Patrick Kennedy
Reporter
Business, ResearchKennedy also has written about nonprofit organizations and mergers and acquisition activity.
Latest from Patrick Kennedy
Arctic Cat buys assets of Canadian snowmobile maker as it continues to rebuild
The Thief River Falls, Minn., company bought the Widescape brand in a deal announced on Tuesday.
January 6, 2026
Firm with no revenue was Minnesota's 2025 best-performing stock
Celcuity, a clinical-stage company developing a cancer drug, had promising clinical trials. Among Minnesota’s public companies, half saw their stock increase this year.
January 1, 2026
Expect a turbulent stock market in 2026 as K-shaped economy takes hold
Participants in the Star Tribune Investors Roundtable predict the stock market will grow between 6% and 14% in 2026, but it won’t be a smooth ride.
December 26, 2025
Eden Prairie’s C.H. Robinson, a logistics stalwart, disrupting industry with AI
The company uses AI agents for more than 3 million shipping tasks, from extracting orders out of emails to sending price quotes.
December 23, 2025
Fastenal’s longtime CEO Dan Florness to retire this summer
The Winona-based company’s President and Chief Sales Officer Jeff Watts will become chief executive July 16.
December 22, 2025
Activist fund pushes SPS Commerce toward ownership, leadership changes
Toronto-based Anson Funds Management, which announced its stake in the Minneapolis-based company last week, said it has not reached its potential since current CEO was named.
December 17, 2025
AI changing the game on intellectual property, making it more important than ever
Merchant & Gould managing director says new laws have yet to catch up to the potential impact that AI will have on intellectual property rights.
December 9, 2025
In money-saving move, Plymouth-based Tile Shop looks to go private again
The small retailer wants to shed the expenses of being traded on the Nasdaq exchange because officials feel the company hasn’t been able to capitalize on being a publicly traded firm.
December 2, 2025
Minnesota startup has found a way to use lasers to reduce energy and water use by data centers
Maxwell Labs says cooling computer chip hotspots with lasers could drastically reduce energy consumption and increase computational power.
November 26, 2025
Private equity firm finally closes $627 million deal to acquire Surmodics
The deal with Chicago-based GTCR was announced in May 2024, but the Federal Trade Commission had moved to block the deal.
November 21, 2025
SkyWater Technology, now one of biggest U.S. chip foundries, switches growth focus to new tech
Small but fastest-growing business for Bloomington-based chip company is with quantum computing, which could be the next leap in the way computers work.
November 10, 2025
Fastenal CEO leads with Minnesota modesty and so far is hitting the mark
Dan Florness is known for being frank, and also for facing problems before they show up in results.
November 8, 2025
