2014-12-01 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
Fourth Quarter 2014 Vol. 13 No. 4
BusinessNews
Small or large, big-hearted businesses make a difference
Community giving: a year-round effor t
Eaga n
i n s i d e t h i s i s s u e
C
T
U
page 3
Bartelson launched
financial-planning
career during
recession
page 4
Briefly:
Eagan businesses
in the news
page 3
Chamber honors
five businesses
for excellence
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tpage 1
Community giving:
a year-round
effort
Employee volunteers Joan Barrett and Mara Davenport pick squash at the
Blue Cross Community Giving Garden, founded in 2008. An impressive
100 percent of its harvest supplies fresh, healthy food for local residents
served by Lewis House shelter and The Open Door food shelf.
Fundraising Solutions,
who has served 70 non-
profits, often matching
their needs with generous
businesses. Giving back
boosts employee morale,
supports employees’ and
customers’ lives, and
betters the community and
the world in general. In
addition, says this Eagan business owner,
“companies do hope to have their giving
reflect well on them, that people will do
business with them because they support
community organizations or nonprofits.”
Often, Ferber notes, nonprofits come knocking,
asking for corporate support. Other times,
a business owner or manager selects a
particular cause he or she cares about.
Minnesota business has a long history of
giving back — in fact, it’s among the longest
such legacies in the nation.
Back in 1946, the Dayton Company, better
known as Dayton’s department store, was the
first business in state history — and only the
second in the nation — to establish a preset
amount (5 percent) of annual giving.
Over the years, Dayton’s shared its community
philosophy and the number of companies
making donations grew. In 1976, at the
first-annual 5% Investment Club event, 23
Minnesota companies were honored for giving
5 percent of profits back to the community.
Today, corporate giving is nearly expected in
Minnesota — no matter whether the company
is global with thousands of employees or a
sole proprietor working out of a home office.
“Companies give back for a variety of
reasons,” says Michael G. Ferber, CFRE,
continued on page 2
Michael G. Ferber
The 5% and 2% Investment
Clubs are now known as
Minnesota Keystone, which
recognizes companies
(including Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of Minnesota)
that give at least 2 percent
of pretax earnings to the
community through cash
contributions, in-kind
donations or employee
volunteerism. To learn if your
company qualifies, contact
Cheri Gengler at cgengler@
minneapolischamber.org
or 612-370-9160.
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
Community giving continued from page 1
Fourth Quarter 2014
Leif Hagen,president of Hagen Financial
Network, provides financial services and
works as an independent agent for several
Medicare-supplement plans. But he is also a
linguist, who speaks German, Swedish,
French and Japanese. That’s why this Eagan
business owner decided not only to support
the local Rotary Club’s giving efforts, but to
establish an Eagan Foundation Scholarship
for college-bound students planning to study languages.
“I thought it would be a way to pay it forward,” says Hagen,
“because I really believe in language and studying abroad.”
His first scholarship recipient is currently studying in the
Philippines. His second recipient is studying Japanese, Korean
and Vietnamese. “Most motivating to me is seeing that my
scholarship is going to help students in life — they can use
language in work or global travel.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Ferber says, are large
companies, serving up a “combo platter,” supporting multiple
efforts in numerous ways.
Blue Cross Blue Shield is one such company, serving
citizens throughout Minnesota. Its foundation focuses on
four strategies: early childhood development, community
connectedness, health equity and access to coverage. “These
[emphases] were solidified in the planning process three years
ago,” says Paula Phillippe,senior vice president of human
resources and external relations.
How can my company get more
involved in community giving?
“Look around locally to see if there’s
an opportunity for employees to be
involved in some way. Employees
can serve on a board or a commit-
tee, or they can put on an event.
There are a lot of needs out there —
there is something that you can
support. Call me. I’ll hook you up!”
How can my nonprofit find
corporate givers?
“Fundraising is about relationships.
By looking around, you can see
companies supporting nonprofits and
other charitable endeavors. There
might be a businessperson who
clearly has an interest in your non-
profit. If all you are doing is asking
for funding once a year, that’s
not much of a relationship. Share
information, share good news, share
how their money is being used.” ■
Leif Hagen
In addition, the company’s Center for Prevention — founded
with monies from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement
— offers tobacco-prevention activities, encourages physical
activity, and focuses on healthy nutrition and food. And Blue
Cross Blue Shield employees are encouraged to give at an
annual community-giving campaign, during which the company
provides a 50 percent match of employees’ gifts to nonprofits.
This fall, that added up to $1.1 million.
Each employee also receives up to 20 hours of paid time off
for volunteering. If an employee volunteers
40 hours, the company provides a grant of
$250 to the nonprofit for which he or she
volunteered.
“It’s part of our tradition here,”
says Phillippe.
When asked about how a company might
get started on year-round giving, Phillippe
offers big-picture advice. “Every company
has some natural fit in terms of its mission. Who are your cus-
tomers? Where are your communities? Where are your employ-
ees? Create natural extensions of the work you are doing. Build
it into the fiber of the organization, and leverage employees.
“In the state of Minnesota, people have such giving hearts.
If the organization can provide some structure and support,
I think they’ll
be amazed at
what comes.” ■
Looking for a nonprofit to suppor t?
Consider these eight area charities:
•Can Do Canines provides assistance dogs to people with physical disabilities.
•CaringBridge offers free websites for people in need of support during trying
times, especially health crises.
•Caponi Art Park and Learning Center provides free programs and educational
experiences in an inviting setting that blends art and nature.
•Eagan Beyond the Yellow Ribbon hosts events to support military service
members and families.
•The Open Door aims to end local hunger through access to healthy food.
•ProAct provides a wide range of client services to people with disabilities.
•Dakota Woodlands offers shelter and supportive services to homeless women
and families.
•360 Communities engages communities to prevent violence, ensure school
success and promote long-term self-sufficiency.
*For a more complete list of nonprofits, visit the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits website,
minnnesotanonprofits.org, for its nonprofit member lists.
Paula Phillippe
Q&A: Mike Ferber,
Fundraising Solutions
Skyline Exhibits is preparing to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
Launched out of the founder’s car in 1980, Skyline Exhibits
has been recognized for excellence often in recent years:
among its other notable accolades are the Outstanding
Corporate Innovator Award in 2012 from the Product
Development and Management Association and, this year, the
Minnesota Manufacturer of the Year Award from Minnesota
Business magazine.
“What truly sets Skyline Exhibits apart from other businesses
is its continued innovation in product development,” says
Vicki Stute,chamber president, citing its latest invention,
portable exhibits called WindScape. “As a leader in the
industry, they've earned more than 100 product and design
patents since 1980, and 29% of Skyline revenues can be
attributed to products that did not exist five years ago.”
Meanwhile, Bartelson was recognized for her “ability to
connect with her clients, which has led to her success in a
short period of time,” says Stute. “She understands the
importance of building her small business one client at a time
through one-on-one personal connections and utilizes the
chamber to make many of those connections.”
Other Dakota County award winners included Dakota Electric
Association (Community Leadership Award), Farmington;
Las Tortillas Mexican Restaurant (Small Business of the Year
Award), Rosemount; and 360 Communities (Nonprofit of the
Year Award), Burnsville. ■
“Our investment in people is really what matters to us long
term,” said Doug Baker,chairman of the board and CEO of
Ecolab Inc., addressing listeners gathered at the Lost Spur
Country Club in Eagan on Nov. 20. The breakfast crowd was in
attendance for the tenth-annual Dakota County Regional
Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards.
Baker’s keynote address not only detailed the success of
Ecolab — which includes several corporate sites in Eagan —
but shared practical and often humorous strategies for
businesses interested in growth. “The only impossible feat
in business is to stand still,” he said, only half-joking. “I’d
much rather deal with the growing challenges than the
shrinking challenges.”
Baker’s message was apt, considering that five business
enterprises were recognized during the event with 2014 DCR
Chamber Business Excellence Awards for their innovation,
growth and leadership.
Eagan-based winners
included Skyline
Exhibits,a leading
trade-show exhibit
manufacturer, which
received the Business Excellence Award; and Stacey
Bartelson,a financial planner and partner with Edward Jones,
who received the Woman/Minority Owned Business Award.
(See her story below.)
Back in 2008 — at the start of the recession — Stacey
Bartelson was a successful corporate executive, who had
decided to leave that behind for a financial-planning career.
“People asked me if I knew what I was doing,” says the 2014
winner of the Woman/Minority Owned Business Award (DCR
Chamber Business Excellence Awards, see above). “[But] it
was the best time to start. People wanted to talk, and people
needed help.”
Previously, Bartelson had worked in the industrial-construction
industry and didn’t see an opportunity to ascend the corporate
ladder. “It’s really neat to work in an industry now where
I’ll never hit the glass ceiling,” says this certified financial
planner (CFP).
Bartelson was actually recruited by her own Edward Jones
financial advisor, who told her that working in financial
services meant making a difference in people’s lives. “I’m
very passionate about what I do,” she says. “Ultimately, we’re
Fourth Quarter 2014J 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
Chamber honors five businesses for excellence
Eagan Business NEWS 3g EBN is printed on paper which contains a minimum of 10% post consumer fiber.
dealing with customers’ financial
lives. It takes a lot of trust and
confidence. We have to earn that
from the get-go.”
Bartelson, a member of the
Dakota County Regional Chamber
of Commerce Women’s Circle,
was surprised to learn she had
won the award. “I feel humbled,
because there are so many
great business owners in
Dakota County.”
What advice would she offer other
entrepreneurs? “I always tell business owners that you’ve got
to put in the work, and it takes time. You’ve got to take time
for yourself and your family. And you have to be passionate
about what you do. If you’re not, people see it.” ■
Woman/Minority Owned Business Award Winner
Bar telson launched financial-planning career during recession
Stacey Bartelson
Eagan
4 Eagan Business NEWS
Business News
3830 Pilot Knob Road ●Eagan, MN 55122
Editor Karin B. Miller, Working Words, Inc.
Designer Brent Kastler, Kastler Art & Design LLC
Send comments and story ideas to EBN@cityofeagan.com.
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page 1 Community giving:
a year-round effort
page 3 Chamber honors five businesses
for excellence
C page 4 Briefly: Eagan businesses in the news
T page 3 Bartelson launched financial-planning
career during recession
i n s i d e t h i s i s s u e
Briefly:Eagan businesses in the news
Standard
U.S. Postage
PAID
TWIN CITIES, MN
Permit No. 4902
•PEOPLE:Eagan-based Gopher Resource, a national
battery-recycling company, has promoted Wayne Hale to
CEO; Hale had been serving as COO since early 2014.
Mark Kutoff,former Gopher Resource CEO and company
executive for 40 years, is now chairman of the board.…
While November’s election flipped control of the Minnesota
Legislature to Republican, Eagan’s three Democrat incum-
bents were reelected. They include Representative Joe
Atkins (52B), Representative Laurie Halverson (51B) and
Representative Sandy Masin (51A). They join Senator
Jim Carlson (51) and Senator Jim Metzen (52) as Eagan’s
legislative delegation. The Senate was not up for election.
•BUSINESS:Twin Cities Business magazine recognized
Eagan-based Grazzini Brothers & Company,a tile and
terrazzo contractor, with a 2014 Minnesota Family Business
Award.…Milwaukee-based Mandel Group has acquired
Lemay Lake Apartments,a 282-unit apartment complex in
Eagan.… Ze’s Diner in Eagan plans to open a new location in
Woodbury by February.
•GOVERNMENT:Eagan entrepreneurs are invited to
access Open to Business for services and loan packages.
Interested? Meet with Laurie Crow, the program’s business
advisor, at City Hall the third Tuesday of any month,
1 to 3 p.m.; visit www.cityofeagan.com/OTB; or contact
Crow directly at crow@mccdmn.org or 952-484-3107.■