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// JULY 2026

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Removing The Barriers to Recovery

DisruptHR 2026

31 Mark Wallace

2026

32 Dr. Rupak Gandhi & Dr. Britney Gandhi 34 Michaela Schell 36 Luke Steichen 38 Cole David Mercier 40 Matt Gjertsen 42 Peter Stenehjem 45 Rob Ashe

45 Kayla Kallander 48 Alyssa Lakoduk 48 Jennifer McClure 48 Taylor Syvertson 56

Three Businesses, One Location

TEDx Fargo Returns with a CHARGE

The Cboys' Favorite Spots Around the Lakes

Fueling The Nodak Dream

Demystifying AI

10 Questions with John Machacek: Mustafa Fahkri (Dirt Dive)

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E d i t o r ’s n o t e

Enjoy Summer

ummer in North Dakota has a way of reminding us why we work so hard the rest of the year.

In business, it is easy to treat every season the same. There is always another deadline, another meeting, another project, another email to answer. Many of us spend our days building companies, leading teams, serving customers, and trying to keep up with the pace of growth. That work matters. But so does stepping away from it.

North Dakota summers are too short to ignore. After months of cold, wind, snow, and dark commutes, summer gives us a chance to reconnect with the places and people that make this state special. It is lake weekends, baseball games, patio lunches, county fairs, evening walks, backyard grilling, golf scrambles, farmers markets, and long drives across open prairie under a sky that seems to stretch forever. For business leaders, enjoying summer is not a distraction from success. It is part of sustaining it. Time outside, time

with family, and time away from the daily grind can restore perspective in a way another hour at the desk rarely does. Some of the best ideas come when we finally give ourselves room to breathe. It also matters for our teams. A workplace culture that respects summer, flexibility, and real life is a workplace where people feel valued. Encouraging employees to take vacation, leave early for a kid’s game, or enjoy a Friday afternoon when the weather is perfect is not a lack of ambition. It is a recognition that people do their best work when they have full lives outside of work.

North Dakota’s business community is built by hardworking people. But hard work should create a life worth enjoying.

Brady Drake Fargo INC! Editor

This summer, take the meeting outside. Use the vacation day. Go to the lake. Watch the sunset. Say yes to the invitation. The work will still be there. Summer will not.

Brady Drake, Fargo INC! Editor

fargoinc@spotlightmediafargo.com

JULY 2026 Volume 11 Issue 7

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

Publisher EDITORIAL Editorial Team Lead Art Director Editorial Graphic Designer Contributors INTERACTIVE Director of Performance Marketing Media Buyer & Business Development Director of Creative Strategies Web Project Manager Senior Graphic Designer Director of Web Operations Director of Agency Social Media Senior Digital Advertising Specialist ADVERTISING VP of Business Development Sales Representative Digital Sales Representative Business Development Representative Senior Digital Advertising Specialist Client Relations Director of Client Success Marketing Admin Accounting Specialist DISTRIBUTION Delivery

Mike Dragosavich Brady Drake Brady@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Kim Cowles Ty Betts Michael Danielson (VBOC), Wendy Klug (SBA), John Machacek (GFMEDC) Kellen Feeney Tracy Meschke Megan Suedbeck Matthew Haire Sarah Cabler Sara Jentink Mhairi Christopherson Tammy Fogle Paul Hoefer Paul@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Al Anderson Al@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Abby Schauer Abby@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Spencer Hall Spencer@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Matt Purpur Matt@SpotlightMediaFargo.com ClientRelations@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Jessica Ventzke Tyler Duclos Missy Roberts John Stuber

Fargo INC! is published by Spotlight LLC, Copyright 2026 Fargo INC! & FargoInc.com. All rights reserved. No parts of this magazine may be reproduced or distributed without written permission of Fargo INC!, and Spotlight LLC, is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to or reliance on such information. Spotlight LLC, accepts no liability for the accuracy of statements made by the advertisers.

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ASK THE EXPERT

here is nothing quite like the electric anticipation that ripples through a crowd right before a concert begins. When the house lights drop and the first chord strikes, it feels like pure magic. As event professionals, we know that a flawless live concert isn’t a product of luck; it is the result of rigorous technical architecture and meticulous logistical planning. Bringing a high-energy show to life requires managing a massive web of moving parts so that artists can perform without interruption and fans can fully enjoy the experience. To bring that magic to life, we start from the ground up, beginning with the power grid and safety infrastructure. A modern concert pulls an immense amount of electrical current, and a single failure can instantly halt a show. We deploy heavy-duty, redundant power distribution systems to help ensure the music never stops. Alongside power, our commitment to safety is absolute. Long before load-in, we calculate structural rigging weight loads, assess wind-speed ratings for outdoor stages, and plan strict cable management to secure the foundation.

By Zane Biles, Project Manager, Livewire

Once infrastructure is secure, we shift our focus to the physical layout and sightlines of the venue. Designing a concert environment goes far beyond erecting a stage; it is about the fan experience from every angle. We conduct site surveys to ensure critical technical footprints—like the Front of House mixing station or camera positions—never obstruct the audience’s view. By integrating structural staging with LED video walls and lighting rigs, we create a unified environment where even the back row feels connected to the stage. With the physical footprint established, we turn our attention to the sonic architecture of the space. Concert audio demands power, but it also requires extreme precision to deliver crystal-clear sound without causing sonic fatigue or overpowering the front rows. Our audio engineers utilize advanced acoustic modeling software to map the venue before a single speaker is flown. By deploying state-of-the-art line array systems, we ensure even coverage, matching the frequency response and volume perfectly across the entire space.

That sonic impact is multiplied when the visual elements move in lockstep with the music. To achieve this, our team collaborates with artists during preproduction to program timecoded lighting cues and custom video playback. When the visual rhythm matches the tempo, mood, and transitions of a live setlist, the emotional weight of the performance hits entirely differently. Ultimately, this technical framework serves a single purpose: supporting the performance on stage. An audience’s energy reflects the artist, and a band can only perform as well as their technical support allows. We manage the backline instruments and amplifiers required by performers while engineering custom In-Ear Monitor mixes tailored to each musician. When artists feel technically secure, they can focus entirely on delivering an incredible show. Contact Livewire today to elevate your next concert experience!

Livewire

Drekker Fest 2025

Livewire Front of House 2025

Music on the Mountain 2024

JULY 2026

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DisruptHR 2026

Occasionally, an event emerges that shakes things up—one that challenges your perspective and leaves you inspired. That event is DisruptHR! DisruptHR is the ultimate knowledge exchange designed to energize, inform, and empower thought leaders in HR and beyond. Starting at 4:30 p.m. on August 13, you’ll experience 12 expert speakers, each with just 5 minutes to share their insights. Think of it as speed dating with innovative ideas poised to transform HR and the companies they support. To give you a taste of what to expect, we’re highlighting the fantastic speakers you'll hear from at this high-profile event.

Visit and to register.

JULY 2026

for more information

CONTINUED

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.

MARK WALLACE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FAITH FORWARD

Mark writes about

1,000 WORDS a week on a single topic!

FAITH FORWARD | faithforwardusa.org | /faithforward.fargo

| @faithforward.fargo

CONNECT WITH MARK!

I was raised in a small town in eastern North Dakota and graduated in a class of 16. My parents and only sibling still reside in my hometown, Northwood. I have lived in Fargo for nearly 20 years after coming to NDSU, where I met and— shortly after obtaining a business administration degree—married my best friend, Jenna. We enjoy parenting, traveling, and being active; something our two elementary-aged kids, Hattie and Rory, gift us with daily. Jenna is a family medicine nurse practitioner and adjunct professor. Amidst a 15-year banking career, I was called into marketplace ministry, where I live out my purpose of encouraging leaders to walk in the way of the Lord. I get to do this through being the Executive Director of Faith Forward, a local nonprofit organization that equips people to live and lead like Jesus in the workplace. WHAT'S ONE BELIEF YOU WANT TO DISRUPT? I want to disrupt the belief that faith belongs only in church or personal life. Following Jesus integrates into leadership, business decisions, relationships, and how you serve others (i.e. clients and coworkers). WHAT'S THE MOST HUMAN THING ABOUT YOUR WORK? Our work at Faith Forward is serving humans. We equip them personally, professionally, and spiritually through in-person experiences.

WHAT'S ONE HILL YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE ON PROFESSIONALLY? I am unable to answer this question because I haven’t died for anything professionally. The closest thing—which is nowhere near death—is resigning due to value misalignment. If an organization’s stated or lived values misalign with my personal values, I am going to take a stand on that hill; even if it leads to a jump without a parachute or lines up the next opportunity. WHAT'S YOUR WALK-UP/HYPE SONG AND WHY? Our kids love to play ‘Tick Tick Boom’ and have me announce them like Michael Jordan was announced during my childhood. They then run around our house after being introduced. I’ve always been the announcer but would claim the same song. WHAT'S YOUR SUPERPOWER? I’ve been told, and later observed, that I can connect and establish trust very fast. It’s an incredible honor to be trusted and in a position to help someone. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE? Professional success—whether a title, compensation, or net worth—is like cotton candy. It’s sweet, then it’s gone, and it leaves us thirsting for more. Unless we’re pursuing something that’s lasting or of eternal value, we’re kidding ourselves.

FARGOINC.COM

DR. RUPAK GANDHI & DR. BRITNEY GANDHI CO-FOUNDERS, OPTIMIZED STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS

OPTIMIZED STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS | optimizedstrategicsolutions.com | Search "Optimized Stategic Solutions"

| @optimized_strategic_solutions | /optimized-strategic-solutions

CONNECT WITH RUPAK!

CONNECT WITH BRITNEY!

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. We didn't start as software developers; we started as organizational leaders. With over 35 years of combined experience leading complex organizations— including serving as school superintendents and executive leaders—we understand the realities of budget constraints, staff burnout, and strategic planning. Today, as Co-Founders of OptimizED Strategic Solutions, we leverage our deep expertise in leadership and informatics to design custom, AI-powered systems for organizations across sectors. We build solutions because we know exactly what it takes to lead, and our mission is to amplify organizational impact by pairing AI-driven automation with evidence-based strategy. WHAT'S ONE BELIEF YOU WANT TO DISRUPT? The belief that "AI training" means sitting through a PowerPoint presentation or reading a generic tip sheet. You don't learn to fly

JULY 2026

a plane by reading a book; you use a flight simulator. We want to disrupt passive learning by proving that the only way to build real AI competency is through simulated, guided practice in a platform that mirrors an employee's actual workflow. WHAT'S THE MOST HUMAN THING ABOUT YOUR WORK? Giving people their time back. When we build an AI workflow that turns a 90-minute administrative task into a 5-minute one, we aren't just saving the company money. We are giving that leader 85 minutes back to mentor a team member, solve a complex human problem, or simply get home to their family on time. The technology is artificial, but the relief it provides is profoundly human. WHAT'S ONE HILL YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE ON PROFESSIONALLY? Excellence does not require sacrificing your family or your well-being. At OptimizED

CONTINUED

Combined, Rupak and Britney have SERVED

IN NEARLY EVERY LEVEL OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP—from

classroom teachers to high school principals to district superintendents—before pivoting to build AI platforms for the private sector.

Strategic Solutions, we prioritize family and excellence above all else. We don't take on every project—we say "yes" only to work we know we can complete with precision and dedication, without compromising our core priorities. We believe leaders can, and must, set the example that balancing high-impact work with family is essential. WHAT'S YOUR WALK-UP/HYPE SONG AND WHY? "Under Pressure" by Queen & David Bowie. Leadership in any sector today is defined by pressure—doing more with less, navigating constant change, and managing burnout. Our entire business model is built on taking that pressure off of leaders by optimizing their systems so they can breathe again. WHAT'S YOUR SUPERPOWER? Translating cutting-edge technology into practical, everyday leadership. We don't just build AI tools; we build them

through the lens of people who have actually had to manage large teams, balance budgets, and drive strategic plans. We know how to make the complex feel simple and immediately actionable. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE? Stop talking about AI and start practicing it. The organizations and professionals who will win the next decade aren't the ones with the biggest tech budgets; they are the ones who are actively experimenting, failing, learning, and integrating AI into their daily workflows right now. Don't wait for the perfect enterprise rollout— start optimizing your own daily tasks today.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. I'm a doer. I've always got a project in the works or an idea in the hopper. I'm an aggressive cheerleader of any idea brought to me with passion. I'll brainstorm with anyone and everyone! I want others to believe in themselves as much as I believe in them!

MICHAELA SCHELL OWNER & SAUNAPRENEUR, IMMERSION SAUNA + COLD PLUNGE STUDIO

Michaela and her husband BUILT THEIR OWN custom wood-fired sauna on their property. She can also shingle a roof.

I love taking the lead and paving the way. In any career I've had over the last 20 years, I've always been the first person in that position or role because I'm always willing to take the risk, come up with new ideas, and map the way. The best part of my life is being a wife and mom, living out the country life dream with my family. WHAT'S ONE BELIEF YOU WANT TO DISRUPT?

IMMERSION SAUNA + COLD PLUNGE STUDIO | immersion-llc.com

| Search "Immersion Sauna + Cold Plunge Studio" | @immersionfargo

CONNECT WITH MICHAELA!

JULY 2026

Making things easier doesn't always make things better. Sometimes a little hard leads to greater outcomes. WHAT'S THE MOST HUMAN THING ABOUT YOUR WORK? I get to be with people right before a big challenge. I hold their fears, their lack of confidence, and their anxiety while I give over my belief in them. I then have the privilege to encourage them through to the other side and be the first to experience their pride in themselves for overcoming something they didn't think they could do.

CONTINUED

Also, I see all my clients sweating buckets and having their breath taken away by the cold. It's remarkably human seeing how bodies and brains react to extremes. And super cool how we can adapt and overcome. And I always remind clients... Don't worry about how you look; Everyone looks hot in a sauna. WHAT'S ONE HILL YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE ON PROFESSIONALLY? We often spend more time trying to develop an easy way, but if we had just gotten a little dirt under our fingernails, it would probably be done already. WHAT'S YOUR WALK-UP/HYPE SONG AND WHY? I'm way too awkward for a hype song, but walking up to a good joke or self-deprecating humor that creates a laughing crowd... that's more my style. WHAT'S YOUR SUPERPOWER? Transparency. I keep my guard down and stay an open book. Plus, I always say what I am thinking. It helps anyone sitting across from me feel they can do the same. This allows real relationships to be built quickly.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE? Whenever I start to worry that I'm not smart enough, talented enough, or don't know enough, I remind myself that there are dumber people than me out there doing what I'm trying to do. If they can do it, of course I can do it. Close the loop. I repeat this to myself multiple times a day. My brain is always moving fast, jumping to the next thought or to-do that flits through my brain before I completely finish what I was working on. Reminding myself to close the loop before moving to the next circle has created much better focus and allowed me to get more done.

LUKE STEICHEN HEAD OF VIDEO PRODUCTION & CO-OWNER, CHEZY VIDEO COMPANY

Luke has TRAINED 6

VIDEOGRAPHERS to be young professionals, created over 3000+ VIDEOS at Chezy, and has RUN 3 marathons.

CHEZY | chezy.com

| /chezycreative

| @chezycreative | /chezycreative

CONNECT WITH LUKE!

JULY 2026

CONTINUED

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. I'm a Fargo-Moorhead native and co-owner of Chezy Video Company, where I serve as Head of Production. I lead the video team, build strong client relationships, and oversee projects that help businesses and nonprofits share their stories in a way that feels clear and human. I've worked with everyone from state governors and Fortune 500 companies to local small businesses. After filming and interviewing thousands of people, my main focus is always making the process fun, easy, and memorable. Outside of work, I'm super passionate about health and wellness, having run multiple marathons, trained for different events, and always staying active and challenging myself. I'm also passionate about mentoring the next generation of creative professionals and teaching exceptional client relationship skills. WHAT'S ONE BELIEF YOU WANT TO DISRUPT? We’ve normalized unhealthy lifestyles, and we treat people who prioritize their health like outliers when it should be the baseline. The modern default makes it weirdly easy to drift into low energy—sitting most of the day, rarely raising our heart rates, eating calorie-dense processed food, and then treating “kinda off” as normal. The truth is, being unhealthy has become normal, and it’s costing us energy, years, and quality of life.

and in turn their work, through simple, consistent, healthy habits.

WHAT'S YOUR WALK-UP/HYPE SONG AND WHY?

WHAT'S THE MOST HUMAN THING ABOUT YOUR WORK?

Basically anything from BigXthaPlug. Whether it's on a run or during a lift, he hypes me up!

The most human thing about my work is sitting across from someone who thinks they’re “not good on camera,” then watching them relax, open up, and realize their story actually matters. It’s basically my job to help people feel seen and comfortable, and that never gets old. I get to meet people from every industry, hear what they’re proud of, what’s hard, and why they do what they do, then help them put that into words and visuals that feel real. WHAT'S ONE HILL YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE ON PROFESSIONALLY? The hill I’ll die on professionally is that it’s not just what you deliver; it’s mostly about how you make people feel while you’re delivering it. People remember whether the process felt clear, respectful, and easy, or stressful and confusing. That’s true with clients, coworkers, and anyone you’re leading. A great end product matters, but the relationship and experience is what make people want to work with you again. That’s also why we hire the way we do. I’d rather bring in someone with solid character, good communication, and the ability to connect with people, and then teach the technical side. You can’t easily train humility, empathy, or ownership.

"Change Me" "The Largest" WHAT'S YOUR SUPERPOWER? Listening! I feel like I do a good job of making people feel heard. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE? Stop asking, “Am I qualified?” and start asking, “Can I prove I’ll figure it out?” The next role is supposed to stretch you. Employers know that. They’re not only hiring your experience, but they’re also hiring your trajectory. Can you learn fast? Can you lead? Can you solve problems? Can you communicate and take ownership? That’s the stuff that makes someone “qualified” after they get the job, not before. If you’re 100% qualified beforehand, it’s probably not a promotion. If it’s truly a step up, by definition you haven’t done that exact job yet. So stop waiting until you feel “ready” and start focusing on whether you can grow into it. And confidence doesn’t come from hype or affirmations. It comes from stacking tangible proof, over and over, that you do what you say you’ll do!

I want to disrupt the idea that health is “personal” and doesn’t belong at work. Everyone can improve their life,

FARGOINC.COM

COLE DAVID MERCIER EMPLOYEE OWNER/COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, DSG

Cole has 99 problems, but a

SENSE OF OWNERSHIP ain’t one.

DSG | dsgsupply.com | /dsgsupply | /dsgsupply | /dsgsupply

CONNECT WITH COLE!

JULY 2026

CONTINUED

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.

and our loved ones.

I am an employee-owner, new dad, and appreciator of what life has to offer as a learner and leader. Karissa (my wife) and I enjoy the outdoors, shopping and eating (and drinking) local, and spending our resources wisely, especially that which you can never replace—time!

WHAT'S ONE HILL YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE ON PROFESSIONALLY?

WHAT'S ONE BELIEF YOU WANT TO DISRUPT? The people who can take over your business when you exit (retire, sell, etc.) might be standing right in front of you— your employees. Our traditional business ownership structures and transition options are unsustainable on their own and require alternatives. The missing hero? The people behind every owner (HR professionals, coaches, and coworkers)—influencing business owners’ decision-making about legacy, generosity, and community when it comes to transitions and succession planning. WHAT'S THE MOST HUMAN THING ABOUT YOUR WORK? At a 100% employee-owned company, people carry themselves differently. I see it every day on my way to my office. I may not know how a truck driver, salesperson, or warehouse associate does their job, but I can look them in the eye as a fellow owner each day and instantly feel a shared understanding of the responsibility we have to each other

I believe the path to prosperity is available to every employee, no matter their industry, education, or income. There are more off-beaten paths than those well-traveled. They require only courage, deliberation, and consistency. Having a sense of adventure can help you navigate assumptions that credentials and ladders are the only way to higher ground. WHAT'S YOUR WALK-UP/HYPE SONG AND WHY? Succession (Main Title Theme) The TV show is a vivid reminder of how wealth-building, leadership transitions, organizational change and communication don’t have to be subjected to the same doomed cycles or, in this show’s case, a shitshow scenario.

imagination, and asking substantive questions. I know how to steal a spotlight (#theatremajor), but when I “borrow” shoes first to understand someone or something, sharing meaningful stories in service to others quickly feels like the performance of a lifetime, every time. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE? Be your best self, always... Or strive to be. Be kind to yourself (and others) when you fall short, dust off, take accountability, and do better tomorrow. That is just the human side; failing and learning things is a different discipline every professional needs to practice to grow.

Okay if this is my actual walk-up song request, please play the cover version by Rundfunk-Tanzorchester Ehrenfeld! The album was “BEST OF (ZDF MAGAZIN ROYALE FRÜHLING 2023).” WHAT'S YOUR SUPERPOWER? Shoestealing! Or...borrowing. For a (1) man who (2) has an “it’s complicated” relationship with attention, I am a surprisingly good listener. I seek to understand other perspectives by stepping into others’ shoes, using my

FARGOINC.COM

CONTINUED

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.

MATT GJERTSEN FOUNDER, BUILT

In 2013, Matt COMPLETED

IRONMAN LAKE TAHOE, which had the

highest Did Not Finish rate of any Ironman event.

My name is Matt Gjertsen, and I am the founder of Built, a leadership development company helping hard-tech and aerospace organizations turn great engineers into great managers. A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and former KC-10 instructor pilot, I spent over four years leading Training and Development at SpaceX before launching Built in 2021. I have worked with organizations including Lockheed Martin, Vast Space, and the XPRIZE Foundation. I also host the Leadership Launchpad podcast. I bring 20 years of experience from cockpits, launch pads, and boardrooms to help technical teams build the leadership skills that actually move the needle. Outside of work, I enjoy building things in the yard, working out, and spending time with my wife and daughter. We travel a lot, and I love seeing new parts of the world with them. WHAT'S ONE BELIEF YOU WANT TO DISRUPT?

BUILT | builtleaders.com

CONNECT WITH MATT!

That leadership is complicated. Leadership isn't easy, but it isn't complicated. Especially in today's corporate world, the bar for leadership is incredibly low, and staying consistent with some very basic practices can make a world of difference for your team. WHAT'S THE MOST HUMAN THING ABOUT YOUR WORK? I spend a lot of time facilitating, so it is very human-to-human interaction. I absolutely love it. Getting a group of people

JULY 2026

who have never met before to work together and talk about meaningful topics is an amazing rush. WHAT'S ONE HILL YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE ON PROFESSIONALLY? Companies need more large meetings. I think the number one reason people feel frustrated in their job is that they don't know how to make a difference. They feel like a cog in a machine. Companies need to spend more time sharing information with their people so their people can make decisions on their own. WHAT'S YOUR WALK-UP/HYPE SONG AND WHY? Top Gun Anthem. I am a military pilot so... WHAT'S YOUR SUPERPOWER? Being willing to ask the dumb question. So much goes unsaid in most meetings, and people assume everyone knows what is going on. They don't, and I will always be the one willing to ask what is going on. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE? Instead of thinking about what you need to do, start thinking about what you need to stop doing. The power of removal is really powerful.

PETER STENEHJEM CEO, FIRST INTERNATIONAL BANK & TRUST

Peter has participated in FIBT’s annual HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST every year and is known for leading some of the company’s most memorable winning costumes. One year, his team even brought a LIVE HORSE into the branch for a photo!

FIRST INTERNATIONAL BANK & TRUST | fibt.com

| /FirstIntlBank

| @firstintlbank

| /first-international-bank-and-trust

CONNECT WITH PETER!

JULY 2026

CONTINUED

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. Banking has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’m a fourthgeneration banker and part of a family that has been serving communities through First International Bank & Trust (FIBT) since 1910. I started at the bank as a teller when I was 15, which taught me early lessons in accuracy, customer service, and humility, including how humbling it can be to come up $5 short when rolling coins at the end of the day. From there, I worked across many areas of the bank, learning the business from the ground up. Some of my most formative lessons came from joining customer calls and watching experienced leaders, including my dad, navigate tough conversations. Those moments shaped how I think about leadership today. It’s about showing up, listening well, making decisions with care, and understanding the people behind the business. Outside of work, my favorite role is being a husband and dad to two kids. I also try to squeeze in hockey, skiing, golf, wakeboarding, and scuba diving whenever life allows. WHAT'S ONE BELIEF YOU WANT TO DISRUPT? That “this is how we’ve always done it” is a good enough answer. In a 100-plus-year-old family business, history matters. It gives you perspective, discipline, and a strong sense of responsibility. But longevity can also make it easy to default to familiar ways of thinking. I believe you have to respect the past without being limited by it. Being rooted in your values doesn’t mean standing still.

WHAT'S THE MOST HUMAN THING ABOUT YOUR WORK?

WHAT'S YOUR WALK-UP/HYPE SONG AND WHY?

Banking is all about people.

“Number 1” by Nelly. The song feeds into the competitive side of me. It’s confident, high-energy, and has that strive-forgreatness mentality to it that I’ve always connected with.

Yes, we deal with numbers, loans, deposits, technology and risk, but behind all of that are people trying to build something, solve a problem, buy a home, grow a business or protect what they’ve worked hard for. One of my favorite parts of the work is sitting across from business owners and hearing their stories. The more you understand what drives their business, what keeps them up at night and what they’re trying to build, the better partner you can be. That’s where FIBT’s Live First culture shows up. We believe people and performance should work together. Some of our employees have worked with the same customers for 15, 20, or 25-plus years. They’ve seen those businesses evolve, understand their cycles and know the details that only come from long-term relationships. That kind of connection is hard to replace, and it’s a big part of how we serve customers well. WHAT'S ONE HILL YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE ON PROFESSIONALLY?

WHAT'S YOUR SUPERPOWER? Being the invisible glue that connects people, ideas, and opportunities. I genuinely enjoy bringing good people together, whether that’s friends, family, customers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, or members of our team. A lot of opportunities in life and business happen through trust, relationships, and those powerful networks. I’ve always believed community banking is ultimately a relationship business. The strongest partnerships are built long before you ever need something. I enjoy making connections, creating energy around ideas, and helping people win together. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE?

Company culture has to be lived, not just talked about.

Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Some of the best learning happens when you’re handed a challenge before you feel fully ready for it.

You can put values on a wall, but employees pay attention to what leaders actually model, reinforce, and accept. If there is a gap between what you say and what you do, people notice quickly.

Early in my career, I was thrown into difficult credit situations during the recession. At the time, it was a lot to take on, but it taught me more than any easy assignment could have.

At FIBT, we think a lot about building a culture that can last across generations. You do not become a 100-plus-yearold company without being intentional about the people and values that carry the organization forward.

You don’t grow much by only doing what you already know how to do. Take the hard assignment, ask good questions, learn from people around you, and keep moving. That’s where confidence and judgment really start to build.

FARGOINC.COM

CONTINUED

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. I’m a 20+ year veteran of tech sales and leadership who started Black Belt Growth Systems, a consulting practice to help software and services build channels, grow revenues, and win more deals. WHAT'S ONE BELIEF YOU WANT TO DISRUPT?

ROB ASHE

FOUNDER, BLACK BELT GROWTH SYSTEMS

Rob has trained and competed in BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU in 15 different states and 4 countries.

BLACKBELT GROWTH SYSTEMS | blackbeltgrowthsystems.com

CONNECT WITH ROB!

That AI should be the default method of learning and work, or you risk ‘falling behind.' AI is a set of powerful technologies and tools, but the consequences of outsourcing your own intuition, cognitive ability, and judgement are severe. Some of the most rewarding and impactful activities human beings can experience are challenges that require grit and perseverance to overcome, not prompting and automation. Reading, writing, and talking through ideas with other human beings are still extremely important to developing original ideas and sturdy frameworks to make decisions on.

WHAT'S ONE HILL YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE ON PROFESSIONALLY? Either put your slide deck in presentation mode or don’t present at all. What is this, a presentation for ants? WHAT'S YOUR WALK-UP/HYPE SONG AND WHY? Probably “To Build A Mountain” by Crowbar, because it’s on a playlist that my three-year-old son, Roger, currently wants to sing and play drums to at 6:30 a.m. every morning. WHAT'S YOUR SUPERPOWER? I’m pretty good at teaching people concepts and ideas that resonate with a variety of different types of people and contexts. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE? Don’t outsource or automate what you enjoy doing. Stop looking for shortcuts when you should be doing the work.

WHAT'S THE MOST HUMAN THING ABOUT YOUR WORK? I spend most of my time trying to help business people and technology people communicate better. Oftentimes, there are so many points of view and factors in a project that not everyone gets heard, let alone understood. My job is to help simplify and amplify those messages to the right people.

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KAYLA KALLANDER MORTGAGE LOAN OFFICER, FIRST INTERNATIONAL BANK & TRUST

Kayla's FOUR RESCUE PIT BULLS have middle names, which all come from family members.

FIRST INTERNATIONAL BANK & TRUST | fibt.com

| /FirstIntlBank

| @firstintlbank

| /first-international-bank-and-trust

CONNECT WITH KAYLA!

JULY 2026

CONTINUED

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.

something that matters.

For over a decade, I've been a mortgage loan officer in Fargo. I love helping my clients build long-term wealth through homeownership while making them feel seen, educated, and empowered throughout the process. I co-host the 'It's Real' podcast alongside my friend, Andrew, where we discuss experiences in real estate and mortgages. I've coauthored a book, "Rethink Everything You Know About Being A Next Gen Loan Officer," and am an ambassador of FirstHome IQ, a non-profit organization that helps bring financial literacy to the next generation. I proudly serve on the board of directors for Homeward Animal Shelter, a cause close to my heart.

WHAT'S THE MOST HUMAN THING ABOUT YOUR WORK?

I've been married to my husband, Theron, for 12 years, and we have four rescue pit bulls who run our home. We love taking them to the lake for long walks, swimming, and pontoon rides. WHAT'S ONE BELIEF YOU WANT TO DISRUPT? That you can serve someone well without truly understanding them first. In medicine, prescribing without diagnosing is malpractice, but in business, we do it all the time. Someone comes to us with a need, and we jump straight to the solution before asking a single question about their life, their goals, or their situation. In my world, that looks like quoting a rate before understanding someone's financial picture. A mortgage is not a commodity, and the right loan structure, timing, and strategy can impact someone's financial future far more than chasing the lowest advertised rate. But this isn't just a mortgage problem; it's a people problem. I want to disrupt the idea that speed equals service in any industry. The most valuable thing any of us can do is ask the right questions first. Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice; in medicine, in mortgages, and in any room where someone is trusting you with

I walk through life-changing moments with people every single day. I've cried with clients at closing tables, helped people navigate fear and uncertainty, and celebrated first homes, dream homes, and fresh starts. Buying a home is a very vulnerable time for most people. It is never just a loan. It's honoring the trust of someone who lets you in during one of their biggest life decisions. WHAT'S ONE HILL YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE ON PROFESSIONALLY? People do business with people they trust, but they can't do business with you if they don't know you exist. Trust requires visibility. You can't build one without the other. The most experienced person in any industry is useless if nobody knows their name. Think about that. Somewhere right now, someone needs exactly what you offer, and they're going to the person they've heard of, not the person most qualified to help them. Your personal brand is what closes that gap. It is the most under-utilized asset in any industry. Not your logo. Not your credentials. You. Your consistency, your expertise, your willingness to show up and serve people before they ever become a client. The professionals winning long-term aren't waiting to be handed a reputation; they're building one intentionally, one conversation, one post, one relationship at a time. Invest in your personal brand like your career depends on it. Because it does. WHAT'S YOUR WALK-UP/HYPE SONG AND WHY?

and the moment she decided to stop making excuses for who she wanted to be, she became a girl on fire. I felt that. There came a point in my career where I stopped apologizing for the kind of lender I wanted to be and just became her by leading with education, relationships, and genuine advocacy. This song isn't about being the loudest in the room. It's about following your passion with such intention that it sets you on fire. WHAT'S YOUR SUPERPOWER? I have a gift of making people feel calm, informed, and confident instead of overwhelmed. People hold back in my industry. They're nervous to be judged by their finances, and they're embarrassed about possible debt or credit scores. It's a vulnerable time. But when someone feels genuinely seen and not judged, they open up and share, and that's where I can do real, meaningful work... the kind that goes far beyond a transaction. That's my superpower and the foundation everything else I do is built on. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE? Responsiveness, communication, and empathy are not "extras" in business, they're the job. People remember how you made them feel during stressful moments. Professionalism is about more than expertise. It’s about making people feel safe enough to ask questions, informed enough to make confident decisions, and supported enough to know someone is truly in their corner. Business moves fast, but people still want to feel seen, heard, and valued. That never goes out of style.

"Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys Before writing this song, Alicia said she felt like a lion locked in a cage,

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CONTINUED

Alyssa swings a golf club an average of 122 TIMES every time she plays.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.

ALYSSA LAKODUK MANAGING DIRECTOR, GENER8TOR

GENER8TOR | gener8tor.com | /gener8tor

| @gener8tor | /gener8tor

CONNECT WITH ALYSSA!

JULY 2026

I spend my days operating start-up accelerators to support founders as they scale their businesses. I live in Fargo with my husband, two kids, and dog. In my free time, I enjoy reading, travel, and golf. WHAT'S ONE BELIEF YOU WANT TO DISRUPT? Length of leave should no longer be the main discussion topic around parental leave. Yes, I want to live in a world where a lengthy, paid leave is the standard. I think there needs to be more conversation on how we welcome mothers back into their roles thoughtfully and intentionally. WHAT'S THE MOST HUMAN THING ABOUT YOUR WORK? In my work, we are often taking away the polish a founder displays and looking under the hood to find obstacles and work to overcome them. This can be really vulnerable. This vulnerability and the space we create to be vulnerable is the

most human thing about my work. WHAT'S ONE HILL YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE ON PROFESSIONALLY? Respect and trust are earned and don’t just happen with a title. I think people need to take the time to build an interpersonal connection before they will earn trust. WHAT'S YOUR WALK-UP/HYPE SONG AND WHY? "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars. I can’t not smile when I hear it! WHAT'S YOUR SUPERPOWER? Even when I leave early, I somehow manage to be 10 minutes late. That has to be a superpower, right? WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE? If you are too big to do the small things, you are too small to do the big things.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. I’m a keynote speaker, leadership strategist, and the founder of both Unbridled Talent and DisruptHR, a global movement focused on challenging traditional thinking about leadership, workplace culture, and the future of work. Before starting my own businesses, I spent many years as an HR executive, so a lot of the work I do today is rooted in real-world leadership experience inside organizations.

JENNIFER MCCLURE

FOUNDER & CHIEF EXCITEMENT OFFICER OF DISRUPTHR AND CEO OF UNBRIDLED TALENT

Over the course of Jennifer's career, she has spoken to thousands of leaders on 500+ STAGES in 12 COUNTRIES across 6 continents.

DISRUPTHR | disrupthr.co

| /DisruptHR.co | @disrupthr

| /disrupthr-llc

CONNECT WITH JENNIFER!

JULY 2026

UBRIDALED TALENT | jennifermcclure.net | /unbridledtalent

These days, I work with HR and business leaders who are trying to navigate constant change —everything from AI and workforce transformation to leadership trust and culture challenges. My focus is on helping leaders move beyond simply managing change and instead become people who actively shape what’s next within their organizations. I speak around the world on topics like future-ready leadership, HR as Chief Disruption Officer, leading through the AI shift without losing your people, and building more human-centered workplaces. What I enjoy most is helping people think differently, challenge assumptions, and leave with practical ideas they can actually apply when they get back to work. WHAT'S ONE BELIEF YOU WANT TO DISRUPT? One belief I’d love to disrupt is the idea that HR’s role is simply to “help” the business rather than help lead it. For years, HR has often positioned itself as supportive, responsive, and operationally helpful, and while those things matter, I think that mindset can unintentionally keep HR on the sidelines of the most important business conversations. When HR is only focused on supporting decisions after they’ve already been made, we lose the opportunity to shape strategy, influence

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transformation, and challenge outdated ways of working. I want HR leaders to stop thinking of themselves primarily as service providers and start seeing themselves as architects of the future of work. The organizations that will thrive moving forward need HR leaders who are willing to challenge assumptions, rethink systems, influence business direction, and lead through disruption— not just respond to it. WHAT'S THE MOST HUMAN THING ABOUT YOUR WORK? The most human thing about my work is helping people navigate change without losing themselves in the process. A lot of the conversations happening in workplaces right now are centered around disruption, AI, transformation, and uncertainty. Those are important business conversations, but underneath all of that are human beings trying to figure out where they fit, how they stay relevant, and how they lead with confidence in a world that keeps shifting around them. Whether I’m speaking to an audience or coaching an executive, what matters most to me is creating honest conversations that help people feel seen, challenged, and empowered at the same time. I want leaders to remember that transformation isn’t just about systems or technology—it’s about people. And the best leadership still comes down to trust, courage, empathy, and the willingness to connect with other humans in a real way. WHAT'S ONE HILL YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE ON PROFESSIONALLY? One hill I’m absolutely willing to die on is this: HR is not a support function—it’s one of the most important strategic functions in any business.

HR sits at the intersection of people, culture, leadership, systems, and business strategy. No other function has the same level of visibility into how work gets done, how leaders lead, how talent decisions are made, and whether an organization is actually building the kind of workforce and culture it will need to remain competitive in the future. The challenge is that many organizations still underutilize HR by keeping it focused primarily on administration, compliance, or employee support. Those things matter, but they’re only part of the opportunity. The organizations that will thrive moving forward are the ones that empower HR leaders to help shape business strategy, drive transformation, influence leadership behavior, and guide how technology and AI impact people and work. I believe HR has the potential to be one of the greatest drivers of business transformation in the modern workplace, but only if HR leaders are willing to step fully into that role. WHAT'S YOUR WALK-UP/HYPE SONG AND WHY? "like JENNIE" by JENNIE Because I love K-pop, and this is my hype song. I mean, have you ever met Jennie(fer)?

talent decisions, and now in the work I do as a speaker and coach. I think people do their best work when they feel understood, valued, and challenged to grow, and I’ve always tried to lead from that place. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE? My advice is to stop waiting for permission to grow, lead, or contribute at a higher level. The world of work is changing too quickly for anyone to build a career by simply checking boxes and staying in their lane. The people who will thrive moving forward are the ones who stay curious, build strong relationships, continue learning, and are willing to evolve alongside the work itself. I also think it’s important to build a reputation and presence that extends beyond your job title. Your influence, credibility, and relationships matter more than ever in today’s workplace. Too many talented people stay invisible while waiting for someone else to recognize their potential. And finally, don’t underestimate the value of being deeply human in how you lead and work. Technology will continue to reshape work, but trust, communication, adaptability, empathy, and the ability to connect with people will only become more valuable over time.

WHAT'S YOUR SUPERPOWER? My superpower is that I genuinely see people. I’m deeply curious about what makes people tick—what motivates them, what holds them back, where their strengths are, and often, the potential they don’t fully see in themselves yet. That ability has helped me throughout my career as a leader, in hiring and

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TAYLOR SYVERTSON DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY IMPACT, UNITED WAY OF CASS-CLAY

As a proud North Dakotan, Taylor has visited every one of the 53 COUNTIES in the state.

UNITED WAY OF CASS-CLAY | unitedwaycassclay.org | /unitedwayofcassclay | @unitedwaycassclay

| /unitedwayofcassclay

CONNECT WITH TAYLOR!

JULY 2026

CONTINUED

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. I am obsessed with this community. Moved, motivated, and inspired to action. For me, that shows up in the values I instill at home, at work, and in my neighborhood. This value of community and connection is something that took me a while to fully understand as a young person, but I’ve come to know that it's really about authentically sharing our lives with one another and co-creating a community that reflects us all. Daily, through my work at United Way of Cass-Clay, I get a front row seat to both the complexity of systems and the incredible potential of people. And I learn the most through the fabric of family and the honor of motherhood. I believe that every family should have access to enjoy the things that make our community a great place to live - safe and stable housing, food that meets their needs, education, financial stability, good physical and mental health, and the social connection that lets us know we belong. It's the intersection of these values that gives me so much purpose.

WHAT'S ONE BELIEF YOU WANT TO DISRUPT? We’ve had a sort of collective mental health awakening as a nation. This is good. People are communicating boundaries, prioritizing mental health care, and raising their hands when they need help. Most people are. Women in high-achieving leadership roles are not. Or at least not to the scale they need to. We’ve been challenging the ‘superwoman,’ “she can do it all” complex for a while, and yet, we tend to celebrate the experience of hustling. And often the cost is not just burnout but teams that don’t have resilience and prioritization because their leaders don’t know when to slow down for themselves. Modeling well-being is one more thing that leaders need to know how to “go first” on.

WHAT'S THE MOST HUMAN THING ABOUT YOUR WORK?

of songs on repeat we’re loving at the moment.

I get to work at the intersection of so many ideas, beliefs, perspectives, and potential solutions. My job is to ensure that our community’s problem-solving power is focused on ensuring that all people have the opportunity to thrive. That looks like using data to make good decisions, bringing together high-impact organizations and people to work together, and the pursuit of personcentered community transformation. In all of this, the deeply held belief that we’re here to care for our neighbors is central. And that is something to be really proud of. “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” -Margaret Wheatley

Right now, my hype song is “The Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga. It’s a song about finding meaning and comfort in the transition, knowing that the journey of transformation and growth is the whole point.

WHAT'S ONE HILL YOU'RE WILLING TO DIE ON PROFESSIONALLY? Stop using AI to think for you. Now, before people throw tomatoes at me, don’t get me wrong. AI is a great tool, but should never replace the creativity and humanity that we all bring to our work. I love promoting responsible use of AI to streamline workflows, synthesize meeting notes, and quickly digest long documents—making information more accessible and ideas scalable. I encourage my team to use AI to check for unintended bias, find holes in their strategy, or help them to organize their thoughts. We can all sniff out an AI email or a 40-page report, and I know I’m not alone when I say it affects how we view the authenticity of that communication. AI is one tool in our tool belt, and I challenge folks to pause before they write that prompt. Are we improving and streamlining with AI’s support, or are we offloading an opportunity to be creative and uniquely human?

WHAT'S YOUR WALK-UP/HYPE SONG AND WHY? We are a music-loving family. I love to sing in the car, we have living room dance parties, and there is a constant queue

WHAT'S YOUR SUPERPOWER? Like most people, I absolutely despise superficial small talk. With practice, I’ve found the best way to build rapport and connection with people is “starting in the middle.” Asking questions is my superpower, which helps me have good discernment, and it relates to all parts of life. Asking real, meaningful questions and being truly curious about the other person’s response isn’t just good listening; it’s the secret to building community. My second superpower, or maybe character flaw, is that I know that I can make anything from scratch—with an internet deep dive, I am confident that I can recreate restaurant dishes, do highly intricate and specialized crafts, restore furniture, build things, etc. I’m a “I’ll figure it out and work to master it” sort of person.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PROFESSIONALS OUT THERE? There will always be a season for feedback, and we should welcome that. Leaning into a value of the science of improvement means we’re focused on delivering the best possible outcomes based on the newest information. Sometimes feedback can feel like criticism. One of the best lessons I learned over the past few years is that when someone has an interest in sharing feedback, it means that you’ve likely created safety and trust for their voice to be valuable. My mantra is that when something feels critical, let’s find a way to take it seriously but not personally.

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By Brady Drake |

Provided by Emma McIntyre

Three Businesses

Two Brand New!

One Location 56

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The Shop the edge of downtown Fargo, inside a building with more than 80 years of stories in its walls, something new is taking shape. It is part coworking space, part coffee shop, part production hub, part gathering place. It is home to Sign Badgers, a national custom signage and event badge company. It is home to Bruno’s, a new coffee concept built around roasting, hospitality, and community. It is also home to The Shop, a coworking space designed for entrepreneurs, freelancers, small business owners, and anyone else looking for more than a desk and Wi-Fi. But to understand what this place is trying to become, you have to understand what it has already been. The building was once home to Dakota Tractor Company. When the company moved in during the early 1940s, the United States had just entered World War II. The business quickly shifted from making tractor parts to contributing to the war effort.

The Shop is not meant to be another place where people silently rent desks and pass each other in the hallway. Dawson has seen plenty of those. Earlier in his career, he spent years traveling the country, working on campaigns and causes, often operating out of a backpack and moving between coffee shops, client offices, coworking spaces, and temporary meeting rooms. He saw WeWorks and coworking models around the country. He also saw what Fargo had and what it was missing. “Fargo has a couple, but they’re not maybe as much of a community,” he said. “It’s like a desk, and that’s it.” The Shop is meant to feel different. It has desks, conference rooms, breakout spaces, virtual meeting technology, day passes, memberships, and free on-site parking. It sits close to downtown without the hassle that often comes with being downtown. Members

get free black coffee and 10% off additional coffee shop items. Nonmembers can rent conference rooms by the hour. But the pitch is bigger than amenities. The Shop is built around collision. Not the loud, forced-networking kind. The natural kind that happens when a cabinet maker, a compliancefocused accountant, a designer, a startup founder, and a client all end up under the same roof. “Those two would probably never meet if not for creating a space like this,” Dawson said. For a solo entrepreneur or small business owner, the value of a place like this is not only having somewhere to work. It is being able to say, “Come meet me in my space.” It is the credibility of a polished conference room. It is the comfort of offering a client a good cup of coffee. It is the chance to meet someone who knows someone, needs something, builds something,

Years later, after a devastating 1957 tornado hit North Fargo, the vacant building became a place of service again. The American Red Cross moved in and used the space to distribute clothes, shoes, supplies, and support to families whose homes had been affected. For Dawson Schefter, Owner of The Shop, Story + Fields, and Sign Badgers, and who purchased the building, that history matters. “This building has kind of been here to serve the community since its inception,” he said.

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Three Businesses, One Location

The Schefter family tractor.

or opens a door you would not have found on your own. Dawson believes that kind of environment can become “jet fuel” for entrepreneurs. And he wanted the name to reflect that.

Why “The Shop”? Dawson grew up on a farm near Langdon, ND, only a few miles from the Canadian border. For many families across the Dakotas, “the shop” is more than a building. It is where work happens. It is where equipment gets fixed, ideas get tested, birthday parties are hosted, businesses are built, risks are taken, and families gather when there is nowhere better to be. “The shop for a lot of families in the Dakotas is where you sort of build everything,” Dawson said. “You build your life, you build your reputation, you build your business.” That meaning is personal for him. His family farm recently came to the end of a 107-year run across

JULY 2026

four generations. The decision to stop farming was difficult, shaped by hard economic realities and the responsibility of protecting the other businesses and people depending on him. But Dawson wanted to keep part of that story alive.

on the farm. Last fall, the tractor harvested the final acre of wheat on the family’s land—an acre tied back to the first ground his great-grandfather farmed.

So, inside The Shop sits a restored John Deere tractor that belonged to Dawson's great grandfather. It was restored about 15 years ago by his father and uncle. Before coming to Fargo, it spent much of its life

The tractor is now a reminder of the kind of risk North Dakotans have been taking for generations.

Now, it has a new retirement home.

“Let’s all aspire to take the risk,” he said.

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Sign Badgers Gets Room to Grow The move also gives Sign Badgers a new stage. The company, which has been around for more than a decade, creates signage, branded pieces, engraved products, and custom event badges. Its sister brand, Event Badgers, launched in 2019 and ships custom badges around the country. These are not the standard tearresistant paper name tags or plastic sleeves handed out at conferences. Event Badgers makes them from wood, leather, acrylic, and other materials, creating pieces designed to elevate the experience of an event before someone even walks into the room. That work has reached some major names. The company has worked with brands and organizations including Google, Twitter, Marriott, Johnson & Johnson, Pinterest, Amazon, and Rolls-Royce. “A lot of times, those bigger companies have the budget to do something cool,” VP of Operations Amanda Riley said. “They kind of lead the trend in what’s new in the event world.” And the requests can get creative. Some badges are interactive. Some are designed so attendees collect stickers as they move through an event. Some light up. Some connect with other badges to form a larger design, turning a name tag into a group activity. One favorite project was a race medal shaped like a shoe, with a lanyard laced through it. The new building gives the team more visibility and more breathing room. In the previous space, operations were tighter. Now, they

via the Sign Badgers Facebook page

have separate production areas, a shipping area, consultation space, finishing tables, carts to move work around, and room for more equipment.

been really nice, and we have room to grow too. That’s honestly a little more space than we need, but we’ll fill it.”

One of the most immediate changes came in print capacity. “We used to have one, and now we have three printers,” Amanda said. The move has also made the business more visible. With big windows and a more prominent location, people have been walking in thinking Sign Badgers is brand new. It is not. “We’ve been around for 10 to 11 years,” Amanda said. “People are noticing that a little bit more.” “We’re spread out,” she said. “It’s

"We’ve been around for 10 to 11 years. People are noticing that a little bit more.” - Amanda Riley VP of Operations, Sign Badgers

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Three Businesses, One Location

Coffee as the Front Door For Dawson, the coffee shop was not an add-on. It was essential. “I wouldn’t have done it if I couldn’t get Lane Meyer, Aaron Dudgeon, and Nancy Olson to take the leap with me,” he said.

A member brings a client for a meeting and grabs coffee first. Someone attending an event gets introduced to the space. A local business owner stops by for beans and ends up learning about the conference rooms.

That leap became Bruno’s Coffee Company.

Coffee creates the first reason to walk through the door.

But Bruno’s is not trying to be only a café. With roasting equipment on site, the team has room to build a wholesale coffee program for offices, hotels, restaurants, cafés, and other businesses that want high-quality coffee without roasting it themselves. The location makes that possible in a way other spaces did not.

The coffee shop gives The Shop what Dawson calls a “soft entry point.” Someone may not know if they need a coworking membership. They may not know anyone inside. They may not be ready to rent a conference room. But everyone understands walking in for coffee. From there, the building starts doing what it was designed to do. A person comes in for a latte and sees the coworking space.

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Bruno's Co-Owners Lane Meyer and Aaron Dudgeon

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“The benefit of this space versus any spaces we had looked at downtown is we have the ability to roast on site,” Lane Meyer's fiance Emma McIntyre said.

Nancy Olson in the kitchen

That opens the door to a larger vision. They want to serve the person who wants a straightforward cup of black coffee and the person chasing experimental single-origin coffees. They want the menu to be approachable without being boring. They want to meet people where they are and then invite them a little further into what coffee can be. The goal is not to intimidate anyone with specialty coffee. It is to build a bridge. “Grab people with very good everyday drinking coffee,” Co-Owner Lane Meyer said, “and then hopefully that opens their palate and their mind to something different.” Behind the bar, the team is working with coffees from places like Burundi, Kenya, Guatemala, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, and Ethiopia. Lane is focused on sourcing, roasting, menu development, cold brew, blends, and relationships. Co-Owner Aaron Dudgeon is focused more on front-of-house operations and the customer experience. Their starting lineup includes a darker roast blend and a light-to-medium roast blend, giving customers options depending on what they already like. The wholesale side will start locally, then likely expand regionally. Fargo has a strong coffee scene, but Bruno’s sees opportunity in nearby markets like Grand Forks, Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, Bismarck, Sioux Falls, and beyond. Still, the early focus is close to home. “I really want to go down Seventh

and give all these manufacturing, fabricators, and industrial places coffee,” Lane said. “Everyone deserves delicious coffee every day.” And the wholesale program will not just be about dropping off bags of beans. The team wants to help partners dial in coffee, understand equipment, train staff, and serve the product well. “We want to try to translate that same level of hospitality into wholesale service as well,” Aaron said.

Hospitality Before Everything Nancy Olson, who is leading the food side of Bruno’s, truly believes this. “Service is giving you what you pay for,” she said. “Hospitality is taking care of you.”

That idea shows up in small ways. Remembering a regular’s order. Knowing a customer’s kid is graduating. Keeping a special spoon in the back for a child who always wanted the same one. Anticipating what someone needs before they have to ask. Aaron described it as “solving problems for people before they know they have them.” That philosophy is shaping Bruno’s from the beginning. The team wants people to walk in, order, sit down, and feel like everything was easy. They want the product to be excellent, but they also want the experience to feel considered. “It’s so simple,” Nancy said. “But it often gets overlooked.” The same thinking applies to the broader building. A member should be able to host a meeting without worrying about whether the room works. A visitor should know where to park. Someone attending an event

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Three Businesses, One Location

should feel welcomed. A wholesale partner should feel supported after the sale. That attention to detail is part of what drew Nancy to the project. She said the opportunity gave her a full kitchen, a blank menu, and a chance to work with people who care deeply about doing things the right way. “They want to take care of other humans,” she said.

Built With Help For Lane and Aaron, opening Bruno’s has also meant learning a new side of business. They had worked in coffee and hospitality before, but this was different. Business loans, contractors, electrical, HVAC, equipment, buildout decisions, traffic data, market research, sourcing, branding, wholesale planning—it was a lot to hold at once. The biggest lesson?

“Take the help,” Lane said. They leaned on the support system they had built over the years. People offered advice, helped think through decisions, shared expertise, and pushed toward the same goal. That sense of community around the business mirrors the community they want to build inside it. They also worked with Jordan Nelson on branding, including hand-drawn visual elements, colors, fonts, packaging concepts, stickers, labels, and the larger visual identity. The result is a brand that feels intentional from the coffee bags to the walls. “I think a lot of coffee companies restrict themselves to the café,” Aaron said. “I don’t think a lot of places think of themselves as a brand.” Bruno’s wants to be more than a place that sells coffee. They want to host events, listen to the community, create reasons for people to gather, and introduce customers to new experiences—whether that is a

tasting, a class, a vinyl swap, a food event, or something they have not imagined yet. Community does not happen just because a place exists. It happens because someone actively creates the conditions for people to connect. That is what Bruno’s wants to do.

Bruno's Coffee brunoscoffee.com @brunoscoffe.co /brunos-coffee-company

The Shop theshopfargo.com

Sign Badgers signbadgers.com /signbadgers @signbadgers /sign-badgers

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With a CHARGE

Returns 64

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CONTINUED

By Brady Drake

hen TEDxFargo first launched in 2012, it was a one-night event built around a simple idea: bring interesting people together, put meaningful ideas on stage, and see what happens next.

technology, entrepreneurship, agriculture, design, or the future of how we live and work. The variety is part of what keeps people coming back. The event itself has also become more community-driven with time. Through auxiliary events, vendor collaborations, and community activations, TEDxFargo now reaches far beyond the red dot. The event has also built traditions unique to TEDxFargo, including inviting past speakers back to introduce current speakers on stage, creating a throughline between every generation of the event. At the center of it all is the belief that ideas still matter, and that a single conversation or perspective can continue rippling outward long after the event ends.

More than a decade later, TEDxFargo has grown into one of the largest TEDx events in the world and evolved into something much bigger than a traditional speaker event. What was once a single day of talks has expanded into a two-day experience at Brewhalla, with the energy of the event extending throughout the week. Over the years, the TEDxFargo stage has hosted founders, artists, researchers, musicians, educators, and unexpected voices from both the Fargo-Moorhead community and far beyond it. Some talks are deeply personal. Others explore

TEDX FARGO FUN FACTS

This year, TEDxFargo returns to Brewhalla on July 29-30 with its 2026 theme, CHARGE.

•

There are over 300 TEDxFargo alumni speakers

•

TEDxFargo talks have been seen 14M+ times on YouTube

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Around 1,100 hours of work went into producing TEDxFargo 2025

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One of our furthest traveling speakers came all the way from Copenhagen, Denmark — 4,272 miles away!

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TEDX Fargo RETURNS

WHY CHARGE? Every TEDxFargo theme starts with the same question: what does this community need right now? For 2026, the answer kept coming back to momentum and action. This year’s theme, CHARGE, explores energy, agency, and the choice to move forward with intention. The need for movement and feeling of “now what?” showed up again and again in conversations with the TEDxFargo team. People are looking for clarity. They’re looking for direction. They’re looking for the confidence to act on ideas instead of waiting for perfect timing.

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The official artwork for TEDx Fargo 2026 by Sarah Geiger

That idea will show up throughout the event in different ways. Some speakers may tackle it head-on. Others may approach it through personal stories, leadership, creativity, technology, or completely unexpected perspectives—you’ll read more about talk topics in the next section! Regarding the experience, the annual theme influences more than the talks themselves. It helps guide the stage design, creative direction, performances, and the overall feel of the event. The TEDxFargo team hopes you leave feeling energized, inspired, and ready to charge ahead.

Provided by TEDx Fargo

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Liz Campbell

A note from TEDxFargo Executive Producer, Liz Campbell “An experience doesn’t matter if we keep it to ourselves. When we design TEDxFargo, we are energized by the unknown that will happen after the event. Who will make a connection that changes the trajectory of their business? What epiphany will lead to a collaboration sparked by an idea heard from the stage? What moments will fuel our community to become an even greater place? We want everyone to keep showing up even after the event. By taking the buzz they feel in their veins, paying attention to the pull they feel to action, and going full force into their future, we charge forward. TEDxFargo is just another event if we don’t do anything with what we learn or experience, so let’s make it a transformational experience.”

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TEDX Fargo RETURNS

Hillary Ehlen

ABOUT SARAH GEIGER Sarah Geiger is a local designer with a BFA in Graphic Design, 10+ years of experience, and a love for all things brand, layout, visual strategy (you name it!). Whether it’s building an identity from the ground up or bringing fresh magic to existing visuals, she’s all about design that feels thoughtful, intentional, and a little unexpected.

MEET THE DESIGNER

SARAH GEIGER 68

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Q: When you first heard the theme CHARGE, what was your immediate reaction or visual instinct?

Q: What did the early concepts look like?

A: My first instinct was to create visuals that captured the spark that Charge ignites, along with connection to create momentum. “Charge” is energetic and forward-driven, like something building power and pushing toward action.

Q: Walk us through how you prepare and your design process. A: To kickstart this project, I was given a brief that described Emerging Prairie’s vision for this year's TEDxFargo theme. I then created initial moodboards to kickoff conversation. These covered themes from electricity and futurism to connection and inspiration. As a group, we leaned towards the familiar, static, neon imagery that you picture with classic neon signs, but incorporations of human touch in the graphics that complement the potential logo. From there, sketches were presented! There’s a strong sense of motion and electricity in the piece. How do you translate something abstract like “momentum” or “energy” into a visual direction? Translating something abstract like momentum or energy into a visual direction comes down to creating movement. I focused on elements like flow, connection, and directional motion to make the piece feel active. The neon qualities came through in the effects and interconnected elements.

Concept 1

Concept 2

A: At this point in the process, I just threw everything at the wall that I connected with to see what would inspire the team. The first concept I shared with the EP team is the closest to the direction we ended up working in. The energy buzz was definitely present in the mockup but needed a stronger emphasis on “Charge” itself. There was a strong love for the X + lightning bolt graphic which I made sure to include a cleaner version of in the final system. The second concept was centered around the idea of creation evolving into a final outcome, using consistent momentum and progression to symbolize the development of a finished product. The hidden lightning bolt was also an element I connected throughout the logo type work. The third concept focused on futurism and the crossroads of energy and ideas.

Q: Are there any subtle details or choices in the design that most people wouldn’t notice right away? A: As stated before, the lightning bolt was a constant shape I was working with. In the final logo, there is a hidden bolt in the middle.

Concept 3

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TEDX Fargo RETURNS

Moodboard inspiration

Q: How did you balance the global TEDx brand with something that still feels distinctly Fargo? A: This essentially came down to the complimentary graphics. I pulled in a couple of images of Downtown Fargo to layer into the final “Charge” graphic that is being used across social media and other mediums.

Q: What are you most excited for people to experience when they see this come to life at TEDxFargo? A: I am personally excited to see how the awesome Emerging Prairie team will use the graphics I created in terms of presentation and effects to bring the pieces alive. sarahgeigerdesign.com

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! July 29 - 30, 2026 Brewhalla | Fargo, ND

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The final design

@imsarahgeiger

acki Gervais did not set out to build a treatment center. She did not have a five-year plan to become a CEO. She was not chasing a title, a platform, or a rapidly growing organization. In fact, if you ask her, she still sounds a little surprised by the whole thing. “I’m not a businesswoman,” Gervais said. “I didn’t start a business with the idea of doing anything big. I just wanted to see my own patients.” That was the beginning: a small private practice, a desire to do meaningful work, and a steady stream of people who needed help. Then, little by little, the work grew. Staff came on board. More patients walked through the door. More gaps in care became impossible to ignore. Eventually, that small practice became The Ridge Treatment and Reentry Center, a Fargo-based organization serving people with substance use disorder, mental health needs, and the life challenges that often come with both. Today, The Ridge has roughly 45 employees, a growing range of services, and a new 27,000-squarefoot space near the Crossroads area on 13th Avenue. Gervais also founded Justice Well, a foundation created to support people when insurance, Medicaid, or personal resources are not enough. “Honestly, from the beginning,

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we probably should have been a nonprofit,” Gervais said. “We’ve always served opioid-dependent people. We’ve always served people who are homeless. We’ve always served underserved populations.” That reality shaped the organization from the start. Many people who come to The Ridge are not walking in with a clear plan. They may not know what kind of care they need or have insurance. They may need help signing up for Medicaid or be dealing with addiction, depression, housing instability, court involvement, transportation issues, or all of the above. For Gervais, the question became less about building a traditional treatment center and more about building a place where people could walk in and not immediately hit another wall.

substance use disorder treatment, residential and outpatient programming, psychiatric care, medication support, Medicaid enrollment help, and more under one roof. The model is intentionally low-barrier. The Ridge operates a walk-in clinic from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day and sees roughly 20 to 30 people during that window. Depending on what a person needs, they may meet with a psychiatric nurse practitioner, connect with a peer support specialist, sign up for Medicaid, or potentially enter residential treatment. That kind of access is not easy to create. It requires flexibility and a willingness to work with people in real time rather than asking them to come back weeks later. But Gervais believes timing matters.

Her word for it is an ecosystem.

“We work really hard not to make people wait for appointments,” she said.

At The Ridge, people can access peer support, mental health care,

The Ridge accepts insurance and Medicaid, offers a sliding fee scale,

• Peer support • Transportation and medication assistance • Mental health care through Justice Well • Substance use disorder when possible treatment • Treatment Court • Residential treatment programming • Outpatient • TMS for treatmentprogramming

• Domestic violence • Psychiatric care • Medication support

helps people apply for Medicaid, and uses Justice Well to assist with medication, transportation, and other supports. “The goal is really to not turn anybody away,” Gervais said. “I have found that’s not always realistic, but we are trying really hard to make that a reality.” Just as important as the services themselves is the feeling people get when they walk in. About 70% of the staff have either been incarcerated or are in recovery themselves. That lived experience sits alongside clinical care, creating an environment where people are often met by someone who understands more than just the textbook version of addiction. “I always acknowledge that just walking in the door is so incredibly hard,” Gervais said. “Probably the most important thing to me is that when people walk in the door, they are met with so much comfort that the rest of it is relatively easy.” She wants The Ridge to feel like a

place where real people help real people. That comfort matters because addiction is already difficult enough to talk about. When asked how someone might know their substance use has become a problem, Gervais starts with control. “At the root of addiction is always a loss of control,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you use once a year or every day.” For Gervais, the question is whether someone can predict what happens once they start. Can they control how much they use? Can they stop when they planned to stop? If the answer is no, she said, it may be worth taking a closer look.

resistant depression

• Spravato clinic services • Community and sober meeting space

service they need. The Ridge has continued to grow around that idea. Recently, the organization began offering transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a noninvasive treatment for treatment-resistant depression, and expanded its Spravato clinic. The move into the 27,000-square-foot facility has opened up more space for services, privacy, and community use, including recovery meetings and events. The Ridge has also taken on part of the Cass County Treatment Court contract, working with about 30 people in a program that provides treatment as an alternative to incarceration.

“It’s really easy to confuse what you want to be true with what is true,” Gervais said.

For Gervais, it all connects back to the same idea: making it easier for people to get help when they are ready.

That is the kind of honesty The Ridge tries to make room for. No one has to walk in with the right words or know exactly what

The Ridge is built around access, honesty, and the belief that people deserve support before they have everything figured out.

ridgend.org

/ridgend

info@ridgend.org

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Around the lakes area, everyone has their spots. The place you always stop for a bite, the stretch of road that feels like summer, the dock where the best conversations happen, or the local hangout that just feels like home. For the members of CboysTV, the lakes area is part of who they are. Known for their high-energy videos, motorsports, and “Life Wide Open” mentality, the Cboys have built a following by sharing the kind of fun that feels familiar to anyone who grew up around lake life, small-town friends, and making the most of every season. We caught up with members of CboysTV to hear about the local places they love most and what makes the lakes area so special to them.

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"I like the family that owns it. They’re just nice, good people, and they make amazing coffee. It’s also quick, so you don’t spend all day there. You can hop in, get what you want, and grab something good to eat, too, like an egg bake, panini, or pastry. It’s just good quality from a good family. My go to is an iced vanilla latte, or a hot vanilla latte if it’s cold out." | lakesfika.com | /EllaMariesCafeandCollectibles | @lakesfika

"Parallel 46 has really good food, and their steak is great. It’s one of those higher-end dining spots where, if you’re going out with your fiancée for a special occasion, that’s a place you would go. But even if you’re just looking for a really good, high-quality meal, it’s a great option. It’s one of the nicest restaurants in the area. The steak is great. They’ve always had good desserts, too, and their drinks are really well done. They have really good bartenders, so even something like a Moscow mule or an old-fashioned is made really well. The presentation, the atmosphere, everything about it feels special." | parallel46mn.com | /Parallel46MN | @parallel46_mn

"The Cormorant Store is kind of your one-stop shop. You can buy a fishing rod there, get a hot lunch, grab fuel and snacks, and they have Sandy’s Donuts there every morning, which is dangerous but good. I have a really bad habit of eating probably four donuts a week, so I almost don’t want to say they have Sandy’s Donuts there because then people might start getting into my stash. But they’ll keep them stocked up. I’m not worried about it. They’re great over there." | /cormorantstore

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"I think it’s the best golf course in the area, personally. It’s in great condition, and I like the terrain. It has a great level of difficulty, but the staff there are also really nice. They treat you well and seem happy that you’re there to golf. It’s an easy course to hop on and play, especially during the week when it’s not as busy. You can usually get on and play pretty much whenever. It’s the perfect mix of high-end golf while still feeling welcoming. The course is awesome, it’s in great shape, and it’s fun to play. It’s not too easy, but it’s not too hard either." | wildflowergolfcourse.com | /WildflowerGolfCourse | @wildflowergolfcourse

"I go to the Lakes Sports Shop for guns, ammo, arrows, fishing equipment, golf balls, and pretty much anything sporting goods-related. If you need a surfboard, you can get that there, too. They have outdoor sporting goods, but also actual sports equipment. They have a lot up there. They’re family-owned and friendly. The people there remember you after you’ve been in a couple of times, and they give you good direction. I think they’re priced fairly, too." | lakessportshop.com | /lakessportshop | @lakessport

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"Wood Fire has the best pizza in the area. I love that they’re trying to do something different. They cook the pizza in a wood-fired oven right in front of you, and they have this big outdoor area where people can hang out. They also have drinks on tap where you can fill up your own drinks at the bar instead of waiting to be served, which is really cool. They have big TVs for sporting events, and it’s just a great place to hang out. Plus, they do takeout and delivery." | woodfirepizza.co | /WhereisWoodFire | @woodfire_dl

"They closed their Dilworth location and opened up in the old Swannie’s building on Middle Cormorant. It’s just an awesome spot on the lake, and they have some of the best burgers around. I really love their hangover burger." | Search "Hi-Ho on the Lake"

"The Zoo on 22 is my favorite dive bar. It is our local hangout. They recently renovated, and now they have TVs everywhere. It looks out over Lake Maud, and it just has that perfect Cormorant Lakes area vibe. It’s a great lake hangout spot." | zooon22.com

| /zooon22

"I started going to Lakes Brew DL out of convenience because it was right next to the gym. I went there maybe two times, and the lady already remembered my order, which was basically the largest iced caramel macchiato they could give me. Their bacon bagel sandwich is really good, too. It’s normally quick, and everyone there is always happy to see you in the morning. It’s just a really good coffee shop to swing through. It’s a drive-through or walk-up spot, so I’ll get a car wash, pop over to the coffee shop, and then head to work."

"The Pelican Lake sandbar is an iconic hangout. Everybody pulls up with their boats, and it’s shallow for hundreds of feet out in front of the Barry mansion. It’s all sugar sand, so people pull up, hang out, and you’re going to see everybody you know. Everyone is there to have a good time. We’ll pull up in the boat, play music, and basically spend the whole day there. Then, most of the time, we’ll end up leaving there and going to Zorbaz."

"Dunton Locks is over by my house. It’s an area between Big Detroit Lake, Lake Sallie, and Lake Melissa. It’s this cool bike trail that goes right along the river, and it’s a nice asphalt trail. In the winter, it’s a snowmobile trail. It’s just a nice place to ride bike. I don’t like to ride bike super far, so I like a spot like that. You don’t have to worry about being on the road, and it’s really pretty. There’s a lot of wildlife back there, too.

"I’ve been going to Music on the Mountain for probably the last five years. It’s another one of those things where people from all over the area come out and hang out. You see everybody you haven’t seen all summer, and everyone is there having a good time."

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"The Cornfield Cafe is simply an unbeatable old-school small-town cafe with great breakfast." | cornfieldcafe.com | Search "The Cornfield Cafe"

"This is actually my favorite ice cream spot, and it's right on the shore of Pelican Lake." | fairhillsresort.com | /fairhillsresort | @fairhillsresort

"The Cajun Salmon Salad at The Cormorant Pub & Boathouse is my favorite menu item in the lakes area. It's scrumptious!" | thecormorantpub.com | /cormorantpub

"As far as public swimming spots go. This one is my favorite. Jumping off the bridge is a plus. And your friends can watch you from the dock."

"The Roadhouse is my favorite place for live music. It's loud and awesome, which always makes for a great party." | /TheRoadhouseCormorantMN 80

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"I worked at Pelican Zorbaz for six summers and had a great time doing it. I have been going for 15+ years, and it's always been a great place to socialize with an authentic vibe." | zorbaz.com | /ZorbazontheLake | @zorbazonthelake

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"Ortenstone Gardens is the best “park” in DL but it’s so much more than just a park and it’s growing and constantly changing so every year you go back, there’s something new to see from all the sculptures and art like the massive trolls that people travel all around the world to come see, to the massive steel horse on top of the hill looking over the lake. There’s one of one pieces of art scattered throughout the property you won’t see anywhere else in the world." | ortenstonegardens.org | /ortenstonegardens

"The wings at Long Bridge are a must have for anyone coming to Detroit Lakes. They hit even harder on the boat." | longbridgedl.com | /longbridgedl

"My fiancé and I love to boat to Fireside for date nights in the summer. There are so many good spots to eat on the lake, but Fireside offers a bit higher dining experience and feels special when we get to do it." | firesidedl.com | /FiresideDL | @thefiresidedl

"Gotta hit the Lakeshirts beach shop for their tent sales and pick up some Lakeshirts hoodies for a steal." | lakeshirts.com | /lakeshirtsblue84 | @lakeshirts_

"Wildflower golf course is hands down the best course you can play in the lakes area. The people there could not be more welcoming and hospitable, and the course is always in amazing shape; it’s our go-to spot as many nights a week as we can."

"I love going out to Detroit Mountain. From the mountain bike trails, troll hunting, and events like Music on the Mountain, there’s always something to do or going on out there. It’s also the best view of Detroit Lakes and all the surrounding area from the top if you enjoy hiking!" | detroitmountain.com | /DMRAinc | @detroitmountain

| wildflowergolfcourse.com | /WildflowerGolfCourse | @wildflowergolfcourse FARGOINC.COM

"Hotel Shoreham has amazing food and a classic lake atmosphere." | hotelshoreham.com | /HotelShoreham

"Parallel 46 recently started doing breakfast, and their culinary touch on breakfast staples is a welcome addition to the lakes area. Their weekly breakfast specials are always amazing, and the bartenders do a fantastic job with their unique cocktails." | parallel46mn.com | /Parallel46MN | @parallel46_mn "Cormorant Pub is a great spot to get off the lake and enjoy some drinks and food with friends. My favorite menu item there is the Mac Daddy burger." | thecormorantpub.com | /cormorantpub

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"Northside is one of the few remaining dive bars in the area. Also open for breakfast. Be aware it’s cash only." | Search "Northside Bar"

the heart of the "Peace Garden State," where the entrepreneurial spirit is as vast as the prairie, a quiet but powerful force works behind the scenes to ensure that spirit translates into sustainable success. For over four decades, the North Dakota Small Business Development Centers (ND SBDC) has served as the bedrock for the state’s most vital economic segment: small business. As we look at the landscape of 2026, the ND SBDC isn't just a resource. It is a primary driver of economic resilience, helping North Dakotans turn bold ideas into thriving enterprises.

locations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Territories. This massive infrastructure ensures that whether a business owner is in Miami, Florida or Steele, North Dakota, they have access to the same high-caliber resources.

In North Dakota, the "small" in small business is a misnomer. These enterprises are the state's largest employers and the backbone of our communities. The ND SBDC’s role in this ecosystem is measurable and profound. According to the 2025 Annual Report, the impact of the ND SBDC has reached historic levels. In 2025 alone, the network achieved:

The story of the SBDC began with a recognition that while entrepreneurs have the passion, they often lack the specialized roadmap needed to navigate the complexities of modern commerce. The program was born from the Small Business Development Center Act of 1980, pioneered by Iowa Congressman Neal Smith. His vision was simple yet revolutionary: create a public-private partnership that leverages the expertise of the Small Business Administration (SBA), state governments, and higher education institutions to provide nocost, professional business advising. What started as a handful of pilot programs in the late 1970s has blossomed into a national powerhouse. Today, the SBDC network is a standardbearer for business excellence, with

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• $144.8 million in client

capital formation • 2,209 individual clients advised

and trained • 161 new businesses created • 5,919 jobs supported

(created or retained) When combined with its sister programs, the total economic impact for the state in 2025 exceeded $1.6 billion. This isn't just "feel-good" data. It represents tax revenue that paves our roads, funds our schools, and keeps our local Main Streets vibrant. For every dollar invested in the program, the return to the state in the form of new sales and income taxes is a multiplier that few other programs can match.

While the statistics are impressive, the true value of the ND SBDC lies in its human capital. The staff is comprised of credentialed business advisors who bring decades of real-world experience to the table. They aren't just theorists. They are current and former business owners, bankers, and industry specialists who understand that a business plan is only as good as its execution. This diverse professional background allows them to anticipate the hidden hurdles of entrepreneurship before they become costly mistakes. By blending technical proficiency with high-level strategy, ND SBDC advisors provide a level of mentorship that goes far beyond basic consulting. The network operates through regional centers strategically placed across the state. This ensures that an advisor is never more than a short drive (or a Zoom call) away. This localized approach means that when a small business owner or entrepreneur walks through their doors, they are meeting with someone who truly understands the unique economic pulse of their specific community. Whether navigating a rural community’s main street or the tech hubs of the larger cities, ND SBDC experts provide tailored insights that reflect regional realities. Ultimately, this accessibility transforms into a hands-on partner in every North Dakota success story.

legacy businesses transition smoothly to new owners, keeping jobs and wealth within our borders. The ND SBDC staff acts as a "one-stop shop" for small business owners and entrepreneurs at every stage of the business life cycle: • Pre-Venture & Start-up:

Helping "dreamers" validate their ideas, register their businesses, and construct comprehensive business plans that banks actually want to see.

The ND SBDC is the bridge between a good idea and a great legacy. By providing the tools, the data, and the professional mentorship required to navigate the modern economy, they ensure that North Dakota remains one of the most business-friendly states in the nation.

• Capital Acquisition: In a high-

interest environment, finding the right funding is critical. Advisors help develop financial projections and package loan requests for partners ranging from the Bank of North Dakota to the local credit union. • Market Intelligence: Advisors

provide access to high-level market research data that would normally cost a small business thousands of dollars, allowing them to evaluate competition and identify new customer segments. • Specialized Guidance: Because

each business has its own specialized needs, advisors maintain advanced national certifications to provide technical leadership that goes beyond general business coaching which may include cybersecurity, exit and succession planning, AI & emerging technology and more.

As the Fargo-Moorhead area continues to grow as a regional tech and manufacturing hub, the ND SBDC’s role is evolving. They are no longer just helping "open the doors"; they are helping businesses stay open through succession planning and risk assessment. As a generation of North Dakota business owners near retirement, the SBDC is vital in ensuring these

As the ND SBDC celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026, this milestone serves as a powerful testament to four decades of unwavering commitment to North Dakota’s small business community. Since its founding in 1986, the network has evolved from a fledgling pilot program into a sophisticated economic engine, consistently proving that when small businesses thrive, the entire state prospers. The record 2025 impact figures are not just a peak in performance, but the result of a forty-year climb toward excellence. From the first business plans drafted in the 80s to today’s guidance on succession planning and cybersecurity, the ND SBDC has remained the steady hand guiding our state's dreamers. As we look toward the next forty years, the ND SBDC continues to fuel the North Dakota dream, ensuring that our "Peace Garden State" remains a place where bold ideas find the soil they need to grow into a lasting legacy. For any entrepreneur reading this in Fargo Inc, the message is clear: You don’t have to build your dream alone. The ND SBDC is ready to help you drive your business, and our state, forward. sba.gov/district/northdakota

Demystifying AI:

By Michael Danielson, Veterans Business Outreach Specialist Photo Courtesy of VBOC of the Dakotas

very day, I talk to small business owners who feel caught in a strange paradox. On one hand, they are flooded with headlines about how artificial intelligence is changing the world. On the other, they are trying to figure out how to get through today’s to-do list with limited time and staff. The gap between the tech hype and daily reality can feel massive—and, honestly, a little scary. To bridge that gap, I recently sat down with Ian Carlson from the Minnesota Small Business Development Center (MN SBDC). We both share a passion for helping our local economy thrive, and our conversation kept coming back to one central theme: the incredible benefits AI brings to companies already using it, and the urgent need to educate more small businesses in our community on how to do the same. It is completely normal to feel overwhelmed by AI. When a technology moves this fast, security, implementation, and the fear of the unknown are valid concerns. But here is the good news: you do not have to figure this out alone. There are local resources and people right here in our community dedicated to helping you learn how to safely use and implement these tools. You don’t need a degree in data science; you just need a willingness to learn how AI can handle the busywork so you can focus on what you do best.

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ha e

Sp s iali

Mi c

, Veterans Busine ss O son l e i utr an ea D c

Ian recently captured this dynamic perfectly in a piece detailing how AI is fundamentally reshaping the backbone of small operations. It isn’t about flashy robots replacing humans; it’s about a quiet, powerful shift toward clarity and sustainability. Here is what Ian shared about what is truly happening inside AI-driven companies today:

Checklists are drafted. Notes are compiled. It feels productive. But what gets created often reads more like an autobiography than an operating system. The next hire walks in, reads the document, shadows someone for weeks, and still feels like they are guessing. The résumé that looked perfect does not quite translate. Onboarding drags. Confidence lags. Small mistakes compound. Nine months later, the business is still not fully back to speed.

The Quiet Shift Inside AI-Driven Companies Five years ago, if you asked most small business owners whether their standard operating procedures were fully documented, they would laugh. “We’re too busy for that.” And to be fair, they were. Orders needed filling. Customers needed attention. Payroll needed to run. Documentation felt like a luxury reserved for companies with extra time and extra staff. But underneath that laugh was usually something unspoken. It was not only that they were too busy to document their processes. It was that they were not entirely confident their processes were disciplined enough to document in the first place. So the knowledge lived in people instead of systems. It lived in the founder’s head, in the operations manager’s memory, in the employee who had “always done it this way.” That approach works until someone announces they’re leaving.

This cycle is so common it barely registers as unusual. It is simply “how it goes.” For years, most small businesses accepted that friction as the cost of doing business. Now something is quietly changing. What’s changing is not that small businesses suddenly love documentation. It’s that artificial intelligence refuses to work inside ambiguity. When you ask AI to draft a proposal, respond to a customer, or build a workflow, it immediately exposes how undefined your process really is. What tone do we use? Which steps are nonnegotiable? Where does judgment override the checklist? What mistakes happen most often? Vague processes produce vague outputs. As a result, organizations experimenting with AI are being forced to clarify. Not because a consultant told them to. Not because a retirement announcement triggered panic. But because the tool performs better when standards are defined. That is a very different motivation.

Then everything changes. There is a sudden sprint to capture years of decision making in a matter of weeks. Documents get written quickly.

Five years ago, documentation was reactive. It happened when someone left. Today, the businesses using AI well are building clarity while their best people are still there.

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They are recording how decisions get made. They are defining guardrails instead of relying on memory. They are identifying where exceptions live and where consistency matters most. This is more than writing steps down. It is embedding decision logic into the way the company operates. When that happens, delegation changes. A manager no longer says, “Just shadow me for a few weeks.” Instead, there is a documented process supported by AI tools that reflect how the business actually thinks. New hires do not just inherit tasks. They inherit standards. Onboarding compresses. Training becomes repeatable. Turnover becomes survivable. The business no longer resets every time a key employee walks out the door. Before, knowledge lived in people. Increasingly, it lives in systems designed by those people. That shift is quiet, but it is transformational. And yet, if you ask many leaders whether AI has dramatically changed their numbers, you will often get a pause. It is saving time. It is helping with drafts. It is improving responsiveness. But revenue has not doubled. Margins have not exploded. Headcount has not disappeared. So a quiet question lingers: Is this actually transformative, or just efficient? What is happening beneath the surface does not always show up in a quarterly report. The time saved from execution is not sitting idle. It is being reinvested. Leaders are cleaning up processes that were tolerated for years. They are updating SOPs instead of scrambling to write them. They are clarifying pricing logic before sending the proposal. They are fixing operational leaks that used to be ignored because everyone was “too busy.” For the first time in a long time, many leaders have just enough breathing room to design the work instead of

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constantly reacting to it. That reinvestment does not look dramatic. It looks stable. But stability is not stagnation. When onboarding shortens from nine months to four, that matters. When delegation no longer requires weeks of shadowing, that matters. When customer communication becomes consistent because guardrails are defined, that matters. Those improvements do not spike a headline metric overnight. They compound. This is the productivity paradox. AI increases efficiency, and leaders reinvest that efficiency into effectiveness. Traditional dashboards measure output. They rarely measure operational maturity. Yet operational maturity is what determines whether a business can grow without breaking.

trying to create. In other words, they use AI to challenge their own assumptions, not just accelerate output. Humanization 2.0 is not avoiding AI. It is defining where judgment lives. Final customer tone. Pricing decisions. Conflict resolution. Brand boundaries. AI can assist, but leadership still decides. In a regional business community built on relationships, that distinction matters. The maturity test in this next wave of AI is not whether you are using it. Most businesses are. The real question is whether you have defined the standards it is built on. Have you clarified how decisions get made? Have you encoded what good looks like? Have you reduced dependence on memory and heroics? Have you decided what should never be automated?

If this dynamic feels familiar, it should. Ten years ago, many companies rushed into automation with early chatbots. They were expensive, agency-built, and far less capable than today’s generative tools. Businesses tried to scale interaction before they had earned the clarity to do so. Customers noticed. The responses felt scripted and hard to navigate. Trust eroded quietly. That is when “humanize your brand” became the corrective mantra, because automation without intentionality does not scale relationships. It damages them.

AI does not eliminate the fundamentals of business. It exposes them. If your processes are loose, it reveals that. If your standards are unclear, it magnifies that. If your knowledge lives only in people, it pressures that.

Today, the risk looks different. Generative AI is powerful, accessible, and remarkably capable for the cost. It can draft the social post, summarize the meeting, build the outline, or respond to the inquiry. The temptation is not to replace humans. It is to skip thinking.

The metrics may not spike overnight. But the business becomes sturdier.

The most disciplined AI users do not simply say, “Write the post.” They ask why the post would resonate. They ask what objection it addresses. They ask what their brand would never say. They ask what outcome they are

That is not hype. It is discipline.

But if you use it well, something different happens. Time saved from execution becomes time invested in architecture. Documentation becomes institutionalization. Delegation becomes cleaner. Onboarding becomes faster. Quality becomes repeatable.

Ten years ago, many companies tried to scale interaction before earning clarity. This time, the opportunity is different. We can scale thinking without sacrificing judgment.

And discipline is what makes growth sustainable.

10 Questions

Questions

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

By John Machacek Photo provided by Kensie Wallner 90

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10 Questions

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About John John Machacek has been helping local startups with the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation for over a decade. Before joining the GFMEDC ream, John's career path has varied in areas such as banking, accounting, and management in the nonprofit, food & retail sectors. FARGOINC.COM