Business In The News is a compilation of business stories from around Minnesota and neighboring states usually not reported on by Twin Cities media. These stories provide business leads, trends and insights we hope you will find useful. Timber Industry Remains Hopeful Pellet Plants Will Take Root Efforts continue to help a new organization called NorthStar Pellets develop wood pellet plants in Bemidji and Grand […]
By Tom Hubler, Executive Consultant As a fan of classic films, I am always searching for films that apply to family businesses. I recently viewed the 1936 film, Dodsworth, that stars Walter Houston in the title role, as well as Ruth Chatterton and Mary Astor. Dodsworth, an entrepreneur, sells his automobile manufacturing company and retires without a plan for his future—not unlike many real-life entrepreneurs. […]
By Bill English, Partner The advent of COVID has significantly increased the use of video conferencing technologies, such as Zoom or Teams. Before COVID, if I had four face-to-face meetings in a day at four different locations, that was a busy day for me. Today with Zoom, I can meet 7-8 people each day who are in different locations – all from the comfort of […]
By Dean Bachelor, Founder It was the late 1980’s. I was having lunch with the president of a bank in Red Wing, Minn., at the St. James Hotel, the landmark hotel founded by 11 civic-minded businessmen in 1875. I had just stepped into the role of CEO at Durkee-Atwood, the town’s second largest employer (Red Wing Shoe employed 500+ and Durkee-Atwood had 325 employees). Located in […]
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 […]
By Tom Hubler, Executive Consultant With the New Year starting, it’s a great time to make sure you have a plan for your business (and if you do, that it’s as thorough and up to date as it should be). I always say a plan is better than a New Year’s resolution because it will guide you through the year with much better results. And […]
By Steve Coleman, Partner, Platinum Group All of us are living different priorities today. Wise observers say we are experiencing in this pandemic what would have normally taken ten years to change. My personal awareness of what it means to live out a core value – do the right thing – has been sling-shotted into a top priority for 2021, no longer an idea of […]
Read the articles from our 2021 newsletters.
By Bill English, Partner After talking with a CEO friend of mine this week, she thanked me for asking the questions I raised. They made her stop and think, and then explain what she accomplished last year and what’s in front of her to achieve in 2021. I didn’t ask profound questions. She was thankful for the opportunity to stop working, think, and then articulate […]
By Tom Hubler, Executive Consultant This article is Part 4 of a continuing series about the delicate issues among family businesses. Part 1 discussed financial vs. emotional equity and this article deals with trust and gratitude, which are necessary for emotional equity. Part 2 described family business challenges relating to trust and gratitude. Part 3 addressed the essential need for family meetings to balance the boundary between business […]