Medtronic’s income and earnings were up, and Target’s were down, but both did better than expected, in pre-market quarterly earnings reports today. Medtronic, based in Fridley, reported that spinal and heart devices helped bring income to $747 million for the first quarter. International sales helped, too. Quarterly sales were $3.71 billion. Target, based in Minneapolis, reported that its second-quarter income fell 7.6 percent. Analysts expected it to be worse. Sales of home goods were down: That shouldn’t have been a surprise.
Finance and Commerce reports that the oddly named Puny company, a digital animation house based in Minneapolis, is having great success with a cable kids show, “Yo Gabba Gabba.” Who knew? It’s called an “unapologetically wholesome show.” It received an Emmy nomination in 2007 and was ranked by Time magazine as one of its Top 10 New TV Series. Twenty-two people work at Puny.
Some personnel news: Will Wilson, Ph.D., a faculty chair with Capella University, an online university based in downtown Minneapolis, has been named president of the American Psychological Association’s Society of Military Psychology. A salute to the retired colonel.
And Jackie Kane Ottoson is the new vice president of human resources for Famous Dave’s, the Eden Prairie-based restaurant chain. She comes from McKesson Medication Management of Brooklyn Park.
Best Buy joins the green frenzy in Denver, where next week’s Democratic National Convention is fostering all kinds of environmental efforts to show how much the party cares about saving the Earth. Best Buy, based in Richfield, will host an electronics recyclng event Aug. 23 and 24, the two days before the convention begins. And the first 100 cars in line get a $5 gift card.
Ecolab of St. Paul, which sells cleaning and sanitation, food safety and infection-stopping products of all kinds, has introduced a new Preoperative Antiseptic Bathing Kit to help hospitals reduce the risk of surgical infections.
