New Innovate ND program provides right resources at right time

BY JARED STOBER

Since 2006, Innovate ND has served over 450 entrepreneurs, startups, and early-stage ventures by providing a comprehensive educational program and coaching through entrepreneurial centers to help entrepreneurs build new ventures. The vision of Innovate ND is to grow a statewide entrepreneurial community/ecosystem that is supported by educational content, technical expertise and business resources to encourage, promote and support innovation.

In an effort to further develop the program, research findings were evaluated to develop a new Innovate ND strategic plan Innovate ND’s new program is now a reality and is intended to capitalize on previous successes and brand development efforts, and move to the next level in fostering innovation and accelerating venture formation/growth in North Dakota

New Innovate ND Features

Innovate ND vouchers –

Each participant receives up to $2,500 that can be used to advance their business The money can be used for coaching and consulting services at an entrepreneurial center, creating a business plan or developing a prototype. Additional vouchers are available to grow with the business

Educational services: Entrepreneur Boot Camps will be held in the spring and fall of each year and an online class will be available when you sign up for Innovate ND. The educational services address key topics and Innovate ND participants can attend at any stage in their business development The educational content is valued at over $2,200.

Online resources: The newly developed Innovate ND website will serve as a resource to entrepreneurs looking to start or expand their business Visitors will have access to new content and an online forum to help build their entrepreneurial resources and contacts.

Business competitions: Innovate ND will hold an annual competition in the spring of each year There will be two categories for participants to compete: an Idea competition and a Venture competition. The Idea competition will provide an opportunity for startups to compete based on their business ideas This will also serve as a starting point for Innovate ND participants to gain feedback and serve as a launch pad to take their ideas to the next level. The Venture competition is targeted toward businesses that are ready for venture capital or at an advanced stage Innovate ND will work with venture capital and angel investment firms so there may be an opportunity to make a business deal during the competition.

The new Innovate ND program costs $250 and offers the opportunity to access up to $2,500 worth of services to help in the development of business ideas through access to multiple resources. For more information visit www InnovateND com or one of the following entrepreneurial centers:

• University of North Dakota Center for Innovation Foundation

- Grand Forks at www.innovators.net

• North Dakota State University Research & Technology Park

- Fargo at www ndsuresearchpark com

• I.D.E.A. Center - Bismarck at www.ideacenternd.org

• Strom Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation - Dickinson at www stromcenter com

• MiSU Severson Entrepreneurship Academy - Minot at www.minotstateu.edu/business/ent academy.shtml PB

Jared Stober Entrepreneurship Program Manager North Dakota Department of Commerce jstober@nd gov Twitter: @InnovateND

Connect Minn. releases business tech data

A 2013 business technology survey conducted by Connect Minnesota found that 76 percent of the state’s businesses have access to broadband technology An estimated 35,000 businesses do not have access to broadband technology, compared to 40,000 businesses in 2011 Of the businesses surveyed that do have broadband access, nearly 40 percent says they earn revenues from online sales, amounting to a combined $38 million in annual revenues Seven out of 10 businesses surveyed says it is important for new employees to have Internet-related skills, but nearly 40 percent of respondents says they also have a “difficult” or “ very difficult” time finding those skilled employees.

Fitness program targets mind, body wellness in schools

Patrick Kasper, founder of Fargo-based Positive Motion: Movement with a Message, an in-person health fitness, motivational, anti-bullying program, recently launched an interactive version of the program aimed at providing daily programming for school students.

PositiveMotionTV net is a collaborative effort between Kasper and local fitness trainers that will allow schools to access a variety of programs, including Morning Motivation, Health Helpers and Words of Wisdom, in a digital format, reducing the cost of the program and enabling schools to streamline the content to meet their needs. The program fee is currently based upon the number of students in the school Through corporate sponsorships, Kasper hopes to eventually provide the program at no cost to all K-12 students in North Dakota Fargo-based National Hospitality Services, the Ramada Plaza Fargo, Mezzaluna restaurant and Forum Communications are among the program ’ s initial sponsors

RDO buys ag irrigation company

RDO Equipment Co acquired Water Tech Ag Supply, a California-based company that provides total agricultural irrigation solutions, on Nov 1 The company has multiple locations throughout California and in Yuma, Ariz RDO CEO Christi Offutt says the acquisition was a significant strategy move for the implement provider and will expand the solutions it is able to offer its customer stakeholders.

Basin Electric signs wind contracts

Basin Electric Power Cooperative has agreed to purchase wind energy from two new wind generation developments planned in North Dakota Santa Barbara, Calif -based Infinity Wind Power is developing the 106-megawatt Sunflower Wind Project in Morton County and the 172-megawatt Antelope Hills Wind Project in Mercer County Both projects are expected to be complete in 2015 The total capacity of these projects

278 megawatts will increase Basin Electric’s total renewable portfolio to more than 1,000 megawatts

Sioux Falls web developer, ad agency announce merger

Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Gage e-Services, a website development and support company, has merged with Sioux Falls-based advertising agency The A Team. The new company is known as The Gage Team and is co-owned by Matt Gage of Gage e-Services and Brooke Christensen of The A Team. Fred Gage will serve as CEO. The merger will focus on website development and management as well as full-service advertising and marketing services.

NDSU, Sanford partner for nursing education

The Sanford College of Nursing board of directors and the Sanford Health Bismarck board of directors recently signed a memorandum of u n ders t a n d i n g w i t h Nor t h D a ko t a S t a te University to partner to provide nursing edu-

UND alumni center becomes ND’s first LEED Platinum building

The U S Green Building Council recently awarded LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) Platinum certification to the University of North Dakota Gorecki Alumni Center Designed by JLG Architects, it is the first Platinum-certified building in North Dakota and the first Platinum alumni center in the country.

The center reduced energy use by 40 percent compared to similar buildings during its first year of operation, saving more than $38,000 in energy costs The building also uses nearly 40 percent less water than traditional buildings of similar size and brings in 25 percent more outside air than comparable buildings. Waste was reduced by about 98 percent during construction, cutting waste costs in half.

c a t i on a t S a n ford ’ s nu rs i n g co l l e ge i n Bi s m a rck . T h e p a r t n ers h i p s tem s f rom a Hig her Lear ning Commission de cision to require all colleges to become separately incorporated to retain accreditation.

ND Housing Incentive Fund receives multiple contributions

Bremer Bank contributed $750,000 to the Nor th Dakota Housing Incentive Fund in December, targeted toward family-friendly workforce housing projects in Burlington, Grafton and Minot, a homeless housing development in Bismarck, and a senior apartment complex in Fargo

In November, Gate City Bank contributed $3 million to the fund. The bank provided $1.25 million to HIF in 2012 Combined with this year ’ s donation, Gate City Bank is now the largest overall HIF contributor. This year ’ s contribution will be divided between projects in Bismarck, Devils Lake, Fargo, Hettinger, Jamestown, Mandan and Minot.

Dickinson, N.D.-based American Bank Center contributed $220,000 to HIF in November The contribution will be divided among nine affordable housing projects American Bank Center has contributed to the fund four times, totaling $420,000 Slawson Exploration, a Denver-based privately held oil and gas exploration company, contributed $300,000 to HIF in October. The contribution is targeted to a 40-unit familyfriendly workforce housing development in Burlington, N.D.

Williston, N D -based American State Bank & Trust Co contributed $250,000 to the fund, which will be used for housing projects in Williston and Watford City The bank has contributed a total of $375,000 to the fund since 2011 HIF was established by the 2011 state legislature to encourage the development of affordable housing projects Funds are used to provide developers with low-cost financing if units are earmarked for essential service workers and lowto moderate-income households In 2013, HIF was allocated $15.4 million in state funds and authorized to issue $20 million in state tax credits for private contributions By early December, all authorized funding had been committed to a total of 34 projects.

DFC Consultants names customers of the year

DFC Consultants, a gold-cer tified Microsoft partner, has named Bismarck, N Dbased Pride Inc. its cloud customer of the year. Development Homes in Grand Forks, N D , was named the company ’ s Dynamics customer of the year. Businesses were selected based on their use and knowledge of software systems as well as their success and productivity within their industries

Essentia recognized for stroke care

Essentia Health-Fargo recently received an award from the American Heart Association in recognition of it meeting eight core stroke meas- ures. Essentia has also been recognized as a Primary Stroke Center The facility expanded its stroke and neurovascular services in 2012, making it the first hospital in North Dakota to offer 24-hour enhanced care for stroke victims.

Lignite Energy Council, Australia group partner

Bismarck, N D -based Lignite Energy Council and Brown Coal Innovation Australia have partnered to develop and pursue cooperative opportunities associated with lignite coal As part of the partnership, representatives from area lignite facilities will travel to Australia to review Australian research and development projects and determine their applicability in North Dakota. The organizations will also establish a travel scholarship to support the cost of travel for researchers working on collaborative projects

Bismarck State College to offer entrepreneur classes

Bismarck (N D ) State College has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship and the Coleman Foundation to integrate entrepreneurship classes into requirements for several of its technical programs, including carpentry, graphic design and communications, welding and automotive collision technology. Content will focus on feasibility, marketing and business plan. The college will also offer a non-credit class to the public

Sioux Falls Hilton Garden Inn opens

The Hilton Garden Inn Downtown, a fivestory hotel located in downtown Sioux Falls, S D , developed by Sioux Falls-based Hegg Cos and Lloyd Cos., has opened for business. The hotel includes 136 guest rooms, 6,000 feet of meeting space and a restaurant/bar that features a video wall and an outside patio with fireplace The restaurant will be managed by Sioux Fallsbased Pinnacle Hospitality Hegg Cos will manage the hotel

Bell State among best banks to work for in US

Fargo-based Bell State Bank & Trust has been ranked among the 35 best banks to work for in the country The financial institution ranked fifth among banks with assets under $3 billion on a list compiled by America Banker Magazine and

Best Companies Group, which based their rankings largely on employee surveys

Sanford Health announces world clinic in China

Sanford Health is collaborating with a state-owned company in Kunming, China, to develop a pediatric clinic as part of its world clinics initiative The two-story, 18,000 square foot Sanford World Clinic in Kunming will have the capacity to hold up to 10 primary care pediatric physicians State-owned YMCI Calmette will own the facility and Sanford World Clinic will manage the day-to-day operations and provision of medical services The clinic will also have connection to Sanford Health in South Dakota. Zhiguang Guo, a research scientist with Sanford, prev iously worked w ith YMCI Calmette physicians and made possible the connection between the two entities.

St. Paul-based contractor, engineer expands to Fargo area

St Paul, Minn -based industrial general contractor and engineering firm Corval Group recently opened a location in Hawley, Minn., located about 20 minutes east of Fargo-

Moorhead The company said its new location will allow it to more easily market its capabilities to an expanding client base in the area, including oil and gas clients.

California developer relocates to Minot, begins Tioga hotel project

Graham Development Co. recently relocated its permanent headquarters from California to Minot, N D , and has begun construction of an 89-room Mainstay Suites extended stay hotel in Tioga, N D , located in the heart of the Bakken region The hotel will be managed by Indianabased Dora Hospitality Graham Development plans to begin building an identical hotel in Stanley, N D , in the spring

DSU offers MBA in flexible format

Dakota State University has begun offering a master’s of business administration in a HyFlex format, allowing students to virtually attend face-to-face classes at University Center Sioux Falls. The format was selected to better serve students who also work full-time jobs The HyFlex format allows students to attend face-to-face classes if they choose, but will not limit them to one type of course delivery method throughout the program.

Delta adds Rapid City-Atlanta route

Rapid City Regional Airport announced

Delta Airlines will add nonstop air service from Rapid City, S.D., to Atlanta beginning June 7. Service will run through Aug 30 Cameron Humphries, airport executive director, said the added service will provide a boost for the area ’ s tourism industry by allowing more convenient access for tourists from Europe and elsewhere via Atlanta, which is the world’s busiest airport

ND named best-run state two years in a row

An annual survey conducted by 24/7 Wall St ranked North Dakota the best-run state for the second consecutive year. The survey evaluates fiscal management, taxes, exports and GDP growth by sectors as well as quality of life components. Wyoming, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah filled out the top five slots on the survey. Minnesota ranked seventh among all states South Dakota was ranked ninth

Sanford, Beacom donate $5 million for DSU tech center

T. Denny Sanford and Miles Beacom have pledged to donate $5 million to Madison, S D ’ s Dakota State University to turn the Madison Community Hospital into the Beacom Institute of Technology building The facility will include a secure compartmented information facility (SCIF), which will allow faculty and students to perform secure work for the government and will be one of only 20 such facilities in the nation, according to the university

Sanford is the owner and founder of First Premier Bank and the benefactor of Sanford Health Beacom is the President and CEO of Premier Bankcard and a graduate of DSU Their $5 million gift makes them the university’s largest donors

Allegiant adds Fargo-Tampa Bay service

Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Co. has added service from Fargo to Tampa Bay, Fla , via St Pete-Clearwater International Airport Flights are offered twice weekly. The added service brings the number of Allegiant destinations from Fargo to five

St. Alexius CEO named ‘leader to know’

Gary Miller, president and CEO for St Alexius Medical Center in Bismarck, N.D., has been recognized in Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the 300 Hospital and Health System Leaders to Know Leaders named to the list are recognized for showing dedication to health care delivery at local, regional and national levels

Miller joined St Alexius in 1984 as director of fiscal and information systems. In 1988 he became chief financial officer He served as senior vice president and chief financial officer before being named to his current position in 2011 He serves on a number of boards of directors in the Bismarck area and is a member of many community organizations

Engelman named NDGT vice president, commercial services

Andrew Engelman has been promoted to vice president of the commercial services unit at North Dakota Guaranty and Title Co in Bismarck, N D His promotion coincides with the launch of the new commercial services unit, created to address the growing title needs of the commercial, industrial and energy segments of North Dakota’s economy. Engelman joined NDGT in 2009 as a residential title officer and served most recently as commercial title officer

Wangler named assistant controller at St. Alexius

Nathan Wangler recently joined St. Alexius medical center in Bismarck, N.D., as the assistant controller in fiscal operations In this role, he will assist in the completion of the annual budget preparation, complete quarterly bond disclosure information and coordinate activities with independent auditors in addition to other duties

Wangler is a certified public accountant and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Minnesota State University Moorhead Before joining St Alexius, he was a financial analyst with the North Dakota Insurance Department.

Ritz receives Spirit of Sioux Falls award

Larry Ritz, a retired partner at the former Henry Scholten and Co accounting firm, was presented with the 2013 Spirit of Sioux Falls (S D ) award during the Sioux Falls Development Foundation annual meeting on Nov. 21. The award recognizes leadership excellence and dedication to the Sioux Falls business community and its economic growth.

Ritz is a member and past president of the South Dakota CPA Society, former president of the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, and has served on the board of directors for multiple organizations, including the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, Junior Achievement, the South Dakota Airshow and others.

His fundraising efforts have benefited multiple organizations, including the United Way, South Dakota Achieve, the University of Sioux Falls and Habitat for Humanity, among others. His community leadership has been recognized with honors from Junior Achievement, the South Dakota CPA Society, the Cosmopolitan Club of Sioux Falls and the South Dakota National Guard He is also a recipient of the South Dakota Governor’s Philanthropist of the Year award

NDSU architecture professor among most admired educators

Stephen Wischer, associate professor of architecture and landscape architecture at North Dakota State University, has been named by DesignIntelligence as one of the 30 Most Admired Educators for 2014 The award honors excellence in education and education administration. Honorees are selected by DesignIntelligence staff with input from thousands of design professionals, academic department heads and students

Wischer joined NDSU in 2005. He is a graduate of the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary

Skabo, Kivisto promoted at MDU

Jay Skabo has been appointed vice president of electric supply at Montana-Dakota Utilities Co

Nicole Kivisto has been appointed vice president of operations.

Skabo served most recently as vice president of operations, a position he has held since 2008

He joined the company in 2003 as an environmental manager. He will replace Andrea Stomberg, who will retire Jan 3 after working 23 years with the company

Kivisto served most recently as vice president, controller and chief accounting officer, a position she has held since 2010 She joined the company in 1995.

Wells Fargo names new business banking managers, Sioux Falls market president

Curt Zaske has been named business banking manager and market president for Wells Fargo in Sioux Falls, S.D. Amange Aware has been promoted to business banking manager

Zaske joined Wells Fargo in 1977 Since 2006, he has served as a business banking manager for parts of Sioux Falls and Worthington, Minn.

Aware joined Wells Fargo in 2002 He served most recently as a relationship manager for the business banking team.

Gate City Bank hires 2, promotes 2

Gate City Bank has hired Amy Durbin as the marketing manager for its headquarters in downtown Fargo A native of West Fargo, Durbin received an accounting degree from Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Moorhead, Minn She has 15 years of marketing experience

Kim Settel has been hired as the personal lending assistant manager for the bank’s downtown Fargo headquarters Settel is a native of Sabin, Minn , and earned a degree in mass communications from Minnesota State University Moorhead

Karin Rudd has been promoted to assistant to the chairman/president. A native of Fargo, she earned a degree in English writing from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn She has worked at Gate City Bank since 2007

Janet Mindt has been promoted to senior customer service and sales supervisor of the bank’s Veterans Boulevard location in West Fargo, which will open in 2014. Mindt joined the bank as a teller in 2004 and has since served in a variety of positions, most recently as personal banking supervisor at the bank’s Hornbacher’s at Village West office