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Once a year for the past nine years, InterCity Leadership, a group of business, government and civic leaders from the Twin Cities, have visited other cities to learn how they deal with critical issues such as transportation, economic development, and education. Much like touring other homes to find ideas to make yours better, the trip has become an incredibly valuable way for our community to see how others have managed challenges and created opportunities.
This year Goff & Howard’s Mike Zipko was a part of an InterCity Leadership group that visited Austin, Texas, which has been heralded as the next Silicon Valley complete with an eclectic mix of arts, culture, and live music. At a time when the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area needs to find ways to keep existing companies and to attract new businesses, the group learned how Austin leaders have successfully done just that. Through strong and consistent messaging, Austin has become known as the “live music capital of the world.” This buzz, along with the city’s collaborative relationship with the University of Texas, has helped attract large corporations and create thousands of jobs. According to city officials, Austin doubles in size every 20 years.
While there is much that can be learned from Austin’s success in growing its economy, there is still much to appreciate about our metro area, including the number of corporate headquarters located here, a strong system of colleges and universities, and a transportation system that continues to improve. Through trips like these, we are strengthening our regional economic development vision by incorporating some strategies from other cities and finding better ways to leverage the things that already make our region strong.
 Members of the 2010 InterCity Leadership group visit the Mueller redevelopment project in Austin. In this project, the public and private sector are working together to redevelop a former airport into a 711-acre, master-planned, mixed-use development that will be home to approximately 10,000 people, 10,000 permanent employees, 10,000 construction jobs, more than 4,900 homes, and approximately 140 acres of public open space. The project could be an example for the Twin Cities to look at as decisions are made about redeveloping the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant site in Arden Hills and the Ford Plant site in Saint Paul.
PCL construction crews officially broke ground on Baldinger Bakery’s new $30 million, 130,000-square-foot facility that will help the 122-year-old company modernize and expand its operations in Saint Paul. Baldinger is known for baking hamburger buns for McDonald’s and Famous Dave’s restaurant chains. All of Baldinger’s 72 employees will move to the new facility, and the bakery expects to hire 42 new employees over the next 10 years.  State and business leaders joined city officials to celebrate the Baldinger Bakery project that is part of the new Beacon’s Bluff development in Saint Paul. The bakery will be part of Beacon’s Bluff Business Center. The Saint Paul Port Authority has been redeveloping the complex since 3M moved its operations from the site. Ultimately, this project will help increase Saint Paul’s industrial tax base and revitalize the city’s East Side, stimulating job growth and economic investment. Construction on the new bakery, which is expected to be finished in about nine months, will be completed by PCL Construction, Inc. Operating out of a branch in Burnsville, PCL has built many other notable Twin Cities landmarks, including the Mall of America and the Science Museum of Minnesota. The company’s experience working on similar food manufacturing facilities helped make this exciting project a reality. We are proud to be a part of PCL’s team. Congratulations!
The age old tradition of playing practical jokes on the village fool (aka your coworker) may not be as funny as it used to be thanks to the economy. April Fools jokes like sending out false termination notices to a co-worker, posting a false promotion on a company bulletin board, or pretending to quit in today’s economy can cause more stress than laughs. A new survey says that 68% of executives find office pranks inappropriate, and HR consultants warn that playing pranks could hurt your chance for a promotion or add your name to a list of “non-essential” employees. For those of you thinking of mischief today, the Spin offers this advice: Keep the jokes clean, not mean. Click here to read more.
 The melting of snow piles, the donning of lighter coats, walking instead of sprinting from the office to the car, and the crowds of hockey fans filling Saint Paul’s streets, bars, and restaurants mean one thing – hockey tournament season has arrived! Thousands of people will descend upon the city to cheer for their favorite hockey team in the boy’s high school state tournament, the WCHA Frozen Five, and the NCAA regional hockey championships. In 2007, Sports Illustrated recognized Saint Paul as Hockeytown, USA. For Saint Paul, hockey is more than just the Minnesota Wild – it’s about the pickup games on the neighborhood pond, the peewee games at the community ice arena, and the high school games at the city rink. Even the Xcel Energy Center – the home of the Wild – displays the hockey jerseys of every high school in Minnesota in the outer concourse. Hockey is more than just a game. It helps city businesses, bars and restaurants at a time when our economy needs a boost. These tournaments add an estimated $7-10 million a year to the city’s economy. Restaurants will be full, bars will be crowded, and people will be happy. Welcome to Saint Paul, hockey tournament athletes, coaches, and fans. See below for more information about the upcoming hockey tournaments:
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