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Look for a used clothing, toys and youth furniture shop to open this week in Byron.
It will be called Cub's Corner and it is located across from the new Bear's Den. It will open Wednesday (that's tomorrow) to start buying used stuff. They will be buying from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and then open to start selling Saturday.
I should have more on this in my column Thursday.
By the time the weather starts to cool off, there should be a new spot in Byron for both hungry families and fun-loving bar patrons to hibernate without disturbing the others.
Construction of a new Bears Den has been cooking along for a while.
With the exterior work mostly complete, it should be opening in about six weeks, says Joe Cartney, who co-owns the popular restaurant and bar with Dave Peterson.
“We are hopeful that we’ll be in there by Oct. 1,” he says.
Besides giving them 2,000 additional square feet in space, the new building will allow the Den to better serve its customers, Cartney says.
That means the dining area and the bar areas will be separate, The current Den on the U.S. 14 Frontage Road is all one big space.
“When we opened it up, we expected it to be a sports bar and it turned into family dining,” he says. While that was OK, it did limit what the ebar could offer its patrons.
In the bigger Den, expect pool tables, darts and even live music in the bar area.
And more space, also means more jobs. Cartney expects the staff of 18 to grow to about 22 or 23 people.
John Colby, the guy behind the Crowne Pointe development in Byron as well as the misfired Knowledgetop company, sent me a note today detailing his response to the City of Byron firing City Administrator Gerry Hendricks.
CROWNE POINTE DEVELOPMENT RESPONSE TO
BYRON CITY COUNCIL RELEASE OF APRIL 16, 2009
The statement released by the Byron City Council regarding the dismissal of Gerald Henricks as City Administrator at its closed session on April 8, 2009, contained several false statements about Crowne Pointe Development and is principals/developers.
Gerald Henricks does not have and never has had any interest in Crowne Pointe Development or its project in Byron. His sole involvement with Crowne Point has been as Byron City Administrator/Economic Development Director at the direction of the City Council.
Neither Crowne Pointe nor any of its developers/principals or investors is now or ever was a developer or investor in the Wanamingo golf course, its clubhouse or any restaurant associated with it.
The financing for the construction of the clubhouse and restaurant in Wanamingo is not and never was conditioned upon the successful closing of the Crown Pointe project in the City of Byron.
Crowne Pointe’s Byron project is not and never was financially linked to the Wanamingo golf course.
Gerald Henricks will not benefit from the Crowne Pointe project in Byron.
Crowne Pointe and its Byron Project have been falsely portrayed by the Byron City Council.
Sincerely,
John Colby
Crowne Pointe Development, Inc.
Here's some from the Byron statement on the firing:
This morning, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 13.43, the City of Byron released to the public the information that lead to the termination of our City Administrator on 4/13/09. The original document, signed by all members of the City Council and the Mayor last night, reads as follows: Why Gerald Henricks Was Terminated
FINAL DISPOSITION OF DISCIPLINARY ACTION AND SPECIFIC REASONS FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
The City Council of the City of Byron met in closed session on April 8, 2009, to consider allegations of misconduct against Gerald Henricks, City Administrator. After its preliminary consideration of the allegations of misconduct, the City Council voted unanimously to terminate the employment of Gerald Henricks as City Administrator for the City of Byron effective Monday, April 13, 2009.
The specific reasons for the termination of Mr. Henricks’ employment are as follows:
(1) Mr. Henricks had a conflict of interest involving the Crown Pointe project which is proposed to be built in the City of Byron. Additionally, Mr. Henricks failed to disclose to the City Council his full relationship with the developers and investors in the Crown Pointe project.
(2) Mr. Henricks violated the Byron Personnel Policy as it relates to engaging in outside employment or business which might hinder an employee’s impartial or objective performance of his or her public duties or impair his or her efficiency on the job.
During the closed City Council meeting on April 8, 2009, the following information came to light. Gerald Henricks has an ownership interest in four lots upon which houses have been constructed on or very near to the golf course in Wanamingo, Minnesota. The developers of the Wanamingo golf course have proposed to construct a clubhouse and restaurant at the golf course. The construction of the clubhouse and restaurant could enhance the value of Gerald Henricks’ four homes adjacent to the golf course.
The proposed Crown Pointe project in the City of Byron involves, among other things, the proposed construction of a sports facility including indoor domed softball fields. Several of the developers of the proposed Crown Pointe project are also developers of or investors in the Wanamingo golf course and clubhouse.
The financing for the construction of the clubhouse and restaurant in Wanamingo is conditioned upon the successful closing of the Crown Pointe project in the City of Byron. Until April 8, 2009, the City Council of the City of Byron was unaware that the projects were linked financially.
Gerald Henricks could benefit financially if the Crown Pointe project and the Wanamingo golf clubhouse project are ultimately built. Alternatively, Gerald Henricks could suffer a financial detriment if the projects failed. The Byron City Council was unaware of Mr. Henricks’ potential conflict of interest until the matter was reviewed with him on April 8, 2009.
As late as January of 2009, Gerald Henricks had an arrangement with one of the investors in the Wanamingo golf course under the terms of which Mr. Henricks was to secure investors for the Wanamingo golf course project and, in return, Mr. Henricks would receive an ownership share in the Wanamingo project. The City Council was unaware of this potential conflict of interest until April 8, 2009.
Gerald Henricks engaged in business which was unrelated to his job as City Administrator while on the job for the City of Byron. Additionally, Gerald Henricks engaged in business activities relative to the Wanamingo golf course which hindered his impartial or objective performance of his duties and which impaired his efficiency on the job. Engaging in these outside business activities violates Section 181.3, Subd. 4 of the Byron Employment Policy.
Here's the follow-up to the note about coming layoffs. Byron is the community hit this time:
Despite growth in direct mail advertising packets that spurred a $5 million equipment investment and the hiring of 30 new people in the fall, that growth did not make up for the losses in other areas, according to company officials.
“As a result of the decline in market conditions in 2008 and the unpredictability of the market in 2009, we have made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce and realign our operations in order to remain competitive and position ourselves for long-term success,” wrote Schmidt President Joe Ferguson in an announcement Tuesday.In October, the Byron facility had more than 350 people on staff.
Employees were notified of the layoffs Monday and Tuesday morning. The company says it is offering severance packages and job search assistance for the 35 people who lost their jobs.
“This decision was very difficult and not taken lightly nor made in haste,” wrote Ferguson. “We feel it is the necessary and responsible way for us to best support the opportunity and security for Schmidt overall.”
Schmidt is a web-offset printer that provides print and related services for magazine, catalog, newspaper and directory publishers as well as direct marketers. It is owned by North Mankato-based Taylor Corp., one of the largest printing and marketing conglomerates in the U.S.
The 24 hours a day plant ships products as far away as Europe.
A new deal is underway between Byron and Rochester in the home construction and remodeling market.
Pizza cowboy Monte Beck said he is going to hold his horses for while before he delivers a Pizza Ranch buffet to Byron.
“We’ve put plans for Byron on hold due to the economic situation,” he said.
On hold for how long?
“It is about a year out,” Beck said. “Byron people are going to have to be patient for a while.”
The Pizza Ranch that he opened in Stewartville in 2007 is still cooking, though the recession cooled it a bit.
“It was down in 2008 from 2007,” he said, “But January has been good so far. It seems to be bouncing back some.”
OK, so Eagan-based developer Wensmann Homes sold its half of Somerby Golf Community in Byron earlier this month to partner Ames Construction.
The developer that battled Eagan to put housing on Carriage Hills golf course has closed its Eagan office, just days after voters cleared the way for the property to be developed.
Wensmann Homes, one of Minnesota’s largest residential builders and developers, closed its doors on Nov. 7, sources say.
The company has not been answering phones and its main office in Eagan has been empty all week.Wensmann Homes has been building since 1968.
The developer, which spent the last four years fighting Eagan in court, has been looking to build housing on the now defunct Carriage Hills golf course.
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The company allegedly shuttered its doors the Friday after the election.
Anyone out there know what the full story is with Wensmann Homes?
On Tuesday, Somerby Golf Community in Byron announced that Ames Construction, Inc. bought out its partner in the development, Wensmann Homes.
"We see enormous potential in what has already been a personally rewarding business venture." said Richard J. Ames, founder and president of Burnsville-based Ames Construction.
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Today, Somerby includes more than 130 families in its various townhomes, twin homes and single-family homes within the community
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“We are looking at expanding our casual grill next year to provide more patio seating as well as we are adding a regulation size hockey rink this year for our members and residents enjoyment,” adds Dahl. In the past two years, over 80 families have joined the Somerby golf community. Prime home sites are still available with additional expansion planned in 2009 for the 500-acre master planned community. Currently, there are more than 330 resident and non-resident families that are members at Somerby.
Here's a litle more detail on the Schmidt Printing/ Byron story:
While the cold economy is freezing budgets and staff in most places, one company here is heating up.
Schmidt Printing is wrapping up a $5 million investment in equipment for the Byron facility.
That investment adds up to 30 new jobs for a company that already has more than 350 employees.
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Why sink this much capital back into a business during such a turbulent time?
“We need to do it, because the growth of our business,” says Jeff Winter of Schmidt. “We had 27 percent revenue growth in 2007 and we’re on track to have 25 percent growth for 2008.”
Schmidt is a web-offset printer that provides print and related services for magazine, catalog, newspaper and directory publishers as well as direct marketers. It is owned by North Mankato-based Taylor Corp., one of the largest printing and marketing conglomerates in the U.S.
Schmidt is one of the few printing firms in the country that prints and packages direct-mail advertising card packs, which include pieces from multiple advertisers, wrapped in cellophane and found weekly in many mailboxes.
“We are in a niche printing market. We’re one of three firms in the U.S. and really much of the world, that do this,” Winter said.
Schmidt, which runs 24 hours a day, ships the custom-made packets as far away as Europe.
I got an e-mail today about growth at the Schmidt Printing facility in Byron.
I think this has been in the works for awhile, but it sounds like the project is wrapping up.
The bottom-line is more that $5 million in additional equipment and upgrades are being pumped into the site.
That means 30 more workers are needed.
Here's some from Schmidt's release on this deal. I'll try to have more details soon:
In October, Schmidt Printing in Byron, MN is completing a multi-million dollar investment in printing and mailing services. This investment of over $5,000,000 includes installation of a Goss full-web printing press, plus additional collating and mailing equipment.
“We are very fortunate during the current economic environment to be growing our business,” states Joe
Ferguson, Schmidt President. “These investments will put Schmidt in a great position to serve our customers and continue to invest in our people, equipment and technology.” To keep pace with growth and staff this additional equipment, Schmidt currently has over 30 open employment positions.
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