Oct 22PeopleHospitality
10 Questions with John Machacek: Nick Beste of Full Service Foods
From Mighty Spark to Village Salsa to a Hillsboro co-packer, Nick Beste talks scaling food brands, buying businesses and what he would tell his younger self.
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593 stories · Fresh off the pressOct 22
Sep 22BusinessesSoftware
Hidden-Gem AI Tools Worth Adding to Your Stack
ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, and the other major platforms receive most of the attention, but some of the most useful artificial intelligence products are designed for narrower jobs — verifying scientific papers, organizing interview notes, cleaning podcast audio, and more.
Sep 21PeopleStartups
SpaceBeacon Fargo: 10 Questions With Harvinder Kaur
John Machacek, Chief Innovation Officer for the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation, has worked with countless startups throughout our community over the years. Here are his 10 questions for Harvinder Kaur, Co-Founder and CEO, SpaceBeacon Inc.
Sep 21BusinessesSoftware
NDSU AI Degree: Teaching AI From the Inside Out
North Dakota State University is preparing students and working professionals to answer AI's biggest questions through an expanding lineup of education. In fall 2026, NDSU launches a specialized artificial intelligence major built on its existing AI minor, data science curriculum, and certificate offerings.
Sep 21BusinessesSoftware
Applied Digital North Dakota Answers the Hard Questions
We understand that AI data centers in the region have generated controversy, so we decided to ask Applied Digital, the company behind Polaris Forge 1 in Ellendale and Polaris Forge 2 near Harwood, some questions. This is what they're saying.
Sep 21BusinessesFounders
Six Weeks to a New Foundation
For years, Ashley Ritteman tried to build the technology Valor Victoria needed. Working with Chipp.ai founder Scott Meyer, the West Fargo logistics company rebuilt years of freight-tracking software into an autonomous system in approximately six weeks.
Sep 21BusinessesSoftware
Inside Chipp AI Fargo: The Business That Builds Itself
Two years after Chipp made branded AI chatbots accessible to small businesses, Scott Meyer is making a much larger bet: that AI can build software, run workflows and handle entire parts of a company, without asking business owners to become technologists.
Sep 17BusinessesMedia
Pro AVL Install: Mobile Pro's Approach to Permanent AV Systems
Mobile Pro has spent years producing live events where the technology has to work the first time. Now, through Pro Install, the West Fargo company is bringing that same show-day discipline to permanent AV, video and lighting systems.
Sep 17BusinessesFinance
DJ Colter Agency: Real People, Real Coverage in Fargo
DJ Colter Agency isn't just another policy. As a captive agency with independent avenues, the team leads with education first, helping Fargo-area families, farmers and business owners find the coverage that actually fits their lives.
Sep 17BusinessesAgtech
The Math Behind the Missing Calves: 701x's Smart Ear Tags
Nearly 2.4 million calves disappear from the U.S. beef supply every year, worth more than $6 billion in lost value. 701x's ecosystem of smart ear tags is built to catch a fraction of that loss and turn it into real return.
Sep 16BusinessesReal Estate
Built Around the Life Inside: A Fargo Custom Home Builder
A custom home rarely begins with a cabinet color or a line on a blueprint. Radiant Creative Homes, a Fargo custom home builder, starts with the life that will actually happen inside.
Sep 16BusinessesManufacturing
The Hidden Engine Behind Great Fargo Event Production
Great events don't start on stage, they start in the warehouse. Livewire's John Golembeck explains how organization and inventory accuracy drive reliable Fargo event production.
Aug 31PeopleStartups
10 Questions with Jack Brodshaug: Flatland Capital Group's Co-Founder & COO
John Machacek's 10 Questions column sits down with Jack Brodshaug to talk financing programs for ag retailers, building a startup after a corporate career, and what brought him back to the FM area.
Aug 31BusinessesNonprofit
The Warrior's Path: Dean Dauphinais and Native Veterans
Dean Dauphinais is a Marine Corps veteran, enrolled Turtle Mountain Chippewa member, and advocate rewriting the narrative for Native American veterans through both nonprofit work and his own business, Native Eco Solutions.
Aug 31BusinessesNonprofit
One Voice, Thousands of Missions: NDANO's Kayla Deitch
Kayla Deitch became the first full-time executive director of the North Dakota Association of Nonprofit Organizations, bringing an entrepreneurial background to a sector she believes needs one voice representing thousands of missions.
Aug 31BusinessesRetail
Sean Mastel: Building Eyewear to Last
After more than 20 years in the optical industry, Sean Mastel is opening Mastel Made, a downtown Fargo studio handcrafting eyeglass frames designed to last, not disposable eyewear replaced every few years.
Aug 31BusinessesStartups
Kevin Biffert: The Engineer Teaching Cattle to Talk
Kevin Biffert spent decades building precision manufacturing equipment before turning that expertise toward cattle. His company, 70ix, makes GPS ear tags designed to give ranchers an early warning system for their herds.
Aug 31BusinessesFounders
Bringing Private Equity Home: Broadwater Capital
Broadwater Capital buys equity in established Greater Midwest businesses instead of lending money, built by founder Erik Barner to bring institutional private equity expertise back home to North Dakota.
Aug 31BusinessesVenture
No Bank? No Problem: ND Funding Beyond Traditional Loans
North Dakota business owners have more funding options than "get a loan." This guide breaks down the state's gap financing, loan guarantees, tax tools, and grant programs, and which ones fit which kind of business.
Aug 17Businesses · PartnerFounders
Why the Best Time to Plan Your Business Exit Is Now
The best exit strategy starts years before you plan to leave. Mark Schiller of Williams & Schiller on building a business that's ready when you are.
Aug 17Businesses · PartnerVenture
A Financial Institution You Own: Capital Credit Union
Capital Credit Union has grown from 33 members in 1936 to more than 33,000 today. Here's how member ownership shapes everything from rates to service
Aug 17BusinessesFounders
Building Custom? Start With Better Questions
Before you ask what a custom home costs per square foot, ask what's actually included. Radiant Homes' David Reid breaks down the questions that matter more.
Aug 13TechReal Estate
What You Should Know About Data Centers
From powering AI to supporting everyday technology, data centers are making headlines. Here's why, and what North Dakota stands to gain or lose.
Aug 13AdviceReal Estate
Building Custom? Start With Better Questions
"A price means very little until you understand what is included." Here's what to ask instead.