Y O U R C O N N E C T I O N T O B U S I N E S S & C O M M U N I T Y S I N C E 1 9 6 9

CONNECTIONS December 2011 - Vol 42, Issue 12

Leadership

P2- Article by Patrick Bernal P2- November Sponsors P3- Ambassador Updates P3- Ambassador of the Month

Public Policy P4- Article by Rep. Kirk Stensrud

Community Building P5- China Trip Recap

Gala Event P6- Article by Pat MulQueeny P6- Gala Photos P7- Gala Sponsors P8- Gala Committee P8- December 2011 Calendar

IN THIS ISSUE...

Supporting & main sponsorships are still available! For more information or to participate, contact Pat MulQueeny at pat.mulqueeny@epchamber.org or at (952) 944-2830.

A special THANK YOU to our 2011 Annual Sponsors!

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Look for us on Facebook “Eden Prairie Chamber”

Look for us on LinkedIn “Eden Prairie Chamber”

Visit our YouTube Channel “EPChamber2” VC

Join the Discussion!epchamber2.blogspot.com

December’s General Membership Luncheon:

Th ursday, December 15, 2011 from 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Join us for our De-cember General Mem-bership Luncheon. Th is month we will hear from Dave An-derson! Dave An-derson is the founder of Famous Dave’s of America, the legend-ary BBQ franchise,

with over 170 restaurants and growing. Voted the “Hottest Restaurant Concept in America” by Nation’s Restaurant News, Famous Dave’s has received unprecedented recognition.

Anderson has helped found several publicly traded companies on Wall Street and created over 20,000 new jobs. In Dave’s own life, he has experienced adversity, frustration, and bankruptcy as well as tremendous success. Dave’s life story is featured in two New York Times bestsellers. He has served two Presidents and three governors in advisory positions.

David has provided key testimony before Con-gress and the U.S. Senate. Always tackling the impossible, this bottom half of the class high school student has earned his Master’s Degree

from Harvard University without an under-graduate degree! He has appeared on all ma-jor networks including: Regis and Kathy Lee, Oprah Winfrey, CNBC Th e Next Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, Crook & Chase, the Discovery Channel, the Food Network, Na-tional Public Radio and over 300 radio shows.

As a highly sought after keynote speaker, Dave shares his heartfelt optimism using his life’s story to share valuable insight and life lessons in dealing with today’s fast changing and chal-lenging world. Dave is an enthusiastic advo-cate of the American Dream, he stresses that no matter how tough things may seem today, if you never give up your dream and work hard tomorrow’s rewards will always come.

Location: Grace Church, 9301 Eden Prairie Road in Eden Prairie

Cost: $25 for Chamber Members / $40 for Non-Chamber Members

Gold Sponsor Bronze SponsorSilver Sponsor Bronze Sponsor General SponsorSilver Sponsor

Featuring Dave Anderson from Famous Dave’s

Leadership

Message from Our 2011 Board ChairBy Patrick BernalSUPERVALU Inc.

PAGE 2 “Connections” (USPS 729770) is published 12 times per calendar year by the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce, 11455 Viking Dr. #270, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 Periodicals postage paid at Hopkins, MN - POSTMASTER: Send address changes to “Connections,” 11455 Viking Dr. #270, Eden Prairie, MN 55344

Incoming Board Chair Glenn Schwartz with Gov. Dayton

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The issues that face our nation have not changed much this year. As I write these comments, a bi-partisan fed-eral budget solution has not happened. The inequities in the federal tax code have not been addressed. Unem-ployment continues at a historically high level, while

corporate earnings grow and capital investment languishes. The country’s infrastructure isn’t keeping pace. A college education is getting further out of reach to many middle and lower income families and our armed forces are still engaged overseas. As a nation, we have not decided if big government, big business or big banks are the problem. Let’s hope that the upcoming election cycle fi lls the leadership vacuum.

I came to the board in 2009 as the SUPERVALU representative. This year, I have had the privilege to serve as chair of a dynamic board that is very diverse with government offi cials, corporate leaders, educators, bankers and busi-ness professionals from large, medium and small fi rms. I did so for personal growth, to develop leadership skills and to contribute to this community where my wife and I have lived since 1990.

Through my association with the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce I have had the opportunity to meet a great number of local & state business and governmental leaders: CEO(s), the Mayor, City Manager, School Superinten-dent, Minnesota Supreme Court Justices, Minnesota State Legislatures, our Congressional Representative Erik Paulsen, former and current Governors Pawlenty and Dayton.

I often marvel at the insights on issues that I have gained by these encoun-ters. I better understand how public policy is formulated, what processes are involved, who the players are and how to infl uence the outcome. Some of the important local issues that the Chamber has advocated for on behalf of the business community include; planned southwest light rail extension, a new Vikings Stadium, the controversial school realignment and recent state budget battle.

While there are plenty of opportunities for personal growth through the various Chamber committees, as an entrepreneur your dream is to create, manage and grow a successful business.

I know a little about those dreams. My wife started a small stationery business a few years ago. Through her Chamber membership and the networking op-portunities it affords, she obtained voluntary help in a promotional campaign, bartered goods for services and developed a strong support group.

I think any entrepreneur will be well served by the extensive networking op-portunities afforded by Chamber membership. Talk to our members about fi nance, insurance, accounting, taxes, technology, advertising, and sales! There are experts in every fi eld. Their advice will always be invaluable; I can’t say that the advice will always be free!

Finally, I want to tell you how great it is to work with the staff at the Chamber. We are extremely lucky to have Mike, Amy, Samantha and Pat!

THANK YOU to our General Membership Luncheon

Sponsor for November!

Th is month’s Ambassador of the month is David Hurley, with Global View Capital! Th ey are an investment advisory fi rm, that brings advanced investment strategies to people and businesses, that are unique to the industry.

He joined the Chamber in January 2011, and became an Ambassador as well as join-ing several other committees. He had re-searched several other Chambers and found the Eden Prairie Chamber to be the most friendly and supportive. David says that is why he joined and why as an Ambas-sador he wants to help the current and new members get the most benefi t out of their membership. He looks forward to meeting all Chamber members at upcoming events!

Leadership

11455 Viking Dr. #270, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 • Ph: 952-944-2830 • Fax: 952-944-0229 • www.epchamber.org PAGE 3

Ambassador UpdatesThe Eden Prairie Chamber Ambassadors serve as goodwill representatives in our business community. Th ey learn about member businesses and encourage member-ship retention through mentorships, personal phone calls and much more. Below are some of the places that our very busy Ambassadors visited during October & November!

Ambassador of the Month:November 2011

David Hurley, Global View Capital

Ambassador Lunch Sponsors:

www.goumbria.com952-374-6464

www.redmoonchinesecafe.com952-941-6556 Associated Bank- EP

Adam Benjamin 566 Prairie Center Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55344 952-255-7300 www.associatedbank.com

Cardinal Stritch University Amie Engels 11010 Prairie Lakes Drive, #300 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 800-347-8822 x 8833 www.yourstritchdegrees.com

Leutem Commercial Real Estate, LLC Mark Leutem 4645 Vinewood Lane Plymouth, MN 55442 763-234-8128

REV Solutions Inc. Chad Simich 10400 Viking Drive, #500 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 952-746-6005 www.revsolutionsinc.com

Associated Bank Oct. 28th

Cardinal Stritch

UniversityNov. 1st

Leutem Commercial Real Estate, LLC- Nov. 1st

Public Policy

PAGE 4 11455 Viking Dr. #270, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 • Ph: 952-944-2830 • Fax: 952-944-0229 • www.epchamber.org

The process of reforming the way our state operates started in earnest

during the 2011 legislative session and, while much more work remains, I was pleased with some of the improve-ments we enacted in the fi nal budget.

One of our top achievements was in creating a new Sunset Commission to review state agencies and advisory com-mittees to identify ineffi ciencies in government. We will assess 12 key performance factors and use the fi ndings to recommend ending, continuing or reorganizing each as-pect of state government. Th e commission also will review each bill introduced to the Legislature that proposes to create a new state agency or advisory commission and pro-vide a recommendation.

Th e governor enacted a bill I authored in 2011 to audit health insurance for state employees and their families. Th is will save taxpayers millions of dollars, but we can do more. We also streamlined the permitting process for our small businesses, a key development since our entrepre-neurs are the ones who will lead our economic recovery.

Th is all comes down to cost-eff ectiveness, determining what is or is not working and making adjustments. We should not even consider asking hard-working Minneso-

tans to pay more in taxes when there are effi ciencies to be found. Do we really need a handful of agencies dealing with water in this state? Maybe we do, but we also owe it to the taxpayers to audit and uncover the answers and this is what the Sunset Commission will do.

We are busy creating a package of bills called Reform 2.0 to help us accomplish those goals. Reform 2.0 will be a major topic of discussion during the 2012 legislative ses-sion as we adopt new measures to help our state operate more effi ciently.

It is crucial for the public to participate in this process by off ering their reform ideas. A few things being investi-gated include: not taxing social security, eliminating state shutdowns and making health insurance personally de-ductable.

Our eff ort to shape a more sustainable future has just be-gun and I continue meeting with area citizens, local gov-ernment offi cials and area business leaders to receive their ideas for what the state can do better. Public participation is important in this initiative and you can send me your ideas by emailing rep.kirk.stensrud@house.mn or by call-ing my legislative offi ce at (651) 296-3964.

An Update from Representative Kirk StensrudBy Representative Kirk StensrudDistrict 42A

Community Building

11455 Viking Dr. #270, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 • Ph: 952-944-2830 • Fax: 952-944-0229 • www.epchamber.org PAGE 5

Hanging Out in CHINABy Amy Sinclair, Offi ce Manager; Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce

Fourteen adventurous travelers with the EP Chamber headed to Beijing, China on October 14th! We anticipated seeing unique sites, learning more about an ancient his-tory and discovering new foods and we weren’t disappointed. Th e fi rst two days in Beijing were fi lled with stops at the Forbidden City, the palace of the Ming & Qing Dynas-ty Emperors for over 500 years and the buildings were elaborate. Th en it was on to the Temple of Heaven, where Emperors prayed for a good harvest and an Herbal Center that

gave the group a lesson in Chinese medicine, with opportunities for diagnostics by alternative doctors. Th e evening was fi lled with din-ner (served on the traditional Lazy Susan) with many diff erent fl avors and textures than Americans are used to. Curry fi sh is served with the head and tail on and many garnishes! Dinner was followed by an impressive Acrobat Show with beautiful traditional costumes.

Our guides were all very knowledgable about Chinese history, sites, traditions and told us about everyday life in China. Lucy, was our Bei-jing guide as well as our Na-tional guide and stayed with us throughout the trip which was valuable. Highlights also included visiting a Jade factory, Summer Palace and a Pearl Factory; plus an awesome 2-hour hike on the Great Wall – where the views were stunning.

An early morning fl ight to Xian, China led the group to see the Terracotta War-riors Museum and the pits. Th e place is enormous and is still being uncovered. Th is fascinating site, of over 6,000 warriors in one pit, is now considered the eighth

wonder of the world. Th e whole town of Xian is being transformed into a metropolis to accommodate visitors, where street vendors as well as pick pockets are common. Th e group visited the Xian City Wall and Bell Tower followed by a “Dumpling Dinner” and show at the Tang Dynasty Th eater. Th e dumplings were made of pork, beef, chicken, fi sh, veggies, tomatoes, shrimp, walnuts and almonds – all in

unique shapes and colors! Th e next morning, the group engaged in some power shopping in the Muslim District fueled by caff eine from StarBucks. Summer Pagoda, a Buddhist Temple was our fi nal stop in Xian before boarding a fl ight to Shanghai!

Shanghai is a sophisticated city of 23 million people with a fi ve layer traf-fi c system. We stopped at a Buddhist temple, where the architecture was very elaborate and we had our names written in Chinese characters in cal-ligraphy. Th e Silk Factory illustrated how silk worms are used to harvest silk and the process of stretching the threads over forms to make duvets and other items. We spent time at the Shanghai Museum investigating scrolls, artwork, calligraphy, seals and more. A tour of a Chinese Garden

was beautiful with coy fi sh in a pond surrounded by elements of rock, wood, bamboo and more. Th e garden led the group to the Shanghai Bazaar of over 1,000 shops and were bargaining was the task at hand.

Overall the weather was perfect with temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees and only misty rain on occasion, which didn’t bother the group. Our fi nal evening together was spent at a private dinner on board a Dragon boat on the Huangpu River. Following dinner we cruised up and down the Bund waterfront and took in the city lights. Th ere were also many barges on the river as it leads to the Yantze River and the China Sea. It was the perfect ending to a per-fect trip.

All in all, the hotels were beautiful, the food was awesome the sites were wonderful and we all made new friends on the EP Chamber trip to China 2011!

More photos from the China trip can be found on our website in the photos section and on our Facebook page. Check them out!

Th e Chamber will be traveling to Spain in March and going on an Alas-ka Cruise in June. If you are interested in learning more about either of these trips, please contact Pat MulQueeny at our offi ce at 952-944-2830 or by emailing him at pat.mulqueeny@epchamber.org.

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Gala Event

PAGE 6 11455 Viking Dr. #270, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 • Ph: 952-944-2830 • Fax: 952-944-0229 • www.epchamber.org

How do you plan a world class event for 260 guests and include two bands, over 100 silent auction items, 9 fabulous live auction items, decorations, logos and a great din-ner? Well – you do it by having an amazing group of volunteers who plan for a year to get it all done. Th at is what our Gala Com-mittee just accomplished on November 12!

We want to thank and recognize our vol-unteers who did such a great job in putting on the Gala. As a committee, they met 12 times – more when you count sub-com-mittee meetings, facility visits, menu selec-tions, and more. Th ey contacted hundreds of area businesses to ask for donations, do-nated their own bottles of wine to the event, helped move all of the items and decora-tions the Friday afternoon before the big event and showed up at 9:00 A.M. on the day of the Gala to put it all together. Simply stated without them this event would not be possible!!

We also want to thank the student volun-teers who help handle registration, the $20 boards, the bean bag toss and silent auction checkout –they did a great job. Also – thank you to Karen Brettingen and Shelly Streich for coordinating the student volunteers and giving them such a great experience!

Th e results of this world class event are that it provided needed funds for the Chamber and its scholarship program. Comments from our guests included – “great night,” “we really enjoyed ourselves,” “we had a great time and look forward to next year’s!”

More photos from this year’s Gala can be found on our website in the photos section and on our Facebook page. Check them out!

Bourbon Street Ball- Annual Gala 2011By Pat MulQueeny, President; Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce

Gala Event

11455 Viking Dr. #270, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 • Ph: 952-944-2830 • Fax: 952-944-0229 • www.epchamber.org PAGE 7

THANK YOU to Our Gala Sponsors!Please see the Gala insert for the list of silent & live auction donors!

$5,000 Gold Sponsors

$2,500 Silver Sponsors

$1,000 Bronze Sponsors

Anchor Bank Edward Jones- Zane BirkyFairview Southdale Hospital Risdall Marketing GroupStrategic Financial Inc. Xcel EnergyWashburn-McReavy Funeral Chapel

$500 General Sponsors

Bremer Bank Comcast Business ServicesEquity Property Group- Dick Ward Froehling Anderson, LTD.M&I, A part of BMO Financial Group Plekkenpol Builders

Individual & In-Kind Sponsors

Lion’s Tap Belladonna FloristAvex Parley Lake Winery

Media, Education & Design Sponsors

Media: Eden Prairie NewsEducation: WalmartDesign: W Creative

THANK YOU to our hard working Gala Committee!Chair: David Lindahl, City of Eden Prairie Rae Lynn Klinger, Minnesota TwinsCo-Chair: Sherri Roseen, Froehling Anderson, LTD. Jennifer Matteson, Cardinal Stritch UniversityMary Anderson, Rx Benefi t Strategies Michelle Swanson, Xcel EnergyArnette Bell, Retired Steve Tasler, Bjorklund RealtyKaren Brettingen, Eden Prairie Schools Alan Wallner, W CreativeRegina Cannon Treml, Belladonna FloristCheryl Eastbourne, Edina RealtyJoe Epping, Eden Prairie SchoolsJoan Grootwassink, Grootwassink Real Estate, Inc.Cathy Haukedahl, Flagship BankDavid Hurley, Global View CapitalTom Jacobson, New York Life

This is a publication of:Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce

11455 Viking Drive, Suite 270Eden Prairie, MN 55344

Ph: 952.944.2830Fax: 952.944.0229

www.epchamber.org

DECEMBER 2011 - EPC Calendar of EventsMonday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1 2

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM- Women’s Networking Luncheon at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre (Orna-ment Exchange)

7:30 AM - 8:30 AM- Chamber 101 at EPC Offi ce

* Newsletter Ads due to the Chamber by 12 PM

5 6 7 8 9

11:30 AM- Ambassador Commit-tee Mtg. at EPC Offi ce

7:30- 8:30 AM, Business@Breakfast at The Colony- Bring a Guest Day!

7:30-12:00 PM- Board Retreat

4:30 - 6:00 PM- Holiday After Hours at the Hampton Inn with ProIntroNet

* Newsletter inserts due to the Chamber by 12 PM

12 13 14 15 16

5:00 - 6:30 PM- Fusion Holiday Party at Brunswick Zone

7:30- 8:30 AM, Business@Breakfast at The Colony

11:30 AM- 1:00 PM- General Membership Luncheon at Grace Church (Dave Anderson, Famous Dave’s)

* Home & Garden Show Early Bird Rate- Due today!

* Fusion Membership Early Bird Rate - Due today!

19 20 21 22 237:30- 9:00 AM, Government Committee Meeting at EPC

* No Business@Breakfast!

26 27 28 29 30

EPC Offi ce Closed!

* No Business@Breakfast!

PLEASE RSVP FOR ALL EVENTS BY 12 PM THE DAY PRIOR! Visit epchamber.org to view details, pricing or to RSVP today!