Dakota County Community Helps Farmington Students Surpass Goal!

Dakota County students from Farmington HS Soles4Souls collectionDakota County Community Helps Local Farmington Students Surpass Fundraising Goal!

Dakota County businesses, APPRO and CERRON, are excited to announce that our local shoe drive was a huge success! Our local Dakota County community answered the call to donate shoes for an international not-for-profit organization, Soles4Souls (see recent blog article HERE). Farmington High School Students, Sydney Bockelman, Jacqueline Smithson, Andrew Lupowski, and fellow students involved in the Youth Development group, set a goal to collect 1,000 pairs of shoes for this 2nd annual event. The group was eager to share that they were able to collect 1,467 pairs of shoes, with 143 pairs collected from the APPRO and CERRON collection site (and a $200 cash donation). The Dakota County community was eager to help for this event. The APPRO and CERRON team also donated 450 cans of food to go to the local food shelf in connection with 360 Communities.

The students processed the shoes to be sent to the Soles4Souls regional collection site at a student lock-in – an annual event called “Games for Change”. At this event, the students play games like Volleyball and Dodgeball, and then spend time devoted to the non-profit work including Soles4Souls, 360 Communties, and making 500 peanut butter sandwiches for area youth.

Soles4Souls collection for Dakota County HS student programThe team at APPRO and CERRON was thrilled help support these local students in some small way and applauds all their hard work to help make both our local and global community a better place in which to live, learn, work and ideally to thrive! Way to go Farmington High School students!!

The Youth Development group was featured on WCCO news, you may see their website here(scroll down to find the Games for Change story).

Local General Contractor and CRE Co. Present Award: Dakota County, MN

Gift Certificate to Firehouse Grille Awarded

Local General Contractor APPRO & CRE Co CERRON Award Firehouse Grille Drawing - Award to J. ZwartAs a local general contractor and commercial real estate (CRE) company, our team at APPRO Development and CERRON Commercial Properties sends out a Commercial Property Solutions newsletter every month. In our February E-Newsletter, we asked our subscribers for feedback on our companies by completing a survey about working with our team. To encourage participation, the survey respondents were all entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card to the Firehouse Grille, located in Elko New Market, MN.

We were delighted to have so many people respond and grateful for the feedback we received. On Wednesday, March 5th, we held an official drawing for the gift certificate winner, and drew Jeanne Zwart’s name. Jeanne and her family have worked with the team at APPRO and CERRON for many years on multiple commercial property projects. Jeanne was awarded a gift certificate in our Lakeville office on March 19th.

Our sincerest congratulations to Jeanne and many thanks to all those that responded to our recent survey. We truly appreciate your time and feedback!

If you would also like to subscribe to our free monthly E-Newsletter, you may do so, HERE.

The Firehouse Grille is a bar & restaurant located in Elko New Market, Minnesota, and is also a completed project by APPRO & CERRON. You may learn more about this great local restaurant at their website HERE.

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!

 

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

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!

Purchase I-35 Land Now: Lee Lake Commercial, Lakeville, MN

Ready to purchase I-35 Land? Lee Lake Commercial Lots are Available in Lakeville, MN

Purchase I-35 Land Now at Lee Lake in Lakeville, MN. These picturesque lots are the ideal location for retail or office with excellent freeway exposure garnering 83,000-103,000 vehicles per day in traffic counts. The site may also be an ideal location for senior housing or a memory care facility, as this property is located in C-3 zoning district (which was recently approved for this type of use by the City of Lakeville – (see Star Tribune article, Nov. 24, 2013). Additional use options may include apartments (re-zone), medical, restaurant or hotel.

Conveniently located on the southwest corner of I-35 and CR-46, this 13.91 (saleable) acre site is divisible to one (1) to two and a half (2.5) acre lots to meet your needs. Water, sewer and electricity are available on this site and multiple site options and configurations are available to review.

Join area businesses which include: Starbucks, Fitness 19, SuperAmerica, KwikTrip, Leo’s South, KFC, McDonald’s, Brunswick Zone, Gander Mountain, Pizza Ranch, HOM Furniture, AmericInn, Cracker Barrel, and Fleet Farm to name a few.

Lakeville is a growing community and is anticipated to be Dakota County’s largest city by 2040 according to a recent Vision Study completed by the City of Lakeville.

Great demographics, great traffic counts, and a great community. Now is the time to purchase a lot at Lee Lake. See our Lee Lake Commercial Lot listing page for additional details and a full brochure.

Call our friendly team today to learn more about this property and to discuss site options at CERRON Commercial Properties, a full service Real Estate brokerage.

Senior Housing – Great News for Lakeville, MN

Senior Housing about to get a boost in Lakeville, MN

Image Source: Simon Quinton via Flickr

Senior housing is about to get a boost in the City of Lakeville as Lakeville’s City Council recently approved a change in the zoning code to allow for more senior housing (assisted living) and memory care facilities in commercial zoning districts which previously did not allow this type of use.

You may read a recent article in the Star Tribune HERE.

If you have been considering building this type of project, please contact our team at APPRO and CERRON. We have CERRON Commercial Properties available in the City of Lakeville and a team with the knowledge, expertise and vast experience to help you navigate the process to bring more senior housing options to the residents of Lakeville, MN.

Lakeville Manufacturers Appreciation Reception 2013

This Year’s Lakeville Manufacturers Appreciation Reception Was the Best!

Mayor Little & Adam K at Manufacturers Reception 2013 - photo by APPRO Development Mayor Matt Little and Adam Kienberger, Economic Development Specialist announce awards from the prize drawing

The APPRO and CERRON team had the opportunity to attend the annual Lakeville Manufacturers Appreciation Reception this year, and found it to be the best in many years (if not ever)! We sincerely appreciated the opportunity to connect with many of our local neighbors; some we have known for years, and some we met for the first time. Every time we attend the event, we learn something new and that is what makes it so much fun! The businesses in Lakeville are doing some amazing things.

This event is hosted by the City of Lakeville, and was sponsored by MN Energy Resources, Xcel Energy, Frontier and Dakota Electric. This invitation only event was held at the Holiday Inn in Lakeville, MN, just off of I-35 and Kenrick Avenue, on Tuesday, October 22, 2013. In attendance were City of Lakeville staff, City Council Members, Economic Development Commission members, and a diverse representation of the manfacturers & businesses in the Lakeville community. The event is held to celebrate Manufacturers Appreciation Week (October 20-26, 2013). According to the City of Lakeville’s website, “Lakeville has over 3,100 manufacturing jobs amongst 150 businesses. Thank you to all of our manufacturers for being a part of Lakeville’s business community!”

Just shy of 40 companies attended this event and engaged in some great networking and recognition of the manufacturers in our community. If you were considering attending and just didn’t have the opportunity, we urge you to try to make it out to next year’s event. Great reason, great food, great people – you can’t go wrong!

We are grateful to continue our 26th year as a part of this great Lakeville community! If you are Manufacturer in Minnesota and would like to discuss a possible project, give our team a call. We are happy to answer any questions you may have!

 

Office Warehouse Space Apple Valley Business Campus

Office Warehouse Space Apple Valley Business Campus

Office Warehouse Space Apple Valley

Office warehouse space Apple Valley Business Campus is a new project in the heart of Dakota County’s thriving city of Apple Valley, MN. The focus for this office warehouse space Apple Valley is as follows:

This project will consist of four (4) industrial buildingd designed to appeal to a broad range of industrial, showroom, office/warehouse and manufacturing businesses.

The product is very flexible and will provide size options from 1,500 to 60,000 square feet. The target market is a business requiring 3,000 to 10,000 square feet.

The owner of this project has had significant experience with this product and has found that this product meets a broad market need. The owner has placed tenants in close to 300,000 square feet of similar product. This type of quality product is not readily available today in the Apple Valley marketplace.

Apple Valley’s strong demographics, public transportation, sound infrastructure and curent lack of this type of product makes Apple Valley an ideal location for this project.

Industrial buildings located at 14607 Felton Court & 14608 Felton Court in Apple Valley, MN, are the first two buildings at this project site. The 14607 building is at two-thirds capacity and the 14608 building has just two spaces remaining.

Response to this project has been tremendous! The uses for these spaces are abundant and could include meeting the needs of: Office/Warehouse, Instructional Athletic, Manufacturing, Distribution, Show Room, Appliance/Small Engine Repair, Assembly /Fabrications-Light, Research Labs, Sign Shop, Storage in Building, Trade Schools, Machine Shop, Millwork, and Cabinets.

Additional building features include:

  • I-2 zoning
  • Drive-In Doors – 12’ wide X 14’ High
  • Dock Door (14608 available in the 5,000 or 10,000 SF options)
  • Built Out Office
  • 120/208V of 200Amp Power Service
  • 14608 Felton Court equipped with 480V Power Service
  • State of the Art Communications
  • Several Size Options Available
  • 18’ 6” Clear Height
  • Forced Air Heat
  • Office – Heat and Air Conditioned

Additional information including a virtual tour of this space, flyers, and a contact form may be found at our CERRON listing page for Apple Valley Business Campus.

This office warehouse space Apple Valley project is developed, built and managed by Hebert Properties and is marketed and leased by CERRON Commercial Properties, LLC who may be contacted by email at brucer@cerron.com or phone at 952-469-9444.

Looking to Grow Your Small Business?

Trustworthy small business resources in MN by APPRO and CERRON Curious Puppy by Ashley Linn Trann

Looking to grow your small business? Or, looking for information to start a new business? APPRO and CERRON have the resources you need. In today’s age of electronics, instant gratification, and information on demand, whatever you can Google, can be found in a matter of seconds. But, how do you know if the answer is trustworthy? I love that insurance company commercial where two friends are talking on the sidewalk with the message, “if it is on the internet, it MUST be true” as her “French model” boyfriend (who she met online) walks up. So, how do we really know what to believe and who to trust?

As much as we have adopted many electronic resources at APPRO and CERRON, we continue to value our personal relationships with trusted resources and advisors. With that said, we would like to share some of these trusted resources with you to help you grow your business. Do your research online, and then plan a meeting in person to get the help you need.

Business Planning:

  • Open to Business
  • SCORE (this link goes to the National site and allows you to find a chapter closest to you)
  • SBA

Local Chambers of Commerce:

Financing:

  • SBA Small business loans and financing options
  • SPEDCO Local SBA lending resource

{{cta(‘edaec547-e418-4730-960a-c7c47c8cfbdf’)}}For additional Resources, please feel free to visit our company’s website Resource Page for additional links to help your business grow!

At APPRO and CERRON, we have been working hard for more than 25 years to earn the trust of each of our clients. We have been here and will continue to be here as a trusted resource for all of your property solution needs. If you are looking for more helpful information for your business, please feel free to sign up for our monthly E-Newsletter.