Cambria's paint job raises silo ruckus

No good deed goes unpunished.

Last year Cambria, the quartz countertop maker, took a paintbrush to the weather-worn 7Up sign that has covered an entire silo just off Hwy. 169 between St. Peter and Le Sueur for more than two decades. (The silo resembled a giant Coca-Cola can for roughly 20 years before that.)

Still, Cambria's fix-up of the well-known landmark has landed the company in a prickly court battle with Nicollet County and the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The crime? Advertising!

Cambria, which rents the silo and barn to store quartz granules and quartz slabs, repainted the silo sleek black and emblazoned its name in white down the side. It threw in a couple of its gold dragon logos for good measure and was thrilled when the property owner fixed up the adjacent barn.

She's now a stately beauty. But silo owner Lee Boyum failed to get a permit for the ad prior to Cambria's $4,500 paint job.

MnDOT ordered Cambria to remove its sign, which is near the Minnesota River, saying it doesn't comply with an ordinance banning advertisements in historic preservation districts. The old 7Up sign has been in "discontinued use for more than 12 months," so Cambria 's spruce-up was suddenly violating state law, explained Nicollet County's attorney Jason Kuboushek. That's not fair, Cambria officials barked.

Undaunted, Cambria filed an after-the-fact permit variance with the county and marched off to court to challenge the state. It lost one round before an administrative law judge, but will continue the fight during a second contested hearing on Aug. 27.

Its spiffy sign should be allowed, just like Coca-Cola and just like 7Up, Cambria argues.

The county is set to vote on Cambria's permit variance on Aug. 16. If it's approved, the state may back off. Stay tuned.

Former television news director Ted Canova is using his broadcast skills on the Internet with a daily radio program called "JobTalkAmerica." Along with cohost Sam Zeff, Canova interviews experts in the job market who can instruct listeners to build better résumés, tap their entrepreneurial side and offer financial and legal advice. Obviously there's a job seekers' market out there. Canova said listenership exceeds 8,000 for a program that has only been available since May 3.

Canova does the show five times a week with three daily guests. It is aired live at 10 a.m. but most viewers catch it at other times, since it is available throughout the day. The website is www.jobtalkamerica.com. Canova, who has some commercial sponsors for the show, hopes the program can become a template for other Internet talk shows.

There'll probably be some yuks, but the audience will also be carrying notebooks. Jeff Cesario is coming back to town to teach writing for television and film. The former member of the Minnesota Comedy All Stars is the headliner for a two-day workshop July 30-31 that costs $199 in advance and $249 at the door. Cesario, who has written for "The Larry Sanders Show" and "Dennis Miller Live," will advise participants on talk show writing, sitcoms, the Internet, film and the basic business plan for getting your material viewed and reviewed by decisionmakers. More information is available at www.comedytech.org.

Andersen Windows has rarely tweaked its "AW" corporate logo in the 107-year history of the Bayport company. But with the help of the Minneapolis ad agency Periscope, the largest window and door maker in North America is marketing itself with some variations on a theme to stress the strengths of its products, including green qualities, sustainability and custom sizing.

One version is in the form of a windmill to emphasize energy-saving features, another features an umbrella for weather tightness, and a third includes an artist's palette to highlight design options. Each version is built around the traditional AW. The company is hoping to enhance its profile in the homebuilding and remodeling industry with the updated logos.

DEE DEPASS, DAVID PHELPS