Celebrate Success

Some days, you attend an event and you walk away with a sense of renewal.  I hope that is how the attendees at today’s Celebrate Bismarck-Mandan event felt.  Today, we recognized our Small Businesses, Teachers, New Entrepreneurs and the Granite Award winner, The Tesoro Refinery. After a long summer of trials and tribulation, it was nice to sit back for a few minutes and reflect on the accomlishments of the business community.  While we selected winners, these folks are representative of the overall quality of the owners, managers and employees in Bismarck-Mandan. 

While we are having a rough summer, North Dakota is still the best place in the nation to do business with a  strong economy and low unemployment.  In North Dakota, you can still pursue the American dream…that seems to be fleeting reality in so many parts of our country.  We recognize this fact every day at our organization with the number of calls we take from those interested in moving here.  When I first came to Bismarck-Mandan, we maybe sent out 5 or 7 relocation packets a month.  Today, we are doing 17-20 a week. 

So, for a moment today, we paused.  We celebrated, clapped and gained some inspiration from those we recognized.  Almost all who started with very little and today run successful businesses contributing to our community. Thanks to all who shared the day with us.  Carry on.

 

 

 

How is Your Businesses Security?

In North Dakota, and probably the Great Plains, we really do not think a lot about the physical security of our buildings. In business, our thought is for easy access for our customers, employees and vendors.  For most of us, security gets a passing thought now and again when something happens.  However, as our community and state evolve, it is an issue that we should give additional consideration.  While we hope everyone that moves here will engage our North Dakota values, that’s probably not realistic.

What got me thinking about this issue?  Two things.  One, our tenant, the Safety Council recently had the windows on two vans smashed out overnight while they sat in our parking lot.  Second, we had a presentation from Don Ronsberg, the state’s Homeland Protective Security Advisory. 

He shared with our staff some interesting data about the changing demographics of our state.  He also shared with us some examples of tools that he can provide to business to help you evaluate your current “security posture”.  While none of like to consider the worst case scenario, it is important that as business owners and leaders, we consider the safety of employees in the workplace. 

While it is not time to ring an alarm bell, I do encourage you to stop and look around your business a bit and think about your current security measures.  What are you doing right and where do you need improvement?  I can also suggest that you give Don a call at Homeland Security.  It might sound intimading but he is a smart guy that can give you and informal or formal assessment at no charge.  It is part of his job to help businesses understand how to improve the security of your building and offices. 

Don can be reached at 701 516 3940.  And, to answer your question….yes, everything is confidential.  Information you share with Don and his recommendations are confidential between you and him and will not be shared in any way with anyone, anywhere at any time.