Alexandria

2018 Recap – Turning Leaf Business Center

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2018 was a great year! From Royal weddings to Olympic feats, there are many great memories and achievements. At Turning Leaf Business Center (TLBC), things were no different. TLBC has welcomed three new Tenants with a fourth on the way in March of 2019. Some of the Tenants now include leadership consultants, an accounting firm, and soon-to-be a naturopathic clinic.

Currently, there are both office suites available and a food-grade warehouse. With vast parking, amazing amenities and top-notch property managers, this Business Center may just be the spot for you!

 

Call today or stop in to talk to ORB Commercial Real Estate Group about leasing opportunities today! 320-762-2077

The ORB Firms

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Our purpose is to provide our clients with the necessary information to make informed decisions. That purpose is realized through our efforts to help clients develop and achieve their facility goals through an efficient, professional and disciplined process.

 

ORB Management was contracted to facilitate the design and construction phases of the Alexandria Police Department. The project was completed in 2011.

 

Founded in 2002, ORB Management Corporation’s decision to become real estate and project advisors was based on the fact that traditional project delivery methods were not always in the best interest of the Client’s long-term business/facility goals and were becoming obsolete.  Tom Wacholz & Kim Barse – two life-long friends and former neighbors – set out to do something different by combining the best practices available in the industry with emerging technologies, strategic professional resources and a far deeper understanding of the client’s needs.  The combination of Tom’s knowledge and experience in the industry; Kim’s business, finance and marketing background; and their mutual values and life priorities laid the foundation for the company.  ORB’s process, community involvement and continued focus on the client’s experience are what have allowed us to be successful for nearly 2 decades.

 

ORB Management served as the Construction Manager for the Elden’s Fresh Foods remodel completed in 2012.

 

ORB Commercial Real Estate Group (ORB CREG) was initiated in 2015 and is an affiliate of ORB Management Corporation. Together they bring a well-rounded and unique balance of expertise to the marketplace. To truly be an expert in this field, it takes a special focus on understanding the needs of a client’s business, and assisting them in developing property and investing in real estate. In addition to business, land and building sales and purchases, ORB CREG also helps their clients negotiate leases and tenant improvements.

 

ORB Commercial Real Estate Group negotiated the land transaction and ORB Management served as the Development Consultant for this project.

 

Helping you with all aspects of commercial development, investment and real estate!

To read about ORB Management’s most recent projects, click here!

Chamber Check-In

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This week ORB traveled across town to visit the Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce. The summer proved to be another busy time for our bustling community! We figured we would check in and see what the Chamber had to say about it.

Alexandria is widely known for their majestic lakes and summer visitor traffic and we welcome them with open arms! Visitor traffic has been very strong this year with 13,876 visitors to the Chamber office so far. Much of that traffic populates downtown or comes off of the Central Lakes Trail. Our retail sector loves that! But the visitors don’t stop coming when the lakes freeze over. Alexandria offers some of the region’s best ice fishing, as well as snowshoeing and snowmobiling trails. We look forward to that as we settle into our winter months just like the folks at Lake Wobegon.

The area has so much to offer for both community members and those visiting. “Our state-of-the-art high school, top ranking technical college and hospital, vibrant downtown, and active arts community are what make us stand out above some of the other communities similar to us,” says Tara Bitzan, Executive Director with Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce. Alexandria, along with Douglas County, has been growing and we expect the growth to continue.

We have a strong workforce of about 26,595 workers, with more than 19,250 of those individuals traveling from outside the county, according to the Alexandria Area Economic Commission. This workforce also makes up a large percentage of our Alexandria consumer market. We are able to sustain businesses that a community of 13,500 normally would not be able to. Now, this is something to get excited about! It means we do not have to travel to larger cities to purchase goods and services.

One of the biggest struggles the community is facing is the lack of adequate and qualified work force for all the unfilled positions that businesses currently have. The construction and manufacturing companies, in particular, have been hit by this. It was not long ago, unemployment was high and the labor pool was vast. So why the difficulty now? There is no doubt the lack of both childcare and low/moderate income housing have hindered the arrival of workers. Knute Nelson and the Alexandria YMCA have partnered to combat the issue of childcare. They will be opening a daycare and able to welcome 60 kids to the program. This is just one way the community is coming together to overcome our struggles. These are not unique issues to Alexandria and exist in cities across the state, but together we will continue to make this community a great place to Live, Work and Play!

Feel free to reach out with comments or stop by our new location at 406 3rd Ave E, Suite 1.

Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce  

206 Broadway St.

320.763.3161

 

Intro to ORBonomics

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Welcome to class everyone! Glad you joined us for the first day of school.

Okay, okay, I know what you’re thinking. ORB, what are you talking about? Well, as September is around the corner and school will soon be in session, we think it’s a great time to discuss some crucial statistics and market indicators for the Central Lakes area. First, I would like to introduce this large internationally acclaimed brain trust that ORB has jumped into as ORBonomics. We are constantly gathering and processing stats to strategically pair up what the numbers say with what we are seeing and hearing from the community. Our mission is simple – to be able to support community businesses and members by better understanding where the market is headed. Now, I know you are excited to see what is rolling out, but we can’t teach you everyone on the first day! Stay tuned for the next exciting plug!

What is second?

ORBonomics definition: The science of calculating variables to validate what we see and hear.

Nice Juicery, Central Minnesota’s First Cold Pressed Juicery

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This week I had a chance to sit down with Rachel Sieve, one of the creative minds behind Nice Juicery, a local, cold pressed juicery based out of Alexandria, MN. What a privilege to talk to an up and coming entrepreneur that not only calls Alexandria home, but also has a passion for serving others and sharing her expertise with them! Rachel and her husband Patrick started Nice Juicery in 2015. Sieve shared, “we want Alexandria to feel like this business belongs to the community as it is the birthplace of Nice Juicery and provides continuous inspiration for our products.”

Here at ORB, we love promoting local businesses and wanted to dive into what it takes to get a unique business like Nice Juicery up and going here in Alexandria. It was exciting to hear about the Juicery’s small beginnings. “We met with the Department of Agriculture and also a health inspector,” Sieve commented. The couple was seeking expert advice to see if their idea would be a possibility as Nice Juicery is the only cold pressed juicery in central Minnesota. Their second hurdle was finding an affordable commercial grade juicer. After the initial start-up steps were complete, the Juicery started selling their products at the local farmers market. By December of 2015, they were seeing exponential growth and needing their own space to keep up with the demand. After many hours of sweat and hard work, Nice Juicery moved in to their newly renovated space at 203 6th Ave E, just off of Broadway. They have now been open for about a year in their downtown location.

Nice Juicery’s products are unique because they are not pasteurized like juice sold in the store. The juice is not heated in any way to keep it as nutrient dense and as rich with enzymes as possible. Sieve loves the creativity that this business allows and is excited to share Nice Juicery with more people in the future.

Patrick and Rachel welcome everyone to check out Nice Juicery on Facebook and Instagram, their website at www.nicejuicery.com or to stop by for a refreshment at their downtown Alexandria shop.

Photo courtesy of Nice Juicery.