Letter from the Editor

December 2010

We Want to Hear From You

In each issue of Trends, our writers collect and analyze data, examining everything from how many hours a typical Minnesotan works each week to determining which industries offer the most opportunities for job growth. It’s the kind of information that would be hard to find anywhere else.

Now we’re about to collect and analyze some information about ourselves.

Early next year, we plan to conduct a customer satisfaction survey to find out what readers like and don’t like about the magazine. Among other things, we’ll be asking them to rate the overall content of Trends, what kind of articles they prefer to read and how much time they spend with each issue.

Trends has been around for about a dozen years—the first issue came off the presses in July 1998—but that doesn’t mean that we can’t learn a thing or two about putting out a better product. The surveys will give readers a chance to offer suggestions for improvements or, if they prefer, to let us know that the status quo is just fine. We plan to distribute a survey to Trends readers in January, with the results being posted later on our website.

In this issue of Trends, we offer the first of a two-part series on green manufacturing in Minnesota, focusing on three companies—Andersen Corp., Johnson Controls and Tennant Co.—that have found it is possible to be environmentally responsible and make money. They’ve been taking a green approach to manufacturing for years and succeeding. In the March issue, we’ll look at how emerging manufacturers in the state are finding success with green technologies.

Other stories in this issue look at careers in the growing field of health information, where Minnesota workers rank in terms of hours worked each week, and trends for women-owned businesses in Minnesota.

Thanks for reading  this issue, and remember to watch for our survey.

Monte Hanson
Editor