When future historians get around to naming eras and establishing turning points, expect 1993 to be a year students must memorize. That’s when commoners gained entrance to a domain previously reserved for Knights of Academia (colleges and universities) and the Ruling Elite (government agencies).
Read MoreEver tried to muzzle a ferret? What about a timber wolf? Probably not. But if the need arises, Cindi Gaterud of rural Janesville has already designed muzzles or hoods for ferrets, wolves, elk and other creatures. She helps veterinarians and a variety of animal-handlers minimize one of their major occupational hazards – puncture wounds from sharp teeth.
Read MoreIf you still harbor doubts about the benefits of telecommunications deregulation and competition, consider Mankato Citizens Telephone Co. as a case study. If you want a stock bargain, consider Hickory Tech Corp., its parent company.
Read MoreSome say there’s a sad and final note to the bang of anauctioneer’s gavel.
It signals the end of an antique collection, the breakup of a farm or the dispersal of family heirlooms. “Sold!” cries an auctioneer, and someone walks away with your father’s favorite chair.
Read MoreWell before the century turned, a German immigrant family tended vegetables along what would become Mankato’s Madison Avenue, planting spacious gardens overlooking the city and river valley. Those German gardeners would be amazed at what grows there now all year long.
Read MoreIf it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Ron Peterson, manager of the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing plant in New Ulm, ignores that ancient axiom. He’s on a determined mission to revitalize what’s always been one of 3M’s most successful plants.
Read MoreThere’s nothing more affectionate than a purring kitten settled in your lap, nothing more appealing than a frisky puppy who wants to play. America is a nation of pet-lovers. But, ah, there’s a downside. Pets, uhm, even the best-groomed pets, sometimes create unpleasant odors. So do swine herds, turkey flocks and the mess that’s left after you clean a stringer of walleyes.
Read MoreCan a former Wall Street lawyer find happiness running a small Minnesota business? That may sound like the story line for a television series, but it’s real life for Herb Kahler, the lawyer who owns and operates Crown Fixtures, Inc., in Winnebago. “We’re happy to be back in Minnesota,” said Kahler, who left Wall Street to join a large conglomerate, then became something of a roving executive for the company. His assignments included a 14 year stint with one of the company’s subsidiaries in Minneapolis. Now he’s back as a go-it-alone entrepreneur.
Read MoreSixty percent of American workers say they lack adequate training to properly do their jobs.
That can be fixed, according to Bill Russell and Jeanne T. Doheny. They train employees of companies in which you’d feel comfortable owning stock, companies all the way from Minneapolis to the Pacific Rim, even some companies whose names you might not recognize.
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