EDSR INFORMATION #1 10-13-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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TechTrends e-Newsletter I October 2003 Page 2 of 4 the company, the combined operation will have about 300 employees. III Mankato-based Midwest Wireless recently purchased the wireless Internet network of United Farmers Coop (UFC). The network encompasses 13 central Minnesota communities and the areas surrounding them. Towns included in the area are: Arlington, Green Isle, Gibbon, Hanska, Klossner, Lafayette, Le Sueur, New Ulm, Norseland, St. George, Traverse, Webster, and Winthrop. The two companies are also currently in the midst of negotiations that would result in Midwest Wireless acquiring UFC's wireless Internet network and customers in a number of other communities. Electrolux Home Products recently named Ron McCoy general manager of its St. Cloud freezer plant. McCoy most recently worked for Borg Warner Automotive in Muncie, Ind. i Advanced Lighting Systems Inc., a Sauk Centre manufacturer of fiber optic lighting equipment, has completed the design and manufacture of a fiber optic lighting system installed in the main rotunda of the National Archives in Washington, D.C.. The system will illuminate a number of documents, including the original U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. The Mankato City Council is considering five areas to include in the JOBZ outstate '" economic development program pushed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty. The development program aims to create up to 11 tax-free zones outside the metropolitan area, with a goal of spurring job growth outside the Twin Cities. 3 Ideal Aerosmith inc., an East Grand Forks firm that makes moving tables or III platforms for equipment testing, has received a contract to provide a simulation system for the U.S. Army. As part of the project, the company will make platforms that can simulate a helicopter's movements,which will allow the Army to test weapons targeting systems. Panther Precision Machine, a Ramsey company that manufactures and assembles components for the food processing industry, recently received a $95,000 grant from the State of Minnesota. The grant, which was administered through the Department of Employment and Economic Development, will be used for used for the purchase of machinery and equipment for Panther's newly built facility. Cincinnati-based Milacron Inc. recently sold its Minnesota Twist Drill business to MTD Acquisition Inc., a company that includes several employees of Minnesota Twist Drill along with a private investment group. The Chisholm-based company manufactures drills for wood and soft-metal applications. The Rochester Area Quality Council recently announced that it will give out a new award in honor of Karl Shurson, a Pemstar cofounder and executive vice president who died in 2002. The annual award will recognize an individual or an organization that champions continuous quality improvement and performance excellence. Representatives from Fibrominn LLC, which is building a 50-megawatt, turkey litter- powered power plant in Benson, recently met with community representatives. According to the company, construction on the plant is on track to begin this fall. 0 i The Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone Cooperative of Bemidji recently began construction on a new telecommunications network in Cohasset. The Connect Cohasset Project will install a fiber optic network capable of offering telephone, high-speed Internet, and digital television services to locations within the project. http://www.minnesotatechnology.org/publications/techtrends/2003/October/printVersion.asp 9/29/2003