Business In The News

Heading Into February 2021

By Dale Kurschner, Executive Consultant

Welcome to Business in the News (BITN), a monthly compilation of business stories from around the state usually not reported on by Twin Cities media. These stories provide business leads, trends and insights we hope you will find useful.

Downtown Duluth is Hot: Building Boom Continues

The City of Duluth issued permits for construction projects valued at a record-high $399 million in 2020, breaking the old record of $277.5 million in 2010. Here’s more on this story, including a mention that new commercial construction scheduled for projects in the Twin Cities may be down by 30 percent.

Canomiks Becomes First Minnesota Company Accepted into PepsiCo’s Business Accelerator

Rochester-based Canomiks is one of ten companies accepted into PepsiCo’s annual Greenhouse Accelerator program. Each business receives $20,000 in grant funding and advice from PepsiCo experts regarding R&D, supply chain management and design. One will be selected in June to receive an additional $100,000. Canomiks uses genomics and AI to test ingredients for use in healthy foods and skincare products. It has only been Minnesota-based for about six months... MORE

Xcel Energy CEO Ben Fowke on Achieving in 2020 While Addressing COVID-19 and Other Challenges

In this One Take CEO Interview, Xcel Energy Chairman and CEO Ben Fowke talks about a wide range of issues including how the utility is investing so much in carbon-free energy production while keeping rates comparable or lower than its peers.

With about half of his workforce working remotely, Fowke shares what he’s doing to keep morale up and accelerate innovation even when people cannot collaborate together. He also discusses how the company is addressing racial issues elevated by George Floyd’s death, the sense amongst many that downtown Minneapolis is no longer a safe place to work, and his greatest challenge this year... MORE

Watch this interview on YouTube or listen via Spotify or Apple Podcasts.