Fargo INC! April 2016

g n i m m i s k w S ar o one g r n a o F d wo de How t eneurs lan s on TV w pr entre ottest sho h of the

with the

EDITOR "SHARK TANK" AND UNSEEN

​ ne of the additional benefits O of appearing on a network TV show was the opportunity to use the platform to raise awareness about a local nonprofit near and dear to PRx's heart.

Betting on Themselves When Fargo fitness equipment company PRx Performance began the audition process in December 2014 for ABC's Shark Tank, the odds of them actually making it onto the show probably hovered somewhere around a million to one.

Not because of any shortcomings on their end, of course, but just because of everything that had to go right.

to nail it or risk seeing their months of grinding be in vain.

If they'd truly known what a long shot it was from the beginning, they likely wouldn't have bothered. That's ultimately what business and entrepreneurship are about, though, aren't they? Making decisions that, in a vacuum, seem entirely unreasonable and destined to fail.

Fortune really does favor the bold and those crazy enough to try.

Nate Mickelberg Editor, Fargo INC!

There was the cold audition, which was just one of many around the country and where they'd have to stand out from the nearly 750 other companies hoping to make an impression. Then there were the mountains of paperwork, background checks, a submission video, the weekly cuts by the show's producers, and finally, the taping itself. They'd have one chance nate@spotlightmediafargo.com 10

APRIL 2016

NateMickelberg

linkedin.com/in/natemickelberg

Unseen Ministries is a Fargobased nonprofit that helps organizations around the world fight human trafficking, care for orphans, and end cycles of poverty. After agreeing to a deal with PRx, shark Kevin O'Leary was more than happy to promote Unseen on his various networks and social media channels, welcome new to PRx CEO Brian Brasch. "​ When you hear (Unseen Director Than Baardson) talk about what they've accomplished and what they do, all of a sudden, nothing else matters," Brasch says. "So we thought, 'You know, we're going to have this amazing night with a lot of support from the local community. Our market is national, if not global, so why don't we the local spotlight to someone else? And do some good with it."

April 2016

Volume 1 Issue 4

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

Publisher Mike Dragosavich

drago@spotlightmediafargo.com

General Manager Brent Tehven

brent@spotlightmediafargo.com

CREATIVE

Editorial Director Andrew Jason

andrew@spotlightmediafargo.com

Editor Nate Mickelberg

nate@spotlightmediafargo.com

Graphic Designers Sarah Geiger, Soda Tran, Ryan Koehler

Head Photographer J. Alan Paul Photography jesse@jalanpaul.com

Photographer Paul Flessland Contributors Hailey Colbrunn, Marisa

Jackels, Nate Mickelberg, Craig Whitney

Copy Editors Erica Rapp, Hailey Colbrunn Web Editor Danielle Wente

ADVERTISING

Senior Account Tracy Nicholson Manager tracy@spotlightmediafargo.com

Marketing/Sales Paul Hoefer

paul@spotlightmediafargo.com

Paul Bougie

paulbougie@spotlightmediafargo.com

Tank McNamara

tank@spotlightmediafargo.com

Jenny Johnson

jenny@spotlightmediafargo.com

Business Heather Hemingway Operations Manager

CIRCULATION

Delivery Mitch Rapp

Fargo INC! is published by Spotlight Media LLC. Copyright 2016 Fargo INC! & fargobusiness.com. All Rights Reserved. No parts of this periodical may be reproduced without written permission of Fargo INC! Fargo INC! & spotlightmediafargo.com will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions found in the magazine or on fargobusiness.com. Spotlight Media LLC., accepts no liability for the accuracy of statements made by the advertisers.

Meet The Team MIKE

BRENT

BOUGIE

MICHAEL

SODA

DANIELLE

TRACY

ERICA

JESSE

ANDREW

JOE

SARAH

PAUL

HEATHER

NATE

PAUL

RYAN

TANK

HAILEY

JENNY

To learn more about Spotlight Media, go to spotlightmediafargo.com

CONTENTS

APRIL 2016

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

16

66

18

How Technology Can Help Save Lives

​ hether you're a W pre-revenue startup or a 30-year-old, family-owned operation, the small business development centers in Fargo and Moorhead serve companies of all types and sizes

49

70

Downtown as a Differentiator

10 Things to Know About ESOPs 42

FMWF President Craig Whitney Recaps a Unique Event for Area Youth

The Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce & YEA! (Young Entrepreneurs Academy) hosted the first annual Investor Panel Shark Tank

50

Office Vibes: Gate City Bank

24

COVER STORY

14

APRIL 2016

SWIMMING WITH THE SHARKS

HOW TWO FARGO ENTREPRENEURS LANDED ON ONE OF THE HOTTEST SHOWS ON TV This Fargo fitness company went fin-tofin with the celebrity investors of ABC's Shark Tank.

The area banking staple gave us a tour of its Downtown Fargo headquarters and explained why employees are the focal point of its ongoing renovation.

Get to Know Your Small Business Development Centers

Fargo Business Meetup Guide 73

The Effect of Uber & Airbnb on the Local Economy 76

Local Leader: Dan Hurder Do you know the man behind popular local restaurants, such as The Boiler Room, Barbacoa and Sazerac Alley?

80

Business Events Calendar

58

The Evolution of HR 62

Cutting Costs

We asked local businesspeople about the No. 1 thing they did to save money in the past year.

83

Fargo Jobs!

Complete with original content and local job listings, a new jobs section debuting in this month's Fargo INC! & Fargo Monthly

DOWNTOWN

Winning

the Workforce with a Differentiated Downtown

Beginning this month, Kilbourne Group General Manager Mike Allmendinger will be providing Fargo INC! readers with not only original content but periodic updates on upcoming and existing Kilbourne Group projects as well. He kicks things off with a look at why investing in a city's downtown is beneficial not just for business but for entire communities.

16

APRIL 2016

Mike Allmendinger Kilbourne Group kilbournegroup.com

210 Broadway Dr. N. Ste. 300, Fargo 701-237-2279

ADVICE

Why We Went ESOP and You Should Too

10

Things to Know About Employee Ownership

Preference Personnel President & CEO David Dietz dishes on why his company decided to share the wealth.

By Nate Mickelberg Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography

18

APRIL 2016

ADVICE

W

hen Preference Personnel President and CEO David Dietz was preparing to take the Fargo staffing agency over from his parents in 2008, he had what at the time seemed like a radical idea.

Instead of buying the company himself, he would sell it to a trust and establish what’s known as an employee stock ownership plan, or as it’s more commonly known, an ESOP. “We didn’t know this until a few years down the line,” Dietz says, “But as best we know, we were the first employment company in the entire United States to do this, if that gives

you any indication what kind of a struggle it was learning how this thing called ESOP works.”

An ESOP is an employeeowner program that provides a company’s employees with an ownership interest in the company – typically at no cost to them – and distributes shares both annually and when a worker either retires or leaves.

There are a number of variations, from full ESOPs to partial ESOPs to S Corp ESOPs, but the gist is the same: when profits go up, so too does the value of an employee’s shares.

For Dietz, establishing an ESOP has become more than just a sound financial decision.

“I just can’t let it go,” he says.

“It’s part of my life. And one of the ways I choose to live my life is to work at a company where everyone on my left and right owns the place with me. It’s a neat feeling.”

And now he’s making it his personal mission to sing the praises of ESOPs from the rooftops, informing other business owners of what they might be missing out on and clearing up some common misconceptions about employee-owned companies.

Here are 10 things Dietz wants you to know about ESOPs.

0 1

The advantages of selling to an ESOP are twofold.

Dietz: “With an ESOP, you need a business owner to sell a portion or the entire company to an ESOP trust. And the reason why it’s sold to a trust is because that way, the employees don’t have to buy it. That’s the beautiful thing about ESOPs. It’s a great financial benefit for the employees and double the benefit because you don’t have to buy it.

“So using Preference Personnel as an example: the ESOP trust owns Preference Personnel 19

and all of the employees here, and after you’ve been here one year, you start getting stock and get more stock every year you work here.”

0 2

Many Preference employees literally don’t believe it when they receive their first payout.

Dietz: “We pay out our distributions every December.

This past year, we paid out almost one million dollars total.

We plan it about a week or two before Christmas. And the old saying that something’s too good to be true, well this time it isn't. We call people and let them know, ‘Hey, here’s a stock certificate for you. We need your beneficiary name and other instructions to wire money to your bank account.’

“They honestly don’t believe us – at least some of them don’t.

And we explain it to them, and they’re still very suspicious. And we’re just trying to say, ‘You work for Preference Personnel as a contract employee, you did become eligible to receive stock and we’re just trying to give you some money.’”

0 3

Employees don’t have to purchase the stock. It’s given to them.

0 4

About two dozen FargoMoorhead companies currently participate in some kind of employee-ownership program, but Dietz doesn’t understand why more don’t make the switch.

Dietz: “There is no lose, as far as I can see. You’re helping people fund a phenomenal retirement plan that, for most ESOPs, is far better than a 401K or government pension. One of the biggest concerns you hear nowadays is people can’t retire. They don’t have enough money for retirement. And ESOP companies counter that.

“Another reason employeeowned companies are good is that we keep jobs (in America).

ESOPs are job machines.

Throughout the U.S., they create more jobs than nonemployee owned companies.

And why is that? I think it’s because they work a little harder. It’s a different life, where everyone has a stake.”

"ESOPs are job machines. Throughout the U.S., they create more jobs than non-employeeowned companies."

ADVICE

FBS Data Systems

Border States Electric

Dietz: “Employee ownership is about shared capitalism, where all the employees together own a financial stake in an organization, and then when they quit or retire, they’re going to ride up with that appreciation in stock value.

“Think of it this way. When you invest in a public company, say you give them one hundred dollars. You say, ‘Okay, management team, go to work.

Because I need my $100 to grow so I can retire 30 years from now.’ It’s kind of like that with an employee-owned company, but the big difference is that you work there. You can control it, you can impact it.”

0 6

D & M Industries

Moore Engineering

SCHEELS

Technically, almost any company could become an ESOP, though the rule of thumb is that it needs at least 15-20 employees to make the move financially viable.

0 7

While ESOP payouts do vary depending on the position, employees at all levels reap the rewards.

Dietz: “The formula for most ESOPs is based on salary.

So, the higher your salary, the more shares of stock you get each year. And it’s ‘in addition to.’ It doesn’t take away from your base compensation at all.

“It’s not just the executives or leadership team that get most of the stock. It spreads the wealth, but it does it in a private industry fashion. This is not socialism.

There’s no government taking money from one to give to another. Instead, it’s quite the opposite. We have a group of employees making money for themselves, and they’re all in it together.”

0 8

ESOPs are highly regulated but in a good way.

Dietz: “I think there’s some mystery in the air about getting your money out of it. These things are so regulated by the government, and that’s a good thing. I don’t like more government than we need, but it’s good from that standpoint.

Those laws are so strict. Any financial laws relating to 401Ks or pensions, there’s a lot of regulation with that.

“I would say this as well. It can be a win-win for both the person selling their business and the employees buying it.

Since it’s a neutral third party that valuates the stock and a transactional trustee who serves as a broker of the deal, the seller gets a good, fair price, and the employees get a good, fair price, too. So it’s really a win for all.”

0 9

If you’re not fully ready to take the plunge, partial ESOPs are an option.

Dietz: "If somebody wants to sell 10 to 20 percent of their company to their employees, they can maintain majority ownership and have that control.

And so some things change and others don’t.

“But I will say that individuals or families that sell off a minority interest of their company to an ESOP, the trend is that eventually as the years go by, the whole thing goes 100 percent ESOP. And I think that’s a testament to how it works.”

1 0

Preference Personnel had two employees retire last year, and both cashed out significant, six-figure checks.

If you’re interested in learning more about ESOPs, you can contact David Dietz directly.

David Dietz President & CEO, Preference Personnel preferencepersonnel.com 2600 9th Ave. S, Fargo 701-293-6905

21

PRx

A few other area companies that employ some kind of employeeownership structure:

There’s a greater sense of control in making your own money grow.

ESOPs are known for being friendly to rank-and-file workers, and at a typical ESOP company, the financial benefit you’re getting through stock is going to be quite handsome for entrylevel jobs.

NEXT

0 5

O

ne of the core values of Fargo fitness equipment company PRx is to "think big." It doesn't get much bigger than an appearance on ABC's "Shark Tank." This is the story of how they got there.

24

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BY Nate Mickelberg PHOTOS BY J. Alan Paul Photography, Paul Flessland Photo & courtesy of ©(ABC/Tyler Golden) & © (ABC/Bob D’Amico) 25

“Alright, people, here’s what you’re gonna do,” a coordinator bellows to the group of 50 companies standing in front of him.

“There are five booths. When we call your number, get in there, give your one-minute pitch and get out. Enjoy the experience, it’s going to be great, but we’re NEVER gonna call you again!”

The startups he’s addressing make up a fraction of the more than 700 packed into the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, and they’re all there for the same reason: to try to get on ABC's "Shark Tank."

"Shark Tank," in case you’ve been firmly planted under a rock for the past few years, is a show on ABC in which entrepreneurs from across the country pitch their ideas to a panel of celebrity investors, known as “sharks,” who then decide if they’d like to invest in the companies. With an average audience of more than six million viewers per episode, just getting on the show can have tremendous implications for a business.

The coordinator continues.

“We’re gonna see 70,000 companies this year,” he says. “So leave it all on the floor, and that’s it, people! Don’t wait for us to call you. If we want you, we’ll find you. If somebody offers you $1 million a month from now, don’t say, ‘We’re waiting to hear from Shark Tank.' Because we’re not calling you!”

The products the companies are touting run the gamut, from a handmade, 20-piece desk organizer to a padded bra for female 26

APRIL 2016

weightlifters to tape that looks like a race track (to help keep the kids entertained with nothing more than a couple of Hot Wheels).

There’s also company No. 217. They’re here to promote their space-saving home gym solution, and they’ve traveled more than 2,000 miles from their headquarters in Fargo, N.D., to do it. They call themselves PRx, and while they don’t know it now, in just more than a year, their faces will be seen by nearly 10 times the number of people who live in their home state.

While they’re far from polar opposites, there are some notable differences between Erik Hopperstad and Brian Brasch, the cofounders of Fargo-based fitness equipment company PRx.

Brasch and his son show off some PRx equipment at Brasch's home gym in West Fargo.

There are the obvious physical discrepancies, such as height (point: Brasch) and facial hair (point: Hopperstad), but more subtle is the contrast between their unique but complementary personalities.

“Brian likes to put his fancy shoes on and run through the mud really fast, knowing he’s gonna get a little dirty,” Hopperstad says.

“And I’m more of the throw on the rubber boots, walk slower and don’t get dirty-type.

“You take those two and it’s a nice balance.

It’s allowed us to move things forward a little faster than I would normally go but also a little more cautiously than he would. It’s a nice, happy medium.”

Before cofounding PRx, Hopperstad spent about 10 years in sales in the wholesale building products sector. Brasch, after working for a number of years in Japan and San Francisco as a CPA for accounting giant KPMG, “made a killing” selling software in Silicon Valley and Denver before eventually returning home to be closer to family in Fargo, where he’s acquired and started seven different businesses.

The two met through their wives, who were high school classmates and college roommates, and in summer 2013, the idea for their company was born around the Mecca of ambitious ideas: the campfire.

PRx President Erik Hopperstad (top) and CEO Brian Brasch (bottom)

Brasch, who, along with Hopperstad, is an avid CrossFitter, says PRx began out of a frustration with what they saw as clumsy, obsolete barbell collars.

“We saw one break during a competition,” Brasch says. “Ten years ago, nobody was picking up weights, putting them above their head and dropping them repeatedly. Now, it happens every day in every town across America and across the world.

“The collars today aren’t made to withhold that. They’re hard to put on, they break, they snap open. And that’s really what started it.”

27

It wasn’t until the owner of a local CrossFit club in Fargo approached Brasch – who has a background in metals – about building a full set of steel rigs and racks for her new gym that he and Hopperstad started thinking PRx could be more than just a fitness accessory company.

By October 2013, just months after incorporating, PRx had hired its first employee and delivered its first commercial setup to CrossFit Fargo, followed by numerous others across the US and Canada.

And while they were seeing a good amount of success, logistics were quickly becoming a nightmare and the potential for scalability was minimal.

They decided that in order to grow, they had to shrink.

“That’s when we started thinking, ‘How do we make this stuff for people’s garages so that it takes up just inches on the wall?’”

Brasch says. “How do we make more spaceefficient racks? So we went back to the drawing board.”

The solution they came up with was their flagship Profile Rack, a miniature version of their commercial line that’s typically installed in a residential garage and, when not in use, extends from the wall just four inches.

Hopperstad says a consumer option was never about compromising quality but rather about bringing a commercial gym experience to the comfort of someone’s home.

“We never changed anything other than who we focused on as our customer. We still do both (commercial and consumer). The PRx equipment you see in someone’s garage is the same heavy-duty stuff you’d see in a CrossFit gym (that we outfit). For a new mom or dad, though, who can’t make it to the gym every day or someone who lives out of town, they’re still getting that commercial feel right in their house.”

Brasch reiterates that their products are not an either-or proposition.

28

APRIL 2016

“The beautiful part is the same product works for both,” he says. “Because why not have a high-quality, American-made system in your garage? And if you’re commercial and short on space – everybody’s getting into functional fitness. So we’re seeing more and more PT clinics, chiropractors, places that want to add a functional fitness experience to their existing gym. You have a wall? Done."

Brasch and Hopperstad are jumping up and down on their hotel room beds, having their very own Tom Cruise moment.

After a long day spent competing against 700-some other "Shark Tank" hopefuls,

PRx estimates that their current ratio of consumer to commercial sales is about 80:20 in favor of consumer.

“You’re never going to be able to build and sell a business for $25 or $50 or $100 million if you don’t first think you can.” they're back in their room and have just opened an email telling them they've been selected to move on to the next round.

They call their wives – who just laugh and believe it even less than their husbands do – they scream and yell a little more, share one last high five and try to get some rest.

They’re going to need it for all the paperwork they’re about to sign.

When Hopperstad first had the idea to audition for "Shark Tank," it was less out of necessity and more out of curiosity.

“I was just sitting in my living room one night, watching the show and thinking, ‘How the hell do people get on there?’” he recalls. “I remember we had a friend down in Minneapolis – when we first started the company – who said, ‘You guys have to get on "Shark Tank."’ And I didn’t even know what it was at the time. That’s when I started watching it. But it wasn’t until that night – when I saw the open casting down in Miami – that it even crossed my mind that it might be a good fit for us, really.”

This was December 2014, and while their staff and profits had been both growing steadily since the company's inception a year and a half before, Hopperstad says they thought that getting on the show could take them to the next level – realizing all the way that it was the definition of a pie in the sky.

“Let’s put it this way,” he says. “You’re never going to be able to build and sell a business for $25 or $50 or $100 million if you don’t first think you can.”

They were going to be in Miami for a trade show the next month anyway, he thought, so he sent his business partner a late-night email gauging his interest.

Hopperstad says he remembers Brasch's response well: “He didn’t even get back to me until the next day, when he just said, ‘I got our tickets changed.’”

It’s a Tuesday evening in early February 2015 – just after 5 p.m.

– and the PRx guys are just more than two weeks removed from their trip to South Florida. They’re at their Fargo offices on a conference call, and the voices on the other end belong to two "Shark Tank" producers, and for the next few weeks, personal coaches.

“Alright, guys, you’re still in,” one says, confirming that PRx has made it through another week of show cuts. “Let’s hear your pitch. Go.” They oblige and start their mock presentation.

Brasch and Hoppersatd say one of the inspirations behind their consumer-targeted Profile Rack is the premium that people in cold-weather climates put on their garage space.

“Hi, Sharks,” Hopperstad begins with enthusiasm, “My name is Erik Hopperstad.”

“And I’m Brian Brasch. We’re from Fargo, North Dakota, and our company is PRx Performance.”

“We are seeking $80,000 for a 10 percent equity stake in our company …”

In addition to vigorously prepping for a potential appearance on the show, the guys faced another requirement.

“We had to create a five to 10-minute video,” 31

Just a sampling of the dozens of accessories PRx offers to go along with their rigs and racks.

Weight Storage

AbMat Storage

AbMat Storage Bundle

Double Bar Storage

Single Bar Storage

Medicine Ball Storage

says Hopperstad, who explains that while they’d obviously convinced the on-site producers in Miami to put them on the show, the executives at Sony still needed to sign off. “It was about us, our personal lives, our professional background, our business, how much money we thought we’d ask for, what we thought we’d use it for. So there was that, along with a boatload more paperwork. The packet was about an inch and a half thick.

“And the tricky thing is that you’re a startup company grinding every day, and all of a sudden, there’s this new priority. And it’s such a pipe dream that it’s going to actually help your business. But we just stuck with it and stayed the course and kept doing what they asked us to do, and thankfully, they continued to like what they saw."

And then all they could do was wait.

It’s mid-March 2015 – a couple weeks after they’ve submitted their video – and Hopperstad is finishing up lunch with a friend. He glances down at his phone and sees that he has a missed call and a voicemail.

Nothing out of the ordinary here. It’s probably just his wife asking if he can pick up some milk on his way home, or maybe it’s his dentist calling to confirm his appointment next week.

Except then he notices the area code: Los Angeles, CA. “I got in my truck, listened to the message and about p*ssed my pants,” he recalls. “‘This is so-andso calling with Shark Tank/Sony Pictures/ Universal Studios. Congratulations on making it to the next step.”

Hopperstad’s first call was, of course, to Brasch.

“At that point, it really got real,” Brasch says.

“It’s already real but I mean – so many people sent in videos!”

Hopperstad says this was the point at which getting on the show went from being some abstract fantasy to an actual reality they had to start seriously preparing and planning for. “(The producers) started talking about, ‘Okay, now you could fly out to LA one of two times – on short notice,’” he says. “But, of course, there’s still more paperwork to do beforehand, background checks. It’s a rollercoaster of ups and downs. We're just high on life getting news like that, and then the next day we’re up to our eyeballs in alligators, and we’re trying to get everything done on time.”

The producers assured them they wouldn’t be going it alone, though.

“You get them on the phone,” Brasch says, “And they’re like, ‘Alright, guys, our job is to help you get a deal. All we can do is prepare you for it, and then it’s up to you. But we’ll give you as much knowledge as we have.’

They’re in your corner.”

It’s Father’s Day morning 2015, and PRx is on its way to Hollywood.

After months of preparation, planning and jumping through hoops, they’re scheduled to touch down in SoCal by lunchtime.

It’s getting more and more real.

They’ll set up that night, rehearse all day Monday and then Tuesday is showtime.

Brasch can’t help but chuckle at the fact that, even after all of this and despite the fact that they’re literally hurtling toward Sony Studios, there’s still a chance they won’t ever appear on the show.

Minds could change, filming could run long, their crate could not show up. They've prepared for any outcome.

33

And while they’re treating it like the business trip that it is, they’re really just happy to be here.

PRx Responds

The guys get their chance to react to the four sharks who didn't give them an offer.

One of the biggest challenges of preparing to face the “sharks,” according to Hopperstad, is trying to anticipate the questions and tendencies of five different venture capitalists as opposed to just one.

“When you’re raising capital and dealing with one VC,” he says, “There’s either one person there or a group of people on the same team.

So they’re going to ask questions, you’re going to have time to answer, and it’s more of a back-and-forth dialogue.

“Where in the 'Shark Tank,' you have five VCs now. And they all want to know what they want to know, right now. Because they want to see value before any of the other ones do.”

For those unfamiliar, the basic format of the show is that companies make a minuteand-a-half-long pitch to the investors, who then take turns grilling the contestants for sometimes up to an hour (this portion gets edited down to about five or six minutes in the broadcast version).

While contestants don’t know for sure which five sharks they’ll be facing – there are six full-timers, as well as guest sharks – Brasch says that if you put in the time, you can figure out some of the tendencies and investing background of each one.

“What I did to prepare,” says Brasch, who watched every episode of the first six seasons of the show, “Was first talked to another company that was on the show and did a deal. And we asked them for their help.

“And one of the things they told us was to make sure that each of us was in charge of a certain type of question. So Erik was in charge of sales, I was in charge of finance, some operations. And he was marketing, strategy, installation/technical.”

Hopperstad chimes in.

34

APRIL 2016

Mark Cuban

Daymond John

“You have to (get your gross margin up to 50 percent). Because there’s so much capital outlay for inventory, you have to turn a lot. And, guys, that’s really my problem. What you’re doing is good for two guys owning a business, trying to make some money. But to bring in an investor, that changes everything. Because then you have to start worrying about our return or re-investing in the company, and you’re way, way, way too early.

You guys are two guys who have a good product, but I just think it’s not quite right for me, and for those reasons, I’m out .”

“I happen to know this space fairly well. There are two types of users.

(The first type of) user who’s an enthusiast, 99 percent of them put it underneath their bed, and they need to buy a duster with the equipment because they never use it. Or you have the enthusiast who pays $300 a month to be a member. I see this as being that area where it’s very, very hard to grab one or the other. And for that reason, I’m out .”

PRx “Our revenue was down from the year before because we had switched our focus and how we were going to market. So his perception that we were too “early” was inaccurate. We had to take a bit of a step back in order to get further. And we didn’t have the right conversation while we were in the Tank.”

PRx “I think something we really missed on was that we also sell consumer units to gyms. We didn’t focus on that. They thought, ‘Here’s this company. They have one product and they have one narrow market.’

In reality, we can completely outfit gyms. We have access to thousands of products that we resell that we don’t manufacture, and we didn’t really get a chance to talk about that. So they didn’t see the full scope of our business.

They just saw this one product and thought it was maybe a little too narrow to scale.”

NOTE: Kevin O'Leary not pictured, as he was the only shark who made PRx an offer.

“It’s so that if they ask a question,” he says, “We’re not both starting to answer at the same time. It has to be clean.”

Brasch says that in his marathon viewing session, he wrote down which shark asked what kind of questions and what their focus was. The guys then made a spreadsheet of 80 questions, wrote out the answers and memorized them.

They knew a few curveballs were inevitable, but they were as prepared as they were ever going to be.

Lori Greiner

Robert Herjavec

“I know how to find a stud in the wall, believe it or not. All kidding aside, I think it’s brilliant. It’s a great spacesaver. I don’t think it looks difficult to install. I hope you get your patent, and then you’ll be able to really move forward in this space. Right now, you’re early for me. I’m out .”

“I love the fitness industry. I’ve done a bunch of investments here. Here’s what I’ve learned. If you want to make a lot of money in the fitness business, you want a product that appeals to a very wide group of people that’s easy to use.

The challenge with this is it’s going to scare a lot of people. It’s technical, it looks complicated, it looks hard. The idea of me assembling this is never going to work. I mean, I don’t know how to find a stud in a wall. I think it’s not going to appeal to a wide enough base of people where I can invest and see it scale. I’m out .”

PRx “She knows patents inside and out.”

PRx “For installation to inhibit somebody who’s not that handy, you’re blinding yourself to the real opportunity. And I think that’s what happened to Robert. You can call a handyman and he can come over for an hour.

We’ve had a lot of handymen do installs. And if you can’t find a stud in the wall, odds are you have a handyman.”

This is it.

Brasch and Hopperstad wait patiently, if slightly on edge, behind the double-wide door that will lead them into the feeding frenzy.

They spent yesterday’s rehearsal talking to black-and-white cardboard cutouts, but today the faces will have more color and a lot more questions.

They’ve practiced their spiel nearly 250 times – to each other, to their families, in the mirror – but as they say, nothing can fully prepare you for “the moment.”

The door swings open, they stride confidently to their marks and … they stand in silence for a minute. The 23 cameras that now surround them need to grab their angles and B-roll.

This is the first time the guys are seeing the sharks in person, but they’re going to have to get over the surreal feeling pretty quickly or risk making their national TV debut on “Worst Shark Tank Pitches.”

“Begin,” a producer finally says.

The guys don’t hear.

Yelling this time, “Begin!”

It’s like riding a bike at this point.

“Hello, sharks, my name is Erik Hopperstad.”

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“And I’m Brian Brasch. We’re from Fargo, North Dakota, and our company is PRx Performance …”

The pitch goes well, with Hopperstad explaining a few of the finer points of the Profile Rack as Brasch demonstrates.

They end with: “Which one of you sharks wants to help us shake up the fitness space by taking up as little space as possible?”

Now, the real work begins.

With their heads on swivels, the guys begin fielding questions.

Herjavec Group CEO Robert Herjavec: “How does it lock into place? How do I adjust it? Can I make (the top bar) go up and down? Is there a consumer line? How much would a consumer one be? How many have you sold since Q3 of last year, and did you make money?”

FUBU Founder Daymond John: “How’d you come up with this?”

O’Leary Funds Chairman Kevin O’Leary: “Most of the weight is on the two actual posts, right? What’s your gross margin on these new units? How would you pay back an investor who gave you $80,000? What do you think the average selling price will be on those 300 units?”

Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban: “How long have you been selling? How much have you been selling?”

For Your Ease Only President Lori Greiner: “Does it come with the weights or do you have to have your own set? How easy is the installation? Can you do it in five minutes, 30 minutes? Do you have a patent on this? Have you gone to the Patent and Trademark Office and said there’s an infringement to try and fast track it?”

Brasch and Hopperstad respond to the inquiries and quell the sharks' concerns for about 40 minutes, with four of the five sharks “going out,” or declining to invest.

That leaves only O’Leary, who says he really identifies with the product, as his wife is building a home gym in the basement of their new lake home.

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APRIL 2016

After a few minutes of negotiating, the two sides settle on a deal that gives O’Leary 20 percent of the company in exchange for an $80,000 investment and a line of credit.

There’s a handshake, and that’s it. Brasch and Hopperstad walk out of the Tank and share a high five that you can likely hear outside the building.

The episode didn't actually air until Feb. 21, 2016 - about eight months after the June 2015 filming.

And if you don't know how serious networks are about NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) - which are contracts that dictate what contestants can talk about to whom and when — let Brasch and Hopperstad be the

Brasch says that the only time producers had to cut during the taping was after PRx had accepted O'Leary's offer and Brasch went to give O'Leary a gift.

first to tell you that they are serious business.

It was eight months of telling no one anything. Not friends, not neighbors, not kids. Only their spouses even knew they'd flown to LA to shoot their segment.

It was yet another stroke of good fortune, too, that even allowed the local TV audience to see the company in the national spotlight.

"We were supposed to air on the 26th of February, which was a Friday," Hopperstad says. "And they gave us really short notice and said we were instead going to be airing on Sunday the 21st.

"So we scrambled and let everybody know that our viewing party was going to change and after the fact found out that had we aired when originally planned, the episode wouldn't have aired locally here until like 1:30 a.m. because the state hockey tournament was on TV." With the capital infusion from Mr. O'Leary and their faces seen by millions, PRx is now hoping to parlay the positive press into dollars and cents. They've signed deals with a number of large fitness equipment distributors across North America - including Scheels - and have even launched a Kickstarter for their Talon barbell collar, the product that sparked the idea for their company in the first place.

Their days have gotten longer and their nights shorter, but if their experience on the show has taught them anything, it's that sharks never sleep.

CONTACT

PRx Performance prxperformance.com 4021 Main Ave., Ste. B, Fargo 701-566-0452

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Behind the Scenes of our underwater cover shoot From conception to execution, we were excited about making the underwater covershoot with the PRx guys a reality. After a long day at the MSUM pool with a whole slew of writers, photographers and shark wranglers, we couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

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PROFILE

ECG Founder Tommy Leikas

To Hearts All Over the World With memberclients in more than a dozen countries, this Fargo-based medical education company is helping save lives across the globe.

By Nate Mickelberg Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography & courtesy of ECG Medical Training

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PROFILE

W

When Dr. Tim Henry, a world-renowned cardiologist and the director of cardiology at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Beverly Hills, is asked why he's willing to serve as the chief medical advisor to a niche startup based in Fargo, N.D., his answer is simple. His answer is actually a story, a story about an elderly man he operated on in Minneapolis a couple of years ago.

Dr. Tim Henry Director of Cardiology, CedarsSinai Heart Institute Chief Medical Advisor, ECG Medical Training

"

So there's a 75-year-old gentleman who's on his treadmill in his house.

And he lives in a tiny little town without a hospital, with a volunteer paramedic service. And he has a cardiac arrest, and his daughter does CPR, the volunteers arrive, they put on an AED and he gets shocked.

"The volunteer paramedics take him to a local town called New Prague, but this town doesn't have a PCI hospital, so it's the secondary place. But the helicopter is waiting there because they've called. And then he gets transferred, by helicopter, to the Minneapolis Heart Institute. And he gets shocked, total in all this time, 75 or 80 times.

"And he comes in and by the time he gets to us in the hospital, he's already

cooled. And he has the Widow Maker (when the front artery down the front of the heart is either totally blocked or has a critical blockage). We do a PCI very quickly, but the initial rejection fraction is probably 15 percent. And he's intubated and sedated because he's been shocked all those times. "(We operate) and then I walk out to the place where families are, and there are like 30 people there. So he has – if you take all his kids and relatives – more than 100 people that he and his wife are responsible for. The chances of this person surviving 10 years ago was really zero.

"This was on a Friday. I come back into the hospital on a Monday and he's reading his computer and says, 'You're Dr. Henry. You're the one who did the procedure.' And that was our motivation for trying to do this is because if we had pre-hospital ECGs everywhere, if we had a combination of automated reading plus paramedic over-reading, we would do this a lot better."

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PROFILE If some of that was over your head, don't feel bad, because it is for Tommy Leikas, too.

Leikas is a Fargo entrepreneur and the nephew of Dr. Henry, and while Leikas doesn't have a medical background himself, what he does have is 10 years of experience as an entrepreneur in Internet and e-commerce ventures.

When he was visiting his uncle out in Los Angeles a little more than a year ago, the two of them got to talking about how they could combine their respective expertises to try and solve one of the more pressing, heart-related medical issues worldwide.

Leikas started learning more about a number of the health and financial problems that arise due to inadequate ECG interpretation by pre-hospital medical workers such as paramedics and nurses, hooked up with well-known South Carolina fire captain and paramedic Tom Bouthillet, and the two of them – along with Dr. Henry – came up with the idea that would eventually become ECG Medical Training.

ECG Medical Training is a video module-based platform that

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educates healthcare workers around the globe about proper ECG-interpretation procedures, from the most basic to the most advanced.

We sat down with Leikas to learn a little more about how this seemingly niche service is helping to save lives both at home and abroad.

Q&A Understanding that this is a highly complicated subject, how would you explain some of the issues ECG Medical Training is trying to solve, in broad strokes?

Tommy Leikas: “One of our goals is to reduce false positives.

What this means is that a provider in the field, pre-hospital, says that a patient is going into cardiac arrest, when in fact they are not. And there are an alarmingly high percentage of false positives.

“A cardiologist will get paged,

come in – along with their entire team – to operate, when in reality, they weren’t going into cardiac arrest. The team didn’t need to be called. And that’s a huge expense for hospitals.

Our top priority is to empower providers to make better clinical decisions, faster. By interpreting the 12-lead ECG, correlating it to the patient’s clinical condition, identifying high risk features, making wise decisions, and reducing false positives, we will enhance the systems of care that save lives.”

PROFILE

ECG Worldwide

Despite officially launching a little more than a month ago, ECG already has member-clients in 14 different countries around the world. As part of the service, members can chat directly with ECG Chief Content Architect Tom Bouthillet and ask him any questions they have, from the generic to the most obscure and specific.

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APRIL 2016

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

China Australia Canada Guam Vietnam Italy United Kingdom

8. New Zealand 9. Costa Rica 10. Netherlands 11. Oman 12. Malaysia 13. Slovenia 14. Romania

PROFILE NEXT COLUMN

We should probably take a step back and clarify, for anyone who isn’t sure, what an ECG is.

TL: It’s a test that shows you what’s happening with the electrical activity of the heart. An important piece outside of just the ECG is, ‘What’s happening?

What are the vital signs?’ If you only see an ECG but you don’t see the patient, you don’t have the entire picture.”

It’s not the supply side of things, such as access to machines and equipment, that’s an issue, correct? It’s the interpretation of the information being provided.

TL: “We’re an education-focused organization. It’s nothing to do with equipment or access. It’s teaching the subject matter. And it’s deeper than just teaching someone the basics. Most education oversimplifies the subject matter, which causes issues. So we’re going deeper in an effort to help solve some real problems.”

You’ve compared your videos to those of well-known platforms such as Khan Academy and Lynda. You also say that ECG videos are, on average, about 10 minutes long. Was keeping the videos short a priority?

TL: “Yes. Not too many people in this day and age want to sit down and listen to a twohour lecture. The term we use is ‘snackable.’ We have very focused subject matter, and some of the longer learning modules we break into multiple parts. It’s also so you don’t need to take two days off work to consume our content.

“It’s also an ongoing process.

There’s a core course with 40 videos that we recommend every provider starts with, but then we drip in new content monthly to make it more of a community versus, ‘Buy our course, start, end and you’re done.’ Because you should always be sharpening your pencil.”

What do you see as the biggest advantage for this system of content delivery?

TL: "All in, you’re easily over $1,000 to go to a traditional brick-and-mortar seminar: • Flight: $600+ • Hotel: $350+ • Registration fee: $200 • Plus 2-3 days’ time, which is difficult for medical professionals “Also, accessibility. If you’re a paramedic in Vietnam, a seminar isn’t even an option. Our solution creates really hard, rare content accessible worldwide, on demand.”

Are you planning to expand this concept and branch out into other medical issues?

TL: “Absolutely. This is one very niche topic. The vision is to expand into dozens of other niche topics. We’re taking it one step at a time.”

ECG Medical Training ecgmedicaltraining.com Fargo 866-540-8212

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COLUMN NEXT OFFICE

THE KIDS ARE ALL BITE

By Craig Whitney ⸋ Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography & courtesy of the FMWF Chamber of Commerce

I

f you didn’t get the chance to come out to our inaugural Investor Panel Shark Tank event in March, you really missed out. Last month, we hosted this exciting new event, and it’s all part of a national program to train young students about business.

It’s called the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, or YEA! for short, and we are honored to have started the first YEA! program in North Dakota. This unique program guides high school and middle school students through the process of starting and running a legitimate business or social movement over the course of a full academic year. Throughout this time, they meet with area business leaders for talks and tours, write a business plan, work with mentors and graphic designers, pitch their ideas to investors to vie for funding, register their business and leave the program as CEOs of their own companies.

It’s incredibly inspiring and exciting and provides these young people with a hands-on approach to entrepreneurism.

As part of the program, the event afforded each student the opportunity to publicly share their ideas with area business professionals, who were the “sharks,” and receive real funding to help them launch their businesses.

May. He was Mukai Selekwa, a senior at Davies High School who created Webblen, a social media management website. We know he will represent our community well as he moves on to swim with even bigger sharks now.

I can say without a doubt that the event was a huge success, and we’re all proud to see these bright young people growing as individuals and as budding business leaders. They’ve each worked hard throughout the past several month, and all did very well in front of the crowd on stage, as they shared this work with us all.

All of our young entrepreneurs have a very bright future ahead of them, and it will be exciting to see where their journeys take them.

Craig Whitney is the president and CEO of the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce.

These kids have some really innovative ideas.

From headbands that help fund breast cancer research to a tailgating app.

A meal kit delivery system to bicycle GPS – even an environmentally friendly hovercraft — these students have amazed us all with their business bravado.

In the end, one student was chosen to receive the top prize, earning $2,400 for his business and a trip to compete in the YEA! semi-finals in New York in

I have to give a big thanks to everyone who has supported this program and these students. We’ve had many guest mentors and speakers come in to talk to the students, three area colleges who offered their campuses as host sites, Chamber staff who got the program off the ground, generous sponsors (including presenting sponsor Cornerstone Bank) and an amazing class instructor, Josh Teigen. This event and this program would not be possible without all of their hard work.

If you know a great student for the next YEA! class, please encourage them to apply today. Applications and more information are available through April 14 at fmwfchamber.com/YEA.

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OFFICE

OFFICE VIBES

Gate City Bank

Progressive Planning A

s the seven-floor, 75,000-square-foot headquarters of Gate City Bank’s 35 branches, the Downtown Fargo location is not your typical banking office. Built in 1956, the building shows its age in a few places, but as Senior Vice President & Office Services Manager Jay Krabbenhoft and architect Andrew Koedam* showed us, the bank has made a committed effort over the past 10 years to redesigning each floor with employee well-being and productivity in mind above all else. By Nate Mickelberg • Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography Gate City Bank Wild | CRG

500 2nd Ave. N, Fargo

701-293-2400

500 2nd Ave. N. Ste. 514, Fargo

gatecitybank.com

701-293-8106

*Wild | CRG is an independent architecture, design and construction management firm whose Fargo office is housed in Gate City’s downtown building. Koedam works directly with Krabbenhoft on all things design with the bank.

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Jay Krabbenhoft, Senior Vice President & Office Services Manager, Gate City Bank

wildcrg.com

Andrew Koedam, Vice President, Wild | CRG*

OFFICE

1st Floor Beginning in 2007 and lasting the better part of two years, the redesign of the first floor was aimed at not only incorporating more contemporary furnishings into the space but also emphasizing a view of the street on the north side of the building.

Krabbenhoft: “We knew we wanted to embrace Second Avenue. When we talked about the remodel, the city had talked to us about Second Avenue being more of a conduit to the river and said, ‘This is going to be an even busier street than it is already.’ And we’ve seen that.”

If you’ve ever been in a Gate City branch before, you know it’s like walking into grandma’s kitchen. The smell of freshbaked cookies fills the air, which Krabbenhoft says is not only a nice perk for bank goers but is a part of the larger customer experience.

To mirror a larger goal of increased transparency among Gate City employees and operations, many first-floor walls were replaced with glass, which allows employees to gain a better sense of what’s going on behind “closed doors,” Krabbenhoft says.

Whether it’s an executive meeting, a training session or a video call with another Gate City branch, employees and customers alike now get to see more of the day-to-day than they ever could before.

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OFFICE

2nd Floor

On the south side of the second floor, sixfoot cubicles line the mezzanine. The high-walled units are in direct contrast to the open concept floor plans on some of the upper floors of the building and a reminder of the days when employee interaction

wasn’t as encouraged.

Krabbenhoft also points out that the second floor is home to the most printers per capita in the building.

Where on the floors that have undergone more drastic redesigns, there are only a handful of centralized

It would be surprising if there are nicer custodial closets in town than Gate City’s, and that’s no accident, according to Koedam.

Koedam: “We recognize that everyone from the janitor to the CEO needs to do their job and do it correctly. And by providing them the proper tools to do their job, it makes the whole building better. It makes the company better.

It makes everything better.

It’s very democratic. All employees have a nice place to work.”

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printers, many second-floor workers have personal printers at their desks.

Krabbenhoft: “I hate to use the word ‘difficult,’ but we made it harder to walk over and print something. We print more efficiently now.”

Second floor, which was constructed in what used to be empty, volumetric space, according to Koedam, is evidence of Gate City’s past. Though by no means old-fashioned, there remain remnants of less efficient and less interactive times.

One example of design inefficiency is the 250-square-foot singleperson offices that line the north wall.

Krabbenhoft: “The (second floor) offices are very traditional in nature. There’s lots of filing, you’ve got power seats – so you have a supervisor and, of course, when she talks to her subordinates, they would sit across from her. These are

large rooms.

“We did the studies and systematically discovered that about 55 percent of all private offices are empty at all times. That’s a huge amount of square footage that is wasted. As we go to other floors, you’ll see how we’ve tried to utilize that square footage and make it more usable and multifunctional.

“If this is Kevin's office, you and I wouldn’t use it.

We wouldn’t go in there and make a phone call. We wouldn’t sit in there and have a meeting. This is Kevin’s office. And that’s a lot of square footage that’s dedicated to him. And that’s expense.”

OFFICE

3rd Floor

Probably the best view in the entire building belongs to the call center. With expansive, ceiling-height windows that look south over Downtown Fargo, call center workers get to enjoy ample natural light and a working experience that, as Krabbenhoft puts

it, hopefully makes up for occasionally unpleasant interactions with frustrated customers.

Krabbenhoft: “How can I word this? People don’t necessarily call the bank to say, ‘I’m having a great day’ or ‘I’m happy to be calling

In direct contrast to the large, often empty managerial offices on the second floor, their third floor equivalents have been updated to reflect the themes of transparency, multi-functionality and efficiency that Krabbenhoft and Koedam preached repeatedly throughout the tour.

Krabbenhoft: “The people in these offices are at the same level, status-wise, as 54

APRIL 2016

you.’ This is a stressful job.

So we did a lot of research on what we could do to make this as positive a facilities experience as possible for these folks. And at the same time still meeting the bank’s expectations to maximize square footage.”

the ones downstairs, but these offices are greater than half the size of the ones downstairs. This is about one hundred square feet.

There’s limited filing because you just don’t need it. And notice the chair off to the side. If we were going to have a meeting, we’d go out to a collaborative work area. (The power structure) is just not that way anymore.

We would sit one-on-one.

It breaks down barriers in a positive way.”

OFFICE

While both the call center and main office area on the third floor were ultimately redesigned as open concept spaces, the decision was not without some initial apprehension. Doubling the number of employees on the floor from 40 to 80 and all but removing the walls and cubicles had both Krabbenhoft and Koedam concerned that noise pollution would become a real issue. That is, until they let human psychology take over.

Koedam: “We did our research and toured a few different facilities. We went to a call center that had 400 people in it, I started talking, and I was the loudest person in there and talking over everybody. It’s amazing how people adapt.

“There are 80 people on this floor and you just think, ‘Wow,’ with how quiet it is.

There were some nerves among the employees. We met with them beforehand explaining how it works, trying to ease the tension,

which worked out really well.”

Krabbenhoft: “It’s all about communication. You can get buy-in on a project if you do it in stages, right from the very beginning. Including our architect in the bank’s culture is very helpful for him to understand how to build it for us.”

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OFFICE HR NEXT

6th Floor Fast Facts: Sixth Floor Renovation A generator was brought in to power the saw that was used to cut the opening in the south exterior wall, as the building could not provide the necessary power.

More than 4,000 pounds of steel was installed at the south windows to support the existing wall above.

Nearly 100,000 square inches of glass was installed on the south elevation of the building to harvest natural sunlight.

More than eight miles of wire is installed on the sixth floor alone.

The level of security throughout the sixth floor is the equivalent of One World Trade Center in New York, according to Gate City.

All Gate City employees are able to hold meetings in any conference room throughout the building – even Gate City President

Steve Swiontek’s personal office – as long as they schedule it using one of a number of tablets mounted throughout the space.

In what’s already become something of a tradition, no “Office Vibes” article would be complete without a look at the bathrooms.

Like all of those before them, Krabbenhoft and Koedam say theirs are the best in town, and while we won’t make a judgment on that, we will say Gate City’s are the first we’ve seen with TVs and personal shoe buffers.

On the executive sixth floor, you’re greeted by one of a handful of open meeting areas throughout the building.

Krabbenhoft says that in addition to the spaces helping reduce square footage costs by being multifunctional, they serve another, more subtle purpose for younger employees.

Krabbenhoft: “Say you and I are new workers. We can see, ‘Oh, this is how a meeting goes.’ We all understand how a meeting works, but the youngsters might not know exactly. And they can kind of glean that from watching.”

HR

The Evolution of

HR

A Fargo CPA says her startup could change how businesses everywhere hire.

T

here’s probably no trendier word in today’s business world than “culture.” More than ever, companies are going out of their way to create a work environment that not only attracts employees but helps retain them.

They’re putting slides in the middle of their offices, plush couches in their break rooms and commercial espresso machines in their kitchens.

Beth Mohan Co-founder, KITE

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about people? Are we a practical thinker? A strategic thinker?

Combined, the three (assessment parts) make a very powerful tool in identifying a person’s natural traits for a job.

Q: I’m an employer, and you’re pitching your services to me. Using a sample workflow, take me through how KITE works, from beginning to end.

But what if the best way to keep workers happy and turnover low was less about the bells and whistles and more about whether an employee is right for a job in the first place?

While it may seem obvious, Fargo entrepreneur Beth Mohan says candidate compatibility is still an overlooked part of the hiring process, and she believes her startup, KITE (Knowing Individual Talent Empowers), can help companies solve that greatest of HR quagmires: matching the right person with the right position.

We recently sat down with Mohan to learn a little more about KITE and why she believes it’s the next great hiring tool.

Q: How does KITE differ from some of the traditional behavioral assessment tools such as DISC? A: Our assessment has three parts to it, and all three are relevant to a job. You can look at it like layers of an onion.

The outer layer is what the DISC index measures. It measures people’s behavior.

How do they prefer to behave? The second layer is values. What motivates a person?

Because if someone’s not motivated to do a job, they’re not going to do it well and they’re not going to do it for very long. The inside layer, which is really the core, is the attributes index. And the attributes index gets at our subconscious. It’s our minds at a subconscious level. It measures how we think and make decisions. Do we think empathetically? Are we always concerned

A: Once you get your login information, you’re going to see your own personalized dashboard. That’s where you add a job. And when you add a job, you get to use your own description, and we help you determine what are called benchmarks. Then, once you add a job, it’s immediately posted out to four major boards, which then ultimately stream out to a total of about 30 boards.

Once it’s on the job board and people see it, then the candidate or applicant can click on ‘apply’ and they can upload their resume, put in their contact information, and then they’re prompted to take the assessment.

So they take the assessment, which only takes between 15 and 30 minutes, typically.

And then the results of the assessment are immediately posted. And then what the employer does is they go into their dashboard and they look at the job and they might see that five candidates have applied.

So they click on that, see a list of all the candidates and the candidates will be ranked from ‘most like the benchmark’ to ‘least like the benchmark.’ And from there, they would focus their energy on those that are most like the benchmark.

We typically tell the employers to look at the candidates that are a 70 percent match or better to the benchmark(s). The person in the 70th percentile is a good match, 80s they’re a very good match and then if you have someone in the 90s, they’re an excellent match to the benchmark and the most likely to be a top performer in that job.

Q: You’ve alluded to these “benchmarks” that more or less form the foundation for KITE. Could you elaborate on one or two examples of those?

A: Probably one of our most commonly used ones is the customer service benchmark. It can be used in so many different avenues,

HR

KITE Assessment Layers NEXT

The three sections of the KITE assessment: the attributes index, the DISC index and the values index.

Each provides an employer with a distinct set of data about a potential job candidate, says Mohan.

ADVICE

60-80 percent of the people in the jobs are not a natural fit.

What that tells us is that intuition is not good enough. Our personal biases enter into the decisions. That’s the biggest problem. It’s the biggest problem with our managers. They want someone who’s just like them, even though the job may require a completely different set of natural talents.

Q: You seem confident that your system will help employers find more compatible candidates for positions. Do you offer any kind of a guarantee to business owners where if they don’t retain an employee for X amount of time, you offer some kind of refund?

from a person who’s a receptionist or maybe a person who’s in retail sales.

We have an inside sales benchmark, which looks at if someone needs to be fairly aggressive, and an outside sales benchmark, which measures whether a person is very aggressive, very interactive, not very detail-oriented. We have an administrative benchmark – where the person is much more detailed but maybe not as interactive.

Q: You use third-party software to perform these assessments. Where is the value added, on your end?

A: We’re the assessment experts. We help the employers determine which benchmark(s) is best for them to use for their job. The benchmarks are proprietary information, and so we do not give out the actual benchmarks. The employer talks to us about what the job involves, and then we go from there. We say, ‘Use this benchmark.’

We also do interpretations of the reports.

We look at all three pieces of the assessment and wrap it up into one. We are very active with a client, at no additional cost. Usually just in the beginning because once they get the hang of it, we really aren’t involved unless they need us.

Q: What specific challenges have you faced thus far in pitching KITE to business owners?

A: The biggest hindrance to this exploding right now – and it will explode – is first of all, getting the word out. And being a startup, we have limited funds. But also, we’re running into hesitation on the part of companies that say, ‘Assessments are just a big game. I trust my gut totally. I know exactly what I’m doing.’

And we get that a lot.

Some people say, ‘I have this gift. I can do (hiring) myself.’ They’re relying on their intuition and their gut. Statistics we’ve generated in working with companies over the last two years have shown that when we assess people in a particular job – as just one example, recruiters – we have found that

A: No, we don’t do that because we’re not recruiters and we’re not making the final decision. We just don’t have the control necessary to make that kind of a guarantee.

There are such personal biases that come into play, even down to something as simple as how an employer decides to write a job description.

What It Costs KITE uses a no-contract, monthly subscription-based pricing structure. The base price is $250 per month, which gets you postings (accompanied by the KITE assessment) on up to 30 different job boards. There are premium options that go up to $500 per month, which grants a user access to the detailed reports that KITE uses to match candidates to positions.

Beth Mohan KITE (Knowing Individual Talent Empowers) kitedisctest247.com 3523 45th St. S, #100, Fargo 701-261-9326

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Paul Smith Regional Director, North Dakota Small Business Development Center-Fargo Regional Center

"We are thinking strategically as a network about leveraging staff expertise, resources and technology across our regional offices to reduce duplicating services."

The biggest way we've saved money is by being resourceful and utilizing technology as much as possible. By being resourceful, I'm referring to talking to other business owners and experts in their field. Business owners of all industries have similar challenges and issues. By talking to other entrepreneurs about certain situations or mistakes they've made, we've been able to avoid many costly decisions. You don't know what you don't know, and trying to do something yourself without talking about your options with someone with experience can be a costly mistake. Almost every entrepreneur I've met is more than willing to meet or grab coffee. You just have to reach out."

Rick Berg CEO, AdShark Marketing

Our company has reaped rewards this past year by spending more money on our

employee-owners. Yes, that’s right! We’ve been investing additional resources in our

employee-owners over the past two years,

which has resulted in reduced expenses.

"I’m so impressed with our team’s innovation and initiative to scrutinize operating expenses. Additionally, our team asked to create operating budgets this past year. This has helped us more accurately measure results. What have I learned

from this? Hire the right people, teach them your culture and empower them.”

“Thorough planning and review is critical to any project. It costs far less to plan, review, rework and build on paper than to implement a poorly planned project and then have to rebuild or restart a poorly planned initiative or building project. It's better to look at ways to increase incomeprofit rather than only look at expense reduction. Revenue can be increased by a well-planned and -managed project that is completed quickly.”

Jay Krabbenhoft Senior VP & Office Services Manager, Gate City Bank

David Dietz President & CEO, Preference Personnel

ADVICE NEXT SBDC

Tommy Leikas Founder, ECG Medical Training

“We love using Basecamp to manage tasks and projects. From design to development to content creation, it saves our team dozens of hours every month. Given that time is our most valued resource, this is one of the best systems we’ve ever implemented.”

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GET TO KNOW

YOUR SBDCs A converstion with North Dakota Small Business Development Center – Fargo Regional Director Paul Smith and West Central Minnesota SBDC Director Cathy Lindquist

By Nate Mickelberg Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography and Paul Flessland Photo

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Fret not, though, because your local SBDCs are here to help. Whether you’re operating in North Dakota, Minnesota or both, the Fargo branch of the ND SBDC and the West Central MN SBDC are your one-stop shops for all things small business in the area.

THE CONVERSATION One part of operating under the umbrella of the Small Business Administration is the requirement that SBDCs are affiliated with an institution of higher learning.

What are some of the advantages of that relationship?

Cathy Lindquist-MN: The reason they do that is that they want to show students and young people that there’s opportunity in small business. There’s a perception that small business doesn’t pay well, that small business is backwards or that small business is not progressive. And so one of our challenges is to show them that those are all myths. (Small businesses) are very progressive, they’re very innovative, they employ most of our hightech employees and at a better rate than Fortune 500 companies.

And then also, for me and the area that I serve, is we need to show them that there are opportunities in rural areas and C and D counties. Most of the counties that I serve are losing population and so we want to show people that these are places they can stay or come back to.

In addition to working with pre-revenue and early stage startups, do you also work with older, more established businesses?

Lindquist-MN: Yes. And a lot of what’s occurring in southwest (Minnesota) right now is succession planning. We have a lot of baby boomers who own their own companies, and they want to retire. So how do we get them ready to retire? How do we help them find a buyer? We’re not a broker, but we want to make sure they’re prepared.

Paul Smith–ND: I agree. Succession planning is one of two key initiatives for the ND SBDC this year. As baby boomers continue to retire at a rate of 10,000 per day, a lot of businesses in ND will be going through a transition during the

ADVICE

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tarting a business can be exhilirating and it can be equally intimidating. You go in wanting to turn a passion into a career and quickly realize there’s a bit more to it than that. You just wanted to open a custom t-shirt shop and instead you’re navigating the unfamiliar waters of loan packaging, financial projections and trademark registration.

West Central MN SBDC Director Cathy Lindquist*

ND SBDC Fargo Regional Director Paul Smith

next five-10 years. And it’s not too soon for business owners who may be looking at selling their businesses in five years to begin planning now for that eventual outcome.The SBDC can help companies position for that transition.

The other key initiative is childcare. A great need exists for childcare services across the state of ND, and especially in rural areas. I have worked with several childcare providers in our region over the past eight months. We want to assist and support efforts to ensure that residents have access to quality childcare services.

What kind of business makes up the majority of your clients?

Lindquist-MN: Mine is startups. Fifty-four percent of our clients are currently in business – that means one year or older.

We do a majority of startups because, of course, that takes the most time and they don’t know quite what to do. Twentyfour percent of our consulting hours are provided to pre-revenue, so those that are not in business yet.

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SUCCESS STORY

MEETUPS

In 2015, the ND SBDC’s Fargo center saw more than 210 clients spanning a variety of industries, one of which was the Rosey’s Bistro in Downtown Fargo.

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The bistro, which will feature a grilled cheese bar and Broadway’s first cheese and seafood market, opened in February 2016 as Rosey’s Grilled Cheese Pop-up Bistro, but the ND SBDC was working with Rosey’s owner, Tim Rosendahl, long before.

The ND SBDC assisted Rosendahl in developing a business plan and financial projections to obtain financing through several private investor partners and a commercial lender.

“Paul Smith and the SBDC were there from the very beginning of this project,” Rosendahl says. “He was invaluable in helping me navigate this process and put together a sound business plan, financial projections and investor and lender summary.”

Paul Smith-ND: Last year, the ND SBDC Fargo Center assisted more than 200 clients, and this year, we’re on pace to surpass that number. About half are pre-venture clients, and half are existing businesses that want to expand their operations. In terms of industries, we assist entrepreneurs and existing companies in a

2015 AT A GLANCE West Central Minnesota SBDC $130 million - capital secured for small businesses 9 - counties served 292 - clients served 3,391 - professional consulting hours provided 29 - trainings

North Dakota SBDC – Fargo Regional Center

213 - clients 771 - client sessions $7.6 million - capital infusion ($72.7 million statewide) 15 - new business starts 151 - jobs created/retained

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wide range of verticals – from restaurants and technology to health/wellness to manufacturing. Each client represents a new opportunity to help someone along their path – whether starting, expanding, buying or selling a business.

What happens when someone comes to you for assistance from an industry you have little to no experience in?

Smith-ND: SBDC business advisors must be trained generalists because we deal with such a wide range of clients and industries. Many questions, issues and challenges are common to all businesses regardless of industry. However, we also have to be specialists – at least to a degree. Existing businesses often seek our help in developing financial projections to obtain a loan for a business expansion, to restructure debt or to improve cash flow. In those cases, it’s important to understand something about their business and the environment and industry in which the company operates.

Fortunately, we have lots of expertise, resources and tools available within our network to support us. One also develops a deeper knowledge base as you work with multiple clients in a particular vertical.

What does a typical workflow look like when a pre-revenue company reaches out to you?

Smith-ND: Pre-venture clients typically have questions and are seeking assistance in several areas, including business registration, business planning and especially capital acquisition – understanding the different financing options and programs available and developing financial projections to present to a lender. In fact, a lot of our clients are referred by lenders who may have met with the borrower but wants to see a comprehensive business plan and financial projections in order to consider their loan request.

Lindquist-MN: We do the financials for them, but we cannot write their plan. We’ll review it and give feedback. We have a lot of people who go, ‘Oh, well here, give it back to me (when it’s done).’ And we say, no, if you’re going to run the business, you need to be all-in.

Smith-ND: I often refer clients who may need more hands-on assistance in fleshing out their ideas and developing their business plan to our local SCORE office. The counselors there are trained and equipped to provide longer-term mentoring with clients. Sometimes, I see those clients again on the backside after the business

plan has been completed and it’s time to develop the financial projections.

to make decisions, they know how to take orders and they’re willing to take help.

Clients really need to ‘own’ their business plan. After all, it’s their vision, ideas and passion that have to fuel the process. The SBDC provides expertise and various tools, templates and information, some of which is available through our website.

Clients typically leave our initial meeting with a homework assignment – to develop their business plan. I can be a sounding board for them along the way, and we can assist with research that can be helpful in market analysis, but we don’t write the plan for them. After they complete the plan, we can work with them on developing the pro forma.

Smith-ND: And they’re willing to work hard – sheer, dogged determination to succeed. I have worked with a number of veterans, and it’s always fun. The other interesting trend is that women are opening businesses at three times the rate of their male counterparts.

Once your initial consulting work is done, do you track the companies you assist and measure their progress?

Lindquist-MN: Minnesota does. We have a survey that’s based on historical data. It's a five-year impact study. (The companies) also get surveys every year from us. If you’ve had services to, say, what type of services did you have? Were you pleased with our services or not? We also have to be accredited through the ASBDC (America’s Small Business Development Center) to make sure we are meeting the standards of our clients. They get to rate us and say if they felt we knew our materials or not.

Smith-ND: The ND SBDC also must meet those accreditation standards set forth by the ASBDC. Every new client receives a brief electronic survey within a week or so after their initial visit, after they have been inactive for 90 days, and after what we call an ‘impact’ – when a loan gets approved and the client is able to move forward with launching or expanding their business.

What are some trends you’re seeing in small business ownership right now?

Smith-ND: It’s interesting that veterans now own about one third of all small businesses nationally, and the success rate is much higher than the national average. About half of all new businesses fail within five years, and only one in ten survive 10 years.

Lindqu​Whileist-MN: There are a lot of services available to (veterans). They have the training background, they know how

Lindquist-MN: But we do still need more women. Now, North Dakota actually has one of the highest rates, if you look by state. It’s the number one rate in the country as far as women starting businesses. We still need more women to open businesses, we need women to stay in business longer, just generally. We have a lot of women who are opting out. We need them to opt in.

We also need a lot more minorities starting businesses. We have some very intelligent new Americans in this area, and we’d love to encourage them to start their business.

Because they’re like the vets. Once they go, they are dogged and determined.

I’ve worked with (immigrant) lawyers, bankers and doctors who can’t get their license, and so they’re trying other things.

Everybody has a stereotype, of course, of what an immigrant is, and I don’t see that.

These are the ones – they are creative.

RESOURCES ND SBDC – Fargo Regional Center ndsbdc.org/fargo.cfm 1854 NDSU Research Circle N. Ste. 7, Fargo 701-499-5273 West Central MN SBDC offuttschoolofbusiness.org/sbdc 1310 8th St. S, Moorhead 218-299-3037 *Effective March 11, Cathy Lindquist will be leaving her position as director of the West Central Minnesota SBDC. If you're interested in the WC MN SBDC's services, you can contact Consultant Matthew Magness directly at magness@cord.edu or 218-299-4776.

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Fargo-Moorhead Content Strategy This group hosts speakers and discussions that inform the public on personal and professional development and improvement in areas of online content.

Events presented by the group are open to anyone interested in strategy, trends, practices and tools of online content as it would apply to marketing, brand management and web development.

Meetup Details: Time and date: TBA The Prairie Den 5-6:30 p.m.

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Fargo 3D Printing This group meets to discuss all things related to 3D printing.

Members include people who are building their own 3D printer to those who use a 3D printer daily. Meetings include a social hour, as well as presentations on various topics pertaining to 3D printer use and manufacturing.

Join the group for more information on the meetup dates.

Girl Develop It Fargo In a community largely developed by males, Girl Develop It Fargo provides an environment for women to learn and ask questions about developing and programming websites. The group supports beginners through courses focused on web-development vocabulary such as coding, client, server and blog features. The courses typically require a laptop and a text editor but encourage a satisfactory end-product: a developed web site.

Upcoming events: Intro to HTML/CSS, April 12

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Geek Meet FM Meeting every second Thursday of the month, this group was established primarily to connect "local web geeks" knowledgeable about the technological and information systems industry, but the group welcomes all geeks.

Social hour begins at 6:30 p.m. and is followed by group announcements.

Presentations begin at 7.

Meetup Details: geek_meet_live Location: TBA April 14 6-8 p.m.

5 Mobile Meetup Fargo* Every third Wednesday of each month, this group presents information about mobile technology through speakers, panels and demonstrations. Topics have included mobile app development, as well as mobile marketing and user experience. The group also hosts a social networking outing and has integrated the hashtag #fargomtm for all information regarding meetup. *Currently on hiatus

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According to a hefty, 33-page report done by Boston University and released in January 2016, this is not too surprising. The conclusion of the research was that Airbnb has had minimal impact on the hotel industry.

For a family that might otherwise pay to house nine people at a hotel, the deal is a score, Wai says. Guests are free to use the kitchen, take a look at the art and are closer to downtown than most Fargo hotels, she adds.

Wai says they try to make it more than just a place to stay. Guests enter to find a personalized welcome sign and travel guides on how to get the most out of Fargo. Wai also leaves out snacks for road trippers and chocolates on the pillows.

“We do it because we like to use the house to its full potential but also because we like to be ambassadors for Fargo,” Wai says.

Hotels vs. Airbnb Chocolates on pillows might sound familiar. The Hotel Donaldson, on the corner of Broadway and First Avenue, famously leaves special treats for their guests as well. The art-deco hotel prides itself on offering a unique experience for guests, according to Hotel Manager Tanner Tweten.

Bookings at the Hotel Donaldson are doing well, Tweten says. They have not seen any changes come from the growth of Airbnb, in the same way they have not been affected by new hoteliers opening in the area, he says.

“The study concludes that a one percent increase in [Airbnb’s] listings in a given market would result in a 0.05 percent decrease in quarterly hotel revenues—at least for the Texas market, which served as the sample,” writes Patrick Mayock in an article for Hotel News Now.

There is some speculation as to how this will impact hotels in the long run. One positive outlook is that Airbnb could in fact be stimulating more travel demand, Mayock says.

As a Fargo-Moorhead native, Wai says this appears to be the case in Fargo. As the city continues to grow, and more events are held that draw visitors from abroad, the need for more lodging and transportation is on the rise.

“There are more people visiting Fargo, and that’s a fact,” she says. “That demand is going up equally.”

This is consistent with Boston University’s research, which poses that while the sharing economy is disrupting industries, it could also be creating an increase in demand by generating new products and services.

However, Mayock goes on to say that hoteliers must take into account that Airbnb is growing at a rapid rate.

However, across the globe, and certainly here in Fargo, the full transformation of the sharing economy remains to be seen.

“In a vacuum, Airbnb supply is less threatening than hotel supply,” he writes. “But here’s the rub: Airbnb continues to grow rapidly. From its launch in 2008 to 2012, for which the most recent data was available for the study, the site had more than four million guests and more than 10 million nights of cumulative bookings.”

“With the projected rapid growth of the sharing economy, a host of related studies will be needed to fully understand and reap its benefits," the study concludes.

“Sure, if Airbnb was growing slowly, .05 percent would be

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- Simone Wai

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“We do it because we like to use the house to its full potential, but also because we like to be ambassadors for Fargo.”

negligible, but this isn’t the case,” says the report’s coauthor Davide Proserpio.

ADVICE

By Hailey Colbrunn | Photo by J. Alan Paul Photography

Dan Hurder LOCAL LEADER:

Taking the Leap

APRIL 2016

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fter spending seven years in the hotel industry, Dan Hurder decided he was ready to make the leap into entrepreneurship.

Hurder’s background in hotel, restaurant and tourism management and his general management experience helped prepare him for the struggle and bustle that comes with opening your own business. He candidly answered all of our questions about what being an entrepreneur entails — the risk, the reward and advice about how to handle the mechanics. Below are some of the answers you prospective business answers out there may need to get started.

What initiated the leap?

I decided I was ready to do my own thing. I was tired of working for other people. I just wanted the autonomy to be a business owner. I bought the Otter Supper Club out in Ottertail, Minn., and here I am, five years later.

How were you able to connect your experience with your entrepreneurial goals and learn about the restaurant industry’s many parts?

Most of my background was on the hotel side of things but in all of the hotels that I was involved, we had food and beverage. I wasn’t necessarily in the restaurant world, but the fundamentals of the hospitality industry are the same.

At the end of the day, it’s customer service and customer experience.

Following your solo pursuit, you became business partners with Executive Chef Christian D'Agostino.

How did that happen?

We worked together at the Hilton. I was a GM, and he was the executive chef. I left that job and he called me nine months later and said, ‘Hey, are you interested in getting into another

Q & A

restaurant?’ I said, ‘No, not really, but what do you have in mind?’ He told me about Monte’s. That was our first Fargo business. He and I have partnered on Boiler Room and Barbacoa since.

Partnerships are the number one business ventures that fail. What are your and Christian’s secrets to success?

It one hundred percent comes down to trust. I don’t question the decisions that he makes on the food side of things, and he doesn’t question the decisions that I make on the business side of things. If I feel that something I’m about to do may or may not be the right decision, we collaborate on it.

Besides passion and excitement, is there a common theme among your establishments?

They’re all scratch cooking. That’s one thing that Chris takes seriously and is important to him. We want them to be unique, we want to be interesting, we want them to be something that hasn’t necessarily been done in the market.

There’s no reason to duplicate what somebody else is doing. You quickly become saturated at that point. We try to bring something new and interesting to the table.

How do you acquire feedback about the new things you’re trying and implementing into your business plan?

DAN HURDER

Great Plains Hospitality 701-318-1080 dan.hurder@greatplainshospitality.com greatplainshospitality.com 4794 52nd St. S, Fargo

We solicit from the community, from employees, from customers. We talk to people ahead of time and say, ‘Here’s the idea we’re thinking of. What do you think?’ We look at what’s happening in bigger markets. We just try to keep a pulse on what our customers are thinking and enjoying. We use all of the

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online review forums. We pay attention to and we’re very active on social media.

Try to find as many sources as you can to get a true picture of what’s happening.

How do you handle going through the comments and coming across something that isn’t favorable?

Delicately. I usually like to think on my response a little bit. It’s easy to take it personally and feel the need to become defensive.

So, your advice?

Just calm down, think on it for a bit.

Usually taking an appreciative approach to negative feedback is the best spin you can put on it. Sometimes we feel the need to defend but try to avoid it .

Do you have any specific recommendations for scheduling, with regards to software or process?

We do it the old-fashioned way with an excel spreadsheet and turn in your note with your availability. There are programs out there. We’ve looked at a few, but, quite honestly, we didn’t feel that it would revolutionize our process so significantly that it was worth investing in.

What are examples of cost-saving techniques you implement?

A lot of it, as our group continues to grow, is where can we take advantage of economies and scale. We just recently signed up for an online application software and a hundred bucks a month for one company didn’t make sense, but when you can run all the companies through that, divide that up, suddenly 25 bucks a month is much more manageable. That’s where we really start to see the value — the bigger you get, the more negotiating power you have with your vendors.

didn’t know when I got into business. I thought for sure I had it all figured out.

There’s a lot of pieces to the ownership side of being in business that you just don’t ever get exposed to, even as the top level manager. Whether it be cash flow challenges or staffing challenges or all of the paperwork that can consume you on a regular basis, the sleepless nights that come with all of the above — it’s a totally different animal when you’re in an ownership role than when you’re in a management role.

How would you describe the relationship among local entrepreneurs and how has it impacted you?

Advice for people who dream of becoming entrepreneurs?

I always say friendly competition is extremely helpful and healthy in any industry. I learn a lot from my peers. I know on Christian’s side of things, we have a local chapter of The American Chef’s Federation, and he’s a member of that. They get together once a month, bringing together like-minded people on that side of the business. The restaurant industry is a close-knit industry.

My advice is to spend some time in whatever industry it is that you think you want to get into before you take the leap.

I know several people who have gotten into the restaurant business and found out a year and a half and a million dollars later that they hate it. Once you figure it all out, jump in feet-first. When you’re ready to jump in, don’t look back. Just take the plunge and keep going.

If you could do it all over, is there a different industry that you would go into?

What are some obstacles you have experienced coming up as an entrepreneur?

In this market, our biggest challenge for the last five years has been labor but that climate seems to have shifted a little bit over the last six months. Outside of labor, for me the biggest challenge has been all of the things I didn’t realize I

I wouldn’t say I would do it differently, but if I weren’t in this line of work I would want to be in disaster management. I think that the two industries are very similar.

HURDER'S RESTAURANT TIMELINE July 2011 Otter Supper Club Ottertail, Minn.

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October 2012 June 2014 October 2015 Monte's Boiler Room Barbacoa Downtown Fargo Downtown Fargo South Fargo

March/April 2016 Sazerac Alley Downtown Fargo

CALENDAR

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1 1 MILLION CUPS FARGO

APRIL 2016

BUSINESS EVENT

CALENDAR

Every Wednesday, 9:15-10:15 a.m.

Join the vibrant entrepreneurial community of Fargo-Moorhead and Emerging Prairie by participating in an event filled with guest speakers, tons of coffee, ideas and excellent networking opportunities.

1millioncups.com/fargo The Stage at Island Park 333 4th St. S, Fargo

2 THE STATE OF THE AGRICULTURE

ECONOMY IN OUR COMMUNITY

Tuesday, April 5, 7:30-9 a.m.

Agriculture has been the backbone of our economy for centuries. However, the agricultural market is in an interesting state.

Join Lynn Paulson, senior VP & director of agribusiness development at Bell State Bank & Trust; Mike Krueger, Money Farm; and Andrew Swenson, North Dakota State University, as they talk about these issues. fmchamber.com Courtyard by Marriott Fargo-Moorhead 1080 28th Ave. S, Moorhead

3 APRIL 5:01 HAPPY HOUR + 2016 SILVER

MEDALIST RECEPTION

Thursday, April 7, 5:01-7 p.m.

Join the American Advertising of North Dakota at Odney in Fargo – starting at 5:01 p.m. – for a tour of their space and network with fellow marketing and advertising professionals. Plus, they'll celebrate with Pat Finken, president of Odney Advertising, on his recent recognition as the 2016 AAF-ND Silver Medal award recipient. aaf-nd.org Odney 102 Broadway N, Ste. 201, Fargo

4 THE POWER OF BEING A SOCIAL

EMPLOYEE

Tuesday, April 12, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Kirsten Jensen, director of digital marketing at Onsharp, will present at this business training session that will talk about how to talk about the power of having your professional goals be reflected on social media. Tickets are $25 in advance or $35 at the door for Chamber members and $45 80

APRIL 2016

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in advance or $55 at the door for nonmembers. fmchamber.com Holiday Inn Fargo 3803 13th Ave. S, Fargo

5 LEADERSHIP SKILLS: LEARNING FROM

SUCCESS

Wednesday, April 13, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Join some of the area's most successful CEOs in this workshop put on by The 100. Jim Buus, VP/Owner of Goldmark Schlossman Commercial; Kent Satrang, CEO of Petro Serve USA; and Bob Gibb, President of Robert Gibb & Sons, Inc will be some of the members speaking at this event. the100.online/april-workshop Avalon Events Center 2525 9th Ave. S, Fargo

6 FM POWER LUNCH

Thursday, April 14, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Dave Sena, founder of Bold Leading and who works with the Impact Foundation, Funding Logic, and Unseen Ministries, will be presenting at this Power Lunch. This is a free lunch for all business professionals in the Fargo-Moorhead community. There is a scripture-based message that is relevant to the daily challenges and struggles faced in the business workplace bethelfc.com Bethel Church of Fargo 2702 30th Ave. S, Fargo

7 APRIL LUNCHEON SPEAKER: KEN

HAJDUK—CEO, FOUNDER & STRATEGIST AT LITTLE JACKET Tuesday, April 19, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Join the American Advertising Federation of North Dakota at the Courtyard by Marriot for their luncheon speaker: Ken Hejduk. Hejduk is the CEO, founder and brand strategist at Little Jacket a brand strategy/design firm.

RSVP is required. Admission is free for AAFND members, $50 for non-members and $20 for non-member students. aaf-nd.org Courtyard by Marriot 1080 28th Ave. S, Moorhead

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8 CART MONTHLY

Wednesday, April 20, 7:30-8:30 a.m.

Cart Monthly is a monthly meet-up where professionals in the e-commerce world gather to eat breakfast and talk trade.

Each meet-up features a local e-commerce company who gives a short presentation on what they’ve learned, problems they have or have overcome and questions to discuss with the group. emergingprairie.com/cart-monthly Prairie Den 122 ½ Broadway N, Fargo

9 BUSINESS AFTER HOURS

Thursday, April 21, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Sponsored by Berkshire Hathaway, this 21plus networking event is one of the best in town. Join hundreds of other businessmen and women in this night of food, drinks and networking. fmchamber.com Ramada Plaza & Suites and Conference Center 1635 42nd St. S, Fargo

10 SHATTERING GENDER BARRIERS –

FOUR GENERATIONS OF WOMEN IN OUR COMMUNITY

Tuesday, April 26, 3:30-5 p.m. | Social from 5-6 p.m.

Tamara Anderson, team performance strategist at Dale Carnegie Business Group of ND, will be leading a panel with four generations of women in this Women Connect event. Representing the Boomer generation will be Margie Bailly, retired; representing GenX will be Chris Thompson, Microsoft; representing millenials will be Michelle Killoran, Scheels; and representing GenZ or iGen will be Isabelle Chambers, a high school student. fmchamber.com Avalon Event Center 2525 9th Ave. S, Fargo

11 TREAT YOUR TEAM LUNCHEON

Wednesday, April 27, seating times: 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Join the Chamber to celebrate your employees. This annual Treat Your Team

Luncheon on Administrative Professional Day allows you to enjoy great food and a relaxing atmosphere without the wait. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Young Entrepreneurs Academy. The event will be happening at the Boiler Room, Sazerac Alley and Barbacoa. fmchamber.com

12 DRONE FOCUS

Wednesday, April 27, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

This is the meet-up to talk all things dronerelated with North Dakota’s leaders in the unmanned aerial system/vehicle industry.

Each week features a different industry professional who gives a short presentation – sometimes with drone in hand, sometimes not. Lunch is available for $10. emergingprairie.com/drone-focus-fargo Prairie Den 122 ½ Broadway N, Fargo

13 MELTDOWN AT ICEHOUSE

Thursday, April 28, 5:30 p.m.

Come join owners of Crossfit Icehouse Courtney Shoemaker and Sara Mozingo as they talk about how they got into entrepreneurship. This will then be followed by a 30-minute workout that anyone can do and followed by food, drinks, yard games and networking. facebook.com/20.20Fargo CrossFit Icehouse 508 Oak St. N, Fargo

14 VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: PITCH, HIT

& RUN

Saturday, April 30, 9-11 a.m.

For the fifth year running, the YPN is hosting Pitch, Hit and Run, a free event that provides boys and girls the opportunity to work on skills in pitching, hitting and running through competitions, and they need your help. They are looking for volunteers to help register, run competitions and assist where needed. For more information, visit mlb.com/phr and to sign up to volunteer, contact Sam at 218.359.0529 or sgust@ fmwfchamber.com. fmchamber.com Centennial Park 2600 15th Ave. N, Moorhead

Fargo INC!, Fargo Monthly and Gofargojobs.com bring you a section dedicated to jobs in Fargo Moorhead.

Here you’ll find...

Some great places Hiring Right Now

+ Best WORKPLACES

in the area 83

By Rick Berg | Photo by J. Alan Paul Photography

Making The Job Hunt Easier

G

o Fargo Jobs was created with the goal of making job seeking and recruiting talent simpler. The company was built with job-seekers and employers in mind. In the employment industry, we noticed that there were a lot of dated and non-user-friendly websites with too many jobs that weren’t relevant. Job-seeking can be a full-time gig on its own, and recruiting isn’t any easier, especially in the region’s current job market. Go Fargo Jobs aims to consolidate, simplify and provide a channel for relevant quality jobs to Fargo-Moorhead and the surrounding communities.

Employers have many options when deciding where to advertise their open positions, and many of them can be quite costly. Our vision is to make that process cost-effective and get those positions in front of the right people. On GoFargoJobs. com employers can place online listings, Facebook recruiting ads and listings in Fargo Monthly and Fargo INC! Magazines. Getting qualified applicants is ultimately what employers care about, and by using various digital marketing strategies and job

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syndication, we can reach a very large and relevant audience.

In addition, we recognized a need for a central platform for internship positions in our region. It can be expensive to post these positions, and with no dedicated place to advertise them, it’s often challenging for students or graduates to find these opportunities. This is why we allow employers to post internship positions for FREE on our site. It’s essential to get those positions noticed and give students and recent graduates one simple place to find them.

Being involved and supporting our local community has always been important to us. Working with local companies supports our local economy and creates jobs. In our initial planning of Go Fargo Jobs, it was decided to use the company as a way to help support the community and give back. We decided Emerging Prairie would be a great organization to partner with to accomplish that. They have done incredible things by inspiring and highlighting local entrepreneurs like ourselves and have helped make Fargo a better place to live and work. Through our partnership, we will donate a portion of our revenues to help them keep doing what they do best: making Fargo great.

Winning with Culture

Every company claims to have the best, most employee-friendly culture around, but not many have the hardware to back it up.

These three local companies all took home silver in the 2015 North Dakota Young Professionals Network “Best Place to Work” and “Best Place to Intern” awards. We talked to one employee from each business to hear straight from them why they love where they work.

By Nate Mickelberg | Photos by J. Alan Paul Photography & Paul Flessland Photo

Why Amy Ebensteiner

LOVES

Choice Financial

Choice Financial 701-356-9700

4501 23rd Ave. S, Fargo

choicefinancialgroup.com

Working ‘with’ superiors, not ‘for’ “Management trusts you, and there’s this mutual respect for each other. From the CIO to the CEO to the people who change out our rugs here, there is a chain of command, but it doesn’t feel like there’s one. It’s not, ‘I’m here now. Let’s see how hard you’re working.’ It’s just like talking to one of your family members.

There is a chain of command, but it’s not like it’s necessarily always in use, like, ‘Okay, you have to do this because I told you to.’”

A second family “We have a high percentage of people who attend and want to attend employee gatherings. And they want to attend because it’s like a second family. People want to hang out with each other. It’s not like those terrible in-laws. It’s like the fun cousins and the crazy aunts who you want to hang out with.”

empowered as employees to make it better and then go above and beyond and say, ‘Hey, I’m sorry you had issues with your debit card not working at Gander Mountain. Let me make it right, and oh, by the way, here’s a Starbucks card. Go have a coffee on us and buy one for your friend.’”

Feeling heard “We take surveys, and I know that we have a high percentage of people who fill those out.

And I truly do feel like our voice is heard. Even though you might not see a change tomorrow, someone down the road – if they’re hearing all these concerns come up over and over – Choice Financial is going to find some way to make it better. It’s not falling on deaf ears.”

Be your own boss “Let’s say a customer has a debit card that doesn’t work – and it might not necessarily be something on Choice’s end – we are

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Why Jeff Heinemann

Ulteig Engineers

Ulteig Engineers 701-280-8500

3350 38th Ave. S, Fargo

ulteig.com

Everyone matters "What I've seen in the last few years that has been the biggest poitive change is that any employee – even at the most entry-level position – can provide feedback and make a recommendation. You’re not laughed at, you’re not shunned, you’re not made fun of. It’s actually taken upward, and in most cases – where it makes sense – that change trickles down and affects the entire company, not just a team or a department. Everybody has the ability to bring something forth and make change.”

A youth movement “As millennials come into the business, they like things a certain way. And I think what we’re starting to see is greater flexibility for mid-level and senior management to understand the positive benefits and impacts that has on employee engagement, employee retention and ultimately, success as a business.”

Connecting through foosball “It’s good team bonding. And actually, we have a number of departments within Ulteig, and before, they were somewhat siloed because don’t work directly with them. And this gives people a central area to come and meet and connect and build that relationship. And really become one company, one Ulteig, versus different departments within the company.”

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LOVES

Investing in yourself “In the last couple years, I have really seen the culture start to gel and galvanize around employee ownership, and it’s still something we’re working on promoting the benefits of, being an employeeowner and how each individual can affect the company. But also from a business standpoint, we have engineers and draftsmen who are finding more efficient ways to do things on lump-sum projects, which makes our company more profitable. The value added for our clients is that we can turn things around quicker for them.

“And all of this filters back into the ESOP. How can we affect the bottom line in our company, and how can we all act as employee-owners and realize that every action that we take today helps bolster that ESOP for our retirement at the end of our careers?”

Why Stephanie D’Ambrosio

LOVES

Scheels Arena

Scheels Arena 701-356-7656

5225 31st Ave. S, Fargo

scheelsarena.com

More than coffee runners “If you’re an intern coming in here, for example, I feel like a lot of places don’t value their interns. I think they’re just a body to do things, and here it’s completely the opposite. As an intern, we look at you for your opinions, your thoughts. Somebody new coming in could have better, new ideas.

“I had a lot of internships in college, and being here is where I felt most important and most looked upon. I got responsibilities when I earned them.”

to be, and I can’t imagine not working in sports.

It doesn’t matter if you've played sports, you just have to be passionate about the industry itself.”

Fitting a square peg in a square hole “I had initially applied for an internship for the Fargo Force. It was a gameday promotion internship. And then they called me back in for secondround interview and said, ‘While we think you’d be good at this one, we think you’d be really good at another NCAA one.’ So they look at you, and even though I applied for the Force one, I ended up being a lot better where I ended up being placed.”

Must love sports “I think sports is kind of a huge thing. We’ve seen a lot of people who come in here, and they like sports, but they’re not passionate about sports.

And I think that’s honestly the biggest thing. If you’re not passionate about sports, the hours you have to put in here, you’re not going to be happy with.

“Being passionate about sports myself, I don’t even think twice about it because I love being here, I love being around it. Sports is where I want

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Technology Digital Strategy Intern (Paid) Digital Marketing Specialist - SEO/SEM

Spotlight Fargo, NDMedia

Health Care

Digital Strategy Intern (Paid) ND Certified CNAs

Spotlight Fargo, NDMedia How do I apply?

How do I apply?

AdShark Marketing is a digital marketing agency focused on driving revenue for our clients by making data-driven decisions and implementing SEO, social media, search and paid-placement strategies. We have a client-first mindset and strive to maximize ROI for all our clients.

info at SPOTLIGHTMEDIAFARGO.COM Howmore to apply: adsharkmarketing.com/careers

Digital Strategy Intern (Paid) Web Developer

Spotlight Fargo, NDMedia

Are you looking for a position where you utilize your skills one-to-one that allows some flexibility to your schedule and a company that rewards you based on the excellent care you provide our clients? Comfort Keepers is where you belong! Part-time Flexible $11/hour + DOE Howmore to apply: info at SPOTLIGHTMEDIAFARGO.COM fargo-120.comfortkeepers.com

Registered Nurse

Fargo, ND

How do I apply?

RealTruck.com is a leading online retailer of pickup truck accessories, on a mission to make people’s lives and vehicles better. Must be proficient in PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This position starts at $80k/year. Must be willing to show off some serious nerd skills!

Howmore to apply: info at SPOTLIGHTMEDIAFARGO.COM realtruck.com/careers

How do I apply?

Prairie St. John’s, a 110-bed psychiatric care facility located in Fargo, North Dakota, has been providing services for children, adolescents, adults, and seniors to address mental health issues, chemical dependency and addiction and co-occurring disorders since 1997.

How to apply:

Email PSJHR@uhsinc.com

Sales System Admin

Sales Representative

We’re for a full-time addition to our IT team to How looking do I apply? help maintain our servers and workstations at our Fargo office. We need an outgoing problem solver to kick some 0x436f6d707574657220417373 5+ years exp with both Linux and Windows 5+ years exp in systems administration

Custom Graphics Inc., a leader in the screen printing, sign & graphics industry, is seeking an enthusiastic and self-motivated person with good communication skills to fill a sales representative position in Fargo-Moorhead with travel in the surrounding area.

How to apply:

How to apply:

Fargo, ND

Fargo, ND

realtruck.com/careers

Digital Intern (Paid) WebsiteStrategy Designer/Developer

Spotlight West Fargo, Media ND How do I apply?

A local technology company is seeking an entry to midlevel website designer/developer. Ideal candidates will have experience in the areas of HTML, CSS, WordPress or similar CMS. How to apply:

Call 701-297-8800 or

more info at Email SPOTLIGHTMEDIAFARGO.COM Matt.Helander@Expresspros.com

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Email zach@customgraphicsinc.com

Digital Strategy Intern (Paid) Real Estate Professional

Spotlight Fargo, NDMedia How do I apply?

Park Co. Realtors, the area’s No. 1 real estate company, is looking for fun, energetic & hardworking professionals to join our real estate team! We offer an extensive marketing & training program to ensure that you have all the tools to become a successful Realtor®.

Howmore to apply: info at SPOTLIGHTMEDIAFARGO.COM parkcompany.com/careers

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Management

Finance

Digital Strategy Intern (Paid) Store Manager

Digital Strategy Intern (Paid) Office Assistant Auditor

Petro Serve USA is looking for qualified individuals who have integrity, can provide outstanding customer service, strive for excellence, are eager to learn and can consistently and respectfully work as a team member. We offer competitive pay, benefits, vacation and sick leave.

How do I apply?

Petro Serve USA is looking for qualified applicants who have strong computer skills, are capable of meeting tight deadlines and have excellent communication skills. Petro Serve USA offers competitive pay, health benefits, 401k, paid vacation, holiday and sick leave.

Howmore to apply: info at SPOTLIGHTMEDIAFARGO.COM petroserveusa.com

Howmore to apply: info at SPOTLIGHTMEDIAFARGO.COM petroserveusa.com

Construction Superintendent

Digital Strategy Intern (Paid) Truck Driver - OTR

Spotlight Fargo, NDMedia

Fargo, ND

Spotlight Media West Fargo, ND How do I apply?

Spotlight Fargo, NDMedia How do I apply?

A local homebuilder is seeking a residential construction superintendent. Will be responsible for the day-to-day supervision of several home builds from start to finish.

How to apply:

Call 701-297-8800 or Email Matt.Helander@ExpressPros.com

Digital Intern (Paid) NurseryStrategy Associate

Spotlight Fargo, NDMedia

How doassociate: I apply? 25-40 hrs/wk. - Retail sales/customer Nursery

service, plant maintenance of annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs. Also, General labor such as stocking, lifting/ carrying, loading and moving plant and other landscape materials and working in outdoor conditions. $10-13/hr

Howmore to apply: Email jhuber@sandslandscaping.com info at SPOTLIGHTMEDIAFARGO.COM

OTR truck driver needed for dry van operation. Home every 4-7 days. Late-model Kenworth trucks. Competitive pay plus health insurance and 401K.

How to apply:

Call 701-282-9211 or Email kevin@atbinc.net

more info at SPOTLIGHTMEDIAFARGO.COM

Digital Strategy Intern Heavy Equipment Field(Paid) Mechanic

Spotlight West Fargo, Media ND Responsibilities: How do I apply?

• Maintaining, repairing a wide range of construction equipment • Reading, understanding maintenance manuals • Maintaining a safe work environment

Requirements:

Five years of previous heavy mechanic experience.

Travel will be required.

info at SPOTLIGHTMEDIAFARGO.COM Howmore to apply: Email sgalt@industrialbuilders.com

Internship Digital Strategy Intern (Paid) Lead Technician

Spotlight West Fargo, Media ND How do I apply?

Digital Strategy Intern (Paid) Event Coordinator, Social Media & Sales Paid Internship Spotlight Media

Fargo, ND

Spotlightmedia

How do I apply?

Growing restoration company is seeking a motivated, responsible technician. Previous experience with carpet cleaning and emergency services preferred. Flexible, fulltime hours. On-call some nights and weekends. Opportunity for growth. Competitive wages.

Spotlight Media, the team that brings you Fargo Monthly, Bison Illustrated, Fargo INC! and Design & Living magazines, is looking for a variety of paid interns to work 20 hours per week with our team. This position is open immediately and will run to the end of the summer.

Howmore to apply: info at SPOTLIGHTMEDIAFARGO.COM Email shawn@rainbowfargo.com

Howmore to apply: info at SPOTLIGHTMEDIAFARGO.COM spotlightmediafargo.com/jobs