entrepreneurship : Innovation + Job News

Billing itself as a site for "all things cool and canine," DogWonderful.com makes it easier for people to travel without leaving their dogs behind. The site offers hotel deals, listings of dog-friendly accommodations, and handy tips for traveling with dogs.
 
The pet travel site is the creation of Teresa Matsui Sanders, founder of a hospitality management and consulting firm, InnWorks.
 
After the economic downturn in 2009, and battling breast cancer twice within a year, Sanders was looking for a fresh start and different consulting opportunities. She did some work for an online publisher and learned about monetizing websites, but wasn't sure what to do with the knowledge until her beloved dog, Kendall, died at the end of June.
 
"The day after she died, I had the inspiration to do a website about dogs and travel," she says. "From my experience in the hospitality industry, I knew there were databases and booking engines that could give dog owners access to thousands of hotels."
 
Sanders hopes to steadily boost visitor numbers and have DogWonderful.com become a major destination site for people who want to travel with their animal companions. Part of the site's revenue is donated to dog-focused charities like NEADS, an organization that trains hearing dogs by using prisoners and combat veterans as trainers.
 
The site launched in late October, on a day that would have been Kendall's 17th birthday, Sanders notes. "Dogs just become such a huge part of your life, and what I've found from working on this site is how much people want to share their love of dogs. It's been amazing."
 
Source: Teresa Matsui Sanders, DogWonderful.com
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Drawn to the online advertising spending power and retail strength of the Twin Cities, California-based digital marketing company ValueClick recently opened an office here in order to expand its Midwestern presence.
 
ValueClick combines data, technology, and services to increase brand awareness for advertisers, and focuses on boosting revenue for online and mobile publishers. Some of the brands under its umbrella include Greystripe, Mediaplex, Smarter.com, and PriceRunner.
 
The Minneapolis office is helmed by Jeff Zoss, who's worked in digital advertising for nearly a dozen years, including stints at CoolSavings and MyPoints. He runs the outpost as a one-person operation now, with another representative in the office for Greystripe, but he anticipates that business will build enough to warrant hiring a team.
 
"Minneapolis/St. Paul is seen as a very valuable market for ValueClick and for advertising in general," says Zoss. "If you look at what's here, from Target and Best Buy to ad agencies, there's a strong focus for the interactive market."
 
ValueClick, like other digital marketing companies, had been relying on a Chicago location for its Midwestern presence, but Zoss notes that an office here will allow the company to become a larger part of the community.
 
"It's nice to be local, to meet someone for coffee instead of flying in," he says. "Sometimes, the best business deals happen because you ran into someone in the skyway."
 
Source: Jeff Zoss, ValueClick
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

First Tuesday
 
November 8
University of Minnesota
Carlson School of Management
McNamara Alumni Center
$28, includes lunch
 
Held for nearly 20 years on the first Tuesday of every month at the McNamara Alumni Center, the First Tuesday Speaker Series has showcased top executives and their insights about business and leadership. This month's round features John Stumpf, the Chairman, President, and CEO of Wells Fargo.
 
 
Best Practices in Leadership Effectiveness & Employee Engagement
 
November 10
Embassy Suites Minneapolis Airport
Bloomington
Main conference: $200 members, $300 for members of partners, $400 non-members
 
Put on by the Minnesota Council for Quality, this two-day event features a main conference on Nov. 10 and post-conference workshops the following day. Organizations such as Toro, US Bank, and Allina Hospitals & Clinics will share best practices in succession planning, communication, employee engagement, and other topics.
 
CityCamp Minnesota
 
November 12
University of Minnesota
Humphrey Center
free
 
Touting itself as an "unconference," CityCamp Minnesota aims to bring together community organizations, technology startups, social media experts, software developers, open government advocates and "everyday citizens" for a discussion about how to strengthen local communities. Although there will be breakout sessions and at least 25 different interactive discussions, the conference organizers note that the "coffee break becomes the conference."
 

Robotics Alley
 
November 17
University of Minnesota
Carlson School of Management
$145
 
ReconRobotics (see our previous coverage here) teams up with the Minnesota High Tech Association to host a gathering of 250 leaders in the global robotics industry. Featuring a keynote address by renowned robotics expert Peter Singer, the program also includes a series of open-format talks on the business of robotics from experts in the financial, legal, policy, and academic sectors.

When Ethiopian-born Tashitaa Tufaa lost his civil service position with the Minneapolis Housing Authority in 2003, he saw two possible directions: either go back to his former job as a bus driver, or take a leap of faith and start his own bus company instead.
 
Fortunately for himself and the 200 people he now employs, he took the entrepreneurial option.
 
Tufaa brought in family members to help run the business, Metropolitan Transportation Network, and began garnering contracts with public and private schools, steadily growing the Coon Rapids-based company over the years.
 
"We seem to grow faster every year," he says. "We stay on top of it by working day and night, and also by empowering our management team. They're responsible for big decisions, instead of everything coming from me. I think that builds trust."
 
With more contracts coming in and expansion into other communities like Crystal and St. Cloud, Tufaa expects to hire at least 50 more people in the next year. He also anticipates that buying more vehicles, broadening the current fleet of 300, and constructing a new building on a six-acre lot in Fridley should help in the effort.
 
"We're excited by the opportunities that we see ahead," says Tufaa. "We want to start providing public transportation in different cities, that's a major goal. In the meantime, we're just going to work hard and provide excellent service."
 
Source: Tashitaa Tufaa, Metropolitan Transportation Network
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Sometimes, a small hobby can become big business.
 
For Ryan Batcheller and Andrew Duneman, an interest in aquarium supplies turned into one of the fastest growing companies in the state.
 
Started in 2007 by the entrepreneurial pair, Golden Valley-based Bulk Reef Supply has been on such a fast track that it recently landed on the Inc. 5000 list, coming in at number 258. Over the past three years, the company has soared from initial revenues of about $300,000 to nearly $4 million in 2010.
 
It all started with "fish chili," according to Batcheller. He made up a fish food for his own aquarium dwellers, and when some friends began asking for samples, he thought about selling it in bulk. From there, the idea blossomed into selling aquarium additives online, at bulkreefsupply.com.
 
Customers began sending them leads on products, and the pair started hiring and adding items to the site at a rapid pace. After creating some structure through the use of the Entrepreneurial Operating System, they managed to develop a system of their own that let them handle growth and keep hiring.
 
Currently, the company features 1,400 products and employs 21 people. Most likely they'll keep up the pace, but Batcheller isn't worried about hitting a wall: "We don't have revenue goals," he says. "We used to, but then we realized that revenue isn't where we'd find success. Instead, we want to be the best in the industry, the top saltwater aquarium supplier in the country. We'll get there."
 
Source: Ryan Batcheller, Bulk Reef Supply
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

A new group is hoping to bring more jobs and investment to the Twin Cities, and is amping up its marketing campaign to achieve its ambitious goals.
 
Called Greater MSP Partnership and based in St. Paul, the organization has developed a website that contains resources for local companies that want to grow their businesses, information for firms that are considering relocation, and tools for finding commercial and industrial properties.
 
A news feed features upbeat items, such as recent profit increases for St. Jude Medical and Supervalu. For companies looking at the Twin Cities from other parts of the nation, Greater MSP includes information on what makes the region so noteworthy, highlighting areas like our high rate of volunteerism, the arts and culture scene, and healthy lifestyle factors.
 
Covering the 13-county area around the Twin Cities, Greater MSP is a public-private partnership funded by charitable donations. The partnership works with dozens of partners and intends to set a strategic vision for regional economic development, among other aims.
 
Helming the effort is Michael Langley, who ran an economic development consulting practice on the East Coast before coming to Greater MSP. Recently, Langley noted that there are already at least 40 projects in the works, and the hope is that the number will expand to 150 to 200 over the next year.
 
Source: Greater MSP
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Social media is big business these days, and John Marino aims to be at the forefront of the trend.
 
In 2003, Marino co-founded BRIOprint, an online printing company that reported double-digit growth every year since its founding. Marino sold it to his partner in 2010, wanting to take on new challenges.
 
While building the multi-million dollar company, he leveraged social media like Twitter and Facebook, and so when the time came to move on from BRIOprint, he knew just where to go.
 
"I realized that a lot of small- and medium-sized businesses could use some social media management, so I headed in that direction," he says. "RSP Marketing was created to meet that demand."
 
The company began ramping up through strategic hires, including a sales team, designers, and programmers. In all, RSP has 10 employees, and Marino notes that there are plans to keep hiring, particularly for the sales department. He just brought on three people from the firm's summer internship program, and expects to hire a new employee every few months.
 
A growing client roster drives the steady pace, he says. Companies come to RSP for video services, websites, a strategic social media plan, and details on how to leverage popular online tools. Usually, they're happy to have RSP do the management while they watch the results.
 
Marino compares the arrangement to hiring a fitness trainer who can shed pounds for a client by getting on the treadmill himself (if only that possibility existed!).
 
"By and large, most people just don't have the time to tap into social media, and that's understandable," says Marino. "They don't have time to add one more responsibility to their mix."
 
He expects that as more companies want social media clout, but don't have the luxury to spend hours on sites, RSP will keep on clicking.
 
Source: John Marino, RSP Marketing
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Sorting through resumes can help human resources professionals see who's qualified for a position, and to really get a sense of the candidate, in-person interviews are crucial.
 
But what if there was another step in between, so HR could see and hear the candidate without the time and effort required for a standard interview process?
 
That's where the video interview comes in, and local startup Hyier is hoping to be that go-to resource for hiring. The company provides a platform where clients can list a job in Hyier's system, and receive video responses from candidates. Hyier's software allows people to record video in a systematic way, and for client companies to rate and comment on videos for their own files.
 
Founded by entrepreneur Derek Buschow in July 2010, Hyier sprouted from Buschow's experience in looking for a job while attending the University of St. Thomas. He'd gotten frustrated with the lack of calls after sending out his resume, and wished that he could use video to help him in his search.
 
He says, "I'm the kind of person who likes to meet face-to-face, and I thought that if I could just get in front of someone, I could get the job. I began to work with that idea and thought it might be like Monster.com, but with video."
 
Instead of a job board, Hyier ended up being a service that helps clients qualify candidates. Buschow believes that using video helps companies to see the personality and communication skills of a potential employee, and the Hyier system allows clients to ask specific questions to be addressed in the video presentations.
 
"This provides another dimension to screening," Buschow says. "It's another tool for HR to increase the chances of doing effective searches and hiring."
 
The software just came out of private beta, and Buschow is now moving forward with marketing. He's already seeing quite a bit of traction, he says, so look for video interviews to be the next big wave.
 
Source: Derek Buschow, Hyier
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

From bubbles to the cloud: Rocware has a unique history, and an even more compelling future.
 
The Minneapolis-based company began after siblings Sarah Welle, John Erck, and James Erck worked at Extreme Bubbles, started by their father. The artisan toy company, which makes bubble solution and bubble wands, found distribution in boutique stores, but struggled with expanding in the marketplace.
 
The situation led the trio to consider more efficient ways to share product information with potential customers. Once they came up with the idea of putting catalogs into a cloud-based environment, they knew other small manufacturers and customers could benefit as well.
 
"The mom-and-pop store is back," says Welle. "These store owners want to buy local, but they need help in getting started. That's where we come in."
 
Rocware developed a site where a product purveyor can create an online catalog that can be shared privately with customers. Since manufacturers tend to have different pricing and different product categories depending on the customer, they can tweak the catalog based on who's viewing it.
 
For example, a natural foods store looking at a soap manufacturer can see a catalog that has only organic products, with pricing based on smaller orders. Welle says, "This makes things better for people on both sides of the equation. It's completely customized." Another benefit is that users can create a purchase order with just a few clicks.
 
Rocware is unique, Welle says, which may be why the company is growing quickly, with over 50 customers right now, and more signing on every week.
 
Welle says, "We're really passionate about helping small businesses, and connecting with artisan product creators and mom-and-pop retailers. We aim to keep growing, and have fun along the way."
 
Source: Sarah Welle, Rocware
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

If all goes as planned, firefighters in Japan and South Korea will be racing to fires with innovative technology from Minnesota.
 
The countries have been talking about distribution arrangements with South Saint Paul-based EarthClean Corporation, developer of TetraKO, a system that transforms water into a liquid that sticks to vertical and ceiling surfaces. Once applied and exposed to heat, TetraKO converts to steam, leading to longer fire suppression and fewer incidents of rekindling.
 
EarthClean has garnered attention in the past year for its equity financing rounds and awards in the Cleantech Open and the Minnesota Cup competitions. Also, earlier this year, the company benefitted from being part of an international marketing project out of Stanford University.
 
Those opportunities have allowed the firm to move forward in its global reach, according to company founder and president Doug Ruth. Last month, the company signed a $4.3 million deal with a clean technology and industrial coatings company based in South Korea.
 
"Right now, it seems that international sales may be bigger for us than domestic," says Ruth. "We're in the process of negotiating with a Japanese distributor and doing testing with the Tokyo Fire Department."
 
Expansion globally is easier, he adds, because in some countries, government entities make decisions on fire department purchases, unlike in the U.S., where fire departments each make their own purchasing decisions.
 
Ruth expects to begin testing and negotiations with departments in Australia and New Zealand, as well as countries in Europe. The company has eight full-time and four part-time employees, and could do more hiring if more big deals come along. "We all feel really good about where the company is headed," says Ruth. "We're on track."
 
Source: Doug Ruth, EarthClean
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Every company has an org chart, describing its hierarchy and reporting structure, but, as many people know, that's not always how business really gets done.
 
Instead, a sales manager may have lunch frequently with an executive assistant, or a CFO could go bowling weekly with account managers. Those social interactions, based on friendship and similar interests, have a ripple effect across an organization, and influence how projects are tackled.
 
For entrepreneur Vikas Narula, it's these informal social networks that are not only fascinating, but also crucial for understanding how businesses run.
 
To tap into the power of these relationships, he's created Keyhubs, a company that uses software and services to uncover social dynamics and delve into the self-organizing nature of groups. Keyhubs consultants first talk with employees at a client site, and then design custom surveys that are tailored to the organization and ask specific questions about how departments are working.
 
Narula believes that with this information, companies are in a better position to boost collaboration, grow talent, and leverage key influencers to help drive change.
 
"Many times, an executive's perception of who's critical is different than reality," says Narula. "My own experience in the corporate world was filled with examples of management making personnel decisions that didn't make any sense. They'd promote someone even though someone else was way more qualified. So, when I learned about this concept of informal networks, I wanted to find a way to apply it."
 
Narula searched for a tool that could help map these networks, but found only academic and complicated programs. He worked with one of his college classmates to launch Keyhubs as a side project, initially, and then as a full-time endeavor in 2009.
 
Since then, several Fortune 500 companies have chosen Keyhubs to provide insight into their organizations. Narula anticipates robust growth ahead, as more companies recognize the value of internal social networks. He says, "We're in the business of helping companies to manage in a new and better way, and to make better decisions. As long as we keep providing that, growth will follow."
 
Source: Vikas Narula, Keyhubs
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Momentum keeps companies growing, and at software firm thisCLICKS, it means they have more desks to buy. The company has nearly doubled in size in the last 14 months, and now has 13 employees. With ongoing software development and client engagements, founder Chad Halvorson anticipates more hiring in 2012.
 
Part of the potential demand in the next year is likely to come from an application called "When I Work," which allows companies to create efficiencies in their schedule management.
 
For example, a hospital can use the app to schedule work shifts for doctors and nurses at multiple locations, and to fold in shifts from satellite facilities like nursing homes. That way, a health-care organization can make sure to have the right number of staff members without scrambling to fill last-minute schedule gaps, or paying excessive overtime.
 
Halvorson thought of the concept in 1998, when he was a bag boy at a grocery store. The Internet was growing in popularity, and he wondered why he had to drive to work every week to check his schedule, when the information could be put online.
 
After a dozen years of application development, he revisited the idea and looked for software that had been developed for schedule management. He found only complicated programs that were difficult to learn and had too many features to be useful. Also, very few were mobile, he noticed.
 
In July 2010, he and his team at thisCLICKS launched When I Work, and since then, feedback has been phenomenal, Halvorson notes: "There are a mess of options out there for scheduling tools, but what I hear is that ours is so simple to use that people respond to it in a very positive way."
 
When I Work is the firm's first product for itself, rather than for a client, and Halvorson anticipates that the program's success will drive more development at the company. "Technology has been my obsession since high school," he says. "It's so much fun to do this work and see how you can make things easier for people."
 
Source: Chad Halvorson, thisCLICKS
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Imagine playing a game and seeing a shrug of your shoulders or a small bend of your knee translated perfectly on-screen.
 
At Medibotics, it's those types of visions that are fueling the company's future. The Minneapolis-based company has developed motion recognition clothing that relies on bendable tubes integrated into fabric.
 
Helmed by inventor Bob Connor, the firm was developed to create an organized structure for the development of patents, and Connor has plenty of patent ideas. For example, he believes his clothing product could be used for medical issues as well as gaming.
 
If someone is working on weight management, for instance, the garments could track much more than a pedometer's measurements. An individual can record blood pressure changes as he or she exercises or walks, along with general upper body movement, heart rate, the amount of energy expended each day, and more.
 
"There are so many applications for motion recognition clothing," says Connor. "I feel like I think of new ways to use it every day."
 
Under the Medibotics umbrella, Connor has a number of inventions at the ready. In attempting to help his son with his carpal tunnel issues, he created a computer mouse that's similar to a tiny beanbag chair, which he calls Blob Mouse. Instead of containing a rollerball, the mouse has pressure sensors on the bottom, alleviating stress on hands and joints.
 
Looking to deal with his own problem, tinntinitus, Connor is working on a product that can mask the sound without being uncomfortable or disturbing a sleeping partner. He's come up with a headband, called Hushband, now in the prototype stage.
 
Yet another invention is a wheelchair that can get through snow and ice without difficulty--likely to be a bestseller in the Midwest during our long winters.
 
Connor notes that he's been inventing products in his mind throughout his life, but it's only in his phased retirement as a University of Minnesota professor that he's really attacked the inventor role with gusto.
 
Currently, Medibotics has pursued 10 patents, and Connor anticipates more in the years ahead. "I'm always looking for solutions to unmet needs or problems that I see around me," he says.
 
Source: Bob Connor, Medibotics
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

Many inventors apply for awards, but in order to win, they often need working prototypes for judges to examine, and that can be an expensive gamble.
 
Local manufacturing company Proto Labs aims to change that scenario by offering an award that allows inventors to make those prototypes, with Proto Labs footing all or some of the bill.
 
Launched in April, The Cool Idea! Award is designed to give product designers, entrepreneurs, and inventors an opportunity to see their visions transformed into working models. The firm is providing an aggregate sum of up to $100,000 worth of prototyping and short-run production services to award recipients, so they can take their product idea from a 3D CAD model to a first-run production stage.
 
"We wanted to recognize people who have truly cool ideas, but who need help bringing them to market," says Bill Dietrick, Proto Labs' vice president of marketing. "Other award programs only kick in when a product is in the market and commercially viable. We wanted to help people who are further back in the process."
 
Proto Labs will choose several winners throughout the year. The first award recipient, TruFlavorWare, will use the manufacturer's services to prototype a set a flatware designed for people undergoing chemotherapy. The flatware eliminates the bitter metallic aftertaste caused by traditional forks and spoons.
 
Entries have been coming in at a rapid pace, and Dietrick notes that they're overwhelmed with applicants. Because of the wealth of great ideas, the company created a new category called "honorable mention" and awards those winners a reduced manufacturing cost if they decide to use Proto Labs.
 
Although the program is currently available only to innovators in the United States, the company is considering opening up the awards next year to inventors worldwide.
 
"It's really been wildly successful so far," Dietrick says. "It's great to see all the amazing ideas that inventors have, everything from robotics to household products."
 
Source: Bill Dietrick, Proto Labs
Writer: Elizabeth Millard

A new type of networking event is on the calendar for early October: a flea market that brings together entrepreneurs so that they can barter their services with one another or embark on collaborations.
 
That's the hope, anyway. Organizer Kareem Ahmed, an entrepreneur himself, envisions the event as a connection point for those who are trying to grow their businesses.
 
He hopes to draw a broad array of professionals, including content creators, illustrators, and marketing experts along with musicians, video producers, artists, and fashionistas.
 
The event's site notes that the flea market was created because Ahmed has heard too many people say, "I have this great idea for an app but I just don't know how to find a programmer," or "I have this great idea for a product but I don't know anyone who can help me create a prototype."
 
Ahmed says, "As an entrepreneur, I feel like I have a ton of ideas, but I need the connections to help bring them to reality. I think that's very common, so I came up with a way to network--not to find clients, but to grow a network of fellow professionals who can be helpful for projects."
 
Planned for October 5th at Urban Bean in South Minneapolis, the flea market has only a few spots still open as of this writing, showing that demand for an event of this type is strong.
 
Ahmed anticipates a monthly flea market where entrepreneurs can share ideas, present case studies, and talk about the future of their particular industries. He says, "We all go through challenges and struggles, and we can learn from one another."
 
Source: Kareem Ahmed, Entrepreneur Flea Market
Writer: Elizabeth Millard