Is It Mean to Be Green? DPPA Debate March 9, at Our New DPPA Meeting Location at Fitger's! Are Green voters the spoilers for progressive politics in Minnesota, or do they make the progressive movement stronger? Panelists: Donny Ness, Carla Blumberg (DFL) and Joel Sipress, Russ Stewart (Green Party) Saturday, March 9 11 a.m. to 12:30 PM (social time 12:30 to 1:00 PM) Fireside Room, Fitger Building (adjacent to Bennett's Restaurant) Coffee and gooey, fattening rolls available. Bring a friend! No "Anti-Business" Labels for Us! DPPA has on occasion been inaccurately portrayed as "anti-business." As, of course, has nearly everybody in Duluth who has encouraged a fresh look at how we make business choices. This issue of "Common Sense" focuses on the creative thinking about business that has been blossoming of late in our town. Doing Business in Duluth: Good Grief! Or Good Fortune? By Patty McNulty Twenty-five years ago, I took the plunge and went into business in Duluth. At the time, sheer ignorance prevented me from having any concern about failure. Yet, if I'd known then what I know now, I wouldn't change a thing-and I'd do it all again, right here in Duluth. We're fortunate to have a strong entrepreneurial spirit in Duluth. Our varied business community includes lawyers, doctors, artists, restaurateurs, environmentalists, developers, musicians... and just about everything in between. Duluth's history is a history of people doing business. From timber and mining came great fortunes, shipping and manufacturing brought jobs and a whole new layer of businesses, and the legal and medical community grew. When times got tough, Duluthians started small businesses that sometimes grew to national prominence. Today, third- and fourth-generation family members operate businesses that began here nearly a century ago. Duluth is a business town. We're passionately loyal about doing business with our friends and neighbors. This wonderful spirit helps encourage our city's entrepreneurs, whose efforts have given us a diverse retail and hospitality industry that makes Duluth a unique place for tourists and an attractive locale for people looking for a new community. Duluth has faced economic challenges for decades. That we aren't a boomtown is old news. Duluth business owners and managers often find it's tougher to meet bottom-line demands here than in other areas of the country or even within the same state. But, over and over again, we see new businesses start up in Duluth. We see established local firms grow or maintain when outside interests pack and leave. We often hear Duluth is "different" from other places. Too often, that is said as a criticism. The truth is that what makes us "different" makes us better. People who chose to do business in Duluth often measure their success in terms of personal satisfaction or community contribution. Duluth's business community is filled with people doing what they love to do. Many of our local business owners came to Duluth for a saner pace of life. Some of us never left our hometown and found taking that plunge into the business world was the best way to stay employed. For all of our city's weakness, and with many hurdles facing us, Duluth remains an outstanding city for business. We've faced lean times, and we've kept on going. We've had financial success, and we've seen independent thinkers do the "impossible." Best of all, at the end of the day, we live in Duluth. We're minutes from Lake Superior, and a short trip away from wilderness or metro Minnesota. We're not chasing our dreams; we're living them. Patty McNulty is Vice President of Zenith Research Group, Inc., a national market research and consulting firm located in Duluth. Previously, Patty was the President of WDSM / KZIO, Inc. and Head of the Lakes Broadcasting, Inc., which owned and operated radio stations in Duluth and Pine City. Business Alliance Charts Path Less Traveled By Bill Brakken It's a common refrain when people hear about my connection with the new Northland Sustainable Business Alliance (NSBA): "Isn't that the anti-Chamber group?" Indeed, it's probably fair to say that our exciting new business organization initially took root in the soil of discontent with the Duluth Chamber of Commerce. It turns out I wasn't alone when I wrote an article for the News-Tribune last April critical of the Chamber's lack of support for my personal effort to create a new small business in Duluth. In less than a year, the mailing list for NSBA blossomed to more than 150. But while NSBA initially benefited from a bit of "anti-Chamber" media exposure, our roots now need to expand. NSBA must begin the more challenging task of defining a positive vision for our region's communities. Unfortunately, it's often difficult to talk about what needs to be changed without referring to what is. For example, if you believe, as I do, that supporting locally owned businesses is an important element to maintaining community vitality and character, how do you not criticize our local Chamber of Commerce (which claims to represent local businesses) for installing as its Board Chair a person who works for a multinational corporation with a core business strategy of squeezing out local merchants? It's a fact that over the past 15 years, the U.S. retail economy has undergone a massive shift from primarily locally owned to primarily absentee-owned businesses. Big box superstores have squeezed out independent bookstores and pharmacies, neighborhood grocery markets and hardware stores. What does this mean for Duluth and our surrounding region? To me, succumbing to a national trend that some may view as inevitable would once again be taking the easy path toward the kind of economy that has bedeviled our region for much of the past century-a "Colonial" economy in which natural, financial, and human capital is sucked up by a wealthy few and/or shipped away to distant markets. In the process, local control is surrendered to those with little stake in the long-term vitality of the entire community. A recent example is Office Depot pulling up stakes just seven months after coming to town. Our mayor blamed this debacle on circumstances beyond Duluth's control. Baloney! We surrendered control (and $450,000 in taxpayer financing) the moment we decided to court a big box retailer with no roots in our community. Think what that same money could have accomplished in small grants or low-interest loans to help our locally owned merchants. Of course, it's always easier to criticize in hindsight. Part of the problem is that our community leaders need other ideas to consider beyond those employed time and again throughout the United States. Those strategies might be tried, but that doesn't necessarily make them true. Some, in fact, are simply worn out. The result too often has been the one described by Duluth native, Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation: "More and more, every place in America looks like every place else, and that means every place looks like no place." Here in the western Lake Superior region, we don't need to follow the path of least resistance. We can choose instead to emulate the successful strategies a few special communities have used to enhance their economic vitality while preserving their unique character. We have an incredible array of assets in our region-economic, environmental, and social. Let's not fritter them away trying to be like every place else. Let's use them to make our region a shining example to which other communities can aspire. Bill Brakken and his wife Becky are the owners of the A.G. Thomson House Bed and Breakfast, 2617 East 3rd Street. NSBA meets the second Tuesday of each month (724-3464). "Robin Goodfellow"-A New Business Adventure in Duluth By Russ Stewart In May, I'll be joining the Duluth business community by opening my own store in Duluth's Old Downtown. Named after the sprightly trickster in Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Robin Goodfellow will be a store that rivals the play for good-spirited mischief. The store will stock books, games, and comics. The main surprise for most people seems to be that I'm starting a business at all. After having been labeled "anti-business," I'm sure my current plans have some people wondering. The answer is simply this: Business and progressive politics need not be at odds. That is one message that I have been working to get across during my first two years on the Duluth City Council. Look for Robin Goodfellow this spring at 23 South Lake Avenue. And if you have any friendly advice for a new businessman, please let me know! Russ Stewart is a Duluth City Councilor. To reach him with your business advice, call 722-0181. Skijoring enlightenment "After spending two winter afternoons skijoring out on the St. Louis River and exploring some new areas on its Wisconsin side, I am now even more convinced that we need to do more to preserve and better utilize the great assets that we have on both sides of our river. With that in mind, I just got the Duluth Park and Recreation Department to agree to make a short modification to a 2-mile section of the western Waterfront Trail to allow a loop for winter cross-country skiing. In addition, I have proposed to the city that the Willard Munger Inn manage the Indian Point Camp Grounds, to encourage more camper usage and also promote canoe rentals and naturalist-led nature hikes. I believe that it's by taking these small but significant steps that we can improve Duluth business while also preserving our city's treasures." Will Munger, Jr., owner of Willard Munger Inn. Progressive Springboard "It was mentioned at last fall's Economic Summit in Duluth that we have to build our business community on what is here. I realized, then, that we must springboard off of the progressive ideas and businesses that are already in Duluth. Let's help Mike LeBeau and Conservation Technologies expand their business, for example, and instead of importing those energy-efficient windows from Canada, let's make them here. Let's expand Life Cyclers; Best Buy could funnel all of their used, recycled circuit board materials right here to Duluth from across the country, to be recycled into new products. Instead of a golf course at Spirit Mountain, how about a bird sanctuary? Birders have been shown to have a significant positive economic impact. The first step? How about an Economic Sustainability Summit, right here in Duluth!" Louise Curnow is co-owner of Green Mercantile. DPPA's Second Annual Spaghetti Feed Extravaganza! The scintillating MC talents of Duke Skorich and "Little Patty McNulty," vegetarian/ organic spaghetti, Hal Moore's Killer Not-Veggie spaghetti, and a silent auction await you at this year's DPPA Spaghetti Feed. Not to mention speeches, live music, the announcement of this year's DPPA Civic Activist award winner, and the ever-popular Kids' Art Corner. The dinner will be held on Friday, April 19, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Peace Church. If you're a DPPA member, four tickets for the upcoming DPPA Spaghetti Dinner greeted you when you opened this issue of "Common Sense." Please do try to sell the tickets to yourself, friends, and family, and return the sales proceeds (or any unsold tickets) in the enclosed envelope. Tickets purchased in advance are $10 for adults and $5 for kids over 12. (Tickets at the door: $12 and $6.) Kids 12 and under are free. Tickets will be available at locations around town as well, including Green Mercantile, Beaner's, and Browser's Café. All proceeds go to DPPA projects. To find out how you can volunteer for this fab event, contact Iver Bogen (728-3987). And from Auction Coordinator, Sally Rauschenfels: "From pottery to homemade pickles, or garden produce to guided walking tours, do you have a service, item, gift certificate, or handiwork to donate? If so, please contact me (manitou@cpinternet.com or 727-4198), and I'll coordinate with you for pick-up or drop-off." DPPA Board elections! Important note: Elections of four DPPA board of directors will happen at the Extravaganza! Current members may now submit nominations to 525-0392 or duluthppa@yahoo.com. The deadline is March 29th. Living Green Conference Celebrates Its 10-Year Journey...and Act Now to "Protect Our Water" By Lynne Olson Are you wondering how to recycle your old computer? Or maybe you want to know about GMOs? To find out about these and other issues, mark your calendar for Saturday, March 2, 12:00 - 4:30 p.m., for the 10th Annual Living Green conference at Peace Church. Enjoy stimulating workshops, educational exhibits, organic food, and seated massage. Workshops for the younger crowd are new this year; Hartley Nature Center will do one for kids 6-12, and an orienteering workshop is available for teens. UMD Professor, John Pastor will give the keynote presentation: "Global Climate Change: Looking Into Our Future." (Information: 726-1828) And here's is an opportunity to act on behalf of our state's precious water resources. The Minnesota Environmental Partnership's (MEP) "Protect Our Water" campaign is asking the legislature to make a "down payment" for future generations so that they, too, can enjoy our rich and valuable water resources. What can you do? Write, call, or visit Senator Doug Johnson. Submit a letter or opinion piece to your newspaper. Take a free ride to the Capital on MEP Lobby Day, February 28. (Information: 726-1828) DPPA Calendar March 2002 Sat 02 Annual Living Green Networking Conference, Info: 726-1828 Mon 04 6:00 pm City Council Committee meeting: Citizens' advisory committee for comprehensive planning, Northwest Corner Study. Sat 09 11:00 am-1pm "Is It Mean to Be Green"? DPPA meeting and debate, Fireside Room, Fitger Building. Mon 11 7:00 pm City Council meeting. Tue 12 7:00 pm NSBA meeting. Speaker: Terry Gipps. 724-3464. Tue 12-13 12th annual Energy Design Conference, DECC. Sat 16 7:30 pm St. Urho/St. Patty's Day Dance, Raleigh St. Edison School. Benefit: Little Treasures Enhanced Child Care Center. 728-4062. Mon 25 7:00 pm City Council meeting. Sat 30 1:00 pm Porcupine "Hunt," Mission Creek Trail, Fond du Lac. 724-6735. April 2002 Mon 08 7:00 pm City Council meeting. Tue 16 6:30 pm SPPA meeting, Coppertop Church. Dr. John Green, "Duluth's Unique Geology." 728-1002. Fri 19 5:00 pm Second Annual DPPA Spaghetti Feed Extravaganza! Peace Church Info: 728-3987 or 727-5319. Sat 20 Whole Foods Co-op Earth Day Fair. 728-0884 Sun 21 3rd Annual Earth Day 5K Walk/Run. 722-1771 Mon 22 City Council meeting. Sat 27 9:00 am SPPA Annual Bardon's Peak Cleanup. 728-1002. May 2002 Sat 11 9:00 am "Wildflower Photography" with Erik Hahn, Magney-Snively Forest. Meet at Beaner's. 728-1002 These articles are retained on the web for historical interest and do not necessarily reflect the views or goals of DPPA today.