2010-09-01 Eagan Business NewsJOURNAL OF THE EAGAN BUSINESS COMMUNITY
Third Quarter 2010 Vol. 9 No. 3
Business News
continued on page 2
The largest United States Postal Service
(USPS) mail distribution center in the state
of Minnesota is scheduled to be up and
running 24/7 in Eagan by October.
Operations actually began moving from
St. Paul to Eagan at the end of August.
The $64 million Twin Cities Consolidation
Project, which began in September 2008,
encompassed the expansion and reloca-
tion from St. Paul to Eagan of the St. Paul
Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC)
and the remodeling of Eagan’s existing
Twin Cities Bulk Mail Center, now called
the Minneapolis/St. Paul Network
Distribution Center.
“The new facility will provide a much
smoother flow of mail,” says Pete Nowacki,USPS spokesperson. While the previous facility
had multiple floors and mail processing occurred a good distance from the dock, the new facility
will have one floor and mail processing will begin within 50 to 100 feet from mail’s entrance into
the facility. The building also boasts a larger transportation area and a business-mail entrance.
Previously, businesses requiring bulk-mail services traveled to downtown St. Paul; now they will
transport bulk mail to Eagan.
The facility will bring 923 new employees to Eagan at the
P&DC and will retain 369 employees at the distribution
center; most employees will work shifts that range from late
afternoon through early morning — not the regular scope of
business hours, says Nowacki, but certainly more employees
means more customers for Eagan businesses.
“Our wonderful employees have been extremely cooperative,”
he says, adding that the USPS strives to “get the people
affected involved as early as possible and to keep them
informed: communicate, communicate, communicate.”
The new facility will mean 7 million letters going out in 400 trucks a day; that’s an additional
50 to 70 trucks than previously.The busiest truck traffic — 4 to 8 a.m. and 3:30 to 8 p.m. —
will affect intersections Lexington and Lone Oak, and Lexington and Yankee Doodle.
New USPS mail-distribution center
opens soon in Eagan
“The new USPS mail distribution center will be much
easier to do business in and offers a huge efficiency
advantage for us,” says USPS spokesperson Pete
Nowacki. The facility is located on Lexington Avenue,
south of Lone Oak Road and east of Interstate 35E.
Eagan
Is your business
located in Eagan?
Spread the word
6
8
inside this issue
N
d
page 3
Visioning study on
roadways, developments
page 1
USPS mail-distribution
center opens soon
Don’t be Minnesota modest,
especially when recruiting
employees. Now’s the time to
boast about Eagan’s No. 15 list-
ing in Money magazine’s “The
Best Places to Live” feature. After
all, the story received national
attention and was also carried in
CNNMoney.com and Money’s 100
Best Places to Live in America.
“Provide a link to the story on
your business LinkedIn and
Facebook pages, and include it
in the signature of your emails,”
suggests Ruthe Batulis, president
of the Dakota County Regional
Chamber of Commerce. “It’s an
easy and cost-free way to spread
the news that your company
is located in one of the best
communities in the country.”
For more on Eagan’s selection,
see page 2.Not on E-Biz’s email list?
To subscribe to E-Biz or our printed publication, Eagan Business News,visit www.cityofeagan.com/EBN.
page 2
MN Supreme Court
rules in favor of City
page 2
Eagan: Among
“Best Places to Live”2010 Erdahl Aerial Photos“I would attribute the success of
the USPS project to a deliberate
coming together of local and
national expert construction
firms and design firms; the role,
experience and team approach of
the USPS; partnership with local
government; plus an absolute
commitment to accomplishing the
client's project goals through
active, ongoing collaboration.”
— Don Fromme, District Manager,
PCL Construction
As part of the construction
project, USPS agreed to
build an extension to Denmark
Avenue. Sidewalk construc-
tion along Denmark Avenue
occurred in June and the
new extension of the street
will receive a final layer of
blacktop later this month.
The street’s opening will
coincide with the full opening
of the facility in October.
Despite all the changes,
Nowacki says the goal of the
USPS is to make the move
as seamless and unnoticeable
as possible. “We provide very
good service and the goal is
that customers don’t even
know anything has changed.”
That may be true elsewhere,
but in Eagan the secret
is out. ■
USPS center
continued from page 1
2 Eagan Business NEWS
JOURNAL OF THE EAGAN BUSINESS COMMUNITY
Mayor Mike Maguire.“The City remains
committed to working toward an amicable
resolution with the property owners while
the Court of Appeals continues its consider-
ation.” The property owners include U-Haul,
Randy Quam's Competition Engines and
Larson Automotive Repair Services.
The core of the redevelopment area
remains unaffected by this decision, and
the City continues to work with the master
developer and area businesses to move the
project forward.
The Cedar Grove Redevelopment District is
a 250-acre redevelopment area located on
the east side of the Cedar Avenue-Hwy 13
interchange. Projects built in the area to
date include a variety of housing to serve
multiple generations and a transit station.
The 70-acre core area of the redevelopment
is planned to include additional commercial
and residential developments in a walkable,
transit-oriented neighborhood. ■
The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in favor
of the City of Eagan in the case involving
three remaining property owners in the
Cedar Grove Redevelopment District. The
ruling occurred on July 29.
In its decision, the Supreme Court recog-
nized that the City’s Economic Development
Authority “did not exceed the scope of its
authority when it acquired the property own-
ers’ property.” In addition, the court stated
that the City did not need a binding develop-
er agreement before it could acquire the
land, as the Appeals Court had said it did.
While the Court’s ruling was to be sent back
to the Appellate Court, that may not happen
immediately. The property owners’ attorney
has filed a petition that asks the Supreme
Court to “rehear” the case and reconsider
its decision. The Court’s decision then is
stayed pending its ruling on the petition. If
the Court rejects the petition, the ruling will be
sent back to the Appeals Court to decide two
remaining issues: whether a public purpose
existed and whether there was a need to uti-
lize the quick-take provision. The trial court
said yes on both counts; if the ruling stands,
the Appeals Court will have 90 days to rule.
“The City is confident that the Court of
Appeals will affirm the District Court’s find-
ings that the City had a valid public purpose
to acquire the properties,” said Eagan
Third Quarter 2010
A transit station
(right) and a
variety of hous-
ing constructed
to serve multi-
ple generations
are among the
projects built thus far in Cedar Grove
Redevelopment District, ultimately designed to
become a walkable, transit-oriented neighborhood.
Money magazine once again selected Eagan for its “Best Places to
Live” listing. The St. Paul suburb is the only Minnesota city to have
been listed in the magazine’s Top 20 most livable cities in 2006
(12th), 2008 (17th) and 2010 (15th) biennial rankings.
Eagan, along with other selected cities, earned its place, thanks
to “plenty of jobs, great schools, safe streets, low crime, charm,
and other features that make a town great for raising a family.”
Eden Prairie took the No. 1 spot, while other Top 20 Minnesota
cities included Plymouth, Woodbury and Apple Valley.
Local businesses played an important role in Eagan’s selection.
“Businesses support the vitality of the community, contribute to a
tax base, providing amenities, and employ workers who live and
work and play in a community,” says Ruthe Batulis,president of
the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce. In addition,
businesses offer leisure options and family destinations (restaurants,
movie theaters, bowling centers, golf courses, and more), increas-
ingly create green spaces and take actions (i.e., installing lights in
parking lots) to help hold down crime rates.
Eden Prairie was selected for the top position largely based on its
employment numbers, which, according to Money,showed a
12.61% job growth from 2000 to 2009, compared to -2.57% loss
for Eagan. However, the magazine’s methodology apparently used
projections from 2000 Census data, while actual jobs data during a
similar period from the Minnesota Department of Employment and
Economic Development (DEED) show Eagan employers to be among
Eagan ranks No. 15 in Money’s “Best Places to Live”
MN Supreme Court rules in favor of City,
Cedar Grove development
By the numbers:
•7 million letters a day trans-
ported on 400 trucks from
128 truck bays
•92 acres of land
•1,292 employees
•600,000 cubic yards of dirt
removed from site
Eagan Business NEWS 3
2010 Third QuarterJOURNAL OF THE EAGAN BUSINESS COMMUNITY
Visioning study prepares for
future roadways, developments
g EBN is printed on paper which contains a minimum of 10% post consumer fiber.
The Regional Roadway System Visioning Study released in
May its long-term report for safe and efficient roadway
improvements to support today’s growth assumptions for
northern Dakota County.
The committee included representatives from Eagan, Inver
Grove Heights, Mendota Heights, Sunfish Lake, Dakota County,
the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), the
Metropolitan Council and the Federal Highway Administration.
For roughly a year, members studied how the current trans-
portation system needs to change to handle potential growth
in one of the largest undeveloped areas (approximately 4,300
acres) adjacent to the I-494/I-694 beltway. An important area
for potential development, it already experiences significant
traffic flow-through; as development occurs, the area will also
become a destination. Committee members studied technical
analysis and welcomed public input.
“We wanted to get out in front and say, ‘Here’s what we need,’”
says Brian Sorenson,Transportation Program Engineer,
Dakota County. “Then when these cities start planning
developments, the roadways can be set up in a way that
alleviates congestion, anticipates developments and won’t
displace businesses or residents.”
Other, more general transportation studies have been done
over the past five years, including the North-South corridor
study in 2006-2007. This new study, says Russ Matthys,City
Engineer, took a closer look at local, county and state road
needs, new potential roadways and acquiring rights of way.
Changes suggested include various road realignments and
expansions, plus a new I-494 Interchange near Argenta Trail,
which will reduce congestion and support further development
in northeast Eagan and northwest Inver Grove Heights.
While no construction timetables or specific funding plans
were identified in the visioning study, the City of Eagan has
been proactive in looking for potential financial opportunities,
securing funding to expand Minnesota State Highway 149
from four to six lanes — one of the study’s suggested
findings. Because the road falls under the jurisdiction of the
state, meetings are scheduled with MNDOT and the feds to
work together toward the project’s fruition.
“We want to have the most efficient transportation system
that we can afford in Eagan,” says Matthys. He emphasizes
maintaining the City as an attractive destination. “A quick, safe
trip to and within Eagan,” without congestion, is valuable both
for businesses and residents.
Summing up, Sorenson offers, “We all can feel better that
as development occurs, we’re going to be prepared for the
additional traffic that will come. We’ve got a plan here that all
the agencies are in agreement on. That’s a huge first step.”
To read the Regional Roadway System Visioning Study’s report,
visit www.co.dakota.mn.us/EnvironmentRoads/Reports/Road/
RegionalRoadwaySystemVisioningStudy.htm. ■
the highest producers of non-retail jobs in the Twin Cities, particularly
with “knowledge worker” and high-tech jobs. (From 2007 to 2009,
also according to DEED, the Twin Cities lost 6.2 percent jobs in these
sectors, while Eagan and Dakota County each lost just 0.1 percent.)
DEED’s “QCEW” data show Eagan with a 14.66% increase of actual
jobs from 2000 to 2009, while Eden Prairie and Plymouth suffered job
losses of 3.75% and 12.68% respectively.
“Eagan’s consistent showing in the Top 20 is a gratifying testament to
the partnership between our city, its citizens and its businesses,” says
Mayor Mike Maguire.“It represents the enduring commitment we all
share to a high-quality community by whatever standard you measure
it. We’re very proud of this recognition in City Hall, but everyone in the
Eagan community shares a part of this great success.”■
Eagan
6
8
4 Eagan Business NEWS
Business News
Npage 1
USPS mail-distribution
center opens soon
dpage 2
MN Supreme Court
rules in favor of City
page 2
Eagan: Among
“Best Places to Live”
page 3
Visioning study on
roadways, developments
inside this issue
3830 Pilot Knob Road ●Eagan, MN 55122
Editor Karin B. Miller, Working Words, Inc.
Designer Brent Kastler, Kastler Art & Design
Send comments and story ideas to
EBN@cityofeagan.com.
Standard
U.S. Postage
PAID
St. Paul, MN
Permit #7732
Briefly
• PEOPLE:Fred Shaw,founder of Eagan-
based Shaw-Lundquist Associates, one of
the largest minority-owned businesses in the
Midwest, died in June. Shaw, age 91 and
an immigrant from China, was a founding
member of the National Association of
Minority Contractors of Minnesota, the
Chinese American Business Association
of Minnesota and the Chinese American
Association of Minnesota.… Cynthia
Frances has been named Director of
Community Relations for The Commons on
Marice, a senior-living community in Eagan.
• BUSINESS:Biothera-produced Wellmune WGP, a natural ingredient
to enhance immune health is one of the ingredients in Dr. Sears
Family Essentials’ all-natural Immune Plus Fruit Chews, which also
contain vitamins C and D, zinc and selenium.… Delta Airlines is
applying to subdivide the Northwest Airlines headquarters in north-
east Eagan to facilitate its sale or lease.… Ecolab announced that
its sales, currently driven by overseas markets, rose five percent
to $1.5 billion in the second quarter. In other Ecolab news, the
company sees future growth in its pest elimination division, thanks to
its new technology to get rid of bedbugs. It also has partnered with
Cynthia Frances
DuPont on an antimicrobial coating that food-processing companies
can use on various surfaces at their facilities to ward off bacteria,
including Salmonella and mold.… In July Intertech marked the 12th
year of sponsoring the Twin Cities Java User Group, which delivers
free presentations every month on Java and open-source related
topics.… More than 70 businesses and organizations are involved in
the Eagan Sesquicentennial Food Drive.Want to help? Contact
www.eagan150.com.… The North Metro Realtors Association
and the St. Paul Area Association of Realtors plan to merge next
spring, bringing together 6,800 members. A new name has yet to be
chosen. All three offices, including one in Eagan, will remain open. ■
As Eagan’s 150th anniversary celebration starts to wind down,
officials are already thinking ahead to Eagan’s Bicentennial in 2060.
Eagan business owners, among other groups, are invited to donate
items to go into a time capsule to be placed in the floor of the Eagan
Fire Safety Center, currently under construction. Businesses might
consider a corporate history book, a product, an advertisement or
other small item. To have your nonperishable item considered, bring it
to Eagan City Hall’s administration desk during business hours by
October 29.■
Donate items for Eagan’s time capsule