with North Dakota roots

From Bobcat Co.’s North American headquarters in West Fargo, N.D., AnnaLisa Nash manages global trade and compliance for Doosan Bobcat North America and Oceania.

She grew up in Fargo, then earned an undergraduate degree from The George Washington University and a law degree from The Catholic University of America, both in Washington, D.C. She first worked in a large D.C. law firm as a corporate and financial attorney, and then served as a trial attorney for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Building on her experience with NHTSA, Nash returned to private practice, primarily assisting foreign automobile manufacturer clients in understanding and complying with U.S. regulatory laws. Later, when her family relocated to Fargo, she became North Dakota State University’s first-ever export control officer before joining Doosan Bobcat in 2015.

Q. A.

YOU GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL IN FARGO, THEN WENT OUT EAST FOR COLLEGE AND LAW SCHOOL. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE PROS AND CONS OF GOING AWAY TO COLLEGE?

The Fargo-Moorhead area has several excellent schools, but I felt a strong pull to live in a different environment. George Washington University’s offer of admission was the first admission to arrive in the mail, and I got hooked on the concept of living in D.C.

Becoming a stranger in a strange city forces you to make a great leap outside of your comfort zone – and allows the advantages of new exploration, meeting people from different backgrounds and cultivating personal independence in different ways.

D.C. is a phenomenal college town. An estimated 30,000 interns arrive each summer, but when they leave, local students can capitalize on some incredible opportunities. I interned on the Hill, at two large think tanks and at the D.C. Superior Court, among other places. I also interned for the White House, which eventually led to a paid job.

Later, when I attended law school in D.C., I had many opportunities to sit in on U.S. Supreme Court cases and meet several justices. There is no substitute for experiential learning – particularly in today’s world, where attention spans have decreased and learning sometimes is reduced to 140 characters.

There also can be downsides to going away to college – lack of friends and family support; increased potential for loneliness and isolation; and higher tuition prices – so one has to be willing and ready to fully embrace each opportunity and challenge involved in such a move.

WHAT FACTORS BROUGHT YOU BACK TO THE MIDWEST?

In 2013, my family and I moved from Sydney, Australia, to West Fargo – as people do. My husband is Australian – we met at the Embassy of Australia in D.C., where he held a diplomatic posting – and his work commitments led us to move to Australia.

It was an ideal move for me, as I embraced another new environment while still working for a D.C.-based regulatory firm. I had the ultimate global commute.

After some years in Australia, several factors brought us back to the U.S. We still owned our house in D.C., but we decided to move to Fargo because family remained our No. 1 priority, and I have a lot of family here.

This region also offers many “quality of life” benefits to us – great public schools, lower cost of living, easy access to nature, and no D.C. traffic (second-worst in the nation), among others. I am very happy to be back in the Midwest after 20 years away.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE MONUMENT OR MEMORY FROM YOUR TIME IN WASHINGTON?

I love the [Albert] Einstein Memorial, which is located in a hidden grove on the grounds of the National Academy of Sciences. I used to go there for some quiet time within the busy city. Similarly, I also love Theodore Roosevelt Island.

Among many favorite D.C. memories, working at the White House Correspondent’s Office was fascinating. I opened mail sent to the president from all over the world – and coordinated and drafted responses on behalf of the president.

There may be no greater insight into the American people (and this country) than reading the mail they write to the president. I have opened every piece of (securityscreened) mail you can imagine – as well as many “colorful” packages. Living in D.C. also offers some privileged experiences. I was lucky to have had several interesting interactions with George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and to have met Barack Obama on a few occasions.

Q. A.

WHAT SHOULD READERS KNOW ABOUT TRADE AGREEMENTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON COMPANIES SUCH AS BOBCAT, NORTH DAKOTA’S LARGEST MANUFACTURER?

Trade agreements played an unprecedented role in the last U.S. election, and trade issues remain in the daily news. As a global business, Doosan Bobcat depends on its ability to buy and sell around the world, so the global trade team keeps a close eye on global trade policy and how it impacts or might impact our business.

Like other global businesses, Bobcat uses free trade agreements in order to reduce or eliminate the tariffs imposed by the U.S. and other governments on its trade items. These reductions let the company pass these cost savings on to our customers and remain cost-competitive.

Without trade agreements, the prices of consumer goods potentially increase.

Trade constituted more than a quarter of the global economy in 2016. Against this backdrop of rapid technological advances and increased globalization, it is a privilege to practice international trade law. I do something different – and learn something new – every day.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY FACTORS THAT HELP BOBCAT PRODUCTS STAND OUT ON THE WORLD STAGE?

While Bobcat is a major global business, in many ways we remain the small family-owned business that invented the world’s first skid steer loader. Our products stand out in the global marketplace for many reasons, but I believe the company’s commitment to North Dakota – and our continued practice of building our high-quality, innovative machines here in the USA – makes us unique.

The company also emphasizes strong relationships with our worldwide suppliers and dealers, which greatly assists our global trade team in facilitating the imports we need to build our machines; export our completed machines around the world; and comply with the myriad global customs laws.

To some degree, every level of the company is involved in trade and compliance. I like to think that our global trade team is one important engine that keeps the company’s products moving globally – without which we would not maintain a successful business.

If you set the bar at competence, how do you reach excellence?

Sunday liquor sales in Minnesota look like Colorado: big opening, then ‘mellow out’

Dakota, South Dakota state fairs

In its second annual study, SmartAsset.com ranked America’s best state fairs, and the North Dakota State Fair took third while the South Dakota State Fair tied for fourth.

SmartAsset.com defined a state fair as an annual, large-scale agricultural event with music, contests, food and family fun. The website included only official state fairs in our study. This means it excluded fairs that catered to a specific county or region within the state.

According to the International Association of Fairs and Expositions, fairs are defined by multiple competitions involving produce or farm animals. This distinction marks fairs as separate from carnivals or festivals, despite sharing many characteristics like rides and entertainment.

ST. PAUL—Two days does not a trend make, but to Christopher Arnold, what happened in the first two days Minnesota liquor stores could be open on Sundays looks familiar.

“It is basically follows what happened in Colorado,” said Arnold, manager at the city-owned liquor store in Bagley, Minn. Colorado allowed Sunday sales in 2008 for the first time since prohibition. Many stores opened to long lines, then sales leveled off. Or, as Arnold said in a phrase Coloradans may use, “it sort of mellowed out.”

“Everyone is just waiting to see how it works out in the wash,” added Arnold, who sits on the Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association board..

The first time in Minnesota history that liquor stores legally could open on a Sunday was July 2, and long lines were reported throughout the state, in part because it was a first and in part because it was a holiday weekend. Good business, but not as brisk, was reported on July 9.

The Legislature this year approved letting liquor stores open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays if local governments approve.

Most cities have given approval to private and their own public liquor stores to open, although some only on a trial basis. A few cities have yet to decide and some rejected Sunday sales.

The state House never had voted on a full bill allowing Sunday sales until this year.

The House approved the bill 85-45, a surprising gap considering its failure rate over many years. Senators later voted 38-28 for the change.

Why the sudden legislative flip-flop? First, polls showed Minnesotans wanted the change. Second, House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, threw his support behind the effort after opposing Sunday sales.

Lawmakers from border communities, especially next to Wisconsin, often were strong in demanding change as they saw constituents crossing into the Badger State to buy on Sundays.

The path to passage started in December, when Daudt used a Forum News Service pre-session forum to say how strongly he felt about Sunday sales.

“If a liquor store doesn’t want to be open on Sunday, they don’t have to, but consumers would like to have that flexibility,” Daudt said. PB

To create this list, SmartAsset.com ranked the state fairs based on five factors. These included attendance rates, adult and youth admission prices, the length of the fair and daily precipitation averages for the time of the fair.

This year, the data set comprised of 31 state fairs. The states that weren’t included lacked sufficient data to properly compare numbers with the rest of the list, SmartAsset.com reported. The website contacted a number of those state offices, but did not hear back from them before publication.

Key Findings

The West makes a strong showing. Four of the top 10 best state fairs take place in the West, making it the region with the highest ranked fairs. They are New Mexico, Oregon, California and Colorado. The Midwest has three fairs in the top 10.

Attendance rates shook up last year’s top 10. Attendance fluctuations helped change things up this year. Only North Dakota and New Mexico stayed in the top 10 two years in a row.

Not too long, not too short. The sweet spot for fair length looks to be just over a week and a half, with eight out of the top 10 totaling at least 10 days.

North Dakota State Fair

Despite dropping two spots (from first to third) this year, North Dakota’s state fair still packs a hefty punch. Musical guests for 2017 included headliners Fergie, Little Big Town, Jason Aldean and Paramore. In 2016, the fair attracted 293,123 attendees, or 39 percent of North Dakota’s population. (The attendance number includes out-of-state tourists as well.)

Family fun is important at this fair, with kid-friendly events including the diaper derby, toddler trot and kid’s tractor pedal pull.

South Dakota State Fair

North Dakota’s neighbor just missed the top 10 last year, squeaking in as No. 11. For this year’s study, the attendees (211,371 in 2016), good weather and bargain prices helped raise the event to the top five. Clocking in as the shortest state fair in the top 10 at only five days, the event still packs plenty on the schedule.

Attractions visitors would be hard pressed to find elsewhere include an auctioneer bid-calling contest, strong man competition and a barbecue pork butt battle.

– SmartAsset.com PB