Fargo INC! December 2021 by Spotlight Media

DECEMBER 2021

50+ People Pushing Fargo Business Forward

// DECEMBER 2021

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Lastly, work with your employees to help them understand good cybersecurity practices. Everyone knows that longer passwords are better than ones as well as not to click on links in emails, but it still happens.

Cybersecurity Advancements in technology have changed the way we can conduct business, allowing us to work faster and connect with more customers. Unfortunately, cybercriminals have the same technologies. Between 2019 and 2020, ransomware attacks increased by 62% worldwide and the trend has continued to rise throughout 2021. The growing dependency on technology coupled with the evolution of cybercrime makes investing in cybersecurity a critical part of your technology planning. Let's start with the basics: inventory, backups, and logs. • Inventory - How can you know what you need to protect or what vulnerabilities might affect you if you do not know what you have? A comprehensive and up-to-date inventory of your assets is critical. • Backups - After identifying what you have and where it is located, figure out a data protection plan that involves a retention period you are comfortable with. Keep in mind that bad actors can be in your network for weeks before triggering malware, so the standard two weeks of backups are not enough. • Logs - If you are breached or affected by ransomware, law enforcement agents will need logs of your systems to gather evidence. These logs should be backed up, stored offsite and preferably immutable. Now that we have set the table, what else can you do, right meow, to improve your security posture? Enable MFA and educate your people. Multi-factor authentication is a simple way to add an additional layer of account security to your environment. In a recent Microsoft study, they state that 99.9% of Microsoft 365 account takeovers would have been prevented by enabling MFA. Multi-factor authentication is included on most services platforms so take advantage of it.

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Educating your users on good security practices and encouraging them to ask questions will help them respond better the next time they are faced with a phishing email or unusual files on their systems. Creating a culture of education and good security practices will have a larger impact on your company’s security posture than buying the next security gadget or gizmo. To learn more about technology solutions offered by Network Center, Inc., visit netcenter.net or email info@netcenter.net to set up a free business consultation.

NETWORK CENTER, INC.

• Managed IT • IT Help Desk • Cybersecurity • Collaborative & Voice Solutions • Custom Application/ERP Development • Website Development & Hosting • Business Intelligence / Analytics • Data System Integrations • Network Infrastructure • Advisory & Consulting Services • Traditional IT / Hardware

50+ People Pushing Fargo Business Forward BY BRADY DRAKE

In 2021, we had the pleasure of speaking to an assortment of brilliant, creative and hard working business professionals. In order to properly celebrate them, we decided to take a look back at many of the great photos we took in 2021.

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Faces of Fargo Business 2021

Doug Restemayer, President and CEO (left) and Bill Restemayer, Logistics Manager (right), D-S Beverages

Troy Rinehardt Founder, Men's Hair Co.

Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson (left) and Monique LamoureuxMorando (right), Olympic Heroes and

Founders of the Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux Foundation

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Mike Peschel

Managing Broker, Kilbourne Group

Chris Coste, Head Coach, Concordia College Baseball

Jodee Bock, Director of People Development, BNG Team

Faces of Fargo Business 2021

Jake Joraanstad

CEO/Co-Founder, Bushel 2021 was a huge year for Bushel. Your company secured $47 million in investments and acquired another business. What did you learn about managing drastic change in 2021? We're on a mission to help digitize the ag supply chain, to help create the ag digital infrastructure as we call it. We need incredible talent in order to accomplish this mission. Bushel has always been flexible and agile in how we serve our customers and how we are set up to respond to changes that come in real-time. For us, what we saw was the scale and scope of our team. We increased our team headcount by more than 30%, are more dispersed throughout the U.S and added a second headquarters in Omaha. This means being more intentional and frequent with our communication to keep our team aligned and to drive clarity of work.

Derrick Lapoint, President/CEO,

Downtown Moorhead Incorporated In your role, you have a unique opportunity to speak with and learn about pain points from a wide array of businesses in the community. Is there anything universally we, as a community, can do to help those businesses you are speaking with? Talk to the business owners and show them support! Simply drop them a note through email or engage in a conversation the next time you are in the store. Business owners are still going through a tough time right now. Just knowing their customers are thinking of them will make them feel valued and as a consumer, we will better understand their needs.

Cindy Tyo

Travel Travel

Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success

by Hugh Delehanty and Phil Jackson

Eric Wilkie Executive Director, FM Area Foundation

Jennifer Schillinger (left) and

Melanie Iverson (right)

The Power of Zero

by David McKnight

Kimberly Peterson

COO, Lillestol Research

Executive Toughness

by Dr. Jason Selk FARGOINC.COM

Faces of Fargo Business 2021 Jodi Duncan

President, Flint Group

Tamar Elias

Enterprise Fraud Strategies, U.S. Bank

Fowzia Adde

Executive Director, Immigrant Development Center

Dr. Nicholas Adams CEO and Founder, Center For Plastic Surgery

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Faces of Fargo Business 2021

Russell Schell RJ Energy Solutions

Chris Larson Head Golf Pro, Moorhead Country Club

Debbie Chris Larson, Osowski Head Golf Pro, Creator/Owner, Country Club DoMoorhead Good Adventures

Kendra Dujmovic Founder/CMO, Thaea LLC

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Faces of Fargo Business 2021 Terry Sando, Managing Partner in Goose River Brewing As a public official and businessman, you have a unique lens to view the world from. What do you expect from the business community in 2022? My public official perspective is that it is going to be expensive going into 2022 for infrastructure improvements. A small town like Hillsboro has older infrastructure, some more than 70 years old. The cost of materials during the pandemic has increased dramatically and now inflation is exacerbating the situation. Keeping these costs under control will be a priority for Hillsboro so that our citizens, especially those on fixed incomes, don't lose their quality of life. We are having some success in adding industry and the new Riverwalk Development opportunities in Hillsboro. These will help to grow our community and add new workforce. The City Commission will be looking for assistance with workforce development and training for the future. An example is what type of training will be need for Electric Vehicles and electric drive Ag Equipment. Changing from internal combustion engines with around 1500 moving parts to Electric with maybe only 25 moving parts will create a new workforce. These are all issues that will drive a lot of discussion on how to prepare our community for the rapidly changing landscape of these technological opportunities. With my businessman's hat on, I see many of the same challenges in the business community. The cost of doing business has gone up and in many instances it may be hard to pass those costs off to the customer. Technology is going to accelerate change and how you enable the workforce to adapt and train will be a priority. Having the leadership skills and team building expertise to build an organization that can adapt in a constantly changing environment will be important attributes. The nation needs to think locally for supply chain opportunities and be more adept at onshoring opportunities. The pandemic should have taught us that it isn't good to rely on a near peer competitor for many of our products. The younger generations want quality and they want to know where it was produced, this should be the backbone of any business. Social media will become more prevalent in any marketing plan and could cause unexpected second and third-order effects that may be hard for a small business to adapt to. Being an optimist, I see 2022 full of opportunities, but just as many challenges. I think 2022 will be a tough year for small business and hopefully a year where the economy gets a full recovery to set up 2023 as a great year.

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Faith Dixon

Founder/President, Faith4Hope Scholarship Fund

Essentialism: The Discipline Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Sacred Rhythms

by Ruth Haley Barton

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker

Faces of Fargo Business 2021 Julie Saatoff

Founder, Rocket Dogs k-9 Aquatics & Wellness Center

Trever Thompson Owner, Trev's Barbershop

Keith Homstad Owner, Alloy Engineering

Courtney Ripoll-McBride Owner, Ripollsworkshop

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WE ARE YOUR RETIREMENT SERVICES EXPERTS.

Monica Millette

Jana Samek

HAVE PEACE OF MIND KNOWING YOUR RETIREMENT PLAN IS IN GOOD HANDS. Our services include:

PLAN DESIGN AND CONSULTING EDUCATION AND GUIDANCE INVESTMENT ANALYSIS FIDUCIARY SUPPORT Find a full list of services on our website

HEARTLANDTRUST.COM

1202 27th St S, Fargo, ND 58103 | (701) 235-2002

Faces of Fargo Business 2021 Terri Zimmerman Chris Partridge Owner, FargoDIYGarage

CEO, Packet Digital and Botlink

Joe Fluge

Owner, Sheyenne River Kennels/Urban K9/K9 Crew

Janell Hauck

Marketing Manager, DRN ReadiTech 46

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Adventures of an IT Leader by Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan, and Shannon O'Donnell

The Storm Before the Calm

by George Friedman

Aaron Hill

Managing Partner, Fargo Brewing Company

The Serpent and the Rainbow by Wade Davis

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Faces of Fargo Business 2021

Eric Mauch

Managing Partner, Razor Consulting and Razor Tracking

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Faces of Fargo Business 2021 Melissa Marshall (left) and Sarah West (right), CoreCounts

James Leiman North Dakota Commerce Commissioner

Sara Hand,

Communications Specialist, Cass County Electric Cooperative Are there any trainings, TED Talkx, etc. that you think other young professionals in the community should look into?

Bethany Berkeley

CEO and Co-Owner, Dale Carnegie Training of ND and Northwest MN 50

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I think every young professional should attend training on how to negotiate effectively. As young professionals, we might not have the experience in negotiating, but it’s an essential skill to have or dust off. There are big negotiations like starting a new job or small ones like wanting the office to dress more casually.

Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull

Thomas Kading, Attorney, Fargo Patent & Business Law

Positive Intelligence

by Shirzad Chamine

Melissa Rogne, Founder/President, Chapter Aesthetic Studio

Think Again byAdam Grant

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Faces of Fargo Business 2021

Erin D. Larsgaard

Associate Attorney, Wold Johnson P.C.

Drew Sannes

Marketing Director, Light Consulting

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Faces of Fargo Business 2021 John Fisher

Executive Director, Friends of the Children Fargo Moorhead

Danne Doering

Retail Location Manager, Choice Bank

Celine Paulson

Cash Management Officer, Choice Bank

Meagan McDougall Account Manager, High Point Networks 54

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Mike Herzog

Owner, Herzog Roofing Your business expanded to a new market this year. What advice can you give to other businesses looking to do the same? One thought to consider is deciding what your priorities are related to the business you are involved with. How will you identify how you will hire needed staff or make yourself known to the customer base you hope to connect with. How will you define and measure success? Will, it be increased revenue, growth of employees, expanding and developing client relationships? These are the types of things we discussed when our company looked at adding another location.

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Faces of Fargo Business 2021

(Left to Right) Sierra Olhoft, Cooper Bierscheid, John Olhot, LulzBot. As the CEO of a 3D printing company, you find yourself at the forefront of innovation every single day. What do you see from the technology sector that will shake up the world of business in 2022?

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I think we will continue to see the advancement of automated processes, whether that takes the form of new customer interactivity on smartphones or the utilization of robotics to complete mundane tasks. -John Olhoft

Faces of Fargo Business 2021

Siddharth Gupta Founder, Samaaj

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Faces of Fargo Business 2021

Karla Isley

CEO, United Way Cass-Clay

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It Takes What It Takes by Trevor Moawad

The Practice by Seth Godin

What Happened to You by Dr. Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey

SALES ADVICE

From The Dale Carnegie Team

5 FOOT 20, DENNIS KRULL

Bethany Berkeley, CEO, Dale Carnegie Training of ND and Northwest MN

Sales get a bad rap, and Dale Carnegie Training has an answer for that. Confidence, along with heart and a plan is what makes up the art of sales. The art of the sales strategy wouldn’t be complete without putting in time and the heart to create. We believe that effective selling requires productive relationships built on reciprocal trust that comes from established credibility and a mutual understanding of value. A skilled professional must understand the psychology behind the process to: connect, collaborate, create, confirm and commit. What does sales truly come down to?

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R – Relationship oriented T – Trusted partnership When we put the process into action our goal is to help move individuals from “order-takers” towards “trust partners.”

H – Hear them out

While it is true that selling has changed dramatically over the past few decades (due to customer knowledge, globalization, technology, the internet, etc.), what has not changed over thousands and thousands of years is how people buy and where they decide to spend their dollars. When you listen to your customer you can find out their goals and align your objectives with theirs.

E – Establish credibility and value

The skills to be a good salesperson are much

Confidence, empathy, and HEART.

A – Answer objections clearly

the same as those in the nonprofit development world. Recently, Bethany had the opportunity to be a part of both the CCRI and the RACC fundraising events both raising over $100,000. When the mission was shared with heart, and the ask for support was made with confidence and credibility, it’s an easy “sell” for support. In an environment where the seller cannot always win on price, it is important to be focused on the real customer wants and needs that will ensure mutual success.

Q&A

With Bethany Berkeley

How can salespeople utilize Dale Carnegie? 1. Create and demonstrate sales strategies that facilitate the buying process through relationship-oriented techniques. 2. They can use methods taught within Dale Carnegie courses to establish a connection with customers to gain access and establish trust. 3. Dale Carnegie can help salespeople gain skills to construct solutions in collaboration with customers while offering insights and establishing value. 4. Salespeople can learn the Dale Carnegie Sales Model to eliminate objections and minimize the need for negotiation. 5. Dale Carnegie courses offer proven techniques to maintain customer relationships and encourage repeat business.

Dale Carnegie “Thousands of salespeople are pounding the pavements today, tired, discouraged and underpaid. Why? Because they are always thinking only of what they want. They do not realize that neither you nor I want to buy anything. If we did, we would go out and buy it. But both of us are eternally interested in solving our problems. And if salespeople can show us how their services or merchandise will help us solve our problems, they will not need to sell us. We will buy. And customers like to feel that they are buying–not being sold.” - Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People, 1936

6. Dale Carnegie courses can help them overcome challenges in their own sales activities.

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What Dale Carnegie programs do you recommend for salespeople? The Dale Carnegie Course Change your approach to tap into trust and build inclusion. Form closer, more rewarding relationships built on trust and respect. Gain ways to project an upbeat and contagious attitude, discover ways to manage stress and minimize worry, encourage positive thinking, and commit to continuous improvement. Why? Sales improve when salespeople overcome the fears that hold them back and build selfconfidence. Trust develops when salespeople try to honestly see things from the buyer’s point of view, which builds relationships and trust. Having the right attitudes and behaviors for connection, cooperation and collaboration are critical for effective sales. High Impact Presentations Learn to communicate with clarity and certainty, interact with a natural and composed demeanor, and convey complex material directly and simply. Discover ways to project confidence and enthusiasm while building credibility. Explore techniques to overcome adverse situations and invigorate people to embrace change and take action. ' Why? Sales storytelling is among the most coveted and rare sales skill. Flexing the muscle of navigating the unexpected and thinking in impromptu high-pressure situations requires confidence through practice. Winning with Relationship Selling This series provides structure to help sales professionals at every level, from novices looking to start strong, to seasoned professionals who need to navigate changing

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sales and relationship dynamics. You’ll learn to demonstrate your value proposition powerfully, shorten the buying cycle, and gain repeat business through trusting relationships. What are some industries you are already working for sales? Manufacturing, Agriculture (Seed, equipment, chemical), Construction, Wind, Energy, BioEngineering, Distribution, Professional Services, Civil Engineering, Nonprofit development and Technology.

9. More effective prospecting Do you have any technology recommendations? Don’t overuse technology by implementing additional communication and CRM platforms. Simplify with the most efficient and strategic fit. Do you have any nonDale Carnegie content recommendations? For books, I recommend:

How are the programs customizable? All programs referenced are available to be delivered in-house for a client and customized for their industry, strategic objectives, vision, and needs. What are some impacts you have seen each of the courses make on different organizations?

The Challenger Sale by Brent Adamson and Matthew Dixon

Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim

1. Increased sales 2. Higher margins per sale 3. Cross-sell and up-sell opportunities 4. Proven success backed up with testimonials 5. Greater customer loyalty, which equates to more repeat sales 6. Lower costs of sales, as it is far less expensive to keep a current customer than acquire a new one 7. Discovery of more opportunities for sales 8. Better customer satisfaction by being better able to meet their wants and needs

Sales Dogs by Blair Singer

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By Grant Ayers Each month, we dive deep into a new and exciting part of Fargo's business landscape. The hard part? There's so much that is new and exciting. With this in mind, it can be even harder to pick a cover story, much less a cover for the magazine. However, this is something we must do every month. Here is a look back at the covers and cover stories Fargo INC! put together in 2021. All of these articles can be found on fargoinc.com or issuu.com/fmspotlight

A Look Inside The Culture Of D-S Beverages And A Family Succession Plan In The Works Doug Restemayer and his son Bill had a simple father’s day conversation that ended up laying the groundwork for years to come. While Doug may still be quite some time from his retirement, it’s gratifying for everyone involved to see the family business maintain its familial status. With a spectacular culture that emphasizes their values, as well as care for the retailers, community and teammates, business is running better than ever. Other topics tackled in this issue are Seven Things to Combat Your Desk Job (p. 64), The ERG Grant in Action (p. 48) and Ten Things Leaders Should Know to Navigate Organizational Change (p. 54).

Former Athletes Making A Difference In The Real World While current athletes take up the majority of news, coverage of former athletes’ current events is few and far between. In this issue over half a dozen former athletes get the spotlight they deserve, highlighting the important, real differences they’re making in the real world. Athletes featured include the Lamoureux twins, former MLB player Chris Coste and NCAA National Champion and Concordia College All-American Jodee Bock. Other topics tackled in this issue is A CEO conversation With Tom Astrup (p. 78) and some of the best ways to market towards Gen Z (p. 88).

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21 Women Making A Positive Impact in 2021 In our March issue, we partner with the United Way to examine just a few of the many women that are making a positive impact in our community. While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of more women in our community that made a deep impact, the women in this issue are certainly deserving of recognition. Each of them brings their own experience to the table, offering up what they believe to be some of the most valuable lessons they’ve learned, as well as how being in this community has impacted them.

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When Times Are Tough, Lend A Hand Up Is There To Help Jesse Hoorelbeke was known within the community for capturing the photos and videos of those that needed their stories to be told. While he was used to capturing eye-opening events for the wider community to see, he wasn’t prepared for an eyeopening event to happen to himself, a cancer diagnosis. With a plan of attack set in stone, Jesse was ready to fight, and so was the rest of the community alongside him. Lend A Hand Up, Spotlight Media and many others pitched in and lent him a hand in his time of need. Three things that Jesse wants every reader to know is that it’s important to ask for help, get screened and stay positive in times of crisis such as this one. There are always other people that need the support and determination that Jesse received. Elsewhere, in this issue of Fargo INC! readers can learn more about local golf professionals adapting to changing times (p. 60), as well as a spotlight on the Dakota Dirt Coffee Company (p. 70).

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In this issue, we highlight a handful of the veterans making an impact in the business community. Their perseverance, commitment and unique life experiences make their advice and insights incredibly valuable. Other highlights in this issue include resources for veterans (p. 50) and much more.

We all remember our first job. Some had it great, while others quickly realized that they needed to carve a different path so they didn't end up with a job they would regret until retirement. Throughout this issue, we explore local community members’ first jobs and ten lessons regarding what they learned from them. In this issue, learn about a new product helping employee engagement (p. 62), what your future workers want (p. 58) and Five Ways to Avoid the Expense and Reputation Damage of Litigation (p. 79).

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Despite being sixty years removed from his passing, Dale Carnegie still has a heavy influence on the movers and shakers of today. Carnegie’s ND and MN training companies remain one of the most current, forward-thinking development programs to date. Offering in-house training and customized solutions, as well as live online options, Dale Carnegie Training offers a wide range of opportunities for those looking to push themselves to new heights. Also included in this issue are Tips For Growing in North Dakota (p. 64), essential trademarking information (p. 70) and The Power of Social Networks in the Workplace (p. 76).

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The business market used to be a job field that required years of preliminary experience before someone could reap the benefits. Nowadays, there are plenty of young, aspiring professionals looking to make their name in the game. Ranging from marketing directors to account managers to cash management officers, these young professionals are aiming high with an impressive resume at such an early stage. Other discussions in this edition include Innovation leading North Dakota to become the nation’s first carbonneutral state (p. 84) and an entrepreneur’s social network during the COVID pandemic (p. 78).

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Beginning in 1981, Herzog Roofing was started by two brothers with a loan, some fatherly guidance and a dream. What came from this dream was more successful than either of them could have imagined. While it may have taken a few years to get the company off the ground to a successful stage, taking their time and making thoughtful business decisions proved to be effective. The company has grown to new heights and extended outside the family. Don’t let that give off the wrong impression about Herzog Roofing, as even the non-blood-related employees have said that they feel like family. Also in this issue: The rebellious future of HR (p. 46) and Minding the Digital Literacy Gap (p. 85).

DID YOU KNOW FARGO IS AT THE CENTER

Lulzbot is the United State's largest manufacturer of desktop 3D printers, yet few in the community know about this innovative company. Their impressive resume includes work on the new Star Wars films, collaboration with NASA, Ford, John Deere, Tesla and many more. While many know how 3D printers work at a basic level, less know just how easy and affordable it is nowadays to print using this technology. Further topics in this issue include Small Business Financing Basics (p. 84), how Workplace Culture Encourages Employee Retention (p. 92) and Breaking Into Finance (p. 46).

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In this issue, we lean on industry experts to find you the best sales advice possible. Featured in this issue is Ryan Dohrn ( an Emmy Winning Sales Coach), Shawn Peterson and Anna Hanson. We also bring you sales tech and literature to help you sell more successfully.

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Questions

or two years now, John Machacek, Chief Innovation Officer for the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation, has been asking entrepreneurs the questions that matter. We caught up with a few of the companies he featured in the last calendar year to learn more about what they've had in the works.

One of the things about your story that we touched on is the fact that you started FOV while you were still in school. Do you have any advice for other young entrepreneurs out there?

If you are old enough to have observed a problem that can be solved profitably, then you are old enough to start a business. Life only gets more complicated the older you get, so consider taking a chance while you have less to lose if things don’t work out. With this being said, be sure to seek the guidance necessary to succeed (by enrolling in a program like Innovate ND, for example).

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10 Questions

I hear that Bogo is now on Selfridges! I know that might not mean much to our readers, so could you explain to them what a big deal that is!? How did you make it happen? Yes we are! Selfridges Department Store is based in London, UK and has been voted World’s Best Department Store by multiple publications in multiple years. It features the highest-end products alongside world-changing brands. Bogobrush

is included in their Project Earth Edit. A collection of brands we’re so proud to be part of. Selfridges is known for amazing marketing campaigns, and we’re excited to see what may unfold! We made this happen through our great sales team and strategy. Through attending and investing in trade shows like ECRM and FounderMade, our team cultivated a relationship with the Selfridges buyer. Supported by a strong presence on other channels like Amazon and retailer platforms like Faire and RangeMe, Selfridges could trust in us to deliver on our promises. Good product, good team, and showing up. Cheers to international growth and impact!

What has changed for Project Phoenix over the course of 2021? The biggest change over the course of 2021 is that we have converted our company from an LLC to a C-Corp, and we were accepted into a fast-growing accelerator, Newchip, to guide us in our pursuit

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towards global adoption of our core technology. Just a few weeks ago, we formally made the decision to open up a Seed Round for investment and it is going better than I ever could have hoped for! 2021 has been an absolutely huge year for Project Phoenix.

What is something valuable you have learned over the past year? Don’t be afraid to ask for help… in our personal lives and professional careers, no one knows everything about anything, so be willing to seek advice, ask questions, and continuously reflect on what you learn.

Congratulations on making the Inc 5,000 list for the first time! What did that honor mean to you? It’s a confirmation that we have favor from above, are doing the right things, going the right direction, and have the right talent. We are so blessed!

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10 Questions

I assume a consistent supply chain is very important in your industry. Have you encountered any challenges with that lately and if so, how did you address the challenges? Supply is very tough and in our industry, it is very hard to get heat

I have to assume this time of year is very busy for Unglued with the holidays coming up. Do you have any tips for other business owners out there on how to make sure a "busy season" goes as smoothly as possible? During the crazy holiday season, my best advice is to still have fun, stay

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flexible and have an amazing crew to work with who love the holiday season. It can be easy for the days to get away from you as inventory piles up or you have to put out some unexpected "fire," but keeping things just as merry behind the scenes as the front scenes makes it all so much more enjoyable and something to look forward to every year. While I do plan each day out to keep up with our shop, events and custom corporate orders, I don't expect any day to fully go as planned during this season. I try to stay flexible with my time as much as I can. And having a crew who looks forward to this season continues to infuse joy and fun into it! And drink coffee.

presses and sublimation blanks since they mostly come out of China, Heat Transfer Warehouse has had to source from more than one source to make sure we have plenty of options and stock. We have overbought products just to have stock for the Christmas season. We have used Airfreight on some lightweight products to allow us the flexibility of having new products more quickly and on time for the season. Finally, we have new partnerships with even competitors to gain access to products.

How does Elinor Coatings plan to use the $750,000 in LIFT funding it just received? We were approved for a $750,000 LIFT loan to use for working capital, inventory and product testing to launch new products.

What business trends do you see around the corner in 2022? We started seeing an upward tick at the end of 2021 and we completely anticipate events and tradeshows making a full-swing comeback in 2022. It is an industry that directly affects us, so that's probably why our heads went there.

FARGOINC.COM

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

Dr. Wasifa Ahmad Hasan

Saree Reveling

Ellie Maher

Transitioning from dentistry to being a full-time blogger and influencer wasn’t the path that many expected Dr. Wasifa Ahmad Hasan to take. Against all odds, she speaks to her success on the big change, living with chronic illness and Ladybosses joining forces this year. Dr. Wasifa features and reviews makeup, skin and hair care products, writing for publications including Area Woman Magazine and Fargo Mom. She believes that women need to believe in themselves and stop competing with each other. Rather, helping in a supportive and meaningful way is the key to ensuring that Ladybosses can grow and thrive together.

As a full-time mother with an extensive resume and workload, Reveling is no stranger to stress and how to deal with it. As the director of Fit Elements Women’s Fitness Club, a hypnotherapist, Master Reiki teacher and Core Passion Facilitator, Reveling focuses on improving the mental, physical and spiritual health of herself and others. To Reveling, being a Ladyboss “means being connected to some of the most growth-minded, forward-thinking women in our area."

Once beginning as a tattoo studio receptionist, Ellie Maher strived for greater accomplishments. Although it didn’t come without hard work, Maher is now the proud owner of Tailwind Tattoo alongside her husband. With over twenty years of experience, Maher is focused on delivering a deeply personal experience with her clients, as she works directly with them and their art ideas. With the statistics showing that female tattoo artists now outnumber male artists, Maher has her own opinion for why that may be. She believes that it’s because female artists are training other females. It’s a perfect example of Ladybosses supporting Ladybosses.

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By Grant Ayers

Photos submitted by Ladyboss Midwest

Each month, we work with Ladyboss Midwest, a local organization with the goal of leaving a legacy of connection between empowered women in the Midwest while creating lasting change, to highlight just one of the many empowered and confident women in the community.

Here is a look back at these great women that were highlighted in our magazine in 2021. All of these articles can be found on fargoinc.com or issuu.com/fmspotlight

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

Indira Kovaci

Kayla Goebel

Andrea Jang

Indira Kovaci may have started her business through a Craigslist advertisement, but she’s come a long way. Now, as the owner of PrimRose Boutique and Allora Salon & Suites alongside her husband, she’s focused on inspiring and being inspired by those around her. While the pandemic was financially worrisome for many business owners, Kovaci is beyond thankful for those that assisted her and her business. Taking time for herself, self-care and improving her network are just a few of the many celebrations she’s been making lately.

Kayla Goebel is no stranger to change. After getting hooked on her first Crossfit workout over six years ago, she noticed some groups of people absent from the workouts. Looking to create a more cost-friendly, all-inclusive environment, she opened Strong Roots. Advertised as “a small gym with a big mission," she has always encouraged staying connected and social with one another both in and out of the workouts. Promoting inclusivity, accessibility and her community, Goebel is sure to inspire others for years to come.

Andrea Jang is no stranger to taking on new obstacles and challenges. In 2015, she was awarded the City of Fargo Human Relations Commission Human Relations Award for her monumental work with low-income individuals, at-risk and minority populations and many others. As the owner of Duluth Mom for nearly three years, Jang created something that other Ladybosses could look towards and be inspired by while also inspiring her.

FARGOINC.COM

JULY

AUGUST

Allison Lunde

Jackie Maahs

As the owner of and only designer and employee at Floret & Foliage, Allison Lunde most certainly has a busy schedule. Having always been surrounded by flower and landscape design, Lunde developed such a strong love for

floral design that she decided to open her own floral shop. What sets her apart from the rest of the pack is her dedication to sustainability and recyclable items.

After ten years in the recycling and sustainability industries, Jackie Maahs turned her passion into a career, making concrete planters, caring for plants and connecting with others in the F-M area through her business, The Plant

Supply. Maahs prioritizes care for herself, other businesswomen and spreading knowledge of the business industry to others, all while improving the F-M area one plant at a time.

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

Kelci Boniface

Grace Heinen

Katie Anderson

Kelci Boniface, a mother of two, creates success out of chaos. She’s owned The Black Frame Boutique for twelve years but has now taken it out of the basement and made it a full-time job in West Fargo. Now, inspired by her children, she lives a different kind of “day job” that she looks forward to every day. Learning to manage expectations, emphasize self-care in her life and supporting other women continue to be important parts of her routine.

As the proud owner of CreatedxGrace, Grace Heinen is proving that age is just a number. At the young age of only twenty years old, Heinen is a self-starter who began her very own successful Etsy shop filled with creative knots. Making these knots are just one of the many forms of self-care that she practices. While it may have been hard to get off the ground, Grace is no stranger to overcoming obstacles. According to her, being a Ladyboss “means you’re always up for a challenge and are willing to put in the hard work, even if it’s outside your comfort zone.”

As an agent for New York Life, Katie Anderson has a passion for insurance on a personal level. After earning her MBA, she strives to help other families grow and encourages mindful financial decisions. Two of the most important aspects of insurance to her are knowing what you have as well as knowing what you want out of your insurance for you and your family. These two mindful tips aren’t only notable: they’re essential. As she emphasizes self-care alongside her work-life balance, she has built and established her practice to levels higher than ever before. The process didn’t, and still doesn’t, come without endless challenges, yet she looks forward to helping families and educating them every day. FARGOINC.COM

AWESOME FOUNDATION GRANT AWARD WINNER

Minnesota State Community and Technical College he Minnesota State Community and Technical College is looking to make a big impact with small changes, and they are starting in an unlikely place—their public restrooms. When Sean Anderson, Dean of Students at the Minnesota State Community and Technical College, was sent a promotional email from Aunt Flow, a company devoted to helping schools and businesses provide free menstrual products at their in-person locations, he immediately forwarded it to Madison Jansky, the Associate Director of Equity and Inclusion to see what she thought of the idea. “We know there is a menstrual equity gap in learning environments. We know that almost one in five Americans have left or skipped school because they didn’t have access to period products. I’ve skipped class myself. So it just seemed like a no-brainer to try to make this happen,” stated Madison. “We met with Bruce, Derrick, and Tom, our facilities supervisors who would ultimately be in charge of implementing this initiative, and I was concerned there might be some difficulties with changing of routines or adding additional work.

BY Brandi

Malarkey

DECEMBER 2021

Instead, they were so supportive and gung-ho. It was all ‘When can we order, when can we start, this is definitely worthwhile.’” To that end, the Minnesota State Community and Technical College started the initiative with the beginning of the current semester at all four of their locations (Wadena, Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, and Moorhead), providing free menstrual products in display boxes in all women’s and gender-neutral restrooms. While primarily benefitting students and staff, their campuses are open to the public, and MState hopes to also be a resource to those in the nearby community who may not have regular access to bathrooms, housing, or period products. “Obviously not everyone who comes through our doors needs menstrual products,” continued Madison. “But for those who do, it makes a significant difference. It’s my job to think about who is being represented, who is being heard, how we can make things more equitable for everyone. As our society changes around us, we need to change with it. That can be something like re-examining outdated language in a text-book, but it also can be something like making sure our students don’t have to miss classes due to a lack of an expensive product.” Providing free menstrual products in their women’s and gender-neutral bathrooms is only the first step in their initiative.

They also hope to replace the pay-forproduct dispensers currently gracing the walls of their public restrooms with new dispensers which do not require payment to access. As a start toward that goal, the Minnesota State Community and Technical College applied for, and was gifted with, a $1000 grant from the Cass Clay chapter of the Awesome Foundation in October to assist them with the purchase of additional products to start the dispenser replacement portion of their project. “We have to work it into our budget— with four campuses that is a lot of bathrooms! Of course, once we have completed the dispenser replacement step, the big goal is to have free menstrual products in all our restrooms on all our campuses, including the assigned men’s restrooms. We know that not everyone who was assigned female at birth identifies as such or uses the 'women’s' restroom. It’s important to us to make products available to the Trans and Non-Binary community as well, and normalize menstruation as something that happens to folks of all gender identities.” In addition to selling products to schools and businesses, Aunt Flow (goauntflow. com) donates a menstrual product for each ten sold to an organization who provides them to people in need: including (914) Cares, Dignity Grows,

Keeping Families Covered, Sylvia's Sisters, Giving Hope & Help, and Period. org. Thirty of fifty states tax menstrual products, as they are deemed “nonessential” items, and they are not covered by government food programs. However, without them it is difficult for women to participate in work, school, and daily life activities. “Free period products on campuses is something a lot of folks have shown an interest in and expressed a desire for. I’m just really glad we were able to get

it done and bring the concept to all our MState campuses,” says Madison.

The Cass Clay chapter of the Awesome Foundation awards a $1,000 gift each month for awesome ideas of all sorts. Grant recipients do not need to be associated with a non-profit. Applications can be made at awesomefoundation.org/en/chapters/ cassclay.

Academic Insight

ave you ever stopped to think about the value you bring to an organization? From a career development perspective, I believe this is an important question to ponder and reflect on from time to time. And what better time to do this than now as one begins to start setting goals for the future.: For this month’s article, I’d like to share with you a framework to help managers think about their existing value to an organization and to begin the process to determine ways to increase

BY Shontarius D. Aikens, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Management at Offutt School of Business at Concordia College

DECEMBER 2021

GARY USSERY

Increasing Your Value in The Workplace: A Holistic Approach for 2022 that value. From my perspective, one’s value to an organization is so much more than the level of effectiveness and efficiency in completing one’s individual tasks. I believe that it also includes how one relates and connects to other individuals in the organization. Therefore, I’ve provided five different areas that managers should focus on improving along with reflective questions and recommendations as starting points to consider. Area 1: My supervisor and leadership team As a former supervisor, I vividly remember the increasing demands and challenges of trying to get my individual work completed while also overseeing the work being performed by those I supervised. What was refreshing was when I had employees and direct reports who were actively engaged in helping me accomplish my goals and objectives. For this area, one should be thinking about issues of concern for their supervisor and members of the executive

leadership team and to take a proactive approach in determining solutions to help them resolve those issues. Questions to ponder and to pose to your supervisor and leadership team would be the following: 1) What are some things that are on your radar for this upcoming period? and 2) What are things that I can do or improve on to better support you in your role in the organization? Area 2: Stakeholders A stakeholder is defined as “anyone who can affect or is affected by the activities of an organization.” While this is a broad category that can include a wide variety of individuals and groups, for the purposes of this article, I am focusing specifically on those stakeholders who provide an organization with financial revenue and/ or key resources that help sustain the organization’s operations (i.e., customers, clients). Something to consider in this area is how to position yourself as the expert who has the most up-to-date knowledge and understanding of the wants and needs of these individuals. This will play a key role in your ability to keep existing customers/ clients.

Dr. Aikens can be reached at: saikens@cord.edu

Area 3: Employees/Direct Reports The current labor shortage has increased the importance of managers in organizations. In the October 2021 issue of Fargo INC!, I mentioned how managers play a key role in the retention of employees. The key activity in this area is increasing the quality of 1 on 1 conversations and meetings with those you supervise. In addition to regular updates on work performance, topics of discussion should come from posing questions such as the following: 1) How would you like me/the organization to celebrate and recognize your achievements and accomplishments?, 2) What are the challenges you are facing? and 3) What resources and/or training and development can I/the organization provide to support you in your efforts? The value in these conversations is that it positions you as the ideal supervisor that individuals want to work for which plays a role in employee retention. Area 4: Colleagues/Co-Workers Getting things done and accomplished through your employees and direct reports is one thing. But what about your ability to do the same through individuals who don’t report to you? I want to challenge you to think about your interactions with your colleagues and co-workers and ways that you can improve those working relationships. Make a list of all your colleagues and co-workers that you interact with frequently and that provide essential resources needed by you or your specific area of responsibility. Then, begin to reflect on the quality of each of those working relationships by considering the following questions: 1) Overall, is this a positive working relationship?, 2) What does my colleague/co-worker need from me in the context of my work?, 3) Have I delivered on my promises to this individual in the past? and 4) What can I do in the future to improve these working relationships? Area 5: Oneself To provide value to an organization, it is important for managers to value themselves. Oftentimes, we can get so caught up with the wants and

needs of others that we don’t take into consideration our own wants and needs. A focus in this area is to connect the dots to determine if there can be some win-win outcomes between oneself and the other areas above. Here are some questions to consider: 1) Do I have the appropriate resources to deliver what others want or need on a consistent basis?, 2) Do I have the adequate time to do everything that is needed? and 3) What do I need to do to improve my physical and emotional well-being? Summary Making efforts in each area is a holistic approach to increasing your overall value within an organization. I would recommend identifying a new initiative in each of the above areas to focus on. Or you may determine that you need to focus your attention in only one area in order to get it up to par with the other areas mentioned. Either way, it is my hope that this framework, these guidelines and these recommendations have given you some things to think about and to reflect on as you prepare for your work in the year 2022.

10 Questions

Questions ohn Machacek, Chief Innovation Officer for the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation, has worked with countless startups throughout our community over the past seven years. He knows their ups, their downs, but most of all, he knows the questions to ask them. Here are John Machacek’s 10 questions for the Co-Founders of Off The Deck Hot Sauce and Flannel Fizz: Rachel and Jeremiah Utecht.

By John Machacek Photos by Josiah Kopp and Hillary Ehlen

DECEMBER 2021

01 Will you please tell us your Off The Deck and Flannel Fizz elevator pitches? Off The Deck Hot Sauce: We make fermented hot sauces using only peppers grown in the Red River Valley. Being farm-tobottle, we are able to partner with growers directly, ensuring a highquality and unique offering. The most fertile farmland in the world produces the most delicious chili peppers we have been able to find. Flannel Fizz: We make soda pop using real food. Our sodas are honest reflections of the fruits we use, making for a fresh and delightfully refreshing beverage.

02 What got you started with these products? Off The Deck is the offspring of being a voracious learner and having the willingness to test historical food preservation techniques. We started very small but

hit on something very delicious right out of the gate. Soda was what happens when a bunch of guys daydream about opening a brewery and talk about alternative products. Utilizing our whole food, local whenever possible ethos from Off The Deck, we applied that to soda with great success.

03 I understand you recently received some international awards for Off The Deck. Will you please tell me more about this and any other recent positive happenings for the business? The annual Scovie Awards recognize the top fiery food products from around the globe. Our hot sauces received 2nd place and 3rd place awards among 1,100 submitted hot sauces. As for the soda line, some personal wins include increasing our units sold this year by 5X compared to last year, due to a combination of a robust wholesale program and scaling improvements that have turned out

well and allowed us to transition to larger batches. The combination of increased sales and gained production efficiencies are so important in creating a sustainable business. With the hot sauce, for example, we’ve gone from bottling less than 1,000 units in the first year to over 10,000 in the fifth year, and made these dramatic increases in the same amount of production time.

04 How do you go about getting your products to your customers? We started at farmers markets, learning by interacting directly with consumers. We figured out our ideal retail profile and sought out businesses that fit. For Off The Deck Hot Sauce, we started in boutiques and Co-Ops. For our soda it has been restaurants and liquor stores.

FARGOINC.COM

10 Questions 05 How does someone get their product in the retailers? The hardest part is figuring out your target market and then matching that audience to their preferred retail spaces. However, with that figured out, it is possible to make a solid pitch that is beneficial to both us and the retailer.

06 What have you learned from marketing efforts? Marketing is a moving target. Social media platforms and buying habits change. The need to be constantly producing and pushing marketing is essential to maintain sales volume and grow the brand. Frequently interacting on social media is critical.

07 With both of you having “day jobs” and these being soto-speak “side hustles," how do you balance this and what keeps you going on days when you’re exhausted? Balance is not something we live with. However, we love our products and our customers. So, when we are out of gas we keep pushing because the delight we see in customers is totally worth it. Loving the work is essential.

08 What lies ahead for Off The Deck and Flannel Fizz in the near future? Christmas season is upon us so we will be pushing there. After the holiday season we are testing a series of recurring events at Fargo Brewing Co. and to makers markets, and expanding into the Minneapolis area.

09 If you could go back in time to Jeremiah and Rachel from several years ago, what hindsight advice would you give yourself? It’s worth it. Take notes. Get comfortable shoes for the market. Most importantly, that this is possible; yes it is more difficult that you can imagine, but you can do it.

About John

10 What can we do as a community to help Off The Deck and Flannel Fizz succeed? 1. We are always on the hunt for good retailers in South and West Fargo, as well as growing in Bismarck, Grand Forks and MinneapolisSt.Paul, as we are not as connected in those areas. 2. Buying locally is huge. Makers are all loosely connected. When you buy local it ripples out and helps everybody. 3. Attend events when you can.

FARGOINC.COM

By Joshua Marineau nowing who trusts and distrusts at work can help our chances of promotion Research shows that being promoted at work is largely based on work performance, but it is also a notoriously political process. Factors such as one’s personal relationships, clout and popularity influence promotion chances. If being promoted is somewhat political and social, then knowing the relationships of the people around you, particularly what they think about you, is important. When it comes to relationships at work, personal trust is critical, and factors heavily into our chances for promotion. Trust is broadly defined as a willingness to be vulnerable with another person. Trust, however, can be based on different underlying reasons. We tend to trust people we know and like, which is called affective trust. But sometimes trust is based on work ability alone. This is referred to as cognitive or instrumental trust and is based on the belief a person is competent and will follow through on their work. Both kinds of trust are important in the workplace but are used for different things. For example, I might trust my best friend to keep a personal secret, but I don’t necessarily trust him to perform open heart surgery.

DECEMBER 2021

It seems that on the surface, you will want to know who trusts you. You can use that knowledge to find good partners to work with, and it also might give a sense of value: a reputation for being trusted to do work and get it done pays benefits. It also gives us additional information when choosing people to work with, share ideas with and rely on to have our back. Understanding your position in the trust network could be a distinct advantage when it comes to the political game. Not all instrumental trust is positive, however, there is also the possibility of distrust—belief that a person cannot perform a task and will not get it done. People we distrust are important to avoid or possibly even use to our own advantage— maybe by suggesting they work with a rival on a project rather than with us. Therefore, knowing who distrusts us might be critically important as well. It is possible that knowing who distrusts us to do good work and follow through might cause some discomfort, anger and even self-doubt. On the other hand, knowing sources of distrust might provide a different kind of advantage—who to avoid, who not to rely on and how and when to combat or navigate social pitfalls or negative

gossip. If knowledge is power, then even uncomfortable knowledge is beneficial. Thus, does knowing your sources of trust and distrust at work aid you in playing the political game better, improving chances for promotion? To answer these questions, I collected data from individuals at a mid-sized manufacturing business in the United States where I asked them a set of survey questions on various topics including who they trusted and who they believed trusted them at work. Their answers were used to determine if a person was more or less accurate about their sources of trust. I also gathered performance data from supervisors and promotion data nine months later for all the individuals in the study. Results were clear: The more accurate a person was about both their sources of instrumental trust and distrust at work the more likely there were to be promoted. This study also found that low performers benefit greatly from knowing their sources of trust and distrust, so much so that this knowledge compensated for their poor performance, dramatically increasing their chances for promotion to nearly the same level as high performers.

There is power in our social networks. Our number and type of relationships at work explain a large portion of our work performance. But there is also power in knowing how others think about you when it comes to work. We may not like it, but the workplace is often a political arena, and social knowledge is an important resource to have when navigating the political landscape. An accurate social map can show dangers and pitfalls to avoid, but also benefits to gain. Don’t shy away from being a student of your own social network in the workplace, it might make all the difference—especially for promotion.

Dr. Joshua Marineau is a fellow at the Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth and an associate professor of management at North Dakota State University. His research focuses on the antecedents and consequences of positive and negative interpersonal relationships in work settings or social networks. More recently, he has applied a social network perspective to the study of entrepreneurial ecosystems, and specifically the Fargo-Moorhead startup community. Recent projects focus on the interconnectedness and culture of the local startup community. He teaches organizational behavior and negotiation and alternative dispute resolution at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

FARGOINC.COM

TO OWN OR NOT TO OWN?

REWARDING EMPLOYEES WITH PHANTOM EQUITY By Debra Linder and Michael Raum

Fredrikson & Byron Minneapolis Attorney Debra Linder is a seasoned benefits lawyer advising clients on design, implementation and compliance matters relating to pensions, 401(k), ESOPs, health and welfare, fringe benefit and executive compensation programs. She can be reached at dlinder@fredlaw.com.

usiness owners often consider allowing their key employees to become owners in the business. There are, of course, advantages to that, including rewarding people for good work and incentivizing them to work hard to build the company in the future. On the other hand, there can be downsides, both because of the financial commitment that may be required to buy into a business, the tax implications of simply giving someone ownership, as well as the risk to the existing owner of losing some or all control over a company. Even a minority owner of a business does, under both North Dakota and Minnesota law, enjoy certain rights with respect to that ownership, which may impact the ability of a founder to operate the company as it has historically. One potential solution to this problem is to use so called “synthetic” or “phantom”

equity, which is a method of awarding employees financial benefits as if they were owners without actually issuing them shares. How do phantom stock plans work? A phantom equity plan is really a type of deferred bonus plan. Essentially, employees who participate in the plan receive a bonus payment based on the value of the company’s equity. That bonus payment can be based on the full value of the equity, or it can be based only on the future appreciation of the equity after a specific date. Employees may receive one or more phantom equity awards, and each award will typically represent a specific percentage of the company. The company does not have to grant the same percentage to each employee.

continue to work for some period of time to receive all or a part of the benefit. Complicated tax rules apply and restrict when the benefit can be paid, but the key is that it must be upon the occurrence of predetermined events. Those events include termination of employment, death, disability and a sale of the business. The phantom equity plan must specify when the benefit will be paid and how it will be paid, i.e., in a single payment or in installments, and those decisions must be made when the plan is implemented. Once established, the tax rules make it difficult to change the payment terms, so changing these provisions later is not recommended.

How do payouts work?

What are the tax implications of granting phantom equity?

The benefit under the phantom equity plan can be subject to vesting, meaning that the employee must

When payment of the phantom equity benefit is made to the employee, it is taxed as ordinary income

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and is subject to federal and state income tax withholding. At that time, the company is entitled to a corporate tax deduction for the amount of the benefit paid. However, phantom equity is subject to FICA and FUTA taxes at the time it vests. That may occur before the benefit is paid. If the benefit vests while the employee is still employed by the company, the employee’s share of the FICA and FUTA taxes will need to be deducted from the employee’s other wages. The company will also need to pay its share of the FICA and FUTA taxes when the benefit vests. Fredrikson & Byron Fargo Attorney Michael Raum focuses his practice on commercial law, with a specific emphasis on tax matters. He works with public and privately-held companies on business transactions, including structuring, financing and advising on general corporate matters. He can be reached at mraum@fredlaw.com.

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How does this differ from actual stock? Under a phantom equity plan, employees are not actual owners. They do not have voting rights and do not have the right to any dividends. While their benefit may be expressed as a percentage of ownership, they will simply receive a cash payment for the value of their phantom equity

benefit when a payment event occurs. Can I offer this plan to everyone in the company? No. A plan of this nature is technically a retirement plan, and so it is regulated to some degree by the Department of Labor. When offered only to key and highly ranked employees, it can qualify for an exception from most regulations as a “top hat” plan. If it is offered to everyone, then it becomes a type of employee pension plan, and it is much more difficult to implement and administer. Therefore, participation in a phantom equity plan must be limited to relatively few highly paid employees. How do you determine the value of the company for purposes of the plan? Some companies are required to have an annual valuation, and if so, that valuation would be used for calculating the benefits under the phantom equity plan. If not, the plan can

specify a valuation formula, such as a multiple of earnings averaged over several years. In the absence of that, the plan could simply allow the board to select a value, but there is always a risk of a dispute if the valuation process is not clear. Therefore, we generally recommend having the plan include a formula that can be applied objectively. All that said, if payment occurs because of a sale of the business, then the plan would use the sales price in the transaction as the basis for the payment. So for business owners who’ve been thinking about how to motivate their employees to think and act like owners, but are hesitant to give up full control of their company, developing a “synthetic” or “phantom” equity plan may be a terrific solution. .

COLLABORATING

as one for

COMMUNITY

prosperity and state sustainability

By James Leiman, Ph.D., Commerce Commissioner or two days, leaders and citizen volunteers from across North Dakota and neighboring states were provided tours, data-driven education and access to national speakers that addressed how land use and tax policies can drain or benefit communities. The 2021 Main Street ND Summit brought together speakers and organizations who engaged and motivated attendees on the benefits of strong community development that leads to sustainable property tax reductions and attractive communities for the next generation of the workforce.

For the first time since its inception, the summit was hosted outside of Bismarck. The theme was smart, efficient infrastructure and the summit’s new location, West Fargo, shined. On the evening prior to the summit, West Fargo Mayor Bernie Dardis and commissioners Mark Simmons and Brad Olson led a bus tour of West Fargo as part of the pre-summit event. The tour provided an elucidated, real-life depiction that highlighted West Fargo’s advancements made by

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planning within rather than expanding, and the benefits of planning for both the under and above ground infrastructures. Developers left the tour inspired to invest not only in housing, but also in additional spaces with amenities that would enhance experiences. The official day of the summit kicked off with Strong Towns President Chuck Marohn’s direct approach to development and candid opinions on how some communities across the nation have forgotten how to build from inside the boundaries. Tristan Cleveland from The Happy City Experiment followed with real-life examples where communities focused on the health and well-being of the citizens. Being raised in a Canadian community with a population of 80, Cleveland presented a motivating keynote on ways communities of any size can address the livability and quality of life balance in their community to attract and retain a solid workforce. The final speaker, Joe Minicozzi from Urban3, presented their study on Cass County, with a

deep dive into three different demographics. Fargo, Casselton, and Kindred were chosen to represent the unique characteristics found in communities across the state. Breakout sessions between keynotes continued the discussion about the evolution communities of all sizes can undergo to maintain and grow their workforce and attract new residents. Partners like the North Dakota Department of Transportation, North Dakota Department of Health and Bank of North Dakota were joined by private sector supporters AARP, Sanford Health, Bolton & Menk, Odney, Microsoft, Hess, and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Collectively, they highlighted opportunities communities possess for good planning of infrastructure that will lead to economic growth and property tax stabilization. Where do we go now with community development? Community development is important because it provides the foundation a city builds upon to improve the lives of its citizens. It creates strong, diverse communities that

JOSIAH KOPP

JAMES LEIMAN

Current Commerce Commissioner, spent over a decade fighting terrorism before deciding to focus his efforts on domestic issues. In his most recent position as the Department of Commerce's director of Economic Development and Finance, Leiman was involved in statewide economic development and finance initiatives.

can attract and keep talent, start and grow businesses and overcome issues. Tax burden can become lower, businesses will have a larger base of customers who can purchase their products and services, and the city will earn tax income to continue to support important programs and reduce debt. Community development doesn’t necessarily solve problems in a city, but reduces problems and increases opportunities for growth. Without community development, both economic and business development suffer greatly. How do we continue the progress for community and economic development past speakers and good food? The answer is simple: community prosperity means state sustainability. We cannot do this in a silo or even by one agency. Community development involves collaboration among

interest groups, government, and citizens and the Department of Commerce aims to take these efforts to the next level. Collaboration must also include knowledge to seek, identify and define issues of public concern and influence public policy. Some of the change policies that are needed may be contrary to common practices, but the outcomes, which include sustainable reduction in property tax and increased workforce development, are needed to continue maintaining the quality of life we all love in this state.

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Kelsey Joy Buell Burnout Prevention Coach

A. I was born in Niceville, Florida. My middle name is Joy. Oftentimes people ask me, “How are you so happy all the time?” It sort of makes me cringe, but the truth is just like anyone else I have good days and bad days. However, I really believe that God has gifted me with this ability to really use my enthusiasm to positively impact others. Growing up I was a performer, dancer, singer, and played violin. When I graduated high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. In my heart I wanted to be a performer; I loved the arts. I wound up at Concordia and I felt very lost. In my senior year of college, I approached our orchestra director and asked if I could be moved from second violin to first violin, because I felt like second fiddle. He said, “I’m sorry, but there are other players who are better than you.” I felt like this thing I loved was being stripped away from me because of this sense of not being good enough. I stopped singing and performing, and after college, I got a job in recruiting. What I found was I got to get in front of groups and talk about the mission of who I was recruiting for, and I felt like I got to be a performer. So, being in the business world actually reignited my passion for that. I learned so much about how important people are at the workplace during my time in recruiting. I talked with people so much about how they hated their jobs, and I was able to found The Burnout Prevention Project, which really does capture all of my passions at once–even music! I just did an event where I talked a lot about my passion for the violin, and at the end, I got to play a song! Q. What is the Burnout Prevention Project?

With a middle name like Joy and roots in Niceville, Florida, Kelsey Buell’s sunny demeanor doesn’t come as a surprise. She’s using what she has learned about following your passions with the Burnout Prevention Project. She talks with Ladyboss about “playing second fiddle,” the shame of burnout, and a new concept for work-life balance. Written and photo provided by Ladyboss Midwest 108

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A. We are still in the discovery phase. I have a passion for people. I want everyone I come in connection with to love what they do. There is this concept being talked a lot about right now that is “work-life integration” rather than “work-life balance.” I’m a believer that if you integrate what you love into your day-to-day, you’ll never have a bad day. I’m always the friend who gets the phone call when a loved one’s boss does something wrong, or when the work culture isn’t working out. I’ve always gotten those phone calls and so it started to become a pattern where I realized I needed to do something. If so many people in my life were so unhappy with their jobs, then I wanted to go out and improve that. So, that’s the “why.”

The “what” is evolving. We started with a six-week coaching program for women, and we’ve expanded to small peer advisory groups. These are groups of women looking for coaching or support, and we get together once a month to talk through challenges. Typically those always start as a work challenge, and as we talk through it, it turns out it’s more of a personal life challenge. That’s where that work-life integration piece is so important. My goal is really to help people love their jobs and find ways to mix their passions into their daily work. Q. What is work-life integration and how does it differ from work-life balance? A. It starts with self-reflection. I recommend you make three lists: the things you do throughout the day you love, the things you do throughout your day that are tolerable and the things you do throughout your day that you don’t love. What I find is that the people who are able to integrate more of those things they love into their day are happier in their job. There’s no magic solution to getting those other two off of your plate, but you can open the conversation with your team, and oftentimes I find that others are willing or eager to take some of those things off of your plate or switch responsibilities so that you’re all better able to take on tasks that are more fulfilling. There is probably something that is following you around that you aren’t paying attention to. For me that was music. Now I’m incorporating that into my workshops and my speaking gigs, and it’s making the work so much better. Focus on how you can make things fun throughout your day. I go into every meeting and just think, “How much fun can I have in this meeting?” I’ve started focusing on the fun rather than the success, and the success just comes along. Q. I love the idea of focusing on fun rather than a particular outcome. A. It has changed my life! I got it from this book called Super Attracter, and what I

learned from the book is that people are really avoidant of feeling good. Focusing on how much fun you can have along the way is so important, and it makes people more receptive to you and it lets your guard down and theirs. Q. We’ve talked a lot about burnout pushing women out of the workforce over the last year. There have been so many stats, but not a lot of solutions. Where do we go from here? A. Studies show that the number one prevention of burnout is taking time to move. That can be a workout or a walk. Creating buffer time in your calendar is really important. So, if you are scheduling an hour meeting, schedule it for fifty minutes instead. That way everyone involved gets a ten-minute buffer between meetings or whatever comes next. Then you have to consider what rest means for you. Minimum you should have ten hours of rest a day. I personally need more like twelve, but rest can include movement, or actually stopping to eat food throughout the day rather than answering emails through lunch. It means really incorporating intentional time when you’re not doing work. When you push and you just go go go, you don’t give your brain time to process. If you take time away, you can come back and do even better. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to set their own schedule, but pay attention to when you have more energy and use that to your advantage, resting when you need to. Q. How can perfection be a joy killer and how can striving for perfection actually hurt us? A. I call this “paralyzed by perfect.” We have such an idea in our heads of what perfection looks like, but perfection is different for everyone. If you look at all of the pressures that we have coming at us, it’s like that imagery of the girl with the entire world sitting on her back. If you try to be perfect all of the time it feels like that, like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders. I’ve stopped working

toward being perfect and started saying, “sometimes done is enough.” Sometimes you go into something before you’re ready. Q. Going into 2022 and continuing in this weird work-life hybrid world, I’m thinking a lot about burnout outside of the workplace. How does burnout look different between work and home? A. Well, it’s different for everyone. The first thing to recognize is just, “is what I’m doing aligning with my values?” I think you can apply that to both work and personal. What do I say yes to and what do I need to say no to? Think of your future self and ask if they would give you a high five for taking this on. We’re always moving so fast that we’ve gotten in the habit of just saying yes to everything. You have to know when to draw the line and say, “I have hit my max.” Talking about it also really helps. With our groups, one of the things we hear so much is just that women now know they aren’t alone with these challenges and feelings. Q. The thing I’m taking away from our conversation is that burnout is this thing that is so widely experienced is also deeply personal. It takes a lot of selfunderstanding to get to that prevention or treatment prevention between work and home? A. Saying you’re feeling burned out often brings feelings of shame. We feel this sense of shame if we admit that we’re exhausted. Even some of the leaders I’ve worked with won’t even touch the term burnout. They’re scared to even talk about it because they don’t want to admit their employees might be suffering. Both leaders and employees seem afraid to talk about it, but it takes courage to start these conversations and do something about it.

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BUSINESS EVENTS

DEC/JAN

2021 CALENDAR

Fargo Events

DECEMBER 8 Maximizing Greatness Using Psychological Safety to Drive Team Performance

Wednesday, December 8 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants will learn the 4 Domains of Psychological Safety and how teams can leverage Psychological Safety to… • Make great decisions • Create healthy group dynamics • Stimulate intelligent risk-taking & innovation • Foster inclusion & equity • Ensure effective execution • Retain & engage key talent fmwfchamber.com

DECEMBER 6

DECEMBER 9

Minnesota 2021 Policy Outlook Series

North Dakota 2021 Policy Outlook Series

Hear from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minnesota's District 4 legislators about priorities for the 2022 legislative session. Critical topics that will be a part of this session include bonding, budget surplus, and the state of the economy.

ear from North Dakota Governor and North H Dakota’s Cass County legislators about the 2021 Special session and priorities for the 2023 legislative session. Critical topics that will be a part of this session include Special session, American Rescue Plan Act Funds, redistricting, federal infrastructure funding, and the state of the economy.

Monday, December 6 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

fmwfchamber.com

DECEMBER 8 Federal 2021 Policy Outlook Series

Tuesday, December 8 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Hear from Minnesota and North Dakota congressional delegations as they discuss what is taking place in Washington, D.C. relating to the region’s top issues: energy, infrastructure and agriculture. fmwfchamber.com

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DECEMBER 2021

DECEMBER 14 Jingle Mingle

Tuesday, December 14 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Thursday, December 9 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Get ready for December's special session of Women Connect–the Jingle Mingle! Join The Chamber's inaugural networking event filled with activities, live stage performances and entertainment, cocktails, appetizers, networking and more! You don't want to miss this special Women Connect event.

fmwfchamber.com

Avalon Events Center 2525 Ninth Avenue South Fargo, ND 56103

JANUARY 25 You Have Permission

Tuesday, January 25 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. It's time to give ourselves permission to live our heart's desire, to say no to what doesn't serve us and yes to what fills us up. And it's time to really support each other. Let's cultivate our circles of support and hold on tightly to them. Let's invite radical self care into our own lives and watch the world around us change in response to the love we give ourselves. Avalon Events Center and livestream 2525 Ninth Avenue South, Fargo ND 56103

DECEMBER 15

this past year and share space for hopes for 2022. Make sure to bring a friend along!

Eggs & Issues: Necessity of Water Infrastructure - A Dive into scarcity and protection

fmwfchamber.com

The potential for catastrophic water emergencies is real. This distinguished panel will discuss what our region is doing to protect our communities, residents, billions of dollars in wages and our future. We will dive into the Red River Valley Water Supply Project that will protect us from drought and The Diversion Project that will defend us from disastrous flooding.

Thursday, January 6 from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Wednesday, December 15 from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

JANUARY 6 January 2022 Eggs & Issues

Join for another exciting topic at this month’s Eggs & Issues! The Chamber strives to provide topical and timely events to keep you in the know. Every month at Eggs & Issues you can expect to hear from local experts sharing what you need to know. And you can always count on a hot breakfast and networking.

Courtyard by Marriott 1080 28th Avenue South Moorhead, MN 56560

DECEMBER 17

JANUARY 13

Networking Before 9

State of the Cities

Join for the last Networking Before 9 events for the 2021 year! This will be a reflective space to share successes and challenges

This event on January 13 brings together mayors from across the metro to discuss the region’s growth, priorities, challenges

Friday, December 17 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

and opportunities. The event will feature Q&A with the metro’s mayors; Mayor Kory Peterson, Horace, Mayor Bernie Dardis, West Fargo, Mayor Shelly Carlson, Moorhead, Mayor Tim Mahoney, Fargo and Mayor Chad Olson, Dilworth. Audience members will be invited to weigh in on regional issues as well as ask questions of the mayors. Delta by Marriott 1635 42nd Stree South Fargo, ND 58103

Thursday, January 13 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

FARGOINC.COM

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COMING SOON SPRING 2022

7,500

Direct Mailed

to CEO’s, Owners, Managers and Decision Makers in the Bismarck-Mandan and surrounding areas

2,500

Direct Mailed

to the most affluent homes in Bismarck-Mandan where business owners live

Issues

per year (Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter)

For more details contact Paul Hoefer at Paul@spotlightmediafargo.com SPOTLIGHTMEDIAFARGO.COM | 83