VISI installed a new 2.25MW generator this weekend.  The generator will more than double the capacity of our St. Paul Data Center.  I had the opportunity to watch as a massive crane lifted the generator over the downtown skyway and lowered it into the sub-basement of the 180 East 5th Street building in Downtown St. Paul.  The generator weighs over 38,000 lbs and runs on diesel fuel.

As the new head of sales for VISI, I’m extremely excited to have the opportunity to extend VISI’s long tradition of excellent service. Companies frequently tout their dedication to service in their marketing materials and literature, but fail to deliver on this promise because they don’t know where to begin. At VISI, we can provide our customers world-class service and great value for their money. It’s not just a marketing slogan; we accomplish this by focusing our efforts on five key elements:

(1) Your sales person takes personal responsibility for your results. They are your single point of contact and ensure that you have the best solutions and achieve the value you expect.

(2) Your sales person strives to understand your business. Before we start talking about products, we need to know where you are at.

(3) Your sales person is your customer advocate. They represent you and what you need at VISI to fulfill your needs. Your sales person has your best interests at heart.

(4) Your sales person provides you with solutions that fit your unique environment. We do not offer “cookie cutter” solutions since each business is different.

(5) We strive to be as accessible as possible. We will continue to build infrastructure to support your business in a 24×7 market. Our entire sales team is accessible via smart phone and email. Your have our commitment that our responsiveness will exceed your expectations.

We are building an organization that is obsessed with providing excellent service and value to the companies we server. I would love to hear from you. How are we doing? Is there anything else we can do to provide outstanding value?

Best regards,
Brian Stevenson
Vice President of Sales
bstevenson@visi.com

On Monday this week we passed a major milestone – we received approval from the Duluth City Council for the JOBZ program.

So, what is JOBZ anyway? JOBZ (pronounced job-zee) is a state sponsored program that tries to bring jobs and business to areas that are economically distressed. Most of the JOBZ zones fall in more rural areas where there are not many jobs. The program is currently set to go through 2015.

The benefits of JOBZ can be great for a business. The state waives sales taxes on purchases for the location and charges real estate taxes on land only. There are also income tax benefits and employment tax benefits. The benefits will allow companies to be competitive and pass these savings unto their customers. Without these types of benefits, companies would charge higher rates to recoup the costs of building in these economic development areas or forego expansion entirely.

Why is the JOBZ program in the paper so much? The state auditors found areas of concern with the program. There have been large companies building in areas with the benefits and the not hiring the people they said they would. Some businesses would have expanded even if they didn’t receive the benefits. The auditors are concerned about the potential lack of accountability and oversight.

But, there have also been many success stories which have helped rural communities greatly. On the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) website there is a list of completed deals. The total jobs created so far is 5,140 and the capital invested is approximately $723 million.

The VISI datacenter will provide needed technology infrastructure and jobs for Duluth. Apex, the economic development group for the area, met with business leaders and asked what the area needed most. The consensus was that they needed a data center. Many businesses house their computers in their own facilities and lack the redundancy that is needed to meet the IT needs of businesses today. Apex believes that the project will serve as a catalyst for future industrial technology development in Duluth and will attract other tech companies and jobs to the area.

So, we passed the first hurdle – the Duluth City Council voted unanimously in favor of our JOBZ request. Now we will have to get through the state and county approvals. If all goes well, we will purchase the land and start building our new data center in the coming months.

Mike Sowada is honored to be a panelist on a new forum making the Minnesota rounds. IssuesLive is the first comprehensive dialogue with the microbusiness community and its stakeholders about microbusiness issues and solutions. The events focus on small and microbusiness owners (businesses with ten or fewer people) who discuss issues and challenges related to operating and growing businesses.

Mike will be an expert panelist at the Duluth forum on March 26, 2008. This IssuesLive event kicks off the 4th Annual Duluth Business-to-Business Expo.

“Entrepreneur is a part of who I am and what drives me,” said Mike. “Entrepreneurship is where a lot of these microbusinesses and start-up companies are coming from. I’m excited to offer any advice I can.”

Registration is still open for the Duluth event and other IssuesLive forums on their website. Jason Baker will be an expert panelist from VISI at the May 2 panel at the University of St. Thomas’ Minneapolis campus.

I was proud to announce Monday that VISI acquired the employees and customers of Infinity AccessNET. Every CEO loves to see their companies succeed and grow.

I made a comment to the staff at VISI that it’s been a lot of work getting to this point. The good news/bad news is that the hardest part for ME is over, but the work for most of the VISI team has just begun.

Our goal for the transition is simple: to combine the best of both companies while maintaining and improving the level of customer service we provide.

We’ve added seven talented employees from Infinity AccessNET to the VISI team. We’ve already picked up some great ideas and look forward to leveraging their knowledge to release a product line around VMware virtualization.

And talk about fate? Their offices were only a few blocks away from our new Eden Prairie headquarters — so, the move couldn’t be easier. They are truly joining us at an exciting time.

Enjoy the last of the winter days!