Inside Track: Rebranding Finnegans

The Minneapolis specialty beer Finnegans is using St. Patrick's Day this week to launch its rebranded look. The nine-year-old Irish Amber brew, which donates all of its profits to charity, has new green (of course) packaging and signage developed by the Martin/Williams advertising agency. Whimsical posters and banners remind drinkers of the beer that it's "Charitably Delicious" and that "Every time you don't buy one a leprechaun dies." The rebranding also includes an interactive website with a contest called a "Pint-a-thon," which gives players credits in heaven for the number of Finnegans they consume.

"We had to find an active voice," said Tom Moudry, CEO of Martin/Williams. "It's a rambunctious brand that wants to do good and have fun at the same time."

Finnegans, created by Jacquie Berglund, is sold in Minnesota, the Dakotas and western Wisconsin. Over the past few years, the specialty brewer has donated $150,000 to a variety of nonprofits to help the working poor and underprivileged. The new label on the Finnegans packaging, including the bottle, is a cloverleaf with a halo over it.

Living room "gold parties" may have replaced the Tupperware parties of old, but upscale jewelry stores are getting into the trade-in act, too.

JB Hudson Jewelers is the latest to promote a cash-for-jewelry program. Now available at its downtown Minneapolis location, the store offers a private consultation, an instant estimate and on-the-spot payment if customers decide to sell.

The service has been advertised mainly through e-mail and social networking sites, but the store plans to promote two-day events each quarter, said Nick Pechman, who oversees JB Hudson's buying department.

Pechman said the jeweler added the department in February after hearing from recession-battered customers.

"People are looking for sources of cash," he said. "They're cleaning out their drawers, having garage sales. For us, it's also an opportunity to get customers in the door and generate new sources of revenue that aren't so dependent on retail."

The U.S. Supreme Court last week upheld the right of bankruptcy attorneys to advise clients on financial matters as long as they identify themselves as "debt relief agencies." The case on which the decision was based was brought by Minneapolis law firm Milavetz Gallop & Milavetz, which challenged a 2005 law that restricted the kind of advice that bankruptcy lawyers could give clients if they were considering filing for bankruptcy. Milavetz said the law handcuffed bankruptcy attorneys from advising clients to refinance their homes to reduce mortgage payments or purchase a reliable car before filing. "We viewed it as a restriction on the First Amendment," said Alan Milavetz. The court said such advice was allowable as long as the law firm disclosed its debt relief status.

Faegre & Benson has named Andrew Humphrey as chairman of the firm's management committee. Humphrey replaces Thomas Morgan, who served six years as managing partner. Humphrey has been with Faegre since 1987 and has been on the management committee since 2005. Humphrey has a corporate practice in the firm's food, agriculture and biofuels group, as well as its medical technology group and information technology group.

The Minnesota chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners is celebrating its 35th anniversary this spring. The chapter has 228 members and will gather at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis on April 16 to celebrate its anniversary with keynote speaker Betsy Buckley, CEO of What Matters, a professional services consulting firm.

David Phelps, JACKIE CROSBY