june 2021

Edgewood Dental expands–Constructs eco-friendly building in Baxter

A new leading-edge green commercial building was constructed this spring in the Baxter Village on the west side of Highway 371. The building, named The EkoMarkt, currently provides new space for Edgewood Dental, a greatly expanded Dental Edge Lab and Pop-Up North, a unique location for vendors to open a temporary storefront and share local products and services. Dr. Jeanni Foss, owner of Edgewood Dental and EkoMarkt, had the inspiration to construct a green energy building after a trip to Iceland. Foss is a self-described environmental enthusiast and is passionate about her goals.

The eco-friendly building has a unique living roof. (At the time this article was written in May, the plants had not arrived.) Plans call for succulents to absorb rain water.

The dental office incorporates solar panels and energy efficient technologies such as LED lighting and high efficiency heat pump systems for heating and cooling controlled by programmable thermostats. They further the use of technologies by using lasers instead of drills for certain procedures.

The solar array is designed to produce all of the electricity needs for the dental office. The 28.8 kW array is incorporated within the innovative roof design. The energy produced from the solar system is first used by Edgewood Dental with excess energy sent back to the electrical grid.

Dr. Foss anticipates they will be net zero, meaning that solar production will offset their electrical use on an annual basis. Thus far, the system is performing very well.

EkoMarkt has multiple spaces available for lease of office space or a coffee shop. Open space on the second floor provides natural light and views of the surrounding area.

Other unique additions, already in place or planned, include some bike racks in front of the building to encourage biking to destinations, four EV ChargePoint stalls and installing a test site for pervious pavement for stormwater management.

Crow Wing Power has seen an uptick in solar installations in the past few years. Currently, there are 85 accounts that have member-owned solar or wind power systems that are interconnected to the grid, 17 of these are commercial accounts. That’s a drastic change from two years ago where we had 38 members who were interconnected.

march 2021

Big Buzz: Edgewood Dental opens office in The EkoMarkt building!

The green energy eco-friendly building, The EkoMarkt, will have a living roof in addition to solar panels, energy efficiencies and a test area of pervious surface.

The new eco-friendly building, to be complete with a living roof, solar panels, energy efficiencies and a test area of pervious surface, has multiple spots available for lease for office space and room for a restaurant/coffee shop/bakery in addition to the Edgewood Dental offices. In addition, a new food truck is arriving in April and a new car wash is planning construction this year in Baxter.

Dr. Jeanni Foss, owner of The EkoMarkt and Edgewood Dental, was inspired to do a green energy building after a trip to Iceland and brought her project ideas to the city of Baxter when she was looking to expand her business. Just the dental lab grew from 150 square feet to 1,200 square feet. A self-described environmental enthusiast and nature photographer, Foss is decorating the rooms with her own photography from her travels, with an entire series from national parks. A walnut staircase to the second floor is also a standout design feature. An elevator is also offered.

The eco-friendly building, to be complete with a living roof, solar panels, energy efficiencies and a test area of pervious surface (which could have major implications for future development and retention of trees and water treatment), has multiple spots available for lease for office space and room for a restaurant/coffee shop/bakery. Open space on the second floor provides lots of natural light and views of the surrounding area.

When Foss started this project, she hoped it could serve as an example of what can be done here, as well as be an inspiration to others.

Dr. Jeanni Foss, owner of the green energy commercial building EkoMarkt and Edgewood Dental, which is now part of the EkoMarkt building along Edgewood Drive in Baxter near the Baxter Village, is doing final preparations for the Monday, March 22, ope… — Dr. Jeanni Foss, owner of the green energy commercial building EkoMarkt and Edgewood Dental, which is now part of the EkoMarkt building along Edgewood Drive in Baxter near the Baxter Village, is doing final preparations for the Monday, March 22, opening of the dental office and lab. Foss is also behind the effort to bring a green energy building to the city that can serve as a model and inspiration to others. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

Foss said the coronavirus pandemic did cause a three-month delay in the project. Foss noted the carpeting in the lobby area was the 17th version she picked out because of a commercial flooring shortage. Construction was challenging, though Foss noted Hy-Tec Construction’s preplanning to put together wood for the project put them ahead of shortages and saved a 20% increase with the coronavirus impact.

Foss stated all the equipment is electric. The dental office now incorporates lasers in the dental practice, which Foss said can provide drilling without shots and numbing for certain criteria. The dental practice includes a high-efficiency particulate air filtration system, which was added during the pandemic. It also has a room with a microscope for doing fine work such as root canals. The office has about 15 treatment rooms and about 22 employees.

Roni Denning, Edgewood Dental office coordinator, was behind the main desk during a Friday walk-through.

“I love it,” Denning said of the new office. “It’s just beautiful and perfectly put together. It’s going to be really great.”

Roni Denning, Edgewood Dental office coordinator, works behind the main desk Friday, March 19. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch

In Business: The EkoMarkt living up to its name in Baxter

Credit: Lakeland PBS

October 2020

Unique property spotlight coming to Baxter!

Q + A with Dr. Jeanni Foss, Owner of The Eko Markt
What was the catalyst for starting The EkoMarkt?
When we were in Iceland, we noticed several green energy buildings with very unique architecture and were definitely very inspired by how they left a light ecological footprint. I knew I would be needing to build a bigger space to house a growing dental practice and was looking to create a building complex that was more responsible in energy consumption and had unique architectural features that was Norwegian/Icelandic inspired.

What do you hope this brings to our community?
Green energy is showing great promise in bringing jobs, less pollution, and lowering our carbon footprint. I hope it inspires the great leaders in our community to continue with this trend. I am hopeful it also provides another unique business experience/destination.
What part of this project are you most excited about?
I am an environmental enthusiast who loves photography so being able to help protect the environment in a commercial building project really is exciting. I am looking forward to seeing the living rooftop and solar rooftop. I saw many of these in Iceland and the living roof is so unique and it helps prevent watershed and erosion. I am also excited about the upper rental space as it is all windows with a beautiful view of Baxter and obviously my new dental clinic.

Which local area contractors are involved in your building project?
Hytec, Jim’s Electric, Thelen Heating, BlackRidgeBANK, Pikes Plumbing, Anderson Brothers, WSN, Blackrock Landscaping, Crow Wing Power, Westwood, CTC, Brainerd Glass Company, Cedar Creek Energy, and VanVickle Masonry.