Fargo INC! February 2023

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Sponsored Content: This is Quitting: Creating a

Sponsored Content: The Complex Nature

Want

10 Questions with John Machacek: Rising

Women You Should Know: Ashley Hamm

Addressing the Workforce Challenge

Awesome Foundation Grant Award Winner: Red River Valley Kids Read

Focus on Fun I

EDITORIAL BOARD

ERIC WILKIE CEO FM Area Foundation

When’s the last time you sat at your desk and looked out the window?

One area I’ve encouraged team members to participate in for better personal and professional development over the years, is to take time to think, to ponder, to wonder, and to dream. I think we often get caught up in being busy, working from one task to the next, but how often do we stop to think.

I’ve worked in environments where the most stressed-out staff person was considered the hardest worker. I’ve come to learn that working wiser leads to better results, more productivity, and an increased likelihood of innovating and meeting strategic goals. Of course, there will be days or weeks where you must be entrenched “in” the business, but failure to take time to think “on” the business can have some real negative results.

Take the time to sit, look out the window, and just think…and encourage your team to do the same. You’d be amazed at how it can improve your professional and personal life.

JENNY SHEETS Director of Startup Programs Founders Programs

When thinking about my professional and personal development, I can tell you right away that it rarely involves reading business and self-help books. I try sometimes, but for the most part, I have a lot of books that are about 20% read, as I lose focus when reading them (and often think, they could have got their point across in under 25 pages instead of dragging it out for 200). Though that does not mean I don’t work on myself, as I do try that pretty much on an ongoing basis.

Some common things I do include paying attention to articles, social posts, newsletters and webinars that have topics of interest and that can relate to doing my job better. The more that I’ve done this over the years, the easier it is to quickly scan these sources to take notice of relevant things, while blocking out the other noise, so to speak.

Something I do to work more efficiently, and have been doing more of lately, is utilizing a whiteboard, sticky notes, to-do lists and calendar reminders. The whiteboard is on my wall to my right view and I often place sticky notes on the overhead cabinet to my left. The whiteboard is often some longer-range projects, as well as writing a to-do list when many tasks are coming at the same time. The sticky notes are often things I need to keep in the back of my mind and revisit as needed, and I create calendar reminders as well for similar purposes.

Personally, some things I’m working on of late, include enrolling in a virtual Icelandic language class and being more purposeful buying healthy and natural groceries.

WHAT'S SOMETHING YOU'VE DONE TO DEVELOP LATELY?

JOHN MACHACEK Chief Innovation Officer Greater FM Economic Development Corporation

When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, I try to think about how I can develop personally, professionally, and in my relationships. Truth be told: I am almost never syncing across all channels (especially with a two year old at home) but that's just life. Since I started working at Emerging Prairie about a year and a half ago, I have pushed myself professionally every single day. I listen to our founders, partners, and event attendees to determine what people need to be successful in a thriving startup ecosystem and then try to find answers and solutions. For me, "professional development" can sometimes be conferences or online classes, but most of the time it's connecting with the experts in our community (and we have a lot!) to ask questions and seek understanding. I feel so lucky I can call up Jake from Bushel to see if he can help out at an event, or Mayor Carlson of Moorhead to try and sell her on a new crazy idea for collaboration.

"Personal and relationship development" is equally, if not more, important to live a healthy life. Lately I have been trying to force myself to be social beyond work so I can deepen relationships with my friends and family and meet new people. I'm also trying to ask myself, "Why not?" when posed with a new opportunity. This is how I started skateboarding at 37 years old. Why not?

I hope I can keep developing myself personally and professionally, maintain the relationships that are important to me, and keep meeting new people. I feel lucky to work at a place that allows me to grow and live in a place that allows me to thrive.

KRISTINA HEIN-LANDIN Lead Content & Public Relations Strategist United Way of Class-Clay

Are we changing as fast as the world around us? -Gary

Hamel

It’s a good question, and a good reason I’ve recently invested some time digging into some marketing trends for 2023. The older I get, the more I realize how the generations coming after me are shaping our world—fast—and I need to keep up!

According to HubSpot’s Top Marketing Trends of 2023, 50% of Gen Z-ers and 40% of millennials want companies to take a stance on social issues. Last year, 45% of marketers planned to invest in content related to social responsibility. Heading into 2023, 89% of marketers plan to invest in this type of content. That’s exciting news, as it means this influential group of consumers want companies to care about improving the world around them. And they’ll most likely consume this content on mobile devices, as now more than half of annual online website traffic comes from mobile devices, including tablets.

On another wavelength, I was (semi) surprised to see that it is predicted that influencer marketing will evolve into a common marketing tactic. 89% of marketers who currently engage with influencer marketing will increase or maintain their investment this year, which means this tactic must be delivering results. Have I been persuaded to buy something a few times after seeing someone trendy post about it on Instagram? Well, sure! But it got me thinking about how this topic can apply to local marketing efforts and my role at United Way to inspire more people to get involved in their community and care about improving the lives of our neighbors.

If you’re also looking for ways to learn and grow and stay in tune with the world around us – United Way has you covered! We recently asked the participants of our 35 Under 35 Women’s Leadership Program to answer this question: “What is one book or podcast that has changed the way you view leadership/personal development?” I invite you to stay tuned for a wide array of suggestions to add to your reading and podcast lists. There are a few interesting recommendations already up on our website and social channels now for you to check out, and we'll be adding more over the coming months. Happy reading and listening!

MIKE BRADY KIM

LEVI TY

GENEVA

GRANT

SAM JOSIAH

GARY

PAUL

DEVAN TORI

KACEY HAILEY

MIRANDA

JESSICA

KELLEN

BEN TOMMY KELLAN

JONATHAN

RYNE JOHN

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FEBRUARY 2023

Volume 8 Issue 2

Fargo INC! is published 12 times a year and is available at area businesses and online at FargoInc.com.

Publisher EDITORIAL

Editorial Team Lead

Editors

Art Director

Editorial Graphic Designers

Creative Strategist

Contract Content Specialist

Contributors

INTERACTIVE

Business Development Manager Business Development Associate Videographer Director of Digital Advertising Results

Graphic Designer Web Designer

Social Media Specialist

ADVERTISING VP of Business Development

Sales Representatives

Mike Dragosavich

Brady Drake Brady@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

Geneva Nodland, Grant Ayers, Sam Kise

Kim Cowles

Levi Dinh, Ty Betts

Josiah Kopp

Gary Ussery

Ladyboss Lifestyle, John Machacek, Katie Ralston Howe, Brandi Malarkey

Nick Schommer

Kellen Feeney

Tommy Uhlir

Jonathan Chicka

Ben Buchanan

Kellan Benson

Ryne Bigelow

Paul Hoefer

Paul@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

Al Anderson Al@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

Devan Maki Devan@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

Sales & Marketing Advisor

Tori Helland Tori@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

Kacey Mongeon Kacey@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

Marketing Associate

Client Relations

Client Relations Manager

Marketing Coordinator

Operations Assistant

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Hailey Bebler Hailey@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

ClientRelations@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

Jenny Johnson

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THIS IS QUITTING Creating a Healthier Tomorrow

Why Tobacco Free ND's Mission Can Help Solve Problems in the Workplace & Beyond.

Healthy communities grow healthy businesses. The stronger our communities are, from a health perspective, the healthier our businesses can be. For nearly 40 years, Tobacco Free North Dakota has fought to repel the tobacco industry in North Dakota. We’ve had tremendous successes, through litigation with the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998 and through policy initiatives, like the implementation of the state’s strong Indoor Smoke-Free Air Law in 2012. North Dakota’s exemplary Indoor Smoke Free-Air Law created a generation of kids that don’t know what it’s like to walk into a restaurant and be asked “smoking or non-smoking seating?” The older generation knows that experience. It didn’t matter where you sat, if you shared space with people who were smoking, you were exposed to damaging secondhand smoke.

Heather Austin speaks at Tobacco Prevention Day at the Capitol.

Now, we have a new threat. The tobacco industry is trying to turn back the clock and undercut the very law more than 2/3 of North Dakota voters put in place. HB 1229 before the North Dakota legislature this session seeks to create a “cigar bar and lounge exemption” to North Dakota’s smokefree air law. North Dakotans deserve to breathe clean air not tainted by secondhand smoke from cigarettes and cigars, or by vapors and aerosols from electronic products. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. We need more people to tell their lawmakers no to this bill. If it passes and is signed into law, the state will suffer a massive public health setback.

What’s more concerning are the lies and mischaracterizations that cigar smoking is “refined, or cool, or normal.” None of these things are true. The ramifications of bringing smoking back indoors will be felt by those who work in these establishments, those who share walls with these buildings and even by those who patronize them. Again, there is no safe level of secondhand smoke.

There are assurances from supporters that this bill is an

By Andrew Horn and Heather Austin |

extremely small carveout for a very select clientele, and kids won’t be able to access it. There is no way to guarantee that claim. We can’t normalize smoking in public as a social activity without health consequences. Supporters say young people don’t use cigars in high numbers. That’s because of decades of dedicated work by public health officials teaching the dangers of tobacco products. TFND, along with public and private sector partnerships, sponsors numerous youth focused events including our Youth Action Summits and Tobacco Prevention Day at the Capitol to teach kids the importance of advocacy and outreach when dealing with tobacco issues. We also offer college scholarships annually through a video essay contest, allowing kids to research and tell us their feelings about tobacco products. At the end of the day, we are trying to prevent tobacco addiction, not enable it.

And it’s not just cigars we are worrying about. Seeing all types of tobacco products can lead kids to experimenting with them. The Surgeon General declared youth vaping an epidemic in 2018 due to the meteoric rise in youth usage. Congress passed a federal law in

2019 raising the purchasing age of all tobacco products to 21, the same as alcohol, and in 2021 North Dakota ratified it as state law. Even as cigarette use falls, data from the 2021 North Dakota Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows 23 percent of kids are still experimenting with tobacco products. Tobacco is tobacco is tobacco. None of these products are safe and they shouldn’t be glorified or glamorized. Tobacco products remain the greatest preventable public health risk to our kids.

In answer, TFND is taking the lead in increasing cessation services to young people. In April of 2022, in partnership with Truth Initiative, TFND launched "This Is Quitting." North Dakota is just one of a handful of states offering this program, helping lead the way as an influencer in combatting nicotine and vaping in teenagers and young adults. The text-to-quit resource is free and confidential and is for people aged 13-24 and is proven to be more effective than quitting alone. Spearheading the campaign and here to provide more insight on the mission of TFND and its impact on the workplace is TFND's Executive Director Heather Austin.

Photos submitted by Heather Austin

An Eye-Opening Q&A with Heather Austin

By Josiah Kopp

This is Quitting: What's your mission, and how does it apply to workplaces in North Dakota?

This Is Quitting is a tremendous resource for young people ages 13-24 to quit vaping. This program is specifically tailored for an age group that is often forgotten about when it comes to cessation services. Because of this, they’ve been targeted by the tobacco industry as new customers for electronic products. North Dakota, and the country as a whole, had achieved dramatic decreases in smoking rates since the late 1990s. As new vaping and electronic products have hit the market at a lightning pace, nearly 20 years' worth of public health work has been undone as a new generation becomes addicted to nicotine. This program is one tool we have to help end the youth vaping epidemic.

How is TFND going to help shift the trend of tobacco use in our state and help kickstart that influence on neighboring states?

Kids are unfortunately exposed to tobacco products very early in life, whether through family members and friends, or through seeing product use on TV and social media, or through sales displays at the stores they visit. But they have not necessarily had the same exposure to helpful resources or support systems for fighting nicotine dependence. By connecting young people to this resource using technology

Heather Austin stands with 2022 Video Essay Scholarship Contest Winner, Madeline Erickson from St. Mary's High School in Bismarck.

they already embrace, This Is Quitting helps level the playing field against the tobacco industry, showing kids a life without nicotine is not only better, but possible.

Your target audience is everyone but ESPECIALLY the young people, teens and young adults. Why?

TFND has dedicated much of its 35+ year existence trying to keep youth from ever picking up any tobacco products. Nicotine literally rewires the brain and lights up the same reward pathway receptors and areas of the brain as cocaine and heroin. CDC data shows nearly 90% of people who become daily addicted users of cigarettes start before age 18. (which is very problematic

since you have to be 21 to purchase tobacco) and 99 percent of people start before the age of 26. If we can keep people tobacco free until age 26, the chances they never pick up tobacco products increase exponentially.

How does your work at TFND impact workplaces in North Dakota?

Every business is concerned about rising healthcare costs and finding reliable employees—tobacco use makes each of these harder. A landmark study in 2014 showed that people who smoked cigarettes cost a business roughly $6,000 in lost productivity and increased health insurance costs. That’s per employee! Another study published in 2022 estimated e-cigarette users spend an additional $2,000 a year

utilizing healthcare services. This is the first time we've ever been able to put a number to the damage of electronic nicotine products to businesses. These metrics, compounded with hiring difficulties for all business sectors are putting businesses in tough spots. The bottom line is having a healthy workforce, which is vital to business success.

What messages are resonating with people?

One of the key things to understand for anyone trying to quit tobacco products is that Every. Quit. Counts. On average it can take up to a dozen attempts to quit using tobacco products long-term. A slip-up doesn’t mean you failed. Keep persevering!

The 2022 Break Free Youth Action Summit.

4 Ways YOU Can Help

We need people to get involved. Joining with TFND, interacting with us, interacting with policymakers, becoming a spokesperson in your community, leading youth education action projects and simply creating awareness about these issues is vital to our success. Generational problems require generational fixes. Eliminating tobacco addiction will take time, effort and cooperation from many different parties. We need people to continue to engage with TFND and become partners so we can end the cycle of tobacco and nicotine dependence.

1

Become a member of TFND or your local Tobacco Free Coalition or Healthy Community Coalition if your area has one.

Talk to the young people in your life to make sure they are aware of the dangers and can be prepared to make the important choice to stay nicotine and tobacco-free.

Talk to policymakers and legislators about enacting and preserving CDC evidence-based best practice tobacco prevention policy.

Share education and messaging about the dangers or tobacco or about the new quitting resources in your community, schools and groups.

THE COMPLEX NATURE OF

On February 24th, 2023, the American Advertising Federation of North Dakota will host its annual American Advertising Awards Ceremony at The Avalon in Fargo. For the past four years, I’ve played a role in hosting the event and helping our Board of Directors provide a great experience for the advertising community in North Dakota. I’ve also grappled with the complex nature of awards and recognition, and how our work should be evaluated based on their presence or absence.

When I submitted my first entry for the American Advertising Awards in 2016, I was greeted with rejection. “We’re sorry to say that your entry will not be receiving an ADDY Award this year.” New to the corporate recognition world, I took this rejection as an affront.

My mind jumped into thoughts such as well, what’s this even based on? Isn’t design subjective? We had good results from this piece of marketing, so how are the judges to say it isn’t deserving?

I held onto some resentment towards the judging process until the next year when I had a submission that was recognized with an ADDY win. The year after that, I was able to see the judging process for myself and had an even deeper understanding for the process which ended up changing my perspective entirely.

I learned that AAF-ND flies in 3 judges from across the country who enter the judging competition with no knowledge of our local agencies and marketers. I also learned that only ~25% of total entries were recognized with an award in the first place— and only ~10% of the entries would receive “Gold” honors. I also saw some incredibly strong pieces of marketing work that weren’t able to receive an award, and realized the most important lesson of them all:

A lot of great work is not recognized with an award.

On the flipside, a lot of great work is recognized. And that recognition helps open doors including:

• Creating job opportunities by boosting individual’s resumes

• Creating new business opportunities for organizations that are award recipients

• Strengthening client relationships and improving employee morale (who doesn’t love getting recognized?)

Herein lies the complex nature of awards and recognition: we

need them to help our business grow, but can’t use them as the exclusive criteria to gauge whether our work was successful. So, how do we balance expectation management with the thrill of receiving an award? I can’t provide anything other than my personal experience which is this:

Celebrate when you win, and celebrate others when they win.

My favorite part of the American Advertising Awards experience has transitioned from walking up to the award stand to pick up my own work to now watching the elated faces of first-time winners as they accept their awards. Ultimately, any recognition in our field is a win for the advertising and marketing community as a whole—and the more we can raise each other up, the better we all are because of it.

I hope you’ll join me in celebrating some first-time wins at the ceremony this year.

To claim your tickets to our American Advertising Awards event in February, visit aaf-nd.org/awards.

Written by Jack Yakowicz, Ex-Officio, AAF-ND Board of Directors

Brent Crommett MANAGED SERVICES SUPERVISOR

Dean Krogen SALES MANAGER

Megan Crommett TECHNICAL SALES SPECIALIST

Why should I need to hire IT professionals? It seems like an unnecessary expense.

Well-thought-out Information Technology (IT) is more important than ever. Breaches and outages don’t just happen to large corporations, and when they do happen, they can cost you a small fortune. 702 can tailor solutions to your specific needs.

Equipment that is properly maintained and monitored will guarantee fewer interruptions, less downtime and will prolong your investments. Just like with your car, routine maintenance is an essential step to keep things running smoothly.

I have antivirus, so I’m secure.

Your business needs more IT security than antivirus alone. While antivirus is important, a comprehensive security plan would include firewall, backups, staff training, regular updates, security protocols and more.

just get

There is a difference between equipment for your business vs your home. Your business will have specific needs. A free business consultation from 702 will help guide you.

I don’t need an IT budget. Hiring help when things break is cheaper and just as effective.

I'll

what's cheapest—it's all made the same.

Hackers will never target my small business.

Hackers don't just target specific businesses. They are opportunists and will scan for vulnerabilities. To ensure you aren't a target, you will need added layers of security from a trusted IT provider.

Phishing is an ever-evolving threat. More than 90% of cyberattacks begin with a targeted phishing campaign. Training your staff to watch for these attacks is crucial in maintaining a safe environment for your business.

My network isn’t the problem, my internet is just bad.

A poorly realized network can present itself as a bad or slow Internet connection. All of the equipment on your network can have different requirements and may create bottlenecks. Our experts can help identify issues and find ways to optimize your network. 702’s technical experts will help you get the most out of your investments.

My employees know not to access non-business-related sites.

It isn’t as simple as that. Bad actors are constantly looking for ways to get into your network. The FBI has recently advised that everyone use an adblocker, as malicious ads are becoming more prevalent. Additionally, your computer can become compromised simply by browsing to the wrong website—potentially from a business-related google search.

I won’t fall for email scams (phishing). I know that no one overseas is going to just give me a fortune.

Sure, it might work, but is it configured correctly? More importantly, is it secure? 702 will constantly monitor and keep your solution up to date, while recommending best practices for everything from email to your POS systems.

It may work just fine for home use, but not all routers are created equally. You will want to make sure you have the correct securities in place and separate networks set up for Admin, Guest and Point of Sale.

My top-of-the-line Wi-Fi router works great at home, it should be ideal for my business.

I don't need

I know enough about IT to be dangerous.

Coming out of high school, Shaffer didn't know what he wanted to do, but one thing was clear, he was built to do something. Shaffer was one of the top graduates in his class in Huntington, WV and he did very well on the ACT. Because of those two factors, Shaffer got an offer from Marshall University that included a full ride plus a stipend and books. However, his parents were very religious and wanted him to go a different route. Despite their wishes, Shaffer was set to attend the home of Thundering Herd... until he crashed his car.

"I wasn't hurt real bad or anything, but it kind of shook my confidence as far as what I was doing at the time. Plus I was broke," Shaffer said.

So, Shaffer followed his parent's advice and headed to Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC.

"Our agreement was that I would go for a year and if I didn't like it, I would transfer out, but I didn't," Shaffer said. "I really liked their science program and I really liked… microbiology. I even thought I would do microbiology research for a while, but I realized I needed to be around people. The only problem was that the school was not accredited. Even if I wanted to transfer, none of my credits would go with me."

Even though the school was not accredited, Shaffer managed to get into medical school at Marshall University.

"I just knew I needed to crush the MCAT. I had to leave no doubt that someone's gonna take me," Shaffer said. "I did well on the test and enrolled at Marshall through their early entrance program."

To pay for his medical schooling, Shaffer joined the Air Force, which meant that he would complete his medical residency with the military after graduation and would also need to serve in the Air Force for a couple of years. But before all of that, he would have to navigate another daunting task, fatherhood.

"My now ex-wife got pregnant with our oldest in the second year of medical school," Shaffer said. “She was on birth control and is a super responsible lady, she just got pregnant and we just cried and cried. But then, we just got after it. And it worked, I got through medical school. And then we had another kid during that transition phase into my residency."

All in all, Shaffer had three children with his ex-wife, and he wouldn’t trade the experience of being a father for anything. However, that doesn't mean that the journey

of being a parent in your early 20s is easy. Neither is being an entrepreneur in the military, according to Shaffer.

"In my opinion, the military is a terrible route for an entrepreneur," Shaffer said. "I'm not saying this is the case for every entrepreneur, but when you constantly sit there and think, 'I think I have a better way to do this,' the military is not a great place for you. So, I struggled with that and got through, but at the same time that things were going bad with the military, things were falling apart in my marriage. It was a bad spot in life."

However, as most people who have been down and out know, it can get better. And it did for Shaffer, who found himself making his next professional stop at a clinic on the White Earth Indian Reservation which is about 65 miles from the Fargo-Moorhead area, giving him his first extended taste of the region.

"I had a great time there," Shaffer said. "The people in the community were great. I loved it the two years I worked there. After I was done with that, I began moonlighting as a hospitalist for a center in Detroit Lakes and have now been with Essentia for about five years."

Shaffer's journey to entrepreneurship all began with a book.

"I read ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ coming out of high school and that really stuck with me," Shaffer said. "So, when my ex-wife got pregnant during my second year of medical school, I knew we needed a bigger space, so I bought my first triplex. We lived in the big unit and rented the other two units out to classmates so we had our mortgage paid for. That really just turned a lot on in my head and I realized that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life."

And so far, he is following through on what he wanted to do. "I sold that property after I graduated," Shaffer said. "I did my residency in St. Louis and we bought a foreclosure house there and did a live and flip, and I've repeated that a bunch of times since then."

Shaffer ended up flipping enough properties and purchasing enough real estate that he eventually began hiring team members who have truly become family over the years. “It has always felt, to me, like we are working together rather than them working for me.”

“Sterling, my right hand man and the first real hire on the real estate side is a wizard. He worked as a pipefitter, sold cars for Corwin, and I met him at a ‘get rich quick’ real estate seminar where I showed up to sit in the back and see if I could find a few young, hungry fellas to help me out instead of forking all the money they didn't have to some guru for a class they weren't going to use. Sterling was the only one who followed up and the rest is history. He's now doing MBA level work at Games Galore and absolutely crushing it. If anyone calls in, is booking a large event or has any problems, they're likely dealing with Sterling.

“Xander was my next hire. He is an excellent finish carpenter and really put the real estate business on his back and has done an excellent job. The Games Galore transition definitely cramped his style a bit as a carpenter, but he's stepped up time and time again to help us as we continue to work on perfecting the staffing with Games Galore and he still is doing a lot of renovation for us on the real estate side.”

“Josh is the only employee that was left over from the previous Games Galore regime and despite all the other great things we have going for us, it is hard to conceive of how we could have executed this last summer without Josh in the fold. He's pretty unflappable in what can be a fairly high pressure business and if he puts his name on something, it just gets done.”

“Trevor, the third amigo from the real estate team, grew up with another one of our employees, Rigo Navarro. They live together, and have this symbiotic relationship beyond brotherhood. They can take whole, large events off the board and just execute together without us hearing a word. Customers love them and they both are wonderful with the kids at the events. Trevor does have a passion for destroying equipment though and never found a truck or trailer he couldn't run into something.”

inarguably more fun.

"I love the look kids get when they walk into a space we have set up, like the Fight the Frost in the FargoDome," Shaffer said. "I have actually seen kids being rolled in their strollers, watching a show on their parent's iPad, and when they see what's around them, they just get these wide eyes and chuck the iPad to the side. That's pretty special."

However, perhaps unsurprisingly, the experience of running a business that creates child dreamlands isn't all fun and games. It is a business after all, a sevenfigure business doing business in over six states.

"It has been a journey owning this business. You don't just buy it, flip the switch and have everything lined up for you. The previous owner was really an owneroperator. It was mostly a one-man show. So, you can't just hire someone and stick them in that spot. I've had to be very heavily

Some of the things Shaffer didn't know about include the extreme variance in red tape when working with one venue to the next, the amount of time he would have to devote to the business and the general public not realizing the difference between an outlet and a circuit.

"I can't tell you how many times I've been on the phone with someone trying to figure out how we are going to set things up at their venue and they don't know the difference," Shaffer said. "Which is a big deal when we are setting up this many things that run off electricity."

Despite the challenges, Shaffer has maintained that running the business has been a good experience.

"I've been able to help my team that was working on real estate with me grow," Shaffer said. "That is one of my favorite things about this. People who have worked for me have been able to buy their first homes and I've been able to help

like that and I'm really looking forward to bringing them all to Orlando this year for our big industry trade show. But being able to help them develop is really my favorite part."

And he is also trying to pass that on to his now four children (Shaffer just had a baby with his current wife this past year).

"I wanted to buy a business where they could materially participate in the process," Shaffer said. "That was the primary driver for this business. I want them to have exposure to the entrepreneurial side of things. That's so important to me. I don't want to force it down their throat. They don't have to choose it, but I want them to see it."

And at the rate he is going now, Shaffer's children are sure to see plenty more entrepreneurial efforts.

North Dakota Women’s Business Center Launches New Program for Childcare Providers

By Laiken Aune, NDWBC Advocacy Director and Kirsten Deichert, NDWBC Operational Support Manager

North Dakota has a rich collection of womenowned business stories— rural training facilities for ice skaters that inspire Olympic excellence, trucking and distribution companies that ship our agricultural goods, architects whose designs leave a legacy on our prairie, archeologists whose work protects and preserves the history of North Dakota’s Native Nations, and childcare providers who work tirelessly to offer a safe place for children to learn and grow while their parents earn an income. According to the Small Business Administration, nearly 43% of North Dakota businesses are women-owned and each of their stories represents a person striving to create a better life for themselves, their families and their communities.

Throughout 2022, the North Dakota Women’s Business Center’s (NDWBC) board and staff paused its traditional programming to evaluate the direct needs of women business owners like the ones described previously to ensure their needs were being met effectively. NDWBC researched its market share, the business climate in North Dakota, conducted listening sessions across the state and collected data. The results indicated women business owners continue to face challenges including limited funding opportunities, social expectations, gender and racial biases, work-life balance, and in some areas, legal inequities and a lack of government support on the local, state and federal levels.

One specific recurring challenge came as no surprise, childcare. Whether the challenge is a childcare provider struggling with workforce shortages, cumbersome regulations and other red tape, or another business owner looking for a provider to care for their kids, the sentiment is the same. There is a lack of accessible and affordable childcare.

NDWBC is working to close that gap through advocacy efforts, strategic partnerships and by facilitating equitable access to critical resources like funding, business training for childcare providers and long-term business support. Recently, NDWBC proudly partnered with Child Care Aware of North Dakota (CCA) to create an industryspecific program designed to accelerate the growth and development of sustainable, profitable group and center childcare businesses to help increase the availability of services statewide. `

This virtual course is helping women business owners from across the state upskill their business acumen and make connections with other childcare owners on a similar journey. The ten-week Industry Intensive course is derived

NDWBC is proud to welcome childcare providers from across North Dakota into a new Industry Intensive program designed to accelerate the growth and development of sustainable, profitable group and center childcare businesses to help increase the availability of services statewide.

from a successful initiative formerly known as the Women’s Leadership Program, which helped women in business learn about their leadership options, build confidence and diversify their networks.

The new program, however, will focus on building sustainable business foundations, branding, financial management, recruitment and leading a team with NDWBC’s industry-specific curriculum. NDWBC Executive Director, Christy Dauer, is excited to offer businesswomen this opportunity.

“It’s no surprise North Dakota is experiencing a childcare drought, and the statistics are alarming. Childcare is vital to the success of our state and the vibrancy of our economy. Childcare owners face unique challenges in business and we are thrilled to be in partnership with CCA to collaborate and bring business resources to this group,” Christy said.

Childcare offers a business model with high labor costs and narrow margins,

which makes high-quality and affordable childcare difficult to provide. This concern is a nationwide issue impacting families, communities and the workforce at large. According to CCA’s website, there may be over 120,000 children needing care in North Dakota. Wage earners who cannot find childcare often stay at home. This decision impacts the economy and affects women at a disproportionate rate.

CCA Start-Up and Community Engagement Coordinator Verla Jung shares how this partnership with NDWBC is tackling the issue.

“Child Care Aware of ND was the recipient of a grant from Strengthen ND that awarded the opportunity to pilot a shared services model for childcare programs. One prong of the shared service's pilot is to offer business training and coaching. We are excited... to help build capacity along with building the program’s financial stability,” Verla said.

Building a program exclusively for childcare providers means working to solve the specific needs of professionals in the

business. NDWBC Client Success Director Elizabeth Phares Oren is working toward that end.

"There is power around purpose and support. Bringing these women together to navigate pain points, identify solutions and plan for the future is an opportunity to not only support them but also impact an industry vital to North Dakota," Elizabeth said.

The pilot program will run from January to March. In addition, the class will feature a two-day financial workshop for the family (in-home) childcare providers in February and March.

NDWBC is proud to be the leading voice, resource, and partner for women business owners. To learn more about the Industry Intensives and other programs, visit ndwbc.com and follow @ndwbc on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

be prepared for the road ahead.

As a dealer, you can be assured in our understanding of the importance of keeping your dealership running at full speed. From assisting with monthly bank reconciliations to providing very specific strategies for complex tax situations, we are equipped and ready to fuel your success.

NEW YEARS

BUSINESS RESOLUTIONS

n last month's issue of Fargo INC!, we were lucky enough to interview local entrepreneurs about their professional New Year's Resolutions. In fact, there were so many fantastic entrepreneurs willing to talk to us that we have more to share with you this month!

BUSINESS RESOLUTIONS

SARA LIEN

OWNER/FOUNDER, PAISLEY & DASH

ABOUT SARA LIEN

I grew up in Park River, ND and graduated from the University of North Dakota. I’ve lived in Fargo since 2007, and though my previous career as a financial advisor allowed me to travel and experience other parts of the country, Fargo is still one of my favorite places. The warmth of the people outweighs the cold of the winter! I’m a former Financial Advisor of 15 years turned entrepreneurial baker. I created Paisley & Dash Bake Shop in 2019 out of my home kitchen and basement, while working in the financial industry. We hand-make and hand-package our readyto-eat cupcakes in a jar and ship them across the entire country. Every day is truly a creative dream come true for me! And I do it alongside my sweet pups, Paisley and Dash, my Maltipoo and Maltese.

Looking back on the year that was in 2022 and the year to come in 2023, what is your new years business resolution?

2022 was a pretty special year for us. Halfway through the year, we finished construction on our very own bake shop and transitioned Paisley & Dash from my home basement (where it started) to its new headquarters in West Fargo that houses our commercial kitchen, packaging and shipping facility and a boutique type retail area. In 2023, we are excited about really nestling into the space and utilizing it in a variety of ways, one of which we pre-launched in December by adding Paisley & Dash Home to our portfolio, consisting of our line of custom and locally made soy candles. The thought process behind this being cupcake jars are centered around gifting, even if it’s to yourself, and we’d like to slowly incorporate a few products that can be gifted,

Photo by Josiah Kopp

beautifully packaged and shipped together with our cupcake jars.

How do you plan to accomplish this resolution?

By determining the type of “theme-gifts” or “experience-gifts,” as I call them, that we’d like to offer. We’ll do this by hand selecting products that can be packaged with our cupcakes—and that fits the Paisley & Dash brand. And we’d love to do so by collaborating with local partners to source these products, spreading a little bit of North Dakota across the entire country!

What do you anticipate the challenges to be?

Since we are primarily an e-commerce company, our primary focus is shipping. And because we ship across the entire country in all four seasons, we have a long list of shipping perils that remain top of mind. Weather, storms, the weight of products, spoilage, shipping delays, fragile items, just to name a few… and we want to make sure all our products arrive safely and intact, and beautifully reflect the Paisley & Dash brand. Because when a recipient opens their special P&D box, it creates an unforgettable experience.

How do you anticipate overcoming them?

Basically, just maintaining a narrow list of hand-selected products that can withstand the shipping elements we've learned are out of our control.

Are there any tools or things you plan to use to keep yourself on track/accountable?

Yes, as a creative person, ideas come and go constantly at all hours of the day and night and it can be overwhelming. Because

BUSINESS RESOLUTIONS

of that, sometimes things just don't get done and ideas don't come to fruition. So, I find that as long as I have a good oldfashioned paper notepad and planner to stick to, a super cute blush-pink one to be exact, I can hold myself accountable! I've tried the electronic versions, and I'm sure there is some app out there—but for now, I'm a paper girl!

What has kept you from making this change in the past?

Focusing more on cupcakes and the launch of Paisley & Dash overall has been my primary objective. It has been and continues to be so incredibly fun to create this, and such a beautiful journey full of ups, downs and all-arounds. I've always been a 'stay in my lane' type of person, as it can be scary to add more products as you never know how they will be received, but constantly living in a creative space as I do with P&D, my mind never stops, whether that is looking at adding additional cupcake flavors, additional treats or candles.

What is the biggest lesson you learned in 2022?

To let things go! Not everything has to be perfect. I think the fear of perfection holds us back from doing things and I've learned it's better to just do it, and then you learn and keep moving.

Do you have any personal new year's resolutions?

To create more of a daily routine for myself. Sort of stick to a 'recipe'. Though I enjoy the fact that no two days are ever the same at P&D and the flexibility that comes with that, I'd like to have a little more structure to my day, rather than the sometimes wildly free-for-all days that I have felt lately

that naturally come with the title of Chief Everything Officer.

Paisley and Dash's resolutions are to ignore the mail carriers, and to stop chasing squirrels!

Looking even further out, what is something on your professional bucket list?

I love writing! I would love to write a book someday, whether it's the story of resigning from my corporate career to pursue my dream, how P&D was built or a simple blog. I just really enjoy writing and putting my thoughts out there.

paisleyanddash.com

Facebook: /paisleyanddash

Instagram: paisleyanddash

ARE THERE ANY BOOKS YOU ARE LOOKING TO READ THIS YEAR?

"The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron.

BUSINESS RESOLUTIONS

SHARON TRAYLOR

OWNER/BARBER/BARBER INSTRUCTOR, ROOTS HAIR AND SOUL LLC.

ABOUT SHARON TRAYLOR

I am a mother of four and a grandmother of one. I’m 45 years old and from Chicago, IL and have been here for 10 years. I am co-owner of a barbershop and salon, Roots Hair and Soul in south Fargo. I am an artist of many facets from painting to music and, especially, hair. I have a passion for fitness, health, mentoring others and community involvement as well.

Photo by Josiah Kopp

BUSINESS RESOLUTIONS

Looking back on the year that was in 2022 and the year to come in 2023, what is your new years business resolution?

My New Year's business resolution would be to become better than we were last year, whether that means reaching higher heights, learning lessons, endeavoring in adventures or new experiences.

How do you plan to accomplish this resolution?

The way we plan to accomplish this resolution is by staying humble and reflecting, keeping a listening ear and being able to receive and absorb the good that comes our way and by not being afraid to try new things and challenge ourselves.

What do you anticipate the challenges to be?

The challenges will be ones we expect and some we may not, but what matters is how you handle and maneuver them. I see all challenges as opportunities to grow. Don’t back down.

Are there any tools or things you plan to use to keep yourself on track/accountable?

The tools and things I plan to use to keep myself on track/accountable would be, first, acknowledgment of the situation. Tools such

as organization skills, regular conversations of current things happening, revisiting situations and having plans of action should aid us well.

What has kept you from making this change in the past?

Something that may have kept this change from happening in the past would be a lack of knowledge and inexperience. Sometimes you have to go through things to really know the changes needed to be made.

What is the biggest lesson you learned in 2022?

The biggest lesson I learned in 2022 was to have more faith in my abilities, to be firm in what I want and to take no shortcuts. Hard work does pay off.

Do you have any personal new year's resolutions?

I really don’t have any personal New Year's resolutions. I set goals all year and accomplish them as they come. The pressure is not needed for a new year as long as I’m continuously growing and have the hunger for success mentally, financially, physically and spiritually. I’m happy with that.

Are there any books you are looking to read this year?

Honestly, no. I possibly want to start my own book but that’s another story.

Looking even further out, what is something on your professional bucket list?

On my precessional bucket list would be to become a board member of the North Dakota barber board/ association. I also want to own and run my own barber college, Lord willing.

Facebook: Search ROOTS Hair & Soul

Instagram: roots_hair_and_soul Phone: 701.532.2036

BUSINESS RESOLUTIONS

FOUNDER, FM AERIAL & MOVEMENT ARTS

ABOUT YVETTE REYES

My New Year’s business resolution is to continue to develop new programming and to focus on creating residencies and inclusive programming specifically for deaf and hard-ofhearing individuals.

54 FEBRUARY 2023

Photo by Josiah Kopp

Looking back on the year that was in 2022 and the year to come in 2023, what is your new years business resolution?

How do you plan to accomplish this resolution?

I plan on accomplishing this resolution by seeking community partners that have similar values and missions and by using our resources to bring this idea to life. Additionally, I'm going to seek out circus schools that have successfully created inclusive programming in the past. I need individuals who are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) to start the learning process of aerial arts so that they are ready to teach after a few years of training and getting to know the ins and outs of the apparatus and the language needed to teach.

What do you anticipate the challenges to be?

Early challenges will be finding people fluent in ASL who are willing to learn aerial arts for the purpose to teach in the future. Although rewarding, aerial arts are difficult to learn—especially silks, and the process is very slow. Aerial is not an art form you can simply learn to teach over a weekend certification program. So, we will need people who will embrace the snail pace process so that they can safely teach in the future. Additionally, I feel like the FM area currently tends to be a temporary place for people. So, I would like to find people who plan to stay for a while.

Are there any tools or things you plan to use to keep yourself on track/accountable?

The tools I have in place are quarterly goal check-ins where I write things down in an app called Trello and then I take a look back every once in a while. I also find that telling my community, keeps me accountable as well because they will check in and ask how things are going. As a studio owner,

BUSINESS RESOLUTIONS

I feel like I have a lot going on all the time. So, little check-ins help immensely.

What has kept you from making this change in the past?

COVID! And then one variant after another. Prior to opening the aerial space in June of 2021, I had a small corner of a car shop in Moorhead where I would train, and I also worked the second shift so it was really difficult to meet with anyone and we definitely couldn’t have classes there—the idea of having a space just to teach aerial arts seemed so far away.

What is the biggest lesson you learned in 2022?

One person can’t do it all, and when they do, things fall apart. It was a hard and painful lesson. When I quit welding, I thought I would finally have the time to take care of all the things, but instead, I just added more to my plate to the point where important things were falling through. Moving forward, I am much more cautious of what I say yes to and I have accountability partners and measures in place.

Do you have any personal new year's resolutions?

My personal New Year’s resolution is to get back to creating just for the fun of it. I have an incredible team and I am so excited to see them take ownership of the things that they do. Soon I feel like I will be able to step back a little bit from teaching and performing and start training and creating for myself again.

Are there any books you are looking to read this year?

There are, yes! I have a few that I picked

up from Zandbroz that I have yet to finish including "The Selected Works of Audre Lorde", "This is What America Looks Like" by Ilhan Omar and "Who Rules the World" by Noam Chomsky.

Looking even further out, what is something on your professional bucket list?

One thing on my professional bucket list is to have a full aerial/theater production. I want there to be singing, dancing, aerial acrobatics, a professional sound and lighting crew, the whole works. That would be my dream.

fmaerial.com

Facebook: /fmaerial

Instagram: fmaerial_pole

TikTok: fmaerial

ARE THERE ANY BOOKS YOU ARE LOOKING TO READ THIS YEAR?

"The Selected Works of Audre Lorde"

"This is What America Looks Like" by Ilhan Omar "Who Rules the World" by Noam Chomsky

Sweet Sippin ' North Dakota Sweet Crude,

A MUST-TRY ND DRINK

By Brady Drake | Photos by Geneva Nodland

It's no secret that North Dakotans are proud of our state. As we should be. Our state is home to some of the best people in the country, one of the highest GDPs per capita in the country and beautiful landscapes. Is there a better way to celebrate all we have than with a liqueur bearing the state's name? North Dakota Sweet Crude co-founder Arthur Weidner certainly doesn't think so.

And why would he? Arthur, alongside his brother Christian, is currently carrying on a family legacy that goes back over 100 years to his great-grandfather Martin Weidner, a man who secretly made whiskey in his smokehouse during the state's prohibition period in the early 1900s.

According to the crudespirits.com website, "Old man Weidner passed his recipe on to his children, who shared it with theirs. Generations of Weidners have added their polish, but left the liquor unrefined (as a good hooch should be)."

"My brother and I like to do a fair amount of hunting," Arthur said. "On several of our hunting excursions in the western part of North Dakota, where my father grew up on the farm, we wanted to give the farmers that let us hunt on their land something a little bit more than just a $20 bill or something. A lot of times, we would trade work for hunting rights on certain guys' land. We used to call ourselves the pheasant builders. But it's not possible to spend a week doing projects for everybody. So, sometimes we would hand out our family venison sausage. I had been

introduced to our family hooch since I was eight years old and Chris and I decided to make a batch one time and we ended up with a couple of extra bottles. We ended up giving one to a farmer as a thank you and didn't think much of it. But when we called the next year wanting to hunt on the land again, the farmer told us he could use about 12 of those bottles. That's when we thought, 'we might have something here.'"

From there, Arthur began playing with the idea of starting a business and trying to figure out what it would take to get the business up and running.

"I knew I didn't want to jump into it completely right away and become a full-on distiller myself because that takes a lot of investment," Arthur said. "However, I knew, obviously, we'd need to scale up from doing it just on the stovetop. I came across a couple of small distilleries and found one that said they'd be interested in making our liqueur on a contract basis. We gave him our recipe and had him sign a nondisclosure agreement and I began looking at how to become a distributor."

The next hiccup for Arthur and his brother to overcome was figuring out how to scale the recipe, which included two ingredients that were originally of concern to him: herbal tea and caramelized sugar. While he was able to source the herbal tea blend from producers, the caramelized sugar proved to be a more difficult problem to overcome.

"Caramelized sugar isn't available out on the general market," Arthur said. "What is sold on the market is generally used as a colorant, not a flavor profile. It tastes really bad. So, I contacted the NDSU mechanical engineering department and talked with somebody there who had an idea for a machine, but didn't have a place to test it out or the time to do all of the drafting and everything that would need to be done to make it. However, he thought that his students might be interested. It took about two years to perfect the machine and the modifications to it. But when it was up and running and we got the data back from the taste testing, it was the most beautiful data that I'd ever seen as a scientist in the engineering field."

Arthur Weidner FOUNDER

How close is the taste to what you guys made at home?

Oh, we improved on it. I would have to say it's definitely different than Grandpa Martin's. He wasn't using lemongrass. There's definitely some stuff that we've added to it. There's black tea, green tea, even a little bit of mint. I actually sourced them from my uncle in Washington state. It's definitely a step up from what was being passed around at the celebrations in North Dakota.

How long was it before you started to feel like you were really gaining some traction with the business?

I started by corporating myself in 2015. We produced our first batch three years later in 2018. I sold my first bottle in July 2018. I was still working full-time as an engineer for John Deere. Then, in March of 2019, I quit my engineering job and went out on the road full-time doing sales across North Dakota. In July of 2019, my sales really started to do something. Then, I also started getting into Minnesota. I've now got about a dozen distributors across North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota carrying my product.

What do you think helped you get to that point?

I think sampling and tasting the product really helped. They're just half ounce samples, probably less than a half ounce because I don't fill the cup all the way up. Under Minnesota state law, that's all I'm allowed to give out as a sampler. North Dakota doesn't have that law and it's a much different business environment in general. In North Dakota, the person that controls the liquor is the tax commissioner. The people that control liquor distribution in Minnesota are the Office of Public Safety. So, you could see how there's probably a different bend on how things are handled. There's also a lot easier access to decision makers in North Dakota.

How much were you working in those early days?

Pretty much every evening after work.

Sweet Crude Spirits sells both a cinnamon & spice flavor as well as a citrus & spice flavor.

Tell us about when you knew you had to quit your day job.

I just had too much [going on]. I wasn't able to get out and do the sampling and the sales calls that I needed to. I was getting to the major markets, I was getting around here in Fargo and Bismarck and a little bit in Jamestown, but I wasn't able to get through the rest of the state. I wasn't able to really blanket the state. And so my wife and I, we just said, “Well, you know, you're gonna have to jump in or, or pull back, you know, one or the other.”

Is this a passion project for you?

I do enjoy it. It's nice to see people enjoy the product. It's also great to carry on the legacy for Grandpa Martin, who was making this stuff 100 years ago. I like getting out and meeting people. Early on, in 2018, I kind of made a commitment to myself saying that I was going to get to every town in North Dakota that had a liquor license and try and introduce the town to North Dakota Sweet Crude. It took me about a year and a half but I finally made it to every town that had a liquor

license. So, I've driven almost every mile of paved road in North Dakota and I've seen a lot of country I've never seen before. It makes me appreciate it more now.

Do you have any recommendations for places in the state that people should go to that they might not have thought about?

The areas around Lake Metigoshe State Park are beautiful. I just like the wide-open spaces in North Dakota as it is. Obviously, the National Park area that we have is gorgeous, but there are also little picturesque river valleys that flow into the Missouri River that are pretty nice to see too. There is a lot of North Dakota that you can't see driving down Highway 94.

Can you tell me about your relationship with the drink over your lifetime?

North Dakota Sweet Crude liqueurs can be had straight or can be made into a mixed drink. Check their Instagram, @crudespirits, for recipe ideas.

When I was eight years old, I went back to Beulah for my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary. As an eight-year-old, I'm just sitting there on the sideline watching people dance and talk and everything and listen. And all of a sudden, a little old guy comes around with a bottle and a couple of glasses and he gave me just a tiny, tiny bit. That was the first time I ever tasted it. And then a couple of years later, my dad made a batch on the stovetop and I thought that was kind of cool. It wasn't until I was in high school before we really made batches with my dad again.

What has it been like working with the distiller?

We've had a fantastic time with them. The product is a little unique in that we're using an herbal tea blend and we're running it through the tower a second time so we get the big punch of the cinnamon and orange, depending on which variety we're making. And we had to figure it out together. We had to go down and look at the equipment and figure out how we were going to do this.

To learn more, visit crudespirits.com

Facebook: /CrudeSpirits

Instagram: @crudespirits

Twitter: @CrudeSpiritsND

FACES OF

THE EXECUTIVES' CLUB

OF FARGO - MOORHEAD

WANT TO JOIN THE CLUB?HEADTO THE100.ONLINE

OUNDED IN 2015, THE EXECUTIVES' CLUB OF FARGO-MOORHEAD IS A CLUB DESIGNATED EXCLUSIVELY FOR CEOS, PRESIDENTS, FOUNDERS AND SERIAL ENTREPRENEURS TO HAVE EXTRAORDINARY CONVERSATIONS.

WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO INTERVIEW A NUMBER OF THOSE VISIONARY LEADERS AND ARE EVEN LUCKIER TO GET THE CHANCE TO SHARE THEM WITH YOU OVER OUR NEXT FEW ISSUES.

BRIAN BESTGE

CEO, MOBILE PRO

B ABOUT BRIAN BESTGE

Brian Bestge started his business in 2003, focusing on video production and advertising. Mobile Pro is a subsidiary of Bestge's sister company Studio 7 Productions.

"At Mobile Pro, our focus is on producing full-scale events and experiences for our clients," Bestge said. "Notable clients have been companies like Bell Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield and American Crystal Sugar. Our company prides itself in full customer service for every event. We truly are a turnkey partner when it comes to event production and planning. This year, we are going to start a program to find an emerging nonprofit that is looking to do its first event to help raise money. The finalist for the program will receive full production services for their inaugural event. More details to come in early 2023."

WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT LESSON YOU LEARNED ABOUT BUSINESS IN 2022?

The new reality of all business is the shortage of everything. Our industry has now been vastly affected by this as well. We now have more opportunities than labor and resources to complete the work. Our company has had little turnover in the past year and we have been blessed to have the best partners and employees in the business. While others have been scrambling to hire, we have been busy building a culture that understands the life and work balance.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2023?

Rolling out some amazing new products and ideas to all of our clients will be the most fun thing we get to do this year. Our team has been hard at work dreaming up ideas to take events to a whole

other level. We have also teamed up with another production company to ensure we can do more work together for all of our clients.

TAKE US THROUGH A TYPICAL DAY IN YOUR LIFE.

Each day my leadership team and I talk about how we can best adjust our workflow or systems to be more efficient. This usually starts on a single problem but can grow to ideation of how to best support our colleagues. Next, I generally go around and visit with the tech team about upcoming shows and how I can best help them achieve the outcomes we have identified for those shows. I then finish my day up with one or two key meetings with clients and or business contacts. I'm usually ready for a little time to stop and reflect on my goals for the week.

Photo provided by Brian Bestge

WHAT’S THE WORST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

The worst advice was, "you should go talk to so and so, he can help you." Turns out, so and so was only interested in so and so and not looking to help me advance my idea.

WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?

Letting people down. Here is what I mean: we are all people pleasers in our industry and before the pandemic, it was always foot on the gas and saying yes to everything. I finally realized that foot on the gas involves more than just myself. It involves my entire team and their families. As an owner, if I want to work 80 hours a week, I can choose to do so. However, that's not the way our staff should be treated. Growth is a good thing but sustainable growth is what really matters. My team is like a family and I want to treat them that way. If keeping my family happy means that we have to let up on the gas, then that's what needs to be done. The flip side of that coin is that many people who are used to having production services, may not end up being able to be serviced due to this work-life balance we are trying to achieve.

WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE A TED TALK ON?

I think I could speak about the blessing and the curse of being a 30,000 ft. view guy. Now I know that many people, especially CEOs and owners, are considered to be the visionaries of the company, but I think some of us see things in trends and ideation a bit differently. What I mean is that, good or bad, we see opportunities and problems further out than others.

In a world that is increasingly more divided and polarized, our 30,000 ft. view is getting harder to see more clearly. Case in point, during the pandemic, our company was scheduled to do 15 events in March, April and May prior to the lockdowns. Once everything began to shut down, I knew we had to change the way we were doing our work. Yes, many companies changed and

"pivoted" but our company, I feel, was a bit different. We not only changed how we did events but we changed our business model for the future. It's easy to look back and feel good about what we did, but as visionaries, sometimes the future can be overwhelming and stressful to think about. I would not trade my abilities for anything and, in fact, I feel it's a really positive skill I'm trying to harness so that I can control it and it does not control me.

HOW DOES THE REALITY OF YOUR JOB DIFFER FROM PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OF IT?

I think that many people think of production people as "button pushers" or "tech people," but our crew is more than that. They are like musicians in an orchestra. Yes they play a role, but they know they are part of something bigger. No one musician is more important than another and that is no different for our team members. Events don't go off without a hitch because we showed up and hit buttons, they go off usually without a hitch because of a large amount of planning and preparation. Mobile Pro's philosophy is "what helps the client succeed is what we need to plan on." That's the secret to our success and to our client's success.

WHAT’S ONE THING THE LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY COULD DO TO HELP YOU/YOUR ORGANIZATION?

Patience and grace. We all are living in a world of shortages and less availability of service. As our company continues to grow, please find both of those things within you in dealing with all businesses you interact with. Our company is full of great people and those people do great work. It's within all of us to encourage and thank those that are continuing to do the work.

IF YOU COULD THANK ONE PERSON WHO’S CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR SUCCESS, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

Rick Davis, former CEO of Insight

Technologies, was a key person in my business career. As someone who I had admired and respected, Rick's insight (not a pun) was so priceless to the growth and success of our company.

WHAT’S YOUR “WHY”?

My “why” is simple: I do what I do because I'm a problem solver and, in our business, it is a series of challenges and problems that we get to solve. I love that challenge even though it can have its stress points.

WHAT PART OF YOUR JOB WOULD YOU USE AN “EASY BUTTON” ON, IF YOU COULD?

Eliminating assumptions would be a form of an easy button. So many times, communication goes off the rails when people assume things not proven to be true. Any easy button that would eliminate this problem would be nice.

WHAT’S ONE CHARACTERISTIC YOU BELIEVE EVERY GREAT LEADER SHOULD POSSESS?

The ability to read people and situations is an undeniable characteristic every leader should possess. If you read the room correctly, you can lay the foundation for some great communication.

WHAT’S ONE WAY YOU FOSTER CREATIVITY WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION?

Every year we do personal growth training called Strengths Finder with my wife's consultant company called Cultivate 21. She is able to show all of us how everyone's strengths can be a strength to our efforts.

WHO’S A LEADER YOU’RE STUDYING OR PAYING ATTENTION TO RIGHT NOW?

Love or hate Elon Musk, he is truly a leader I'm paying attention to at this moment.

MOBILEPRODUCTION.NET

FACEBOOK: /MOBILEPROFARGO

INSTAGRAM: MOBILE_PRO_FARGO

TWITTER: @MOBILEPROFARGO

HEATHER AAL

OWNER, AAL YOURS CONSIGNMENTS AND REFINISHING

HABOUT HEATHER AAL

After many years in the nonprofit world, mostly in development, Heather Aal made the jump to business owner in the midst of the COVID Pandemic. Aal has a bachelor's degree from NDSU in human development and family science as well as a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership from Arizona State. Aal is proud to have been part of many amazing nonprofits in Fargo including the Boys & Girls Club of the Red River Valley, the BBB and the Essentia Health Foundation. She is currently a member of The Executives' Club of Fargo Moorhead and the BBB.

"My organization offers a place to buy and sell unique furniture and home decor. Some of the really neat things I have had the pleasure of selling include a professional reproduction of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's writing desk commissioned by Henry Ford and a 42" lion head king's chair carved with the God of the North Wind," Aal said. "I spend most of my days refinishing and restoring furniture for clients. One of my favorite repair jobs was a statue that sits in the RDO building on Block 9."

WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT LESSON YOU LEARNED ABOUT BUSINESS IN 2022?

Take a deep breath and trust the process.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2023?

Continued growth and success. I truly enjoy seeing the interesting and unique pieces people bring in for me to sell. I love the research and garnering knowledge about

things I haven't seen or heard of before. And the continued trust folks give me with their family heirlooms.

TAKE US THROUGH A TYPICAL DAY IN YOUR LIFE.

I usually start my day with copious amounts of coffee as I work in the refinishing shop. Sometimes I am sanding and sometimes I am laying finishes. I like to have my wet finishes drying during consignment store hours.

Photo by J. Alan Paul Photography

After I open the shop, most of my day is consumed by research and pricing items for the sales floor. Each item is curated to ensure I am pricing things appropriately. If my consignors aren't making money, neither am I.

I often have new friends swing through to see what is new on the sales floor. I am blessed to have met so many awesome folks through my business. I work hard to ensure I have a welcoming ambiance in the shop, somewhere people can tell me their memories about items or ask questions. I truly love the people that come in.

The end of my day is usually filled with checking on the pieces in the refinishing shop, seeing if there is anything I can do that needs to dry overnight.

WHAT’S THE WORST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

I was told very early in the process of building this business that it would never work. It had to follow set business plans and strategies. It doesn't and it works. My response is to trust your gut and work hard to fulfill your dreams.

WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?

Ensuring that I am being fair to my consignors, my clients and my customers.

WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE A TED TALK ON?

Not listening to the silly little voice in your head that says you can't.

HOW DOES THE REALITY OF YOUR JOB DIFFER FROM PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OF IT?

People seem to think that refinishing work is easy and not time consuming. However, a single table top takes days to complete. You have to remove the old finish, this may take more than one or two days depending on what is on it. I had a tabletop recently that took me four days to remove the old finish. Then, you sand, working to ensure you don't sand through veneers—3-6 different grit sandpapers help to keep swirls from happening, buff out old marks and give the wood a smooth surface. Now, let your raw wood breathe for a day or two. Clean your surface with TSP, allow it to dry overnight, neutralize the TSP with vinegar water, and allow it to dry overnight... you get the point and we haven't even stained or finished coating it yet. This is why it is expensive and time-consuming.

WHAT’S ONE THING THE LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY COULD DO TO HELP YOU/YOUR ORGANIZATION?

Continue to get the word out. I am in the middle of the Historic Hawthorne neighborhood... it isn't a drive-by sort of find.

IF YOU COULD THANK ONE PERSON WHO’S CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR SUCCESS, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

Harlan Goerger. He truly listened to me. He asked the tough questions. He supported the dream and checked in on me repeatedly. Unfortunately, we lost Harlan a year ago. The hole he left is pretty significant!

WHAT’S YOUR “WHY”?

Because I absolutely love it. If you have passion, follow it!

WHAT PART OF YOUR JOB WOULD YOU USE AN “EASY BUTTON” ON, IF YOU COULD? Bookkeeping!

WHAT’S ONE CHARACTERISTIC YOU BELIEVE EVERY GREAT LEADER SHOULD POSSESS? A smile on their face.

WHAT’S ONE WAY YOU FOSTER CREATIVITY WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION?

I allow my employees to roll with their ideas, even if I don't necessarily love them. This is a place where if a design doesn't work, we can always try again.

WHO’S A LEADER YOU’RE STUDYING OR PAYING ATTENTION TO RIGHT NOW?

Miranda Burfiend—she is a local rockstar who is making her dreams a reality. I love to see her succeed and her smile is absolutely contagious.

AALYOURS.COM

FACEBOOK: /AALYOURS INSTAGRAM: @AALYOURS

JOHN FISHER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN FARGOMOORHEAD

J ABOUT JOHN FISHER

John Fisher earned his bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University in Religious Studies and Psychology; he then earned his graduate degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. John’s nonprofit story starts as a junior in college when he and a close circle of friends founded a nonprofit youth organization. It was during this time that the entrepreneurial spirit and passion for bettering communities and developing people was first sparked. That passion solidified as he worked with youth in churchbased ministries in Tennessee and Kentucky. This desire to impact communities brought John and his wife, Abby, to North Dakota.

John started three churches, grew attendance and recruited leaders to help. All the while, he worked in the nonprofit sector. He was a program coordinator with the YMCA in school-based programs for almost six years developing youth, staff and families. From there, he worked in a Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) grant at North Dakota State University as a program director. Before coming to Friends of the Children Fargo-Moorhead, John has served as the executive director of CHARISM for three and a half years, a neighborhood nonprofit serving youth through mentoring. He serves of the board of the Badges of Unity project, Youth Improvement Board

For the last three and a half years, John has led the team at Friends of the Children Fargo-Moorhead and could not be prouder of the work that has been accomplished. The quickly expanding program continues to gain traction!

FACES

OF THE EXECUTIVES' CLUB OF FARGO - MOORHEAD

WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT LESSON YOU LEARNED ABOUT BUSINESS IN 2022?

Scary decisions are not necessarily bad. They often are scary because you are going to grow through them.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2023?

Growth, expansion and pushing light into dark places.

TAKE US THROUGH A TYPICAL DAY IN YOUR LIFE.

I start the day in the gym. Lifting heavy things and just moving my body. Additionally, I dive deep into the Bible every morning. After that, I usually read some work of history for 30 minutes. When I get to work, I clean out email and then, I take time to plan and think. This takes me to when my team arrives and then it's meetings, calls, emails or one-on-one's until I head home.

Then, I finish my day by cooking dinner, spend time with my wife and kids and then in bed early.

WHAT’S THE WORST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

"You can always go get more money." WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?

12 months in the future.

WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE A TED TALK ON?

The answers are often in the past. Whenever you can, listen to dead people.

HOW DOES THE REALITY OF YOUR JOB DIFFER FROM PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OF IT?

Being the "boss" gives the perception that you do what you want. Well, you have all the pressure and responsibility.

WHAT’S ONE THING THE LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY COULD DO TO HELP YOU/YOUR ORGANIZATION?

Give, volunteer, advocate and connect.

WHAT’S YOUR “WHY”?

Finding Joy in following Christ in everything I do.

WHAT’S ONE CHARACTERISTIC YOU BELIEVE EVERY GREAT LEADER SHOULD POSSESS?

Resilience

THIS CAN BE A PROGRAM, A GRANT, AN INCENTIVE — ANYTHING YOU THINK A FELLOW MEMBER OF THE BUSINESS/NONPROFIT COMMUNITY SHOULD KNOW ABOUT.

Employee Retention Credit FRIENDSFARGOMOORHEAD.COM FACEBOOK: /FRIENDSFARGOMOORHEAD

KELSEY RASCO

OWNER & OPERATOR, HAUS OF DASH

Q&A WITH KELSEY RASCO

WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT LESSON YOU LEARNED ABOUT BUSINESS IN 2022?

No matter where you go, bring extra sunglasses because the future inevitably is bright as shit. It's just up to us to open our eyes and our hearts to the goodness. Even in the deepest sea of monsters, the sun can be found tickling the surface, awaiting our approval to rescue us.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2023?

I love fresh beginnings; the turn of the clock, the sunrise on a Monday, the appeal of opportunities and the magic they bring during the first quarter of the year.

TAKE US THROUGH A TYPICAL DAY IN YOUR LIFE.

Well, you all better pop your Lexapro prior to reading this excerpt because it's the wild wild west inside these metaphorical walls:

7:34: My sweet baby girl, Rhyan, opens her eyes and yawns the sweetest yawn and politely lets me know she’s ready to start the day. So, I prepare her perfectly warm bottle and allow her to eat in peace while she begins to wake. Sweet, sweet life. My heart. My soul.

Reality: Screaming (is that me or her?), shrieking alarm telling me I should have been on bottle prep two minutes ago. I go skidding into the kitchen in my t-shirt and granny panties trying not to break my damn ankle on all the building blocks on the ground (but it was so cute when she was scattering them around LAST WEEK). As I’m trying to pry my last night’s makeup eyes open, I see there is, in fact, NO clean bottles for little miss muppet. Scramble time ladies.

I jam through making the bottle and get that thing shoved in her crib and then silence begins. Soft and slow sucks let me know the monster is happy (that’s also a lie, for she’s actually very sweet).

7:45: My morning swiftly moves by and I continue to get ready and prep myself for a wonderful day ahead where I’m on time and not running in, breathing heavy.

Reality: So, when I should have been getting ready, I collapsed in my partially made bed for 5 more minutes. The monster is done eating and ready for life. Me, not so much. Time to put the burners on stat. When I planned a beautiful hair day and stunner makeup, it ends up with a brisk brush and mascara. Alexa, tell me I’m beautiful.

8:35: Peacefully get Rhyan dressed and suited to endure the outdoor climate. We are ready our friends. Let’s head out.

FACES OF THE EXECUTIVES' CLUB OF FARGO - MOORHEAD

Photo by Josiah Kopp

Reality: Timing is a joke. Peacefulness is a joke. It’s all a joke. It’s actually like 9:25. What really happens is a full-on WWE wrestling match. Tears are shed by baby and mama. She twists. She turns. She shouts. Come on baby, JUST LET ME PUT YOUR DAMN DIAPER ON. And then I can actually get her dressed. I always have intentions of Instagram-worthy outfits but this B (baby people, baby) is getting unmatched socks and no headband. By the end of this, I’m freaking sweating my tits off. But I must move forward with progress. I look down and now my perfectly black clothes are absolutely and utterly covered in dog hair. Cute. At this point, I just laugh because the joke is always on me. I still didn’t put her damn coat on. Does she even need to have it (actual thought process)? Frick, of course, she does. We’re in the frozen tundra. We make it out the door and my hands are full. Carseat, bottles, diaps (we don’t even use adult language in our house), purse, phone, my dignity.

9:30: Time to collect ourselves during the drive to work and by ‘ourselves’ I really mean me. Because that drive is apparently Rhyan’s nap time (she must have been tired after the WWE match). This is when reality takes over and no more blissful shouldawoulda-coulda’s. I gotta get that babe to daycare before the witching hour comes (meaning store opening time). I rush into daycare like the hot mess express, kiss , kiss, kiss and squeeze. I shove bottles at teachers and I’m off. Then, I hop into my 2012 sedan and gun the gas and rip into traffic. I roll up to Haus of Dash at 9:58 (if I’m lucky) to start my day.

Maybe next time I can talk more about Haus of Dash but lord, give me grace. Give me patience and give me time. For this mama is tired. And guess what… I get to do it all over again tomorrow. If you see me, nod your head and give me a ‘get outta jail free card’ because you know I’ll need it.

I am Kelsey Rasco. I am Haus of Dash. And I am the most authentic human you might get to meet.

WHAT’S THE WORST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

'You've got this.' In all reality, few really do and 'if' there is a likelihood of achievement, it was built on stacks of failure, created from the depths of mental heart attacks and from the wisdom of hearing nothing but silence, the type of silence that can crush dreams before they even come to fruition.

WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?

My toddler but, better yet, what wakes me up early in the mornings? Ah, glad you asked! Unfortunately, I have this houseguest who roams the halls in her slippers while dragging her feet and complaining about the accommodations as if it's a subpar Air BnB. Inevitably, out of midwest grace, I kindly accept the 2-star review. Then I remember it's simply the shadow of my anxiety lurking between the minutes that pass during the dawn. Remind me to not invite that guest back. She's a drab.

WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE A TED TALK ON?

Quasi-experts. Yes, I said it. People selling people on their hot and fast passion or common success in a singular example set. Quasi-experts sell the grand timeshare pitch and the fish that take the bait are glamoured by the less expensive version of what they really need due to a lack of educational research. Myself included. This has a direct result of lost profits, over commitments and bringing in the wrong people in the wrong seats. Not to mention the expense and lessons learned of having to re-task the effort whilst rebuilding human trust. Also, I'm late for my therapy appointment where I'm working on releasing what doesn't serve me. Wish me luck.

HOW DOES THE REALITY OF YOUR JOB DIFFER FROM PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OF IT?

As often as I fluff pillows and entertain people on social media, the volume of what capitalizes my attention is Googling, 'how to ...' in the most endless ways possible. The letters on my keyboard, h, o and w are worn down just like my two-year college degree, hanging on by a thread of brilliance. Brilliance is most commonly mastered via a Google 'how-to' search.

IF YOU COULD THANK ONE PERSON WHO’S CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR SUCCESS, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

As Brianna Wiest, in her book "Ceremony" states, "Holy are the hands that have held you in your darkest hours, especially when those hands have only been your own." As uneventful and headstrong as the classic 'me' answer is, it is the one I will answer this inquiry with pride. Staring straight into the eyes of defeat and carrying the weight of doubt, it was my cadence that created the steady hum of success. And oh boy, I feel successful. Rich with love, abundant with support and immersed in sturdy friendships. That, my friends, is success.

DO YOU HAVE ANY MEDIA RECOMMENDATIONS?

BetaBlox, BetaBlox, BetaBlox. Drink the Koolaid. Bathe in the Kool-Aid. Name your kids Beta and Blox. BetaBlox is a 12-month entrepreneurial incubator based out of Kansas City that is masterfully directed by the wisdom of proven angel investors. Fortunately, I was selected as a candidate for 'The Blox' docu-series where I was part of an elite accelerator which is a brainchild from the original 12-month incubator which is currently available to watch on their app. Only after you Google, 'how to download an app.'

WHAT’S YOUR “WHY”?

In regard to my personal why, it has nothing to do with money but yet, everything. And here is my reason why:

Rhyan's Leotards

Yellow, pink, red and blue. These are the colors I want for you.

To wear, to dance, to tumble, to play. These are the colors I want you to have each day.

Your brothers are simple, and I know you won’t be. Because you’re feisty. You're emotional. You’re a girl, you see. Dad and I work so hard to give our family a life. Money is needed. But cherished out of spite.

One day, we can celebrate, play and laugh but until then, we continue to pave the path.

So 8 to 5, 5 to 8 Mister Money, without you, we don’t feel great.

Give us grace. Give us patience. For you we try. But we must start at the basics. So, those, my sweet girl, are the colors I want for you.

WHAT PART OF YOUR JOB WOULD YOU USE AN “EASY BUTTON” ON, IF YOU COULD?

Oh yes, this possibly could be the easiest question I've been asked recently. It's a delight to answer this and frankly, practicing what I preach, I utilize this easy

button as much as my bandwidth allows me to. Here is my worldly advice; When things get difficult, take a nap and then try it again.

WHAT’S ONE CHARACTERISTIC YOU BELIEVE EVERY GREAT LEADER SHOULD POSSESS?

Low standards. Easier to please honestly. Incredible amounts of praise, excitement and servant leadership pour from the appeased leader making them appear even greater. It's essentially a win-win.

WHO’S A LEADER YOU’RE STUDYING OR PAYING ATTENTION TO RIGHT NOW?

Don't tell her. She's not ready for this. She is not equipped to handle such a public endorsement without prancing around like a mystical unicorn that floats above the law. However, we all could add some of her life skills to our leadership arsenal. Her name is Rhyan Anneliese Shackle and she is a four-year-old that holds the crown in our house of commons. As much as I beg for communal support, I'm incredibly privileged to have front row seats to view her authentic admiration for life. Her shameless appreciation for things that bring her joy is a lesson in itself. Adults have created hairline fractures in the glass houses we operate in. We've forgotten to paint the walls with our passions. We've become recluses and shamelessly folded ourselves into molds that don't serve our inner child. So yes, I'm closely paying attention to the one person who scares me the most because, frankly...she holds the secret we're all looking for.

HAUSOFDASH.COM

FACEBOOK: /DASHANDWHITE INSTAGRAM: @HAUSOFDASH_

JASON ORLOSKE

FOUNDER, BRIDGE THE GAP CONSULTING

J ABOUT JASON ORLOSKE

Jason has over 20 years of experience in delivering strategic value and operational efficiencies across a variety of industries, including technology, healthcare, biotech, retail, and legal and regulatory. He is experienced working with executives and their teams to uncover opportunities, right-size solutions and drive execution through implementation.

Jason founded Bridge the Gap (BTG) Consulting in 2018 to help executives and their teams turn vision into reality. After working alongside consultants from "Big 5" firms who followed their playbooks to the letter, even if it was a burden to the client, Jason felt there had to be a better way to deliver projects. Since then, he has led several strategic projects, including a $2.5M digital business transformation, M&A integration, and leading the Project Management Office (PMO) for a $3B publicly traded company.

Besides BTG, Jason is an avid cyclist and runner who loves camping with his family around North Dakota and Minnesota and volunteering time to local non-profit events.

WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT LESSON YOU LEARNED ABOUT BUSINESS IN 2022?

The Great Resignation helped identify good managers who can keep their people and bad ones that cannot. People are not a commodity. They are a competitive advantage.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2023?

Growth and Connection. I plan to grow my network in the FargoMoorhead area as most of my clients have been outside of this area over the last two years. I look forward to connecting with local companies and professionals.

TAKE US THROUGH A TYPICAL DAY IN YOUR LIFE.

My day usually starts before 5. I get up and head to Family Wellness to get a workout. I'm starting my training for some early spring races, so I need to get some good gym time in!

At the start of the workday, I normally have four to five update meetings with the various teams I interact with or lead. This aligns us with the work to be done that day and identifies any issues we can help each other overcome. These meetings are:

Project Meetings: what tasks are in progress, any issues foreseen and are we on track to deliver quality output on time

Photo by Nicole Midwest

Operational Readiness: help operational teams be ready for what the project will deliver or with a major milestone they have coming up (i.e. yearend readiness).

Leadership Updates: give a short, crisp status to the leadership team on projects and operational readiness, as well as any larger issues or decisions needed. After that, the only thing typical is to be ready for anything! As a trusted advisor, I'm brought into any number of conversations or issues that need immediate attention or long-range planning. "Hey, can you help with..." or "So, we're thinking about..." are typical at the start of these discussions. I love the variety and challenges these bring, as well as seeing the client and teams be successful.

WHAT’S THE WORST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

"Sometimes you just have to scare them a little." This was told to me in 2011 by a director who said if someone couldn't deliver, I should tell them their job was on the line. This transactional thinking may work in the short term, but it's not an ongoing strategy to retain talent.

WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?

Two things:

1. Does my team have what they need to be successful? I get work done through others, so I want to make sure they have the tools.

2. Are we doing the right thing? The pace of business and consumer changes are only getting faster. We have to continually look at our projects and ask if they're delivering strategic value, or if something else is a higher priority.

WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE A TED TALK ON?

"Never Underestimate the Gift of Adversity"

From leading tough projects, to dealing with tougher people, to grinding through an ultra-distance race, never bet against yourself because you just might win! Every adversity we face is a gift, an opportunity to learn and grow. Chances are, you already have the tools to be successful, you just don't know it yet.

HOW DOES THE REALITY OF YOUR JOB DIFFER FROM PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OF IT?

Where to begin? When most people hear "Project Management", they think of someone who creates a schedule and then continually updates it. They also associate it with endless amounts of paperwork and status reports. Are schedules and statuses part of a project manager's job? Yes, but, it's a small amount.

Here's how I operate.

Engagement. I spend a lot of time focused on the people I'll regularly interact with. By getting to know them, understanding how they work and the best way to communicate, I establish trusting relationships.

Begin with the end in mind. By understanding a company's strategy, we can prioritize the work needed to make it a reality. I like to talk governance (a 10-letter 4-letter word to some) so only the right work gets prioritized at the right time. So often I hear people talk about having ten #1 priorities. Governance is key to reducing this. We also try to clearly define "done".

Pragmatic approach to planning and issue resolution. I once created a 300line project plan. It was only valid the day I created it. Never again! Now, I start with the delivery date and work backwards, focusing on the key milestones. Every project I've led has had issues, so I ask the team to bring them forward as soon as they even think they have one. Let's solve it as a team!

Focus on outcomes, not the process. Sure, processes are important, but where I focus on a lot of energy is on the outcomes.

What are we delivering to the company?

I can make just about any process work, but if I'm using a great process on a nonvalue add project, I'm doing the company a disservice.

WHAT’S ONE THING THE LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY COULD DO TO HELP YOU/YOUR ORGANIZATION?

When you or someone you know has too many priorities and doesn't know where to start, BTG consulting can be your trusted partner to get you off the ground!

WHAT’S YOUR “WHY”?

Though I'm a consultant, I like being thought of as a "Helper" more. I get my greatest sense of achievement seeing a team do something great.

WHAT PART OF YOUR JOB WOULD YOU USE AN “EASY BUTTON” ON, IF YOU COULD?

Meetings. I don't like meetings, but I have a lot of them!

WHAT’S ONE CHARACTERISTIC YOU BELIEVE EVERY GREAT LEADER SHOULD POSSESS?

The ability to create a psychologically safe environment for their people to work in.

WHAT’S ONE WAY YOU FOSTER CREATIVITY WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION?

I ask "What if..." questions. The more you ask this, the more creative the solutions will be. BTGCONSULTING.BIZ

NATALIE SPARROW

OWNER

, NATALIE SPARROW MGMT / ULTIMATE IMAGE LLC

NABOUT NATALIE SPARROW

Natalie Sparrow has over 20 years of experience developing and managing models, actors and singers, along with developing and branding influencers over the past few years. Ms. Sparrow started her career by receiving her Bachelor of Science degree at North Dakota State University in apparel and textiles, with an emphasis on design. Her minor in studies was in theatre with an emphasis on production. Before completing college, Sparrow started her own business as a wardrobe/image consultant and makeup artist, then later launched a model/talent agency, representing models and actors in the Upper Midwest. Successes of Sparrow include models working all over the USA, Italy, Paris, Greece, walking the runways of NYFW and LAFW, and numerous tv commercials (local and national), magazine publications/covers, short films and successful social media campaigns.

In 2000, Sparrow worked with Clothing & Connections, a nonprofit organization assisting low-income men/women transitioning into the workplace. She helped form the organization and get media attention by making appearances on television and radio, volunteering on the board and providing before/after make-overs for the participants attending the programs. Sparrow produced and choreographed fashion shows to help fundraise for local charities. Over the years, Sparrow created and produced numerous charitable fashion shows including Prom Fantasy, Downtown Holiday Extravaganza, Ultimate Shows, Fashionably Loud and Beyond Beauty Expo. She volunteered to produce fashion shows for The Christmas Gift Fashion Show, Trend Release and The Quota International Annual Fashion Show. All of these shows became very successful and raised over $10,000 in charitable funds. In 2006, Natalie received the honor of winning the YWCA Women of the Year Award for "Business That Empowers Women."

Sparrow has been a member of many organizations within the community including Business Network International, the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce, Quota International and Clothing & Connections. On a wider level, she

Photo submitted by Natalie Sparrow

held membership, for one year, with the Association of Image Consultants International. Most recently, Natalie has assisted in the development of the National Association for Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and In October 2010, they chartered a local chapter, NAWBO-GRRV. This organization focuses on encouraging business networking, empowerment and development for working women. Sparrow is currently a member of the 100, The Executives Club of Fargo-Moorhead.

TAKE US THROUGH A TYPICAL DAY IN YOUR LIFE.

Every day is different in the life of an Agent/Makeup artist. One day, I am working on a set as a makeup artist for TV commercials. The next day, I am shooting photos of new faces. Another day, I am hopping on an airplane taking models to New York, LA, Miami or wherever, to meet with agents, do photo shoots or walk fashion shows. Every day is an adventure.

WHAT’S THE WORST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

Get a real job/career/major and stop playing house.

WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?

Wondering why someone didn't respond to my text/email/phone call.

WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE A TED TALK ON?

You can make it to the top, even if you are a C or D average student!

HOW DOES THE REALITY OF YOUR JOB DIFFER FROM PEOPLE’S PERCEPTION OF IT?

It is not as glamorous as it seems. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears (more tears than anything) to keep going as an agent (especially in Fargo, ND).

WHAT’S ONE THING THE LOCAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY COULD DO TO HELP YOU/YOUR ORGANIZATION?

It would help if people see value in people/talent/models for their time to be in TV commercials, fashion shows and advertisements—and pay them for time and usage.

IF YOU COULD THANK ONE PERSON WHO’S CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR SUCCESS, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

I have so many people to thank, so many I could list. I am definitely grateful to be married to an accountant. My husband, Chad Sparrow, has been extremely patient and helpful in everything I do, especially the accounting side of my business. He also listens to my times of tears, my fears and supports all I do, even when I should have given up years ago.

WHAT’S YOUR “WHY”?

The modeling and acting industries are difficult, so, so difficult. They are filled with untrustworthy people. It is an industry with misunderstandings and many unknowns for people not familiar with it. I want to be there to help lift people up, to help guide them to success and to offer

coaching for people who want to know this industry. And, because I wanted to be the model/actor who experienced this unique industry, but didn't have the right connections to get me where I needed to be and doubted my own capabilities.

WHAT PART OF YOUR JOB WOULD YOU USE AN “EASY BUTTON” ON, IF YOU COULD?

Booking models/actors for jobs and getting them signed in major markets. That would be awesome!

WHAT’S ONE CHARACTERISTIC YOU BELIEVE EVERY GREAT LEADER SHOULD POSSESS? Every leader needs to listen and ask questions often.

WHAT’S ONE WAY YOU FOSTER CREATIVITY WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION?

We offer tours to help talent and models experience the industry firsthand and hands-on.

WHAT’S A LOCAL/ STATE RESOURCE YOUR ORGANIZATION HAS UTILIZED RECENTLY?

ND Women's Business Center is a great resource for women-owned businesses.

NATALIESPARROWMGMT.COM

FACEBOOK: /NATALIESPARROWMGMT

INSTAGRAM: @NATALIESPARROWMGMT

Brady

The Next Chapter

Catching up with

Melissa Rogne after a year of rapid expansion

IIn late 2021, we spoke with Melissa Rogne about Rejuv being acquired by TAG The Aspen Group. Since that acquisition, Melissa has been tasked with leading the company now known as Chapter Aesthetic Studio in a rapid and farreaching expansion from 2 locations in 2022 to 13 in 2022. We sat down with the Founder and President to talk about the big things she has going on.

By

Drake | Photos provided by Chapter Aesthetic Studio

Melissa Rogne, Founder and President, Chapter Aesthetic Studio

Have you had to travel much with the expansion?

Yes! All the time. In fact, when I go through Fargo security in the airport, they know my name! The coffee place basically has my order waiting for me when I go to them.

Where have you all been?

We opened two studios in Buffalo, NY. We have one studio in New Hartford, NY which is by the Syracuse, NY area. We opened our fourth New York location in Rochester, NY. So I've been spending quite a bit of time out there in New York.

I've also been in the Minneapolis area quite a bit. We now have a studio in Rochester, MN. We have a studio in Eagan, MN. We have a studio in St. Cloud and Eden Prairie, MN in just a few weeks here and Coon Rapids, MN. We also have an Iowa chapter that officially opened in Sioux City, IA and one in Des Moines, IA and I have three more Iowa locations coming in the next couple of months here.

Have you had to apply any unique tactics in any of the areas in terms of marketing?

Every community is so different. There's not a cookie cutter approach. What worked in Fargo from a marketing perspective is not the same tactic that's working in New Hartford, NY for example. Our talent acquisition and recruiting tactics are also different in every single community that we go into, which I love. I love getting into these communities and figuring out what makes them special. I love figuring out how those areas gain trust in their providers. I love figuring out how can we make an impact in the local community. Of course, the first thing we do in a new community is join the local chamber of commerce. We really want to become a fixture in the community and not just another studio that's popping up. We don't want anyone to look at us as a national brand.

How has this whole experience been different than what you expected going into it?

I don't know that I knew a lot of what to expect when I started this adventure. I was really just wondering what the teams are

going to be like and what the guests were going to be like. I think that's probably been the most fun thing for me is to see that people are the same in what they want for services. They're genuinely grateful for the services. I have been able to replicate the culture that we have here in Fargo and that was a really the big question mark. Everyone was wondering if we were going to be able to replicate what we created in Fargo because it's the people that make it so special. And I've been able to find these incredible people in all these different pockets. I think that was something I didn't know. I didn't know if I'd be able to do that. I wish I was in every single studio. Last week was really special—we had our first gathering of all the studios. Everybody came together in Chicago. It was just such a fun moment to see how similar everybody was and their dedication to the brand, their dedication to aesthetics and making a difference.

What are some of the tactics you've used to replicate that culture?

It really starts with Fargo which has been the heart and soul of Chapter. Just last year, I actually opened Chapter University just

across the street from our Chapter studio in Fargo. It is a 6,000-square-foot training center. All of our studios across the country fly into Fargo. We've hired over 100 people now and they all come to Fargo to Chapter University, which is staffed by people who grew up in Chapter's Fargo studio. So, that culture is really ingrained from day one. It's not an accident. It's very intentional that we immerse them from day one. I kick off every new training and we start a new class every four weeks. It starts off with me talking about culture, values, behavior, purpose and then it continues to their training. We have a really robust training from an industry perspective. It is really unique. We train our providers for 12 weeks before they're able to go live in a studio and they're in Fargo for about eight of those weeks. It's a big commitment from them and it's a big commitment and expense from the company, but we strongly believe that we need to have them ready with the technical skill and the cultural elements of who we are and why we do it.

That's every single employee that works in a studio or is hired for field support—they all come into Fargo. The time that they are here varies by position but even our guest services who are at the front desk get flown in for four weeks with us.

Why is that so important in the industry?

I love the industry. I've been in it for 22 years, however, there is absolutely a deficit in quality training in this industry. So when you sometimes hear about aesthetic outcomes that are undesirable, it is usually the result of a lack of good training. We have hired a Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ben Wood. He's a plastic surgeon based out of Raleigh, NC and he has really created this robust clinical track with certifications and ongoing testing to make sure that those providers are walking out not only understanding we are from a cultural perspective, but have a skill set where we can be confident that we can deliver safe, effective treatments across the platform. It's really different in the industry and I've had a few people who don't work at Chapter say, "How do we get into Chapter University?" I think that's pretty cool. You have to be a part of Chapter though to go through the university.

When you are opening these new clinics, how much time are you spending there?

I had the opportunity to really rely on our new studio opening team to get in there, and get the studios set up. But, in the first couple, I had my sleeves rolled up. I was running around with box cutters. I was setting everything up. Now, we're

opening our ninth studio of the year and our team has got it down to a science. So, I get to come in that week of opening and really inspire and motivate the team. I'm there for the open house and I'm here for the events. But I have to tell you, I give all the credit to this amazing new studio opening team that literally just has it down to a science. After everything shows up, they have that studio setup within three days. They have completely put together that studio. They're simply phenomenal.

And that's the same team that does it at each new location?

Yes, they're kind of a rockstar team.

I try to go back and visit the new locations at 30 days and check in with them and see how they're doing and make sure that they're getting their questions answered. We do a lot of coaching and shadowing. We make sure that they are taking their coats when they come in, that they are offering them a beverage when they come in. I'm kind of a nut about it, but I think it's worth it. The experience really matters.

What else have you learned during this process?

It's about your team. Big surprise, you can't do this by yourself. It's really important to build that team that complements your strengths. I know the medical aesthetics industry in, out, up, down, all the way around. I've been doing this for 22 years. I didn't know a lot about scaling a business, the construction process, but I've been able to really partner with these experts in their domains and that's been the one thing that I've loved the most. But I've also just really learned what it takes with these projects. That starts with finding the right real estate and the real estate negotiations and the lease negotiations. I really work with my legal team and my real estate team. There's a lot of work that goes in before we even get to sign the lease. And then from there, the construction process kicks off. And then you have your marketing workstream, analyzing the market and running the analytics. It has just been incredible for me to see all of these functions: legal, real estate, construction, marketing, operations and finance, working in tandem towards that common vision. It's really remarkable to me how you can scale. I know so many people asked me and said there's no way you're going to be able to do that quickly. "You're going open 10 Studios in a year? Good luck." I can't tell you how many times

I heard that. I believed that we could do it. Now, I've learned how we do it—it's because we have incredible cross-functional teams that work together.

So, you've opened 10 in 2022, how many are you planning to open in 2023?

We came into 2022 with two studios and we will leave 2022 with, I think, 12 studios. So, we hit our goal of opening 10. This next year, we already have 10 signed leases so there will be a minimum of 10 in 2023. We already have, I think, four signed leases for 2024 delivery. The hope is that going forward, we open more locations every year than the previous year. In terms of the ultimate goal, for me, as long as we're maintaining the quality and our guest satisfaction, which is 4.95 out of 5 right now, I want to scale as fast as I can while maintaining that.

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By Julie Hinker, Veterans Business Specialist of the Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Dakotas (VBOC)

About the VBOC

The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) program is designed to provide entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling and resource partner referrals to transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members and military spouses interested in starting or growing a small business. U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has 22 organizations participating in this cooperative agreement and serving as VBOCs.

10 Mistakes That Can Kill Your Startup Business Y

You started a business and you feel like you are on top of the world. You are running in a million directions, but this new journey is so much better than your old job! Being you are a new business owner, you may get so busy with all the new tasks that you forget to stop and breathe.

This can cause you to not see the big picture and slip into some mistakes that can kill your startup business. Every startup makes mistakes and since we are human, there is always something to learn or improve on. To achieve success, entrepreneurs should be aware of common challenges and obstacles that could potentially lie ahead so they don’t make the same mistakes that others have already made.

JulieHinker,Veterans Business Specialist

As our businesses begin to pick up momentum and propel forward, we can become blinded by our successes and growth causing us to run into unsuspected issues. Keep reading to find out exactly where many startup failures begin and how your business can avoid them!

1. Market Problems

A major reason why startups fail is that there is little to no market for the product or service they have created. We must have a compelling value proposition to cause the buyer to fully commit to purchasing. Is your product or service a Vitamin (nice to have) or an Aspirin (must have)?

Additionally, poor market research leads to misunderstanding the target audience, which leaves you with a product that no one wants. It is critical that you create a product that fits into the market, so don’t invest too much time and resources before you are confident that people want whatever it is that you are offering.

2. Not Focusing on Your Main Idea

So… you had a great idea and built a company around it. Now, your mind is wandering and exploring other ideas that might take your company to the next level. STOP! Building a company takes time, money, effort and—focus. If you are one that is

easily distracted or has trouble finishing what you started, your startup might end up in the percentage of startups that didn’t make it to the finish line.

These new ideas that are blinding your main vision could potentially lead to more success; however, do you really have the time, energy and resources you need to invest in it right now? Avoid biting off more than you can chew early in your business start up. There will be plenty of opportunity to expand once your ship is sailing smoothly.

3. Ignoring Branding

If I told you that the best startup idea would fail in today’s market without design and branding at the core of the product, would you believe me? In this fast-paced and ever-changing digital world, entrepreneurs need to consider how design can influence human behavior and how to brand their product to ensure it stands out in the digital space.

Building an authentic brand is not easy, but it is a necessary element for businesses entering this competitive digital market. The best plan of attack is to create a vision for your brand from day one instead of treating it as an afterthought.

Photo Courtesy of VBOCoftheDakotas

4. Hiring the Wrong People

Talent recruitment is the backbone of any business. You could have the best product or service in the world, but if you can’t find the right people to fill positions in marketing, sales, distribution, etc., your business could fail.

Hiring the right people is important for every organization, especially for small businesses and startups with fewer employees. The people you hire will be a significant part of your success. They are either going to push your business forward, or they’re going to bring your company down. Therefore, this is a critical aspect to the success of your business.

A small piece of advice when hiring employees, “choose wisely.” Getting the right employees on board will ensure they will grow with you, contribute to overall success and hopefully reduce the need to hire again and again.

5. Premature Scaling

Premature scaling can be referred to as spending money beyond the essentials of growing the business (e.g., hiring sales personnel, expensive marketing, perfecting the product, leasing offices, etc.) before nailing down the product and market fit. We see a lot of startups dying because even though they are doing good things, they are doing them out of order.

Premature scaling will use up your cash more quickly leaving you with a smaller path to discover that you were wrong and need to readjust. Try to think of it like a baseball game… the old model of entrepreneurship was to throw all your money into

taking one big swing whereas the new model is preserving your cash, so you have as many swings as possible to try and hit a home run.

Although it may sound ideal to move fast and completely dominate an industry, more often than not this leads to an unsustainable pace and ultimately failure. A great way to maintain a healthy pace is by hiring quality staff only as needed.

6. Running Out of Cash

You need money to make money, but more importantly, you need to understand how to manage that money to keep it in the first place. One of the biggest issues that we see startups face is running out of money before they can make any positive strides forward.

Even those that are lucky enough to secure funding can still be confined to a short runway of time before they are needing more to pay their bills. Cash is the lifeblood of your business. If you don’t have enough of it, then your business will slowly fade away. Some say, “Cash is King,” but entrepreneurs should be thinking, “Cash Flow is King.”

7. Failing to Put Together the Right Team

You are the founder, heart and brilliant mind behind your business. Being the jack of all trades might be your title at the beginning of this journey, but you should know it is only a short-term solution. You can only do so much. The truth is you need a team!

It’s essential that you are selective and strategic about your team. Here are a few tips to help you put together the best team for your startup:

• Hire people that have hard skills and resourcefulness

• Build your team for the long-term company

• Hire individuals that will place your customers front and center

• Know your team member’s ambitions

• Find employees that are hungry for growth and success

8. Not Setting Long-Term Goals

Goals are a vital aspect of keeping your business on track. When businesses don’t set clear goals, the path to the future becomes mudded, making it extremely difficult to stay on track. Setting goals, both long and short, can help you achieve your business goals. Make sure your goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-based.

Many startups will often overlook the need for creating longterm goals, but if you want to positively move forward, you need to know where you are going. Plus, you’ll have to be prepared to make fast, yet smart, decisions, and this requires a clear sense of direction that only setting goals can provide.

9. Choosing a Poor Location

Location plays a huge role in the success of a business. Good location decisions can significantly boost a startup’s longterm performance, and poor ones can cost them millions in lost talent, sales and productivity.

Did you conduct the appropriate market research before deciding on a location for your new business? If you didn’t, it might be a good time to head back to the drawing board to make sure the location of your business is conducive to success. Here are six factors to consider when choosing a business location:

• Accessibility • Security • Competition

• Business rates

• Skill base in the area

• Potential for growth

10. Burning Out

Most entrepreneurs and startup founders do not understand the term “work-life balance” because they are so passionate about their idea. Having a non-stop hustle mentality can put you at a higher risk for burnout.

One of the easiest ways to avoid burnout is by increasing your productivity. If you can learn how to become more productive it will give you back a significant amount of your time, reduce stress and help train your brain to only focus on tasks that will lead to business and revenue growth.

While launching your startup or business idea, consider these common factors that can often lead to failure. All these mistakes noted above can be prevented. As an entrepreneur and founder, you may have the perfect product or service, the best employees and all the money you need, but ultimately the success of your startup relies entirely on your perseverance. At the end of the day, there is only one thing that can truly kill your company, and that’s when you decide to give up. Your grit keeps you going to achieve your goals. Stay committed, persevere and never, ever give up!

Great entrepreneurs make things happen and move quickly to seize opportunities.

Do you have a great startup vision or idea? We encourage you to reach out to VBOC of the Dakotas to help you get started today. We provide no-cost business advising, business ownership options, start-up logistics, business plan development, budgeting and financial projections, financing solutions and operating strategies.

VBOC of the Dakotas

Phone: (701) 738-4850

Web: und.edu/dakotasvboc

Facebook: @dakotasvboc

Twitter: @DakotasVBOC

Address: 4200 James Ray Dr Grand Forks, ND 58201

WANT TO CULTIVATE A BETTER BUSINESS?

Allegro Group

Allegro Group offers business and leadership consulting and coaching based on the “A-Framework”—created by Allegro Group’s founder Kara Jorvig—consisting of five key principles: awareness, alignment, action, achievement and accountability. The coaching is customized based on your business’s needs. They also offer retreats anywhere from one to five days that help your company’s leaders refresh their minds and look at their work in a new light.

Website: allegro-group.com

Location: 4634 Amber Valley Pkwy S, Fargo Phone: (701) 353-5858

Catalytic Conversations - Digital Wellness Coaching & Consulting

If your business is remote or hybrid, Jaymes O’Pheron’s digital wellness coaching through Catalytic Conversations might be good for you and your team. O’Pheron’s coaching focuses on helping employees through digital burnout and cultivating a remote or hybrid culture that is positive and productive for all employees. He also offers one-on-one coaching that will help you maximize your productivity as a remote employee.

Website: opheron.com

Location: Virtual

Birch Consulting

Birch Consulting, founded by certified project manager Amy DuBois, emphasizes creating a positive project experience for your whole team in order to be successful. DuBois’s focus is on putting people first and appreciating your employees for the roles they play in making your business successful. Birch Consulting offers professional and individual coaching and consulting, project management services and product management services.

Website: thebirchproject.com

Location: 2864 Rivers Bend Dr E, West Fargo Phone: (701) 361-2997

Email: amy@thebirchproject.com

CoreCounts

CoreCounts provides professional coaching for both teams and individuals based on their core values of Love, Humility, Grit, Trust and Authenticity. They offer team workshops that use personality mapping to get to know your employees’ work styles, as well as provide professional coaching for you, your stakeholders and/or your senior leadership. They’ll even help you hire the right people for your company if you’d like. Aside from their personal coaching, they also offer software to get feedback from your team anonymously to help understand your company’s current culture and make adjustments to improve.

Website: corecounts.com

Location: 3308 Oak Ridge Pond Way E, West Fargo Phone: (701) 730-6643

Email: melissa@corecounts.com

TRY THESE PROFESSIONAL COACHING OPTIONS!

Everyone needs a little help sometimes—even business owners. When your team is growing further apart and less productive, it may be time for some outside assistance. Try one of these coaching solutions! |

By Sam Kise

Dale Carnegie Training of ND and Northwest MN

Dale Carnegie Training equips companies with the tools needed for their team to be competent, passionate and committed. The coaches at Dale Carnegie help you and your employees be more confident in themselves and in their role at the company. They also help to bond your team so that you can all trust one another and work more effectively together.

Website: dalecarnegie.com/en/locations/north-dakota

Location: 1630 1st Ave N Suite B, Fargo Phone: (701) 639-7540

Hatch Coaching

Ensuring that your real estate team is successful can be hard, but Hatch Coaching, from the founder of Hatch Realty, has tools to help you and your team thrive. They offer agent-focused coaching, lead conversion coaching, team leader/integrator coaching, small group coaching and one-on-one coaching. If in-person coaching isn’t plausible for your team because of everyone’s busy schedules, they offer online training packages for a fraction of the cost of in-person training. Hatch Coaching also provides free online courses to try out before you decide to commit to a full coaching package.

Website: hatchcoaching.com

Location: 216 Broadway N, Suite 201, Fargo

Email: info@hatchcoaching.com

Do Good Better Consulting

If your organization requires fundraising to help maintain business, Do Good Better Consulting may be helpful for you. Do Good Better offers online courses, group coaching, oneon-one consulting, motivational speaking and event curation assistance for businesses looking to make fundraising more successful and fun. They even offer a free webinar to get a sample of their service before paying for additional help.

Website: dogoodbetterconsulting.com

Location: 205 Sheyenne St Suite 4, West Fargo Phone: (952) 237-0836

Kelsey Joy

Kelsey Joy is a business consultant in Fargo who focuses on preventing employee burnout and turnover. With experience as a former corporate recruiter, she helps business leaders understand how to help their employees feel good coming to work. She offers coaching, but she also offers presentations for employees about preventing burnout and how to manage stress.

Website: kelseyjoy.com

Location: 35 4th St N, Fargo

Email: kelsey@burnoutpreventionproject.com

Patrick Metzger

Patrick Metzger is a business coach and certified EOS® (Entrepreneurial Operating System®) implementer. EOS emphasized six components in a business that must be cultivated in order to succeed: people, vision, data, process, traction and issues. By strengthening each of these components of your business individually, Metzger and EOS strive to strengthen the business as a whole. Metzger and his team also offer other kinds of business coaching

Website: patrick-metzger.com

Location: 3953 4th St E, West Fargo

Phone: 701-412-1710

Email: info@growing4success.com

Glen Stevens

Glen Stevens, also known as the “Mental Fitness Guy,” is a professional coach in Fargo whose coaching centers around training your mind. Stevens is a former pastor that brings a unique perspective to business coaching. He offers a plethora of coaching options from a basic business assessment and consultation to an eight-week program meant to help strengthen your mental fitness. Along with full-business coaching, he also offers one-onone professional coaching.

Website: mentalfitnessguy.com

Location: 118 25th Ave N, Fargo

Phone: 701-566-1501

Email: glen@mentalfitnessguy.com

ProADHD Coaching

ProADHD Coaching offers coaching specifically for those who have ADHD, as well as businesses/professionals who want to learn how to help those with ADHD in the workplace. There are specific coaching options for maintaining focus, enhancing executive functioning, memory, maintaining healthy habits and relationships, and managing obligations. Their professional training focuses on ensuring that your teams can work collaboratively, where each team member is treated with respect.

Website: proadhdcoaching.com

Location: 825 28th St S Suite B, Fargo

Phone: (701) 356-7766

Email: info@proadhdcoaching.com

Next Level Consulting

Marketing yourself on social media can be hard, especially when you also have a business to run! Next Level Consulting offers coaching on social media marketing strategy to ensure you reach your target audience successfully. They focus on helping new businesses and entrepreneurs create a successful marketing message and marketing content.

Website: next-level-consulting-llc.business.site

Location: 3220 18th St S Suite 8C, Fargo

Phone: (218) 791-9394

Sagency

Sagency provides coaching tools to ensure effective leadership, using their three principles: Earn Trust, Be Curious and Own It. Sagency’s focus is on guaranteeing a successful executive team in order to build a successful company at all employee levels. Their services include executive coaching, help with executive searches and hiring, leadership development, organizational strategy and culture development, and team coaching. Clients include Aldevron, United Way and Eventide, among others.

Website: sagencytalent.com

Location: 3330 Fiechtner Dr S Suite 102, Fargo Phone: (701) 388-0650

Email: info@sagencytalent.com

SCORE

SCORE, a resource partner of the Small Business Association, is a national nonprofit organization with a branch in Fargo. They are a volunteer-run network that offers free mentoring and free or low-cost seminars in an effort to help small businesses to be successful. They also offer free online webinars that your team can utilize if it is not possible for everyone to go to an in-person seminar.

Website: score.org

Location: 1854 NDSU Research Cir N Suite 15, Fargo Phone: (701) 239-5677

Scott Growth Strategies

Scott Growth Strategies provides consulting services for executive sales and marketing. If your business is stagnant or you are having trouble connecting with potential clients, Scott Growth Strategies can help you rethink your marketing or sales strategies and understand how to reach more people. They also offer sales and marketing coaching services for individuals looking to better their marketing or sales skills.

Website: scottgrowthstrategies.com

Location: 3155 Bluestem Dr Suite 393, West Fargo Phone: (701) 433-1511

Trive: Business Consultants

Trive, named after an old Norse word that means “firmly grasp, grow and flourish,” provides consulting and coaching that works on building great leadership and strong teams. They offer ninety-minute, half-day, full-day and multi-day team building and training sessions to strengthen the bond between employees and leaders.

Website: triveculture.com

Location: 1109 W Summerwood Trail, Dilworth

Phone: (701) 318-8700

10 Questions

Questions 10

ohn Machacek, Chief Innovation Officer for the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation, has worked with countless startups throughout our community over the past nine years. He knows their ups, and their downs, but most of all, he knows the questions to ask them. Here are John Machacek’s 10 questions for Rising Tide Software Founder Chad Knudson.

By John Machacek

Photo by Josiah Kopp

Will you please tell us your Rising Tide Software elevator pitch?

Rising Tide Software is a purposedriven company where we put purpose over profit. In this world, it is relatively easy to make money, but it is harder to make a difference. Everything we do at Rising Tide Software has to be measured against the litmus test of “Does doing this leave the world a better place than we found it?” We have to answer that question with a resounding “Yes!” to take on a new project. If you execute and deliver on your purpose, profit will follow naturally. Our first product, Major Incident Command Assist, or MICA, was developed to aid law enforcement agencies to better manage major incident responses to things like child abductions and active shooter scenarios.

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer. Facing your mortality in ways you never had to before really forces you to take inventory of your life and you think about your life in a whole new way. Time becomes your most precious commodity. So, I knew that I wanted to use the time and talents that God had given me to make an impact in this world, I just was not exactly sure how I would go about doing that. I thought about starting a non-profit, but I did not want to create something that ran entirely on soft money and donations or else I would likely find myself spending most of my time trying to source funding to keep the operations going.

I decided to create a for-profit company that would dedicate a portion of its profits to fund a non-profit organization to coordinate our philanthropic efforts to make an impact in our community and our world. Ideally, I will spin up the B-corporation non-profit organization after I get Rising Tide Software stood up and fully staffed.

Our first foray into creating that impact has been the creation of the MICA, a communications and workflow platform for law enforcement to better manage collaborative responses to major incidents like child abductions and active shooter situations. MICA provides a digital briefing to deliver real time information about the case to all officers in the field. Using real time officer locations, units can be assigned to leads that are closest in proximity to the officers. Tips from telephone tip line operators flow directly into the lead management system. Officers can use their mobile devices to gather evidence in the field—audio recordings, video recordings and photos can all be tracked and marked as evidence if needed. The system provides accountability and transparency, creating a full provenance of who, when and where any intelligence or evidence is entered in the system. Secure communications tools are available to officers across all agencies working the case. Putting the power of MICA into the hands of law enforcement agencies enables them to close the circle of containment faster and bring cases to a peaceful and successful resolution faster. If we can help law enforcement bring just one child home safely that otherwise might not have made it, all our efforts will be well worth it.

Will you please elaborate on choosing to create this as a purpose-driven company, and MICA itself?

How does the process go to work with a public entity, like a police department, on developing products like this?

In reality, the wheels were set in motion for Rising Tide not by me but by a police officer from the West Fargo Police Department. Lieutenant Greg Warren has been a champion of protecting children in our area for decades. He was the driving force behind the creation of our region’s Child Abduction Response Team, a collaboration between local law enforcement agencies who signed onto a cooperative agreement to assist one another in the event that a child goes missing or is abducted. Greg went to speak to the STEM students at West Fargo High School and asked them for input on how police might leverage technology to help them work child abduction cases. One of those students brought his request to the Startup Weekend Fargo competition and the rest is history.

After the startup competition was over, our team made the decision to go forward and create a company to try and bring a solution to market. We met with members of the West Fargo PD to ask them if they would

be willing to partner with us to make it a reality. Police Chief Heath Jahnke was very supportive and pledged to provide whatever access to his staff was needed for our team to do a deep dive in understanding the challenges of commanding a multi-agency force in a major incident response. Working closely with officers, we were given access to an enormous amount of data that helped us design a solution to address the top challenges identified. As we iterated on product features, we were able to share them with members of the police department and their feedback helped shape the design of the solution. In addition to our local agencies, we reached out to over 3,000 law enforcement officers nationwide to validate our product ideas and ensure that we were on the right track with our ideas.

that can’t always be easy or fast. What can you tell the readers about the economics of working with them as customers?

The sales cycle is very challenging since there are so many people involved in the decision-making process. We have to start the process off by educating people about MICA and how it can help an agency better manage major incident responses. Then we must communicate with all the decision makers throughout the hierarchy, delivering the messages that resonate with each of them. Leadership then, has to hear the message of how they can be more efficient, operate more safely and how the system provides them with detailed data. The fiscal officers need to hear the ROI message—how does this impact the bottom line? Commanders need to hear the message about how they can take command and control and work smoothly when cooperating with multiple external agencies. In our society with the tarnished reputations of some police, agencies want to hear the message about transparency and how MICA can help to improve public relations. We try to identify a champion within the organization who understands what MICA can do for them, gets excited about it and we equip them to sell the idea to their colleagues from the inside of

Let’s put a pin in the comment about Startup Weekend, as I was going to ask about that. But first, I’m curious about the sales cycle of working with governmental or public entities. I imagine

their organization. Once you get all interested parties bought in, then you still have to close the deal. Compared to a lot of other business ideas, this one comes with a super high customer acquisition cost and a lengthy sales cycle.

non-technical, it can be an invaluable tool to communicate with a software development vendor. A wireframe is a simple sketch of a user interface. These tools can provide a mocked-up user experience that demonstrate how an application will work. The user controls on the wireframe screen can simulate the activity of what would happen in a real application, giving the user an experience like the behavior of how a finished application would behave. The more complete and thorough the wireframes are, the higher the likelihood of success for the project. If an entrepreneur is unable to build out a wireframe of their idea, then their idea is probably not thought out in enough detail to be brought to reality successfully.

06

For entrepreneurs who have an idea that involves the creation of a mobile application, desktop application or a web application, I always encourage them to put in the effort to build out a complete wireframe of their

The tools out there to create wireframes are really very simple and easy to use and it helps the entrepreneur tell the story of their application. Anybody can learn to use these tools in a matter of minutes. I don’t have a single wireframing tool that I would force people to use and have compiled a small list of tools that can all be used. I could share so much more information on this, but I know we only have much room in this magazine feature, so I would suggest starting with Balsamiq.com to get started with wireframing. It builds rough sketches of what the user experience is going to be like, something along the lines of what you might sketch on a napkin at a restaurant when talking to someone about your application.

Normally the project ideas are things that you come up with while brainstorming at Startup Weekend but in this case, one of the other participants was a student at West Fargo High School and was in the STEM program where Lieutenant Warren had spoken. She asked if she could bring this idea along for the competition. Our team that formed for this idea mocked up an app called Rapid Response and ended up winning the competition.

Okay, back to Startup Weekend. From helping plan Startup Weekends for many years, I was aware of how the formation genesis of Rising Tide Software came out of our local event, which is actually rare for a legit business to be formed out of it, so that was pretty cool. Can you please tell me more about how things went from that weekend to now?

05

From knowing you for several years, you’ve worked with a number of entrepreneurs to help develop their products, as well as give advice. One particular set of advice I’ve heard you give, and hear entrepreneurs discuss, is the use of wireframes. What exactly does that mean and why do you give that guidance?

Governor Doug Burgum spoke and presented the awards. In the lead up to presenting the winning award, he spoke of how he campaigned on the idea of bringing change to government. He said that it was challenging within government to achieve the highest level of growth, as the bulk of resources allocated are in the bucket to just run the departments versus buckets to grow or transform. Governor Burgum stated that it takes a rising tide to lift all ships, and that bringing about transformational change would almost always be driven from outside of government by the private sector. That phrase stuck with me so much we decided to name the company Rising Tide Software.

Our team said that since I had been running a successful software company for nearly two decades, that I should be the one to steer the ship and make this happen for real. Fargo Moorhead is a great place to start a business, so we formed a company here and set out to build a solution to hopefully save lives one day. 07

We have an amazing entrepreneurial ecosystem in the FM area. Our state is very forward thinking and business friendly. The North Dakota Department of Commerce’s Innovate ND program runs accepted startups through a fourphase cycle to gain access to grants up to $40,000, while requiring tasks designed to vet their idea, test their market, validate their assumptions and proceed with confidence knowing that their business is starting off on the right track.

The NDSU Research and Technology Park not only assists as the local Innovate ND contact, but they have affordable physical space for entrepreneurs like me, and recently added a maker space where inventors access top-of-theline equipment. Also, the North Dakota Small Business Development Center is conveniently located there to provide free business advising, from Paul Smith and his staff.

Again, I could go on for a long time about the other resources: SCORE, North Dakota Women’s Business Center, Emerging Prairie and their StartupBREW, Emerging Digital Academy, GFMEDC, Bank of North Dakota and so on. I also recently completed the SBA’s 6-month T.H.R.I.V.E. Reimagined class for business

owners, which provided instruction over a wide range of topics in running a business.

Lastly, the people here are so friendly and willing to help others. When I was launching my first company, I met with bank presidents in the area and talked to them about my goals and objectives with my business. They did not have anything to personally gain by helping me, but they provided excellent feedback and advice out of the kindness of their heart and simply wanted to see other people enjoy success in the area. I have seen this time and time again. North Dakota Nice is a real thing that you just can’t find everywhere else.

What are you excited about into 2023?

There is a lot to be excited about for 2023. At Rising Tide Software, we’ve released MICA to the Apple, Google and Microsoft app stores and are embarking on a marketing blitz campaign and hitting sales at full force. We have been working with the Red River Valley Child Abduction Response Team and doing field trials with local law enforcement agencies.

me, as I’m in the thick of that every day and I 100% agree, but for the readers, will you please tell me WHY you think that?

You just stated that Fargo Moorhead is a great place for entrepreneurs. You are preaching to the choir with

My other company, Norse Technologies, is releasing AutoDocs 365, a new Software-as-a-Service platform with five new product SKUs in 2023. Nine years of research and development are making their way into the software suite that opens our products up to small and mid-sized business markets where we historically have been targeting Fortune 500 banks. We are also going to be releasing our Norse Platform Infrastructure-as-a-Service offering to aid software development companies in bringing rapid application development tools and technologies to their organizations. The platform provides a rich collection of microservices to allow developers to build applications and focus their efforts on working on the special sauce that sets their application apart and simply consume the microservices that form the plumbing of the application from the Norse Platform instead of having to recreate that from scratch each time. Our platform will enable software developers to create applications faster with significantly less risk and ready for scale.

09

If you could go back in time to Chad from several years ago, what hindsight advice would you give yourself?

I think the number one thing that I would say to myself if I could go back in time is to be bold, take the chance, go big or go home! You never feel like you are ready to take the plunge. Jump in even if you are scared. Find those who can help and guide you along your journey. Ask for help when you need it.

10

To wrap up the interview, what can we do as a community to help Rising Tide Software succeed?

As a community, the biggest help you can offer to Rising Tide Software would be to share our story with your family and friends, connections in your network and anyone else that you might think would be interested in seeing MICA help make their communities safer. I would love to get the word out about MICA and how it can empower law enforcement agencies to work better together, more efficiently and more safely.

risingtide.software

Facebook: /risingtidesoftware

Twitter: risingtidesfw

Linkedin: /risingtidesoftware

About John

WOMEN YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Ashley Ham

CO-FOUNDER, DEAR NICU MAMA

Dear NICU Mama, is "a non-profit designed to connect, encourage and create community with past and present NICU moms.

“Your story has significance. It’s important. It could change someone’s life. If you are on the fence and feeling insecure about the questions you ask yourself: Is this enough? Am I enough? Is thing going to make an impact? It will. Your story holds significance and power. Share it.” – Ashley Ham

Ashley Ham with her husband Ryan, son Silas and dog Opal.

Tell me about yourself.

I live in Fargo, North Dakota, with my husband Ryan, our son Silas and our fur baby Opal. My husband and I have been married for 10 years and we’ve been in Fargo for 15 years. Fargo is home.

I run Dear NICU Mama and I am wedding photographer at Florapine Photography. I have been photographing weddings for 10 years and stay busy in the summer and fall. I am grateful for all the amazing people I’ve had a chance to meet along the way. That's kind of what sparked my entrepreneurial spirit and gave me the wings to fly. I’ve liked being my own boss! Also, I love coffee! You can find me at Thunder Coffee nearly every day. It’s basically my office.

I love that you said, “Fargo is home.” Why is Fargo home to you and what aspects make you want to stay?

The people. Obviously, it’s not our winters or our long dark days, it’s definitely the people. When I moved to Fargo, I found a lot of community with our local church—that's where I started to feel like we found home. Especially since starting a business, I found a community with the entrepreneurs in Fargo.

Fargo has a soft pillow. It’s a really great place to be. If you have a passion, give it a shot. You’ll have supporters no matter what. If it doesn't work out, you’ll land on the soft pillow.

What is your experience on founding Dear NICU Mama and how do you serve moms today?

My son Silas is our first born and was born at 28 weeks. He's a premature baby and it was a total surprise. His arrival was a pretty eventful delivery which led to 87 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

I really started to feel the isolation of what it meant to be a NICU mom. I had to be intentional to connect with other people. I didn’t know anybody else who had experienced their child being in the NICU. One day, out of nowhere, I received an Instagram message from Martha Mink, who’s the co-founder with me at Dear NICU Mama. Her Instagram message was:

“Hi, I'm Martha. I saw you had a NICU baby. Would you ever want to get coffee? No pressure. But like I just want you to know that you aren't alone.” I think I waited only two seconds to reply. I really needed to meet with somebody who’s gone through this. We met at Starbucks and instantly connected. We say this often, but the bond between NICU sisters is instant.

Her daughter had been in the NICU, which provided me hope. When you’re in the NICU, it can feel like there’s not a light at the end of the tunnel. Normal life feels so far away. Her daughter was there in the real world, thriving like a normal kid. It hit me: our whole life isn’t going to be in the hospital, there’s hope after this experience. We continued to stay in touch. It was a fresh of breath air knowing I had someone in my corner who understood.

While I was in the NICU there was a lack of community and support. There weren’t any supportive resources online. My husband and I were going to the NICU one day, I looked over at him and said, “what if I started a nonprofit where moms wrote letters to other NICU moms? And it was called Dear NICU Mama?” He replied, “How about you wait until we’re done with the NICU and then start thinking about it?” Which was completely fair. I knew it needed to happen.

After we came home, I was pumping on the couch like a new mom does and reached out to Martha. I said, “Hey, do you want to start a nonprofit with me called Dear NICU Mama, write letters to women with children in the NICU, and do celebration photoshoots?” She was on board.

The first gathering we ever had was a celebration photo shoot. Oftentimes, when you deliver early, you don't have those maternity photo shoots and special things planned. It was a redemption for that loss. The most powerful thing about that experience was telling each other “You're not alone.” We're continually sending the message: you are not alone.

From there, we started a podcast. We have social media peer support, and our mission is to bring any NICU mom out of isolation while sharing this message of hope.

Tell me about your podcast—what content are you sharing?

When you're in the NICU, you're focused on making sure that your baby is receiving the care that they need. Sometimes, to take that step to attend an in-person support group or leave your room is really challenging. We asked ourselves, “What is the way we can provide support for NICU moms, exactly where they are?”

We have NICU moms who listen from the NICU, moms doing kangaroo care while holding their children, or moms that have been out of the NICU for 20-30 years.

The other thing we wanted to do is to offer access to recover from the trauma. Mental health specialists and maternal health specialists who are experts in these fields, talk about resources and healing. We also have moms come on and share their stories, too.

Are there ways to get involved in NICU Mama?

We started to up our Mother's Day and holiday outreach that we do with our hospitals. We have a volunteer program where we assemble kits of Mother's Day cards and holiday cards for NICU moms across the nation. Last year we sent to 4,500 mothers last year to spread the word, we have the Walking Letter of Hope Collection. The front of the merch is Dear NICU Mama, and the back is a letter. Our hope is that any person wearing that would be a walking letter of hope for NICU Mama’s anywhere.

Join Dear NICU Mama’s community by following @dearnicumama and listen to their podcast called Dear NICU Mama.

You are not alone!

dearnicumama.com

Facebook: /dearnicumama

Instagram: dearnicumama

Photo provided by Chantell Lauren Photography

By Katie Ralston Howe, Workforce Director North Dakota Department of Commerce

than people to fill them. Despite the last decade, we know that if every involved individual exiting our criminal from our post-secondary education system took jobs today, we would still have thousands of jobs open in our state. With lack of workforce being the number one challenge impacting economic growth in North Dakota, we are helping people around the country discover North Dakota and the quality of life offered here. We’re creating opportunities for students to explore and prepare for jobs. We’re breaking down barriers to promote entrance and movement throughout the workforce.

A key player in developing the state’s workforce strategy is the North Dakota Workforce Development Council (WDC). The WDC’s role is to advise the governor

and the public concerning the nature and extent of the state’s workforce needs and to identify ways to address these needs while maximizing available resources and avoiding unnecessary duplication of effort. In October 2022, the WDC released 10 comprehensive recommendations within the following categories:

• Earlier and more diverse career exploration

• Addressing the technical skills gap

• Removing barriers to employment

• Occupational licensure reform

• The recruitment and retention of workers

Several of these recommendations served as the foundation for Governor Doug Burgum’s ND Works Investment Plan which he announced in October at the 2022 Main Street ND Summit. Additionally, while not all of the WDC’s recommendations call for legislative action, seven are included in the 2023-2025 Executive State Budget, four of which are for programs that will be housed within the North Dakota Department of Commerce.

Commerce’s Workforce Development Division has evolved a lot since the beginning of the 2021-2023 biennium. We left the last legislative session with a couple of small grants for skilled workforce training programs and now, thanks to an appropriation of $20 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds by the legislature during the 2021 special session combined with the wise investment of discretionary dollars, we are operating two large grant programs that are impacting every part of the state, with a third grant launching soon. In addition to the grant programs, we also launched a new comprehensive talent attraction initiative that is successfully helping people around the country discover North Dakota and make the move to their new home in our state. Our larger requests for the 20232025 biennium are designed to build on the programs we launched this biennium.

The first grant program, the Regional Workforce Impact Program (RWIP) was launched last spring. A total of $15 million of the allocated ARPA funds were used to implement this new grant program geared at empowering locally-led solutions to workforce challenges that were caused or exacerbated by the pandemic. Unique to most grant programs, RWIP was designed to focus on regional needs rather than an overall statewide approach. Workforce needs vary by region, so a one-sizefits-all approach is unrealistic and would not adequately address challenges in all parts of the state. The RWIP provides a regional funding strategy that supports local workforce initiatives, giving local and regional partners the ability to access funding tailored to their regional needs. To ensure equitable access to RWIP Grant dollars, a portion of funding was reserved for each of the eight planning regions, based on population as provided by the 2020 decennial U.S. Census.

Another unique aspect of RWIP is the application process. Instead of individual entities applying, regions are required

to submit one overall application that encompasses several projects from a variety of eligible entities. Each regional RWIP applicant is required to provide a 25% match of the overall application budget. Due to this unique structure, partners representing rural and urban communities in each region work together to prioritize projects that would have the greatest impact.

Although the RWIP has had challenges, primarily related to limitations within the federal funding source, we’ve seen tremendous success. To date, we have awarded more than $14 million for 58 projects with a few awards still pending. Once these remaining proposals are approved, more than 60 projects will be funded by this grant. Approved projects range from skilled workforce training, career exploration, expansion of career and technical education offerings, affordable housing, talent attraction, child care and more. Each project is in a different stage, so data related to the impact of these dollars continues to come in; however, within child care alone, we’re supporting 33 facilities that are using its grants to expand capacity by adding a total of 1,590 new child care slots statewide.

The RWIP model has proven to be effective, so our goal next biennium is to expand on it and create more flexibility in how grant funds can be used to foster more creativity and innovation in the projects communities develop. We believe that implementation of the state’s workforce strategy will be stronger if communities are enabled and empowered to develop workforce initiatives that are aligned with the core themes on which the WDC focuses.

The second program we’re facilitating using $3 million of the allocated ARPA funds is the Technical Skills Training Grant. This program is designed to support eligible training providers and employers in their efforts to launch or expand rapid, nondegree reskilling and upskilling programs.

All training programs must mitigate a workforce issue that was created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This program has two tracks, each focused on developing or expanding a highly skilled workforce:

Track A reflects the initial intent of this grant program when we first launched it in 2020 and is designed for new and expanding accelerated, non-degree training programs that prepare trainees for new jobs. Applicants in this track are eligible for up to $100,000 with a 1:1 match.

Track B is designed for companies wishing to provide internal upskilling opportunities for their existing staff to promote movement and advancement throughout the organization, create more comprehensive onboarding and new worker training programs or provide safety training for employees. Applicants in this track may be eligible for up to $50,000 with a 1:1 match.

Since its inception, the Technical Skills Training Grant has supported the launch and expansion of programs in health care, energy, transportation and logistics, IT, welding, UAS and more. This biennium alone, we’ve obligated more than $1 million for 20 training programs that are upskilling and reskilling workers across the state. Throughout the grant’s lifetime, we have supported 32 training programs with a total capacity of 797 trainees. It’s important to note that most of the programs we’ve supported using federal dollars are sustainable and will continue to prepare citizens for entrance and movement within the workforce for years to come, thus creating more pathways to employment in our state.

Photo provided by the North Dakota Department of Commerce

In addition to the grant programs, we also launched Find the Good Life in North Dakota (FTGL), a comprehensive talent attraction initiative that utilizes a software system that allows us to collect information from job seekers, connect them with communities that offer the quality of life they’re looking for and employers in their field. Through this system, we can track their progress as they explore opportunities in North Dakota until the point at which they accept a job here and call North Dakota home. Although many states have marketing campaigns or big incentive programs to attract people, North Dakota is the first state to take this hands-on, innovative approach to help individuals and families actually make the move.

This is being achieved through collaboration with a contractor, Commerce’s Tourism and Marketing Division, Job Service North Dakota and our community champions. Now up to 70, the community champions are volunteers from around the state who are engaging with job seekers to connect them with employers and share information about their communities based on the interests the job seeker has shared with us through our relocation help desk.

Our relocation help desk existed in a less formal capacity before we revived FTGL in June 2022, but we couldn’t have shared this type of information. What we know is that from May 2021 to May 2022, 106 people submitted forms through our relocation help desk and based on self-reporting, which can be spotty, we believe 15 people made the move in that year. Now, in just six months, we’ve grown the number of job seekers interested in North Dakota by 10 times.

Currently, we have more than 1,100 job seekers in our pipeline who have chosen to share with us their names, contact information, industry interest or experience and the activities and amenities that offer the quality of life they’re looking for. More than 300 individuals have asked to connect with a community champion and 10 job seekers and their families have already moved to North Dakota. This number continues to grow with many in the final stages of securing jobs, housing and child care. It’s important to keep in mind that we’re in the early stages of this program we’re building. However, we’re pleased with the trajectory it’s on and we are excited to help more individuals and families find their good life in North Dakota.

More important than these numbers are the stories behind them.

• One individual moved to Minot from Washington in July 2022 before he had a job and was hired within a week of arriving. He’s now working for an IT company.

• Another had been to North Dakota for work and after visiting the eastern side of the state in October with his wife and son, they moved to West Fargo from upstate New York in December 2022.

• Finally, another person moved to Wahpeton from Texas last fall and is working for a manufacturing company. His wife and children will join him after this school year, and we’ll get to help her find a dream job, too.

The list of success stories will continue to grow, especially with the horsepower we plan to put behind this initiative with

increased funding. Governor Doug Burgum recently included $25 million for talent attraction in the 2023-2025 Executive State Budget. These funds will be used for increased marketing strategies and initiatives to help individuals come to our state to explore communities that offer the quality of life they’re looking for and to engage with employers in their industry. Currently, 78% of the job seekers utilizing FTGL have never been to North Dakota, and we know that people are more likely to move to a place they’ve visited.

We have big plans for the next biennium and beyond. As a state, we’re taking calculated risks to try new things to address our state’s workforce needs and multiple agencies are working together to enhance career exploration and work-based learning opportunities, to ensure we have a workforce with the skills our employers need, to remove barriers to employment, to attract people to our state and to keep new and existing North Dakotans here. We hear your cries for help. We also hear the criticisms that “we’re not doing anything.” The reality is that workforce strategies are often a long game, and it may take a while to see the return on investment. We’re planting seeds now that are starting to grow, and their impact will soon be quantifiable. As a state workforce system, we are happy to answer your questions and more than anything, we welcome your ideas and your collaboration.

Visit commerce.nd.gov

Facebook: /CommerceND

Instagram: commercenorthdakota

Twitter: @CommerceND

Red River Valley Kids Read

pring may still seem too far away, but our regional libraries are prepping for warmer weather with their favorite winter activity—reading a good book. Not just any good book, but one written and self-published by a regional author, taking place in South Dakota and inspiring a plethora of fun activities and learning opportunities for the community.

For the second year, staff from the Fargo Public, Moorhead Public, West Fargo Public, Grand Forks Public and Leach (Wahpeton) Public Libraries will be teaming up to host Red River Valley Kids Read—a community-wide reading project for area kids.

Impressed by the local One Book, One Community reading project, which aims to create shared conversations and experiences around the community-wide reading of a single book, Cindy Mason of the Fargo Public Library felt it would be a wonderful program to extend to kids. She reached out to her Youth Services colleagues—Meaghan Cronin (Moorhead Public Library), Lauren Nephew (West Fargo Public Library), Aaron Stefanich (Grand Forks Public Library), and Rachel Kercher (Leach Public Library)—and Red

River Valley Kids Read was born.

They kicked off the first year of the program with the book “Storm Warning” by author Elizabeth Raum.

“The timing just fell into place,” Cindy said. “The book is set in Ada during the 1997 flood, which is something so many of us adults remember as a shared experience. Last year was the 25th anniversary of the flood, and there were so many opportunities for community collaboration.”

Last year’s flood-related activities ranged from author talks, a panel discussion at City Hall, discussions with people whose homes were flooded, open houses with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Cass County Soil Conservation District and a photo gallery display of images in partnership with The Forum.

This year the hosts of Red River Valley Kids Read have planned multiple archeology-related events to enhance their selection of the middle-grade novel titled "Summer Ruins" by Deb Watley, about a young girl who joins her archeologist parents on a teaching dig in South Dakota.

“The local nature of the book really stood out to us. The author is from South Dakota, it takes place in South Dakota, and the archeological focus

BY Brandi Malarkey, Owner, It’s All Malarkey

created wonderful opportunities for fun programming in collaboration with the book reading,” Meaghan Cronin of the Moorhead Public Library said.

To assist with the initiative, Red River Valley Kids Read was named the Cass Clay Chapter of the Awesome Foundation’s December 2022 grantee. The $1000 gift will go toward purchasing copies of “Summer Ruins” to be given for free to area kids.

“We have copies of the book at all of our libraries that are available for borrowing,” Lauren Nephew of the West Fargo Public Library said. “The giveaway books are aimed toward expanding our standard reach to those who may not have access to a library card or can’t reliably get to a library. It gives more kids the chance to read the story and be involved.”

“Community is what it is all about,” enthuses Meaghan. “It’s also exciting for us to be able to help our local authors with something like this. When they are self-published it can be especially difficult to get and attract marketing. A program like this helps provide a little more advertising for the author. It’s another way to draw our community closer together.”

The group plans on increasing the number of book-related events in all their locations.

“Covid made things difficult last year,” Lauren said. “A lot of people didn’t feel safe being in public and participating in groups. We hope to draw in more people this year. With Covid dying down, there are more event opportunities.”

A few of the Red River Valley Kids Read series of events occurring this March:

• Author talks at Bonanzaville and the Leach Public Library

• Hands on opportunities to learn about the practice of archeology with Dr. George Holley, archeologist and retired MSUM professor at the Main Fargo Library

• A tour of the NDSU Archeology Lab

• A tour of the Richland County Historical Museum to explore the history of Wahpeton and Richland Counties

A brochure outlining events held by all participating/host libraries will be available to pick up at each location beginning in mid to late February, as well as online.

Kids do not have to have read the book to participate, but it is strongly encouraged.

“It’s just such a fun book!” Cindy said.

elizabethraumbooks.com

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 nonprofit. Applications can be made at awesomefoundation.org/en/chapters/ cassclay.

Lauren Nephew (West Fargo Public Library), Cynthia Mason (Fargo Public Library), Meaghan Cronin (Moorhead Public Library)

Photo provided by Brandi Malarkey

"Summer Ruins" by Deb Watley