the report is available Currently, the businesses that are doing well are the "destination" businesses such as Grand Slam Sports Center and U.S. Swim and Fitness ac- cording to Dale Runkle, Community Develop- ment Director with the City. Other businesses Sponsored by the City of Eagan Economic Devel- opment commission. Please forward any sug- gestions or comments to EDC, City of Eagan, 3830 Plot Knob Road, Eagan, MN 55122, (621)681- 4600, TDD number: (612) 454-8535. If you did not receive a copy of the EDC Newsletter in the mail and would like to be placed on our mailing list, please call or write to Eagan City Hall. Economic Development Commission City of Eagan 3830 Pilot Knob Road Eagan, MN 55122-1897 from the City of Eagan. Please contact Kim Eggers, Project Planner, at 681-4600 for a copy of the report or more detailed information. "The City of Eagan is committed to the policy that all persons have equal access to its programs, services, activities, facilities and employment with- out regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, marital status or status with regard to public assistance." "If you need this information in an alternative form such as large print, braille, audio tape, etc., please contact the City of Eagan, 3830 Pilot Knob Road, Eagan, MN 55122, (612) 681-4600, (TDD phone: (612) 454-8535)." BULK RATE U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 4902 St. Paul, MN