Archive for July, 2010
Advance of Oil
What’s different between the N.D. boom of ’80s and now? Story by DEB DRAGSETH Organic rich sediment, layers of earth, pressure, heat and a few million years is the recipe for making oil. Extracting that oil has been a preoccupation of man since the first known oil wells were drilled in China around 3000 B.C. [...]
Untangling Reform: Local employers focus on different aspects of health bill’s effects
Story by CHRISTOPHER BJORKE Perrie Schafer has a plan for finding out how the federal health care bill will affect his business: reading it. It is not as simple as it sounds. The bill is around 2,500 pages of provisions, regulations, requirements, incentives and penalties. Since it passed in March, Schafer, who owns a financial [...]
The Pride of Stanley
Small town reaps benefits of oil, stays true to self Story by TINA DING Seems change is inevitable — particularly to a small town facing an influx of oil workers, oilrigs and pipelines. Frequently, trucks rumble through town, albeit utilizing the truck bypass instead of Main Street. Established “man camps” commonly house seasonal workers and [...]
Innovators in Investment: American Bank Center grows alongside Investment Centers of America
Story and photography by MAXINE HERR If you’ve lived in this state for any length of time, you have likely heard — or even stated yourself — “North Dakota is full of good, honest people.” So what happens when those good, honest people become the core of your business? You get 25 years … and [...]
N.D. sees increase in international travel and interest
International interest in North Dakota as a travel destination, specifically for adventure and western attractions, continues to accelerate, according to Fred Walker, international travel marketing manager with North Dakota Tourism. Since January, Walker has attended international travel shows in Norway; Sweden; Denmark; Switzerland; Germany; Australia; Great Falls, Mont.; and Orlando, Fla. This was the third [...]
Entrepreneurship in the Nation of Israel
BY KAREL SOVAK While the word itself may have its origins in France, the Israelis are taking “entrepreneurship” to a new level. A recent visit to the nation of Israel revealed just how alive and well start-ups are doing in that country. In Dan Senor and Saul Singer’s book “Startup Nation,” much information is given [...]
WCCO Belting overcomes challenges to earn national award
World Watch column by JEFF ZENT Tom Shorma, president and CEO of Wahpeton-based WCCO Belting Inc., has racked up plenty of frequent-flyer miles traveling the world to build a global customer base for his company’s rubber belting products. His efforts to expand the family business have paid off with a growing list of customers in [...]
Minnesota plant will produce fertilizer from wind
MORRIS, Minn. — The winds sweeping across the Northern Plains could soon help farmers fertilize their crops of corn, wheat and sorghum. Minnesota researchers have designed a $3.75 million carbon-free system that uses wind power from a towering turbine to produce anhydrous ammonia, a common nitrogen-based fertilizer. It’s a perfect supply-and-demand match, since the region [...]
Business inventories rise 0.4 percent in April
WASHINGTON (AP) — Inventories held by businesses rose for a fourth consecutive month in April while total business sales increased for a 13th consecutive month. The Commerce Department said that inventories were up 0.4 percent in April after a revised estimate of a 0.7 percent gain in March. Total business sales rose 0.6 percent in [...]
Feds giving money for fight against grasshoppers
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The federal government is setting aside extra money to combat an expected outbreak of grasshoppers this summer in Nebraska, the Dakotas and other states. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a news release that nearly $11 million is being made available primarily for aerial and ground applications of insecticide where outbreaks [...]
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