2013-03-01 Eagan Business NewsJ O U R N A L O F T H E E A G A N B U S I N E S S C O M M U N I T Y
First Quarter 2013 Vol. 12 No. 1
BusinessNewsEagan
C
(page 2
Open to Business
enjoys a fast start
epage 3
Q&A with
Ruthe Batulis
i n s i d e t h i s i s s u e
)
page 4
Briefly:
Eagan businesses
in the news
continued on page 2
page 1
State of the City 2013:
Mayor applauds
successes, looks ahead
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Taking the podium at the Eagan Community
Center during the annual State of the City
event, Thursday, March 21, Mayor Mike
Maguire applauded the facility on its 10th
anniversary, referring to the many ways it
meets the needs of residents and calling it
“symbolic of our community and much of
what I want to talk about today.”
Maguire delivered his address to a group
of approximately 100 attendees, including
business leaders, citizens, elected officials,
city staff members, including Dave Osberg,
Eagan’s new city administrator, and
special guests.
While much of the morning’s focus entailed
a theme of “What’s next?” for Eagan,
the event also honored the Eagan Fire
Department, Minnesota’s second-largest
volunteer fire department, on its 50th
anniversary. And attendees applauded Ruthe
Batulis in absentia for her eight years as
president of the Dakota County Regional
Chamber of Commerce; Batulis is moving
to Spooner, Wisconsin. (See page 3.)
Changing demographics
Before addressing Eagan’s future, Maguire
assured the crowd that City leaders take
seriously their responsibiliy to deliver “a
focused menu of high-quality services to our
residents and business owners at the lowest
responsible costs” and that the City is
“ideally positioned for continued success,”
thanks to the strong work of past leaders.
He shared myriad examples and statistics to
support these points. (See sidebar, “And the
survey says…”)
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State of the City 2013: What’s next? What now?
Mayor applauds successes, looks ahead
Mayor Mike Maguire’s
presentation focused
on the future of Eagan,
asking “What’s next?”
Maguire then turned his attention to the future
of Eagan. He noted changing demographics
— specifically that senior citizens will
outnumber children in Dakota County within
a decade and that the non-white population
in Dakota County has grown by more than
92% in the last decade.
Regarding the former, Maguire asked,
“What will that mean for City service delivery,
for housing stock and for budgets?” He also
noted the pressure on businesses to sustain
“our workforce, to improve efficiency, to
produce more, to innovate more, with fewer
workers?” He noted that already there are
companies which consistently can’t find the
skilled workers they need.
Referring to Eagan’s increasingly diverse
population, he indicated the growing number
of workers attracted by local corporations
and the increasing number of small businesses
owned by people hailing from other countries.
Intertech, a highly regarded
software-and-training
company in Eagan, whose
owner, Tom Salonek,he
applauded during the event.
Maguire also emphasized
what Eagan is doing to make
16.2 miles of high capacity
fiber optic lines available to
businesses and their telecom
providers. Maguire praised
the many connections being
forged across the community,
including those between
employers and educators on behalf of students.
Maguire challenged his listeners to create additional
partnerships, to start more community conversations, to ask
questions and not presume the answers, and to build on the
“grit and determination” of Eagan’s founders.
“Creating a collective vision for where Eagan wants to be
in the next decade, and beyond,” he said, “is a hard, yet
exciting, prospect.”■
2 Eagan Business NEWS
J O U R N A L O F T H E E A G A N B U S I N E S S C O M M U N I T Y
State of the City
continued from page 1
First Quarter 2013
Open to Business enjoys a fast start
He added that nearly 100 languages are
spoken in the homes of students in
Independent School District 196.
“What, if anything, can or should we do,”
he challenged, “not just to ensure Eagan is
a welcoming, more culturally competent
and connected place, but to connect all of
the skills and talents of our community in
Eagan’s future?” And have we, he asked,
imagined Eagan to be a “global city? Should we?
What opportunities might it bring if we did?”
Environment, employees and the economy
Maguire also discussed growing Eagan’s environmental
sustainablity with even more energy-efficient best practices;
becoming a “next-generation city” by working hard to attract
talented Millenials and Generation Xers — both locally and
from far afield; and emerging as a center for technology and
knowledge-worker jobs. Regarding the last goal, he recognized
While city officials and others gathered for a ceremonial ribbon
cutting of Open to Business, several Eagan business people
waited in the background. They wanted to be first in line to
take advantage of this free entrepreneurship program of the
Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD).
“We definitely hit the ground running,” says Laurie Crow,
business advisor for Open to Business. “The program has
been really well received.”
Eagan is among 10 cities partnering with the Dakota County
Community Development Agency on Open to Business, which
Jon Hohenstein (from left), Mike Ferber, Ruthe Batulis,
Laurie Crow, Mike Maguire and Don Chapdelaine attend the
ribbon cutting of Open to Business, an MCCD program supported
by the City of Eagan and Dakota County.
cAnd the
survey says…
Decision Resources
conducts myriad surveys of
Twin Cities communities.
Eagan’s results place it in
the top two communities
metrowide, among 40
cities studied.
In Eagan:
•97% of residents called
their quality of life
excellent or good
•93% of residents say
things in the City are
on the right track
•97% of residents rate
the Fire Department as
excellent or good
•87% of residents say
they get good value
for city taxes
•88% of residents want
to maintain the current
level of services
Dr. Kurt Belk preps a young patient for stitches. Belk
serves as medical director of The Urgency Room, a
new business that opened in Eagan in 2012.
Fire Chief Mike Scott and artist Larry Landis reveal his painting, which
honors the 50th anniversary of the volunteer Eagan Fire Department.
Sales of prints will raise funds for “hero” helmets.
are six in Dakota County — and an
opportunity to leverage partnerships,
especially in the suburbs.
Like governments sharing certain
services, like snow plowing,
our organizations need
to do the same.
Q.Your accomplish-
ments at the Chamber
are many and varied.
Is there any achievement of which you are most proud?
A.I’m really proud of the Chamber’s annual WomEn’s
Conference. It’s become a staple event thanks to an innovative
approach, plus great leadership from Cindy Hoff. The event
has provided an opportunity for suburban women to enjoy
great programming.
Q.What will you miss most about the Chamber?
A.I will terribly miss the personal relationships that we’ve
built over the years. Seeing these smart, young, savvy
business people get promoted in their careers — it’s been a
privilege to watch that happen and to work with these people.
I’ll miss the daily relationships with our members, our board
members and our partners.
Q.What challenges are waiting in Spooner, Wisconsin?
A.I’ve been scanning opportunities there and look forward to
beginning some civic engagement or volunteerism — perhaps
related to workforce development and economic growth.
I’d also like to jumpstart mentor support programs.
Q.If you were leaving instead to found a business,
what would it be?
A.I would open a little bookstore on a corner with a creaky
floor and cozy places for people to sit and read. I love to read!■
First Quarter 2013J O U R N A L O F T H E E A G A N B U S I N E S S C O M M U N I T Y
Q&A with Ruthe Batulis
Eagan Business NEWS 3g EBN is printed on paper which contains a minimum of 10% post consumer fiber.
Ruthe Batulis steps down as president of the Dakota County
Regional Chamber of Commerce on April 1. During her eight-
year tenure, she has become known for her enthusiasm,
advocacy and relationship building. Among her Chamber
accomplishments are promoting broadband for small business,
defeating a restrictive sign ordinance and a charter city
request, and creating the Business and Education Leadership
Roundtable. Batulis and her husband are soon relocating to
Spooner, Wisconsin. Eagan Business News asked her to share
a few insights.
Q.How did you decide that now was the time
for a new venture?
A.My husband and I have had a home in Wisconsin for
12 years. It’s always been our dream to live there full time,
and in the last few months, I’ve been purposeful about thinking
what’s next.
It’s also the right time: The chamber is so strong right now —
strong membership, strong financials and a strong board of
directors. When you make a change, you want to do so from a
positive perspective. You always want to leave an organization
stronger than when you found it.
Finally, I really believe that nonprofit organizations benefit from
a change in leadership every eight to 10 years — new eyes on
the subject and a fresh, smart approach.
Q.The Northern Dakota County Chamber and the
Farmington Area Chamber had just merged when you
started. So, right out of the gate, you renamed and
rebranded the Chamber with great success. What do
you believe is the Chamber’s biggest opportunity today?
A.Most chambers stop at city lines, while businesses don’t
know boundaries. The traditional chamber engagement is out-
dated. There’s a real opportunity to realign chambers — there
provides one-to-one business counseling to current and new
business owners, plus small-business loans, from $1,000
to $25,000. When needed, the program also partners with
banks to provide customized lending, depending on need and
financing required.
Crow began offering her entrepreneurship expertise via Open
to Business last year. A former small-business owner herself
(“I’ve been there,” she says), Crow also has a degree in
business management and marketing. Yet she hasn’t always
had all the answers: Years ago, she was a client of MCCD.
These days, Crow works with business owners via email, phone
and in-person meetings, which take her all over Dakota County.
During February alone, she logged 700 miles on her car.
“It’s not really work for me to spend my day talking with small-
business people,” says Crow, who often serves as a sounding
board to discuss business ideas and their feasibility. “I’m very
passionate about supporting them.” Businesses, ranging from
startups to established businesses looking to expand, have so
far included restaurants, websites offering services, small-
engine repair shops, and many more.
The City of Eagan is offering dedicated office hours for
Open to Business at City Hall on the third Tuesday of
each month, from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information, visit
opentobusinessmn.org, or contact Laurie Crow at
lcrow@mccdmn.org or 952-484-3107.■
Eagan
4 Eagan Business NEWS
Business News
3830 Pilot Knob Road ●Eagan, MN 55122
Editor Karin B. Miller, Working Words, Inc.
Designer Brent Kastler, Illumine Associates, Inc.
Send comments and story ideas to EBN@cityofeagan.com.
Briefly:Eagan businesses in the news
• BUSINESS:For its quality practices, Eagan’s Coca-Cola
Refreshments received the 2012 Bob Killeen Award at the Dakota-
Scott Workforce Investment Board’s annual legislative and awards
event.… Chiropractic patients will have a new option when The Joint
opens at the Eagan Convenience Center.… Businesses interested in
sponsoring Eagan’s largest community event, July 4th Funfest,still
have time to get on the slate; contact Mike Ferber at 651-454-3066
or sponsorships@eaganfunfest.org.… Kick Start Martial Arts is
scheduled to open at the Thomas Lake Center in April.… While
Lockheed Martin has vacated its former Eagan headquarters, the
company has signed a five-year lease for roughly 77,000 square
feet at 1303 Corporate Center Drive for its 200 air-traffic-control
employees.… Noodles, Sports Clips, Which Wich and Yogurt
Lab have opened or plan to open soon at 2000 Rahncliff Court.…
Stream Global,whose headquarters is in Eagan, acquired LBM
Holdings Limited, a U.K. company with six call centers, for nearly
$44 million. Stream Global employs 37,000 people worldwide.…
Eagan’s Superior Service Center is one of seven finalists for the
2013 Dream Big Small Business of the Year Award; the $10,000
award will be presented by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in April.
• GOVERNMENT:Eagan’s City Council reached a settlement with
Ecolab regarding street assessments for Ames Crossing Road; if the
company later decides to connect to the new road, it will pay
$72,000.… Eagan’s City Council vote on the housing development
proposed for the Parkview Golf Course has been postponed
until April to await a traffic study.… After hearing Dakota County’s
road-improvement recommendations along Pilot Knob, Mayor
Mike Maguire said the Council can wait to consider a final action until
CSM submits a new proposal for the Lockheed Martin property.…
Contamination cleanup of former automotive businesses will begin
this spring in the Cedar Grove Redevelopment Area,thanks
largely to a $596,955 grant provided by the Minnesota Department
of Employment and Economic Development; the award stipulates a
25 percent match by City funds.… The Eagan City Council has
awarded the engineering design contract for the Cedar Grove
parking ramp to Walker Parking Consultants,the largest parking
consulting firm in the United States. Estimated to cost $19 million,
the ramp will be funded by a $750,000 grant from the Minnesota
Department of Employment and Economic Development for an
elevator tower, by $4.23 million from Paragon, and by tax-increment
financing collected by Eagan’s Economic Development Authority.…
Six Minnesota executives spoke at the third-annual WomEn’s
Conference,sponsored by the Dakota County Regional Chamber of
Commerce.… In preparation for the Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transit
route, the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority is expanding its
Eagan bus-storage-and-maintenance facility by 24,000 square feet
and $6.6 million.■
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)page 1 State of the City 2013:
Mayor applauds successes, looks ahead
(page 2 Open to Business
enjoys a fast start
C page 4 Briefly:
Eagan businesses in the news
epage 3 Q&A with Ruthe Batulis
i n s i d e t h i s i s s u e