A special election on April 19th will give Bismarck residents a chance to cast their vote for health and growth for the city. A comprehensive smoke free ordinance was passed by the Bismarck City Commission during the summer of 2010, expanding a limited 2005 smoke free ordinance to now protect workers at bars, truck stops, hotels, and clubs. After the ordinance was passed, the required signatures were collected for a referral vote which will be held April 19.

A public opinion survey by the American Lung Association in North Dakota showed 72 percent of Bismarck voters support a comprehensive smoke free ordinance and 92.25 percent said they would go out to smoke-free bars and restaurants as much or more than they currently do.

Mayor Warford, one of the four city commissioners to support passage of the ordinance stated, “I am supporting this ordinance because I think it is the right thing. It is our job as a city commission to look at the big picture from a health and safety standpoint.”

(Doing Business is generated from reports by The Bismarck Tribune and news from around the region. To see your business news in Business Briefs, e-mail press releases to kristin.wilson@bismarcktribune. com.)

City business development director Ellen Huber said goals for 2011 include the redevelopment of city-owned parcels on the corner of Collins and Main, the privately owned Iverson Building and the former Mandan Supply and Equipment site.

“There are also excellent opportunities on Memorial Highway and the I-94 corridor,” Huber said.

“Mandan needs to increase its retail base to increase sales tax collections to decrease property taxes,” she said.

She favors initiatives like the proposed Memorial Highway corridor improvements, an expo center, recreation center or some other mechanism to attract traffic and retail.

Mandan will build upon its agriculture, energy, tourism, transportation, processing, information technology, medical and government services, she said. Existing businesses have a niche in the oil boom by supplying products, parts and services in a competitive and timely manner, she said.

Huber said the joint community marketing effort “Made in Mandan” will be used to boost the community’s pride and its image.

City commissioners will discuss a noise ordinance early in 2011.

Efforts to clean up the diesel contamination caused by a Burlington Northern railroad spill continue. “We are nearing 2 million pounds of hydrocarbons removed from the subsurface,” said Jim Neubauer, city administrator and member of the Mandan Remediation Trust.

Neubauer said the North Dakota Health Department is closing in on a site closure plan, but it is too early to say when diesel recovery equipment can be decommissioned.

A booster station will be built at the south side reservoir to improve water pressure for southeast residents, Neubauer said.

(Doing Business is generated from reports by The Bismarck Tribune and news from around the region. To see your business news in Business Briefs, e-mail press releases to kristin.wilson@bismarcktribune. com.)

Nikki Lamb and the FormulaNow team

We’ve all heard that famous quip about inventions being 99 percent perspiration and one percent genius – but a handful of area innovators recently honored by North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven can perhaps identify with Thomas Edison’s reasoning a little better than most.

On May 19, five people were named winners of the third annual Innovate ND competition, earning $10,000 in prize money as well as a package of in-kind services from area professionals to help establish and/or improve their fledgling businesses.

The winners are Nic Cruz of Mandan; Bob Heitkamp of Mantador; Nikki Lamb of West Fargo; Joe Williams of Fairborn, Ohio; and Paul Wolf of Mandan. Innovate ND was created in 2006 by Gov. Hoeven in partnership with the ND Department of Commerce, the UND Center of Innovation, and the UND Entrepreneur Department.

This year’s winners were selected from a fi eld of 95 entrants after providing a written summary of their invention or business and giving an oral presentation to the competition’s 12 judges.

“This program shows that innovators and entrepreneurs are alive and well and hard at work in North Dakota,” Gov. Hoeven said.

“These entrepreneurs are helping to build our future. They are innovative people who have a promising business idea and the desire to build that venture right here in our state.”

Here is a closer look at four of the winners from this year’s competition (Editor’s note: Nikki Lamb, creator of an infant formula dispensing system called FormulaNow, was unavailable to discuss her product by time of publication). Nic Cruz – CiNcity Designs LLC Two years ago, Nic Cruz says the idea for his business came looking for him – literally – over the Internet.

Cruz says while he was supporting his wife through chemotherapy sessions in Bismarck, he was surprised one day to open his e-mail inbox to fi nd a message from a man in Florida. The man had seen pictures online of a set of custom headlights Cruz had created for one of his old cars, and wanted to pay Cruz to do the same work for his own vehicle.

“That’s when the light bulb clicked on and I thought I might be able to do what I used to do for fun and make a little extra cash to make up for my wife not having work,“ Cruz said. And so, CiNcity Designs (the “N” is capitalized because he used his first name spelled backwards to create the title) was born after that first unintentional sale that ended with several thousand dollars in Cruz’s pocket and dreams of making his hobby his career.

Soon, Cruz was able to leave his private sector job and focus solely on growing his new company and expanding the product line.

Today, Cruz conducts his business largely on various Internet sites like MySpace and YouTube, where he posts photos and videos of custombuilt headlights and taillights. Cruz says for the most part, the business has grown simply by word of mouth and a large online presence.

He estimates just over 200 sets of custom lights have been assembled and shipped from his Mandan shop to customers in 21 countries – something Cruz says is a strong testament to his business.

“Having people contact us from non-English speaking countries to have a small shop from North Dakota do work for them speaks for itself,” Cruz said. “We must be doing something right!”

Cruz said the prize winnings from the Innovate ND contest will help cover costs to attend a large auto show in Las Vegas this year. He also plans to work on developing a line of LED home furnishings as well as a clothing line for the brand.

Bob Heitkamp – Site Saver

It was an extended hospital stay and an insurance form that combined to inspire Mantador entrepreneur Bob Heitkamp’s winning invention. During his 17-day hospitalization, Heitkamp needed to have an intravenous (IV) line inserted in his hand following two pulmonary emboli, and he found there to be problems with the stability and comfort of his IV.

So, Heitkamp sketched the first prototype of his Site Saver apparatus, which he said helps healthcare workers insert IV lines with more ease, provides more comfort for the patient and helps reduce the chance of the IV line slipping out of place.

The Site Saver is a small plastic support system, which Heitkamp says stabilizes and grips the tubing that delivers intravenous fluids into the body. Heitkamp, who lives in Mantador with his wife and two children, says creating the product was a new experience for him.

“I like trying new things and finding better ways to do things, but this is my first actual invention,” he said. Heitkamp has since started the company Midwest Applied Technologies and has trademarked the Site Saver name. He’s also filed necessary patents that would allow him to market the product to more than 180 countries.

The product is being tested by various medical personnel, but the feedback he’s already received has been “phenomenal.”

In addition to being named an Innovate ND Idea champion, Heitkamp also won the 2009 Marketplace for Entrepreneurs Northern Plains Invention Contest in January.

Paul Wolf – Light Check

Buying a boat gave North Dakota native Paul Wolf the chance to enjoy summers on the water – but it also introduced him to an irksome but necessary task: testing the lights on the trailer used to pull that boat behind a vehicle.

Making sure lights work on a boat trailer generally requires hooking the trailer up to a car and having one person sit inside it turning blinkers and brake lights on and off and having another person outside making sure all is working properly.

To Wolf, the process seemed a little too complicated. “I thought there had to be a simpler way to test trailer lights,” he said.

“I decided to purchase some sort of small device that could be connected to the trailer lights and allow testing them without needing a towing vehicle or second person. I was surprised that I could not find such a device, other than very expensive ones designed for large commercial trailers–so, I built one.”

What Wolf built is called the Light Check. The external, portable device works by connecting to trailer wiring and testing for shorts and failures in the trailer’s lights – no second person inside a car required. After he saw how well the device worked for his own situation, Wolf realized there were great possibilities for the product.

“After building the first one, I realized that there are millions and millions of trailers in use and that millions of people might be looking for a similar device,” he said.

Wolf is now hoping to develop and market the Light Check nationwide – and someday, worldwide. He’s also hoping to keep the development and manufacture of this and any other future products right here in North Dakota.

Joe Williams – Micro Systems Technologies

Developing technology is something Joe Williams is very familiar with. The Fairborn, Ohio, resident spent 23 years in the United States Air Force working to develop various technologies that are still being used by the USAF. But, after several years of working for other people, Williams decided he was ready to take on the risk of owning his own business, and started Micro System Technologies in hopes of bringing new and valuable technology from research to the market in a timely fashion.

Williams’ current project is a biosensor that can be used to detect low levels of chemical vapors. Williams said the major component of the biosensor is a biocartridge, which contains oceanic plant cells that can be modified to be extremely sensitive and react to small amounts of specific chemical vapors.

“Basically, the technology would detect very low chemical vapor concentrations that harm society and our resources,” Williams said. “[The sensor] allows a proactive response to eliminate or greatly reduce the effect the material would cause if undetected.”

Williams has high hopes that his technology could help save crops, water and even human lives because it would quickly alert its users of potentially dangerous substances that may be present.

“I believe this bio/nano technology will have a huge effect on today’s world and provide a means to limit loss of resource from chemical and biological agents,” Williams said. Williams is partnering with Dr. David Nivens to develop the technology, and is looking for investors.

In addition to being named a winner of the ND Innovators contest, Williams and Nivens were awarded the International Innovation Award from the Kuwait/Middle East Science community and received the Outstanding Inventor Award from the World Intellectual Property Organization, both in 2007.

Story by CAROLYN MOORE

Montana plants less wheat

BILLINGS, Mont. _ Montana farmers appear to be planting less wheat this year, partly because they need to recharge the soil after planting back-to-back wheat crops to take advantage of high commodity prices.
Interest is increasing in pulse crops that don’t need fertilizer and naturally put nitrogen back into the soil. Montana Farmers responding to the U.S. Department of Agriculture prospective plantings survey last month said they planned to plant 125,000 acres of lentils this year, up from 83,000 a year ago.
The state also plants a quarter of a million acres of peas annually. That crop was expected to increase by 15,000 acres. Despite the decline in acres planted, wheat remains Montana’s most planted crop. All wheat varieties combined should account for nearly 5.3 million crop acres in 2009, down 450,000 acres from last year.
Wheat pushed a lot of crops out in 2008 and the state’s wheat harvest totaled over $1 billion for the first time. Hay acreage this year is 108 percent of the 2008 planted area. The number had been on the decline as wheat prices soared.

APUC to review $760k in grants

A group that funds developers of North Dakota farm products will consider nearly $760,000 in grant requests at its quarterly meeting in Bismarck next month.
The Agricultural Products Utilization Commission, a program of the Commerce Department, will review 11 projects on May 14 and 15.
The largest grant request is from West Fargo-based Composite Innovations that wants $191,000 to develop “a pultruded composite utility pole reinforcement product using North Dakota biobased materials.”

Flooding increases anthrax concerns

Statewide flooding increases the probability that anthrax will appear this State University Extension Service veterinarian Charlie Stoltenow says. The region’s first anthrax case of the season usually appears in June and is most often found in a herd that has not been vaccinated.
The anthrax vaccine is very effective and safe, according to Stoltenow. It will not cause anthrax in animals and is not dangerous to humans. He advises producers to contact their veterinarian about getting their livestock vaccinated before they go out onto pasture.
Weather conditions such as heavy rainfall, flooding or drought may make the disease more widespread. Rain and flooding can raise the spores to the ground’s surface, where livestock graze.
Drought conditions can lead to soil erosion, which also allows spores to resurface. For more information, contact Stoltenow at (701) 231-7522 or HYPERLINK “mailto:charles.stoltenow@ ndsu.edu” charles. stoltenow@ndsu.edu or Neil Dyer, director of the NDSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, at (701) 231- 7521 or HYPERLINK “mailto:neil.dyer@ndsu.edu” neil.dyer@ndsu.edu.

Producers may get assistance

Livestock and honey producers may be eligible for assistance under the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program according to Kyle DuFault, Acting State Executive Director for Farm Service Agency.
The 2008 Farm Bill created five new disaster programs for agricultural producers, one of which is the Emergency Livestock Assistance Program (ELAP). ELAP provides emergency relief to livestock and honey producers because of losses due to disease and adverse weather that are not covered by other disaster programs.
Even though the program regulations and policy have not been developed for ELAP, producers should document losses that may be compensated under ELAP.
“Producers should seriously consider vaccinating their animals before spring turnout this year,” North Dakota summer officials say.

By Tina Ding

Emanuel Culman sought a change of pace. An Englishman, he and his wife settled in Los Angeles for a number of years before committing to a lifestyle change. Enlisting an astrologer friend’s help, they discovered they were suited to live along the 48th parallel – which brought them to North Dakota. After discovering and purchasing the Beach movie theater, they plunged forward to bring both a new vision and a lifetime’s experience in literary artistry – drama, music, and writing – to Beach.

Encouraged by his wife, and supported by the local community, Culman applied for and received an energy grant, enabling him to replace the heating system throughout and later utilized Rural Business Enhancement Grant, or RBEG, funding to update the sound system.

“There was a real jewel here,” Bijou Theatre owner Emanuel Culman said. “The place was adorable, but run down – with a couple of projectors, a big screen, and a lot of seats.”

The community warmed to Culman’s cultural endeavor, and the show house seats now fill up with local townspeople enjoying cinema movies, band performances, and various theatrical events.

New business booms in Beach, with twenty new businesses taking root since 2006. And for a town with a population of 1,116, the business leaders came from a variety of places. Some returned to this hometown as families as others sought a bit of North Dakota’s hospitality.

Returning to his wife’s hometown, chiropractor Dr. Jacob Houkop built his practice in Beach, offering the community chiropractic care, acupuncture, cranial therapy, and nutritional counsel. Emanuel Culman’s wife, Cheryl Planert, operates a life coaching practice, Dakota Lights, where she instructs Kundalini Yoga and teaches health mastery.

Frustrated with raising four children in fast-paced Las Vegas, mother Natalie Maruato packed up her family and headed for the Midwest. After soul searching a bit, she recognized her talents and passions lay in cooking. Married to a Mexican man, Maruato combined experience in cooking cultural foods with memories of her grandmother’s catering business, and LaPlaya was born.

“I found this old building in Beach and felt it was right,” Maruato said. “The locals are now addicted to our chips and salsa, although we serve a variety of other authentic Mexican foods.”

Culman and Maruato have collaborated with dinner and movie nights, but each give credit of their success to Ron Newman, regional director for the Small Business Development Center in Dickinson for sharing business expertise with them as well as assisting them with creative funding for their businesses.

Thinking Beach could use a shipping shop, Val and Tara Craigo returned to their hometown seeking funding options as well. Opening SPS Worldwide, they provide UPS drop-off and pick-up services, carry an inventory of both packing and shipping supplies, and will sell items on eBay for customers.

“We pitched a presentation to the Prairie West Foundation and to SouthWest REAP (Rural Economic Area Partnership),” said SPS Worldwide owner Val Craigo. “We secured $2,500 from each as well as tak(ing) advantage of the Renaissance Zone tax break, which helped get our business going.”

With this influx of business owners and families settling into the community, housing has become an issue. Even as retirees or seniors move from their homes and into assisted living facilities, homes do not become available. Families tend to hang onto the home – should grandparents decided to return – merely dropping utilities and winterizing the home.

“When something comes available, usually it’s taken quickly,” Prairie West Development Foundation Executive Director Debra Walworth said. “Beach is fortunate to have what it does – plumbers, electricians, and contractors; however, we are desperate for additional housing.”

Walworth said the towns of Mott, Hettinger, and Regent Struggle with similar housing situations.

Seems that anything happening in southwestern North Dakota impacts the other cities in the region,” said Walworth. “Everything is cohesive and washes over.”

In an effort to determine the actual housing needs for this area, seven counties made up of 23 communities have combined efforts to have a regional housing demand analysis performed. North Dakota Housing Finance Agency Director of Planning Jolene Kline said the analysis should be complete early spring 2009.

Since innovative new businesses thrive in this cultural gateway to North Dakota, the timing is right. Developers or contractors are apt to find success as they, too, build and establish new business in Beach.

Some corn still in the ground

North Dakota farmers planted 2.25 million acres of corn this year. That’s not a record acreage, but this year’s per-acre yield is so good that the crop is expected to be a record 284 million bushels. The amount of corn left in the fi eld over the winter could total 20 million bushels worth about $60 million, based on $3-per-bushel price. About 10 percent of North Dakota’s corn crop is still in the fi eld and probably won’t be harvested this year because of snow, corn growers say.

Some farmers in the Red River Valley saw corn yields of 180 bushels or more per acre. The lighter, drier soils in central and western North Dakota yield less than 100 bushels an acre.

Pilot program for bee crop insurance
The USDA Risk Management Agency announced two newly developed crop insurance pilot programs for beekeepers beginning in crop year 2009. The new insurance products are area index programs intended to offset the loss of the value of apiculture including honey production, collection of pollen, wax, and breeding using either a rainfall or a vegetation index.

The new program is available in North Dakota and about 20 other states. The program does not insure against Colony Collapse Disorder, a mysterious phenomenon killing off hives worldwide. For more information, go to www.rma.usda.gov/policies/ri-vi/apiculture.html.

TB identified in ND herd
The North Dakota Department of Agriculture announced in early December that a North Dakota beef herd located in the southwestern part of the state is being tested for bovine tuberculosis following the identifi cation of a cow from that herd with a TB lesion at a Minnesota meat processing plant.

The state veterinarian urged producers not to be alarmed, adding that every single animal at the ranch will be tested. North Dakota has been offi cially TB free since Jan. 1, 1976; that status remains in effect as long as no other herds are found with TB within two years of the depopulation of the original herd.

Irrigation survey coming
On Jan. 12, 2009, National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will mail an irrigation survey to 35,000 producers nationwide. Recipients are required to complete and return their forms by Feb. 17, 2009. The Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey will give producers the opportunity to speak out about their water usage.

The irrigation survey, which is a supplement to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, will for the fi rst time include a focus on nursery and horticultural operations. NASS will collect information about irrigation water use during 2008, including application methods, equipment, facilities, expenditures, crop acreage and yield. This information is used by industry, government, and producers themselves, aiding in the development of improved technology, better equipment, more effi cient water use practices, and sound programs and policies.

Grants for schools available
North Dakota schools are encouraged to apply for funds for starting a school garden or greenhouse project through the Green and Growing Initiative. Ag Commissioner Roger Johnson said grants of $500 to $1,000 will be available on a competitive basis.

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) has allocated $5,000 for the program in 2009. Grant applications must be received by Jan. 15. The grants will be announced in February. Schools and other organizations interested in the program should contact Sue Balcom at NDDA at (701) 328-4763 or suebalcom@ nd.gov.

Johnson wants carbon tax credits for ag and industrial projects Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson asked Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., to introduce legislation that would make tax credits for carbon sequestration available to agricultural and industrial projects.

Johnson urged Dorgan to propose an amendment to a subsequent economic stimulus package or to include language in a forthcoming piece of energy legislation that would make industrial and agricultural processing facilities that capture and store carbon eligible for the carbon sequestration tax credit.
- Compiled by staff and Associated Press reports

Oil production still high

Natural gas pipeline gets support
The state Industrial Commission wants the Public Service Commission to decide against it having jurisdiction over the site of the Prairie Rose pipeline, to speed up its development. A subsidiary of a Houston company wants to build the natural gas line from Palermo to Towner in northwestern North Dakota.

The new pipeline would hook up with the existing Alliance line that carries natural gas from western Canada to Chicago. State Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms says the line needs to be built as quickly as possible to prevent the wasting of more than 21 million cubic feet of natural gas each day.

Otter Tail purchasing wind project
Otter Tail Power Co. can buy part of a Luverne wind project near Valley City, state regulators say. The Luverne project has a 157-megawatt generation capability and was proposed by M-Power LLC of Finley; M-Power has been selling ownership to local investors.

Otter Tail is buying 49.5 megawatts of production, including 33 turbines. The project will be the fi rst communitybased wind development in North Dakota, said Public Service Commissioner Tony Clark.

Drilling to hit record high
The state may set a record for drilling permits in 2008, according to the assistant director of the state Industrial Commission’s oil and gas divisions.

Bruce Hicks told the commission the agency will issue more than 1,100 permits in 2008; the previous high was set in 1981. There are 93 rigs producing 178,000 barrels of oil a day in western North Dakota, according to Lynn Helms, state mineral resources director.

Recoverable oil estimates rise
The government recently estimated that 200 million barrels of oil can be recovered in the Williston Basin in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. That’s compared with a 1995 estimate of 150 million barrels using technology at that time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The estimate is separate of the Bakken shale formation assessment, completed in April, which said up to 4.3 billion barrels of oil could be recovered from that area.

North Dakota wind center to double in size
Basin Electric Power Cooperative announced it will join with FPL Energy to expand the Wilton Wind Energy Center. The center will double in size in the next two years, said Ron Harper, CEO and general manager of the cooperative.

There are 33 wind turbines in Wilton that began operating in 2006. Basin is also in the process of developing an additional 300 megawatts of wind generation in both Dakotas, Harper said. The company also has two coal-based power plants being developed: Dry Fork Station and one in Selby, S.D.

South Dakota pipeline task force cannot regulate
A pipeline task force created by the South Dakota Legislature was told recently that it cannot regulate construction and operation of interstate pipelines. The state can ask the federal government for that authority, said state lawyer John Smith, lead counsel for the Public Utilities Commission.

The PUC has the authority to decide the Trans-Canada Keystone Pipeline route, but cannot regulate design and construction of the pipeline through North Dakota, Smith said. The pipeline will run from Alberta to refi neries in Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma.

Proposal deals with precious minerals
Surface owners who have land above deposits of precious minerals such as uranium would get more protection under a law the Industrial Commission agreed to propose to the Legislature. The bill would provide similar protections given to surface owners who have land above oil, natural gas and coal deposits, said Lynn Helms, the director of the Department of Mineral Resources.

Minerals are not covered under that law. The law would give landowners the right to request environmental inspections from the department of health as well as require mineral owners to notify the landowner of any drilling activity 20 days prior and compensate the landowner for any damages among others.

Other minerals that could be mined in North Dakota and would be covered under the legislation include germanium, which is used in solar panels, potash, an ingredient in fertilizer, and salt, which hasn’t been mined in North Dakota since 1989, Helms said. State geologist Ed Murphy said three companies have expressed interest in mining for uranium in Billings County and Slope County.

Pipeline Authority seeks study
The North Dakota Pipeline Authority received proposals for a study that will investigate the feasibility of a third-party pipeline company interconnecting with either TransCanada’s Keystone or Keystone XL pipelines.

 The goals are to determine whether the pipeline system can be economically constructed and operated, as well as determining the timeline of the project and proposed route. The study is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2009. – Briefs compiled by Business Watch staff and from the Associated Press

From the midst of its surrounding beauty, Harvey gives abundantly to the larger world while maintaining its small-town profile.

Agriculture is the No. 1 industry in town.

City auditor Kim Moen said Harvey Farmer’s Elevator is one of the largest local employers. Value-added agriculture also brings new money to the community.

Grayson Hoberg, CEO of Dakota Prairie Organic Flour, can attest to that. Dakota Prairie Organic Flour/Earth Harvest Mills ships 36 specialty organic flours to locations in North America, South America and Asia. The company has been in business for three and a half years.

“People are looking for more healthy foods with fewer chemicals in them,” Hoberg said. “The consumption of organic foods goes up every year.”

The company now employees 16 people full-time (there were nine employees at the end of 2006). Hoberg said all customer bases are growing right now, and the company has hosted Japanese and Korean visitors who have come to see the mill.

“It’s great to have customers from all over the world,” he said. “We’ve been doubling the size of our company every year here.”

Dakota Prairie Organic Flour isn’t the only exporting company in Harvey. PK Sunflowers (a sister company to the planting seed company Proseed) sells wholesale hulled sunflowers across the nation and exports to Germany and other Scandinavian markets. Amberland Foods ships its soup mixes and wild berry jams overseas, too.

Then there’s North Dakota Branded Beef and Pack. This beef processing company is owned by Alvin and Juanita Braun but is separate from their Bismarck-based business, North Dakota Branded Beef.

Randy Walters, general manager of North Dakota Branded Beef and Pack, said the packing plant processes all the meat for North Dakota Branded Beef and has several other clients, too. The company is looking into international sales and wholesaling sausage products and meat labels.

Harvey is a good location for agricultural businesses because it’s centrally located for North Dakota farmers. Hoberg said the town is more than willing to help new business ventures like Dakota Prairie Organic Flour.

“The city of Harvey from an economic development standpoint wanted to make this project work,” he said. “The bankers and the city were very easy to work with.”

Businesses in Harvey’s downtown area have had the same kind of experience.

“They have been just wonderful,” said Marci Eckart, owner of a cozy antique store-coffee shop called Que Sera on Lincoln Avenue, the town’s main street. “At the time I started my business, Harvey’s main street didn’t look good. They wanted to make sure it thrives again.”

Que Sera has been open for about four years. Moen said it’s one of a few relatively new business ventures in the downtown area that seem to be doing pretty well.

“We haven’t developed the outskirts of town,” Moen said. “But our main street is second to none.”

Eckart said this may be due in part to the fact that people in Harvey are shopping more in town than they used to.

“Everybody remembers Harvey at its busiest, and everybody is sick of driving out of town, so we’re doing what we can to try to keep business in Harvey,” she said. “The mentality is changing.”

There are still some empty spaces downtown, but Moen said the city is working to fill the gaps. In 2006, the main street was redone. New streetlights, sidewalks and waterlines were part of the deal.

Updates and expansions have continued in other parts of the town. Moen said Canadian Pacific Railway, another of the town’s largest employers, recently built a new depot. In 2006, St. Aloisius Hospital added a new wing containing an emergency room, an enclosed ambulance garage and an updated radiology department.

One of the most exciting recent events was the kickoff of the Harvey Area Community Foundation this past December. Donations from three local banks and other sources raised a starting pot of $30,000.

The community foundation will make small grants to nonprofit organizations and government entities. It’s a friendly addition to an already wholesome community. Moen feels that in spite of downward trends for North Dakota’s rural towns, Harvey has a bright future.

“I still have that optimistic view,” she said. “It’s not going to be the way the trends show. People are going to see our traditional values and appreciate them.”