South business briefs

Social media panel Executives from Checkerboard Strategic Web Development of Burnsville, Media Relations of Burnsville and Best Buy will share strategic advice on using social media during a May 20 meeting at the Fort Snelling Officers' Club.

"Social media is like a baby monitor: It gives companies a nice way to listen and respond to their market," said Jason Kocina of Checkerboard. "What's so exciting is that now we have the tools to quantify the effectiveness of our promotions, so that we can see and measure their value relative to sales."

In addition to Kocina, the panel will include Media Relations Vice President Heather Champine and John Bernier, a social and emerging media manager at Best Buy.

The event, sponsored by Sales & Marketing Executives International of Minnesota, is scheduled for 4:30-6:30 p.m. To register, go to www.smeiminnesota.org. The fee is $20 for students, $30 for members and $50 for non- members.

Free ear screenings Three south-metro clinics will offer free hearing screenings as part of "International NOise Awareness Day" on April 28.

The clinics are SoundPoint Audiology's Burnsville location at 200 E. Travelers Trail, Suite 205; SoundPoint's Inver Grove Heights location at 6175 Cahill Av. E.; and Allina Medical Clinic at 1400 Jefferson Road in Northfield.

SoundPoint will offer the screenings from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. by appointment. Call 952-314- 4143 for the Burnsville location or 651-319-9516 for the Inver Grove Heights location. The Northfield Allina clinic will hold screenings from 1 to 5 p.m.

Among 30-year-olds, officials say 1 in 10 has a hearing loss and doesn't know it. Noise is the leading cause of hearing loss, affecting an estimated 10 million Americans, and 50 million Americans have hearing-related conditions such as tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.

For more information, call the Sight & Hearing Association at 1-800-992-0424 or visit www.sightandhearing.org.

Music school moves to new home MacPhail Center for Music announced that it has moved to a new, larger space in Apple Valley. Because of its growing student population, the school has outgrown its original location at the Paideia Academy and has moved two blocks west to the Ryan Real Estate building on the corner of 147th Street and Cedar Avenue, according to a news release. Classes are already in session at the new location, with a grand opening set for early May.

MacPhail opened a site in Apple Valley in 2005 at Paideia Academy, with fewer than 25 students. Today, it has more than 300 students. The new site includes nine instructional rooms used for student lessons, music therapy, early childhood music programs and small recitals.

The grand opening is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 2.

Marking Earth Day 2010 by recycling goods In recognition of Earth Day, Haupt Antiek Market will present "Salvage Style" Thursday through Sunday at 7570 W. 147th St. in Apple Valley.

The store, a vintage and antique store that is open only four days a month, repurposes, restyles and recycles items for the home and garden. The market will be open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m..-4 p.m. Sunday.

DYLAN BELDEN

E-mail your business news and notes to dylan.belden@star tribune.com or mail them to Dylan Belden, Star Tribune South, 101 W. Burnsville Pkwy., Suite 101, Burnsville, MN 55337.