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Home My WebLink AboutCouncil Information Memorandum 12-17-2020CITY OF PLYMOUTH COUNCIL INFO MEMO December 17, 2020 EVENTS / MEETINGS Official City Meeting Calendars .................................................................... Page 2 Tentative List of Agenda Items ..................................................................... Page 5 REPORTS & OTHER ARTICLES OF INTEREST Plymouth City Council Votes to Hire Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator, Star Tribune ............................................... Page 6 Nonin Founder Continues for Medical Devices That 'Improve Lives', Star Tribune .......... Page 8 TCF Bank Name Will Disappear in Huntington Merger. Here's What Else Will Change, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal .................. Page 10 2020 Minnesota Manufacturing Awards: Maud Borup, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal ....................................... Page 13 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 29 29 30 31 December 2020 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 OFFICIAL CITY CALENDAR 763-509-5080plymouthmn.gov 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers SUN TUES MON WED THUR FRI SAT 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM CHARTER COMMISSION MEETING Medicine Lake Room CHRISTMAS DAY CITY OFFICES CLOSED CHRISTMAS EVE CITY OFFICES CLOSED AT NOON 5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Board and Commission Interviews Medicine Lake Room 7:00 PM HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING Gleason Lake Room Page 2 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BIRTHDAY CITY OFFICES CLOSED 19 20 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 January 2021 3400 Plymouth Boulevard OFFICIAL CITY CALENDAR 763-509-5080plymouthmn.gov 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers SUN TUES MON WED THUR FRI SAT CHANGES ARE NOTED IN RED 5:00 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Chickens and Bees Council Chambers 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers NEW YEAR’S DAY CITY OFFICES CLOSED 5:30 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING City Center 2.0 Council Chambers 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM PARK & REC ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers 31 7:00 PM HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING Council Chambers Page 3 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 SUN TUES MON WED THUR FRI SAT February 2021 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 OFFICIAL CITY CALENDAR 763-509-5080plymouthmn.gov 5:30 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Intersection of Comstock Lane and Schmidt Lake Road Council Chambers 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers PRESIDENTS DAY CITY OFFICES CLOSED 5:30 PM SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING Solar Options for City Facilities Council Chambers 7:00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM PARK & REC ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING Council Chambers 7:00 PM HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY MEETING Council Chambers Page 4 Note: Special Meeting topics have been set by Council; all other topics are tentative. EDA refers to the Economic Development Authority Tentative Schedule for City Council Agenda Items January 12, Special, 5:00 p.m., Council Chambers •Chickens and bees January 12, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers •Approve liquor licenses for 2021 •Appoint City Health Officer for 2021 •Appoint City Council Secretary for 2021 •Designate Official Newspaper for 2021 •Appoint Official Depository for 2021 •Adopt ordinance repealing Section 1100.03 of the City Code concerning the licensing of amusements •Approve Payment No. 8 and Final for the Candlelight Terrace Street Reconstruction Project (ST199001) •Accept utilities and streets for continual maintenance in Greenway North (2018033) •Continued public hearing on the vacation of portions of right-of-way of Lancaster Lane North as dedicated on the plat of Plymouth Plaza Addition and Plymouth Plaza Fourth Addition (continued from November 24) January 26, Special, 5:30 p.m., Council Chambers •City Center 2.0 January 26, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers •Approve partial release of Storm Water Underground Filtration System Maintenance Agreement for Outlot C in the Crossroad Commons development •Approve payment No. 7 and final for the Brockton Lane Reconstruction Project (ST190005) •Discuss 2021 utility fees February 9, Special, 5:30 p.m., Council Chambers •Solar options for City facilities February 9, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers •Update from Hennepin County Commissioner Irene Fernando February 23, Special, 5:30 p.m., Council Chambers •Intersection of Comstock Lane North and Schmidt Lake Road February 23, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers March 9, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers March 23, Regular, 7:00 p.m., Council Chambers Page 5 LOCAL 573373931 Plymouth City Council votes to hire diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator The only opponent on the City Council called the action "politically divisive." By Katy Read Star Tribune DECEMBER 11, 2020 — 6:02PM The Plymouth City Council voted 6-1 this week to add a diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator to the city staff, a move that the single opposing council member argued is "politically divisive." "Are we admitting that the city of Plymouth is not [already] welcoming?" said the opposing member, Council Member James Prom. "You go down this line, where do you end up? You end up like Minneapolis. Like Seattle, San Francisco. It's going in a direction that's not helpful." Others on the council argued that the staff position, and diversity efforts in general, were neither partisan nor divisive. "I think it's a matter of dignity and respect for all people," said Council Member Ned Carroll. Mayor Jeffry Wosje said he was astonished to hear that a newcomer to the city, a Black man, had called the Police Department to let them know he was living in his neighborhood. "That never would have dawned on me" as necessary, Wosje said. In a public hearing before the council's discussion, six residents spoke, all in favor of increasing the city's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. "I've lost count of how many times that I've been told to go back to my country," said Milind Sohoni, who is originally from India but has lived in the United States since 1983. His children, born here, were teased in school, he said. Some council members expressed reservations about the diversity coordinator's position — that the job isn't well-defined, that the salary of about $101,000 is too high — but ultimately voted in favor of the hire. Page 6 Later in the meeting, however, the council voted 4-3 against forming a city diversity, equity and inclusion committee, amid disagreement and uncertainty about what the group would do. Katy Read is a reporter covering Carver County and western Hennepin County. She has also covered aging, workplace issues and other topics for the Star Tribune. She was previously a reporter at the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, La., and the Duluth News-Tribune. katy.read@startribune.com 612-673-4583 Page 7 BUSINESS 573373411 Nonin founder continues search for medical devices that 'improve lives' By Todd Nelson Special to the Star Tribune DECEMBER 13, 2020 — 4:15PM Nonin Medical founder Phil Isaacson invented the fingertip pulse oximeter. Nonin Medical founder Phil Isaacson is focusing on finding new ways to improve people's lives even as strong global demand continues for a medical device he invented 25 years ago — the fingertip pulse oximeter. Pulse oximeters — which measure blood oxygen levels — from Nonin and other manufacturers quickly became must-haves after doctors learned that lower oxygen saturation could indicate that a person has COVID-19. Isaacson, chief technology officer and executive chairman of the 200-person company, said Nonin scrambled to meet soaring demand as the coronavirus pandemic exploded. Nonin, declared an essential business to continue making pulse oximeters, worked with government officials in several countries to keep core component manufacturers producing during shutdowns. It expanded supply-chain partnerships and hired a second shift at its Plymouth headquarters. Page 8 Isaacson also is eager to discuss Nonin's new device: the CO-Pilot, the first wireless handheld device that tracks multiple vital signs. The CO-Pilot launched in July after getting Food and Drug Administration clearance. It measures a patient's blood oxygen and other parameters after cardiac arrest, traumatic injury, carbon monoxide or smoke inhalation. An additional sensor measures cerebral and tissue oximetry. Nonin's CO-Pilot and fingertip pulse oximeters won a spot this month on Inc.'s 2020 Best in Business list, recognizing "the most inspiring and innovative companies of the year." A physicist, Isaacson and three engineers founded Nonin in 1986 to develop measuring devices that are, as the company's name suggests, noninvasive. Nonin introduced the fingertip pulse oximeter in 1995. This year it has shipped the devices to hospital and clinics throughout the United States and to 140 countries. Consumers also are adding pulse oximeters to their home medical kits during the pandemic. Isaacson has his eye on other innovations, saying Nonin is prototyping products related to hydration. "There are some things I'm not even going to talk about now." Q: Where is demand today for Nonin's fingertip pulse oximeters? A: It's still high, it's definitely high, but we don't have quite as many panic buyers. We weren't able to make as many pulse oximeters as people wanted to buy from us. We had to allocate them to more critical locations. Existing customers took priority over somebody we'd never heard from before. Q: How has consumer buying affected demand? A: COVID-19 has gotten many more people aware of the value of pulse oximetry. Far more doctors have recognized that pulse oximeters are something people can use in the home. You don't need special training. You put it on the finger, it automatically turns on and three heartbeats later you've got a reading. Take it off and it shows that reading for 10 seconds and then shuts down. One of our strengths is to make unique physiological measurements very simple and robust. Another key is we give a reading that people can trust. Q: What's next for you and Nonin? A: I've got ideas and things I'd like to do. There's no limit to the types of physiological measurements that can be made. I always ask the question, so what? I always want to find ones that can be truly useful enough that we can do in large volumes. I really want to get things out that improve the quality of people's lives. That's really the goal here. Todd Nelson is a freelance writer in Lake Elmo. His e-mail is todd_nelson@mac.com. Page 9 Banking & Financial Services TCF Bank name will disappear in Huntington merger. Here's what else will change. The TCF Financial Corp. name survived its last merger — but it won't this time. SUBMITTED By Patrick Rehkamp – Staff writer, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal Dec 14, 2020, 8:04pm EST The TCF Financial Corp. name survived its last merger — but it won't this time. News broke late Sunday that Huntington Bank had announced a $22 billion plan to merge with TCF Financial to create one of the nation's 10 largest regional banks. Columbus, Ohio-based Huntington Bank will replace TCF's name on roughly 80 branches in the Twin Cities and other facilities it has in the market. TCF is also one of the 50 largest employers in the state. The merger will impact the bank's Minnesota workforce and the University of Minnesota's football Page 10 stadium, currently named TCF Bank Stadium. Here's a breakdown of how the merger may affect the Twin Cities market: Stadium naming rights TCF Bank Stadium will incorporate the Huntington name at some point, said Steve Steinour, president and CEO of Huntington. “We’re going to take the name from TCF to Huntington," he said. "I believe that contract facilitates the name change." The original 2005 contract between TCF and the U does have a clause that allows the stadium's name to be changed if TCF no longer uses that name. That agreement was extended in 2017 to run until 2040. The U's not likely to stand in the way, according to the naming-rights contract the Business Journal obtained through a public records request from the U. "The new stadium name shall be subject to the reasonable prior written approval of the university, which shall not be unreasonably withheld," the contract says. Steinor was asked if he saw any irony in a Columbus, Ohio-based bank (where Ohio State University is located) having naming rights for the University of Minnesota's football stadium. He said Huntington already has a sponsorship deal with Michigan State University, which has worked well. The stadium's naming rights were citied as one of the reasons TCF's name survived its most-recent merger with Detroit-based Chemical Bank. Employees It has not been an easy year for many of TCF's employees since the bank just completed its merger with Chemical Bank in August. Steinour acknowledged the TCF employees have been under stress from the Chemical Bank merger, but said the vast majority of Twin Cities staff will be kept on. Huntington doesn't have any branches in the Twin Cities, so there's no overlap from that standpoint, and Steinour likes TCF's tech center in Plymouth. "We've been very impressed by the tech team," Steinour said. "We view Minneapolis as a growth opportunity and are thrilled to be coming to the market. … The vast majority of jobs that are in TCF will still be there a year from now." The Business Journal pressed Steinour about changes to the Twin Cities workforce, but he was steadfast in Huntington's commitment to the market. Page 11 “There’s a great set of opportunities in Minneapolis and St. Paul," Steinour said. "The branch team is really good. The tech team is really good. I hope you’ll feel confident enough to print that." TCF currently has roughly 2,500 employees in Minnesota, making it the 47th- largest employer in the state. Competition and growth potential The merger will shake up the Twin Cities banking community. The combined bank will have $168 billion in assets, making Huntington a top-20 bank in the country. U.S. Bancorp and Wells Fargo & Co, the two largest banks in the Twin Cities, can expect more competition from Huntington, said Nathan Rice, a senior research analyst for Piper Sandler, which is based in Minneapolis. "U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo are the obvious candidates," he said about the Twin Cities banks that will feel the pressure the most. Those two banks have roughly 70% of the Twin Cities' banking deposits, Rice said. "The Twin Cities market is fairly consolidated." Huntington also offers a 24-hour grace period on account overdrafts, which will be attractive for some potential customers. The bank's target clients as it integrates into the market will be the vendors and supply- chain providers for local Fortune 500 companies, Steinour said. "Our [corporate clients] are largely small and medium-sized small business," he said. "Minneapolis/St. Paul has a vast number [of those.] We’re the No. 1 SBA lender in the country. To be able to get the branch network that TCF has, put our SBA engine in there, we see a lot of opportunity there.” Former CEO Craig Dahl Craig Dahl, the former CEO of TCF Financial Corp. who lived in the Twin Cities, abruptly resigned in October, but his exit had nothing to do with the Huntington merger. Steinour and TCF National Bank CEO Tom Shafer said the merger talks began after Dahl departed in October. Page 12 Manufacturing 2020 Minnesota Manufacturing Awards: Maud Borup Woman-owned Manufacturer of the Year Christine Lantinen leads candy and gift maker Maud Borup through a period of rapid growth. MAUD BORUP By Dylan Thomas –Staff Reporter, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal 1 day ago Maud Borup has been on the kind of tear not even a global pandemic could slow. The Plymouth-based confections and seasonal food gift company has experienced 20% annual growth consistently under its president and owner, Christine Lantinen, who purchased the company in 2005. Annual revenue crossed the $20 million mark last year, and sales are on a trajectory that takes Maud Borup to $25 million this year. Those figures dwarf the $100,000 a year Maud Borup was producing before Lantinen took over, when the company consisted of three retail candy stores. The Army veteran quickly transformed the century-old company, closing the candy shops and refocusing its business on wholesale, and getting its products on the shelves of major national retailers, including Target and Walmart. Page 13 “Within about four months we had $2 million in orders,” Lantinen said. In 2013, the company opened a packaging facility in Le Center, where Lantinen grew up. In August, Maud Borup completed a $6 million, 66,000-square-foot expansion of the wind turbine-powered facility that added warehouse space and new manufacturing capabilities. “We brought in basically three new lines for chocolate manufacturing, our biggest line being enrobed chocolate,” Lantinen said on a day when the line was producing chocolate-covered pretzels at a rate of 180 rods per minute. “I look at this year and I say, ‘I can’t believe everything we did during the pandemic.’ ” She said Maud Borup was on track to achieve B corporation certification by the end of the year. The certification for for-profit companies is a sign of their ongoing dedication to the well-being of their communities, employees and the environment. “Sustainability is really important to both my husband and I,” said Lantinen, referring to Randy Lantinen, the company’s vice president of operations. That focus on sustainability manifested this year as an effort to send zero waste to landfills. What can’t be recycled at the Le Center facility is placed in an on-site 40-foot compactor and then trucked away to a waste-to-energy facility. What else does the future hold for Maud Borup? Perhaps a return to its roots. Lantinen said they’re discussing the possibility of a retail store. However, first she might want to catch her breath. “It has been the most challenging year we have ever seen,” she said, reflecting on 2020. “It just brings out the grit in people. I’m really proud of my team. We’ve had some successes and some failures, but overall, I’m really proud of what we’ve done.” Maud Borup Headquarters: Plymouth 2019 revenue: $20 million Employees: About 125 Founded: 1907 Business: Gourmet candy, confections and better-for-you food gifts Web: maudborup.com Page 14