Jamestown Ope'n Forum

A giant chicken, 19 completed passports and one simple challenge for your holiday shopping list: think local first.

In Episode 23, Vincent and Warren sit down with Emily Bivens to talk about how Jamestown’s Loyal to Local Holiday Passport grew from a borrowed idea into one of the Chamber’s biggest annual programs. They get into what Emily hoped would happen when the program first started, why it sometimes takes a few years for a community tradition to catch on, and how everyday purchases can add up faster than you might think.

The conversation also includes the program that helped inspire Loyal to Local after COVID, gift card “cheat codes,” tips for filling out multiple passports, the legendary giant chicken prize and what shoppers discover about Jamestown when they start paying attention to where their money is already going.

Guest: Emily Bivens Executive Director, Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce

Learn More: jamestownchamber.com

Amanda Sargeant spends her days talking with farmers, business owners and entrepreneurs about something that can make almost anyone nervous: money.

In Episode 22, Vincent and Warren sit down with Amanda to talk about what a lender actually looks for, why a “no” today doesn’t always mean no forever, and why someone with an idea doesn’t need to arrive with every detail figured out. The conversation also gets into Amanda’s unlikely path from a childhood plant business to lending, why she loves visiting family farms, what makes her believe in an entrepreneur, and how First Community Credit Union puts “community” into more than just its name.

Guest: Amanda Sargeant Ag/Commercial Loan Officer First Community Credit Union

Learn More: myfccu.com

Shannon Klatt and Mercede Fiebiger spend a lot of time telling new moms something they may desperately need to hear: you’re doing something right.

In Episode 21, Vincent and Warren sit down with Shannon and Mercede from the James River Valley Breastfeeding Coalition to talk about why the group formed, what it means to support families without adding more pressure, and how something as simple as a private room, an encouraging conversation or a place to ask questions can make a difficult season a little easier.

The conversation gets into lactation support around Jamestown, infant-friendly workplaces, breastfeeding pods and community spaces, a new milk depot at JRMC, and an ice-fishing trailer that has found a very different second purpose.

Guests:

Shannon Klatt

Director of Health Promotion, Central Valley Health District

Lactation Counselor

Mercede Fiebiger

Specialty Clinic & Cancer Center Director, Jamestown Regional Medical Center

Lactation Counselor

Learn More:

Central Valley Health District Breastfeeding & Lactation Support:

centralvalleyhealth.org/breastfeeding/

Jamestown Regional Medical Center:

jrmcnd.com

Jay Boyd came to Buffalo Grill trying to answer a pretty important question: how do we make sure this place sticks around?

Then Chef Davone Mitchell entered the picture. What started with a phone call between two people who didn’t really know each other became a new menu, a different approach in the kitchen and a shared goal of creating the kind of food and experience people shouldn’t have to drive to a bigger city to find.

In Episode 20, Jay and Davone join Vincent and Warren to talk about turning things around, building a team behind the scenes and what it takes to make a restaurant somewhere both locals and travelers want to come back to.

Guests: Jay Boyd General Manager, Buffalo Grill

Davone Mitchell Head Chef, Buffalo Grill

Learn More: buffalogrillnd.com jamestownchamber.com

Emily Bivens has listened to all 18 episodes of Jamestown Ope’n Forum.

And she has notes.

For this month’s Chamber Chat, Emily takes over the host chair, sends Vincent and Warren to the guest seats and conducts an audio audit of the show. Why does Vincent ask people their shoe size? How much research actually happens before an interview? Did anyone expect a question about lemonade stands to turn into one of the show’s best stories?

Along the way, the three look back at what Ope’n Forum has become, what they’ve learned about Jamestown and its businesses, and why getting past the organization to the people behind it has become the most interesting part of the show.

Host: Emily Bivens Executive Director, Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce

Guests: Vincent Kloubec Co-Host, Jamestown Ope’n Forum

Warren Abrahamson Co-Host, Jamestown Ope’n Forum

Learn More: https://jamestownchamber.com

How well do you really know the place you live?

Allison Limke returns for another Tourism Takeover to talk about why tourism marketing sometimes starts with the people who already live here, what visitors actually do when they stop in Jamestown, and why “there’s nothing to do here” might have more to do with habit than what’s actually available.

From visitors who planned a quick stop and ended up staying the night to the simple challenge of visiting a local attraction you haven’t seen in years, this episode is an invitation to look at Jamestown a little more like a visitor would.

Guest: Allison Limke Visitor Experience Manager, Jamestown Tourism

Learn More: https://discoverjamestownnd.com https://jamestownchamber.com

Jordan Koushkouski wasn’t looking to buy just any bar. He was waiting for this one.

Decades after his grandfather operated Park Bar in downtown Jamestown, Jordan had the chance to bring the name — and the building — back into the family. What followed was a foreclosure auction, eight dumpsters of cleanup, a few surprises behind the walls and the challenge of deciding what pieces of the past were worth keeping.

In Episode 17, Jordan joins Vincent and Warren to talk about family history, breathing new life into an old downtown space and creating a place that feels familiar without being stuck in the past.

Guest: Jordan Koushkouski Owner, Park Bar & Lounge

Learn More: Park Bar & Lounge — Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce Member Directory Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce

JamestownChamber.com

For Annie Keffeler, the connection with horses started long before A Moment of Freedom.

As a child, difficult days often ended with a bike ride to the neighbors’ pasture, where Annie discovered something about horses that stuck with her: they didn’t judge, and simply being near them helped everything feel a little lighter.

In Episode 16, Annie joins Vincent and Warren to talk about the connection between horses and riders, the transformations she has watched happen in the arena, and the pull she felt to create A Moment of Freedom — even before she fully knew what it would become.

Guest: Annie Keffeler President & Founder, A Moment of Freedom

Learn More: https://amomentoffreedom.com https://www.jamestownchamber.com

In Episode 15, Vincent and Warren sit down with Holly Utke and Brianne Partlow of Dakota Central as the company celebrates 75 years of keeping people connected. What begins as a look back at rural telephone lines quickly turns into Dakota Central trivia, party lines, chicken hatcheries, dial-up internet, fiber, and a reminder of just how much the way we communicate has changed.

Holly and Brianne share how Dakota Central grew from its rural telephone roots into the company it is today, including its expansion into Jamestown and becoming the first provider in North Dakota — and one of the first in the nation — to fully connect its service area with fiber. Along the way, Holly shares her own path from the internet help desk in 2000 to CEO and General Manager, while Brianne talks about the marketing, PR, social media and other work that helps tell Dakota Central’s story.

But 75 years of connection turns out to mean more than technology. The conversation explores why community is one of Dakota Central’s core values, why relationships built while knocking on business doors more than two decades ago still matter today, and why having local people available when something goes wrong continues to separate a local provider from other options. The episode also gets into the people behind Dakota Central, including long-tenured employees, popcorn in the office, cubicle golf and what new employees say they enjoy most about working there. Holly and Brianne also look ahead at AI, growing data use and the challenge of predicting whatever comes next — something Dakota Central has been doing in one form or another for 75 years.

Guests

Holly Utke CEO & General Manager Dakota Central

Brianne Partlow Dakota Central

Learn More

https://dakotacentral.com

https://www.jamestownchamber.com

https://www.discoverjamestownnd.com

In Episode 14, Vincent and Warren sit down with Nick Bruns of Nodak Insurance to talk about risk, entrepreneurship and why he continues to invest his time, money and energy into Jamestown.

Nick traces that mindset back to growing up in an entrepreneurial family, including an early venture as a teenager when he and a friend installed a commercial door and opened a fireworks stand. Years later, a simple lesson from his dad stuck with him: if a community supports you as a business owner, you should find ways to support that community in return.

That philosophy has followed Nick into projects throughout Jamestown. He talks about taking on an overlooked property, recognizing gaps in the community, helping create Drift Prairie Brewing Company and launching new ideas when he believes there is a problem worth solving.

But Nick also explains why having an idea isn't enough. The conversation explores calculating risk, knowing the worst-case scenario, learning from ideas that don't work as planned and finding good people who can help turn an opportunity into something sustainable.

Nick shares his household philosophy of “do good things, bring good people with you,” why he believes fear of failure can keep good ideas from ever getting started, and what he hopes to pass along to his own children as they grow up around entrepreneurship.

Guest: Nick Bruns Nodak Insurance

Learn More: https://www.jamestownchamber.com https://www.discoverjamestownnd.com