Inside Track: American Medical Systems is a cool place.

American Medical Systems is a cool place.

And AMS is saving about 20 percent on the air conditioning, or about $30,000 annually, thanks to an unspecified, six-figure investment earlier this year in new energy-saving equipment at the company's Minnetonka manufacturing facility.

The new system also will generate a one-time $50,000 rebate from Xcel Energy.

Trane, the equipment manufacturer, also has named AMS one of only several global manufacturers this year to receive its "energy efficiency leader" award for its commitment to create a "high-performance building."

"We sleep better at night knowing that these infrastructure systems safeguard the carefully controlled manufacturing environment that our business depends upon," said Tom Rasmussen, vice president of operations at AMS. "Knowing that these systems reduce energy costs and are environmentally aware makes us feel even better about our decisions. In fact, even when the temperature topped 100 degrees ... the cooling system maintained the ideal environment while running at only 60 percent of capacity."

AMS has taken other steps to improving comfort and employee satisfaction through flexible-work schedules and recognition of employee-inspired innovation.

The company, a global manufacturer of devices and therapies for pelvic health, cited a recent study by the University of San Diego and CB Richard Ellis that found workers in green buildings had greater productivity and used less sick time than those working in non-green buildings.

"Green doesn't cost you money, it helps you make money," said Dennis Nyhus, CEO of Viking Tool & Drill, based in St. Paul.

Since GreenPower started in 2010, with a $5 million, two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, about 1,100 Minnesotans have completed the training at companies, technical schools and elsewhere. Many have been hired by the likes of Pentair, Graco, Protomold, Olympic Steel, Juno Inc. and Viking Tool.

About 70 percent of previously unemployed workers who completed the Anoka Technical College's Precision Sheet Metal course work, which graduated its third class last month, have found jobs at local manufacturers. The Minnesota State Energy Sector Partnership awarded the BlueGreen Alliance Foundation a $250,000 grant to support the creation of the Anoka Green!, a free training program that will continue the work of the GreenPower/Anoka Technical College partnership through September 2012.

The energy sector partnership is an initiative of Gov. Mark Dayton's workforce council and includes industry, nonprofit, educational and government representatives interested in energy efficiency and alternative energy.

Manufacturers also are using energy-efficient, no-waste technologies and processes to make everything from tools to steel coils and plates, building and industrial products that often use recycled metals, cardboard, tires and plastics. They often are cheaper and more abundant than virgin materials.

In June and July, GreenPower held 110 green manufacturing workshops at technical schools and work sites throughout Minnesota. Olympic Steel plans to have all of its supervisors, quality assurance staff and maintenance technicians complete GreenPower's "Green Specialist" ongoing technical training through September.

The BlueGreen Foundation and GreenPower have produced a video: "Smarter, Leaner, Greener Manufacturing," at www.startribune.com/a538.

•Law firm Schwegman Lundberg and Woessner has moved its legal-support business from India to Rapid City, S.D., through a new business, Black Hills IP.

"Going to India made sense several years ago, but now our investment in automation has reduced the amount of labor needed ... meaning that offshore labor cost arbitrage is less important," said Steve Lundberg, managing partner of the Minneapolis-based firm. "The cost of doing the work in the U.S. is about the same as sending it to India, but keeping the work in the U.S. is a lot more convenient, there are fewer confidentiality issues to worry about and we do not have the complication of complying with U.S. technology export control laws."

Schewegman, a founding shareholder in Intellevate, which started the trend in outsourcing legal work to India, has become a founding shareholder in Black Hills.

•Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi was ranked among the top 10 U.S. law firms in the American Lawyer's 2010 Pro Bono Survey featured in the July issue.

Scores are determined from the average number of hours volunteered per lawyer in 2010 and the percentage of lawyers who performed more than 20 hours of pro bono work.

"Our attorneys have a goal of meeting or exceeding 50 pro bono hours yearly," said Anne Lockner, a member of RKMC's pro bono committee "For the past three years, more than 7 percent of our total attorney billable time was devoted to pro bono."