Laserfiche WebLink
TechTrends e-Newsletter I May 2004 Page 3 of 7 <br /> INFORMATION <br /> g record $10.5 billion . The state's exports grew faster than the national rate, which <br /> • was up 3.7 percent in 2003. DEED predicts that the increase in manufacturing <br /> • 0 exports may lead to new jobs for the state. <br /> The Minnesota Dislocated Worker Program recently announced that it will <br /> 0 dedicate $1.6 million to retrain laid-off job seekers. As part of DEED , the state- <br /> and locally funded program will support eight retraining projects at locations <br /> throughout the state. <br /> 0 <br /> Duluth Mayor Gary Doty has announced that the city will purchase the former <br /> �_ Universal Atlas Cement Plant from Pittsburgh, Pa.-based U.S. Steel Corp. After <br /> 10 years of negotiations, the City of Duluth will acquire the 65-acre site—vacant <br /> since 1976—for $232,000. The deal is expected to close in January 2005, according <br /> to KDLH-TV. <br /> 1 <br /> Brainerd -based Nature Vision Inc. , and Photo Control Corp. of Minneapolis <br /> • have announced that they will merge. Publicly held since 1959, Photo Control <br /> designs, manufactures, and sells photographic and video conferencing equipment. <br /> Nature Vision develops and sells video imaging systems for outdoor recreational <br /> use. The merger is subject to approval by the shareholders of both companies. <br /> According to Photo Control representatives, the acquisition is scheduled for <br /> completion by the end of the second quarter of this fiscal year. Nature Vision <br /> operations will continue in Brainerd, reports the company. <br /> Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative of North Baltimore, Ohio , will install <br /> Hunt Technologies' power line automatic meter readers across its service area. <br /> • Pequot Lakes -based Hunt Technologies Inc. manufactures and sells information <br /> and control systems for the utilities industry. <br /> Osseo-based WSI Industries Inc. has announced plans to relocate to a new <br /> 49,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Monticello later this month. According <br /> A( <br /> to WSI president and CEO Michael J. Pudil , increased sales have prompted the <br /> • move. WSI Industries manufactures high-precision parts for a range of industries, <br /> employing 45 people. <br /> Entrepreneur and University of Minnesota Duluth marketing instructor Rob West <br /> has been named CEO of the Area Partnership for Economic Expansion <br /> (APEX) , a Duluth-based regional economic development initiative. Chosen from a <br /> field of 100 candidates, West founded and sold Westerlund Products Corp. , a <br /> Minneapolis-based closet storage product wholesaler. He has experience in the <br /> advertising, high-tech, manufacturing, aerospace, and consumer products <br /> industries, among others. As a result of recent fundraising efforts, APEX is <br /> scheduled to receive more than $400,000 per year in private-sector contributions <br /> y over the next three years, the organization reports. <br /> • Total Card Inc. , a Sioux Falls, S.D. -based credit card management firm, has <br /> announced plans to expand its business operations to Luverne, Minn. , 30 minutes <br /> away. The company's headquarters and current 150 employees will remain in Sioux <br /> Falls. According to Total Card, the expansion to a new facility may bring as many as <br /> 200 new jobs to Luverne. The decision to expand was due in part to the tax benefits <br /> included in Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's Job Opportunity Building <br /> • Zones (JOBZ) program, according to Total Card President Greg Ticknor . <br /> Westmorelandflint , a Duluth -based advertising, marketing, and public relations <br /> http://www.minnesotatechnology.org/publications/techtrends/2004/May/printVersion.asp 5/17/2004 <br />