Buzz

Malcolm O'Hagan, a businessperson who has a love for literature, is scoping out U.S. places to house a writers' museum similar to the Dublin Writers' Museum in Ireland.

He says it could happen in the Twin Cities, according to a Star Tribune story by Laurie Hertzel.

Though Chicago has been hailed as a strong maybe, Minnesota Historical Society acquisitions librarian Patrick Coleman invited O'Hagan to come to the Twin Cities--in the hopes that he would think about it as an alternative.

O'Hagan took him up on his offer to visit. During the author's trip to the area, which was timed around the Minnesota Book Awards in April, O'Hagan met with local publishers and librarians; toured the Loft, University of Minnesota campus, and various libraries; and stopped by a few literary landmarks.  

In the story O'Hagan reflects on his trip, saying, "Everything about it was hugely engaging and enjoyable," adding, "The Twin Cities, with its corporate structure and support for the arts, is a very viable candidate."

Following on the heels of National Geographic's top 10 list of summer places from around the globe, which put Minneapolis in fourth place, CNN recently published a first-person account from local journalist Chris Welsch about what makes the area such a draw.

He writes, "Yes, winters here tend to be on the chilly side of things, but the place has so much more to offer than a slick spot for ice fishers to set up their shanties."

A thriving arts community and a bike-friendly, foodie atmosphere make for an unbeatable combination.

For proof, Welsch names numerous local cultural institutions, including the Guthrie Theater, First Avenue, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, among others.  

Also, at restaurants such as the Aster Caf� in Minneapolis, outdoor seating is at a premium. He says: "Since winters here are so long, people--including yours truly--tend to come down with what I would call the worst cases of cabin fever known to man. When spring finally does arrive, it's like the gun's been fired and gates opened at the racetrack."

 

Working Mother magazine named two Twin Cities corporations to its list of "best companies for hourly workers."

The magazine cited Best Buy's "deep discounts" on store product and company stock, tuition reimbursement, financial aid and time off for adopting parents, and 401(k) offerings to 20-hour-per-week employees.

Likewise, Working Mother lauded Carlson for its tuition aid, 401(k), choice of three health plans, maternity leave (with six partially paid), child care, and benefits for adoptive parents.

The "hourly workers" category is one of several "best companies" lists the magazine puts out.

Investors Mark Marlow and Sean Casey "are putting up $10m each of their own money to fund Minnesota startups for no other reason than they see a real opportunity here and now," according to a story at Tech.mn.

The pair formed Omphalos Venture Partners in November and have since invested $1.7 million in four companies, writes Jeff Pesek: Zipnosis, Rapid Diagnostic, Bavia Health, and Steady State Imaging.

Marlow and Casey were together previously at the successful startup Virtual Radiologic.

National Geographic features Minneapolis as a top summer spot in its just-out list of '10 Best Summer Trips of 2011,' which also includes international destinations.

Minneapolis comes in fourth place while Muskoka Cottage Country, Ontario, Canada, is number one. 

The city deserves such praise thanks to its pedestrian- and bike-friendly routes, lively summer cultural events, farmers' markets, and fun baseball-related activities--all things that National Geographic took into consideration.

The story elaborates on some of the city's amenities, including cultural and natural resources: "Survey the vibrant scene from the new CRAVE restaurant rooftop patio near the State Theatre, then grab a bike at the nearest Nice Ride Minnesota kiosk ($5 plus trip fees) and cruise all or part of the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway, a 50-mile urban trail loop. With 22 city lakes and the mighty Mississippi, playing on, in or near the water always is an option."

The locally-based Utne Reader magazine, which speaks to independent ideas and alternative culture, got props for its March-April cover from Business Insider magazine's "13 Coolest This Month," Minnpost's media writer David Brauer reports.  

It's a distinction that puts the Utne Reader alongside other nationally and internationally known periodicals such as Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter and The Economist, among others.

The cover depicts Donald Trump being burned at the stake under the line "Fire the Rich."

Brauer states, "Even if you disagree with the, ahem, uncivil sentiment, it's a pretty great piece of art."

He also notes that despite raising its newsstand price, the Utne Reader has recently increased sales.

Brauer includes comments from Utne editor David Schimke, who adds that the covers have fared well in big urban settings on the East Coast, especially New York City.

A Twin Cities fitness franchise has been named one of the top 21 opportunities for young entrepreneurs by Under30CEO.com.

Snap Fitness, based in Chanhassen, "has some of the lowest startup costs in the industry," according to a company description in the rankings.

Under30CEO.com also writes that Snap Fitness Founder Peter Taunton was a recent recipient of Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award, and that the franchise has appeared on the franchisehelp.com blog's list of 18 Perfect Franchises for the Modern Day Man.

How does a creative executive manage more than a dozen external creative partners and a $35 billion brand?

Tim Murray, creative director of the Creative Vision Group at Target, gave a five-point lesson at an AIGA/NY event held at the New School in New York, reports Fast Company's Helen Walters in an April 18 article.

How does Target produce "deceptive simplicity from unfathomable complexity" and "successfully [manage] collaboration and complexity," as Walters writes?

Be transparent, play nice, be open, stretch the work, and talk talk talk.

(There's a bit more explanation in the article.)

Recent auditions for celebrity comedian Adam Sandler's upcoming movie, "I Hate You, Dad," were held locally at the Hennepin Center for the Arts in downtown Minneapolis, the Pioneer Press reports.

Casting calls are also happening in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, the story states.  

One Maple Grove resident who showed up to try out for the part of a young Adam Sandler, 15-year-old Ethan Maisel, is quoted in the story saying, "I've never been told I look like him. But, he adds, "I've never been told I don't look like him, if that makes sense." 

When the casting agents ask him, on camera, why he wants the job, he tells them, "I would be so excited," adding, "I've always been interested in movies and TV. I'd like to get involved in the business side of things, but to be cast in a movie would change my life."

An MSNBC story about the growing trend of bicycle cafes, which ran last month, highlights a couple of local shops, including Cars-R-Coffins and One On One Bicycle Studio.  

Bike cafes, one-stop shops where bicyclists can grab coffee or a bite to eat and get their bikes tuned up, are becoming increasingly common, as seen in Minneapolis, Portland, San Francisco, Boston, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and elsewhere, it states.

The story cites the trend's correlation to an "emerging bicycle culture sweeping many U.S. cities," which has led to more bike paths and lanes, bike-sharing programs, and related legislative changes.  

Gene Oberpriller, a partner at One On One Bicycle Studio, which opened in 2003 in downtown Minneapolis, is quoted saying, "In cycling culture, there is a strong connection to coffee." In some sense, "We're the engine for the bike," he adds.

Local duo The Ultramods brought a new claim to fame to the Twin Cities by becoming the first artist to record an album on the iPad, reports Brian X, Chen in Wired.

The iPad 2 offers a GarageBand app, which Max "Bunny" Sparber and Coco Mault used to record every instrument and track for their album Underwear Party.

The album is available for $10 on the Ultramods' website, and a free MP3 track is available through the Wired article. (Note: judging by the song titles and description, the "pervy collection of two-chord songs" is not for tender ears or the very young.)

The mystery bookstore in Minneapolis's Uptown area, Once Upon A Crime, is the first from Minnesota to be honored with the Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America, according to MPR.

The Raven Award, which goes back 50 years, recognizes excellence in the mystery-writing world.

Despite a tough bookselling market, Once Upon A Crime has stayed on top of its niche, with plenty of personalized attention to customers and a strong collection of titles, plus numerous events that support the genre, the story states.

Larry Light, vice-president of Mystery Writers of America, who is quoted in the story, describes the bookstore as a strong booster for mystery storytelling: "They helped turn mysteries into a genre that...thrives in Minneapolis."

In a recent Business Journal study of 100 metro areas across the country where small businesses flourish, the Twin Cities placed 12th. The Business Journal is a national online affiliate of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, a story states.  

It's a big leap from the past couple of years, when the Twin Cities came in 39th. The Business Journal evaluated cities "on their ability to create and develop small businesses."    

Austin, Texas, topped the list, while Modesto, Calif., is at the bottom.

G. Scott Thomas, who analyzed the data, says in the story, "We used a six-part formula to analyze the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas, searching for the places that offer the best climates for small businesses."

Investment in Minnesota startups may be good or bad, depending on whom you read.

The Star Tribune's Wendy Lee reports that angel investors are scaling back and are unable to fill a vacuum left by a venture capital investors less willing to fund early-stage entrepreneurs.

Lee cites national numbers from the University of New Hampshire's Center for Venture Research for the angel-investor decline: an 11 percent drop in the first half of 2010 from the previous year and "the lowest percentage of angel investors funding start-ups at the idea or concept stage in at least 15 years."

She writes that venture capital investments in Minnesota also dropped to their lowest level in 15 years in 2010--a decline of $126.7 million from 2009.

The Business Journal's Katharine Grayson takes a more recent and less negative look at venture-capital investment in Minnesota startups.

Grayson reports that seven Minnesota firms raised a combined $51 million in funding from venture-capital firms in the first three months of 2011--$21 million more than the last quarter of 2010. She writes that "2010 was a brutal year for venture investment," noting that only four companies raised funds in the first quarter of last year.

Tech.mn's Jeff Pesek provides a similar and even rosier analysis of first-quarter investment  in just the high-tech sector, listing 21 tech firms that received at least $38 million. Two of them--Cima NanoTech and 8thBridge --accounted for $25 million of that. Pesek provides a full list, and he notes ten tech deals worth a total of $3.3 million "facilitated under the umbrella of the Minnesota Angel Investor Tax Credit."

Ever heard someone say they just like the feel of a good book in their hands--as a way of dissing electronic media?

Well, Pad & Quill is bringing the old feel to the new media, as Elisa Huang writes in a March 23 article in the Design section of Good.

The St. Louis Park-based company makes leather-bound covers for the Nook, Kindle, iPhone and iPad that look like the real thing because they are made "using traditional bookbinding techniques," writes Huang.

The covers cost $50�$70 dollars.