Company news

NEW BUSINESS Beverage Creations Inc., St. Paul, has chosen Kohnstamm Communications, St. Paul, as its public relations agency for the national launch of its new water and inhalable oxygen product "bio2TONIC."

EnteroMedics Inc., Arden Hills, developer of medical devices using neuroblocking technology to treat obesity and other gastrointestinal disorders, announced that the Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for the expansion of its pivotal clinical trial, known as the EMPOWER Study, from 220 patients to 300 patients. Full enrollment in the EMPOWER Study is expected in the first half of this year.

WinterLogic Inc., Roseville, a supplier of Verilog fault simulation tools, has expanded its sales efforts to Asia with an exclusive distribution agreement with ATE Services Corp. of Japan.

NEW PRODUCT Digi International, Minnetonka, introduced the XBee-PRO ZNet 2.5, an extended-range RF module designed for ZigBee mesh networking.

Stratasys Inc., Eden Prairie, announced that its business unit, Dimension 3D Printing Group, released the Dimension 1200es Series desktop modeling systems. The 1200es is priced at $26,000 for the BST and $34,900 for the SST version.

Xata Corp., Burnsville, which makes fleet optimization software and services, released the TREQ color display unit, a new in-cab touch-screen computer that drivers can use for easier logging and communication. The TREQ is available as a display option for new XATA customers and as an upgrade for existing users of the company's XATANET product, and it is compatible with XATA's MobileMax and XATANET systems.

DEBT AND EQUITIES Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Minneapolis, will increase dividends 25 percent on average over last year, with eligible members receiving more than $320 million in dividends in 2008. Thrivent Financial will also deliver more than $60 million in additional value in the form of higher interest rates and lower costs on selected insurance and annuity products.

Nash Finch Co., Edina, declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 18 cents per share of common stock payable March 21, to shareholders of record March 7.

Stratasys Inc., Eden Prairie, was authorized by its board of directors to repurchase up to $30 million of its common stock. This announcement supersedes the previous stock repurchase authorization.

Winland Electronics Inc., Mankato, announced it has completed a restructuring of its manufacturing and operations departments. The restructuring is intended to support more aggressive electronic manufacturing services growth objectives.

Dairyland Healthcare Solutions, Glenwood, appointed Carl Witonsky to its board of directors. A health care IT veteran, Witonsky is currently a managing director of Falcon Capital Partners.