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CONTENTS
NOV08
4 From the editor: You can predict the unpredictable
Who’s who at Upsize and how to reach us.
6-8 Forecasting expenses: Solid forecast is crucial step,
but it must be realistic
10-12 Conserving resources: To keep track of cash, time
expenses, pester customers (politely)
14-16 Managing cash: Five tips for surviving a cash crunch
18-20 Raising capital: Gaining adequate capital in beginning
puts companies ahead
22-24 Hiring people: Top 10 tips for hiring, managing staff
26-28 Finding space: Start office hunt early, experts and
owners advise
30-31 Buying technology: Consider needs first to purchase
software, systems
32-33 Managing wisely: Business owners share their lessons
learned for managing growing businesses
34 Major sources for this guide, and about Upsize Online

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FROM THE EDITOR
Managing a growing
company at times can
seem like herding cats:
nobody’s listening,
everybody’s doing their
own thing, and there are many, many
factors you can’t control. But it turns out
you can predict the unpredictable,
according to experts and business owners
who are experienced in the art and
science of leading rapidly changing
enterprises.
This premier edition of Upsize Online is
intended to succinctly help companies
with all facets of the challenge, and
especially to link readers with a wide
variety of people, articles and Web sites
that can help. Click on the ‘learn more’
boxes throughout this edition to go
directly to those resources.
Upsize Online will be published quarterly,
and features an edited collection of
advice and wisdom drawn from original
interviews and from material published in
Upsize magazine, its electronic newsletter
Upsize e-tools, podcasts, webinars,
seminars and more.
I interviewed many sources to prepare
the articles, including local business
owners who offer different philosophies
and advisers who share multiple tactics.
I included material by Upsize reporters
Andrew Tellijohn, Carla Solberg and
Sarah Brouillard as well. Contact information
for major sources is at the end
of the guide. I thank all of these sources
for helping me fashion an interactive
blueprint for business owners to use in
managing growth, whether it’s rapid,
erratic, amorphous or any other kind.
Beth Ewen
editor and co-founder
Upsize Minnesota Inc.
UPSIZE | 4 | ONLINE
NOV08
UPSIZE ONLINE
PUBLISHER
Wes Bergstrom
wbergstrom@upsizemag.com
612.920.0701
EDITOR
Beth Ewen
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612.920.0701
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Jonathan Hankin
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612.920.0701
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Georgene Bergstrom
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612.920.0701
ADVERTISING SALES
Brenda Armstrong
Chandler Carlson
Terri C. Carlson
612.920.0701
CIRCULATION ASSISTANT
Megan Bergstrom
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Carla Solberg, Sarah Brouillard and
Andrew Tellijohn
HOW TO REACH US
To subscribe
visit www.upsizemag.com
or call 612.920.0701
With story ideas
e-mail Beth Ewen,
bewen@upsizemag.com
To advertise
contact Wes Bergstrom, 612.920.0701,
wbergstrom@upsizemag.com
or download materials from
www.upsizemag.com
To order reprints
contact Georgene Bergstrom,
612.920.0701,
gbergstrom@upsizemag.com
To order extra or back issues
contact Georgene Bergstrom,
612.920.0701,
gbergstrom@upsizemag.com
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all rights reserved

✓ LEARN MORE
clickable resources
Upsize Aug 08: After ‘whirlwind’ month, Roden Iron hits
the basics • Minnesota Small Business Development
Centers • Upsize Oct 08: Solid forecast is crucial step to
keep cash flowing • Googobits: Preparing and using a cash
flow forecast • Upsize May 08: Cash management is No. 1
issue for year-old Roden Iron • Upsize Aug 08: Upsize
Growth Challenge cover feature
FORECASTING
EXPENSES
Solid forecast is
crucial step, but
it must be realistic
You may be surprised to learn that
many businesses are profitable when
they are forced to shutter operations.
The reason: profits don’t pay the bills;
cash does. Accountants and bankers
advise that a crucial step to managing a
growing company is an accurate cash
forecast, which lays out when each
piece of revenue comes in and when
each piece of expense goes out.
Watching your business grow to new
heights is exciting. It is easy to lose sight
of increasing operating expenses that
allow you to achieve the new revenue
levels. Growth vacuums cash out of a
business: you need to hire more employees,
pay more commissions, pay more
vendors, pay more taxes, etc., as your
company grows.
Although all businesses are at risk of
incurring unexpected expenses, growing
businesses are especially prone to
unforeseen costs. A company experiencing
rapid growth or one that has
only been in business a few years may
not have the advantage of knowing its
customers’ paying habits or understanding
the business cycles that may
put it at risk.
The single most important aspect of your
cash flow should be reality. Every business
owner wants to shoot for the moon,
but things should be kept in perspective.
Of course you hope to double profits in
the coming quarter and triple them the
next, but is that realistic? A good rule of
thumb is to plan three scenarios, worst
case, middle case and best case, and figure
out how you’ll make it in the worstcase
scenario. When your forecast shows
a shortfall, line up the money well in
advance because options dry up on that
first Friday when you’re going to miss
payroll.
Your forecast is only as good as the
assumptions behind it; without solid
assumptions, a cash flow forecast will
not be a valuable tool to your business.
When developing the forecast, keep in
mind such things as seasonality and
industry norms. Try to think of everything
that might come up, and talk to
colleagues in your industry, trade associations
and other business groups to
cover all possible ground. For example, if
your labor force is unionized, union dues
will go up as your jobs increase. Or if
your business booms in the summer but
dries up in the winter, your forecast
must show it.
The first place to start is your accountant
or banker. They will likely have
access to resources that can help. If
those are not viable options, there are
numerous software packages that do
not require an MBA to navigate. A quick
Google search will provide many cash
management packages. Do your
research and invest in the appropriate
resources to develop the forecast; it will
prove to be some of the best money you
have ever invested.
TO-DO LIST
Understand that if
you run out of
cash to pay your bills,
your business may have to
close down even though
it’s profitable.
Growing companies
are especially vulnerable,
because growth
takes cash out of a business
as you pay for more
staff, more vendors, more
parts, etc.
Invest in a solid forecasting
tool, preferably
with the advice of experienced
accountants and
bankers in your industry.
They can help with industry
norms and items that you
might otherwise forget.
1 2 3 4
Be realistic. Pie-inthe-sky
revenue
projections are tempting,
but ultimately doom your
cash forecast and potentially
your business.
UPSIZE | 6 | ONLINE
NOV08

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AUDIO • VISUAL
Company profile: AVI SYSTEMS
Video conferencinghelps companies travel light
“For today’s competitive companies, high definition video conferencing means
big savings and bigger opportunities.”
— Joe Baer RVP of AVI Systems
HD video conferencing enables companies
to go beyond their borders
without ever leaving the office. A
high definition conference offers a real-time,
crystal clear alternative to the in-person
appointment. Companies can hold meetings,
presentations and training sessions with
employees, customers and business partners
all over the world; they can increase the
scope of their travel without ever booking
another trip. A video conferencing solution
saves time and money on business travel,
while adding flexibility and efficiency to all
business correspondence.
“High definition video conferencing is one
of the best business solutions we have
seen,” says Joe Baer, Regional Vice President
of AVI Systems, Inc. in Eden Prairie. “With
today’s high definition displays, you can get
as close to real life, face-to-face meetings as
possible when talking to people through
video conferencing.”
One of AVI’s small business clients conducted
an ROI study on the cost of traveling
between its Eden Prairie and Brooklyn Park
offices for meetings, and found that a video
conferencing system would pay for itself in
less than one year and cut meeting times by
two hours in travel time. It also reduces the
company’s carbon footprint, another attractive
“green” benefit of this technology, notes
Baer.
The benefits go beyond travel savings, he
adds. AVI installed a video conferencing system
for a client that needed to resolve production
issues with its source in China. The
company is now able to view its product on
screen in real time, make decisions quicker
and get its products to market in a timely
manner, which has resulted in higher profits.
“We offer customized solutions that can
fit any budget,” says Baer. “In fact, many
people are surprised to know that of the
1,600 projects we complete in a year, the
average costs less than $30,000. We are
transparent in our pricing; we show people
exactly how much the design, installation
and equipment actually costs.
AVI Systems offers creative and reliable
design-build solutions, everything from a projector
and screen project to command/control
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It also provides 24/7 help desk for video conferencing,
a Watchdog monitoring service
exclusive to AVI, and a fully staffed service
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THREE KEY TRENDS IN
AUDIO/VIDEO BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
• Stream live or stored video over a
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• Digital signage for employee/
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highly visible signage targeted to
your audience.
• Telepresence. Provides a natural,
“across the table” experience
where every participant is shown
in true-to-life dimensions.
department to handle maintenance issues.
“In today’s global economy, audio and visual
technology requires the same serious
attention that you give to your telephony and
IT networking decisions,” says Baer. “It’s simply
that important.”
AVI Systems, Inc.
9675 W 76th Street
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Phone: 952-929-3700
Contact: Joe Baer, Vice President
Joe.baer@avisystems.com
www.avisystems.com

QQUOTABLE
“Growth sucks cash out of a business, so you need professional
advice to forecast that. Once you’re in the position
that you’re short, it’s hard to recover. When you’re at the
desperate point, it closes a lot of doors.”
— RICK WALL, Highland Bank
CASE STUDY
Roden Iron’s
trial by fire
Kelly Roden, president of Roden Iron
Inc. in Milaca, details the heavy lifting
she’s done in 2008 as she put her company’s
financial foundation in place. She
started her steel erector company in
2007, and successfully won bids to put
up the steel frames for a pharmacy and
a fitness club, and other commercial
buildings.
By April 2008 growth started to get out
of hand, especially during a trial by fire
when her husband and business partner,
Brian, took a crew of ironworkers to
a big job in Iowa and was gone for a
couple of weeks.
“During that month we had five jobs
come in and we had only one foreman,
no trucks, no money,” she says. “My
payroll went from $3,000 a week to
$20,000 a week. Also, the union dues
and benefits package went from
$6,000 to $11,000 due each month, up
to $29,000.
“I was real shocked and not sleeping
nights of course. It’s been a major
wakeup call for me,” says Roden, adding
that her initial list of to-dos in 2008—
whether to rent or own new vehicles,
how to retain ironworkers, and whether
to add office staff—was too limited in
scope.
“I realized I had bigger issues going
on,” she says.
So Roden got busy. While researching
finance options she discovered the Initiative
Foundation in Little Falls,
www.ifound.org, and met with the
director, who also referred her to the
Small Business Development Center in
Brainerd, a state agency.
Folks there helped her put her cash flow
statement and balance sheet together,
and helped her get $130,000 in working
capital. That includes a $50,000
loan from the Initiative Foundation,
which followed a $50,000 line of credit
from Falcon Bank in Foley, Minnesota,
and a $30,000 equipment loan, also
from the bank, secured by equipment.
“You’ve really gone a long way toward
helping your cash flow situation,” says
Rick Wall, CEO of St. Paul-based Highland
Bank, who was asked by Upsize to
provide her with advice. He stresses
that Roden has to keep vigilant. What
are your industry’s cycles? What is your
job pipeline? What do you do when
work stops in the winter? What will
your tax obligation be at the end of the
year?
“I’m fishing for what unexpected might
be out there,” Wall says, and that’s
what every business owner needs to do
as well.
Wall then shares a parting rule, applicable
to every growing company. “Continue
to conserve your cash. Don’t say,
‘We’ve made it, and I’m going to buy
this.’ Just wait and see because you just
don’t know what the next turn will be.”
UPSIZE | 8 | ONLINE
NOV08

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✓LEARN MORE
clickable resources
How to manage your small business cash flow • 60-second
guide to managing cash flow, from SCORE • How to
better manage your cash flow, Entrepreneur.com •
Upsize Nov 03: How to get paid, up front and in full •
Upsize How-to Audio: Podcast with Richard Brown, How
to guard the holy grail: cash flow • Upsize How-to Audio:
Podcast with Charles Selcer, How companies can become
‘razor sharp’ • Upsize How-to Audio: Podcast with Rick
Wall, Advice for getting customers to pay on time
CONSERVING
RESOURCES
Kowalski CEO says
growth is imperative
CASE
STUDY
“Our philosophy is to
expand when we’re
financially able,” says
Jim Kowalski, CEO of the
Kowalski’s grocery store chain in the
Twin Cities. They started when he and
his wife and business partner, Mary
Anne, purchased in June of 1983 their
first store, a Red Owl on Grand
Avenue in St. Paul. Jim had worked for
Red Owl for 20 years before then.
“I had to get an $80,000 unencumbered
loan to get financing. I had a
buddy with a creamery, that he sold
to Land O’Lakes. We took that,” Jim
says, to purchase and refurbish the
first store.
By 1985 two more stores became available
from Red Owl, and they took the
leap. “It was a big jump, but it was the
right thing to do. It was scary,” says
Mary Anne. The first store “was growing
in sales slowly, which is the best
way to grow, so I figured we can do
this again.”
The Kowalskis, eventually joined by
their daughter, Kris Kowalski Christiansen
who today is chief operating
officer, now have nine Kowalski’s
stores throughout the Twin Cities, plus
a production deli and production bakery,
including a flagship store and corporate
headquarters in Woodbury
that’s modeled after the architecture
they fell in love with when visiting Italy.
They bought and sold stores in the
early years of their business, and by
the mid-1990s decided to aim toward
the upper end of the market. “In 1995
we made the decision not to compete
against the price-cutters,” Jim says.
“You can’t give groceries away and survive
and that’s what they were doing.
At that point we took it in a whole different
direction.
It isn’t easy to predict what will happen
with each store, says Mary Anne.
“We’ve had stores that have just been
gangbusters. Grand Avenue was successful.
It was doing $8,000 a week;
all of a sudden it jumped to $17,000.
We opened here huge,” in Woodbury,
“then it backed off.”
In fall of 2008 the Kowalskis
announced they would add up to eight
wine and liquor stores adjacent to
their groceries, but with separate
entrances as state law requires.
“We have locations on our boards
right now,” Jim says about future
expansion plans. “We’ll do about a
store a year. You can’t sit still or you
get run over. You have to spread
costs.”
He pays close attention to cash, especially
because there are so many
competitors in the grocery business.
“Right now cash is king. Ideas are a
dime a dozen.”
What was Mary Anne’s response to
the idea, at the time? “It was short. It
was a good idea,” she says. “The confidence
I had in Jim was a major piece
of that.”
“The path we took was upscaling. The
only upscale grocery then was
Lunds/Byerlys, so in 1994 we put big
dollars into Grand Avenue and then
White Bear right after that,” he says.
UPSIZE | 10 | ONLINE
NOV08

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“We’ve always been very conscious of what is a need-to-have vs.
a nice-to-have. We’re more so now,” in a tight economy.
QQUOTABLE
— JOE KEELEY, Franchise Development Group
To keep track of cash,
time expenses, pester
customers (politely)
Every business owner says cash is king,
but you haven’t felt it until you’ve rushed
to the bank with a customer’s check on
the Friday of payroll. Conserving cash is
a must, and here are some practical
ways to do it.
If you know that certain large revenue
and expense items will occur at approximately
the same time each year, you can
use that information to your advantage.
Take the time to review and analyze both
your budget and your cash flow each
month, so you keep careful track of
where you are. This will decrease your
probability of being blindsided by an
expenditure you didn’t expect.
Try to budget expenses when cash is
available. Delay an equipment purchase,
company function, or other discretionary
expenditure until you have the cash on
hand. Plan for seasonal inflows. If you
run a lawn-cutting business, revenue will
be pretty thin in January — but you will
still have fixed expenses that must be
met. Use times when you are cash rich
to prepare for periods when you are not.
Make certain you have a top-notch
accountant who can tell you authoritatively
what you can and cannot claim as
expenses for tax purposes. Be diligent
about maintaining proper receipts. Keep
up on your estimated tax payments.
You’ll be delighted if your firm’s income
rises faster than expected, but if your tax
payments are based on a lower estimate,
next year’s cash flow can get whacked by
a balance-due tax payment.
Spread employee bonuses out over the
entire year. This has two advantages: It
provides an incentive and reward for better
performance and it eases the cash
flow burden of paying all the bonuses at
one time. Remember that there is no rule
that says companies must issue their
bonuses at the end of the year. Hand out
bonuses and incentives during a company’s
best months for accounts receivable.
Set up transaction payment processing
(debit and credit cards, electronic check)
to provide additional convenience for
your customer, with almost the same
payment certainty as cash. If you’re
extending terms, screen your commercial
customer. Check their credit history.
Ask for personal guarantees if needed.
Once you extend credit, you’ve added
collections to the responsibilities of your
business. It’s critical that you establish a
process by which to manage your
accounts receivable. Set up performance
objectives (for example, no payments
over 45 days) and monitor progress
against those objectives.
Badger past due accounts. Be polite but
persistent. Call the first day that the
account is past due. Call the second day,
too, and the day after that.
Assume that every single so-called fixed
expense is negotiable. This includes
office space, office supplies, printing
costs, copier costs, telephone, long distance
and Internet service. Bid these out
to be sure you’re getting the best deal.
You’ll learn from every negotiation you
do and get better at it. And if you’re
dealing with a specialized area where
you have little experience, go through a
buyer or a broker.
TO-DO LIST
Offering discounts
in a tight
time may seem out of
the question, but enticing
your customers to pay
early will help your cash
flow.
While inventory is
vital to many businesses,
it is also quite costly
to keep on hand. Scrutinize
your inventory and
adjust to the necessary levels
to meet customer
demand.
In other words, if it
isn’t selling, move it
out any way you can.
1 2 3 4
Keep things in perspective
and ask
yourself if each cost is
adding value to the business.
If not, cut it or delay
it. Many business owners
swear by being frugal.
UPSIZE | 12 | ONLINE
NOV08

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*As rated by The Winner’s Circle in the July 20, 2007 & July 11, 2008, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal and the August 27, 2007 & August 18, 2008, issue of Barron’s magazine. Rankings and/or recognition by publications should not be construed by
a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if JNBA is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services, nor should it be construed as a current or past endorsement of JNBA
by any of its clients. Rankings published by magazines, and others, generally base their selections exclusively on information prepared and/or submitted by the recognized adviser. A copy of JNBA’s current written disclosure statement discussing advisory
services and fees is available upon request.

MANAGING
CASH
‘Figure out how to take
care of it,’ advises CPA
EXPERT
ADVICE
“When people are buying
real estate they say it’s
location, location, location.
With rapidly growing companies,
it’s cash flow, cash flow, cash
flow,” says Phil Kronlage, partner with
BPK&Z CPAs and Consultants, who
offered these tips to business owners.
“Growing companies are often underfinanced.
When we talk about rapid growth
with a product manufacturer, they buy
inventory, invest in the labor, sell the product,
ship it, and wait 30 to 45 days to get
paid. That could be 60 to 75 days.
You have to finance that asset. That’s
where rapidly growing businesses get into
trouble. When you don’t pay bills on time
suppliers get upset, employees get upset.
It is a very common shortcoming, even if
you’re working with a bank. Most banks
will finance only 50 percent of your inventory,
and on your receivables they will help
you finance 75 to 80 percent of good
receivables, those less than 90 days old.
And if you’re a rapidly growing business
you may have losses to finance. It kind of
continues to pile on as you’re growing.
You may be profitable but you’ve eaten
into your cash.
have enough equity to start with. That
being said, I have had clients without
financing and they made it through.
They need to forecast. They need advisers
to help them with that. Look at your key
performance indicators every month.
Be disciplined in who you will sell to, what
price you’ll sell, and at least you have an
opportunity to solve the problem before it
comes up.
What I find with most rapidly growing
businesses, sales is a key. They feel if sales
are increasing dramatically everything’s
fine. It usually takes a year or two years for
it to show up.
If people plan and if people forecast they
don’t have problems with this. They sit
down and figure out how to take care of it,
and they can take care of it if it’s addressed
early enough.
Being a business owner is not easy, but you
have to really, really watch cash flow.”
10 things…
you’re changing in your business in a
tough economy.
1
2
We are working later than we used to.
Rick Wall, Highland Bank
During tax season, we’ve elected to hire
more seasonal people instead of full-time
permanent people.
Bryan Ross, EideBailly
3
We’re hiring people on intern status and
then we’ll evaluate them.
James Ford, EideBailly
4
Instead of reducing pricing we’re offering
a new human resources tool, HR Answerlink,
that’s low cost to us but high perceived
value to our clients.
Jeff Goldenberg, Press Gold Group
5
The first week of January we came up
with a theme: complacency is our enemy.
Darlene Miller, Permac Industries
6
We’re trying to take advantage of a down
economy by doing what we tell our
clients to do: adapt Web 2.0 to their marketing.
We’ve enhanced our Web site and we’re
blogging.
Elin Raymond, The Sage Group
7
We provide paperless transactions and
that saves substantial money.
Carl Pressman, Press Gold Group
8
We’ve traded a little lower rate for a little
longer contract.
Dave Larson, Clientek
9
You have to strengthen your business as
much as possible in times like these. That
means marketing, deepening relationships
with customers. A repeatable revenue stream
and long-term contracts with customers are
very attractive, especially when investors are
skittish.
Sima Griffith, Aethlon Capital
We’re going through a back-to-basics
right now. The No. 1 thing is our customer
relationships. Now it’s bring that up another
notch.
Steve McFarland, Orbit Systems
10
The best thing to do is to make sure you
UPSIZE | 14 | ONLINE
NOV08

To build a successful business,
a lot of pieces need
to come together!
Innovative ideas, sage legal advice
and cost effective solutions
helps solve your business puzzles.
BRAD LEHRMAN
612-336-9317 | 800-752-4297
2000 IDS CENTER | 80 SOUTH EIGHTH STREET | MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55402
www.lommen.com

TO-DO LIST
Don’t forget taxes
when forecasting
cash flow. If you’re profitable,
generally speaking
you’ll have to pay taxes,
probably on a quarterly
basis.
That could be a problem
because generating
profits isn’t the same as
generating cash. If you have
to report on an accrual basis
you could very well be profitable
but not have the cash
to pay. Again, plan for it.
1 2 3
Payroll taxes need to
be withheld from
paychecks, and accountants
advise you never mess
with that money. Business
owners ignore that warning
at their peril.
MANAGING
CASH
Five tips
for surviving
a cash crunch
Armed with a solid forecast, business
owners can pinpoint in advance the
time when they’ll run short of cash.
Gather your management team and
advisers together, and try these five
things, experts recommend.
Can you get a different form
1
of financing? For example,
asset-based lenders will
finance a larger percentage of receivables
and inventory than a traditional
bank will. (Banks typically finance 50
percent of inventory, while assetbased
lenders may go as high as 75
percent, for example. Of course, that
money will be more expensive.)
Can you stretch out your
2
vendors? Calling vendors
and asking if they’ll give you
longer terms, 90 days instead of 30,
for example, is a common tactic. They
might want to see financial statements,
and they might charge you
more, but if you’re a good customer
and they’ve been there themselves,
they’ll likely do it.
Can you shorten the time in
3
which you get paid? Offering a
discount to those who pay
early is a possibility, although that can
set up a negative cycle, with less revenue
coming in. You also have to be careful of
the competition; if others allow more
time to pay customers will migrate there.
“A customer isn’t going to pay early
unless you make it worth their while,” is
how one local expert puts it.
4
Can you reduce inventory? A
lot of companies carry more
inventory than they need.
✓LEARN MORE
clickable resources
Analyze the cost and benefit of a perpetual
inventory system to track
inventory. Companies that begin
counting their inventory every month
often see large savings in time; they
usually can cut down on ordering, and
they can make moves such as a promotion
at a discount to sell slowmoving
items.
Can you turn to family and
5
friends? If you can’t borrow
from commercial sources,
borrow from family and friends to get
through a crunch. Be sure to document
all loans or other arrangements;
no winging it allowed, because it can
cause problems down the road.
Upsize Nov 02: Asset-based loans tap value of firm’s inventory,
A/R, by Chuck Mueller, Fidelity Bank • Upsize Nov 02:
No bootstraps: Where to look for capital to grow. By Scott
Riser, Virchow, Krause & Co. • Upsize Nov 03: Beware good
times: owners need to adjust when sales pick up: John Kimball,
Associated Bank • Upsize Jun 06: Other sources of capital
abound: here are seven. By Steven Siem, Power Plan
Financial • 51 ways to cut costs and increase cash flow •
Cutting costs in business
“Don’t ever, ever, ever miss your payroll taxes.
The penalties are enormous.”
QQUOTABLE
— PHIL KRONLAGE, BPK&Z
UPSIZE | 16 | ONLINE
NOV08

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Sponsor profile: OLSEN THIELEN TECHNOLOGIES INC.
TECH CONSULTANT
“Next level” companies
gain value with
Olsen Thielen Technologies
Two years ago, CEO Brad
Kieley met with Olsen Thielen
Technologies, Inc. (OTT)
to discuss his technology pain at
Emkat, Inc., a mobile software
and hardware solutions provider
for the manufacturing and distribution
industry.
Today, Kieley can forecast by
a reliable percentage the dollar
value of business coming to
Emkat over the next 30 days
thanks to OTT’s tailored implementation
of Microsoft Dynamics
CRM. By logging online
from any computer, he and key
staff can view data as if they
are in the office. Predefined
fields and tailored quoting and
service contracts in the system
make it feel proprietary.
The seamless interface at all
three Emkat offices includes an
updated contact database linked
to the phone system, so staff have
an instant view of client data
when that client calls.
“When you are looking to
bring your company to the next
level, OTT is definitely someone
to partner with your systems,”
Kieley says.
For more than 20 years, OTT
has helped small to mid-sized
businesses with 20 to 500
employees in the Upper Midwest
identify their technology pain.
“We work with them as team
members to leverage technology
that optimizes their business
processes, resulting in greater efficiencies,
productivity, and ultimately
increased profits,” notes
Eric Sheehan, Principal of OTT.
OTT is one of the nation’s leading
Value Added Resellers (VAR)
for Microsoft® Dynamics and a
Microsoft Gold Certified Business
Solutions Partner with dedicated
specialists in the areas of
Microsoft Dynamics TM CRM and
GP, Windows server and desktop
applications, MS SQL Server,
Sharepoint, Citrix and custom
development solutions.
The firm ranks in the top 2 percent
in North America for client
loyalty, based on annual Microsoft
studies. OTT is also among only
20 Microsoft partners worldwide
that sit on the corporation’s small
to medium-size business group
advisory council, providing feedback
to Microsoft executives on
what business owners need in its
products.
Eric Sheehan, Principal
"We work with our clients as team members to leverage
technology that optimizes their business processes,
resulting in greater efficiencies, productivity, and ultimately
increased profits."
— Eric Sheehan, Principal of OTT
A wholly owned subsidiary of
Olsen Thielen CPAs and Consultants
in St. Paul and Minneapolis,
OTT clients and its core practice
groups have expanded to include
manufacturing and distribution,
business services, telecommunications,
IT managed services,
development, and CRM.
A unique aspect of the firm is
that its technical and management
consultants not only maintain
professional technology certifications,
but also MBAs, CPAs,
and other business credentials,
Sheehan says.
Neometrics, Inc., a manufacturer
of wire-based products and
components for the medical
device industry, has added new
products and is doing three times
the level of business that it did
before working with OTT to implement
Microsoft Dynamics TM GP
(formerly Great Plains) software.
“We have experienced a 250
percent jump in revenue growth in
just one year,” says Dave Liebl,
vice president of research and
development. “Great Plains allows
us to quickly and easily view all
aspects of our business — manufacturing
orders, sales orders, purchase
orders, inventory levels, and
financial results — and service is
much better for our customers.”
With its proven business model
called The Trusted Partner Path,
OTT takes clients through five
phases of consultation. The fifth
step sets OTT apart from out-ofthe-box
solutions by measuring
how they have met expectations
and project criteria. Only 100 percent
satisfaction makes the Trusted
Partner Path complete.
In addition, OTT provides
ongoing optimization, communication,
client education and
technical support to ensure
client success long after the initial
implementation.
This model works well for Brad
Kieley at Emkat. The company is
already looking at the next phase
of integration with OTT by implementing
Microsoft Dynamics TM GP
as its accounting solution.
“They have more experience
than anyone else in the state,”
Kieley says.
Olsen Thielen Technologies, Inc.
2675 Long Lake Road
St. Paul, MN 55113-1117
Phone: 651-486-4522
Contact: Eric Sheehan, Principal
esheehan@ottechnologies.com
www.OTTechnologies.com
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RAISING
CAPITAL
Gaining adequate
capital in beginning
puts companies ahead
What can companies do to improve
their odds of gaining capital? Whether
it’s angel investors, venture capital or
simply securing a bank loan, entrepreneurs
must be prepared.
Have the business plan, the two-page
executive summary, the historical financials
and three to five years of projections
ready. Those are the core documents,
and you can’t just slap it together.
You have to have friends and mentors
take a look at it. If it has spelling
errors and it’s formatted improperly it’s
a hurdle you sometimes unfortunately
can’t overcome.
Being fair with potential investors also is
important. Anyone looking to raise $1
million who is only willing to give up 1
percent of equity isn’t going to get what
they want.
You need reasonable expectations. If you
come in and you are way out of whack on
your deal terms they just won’t have any
interest. Vet your terms with key advisers
before going out to your best prospects.
The most important thing an entrepreneur
can provide lenders is a coherent
plan that makes sense and, especially,
clearly spells out how the lender or financier
is going to make money or get paid
back.
When it comes to financial projections,
it’s important to know how many customers
a business needs to serve to
become profitable and how much it plans
to spend to get there. Experts also recommend
being open to suggestions from
bankers and other advisers who have
gone through similar battles in the past,
and being willing to tweak business plans
to give them more focus.
What do financiers want? One venture
capitalist puts it this way: “We want the
management team to have skin in the
game, first of all. Second, a well-thoughtout
business plan, with projections we
can rely on. Nobody ever makes their
projections — they’re either better or
worse. But we’re looking for reliability.”
Says another: “No. 1 is the quality of the
management team. No. 2, is the company’s
product line unique? Three, how
large is the market, at least $300 million
to $400 million for us. And four, can the
investors make significant amounts of
money? Investors typically want 40 percent
per year return.”
Be prepared in the way you pitch your
business. You’re selling your company
now, not your product. Speak to the
interests of the investor. Tailor your
pitch to the specific audience. You can
learn a lot about investors’ different
interests by searching their company
Web sites, and talking with others who
have used them.
Bankers have a specific focus: They
want to be assured they will get paid
back. Have a Plan B, so if things go
wrong you can make adjustments.
With any type of financier, be frugal.
They don’t want to see an airplane on
the books, or lavish office space.
TO-DO LIST
Most young
businesses are
undercapitalized, yet
the earliest stages can
be the best time to
acquire capital because
you have not yet met
with disappointment.
Realize that different
financiers, whether
lenders, venture capitalists,
angel investors or friends and
family, want different things.
Gear your offerings to the
right audience, and keep
their wants top of mind.
The amount of capital
you need
depends in part on the
competition, and how
quickly you need to get
to market. Do your
homework.
1 2 3 4
Your requests for
capital will be
rejected by some or perhaps
many. Ask questions
whenever you get a no,
and adjust your plan
accordingly.
UPSIZE | 18 | ONLINE
NOV08

Company profile: OLSEN THIELEN
advertisement
ACCOUNTING
Olsen Thielen’s trusted
advice helps clients
meet business challenges
Olsen Thielen offers more
than accounting and tax
services. The CPA and
consulting firm is widely sought
by clients for its knowledge in a
variety of industries and innovative
business solutions.
As one of the largest regional
CPA firms serving clients across
the Upper Midwest. The firm was
founded in 1921 to serve Minnesota’s
burgeoning telecommunications
industry, but also has
roots in health care, not-for-profit
and manufacturing.
Business consulting has
always been a key service of the
firm, which has allowed the firm
to grow to over 130 people with
offices in St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Olsen Thielen has also added
specialized services in information
technology (IT) consulting,
benefit plan consulting and
administration, business valuations
and succession planning.
“Our clients not only get
sophisticated tax, accounting and
consulting advice, they gain a
trusted advisor who they can talk
to about all the challenges they
face,” says Ken Vohs, President.
“They consider us allies and business
partners, and count on us
to come up with solutions that
add value to their business.”
Ronald Laqua, General Manager
of Halstad Telephone Co. said,
"Olsen Thielen brings me up to
speed, and their expertise helps
us in more ways than just
accounting."
The firm serves publicly-traded
companies to small mom-andpop
shops,many closely-held
ranging in sales from $5 million
to $100 million. Specialized services
focus on manufacturing and
distribution, telecommunications,
not-for-profit organizations and
employee benefit plan audits.
“Manufacturing has become
increasingly competitive in the
global marketplace, but we’re
assisting a lot of small and medium-size
manufacturers and specialty
manufacturers in this area,
and they are doing quite well,”
says Vohs. “We help them identify
what affects their bottom line
and tailor business solutions to
help them compete.”
Kim Swanson, Chief Financial
Officer for United Products Corporation
of America, says Olsen
Thielen has provided consulting
services such as business valuations
and more efficient tax
processes. “Olsen Thielen has a
lot of the owner’s trust, and that
Ken Vohs
doesn’t come easily,” he says.
“They are friendly, but businesslike.
They don’t waste our time.”
Addressing client demands for
IT consulting, Olsen Thielen
“Our clients not only get sophisticated tax, accounting and
consulting advice, they gain a trusted advisor who they can
talk to about all the challenges they face.”
— Ken Vohs, President
established Olsen Thielen Technologies
in 1986, a whollyowned
subsidiary that is one of
the nation’s leading Value Added
Resellers (VAR) for Microsoft®
Dynamics, and a Microsoft Gold
Certified Business Solutions
Partner.
In the area of telecommunications
and utilities, Olsen Thielen
focuses on the regulatory
and business challenges that
are part of today’s competitive
environment.
“We provide specialized
knowledge, whether clients
need IT or audit services, or regulatory
services,” says Vohs.
“Our clients appreciate our
experienced staff and rely on
our ability to keep them up to
speed on these issues.”
With not-for-profits being 20%
of their clients, Olsen Thielen
has introduced several valueadded
consulting services,
including strategic planning and
board training. “We are often
asked to participate in the
visioning process of our clients
to improve internal controls,
design benefit plans or provide
insight on the financial impact
of a business or fund-raising
opportunity,” Vohs states.
As a member of the AICPA
Employee Benefit Plan Audit Control
Center, Olsen Thielen has
extensive experience and a highly
trained staff that can perform
quality employee benefit plan
audits more efficiently and cost
effectively than larger firms.
Bottom line, says Vohs, “We do
it right. We take the time to get to
know our clients and their businesses.
Olsen Thielen has a long
history and we have set up the
systems to make sure the work is
done correctly, on time, and with
the right level of expertise. We’re
extremely focused on the needs
of businesses in today's economy,
and that is how we have
stayed on top of the game for 85
years.”
Olsen Thielen
2675 Long Lake Road
St. Paul, MN 55113-1117
Ken Vohs, President
651 483-4521
kvohs@otcpas.com
www.otcpas.com
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✓LEARN MORE
clickable resources
Upsize Aug 07: Upsize Primer: Financial Guide •
Upsize Feb 07: Upsize Roundtable: Give and take •
Upsize Nov 02: No bootstraps: Where to look for capital
to grow • Raising start-up capital
In 2005, my uncle bought 60,000
acres of mineral rights in North Dakota.
They paid $20 an acre, sold it to Whiting
Oil for $100 an acre. At the time
they were thinking they were geniuses,
Whiting Oil went up by $2 billion.
Watching family members leave $2 billion
on the table caused me to start this
company, in 2005.
Another key thing, about 100 feet
below the Bakken is another layer
that’s sourced in the Bakken, as productive
or more productive than the
Bakken.
We’re trading on AMEX, with the
symbol NOG, 34 million shares outstanding.
We have no debt, 20 percent
insider ownership. We have
experienced management, sufficient
cash position for acreage and drilling.
RAISING
CAPITAL
Why Michael Reger,
Northern Oil’s CEO,
went ‘begging’
FIRST
PERSON
“My great-grandfather
was president of Mobil’s
Rocky Mountain division.
My grandfather was in the
business. My uncle was a lease broker.
Heck, my one-year-old son is a lease
broker, he just doesn’t know it yet.” So
says, Michael Reger, CEO of Northern
Oil & Gas Co., based in the Twin Cities.
“My Dad gets mad when I say it, but I
felt that the family business model
was flawed. The lease broker business
is simple. You pile up a block of leases,
then sell it to a larger operator.
Then you keep a sliver of the overriding
royalty.
I spent the year begging, begging for
money from family and friends, and
we started leasing in the North
Dakota Bakken play. We now have
70,000 acres right in the core of the
play.
Our acreage position has now been
run over by other operators. As a nonoperator,
we don’t own rigs. We’re
drilling 15 to 20 wells and on average
our working interest is 12 1/2 percent.
It’s the most productive oil field in the
country.
I bought everything around it I could,
in Mountrail County. We get calls
almost daily from people with farms in
Fargo, wanting to know if they’re in
this basin. All the sea life was killed off
and it laid down this layer of beauty.
Wells cost $5 million to drill. The
wells have Saudia Arabia-type of productivity.
You get your $5 million back
sometimes in 15 days.
Recently the entire management team
decided to trade in our salaries and
take stock instead, to increase our
ownership. We don’t burn any cash.
We have no overhead. We have four
people in Wayzata. We have a lot of
cash, to meet our cash drilling
calls…so you can see why our stock is
falling $10 a day! [ He laughs ruefully;
in October 08 during the market
crash.]
Because of my family’s history, we
have the largest seismic library in the
country. We’re in other plays, but
nobody asks us about anything other
than the Bakken. We have drilled the
26th Bakken well, with 100 percent
success.
We can recover a lot of oil over a long
period of time, and we have long-term
leases so it’s an exciting time.”
UPSIZE | 20 | ONLINE
NOV08

Why settle for last year’s second best when you can
work with this year’s World Champions?
Trick question. This year’s World Champion in the Web Awards competition, with a record 29 awards,
is Risdall Marketing Group, last year’s runner up.
All modesty aside, our world-beating Website creative and development capabilities can work just as
effectively for you and your Web project, big or small. So can our social media
expertise – it is world class and overshadows all others’ in the area. The same
goes for our search engine optimization team – it sets the standard for results.
Over the past four years, we’ve won more Web Marketing Awards and Webbies
than all other Web vendors in Minnesota, combined. Following this trend, you can expect even more
wins from Risdall next year.
Want to be one of next year’s winners? Call Ted Risdall at 651-286-6701.
www.risdall.com

HIRING
PEOPLE
Top 10 tips
for hiring staff
WATCH FOR HIDDEN
1 COSTS
Hire carefully. Remember that
there can be substantial “hidden” costs
in adding employees. It’s not just
salary, but payroll tax, workers compensation,
unemployment comp, and
the biggie: health insurance. Small
businesses can see their health insurance
costs for employees vary greatly
depending on age, family size, preexisting
health conditions, and any
major illnesses employees suffer.
If you need extra help but aren’t sure
there’s enough work to justify hiring additional
permanent staff and paying more
for benefits, consider using a temporary
help agency. This will put a limit on your
commitment to additional personnel.
Also, if the need for the extra staff
proves to be permanent, you’ve already
tried out the temp. True, you’ll likely
need to buy them out from the temp
agency, but you’ve found a person you
like and you’ve eliminated the costs of
recruitment and interviewing.
GEAR BENEFITS TO
2 EMPLOYEES
One of the major reasons
employees may choose to continue
working after age 65 is to receive medical
and other benefits. Conversely, a
younger population probably has far
different goals and motivators. As
companies find creative ways to keep
all populations engaged in the workforce,
they need to ensure that the
benefits available fit the needs of the
entire workforce, young and old alike.
Many companies use a benefits broker
to review benefit plans. Let your broker
know the demographics of your workforce
so that they can find benefits
packages that will attract and retain all
workers. Although a Health Savings
Account (HSA) may appeal to younger
workers, for example, it is unlikely to
hold the same attraction for older workers.
Make other options available.
HANDBOOK A MUST
3 Every company with more than
a handful of employees should
have an employee handbook. It’s a good
place to put all of your policies and it
lets people know the basic ground rules
you’re working under.
The handbook should cover the basics,
listing all benefits offered, such as
health insurance, 401k, tuition reimbursement
and health savings accounts,
and a brief description of each. It should
outline all policies including vacation,
time off, paid holidays, premium pay for
certain shifts, travel reimbursement,
dress code and Internet usage.
Every employee should receive a copy
of the handbook. Have employees sign
a receipt acknowledging they received
it and that they agree to it and that it is
their responsibility to read it.
Any time there is a problem or a lawsuit
the questions that will come up
are: “What’s your policy? Where does
it say that? And how was that communicated?”
OVERTIME AND
4 CLASSIFICATION
Many small employers get in
trouble when they classify employees
improperly, such as calling them independent
contractors when they’re
actually employees, or calling them
salaried employees exempt from overtime
pay and other rules when they’re
really not. Consult with a knowledgeable
attorney to get this right, because
fines can be steep for those who get it
wrong.
NO HARASSMENT
5 All employee handbooks
should include an anti-harassment
and anti-discrimination policy
including information on what to do if
there is an incident and who should be
notified. Some small-business owners
ignore this important area, because
they think they’re “all like family.” But a
lackadaisical attitude will hurt you in a
lawsuit.
Training is another way to avoid problems.
Anti-discrimination and antiharassment
training can raise awareness
among employees about what is
appropriate workplace behavior and
what is not. It also shows that the
employer is making a serious attempt
to address these issues and it can be
cost-effective.
UPSIZE | 22 | ONLINE
NOV08

ONLINEO
Q&A
GOT QUESTIONS?
Get answers to grow your business
at Upsize magazine’s new ONLINE WEBINARS
NEXT TOPIC:
INVESTING FOR RETIREMENT IN TURBULENT TIMES
With JOHN FOSTER, senior investment strategist, JNBA Financial Advisors
Log on Friday, December 19, 10 a.m.
Click here to register
This webinar is aimed at business owners, who will learn:
• Where to invest in today’s bear market
• Why the right retirement plan helps retain employees
• Red flags to avoid when choosing and managing your plan
• How to maximize your and your employees’ retirement savings
Host Beth Ewen, editor and co-founder, Upsize magazine, will take your questions live

✓LEARN MORE
clickable resources
Upsize May 04: How to make employee bonus plans
pay off, by Anne Bares, Altura Consulting Group •
Upsize Apr 05: Don’t imitate ‘The Donald’ when hiring
and firing, by Carl Crosby Lehmann and Reagan Oden,
Gray Plant Mooty • Upsize Nov 05: Staff handbooks
can protect both parties if well done, by Theresa Thompson,
Parsinen Kaplan Rosberg & Gotlieb • U.S. Department
of Labor, Wage and Hour division • Wage and
hour laws FAQ
WATCH THE INTERNET
6 An Internet and e-mail policy
is a must at any company
where employees have access to the
Internet. While it can be a great tool in
the workplace, the Internet can also be
the source of a lot of problems.
People should think twice before they
send jokes or racy pictures or forward
e-mails. What some people view as a
joke, might be construed as harassing
or discriminatory behavior to others.
And it’s not just the originator of the e-
mail who risks disciplinary action, but
also the employee who forwards it on
to friends.
Many employees assume their work e-
mail is private, but it’s not; the system
belongs to the employer, and employers
have the right to monitor it. That
should be clearly stated in the e-mail
policy section of the handbook.
ENFORCE
7 NONCOMPETES
Noncompete agreements can
prevent an employee from working for
a competitor for a specific period of
time. Nondisclosures can prevent
employees from disclosing certain
information. And nonsolicitation agreements
can prevent a former employee
from luring others away. All of these
can be effective tools in protecting
your business assets if they are drafted
properly and enforced consistently.
Before drafting any of these agreements,
employers need to identify and
prioritize key assets of the business
that may need protection. Noncompete
agreements aren’t necessary for all
employees and there’s only some information
that is crucial to the survival of
your business.
If you do have these agreements in
place, you need to enforce them consistently.
It’s important to act quickly if
there’s a breach or a threat of a breach,
because a delay will hurt your case.
DON’T GO IT ALONE
8 Employment law is definitely
an area where employers
shouldn’t try to go it alone. Laws and
rules are complicated, and different
laws kick in at different numbers of
employees. Attorneys say spending a
few hours on foundation areas, and
then calling your attorney when problems
arise, can avoid a lot of hardship
and cost down the road.
9
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
The No. 1 mistake? Failure to
treat people consistently or
fairly. If employers do nothing else to
avoid problems or potential legal disputes
they should be sure to treat
people consistently and fairly, especially
as companies get larger.
If it comes to a lawsuit, a discrepancy
in the way employees are treated creates
an obstacle for the defense. Why
was Employee A afforded an opportunity
that was denied to Employee B?
Or why was Employee A disciplined for
an action and Employee B was not?
The judge and jury will look at that
track record. And that’s powerful evidence.
Juries may not understand the
law, but they understand fairness.
WRITE IT DOWN
10 Documentation is another
huge area that plagues small
employers. Many of them cite lack of
time, lack of knowledge or fear of
doing it wrong as the reason for their
poor or nonexistent documentation.
But if you do it properly, it can help
you.
If an employee who has been dismissed
brings a lawsuit claiming to
have been unaware that he or she was
on the brink of termination, documentation
is key, attorneys say.
UPSIZE | 24 | ONLINE
NOV08

✓LEARN MORE
clickable resources
Upsize May 04: How to make employee bonus plans
pay off, by Anne Bares, Altura Consulting Group •
Upsize Apr 05: Don’t imitate ‘The Donald’ when hiring
and firing, by Carl Crosby Lehmann and Reagan Oden,
Gray Plant Mooty • Upsize Nov 05: Staff handbooks
can protect both parties if well done, by Theresa Thompson,
Parsinen Kaplan Rosberg & Gotlieb • U.S. Department
of Labor, Wage and Hour division • Wage and
hour laws FAQ
WATCH THE INTERNET
6 An Internet and e-mail policy
is a must at any company
where employees have access to the
Internet. While it can be a great tool in
the workplace, the Internet can also be
the source of a lot of problems.
People should think twice before they
send jokes or racy pictures or forward
e-mails. What some people view as a
joke, might be construed as harassing
or discriminatory behavior to others.
And it’s not just the originator of the e-
mail who risks disciplinary action, but
also the employee who forwards it on
to friends.
Many employees assume their work e-
mail is private, but it’s not; the system
belongs to the employer, and employers
have the right to monitor it. That
should be clearly stated in the e-mail
policy section of the handbook.
ENFORCE
7 NONCOMPETES
Noncompete agreements can
prevent an employee from working for
a competitor for a specific period of
time. Nondisclosures can prevent
employees from disclosing certain
information. And nonsolicitation agreements
can prevent a former employee
from luring others away. All of these
can be effective tools in protecting
your business assets if they are drafted
properly and enforced consistently.
Before drafting any of these agreements,
employers need to identify and
prioritize key assets of the business
that may need protection. Noncompete
agreements aren’t necessary for all
employees and there’s only some information
that is crucial to the survival of
your business.
If you do have these agreements in
place, you need to enforce them consistently.
It’s important to act quickly if
there’s a breach or a threat of a breach,
because a delay will hurt your case.
DON’T GO IT ALONE
8 Employment law is definitely
an area where employers
shouldn’t try to go it alone. Laws and
rules are complicated, and different
laws kick in at different numbers of
employees. Attorneys say spending a
few hours on foundation areas, and
then calling your attorney when problems
arise, can avoid a lot of hardship
and cost down the road.
9
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
The No. 1 mistake? Failure to
treat people consistently or
fairly. If employers do nothing else to
avoid problems or potential legal disputes
they should be sure to treat
people consistently and fairly, especially
as companies get larger.
If it comes to a lawsuit, a discrepancy
in the way employees are treated creates
an obstacle for the defense. Why
was Employee A afforded an opportunity
that was denied to Employee B?
Or why was Employee A disciplined for
an action and Employee B was not?
The judge and jury will look at that
track record. And that’s powerful evidence.
Juries may not understand the
law, but they understand fairness.
WRITE IT DOWN
10 Documentation is another
huge area that plagues small
employers. Many of them cite lack of
time, lack of knowledge or fear of
doing it wrong as the reason for their
poor or nonexistent documentation.
But if you do it properly, it can help
you.
If an employee who has been dismissed
brings a lawsuit claiming to
have been unaware that he or she was
on the brink of termination, documentation
is key, attorneys say.
UPSIZE | 24 | ONLINE
NOV08

FINDING
SPACE
Start office hunt early,
says real estate attorney
EXPERT
ADVICE
“How much space? You
have a general sense of how
much space you need, but
do you know how much
space you will actually use every day?”
That should be your first question when
considering office space, says Andrea Carruthers,
a real estate attorney with Faegre
& Benson, the Minneapolis law firm. She
offers this advice:
“If you have employees who travel or work
from home, consider creating flex-space in
your office layout. By moving to an environment
with no assigned work spaces, you
may reduce your space requirements and
facilities costs.
You may need less space than you think. By
going into an efficiently laid out building
(think square or rectangular floor plates) or
thoughtfully planning your space, you can
minimize the amount of rentable area needed
to meet your usable area requirements.
Where do you need to be? The operative
word here is ‘need,’ not ‘want.’ Consider
whether your business requires you be in a
particular neighborhood or near certain
facilities. In some cases the answers are
obvious: if you have a lot of tractor-trailer
traffic, you will want easy freeway access.
But in many other instances, the tradeoffs
are less apparent.
Hire the right consultants. It may be
tempting to try get by without hiring an
outside real estate consultant. In many
cases that could be a regrettable decision:
few companies have necessary expertise
in-house to represent themselves on a
major relocation.
The right real estate broker can add value
to a deal, but the key is to select the best
broker for the job at hand. Engage someone
who is an expert in the particular submarket
you are interested in (both in terms
of geography and asset class). If you
intend to lease, you may want to hire a
tenant representative, which is a real
estate broker who specializes in representing
tenants in lease deals. It is perfectly
appropriate to interview several brokers
before selecting the one you want.
Maximize your flexibility. Real estate
decisions are inherently complex, expensive
and illiquid—which makes flexibility
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UPSIZE | 26 | ONLINE
NOV08

extremely valuable. If you are leasing, try to
get as many expansion, contraction,
renewal and termination rights as your
landlord can tolerate. Armed with these
rights, you adjust the size of your space
and the length of your lease term in order
to conform your real estate obligations to
your business needs.
Develop a strategy. If your lease is not
expiring at the time you plan to move, and
you are unable to negotiate an early termination
deal with your landlord, then you
may need to look at assigning your lease
or subleasing your space. If your lease
does not have enough unexpired term to
make it worthwhile to a new user to move
into your space (probably three to five
years, minimum), you may be stuck with
the space for the remainder of your term.
Developing a disposal strategy is simpler
for owned sites: in most cases you will sell.
In this case, you have less control over timing,
because you own the property.
Paper the deal. Once you have the
business terms ironed out, you will need to
document your new deal. If you are buying,
you will enter into a purchase agreement
with your seller. After signing the purchase
agreement you will probably have a period
of time for due diligence, where you can
inspect the property, and make an election
as to whether or not to move forward.
There may be some warranties and
indemnity obligations that survive closing—but
usually only for a year or less. The
relationship of buyer and seller, then, is
fairly short-term.
Leases are different. Leases will usually
have a minimum initial term of five years,
but 10- and 15-year deals are common,
depending on the market and type of
asset. Because the landlord-tenant relationship
is both long term and interdependent,
it is important to negotiate your
lease with care. Pay particular attention to
the provisions that relate to obligations
during the period of construction, and also
to surrender at the end of the lease term—
these are the two areas where disputes
most commonly arise.
Start early! Don’t underestimate how
long this process will take. Although each
case is different, each of the major steps
along the way (site selection; deal negotiation
and closing; construction and movein)
can easily take several months. Market
conditions can easily lengthen any of these
steps. In most cases it is safe to assume
that start-to-finish a relocation will take at
least a full year, but very possibly even
longer.”
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UPSIZE | 27 | ONLINE
NOV08

®
✓LEARN MORE
clickable resources
Upsize Sep 08: Dear Informer column, Real Estate section •
Upsize How-to Audio: Phil Kluesner, Gannett Peak Partners:
To get your best lease, negotiate much more than price •
Upsize How-to Audio: Scott Tankenoff, Hillcrest Development:
Flexibility is most important when building or leasing
space • Pros and cons of buying or leasing office space •
How to find office space
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Meditech’s move
boosts stature
in clients’ eyes
CASE
STUDY
Five thousand square
feet of office space, up
from 2,000 in its previous
location, is making a
positive difference for Meditech Communications
Inc. and ThisClicks Interactive,
which develops content for
clients, especially in the medical
products industry.
Before, the company didn’t have a studio
for video and audio production, and
had to rent one, often starting at
$1,600 a day, says co-owner Joe
duBord. Now they can rent out the studio
to other clients when it’s not in use.
Before, employees often had to work
in the basement with no windows;
now staff members work in sleek
cubicles and a completely wired
building, or relax in the loft lounge,
with a pool table, Wii video game system
and a huge, comfortable leather
couch.
duBord and co-owner Brian Hagen
have added four staff members, now
up to nine employees, since moving
into the building in December 2007,
including for the first time a project
manager who relieves them from ramrodding
the day-to-day project flow.
“We’re able to watch the business,”
duBord says.
Of course taxes, mortgage payments
and utilities are higher as well, but the
company is on track to hit $2 million
in revenue in 2008, up from $1.3 million
in 2007.
duBord and Hagen opted to purchase
the building, for about $750,000, and
then lease it back to the company.
They owned their former building in
Roseville as well, which they sold for
$300,000. duBord says for smallbusiness
owners, real estate can take
the place of a retirement plan.
The building is part of the St. Paul
“We were perceived as a smaller company that
couldn’t handle large projects, so this makes
us look like a force to be reckoned with.”
®
QQUOTABLE
— JOE DUBORD, Meditech Communications and This Clicks
Interactive, on their new, larger St. Paul headquarters
®
UPSIZE | 28 | ONLINE
NOV08

Get The Dirt Out
Port Authority’s Phalen Corridor revitalization
project, so they got a favorable
25-year mortgage with an interest
rate that’s examined only once, at
the seven-year mark, rather than the
typical every five years.
Clean Mailing Lists, Improve Image,
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It took them a year from closing on
the property to moving in. “We were
real diligent about everything,” says
duBord. They worked on wiring the
building for the high-tech projects
their staff members create, and maximizing
the use of space by hiring a
designer.
For example, the building had 18-foot
ceilings, so they put in the mezzanine
for use by employees, in a spot that
would otherwise have been air.
“Being that we purchased the building,
we thought let’s maximize the
space,” so it’s worth more when they
sell it one day.
We Launder Mailing Lists.
Instead of artwork, they installed flatscreen
TVs throughout the space, and
can show examples of company projects
so customers see the possibilities
when they visit.
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Larger projects are coming their way
recently, and duBord attributes that in
part to the new showcase space. For
example, Meditech did the interactive
kiosks showing activity on the I-35W
bridge reconstruction in Minneapolis.
The Michigan Department of Transportation
saw those kiosks and hired
the firm to do similar kiosks for a
large construction project there.
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UPSIZE | 29 | ONLINE
NOV08

BUYING
TECHNOLOGY
Consider needs first
to purchase software,
systems wisely
Every growing business needs systems,
software and technology that can scale
up along with the growing company.
When considering technology purchases,
the best question to ask is: what is
the business problem I’m trying to solve?
When you automate something you
can’t automate against human nature.
So, first follow the rules you already have
before you make new rules. Ask, why
aren’t people doing it now?
The point is not to be a technophobe, but
to carefully consider the cost and benefit
of any particular technology solution, and
to further consider the reality that many
an expensive software program or gadget
sits unused at companies because it’s
human nature to resist change.
You have to watch out for bright, shiny
objects and cool blinking lights, because
it costs you something, one local information
technology consultant likes to
say. So you better get something from it.
And you have to know upfront in concrete
business terms what you’ll get
from it.
The No. 1 thing is that every dollar that’s
spent matters. Any time you’re planning
technology solutions, step back and say,
what’s the problem I’m trying to solve and
what’s the cost? If it costs a dollar it better
be getting more than a dollar back.
CASE
STUDY
When Maggy Kottman purchased
Aircorps Mechanical
in 2003, she brought a
general business background
to the mechanical contractor that
specializes in HVAC installations, or heating,
venting and air conditioning for commercial
buildings.
She immediately attacked what she calls
the low-hanging fruit in any business: she
purchased financial software to get the
reports she needed, and compared the
costs of each with her needs. She scrutinized
the expense of office supplies, right
down to toilet paper that was costing her
$12 for a case of 10 rolls. “I said, that’s just
wrong,” Kottman says, and she switched
to a warehouse-style club for such purchases.
By May 2008, union wages increased 4
1/2 percent, and then gas prices soared as
high as $4 a gallon. “We thought, we had
to do something,” Kottman says, so she
began investigating global positioning
systems and gas cards for her employees,
who travel around the Twin Cities to service
and install equipment.
9 tips…
…for upgrading technology.
1
Finding the time to be ‘non-productive,’
to focus on a software installation or
upgrade for your own firm, can be difficult
for a growing company.
2
But the results can be increased efficiency,
and especially more time for employees
to focus on driving revenue.
3
The earlier you start the process, the
better, but if you didn’t install systems
when you started your firm take the time to
do so now.
4
Every project should start with research,
so the company can understand its own
objectives, experts say.
5
Next, interview a number of potential
vendors, with the goal being to find a
partner rather than a one-time salesperson.
6
Make sure the product purchased aligns
with the firm’s other existing technology
to ease integration.
7
Well before the upgrade, seek feedback
and buy-in from leaders within the
company.
8
Many technology upgrades fall apart
because business owners either didn’t get
other employees on board or didn’t seek
feedback to see how the new equipment
would interact with systems already in place,
experts say.
9
Once technology is purchased, train
employees comprehensively so they know
how to use it.
TO-DO LIST
Never automate a
mess. Make sure
your business process
works well before turning
to technology; a software
system can’t fix a process
that’s broken.
The first place to purchase
is likely financial
software that gives you the
reports you need. It can help
to hire an accountant to set
up your system and train you
or your chief financial officer
how to get the most out of it.
Another fruitful area
to consider is customer
relationship management
software, so you
can maximize information
and interaction with customers.
1 2 3 4
With any technology
purchase, always
specify the problem
you’re trying to solve or
the goal you’re trying to
reach, and compare the
cost of the solutions
you’re considering.
UPSIZE | 30 | ONLINE
NOV08

Her goal was to increase dispatching
efficiencies, and her analysis showed
that if she saved just five minutes per
day per technician, the whole system
would pay for itself in nine months.
Actually, the system saved 15 minutes
per day per technician, on 60 percent of
her company’s fleet, causing payback to
come much more quickly and saving
$39,000 a year.
✓LEARN MORE
clickable resources
She since has outfitted her technicians
with laptops, so they enter their data
onsite rather than wasting time trying to
recreate the week past on Monday morning.
And she’s now given professionals
GPS systems and gas cards as well.
She believes in examining all expenses
and specifying the return on investment
needed for every purchase.
Upsize Nov 03: You can reduce risk when using info tech
services, by Tom Salonek, Intertech • Upsize Jun 04: CIA
applies when protecting your customers’ data, Kirk Hoaglund,
Clientek • Upsize Jun 07: First recognize, then fix, three tech
pains, by Rob Marx, Olsen Thielen Technologies •
Trizle.com: How to buy business technology • smallbiztechnology.com:
Buying technology for small business,
weekly updates via e-mail
“In a year’s time you can save thousands
of dollars,” Kottman says. “I tried to put
together a mosaic of programs that put
together would make a difference.”
“The idea in I.T., if we build it they will come, is not real. But if
we build it and there’s a reason and it makes their life easier —
they will come.”
QQUOTABLE
— Kirk Hoaglund, Clientek
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UPSIZE | 31 | ONLINE
NOV08

OPERATING WISELY: BUSINESS OWNERS SHARE TIPS
1
“Define your process. Lay out a plan. Then execute
on that plan. When you attack things in a
defined manner you can manage that growth
quite easily, because it’s expected.”
DAREN COTTER, CotterWeb Enterprises
2
“Building a business is easier when you build on proven strengths. Take the time to
clarify and define what are the strengths you and your business have — don’t just
list the strengths, but support each with real examples.”
ESPERANZA GUERRERO-ANDERSON, Upsize Lifeline of the Year
3
“I say it’s an open door policy, but it’s really a
screen-door policy. I filter some things” when
speaking with employees.
TOM TRUTNA, Big Ink Display Graphics
“We have a plan in place for strategic growth.
We don’t take just any business that comes
along. We want to make sure we can handle the
business that comes.”
5
JENNIFER ARENDS, TRIAD
4
“If you have a feeling that something
just isn’t right, explore
those feelings. Don’t act off-thecuff
from your gut, but use your
intuition to help inform your
direction and to learn more in
the areas where things don’t
seem quite right.”
RUTH LUNDQUIST & DARCY
OLSON, Let’s Dish Inc.
“Pipelining talent is the most important, always looking to who
our talent is, or who we need to be talking to.”
6SIX
CJ DuBé, Oberon
7
“Forget ‘burn rate’ and focus on
‘positive cash flow.’ Some call this
conservative. I call it prudent.”
GARY ANDERSON,
Netbriefings Inc.
8
“The harder I tried to control employees, in my previous
job, the worse things were. The more I let it go
and just let it flow, the better.”
LISA HANNUM, Beehive PR
UPSIZE | 32 | ONLINE
NOV08

9
“Follow the money because no one will
watch it like you do. You have to watch the
numbers and manage it.”
KATHY and BRIAN ANDERSON,
Anderson Cargo Services
“No matter what the size of the business,
it’s all the same problems, just one more
zero. I can’t look at the dollars because I’d
be in the bathroom throwing up. You just
have to look at it as one more zero.”
CRAIG KRUCKEBERG,
Spray Control Systems
✓LEARN MORE
clickable resources
11
10
Participate in the Great American Small Business Challenge
to receive free operating help from a new, not-forprofit
effort • Upsize Dec 07 • Upsize Dec 06 • Upsize
Dec 05: best practices from the finalists in the Upsize Business
Builder Awards
12
“Individualize. There’s no one
size that fits everybody.”
MIKE SARAFOLEAN,
Orion Corp. of Minnesota
“We have 14 presidents at the agency, of these different
groups, because if you’re the president you have a
lot more traction in the marketplace.”
JOHN RISDALL, Risdall Advertising Agency Interactive
“If you can conserve first,
you can start to accelerate
from that.”
MAGGY KOTTMAN,
AirCorps LLC
13
14
15
“As
a leader you have to have good character. If you don’t have
good character no matter what you know nobody is going to follow
you period. Fortunately that’s part of who I am and people
see that.”
NYANTU BOLO, Essentials 4 Fitness
“You can’t plan for all the
contingencies. So do
some reasonable planning,
but then get started.
The hardest thing for
any entrepreneur is just
taking that first step. If
you take that first step
you’ll find that you’re
taking your second
before you know it.”
SCOTT AUGUSTINE,
Augustine Biomedical +
Design
“Define who you are as an
organization and then bring it
into every aspect of your
business. Constantly keep the
conversation alive.”
JODI STANDKE,
Talon Performance Group
16
“Every year sit down and set goals based on the previous
year’s performance and have a dollar amount set for
what you plan to produce. Sometimes even aim higher
than you expect to reach, because that doesn’t hurt.”
CHRISTINE TUHY and FATIMA COCCI, Amigas Realty
“I had no idea how thrilling it would
be, to be an entrepreneur. I like to
play in the future with new ideas, so
that’s perfect for the entrepreneur.”
LONNY KOCINA, Kocina Marketing Cos.
18
17
UPSIZE | 33 | ONLINE
NOV08

MAJOR SOURCES
FOR THIS EDITION
Richard Brown,
JNBA Financial Advisors Inc.: 952.844.0995;
richard.brown@jnba.com; www.jnba.com.
Andrea Carruthers, Faegre & Benson:
612.766.7000; acarruthers@faegre.com;
www.faegre.com
Joe duBord, Meditech Communications Inc.:
651.636.7350; info@gomeditech.com;
www.gomeditech.com
Mark Gleeman, Winthrop & Weinstine:
612.604.6677; mgleeman@winthrop.com;
www.winthrop.com
Kirk Hoaglund, Clientek: 612.379.1440;
kirk.hoaglund@clienek.com; www.clientek.com
Maggy Kottman, AirCorps LLC: 612.231.2721;
mkottman@aircorpmechanical.com;
www.aircorpmechanical.com
Jim Kowalski, Kowalski’s Markets: 651.578.8800;
jkowalski@kowalskis.com; www.kowalskis.com
Phil Kronlage, BPK&Z: 763.253.1134;
pkronlage@bpkz.com; www.bpkz.com
Mark Mathison, Gray Plant Mooty:
612.632.3247; markmathison@gpmlaw.com;
www.gpmlaw.com
Kelly Roden, Roden Iron Inc.: 320.983.5440;
kelly@rodeniron.com; www.rodeniron.com
Lenny Segal, Oberman Thompson & Segal:
612.217.6442; lsegal@ostlawyers.com
www.ostlawyers.com
Dave Stene and Amber Ferrie, EideBailly:
952.918.3518; dstene@eidebailly.com;
aferrie@eidebailly.com; www.eidebailly.com
Rick Wall, Highland Bank: 952.858.4753;
rick.wall@highlandbanks.com;
www.highlandbanks.com.
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UPSIZE | 34 | ONLINE
NOV08

Advertising section UPSIZE ONLINE RESOURCE DIRECTORY Advertising section
ACCOUNTING
B&B – Boyum & Barenscheer PLLP
7800 Metro Parkway, Suite 200 • Minneapolis, MN 55425
952-858-5543
www.BoyBarCPA.com
For more information, contact Joseph Rusche, Partner
This mid size full service “Top 25” Metro area CPA firm
brings you the full resources of a large accounting firm
without compromising personal service. We have a history
of attracting and keeping top talented professionals.
Our Emerging Business Group offers exceptional service
and solutions to clients from start-ups to fast growth
businesses.
ACCOUNTING
KDV – Kern DeWenter Viere
Twin Cities: 763-537-3011
Greater Minnesota: 320-251-7010
www.kdv.com
Loren Viere, Sharon McKenzie
KDV, a leading CPA and business advisory firm, specializes in
helping privately held and family-run businesses improve
financial performance and achieve their goals through every
stage of business. From start-up to exit, KDV provides timely
expertise and advice in the areas most critical to your success,
...including tax and
accounting, strategy, business
valuation, wealth
management, organization
development, technology.
ACCOUNTING
Olsen Thielen
St. Paul, 651-483-4521
Minneapolis, 952-941-9242
www.olsen-thielen.com • Ken Vohs
As one of the largest Minnesota based CPA firms, Olsen
Thielen believes that personal attention, trusted advice,
and quality are the key elements to helping clients succeed.
Our experienced team goes the extra mile for businesses
of all sizes. Olsen Thielen offers accounting and
tax services as well as expertise in manufacturing, business
valuations, strategy, IT solutions, benefit plan consulting
and ERISA audits.
ACCOUNTING
Schechter Dokken Kanter
100 Washington Avenue South, #1600
Minneapolis, MN 55419
Ph: 612-332-5500 – Fax: 612-332-1529
www.sdkcpa.com
For more information, contact Russ Andrews.
At Schechter Dokken Kanter, our primary focus is helping
clients become more profitable. We are a full-service
accounting firm, but we are more than just accountants; we
are consultants and strategists.
Services in a variety of industries
include: accounting and
audit, tax, employee benefits,
wealth preservation and
forensic accounting.
ADVERTISING • MARKETING
Lime Creek Marketing
& Business Development
Phone: 952-934-8363 • Fax: 952-934-8365
www.limecreekmarketing.com
Stephen D. Twite
Lime Creek Marketing & Business Development is a group of
professionals whose focus is on nurturing emerging companies,
being a resource partner for the entrepreneur and helping
organizations reach their goals sooner than expected. All
of this is done using a webcentric approach to your marketing,
positioning and communications requirements. After all it is a
webcentric world we live in and
you need a partner that can leverage
the potential of the Internet
efficiently and effectively.
ADVERTISING BANKS • BUSINESS • MARKETING
Risdall Advertising Agency
tel: 651.631.1098
fax: 651.631.2561
www.risdall.com
John Risdall, Terri Lee,
Ted Risdall, Tom Wilson, Tim Dillon
Founded in 1972, Risdall Advertising Agency is the
fourth largest and seventh oldest ad agency in Minnesota.
It is the state’s leading interactive agency, and the leader
in industrial, high technology, medical technology and
business-to-business advertising.
AUDIO • VISUAL
AVI Systems
9675 W. 76th St., Suite 200
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
(p)952-949-3700 (f)952-949-6000
www.avisystems.com/minneapolis
Key contact: Joe Baer
AVI Systems is a professional audio and video systems
integrator that designs, engineers, installs and services
leading edge technology for businesses large and small.
We partner with architects, consultants, engineers, interior
designers and a host of other contractors to create the
most spectacular environments
imaginable.
Crown Bank
BANK
Peter Dahl, CEO
Kevin Howk, President
6600 France Avenue South, Suite 125
Edina, Minnesota 55435
Ph: (952) 285-5800
www.crown-bank.com
Imagine a bank that actually helps you get what you
want. Instead of red tape, loan committees and canned
lending formulas, work with a decision-maker who can
back you up from start
to finish.
Member FDIC
Fidelity Bank
7600 Parklawn Avenue
Edina, MN 55435
Phone: (952) 831-6600
Contact: Steve Stoup, Vice President — Business Development
steves@fidelitybankmn.com
www.fidelitybankmn.com
Fidelity Bank is known for helping business owners meet
revolving credit, term loan and other financing needs. A full
complement of other banking services is also offered. We are
an experienced asset-based lender and have a long-tenured
lending staff. Loan decisions
are made quickly.
Highland Bank
Rick Wall, CEO 952.858.4753
rick.wall@highlandbanks.com
Pat Bradley, President 952.858.4719
pat.bradley@highlandbanks.com
www.highlandbanks.com
Founded in 1943, Highland Bank is one of the most
innovative small business banks in the Twin Cities. We
are especially proud to have been designated as an SBA
Preferred Lender, which enables us to expedite all SBA
loan requests. Offering a full array of products and
services, Highland specializes in meeting the unique
needs and objectives of growing businesses.
BANK
North American Banking Company
Offices located in: Roseville, Minneapolis, Woodbury, Hastings
Brad Huckle, President and Chief Lending Officer
www.nabankco.com
651-636-9654 fax 651-636-2474
Our goal at North American Banking Company is to give
business owners all of the banking services they need and
make it a great experience. Our bankers are seasoned
professionals in all areas of
business banking. From loans to
cash management services to
investments, you’ll find it’s easy
to do business with bankers
who are focused on you. We’re
not your average bank.
Northeast Bank
612-379-8811
www.northeastbank-mn.com
BANK
BANK
BANK
Northeast Bank builds long term relationships with businesses
of all sizes. Clients choose Northeast Bank because
they want a banker who will become an insightful financial
partner. Northeast’s clients benefit by working long
term with a lending team that has a high level of experience
and the authority to make decisions. Our philosophy
is profitability follows when people and relationships
come first.
Member FDIC

Advertising section UPSIZE ONLINE RESOURCE DIRECTORY Advertising section
Sunrise Community Banks
Franklin Bank • Dorothy Bridges, President
612-874-4318 • www.franklinbankmpls.com
Park Midway Bank • Rick Beeson, President
651-523-7830 • www.park-bank.com
University Bank • David Reiling, President
651-265-5627 • www.universitybank.com
Locally owned community banks providing custom banking
services to businesses and not for profits. Highly
experienced business bankers develop strong customer
relationships to better understand your business needs
and offer solutions. Preferred
SBA Lender.
Complete range of commercial
banking services.
Venture Bank
Bloomington, Eagan and Golden Valley Mn
Bloom: 952-830-9999; GV: 763-398-3333;
Eagan: 651-289-2222
www.venturebankonline.com Michael Zenk, Pres
Venture Bank is committed to being the most responsive,
creative, and flexible business bank in the Twin Cities
community. From our custom products to our personal
service and unmatched industry experience, we continually
strive to offer whatever it takes to help our customers
succeed. Call or stop in and let us help your business
achieve every success.
Western Bank
BANK
BANK
BANK
663 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104
Tel: 651-290-8100
Fax: 651-290-8118
www.western-bank.com
Tony Lemaire
Western Bank is an independent bank, rooted in the community,
providing one-to-one banking relationships
tailored to small business. Western Bank has six metro
area locations to meet your small banking needs: St. Paul,
Minneapolis, Edina, Moundsview, Maplewood and Oakdale.
BUSINESS LIBRARY
James J. Hill Reference Library
80 West Fourth Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Phone: 651-265-5500 Fax: 651-265-5520
www.jjhill.org www.hillsearch.org www.biztoolkit.org
Founded in 1921, the James J. Hill Reference Library
specializes in serving the business information needs of
entrepreneurs, business professionals, non-profit companies
and the general public. The Hill Library’s mission is
to provide clients with access to and assistance in finding
the practical business information they need to succeed.
BUSINESS BANKS • BUSINESS MACHINES
BusinessWare Solutions
Central and Southern Minnesota
(320) 587-2940 or 1-800-424-5566
www.businesswaresolutions.com
Don Hoversten – President
BusinessWare Solutions has been bringing computer, networking,
and printer technology solutions to small businesses
since 1994. As a certified Gold Partner to
Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft, we understand how to
help customers right-size their printing and consolidate
devices so they spend less money over time. Business-
Ware provides customized solutions to small business’
technology
challenges.
BUSINESS MACHINES
Coordinated Business Systems, Ltd.
851 W. 128th Street• Burnsville, MN 55337
(952)894-9460 (p) (952)894-9238
www.coordinated.com • Jim Oricchio – President
Coordinated Business Systems is a local technology company
celebrating twenty years in business. We sell, lease and
support Kyocera Mita networked digital imaging systems
such as color and black and white copiers, fax systems, wide
format digital systems and laser printers. We also market
document management software systems and electronic filing
systems. Coordinated
Business Systems is the largest
authorized Kyocera Mita
dealer in the Midwest.
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
The Ackerberg Group
Lake Calhoun Center, Suite 10
3033 Excelsior Boulevard • Minneapolis, MN 55416
612/824-2100 • www.ackerberg.com
Stuart Ackerberg • stuart@ackerberg.com
The Ackerberg Group creates vibrant neighborhoods in Minneapolis’
urban core by combining astute development, renovation,
investment, management and brokerage services with
passion for social and ecological sustainability and the arts.
Since 1964, Ackerberg has created office, industrial, retail, residential
and mixed-use projects that have transformed neighborhoods
through the development of long-standing relationships
with neighbors and tenants alike.
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
Cave & Associates, Ltd.
2489 Rice Street, Suite 40 • Roseville, MN 55113
651-482-9668 (phone) 651-482-8961 (fax)
www.officehere.com
Key Contact: Barbara A. Ankrum
Cave & Associates, Ltd. is a full-service commercial
real estate company providing office, retail and industrial
space, brokerage services, build outs and space planning.
Expect personal, responsive service;
expert, timely build outs, and clean,
well-maintained properties. Cave &
Associates mission is to put our
commercial real estate expertise to
work for our clients so that they can
focus on their core business.
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
www.GoFishCommercial.com
sales@gofishcommercial.com
The Twin Cities largest database of commercial property
for sale or lease. FREE to SEARCH. FREE to LIST.
BUILDING DESIGN
Advanced Structural Technologies
2626 East 82nd St. Ste. 235
Bloomington, MN 55425
Ph: 952-854-9302 Fax: 952-854-9690
www.astmn.com; Contact John Levar
- Building/Facility design services
- Building Information Modeling (BIM)
- Retail, Industrial, Office, Warehouse, Distribution,
Financial, Religious, Tenant Improvement, Renovation,
Expansions, and more
BUSINESS MACHINES
Loffler Companies, Inc.
1101 East 78th Street, Suite 200 • Bloomington, MN 55420
952-925-6800 phone 952-925-6801 fax
www.loffler.com • Jim Loffler — President
Loffler is your one call for office technology & services.
We work for you offering digital copiers (HP, Canon,
Konica Minolta, Copystar), printers (HP, Kyocera), telephones,
IT services, dictation, document management
software, and on-site managed services. All backed up by
fast and professional service. Integrated Solutions … from
the spoken word to the printed page. Call Loffler. Smart
Solutions. Smart Choice.
COMPUTER SOLUTIONS
IVDesk
1509 Marshall Street NE, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Ph. 612-605-9677
www.IVDesk.com
For more information, contact Randy Olson
A complete hosted IT solution for small to mid-sized
businesses. We host all your applications and data, you
work from everywhere with a low monthly fee per user.
24 x 7 support providing remarkable service to all your
employees. Get out of the
IT business and back to the
reason you got into business
in the first place.

Advertising section UPSIZE ONLINE RESOURCE DIRECTORY Advertising section
Diversified Construction
4931 West 35th Street
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
Ph: 952-929-7233; Fax: 952-929-6734
www.DiversifiedConstruction.com
James Rowland, President
Diversified Construction is a commercial general contractor
with over 35 years of experience. Visit our website to
find out why over 90% of our clients come from repeat
business and referrals.
Values@Work
CONSTRUCTION
126 Benton Avenue, Minneapolis MN 55391
612.327.7858 (phone) 866.458.4961 (fax)
www.values-at-work.org
Kristin Evenson — kristin@values-at-work.org
Values@Work helps leaders & companies use organizational
significance to fuel sustainable success. We help
define & develop your organization’s proprietary brand of
significance—its Organizational DNA—then operationalize
it as a rallying point and catalyst for: aligning business
strategies, deepening employee engagement, exceeding
stakeholder expectations, and driving bottom-line results.
The net? Organizational significance
fuels organizational
success.
HR OUTSOURCING
Doherty Employer Services
7625 Parklawn Avenue • Edina, MN 55435
(952) 835-8888 (phone) (952) 356-1953 (fax)
www.dohertyhro.com
Scott Doherty, Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Doherty Employer Services is the expert at managing the
complex business of employees and is the source for Human
Resource Outsourcing (HRO) and HR services solutions. As
a premier HRO organization, Doherty provides world class
human resource management, payroll processing, benefits
administration, an HRIS system, workers' compensation and
risk management services. Partnering with Doherty gives
businesses the advantage and opportunity to improve productivity,
reduce turnover and
increase profitability.
INSURANCE
O’Rourke Agency, Inc.
41 North 10th Avenue
Hopkins, MN 55343
952-932-7219 (phone) 952-932-2820 (fax)
www.orourkeagency.com
John O’Rourke
Consider it Done SM
CULTURE & PERFORMANCE
Our agency has provided personal and business insurance
services for the past 30 years. We proudly represent a
number of outstanding insurance carriers, including
Chubb, Metropolitan, Progressive, St. Paul/Travelers,
and Unitrin. Call us for all your insurance needs!
INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA
StoneArch Creative
125 SE Main Street Suite 100 • Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414
TEL 612-379-4678 Fax 612-379-7988
www.stonearchcreative.com
Amy Asbury Director, Business Development
Health and Medical Marketing Communications. “It’s how
we think.” Offering solutions in marketing communications,
meetings and events, interactive and
motion media, training and education.
Delivering these capabilities are
the people of StoneArch Creative—
44 strategic, creative, passionate and
likable professionals with decades of
hands-on experience in the medical
device and healthcare industries.
VISI
BANKS INTERNET • BUSINESS
10290 West 70th Street • Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Phone: 612-395-9090 Fax: 612-288-0889 • www.visi.com
Founded in 1994, VISI is Minnesota's largest locally-owned
Internet hosting and connectivity provider, offering connectivity,
colocation and managed hosting services. VISI serves
more than 10,000 business and residential customers
throughout Minnesota with products and services including
world-class SAS 70 Type II data centers in St. Paul and Minneapolis.
The company provides a full range of robust Web
and application hosting services, first-rate Internet services
and support, and personal, expert advice.
INTERNET MARKETING
Brandspring Solutions
14500 Martin Drive Ste 1000 • Eden Prairie, MN 55344
p. 952.345.7260 f 952.345.7261
www.BrandspringSolutions.com
Contact: Dave Maiser dave.maiser@brandspringsolutions.com
Brandspring Solutions is a leader in the development of
interactive marketing solutions that focus on integrating all
sales and marketing activities to maximize your ROI. Your
success is dependent on how well you leverage every sales
and marketing dollar. Brandspring has over thirty years
experience delivering on-target and cost effective programs
in traditional and Internet marketing.
INTERNET MARKETING
Knowledge Marketing
15301 Hwy 55, Suite 3 • Plymouth, MN 55447
(P) 763.746.2780 / (F) 763.746.2785
www.knowledgemarketing.com
Contact: Duane Crandall, Linda Crandall, Andy Granberg
Knowledge Marketing is an on demand Marketing Technology
Company providing an integrated toolset for
your digital marketing team; Email Marketing, Surveys,
and Digital Editions. From small active marketers to fortune
500s, our collaborative web based tools provide easy
campaign deployment and integrated tracking/results.
Contact us for a personal demo of our integrated email,
survey, or digital edition software.
INTERNET MARKETING
Risdall Advertising Agency interactive
tel: 651.631.1098 fax: 651.631.2561
www.rla.net
John Risdall, Terri Lee,
Ted Risdall, Tom Wilson, Tim Dillon
As the state’s largest business-to-business ad agency, we
also offer the most extensive assortment of web tools
including Search Engine Optimization. RAAi has also
developed more than 1,000 web systems for more than
700 clients.
INVESTMENTS
JNBA Financial Advisors
8500 Normandale Lake Blvd. • Ste. 1950 • Mpls., MN 55437
Phone: 952.844.0995 | Fax: 952.844.0996 | www.jnba.com
John Foster (john.foster@jnba.com)
Kim Brown (kim.brown@jnba.com)
For over 30 years JNBA has built a reputation based on
excellence in service. Our team of dedicated professionals
is committed to understanding your unique situation and
developing strategies designed to meet your goals and
objectives. JNBA’s retirement plan services helps business
owners and other plan fiduciaries obtain peace of mind
through our fiduciary management
process and specialized
participant education program.
INVESTMENTS
The Goff Group
Janel M. Goff, First Vice President
225 S. Sixth Street, Suite 4400 • Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-349-7896 Phone
janel_goff@ml.com
The Goff Group specializes in helping clients invest and
manage wealth for retirement and legacy planning.
Through a team approach, we develop innovative investment
strategies focused on our client's ever-changing
financial needs to help them create, preserve and manage
wealth. We pride ourselves in building long-term client
relationships based on knowledge, trust and respect. We
are committed to providing
service that exceeds
your expectations.
LAW FIRM
Gislason & Hunter LLP
701 Xenia Ave South Suite 500 • Minneapolis, MN 55416
763-225-6000 (phone) 763-225-6099 (fax)
www.gislason.com • Wade Wacholz
With offices in New Ulm, Minneapolis, Mankato, and Des
Moines, Gislason & Hunter is a law firm dedicated to meeting
the needs of businesses and individuals in the Midwest. We are
mid-sized, yet have the proven experience to handle complex
matters worth hundreds of millions of dollars. We are equally
effective negotiating and drafting complicated transaction documents,
arguing cases to a jury, or mediating settlements. We
built our practice by achieving our client's goals with integrity,
common sense and hard work. It's the way we get results.
Above all, it's the way our clients want things done.

Advertising section UPSIZE ONLINE RESOURCE DIRECTORY Advertising section
Gray Plant Mooty
80 South Eighth St., Suite 500 Mpls., MN 55402
Tel: 612/632-3000 • Fax: 612/632-4444
www.gpmlaw.com
Daniel R. Tenenbaum
Entrepreneurs, emerging businesses, and the individuals
and entities that promote and finance these ventures rely
upon the expertise of Gray Plant Mooty’s Entrepreneurial
Services Team. We combine practical business acumen
with exceptional legal skills to help you build and position
your enterprise for success. We are recognized
as a team of experts in representing
emerging growth businesses
from inception through public offering
or acquisition, and beyond.
Lommen Abdo
LAW FIRM
LAW FIRM
2000 IDS Center
80 South Eighth Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
612-339-8131 • 800-752-4297
www.lommen.com
For more information:
Contact: Sherri Ulland
Large enough to meet your needs ... Small enough to
care about them. Lommen Abdo — the “right-sized”
firm for growing businesses.
LAW FIRM
Patterson, Thuente, Skaar & Christensen
4800 IDS Center • 80 South 8th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402-2100
800-331-4537; 612-349-5740; FAX: 612-349-9266
www.ptslaw.com • Contact: Jim Patterson
Patterson, Thuente, Skaar & Christensen provides legal counsel
to creative and inventive clients worldwide. Our attorneys
excel at finding strategic solutions to complex intellectual
property matters, practicing in the areas of patent prosecution
and portfolio management; trademark, copyright and trade
secrets; IP litigation; international IP law; licensing; interferences;
technology review and product clearances. We help
growing companies
protect and profit
from their ideas.
LAW FIRM
Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner PA
1600 TCF Tower, 121 South 8th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: (612) 373-6900 Fax: (612) 339-3061
www.slwip.com • Key contact person: Steve Lundberg
SLW is a law firm specializing in intellectual property
law and offers a full range of expertise in more than 100
practice areas, including software, mechanical, pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, electrical engineering, medical devices,
and semiconductors. With over 80
attorneys and offices in Minneapolis,
Silicon Valley, and Austin, TX, the
firm was ranked number one in overall
patent quality by PatentRatings
LLC for three years in a row.
LAW FIRM
Soffer Charbonnet Law Group, PLLC
7300 France Avenue South, Suite 210
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55435/www.sofferlaw.com
Contacts: Adam Soffer (Gen Corp/M&A)/952-942-1073
Stephen Charbonnet (Corp Finance/Securities) 952-942-1081
Email: asoffer@sofferlaw.com/scharbonnet@sofferlaw.com
Soffer Charbonnet Law Group is a boutique corporate
firm providing a full range of business law services to
growing companies. Our attorneys are trusted advisors,
combining large firm experience with small firm responsiveness.
We represent clients locally, nationally and internationally.
See how we can add value to your business.
BANKS LAW • BUSINESS
FIRM
Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.
225 South Sixth Street, Suite 3500
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Tel: 612.604.6400 • www.winthrop.com
Winthrop & Weinstine has a long tradition of representing
entrepreneurs and rapidly growing private and public
companies across the Upper Midwest and the United
States. Our mission is to help fuel the growth of great
companies. We are committed to providing outstanding
service, sound advice and strong execution. We offer
flexible fee arrangements including fixed fees, “success”
fees, hourly fees, blended
fee arrangements
and performance-based
agreements.
MAILING SERVICES
Braemar Mailing Service Inc.
7665 Washington Ave S • Edina, MN 55439-2417
tel: 952-828-9755 fax: 952-828-6891
www.braemarmailing.com
cu@braemarmailing.com
Since 1985 business mailers who value personal service
and meticulous attention to detail have found one company
rich in both. We are postal experts and list brokers
who offer a full service lettershop and data management
services. Your mailing, unique or ordinary, in large quantities
or small, receives Braemar-style attention to detail.
We are proud of the work we do and the customer service
we provide.
MARKETING
The Sage Group
401 N. Third Street, Suite 400
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: 612-321-9897; Fax: 612-321-9896
www.sagegrp.com
Contact: Elin Raymond, eraymond@sagegrp.com
The Sage Group provides integrated marketing, branding and
public relations that support its clients’ business objectives,
brand experience and value proposition.
MARKETING
The Trax Corporation
641 East Lake Street, Suite 228 • Wayzata, MN 55391
(Phone) 952-476-5457 (Toll Free) 866-699-TRAX
www.ChooseTrax.com
Ted Loken (tloken@ChooseTrax.com)
The Trax Corporation is a new on-line, flat fee, marketing,
sales and advertising resource dedicated to small business.
Our initial offerings include logo and brand development,
sales literature, and internet marketing, all available exclusively
and in an easy-to use interface via the Web. Experience
and marketing savvy that have
worked for Fortune 500 companies are
now packaged for small business. Visit
us today at www.ChooseTrax.com
MEETING RESOURCES
Chippewa Valley Conventions & Visitors
Bureau
3625 Gateway Drive
Eau Claire, WI 54701
Toll Free — 888-523-3866
www.chippewavalley.net • www.chippewavalleymeetings.com
Looking for a beautiful meeting location with great access
from the Twin Cities? Check out the Chippewa Valley
located just 1.5 hours East of the St. Paul area. The accommodations
and attractions are great with lots of choices for
your group. Call us today for
your free personalized meeting
planning kit. Life’s So
Good, Travel Wisconsin.
OFFICE FURNITURE
Intereum
Bret Abbott | Leadership Team-Partner
Phone: 763-417-3321 Fax: 763-417-3309
babbott@intereum.com | www.intereum.com
845 Berkshire Lane North Plymouth, Minnesota 55441 USA
Intereum creates and provides better ways to work. Intereum
offers turnkey office environment solutions featuring many
affordable and environmentally friendly products including
Herman Miller new and re-manufactured systems furniture,
seating, filing, casegoods, conferencing products, modular
moveable walls, carpet, lighting, and acoustical systems. We
also offer a broad array of facility services including planning
and design, installation, warehousing, and move management.
PRINTING
Daily Printing, Inc.
2333 Niagara Lane
Plymouth, MN 55447
Tel: 763-475-2333 • Fax: 763-449-6320
www.dailyprinting.com
key contact person: Pete Jacobson
Daily is a high quality full service commercial printer
offering one through six color plus aqueous coating.
Services include: filmless
technology, die
cutting, desktop publishing,
fulfillment,
bindery and more. See
us for solutions to all
of your printing needs.

Advertising section UPSIZE ONLINE RESOURCE DIRECTORY Advertising section
Innovative Marketing Consultants
4284 Shoreline Drive • Spring Park, MN 55384
Phone: 952.512.7759 • Fax: 952.417.8146
Adam Tschida • adam@imcsuccess.com
Are you looking for unique promotions to increase your
brand awareness, visibility and customer loyalty? IMC has
years of specialization working with companies and
brands of all kinds. We are an importer of promotional
products from overseas and can customize any project you
have; or help you formulate your next great idea! Our
selection includes over 100,000 items, produced overseas
or domestically. Call in today.
TAILORING SERVICES
Premier Tailors
“The Traveling Tailoring Service”
612-803-3500
Sandra Krause
sleekrause@gmail.com
Yes, we come to you . . . to your home or office. Set an
appointment at your convenience and we will help you
with hemming, weight loss alterations or just to get the
right fit. Named “Best in the West” by MN Monthly
magazine. Top quality, excellent service, helping people
get the look they want from their
wardrobe is our #1 priority.
P
PROMOTIONAL MARKETING
remier
TECH CONSULTANTS
Computer Connection Corporation
1101 W. 80th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55420
tel: 952-884-0758 • fax: 952-884-2206
www.cccmn.com
garyz@cccmn.com
Today’s Technology – For Less Money. We sell Refurbished
Network Equipment. All products are fully tested
with a 90-day warranty. Founded 34 years ago, our
longevity is a direct reflection of our people and their
commitment, always here to
meet your needs. Try us
today, we have great values
and we’re local.
BANKS TECH CONSULTANTS
• BUSINESS
Olsen Thielen Technologies, Inc.
Telephone (651) 483-4521 • Fax: (651) 415-9343
www.OTTechnologies.com
Contact: Eric P. Sheehan, Principal (651) 486-4522
For more than 20 years, Olsen Thielen Technologies
(OTT) has partnered with their clients to produce measurable
business performance, bottom-line rewards, and a
technology framework for sustained growth. A recognized
leader in delivering enterprise software and services, OTT
can help you find solutions that extend from front office
customer relationship management to back-office operational
applications. Please call us for more information.
WEB DEVELOPMENT
Cazarin Web Group
7064 E. Fish Lake Road • Maple Grove, MN 55311
Ricardo Ortizcazarin, president
763-420-9992
ricardo@cazarin.com • www.cazarin.com
Cazarin was formed in 1998 and produced over 250 websites
to date. Our services include Website design, Flash multimedia,
Consulting, Web Video and Online Marketing. Our
award winning websites have been
developed by some of the most talented
designers and programmers
in Minnesota. We have developed
applications to increase corporate
productivity and are always in the
cutting edge of technology trends.
WEB DEVELOPMENT
thisCLICKS interactive
533 Phalen Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55130
tel: 651.330.4482 • fax: 651.636.7460
www.thisclicks.com
Contact: Brian Hagen • brian@thisclicks.com
Engage your customer, build your brand and grow your
business. With strategic planning, killer design and robust
development we create websites and interactive adventures
that produce results.
Tailors
TECH CONSULTANTS
aCoupleofGurus.com LLC
901 N 3rd St Suite 332
Minneapolis, MN 55401
763.537.4504
info@aCoupleofGurus.com • www.aCoupleofGurus.com
Wise network solutions, professional implementation
and managed services - the Guru Way! Specializing in
HP systems Citrix, VMware, Microsoft, Linux,
Open Source, network security, remote monitoring,
workstation management,
and hardware/software
sales.
TECH CONSULTANTS
PC Doctor Consulting Group
Phone: (612) 251-8584
www.pcdrus.com
Contact: Curt Hendrickson • ch@pcdrus.com
FREE CONSULTATION — Is your network safe and
your data secure? We will assess your current set-up to
determine if you are protected from hackers, wi-fi surfers
and viruses. We configure your network to enhance security
and connectivity while making sure that firewalls and antispam
and anti-virus protection are in place and up-to-date.
We specialize in the IT needs of small business with costeffective
troubleshooting, service, IT recommendations
and products.
TECH CONSULTANTS
Clientek
212 Second Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
(612) 379-1440
www.clientek.com
Since 1992, Clientek has helped Fortune 500, mediumsized
and emerging companies build their businesses
through the pragmatic use of technology. We deliver
measurable results against business goals to achieve competitive
advantages: increase revenues, reduce costs,
improve productivity, open new markets.
TECH CONSULTANTS
TECHIES
Tel: 612.333.TECH
www.333TECH.com
The IT Department
for small business.
612.333.TECH