Fargo INC! September 2019

Responsible for 26,000 jobs...

Provides almost $1.4 billion in annual wages...

The state outputs $3.72 billion worth of it...

september 2019

IN NORTH DAKOTA

// SEPTEMBER 2019

COVER STORY

35 Manufacturing in

North Dakota

Manufacturing in North Dakota accounts for about six percent of the workforce and is responsible for almost $1.4 billion in annual wages. We’ll take a look at the impact the industry is having on the state by looking at three companies and taking a holistic look at the industry.

36 Amity Technology: Pioneering in Manufacturing 43 Leister Custom Machining: Taking the Next Step 47 From North Dakota to Arizona: How Proof Artisan Distillers Has Played The ‘Local Card’ To Perfection 53 Why Is North Dakota Good For Manufacturing?

56 Cardinal IG: Solving the Workforce

FEATURES 28 Sponsored Content: Alerus Financial 30 Sponsored Content: Lessons From 20 Years of Leadership 32 Sponsored Content: Bremer Bank 62 Gate City Bank: Banking On The Future 67 5 Unique Culture Building Activities For Your Team

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70 Coffee With Kara: Spotlight Media Founder and CEO Mike Dragosavich 76 Getting Real About Business, with Mark Puppe 80 United Way: Spicing Up Corporate Philanthropy 84 Knight Printing: More Than Just A Tradition 86 YPN’s One to Watch: Justin Gustofson 88 Ladyboss of the Month: Yvette Reyes

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90 Johnson: How to Motivate Your Employees to be Their Best 94 Is Fargo’s Central Business District Right for Your Business? 6 Benefits to Consider 96 Why Video Matters 98 Competition - It’s Your Advantage 100 September Business Events Calendar 111 Gracious Givers: RDO and VISIONBank

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SEPTEMBER 2019

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editor's note

The Nuts & Bolts of Manufacturing

W

hen we put together our editorial calendar for the Fargo INC, we try to look at topics that are impacting our state. When we decided the September issue was going to be about manufacturing, I didn't do anything about anything when it came to manufacturing.

Manufacturing is welding stuff together, right?

Au contraire mon frère. Yes, manufacturing is welding but it's also semiconductors, whiskey making, dog collar creation, brewing, window making, sign creation, 3D printing and so much more.

Consider these stats Manufacturing accounts for six percent of North Dakota's GDP. In North Dakota, it accounts for about six percent of the workforce.

It's responsible for almost $1.4 billion in annual wages.

North Dakota outputs $3.72 billion worth of manufacturing.

The highest paying sector within manufacturing is Petroleum and Coal Products.

Manufacturing with an average annual wage of $131,116.

If that doesn't make you stop and realize the impact of manufacturing has on the state. What will?

Andrew Jason, Editorial Director 12

SEPTEMBER 2019

Andrew@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

EDITORIAL BOARD We at Fargo INC! want to make sure our content is unbiased and reflects the FMWF business community. That's why we meet regularly with our six-member editorial board to discuss local business issues and trends and ensure we are living up to our core values.

CRAIG WHITNEY

JOHN MACHACEK

FMWF Chamber of Commerce

Greater FM Economic Development Corporation

As we begin the transition from summer to fall, as students return to school and lake weekends start to slow, we also turn over a new leaf.

With the start of The Chamber’s fiscal year on September 1, we’re excited to usher in a new (fiscal) year of our own. This month marks the start of our new three-year strategic plan and a renewed commitment to our members and our community. Over these next few years, we will be working to:

Our main focus at the Fargo Moorhead EDC is primary sector company growth. And, while our regional economy continues to diversify, the manufacturing sector is still a major component of our primary sector economy. This sector manufactures, fabricates and processes products that are shipped all around the world, bringing new wealth to our community and supplying tons of jobs.

The average age of the NASA flight controllers assigned to the moon landing in July 1969 was a remarkably young 26 years old.

When thinking of manufacturing and their jobs, many people may still conjure up work environments that are dirty, loud, full of grease and welding sparks. That is not the current-day manufacturing, that’s for sure. Companies are now using more technology and automation that is creating more efficient output, safer environments and higher skilled/paid jobs. We are seeing this first-hand from our business visits and our loan fund has assisted many companies over the last several years as they invest in technologically-advanced equipment. As always, I appreciate how Fargo Inc! is helping inform many of us of all the great things that are happening here in the Midwest.

The lesson: Inexperience and youthful enthusiasm can be tremendous advantages, as long as they’re accompanied by the expertise and skill to get it right.

President and CEO

• Establish the region as a fullservice metropolitan marketplace.

• Be a bold voice for business through strong thought leadership and a rich policy agenda.

• Build a place of belonging to best serve members’ interests.

This means focus in leading our region in advocating for new and improved infrastructure, as well as talent attraction, retention and training at all levels, striving to be a reliable voice for our business community, and consistently evaluating and evolving our events, programs and benefits to fit what businesses need most. This new plan will challenge our organization to work harder, smarter, and be better. We’re so excited to get to work.

A huge thank you to all our members for your support.

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SEPTEMBER 2019

Chief Innovation Officer

GREGORY WALD

Communications Manager

Moore Engineering, Inc.

Histories of the Apollo missions record that managers found that younger workers were more open to new ideas and creative thinking.

It also didn’t occur to them that they couldn’t do things. The impossible was possible in their minds.

TIM BEATON

Executive Director

FM Area Foundation

In 2015, the Regional Comprehensive Workforce Study identified housing as one barrier to attracting and retaining workers in our area, particularly those in the lower economic strata. The Fargo Moorhead Area Foundation is continuing to move forward with its efforts to organize and fund a community land trust to provide one answer to the need for attainable housing in Cass and Clay Counties. The Cass Clay Community Land Trust, a nonprofit, community-based corporation, is committed to the permanent stewardship of land and the sustained affordability of housing and other buildings located upon that land.

STEVE DUSEK

KRISTI HUBER

Dakota Business Lending

United Way of Cass-Clay

In lieu of this month’s issue of Fargo INC!, I spent some time reflecting upon the manufacturing industry as a whole and what we can learn from it. What struck me was what manufacturing really is in its most basic sense. According to BusinessDictionary.com, manufacturing is “the process of converting raw materials, components, or parts into finished goods that meet a customer’s expectations or specifications.” But what is needed to do that? Something, of course, that causes this conversion to take place (i.e. a machine).

More important, however, is the team behind that “something” to operate, manage and fix it when needed. Without each part running properly and doing its job, a finished good cannot be produced.

Collaboration is the key to finding new solutions to fill our manufacturing workforce needs. In the article, “The Route to Removing Barriers for Employment“ featured in the August 2019 issue of Fargo INC!, we highlighted the need for reliable transportation to connect individuals with open positions in Fargo’s Industrial Park. According to the data provided by MATBUS, there are currently more than 19,588 jobs in the Industrial Park, which includes more than 40 outstanding employers such as Cardinal IG, John Deere Electronic Solutions, Northern Pipe Products, and Tecton Products. The addition of ondemand bus service is an example of the power of collaboration.

As business leaders, perhaps one of our greatest opportunities is to help create a team of people who you work with and trust to help your business create its finished products and move it further along its mission. Like in the manufacturing machine, each of these team members is a critical part to this process and brings an important piece to the table in which the business cannot move forward without. If even one of these parts is missing or cannot do its job, a finished product cannot be produced.

In other words, every part must be working together to guarantee this success. This month, let’s take some time reflecting on those different parts – especially your team – that are critical to our business’ success and recognizing just how valuable they really are.

United Way is also working to increase access to skills training for low-income individuals who are willing to work hard and find a better future for themselves and their families. The article “Collaboration Wins”, published in the June 2019 issue of Fargo INC!, highlighted the successful partnerships in bridging the skills gap for employees and employers. It has been exciting to see the positive impact on the lives of individuals, families and businesses.

President & CEO

President

Get your company involved and be a part of the Power of Community, Realized! Join us for our 2019 United Way Kick Off Event on September 18 at 3:30 p.m. Learn more and register at UnitedWayCassClay.org.

September 2019 Volume 4 Issue 9

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

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EDITORIAL Editorial Director

Art Director Graphic Designer Director of Photography Editorial Assistant Contributors

INTERACTIVE

Business Development Manager

Creative Director Digital Marketing Strategist Videographer Executive Sales Assistant

ADVERTISING

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Drago@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

Andrew Jason

Andrew@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

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Fargo INC! is published by Spotlight Media LLC, Copyright 2019 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 Media 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 Media LLC, accepts no liability for the accuracy of statements made by the advertisers.

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This month, we took a step into the past and looked at area homes that have been around for quite some time. We trodded on original hardwood and turned the brass doorknobs into these historic homes to see how their current owners have embraced and updated them. Come with us as we celebrate the rich architectural history that Fargo has to offer.

As another school year dawns on Fargo-Moorhead, we want to tell you about some area college students that are doing big things for our community.

Not only have they enriched the lives of those on their respective campuses, but on our area at large. Fargo-Moorhead is a "college town" to many, so let's celebrate these amazing students and what they've done for the community.

With new coaches and faces up and down the NDSU football roster, it's safe to say there are questions. Will the Bison continue to dominate the gridiron? How will these new faces factor into 2019 and the future of this program? In our yearly football preview issue, let us answer those questions. The Bison way will never change regardless of who has come and gone. NDSU football is back and there is no reason to believe anything will change in 2019.

SPONSORED CONTENT

?

What’s Your

FINANCIAL WELLNESS SCORE W

How Alerus’ new digital tools are redefining how we look at our financial health

Ann McConn Chief Business Officer at Alerus

Dan Doeden President of the Fargo Market at Alerus

For more information MyAlerus.com 833.325.3787 28

SEPTEMBER 2019

hy is your financial wellness important?

Eighty-five percent of Americans feel anxious about their finances. One in three Americans isn’t saving enough money for retirement. More than 50 percent of Americans can’t come up with $500 to cover an emergency expense. Alerus is out to not only change the way Americans think of their financial health, but also help them improve it.

“We look at those numbers and we like to believe that they aren’t here in our own community but we know that they are,” said Dan Doeden, President of the Fargo Market at Alerus. “One of the fundamental beliefs at Alerus is to do the right thing.

As an organization, we truly believe that serving our clients and helping them make better decisions around their finances is one of the most important things we can do to give back to our community.”

This month, Alerus will introduce My Alerus – a completely new digital experience for their clients. Upon logging into an Alerus account, clients will be greeted by a dashboard that serves as a launchpad to access all of their personal Alerus

accounts and see their financial health in one single view.

Doeden explained the four ways the new technology is serving their clients.

1. “It shows our clients their current relationship with Alerus but also allows them to bring in outside relationships, ultimately resulting in a holistic picture of their financial situation.”

2. “It calculates an overall wellness score by looking at the five building blocks of financial wellness: emergency savings, debt management, retirement planning, insurance planning and health savings.

This helps our clients understand how they’re doing but, more importantly, where they have the most opportunity to improve.”

3. “It allows our clients to set personal goals and to see in real time how they’re tracking toward those goals.”

4. “The final component focuses on budgets by using artificial intelligence to automate a smart budget. The budget tool helps clients easily understand where their money goes based on past transactions, and then forecasts when they are under or over budget in spending categories. This predictive intelligence helps clients better manage their

finances and know when they can reallocate their money to other spots.”

The new digital tools combine gamification with finances.

Gamification is the act of incorporating interactive game mechanics into everyday practices. Think of how smart watches are turning your daily step count into a competition with your friends and family.

Just like people who are trying to get healthy will start dieting, exercising and getting enough sleep at night, it’s important to also set goals for your financial health too. By completing a series of short financial workouts, you can gamify your finances to calculate a financial wellness score.

With the release of the My Alerus technology, clients will also gain access to Alerus Financial.

Fit – a mobile app that allows clients to stay on track of their budget, quickly access real-time account balances and enjoy the convenience of completing financial workouts when on the go.

“At Alerus, we are proud and truly believe that bringing our technology together with our people is a key ingredient for success. We’re really excited to bring the intelligence of My

SPONSORED CONTENT

with Alerus as their service plan provider of their retirement plan or employee health savings plan – in turn their plan participants will gain access to the financial guidance technology offered through My Alerus.

Alerus to our clients and give them the confidence that they are still supported by our financial guides and advisors.

When it comes to planning out your financial life, we believe you can gain a lot from working one-on-one with someone. Our team is here to fill this role,” said Ann McConn, Chief Business Officer at Alerus.

With My Alerus, clients can view all their financial information from Alerus and link in other providers to create a holistic, overall picture of their financial health. The program can then help create smart budgets, give a financial wellness score and guide you into making the best possible financial decisions.

The new digital wellness technology also translates to their business customers in a surprising manner. It’s no surprise that if an employee is financially stressed, they are distracted and unproductive at work. Many businesses create wellness programs focused only on physical and mental health; with Alerus, businesses can now help make sure your employees are also taking care of their financial health. When a business chooses to partner

“At Alerus, we have a strong focus on serving our business clients,” said McConn. “For many of our business clients, their largest expense is their employees. My Alerus and our financial wellness tools are focused on helping our business clients’ employees become more confident in their financial future, helping them understand better decision making, understand where they are and how they can make a better decision tomorrow.”

And, at the end of the day, Alerus’ number one goal is to help guide the decisions for tomorrow.

“When it comes to finances, there’s so many areas where you might start. But if you’re only going to do a few things, where should you focus and have the greatest impact? We view the financial wellness score as the high impact, few steps that will help you make the next best decision. It doesn’t really matter where you are today or what you’ve done in the past. It’s instead, ‘how do I make the next best decision and what should that be?’” said McConn.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

LESSONS FROM

20 Years of Leadership

F

Brian Crommett (left) is taking over as CEO of 702 Communications in October.

Jim Walter has been the CEO for the last 20 years and helped found the company.

or the last 20 years, Jim Walter helped launch, grow and lead 702 Communications to the forefront of connective technology.

In October, the CEO torch will be passed onto 19 year veteran employee and tech-enthusiast, Brian Crommett. The two of them have worked together for a long time but that doesn’t mean that Walter doesn’t have any imparting wisdom to share.

Internet • IT Services • Phone and Conferencing

702com.net 218-284-5702 702 Main Ave, Moorhead 30

SEPTEMBER 2019

SPONSORED CONTENT

702 Communications was built on the back of hard work

702 Communications started in 1989 by setting up school and library networks. Six or seven schools outside of Moorhead needed interactive video to allow teachers to connect with students at a distance. That’s when a group of telephone companies got together and responded to that bid and installed the network. Once that initial network was laid down, they asked, ‘What next?’ For the next 10 years, they continued to serve schools and expand. Eventually, in 1999, 702 Communications officially launched.

“Long story short, I took the job and spent the next five years working 12 hour days,” said Walter. “I’d go to work at 7, get home at 7, spend time with the kids from 7 to 9 and from 9 to midnight, I’d brainstorm for the next day.

Crommett is the right person to take over as CEO

Crommett started as a temp about a year after the company began. With a Bachelor’s degree in music education and looking for full-time employment, he came on because he knew ten-key data entry. Crommett impressed Walter so much he was hired on.

Over the next 19 years, Crommett worked his way up from receptionist to customer service to helpdesk to sales to helpdesk supervisor to customer service supervisor, sales and service (and marketing) manager, and finally to acting CEO this October.

“It was five years of that. It was a heck of a challenge and a long road. We started with a staff of one on April Fools’ Day 1999, and then we went from there to another network’s facility guy. The next thing you know, we have a building with six staff. We all got our heads together and just figured it out.”

“(In those early years,) everybody was still very much heads together, nose to the grind and figure it out,” said Crommett. “I remember sitting with Jim as a customer service rep talking about developing the logo. There weren’t these clearly defined boundaries on who did what. Everybody who had input, gave input. Jim was looking, at that point, to anybody with an idea to make this company succeed. That was one of the things that was most exciting to me. Here I was bringing the insights of a music educator to help formulate what the company was going to be.”

Lesson #1: Even though 702 Communications grew to more than six employees, the early days prove small teams made of people who think differently can solve big challenges.

Those conversations about the business continued over the years and, despite the telecom industry being ever-changing, Crommett has received industry certifications and proven that he’s the right man for the job.

“I work for the board so my replacement is chosen by the board,” said Walter. “We interviewed a number of people but Brian was the man. He knows the company. He knows the area. He knows the services. He’s come up through the ranks. He knows the staff. As a matter of fact, he’s hired over a third of the employees at 702 right now. A lot of employees know, understand and respect Brian. I think he’s going to do a great job.”

Lesson #2: Hire and retain employees who ask questions, look for ways to improve the organization and are willing to challenge established norms - even if they’re at the bottom rung of the ladder.

702 Communications’ new data center in Fargo is ensuring that there is reliable internet for its customers. They also offer a new service where businesses can store their servers in this secure and clean facility.

702 grows by adapting to change and applying one important principal

Jim and Brian reminisced about the advancements over the past 20 years and how it impacted the business and the community.

Jim explained, “When I first started back in the business in 1981, (up to) 24 people could make a call on a copper wire going wherever. Now, we have cable that contains approximately 200 fibers, which are glass and about the size of a hair. Each one of those strands can handle wavelengths of 100 gigabits per second. So I’m flashing my light on and off 100 billion times a second on one side and in Minneapolis, I’m receiving that light and telling my equipment that this is what I need. It’s back and forth, both ways.

100 billion times a second.”

Amidst the rapid change in the industry, Jim abides by a simple principle to growing a business: find complementary ways to offer new services. If offering phone service within an office complex, the next logical offering might be long distance and then internet.

It’s why 702 offers managed services, IT consulting and continued support through its brand new Tier 2 data center.

Jim continued, “We have a lot more invested in this community, like millions and millions of dollars.”

Brian added, “702 has hundreds of miles of fiber in the ground in Fargo-Moorhead.”

Lesson #3: Keep investing and expanding by building on top of what made you successful in the first place.

With his CEO responsibilities quickly approaching, Brian summed up the history of 702 Communications and how it will continue to benefit residents and businesses in our region. “To the consumer, we’re still delivering communications.

We’re delivering the ability for you to talk to somebody else. We’re delivering the ability for you to consume content, create, upload and share content. But, the way that we’ve done this over the 20 years has completely changed three or four times. We’ve had to completely change the way we do our business so you can continue to do yours.”

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SPONSORED CONTENT

(Left to right) Tim and Jennifer Nygaard worked with Judd Graham and Bremer Bank on financing their acquisition of Sheyenne Forming in West Fargo.

MANUFACTURING CAN USE THEIR COMPANIES BANKERS TO HIT HOW

THEIR GOALS

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SEPTEMBER 2019

SPONSORED CONTENT

The Bremer Bank Team Julie Whitney Senior Vice President Judd Graham Region President Tim Nygaard Owner Jennifer Nygaard Office Manager

T

im and Jennifer Nygaard pursued their dream. After working in the steel business for 13 years, they founded Integrity Steel.

For 13 years, they plugged away doing small projects but have grown to do steel fabrication for schools, hospitals and really anything that has structural steel. Last year, they purchased Sheyenne Forming in West Fargo and have grown to 38 employees. All this was possible because of their banking relationship with Bremer. This led us to wonder how other manufacturing companies can leverage their banks to grow, so we got everybody in the same room to discuss it.

Why Bremer Tim: Judd and I had a previous relationship through another bank. We were having some problems going through financing. We were not getting a whole lot of help from them and going through a lot of red tape so I called Judd. After working on it for six months with the other bank, it took about three or four weeks to complete with Bremer.

It was an easy decision after talking to Judd.

Judd: To be clear, it was an acquisition of a profitable business so we came out, you told us your whole story, told us how it fit into this well-run business and it all made perfect sense.

HOW BREMER CAN HELP MANUFACTURERS

What you need to bring to a banker when starting to work with them Julie: Anything that they need to know, we can help them with so approach us early.

One of the interesting parts of the work that we did together was recommending a less cumbersome and complicated financing route than they were currently experiencing. We could partner with the Bank of North Dakota and do a PACE program loan, which is a five percent buydown on the rates so you get a very attractive rate. It’s geared towards economic activity.

Tim: They brought up that we should be using the programs that are provided by the state and by the city of West Fargo.

That was something that really wasn’t pushed by the other bank. I’m not a financial guy, so they explained it how I could understand it and made it easy.

Judd: I think a lot of businesses like Integrity Steel are businesses that the economic development groups really like. They’re called primary sector so there are a lot of programs and things to work with and we pride ourselves in being knowledgeable about those programs and being able to bring them to the attention of our customers when it’s appropriate. That’s exactly what we did here.

What to know when going through an M&A Julie: We take a look at the historical financials from the seller and then we understand what the plan is, get information from our borrower on what their projections are going to look like, get some good details behind how those projections are going to play out and then take a look at what they’re looking to acquire and we make sure that we structure the debt so that they’ve got ample working capital because if you’re growing, you need cash to be able to invest in your inventory and your accounts receivable. We can give more of a mid-level term on equipment so we can go out five to seven years on equipment. We try to

structure that so cashflow is manageable. Then we finance the real estate on longer terms, up to 25 years.

We really do look at the cash flows because we don’t want to help our customers finance their way into a trouble spot.

So we do take a look at what cash flow can be generated from those acquisitions and those pieces of equipment to help ensure that our customer can successfully transition the acquisition. We’re in it for the long haul. We’re looking for relationships that are long-lived and mutually beneficial. So if we have a customer who comes in and says, “Hey, I want to pay X for an acquisition and I want to finance the whole thing” and the projections don’t work out, we’ll get into a conversation about how the structure should look, what might be comfortable and help them understand that they’re going to need cash to grow and make sure that they’ve got line availability for that.

Judd: In this case, because I had a history with Tim and Jennifer and knew the successful business they had at Integrity, it was easy for us to look at what he was projecting for the acquisition and for us to say, “Yes, he’s got experience and knows what he’s doing.”

Streamlined payables | Capital financing | Treasury management | Adaptable business checking | Secure business savings | Attractive retirement plans FARGOINC.COM

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3D-machined custom art by Leister Custom Machining

in north dakota

By Andrew Jason and Dan Slaubaugh Photos by Hillary Ehlen

Manufacturing in North Dakota accounts for about six percent of the workforce and is responsible for almost $1.4 billion in annual wages. Take a look with us at the impact the industry is having on the state by looking at three companies and taking a holistic look at the industry as a whole.

FARGOINC.COM

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(Left to right) Jeff Kamstra (Chief Operating Officer of FarmQA), Howard Dahl (President and CEO of Amity Technology) and Brian Glaeske (Director of Product Experience at FarmQA)

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SEPTEMBER 2019

Pioneering in Manufacturing With generations of manufacturing and innovations in his blood, Howard Dahl isn’t done yet.

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Legacy

If there’s one person in North Dakota who knows about the legacy of manufacturing in the state, it’s Howard Dahl. As the grandson of E.G. Melroe, the founder of the Melroe Company, which developed the Bobcat Loader, he went on to found Concord, Inc., which was the leading manufacturer in the U.S. of Air Drills and had a large presence in the former Soviet Union. In 1996, Case Corporation bought the Concord Company and that’s when Amity Technology was founded.

The company now produces sugar beet harvesters, defoliators and a beet cart and does business all around the world.

“There’s a lot of pressure to live up to what your grandfather, father and uncles have done on one side,” said Dahl. “But on the other side, somebody gave me great advice 40 years ago when I first got involved in manufacturing. ‘Don’t compare yourself. If you do, you’ll never feel fully satisfied. Do what you believe is the right thing.’”

It’s interesting how so many manufacturers, especially in agriculture, have their roots in North Dakota, although it might almost seem counter-intuitive.

“It’s a terrible spot from a logistics standpoint. You’re as far away from an ocean as you can be for logistics, and you never would locate a Bobcat factory in Gwinner, North Dakota,” said Dahl.

However, there’s one thing that Dahl believes separates this region from the rest of the world.

“The Chinese cannot compete with Bobcat because of how efficiently it’s built. And so, it’s an incredible group of forward-looking people and technology that just allows them to win everywhere in the world. I think once you get an infrastructure like what was developed around Bobcat, and then, of course, Steiger Tractor, all of a sudden you have loads of suppliers and talented people in the area who provide expertise and really great service to support the factories. The same thing happened out of Doug Burgum’s Great Plains Software.

All of a sudden, you have all the spinoffs and support for the software industry.

We’re very fortunate in that we had the diversification.”

Because of the legacy set by Dahl’s grandfather, North Dakota has become a place recognized for manufacturing. In fact, according to David Lehman, Advanced Manufacturing Business Development Manager for the North Dakota Department of Commerce, manufacturing makes up about six percent of the state’s economy.

North Dakota Trade Office After the success of Amity Technology worldwide, Dahl was an inaugural member of the NDTO board of directors. As a membership-based, private/public partnership, the NDTO provides education, research, engagement, advocacy and expertise for North Dakota companies to grow their export business.

But North Dakota manufacturing isn’t just affecting our state, it’s affecting change on a global level.

Programs • Advocacy • Export Assistant Program • Identifies, screens and places talented graduate students within North Dakota businesses that want to expand their global business opportunities.

• Trade Missions and Reverse Missions • Specialty Crop Program • A reimbursement program providing funding to eligible business concerns participating in NDTOled trade missions with a specialty crop focus.

• STEP ND • A financial reimbursement program designed to assist small North Dakota businesses in growing their international exports.

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SEPTEMBER 2019

Beyond North Dakota

In the 1980s, Mikhail Gorbachev began to open the Soviet Union to the west in a program called perestroika. That coupled with the fact that farms in Russia can be over one million acres made the country a perfect territory to expand into. Since then, they have increased their presence in eastern Europe.

In fact, in any given year, 30-45 percent of Amity’s business comes from overseas markets.

Deciding to break into this market wasn’t an easy decision and involved a lot of diligent market research. However, after looking into it, Dahl and his team decided this was the right move for them. ”We built a product that was proven to delight customers all over the US and Canada,” said Dahl. “We were very good at increasing yields, saving 80 percent of fuel for an operator and producing great crops. So, we knew the probability of the machine working well was very high.”

Through the process of getting into a global market, Dahl learned a lot. However, the number one piece of advice that he has is to learn the territory and the people.

“You cannot do enough connecting with reality,” said Dahl. “In some cases, we have tried to sell prematurely to an area. But you need to really know that your product fits well and you can be successful. And not just with the machine, but all the product support, service and parts. If you want to have one or two years of success, that’s easy, but if you want to be there for 10 years, you have to have significant commitment to parts and service.”

North Dakota exports by the numbers

Trade supports nearly 105,000 JOBS in North Dakota

82% of North Dakota exporters consist of small – and mediumsized companies with less than 500 workers

North Dakota exported $7.9 BILLION in merchandise in 2018

North Dakota merchandise is exported to 147 COUNTRIES

And while Amity, Bobcat and several other manufacturers have proven that North Dakota businesses can compete on a global scale, manufacturing is going through a massive change and nowhere is that more evident than at Amity Technology.

1 IN 3 ACRES of agricultural product is exported

* Information from NDTO website.

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SEPTEMBER 2019

Foreign-owned companies employ over 12,000 WORKERS in North Dakota

Blurring the Line Between Manufacturing and Technology Here’s a hypothetical question for you: Is Amity Technology a manufacturer or a tech company? While you look at it on the face level, it might seem obvious they’re a manufacturer, but dive deeper and you’ll discover that they really are also a technology company.

In fact, new technology is being born in the offices of Amity Technology in the form of FarmQA, a new company that was founded and funded by Amity Technology. Now its own company, FarmQA produces software as a service for managing your agronomy business. The first app they have created is a crop scouting app for recording the condition of the fields and the crops an agronomist manages.

In agriculture, there are so many different data points that it is easier to predict and cure human disease than it is to affect agronomic change. This insane amount of data was the reason why FarmQA was founded by a team of veteran software professionals pulled from talent of Great Plains Software, which eventually was bought out by Microsoft.

“When we originally started, we said, ‘We need to start collecting as much of this data as we can if we ever want to affect agronomic change.’ Essentially, that was our big nexus in the beginning,” said Jeff Kamstra, Chief Operating Officer. “So, we formed a handful of partnerships with companies that were doing various interesting sensors in areas like meteorological, soil sciences, plant varieties and things like that.”

While it’s a drastic change from their normal business, it has a special mission to Dahl.

“My dad, on his deathbed two weeks before he died, one of his main questions was, ‘What are you doing that’s new and that’s going to help people in the future?’” said Dahl.

“Somebody in our FarmQA meeting said, ‘What we are doing is not easy but if it was

easy, everybody would be doing it exactly the way we are doing it.’ The key is to do the hard things different than what others are doing, but do them well. Figure out what that is.”

Having an accurate understanding of all a farmer’s data is increasingly important because the area of opportunity is so narrow.

“A traditional farmer, if you started farming today or inherited a form from your father or your family, you get about 40 tries. You get to walk up to the plate 40 times and swing the bat. That is your career,” said Kamstra. “I like that analogy because when you go to a grower specifically and say, ‘If you were to do this, we think we can increase your yield.’ He or she is forced to answer the question of, ‘But this is the way we’ve always done it and that is what we know.’ So, do we really trust that?”

From weather to crop scouting, FarmQA’s goal is to continue looking at how they can help farmer’s address other agronomy related scenarios. While it has massive goals, the mission is simple.

“I challenge our team to think in terms of, ‘What can we do that can add a 10 to 1 return for the farmer?” said Dahl. “Why do farmers buy fertilizer? They’ve done the math and they say, ‘If I don’t put fertilizer down, I get this.’ Generally, they will see two to one or three to one return on their fertilizer dollars.

The ROI is what they think of.”

Amity Technology Amitytech.com 2800 7th Avenue N. Fargo 701-232-4199 FarmQA, Inc. FarmQA.com 1854 Research Circle N, Fargo 701-232-4199

Brian Rinke and Nate Leister at Leister Custom Machining in Hawley, Minn.

taking the next step How do you make the jump from startup to scaling a business?

That’s what Nate Leister and Brian Rinke are accomplishing with Leister Custom Machining.

Small Town Roots

Nate Leister couldn’t escape his hometown and, in fact, he didn’t want to. This Hawley, Minn., native was working as a machinist in Grand Forks for 18 years when his wife Tori and him decided they wanted their kids to grow up in a small town so they moved back to his hometown and decided to go all-in on pursuing their dream in September 2014.

“We basically sold our house and went for broke. We used the money from the profit of the house to invest in our business,” said Leister. “We tried for a business loan, but as a startup, nobody really wanted to take a chance on us so we kind of went for broke,

started small and gradually started with the one machine and then have gradually been doubling the size. We’re up to three CNC mills now and the kids are loving the school.”

Since opening his shop, he has no regrets about opening up for business in his hometown.

“When we were in Grand Forks, it just seemed like you didn’t get a chance to know anybody,” he said. “That’s definitely a big factor in why we came down here because we were doing well up in Grand Forks too and I had a successful job but it was mainly for our kids.”

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Fundamental Business Practices

Brian Rinke, their CEO, also recognizes why Hawley is such a good spot to live and own a business.

“Why Hawley?” he said. “It’s really about where you want to raise your family, the kind of environment you want to grow up in and the kind of community you want to be a part of. At the end of the day, it comes down to community because Nate and Tori not only live and operate in this area, they also do a lot for the community.”

Leister also owns TNT Gym and Fitness Center in Hawley and supports the local school and police department. In fact, he actually works with his old high school shop teacher to bring in high school students to learn more about the trade. He even has a couple high school kids working in his shop.

The Next Stage

For the last five years, the company has been chugging along and steadily growing.

Currently, with three full-time and a couple part-time employees, they are aiming bigger and Brian Rinke hopes to take them there.

Rinke, a Fargo native, was a business coach in Dallas for the last nine years before moving back a couple years ago. He began to work for Leister and would come in to do some consulting for the last 18 months. In May, they had a conversation about bringing Rinke in full-time. It was an easy decision for Rinke to come onboard.

“Having worked with Nate and Tori over the last 18 months, I feel like I have a really good understanding of them as people and what they were going to do with the company,” said Rinke. “I also knew that one of the things that we’ve been talking about over time is growth. We need to grow this business. We need to diversify and increase our customer base so it was either hiring somebody to get out there on the sales side

“I think the angle of the story is really about people and taking control of your own destiny...It’s really a story of the American dream.”

For nine years, Rinke was a business coach working with small businesses around the country. After starting with Leister Custom Machining, he is bringing a handful of fundamental business practices to the company, including instilling a business philosophy.

This is meant to align everybody to the vision and ensure everyone is on the same page.

To learn more about how they hope to grow, let’s look at their guiding principles.

Why we exist

Purpose: We exist to support our local community, to build a company legacy and to provide our employees a platform to create meaningful success and opportunities for growth.

We what we do

Mission: Leister Custom Machining provides our customers with precision machined parts that are crafted to exacting specifications.

Our vast experience, attention to detail and fast lead times differentiates us from our competition.

Our 3-year vision

Vision: In the next three years, we will construct and occupy a new building, be recognized in the marketplace as a premiere CNC machining company and will triple our annual gross revenue by year 2023.

How we know when we are succeeding • • • •

KPIs: Increase gross revenue Increase net profit Improve production efficiency Increase number of customers • Employee and customer satisfaction Leistermachining.com 112 15th St. S, Hawley, MN

Leister Custom Machining makes parts for other machines. Some of the services they offer include CNC milling, precision machining, 3D machining, short production runs, prototypes and CAD to Cam.

of things and really be that advocate and spokesperson for the business, but I also knew that I liked the business and I like Nate and Tori.”

While Leister Custom Machining has been growing, Leister realized they were missing an integral part of the business component.

“We’ve never really got a chance to look at numbers and efficiency and he knew that we could get to the next level,” said Leister.

“I know from my previous employment, if it’s one guy, it’s way too much work doing quoting and invoicing. You need somebody looking at the metrics.”

And Rinke isn’t all talk, he’s backing up what he says by bringing essential business practices to the company.

“Part of what I bring to the table is an external perspective that’s been missing.

Somebody out driving new business, building relationships, and being external facing for the company while doing our networking and marketing. Also making sure

we have an understanding of our finances and doing everything we can to increase our operational efficiency.”

Rinke’s job is to bring smart business practices to the company. Some of the things he is implementing include installing a new enterprise resource planning system that incorporates directly with Quickbooks, and allows them to focus on efficiency, especially with scheduling and incorporating key performance indicators into the company.

As the company makes custom parts for other manufacturer companies through CNC milling, precision machining and other services, they continue to grow. In fact, last year, they saw about a 35 percent growth, but through the talents of Leister, the business practices of Rinke and the support of their small town, they’re just starting.

“I think the angle of the story is really about people and taking control of your own destiny...” said Rinke. “It’s really a story of the American dream.”

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Joel Kath, owner of Proof Artisan Distillers.

From North Dakota to Arizona:

how

proof artisan distillers

Has Played The ‘Local Card’ To Perfection

A “hobby” for owner Joel Kath has evolved into a successful manufacturing trade in downtown Fargo.

ENGINEER BY DAY, DISTILLER BY NIGHT

By trade and profession, Proof Artisan Distillers Owner Joel Kath is an electrical engineer. He owns an electrical engineering consulting firm and has been consulting since the mid-1980s. “I started JK Engineers in about 2004 and I’m still doing that. The offices are on the other end of this building.

So distilling is really my side occupation.”

Proof materialized from his background in engineering. Having done work for potato

processing plants and sugar processing plants, Kath’s forte of design is centered around processing plants and municipal type projects. That, combined with loving alcohol and a long-lasting feud between beer and his digestive system, sparked the idea of starting a distillery.

“I would have been a brewer because I like to build things. I like alcohol. I love the whole science of the fermentation and flavors and of all of that, but beer just doesn’t like me,” said Kath. “So, the next was to look at distilling. I started following distilling in

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2009 and going to a handful of microdistilling when it was really in its infancy. I decided in 2012-2013, let's do this.”

After a two-year licensing process, Kath received his distilling license in February 2015. A downtown location would follow, as would his manufacturing set up.

“That helped with my engineering background. Working in process plants, there are boilers, chillers, pumps and heat exchangers. Similar, but different, to the distillery. The main ‘still’ itself came from Germany. It's a beautiful piece of equipment, almost artistic. The copper is bright and shiny and fun to look at, but more importantly, the copper acts as a chemical reactor in helping to remove impurities during the distillation. It cleans the spirit, resulting in a better quality and better tasting product.”

The City of Fargo and the State of North Dakota were all very cooperative during the licensing. The City of Fargo adopted a domestic distillery classification and license that is based around the laws established within the North Dakota Century Code for Domestic Distilleries.

In 2014 Kath established Proof Artisan Distillers right in the heart of historic downtown Fargo and in 2015 began distilling and selling North Dakota’s first legal whiskey since prohibition.

Proof has evolved into a family arrangement with Joel’s brother Jay Kath, who's the master distiller and in charge of operations. Joel notes, “Jay has an amazing pallet. The entire manufacturing process boils down to the quality and flavor of the product being sensed by humans. Jay, myself and my sons Jamison and Jarek comprise the tasting panel for quality control and product development.”

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THE LOCAL CARD

Proof prides itself on representing and associating with North Dakota product. All of their products are sourced agriculturally within 80-90 miles of Fargo. North Dakota corn is used to make bourbon, North Dakota malted barley to make whiskey and Red River Valley potatoes making vodkas and gins. “We really set out to be local, use local products and be uncompromising in quality,” said Kath. “Across our lineup, we’ve hit the national awards. Just last month our CROOKED FURROW Bourbons were nominated into the 2019 the Heartland Whiskey Competition sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association.

In addition to receiving two medals, our HARVEST BLEND was awarded Overall Best In Class. This competition was narrowed down from an initial field of over 120 distilleries from 13 corn-growing states.

We’re living up to our vision of 'nationally awarded - North Dakota distilled'. Every drop

A Unique History Their distillery resides in a historic 1920s building previously occupied by an early Ford and Cadillac dealer as well as the old Fargo Municipal Courthouse. Their shining jewel and primary still is affectionately nicknamed “the Judge” since it sits in the old Judge’s Chambers! Their tasting room also boasts an all Proof lounge where you can sip on one of their wonderful cocktails while enjoying their beautiful 120-yearold bar. It was rescued from the Down Under Pub in Grand Forks.

Their friends, who fondly refer to themselves as their “minions,” disassembled and retrieved this heirloom of North Dakota history less than 24 hours before the building was demolished. With sincere appreciation, they named MINIONS Gin in their honor.

is fermented and distilled here. That’s really what we are about.”

When a consumer buys locally produced products, significantly more of that money remains in the community. In fact, a study done by the private research firm, Civic Economics, found that for every $100 spent at a local business, $68 remained in the city while only $43 of each $100 spent at a chain retailer.

While the North Dakota scene has provided ample opportunity, camaraderie and partnerships, an opportunity to expand and distribute products beyond North Dakota and Minnesota has always been on the radar.

Nearly half of Kath’s engineering projects are in Arizona. Over the years, he has frequented numerous bars in spearheading personal, professional and most recently, business relationships. In July, Proof partnered with Arizona Beer & Cider — a Phoenix-based, craft-focused distributor.

“In alcohol, there’s a three-tier system — the manufacturer, the distributor and the final consumer." Per the National Beverage Control Association, the three-tier system is simple in theory: manufacturers provide alcoholic products to wholesalers, who distribute the products to retailers, who sell to the consumers.

To bring a product into a new state, Proof must find a distributor licensed in that state.

“With the competitive nature of alcohol, landing a distributor is a challenge. In Arizona, we are fortunate to team up with AB&C as their first distilled spirit line. Proof is a perfect fit into their craft beer and cider portfolio." said Kath. "There are a lot of connections between North Dakota and Arizona. That helps in creating a niche within the larger Arizona market.”

During a week-long launch party in July, the Proof sales team signed up more than 60 accounts in Arizona and they’re continuing to sign up even more. Arizona also has a larger

the importance of shopping local at businesses For every $100 spent at a local business, $68 remains in the city compared to only $43 of each $100 spent at a chain retailer. As a result, local business owners often have incentive to support other local businesses, patronizing local establishments for both business and personal reasons.

Local economic return of indies v chains Chain Retailers

Independents Profit & Labor 25.2%

Procurement for Internal Use 5.7% Procurement for Resale 14.3% Charitable Giving 3%

Local Recirculation of Revenue: 13.6%

Local Recirculation of Revenue: 48%

*Compiled results from nine studies by Civic Economics, 2012: civiceconomics.com Graph by American Independent Business Alliance: AMIBA.net

cocktail industry than the beer-forward upper midwest. “If you look around a restaurant or bar in Fargo, a large majority of the beverages being served is beer. In Scottsdale for example, there are many establishments where cocktails are in the majority. It is also very rewarding to watch the natural grin and reaction as mixologists sample our spirits.”

The uniqueness of, “This is manufactured and crafted in the heart of the agricultural community” helps Proof not only stand out among distilleries but thrive and expand in places such as Arizona.

THE FUTURE

Proof has established themselves as a frontrunner in craft distilling in North Dakota, but they also distribute throughout Minnesota, Illinois and now Arizona. For

Kath, he will continue to keep his eyes open for partnering and marketing opportunities.

On September 13-14, Proof will be attending the 45th annual Bismarck Street Fair. The two-day event spreads over seven city blocks in downtown Bismarck showcasing products like quality fine art and fine handmade craft, food trucks and carts, painting, sculpture, clay, display materials, etc. It averages approximately 45,000-50,000 patrons and 180 vendors.

“Proof was there last year and had a blast.

State laws allow Proof, as a domestic distillery, to attend up to 30 offsite special events and can pour samples and sell products by the bottle direct to consumers," said Kath. "These events represent a small percentage of our annual sales, however, it is a great marketing tool. It’s getting belly to

belly with North Dakotans introducing our award-winning spirits from North Dakotagrown products. Proof is only at these events for a given day, but consumers learn about us and support us throughout the year."

Distilling is probably the most complex multi-faceted business that Kath can envision. Being in the electrical engineering field since the mid-80s, distilling and alcohol has proven to be a far more multidimensional business. “The bureaucracy of the licensing — federal, state and local — distilling is more regulated than beer, wine or ciders. Even the labeling is more restrictive than beer, wine or ciders. There is also product naming, branding and trademarking. All of this adds up to much more than simply, ‘Hey, let's make booze and sell it.’”

Kath’s buoyant passion for creation of quality spirits gets them through the nitty-gritty work. He enjoys giving tours at the downtown location to people who have never seen a distillery, as well as collaborating with small-town North Dakota bars and top mixologists from around the country, tasting gins and generating new ideas for drinks. “We also have interest in starting a North Dakota state guild for distilling. A guild to share ideas, elevate the craft, create crossmarketing opportunities and to raise awareness of being local.”

Other North Dakota-licensed distilleries include Maple River Distillery in Casselton, Moon River Distillery in Park River, Red Pines Distillery in Grand Forks and Jeff Taylor Distillery in Burlington.

“I’m pushing the local not just for our spirits, but for any North Dakota alcohol. North Dakota and Fargo make some very good alcohol across the board and we need to get locals drinking locals because it stays here.”

Nationally Awarded. North Dakota Distilled.

This is manufacturing done right.

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why

north dakota?

Photo courtesy of David Lehman

The economic impact of manufacturing in North Dakota can’t be ignored. Accounting for roughly six percent of the workforce, the industry is responsible for almost $1.4 billion in annual wages, according to Job Service ND. North Dakota also outputs $3.72 billion worth of manufacturing, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. To better understand the importance of manufacturing in the state, we asked David Lehman, advanced manufacturing business development manager for the North Dakota Department of Commerce: Why North Dakota?

Why is North Dakota such a good spot for manufacturing?

“Why manufacturing in North Dakota? For one, North Dakota has great access to both the United States and Canadian markets.

We’ll see Canadian manufacturers moving down from time-to-time to access that.

We have a great workforce in North Dakota, so being traditionally agrarian with a very industrial workforce, it’s a great complement to manufacturing. North Dakota is also very well connected with high-speed internet and home to two research universities. North Dakota’s total energy production is six times greater than our consumption, providing a lot of capacity to fuel manufacturing. In addition, there are a number of great incentives for businesses wanting to expand or move to North Dakota.”

Manufacturing accounts for six percent of North Dakota’s GDP. Can you expand on how important manufacturing is to the state?

“Our largest segment of manufacturing is machinery manufacturing. Doosan Bobcat is a big one, with its headquarters in West Fargo.

We do a lot of machinery manufacturing for ag equipment, trailer manufacturing and now we are expanding to include autonomous equipment production.”

North Dakota has experienced an influx of manufacturing while the rest of the country is slowing down. Why is that?

“We’ve had a lot of good ag years and have

added energy manufacturing as well with respect to manufacturing goods to support the energy industry. In North Dakota, we’ve experienced a downturn in the ag industry so some of those manufacturers have seen a slight downtick in the last couple years. But, for the most part, our manufacturing is very strong. There’s a lot of companies that are doing expansions and adding automation.”

The dreaded word tariffs: we hear all about it on the ag side. Is that affecting manufacturing at all in the state?

“The tariffs were definitely impacting manufacturing. This is especially true with respect to Canada with higher steel prices impacting some of the manufacturers here in North Dakota.”

fast fact According to the Employment and Wages by Industry report from Job Service ND, machinery manufacturing employed 5,582 employees in the state and is responsible for $307,037,399 in annual wages, which equals an average annual wage of $55,005.

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fast facts Community Development Block Grant: Through the North Dakota Department of Commerce, this provides financial assistance to cities and counties for loans/grants to businesses which create jobs for lowincome persons. To apply for funding, applicants must contact the regional council in their area.

Community Development Loan Fund: This fund provides flexible financing through loans and equity investments not available from most conventional lenders and is available to any primary sector business with the exception of production agriculture.

To learn more, go to business.nd.gov/ development_fund PACE Program: The PACE Fund helps communities expand their economic base by assisting primary sector businesses that make an investment or create jobs in their community.

Learn more at bnd.nd.gov/business/ pace-program.

Automation Tax Credit: The Automation Tax Credit allows up to 20 percent of the cost of qualified automation equipment to be used as a tax credit. Contact the North Dakota Department of Commerce for more information.

Where’s that at right now?

“The tariffs went away with respect to the steel coming from Canada, so there’s a reprieve there. Concerning some of the other tariffs around the globe, it’s an industry-by-industry thing.”

What incentives does North Dakota offer for manufacturers?

“There are three different types of incentives — tax incentives, financing incentives (an example is low-interest financing) and grants. In North Dakota, it helps that we’re the only state with a state-owned bank. The Bank of North Dakota is a very important economic development tool for us. If companies are looking at relocating to North Dakota, if manufacturers are looking at expanding their markets, buying equipment, we have an incentive to cover those costs.”

“We have many federal, state and local incentives available through our economic development offices. The incentives that we utilize most would be the PACE program, from which companies can get a very low-interest loan — as low as one percent in some cases. In most cases, companies will use these funds for expansion, infrastructure and equipment.

Additional resources include the Community Development Block Grant, Community Development Loan Fund program and the automation tax credit.”

If I am a manufacturer looking to expand, where I can find this information?

“Manufacturers can either contact us directly or work with their local developer. If a manufacturer is interested in expansion, we’ll walk them through the process and address items such as cost, infrastructure, workforce and incremental income. Based on their answers, we do a project scenario that will show which state and federal incentives they qualify for in North Dakota.

Once we identify that, local economic developers will work with the manufacturers to help put everything in place.”

Can you tell me the work that’s being done regarding the state and the workforce, and how that impacts the manufacturing industry specifically?

“North Dakota has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation. This means there are a number of jobs available, so North Dakota is a great place to dig in and grow your roots. One of the challenges with more than 30,000 open positions in North Dakota is that it impacts all industries, including manufacturing. Some of the highdemand occupations would be welders, machinists, painters and engineers. North Dakota is actively addressing the workforce challenges by recruiting out-of-state labor, automation and productivity improvements.

The big picture is that we need to recruit more people into the state. So whether that’s through the universities or even after they’re through with college, that’s going to be a big piece of the puzzle.”

Is there anything else that manufacturers should know about the work you’re doing and the work the state is doing?

“So far this year, I’ve visited about 40 different manufacturing operations.

Through these visits, I’ve learned that some of the costs associated with their improvements could have been offset by incentives. I think one of the biggest things to consider prior to expansion or improvements is to reach out to their economic development professionals as they are always willing to help.”

Learn all about the different incentives and opportunities available through the Department of Commerce at business. nd.gov/manufacturing.

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solving the

workforce shortage As a manufacturer of glass for Marvin Windows, Cardinal IG’s glass plant in Fargo is always hiring. With a staff of 285, they have hired 25 employees in the last year. This keeps Kelsey Kasten, the HR Manager, busy but through creative recruiting methods, Kasten is solving the workforce problem facing every manufacturer.

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SEPTEMBER 2019

Kelsey Kasten, HR manager at Cardinal IG

Fargo and North Dakota as a whole are facing a labor shortage. How are you getting ahead of this and finding the right employees?

We rely heavily on word of mouth and our presence on Indeed to find employees.

Our employees are our best form of advertisement. They love working here, so they want their friends to work here too. The ease of applying online has also helped us develop a larger candidate pool. Being able to apply online give candidates the ability to reach out to us if they’re unable to make it here during our business hours. We also have a significantly more structured, detailed application process today than we had five years ago, which helps us better identify the type of candidate who will be successful working within our culture.

5%

The Rundown on the Workforce Shortage North Dakota Job Service keeps an extensive array of stats about the workforce in the state. Below are some of those stats that highlight the workforce shortage.

4%

3%

2%

TEN-YEAR UNEMPLOYMENT RATE ACTIVITY 1%

0% 2009

Seasonally Adjusted Data (%) Not Seasonally Adjusted Data (%)

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

North Dakota Not Seasonally Adjusted Data on Labor Force and Unemployment Unemployed Labor Force • July 2019: 411,578 • July 2019: 9,294 • June 2019: 412,607 • June 2019: 10,994 • July 2018: 9,813 • July 2018: 412,149 Employed Unemployment Rate • July 2019: 2.3% • July 2019: 402,284 • June 2019: 401,613 • June 2019: 2.7% • July 2018: 401,613 • July 2018: 2.8%

I understand you are recruiting many new Americans as employees. What has your experience been like doing this? Do you have unique recruiting efforts to get in front of these potential employees?

word will spread about what a great company we are. We feel that employers need to create an environment where their employees feel valued and respected, a place that their employees will want to tell their friends about.

Coming from a small town in Wisconsin, it has been an incredible learning opportunity for me personally. People love to talk about themselves, and I enjoy learning about anything they’re willing to share.

Understanding where our employees came from and how they got here is always a humbling experience.

Have you used any resources available from the state or other organizations?

As for our business, it has also been a great practice. Being known for our diversity helps us bring in candidates because they know we are welcoming of everyone. I think Cardinal has a unique view on “recruiting new Americans” because we don’t see it as a barrier, rather a challenge that we can overcome. We currently have employees from over 30 different countries, and the languages that are spoken here are exponentially greater than that. We utilize the resources we have on hand – our employees! When we have candidates that speak little to no English, our employees are willing to help translate when necessary.

New hires are partnered with a “Master Trainer” during their first few weeks and a majority of our Master Trainers speak multiple languages.

Tell me about your retention efforts.

What advice would you have for other manufacturing companies in the state that are having trouble recruiting?

Our goal is to create lasting impressions with our employees, impressions that we hope will last a lifetime. If we do this correctly,

We use staffing agencies in the area. The ND State College of Science also has a program for new Americans entering the workforce that has proved to be a valuable asset.

Retention is all about how employees feel they’re being treated. During orientation, Mike Arntson, our plant manager, spends time talking about the plant and our values with our new hires. We believe this shows the new employees that they are valued from the moment they walk in the door.

Cardinal IG – Fargo has five core values: family, safety, teamwork, excellence and respect. We try our best to be sure our actions and decisions align with our values, so that our employees feel like they’re a part of the team and that they are being respected. Safety is also a huge part of what we do. Our product is dangerous, so we take as much precaution as possible to be sure our employees can go home the same way they came to work. We have an extensive safety program. In fact, we are an OSHA Voluntary Protection Programs Star certified worksite. Our efforts to take care of our employees show their dedication to us. We have about 50 employees who have been with us for 15+ years.

Skills ND Program Skills ND, a program through ND State College of Science, offers workforce training in skilled trades and certified nursing assistants. Now in its 18th year, the program has seen more than 1,000 people pass through it. New Americans composed the majority of people who go through the program but it also serves unemployed or underemployed people as well.

With pre-vocational classes that help people brush up on their math, language skills and safety concepts, the program encourages people to get better paying jobs and advance their careers. While they normally look for businesses to send employees too, because of the low unemployment rate, they are looking for companies to send their employees through the Skills ND program to get better training.

Each of the classes is 18 days long (4.5 hours per day) and are designed so somebody can work full-time and go to class.

To get involved in the organization, you can reach out to Deanne Sperling at Deanne.Sperling@ndscs.edu. ndscs.edu/workforce-affairs/skillsnd facebook.com/pg/ ndscsworkforceaffairs

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wages

in manufacturing

Every year, North Dakota Job Service publishes an employment and wages by industry report pulled from information from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program. Below are some of the results for manufacturing for 2018 that was published last month.

Note: This is not the full report. To view in its entirety, go to ndlmi.com.

Manufacturing

848

Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing

132

5

Total Business Establishments

Total Business Establishments

Total Business Establishments

Average Annual Employment

Average Annual Employment

Average Annual Employment

24,681

25,906

4,846

4,896

356

363

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

Change percentage: 5%

Change percentage: 1%

Change percentage: 2%

Total Annual Wages

Total Annual Wages

Total Annual Wages

$1,298,061,517

$1,395,858,203

$253,365,799

$260,069,889

$49,613,572

$47,595,140

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

Change percentage: 7.5%

$53,882

2018 Average Annual Wage

Key takeaways 58

Food Manufacturing

SEPTEMBER 2019

Change percentage: 2.6%

Change percentage: -4.1%

$53,119

$131,116

2018 Average Annual Wage

2018 Average Annual Wage

The highest paying sector within manufacturing is Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing with an average annual wage of

$131,116

Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing

Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing

88

139

Machinery Manufacturing

93

Total Business Establishments

Total Business Establishments

Total Business Establishments

Average Annual Employment

Average Annual Employment

Average Annual Employment

1,440

1,384

1,824

2,279

5,331

5,582

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

Change percentage: -3.9%

Change percentage: 24.9%

Change percentage: 4.7%

Total Annual Wages

Total Annual Wages

Total Annual Wages

$78,975,378

$79,032,611

$90,043690

$118,989,609

$286,726,923

$307,037,399

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

Change percentage: .1%

Change percentage: 32.1%

$57,104

$52,211

2018 Average Annual Wage

2018 Average Annual Wage

Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing is one of the quickest growing sectors with a

24.9%

increase in employment from last year. However, the quickest growing sector is Electrical Equipment and Appliance Manufacturing with 43.5% growth, although it still only employs 165 employees across the state.

Change percentage: 7.1%

$55,005

2018 Average Annual Wage

The sector that has seen the most decline is chemical manufacturing, which has seen a decline of

6.9%

in employees in the last year.

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Banking on the Future Gate City Bank’s approach to succession planning starts with their mission

F

or more than 41 years, Steve Swiontek has been involved with Gate City Bank. As the former President & CEO steps into his new role as Executive Chair, Kevin Hanson becomes the next President & CEO. How does Gate City Bank know that he’s the right man for the job? Well, his 36 years of experience with the company is a pretty good indicator.

BY Andrew Jason PHOTOS BY Hillary Ehlen

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From The Beginning

The year is 1978. Swiontek – an Edgeley, N.D., native – fresh off graduating from NDSU began applying for jobs. He landed an interview with the then Personnel Department (now known as Human Resources) of Gate City Bank and his life and the company were never the same.

The only company Swiontek has ever known, he’s held a variety of positions and has been an inspiration for growth and expansion.

“When I started, there were 148 team members and 16 offices,” said Swiontek.

“Now we have 710 team members and 38 offices. What I’ve been most impressed with is this team has embraced our mission of creating a better way of life for our customers, communities and team members.

They have been blowing it out of the water and I have the privilege of sitting back and watching them do it. That’s what I find really gratifying.”

Like Swiontek, Hanson started his career at Gate City Bank and it’s clear the company is

Steve Swiontek (left) has been with Gate City Bank for 42 years while Kevin Hanson has been with the company for 36 years.

under the right leadership. Hanson has been the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the last two and a half years, which has really been a CEO-in-training. His story is similar to Swiontek’s. After graduating from college, he landed a job with Gate City Bank.

“I opened up the phone book and by divine intervention Gate City Bank popped out,” said Hanson. “On a Friday, I got a call to start work on Monday and have worked here for my entire career. Like Steve, I was in a management trainee position and had the opportunity to work in various areas of the bank.

Swiontek’s New Role

Still actively involved at Gate City Bank, Swiontek is now the Executive Chair, which is a unique opportunity as only about 10 percent of companies nationwide have this position.

In this new role, he oversees philanthropic giving and provides a strong voice to the many programs that touch the lives in the communities the Bank serves. It doesn’t end there, though.

Under New Leadership

About four years ago, Swiontek shared his plans to retire. The search began to find his replacement and Hanson became the new President & CEO July 1st of this year. The Fergus Falls, Minn., native and Minnesota State University Moorhead graduate has worked for Gate City Bank for 36 years. While spending their entire careers at the company, Swiontek and Hanson have spent a lot of time working together. Swiontek has made an impact on Hanson.

“He’s taught me that you just don’t do the motions, it comes from your heart and you do it with a passion and caring for customers, team members and communities,” said Hanson. “It’s really believing in the mission for a better way of life. … He’s preparing me for the future and always has my best interest, but he’ll challenge me like a coach would.”

Despite working together so long, the two of them are different, which isn’t a bad thing in the eyes of Swiontek and he does have some parting advice for Hanson.

“The other thing that I’m doing this last year is mentoring, coaching and working with our Executive Leadership Team and Emerging Leaders,” said Swiontek. “I ask a lot of questions and don’t give them the answers.

I’m working with them to ensure that they’re comfortable in the decisions they make.”

“I’ve always said to Kevin, ‘Don’t try to be me.

Be yourself,’” said Swiontek. “He’s going to do things differently from a leadership style.

Laugh at yourself. Empower your team to do the job that they have been selected to do, look at the bigger picture and look at it from a thousand-foot level.”

In July next year, Swiontek will officially retire from his Executive Chair role, while remaining the chair of the board, which is a bittersweet moment for him.

It’s interesting that, although they’ve worked for Gate City Bank their entire career, being president was never on the mind of Swiontek and Hanson when they first started their careers.

“What I’m going to miss is the dialogue,” said Swiontek. “We recently had a meeting with our fraud and risk department and we had lunch with them for about an hour and a half, I’m going to miss that discussion with people.”

“My mom and dad always said, ‘Steve, just do your job and things will come along,’” said Swiontek. “I never, ever thought that this would happen. I never strived for it. I think if you strive for some of these things, you change how you’re going to make decisions.

“Gate City Bank’s still going to be for a better way of life. It’s still gonna have a passion for our team members, customers and our communities.”

- Hanson

Thirty years ago, if I would’ve said, ‘I want to be president,’ I would have tried to change how I did things.

Next Man Up

In sports, there’s a common saying called the next man up. This means that you’re never completely dependent on the players you currently have. There’s always a bench of talented people who are ready to take over if somebody gets hurt. With Gate City Bank’s support of NDSU, it only seems appropriate that this is also true in their company.

Something that Gate City Bank prides itself on is its retention. Many of their team members are in their careers for the longhaul and, because of this, they’re able to cultivate employees from within.

“When I talk to new team members here, I ask them, ‘Why did you come here?’ A large percentage of them say, ‘A current team member recommended me to come here,’” said Swiontek. “Decades ago, that wasn’t the case. Now roughly 38% percent of our new hires are recommended by fellow team members who work here. That’s really quite a message to send.”

Everyone has heard about how Millennials job hop so often. In fact, according to a Deloitte Millennial Survey in 2016, 44 percent of respondents said they’re planning to leave their company within two years and 68 percent said the longest they’d stay with the same employer is three years. The average

US worker only spends about 15 months in one role. So what’s Gate City Bank’s secret to such successful retention?

“The Bank’s Emerging Leaders Program ensures a pipeline of talent is available for succession planning and gives Emerging Leaders an opportunity to engage and teach us Baby Boomers how to use technology and adapt”, said Swiontek.

The culture at Gate City Bank is also a big factor in the retention rate. The company offers paid volunteer time, 12-weeks paid maternity leave, four-weeks paid paternity and adoption leave, and fully paid military leave…and much more.

“What I find with Millennials is they want to work for a company that believes in something,” said Hanson. “The people who work here are engaged and participate. We’ve developed a great volunteer program where they can take time off during work and get paid for it. So, in addition to giving monetarily, we really encourage our team members to be engaged in their passion. I think that really helps with retention; they know they’re working for a company that is making a difference.”

The Future

Anytime there’s a leadership change, people expect there to be a lot of changes that come with it. That’s not necessarily the case here, though. Rather than trying to launch a ton of new things, Hanson wants to improve on what they already have going on.

“What I see as exciting is that Steve is really challenging us to make it 10 times better,” said Hanson. “He wants us to think differently because sometimes when you think about doing things 10 times better, you step back, look at the process and approach things with a new perspective.

“I look at the technology that has and will be coming into play in the next five years… banking is going to continue to be a disruptive industry. It’s an exciting time and fun to be part of an organization that’s always asking themselves how they can make something better.

Hanson is planning on being in the President role for about eight years so where does he think the company will be when he retires?

“Gate City Bank’s still going to provide a better way of life,” said Hanson. “It’s still going to have a passion for our team members, customers and our communities. It’s still going to be a mutual bank. It’s still going to have the student loan program, free ATMs and those things will stay.

“That said, one of the things we have found is that as much as people embrace technology, there are always times when they want to talk to their banker. We’ll always be a leader in innovative technologies. How we do something might be different, but our core values will always remain constant. We’ll always be here to create a better way of life for our customers, communities and team members.”

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5 Unique

CULTURE BUILDING ACTIVITIES For Your Team

BY Dan Slaubaugh

THROW AXES AT TRIPLE AX Long week at work and looking to let out frustration? Look no further than Triple Ax, where they allow you to unleash bad energy by throwing axes at a wall. Triple Ax, Fargo’s first ax-throwing range, launched in March 2019. They supply the axes and targets, all that’s left for you to do is throw. Anyone age 10 and older are welcome with a parent or legal guardian.

SIT ON THE GLASS AT A FARGO FORCE GAME The Fargo Force have solidified their Tier 1 Junior Ice Hockey organization as one of Fargo’s greatest winter traditions. From putting a talented product on the ice to playing in one of Fargo’s nicest venues, Scheels Arena, the Force always know how to arouse a crowd in South Fargo. Tickets on the glass — up and close to the players — are as low as $25, so your team will be getting the most bang for your buck.

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ESCAPE ROOM There aren’t many better ways to improve team efficiency than by attempting to escape a locked room with one another in 60 minutes.

Fargo offers three escape room venues to choose from: Fargo Escape Room, Puzzled Escape Rooms and Escape House Fargo. Each location provides different and unique themes from the other. Beating an escape room requires teamwork, speed, creativity and patience — a perfect recipe for culture building. Is your team up for the challenge?

The clock starts as soon as you enter the room…

Check out these other escape rooms around the state.

Bismarck: Trapped in Bismarck Grand Forks: Grand Forks Escape Room Minot: Escape Point Williston: Lost Key Escape Rooms

HIT UP BISON HOOPS

VOLUNTEER

Similar to a Force game, this requires minimal to no effort besides getting there, the perfect opportunity for your team looking to just hang out and socialize. Under Head Coach Dave Richman, the men’s team will likely be projected to win the Summit League after earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament a season ago. So, your team is not only getting an entertaining product but a winning product as well — something new NDSU Women’s Head Coach Jory Collins is poised to bring to the women’s side. In addition to the part where basketball is being played, NDSU Athletics provides endless entertainment during timeout and quarter breaks that’ll keep your team entertained and engaged.

From filling food carts at Emergency Food Pantry to light housekeeping and yard work at Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities in Fargo-Moorhead.

Getting season tickets is also a great way to treat your employees and customers as you can give those out whenever you want.

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Want to volunteer but just can’t find the right fit? Impact Foundation provides great tools on their website that help you find a volunteer opportunity that aligns with the experience that you are looking for.

When you find an opportunity that interests you, you can apply for that opportunity within the volunteer description on the site. Your information will go directly to the charity that posted the opportunity.

Visit impactgiveback.org/app/#/volunteer for more information.

How jumping from a plane with the Navy SEALS, taking leaps of faith in business and providing a platform for leaders to share their stories go hand in hand.

On paper, jumping out of airplanes and eating funnyflavored jelly beans don’t appear to be effective tactics for leadership growth. That is until you see the bigger picture.

This month, Allegro Group Founder and CEO Kara Jorvig puts the lens on her own leadership journey while highlighting the first season of Coffee With Kara and discussing leadership evolution with Spotlight Founder and CEO Mike Dragosavich.

NAME Kara Jorvig TITLE Founder/CEO COMPANY Allegro Group

PATRICK THOMPSON 70

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NAME Mike Dragosavich TITLE CEO COMPANY Spotlight

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THE CONVERSATION Kara Jorvig: We’ve heard some great stories from people this year. Wouldn’t you agree? Our last one with Joni Wheeler from CoreLink, she’s one of the most incredible leaders that I’ve met and is so humble.

Every person that we’ve showcased this year has been incredibly humble and grateful for the opportunity and quiet about their success. It’s not to showboat what they’re doing, it’s to teach and empower others.

Mike Dragosavich: If you’re not humble and you’re an entrepreneur or high-level executive, you’re not telling the truth because this stuff is not easy.

Jorvig: We wanted to do something different with this series. I remember specifically wanting to collaborate with leaders who weren’t always public or didn’t always put things on social media.

They were flying under the radar, but there was a lot of conversation and interest in those people. To have a cup of coffee with someone you admire or maybe even aspire to be like in some ways as a leader, but to be able to share that story with so many others is really cool.

Dragosavich: All I remember is eating puke-flavored jelly beans during the Charlie Nelson interview!

Jorvig: The concept is to take people outside of their comfort zones and to show

that leaders, even high-profile leaders that have huge responsibilities or people who might be in the public eye, actually have a sense of humor and are fun. They are willing to help others and bring others along in their professional careers and journeys.

I think that’s pretty special. We’ve had a lot of fun this year. It’s been a huge opportunity and I’m really grateful for it.

Dragosavich: I was just sitting here through the process thinking, ‘Should I call an attorney about liability forms because each interview is getting more dangerous as we go. There’s some symbolism there.’

Jorvig: The chairman of the Fargo Airsho called me and asked, ‘Hey Kara, would you ever jump out of a plane with a Navy

SEAL?’ My immediate response was, ‘No, would you?’ And then I got off the phone and started thinking to myself, ‘How many times in my life have I not pursued an opportunity or taken a risk just because I was scared of doing it?’ Then I stopped and thought, ‘You have to do this. This is an absolute opportunity of a lifetime.’ It was a life-changing experience for me. So now I’ve been awakened, so you might have to get some insurance on me because I don’t know what I’m going to do next.

One of the things I most admire about you, Mike, is your mentality. ‘Jump and build the parachute on the way down’ I’m the type of person that would like to have a plan, so when I think about someone just taking me off the back of a plane, and the fact that he

“I am confident that the best opportunities are on the other side of fear.”

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Coffee with Kara: Season 1 Lisa Borgen, VP of Administration, American Crystal Sugar Charlie Nelson, President, KLN Family Brands Archit Shah, Franchise Owner, Orangetheory Fitness Chris Myers, United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota Joni Wheeler, CEO, CoreLink Mike Dragosavich, Founder and CEO, Spotlight

said, ‘We’re going to do a backflip out of the plane,’ I didn’t have a plan and truly had to trust. I believe that’s what I’ve really had to work on as a leader and entrepreneur, that I can’t control everything. Sometimes you need to put someone on your back that has more experience and can help you along the way.

Dragosavich: I love the term of jumping out of the airplane and building the parachute on the way down. I live by that.

As you grow, you have to be a little more calculated. For me, it’s how do you not underestimate the complexity of leadership and strategy and continue to learn and get better every single day.

Jorvig: I am confident that the best opportunities are on the other side of fear.

If we can figure out how to get to the other side of that, whether someone has to push you out of a plane or you figure out how to make the jump on your own, that’s what I’m most passionate about in life right now.

Making sure people do the things that they really feel they’re meant to do. ‘Do you have the courage to do it?’ Sometimes you need to be pushed, but at the end of the day, you make the choice on whether or not you go up in the plane.

What I’ve learned through experiences and working with leaders, both through my business and personally, skills like tenacity and resilience are actual skills that people have to work to build. I don’t wake up

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every day ready to jump out of an airplane.

Tenacity, resilience and confidence; these are all barriers that leaders face as they’re growing their businesses, transitioning their careers and as they’re advancing.

Dragosavich: I’m a huge fan of this area because of the people and their roots and how genuine they are. It’s very inspiring. To hear them open up more about that, you can feel more comfortable. Other people are going through the same overwhelming thoughts every minute of the day. We’re overwhelmed because we have the opportunity to do amazing things. Then it’s just like, ‘Wait a second. I’m not really overwhelmed anymore. I just have a lot of great things I can do and accomplish.’ I love what I do. That’s what we’re all looking for.

We want to love what we do.

Jorvig: Living out your passion, you should have fun. Coffee With Kara this year has been an absolute highlight for me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have spent time with a lot of cool people. The day I jumped out of an airplane, I was like, ‘I can’t believe this is my work right now. How cool is that?’. The next level of leaders and the next generation of North Dakota workforce is looking for a purpose and to work with leaders who are passionate. It’s more about the ‘Why?’ and ‘Who am I doing it with?’ than ever before.

Dragosavich: We always hear this business power phrase “KPI” (Key Performance

Watch this Interview Indicator). We want our business to have predictability and want to inspect what we can expect. All the cliché things. So, how can I put KPI’s on myself? I just want to know as much as I can to predict and have an understanding of my own key performance indicators.

Jorvig: That’s exactly the work we are committed to at Allegro Group; working with leaders on these topics. We built a framework of ‘Awareness. Alignment.

Action. Accountability.’ that focuses on professional and personal KPI’s. The better you can understand yourself, the better choices you will make and the more successful you and your business will be.

Dragosavich: Coffee With Kara; we absolutely love teaming up on this. At this point, we’re thinking about how we expand on it.

Jorvig: There are resources, people and information right here at home. We just have to make it more accessible. Mike, you continue to provide a platform for people. I also want to continue to provide a platform for people to make connections to opportunities. That’s what it’s all about. It’s all through people.

Go to FargoInc.com and visit Fargo INC’s Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts to watch an expanded interview. To view all the previous Coffee With Kara episodes, go to fargoinc. com/tag/coffee-with-kara.

Getting Real About Business w/ Mark Puppe

Your Brand = Your Identity

BY Mark Puppe

KEVIN TOBOSA

P

eople are increasingly aware that branding means more than applying hot ornamental irons to livestock. Social media, 24/7 information and intensifying skepticism make deliberate and desired brands difficult to establish and even more difficult to sustain. That doesn’t change the fact that every person, business and organization has a brand and cannot afford to neglect what they own.

Founder of BRAVE

Consider how inattentive and unlearned branding—such as misplacement, botched application or unverified configuration— instinctively trigger uncertainty about diligence and accuracy. It also neglects that a brand cannot be wiped away; it remains the image people see, believe and consider the evidence. Owners are forced to overcome intense doubt when it’s time to sell.

Whereas attentive and competent branding helps ensure people instinctively connect an image to intent and ultimately generate results the brand owner desires.

We can know our branding goals, but pursuing them competently can be an arduous and daunting challenge. Regardless, it must be overcome. One business in Fargo commits itself exclusively to creating brand strategies for doing so, BRAVE. Kevin Tobosa founded BRAVE and says,

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“BRAVE recognizes that it is uncomfortable to take an honest look at what your brand is. We want to remove that fear from the equation because to really embrace a brand is invigorating and changes companies.”

You may not know about BRAVE, but if you’re in or around Fargo you encounter its clients and strategies daily. It is yet another small business driving business and generating results from behind the scenes.

Tobosa divulged some branding insights helping YWCA Cass Clay and from which you can benefit as well.

“BRAVE facilitates and discovers a client’s existing brand and then creates a clear and honest expression. We do that by strategizing according to customer experience, creative design, voice and company culture and other variables influencing how our clients are perceived”, Tobosa says. “Then we advise

Meet Mark Puppe Mark Puppe operates the writing and communications business, Wordwork. It creates content and strategies enabling organizations and individuals to identify with rather than talk at their audiences.

Services include whitepaper, public relations, grassroots campaigns, organization development and resumes. Visit wordwork.co.

Mark’s contributed articles introduce the more influential, but lesserknown businesses sustaining our ecosystem. Most people don’t recognize these businesses but would know if they left.

or organization instills among customers and employees. Do activities align with the promises?

HILLARY EHLEN

clients about how to create, engage and adjust their brand as a positive experience and interact with the business.”

Preparing this article, I learned from Tobosa that generally: Customer experience encompasses tangibles and intangibles such as décor, employee wardrobe, wait times and interactions with staff. What do customers sense when encountering you?

Voice refers to the words, tone and methods used to articulate your message. Are they playful or professional; written or spoken?

Creative design can be visual tools like logos, graphics, colors and even font. Do they reflect peoples’ expectations or drop their jaw?

Company culture means the experiences, sentiments or continuity that a business

YWCA Cass Clay CEO Erin Prochnow admires Tobosa’s approach and goes farther by identifying him as a driving force in YWCA’s success, prominence and support.

“Kevin has been a constant support to YWCA Cass Clay brand and marketing efforts for nearly five years. He has a gift of gathering information from those involved, using his creativity to convey the message as the group intends, and then provides products and services to support those thoughts in a way that speaks to the broader audience,” says Prochnow.

Those five years include YWCA’s new supported residence for displaced women and their children, Grace Garden. The facility opened Aug. 13, but Prochnow explains how this landmark effort requires decisions about more than financing, building and outfitting the facility. Brand strategy has played a vital role since the beginning and will not fade as a priority.

“The (elements) were utilized to select a name and brand for Grace Garden and included: providing hope, inclusivity, creating

Grace Garden Learn more at ywcacassclay.org/housing Photos by FATcat Studios

pride, confidence, ownership and stability along with honoring the collaboration of those involved,” she says.

Myriad and multiple enthusiastic stakeholders contribute to the effort, but diversity and size can take any group in as many directions as there are members. YWCA utilized the brand strategy to cultivate a productive culture and positive experiences enabling all participants to focus their passion on achieving their common goal: to get Grace Garden up, operating and thriving.

YWCA Cass Clay’s website describes Grace Garden as committed to “allowing (women and their children) to regain stability and surefooting.”

Reasonable people support the YWCA goal and sense a duty to support it, but this nonprofit recognizes its own duty to continuously and diligently affirm that its activities and vision match its purpose.

Elements function together throughout the brand strategy, each complements the others, but consider the plethora of touchpoints operating within the logo alone.

The bird is more than an image. Tobosa designed and incorporated the bird to represent Grace Garden tenants—of whom many flee domestic violence—while articulating Grace Garden’s name, purpose and spirit. Perching upon the words—part of the written brand—illustrates how the bird (tenants) can trust Grace Garden as a place to regain stability and sure footing.

The bird’s strategical value does not stop there. Tobosa used elongated font to connote

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Grace Garden as a branch upon which the bird land to regain stability and sure footing. Birds take as much time is needed to rejuvenate, evaluate circumstances and options, determine direction and then fly.

Flight is a process most people instinctively associate with a bird and many wish they could personally indulge.

According to Tobosa, using specifically grace and garden as the name reveal brand strategy as well. On one level, garden articulates the shelter’s abounding peace, generosity and passion for helping women and their children grow. On another, grace affirms the facility to be a supportive and understanding place where tenants, despite their circumstances, can regain stability and sure footing. Once again, and at a simple glance, Grace Garden brands itself authentically and as desired.

However, Tobosa says brand success ultimately depends on whether a client keeps the brand alive and operable. “You can’t set it and forget it,” he says. “Really good brands are intentional with their touchpoints and constantly learning and refining. BRAVE facilitates and strategizes the process.”

Prochnow explains how YWCA’s brand strategy includes a toolbox of ideas and resources for keeping Grace Garden’s brand alive, operable and aligned as the facility evolves and moves forward.

“Kevin has helped YWCA through a variety of mediums, including video production, facilitating the naming process for a building and for YWCA programs and logo design,” Prochnow says. “Kevin provides not only immense talent but also professionalism in

his approach to brand strategy…and has been immensely helpful to our overall messaging strategy.”

Prochnow says that Tobosa’s strategies have eased what would otherwise be a very difficult process. Meanwhile, Tobosa emphasizes that stakeholders’ own ideas and aspirations created the Grace Garden brand.

“BRAVE facilitates, never dictates, discovers what a client’s brand is and we create a clear, honest expression,” he says.

However, just because effective brand strategy makes things easier for clients does not make brand strategy is easy. It’s a complicated science and complicated business as well.

Tobosa says, “Other businesses can show their success by quantifying visible or quantifiable results. Strategy is difficult to explain.” Like he said earlier, branding oneself can be uncomfortable and difficult. Even so for expert brand strategists. I’ll also add that divulging strategy would compromise the distinct value of BRAVE’s services. We’re lucky to have him sharing this much today.

Tobosa does not take credit for a brand’s ultimate meaning or success because, as he puts it, “branding is a collective effort and continuous process.”

He’s correct, but for those of us having a brand—that’s everyone—let’s not forget how being mindful, creative, intentional and wise can prevent the branding process from spinning irreversibly out of control. Enter the brand strategist.

Spicing Up

Corporate Philanthropy Roers and Keller Williams have the recipe for success

BY Kristi Huber, United Way of Cass-Clay President & CEO Photos by 5Foot20 Design Lounge

“TO WIN IN THE MARKETPLACE YOU MUST FIRST WIN IN THE WORKPLACE.” - Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell Soup

Employees that are engaged, satisfied and happy with the company, are more motivated, which helps serve customers with more enthusiasm. According to Gallup, companies that have happier employees show 147 percent higher earnings per

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share than their competitors.

And the source of satisfaction for many employees is often the opportunity to serve their community, give back and see how their time and talents make a difference for people in need.

The History Behind the Chili What started as an idea for a company potluck has now grown into something much larger that has impacted thousands of people.

Ten years ago, two team members planned a small chili feed to benefit an organization helping homelessness in our community that a Keller Williams agent was very involved in.

Two crockpots of chili in the breakroom, a bowl full of crackers and three bags of cheese later, the concept of the Roers Keller Williams Chili Feed was officially born. The Chili Feed has grown into a community-wide event coordinated by a volunteer-

led committee that has raised $215,000 for United Way of Cass-Clay over the past decade.

The event allows community members and businesses that may not otherwise be involved with United Way, an opportunity to get their employees engaged by being a sponsor, cooking up a chili or donating prizes. The goal for the 10th annual event is to raise $50,000, which will be strategically invested in United Way’s Bold Community Goals to reduce hunger and homelessness,

prepare children to succeed, help people be independent, and lift people out of poverty. The effort and generosity of those involved directly impacts the lives of individuals, families and children in need in our local community.

Beyond the Chili and Fixings The initial ingredient of this employee engagement effort is the desire to make an impact in the community. “Community: give back and give often” is a core

value that Roers team members embrace. “It comes naturally to get involved in the community for Roers and Keller Williams team members. We want what is best for the community, and our employees truly care. Just as this event has evolved, our commitment to giving back to the community has strengthened.

This event brings so many together for a common purpose: to create a better tomorrow for everyone,” said Jim Roers, CEO of Roers Companies.

Being involved in the community is nothing new to Roers, it has been a part of the culture since the company began over 40 years ago. Philanthropy and volunteerism make the Chili Feed thrive, but it is truly a communityled event. Ten years of continuous growth doesn’t happen overnight.

It takes a team effort to make it happen, and companies that support the cause. Research conducted for Fortune’s 2018’s 50 Best Workplaces for Giving Back revealed an important relationship between the way employees feel about their company’s community involvement and their commitment to their work.

Among the 357,000 people surveyed, those who had a positive experience of giving back at work were four times more likely to say their teams were willing to give extra to get their jobs done. They were also more likely to be brand ambassadors eager to express pride in their employers, and they chose to stay

with their companies for a long time.

The Roers and Keller Williams employees lead the event, but it takes a lot of cooks in the kitchen to make it all come together.

Bremer Bank has been a longtime supporter and major sponsor for the event, and more than 30 volunteers are on-site for the day with over 1,000 people attending each year. It truly is a communityled and supported event.

“Each year, we continue to grow the event and make it bigger and better. From something that started in our break room to two separate companies working together to raise $45,000 and a thousand people attending each year, we have seen amazing progress. This event allows us to raise more money each year for United Way, all while having a lot of fun. Now that’s a win-win!” said Anne Kallhoff, Realtor with Keller Williams Inspire Realty.

From Left to Right Melissa Marshall, Roers Property Management General Manager Kristi Huber, United Way of Cass-Clay President & CEO Anne Kallhoff, Keller Williams Inspire Realty Realtor Josh Herbold, Bremer Bank Business Banker Lynn Motteberg, Keller Williams Inspire Realty Realtor Tiffany McShane, United Way of Cass-Clay Community Engagement Director Jim Roers, Roers CEO Danielle Paulus, Director for Roers Companies Katelyn Czichotzki, Roers Marketing Coordinator Jeff Shipley, Keller Williams Inspire Realty Operating Partner

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The Impact 1,000+ People Served

$215,534 Dollars Raised

2019 Marks the 10th annual event

11,600+ Cups of Chili “It comes naturally to get involved in the community for Roers and Keller Williams team members. We want what is best for the community, and our employees truly care. Just as the Chili Feed for United Way event has evolved, our commitment to giving back to the community has strengthened. This event brings so many together for a common purpose: to create a better tomorrow for everyone.”

- Jim Roers, CEO of Roers

Cook and Compete. Or Just Come and Eat. Each year, 50 organizations and community members craft roasters of chili and serve them during the event. There’s something on the menu for everyone, and it’s not just traditional chili. Non-traditional flavors such as white chicken chili, elk chili and chocolate chili are just some of the creative recipes that have won the coveted top prizes in past years. Attendees vote for a favorite chili, and the winners receive a prize basket and bragging rights for “the best chili in town” for the year.

The excitement of this event is contagious. “The chili chefs bring such an enthusing energy.

It’s fun to watch the friendly competition and to know that we are all making an impact on our community,” said Danielle Paulus, Director for Roers Companies.

The event is more than a fun lunch break with some tasty

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food. The passion for giving back translates to lasting change for people in need in Cass and Clay counties. All proceeds from the event are invested to support United Way’s BOLD Community Goals to ensure that children aren’t hungry, students have access to mental health counseling services at their schools, and individuals have the skills training and support they need to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty and land a job that can support themselves and their families. These positive changes have ripple effects within the companies whose employees are involved and the overall economic success of our community. This is the Power of Community.

Realized.

Join us for lunch at the Roers Shop, 4402 2nd Ave S, Fargo, from 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. September 24. Learn more at chilifeedfargo.com.

Knight Printing MORE THAN JUST A TRADITION

Founded before North Dakota became a state, Knight Printing is alive, prospering and here to meet your printing needs.

A PIONEER OF BUSINESS Knight Printing was established in 1888 when Fargo was still young, and North Dakota had not yet become a state. Fred Knight, an east coast printer, hauled a printing press west to the Dakota Territory to start his company. From this humble beginning through today, that very same passion has driven growth and change to meet the challenges of today and provide customers with the best printing possible.

backbone of the award-winning company.

backdoor is what our customer expected coming in the front door.”

for us. It’s a growing market. It’s a great market.”

A P E O P L E C O M PA N Y With nearly 25 years of printing experience, Nelson has had the opportunity to experience all aspects of printing, from production to sales and the business operations of the company. What sets Knight Printing aside from the rest, he believes, is the “good people” Knight employs.

Co-owned by Todd Clausnitzer and Dave Nelson, Knight Printing is the oldest company in North Dakota. With nearly 25 years of printing experience, Nelson has had the opportunity to experience all aspects of printing, from production to sales and the business operations of the company. Clausnitzer has worked for and with many agencies around the world since 1983. With his illustrative abilities, creative savvy and extensive knowledge of the print industry, he adds a whole new dimension to every project that is produced at Knight Printing.

While the company has been around for a long time, the industry is undergoing a drastic change. In the late 2000s, there were roughly 70,000 printers in the US. Then the recession happened, and the number of printers left was around 34,000-35,000. Basically, half of the printers were eliminated, but the industry only fell 12-13 percent.

Today, in such a sophisticated business, Nelson says there’s not a lot of organic growth.

Companies that put people first get ahead.

They attract “If you’re going “We have a the best, and to grow right as a result, now, it’s a lot vision, but the their business of acquiring company has a flourishes somebody because else on their lot of history. I they invest in retirement think you need to their biggest threshold. So opportunity you’re going respect that.” for growth – to pick up Dave Nelson, their people. their sales, Knight Printing Co-Owner Knight Printing equipment, knows their so you’re not people are the losing. The most valuable industry isn’t asset, and that going away, but company success is dependent on it’s consolidating.” their workforce being successful.

THE FUTURE OF T H E D AY-T O - D AY PRINTING M A N U FAC T U R I N G When asked what advice he’d give On what goes into the day-tosomeone looking to start up a day manufacturing, Nelson joked, printing company, Clausnitzer had “Wave the magic wand, hit the one concise answer, “don’t.” magic start button and it comes out finished on the other side.

“Unless you’ve got history behind it, something that you’re anchored Every work center and cost center in and you’re gonna build that you have, there are people behind product, it’s going to take a while those work centers. There are and technique,” Nelson chimed in. people who make that craft and “I think it’s coming back around. product the right way. They spend The days of the deteriorating print a lot of time and care making sure market is coming back the other that the product comes out our way. Fargo is a wonderful market

Knight Printing was established in 1888 when Fargo was still young, and North Dakota had not yet become a state. Fred Knight, an east coast printer, hauled a printing press west to the Dakota Territory to start his company. From this humble beginning through today, that very same passion has driven growth and change to meet the challenges of today and provide customers with the best printing possible.

For Nelson, the challenge of running and sustaining the longest-running business in North Dakota can be a little daunting.

“It scares me to death. What was the vision of Fred Knight? What was the vision of Steve Gorman?

What was the vision of the people that ran the company before, and are we still holding on to that vision?” Nelson often asks himself.

“Our predecessors, that stuff means a lot. We have a vision, but the company has a lot of history. I think you need to respect that.”

Knight Printing occupies a 37,000 square foot production facility and employs over 40 people — the 84

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One thing is certain: direct mailing isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s seen a spike in frequency and revenue. The post office had a $187 million bump last year as far as not only increase in rates, but also increase in product that’s going through the post office. Because of the plethora of communication channels, communication has become fragmented. However, print isn’t because you only have one mailbox. “Eighty-three percent of all emails that are sent are ever opened. Sixty percent of voicemails aren’t listened to. We can still communicate through our clients and customers to the mailbox,” Nelson said.

As long as the communication is there, the print is going to be in some form or fashion. With Knight Printing, they are always looking at what the best avenue is today for their customers. Their slogan personifies that.

“We’re not the best because we are the oldest, We’re the oldest because we are the best.”

130 years of success, Knight Printing has the recipe for 130 more.

1888 - 1949

1950 - 1967

1967 - 1983

1984 - 2002

2003 - 2007

20 07 - P R E S E N T

YPN's " ne to Watch"

JUSTIN GUSTOFSON

E

ach quarter, the FMWF Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Network selects one of its members as its "One to Watch." The award is peer-nominated, and the winner is featured in Fargo INC! and the Chamber's monthly newsletter, The Bridge.

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Q&A Tell us about your involvement in YPN. What do you like about it the most? YPN has been a part of my commercial real estate career since the very beginning. I remember going to my first YPN event on my third day as a commercial agent and dove right in ever since. Since then, I have attended every event that I could possibly fit in my schedule. Besides being in attendance at the events, I have been an active member in both the Professional Development Committee as well as the Member Engagement Committee. My favorite part about YPN is creating valuable relationships with other young professionals in the area.

What organizations, along with the YPN, are you involved with that help you grow professionally?

Other than YPN, I attend a lot of the other events held through the Chamber. It is gratifying being able to walk into other events, such as BAH, and recognize many familiar YPN faces. As far as other organizations, I am involved with the West Fargo Exchange Club and was recently just elected to the board. I look forward to being able to help serve all those that benefit from the WFEC and further understand some of the direct needs of our community, which will help further my professional career.

For other aspiring young professionals, what advice do you have for them?

Get involved with as many organizations as your schedule allows. Join a local service club, become a committee member, attend association/board meetings that pertain to your industry, or just go meet other professionals. I have made many

connections just by being involved, and I’m looking forward to seeing where that takes me.

Briefly tell us about the journey that you brought you to where you are now.

My journey started in construction with my dad as soon as I could pick up a hammer.

My dad has a construction company in town, and I would always help out when I had time. I have used a lot of the knowledge I gained from working for him throughout high school in my career now, as a commercial realtor. In between the two jobs, I worked as a Flight Instructor at the local FBO. I knew my end goal was commercial real estate and made the switch when I felt the time was right. I truly enjoy the commercial real estate industry and look forward to seeing where it takes me.

Do you have any favorite business books, podcasts, magazines, etc. that have helped you learn along the way?

I am not very interested in books or podcasts; however, I do enjoy furthering my education in my career by utilizing different training sessions and working towards a designation in commercial real estate.

Is there anybody in the community you want to thank?

This is a tough one, there have been many people that have helped me out along the way, both directly and indirectly. I would say I’d have to thank my family, friends and colleagues for their willingness to help out and answer any questions that I may have.

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Trail King Industries Welder

Yvette Reyes

Q In a brief summary, what do you do?

A Put very badly, I glue pieces of metal together and occasionally start myself on fire.

For over four years now, I have been welding in a production shop that manufactures industrial trailers. I am responsible for assembling and welding different parts of trailers, whether that be the frame, axles for the suspension or small parts. This is all between the hours of 4:25 p.m. to 2:55 a.m., sometimes more. During the daytime, I own and operate a small alternative fitness studio downtown, FM Aerial and Movement Arts.

Q How/why did you get into welding?

A Originally, I was set to start college at Mount Holyoke, the first women’s college in the USA, after graduating high school. Once I realized the harsh reality that I was incapable of affording the tuition even after all the grants and scholarships, I switched gears and enrolled in a one-year welding certification program at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls, Minn.

My mindset changed in that I would rather be safe, with a certification that would certainly guarantee me a well-paying job that is in demand, than in years’ worth of debt. It turned out quite well. I secured a job within days of graduating.

lthough there are few women in her field currently, Yvette Reyes, a welder at Trail King Industries, encourages them to try their hand at the well-paying and indemand trade.

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Q What is your favorite part about what you do?

A My favorite part of being a welder is the freedom and learning experiences that come with the job. Although it is hard work, it is satisfying to know that you are capable of learning new things and working in rough environments. It teaches you that even though you are scared and don’t think you can accomplish whatever it is in front of you, there is a way and a process to push through and it only gets better with time and practice.

As a welder, you are constantly in motion

preparing parts and doing the actual welding.

It is time-consuming, so a ten-hour shift tends to fly by. The work can be demanding, but at the end of the day, you know you can pay your bills on time and have food on your plate so you can start to focus on other activities, like cultivating hobbies and friendships… or taking on a business.

Q What are some of the challenges that you have faced as a woman in a maledominated industry?

A It is easy to tell that few women work as welders. This is seen in the limited amount of gear that actually fits. Even the smallest leather gloves are so big that I need to shrink them by touching hot metal to get them to fit a little better. Also, everything is tall and heavy, and I am small. It takes a lot more effort for me to clamp parts together, rig things up with chains or even reach the places that I need to weld. And of course, the male ego. I’ve noticed that some, not all, male welders have this idea that they know best and sometimes don’t trust what I have to say or in my ability because I am a woman.

Q Are there any changes you would like to see made to your industry?

A More women welders, please! The more women who weld, the less it is seen as out of place. Women are capable of working with their hands and learning skilled trades. This idea of “a man’s job” is sorely outdated, but it will never change if women do not see the value of pursuing work that’s traditionally seen as male-centered.

Q What is the best career advice you’ve received or have to offer?

A The best career advice I can relay is: take care of yourself. Set yourself up for success and for the future. If a college degree is going to land you in decades worth of debt, is it really worth your mental health? There are

always options, and even if those options seem second-tier, they may end up being the perfect place to grow.

Q Who is your hero and why?

A My mom is my hero. Being an immigrant and single mom of two, I saw my mom struggle endlessly. But no matter the circumstances, she always remained positive and looked for the best in every situation. She is like a firecracker: feisty, energetic and small.

She is the strongest woman I know, and I aspire to be like her.

Q What advice do you have for women interested in welding?

A Unless you have been helping your parents at the shop for years and already know how to put things together and weld, go through a reputable program. There are less expensive certifications that can be completed in weeks or a few months, but these will not prepare you anywhere near where you will want to be at with your muscle memory and confidence.

NDSCS has a program where you can complete an associate’s degree and welding certification simultaneously, so if you choose to go back to school, you will not have to start from the very beginning. Being a welder is not easy; the job is often heavy and uncomfortable, and downright miserable in the summertime. However, if you want to obtain a skilled trade that is always in demand, have the option to make and save money, and live comfortably while trying to figure out your next steps in life, I highly recommend becoming a welder.

Q How can women in male-dominated fields support each other?

A Camaraderie. Get to know each other.

Chances are that there are only a handful, if any, women working in this environment, and if you work evening shifts, it can be

especially challenging to meet other people.

How welcomed you feel in your surroundings makes an impact, and being that we spend most of our waking hours at work, it makes life easier knowing there is a friendly face that knows exactly what you are going through.

Q Do you have any stress-management practices?

A Welders are known for being a bit violent when frustrated. Flying tools and parts are not uncommon, however, a much more positive way to relieve stress is to practice breathing deeply.

Bring back the focus to yourself and how it is only one moment that will pass. I also like to build positive relationships and hobbies outside of work, so if I am ever stressed out, I know that there are people and places that I will always feel at ease with.

Q What books would you recommend Ladybosses read?

A “The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence” by Josh Waitzkin was a good reminder to appreciate and cherish the process towards any long-term goal.

“So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love” by Cal Newport really resonates with me in that the core message is to put in valuable time and work towards skills that will help you in the future rather than plunging into a passion you may not be prepared to sustain.

“The 5 Essential People Skills, How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts” by Dale Carnegie. Learning and strengthening interpersonal skills is a lifelong pursuit that will help you build healthy relationships for entrepreneurial endeavors or for just simply being a better person.

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How to

Motivate Your Employees to be Their Best

T

BY BRENDA JOHNSON

Brenda is a Certified Senior Human Recourse Profession and holds both her SPHR (HRCI) and SHRM-SPC (SHRM) certifications and is the Director of Talent & People for Razor Consulting Solutions as well as the President for the FargoMoorhead Human Resources Association.

Brenda is a seasoned management professional with over 10 years of demonstrated experience spanning business leadership and human resource management fields. Johnson is also the President for the FM HR Association.

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he landscape for performance management is shifting, according to Saba “only eight percent of companies believe their performance management process is highly effective in driving business value, while 58 percent say it’s not an effective use of time.” What organizations are finding is that is ineffective, costly and defeating to their culture. Gallup reports that “fewer than 15 percent of employees are optimistic that performance reviews benefit them in terms of performance.”

If a manager is looking at the performance of an employee over an entire year, it is typical that they only focus on the last three to six months, as it is more relevant than the entire year. Traditional performance management processes and tools require employees to track information throughout the year and complete a self-evaluation at the end of the year, the manager then completes an evaluation with a score.

to drive results through performance-based outcomes and ultimately motivate their workforce to achieve results. It starts with understanding the role-level expectations of each team member through building solid Impact Descriptions, these descriptions are tied directly to measures of success (key performance indicators) and replacing the traditional job description which focuses on responsibilities.

The challenge with this approach is creating the right behaviors to drive results and maximizing performance from your team members. Athena Kaviris, a senior HR executive for GE Transportation states, anytime you wait a year to give meaningful feedback you are working with old news.

The impact description provides clarity of empowerment, the impact of the role on the vision of the company and direct value to the team and/or organization.

Performance motivation is focused on individual development. The individual has accountability to drive their own development plan and has defined support by leadership. A question that leadership may ask them, “How can WE support YOU?” rather than “How can YOU support US?”

“Scoring them in various areas and providing feedback based on that score does not drive inspiration and motivational performance.

Because of this, traditional performance management processes are being replaced with performance motivation. Performance motivation focuses on overall organizational impact through measures of success (key performance indicators). Organizations want

Because of the shift of supporting the employee, conversations between team members are frequent. Leaders provide coaching and immediate feedback. Feedback is not about praise, it is specific, results-

oriented and timely. According to Impraise HR Software, “70 percent of users say that getting regular feedback from peers and managers helps them improve their performance.� Team members and leaders should seek feedback, asking for feedback puts the individual asking in a position of control, which also reduces stress, and allows for the receiver or all parties involved to be specific about the aspects of what they discuss. Research by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) and the Center for Effective Organizations (CEO) supports the idea that organizational and financial results improve when positive and productive goal setting, performance assessments and career development conversations are focused on employee motivation, engagement and retention. Simply put, motivation wins the day.

A coaching culture shares best practices and examples of what has worked well and how these examples align with the overall team and organizational success. Coaching helps move the mindset to focus on the future rather than the past.

Because of the shift of supporting the employee, conversations between team members are frequent. Leaders provide coaching and immediate feedback.

Feedback is not about praise, it is specific, results-oriented and timely.

Focus on: • Feedback should have a clear business focus, feedback is not about giving advice and praise, it is focused on specific outcomes/goals and acting.

• The future.

• Effective feedback isn’t about the person, it is about the process/actions.

Moving on to formal valuations: Organizations are replacing goals with measures of success (key performance indicators). It’s obvious that for this to be successful, the team must have visibility into the organization’s vision and strategies.

Leadership and team members must understand the underlying state of the business, what is standard, acceptable or unacceptable. Having clear measures of success (KPI) help the team member and leader understand if they are on track or if a course correction is needed. Key performance indicators are focused on a targeted result.

Key performance indicators must be clearly defined with the ability to track and report and be affected. The measures of success will provide factual evidence over a specific 92

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period of time, so defining them for each position will be a challenge.

Employee tools for preparing for feedback, coaching and their development plans: • Showcase your work, provide visibility to your achievements • Align expectations with leadership • Raise issues proactively • Welcome and invite feedback • Seek coaching • Invest in yourself: “If you don’t ask, it’s not going to happen.” “Be specific.” –Timothy Butler, Director of Career Development at Harvard Business School • Be prescriptive in your message: crisp, description phrases that best support your message If a course correction is needed, accountability is both at the manager and employee level, some useful tools for team members not meeting expectations are: • Listen, take in the feedback • Dig deep, take an honest look in the mirror, own it and act appropriately (selfreflection) • Stop and think it through (Cookie Monster) • Ask for help, use your tools, resources and take action to create a corrective action plan • Seek a second opinion from a trusted coworker or mentor • Invest in yourself (education, certifications, trainings) • Open communication, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification • Evaluate job fit

Sources:

Transitioning to a performance motivation strategy will increase productivity, innovation, employee and client satisfaction, financial performance, quality and will help in attracting talent. Highly motivated team members will work beyond the expectations of their role when their organization shows investment in their success. Market leaders such as IBM, Microsoft, GAP and Adobe have transitioned from traditional performance management practices to performance motivation cultures.

forbes.com/sites/ christinecomaford/2016/10/22/whyperformance-management-is-deadperformance-motivation-is-here-tostay/#1a0a9a822dfe

Donna Morris, Head of HR at Adobe who led the company transition stated that “performance management processes should respond to the dynamic nature of organizations, workforce and changing cultures, rather than follow a static model.

When you think of the ranking and rating, it suited a certain time, it does not suit today and today’s worker. In my opinion, it’s a process that looks in the rear-view mirror, that’s focused on what you’ve done a year ago. That just isn’t current with how I think we’re working and how many of the employees that we’re looking to attract or grow have been raised.”

Essays, UK. (November 2018). Relationship Between Motivation And Employee Performance. Retrieved from ukessays. com/essays/commerce/relation-betweenmotivation-and-employee-performancecommerce-essay.php?vref=1

The primary reason for the elimination of traditional performance management processes is the way it affects the mind of an employee. The research has shown “the response that the human brain gives to criticism of any kind is the same type of neural response that they give when confronted with some kind of physical danger.” Evidence shows “that the performance of an organization is dependent on its employees. After all, your employees are the engine of your organization.”

topresume.com/career-advice/what-todo-when-your-boss-thinks-youre-notmeeting-expectations fxdailyreport.com/workplace-trends2019-part-3-performance-reviews/ (Andre, Workplace Trends in 2019: Part 3 – Performance Reviews)

blog.capabiliti.co/all-about-ges-newperformance-management-process/

About FMHRA With a mission to “Use our collective voice to foster the business community and empower the HR professional with education of best practices and strategic leadership,” the FMHRA chapter was established in 1976 to provide human resource professionals in the Fargo-Moorhead area and surrounding communities a forum to exchange ideas and to improve the effectiveness of the human resource profession. Membership has grown to over 400 members representing over 200 organizations. FMHRA is an affiliate chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management. fmhra.com

6 BENEFITS TO CONSIDER If Fargo’s Central Business District is Right for You

By Adrienne Olson, Kilbourne Group Photo by Dan Francis

1.

2.

3.

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A downtown location can help you attract talent. The top reason we hear from companies thinking about moving to or staying downtown is that a unique office space in the heart of our historic, walkable, amenities-rich city helps them attract and retain talented employees.

Downtown can be an exciting part of your brand and culture. Downtown Fargo is a quirky, lively, creative space that is full of culture and history. Naturally, these features are magnets for those who seek interaction and discovery.

Having a downtown office space links your company’s brand to all that is great about the heart of our city.

Downtown has places to meet people. Walking in Downtown Fargo, you are almost guaranteed to run into friends and colleagues on the sidewalk, which can inject new ideas and innovation into your business. Neighbors support neighbors, and there are countless places to meet for collaboration, brainstorming, change-the-world conversations, and opportunities to simply run into people who inspire you or take you in a new direction. Plus, it’s healthy for employees to interact with people from outside of their company every once in a while!

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4.

5.

6.

You are part of an active Central Business District.

You can be close to clients and customers from anywhere downtown. So close, in fact, that you can walk to them if you choose. It’s also the most unique and intriguing neighborhood to show off to potential customers. You’re near banks, a hospital, city services like the post office and library, and of course local businesses, restaurants, bars, and entertainment.

Bring team members together in a consolidated office. If your office employees are inefficiently spread across multiple locations, consolidating in a new space provides a team-building and culture-building opportunity.

A downtown office aligns with companies who seek to do good while doing business. If you are conscious of your company’s triple bottom line, a downtown space could be right for you.

The math proves that it keeps taxes lower for all taxpayers when we fully utilize and maintain the infrastructure that already exists before building new. When a company invests in their downtown, they’re using their purchasing power in a way that strengthens the city. Many businesses cite corporate social responsibility as non-negotiable in their ability to attract a new generation of team members.

WHY VIDEO MATTERS

From short-form social media ads to stylized commercials, it is increasingly essential to satisfy the population’s ever-decreasing, goldfish-mimicking attention spans.

While it may seem obvious that video is the most engaging and memorable form of media, the lack of businesses utilizing video is staggering. Moreover, it’s putting them at a serious competitive disadvantage.

Video marketing will take 80 percent of all web traffic by 2021. With this reality in mind, let’s explore the main reasons businesses need to begin implementing video into their marketing strategies.

By Tommy Uhlir, Digital Marketing Specialist

!

1. HEY, GET MY ATTENTION If executed and crafted properly, video content not only instantly grabs people’s attention, it also effectively holds it.

Consumers are 27x more likely to engage with a video than a static graphic.

2. IF MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT For a memory to truly form and stick, it requires more than just eyes or ears. It requires an audible and visual narrative.

Something you can relate to and be entertained and/or moved by.

Studies show that viewers retain 95 percent of a video’s message.

For text and/or static graphics?

Just 10 percent.

3. VIDEO INCREASES SEO

4. VIDEO HAS AN ROI

The unmatched ability of videos to attract and engage audiences makes it a powerful tool for strengthening SEO.

By combining the fact that nearly 50 percent of consumers seek videos related to a product or service before making a decision with the information we discussed, video has become a crucial component to attracting new business, strengthening loyalty with current clients and, in turn, increasing revenue.

Google likes popular sites with low bounce rates. By increasing monthly website traffic by nearly 160 percent and attracting users who will spend 2x more time navigating your site, your ranking in search engines can be significantly improved by strategic video content.

With 71 percent of consumers watching more video online than they were a year ago, brands can no longer ignore their growing popularity. It’s time to make video a key part of your marketing strategy.

ABOUT SPOTLIGHT Spotlight is the parent company of Fargo INC! and has a marketing division that has everything you need from magazine publications, video production, multi-channel advertising, performance-driven marketing strategies and project management to help you compete and grow. We are more than a service, we are your dedicated marketing and creative team. spotlightmediafargo.com 96

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Competition IT’S YOUR ADVANTAGE!

W

e are fortunate to see a boom in the number of new business start-ups across our state. Every business that opens its doors has an impact on its community and other businesses in it. Sometimes the business is complementary to existing commerce and sometimes it is in direct competition.

What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of competition? I am guessing it is along the lines of winning or of losing? While that is true in the world of sports, competition in the business world is just a bit different. Businesses that see competition as a negative tend to be the ones that end up falling behind, whereas the ones that see it as a positive to their business will thrive. It is easy to see why competition has a negative connotation. After all, no one wants to see hard work and livelihoods losing.

BY STEVE DUSEK

DakotaBusinessLending.com

SEPTEMBER 2019

When a business is noticing new competition popping up in their market, they can have one of two reactions: Resent or Re-Plan. Both have their struggles, but only one allows the business to continue amid competition. Let’s take a look at what some of these reactions might look like…

Resent

Re-Plan

“This town cannot support another business!”

“How do we make the ‘pie’ bigger for everyone?”

“They think it is easy to run this type of business.”

“How can we use history to our advantage?”

“Why do businesses keep showing up?”

“How can we keep our customers?”

“This change is not good for our community!”

“How can we support our community?”

“Customers don’t need all these choices!”

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But the best part about it is, businesses can influence and control their response to new rivals.

“What can we give our customers that is better?”

See the difference? One rolls with the punches while the other is totally against the change. But here is the kicker: competitors will dish out the punches regardless. You have the choice to win against the competition by focusing on the right thing…your customer.

That is the most effective way to influence your situation and the success of your business.

Competition brings out the best in all businesses! How? Because this means businesses must give their very best to their customers. It is the consumers that hold the power to make a business grow, but the catch is that businesses must work to win their interest and loyalty to the best of their ability.

Businesses that rest on their laurels tend to get passed over in the long run. That is your focus as a business owner: the long run. And the best way to take care of the long run?

Take care of your customer in front of you today!

It’s time to get creative! Use the power of partnerships with other businesses to draw in complementary customers. Leverage promotional opportunities with neighboring businesses. Heck, reach out to your new competitor and see if there’s anything you can do to bring more business to your community overall. Try to think of ways to increase the size of the pie that is shared, not just ration what currently exists.

Business is not for the faint of heart. It can be rough at times, and competition is one of the factors that make it so. But by taking your business by the horns and looking at it from a customer perspective, it may allow you to notice the one little change to beat your competition. This way, you are using the competition to help grow your business into the best it can be for you and your customers –which turns out to be a win-win for all!

Questions or comments? Email us at insight@dakotabusinesslending.com

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Bismarck Events SEPTEMBER 11 Brats with the Brave

Wednesday, Sept. 11 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

The Military Affairs Committee invites Chamber EDC members and the public to Brats with the Brave. Help them show appreciation for our military men and women by dining with them for some grilled brats provided by Cloverdale Foods and all the other fixin’s to fill your belly! bismarckmandan.com Raymond J. Bohn Armory 4200 Miriam Avenue, Bismarck

SEPTEMBER 12 ED Focus Roundtable: EV Infrastructure & Opportunities Thursday, Sept. 12 from 10:15 - 11:30 a.m.

As Bismarck-Mandan continues to progress, the need for electric vehicle infrastructure, and other alternative transportation infrastructure, will grow. EVs present opportunities and challenges for our community as we begin to establish supporting infrastructure and embrace alternative transportation technologies. To provide business and industry professionals insight into EV infrastructure and their potential role in the development of a supporting network, the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC will feature a roundtable discussion with EV industry experts. bismarckmandan.com Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC 1640 Burnt Boat Dr., Bismarck

SEPTEMBER 12 ACTIVATE Your Human Resources: Understanding Compensation and Benefits

Thursday, Sept. 12 from 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

While financing is a major aspect of starting or expanding a business, we both know the journey does not end there but has only just begun. Our team holds both personal and professional growth in high regard and wish to join you on that journey as well. That is why Dakota Business Lending has started its very own FREE “Activate Women” learning workshop series - Activate Your Human Resources: Understanding Compensation and Benefits. dakotabusinesslending.com Center for Technology and Business 2720 E Broadway Ave #1, Bismarck

SEPTEMBER 13 North Dakota Power Up Health Conference Friday, Sept. 13 from 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The North Dakota Power Up Health Conference is intended for people with disabilities, families, service providers and professionals to discover fun and exciting ways to enjoy good health throughout the life span! All the sessions will be informative and interactive for all participants. ndcpd.org/powerup.html Bismarck Event Center 315 5th St. S, Bismarck

SEPTEMBER 17 Celebrate Bismarck-Mandan Tuesday, Sept. 17 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

On September 17, the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC and the Excellence in Education and Business Committee will celebrate local businesses and their leaders for their accomplishments within the community. bismarckmandan.com Ramkota Hotel & Conference Center 800 S 3rd Street, Bismarck

SEPTEMBER 20 Fridays at the Chamber EDC Friday, Sept. 20 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Join fellow members for a fun and informal way to network on one Friday each month this summer from 11:30- 1 p.m. Chamber EDC staff will serve hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, refreshments and all the fixings.

There is no cost to attend, but free-will donations will be accepted. bismarckmandan.com Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC 1640 Burnt Boat Drive, Bismarck

OCTOBER 1 Chamber EDC Harvest Mixer Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 4:30- 6:30 p.m.

The Chamber EDC’s Agricultural Committee will be hosting a special mixer for Chamber EDC members. Celebrate the harvest by engaging and networking with members in the Ag. Industry in an effort to educate the Bismarck-Mandan on the endeavors of Agriculture in our area. bismarckmandan.com Farm Credit Services of Mandan 1600 Old Red Trail, Mandan

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Fargo, Moorhead & Dilworth Events SEPTEMBER 10 K-12 Update with our A+ Superintendents Tuesday, Sept. 10 from 7:30 - 9 a.m.

Our Fargo Moorhead West Fargo community has always been known for providing great K-12 education to our children, and it’s important to hear from those who lead our districts. Join the Chamber for this Eggs & Issues to hear from the superintendents of our three area school districts, as each shares updates on their district and looks ahead to what we can expect in the future. fmwfchamber.com Courtyard by Marriott, Moorhead 1080 28th Ave. S, Moorhead

SEPTEMBER 5 September Breakfast Buzz: Conflict in business – the good, the bad and the ugly Thursday, Sept. 5 from 8 - 10 a.m.

Kick-start the first Thursday of every month with the Breakfast Buzz! Come for a cup of good coffee with peers and colleagues, engage in spirited dialogue and discussion and walk away with new knowledge and best practices for how to develop and improve your leadership, teams and business! corporateelements.com Preference Employment Solutions 2605 42nd St. S, Fargo

SEPTEMBER 11 What Would Bill Murray Do?

Wednesday, Sept. 11 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Some believe the world has lost its sense of humor in the workplace. Can you believe it? You know who doesn’t believe this? Bill Murray. So, what can Bill Murray teach us? A heck of a lot! Join Nicole Turchin, Manager, Communications and Administrative Services at CoreLink Administrative Solutions, and Kurtis Karn, Manager, Talent Acquisition at Discovery Benefits, a WEX Company, at this Chamber event. fmwfchamber.com Courtyard by Marriott, Moorhead 1080 28th Ave. S, Moorhead

SEPTEMBER 11 Lunch & Learn: Thinking Fast and Performing with Focus Wednesday, Sept. 11 from 12 - 1 p.m.

Correspondence and time management.

Maybe two of the most important and probably the least favorite aspects of all entrepreneurial activity. This talk will uncover basic principles of system one and system two thinking and how to use our innate tendencies, along with the GTD methodology, to increase productivity and reduce the stress and anxiety that often surrounds basic correspondence and tasks -- so that you can free your mind to perform at it’s best and most focused when you need it to. emergingprairie.com Prairie Den 122 1/2 Broadway Dr. N, Fargo

SEPTEMBER 12 2019 The Chamber’s Ninth Annual Meeting Thursday, Sept. 12 from 12 - 1:30 p.m.

Help celebrate the business community and the volunteers committed to using their time, talents and influence to help businesses thrive, create positive change and build a stronger community! They’ll also honor and present the award to our 2019 recipient of the Legacy Leader Award: Steve Swiontek. fmwfchamber.com Holiday Inn Fargo 3803 13th Ave. S, Fargo

SEPTEMBER 12 ACTIVATE Your Human Resources: Understanding Compensation and Benefits Thursday, Sept. 12 from 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

The measure of our success at Dakota Business Lending is told in the stories of their borrowers and partners -- like you -- who have allowed us to join you on your journey. While financing is a major aspect of starting or expanding a business, we both know the journey does not end there, but has only just begun. Our team holds both personal and professional growth in high regard and wish to join you on that journey as well. That is why Dakota Business Lending has started its very own FREE “Activate Women” learning workshop series - Activate Your Human Resources: Understanding Compensation and Benefits. dakotabusinesslending.com Dakota Business Lending 5630 36th Ave. S, Fargo

SEPTEMBER 16 Founders Drinks - September 2019 Monday, Sept. 16 from 5 - 7 p.m.

Hosted by Emerging Prairie, they are committed to creating and protecting an environment for founders and creators of organizations. We want to keep the group + gathering from getting watered down so it can add value to this unique group of folks. The people who are eligible to attend include: People who have started a product or company. People who have employees.

People who have launched a project and are working on it full-time. emergingprairie.com Fargo Brewing Company 610 North University Dr, Fargo

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Fargo, Moorhead & Dilworth Events SEPTEMBER 17-18 2019 Rural Lenders Loan Show (ECND) - Fargo

Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 9:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. and Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 9:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m.

Join ND’s Center for Technology and Business for the 2019 Rural Lenders Loan Show which provides the latest news on small business lending programs. Attend this show to be certain you are up-to-date on all of the latest developments in small business lending programs available in North Dakota in an effort to continue. trainingnd.com Harry D McGovern Center 1241 North University D, Fargo

SEPTEMBER 17 YPN New Member Social

Tuesday, Sept. 17 from 4:30 - 5:15 p.m.

New to the Chamber’s Young Professional Network or thinking about joining? Then this event is for you! Connect with new and current members, learn more about the program and all the ways that you can be involved. Don’t forget to stick around for Off the Clock immediately afterward. fmwfchamber.com Brewtus Clubhouse at Osgood Golf Course 4400 Clubhouse Dr. S, Fargo

SEPTEMBER 17 Off the Clock - September Tuesday, Sept. 17 from 5:15 - 7:30 p.m.

Join the Chamber’s Young Professional Network for their monthly networking happy hour at Brewtus Brickhouse in the Clubhouse at Osgood Golf Course! Network with other young professionals while checking out one of the metro’s great food and beverage establishments. fmwfchamber.com Brewtus Clubhouse at Osgood Golf Course 4400 Clubhouse Dr. S, Fargo

SEPTEMBER 18 Lattes with Leaders: Steve Swiontek Wednesday, Sept. 18 from 7:30 - 9 a.m.

Start your day with networking and learning from a prestigious local business leader, all while and getting your morning caffeine boost. This month’s Lattes with Leaders

welcomes The Chamber’s 2019 Legacy Leader, Steve Swiontek of Gate City Bank!

Steve will share his story, life lessons and take questions from the audience. fmwfchamber.com Four Points by Sheraton 5064 23rd Ave. S, Fargo

SEPTEMBER 24 Reinventing Recovery: Women connecting to bring addiction out of the shadows Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 3:30 - 5 p.m.

Addiction is a disease that can ravage the lives of those suffering from its hand. Its effect goes beyond the addicted though, as family members, friends, co-workers and managers all can feel the effects of someone facing their battle. But there is hope, and the key lies in eliminating the stigma by simply talking about it. At this special session of Women Connect, North Dakota’s own first lady stops by to share her own powerful story. fmwfchamber.com Delta by Marriott 1635 42nd St. S, Fargo

SEPTEMBER 26 Network Before 9

Thursday, Sept. 26 from 7:30 - 9:30 a.m.

Rise, shine and get your networking in before 9! Join the Professionals of Color for their first morning networking event before you start your workday! Grow your professional network while getting your morning caffeine boost. Come when you can, leave when you have to! fmwfchamber.com Red River Coffee 2600 52nd Ave. S, Fargo

OCTOBER 1 The Route to Removing Barriers for Employment: United Way Workforce Transportation Project Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 7:30 - 9 a.m.

With nearly 20,000 jobs, the Fargo Industrial Park is an important driver for the local, regional and statewide economy.

One consistent barrier was the lack of reliable public transportation, which hadn’t been available since the 1990s…until now. Through an innovative collaborative

effort among United Way of CassClay, MATBUS, the City of Fargo and private businesses and investors, an on-demand bus service via TapRide technology launched in August. Join the Chamber to learn about the genesis of this collaboration and how United Way is working collaboratively to increase access and remove barriers so more people can access good jobs, and employers can fill their workforce needs. fmwfchamber.com DoubleTree by Hilton & West Fargo Conference Center 825 East Beaton D, West Fargo

OCTOBER 9 Building Cohesive Teams: A Roadmap to Effective Teamwork in Today’s Workplace

Wednesday, Oct. 9 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

In today’s high-paced and diverse workplace, many leaders, teams and organizations find it difficult to effectively work together and execute on their projects and strategic plans. This workshop builds on Patrick Lencioni’s Five Behaviors of Cohesive Teams. In this interactive one-hour session, you will receive a roadmap and practical advice on how to improve organizational results by building truly cohesive and effective teams in your business. fmwfchamber.com Holiday Inn Fargo 3803 13th Ave. S, Fargo

OCTOBER 17 Business After Hours October 2019

Thursday, Oct. 17 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Business After Hours continues to set records as the region’s largest networking event. Booth space is often sold out, and attendees can connect with their peers and exhibitors ranging from cell phone companies to financial institutions and more. Join the Chamber for a great time over apps, networking and fun! This month is sponsored by Spotlight, Fargo INC’s parent company. fmwfchamber.com Hilton Garden Inn Fargo 4351 17th Ave. S, Fargo

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Minot Events SEPTEMBER 5 Business After Hours

Thursday, Sept. 5 from 5 - 7 p.m.

Join the Minot Chamber for their first Business After Hours of the fall as Sleep Inn & Suites hosts. Enjoy delicious food, great networking and a chance at prizes. There’s a $5 charge at the door. minotchamber.org Sleep Inn & Suites 2400 10th St SW, Minot

Thoughts from the experts

"Make events like Business After Hours more fulfilling by preparing ahead of time. Research exhibitors and identify booths you want to stop at. Use LinkedIn to find a mutual colleague of someone you want to meet. Ask this colleague to introduce you by email and follow up with the person at the event."

Rachel Asleson, Co-owner of Reach Partners * Reach Partners helps organizations hold stand-out events and manage successful projects. reachpartnersinc.com

SEPTEMBER 10 ACTIVATE Your Human Resources: Understanding Compensation and Benefits Tuesday, Sept. 10 from 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

While financing is a major aspect of starting or expanding a business, we both know the journey does not end there but has only just begun. Our team holds both personal and professional growth in high regard and wish to join you on that journey as well. That is why Dakota Business Lending has started its very own FREE “Activate Women” learning workshop series - Activate Your Human Resources: Understanding Compensation and Benefits. dakotabusinesslending.com Minot Public Library 516 2nd Ave. SW, Minot

SEPTEMBER 18 Coffee with the President Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 1:30 p.m.

Visit with Chamber President, John MacMartin, about the community and the Chamber during this monthly coffee hour. minotchamber.org Elmcroft of Minot 3515 10th St SW, Minot

OCTOBER 3 Business After Hours

Thursday, Oct. 3 from 5 - 7 p.m.

Always a favorite, the 2019 Y’s Men’s Rodeo Business After Hours, is set for Thursday, October 3 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the ND State Fair Center. Enjoy a cowboy dinner, with burgers, beans and the works. Have a rootin tootin good time while networking with other Chamber members. $5 per person charge at the door. minotchamber.org Y’s Men’s Rodeo - ND State Fair Center

Grand Forks Events SEPTEMBER 4 Small Business Committee Meeting

Wednesday, Sept. 4 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Purpose - Provide value to The Chamber’s small business members through educational, programming, and other small business services by working with SBA, SCORE, and other small business programs.

Event type: Chamber gochamber.org Ramada by Wyndham Grand Forks 1205 N 43rd St, Grand Forks

SEPTEMBER 11 Free Workplace Wellness Seminar Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 8:30 a.m.

RiverView Health’s Occupational Health Team invites area safety directors, occupational health nurses, managers, workers compensation administrators and human resources staff to its free Workplace Wellness Seminar. The daylong seminar will include respiratory fit testing, foot health, distracted driving, nerve injuries and repetitive use injuries and more. riverviewhealth.org Boardwalk Bar and Grill 415 2nd St. NW, Grand Forks

SEPTEMBER 16 Ambassador Committee Monthly Meeting Monday, Sept. 16 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Purpose - Learn of new businesses in the community and upcoming events, receive networking tips and other valuable training, listen to special guest speakers and much more.

Event type: Chamber gochamber.org Location: TBD

SEPTEMBER 19 2019 September Business After Hours Thursday, Sept. 19 from 4:45 - 7 p.m.

Alerus Center invites all Chamber Members and their employees to join them for a fun Business After Hours. Business After Hours is FREE for Chamber Members to attend. It is a great way to unwind after work, meet up with friends and make new contacts. gochamber.org

HILLARY EHLEN

Jean Zimmerman Executive Director at Offutt Family Foundation

GRACIOUS GIVERS

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or Jean Zimmerman, the entryway to compassion at the workplace is pride. She believes having pride in her work, who she works for, and the community in which they live in is the key to driving business and personal success.

“At RDO Equipment Co., we have values that we live by,” said Zimmerman. “These are not just words on a wall poster but is a philosophy that drives our decisions so that we know what we can expect from each other, and the community knows what they can expect from us. Our values drive all decision-making.”

Philanthropy plays a vital role at RDO – Ron Offutt, who founded RDO Equipment Co. back in 1968, along with his children, sit on the Offutt Family Foundation, serving the Midwest. And more importantly, Ron and the Offutt family’s commitment to community has been instilled in each of the RDO locations around the country.

DAN FRANCIS

And as important as giving back is to RDO’s leadership team and ownership group, they’re the first to credit that the best ideas come from their team members. For example, RDO Caters Taters — an annual potato luncheon held each fall that donates all proceeds to a local charity (that has raised more than $675k in the past 20 years) — is well-known in the community and is an event team members take great pride in.

“It’s amazing how many needs there are in our communities,” she said. “I’m really proud of being from Fargo because we show up in times of crisis and show up for times where there are big needs. We also show up for the little things and needs that may not get a whole lot of press. And that’s where team members come in and make a huge difference.”

Why RDO Supports Nonprofits Whether it’s a diaper drive for Great Plains Food Bank or gathering school supplies for area children, RDO’s team members come forward whenever they recognize a need in the community.

Commitment to Community One way that RDO Equipment Co. has made giving a priority is to build it right into the budget. Stores will also have a committee of team members that decide how the money is dispersed. Each committee has a mission statement they’ve devised that speaks to how, why and where they are giving will have community impact.

“We support community giving in three ways – paid time off to volunteer, giving of our talent and, of course, monetarily.

All three came in to play with the Blitz Build for Habitat and Humanity. I found out that one of my talents wasn’t building scaffolding in the rain. But it sure felt good when I was done knowing I came together with other team members and made a difference.”

For Zimmerman, it’s fun to contribute to the things that employees are passionate about, like the company match for Giving Hearts Day. “We say, ‘What is it that you’d like to give to?’ Dakota Medical Foundation, for example, is great at vetting those nonprofits, and whatever nonprofit the team member wanted to give to, we provided a monetary match.”

What sparked their idea in wanting to support nonprofits?

With a philanthropic ownership group, they boast great pride in where they do business. Per Zimmerman, the ownership group has been great role models for everyone in terms of compassion and caring.

“There’s an underlying belief that when people have supported us, we get to support the community because we’re all in this together. We measure community time and community giving not because it’s a policy, but because we encourage supporting our communities. It makes us all stronger.”

Prior to serving as the Executive Director of the Offutt Family Foundation, Zimmerman spent more than a dozen years as executive vice president of organizational development at RDO Equipment Co., but what she called herself was chief cheerleader.

“I was involved in developing a culture based on pride of place and comradeship,” she said. “There’s nothing better (for) building camaraderie than all of us coming together to do something for someone else.”

For the Offutt Family Foundation, Zimmerman has turned her past history of “cheerleading” into a charitable endeavor.

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Katy Beckman Assistant Vice President/Branch Manager at VISIONBank

GRACIOUS GIVERS VISIONBank is proud to partner with all nonprofits in providing the annual Giving Hearts Day video contest.

VISIONBank

Supports Nonprofits

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rom having a booth at the Paws Walk for Homeward Animal Shelter to supporting the annual GiGi’s Playhouse Golf Tournament to walking in the Rise Above Seizures Walk, VISIONBank supports numerous nonprofits throughout the year.

“As a locally owned community bank, it is one of our core values to give back,” said Beckman. “It is part of our mission statement: ‘We pledge to serve our communities by accepting a corporate leadership role and volunteering our time and talents to give back unselfishly.’”

One of the events that VISIONBank is most proud of is the support they’ve given to Giving Hearts Day and their video contest, where all nonprofits can participate. For the past seven years, their video contest has been a platform for nonprofits to use to get their mission heard.

“They are able to use this video yearround and not just on Giving Hearts Day. A video can tell a story and make you feel something that words might not always be able to,” Beckman said. “You can’t physically reach everyone with your

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mission, but a video can be shared and be seen through social media. A video can be so powerful and impactful, and if we can help reach more people with what the nonprofits do through our video contest — that I am satisfied with.”

What sparked VISIONBank’s idea to support nonprofits It all started from Dan Carey, the CEO and president of VISIONBank. Carey is not only a trustee of the Alex Stern Family Foundation but is also the chairman of Impact Foundation, so the biggest day of giving of the year, Giving Hearts Day, hits home with him.

Carey joins Pat Traynor, the executive director at Impact Foundation, in sharing a passion for “giving back” to their communities and the region. The collaborative efforts of Dakota Medical Foundation and the Alex Stern Family Foundation resulted in the creation of Impact Foundation. Every nonprofit has access to the training and educational opportunities provided by Impact Foundation and the record of successful Giving Hearts Day campaigns is proof that those opportunities to assist nonprofits are working very well.

Their mission statement is to give back, and Carey challenges his team to do that.

“During Giving Hearts Day, we have 100 percent participation. Dan gives each team member a Giving Hearts Day gift card to give to two people to have them donate to their favorite charity and share the great feeling you get from giving.”

Why businesses should support nonprofits To keep it simple, Beckman says, “Why shouldn’t they? Nonprofits serve a critical and vital role in any community. They are the main source of building a strong community and giving a voice to those that are in need.”

Anyone can support a nonprofit, and Giving Hearts Day is a great platform to find a nonprofit and support them all year long. You can participate in charitable walks, set up booths at events, or donate items. Those are all easy and fun, but what business really should and can do is open their space for nonprofits to use.

“At VISIONBank, we love when nonprofits use our boardrooms for their meetings,” Beckman said. “We get to hear firsthand the work that is being done in our community and how much time and effort it takes to make a change. We will always have an open door for any nonprofit to come in and use our space and we would love to see more businesses do the same.

The more that join in, the more awareness of nonprofits and their work will be seen.”

VISIONBank is doing its part in the community. It’s your turn to join them.

HILLARY EHLEN

How

“We might be a smaller bank than some of the bigs, but we do our part to make a difference,” Beckman said.