Newspaper keeps residents connected to their neighbors

Posted March 28, 2012

by Tad Johnson
Sun Thisweek

Is there someone in your life who is always there when you need him or her?

It’s the person who listens to your concerns, offers good advice, and has the answers to tough questions.

I like to think of this newspaper as that mom, dad, sister, brother, friend or neighbor you can call on  for nearly any reason.

Today your sounding board, counseling office and information desk just got a whole lot better.

This first edition of Sun Thisweek has merged the resources, knowledge and talents of both ECM Publishers and Sun Media Group to roll out a new look, expanded coverage and a strong commitment to be there when you need us – in print or online.

Loyal readers view the best media as essential in their lives; something they can’t live without.

We listen to readers concerns through letters to the editor and online comments attached to our stories and on our Facebook page.

We offer advice – with attribution – from the experts in our communities.

We print lots of answers to questions, ranging from softball (even the sporting kind) to hardball. Whether the answers are the right ones depends on your perspective. And if you disagree with those answers, remember we are your proverbial soapbox, too.

If you haven’t ever considered how our newspaper and website can be essential, think of the information we disseminate about the things in your life – food, water, air, a place to live, a car to drive, clothes to wear, family, friends and community.

We write stories about healthy eating, water quality, pollution, new roads and  housing developments, in addition to carrying ads for restaurants, car dealers and places to shop.

While we carry plenty of information about those “essentials,” we specialize in the “people” part of that list.

It’s the part of our work that can best differentiate ourselves in a highly competitive media market and it’s the most satisfying for us and our readers.

For the past combined 198 years, Sun, Thisweek and our sister publication, the Dakota County Tribune, have told the stories of countless people that never would have been written had it not been for a curious reporter with the desire to write the story.

We’ve told you about paraplegic artists, cancer survivors, child prodigies, energetic 100-year-olds, life-saving rescue workers and volunteers who give selflessly of themselves for so many causes.

Today we are telling you about the challenges facing returning veterans as they seek employment in a very tight job market.

We know these are the stories that matter when ticket sales for local arts programs take off after those programs are featured in Thisweekend.

We know these stories matter when readers start a fund to pay for surgery for a man injured while breaking up a domestic dispute after we reported he would have been permanently disabled without medical treatment.

We know these stories matter when we get a call from someone at a suicide hotline who says a depressed teen just called them after reading their phone number in our story about the topic.

Unlike a famous New York Jets quarterback, I never make guarantees, but it is my sincere hope that the momentum we have summoned by creating this new newspaper will result in a greater capacity to tell more of these kinds of stories. In the coming weeks, we plan to take a look at the problem of and solutions to teen drug abuse, the high cost of youth sports participation, commuting gridlock and much more.

While you are enjoying the new look of Sun Thisweek newspaper, I hope you will notice the increased news, sports and arts coverage.

And as you are sitting at your computer, cruise on over to the new SunThisweek.com and check out the reorganized menu of choices. We hope you like our additions of Must-Read and featured stories and that you browse the site a bit using are new related-content widget.

Remember all of that content you are reading and viewing comes from an editorial staff with over 100 years of combined experience covering Dakota County.

We wouldn’t have been here this long and invested so much in merging Sun Thisweek if we didn’t think the people of Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Lakeville and Rosemount deserved to have their stories told.

We hope you feel the same way.

Tad Johnson is managing editor of Sun Thisweek and the Dakota County Tribune. He can be reached at tad.johnson@ecm-inc.com or facebook.com/sunthisweek.

Backed into a corner, District 191 board might have made the best decision

Posted  March 7, 2012

by Tad Johnson
Thisweek Newspapers

Everyone seems to have opinions about the separation agreement between the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District and Tania Chance, the district’s former human resources director.

My opinion is that this was the best move for the future of the district and its human resources department.

More than 160 district teachers and parents aired their frustration at last week’s District 191 School Board meeting over the lack of disclosure in the settlement agreement of the “reasons” for Chance’s departure and about the amount she was paid to leave – $254,815.

After Thisweek Newspapers obtained an unredacted version of the agreement and published its contents with an online story Thursday, it shed light on the nature of those reasons, but questions still remain and probably will never be answered.

The new information revealed that Chance had filed charges with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and/or the  Equal Opportunity Commission and a complaint with the Minnesota Board of School Administrators.

We do not know the nature of the charges or the complaint. Were they frivolous or did they have merit?

We do know that the complaint filed with the Board of School Administrators was regarding Superintendent Randy Clegg.

That complaint could be anything from a question about his qualifications to something he said or did.

Some have concluded that Clegg was the target of the Human Rights/EOC charges, but the agreement does not name him or any party that the charges are against.

Because both actions were dropped as part of the settlement agreement, their contents will not officially enter the public record.

It is unfortunate that this disclosure will not come to light because it may inform our opinions of Clegg, Chance and other people in the district.

The public body that knew the nature of those complaints, the School Board, rendered the only decision that matters in this case.

It decided to pay Chance and avoid litigation, which could have cost as much as or more than the settlement amount and still leave the district on the hook for monetary damages. It also effectively cut off disclosure of the nature of the complaints.

While the board members’ choice will mean they will face more questions at re-election time, this may have been their best decision.

The school board separated immediately with Chance, who apparently had concerns with the district and its leadership. Chance reportedly also had her share of detractors, and there was a level of distrust between teachers and her department. The opportunity to hire a new human resources director can bring a new climate in this regard.

The separation, though, will still continue to dog Clegg and the School Board.

Many have questioned the amount of money the district paid.

The board’s decision to enter into a two-year contract with the kind of severance provisions included is hard to defend for an employee with only one year of service.

The severance provisions are typical for top-level administrators, and $250,000 (of which about 30 percent could be taken out in taxes)  is on par with other buyouts.

School boards and city councils know that signing such contracts have met with public outcry. They should use that leverage to push back against administrators on severance issues during negotiations.

Regardless, the cloud of the separation agreement between the district and Chance will continue to hang over the district because there is not satisfactory closure.

One thing is for certain: The fallout from this episode will continue to be felt until all those involved move on in one way or another for the good of the district and its core mission to educate young people.

Tad Johnson is managing editor of Thisweek Newspapers and the Dakota County Tribune. He is at editor.thisweek@ecm-inc.com. Columns reflect the opinion of the author.

Women in business event bigger than an awards show

Posted Feb. 23, 2012

by Tad Johnson
Thisweek Newspapers

The best thing we do each year at Thisweek Newspapers and the Dakota County Tribune is our business newspaper’s annual Exceptional Businesswomen Award event.

Eleven winners were honored on Thursday, Feb. 16, during a recognition breakfast at the Best Western Premier Nicollet Inn in Burnsville.

It was a great event that included a chance for the winners to meet each other, and the rest of the community to learn about them.

It is the best thing we do all year because the event galvanizes people across city boundaries and vocations under the cause of celebrating the achievements of these women.

They are the risk-takers, the innovators and the people who get things done.

We’ve received many positive comments about the event from those we recognized and those who attended the event.

As our general manager and editor Larry Werner pointed out during the event, it almost didn’t happen this year.

The organizers of last year’s event were no longer working for us when planning started. When the question was asked whether or not we should do it, ever the optimist, I responded: “Yes.”

Four months later, we had a wonderful event that could not have happened without the help of our partner, the Dakota County Technical College Foundation, Best Western Premier Nicollet Inn and our sponsors.

The foundation of the Rosemount college provided us with great committee leadership – Christine Pigsley, Lisa Bah, Tharan Leopold, LaDonna Boyd and Sarah Bauer, who is a graduate of the college and runs her own event-planning business.

They handled the heavy lifting of registration and day-of-the-event logistics. Of course, they also helped us select the winners, provided the sound and support in so many other areas. The folks at Nicollet Inn provided us with above-and-beyond service, a classy venue and a delicious breakfast.

The other great part of the event is our past two years’ tradition of inviting a past winner to be our keynote speaker.

Beth Krehbiel, a 2010 Exceptional Businesswomen Award winner and president of Fairview Ridges Hospital, did an amazing job relating key life and business lessons.

Several people approached us after the event to say that we should print a her words of wisdom so more people could benefit from them.

In addition to talking about the hospital’s role in the community along with her personal journey, she encouraged those in attendance with a few leadership metaphors.

She said one of the best qualities for a leader is to be more of a pine tree than a shade tree.

“Be tall, visionary, straight and strong while not shading out the growth of others,” she said. “Give people around you enough space to grow and develop. Shade trees are beautiful but nothing ever grows underneath them.”

She encouraged leaders to be watering cans rather than a measuring sticks.

“We all need both,” she said, “but plants (and people) need nourishment before we can measure the progress. Be generous with praise and opportunity.”

She also likened the best leaders to conductors rather than instrumentalists.

“As a leader your job is to have the talented experts make beautiful music together,” she said. “That requires hearing the whole song and letting people have the right setting to be at their best.”

She said one never sees a conductor turn to the audience and sing a solo.

“The conductor lets the soloist have the center stage sometimes, and while not letting go of the baton, allows the soloist to set the pace. As a leader, it is important to give your talented people space and time to ‘have a solo’ – and learn to sometimes let them set the pace.”

Another one of our speakers was Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, who hit on the reason why we have an event to honor women in business.

Kautz said women represent only 18 percent of top leaders and make only 78.7 cents to every dollar a man makes, according a recent Benchmarking Women’s Leadership study.

That needs to change, because women leaders are important to keep America growing out of this recession.

Kautz said research has shown that women have a “risk smart” leadership style and their strength is in collaboration and embracing diverse perspectives, according to recent studies. We need more of that in business.

The third class of Dakota County Exceptional Businesswomen includes CEOs, successful local business owners, nonprofit leaders and community contributors.

The group includes women who have risen to the top to help lead international corporations, those who have founded small companies and grown them to serve greater markets and local business owners who have contributed to the community in not only their work but countless volunteer efforts.

If you haven’t congratulated them yet, I encourage you to do so at your next opportunity.

Our 2012 winners were:

• Sunny Bhakta, owner of Comfort Inn, Lakeville, and Budget Host Inn, Owatonna;

• Connie Braziel, deputy director and chief operating officer of the Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley;

• Jamie Dahlen, owner of Holiday Inn & Suites, Lakeville, and Best Western Premier Nicollet Inn, Burnsville;

• Michele Engdahl, manager, government and community affairs for Thomson Reuters, Eagan;

• Carrie Guarrero, senior vice president and regional manager for Cornerstone Mortgage Company, Burnsville;

• Chris Holtan, founder, vice president, consultant for Lancet Software, Burnsville;

• Peggy Johnson, community relations director, Dakota Electric, Farmington;

• Sheila Longie, information destruction consultant of Shred Right;

• Sona Mehring, founder and CEO of CaringBridge, Eagan;

• Terri Shepherd, founder and CEO, Xact Resources Inc., Burnsville; and

• Theresa Wise, senior vice president and chief information officer, Delta Airlines, Eagan.

Tad Johnson is managing editor of Thisweek Newspapers and the Dakota County Tribune. He is at editor.thisweek@ecm-inc.com. Columns reflect the opinion of the author.

Column: Like kindergarten, first jobs reveal all you need to know

by Tad Johnson
Dakota County Tribune – June 18, 2009

In the June 4 Dakota County Tribune Business Weekly, Julia Tate, president of Burnsville-based Business Directives Inc., encouraged hiring managers to create an interview process that helps ensure the best candidate is selected.

If you missed it, you can log onto http://www.dakotacountytribune.biz to read the column that outlines her strategy for effective hiring.

For the past six years, I have had the opportunity to make several hires. As my interview screenings have changed over time, one question has helped me gain an interesting insight into how candidates, most of them young workers, will perform in our newsroom.

The opening question of a series I ask is: “What was your first job?”

Like the well-known book, “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten,” I have found that all you need to learn about being a good employee you learn at your first job.

While my interviews still cover the most recent and relevant employment, I’ve found that most prospective employees are less likely to embellish about a first job because they are so far removed from the experience that they think there “can’t possibly be” any connection between flipping burgers and newspaper reporting.

Tapping into the first-job experience can reveal an applicant’s “work values” about punctuality, teamwork, likes and dislikes of a job, the ability to take direction, loyalty, advancement and seeking increased job responsibilities.

My first job was at a locally owned grocery store in Des Moines, Iowa. I started working as a sacker at the age of 16. I was at the lowest rung on the proverbial totem pole.

Sackers had two main duties – pack items into bags (paper or plastic) and load cars in the drive-through.

It was such monotonous work that soon after starting there I had sacking nightmares in which an endless conveyer belt of mismatched grocery items would stretch out before me. No matter how quickly I could load the cans, bottles and boxes into the bags, more piled up in front of me. While sacking was bad, loading bags in the exhaust-fume-filled drive-through was even worse during Iowa’s hot and humid summers and bitterly cold winters.

I realized that if I wanted to end the sacking hauntings in slumber and sweat-filled afternoons under a concrete canopy, I had to be upwardly mobile.

From my bottom-feeding position, I could clearly view the organization’s hierarchy and see that other employees my age had better hours, more hours, and more interesting jobs throughout the store. But to obtain these perks and the ultimate prize of a mostly self-directed position in Dairy or … gasp … Produce, you had to prove that you could handle the increased responsibility.

The line of sackers was long, and I could see that distinguishing myself among this group would be a challenge.

While the store manager was an important person, the more powerful ally was his second in command, Mike, an assistant manager who scheduled the sackers’ hours and determined who was ready for additional responsibility in Dairy or Produce.

I listened closely to everything Mike said.

“Don’t pack the bags too heavy.”

“Be sure to separate the cold items from those that sit on a shelf.”

“Always put the eggs and bread on the top.”

When he was overseeing my work, I created sacking masterpieces – frozen items (double bagged) in one sack, refrigerated items in another, boxed items geometrically interlocked in arrangements that would make Picasso proud. My ability to rapidly load sacks by gently passing cans from my right hand to my left hand resting at the bottom of the bag was grocery in motion. I could see my name in lights at the U.S.A. Best Bagger Championship in Las Vegas.

I learned to not only be punctual, but five minutes early. I stayed late to clean register counters. I kept each station filled with sacks. I was pleasant to customers, saying “Thank you” to each and for openers offering a greeting rather than simply blurting out the tired question: “Paper or plastic?”

While being careful not to let “chit-chat” interfere with work, I learned to connect with co-workers, especially the best cashiers. Through these relationships we were better able to work together and provide improved service. It also assured that if Mike asked one of these cashiers who they thought were the best workers, my name would be near the top of the list.

Soon, Mike was testing my ability to handle what I thought were much more enjoyable tasks away from the noisy, repetitive work up front. I helped re-shelve misplaced grocery items, assemble end-aisle displays and wash windows.

I started getting more (money) and better working hours. Then, I got the call to Dairy. Working in that department allowed me to enjoy more varied tasks such as stocking the cooler (a great perk in the summer), unloading trucks with a palette jack and eventually filling orders with our suppliers when the Dairy manager was on vacation. The last was a heavy responsibility since I was determining how the store spent its money on a highly perishable product. If you ordered too much of something, it would cost the store hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars.

I’m not convinced when applicants “tell me” they are dedicated, intelligent and motivated employees. I want them to “show me” how they have done it with concrete, detailed examples. Asking about a first job can reveal how these “work values” were formed.

And though I haven’t yet called a supervisor to verify an applicant’s first job performance, it would be fun to add it to the list.

Tad Johnson is managing editor of the Dakota County Tribune Business Weekly and Thisweek Newspapers. He is at tad.johnson@ecm-inc.com.