APPRO and CERRON Team Seeks “Sole-Mates”

APPRO and CERRON Team Currently Seeking Sole-Mates!

APPRO and CERRON offer site for Soles4Souls Kris Bockelman showing collection bin & Farmington newspaper article at APPRO and CERRON offices in Lakeville

APPRO and CERRON team members are excited to support a local Farmington High School student and her partnership with a non-profit group, Soles4Souls. Sydney Bockelman, along with her classmates, is part of Youth Development, a student organization, who in 2013 sought to collect 500 pairs of shoes, then more than exceeded their goal by collecting 900 pairs!

This year, in 2014, the Farmington Youth Development group’s goal is to collect 1,000 pairs of shoes for the nonprofit whose mission is “to fight the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty… by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners, then distributing those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified micro-enterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities. The term “micro-enterprise” describes an approach toward helping the poor and their communities by providing sustainable jobs to impoverished people through the creation of ultra-small (micro) businesses. This might mean, for example, a single table selling used shoes in an open marketplace. Or a street vendor with an inventory of used jeans spread out on a blanket.”

According to the Soles4 Souls website, “The difference we make in Haiti and other countries is in the opportunity for people to support themselves. The concept itself is simple, an embodiment of the old saying, ‘Give a man a fish, he will eat for day; give him a way to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime.'”

The entire APPRO & CERRON team is pleased to help support this effort by hosting a collection site for new or used shoes (with or without “sole-mates”) at our Lakeville office located at 21476 Grenada Avenue, Lakeville, MN. You will find a collection bin inside the front entryway of our building (stop in to say, “hello”, and get your donation sticker). We will be collecting until Friday, April 4th at 3:30 p.m. Our office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You may also leave donations outside our front door, if you arrive before or after our regular office hours.

Thank you for helping the team at APPRO & CERRON find our Sole-Mates!

 

Office Warehouse Space: Apple Valley, MN

Office Warehouse Space Apple Valley, MN – Apple Valley Business Campus, Phase III

Office warehouse space is now available in Apple Valley, MN. Phase I& II of the Apple Valley Business Campus is at almost 100% capacity and Phase III is now leasing with construction completion anticipated for mid-summer, 2014.

Apple Valley Business Campus (AVBC) is an office warehouse space located in Apple Valley (just a block away from Sam’s Club, Menards, and many area restaurants) & is zoned I-2

Click Image to enlarge

This is an ideal use for: Office/Warehouse, Instructional Athletic, Manufacturing, Distribution, or Show Room

For more information, visit our website.

Grab a flyer HERE: Phase III AV Business Campus – 6275 147th St. W-Flyer

 

MN Manufacturing Online Resource Available: Made in Minnesota

MN Manufacturing Industry – An Online Resource is Available!

MN Manufacturing Made in MN LogoMN Manufacturing Industry…there is an online resource available to you, and you may not be aware of this opportunity! APPRO Development and CERRON Commercial Properties are fortunate to work a lot with the manufacturing industry. So, when we come across relevant topics, we are eager to share.

Last Fall 2013, the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) for the State of Minnesota created and released a database specific to the manufacturing industry: Made in Minnesota. There is no cost for participation in this database. It is simple, easy to use, and only takes a couple of minutes to enter your information – HERE. When you sign up, you will be joining 823 other companies (and growing) already registered in the database, according to the Small Business 101 blog post, “A Holiday Gift for Manufacturers that’s Made in Minnesota”. We were impressed by the information found here and the possible opportunities which could result from MN manufacturers working together.

On a local level, we attend the Manufacturers Appreciation Event, hosted by the City of Lakeville every fall, in our own backyard, occurring during our Minnesota statewide Manufacturers Week. Over the years, we have found that neighboring businesses had no idea what the other manufactured until being introduced to one another at this event. As a result, neighboring businesses were able to work with one another, resulting in benefits for each company.

By having this same information available on a large scale, and with the ease of an electronic database, Minnesota companies have a fantastic opportunity to work with one another, and to keep our manufacturing dollars close to home.

Just thought our friends in the manufacturing industry might want to know!

For more great tips and property solutions information, sign up for our monthly E-Newsletter.

Exceptional Business Woman Dakota County Award 2014

Exceptional Business Woman Dakota County Award 2014 – Awarded to Roz Peterson

Roz Peterson, CERRON Commercial Properties

Roz Peterson, CERRON Commercial Properties Roz Peterson, CERRON Commercial Properties

Roz Peterson has been awarded an Exceptional Business Woman Dakota County Award and the entire team at CERRON Commercial Properties and APPRO Development couldn’t be more proud!

Roz is a passionate and talented sales and leasing agent for CERRON, with a focus on office and retail properties, in the South of the River region of Minnesota. Roz has a knack for building strong relationships with clients and delivering superior service that not only meets, but exceeds clients’ expectations. In addition to her success in commercial real estate and business ownership, Roz has also devoted herself to her community. She has been involved in many local organizations – the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Lakeville Foundation and the Lakeville School Board, just to name a few.

We are very proud of Roz and her accomplishments and thrilled for her, as she is such a valued part of our team.

The 5th Annual Exceptional Businesswomen Recognition Banquet

Exceptional Business Woman Dakota County 2014Roz and nine (9) additional Exceptional Businesswomen received recognition at a Banquet at the Lost Spur Golf & Event Center in Eagan, on the morning of Tuesday, February 25th. In addition to a breakfast reception, each recipient received a plaque, and were part of a panel discussion, moderated by Catherine Byers Breet, owner of ARBEZ (an online job hunt coaching system).

Among our favorite words of wisdom, were the following quotes and comments from the some of the award recipients:

  • It is important to love what you do. I am surrounded by a great team and enjoy the people I work with. -Karen DeVaughn, Life Wellness Center, Lakeville & Eagan
  • Having cheerleaders and strong supporters in your career can make a world of difference. -Audrey Aronson Johnson, Johnson Companies, Lakeville
  • I am able to help people every day. I only wish that one day there wasn’t a need for what I do; when there is no need to fundraise for cancer because a cure has been found. -Kari Mitchell, Charity Events of Minnesota, Rosemount
  • Three things are necessary to be successful in life: 1. Order: bring order to your life, outsource/delegate so that you can focus on what matters; 2. Organize: surround yourself with the right people; having a great team around you can make all the difference; and, 3. Prioritize: make decisions on the actions you take, based on your values. -Roz Peterson, CERRON Commercial Properties, Lakeville
  • “Google me!” (her reputation speaks for itself, as she received countless unsolicited reviews, increasing her client base) and to have a positive attitude, work hard, and send thank you’s, regardless of the outcome. -Linda Radue, Burnsville Volkswagen, Burnsville
  • Have a vision statement upon which your team can rally around. Be proactive in looking for solutions in your business. “What is your paper?” (as a reduction in paper sales impacted many other product lines in their industry, they have found it necessary to create new opportunities in their industry). -Jennifer Smith, Innovative Office Solutions, Burnsville
  • Assess your interests and talents and then go put them to use. Get involved – If you see something needs to be done, go do it! -Karen Wentworth, HOBO Inc., Lakeville

The event was organized by ECM Publishers and the Dakota County Tribune and Sun Thisweek who did a great job, as well as the many event sponsors who helped to make the morning a great event!

If you would like to learn more about Roz Peterson from our team, you may visit her campaign website, or view her commercial property listings page HERE.

Again, from all of us at APPRO and CERRON – Congratulations Roz and All of the 2014 Exceptional Businesswomen Award Recipients!

Kris with Bag from Lillian's CERRON’s Kris Bockelman with handbag awarded by Lillian’s of Lakeville

Roz-Jack-Bruce-Exc-Biz-Wmn-Awd-2014 L to R: Jack Matasosky, Roz Peterson, & Bruce Rydeen

Panel of Women at Award Breakfast 02252014 Award Recipient Panel Assembled

Lakeville Women - Exc Biz Wmn Awards--2014 Lakeville Award Recipients

Roof Alert! Avoid Roof Collapse

Roof Alert! Avoid Roof Collapse

Avoid roof Collapse Image Source: by jnaithani via flickr (orignal, no alterations made)

How to avoid roof collapse is an all too serious consideration for commercial property owners. At this time of year – it is important to observe the amount of snow on your facility’s roof. The snow we currently get is very wet and heavy in nature, and can sometimes pile up and exceed the designed structural capacity of the roof system.

This is especially true where “high / low” roof conditions exist – allowing snow to fill in the space next to the wall separating the two heights. The snow tends to melt from the bottom up, refreezing in the form of ice, and not visible due to the snow above. It is not unheard of – to find the lower third of the snow drift is in fact – solid ice.

It is also very important to keep roof drains and downspouts open – as they continuously go through a “freeze / thaw “ process.

A salt lick, purchased from the local hardware or feed store can help drastically. Place the block (s) on a small piece of wood or plywood, near the roof drainage points on your roof.

Watch closely, from the inside of the building for deflection ( sag ) of the roof structure , and observe the roof from above for pooling of water and ice .

If you have any questions or concerns – please call us – and our team at APPRO Development can refer you to competent help with these or any building issues.

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MN Warehousing Tax – Part 1

MN Warehousing Tax – Part 1

MN Warehousing Tax– Part 1 is the first of two reports we are planning to bring to our readers regarding the new warehouse tax on the books for MN businesses. If you are involved in third party warehousing as a part of your business, we are sure you have heard the MN Warehousing Tax is due to go into effect on April 1st. It is actually one of three business to business (B2B) taxes to go into effect in 2014. This specific warehousing tax would impact businesses which provide third party warehousing services, as well as those businesses who utilize these third party services.

According to the MN Department of Revenue, “Starting April 1, 2014, business-related warehousing and storage services will be taxable in Minnesota. This means state sales and use tax is due when a business buys warehouse or storage services for its tangible personal property.” There are exceptions to this rule, which are dependent upon business use[1].

Come April 1st, Minnesota would be one of few if not the only state with a warehousing tax of this kind, which could ultimately put the businesses in our state at a distinct disadvantage. Some companies are already feeling the impact of this tax. According to an article by Jessica Harper for Sun Thisweek Dakota County Tribune, in an interview with warehousing General Manager, Kathy Forester, in talking about the tax, she states, “With its customers seeking services elsewhere, Strategic lost 18 percent of its revenue between August 2013 and January 2014, which prompted the company to lay off 22 percent of its workforce[2].”

The Minnesota Legislature is scheduled to reconvene on February 25th. At that time, the Minnesota State Budget will be reviewed. If there is a sufficient surplus, Governor Dayton may consider a repeal of one or more of these B2B taxes[3]. As it stands now, however, these taxes have been signed into law and only a new bill that strikes the provision of the current tax could repeal it. There are many groups working right now, toward the effort to repeal the MN Warehousing Tax.[4]

Stay tuned to learn more in the weeks to come, or feel free to contact our team with concerns about the impact on your current commercial space.

Upcoming Dates:

  • Mid-February – State Budget Forecast (Gov. Dayton will use this information to determine if these new taxes are necessary)
  • February 25th – New Legislative Session Begins
  • April 1st – New Warehouse Tax goes into effect

[1] MN Department of Revenue Warehouse Tax Summary

http://www.revenue.state.mn.us/businesses/sut/Pages/2013_WarehouseStorageServices.aspx

[2] Businesses impacted by the MN Warehouse Tax

http://hometownsource.com/2014/01/27/businesses-legislators-feel-heat-from-new-taxes/

[3] Businesses vow to repeal the warehouse tax and Gov. Dayton to support repeal if sufficient surplus exists

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/01/08/businesses-vow-to-seek-repeal-of-warehouse-tax

[4] Commercial Real Estate Group works to repeal the tax

http://www.startribune.com/business/242830181.html

 

Commercial Real Estate Lending – 2014 Outlook

Commercial Real Estate Lending – What the Experts have to say about the 2014 Outlook

Commercial lending review by Jack Matasosky

According to a recent article by the ABA Banking Journal, Commercial Real Estate is coming back! The article caught our attention because commercial lending’s strict standards have had a direct impact on our business. We can go through all the necessary steps to assist our clients with a new purchase or the construction of a new building, but it is the hoops our clients are required to jump through we have found to be a major stumbling block to the process of securing an ideal property solution.

According to Steve Cocheo, in his ABA Banking Journal article, “CRE’s Coming Back”, “Amid indications that commercial real estate credit activity has been picking up again at the nation’s banks, an inter-industry survey reports a strong preference for commercial banks as a source of CRE credit.”

Cocheo further cites a Deloitte Center for Financial Services report, “2014 Commercial Real Estate Outlook: Trimming the sails for growth; business transformation is key,” in which the firm stated:, “Bank lenders are easing their standards, leading to increased CRE lending volumes and a rebound in commercial mortgage-backed securities issuance. Transaction activity and pricing are healthy for prime properties.”

We consider this good news in the commercial real estate lending arena and are optimistic for 2014 to be the year we start to see the pendulum swing in the other direction regarding lending standards.

You may read the full article at the ABA Banking Journal HERE.

As you consider your commercial property needs, contact our expert team at APPRO and CERRON to provide you with the most up to date trends in commercial real estate or commercial construction.

US Contractors Predict Stability & Growth

US Contractors – 2014 Update

US Contractors predict stability and growth, according to Daily Commercial News, on January 27, 2014, “Contractors are more optimistic about 2014 than they have been in a long time,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer.

“Many firms in the United States plan to start hiring again and most contractors predict demand will either grow or remain stable in virtually every market segment this year, according to survey results released by the Associated General Contractors of America.”

Read the full article here…

APPRO Development is a proud US contractor based in Lakeville, MN, serving the midwest since 1987. As an experienced general contractor, our team is ready to assist you with your 2014 construction needs.

Industrial Production Facility Construction Nears Completion: Mankato, MN

Imperial Plastics Industrial Production Facility Construction Nears Completion in Mankato, MN

The newest industrial production facility construction by APPRO Development, Inc. is nearing completion. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) has been issued on the Imperial Plastics Mankato project (click link to see more project photos). Owner furnished equipment installation (e.g. process piping, racking and cranes) is well under way and the final interior finishes are being installed which include: carpet, paint, and ceramic tile, to name a few.

It does not seem all that long ago that APPRO Development, along with representatives from near and far, came to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony for Imperial Plastics as they kicked off construction of this 124,000 SF (approximate) manufacturing/production facility. Although, it was a whole lot sunnier and warmer back in August than it is now as we near the end of January 2014, the time has gone by rather quickly and we find ourselves nearing the time to turn over the keys. APPRO Development is targeting the end of February to turn the building over to the owner.

Do you have an existing building in the Mankato area and wondered, “what can I do with an existing warehouse building?” You may need some design ideas or a free market analyis. Or, possibly a new building is in your future, as you address your company needs. It is never too early to contact our professional team. Our no obligation initial consultation may provide just the answers you have been looking for. These were the first steps in working with this client and we would be happy to help you find a solution for your business, too. Contact our knowledgeable, friendly team today.

Manufacturing Trends to be Thankful For in MN

Manufacturing Trends

2014 Predictions in the Manufacturing Industry

Manufacturing Trends to be Thankful For is an article we read this morning in the online publication of Industry Week. All of us, in MN or the Midwest for that matter, who are either in the manufacturing industry or have close ties to the manufacturing industry, are eager to see what the days of 2014 will bring. According to this article, “Favorable Forecast: Five Manufacturing Trends to Be Thankful For” by John Mills as published in Industry Week (online), 2014 might just prove to be year for which to be thankful!

According to the article, the following are the top five trends to watch this year:

  1. Improvements in 3-D printers
  2. Business returning from China
  3. More ‘real-time’ enterprises
  4. The rise of the project economy
  5. More access to data

As Mills states, “no one has perfect foresight” and it certainly would be nice if we did! However, in the meantime, by measuring trends and current data available, we are optimistic for our colleagues in the manufacturing industry. We hope 2014 results in the optimistic forecast, as it benefits not only MN, ND, WI, IA, SD, MT in the Midwest, but our great nation as well!

APPRO Development is a general contractor specializing in property solutions for manufacturers across the Midwest for more than 27 years. APPRO assists business owners find optimal property solutions that may result in renovations, expansions, additions or new commercial buildings to meet the ever changing needs of the manufacturing industry in Lakeville (55044), Apple Valley(55124), Burnsville(55337), Eagan(55123), Hastings(55033), and all of Dakota, Scott, Rice, Carver, Ramsey and Hennepin counties as well as Mankato and surrounding communities of Blue Earth in Minnesota. If your commercial or industrial space needs are changing as the result of a great 2014, contact our team today to help you minimize impacts to your manufacturing schedule, meet your budget requirements, and assist you in making 2014 a great year!