Minneapolis law firm Leonard Street and Deinard has formed a dedicated climate-change practice, possibly the first in Minnesota. Drawn from the firm’s construction, energy, and environmental law practices, it offers a cross-industry approach to clients’ needs. Leonard Street Business Development Manager Andrea Wood, says “cross-industry” is the nature of pending climate-related laws and regulations: “We really see this as the future, where our clients and our prospects are going to need to go.”
The Minnesota Agri-Growth Council hosts AgNite September 2 in conjunction with the Republican National Convention, an invitation-only bash for up to 5,000 “influencers” in industry, government, and media. Council President Daryn McBeth says the agenda will be to educate them—even via the choice of décor and presentation technology: “This is not your grandfather’s ag industry—it’s not overalls and pitchforks and wagonwheels. There’s a lot of cutting-edge technology that our companies and our sponsors bring to the economy.”
The $15 million Series C venture funding secured in June by Entellus Medical, a Maple Grove start-up, illustrates an observation made recently by Marketwatch: With big markets like cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and back disorders somewhat saturated with venture capital, VCs are looking to new markets, like the less-invasive sinusitis surgical procedure that Entellus will now market to ear, nose, and throat doctors.
AllOut Marketing, which works exclusively with medical, bioscience, and pharmaceutical clients, will design a new Web site that’s accessible to the population served by the Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans. Helpful features: The site will be video ready, so it can accommodate content in American Sign Language, and structure and code will be written so they can be easily handled by assistive devices used to access the Internet.
Proof That You’re Old: The Electric Fetus turned 40 in June. In a reminiscence, Keith Covart, owner of the independent music retailer, claims his Minneapolis store has always had special karma. At its first location, on the U of M’s West Bank, the staff forgot to lock the store one night. “When we opened the next day, there were people crashed on the floor and notes asking why no one was around. There was even money left on the counter for the two missing LPs.”
Home prices in Wayzata declined steeply (28 percent) for the three months ending April 30 according to the real estate Web site trulia.com.
