Sound the Alarms – Firehouse Grille Coming Soon!

APPRO Development & CERRON Commercial Properties are very excited to be working on a new project which will bring innovative ownership and fresh ideas to an existing (former restaurant) building in the City of Elko New Market.

Elko New Market is located just four miles south of Lakeville and two miles west of I-35, with a growing population, in one of Minnesota’s fastest growing counties (Scott County, Minnesota).

The Firehouse Grille, located at 7875 Old Towne Road, has been purchased by new ownership and is currently under renovation by APPRO Development, Inc., as the design build, general contractor. The new owners have been pouring over every detail of this building from the ceiling to the bar to the floor and have chosen some unique materials…

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You will have to wait and see how they have used these materials in the design-build process when you stop on out for a bite to eat!

As a result of all of this work, the Firehouse Grille will surely be Scott County’s best new culinary refuge and preferred stomping grounds for area firefighters and community members alike.

So, go ahead – pack up your hoses, silence the sirens, park the trucks, hang up the gear, and slide on down to the new Firehouse Grill in Elko New Market! Opening early 2013!

APPRO & CERRON have been providing property solutions to meet the unique needs of each of their clients for more than 25 years in the South Metro area of Minnesota and across North Dakota and Montana. Give us a call today to discuss your unique needs – it would be our honor to help you find the perfect solution for you and your business. Feel free to contact us at any time.

ON A MISSION

By Pat Simpkins, Project Manager, APPRO Development, Inc. (A Commercial, Design Build Company located in Lakeville, MN)

Mission to live and work by the Golden Rule

This Christmas, my biggest present will be the presence of my middle daughter, back from nearly six months of mission work in Australia’s Outback and in Uganda. She and her older sister are both currently in full time work as interdenominational Christian missionaries, both based off the west coast of Australia. They are leaders in a much larger group of people that trains together for three months, then goes out to different places in the world where they believe the Gospel message is most needed and where there are other physical needs for which they can help. The work pays nothing, living conditions are often lousy and the work often-times physically and/or psychologically challenging. It is the most rewarding work either daughter can think of doing during this time in their lives, however, as their smiles and countenance show.

I believe a sense of mission is needed in everyone’s lives. Many people in the business community have a passion for their customers, in delivering a good or service that is of such high quality and value that it can’t help but impress. Customers come back, not wanting to sacrifice any part of the great experience they just received, often insisting on that person being their contact for all upcoming work they intend to do with the company. A loyalty is built, upon which many years of upcoming work can be derived, and which usually results in a mutually profitable arrangement for both parties for that extended time.

One example I can think of is a friend of mine in the stock trading business who has always tended to pick stocks very well. He has stated on many occasions that what drives him is doing everything he can to maximize his clients’ portfolios over the long run while minimizing the risks in doing so. Since each investor is different, he goes to great lengths to get to know their investing philosophies, to ensure he is the right fit for them, and to know how much risk-taking in buying and selling stocks he should take with their portfolios. While no trader is a winner in every stock transaction, our stocks have done very well under his guidance. His business has boomed, as new clients have realized how successful he has been for others.

It seems the most successful people in business are successful because they are driven to customer satisfaction, even customer delight. This takes dedication, thoughtfulness, an ability to put oneself in another’s shoes mentally or emotionally, and good overall communication. Like my missionary daughters, sometimes prayer is also involved. The golden rule of treating others as one would like to be treated also always applies. These values are at the center of APPRO & CERRON’s business philosophy of going the extra mile to serve our clients well.

So, how about it? Are you ready to dedicate yourself in your daily business dealings to do whatever you can to take care of your customer’s needs? Even when there’s no immediate payoff, and sometimes involves some personal sacrifice? Why not consider it as your New Year’s resolution for 2013? It may not pay off immediately for you. But I promise that, over time, you will cultivate your own loyal customer base wherever you go, for as long as you press onward for “the mission.”

At APPRO and CERRON, we have been blessed with long time friends, subcontractors and clients who join us in our passion for creating property solutions by striving every day to understand what drives our clients’ businesses, so we know best how to find property solutions for them and meet their business needs. This dedication has earned APPRO and CERRON repeat and expanded business opportunities with many loyal clients in the process. I want to take this time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas at this special time of year. Don’t miss the chance to spend quality time with family and friends whenever possible, to make the most of it. Please remember, too, to let APPRO Development and CERRON Properties take care of your property needs in 2013. You’ll be glad you did!

For those interested in being a part of my oldest daughter’s upcoming mission work in Asia, feel free to give me a call.

Pat Simpkins

GRATEFUL HEARTS ABOUND IN LAKEVILLE, MINNESOTA THIS THANKSGIVING

Happy Thanksgiving from APPRO and CERRON

This season we are thankful for so much! At APPRO and CERRON, this Thanksgiving, we are grateful for our long time friends and colleagues in the Airlake Industrial Park, Lakeville, and the South Metro region of Minnesota, as well as our friends in Tioga, Williston, and Minot, North Dakota, who have helped contribute to our success over the past 25 years.

As I think about the early pilgrims, I think about the celebration of hard working people who came together to share their blessings with one another. They were a team that worked hard to build a new life and then celebrated their triumph over some pretty tough times.

Every day, our team has an opportunity to help our clients serve others. Whether they are making medical instruments to save lives, durable plastics for products to make life easier, providing nourishing food for our nation and the world, or providing the packaging for those products , we are grateful for our role of providing the building solutions to meet each of those unique needs.

As you sit down and celebrate your Thanksgiving meal with friends and family, we hope you will know that we are grateful for you and the role you have played over the years!

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at APPRO and CERRON!

P.S. We thought you might find the following Thanksgiving Facts fun to share with friends and family this year: http://www.whsv.com/seasonal/misc/33852054.html. Enjoy!

Lakeville Manufacturers Appreciation Event – 2012

Lakeville Manufacturers Reception APPRO CERRON Wine Giveaway
Personalized Wine Bottles for APPRO & CERRON Drawing

I had the privilege of attending this year’s Lakeville Manufacturers Appreciation Reception, on October 24, 2012, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The event was sponsored by the City of Lakeville and Dakota Electric Association, Frontier Communications, Minnesota Energy Resources, and Xcel Energy. The event was held at the Lakeville Holiday Inn and Suites. The reception was well attended, including Lakeville Mayor Mark Bellows, who gave an optimistic address to attendees and was also joined by City of Lakeville staff and council members.

I was delighted to represent APPRO Development, Inc., general contractor, design-build company and CERRON Commercial Properties, LLC, commercial real estate broker, both located in Lakeville, MN, along side many other Lakeville businesses. I learned a lot about some amazing manufacturers in our local business community.

As a thank you, and to help celebrate APPRO’s 25th anniversary this year, we conducted a drawing for two personalized bottles of wine. We are proud to announce the following winners:

Craig Nelson a Project Manager with BTD Manufacturing was the winner of a bottle of wine (as Craig has a generous spirit, he may be sharing his bottle with fellow friends – thank you for helping to spread the cheer!)

BTD-APPRO Wine Giveaway 2012

The other winner was Andrew Shaffer, who along with his wife Shelly, are the owners of Bass Flexible Packaging, Inc. I understand they were pretty excited to receive the wine and have planned a date night to celebrate!

APPRO Bass wine giveaway, 2012

Congratulations to the winners – thank you for helping us celebrate 25 years! It is our privilege to serve and be a part of our local manufacturing community!

Commercial Office Design: How to Build a Better Office

Commercial Office Design

office design - image source-jeremylevinedesign Office Design – Image Source: Jeremy Levine Design (via Flickr)

This article on commercial office design is now three years old but still valid, so I thought I would post. The article is food for thought when considering an office remodel project. Helpful tips on why some office designs differ from than others. Some of the ideas and comments in the article cater to large scale offices but some tidbits can be gleaned for almost any office layout regardless of size. Here’s the link to the article by Jane Hodges:

http://www.janehodges.net/?p=39

Not sure where you fit in to all this information, we can help. Contact APPRO and we’d be happy to review your plans with you.

Image Source License.