A fan of Harleys and tax reductions to head Minnesota CPA society

Sara Portner, the incoming chair of the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants, applauded the bipartisan bill Gov. Mark Dayton signed last week that will provide $13 million in state tax reductions to Minnesotans.

The bill provides state income tax deductions for higher education tuition expenses, classroom expenses for teachers and deductions to Minnesota businesses for their charitable contributions of used computers.

The law also authorized the Minnesota Department of Revenue to release $97 million in business tax refunds that were delayed last year to help Gov. Tim Pawlenty balance the state budget.

Portner, the controller at Frana Companies of Hopkins, said the society also supports legislation to bring Minnesota's far-flung business tax code more into compliance with federal law.

"That's going to be more difficult because the state is looking for revenue," she said. Comprehensive tax reform probably won't be addressed this session.

But all is not accounting in the life of Portner, the daughter of a Minneapolis building inspector, and a single mom raising two young daughters.

Portner is part of a professional female dance troupe that competes locally, and her team recently auditioned for "America's Got Talent." She expects to find out in April if they will advance to the next stage in Las Vegas.

The St. Paul-based maker of cleaning and sanitizing products has launched a line of air fresheners in spa-like fragrances that car wash operators can pump into the tunnel vehicles pass through when they're getting soaped up, scrubbed, sprayed and polished.

The Blue Coral Foaming Fragrances -- in scents like pomelo leaf, green tea, water lily pear and citrus splash -- are a new category for Ecolab's vehicle care division, which also makes car cleaning and polishing products. The company says it believes car wash operators want to offer patrons more than soapy bubbles and big spongy brushes.

"It's all theater," said Megan Loch, vice president of marketing for the division.

Jarod Allerheiligen, who moved from Kansas last year to take over Grant Thornton's Minneapolis office, points to his firm's rising "business optimism" index as evidence of sustained economic traction.

About two-thirds of U.S. business leaders polled by the accounting firm in February believe the U.S. economy will improve in the next six months, compared with 47 percent in November. Nearly half of bosses say their company plans to increase staff in the next six months (up from 43 percent in November). Only 10 percent plan staff cuts.

Minnesota had a net gain of 1,300 new jobs in February, barely enough to keep the state unemployment rate steady at 6.7 percent, according to state data collectors. Still that beats the national rate, now at 8.9 percent.

Allerheiligen pointed to brisk acquisition activity by Minnesota companies, including Hubbard Broadcasting's half-billion-dollar bid for out-of-state radio stations, and organic growth at clients such as Datalink and Cardiovascular Systems as evidence of sustained recovery.

"I believe it is fair to say that ... Twin Cities companies have come out ahead as being buyers more frequently than sellers," Allerheiligen said.

Placement agency Lee Hecht Harrison notes that posted job openings at 20 of the Twin Cities largest companies rose by more than one-third, to 2,167 openings in March, compared to a year ago, according to the latest survey of websites.

Jobs openings jumped at 3M Co. from 130 to 208; at Cargill from 76 to 225; from 30 to 60 at Land O'Lakes; from 167 to 304 at Target; and from 470 to 534 at UnitedHealth Group. Postings at U.S. Bancorp more than doubled over the last year to 243 openings. Best Buy, Ecolab and Medtronic reported the same or fewer openings this month compared with a year ago.

William "Billy" Martin, a former federal prosecutor, also represented Monica Lewinsky and her parents during the investigation of former President Bill Clinton.

"We are delighted that Billy has joined Dorsey," said Marianne Short, Dorsey's managing partner. "He is an outstanding trial lawyer ... a great addition to the firm's national trial practice, particularly in the area of white-collar defense."