Expansion in Iowa and North Dakota Continues

St. Cloud, MN – Marco announced today they have purchased Midwest Office Automations, Inc., a copier and printer company with offices in Sioux City and Storm Lake, Iowa. Their 21 employees have joined the Marco team. Earlier in December, Marco purchased Mason City Business Systems and their six locations in Iowa.

Marco also announced the purchase of Midwest Business Systems – a copier and printer company with offices in Bismarck, Dickinson, Jamestown and Minot, North Dakota. The 27 employees from Midwest Business Systems have joined Marco who already has an office in Fargo and Grand Forks that employs 36 people. The purchase allows Marco to expand its technical expertise and service offerings throughout the North Dakota area.

This is Marco’s fifth acquisition over the past five months, adding a total of 157 employees to its workforce through acquisitions in 2012. Marco now employs 620 people throughout 35 locations in the Upper Midwest.

“Our acquisition strategy involves buying companies that offer similar products and services as Marco but has locations where we don’t currently have a presence,” Marco CEO Jeff Gau said. “We plan to expand our service offerings to clients in these areas to provide them with even more innovative technology and expert service and support.”

Marco helps organizations manage their information by applying network expertise to voice, data, video, and print solutions. Marco, founded in 1973, is a 100 percent employee owned company that has been consistently recognized as one of the best places to work. Marco was named among the Top 25 Best Companies to Work for in America by the Great Place to Work Institute, received the Minnesota Work-Life Champions Award and recognized as a top place to work by the Star Tribune and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Please click on the links below for the lists of winning Snowflake ticket numbers.

$1000 prize - Claimed

$500 prize A – Claimed

$500 prize B – Claimed

$500 prize C – Claimed

All cash prizes

Gift certificates

Update – As of 12:00 p.m. on January 2, 2013, tickets can no longer be redeemed.  Prize winners have been contacted.  Thank you for participating in the Snowflakes promotion.

Greater MN – Marco announced Friday that they have purchased Mason City Business Systems, Inc. in Iowa, also doing business as Cedar Rapids Business Systems, Inc., Des Moines Business Systems, Inc., Fort Dodge Business Systems, Inc., Quad Cities Business Systems, Inc., and Waterloo Business Systems, Inc.

This acquisition is Marco’s largest acquisition to date and brings Marco’s technical and network expertise to Mason City Business Systems’ already well-established copier and printer services. Their 75 employees have joined the Marco team.

“This acquisition supports our commitment to growth and our strategy of geographic expansion,” Marco CEO Jeff Gau said. “We look forward to continuing Mason City Business Systems’ commitment to satisfying clients in the state of Iowa and providing opportunities for their valued employees. Our plan will be to expand our expertise and service offerings to provide even more innovative technology and expert service and support.”

Mason City Business Systems, Inc. is an Iowa-based copier and printer solutions company with offices in Mason City, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Quad Cities and Waterloo. The company was established in 1977 and supports over 3,000 customers.

“We are extremely excited about the expanded tools, product offerings and services we will be able to bring to our customers as part of Marco’s team,” said Allen Behning, President of Mason City Business Systems, Inc. “Marco’s reputation in the industry is unprecedented and will provide our employees many opportunities for professional growth.”

Marco helps organizations manage their information by applying network expertise to voice, data, video, and print solutions. This is the company’s third acquisition over the past four months, adding a total of 109 employees to its workforce through acquisitions in 2012. Marco employs 570 people throughout 29 offices in the Upper Midwest.

Marco, founded in 1973, is a 100 percent employee owned company that has been consistently recognized as one of the best places to work. Marco was named among the Top 25 Best Companies to Work for in America by the Great Place to Work Institute, received the Minnesota Work-Life Champions Award and recognized as a top place to work by the Star Tribune and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

The Litchfield Chamber of Commerce is proud to offer our unique scholarship program once again this year to support students doing their best to achieve admirable goals . The program is funded by donations from members of the Litchfield Chamber of Commerce and supports $500.00 scholarships for Litchfield High School graduates who have completed at least 2 years of post-secondary education. Click here to access the scholarship application. Completed applications are due back by 4 pm on Wednesday, December 12, 2012.

We understand your time is consumed by the daily challenges of running your business. We are ready to help educate and engage your employees. Our Candidate Forums are offered to our members as part of the Chamber’s “Get Out the Vote” initiative. The purpose of the meeting is to become better informed on where the candidates stand on the issues important to business. It is our hope that as various future issues develop at all levels of government, we understand their views.

Litchfield City Council & School Board: Thursday, October 18, noon – 1:00 p.m.

Candidates for City Council:

Ron Dingmann

Connie Lies

Vern Loch, Jr

Candidates for School Board:

Stacey Helstrom

Marcia Provencher

Dave Huhner

Darrin Anderson

State Representative & State Senate: Thursday, October 25, 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

Candidates for State Senate:

Scott Newman (R) – State Senate

Steven Schiroo (DFL) – State Senate

Candidates for State Representative:

Dean Urdahl (R) – State Rep District 18A

Nancy Larson (DFL) – State Rep District 18A

All forums will be held at Meeker Cooperative Light & Power Community Room.

The general election will take place on Tuesday, November 6th.  Candidates are seeking election to the Meeker County Board of Commission in each of the five districts.  Click on the links below to view the questionnaires  completed by the candidates who are running for Meeker County Commissioner.

Beth Oberg (District 1)

James Swenson (District 1)

Dale Fenrich (District 2)

David Gabrielson (District 2)

Tim Benoit (District 3)

Bryan Larson (District 3)

Mike Housman (District 4)

Wally Strand (District 4)

Mike Huberty (District 5)

We had a great turnout for Dr. Ted Loftness’ program on health care reform and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  As promised the presentation slides are here for you to review.  If you were unable to attend, feel free to take a look at the presentation too.

Time to re-engage moderates in Minnesota elections

By David C. Olson

Every legislative seat is up for grabs in the November elections. Are you excited by your party’s candidates? Were you actively engaged in selecting candidates who will appear on local ballots?

It matters little whether you consider yourself a Democrat, Republican or Independent. It’s a good bet most Minnesotans would answer “no” to the above questions.

Minnesota takes pride for consistently ranking near the top in voter turnout, yet a majority of rank-and-file citizens play a minimal role in selecting the candidates from whom we ultimately choose an officeholder.

A tiny number of political activists do the choosing for us by showing up at their local party caucuses. Even fewer use that steppingstone to attend party conventions where they endorse candidates, the majority of whom wind up on the November ballot. The time-consuming and unfamiliar process tends to discourage moderates – both the moderately interested and the moderately leaning – and to reward those who are singularly focused on hot-button issues.

Give credit to the activists who show up for the debates. They unfortunately have transformed today’s political parties into either far-right or far-left ideologies that can be a deterrent to crafting thoughtful, bipartisan solutions to today’s complex challenges.

The underlying problems are the nomination rules and the parties themselves, which allow a small number to control the choice of all others. We need a system that allows compromise, rewards practical problem-solving, and – most important – brings the rest of us back to the table and ensures quality candidates can make it through the system.

Here are some worthwhile ideas to reform Minnesota’s nomination process:

• Candidate recruitment: We must work harder to encourage and enable people to run for office. Wouldn’t it be great if the choice on the ballot were between a Democrat and a Republican who each had practical, private-sector business experience of how our economy works?

• Stronger citizen engagement: When did you last attend a caucus? Candidates in both parties are determined by those who show up. Average Minnesotans need to re-engage. To encourage that, we need to change the process and make it more welcoming and understandable.

• Eliminate caucuses: Great idea, great history, but today the system is polarizing our democracy and crippling our ability to govern. It has to go.

• Move the primary: Moving Minnesota’s primary to June is no guarantee that folks will plug in, but the odds would be better than they are today. An earlier primary also would create a fairer playing field for challenger candidates against entrenched incumbents. At present, a candidate new to the game needs to navigate the treacherous waters of the party endorsement and primary process over a seven-month period – only to have 83 short days to build a viable campaign for the November election.

Finding ways to enlist more individuals to seek office is the first step, but that alone won’t solve our current predicament. We may need to change the rules just a bit. Then the silent majority needs to show up and participate – or quit complaining.

David Olson is president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. For more information, visit www.mnchamber.com.

EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS NAVIGATING SOCIAL MEDIA HAZARDS
Social media is here to stay. That’s a fact. A couple of years ago some may have argued that point but not today. Because it is here to stay, all employers – non-profit, school, and private or public companies – need to be thinking about the opportunities as well as pitfalls of using social media.

There are a growing number of businesses making employment decisions on the social activity of their employees, and then paying the cost if they guess wrong about what they can or cannot do. There’s little, if any, legal guidance on many aspects of social media in the workplace. Social media technology has advanced so rapidly that laws have not kept pace. That leaves employers in a difficult place.

Here are some questions that employers should muse:

To what extent is an employer obligated to check online information about applicants to avoid potential claims of negligent hiring?

What recourse does an employer have when an employee posts inappropriate statements? Is it protected speech?

What should be covered in a social media policy? Can it be downloaded from a website or cut and pasted from a “cookie cutter” policy?

Can an employer prohibit employees from certain social media activity?

Is the internet and social media a good resource for finding relevant information about job applicants?

What if an employee uses his or her personal or professional networking accounts to do something that embarrasses the organization? Or, even worse, insults its customers?

Is an employee protected if he or she is sharing thoughts and opinions about job conditions?

If now you’re wondering if you should just avoid social media altogether, remember that today social media is not option. It’s a necessity for any organization. There are admittedly some thorny and confusing truths for both employers and their workers. There are also real and valuable opportunities for companies to create an online presence that feels human, not corporate; friendly, not aloof.

Legal guidance is neither my profession nor my expertise. For that reason the Chamber will be hosting a workshop, Social Media in the Workplace: Best Practices & Hidden Resources, featuring experts in the issues employers need to know both from employee recruitment/hiring and business management perspectives. The workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, September 18th, and is for any business or organization who wants to learn more about social media in their workplace. Call us at (320) 693-8184 for more information or register online at www.litch.com

By David C. Olson

Independence Day is fast approaching. As we fly our flags, it’s an appropriate time to honor those individuals who have fought for and preserved our American freedoms. Minnesotans can especially be proud of the role of our military men and women.

Many of us have witnessed “welcome home” parades for the returning members of our armed forces. And though it’s a “feel good” moment for veterans, the limelight can quickly fade as they face the realities of returning to civilian life – often with the prospect of no gainful employment. As we celebrate the Fourth of July, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce encourages all employers to give veterans the gift of lasting independence.

The fact is that Minnesota veterans are unemployed; that’s cause for concern. The national jobless rate for veterans from the post-9/11 Gulf War is 9.2 percent, according to latest statistics. The good news is that the number has dropped about a percent since the beginning of the year. The bad news is that veterans’ unemployment is still appreciably higher than Minnesota’s overall jobless rate of 5.6 percent.

Minnesota has been especially proactive in supporting returning veterans and their families through the Yellow Ribbon campaign. Through this designation, communities commit to creating a comprehensive network that connects and coordinates agencies, organizations, resources and employers to assist members of armed forces. The first Minnesota community was proclaimed a Yellow Ribbon city in 2008; more than 100 are expected to be on board by the end of this year.

The state of Minnesota has made it particularly easy for employers to connect with veterans by following three steps:

Post your available job on www.MinnesotaWorks.net and label it “veteran friendly.” Visit your nearest Minnesota Workforce Center at www.positivelyminnesota.com and contact a veterans employment representative; let him or her know you want to hire a veteran. Connect with your local Yellow Ribbon Network to find service members who may be looking for a new opportunity; find your network at www.BeyondTheYellowRibbon.org.

The Minnesota Chamber, as a strong supporter of Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, advocated for veterans at the 2012 Legislature. Employers now have the right under the letter of the law to express a hiring preference for all veterans, and spouses of veterans who have died or have a service-related disability.

It’s also clear that veterans, on their own merit, are deserving of jobs. The shortage of qualified workers has been well documented in Minnesota. Veterans present a bright spot in that regard. Members of the Guard and Reserve offer ideal employee traits. Their performance in the service depends on being “on time, all the time” with a focus on responsibility and professionalism. Their worldwide service gives them an appreciation of the competition that employers face in the global marketplace. And they can be counted on for their leadership.

We salute the men and women of our armed forces and welcome them into our workplaces.

David Olson is president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. For more information, visit the Web at www.mnchamber.com.