Earth-friendly, growth-friendly - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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Carlson has founded five firms inrecent years, many of them in the real estatr industry, which has suffered in the economic Three of those companies, including property-management firm Cities Management and a smalkl construction company, operate out of an offic in Northeast Minneapolis. Together, three companies employ 50 people and recorded a combined revenuer last year ofabout $14 million. That’d up from about $5 milliob in the prior year. Carlson serves as chairman of her realestates businesses, while Michael Egelston runs day-to-day operations as CEO.
In addition to the constructiojnand property-management firm, he is responsibled for leading SenEarthCo, a business that offer a Web-based document management system to other propertyy management firms. That business is growing at an averagwe rate of between 10 and 15 percent Egelston said. The businesses were helpedd by factors such as a rash of sprin g stormsin 2008, as well as the tide of which left many homes in need of boosting business, Egelston said. Carlson and Egelston note that green practicesa have helped them saveon costs, helpinf them push through the downturn.
In recent years, the firm has shrank its office spaceto 9,000 square feet, down from 11,00 0 square feet, saving on energy The firm also has gone nearly paperless, and has most of its employeed work from home. That has reduced the company’a carbon footprint and helped employee retention, Carlson Cities Management’s turnover rate is less than 15 percent in an industrhy that often has turnover of more than50 percent. The firm also sendd construction workers out in hybrid ratherthan trucks. (It later sells its used hybridszto employees.
) Carlson has taken lessonxs she’s learned out to other companies, whichh has partly been an effort to expand her businesses during the recession. She recently consulted with Minneapolis law firmGreej Espel. SenEarthCo, meanwhile, is picking up steamj with other property-management firms who want to save moneyh by reducingpaper use. Cities Management’s experience with SenEarthCol has helped it promote the productfto others. That inspired Scotg Ghertner, co-president of Nashville, Tenn.-based property-management firm Ghertnedr & Co. to buy into the software “They ate their own he said.