Victoria MN Newspaper

To the Editor:

Good morning from the PGA Show in Orlando, Florida. I love the Show. How would I not? I come down to a warm weather area in January, look at all of the newest golf equipment and clothing, and see old friends.

Sure, the Show has changed over the years. What hasn't? In the '90's it was go, go, go! The golf companies hosted outrageous parties. Golf courses brought their whole shop staff. It was fun in boom town.

Then 9/11 hit and accelerated the contraction of an overbuilt market. The Show felt like a morgue for the next two years -- few parties, no more staff entourages, deadville. But then it came back with a surge of youthful energy -- new products and companies and sense of resurgence.

This Show was different. I couldn't figure out why. It was relaxed, not manic like the '90's nor depressed like after 9/11 nor like the young hip last few years, but rather confident and friendly.

I think I know why. Golf people are figuring out that the secret to success is finding and catering to a niche golf market. Being everything to everybody doesn't work. Sort of like with restaurants, I'm terrified when I look at a menu and it has seafood, Mexican, Italian, ribs, sandwiches, gourmet French, and Greek. I know it will all be bad. You can't be everything to everybody. Golf has been trying to do that, and it hasn't been working.

The operators who are surviving and even thriving are the ones who get it. They get their market and zero in on it. Sometimes hard times bring out the best in people and make them have to get out of their comfort zone and grow up. Pain isn't fun, but it can be a powerful tool if used to improve and figure things out. The game of golf is going to come out of this slump better than ever. Can't wait for spring.

Tom Abts, GM and Head Golf Professional

Victoria, Minnesota

To the Editor:

Apartment List just released a study identifying the Best Minnesota Cities for Families. This newly released study covers the Minnesota cities that were evaluated as part of identifying the 100 Best Cities for Families last month.

The rankings are based on the factors that families care about most: safety, housing cost, school quality, and child friendliness. Here are the results from the Apartment List report:

Lakeville is the best city for families in Minnesota. Eden Prairie and Minnetonka finished second and third, respectively. Rochester, Maple Grove, and Coon Rapids came in at fourth, fifth, and sixth.

The study drew of data from a variety of sources including the FBI, the Census, the Department of Education, and rental price data from Apartment List.

Apartment List is a apartment rental marketplace headquartered in San Francisco.

Max Rosett/Apartment List

San Francisco, California

To the Editor:

Hi, Sue. Attached is a press release announcing a grant we received from the MN Department of Agriculture. Perhaps this might be something of interest to the Gazette's readers.

ENKI Brewing has grown rapidly since we established the business in 2013. We've reached the production capacity of the initial equipment setup and this grant helps us fund the expansion of operations by nearly three-fold. Please read the attachment for more details.

We're pretty proud of this accomplishment. We've believe ENKI may be the first brewery to be awarded a grant by the MDA under this program. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to give me a call.

John Hayes, ENKI Co-founder

Victoria, Minnesota

To the Editor:

Hi, Sue. This is Mary Wallace once again with a story you might be interested in. Last week a dog named Trixie was lost for over a week. Fortunately, it has a happy ending. Flyers went out all around town. Trixie was spotted on Smithtown Bay, in Swiss Mountain, and all the way to Floyd's.

People were calling in and helping all over the area. The dog was finally captured with the help of a volunteer named Nicki and Amy Novogratz on Smithtown Bay. It was so wonderful to have her get back to her owners in one piece. It brought so many people together trying to help this dog.

Anyway, Nicki, Amy, and I are meeting at the School of the Wise at 11:30 tomorrow to go over events of all that went on. If you would like to hear more about this, we would love to have you join us. Let me know if that interests you or not. Thank you.

Mary Wallace, Smithtown Bay

Victoria, Minnesota

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