July 2015

BusinessBusinessBusiness 22WCTWCT

B2B photos by Dan Burdett

Dan Kipka, operations manager at Oxygen Service Company in Willmar, said their customer base is extensive: from farmers, body shops and dentists, to smaller divisions of intercontinental corporations the likes of Caterpillar.

Distributor of welding supplies sees gains

When Oxygen Service Company expand-ed to Willmar, it was a move based on an elementary philosophy: fill a need.Two years on, Dan Kipka, operations manager at the welding supply distributor headquar-tered in the Midway district of St. Paul, is assured the decision was an unerring one.

The existing accounts in the area mentioned to us many, many times, we think youre a good company and wed like to buy from you, but youre not here. Youre not local, Kipka said during a recent interview. We took that as an opportunity to show the local mar-ketplace that were committed to their needs.

Continued on Page 2

By Dan Burdett - dburdett@wctrib.com

2 July 2015 B2B

Willmar 235-1111800-908-BANK (2265)Bremer.comMember FDIC. 2015 Bremer Financial Corporation. All rights reserved.

Talk with a banker today.Online Banking Online Bill Pay Online StatementsDebit Cards Credit Cards

Now thats Convenient

Bank

with ease.

StaffSharon Bomstad, B2B editor

Dan Burdett, B2B writer/social media

ContributorsKen Warner, Willmar Lakes Area Chamber

Cameron Macht, DEEDSam Aakre, neXt

AdvertisingKevin Smith, Director

To advertise, call 320-214-4317, fax 320-235-6769

email ksmith@wctrib.com or contactyour assigned marketing consultant.

AdministrationSteven Ammermann, Publisher

Kelly Boldan, EditorTimothy Bailey, Business ManagerVolume 3, Number 6

Copyright 2015 West Central Tribune Business2Business

All rights reserved. Although some parts of this publication may be reproduced and reprinted, we require that prior permission be obtained.

MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE WEST CENTRAL TRIBUNE

P.O. Box 839 / 2208 W. Trott Ave. Willmar MN 56201

wctrib.com / 320-235-1150

The Willmar operation is based out of a 5,000-square-foot facility off U.S. Highway 12 East and partners with a division in Sauk Rapids to expand a broad clientele roster that already extends through the western strip of the Dakotas and across the eastern border of Wisconsin.

Where Willmar and the outlying area have paid dividends, Kipka said, is through the regions agricultural and medical base, with a substantial demand for industrial gases, lubricants, cutting fluids and rust preven-tives, as well as nitric oxide.

The customer base is extensive: from farmers, body shops and dentists, to smaller divisions of intercontinental corporations the likes of Caterpillar.

Oxygen Service Company supplies the customer with the desired gases and the like, pre-tested in a laboratory to ensure the highest quality product.

The company also distributes an extensive line of welding and automated machinery and equipment, to include: plasma cutters, fume extraction and filtration systems, and mag drills.

It is equipped to deliver all products and will service equipment when necessary,

something, Kipka said, that allows us to provide better value to our customers.

However, what sets the company apart from its competitors, Kipka said, is its adher-ence to a solution selling methodology, focusing on a buyers need rather than spe-cific product features or benefits.

Obviously, other companies offer the products we do, Kipka said. But weve been successful in building our base by determining and then illustrating how we bring value to the customer and how what we offer fits into their business needs.

Manager Dan Kipka: We want to grow their business.Continued from Page 1

Oxygen Service Companys Willmar operation is based out of a 5,000-square-foot facility off U.S. Highway 12 East and partners with a division in Sauk Rapids to expand a broad clientele roster that already extends through the western strip of the Dakotas and across the eastern border of Wisconsin.

Continued on Page 3

3 B2B July 2015

Make Your Old LookNEW... AGAIN

Trailers * Semi Trailers * Bob Cats * TractorsPropane Tanks * Anhydrous Tanks * Wood

Concrete & MUCH MORE! Snow Removal

Call for a FREE ESTIMATE!!!! Todd EnglerHome: 320.599.8088 Cell: 320.894.0986 or Shop: 320.599.2222

10661 60th Street NW Pennock, MN

SURPLUS WAREHOUSEA Variety of Products Ranging from:

S.W. INC CORPORATE OFFICE: 3701 W. HWY 12, Willmar, Minnesota320.235.9323 800.366.8665 sw-inc@qwestofce.net

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Since its founding in 1965, the company has maintained a strong workforce, with 300 total personnel. Those with five years or more tenure have an ownership interest in the enterprise.

The staff in Willmar is small: currently a cus-tomer service representative and two outside sales reps are based at the location.

However, Kipka said, theres an impe-tus to expand the location in subsequent years.

I would say theres work that needs to be done before we get to that point, but that we have seen the gains where it becomes more than a talking point, he said.

It makes sense logisti-cally for us to be here. Were building custom-

er loyalty. We know whats been successful for us and were bringing that to Willmar. Were committed and moving forward on the path we want to be on.

The company, Kipka said, has also rec-ognized a need for skilled workers in the regions growing manufacturing sector, and through a partnership with Dunwoody College of Technology, helped establish a training center in Winsted, a small town of 2,000-plus a little more than an hour east of Willmar.

The college offers a fast-track, welding technician program, with an emphasis on hands-on applied learning, utilizing a custom-ized curriculum focusing on the skills sought by area manufacturers. According to a Dunwoody release, the program is expected to be replaced in the fall by a CNC Machining program, a process involving the use of com-puters to control machine tools.

Employee ownershipContinued from Page 2

It makes sense logistically for us to be here. Were building customer loyalty. We know whats been successful for us and were bringing that to Willmar.

Oxygen Service Company supplies the customer with the desired gases and the like, pre-tested in a laboratory to ensure the highest quality product. The company also distributes an extensive line of welding and automated machinery and equipment, to include: plasma cutters, fume extraction and fi ltration systems, and mag drills. It is equipped to deliver all products and will service equipment when necessary, something, Kipka said, that allows us to provide better value to our customers.

4 July 2015 B2B

About the company:Oxygen Service Company is a welding gas and hard-goods

distributor serving customers across the state from locations in Willmar, Sauk Rapids and St. Paul. The business offers a full line of welding equipment; supplies; industrial and specialty gases; filler metals; gas apparatus; safety supplies; and cylin-ders

The company also services welding equipment through its team of in house and mobile technicians. Rental equipment is also available.

The company is located at 1500 Highway 12 E., Suite 101 in Willmar.

For more information, call 320-214-7302.

Dan Burdett

5 B2B July 2015

What motivates your employees to come to work every day? Employees are the heart of the company. Without them, a business wouldnt be able to operate on a day-to-day basis. There are different ways to invest and engage in your employees. With summer temperatures upon us, now is the time to plan a staff outing, create fun fit-ness challenges

between departments and promote positive levels of employee engage-ment.

Hosting a group outing with the Willmar Stingers is a great way to let your employees network outside of office hours. There are different out-

ings to choose from and many special events to go along with the game. NeXt members Nick McCallum, gener-al manager, and Andy Ogdahl, assis-tant general manager of the Stingers suggest planning an outing for these two special Stinger games:

Ickey Woods Night presented by Hansen Advertising July 7

Former NFL player Ickey Woods and cold cuts legend will be on hand to greet fans and sign autographs during the game.

Bringing in special guests like Ickey Woods is a highlight of our summer and each of our fans that night will have the opportunity to do the Ickey Shuffle on the field. Nick

Blues Brothers Night presented by Fischer Laser Eye Center Aug. 3

The first 500 fans will receive Blues Brothers sunglasses.

This should be a fun, unique night for all fans to celebrate the Blues Brothers. A new theme night this year with live music being performed throughout the night. Andy

Take an afternoon field trip out of the office with your employees and check out the Becker Market between Fourth and Fifth Streets on Becker Avenue in downtown Willmar.

You can purchase locally grown produce, meat and chicken, arti-san bread, handmade crafts and more. The hours are from 2 to 5:30 p.m. every Thursday June through September. Take your local purchases back to the office and cook up a summer meal togeth-er.

Looking for a well-ness challenge to implement in your office? The Foot Lake 4 Walk/Run is Saturday, June 27, at 8 a.m. in Willmar. Challenge your employees to train and participate in the race. Get teams to compete against each other and see which department can get the most to participate.

If your teams are looking for a

longer distance run or walk, participate in the

Green Lake Road Race, Sunday, July 5, at 7 a.m. This is a 12-mile road race around Green Lake in Spicer.

According to the website Qualtrics, when employees feel they are part of a team within their company, they invest more time and energy into their job. Whether your office has two or 200 employees, showing them a small act of appreciation can go a long way.

SamAAKREneXt

Marketing ChairDivine Home Care

Marketing Mgr.

Invest and engage in your employees

To aarea-w

We proudly servebusinesses throughout

the communitiesof Kandiyohi County

Public Policy Community Promotion

The MN Chamber mocolumn can be found

www.willmarareachamb

First Dollars Ribbon Cuttin

Simply Mattresses LLC1303 South 1st Street, Suite 10, Willmar320-441-2337L to R: Lynn Gauer, Leo Martinez, Dawn Castro (Owner), Tim Jackson (Owner), Ryan Degree, Jan Queenan, Ann Anderson and Kelly Gardner.

West Central Hobbies1020 Highway 71 NE, Suite 101, Willmar320-262-3358L to R: Eric Spencer, Renee Nolting, Lynn Gauer, Mitch Neal, Corey Pavelko (Owner), Darren Het-land, Mel Pavelko (Owner), Gerard Ninow, Sara DeRoo, Brittney Odens and Jim Rudnick.

WORKUP1601 Technology Drive NE, Willmar320-403-2511L to R: Sara DeRoo, Mike Negen, Jayme Sc-zublewski (Community Curator), Jay Tepfer (REDstar Team), Betsy Bonnema (Owner), Luke Geiger (REDstar Team), Jim Sieben (President of MinnWest Technology Campus), MaryHagen, Jim Rudnick and Eric Spencer.

Ziegler CAT2987 Highway 12 West, Willmar320-253-2234L to R: Renee Nolting, Brittney OdHetland, Eric Spencer, Joel Srock (Territory Manager), Nick AndvikCSR), Jason Van Der Hagen (Fielnician), John Daniels (Parts SupeFuller (Ag Territory Manager), Triak (Ag Territory Manager), Mark(Parts/Warehouse Specialist), Mi(Inside Sales Manager), Terry HaCloud & Willmar Branch Managedenberg (General Line Territory MDeRoo, Mitch Neal, Jim Rudnick, LGerard Ninow.

Warner hits 25-year milestone as WLACC PresidentTh e Search Committee members that hired Ken Warner for the Willmar Lakes Area Chamber job 25 years ago, got together recently for lunch to do a little reminiscing. Its amazing how things have changed over the years. From left to right and their employers at that time are: Roger Giese, Jennie-O Turkey Store, Inc.; Marguerite Swen-son, Swenson Motor Company; and Betty Croonquist, Rice Memo-rial Hospital. Not pictured is Ron Erpelding, Ridgewater College and one member is deceased, Ken Schmiesing, Kens Casuals. Th anks for taking the chance on a tall guy from Windom.Its still fun to come to work every day!!!

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dvocate and promote thewide business community

Economic Development Networking

onthlyd onber.com.

New MembersArc Kandiyohi County - Kelly Doss200 4th Street SW, Willmar320-231-1777kelly@arckandi.orgWillmar Downtown Development Inc - Beverly Dougherty414 Becker Ave SW, Willmar320-222-2020Email: info@willmardesigncenter.comTh e Logan Business Consulting Group, Inc - Jeff rey Madsen414 Becker Ave SW, Suite 2-C, Willmar320-295-8389Email: jeff @loganbusinessconsultinggroup.comProcore Technologies, Inc - Ryan Th ielen1721 Technology Drive NE, Willmar320-226-9874Email: ryant@procore.comWest Central Hobbies LLC - Corey Pavelko1020 Highway 71 NE, Suite 101, Willmar320-262-3358Email: wchwillmar@gmail.com

June 201519th: Heartland Orthopedics 2800 1st St. S, Suite 22026th: Eagle Creek Golf Course 1000 26th Ave. NE

A full schedule of all Chamber

Runnings(40 years)

320-235-1325L to R: Bradley Pederson, Clay Fuoss, Mike t^/::

Ebert & Gerberts (10 years)

320-222-7827L to R: Randy Kragh (Owner), GordyLindblad, Crystal Ramirez (Delivery),

Mary Mikkelsen (Manager), Clark Vollanand Judy Vandeneinde (Crew).

Bremer Trust(20 years)

320-231-8158L to R:::

8 July 2015 B2B

What would Tommy Tourist do?Top selections in Kandiyohi County

Several years ago when Wilt Croonquist was the execu-tive director of the former Kandiyohi County Economic Development Partnership and dealing with the county tourism committee, he coined the phrase Tommy Tourist. The following are the top selections in Kandiyohi County If I were a Kandiyohi County tour guide, the top places I would take a tourist to visit in our county are:

Top attractions: Sibley State Park Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center Area museums: Kandiyohi County Historical Society,

Schwankes Tractor Museum, and Atwater Historical Society. Green Lake Spicer Castle New London (City on the Pond) Guri Endreson Shrine Little Crow Ski Team Green Lake Bible Camp

The second most suggested places to visit are as follows:

Mr. Bs Chocolates Glacial Lakes State Trail Glacial Ridge Trail driving tour of federal, state, county

and township roads. Kandiyohi County Fairgrounds The Big Kahuna Fun Park Chief Kandiyohi Flags of Honor Dorothy Olson Aquatic Center

Other places of interest: MinnWest Technology Campus Willmar Stingers KRA Racing Ridgewater College Kandi Mall Willmar City Auditorium (Memorial Room) Robbins Island The Barn Theatre The YMCA 90 holes of golf at five area courses 19-plus fishing lakes

These are just a few of the attractions right in our own back-yard. For more detailed information about the Willmar Lakes/Kandiyohi County Area, visit the Willmar Lakes Area Convention & Visitors Bureau website at www.willmarlakesarea.com; or call 320-235-3552.

KenWARNER

Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce

President

B2B fi le photo

The Little Crow Ski Team is listed among the top attractions in Kandiyohi County for outside visitors to take in while visiting the area. The award-winning ski team performs most Friday nights at Neer Park in New London, as well as special shows for regional festivals and tournament action.

6 0 0 I N D U S T R I A L D R I V E , W I L L M A R | 3 2 0 - 2 3 5 - 0 5 5 5

Quality products, Competitive prices, Experienced and

Knowledgeable staff , 7 locations to serve you.

Look to Northern States Supply for nuts, bolts, power tools, hand

tools, abrasives, chain, safety, janitorial and maintenance and

much more!

An employee owned company who has proudly served this area

for 55 years!

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9 B2B July 2015

Tightening up

Employers in West Central Minnesota reported the second highest number of job vacancies on record during the most recent round of DEEDs Job Vacancy Survey, with 2,422 job vacancies in the fourth quarter of 2014. That was an increase of nearly 400 job open-

ings compared to one year prior, and right in line with pre-reces-sion numbers.

To that end, the previous high was logged during the fourth quarter of 2005, when employers posted 2,481 job vacancies. That was nearly three times more than the lowest number reported in the region, when the Great Recession constricted employers to just 835 job vacancies in the fourth quarter of 2008.

While the number of job open-ings in the region has been going up steadily since then, the num-ber of unemployed workers was going down.

The nine-county west central Minnesota region which includes Big Stone, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, McLeod, Meeker, Renville, Swift and Yellow Medicine counties had an average of just over 3,000 unemployed workers in the fourth quarter of 2014, meaning that the region had almost as many job vacancies as available workers, creat-ing a very competitive labor market.

Essentially, West Central Minnesota now has a 1-to-1.3 ratio of job vacancies to job seekers, tied for the lowest ratio on record. The region had about two job seekers per vacancy going into the recession, and stayed above six job seekers per opening during the lowest point of the recession from the fourth quarter of 2008 through the fourth quarter of 2010 (see Figure 1.)

As such, the current labor market is growing tighter than ever in west central Minnesota, making it more difficult for employers to find and compete for workers. In response, businesses that are looking for potential applicants may need to expand their searches, modify their requirements, or increase their wages to attract new candidates.

For more information about current labor mar-ket conditions, go to www.mn.gov/deed/data/.

Competition grows for hiring workers

CameronMACHT

Department of

Employment

and Economic

Development1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

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Figure 1. West Central Minnesota Job Vacancies and Unemployed Workers, 2005-2014

Num

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f Une

mpl

oyed

Wor

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and

Job

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es

Jobseekers Per Vacancy

6.36.4

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1.8

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Number of UnemployedNumber of Vacancies

Jobseekers Per Vacancies

BUSINESSES MAY NEED TO EXPAND THEIR SEARCHES, MODIFY THEIR REQUIREMENTS, OR INCREASE THEIR WAGES.

10 July 2015 B2B

BUSINESS CALENDARWalk the Corridor

June 18: 3-5 p.m., start at historic Building 330 (330 Fourth Street S.W.) in downtown Willmar and tour four businesses in the downtown corridor, followed by a social hour at The Goodness Coffee House, 333 Litchfield Avenue S.W.; $10 per per-son; an educational presentation, progressive tour of ethnically owned businesses located in downtown Willmar, sponsored by the Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, neXt, WAM-BC and the EDC.

Aggie Open Golf TournamentJune 29: 11 a.m., Island Pine Golf Course in

Atwater; $85 per person, proceeds go to sponsor three Ridgewater College ag-related scholar-ships; contact the Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce for details at 320-235-0300 or jhulscher@willmarareachamber.com

Golf ClassicAug. 3: Eagle Creek Golf Course, Willmar;

contact the Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce for details at 320-235-0300 or jhulscher@willmarareachamber.com

Chamber Connections7:30 8:30 a.m.

June19: Heartland Orthopedics, 2800 First Street S.

Suite 220, Willmar26: Eagle Creek Golf Course,1000 26th Ave.

N.E., WillmarJuly

No connectionsAugust

7: DataSuccess, 1700 Technology Drive N.E. (sitting room in the main building), Willmar

14: Bethesda, 901 S.E .Willmar Ave. (use Club Bethesda entrance), Willmar

21: Kandiyohi County Area Family YMCA, 1000 Lakeland Drive S.E., Willmar

14: Giovannis, 1312 Lakeland Drive S.E., Willmar

Government meetingsKandiyohi County Boardof Commissioners

July 7: 10 a.m., Health and Human Services Building, 2200 23rd St. N.W., Willmar

July 21: 10 a.m., Health and Human Services Building, 2200 23rd St. N.W., Willmar

Aug. 4: 10 a.m., Health and Human Services Building, 2200 23rd St. N.W., Willmar

Aug. 18: 10 a.m., Health and Human Services Building, 2200 23rd St. N.W., Willmar

Rice Memorial Hospital Board of Directors

June 17: 5:30 p.m., hospital board room, 301 Becker Ave. S.W., Willmar

July 15: 5:30 p.m., hospital board room, 301 Becker Ave. S.W., Willmar

Aug. 19: 5:30 p.m., hospital board room, 301 Becker Ave. S.W., Willmar

Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission Joint Operating Board

July 9: 11 a.m., EDC board room, 222 20th St. S.E., Willmar

Aug. 13: 11 a.m., EDC board room, 222 20th St. S.E., Willmar

Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission Joint Powers Board

July 23: 11:30 a.m., EDC board room, 222 20th St. S.E., Willmar

Willmar City CouncilJuly 6: 7 p.m., Council Chambers, MUC, 700

Litchfield Ave S.W., WillmarJuly 20: 7 p.m., Council Chambers, MUC, 700

Litchfield Ave S.W., WillmarAug. 3: : 7 p.m., Council Chambers, MUC, 700

Litchfield Ave S.W., WillmarAug. 17: 7 p.m., Council Chambers, MUC, 700

Litchfield Ave S.W., Willmar

Willmar School BoardJuly 8: 4:30 p.m., WEAC Board Room, 611 Fifth

St. S.W., WillmarJuly 13: 4:30 p.m., WEAC Board Room, 611

Fifth St. S.W., WillmarAug. 10: 4:30 p.m., WEAC Board Room, 611

Fifth St. S.W., Willmar

Atwater City CouncilJuly 1: 7 p.m., City Hall, 322 Atlantic Ave.,

AtwaterAug. 5: 7 p.m., City Hall, 322 Atlantic Ave.,

Atwater

New London City CouncilJune 17: 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 20 First Ave. S.W.,

New LondonJuly 1: 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 20 First Ave. S.W.,

New LondonJuly 15: 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 20 First Ave. S.W.,

New LondonAug. 5: 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 20 First Ave. S.W.,

New LondonAug. 19: 5:30 p.m., City Hall, 20 First Ave. S.W.,

New London

New London Economic Development Authority

July 8: 4:30 p.m., City Hall, 20 First Ave. S.W., New London

Aug. 12: 4:30 p.m., City Hall, 20 First Ave. S.W., New London

Spicer City CouncilJuly 7: 5:30 p.m., City Council meeting room,

217 Hillcrest Ave., SpicerJuly 21: 5:30 p.m., City Council meeting room,

217 Hillcrest Ave., SpicerAug. 4: 5:30 p.m., City Council meeting room,

217 Hillcrest Ave., SpicerAug. 18: 5:30 p.m., City Council meeting room,

217 Hillcrest Ave., Spicer

Spicer Economic Development Authority

July 21: 7 a.m., City Council meeting room, 217 Hillcrest Ave., Spicer

Aug. 18: 7 a.m., City Council meeting room, 217 Hillcrest Ave., Spicer

B2B will publish upcoming busi-ness-related meetings, classes or sem-inars monthly. Calendar information will be listed two months out; email information to business@wctrib.com; dates and locations subject to change.

BUSINESS BUZZStudents complete entrepreneurship program

WILLMAR Fourteen juniors and seniors from three area high schools recently completed a year in an entrepreneurship program supported by area businesses.

This has been the programs first year. The students applied for it a year ago and were chosen from the Willmar, New London-Spicer and Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City school districts.

Students met and mingled with a number of business leaders in the area. They toured businesses and listened to speakers with a variety of backgrounds. Most importantly, they were able to ask questions. In the first part of the year, the students started a class business to raise seed money for their own businesses. In the second part of the year, each student started his or her own business. Local business people also acted as mentors.

Program facilitator Tyler Gehrking, a Willmar teacher, said he knew the program had worked in other areas, but he was a little nervous when the year started and the class entered uncharted territory.

Business people who attended a trade show that officially ended the students participation in the program, said they were impressed with the students speaking abilities and ability to make eye contact and answer detailed questions about their businesses, Gehrking said.

One person told him that he was less nervous about the future, when he saw the caliber of the young people in the program.

Rice Memorial Hospital to build rehab center

WILLMAR Plans were unveiled recently for a new $5.4 million home for Rice Memorial Hospitals Rice Rehabilitation Center.

The project will allow the rehab center to unite all its services under one roof and position it to meet growing demand.

Theres a rising community need for rehabilitation services ranging from speech, occupational and physical therapy to concussion management, neurological services, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation and more, said Teri Beyer, chief quality officer at Rice Memorial Hospital.

The timetable calls for starting construction in September and occupying the new rehab center in July 2016.

The chosen location is the Jade Center, a free-standing office building across the street from the hospital, on the south side of Trott Avenue Southwest. The property is already owned by the hospital and is currently being used for outpatient pediatric rehab services. The existing building will be demolished and replaced with a new, larger 10,000-square-foot facility complete with two gyms one for children and one for adults.

Construction of a new rehabilitation center is among the priorities in Rice Hospitals master facility plan, which was completed last year.

Three Sisters Furnishings expands near New London

NEW LONDON Three Sisters Furnishings of New London has opened an expanded Amish furniture and home furnishings showroom. The additional space was opened to the public in early May.

Initially, the business located at U.S. Highway 71 and state Highway 9 Northeast, operated out of a 1960s-era building the former Cedar Inn restaurant.

After opening six years ago, it became apparent that the existing footprint would not adequately serve for the proper display of the furniture, said Roger Imdieke in a news release.

He and his wife and three daughters (The Three Sisters), own and operate the business. In 2012, a 2,900-square-foot showroom was added.

The construction of the most recent expansion began last fall.

The new addition more than doubles the size of the original footprint, giving the business more than 7,000 square feet of showroom space. Also, there is more room for processing freight, gift wrapping and an employee break area.

A grand reopening is being planned for August.

Startup allows people to work alone, together

WILLMAR Digital media entrepreneur Dan Benoit was thinking about moving from St. Cloud to the metro area. Then he heard about WORKUP, a co-working space being launched in Willmar this spring.

He came for a tour. The next day he signed up as one of the first businesses to join the new space, which officially opened May 4.

Its unbelievable. Its perfect, said Benoit as he unpacked boxes and plugged in cables last week for the set-up of his business, Tall Rocks Media.

Its exactly what I was looking for, he said. Im excited to get up in the morning and come here.

Its a whole new groove to the 9-to-5 daily grind: shared work space in an environment designed to foster flexibility, networking and a creative culture for the changing way America works.

Founder Betsy Bonnema hopes it will become a place where workers can be productive and collaborative while enjoying coming to work each day.

You can work with your peers like this. You can work with your clients like this, she said. Were trying to become a resource and a hub.

The co-working concept can be found worldwide. Global hotspots include London, Singapore and Hong Kong. In the past decade or so, co-working communities also have sprung up in the U.S., offering an alternative to freelancing out of a coffeehouse or working in the isolation of a home office.

Although co-working includes all ages, its greatest appeal lies with a young, digitally savvy, up-and-coming crowd thats already connected and highly mobile. Tellingly, about 70 percent of co-working participants in the U.S. are under age 40.

WORKUP is located in one of the historic cottages on the MinnWest Technology Campus.

B2B publishes news about businesses in the region and their employees monthly.

Topics such as the launch of a new business, a change in ownership or management, a new location or a signif-icant expansion are welcome, as well as announcements about employees who have earned significant promotions. Email information to business@wctrib.com.

Bonnema

11 B2B July 2015

NEW SPECIAL!

$10.99Men & Womens Suit Special

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Coupon must be presented with incoming order. Expires 7/21/15.One coupon per customer per transaction.

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Includes leathers

ALTERATIONS Re-line Coats Hem Pants Install New Zippers Shorten Skirts, Dresses and Trousers

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7r1

I dont recall anyone getting into trouble when I was in elementary school. About the worst thing that could happen to you was the principal calling your home and letting your parents deal with whatever you had done.

In high school there were more serious ramifications for misbehavior. For minor offenses, there was deten-tion, a mind-numbing experi-ence.

Transgressions escalated to calls home, a physical paddling by the assistant principal (swats), suspension and finally being expelled to another high school.

In the school environment, any adult could call you out for bad behavior with swift judgment and punish-ment.

These things were part of the stick that motivat-ed students to stay on course and obtain the stated objectives; good on-campus behavior, solid atten-dance and academic achievement.

Most students could see the carrot at home, living in a nice house, with utilities, food to eat and a warm, safe place to sleep at night.

The unspoken, ultimate carrot was the hope of real-izing an even better life as an adult than your parents enjoyed. That path was revealed as you grew older by role models, living and fictional.

How one achieved the carrot was through study and work on school assignments outside of the aca-demic day, also known as homework.

Progress was measured by your grades. If you were motivated enough, you could address any number of variables impacting your report card. If you were sat-isfied, you could simply continue doing what you had done.

Post school you went for more schooling or you went directly into the workforce, hopefully having learned the requirements and lessons of success.

These days, there are few sticks in schools as there were before and the carrot(s) dont seem to be as strong of an influence. No one is to blame for any of this; it is simply how it is.

But if you ask the owner of a business what makes it hard to succeed these days it is when your employ-ees arent happy. Unhappy employees dont serve clients as well as happy employees do.

Unhappy employees are no where near as produc-tive as happy employees. Why arent your employees happy? They havent seen a raise in a long time.

Carrots are missing; in some cases appear to have vanished. Raises are very hard to come by and bonuses are rare. That will not stop employees from asking for a pay increase. Theyll always be asking.

Owners need to be able to explain why a raise isnt an option. Larger forces may be at work that the employee needs to be educated about, competition, inflation, mature business conditions, uncertainty, ris-ing costs of being in business.

Often, the only way some employees can increase their purchasing power is by changing employers.

Sticks still exist. When things were really bad an

employer could get away with saying, Youre lucky to have a job. While crass, it was true even though peo-ple did not like to say it and other people liked hearing it even less.

Its difficult to move a company forward with dis-gruntled employees.

The challenge is to replace sticks and the carrots with something to create happier employees and get things moving.

One client, facing a no raise situation, implement-ed a simple pay for performance system. Employees and managers worked side by side to accomplish the goals, receiving monthly bonus checks as appropri-ate. Over time, these goals have changed and payout formulas have been tweaked.

What has happened is that morale has improved, the employees are happier and there is more focus on taking care of the company clients.

Does the potential exist for your company to imple-ment something similar to reengage employees, elim-inate sticks and offer new, appealing carrots? Yes, but only if you are open to making it happen.

No carrot, no stick: no movement

By Ken Keller

Ken Keller is a syndicated business columnist focused on the leadership needs of small and midsize closely held companies. Contact him at KenKeller@SBCglobal.net. Kellers column reflects his own views and not necessarily those of this publication.

See cover story inside

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BusinessBusinessBusiness

July 2015 July 2015

WCTWCT

22W

elcome

to B2B

Oxygen Service

Company in east

Willm

ar, what do they

do exactly?A relative newcom

er

to the business-front

comm

unity in Willm

ar,

OSC is a welding

gas and hard-goods

distributor serving

customers across the

state from locations

in Willm

ar, Sauk

Rapids and St. Paul.

The business offers

a full line of welding

equipment; supplies;

industrial and special-ty gases; filler m

etals;

gas apparatus; safety

supplies; and cylin-ders.

Everyday we learn

more about new and

existing businesses in

the comm

unity around

us, and continue to

be fascinated by what

they all actually do.

Story

ideas?If you have busi-

ness-related infor-m

ation you would

like to see in this new

business-to-business

publication, please

let us know. Email us

at business@wctrib.

com or give us a call

at 320-214-4336.

Supply

& demand

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