2014-07-01 E-BizJuly 2014
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THE ONLINE JOURNAL OF EAGAN BUSINESS NEWS
Eagan welcomes DataBank
Design plans for new data center and
carrier hotel are underway.
The City of Eagan's four-year effort to secure a colocation
data center has culminated in the announcement by
DataBank to locate a state-of-the-art, multitenant colocation
data center and carrier hotel (3255 Neil Armstrong
Boulevard) in Eagan.
"The City of Eagan presented the perfect location for
DataBank to expand in the Twin Cities," says Tim Moore,
CEO of DataBank. "We intend to deliver the flagship,
multitenant data center in this region, and between the
robust AccessEagan network and the support of their
forwarding -thinking city leadership, these guys just get it and
made our choice simple."
Says Eagan Mayor Mike Maguire: "It's a culmination of
a strategic plan and vision that this council has had on its
agenda for the last couple years — to attract a colocation
facility and to provide Internet and broadband alternatives in
the metro region."
Celebrating the approval of the DataBank colocation data center
and carrier hotel are (front row, from left) Jon Hohenstein, community
development director, Eagan; Kevin S. Ooley, CFO, DataBank; Tim
Moore, CEO, DataBank; (second row) Tom Lambrecht, manager of
economic development services, Great River Energy; Rebecca Kurtz,
senior financial advisor, Ehlers, Inc.; (back row) Brett Severson,
senior associate — Data Center Solutions, Jones, Lang, LaSalle;
Mark W. Lofthus, economic development director, Dakota Electric
Association; and Gregg Fuerstenberg, Esq., CPA — senior analyst,
Jones, Lang LaSalle. Not pictured are representatives from
GreaterMSP and DEED.
Editor's note:
Welcome to E -Biz, The Online Journal of Eagan Business
News. Eight times a year, Eagan Business News and E -Biz
(four issues each) publish timely business features, news
and information relevant to local businesses and business
leaders. Have a great business
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FINAL VERSION 2014
Maguire noted City leaders' excitement to work with DataBank,
to leverage the City's investment in AccessEagan, to attract
other technology businesses, and "to bring broadband to our
businesses and, hopefully, eventually to our residents
as well."
AccessEagan (www.accesseagan.com) is a
17 -mile wholesale fiber-optic network completed by the
City of Eagan in 2012. Current AccessEagan tier -one
providers include Arvig, Frontier Communications,
Velocity and, the newest provider as of June,
Granite Telecommunications.
Traffic plan helps ensure
green light for mall visitors
Each year at State Fair time, many of us avoid the area —
just to avoid the traffic. But there's little need for concern
regarding traffic during the Grand Opening Celebration of
Twin Cities Premium Outlets in Cedar Grove, August 14-16.
"Concerns aren't as significant as a lot of folks originally
thought," says Russ Matthys, public works director. "We
may have some traffic challenges during the grand opening,
but we're going to make it work. It's going to be successful."
First of all, he says, the mall won't open until 10 a.m., after
rush hour. Second, traffic generated by an outlet center is
spread out during the day, with a slight early afternoon peak,
ending well before the typical evening rush hour.
continued on page 2
Traffic plan continued from page 1
More importantly, Matthys points out that three traffic
studies, conducted during the last 15 years, show traffic
accommodations are adequate for the entire Cedar Grove
Redevelopment Area. The latest study, completed this spring,
suggested $35,000 of minor improvements, which are being
completed:
• Signal changes at Diffley and Nicols, plus Highway 13
and Silver Bell Road, extend the time for left turns.
• Flashing yellow arrows have been added at Silver Bell
Road and Cedar Grove Parkway.
• Other time -saving, signal -operation enhancements and
intersection coordination efforts have been added for
drivers at both main access points to the area.
• Finally, sidewalk and crosswalk improvements are being
added near the Cedar Grove Transit Station.
While Paragon Outlets has served as the mall developer,
Simon Property Group will actually operate the mall. "Simon
is the largest outlet mall operator in the world, and our
contacts there say they've never worked with a city that's been
as involved and prepared as the City of Eagan," Matthys says.
That gives him peace of mind. However, he and many other
staff members, including traffic -control officers, plan to be in
the Cedar Grove neighborhood throughout the grand -opening
weekend, ensuring that the traffic flows smoothly.
In addition, during grand -opening weekend, mall employees
will use shuttles to get to work, eliminating from 600 to
1,000 cars daily from parking lots; attendants will provide
directions to parking spaces; and police officers will provide
traffic assistance, as needed. Plus, two temporary surface
lots flanking the City's new parking ramp will provide an
additional 600 spaces, making 2,900 parking spaces
available each day over the grand -opening weekend. As long
as shoppers can find parking spaces, traffic shouldn't be
a problem.
That said, if you work in the general area, you may wish to
consider an alternate route home during the first couple
days, especially if you live south of the mall. Plus, if you have
business suppliers, you may want to suggest that deliveries
be made earlier in the week or the following week.
Want to shop the mall? Here's how to get there
If you want to shop, Twin Cities Premium Outlets will
be the place to go, beginning August 14. During the
grand -opening weekend, visitors will be directed to
the mall via Highway 13 and Silver Bell Road, or via
Highway 77 to Diffley Road to Nicols Road. To avoid
any potential parking issues, hop a MVTA bus:
www.mvta.com/bus_route_information_2.html. Find
more mall information at www.Eaganoutletmall.com,
plus area route and parking information at
www.cityofeagan.com/AbouttheRoute.
Briefly
PEOPLE: Dr. Annalisa Jenkins, MBBS, MRCP, former exec-
utive vice president and head of global research and develop-
ment for Merck, has joined Biothera's board of directors....
Eagan city administrator Dave Osberg was elected president
for 2014-2015 of the nonprofit League of Minnesota Cities, a
membership organization dedicated to promoting excellence
in local government;
he previously served
as vice president.
BUSINESS: The
National Terrazzo &
Mosaic Association
recognizes the most
intricate and creative
terrazzo installations
at its annual conven-
tion. In May, Eagan's
Grazzini Brothers &
Company was awarded The Grazzini Brothers & Company
an NTMA Honor Award won an NTMA Honor Award for this
for its interior work at the 27,000 -square -foot epoxy terrazzo
Minneapolis r w Paul floor at the Minneapolis – St. Paul
International Airport, the floor
International Airport.... features artist Scott Parson's
The Eagan City Council abstract "Starwheel" design,
has granted approval representing the Minnesota land -
to St. Paul developer scape within a migration theme.
Interstate Partners to
convert the former Blue Cross Blue Shield's vacant 10 -story
building in Eagan (1200 Yankee Doodle Road) into a 112 -unit
apartment building called CityVue Commons. Phase I will
include a 10,000 -square -foot multitenant retail building. A
second project phase will include a new, 90 -unit apartment
building and another 18,000 square feet of retail space....
The Lone Oak Market — a 24-hour, full -menu restaurant
and espresso bar — has opened inside the Shell Gas Station
at 1286 Lone Oak Road.... The Minnesota Independent
Cooperative, a national pharmaceutical wholesaler based
in Eagan, has introduced a new website (www. mi coop.com),
featuring a wide range of regular and high -utilization drugs,
along with photos and detailed information for their independent
pharmacy customers.... Style Encore, a women's clothing
resale store, opened in Eagan in May; it's the first Minnesota
location by the Winmark Corporation.... TransForce, a North
American transportation and logistics company, plans to
acquire Transport America, an Eagan -based provider of
truckload carriage and logistics services.
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.
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.