2013-14 Annual Report
About Us
Message from the President
As our fiscal year came to a close, I was reminded again of the successful year The Chamber enjoyed. This year brought many important milestones, including the federal authorization of funding for the diversion in May. Permanent flood protection is a crucial issue facing our business community, and we look forward to seeing this project move forward toward reality. In our annual membership survey, we were pleased to discover that the consensus among the respondents was that we are doing a pretty good job. Seeing comments such as, “We have a strong, involved Chamber and their input and events promote a very positive impact on the region’s overall successful business environment,” and The Chamber is “one of the best avenues toward keeping us informed of events and trends vital to business” is a humbling experience that makes our jobs easy every day. Thank you for recognizing our efforts, but most of all, thank you for your belief in what we do. We are excited about the coming year and the many new programs we intend to offer to continue making you more successful. After all, we are only as strong as the members we serve.
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Chamber Staff
Craig Whitney, President/CEO Jim Parsons, Vice President of Finance/Operations Julie Doggett, Information Systems Administrator Darren Dunlop, Business Development Manager Samantha Gust, Program Coordinator - Leadership FMWF Jessica Lee, Government Affairs & Advocacy Manager Tracy Meckler, Membership Sales Manager Gail Petersen, Membership Relations Coordinator Elly Peterson, Program Coordinator – Young Professionals Network Tracy Powell, Director of Events & Programs Bobbi Jo Rehder, Events Coordinator Kaylyn Stroh, Publications & Program Marketing Coordinator Danielle Teigen, Communications & Marketing Manager Mickayla Thompson, Administrative Services Coordinator Julie Yourczek, Administrative Support Coordinator
The Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce is a bi-state, regional federation of more than 2,100 private, public and non-profit member firms representing more than 94,000 people. As the largest local chamber in North Dakota and Minnesota, The Chamber advocates for a strong metropolitan community and supports the interests of its members, which are located in Cass and Clay Counties and beyond. Since merging in 2010, The Chamber has been named a finalist three times in the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) Chamber of the Year competition. In addition, Chamber events and publications have been recognized by the ACCE and Mid-America Chamber Executives (MACE).
Mission
The Chamber promotes economic growth and prosperity for business and its members through advocacy, education and engagement.
Vision
The Chamber is the leader in ensuring the growth and prosperity of our regional business community and members.
About Us Board of Directors
Board Chair | Bernie Dardis, Indigo Signworks Chair Elect | Doug Restemayer, D-S Beverages, Inc. Treasurer | Jon Riewer, Eventide Senior Living Communities Immediate Past Chair | Wayne Bradley, Bradley Business Advisors Thomas Astrup, American Crystal Sugar Company Renee Bourdeaux, North Dakota State University Chuck Driscoll, Red River Refrigeration, Inc. Judd Graham, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Don Gronke, State Farm Insurance Katie Hasbargen, Microsoft Norm Leslie, National Hospitality Services Kathy Lewin, City of West Fargo Paul Richard, Sanford Health Edna Szymanski, Minnesota State University Moorhead
Strategic Objectives
§§ Through effective public policy, foster an environment of economic growth. §§ Grow jobs and attract investment. §§ Achieve organization excellence to best serve members. §§ Provide bold and visionary leadership throughout the region.
Bernie Dardis
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About You Chamber Member Business NAICS* Segmentation Health Care and Social Assistance (12%)
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (4%)
Finance and Insurance (12%)
Manufacturing (3%)
Accommodation and Food Services (10%)
Information (3%)
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (10%)
Transportation and Warehousing (2%)
Retail Trade (9%)
Educational Services (2%)
Other Services (8%) (except Public Administration)
Public Administration (1%)
Construction (7%)
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting (1%)
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing (5%)
Beauty Salons & Barbers (1%)
Wholesale Trade (5%)
Utilities (<1%)
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services (4%)
Mining (<1%) *North American Industry Classification System
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0 100 200 300 400
Less than 1 0
500 Young Professionals Network
Public Relations Ambassadors
Public Affairs
Military Affairs
1 to 2
Member Relations Ambassadors
6 to 9
LFMWF Planning
10 to 19
Emeritus Ambassadors
50 or more
Business Training
120
Business Leaders for Flood Protection
Years as a Chamber Member
Board of Directors
Members
About You Chamber Volunteers
100 80
20 to 49 60
40
3 to 5
20
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Advocacy
Connecting Voters to Elected Officials
Even when elections aren’t imminent, being educated about the issues is vital to maintaining an informed constituency. U.S. Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp each visited with Chamber members about Congressional issues, such as diversion funding, environmental safeguards, train safety and much more.
The Minnesota Legislature was hard at work at the beginning of 2014, and three local legislators — Senator Kent Eken, along with Representatives Ben Lien and Paul Marquart — provided Chamber members an in-depth recap once the session concluded. Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Director of Tax and Fiscal Policy Beth Strinden Kadoun, noted the repeal of harmful business-tobusiness taxes and highlighted aspects of the business climate in Minnesota.
What do you see as the #1 issue affecting the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo region that you'd like to see city leaders address? Housing (4%)
Where would you most like to see a new convention center located? Current Space is adequate (2%)
Somewhere else (16%)
At the FargoDome (10%)
Downtown Fargo (71%)
Workforce (18%) Lower Taxes (12%)
Comprehensive flood protection (58%)
Arts & Entertainment Options (7%)
With a fresh face on the stage and a sold-out crowd, the 2014 State of the Cities featured a variety of new elements that offered attendees excitement and insight. The mayors of Fargo, Moorhead, West Fargo and Dilworth answered a number of questions regarding their city’s growth, future endeavors, the role of education and the arts and answered questions audience members had. In a live poll, 71 percent of the audience indicated that downtown is the ideal location for a new city hall/convention. In a second live poll, 58 percent of the audience responded that comprehensive flood protection was the number one issue affecting the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo region.
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State of the Cities
Advocacy Chamber oppose
s ND conservation
Supporting Sound Legislation
The Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber Board of Directors voted unanimously to oppose the Clean Water, Wildlife and Parks Measure petition currently being circulated in North Dakota. The constitutional measure would commit an estimated $300-$400 million per biennium into a new fund and mandates 75 percent of the funds to be spent at the end of the biennium, regardless of whether projects are warranted.
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he Fargo Moor
head West Fargo Chamber board unanimously of directors to oppose the voted Clean Water petition curre , Wildlife and ntly being circul Parks measu re ated in North Dakota. The constitutio nal measure would commit an estim ADVERTISEMENT ated $300 millio n to $400 million PRINT per biennium into a new fund and mand ates 75 perce nt of the funds to be spent at the end of the biennium, regard less of wheth er projects are SUMMIT CHIROP warranted. RACTIC SPECIALIZING IN WOMEN'S HEALTH
“The Chamber ! ADVANCED is on record TRAINING IN PEDIATRIC & PRENATAL in support of responsible CHIROPRACTIC environmen CARE. tal stewardship We supported . the creation of the VIEW ALL OFFERS Outdoor Herita | ADD YOUR BUSINESS ge Fund, which was passed Chamber Presid by Legisl ature in 2013,” ent and CEO said Craig Whitn ey in a news release. “We feel this
Backing Permanent Flood Protection
In October, we hosted a mayoral debate for the Moorhead candidates where Mark Hintermeyer, Mike Hulett and Del Rae Williams discussed issues facing the city. Williams was elected, earning the distinction of the first female City of Moorhead mayor. In May, we held candidate forums for the City of Fargo commission and mayoral races as well as the City of West Fargo commission race. Twelve individuals were vying for five positions, and the forums offered voters the chance to hear differences between candidates and their ideas for moving each growing city forward.
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Elections are an important opportunity for civic involvement, and we are committed to offering the electorate opportunities to learn about candidates seeking public office.
Fargo Pioneer
Chamber opp oses ND con servation measure Posted Today
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Educating the Electorate
measure | West
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5/6/2014
Senator John Hoeven and Business Leaders for Permanent Flood Protection Task Force announced the congressional authorization of the FM Diversion project in May at The Chamber. Passing the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) was a critical step in securing federal funding for the FM Diversion Project, which will protect more than $23 billion in structures, 103,000 jobs, $2.77 billion in taxable sales and the lives of more than 200,000 residents. WRRDA authorizes the federal funding share of $846 million for the diversion project. City officials and legislators continue to credit the task force as being the key to gaining the necessary support to secure state funding during the 2013 North Dakota Legislative Session. In July, the Business Leaders for Flood Protection Task Force held its regular quarterly meeting with an exclusive focus on Minnesota. More than 50 people attended that meeting, including City of Moorhead officials, Clay County commissioners and local legislators. Several business leaders commented on the importance of regional cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring this project continues to move forward.
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Advocacy
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Redefining the Honor Star Program
h
In its second year of existence, the Honor Star program embraced a new logo to serve as the symbolic display of recognition and appreciation for service members, their families and the missions they carry out. In its inaugural year, 140 businesses became Honor Star members. This year, 163 have pledged their support of the military community. This image adorns the windows of r Honor a Star businesses, indicating to patrons that st the business doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take freedom for granted.
es ad w t far he
Honoring Our Ser vice Mem b ers
on
or
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Honor Star members spent a day with the Minnesota National Guard during Annual Training in June at Camp Ripley. The day-long expedition was offered at no cost as a way to increase understanding and appreciation for the skill and commitment of our service members. While onsite, participants fired pneumatic M16A4 rifle simulators, learned about the camp and its various facets, received an overview of a 120mm Mortar Gun Tube mounted in an M1064 Mortar Track Carrier and ate a meal ready to eat, or MRE, for lunch while tank gunnery launch occurred down range.
fargo moo r
Experiencing Military Firsthand
Honoring Military Members and Families
This year, The Chamber hosted its largest Military Appreciation Night at the RedHawks event with more than 750 military members and their families attending a night full of fun and games. From a pre-game picnic featuring inflatable games and pictures with RedHawks players to watching 16 men and women commit themselves to service to the nation, the event served as an acme of The Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts to support the local military community. Dozens of member businesses made the event possible through sponsorship of the event and tickets for military families.
Advocacy very I just wanted to say a
sincere thank you
for the absolutely wonderful military appreciation event you put on at the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks game. My family and I had such a The cool t-shirts, inflatable obstacle course and photos with the players and Hawkeye were my This was the second year we attended and thoroughly enjoyed this event, so I wanted to ensure you knew how appreciated your hard work is. Sgt 1st Class Jennifer Schwind
fun time!
kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; favorite parts! THANK YOU!
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Education
Leadership Fargo Moorhead West Fargo
Business leaders from 39 area companies graduated in May from The Chamber’s Leadership Fargo Moorhead West Fargo program, which develops knowledgeable leaders committed to growing professionally and personally to benefit their employers, community and themselves. For more than 30 years, the program has helped emerging leaders understand the important issues facing the community while offering skills and knowledge to confront them.
94%
40 10
9
of recent graduates said they were “highly satisfied” with the program.
participants were selected after an application and interview process.
dynamic, thought-provoking and interactive sessions were held at various locations throughout the community.
The graduates of our program are equipped with the knowledge and network they need to make a on our community. These leaders take with them a heightened and the tools and resources they need to help their
significant impact
sense of community
organizations succeed.
Chamber President/CEO Craig Whitney
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Education
Business Training
During the past year, we educated the local workforce on a variety of issues ranging from accountability to marketing to motivational sales action plans to leadership. We held our first marketing mixer in November and look forward to incorporating feedback and ideas we received to improve future mixer events. In addition, we hosted another business summit that featured breakout sessions on cloud computing, collaborative work environments, public speaking, social media and more.
edge on we do ace.
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Local presenters spoke at sessions throughout the year.
299 1924
Professionals acquired Individuals trainingin techniques for attended building morale sessions in thefrom pastCass year. thier organization county Sheriff Paul D. Laney.
250
People obtained knowledge on the importance of how we do things in the workplace.
486
Attendees learned about current fraud techniques and how to avoid becoming a victim from nationally recognized fraud expert and former con artist extraordinaire Frank Abagnale.
1924
Individuals attended training sessions in the past year.
share our successes and our The chance to
leadership philosophies here at the Cass County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office with members of our community was a . Presenting through The Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Business Training series allowed us to share with our public
very positive experience
how we operate as leaders, as a team and as an
office. Sheriff Paul Laney, Cass County Commission and Department Heads
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Engagement 488
Each year, our Annual Meeting is an opportunity to highlight successes of the past year, thank the countless volunteers who help us with our mission, recognize the volunteers who have stepped up in various roles as well as outline our priorities for the coming year. attendees watched as Margie Bailly earned the 2013 Legacy Leader award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the community.
Nearly 600 members of the business community learned about the latest technology revolutionizing commerce at State of Technology 2014 from a variety of speakers such as Doug Burgum from Arthur Ventures/Kilbourne Group, Bison Tracker app developer Tim Brookins from Microsoft and Myriad Mobile founder and CEO Jake Joraanstad. The annual Economic Outlook Forum offered nearly 500 attendees a glimpse of the various factors affecting the regional economy: energy exploration, workforce availability, technology, entrepreneurism and health care. A highlight of the event was the social interaction among attendees via Twitter using #EOF14. Pam Sharp from the North Dakota Office of Management and Budget citing different ways North Dakotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy has been recognized based on Moodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Analytics.
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Former Florida governor Jeb Bush educated nearly 800 attendees on topics ranging from education to immigration to the current state of the Bush family at our fourth annual Voices of Vision. Each year, Voices of Vision brings globally renowned thought leaders to the metro.
Engagement 450
Chamber Around Town
We received
Every year, The Chamber holds numerous ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new and expanding member businesses in Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo. Our Public Relations Ambassadors attend these events as representatives of The Chamber to welcome the business and celebrate accomplishments. 125 Years
11 business remodels
awards. In addition, the inaugural People’s Choice Award was given
4,500 votes were tallied.
Congratulations to the 2014 ChamberChoice Winners!
142 Ribbon Cuttings
11 other events
companies successfully completed applications to 57 become candidates for six awards. Nearly people attended 800 the lunch to learn what companies would take home the coveted and
after more than
19 anniversary celebrations
29 new locations
nominations for ChamberChoice Awards,
72 grand-opening or ground-breaking events
Small Not-for-Profit of the Year
Small Business of the Year
Young Professionals Best Place to Work
Not-for-Profit of the Year
Business of the Year
People’s Choice Award
Entrepreneur of the Year
Business After Hours continues to set records as the region’s largest networking event. Booth space is frequently sold out with exhibitors ranging from cell phone companies to banks to the North Dakota Horse Park. More than 3,500 Chamber members attended this year’s six events.
Kory Anderson Anderson Industries
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Engagement The Young Professionals Network continues to engage the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs. This year marked the 10th Anniversary for the organization, which has seen tremendous growth, boasting more than 500 members and an average event attendance of 50. Events include networking and training lunches, happy hours, new member socials, member tours and talks and the annual Corporate Cup.
Largest Local Chamber in
North Dakota and Minnesota
More than
2,100
businesses employing
94,000
people
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The Chamber promotes
economic growth and prosperity for businesses
7 years
and its members through advocacy, education and engagement.
114
350
members serve
on one of
committees
of service
Premier Partners are an elite group of engaged businesses that give above and beyond their initial Chamber dues investment to make a significant commitment to the health of the region. These businesses sponsor events in support of our mission to promote economic growth and prosperity for our members. Premier Partners receive a unique set of privileges and benefits as well as access to an extensive network of businesses and professionals.
Engagement 2013-14 Community Builders
We are proud to call the following businesses our Premier Partners:
2013-14 Business Builders American Crystal Sugar Company Beverage Wholesalers, Inc. Choice Financial Cornerstone Bank Dawson Insurance D-S Beverages, Inc. Enventis Flint Communications InterceptEFT KFGO-AM Mighty 790 Midcontinent Communications NDSU Research and Technology Park NetWork Center Inc. ROERS Vogel Law Firm Wanzek Construction WDAY-TV Inc./WDAY-AM/CWFargo West Acres Development, L.L.P.
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PO Box 2443 Fargo, ND 58108-2443