The time and money spent supporting kids’ hockey in Minnesota may seem extreme. But to those with hockey in their blood, it’s never enough.

With incredible fanfare, the NHL team debuted in 2000 and made the playoffs three times in its first seven seasons. Then came an ownership change and three years of lackluster performance—a trend that lead investor

Five stories of entrepreneurial success—family style.

Overcoming fear and anxiety to finish the year strong.

And a salute to family businesses--and family time.

Addressing a prostrate employment market.

After trying and giving up in 2010, will the company make another run at going public?

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How Twin Cities in-house counsel are changing how they are perceived by colleagues and improving the bottom line.

The holiday season is coming faster than you think. This year, fully embrace your brand when picking gifts for your employees and colleagues. We’ve chatted with a few local retailers and execs for their best

Proto Labs’ Cool Idea program gives new products a leg up.

Cheese grabs the limelight at the Strip Club in St. Paul.

Makers of household goods can use it, too.

Industries looking to hire: health care, transportation, wholesale trade, and biotech/med-tech.

Apex Print Technologies’ electronic billing software is helping health care clients cut costs and increase cash flow.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts’ “Come As You Are” campaign.

Permanent Art and Design Group is developing a creative agency model by tapping the talents of local artists.

How Rural Computer Consultants in Bird Island won a Small Business Administration award.

Microsoft’s gaming technology hands marketers a cool new tool to play with.

Design agency Ideas That Kick designed the Juil line—and sells them.

Barry Rubin rewrites his business plan for his newer customers.

Harvey Mackay gets in touch with the social media age.

Best Buy, Medtronic, U.S. Bancorp, and 3M Company were among the 100 greenest U.S. companies on Newsweek's annual "Green Rankings" of the 500 largest public companies in the nation.

Nearly three months after American Crystal Sugar Company locked 1,300 employees out of their jobs, the Moorhead-based co-op is resuming talks with the workers' union.

Local residents can tour and taste the beer at the new Warehouse District brewery at a grand opening next month-and they can buy six packs at metro-area liquor stores as of this week.

With the closure of the regional airline's Eagan office, about 200 of the company's 800 jobs in the state will reportedly be cut, and it's unclear how many workers will be offered other jobs at

Minnesota's manufacturers are having a difficult time finding qualified workers to fill open positions; meanwhile, there has been an uptick in demand for IT workers in Minnesota and across the country, according to several recent

A new report estimates that the state's employees suffered 76,700 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses last year, representing about 3.9 injuries per 100 full-time workers.

Duke Realty Corporation sold the MoneyGram Tower and the 1600 Tower in St. Louis Park as part of a $1.08 billion deal under which 82 buildings were sold nationwide.

Minneapolis officials, who have mostly remained on the sidelines since the Vikings announced their support for an Arden Hills plan, are now re-entering stadium talks; part of the mayor's plan involves an increased sales tax.

Miromatrix Medical, Inc.-which is about to move to a laboratory in Glencoe-and Atlanta-based RedPrairie Corporation separately announced last week that the former governor has joined their boards of directors.

Golden Valley-based Winmark Corporation led the Minnesota companies on Forbes' list, ranking 11th overall.

Federal officials say a local company was duped into exporting radio frequency units to Iran, some of which were later found in explosive devices in Iraq.

Deputies in Florida reportedly found the body of Richard Carter McComb after getting a call from a man who said he was going to kill himself; McComb was arrested in June and faced six felony

The company, which was founded in 2007 by serial entrepreneur Manny Villafa–a, has entered an agreement through which it will sell up to $20 million of its common stock.

The city's convention and visitors association is rolling out a new brand-including a logo, tagline, and revamped Web site-in an effort to attract more visitors, and in turn, create more jobs.

Governor Mark Dayton announced that the state will disburse up to $100 million among community banks to spur lending to small businesses, thus doubling the amount provided through an existing program.

The Bloomington megamall reportedly has a new group of tenants coming and thus expects to be fully leased this holiday season.

Despite a recent report from the Metropolitan Council that described the proposed timeline as "aggressive" and "unrealistic," Mortenson said it has "complete confidence" that the proposed Vikings stadium in Arden Hills can be built by

Several months after acquiring a motorcycle company and then a maker of low-speed electric-powered vehicles, the Medina-based company has bought a stake in Brammo, which makes electric motorcycles.

Shareholders of the local hair-care company voted to elect all three of the individuals nominated by Starboard Value LP, a hedge fund that has been involved in a contentious proxy battle with Regis and called

Following a number of recent glitches, the retailer's Web site-which was unveiled about two months ago and is managed in-house-crashed mid-day Tuesday and again Thursday morning.

Twin Cities Business' Quarterly Economic Indicator survey found that the state's employers remain optimistic, despite growing pessimism over the national economy and government.

Medtronic and 3M-which have each been recognized on national "best workplaces" lists in several countries-have now been honored as two of the world's best multinational workplaces.

Several hours after an activist investor won three spots on Regis' board, the company also appointed Randy Pearce as a director-expanding the board to include eight members.

Shortly after Chief Marketing Officer Michael Francis and Target.com President Steve Eastman resigned their positions, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Doug Scovanner said he'll retire in March.

A toast to VIP beer and wine tastings.

Joseph Traxler of Centennial Mortgage and Funding, Inc., admitted that he used funds intended for mortgage loans to cover Centennial's operating losses and to fund its payroll and other expenses.

The prominent white-collar crime investigator who spent more than a decade with the U.S. Attorney's office has joined UnitedHealth Group.

CEO Omar Ishrak told Reuters that Medtronic executives have explored whether the company's different businesses can perform better on their own; but the spine unit benefits from other Medtronic businesses, like one that makes surgical

The Minneapolis newspaper joins a growing list of news providers that are implementing an online "paywall."

Target will keep its stores open 23 hours-until 11 p.m.-the day after Thanksgiving; a number of other retailers will also open earlier and stay open later in an attempt to attract more shoppers.

Richard Davis told local business leaders at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting that while an economic recovery may take time, businesses should be focusing on and investing in their own operations.

Eric Bernard, who allegedly received more than $300,000 in personal profits from a $5 million mortgage fraud scheme, is the third defendant to be sentenced in the case.

The new "Delta Away We Go" app allows Facebook users to plan a trip, invite their friends, discuss details, and purchase plane tickets without ever leaving the social-networking site.

The law restricts electricity imports from new fossil-fuel plants in other states-and North Dakota claims that it is interfering with energy production in the coal-rich state.

A restructuring plan that just received bankruptcy court approval will give majority control of Perkins & Marie Callender's, Inc., to Wayzata Investment Partners.

The company said that the sale will allow it to focus its resources on its core medical device and in-vitro diagnostic businesses-and help boost its finances.

St. Paul-based start-up Smart Signal Technologies will market a system that can collect real-time traffic information from intersections to help controllers better mediate traffic flow.

Ninety-two percent of union members voted on a second contract offer from American Crystal Sugar Company, and 90 percent rejected it.

With the holiday shopping season right around the corner, Target reported that its year-over-year, same-store sales growth in October was almost double that experienced between October 2009 and 2010; still, the results fell short of

A new proposal-called "The Corridor" by its authors-calls for building a new Vikings stadium at the Farmers Market site, redeveloping the Metrodome site as a "medical campus," and establishing a new governing body to oversee

A London court found that 3M breached an agreement to actively market a product called BacLite and ordered it to pay $1.3 million in damages; 3M, meanwhile, is touting the outcome as a victory, pointing

Best Buy said Monday that it will close its 11 big-box stores in the United Kingdom and also pay about $1.3 billion to buy out the Carphone Warehouse Group's stake in Best Buy's U.S. mobile

The Richfield electronics retailer announced that it'll open at midnight on Black Friday-like Target and many other retailers-but CEO Brian Dunn said he was not happy about the race to unlock doors early because it

Toronto-based FirstService Corporation announced on Monday that it has acquired Gittleman Management Corporation, a Bloomington-based residential property manager, for an undisclosed amount.

The St. Louis Park-based restaurant operator said that it has completed the acquisition of the Cadillac Ranch eatery at the Mall of America and expects to close on the purchase of six more before the

A Ramsey County district court judge reportedly called MPR's lawsuit "premature"; MPR wanted the Met Council to use a steel-springs system in order to reduce vibrations in front of MPR's broadcast facility, but the less

A jury awarded the compensatory damages-$100,000 in lost earnings and $900,000 in damage to reputation-to a holistic healer in Hudson, Wisconsin, who sued KSTP after a 2009 story about the treatment that she provided to

The Met Council has joined an ongoing lawsuit seeking damages from 3M for alleged environmental effects stemming from its disposal of chemicals.

The retailer will close five stores, open one store, and reportedly build a distribution center in Texas that will supply food to stores in eight states.

The magazine took home five gold awards, one silver award, and five bronze awards at the Minnesota Magazine & Publishing Association's 2011 event, which recognizes excellence in publishing.

In addition to the Basilica of Saint Mary, which won the popular vote in a grant contest, 12 other local historic sites also won a portion of $1 million that's being distributed as part of

The window and door maker, which employs about 3,200 in Minnesota, said that the majority of the cuts will affect production workers in Bayport.

The company, which in April announced plans to hire 450 workers at its new Minnetonka facility, now intends to add 150 jobs in St. Paul.

The firm is representing 495 fishermen who allege that they were not properly compensated under a program through which BP chartered their boats for use in cleaning up the oil spill.

James Fry and Michelle Palm-two local hedge fund managers who already faced criminal charges related to their alleged involvement in Tom Petters' multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme-now face charges in a civil complaint filed by federal regulators.

Minority businesses that have more than $1 million in revenue will be eligible for assistance at the new Minority Business Development Agency, which aims to help such companies secure more than $21 million in annual

The National Labor Relations Board found that Minnetrista-based Jimmy John's franchisee MikLin Enterprises violated labor laws when it fired six employees for engaging in union activities.

Less than a month after losing a bidding war for Renaissance Learning, Inc., Plato Learning announced that it has bought Virginia-based Educational Options, Inc, a provider of online learning tools.

The Pioneer Press reports that the Minnesota Department of Revenue and the IRS-which had sought $2.5 million in assets controlled by the receiver in the Tom Petters case-have resolved the issue.

With Black Friday quickly approaching, and retail Web sites expected to be a key component in driving holiday sales, the company says it has a team working to ensure that its site is operating efficiently

The company announced that next year, it will double the number of current and former military members it hires-which totaled about 200 this year as of October-and will offer two weeks of paid leave each

The Richfield-based electronics retailer announced it will drop a $10 recycling fee it had charged to accept electronic devices with screens-including TVs and computer monitors.

Plymouth-based BioAmber, Inc., on Monday filed for an initial public offering; meanwhile, Bluestem Brands, which in April filed for an initial public offering, could reportedly go public as early as this week.

Maplewood-based 3M Company and Chanhassen-based Rosemount, Inc., are world leaders in innovation, according to Thomson Reuters.

Best Buy is revealing doorbuster deals early in an attempt to lure bargain shoppers while Target is defending itself against those upset about a midnight store opening.

The Minneapolis-based company, which owns Capella University, will inform the affected employees during the next two days.

The clothing retailer, which reported a net loss in four of the last five quarters, plans to close 100 stores, make significant cuts to its work force, and restructure some of its existing operations by

This year, Mall of America visitors can donate to local nonprofits using laptops-and those who do will receive discounts at stores and restaurants throughout the mega mall; numerous prizes will also be awarded to various

CEO Randy Sampson, who previously warned that the state government shutdown would negatively impact Canterbury's third-quarter results, said Friday that "the pre-tax loss of nearly $300,000 was the worst third quarter for Canterbury since our

A study commissioned by Ameriprise Financial found that Twin Cities residents are less ready for retirement this year than they were a year ago, probably due to rapidly declining home prices, tornados, and the Minnesota

Bloomington Lake Clinic's Bloomington location will begin operating as a Fairview clinic this month; the South Minneapolis location will reopen under the Fairview name in spring 2012.

The Chanhassen-based fitness club operator did not disclose the terms of the deal, under which it will buy a total of nine clubs in Indiana, North Carolina, and Ohio from Florida-based Lifestyle Family Fitness.

Jon Jason Greco received a 10-month prison sentence for lying to federal investigators about money and valuable goods tied to Trevor Cook's multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.

The Golden Valley-based wing chain said it was attracted to the "strong performance" of the restaurants, which are located in Ohio and South Carolina.

The great-grandson of Cargill founder W.W. Cargill suffered from Parkinson's disease, and he died Monday at his California home.

David B. Morse, who has led Delta Dental of Minnesota since 2009, will retire at year's end; replacing him is longtime board member Rodney A. Young, who stepped down as CEO of Angeion Corporation at

The total funds raised during the third annual event surpassed last year's donations but were shy of the money raised in 2009; the event set a new record, however, for the number of participating donors

Atmosphere Recovery, which makes a system to increase the energy output from gas- or liquid-based energy processes, was named the grand prize winner at the Cleantech Open 2011 Global Forum.

The purchase of France-based Goupil Industrie marks Polaris' third recent investment in electric vehicles; this year, it also bought electric-vehicle maker Global Electric Motorcars and purchased a minority stake in Brammo, which makes electric motorcycles.

Minnesota lost about 6,100 jobs during the month, but some sectors that have been struggling, including the construction industry, saw year-over-year gains.