business

Look who's lunching with the president -- it's General Mills CEO Ken Powell.

Powell is one of nearly 30 dozen corporate chieftains who dined at the White House with Obama and senior aides since June. The list of attendees was compiled and released by the Associated Press last week. Powell broke bread with the president on Feb. 3. Also at the lunch was chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and economic adviser Larry Summers.

Powell's tablemates included the CEOs of American Express, Cisco Systems, FedEx and cereal rival Kellogg.

The departure of Keith Halleland from the law firm formerly known as Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson was more abrupt and complicated than previously suggested. Halleland and his team of health care attorneys left without so much as having office space to move into. The Halleland II firm, as Halleland calls it, has had to work from laptops and cell phones for the past two weeks. An office will be set up by March 15.

Halleland said his new firm will consist of 25 lawyers and consultants with a focus on health care. But he's got some hiring to do. Matthew Damon, president of the firm now known as Nilan Johnson Lewis, said only three of the firm's attorneys left with Halleland. Damon also said his firm would continue its own health care practice.

Halleland said more than half of his clients are outside Minnesota and that he wants a practice that is national in scope.

Another issue that prompted the split was alternative billing procedures, Halleland said.

Halleland said his advocacy for alternative fee structures and flat fees as opposed to billable hours also led to his decision to leave. Damon said that was news to him. "We have all sorts of alternative fees," Damon said.

Damon said Nilan Johnson Lewis will concentrate on mass torts and product liability cases as well as labor and employment law and commercial litigation.

Carmichael Lynch Spong has been awarded the top spot in corporate social responsibility by the trade journal PR News, and the ad agency's Tracy Pleschourt was named executive of the year for corporate social responsibility. PR News based its honor on the agency's 100 percent use of wind power, its recycling program, incentives for commuters to reduce environmental strain and a volunteer program for feeding the homeless. In 2009, PR News also named Carmichael Lynch Spong as a "top place to work."

Meanwhile, the Mosaic Co., a five-year-old spinoff from Cargill that is a giant in fertilizer production, ranked an impressive 45th among the leading 100 "Corporate Citizens" as defined by Corporate Responsibility Magazine. Mosaic was cited for, among other things, its use of recycled water in its phosphates business, reliance on hydroelectric power in its Brazil operation and transparency in financial reporting and corporate governance.

The Minneapolis ad agency Gabriel deGrood Bendt has been named agency of record for Uponor, the Finnish-based supplier of plumbing, fire sprinkler systems, and radiant heating and cooling systems across North America and Europe. Uponor's North American headquarters is in Apple Valley. GdB's focus will be on commercial and trade media outlets. Uponor employs 4,100 worldwide. GdB's client list includes Danze faucets, Michael Foods and Zebco fishing gear.