Kiger's Notebook

Tuohy Furniture pays $21,000 pollution fine

Walls falling at Crossroads/Walgreens - what about O'Reilly's?

Demolition is crunching along at Crossroads Plaza, soon-to-be Walgreens Plaza across from the Olmsted County Fairgrounds, along south Broadway.

My question – and I think the questions other folks have – is when is O'Reilly's Auto Parts store going to close? And is it going to be part of the new incarnation of the Walgreens Plaza?

I have talked to a couple of folks at O'Reilly's corporate office and no answers have come back yet.

I realize they are busy with the Checkers deal and all, but it would be great to fill in those blanks.

Sign businesses deal =…?

Many of the people guessing about the upcoming marriage of two Rochester sign businesses were right.

B&B Sign & Graphics is joining forces with Magnum Graphix, which recently moved to Rochester.

I'll have more on this soon.

Sign business to move

Look for a sign business to move its Rochester operation in the near future.

And I should have more on this also in the near future.

Magnum Graphix

It sounds like Mangum Graphix is on its way to Rochester.

The Chatfield business has really picked up this year and the majority of its customers are in Rochester. So they are moving to a larger space in Rochester.

Earlier this summer Mangum Graphix and Mangum Sports split into two separate companies. Mangum Sports will stay in Chatfield.

Geoff Heppding owns Mangum Graphix.

I'll have more on this in print Monday.

Chatfield growing biz =......?

The Chatfield business that is on the grow is Strongwell Corp. Of course, many of the blog readers figured that out already.

Here's a little from one of the stories that will be in print Monday:

A new sign outside of Chatfield may signal more growth for a company that is already booming.

Mike Jaszewski, plant manager for Strongwell Corp., made it himself and he see it as an example of how the longtime manufacturer is moving into new markets with new fiberglass-reinforced products.

“We’re not just industrial fences and handrail systems,” he says.

The Chatfield facility, which is part of a Bristol, Va.-based company, has long been known for making things like tool handles, walkways for oil rigs and industrial fences using a process called pultrusion.

Now it has added products like a decorative handrail system designed to be used at high-end hotels, restaurants and homes. Jaszewski used some of the equipment from that line to create the company’s new sign.

“It looks like wrought iron, but will never rust. The opportunities are tremendous,” he said.

It is also adding a product line to used in marinas and with docks after just fully moving into the bridge market last year with a structural deck system. It took about five years of development in the Chatfield division to create that line. Staff in the Chatfield plant along U.S. 52 engineer, manufacture and market products.

Overall business is up about 18 percent over last year and earnings are about 57 percent. The plant has added 20 employees to its more than 180 person staff since January. One unit switched on Sunday to a 24 hour, seven days a week production schedule from its former five day shift schedule.

Chatfield business booming

Talk about a growth burst. One Chatfield area company really has a lot going on,

Year-over-year business growth levels around 15 to 20 percent. The addition of many jobs so far this year. Expanding into whole new markets with locally developed product lines. And the possibility of needing to physically expand before the end of the year.

Those are all characteristics that any Rochester or Twin Cities companies would love to have. But all of this is in Chatfield.

All of that added together had me driving to Chatfield Tuesday. You'll see what I found (and the identity of the business) in print on Monday.

Chatfield salon + new owner

Here'a quick piece I lifted form the Chatfield News:

Melissa Ploetz is the new owner of Shear Class Hair Design in Chatfield. She has moved it to 257 N. Main Street on Jan. 8 from at 920 Grand St. S.E. in Chatfield.

She bought it from Jean Easler. It has three stylists on staff beside Ploetz.

By the way, Ploetz was training at the Rochester School of Cosmetology, now know as the Rochester School of Hair Design. Of course, it recently got a new owner and location, too.

Pet treats biz in Chatfield

Pampered Paws, an all-natural dog treats business, has opened in Chatfield, The owners are Deb Denny and Becky Brand. DISCLOSURE - Brand works in the Post-Bulletin press room doing her best to make the newsroom's work look good. Not an easy job.

Anyway, the duo do not have a store, but are selling at craft shows and places like the Chosen Valley Veterinary Clinic.

The treats come in seven flavors - oatmeal, chicken and wild rice bagels, pumpkin and prune, just pumpkin, apple muffins and a Reese's-like peanut butter and carob variety.

While Becky may work in our press room, I picked this item up from the Jan. 1 issue of the Bluff Country Reader.

New biz list for Nov. 6

Here's some from the list of new and renewing businesses for the area from the Minnesota Secretary of State's office. I find the Gregory Poland business interesting. I wonder if that is Mayo Clinic's infectious disease expert?:

• Equinox Enterprises, LLC
181 Oakmont Ln
Red Wing

• Second Run, LLC
Joseph G Sutherland
3338 19th St. N.W.
Rochester

• A, J & J Holdings, LLC
503 Bluff Road N.W.
Rochester

• USA Imports LLC
3614 Kenosha Drive N.W.
Rochester

• Gregory A. Poland & Associates, LLC
1079 Plummer Lane S.W.
Rochester

• Knutson Properties of Rochester, LLC
2702 14th Ave. S.W.
Rochester

• DOT Properties, LLC
1122 Sixth St. S.W.
Rochester

• MOG Pine Island LLC
5003 Regal Oak Lane S.W.
Rochester

• Vision Prototypes, LLC
Henry Robinson Jr
863 25th St. S.E.
Rocheste

• Z & I Properties, LLC
5915 U.S. 14 E
Rochester

• Jolly Jelle, LLC
1244 Ninth Ave. S.E.
Rochester

• The Dragonfly Floral LLC
213 Main St. S
Chatfield