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2017-09-01 Eagan Business NewsFall brings cooler days, a new school year, and the Emmy Awards. Closer to home, Eagan has been racking up awards of its own. Two Eagan businesses, Intertech and SuperClean Brands, were listed as Best Places to Work in the Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journal (see story, page 3). Plus, Eagan has been named "Minnesota's fiscally healthiest city" by the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence. Read our cover story for all the details. I SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 Coffee Break - The Dakota County Regional I Chamber of Commerce hosts this monthly networking event. Come grab a cup of coffee 1 and meet fellow Chamber members at FastFrame,1960 Cliff Lake Road, Suite 103, in 1 Eagan, 8-9 a.m. 1 SEPTEMBER 23-24, 2017 Lone Oak Days - Enjoy this family -friendly, j two-day festival at Holz Farm (4665 Manor Drive, Eagan) that looks back at farming, Eagan's number -one business in the 1 City's early days. Admission is free, but some activities require a ticket. For more 1 information, visit cityofeagan.com/holzfarm. O; To subscribe to Eagan Business News or our online publication, E -Biz, please visit us at fitYOGe�a�ctl.(a��lt/6;3iN. Niche, which ranks cities based on U.S. Census stats and expert insights, recently named Eagan ninth in Best Suburbs for Millennials in Minnesota According to 2015 U.S. Census Data, approximately 16,000 Millennials, ages 20 to 39, live in Eagan. Eagan: Minnesota's Fiscally Healthiest City The City of Eagan has received a welcome accolade: It was just named "Minnesota's fiscally healthiest city" by the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence, a 91 -year-old nonpartisan, nonprofit based in St. Paul. Looking at a range of ten "financial health metrics" — including debt ratios, revenues, maintenance of capital assets, risk factors and pension liabilities — the MCFE examined the comprehensive annual financial reports for 2015 for each of the state's 30 largest cities to determine best -in -class performance or what it called "z -scores." Eagan's combined z -scores across all categories earned it the number -one ranking. "Governments' fiscal health and security depend heavily on understanding the risks they face and managing them appropriately," says the article in Fiscal Focus, the MCFE's bimonthly newsletter. Two other Dakota County cities, Apple Valley and Inver Grove Heights, also finished in the top ten. Healthiest City CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 I City of Eagan 3830 Pilot Knob Road Eagan, Minnesota 55122 THIRD QUART ER 2017 BRIEFLY Vicki Stute, president of the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce, will begin a new position as vice president of programs and business services for the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. During her four-year tenure at the Dakota Chamber, membership grew to 500 -plus members, a 20 percent jump. Additionally, Stute oversaw a 50 percent increase in chamber revenue. The Dakota County Board is searching for a new chamber president with the help of Dowell Management, which plans to find a new leader this fall. ®PEOPLE: Eric Daniels has been named senior vice president of carrier sales for Select4ccount, which administers health-care spending accounts. + Formerly of Virginia Premier Health Plan, Kurt Small is now serving as senior vice president and president of government markets at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. BUSINESS: Anchor Bank, which has 18 Minnesota branches, including one office in Eagan, has been sold to Evansville, Ind. -based Old National Bank for $303 million. Eagan -based CaringBridge, the global social networking site, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. 43 Eagan's Market Fest, which runs Wednesdays through September 27, accepts SNAP/EBT food assistance benefits for such items as fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, dairy items, jams, baked goods and more. According to Yelp's highest-rated Briefly CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE Healthiest City CONTINUED FROM COVER According to the MCFE, formerly known as the MN Taxpayers Association, the organization is dedicated to sound tax policy, efficient spending, and accountable and transparent government spending with measurable outcomes. For the full results, visit cityofeagan.com/finance. EBN "FOR YEARS NOW, EAGAN HAS BEEN IN THE TOP ONE PERCENT OF CITIES NATIONWIDE WITH ITS TRIPLE -A BOND RATINGS. THIS COMPREHENSIVE INDEPENDENTANALYSIS IS FURTHER CONFIRMATION OF THE FISCAL PRUDENCE AND RESPONSIBILITY SHOWN BY THE CITY COUNCIL AND OUR STAFF. LOCAL BUSINESSES AND TAXPAYERS CAN TRUST THAT EAGANS FINANCES - AND THEIR TAX DOLLARS- ARE BEING WELL MANAGED." - MAYOR MIKE MAGUIRE Top Ten Fiscally Wealthiest Cities RANK CITY Z -Score 1 Eagan 7.21 2 Brooklyn Park 6.73 3 Minnetonka 552 4 Blaine 4.45 5 Rochester 4.35 6 Brooklyn Center 4.21 7 Apple Valley 4.18 8 Cottage Grove 3.98 9 Andover 2,86 10 Inver Grove Heights 2.61 Weigh in on Eagan's 2040 Comprehensive Plan There's still time to offer your input for the City's 2040 Comprehensive Plan— find out how you can add your insights to the future land -use plans for Eagan. Your business may also be interested in community market trends, including more multifamily housing options, which could affect your business planning over the next 10 or 20 years. L '4" Jj amsissst i law' ti To share your insights, visit cityofeagan.com/2040plan. 2 T EA GANBUSINESSNEWS I THIRD QUARTER 2017 citvofeagan.com Eagan companies named Best Places to Work Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal has released its 2017 list of Best Places to Work, and, once again, it includes Eagan companies. SuperClean Brands (1380 Corporate Center Curve) manufactures heavy-duty car -cleaning products, while Intertech (1575 Center Drive) designs and develops software solutions. Bryan Badzin, president of four -time winner SuperClean Brands, credits several factors for its success with employees, including offering a competitive package of compensation and benefits. "We've created a work place that supports a highly motivated work ethic, personal health and well-being, combined with organic opportunities for team building," Badzin says. "We also ensure that our team has clarity on what's expected of them and the tools to get it done, while always making time to have fun." Meanwhile, Intertech, has won this distinction more than a dozen times. "We're selective in whom we hire," says CEO Tom Salonek. "We focus on getting great work, and we go to great lengths to integrate our values into the fabric of the firm—from how we hire to how we recognize day-in/day-out performance." Intertech's 80 employees enjoy such benefits as flexible hours, performance bonuses, overtime, profit sharing and even three-month employee sabbaticals for every seven years worked at the company. Best Places to Work winners are selecrea Dasea on anonymous input from nominated companies' employees, who are surveyed by research company Quantum Workplace. Employees rate their employers on communication, leadership and more. Companies with the highest survey scores are then ranked in four categories: extra small, small, medium and large. SuperClean Brands is among the extra -small companies, and Intertech is a medium-sized company. &N � Briefly cOATIN( FU FROM PRF.VIOVS l'.aGIs reviews in August, top ratings go to these five Eagan restaurants: Farmer's Grandson Eatery, Doolittles Woodfire Grill, Piada Italian Street Food, Volstead House Whiskey Bal and Speakeasy and ZZQ Smokehouse, •: The Gaming Goat—a retailer (1095 Diffley Road) specializing in card games, board games and role-playing games—opened in July. + Eagan -based Skyline Medical plans to merge with biotech firm CytoBioscience, based in San Antonio, Tex., by September 30. According to the company's website, Skyline Medical employees will continue to work in Eagan. s Eagan -based UltraLox has expanded into a new state-of-the-art, 20,000 -square -foot facility (2955 Lone Oak Drive, Suite 180), thanks to growing demand for its Ultra Lox Interlocking Machine, which fabricates aluminum, powder - coated railing and fence systems. ©GOVERNMENT: The City of Eagan has sold its fire administration building (3795 Pilot Knob Road) for $500,000 to Art Works Eagan, an organization created by local residents and led by Jern Neddermeyer. The team plans to use the building for a fine art (Jrt f i � 0 gallery, artist studios, a performance space and more. d• Eagan entrepreneurs and current business owners are invited to access Open to Business for services and loan packages. Visit City Hall Tuesday, September 19, 1-3 p.m., or the third Tuesday of any month; visit cityofeagan.com/OTB; or contact Laurie Crow at crow@mccdmn.org. + Way to Work, a Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation Services program — in partnership with Eagan -based ProAct, plus county and state human service agencies — received a 2017 Minnesota State Government Innovation Award for finding employment for individuals with disabilities. ERN cilyofeagan.com EAGAN BUSINESS NEWS I THIRD QUARTER 2017 3 Ab� City of Capp 3830 Pilot Knob Road Eagan, Minnesota 55122 EAGAN B USINESS NEWS pl Eagan: Minnesota's Fiscally Healthiest City P3 Eagan companies named Best Places to Work P4 Eagan businesses: Check out your all -in -one stop Editor r)('qrl & I : wl, Karin B. Miller O Cory Laux Working Words, Inc. Overdog Art STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAI D TWIN CITIES, MN PERMIT NO. 4902 Eagan businesses: Check out your all -in -one stop Earlier this year, the City of Eagan introduced a newly transformed website, cityofeagan.com. There, you'll find a virtual one-stop shop for all things business, including: Eagan at a Glance Gain an overview of Eagan, including demographics and statistics on city staff, public safety, major employers and more. Business Development Access a listing of businesses headquartered here plus a list of compelling reasons businesses locate in the City. Business Licensing Find the information you need, including online building permits, city clerk licenses, public works permits and petitions, zoning permits and more. Business News Discover past issues of Eagan Business News and E -Biz, two quarterly business publications that cover local business news, development stories, human resources trends, company profiles, business-related legislation and more. F r Business .. Business Resources Learn about direct financial assistance tools for businesses plus other ways the City assists businesses, including site selection and streamlined permitting. City Contacts for Business Find City staff member names, titles, email addresses and phone numbers; plus you'll find contacts for advisory commissions, building inspections, building maintenance, city clerk office, city council, code enforcement, engineering and much more. Simply visit cityofeagan.com and click on About Eagan. Then scroll down and click on For Business. Is there other information your business is looking for? The City wants to know. Email webmaster@cityofeagan.com. EaN 4 EAGAN BUSINESS NEIVS I THIRD QUARTER 2017 www.cityofeagan.corn