Tag archive for ‘Jeff Zent’
World Watch: N.D. farmers cultivate their own export markets
By Jeff Zent North Dakota’s producers and marketers of “identity-preserved” soybeans, peas, lentils and other value-added foods aren’t waiting for customers to come knocking on their farmhouse doors. They’re traveling to far-off countries including Japan, South Korea, Thailand, China and Turkey to win over new customers with their high-quality products. Driving their business — the [...]
Businesses should capitalize on R&D tax benefits
Businesses that enjoy long-term success invest in innovation. They’re in a constant state of reinvention, searching for new ways to improve their products and services and improve operational efficiencies. What many successful business leaders don’t realize is that their investments in research and development can often yield significant federal and state tax reductions. The federal [...]
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 [...]
N.D. exporters face challenges, but lead nation’s growth
By Jeff Zent During the State of the Union address in January, President Obama announced a bold plan to double America’s exports within five years. President Obama said boosting our exports is a “short-term imperative” to combat the economic crises, but added that enhancing our global competitiveness is also critical for the nation’s long-term prosperity. [...]
Students help drive North Dakota’s global commerce
By Jeff Zent Vineet Saxena bet his future and the future of his wife and two young daughters on the United States. In 2005, the accomplished global textiles trader bought four one-way tickets from India so that he could further his education and career opportunities at North Dakota State University. He researched universities and was [...]
Exports can offset market downturns
In the wake of the worst economic meltdown since the Great Depression, some of the region’s manufacturers, processors and service providers report that business is starting to rebound. From a local standpoint, North Dakota’s growing economy has kept many of the recession’s ill effects at bay, but companies that rely on national and international markets [...]
North Dakota economy draws international attention
World Watch By JEFF ZENT While North Dakota hasn’t gone unscathed from the global economic slowdown, it certainly is bucking the trends of high unemployment, unprecedented home foreclosures, business losses and government budget shortfalls that can be found in other parts of the country. It seems the rest of the nation wants to know how [...]
Developing global business is innovation in itself
With growing world demand for traceable foods, Bob Sinner, John Buchholz and a handful of other area farmers understood they could earn a premium price by producing crops that can be traced from the field to consumers’ plates. They took on the added risks of having to develop their own markets and produce crops that [...]
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