May your business be blessed

Five months into 2021 and so much has already happened in the world – including the world of business. Many of the topics that continue to make headlines are those that deal with health care and vaccine manufacturing and distribution.

As recent news attest, “America’s race against the virus and its variants now relies on our ability to flawlessly manufacture hundreds of millions of doses of the new mRNA vaccines – at warp speed,” writes Amy Feldman in an article in Forbes, noting that recent quality control issues at some plants are stark reminders that “manufacturing medicine is not easy.”

Closer to home, researchers at the University of North Dakota are excited about the recent discovery of two superantigens that, along with a “helper” molecule, have shown in testing to decrease tumors and dramatically lengthen the lives of mice with cancer.

What that means for humans is extraordinary to think about.

“It’s a promising way to induce the body’s own immune system to effectively fight tumors,” according to reporting by Sam Easter, who dives further into Prairie Business’s cover story about clinical trials being done in the region.

Other trend stories in the May issue include what some of the region’s insurance experts are noticing in the insurance market, namely the increasing popularity of cyber liability, in part because so many employees are working remotely; and what human resource experts are doing to keep employees engaged and feel like part of the team even while away from the office. Our friend Erica Johnsrud at Dale Carnegie of North Dakota piggy-backs off this latter story with a column about how companies can help make their workforce more agile in these stressful times.

She leads off her expert advice, writing: “In today’s ever-changing work environments, organizations must act on information quickly, make decisions, and implement change to meet the rapidly evolving requirements of customer and employee engagement.”

Stories about a soon-to-be graduate of North Dakota State College of Science, a peek inside the new offices at Enclave, and the plans of McGough Construction to expand its market reach are other stories readers will find within these pages.

And there’s more, of course.

It’s a good way to kick off the fifth month of 2021, a month that, in another vein, reminds some people of the impact pop culture has on society. There’s a fun saying by Star Wars fans when May rolls around: “May the Fourth be with you,” they say on May 4.

But there’s another saying, this one from Prairie Business, directed at its many friends across the region and one it wishes you all month long: “May your business be blessed.”

Until next time, Andrew Weeks

I look forward to hearing from you at aweeks@prairiebusinessmagazine.com or 701-780-1276.

PUBLISHER KORRIE WENZEL

AD DIRECTOR STACI LORD

EDITOR

ANDREW WEEKS

CIRCULATION MANAGER BETH BOHLMAN

LAYOUT DESIGN JAMIE

Grand Forks, ND 58203. Subscriptions are available free of charge. Back issue quantities are limited and subject to availability ($2/copy prepaid). The opinions of writers featured in Prairie Business are their own. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, artwork are encouraged but will not be returned without a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

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