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Sweet marketing music

Tanner Montague came to town from Seattle having never owned his own music venue before. He’s a musician himself, so he has a pretty good sense of good music, but he also wandered into a crowded music scene filled with concert venues large and small.But the owner of Green Room thinks he found a void in the market. It’s lacking, he says, in places serving between 200 and 500 people, a sweet spot he thinks could be a draw for both some national acts not quite big enough yet for arena gigs and local acts looking for a launching pad.“I felt that size would do well in the city to offer more options,” he says. “My goal was to A, bring another option for national acts but then, B, have a great spot for local bands to start.”Right or wrong, something seems to be working, he says. He’s got a full calendar of concerts booked out several months. How did he, as a newcomer to the market in an industry filled with competition, get the attention of the local concertgoer?

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by Andrew Tellijohn
April 2005

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Operations


White Bear Racquet reaps
all-around benefits from
energy-efficient renovation

Paul Steinhauser believes that the supposed conflict between economic growth and the environment is a myth. He’s the general partner who built White Bear Racquet & Swim Club in 1988. By 2001, he says, the club had a good reputation with members. But Steinhauser was thinking bigger.

“We expanded our definition of health to include environmental health,” he says, and the next year embarked on a $3-million renovation “to move the whole organization toward sustainability.

“I assumed that while it was the right thing to do and would save us money, it would be painful to members,” Steinhauser says. But members and employees may like the changes even more than the accountants. Some examples:

He switched the chlorine system for the pools to salt. “Instead of 4,000 gallons a year of chlorine, at $6,000 a year, we now spend $500 a year on salt,” Steinhauser says. “It’s a way less caustic experience. We’re not poisoning everyone.”

He switched the lighting to solar tubes, so the electricity switches off when enough sunlight is collected. The life of the light bulbs doubled, the air conditioning load is reduced. “And then you look at the studies of how daylight makes people feel.”

He replaced one of his two tennis court bubbles, which cost more than $40,000 a year to heat, with a metal insulated building and a special heating system. Costs were cut dramatically, as expected, but tennis revenue grew by $150,000, too. Members liked the quiet, non-drafty surroundings.

Steinhauser received help on some of the changes from an Xcel Energy program called Energy Design Assistance. Xcel pays for a consultant to review construction documents, and propose alternative lighting and heating/cooling options.

Owners who install those options receive a rebate for every kilowatt saved during one peak demand period, compared to if they’d simply met state code. The rebate is a one-time payment, either $170 or $200 per kilowatt saved.

Julia Gauthier, of Xcel Energy in Minneapolis, worked with Steinhauser. She says many other rebate programs exist through Xcel, including for smaller projects such as replacing lighting. The programs are part of Xcel’s state-mandated conservation improvement efforts. Xcel’s Business Solutions Center has information: 800.481.4700; www.xcelenergy.com

Julia Gauthier, Xcel Energy: 612.337.2120; julia.gauthier@xcelenergy.com; www.xcelenergy.com. Paul Steinhauser, White Bear Racquet & Swim: 651.426.1308; paul@wbfit.com; www.wbfit.com