YOUR PEOPLE. YOUR PLAN. CARRY ON.

RETAIN TALENTED EMPLOYEES WHEN YOU CARRY BLUE.

Employees stick around when they feel valued, and that’s the message you give when you offer BCBSND health insurance. It’s the plan that provides access to doctors in the state, across the country and around the globe.

CARRY BLUE. CARRY ON.

Bearscat Bakehouse

Proprietors: Kevin and Tina Cavanagh

Founded: 2006

The donut shop was rebranded as Bearscat Bakehouse in 2011.

Employees: 85 employees across locations in Bismarck, Mandan, Minot, and Oregon

Product: Freshly-baked donuts

How would you describe your business in 30 words or less?

We make a high-quality donut at a fair, family price.

Earlier in his career, Kevin Cavanagh managed everything from a grain elevator to a hardware store. But after his third major job change, he was sick of working for other people.

“We wanted to do something on our own, and we wanted to do something fun,” Cavanagh said. “I want to do something where somebody comes in and they’re smiling and want to have a good time.”

In 2006, Cavanagh bought an existing donut shop, and the fun began. In 2011, he created his own donut recipes and rebranded the store as Bearscat Bakehouse.

“Instead of ordering it from a factory, we wanted to have the freedom to make our donuts, decorate them and put goofy stuff on the inside or outside,” Cavanagh said, People already liked apple fritters. Why not try a pineapple fritter? Rum raisin was horrible. A mint donut tasted like toothpaste. On the other hand, a chocolate mint donut featuring Andes Mints was a much better success. This summer, Cavanagh has brought back several seasonal favorites. The Mango Tango donut has mango on the inside and Orange Tang powder on the outside. Another mango-filled donut includes Tajin spices with chili peppers, lime, and salt.

“Some of the craziest flavors have resulted in the biggest success,” Cavanagh said. “The Elvis is banana-filled with peanut butter icing, bacon on top, and chocolate drizzle. We still bring that one back quite a bit.”

Bearscat Bakehouse has expanded rapidly since 2011. There are now three locations across Bismarck-Mandan. A Minot shop opened in 2018. The drive-thru line was so long that Cavanagh saw at least one car buy a dozen donuts, drive to the back of the line, eat their donuts, and refill their box when they got to the window.

In 2019 and 2021 Cavanagh opened two locations in Oregon. The flavors are a bit different. Marionberry, a local berry, is popular there. Whereas, in North Dakota customers are more accepting of the bearscat, a donut that makes a cheeky reference to bear scat. The name bearscat is completely unrelated to bears or scat. It’s an old cowboy term for donuts that Cavanagh found in a novel by North Dakota western writer Louis L’amour.

On a slow day, Cavanagh estimates they bake 8,000 donuts across six locations. On National Donut Day, the first Friday in June, Cavanagh estimates they made 20,000 donuts.

“I remember going to the store with my dad and getting a dozen donuts on a Saturday,” Cavanagh said. “We don’t want to get super expensive. I want the kids to have an experience picking out donuts with their family.

Cavanagh’s own kids don’t just pick out their own donuts with dad. They get to create their own businesses with dad. Cavanagh’s two older kids — Madison and Makenna — created, founded, and ultimately sold Luigi’s Ice Cream Truck. His two younger kids — Mariah and Zane — created, founded, and work with Fizzily, which specializes in gourmet popcorn and custom sodas.

“Right now, our big plan is to expand Fizzily. If we could find a place in south Bismarck, I would open another Fizzily tomorrow,” Cavanagh said. “Bismarck-Mandan is phenomenal, (some of) the best cities we’ve worked with. Bismarck-Mandan is so good.”

Laughing Sun Brewing

Proprietors: Mike Frohlich, Colton Shoults, Jared Shoults, James Eastin, and Matt French

Founded: 2012

Employees: 45

Product: Craft beer

How would you describe your business in 30 words or less?

Laughing Sun creates community through beer, barbecue, and live music.

Mike Frohlich has seen the ups and downs of an entrepreneurial venture. He went through multiple business partners at the beginning of his beer business before finding the right partners. He said the venture was undercapitalized for years. The restaurant side of the business was “bleeding out.”

“It takes persistence,” Frohlich said. “It took three years to get this business going. We almost went out of business at one point. You’ve got to keep driving. You’ve got to keep grinding.”

Frohlich began brewing beer at a restaurant in Dickinson in the 1990s. It wasn’t until 2012 — after a major career change — that he turned his hobby into a business.

“I fell in love with the chemistry of brewing,” Frohlich said. “Five degrees difference in mash temperature makes a completely different beer. I love the creative side of it as well. Nowadays, you can make beer taste like anything you want.”

Before Frohlich could open his business, he worked with the City of Bismarck to create the Class O liquor license that would allow a microbrewery to operate. After founding Laughing Sun Brewing in downtown Bismarck, Frohlich partnered with brothers Colton and Jared Shoults as well as James Eastin and moved to their current location on Front Avenue in 2018. The bigger location allowed them to expand live music and the food menu.

“We don’t just want customers,” Frohlich said. “We’re trying to build fans.”

Laughing Sun Brewing is looking to expand, and they have the option to buy their building in 2026. The larger space will allow expansion of their live music and events venue.

After more than a decade in the business, Frohlich no longer has to put in 70-hour work weeks.

“You had better have passion for it,” Frohlich said. “Get a good team around you. Make sure you treat your team well. I’ve never asked anybody to do something that I haven’t done myself. I’ve cleaned a lot of toilets in this business. If you can grind along with them, you’re going to have a better team.”

Jake Kubik has made the intentional choice to keep his business small. Kubik and his wife started baking sourdough bread as a hobby. They got good at it, cofounded the Lincoln Farmers Market, and began selling at market. Last year, they began creating products like hummus and hot buttered rum batter in a commercial kitchen so that they could sell those items at local retails. Then, things got really busy.

“We had to make the decision to either expand and bring on an employee or table the hummus and focus on growing our own family,” Kubik said. “That was a hard decision to make and we’re very proud of that decision. The goal this year is to focus on producing solely out of our kitchen our sourdough and hummus products.”

Kubik focuses on sourcing local ingredients. His 3-year-old sourdough starter is fed with 100 percent North Dakota-grown hard red spring wheat. The chickpeas used in his hummus are from a farm north of Minot. Kubik is also passionate about the health benefits of fermentation and its impact on the human body and the microbiome in the gut.

“The education on fermentation is equally if not more important to us than actually making sourdough,” Kubik said. “We don’t just focus on selling a product to our customer, but what kind of product is our customer actually eating?”

Kubik is proud of his small business, which he has chosen to keep small.

“You don’t need a lot of capital to start every business,” Kubik said. “We started with less than $500 and grew organically as people started to purchase our product.”

JAKE'S BAKES

Proprietors: Jake and Erin Kubik

Founded: 2020

Employees: 2

Product: Sourdough breads and hummus

How would you describe your business in 30 words or less?

We make traditional sourdough, hummus, and other products while also educating people on the nutritional aspects of fermentation.

Copper Dog Cafe

Tell us about yourself and your role within your business.

A: We are Cathy Ehlis and Brittany Kennedy, the motherdaughter team from Mandan. We own and assist our management team in the operation of Copper Dog Cafe and the Mini Gym on Main Street in Mandan.

Member Since 2021

Briefly tell us the history behind Copper Dog Cafe and how you got started.

A: As long time citizens of Mandan we wanted to bring a special business and atmosphere to Mandan, somewhere that could add value to our Main Street and also be a place where anyone can feel comfortable. We purchased the building in 2019 and created the concept of gourmet waffles and hand-crafted coffee as a way to bring something that no other community in North Dakota has. Our diverse menu has something for everyone. We have an outdoor patio, a kids play area that is always full of smiling kids and the Mini Gym, a youth gymnastics and fitness area for kids 0-6 for classes and also open play time on specific times and days.

How has the growth of Bismarck-Mandan impacted Copper Dog Cafe?

A: While our customer base is very diverse, the young family has been our most popular. Bismarck and Mandan attracting more and more young families creates a larger customer base for us, and it’s obvious when you come into our store. We love having a fun atmosphere where you can hear kids playing, friends catching up and smell all the wonderful smells!

What trends are taking place in your industry?

A: There are a number of trends converting the landscape of the food industry, and keeping up can be difficult and leave your business behind quickly. Adapting to online and mobile ordering, creating a welcoming and community-focused atmosphere where people are comfortable visiting, and making the primary intentions of your business to be centered around customer experience is crucial to keeping up with the changes.

Have there been any monumental changes within your industry that you’ve had to deal with?

A: We’ve found that in order to be successful in the food industry, and even moreso in the cafe experience, you need to keep up with technology by offering multiple ways to order and interacting with customers on the social media platforms where they can find you. Not only that, but you need to constantly find new ways to drive both new and returning customers through menu changes and specialty offerings. We have had great reviews of our monthly waffle specials, coffee flights and different drink menus that change with the seasons.

What does the future Copper Dog Cafe look like and the industry as a whole look like to you?

A: The future is bright for Copper Dog. We’ve been extremely blessed to have a supportive community and we’re dedicated to supporting our community in return. On any given weekend you can find organizations, sports teams and clubs at Copper Dog promoting their events or raising funds for programs. We love to support these groups and want to members of our community create support for their passions beyond us writing a donation check or providing an auction item.

We are also constantly shifting processes, equipment and our layout to provide the best customer experience and be the most efficient we can be. The Copper Dog you experience today is a far more positive experience than it was when we opened in 2019 and our team is working very hard to make sure your experience in our cafe is better with each visit.

Copper Dog Cafe became a Chamber EDC member in 2021, why do you continue to renew?

A: Just as we love to be a member of our general community, we enjoy being a part of the innovative and game-changing business community. Through the Chamber EDC we are able to create relationships that help us make better decisions and appeal to a larger audience. We’re grateful for the incredible business community that we have in Bismarck and Mandan!

What should other Chamber EDC members know about Copper Dog Cafe that may assist them?

A: We cater too! Not only is Copper Dog Cafe an incredible location for visiting but we have the cutest food trailer and offer both on-site and delivery options for catering events large and small. From a 10 person lunch to a 150 person wedding, we can help you provide the most memorable meal to customers, guests and employees.

We’re so grateful for everyone who has allowed us to keep our doors open. It was a difficult time to open in 2019 and survive the following years but the community has been supportive and provided us the necessary feedback for us to get better each and every day. Thank you to all of our past and future waffle and coffee lovers!

Bertagnolli On 1mc Stage

Pat Bertagnolli, Executive Director for Job Service North Dakota, will be presenting on the One Million Cups stage July 12th. Pat has extensive experience in leadership positions, most notably as a multistate operations manager and workforce planning and employee relations manager. Pat provides a different approach to workforce development and retention with his focus on community building. Come and hear his experiences working with employers, industry groups, legislators, the education system, and youth and collaboration has transformed communities.

One Million Cups is a weekly program that brings entrepreneurs and community builders together to hear from other entrepreneurs and community builders. The program is hosted every Wednesday morning at 9:00am at Dakota Stage in downtown Bismarck.