http://dev.in-forum.com http://dev.in-forum.com/gfx/masthead/masthead_logo.gif http://dev.in-forum.com http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9144 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9144 It was classic Doug Burgum: pragmatic, self-deprecating, visionary, and inspirational. The man who built Fargo's Great Plains software company into a $1.1 billion acquisition by Microsoft was holding sway at the conclusion of the two-day export conference at Fargo's Ramada Plaza Suites and Conference Center and his message was, again, timely and on target. http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9143 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9143 This department is intended for short clips and photos of recent, current, and future events in the Prairie Business region of coverage. http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9054 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9054 Ask any of the region’s leading marketing agency principals what’s changed in the world of marketing this last decade and they’ll gladly discuss market segmentation, media proliferation, shortened attention spans, and heightened accountability for the ROMI (Return On Marketing Investment). http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9148 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9148 North Dakota fossil hunters get down and dirty -- Sprawled face down in the hot sun and sweating profusely while painstakingly removing dirt with a large paintbrush around an embedded fossil is the dream of many. It is so significant a wish that people actually pay to participate in public fossil digs throughout the U.S. and in other parts of the world. http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9055 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9055 Somewhere in that shadowy world between science and poetry lies the art of marketing and a delicate dance performed by many partners. http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9149 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9149 At first glance, Watford City and Fort Totten State Historic Site don't appear to have much in common. Watford City, a small western North Dakota town on the edge of the Badlands, and Fort Totten, a state historical site on Fort Totten Indian Reservation in north central North Dakota, find common ground in their entrepreneurial efforts to strengthen the tourism industry in their respective areas. http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9150 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9150 Bricklayers from around the region were delighted, challenged, and inspired by the plans and concepts they saw when Schoen Associates of Grand Forks met with them to discuss a new condominium project in the heart of the city called The Brownstones. http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9057 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9057 It’s pretty likely that Pete Liewer’s sixth grade teacher had no idea what series of events she was setting in motion when she asked her class to create a bird mount as one of their science projects. http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9151 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9151 No one could have seen it coming. First, it was almost accepted that North and South Dakota would always have limited appeal for tourists, what with Minnesota's 10,000 lakes right next door, as well as abundant forests and the Mall of America. http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9060 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9060 A business idea has taken ever-clearer shape and your colleagues are telling you to go for it! But, nearly all the family savings will also go on the line if you choose to pursue it. How does one know what to do? http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9154 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9154 More dollars arriving in the countryside About eight years ago there was a novel idea floating around North Dakota -- why not encourage more tourists to enjoy the great outdoors and rich agricultural heritage of the Northern Plains? At the first conference on agritourism back in 1999, the concept was maybe intriguing but perhaps not embraced wholeheartedly. http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9153 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9153 If you're in the tourism business you pretty much understand that your marketing effort consists of 'attracting' people to your location so you can provide something of value (i.e. something they will pay good money to see, feel, smell, eat, hear, experience). It sounds simple, but a quick scan of people across the region who rely on tourists for their income will tell you that it's not easy . . . or cheap. http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9156 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9156 With more than 1,000 miles of hiking trails and an estimated 400 different bird species that migrate through the state each year, South Dakota can be considered a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9157 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9157 Some people mark milestone events in their lives by scheduling a balloon ride, sky diving, or maybe bungee jumping. Sue Farmer, who is passionate about state and county parks, scientific, natural, and wildlife areas, and state forests will commemorate her 60th birthday this July by riding her bicycle through 60 miles of scenic areas between Osakis and Fergus Falls. http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9158 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9158 Service isn't a big thing; it is a million little things. - Chris and Scott Mehlhaff The young couple on a pontoon drifted slowly along the horizon line between lake and sky.With their dreams basking in the glowing colors of a summer sunset, they looked wistfully at the shoreline. Some day . . . they mused . . . someday. http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9160 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9160 A compilation of news briefs from across the region http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9161 http://dev.in-forum.com/articles/rss.cfm?id=9161 It probably makes sense that this merry, merry month of May means big changes for Prairie Business -- again.