Business
The Minnesota Cup, the largest statewide new venture competition, now open for entries until May 17
-Buck chatted Mar. 29 with Dan Mallin, co-founder of the MN Cup, about this competition for breakthrough business ideas, now in its ninth year. Dan talks about why it's important, how the competition works, and what's in it for the entrepreneur.
Beer as career: Cook County native Ryan Petz on his Twin Cities brewery, Fulton Beer
-Ann Possis spoke recently with Cook County native Ryan Petz who, with three of his friends, founded Fulton Beer. Ryan is president of the company, and talked with us about what it's like to start a brewery, what kinds of beers they've been making, their new tap room, and more. Fulton Beer is available in the Twin Cities and in Cook County, but they plan to expand distribution soon.
It's a car! It's a plane! No, wait....it's both! Greg Herrick talks quirky, vintage airplanes
-Buck spoke Aug. 17 with Greg Herrick, president of the Aviation Foundation of America, and proud owner of a rare 1954 Aerocar (yes, a car with wings), which can be yours for only $1.25 million. You can see more cool old airplanes at his museum website.
New study: School start dates before Labor Day negatively affect family travel & tourism
-The U of MN Tourism Center conducted a study recently to look at how travel among households with school-aged children is affected when school starts before Labor Day. Ann Possis spoke Aug. 3 with Ingrid Schneider, director of the Center, about the results and what they might mean for tourism and for policy makers considering changing school start dates.
Headstones enter the 21st century with Interactive Memorial you can scan with your smartphone
-Buck chatted July 20 with Norman Taple, president of Katzman Monument Co., which offers traditional monuments as well as high-tech interactive memorials in their 'virtual storefront' online. They're bringing the memorial business into the Internet age.
Towering Pines Canopy Tour opens at Gunflint Lodge
-Buck chatted with Gunflint Lodge owner Bruce Kerfoot July 6 about their new Towering Pines Canopy Tour zipline, which opened to the public on July 4.
Bokashi: a fermenting process that works like compost, but without the smell...and it breaks down meat, dairy, too
-Damon DeVito is managing director at Affinity Management, a Virginia company that manages golf courses and country clubs. He spoke with Buck June 15 about his company's adoption of the bokashi method for handling food waste. Affinity manages Ferncroft Country Club, the first country club in the U.S. to implement a Zero Food Waste Initiative using the bokashi process. In just a year they've diverted several tons of food from the waste stream, saved money, used the byproducts to fertilize gardens and more.
Garden Fresh Farms grows herbs, lettuce, rainbow trout and more...inside a suburban St. Paul warehouse
-Buck chatted June 8 with Dave Roeser, owner of Garden Fresh Farms, about this innovative farm that uses aquaponics in an urban warehouse setting to produce food in a sustainable manner year-round. Dave and his wife D.J. started the farm in 2010, which was named Ramsey County Family Farm of the Year for 2012.
Sally Nankivell, Scott Harrison & Frank Moe featured on Almanac North
-Sally Nankivell, Scott Harrison and Frank Moe were interviewed on PBS's Almanac North program about tourism in Cook County (Interview starts at about 14:10).
Honeycrisp, Zestar, SweeTango...creating yummy apples at the U of MN Landscape Arboretum
-Buck spoke Dec. 30 with David Bedford, apple breeder at the U of MN Landscape Arboretum, about the complex and long (30 years or more) process of developing a new apple variety and bringing it to market. What makes an apple great? Find out here.