News and Events

Tuesday, December 15th - Small Business COVID-19 Resources and Financial Guidance Webinar
Dec 8 2020SMALL BUSINESS COVID-19 RESOURCES AND FINANCIAL GUIDANCE WEBINAR
Learn more about financial assistance from the SBA and MnDEED and hear from experts on PPP reporting, end of year tax implications, and Ramsey County Open to Business.
Tuesday, December 15, 2020 at 10:00 am
Hosted by Ramsey County in partnership with the city of Shoreview an...

As we anticipate the dial returning to more restrictive measures, Ramsey County has announced that is has $6 million remaining to assist the local business community to meet this next challenge. Businesses up to 75 employees are eligible for up to $15,000 in grant relief.
Businesses that have already received fundin...

Industrial buildings to get new life
Oct 27 2020A long-vacant former circuit board manufacturing complex in New Brighton will soon be back in business as the Highway 8 Business Center.
Read full article.

Indianapolis-based Scannell Properties has announced plans to convert Deluxe Corp.’s Shoreview corporate campus into a mixed-use development. Scannell acquired the property in a sale-leaseback deal before Deluxe unveiled plans to relocate its headquarters to downtown Minneapolis last month.
For now, Deluxe still needs to lease its current space; it won’t complete th...

After rioters overtook Lake Street earlier this summer, Mark Larson was inundated with calls.
As CEO and owner of St. Paul-based Clean Response Inc., he’s overseen countless cleanup jobs over the years, tackling everything from water damage repairs and mold removal to death scene cleanups. But he’d never been called o...

Opening a free health clinic during a pandemic would seem daunting to most, but the creators of The Bear Care Health and Wellness Clinic weren’t worried at all.
The Bear Care Health and Wellness Center, also known as the Bear Care Clinic, is a free school-based clinic that offers a wid...

White Bear Lake’s Best Bartenders
Oct 21 2020There’s an art to being a good bartender — it takes a certain mix of personality and capability, as well as a dash of je ne sais quoi. White Bear Press readers voted: their top choices for best bartender in the city are listed below.
Winner: Derek Malchow, Roma Restaurant an...

When the Andersons decided to sell White Bear Jewelers, the first person they called was Ken’s cousin Jeff Johnson. The two had talked back in February, pre-COVID, at Jeff’s sister’s wedding. Tired of parking problems in downtown Stillwater and unshoveled snow next to empty storefronts, Jeff mentioned he wanted t...

Local Hospitality Company Rolls With The Punches
Oct 20 2020The Covid-19 pandemic has decimated the hospitality industry. For many companies, it’s become increasingly difficult to operate restaurants, hotels, golf courses, and event centers due to state-mandated restrictions on capacity. So, like any other business affected by Covid-19, Morrissey Hospitality Inc. has had to make significant operational shifts to stay afloat. I...

3M is turning to the community for guidance on distributing one of its largest education-related donations in recent history.
In September, the Maplewood-based manufacturer announced plans to spend $50 million on education and workforce development initiatives aimed at addressing racial inequities. Though the company spelled out a few specific investments for th...

Coming Soon: Mother Co. St. Paul
Oct 20 2020Good news for a snowy October week: desert vibes are coming to St. Paul! That's right, beloved Minneapolis-based cactus and plant shop Mother Co. Plants is expanding and opening a satellite sister shop in the other twin city.
Slated to open next month, Mother number two will come in the form of a cozie...

St. Paul, St. Kate’s, Cretin-Derham Hall, others fight COVID with new ionization technology
Oct 20 2020What’s the best way to filter a room free of COVID-19 particles? A little electric charge helps.
Global Plasma Solutions of Charlotte, N.C., has been sweeping up — so to speak — when it comes to selling its particle ionization system to universities, municipalities and government clients, from the U.S. Ai...

An unexpected thing happened after the pandemic hit St. Paul. Despite many employees working remotely, downtown office occupancy rates actually ticked up.
Spanning competitive, government and owner-occupied space, the overall office occupancy rate in downtown St. Paul is now 91 percent.
That number is up from 89.85 percent in 2019, partially a...

A five-story, two-building housing development that guarantees a wide mix of affordable apartments for 30 years is coming to the Green Line.
The planned 243-unit affordable housing development at Fairview and University avenues in St. Paul took a major step forward earlier this week when the city council approved $30 millio...

Some of Minnesota’s biggest food and ag companies are joining forces to tackle global warming and other major issues that may threaten the world’s food supply.
On Friday, economic development group Greater MSP Partnership formally announced a new set of objectives for MBOLD, an initiative aimed at preparing the food and a...

In a sign of the neighborhood’s changing demographics, a Hmong buyer plans to covert the Klub Haus on Rice Street into a community event and catering center that specializes in cultural gatherings for the Hmong and ethnic Karen communities.
On Wednesday, the St. Paul City Council convened as the city’s Housin...

Minnesota Family Business Awards 2020
Oct 13 2020When time are tough, it’s often our families we turn to for support. The 2020 Minnesota Family Business Awards honorees can all speak to the resilience, agility, and strength of family relationships that carry them through challenging times, personally and professionally. Particularly this year, with a pandemic making it nearl...

Comcast RISE to give grants to minority business owners, with Black-owned businesses first to apply
Oct 13 2020Comcast Corporation launched an initiative to financially support small businesses hit especially hard by the pandemic.
In the next three years, the Comcast RISE program will help thousands of business owners with grants, marketing and technology upgrades. Some of these upgrades include media campaigns, connectivity and computer and voice equipment.
The compan...

Farmers market vendors stay afloat during COVID
Oct 13 2020Michael “Mick” Simmons peers out of his ice cream trailer window at three children on an overcast Tuesday afternoon at the Shoreview Farmers’ Market.
The youngest, a boy, shouts: “Ice cream! Ice cream!”
The 73-year-old owner of Grandpa’s Ice Cream has served homemade scoops at the market for five years. His compan...

When the former owners of the Olive Branch Oil & Spice Company learned the store was closing in May, they packed up their RV and headed back to White Bear Lake.
It was an abrupt change of plans for Bruce Bushey and Janet Richards, who left in 2018 to become full-tim...

A return to normalcy won’t cut it in the post-COVID workplace. How real estate leaders approach this all-new landscape will have lasting implications on our communities’ health, employee safety and well-being, and organizational performance alike.
If it sounds like a tall order, that’s because it is. Yet, tumultuous times have historicall...

Twin Cities businesses looking for the light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel are finding hope in ultraviolet rays.
Requests for UV filtration systems for air ducts are up and one local inventor has a patent-pending bulb he hopes to see installed in large spaces, such as U.S. Bank Stadiu...

Ramsey County commissioner announces $31.8 million federal grant for second Amtrak train
Sep 22 2020A proposed second train from St. Paul to Chicago rolled a little closer to reality this week with the approval of a $31.8 million federal grant.
Ramsey County commissioners involved in the project spoke about the grant approval at Tuesday’s board meeting. An official announcement is expected later this week.
“This i...

White Bear Township received more than it needed from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, so the Town Board decided to offer grants to local businesses.
Most of the $835,000 disbursed by the Minnesota Department of Management and Budget will be put toward public safety expenses incurred by th...