Post Type of: Article

Transom (4)

Iconoculture founders Mary Meehan and Vickie Abrahamson have left their Minneapolis market research firm to start another, Panoramix Global. Their focus is projecting consumer trends in the G-20: 19 industrialized
Further to Fall

Further to Fall

Stu Utgaard was the Twin Cities’ biggest dealmaker in the ’80s and ’90s, a master of M&A. Then he made his own acquisition, Sportsman’s Warehouse, and built a single store into a $718 million retail chain. So how did Utgaard wind up buried under $31 million in personal debt?
21st Century Watkins Man

21st Century Watkins Man

What would lure Mark Jacobs (Irwin Jacobs’ son) from Manhattan to Winona to run an old-fashioned door-to-door business? The chance to apply entrepreneurial liniment to a tired, aching brand.
It’s All About Loyalty

It’s All About Loyalty

Since meeting in the early 1980s and building Northwest Airlines’ WorldPerks frequent-flyer program, Mark Lacek and Peter Brennan have started five businesses, with a sixth on the way—nearly all devoted to helping businesses keep their customers coming back.

Miles to Megawatts

Mark Lacek and Peter Brennan have built their expertise in the travel business, but telecommunications companies, banks, oil companies, and retailers also have used loyalty programs to build their customer
Russia’s Entry in the Burger Wars

Russia’s Entry in the Burger Wars

“The year of the burger” last year in the Twin Cities—openings of Burger Jones, Galaxy Drive-In, American Burger Bar, and Smashburger, to cite just a few—continued into 2010 with this
A Fresh Revenue Source

A Fresh Revenue Source

With a new, proprietary product line, Burnsville’s Valley Natural Foods co-op is looking to a bigger market.
Framing a Bike Business

Framing a Bike Business

Northfield-based Rawland Cycles boasts practical, versatile bicycle frames—and a catalog of Norwegian monikers.