november 2018
BUSINESS
WITH GARY THARALDSON One of North Dakota’s Most Successful Business Leaders
// NOVEMBER 2018
COVER STORY
24 25 Business Lessons
From Gary Tharaldson
Gary Tharaldson is one of North Dakota's most prominent business leaders. We talked with Gary and some of his employees to find out the secrets behind his success.
FEATURES 8 Editor's Note 10 Fargo INC! Editorial Board 18 Business Etiquette: Emojis in the Workplace Smileys and acronyms have become a standard in our communications but do they belong in the office? 22 LadyBoss of the Month: Jessica Thomasson 38 Coffee with Kara: Orangetheory Fitness Kara Jorvig sits down with Archit Shah and learns what it means to "Be Orange." 44 The Flag What it means to launch a radio station in the middle of a 'new media' age. 51 Faces of Fargo Business Summer Hanson - Director of Finance & Administration, United Way of Cass-Clay Becky Walen - SVP/Senior Wealth Management Advisor, Bell Bank Irina Sagert - Financial Analyst, Sanford Health 57 The Art of the Hustle 64 What Is Really Driving Consumer Prices? 68 Look Into Your Crystal Ball 70 Behind Voices of Vision 73 Four Tips To Help You Practice Better Password Habits
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76 Closing the Gap 80 Building a Website? 7 things you need to think about. 83 10 Tips for Dealing with Sexual Harassment at Work 89 Art in the Airport = Economic and Cultural Success 93 Business Events Calendar
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editor's note
What I've Learned... E
very step in life, both good and bad, leaves us with a lesson. I am so excited to embark on this new journey with Fargo INC!. That being said, I hold every job that I have previously held in high regard. I wanted to share a few things that I feel have helped shape my personal business philosophies and guided me along the way.
Never Overlook the Details I managed at Enterprise Rent-A-Car for awhile. They have an amazing training program, however, like anywhere else, nothing gives you better training than your first hand experiences. At Enterprise, you start from the ground up and you include yourself in all responsibilities. One of the most common tasks was car cleaning. It is so easy to get in a rush and miss something. No one will look under the seat. I don’t really have to crawl all the way back there; it doesn’t even look like someone sat there. It seems so unimportant in the moment….until you have to apologize to the next customer who found illegal substances, a prescription bottle or worse under the seat of the car or in the tray you forgot to check. Never skip the details! What may not affect you could have a huge impact on someone else.
Be Kind You never know what someone else is going through. Did a customer call and ream you out for something seemingly trivial? Apologize. Forgive them. Move on. Maybe they have a sick family member at home or they are going through a divorce. Their car may have gotten hit on the way to work this morning. Their infant might be up all night long and they have no idea what to do to help. Be kind. They will notice. They may not thank you for it right away – or maybe ever – but you will feel far better not playing off their anger and frustration. What’s the old saying? You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
You Can Learn Something From Everyone Undoubtedly, you have someone in your life who has shaped your beliefs and been your mentor. More than likely, you also have a few people you have come across or maybe even worked with, whom you cannot stand. Watch them. Learn from them both. You can learn just as much about what you should, or should not, do from the manager you don’t get along with as the manager you aspire to be. One of the things I look forward to most is learning from all of you. If there are any topics that would be helpful for you and your business, please reach out to me via email or through LinkedIN.
Jennifer Gades, Associate Publisher
JenniferGades@SpotlightMediaFargo.com 6
NOVEMBER 2018
Kayla likes making her employees happier with health plans that offer lower out-of-pocket costs on many of the services they use most. If you’re like Kayla, you’ll like UnitedHealthcare.
Visit uhc.com/ndsd.
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JOHN MACHACEK
SVP of Finance and Entrepreneurial Development
Greater FM Economic Development Corporation
November 12-18 is internationally known as "Global Entrepreneurship Week." Powered by the Kauffman Foundation, this week highlights tens of thousands of events that go on around the world to inspire millions to engage in entrepreneurial activity. As the local curator for the Startup Digest Fargo calendar (startupdigest.com/fargo), I'm in tune with what entrepreneurial events are going and it often feels like EVERY WEEK here is Entrepreneurship Week. While I specifically encourage you to make an effort to get engaged from November 12-18, I really encourage you to check out the calendar and get involved whenever and however. Our engaged and friendly ecosystem plays a huge factor in the success and buzz. And while some like me may have formal roles in the ecosystem, if you are willing to engage entrepreneurs in a trusting and collaborative manner, then you are part of the ecosystem too. An easy first step is just showing up.
EDITORIAL BOARD We at Fargo INC! want to make sure our content is unbiased and reflects the FMWF business community. That's why we meet regularly with our five-member editorial board to discuss local business issues and trends and ensure we are living up to our core values.
CRAIG WHITNEY
PAT TRAYNOR
FMWF Chamber of Commerce
Dakota Medical Foundation
President and CEO
Good news, Rachel Hollis fans! We have opened up more seats for our January 22 event featuring the best-selling author of Girl, Wash Your Face at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. This is part of The Chamber’s Women Connect series and is our fifth anniversary celebration. Register online at fmwfchamber.com or by calling 218.233.1100.
Executive Director
With roughly a quarter of adults in the Fargo metro not having an established relationship with a provider, there’s no better opportunity to promote a community-wide self-care movement than through our P5 Performance workplace biometric screenings. All it takes is 20 minutes for each of your team members to get a snapshot of their health. These onsite preventative check-ups are designed to identify and lower potential health risks that could prevent your employees from living happy, healthy, fulfilled lives. For more information and to learn how your business can participate, please reach out to P5 Director Andy Scott at AScott@ dakmed.org.
TIM BEATON
KRISTI HUBER
FM Area Foundation
United Way of Cass-Clay
Executive Director
Want to give locally, but not sure how to go about it? The FM Area Foundation is excited to launch the new FM Area Caring Catalog, an online crowdfunding tool that lists local, charitable projects and programs that need your support this holiday season. Visit areafoundation.org/ caringcatalog to view the list of community needs and make your donation of $10 or more now through December 31. All credit card fees will be waived so 100 percent of your donation goes to the charity of your choice.
President
This past month we saw the power of community as we mobilized more than 1,900 volunteers to help 500 local senior citizens during our 27th Annual Day of Caring – thank you to the hundreds of businesses and organizations who empowered their employees to volunteer! We invite our community to UNITE in kindness on Friday, November 9 for our annual LIVE UNITED T-shirt and UNITED Acts of Kindness Day. I want to personally challenge each of you to wear your LIVE UNITED T-shirts with pride (Don’t have one? Buy one online at unitedwaycassclay.org!) and commit an act of kindness and flood our community with kindness. And we want to hear about it! Share on social media with #UNITEDforKindness – you have the power to inspire others in our community. Small acts of kindness, when multiplied, can transform the world.
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NOVEMBER 2018 Volume 3 Issue 11
Fargo INC! is published 12 times a year and is available at area businesses and online at FargoInc.com.
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When the temperature drops and the snowflakes begin to fall, we retreat indoors. This is not only where we retreat to relax and unwind, but also where we host family and friends during the holiday season. From transitional tablescapes to fall foliage tutorials, let us be your local guide for everything entertaining this month.
Just because the weather is sickening, doesn't mean your body should take a hit as well. We tested out some fun, alternative workouts throughout town that will make you look forward to breaking a sweat this winter.
The NDSU wrestling program is often overlooked. However, it is one of the most storied programs in NDSU's long history of athletic success. Bison Illustrated profiles how this tradition began and how it is carried on today through coach Roger Kish and his 2018-19 wrestlers.
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We asked you! Do you use shorthand and emojis in the workplace? Never 5%
All the time! 24%
Sometimes 71%
FI: Under what instances would you absolutely not use acronyms, shorthand, and/or emojis? Natalie Gruchow, SHRMCP, Veterinary Practice Manager: In any professional uncomfortable situation. I think it can come across as disrespectful if used in the wrong situations. When in doubt, don’t use it. Courtney, Insurance Underwriter: I don’t use acronyms, shorthand or emojis with people I do not know well or with people who I report to or who report to me. FI: Whom would you use shorthand and emojis with? Tyler Fischbach, Marketing: All coworkers and people I know. But I have to be CERTAIN they will understand it. I maybe won’t send a gif of someone doing ‘the floss’ dance to a 65 year old colleague. Christen Anderson, Interior Decorator: I like to use emojis with clients when I feel it fits their communication style. After a few engagements, I get a feel for that or I’ll notice that they utilize emojis as well in their communications. FI: Have you seen an increase in the use of
shorthand and emojis? Tyler Fischbach, Marketing: Absolutely, I have had entirely gif based convos with our president/CEO. Christen Anderson, Interior Decorator: Emoji use has definitely increased. I think this is partially due to the amount of social media engagements people are having day to day so it’s naturally bleeding into their other communication channels. FI: In a recent study, researchers found that the use of the smiley face or similar emojis did not increase positive reactions, but actually left a perception of incompetence. Have you found this to be true? What is your reaction when you see an email riddled with emojis and shorthand acronyms? Brianne Hoffman, Communication Specialist: I feel like when I instant message, I use the smiley face because it's very hard to instill a reaction through words. I don't want anyone to misread my message or feel it comes across as abrasive. To me, the smiley face indicates it's a friendly request or response.
When do you start to use them? Initial Contact 9% Neither 9%
Established Relationship 82%
Do you feel warmer when you see a smiley in work communications? Doesn't affect me 24%
No 5%
Gina, Fitness studio owner/ instructor: One or two emojis in an email doesn’t bother me, as I can appreciate the effort to communicate tone, which can help avoid misinterpretation. However, the use of shorthand in emails conveys lack of professionalism. In written communication outside of text messages, people should be taking the time to
Yes 71%
spell out words and phrases completely. Cassie Meyhoff, Sales Manager: I like seeing smiley faces in texts or IM conversations. However, if someone uses too many emojis in email communication it can be perceived the wrong way or as unprofessional.
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Advice from the experts
Carey Fry is the Workforce Center Manager at Job Service North Dakota. We asked her for some professional advice on how to navigate when and where it is okay to use emoticons in workplace communications. Job Service North Dakota helps individuals search and apply for jobs, access current labor market information, and provides workshops, job fairs and other online and on-site services for those looking for employment. They also help businesses post jobs, search resumes and access training funds to assist in their recruiting efforts.
Fargo INC: Are emojis and acronyms okay to use at work? Fry: Yes, depending on the situation and relationship. For example, if I am working on a project with a coworker that I know well and I am emailing the coworker about some aspect of the project that needs to go in a different direction, not because of anything negative, but because there is new information impacting the project, a smiley face emoji or thumbs up adds an “all is good” to the message. Acronyms are fine when emailing with those who know exactly what they are short for. We often work with long worded programs
BUSINESS
WISDOM MARQELLE ALBRECHT Family Chiropractor Healing Touch Chiropractic 20
NOVEMBER 2018
and shortening them in communications saves time. For example, The Jobs Opportunities and Basic Skills Program is “JOBS.” When communicating outside of the organization with others who are not familiar with the acronym, using the full title once followed by the acronym thereafter in each communication is standard. FI: Have you seen an increase in the use of shorthand and emojis? Fry: Yes, along with an increase in cell phone communication, which has opened workers up to a whole host of emojis easily accessed. When a coworker texts me that they will be
a few minutes late, I can text back an “ok” sign or a “thumbs up” quickly. The same can be said about societal shorthand and abbreviations such as IDK – I don’t know; LOL – Laugh out Loud; BRB – Be right back. These are all much faster than spelling the message out. It seems that as we get busier and faster at work, at home and as the lines between work and home become more blurred, shorthand and emojis get used more. Additionally, communication is 55 percent non-verbal cues and 38 percent tone and quality of the speaker (aka. 7 percent is words spoken) therefore, emojis can help the listener better relay where the speaker is coming from.
Carey Fry's Tips Use caution when using them with those you do not have a solid relationship with
Do not use them when communicating something of a significantly negative or legal nature
Context is important!
"It does nobody any good to be a lesser version of myself or to try to conform to someone else’s idea of acceptable, happy, pretty, perfect, whatever. I am exactly who and where I am supposed to be. So are you."
now using North Dakota State meat department beef
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President/CEO of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota
Jessica Thomasson
ore than identifying with one particular service that Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota provides, Jessica Thomasson, CEO, says that at their core, LSSND functions as problem solvers in the communities that they serve. In collaboration with Ladybosses of Fargo-Moorhead, we feature different ladybosses across the community. Follow Ladybosses of Fargo-Moorhead on social media to stay up to date with them.
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In a brief summary, what do you do? In my role as the CEO, I get to be the architect of the mission, and I have a chance to see a bit of everything that we do here at Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota (LSSND). It’s my job to make sure to connect the dots of the different ways that we work, to figure out how things work together and to make connections to new opportunities. What’s the best part about what you do? I love the challenge of trying to sort it all out. We do a lot of different things at LSSND we have a really varied set of services and multiple lines of business. To figure out how everything fits together in the environment we are currently in, which we rarely have control over, we need to be nimble enough to find our place. Everything we do involves people. We have to be very respectful of the humanity, of real people’s lives. It’s a great privilege. I wouldn’t choose to be anywhere else than where I am right now. The work is truly enjoyable, hard, and challenging, but I wouldn’t choose anything else. What’s the most challenging part about what you do? On an operational level, it’s figuring out the day to day logistics of managing time and making sure you do the most important things before the least important things, but knowing they are all important.
The best career advice she's ever received...
It’s really important to find work that fits you and to work for people who respect you. If you can’t have that, go do something else. That’s it. You owe it to yourself to do something different.
who are at a fork in the road moment in their lives and we walk with them to find a way forward. We have evolved so much in the last 100 years but we still, every day, help people address the challenges they are facing. I think that gets lost when people think we do “a thing.” What we do is solve problems. What are some of the most pressing social issues you see in Fargo-Moorhead currently? The prevalence of isolation, loneliness and a sense of belonging. It crosses every person we work with. You can frame it in a lot of different ways, but it’s the feeling that you don’t belong, don’t matter and are not needed. These feelings show up in an 85 year-old widower, a 13 year-old with mental health issues or a young parent struggling with addiction. So many other problems
At LSSND, we serve the whole state. So, it’s difficult to make enough time to be studious about the issues facing our communities, to keep up on all the things that I should know about, and to then synthesize the information and prepare the right responses and answers. I have to prioritize the learning aspect of my job. But as challenging as it is, I love it. I would spend all my time learning if I could, but I have a job to do, which means making sure learning informs doing. And as much as I enjoy relationship building, I have to be really intentional about prioritizing time to talk not only with my direct report staff, but also the staff across the organization, and our partners and stakeholders across the state. There are a lot of people to connect with. What do you wish people in the community knew about LSS? I wish people knew that we are truly problem solvers at our core. We see people
and challenges arise out of isolation. It’s a root cause issue. It’s hard to get people to believe that this is an issue that matters, probably because this is an issue where it’s particularly hard to “put yourself in someone else’s shoes” – to imagine how your life would be different. It sounds too simple to be an urgent problem. But it is. And the good news is that it’s a totally solvable root cause issue. What do you like best about the FargoMoorhead area? I’m from North Dakota and I’ve been in the FM area for 20 years. I like the prairie. Fargo-Moorhead has this cool, prairieurban vibe to it. It has interesting places to eat and things to do, but still has a very North Dakota feel to it. I love the North Dakota sky! That’s where I find my peace. Some people see it as blank, I see the sky as a canvas. People tend to associate LSSND with the work you do with new Americans. What benefits do you see for refugees and new Americans who are making FargoMoorhead their home? People are able to find meaningful work. We take that for granted here. It’s not hard here to find a good job. It doesn’t mean every job pays great, but it does mean you are able to get a start. And there is opportunity for advancement if you’re motivated to do so. People notice how safe it is to live in this area. It’s something that you forget to notice. You can go to the park and, for the most part, not worry. You can go to just about any neighborhood and feel safe. For a family new to the area, you are able to find a good life. That’s pretty awesome. The refugees we work with also highly value free public education. We forget about how big of a deal that is! It’s a really an amazing part of living in this country. And the schools here are such high quality.
Must-read books for Ladybosses
There are a couple that I think should be on everyone’s reading list. “Blindspot” by Mahzarin R Banaji and Anthony G Greenwald “Team of Teams” by General Stanley McChrystal
When you are surrounded by people from very different backgrounds, you begin to see pieces of the community through their eyes, and they remind you of things we so often take for granted. That daily reminder to be grateful is something I don’t take for granted. It’s a gift.
FARGOINC.COM
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25
Business Lessons
From Gary Tharaldson
M
y first interaction with Gary Tharaldson, North Dakota’s richest person, came at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday. It was a quiet day in the office. Most everybody was at the groundbreaking for the Block 9 Tower downtown so it was just one other employee and I in the office at the time. From my office, I hear a bell going off letting me know that there’s somebody who needs help up front. I hear from my office, “Is Andrew here?” I trudge out of my office wondering what this is going to be about. I walk up to a man who looks like he’s not afraid of hard work
but still sees the best in the world. In a polo shirt and khaki pants, he introduces himself as Gary Tharaldson and hands me a signed copy of his book. That’s right. North Dakota’s richest man, valued at $900 million, traveled to Downtown Fargo and braved the construction and traffic just to deliver me, a lowly journalist, a copy of his book. And that’s exactly the type of person that Gary Tharaldson is. After that interaction, Tharaldson quickly agreed to do an interview and, boy, did we learn a lot. Here are 25 lessons we learned from our hour and a half interview.
BY Andrew Jason PHOTOS BY Hillary Ehlen
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1
2
Remember Your Roots
Share the Wealth
In 1999, Gary Tharaldson created an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan), which made his employees part-owners in the company. This made a radical difference in the operation of the company. His more than 4,000 employees started acting as owners, which improved their performance and commitment to the company. “My mindset has always been to share the wealth. Before establishing the ESOP, I gave all the employees in my office in Fargo stock in a hotel, even when we were a small company. But I wasn’t able to do the same for all the other employees—desk clerks, housekeepers and managers—out in the field.” “The ESOP helped us become a great company. We went from being a small operator to being one of the best in the industry. We still maintain that today. You can’t do that if you don’t take care of your employees. The ESOP helped me take care of my employees.” “The best thing I ever did was sharing the wealth with my employees. I don’t think any employer could do anything better than that for their employees.”
3Take Lessons From Your Early Years
Tharaldson graduated from Valley City State College with a double major in business administration and physical education. He originally got his start as a gym teacher in Leonard, N.D., and still holds on to those lessons he learned during this time. “I was 21 years old when I started teaching and still growing as a person. Just getting up in front of a class to talk to students made me nervous. I loved playing sports as a student and then coaching at the high school. Competing on the football field and basketball court helped me learn how to compete in business and succeed. As a coach, I helped students become better competitors and people, and I try to do the same as a boss.” 26
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4
Born in Dazey, N.D., a small town with a population of about 200 people at the time, about an hour and a half northwest of Fargo, Tharaldson has come a long way since his upbringing. His father was a contractor and Tharaldson was one of six kids. During his senior year at high school, he lived and worked on a farm as a farmhand. Despite all his successes, Tharaldson hasn’t forgotten where he came from. “One of the reasons I did the ESOP was that I always thought about my parents. They had nothing to speak of. When I grew up, I went to work at the same place as my dad for $1.25 per hour and he was making $1.75. When he came to retirement, he didn’t have anything. I look at my employees the same way as my parents.”
Learn How To Sell Tharaldson quickly realized that his salary of $5,800 a year as a gym teacher wasn’t going to be enough for the life he wanted. That’s when he got into selling insurance. Despite his insurance company eventually taking off, Tharaldson realized he wasn’t a natural born salesman. “You have to remember where I came from. I worked on a farm during high school for only $50 a month plus room and board. I got up at 5 o’clock to do chores and then rushed off to school. The farm family allowed me to play sports, which was lovely, but there wasn’t time for a social life. As soon as I got back in the evening, I had more farm work and then homework.” “The lack of a social life during those formative years contributed to me being very nervous in front of a class when I started teaching. Then when I started selling insurance, I was nervous knocking on doors and I hoped the people weren’t home. I knew I had the wrong mindset. Then I went out with a new manager who trained me, and I realized that, ‘If that guy can do it, I can do it too.’" “It was really a change in my attitude. I read books about positive thinking and listened to those dareto-be-great tapes. That put a fire in my belly and I wanted to do something on a large scale.”
5 Don’t Just Focus On Your Leadership Team It’s very simple as a business owner to simply focus on and reward your leadership team. However, Tharaldson made a point to focus on all his employees. This desire to care for all his employees was one of the main drivers of launching the ESOP. Tharaldson isn't alone with that sentiment, though, as more and more business owners are turning their companies into ESOPs. The National Center for Employee Ownership reported that, as of March this year, there were 9,910 businesses using ESOP like plans in the U.S. That means about 15.5 million American workers are involved in an ESOP and total assets total about $1.4 trillion. “The employees I really appreciated the most were the housekeepers. Back in 1999, wages weren’t very high, and housekeepers were making about $6 per hour. They couldn’t save anything for retirement. But with the ESOP, housekeepers who worked for 15 years walked away with almost as much as they had earned in their retirement accounts.”
Tharaldson returned to his hometown of Dazey, N.D. for a photo in his biography "Open Secrets of Success."
6 Value Your Employees
As described in Tharaldson’s biography “Open Secrets of Success” by Patrick J. McCloskey, once the ESOP took effect, the turnover rate went from about 40 percent to less than 20 percent. “Growing up in a small town made me realize what life is really like for people coming from not having much. That’s why it was so easy to relate to the housekeeping staff and other hourly workers. Typically, those employees were going to be there a long time. I think the type of childhood I had made me more inclined to help other people or provide for them. With the ESOP, employees became owners and they acted like owners, making the company much better as a result.”
No Matter What You 7Achieve, You Will Still Get Nervous
Even at the age of 73, Tharaldson isn’t slowing down. About 10 years ago, Tharaldson’s team built the Tharaldson Ethanol plant in Casselton, N.D. Tharaldson Hospitality Management also has $1.3 billion in projects either under construction or in the pipeline, which is 63 projects in total with 20 that are currently under construction. However, despite that never-ending desire to grow, he still gets nervous. “I still struggle a bit with getting up in front of a crowd to give a talk. I’m going to a conference in Phoenix next week and I’ll be on a panel. That’s much easier for me. I prefer people asking me questions and I give answers.”
It’s Not About The 8Money, It’s About Winning In “Open Secrets of Success,” there’s a quote from Tharaldson that accurately sums up what drives him. “You always set goals, but money is just a means and a measuring stick. It doesn't mean that much to me personally. The game is what I like.”
Photo by Jerry Anderson/University of Mary
“I like to win. When I made the employees owners, it was not only me succeeding but they were succeeding too. That’s the same as it is today. I could have retired, but I love the game. I love my people and the way they think and do things. Now I’m helping them become better off through their association with me. Trust me, I have a lot of great people who love to perform extremely well.” FARGOINC.COM
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(left) Joe Blagg, the Development and Finance Manager, and Don Cape (right), the Vice President of Western Development at Tharaldson Hospitality Management have worked with Tharaldson for 12 years and 15 years respectively.
Photo courtesy of Gary Tharaldson
9 Find The Right People To Delegate To
Some of Tharaldson’s key leadership team has been with him a long time. Aimee Fyke, the Chief Operating Officer of Tharaldson Hospitality Management has worked for Tharaldson for 27 years. Don Cape, Director of Real Estate & Development has worked for Tharaldson for 15 years. Joe Blagg, the Development and Finance Manager, has worked for Tharaldson for 12 years. Tharaldson is great at trusting and delegating to his team to make crucial business decisions, including hiring. “I don’t normally hire anybody, not anymore. My team has been with me quite a few years, and they do most of the hiring today. Even in the early years, we had a set of criteria for hiring managers and other employees. I was not really involved much with that. I approved the applications, but somebody else brought them to me.”
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There is a popular management philosophy called servant leadership. This was first coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in an essay published in 1970 called “The Servant as Leader.” In this essay, Greenleaf defined servant leadership as the natural feeling to serve first and put people at the forefront of everything you do. He also advises everyone to ask themselves the following questions: “Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society?”
“I don’t know why I started being so efficient. Maybe because I don’t like meetings. Servant leadership, I learned about at the University of Mary by serving on their Board of Trustees. What a great concept. I always tried to practice servant leadership but didn’t have a name for it. What I do, I don’t ever see as work. I’m just having a great time. Even in the bad times, it wasn’t really so bad.”
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Originally published in 1982, Ken Blanchard wrote a famous book called “The One Minute Manager.” In this book, Blanchard laid out simple rules to manage by. Those include setting one-minute goals, giving one minute praises and doing one minute redirects. The idea behind the book is to simplify the way you manage, which Tharaldson was doing long before the book ever came out. In fact, one of the attributes Tharaldson contributes much of his success to is the fact that he was always a sole owner and never had to run ideas by a board. “I’m like a 30-second manager. If somebody comes and asks me a question, within 30 seconds, he or she is almost always going to get the answer. I don’t want to waste time. The way I manage a company, it’s simple and efficient.”
Servant Leadership
While this idea has become popular over the last couple decades, Tharaldson was doing this long before it had a name.
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There’s Beauty In 10 Simplicity
Common Sense Can 12 Go Further Than An MBA Tharaldson will be the first to tell you that he’s not a genius. However, he is a firm believer in the power of simplicity. “I have thousands of employees with managers who make the right decisions. If issues come up they can’t solve, the senior managers come to me. The thing I’ve been blessed with is a lot of common sense. The other thing I’ve been blessed with is that I listen pretty well. If you listen, you pick up things quicker. A lot of times, people want to be in total control. I want them to be in control, but then I add something to what they’re doing.”
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Honesty Is The Best 14 Management Style
Stack The Deck In Your Favor A prime example of Tharaldson’s common sense leading to his success is where he put the laundry rooms in his hotels. It was common that laundry rooms would be in their own room somewhere in the hotel. However, Tharaldson put them right behind the front desk so that the night front desk clerk could do the laundry during the slow night hours. This cut costs and worked great for their smaller hotels.
Midwest nice can also be known as Midwest passive aggressiveness. So many people are afraid of confrontation. That’s not the way that Tharaldson sees it, though. He’s found that honesty is the best approach. “If I see something wrong, I talk it through with my senior managers. That’s my management style. Without criticizing, I try to make sure they understand there’s a better way to do things. As fast as we’re growing, mistakes happen, especially in new buildings. An architect could make a mistake, especially since we build hotels for 12 different brands within the three group brands. No one tries to make a mistake, but we have to check everything to make sure something isn’t wrong with a new building.”
“I like to think that I’m a card player who stacks the deck in his favor. I try to do everything I can to increase profits. From finding a site, to the number of rooms we build for the hotel brand, I always want to do the best I can. I always want to be with the best brands in the hotel business. We started with the best budget brands, and as the company grew into the mid- and upper midlevel markets, we transitioned to the best brands in those sectors. Today, we build and operate Marriott, Hilton and IHG brands."
15 Have Fun At Work
Tharaldson has been an avid softball player and that competitiveness has been evident throughout his entire life. That drive to win continually pushes him in business to do more and is why he’s not going to just coast despite all his accomplishments. That competitiveness also creates a curiosity to get to know his employees better. “I truly enjoy what I’m doing and who I’m working with. I would never want to coast at work because I wouldn’t have any fun.”
16 Know Your Niche
In business, there are shiny lights everywhere. Tharaldson could have gone in a hundred different directions with his business. However, he knew what his niche was: limited service business-suite hotels. He was able to drastically cut the normal building and operational costs of running a hotel while still maintaining high quality service for customers. This yielded above average profit margins for the hotel industry. “Here’s what happens: In good times, consumers trade up from economy to mid-level hotels. If money is coming in, people want to stay in better-quality hotels. In bad times, customers choose less expensive than upscale hotels. They trade down into the middle market that I’m in. So, in good and bad times, that’s how you we get high returns in our business.”
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Gary was featured on the cover of the December 21, 1994 Forbes magazine. Photo courtesy of Gary Tharaldson
Tharaldson’s Next Project The next industry that Tharaldson is hoping to tackle is quite a stretch from what he knows, but he’s doing it for a good cause. He’s now working with Dakota Medical Foundation and Dr. Daphne Denham on the Concussion Care Initiative.
their countries. On average, 20 veterans commit suicide everyday. Part of this is attributed to injuries suffered while serving.
The current concussion standard of care is for a patient to rest until a patient becomes symptom-free. This new initiative is bringing hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) to concussions. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is a one to two hour treatment in which a patient breathes 100 percent oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber. While in the chamber, the pressure in the chamber is increased to an equivalent of riding in an airplane. This causes a dramatic increase in the amount of oxygen in the patient’s blood.
“Money will be the driving force to get this covered by private insurance and to a larger market,” said Dr. Denham. “What is so exciting is that it is such an enormous cost savings, so it will happen. We all know that we want it to happen because the students are so much better off. We have students that get a concussion in Friday night football that are able to return to school by Monday morning. Some may need a little more time to fully recover, but most are 100 percent back to their pre-concussion self by the end of the week, especially if we get the treatments started in the first 24-48 hours. Ironically, these students do not ever know how bad their concussion would have been, because we are stopping their concussion from progressing, and what could be better than stopping the brain injury?”
Tharaldson, Dr. Denham and DMF are working together on this initiative to improve the standard of care for concussions. It will focus on ensuring HBOT will be available free of charge for up to 100 local student-athletes. The ultimate goal is to ensure that all children participating in sports will receive the most effective concussion treatment. This initiative will run through spring 2019 and will attempt to answer the question of what’s the economic cost of concussions and the effectiveness of HBOT. The ultimate goal of the initiative is to change the discussion around what concussion treatment looks like. “My goal is to put as many of these clinics in as many places as possible in order to help kids, veterans, cops, emergency service people,” said Tharaldson. “They all suffer from the same thing: either concussions or post traumatic stress.” HBOT won’t just help student-athletes. Tharaldson has numerous stories of veterans who underwent HBOT because of injuries they sustained while serving
15%
The number of high school athletes who experienced a concussion in the past year, with 6 percent suffering more than one. * According to a recent CDC report surveying nearly 15,000 kids
The ultimate goal is to get treatment covered by insurance companies.
While Tharaldson is obviously a successful businessman, his motivation behind this initiative isn’t financial. “Our whole idea of the concept is a little bit different,” said Tharaldson. “We are here to serve the masses, not the classes. We want to serve the people who can’t get it. The soldiers can’t get help unless we find a way. If you’re a large healthcare provider and you’re going to charge $1,000 a treatment, we’re going to charge $225 a treatment. “It’ll be a nonprofit organization but take all the money and find the next thing. If you make a profit, and if you serve masses and you get a lot of people, there will be profit. People have asked, ‘Are you ever going to make any money on this?’ The early couple days, I thought, ‘I don’t know,’ but things are going pretty well."
15%
The number of concussion sufferers who needed academic help a year after their concussion.
A More Technical Look at How HBOT Works
Normally, each cell is able to receive the necessary oxygen for regular function.
This figure demonstrates tissue after a trauma. With an injury, some cells are not able to get enough oxygen. Cells die (black) and some are injured (blue). Blood vessels may also be pushed closed by swelling (grey).
This figure demonstrates tissue under hyperbaric conditions. Oxygen is able to travel to the cells that need it, even if the blood vessels are closed. Swelling goes down, too, which may open some of the vessels back up. Dead cells are still dead though.
After several hyperbaric treatments, new blood vessels can grow into the injury, if needed. All cells are getting better oxygen, so they can begin to remove the dead cells.
27,000
The number of North Dakota high school student-athletes. That means roughly 4,000 kids will suffer concussions this school year.
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Being An Owner Is Like Being A Cheerleader On the last page of “Open Secrets of Success,” McCloskey states one of Tharaldson’s favorite business quotes from B.C. Forbes. This quote sums up his management style: “The most successful executives carefully select understudies. They don’t strive to do everything themselves. They train and trust others. This leaves them footfree, mind-free, with time to think. They have time to receive important callers, to pay worthwhile visits. They have time for their families. No matter how able, any employer or executive who insists on running a one-man enterprise courts unhappy circumstances when his powers dwindle.” - B.C. Forbes “I always say that being an owner is like being a cheerleader, because you have to let your people know that you appreciate everything they’re doing and that they’re doing it extremely well. It’s also very important for the people who are under me to let the people below them know how much they appreciate what they’re doing. This is how we created a great company culture. We have to keep that culture going from top to bottom.” - Tharaldson
Think About Your 18 Succession Plan While Tharaldson isn’t slowing down any time soon, he is thinking about what comes next. His kids will ultimately take over the business and it's a job they've been prepping for their whole life. “We’re building the company to last for decades and my children are learning about the business and will be ready to take over when the time comes.”
19 Know Your Employees Tharaldson takes an actual interest in his employees. He takes time to get to know his 30 employees in Fargo and actively asks about their children, particularly their children’s involvement in sports. That interests goes a long way with his employees.
“Some owners don’t go out and talk to their employees very often. Basically, employees want to know they’re wanted and needed. They want to know that you know they’re doing a good job." “At the corporate offices, I have always let my employees leave work to take a child to the doctor or take off early for a kid’s sporting event. They can come back later and finish their work. It all gets done. This is more difficult to do at the hotels since the staff is there to serve the customers, but the managers on site accommodate employees and their families as much as possible. “I walk around our offices and the hotels to ask questions and thank my people. I say things like, ‘I really appreciate you getting that information to me so quickly.’ Praise goes a long way. It has to be legitimate praise though.”
Your Role Will 20 Change Over the course of his 50 years, his role has dramatically changed. He trusts his employees to fulfill his vision. “In the early days, I was very involved in all aspects of the business. Today, I let my key people run the company. I’m still involved and informed about everything. I’m just not as hands-on.”
What Makes An ESOP So Great As Patrick J. McCloskey described in Tharaldson's biography "Open Secrets of Success," there are four important benefits an ESOP offers.
There are no upfront costs for the employees. Although setting up an ESOP might cost as much as $250,000 in legal fees, the owner pays these. Whatever percentage of the company the employees buy, the purchase amount comes totally out of profits going forward.
As long as the employees are buying more than 30 percent of the company, capital gains taxes are deferred completely, with the provision that any investments from profits are made in American companies.
The owner pays no tax on the transfer of ownership since the employees won't begin to pay for the company until after acquiring their share of ownership.
An ESOP supplies a succession plan. The central idea here is that people who know the company and the industry best are the ones who end up running the company. They also have an acutely vested interest in long-term sustainability and growth.
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Tharaldson's Best Monopoly Advice Since Tharaldson is a hotel magnate, of course he has some sound advice when it comes to playing Monopoly. However, it shouldn't come as a shock, that he hates to lose.
Tharaldson posing with the 90th anniversary edition of Marriott International Monopoly for "Open Secrets of Success." Photo by Jerry Anderson/ University of Mary
"I always want the best. I want Boardwalk and Park Place. But in the hotel business, I didn’t compete with the high end stuff. That’s high end. Really, New York and Tennessee are probably the better properties because you land on them more because there’s three of them instead of two."
21 25-40 Rule
While Tharaldson clearly isn’t afraid of hard work, you might be surprised at the number of hours he puts in at the office. He follows a strict 25-40 rule, which means that he only spends 25 hours a week in the office or field but another 40 hours thinking about ways to improve his businesses. “Sometimes, owners and managers get so stuck in the office, they don’t have time to think. I have always taken a lot of time to think about how to improve my business operations.”
"Open Secrets of Success" Published last year, this biography of Tharaldson was written by Patrick J. McCloskey. It is available for purchase on Amazon.
You Learn Important 22 Business Lessons Along the Way
“In business, it’s very important to take care of your bankers. Without financial backing, I could never have built a great business, nor can anyone else. I built the first 390 hotels without any partners. It was me with my bankers who did it.” 34
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23 Learn From Your Mistakes
Most of Tharaldson's career has been in the hotel business, however, he has branched off into other industries, which was a huge learning curve for him. “The biggest mistake I ever made in business was not following Bill Marriott’s advice: Stick with your knitting—meaning, stick with the business you know best and have a great passion for. In 2006, when I sold the majority of my hotels, I deviated from my business plan and got into several businesses I didn’t know much about and didn’t develop the same passion for. This almost led to my financial downfall."
Know What’s 24 Most Important In Life Despite his hectic work life and traveling, Tharaldson rarely missed his kid’s sporting events. “When we’re young, we think we have lots of other things we need to do. Even so, I attended almost all my children’s sporting events. As we get older, we realize that family is most important.”
25 Treasure What’s Important “One of my most treasured assets is my lake home. Why the lake home? Sometimes kids are always on the run. They want to stop by for a half hour or an hour. Well, at the lake, they come and stay the whole weekend. We get all that time together. That’s why I say it’s my prized possession. We get to spend the whole weekend with them.”
What His Employees Have Learned From Him Many of Tharaldson's employees have been with him a long time. We talked to two of them to see what lessons they've learned from him.
Aimee Fyke
Joe Blagg
"Gary has a brilliant business mind and a true spirit of supporting his team to be successful. He is very generous with not only his money, but his time. I have never known anyone who will drop whatever they are doing to take time to chat with someone who needs feedback/answers like Gary Tharaldson. He epitomizes humility and kindness, not only in business, but in his personal life, as well. When I left Tharaldson Lodging in 2008, I went to work for a publicly traded company that had investments in the hospitality space. After three years with that firm, I asked Gary for an opportunity to come back to work with him. After my experience away, my new mantra was 'I prefer to work for Main Street vs. Wall Street.'"
"I’ve learned a ton from him on just how this business works and how he operates things maybe a little bit different than most other hotel operators to gain in efficiency.
Chief Operating Officer Worked with Gary for 27 years
Lessons learned working for Gary: 1. Never forget to have a solid work/life balance. Quality family time is critical to success. 2. Always reward strong performance. We are a performance driven company. 3. Strong leaders lead strong teams. Always strive to be the “one to beat.” 4. Run your hotels like you are the CEO. Lead by example.
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Development and Finance Manager Worked with Gary for almost 12 years
“Big picture wise, I think the two biggest lessons I’ve learned from him are, he always says to keep things simple. I think he tries to uphold that. Nothing is really simple in our business, especially on the development side, but I think his ability to focus on the big picture and the big goals and not get caught up in some of the details. There’s plenty of people to work on the details. He keeps his eye on the big picture. “I would say the other thing I’ve learned the most from him is risk tolerance. That’s one of the key attributes that separate him from a lot of other people. Keeping your formula kind of the same for choosing a location for a new hotel but, at the same time, not getting bogged down with potential negatives and keeping his eye on the big picture and being able to tolerate a lot of risk along the way. “People who don’t play poker look at poker players, but good poker players will tell you that they aren’t gamblers. They understand the probabilities and understand the math. I think Gary is a little bit the same way with hotels. He doesn’t look at it as a large amount of risk because he knows it so well. A lot of people from the outside would say he’s taking a bigger risk than Gary says he is. Just because he’s done it so many times and he knows it and believes in his people and team that they’re going to make every property successful."
Get Your Juice On An entrepreneur herself, Allegro Group Founder and CEO Kara Jorvig is always excited to talk to fellow business leaders and learn more about what started their dreams and what keeps them going. This month, she blends her love for Orangetheory Fitness with her love for business by sitting down with Archit Shah who recently brought Orangetheory to the local FM area. NAME Archit Shah TITLE Owner COMPANY Orangetheory Fitness
J. ALAN PAUL 38
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THE CONVERSATION Kara Jorvig: I’m excited to learn more about your background in business and what inspired you to get into owning Orangetheory studios in North Dakota. What inspired you to end up where you are today? Archit Shah: I was consulting in Tampa. I live in Orlando. My brother-in-law was going to school in Tampa for law school. I was staying with him a couple nights and he says, "You know what? Why don't we go for a workout?" And I say, "Yeah, I'm not so much into working out." And I said, "Well, if we have to go for a workout, we have to go early in the morning because I don't like working out and you don't like getting up early so we'll make it painful for both of us."
NAME Kara Jorvig TITLE Founder/CEO COMPANY Allegro Group
So we went to this new concept in St. Petersburg, Florida, and it was called Orangetheory Fitness. We walked in at 6 in the morning. The way Orangetheory works is, we're all structured classes. You have to book a class in advance. We actually called a couple days in advance, booked a class, showed up a couple minutes early and got a tour around so we sort of understood how the process works. As we were sitting there, there were members coming in to get ready for class, and there were more members than there were stations. And I said, "What's going on?" He said, "These people are coming in just to see if they can get into a class potentially." And I'm like, "At 6 in the morning?"
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Archit Shah started his first business at age 6 – a penny flier route!
We go work out and, like most out of shape guys, we felt it the next day. But we went back two days later and this time, we went back at 7 in the morning and the same thing happened. There were people waiting there. And I said, "There's got to be something here." The more that I did the workouts, the more that I looked around, I was like, "You know what? This workout actually is for me." I don't like to think when I go to the gym. Like most people when they go to the gym, they go, "I'm going to go run on the treadmill," or "I'm going to go lift weights," but how much? How often? Where do you go? The good thing about Orangetheory is that you have a certified coach in each and every class to make sure that you don't overtrain or undertrain. That was so awesome. I walked in for one hour, I wore a heart rate monitor, I got to see my heart rate on the screen, I got to work out next to different people doing different things and guess what? The class wasn't boring. It was so much fun. My brother-in-law's name is John. I said, "John, there's something here. We've got to get in this." The next day, we called corporate. A week later, we went down to the Ft. Lauderdale corporate offices and had a meeting. A month later, we owned two studios in Florida and were the early developers for North and South Dakota. Jorvig: So you don't even like working out but you are investing in and inspired by gyms? Shah: Yep! I think the world needs to be healthier. I need to be healthier and there
Watch this Interview are no doubts about any of those things. But I got involved in this concept because it was for average individuals. You didn't have to have any special training. You didn't have to know anything, you just had to give us an hour. You walked in, the coach walks you through the entire thing, you get your results, and you get your results emailed to you. You get your results guaranteed for 30 days... who gives you that? I said, "This is the greatest thing." So we started using it and that's sort of why we got involved. We really thought it was for the average Joe. BEHIND THE ORANGE THEORY CULTURE Jorvig: Your gym has a culture and the team here is what really makes the experience. The coaches are unbelievably enthusiastic and highly-trained. How does that align with your leadership and values? Shah: I think that we are lucky to find great people. And like any other place, you need the great people to make it great. We've gone out and found how that relates to leadership. We just go out and try to hire the best based on the values we have. Our primary thing is that everyone feels loved and safe here. That's the whole point of Orangetheory. It doesn't matter who walks in the door, whether it's an elite athlete or it's a person who just got off the couch and this is their first time coming into a studio, we want to make sure that everyone is treated the same. And we do that with our staff. There is no one different in our team; everyone just plays a different role to make sure that we execute that. I think what makes our culture so good is that everyone is willing to work together for the common
goal of our member. Listen. Culture is a hard thing to maintain. Orangetheory itself has got a great culture. When we go and we get trained by Orangetheory, we understand that culture. We bring it down and it's a lot of work. It's concentrating on feedback. It's getting the right people in the door who want to give you that culture. It comes down to people for everything. If you don't have the right people, the right things don't happen, right? And you can't teach somebody to be loud and obnoxious sometimes and you can't teach somebody to be Orange. You just can't. It's in them. And you have got to find those people. It's sifting through resumes and it's a lot of interviews looking for the right guidance, the right diamonds and the right gems. And you don't always get them.
Think planks are hard? Kara and Archit did part of this interview while doing planks, using the rower and more! Check out the video at FargoInc.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
That's how we build a culture and that's how we maintain the culture because we demand that it happen. Our concentrating, constant feedback, members' feedback, going to other studios to see how they function, going back to corporate and getting the juice that they're saying. It's evolutionary. But it works. NOT JUST A COLOR Jorvig: I love that. Getting the juice. So what does it mean to be Orange? Shah: It means to live life to the fullest. We go out and we're all about more life. Come here four percent of your day, get more life. That's what we're about. We're about giving you more fitness opportunities, different ways to go do things so that you can go do FARGOINC.COM
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other things the other 96 percent of your day that you're not here. Simple. It's just to give you whatever they want to go get. But you need to be healthy to get there. So the Orange is to invoke energy. Orange is one of those powerful colors that really brings a lot of energy to people and so when they thought about doing the studio, they're like, "We need energy." This whole place is about positive energy. Orangetheory was born. Ellen Latham founded the concept in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, back in 2010. Along with a couple of other individuals, she took a concept that she was working on called Ellen's Ultimate Workout and converted that into Orangetheory Fitness. GIVING BACK Jorvig: I have noticed that you put a lot of emphasis into helping others and giving back to the community every month. How do you decide who to contribute your donations to? Shah: We believe in giving back but we ourselves don't want to pick winners and losers. So we've gone out and found a company called Causely that goes out and vets all these not for profits. Every month, we have a new not for profit that we end up donating to via Causely and that donation is made via check-ins. So the more times that you check in on Facebook or Instagram,
BUSINESS
WISDOM MERIDETH BELL Safety Coordinator and BIM Engineer Sun Electric, Inc.
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the more donations that that cause gets. It may be a brick for a school, it may be books, it may be seeing eye dogs. The great thing is that it's going to be something that has been vetted and we know is worthwhile. THE JOURNEY Jorvig: You have been a CEO, an accountant, an auditor and in the technology, manufacturing and music business. With experience in so many industries, what are the most valuable lessons you have learned along the way? Shah: Business is business. It's all about how you execute the business that makes the difference. It's interesting to see how each one does it differently but it's all kind of the same. Trust yourself. You get lots of advice from people who have been successful and who have failed and that's great. That's good information but you've got to build your company and your vision based on what you need and from within. You're going to trust yourself. Sometimes you second guess. Like, "I don't know if this is the right idea," but trust in your vision and push through. I think what I've learned from all the other businesses I've been in is that they've all done that. They've stayed true to what they wanted to start with and it's kept them going. And you're going to fall. You're going to stumble a little bit and you're going to have setbacks but do you know where your North Star is? Keep going.
Last month, Orangetheory partnered with Bright Pink! Every three check-ins provided a breast and ovarian risk assessment for women to help prevent and detect breast and ovarian cancer earlier.
Visit the Allegro Group and Fargo Orangetheory websites for more information about Kara, Archit and their businesses.
"I am passionate about promoting engineering as a prospective career option for women at a young age. Employers are interested in hiring women engineers as they are typically strategic-minded, multitasking turnaround experts, and they possess strong organization and communication skills. We need to empower young minds to use math and science to solve problems and promote the multitude of opportunities and benefits associated with a degree in engineering."
CHECK ONE
PHOTOS BY J. Alan Paul Photography INTERVIEW BY Nate Mickelberg
Scott Hennen literally had a microphone on his birth announcement. This serendipitous sign was a calling for the rest of his life. After a lifetime in radio, Hennen and his business partner Steve Hallstrom have branched off into their own business with AM 1100 The Flag. As they dive into politics and cover Fargo-Moorhead, we talked with them about what launching a radio station in 2018 looks like. *The interview was edited for brevity and clarity. 44
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CHECK TWO The case for radio in 2018
(Left) Scott Hennen, Partner, and Steve Hallstrom, President and Managing Partner, of The Flag.
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Q&A You both worked for larger media organizations. What do you see as some of the biggest advantages of operating independently at a station like this?
Scott Hennen
grew up in a radio family. Over the years, he’s had a station in Grand Forks and hosted a show called “Hot Talk,” which eventually morphed into the Common Sense Club before launching The Flag.
Hennen: “I would say the flexibility, the nimbleness... Big is not necessarily better and, very often, it’s exactly the opposite: it’s bad. “My joke is that there should be a humane society for former radio people. Because people are treated so horribly in this industry. And we don’t have a great reputation in FargoMoorhead at all with ownership changes and people getting fired one day and hired the next. So we knew there was that culture already, and we just have a really small, close-knit core group that’s growing, but Steve has built that culture. And that’s where it takes a president, a leader, and that’s what Steve is. “I remember one day when he came to talk to me as we were working on the structure, and he was trying diplomatically to say only one of us can be ‘the’ boss. We can be partners, but somebody’s gotta be president of the company. And I’m finishing his sentence, saying, ‘Dude, it’s you. You’re the president.’ I don’t want that role anymore. I want to do these other things. Ask me if you need to, but you be the decision-maker. “And his first decision was to say: we’re going to treat our people better than we ever
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have. I don’t think I’ve ever been the kind of person who treats people badly, but I would tell you, just from the culture that I came from, when you work for your father in the family company, the words ‘thank you’ are never said. You just are expected to do it. And I honestly never needed ‘thank you.’ “Scott Hennen as program director, that’s in my DNA. I don’t go around saying good job and patting people on the back. I’m like, ‘Isn’t that what a paycheck is for?’ But in today’s culture, you can’t do that. So I think I have as big a heart as anybody and empathy for people, but when I’m in the hunt and I’m at war trying to do a great talk show, trying to get a sale, I’m just focused on that and not on really what you need to do in this day and age to care for people. Steve does that very well.”
Do you think running a business yourself gives you a different perspective into the worlds of the business owners you talk to? Hennen: “We both care deeply about the bottom line because if we don’t have that, we don’t have anything. Obviously, when you say the politics side, I do a talk show. We’re the Fox News of radio. Fox News is an economic juggernaut in cable news. We want to be the same thing on the radio and the digital space. As far as: Do we buy this? Do we not buy this? Do we hire this person? That’s Steve.” Hallstrom: “Scott’s job is half sales, half on air. Then there’s a part where I need him to be a resource to me in making decisions. He’s got tremendous instincts, he’s been around the business way longer. So he is the radio mind of the
place. So while I end up saying, ‘Let’s move this piece here, let’s move this piece there,’ it’s usually done after we visit about it. I need his input on a lot of things because I trust it, and there’s a lot of decisions I let him make just because he’s more qualified than me to make them. There’s probably five to 10 percent part of the time when I need his direction on certain things just so I know we’re going in the right direction. “But I would tell you that even though we are both on the air and we enjoy doing our on-air work, what really drives us is building the company and we serve a purpose on air at our company, but we’re trying to make an organization that is the best place to work for our people.” Hennen: “And I have to tell you how much better I am at what I’m expected to do to perform for the company when I know he is thinking every breathing moment about where we’re going next and what our vision is. That’s an awesome partner. He’s constantly thinking about where do the chess pieces go. Because we’re not sitting here thinking, ‘Hey, we doubled in size. Isn’t this great? We’re the cat’s meow.’ We’re going, ‘We’re toddlers and we want to get to grad school.’”
Both being pro-business, conservative guys, do you think running your own business gives you an even more steadfast belief in your ideals?. Do you think it gives you a different perspective? Hallstrom: “No question about it. Conservative principles work. They just do. They work in a home, they work in a business, they work in a community, they work in a church. It’s not
expecting other people to do your work for you. It’s that you get what you deserve. You treat people right. I laugh a lot of times when people talk about conservatives being all about money and just trying to make a dollar and break the backs of their people. Any good leader of any organization knows that you are only as good as the people who do the work. And so I tell people all the time: I work for you, really. Hennen: “I would argue it’s a competitive advantage for us for this reason: What you see is what you get. We say it on the radio, we talk about who we are, we share this. Where that doesn’t happen necessarily in every transaction. So they know that about us, number one. And number two, I would argue that 90+ percent of CEOs and business leaders in this region are conservative, too. They may be a Democrat, but if you went down the list of: Do you pay your bills? Do you follow the law? They’re going to say yes. They’re a conservative, they just don’t like calling themselves conservative. I think it’s fruitful ground for us to have those conversations and have that full disclosure if you will, sitting across the table from clients.” Hallstrom: “And it doesn’t mean we don’t have hard days and it doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate a favor from somebody else, but we’re able to live out the areas of watching your finances and making sure that your ducks are in a row. And guess what? It’s going to be hard. But you’re going to have to figure it out. And hopefully you’ve built alliances, friendships and partnerships where you can go to people where you can help them out and they can help you out.”
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“And guess what? It’s going to be hard. But you’re going to have to figure it out. And hopefully you’ve built alliances, friendships and partnerships where you can go to people where you can help them out and they can help you out.” - Steve Hallstrom Zooming out a little bit, I just wanted to talk more generally about the industry and traditional media. How do you guys go about assessing new media opportunities and combining them with the more traditional radio? What’s your process for figuring out how to monetize that stuff? Hennen: “Steve’s the best one to answer this because we’re methodically doing a number of initiatives that would explain it, but I would just say to you, in my mind, we in the media need to lose the hyphens. This traditional media versus new media, I mean, come on, what we’re doing is generating content and giving it to people in ways they appreciate consuming the content. And as far as social media, radio was the first. “Radio was the one place that started. When I started KCNN out of Grand Forks, it was interactive radio. You didn’t like something you heard on the radio, you called and you said something about it. It’s today’s Facebook comment. So that interactive media is very rare, and yet we’re considered old, stodgy traditional media. Wait a minute, we were way ahead of the curve. I reject a little bit this idea that we’re in traditional media and we need to do a better job of getting into all these other media. To me, those are just ways you deliver the good content you’re doing.” Hallstrom: “I think there’s a space for everybody. As long as there’s people waking up on a Sunday morning and the pace is a little leisurely, you’re going 48
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to have an opportunity to have a newspaper functioning and healthy in that town. As long as you have people waiting to go see the dentist, there’s going to be an opportunity to have a magazine in your hands. As long as people are driving to work, there’s going to be an opportunity for radio. Not that new media isn’t powerful and has changed some of those things, but businesses that are run well and know what they’re all about with great leadership and a product that stands out are always going to be relevant in any marketplace. “Certainly, the smartphone has changed everything, the internet has changed everything, and so the technology becomes a little bit different, but to Scott’s point, we’re talking about: How do we deliver the content that people want to hear? In an average morning between 6-11 a.m., I would put our product up against anybody’s anywhere, about how much good interesting conversation, how much content, how many new ideas, from key people in the community are generated and discussed on our airwaves. So we have this great section of time between 6-11 a.m., but if you were at work between 8-11 a.m., how do we deliver that? “That’s where you need to be creative, you need to try to tap into all these things, but to Scott’s point: we’re getting away from saying we are a radio station, and we’re saying: We’re a multimedia content factory that happens to do radio and we hope does radio really well. But we’re also becoming a company that
does email blasts and social media posts, Facebook, Twitter, podcasts, things like that. And for the first time this fall, we’ve generated revenue through podcasts and live video, which has been a very rewarding accomplishment. It’s not much, but it’s something. And it gives us a bit of a playbook on how to develop revenue streams that have nothing to do with a 30-second radio commercial. So we build that recognition that maybe they get us for the most part off their phone or Facebook, but this happens to be the day that they need to drive to Grand Forks, and if they’re thinking, ‘Hey, the guys on The Flag are continuing to kick out good stuff every morning, I might as well listen to that.’ So there may be less consumption than there was in the old times, but if a business is run right and you have good salespeople and good managers, you’re always going to have an opportunity, even if you’re pushing your content across different platforms, which is kind of how we look at ourselves these days.”
Maybe it’s overblown, but it seems like Millennials and Gen. Z are taking this extra-hard left turn that previous generations didn’t as some kind of maybe reaction to what’s going on currently politically. That doesn’t sound like it’s much of a concern to you guys going forward and that it’s more a matter of changing minds through persuasion and good ideas. Hennen: “I’d say that’s not a North Dakota problem. That might be something we see on our TV screens on college
Steve Hallstrom
campuses but I don’t find that being a big issue here. Are there some? Sure. I would just say, ‘Hey, we have two groups of people who we approach when the microphone is turned on: friends and potential friends.’ And if they’re not a friend yet, they’re a potential friend to us. And if I say educate, that’s going to sound like I want to brainwash them, I don’t.
worked at WDAY for a number of years before eventually going to Discovery Benefits. When Hennen was beginning The Flag, he convinced Hallstrom to partner with him on the business.
“It is just to be who we are and just listen and participate and I think quickly you’ll find there’s maybe a better way to go.” Hallstrom: “It’s really overblown I think both ways. The great part about social media – and if you have a camera and a phone, you can be a broadcaster – the great part about that is it gives a lot of people access, but what that also does is it allows a few people In the corner of the room to dominate the conversation, depending on how loud they want their volume level to be. So I think we see things happening where we see a group of people who are really inflaming a situation, and we think, ‘Oh boy, that’s how people are on that side.’ “And we’re probably guilty of it on the right as much as the left is of judging ‘everybody’s like this’ and that’s not right either, but you have this never-ending news cycle and now its not just the three major TV networks and the Washington post. It’s every blog, every e-zine and everything that’s out there, so there’s more chances for people to see the extreme behaviors and for both sides to be defined by who their loudest voices in the room are.”
am1100theflag.com Hennen hosts “What’s On Your Mind?” every weekday from 8:30-11 a.m. Hallstrom hosts “The Need To Know Morning Show” every weekday from 6-8:30 a.m.
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Faces of
Fargo Business
SUMMER HANSON Director of Finance & Administration
United Way of Cass-Clay Who she is I graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead with an accounting degree and shortly thereafter obtained my CPA certification. I started my career at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota right out of college, and held a variety of positions with increasing responsibility over the course of 12 years. I worked with so many wonderful people but ultimately felt I needed a change to focus more on family. I began working for United Way of Cass-Clay in 2013 and those five years have flown by. I really enjoy working with a smaller team where my co-workers are an extension of my family and care deeply about their work.
A typical day in her life... I am a morning person so I like to get going early and front load my work day with more complex projects that usually involve data analysis. I have a few meetings sprinkled throughout the day, but the majority of my time is spent working independently, which is what I prefer. My perfect day is one with no meetings where I get to spend the entire day playing
around in excel spreadsheets analyzing data. I am lucky to work for United Way with a culture that focuses on work/life balance. Upon returning from maternity leave with my second child, I adjusted my schedule down to 32 hours a week so I typically leave the office around 3. With two children under the age of 2, this extra time to run errands and get supper on the table takes the added stress out of my life, which means when I am at work I can be completely focused.
How you can help her... One thing that the local business community could do to help United Way of Cass-Clay is to encourage their teams and employees to invest time to learn about issues that are impacting our community, and how United Way is working to address them. For example, this year we produced a video titled “I Wish My Teacher Knew…” which features local students and how they responded to that question. Their answers reinforced the need to provide mental health services right on site within our schools, and United Way is proud to invest to make that happen. FARGOINC.COM
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Faces of
Fargo Business
BECKY WALEN ®
AFC CFP
®
SVP/Senior Wealth Management Advisor
Bell Bank Who she is With 20 years in financial services, my expertise lies with institutional services, nonprofits, investment management and financial planning. I serve on Bell's trust and investment committees as well as numerous nonprofit boards and committees. I earned a master of science in financial planning from North Dakota State University and a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Mary. I also hold the Certified Financial Planner® and Accredited Financial Counselor® designations. I love working alongside clients to help them accomplish their goals. Having worked in a variety of roles throughout my career, I’ve learned that change is the status quo, and I’m not afraid to ‘get into the weeds’ if
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that’s what it takes to meet our clients’ expectations. My husband, Greg, and I moved to Fargo from the Twin Cities in 2004 to raise our family, and it turned out to be the best decision we've made as a couple! In the height of the housing boom, we saw friends and co-workers all around us buying the biggest houses they could finance and thought we were crazy to move to Fargo. We bought an A-frame near Fargo North High School and cut our mortgage in half while saving and paying down debt. (It turns out we weren’t so crazy.) We live in north Fargo with our three kids: Calvin, Ella and Ray. We also have a Scottish terrier/ poodle mix named Frankie who sometimes looks more like a pot-bellied pig than a pooch! We keep very busy with our kids' activities and love spending time at the lake in the summer.
What she would give a TED Talk on I would give a TED Talk on fostering healthy attitudes and habits around personal finance. When it comes to financial management, there are a lot of emotions involved – and not all of them are positive. People often carry perceptions about personal finance as they’ve grown into adulthood – perceptions based on how their parents managed money or seeing their siblings and friends manage money and situations that may or may not have worked out. For many people, the first step in improving their finances is changing their attitude and habits about money.
I RECOMMEND
Rachel Hollis Check her out on Instagram, the RISE podcast or in person when she comes to speak for The Chamber’s Women Connect annual celebration on January 22.
Adam Grant Author of the book Originals and host of the TED WorkLife podcast.
Preston Pysh and Stig Brodersen Hosts of ‘We Study Billionaires’ at The Investors Podcast
Faces of
Fargo Business
IRINA SAGERT Financial Analyst
Sanford Health Who she is I am a Financial Analyst at Sanford Health. Originally, I came from Russia to go to school in the US and get my MBA, but stayed after finding a job, friends and a second family. I am a part of a Finance team that is responsible for supporting the Fargo operations of Sanford Health. As a Financial Analyst, I am responsible for the monthly financial review, annual budgeting and various types of analysis and project. I enjoy what I do and I am very passionate about empowerment of women. Volunteering at YWCA in the finance committee and serving as a board member combines my passion and skills. I also love working with my hands, so doing some DIY at home and volunteering at Habitat for Humanity is another way to combine my hobby and giving back to the community.
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Worst piece of advice she's ever received... The worst piece of advice I have ever received is to imagine your audience in their underwear if you are nervous speaking in public. Bad idea.
What she would give a TED Talk on... I would give a talk on resilience in dealing with judgment and negative comments. This all goes back to the quote attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.� I think everyone could use a reminder of that both in their personal and professional lives.
I RECOMMEND
A book that I love and I think everyone should read is “How to Win Friends & Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. I have read it as a teenager and it changed my life.
One of the best books that I have ever read is “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” by John Maxwell. I could not believe the book ended so fast! I wish Maxwell can have breakfast with me and tell me his wisdoms every day. His advice is obvious and very simple, but sometimes hard to follow.
I would also recommend Dave Ramsey's podcasts. He talks about simple ways to manage your personal finance to be independent and reach your goals. Those three topics touch on foundations of a happy and mindful living: personal relationships, professional success and financial independence.
THE
ART
OF THE
HUSTLE When starting a company, the idea from inception to reality is a long and winding road that often involves long hours, hardship and no income. That's why when starting a business, entrepreneurs often need to do whatever they can to pay the bills until their product becomes viable. We hunted down three entrepreneurs to talk about how they mastered the art of the hustle. J. Alan Paul Photography and Hillary Ehlen
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PETER SCHOTT Business: Genesis Feed Technologies Side Hustle: Driving truck
T
his is a difficult article to write. In fact it's my third attempt in doing so. In the age of social media, we are all too often presented with images of perfect success. We romanticize failures and setbacks. We say things like "hustle harder, grind, fail fast". I met a setback this summer and had doubts about sharing it publicly in the first place. Picture a semi. One of those big trucks you see on the highway. There I was in the cab of a semi, hauling water. I needed to do this to pay the bills. My bills. I was hoping to be drawing a modest paycheck at this point but that had been inconsistent at best. I thought I had failed. We were seven months into our business and we weren't profitable. (Side note: I hope many of you are chuckling at that last statement. Because I am after reading it now. It's funny how worries that consume us can seem trivial or silly in hindsight.) In that moment, sitting in the cab with phone in hand, I had a choice to make. Do I write this chapter of my story with shame? Or do I lean into it and embrace the challenge?
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I snapped the picture, paused, then shared that moment with the world. Earlier that day, I climbed up into the cab of the semi, turned the key and pushed the button to start the engine. As I waited for the air pressure to build, I thought to myself. "If you ever doubted if you were serious about this business, this confirms it right here." About seven months ago, I left full-time work to start my own business. I put together a team of three co-founders to do the impossible. Build a software startup company in the animal feed industry. We had some initial success. We sold our product several times over before it existed. But now we were in a chasm between first release and growth. Cash was steady but it meant some changes were needed. I looked ahead for the next three to six months and realized I needed to supplement my income during this period. Was this the right move? Or was this a sign to call it quits, get a job and move on? I looked at our opportunities, and what we had accomplished. My gut said I wasn't done yet and to keep pushing forward.
I thought to myself, what are my options? An image of a grain cart flashed in my mind. I had agreed to help on the farm for harvest, but that was several months away. Did they need help soon? I called my brother and he needed someone to drive semi. Haul water for the sprayer and some corn to the ethanol plant. I could start tomorrow. Would I be interested? It had been years since I'd driven semi. What would people think? Is this really what I'm supposed to do? I looked at my schedule, made a few quick and calculated changes. I said I could make it. Looking back, I am so grateful I chose to make that call and do the work. I was challenged
in new ways. It stretched my physical and emotional abilities. Reaching out on social media gave me the opportunity to hear what others have done. I was amazed! Most importantly, it gave me an opportunity to get over myself. So what if there had been a few set backs? I didn't need to define them as a failure unless I chose to. The failure would have been giving up and calling it quits. The failure would have been defining myself by those fears and negative thoughts. During one of the darker moments of this, a fellow start up founder encouraged me. He said "this is a chapter in your story" and that I should embrace it. I'm glad that I did.
About Genesis Feed Technologies Genesis Feed Technologies exists to bring visibility into feed costs by giving your team real-time access to the right information. genesisfeedtech.com
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EMILY SWEDBERG Business: Amped School of Music Side Hustle: Baking and Illustrations
L
ife is too short to not do the things that bring happiness. There are some passions that bring such life, excitement and balance that they need to fit into everyday life. To wake up, work, sleep and repeat is not my style. Maybe it’s my personality or the minor ADHD in me, but I thrive on variety. For years, I thought that maybe I wasn’t cut out for a real ‘adult’ life. I couldn’t seem to be satisfied with a full-time job, spending most of my hours on a single purpose. Narrowing my focus and efforts on one project left me exhausted and depleted. I need the interest and color of multiple projects that, when you paint them all together, an exciting yet balanced composition of life develops. Through side hustles, life becomes thrilling and curious while the challenges bring growth and adaptation. Three passions have followed me throughout my life: art, music and baking. At almost all times of my life, I have been balancing my time with a combination of these three activities. One is usually more prominent while the other two are churning quietly in the background. Growing up with these three passions, I was inspired by my grandfather’s paintings on the walls,
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watching my sister play the violin and baking cookies with my father. In high school, I learned that I could make cash from these activities and that was thrilling. I would make a few bucks here and there drawing portraits of my friends or teaching violin to campers at the Moorhead youth orchestra camp. I continued this when I attended Concordia College. I worked on my fine arts degree in front of a painting easel while making a modest college student living teaching violin or spending my summers baking Japanese desserts at language camp in Minnesota. After college and moving across the country a couple of times, my side hustles packed up and moved along with me. With online stores like Etsy and communicating with clients over email, I could move my freelance illustration business with me wherever I was living. When I moved back to Fargo, my role as a baker was called into action and I started up a vegan bakery, Lucid Bakery, while making art and teaching violin in my spare time. Eventually, the number of violin students grew from a couple to a couple dozen and I saw an opportunity to share the gift of side hustles with other people. In April 2018, I started Amped School of Music with Nik Gruber of Gruber Guitars by my side so we could share our passion for music together and with other people.
The music school was born because we knew there were other musicians out there that also needed an outlet for their creative projects. As a musician, life is often a collection of side hustles. Many musicians spend their day at a job that may or may not be related to music, then perform shows on the weekend and teach a few music students if they have a space to do so. It is my hope that the school provides a welcoming space and community for musicians to share music with others while supporting their careers. We wanted a space for musicians to get involved with several music-related projects, from teaching private lessons, instructing classes, leading jams and more. It has been extremely rewarding and humbling to see a growing community at the school as people get involved and musicians are collaborating
and teaching each other while making a living doing what they love to do. The great thing about side hustles is that they are adaptable. They don’t necessarily demand 40 hours of work each week or even a permanent location. Mine have grown more prominent when I have needed them to and withdrawn when life took me in a different direction. My side hustles have blossomed into main hustles while lead projects have taken a step back into supporting roles. The pains of unemployment are often subtle as I have an arsenal of projects that step up when they are needed. For over a decade, my variety of side hustles have danced symbiotically with each other and have allowed me to live a balanced life of both passion and stability. To me, that is happiness.
About Amped School of Music Whether you want to learn about jazz guitar, classical piano or oldtime fiddling, Amped School of Music probably offers lessons for you. They are located at 121 Roberts St, Fargo. ampedschoolofmusic.com FARGOINC.COM
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JOEY SCHMIT Business: Flight Pros Side Hustle: Metalworking and teaching
B
eing an entrepreneur is a wild ride, but knowing you absolutely need a side hustle (or two) to pay the bills is an advanced level of crazy. Welcome to my world, where craziness ensues. I am a business owner. I am a professional drone operator. I am a metalworker. I am a licensed teacher. These are all true statements, and it makes for an interesting conversation when I’m on one of my various projects and someone asks me, “So, what made you get into this line of work?” That particular question makes this topic very personal and something I’ve had to constantly navigate through the last couple years of owning a business. Operating drones is an exciting job and we’ve come a long way in providing customers the best data and experience possible. But, we’re a new business in a new industry and drone work is weather, wind and daylight dependent. To make up for the times when our drones are grounded, I have needed to pick up several projects unrelated to our business.
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On Fridays in the winter, I often substitute teach in the Moorhead Public School system. When times are slow, I also have the ability pick up metalworking jobs – a profession passed down from my Dad. Last fall was a difficult time for our business and the task of finding the resources to survive the winter seemed insurmountable. With the combination of past connections, experience and some luck, I was able to secure a fairly large decorative metalworking job at City Brew Hall in Wahpeton, N.D., that allowed us to keep the business alive and well into 2018. Putting myself out there to the world as someone who works outside my main field of business is difficult. Some will look at my situation and think, “If he doesn’t focus strictly on his primary business, he’s doomed to fail.” Others will think, “He’s doing whatever it takes to keep his business afloat, he’s definitely going to make it.” I don’t know which theory is right or if it’s somewhere in-between. What I do know is that sidehustling entrepreneurs are working their tails off during the day, doing their best to move our own businesses forward.
When that isn’t enough, we sacrifice time usually spent on business-related projects or with our friends and family just to make ends meet. All of the side jobs I’ve taken over the years have helped me better myself and provided opportunities to improve my business acumen. Classroom teaching allows me to help others solve problems in creative ways and manage a group of 20+ people working towards a desired outcome. Metalworking jobs give me an opportunity to work on bidding projects, researching new skills, meeting and exceeding the expectations of a customer, and delivering on-time. Each project helps me learn or practice techniques to help my full-time business reach its goals.
Regardless of how insane it has been with a full-time gig and other jobs to fill in the gaps, I wouldn’t be the person I am today without those experiences. I’m thankful for the opportunity to continue to grow personally and professionally, even if it is by non-traditional means. The determination of the entrepreneur is strong! In the last few years, I’ve been able to connect and share stories with dozens of founders in the Fargo area who are in a similar situation to mine, businesswise. The one thing I always take away from those conversations is the conviction to make the businesses succeed, no matter what it takes. I commend all of those crazy entrepreneurs out there for their hard work.
About Flight Pros Flight Pros uses drones to gather data for their clients. They can do map creation, 3D modeling, HD video and images and a list of other services. flightprosnd.com
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Getting Real About Business w/ Mark Puppe
What Is Really Driving Consumer Prices? Magnum
A
merica’s engine sputtered on September 6; the day Bo "Bandit" Darville (Burt Reynolds), the entrepreneurial blocker who drove a black Trans Am in the action comedy, Smokey and the Bandit, passed away. BY Mark Puppe
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HILLARY EHLEN
Culpability and blameworthiness aside, the Bandit and his truck driver partner, Cledus T. Judd (Jerry Reed), enliven free enterprise fundamentals that every business owner strives to apply. The soundtrack tune “East Bound and Down” lyricizes the “we’re gonna do what they say can’t be done” mentality every person admires. They utilize cutting technology of the times, CB radios, to engage their professional network of fellow truckers, and the stagecoach graphic adorning Cledus’s trailer represents identity branding at its finest. Further, these guys dignify an industry often neglected by consumers but driving our economy: trucking. Nearly every purchased item we own would have minimal initial value had trucks not been able to ensure we, the end users, could receive those items. We’re not going to walk to a car assembly plant to buy
a vehicle so we can go shopping for the furniture we’re sitting on. Consider how mega-retailers like Toys R Us and Sears shut down while the economy blazes. Amazon’s majority stockholder, Jeff Bezos, is the wealthiest person in the world and delivery prices escalate due to a driver shortage with no end in sight. Magnum Holdings evolved from business decisions from which every person respecting their own dollars can learn. Plus, if you’re anywhere near Fargo, it has undoubtedly innovated a route or put a truck on the road to transport something you have personally wanted or used. Better yet for the community and local economy, Magnum celebrates 40 years as a familyowned business and trucking industry innovator headquartered right here in Fargo.
and in developing specific processes that provide value to our customer. That is ‘Innovation with Value.’” Five separate entities form Magnum Holdings to provide long haul service: inventory management, less-than-load (the straight box truck driving pallets around town), third-party logistics (planning routes for other businesses) and another dedicated to equipment and service. No matter the business, costs are inevitably and inherently passed to consumers and increasing shipping prices don’t go unnoticed. Well, costs are increasing for shipping companies as well, so Wayne warns us not to expect things to change. So, where do these costs come from? Matt says transporting a single pallet from Point A in Minneapolis to Point B in Fargo requires participation from 15 employees. Each must be trained and paid; the equipment must be purchased, operated and maintained— and that’s just a cross section of the costs. What’s more, none are unique to Magnum because all carriers pay those operational costs and they are tallied into the price consumers pay. However, Magnum creates, implements and modifies strategies for creating new value, enabling it to keep consumer costs down.
Wayne Gadberry once used a single farm truck to haul grain understanding that, unless he used the truck during the offseason, that asset would sit. Wayne beholds idle assets as intolerable business losses, so he came up with ways for the truck to continuously generate revenue. While others’ trucks were parked, his hauled sugarbeets independently. When no sugarbeets remained, he was hauling other materials American Crystal needed. Over the years, Wayne diversified rigs, routes, cargo and services. which have evolved into Magnum Holdings, employing 900 people and operating 550 trucks wholly committed to the trademarked slogan “Innovation with Value.” According to Vice President of Truckload, Wayne’s son, Matt, “Magnum takes pride in knowing and listening to our customers…
Magnum purchases state of the art equipment such as collision avoidance systems like speed regulators (Magnum trucks can only drive 64 miles per hour), advanced braking systems and high-tech video systems. These and other measures decrease accidents and improve fuel economy. “This means less freight cost for the consumer,” Matt says.
Meet Mark Puppe Mark Puppe develops communication strategies and written content as owner of Master Manuscripts. He has advocated for small business professionally at the National Federation of Independent Business and Professional Insurance Agents of North Dakota, and does what he can to ensure entrepreneurs get the credit, protection and veneration they deserve. His contributed pieces introduce, showcase and personify the real, imminent, yet often overlooked and unknown responsibilities that small business owners experience, endure and strive to overcome.
Matt anticipates testing autonomous trucks within five years and figures Magnum can create the news from Fargo rather than read about it. In addition to trade fairs and conventions, Matt meets with industry leaders, vendors and counterparts to discuss what’s going into products, not just products themselves. “The goal is to learn about the ever-changing transportation environment while being a leader in the industry,” he says. Regardless, Magnum still needs people to drive trucks and that requires commitment and professional know-how. “We try to make (trucking) a career,” Wayne says. FARGOINC.COM
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And a career it can be. New drivers can typically expect $40,000 in their first year while proven professionals are earning upwards of $100,000 annually, Wayne says.
we cannot afford to overlook the volumes professional drivers accomplish before they even start performing the essential tasks we so often take for granted.
However, and unfortunately for consumers, not everyone has what it takes to be a driver. Matt says that although other professions require travel, it’s often the regular, long-distance road travel and mobile lodging that distinguishes drivers.
Consumers have been frustratingly inconvenienced, but few have identified or even fathomed the driver shortage as the reason because the problem is rooted so far away from the consumer. Consider a producer’s inability to get its inventory out the door or off the field. When no drivers are available to haul sugar beets, there’s no sugar for cookies and dentists go broke cleaning teeth rather than drilling cavities out of them. Thankfully, this simplistic chain of events hasn’t happened, but it does reveal how trucking prevents a lot of problems.
Magnum recognizes their employees’ unique character, so when employees want to shift gears in their career, it accommodates them by allowing other duties in different Magnum departments or locations. These efforts minimize turnover thereby reducing the exorbitant training expenses that would otherwise be paid by consumers. The North Dakota Class D drivers license permits and is typically enough to show someone’s ability to drive a four-wheel passenger vehicle whereas just because someone has the Class A commercial drivers license (CDL) required to legally drive an 80,000 pound tractor trailer does not mean they can. Matt says having the rig, wherewithal for the career and a CDL still doesn't warrant the Magnum badge. “If someone wants to work for Magnum as an employee or an independent contractor, they both must fill out the proper paperwork…to ensure they have the proper driving record and CDL. If all is acceptable they will go through orientation and be setup to drive for Magnum.” Training and driver confidence at Magnum transcend policy and paperwork to the point that the business founded its own professional driving school in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. When someone drives for Magnum, they know how and want to drive. That, we can appreciate. It also means
BUSINESS
WISDOM RYAN EVELYTH Owner Nordic Needle
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David Gadberry
Ultimately, it comes down to this: Magnum has established and demonstrates the underlying and universally applicable truths that an idle asset can be either a loss or launchpad and very few assets would have value absent the trucking industry. If there’s any doubt, ask yourself how you would have ever acquired the magazine or screen you’re reading at this very second had a truck not contributed to its aggregate development and delivery. Knowingly or unknowingly, consumers receive more benefits and save more money than we realize thanks to the truck drivers. How do consumers return the favor?
Matt Gadberry
Matt reminds drivers to recognize and understand what a large tractor trailer can and cannot do. Trucks comply with different speed limits, have slower rates of acceleration and deceleration, and far different dimensions than the passenger vehicles we drive. Simply put, save your car and potentially some lives and give the truck room because Bandit can’t drive blocker for everyone.
"There is sometimes a fine line between unnecessary stubbornness and productive perseverance. It takes a lot of wisdom to know when strategies, procedures, and ideas are not working, and then to have the knowledge and courage to act when it’s time to move on or change."
LOOK INTO YOUR
Crystal Ball Analyze your past to forecast a budget for your future
Budgets, forecasts, & projections. All essentially mean the same thing when it comes to looking forward with your business and its anticipated financial performance. It’s a very common topic this time of year as many business owners look to plan out their expectations for the next year. What’s not common, however, is the level of thought that goes into creating the plan & budget looking forward.
The first step in figuring out a budget is analyzing historical performance. If you don’t do this on a monthly or quarterly basis throughout the year, you definitely want to take the time to do it during your budget process. Pull out your yearend financials for the last 2 or 3 years and start looking at specific numbers and trends. BY STEVE DUSEK President and CEO Dakota Business Lending (formerly Dakota Certified Development Corporation)
DakotaBusinessLending.com
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• The Income Statement (also called
the Profit & Loss Statement) shows your revenues/sales, cost of goods sold, expenses and net profit. Are your sales increasing or decreasing and do you know why? Have you been able to improve your cost of goods sold? How about individual expenses – what is trending up, what is trending down and why? Is there anything that looks unusual compared to previous years? What is your profit trend? • The Balance Sheet shows what you own & what you owe. Do you have more cash in the bank than last year or less? Are accounts receivable more or less than last year? Did you purchase more assets? Did you increase your debt? Were you able to book a net profit to increase your equity in the business? • The Cash Flow Statement shows cash in and cash out for the year. Were you able to fully fund business operations
from normal business cash flow or did you require using an operating line to get through seasonal peaks & valleys? Did you end the year with more cash than you started?
Once you see the actual numbers and trends, that gives you the basis for moving forward. Based on where you are today, where do you want to go in the next year? That is the question the starts the budget or forecasting process. There are so many more things to dive into when analyzing the past and determining the future. See my list to the side for more considerations to look at. As you work through these considerations, decide what are the most important accomplishments in the next year and their impact on your business. Pick a handful of objectives that you want to achieve for the year. Then build the revenues & costs into your plan and go do it! According to Benjamin Franklin: “Failing to plan, is planning to fail.” While it’s rare that plans ever go exactly as planned, what’s important is charting your course. If you don’t have a plan, you won’t know if you are doing as well as you could, or you are allowing your business to just happen and be controlled by others. It’s ok to change your plans as you go and then of course, revised your budget and forecasts so you can see what the impact of those decisions will be. You are in business to provide a product or service at a profit so that you can be rewarded for all your hard work. If there’s anything that could even come close to showing you the future, your plan & budget are likely as close as it gets!
HIGH-LEVEL ITEMS TO THINK ABOUT 1 Increasing sales. How are you going to increase sales? New products or services? How will they be priced? More sales of existing products or services? How will you accomplish that – more marketing? Will it require additional staffing?
2 Reducing COGS. Can you negotiate better prices with your suppliers? Can you purchase at a better price from another vendor? Are you able to gain direct labor efficiencies by purchasing equipment?
3 Staffing needs & costs. Do you need more (or less) staff than currently? If so, how many people, working how many hours at what rate of pay? Plus benefit costs & payroll taxes!
4 Controlling expenses. Are any expenses going to increase for a specific reason? Or are there any expenses that are too high that can be reduced.
5 Capital purchases. Do you need any equipment, vehicles, furniture or event purchase of real estate? How will you pay for it?
6 Improving inventory turns. Are you sitting on too much inventory? Can you reduce it an improve available cash by having less tied up in inventory?
7 Reducing accounts receivable. Can you change your billing policies to get cash from accounts receivable sooner? Are your receivables being monitored – perhaps you need someone to even just make calls or send reminders on past due invoices.
Behind
Voices of Vision
By Craig Whitney | Craig Whitney is the president and CEO of the Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo Chamber of Commerce.
Easily one of my favorite events all year is The Chamber’s Voices of Vision. It’s also our largest event of the year and draws in about 1,000 people to hear from national names.
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History The idea started back when I worked for the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, where we had launched a similar event series. Because of the size of the market, we hosted nine events a year there. But compared to a big metro with big speakers a dime a dozen, here I noticed that the opportunity wasn’t there for professionals to get access to big names. One of my first items of business when I came to Fargo was to launch Voices of Vision with this in mind. Of course, because our market is smaller, we only host one a year, but regardless, the event is gaining momentum and popularity year after year.
Selection process Our aim with these events is to bring in big names that most people recognize. Cultural relevance is important. We look for people who are accomplished, with interesting stories and advice for our attendees. Often past speakers have included athletes, politicians or military leaders. Newsmakers, movers and shakers. But all of them have ties to business ventures and entrepreneurship.
Every year, we ask our members for suggestions who they want to see. We compile a list and I go over it with our events director to narrow down who we think a wide range of people would Concept be interested in, who we think we can Voices of Vision is an annual event that get and afford. We keep a running list brings nationally known thought-leaders year to year, watching who is relevant, to the community. It brings interesting, in the news or together people of all walks of talked about. Sometimes, we The lineup life to hear from others with have existing connections to 2017 incredible stories. Through this, speakers (like Shaq’s college Shaquille O’Neal we hope to not only expose basketball coach with North our members to these highDakota ties), and other times, 2016 profile individuals, but give the our work begins with an agent Robert O’Neil same individuals the chance to or speaker’s bureau. 2015 see and experience our great Rudy Giuliani community. Hopefully they (Behind-the-scenes) 2014 are so impressed that they tell Speaker stories Terry Bradshaw their network how great it is in I asked my staff to share with FMWF. me some of their favorite 2013 moments and stories from the Jeb Bush Like all our signature events, years. One of the favorites for 2012 we host the event over lunch all was Terry Bradshaw, who Joe Theismann and have opportunities for graciously spent extra time networking as well. Employees 2011 talking to attendees seated in Bob Woodward of our top-level sponsors even the overflow room. His largerget private photo opportunities than-life personality made for 2010 with the speaker. great stories and laughs all Lt. Col Oliver North
around. On his way out, he flashed us the Bison horns from the vehicle. A photo of it is hanging in our events director’s office. Oliver North went pheasant hunting in western North Dakota just days before our event. Our VP says he had a very pleasant conversation with him in the car when he picked him up at the airport. Joe Theismann had dinner with his friend/ former Washington Redskins player Darwin Robinson who works at Ihry Insurance, at Doolittle’s the night before his presentation. Jeb Bush sent a personal thank you letter to me after the event, commenting on how well run it was. Mike Thomas’ 10-year-old son also sent us a letter saying that meeting Jeb was the best day of his life. The night before his event, Rudy Giuliani was trying to watch the GOP debate at his hotel. Turns out they didn’t have the channel, so our VP arranged a TV and spot for him to watch it at the Fargo Country Club. Our events director said that watching Rudy watch the debate was like watching most men watch football. The year after that, we lost Rob O’Neill (a SEAL Team Six leader who was responsible for Osama bin Laden) at one point! Turns out he was running behind in his schedule, and when our staff went to check on him, they found him starting to change in the hallway outside his hotel room, which he had been locked out of. Before that, a veteran who works at Western State Bank gave Rob a “bracelet” and thanked him for his service. He was
seen wearing the same bracelet still on FOX News later. Last year, Shaq provided endless stories for our team. We provided him with a gift basket of local goods in his green room, and during the event, he gave Dot’s Pretzels quite the shout-out. Afterward, he received several boxes of Dot’s to his house. While backstage, he hung out with his uncle who had traveled with him. His request while back there? McDonald’s! His order was 24 McNuggets, a double cheeseburger, a Big Mac, supersized fry and a Diet Coke. Shaq’s humility and easy-going, laid-back nature was a bit of a surprise for our team, but as we learned from his presentation, Shaq is a character for the media, but Shaquille O’Neal is a pretty average guy. Shaq even made a point to introduce himself to, and thank, the servers and staff at the facility. Coming November 14: Danica Patrick This year, we’re thrilled to welcome our first female speaker, professional race car driver Danica Patrick. Tickets and tables have already sold out, and we’re so grateful for the growing interest in this series and speaker! Stay tuned to see who we bring next year for our tenth annual event! Please feel free to reach out with suggestions who you’d like to see next.
FMWF Chamber of Commerce FMWFChamber.com 202 1st Ave. N, Moorhead
PRESENTED BY
SECURITYONPOINT
4 TIPS TO HELP YOU PRACTICE BETTER PASSWORD HABITS ******** _ *********** _
*************** _
As a penetration tester, I am tasked with testing a company's cyber security by attempting to penetrate the network, or in other words, ethically hacking the network. The idea is to think like the bad guys and try to hack into a company to identify weaknesses before the bad guys find them. This often includes a lot of scanning and maybe some exploiting, but my favorite thing to go after is passwords. If I can guess or steal your password, then as far as a computer or application is concerned, I am you.
By Jamie Maguire
High Point Networks is a value-added reseller (VAR) of information technology providing solutions to both the SMB and enterprise level markets in the upper Great Plains. They offer organizations best-in-class voice and data networking solutions, supported by the best professional services team in the region. Their solutions solve real challenges and provide measurable return on investment.
highpointnetworks.com • 728 E Beaton Dr, West Fargo FARGOINC.COM
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DO Use a password Manager to create unique passwords for your accounts
DON'T Reuse the same password for all your accounts
1. Check yourself Security Researcher and Microsoft MVP, Troy Hunt, runs a website called “Have I been pwned?” Troy collects and aggregates data breaches and allows you to search them by visiting haveibeenpwned.com. In addition, the site will allow you to search for compromised accounts by domain. For example, if I can prove I am from High Point Networks, the site will provide a report of anyone in a data breach with an “@highpointnetworks.com” email address. This can be useful for educating staff and coworkers on the risks of password reuse. Troy’s site also provides a search for compromised passwords. So, you could enter a password and see if it shows up in any data breaches. However, I never recommend throwing any of your current passwords into any websites that claim to check the strength of your password or something like this. If you think your password may be compromised, you should change it first then enter the old password into Troy’s website. 74
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Create longer passwords or passphrases (15 characters is a good start)
Create predictable passwords such as: Password1, Winter2018 or P@ssw0rd. Hackers know that people often create the easiest passwords to remember and will try to guess these passwords.
Use Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) whenever possible. MFA is a separate application that uses a push notification when you log into your accounts. MFA Apps are available from Microsoft, Google and Duo and can be found in the app store on Apple and Android devices.
Share your passwords. Your passwords should be kept private. Password Managers such as Last Pass allow you to securely share passwords for shared accounts.
PRESENTED BY
******** _
WalkTheBlackDog@ MyFavoriteColorI$Blue
FishTomatoShoeTree
2. Turn on MFA Multifactor Authentication, or MFA, is a second layer of security required to log into an account. This may be a PIN delivered by text message or phone call, or a separate app on your cell phone that prompts you with a push notification. The advantage to MFA is that, even if a scammer has your username and password, they will not be able to access your accounts without the second factor. At a minimum, consider using MFA on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. All banking, shopping sites such as Amazon and personal email such as Yahoo or Gmail are a must for MFA. Most common websites support MFA. Visit twofactorauth.org for a complete listing of websites that support MFA.
3. Get a password manager Password managers make it easier to create and manage unique passwords for each website that you use. When you begin to log into a website some password managers automatically fill in your credentials by using a browser extension, or you may copy and paste your credentials from the password manager itself. Is this a perfect solution? No, you are quite literally putting all your eggs in one basket. However, I believe passwords managers are better than the alternative, which is reusing the same password everywhere, creating predicable passwords or writing passwords down on post-it notes. When selecting a password manager, make sure they support MFA, and use a strong passphrase to access the password manager. Common password managers you might consider are LastPass, 1Password or KeePass. All of which are available in free and paid subscriptions.
4. Think in Passphrases Longer passwords are generally stronger, and we recommend that people start to think in passphrases rather than passwords. Generally, a good passphrase should be around 15 characters, but could be longer. That may sound intimidating and hard to remember but by easing off on the complexity and focusing on length, I think anyone can get there. For example, my dogs name is Frank, so in the past I may have created a password like: “Frank22!” This password may meet most complexity requirements. However, it’s only eight characters in length and can be easily cracked. A stronger passphrase might be something like “Walk frank twice a day.” This passphrase is 22 characters long and contains an uppercase character, lowercase characters and special characters which should still satisfy most complexity requirements. (Also, please don’t use these examples as your password!)
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Workforce
CLOSING THE GAP It is no secret that labor quality, skills and talent shortages are a top national concern. The “National Federation of Independent Businesses said 23 percent of small-business owners cited labor quality as their most pressing issue, the highest since 2000.” Continued trends of North Dakota’s competitive workforce challenges continue to be the top barrier to economic growth of recruitment, retaining and growing talent. According to the recent North Dakota Workforce Survey, the top five industries expecting to create the most jobs from 2019-2023 in North Dakota include healthcare, mining, construction, manufacturing and retail trade with an expected total job creation across all industries to be 14,191 in 2019. BY BRENDA JOHNSON
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TOP TEN WAYS
organizations can participate in closing the gap 1
A
mong the North Dakota Workforce Survey (2018), which was sponsored and supported by North Dakota Development Council, Greater North Dakota Chamber and NDSU’s Center for the Study of Public Choice and Private Enterprise (PCPE), found some key findings relating to why organizations are struggling to find top talent in North Dakota: • 28 percent of job openings go unfilled for longer than three months. • Almost half of North Dakota hiring managers see the inability to hire and retain workers as an issue for impairing company growth. • 48 percent of hiring managers view high wage demands and a limited talent pool as a barrier to hiring key workers. • 75 percent of hiring managers have no formal training budget. According to the Census Bureau, insufficient supply of labor and skill was a primary reason why manufactures are operating below capacity. According to Industry Week (October 4, 2018), manufacturing is in the midst of a new industrial revolution that requires a workforce equipped with new, advanced technology skills,” said Jeannine Kunz, vice president, Tooling U-SME. “Putting learning
Provide on-the-job experience, such as internships and participate in advisory boards to establish curriculum and development on the back burner is not an option for companies that want to succeed in today's everchanging and increasingly competitive world." Workforce must be a strategic priority, the Industry Pulse: 2018 Manufacturing Workforce Report, stated. Many industries in the US are facing acute skills shortage and looking at creative solutions to solve this challenge through recruitment strategies, talent transformation through radical reskilling their workforce, academic partnerships and creating a learning culture. In the Harvard Business Review “AT&T’s Talent Overhaul,” John Donovan and Cathy Benko talks about AT&T talent transformation of reskilling, “AT&T’s chief strategy officer and group president, John Donovan, describes how AT&T is in a sprint to reinvent itself as its industry moves from cable to the cloud. Rather than hiring new talent wholesale, AT&T has chosen to rapidly reskill more than a hundred thousand of its current employees.” Engagement during a talent transformation is how organizations unlock workforce potential, AT&T was “deliberate in mapping out a blueprint of the future capabilities they will need.” They have also been transparent with their employees about future
2
Implement apprenticeship programs for intense job training 3
Partner with K-12 programs to offer early exposure to career path concepts 4
Support certifications and credentials to validate skills and knowledge 5
Implement effective method and assessments of evaluating the skills and competencies of pipeline candidates 6
Incorporate mentorship program with students (middle school, high school, post-secondary) 7
Establish defined career paths for employees 8
Positive candidate and employee experience during recruitment and on-boarding 9
Tuition reimbursement programs 10
Effective succession planning
prospects by communicating messages such as: “We currently have thousands of hardware engineers, and a few years from now, we’ll probably only need a few hundred or less. If you choose to, we’ll provide you with the opportunity to acquire more contemporary, relevant skills and continue your career journey here. You may elect not to, but be on notice that the further down the road we get, the less likely it will be that we’ll need your services.” As an employee, when you hear these messages such as what AT&T shared “there’s only one CEO of each of our careers—ourselves. And, as CEO, each one of us is responsible for playing an active role in ensuring the relevance of our skills and the continued cultivation of our careers. One way to do so is to periodically market skills and capabilities, growing those skills that are market relevant.” (“The Solution to the Skills Gap Could Already Be Inside Your Company” written by Eben Harrell). Academic partnerships are a way that employers support their workforce to acquire various skills and certifications. In Timm Runnion and Ivana Gibson’s Harvard Business Review article, “Companies Can Address Talent Shortages by Partnering with Educators” shared that “one approach that
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RESOURCES TO CONSIDER
for various training efforts and partnerships trainingnd.com has proven to be successful in recent years consists of targeted partnerships between business and education. To facilitate these, companies typically begin by assessing their human capital needs and job requirements, and then collaborate with schools to produce workers with the needed skills.” North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS), TrainND and several other academic institutions partner with several organizations on academic programing to provide to their workforce. Many organizations offer tuition reimbursement to support career growth of their workforce. A unique example is Amazon’s tuition assistance Career Choice program, “What makes the program unique is that it recognizes that while some individuals will make their careers at Amazon, others will use it as a stepping stone to something else. Career Choice embraces this, providing employees with opportunities for skills and training that lead to career betterment. Through this program, Amazonians are becoming nurses, pharmacy
BUSINESS
WISDOM ANDREW ABERNATHEY Founder and CEO Ritaway Capital Management
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technicians, IT helpdesk professionals and commercial truck drivers—all job fields that are in high demand, and that provide opportunities for personal and professional growth.” This approach may or may not be an option for your organization, but it demonstrates a creative approach to helping to close the skill gap. Another well-known organization, Microsoft, focuses on an online learning and hands-on-labs approach. Microsoft offers enterprise developer-focused AI program, which “provides job-ready skills and real-world experience to engineers and others who are looking to improve their skills in AI and data science through a series of online courses that feature hands-on labs and expert instructors,” (“Can Microsoft Close The Skills Gap With AI Training Course” by April Slattery). Not only are organizations prioritizing academic partnerships, other organizations are looking at succession planning and recruitment. Duke Energy is focusing on modernizing
ndsbdc.org/training.cfm business.nd.gov/ resources/ WorkforceTraining trainingnd.com/womenowned-business/ndwomens-business-center linkedin.com/learning/me lynda.com doleta.gov/oa/employers/ apprenticeship_toolkit.pdf Job Service of North Dakota: “The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is a federally funded program that provides training assistance to eligible individuals.” jobsnd.com/ individuals/training
For more information on the subject, contact your HR or Organizational Development team, or reach out to me through LinkedIn or b.johnsonconnect@ gmail.com
book recommendation “Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings” by Philip A. Fisher
their internal systems and succession planning. Duke Energy predicts that 9 percent of their employees will retire or exit the organization by 2021 and, to solve for this, they launched a Veteran Recruitment Strategy, which is a commitment to diversity, inclusion and emphasized their commitment supporting veterans in the workforce. Duke Energy is using this recruitment and succession planning approach to build a skilled and capable pipeline of top talent. Organizations recognize the necessity to being dedicated to closing the gap, it is a work in progress, a nationwide effort across government, private sector, academic and training institutions. IBM said it well, “this is not about white collar vs. blue collar but about the “new-collar” jobs employers in many industries demand, but remain largely unfilled. To create 'new collar' jobs, we will need new kinds of collaboration involving federal and state governments, public school systems, community colleges, private business across multiple industries.”
The Startup Journey A BLOG By Josh Christy Photo courtesy of "The Startup Journey"
Josh Christy is the Founder and CEO of Codelation, who specializes in making the web work for businesses through web, app, and custom software development.
Building a Website? 7 things you need to think about Many people when starting a new site or a redesign make the assumption that a new site will drive new sales. This is rarely true, a new site can help you gain better rankings in Google or look better on mobile, but it rarely drives new sales without driving additional traffic. We’ve found that by asking a few simple questions you can avoid issues like the above plus many others. Check out these 7 things that you need to think about when designing a new site.
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WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE SITE? Are you looking to get new leads? Sell things online? Grow your brand awareness? Any of this is possible but you need to make sure that you are asking the right questions before you get started. If you are looking to drive new business, ask the person building the site what their experience is growing an email list or getting better Google rankings. Ask what are the steps that you should be taking now, while your site is being built, to better see results. If you are clear on the front end of the project, it is a lot easier to measure results once the site is done.
IN HOUSE, AGENCY OR FREELANCER?
BUILD AND LAUNCH OR ONGOING SUPPORT?
WHO IS GOING TO PROVIDE THE CONTENT?
This one falls right behind content as one of the biggest assumptions that people make. If you are looking for an outside vendor or team to help you build your site make sure that you are on the same page as to who makes updates and what is included in the contract. Many vendors offer a 6 or 12 month support contract in addition to the build of the site. Make sure to ask how much time is included or what services are provided as part of the contract as well as how quickly the updates will happened when requested. There are also many companies that don’t support the site once launched, so make sure to ask.
This is probably the biggest misassumption that we see. There are a lot of companies that can help you write the content for your site, and some won’t touch it at all. Make sure you ask if your proposal includes copywriting services or if it is on you to provide. My biggest recommendation, even if copywriting services are included, is to make sure that you provide the overall direction as to what your company does, who it does it for and why they are your client. It is a good measuring stick to make sure that your branding and messaging stays true.
TO THEME OR NOT TO THEME?
BACKUPS AND MALWARE
HOSTING AND OWNERSHIP
Using a theme is potentially a way to save some money and time for your project. If you are looking to use a theme, or have a vendor that is recommending that they do so, make sure that you know how it can be customized for your needs. Ask your vendor or team if they have experience with using this theme before, if they don’t have experience you might be signing up for a tougher project than you think. The same goes for plugins or additional functionality on your site, make sure that you know how they work and will fit into your business goals. For example if your contact form integrates directly into your CRM, versus sending an email to your office manager. Both get the lead to you, but one is much better.
What happens when the unexpected happens? Your site gets hacked or infected with malware, who’s responsible for cleaning it up? Are there backups of your site in case that you can’t get everything clean? These are the things that you don’t want to have to think about, but you need to know who’s responsible in case this happens. In the same way that you should ask your provider if they are using a theme and familiar with it, does your provider have experience with cleaning up a hacked site. This transitions into our final thing, hosting and ownership.
Many times the provider that builds the website doesn’t host the website. If they do ask about who owns the hosting account, are you paying them and then they pay the hosting company? This might not seem like a big deal, but what happens if your web provider goes out of business? Does your website suddenly get taken offline? This is the same for who owns the intellectual property of the site and who’s responsibility is it to store the backups of the code. Make sure that you have direct access to the hosting at all times even if you don’t need it right now.
There is no right or wrong answer in terms of who builds the site. You might have a great marketing department within your business that can help get the site up and going – but that doesn’t mean that they necessarily have the ability to put a site together for you that is able to give you the competitive edge you are looking for – or that it is really even the best use of their time. Remember, one lead that converts into a client might be all it takes to pay for an external freelancer or agency to build the site for you. An agency has more resources that can help with other services such as marketing, custom development or social. A freelancer would be a cheaper option as they don’t have the same overhead as an agency. Keep all of this in mind when making your selection as price is one of the main factors in selecting an outside vendor, but keep in mind how expensive it could be if you don’t get what you are looking for and have to go through the process again.
Are you planning on tackling a new website project? Download our free checklist on how to make an apples to apples proposal comparison at codelation.com/website-checklist FARGOINC.COM
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11 Tips for Dealing with
Sexual Harassment @ Work
F
or the last 11 years, attorney Josh Heggem has represented employers in workplace investigations. One area that he specializes in is sexual harassment claims. Over the last couple years, there has been an increased focus on sexual harassment as more and more women speak up. This increased exposure is creating a national conversation, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. "I get asked a lot, 'Have you been getting more sexual harassments complaints in the last year since the Me Too movement or Harvey Weinstein?'" said Heggem. "I would say no. It’s always been there. What’s been different, from my perspective, is the mindset everybody has toward sexual harassment. I spend a lot less time convincing my clients to actually do something about it. One of my points is investigate it. Don’t ignore it. I spend a lot less time convincing CEOs and HR to spend time on this when they receive a complaint, which I think has been really helpful."
BY Josh Heggem
About Heggem Josh Heggem is a partner at Pemberton Law in Fergus Falls, Minn., and serves clients all across Minnesota and North Dakota. He is an expert in labor and employment law and he spends a lot of time conducting workplace investigation.
pemlaw.com
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1.
Do not ignore sexual harassment complaints. Always investigate. The level, and depth, of investigation and followup will depend on the circumstances, but it is never OK to do nothing. If you are not comfortable investigating, hire an experienced outside investigator to do it for you. You will spend a little time, energy and money now investigating, but it is guaranteed you will spend a lot less time, energy and money now, up-front, than you will on the back-end after your company gets sued.
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2.
Review your policy and remove any kind of language that discourages reports, such as bold, underlined language that says, “EMPLOYEES WHO FALSELY REPORT HARASSMENT WILL BE TERMINATED IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT DELAY.” Encourage employees to report anything that makes them uncomfortable. False reports, in my experience, are very rare. And you can deal with that rare occasion when it happens even without the bold, underlined language in your policy. We want reports, so we can deal with them, and this will help us improve our overall workplace culture. Many of the really egregious situations I have dealt with grew out of decades of employees feeling like they could not report things that made them uncomfortable and/or a mistaken impression that if they did make a report, nothing would happen. Start working now to change this mindset by actually addressing complaints when they arise, and by making sure employees know they are encouraged to report, and cannot be retaliated against for reporting.
3.
Once you receive a complaint, take immediate steps to prevent further incident. The employer has a “knew or should have known” liability standard, and must take reasonable steps to prevent harassment from re-occurring. You can use paid administrative leave, or find another job for the accused temporarily that avoids contact with the victim and/or other possible victims (if possible) while you investigate.
4.
If you are the one who receives a sexual harassment complaint, do not immediately begin to interrogate or express skepticism to the victim. Leave that for the investigator, at a later time (even if the investigator will end up being you). Your job is to simply thank the person for coming forward and get down the necessary information so you can take immediate steps to preserve evidence, prevent further incident and line up an investigation.
27%
of women said they have been victims of sexual harassment in the workplace.
5.
Don’t overpromise to victims or the accused. Telling the victim when you receive the complaint, “He’ll pay for this,” or the accused, “Don’t worry, I know this complaint is a joke, I know you wouldn’t do this and you’ll always have job here,” sets the employee up for disappointment, makes you look biased or worse, you might be flat out wrong. Don’t draw conclusions until you have all the facts. Keep an open mind.
6.
Not every sexual harassment complaint should result in an immediate termination. Really egregious, Harvey Weinstein stuff, sexual assault, etc. will result in immediate terminations. But someone telling one off-color joke will not. We just need to have a conversation with that person about appropriate behavior. Many times that’s the only time we ever have to talk to that person.
7.
Train your supervisors that the employees they supervise are not their peers. Supervisors are held to a higher legal standard under the law. They are in an inherent position of authority over employees they supervise such that there is a question whether any sexual interaction between a supervisor and a subordinate employee can ever really be voluntary. Making sexual jokes to employees you supervise will always end badly, and will put you in a position of one day having to explain away conduct that, when taken out of context, looks very offensive. Protect yourself by knowing you are in a position of authority and acting accordingly.
8.
Men – don’t let the current climate lead you to think that you must adopt a policy that you will not talk to women, people of color or any employee who has any protected class characteristics. This is not equality. Refusing to have business lunches with women because you are afraid of women falsely accusing you of harassment is just as detrimental to women as actual sexual harassment. Find a way to treat all of the humans in your workplace like humans, and not men vs. women, and you will be doing a lot more to promote equality and a healthy workplace environment than you will by avoiding women altogether.
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19%
of American adults said they have been victims of sexual harassment in the workplace.
9.
Train your employees, supervisors, everyone, on sexual harassment, at least annually. Use all different kinds of methods. Bring in an outsider once in a while to do training. Clients hire me to do sexual harassment training all the time. I like to tell stories that are grounded in reality, illustrate points with funny, really egregious situations that keep the presentation interesting, but also make sure to drive home the point that this is serious business, and sexual harassment will not be tolerated under any circumstances. I also spend a lot of time in the training talking about the “little things” (see next point).
10.
Pay attention to your workplace culture. If you watch the news, you might think sexual harassment is only really egregious behavior, like forcing women to have sex with you in order to get put into a movie (Harvey Weinstein). Obviously, that is sexual harassment, but much more often, the situations I run into are much smaller, and more nuanced, than that. They’re the “bumbling jokester” who tells jokes about “women drivers” or compliments women’s bodies, or gives people creepy, leering looks or sweaty hugs or brushing up against women “accidentally.” Do not tolerate rudeness and incivility. Have an “offensive behavior” policy that goes well beyond the legal definition of harassment. Promote kindness. If you tolerate people walking around and demeaning women, telling jokes about the “front desk girls,” telling women they were ‘hired for their looks,” always asking women to take notes at meetings, dropping things on purpose so women have to bend over and pick them up, giving women co-workers the “once over,” talking about women co-workers in a sexualized fashion, all of these small things eventually add up to bigger things, and then one day something really egregious happens, like a sexual assault.
11.
When talking to your employees, and/or during your sexual harassment trainings, encourage them to stand up for (and to) each other. Kindness matters. Victims often feel alone and isolated. Standing by and laughing uncomfortably at a really rude, sexist joke (likely because you do not know what else to do) can make it appear as if you condone, or even agree with, the conduct. Instead, say, “That’s not funny.” Or, if you do not feel comfortable confronting the harasser in the moment, get the victim out of the situation by making up an excuse like, “Hey we need you in the conference room for our 11 meeting, and I have a few questions for you about that before everyone else gets there.” Also, some of your employees are in a position to talk to their friends about the way their friends talk about women in the workplace. Encourage employees to go to their friends and say, “Hey, did you see how uncomfortable she looked when you said that?” If you’re the buddy who someone approaches, be open to what they are saying, and try not to get defensive. This is nothing personal. Your friend cares about you, and wants to see you succeed. You may not think what you said was offensive, and in a different context, it may not have been. But, at work, you interact with a lot of different people, with a lot of different perspectives, varied backgrounds and sensibilities. Be aware of how other people feel. Watch social cues. FARGOINC.COM
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Art in the airport
= Economic and cultural success! BY Dayna Del Val, The Arts Partnership
For years, I’ve stepped into airports in other communities—in fact, every other community I have ever flown in to—and been welcomed with art in the airport. And not just some art, but a lot of art. Airports from Oslo, Norway, to Rapid City, South Dakota, to Phoenix, Arizona, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Montreal, Canada and so many others all have scads of public art positioned on walls, covering benches, hanging overhead, embedded into the floors and situated in the most heavily trafficked portions of the airport.
TheArtsPartnership.net
But why? There are likely many reasons for it, but I would argue the biggest reason why airports install art in their public areas is because for a visitor, or a prospective or new employee or investor, the airport is the first welcome to a community they receive, the first impression. And we all know the old saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” If that’s true, then what, until very recently, was the first impression people had getting off a plane at Hector International Airport? For years, it was some taxidermied animals, seemingly endless taupe walls, electronic advertising screens, an early airplane and some heavy moving equipment taking up space in front of the baggage claim area where,
in other airports, public art entertains those waiting for their bags. And then, in winter, the long, flat, cold landscape of white out the windows. Hardly the warm welcome we want to convey to potential transplants from just about anywhere else in the world. I have to give Fargo City Commissioner Tony Gehrig credit for introducing me to Hector’s Executive Director Shawn Doberstein a number of years ago to talk specifically about putting art into the airport. The Commissioner didn’t have any interest in the airport funding art, but he felt that there was ample space for art to be included. Unfortunately, The Arts Partnership doesn’t sit on piles of extra money to install art everywhere it should be in the Metro, so while Shawn and I both agreed that art going into
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Details about the ArtWORKS program at the Airport.
The Arts Partnership has advertised this encouraging suggestion for years.
the airport was a good idea, neither side had the money to make it happen. But as I traveled more and more, I continued to hold out hope that I could keep making my case and we could find a way to engage the Airport Authority Board of Directors. That opportunity happened earlier this year. A little backstory: My Director of Operations Tania Blanich and I rented a car from Avis and drove to Kansas City, Missouri. Coming home, we met with various business and arts leaders in the Quad Cities along the Illinois and Iowa border. One stop was the Quad Cities International Airport in Moline, Illinois. In that airport, hardly bigger than ours, there is a fullsized gallery, curated by an organization very much like The Arts Partnership called Quad Cities Arts. With large wooden and glass cases to display art and artifacts that are beautifully lit, the gallery is situated in a pre-security portion of the airport where every person
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who enters has the opportunity to enjoy it. Quad Cities Arts’ Visual Arts Director Dawn WohlfordMetallo told us people use the gallery as a way to relax before getting on a plane. She noted that you often see people physically unwind when they encounter the space, coming or going from a flight. But because the glass cases are filled with art created by regional artists, in addition to providing a welcome de-stresser, the gallery also introduces travelers to the people, traditions and culture of the Quad Cities. Airports across the country and globe understand the very real benefit of having art in their facilities. In fact, in 2017, the American Association of Airport Authorities hosted their 15th annual Arts in the Airport conference at the Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas. Alex Irrera, from the Houston Arts Alliance wrote: When situated in an airport, the role of public art is
given another dimension. In addition to symbolizing a place, the work now serves the traveler—welcoming, grounding, or inspiring them. As passengers do look up from the busy activity of a trip, thoughtfully curated artworks can be humanizing reminders of travel’s gift of discovery (aaae.org/AAAE/171005/Blog/ Arts_Blog_Posts/Importance_ of_Arts_Airports.aspx). So, as I was returning the car from our trip, Tania and I both looked around at the blank walls in the baggage claim area. Determined to see a change based on all my travel, I wrote to Shawn from the airport to set another meeting. He agreed, and we presented him with a simple program to get started. He put us on the agenda of the next Airport Authority board meeting. Long story short, they unanimously and enthusiastically said yes to hanging art. So in September, we hung our first curated show at the Airport through our ArtWORKS program. Read about the program on the west wall of the baggage area, then step back
a bit and look up. You’ll see six fabulously large canvases and frames filled with cows from some of our area’s best artists for the next three months. Then they’ll switch out to the next show, changing every four months. The Metro has a lot to offer transplants, but because the arts are rarely talked about as the asset they are, this is a fabulous first step to introducing visitors and new citizens to the creative side of the Metro. Take a look at the show next time you’re at the airport. I guarantee you’ll smile when you see those cows, and you’ll get a little feel for the kind of community we live in. Show them off and see if they don’t help you attract the employees you need. Our hope, along with the airport’s, is to continue to grow the program, expanding where art is displayed and how it’s utilized to delight, engage and inspire those returning home and those considering making the Metro their home.
N OV E M B E R
CALENDAR
BUSINESS EVENTS
2018 EVERY WEDNESDAY 1 Million Cups 9:15-10:15 a.m.
Join the vibrant entrepreneurial community of Fargo-Moorhead and Emerging Prairie by participating in an event filled with guest speakers, plenty of coffee, ideas and excellent networking opportunities. 1millioncups.com/fargo The Stage at Island Park 333 4th St. S, Fargo November 7th Nick Tietz - The Vitals App November 14th Corbett Kull - Tillable November 21 1 Million Cups Fargo Speaker Reunion
NOVEMBER 1 Leading From The Middle 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Everyone has a voice. Everyone has influence. Often times, the best leadership emerges when you don't have the title or authority. Leading from the middle is a delicate balance of giving and taking - and it's the seat most of us find ourselves in. If you're at the top of your flow chart, then learning how to help those in your charge is essential. If you're in the middle, then learning to master this often difficult leadership position is imperative for your growth and those you have the opportunity to impact. Find tickets on eventbrite.com • Tickets are $15 – $25
Fargo Theatre
314 Broadway North, Fargo
NOVEMBER 6 Search & Your Business: Acquiring Backlinks to Fuel Your Site 10:30 a.m. to noon
Getting other credible websites to hyperlink back to your site (aka “backlinking”) is often the biggest differentiator to getting yours ranking above your competitors – but it’s often confusing and difficult to know how to acquire such links. In this 90-minute workshop, local search engine marketing expert Michael Quinn breaks down what backlinks are, why this SEO tactic goes hand-in-hand with your other marketing, and how to safely and consistently acquire such links. Find tickets on eventbrite.com CCRI, Inc. 2903 15th Street South, Moorhead
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NOVEMBER 6 Eggs & Issues: Update on ND's Air and Army National Guard 7:30 to 9 a.m.
Join the Chamber for another Eggs & Issues session, this month focusing on our area's armed forces. Colonel Anderson and Lieutenant Colonel Aubol will update us on the extent of the infrastructure that the Army and Air Guard has at Hector International Airport and the economic impact on our community.
NOVEMBER 13 Business Builders Workshops: Holiday Marketing 8 to 9:30 a.m.
The holiday shopping season is one of the most important and can be the most expensive campaigns for small businesses. Join the SBA for an hour dedicated to generating a solid strategic plan for your organizations holiday marketing. For more information, contact Sherri Komrosky at 701-239-5658 or at sherri.komrosky@sba.gov. NDSU Research & Technology Park 1854 NDSU Research Circle N, Fargo
NOVEMBER 13
• Chamber Members: $30 in advance | $35 at the door • Non-Members: $40 in advance | $45 at the door
How to Create Superconnected Digital Experiences 11:30 to 1 p.m.
The demands of digital marketing never end. Our time and resources are consumed with feeding and maintaining our digital channels, juggling new projects, keeping ahead of the competition, analyzing our efforts and developing skills we definitely didn’t learn in college. This session will outline actionable solutions to these gaps, and help you create digital experiences that are more connected, intuitive and audience-focused.
fmchamber.com Courtyard by Marriott FargoMoorhead 1080 28th Avenue South, Fargo
• Chamber Members: $30 per person in advance | $35 at the door • Non-Members: $40 in advance | $45 at the door
NOVEMBER 7
fmchamber.com Hilton Garden Inn
YPN Business Tour
4351 17th Ave S, Fargo
4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Retail in America is an ever-evolving industry. West Acres has been a staple in our metro since it was built in early 1970s. Join the Young Professionals Network as they learn about how the changes in consumer shopping habits have affected our shopping center and how West Acres is adapting to continue to meet the needs of their consumers. Registration required fmchamber.com West Acres Shopping Center 3902 13th Avenue South, Fargo
NOVEMBER 14 Voices of Vision 2018
NOVEMBER 10 Women's Empowerment Noon to 4 p.m.
For the 2018 Women's Empowerment Event, Elevate Human Potential has teamed up with Scheels, Rachel & Michelle, GNC, Lululemon, Nutridyn and more to bring you a fun filled day celebrating women! The event will feature a silent auction, fashion show, team workout, shopping and social time with drinks and snacks. Tickets are $25 Find tickets on eventbrite.com EHP CrossFit 1400 25th Street South, Moorhead
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Noon to 1:30 p.m.
One of the most recognizable professional athletes in the world, Danica Patrick has succeeded in the male-dominated world of professional motorsports. At this year’s Voices of Vision, hear her first-hand account of her professional highlights and advice as she speaks on pushing yourself to the limits and following your dreams. • Chamber Members: $70 per person in advance | $80 at the door | $800 Corporate Table Sponsor • Non-Members: $95 per person in advance
fmchamber.com Delta by Marriott 1635 42nd St SW, Fargo
NOVEMBER 15 Cultivate 2018 1 to 5 p.m.
Cultivate 2018 will be a half-day event featuring short TED-style talks and a farmers’ panel focusing on emerging technologies in agriculture. Throughout the event, speakers will share their experience, developments and challenges. The topics will cover a wide array of the AgTech industry including software applications, precision agriculture, drones, alternative farming methods and more. Find tickets on eventbrite.com • Tickets range from $20-$75
The Stage at Island Park 333 4th St. S, Fargo
NOVEMBER 15
NOVEMBER 27
Fargo Business Series - Growing Your Business in Preparation for Exit 11:30 to 1 p.m.
You’ve spent your whole life building your business; thinking about succession and transition is difficult, but important. There are a number of things to consider when transitioning your business, including management, ownership and entity structuring. All these factors play a key role in succession planning for a business. In this session, Eide Bailly will talk about the value of having a succession plan long before you have to implement it, discuss the process and what you can do to prepare and operate with the end in mind. eidebailly.com Holiday Inn – Embassy Room 3803 13th Ave S, Fargo
NOVEMBER 21 Exit Strategy: 15 Steps for Owners and Executives 11:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Owners often wait too long to start thinking about exit, and in doing so they put at risk their financial freedom and business legacy. This workshop explores 15 critical steps to achieve a happy exit. For each of these steps, the presentation offers tools and tactics that owners can implement today to their business value and fulfill their legacy at exit. • Tickets range from $30 – $50
Find tickets on eventbrite.com Avalon Events Center
Gratitude Attitude: How to Make an Ordinary Life Extraordinary November 27 from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
At this session, Trina Michels will share her personal gratitude journey that consists of four different stages: cautious, comparative, gripping and nirvana. She’ll help attendees identify where they are on their gratitude journey and how they can move along. This will allow them to lead happier and ultimately more productive lives in both their work and home environments. • Chamber members: $25 in advance | $30 at the door • Non-members: $35 in advance | $40 at the door
fmchamber.com DoubleTree by Hilton & West Fargo Conference Center 825 E Beaton Dr, West Fargo
2525 9th Avenue South, Fargo
NOVEMBER 24 Small Business Saturday
November 24th marks the 10th annual Small Business Saturday, a day to support the local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. Small Business Saturday was created in 2010 in response to small business owners’ most pressing need: more customers. Participating businesses may vary. Please check their websites and/or facebook pages for specific details on their offers or activities for Small Business Saturday.
THOUGHTS FROM THE EXPERTS
"I love finding the perfect, individualized gift for my family and friends. Shopping on Small Business Saturday is a great place to start. You don’t need to visit a physical storefront. If you prefer shopping from the comfort of your home, support a small business with an online store." Anita Hoffarth, co-owner of Reach Partners * Reach Partners helps organizations hold stand-out events and manage successful projects. reachpartnersinc.com
DECEMBER 6 Business After Hours December 6 from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
Business After Hours is the region's largest networking event. The social atmosphere allows individuals to network with industry leaders, tradeshow vendors and representatives from other organizations. fmchamber.com Delta by Marriott 1635 42nd Street South, Fargo
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