Fargo INC! February 2022

February 2022

How To Work With Local Higher Ed

An Update On Hector International

10 Questions: c2renew

PG.52

PG.76

PG.88

Alex Belquist

Britt Belquist

From

Bartending to Owning How The Belquists Went From Working In Restaurants To Owning More Than A Couple

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FEATURES

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Sponsored Content: A Checkup for Your Business

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Sponsored Content: 75 Years and Going Strong

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From Bartending to Owning

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How to Work With Local Higher Ed

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A Spotlight on Our New Office

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What’s Going On at Hector International Airport?

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10 Questions With John Machacek: c2renew

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Have You Audited Your Revenue Generation Process?

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Academic Insight

100

Ladyboss of the Month: Chelsey Steinlicht

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Awesome Foundation Grant Award Winner: Faith 4 Hope

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Awesome Foundation Grant Award Winner: Design Boot Camp

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Events Calendar

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E d i t o r ’s n o t e

The American Dream I

n this month's cover story, we introduce you to the Belquists, a couple that truly exemplifies the American Dream. In a very short amount of time, they went from college graduates to employees to thriving owners of multiple businesses.

To do this is special in its own right. It's the ultimate coming-of-age story, from trying to figure out a direction to plowing full steam ahead. But perhaps what's most special about a story like this is the fact that it's not entirely uncommon. People start businesses and

chase "The American Dream" all the time. It's what makes this country great. Don't be afraid to chase your dream today, whatever that might be.

Brady Drake Fargo INC! Editor

Brady Drake, Fargo INC! Editor

fargoinc@spotlightmediafargo.com

EDITORIAL BOARD

KRISTINA HEIN-LANDIN

Lead Content & Public Relations Strategist

ANDREW JASON

GREGORY WALD

ERIC WILKIE

Moore Holding Company

FM Area Foundation

Nothing has an identity until it has a name. This notion is cultural – naming a baby, for example. It is religious – “I have called you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

It is an actual science – taxonomy is the science of naming.

The FM Area Foundation believes that our community will be better and more vibrant if there are opportunities for everyone to thrive. That’s why we have been and will continue to be advocates for scholarship dollars to help local students achieve their goals. Since our inception in 1960 and thanks to generous individuals, families, and local businesses the FM Area Foundation has awarded nearly $4 million in scholarships. In 2021 alone, almost $350,000 was infused into our local communities by means of scholarship. Education should be an opportunity for everyone to better themselves and we believe our scholarships are making a difference. Applications just opened for the 20222023 academic year. If you would like to apply or are interested in starting a scholarship today to benefit local students, visit areafoundation.org or call us today. Giving should be easy, let us help!

Director of Ecosystem

Acquisitions/Communication

Entrepreneurship is a lonely road. While founders are often celebrated for their vision, tenacity and ability to hustle, they shouldn't be traveling the journey of launching their own business alone. They need support from customers, vendors and the community.

Emerging Prairie

CEO

United Way of Cass-Clay

In this day and age it’s a challenge for companies to find volunteer opportunities that boost their corporate culture, yet accommodate changing workplaces and workforce – here’s one!

Many families in our community are moving into a place of their own after overcoming homelessness with little to no household supplies. That’s where you can help – United Way is rallying our community to provide Home for Good baskets of household essentials for local neighbors in need. There are two ways your company can get involved: 1. Become a “Basket Backer” or give online - any amount helps 2. For families with children, it's important for kids to feel safe and warm. Making a fleece blanket is an activity you do from anywhere Supporting our local community is a great way to show your company’s commitment to the place we all live, work, and play. I hope you’re inspired to welcome a family home – for good.

To learn more about Home for Good, to give, or to find instructions for making a blanket, visit unitedwaycassclay. org/homeforgood.

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Emerging Prairie's weekly event StartupBREW is meant for this exact reason. By highlighting two founders every Wednesday morning at 8:30 at Fargo Brewing Company, we hope to create excitement, energy and, most importantly, support for the founders in the community.

This is an open invitation to participate in the event.

Please come and support founders in our region, let us know if you have ideas for speakers or reach out if you want to give an announcement at the event. Learn more at emergingprairie.com/ startupbrew-fargo.

We put great stock in language. We define things by speaking or writing, by communicating about them in some way.

That’s the beauty and power of business communication.

Until a mission or a vision or a policy or a set of values is spoken or written, they are merely notions. Yes, we have shared experiences and intuitively know things.

But if you want something to last generations, beyond the memories of one group, you need to document it. Write it down. Record someone talking about it. Chisel it in stone. Do whatever it takes to precisely define something, so that the thing that language represents can have a life of its own.

SHANNON FULL

KURT MCSPARRON

JOHN MACHACEK

FMWF Chamber of Commerce

The Executives Club of Fargo - Moorhead

Greater FM Economic Development Corporation

"Workforce, talent, jobs, shortage" ... we see these buzz words everywhere right now. Mainstream media channels are full of stories about hindered economies and the lack of a workforce. This is also the number one issue facing our local companies here in our region. We know there is work to be done in four major areas: talent attraction, talent retention, talent development and talent acclimation.

As executives, we spend hours studying “leadership development” and have most-likely invested in some type of “personal growth” program, but it’s generally not until some unexpected moment arises, that we flip the switch and begin to live our lives intentionally, and with purpose.

President and CEO

Talent attraction consists of intentionally targeting specific regions and industries to attract talent to our region, as well as strengthening our regional brand.

Talent retention will focus on working much more intimately with employers to identify opportunities to keep more of our students and existing workforce in this region.

Talent development will be a major focus as we work with K-12 to further arm our future talent with the necessary skills, knowledge and experiences to be successful in our local companies. Other important talent pools include our new American/immigrant populations, recently released incarcerated, dislocated, veterans and active military, and women.

Founder and Director

Our life experiences are critical to how leadership skills are formed, but more importantly, our responses and reactions to those experiences determine the type of leaders we will become.

Leadership is personal.

Leadership development IS personal development.

It is essentially impossible to improve our leadership capacity without improving ourselves personally.

Chief Innovation Officer

I would like to take this space to plug our local Startup Digest Fargo. This is a platform provided by Techstars and primarily targeted at entrepreneurs. I have been the local curator for the past 5+ years.

As part of this curating process, I create bi-weekly emails of collected information that feature a mix of events & webinars, entrepreneur shoutouts and various FYIs on programs, articles & more.

These archived emails can also be viewed anytime at the Techstars Startup Digest Fargo website.

I encourage you to sign up for the emails or check out the past issues. You can find this at www.getrevue.co/ profile/fargo/ or just use a search engine, searching for Startup Digest Fargo.

Talent and workforce will be a primary area of focus for The Chamber, and we will look to you to engage with us in this very important initiative.

FARGOINC.COM

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Meet the team

KIM

JENNY

GENEVA

MIKE

GRANT

BRADY

JOSIAH

MEAGAN

NICK

PAUL

DEVAN

JESSICA

KODI

TOMMY

ROBERT

KELLEN

BEN

JEREMY

JOHN

AL

Learn more about us at SpotlightMediaFargo.com

SPONSORED CONTENT

A Checkup for Your Business As people and businesses continue to recover from COVID-19 and its related economic fallout, we are constantly finding ways in which the business landscape has shifted. The coming year will continue to highlight the temporary and permanent changes to business as a result of the pandemic.

The pandemic may also have changed your business fundamentally – higher inventory requirements, slower collections, more sales online, or reduced space requirements, all impact cash flow. Even imperfect projections help you prepare for contingencies.

That’s why now is a great time to revisit your business plan and processes. At Alerus, we have observed several trends affecting all types of businesses that should be carefully considered in future plans.

Equipping your business for a more-digital future

Supply chains need nurturing Many international and domestic supply chains were disrupted by transportation restrictions, closures or work reductions at suppliers, and changes to demand. The double shot of reduced supply and increased home improvement spending has sent lumber prices through the roof, for example. Consider reevaluating supply chains, proactively monitor inventory levels, manage supplier relationships and or diversifying suppliers. This may increase costs but may help build in a safety net against future disruptions.

Business continuity planning is crucial Many business owners struggled with staffing during the pandemic.

While we hope another widespread health crisis isn’t in the cards, the pandemic highlighted the importance of planning for the unexpected.

A solid contingency plan can help keep a business operating smoothly if owners or key employees are unable to work for weeks or longer. Tactics include identifying backups, forging mutual support agreements, buying insurance to bridge a financial setback, and establishing a succession plan.

Many businesses adapted to the pandemic by expanding their digital footprint – working from home, selling online, or shifting paperwork to e-delivery and digital signatures. For many, this paradigm shift in how work gets done is one they intend to stick with. But it still requires reassessing your business plan – you may need to budget for hardware upgrades, collaboration software, digital storage and servers, security consulting, or online transaction services.

Excess liquidity could mean opportunity Due to scaled-back operations from the past year, low interest rates, and extra government stimulus money in the economy, some people and organizations may have more cash available than usual. We have seen a surge in merger and acquisition activity across industries as investors seek opportunities. If you’re considering selling your business in the next few years, it may be advantageous to accelerate the process, given the current market conditions.

Have you run up against any of these changes and want to explore how to adapt? The business advisors at Alerus are ready to help. Alerus offers a range of business services to enable your transformation, and our advisors bring a wealth of insights from across industries that can help you adapt your business plan for what’s next. Talk to an Alerus advisor today.

Cash flow projections can make all the difference If you haven’t already, update your income and expenses and do your best to forecast what you expect in the near future and longer term.

Anticipating cash demands can save you money and stress.

The information contained herein is general in nature, is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal or tax advice. Alerus does not provide legal or tax advice. Always consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation. Alerus Financial, N.A. is Member FDIC.

FEBRUARY 2021 Volume 7 Issue 2

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

Publisher EDITORIAL Editorial Team Lead Editors

Mike Dragosavich Brady Drake FargoInc@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Geneva Nodland, Grant Ayers

Graphic Designer

Kim Cowles

Creative Strategist

Josiah Kopp

Contract Photographer Contributors INTERACTIVE Business Development Manager Business Development Associate Videographers

Jeremy Albright Ladyboss Midwest, Shawn Peterson, Shontarius D. Aikens, John Machacek Nick Schommer Kellen Feeney Tommy Uhlir, Robert Whiteside

Graphic Designer ADVERTISING VP of Business Development Sales Representatives

Ben Buchanan Paul Hoefer Paul@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Al Anderson Al@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Devan Maki Devan@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

Client Relations Client Relations Manager Marketing & Client Strategist

ClientRelations@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Jenny Johnson Brita Fagerlund

Social Media Content Specialist

Meagan Stock

ADMINISTRATION Office Administrator

Jessica Mullen

Operations Administrator DISTRIBUTION Delivery

Kodi Geris-Schroeder John Stuber

Fargo INC! is published by Spotlight LLC, Copyright 2022 Fargo INC! & FargoInc.com. All rights reserved. No parts of this magazine may be reproduced or distributed without written permission of Fargo INC!, and Spotlight LLC, is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to or reliance on such information. Spotlight LLC, accepts no liability for the accuracy of statements made by the advertisers.

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To be from the plains means a lot of things.

Up here we are caring, kind, resilient, tough, innovative and creative . And every single one of those qualities can be found in our area's entrepreneurs, especially those bringing a homemade or crafted product to the market.

In this month's cover story, we hope to give you insight into a handful of the wonderful locally made products that help make our area so great!

Farming influencers? In this month's magazine, learn about some of the Tik Tok accounts in agriculure.

Coming Soon!

Coming soon is our championship issue highlighting NDSU's unprecedented postseason run.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Vaaler Insurance is Ready to Take on a Promising New Chapter

By Josiah Kopp | Photos by Josiah Kopp

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FEBRUARY 2022

SPONSORED CONTENT

75 Years of Vaaler: A Reflection on the Legacy What was the original vision of Vaaler 75 years ago, and how has that vision expanded or evolved?

Bruce: Great question! My grandfather started Vaaler Insurance in 1947, primarily to achieve some stability. Prior to the formation Vaaler Insurance, my grandfather was a field representative for Sunshine Mutual Insurance Company. He traveled across North and South Dakota meeting with agents of the company. I think his original plan was simply to plant his feet is Grand Forks.

One of the most positive things I remember growing up was the longevity of some of the employees. My father continued the tradition of treating employees like family and making Vaaler Insurance a place where people truly have a career. I learned early on, that a quality motivated team is critical to success.

What kind of legacy has Vaaler created in 75 years?

Carrie: I believe the Vaaler Legacy has been and will always be our commitment to our clients, colleagues, and our community. We strive to bring creative solutions and programs to our clients, stability and provide first-class service. At Vaaler Insurance, we endeavor to always do our best and do what is in the best interests of our clients.

FARGOINC.COM

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SPONSORED CONTENT What does that legacy mean to you?

Gregg: When I first started at Vaaler Insurance, one of my mentors was David Vaaler. He's a secondgeneration Vaaler, and he developed a culture in our organization that we always wanted to live up to. We always had a culture where we're coming up with new ideas, cutting edge ways of doing things. One of the things I remember best from David Vaaler was that he didn't necessarily want to be the largest agency, he wanted to be the best. So that meant that even when you would send a letter to a customer, he wanted you to proofread it, make sure everything's perfect— because that's our work product. He wanted things done correctly.

Steve: I’ve been blessed over the past 22 years to be a part of the Vaaler Insurance family. We’ve experienced incredible growth as an agency and it’s really been fun to work with such a great team that is all pulling in the same direction for the benefit of our clients. We’re known for our expertise and specialization. Our ability to provide data analytics, benchmarking, safety/loss control, claims advocacy, clinical risk services, strategy/market placement, contractual review, proper risk transfer, and much more quickly differentiates us from our competitors. We’re able to have different conversations with our clients that can really have a positive impact on their business.

How does the 75 year legacy of Vaaler motivate you each day?

Bruce: Staff longevity and knowledge, a team approach to client service, and great relationships with our customers are what motivates me.

Leadership transparency and the accessibility of our management team make my job easier and more rewarding.

Steve: It motivates us to continue the legacy that we’ve built over the past 75 years.

We’ve always wanted to provide our team with unbelievable career opportunities and I believe that the tenure of our staff speaks volumes of our culture. We strive to provide our employees with opportunities to advance their careers and now being part of Marsh McLennan Agency, the opportunities are endless, which is exciting.

Gregg: The Vaaler legacy motivates me each day because the culture my mentors and other retired employees developed is ingrained within me and other current employees, many of whom have been here for over 35 years. We feel obligated inspired to perpetuate this culture and continue it into the next generation of employees. We called it the “Vaaler Way” and it guides us each day.

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FEBRUARY 2022

SPONSORED CONTENT

An Exciting New Chapter: Vaaler's Future with Marsh McLennan Agency Steve: One of our primary goals was to partner with What opportunities did you see when first connecting with MMA? Gregg: The culture was very important and very similar to ours. Next on our list was the tools and expertise they could provide us to make us better to benefit our customers.

With these tools, we have the opportunity of writing large, sophisticated risks we were not previously equipped to.

Steve: One of the things that I’m most excited about is that we are able to provide expertise and world-class capabilities to industries that we may not have in the past. Being part of the Marsh McLennan family allows us to play and compete with all the National brokers, in any industry, which is exciting. There really isn’t any type of risk that we can’t work with and I’m looking forward to our future growth opportunities.

an agency that would allow us to get better and I’m 100% confident that becoming part of the Marsh McLennan Agency family was the perfect fit. We are not only part of an agency that can deliver worldwide capabilities, but still with the same local service.

How will MMA help launch Vaaler into the next level in 2022/beyond?

Gregg: Our agency has always had niche markets such as healthcare, schools, construction, manufacturing, transportation, hospitality, etc. Now with MMA we have unlimited expertise and resources to expand into new areas—there are no risks that are too large for us.

Carrie: Being a part of the MMA family gives us the What are you most excited about as you move into the future as part of the MMA family?

Gregg: I've been in the

opportunity to continue our traditions, culture, and core values. It allows us access to more resources, innovative solutions, as well as giving our colleagues opportunities for growth, personal development, and to build lifetime relationships. We will be better together!

business quite a few years. And it's exciting because it's a change and it re-energizes me. I'm looking forward to meeting new people, developing relationships and developing new programs.

FARGOINC.COM

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SPONSORED CONTENT

Risk Management in Construction & Manufacturing

I specialize in providing safety and loss control services in the areas of property, liability, auto, and workers’ compensation for clients in construction, manufacturing, healthcare, education, and virtually any other industry segment we may serve. My experience working on both the carrier and agency sides of insurance as well as a safety director role for both private and public entities have provided me with a unique perspective as to how all of us are interconnected in the risk management process.

I specialize in manufacturing, construction, as well as senior care and healthcare division. We have the expertise to pretty much cover any industry. We have specific agents that specialize in different areas like we have a whole school division as well.

I specialize in working with contractors, manufacturers, and the transportation industry. I work with my customer as a partner to identify risk and exposures and design a specific insurance and risk management program to protect their assets, reduce their total cost of risk, and improve their bottom line.

Why is Risk Management so important for contractors?

Gregg: Risk management is very important as it is critical to identifying risk and exposures in order to formulate a strategy on how to address them. There are several steps in the risk management process with the end goal of reducing or avoiding losses to protect the contractor’s assets, reducing the total cost of risk, and improving the bottom line. By improving the loss ratio it allows the contractor to remain eligible to bid key jobs, reduces their rates, and contributes to the contractor being attractive to insurance carriers when marking the account.

In what ways does Vaaler meet those needs beyond other insurance agencies?

What sets your quality and service apart?

Eric: Our risk management process starts with establishing a relationship with our clients through gaining a thorough understanding of their business and getting to know them on a personal level.

Secondly, we prefer to take a team approach when assisting our clients with exposure identification and implementation of controls. Since joining MMA, our network of colleagues and the resources we have access to have expanded exponentially. For example, I now have access to a network of nearly 100 loss control professionals across the country that all have their own areas of expertise.

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FEBRUARY 2022

SPONSORED CONTENT

Burn Awareness Week Tell us about Burn Awareness Week and the relationship it has to insurance and risk management and how this can benefit construction/manufacturing industries.

National Burn Awareness Week, created by the American Burn Association, occurs annually during the first full week in February (February 6-12, 2022). It focuses on educating people about the frequency and causes of burns at home and in the workplace, as well as how burns can be prevented. According to the American Burn Association, more than 450,000 individuals are seen in emergency departments, clinics, or physician’s offices for the treatment of a burn injury in the United States and Canada each year.

Regardless of whether these injuries occur in the workplace or at home, they can have a significant impact on an employee, including their ability to work and enjoy leisure activities.

3

Things Workplaces Can Do Right Now to Prevent BurnRelated Injuries

https://www.marshmma.com/

Hwy 81

38 th st s

IDENTIFY: EDUCATE: EQUIP:

To learn more about Vaaler Insurance, a Marsh McLennan Agency LLC Company.

4803 38th St S Suite 101, Fargo, ND 58104 Visit vaaler.com.

FARGOINC.COM

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From Bartending To Owning If you had talked to the Belquists just 13 years ago, the question you would have asked them is, “so, what are you going to do?” Today, you could still ask that same question, however, with a current portfolio of six restaurants under their belts, a more fitting question might be, “what’s next?”

But before we get into that, let’s take a look back at this couple’s story that truly exemplifies the American Dream.

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About 701 Eateries

The Bequist’s newest project 701 Eateries has some amazingly unique features like: • Heritages of the Midwest-inspired dishes • A 4-season rooftop patio • A mini curling sheet on the patio • Winter igloos on the patio • Partial funding through revenue sharing notes

FARGOINC.COM

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The Beginnings:

Alex Growing up in New Rockford, ND, Alex, like most children from small towns, participated in just about every sport and activity available.

In high school, he participated in football, basketball, track & field, baseball and golf. However, he was also exposed to a very different scene at a young age. One that the average person might assume would be foreign to a future Nine-Man Player of The Year and North Dakota State Receiver.

“My mother was in theater, so, I was exposed to a lot of different people and things,” said Alex. “She was always having different sorts of people come to stay with us.

When 'The Blenders' would come through town, they would stay with us and just hang out in our hot tub.”

It was also in those early years that Alex was first exposed to the food industry.

Alex’s mother owned four Pretzel Maker franchises across the midwest, including Manhattan, Kansas.

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FEBRUARY 2022

“I would travel all over to these different places with her and that’s when I really got used to the chaos,” Alex said. “It wasn’t chaos to me though. It was just fun. I got to roll pretzels.”

As the years passed, Alex would eventually move on to college where he became a legitimate threat for an NDSU team that went 11-1 his junior season with an upset win over the University of Minnesota.

In the classroom, Alex began to hit his stride in the last few years and found himself most interested in the business and accounting classes he was taking. The problem, was those were part of his minor, his major was in physical education.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do when I got to college,” Alex said. “I think originally, I wanted to coach. I ended up really liking the business and accounting classes, but I was too far along the phy ed track to change.”

Alex against the University of Minnesota.

Photo provided by NDSU Athletics

Did you know?

Crookston’s Grand Theater, which opened in 1910, is the United State’s oldest continuously operating movie theater and has hosted famous acts such as Mark Twain and Harry Houdini!

Downtown Crookston Photos provided by KROX

Britt’s journey began in Crookston, Minnesota where she “tried to be involved in as many social activities as possible.”

“I was a lot different than Alex,” Britt said. “The only reason I was really in sports was for the social aspect. I was not a great athlete.”

However, like Alex, Britt was exposed to the restaurant industry at a very young age. She took her first job at the local Happy Joe’s when she was just 14-years-old.

At that same time, she also began working at Videos on Broadway, a “beloved” local video store that Britt claims to have helped her develop her customer service skills, which she has held onto throughout her career.

At NDSU, Britt mulled over what she wanted to do. At one point she wanted to be an architect, but she enjoyed her time working at the nowclosed bar and restaurant, Playmakers, more than she liked attending classes.

After taking another year off, she took up classes at Minnesota State University Moorhead where she studied International Relations, but the service industry remained a mainstay.

“I worked everywhere in Fargo. The OB, Playmakers, and, of course, Labby’s Grill & Bar,” Britt said.

After graduating high school, Britt took a gap year and then went on to attend North Dakota State for a year.

Britt FARGOINC.COM

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The Beginnings: The reason behind Britt’s “of course” when mentioning Labby’s Bar & Grill is because that is where the duo met!

“Originally I started in the kitchen, I was never going to be a cook very long there, but I really enjoyed it. Cooking is a similar rush to what you find in athletics to me. It’s active and there’s a lot of action. I never wanted to sit at a desk and have a desk job,” Alex said. “That was really my first job. Growing up, I played sports all year round. I mowed lawns and whatnot, but this was different. It was a really fun job and was a good thing to transition to right after playing five years of college football.”

Eventually, Alex became a bartender, where he met Britt, who was a server at the time. They began dating, and

naturally, the couple talked about work. This lead them to talk about what they would do if they were to ever open their own place together, however, nothing was ever seriously laid out. It wasn’t until Alex decided to move to the Twin Cities that things started to progress to where they are now.

“Labby's played such an important role in our history,” Britt said. “Dan and Carol Labernick (the Owners of Labby’s) did such an amazing job at creating a fun team, which was really more like a family, to be a part of. Dano still sends Happy Birthday texts to us.”

Photo provided by Explore Minnesota

Minneapolis /St. Paul (August 2010-May 2011)

The reason behind Alex’s move to the cities was actually to begin sharpening his culinary skills.

“I figured that if I wanted to work in this field that I should learn how to actually cook,” Alex said, referring to why he originally decided to attend Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Minneapolis/St. Paul. “I wasn’t into cooking that much, but I thought I had to do it. My time there helped me get the fundamentals.”

However, Alex eventually realized that he was more interested in owning a business than being a chef. So, he got out of the school after 6-8 months and started searching for a job. He found

one working at a high-end restaurant in Minneapolis called Heidi’s (closed 2013). Alex also delivered pizzas to supplement the income he was earning as a chef.

Britt moved to the cities in December of 2010 and worked a number of serving jobs. The couple describes their time in the twin cities as a time of learning. “We lived in a really cool little neighborhood,” Britt said. “This is really where we were first exposed to and gained a love for craft beer and neighborhood pub food.”

However, the couple was still left looking for a sense of direction.

Slowly, without knowing it, they began to find it on their drives

back and forth to visit Alex’s family in New Rockford.

“Once Britt and I met, all we talked about were restaurants and what kind of place we would open,” Alex said. “We probably planned four to six concepts on drives home to New Rockford to visit family.”

While none of those exact concepts came to fruition, and many of the pieces of their original plans have yet to be utilized the couple admits, those car ride conversations likely laid the groundwork for the entrepreneurial leap they would eventually take.

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The First Establishment (May 2011)

That leap took place shortly after Alex had a conversation with his mother about possibly heading back to school.

“She told me 'you’re not going back to school',” Alex said.

“Eventually she found a spot for lease in Perham, Minnesota that had previously been used for events. I decided that I would do pretty much anything to get away from what we were doing at the time. So, we went for it.”

Eventually, they struck a deal to lease the space and work with the restaurant that was attached. Their first business venture, Brew Pub & Wine Bar, owned the liquor license. The restaurant sold them food, and they sold them alcohol.

The bar was small and social media marketing wasn’t what it is today, so, the Belquists did things like handing out buy-oneget-one-free coupons on foot, trying to cultivate a consumer base… and it worked.

“It really took off for a little bar place. We did some craft beer and some different cocktails. It was a really good experience for us to begin learning some of the back-end business stuff,” Alex said.

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FEBRUARY 2022

Alex and Britt after a shift at their first place.

Eventually, the couple was unable to come to an agreement to continue leasing the space; so, they moved on to another venture, their first restaurant, which opened right across the street.

Named, Brew Ales & Eats, the restaurant saw very early success.

“We really learned how to grind and work at this new place,” Alex said. “The food really took off in that first summer with the place and we were much busier on the food side than we expected to be. We were really surprised.”

“I didn’t want to just be a bartender or a cook,” Alex said. “I wanted to build a company. And luckily we had an awesome starting crew, some of whom are still with us today. Those who still are with us today have taken over a number of the day-to-day duties. Taylor Beiswenger is our talent artist and general manager, Charlie Larson is our bar manager who has been with us from almost day one, and Susan Ayers is our Kitchen Manager”

“We were there, working in the business every single day,” Alex said. “So, I think we really had the respect of everyone because we were very involved.”

However, Alex also now admits that in order to push their business efforts forward he had to get out of that mindset.

The First Restaurant (May 2013)

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Expansion Begins (June 2014)

Alex and Britt began building on that goal very quickly by opening their second restaurant, which also used to have “Brew” in the name, in Detroit Lakes with a group of partners in June 2014.

They would go on to sell their ownership of the restaurant to their partners in 2017.

The Couple Becomes a Family (September 2015)

In September of 2015, Alex and Britt welcomed their first child, Dash, into the world. He is pictured here with Alex.

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A Friends Dream Is Realized (August 2016)

In 2016, the Belquists opened Up North Pizza Pub with their longtime friends Jesse Johnson, who they met at Labby’s, and Kyle Cash.

the place,” Britt said. “He’s from East Grand Forks and it had always been his dream to go back there and open up a pizza place.

Kyle has been an amazing partner as well.

“Jesse does a fantastic job there and completely runs

The Belquists Come Back To Their College Town (November 2017)

The Belquists moved from Perham to Fargo in order to be closer to family and more centrally located between all of their businesses.

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The Hall Opens (January 2018)

The Belquist’s fourth restaurant, City Brew Hall in Wahpeton, ND, came about after they were approached by the former Mayor of Wahpeton Jim Sturdevant who talked to the couple about how the town could really use a restaurant in their downtown.

been vacant since 1997. In choosing this space, the city of Wahpeton provided “amazing incentives” to aid in the renovation project which turned the building, which was set to be demolished, into a beautiful 150 seat restaurant with a 300 seat event venue.

Enter the Terstrieps.

“At the time we came into Perham, downtown Perham was really lacking a bar & grill,” Alex said. “The side of downtown we are on was quieter and there definitely weren't cars lining the streets after 5 p.m. due to there not being any restaurants. This was the same for Wahpeton's downtown. We realized we had the opportunity to provide the same thing that was missing in Wahpeton.”

This is where Shelby Terstriep, Alex’s sister, and Chad Terstriep enter the picture.

Shelby was originally drawn to the project due to the possibility of an event space.

The Belquist’s brought her and her husband on as partners and she ran with the opportunity, playing an instrumental role in designing the space and helping with events once the space opened.

This project also marked the beginning of another key partnership in the Belquist’s entrepreneurial journey.

“Again, our partners and our team here are amazing,” Britt said. “This wouldn’t be possible without the Terstrieps or our Bar and Restaurant Managers (Sarah Kummer, TJ Opdahl and Teresa Guck) or our Events Team which is led

by Neely Zach.”

When looking for a space to open City Brew Hall in Wahpeton, they ended up settling on the old city hall building which had

City Brew Hall after construction

City Brew Hall under construction 44

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Did you know?

You Gotta Be Cluckin’ Me, a Fifth Restaurant?

Brew Bird ’s chicken is fried gluten free!

(September 2019)

The Belquist’s fifth restaurant took off as a bit of an accident.

out for the opportunity to work at 701, but Brew Bird really took off in its own right.”

The space where the restaurant, a fried chicken joint named Brew Bird, is now located became available over a year and a half before the Belquists were set to open their marquee project 701 Eateries (we’ll get to that later).

Joining the Belquists in the Brew Bird venture are Shelby and Chad Terstrieps.

They also heavily lean on their General Manager Sam Ellingson and Kitchen Manager Rico Perojo.

“We decided that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start building up staff for 701 Eateries and I’ve always wanted to do fried chicken,” Alex said. “It came out of nowhere. It took about a month to plan some recipes and we were up and running.

It was more of an accident than anything. The initial people that were working at Brew Bird were really holding

“Shelby really adds the "funk" to funky fried chicken here with her keen eye for design,” Britt said. “She's to thank for the funky pink couch and summer tiki parties."

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The Family Grows (August 2020)

The Belquists welcome their daughter Blakely to the world.

A Catering Business Is Born (Winter 2020/2021)

In the winter of 2020, the Belquists began developing their prep kitchen and catering team in the old Prairie Roots Kitchen location in Fargo. Originally, this arm of the Brew family was named Brew Restaurants/ Brew Bites, however, they will be transitioning to the name Golden Rooster Catering Co. while trying to expand the catering options and building up the operations team.

Pictured here is a take-andbake pie. The Belquists hope to offer more online marketplace and take-and-bake options through the new catering business.

Alex hopes this space, which is headed by Amber Orvick and Eric Henre, can help sharpen the food supply chain among their multiple restaurants, and eventually, the couple plans to offer more take-and-bake options through this location.

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The Restaurant Family Grows As Well (May 2021)

In May of 2021, the Belquists, alongside their partners Shelby and Chad Terstriep and Eric and Sara Myhre, opened what may be their crown jewel, 701 Eateries.

701 Eateries provides visitors with two distinct and complimentary dining experiences under one roof. As soon as you walk in the doors at 701 Eateries, visitors are introduced to Prairie Kitchen, a restaurant with a uniquely Scandinavian design and taste.

Think Swedish meatballs, lefse and delicious steaks in a cozy atmosphere. Upstairs is another Midwest experience all its own, Camp Lone Tree, which is named after Alex’s and his dad’s favorite pheasant hunting spot, and is a party area complete with a patio and the perfect mix of pub food and midwestern favorites.

“We’ve tried to be really intentional about hiring people that are better than us,” Alex said. “At 701, we have great partners in ownership and a great team running the place including our Chef de Cuisine Kara Deaton, our Executive Director of Culinary for all 701 Eric Watson, our General Manager Jenni Carriveau and Assistant General Manager Johnna Kringen.

Did you know?

Through the revenue sharing notes issued prior to opening, the Belquists and their partners raised over $300,000 for this project.

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The Belquists with Shelby Terstriep Photo by Dan Francis

What's Next?

It remains to be seen what’s next for the Belquists in the restaurant world.

However, there are already more business plans in the works.

“I want to focus more on our company benefits and building the best team to be a part of,” Britt said. “We are currently working on retirement options, wellness benefits, employee retreats and recognition. Leslie Coronado has been taking over as executive director of operations. She has over 20 years of industry experience and is just amazing, and with a third baby on the way, I really want to step back from day-today operations. I am also in the works of opening a small home & lifestyle boutique in the space next to Mint + Basil that will open this around the spring/summer.”

To learn more about the Belquist’s family of restaurants, visit brewrestaurants.com

701 Eateries

701eateries.com 701 N University Dr, Fargo

Brew Bird

brewbirdfargo.com 30 N University Dr, Fargo

City Brew Hall citybrewhall.com 120 4th St N Suite A, Wahpeton

Up North Pizza Pub

upnorthpizzapub.com 314 4th St NW, East Grand Forks

Brew Ales & Eats brewperham.com 124 E Main St, Perham

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How To Work With Local Higher Education

By Grant Ayers

As students near graduation and are gearing up to enter the workforce, they can be unsure of what direction they want to go in terms of their career path. In our part of the country, the issue we face is that many of these young professionals feel the draw of the bright city lights or the call of their hometown, so, how do we keep them in Fargo? The solution might be early interaction with your prospective employees.

Higher education is a pivotal moment in a person's life as they decide what they wish to pursue in the years following graduation. Because, usually, that decision is not set in stone, these students are much more open to being influenced by an inspiring message from a local business professional, owner or entrepreneur. By working with local higher education institutions, a mutually beneficial opportunity for your business to deliver this message and recruit high-potential talent becomes available; all while giving students a chance to explore future career opportunities they might not have yet considered.

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Concordia College Director of Entrepreneurship Center Bree Langemo

How can professionals come in and interact with students?

At Concordia College, we want to bridge the classroom and campus to the entrepreneurial community. Our current efforts to accomplish this goal include inviting entrepreneurs to share their entrepreneurial experiences in our Entrepreneurship classes, at our Entrepreneurship Club meetings, and in our Entrepreneurial Mindset Certification trainings that we offer to faculty and staff on campus and the community at large. We also place students in startup internships to provide them with meaningful experiential opportunities in the entrepreneurial space.

We invite entrepreneurs to reach out to us if they are seeking student interns or opportunities to share their stories. - Bree Langemo

For more information, they can contact Bree Langemo at blangemo@cord.edu for information on upcoming trainings.

Also, Concordia hosts the West Central Minnesota Small Business Development Center at the Offutt School of Business where small business clients receive nocost business consulting services. - Bree Langemo How can business owners and entrepreneurs get in contact and involved with your facility?

We welcome the opportunity to connect with businesses and entrepreneurs to brainstorm additional ways in which we can support both the organization and Concordia students. career@cord.edu 218.299.3020 or blangemo@cord.edu 218.299.3465

How else can our readers get more involved with your facility and its students? What other events and opportunities are available?

Concordia’s Center for Entrepreneurship offers an Entrepreneurial Mindset Certification training open to academic, corporate, government and nonprofit organizations, as well as anyone in the public interested in this type of training.

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Higher Education

North Dakota State University Ozbun Chair of Entrepreneurship Onnolee Nordstrom

How can professionals come in and interact with students?

Our students minoring in entrepreneurship need to complete an entrepreneurship internship experience, so we are always looking for local entrepreneurs willing to take on a student intern for a semester. Onnolee Nordstrom Bringing people in to meet with students and give them the opportunity to network can make a significant impact on both the business and student's career. How do you think this opportunity impacts the student's career path?

When I read the reflections written by students at the end of one of our entrepreneurship classes, what is striking is the common theme. The theme is how valuable and transformational they found networking with businesses, for instance: “Although the entrepreneurship program taught me a vast amount of knowledge about entrepreneurship, this hands-on experience gave me knowledge that

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a classroom setting cannot. I grew my knowledge of how to run a business, handle employee relations and the importance of customer service. This experience was the highlight of my career as a student. It helped me realize that I could start a business.”

What types of people are you hoping to see get more involved?

We recently launched a new course that deals with family business topics. We would love to connect with more family businesses as a number of our faculty have an interest in researching a family business.

It would be great to have family businesses in to speak to the class about the unique opportunities and challenges they face. Onnolee Nordstrom

Pillai Executive Director Rajani Ganesh, Center for Professional Selling and Sales Technology

How else can our readers get more involved with your facility and its students? What other events and opportunities are available?

Businesses can become corporate partners of the Center for Professional Selling and Sales Technology. All our corporate partners can engage in all the activities of the center. Some of the typical activities scheduled are sales seminars, career exploration events, resume critique workshops, mock interviews, sales role-plays, sales competitions, workshops/discussions in contemporary sales and marketing topics, hiring fairs, reverse hiring fairs, guest speaking opportunities, etc. Businesses can choose different levels of engagement that best suit their needs and interests.

How can people get in contact and involved with your facility?

I am happy to connect with any business interested in developing and mentoring a pipeline of talented sales force for our community and region. Please check our website for information regarding our program and ways to engage. ndsu.edu/business/research/centers_institutes/ sales_center/ I can be reached at rajani.pillai@ndsu.edu or on 701-231-5848. I look forward to sharing a cup of coffee (or tea) with you and learning more about how we can work together.

The sales center at NDSU is a member of the University Sales Center Alliance and has been recognized by The Sales Education Foundation as one of the Top Universities for Professional Sales Education for eight years in a row!

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Higher Education

Minnesota State Community and Technical College (Moorhead) Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Dr. John Maduko

the Regional Chamber of Commerce. We constantly invite business entrepreneurs into our classroom to come in contact with our students. So whenever there's a need for these individuals externally, all they need to do is reach out to M-State and we'll extend our hand and provide our campus as a space to meet, collaborate and spark up an idea or solution that can be beneficial to both sides.

What types of people are you hoping to see get more involved and develop more connections?

How can professionals come in and interact with students?

Many of our programs are more geared toward the workforce. We have automotive, diesel and electrical programs. We have a very sizeable healthcare school with a litany of programs but we also have business, human resources, marketing and digital sales programs. Our faculty, our programs and our deans are always seeking to partner with external leaders and external entrepreneurs. We're a member of

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In the FM metro, and in this less central Minnesota region that we have the honor to serve, we recognize that healthcare is king. But when you say healthcare, there's a shortage of healthcare professionals. Our programming is geared towards meeting those gaps. But there are other things in healthcare that people can do, whether it be business, information technology (IT) or accounting. We also see that startups and businesses in industries, like manufacturing and others, are growing and exploding in this region. Everyone from Sanford to Bobcat, to RDO, Auto Bremmer and U.S. Bank, we are blessed with all types of opportunities out there. Those are the types of partners that we currently work with, but we continue to seek out more partners as more people move into the region.

How else can our readers get more involved with your facility and its

students? What other events and opportunities are available?

M-State participates in community job fairs and hiring events in all of our college communities. Our biggest campus is in Moorhead, but we have campuses as far as Detroit Lakes and Wadena, where we connect with prospective employers. They have an opportunity to discover the type of education provided and look at funding and career opportunities in a wide variety of industries. There are other ways like visit days. Often, the best way to learn about M-State is during in-person campus visits.

We conduct a lot of in-person and virtual tours. These are just some from the laundry list of various intentional opportunities that we provide for our students, visitors and business partners who are industry leaders throughout this region.

How can business owners and entrepreneurs get in contact and involved with your facility?

There's a litany of ways. They can reach out online at minnesota.edu, our main college website, and that lists everything that we have in store. They can also reach out to Karen Reilly, our Associate Dean of Marketing and Outreach at 218-736-1508.

NDSCS ATOD Specialist Bethany Mauch

Program Outreach Specialist Tana Erbes

Employers can also become involved in the NDSCS Sponsorship Program (ndscs.edu/ sponsorships). This program looks to match students with employers to help students with the affordability of college and assist businesses and industries with recruiting and retaining qualified employees. To date, we have 50+ employers registered with the program and over 400+ students. More information can be found at www.ndscs. edu/ndcareerbuilders What types of people are you hoping to see get more involved?

How can professionals come in and interact with students?

Each year, North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS), holds a Career Fair catered to both employers and students. Typically there are around 200 employers that attend and around 500+ students! Employers also have the option to set up interview spaces to meet with potential employees. More information can be found at NDSCS.edu/ careerfairs

There are not many employers registered with the NDSCS Sponsorship Program from the health sector. We have numerous students that are looking for a potential sponsorship in all dental, nursing, and occupational therapy fields, and only one employer in all of those sectors that are looking for a potential student to sponsor.

Other fields we are interested in growing in our sponsorship program are Auto Body Repair & Refinishing Technology, Information & Communications Technology, and the Welding Technology field. - Bethany Mauch

2023. Within the CIC, NDSCS will provide training and academic programming alongside Fargo Public Schools, West Fargo Public Schools, Central Cass School District and Northern Cass School District. The CIC will provide career awareness events for elementary students, career identification and preparation (including early-entry college classes) activities for middle and high school students, and training/learning spaces for NDSCS students and trainees. To learn more visit NDSCS.edu/CIC How can business owners and entrepreneurs get in contact and involved with your facility?

Go to the websites above and/or www. ndscs.edu/employers, we encourage both students and employers to start having conversations about partnership opportunities (sponsorships, internships, cooperative agreements) at the high-school level and start engaging students with hands-on learning prior to the beginning of college!

How else can our readers get more involved with your facility and its students? What other events and opportunities are available?

Learn about The Career Innovation Center (CIC) that is slated to open in the fall of

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MSUM Interim Dean of the College of Business, Analytics, & Communication Josh Behl

How can professionals come in and interact with students?

One of the simplest ways is by agreeing to be a classroom speaker. Many of our classes leverage guest speakers from the business community to speak to certain topics or thematic ideas. To engage in this way, start by reaching out to faculty members, department chairs or even people like myself. In addition to speaking in our classrooms, our business programs have an Executive Mentor program where

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we connect local business professionals with our business students in a mentorship relationship. Typically, this commitment is one semester (16 weeks). Many of our mentors, however, choose to do it continually. In the end, if you have an idea, reach out to the dean or a faculty member to start the conversation.

have walked and thrived on the path can help them see what is possible, as well as see themselves in that possibility.

Bringing people in to meet with students and giving them the opportunity to network can make a significant impact on both the business and student's career. How do you think this opportunity impacts the student's career path?

Our Executive Mentorship program is the primary one, however, reaching out to speak in our classrooms, providing internships and so on are common ways. Having said that, I would encourage anyone who has a desire to get involved to simply reach out and have the conversation. Give us a call, set up a time to have coffee and let’s talk about ideas, opportunities, and challenges you and your organization might have.

From my experience, those interactions help our students connect the dots, identify a “why,” and/or help them see possibilities.

Many of our students understand and see the value of continuing their education beyond high school. For some, that vision of what the path looks like from high school through advanced studies to career is very clear. For most, however, they need help connecting those dots. This is particularly true for our first-generation students.

Additionally, some of our students don’t have a motivation for pursuing their degree or a prominent “why.” Seeing successful professionals who have not only done well but have made a mark, despite the obstacles they faced, can spark those students’ imaginations and give them something to aspire to. Those connections and experiences with professionals who

How else can our readers get more involved with your facility and its students? What other events and opportunities are available?

How can business owners and entrepreneurs get in contact and involved with your facility?

Feel free to email me at joshua.behl@ mnstate.edu or call me at 218-477-2667.

An office is so much more than a space to work in... or at least it should be. It's a place to create, innovate and move the needle.

Every manager, c-level executive and owner knows that half of the story. It's the reason we spend so much time building out processes, evaluating employees and working to create a cohesive, motivated and functional team. However, I came to the realization late in 2020 that the actual space our team was working in was playing a bigger role in our efforts to accomplish these things than I had previously realized... and it was holding us back! That's why, as of this past summer, our Spotlight team has found a new home. Walk with me on a brief tour through our new space and I'll give you more insight into our decision-making process and why you might want to consider doing the same for yourself.

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By Mike Dragosavich Photos by Josiah Kopp

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Interested in taking a tour of the space? Contact us at info@spotlightmediafargo.com and look out in future issues for a deeper look into how we created our great new space!

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What’s Going On at Hector International Airport?

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Shawn Dobberstein, has been the executive director of Hector International Airport for 25 years. Before that, he served as the assistant director for 7 years.

If you’ve lived in the area long enough you probably have had at least one visit to Hector International Airport. As a staple in our community for over 90 years, it’s quite exciting when we hear about updates and future projects on the way at Fargo’s gateway to the world. We caught up with Shawn Dobberstein to find out what’s new and upcoming for our city’s airport.

Shawn Dobberstein has been in his position of executive director for the airport since 1997. He is preparing for some big projects for the airport's future. The most recent announcement from the airport explained that they were changing operational support provided by the city for various services such as payroll, human resources, IT and finance. Shawn described it as an internal change.

“The relationship with the city still continues on as it has since the Airport Authority was created back in April of 1969, it's just internal operations support. The airport authority has always been an independent political subdivision under the state statute, that's no change, just like a school district or park district,” he explained. “It's just that we have been paying the city to get access to some services that we're doing on our own as of January 1, 2022.”

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The airport has contracted with a business to provide payroll, benefits and human resources services. They have also engaged a firm to assist with financial accounting and reporting oversight.

Looking into the long term for the airport, some of the projects expected in the coming years are the biggest the airport has seen yet. One of the largest (possible projects) is a terminal expansion.

“A terminal expansion study is underway that started just a few months ago. We hope to have that completed this fall.

There's a team led by Mead & Hunt, an engineering firm, that is going through and evaluating the current terminal and the capacity, along with what we can justify for an addition to the terminal,” Shawn said.

Their hopes are to create enough space for four more boarding bridges in addition to the five they have now, as well as additional food and beverage services, additional restrooms, a pet relief area, and more seating space in the departure lounge to meet the demand at the airport.

Right now nothing is confirmed as to what kind of food and beverage options

will be added, but they are looking into repurposing and adding a restaurant to the area by gates one and two and adding another coffee kiosk. Shawn said their provider is based in Sioux Falls and works with the airport there, where they feature Red Stone Pizza Company.

They are considering additional bar and lounge space, but that depends on the amount of space they have to work with.

according to Shawn. That project will be an additional $20 to $22 million.

This expansion would help operations in a few different ways. Many different airlines are constantly moving planes on and off the gates and if there is any type of delay, whether it be maintenance, weather or any other type of delay, it can throw off the operations of other flights needing a gate at that time. This would help improve the gate space capacities for more carriers who want to serve the Fargo market as well.

“Another environmental project that we're working on is to put in a force main up to the city's lagoons, or treatment system, north of the airport,” Shawn said, “so we can treat glycol or de-icing fluid runoff that we collect and need to properly dispose of.”

Shawn said that the project could end up costing $60 to $65 million and isn’t predicted to break ground until late 2023 at the earliest due to the research, development and planning necessary.

Some other exciting projects on their way involve other areas of the airport.

The apron adjacent to the previous passenger terminal that was vacated in 1985 will be getting new concrete and storm sewer. They want to add concrete to the north general aviation area adjacent to Fargo Jet Center as well.

Shawn said there are more projects as part of the capital improvement plan to improve the airport and its entities that are planned years out, all the way to 2037. While these projects are exciting and are sure to benefit the airport and in turn the community, they can seem so far off. But there are projects that are in motion, soon to be or even close to finished that you can look forward to.

All of the concrete at the terminal building needs to be replaced, as it’s the original concrete from the airport’s terminal building that opened in 1986.

The concrete is “past its useful life”

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“If you've been to the airport terminal building and you park your car in the pay parking lot, there are exit booths on the west side of the lot. Those are going to be replaced with brand new exit plazas on the south end of the parking lot,” he said.

The replacement of all of the parking, access and revenue control systems is 90% complete, so next time you enter the parking lot you’ll get your permit from equipment that was replaced just in December. The security system is in the works to be replaced as well. A new equipment building was just completed to store the large equipment used to keep the runways, taxiways and aprons open for use.

With all of these projects coming up you might be thinking… what do I even know about the airport?

No problem, Shawn filled us in.

What is the Airport Authority?

Created April 8, 1969, the Airport Authority has a five-member board, each member is selected by the mayor and serves as many five-year terms as the mayor desires. They oversee the development of the airport to meet the aviation needs of the community and surrounding region. Including infrastructure projects like the ones above!

Hector International Airport is 100% self-sufficient!

They receive two-mills or approximately $1.3 million dollars from the City of Fargo property taxpayers that is used to pay for capital improvements and to match federal grants, but no Fargo property taxpayer money goes towards the day-to-day operations. They make revenue through their parking lot, car rental, landing fees, terminal rents from airlines, and percentage of gross revenue agreements with places like the Fargo Jet Center,

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their restaurant and gift shop, and even through their farmland!

Is everything “air” connected in Fargo?

Kind of. Hector International Airport is like a “landlord” for a few of the spaces rented around the Fargo Airport, including the Fargo Air Museum, the North Dakota Air National Guard and Army National Guard, and the Fargo Jet Center, as well as things part of the airport like car rental agencies, each airline, TSA, the Federal Aviation Administration are all tenants.

How big is the team?

Even with the impact and area the airport has, there are only 27 full-time employees and a few part-time seasonal and year-round employees for building operations, custodial services, airfield maintenance, and mechanics. 10 of those employees are the airport’s own fire department!

Who does the airport serve?

Hector International Airport doesn’t just offer passenger services, they are one of the largest cargo airports in the region. They have a 24/7 air traffic control tower, 24/7 international customs (hence, Hector “International” Airport since they don’t have any direct international flights), and they even have flights on their way to Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis, Nashville, Phoenix/Mesa, Orlando, Los Angeles and Tampa/Clearwater. Some of the routes are seasonal. There are also monthly casino flights to places like Laughlin, NV. A number of airlines and corporate aircraft stop in Fargo to clear Customs, refuel or wait out bad weather if they run into it. Sometimes there are medical emergencies aboard aircraft operating in the vicinity of Fargo that divert to Hector International Airport.

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What about the military?

The North Dakota Air National Guard operates the MQ-9 Reaper. Hector International Airport also allows military remotely piloted aircraft into their traffic patterns. They are one of the only two commercial service airports in the entire country that allow these military aviation components, the second being Syracuse Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, New York.

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“We don't look at city boundaries or county boundaries,” Shawn said. “We serve a massive region throughout a 100 plus mile radius, and probably further because of Allegiant and Frontier [airlines], all the way up to the Canadian border, down into South Dakota and big swaths of West Central and Northwest Minnesota.”

For updates on Hector International Airport projects follow fargoairport on Facebook, or keep an eye out at www.fargoairport.com

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10 Questions

10

Questions ohn Machacek, Chief Innovation Officer for the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation, has worked with countless startups throughout our community over the past nine years. He knows their ups, their downs, but most of all, he knows the questions to ask them. Here are John Machacek’s 10 questions for the CoFounders of c2renew, Chad Ulven and Corey Kratcha.

By John Machacek Photos by Josiah Kopp and Hillary Ehlen

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Chad Ulven

01 Will you please tell us your c2renew elevator pitch?

Corey Kratcha

C2renew is a biocomposite materials manufacturer. We take different types of waste products, e.g. agricultural waste (hemp, flax, cotton, wood), food waste (spent grains, coffee), and more unique waste products (upcycled landfill waste) and mix that with varying types of plastics (bio-based and/or petroleum) that are sold to injection molders or extruders for shaping into final products.

02 To give the readers a visualization, will you please describe some products that were manufactured out of your materials and solutions?

We have produced materials for several different companies and applications in various industries, a few which are local to ND would be materials with

Bogobrush, Earthkind and 3DFuel. Applications our biocomposite materials go into range from consumer products (toothbrushes, repellant holders, golf tees) to product packaging (CBD oil) to additive manufacturing (3D printer filament).

03 Like some primary sector companies here, especially those in the B2B space, a lot of what they do or make is behind the scenes, and the average person has no idea they exist or what they do. However, what they do is an integral part of helping those other, more visible, companies create their products.

Being one of those behindthe-scenes companies, how do you engage

with new clients and/or how do they engage with you?

New customers often come to us via online searches for a specific composite material. For example, we will get a cold email that will indicate the company is looking for a hemp composite and they came across c2renew while searching for it online.

We also get a fair number of referrals from people and companies we have done work with or for.

Even though we have had some success this way it is still challenging to grow our presence when we are so behind the scenes.

Therefore, we always appreciate the opportunity of being highlighted like we are for this article.

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10 Questions 04 It’s quite interesting, the integrated ecosystem we have here locally in additive manufacturing (aka 3D printing).

Some examples are what you are doing with the composite materials; 3DFuel manufacturing the filament; FAME 3D (LulzBot) manufacturing printers; plus activity at NDSU. And being on the inside of all that, what are your impressions of the uniqueness and potential competitive advantage of this ecosystem?

We aren’t aware of many places that can take a waste stream and turn it into a viable product through the entire production process within such close proximity.

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A hypothetical example of that would be hemp being processed in southern North Dakota, sent to c2renew and converted to a composite, moved over to 3DFuel and made into filament, and then shipped to an agricultural manufacturer that uses it on a Lulzbot printer to make a mounting fixture for one of their equipment lines.

In this hypothetical, a part that would be made on demand within 40 miles of where everything originated.

That would give local manufacturing a whole new meaning.

05 From prior conversations, I know you have thoughts on the concept and further opportunities of these vertical or collaborative integrations, especially as it relates to both agriculture and sustainability.

Will you please say a few words on what you think that could mean for our region and companies like you?

North Dakota has a unique advantage compared to other places as it relates to agriculture, technology and sustainability. Where else do you have a research university known for its agricultural prowess, a collection of the world’s largest agricultural equipment manufacturers, the best and brightest agricultural producers anywhere, some of the sharpest technology minds to create innovative digital technology, and oh by the way, a state government focused on bringing these together to create massive change in sustainability.

The answer is only in North Dakota. We are fortunate to be a small part of that opportunity. However, there is still a lot of work to be done in order to get to the finish line. This is an area we are passionate about and could go on for three more pages in this article about.

06 Chad, you balance working part-time on c2renew while also being a fulltime professor at NDSU. How do you personally balance that, but also how does it work at NDSU to help foster that marriage of in-

stitutional research & innovation with commercialization?

NDSU has really grown and evolved as a university over the past decade or so to be very supportive of the entrepreneurial efforts of its faculty and staff who want to see and participate in the transition of technology from the laboratory benchtop to industrial and commercial use. NDSU has established policies and practices, such as conflict of interest management, in order to help everyone involved navigate these unique situations. More excitingly, broad multidisciplinary collaboration amongst different disciplines of science, engineering and business is encouraged by the administration for faculty and students alike to spur innovative ideas that can positively impact the state and surrounding region.

07 Speaking of NDSU, I know your company has been a proponent of the value of using interns. Will you please tell me your process of finding & managing

interns as well as the value of these efforts?

We have always worked with NDSU to find the best and brightest employees to work at c2renew, usually starting as interns or parttime positions and hopefully growing into full-time employees at some point.

NDSU has an excellent Career and Advising Center that companies can work with to recruit and interview students for internships and full time positions. We are so proud of where our past student interns and part time employees have ended up, ranging from major agricultural equipment manufacturers to national labs to faculty positions at the university.

08 This focus has primarily been on c2renew and your materials side of things, but you also have your sensor business. To not totally neglect that, will you briefly explain to the readers your capabilities and services with that?

We have always looked for ways to build on c2renew’s core technology and the sensor business was born out of that. One of the primary features of the sensors we have created is that they don't need to be retrieved after being placed in the soil because they were made from a bio-based substrate.

As we continued to build out that technology, it allowed us to expand the capability of the sensor and explore other industries and opportunities.

We still have a lot of work to do, but we are excited about what will come out of these efforts as well.

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the additive manufacturing ecosystem. The right mix of partners are here to take this segment of the industry to new heights. We would love to connect with anyone interested in learning more about materials for additive manufacturing or sustainable products.

To learn more about c2renew, visit c2renew.com

About John

If you could go back in time to Chad and Corey from several years ago, what hindsight advice would you give yourself?

NAlways trust your gut and don’t doubt yourself.

10 What can we do as a community to help c2renew succeed?

As was discussed in an earlier question, I think there is a great opportunity to expand

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RELIABLE GUIDES TENACIOUS ALLIES We provide a range of services to address your business and legal issues.

Litigation Attorneys: Beverley Adams Kristy Albrecht Todd Zimmerman Benjamin Hasbrouck Abigale Griffin Aubrey Zuger

fredlaw.com/fargo

All B2B companies have revenue generation processes, but many fail to regularly audit or optimize these processes to maximize revenue and profit growth. As a result, they also fail to incorporate automation and AI tools that can replace manual processes.

I’ve spent a decade as a CEO and sales leader in the Office Technology space. My experience as a leader has familiarized me with the obstacles and frustrations that companies encounter. I created Quantum Business Solutions to help businesses consistently overcome their concerns with focus on high growth and performance through sales, marketing, and client experience.

What Sales Activities Can be Automated?

According to the book Tech Powered Sales by Justin Michael and Tony Hughes, 70% of what a salesperson does today can be automated. A few examples are:

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• List building • Prospecting • Texts • Emails • Social media outreach and connection • Calendaring • Videos There are a lot of ways to multiply oneself and improve processes. With the proliferation of automation tools entering the marketplace, the question to ask is not what can be automated, but which tools best meet the needs of my organization and which tools are worth the investment?

Components of the Growth Model for use in Your Revenue Generation Audit To understand key data points that should be covered in a revenue generation audit, let’s walk through the Quantum Growth Model wheel.

Target • What is your ideal client profile?

• Have you defined your buyer personas?

• What Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool do you use?

• Is your CRM integrated with other software packages in your tech stack?

• Is the CRM structured to automatically collect the data you need to pull reporting for Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that you’ve previously set?

• Can you pull customized reporting through your CRM? • What KPIs are you tracking?

• Are you tracking the right KPIs? • How do you know you are tracking the right KPIs? • Do you have outdated contacts, unqualified leads, or incomplete data?

• How do you identify qualified leads?

• Do you have correct Titles, E-Mails and Phone Numbers for Key Decision Makers?

Attract • Is Marketing creating identifiable leads at scale?

• How are the leads tracked?

• Do you have a detailed marketing plan that is in alignment with your sales efforts?

• Are your marketing materials current?

• Have you identified and developed relevant, consistent content and

determined the best delivery method for your target audience (i.e. blogs, social media, etc.)?

• Are you tracking Return on Investment (ROI) for all marketing activities?

• Are your marketing efforts working?

• Do you have adequate resources to execute on marketing activities?

• Does your marketing team have access to accurate data to conduct marketing activities and send targeted messages to appropriate audiences?

• Do you know what marketing activities deliver the highest ROI?

Shawn Peterson is the CEO of Quantum Business Solutions, which offers outsourced CRO services. He comes with a decade of experience in the technology services industry as an executive. Shawn is a visionary focused on high growth and performance through sales, marketing, and client experience. He believes that great people in the right seats, equipped with the right tools and development, are the most important ingredients to business success.

Shawn's passion is helping organizations systemize, optimize, and automate sales and marketing processes. When Shawn isn’t working on growing organizations, he enjoys spending time with his family.

Other hobbies include traveling, running, boating, and yoga.

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Nurture • Do you have fully developed, automated sequences that incorporate email, calls, and texts to engage and build awareness with your prospects and leads?

• Which team handles prospecting calls for your organization?

• Do you have a dedicated Sales Development Representative (SDR) team that sets appointments for your closers?

• How do you prioritize leads for calls and follow up?

• How do you identify lead lists?

• What automation tools are you using to maximize efficiencies in contacting prospects and leads?

• Do you have a fully developed training program for your SDR team?

• Do you provide quality leads for your SDR team to call on?

Convert • What automation tools are available for your sales team to utilize?

• Are automation tools utilized by the sales team integrated with other software programs in your tech stack?

• Is your sales team agile and able to adapt to the digital marketplace?

• Has your sales team been provided

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with adequate training, tools and resources?

• Does your sales team have access to best-in-class sales training?

• What processes are in place to make sure data is properly entered into your CRM? • What are your conversion rates at each stage of the sales cycle?

• What are your close rates?

• Are you achieving your sales goals?

• Are your sales team members hitting quotas on a consistent basis?

• Does your sales team have access to best-in-class sales training?

• What processes are in place to make sure data is properly entered into your CRM? Wow • How do you go about nurturing and maintaining quality relationships with every customer?

• Are all customer interactions documented in your CRM? • What is your customer retention rate?

• If a customer leaves, do you track and report on why they leave?

• Can your customers articulate what value you provide?

• Can your customers articulate what distinguishes you from the competition?

• Are your customers willing to provide testimonials?

• Do your customers provide referrals?

• Do you have a customer referral program in place?

Next Steps for Your Revenue Generation Audit Your next steps are to take the findings from the audit to help you to systemize, optimize, and automate for revenue growth. The proposed strategies will improve your company’s financial health and incorporate strategy, systems, processes, and technology solutions designed to be adaptable for future growth.

Academic Insight

I

n the February 2020 issue of Fargo, INC!, I shared my perspectives on what managers and leaders can do to be intentional and purposeful when using technology within organizations. For those who have not read the original article, I’ve summarized the main points below:

• In the broadest terms, technology can be defined as “an object, a tool, or a set of means to accomplish a task,” (Funk, 1999).

• Technology helps us to close three gaps: 1) the distance gap (i.e., communication), 2) the knowledge gap (i.e., education), and 3) the outcome gap (i.e., performance measures and standards). (Gillette, 2014).

• To address the complexity that technology can sometimes bring to organizations, managers should be intentional about the purpose or implementation of technology in the workplace.

That article was published prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, I’ve been reflecting on how much has changed in our world and in our personal lives in the past two years. In fact, we have come to rely on technology even more since then. Given that, this would suggest that the need to be intentional and purposeful with technology is now even more important. For this month’s article, I want to expand on the four insights I shared in my original article by sharing some thoughts and reflections based on what has transpired since then.

Awareness of technological advances

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

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The first insight involves a manager’s awareness of changes when it comes to

GARY USSERY

Being Intentional and Purposeful with Technology: Part 2 technology. This could involve being aware of new hardware or software that is being developed, or being aware of existing technology being used in different ways in response to changes in the general environment. For example, let’s consider the video-conferencing platform Zoom. Prior to the pandemic, I had never heard of nor used Zoom. Now, I’m on Zoom consistently each week. Initially, I would use Zoom primarily for work-related reasons. Now, I use it equally for personal reasons such as connecting with family around the country. Some organizations, particularly in academia, started using Zoom to conduct virtual conferences to continue the important task of networking and sharing ideas and research with colleagues. Going forward, I think managers should continue to look at how technology can be used in new ways and for new purposes that benefit and accomplish the goals of the organization.

Effectiveness first, then efficiency The second insight involves prioritizing effectiveness over efficiency in the organization. In my original article, I shared Bill Gates’ two rules for implementing technology:

Dr. Aikens can be reached at: saikens@cord.edu

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.”

The key takeaway from this is to first examine existing processes that improve effectiveness, then to determine the best way to apply technology to that process to increase efficiency. We’ve seen this happen. Let’s consider the restaurant industry, which according to experts, was probably the industry that was the hardest hit over the past years. In response to shutdowns, restaurants had to rely solely on carryout and delivery to stay in business. The online magazine Restaurant Business provides examples of what some restaurants did, which included streamlining their ordering processes (some involving physical changes) and then implementing technology to make the food ordering process more efficient. One restaurant was able to increase the number of food orders, reduce the number of customer complaints, all while complying with social distancing requirements and reducing congestion in the establishment. I think this re-emphasizes the importance of developing an organizational culture in which tasks and functions are continuously and proactively evaluated to improve effectiveness given the effect that technology will have on their efficiency.

Assessing technological training needs beforehand The third insight involves an accurate assessment of training needs before implementing a new technology system in the workplace. With the evergrowing need to be on the cutting edge, sometimes managers can overlook several important aspects in this area: 1) the system itself (can the system perform the essential task or function?),

2) the user (how soon can the user become competent and comfortable with using the system?), and 3) the implementation (when is the best time to implement the change that will be the least disruptive to the organization?).

Not considering these items could cause an organization to experience Bill Gates’ second rule of technology (a magnification of the inefficiency).

Going forward, I can’t stress enough the importance of managers listening to the input of their employees to gather pros and cons of a new system, have a realistic training timeframe, and be strategic about the optimum time for implementation.

Overcoming Resistance The fourth insight involves how managers respond to any resistance to technology. Typically, resistance comes when an organization is trying to implement a new change going forward. However, resistance can also occur when there is a desire to go back to the old way of doing things.

For example, prior to the pandemic, approximately 6% of employees worked primarily from home. Now that workers have adjusted to working from home, a majority would like to continue this practice. In response to some organizations wanting employees to come back on site, employees are choosing to quit their jobs altogether which has been called by some “The Great Resignation.” From personal experiences, I’ve observed that in some situations, the new ways of doing things (e.g., virtual meetings) can actually be more effective and efficient than in-person meetings. When it comes to being intentional and purposeful with technology, it is important for managers to make evidence-based and common-sense decisions. Listen to feedback from employees to identify best practices learned during these past years and make a commitment to stay the course with the new way of doing things if possible.

Chelsey Steinlicht

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself.

A. I own Bright Futures Learning Center, which started in 2013. I’m a mother of four, and a huge advocate for the early learning community and foster care. We cater a lot to that in our company.

I grew up in the Twin Cities in the St. Michael Alberille area, and came to NDSU for college. I was enamored by the community of Fargo-Moorhead.

I loved that it was close, collaborative and engaging. I was a young and enthusiastic person ready to join the workforce and we decided to stay here.

Q. How did you get involved in your work?

A. When I graduated college I started working at a local bank. My background is in international business. At that time, my dream involved corporate and international travel. I got a job here at a bank as my husband was finishing college, and I realized that I did not enjoy the cubicle life.

I had to figure out what made me happy. On the side I was volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters and I knew I wanted to work with children.

So, I took a job as a center director managing an onsite center in Moorhead. I realized I had a bigger capacity and I could do more with the tools I had.

I started working with the Fargo school district. I worked with low income kids in our community and found that was really my passion. However, at the time I had three little girls that needed daycare.

My job allowed me to bring them with me, but I determined there was a need for quality learning services in our community. This was 2012 and there weren’t a lot of options. People were flocking to Fargo because of the recession, and we were lacking in quality childcare. I opened a learning center [Bright Futures Learning Center] in South Fargo. I thought it would take us a year to fill all of our spots and it took us just six weeks. We were bursting at the seams almost immediately.

They say when you want something done, right do it yourself, which is exactly what Chelsey Steinlicht did when she went looking for quality daycare for her daughters.

Now Chelsey owns Bright Futures Learning Center, a wildly successful child care center in South Fargo that has expanded well beyond Chelsey’s initial dreams. She talks with Ladyboss about work-life integration, COVID’s impact on daycare and the term ‘mom-preneur.’

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By the next winter, we expanded because there was such a clear need. We went from 78 to 143

kids. We run quality programs for kids of all income levels, and we were asked by the state of North Dakota to duplicate a model. We partnered with the Department of Human Services to build a duplicate center. In 2017, we built that secondary site. I think we’ve really raised the bar on the standards of early childhood care. We offer a dual language program, regular childcare services and preschool. Between the programs we offer, we serve about 400 kids in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

I started by just wanting to give my kids daycare and it has expanded to all of this!

Q. How did COVID impact your work?

A. In 2020 COVID hit, and daycares have been stretched to the max. I called up Human Services to try and figure out how we could use our resources to better support our community through this time.

I found out there were children actually living at the Human Services office because foster placements weren't taking kids into homes. We immediately developed a plan to provide 24-hour care. Hours after establishing that plan we had kids being dropped off to be part of that.

These kids will be running our community some day. I think our job is incredibly important and I’m honored we can be an important part of their development.

Q. You had unprecedented success pretty immediately. What was it like to open your doors and within six weeks meet a year-long goal?

A. Absolutely overwhelming. I had no experience with business ownership at that time. I was analytical and did a lot of planning. I really thought it would take at least ten months to get our center up

and running, so there was an immediate stress on my personal life and our staff. It was insane, but once I saw that happen I knew that the demand was really there and people were looking for quality. That’s what families wanted to be available, and my thoughts were affirmed by our quick success.

Q. How do you keep a work-life balance?

Q. Being a mother propelled you into your career. You’ve talked about being a mom-preneur. What does that mean and how does that look in practice?

Q. Childcare and women have been very seriously impacted by the last few years.

When you think of the term that’s being thrown around “new normal” what do you picture as the future for childcare and for women?

A. Mom-preneur means you’re busy raising a family and also busy raising a business. Those two avenues are not often compared, but raising a family and developing a business take similar skills and time. As a mother, you want to grow these amazing little people to be contributing members of society, and as a business owner you want to raise a profitable business that contributes in some way to society. So, the two roles are actually very synchronized and can also really conflict.

Q. What would you tell other women who are mothers or want to be mothers about starting a business?

A. I have never looked at it as work-life balance. It’s not like a teeter totter. To me, it’s more of an integration and not a balance. So, I need to integrate my family life into my business life at times. I’ve sacrificed sleep a few times, I’ll be honest.

A. I think we need to refocus. Childcare is an essential field. The effort that we’re putting in [to this next generation] will pay off in the future. These industries that used to be the underdogs have been proven as essential parts of our society and we need to invest more into them. This time has changed the way we view teachers and childcare, which used to be a really humbling industry.

Now, parents that are staying home and schooling themselves have a new respect for the magic that happens in childcare.

A. Women are notorious for dropping their passion to take care of others. Those can be done at the same time. You can be passionate and obtain success while still being a mother and not sacrificing those moments with your kids. I have chosen to not give up gingerbread houses and hockey dropoffs. I choose to work around those family moments. I know when to be present for my business and when to be present for my family. It takes juggling, but it’s possible.

Women are incredibly intelligent and are able to multitask.

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Team Up with Matthys and

Stay in The Game.

701.241.9300 | www.jointpain.md

Actor portrayal, not actual patient.

AWESOME FOUNDATION GRANT AWARD WINNER

Faith 4 Hope new kind of community center is coming to town.

Faith4Hope is looking to tackle big community problems with an ambitious plan—a 37,000 square foot community center geared toward offering area teens a safe place to be after school and on weekends.

Located at 1321 19th Avenue North, Fargo, the space had previously been used as a daycare. However, with the assistance of an $85,000 HUD grant from the City of Fargo, the recently remodeled After-School Matters Community Center now sports a large open floor plan along with several class and meeting rooms. The goal of the new community center is to serve 330 underprivileged students in after school programming at no cost for families who qualify and on a sliding scale to those who don’t.

“There is just a huge need,” Faith Dixon, founder of Faith4Hope said. “As a community, we look at the homeless population and try to provide services, but we don’t always think about the children being homeless and hungry. It’s easy to believe that if they are in school, they are okay. But if the parents are in poverty, the children are also in poverty.”

One of the most important features of the After-School Matters Community Center is the provision of a meal each

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evening, as well as lunch and dinner on Saturdays. Since 2019 Faith4Hope has operated a weekly food pantry out of the same location, which they intend to continue.

“It is so dear to my heart to feed our youth. Thanks to the schools, many kids get breakfast and lunch, but sometimes the kids don’t have meals to go home to. It’s so important to make sure our children are eating and eating healthy.

Since we started the food pantry, we’ve served over eight thousand households, including over 5,000 children,” Faith said.

Feeding the area teens is only one of the many services Faith4Hope is hoping to provide. Acknowledging that many teens have no place to go after school is out, and that many of the programs provided after school are things they can not afford or get transportation to, Faith4Hope aims to provide a variety of free programs in partnership with area businesses.

“We researched local artists that might have smaller studios and searched for dance and music studios. It’s an opportunity for them to give to the community, and for us to support our local businesses and their work. Our dance program is partially funded by an American Rescue Fund grant from the ND Arts Council. We have a contract with Revolution Records. Paul Shields owner and founder built two recording studios on the second floor to teach music and offers guitar, singing, digital

recording, piano and drums classes. The students get to learn from professionals, and we get to support their businesses.

It’s a win-win.”

While the eventual goal is to host a large variety of programming, After-School Matters is starting small, mainly with companies offering free programming.

“We have lots of fun options from businesses interested in helping out, but it all takes funding. We have a construction company willing to come in and teach how to build homes and will provide the teaching for free, but we’d still need to pay for the lumber, the drywall, and other supplies. We have the space, we just don’t have the funds,” Faith said.

Faith4Hope is applying for a multitude of grants in hopes of realizing its vision.

While they are currently far from covering their proposed yearly budget, they are starting to see some success. They were recently awarded a $5000 grant from Sparklight for programming for the After-School Matters Community Center. They were also named as one of the two December 2021 grantees of the Cass Clay chapter of the Awesome Foundation. In the meantime, they are grateful to the individual community members who are personally donating to the project via their website and a recent Go Fund Me initiative.

“When WDAY ran a short story on our

Faith4Hope Founders C. Hope Shield (left) and Faith Dixon (right)

community center last year, a lot of people asked about volunteering and donating,” said Faith. “I believe businesses and foundations will be on board when they are aware of what we are doing, and how many lives it can impact. That same story brought in a lot of parents asking when it was starting and when they could enroll.

This program is so needed.”

Faith4Hope is facing the challenge of funding head-on, and hopes to create collaborations and partnerships that will help move the After-School Matters Community Center forward to success, eventually adding a Youth Night Club, a gaming center and a clothing store in addition to their programing and food pantry.

“We are a community of individuals who like a good challenge, and that care about each other. I believe that once people know what is going on, they will offer to help. There are opportunities out there. We just have to find them.”

Sometimes it’s all about having a little faith.

The Cass Clay chapter of the Awesome Foundation awards a $1,000 gift each month for awesome ideas of all sorts. Grant recipients do not need to be associated with a non-profit. Applications can be made at awesomefoundation.org/en/chapters/ cassclay.

AWESOME FOUNDATION GRANT AWARD WINNER

Moorhead Digital

Design Boot Camp

hen college student Kory Powell-Oliver submitted a proposal to teach a class for Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM)’s College for Kids & Teens summer camp program in 2021, he had no idea how much fun it would be, or how positively the kids in his class would respond. A student of Graphic Communications at MSUM, Kory used his own classes in web and graphic design as a framework to build the summer course and was amazed at the results.

With such positive feedback on the course and a great deal of encouragement about his teaching style from other instructors, Kory realized that there was a need for additional resources like his class in the community.

“All the kids understood; they really got a good grasp of the materials and a sound understanding of the programs. After the course ended one kid told me he ‘felt his dad got his money’s worth.' Kids don’t usually say things like that, so it had to have come from a real place,” laughs Kory. “But the biggest thing was seeing how I was able to alleviate the stress and anxiety a lot of teens have about entering into tech careers. I was really inspired by that.”

To fill that need, Kory has taken the class he created for the College for Kids & Teens summer camp and is developing a Digital Design Boot Camp that can be hosted at various times to offer the information to the community in what he hopes will be a more accessible way.

BY Brandi

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“Growing up, I had no idea how to get into technology, I just knew it was something I wanted to do and that employment in those fields can be super competitive. A lot of kids are like me, and I want to be able to reach out to them, help them get more familiar with modern technology, the design, the resources and the knowledge necessary.”

The bootcamps will feature the use of UX Design and software called Figma to help high school students get familiar with the software, but the goal of the

bootcamps is broader than simply learning design.

“I want to share the knowledge and perspective I have learned trying to get into the field,” Kory states. “I want to share the pros and cons of the process, a real perspective of trying to get into the field. I also want to give them an opportunity to build toward a portfolio and create a couple pieces through the camp that they can share with employers. I want to provide a little bit of mentorship.”

Kory hopes to launch the first of his bootcamps over MSUM’s spring break.

Currently a senior at MSUM, he feels the opportunity to pilot the Digital Design Boot Camp while he is still a student can’t be passed up.

“I’m the instructor, but I have staff in the college department backing me up. I will need to rent a room and electronics to run the camp and, as a student, I get a cheaper rate to campus resources. Once I graduate, I won’t have that access, so this is the time to try things out, and

figure out what electronics I will need to run future camps. I don’t want this to be a one-time thing. I want to be able to do this in many different ways,” Kory says.

Although additional funding will be needed to purchase electronics and subscriptions for future boot camps, Kory will be able to pay the rental and advertising fees of the newly remodeled course this spring with the assistance of a $1000 gift from the Cass Clay chapter of the Awesome Foundation, who named him one of their two December 2021 grantees.

As the Digital Design Boot Camp develops, Kory hopes to incorporate more people into the project, both by inviting guest speakers from the field, and to offer the camp to others.

“I want to be able to inspire more kids with this camp,” Kory says simply.

“And hopefully go on to create a STEM camp that is welcoming for all groups of people. I believe this will help build connections and resources and expand the Fargo-Moorhead STEM community.”

The Cass Clay chapter of the Awesome Foundation awards a $1,000 gift each month for awesome ideas of all sorts.

Grant recipients do not need to be associated with a non-profit. Applications can be made at awesomefoundation.org/ en/chapters/cassclay.

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FEB/JUNE

BUSINESS EVENTS

2022 CALENDAR

Fargo Events

MARCH 9 Managing a Remote Workforce

Wednesday, March 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

We are living in a brave new world. Remote working employees may be a phenomenon that is here to stay. How do we manage a remote workforce effectively? How do we promote collaboration and maximize productivity in a remote environment? It is important to realize the impact of various behaviors and how they respond in a remote workplace.

Learning Objectives: 1. How to ensure meaningful communication with remote workers?

2. What does the data tell us about who's most interested in remote work?

3. Gain insight how remote work impacts employee confidence.

4. Conducting effective virtual meetings - what to do and what not to do 5. Key Findings regarding how various types of people respond to a virtual world 6. How do we ensure collaboration and connection to the team?

7. Gain Tips for improving the remote experience based on the person's behavioral style.

DoubleTree by Hilton and livestream 825 E Beaton Drive West Fargo, ND 58078

FEBRUARY 22 Intentional Collisions

Tuesday, Feb 22 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This inaugural event will feature highly influential women sharing their insights, experiences, journeys and advice in short seven-minute segments. Attendees will have the opportunity to select up to 15 'collisions' and directly engage with the influential women of their choice. This highly interactive experience will be extremely rewarding for all that participate.

Avalon Events Center and livestream 2525 Ninth Avenue South Fargo, ND 56103

FEBRUARY 25 Networking Before 9

Friday, February 25 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Join us for our another lively Networking

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Before 9 event! Our newly-formed Events subcommittee will craft a fun time to get to meet new people. We will plan on opening our virtual door at 7:45am. Feel free to join us to enjoy some music and share a fun photo of yourself (set as your Zoom background)! As always, we invite you to bring along a friend! fmwfchamber.com

Courtyard by Marriott 1080 28th Avenue South Moorhead, MN 56560

MARCH 22 Quit Being the Victim: Taking Back Control of Your Life

Tuesday, March 22 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

MARCH 1 March 2022 Eggs & Issues

Tuesday, March 1 from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Join us for another exciting topic at this month’s Eggs & Issues! We strive to provide topical and timely events to keep you in the know. Every month at Eggs & Issues you can expect to hear from local experts sharing what you need to know. And you can always count on a hot breakfast and networking.

Stay tuned to find out what topic we’ll address this month!

I'm sure all of us have felt, at least once, like we have no control over our lives or what is happening to us. Or maybe even just so stressed out that you don't know what to do next but you know you can't keep going the way you are. I mean, come on, who hasn't been stressed out by COVID? I have a five-step process for reducing stress and taking some control back over your life again. Together we will work on building a mindset that allows you to let go of the things in your life you cannot control and instead focusing your time and energy on what you can control. My session is all about

APRIL 21 Voices of Vision 2022

Thursday, April 21 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Each year, The Chamber's Voices of Vision event brings nationally recognized thought leaders and visionaries to the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo area. Hosting these types of well-known speakers and influencers not only offers the community the opportunity to hear and see a variety of public figures, but also gives visibility to our region and showcases our metro.

Voices of Vision is about bringing people together from all walks of life, political persuasions, age groups, career stages and industries to provoke thought and community conversations. We thank Nodak Insurance Company, and all of our sponsors, for their continued investment in this event and for enabling The Chamber to bring these leaders to our community.

Talent and workforce attraction and retention efforts are among our community’s top priorities. Mike Rowe’s impressive resume, invaluable experiences, and unique perspective and message are sure to inspire our business and community leaders. This is a tremendous opportunity to energize your students, employees and leaders within your circles. We invite you to join our community on this special afternoon.

SHAC (Sanford Health Athletic Complex) 1300 17th Ave N Fargo, ND 58102

refocusing your energy for better outcomes in life, in family and at work.

In this session, we'll start with the first steps to identifying stressors in your life, setting things into buckets of what you can and cannot control, refocusing your energy, start receiving better outcomes and start living a happier more grateful life.

Avalon Events Center and Livestream 2525 Ninth Avenue South Fargo, ND 56103

MARCH 24 Midwest Economic Forecast Summit

Thursday, March 24 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

On March 24, we will be kicking off the series with the Midwest Economic Forecast Summit as we bring together chambers of commerce, industry leaders and economic experts from across the Midwest to take part

in a holistic, timely and in-depth discussion.

Our nation recently faced a global recession, record U.S. unemployment and is currently facing extreme economic uncertainty. This is an opportunity to learn more about regional and national trends, examine factors that keep our area competitive, as we hear from keynote speakers and panels of leaders across various sectors including agriculture, energy, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing and technology. Developing and maintaining a vibrant economy is essential to the continued growth of the Midwest; we hope you join us for this new, major event series and important discussion.

April 2022 Eggs & Issues

Tuesday, April 5 from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Join us for another exciting topic at this month’s Eggs & Issues! We strive to provide topical and timely events to keep you in the know. Every month at Eggs & Issues you can expect to hear from local experts sharing what you need to know. And you can always count on a hot breakfast and networking.

Stay tuned to find out what topic we’ll address this month!

Courtyard by Marriott 1080 28th Avenue South Moorhead, MN 56560

Delta by Marriott and Livestream 1635 42nd Street South Fargo, ND 58103

APRIL 5

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Fargo Events

JUNE 1 Women Connect Celebration with Mel Robbins

Wednesday, June 1 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Join us on the eighth anniversary of Women Connect at this special event with the most-booked female motivational speaker in the world! Delivering this year's keynote message is Mel Robbins, serial entrepreneur, best-selling author, internationally recognized social media influencer, and one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the world. One of the world's leading experts on behavioral change, Mel Robbins' research and tools have helped millions of people overcome procrastination, self-doubt and anxiety.

SHAC (Sanford Health Athletic Complex) 1300 17th Ave N Fargo, ND 58102

APRIL 27 Business After Hours

Wednesday, April 27 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Business After Hours continues to set records as the region’s largest networking event. Attendees can connect with their peers and exhibitors ranging from cell phone companies to financial institutions and more. Join us for a great time over apps, networking and fun!

Avalon Events Center and livestream 2525 Ninth Avenue South Fargo, ND 56103

MAY 3 Midwest Agriculture Summit

Tuesday, May 3 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Agriculture is a fundamental sector of the Midwestern economy. The Midwest Agriculture Summit will take an in-depth

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look at key industry facets across multiple states while exploring and discussing agriculture. Together, our communities are leading the industry by creating innovative solutions to address some of the world's largest problems. The Midwest Agriculture Summit will highlight local and national ag legislation, ag tech and innovation, and the ag economy including markets, trends and more.

Delta by Marriott and Livestream 1635 42nd Street South Fargo, ND 58103

MAY 20 ChamberChoice Awards Luncheon

Friday, May 20 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 p.m.

It's time to honor and celebrate the incredible organizations that are leading the way and contributing to the vitality of our community. Join us at the ChamberChoice

awards luncheon (whether you choose to join us in person or virtually), where we'll honor this year's outstanding candidates in each of the categories and name the 2022 award winners. Attendees will be the first to hear the year's honorees at this upbeat luncheon, have the opportunity to connect with other area professionals, and kick back at this fun awards show.

Delta by Marriott and Livestream 1635 42nd Street South Fargo, ND 58103

MAY 26 Corporate Cup 2022

Thursday, May 26 from 1:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

At this annual event put on by the YPN, physical fitness and friendly competition are cornerstones for Chamber member businesses to go head-to-head in everything from kickball to an obstacle course and tug-of-war in a battle for points

Grand Forks Events FEBRUARY 22 Grow With Google: Sell Online With E-Commerce Tools

Tuesday, February 22 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Learn how to sell your products online. We'll walk through listing your products for free with Google My Business and Merchant Center. And we'll show you one way to sell on your website, using an E-Commerce store built with Shopify. Plus, learn about more helpful tools to stand out online, such as Local Opportunity Finder and Grow My Store.

In this workshop, we will : • Discuss the Products tab in Google My Business.

and a fun combination of team-building and networking. The event is open to all employees and fitness levels.

All Chamber member businesses are eligible to participate in the Corporate Cup. Teams will be comprised of up to 15 male and female participants. The cost to participate is $325 per team.

Companies may only have one team. Please indicate which division you would like to participate in - competitive or recreational - when you register your team online. Both divisions will be awarded prizes. Trying to decide on which division to sign up for?

Remember, recreational is for teams for are looking to have fun while competitive is for teams looking to win.

MSUM 1104 Seventh Avenue South Moorhead, MN 56563

• Introduce Google Merchant Center and the basics of creating a free account and a product feed.

• Show you set up an E-Commerce website using Shopify.

This event will be taught by Dave Meyer, Grow with Google Representative.

MARCH 29

Chamber of Commerce GF/EGF - Board Room 202 North 3rd Street Grand Forks, ND 58203

APRIL 9 2022 Collegiate Drone Racing Championship

Saturday, April 9 through Sunday, April 10

UAS Pilots from over 20 colleges across the nation will travel to Grand Forks, ND, to test their skills and determine the fastest pilot in the country with speeds topping over 100 mph. This is the third year UND will host the Collegiate Drone Racing Championship. The event is scheduled for April 9th and 10th, 2022. The event will be held in the UND HighPerformance Center. Usually, an indoor training facility for the Fighting Hawks athletics teams will transform into a championship drone racing course.

The HPC is a 200,000-square-foot, climate-controlled facility that features bleacher seating and space for pilots and spectators. This event will also feature a kid's zone and activities, concessions, and more. Free Public Admission. For more info visit: und. edu/cdrc UND High-Performance Center 2419 2nd Ave N Grand Forks, ND 58203

Career Conversations

Tuesday, March 29 through Wednesday, March 30 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Each year, students at colleges and universities in the Northern Valley Region have the opportunity to spend an hour in the life of their future careers. Regional employers open their doors for one-hour conversations with students that include information about career pathways, company tours, and real-life experiences.

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