By Nissa Hanna, Twin Cities Business
“What’s Happening:
• A new gift card from Best Buy Company, Inc., is making it easy for shoppers to chip in to fund someone’s media-centric wish list.
• Friends and family can make online contributions of $5 or more, and the money will be collected in the recipient’s Best Buy Pitch In Card fund. When enough financial backing is accrued, he’ll be able to purchase products that are too expensive for any one gifter to get.”
Read More…
By Marti Nyman, Think.Act.Grow
“There have always been plenty of new and interesting ways to kill companies – sometimes external forces do it, while other times companies prove very adept at doing it themselves. I was reflecting on this a while ago and being ever watchful of common themes, I came up with my 7 deadly sins that kill companies. “
A Guest Post by Gypsy Rogers
After ten years of happy marriage to her fifth husband, mom finally imparted some of the wisdom she acquired through a lifetime of relationships . The two most important pearls she shared are:
1.“Don’t pick your relationships because someone has qualities you like. Everyone has qualities you can find attractive. Pick them because their faults don’t drive you crazy.”
AND
2. “Divorces are made before you say ‘I Do’.”
Having experienced several failed business partnerships (and two divorces) myself, I believe that establishing relationships with business partners is nothing short of a business marriage. In fact, there’s a much stronger incentive for dishonesty in the business relationship – hence the reason you’ve formed the relationship in the first place: money.
By Steve Borsch, Minnov8
“Since we’re a sponsor of the upcoming CloudCamp event on March 2nd — and are huge fans of cloud computing and the innovation occurring with companies in this space — we were delighted to get a heads-up on a new partnership in town that will undoubtedly be quite a powerful combination and a great addition to Minnesota and the region.
ReliaCloud, the new service from Visi that offers small-to-medium-sized enterprises cloud computing servers and storage space, has announced a new partnership with enStratus, a national cloud management platform that delivers governance for enterprise applications in the cloud. As they state in their press release about the “2+2=12″ aspects of this alliance, “Together ReliaCloud and enStratus offer companies a seamless, manageable cloud computing service. The two organizations are also joining forces to sponsor 2010 CloudCamp events and an April 7, 2010, webinar to educate information technology professionals about the business advantages of using cloud computing.””
by Chris Newmarker, MSP Biz Journal
“Hazelden, the Center City-based chain of alcohol and drug addiction treatment centers, said Wednesday that it has acquired the Web site Sober24.com from the nonprofit Guideposts.
The nine-year-old Web site provides online fellowship based on Twelve Step programs, and is designed to help people stay on the path of recovery in today’s world of instant communication. Membership is free, with people seeking online recovery sharing their stories, participating in online discussions, joining live chats, or reading articles and blogs”
By Katharine Grayson, MSP Biz Journal
“The venture-backed firm’s group buying program, dubbed LivingSocial Deals, offers coupons for deals at restaurants, bars and other businesses via social networking sites. To get the discount, several people must agree to take the offer. Consumers using social networks can share deals they find with friends, in turn forming a group of buyers. (LivingSocial is based in Washington, D.C., but was founded by Tim O’Shaughnessy, who grew up in Apple Valley.) The company also has developed several Facebook applications, such as Pick Your Five, and recently acquired buyyourfriendadrink.com.”
Kate Rubin has been President and CEO of the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) for over 8 years. Her background includes organizational and human resources studies, sales, marketing, executive coaching and leadership development. Ms. Rubin originally moved to Minnesota in 1990 with IBM as part of a 100 million dollar initiative focused on health care and transportation within the public sector.
The MHTA has a rich history dating back 28 years; currently, it’s a non-profit with the mission to drive the growth, sustainability and global competitiveness of Minnesota’s tech based economy through their ACE strategy: Advocacy, Collaboration and Education. Membership is made of companies that range from small consultancies to Minnesota’s largest and best known tech firms. Membership dues run on a graduated level and are revenue based ($300-$12,000). Benefits include: supporting policy and legislative initiatives, continuing education, leadership tracks and member only networking/ collaboration events.
This years MHTA Spring Conference, themed “A new way forward”, will be on April 22nd at the Minneapolis Convention Center . The organization is also known for it’s annual TEKNE Awards which “Celebrate companies, innovations and individuals that have positively impacted Minnesota’s technology-based economy.” Additionally, the MHTA is nationally recognized for its “Get STEM” portal, a unique means of connecting underserved classroom environments with the greater Minnesota business community.
By Katharine Grayson, MSP Biz Journal
“Web hosting and Internet services provider Visi Inc. is expanding is data center in St. Paul.
The Eden Prairie-based company’s St. Paul facility will grow to about 18,000 square feet, up from 11,000 square feet now. Visi also is planing upgrades to its Eden Prairie data center. The expansion is driven by demand from new customers, and the firm expects to wrap up the St. Paul project in the next two months.”
By Bob Geiger, Finance and Commerce
“[Minnesota based] utility software manufacturer Open Access Technology International, Inc. (OATI), has deployed its webSmartEnergy Variable Generation Scheduling product with Newton, Mass.-based wind energy developer First Wind Energy, LLC. “
“The Minneapolis general merchandise retailer announced Monday that buyers can save gift card-related information in an account on the Target.com mobile website and use their Internet-capable phones to retrieve the barcode during checkout.
The company also said that it is the first major retailer to deploy the point-of-sale mobile technology that allows barcodes to be scanned straight from a mobile phone in all of its stores around the country.”
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