MAY 2018
PETER CHAMBERL AIN
M.I.T. HYPERLOOP. FARGO. WALKSMART 12 OTHER UP-AND-COMERS
// MAY 2018
37 COVER STORY
37 Why Fargo?
29 17 FEATURES
13 Business Owners Tell Us
6 Editor's Note
As the local entrepreneurial ecosystem continues to grow, so do the number of success stories that it breeds. From a "smart" walker company founded by a guy from MIT to a drone company that moved to town from Grand Forks, the 13 companies in this month's cover story have recently opened up shop in the metro. Learn a little more about all of them, and find out their answers to the question, "Why Fargo?"
17 Event Preview: Drone Focus 2018 AegisFlow's Anthony Molzahn SkySkopes' Matt Dunlevy UND's Mark Kennedy
WalkSmart's Peter Chamberlain Field of View's David Dvorak The Project Co.'s Sara Stolt Do Good Better Consulting's Patrick Kirby Genesis Feed Technologies' Peter Schott Also Featuring COR Robotics ConnectLabs ND TOUGH gear Dakota Fine Art Go/Do Inspire Health & Wellness PLM Family Law Amped School of Music
24 Digital and Your Business: 6 Things You Might Not Know OnSharp's Jacob Dahl and Trevor Christiansen 29 Are You a LADYBOSS? Concordia College's Danyel Moe and Laura Caroon Folkways' Simone Wai 64 Why Integrity in Business Is Like Buckling Your Seatbelt Better Business Bureau of MN and ND's Heather Aal
Visit FargoInc.com for extended content covering Fargo-Moorhead's business community and articles from past issues of Fargo INC!
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MAY 2018
69 67 An Election Season Primer FMWF Chamber of Commerce's Craig Whitney 69 Student Mental Health: The Impact on Our Current and Future Workforce United Way of Cass-Clay's Kristi Huber West Fargo Public Schools' Beth Slette and Chastity Oden Heide Northern Cass Public Schools' Corey Steiner, Ashley Krinke and Keira Oscarson 72 Tech Corner: Get More Out of Excel Giga-Green Technologies' Jared Finkelson 74 May Business Events Calendar MBA's Startup Story Bus Tour SBA Small Business Conference ChamberChoice Awards Luncheon
editor's note
Community
Validation
I
f you do any writing, you understand the importance of word economy. It's immensely helpful at getting to the point and forces you to really boil down an idea into its most essential parts. This was the idea behind having the 13 companies we featured in this month's cover story answer a simple question, "Why Fargo?" We wanted to know why, of all the places they could start and run a business, they chose Fargo. The catch? They had to start by using only three words. From "relationships" to "resources" to "spirit," their responses ran the gamut, but one theme was consistent throughout: community.
Nate@SpotlightMediaFargo.com 6
MAY 2018
NateMickelberg
They all alluded to, in one way or another, the metro's steadfast commitment to supporting small business and entrepreneurship in myriad ways.
There's Field of View CEO David Dvorak, who basically said his drone-technology company wouldn't exist without this region's commitment to UAS (unmanned aircraft systems).
We've talked a lot the last few years about the unique ecosystem Fargo has created, but there was something special about seeing so many real-life success stories — the product of the collective efforts of so many — together in one article.
We hope you enjoy these entrepreneurs' stories, and we hope they energize and inspire you to keep getting out there and supporting our risk-takers.
There's WalkSmart Founder Peter Chamberlain, an MIT graduate who was part of the team that won Elon Musk's Hyperloop student competition, who started a Fargo-based "smart" walker company. There's Genesis Feed Technologies Cofounder Peter Schott, who chose Fargo over Austin, Texas.
LinkedIn.com/In/NateMickelberg
As always, thanks for reading,
Nate Mickelberg Editor, Fargo INC!
EDITORIAL BOARD We at Fargo INC! want to make sure our content is unbiased and fully reflects the FMWF business community. That's why we meet regularly with our six-member editorial board to discuss area business issues and trends and ensure we are living up to our core values.
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Executive Director
President
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Moorhead Economic Development Authority
MAY 2018
Volume 3 Issue 5
Fargo INC! is published 12 times a year and is available at area businesses and online at FargoInc.com.
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CREATIVE
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CHECK OUT SPOTLIGHT MEDIA'S OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Nowadays, anything is possible with the simple push of a button. That's what you'll learn by exploring "smart" homes in the FM area. Join us as we consult with local experts to discuss the thriving home-technology industry. Then, see how real homeowners have seamlessly integrated these futuristic functions into their everyday lives without sacrificing aesthetically pleasing design.
We gather our belongings and saddle up to hit the old, dusty road in the May edition of Bison Illustrated. We may frequent the Road to Frisco, but this month, we're hitting the recruiting trail with eight current members of the Bison football team. Hear from some of the most notable players on the team and why they agreed to join the Herd.
Do you ever feel like you need to get out of FargoMoorhead for a few days? Maybe your 9 to 5 is running you into the ground? If so, you're in luck! This edition of Fargo Monthly gives you an A-to-Z rundown of places you can get away to! We take you to various parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and even Canada to give you plenty of options to choose from. So pack up your car, and get going on your weekend getaway!
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event preview
Event Preview
Drone Focus Conference 2018 Help Us Make This Year's Drone Focus the Best One Yet The goal of Drone Focus is to create an event that serves as a platform for others to build their networks, knowledge and businesses. We believe that the more others build around and onto our event, the better we can serve and add value to our attendees. Drone Focus has continued to grow and develop over the past three years to become a nationally and internationally recognized platform for unmanned aerial systems and unmanned technology. Our event is designed to serve as a platform for speakers and attendees alike to focus on emerging trends and the future of the UAS industry.
BY Nate Mickelberg PHOTOS BY J. Alan Paul and Hillary Ehlen
Drone Focus '18 Highlights
With a non-traditional conference format, our event is focused more on gathering and making meaningful connections than folks feeling like they're being presented at.
Drone Focus Fest Drone races, autonomous vehicle and tractor shows, and new consumer product launches
Student Pitch Contest Students are invited to pitch their latest drone or unmanned systems idea for a chance to present on the main stage right in the middle of the conference.
We focus on what matters most to you: connections to customers, connections to industry leaders and connections to your next step in the industry. Last year, we were able to attract more than 600 attendees from eight countries, nearly 30 states, and nearly 300 organizations and hosted a presentation from U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. At this year’s event, we hope to build on our success in 2017 and attract as many as 800 attendees with more than 60 presenters from all across the autonomous systems industry. In addition, throughout the event, you will find that our content is woven together in a narrative focused on building the infrastructure, policies, software, hardware and tools for the autonomous nation of the future. We hope you'll join us! -Lindsay Breuler Drone Focus Conference Director
Interactive Workshops
Venture Capital Pitch Entrepreneurs actively looking to raise capital will pitch live in front of the entire conference for a chance to move their idea forward faster. FARGOINC.COM
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event preview
Meet a Speaker: Anthony Molzahn
Steward of the Pixel
I
f you were at Drone Focus Conference last year, you might remember a fast-paced, energetic presentation about a yet-to-be-released software product called AegisFlow, a drone services idea that would serve as a marketplace for drone pilots around the world. Fast forward a year, and Cofounder Anthony Molzahn and his Fargo-based team are getting ready to launch a minimum viable product at the end of this month.
Aegis Flow Is Like ...
... the Amazon marketplace meets Getty Stock images. While AegisFlow has been described by some as an Uber for drone pilots, the comparison isn't completely accurate for a number of reasons, according to Molzahn. "We don't 'own' the pilots," he explains. " We're simply a facilitator. We're giving drone pilots a place to upload, store and show their portfolio. AegisFlow allows those looking for pilots a place to look at their content, buy content they like, and, if they can't find the content
Drone Focus '18 Highlights
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MAY 2018
(they're looking for), post a job that will say what, when and where they need a job done." They're streamlining all the boring parts, Molzahn says: the contracting, the messaging, the communications and the payment gateways. "We're giving them something great for their clients to look at: mapping environments, PDF reports, analytics, all that fun data-management stuff," he explains. "These folks want to fly, and they're darn good at it. So why not take care of all that boring stuff so we can actually get more pilots in the air?"
Short-Format Talks More than 60 speakers, all presenting in 4-12-minute increments
How Aegis Flow Works: An Example A real estate agent has a $300,000 home listing and a $750 budget to capture aerial images and video of the property.
The agent posts the job to AegisFlow's job board and includes all the relevant details such as MLS number, timeline and budget. Aegis Flow then dispatches the listing out to all of its drone pilots, and a pilot can pick up the job. Sellers can opt for a bidding process or a "buy now" option.
Once the job is completed, the agent is then able to — all from the same platform — put the content into a shopping cart and purchase it.
Aegis Flow's cut is a 15 percent fee from the overall $750 budget, and the pilot keeps the other 85 percent (other platforms charge between a 50-95 percent fee).
Focused Lunches Attendees can self-select into a topic-specific lunch with focused panels, all hosted in various restaurants throughout the Downtown Fargo area.
Noteworthy Topics UAS in disaster relief, machine learning and AI, LiDAR (light detection and ranging), drone services, UAS ethics and future workforce development
Making the Market More Efficient "There was no yellow book for drone pilots and definitely nowhere to show all their wares in one space," says Molzahn, who adds that drone services are now the fifth-most requested service in the state, due in large part to the oil, gas and energy industries. "I think we can balance the supply and demand of those looking for drone pilots to fly and the people looking for the pilots.
"Drone pilots want to build their portfolios, so they're willing to take jobs for almost nothing in order to build a professional portfolio. But why not do both? Why not take the lion's share (of the profits) and have a great space to actually build a portfolio?"
$25/month
(compared to $80+/month)
15% transaction fee (compared to 50-95%)
Free flow of file-sharing and formats
0 additional costs
(users, file-size and filequantity limitations)
(limited file formats, closed-network sharing)
Geospatial Pilot-first User-friendly
Industries Serviced
Infrastructure, oil and gas, energy, agriculture, real estate, media and marketing, and insurance
Market Potential
Down the Line
140,000+ commercial drone pilots in U.S.
Eventually, Aegis Flow will be able to facilitate part-and-parcel contracting. "Some of these jobs are too big for a single pilot or even a single pilot group to capture feasibly," Molzahn explains. Imagine the following example: Xcel Energy needs 2,000 miles of power lines flown. A single pilot obviously can't do that; they might feasibly be able to do two miles in a day, Molzahn estimates. Enter AegisFlow. "We can actually split up that job and distribute it to pilots along a corridor," he says. "They can pick up the pieces (of the job), and we can stitch it all together and sell it to (Xcel). All the pilots get paid; they're now able to put Xcel Energy in their portfolio; and we've been able to augment everyone in every best possible way."
Some Fast Facts
The University of North Dakota is one of the only universities in the world with a UAS major.
Come Check Out Anthony Molzahn at Drone Focus Conference 2018 Last year, Molzahn announced AegisFlow to the drone world. This year, he'll be highlighting the intersection of data management and data delivery, specifically, how to become a better "steward of the pixel." "Everyone talks about big data, and that's great," he says. "I'm going to focus on what you can do to ensure that those tiny tidbits of information — as you grow and scale your business — are working together and feeding the vision that you've set up for yourself and your clients. In other words, that the information you're gathering has meaning and is actionable."
North Dakota is home to one of only seven FAA-authorized UAS test sites. The others are in New York, Nevada, New Mexico, Alaska, Texas and Virginia.
By 2025, the estimated direct economic impact of the UAV industry will be more than $5 billion.
5 companies leading the way in autonomous vehicle creation: GM, Waymo, Daimler-Bosch, Ford and Volkswagen
Last year's Drone Focus Conference was attended by more than 600 people. This year? They're preparing for as many as 800.
FARGOINC.COM
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event preview
Meet a Speaker: Matt Dunlevy
1. Disaster Relief
When Hurricanes Harvey and Irma struck this past fall in Texas and Florida, respectively, the damages surpassed nine figures. That's to say nothing of the human cost, highlighted by an episode in Houston where a pair of linemen were electrocuted and killed when they stepped in water that contained a downed power line they assumed was no longer active — a situation that can be avoided entirely by using unmanned vehicles, says Matt Dunlevy, the foujnder of drone services company SkySkopes. "Having sent a UAS to do similar work, you might've had a thermal sensor to see that there was a temperature differential so drastic that the lines might've still been on," says Dunlevy, whose team went down and helped out with disaster-relief efforts in both states last fall. "We were able to provide a realtime livestream from the actual (drone) out in the field for both Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. We were then able to provide that livestream to the emergency operations centers so that decision-makers and leadership could make faster decisions. "Drones improve both the safety for the people making repairs, as well as the speed of recovery."
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MAY 2018
3 Practical Things SkySkopes Is Doing with Drones
2. Temporary Standard-Bearing
In addition to its typical drone services, SkySkopes also offers a four-day, in-person flight training course that incorporates both classroom and hands-on lessons. One of the reasons they offer such a course, according to Dunlevy, is because of the current lack of educational standards in the unmanned aircraft industry. "There are no true standards that are generally accepted for UAS training like there is for manned aircraft," explains Dunlevy, who adds that his company, as far as he's aware, is the only one that can say all of its pilots have completed every one of the most respected UAS certification programs in the U.S. "It's too new of an industry for us to have our arms around it yet, intellectually or in practice, so we see it as a way to pass on the world-class education that our pilots get from the University of North Dakota. One of the things we can do with all this knowledge they obtain is pass it on and essentially act as a placeholder until those standards are created."
3. Transmission-Line Stringing
When it comes to using drones to string transmission lines, Dunlevy says it gets back to the most fundamental benefit of using drones in the first place. "They save lives," says Dunlevy, who believes he and his team have unlocked an industry within an industry. "The two main dangers linemen are exposed to are altitude and the energized nature of their environment. And how does that affect the average person? Well, it's one way we can build lines in a way that improves the bottom line of utilities, which is going to reduce the energy bill that the average American pays. We all have energy bills, and we all pay to keep the lights on." He adds that the two methods aren't mutually exclusive; one is just inherently safer. "Don't get me wrong: professional pilots are able to do it," Dunlevy says. "It's just sometimes a risk you don't necessarily need. And I don't see the need for manned aircraft totally going away. There's always going to be a place for manned aircraft."
A UAS Translator Photogrammetry - Stitching together a 3D picture from multiple 2D pictures taken in different locations Orthomoasic - A topographical map of a landscape OGI (optical gas imaging) - A souped-up thermal sensor you can use in the infrared light spectrum to detect gas emissions Volumetric analysis - Using a 3D image to figure out the volume of a pile of coal, for example
Radiometric - A way to measure electromagnetic radiation. Example: if there's a "hot spot" at a substation, the user is able to tell the actual temperature instead of just that there's a temperature difference. BIM (building information modeling) - Using drones to create digital representations of buildings Fugitive gas emissions - Drone-detected gas leaks coming from pipes and tanks Sub-cm ground resolution - A data point smaller than a centimeter — in proportion per pixel
LiDAR (light detection and ranging) - Echo location, except with lasers
Who Is Matt Dunlevy? • Founded SkySkopes, a Grand Forks-
and Minot-based drone services company focused on the energy industry and North Dakota’s first unmanned aircraft startup certified by the FAA to fly commercially
• Founded several other startups
before founding SkySkopes in 2014
• Under Dunlevy’s leadership,
SkySkopes has grown from a group of four employees to an organization of national recognition in less than three years
• At UND, launched and taught the
first-ever Business of UAS course in the country. Has taught numerous other courses, including UAS in Business, UAS in Engineering Design, and Applications and The Ethics of UAS
Highlighted Speakers
Come Check Out Matt Dunlevy at Drone Focus Conference 2018 Dunlevy will be highlighting some of the ways he and the SkySkopes team are utilizing LiDAR (light detection and ranging) right here in North Dakota. "I really want to make a point with LiDar," says Dunlevy, whose team is using the emerging technology in the Bakken oil fields in western North Dakota, among other places. "This is the most important sensor that can go on an unmanned aircraft, and in a state where unmanned aircraft are so important, we need to be taking a look at where the real money is: the data that's collected by LiDAR." He'll also be touching on the implications of using unmanned vehicles in transmission-line stringing and disaster relief.
Derek Kan - U.S. Dept. of Transportation Doug Burgum - North Dakota Governor Edgar Waggoner - NASA Brent Sanford - North Dakota Lieutenant Governor Jacquene Curlee - Kids Drone Zone
event preview
Meet a Speaker: UND President Mark Kennedy
1. They're driving world-changing developments in UAS.
Kennedy: One of the things we’ve done, even during this difficult budget time, is reinvested $3.5 million of added money into research to try and propel these areas forward. We’ve had a lot of seed grants; we’ve brought in postdocs; and that has helped us to get that flywheel going, in terms of the added research that will lead to more entrepreneurship going forward. We’ve also created the Research Institute for Autonomous Systems, which is designated to be the statewide research arm in (UAS). We have several people from NDSU who have participated with us in that. The big challenge we face is: We’re very good at flying — we’re the first school in the nation to have a degree in unmanned aviation; we're really good at testing — we just had another breakthrough with Xcel Energy being the first power company to get beyond-visual-line-ofsight approval, and they acknowledge our Northern Plains Test Center. (But) we need to do more than just fly and be a space for testing. All that data we're collecting, much of it is going to Boston, Austin (Texas), and Palo Alto (California), and they're creating a lot of jobs with it: What sensor do you use? How do you store
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How UND Is Propelling UAS in North Dakota the data? If you can’t store it, how do you transmit it? How do you keep it secure through that whole chain? Once you have the data, how do you analyze it and extract actionable items from that data? All of those are high-paying jobs that could be in North Dakota. When I talk to Northrop Grumman and General Atomics, if we had more of those analytic types, they’d probably expand their footprint here. I think a lot of other businesses could use that. I think what we’re trying to do is lean in to the types of research that will create even more spin-offs like Field of View and SkySkopes that are doing wonderful things elevating the economy of the state of North Dakota.
2. UND's Center for Innovation
houses the most UAS entrepreneurs and startups in the nation. Kennedy: The advantageous thing about unmanned is that you can run unmanned services from anywhere. If we have the talent developed in North Dakota and they like North Dakota and want to stay in North Dakota, they have the ability to sell their services across the country. It’s similar with data analytics. If we have the analytics firepower here, that can be accessed anywhere in the country. One of our graduates, Matt Dunlevy with
SkySkopes, was a history major. You can take diverse skills and apply them here. He’s largely hiring our students, and he’s doing work not just in North Dakota but in other regions across the state. That’s more economic opportunity for more individuals, their families and the state.
3. They're using UAS to help meet the educational needs of veterans and their families.
Kennedy: The Army, Air Force and Navy all have people (working) with some form of aviation, manned or unmanned. We recently became a member of Air University and (through that), the Air Force and other branches have a program (that allows you to get an) associate’s (and then a) bachelor's degree and help their enlisted come out of their service with a bachelor's. With North Dakota having two bases, it’s serving those personnel, and those personnel are cycling through and going somewhere else. You’d be surprised at the number of people who have touched or lived in North Dakota in the Air Force. I think all of those — and other servicemen and women in the other branches — are target customers at UND. We also have an aviation technology management degree that I would love to get online soon because the Army says they have more flying machines than the Air Force.
Come Check Out President Kennedy at Drone Focus Conference '18 In his presentation, President Kennedy will be speaking about the potential pitfalls of a state not "leaning in" to an industry in which it's ahead of the curve. "I’m worried because we have an early lead in unmanned, but if we don’t lean in to it, we could lose it," Kennedy says. "I grew up reading a book called 'The Land of Giants' by Don Larson. He talked about how Minnesota had three-fourths of the major computer companies and the initiation of computers were in Minnesota ... They ultimately all drifted away and, (while) there are shadows of them, Minnesota lost its early lead in computer technology." He says that as some of the biggest markets in the country such as New York and Boston are beginning to throw resources at UAS, now, more than ever, North DAkota needs to fully commit to new and existing investments. "When I was in Boston, I was reading an article about how (they're) upset that North Dakota is taking these jobs away from them," Kennedy says. "We’re at a time of economic challenge in the state, but if we want to break the cycle of being oil-and-soil, we need to invest in these new data-supply-chain aspects of unmanned if we’re really going to keep this lead and diversify our economy. Nothing can diversify our economy more effectively than doubling down in our investment in unmanned."
DIGITAL
AND YOUR BUSINESS 6 Things You Might Not Know As more and more of our personal and professional lives move to digital spaces, figuring out what to focus on and what to ignore can feel a bit like throwing darts blindfolded. Whether you're the smallest of small businesses or a corporate team, Onsharp has a few pieces of practical advice for establishing — and growing — your company online.
BY Nate Mickelberg PHOTOS BY Hillary Ehlen
Jacob Dahl is the director of business development at Onsharp.
197 million
total number of mobile app downloads last year
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Trevor Christiansen is a business development manager at Onsharp.
After spending six years in South Fargo's Multiband Tower, OnSharp made the move to Downtown Fargo with its team of 17 in August of last year.
01
"We were really excited to get a new space," says Jacob Dahl, Onsharp's director of business development. "Everything fit perfectly down here, and it was nice to get a new look. We've been growing and expanding quite a bit the last few years, and it's nice to get in the action of everything."
You need a strong foundation. Dahl: The way we explain this to people is that your website is like the foundation of your home. If you don't have a good one, all the other stuff isn't going to last. You have to make sure it's solid from the ground up, so that people are easily able to get where they need to go within one or two clicks. Christiansen: One of the analogies we like to use is this: You can build a beautiful hotel on top of a mountain, but if you don't have any roads leading to it, what does it matter? That's where the SEO and digital marketing come in to your foundation. They're like the safe pathways you would build that drive people to your hotel.
02
Your busines may not need an app. Dahl: While we build quite a few apps for companies, often, we advise against a mobile app project for many businesses. Why? Because in reality, most businesses just need a good, mobile-responsive site. When you're talking about app development, there are a couple barriers to consider: Usability - How many people are actually going to download an app if they've never heard of it or have no experience with it? Unless you have something you can specifically offer that meets a need you customers would benefit from — bill pay, money transfers, online shopping — people are going to go to your website to find the information they're looking for, instead of an app. Cost - An app is an investment. Do you really want to invest a ton of money into something that may not be necessary for your business to have in the first place? Probably not. Christiansen: A lot of people are under the impression that once you create an app, people are just going to download and pay for it. Let's be real: People are pretty selective about the apps they keep on their phones, and most people don't pay to use one unless it can meet a specific need.
2.3 hours
average daily time spent on digital media per person in U.S.
FARGOINC.COM
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03
If an app makes sense for your business, it can be used in more ways than you may realize. Dahl: A mobile app doesn't always have to focus on your customers. In fact, we've had success building apps for many companies to use internally. From collecting time reports to processing invoice and more, you'd be surprised at how many efficiencies can be created for your company's operation.
04
Digital marketing isn't just for banner ads. Dahl: A lot of people are under the impression that digital marketing is something you just throw money at. A lot of times, they think of paying for banner ads and Google AdWords, but in reality, you don't always have to pay to get the rankings you're looking for. There's no magic way to do this; it takes diligence. SEO only works if you maintain content on your site, post blogs regularly, and share links to your website from your social accounts and anywhere else that makes sense for your business.
9
average number of apps people use daily
At Onsharp's First Avenue location in Downtown Fargo, team members work in dynamic pods that can serve as either workstations or meeting areas, depending on the hour or day.
05
Don't become static. Dahl: You have to think of your website like Windows on your computer. How foten do you get a notification that you need to update? Every couple of weeks? Your website is really the same thing, but you don't get a notification when it's time to make changes. If you haven't done anything to your site in 2-5 years, you're opening yourself up to a lot of problems. From Google ignoring your content because it's old to visitors being turned off by outdated styles and imagery, you want to make sure you stay on top of keeping your website looking and functioning well.
From a culture perspective, this is by far — and it's not even close — the best place I've worked at," Dahl says of Onsharp.
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Don't fall behind in the digital arms race. Christiansen: Many business owners in this area have been building their businesses over the past 20, 30, 40 years without really having to invest in their online presence. In this day and age, what once was their storefront is actually their website. And if they're not taking care of it, it's going to be a direct reflection on their business. You may abe the best plumber or electrician, but if your website is terrible, that's the first thing a customer sees. And we know how important first impressions are. Dahl: I always use Sanford as an example. Look at how much money they invest in their online presence and marketing materials. If one of us gets hurt, guess where we're probably going to go? Sanford, regardless of all that stuff. They do it intentionally to stay top-of-mind, and that's what business owners need to realize: Just because business is good today doesn't mean you shouldn't focus on your online presence all the time. Once you fall behind, it's tough — if not too late — to catch up.
29%
users who spend largest amount of their mobile time on social media apps
Onsharp Onsharp.com 630 1st Ave. N #5, Fargo 701-356-9010
FARGOINC.COM
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ARE YOU A
Ladyboss (n.) : An empowered female,
confident in her abilities and instinct, boldly leading with heart and integrity
We know all about the endless list of things Millennials have killed: department stores, sit-down restaurants, and golf, to name a few. Now, they're coming for networking. Danyel Moe and Laura Caroon are the founders of a new local group called Ladybosses of Fargo-Moorhead, and while they're not focused on catering to Millennial women exclusively, they are bringing their generation's disruptive approach to an activity they believe needs a bit of a rebrand. By Nate Mickelberg Photos by J. Alan Paul
Q+A
w/ the Founders What were some of the gaps you two saw in local networking options for women? Caroon: We were looking for a place where women could connect and feel a part of something, especially women who are artists or entrepreneurs and who don't have a built-in netowrk of coworkers.
FARGOINC.COM
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Meet the Head
Ladybosses
We started Ladybosses to create a community for women. It’s a place to make new connections, try new things, and learn from and support each other. It's about empowerment; it’s about having each other’s backs; and it’s about educating ourselves and being the best advocates for women that we can be.
Laura Caroon ◊ Content strategist at Concordia
College
◊ Prior to her position with
Concordia, referred to herself as a "multi-passionate entrepreneur"
◊ Used to work as a portrait
photographer, in addition to partnering in other small businesses at the same time
◊ Says one of her passions is
supporting, empowering and connecting women in business
" Danyel Moe ◊ Content specialist at Concordia
College
◊ Has a passion for social media,
specifically, how she can "create real-life connections near and far"
Moe: We wanted to create an opportunity for women to meet in a casual environment, whether that's online or at one of our happy hours. Most opportunities are posed as a very corporate networking environment, which is great, but it can be uncomfortable or intimidating to some. We were hoping there was a way
It’s a place to make new connections, try new things, and learn from and support each other. for women to network without knowing they're networking — small meetups that are more like hangouts, where you can actually build real, honest connections out of them.
◊ Artist, likes working a creative job ◊ Feminist, believes in female
empowerment and women holding big jobs in the area
What would you say to a man who asks why a women-only group like this is necessary? Caroon: We try to provide an experience that's honest about topics women are facing. We like it to be a shame-free zone, and we want people to feel safe and that they can talk
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about their experiences as a woman in business without feeling like someone's going to tell them they're wrong. There are a lot of things women experience on a daily basis that men don't see because they just haven't ever experienced it and can't understand. Women have been told that those things are just in their heads or that they're exaggerating, which is just not true. Can you give some examples? Caroon: Leadership can still be a boy's club atmosphere, whether they believe it or not. I think patterns are there. If women aren't being invited to the table or are being excluded from the table in leadership, that's saying something. And you can say, 'Oh, he was more qualified than her' all day long, but how many of 50 percent of the population are always just less qualified? That doesn't make sense. We've seen situations where people who are perfect for a job get passed up because they're not the right gender. Moe: We actually had a conversation early on about, 'What if a man wants to join Ladybosses? Are we going to let him do that?' And we decided that, at least for now, we want our group feeling like a safe and unique space exclusively for women. But there's potential for us to hold events in the future where men are invited to take part.
Caroon: It would be kind of fun to do a conference that's focused on women's issues, but have men come and hear, 'These are your friends, neighbors, and coworkers, and this is what they're experiencing.' You're saying gender bias in the workplace is a little more subtle than people realize. Caroon: It's nuanced, but women see it. And then women don't try for things because they don't think they're going to get them anyway, or they stay where they are because they don't want to seem pushy or like they're not a team player. Moe: And not even just leadership positions. There are a lot of industries women haven't really tapped into at all. Caroon: I think women feel like they need to compete with each other because there are fewer spots available, or they feel like there are fewer spots available. If one woman is winning, then they feel like they can't (win). It doesn't mean there's less for me. When one of us succeeds, we all benefit.
BUSINESS
WISDOM
What's the ultimate goal with Ladybosses? Moe: Our goal is to create opportunities for positive growth and connection for women — opportunities for artists, for makers, for small business owners, for corporate-ladder climbers, for healthcare providers, for teachers, for doers and for dreamers. Right now, that looks like hosting events and an online community. We're open to where the future leads us in this endeavor, (though). And this is a concept you'd like to take to other cities? Moe: Our vision is FargoMoorhead. I think what's so great about us doing it in Fargo-Moorhead is that we know these people. These are our people. I feel like if we were in a different community, I couldn't speak for those women – not to say I can speak for all the women in our group — but I just don't know if we could relate in the same way.
Monthly
EVENTS
In addition to the daily activity in the Ladybosses Facebook group, the majority of the group's in-person networking takes place at their (roughly) twice-monthly events, which typically last a couple hours and are hosted at women-owned local businesses around town such as Make Room or Naturally Randi Kay. They're also always situated around a particular activity such as a book club, yoga session, or a service or learning opportunity — an intentional format, Moe says. "We hope the networking happens naturally," she explains. "Because we don't want to (finish the activity) and then say, 'Alright, now network.' (The format) allows you to kind of be half in conversation, half to yourself. If you're feeling uncomfortable, you have something to attend to."
Caroon: There's something special about keeping it local.
"Whether you travel for business or pleasure, knowing the basic pleasantries in the local language makes life much easier ... It's a tremendous sign of respect and really strengthens relationships." ALICIA UNDERLEE NELSON Founder, Prairie Style File FARGOINC.COM
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2 Books Every
Ladyboss Should Read
“The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom”
“Ishmael: A Novel”
Interview by Danyel Moe and Laura Caroon
Meet a Ladyboss:
Simone Wai
A community builder and cofounder at Folkways, Simone Wai says she's focused on creating magical moments to enhance people’s everyday lives. If you’ve been to the Red River Market, Christkindlmarkt, or the Alley Fair; watched the Canoe Parade; or enjoyed the mobile sauna, you’ve experienced her work.
There’s been a huge (positive) shift in the way people see and think about Fargo, and you’re a big part of that. Why was it important to you to become a community-builder for Fargo? Wai: I have done events pretty much my whole career. I have worked with people like artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs, and we just saw a need to collect those people and really change the attitudes and culture of the community.
Come check out the next Ladyboss event: Ladyboss Book Club Monday, May 7, 5:30 - 7 p.m. The White House Co. Warehouse Come check out their June conference: Ladyboss Summit* Thursday, June 7, 7:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Wild Terra 6 12th St. N, Fargo *Note: Registration open through Ladyboss Facebook group only
When I lived here as a highschooler, it wasn’t a place I wanted to start my career. I didn’t want to be a Fargoan. So for us, we wanted to show people the potential in our community and shift their attitude. What’s your best career advice? Wai: It’s career and life advice: not to take anything personally. I am part of, but also outside of, what I create. When we get surveys back from our events, there is always one crabby
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person. There are so many things that could be going on with someone’s life. Who is your hero and why? Wai: I feel like I have so many friends who I look up to. I guess my local Ladybosses are my heroes. I think of my friend, Randi Kay, who is killing it with her massage business, Naturally Randi Kay. And my friend, Amanda McDonald, who is working on Giving Hearts Day for Dakota Medical Foundation. People who are just in their corner of their world being totally awesome. I’m so proud of them! How are you taking better care of yourself in 2018? Wai: A lot of sauna-ing. SADness (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is real, and I’ve found sauna-ing to be the most amazing way to combat that. You get the socializing and the firelight, and you’re so warm. I live in a 110-year-old house, and it’s never warm. I also take a lot of personal time. I work hard and then relax hard.
By Nate Mickelberg | Photos by J. Alan Paul and courtesy of Peter Schott, Sara Stolt, Patrick Kirby and David Dvorak
WHY FARGO? 13 up-and-coming Fargo businesses give us a look at what they're doing and tell us why they chose to start their companies here.
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WHY FARGO?
WalkSmart Founder and President
RISK-TAKING. COMMUNITY. DESIRE. "Fargo wants to have a vibrant startup ecosystem. That means taking financial and professional risks as an investor, customer, or employee and investing in the community-building efforts of Emerging Prairie and other organizations — all because there is a desire to see Fargo become one of the best places to start a company. People here take a lot of pride in their community, and I am excited to be a part of a community that takes pride in its entrepreneurs." FARGOINC.COM
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WalkSmart's tracking device is inconspicuous and attaches to the outside of a walker's wheel.
The Potential Chamberlain says his personal experiences with his grandparents — three of whom were walker users — first sparked his idea to create a smarter brand of walker.
MEET
PETER CHAMBERLAIN Relocating company from Grand Forks to Fargo in June Originally from Oregon, has mechanical engineering degrees from the University of Portland (Oregon) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) At MIT, began designing medical devices as a part of class projects and worked at a medical device manufacturer Says one experience in particular gave him the confidence to "start something from nothing": He and a group of friends founded the MIT Hyperloop Team, which was the first to demonstrate the key technologies of the Hyperloop, both in design and in the world’s first Hyperloop test run. "A conversation among friends, hours of hard work, and a tweet from Elon Musk was really all it took," Chamberlain says.
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"My family dealt with issues around falls, rehabilitation, infections, dementia and quality of life," Chamberlain says. "I talked with healthcare professionals, as well as my grandparents, to discuss initial reactions to my idea, and then I started building because I knew I would have to develop some of the key technical competencies in order to make this a reality." While developing the product, Chamberlain applied to a number of programs and competitions that he says forced him to evaluate how his product might fit within the market. After a few iterations of researching and writing down a plan, he says he knew there was at least a chance his idea could work, "which is all you can ask for with startups," and after graduating from MIT, he moved to North Dakota to begin working on the company full-time.
COMPANY OVERVIEW
WalkSmart helps older adults maintain their independence and stay safe in their homes, which , in turn, hopefully improves quality of life and reduces healthcare spending. They invented the world’s first “smart" walker attachment, which allows for fitness tracking, health monitoring and safety alerts. By providing incentives to use the walker and sending alerts when the walker is not used, they hope to cut into the $50 billion spent annually across the U.S. on fall-related costs. Chamberlain says WalkSmart will allow physical therapists access to better outcomes, senior living facilities will improve their revenue, and families will have better peace of mind through the company's mobile app offerings and automated alert system.
WHY FARGO?
RYAN SWANSON
Founder and Co-Owner COR Robotics
SPIRITED. EMERGING. INTERCONNECTED. The Competition WalkSmart is at the intersections of a few markets, including fitness tracking and home monitoring, Chamberlain says. "For fitness tracking, FitBit and Garmin have done a good job of creating products for younger, tech-savvy individuals," he says, "but as you might guess, wearables face extreme difficulties with adherence in the senior market. Also, your wrist doesn’t move when you use a walker. Fall prevention is accomplished partially by increasing walker use, and existing products simply are not designed for this purpose." There are a number of competitors in the homemonitoring space, and Chamberlain says that while their solutions are valuable, they're expensive, face fundamental technological limitations and ultimately do little to prevent falls. "Our technology can interface with these solutions to provide a more comprehensive monitoring solution," he says.
"Fargo has an extremely prominent and active entrepreneurial community, which opens up so many opportunities for a young startup like COR Robotics. Fargo is the perfect place to start a small business because if you stick around long enough, you’re going to meet somebody who knows somebody who can help you."
COMPANY OVERVIEW
COR Robotics aims to educate and inspire the next generation of problem-solvers through summer robotics camps, run in coordination with FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams. "There are 3,500 FRC teams around the world, and many of them, especially in rural areas, have no robotics programming offered before high school," says COR Robotics Founder Ryan Swanson. "COR Robotics is helping to address this problem by running inexpensive summer robotics camps that serve as a primer for pre-high school robotics programs to start in a district." COR Robotics is the only company in the Upper Midwest working specifically with FRC teams to run summer robotics camps. This connection with FRC teams enables COR to grow much more quickly, while also enabling COR Robotics’ camps to be more exciting and successful, Swanson says.
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WHY FARGO?
BRIAN LARRY Cofounder ConnectLabs
COMMUNITY. COMMUNITY. COMMUNITY. "I chose to start my business in Downtown Fargo because of how strong the tech space is down there. Fargo has a strong community that supports local businesses, and that is powerful as a local startup."
For Brian Larry, context is everything in marketing. "Marketers need to understand why consumers go where they go," says Larry, cofounder of ConnectLabs, a Fargo-based community-ofthings (COT) platform that allows businesses to use physical devices with embedded sensors, proprietary software and interconnectivity to connect them to their target customers. "The local events and activities we choose to engage in deliver that context, providing insight into their lifestyles, interests and affinities." Larry says he and his team first saw an opportunity after recognizing the effect that mobile, locationbased marketing was having on the marketing and analytics industry, which is currently poised to surpass $55 billion. Larry says successful location-based marketing goes beyond simply knowing where consumers are at, though; it requires context and quality underlying data. That's why ConnectLabs built the first-ever demographic target system, or DTS, to better understand consumers and deliver the most conclusive consumer audiences, insights and data possible.
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The Progress After a number of product iterations, WalkSmart, which is available for puchase on both the company's website and Amazon, is now officially in a limited market release. They have paying customers in all three key market segments — healthcare, senior living and consumer — as well as a few ongoing pilot programs that have continued to provide data about the effectiveness of the system. Now, Chamberlain says he and his team are turning their attention to marketing and sales. "We have to demonstrate that we can reach economic decision-makers in our markets, provide sufficient education and ultimately convert into a sale," he says. "It makes all the challenges worth it when you consider the people we have helped thus far. One assisted living resident has been falling less at night because we're able to alert the staff when she needs help. One resident’s son has become extremely engaged with checking the app to make sure his mom is getting enough exercise. Personally, I was able to automatically detect my grandma’s urinary tract infection days before it was diagnosed."
WalkSmart has Amazon Echo and Google Home integrations so that users can ask questions about their loved one's walker use that day, "Alexa, ask WalkSmart how far Myrla has walked today."
REAL TALK
The BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) Chamberlain says he'd like to see WalkSmart used universally in senior living facilities and long-term care facilities across the country. "We think this goal is entirely possible," he says. "Facilities used to charge extra for people to have the emergency response pendants — LifeAlert, LifeLife, etc., but the value became so evident over time for both the facilities and the families that it is now a standard piece of equipment for every room. We're confident that WalkSmart can be thought of in much the same way."
Chamberlain: "As a 26-year-old who has never had a 'real' job, I often feel inadequate compared to other people in the business and tech community, especially when things are not going my way. Entrepreneurship is a crazy emotional roller coaster. I have weeks where I am on top of the world and those where I feel like closing up shop. In those down times, it's important to have the support of your family, friends and the community. "A specific challenge of mine has been fundraising, even if it's not a unique one. Moving to a new state and asking people for money is tough. Once I got to know other entrepreneurs in the region, though, they helped me with connections and got me in front of the right people."
WHY FARGO?
Genesis Feed Technologies Cofounder
COMMUNITY. CREATIVITY. COOPERATION. "When I was looking at places to start my company, I was comparing Fargo to Austin, Texas. Fargo was a clear winner for many reasons ... If you want to start a business, everything is here for you to do so right here. I was blown away by the artistic community in the area. So many artists, musicians, and foodies all in the same space working together is energizing and inspiring. I believe this creativity is a huge part of the fuel that drives other innovation and business success." FARGOINC.COM
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MEET
PETER SCHOTT After a couple stints in the corporate world, about a decade ago, Schott went back home to Kulm, North Dakota, to help run the family seed business. After leaving the business, while planning a trip to Texas to meet with a few groups for a consulting business he was dreaming up, Schott saw and applied for a job at Fargo-based mobile development company Myriad Mobile — a position he said matched word for word with what he wanted to do in his own business. Schott says working at Myriad got him to "take a fresh look at Fargo," where he saw a vibrant downtown with thriving technology businesses, art, restaurants and energy that wasn’t there when he attended Concordia College in the late '90s. While at Myriad, Schott connected with a Malaysiabased colleague, who floated Schott a few mobile ideas he had for the animal feed industry. Schott had a vision for a better mobile platform that could be distributed globally, and soon after, the two were partners.
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Genesis Feed Technologies helps bring visibility to animal feed costs by giving customers real-time access to the right information. "Ingredient purchases, additives, and supplier choices are crucial elements to feed efficiency and profitability, but decisions are often made without involving the right people and proper information," Schott says. "Genesis brings feed operations experience together with modern mobile technology."
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Schott with Phil Reindl, one of his two cofounders
The Potential In the feed manufacturing supply chain, there are a number of disparate systems used for resource planning, purchasing, formulation and manufacturing. Genesis Feed Technologies' system sits on top of these systems to share information between groups and people. A finished animal feed will often touch several manufacturing groups and many people along the way, from producer to nutrition consultant to feed formulation group. There is a great deal of communication that happens along the way over email, text and files being sent and received. "It’s difficult, if not impossible, to trace back why a formula was approved or rejected or to track where it’s at along this chain," Schott says.
REAL TALK
The Competition As Schott explains it, there are a number of existing systems that work individually — with some exchanges between them — but the mechanics to share the data, especially between different businesses, don’t work well. "There are more than 30,000 feed mills globally," Schott says, "so there's plenty of opportunity for our system to tie into existing platforms and work with industry partners."
Schott: "When I put myself out there to try something new, that voice in my head was my own worst critic — telling me I would fail, that people wouldn’t like the idea, that I’d let my friends and cofounders down. Daily meditation and being in a group of like-minded entrepreneurs has helped me stay afloat mentally and emotionally. "With two of us in Fargo and another cofounder in Malaysia, this leads to communication issues both in availability and understanding. Compound that with associates in other countries, and communication becomes more critical. We’ve found that regular check-ins with video have been helpful, as well as mixing personal with business. Each of us brings our own lives to the table, and it impacts what we do."
WHY FARGO?
MALLORY VORWERK Owner ND TOUGH gear
COMMUNITY. GENEROSITY. GRIT. An early Genesis brainstorming session. "We didn’t have our own whiteboard yet, so we borrowed (my cofounder's) kid's," Schott says.
The Progress Genesis has just moved from the pre-revenue stage into early seed stage (AKA postrevenue). "At this point, we are happy with our growth, customer acquisition and size of the company," Schott says. "We have money in our bank account, and several customers have given us money and are happy." The BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) It's entirely possible that their platform could become the communication hub for systems in the feed industry globally, according to Schott, adding that he'd like for it to become the industry standard.
"The Fargo community shows it’s tough in many ways. Whether it's fighting a flood or just looking out for each other, the community embodies the giving-back mentality of people in North Dakota."
ND TOUGH gear creates affordable clothing, mugs and hats with logos designed by Founder Mallory Vorwerk. Nearly all the proceeds are donated back to local schools, charities, and AO1, the foundation of current Philadelphia Eagles and former North Dakota State Univeristy Bison quarterback Carson Wentz. "When I started the company, I knew I wanted to give back to AO1," says Vorwerk, who initially had the idea for the company name while watching a Monday Night Football game last year that featured Wentz. "I had the honor of attending his AO1 Foundation fundraiser last year here in Fargo and to hear his passion for helping others and giving back just reinforced my love for him as not only a football player but as a good guy who represents everything that is ND TOUGH gear."
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WHY FARGO?
The Project Co. Founder
SARA RELATIONSHIPS. SUPPORT. RESOURCES. "There is no way I could go anywhere else and be successful with The Project Co. because those relationships don’t exist anywhere but this community. This region is rich with resources for entrepreneurs and economically stable, meaning that companies have the resources to invest in agile talent such as The Project Co." FARGOINC.COM
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MEET
SARA STOLT Before founding The Project Co., previously worked at United Way of Cass-Clay, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota and Dakota Medical Foundation Despite working on projects from the beginning of her career, says it didn’t click for her that she was wired to be a project manager until a mentor, Michelle Kommer, pointed out that she had a way of developing and understanding strategy and then breaking it down into the work that needed to get done to accomplish it Says she's passionate about the amount of money that gets wasted on company culture, with little to no movement on the employee-engagement continuum
COMPANY OVERVIEW
The Project Co. helps businesses identify and complete their most important projects. Currently a one-womanband, Stolt focuses on traditional projects such as implementing new business models, identifying business opportunities and facilitating various changes at companies. She also helps with businessservices projects such as website builds, systems and technology, and newprocess development. "Being a good project manager means you also identify what isn't working well," says Stolt, who, in April, celebrated one year in business.
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The Potential When she started looking at who was doing this kind of work locally, Stolt says there was no one combining facilitation, project management and process improvement into one service. Additionally, with the average project manager salary at just more than $90,000 a year, it can be cost-prohibitive for many organizations to employ their own full-time project manager. Enter The Project Co. "I believed I could position myself as the agile talent that organizations needed shortterm to get big work done," says Stolt, whose plans for The Project Co. were initially a little more niche. "When I launched, I intended to have a very narrow focus and just work with nonprofits. Unlike corporations, nonprofits don’t have the resources to have full-time project managers or processimprovement specialists. Through participation in CO.STARTERS, though, I was able to better identify my audience and expanded (The Project Co.) to include small- to mid-size businesses and later state government."
REAL TALK
Stolt: "Being a solopreneur can be lonely. You no longer have a team to vet ideas through and ask questions. The solution? Be intentional about building your tribe. I've found great 'team members' in other solopreneurs, who are either just starting out or have a few years under them and can offer advice. I make it a practice to schedule time with these individuals weekly. Some of my greatest friendships have grown out of seeking out other entrepreneurs. "When you start a business, you wear virtually every hat. I'm responsible for marketing, business development, project management and accounting. The first six months, I really struggled to do any of these really well. I got smart and hired someone to help with my accounting, met with Kirsten Jensen of Next Action Digital to help me with marketing via social media, and tapped Max Kringen at Tellwell for some sage advice. I also started automating more tasks and accounting work."
Stolt presenting at a DisruptHR conference last fall
WHY FARGO?
MEG SPIELMAN PELDO Cofounder Dakota Fine Art
BEAUTY. CREATIVITY. ENERGY. The Competition While there are other local project management firms, Stolt says they operate in a different space. "I really look at business and internal operations as my specialty," she says. While the field of project management is still relatively new by title, the concept of project management has existed for decades, which Stolt says is most evident in the software development and technology arenas. "In larger metros, you see project management firms that focus just on just the softwaredevelopment lifecycle or just on event planning," says Stolt, who adds that Project Management Professional, or PMP, is actually an internationally recognized designation — similar to Certified Financial Planners. "It’s very common in these metro areas to have significant competition when it comes to project management."
"The art market in Fargo is in an upswing. People here value authentic surroundings that uplift and ground them. They care about supporting local, whether it's farm-to-table dining or making connections with regional art makers to enhance their home and business environments."
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Dakota Fine Art is a collective of nine local and regional artists who own and run the gallery space together. They also represent other artists on a rotating basis, constantly providing fresh work. "Our goal is to provide a beautiful space that brings art buyers directly together with art and artists," says Meg Spielman Peldo, one of the founding artists of the collective. "We all have working studios in addition to the boutique gallery, so you can view more work by each artist in a portfolio or even commission someone to create just for you." Traditional galleries can find it difficult to make the numbers work, and a collective business model makes it easier because the owners are the artists. They also have the ability to work with designers in an affordable way. "We love the creative energy in Downtown Fargo and look forward to bringing buyers together with meaningful art that doesn't lose your interest when the next decorating trend comes along," Spielman Peldo says.
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A sample project workflow
The Progress Surpassing her income goal for 2017 — a true rarity in the world of entrepreneurship — Stolt worked with nearly 15 local business, nonprofits and government agencies during her first year in business. "The highlight was engaging with the State of North Dakota's Department of Human Services as the project manager and facilitator for the implementation of Senate Bill 2206," Stolt says, "which is focused on the redesign of social services across the state." That led to her getting two other state projects, including the Innovate Recovery Competition through the North Dakota Office of Recovery Reinvented, the passion project of North Dakota First Lady Kathryn Helgaas Burgum.
REAL
TALK (CONT'D) "In the excitement of starting a new business, I said yes to everything. In theory, this is a good idea, but in practice it is terrible. I wanted to build my business really quickly and took on too much at once. I suffered; my clients suffered; and my family suffered because I was working all the time. I've had to really identify what is a good workload for me to maintain, and now, I evaluate each project, the timeline and the deliverables to see if it fits. Don't get me wrong: There's a certain level of hustle I'm always doing, but I need balance."
"PROJECT M A N A GE R S A R E T HE MO S T C R E AT I V E P R O S I N T H E W O R L D; W E H AV E T O FI GU R E O U T E V E R Y T HI N G T H AT C OU L D GO W R O N G , B E F OR E IT DOES." -FR EDR IC K H AR EN
WHY FARGO?
CINDY GILLUND Founder and CEO Go/Do
ENERGY. FAMILY. COMMUNITY.
A favorite quote of Stolt's
COMPANY OVERVIEW The BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) While she concedes it’s not as audacious as sending a man to the moon or building a self-driving car, Stolt says she'd really like to start an incubator for projects. "If you're a business with a big idea, you'd bring it to our project incubator, where we'd have subject-matter experts to help you implement the idea," explains Stolt, who says her short-term goal is to add a few team members to The Project Co. and expand her team beyond herself. "They may not all be Project Co. team members, but other entrepreneurs who have expertise in marketing, sales, finance, etc.. would help you launch your big idea. The Project Co. — composed of a technical project manager, a business analyst and an event project manager, for example — would manage things for you, and you'd get resources to help make it successful."
If you’ve ever pulled up social media on a Sunday night only to realize you’ve missed an event that you or your family would’ve loved, then you know all about FOMO, or fear of missing out. Instead of exhausting yourself scouring websites or trying to keep track of paper calendars, though, the Go/Do app provides you with hundreds of area events and resources right at your fingertips. "The Go/Do app fills the gap left by social media algorithms and advertising-based web searches," explains Founder and CEO Cindy Gillund. "If you don’t know what you're looking for, are distracted by heavy advertising, or are overwhelmed by too much nonpertinent information, we provide an easy, concise and actionable way to find your desired options." Gillund says she and her team identified that the local community was in need of a new medium that can bring together everything going on in Fargo in a unique way. "The top three — and still fastest-growing — consumer segments in the Fargo area are composed of people ages 28-37, many with children," says Gillund, a working mother of three herself and whose team worked with local mobile development company Myriad Mobile to create Go/Do. "We found these segments value life experiences and utilize mobile technology to be informed consumers." On the commercial side, to be part of Go/Do, area businesses can sign up for a monthly subscription, which provides extra features to drive consumer engagement and provides valuable information about the reach and utilization of the app. FARGOINC.COM
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WHY FARGO?
Do Good Better Consulting Founder
PATRICK ENTHUSIASTIC. AUDACIOUS. IMPACT.
KIRBY
"Go ahead and tell someone in Fargo they can't do something; that’ll work well for you. I think the audacious attitude of 'there’s nothing we can’t do' breeds community, bridges different cultures and fosters an environment where it feels like anything is possible. Do you have an audacious goal to help make a significant impact in this community and can endorse that case enthusiastically? Congratulations, you just found the perfect place to live!"
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MEET
PATRICK KIRBY When closing campaign accounts after a failed bid running for the Minnesota House as a 25-year-old, realized he'd raised way more money than he was legally allowed to spend in the election. Says it was the first time he realized he had a knack for fundraising After a short stint as a manufacturing sales rep, found his way to the nonprofit world with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, where he helped the organization raise millions of dollars "Fell in love with a girl from Fargo (and the city)" and was eventually recruited to become chief development officer at the Anne Carlsen Carter Before launching Do Good Better, spent nearly two years sketching a business plan and leaning on colleagues in the philanthropy world to "punch holes" in ideas on how to create a fundraising consulting company
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Do Good Better is a consulting firm dedicated to helping nonprofits raise more money and make fundraising a lot simpler, and, as Kirby puts it, "a heck of a lot more fun." The problem, as Kirby sees it, is that most nonprofits are being taught a 30,000-foot view of what fundraising could be, all while trying to put out fires from donors, volunteers and staff. What he believes is missing is a translation of fundraising philosophies to a more simple: How can I do these things at my organization? — regardless of size, scope or scale.
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The Potential As someone who had worked in nearly every facet of the industry during his 13 years as a fundraising professional, Kirby says he knew what was missing from the market. "Someone who could translate complicated theories and help implement them if you were a one-, two- or threeperson shop," he says. "I saw numerous nonprofits getting overcomplicated and spending hours in meetings for the sake of having meetings and avoiding the hard work of actual fundraising. I knew from experience how to fix that." Because there are more than 1,500 nonprofits and fundraising entities in the region and the average tenure of a development director is less than 18 months, the amount of new folks needing training, perspective, and advice is seemingly endless, according to Kirby. "I’m on a mission to reduce burnout of fundraisers and to lengthen the amount of time they stay at an organization," he explains. "The pressure of someone who feels like they have the weight of the organization's financial success on their shoulders is a big reason for that burnout."
The Competition While there are a handful of regional consulting groups that help with capital funding and church and university campaigns, Kirby seems to have found a niche helping small- to medium-sized organizations build capacity and curate fundraising events. "Turns out most people think nonprofits are poor, stingy and not progressive enough to risk (hiring) consultants," he says. "Not true. In fact, I would counter that nonprofit organizations are the most innovative, strategic and forward-thinking groups in this town. "Groups and individuals who see government as reactionary rather than visionary are forced to come up with solutions to problems we have in this city and state. And all they need is money to empower and deploy their unique and awesome missions."
REAL TALK
Kirby: "As long as I've been self-aware, I’ve been a leap-before-you-lookand-deal-with-the-falloutafterward kind of guy. I’ve had to relearn, from a business perspective, to slow down. And it’s hard to do when you’re so excited about the potential to grow, expand and help as many organizations as possible. "I had a couch, two rugs, and office decor galore sitting in my garage for two months before I had an official contract for work. If you think it’s embarrassing and expensive to sign and then, within 72 hours, immediately and desperately try get out of an office lease you weren’t actually ready pull the trigger on, you’d be right. A tough and expensive lesson learned was that baby steps in business is okay."
WHY FARGO?
AMANDA BRUNELLE
Owner Inspire Health & Wellness Spa
Kirby and attendees of a training event called "Notes of Appreciation: Saying Thank You in a Digital World"
SUPPORT. NEED. OPPORTUNITY. "Fargo was ready and waiting for a unique, allencompassing healing space like Inspire."
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Whether you're looking to relieve some work-related stress or need some treatment for that poor posture your office desk is giving you, there aren't any other places like Inspire Health & Wellness in Fargo. The Progress In just seven months in business, Kirby has topped 20 total nonprofits and fundraising clients, 18 of the 20 being referrals. On Giving Hearts Day 2018 alone, the dozen clients he works most closely with won more than 20 awards and grossed more than $800,000, an increase of 25 percent from the year before.
A new kind of one-stop shop spa concept, Inspire is home to FMWF's only Himalayan salt cave, which simulates the microclimate of a natural salt cave by pumping salted air into a room; the area's largest float tank, a sensory-deprivation pod that is supposed to have numerous health benefits; and a number of unique yoga offerings, including salty yoga. "I wanted to create a place like no other in town," says Owner Amanda Brunelle. "There is no other place in town that offers all the services we do under one roof."
He's also hosted seven local and regional fundraising trainings with more than 100 individual leaders.
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WHY FARGO?
SHANNON PARVEY, JASON MCLEAN AND KIMBERLIE LARSON Partners PLM Family Law
FRIENDLY. FAMILY. HOME. "One of our partners was born and raised here; the other two have been here for more than a decade building their lives and careers. We like to call Fargo 'The Biggest Small Town in America.' To us, that means that while Fargo has a large population, with many awesome big-city attributes, it still has a small-town Midwestern feel, too."
COMPANY OVERVIEW
PLM Family Law is a three-attorney family law firm in Fargo majority-owned by women. They practice exclusively in family law, which Partner Kimberlie Larson acknowledges can be challenging and stressful but also ultimately incredibly rewarding. "Sometimes, people meet us because they’re going through the worst experience of their lives," says Larson, who adds that PLM also does estate planning. "Other times, though, they're expanding their families through adoption. Knowing that we play a role in carrying them through their changes is fulfilling work." For the PLM team, starting a business meant the freedom to make their own choices about what kind of image they want to project for the legal profession, says Partner Jason McLean. "We’re able to help people from all walks of life, with all different kinds of issues, from low-income to high-net-worth clients," he says. "There's a great need for compassion and empathy in this line of work, no matter your situation. That can really get lost in a larger law firm. "Our motto is: We are people first, attorneys second. It takes a special kind of devotion and caring to practice family law." 58
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Kirby leading a "How Not to Suck at Planning Fundraising Events" training
The BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) The long game for Kirby is to start a venture philanthropy group right here in Fargo. "It's my white whale," he says. "Wouldn’t it be amazing to help inject capital and funding into startup nonprofits? Wouldn’t it be incredible to help make maximum impact to a societal ill? "Think about it: Businesspeople dump countless dollars into technology, gadgets and apps on the long shot that, 5-10 years from now, they may see a profit. Imagine if we could create an avenue for those same individuals who have high-capacity wealth to finance organizations and programs that address the root cause of local issues, and their return on investment is social good. Not $500 or $1,000 grants, I’m talking $250,00 - $500,000 injections of cash to make great things happen. Locally run. Locally controlled. Locally amazing."
WHY FARGO?
Field of View CEO
DAVID SUPPORT. ECOSYSTEM. COMMUNITY.
DVORAK
"Through North Dakota's emphasis on and investment in drones, they captured the attention and imagination of myself and the other engineering students that originally started Field of View, which has become a North Dakota business that hires employees, sells to and purchases from local companies, and collects and pays taxes. North Dakota is always talking about how to get young people to stay here and diversify our economy. I am proud to be one example of how they’ve accomplished that goal."
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MEET
DAVID DVORAK
GeoSnap Express on a DJI M600 drone
In high school, got into remote-controlled airplanes and says his dream job was to one day work for an experimental aircraft company During sophomore year at University of North Dakota, got a job with an unmanned aircraft student research group and ended up doing the mechanical layout of a payload designed to map farm fields and spot stressed plants After project was complete, says he didn’t want all his hard work to go to waste, so he kept working on the payload and learning more about precision agriculture Around the same time, attended the 2007 UAS Summit in Grand Forks and says he saw an opportunity to use something he enjoyed and was already passionate about to help farmers, help the environment, and make money doing it
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Field of View is a drone technology company that moved its headquarters from Grand Forks to Fargo in August of last year. Since its founding in 2010, Field of View has shifted its focus from being an agricultural drone-flight service provider to selling and reselling electronics and software. They're the makers of the GeoSnap system, a specialized camera add-on that enables drone operators to use professional DSLR-style cameras for aerial mapping. The GeoSnap systems autonomously trigger the cameras during flight and precisely geo-tag the highresolution images using the system’s built-in GPS receiver.
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The Potential At the time the company was founded, Dvorak says there was really only one commercialgrade autopilot and one affordable crop-stress-sensing camera that could be used on a small unmanned aircraft. "And they didn’t work well together," he says. "Originally intended for our own use, we designed a circuit board that solved the problem of interfacing the two devices in a valuable manner. From there, we realized we weren’t the only ones with this problem, and maybe there was an opportunity to sell it." That was the beginning of what is now their GeoSnap product line.
REAL TALK
Dvorak: "Our biggest challenge has been figuring out how to grow, enlist help and create partnerships in constructive ways. It’s clear to me that people and companies that try to do it all themselves just don’t go anywhere, but enlisting help and partnerships also has to be approached the correct way in order to be valuable.
The Competition That they're aware of, there's only one other company that makes a camera/drone add-on that does both triggering and geotagging. "Ultimately, the larger space of drone mapping solutions is huge and getting more crowded every day, though," Dvorak says.
"One problem we are facing right now is finding a good place to establish a flighttest range to test our nextgeneration product, which performs survey-grade geotagging. If anyone has leads on a large (1-5 acre) parking lot or similar site near town that we can use to set up a semi-permanent test range — paint aerial panels on the concrete, survey them in and then regularly fly over them with our geotagging device to test the accuracy — let us know."
WHY FARGO?
EMILY SWEDBERG
Founder Amped School of Music
ARTS APPRECIATION. GROWTH. ACCESSIBILITY.
Dvorak with Field of View COO Kaci Lemler
"In the last handful of years, we’ve watched the FM music scene grow in diversity and size. More and more venues seem to be popping up, from breweries like Junkyard and Drekker to large spaces like Bluestem and the Sanctuary. Fargoans’ interest in seeing live music is growing, as is the interest in participation."
The Progress • 200+ unique customers • 10+ countries serviced • 7,000+ cups of coffee consumed
COMPANY OVERVIEW
The BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) Dvorak says their end game is to create a fully autonomous workflow for creating accurate, centimeter-level 2D maps and 3D models using drones and high-resolution cameras.
Starting this month, as part of a new shared space with local custom-guitar shop Gruber Guitars, Amped School of Music will begin giving lessons and renting out rooms to local music teachers. Don't expect your typical teaching environment, though, says Founder Emily Swedberg.
"The drone industry has come a long way, but there are still a surprising number of manual steps required to produce ultrahigh-quality data products," he explains. "We are currently building the critical pieces of the puzzle to eliminate these cumbersome and timeconsuming manual processes."
Calling all musicians and music teachers: There's about to be a whole new way to learn, practice and enjoy the art of making music right in the heart of Downtown Fargo.
"We're more than just a couple of lesson rooms added to a music store," says Swedberg, who's the fiancée of Gruber Guitars owner Nik Gruber (pictured above). "We're building a music community aiming to empower, connect and celebrate musicians. Nik's greatest growth as a musician came while learning how to play with other people. Finding these opportunities for students, even through occasional group or joint lessons, pushes music beyond the halfhour, once-a-week mentality." In addition to allowing teachers to set their own rate, Amped will provide an online portal to help keep track of students and will handle finding, booking and billing them. FARGOINC.COM
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WHY INTEGRITY IN BUSINESS
W
orking for the Better Business Bureau the past few years, I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with business owners from many sectors of the marketplace. Across the board, the most frequent question I get is, “How do I improve my business?” My answer is that it starts with a strategically created plan that builds a solid foundation of honesty, integrity and transparency for your company. Sounds easy enough, right? But how do you go about actually doing it? Last time, we looked at the effect that honesty can have on your bottom line. This month, we dive a little deeper into integrity.
BY Heather Aal PHOTO BY J. Alan Paul
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Heather Aal is the North Dakota business outreach coordinator with the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota. She’s based in Fargo.
At a recent event, someone asked me, “Why do we have to talk about ethics? Doesn’t it just go without saying?” My response? “Every time you get in your car, what is the one reminder light you see? 'Buckle your seatbelt.' Why do we need this reminder? Doesn’t it go without saying?" My point was — and is — that it's important for all businesses to keep ethics top of mind. Day in and day out, ethics are vital to the success of your business. For proof of this, you need look no further than companies such as Enron, Arthur Andersen and WorldCom, all businesses that went astray and then, virtually overnight, went out of business. In today’s marketplace, increased competition has created a need to look for every edge possible to get ahead. It's all too easy to be tempted to compromise your values in the quest to be on top, but we know that one step off the straight-and-narrow path can
lead to another, which can lead to another and so on. It’s best to stick to the high road when you can and to hold the line when you can’t. This is a tougher path, but the rewards are worth the effort. Integrity is one of the fundamental values that employers, employees and customers seek. It's the hallmark of a person or a business that demonstrates sound moral and ethical principles and the foundation upon which organizations build relationships, trust, respect and reputation. Integrity always stands out, and all of us know it when we see it. Character speaks volumes. Businesses guided by integrity stand behind the work they do. They take proactive steps to make things right, acknowledge when they're wrong and don’t make excuses. That’s integrity. Integrity as a value doesn’t, in every case, improve a company’s bottom line. Having integrity means that there are times when you have to
"take a hit." This could be as minor as offering a refund to an unhappy customer in the interest of goodwill or as major as a product recall. It’s better to lose a battle in the interest of your company’s reputation, though, than to risk your good name when you know you’re in the wrong. In the larger picture, integrity translates into a reduction in risks and an increase in sustainable growth. That’s a solid return on your investment. So how do we actually demonstrate integrity? Here are three gestures often equated with it: 1. Being Proactive To be proactive means to take initiative by anticipating needs and providing solutions without being asked and responding quickly and affirmatively with good communication. 2. Being Equitable Being equitable is often a hard one for a company as the old adage that "the customer is always right" doesn’t always ring true, but a commitment
to fairness does win out in the long run. 3. Being Humble Being humble may not be the first thing you think of when building your business. You want to show everyone why you're the best and why they should work with you, but humility is a winning approach. At heart, being humble is showing gratitude, respect and sensitivity to the needs of others. When a company shows awareness of the needs of others and acts to support those needs over their own, customers will respond. Being proactive, equitable and humble signify that an organization has made a firm commitment to integrity, which, in turn, builds trust and longterm relationships. You can begin to see how these pieces all fit together. Honesty, integrity and transparency should be hard-wired into your employee manual. Next time, we'll take a closer look at transparency.
IS LIKE
BUCKLING YOUR SEATBELT Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota • BBB.org • 51 Broadway N, Fargo
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Election Season Is Upon Us A Quick Primer
By Craig Whitney | Craig Whitney is the president and CEO of the Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo Chamber of Commerce.
I
t’s hard to believe that yet another election year is upon us. There are certainly going to be interesting races for North Dakota’s national congressional delegation for both the Senate and House seats. And while there is sure to be a heavy focus on these big races coming up in the fall, to turn our attention locally, the Chamber is gearing up to host a series of debates on both local and statewide races.
Signworks in Fargo, is a longtime businessman and resident of West Fargo and has lived in the city for more than 40 years.
In the coming months and into the fall, as election dates approach, we plan to highlight and engage with local legislative and city races for both Cass and Clay counties.
The Chamber continues to work hard to get involved in public policy issues that are important to our members through advocacy and education. We advocate for our members through lobbying and engaging in discussion with policymakers and stakeholders. We put an emphasis on education through questionnaires for candidates, debates and forums. The final leg of public policy is political action, where we grade elected officials and endorse candidates. The Chamber currently doesn’t partake in those activities.
As the June 12 election day quickly approaches, we will kick off our debates beginning with the Fargo City Commission. Nine candidates are vying for two open seats on the commission. As election rules haven’t instituted run-off voting, it's likely that the two elected to the commission may win with a small percentage of votes. As for Fargo mayor, there is only one candidate, and that is incumbent mayor Tim Mahoney. Switching to West Fargo, there will be a contested race between current mayor Rich Mattern and challenger Bernie Dardis. Mattern is currently seeking his fifth term as West Fargo mayor after retiring in 2015 from the North Dakota State University Extension Office in his communications position. Dardis, former CEO of Indigo
As election season rolls around, we look forward to hosting debates in order to expand our members’ learning about the various candidates, encouraging them to vote and providing information for them to make informed decisions.
We are currently working on finalizing dates and locations for all of the upcoming debates and will be inviting the candidates soon after. We will have more details to come upon finalization of logistics. We look forward to an exciting election cycle to come.
FMWFChamber.com
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ROW
ORCE OF TOD
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RCE OF TOMOR
United Way's Investment in Student Mental Health
The Twofold Impact on our Current and Future Workforce
THIS IS THE THIRD AND FINAL ARTICLE IN A THREE-PART SERIES THAT HAS FOCUSED ON SOME OF THE LESSERSEEN COMPONENTS OF DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING A HEALTHY WORKFORCE, INCLUDING CHILDCARE, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, AND MENTAL HEALTH.
I
magine yourself in the following scenario: It's Tuesday afternoon, and you receive a call from your child's school telling you they're struggling with their emotions and acting out in the classroom. What do you do? For many parents in our community, this scenario is all too familiar. The emotional and mental health of their children not only impacts the well-being of their entire family but oftentimes their job, career options and productivity at work as well. One in five kids in the U.S. shows signs
BY Kristi Huber PHOTOS BY Hillary Ehlen & J. Alan Paul
Kristi Huber is the president of United Way of Cass-Clay.
or symptoms of a mental health disorder in a given year, which contributes to school reports of chronic absence, low achievement, disruptive behavior, and not graduating, all factors that impact their future career choices and, ultimately, our future workforce. And yet most children — nearly 80 percent, in fact — who need mental health services won't get them. At United Way, we took action to change that at both West Fargo and Northern Cass Public Schools.
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Student Wellness Facilitator Helping Students Now at West Fargo High Here in North Dakota, one in four kids is struggling with a mental health issue, and nearly one in 10 students has attempted suicide. In response to the needs identified by our schools, last year, we made a new investment in the form of a student wellness facilitator at West Fargo Public Schools. Now that we are halfway through the school year, more than 100 West Fargo students have accessed the services, and school staff are seeing an impact. “The student wellness facilitator (SWF) is an exciting addition to our system of supports for students," says Chasity Odden Heide, a high school counselor at West Fargo High. "As a school counselor, I appreciate being able to walk down the hall to consult with our SWF, as it helps close the gap between identification of need and access to treatment. “The biggest impact I’ve seen is on the entire family. Imagine getting a call from the school that your child is in crisis and having suicidal thoughts. As a parent or guardian, your mind is spinning. We know that navigating the mental health system can be difficult, especially when you want to attend to the immediate needs of your child. Our families have been relieved to know there is someone dedicated to helping them get help for their child. "The bottom line is that our students feel supported. When students bravely confront needing additional help, it’s a powerful experience to know they have an immediate additional person who is willing to come alongside them on their journey.”
BUSINESS
WISDOM
West Fargo High School School Counselor Chasity Odden Heide was selected last year as the North Dakota School Counselor Association's Secondary School Counselor of the Year.
Newly named West Fargo Public Schools Superintendent Beth Slette
“I TRULY WISH OUR COMMUNITY COULD SEE THE DIFFERENCE THESE DOLLARS ARE MAKING IN THE LIVES OF OUR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS.”
Access to Mental Health Services Shouldn’t Be Dictated by Geography For students and families at Northern Cass Schools in rural Hunter, North Dakota, a short counseling or therapy appointment is a 35-minute drive from the front door of their school, a barrier that many families were previously unable to overcome. “Our location often makes it difficult for our
MAY 2018
NEARLY 125 LOCAL STUDENTS
HAVE RECEIVED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ON SITE AT THEIR SCHOOL.
students who struggle with mental health issues," says Northern Cass Public Schools Superintendent Corey Steiner. "Parents who work in the metro area can potentially lose four hours of their day transporting their child to a single appointment, which undoubtedly can impact their ability to be successful during their work day." In fall 2017, we were able to announce an exciting partnership with the Burgum
"If your day was horsesh*t and it's difficult to be present, think of how your challenging day would probably be someone else's best day." AUSTIN MORRIS Managing Partner, Enclave Companies
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DURING THE 2017-18 SCHOOL YEAR,
1 IN 4 KIDS
IN NORTH DAKOTA ARE STRUGGLING WITH A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE.
Northern Cass School Counselors Ashley Krinke (L) and Keira Oscarson (R)
IN NORTH DAKOTA HAVE ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.
Northern Cass Public Schools Superintendent Cory Steiner
Foundation and the Northern Cass Public School District to bring a licensed therapist from the Village Family Service Center on site to the school once per week. Ashley Krinke and Keira Oscarson are the two counselors for the Northern Cass Public School District, which has a K-12 student population of nearly 650 students. “Each week, we are able to sit down with the mental health provider to discuss how we can best assist the students’ needs in our building, which is invaluable in our effort to educate and care for the whole child," says Oscarson. "Because families are connected to us and the provider, we are bridging the communication gap that often exists between agencies and schools. We can start to incorporate tools and techniques in the classroom and best support students during the course of their school day, which was previously difficult when their mental health services took place 35 miles away. “This fall, when we made phone calls to parents to tell them that their kids would
BUSINESS
WISDOM
NEARLY 1 IN 10 STUDENTS
now have access to mental health service right here on-site at the school, you could feel this sense of peace come over them."
The Data Is Proving the Impact of the Investment When it comes to investing donor dollars into new initiatives, we're focused on measuring the impact the dollars are making and the faces of the students and families receiving the help. The counselors at Northern Cass Schools are working with students and families to measure data on how many students receive services, along with their attendance, discipline referrals, classroom behaviors and mental wellness. This data is beginning to demonstrate that students are attending class more often and functioning better in class and at home. While this kind of data can only give a snapshot of each student at a given time, it's affirmation that our investment is undoubtedly better preparing our students today for a successful life and career down
the road. Mental health is often an obstacle that prevents a student from graduating high school and pursuing college, training and a career path. Research shows that a student who does not graduate from high school is twice as likely to live in poverty throughout their life and more than 60 times more likely to be incarcerated. When we look ahead to today’s students being our future workforce, we not only want to be supporting students so that they are successful but also so that they are equipped to contribute to the skilled workforce we need to see our regional business economy prosper and create a a healthy, growing community.
United Way of Cass-Clay UnitedWayCassClay.org
"My experience is that there's no better time to start than now." BILL ERICKSON Owner, Total Imaging FARGOINC.COM
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TechCORNER
GET MORE OUT OF
EXCEL
Data is only as useful as your ability to analyze it. This month, we're going to cover some Excel basics to help you crunch those numbers more effectively. Keep in mind: This is just a basic primer to get your creative juices flowing. Like most programs these days, Google and YouTube will be your best friends as you learn something new. I'll be using the Windows version of Excel here, but all of these features are available on the macOS version of Excel unless otherwise noted.
Text to Column and Consolidate Filtering and Tables
By Jared Finkelson Photo by Hillary Ehlen
Jared Finkelson is a business development and CRM consultant with Giga-Green Technologies in Fargo.
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If you need only basic sorting, you can click on any cell with data and hit the Sort & Filter button. From there, you can either sort the data from the Sort & Filter button or click the filter option. This will add clickable arrows to the top row of your document, which allows you to sort individual columns. This works best if your data already has headers. For additional formatting options, you can always create a Table. With Tables, you can add visual features such as banded rows and columns, which make the table easier to read, as well as total rows at the bottom of the table.
Text to Column and Consolidate are really helpful for manipulating lists and extracting data. Text to Column will split the text in one cell into multiple cells (e.g., a cell that contains John Doe can be split in to two cells: one with “John” and another with “Doe”). Consolidate is the opposite. It combines the text of two different cells into one. Common use-cases are to take a list of combined first and last names and split it into two cells, so you can use people’s first names in a mail merge. Another common scenario is to combine separate first and last names into one cell to create a user name. The possibilities are endless, though.
TechTip#1
TechTip#2
In addition to adding up all of the numbers in the column, total rows can display more than 10 different functions such as count, average and standard deviation.
Text to Columns can split text after a fixed number of characters (Fixed Width) or at a specific character (Delimited). This character is usually a tab, space, or comma, but any character can be used. If needed, you can use multiple de-limiters.
Conditional Formatting
Conditional Formatting literally highlights the data you're looking for. You can highlight every number above, below, in between or equal to a specific number. You can also highlight cells with text that contains something you are looking for, as well as dates. The option I use most often is to highlight duplicates. You can also visualize your data with Data Bars and Color Scales. These buttons add a bar graph or change the color of the cells in a column according to the data in the cells. Let’s say you have a column of test scores; you can use Color Scales to color the best test score green and the worst test score red and the other scores some shade in between. Data Bars does the same thing but with a bar graph.
TechTip#3 In addition to highlighting duplicates, you can also delete duplicates with the Remove Duplicates button. Just highlight the cells you want to remove duplicates from and hit the button.
Format Cells
Because Excel is used in many different ways, it's important to understand cell data types. Cells can be formatted to display data in 11 pre-configured categories: General, Number, Currency, Accounting, Data, Time, Percentage, Fraction, Scientific, Text and Special. If none of them are right you, you can create your own custom option.
TechTip#4 Formulas are far and away the most powerful feature of Excel and underpin almost all of the features described in this article. They are not easy to describe in an article, though, so I'm just going to recommend you search "INDEX MATCH" or "VLOOKUP" on YouTube to get started.
Giga-Green Technologies Giga-Green.com
M AY
CALENDAR
BUSINESS EVENTS
2018
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MAY 1 Financing America's Economic Growth 7:30 - 9 a.m.
Join the FMWF Chamber and U.S. Chamber of Commerce for a discussion on businesses' ability to access capital and other financial tools needed to grow and sustain competitive operations. Tom Quaadman, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness, will provide updates on efforts to modernize America’s financial regulatory structure and restore main street lending. Registration (includes breakfast) Chamber Members • $30 in advance • $35 at the door Non-Members • $40 in advance • $45 at the door
MAY 2 Intro to Twitter for Nonprofit Professionals 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Designed for nonprofit professionals who are new to Twitter or don’t use it much (yet). Next Action Digital will help you imagine the many ways you can use Twitter as a nonprofit professional, from connecting with donors to lifting up volunteers. The goal? You should be able to go from idea to tweet in a minute or two. Registration (includes breakfast) • $45
FMWFChamber.com
Eventbrite.com
Delta by Marriott 1635 42nd St. S, Fargo
FM Area Foundation 409 7th St. S, Fargo
MAY 1 Startup Story Bus Tour 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
The Startup Story Bus Tour is a collaborative event between the Moorhead Business Association and Moorhead Economic Development Authority. The LinkFM bus will take 35 attendees to five Moorhead businesses, where they will get a brief tour and hear the "Startup Story" of that business. Between each stop, attendees will hear brief talks from local business leaders. Each participant will also be given a swag bag with free items from area businesses. At the conclusion of the tour, the MBA will host its 560 Connect event at Billiards in Moorhead. This year's featured businesses include: • Jay's Smoke House • Rigel's • D&M Industries • Wendt Cabinets • Billiards MhdMBA.org Various locations
MAY 3
MAY 8
Employment Law Seminar
Mentoring: Why It Matters
Join Vogel Law Firm for its biennial employment law update. Ever-changing labor and employment laws and regulations are an endless challenge for HR professionals and business owners. They'll have the latest information on new laws, regulatory changes and recent state and federal court cases of critical importance to North Dakotaarea employers. Expert presenters will cover 2018’s hot employment law issues, including among others: • Employee handbooks • Employment and labor law case updates • Workforce Compliance (I-9)
Mentoring is often viewed as a nice-to-do but not necessary way we develop and manage our people. Research shows a growing percentage of the workforce is looking for a coach more than a supervisor and is more interested in development than the perks that used to entice people to our workplaces. Learn the role of mentoring in the workplace, what makes for quality relationships and the implications of doing it poorly. Uncover the art and science of blending supervision and mentorship to get the results you want.
Registration • $50 - $100
FMWFChamber.com
8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
This training qualifies for 2 CPE credits for the ND CPA Society. Registration (includes lunch) Chamber Members • $30 in advance • $35 at the door Non-Members • $40 in advance • $45 at the door Courtyard by Marriott 1080 28th Ave. S, Moorhead
Eventbrite.com
Jennifer Schillinger
Hilton Garden Inn 4351 17th Ave. S, Fargo
MAY 11 ChamberChoice Awards Luncheon Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Join the FMWF Chamber of Commerce as they celebrate the achievements of our business community. Attendees will get the blue carpet treatment as they gather to honor this year’s outstanding 2018 candidates in each of the seven ChamberChoice categories and name the award winners. Award-winning comedian, lecturer and bestselling author James Cunningham is back as emcee.
MAY 3 SBA Small Business Conference 11:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Spend the afternoon with industry experts as they address today's most pressing small business challenges. You'll go home with strategies and techniques to start or buy a business, develop a business plan, find capital and grow your business. The Small Business Administration, SCORE, Small Business Development Centers and the Women's Business Center will all have tables for one-on-one counseling. Fargodome.com/Event-Calendar FargoDome 1800 N. University Drive, Fargo
James Cunningham
Registration (includes lunch) Chamber Members • $35 in advance • $40 at the door Non-Members • $45 in advance • $50 at the door Corporate Table Sponsorship • $650 FMWFChamber.com Delta by Marriott 1635 42nd St. S, Fargo
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MAY 16
MAY 16
Engaging on Twitter for Nonprofit Professionals 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Designed for nonprofit Professionals who are intermediate Twitter users looking to dig deeper into using Twitter in their work. Not sure what to tweet or tweeting and feeling like you get … crickets? Start tweeting with purpose and in a voice that sounds like you. Next Action Digital will help you illustrate how you can share content from your organization by adding your own voice. Registration • $45
Creating a Point of Difference 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Business plans (and business leaders) focus on price, cost and the size of the available market. Too few start out by creating a product or business that is unique or sustainably different. Many set out to make their offer the lowest cost with no idea how to design a company that can deliver such low pricing, consigning themselves to a life of financial under-performance. Many more do not set out with a low price mentality but find themselves irresistibly drawn in that direction as they seek to compete. Join the100, inc. for a panel discussion featuring: • Do Good Better's Patrick Kirby • Downtown Community Partnership's Melissa Rademacher • Yarn Productions' Rub Burke Registration • $50 The100.online/Calendar Avalon Events Center 2525 9th Ave. S, Fargo
Eventbrite.com FM Area Foundation 409 7th St. S, Fargo
Amanda McKinnon
MAY 22 Courage + Confidence: It's Time to Have Both
FM Welcome Party
3:30 - 5 p.m.
6 - 8:30 p.m.
Whether it’s a career change, launching a business or saying no to one more freaking volunteer request (or yes to the one you’ve been waiting for), only you can cultivate the confidence that will take you where you want to go. Here, Amanda McKinnon will share her story on how she went from a bullied girl with a bad perm to a bodacious businesswoman who had the courage to stand up for herself in life, both personally and professionally.
The Greater Fargo-Moorhead Economic Development Corporation is so glad you moved to Fargo-Moorhead that they're throwing you a party! Whether you moved here six days or six years ago, the GFMEDC is hosting a night where you can meet new friends and see what makes FMWF a great place to live. Grab a drink, sample some food and ask other new residents and locals why they like living here.
Registration Chamber Members • $25 in advance • $30 at the door Non-Members • $35 in advance • $40 at the door FMWFChamber.com DoubleTree By Hilton 825 E. Beaton Drive, West Fargo
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MAY 22
MAY 2018
Cost • $5 GFMEDC.com/FM-Welcome-Party Sanctuary Events Center 670 4th Ave. N, Fargo
MAY 24 Corporate Cup 3:15 - 8 p.m.
The Corporate Cup is a series of competitive events promoting physical fitness and friendly competition among the local business community. Teams will battle for points in activities such as basketball, an obstacle course, tug of war and more! The event is open to all employees and fitness levels. All Chamber member businesses are eligible to participate, and teams will be composed of up to 15 male and female participants. Contact Alyssa Ralston at ARalston@FMWFChamber.com with any questions. Cost • $300 per team FMWFChamber.com Minnesota State University Moorhead 1104 7th Ave. S, Moorhead
DOWN THE ROAD
MAY 31 A Day in the Life: A Perspective on Poverty
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (morning session) 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. (afternoon session)
This event is an interactive immersion experience that depicts real-life scenarios faced by many of the families living in poverty in Cass and Clay Counties that are sometimes one paycheck away from homelessness or crisis. In order to make this event a success, the United Way of Cass-Clay needs volunteers to play community roles to help depict the real life situations those in poverty face every day. Help out by volunteering for one or multiple sessions. Register on the United Way Cass-Clay website. UnitedWayCassClay.org Microsoft 3900 44th Ave. SW, Fargo
CO.STARTERS Summer Course July-September
TEDxFargo July 26
Chamber Challenge Golf Outing July 11
LOCAL BUSINESS MEETUPS More information for most meetups can be found at Meetup.com.
• Blockchain Meetup • Cass-Clay Subcontractor Sales & Marketing Meetup
• Geek Meet FM • Girl Develop It • Fargo 3D Printing Meetup • Fargo Cashflow Game Night • Fargo Entrepreneurship Meetup • Fargo Virtual Reality Meetup • Fargo-Moorhead Content
MAY 30-31 Drone Focus Conference Are you curious about the world of autonomous vehicles and UAS? Looking to connect with other professionals in the industry? This conference is designed to serve as a platform for you to build your business, build your knowledge, and simply get you in a room to network with fellow enthusiasts and learn more about what’s going on in our region. Visit the Drone Focus Conference website to learn much more about what you can expect this year. Venture Capital Pitch Entrepreneurs are invited to apply for a chance to present live on the main stage at Drone Focus Conference. These pitches should involve unmanned systems industry products or services. Each chosen pitch will be given four minutes to present their ideas to the audience. Selected entrepreneurs will receive a complimentary registration to the
Strategy
• The Fargo-Moorhead Real Estate Investing Meetup
conference. Applications can be found on the Drone Focus Conference site and are open until May 31. Registration • $300 Drone Focus Con Pass • $250 Group tickets (groups of 3 or more) • $30 Student tickets • $20 Focused lunches DroneFocusCon.com Fargo Civic Center 207 4th St. N, Fargo
• Master Networks – Fargo Business Referral Group
• Mobile Meetup Fargo • Moorhead Entrepreneurship Meetup
• Prairie Dawg Drupal • Red River Valley Big Data –
Midwest Big Data Hub Meetup
• Stampede: A Meetup for the
Young, Determined & Restless
• YMCA Brighter Futures
FARGOINC.COM
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