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Ascensus moving to East Brainerd Mall BIZ BUZZ Senior Reporter It's official - Ascensus is moving into the former J.C. Penney Co. Inc. in the East Brainerd Mall.
Steve Christenson, senior vice president at Ascensus, said the company signed a lease for the former department store Wednesday.
Work to transform the interior is expected to start next week with Nor-Son Inc. The offices should be ready to move into in July.
Christenson said this is a good investment in Brainerd, which is where the company wanted to stay from the beginning. When having expansion options in a single campus was unavailable, Ascensus looked for another option to allow growth here. The former J.C. Penney site offered what the company was seeking.
Ascensus will retain its offices nearby in the former Pamida building. The company will leave its offices on Golf Course Drive and nearby Technology Drive in Baxter and its offices in downtown Brainerd. The move will be done in transitions. Christenson said the move into the mall will give the company 40 percent more square footage so it can add jobs in the area. Ascensus employs about 1,000 overall with 450 of those workers here.
And Christenson said the move allows the company to reduce the number of buildings it was in and stay in Brainerd.
"It's a good deal for us all around," he said, adding the move should handle space needs to 2021. "Long term we want to stay in Brainerd."
Since buildings are typically known nearly as much for what was once there as for the current occupant, Christenson said for the first couple of years in the East Brainerd Mall they expect people to stop expecting to shop for clothes. The reception from neighboring enterprises in the East Brainerd Mall neighborhood have been positive, Christenson said. The company has looked at the parking area and believes it will handle employee needs. For the area, it will provide access to a steady traffic of potential shoppers looking for a convenient stop to or from work.
The Treasure Hunters Roadshow Collectors, with the International Collectors Association, is bringing a free show to the Super 8 in Baxter from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The group will evaluate and offer to purchase gold, collectibles and antique toys for the public. In addition, the collectors plan to have a number of Civil War era antiques and collectibles on display.
Itsy Bitsy, a boutique in downtown Brainerd aimed at babies, is expanding to include maternity lingerie and sleepware, with nursing tops for feedings during the night, through a partnership with Twin Cities-based Whoa Mama!
Whoa Mama! reports the fashions are created by Minnesota designers Terri Ulku, Anne Ulku and Deanna Nygren, in conjunction with owner Rebekah Stivers.
Itsy Bitsy owner Melissa Hagen said she always thought it would be fun to expand more into maternity wear and Stivers found Itsy Bitsy and made the road trip here to show the line.
"So it was just a nice fit," Hagen said. The store previously added cloth diapers, which Hagen said are making a comeback in popularity because of customers concerns about disposable diapers in landfills and from an effort to save money with the reusable cloth option.
Aicota Health Care Center, Aitkin, had a groundbreaking ceremony in September for an assisted living addition. The building project is designed to create 16 apartments, laundry area, dining room and fully accessible home style kitchen, living room with fireplace and large screen TV.
Nor-Son Inc., Baxter, reports it began construction earlier this fall and expects to complete the project in April. The project includes a geo-thermal heating system.
Nor-Son reports Barry Foss, Aicota administrator, and Alison Matalamaki, assistant administrator, other members of the Aicota Heath Care Center staff and Nor-Son staff - Kevin Stangel, president of construction; Damien Williams, project manager; Jesse Hopkins, architect and Matt Holmstrom, superintendent - attended the ceremonial groundbreaking.
RENEE RICHARDSON, senior reporter, may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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