Fitness-center startups see opportunity for new concepts.
Honors
Minnesota ranked high among the nation’s states in terms of both average debt load carried by recent college graduates and percentage of recent grads with debt.
University of Minnesota Duluth alumnus Brian Kobilka and Robert Lefkowitz of Duke University will share the award for their research on protein receptors, which help the body sense and respond to outside signals.
Small businesses owners in the state who responded to a recent survey said that the economy and jobs are the most critical issues in the upcoming presidential election, while ethics, honesty, and corruption in government are also important when selecting a candidate.
New business filings for the first three quarters of 2012 totaled 47,069, compared to 39,977 for the same period in 2011.
General Mills ranked 47th and Target ranked 78th on Forbes’ list, which based its rankings on a combination of each brand’s value and perception among consumers.
According to new data, Wells Fargo holds 43 percent of bank deposits in Minnesota—up from its 30.5 percent share last year and nearly double the 22.5 percent share held by local competitor U.S. Bank.
Additional company executives made appearances on American Banker magazine’s 25 “women to watch” ranking and its list of top banking teams.
In a survey in which 10,554 diners weighed in on everything from their favorite burger and fries to salad and fast-food chain, Caribou Coffee and Buffalo Wild Wings were among the local chains that did well.
Minnesota’s state and local governments collected $4,587 per person in taxes in 2010—and spent $8,848.
In a recent survey, Target was recognized for its commitment to community and reasonable prices, while Best Buy received high marks for employees that provide helpful feedback.
The Golden Valley-based company will be added to the S&P 500 index on Friday, the same day it is expected to complete its merger with the flow control division of Tyco.
Minneapolis banks charge the least for non-customers to use their ATMs, but the city ranked in the middle of the pack with respect to overdraft fees and charges to customers who use ATMs outside of the banks’ network.
Honoring five of Minnesota's most valued board members.
However, there is a silver lining: The state has added 24,500 jobs in the past year, representing a growth rate of 0.9 percent—and Minnesota’s unemployment rate still remains well below the national rate, which was 8.1 percent last month.
Marilyn Carlson Nelson and Barbara Carlson Gage climbed the furthest on this year’s list, while Stanley Hubbard and Glen Taylor slid in the rankings.
The owner of The Wirth Companies and developer of major Minnesota projects like the Grand Lodge Hotel Waterpark in Bloomington was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison and ordered to pay $6.46 million in restitution.
In Experian’s ranking based on the average of credit scores of residents in 143 U.S. cities, Minneapolis reclaimed the top spot after losing it in 2011 after four straight years of coming in first.