area business

A new deli style-pizza shop is being planned in St. Joseph. Sliced on College Avenue will serve pizza and deli style American contemporary food. The project includes a late night pizza by the slice service window

Founder Jim Kruse and President Melissa Kelley of J.F. Kruse Jewelers in St. Cloud, have been named the Minnesota Small Business Persons of the year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The store started with two full-time and two part-time employees. J.F. Kruse Jewelers now have 17 employees.

A new dentist office is opening in St. Cloud on Thursday. Aspen Dental is at 2860 West Division Street. It's one of 10 locations set to open in Minnesota this year. Aspen is offering free new-patient exams and X-rays.

Chick-fil-A is opening a restaurant in St. Cloud next year. Crossroads Center General Manager Darcy Eigen says the restaurant will be moving into the former Crossroads Pizza Hut location. The Pizza Hut closed its doors and moved to a different location in Sauk Rapids in January.

The St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce and St. Cloud Area Convention and Visitors Bureau have moved into a new collaborative location. The building is near the Great River Regional Library at 1411 West St. Germain Street. The building has more available parking compared to the previous Chamber location.

A longstanding Central Minnesota Office Machine service provider is being absorbed by a St. Cloud company. Binsfeld's Office Machines is being bought out by Minnesota Computer Systems Inc.

GNP Company has started the first phase of a two-phase expansion plan for its Cold Spring plant. The first phase of expansion, which started earlier this month, is expected to cost about $35 million.

The St. Cloud Wet Seal store in the Crossroads Center has closed. The retailer is closing 338 of their stores, about two-thirds of its locations