2019
INNOVATION LREC brings hybrid energy to consumers NDSCS prepares for first competitive esports season Local brewers continue age-old tradition in area
September 2019
Daily Journal media
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TABLE OF CONTENTS STORIES
Local Breweries continue age-old tradition.......................... 8 Lake Region Electric Coop delivers hybrid energy .............. 12 Sunny & Clear showcases Magnuson’s talent....................... 16 Rustic Lilly brings the boutique to customers...................... 18 Fergus Home & Hardware provides service for HGTV.......... 19 AURI innovates in ag commodities........................................ 20 NDSCS brings esports to college athletics............................. 22 New Lincoln School ‘On Target’.............................................. 25 Matheson pursues tasty art of barbecue .............................. 26
COLUMNS Sheri Booms Holm, West Central Initiative........................... 4 Annie Deckert, Greater Fergus Falls....................................... 6 Amy Baldwin, Otter Tail County............................................ 15
INNOVATION 2019 | PAGE 3
INNOVATION 2019 Daily Journal media
Ken Harty | Publisher Zach Stich | Editor Mary Sieling | Assistant advertising manager Deb Erickson | Creative Director Stacy Hanson | Audience Development Manager Dee Forkey | Business Manager © 2019 Daily Journal Media On the cover: The solar-wind hybrid project between Lake Region Electric Cooperative and Juhl Energy in Trondhjem Township.
once upon a time
SHIRLEY’S ANKLE KEPT HER OFF H E R AT V.
Because of her painful ankle, a walker had replaced Shirley’s ATV as her sidekick, and her gardens had gone to weeds. Shirley rewrote her story with a complete ankle replacement performed by podiatrist Dr. Stephen Schmid. Now she’s back to gardening, ATV riding and living by a motto passed down to her by her mom—you have to use it or lose it. Rewrite your bone & joint story. Call 218.739.2221 for an orthopedic consultation today. Or learn more at LRHC.org.
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How do you ‘Live Wide Open’
ick Schara wants to know your “Live Wide Open” story. In fact, he’s made it his job. As the marketing coordinator at West Central Initiative, he regularly visits the communities of west central SHERI Minnesota, BOOMS HOLM encourag- West ing people Central Initiative to share their stories of why they chose to make their home there. He’s met bookstore owners and boat builders, teachers and technicians, health care professionals and hair stylists, and so
many more. Some grew up in west-central Minnesota, some vacationed or went to school there. Still others found their way there out of sheer happenstance. Each are happy to call their community home.
What’s “Live Wide Open?”
Maybe you’ve heard of Live Wide Open. It’s a regional marketing and workforce development campaign that encourages people to live, work and raise their families in west central Minnesota. Back in 2015, a group of workforce development professionals were eager to launch such a campaign, and they thought West Central Initiative should be the organization to lead it.
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FINDING THE STORIES: Rick Schara, Live Wide Open coordinator, is often on the road, uncovering stories of people who chose to make west-central Minnesota their home.
INNOVATION 2019 | PAGE 5
As a regional community foundation and planning organization, West Central Initiative works to strengthen the economy of west central Minnesota so that families, businesses and communities thrive, now and for generations to come. Encouraging people to move to the area to fill jobs, buy homes, start businesses, send their kids to local schools and become active residents in their communities fits squarely within West Central Initiative’s work. As to the name “Live Wide Open,” that group of workforce development professionals—known as the Labor Force Development Council—coined it to describe the wide open spaces of rural Minnesota and having the breathing room to make a good life for oneself. It can also mean opening up people’s capacity to do what they love or what they’ve always dreamed of doing.
Why storytelling?
West Central Initiative staff are on the road a lot throughout the nine counties and 82 communities they serve, which includes Otter Tail County and Fergus Falls. Everywhere they go, they hear stories of the people who enjoy the quality of life found in west central Minnesota. Chances are good that one of these stories would resonate with people considering a change in lifestyle. Rick has told many “Live Wide Open” stories of people living and working in the Fergus Falls area. You can read all his stories at livewideopen.com/stories.
A grassroots movement
From the very beginning, West Central Initiative and the Labor Force Development Council saw Live Wide Open as a grassroots movement. The idea is to help businesses and communities share what’s great about living and working in this re-
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BACK TO HER HOMETOWN: Cedar and Chris Walters decided to put down roots where Cedar grew up. Cedar uses her environmental science and biology degrees as public information and education officer for Otter Tail County Solid Waste. Chris teaches English, film and literature at M State—Fergus Falls. Read their story at livewideopen.com/stories. gion of Minnesota. Visit Live Wide Open’s website, livewideopen.com, and its social media feeds, #livewideopenmn, and you’ll read and see lots of stories about this beautiful area many have chosen to call home. But it takes many people, businesses and communities to share those stories, videos
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and information to make a movement. It takes people reminding family members and friends what is great about living in the area, to share job postings, and invite them to make west-central Minnesota their home, too. It takes residents coming together to create warm, welcoming
communities where families want to live. Schara and the West Central Initiative staff invite you to be part of the movement by following our social media feeds, share stories and tell your Live Wide Open story too. Contact Schara at rick.schara@wcif.org or (218) 739-2239.
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PAGE 6 | INNOVATION 2019
Greater Fergus Falls is a new solution to constant need
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ver the years, communities and regions across the country have chosen to utilize nonprofit economic development organizations to ANNIE champion DECKERT the growth Greater and pros- Fergus Falls perity of their communities, and Fergus Falls is no different. In July of 2018, Greater
INNOVATION
BUILDING A GREATER FERGUS FALLS: Greater Fergus Falls looks to take the lead as the “face” of economic development for the city of Fergus Falls. Funded through private contributions and grants, the public-private partnership gives the community the tools to help the local economy thrive.
THROUGH the YEARS Celebrating
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146 YEARS 133 YEARS 110 YEARS 110 YEARS 102 YEARS 91 YEARS The Daily lson years G PIONEERcare Journal Serving the area since 1909.
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INNOVATION 2019 | PAGE 7
Fergus Falls (GFF) was created, with the purpose of taking the lead on business retention, development and attraction. Governed by a board of directors made up of local business owners, community stakeholders and government representatives (city and county), GFF acts as the “face” of economic development for the city. Funded primarily through private contributions and grants, as well as a contribution from the city of Fergus Falls, this public-private partnership gives the community tools to help the local economy thrive.
Often, when under a government umbrella, inadequate funding and cumbersome processes can hinder (and often prevent) economic development. Our nonprofit structure provides much greater flexibility to leverage additional funding, negotiate deals with quicker decision-making, and prioritize strategic marketing and promotion. To put it plainly, GFF has more resources and flexibility to work with business to get deals done! GFF provides free technical assistance to all Fergus Falls businesses, and work in partnership
with organizations like the Fergus Falls Area Chamber of Commerce (FFACC) and Visit Fergus Falls (VFF), to ensure GFF’s efforts are working together, not against each other. The FFACC serves its member businesses in the community and VFF works to bring visitors to the community; both which are crucial and support GFF’s efforts to enhance the business climate. GFF’s goal is to ensure the community understands GFF’s vision, the work it does, and that GFF, as an organization, will account for the impact it has on the
community. While new construction and redevelopment are key elements, there are countless other initiatives that aren't easily quantifiable, which are crucial to economic development. Since I began, GFF has: • Dedicated 49-plus hours working with existing businesses, discussing a variety of ways we can support their growth, and ensuring they’re aware of our free services, technical assistance, and funding programs available to them • Worked with 17 entrepreneurs, looking to start a business in Fergus Falls
• Dedicated 50-plus hours to the future redevelopment of our high-profile sites (Kirkbride, Kmart, the Mill, Shopko, Sunmart and the Westridge Mall). These redevelopment sites are complex, yet attractive to developers due to the variety of incentives available for site cleanup and redevelopment. Projects like these don’t happen overnight, and can take months, even years to complete. • Dedicated over 100 hours to strategically marketing our available sites and community through a variety of digital, in-person and tradi-
tional marketing methods – we have so much to offer! Lastly, it needs to be understood that we cannot do this alone. Economic development takes a village and we are simply the organization that is taking the lead. We cannot do this without the support of the city, county, business owners, local organizations, or community members. Fergus Falls has so much to offer, and countless opportunities on the horizon! Annie Deckert is the executive director of Greater Fergus Falls.
THROUGH the YEARS Celebrating
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43 YEARS 40 YEARS 40 YEARS 39 YEARS 38 YEARS 37 YEARS BEYER BODY SHOP, INC. DBA BEYER TOWING
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PAGE 8 | INNOVATION 2019
Tapping into the community
Local breweries continue age-old tradition By Johanna Armstrong The Daily Journal
The oldest recorded beer recipe was found on a 7,000-year-old papyrus scroll in Egypt; around that time, Iran was also brewing beer and it’s believed China started their brewing tradition 9,000 years ago. It’s a beverage that has grown with civilization; today, many local craft breweries are maintaining the tradition that began many millennia ago. “Back in the 1800s, every small town had its own brewery and it’s
kind of coming back to that now,” says Andrew Beck, head brewer for Fergus Brewing Company in Fergus Falls, “where craft breweries are popping up all over the place and really involving themselves in the community which makes the beer experience a little bit better than just drinking some random (beer) that is nationally brewed, that you don’t really have a connection to.” Ben Schierer, owner of Union Pizza & Brewing Company in Fergus Falls, agrees. “For thousands of years people have made beer
JOHANNA ARMSTRONG| INNOVATION
HOME BREWED: A Blood Orange Viking Picnic Lunch from Fergus Brewing Co. Local brewers have taken up the age-old tradition of creating their own beer in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area.
INNOVATION 2019 | PAGE 9
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A GOOD POUR: Klara Beck pours brews at Fergus Brewing Co. The brewery recently opened in Fergus Falls and has 10 beers on tap. and had that beer as part of their community, I think there’s something very traditional about it, too. It’s a traditional thing for people in a neighborhood to do, brew beer and enjoy it.” Small breweries, like Schierer’s and Beck’s, allow for brewers to use more local ingredients, further tying the beverages they make to the community they serve. Union Pizza & Brewing Company gets their grains from North Dakota and Detroit Lakes. Disgruntled Brewing in Perham gets their malt from Detroit Lakes and Shakopee. Fergus Brewing Company uses water from the Otter Tail River, grain from Detroit Lakes and Crookston, hops from the Pacific Northwest and Beck’s backyard and yeast from Chicago. “Lots of local flavor and unique-
ness that goes into our beers to make this an extra special event that you can’t get elsewhere,” says Beck. Having a smaller brewery also allows brewers to experiment more with flavors. “The variety, there’s so many different options now,” says Cyrus Bickell, brewer for Disgruntled Brewery. “I like to open up people’s eyes to what can be done, what beer is and what beer can be.” This September, Bickell made a new beer he calls Blueberry Cancakes, a beer with blueberries, blueberry pancake mix and maple syrup. That’s not all he’s cooking up, though: “I have an aronia berry pie sour coming out, that’s with aronia berries, cinnamon, pie crust and vanilla. It’ll be like a pastry-style sour. I have one out now, Breakfast in Bed, with ma-
ple syrup, Belgian waffle mix, vanilla and coffee.” Beck says strange flavors can help get people interested, and then they’ll try something they normally wouldn’t. Some of his unusual concoctions include a maple bacon beer and a chipotle pumpkin beer. “Things that are not necessarily something you want to drink a lot of, but something that gives people an option,” he says. “We want to include everybody with this brewery, so people might not like all beers, but we might find one that they do like. I’m trying to really branch out into a lot of different avenues.” Fergus Brewing Company is the newest brewery to the area, with their grand opening on Oct. 1, 2019. “I first got interested in SEE BREW PAGE10
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EQUIPMENT FOR A PROPER BREW: Brewing equipment at Union Pizza & Brewing Co including fermenters, brite tanks and kegs.
INNOVATION 2019 | PAGE 11
BREW Continued from Page 9
brewing in Norway, I was going to school in Norway, and I was doing a lot of traveling and beer was a good way to connect with people, the people I was traveling with, and that’s kind of what got me interested in beer itself,” says Beck. They carry 10 beers on tap, 11 on Fridays, with four main beers, three seasonal beers and three “brewer’s choice” beers. They’re currently carrying an Oktoberfest brew and will begin carrying a pumpkin brew soon for the fall. In winter, they’ll transition to some darker beers. Disgruntled Brewing keeps 12 beers on tap with seven yearround brews. Bickell homebrewed wine for seven years before getting involved in the craft beer scene. “What I saw the craft beer industry doing interested me,” he says, “so I took the job here about three and a half years ago and worked my way up to where I am now.” Union Pizza & Brewing Company has two or three of their own beers on tap, occasionally as many as five, but also carry beers from many of the local breweries in Perham, Fergus Falls and Ashby, as well as home-cooked pizza that can be made with gluten free crust. Schierer, who is also mayor of Fergus Falls, believes breweries can help bring life to towns and neighborhoods. “It’s about community, first of all,” he says. “If you talk to people that are talking about the revitalization of neighborhoods, whether that’s in St. Paul, Minneapolis, or Fergus Falls, Bemidji, one of the first things they talk about is getting craft breweries, because it entices people, there’s something about it that brings people together, that makes people want to be a part of something, to gather.”
JOHANNA ARMSTRONG | INNOVATION
TALKING BEER: Andrew Beck (right), brewer, chats with customers at Fergus Brewing Co during their Pints for the Prairie fundraiser in September. As Boy faced down the French troops in Shakespeare’s “Henry V” he declared, “I would give all my fame for a pot of ale, and safety.” If you feel the need to be whisked away from the day’s distresses and taken to a welcoming alehouse, the breweries in Otter Tail County are there for you.
Union Pizza & Brewing Company 114 S. Union Ave., Fergus Falls,
MN 56537 Hours: Monday - Thursday: 11 a.m. 1:30 p.m., 4 - 9 p.m. Friday: 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., 4 10 p.m. Saturday: 4 - 10 p.m. Sunday: Closed
Disgruntled Brewing 735 2nd St. N.E., Perham, MN 56573 Hours: Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Thursday: 3 - 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. 11 p.m. Sunday: 12 - 6 p.m.
Outstate Brewing Company 130 S. Vine St., Fergus Falls, MN 56537 Hours: Monday - Thursday: 4 p.m. - 12 a.m. Friday - Sunday: 12 p.m. - 12 a.m.
Fergus Brewing Company 1683 Ottertail Dr., Fergus Falls, MN 56537 Hours: Monday - Friday: 4 - 10:30 p.m. Saturday: 12 - 11 p.m. Sunday: 12 - 8 p.m.
Ashby Brewing Company 109 Main St., Ashby, MN 56309 Hours: Sunday - Thursday: Closed Friday: 4:30 - 8 p.m. Saturday: 2 - 8 p.m.
PAGE 12 | INNOVATION 2019
Wind of change
Lake Region Electric Cooperative inovates with hybrid project By Zach Stich Innovation
JOHANNA ARMSTRONG| INNOVATION
HYBRID PROJECT: The hybrid wind turbine located in Trondhjem Township is a project that was constructed by Juhl Energy and the energy is purchased by Lake Region Electric Cooperative.
Energy creators have long looked for sources of energy that are cost-efficient and beneficial to their customers. The use of coal, oil and other resources to produce energy have created issues post-production that potentially harm the environment. With a push to find renewable forms of energy such as wind, hydro and solar power, as well as making it viable for consumers, Lake Region Electric Cooperative (LREC) in Pelican Rapids has found a hybrid that does just that. The hybrid project, located in Trondhjem Township, consists of a single wind turbine (2.3 megawatts) and a 500-kilowatt solar array that is inter-
connected directly into a distribution feeder of the rural Erhard substation. All the energy produced by the turbine will be utilized by local LREC members. The turbine is supported by a ½ megawatt of photovoltaic solar panels. The hybrid energy system consists of two or more renewable energy sources to increase efficiency and to provide greater balance in energy supply. “In our case, the wind turbine and solar array share the same interconnection and inverter which provides operating and cost efficiency,” Dan Husted said. “Because wind tends to produce more energy at night and solar during the day, the combination tends to firm up or provide steadier production.” The system was developed through
INNOVATION 2019 | PAGE 13
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EXPANDING ITS OPTIONS: Lake Region Electric Cooperative, located in Pelican Rapids, jumped at the chance to work with Juhl Energy on the wind-solar hybrid project. The conversations began in 2016 with the final product going into commercial use earlier this year. the General Electric Global Research Center to directly integrate the solar panels through the wind turbine’s converter. Creating this balance allows the turbine to create wind energy during the winter, its peak, and solar during the summer. But the process took time to develop. “We became aware of the wind-solar hybrid concept in early 2016 after Juhl Energy proposed a potential project to a local community,� Husted said. “The idea and potential benefits associated with building a small renewable project that would be interconnected behind a substation that directly supplied renewable energy onto our distribution system intrigued us. We thought there might be enough potential benefit from the low-cost energy, the ability to avoid some traditional power supply and transmission charges that the project might con-
tribute to our goal of maintaining rate stability. In addition, we also thought many LREC members would like the idea of using locally generated renewable electricity.� LREC and Juhl Energy began conversations and after a couple of years of discussion, engineering studies, production and financial modeling, the two organizations joined forces for the project. The project would be built in Trondjem Township after LREC members, Orland and Mary Ohe, offered a part of their farmland for the project. Husted said that the site was ideal for the project and that he was gracious for the couple's offer. Juhl Energy constructed the project at a cost of over $4.5 million and will be responsible for operating and maintaining the facility. The cooperative will purchase the electrical output
from the turbine through a 20-year purchased power agreement. LREC incurred no debt or risk in construction or operation of the project. LREC expects to save $150,000-$200,000 per year in power costs. Juhl Energy will also be responsible for any repairs that are needed on the turbine. While it may seem like LREC is jumping on the bandwagon of renewable energy like other groups, the project was carefully taken into consideration. “We look for energy service opportunities that benefit co-op members and the coop itself, Husted said. LREC CEO Tim Thompson stated back in April that the group was proud to be apart of the project and that it brought “a lot of value to the local community and a rate benefit for all Lake Region members.� This is why the group is SEE ENERGY PAGE14
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PAGE 14 | INNOVATION 2019
ENERGY Continued from Page 13
following up the hybrid renewable generation project with a storage project that utilizes “smart” grid-connected household water heaters to store excess energy from the hybrid project when it’s available. “There are times, usually in late spring and fall when the output of the hybrid project can exceed the demand for electricity on the Erhard substation. The pilot will demonstrate that excess energy can be economically utilized rather than have turbine production limited or curtailed. The energy management portal utilized in the pilot is a product of the Steffes Corporation of Dickinson, North Dakota and is capable of controlling thousands of water heaters, while ensuring that individual water heaters never run out of hot water. This pilot is in its initial stage
but we hope to have 40 or so water heaters operating as batteries next spring,” Husted added. Minnesota ranks in the top 10 in the nation in wind energy production according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, and ranks 13th in the nation in solar energy according to trade energy group, Solar Energy Industries Associations. Minnesota has between 1,000-1,200 wind turbines in the state and 5,450 solar installations. Since opening for commercial use six months ago, Husted said that the project is doing well. LREC will be doing a detailed analysis on the turbine to gain specifics in the energy production. Husted mentioned that LREC currently does not have a second project in consideration at this time. The winds of change may be blowing in the energy field, but it seems like a bright, new day lies in the A VIEW FROM THE FIELD: Trondhjem Township, near Erhard, is the location for the hybrid wind-solar project. future.
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INNOVATION 2019 | PAGE 15
Otter Tail Community Development Agency advancing growth
F
or the last number of years, Otter Tail County Commissioners have been reviewing how it could further support the growth of the county. The Rural Rebound Initiative (RBI) was launched in 2017, with the focus on developing strategies AMY around att r a c t i n g , BALDWIN developing, Otter Tail County and retaining the workforce in Otter Tail County. This led to discussions on how to further support the availability of the critical infrastructure needed to support the RBI efforts including housing, child care, broadband and outdoor recreation facilities. That ultimately resulted in the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners convening a committee of public and private sector stakeholders from throughout the county to review options for the structure of an added effort. After completing its work, this committee provided a recommendation to the
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PUSHING ADVANCMENT: A view of Otter Tail Lake from the past. The Otter Tail Community Development Agency looks to keep advancing the county into the future. county board. From that recommendation, the county established a Community Development Agency (CDA) in late 2018. The CDA is a local government agency governed by a nine-member board of commissioners who began meeting in early 2019. The board consists of: Chair David Schornack, Vice Chair Jeff Ackerson, Dena Johnson, Val Martin, Dave Rip-
ley, Betsy Roder and Greg Swanberg plus county commissioners Doug Huebsch and Lee Rogness. The primary purpose of the CDA is to strengthen the 22 cities and 62 townships in Otter Tail County by: • Expanding housing opportunities. • Promoting business development. • Fostering coordination of public and private re-
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sources. The work of the CDA is intended to be complementary, additive and supportive to existing efforts underway throughout the county. As the CDA board began meeting, it saw a need to further understand the demographics of Otter Tail County and how it compares to its peer counties. An analysis was completed in partnership with the Minnesota
Department of Employment and Economic Development data analysis team. The comparison looks at areas including: • Population Growth and Change • Self sufficiency. • Workforce. • Economic base. • Broadband availability. These areas will continue to be tracked and used as indicators to help inform the work of the CDA into the future. The CDA board also determined that a specific focus on the area of housing growth is a priority. The board has identified the following key principles to use as it considers how housing development and investment can increase throughout the county: • Expanding housing development is a priority county wide. • Challenges with housing development are multifaceted and complex. • Community support and understanding is critical. • Partnerships are key. • Success requires an innovative and progressive approach. Preliminary goals in-
clude: • Increasing the construction of new housing units to meet the various needs of household types and income levels. • Building partnerships with and expanding the capacity of nonprofit organizations, community partners, and private developers to collectively respond to the housing challenge. • Advocating for increased funding and support of housing at the state and federal levels. • Seeking funding opportunities to encourage new housing development, ownership opportunities and reinvestment. Additionally, the CDA will be launching the Community Growth Partnership grant program in the fall of 2019. The program is focused on supporting local initiatives around the areas of redevelopment, affordable housing and commercial rehabilitation. To learn more about the efforts of the Community Development Agency, contact Amy Baldwin, community development director, at 218-998-8050 or abaldwin@co.ottertail.mn.us.
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PAGE 16 | INNOVATION 2019
SUBMITTED
LOOK AND DESIGN: Teresa Magnuson began Sunny & Clear in 2015. Dedicating her life to visual art and design, Magnuson has been able to showcase her talents in surface design. Magnuson has made several pattern designs including the throw pillows pictured.
Magnuson’s Sunny & Clear a showcase of talent By Johanna Armstrong Innovation
Teresa Magnuson started her business, Sunny & Clear, in 2015 while still working full time. She’s dedicated her professional life to visual art and design, starting with her degree in graphic design and apparel design. The idea for Sunny & Clear, which showcases her skills in surface design, came to Mag-
nuson when she got the job to design a new locker nameplate for the Minnesota Vikings. “The equipment manager sent me a player jersey so we could match the color exactly,” she says. When I looked inside the jersey, I noticed a Nordic geometric pattern embroidered into the neck facing on the interior of the garment.” Fascinated with the pattern, considering her background in apparel
design, she knew she wanted to incorporate it into the background texture of her design for the nameplates. The problem was making a pattern that could be perfectly repeated on all sides, what’s called a repeat tile. Magnuson didn’t know how to make one yet, and with a tight deadline she didn’t have time to really learn, so she did what she could and though her client loved it,
she wanted to make sure she was prepared in case she had to do it again. “I love learning something new! Especially if it adds to my efficiency in software or as a tool for creativity in general,” she says. “In my off time, I began exploring and researching the vast info available on the internet and sure enough, I found a class called Pattern Camp.” Magnuson signed up and
suddenly fell into the surface pattern design world, almost by accident, where artists create their designs in full repeats so it can be printed onto fabric yards at a time. “Everything about it felt right!” She started designing her own patterns, taking ordinary things (fishing lures, oars, campers, animals, insects and more) and making them more fun, giving them
a playful twist. “I use my own whimsical illustrations to decorate a range of products. This makes them unique since they are pretty much one of a kind or originals,” she says. Her patterns adorn flags, pillows, tea towels and wall hangings, and Magnuson has recently experimented with new surfaces outside of fabric, putting her illustrations on stationery (journals, notebooks, guestbooks)
INNOVATION 2019 | PAGE 17
and laser cutting them onto wooden goods like cutting boards, bookmarks and bottle openers. She sells these products on her website, sunnynclear.com. Within six months of venturing out on her own as a graphic designer, she received her first licensing contract. She was the licensed designer for Quilt MN in partnership with Clothworks of Seattle in 2016 with a summer theme featuring motifs of sunfish, campers and mosquitos. In 2018 she was featured as the 2018 fabric designer for Quilt MN with a spring theme depicting lots of plants (poppy and lily of the valleys among others) and animals (frogs, deer, swans, skunks and gophers). Magnuson found running a business wasn’t for her, though. “Some of the presSUBMITTED sure of running a business SHOWCASING DESIGNS: Teresa Magnuson showcases her designs at one of the many festivals in the area. Magnuson has learned a lot since running her own business and now on your own turned into runs her operation part time. fear, and took away from my creativity — not only in my SUBMITTED work but in how I operated and promoted my business. CONTINUING DESIGN SUCCESS: I wouldn’t say I failed, but I Magnuson’s designs have helped certainly learned a ton,” she her gain a licensing contract with says. “My goal is to learn from Quilt MN. This included summer my venture, and build my themes . Animals are also a business up to a comfortable popular theme for many of her size, and at a comfortable designs. After running a business pace so that it adds to my inon her own, Magnuson decided come.” that a new pace was best for her She’s striking a balance work. between her work as a multimedia/digital designer on a marketing team and her business; between selling her items to stores, where they’ll sit next to other merchandise, and direct retail. She still continues to design fabrics and collections, having licensed three more nationwide but doesn’t run her business full time. “Everything is a balance and takes a clear strategy. It would be fair to say Sunny & Clear is still evolving!” she says.
PAGE 18 | INNOVATION 2019
Rustic Lilly: Bringing the boutique to the consumers By Johanna Armstrong Innovation
In our world of online commerce, combined with the decline of malls and brick-and-mortar stores, Sharri Martyn’s traveling boutique, Rustic Lilly, is a breath of fresh air and a nice throwback to simpler times and the practice of traveling merchants. Rustic Lilly is based out of an old, refurbished bread truck from Idaho. Martyn found an ad for the truck on Craigslist and flew out to Idaho to purchase it, driving it back over the Rockies to Minnesota where Martyn transformed it into her new business. “It’s like the ultimate repurposing,” she says. While visiting her daughter in Austin, Martyn saw some traveling shops based inside trailers. “That kind of gave me the idea and then I just went with it,” Martyn says. After working in retail for many years she wanted to start her own store but, when she finally committed to the idea three years ago, she worried, with the number of businesses leaving Fergus Falls, that it wasn’t a good time or place to start a business based in the town. Instead, she compromised: Rustic Lilly spends plenty of time in Fergus Falls, but can also travel out to the surrounding community and the Twin Cities. “Instead of having a storefront where people come to me, I go to festivals and I go out in the lakes area,” she says. Rustic Lilly is named after Martyn’s daughter, Lil-
ly. “I lost my daughter in a car accident, she was 16 years old. Not many people know that,” she says. Nearly every weekend Martyn and her store are out and about at different fairs, festivals or markets. In the winter, when it’s too cold and snowy to set up outside, Martyn takes Rustic Lilly to a number of indoor events in the Twin Cities, where she can just drive the boutique into the showroom floor. She also participates in Fergus Falls’ holiday art and artisan market. After Christmas, Martyn and Rustic Lilly take a break for a couple of months to resupply. She has vendors and companies that she likes and buys many things from, but she also goes out to get more unique things. “I get a lot of jewelry that is made in Minnesota, I try hard to get local stuff,” she says. “It takes a lot of time, I spend a lot of time trying to find things that are not in other stores in the area.” The boutique carries all kinds of things in women’s fashion. “In the summertime, I carry a lot of linen stuff, nothing that’s really super dressy, things that are a little more on the casual side,” Martyn says. Rustic Lilly provides everything from jeans and leggings to tops and wraps, purses and jewelry. This spring, some of the boutique’s special items included rompers, ruffle-bottom dresses and embroidered denim shorts. In addition to Rustic Lilly, Martyn recently opened Rustic Lilly’s Hippie Sister on Main Street
SUBMITTED
TRAVELING MERCHANT: Sharri Martyn’s Rustic Lilly calls to mind the ancient tradition of traveling merchants as she takes her shop around Minnesota, peddling beautiful and unique wares.
in Battle Lake. Like Rustic Lilly, Rustic Lilly’s Hippie Sister is based inside a re-
furbished motor vehicle: a 1973 Airstream trailer. Unlike Rustic Lilly, Rustic
Lilly’s Hippie Sister has a fixed location and won’t be traveling. Rustic Lilly’s
Hippie Sister will be open on weekends in September and reopens in May.
INNOVATION 2019 | PAGE 19
Fergus Home & Hardware provides service to couple for HGTV show Innovation
How do you know that you are doing a good job? In business, usually it is by word of mouth from customers that are satisfied with the work that you have done for them. For Fergus Home & Hardware, nothing beats being selected by homeowners to help renovate their new lake home that will be featured on television. A local couple from Fergus Falls applied to be featured on the TV show “Lakefront Bargain Hunt: Renovation.” After finding a home they enjoyed on Otter Tail Lake, there were several renovations that had to be completed. That is when the couple reached out to Fergus Home & Hardware. “Fergus Home & Hardware supplied flooring, windows, siding, roofing, appliances, fireplaces, cabinets and countertops, doors and trim, insulation and paint,” Fergus Home
& Hardware owner Dan Zierden said. “We provide all those things and more at our store. We were excited to be able to supply so many things.” The entire process took about seven months to complete the project according to Zierden. Work began approximately in early spring 2018 and was completed late summer of that same year. Not used to being on TV, Zierden described working with a cable network “interesting.” “It was like working for two different customers, because you had to keep the project moving for the owners, yet we needed to coordinate the work to make sure the producers got the footage they were wanting,” Zierden said. The crew was followed by a camera team of five or six members during the renovation. Zierden mentioned that audio from the show “seemed to come from all over.” The producer for the show tried to
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PROVIDING SERVICE: Fergus Home & Hardware helped out a local couple with their home renovation for HGTV’s “Lakefront Bargain Hunt: Renovation” show. The episode appeared Aug. 17, 2019. make things as smooth as possible while Zierden’s crew worked and looked to maintain the most realistic look at how things were unfolding. Overall, Zierden mentioned that it was a positive experience.
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PAGE 20 | INNOVATION 2019
AURI is a player in the innovation of ag commodities By Brian Hansel Innovation
Harold Stanislawski is part of an effort to find innovative uses for agricultural commodities. Working for the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), S t a n i slawski is associated with Stanislawski people working outside the box to create long-term, value-added agricultural products. The premise for the institute’s work is that there
are more uses for agricultural products than people presently realize. One local example of the value-added product is the Green Plains fuel production facility west of Fergus Falls. The facility produces ethanol fuel, a renewable energy source, from field corn. The farmer who sells his raw corn at a farmer-owned ethanol processing plant receives the market price plus the additional dividends from the sale of ethanol. AURI’s work is not exclusive to any one area of agriculture but if there is a protein in the equation ZACH STICH | INNOVATION AURI is on board. FROM COB TO CAR: A cornfield near Erhard. Harold Stanislawski and Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) look to create long“It’s both crops and term, value-added agricultural products such as using corn for ethanol fuel. livestock,” Stanislawski
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Stanislawski said. A butter made of chickpea, not peanuts is being developed that can be spread on that bread — good news for people who suffer from a peanut allergy, a condition that can be life-threatening. Snack foods, cereals and ice-cream products are also being researched according to Stanislawski. Bio-based products allow businesses to replace petroleum-based ingredients. “An example is the soybased sealants that are applied on the highway to prevent oxygenating and cracking,” Stanislawski said. Co-products come from agricultural processing and include residues like beet pulp and potato peelings. Out of these co-products might come
said. “We work in renewable energy, food, bio-based products and co-products.” Acting on the knowledge that today’s consumers are health-conscious and demand foods both wholesome and convenient, one of the innovations that AURI food scientists are working on is eliminating gluten sensitivity. Gluten is a substance present in cereal grains responsible for the elastic texture of dough. It is a mixture of two proteins that cause illness in people with celiac disease, a serious health problem that damages the small intestine and affects an estimated 1 in 100 people worldwide. “We are doing it so people who are gluten sensitive can eat bread again,”
kitty litter or road deicer. AURI maintains a variety of labs in Crookston, Marshall and Waseca to carry out their testing work. The corporation is funded in part by the body which created it - the Minnesota Legislature but it also works with individual entrepreneurs, businesses, cooperatives, commodity groups and farm organizations. While set up by the state legislature the nonprofit charges project fees for services on a sliding scale, determined by a company’s annual revenue. “The entrepreneurial spirit in Minnesota is not dead,” Stanislawski declared. “There are many, many people who are working on products that are going to change people’s lives.”
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A new type of student-athlete North Dakota State College of Science adds esports team The second-largest multisport event after the Olympics, the Asian Games, had esports as a demonstration event in 2018. In 2019, the Southeast Asian Games will be featuring esports as a medal sport. Prize pools for esports events reached $30 million at the “Fortnite” World Cup in early August, and $34 million at The International Dota 2 Championships. In September, Nike unveiled its first line of esports jerseys, designed and produced for the teams in China’s League of Legends Pro League, China’s esports organization for the game “League of Legends.”
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Innovation
Slowly, the world is accepting esports as a legitimate athletic pursuit and, while Asia may be leading the charge, many Western institutions are on the bleeding edge of this growing industry. North Dakota State College of Science is one such institution, adding a brand new esports team that will be affiliated with the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). The decision to add an esports team came naturally — many students were already coming together on their own, renting space in the student center to participate and host gaming tournaments and meetups. JOHANNA ARMSTRONG | INNOVATION “We started to encourage that and host certain events ESPORTS: North Dakota State College of Science student Davis Waldron plays “Team Fight Tactics,” a game mode that uses characters from related to that throughout League of Legends. The college has added esports to its activities this fall.
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By Johanna Armstrong
INNOVATION 2019 | PAGE 23
the year and then we talked to our students last year and they really felt that this was something that could engage a different type of student that maybe isn’t typically involved in other organizations or athletics per se,” says vice president of student affairs Jane Vangsness Frisch. It really kind of was a grassroots effort and we made the decision early this summer.” Along with the new esports team is a newly renovated gaming area. “This is an initiative by our student senate, they allocated a large amount of funds to be able to enhance our game room,” said Frisch. “One aspect of that renovation was to include an esports area, so gaming computers, chairs, those kinds of things, to be utilized by our new esports team, but also by students in general.” The
esports area now has six stations, ready to welcome new student-athletes as they join the esports club this fall. NDSCS administration believes the addition of the esports club will help students better connect with each other and improve the school’s student retention rates. “At NDSCS we always are continually looking for ways to further engage our students, but also to help with their retention,” says Frisch. “What we know is that research tells us it just takes one connection for a student to really thrive at an institution, especially when they’re a residential student. So we see adding esports as a way for us to enable connections with the college community, but also support and reach out SEE ESPORTS PAGE 24
JOHANNA ARMSTRONG | INNOVATION
SETTING UP A SQUAD: NDSCS esports advisor Colby Youngquist (left) helps Davis Waldron (right) choose a good unit in the game “Team Fight Tactics.”
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COMPUTER COMPETITION: NDSCS student Bergen Dow plays “Hearthstone.” The Wildcats will be advised by residential life staff members Colby Youngquist and Matt Diischer.
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to a certain student population that may not be engaged in other types of athletics or student organizations.” NACE is a nonprofit membership association that provides standardized rules and compliance for esports games and events, competition between programs, professional development and more. They boast 117 member schools, more than 2,800 student-athletes, an annual national convention and $15 million in esports scholarships and aid. NDSCS won’t be providing esports scholarships yet. So far, 27 students have registered for the esports team, but the college hopes it will continue to grow in the future. “We don’t offer
scholarships at this time, it’s really the encouragement of student involvement and engagement,” says Frisch. “What we’re finding is that students are already playing these games, and so having the structure to insert balance between their academics and the video games and the competition, and also the collaboration with their teammates, learning from one another and also learning from the esport adviser coaches.” The team will keep the school’s mascot, the Wildcats, and will be advised by two NDSCS residential life staff members, Colby Youngquist, resident director for Nordgaard Hall, and Matt Diischer, assistant director for leadership and community development. The team will be playing the game “League of Legends” competitively, along
with one more game that they haven’t decided on yet, probably “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Siege.” Tryouts for the competitive team will be held later this year. Other area schools that also have esports teams include Dickinson State University, University of Jamestown, Minnesota State University Moorhead and Bismarck State College, which also added it this year alongside NDSCS and will be offering esports scholarships, among others. The NDSCS community has been supportive of the club’s addition, says Frisch. “The community overall, both the students and faculty/staff, have been very supportive, recognizing that everyone has varied interests on campus and that this is another way to support a different demographic student interest.”
INNOVATION 2019 | PAGE 25
New Lincoln School “On Target” For Innovation
Every once in a while, an organization’s needs align perfectly with opportunity. The Fergus Falls Public School District believes just such an opportunity came along with the availability of the former Target building for purchase. The loss of the Target store was a painful experience for Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. Many area residents are quite fond of the store chain and, to some degree, Target is synonymous with Minnesota shopping. The empty building served as a constant reminder of what was lost. That’s all about to change. While there are a few remaining steps to take, the district expects to formally take possession of the building within the next two months. Once the last documents have been completed on the purchase, work will begin in earnest to create a state of the art learning environment specifically catered to the district’s youngest children. The former Target building will be named Lincoln School and it will house Otter Preschool and Children’s Corner. Both organizations share one thing in common — they are committed to supporting the positive growth and development of the community’s blossoming learners. Lincoln School is a large building — approximately 90,000 square feet. The interior is essentially a blank canvas which provides the district freedom to de-
sign a learning environment that meets the unique learning needs of young children. “It really offers a tremendous opportunity to create something special — a facility and programs that will bring a great deal of pride to the community,” Fergus Falls School District Superintendent Jeff Drake said. “We believe young families who are considering school options for their children will be very impressed with the facility.” Mark Masten, Fergus Falls business manager, added, “Target Corporation did a great job of caring for their building. The school district will be acquiring a building with few issues to repair and can focus it’s dollars toward making the building a pleasing learning environment for young children”. The district is currently working with an architect on preliminary design elements. A spacious main enMATHEW HOLDING EAGLE | INNOVATION trance will be family friendly FILLING THE VOID: The former Fergus Falls Target building left a gaping hole in retail and large vacant building in the city. The Fergus Falls while also affording a seSchool District looked at the space as an opportunity to repurpose the space for its preschool and Children’ s Corner, dubbing the building cure checkin. Offices will be Lincoln School (above). A schematic of where the building and the school district’ s opportunity to expand later, if necessary (below). housed near the front of the building. Lincoln School will feature a cafeteria as well already being received by tion through the creation as a gym. Students and staff the school district from local of nature trails and learning will travel wide hallways be- property taxes,” Masten said. stations. Changes will also take It is anticipated that Lintween classrooms and the interior will be bright with place outside the building. coln School will be ready A portion of the existing for occupancy by the start natural light. Current plans call for the parking lot will be convert- of school next fall. Drake development of about a third ed to a playground with concluded, “The site offers of the building’s space al- equipment designed for a great deal of flexibility to lowing the district flexibility small children. The remain- create a truly one of a kind for expansion of classrooms der of the parking area will learning environment. We should enrollment continue be resurfaced. In addition, are very excited about how to increase. the district purchased an Lincoln School will en“The acquisition of the adjoining 8 acres that will hance the great educational building along with this serve as green space which experience already offered initial development will be can be used recreationally in the Fergus Falls Public completed by using dollars or to complement instruc- School District.”
PAGE 26 | INNOVATION 2019
Matheson pursuing tasty art of barbecue By Brian Hansel Innovation
Some try medicine, others go into computers and there are those who have a terrible time deciding what to do in adult life. Justin Matheson is one of those fortunate ones who realized his calling quite early. He went after a career in the culinary arts. His specialty is barbeque. The Rothsay native teamed up with his father to build a meat smoker out of spare parts when he was a high school freshman. By the time he was a senior he had another smoker and used it to prepare food for his own graduation party. Since earning a degree in culinary arts Matheson has been busy appealing to the tastes of his customers as a chef and the owner of Big J’s Smokehouse. With the help of his family, Matheson started an award-winning catering business six years ago. Graduation parties and family reunions helped him add a food truck to his business two years later. His most recent move was the purchase of a corner
restaurant in Rothsay (134 1st Ave. SW.), formerly owned by Ole and Lena’s Pizza. The two-story establishment has been his home base since April and the restaurant’s kitchen is where he prepares his food. Matheson is not trying to run his three enterprises alone. He has a dozen employees at his restaurant in Rothsay in addition to the help he receives from his father, mother and brother. Yet Matheson still carries a lot of the load on his shoulders. His “day” begins at 10 p.m. when he puts his beef and pork in the smoker. He is up at 3 a.m. the following morning to wrap the meat. At 5 a.m. he starts his ribs. By 11 a.m. he has everything he needs to begin serving. Of his three business enterprises, Matheson has come to enjoy his food truck the most. “It’s a smokehouse on wheels,” Matheson said. “I really like the food truck. I’m in the food truck almost every day. You go to where the people are and the scenery always changes.”
SUBMITTED
SMOKEHOUSE ON WHEELS: Justin Matheson’s food truck served hungry patrons at the Lake Region Pioneer Threshermen’s Show in Dalton. Matheson calls his unit a “smokehouse on wheels.” The food truck follows a schedule. Tuesdays will find it in Wahpeton. Wednesdays bring it into Fergus Falls where Matheson sets up near Stener-
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Beef brisket is one of the meats that Matheson works with the most. His pulled pork is also a favorite as is the smoked pastrami he serves. “I’ll serve from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. most of the time,”
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Matheson said. “It’s a major labor of love. I don’t feel like I’m working. It’s fine.” Big J’s Smoke House menu kicks out appetizers, entrees, salads, sandwiches, pizzas and desserts - all made from scratch.
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Matt hew S. Van Bruggen
Sarah C. Duff y
Marc Sugden
Ryan Fullerton
Kendra Olson
Nicole Tabbut
Curtis D. Ripley
Justin 218-205-6137
• Light, Medium & Heavy Duty Towing • Hauling • Recovery
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218.739.3377 888.389.3377
FERGUS FALLS | 110 North Mill Street | Fergus Falls, MN 56537 | 218-736-5493 WADENA | 7 Colfax Avenue | Wadena, MN 56482 | 218-631-1400 DETROIT LAKES | 903 Washington Ave | Detroit Lakes, MN 56501 | 218-847-4858 ALEXANDRIA | 203 22nd Avenue West | Alexandria, MN 56308 | 320-759-3143
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