|
E Bulletin January 2008 -Vol.
4, Issue 1 Articles featured in this issue of the Development
Association bulletin include:
Member Profile - National Bank of
Commerce
Since 1934, National Bank of Commerce (NBC) has been serving the
Superior community with personal, business and private banking services
as well as mortgage and investment services. As the largest full-service
community bank serving Northwestern Wisconsin and Northeastern
Minnesota, NBC continues to grow its service to its customers.
Originally called Union National Bank, the bank changed its name to
National Bank of Commerce when it moved to 1117 Tower Avenue in 1940. In
1972, NBC purchased the Poplar State Bank and its branch in Solon
Springs. A new bank was built at 1127 Tower Avenue in 1979.
More recently, NBC opened three new ranches to better serve its
customers. The Duluth branch opened at 1314 E. Superior St. in 2000. The
Superior–Midtown branch, 2822 Tower Avenue, opened in 2003. The
Hermantown branch, 4105 Richard Avenue, opened in 2004.
“Service to the community is the goal of NBC,” said Larry L. Kappes,
President and CEO. Being a local independent bank, NBC is able to make
decisions locally and immediately. This goal of service to the community
goes beyond banking. Kappes pointed out that the employees of the bank
participate in and support 155 different organizations in the Twin Ports
area.
That support carries over to NBC’s participation in the Development
Association.
“The Development Association has provided critical leadership in
economic development for our community,” said Kappes. “NBC will continue
to be actively involved in the important work of the Development
Association.”
Most people in the Twin Ports know Midwest Energy Resource Company as
simply MERC – the busy coal loading facility in the Superior-Duluth
harbor. Since 1976, MERC has been part of the waterfront landscape of
our community and a big contributor to the economy of the region.
MERC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Detroit Edison Company. It operates
the Superior Midwest Energy Terminal (SMET), a full service energy
terminal providing coal deliveries via rail, ship and truck from the
mine to the end user. SMET currently provides for the coal transshipment
needs of 18 electric utility and industrial customers in the Great Lakes
region.
Low-sulfur coal from the Powder River Basin is transported about 1,000
miles in 23-car unit trains to SMET where they are unloaded using a
remote controlled car indexer and rotary dumper. The car indexer moves
the train to position each railcar on the rotary dumper where the cars
are turned upside down to unload the coal. In three hours, 15,000 tons
of coal can be unloaded. Each day, 340 days a year, five trains are
unloaded at SMET.
Eight different types of coal are stockpiled at SMET. The coal is custom
blended to customer specifications as it is loaded onto a ship. It takes
about eight hours to load 60,000 to 65,000 tons of coal onto a Great
Lakes vessel.
As a good corporate citizen, MERC is very serious about protecting the
local environment. MERC has spent $18 million on environmental controls
that eliminate coal dust and contain water used in the process.
MERC is active in many community organizations and Fred L. Shusterich,
President of MERC, is a past president of the Development Association.
“I think it is important fo MERC to remain active in the community,
promoting economic development,” said Shusterich. “The Development
Association keeps us well informed about what actions are having an
impact on business and what is happening in local government.”
Business Calendar
February 20th, 2008, Business
After Five, co-sponsored by the Development Association, Sauter
Fairchild Insurance and Superior Business Improvement District, Historic
Old Post Office, 1401 Tower Ave, 3rd Floor, 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
© Copyright 2008 The Development Association. All Rights Reserved. |
