Fargo INC! May 2020

"The truth of the matter is that we've been g i v e n a g i f t a n d w e d o n ' t e v e n r e c o g n i z e i t ."

Erik Hatch pg 34

BUSINESS IN THE TIME OF CORONAVIRUS

// MAY 2020

FEATURES

44 70 24 Sponsored Content: Guiding Through Challenging Times 30 Sponsored Content: Cybersecurity The New Normal

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42 Sponsored Content: Internet 101 44 A Note From Erik Hatch 46 A School For Tiny Humans 52 The At Home Fitness Solution 58 #NDSmart 62 Peace of Mind 68 Transitioning to Home 70 The Power of Support 75 New American Business of The Month: Soma Employment Solutions

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80 This Local Company Wants You to Keep Your Team Together During The Pandemic 84 9 ways to strengthen your b2b sales process 89 Unique Events For a Unique Time

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94 COVID-19 Legal Commentary with the business team at SW&L Attorney 98 Hack The Tech Skills Gap Today 100 5 Questions With John Machacek 102 Academic Insight 104 A Survival Guide To Being Stranded on a Remote (Working) Island 107 The Heart of Small Business 110 Leading Your Business Into a Pos-COVID-19 World 112 Ladyboss of The Month 122 Events Calendar Follow Fargo Inc! on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter

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MAY 2020

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E d i t o r ’s n o t e

Appreciate Your Work Relationships

O

ur community’s ability to pull through never ceases to amaze me. Throughout this magazine, you’ll see stories of charity, collaboration, and innovation.

Our community is full of talented, hard-working and caring people and I’m very proud to be a part of it.

At the time that I’m writing this, the state of North Dakota is set to allow businesses to reopen their doors on Friday, May 1. What this means, what it’ll look like, and what the results of doing so will have yet to be determined. However, I do know that the citizens of our state our hungry to get back to work and have daily face-to-face interactions.

pandemic. Make sure you all take time to reflect on the value of this when you return to work. Be thankful that you get to work with talented, hardworking, and caring people every single day. Most importantly, don’t get lost in the everyday hustle and bustle of everything and forget how valuable those relationships truly are.

Whether this reopening is permanent or not, we will fully reopen at some point. And, as regular happy hours replace Zoom happy hours I think we will all have a stronger appreciation for the close human interaction that has been lacking during this

Brady Drake Brady Drake Fargo INC! Editor

Brady Drake, Fargo INC! Editor

fargoinc@spotlightmediafargo.com

EDITORIAL BOARD COVID-19 continues to alter the way we live and do business and changes by the minute. What this means for our families, friends and co-workers is still being sorted out, of course. What we do know for sure is that things will be different once we get past this crisis. And, we will get past it. The Chamber is committed to keeping you informed with helpful resources during this time.

Please visit our website, fmwfchamber.com, for the most up-to-date information.

President

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Chief Innovation Officer

Communications Manager

United Way of Cass-Clay

Greater FM Economic Development Corporation

Moore Engineering, Inc.

“It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage.”

– Patrick Lencioni, author and expert on team management As we find ourselves working from home and communicating with our coworkers and customers in a new and sometimes challenging way, I have been thinking about how so much has changed, but yet so much remains the same. Solid relationships built on trust, vulnerability, and mutual respect continue to be the foundation of successful teams and businesses. In this era of “distance” I encourage all of us to lean on teamwork and to take care of our relationships.

It’s what makes our businesses and community strong – especially in times like this.

Fortunately, our organization was well-prepared for the shelter-at-home work, as we had already incorporated technology such as the use of laptops, remote server access and testing out Microsoft Teams. We had also developed individual and collective business continuity plans.

Unfortunately, these proactive measures actually had to be used. Just like some insurance, preparedness plans are something you should have but hope to never need to use.

The recent events are forcing us to see how we can be better prepared disruptions from was our normal.

It’s also helping us reassess our “normal” and give thought and appreciation to many things in our lives.

Have you developed guiding principles to help navigate this business challenge?

Rising out of your company values, which do not change, situational guiding principles can help steer decisions in a more limited context.

MAY 2020

They can guide behavior on employee questions, client care and a host of other issues. It takes time on the front end to develop principles that are specific enough to be useful, and flexible enough to apply throughout an extremely fluid situation. But it could save you time and stress as diverse and unexpected decisions need to be made.

Another big upside to situational guiding principles: if you communicate them well and often, people who depend on you will know where you stand.

You can create a sense of certainty and stability when those things are in great demand.

Communications and Marketing Officer

VP of Finance and Operations

The FM Area Foundation has recently partnered with local businesses, like Thomsen Homes, Drekker Brewing Company, and Fargo Underground to establish funds to help people in our community significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Thanks to Thomsen Homes and other generous contributors, the Thomsen Homes Covid-19 Emergency Fund has given away over $150K to nonprofits, small businesses and individuals in need of support.

If your company is interested in supporting people in our communities through a similar giving fund, contact Greg Diehl at greg@ areafoundation.org.

As we continue to adapt to life in the face of global pandemic, and information changes almost daily, one thing remains constant: our people.

We know many of you are struggling, and we share some of those concerns.

We hope everyone comes out better, but know that may not be possible.

There are many local, state and national resources and programs available to help both employers and employees (you can find a list on our website). We are so inspired by the spirit of support in our community, and it’s clear we’re fighting this together. No matter how or when this ends, we will persevere. When it is safe to be together again, we can’t wait to see you, shake hands and share experiences. Until then, reach out, stay in, and stay safe.

FM Area Foundation

FMWF Chamber of Commerce

SCOTT MEYER

Ozbun Executive Director of Entrepreneurship

NDSU College of Business

The COVID-19 crisis is not changing our world as much as it is speeding it up. For years, there has been a move towards digital retailing, remote work, and increasing access through technology.

Now, the future is the present. At The Nice Center, we offered to help North Dakota businesses get online to help them survive the crisis. Over 70 businesses have taken us up on this free offering. We've learned that digital literacy is important for successful businesses. It also provides new opportunities.

As businesses have been forced to embrace remote work, it opens the door to hiring talent anywhere in the state, or the world. The potential to live in Oakes, ND and work with a company anywhere in the world is now commonplace. As we move from survival mode to recovery mode, let's use this moment to expand access and opportunity across our state. It's good for business and good for North Dakotans.

STEVE DUSEK

ANDREW JASON

Dakota Business Lending

Emerging Prairie

The Executives Club of Fargo - Moorhead

Tim Brookins, among the senior employees at Microsoft, developed the Care19 app. Joel Kath, one of the founders of Proof Distillery, has repurposed their alcohol to make hand sanitizer. Joel Jorgenson, the founder of Blue Water Resolute Innovations, has retooled what they're working on to help in the sanitation of hospitals and clinics.

Don’t slam on the brakes just yet.

Owners, businesses and organizations are facing challenges right now and the 2020 buzzword has quickly become “pivot”. Half the business articles I've seen seem to be along the lines of…How to Pivot?

When to Pivot? Signs You Need To Pivot. Pivot & Thrive. Pivot.

Pivot. Pivot.

My mantra through this pandemic has been that disruption breeds innovation.

These three people are key examples of why this is true and that while it appears the sky is falling, it may only be falling on traditional business models.

When the market zigs, you got to zag. That's what pivoting is all about.

While this may be a solution for some, before you slam on the brakes and change direction, slow down and examine all the possible alternatives. Maybe a strategic re-align or a re-focus is what’s needed instead? Just because the direction is different doesn’t necessarily make it right.

President & CEO

If there is one thing that remote working has taught us, it’s that interaction and communication requires a bit of extra effort.

While it’s natural to visit with co-workers, ask how they’re doing, and collaborate on projects when everyone is together in the office, it’s easy to let those simple but important conversations pass by when working remotely. As this issue dives deep into the ways companies are using innovation to respond quickly to these challenges, let’s take some time to intentionally reach out to our employees and colleagues and help keep those simple conversations going.

Director of Ecosystem

So what innovation are you bringing out of this disruption?

Founder

1. DISCUSS possible alternatives with your leadership team and your peer group 2. DIVE deep into your mission, values and vision 3. REACH out if we can help 4. HANG in there

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May 2020

Volume 5 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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clientrelations@spotlightmediafargo.com Jenny Johnson Christy German Colleen Dreyer Jay Borland Cassie Wiste Bruce Crummy, John Stuber, Craig Sheets

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Our community continues to be defined by grit, determination and creativity. It is with these qualities that Fargo-Moorhead has continued to forge ahead during this incomprehensible time in our society's existence. In a time where doubt and worry can reign supreme, we wanted to turn this issue of Fargo Monthly over to you, the citizens of Fargo-Moorhead. Whether it was in the form of artwork, photography, short story, poem or essay, our community came together in this issue. As a community, we will rise continue to forge ahead and rise together.

Read all past issues at fargomonthly.com.

Our region is sprouting with new ag businesses. From smart inventions to efficient innovations, the agriculture industry is evolving before our eyes. In this issue of Future Farmer, we will be highlighting these inventors and small business owners filling the needs of their own niche markets.

Read all past issues at futurefarmermag.com.

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Guiding Through Challenging Times

BY Brady Drake PHOTO BY Kayleigh Omang

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Brian Halverson President of Heartland Trust

A

s Heartland Trust Company reaches its 30th year of providing 401(k) plans, IRA’s, Investment Accounts, and Trust Administration, personal relationships continue to drive business.

Heartland Trust has an all encompassing perspective when it comes to wealth management as they are working with businesses to operate smooth 401(k) plans and helping individuals save for and prepare for retirement, live in retirement and leave a legacy for the next generation.

Depending on where someone is in their financial life, individuals may be experiencing uncertainty in different ways.

We teamed up with Heartland Trust to take a look at some of the unique perspectives individuals are having due to the pandemic.

401(k) standpoint: Businesses are wondering how to maintain their retirement plan when they must temporarily close their doors, furlough employees, or worse yet, lay them off. They are wondering, “how do we navigate the CARES Act and make it work for us?

What options are available to our plan participants to help them in these challenging times? What does our plan document currently allow for and are there plan amendments that can be made to make our plan more suitable for us and our employees?”

“In our current reality of the coronavirus pandemic and the implementation of the CARES Act, our goal is to stay on top of all regulations so that we can best guide the business leaders of the 401(k) plans we take care of and what options are available to them,” said President of Heartland Trust Brian Halverson.

There are timely and crucial questions that are worth thinking about. You also need to know where you should go with your questions. As a business owner or leader, you should have

3 Phases Of A Person’s Financial Life Preparing for Retirement Account Type: 401(k) Plans • Help businesses maintain a solid plan for its participants • Helping participants utilize the employer benefit Living in Retirement Account Types: IRAs & Investment Accounts • Creating financial plans for retirees Living After a Triggering Event Account Types: Trusts • Leaving a legacy • Asset protection & control

a good understanding of the components that make up the administration of your 401(k) plan and the different roles each player plays. Now is a great time to take a few minutes to immerse yourself in it and get a better grasp on how the pieces come together.

There are a lot of conversations revolving around plan highlights, which are extremely important, like: 1. Automatic enrollments 2. Having Roth Contributions available to participants 3. Increasing deferrals 4. Investment options 5. Should we offer loans in our plan?

There are also some topics that are less frequently discussed, but of equal importance.

1. What does the Trustee do?

Did you know that a 401(k) plan is technically a trust, for the benefit of the beneficiaries (the participants)? The Trustee is responsible for ensuring that all aspects of your plan follow regulations.

2. What does the Third Party Administrator (TPA) do?

What conversations or questions are appropriate to have with them?

The TPA plays a vital role in the day-to-day administration of the retirement plan, regulatory notice delivery, annual compliance testing and government filings. If your TPA is not having semi-annual or annual conversations with you about the annual testing or details of your plan document, ask them to!

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PHOTOS BY Hillary Ehlen

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“ Our goal is to provide a service that is transparent and all encompassing, so that an employer can focus on running their business. Whether it is the CEO, President, HR person, or an employee, we want there to be no confusion on where they can go to find answers to their questions.”

Monica Millette, QKA VP, Manager of Retirement Services

3. Who is the Record Keeper and what are they responsible for?

The Record Keeper processes daily transactions and earnings for each participant. Keeping track of the types of contributions and money in accounts is extremely important.

5. How does all this fit together?

There are some companies that do one or two pieces of what you need and another vendor is needed to bring it all together or you may be asked to play a bigger role than you anticipated.

Heartland Trust is a bundled service provider and the primary contact for all aspects of the plan. This level of service is designed to streamline communications and provide immediate action when something needs to be done either from a business or participant standpoint.

The Record Keeper is usually the most recognizable component in 401(k) plans, as this is where participants go to log into their account to check balances, receive statements, make trades, etc.

This is just skimming the surface on understanding the major components that make up your 401(k) plans administration, but can be very helpful at times like these when you have a question or if an employee comes to you with a question.

4. Who is supposed to educate our employees about the highlights of the plan and the investment options? Who should I be directing our employees to if they want to make a change to their account?

The Plan Administrator is the organization that oversees the administration of the plan, which could be the business itself or a third party, such as Heartland Trust. The plan administrator should meet with participants to ensure they understand the options available to them and the value of this employee benefit. They should also be available to assist in the selection and monitoring of the investments offered in the plan and meet with participants to answer general questions about the investment options. At Heartland Trust, we meet with our plan sponsors semi-annually for an in-depth review of the investment menu and other pertinent topics. Throughout the year our team conducts all staff 401(k) education meetings as well as 1-on-1 meetings.

Living In Retirement Standpoint: A large segment of our accounts are IRA’s and Investment accounts. Helping guide individuals and couples live in retirement takes special care and constant monitoring. In challenging times like the dot-com bubble in the early 2000’s, the financial crisis of 2008, or the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, our clients primary concerns are very similar.

The success of your plan relies on the plan design and any plan amendments needed to keep your company competitive in this ever changing business environment.

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1. When will my account be back to where it was?

2. Have I saved enough money and invested wisely to maintain my lifestyle after I am done working?

3. Should I sell out of equities?

4. When should I buy equities?

5. How can I best manage my taxes?

To answer these questions there is nothing better than working with a trustworthy resource in the wealth management industry

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that can help you develop a plan. Part of creating a sound plan is understanding that there will be good years and tough years.

2019 was wonderful for investing and the first quarter of 2020 has seen a drastic dip. So why not be prepared for it and know that it is bound to happen at some point! Find opportunities instead of having emotions drive spontaneous potentially detrimental decisions.

Recently, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to help support our economy. This bill provides direct assistance for American workers, families, and small businesses.

There are a few ways the CARES Act impacts “Retirement Accounts” that are an effort to help those in need.

1. Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) are suspended for the year 2020. You still have the flexibility to take money out of your IRA, Inherited IRA, or 401(k) (if you are eligible) but by leaving the RMD or a portion of it in your account can help the account balance recover from the recent market downturn.

In recent years we have been helping our clients fulfill their charitable giving by making those gifts straight from their Traditional IRA or Inherited IRA. This is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) and is an option for people 70.5 years or older. It can be considered part of your RMD but when tax time comes around, the amount distributed is not considered taxable income. In 2020, you can still make these QCD’s and the amount will not be considered taxable income.

receive income on some sort of schedule, communicating with them on how the current market will affect them and what the plan is can help limit tougher conversations in the future, just like with any plan.

At Heartland Trust Company, they believe that education along with good questions will lead to a better understanding and more consistent outcomes. Currently they have 23 professionals dedicated to serving those they work with and they are looking to add more people to their team.

“Our Mission as a company is to provide a lifelong commitment to the well-being of those we serve,” said Halverson. “Those we serve are our clients, the non-profits we volunteer our time at, our team members, and our community.”

“Thank you for letting us play such an important part in your life!”

Jon Benson VP, Trust Officer

2. No 10% early withdrawal tax penalty for Coronavirus related distributions. If you are 59.5 or younger, you can withdraw up to $100,000 from your IRA or 401(k) (if your plan allows for it) if… a) You or your spouse is diagnosed with COVID-19 b) If you experienced adverse financial consequences caused by the coronavirus, such as being laid off, having hours reduced, being quarantined or furloughed. Just check with your wealth advisor on what documentation they need to document the hardship.

3. You can repay the coronavirus-related distribution for up to three years after the day of distribution. The repayment would be treated as a rollover in 2020, so you might have to file an amended tax return for 2020 if you repay in a few years to get your taxes back.

As there are a lot of nuances to the CARES ACT and the game plan you have set up to live in retirement, you should consult with your advisor and CPA to understand the details in greater depth and how they affect you.

Trust Standpoint: Trusts have many complexities to them and no two are the same. Some can be more flexible than others but at the end of the day there is a document that needs to be followed and doing so is of the utmost importance. If beneficiaries are to

“ We highly encourage everyone in 2020 to keep giving to the non-profits they hold dear to their heart. They need you now more than ever!”

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Cybersecurity The New Normal

Cybersecurity should be at the forefront of every business mind if it isn’t already. This is important now more than ever due to the reality that hacking, phishing and breaches are going to remain a part of the world we live in. To learn more about why these are important both personally and professionally, we teamed up with Network Center’s Senior Security Advisor, John Mess, and Director of Security, Sean Todd.

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FAQ’s We haven’t invested in Cybersecurity yet, where do we start?

John Mess: There are several levels of an organization that needs to be involved when implementing Cybersecurity/ Information Security initiatives. We recommend starting at the Top. Executives and Managers need to be on board with a Cybersecurity plan. It is important to remember it’s not just an IT issue, it’s a business issue. In the event of a breach, it is going to be paramount to have an executive

The Network Center team

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BY Brady Drake

protect your organizations reputation.

The best way to protect your company is to have a culture that embraces security which includes a multitude of things: training, awareness, phishing campaigns, admin controls, technical controls, physical security and others. So, to circle back to the question, the best recommendation is training and awareness. Get your employees trained on best practices with cybersecurity. It is not as hard as you would think, and is also budget-friendly. There are great tools and softwares out there that can help train employees, and also emulate phishing emails to ensure your team knows what to do if an infected email comes to your inbox. Training, Training, Training!!

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Cybersecurity, what is it?

How are we ensuring we are secure during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Sean Todd: That’s a great question. We’ve been tackling this a number of ways. First, through education. We recognize that many business leaders had to make quick decisions to deploy their workforce as best they could. Our goal is to help businesses understand the risks that may have been introduced so they can come back and address them as the dust settles. We’ve been building new services to provide turn-key solutions that address some of the security gaps we’re seeing now that employees are working from home. Finally, we’re strategically partnering with key security companies to build an end to end offering that will provide a holistic approach to cybersecurity.

How do I know if my company is breached?

John Mess: It is a sad reality nowadays. The phrase “It is not if, it is when” has never been more true. Many companies have had the unpleasant experience of dealing with some sort of attack, email compromise or breach.

Bad actors (hackers) may already be sitting in your environment and you don’t even know it. The typical foothold and time in the most environments is around 180 days. This can come from a ransomware message, a fake antivirus message, unwanted browser toolbars, internet searches that are redirected, random popups, social media invites sent out, online passwords not working, and the list goes on. Those are the most common and should be watched and reported immediately if it starts happening to you.

It is a sad reality nowadays.

The phrase “It is not if, it is when” has never been more true.

Cybersecurity is a term that’s often used in a variety of ways to describe different aspects of security as it relates to internet based technologies. For the purpose of this article we’ll use it to indicate how an organization has implemented policies, procedures, and technology to enhance their overall security posture. These are the foundational pieces that help prevent malicious attacks, and limit damage should one successfully occur.

Why is it Important?

Businesses today are collecting an unprecedented amount of information about consumers of their products and services.

Information such as credit cards, date of birth, addresses, phone numbers and social security numbers, when correlated properly, can be used to inflict damage in many different ways. As stewards of that information there’s an obligation to ensure that only data needed for legitimate business transactions is collected and it's being protected in a way that should a threat actor gain access, it’s stored or transmitted in a fashion that provides them no value.

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John Mess: Most organizations don’t have a formal incident response plan in place with procedures and numbers to follow and call. This is why it is important that your company implement and follow certain protocols around what is deemed to be an incident, or something malicious that is out of your control, and you do not know how to resolve internally. Incident Response specialists are just that, specialists dedicated to ensuring that the attack is contained, eradicated, and getting you back to normal as fast as possible without data loss and without you in a position to pay ransom to get data back/unlocked.

So, then you ask yourself, where are these procedures and how can I implement them into my organization? Incident response templates and procedures are crucial, but they are not enough. In most organizations there is a critical shortage of security staff. It is impossible to review all alerts, not to mention investigate and respond to all security incidents. Network Center currently maintains partnerships with Incident Response and Managed Detection companies Blue Team Alpha and Arctic Wolf as each breach varies in scope and severity.

We can utilize those companies to help supplement our initial triage of the incident.

Not to scare you but the average incident is in the 7 figure range.

We have stabilized and are getting ready to go back to work, now what?

Sean Todd: What is the new normal going to look like? We’ve seen rapid deployment into remote environments out of necessity.

This doesn’t mean however that we need to rush back to the office. This is something that is done best in a staggered, methodical

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John Mess, Senior Security Advisor

Who do I call if I am breached?

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Can you believe these stats about cybersecurity? fashion. We need to make sure the apps, data, and hardware that were used and taken home are coming back to the office safely. Consider the following while planning your return:

Security teams are

7% more likely

to flag suspected security issues or compromises, while IT teams are

8% more likely to remediate them

Only 24%

of both IT and security departments are fully staffed and not seeking additional help

21% of organizations

had no one dedicated to security responsibilities full time *Stats sponsored by Arctic Wolf

An estimated 50% of all small- and mediumsized enterprises are out of business within six months of a cyberattack.

(Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)

77% of businesses experienced a cyberattack in 2017.

(Source: Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report) *Stats sponsored by Blue Team Alpha

1. Hardware: a. Personal devices that will no longer be used: • Purge all corporate

connections • Purge corporate data

permanently • Remove corporate applications (apps licensed

to company) • Delete any corporate

saved passwords b. Personal device - will be used: • Disinfect • Validate system - Assure OS patch levels

are current - Assure antivirus and

other protection

software is current (run a full scan) • Delete any corporate saved

passwords c. Corporate device: • Disinfect • Inventory • Validate system - Assure OS patch levels

are current - Assure antivirus and

other protection

software is current (run a full scan)

2. Software: • Software Updates • Verify Installed applications • Clear Saved Passwords • Reset Passwords

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3. Data: • Determine what needs to be physically moved from device to other central storage. (anything of value saved locally) • Synchronize folders if required • Sanitize sensitive data from non-secure (unencrypted) devices in an unrecoverable fashion.

4. Connections: • Determine if remote connections are still needed a. If so, verify connection software is up to date and consider changing

credentials b. If not, disable/remove account and remove software from endpoint c. If firewall rules have been created, disable or delete the rules that are no longer required both on the endpoint at on the

corporate network.

5. Services: • Consider vulnerability scanning both internally and externally • Consider MDR (Managed Detection and Response) or EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) services to help identify potential threats lurking on returning devices • Review and revise policies with lessons learned • Get Incident Response Plans in place - Risk Registration - Triage Plan in Place - Pre-Purchase a Block of Hours for Incident Response (typically get a better rate) - Consider a managed Incident Response service

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Sean Todd, Director of Security

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Our security-first approach at Network Center, Inc. is what allows us to be a consistent and reliable resource for businesses in the community. Our team of experts, in combination with years of experience, enable us to truly understand your business objectives and operational procedures to ensure you and your employees are safe and secure. Our goal for all businesses is to help them incorporate information security/cybersecurity into all parts of their organization, to where it becomes ingrained in its culture.

For questions on your security posture or where to start with IT security, reach out to us at cybersecurity@netcenter.net.

Don’t overreact to market swings.

Get a second opinion.

Investors have survived market swings and corrections before. But a twinge of uncertainty may have you wondering if you should get another opinion to help confirm your wealth is in the right place. That’s why we’ve made it as easy as we can to have a complimentary, face-to-face meeting with a Financial Advisor.

Maybe you just want to know if you’re really on track for retirement or if your investments could be better aligned to your goals. Or in the process of working hard for your money, you worry you’ve overlooked some necessary steps to transfer your wealth.

Whatever’s on your mind, we’re here to listen, and we’ll help you evaluate your plan. It’s free, and there’s no obligation. Then you can decide if your wealth is getting the care it deserves.

WEALTH MANAGEMENT | INVESTMENT PLANNING | RETIREMENT

Tim Graveline Senior Financial Advisor Senior Vice President – Investments 406 Main Ave, Fl. 2 Fargo, ND 58103 (701) 293-4917 Tim.M.Graveline@wellsfargo.com https://home.wellsfargoadvisors.com/Tim.M.Graveline

Investment and Insurance Products: u NOT FDIC Insured u NO Bank Guarantee u MAY Lose Value Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2015 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

97772-v1b A1952

Matt Watson Senior Financial Advisor First Vice President – Investments 406 Main Ave, Fl. 2 Fargo, ND 58103 Direct: (701) 293-4322 Matthew.R.Watson@wellsfargo.com https://home.wellsfargoadvisors.com/Matthew.R.Watson

CAR-1018-02667

"Faith is an important component of how I live my life. And even as we have endured severe emotional lows during this recent time, I always step back to Faith. I believe Office Sign Company will get through this, and as a region, Fargo will get through this, especially when as a community, we have the opportunity to rally. But you do need faith, when you feeling like giving up."

Ryan M. Fritz, Office Sign Company

"IN A TIME OF SCARCITY AND ISOLATION, LOOK FOR WAYS TO BE GENEROUS, CONNECTED, AND GRATEFUL. ORDER A “QUARANTINE CARE PACKAGE” FROM A LOCAL SHOP, REACH OUT TO SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BE ISOLATED, FOCUS ON ONE THING EACH DAY TO BE GRATEFUL FOR. LITTLE ACTIONS EACH DAY ADD UP TO BIG CHANGES IN THE LONG RUN." PETER SCHOTT, GENESIS FEED TECHNOLOGIES

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MAY 2020

"Knowledge is power."

Andrea Hochhalter, University of Mary

lways have one foot in reality, and one foot in faith that it will all work out."

Hope is what drives our economy. While these are difficult times to navigate we must continue to speak of light at the end of the tunnel for our employees, clients and friends. This too shall pass."

Dan Cash, Midwest Radio of Fargo-Moorhead

"Good enough, isn't good enough!

Be a Person of Excellence - do the things that matter.

Whether or not someone will ever see it or notice it. Do it because it's the right thing."

Sandra Vigen, Mama Ducks Cleaning Service

Michael Johnson, ClearPath Advisors " We will be forever changed, but forever better."

Sarah Kousrup, National Hospitality Services

"

Adversity gives us all an opportunity to learn new things, like the true value of toilet paper."

Rick Berg, ADSHARK

WE ARE A 'NO MATTER WHATORGANIZATION, WE WILL NOT GIVE UP ON OUR YOUTH AND FAMILIES IN THE BEST OF TIMES OR THE WORST OF TIMES. THAT INCLUDES A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, ECONOMIC DISTRESS, DISTANCE LEARNING, AND HEALTH CARE CRISIS." JOHN FISHER, FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN FARGO-MOORHEAD

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"EFFECTIVE CEO'S HAVE DEVELOPED THE ABILITY TO BE COMFORTABLE WITH BEING CONSISTENTLY UNCOMFORTABLE. TO DO SO REQUIRES AWARENESS OF ONES EMOTIONS, IDENTIFY THOSE EMOTIONS, ADDRESS THOSE EMOTIONS (OFTEN BY NAMING THEM) AND MOVE ON TO A DECISION." HARLAN GOERGER, CEO SOLUTIONS

MY PARTNERS AND I HAVE BEEN OVERWHELMED BY THE COMMITMENT AND FLEXIBILITY OF OUR STAFF AND PRODUCERS TO DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO GET THE JOB DONE, PREPARING AND SHIPPING FOODGRADE SOYBEANS TO FOOD COMPANIES GLOBALLY ALL WHILE TAKING EXTRA PRECAUTIONS TO MINIMIZE THE RISK OF COVID-19 INFECTION." BOB SINNER, SB&B FOODS, INC.

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MAY 2020

"Even though these have been trying times for all of this, I am looking forward to continuing many of the positive habits and practices! It is so important to always find light and ways to grow in difficult situations."

Kia Mikesh, Adams Independent Testing

" As a community we

need to come together and support local businesses as much as we can. When this is over we will be stronger than ever! We will persevere!"

Shawn Eggermont, OK Tire Store & Service

"

When talking to your team be positive, yet realistic and communicate, communicate, communicate. Make sure they understand that we need to push forward with unwavering faith and never, ever think you will not come through."

Steve Dusek, Dakota Business Lending

As we've had to adapt to different modes of communication and operation, and we've learned to better utilize available technology, it's a good time to consider how some of these practices can be honed and kept in place even after the pandemic in order to increase efficiency and productivity.

David Reid, Radiant Homes

y grandma always told me that God only gives you what you can handle. I say challenge yourself to do more than you think you can handle."

Janelle Albrecht, Country Financial

"IF THERE WAS EVER A GROUP BUILT TO WITHSTAND SOMETHING LIKE A GLOBAL PANDEMIC THAT REQUIRED CREATIVITY, INGENUITY, AND RESOURCEFULNESS TO NOT ONLY SURVIVE, BUT THRIVE IT WOULD BE THOSE IN THE NONPROFIT INDUSTRY. BUT NOW, MORE THAN EVER, THOSE OF US THAT HAVE THE CAPACITY TO HELP, NEED TO ENSURE THAT THE ORGANIZATIONS DOING THE THINGS OUR GOVERNMENT CAN'T, WON'T OR SHOULDN'T DO ARE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITIES. OUR SOCIETY WILL BE MEASURED BY HOW WE SUPPORT THOSE IN NEED DURING TIMES OF CRISIS - AND I HAVE A STRONG FEELING THAT THOSE IN THE FARGO/ MOORHEAD AREA WILL RISE TO THE OCCASION." PATRICK KIRBY, DO GOOD BETTER CONSULTING

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WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER DURING THESE TIMES! THE FARGO- MOORHEAD COMMUNITY HAS BEEN A GREAT HOME TO US OVER THE YEARS AND WE WANT TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO HELP OTHERS AND GIVE BACK. EPIC COMPANIES IS WORKING TO PROMOTE DIFFERENT COMMERCIAL TENANTS, SMALL BUSINESSES, AND LOCAL COMPANIES THROUGH OUR MEDIA OUTLETS. FEEL FREE TO SEND US A MESSAGE OR REACH OUT TO US TO DO SO. WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONNECTING WITH EVERYONE AGAIN SOON! STAY HEALTHY!" MCKENZY OLSON, EPIC COMPANIES

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MAY 2020

"My advice would be to remain nimble, pivot when needed, but stick to the plan you started the year with.

We're all making necessary adjustments to keep things rolling and to be at the service of our customers, but if your planning process was thorough, your strategy solid, and your company is prepared to adjust to the changing times, you will not only pull through this, but thrive and come out the other side stronger than ever. This is a great test and learning process for us all."

Cyberdogz, Mike Brevik

"

I'm so much more efficient in social isolation! While we have been working at home, I've discovered that I hesitate to call an employee with a small question because I don't want to bother her/him. When we were in the office together, I'd just hop out of my office and interrupt whomever I have a question for. Being thoughtful before interrupting my employees has been a good learning point for me, and it's one I hope to carry into the next 'normal' we encounter."

Dayna Del Val, The Arts Partnership

"It has truly shown the gaps that have always existed.

The silver-lining is as a business owner, or executive director this pandemic has given a clear indication on the things that need to be worked on in a business. Clear communication, leadership, or maybe even mental health with employees. Whatever it was before, it should be clear now and the real leaders in all our industries will react and make changes. Those who didn't care in the first place and it's just all about money, will fail."

Adam Martin, F5 Project

"There is no denying the challenges and unforeseen issues that we all now face, no denying that. However, focus on what you can do, what you can control or influence.

Look for opportunities, not problems. When your mind is focused on the opportunity, that's where creativity is born and you can grow. Put yourself in the best position to adapt and weather the storm.

Adversity is where the biggest growth happens for us all. Best of luck, we are all rooting for you! We need innovators now more than ever!"

"COMMUNICATION IS KEY, ESPECIALLY IN UNCERTAIN TIMES. WHEN YOUR FIRST REACTION IS TO WAIT UNTIL YOU KNOW MORE, YOU NEED TO BE HONEST WITH YOUR TEAM MEMBERS ABOUT WHAT YOU DO KNOW AND WHAT YOU DON'T. WE SAID IMMEDIATELY THAT THE NEXT FEW MONTHS WILL BE VERY HARD BUT THAT WE WILL DECIDE OUR ATTITUDE AND EFFORT LEVEL RIGHT NOW. AND WE WILL ALSO BELIEVE THIS WILL, IN THE LONG RUN, BE THE BEST THING THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO US. THE STORY IS LONG FROM BEING WRITTEN, BUT IT'S GIVEN US A SENSE OF BOLDNESS AND ENERGY AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE UNCERTAINTY." STEVE HALLSTROM, FLAG FAMILY MEDIA/FIELDSTONE GROUP

Brady Nash, BNG Team

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COVIDCORNER

Internet 101 Assessing your internet needs during this pandemic

By Brian Crommett, CEO 702 Communications

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oing into the remote work/E-Learning stage that we’re all in right now, the number one concern I’ve heard is, “I wonder if I’ll need more Internet for all this.”

That may be a piece of equipment your service provider owns, or it may be something you own. But that’s the device where the handoff between the WAN and the LAN takes place.

It’s not surprising that people don’t know the answer, but with a little information, you can pretty easily assess your needs.

Your LAN, then, is the other side of the Internet. You may plug a computer or gaming console into your router, or you may connect to your router via Wi-Fi. The biggest things to consider with your Wi-Fi plan are coverage and interference.

First, we need to talk about the “two sides” of the Internet. I’m talking about your Wide Area Network, or WAN connection, versus your Local Area Network or LAN connection. They’re very different things, but both are important when setting expectations for performance.

Regarding coverage: For many homes, a single router works just fine and provides adequate coverage to all corners of the house. If you’ve got a very large house, or very insulated walls or any number of other factors that may inhibit Wi-Fi signals, you may need to consider a second access point or a Wi-Fi mesh system.

Your WAN connection is what you’re going to buy from your Internet provider. You might have 10Mb or 25Mb or 100Mb or even 1000Mb (which is a Gb or gig of Internet). No matter how many people or devices you have in your home, you never have more capacity than the WAN connection you’re buying from your provider.

Regarding interference: We don’t see this as much as we used to, especially with more and more dual-band routers in the market, but sometimes we can still have problems with Wi-Fi interference in apartments and dorm rooms. When you get so many routers all trying to broadcast on the same Wi-Fi channels, that can cause interference. Devices may lose connectivity in these cases. Dualband routers almost always work better in these situations, but it’s important to note that dual-band router signals may not travel as far.

Your WAN connection plugs in or “terminates” in your home router.

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Brought to you by

Now that we understand a little more about WAN/LAN, let’s talk about your actual needs.

Most home Internet plans have different download and upload rates. You may subscribe to a plan that has 100Mb down but only 10Mb up. And in most cases, that works just fine. For normal life, you’re doing more downloading than you are uploading. Think of watching a movie on something like Netflix. You’re downloading that content from their most local servers. For highdefinition you need about 5Mb down. For 4k, you need 25Mb down. If you’re the one providing the content, though, if you’re doing two-way video, then your needs switch. You need both download AND upload if you’re going to do it in high definition and high quality. If you only have 10Mb up, you can see where you might run into bandwidth trouble in a hurry if you, your spouse, and your student are all trying to videoconference at the same time.

Now, that said, the programs we’re all using do a pretty good job of scaling back the video to use the available bandwidth, so I’m not saying your calls are guaranteed to fail. But you do need to go into your days with eyes wide open.

Quick Tips 1

WAN vs LAN (what package you buy from your provider (WAN) and how it gets dispersed in the home (LAN))

WAN vs LAN Check your speed to see how much you’re using of the package you bought

2

Do the math. Review your bill to verify the speed of your Internet package.

Look at everyone’s schedules. When do you all have calls? What’s your total available bandwidth?

If you need to upgrade, talk to your provider. If you need to coordinate better with your family members, try that.

3

Upload speed can be an issue for video conferencing

It’s all about understanding what you have and what you need.

I hope this helps you be safe and work well.

Want more working remote tips? Find more by searching YouTube 702com or visit our blog 702com.net/blog

Coordinate with your family or contact your provider

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A Note From

ERIK HATCH 44

MAY 2020

Photo via The Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce

T

he truth of the matter is that we've been given a gift and we don't even recognize it. We're being forced to change our businesses, and forced to change the way in which we operate. And yet, most of our energy is spent trying to protect what we built rather than progress to being the next best version of ourselves. Most of us have asked ourselves the question, what happens if I start over? If it all comes crashing down today, what would I do different? We actually get that chance right now. So look at how we're running our business is with new eyes and with a new perspective.

We can use this COVID-19 crisis as a catalyst for our businesses and our decision making. We must protect our people, but not at the cost of not progressing our businesses and moving forward. There are huge opportunities that are being demanded of us. And right now, those that are swift to change will be the ones to benefit from it. Protecting what we've built is the natural instinct. And yet progressing to the next chapter is the only thing that's going to allow us thrive and creates ample opportunities for those in our worlds. I've never had to make tougher decisions for my business than I have the last 30 days. And yet, I'm consistently ready to make those changes Right now those people with the privilege of owning businesses are feeling new pressures that we've never felt before. And our ability to act, even if we don't know where we're going, or what we need to be doing, is going to be the thing that will keep us afloat. Inaction is really dangerous right now. Waiting for the dust to settle and waiting for us to see with grand clarity what move we're supposed to make, will leave us a day late and $1 short when all this comes to a screeching halt. What I would challenge business owners and myself to do is to start taking action. To start creating plans and keeping our fingers on the trigger to make tough decisions when we need to. If we sit idly by and our only action is inaction in this, we're setting ourselves up for desolate and painful future. On the flip side of that is if we take action, and if we start enacting the plans, and the procedures and the protocol to reinvent our businesses, so long as we're keeping our people as the utmost concern, that we're serving them and not serving ourselves, that we're willing to be the first ones to sacrifice and not the last, so long as we are setting our businesses up to change and evolve rather than to remain the same. We are finding ourselves in a really opportunistic spot. The thing we've been praying for and hoping for is now being forced on us and it's going to be met with some massive resistance and some massive pain. From that pain will come massive gain for those that are strong enough to carry the load to get through.

So, my overall advice would be to not sit idly by and instead take action.

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And when we come through this, we'll be stronger for it.

Hurry! Offer expires 6/15/20. One coupon per person per visit per day. Not to be combined with other offers. No cash value. Redeemable in person only. 2318

Hatch is the the Owner of Hatch Realty, a leader in the business community and author of Play For The Person Next To You.

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A “tiny human� participating in the program.

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MAY 2020

Stoneridge Software is helping its employees’ children stay engaged.

JENINE KILLIAN Learning and Development Coordinator

BRIANA SCEARCY Chief People Officer

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T

here are a lot of factors that come along with the new reality of the pandemic. For employees with children, the infusion of distant learning, working from home, child care and everything that entails, into your daily life is a challenge many have never encountered.

However, the situation isn’t easy on the children either. Many of them miss the daily interaction with their classmates or friends at school and their need for activity, curiosity and variety is in many ways unmet. Stoneridge Software, a local company and Microsoft Partner, is working to alleviate some of those issues with their Stoneridge School for Tiny Humans program. The program is a 30-minute interactive session each Tuesday and Thursday during the quarantine held using the Microsoft Teams application. All ages are welcome. One of the sessions is focused more on physical education and movement, while the second is geared toward a STEM-related activity. We sat down with Chief People Officer, Briana Scearcy, and Learning and Development Coordinator, Jenine Killian, to learn more.

HOW DID THE IDEA FOR THE LEARNING PROGRAM COME ABOUT? JENINE KILLIAN It was at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we decided to have all our team members work from home. About half our team members had already been working from a remote environment, but for many of us it was a big change.

Each session was built out to include the following components: • FUN first • An optional opportunity for team members to take a break and connect • Introduce future career ideas and allow kids a glimpse into a day in the life of working at Stoneridge Software • Inclusion for all – it’s worth noting even various team members without children have joined the sessions to see and experience the unique opportunity to come together!

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At Stoneridge Software, we have always been really passionate about our core values and our culture - especially creating opportunities for connection. One of the biggest changes of this situation is that connection looks a lot different in this new normal. We’ve always been proactive in providing a variety of options for our team to engage with one another. This spurred us into action in creating new types of opportunities. We took a lot of our current events, like our weekly Noon lunches and made those virtual events. We also introduced virtual yoga, walking one-on-one meetings and really tried to appeal to all the different situations of our team. Something that we realized was that many people who were working from home were also supervising distant learning within the same space. So the idea for a Stoneridge School for Tiny Humans is a way to provide optional distance learning opportunities, and engage team members’ children while inspiring a future generation that “work” can be fun. We wanted to think creatively about how we can expose kids to careers that involve remote engagement, STEM-related topics and provide the opportunity for kids to “work” alongside their parents. Any time children can be involved in their parents’ work, it sets a tone of connection that may not exist in our non-COVID world.

WAS THE IDEA TO BE A PARENT/CHILD SCHOOL OR CAN CHILDREN ATTEND INDIVIDUALLY? JENINE KILLIAN It’s definitely optional, we have both scenarios. I have families that come together and they all participate in everything together. It's designed with different family situations in mind and we left it open to the team members to decide how much they wanted to be part of it. The childrens’ age has a big effect on it too, some of the older kids can join on their own, but the younger ones need a little more assistance.

BRIANA SCEARCY

One of my favorite parts has been to create something that is so unique and positive in a time of complete uncertainty. It has also been rewarding to get to know and see the family interactions that happen during the school sessions.

Where I really saw the Stoneridge School for Tiny Humans being impactful was in a personal way. Growing up, my parents did not look forward to going to work each day. They didn't have a personal connection to their employer.

So my passion has always been, especially since becoming a parent, "how can I create an environment that sends the opposite signal?” I want kids to know that work can be fun and that having a job can be a rewarding and engaging experience. Someday we will reflect on this time and see how this experience has shaped this generation and how we work. I don’t think it’s a stretch to view the participants in the School for Tiny Humans as a potential future workforce. Our goal is to instill a sense of enjoyment and excitement for all learners as they grow, and start to explore what their career paths might look like. This program is a result of the importance that Stoneridge Software places on a growth mindset mentality and continuous learning.

In life and our careers, we should never stop learning. This was one way we could extend that philosophy to the real-life situations of our team at this time.

“Bring your child to work day” has had an entirely new meaning these past several weeks as I’ve suddenly found my workplace, which is typically a home office, infiltrated by my children who are now being homeschooled due to COVID-19. The extra noise, stress, and distraction of kids underfoot when they are typically at school can be frustrating at times. I’ve loved that Stoneridge understands this added complexity and embraced it with open arms by conducting School for Tiny Humans classes. I’ve appreciated how thoughtful they are about not just me, but my entire family during these unprecedented times. My friends, family and former colleagues are experiencing furloughs, layoffs, reduced hours and even pay cuts - it’s hard to watch the impact. Instead of doing these things, Stoneridge steps up and helps in any way they know how, and engaging my kids, helping them learn, grow, interact with other kids their age and with my coworker’s kids is just one of those things they are doing to help ease the stress for my family. It’s exemplified true caring and compassion which makes me realize they see me as a human being, and not just a number like I’ve felt at other organizations.”

– Darin Rich, Senior Project Manager, Stoneridge Software

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Rachel Rice (left) and Amber Arvidson (right) are two of PRx Performance’s heavy hitters when it comes to day-to-day operations

THE

BY BRADY DRAKE

AT HOME FITNESS

We take a look at what is making PRx Performance so successful as an at home fitness solution

(Left to Right) Brian Brasch (CEO), Kevin O’Leary (Shark and investor), and Erik Hopperstad (President)

The PRx Performance team

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1. Culture U

nfortunately for many, their sanctuaries of fitness are currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Health clubs across the state of North Dakota were ordered to close by Governor Doug Burgum on March 19 as part of an executive order that also closed bars, restaurants, cafes and other places of large gatherings. Many other states have been forced to put the same restrictions in place, putting one local company on the front lines of delivering people the ability to workout at home.

PRx Performance, a home fitness company that took off after appearing on Shark Tank and getting an investment from Kevin O’Leary, was already experiencing tremendous growth over the last couple of years before seeing an uptick in demand due to the current need for at home exercise equipment. The company, which has been named to the Inc. 5000 fastest growing companies list multiple times, has been so busy filling orders for their exercise equipment lately that they’ve had to shut off the checkout on their website during the day to keep up with demand. The checkout is turned on briefly at noon every day until their daily maximum of 200 units are sold. At the height of demand, the checkout was only on for about 40 seconds each day before the maximum was hit and sales on the site shut back down.

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While many retailers would be tempted to sell as many units as possible every single day, PRx Performance CEO Brian Brasch and president Erik Hopperstad quickly realized that setting realistic expectations for customers was the best course of action and agreed that trying to keep shipping times on schedule was their best move.

That sort of commitment to customer service and convenience is one of many factors that has landed PRx in the position of strength it is in currently. As of right now, PRx is experiencing so much demand that they are looking to grow their current staff of 25 employees by 20 as soon as possible.

“A little over a year ago, we bought a building with 20,000 square feet of space and now we’re busting at the seams over there,” said Hopperstad. “Hopefully, if all goes well, we’ll be breaking ground on a 60,000 to 100,000 square foot building this summer.”

Although commitment to customer service and convenience are extremely important to a business’s success, many other businesses also have great attention to detail in these areas without having the success that PRx has had. Because of this, we took a larger look at what makes the PRx team tick.

“The people we’ve hired are typically fitness enthusiasts,” said Brasch. “They wake up early, workout hard, they’re community focused and want better for themselves and their peers. We bring in these amazing people who are ‘all in’ that we don’t need to micromanage. We empower them.”

The PRx leadership team wholeheartedly believes that the type of people they have hired have been extremely influential in the success of their company. VP and the third employee ever hired to the PRx team, Rachel Rice, is a clear example of hiring the right person. During her time with PRx, Rice has worn just about every hat possible at the company, even though she was supposed to only handle the marketing when she came on. Rice has seen the value in this and has tried to apply it in the hiring process.

“We’ve always tried to find people who are a good fit for our culture,” said Rice. “So, not necessarily someone who is excited about the position, but somebody who is really excited to work for PRx. If they’re excited to work for PRx, they’ll pitch in pretty much wherever we need them.” This allows the company to remain flexible while also allowing employees the ability to advance their careers within the company.

The company's culture even extends to their ‘happy hours’, which, after the last FedEx pick-up of the day consists of the employees joking around and “chugging” pre-workout.

unique

2.Retail Tactics PRx made the intentional decision to ship its unique products directly to the consumer.

While many retail businesses nowadays choose to sell their products through the likes of Amazon for the increased exposure, Brasch and Hopperstad believe that one important advantage of going directly to the consumer is the ability to actually own the data that comes along with their sales, allowing them the ability to retarget their market when advertising.

Brasch also encourages other businesses to “charge what you’re worth.” PRx used to offer a standard 15 percent discount but sales continued to rise as they cut that discount to 10 percent and 5 percent and finally sales continued to rise when they were charging for shipping. It may seem counterintuitive, but your business can actually help its bottom line this way.

“It’s so efficient to start a business right now and go direct to consumer,” said CEO Brian Brasch.

“It’s like everybody wins. The consumer gets the product faster and probably at a better price. It cuts out the middleman.”

Strong 3. Marketing “Our team is amazing at reaching people,” said Brasch. Prior to the pandemic and the increase in demand for at home fitness equipment, PRx was posting anywhere between 8:1 to 10:1 for Return on Advertising Spend. Now they’re at 30:1 plus. According to a Nielsen study the average is 2.87:1.

“One of the positives of all of this is that a lot of the large advertisers have really pulled back with the pandemic and even stopped,” said Erik Hopperstad. “So, the actual cost to acquire advertising has dropped significantly. If you want to build a brand and have a little extra cash lying around, now is the time to do it.”

Of course, a far-reaching company like PRx advertises in a number of ways, however, Rice says that the company mainly markets through Facebook and Instagram using a healthy mix of cold traffic and retargeting.

One of the things the company does best is drive engagement. They’re commonly posting fitness hacks and at home setups sent to them by previous customers on their Instagram account that has 115,000 thousand followers.

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PRx Performance was featured on one of our favorite covers back in 2016 which chronicled their appearance on the widely watched show, Shark Tank.

Photo by J. Alan Paul

The Shark 4. Tank Bump “We wouldn’t trade the Shark Tank experience for anything,” said Hopperstad.

“It’s been amazing to have access to that type of network. Kevin [O’Leary] has been a phenomenal partner for us. He’s such a visionary and such a forward thinker.” Brasch and Hopperstad both went further to say that they would recommend local businesses go for it and try to get on the show. Especially if they can’t figure out the marketing on their own.

Hopperstad and Brasch were featured on an episode of Shark Tank back in 2016.

At the time, the show averaged 6 million viewers per episode, making an appearance extremely valuable in its own right. However, an $80,000 investment from “Mr. Wonderful” Kevin O’Leary for a 20 percent stake in the company has taken PRx Performance to the next level.

“PRx is a marketer’s dream. It’s pretty amazing to have a product

that nobody else really has,” said Rice. “It’s patented, has a great back story with Shark Tank, and is truly a wonderful solution for space-constrained fitness enthusiasts. As an employee, PRx is pretty amazing too. It’s got great leadership, a ‘we’re all in this together’ attitude, and a really fun culture. While the last couple of months have been stressful, they’ve also been extremely fulfilling and satisfying as we help people retain their sanity in quarantine.”

To learn more about the booming company, visit prxperformance.com

BNG Team Owner and CEO Brady Nash wearing #NDSmart apparel with his family.

#NDSMA 58

MAY 2020

BNG Promotions Team From Left: Kimberly Pigeon (Director of Creativity), Wade Gronwold (President of Promotional Products), Ashley Bosh (Sales Consultant), Samson Brasel (Promotional Products Coordinator)

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here is no doubt that our community is extremely supportive.

It's ingrained in us to help a neighbor shovel a driveway or get a car unstuck and be charitable when we can. Not surprisingly, our business community has adopted this drive to help amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

ART

BY Brady Drake | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY BNG Team

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#NDSMART One company doing so, BNG Team, is partnering with the state of North Dakota for the #NDSmart campaign which will support local small businesses affected by the Coronavirus pandemic through sales of #NDSmart apparel on their company website.

bngteam.com/ndsmart/ The idea for the #NDSmart campaign name came from one of Governor Doug Burgum's, many recent speeches in which he said, “We have to be North Dakota smart, not North Dakota tough.� BNG ran with the saying and created apparel through their BNG Promotions division which provides corporate and team apparel as well as promotional and tradeshow items, vehicle wraps and store signage with the idea of helping out their fellow local businesses. 100 percent of profits from the sale of their items will go to a fund set up by the state.

"We're a national brand in some way but we're also very local," said Owner and CEO Brady Nash. "We want to support that local community. What's also really interesting is that most of our traffic on our website is local, but we've seen people popping up on our site from Florida and New York for the campaign which is pretty cool," said Nash.

Currently, BNG is offering both a youth and regular t-shirt, a hat and a sweatshirt as part of the promotion.

Visit bngteam.com/ndsmart/ to support your community.

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Peace of Mind Designed to be “intentionally simple.�

The WalkWise attachment comes with 6-12 months of battery life

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MAY 2020

This local company’s product is helping families with elderly loved ones.

N

ow more than ever, families are feeling worried about their elderly loved ones. Their parents or grandparents have to socially distance themselves, leading to worries about everything from a contraction of an illness to a fall in the middle of the night.

WalkWise, a local startup company founded

by Peter Chamberlain in 2016, has a solution to ease some worries for family members.

PETER CHAMBERLAIN Founder & CEO of WalkWise

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WalkWise creates smart attachments for walkers which can track fitness, monitor health, and provide family members and caretakers with safety alerts if something should go wrong. There’s a node that's plugged into the wall, connects to a WiFi or cellular network, and communicates 24/7 with the device on the walker.

Families and caregivers can download the app to see activity data and configure safety alerts. If the walker hasn't moved for a certain amount of time or if the walker doesn't move by a certain time in the morning, any family or caregiver with the app will get an alert or text message.

There's also an alert if the walker tips over.

"It's all about knowing what's going on," said Chamberlain.

"Especially when a lot of home caregiving services have stopped visitations altogether."

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"These things happened without a pandemic," said Chamberlain. "but now they are living without the safety net of visitors and care providers.”

Chamberlain was inspired to create the product after seeing some of the struggles faced by his own grandparents as they aged. At one point in his life, Chamberlain had three grandparents using walkers. One was in a senior living community dealing with the onset of dementia, and two were living at home independently. One fell while walking to the bathroom at night and had to crawl to a phone for help. Another fell and wasn't able to crawl, and was only helped when seen by the gardener. Both had safety pendants, but weren’t wearing them at the time.

Most senior living communities aren’t allowing outside parties into their buildings to install products like WalkWise.

"We changed our approach and started a pilot at a South Carolina community where everything was self-installed. We showed that anyone can get started with WalkWise despite the quarantine" said Chamberlain.

Chamberlain also says that if people are currently in need of their technology but don’t have the financial resources, they will work with them to find a solution.

Although his product is currently very useful for those trying to monitor their loved ones during a time when they’re unable to visit, it’s not as if his company hasn’t been affected by the pandemic itself.

To learn more, visit walkwise.com

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TRANSITIONING TO

HOME

BY BRADY DRAKE

With hundreds of employees transitioning to remote work, WEX had no easy task in transitioning its workforce. We sat down with a few of their team members to learn more about what makes a successful transition.

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Jesse Braasch Vice President of Health Technology

Can you take me through the process of when you decided to go remote?

Jesse: The decision to work from home comes naturally with how WEX is positioned with our employee base. Each of our divisions, from a technology perspective and how we are organized — not just in Fargo but across all our locations — we start with the work from home capability as a requirement in fitting our employees with technology.

Whether it’s laptops and mobile devices, both are key to that and that is a required component to each of our employees. And we handle the telephone and telematics aspect.

So as we started to work plans and decided to move our employees to workforce separation as part of COVID-19, it really was more of a preparation and communication than it was for technology work. It was more about ensuring that we had the right plans for moving the people over the 24-48 hour period without disrupting our service and planning within each group.

Is there anything special you’re doing for your employees as they work from home?

Jesse: For my organization, while we are used to this, we are spending a lot more time pulling people together for short coffee breaks and impromptu happy hours. We are trying to communicate more. You’re relying on a lot more on written communication but as a team leader you have to spend a

little more time virtually on a camera having conversations just to connect is key to that.

Those are the things we are doing in the technology world. I would say a lot of it is common to other teams, as far as having lunch and learns and getting on video conferencing. There are also a lot more people having social hangouts at night with friends and we are bringing that into the office space. The work is getting done and that’s proof in our technology and our capabilities, but also making sure we are connecting on a social level is key to ensuring people are staying motivated and connected.

Sarah: We’ve done some creative things just to get people to collaborate together. For example, we used our Google communities page to have communities put together for each campus. People can post pictures, a lot of people post photos of their furry coworkers.

Sarah Sakrison Senior HR Business Partner

week with things to keep in mind, important COVID updates and also tips on making the most of your work from home routine.

One of the newest things we launched this week is a live webinar on how to help work with your kids at home while you’re working and tips for parents on homeschooling and caring for your little ones while you’re working at your desk every day. Lots of ways to get conversations going and staying connected so we aren’t having anyone feeling like we are in this forever. We want everyone to stay connected regularly.

Wex has worked hard to keep things fun during the pandemic

We have a funniest home video contest going on right now. We are collecting those and will be putting out a vote across all the campuses.

We also have a vote for the most creative workspace so people can showcase their workspace and what they have come up with to make it work for them.

There’s a lot of regular communication going out across the entire organization from our Chief Human Resources Officer. There’s a daily newsletter, now we are down to twice a

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The Power Of

BY BRADY DRAKE

Suppor The Gina Powers Band

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rt Kent Kolstad Founder, President and Technical Director

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nfortunately, nearly every part of our society has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The music industry is no different. While many of your favorite superstars have plenty of money to fall back on, the musicians that have yet to break out with their first nationwide hit may not.

In order to help some of our local performers out, Livewire, a local live events company, has stepped up to showcase their talents and help them out financially. We sat down with founder Kent Kolstad to learn more.

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How did you decide to start doing these donation-based shows?

When COVID-19 took hold in mid-March and required many to quarantine and work remotely, we found that our event production schedule quickly cleared out for the next 3-4 months.

While we are grateful that many of our clients have chosen to postpone their events to later in the year, that still means that our income has been severely reduced for this period. Our team brainstormed ideas and quickly realized that many musicians and artists would be faced with the same challenge of lack of income from their regular local gigs, whatever those might be. We decided to reach out to a couple of local musicians and bands to see if there might be interest in being featured on a live-streamed broadcast, LIVE@ Livewire, from our warehouse space, which we quickly converted into a unique music venue for this purpose.

In lieu of paying them, we offered to set up a GoFundMe for the musicians featured, donating 100 percent of the evening's proceeds to them. The idea took off right away, raising over $1,000 on the first episode on March 17, with every show afterward doing just as well. We had over 9,100 unique views on the first show alone!

Why do you think it's important to help these musicians out and give viewers entertainment during these times?

First and foremost, as someone who comes from an arts and music background, I know first-hand that music brings people together, even if they're apart. As the COVID-19 situation became more and more serious, we realized that there would be a need for people to take in and enjoy the arts in their homes – something other than radio, TV, or their Spotify playlists.

Keeping these musicians playing means that viewers of all ages have an opportunity to consume and support local art, taking in something new that they may not have heard before, and to support their favorite local musicians in meaningful

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San Haven Chuckle

ways by showing they're watching online, and donating to support the musicians' continued creative work. While we know that many of the musicians we've featured do have "other jobs" – part-time, full-time, etc., – we recognize that income from their art is a valid, real source of income, and that it is one that should not be disrupted if we as a community want to be true supporters of our artists and musicians.

What has the response been like from the music community?

We have been so grateful to see a tremendous response from the music community – both individual musicians and full bands have applied and have been featured since we got started.

How can people submit apllications?

Sign up at LiveAtLivewire.com.

Donations are open. How else can the community help?

Livewire needs to be able to sustain the work of its staff to produce these shows.

We are grateful to have had two local companies sign on as sponsors, but we are in need of more support from our local business community to keep producing LIVE@Livewire. Sponsors are featured throughout the programming of each

show by means of logos on the screen, social media mentions, and more. Those interested can sign up at LiveAtLivewire. com.

Livewire in general is really doing a great job of giving customers options to go on with their live events as planned during this pandemic and I'm sure you've seen an increase in demand. With that said, your company is still finding time to give back to local musicians. Do you have a passion for music yourself?

Thank you for the kind words! As it pertains to music, I was very involved in theatre and music from a young age through college, and actually was a wedding DJ for about 15 years, too. I'll listen with open ears to any genre out there. I can always find something to enjoy about the music I'm listening to. Music isn't just a bonus of living life; rather, it is the soundtrack that forms our lives and which can create meaningful impact across people and cultures.

Is there anything else you have in the works or anything else unique that Livewire might do from a business standpoint during this pandemic?

We just launched StreamConferences.com to bring to light our streaming broadcast services at Livewire. We've been very involved in bringing high-quality, fast, real-

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The Cropdusters and Kelly Johnson

time one-way and two-way streaming to our live event clients over the last few years; as an example, networking companies with many national offices together for a unified company meeting, and jumping between locations in realtime to listen to presenters give updates from each location. While we certainly don't want to see gatherings go away – gathering people and immersing them in an experience is critically important to communicating a message, no matter what type of event – we are uniquely positioned based on our work with streaming live events to know what is expected of a true immersive live event and how that can genuinely translate into a virtual event.

The Cropdusters and JT Kennelly Band

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Abdhishakur Mohamed, Soma Employment Solutions

New American BUSINESS OF THE MONTH

By Brady Drake Photos by Kayleigh Omang

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About Abdhishakur Mohamed Mohamed launched Soma Employment Solutions in September of 2019 to help new Americans looking to enter the workforce. In fact, Mohamedbelieves he is the only staffing agency in the country that is focused solely on the hiring of new Americans.

T

he Challey Institute for Global Innovation & Growth and Emerging Prairie worked together this past year to empower 10 New American entrepreneurs as part of The Challey Institute’s New American Entrepreneur program.

The six-month program aimed to accelerate their growth in the Fargo-Moorhead area by connecting them to capital, community and technology resources.

In order to further champion the program’s participants, we will be featuring members of the program and their stories.

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Q: When did you get the idea that you wanted to start your own business?

A: In 2015, I was going to college in Moorhead and working with a nonprofit called Afro American Development Association and I saw so many people come in every day looking for work. But when you send them to the local agencies here there seems to be a disconnect. They don’t speak the native language, and it’s tough for them. They usually

come back to the non-profit association. We would then fill out the application for them and send them to the agencies and companies. This made me realize that I need a business that connects the companies and communities here. However, I had no business background, I wasn’t going to school for business, and I didn’t know how to build or grow a company. So, I went to work for an insurance company as a business development specialist. There I got the experience.

Q: How many companies do you work with?

A: We work with five companies.

Actually we work with six now and we’ve placed 20 employees.

With this pandemic, this crisis, we found an international client who wants to work with us to do recruitment for them overseas. I’m from Somalia and the company is in Somalia and they also have a location in the US. So they were looking to grow internationally from Somalia.

Q: What’s your vision with Soma?

A: So my vision in the long term is to successfully create a global network of highly skilled workforce and bridge the New American talent to the industry.

And become the leading agency in the USA one day. I just want to be optimistic and hope to lead the New American staffing in the US.

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Q: Aren’t you leading it though? You said you’re the only one.

Q: Was the program at Emerging Praire helpful for you?

A: Absolutely leading that way too. But looking at competition in the future, because more people are going to do this. In every state today or in most big cities or every state, there’s New Americans. Every where you go there’s a New American.

A: Yes, big time. They were mentors to me. I didn’t have a lot of friends that started a business or a lot of family members that had. I’m the first one doing this and I didn’t have a lot of knowledge so Emerging Prairie was great and all the team members helped me a lot.

The (Founders) retreat that EP does was a big help for me, I got connected to a lot of different people that also had a start-up.

Q: I imagine you hit quite a few road bumps on your way starting your own business? Can you tell me about some of the challenges you faced?

A: The first challenge I really faced was getting others to trust me. I didn’t have a big guy behind me, I didn’t have a big community that was behind me. Companies had a hard time trusting me. The other roadblock I hit was most of the companies didn’t prefer to hire New Americans. They weren’t used to it, so I started a program with the companies for New American onboarding. So we also do onboarding and work on culture and train the employers on that side.

Q: Are you doing anything with your business right now to adjust to the pandemic?

A: Yeah, so right now we are raising awareness with the new American community.

Everything, all the resources that are coming out, come out in English, but not a lot of the community members speak English, so what I’ve been doing is translating to the new Americans.

To learn more visit somaemployment.com

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This Local Company

Wants You to Keep Your Team Together During The Pandemic

BY Brady Drake

A

s of March 17, Wanido, a local workplace well-being platform, began offering four months of free solutions to relieve stress and pressure on companies who have been forced to adopt a remote workforce due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“When we launched Wanido earlier this year, never did we expect to be facing such an unprecedented time as now,” stated Troy Bagne, CEO. “We have heartfelt concern for everyone who is personally impacted by the virus and the ripple effect it is causing. Because our platform solves immediate needs and can help many employers and employees, we felt it was our civic responsibility to give back and do what we could to help in this time of need. We want to accommodate every employer who needs an engagement and wellbeing solution, right now.”

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During these stressful times, it may be more important than ever to keep your team intact. To learn more about the company that is trying to help do that, we sat down with CEO, Troy Bagne.

A better return comes from knowing you better.

Tax and Accounting

How does a Wanido customer make the most of their data?

How has your company’s processes changed during the pandemic here?

Fortunately, our processes have not changed much.

Our headquarter office is here in Fargo, but we’re used to collaborating with our teammates who are spread out regionally across the United States who are used to working remotely.

We provide quick access to data through our dashboard and report suite. The key is for an organization to be introspective when interpreting the reports we provide. Employees are giving valuable insight into their personal needs and experience as an employee through their interactions within Wanido.

By measuring foundational analytics on culture, health and finance, a company with 100 employees will receive an average of 37,000 data points per year. An organization that takes that to heart and utilizes their company’s analytics to create a stronger workplace culture and support employee challenges, will see phenomenal results.

WHAT SEPARATES US FROM OTHER ACCOUNTANTS? EVERYTHING BUT THE MATH. You’ve got a business to run, and so do we. So everything we do is designed to keep things running smoothly. And you can count on that.

Jamie Passanante, CPA Aimee Schwartzwalter, CPA

(701) 365-0319 • balancecpa.com

To see a demo or sign up for a complimentary account, please visit wanido.com

What went into the decision to offer Wanido for free during the pandemic?

We are dedicated to improving the well-being of both companies and individual employee lives. Now, more than ever, it is crucial that employers maximize resources and also support the challenges that employees are facing. In order to live our mission, we knew that we needed to make our services available to everyone when they are needed most.

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Why is retaining employees more important now than ever?

Turnover costs an employer anywhere from fifty percent to two times an annual salary per employee. In addition to the financial burden, they also lose valuable knowledge and relationships that the individual has made. Creating a strong culture that employees value not only reduces the hard cost of replacement but boosts productivity and innovation within the entire team.

How have you personally seen disengagement effect companies during your career?

We can all think of examples where we felt our coworkers or bosses were just collecting a paycheck; they weren’t driven to be better or maximizing productivity. This disengagement is easy to see and weighs heavily on a team environment. What’s harder to see are the factors that contributed to it. Is this person discouraged by poor management, dealing with personal or family issues, or are they just not in the right role?

By using data versus anecdotal evidence we don’t have to waste time trying to guess about the how and the why, we can get to work on improving the factors that have created the disengagement.

9 ways to strengthen your b2b sales process Most of us b2b company owners and managers are looking for the same solution for our sales team. We want our sales team to be genuinely driven and confident in the products and services they are selling. If we can achieve that, then everything else is just tactics.

In this article, I will cover some of the thoughts that I have around sales that can help empower your sales team to feel more confident and excited about selling your products and services. I have this really great job where I am not only a salesperson but also a provider of sales solutions and a person who gets sold to. I get to meet with over 200 small business owners per year and listen to their barriers around sales and marketing. What I see almost every time is how outdated their sales material is and how much they underestimate the value of providing more tools to their sales teams. The way things are changing in society, we do not have the ability to meet face to face as much as we used to. Most prospects want to do their own research and want presentations sent to them digitally. Then if those materials are effective, a call or meeting will be set up. Marketing and sales have never been closer on the spectrum than right now. Here are nine examples of how I've seen this to be true.

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Mike Dragosavich Founder/Owner of Spotlight • 10 Years Sales Experience • Speaker on b2b Sales at the National Niche Media Conference •

Spotlight’s team of five sales reps including Mike sign over 300 companies to services per year

Brought to you by Spotlight.sales

1

The way you look to your prospects matters!

Brochures, presentations, websites!

2

Text testimonials are out. Video case studies are in!

3

Turn your website from a brochure into a tool.

This is a priority to me. Most prospects make a decision about whether they want to work with you or not in the first five seconds of seeing your branding material.

I see hundreds of brochures, proposals, and websites from b2b North Dakota businesses per year and I can’t tell you how many of them look like they are from 1998.

a new service to help sales teams

Tips & Examples

Most prospects do not value 35 paragraphs of generic praise and a label of “By Mark F.” Today a prospect would value a video interview with a customer talking about the specifics of why they loved working with you. The sales team could also use these videos in their email signature, sales presentation and more.

Try These Once you have your website to a point where the first impression look and feel is a WOW factor then it’s time to think about the application. Smart b2b sales companies are integrating booking widgets, landing pages, chat widgets, downloadable resources, interactive content, calculators, video tips and more tools to ensure engagement from visitors. Also, sales reps are using these tools on the site to send to prospects individually.

Chat - Check out www.crisp.chat Landing Pages - We use Hubspot or Landingli to help with landing pages Brochures - We use Issuu.com to make brochures interactive with hyperlinks and embedding. So when people view it, they can click on links, be directed to videos and open galleries.

Booking widgets - A common software is Calendly Calculators - Check out Outgrow.co

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Benefits • Engage your audience with a relatable experience • Tell a story that creates a relationship • Attract the best sales prospects for your product or service • Provide a consistent customer experience in the buyer’s journey • Lower the cost of marketing campaigns • Increase website, blog traffic, and SEO • Collect more relevant and accurate customer data • Build a stronger, more targeted email list • Nurture leads to become sales opportunities • Improve the quality of social sharing, referrals, and engagement

4

Content marketing is working!

5

Sales asset management it’s important.

What I USE I use basecamp.com to store all of our sales files and create folder structure for our team to access and use the files very easily.

TIps Verticals don’t just need to be by the industry. It could be other segments like, veteran-owned businesses, female-owned businesses, certain sized businesses, multiple location businesses, ect. Also, when you build out vertical content on your site it will gain you Search Engine Optimization for those keywords. For instance, if Dr. X is searching ‘banking for dentists, Fargo, ND’ that content from above will show up in Google.

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6

Go vertical!

Generic “can I set up a call about how our business can help yours and learn more about you” calls are no longer working. Here is an example: If you are a bank and you have helped 35 dentist offices in the

Most b2b companies do not sell impulsive transactional products and services like consumer companies.

This means they do not promote heavy call-to-action messaging like deals and coupons. So, the best method of winning over a consultative client is establishing your brand as an expert and leader in the solutions you provide. Resource guides, video training, advertorials, trade magazine articles, infographics and interviews are great ways to plant a seed with prospects so when your sales rep makes the call, the prospect has a better perspective of your brand and less skepticism.

Once you’ve committed to producing dozens of materials for your sales force you do not want to underestimate the importance of asset management. I have personal experience with this.

We have many sheets and tools and when we failed to manage them our team grew to not trust the info anymore and we were also sending out of date info and it created confusion across the board. An effective quick folder structure to use could look like this: “In-Motion” vs “Evergreen” vs “Archived”

past year and found that you are a great solution for dentists. You can create a sales suite of assets around dental practices including a landing page, blog post, case studies, pitch sheets, offers, and a brochure/ presentations. This way your sales representative call the gate-keeper at the dental office and say, “Can you tell Doc X that I am calling with Money Bank, we have had over 35 dentists sign up with us in this area in the past year, let him know he needs to get back to me so I can show him why many of his peers are taking advantage of what we are offering."

b2b sales upgrades by Spotlight.sales With my signature I want What is something a prospect sees all the time? An email signature! Why not make it a sales weapon. There is a science to this but the message here is to do your research and use that area as a tool. Put messaging that creates credibility or allows prospects to learn more about your standards. You could even put calls to action in the signature.

Today prospects are wanting to do their own research to asses if they should give you the time of day to actually communicate with them. Quick sales sheets, overviews and info sheets are great to send digitally in the beginning stages of prospecting.

The sheets can create curiosity, credibility and can break up all the text heavy emails you send. Most people just don’t read long text anymore.

Sales enablement has become one of the most critical arenas for success for modern marketing and sales organizations. The first step in sales enablement is to make sure the marketing and sales functions are properly organized for success. Success for sales enablement is built around one basic tenet – alignment.

7

Email signatures can produce.

people to see our logo, our 10 year anniversary badge for credibility, my face to help create more personalization and the images all link to my website address.

What I USE I use Wisestamp.com an email signature tool that not only helps me create the signature but it tracks clicks and sends me reports on when and who is interacting with the different links on my signature.

8

Easy email sales sheets, pitches, product overviews.

9

Get on the sales enablement bandwagon.

TIps I save our sheets as pdfs and as jpegs.

Sometimes I like to insert the sheet into the email instead of an attachment so they are sure to see it. I actually have a tool from Hubspot that shows me if people click on the pdf attachment or the image file.

Sales Enablement Definition The processes, practices, technologies and tools that improve the performance and productivity of the sales organization. Sales enablement enhances the ability of the Sales team to increase company revenue through sales.

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S

b2b sales upgrades by Spotlight.sales

ales Competence Checklist:

Fill this out based on where you believe you should be right now.

Fill out this form and send it to us at drago@spotlightmediafargo.com so we can show you examples of what it looks like to be present, competitive or dominant in each of the categories below. We will work with you to implement and create your desired objectives.

Sales Tool

Present

Competitive

Dominant

Brochure Presentation Proposals Landing Page Case Studies Email Signature Explainer Video Testimonials Case Studies Credibility Product and Inventory Sheet Pitch Sheets Promo Sheets Asset Management Set Them Up on Basecamp Linkedin Posts Social Graphics Email Templates Editable Presentations and Sheets

More about Spotlight Sales Services: Spotlight.sales is a division of Spotlight in Fargo, ND. Our team will work with yours to help create and empower your new and updated direct sales process. Reach out today to see how we can help.

Website Development

Lead Gen Tools

Tech Implement

Certified Hubspot Tech

Promo Special Sheets

Brochures

Interactive Presentations

Explainer Video

Email Signature

Digital Asset Management

Landing Pages

Case Studies

Sales Sheets

Product & Service Photography & Video

Content Marketing

Inventory Sheets/ Catalogs

Email Templates

Video

Review Development & Management

Headshots & Corporate Photography

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Spotlight.sales

Mobile Pro sets up for one of its "Pop Up Drive In's".

U

nique times call for unique actions, that's something Mobile Pro knows all too well. With booking for live event production dwindling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the local company has pivoted some of the things it's doing to keep clients happy and people entertained.

Mobile Pro is perhaps doing one of the most fun and innovative things of any company during this crisis by holding "Pop Up Drive In's" where they travel to smaller communities in the area and help them experience movies in a fun and unique way. In order to do this, Mobile Pro is bringing its large LED big screen and transmitting equipment to put on a drive-in movie for the community, while staying within the CDC guidelines for large gatherings according to President of Mobile Pro, Brian Bestge.

"Many school districts have been spearheading this as a way to give the kids and families something to do during these unprecedented times," said Bestge.

BY Brady Drake

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Brian Bestge, President

Q: Can you tell me about the motivation behind the "Pop Up Drive In's"?

Proudly keeping grocery, medical, and public utilities running for our community during this difficult time.

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Locations in Fargo, Bismarck and Minot, ND

Supporting ND and surrounding areas since 1974

A: We had been doing mobile drive in movies last summer but on a smaller scale. Our team this year came up with this idea early on and we then decided to package it in a way that will allow communities to host a safe event within the current CDC guidelines. As many people are starting to feel isolated and cooped up in their homes, many residents are looking for a way to get out of the house and do some type of activity that is safe for their family. We have partnered with School Districts and private clubs to provide this unique and retro experience. Because we use LED video technology vs projection we can show early movies for the little ones as early as 4 or 5 p.m.

Q: What has the response been like to it?

A: Overall we have had a really great response from the people we have partnered with and those who come and attend. In one instance when the movie ended and the credits began to run all of the cars started to flash their lights and honk their horn as a way to thank us for putting this on.

Q: What movies have you shown?

A: We have shown older movies like Cars and Herbie (for a car club in Rugby) to newer movies like Lion King and Ford vs Ferrari.

Last year's in-person Do Gooders Conference

M

obile Pro is also providing unique solutions for clients that wish to still hold events as well. For example, Bestge and his Mobile Pro team have continued to work with the Do Gooders so they are able to hold their virtual conference on April 29. Not only will the event go on, but Mobile Pro and Patrick Kirby, Founder of Do Good Better Consulting, have teamed up to provide at-home catering for individuals who have signed up for the virtual conference.

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Patrick Kirby, Founder of Do Good Better Consulting

Q: What was the transition like turning everything virtual?

A: The transition to a virtual event was less stressful from a logistical standpoint than I thought it would be. With all the ways we can connect online, and the numerous platforms available to create an awesome environment on a digital platform, it made the decision pretty easy. The hardest part is convincing yourself to pull the trigger on moving the event virtually! However, because of the move to an online event, we have speakers, presenters and an audience that is global rather than just regional!

Turns out taking the risk had a fantastic payoff!

Q: What has the experience been like working with BeMobile?

A: Working with Mobile Pro is the reason I sleep at night. To wrap your head around what technical pieces are needed to pull

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off an event of this magnitude without a professional walking you through the steps and process is enough to drive a person mad. But Brian and his crew have done so many events and streamed from so many different locations that any and all pie-in-the-sky ideas (and there were many) were greeted with a "sounds-awesome-we'll-figure-outhow-to-do-it" rather than dismissing it as impossible.

Q: I noticed the happy hour and food catering is a very unique touch, how conscious have you been of trying to give everyone the same feel as a normal in-person event with all of this?

A: There really isn't anything "normal" about events nowadays, so we tried to think about ways to double and triple down on audacious and fun ideas to make our virtual guests feel like they are getting the biggest value, even

while sitting on the internet. Arranging lunches to be delivered to ticket holders (regardless if they lived in towns or not!) was curated to help the locally-owned restaurants during this shutdown, and featuring local musicians, artists and performers in between speakers was our chance to showcase how supporting local art is important too! Anything we thought of to provide a unique and downright awesome experience was put on the table and I think by being the first major event locally to go virtual will allow some major grace if something doesn't work perfectly. I think the entrepreneurial spirit of this community rewards those who take a risk and go all-in on it.

To work with Mobile Pro visit mobileproduction.net

COVID-19 LEGAL

COMMENTARY

with the business team at SW&L ATTORNEYS Meet the team Adam Wogsland

Ian Duncan Attorney Ian focuses on commercial litigation and immigration law.

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Attorney

Lee Grossman Attorney

Adam focuses on business formations, transactions, and operations.

Lee focuses on commercial litigation, construction litigation, and employment law.

Jesse Maier Attorney

Katy Tellinghuisen Paralegal

Jesse focuses on estate planning and business succession planning.

Katy helps SW&L's attorneys guide clients through business formations, transactions, and litigation.

KATY’S TAKE

As a company works through adding the Pandemic clause into the employee handbook, is it a good idea to have our lawyers review it to protect our company?

Mike Dragosavich Owner at Spotlight

LEE’S TAKE

In 2009, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provided guidance with its “Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the the Americans with Disabilities Act.” This has been updated for 2020. Under these guidelines, a “reasonable accommodation” is a change in the work environment that allows an employee with a disability or underlying health condition that increases the risk of contracting

Absolutely. When it comes to drafting any type of clause for a new or existing document, having an attorney review in light of ever changing laws and regulations is a good idea. It is better to be proactive rather than try to fix a problem later.

Colleen Dreyer

Vice President of Human Resources at Spotlight SHRM Certified

What exactly is considered “reasonable accommodations” during a Pandemic?

COVID-19 to perform the employee’s essential job functions. Common examples include allowing the employee to work from home, allowing the employee to work in an area where contact with others is limited, or providing the employee with personal protective equipment (PPE). A reasonable accommodation is still limited by the “undue hardship” exception if it results in significant difficulty or expense for the employer.

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Are businesses required to cover any additional costs that employees may incur if they work from home i.e. internet access, phone, increased use of electricity, etc.?

JESSE’S TAKE

This is largely dependent on state law. As a matter of federal guidance, employers are generally not required to reimburse employees for their business related expenses.

However, employers cannot force employees to bear the costs associated with purchasing the necessary equipment to perform the employee’s job function if such costs would cut into the employee’s applicable minimum or overtime wages. Minnesota

IAN’S TAKE

Non-immigrant and immigrant employees have differing requirements when it comes to successfully meeting work specifications and the required paperwork to work in the US. For instance, non-immigrant and immigrant employees who are working in the US, depending on the specifics of their work status, may be required to work full time to continue to have working status in the US. Due to many companies

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experiencing layoffs, this can become difficult for employees.

COVID-19 has complicated this, as access to immigration facilities may be limited due to USCIS temporary office closings. If you are an employer who is affected by these issues, speak with your employees, identify the specifics of their working status in the US and consult an attorney if any clarification is needed.

follows this federal approach, but also requires the employer to reimburse employees for all business expenses incurred by employees upon termination. North Dakota, on the other hand, provides that an employer is responsible to reimburse employees for all expenses incurred to purchase or rent tools of a trade or any other equipment unless such tools or equipment are also used outside the scope of employment.

How does COVID-19 affect businesses that have personnel who are immigrant and nonimmigrant employees?

When writing out severance packages is it best to have a template approved by a lawyer and then reuse it or should a company have a lawyer review every time it is given to an employee?

Every time. Three main reasons for this: (1) every factual situation is a bit different, and a form contract will leave you with blind spots; (2) it gives the business an opportunity to harden the contract -- “harden” means to adjust the contract so it better protects against a new risk; and (3) the benefit will outweigh the cost. New iterations in a contract won't cost much.

How can HR professionals ensure that they maintain an efficient and effective working partnership with their legal lifeguards?

ADAM’S TAKE

LEE’S TAKE

Communication. Attorneys workshop problems with each other all the time. It’s not a sign of weakness or unintelligence to seek guidance, assistance, or help from others who have experience in the area and may share a different perspective. We have regular discussions in our office of the cost of doing it right on the front end versus the cost of “saving money” by not talking with a lawyer and then being involved in a lawsuit for doing it wrong.

WANT MORE? SWL is a regular contributor and available at info@swlattorneys.com or visti thier site at swlattorneys.com

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Hack the Tech Skills Gap Today:

CULTIVATE YOUR NEXT GREAT HIRE OF TOMORROW

“I

BY BETHLEHEM GRONNEBERG Founder and CEO, uCodeGirl Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow | PhD Candidate | Lecturer of Computer Science | YWCA Woman of the Year in Science and Technology

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am going to study Computer Science and increase the number of women in technology by one,” said Amanda Kittleson. She was in 9th grade at Davies High School when she proudly declared that to me three years ago after a keynote speech I delivered at Microsoft DigiGirls. It was music to my ears so I invited her to stay involved with uCodeGirl, an enrichment program designed for girls just like her. She is now a second-year Computer Science major at North Dakota State University. The story repeats itself. Girls inspired and encouraged by others to try and explore technical skills, eventually liking it and pursuing a career path that otherwise would have been left uncharted by them. My own career path to a software profession has an arch that is similar to so many stories of area women software professionals who volunteer to mentor young women like Amanda at uCodeGirl. “Had I

not had a role model at a young age, I probably would have been in a different career path today,” argues Nicole Haugen, a Software Engineering Principal at Microsoft. Role modeling and mentorship matters to realize one’s potential and be part of the driving force of innovation.

A radical shift to learning is needed if businesses are to achieve the growth promised by intelligent technologies.

Forward-thinking companies get this. They invest in programs where high school students get an opportunity to observe, experiment and learn.

Whether it is the job shadowing program of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, the FM Health, Tech & Trades Career Expo at the FargoDome for hands-on knowledge exchange for high school students, the collaborative spirit of the Hour of Code movement during Computer Science Education Week, the Congressional

Innovation Challenges, the insightful legislatures’ adoption of the K-12 North Dakota state standard in Computer Science and Cyber Security, or new Computer Science graduate certificate program at NDSU intended to upskill and reskill high school educators in Computer Science - all build and strengthen the T of STEM pipeline.

Look to Today’s Youth to Solve Tomorrow’s Skills Shortages.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS), the computer and information technology field is expected to grow by 12 percent from 2018 to 2028 — faster than the average growth rate of all occupations.

So that today’s talent shortage

talent, and create relationships long before the students head to higher institutes.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report describes the workplace of the future as “lean, high-performing and incredibly flexible”. Hiring high school students as interns and apprentices speeds up

Bethlehem Gronneberg,

experiential learning techniques, broadens individuals’ blend of skills, and ensures inclusive access to tomorrow’s skilling solutions.

For students, on the job-training allows for a more intense learning experience and keeps the skills of the workforce adapting to new realities.

Dan Schawbel, a workforce development expert and New York Times bestselling author, asserts students should begin their careers as teenagers in order to be competitive in the college admissions process, for college internships and eventually for full-time jobs.

This can be an effective way of keeping up with the current demand for skills, transfer knowledge across the generational workforce and influence the future of work.

KAYLEIGH OMANG

doesn’t become tomorrow’s talent crisis, a growing number of job boards such as Snagajob, Localwise and Groovejob are aggregating summer jobs, apprenticeships and internships designed for high school students. For tech companies, hiring high school students means they’re getting a jump start on filling future jobs, screen and retain high performing

About uCodeGirl

The vision of uCodeGirl is to inspire and equip young women to become the future face of innovation in technology. uCodeGirl is uniquely designed to inspire, engage and equip young women with computational design thinking skills, leadership traits, and an entrepreneurial mindset. uCodeGirl strives to remove roadblocks and bridge the gender gap in technology so that young women can confidently pursue opportunities suitable for the 21st century. By building confidence, enhancing skill sets and tapping into their intellect and curiosity, uCodeGirl helps young women chart a pathway to the T of STEM careers. More information here: www.ucodegirl.org

Photo via uCodeGirl FARGOINC.COM

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5

Questions WITH JOHN MACHACEK

J

ohn Machacek, Chief Innovation Officer for the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation, has worked with countless startups throughout our community over the past seven years.

He knows their ups, their downs, but most of all, he knows the questions to ask them.

Here is John Machacek's 5 questions for QED Embedded's President Ed Schwind.

BY John Machacek PHOTO BY Kayleigh Omang

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4

1

Tell us your QED Embedded elevator pitch QED Embedded is a software company that specializes in electronics. The business started in 2013 as a pure consulting business, but over the years we have shifted to focusing on strategic partnerships with other companies that have a need for custom electronics and software for their projects.

We have also recently expanded our capabilities for web, database, and mobile software.

2 Your business is built around providing services for other companies and their projects. As a "behind the scenes" company, how do you connect with others who might benefit from your expertise?

Word of mouth and relationship building have been key to our success.

All of our projects and partnerships can be traced back to a conversation that

we had. Marketing materials and advertisements are great, but they can’t replace human encounters. Whether it is at a networking event, Founder’s Drinks, 1 Million Cups, or a meeting at the Prairie Den, these events are where the connections have been made that have turned into successful partnerships.

3 In addition to your service offerings, you have been developing a line of products for your new company, Signum, LLC. How do you balance the needs of your existing business with your goals for the future?

The vision of Signum aligns really well with the goals of QED Embedded.

It is my hope that Signum will become our largest customer. I try to focus on whether I am acting as the customer or as the vendor at any given time.

Sometimes it is one or the other, and sometimes it is both. Signum’s success is our success so blurring the line is okay.

If you could go back in time to Ed from a few years ago, what hindsight advice would you give yourself?

If I could go back a few years, I would encourage myself to get out and meet people, and to tell the story of the company to anyone and everyone. Even if the person you are talking to doesn’t have an immediate need for your product or service, they may tell a friend or help you by making a connection to someone else who does.

5 What can we do as a community to help QED Embedded succeed?

We really enjoy talking about technology in any form especially if it is something you can hold in your hands.

If there are entrepreneurs at any stage out there with an idea, let’s talk about how to make it a reality.

Signum is a one-stop shop for Internet of Things (IoT). We provide custom data collection devices, cellular and satellite data plans, and webbased data analytics and visualization software.

About John: John Machacek has been helping local startups with the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation since Prior to his position with the GFMED, Machacek was the VP of Finance & Operations at United Way of Cass-Clay and a business banker at U.S. Bank.

PHOTO BY Hillary Ehlen

GARY USSERY

Academic Insight

5 years from now, what will be your organization’s story and narrative timeline?

BY Shontarius D. Aikens, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Management at Offutt School of Business at Concordia College 102

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D

uring this time of social distancing due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, I’ve been watching way more movies that I normally do each week. And if you are a current or past student of mine, then you know for me to say I am watching more movies, it means I’m watching a lot more movies!

Recently, I was re-watching my favorite movie “The Dark Knight” (2008) for the umpteenth time. If you are like me, there is a specific scene in your favorite film that you can quote verbatim or re-enact by memory. For me, that scene in “The Dark Knight” is the Interrogation Scene. For those of you who have seen this movie, you know what scene I am talking about where Batman and his archenemy The Joker are in a two way mirror interrogation room in the Gotham Police Department. Now for those of you who haven’t seen this movie, two things: 1) where have you been? and 2) Go watch this movie within 24 hours of reading this article! Anyhow, during this scene, The Joker was trying to explain to Batman that because of his efforts to eradicate crime in Gotham, the new normal would be for criminals, like The Joker, to step

up their game. Every time this movie scene comes on, no matter what I am doing, I stop to watch this masterpiece in acting and dialogue, especially the part when the Joker says the following eerie words: “Those Mob fools want you gone so they can get back to the way things were. But I know the truth. There’s no going back.

You’ve changed things. Forever.”

I’ve thought about those words in the context of recent events. Obviously, the COVID-19 global pandemic is way more serious than a fictitious movie. COVID-19 is real life, and it is an unprecedented game changer. In business, we often talk about innovation as a means of disruption to the status quo. In this case, we have a global pandemic that is forcing organizations to change and adapt essentially overnight. Consider this: Out of the seven different categories of major crises that managers must will deal with (economic, informational, physical, human resource, reputational, psychopathic acts, and natural disasters)1, COVID-19 presents issues in several of these areas for managers and organizations. It has possibly forever changed how we will work in the future. To get a glimpse of what that future might look like, I highly recommend reading the article titled “This is the end of the office as we know it” by Rani Molla.2 When the late Steve Jobs shared his life experiences during his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University3, he alluded to the problem with understanding life experiences while one is experiencing them versus the clarity of understanding life experiences upon reflection. His exact quote: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” So to continue with another movie reference, let’s get in our “Back to the Future” DeLorean time machine car and fast forward five years from now. It’s the year 2025, and you come across this 2020 article in your search for practical tips

on how to help others better understand your organization and its culture in light of the difficulties that COVID-19 (and whatever may have happened since then) have presented. One way is through the development of a compelling organizational story and narrative timeline.

Organizational stories are “narratives based on real organizational experiences that have become embellished over time and illustrate core cultural values.4” Ronald Humphrey5 has developed an activity and exercise that I use in my leadership courses to help students develop their own personal leadership story and narrative timeline. I believe that this activity and exercise can be modified and used at the organizational level, and I have included the steps below: Step 1: List the major events that have occurred in the life of your organization. Be sure to include the dates when these occurred. Definitely involve organizational members who have been with your organization for a long time and those who have direct experience and knowledge about your organization.

Step 2: Classify each major event.

According to research, 6,7,8 there are six different types of developmental events which are listed and defined below. Since these items were originally developed in a research study that included individual leaders, I have denoted changes and modifications using brackets “[]” to show how these events would apply to an organization as a whole: • Originating Events: “Events that mark the start of [an organizational] path or career and result in goals and long term plans [for the organization].”

• Turning Points: “Events that create major changes [in direction of the organization].

They can also result in the creation of new long term goals [for the organization].”

system that guides [organizations] toward certain activities and away from others.”

• Analogous Events: “Later [organizational] events that are similar to the anchoring events in some way.”

• Redemption Events: “Occur when [organizations] experience negative events but later attribute some positive outcomes to the events.”

• Contamination Events: “Events that were initially positive [for the organization] but then resulted in failure or other negative outcomes.”

Step 3: Connect the Dots and Draft Your Organization’s Story and Narrative Timeline. At this point, determine which events are essential to be included. It would also be good to codify the story and timeline in a written document and made available to others for review.

1. Mitroff, I. I. (2001). Managing crises before they happen: What every executive and manager needs to know about crises management. New York: American Management Association (Amacon division).

2. Molla, R. (2020, April 14). This is the end of the office as we know it.

Retrieved from, https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/4/14/21211789/coronavirusoffice-space-work-from-home-design-architecture-real-estate?utm_ source=pocket-newtab 3. Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address. (2005). Retrieved from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc 4. Neck, C. P., Houghton, J. D., & Murray, E. L. (2020). Organizational Behavior: A Skill-Building Approach. 2ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

5. Humphrey, R. H. (2014). Effective Leadership: Theory, Cases, and Applications. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

6. Pillemer, D. B. (1998). Momentous events, vivid memories. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

7. Pillemer, D. B. (2001). Momentous events and the life story. Review of General Psychology, 5(2), 123-134.

8. McAdams, D. P. (2001). The psychology of life stories. Review of General Psychology, 5, 100-123.

To submit questions you would like answered in future editions of “Academic Insight”, email Dr. Aikens at: saikens@cord.edu.

• Anchoring Events: “Early [organizational] experiences that create a basis for a belief FARGOINC.COM

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A SURVIVAL GUIDE TO BEING STRANDED ON A

Remote (Working) Island

W

hether you’ve been working remotely for years or the current situation has forced you to make this transition much quicker than you had hoped, you’ve probably come to realize that working remotely just isn’t the same. We are social beings who thrive off of daily face-to-face interactions. But now, with colleagues no longer at the adjacent cubicle or in the office next door, it’s easy to begin feeling like your stranded on an island all alone.

Moving to working from home, I was faced with lots of uncertainty, anxiety, and worry. I had to learn how to work through these issues by developing some habits and items that can ease my mind.

I take lots of time to read and listen to positive or funny thinking items, just as a way to keep myself positive and be positive for other people.”

Here are just a few creative “survival tips” that our team has developed to help normalize their workday and stay connected to each other as much as possible:

challenges that arise when working from home is separating your personal and professional life. Setting up your own “office” or workspace in a place where there is natural light and a lot of room will not only help make your home feel more like the work environment you’re used to, but will give you a physical space to separate your work and home life as well.

1. “Huddle up” daily – There are many unknowns and

BY STEVE DUSEK | PHOTO BY HILLARY EHLEN

challenges that remote working can bring. In addition, there isn’t nearly as much interaction throughout the day. Having daily video check-ins, or “huddles”, helps keep the team engaged, motivated, and interacting with their coworkers and reminds them that they are not alone.

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I was so used to spending 40 hours a week with some of my coworkers, so it is very strange to not have that. I miss the impromptu gatherings in the kitchen and talking face to face to my coworkers in the office every day. Although it isn’t the same, video calls do help because I can at least see a face and chat for a bit.”

2. Don’t be so serious/take a break – When

working remotely, it can be easy to lose track of time and spend the entire day staring at your computer. Taking a little break to call or video chat with a coworker about your favorite TV show, read a chapter of a book you’ve been wanting to dive into, or getting up to get a snack isn’t a “time-waster”, but an effective way to break up your day and give you the boost needed to continue working.

MAY 2020

3. Set up your workspace – One of the biggest

I have my office set up in an area of my house I love to spend time. There is a lot of natural light and I like the décor. Having this physical space in my home in a place I enjoy helps to establish some kind of familiarity, comfort, and routine.”

4. Normalize your routine - For many, working from home is anything but normal. Getting up to do your daily morning workout, working similar hours, dressing like you do for work, and remaining diligent to your “normal” routine as much as possible can help maintain stability during this time.

I try to stick to my “normal routine”, so I get up early and workout, and then get ready. I also try to sign in around 8:00 and work a typical 8-5 (or close to that). Because of all the unknowns and challenges that arise, this helps me to maintain some normalcy in my life.”

5. Make yourself move – Sitting at your desk all day

can make for a long day and, when working from home, there isn’t always an excuse to get up and moving like there is at an office. Hooking up your printer to another place in the house, setting up your space away from the kitchen or bathroom, or walking your dog on your lunch break will help you to keep moving throughout the day.

I have implemented doing something different over my lunch break each day – walking/ training with the dog, exercising, etc. – to keep me moving. I have even decided to sit around at different locations of the house to help feel not as stuck to one space, and put my desk away from the bathroom, kitchen, and printer so I have to get up and move for a bit. It definitely helps break up my day.”

6. Spread some positivity – If you’re struggling with working remotely, more than likely your co-workers are too.

Sending them some encouragement, sharing some good news, and telling them why you appreciate them can help spread some positivity and brighten their day. Positivity is contagious!

Working remotely has shown me just how important daily interactions are and how much they really mean to people. It’s cool to see how simply reaching out to them, asking them how they’re doing, seeing if they need any help, and acknowledging the parts that I appreciate about them can make a difference.”

In this short time, our team has developed some key ways to “survive” remote working and remind us that we’re not stranded on a remote island alone. While there are many challenges and unknowns, one thing is for sure: if we were stranded on a remote island and could only pick one thing to bring with, we’d pick our creativity to figure things out. This situation has definitely helped us to hone that skill!

s that have cal businesse lo e th r fo rs. ve Let’s show lo s over the yea rt a e h r u o d n es a filled our belli

Well said, CVB. Our regional small businesses have served us with a smile for decades. It’s our turn to show the love in their time of greatest need. Thank you, Fargo Moorhead small business community. We will be here for you, now and on the other side of COVID-19. On average, for every $100 spent at a local small business, almost $70 stays in the community, being reinvested to support our local economy.

That sounds like a formula for resiliency.

The Heart Of Small Business

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COMPILED BY Kilbourne Group, Fargo, established 2006

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If you are facing fo od insecurity durin g these tough Covid-19 tim es, please don’t he sitate to visit one of our two food pantries.

The Zoo provides a place for familie s to gather and apprec iate the natural wo rld. In that spirit, we will endeavor to broadc ast two Facebook videos each day from the Zoo for you and your fam ily to enjoy. We wi ll be back.

On announcing the zoo's temporary clo sure.

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ng together, six tmas Décor worki The BID and Chris inging spring br e, and at a tim feet apart, 1 light str o. to Downtown Farg

You parents are do ing an amazing job ! We want to help you. Could this be an art class project or maybe a math proje ct. What about the History of a donut? You get th e idea. It even takes care of snack time too. Do it Your self FUN!

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We love this comm unity and know yo u’re creative and pass ionate dreamers.

We are working on getting a second ph one line added so we can service more customers efficiently during those busy times.

All tips received during these times will be distributed to our service staff that has been laid off.

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There is nobody wo rking in the live ev ent industry now. We got the next four m onths’ schedule obliterat ed. This is someth ing that could crush us.

Livewire is producin g live music concert s online to raise money for area musicians.

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I think everyone ne eds a little glimmer of happiness right no w. Knowing that I can provide that for so meone just by do ing some form of art makes me feel good. on a recent flood of commission orders .

Until we meet again , be sure to wave if you pass by the mall and tak e in the new deco r waiting to greet you at the m ain entrance! We promise better things are blooming on the other side.

There is no greater joy for us than to create a space for our community an d region to gather, and we look forward to doing so again soon.

Home of more tha n 100 stores

ation for go cow is our inspir The @blackbirdfar social distancing.

LEADING YOUR BUSINESS INTO A

Post-COVID-19 World

BY Paul Smith, ND SBDC Fargo Center Director

A

s I write this article in mid-April, I am wondering what our world will look like in one month. Hopefully, plans for “Opening Up America Again” and “North Dakota Smart Restart” in ND are well underway, and many North Dakota small businesses such as restaurants, salons, health clubs and others have been able to reopen, at least on a limited basis, and staff have been able to return to work.

One thing is certain: Even when all businesses are allowed to reopen, the world will never be the same again. Every small business owner is wondering, what’s going to happen to my business? What’s changed (or likely to change) as a result of this health crisis? What will that “new normal” look like for my business and industry? And what adjustments will be needed to ensure short- and long-term viability? How you respond to those questions now may well define the trajectory of your business in the future.

While there is no single cure-all, there are steps you can take to navigate through these uncertain and challenging times and position the business for growth. Here are some ideas and suggestions:

Paul Smith is Director of the ND Small Business Development Centers (ND SBDC) – Fargo.

As an SBA resource partner, the ND SBDC helps North Dakota small business owners to start, manage and grow their companies by providing free, confidential business advising services in a wide range of areas such as business setup and planning, financial projections and getting funded.

The program assists more than 1,000 clients each year through nine service Centers located across the state. The Fargo Center is located in the NDSU Research and Technology Park Incubator.

To register for counseling services, please visit ndsbdc.org.

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TAKE STOCK OF YOUR BUSINESS The first step is to confront reality without giving up hope. Business owners need to identify and manage any weaknesses in their business or industry, while being open to new opportunities that may emerge. ✔ Stay close to your customers. Understand who they are, why they buy your product or service (value proposition), their paying habits and loyalty/price sensitivity. ✔ Evaluate and measure the impact the crisis has had on your business by looking at your key business indicators during the past 60-90 days. Create a graph showing these indicators and update it at least weekly. ✔ Develop strategies that aim to boost your cash position and/or profitability without starving the business of essential investment in marketing or inventory. Keep looking for underlying improvements; don’t just cut costs. ✔ Consider new solutions to existing problems; be flexible and willing to adapt to changes.

IMPROVE YOUR CASH POSITION The importance of sound financial management cannot be overemphasized, especially in times of crisis. While profits may be the measure of success, it is cash that determines survival of the business. Costs need to be controlled to a level consistent with your business needs. Identify expenses that are essential to keep your business running; don’t cut these costs. Review business processes to see whether some expenses can be eliminated. Longer-term and recurring savings are better than short-term wins. ✔ Prepare a rolling 13-week direct cash flow/break-even forecast.

Determine how much cash you will need to fund working capital and make up for any shortfall. Calculate your burn rate (cash received – cash paid out) and your cash runway (cash balance/burn rate). You can download a free cash flow projection template here: https:// templates.office.com/en-us/Small-business-cash-flow-projectionTM01113236 ✔ Work with your lender to restructure/extend any long term debt to reduce your monthly debt service and activate any available lines of credit ✔ Take advantage of government programs or other loans or grants that make sense (I assume by now those businesses that were eligible for the SBA EIDL or PPP loan programs have already applied and many have received funding) ✔ Keep the right amount of inventory. Identify items you must always have in stock and slow-moving items you can sell ✔ Reduce the amount of time needed to collect your accounts receivables; get deposits or upfront payments from customers when possible ✔ Make full use of your terms of credit with suppliers; negotiate extended payment/credit terms ✔ Only pay sales commissions when payment is received ✔ Consider repairing or leasing rather than purchasing equipment ✔ Liquidate assets you don’t need anymore ✔ Consider which variable and fixed expenses are essential to your business. Can you reduce any non-essential expenses? ✔ Be flexible in your staffing arrangements while working to retain good staff ✔ Keep tabs on your personal and business credit card ✔ Take modest personal draws and wages

IMPROVE SALES AND PROFITABILITY OF YOUR BUSINESS In normal times, you can have fairly straight forward expectations about how your business is going to work. But, in uncertain times, you have to throw those expectations out the window. This is where forecasting and budgeting are crucial for the survival of your business.

I recommend creating multiple sales and expense forecasts to explore different scenarios – a best case, middle and worst case – depending on the duration of the crisis and how long it takes your business and industry to rebound. Use the middle case as your budget, and compare actual numbers from your financial statements to measure variances and adjust accordingly. You can download a free financial projection template at: score.org/resource/ financial-projections-template. Or you can use a subscription-based automated solution such as LivePlan: liveplan.com. Regardless of what tool you decide to use, consider the following: ✔ How has your revenue mix changed with the COVID-19 crisi? ✔ What is your gross profit margin on each product or service you sell? What are your most profitable products and services? Focus on selling more of these items. ✔ Try to avoid discounting prices if at all possible. Remember if you have a 15% gross profit margin and you cut prices by 10% you will need to increase sales 3x. ✔ What problem does your product/service solve? How does your product or service meet your customer’s needs or deliver value? ✔ What makes your company/product/service unique? ✔ What are the things you need to generate revenue again? (inventory, staffing) ✔ Is there a direct correlation between sales and marketing?

What are your most cost-effective marketing and promotional strategies? How can you reduce your customer acquisition cost while maintaining ROI? ✔ How can you leverage your strengths and core competencies to offer new solutions in response to changing customer needs? Keep a positive “opportunity in adversity” mindset ASK FOR HELP And finally, seek out help; don’t try to do it alone. You should be in frequent communication with your accountant, banker, insurance agent and other advisers. If you would like free, confidential assistance in developing your business recovery plan and projected cash flow, please contact your nearest ND SBDC service center, ND Women’s Business Center, SCORE office or Veteran’s Business Outreach Center of the Dakotas.

While the uncertainty can cause anxiety, by being proactive and staying close to your customers, finances and operational efficiencies, you can ride out the storm and even emerge a stronger company. Use this time as an opportunity to step back and take a critical look at your organization, refocus and be willing to reallocate resources to seize emerging opportunities. When things pick up again, you’ll be in an even better position for growth.

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BY KATIE BEEDY, LADYBOSS AND WRITER AT TELLWELL

cross the region, businesses and organizations are finding creative ways to operate amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We spoke with a few local Ladybosses to find out how they are navigating this new normal.

Nicole Mendoza

Lead Photographer + Owner Nicole Midwest

“I’m a photographer whose income is mainly weddings.

The whole wedding industry’s hearts go out to all of the couples affected by the virus, and we are doing everything we can! Right now I’m grateful to have a full team, which opens up a lot of dates for weddings to be rescheduled due to the virus. As a team, we’re taking it one step at a time. We send each other encouraging messages in our group chat and prioritize our clients every day to make sure the transition to new dates goes smoothly!"

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Nancy Ellering Owner, Rest Day Massage Therapy

“I own a one-room massage studio specializing in massage for athletes.

It’s a tough time to be in the business of touching people in a small, enclosed space! I’ve been closed down for a few weeks now, but have been partnering up with my pal Courtney Shoemaker with Shoe Fly Yoga Fitness Adventure and putting on Flexy From Home yoga classes. The hope is to keep my clients

stretching until they can come in for some body work!

I’ve also been doing online continuing education courses that I don’t typically have time to do while I’m massaging full-time. I remodeled my studio and have been trying to write some blogs with tips on how to stay flexy while at home.”

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Maddy Gavle Director of Marketing and Media + Hairstylist Salon 3|5

“We were one of the last salons open before being mandated by the governor to shut down.

We really have no good way of adjusting, since our business is solely based around touching and being closer than six feet from people. But we are still finding ways to cope and hope to come out of this strong!

We have been more active on social media and our website.

We also recently started a podcast, Honestology, and will be uploading an episode weekly instead of twice a month.�

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Paula Reyes

General Manager Hooligan’s Bar and Grill

“We are open for curbside and delivery, but have taken a different route to be creative during this time. This applies to everything from discontinuing any outside delivery services to allow our employees more work opportunities, introducing new food styles and specials daily, and vamping up our social media. Everything is self-ran, from making our menus to our marketing.

Our latest project is a Drive-In Social Distanced Theater!”

GOLDMARK COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE IS ONE OF THE MOST EXPERIENCED COMMERCIAL BROKERAGE FIRMS IN THE REGION SERVICES INCLUDE: • Sales and Leasing Brokerage • Business Brokerage • Site Selection and Tenant Representation • Data-driven Property Analysis • Investment Services • Build-to-suit and Leaseback • Ag Land Sales and Auction Services • Partnership Ventures • Project Consulting

goldmarkcommercial.com

701.235.2900 | commercialinfo@goldmark.com 1711 Gold Drive, Suite 130, Fargo, ND 58103

Audra Maurer Doula Rauha Birth Services

“I am a Full-Spectrum Doula and owner of Rauha Birth Services.

With restrictions on supporting clients in-person at hospitals in our area, I have developed virtual services ranging from one-time Zoom support calls to help the birthing person plan for these unexpected changes, to full virtual support for folks during labor.

This can be a very scary time to be expecting and preparing to birth. Some are looking at switching to home births, many are worried about separation from their newborn and/or partner.

Developing new, accessible offerings for all is an important way for me to help birthing persons and their partners navigate this time.�

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Ashley Ham Co-Founder Dear NICU Mama

“To support and encourage NICU mamas in our community, we have started offering virtual Girls Night Outs!

Many of our moms have been living in isolation since October because their children are immunocompromised, and spring is typically a time where they begin to ‘emerge’ into the real world again. These GNO have been a really fun way to connect with each other and take our minds off of all

things COVID-19. We have also been really intentional about posting content that is affirmative and hopeful, and one of the ways we have done that is by interviewing a variety of mental health specialists on our podcast that specialize in maternal mental health.

Our mission is to bring any NICU mom out of isolation—even virtually! We are all in this together.”

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Christina Hemmer

Vice President of Clinical Services Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch

“Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is doing several things to help people get through the crisis. In our residential programs, we are using Zoom to ensure kids continue to feel connected to family and friends they may not be able to see during this time. Dakota Family Services, the outpatient clinic founded by Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, is offering virtual community chats on Fridays at 1 p.m.. for parents and community members. DFS is also offering special teletherapy sessions for those struggling with COVID-related anxiety.

Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch Thrift Stores temporarily closed to keep the community and our employees safe. But we do have online stores on Etsy, eBay, and Poshmark. Our retail operations are a vital part of our operation as they help underwrite the services we provide to children and their families through our residential program, school, and outpatient clinic.

We are grateful to our communities for continuing to support kids and families during this time!"

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M AY / J U N

BUSINESS EVENTS

2020 CALENDAR

Fargo & Moorhead Events

MAY 12 Webinar: The Farm Economy Stable, Rebounding or Declining?

Tuesday, May 12 from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

APRIL 28 Virtual Networking Event: Stay Connected During Turbulent Times!

Tuesday, April 28 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Agriculture is known to be the backbone of our economy. This session will hone in on the current farm economy with debate if it is stable, rebounding or declining. Our speakers will discuss the fiscal, political, adjacent industry, related industry and environmental variables associated with the farm economy. They will dive into how these areas are impacting the economic state of the agriculture industry, as well as how they are being affected by the agriculture economic situation. Join us for a lively discussion surrounding one of our area’s largest industries – agriculture – as well as networking. fmwfchamber.com

Networking is defined as discovering connections between people in informal or formal settings and utilizing these connections for mutually beneficial career advancement. In a time when organizations are navigating uncertain and turbulent circumstances, it is even more valuable for professionals to maximize their value, create mutually beneficial partnerships, and increase business connections.

Join The Chamber for this innovative virtual networking event facilitated by Dale Carnegie of North Dakota to connect with fellow Chamber members and build valuable networking skills. During this one-hour event, you will strengthen your ability to make memorable introductions and utilize a proven process to initiate and navigate meaningful conversations with others on and offline. Not to mention, you will put these skills to practice in the moment with facilitated virtual networking!

Zoom link and participation instructions will be emailed to attendees after registration. fmwfchamber.com

MAY 7 Master Networks-Goal Diggers Thursday, May 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

The hour weekly meetings focused on Master Networks’ mission is to lead a movement of learning-based, service-oriented entrepreneurs and business leaders. Their commitment is to educate, equip and empower their members so that they are inspired to create and design legacy beyond the business. masternetworks.com 122

MAY 2020

MAY 12 ACTIVATE Women: Cutting Edge Marketing Tuesday, May 12 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.

While financing is a major aspect of starting or expanding a business, the journey does not end there, but has only just begun. Dakota Business Lending's team holds both personal and professional growth in high regard and wish to join you on that journey as well. That is why Dakota Business Lending has started its very own FREE “Activate Women” learning workshop series. Learn from entrepreneurs throughout the community and dive into perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of your business: marketing.

Dakota Business Lending 6630 36th Ave. S., Fargo, North Dakota

BUSINESS EVENTS

CALENDAR MAY 13 Virtual Chamber 101: Connect. Engage. Maximize Wednesday, May 13 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The Chamber 101 is going virtual this May! Join Casey Sanders online to learn more about Chamber opportunities, benefits, how to connect with The Chamber and maximize a membership.

Registration is FREE and all are invited.

All attendees will be muted, but Q&A will be available via the chat function.

Instructions to join will be emailed to all registrants. fmwfchamber.com

Fargo & Moorhead Events MAY 13 2020 YEA! Investors Panel Shark Tank Wednesday, May 13 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The 2019-20 Young Entrepreneurs Academy students invite you to the Investor Panel. Be the first to hear what exciting businesses these bright individuals are working on! Local business leaders will serve as judges and award funding in a "Shark Tank" style format. Then you can vote on your favorite business to win People's Choice! We promise you'll be impressed by these students, their big ideas and their plans for bringing them to life.

As always, the students will have just five minutes to pitch their ideas before fielding questions from the investors, who will then determine how much funding to award to each venture. One student will also be selected to advance to the YEA! National Saunders Scholars competition later this spring.

This year’s business ideas include everything from tech products, clothing lines, hair care, dog toys and much more!

Concordia College Barry Auditorium 801 13th St. S., Moorhead, Minnesota

fmwfchamber.com

MAY 5 Webinar: Transforming Attitudes and Actions: How Leaders Create and Maintain Successful Workplace Cultures in Times of Crisis Tuesday, May 5 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Corporate culture affects nearly everything, either directly or indirectly! The culture determines how employees see themselves as part of the organization, how they relate to customers, how they interact with authority, approach problem-solving, how they understand the business overall, make strategic decisions, describe their company's purpose, and more.

This session is designed to provide insight into the mindset of leaders as it relates to corporate culture, as well as the efforts being taken at the highest levels of an organization to address this important issue -- one that's especially important in times of adversity like these.

Join The Chamber for this interactive, virtual session where you'll find opportunities to compare your own attitudes and actions with leaders, whose high-performing cultures and outcomes make them "culture champions." fmwfchamber.com

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MAY 2020

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF DEDICATED, LOYAL,

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

SINCE STARTING THE COMPANY 30 YEARS AGO, WHAT IS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU ARE PROUD OF? “Passing the leadership reigns on to Brian. He has done a fantastic job. His leadership has brought some needed changes and updates to the organization. We are now much better prepared for the future.”

Steve Halverson, Chairman of the Board

Visit our website to learn how we can help you heartlandtrust.com

401(K) • WEALTH MANAGEMENT • TRUST ACCOUNTS

BUSINESS EVENTS

CALENDAR Minot MAY 13 Google Workshop - Get Your Local Business Online Wednesday, May 13 from noon to 1 p.m.

Learn about Google My Business, a free tool for local businesses who want to connect with customers on Google Search and Maps.

Get hands-on help creating or updating your business profile or a simple website. minotchamber.org

Bismarck MAY 13 Leadership Bismarck-Mandan Project Presentations Wednesday, May 13 from 9 a.m. to noon

Each year the Leadership Bismarck-Mandan class breaks into several groups to work on a field project addressing community needs.

The class will be presenting this project Wednesday, May 13th at the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC. Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC

MAY 14 Business Development Series Thursday, May 14 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

This year’s Business Development Series kicks off with two sessions presented by Dale Carnegie in collaboration with the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC. Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC 1640 Burnt Boat Drive Bismarck, North Dakota

bismarckmandan.com

1640 Burnt Boat Drive Bismarck, North Dakota

MAY 20

bismarckmandan.com

Google Workshop - Reach Customers Online Wednesday, May 20 from noon to 1 p.m.

Learn how customers find your business online and how to promote your business using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Smart Campaigns in Google Ads. minotchamber.org

MAY 27 Google Workshop - Using Data to Drive Business Growth Wednesday, May 27 from noon to 1 p.m.

Learn best practices and analyze trends about how customers engage with your business online, then turn these insights into well-informed, actionable decisions. minotchamber.org

JUNE 9 Business Development Series

MAY 28 Business After Hours Thursday, May 28 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The May Business After Hours will be at the Vardon Golf Club! Enjoy networking with other Chamber members, delicious food and great prizes! $5 per person to attend.

Vardon Golf Club

Tuesday, June 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

As the business community begins to recover from the challenges of COVID-19, the Chamber EDC will bring together area experts to provide resources and information to assist businesses as they move forward.

Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC 1640 Burnt Boat Drive Bismarck, North Dakota

bismarckmandan.com

7101 Co. Hwy. 15 Minot, North Dakota

minotchamber.org

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