THE ESSENTIAL REFERENCE GUIDE TO MINNESOTA’S TECHNOLOGY ECONOMY
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`www.mntechnologymag.com
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`A LOOK AT SOME EXTRAORDINARY AND INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENTS 0N MINNESOTA’S TECH SCENE
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` Most Potent New Crime-Fighting Weapon
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`Most Profound Economic Impact
`hyaSingle Person
`Snowmobiling as we know it today—a $7 billion
`industry in the United States alone—is largely the
`work of Roseau native Edgar Hetteen.While he can’t
`lay claim to inventing the snowmobile, he did found
`two of the industry’s biggest playersi Polaris
`Industries and Arctic Cat (which today combine for
`annual sales of more than $2 billion)—and worked
`tirelessly to promote the sport during its formative
`years in the 1960s and 1970$.The efforts paid off.
`On top of the hundreds of Minnesotans employed
`by Polaris, Arctic Cat, and ASV Inc. (an industrial
`vehicle company Hetteen cofounded in 1983),the
`state now has 18,000 miles of snowmobile trails,
`which generate an annual $150 million in
`tourism. WWW.asv.com
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`any measure, Minnesota’s technology
`nity is a rich and dynamic place. In addition
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`such long—standing powerhouses as Medtronic,
`3M, and Ceridian, the state is home to a wealth of
`upstarts and dynamic midsized tech—related I
`businesses. With that in mind, here’s a look at some
`of the best and brightest ideas, people, and
`companies on the state’s tech scene.
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`Most Promising
`Development for Office
`DronesWorldwide
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`No more slouching, no more
`backaches, no more discomfort.
`That’s the logic behind the
`Stance Angle Chair from Belle
`Plaine—based Health Postures
`Inc. Users can shift the chair
`through a range of postures—
`sitting, kneeling, standing, and
`more. Created by company
`cofounder Alan Tholkes and Jack
`Hockenberry, a nationally
`recognized industrial designer
`and Albert Lea resident, the chair
`is making its ways into offices and homes around the country via
`Health Postures’s distributor network (and currently being
`considered by a number of retail chains).There’s no shortage of
`potential, either: By some estimates, more than 100 million US.
`workers use computers each day. WWW.hea/thpostures.com
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`Startling but true: Each year tens of thousands of criminals fall
`through the cracks of Minnesota’s criminal justice system, thanks
`to lost or missing information and the inability of the state’s 1,100
`jurisdictions to easily communicate with each other. In response, the
`state is developing CrilVl Net, a six—year, $260 million initiative that
`will link prosecutors, judges, law enforcement officers, and other
`members of the state’s criminal justice community via a secure
`intranet system. When complete, the system will allow police in any
`corner of the state to instantly pull up a suspect’s complete
`criminal historyfirap sheet, prison
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`sentences, outstanding
`warrants, and much more.
`www.crimnet.state.mn.us
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`12 MINNESOTA TECHNOLOGY l TECH 2002
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` << Breath of Fresh Air Award
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`By many accounts, alternative energy sources will l~
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`role in the country’s attempts to cut dependence on
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`wind power is the source picking up the most speed. In
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`Energy—already the largest user of wind power of any u
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`80 megawatts of wind power (enough juice for 25,000 homes a year)
`in the southwestern part of the state. What’s more, lVl inneapolis-based
`Northern Alternative Energy, a private—sector wind energy vendor, has
`86 turbines in the Midwest and expected to generate $30 million in
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`revenue this year. WWW. Windpower.com, WWW.Xce/energy.com
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`Brightest New Advance In Dentistry
`Coanhassen—based GeoDigm Corp. is taking dentistry into the
`d'gital age with the emodel, a digital modeling service that
`eliminates the need for traditional
`p aster dental models.The emodel
`uses a laser scanning process to
`create a digital map of a patient’s
`n‘outh.The result: a high—
`resolution, three—dimensional
`electronic image that allows for
`p'npoint orthodontic and dental
`measurements, and which lets
`dentists simulate treatment
`ootions with the click of a mouse.
`WWW. denta/mode/s.com
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`Most Overlooked Business Resource
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`'\/ant to put the power of the
`.8. government to work
`r you? Check out the
`ederal Technology Transfer
`.’rogram. Each year,
`approximately $25 billion of
`federally funded R&D takes
`place at more than 700 U.S.
`laboratories and centers, and
`the Feds are eager to put the
`fruits of those labors into the hands
`of private companies. Best place to learn
`about the program: the U.S. government’s
`Technology Transfer Information Center’s FAQ page:
`WWW. nal. usda. gov/ttic/faq/tZ fag/mu.
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`Post-Bubble Dot-Com Business Model
`That Appears to be Working
`At first glance, it seems WhereToLive.com is marching into an area‘
`online real estate listings»where numerous others have floppedThe
`Eden Prairie company has a unique angle, however: Instead of trying
`to make money via ad revenue or from home buyers, it generates
`income from real estate agents and brokers. In exchange for a setup
`fee and a monthly subscription charge, participating realtors get a
`wireless handheld device, a digital camera to upload photos and video;
`a customized Web site and e—mail, and more.The company, which was
`founded by a pair of realtors, has raised more than $6.6 million
`(much of it from real estate brokers), and has plans to expand into
`250 markets nationwide. WWW.Whereto/ive.c0m
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`Brightest Idea
`NobodyThought of
`Until Now
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`Than ks to the power
`of vacuum pump
`technology, Carl Caspers
`is cleaning up on the
`racquetball court these
`days. Caspers is CEO of
`TEC Interface Systems,
`a St. Cloud prosthetic
`device maker. He’s also
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`a single-leg amputee,
`and the inventor of the
`Harmony Socket
`Enhancement System,
`a revolutionary device
`that uses a vacuum
`pump to maintain
`a snug, comfortable
`fit between stump and
`prosthetic, and erases
`the chronic pain that
`below-the—knee
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`amputees suffer when
`a prosthesis chafes
`against the residual
`limb. Not surprisingly,
`the market has
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`embraced the product;
`at last reportTEC had
`projected to nearly
`double its sales revenue
`this year—to $8.5
`million—from 2000.
`WWW. tecinterface.com
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`TECH 2002 l MINNESOTATECHNDLUGY 13
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`BENITONNHOl‘M3HdVa‘JOiOHdV301iSEIH'JIHS
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`Top Local CEO Doing“Jailtime”
`Dan Grady, CEO of lVIinnetonka—based IT consulting firm Network
`Guidance, has made a few trips to the big house of late—all in the
`support of a good cause. Grady volunteers
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`numerous hours each year for Minnesota
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`Computers for Schools, a nonprofit,
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`public-private partnership program
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`that encourages businesses to donate
`computers to schools. Inmates at the
`Stillwater Correctional Facility
`refurbish the computers, which then
`go to lVlinnesota’s l<—12 classrooms as
`part of the program. Grady recently
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`held a meeting at the prison with local
`CEOs to show the good work being done
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`and to encourage them to donate to the
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`program. His work is paying off; since 1997, more than 29,000
`computers have been refurbished and donated.
`www.mnasa.org/general%20inf0/mar/<eting.pdf
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