7.0. EDSR 04-12-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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TechTrends e-Newsletter March 2004 Page 3 of 6 Association (AMFA). Rusty Hoglund , president of Duluth's Superior Steel , has il been named president-elect. AMFA is a membership-based organization serving • manufacturers and related industries in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a record $53.8 million loan to Bemidji's Paul Bunyan Telephone Cooperative to help develop high-speed Internet service in central and northern Minnesota. According to USDA Rural Utility Services, the loan is the largest ever given for broadband development, as part of a $1.9 billion loan program initiated by the Bush Administration as part of the 2002 farm bill. One expected result: A total of 10,236 homes and businesses in rural Minnesota will be able to connect to the broadband network. cl0 Early this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted marketing approval to St. Paul-headquartered 3M for Aldera , a cream for the treatment of 1 actinic keratosis, a precancerous skin condition caused by sun exposure. The Minneapolis office of intellectual property law firm Merchant & Gould has announced the nomination of Leonard Hope to its board of directors, and the election of Sandra Epp Ryan and Timothy Scull to the partnership. Hope specializes in electrical, computer, and software technologies, and counsels clients 1 on patent, copyright, and trademark matters; litigation; licensing; and due diligence. Epp Ryan has expertise in securing and enforcing trademark rights in the United States and foreign jurisdictions, company name changes, and brand • launches. Scull specializes in electronics, computer architecture, and software applications. He has prior experience as an electrical engineer at General Motors . China's burgeoning demand for steel has restored jobs to Minnesota's struggling Iron Range. Mountain Iron-based Minntac steel plant reports that it recently received a 650,000 metric ton order from China's Shandeng Taishan Iron and Steel Co. In December more than 300 laid-off workers were called back to work in Eveleth after Cleveland-based Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. partnered with China's Laiwu Steel plant to buy and restore a bankrupt ore operation. Last month, Cleveland- Cliffs announced that higher ore prices are projected to improve its operating earnings by $40 million in 2004. Cleveland-Cliffs has also finalized a deal with Vancouver, B.C.-based metals developer Polymet Mining Corp ., under which Polymet would acquire crushing, o concentrating, and warehouse facilities at the former LTV Steel Mining Co. property near Hoyt Lakes, where Polymet hopes to develop an 800-million-ton • metals deposit. Under the deal, Polymet will pay Cleveland-Cliffs $500,000 to 0 • maintain the facilities while it conducts a three-year feasibility study. Hector-based Communications Systems Inc. has announced that it will acquire • Minnetonka-based Image Systems Corp. The boards of directors of both companies have approved the proposed acquisition, which is to be completed by the end of March. Communications Systems Inc. manufactures modular connecting and • wiring devices for voice and data communications. Image Systems manufactures high-resolution displays and accessories for the medical imaging market. Wichita, Kan.-based Flint Hills Resources has announced that it will spend between $325 million and $400 million to produce cleaner-burning diesel fuel at its • Rosemount refinery. The equipment, slated for installation this summer, will produce fuel with lower levels of sulfur. Flint Hills estimates that the project will create 500 construction jobs until its completion in 2006. http://www.minnesotatechnology.org/publications/techtrends/2004/March/printVersion.asp 3/17/2004