InsideTrack briefs: Fastenal has been a good value over the years

Fastenal packed the stage when it took part in Nasdaq's Opening Bell ceremony in New York recently.

The Winona-based company celebrated 50 years in business and 30 years on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Fastenal was founded in November 1967.

"Fastenal has been built by thousands of great people working in every area of our organization," CEO Dan Florness said. "We wanted to shine the spotlight on as many of these leaders as the stage could hold."

Fastenal conducted an employee lottery to fill the 65 spots on stage. Employees with at least 10 years of service, which include nearly 2,700 of Fastenal's 20,200 employees, were eligible. Thirty employees, each with a guest, came from locations throughout the company, including some from overseas.

The employees who won the trip to New York City joined Florness and one of the company's original five founders, Michael Gostomski, on the Nasdaq stage Nov. 6.

Fastenal shares have been a good investment over the years.

According to the company: 1,000 shares of Fastenal bought at the initial public offering in 1987 would have cost $9,000. On Sept. 29, the value of those shares had grown to $4.4 million and provided $876,000 in dividends.

Patrick Kennedy

U.S. Bancorp (USB) is adding more renewable electricity through a growing Xcel Energy program.

The country's fifth largest banker is ordering more wind and solar power through Xcel's "Renewable Connect" program. This batch will power its West Side Flats location in St. Paul, which hosts an operations center and administrative offices.

"This opportunity to work with Xcel to power our operations center and other buildings with renewable energy is an example of how we are looking to continue to make a positive impact on the environment," said Restor Johnson, USB head of corporate real estate.

Renewable Connect is an option for customers who want to take advantage of renewable energy without long-term contracts or purchasing equipment. Customers can choose how much of this higher-priced energy they wish to subscribe to and the length of their commitment. The energy isn't directly distributed to the USB facilities. Rather USB essentially is buying renewable energy credits that cover the incremental cost.

The company said it has markedly increased its commitment to sustainable operations and documentation. USB invested more than $1.5 billion in renewable energy projects in 2016; the equivalent of powering 300,000-plus households and creating 22,000 jobs.

Carbon Disclosure Project works with companies, cities and other institutions globally to measure and disclose their carbon dioxide output and address climate change, deforestation and water security.

Xcel last year generated a quarter of its electricity from renewables. It targets 40 percent by 2021 and aims for a 45 percent reduction in carbon emissions from what it generated in 2005.

Neal St. Anthony

The future of the Bruegger's Bagel brand was thrown in flux in August when Brooklyn Center-based Caribou Coffee announced plans to buy the company. Caribou is a corporate sibling of Einstein Bros. Bagels, a Bruegger's rival.

Caribou and Einstein also operate a series of co-branded retail stores throughout the country called "Coffee & Bagels." Many onlookers wondered if Caribou would dissolve the Bruegger's brand following the acquisition.

Caribou appeared to be cozying up even more with Einstein last month when it began selling five flavors of Einstein-branded bagels at about 180 of its coffeehouses around the nation. The company finally allayed these fears earlier this month.

"Bruegger's is a fast-casual pioneer with a 30-year legacy and a mastery of the New York boiled bagel method," Jenifer Hagness, Caribou's senior director of marketing, said in an e-mail. "The Bruegger's brand and boiled bagel cooking platform will remain as they are today."

Caribou's parent company, JAB, has been building a breakfast-centric empire in the U.S. in recent years.

The company also owns Krispy Kreme, Panera Bread, Peet's Coffee and Tea, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Intelligentsia Coffee and the retail brand Keurig Green Mountain. Rumors surfaced earlier this week that the company is interested in Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin' Brands, which owns Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins.