January 27, 2008Roanoke outstrips Minn. city every wayMinneapolis-St. Paul International Airport? That's what this is all about? That's why Advanced Auto is turning its roving eye from its founding hometown headquarters in Roanoke toward Minneapolis as its seat of power? Some New York analyst let slip last week that he could see the advantages of Advance's new leadership team hunkering down in Minneapolis. The first thing to pop out of his mouth? "The Minneapolis airport is a hub for Northwest Airlines." So what that Minneapolis has an international airport that has actual international flights? Beyond the wide-bodied jets and the extra landing space and gates, is one-time New York wannabe "Minneapple" all it's really cracked up to be? For goodness sakes, the place is a snow globe. Minneapolis is noted for its elevated, enclosed walkways connecting buildings. Why? Because it's so daggone cold up there for so much of the year. On Thursday, the low was 1 degree. The same day, the thermometer showed a heat-wave high of 7 degrees. What does it say about a city that it even builds its amusement parks indoors? Can you say, "Mall of America"? Minnesotans tout that 10,000 lakes thing. They don't mention the 10 trillion mosquitoes as big as Jesse "The Body" Ventura's head. Speaking of the professional wrestler-cum-former blowhard governor, he's a cream puff compared with Roanoke Councilman Brian "Bulldog" Wishneff. These people go fishing on ice. In the era of global warming, that doesn't exactly signal a high IQ among your potential employment pool. I'm all for laying off red meat, but lutefisk? Since when did lye become the marinade of choice for fish? What's up with a state where cities and towns compete for billing as the home of a mythical character named Paul Bunyan? In other words, they invent their history. Virginia doesn't -- Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and James Madison are the real deal. Let's talk accents. Appalachian vs. Upper Midwestern: "Bless your heart, darlin' " versus "Yah, you betcha." The choice is yours. Bet those economic incentive brochures don't share this little gem: The feds said Minneapolis had the fourth-worst traffic in the nation six months ago. Elm Avenue during rush hour doesn't look so bad now, huh? Last week, the editorial board at the Minneapolis newspaper crowed about the Twin Cities' upcoming new slogan "Minneapolis St. Paul: More to Life." Come on, guys. You can't top, "Virginia is for Lovers." The best thing about Minnesota? Prince -- and even he's conflicted over what to call himself. Shanna Flowers' column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. |
About this blog In her signature plainspoken style, Michigan native Shanna Flowers peels away the layers and gets to the heart of the issues. No pretense. Just straightforward perspective. Shanna writes about local people whose circumstances reflect decisions made as near as City Hall or as far away as the halls of Congress. Other times, she weighs in on a topic because it is incredibly ridiculous. Or heartening. Or fascinating. Read Shanna's column three days a week, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at roanoke.com
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Comments
[January 27, 2008 10:55 AM]
84 HokieBefore further insults are flung about the IQ of a group of people, have you been in Minneapolis or other areas of Minnesota? They have the nicest, 'no bull', help-you-get-it-done people I have met anywhere....yes, nicer than those in Virginia or Texas where I am originally from. That may have something to do with it - nice and getting things done. And how much do you fly? Their airport is spacious and functional and I have been there several times for connecting flights (from Detroit by the way of Roanoke) - way bigger than Roanoke's 'toy' airport. My former neighbor was from Minnesota and while he would chuckle at us for thinking 6 inches of snow was 'big' - he also graciously shoveled our walkways too. In shorts. I have canoed over a dozen of those thousands of lakes in the Boundary Waters and they are beautiful. I have also been bitten at least a hundred times by their 'state bird' but it doesn't change the way I felt about canoeing there or the people. Roanoke needs to take closer look at what they have to offer and what they may not have to offer for businesses who are laying base here. Roanoke's airport is small and expensive. And as a crusty Tech alum likes to tease, you have to make a connection through Atlanta to get to hell. And from Roanoke, usually you have to make a connection to Charlotte FIRST before even getting to Hotlanta. And nothing reminds one more that Roanoke is at the end of the line when you are trying to fly back to Roanoke - none of the airlines care if those flights are delayed...because they are flying to 'nowhere' - no connections to be made unless it is to a friend or family member picking you up because the SmartBus stops running at 7:05 PM. The provincial airport does not add to Roanoke's "Southern charm". Think about it. Roanoke has a long way to go before it is a true business 'hub'.
[January 27, 2008 11:08 AM]
Deaf_girlI guess big international airports is like train railroads of the past. From what I understood, when they built railroads in small towns, the economy there flourished.
[January 27, 2008 1:50 PM]
Andrew ArndtAs a native of Minnesota, I cannot refute the validity of your sterotyped assertions about Minnesotan activities (ice fishing), mosquitoes (involuntary blood donation), and weather (hey, its not as cold as Canada!). Yet, I sincerely hope that Advance Auto's Management decides whether or not to move based on economic factors and less upon social disparities. Personally, I like Thelma's Chicken and Waffles just as much as a Culver's Butterbuger, but when Jesse Ventura's names gets put into the same paragraph as "cream puff", I shake my head and mutter "whatever".
[January 27, 2008 4:24 PM]
J.LOL! Have you ever been to Minneapolis Miss Flowers? Honestly, you're attempt to slam Minneapolis is so desperate that not only do you make yourself look ignorant, but you make the rest of us look bad as well. Instead of trying to compare Roanoke to Minneapolis, which isn’t fair a fare comparison because Minneapolis wins out in so many areas, why don’t you analyze what the Minneapolis area has that it can attract so many people, businesses, and creativity?
I had the opportunity to visit Minneapolis and its twin (St. Paul) last summer and I was just there a few weeks ago. The Minneapolis area is great in so many ways that it’s possibly the most underrated city / metropolitan area in the country. Some have figured it out and that's why over 3 million people call it home. The city has great colleges and universities (over 100,000 student population), a great local music scene, a great arts scene, etc… It's also home to many multi-billion companies including:
Cargill, Incorporated
UnitedHealth Group Inc.
Target Corp.
Best Buy Co. Inc.
Supervalu Inc.
Travelers Companies Inc.
3M Co.
U.S. Bancorp
Northwest Airlines Corp.
Medtronic Inc.
General Mills Inc.
Xcel Energy Inc.
Ameriprise Financial Inc.
C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc.
Mosaic Co.
Carlson Cos
Ecolab Inc.
Nash Finch Co.
PepsiAmericas Inc.
Alliant Techsystems
Schwan Food
St. Jude Medical Inc.
Andersen
Pentair Inc.
Valspar Corp.
Patterson Companies Inc.
Regis Corp.
Petters Group Worldwide
The Toro Co.
Fastenal Co.
Donaldson Co. Inc.
Holiday Cos
Taylor
Polaris Industries Inc.
Deluxe Corp.
Imation Corp.
Ceridian Corp.
H.B. Fuller Co.
TCF Financial Corp.
ADC Telecommunications Inc.
So again, instead of attempting to slam a city like Minneapolis, you should be asking what can Roanoke do to become as attractive as a city like Minneapolis.
[January 27, 2008 4:35 PM]
Shandra"The best thing about Minnesota? Prince -- and even he's conflicted over what to call himself."
That was how many years ago and it had to do with his record label not giving him the rights to his music.
If you knew anything about Minneapolis, you would understand that it has one of the best local music scenes in the country. As a matter of fact, I know plenty of bands who have moved up to the Twin Cities area because the scene here isn't worth it.
[January 27, 2008 5:28 PM]
Ms. E. : →http://MsElenaeousinRoanoke.blogspot.comWow, I hope this column was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. For a different perspective check out today's post on my blog.
[January 27, 2008 11:36 PM]
BrentToo bad if they do move up there but I think your bein a little unfair about Minnianapolis. Its a lot bigger then we are and sounds like a lot more fun from what i heard.
[January 28, 2008 11:56 AM]
Don Evans : →http://yahoo.comMs. Flowers,
Great column and one with humor...more of what we need in today's news! For the rest of those who do not have a sense of humor (hailing from MN), work out that frustration with a snow shovel!
[January 28, 2008 1:00 PM]
MikeI'm going to go under the assumption this article was a joke, as even the headline makes no sense. Roanoke outsrips Minneapolis in every way? Are you kidding me?
First of all, I think the question you should be asking is not why a Fortune 500 company would see Minneapolis as an attractive city -- there're plenty of reasons -- but why a Fortune 500 would consider leaving Roanoke. Why don't you focus on your own city instead of bashing a city you seem to know very little about, apart from it's cold sometimes and the people have a different accent. What, did you google Minnesota to get the 411 on the state? Next time, do your research and you'll find Minneapolis is a wonderful city.
[January 28, 2008 1:38 PM]
Linda KoesterI moved here from a major US city about 9 months ago and I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but a whole lot of cities and their airports have something over Roanoke. For those who are trying to "promote" Roanoke to businesses (both those existing and those upcoming), the airport here is the last thing you want to use to promote. It is by far the most crucial thing that rides against having a business here in Roanoke, or moving here as a business traveler. The costs of flying in and out of Roanoke airport are only surpassed in the U.S. by Boise, Idaho. For any business that is going to use air travel, you are not going to choose Roanoke as your option regardless of the other advantages. For younger persons, living here could be disadvantageous as well. I work for a government agency and because of the cost involved for me to fly anywhere in the country, I have been and will continue to be passed over for someone else because of the cost involved (and yes some government agencies do closely monitor costs.) If I were younger, that would really be a problem for me as it puts me at a disadvantage in competing with those offered the opportunities elsewhere. I think Roanoke is a very nice city, but until something is done to make the airport and flying in and out somewhat competitive, this city is going to have a real problem in promoting businesses to stay or businesses to come in. By the way, if I were in Minneapolis the cost of flying in and out is probably half or less of what it is here - which makes it very lucrative for someone like Advance Auto to show on paper why they would move.
[January 29, 2008 6:57 AM]
GuyInRoanokeSince 1999 Advance Auto has had four CEO's, they just don't last. They work as CEO for a few years, make their millions and then go away or stay on the board and become low-profile. I believe only one ex-CEO is still on the board. If Advance Auto moved its offices to the location of CEO's, it would move every 3 or 4 years. Probably Darren Jackson doesn't want to move his family here because he'll probably be gone by 2012 or 2013.
[February 1, 2008 11:03 AM]
A HAs an Advance Auto Parts Team Member, let me begin by saying its ADVANCE not ADVANCED. Secondly, I cannot believe you actually have a column to write this stuff. You attack an entire state just because our new CEO is from there? I know very little about Minnesota, I have no desire to be in Minnesota and no, I dont like extremely cold weather. However, I do think Prince is great, he is a groundbreaking artist, and maybe Darren Jackson can be groundbreaking for Advance Auto Parts. Change is good! I think your childish comparisons and stereotypes says a lot for your integrity and gives the rest of us with true "Southern Charm" bad names.
[February 1, 2008 1:21 PM]
AAP EmployeeWell that lightened up my afternoon! Very funny. To all of you who seemed to take this article seriously; Pull the sticks out of your...!!! This is satire, come on.
[February 1, 2008 1:57 PM]
Not too seriousOh, c’mon people, lighten up. I’m certain this article was intended to be humorous or the writer would’ve chosen more serious things with which to make comparisons. Instead she picked harmless subjects like hobbies and the weather. Anyone with a brain knows that Roanoke’s airport leaves much to be desired if they’ve ever tried to fly in or out of here. Why would anyone believe she was serious when comparing the two airports? However, there is some hidden reality for those of us who work for the company; and yes, I do. Advance employs a very large number of people in this valley, even bringing in people from (shudder) bigger cities than ours to settle here. Not only is AAP a large employer and economic contributor in Roanoke, but the company is also very committed to local civic organizations, a fact of which many Roanokers may not be aware. Their support of the United Way and the Red Cross blood drives is not a small thing. And that names only two organizations that benefit from Advance and its employees being based in Roanoke. Mr. Taubman founded Advance on the principles of giving back to the community that made it great and we all still believe in that philosophy. To lose the “command center” to another city would cost more than jobs for a few thousand people. It’s no laughing matter, although I applaud Ms. Flowers for putting a humorous spin on it. I for one do not want to have my job relocated to any city, no matter how big or culturally superior it is compared to Roanoke. Whether Mr. Jackson intends that to be the future for us or not remains to be seen. But for those of us holding our breath until we see, there’s nothing funny about the possibility.
[February 3, 2008 4:59 PM]
Dave PerryExcellent column (and I got the satire). Here's all I need to know about Minneapolis: NBA star Kevin Garnett left Minnesota to play in a city with better weather AND traffic: Cold, snowy, grid-locked Boston!
'Nuff said.