Hands across America

Beth Perro-Jarvis and Mary Van Note, owners of Minneapolis-based Ginger Consulting, have joined Fortune 500 companies in taking part in the first U.S. State Department program to mentor women business in Latin America, Canada and the United States.

The women will share expertise in branding as part of a group that includes representatives from Apple, Ernst & Young and the International Development Bank. It’s part of the Pathways to Prosperity program, promotes economic opportunity and social justice through trade and investment in the Americas.

Minneapolis StarTribune
10/11/08
by David Phelps, Neal ST. Anthony, Jackie Crosby
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Get a zombie in your sights
Zombies, it seems, are just about everywhere. In the wake of the Hollywood production “Zombieland,” Blaine-based Law Enforcement Targets has added a line of zombie targets to its shooting-range line of products.

The full-color depictions of the living dead measure 25 bya 35 inches and come in five versions, Becky and Roxie, Hans and Frans and Jimmy (the outdoorsman thought lost in the woods.) The targets sell for as low as 69 cents apiece when purchased in bulk. “The zombie targets were designed to add more fun to shooting practice and league events than the more traditional bull’seye,” says Tom Ahonen, CEO of 17-yearold Law Enforcement Targets, which makes targets for police departments, military units and gun ranges.

By the way, zombies are the fifth most popular homemade costume this Halloween, according to Yahoo.

Back in the office
Marti Morfitt, the CEO who spearheaded the turnaround of CNS that led to the $566 million buyout of the nasal-strip marketer by giant GlaxoSmithKline in 2007, will be announced today as the boss of a small company that Morfitt says is in the early stages of a turnaround from its headquarters in the warehouse district.

Morfitt, a health and fitness devotee, has been hired by New York-based GF Capital Private Equity Fund to run Airborne, a dietary supplement maker whose effervescent tablets of 17 vitamins, minerals and herbs are designed to support the immune system and stave off illness. She joined the company earlier this year as a consultant. “Airborne was formulated years ago by a schoolteacher who spent time with herbalists and chemists,” Morfitt said last week. “It’s a mix of ginger, zinc, Vitamin C and other things that support the immune system. People use it when they feel vulnerable, when their immune system has been zapped by stress. ... It’s a great consumer brand that needs some new life breathed into it.”

The 17-person company was relocated to Minneapolis several years ago to be closer to its contract manufacturer. GF Capital recently purchased Airborne for undisclosed terms.

Take a number
There could be a lot of bodies parading through the St. Paul courtroom of U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle in coming weeks as the trial of Wayzata businessman Tom Petters kicks off. First, there’s the 78-member jury pool that will be winnowed to 12 jurors and four alternates. And then there are the witnesses.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Dixon told Kyle last week that the government has 180 names on its witness list; defense attorney Paul Engh said Petters had about 60 witnesses on his list, all of which caused Kyle to wonder aloud whether the four- to six-week trial would last until spring break. “We don’t expect we’ll be calling all of the witnesses,” Dixon said.

To which Kyle jokingly responded, “I don’t think so, either.”

Green gigs
Two Minneapolis ad agencies added a pair of environmental concerns to their client list last week. Carmichael Lynch became the agency of record for Vermont-based Seventh Generation, a line of personal and home health care products that touts its “environmentally responsible” products. Colle+McVoy, meanwhile, landed Bikes Belong, a national coalition of U.S. bicycle manufacturers, suppliers and retailers. Among Carmichael Lynch’s responsibilities is the rebranding of Seventh Generation’s products. Colle+McVoy will handle marketing efforts to promote bicycling for the Colorado-based organization.

Hands across Americas
Beth Perro-Jarvis and Mary Van Note, owners of Minneapolis-based Ginger Consulting, have joined several Fortune 500 companies in taking part in the first

U.S. State Department program to mentor women business owners in Latin America, Canada and the United States. The women will share expertise in branding as part of a group that includes representatives from Apple, FedEx, Ernst & Young and the International Developmen Bank. It’s part of the Pathways to Prosperity program, which promotes economic opportunity and social justice through trade.

Award winner
Fast-growing Entropy Solutions has won awards recently for its “Greenbox” thermal management system that protects temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, biologics and blood through a specially engineered vegetable-oil derivative that can keep contents as cold as dry ice or as hot as coffee for five-plus days. Packaging World just cited Eden Prairiebased for the reusable package shipping and distribution for a growing list of customers, Wal-Mart Specialty Pharmacy, Johnson, Amgen, Memorial and more.