Minnesota Business Mag 5/12

» The ROI of a
MINNESOTA BUSINESS

Single Donation p. 18
MAY 2012

INFORMATION & INSIGHT FOR GROWING COMPANIES MAY 2012

Giving Back
A look into the contributions & partnerships of Minnesota Organizations

Rock Your
Block
Steven Ladin,
CoFounder Sharing and Tasks
Page 22 Caring Hands Unlimited
Mary Jo Copeland Karen Johnston,
Page 34 Executive Director
Page 44

APRIL 2011
minnesotabusiness.com


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AND CARING HANDS

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Contents
Minnesota Business Magazine Volume 22 Number 02 May 2012

DEPARTMENTS FEATURE
INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY
16 300 patents, one man.
34 SECTION

GIVING BACK
BY MAURA KELLER A look into the contributions
& partnerships of Minnesota
IN THE BLACK Organizations
18 The ROI Of A Single Donation
BY KRIS VRUNO HUSON
34 Editor's Statement
20 Heartland Investigative Group
BY JOHN P. PALEN
36 Hands-On Difference
22 Steven Ladin Rocks The Block BY DAN EMERSON
BY STEVEN LADIN
39 Give MN Infographic
24 Finnegans Raises the Bar
BY DANA SEVERSON 40 Inspiring Others
BY MAURA KELLER
TECH
26 Technology & Happy Hour 43 Haiti Outreach
BY KEEGAN SHOUTZ BY NICOLE HARRISON

CAPTIAL MARKET 44 Tasks Unlimited
28 New Laws Signed BY RACHEL HICKOK
BY NATHAN NELSON

MARKETING
30 Campaign for Clarity
BY KIM OPITZ

30 Authentic Giving
BY STEVE WEHRENBERG 20
32 Crisis Communications
BY PAUL MACCABEE

IN EVERY
ISSUE
INSIDE 4
EDITOR’S NOTE 6
OPENERS 9
PEOPLE 14
SEEN 46
SMBMSP #44
OLSON Marketing Event
CLOSERS 48 22

Inside KEY PEOPLE & COMPANIES
IN THIS EDITION

COMPANIES PEOPLE
3M p.42 RBC Wealth Management p.36 Angelica King p.42 Patrick Doyle p.32
Allianz Life Insurance p.37 Read Indeed p.40 Ann Bancroft p.13 Paul Jaeb p.20
Augsburg College p.24 Rock your Block p.22 Caryn Evans p.22 Rachel Hickok p.44
Bridge Works p.38 Second Harvest Heartland p.37 Diane Lilly p.12 Ray Mithun p.30
Campbell Mithun p.30 Securian Financial Group p.10 Dr. Mark Kroll p.16 Sarah Young p.22
Cargill p.42 Sharing & Caring Hands p.35 Dr. Rebecca Thomley p.43 Shannon Toren p.37
Children's Cancer Research Fund St. Jude Medical p.16 Jacquie Berglund p.24 Steven Ladin p.22
p.18
Starkey Hearing Technologies p.43 Jenni Morine p. 36 Sue Moyer p.36
Domino's p. 32
Target p.42 Joan Mondale p.12 Walter White p.38
Ecolab p.36
Tasks Unlimited p.44 John Campbell p.36 Wayne Dyer p.34
Finnegan's p.24
The McKnight Foundation p. 12 John Hibscher p.22
Frank p.10
The National Association of Karen Johnston p.44
General Mills p.42 Broadcasters p.48
Katie Hageboeck p.18
Give MN p.39 United Way p.30
Lindsay Whalen p.12
Heartland Investigative Group p.20 University of Minnesota p.18
Maria Keller p.40
Hollstadt & Associates p.37 Weber Shandwick p.48
Mary Jo Copeland p.35
Kieran's Irish Pub p. 24 Wells Fargo Foundation of
Minnesota p. 44 Melisa Franzen p.12
Land O' Lakes p.36
Wells Fargo p.36 Mike Patterson p.36
Lola Red Public Relations p.26
Women Venture p.48 Pamela Alexander p.12
Marco p.12

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4 MINNESOTA BUSINESS May 2012

June 4th, The Depot
Minneapolis FOR MORE
2012 Renaissance FEATURING
INFORMATION AND
TO REGISTER GO TO
5:30–8:30 PM Hotel DON SHELBY minnesotabusiness.com

Join us for Minnesota Business Magazine’s inaugural Best Companies to Work For 2012,
honoring Minnesota companies that are setting the standard for leadership, strong beneits, best work
environment, innovative training programs, happiest employees and more. The awards recognize local
companies that make an impact on Minnesota business through their employees.

PRESENTED BY: SPONSORED BY:

editor’sNOTE

“An individual has not started living until
he can rise above the narrow conﬁnes
of his individualistic concerns to the
broader concerns of all humanity.”
>> MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, I spent the afternoon at Sharing and Minnesota Business Magazine, isn't just about business; this
Caring Hands in Minneapolis, watching Mary Jo Copeland combat is an intrinsic truth I knew weeks ago when I entered the role
pain with love and dispair with hope. Mary Jo sat not behind her of Editor-in-Chief. As our publication moves into a new chapter,
desk, but instead walked around all the buildings, touching each you'll notice a continued commitment to excellence, a stable vi-
person she came into contact with. The ultimate leader, I found my- sion, proven strategy and a willingness to evolve into the future of
self forever changed by her optimism and dedication to serve those shedding light on the stories our community have to ofer. In this
that others had marginalized. It reminded me of my days teaching issue, we chose to feature non-proits that were often sidelined
at the State of Minnesota Workforce Centers, seeing my coworkers or forgotten and the businesses that helped make their mission
cultivate plans and awareness for the clients they served. possible. I hope that you'll see the care we took in selecting each
You see, there's something about human touch and the tan- partnership, showcasing powerful messages and proving bottom-
gible that begs to be noticed in a world of the busy and electronic. line results that make giving back so important. Our success as
With multi-tasking and overlapped layers that contain the mo- human beings and executives comes down to one, simple truth:
ments of our day, I often wonder what has happened to the emo- Everyone has something to give.
tions in-between. We are simply not machines. Our businesses
and passions are more than we give them credit for. In forming
strategic partnerships with the organizations we care about, we
become larger than a bottom-line igure or a "brand" perception.
We become, real.

Kate Madonna Hindes
Editor In Chief
Minnesota Business Magazine
kate.hindes@tigeroak.com

minnesotabusiness.com @MnBizMag facebook.com/MnBizMag


now offering you another way to be green with our

PUBLISHER
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Stefani Pennaz
Marcel Gyswyt digital
edition
EDITORIAL
E D I T O R I N C H I E F Kate-Madonna Hindes
S T A F F W R I T E R Maura Keller
C O P Y E D I T O R Jo Nelson

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
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Dana Severson Minnesota Business Magazine is digital.
Go to minnesotabusiness.com for details.
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ART
ART DIRECTOR Dana Oelfke
LEAD STAFF P H O T O G R A P H E R Tate Carlson

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Emily J. Davis
PHOTOGRAPHY INTERN Lauren Carpenter, Derek Lundmark

PRODUCTION
PROJECT DIRECTOR Dianne Talmage
P R O J E C T C O O R D I N A T O R Rachel Gernander
G R A P H I C D E S I G N E R Emily Bretzel

CIRCULATION
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Jeremy Wieland
N E W S S T A N D M A N A G E R Kelley Wood
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
Valerie Asante
FULFILLMENT MANAGER
Kasey Taube
REPRINT SPECIALIST
Anne DeWolfe

ADMINISTRATION
CREDIT MANAGER April McCauley
ACCOUNTANT Pat Schossow

MARKETING & PROMOTIONS
EVENTS & PROMOTIONS MANAGER Amanda Peterson
E V E N T S C O O R D I N A T O R Dahlia Brue

WEB
WEB DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Sandy Powell

Tiger Oak Media
One Tiger Oak Plaza
900 South Third Street
Minneapolis, MN 55415
If growth is in the game plan for your business, count us in. Whether you’re
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© Copyright 2011 Tiger Oak Media. All rights reserved.
The opinions of columnists are their own.

Minnesota Business Magazine (ISSN 15396452) is published monthly by COUNT US IN.
Tiger Oak Publications, 900 S. Third St., Minneapolis, MN 55415. Phone:
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Member FDIC. © 2012 Bremer Financial Corporation. All rights reserved.

May 2012 minnesotabusiness.com 7

Openers
May 2012 Trends, News, Events and Ideas Impacting Minnesota Companies

* BY THE NUMBERS *

54%
According to American Express Open, women-owned
businesses have increased over 54% in Minnesota since 1997.

State wide
attributing to roughly

141,900
Estimated number of
$20
BILLION
women-owned ﬁrms in
Minnesota

WOMEN-OWNED
BUSINESSES

95,700
in Minneapolis/St. Paul
$15
BILLION

146,100
Total number the ﬁrms
111,300
employ in Minnesota


Openers

+ MINNESOTA
BUSINESS
ANNOUNCES
BEST 100
COMPANIES
The 100 Best Companies to Work
For competition salutes Minnesota
organizations that are setting the
standard for leadership, benefits,

Upgraded
best work environment, innovative
training programs and employee
happiness. In it’s inaugural year, the
awards recognize small, mid-sized
and large businesses that continue to

Credit:
make an impact and set the standard
of excellence for others to follow.

Beginning on February 15, 2012,
independent research group, Gilmore

A Sign Of Prosperity? Research, gathered information
from employee satisfaction surveys
over phone and mail. Over 5769
individuals responded on behalf
of hundreds of companies. Join us
in celebrating the Best 100 during
seCuRIaN fINaNCIaL gRouP, (SFG) announces that two of its subsidiaries serving the inancial our inagrural event being held at
the Depot Rennaisance Hotel in
institution market were upgraded by A. M. Best. Securian Casualty Company (SCC), SFG’s primary prop- Minneapolis on June 4, 2012 from
erty and casualty underwriting company, was upgraded to A (Excellent, third highest of 16 ratings). In its 5:30-8:30 p.m. To register, visit
upgrade announcement, A.M. Best cited SCC’s role “as a more integral part of Securian as it has enabled the http://bit.ly/RegisterBest100 and
reserve a table or sponsorship.
parent to deliver a broad range of credit insurance product oferings and services to the inancial institution Winners will be showcased during
market nationwide.” In addition, Securian’s recently acquired life and health company, Southern Pioneer Life the evening presentation with guest
Insurance, was upgraded by Best’s to A- and Best’s airmed the A- ratings of American Modern Life, Balboa M.C., Don Shelby.
Life Insurance Company, Balboa Life Insurance Company of New York, Cherokee National Life and CNL/
For more information, please call
Insurance America. Best’s A- rating is Excellent, fourth highest of 16 ratings.
Stefani Pennanz at: 612-548-3210.

Frank named, company ever to make the WorldBlu List of Most
Democratic Workplaces™. WorldBlu, a company
“Most Democratic specializing in organizational democracy, today
announced it has certiied 48 organizations as
Workplace.” part of the sixth annual WorldBlu List of Most
Democratic Workplaces 2012, published annually
on “Democracy in the Workplace Day.” Frank joins
other well-known organizations certiied on the
MINNeaPoLIs CHaNge communications WorldBlu list including Zappos.com, DaVita, Great
agency, frank (areyoufrank.com) is proud to Harvest Bread Company, New Belgium Brewery
announce it has been named the irst Minnesota and WD-40.


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Openers

GiRl ScoutS
State of
Unemployment honoR 100
of Minnesota’s most influential women

171
out of

337
according to the agC
of america, construction
employment increased
in 171 out of 337
metropolitan areas
between february 2011
and february 2012.

ASSOCIATION OFFICIALS said
employment was increasing in many
metro areas thanks in large part to growing
private sector demand for construction.
“It is encouraging that the number of
metro areas experiencing construction
job gains outpaced the number of areas
with losses,” said Ken Simonson, the asso- AS PART Of ThE yEARLONG 2012 celebra- the award categories include:
ciation’s chief economist. “The increases tion of the girl Scouts Centennial, girl Scouts Trailblazer, Guide, forever Green, Community
would be even more widespread if not of Minnesota and Wisconsin river Valleys will Champion, Women of Promise and honorable
for public sector budget woes and a shaky honor 100 girl Scout alumnae and community MENtions.
homebuilding market.” members who exemplify the culture, values,
Association oicials noted that private diversity and spirit of the girl Scout Move- Centennial gala honorees include Joan
sector construction spending shot up by ment during a special gala event. nominated Mondale, ann Bancroft, diane lilly, pamela
10 percent in the past year even as public by friends, family, coworkers and community alexander, Melisa franzen and lindsay Whalen.
sector investments in construction activity members, each of the Centennial award
have dropped by 1 percent. honorees live their lives in accordance to core for a description of each category and a
girl Scout values. complete list of honorees, visit GSRV100.org.
p h oto Co U r t e Sy o f t h e g i r l S Co U t S

* By the nUMBerS *

$10 Million $2.1 Million
Marco announced today that it distributed annual shareholders’ meeting where
the McKnight foundation has
$2.1 million in stock beneits for iscal they learned about Marco’s 17.2% stock
approved over $10 million grants in the
2011 to eligible employees. their 421 appreciation and received a certiicate
irst quarter of 2012.
employees celebrated last week at their identifying their ownership stake.


Green Cleaning
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award-winning, economical janitorial, grounds maintenance
and mailroom services to local businesses—employing people
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visit www.tasksunlimited.org.

People BUSINESS
PEOPLE
IN THE
NEWS

CAREER MOVES »

BRIAN DUNN
OPUS GROUP hIGhLAND BANK
The Opus Group named Highland Bank,
Richard figueroa to the announced that Jay
newly created position of hammond has been
Director of Capital Markets. named President of the
In this role, Richard will focus organization and member of
on identifying diverse sources and types its Board of Directors. Hammond will be
of capital available to Opus to fund new responsible for implementing strategic
development projects. As the commer- initiatives outlined by the senior
In April, Brian Dunn, cial real estate market continues to show management team and the Board of
signs of recovery, Opus has an active Directors; growing the organization and
Best Buy's CEO abruptly
portfolio of projects under construction building value by motivating, managing
resigned and Mike Mikan was that includes five corporate campuses, and leading staff through example and
named interim CEO. student housing and other multifamily participation. He joins the bank with
projects across the country. nearly 30 years of community
banking experience.
"I have enjoyed
every one of my 28
years with this
company, and I PCG AGENCIES LILJA

leave it today in Jeff Sibell has joined
PCG Agencies as the
Lilja recently hired
Linda Tedford as vice
position for a Vice President of president. Linda comes to
strong future. I am Finance. Jeff has many
years of experience in the
us from major and planned
gift fundraising at Fairview
proud of my fellow insurance, financial services, and Foundation. At Lilja, she will oversee
legal areas and brings extensive IT business development and the growth
employees and I skills as well. We are excited to of Lilja LifeStories, which helps individu-
wish them the welcome Jeff to the agency. als and businesses record and share
their stories.
best."
—BRIAN DUNN

MOSS & BARNETT
fLM Moss & Barnett, A
Farmer, Lumpe + Professional Association,
McClelland (FLM) is pleased to congratulate
fOCUS fINANCIAL promoted Michele Johnson Thomas A. Keller III who was
to Vice President and a member named a Director Emeritus by
Focus Financial congratulates one
of its own: Financial Advisor, Darin P. of the fast growing company’s leadership Children’s HeartLink for his 26 years of
Glanzer, has acquired the designa- team. Johnson joined FLM in the fall of service on Children’s HeartLink’s board,
tion for Certified Financial Planner™ 2011 as Director of Business Analytics including serving as a past board chair.
after months of studying and testing. working out of the FLM Minneapolis Keller is still a very active supporter of
Darin offices out of the Roseville, MN office. “We are honored to have Michele the organization. Keller is a member of
headquarters and Brandon, SD office. on our team. Her business savvy, unique Moss & Barnett’s business law practice
skills in web and application development area. During his more than 40 years of
Focus Financial has hired Lisa Villalta and client management skills are making practice, Keller has successfully assisted
as Compliance Specialist. Focus a major impact on FLM success,” says his clients with mergers and acquisi-
Financial is an independent, non- Rob McClelland, FLM president. “We look tions, corporate governance, executive
proprietary financial services firm forward to her ongoing contribution to compensation, contracts, securities,
with 36 offices across 6 states and our leadership team and assisting us in financing, license agreements, and
headquartered in Roseville, MN. producing far-reaching results for our employment.
clients.”

» Submit People news to kate.hindes@tigeroak.com, and read about more People on minnesotabusiness.com.


MASAMI
KAWAZATO
Type:
“…proud fair-weather bicyclist.
I’m not comfortable with the
snow and ice.”
Reasons:
“..the savings… And you get to be
outside; you’re guaranteed to be
doing something active every day.”
Destinations:
“…work, hair salon, yoga, grocery
shopping, downtown, the library,
the post office…”
Advice:
“For any women concerned
about wardrobe, I’ve found
that you can bike in just about
any kind of clothing.”

BICYCLING IS UP 52%
Have you tried it?
Masami Kawazato is part of a huge trend, and for good reason: Bicycling saves you
money and makes you fitter, stronger, happier and even more energetic. Best of all, biking
to work, school or the store is often as quick as by car for trips under a few miles.
Inspiration and ideas at www.bikewalkmove.org!

WANT TO FIND
OUT MORE ABOUT

BIKING
ROUTES?
bikewalkmove.org/plan-your-route

Made possible by Bike Walk Twin Cities, a program of Transit for Livable Communities, through the Federal Highway Administration.

Intellectualproperty PATENTS &
NEW IDEAS
FROM AROUND
MINNESOTA

The Idea Man MARK
KROLL
With over 300 patents, Mark Kroll leads the market on medical
device design BY MAURA KELLER In addition to over
300 issued U.S.
patents, mostly
covering medical
AS ONE OF THE MOST proliic inventors of through my adjunct faculty role in the Biomedical En- devices, Mark Kroll
medical devices in the world, Dr. Mark Kroll, gineering Department at the University of Minnesota. has other substan-
tial achievements
retired chief technology oicer and senior including:
vice president from St. Jude Medical, knows
what it means to improve peoples’ lives. With Q: What does it mean to you to be the
number one patent holder in Min-
more than 340 issued U.S. patents under his nesota? » Board member
belt, about one million human beings have his » Minnesota is a wonderful state with a lot of smart of haemonetics
patents in their bodies. In fact, all implantable people. For decades test scores have placed Minne- (nySe:hae)
and taser intl
deibrillators sold have at least one licensed sota at the top or in the top few states. To paraphrase (naSd:taSr).
Kroll patent. Garrison Keillor, we really are above average. I am not
During his tenure at St. Jude Medical, Kroll good at golf, dancing, or singing; so I am very happy » involvement on
various private
helped direct the marketing strategy and tactics for the company’s largest revenue to be good at something. boards including
line—the implantable deibrillator. At this time, the company also was the best per- Medisyn and
forming stock of large medical device companies and was twice listed in Business
Week as a top ifty performing company across all industries. Q: What are some common misconcep-
tions some inventors have about
galvani

» awarded 2010
Kroll has made a lasting impact on the biomedical engineering ield. With a patents? distinguished
research specialty surrounding the efects of electricity on the human body, Kroll » One misconception is that all great ideas have pat- Career
achievement
is the co-author of ive books and has lectured in more than 30 countries on top- ents. The mountain bike would have had a great pat- award, which is
ics including deibrillation, invention process, electrical safety and medical device ent, as would have the spreadsheet—but these were the top honor
startups. never patented. Another misconception is that one in biomedical
engineering
In addition to being an adjunct professor of biomedical engineering at the Uni- has to be an engineer or scientist to get a patent.
versity of Minnesota, Kroll also is a distinguished guest faculty for UCLA’s Creativ- My belief is that everyone has at least one invention » fellow of the
ity and Innovation program. in them. american College
of Cardiology
Minnesota has earned a solid reputation in the biomedical engineering ield—
thanks in large part to ingenious inventors like Kroll.
Having been honored by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Oice as a proliic in- Q: What are the most valuable lessons
you’ve learned throughout your
» fellow of the
heart rhythm
Society
ventor, we interviewed Kroll to gain his insights on the art and science of intellectual career?
property. Here’s what he had to say: » Teamwork is more important than brilliance. One » fellow of
thing that maturity brings is the realization of how institute of
electrical and
Q: You’ve had a very distinguished career, having made a pro-
found impact on biomedical engineering. What are some of
little any one individual knows about our universe of
science and technology. I learned that I am the hap-
electronics
engineers
the key accomplishments that you’ve garnered during your career? piest when I’m doing creative work rather than dis-
» Co-editor of four
» My answer today is diferent than it would have been 10 years ago. As I look tracted by supervising others. technical texts.
back on my career, I now feel best about being married 36 years and raising four
productive children. Without my supportive wife and loving family, I could never
have achieved what I did. Q: How does Minnesota compare to
other states in terms of inventions. Is
» invited lecturer
to fda, US patent
office, and Mit/
The scientiic accomplishment that I am most proud of is the “Burping Theo- it a fairly ‘inventive’ state? Caltech enterprise
ry” for the biphasic waveform. This has helped improve deibrillator designs and » Yes, Minnesota is #6 out of 50, according to State- forum
implant techniques; I like to think that this has helped a lot of patients. It is reward- Master, a state comparison site run by Rapid Intelli- » reviewer for
ing to be consulted on diicult deibrillator implants and to know that I am actually gence, a Web publishing company focused on large six cardiology
helping a speciic human being achieve a fuller life. educational reference sites and technology. and biomedical
journals.
I now ind great reward in encouraging and coaching the next generation


PATENTED PASSION
“Patterson shares my passion. The firm
is immersed in medical technology.
I bring an idea to Patterson, they do
the rest—and they do it right.”
- Mark Kroll
#1 IN MEDICAL DEVICE PATENTS WORLDWIDE

291 PATENTS AND COUNTING
Mark Kroll has a passion for developing technologies that improve and save
lives. It’s driven him to become the world’s leader in medical device patents.
And when it comes to those patents, his intellectual property law firm is
Patterson Thuente.

Read more about Mark Kroll, his passion and his Patterson partnership at:
WWW.PTSLAW.COM/KROLL
612.349.5740 WWW.PTSLAW.COM

In The Black INSIGHT & IDEAS
TO HELP YOUR
BOTTOM LINE

THE EVOLUTION OF ONE DONATION

$1 CCRF

The ROI provides
helps the U of
M secure an

Of A Single average of $18
in additional
funding

Donation
$100,000
Average amount of a seed grant for pilot studies.
These grants help researchers secure additional
A small donation to cancer funding to advance treatments for pediatric
cancer and other devastating diseases.
research, became the catalyst
for a partnership that changed
the practice of medicine.
BY KRIS VRUNO HUSON
Grants of $200,000 and A $10,000 A grant for a pilot And a seed grant
$100,000 to explore investment to study of infant for genetic study
therapies that target brain study pediatric leukemia yielded of osteosarcoma,
tumors yielded additional germ cell $3 million, allowing a bone cancer that
funding of $1.365 million tumors yielded researchers to primarily affects
IN 1979, 13-YEAR OLD KATIE HAGEBOECK, and $1.8 million and an impressive conduct the largest adolescents, brought
from Wayzata, was nearing the end of her 16-month resulted in an innovative $3.5 million study of infant in an additional
battle with leukemia. Knowing she was losing her brain tumor vaccine that in additional leukemia in the $2.5 million to the
is currently in clinical trial. funding. world. University.
battle, she asked that the money she’d been saving for
a 10-speed bicycle be donated to a little-known fund (MINNESOTA BUSINESS MAGAZINE)

for the University of Minnesota called Children’s
Cancer Research Fund (CCRF). Her dream was for grants from the National Institutes of Health and the
HOW YOU CAN HELP?
a cure to be found so that children who followed her National Cancer Institute. These grants signiicantly
would survive. compound the impact of CCRF’s initial investment. Host a Go Play event at your
A little over a year after Katie’s passing, her parents, It is estimated that every $1 CCRF provides helps the company, which is a fun way to
support cancer research: Info at
Diane and Norm, and friends of the family organized U of M secure an average of $18 in additional funding. whodoyouplayfor.org.
what they thought was a one-time beneit fundraiser CCRF’s support of research also ills in gaps in
for this fund to honor Katie’s dying wish. Thirty two funding for capital expenditures not covered by
years later, the “Dawn of a Dream” beneit is still taking federal grants, educates up-and-coming researchers
place, and CCRF has grown from a small grassroots through the U of M’s Pediatric Hematology-Oncol-
fundraiser into a national non-proit, with hundreds of ogy and Blood and Marrow Transplant Fellowship
thousands of individual donors, along with corporate Program one of the largest in the country, and helps
and foundation partners, who have given nearly $70 the U of M attract and retain top-notch researchers by
million to pediatric hematology/oncology and blood funding endowed chairs. CCRF recently named its
and marrow transplantation physician/researchers at sixth endowed chair the most by any philanthropic
the University of Minnesota (U of M). organization providing funds to the U of M.
The partnership between CCRF and the U of M CCRF’s entrepreneurial approach to cancer phi-
is unique. CCRF provides a steady stream of unre- lanthropy: Funding innovative, proof-of-principle re-
stricted “seed grant” funding that allows the Uni- search, investing in the best young minds and sup-
versity’s researchers to pursue early-stage research, porting world-class experts, will continue until Katie’s
Walk or run at CCRF’s Time to Fly
and bold ideas, that if successful hold great promise dream of a cancer-free world becomes a reality.
on June 30th in St. Paul. Info at
in getting better treatments to children with cancers childrenscancer.org/timetofly.
and other serious diseases. This lexible funding has « Kris Vruno Huson is the marketing and
communications manager for Children's Become a corporate partner by
helped the U of M gain a national reputation for win- Cancer Resarch Fund. contacting Jim Leighton at 952-893-9355
ning the increasingly competitive, multi-million dollar or jleighton@childrenscancer.org.


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In The Black

Strong
Corporate
Intelligence
Always
Wins
Heartland Investigative
Group has built a
multi-million dollar business
BY JOHN P. PALEN

ONE OF THE FIRST RULES IN BUSINESS:
know your strengths. Another rule: know your weak-
nesses. Large companies have entire departments and
personnel dedicated to corporate intelligence, threats
and weak links. But for small and mid-sized business-
es, it’s harder to access this valuable information. The
people who do this work tend to keep a low proile.
Since 1991, one Minnesota-based company has done
just that; and built a multi-million-dollar business.
Heartland Investigative Group has touched just
about every high proile case, story and deal in the
Twin Cities. As a private investigator turned entrepre-
neur, CEO Paul Jaeb, 47, says that a company focused
on rooting out and preventing the seven deadly sins
in business is a round-the-clock mission. “People are
often in crisis and need our help now,” Jaeb says.
Just as importantly, Heartland has capitalized on
the great need for businesses to proactively manage
threats and opportunities. Performing more than
100,000 background checks, the company also
provides competitive intelligence, due diligence, ex-
ecutive consultation, research and analysis. All of this
comes into play before companies make a critical hire,
acquire another company, consider a partnership or
enter an investment.
For large companies, Heartland augments internal
corporate intelligence by gaining inside information
as a neutral third party. Even for small and mid-sized


TIPS FOR
CORPORATE
INTELLIGENCE
Performing more BY PAUL JAEB

than 100,000
background checks, 1
the company also Don’t be
fooled by
provides competitive self-reported
intelligence, due financials.
Verify the
diligence, executive assets that
consultation, research matter to
you.
and analysis.
2
Use of
background
companies it’s essential to understand the value of checks can
corporate intelligence. Heartland has discovered reveal a vast
things like unauthorized manufacturing of a client’s reality and
goods as well as the true inancials, assets and culture truth, even
of a potential acquisition target. for people
who come
One Heartland client called to report that its prod- highly recom-
ucts were being manufactured in China. Heartland mended.
was hired to ind out by who and where. Another
BIZ client wanted to investigate acquisition targets for 3
BRIEFING details such as hours of operation, dock and parking Investigate
Heartland lot traic, raw materials quantities coming in, lines of all of your
Information production, shifts, etc. This information allowed the options prior
Services Inc. to commit-
dba Heartland client to calculate the actual output compared to the
Investigative
ting consider-
information that was given.
Group able time or
Headquarters: In certain circumstances, Heartland also provides money. Be
Minneapolis and and trains security personnel. prepared to
Denver
Inception: 1991 In 2002, Heartland acquired its biggest local change plans
Employees: 100 competitor and in 2006 made a strategic acquisition or walk away
Revenue: $4.5 from any
million in Denver, making it one of the largest corporate, i-
deal.
Description: nancial and legal intelligence providers in the United
premiere
States. Paul speaks nationally as an expert in the in-
investigators,
forensic experts
4
dustry and is the former director of the National As-
and agents Balance emo-
for corporate sociation of Legal Investigators. tions with
intelligence and While some people still believe in and promote the
due diligence
all the facts.
Website: power of a irm handshake, history is painting a new Choose advi-
heartlandinfo.com and dangerous story. Jaeb is a symbol of the balance sors without
between privacy and public good, trust and betrayal. a stake in the
decision.
LEADER For business owners, success still appears to low
PROFILE from knowing the truth and their own strengths and
Paul Jaeb, CEO
5
weaknesses—and then leveraging this information to
P H O T O B Y TAT E C A R L S O N

has investigated Resistance to
both the the 35W make sound business decisions.
investigation
bridge collapse
and Jon Benet
could be a red
Ramsey murder. flag. Proceed
« John P. Palen is CEO of Allied Executives
He is currently the (jppalen@alliedexecutives.com) and works carefully with
CEO of Heartland with CEOs, business owners and executive uncooperative
Investigative leaders on leadership development and
Group.
individuals or
business performance improvement through
peer groups, coaching and educational work- organizations.
shops. alliedexecutives.com


In The Black

Steven Ladin Rocks Find out
more about Rock

His Newest Venture Your Block at:
rockyourblock.
com
From LadinVentures to Rock Your Block, Ladin shares his
path to success
until years later I realized the true power of those two
statements. The owner was not simply doing what he
needed to do to pay the bills; he was showing his true
entrepreneurial passion by teaching irst-hand that
these small yet special concepts can only be learned
in real life.
« Right: The team Entrepreneurs don’t
from Rock Your Block
L to R: Steven Ladin:
just have responsibility
Co-Founder & Chief to their shareholders and
Strategy Officer, Sarah
Young: Co-Founder their businesses. They
& Chief Executive also have an obligation
Officer, Caryn Evans:
Community Outreach to inspire the millions of
Director, John
Hibscher: Co-Founder
future entrepreneurs who
& Chief Technology will carry this world on
Officer, (not pictured)
Blake Faris: Director of their shoulders by inno-
Technology vating commerce and life
as we know it today.
Ask any successful busi-
ness leader how he got started and he will almost
always tell you he was inspired by someone close to
him. Someone guided him or her in a way that was
not just a simple to-do list, but a hands-on, heart-felt
expression of giving that was the X-factor between
good and remarkable.
The moment I heard the 20 second elevator pitch
for Rock Your Block for the irst time was the moment
I said to myself: This is exactly the opportunity I’ve

P H O T O B Y E M I I LY J . D AV I S : P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F R O C K YO U R B L O C K
been looking for ever since I aspired to become a popcorn
and lemonade tycoon at the seasoned age of ﬁve.
Rock Your Block was something I could instantly
wrap my head around - I wanted to know more and
how I could help build. What are you building?
I WAS 14 WHEN MY FRIEND called me nd said Rock Your Block has given me the opportunity to
“Steve, do you want to make some money?” I did not build something to truly change the world. Think
hesitate to say yes due to my desire to add the newest about your irst job, that irst chance to change your
Legend of Zelda game to my collection. He said the thought chemistry and how you might share your
project would be after school three days a week, four unique insight and experiences with tomorrow’s busi-
hours each day, packing stickers into boxes at $5per ness leaders. Hire local teens to do your social media
hour. It wasn’t the most glamorous of activities, but the outreach, your iling, your heavy lifting, reorganization
lessons I learned from my irst day are still embedded of your oice or any other job you keep putting of.
in my psyche today. You will be surprised by the impact it has on a knowl-
The owner of the sticker company told me two sim- edge thirsty teenager.
ple things: First, ind meaning in everything you do;
and second, challenge yourself by pushing the limits « Steven Ladin is the Co-Founder of @RockYourBlock,
« Above: Teen Job Fair with Hennepin Director of Marketing @Rental_Research and Entrepreneur.
that are set before you. I nodded and smiled. It wasn’t County Library Connect with Steven on Twitter: @StevenLadin.


147,903 pounds of cheese curds consumed,
20 Seasons of FUNderful Food!

2012 Home Games
May 17-20 July 27-August 2
May 25-27 August 10-15
June 8-13 August 20-22,
June 22-24 August 24-27
July 3-10 September 1-3
* Subject To Change
July 16-18

Tickets start at just
$4 for kids and Fireworks Every
$5 for adults Friday!

Monster Food Truck Rally
Sunday, May 27
Midway Stadium Parking Lot
Food, Beer, FUN!
Rally begins after the conclusion
of the Saints 3:05 p.m. game
The event is FREE

651-644-6659
saintsbaseball.com

Bottomline
How « Jacquie
Berglund with a

They innigans beer
at Kieran's irish

Did It pub located
in downtown
Minneapolis,

Local Beer Brand,
Finnegans, Raises the Bar
$238,000 in charitable donations... and counting BY DANA SEVERSON

COMPANY » finneganS HOW THEY DID IT » With a degree in political until 2009 that i was able to move into an actual
Science from augsburg College,, Berglund had a oice and hire a staf.”
WHAT THEY DO »
goal of someday working in international policy. Up until that point (and still today), Berglund relied
Charitable beer company
after spending a few years in corporate america, on the support of a community of volunteers that
WEBSITE » innegans.org Berglund decided to move to france to complete believed in her vision and were willing to dedicate their
SUCCESS » Working from her sister’s her MBa and was fortunate to continue her stay time and expertise to further the cause. Since 2000,
basement in 2000, Jacquie Berglund with a career in international business. it wasn’t the army has grown to a staggering 1,200 volunteers.
set out on a journey to become the irst until several years later, after she returned to “these special volunteers spend thousands of hours
beer company in the world to donate Minnesota, that her vision of a socially responsible planning events, pouring beers and doing everything
100% of its proits to charity. twelve beer business began to pollinate. from marketing to sales to operations”, says Berglund,
years later, the Minnesota entrepreneur today, finnegan’s is a well-established beer “with only a handful of paid staf, recruiting and retain-
is now selling over 72,000 cases of her brand with a mission of turning beer into food. With ing eager volunteers is tantamount to running a suc-
local brew per year and has generated many volunteers and a staf of ive, finnegan’s has cessful business.”
p h o t o B y tat e C a r l S o n

over $238,000 in charitable donations grown distribution outside of Minnesota, with the growing an average of 30 percent year-over-year
for local food shelves. in 2011, Berglund beer now being sold in north dakota, South dakota takes more than a community of volunteers. Berglund
and her staf of ive hit a milestone by and Wisconsin. Berglund has gone from selling has also had to rely on her passion for social entre-
having increased annual sales to over 2,700 cases of beer in her irst year, to over 72,000 preneurship and hustle to further her vision. “We’re
$1 million, resulting in approximately cases last year alone. transforming how people look at traditional for-proit
120,000 meals for the hungry. it didn’t come easy though, “we weren’t proit- businesses in society.” Berglund states, “the real ben-
able until 2003”, Berglund states, “and it wasn’t eit is feeding more hungry families produce."


Thursday,
May 24
7:15-9:00am

GIVING
THE BEST
TO THE BEST
METHODS TO EVALUATE
YOUR TOP PERFORMERS
An effective sales evaluation and compensation strategy will help any
business get coveted results from their top talent. Evaluating sales
performance is a fundamental part of business success, and elite
performers must be recognized and compensated accordingly.

PANELISTS:
Steve Mihalik, chief revenue oficer at Orange Tree Employee Screening
Larry Morgan, owner of Orion HR.

COST: WHERE: REGISTER:
New Membership Woman’s Club, Go to smei.org
& Event: $200 Minneapolis and click on events
Members: $30 401 Oak Grove Street
Non-Members: $50 Minneapolis MN 55403
Students: $20

Technology TOOLS,
TECHNIQUES
AND SYSTEMS OF
INTEREST

« VinoPad
eliminates the
guesswork in
wine pairing with
local menus

the description of their wine resulting in less time
VinoPad: Technology spent scouring the shelves for a favorite brand.
Guests are not the only ones beneitting from this

Meets Happy Hour hands-on process of wine selection however; res-
taurants utilizing Vinopad’s services are reporting
an increase of wine sales of 15 to 20 percent due to
A new Ipad App is educating and exciting customers diners purchasing more expensive bottles of wine. In
BY KEEGAN SHOUTZ addition to sales increase, Vinopad can also be used as
a training tool for wait staf that can refer to notes, and
ratings which allow more informed decisions to be
SINCE THE DEVELOPMENT of the smart Developed by three oenophiles in Minneapolis, made when purchasing by the glass or bottle. Other
phone and tablet, the way we consume has never been Vinopad (http://vinopad.com/) is a wine list and in- eateries are also seeing a decrease in waste and cost to
the same. From stock market analysis to software that ventory management tool for restaurants, wine pro- reprint and update wine lists.
connects users with common interests, the social com- ducers, retailers and distributors that automatically For the strategic launch of Vinopad, Lola Red Pub-
munity evolves faster than one can jot down the next updates and manages wine inventory. The application lic Relations irst set its sights on the hospitality indus-
big thing onto the corner of a napkin. uses cutting-edge technology to digitize and manage try and oenophiles to generate interest and utilize its
P H OTO CO U R T E SY O F LO L A R E D P R

Thousands of choices consistently greet consum- wine lists, tasting notes, professional reviews and also amenities. Consumer media was also on the publicity
ers in the application store and marketplace— just ofers real-time information about product availability target list of Lola Red in eforts to drive the public to
waiting for the tap of a inger. on a staggering one million bottles. actively seek out and use vinopad’s services in their
With launch assistance from the public rela- Decision making is put back into the wine en- new and favorite establishments.
tions team at Minnesota-based irm, Lola Red thusiast’s hands by allowing them to physically
PR, one new and emerging iPad application is view the label and look of the bottle, read reviews,
making these decisions a little easier by alleviating ind its point ranking and even discover where to « Keegan Shoutz, Senior Publicist. Lola
Red PR services clients on a local, regional
the middleman for both patrons and restaurants. purchase it at a later date. An email option also al- and national level in the lifestyle and
Happy Hour is now a litle happier. lows users to message their friends or themselves consumer segments


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Powerful Business Communications

124868/4-12/7561

Captial Market RECENTLY -SIGNED LAWS
THAT AFFECT MINNESOTA
BUSINESS AND LIFE

APRIL BILLS

APRIL BILLS SIGNED BY GOV. DAYTON

» SF2297 »SF2273
Jacob's law; law Junked vehicles
enforcement social eligible buyers
services agency expansion
notification of child 04/05/2012
abuse requirement
04/04/2012 »SF1809
Hospital com-
»SF2084 munity ben-
Omnibus correc- efit programs
tions policy bill collaboration plans
04/04/2012 evidence-based
strategies require-
»SF2069 ments elimination;
Travel insurance of- health provider
fer and dissemina- peer grouping
tion regulations requirements
04/04/2012 modifications
04/05/2012
»SF1993
Sump pumps »SF1992
installation licens- Motor carrier
ing exemptions contract indeam-
expansion nity provisions

Rental Property Law
04/04/2012 prohibited.
04/05/2012
»SF1981
Police civilian »SF2173
New Policies That Affect Your Business BY NATHAN NELSON review authorities’
uniform proce-
Automated drug
distribution
dures systems authoriza-
04/05/2012 tion; physicians
THE MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE has en- must require the payment of rent that is approximate drugs dispensing
acted legislation that extends protections provided fair market value for the unit, or subsidized by a »SF1793 in health care
Health plan facilities located in
under Minnesota Statute § 504B.285 Subdivision federal, state or local subsidy. The tenant of these company definition health professional
1a to December 31st, 2014. This legislation protects properties, like any tenant, must continue to abide modification shortage areas
tenants in a residential real property foreclosure by the terms of the lease to remain in possession of 04/05/2012 04/09/2012

setting by preventing foreclosing parties from im- the property. »SF1860 »SF1543
mediately evicting tenants after the expiration of the The original legislation limited this provision to Concrete diamond Medical assistance
redemption period. enforcement to the end of 2012. This extension may grinding and saw (MA) community
slurry disposal paramedic services
Speciically, if the property contains a tenant with cause a strategic shift to lenders who had planned on solid waste exemp- reimbursement
a lease term that extends beyond 90 days past the timing their foreclosures to expire in early 2013 to tion for highway coverage authori-
end of the redemption period, the statute provides avoid dealing with the tenants. Banks may be forced construction, zation
improvement, or 04/09/2012
that the lease must be honored by the foreclosing to hold onto properties longer as investors seeking repair activities
party (or subsequent purchasers) until the end of vacant units may be forced to either wait for the ten- 04/05/2012 »HF2216
the term of the lease. After the lease term expires, an ant’s lease to expire or look elsewhere for properties. Minnesota Com-
»SF1934 prehensive Health
additional 90 days› written notice must be provided Simultaneously, investors seeking properties with Township mutual Association; pre-
to the tenant. tenants will ind opportunity. Property management fire company com- mium rate-setting
The legislature has attempted to eliminate eforts companies may ind opportunities in marketing to bination insurance process flexibility
policies regulations permitted.
by foreclosed parties to skirt the system and requires lenders who ind themselves suddenly thrust into modification 04/09/2012
that the lease be “bona ide.” A bona ide lease is the role of landlord. 04/05/2012
deined under the statute as being a lease where
the mortgagor, or the child, spouse, or parent of the Find out more about the newest laws and
« Nathan Nelson, Esq. is a founding
partner of Virtus Law in Brooklyn Park, legislation by going to: revisor.mn.gov
mortgagor is not the tenant. The lease must be the
MN. Nelson specializes in business and
result of an arm›s length transaction and the lease individual law.


Join premier networking & leadership
for the
us
breakfast series of the Twin Cities.

Presented By:
Single Tickets: $20

Register at
www.goodleadership
breakfast.com

Spring 2012 Series Theme:
Personal & Professional Planning
Hosted at Minnesota Valley Country Club, 6300 Auto Club Rd.
Bloomington, MN 7:15 – 8:45 AM

Created and hosted Friday, April 27
by Author, Speaker Scott Anderson
and Executive Coach: CEO of Patterson Companies
Paul Batz Why the learning 18 stops:
Friday, May never
Sue Mulkern
a glimpse into my development journey
VP of Human Capital, OptumHealth

How my personal convictions are shaping
Friday, May 18 at OptumHealth
work/life wellness
Sue Mulkern
VP of Human Capital, OptumHealth

How my personal convictions are shaping
work/life wellness at OptumHealth

Marketing MARKETING,
PUBLIC RELATIONS,
COMMUNICATIONS
AND MEDIA

D B IN G O —
Authentic Giving
— B U Z Z WO R
What it means to truly
believe in your charity
Fast Synergy BY STEVE WEHRENBERG
Leverage Track

THIRTY YEARS AGO I met Ray Mithun,
our agency’s founder and a member of
Bench- the Advertising Hall of Fame. In my years
Strategic mark with the company, one of Ray’s quotes
Interface has stayed with me each day. “There is no
lasting success, happiness or reward unless
a person is truly useful—useful to his family,
to his business and to his community.” Ray
Game Streamline was saying that giving back means getting
Touch back. It was true yesterday and it’s even
Plan
Base truer today.
Every brand and every organization
needs to be able to answer the question:
What’s your cause? At our business, we

Campaign for Clarity proudly support the United Way. For the
past seven years, Campbell Mithun has
supported Greater Twin Cities United Way
by developing its annual advertising. Our re-
Stop Leveraging my Synergies BY KIM OPITZ cent “Every ONE Counts” campaign helped
the organization raise nearly $90 million for
Twin Cities’ nonprofit agencies.We also had
a tremendously energetic and fun internal
giving campaign. Last year three employ-
IF YOU MUST KNOW, I was leveraging my own slowly. Try a diferent way of saying it—or better yet, if ees, including one woman, agreed to shave
synergies late last night. First, I optimized my brand you’ve hired a creative agency and they start throwing their heads for contributions.
alignment. Then I empowered and streamlined my leverage into the strategery, make them stop. The key to making corporate social
messaging. And inally, I got some buzz. responsibility work is that each facet of the
If you must know, it was a rather authentic position- ASK FOR MORE DETAILS: campaignfit your corporate culture and
reflect your brand’s values. Now more than
ing experience. » How are you going to leverage ever your employees and customers want
In the Star Trek universe, microsingularities are our consumer base? authenticity. They will only identify with
teeny, tiny black holes—as theorized by the Vulcans. » What do you mean by leveraging your social mission if it is true.
They don’t actually exist (let’s not start ighting about our brand equity? One of the best brands at living out
that already, okay?) » What does that translate to in social responsibility is our Compass Point
deliverables and dollars? Media client, Chipotle. They are all about
But in the business world? Oh, they exist, my friend. Food with Integrity, an idea that links their
Microsingularities exist and thrive, in the dark dank corporate values, marketing messages,
pages of overwrought marketing proposals. In loud, If no one knows the answers, they probably sourcing and social responsibility efforts. It’s
tinny reverberations in our heads when we cling to the didn’t think beyond the word leverage itself. So their cause and it’s a cause that’s authentic.
safety of the predictable. don’t spend a dime until you know what kind of I’ve had the distinct privilege of learning
corporate values from Ray. For Campbell
We call them buzz words. Personally and profession- leverage they’re proposing, and what that means to Mithun’s future success, we pride ourselves
ally, I think we should do ourselves favor and toss them your bottom line and campaign results. in being successful not only to our share-
aside for more clarity. Because the more they pop into You just might save yourself the agony of seeing your holders, but within our communities
our discussions and proposals, the more we get side- marketing dollars sucked up by a microsingularity. as well.
tracked by glittering generalities.
« Kim Opitz is a creative agency « Steve Wehrenberg is CEO of
Look. I’m totally ine if you want to leverage exper- Campbell Mithun, an instructor in the
veteran and owner of Rribbitz Creative
tise, relationships or knowledge. But every now and Communications. She enjoys leveraging U of M’s strategic communications
multi-colored highlighters for graduate program and co-author of
then—please. Set the leverage down and back away synergestic strategic development. The Successful Marketing Plan.


9:03 a.m.

10:34 a.m.

11:18 a.m.

A lot happens between
9 and noon.
Countless life-shaping events occur between nine and noon.

And a lot happens every day on The Daily Circuit. Host Kerri Miller and Tom Weber cover the most
important issues and interview newsmakers of all kinds: politicians, authors, innovators, educators,
artists and everyday people in the news.

Listen weekdays 9 a.m. to noon.
Stay connected all day at mprnews.org

#dailycircuit

Marketing

Crisis Communications
in the Age of Twitter
The best policy is pro-activity and active listening.
BY PAUL MACCABEE

ENDURING THE INFERNO OF A CRISIS from the
recall of a product to a consumer boycott, has always been a
humbling experience, but at least in the past companies had
the luxury of time to respond. Today, fueled by 800 million
slime,” which went viral with 1.3 million YouTube views, fol-
lowed by ABC News’ blog post “70 percent of Ground Beef
at Supermarkets Contains ‘Pink Slime’ “ exploding across
the Web. And witness the speed with which United Airlines
5
DON’T BE AN ONLINE
users of Facebook, 175 million devotees of Twitter, 500 mil- was overwhelmed by 11.6 million views of a video, “United OSTRICH: RESPONDING
lion viewers on YouTube and blogs read by more than 345 Breaks Guitars,” posted by an outraged customer. And BEFORE THE CRISIS
LIVES FOREVER
million people, the velocity with which a company’s reputa- The good news? Here’s how those same online channels » In the era of Twitter and
tion can be blown apart by an online crisis is breathtaking. which can bring down a company’s good name in the time it Facebook, you no longer have
Consider how quickly the beef industry was overcome takes to ire of a 140-character tweet, can help your company the option of hoping a crisis will
blow over before your company
recently by chef James Oliver’s TV segment about “pink respond to a crisis with unprecedented speed: responds. Consider that six years
ago, bloggers were abuzz when a
customer popped open a Kryp-
tonite lock by inserting a Bic pen.
DARK SITES AND ONLINE CHANNELS:
Today, that story about vulnerable
PREPARING FOR THE INEVITABLE Kryptonite locks still comes up
» Don’t start your company’s social media engagement the day your fourth in Google Search for the
CEO is perp walked through your lobby by the FBI. Before a crisis hits, brand. Search for the words Bic
LISTEN UP! build your social media infrastructure: a branded YouTube channel, Twit- Kryptonite and you’ll get 1.2 mil-
» Monitoring Conversa- ter feed and company blog — the quickest way to respond, in kind, to lion results with titles like, “Twist
tions About You Online a Pen, Open a Lock.” As of this
online critics. If your company has advance warning, you can prepare a
issue date, the “How To Unlock a
“You can’t fight what pre-loaded, not-yet-public response “dark site,” which can be switched on
Kryptonite Lock with a Bic Pen”
you can’t see,” sing to provide video and supporting documents and images. video on Youtube has received
the rock band Girls 234,000 views.
Against Boys. And What did the company do
you can’t defend your

3 4
wrong? Kryptonite, which had
reputation if you don’t known about the problem for
monitor what the online two years before it was exposed,
world says about your refused to reply to a call from
company — before, Wired magazine, which reported
during and after a crisis. PAY RATHER THAN CRISIS ALA YOUTUBE the company’s silence. Contacted
How can you determine PRAY—USING PAID » YouTube is an essential crisis response tool, by the New York Times, the
if that nasty blogger CRISIS TOOLS relying the emotional, human side of your advo- company defended itself by
is a lone malcontent cacy when it’s needed most. But if your spokes-
»Sponsored Tweets can keep saying “that locks made by other
or a highly-influential person responds to a crisis on YouTube, make
links to your company’s rebuttal manufacturers shared the same
figure in your industry? sure he or she acknowledges the issue you’re
high at the top of Twitter search vulnerabilities.” Your lesson?
There are more than facing head-on. Check out Domino’s president
results. You can even buy paid Respond quickly and honestly,
Patrick Doyle, whose YouTube-distributed
450 online monitoring search terms on Google (such or your reputation will be
apology for renegade employees who violated
tools available, from as “Disgraced Minnesota CEO” barbequed on the Web for years,
health code standards was straight-forward
Google Alerts and Social or “Radioactive Chocolate”)
and candid. Rather than attack online critics, even decades, to come.
Mention to Trackr , which will not go active until
Domino’s thanked the blogging community
Viral Heat, Alterian and you pull the switch; that way,
for alerting his company to the outrage.
Radian6. Klout, and consumers searching for an
Finally, help consumers find your response « Paul Maccabee is
explanation of your crisis will
Twitalyzer can analyze video by adopting the words they’ll actually
also have a prominent link to president of Maccabee,
negative tweets, while use to search. Domino’s actually titled one of its a Minneapolis-based
your response where they can
Alexa and Compete can response videos “Disgusting Dominos People public relations,
learn your side of the story. corporate communica-
evaluate the prominence —Dominos Responds.” A Domino’s PR executive
Don’t forget to review your ad tions and social media
of websites posting got it when he said, “Domino’s owns all of its
copy, to ensure your company’s marketing agency. Contact him
negative mentions of trademarks, but we don’t own the Domino’s at paul@maccabee.com or visit
messaging isn’t newly distaste-
your company. brand. Our customers do.” maccabeegroup.com.
ful given the current crisis.


Giving
Back
A look into the
contributions &
partnerships of
Minnesota
Organizations

“When I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my
life on purpose and focused on giving of myself and everything that
arrived into my life, then I was prosperous.”
» Wayne Dyer

In 2011, Give To the Max Day raised over $13.4M for charities nation-wide. In fact,for every dollar
invested in the 2011 Give to the Max Day event, $45.53 was returned to Minnesota nonproits. The
beneits of giving back inancially are documented time and time again. In this issue of Minnesota
Business, we celebrate and acknowledge those who give both inancially and physically. Please
join me in thanking all the organizations that make Minnesota a better place to live, work and play.

Kate Madonna Hindes
Editor In Chief
Minnesota Business Magazine
kate.hindes@tigeroak.com


P H O T O B Y E M I LY J . D AV I S

« Passionate Leader: Mary Jo
Copeland, (Director of Sharing
and Caring Hands)


* GIVING BACK *

A “Hands-On”
Difference
Companies large and small discuss the ways giving has beneitted
their organizations BY DAN EMERSON

THROUGH ECONOMIC BOOM and downturn, one constant has been Minnesota companies’ tradition of corporate
community service. Last year, for the ifth year in a row, the Twin Cities was rated #1 in volunteering by the Federal Govern-
ment’s Corporation for National and Community Service. Calculating the number of volunteer hours Minnesota compa-
nies contribute to their communities and listing the many ways their employees give back is an inspiring task.

While the large, high-proile charitable events sponsored begin. Morine points out; even those employees who don’t volunteer may be making a
by major corporations may receive the most attention, contribution. “Those who stay back and work doubly hard to allow people to get away
small and mid-sized employers are just as committed to (to volunteer) also beneit the company, and others.”
giving back, says Sue Moyer, manager of the Greater Twin “A lot of it is the tone and expectation set by the owner of the company,” says Morine,
Cities United Way Caring Connection. “Companies of all noting that, early on, company founder and CEO Mike Patterson “clearly stated a pref-
sizes have been learning by example from larger corpora- erence for volunteering and challenged everybody to get involved.”
tions that have successful volunteer programs, and realiz-
ing the beneits those programs can ofer to the company,
employees and the community,” Moyer says. WELLS FARGO LEADS THE PACK
Along with the obvious beneits to society and the Leaders set the tone, but they don’t dictate, says Wells Fargo CEO John Campbell.
“greater good,” those beneits include helping companies “The beauty of volunteerism is that it springs up naturally from the energy and passion
bond within the community, and helping employees bond of our team members; it’s really important that it not be a 'top-down' mentality involving
with the company and with each other. corporate mandates. We’re letting our team members make decisions about where they
One small-company example is King Solutions, a sup- want us to be involved and what they want to accomplish. It’s a lot of people putting in a
ply chain irm, based in Dayton, Minn. lot of hours doing a lot of interesting things."
The 92-employee irm supports a number of causes Campbell also noted, “Increasingly, we ind that our team-members have a passion
including the Food Shelf Network, United Way and ARC for a cause, outside of their family and their job. That might be an educational organiza-
of the Twin Cities. To everyone’s beneit, volunteering to tion, health care or social services." As one example, Wells Fargo’s Somali hunger-relief
help others is a self- motivating activity, says Jenni Morine, efort originated with a African-born employee’s concern for his homeland.
King’s HR manager. “Volunteering gets in your blood; Campbell cites the company’s “ability to leverage our infrastructure to make volunteer
once you start it’s hard to stop.” activities available. In any given month we have 20 to 25 volunteer opportunities post-
With a well-established employee volunteer program ed, so the beauty of it is you don’t have to twist anybody’s arm to get them involved.”
that supports a number of causes, King Solutions’ desire is In each market where it has a presence, Wells Fargo maintains volunteer councils that
to attract those who may not have the resources and con- provide the organization and coordination essential to making volunteer events hap-
nections but want to help; they just don’t know where to pen. Even though volunteerism originates at the grassroots level, “it still requires a

36 minnesota BUsiness May 2012

Last year, an estimated great deal of organization.”
52,665 Wells Fargo For Wells Fargo, another
employees contributed
more than 1.5 million
beneit of volunteering is
volunteer hours to that it often gives employees
various causes, an 11 chances to develop leader-
percent increase over
ship skills that they may
2010. The IRS estimated
the value of those not get the opportunity to
community eforts at develop in the workplace,
$32 million. Campbell says, using his
own career as an example.
“My leadership skills have
developed as much externally as internally. I had fairly im-
portant leadership roles within the Cancer Society, United
Way and Boy Scouts before I was a manager at the bank.”
Wells’ most unique ofering in this category may be its
Volunteer Leave program, where employees can apply to
receive pay for up to four months for their chosen charity.
“It really allows team members to go well beyond normal « Ecolab group volunteering at
Second Harvest Heartland
volunteer capabilities and do something really meaning-
ful,” Campbell notes. “For us, it’s a really nice demonstra-
tion to team members that we value their volunteerism.”

skill-sets to help community organizations and individuals. Providing pro bono legal advice has
SMALL COMPANIES long been standard practice for law irms, but the same tradition has also been adopted by other
EMBRACE GIVING professional groups in areas such as accounting, public relations and marketing.
Minnesota companies have been bringing to community “There have been more companies requesting ‘skilled volunteering’ engagement,” says the
causes the same kind of innovation they use to gain market United Way’s Moyer. “They realize they have talented employees who can make a signiicant
share and boost their bottom lines. One strategy used by impact in the non-proit community.” Walter White, CEO of Twin Cities based Allianz Life In-
both large and small employers is using corporate inancial surance Co. of North America agrees. “Giving employees opportunities to share their expertise
resources to support the volunteer activities of employees with the community seems to have particular appeal.”
and their families. Burnsville-based Hollstadt & Associ- One of the largest skills-based volunteering program is the United Way’s “Claim It!” pro-
ates developed its annual Big Give awards to assist causes gram, which provides free tax-preparation services to low-income families, under a partnership
favored by its employees, clients and consultants. The with local accounting irms, the IRS, Minnesota Department of Revenue and other agencies.
management consulting irm donates $50 for every hour Another growth area is helping community groups develop sophisticated marketing tools (in-
someone volunteers for a charitable cause, up to $400 per cluding websites and social media) and strategies.
person and a maximum of $25,000 for the program. In that vein, the Twin Cities United Way recently announced a new initiative to bring to-
Another trend is the growing popularity of “skilled gether companies seeking skilled volunteering opportunities together with deserving recipi-
volunteering,” in which employees use their professional ents, Moyer notes.

» CORPORATE VOLUNTEERISM COUNCIL —TWIN CITIES
One local organization that has been corporate volunteerism and help improve activities in their locales. They can also
p H OTO CO U R T E Sy O F E CO L A B

key in building corporate volunteerism, our methods,” says Ecolab’s Shannon contact the agency, recruit volunteers
particularly in the small-business sector, Toren, current CVC president. and keep track of their volunteer hours
is the Corporate Volunteerism Council– Another useful resource is United Way of online. Last year, the Connection brought
Twin Cities (CVC-TC). It was established the Twin Cities’ Caring Connection, which volunteers together with nearly 50,000
in 1980 as one of the first CVCs in the matches people to volunteer projects opportunities, says Sue Moyer, Caring
nation; today, there are nearly 100 CVCs with United Way community partners Connection manager at Greater Twin
located across the U.S. Its 44 corporate across the nine-county metro area. Cities United Way. The data base lists
partners include both large and small Using the Volunteermatch.org website, “everything from servings meals to the
local companies. “The purpose is to individuals, companies or other groups homeless, to skill-based opportunities, to
learn from each other, track the trends in can access a list of hundreds of volunteer fix-up projects,” Moyer says.


* GIVING BACK *

A LOOK AT
GENERATIONAL
GIVING
DEBRA ARBIT, CEO and
TIME-EFFICIENT VOLUNTEERING onto delivery trucks, White says. “Every employee feels generational expert with
Companies have also come up with innovative solutions that he or she is actively participating. You can see the Minneapolis-based consulting firm
to enable employees struggling to balance work and fam- enthusiasm and engagement on their faces and feel the BridgeWorks, offers some advice
ily responsibilities make the most of the time they have spirit around the building, along with the impact on the on how to maximize volunteer
participation among different
available to give back. A number of Twin Cities irms organizations we’re supporting.”
generations in the workplace.
have created online portals to match employees with “The oldest generation, the
volunteer opportunities that it their interests, talents traditionalists who were born be-
and schedules. ONE-TO-ONE ACADEMIC HELP fore 1946, is still very avid about
Another trend has been the development of so-called On a Monday evening at RBC Wealth Management’s volunteering for the greater
good,” Arbit says, noting that
“speed volunteering,” in which companies ofer their Minneapolis oices, employees provide one-on-one
they tend to favor programs with
employees volunteer projects they can take on during a tutoring to academically at-risk students from Anwatan a more traditional, top-down,
lunch hour, or after work, like spending an hour assem- Middle School.Tutoring and mentoring high school command and control structure.
bling packages of donated food, gifts or laundry soap. and middle school students is another popular way for Even though people are living
E-mentoring, in which employee volunteers build help- employees to contribute, says Martha Baumbach, direc- longer in retirement, Arbit says
companies often overlook their
ing relationships with middle or high school students tor of corporate and community relations for Minneap-
retirees as willing resources for
using e-mail, is another time-saving innovation. “If em- olis-based RBC Wealth Management. Under the irm’s volunteer causes. “This gen-
ployees don’t have much time, but want to give back, we partnership with Anwatan Middle School in North eration is still very avid about
ind a solution,” according to Ecolab’s Shannon Toren, Minneapolis, on Monday nights Anwatan students iden- volunteering, so make sure you
the irm’s manager of community relations. tiied as academically at-risk are brought to RBC head- are asking them.”
Baby boomers “are still the
Allianz’ well-developed volunteering program is a quarters, where RBC employees provide one-to-one
most idealistic and optimistic
representative example, doing a number of things to get tutoring. As another time eicient way for employees to group; they genuinely believe
employees engaged in volunteering, according to CEO volunteer, the irm also does “e-mentoring” _by e-mail they can make a difference.”
Walter White. Those include encouraging employees – with middle schools kids in the Minnetonka-Wayzata A boomer may seek a second
to serve on the boards of organizations they support, school district. RBC also ofers inancial support for career not because of job dissatis-
faction, but because of a desire to
and providing each employee with eight hours of paid volunteer hours employees may want to spend, she says.
make meaningful contributions,
time-of annually for volunteering. Another efective In the today's market, with companies reducing Arbit says. “These volunteer
tool is the company’s Mad Money program: when ive workforces and striving to do more with less, have they activities can be great opportuni-
or more employees participate in a volunteer event, Al- been forced to cut back on community involvement? ties for them to do that.”
lianz contributes $100 per employee to that cause, up to That has not been the case, according to local leaders; Generation Xers “are often
skeptical of institutions, including
a maximum of $500. a number of companies have only stepped-up their
non profits. But they do care. So
Allianz maintains long-term strategic partnerships volunteering eforts. In fact, over the past ive years, St. if they are asking you ‘Why are
with local nonproits engaged in two areas linked to its Paul-based Ecolab’s volunteer program has grown by we doing it this way?’ you need
corporate mission:Helping students develop inancial more than 400 percent, with employees contributing to embrace their skepticism and
literacy, and service to seniors. “We’ve been very fo- over 80,000 hours volunteering in their communities, answer their questions_ which
are probably very smart ques-
cused on employee engagement in the community and Toren says.
tions.” Another key point is that
we think that is part of what has made us successful par- “We have never taken the approach of cutting-back,” for Generation Xers “sometimes
ticularly in diicult economic times,” White says. “Every says White,. “If anything, we have gone in the other di- extracurricular, volunteer activi-
year we have more employees involved.” rection. Every year, our inancial contribution increases ties can give them opportunities
White says a key feature of Allianz’ volunteer program and more employees are involved.” The company’s to take leadership roles that will
help them in their careers.”
is an employee steering committee which chooses a charitable eforts were cited as one of the factors that
Regarding the youngest group
handful of primary community causes the company will landed it on Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Places To of workers, the Millennials: “They
support in a given year. In 2011, more than 3,400 hours Work List,” he notes. “We’ve been very focused on em- might not be in position to donate
were contributed equaling more than $73,000 in volun- ployee engagement in the community and we think that money, but they can give back
teer help to area nonproits. is part of what has made us successful, particularly in by getting involved in causes. A
nice way to get to get Millennials
One unique, signature event occurs each holiday diicult economic times.”
involved is not to dictate to them,
season at Allianz as employees ill gift boxes for needy but rather let them get involved
families and form a “human chain” to load the boxes GIVING BACK CONTINUED » on their own,” Arbit advises.


* MN
Give
By The Numbers

$48
million
Dollar amount of
donations since
inception.
More raised than
Facebook Causes!
Causes started in
2007 and has raised
$40 million for causes
so far. We started in
Nov. 2009 and have
raised $48 million
(through 12/31/2012).
Established
November
2009
Give to the Max Day
events in November
2009, 2010 & 2011

2,500+ 6,100+ $153.94
NUMBER OF
Number of nonprofits that have
received a donation through GiveMN THE AVERAGE GIFT
NONPROFITS
TRAINED
since inception (of the 8800 active MN ON GIVEMN.ORG
nonprofits, defined by GuidestarUSA) (Based on average of all donations
IN ONLINE
FUNDRAISING made since inception)

145,000
TOTAL NUMBER OF DONORS
29+
Funding partners
make GiveMN
possible
$100,000 Amount of the largest donation
through GiveMN.org

$1= $45.53
For every dollar invested in the 2011
GIVEMN HAS A
PAID STAFF OF 2.5
PEOPLE. Volunteers
Give to the Max Day event, $45.53 was and partnerships make
SOURCE: GIVEMN

returned to Minnesota nonproﬁts. everything possible.

(MINNESOTA BUSINESS MAGAZINE)


* GIVING BACK *

Standing OutMinnesota Business celebrates those who have
inspired others to give
BY MAURA KELLER

MOST OF US ARE NO STRANGERS TO THE WORLD OF PHILANTHRO-
PY. We’ve been asked to lend our time and inancial support to various charitable causes.
We are often solicited by groups to help combat various diseases, construct new build-
ings or save the rainforests. For many causes, business professionals are the cornerstone
of these eforts, participating in philanthropic initiatives and nonproit endeavors that
are impacting those in need throughout Minnesota and beyond.

YOUNG MIND, BIG DREAMS ready to be shipped to schools, hospitals and non-
Eleven-year-old Maria Keller, founder of Read Indeed, proit organizations; both national and international.
is one such person who is engaging members of the While schools, religious organizations, commu-
Minnesota business community in her nonproit nity groups and individuals have supported Maria
literacy initiative, Read Indeed. Based in Hopkins,
Read Indeed was founded three years ago, when
Keller learned of the lack of books in the homes of low- “It’s amazing to see how
income children and the role this plays in their future quickly we get things
school performances and future successes. “There are done and how much fun
so many kids who aren’t ready for kindergarten be-
cause they’ve never owned a book or had a book read
everyone has sorting
to them. Our volunteers know they are doing some- and boxing the books.
thing good for someone else and I think that makes They learn about the
them feel really great. huge need for children’s
“I decided I wanted to get books into the homes of
as many children as possible,” Keller says enthusias-
books right here in
tically. “I made the goal of collecting and distributing Minnesota.”
one million books to kids in need by the time I’m 18.”
One million books. An amazing number, consider- with charitable contributions, book drives and volun-
ing the determination and age of the nation’s youngest teer eforts at the Read Indeed warehouse. Business
non-proit leaders. Keller is getting closer to achieving volunteers also have played a huge role in Maria’s
this number as she recently collected her 600,000th eforts, joining a young girl in her vision to improve
book in a warehouse teeming with boxes of books children’s literacy.


P H O T O B Y TAT E C A R L S O N

« Maria Keller, young leader
extraordinaire and founder of
ReadIndeed


* GIVING BACK *

Here’s why: Business volun-
teerism can be a quadruple win.
Everyone involved has something
to gain—the companies that pro-
vide the employee volunteers, the
organizations where employees vol-
unteer, the wider community and
the employees themselves. Such
eforts ofer a low-cost, low-risk,
high-impact way of bringing the
knowledge, skills and experiences
of the business sector accessible to
the non-proit sector. It also builds
understanding, employee skill and
community goodwill.

TOUCHING LIVES
Experts agree that business profes-
« Starkey's mission is awareness, sionals who volunteer ind their
education, protection and treat-
ment of hearing loss. experiences inspiring, empower-
ing and sometimes life changing.
They are giving the opportunity to
practice service and compassion for
From collecting books to ﬁtting hearing those who need it most.
For example, look at Orion As-
aids to packaging meals that will be shipped sociates, a Minnesota social services

to all corners of the world, Minnesota agency and Headwaters Relief Or-
ganization, the nonproit the Orion
companies and their employees are doing organization established to promote

great deeds for those in need. and support volunteerism. The
agency has always sponsored group
volunteer projects and provides paid
time of for volunteerism.

P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F T H E S TA R K Y H E A R I N G F O U N D AT I O N
As part of Cargill’s commitment to corporate responsibility, one of its corporate “In addition to our disaster relief work, our em-
missions is to “invest in and engage with communities where they live and work.” In ployees volunteer regularly through other agency
the past year, the Tartan Evolution team at Cargill has chosen on two occasions to sponsored group volunteer projects, including Toys
volunteer at Read Indeed, counting, sorting and packing books. for Tots, Feed My Starving Children, the Susan G.
“Many teams at Cargill, including my team, have made a commitment to partici- Komen Race for the Cure and Multiple Sclerosis
pate in several service projects each year,” says Angelica King, senior IT consultant walks,” says Cheryl Vennerstrom, chief operating
at Cargill. “I personally believe that volunteering beneits each of us individually and oicer, at Orion Associates and Headwaters Relief
our team as a whole. Each of us has learned more about literacy and the importance Organization.
of literacy in building strong communities. Moreover, while volunteering at Read Several years ago Orion established an agency
Indeed our team has found a double beneit of giving back and team building. The goal of 90 percent participation of its management
environment at Read Indeed allows team members to work together in an open en- and administrative employees in volunteer activi-
vironment conducive to trying new tasks, talking with each other and having fun.” ties. Employees can participate in agency spon-
From 3M to Target and General Mills, businesses of all shapes and sizes have sored events, disaster relief or projects and events
donated their time, collected books and donated funds to Read Indeed, helping hun- of their own choosing.
dreds of thousands of young children. “In 2011, 97% of our employees engaged in a


volunteer activity, with an overall average of 2.75
Haiti Outreach:
events per person,” Vennerstrom says. “Dr. Re- How Technology
becca Thomley, chief executive oicer, believes Enabled Success
that a truly successful organization is one that is not
only successful in its line of business, but is suc-
cessful as a contributor to the community and the Businesses naturally take advantage of
world. She holds to the value that business can be technology to share information. Their
nonprofit counterparts can learn to ap-
a catalyst for creating positive change in the com-
proach their ‘business’ with the same
munity. Employees who give to the community are attitude: utilizing the tools they have to
far more capable of giving to the organization’s cli- achieve results.
ents, their co-workers, and to the organization as a
whole, serving all with the skills they have acquired Haiti Outreach, a nonprofit focusing on
community-managed, sustainable wa-
through their work on volunteer projects. Being
ter and education programs in Haiti, is
placed in positions of leadership over a group of one organization making strides in the Two months later Haiti Outreach chose
volunteers has helped many to rise to the occasion arena of technology. the GiveMN.org platform for its annual
and become true leaders. They return to their work Deep Freeze Dunk event. Teams of in-
in the organization with honed skills beneiting all I first learned of Haiti Outreach after dividuals raised money simply through
the 2010 earthquake that hit the small outreach to their personal social chan-
whom we serve. It is without a doubt, that as a re-
country of Haiti. Like many nonprofits, nels, e-mailing and phone calling.
sult of the volunteer opportunities we’ve provided it lacked an online presence and unfor-
for our employees, the company has developed a tunately missed a valuable opportunity Most recently Haiti Outreach attempted
far more capable, dedicated workforce.” in the immediate rush for aid for the vic- its biggest effort to date – merging its
Giving back to others is a huge component of tims of the earthquake. Lacking prepa- online and offline communities with
ration and an online community, its op- both a social media strategy and a tra-
Starkey Hearing Foundation, part of Starkey Hear-
tions were limited. Haiti Outreach had ditional phone-a-thon. Using GiveMN.
ing Technologies, a privately held, global hearing operated for nearly 15 years without org and backed by a matching dona-
technology company headquartered in Eden Prai- needing to have its finger on the pulse tion of $10,000, it raised $26,250 on
rie, Minnesota. As part of the company’s role in of technology, now it became clear the World Water Day, enough for nearly
giving back to people and volunteering themselves, world around it had gone global. three clean-water wells.
they created the Foundation in 1982 when founder
Realizing it needed a new way to reach One Success at a Time
Bill Austin and his team of audiologists began giv- potential community, donors and ad- Haiti Outreach is transforming how
ing the Gift of Hearing to underprivileged children vocates, in the spring of 2011, Haiti it operates. The successes it has wit-
and adults who cannot aford hearing devices. From Outreach initiated strategic planning nessed encourages continued invest-
2000 to 2010, the Foundation it more than 500,000 and careful implementation of a social ment in technology like social media
media strategy. With limited resources, and online marketing to grow its orga-
hearing aids to people in need domestically and in-
it needed to be clear about its goals nization and create a sustainable pres-
ternationally. Annually, they are dedicated to giving and how much it would realistically ence in its marketing, communications
100,000 hearing aids and are dedicated to itting be able to invest in building an online and fundraising efforts.
more than 1 million hearing aids this decade. community.
When Starkey heads out on a mission, there are Just like the small country it serves,
Online Vehicle for Capital Haiti Outreach may have a long road
volunteers that attend and travel as a team to far and
After building an online community ahead– yet the early successes show
near destinations. The size of the mission dictates for six months, Give to the Max Day that there is much to be hopeful about.
the number of audiologists needed at the mis- 2011 was the perfect vehicle for Haiti
sions. At some missions there could be 35 people Outreach’s first attempt to fundraise
being itted and others include more than 100 peo- online. Armed with a plan that would
« Nicole Harrison is the president and founder
stretch their comfort zone, the team set of SocialNicole, a Minnesota-based business
ple being itted. The Foundation and team was in
a fundraising goal that felt attainable helping connect businesses and nonprofits with
Haiti recently for a mission and o in Israel and Pales- yet pushed them to work hard. Using the resources they need to achieve innovative and
tine for a mission that took place in late February, creative solutions. The SocialNicole team crafted
primarily e-mail and social media tools,
the strategic plan that Haiti Outreach successfully
where they itted 1,000 people. Haiti Outreach succeeded in reaching deployed in its online fundraising efforts.
its initial goal of $10,000 for one clean-
water well. A huge success.
GIVING BACk CONTINUeD »


* GIVING BACK *

Unlimited Potential
Tasks Unlimited creates corporate partnerships and job opportunities
with incredible results BY RACHEL HICKOK

CORPORATE GIVING CAN TRANSFORM A COMMUNITY. Like many other non-proits, corporate
partners provide much-needed inancing and resources to one of Minnesota’s growing non-proits. Tasks Un-
limited ofers job training for individuals with diagnosed mental illnesses. It equips its staf with the ability to
provide the best possible services for client sites and jobseekers. Eight-ive percent of people who come to Tasks
Unlimited are unemployed. Tasks Unlimited has been able to slash the number down to zero percent, through a
passion for creating a better future for those with mental illness. Minnesota companies make this possible through
corporate giving and foundation grants.
With the help of funding from the Otto Bremer Foundation and Wells Fargo Foun- causes of poverty in the community, ofered inancial
dation of Minnesota, Tasks Unlimited is able buy much needed equipment for its support to Tasks Unlimited’s Jobs Training Pro-
teams to bring on site to client workstations. In addition, Tasks Unlimited is able to gram. Armed with $35,000 in funds, Tasks Unlim-
train more people and provide contracted janitorial, grounds maintenance and mail ited was able to continue training people who were
room operation services to businesses much more eiciently because of established ready and willing to work, thus reducing the long
partnerships and strong relationships. With its ability to get each individual back to wait and assisting more people to become inancially
work in a resourceful and dignity-driven way, Tasks Unlimited is changing the face of stable, thereby reducing the burden on state and
mental illness in Minnesota. county social service budgets.
“Like anyone, Tasks’ clients desire stable long term employment with good wages.
They’re proud of their ability to be self suicient and active members of their com-
munities and we’re proud of them.” says Executive Director Karen Johnston. “Tasks Unlimited has
Tasks Unlimited also provides job training and housing to adults who have seri-
ous mental illness. Upon completion of a Tasks Unlimited training program, gradu-
changed the landscape
ates continue their transition to supported employment through Tasks Unlimited of unemployment for
Building Services (TUBS), a social enterprise that provides green cleaning, grounds
maintenance and mailroom services to businesses. TUBS contracted businesses not
those it serves.”
only receive award-winning services, but they make a diference in the community by
providing job opportunities to people often dependent on others for their inancial Not only did corporate giving provide Tasks Un-
welfare. Many clients have worked their entire careers with TUBS, earning a solid limited the opportunity to put people to work, the
job history and fair wages. “Clients who complete a Tasks Unlimited job training program also gave the organization new resources to
program pay taxes, use fewer social services and their re-hospitalization rates are al- work more eiciently for its social enterprise custom-
most non-existent, a huge savings to the tax payer,” states Rachel Hickok, marketing ers. With the help of the Wells Fargo Foundation Min-
manager of Tasks Unlimited. nesota, Tasks Unlimited was able to purchase a John
With funding for job training and mental health services decreasing in the recent Deere Gator for one of its contracted work sites.
market, the demand for services is closely reaching a three-year wait. Tasks Unlimited The purchase of the Gator allowed workers to
looked to other sources to ensure it could continue to train and employ adults, while transport janitorial equipment from building to
helping the Minnesota economy. building at contracts with large open spaces and
The Otto Bremer Foundation, with its commitment to address the underlying multiple buildings. It improved the eiciency and


TASKS
UNLIMITED
WHO THEY
SERVE
Number of people
served in 2011:

307
Number of people
currently employed
by organization
(clients and staff):

338
Number of
Contracts and
work sites:

13
Contracts plus 3
additional work
sites

« Tasks Unlimited Executive Wages paid to
Director, Karen Johnston disabled workers
poses with a piece of equip-
in 2011:
ment they received from the
Wells Fargo Foundation.
$2.5
MILLION
quality of the services clients provided and contributed to the long-term suc- ofer more hours to existing clients while op-
cess of the relationship between the contracted work sites and Tasks Unlimited erating a competitive business. Tasks Unlim- Services provided:
ited Building Services is actively seeking new Green Cleaning,
Building Services. The purchase allowed TUBS to maintain a competitive
Grounds
edge while staying true to its mission to employ people with disabilities. In this opportunities to partner with corporations
Maintenance,
instance, corporate giving beneited the individuals the social service agency to provide business services. The company
Mailroom
serves as well as the organization’s corporate client. is also looking at diversifying the services it
Management
P H O T O B Y E M I LY J . D AV I S

“The Gator has been a huge asset to our building services team, streamlin- currently ofers.
ing work and giving us the ability to work more eiciently. We can’t thank Wells “We want to help more people get on their
Website:
Fargo enough. We wouldn’t have been able to aford this great piece of equip- feet. Our clients are excited to work, but we need tasksunlimited.org
ment without its help,” says Johnston. corporations to partner with us. The corpora-
Looking ahead, Tasks Unlimited’s biggest challenge will be to continue to tion receives great service and our clients get a
provide jobs for people with mental illness. As part of a new strategic plan for chance to be self-suicient. It’s a huge win for
2012-2014, the organization is focusing on how to employ more people and our entire community,” says Johnston.


Seen NETWORKING,
BUSINESS AND
AFTER-HOURS

1

2

3 4 5
6 7

P H OTO S BY D E R E K LU N D M A R K

Social Media Breakfast
1) An attentive crowd (2) L-R Meghan Wilker, Nancy Lyons, Meg Knodl (3) L-R Meghan
SMBMSP #44 – Interactive Project Management
Wilker, Nancy Lyons, Mykl Roventine (4) Crystal Grobe,Kristin Lenander (5) Mary Lower,
Over hundreds of attendees came together to hear
Mykl Roventine (6) Sara Masters, Gayle Haugen (7) Braden Stadlman, Johnny Thompson,
Meghan Wilker and Nancy Lyons from Geek Girls
Amanda Oleson
Guide present their newest book and methodologies.

View the video online at: smbmsp.org

46 MINNESOTA BUSINESS April 2012

» To submit photos for Seen:
Email kate.hindes@tigeroak.com

1

2
3

4 5
6

7
P H OTO S CO U R T E SY O F O L S O N

(1) An elevator shaft, transformed. Pictured here: Jen Rorke, Account Director, Olson (standing), Andy Gray. Partnership
Olson's Open House Marketing, 1:1, Olson (standing) (2) Anne Hofer (HSBC), Virginia Kafer (Olson), Jennifer Bodine (Olson) and Mary Ellen
Olson + Co held an open house at Pardell (Best Buy). (3) The Olson build out was part of the overall restoration of the historic structure and the design
the Ford Center in March, celebrating team worked to balance the historic signiﬁcance of the building with the needs of Olson. (4) Agency founder John
new space and on-going success. Olson. (5) The Cafe space is anchored by a large family style table in the center of the cafe. The south end of the cafe
uses historical graphics of the building create a connection to the past and a glass wall that can fold away creates a
seamless connection to the stage area. Framed by the large opening to the 10th ﬂoor- this area will be the place for all
agency gatherings and new rituals. (6) Anne Michaletz, Senior Account Executive PR, Olson Chicago with Mary Clare
Jensen, Account Supervisor, Olson Minneapolis. (7) Client Lugert, Art Director, Olson

April 2012 minnesotabusiness.com 47

Closers REFLECTIONS ON
MINNESOTA BUSINESSES

CONGRATS!
Weber Shandwick
Honored
the Minneapolis oice of Weber
Shandwick was honored recently
with eight awards, including
industry Campaign of the year,
at the Minnesota public relations
Society of america (prSa)
34th annual Classics awards.
the Classics awards recognize
public relations campaigns that
demonstrate extraordinary
creativity and execution, including
research, implementation and
measurement.

3 Stations Up For
Crystal Radio Awards
the national association of
Broadcasters (naB) recently
Celebrating Success announced inalists for the 25th
annual Crystal radio awards,
the organization’s recognition
The WomenVenture team gathered to celebrate monthly of radio stations for outstanding
year-round commitment to
employee wellness challenge successes. community service. all three of
hubbard radio’s twin Cities-
based stations—KSTP AM, KSTP
ABOUT WOMEN VENTURE: From left to right—back row: Brian hasty, operations Manager; elizabeth FM and KTMY FM—were named
WomenVenture is a nonproit petry-lee, Career development Manager; Michael Kithcart, Chief operating inalists for the industry honor.
organization dedicated to helping oicer; Katy Burke, Business Consultant; Mary Briel, employment Specialist;
women of all ages, cultures,
Judy hawkinson, director of philanthropy; Stephanie Stuart, Women Can do the stations, otherwise known as
it! Manager; Chris olsen, Marketing Manager. 1500 eSpn, KS95 and mytalk107.1,
races and income levels achieve
From Left to right—front row: Jackie Starbird, assistant to the president; are three of only 50 total inalists
economic success through classes alyssa Samuelson, loan fund Coordinator; deb Wilkens-Costello, president;
and services on entrepreneurship for the Crystal radio awards
trish Bosquez, finance Manager; amy Keegan, Women’s Business Center
and career building. and the only inalists from the
director; Jennifer Briggs, Client Services advisor. (Not pictured: Amber
Waldo, Staf Accountant; Ann Mays, Volunteer Director; Carlye Rooney,
Minneapolis/St. paul market.
Grants Manager; Elizabeth Goers, Client Services Advisor.)

PARTING WORDS
“I've always said that the better off you are, the more responsibility
you have for helping others. Just as I think it's important to run
p h oto By d e r e K lU n d M a r K

companies well, with a close eye to the bottom line, I think you
have to use your entrepreneurial experience to make corporate
philanthropy effective.” >> CARLOS SLIM HELU

How do YOU plan on Giving Back in 2012? We'd love to hear from you. kate.hindes@tigeroak.com

48 MINNESOTA BUSINESS April 2012

BUSINESS

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Extra mile.
Law irms talk about “going the extra mile” all the time.
At Barnes & Thornburg, we’d rather walk it than talk it.
we staff your matters with less leverage and more partner
involvement. we approach your business in an eficient,
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AT L A N TA CHICAGO DeLAwAre INDIANA LOs ANGeLes mICHIGAN mINNeApOLIs OHIO w A s H I N G T O N , D. C .

2 2 5 s. s I x T H s T r e e T, s u I T e 2 8 0 0 | m I N N e A p O L I s, m N 5 5 4 0 2

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