 Good morning, everyone. I'm Marie Wittsten with the FCW program area and kind of the moderator of these Wednesday webinars. Thank you for coming to our last Wednesday webinar of this year. We're excited to have Jodi Bruns with us, leadership and civic engagement specialist in the FCW program area, and her topic is going to be on energizing entrepreneurs. Before I give it over to Jodi, I just want to let all of you know, as we've done in the past, these are recorded, the webinars, and I'll be putting this up on the long-term upload under FCW webinars in the Ag Info Center after we're done. So Jodi, thank you so much for being with us today and for talking about an exciting opportunity for us coming up on energizing entrepreneurs. Thank you, Marie. Nice to see all of you out there. So I think I'll give you just a brief history of how we got to this conference and then exactly what it's all about, because I know it's kind of a new concept and people have wondered exactly, really, what are you trying to achieve here? So about a year ago, I spoke at an event in Lisbon and I had two women from Oaks approach me and tell me about a conference they had attended in Dismet and how excited they were. I mean, they were just, they were so thrilled about the conference and so I said, I'll look into it. So SDSU Extension had hosted the Energize Conference in Dismet, which is a community of about a thousand, I think, and what set that conference apart from others that many of you and myself included are familiar with. We go to Bismarck or Fargo or Minot to a conference, right? And this, this concept is the conference is held in us in a rural community and the breakout sections are held. They take place in businesses on Main Street or throughout the community. And so as I dug a little further into it, this concept started in Michigan. And so I'll go to the next slide here. So this isn't very good, but I scan this in. This is from Michigan State University, our land grant cohort there in Michigan. So they were approached, the governor in Michigan about, I don't know, I had been told 2012, but clearly it's 2007. The governor made a request or kind of a challenge, I guess, to agencies to, we need to create more entrepreneurs. The big businesses are not coming to your communities anymore. And so Extension embraced this kind of concept where just to try to build local businesses, local entrepreneurs from within, instead of always looking somewhere else for business opportunities and for jobs. And so I attended their conferences called Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities. And they have communities apply. This has become so popular in Michigan. Communities have to apply and then they are pretty instrumental in planning that event. But overall Michigan State manages the whole content and concept of that. And so when I brought the idea back here, I mean I was really impressed with how that looked. And so I thought this is something we should try in North Dakota. And so I went back to the ladies that were at that event and asked if they were willing to help plan this. And so they were. And so we started working on this event to take place in Alps. And so from here, I guess I'll, Sonya has uploaded everything on the Extension website. So if everybody can see this, he's got leadership volunteers and communities. Ah, there you go, Sonya. Thank you. Included the link in the chat pad. So here's Main Street of Oaks. And there's the link and a little bit of information. So the two keynote speakers, so how this will look, the schedule starts with on May 7th. So we'll start about noon with a box lunch. So the fee is $55 and that covers the meals. And we didn't want, we just started real bare bones this year because we weren't, we just, we don't know what to expect. So participants will start with a box lunch and an opportunity to do some networking and visit with each other. And then our first keynote speaker is Edie Ramstead. And here's a little bit about Edie. So I first saw her speak at one million cups in Fargo. And she started a small jewelry component business in Ada, Minnesota, which is a very small community. And you can read her story in ink magazine actually did a feature on her, which is amazing. And her business started to grow so much. And she only had dial up internet in Ada at the time. And the post office could not handle her, her shipping needs. And so she was ready to, to quit, to just close the doors in her business. And she was encouraged to go to one million cups and present and look for some resources or someone who could help her. And she did. And she was encouraged to contact her legislators and so, or Congress people. So she reached out to Amy Klobuchar and Heidi Heitkamp and they helped. I'm not sure what all went into boosting the, the mail system in Ada. And then through her real phone co-op, she was able to get better internet service. And some of that story, I think in the press release that Kelly wrote, they make like a million jump rings a day. And she employs almost 20 people now in Ada. And some of her pieces have been sold to the TV show Game of Thrones. So she went from just a one woman shop and faced a lot of adversity to being a really successful business. And so she has a wonderful story to talk to folks about. So we start off with the keynote speaker and then we go to the breakout sessions. So though before concurrent breakout sessions, just like most conferences, we have four themes. So the first one is foodies. And obviously these are the breakout sessions on we have local foods. This is a local eatery in Fort Ransom. They moved from Fargo to Fort Ransom and have a pretty interesting story and talk about things that they've had to overcome. And so here you'll see the times and the venue. So Jamie Good would speak in Oak City Hall and then there's the quilt and so and so forth. The second tract. So we'll have a second breakout session opportunity creators. And this will be at 3pm on Tuesday. And then following that, then we will have kind of a social mixer at the golf course in the evening with heavy hors d'oeuvres. And when I attended the one in Michigan, I felt like this was one of the best parts of the event. I had people there from state agencies and it was just a great way to kind of talk about what's going on in the countryside with other businesses. And I thought that was a really good opportunity. So then the next day we start off with another, we'll have breakfast and then we have a keynote speaker, Scott Vince. And you can read more about him too. He's got a pretty interesting story. He started a truck part business in Jameson in his garage and sold that business. It was the largest truck part business, online part business in the country. And he sold it for many, many millions of dollars. And he is energetic and got an amazing story to tell too. So I think I think it will be pretty, pretty fun to have him have him there. And then again, there's two more sessions of breakouts. I misspoke. We're going to do breakouts and then we'll end the day with Scott. And then something they did in Michigan that I thought I thought I was quite skeptical. It was 30 ideas in 30 minutes and everybody receives a piece of paper that says just that. And then for 30 minutes, everybody can stand up. Anybody who wants to has one minute to talk about an idea they have. And I was skeptical that anybody would do that. And we could have probably done that for two hours instead of 30 minutes. So that was pretty, pretty powerful. So anyway, Sony has posted everything here. We're working on the final schedule. Kelly and I were just on the phone this morning working on getting that posted. There's some lodging. So people do choose to stay. I received an email from the economic developer in Lisbon this morning. She said, I'm so jealous. I wish we would, we could have done this in Lisbon. So she's now registered and I said, well, if it's successful, we'll certainly do it again. So we'll see what happens. It's been a learning experience that is for sure. I've not done anything like this before. And so I had a message, Facebook message this morning asking what exactly people get for $55 for the conference. So I explained that they do get some meals. And so then I came to work and asked Sony to post these right away. So people knew that there was some value for their dollar. So, but then we also have to pay speakers and mileage. And so it's just, it's just different. I've learned a lot doing this. But I, as I said to the chamber in Oaks yesterday, I said, my goal is certainly to bring people into the community so they can see that there are businesses for sale. There are empty businesses on Main Street and there are opportunities here. And anytime you can, a community can bring in people who haven't been there before is a win on the Chamber of Commerce. We give everyone $10 in Oaks bucks. So at the end of the end of like 1230, when Scott's done and we do our 30 ideas in 30 minutes, everybody receives $10 in Oaks bucks to either go have lunch in the community or to spend some spends a little money. So they're feeling was people, you know, will probably spend more than the $10. So that'll stay in the local economy. So I think that's, that's really smart. They're a good group of people who are thinking forward and, you know, I hope good things come from it. Can I answer any questions? I'm just kind of off the cuff here talking about the process, but I think I should include that we will also be having a resource fair, I guess we're going to call it. I've reached out to a number of agencies that will have a table with resources there. So I have heard a confirmation from USD Rural Development, our regional council out of Jamestown, University of Jamestown, the Entrepreneur Center there, and then the Women's Center for Business at a Fargo. And so they all want to be there and have resources and just kind of put a face with people who they get calls and people are quite sure what they have to offer for resources for funding their business or, you know, even just information. So I think that'll be a great opportunity for to put some faces in front of people. Let's see. Does anybody have any suggestions for me? I'd be happy to, as I'm learning. Jody, this is Marie. I started to write something and I sent it before I finished. My question was going to be, how do you pick the topics like foodies or, you know, those kind of topics? So are they done by this committee that you're talking about, or is that a format that you picked up when you went to the other ones? So, I mean, we really just as a committee kind of kicked around. We started to, we probably started backwards. We talked about who would be, who would tell an interesting story? Who's got a cool business model? And so then we started to categorize those. So last year, South Dakota, when they did their program in Dismant, they had their breakout sessions were around funding community projects, entrepreneurial experiences, agritourism, and then engaging community members. So, I mean, I don't think there's any particular rhyme or reason to that. We just, we just started to think about some of the interesting businesses that were available and my tell a good story from our region. And they seem to fit in. And we struggled with the word foodies. I mean, that's kind of silly. And I just know that, that I hear like questions about, you know, can I really make money off of, you know, my garden or if I grow some grapes, how can I make money? And Jamie Good is a really, he's a great resource out of Department of Ag talking about local foods. And we field a lot of questions about things like that. And then I know Julie gets copious amounts of questions about food labeling and food safety, obviously. And so I felt like she would be a natural fit for that. And then some of the others here, I mean, they have really, I mean, Sandy had said, I see Sandy's on the call. She had set up a, we're doing something a little different. Other states charge for students to attend. Because this is the first conference of this kind here, we're going to allow students like high school students to attend if they don't eat. That's kind of, so if they just want to come and listen to one of the, the keynote speakers, they can do that. Or if they want to pick and choose a few of the sessions. I just felt like they would be really inspiring stories. For example, under opportunity creators, I talked to McCary yesterday on the radio about this. This couple from Rutland, North Dakota, so Rutland's population, I don't even know if it's 100, it's in Sargent County. So, Shannon, Mayor and his wife, Hillary, started this business. They're both, they went to school and foreman. And then they, they went on to college in Wapiton, in DSCS. And they own a precision or a fabricating business in Rutland. And they build flood walls. And they've sold them to Manhattan. And can I bring some pictures? I have some pretty cool stories how we've made connections across the country. So, I mean, I think those are the kind of stories when people feel like maybe there's no hope or all the businesses are leaving our community or there aren't good jobs. I mean, I think when people hear these kind of stories, when people can, can create a viable business in Rutland or Cayuga, North Dakota. I mean, that's even less populated than Rutland. I think those are important stories to tell. And then I should say Carrie Johnson, she's created this transition for Main Street businesses, which I think is so needed right now. We have so many businesses for sale in our communities. And so she'll be showcasing this, the business transition program at this event, which I think will be, will get a lot of traction. And then here we have Scott Meyer, and he is the new director of the Entrepreneurship Initiative at NDSU. He is working on an initiative now where we're still trying to figure this out, but he would like to create some kind of connection where, let's say the community of Ellendale has two businesses for sale. They can let him know somehow, maybe it's through the extension office, or I'm not sure we're still working on those details. But so he can feed those to his entrepreneurship students to let them know the hardware store in Ellendale is for sale, or the sewing shop in Carrington is for sale, just to kind of create that connection. Yolanda. Oh, okay. So how did I sell it to the community? And who did you start with? So a couple, so SDSU extension did the first kind of conference like this in May of last year, and two women from Oaks attended. And they were really excited about it and came back and contacted me and said, we have to do this. And so then I reached out to our colleagues at SDSU and asked, you know, how do we make this happen? So I would say that some of the challenges has been just trying to explain this concept and why people would want to attend. You know, like I said, Sonya has created this extension website, which has been great and all the social media presence. I went to the Chamber of Commerce meeting in Oaks and they said, what can we do to help? And I said, you know what, you just share it. And so I think just yesterday there were 12 shares from all of the things that have been posted. And you can find it on the NDSU extension civic and leadership Facebook page. So in there have been a couple of press releases about this too. And they're on the extension page, we'll go back. So here's, here's what you'll see. So, I mean, I guess I would ask all of you if, if you have local people that even economic development directors, or if we have folks who, you know, are interested in creating a business in your community. I mean, I would encourage them to attend. I mean, it's a bargain at $55. They're going to hear some amazing speakers and they don't have to go. And they don't have to sit at the Radisson for two days. I mean, they're, this is interactive and they're moving around. And when I talked to one of the breakout speakers, I said, you know, this, this isn't, I don't want you to create a formal speech and have a PowerPoint to share. I really want this to be of value. And it's a more of a discussion. Yes, more of a discussion with people. So they understand how, how to start a business. How do we get started? What do we need to know? What lessons learned and things like that I think is really going to be the key here. So I would welcome suggestions from all of you as well. If you're wondering, you know, it's hard to be on this side of it and understand this concept, but and try to explain it to someone. So if there's something that doesn't make sense or, you know, I would, I would welcome those questions. We can help market this. You know, our goal is it would be great if we could get 50 in the community. I think that would be, that would create quite a buzz. So it looks like Sonya posted the Facebook page. So if you have a presence on Facebook or social media, if you'd be willing to share that, share it with your communities, I would appreciate that. And if they have questions of me, obviously, you know, I'd be happy to field those questions. I'm curious for some of you that work in our, our counties. Do you have businesses for sale on Main Street? Yeah, it's, it's all over. It is all over. Yeah. Hi, Yolanda. Hi. We also have quite a few new businesses that have popped up on Main Street, like within the last year or so. Okay. So we do have quite an active chamber. So this was intriguing to me to, for that, that point, I think we would have a lot of people interested here in rugby. And I think they might even be willing to try something like this. So I guess my question is, is the goal of this to bring this to other communities as well in North Dakota or just do a pilot in over. So, so I applied for a Bush Foundation grant and received a small grant to help just get this off the ground. And what I told Heather Kielstad and Lisbon this morning, the developer there, and I know Linda Schuster, you, you had questions about it in Carrington and others have asked about it. And I think, I think ideally, yes, it's certainly been a learning experience. You know, I just told Marie this morning that frustration has been to get people, yeah, I'll present. And then, well, I need a description and we're month out and we need to get this information in so we can get a program. And so, you know, and, and so I guess we learn from our, from that, right? And so I think we've created enough buzz where other communities are interested. And so in other states, they have an application process because it's become so popular. We're going, the grant we wrote is to help underwrite the expenses for two this year. So this one in Oaks and then we're in Cavalier in October. And so I think after we get that done, we're going to step back and look at, okay, can we, can we do this again? And is there interest? And it just from, from you and Linda and now from Lisbon. And there's been a couple of other questions about, would we do this again? I mean, I think there's some interest. So, I mean, I, I think the answer is yes, Yolanda. We just have to, you know, look at the approach and see how we, because it's hard to do it for $55 a person, but we don't want it to be so expensive that people won't come. I know SDSU charges $75. And I think it's more in Michigan because it's become a money making venture in Michigan. And I think SDSU wants that to happen. And maybe we'll get there too someday. I'm not sure. Maybe that's not a goal of ours. My goal for this time is to bring resources to our rural communities who don't always have that opportunity. You know, when we have our, our mom and pop mainstream businesses that are run by one or two people, they can't go to Fargo for three days for a conference. And so I think it's, I think it's important for us in our mission to extend those resources to our community, to our rural community members and business owners. It's a long answer, but I think the answer is yes, Yolanda. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. You bet. Okay. Anybody else have anything else? Marie, I guess I really don't have anything else. Like I said, all the information is posted online now. So take a look. If you have questions, send them back, but I would ask you to keep your community members in mind and encourage them to get registered and attend. I think it'll be really a cool event for people to, you know, like-minded people, right? Our rural community folks sharing resources and learning from each other and what's working and what can we do better? So I'm looking forward to it. So hopefully the snow will be gone and we won't have a blizzard in May. That's what I was telling Jody earlier. It's good that it's probably not right now in the southern part of the state. I love the idea though of people talking with each other. I mean, they just learned so much from someone who's been doing it and now has learned some lessons that they can share as well as, you know, saying it is possible. And here's how you can do it if you have an idea. I think it's a great way to get people to interact and learn from each other. So as we are finishing up then, oh, we do have something from Yolanda. Sure, absolutely Yolanda. You just, I guess I would just ask you to register. And I mean, if you want to go one day and send somebody else in your place the next day, you know, I've had people ask that and I, you know, I guess, sure, come when you can. We'd love to have you down here. And that might be an area too where they could bring an interested business owner or somebody from the chamber or things like that along too. Absolutely. Load up the car. Come on down. I know that in our World Leadership Program that travels back and forth to different seminars is as valuable sometimes or the discussion is probably richer than you think because of the ideas that you're going to share. Exactly. Yeah, so, you know, that seems like the richest discussion we always have at extension conferences when we have finally a time to talk to our each other and our colleagues. And so, I certainly hope that's the case. Right, exactly. Appreciate everyone's interest. If you have questions, do you know where to find me? Well, thank you so much Jodi for being on our webinar this morning and sharing the information about the Energizing Entrepreneurs Workshop and telling us more about it. I think it's going to be an exciting way for us as an organization to share resources. And as we finish up today, just want to ask those of you that are on the webinar and if you know of others who are thinking about ideas for next year, this is our last one for this year, but we'll be back in the fall and we'll have some more webinars. So if you have an idea for a webinar, will you let me know? And we'll see if we can offer that. So thanks again Jodi and thank you everyone on the call and have a good rest of your day. Thank you everybody.