2014-06-01 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
Second Quarter 2014 Vol. 13 No. 2
Business News
Now that the Minnesota
Legislature has wrapped
up its business, businesses
are getting a chance to
consider the Legislature’s
decisions. Below is an
overview of pertinent
changes for businesses,
business leaders and their
employees — in Eagan
and beyond.
•In its first increase
since 2005, the mini-
mum wage jumped
to $9.50,plus
indexing, phased in
over three years. For
details and a couple of
Eagan perspectives, visit
www.cityofeagan.com/EBN for a story in the
May issue of E-Biz.
•The 6.875% sales tax on warehouse
services, passed in 2013, was repealed,
thanks to a joint effort by business leaders
and elected officials — many of them in
Eagan. For a more extensive story, visit
www.cityofeagan.com/EBN.
•The Women’s Economic Security Act
passed:This comprehensive legislation
extends unpaid pregnancy and parenting
leave from six to 12 weeks, grants sick
leave to care for ill grandchildren, requires
a private space for nursing mothers to
express milk at work, forbids employers
from passing over women with children
for promotions, and requires companies
with more than 40 employees and
$500,000+ in state contracts to pay
men and women the same wages for
similar work.
•Legislation passed allowing a limited
use of medical marijuana (in pill and
liquid forms); the new law enables two
continued on page 2
Your annual legislative roundup
Here’s the business news you need to know.
Eagan
inside this issue
(page 1
Your annual
legislative roundup
C
o
6
page 3
The need for speed
page 4
Briefly:
Eagan businesses
in the news
page 2
New mall: preparing
for smooth
traffic, easy parking
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To subscribe to Eagan Business News or E-Biz,our online publication, visit www.cityofeagan.com/EBN. Copyright Minnesota House of Representatives. Photo by Paul Battaglia.Copyright Minnesota House of Representatives. Photo by Paul Battaglia.
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
Legislative roundup
continued from page 1
Second Quarter 2014
manufacturers, yet to be determined, to produce
medical marijuana.
•Despite the “No Sprinkler Mandate” campaign
supported by such business groups as the Builders
Association of the Twin Cities, Builders Association of
Minnesota and the Minnesota Association of Realtors,
fire sprinkler systems will be required for new,
larger houses beginning in 2015 by the Department
of Labor and Industry.
•The Toxic Free Kids Act did not pass.It would
have required manufacturers to report whether
products marketed in Minnesota contained potentially
dangerous chemicals.
•A new railroad and pipeline safety account,
funded by annual assessments of rail and pipeline
companies, will pay for pollution-control preparedness
plans, training of emergency personnel and more.
The City of Eagan is pulling out all the stops to prepare for a
smooth opening of Twin Cities Premium Outlets on August 14.
To ensure your business and its employees don’t experience
traffic hassles that week, we invite you to subscribe to E-Biz.
In the July issue, you’ll learn not only about the grand opening
of this upscale outlet mall but about alternate routes to avoid
busy traffic. Plus, if you want to shop this new
destination mall, we’ll give you the lowdown on
MVTA and Red Line buses that will bring you to
all the action. Subscribe to E-Biz today at
www.cityofeagan.com/subscribe. ■
New mall: preparing for
smooth traffic, easy parking
•Pet breeders will now be required to get licenses.
•Sunday liquor sales will still not be allowed. ■
instead of letting a provider’s salespeople do that. In short,
you’re future proofing your business.”
In addition, if you’re considering building or renovating a
business, Garrison suggests adding high-capacity fiber at the
outset, including it in building costs. “Doing so offers a great
ROI in the long run.”
While a business owner could purchase its fiber from any
network, AccessEagan makes the process easier. As an Eagan
business owner, you can get a minimum of three competitive
bids. Current AccessEagan providers include Frontier
Communications, Arvig and Velocity. You can choose your
speed and services from 10 mbps to 1 gbps — or more.
For more information, visit accesseagan.com, send an email
to info@accesseagan.com, or call 651-675-5150. ■
How fast do your business downloads and uploads need to be?
If your business often sends photos, videos, plans or other
large files, you likely need high speed, high-capacity fiber.
Today your business might only have 5 megabits per second.
But you likely need more.
“Businesses often focus on the lowest price and then,
unfortunately, receive the slowest connection,” says
Tom Garrison,communications director for the City of Eagan.
“Most businesses require something that can expand as their
need for bandwidth grows.”
AccessEagan is a 17-mile, wholesale open-access fiber
network that launched last year, and it is determined to offer
local businesses more choices that could save them money.
The problem
When a business adds high-capacity fiber, the cost for that
final connection to its building can range from $3,000 to
$5,000 — or more. Internet providers may pay that cost if
a business owner signs a multiyear contract. Later, if the
business owner wants to change providers at the end of a
contract, he or she must find a new provider — and make a
new physical connection to the building.
Second 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
The need for speed
Owning your business internet connection
makes long-term, monetary sense.
Eagan Business NEWS 3g EBN is printed on paper which contains a minimum of 10% post consumer fiber.
Special Offer
For a limited time, the City of Eagan will pay connection
costs for the next 10 businesses (along the route) to
connect to AccessEagan.
This special offer is contingent upon a three-year
service agreement with an AccessEagan provider for a
50/50 mbps or higher circuit. Some conditions apply.
To see if you are eligible for this offer or to discuss
your network needs, call 651-675-5150. ■
“Most businesses require something that can
expand as their need for bandwidth grows.”
— Tom Garrison, Eagan’s communications director
The solution
A business that chooses to own its high-capacity fiber
connection gains an advantage — and removes itself from
this potentially circular situation.
“Owning your connection lets you think about your business
holistically,” Garrison says. “You can request competitive bids.
You can easily switch providers after your contract expires
without a costly new connection. You can drive the decisions
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.
(
6
page 1 Your legislative roundup
page 2 New mall: preparing for smooth
traffic, easy parking
C page 4 Briefly: Eagan businesses in the news
o page 3 The need for speed
inside this issue
• PEOPLE:David R. Cantu has been appointed to vice president of
sales, marketing and public relations for SelectAccount,a
Minnesota-licensed insurance company.
• BUSINESS:Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is
supporting nearly 30 Play Streets and Open Streets events with
financial and technical assistance in 10 communities this summer.
The events temporarily close vehicle traffic so that people can “walk,
bike, play and connect with neighbors.” … California-based Clearlake
Capital Group plans to acquire Eagan-based ConvergeOne,a
communications and managed services provider. … The City Council
gave Morrissey Hospitality its final approval for the company’s
$14 million hotel plan in mid April. Morrissey plans to open a Home2
Suites by Hilton in 2015 in the Cedar Grove Redevelopment Area.
• GOVERNMENT:Regarding transportation in the Cedar Grove area,
Dakota County and the Metropolitan Council have approved a
plan to build a center platform station for the Red Line service.The
platform will connect to a pedestrian walkway to the current station
and Park & Ride on Nicols Road. Plans call for the project design to
be completed this year, followed by construction in 2015 and a
grand opening in 2016. … 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. ■
Briefly:Eagan businesses in the news
Have you had success with your internship
program? What works, and what doesn’t?
Do you have tips to share regarding
building a successful internship program?
If so, we’d like to incorporate them in a
future feature for Eagan Business News.
Send us an email at EBN@Cityofeagan.com.
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