Off-The-Cuff
Before we start: Our many thanks go out to the seven Minnesota State University College of Business professors choosing our 2010 Business Person of the Year, Pamela J. Year of MRCI WorkSource. In her email to us on October 7 declaring the final vote results, Dr. Ann Kuzma of the MSU College of Business said, “Several of the faculty expressed that this year’s nominees were very impressive and that it was quite difficult to make a final selection.” Indeed. The voting from top to bottom was extremely tight, our closest ever for Business Person of the Year. A changed vote or two easily could have vaulted the fifth- or sixth-placed person to No. 1….
The Editor felt down for a while after hearing of Bill Bresnan’s death in late November, but not surprised. When telephoning Bill’s New York office last year to acquire information about him for our 15th anniversary issue, I learned firsthand from his long-time assistant, Irene Parker, that he had cancer. She didn’t want me telling anyone because Bill didn’t want anyone knowing—at least then….For newer Connect Business Magazine readers, Bill Bresnan (Jan. 2001 cover), a 1953 South Central Technical College graduate, was the top executive at the nation’s first- or second-largest cable television company—depending on the company or year—from 1965-84. In 1984, he began his own cable television company, Bresnan Communications, and in 2000 would sell that to Charter Communications for a cool $3.1 billion. Not a bad payday. He then started another cable company serving Rocky Mountain states….
Bill had Mankato-area roots. He grew up in Madison Lake, and in the 1950s lived on Mankato’s North Fifth Street, three houses down from Madison Avenue. Though not a Minnesota State graduate, he would generously donate $2.5 million to help create MSU’s Bresnan Arena at Taylor Center….The Editor fondly remembers interviewing Bill over the 2000 Thanksgiving holiday at his sister Marilyn’s State Street home near Mankato West. I consider his cover interview our best in terms of Bill’s willingness to share intimate, historic information with our readers. Weeks before Bill was inducted into the 2007 inaugural class of the Cable Television Hall of Fame in Denver, Colorado, a Hall of Fame representative telephoned to request a copy of our magazine article. Bill had wanted it part of his exhibit, the representative said. In our interview, his detailed and animated description of his 1965 meeting with Jack Kent Cooke, a cable company and Washington Redskins owner, was absolutely priceless. William J. Bresnan was 75….
The Editor and his 13-year-old son attended their first Mavericks hockey game in a while on November 28. The Mavericks won a tight 3-2 puckfest against Michigan Tech. While seated in Connect Business Magazine Blue Line seats in Section 202, the Editor spied out two people that had made our cover: Kim Schwickert (Sept. 2009) and Lorin Krueger (Jan. 2004). The game itself was great, but the psychotic laughter and “People’s Court” theme song sent over the sound system that accompanied the hockey referees’ entrances each period seemed bizarre, to say the least….
It’s not often we capture such a high-profile columnist for our National Opinion section. (Print Version Only) Writing this issue was Elaine Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor from 2001-09 under George W. Bush. She is now a distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Northern Virginia. As you will see, her writing has an edge to it….
Here is one snippet from the November Fedgazette that we cut from our Business Trends section due to space limitations: Silicon Valley venture capitalist Peter Bianco has been raising $1 billion to convert a 2,300-acre, Rochester-area elk farm into a bioscience incubator. The State of Minnesota has pledged $15 million for site improvements. The finished project would fit hand-in-glove with exposure to medical device firms and research occurring at Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota. Perhaps the spillover will touch our area?….
Finally, the Editor absolutely loves his new corn stove. It should save me $1,000 in winter heating costs this year alone and have a three-year payback. Using it requires forty-five minutes of light work about every five days, mainly involving pulling corn kernels from a grain bin and cleaning and storing that corn for use. The cozy atmosphere created in our living room alone was worth the purchase price. Filling the stove reminds me of days gone by as a child visiting my grandparents in rural southern Ohio. My job involved hauling a coal bucket in from near the barn and tossing fist-sized or larger black nuggets into a red-hot iron stove….
Thanks once again for reading—and enjoying, we trust—south-central Minnesota’s only locally owned business magazine. We’ve been based in Nicollet and publishing since 1994, back when Hillary Clinton was trying to push healthcare reform through the first time. If you know of a great business owner whose story would look nice on our humble pages, consider emailing the Editor. We’re always open and willing to consider new ideas for feature and cover stories.
