CARLA SCHWARTZENBERGER

Co-Owner Razor Consulting Solutions

Watford City, N.D.

A year after leaving her job at Microsoft to find a better work-life balance and help her husband start a trucking company, Carla Schwartzenberger was asked by a former co-worker if she’d be interested in a joint venture. She said yes, and Razor Consulting Solutions, a company focused on custom software design and professional services, was born.

“I finally have a position where I don’t feel like I’m going to work,” Schwartzenberger says. “I have a good work-life balance, and I get to have fun with technology every day.”

Before starting her own company, Schwartzenberger graduated from Bismarck (N.D.) State College with a degree in math and from University of Mary in Bismarck with a degree in management, which led her to a job at the U.S. Bank Service Center in Fargo, N.D. After a couple of years, she switched career paths for the technology industry, first working for a Microsoft Partner, then for Microsoft for five years. Schwartzenberger has also received a master’s in information systems from Minot (N.D.) State University.

“Earlier in my career, the most challenging part of my career was being a mother and trying to balance work and family. It felt like chaos and left me with no time for myself,” Schwartzenberger says. Starting Razor gave her the chance to work in the industry she loves while also setting the balance she and her family needed.

Schwartzenberger saw her company quickly grow, from two employees in 2012 to more than 40 today. “We’ve really looked for team members who have the same beliefs we do — work hard, work-life balance and career development. Razor would not be as successful as it is without our great team.”

In addition to Razor Consulting, Schwartzenberger owns a trucking company with her husband and a small part in Razor Tracking, a Fargo-based GPS-enabled fleet management company. “I take pride in being able to be a positive role model for my kids, showing them that hard work and dedication can lead to your success,” Schwartzenberger says.

Schwartzenberger is also a member of the Watford City, N.D., Boy Scout Troop 382 Committee. She and her husband, David, have three sons.