When we first launched Growing Small Towns, we did it with a bus tour. We loaded a bunch of business professionals from the Fargo-Moorhead area onto a bus and held them hostage for eight ours (okay, not really, they were completely willing participants!) and we did a tour of the area, visited local businesses and our building, and had such a ball that a bus trip of some sort has become a repeat event.    It’s a flagship thing for GST and one of our favorites because of how unique it is, and the magic that happens when you get different kinds of people together, get them out of their comfort zones, and drive them around rural America for a bit.    This episode features four bus tour participants (some multi-year participants!) and they’re here to talk about how they even heard about the tour, what they loved most about it, why it’s such a unique experience, and other things they learned while sort of captive on a bus for hours with a bunch of people they didn’t really know In this episode, we hear from: 

• Dr. Ruchi Joshi Bhardwaj, Senior Program Manager of Education & Research at Grand Farm
• Lee Schwartz, Marketing Director at North Dakota State College of Science and Founder of Small Town Labs
• Leah Reed, Operations Manager at Do Good Better Consulting
• Emma McIntyre, Manager of Development and Partnerships at Folkways

  Links and Resources Mentioned: A whole episode about the bus tour: https://www.growingsmalltowns.org/post/episode87 Lee was a guest! Hear his episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiWP2iyctUA

This episode of the Growing Small Town Show features three humans that have, in some way, shape, or form, partnered or funded some of the work that we do here at Growing Small Towns. Because we’re a nonprofit, we are always looking for partners who believe in this work as much as we do to help make it happen.    Our philosophy is “Work with the willing and love the rest,” because we don’t believe in forcing people to support this work if it’s not their thing! But, we do dearly love and appreciate the humans and organizations who come alongside us to bring the mission of Growing Small Towns to the communities that want and need our help.    This episode features three of those humans, and each of them share why and how they chose to get involved with GST, why they’re enthusiastic about what we do, and what it means to them and their organization to partner with us.    In this episode, we hear from: 

• Bernie Sinner, President and Senior Lending Officer at Bank North, and a member of our board
• Kathy Marquette, Associate Professor of Business Administration and Management at North Dakota State College of Science
• Paul Matthys, CEO of Cass County Electric Cooperative

This week’s episode is the next in our Moments of Growth series, and this one is about one of our favorite subjects: art!    Lots of people think that art is a “nice  to have” in a small community, but it’s really a need. Art and art programming gives people an opportunity to not only view and experience art made by other people, but to create their own through workshops or events. Tapping into our creative side means we make more vibrant, interesting, fun, and beautiful communities, and who doesn’t want that?!

(Not us, because our building is designed to show off local artists’ work and hold workshops and classes so we’re obviously very into art!)

Art encompasses so many of the things that make our world more rich and beautiful—music, paintings, photography, dance, amazing food, sculpture, and so many others—and we want every small town to be bursting at the seams with art and creativity!   In this episode, we hear from: 

• Amanda Hagen, a local artist and owner of Heartstrings Studio.
• LesleyAnne, a local artist and one we contracted with to create some art for the building, including our beloved timeline and entryway. 
• James Bergman, a Fargo-based musician and songwriter
• Lauren Starling, a Fargo-based artist whose art will soon get to be part of our small town!

  Links and Resources Mentioned: Amanda Hagen’s Website: https://www.heartstringsartstudio.com/ LesleyAnne’s Website: https://www.lesleydidthat.com/ James Bergman’s Website: https://www.artistjamesbergman.com/ Lauren Starling’s Insta: https://www.instagram.com/starlingpaints/?hl=en Amanda was a guest on the podcast! You can find her episode here: https://www.growingsmalltowns.org/post/episode84 StartUp Brew: https://www.emergingprairie.com/startupbrew-fargo/

This week’s episode is the first in a limited series we’re calling “Moments of Growth.” We had some big milestones this year, and we wanted to look back and talk to people that we’ve worked with and share the progress they’ve made (and us, too!) this past year.    This first episode is about mental health programming. Awhile back, our local healthcare network, Catholic Health Initiatives, did a needs assessment for our community. Like many rural communities, mental health was at the top of the list. We formed a Mental Health Coalition comprised of people in our community who are simply interested in and willing to work on this issue in our community, and you’re hearing from some of the people involved with that today!    In this episode, we talk about the challenges of mental health programming in rural areas, COVID-19’s impact on mental health, and suicide awareness, among other things, and hear from four people deeply involved in this work in different ways.    In this episode, we hear from: 

• Josh Gow, Director of Mission at CHI Oakes Hospital
• Monica McConkey, Licensed Professional Counselor and Mental Health Consultant
• Michele Thorpe, psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner
• Dani Dinger, Family and Community Wellness Extension Agent with NDSU

  Links and Resources Mentioned: Monica was a guest on the podcast! You can find her episode here: https://www.growingsmalltowns.org/post/episode117

Things are changing a little around here (don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere! You’re stuck with us!) and we’re very excited to share the future of the Growing Small Towns podcast with you. Brodie Mueller, one of our favorite people and frequent Guest of the Pod, is here to talk about what that looks like, how he fits in, and what we would like to hear from YOU, our listeners.    About Brodie:   Brodie Mueller, owner of Market on the Plaza, has lived in Aberdeen for the past 8 years and owns the downtown business Dakota Territory Brewing Company.  Dakota Territory is the first and oldest brewery ever in Aberdeen and services the community by creating small-batch craft beer, root beer, and cold brew coffee.  Brodie has a Masters Degree in social work and has been involved in community building both downtown and city-wide through different groups and projects. The brewery is involved with various community projects and fundraisers throughout the year, gaining a reputation as a business that supports the community.  As a fellow downtown business owner, Brodie is committed to making downtown better by supporting new ventures and The Market on the Plaza is a shining example of bringing new and innovative services to the neighborhood.   Brodie also just happens to be a podcast editor, audio-quality snob (in the best way) and someone who really understands podcasting world—hence why here’s here with us talking about the show!   In this episode, we cover:

• Our goals for the pod in 2025
• How those goals fit in with the overall mission of GST
• Why podcast metrics are crucial but tricky, and how listeners can help
•  Some new ideas for podcast episodes and series
• What we need from YOU, our listeners! 

•  

Links + Resources Mentioned Brodie’s past episodes: Episode 127, Episode 82 and Episode 72 The Market on the Plaza website: https://themarketontheplaza.com/ Brodie’s Recording Equipment Recs: RØDECaster Pro II Condenser Mic Headphones Brodie’s Podcast Library: SD SportScene Podcast Shrink Rap the Podcast Minnesota Youth Ultimate Podcast     Subscribe + Review Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Growing Small Towns Show! If the information in our conversations and interviews has helped you in your small town, head out to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Spotify, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver relevant, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more small-town trailblazers just like you!

It’s really easy to give people the highlight reel and act like everything is all hunky-dory, but that wouldn’t be authentic, and we’re all about authentic, so this episode is a bit of the Real Reel about some things Rebecca has been thinking and feeling during a bit of a hard season that a) we’ll all resonate with and b) are incredibly wise and things we should all keep in our back pockets.    (Remember, Cassidy from our team writes these show notes so this is not Rebecca writing in the third person so she’s allowed to call it like it is and tell you that this episode is a Good One.)    In this episode, we talk about some things that help keep us grounded and moving in the right direction, especially when things get tricky:

1. Having It All Together is a facade
2. How to offer support, and how not to
3. The importance of joy
4. Why it’s important that we share our appreciation
5. Why moving in is often the thing to do when we disagree
6. How to show ourselves the grace and kindness we deserve
7. Why your community needs YOU. 

Links + Resources Mentioned Brene Brown’s Braving the Wilderness: https://brenebrown.com/book/braving-the-wilderness/   Get In Touch Have an idea for a future episode/guest, have feedback or a question, or just want to chat? Email us at [email protected]   Subscribe + Review Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Growing Small Towns Show! If the information in our conversations and interviews has helped you in your small town, head out to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Spotify, subscribe to the show, and leave us an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver relevant, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more small-town trailblazers just like you!

We’re back with another one of our favorite kinds of episodes: real stories of real people doing really cool things in their small towns.    This episode features Terry Sando, a retired Air Force officer who’s built a brewery in his small town of Hillsboro, ND. We love this story because Terry was inspired to build a business to serve his community…so he did! He’s kept the community at the heart of everything he does, and he’s such a great example of what can happen with a dream, willingness to learn, and lots of hard work.   About Terry:   I was born and raised in Valley City, ND. In the summers, I worked on my grandparents’ farm south of Rogers, ND. I graduated from Valley City High School and went to college before joining the Air Force in 1979. I did 5 ½ years of enlisted time with my final assignment being a crew member on the B-52 at Grand Forks AFB. Duties included pulling nuclear alert and flying training missions.    In November of 1984, I joined the 119th, the Happy Hooligans to become an Intelligence Officer and trained at Lowery AFB in Denver. My son Travis was born during my assignment there and my wife Deb wouldn’t tell me on the phone if it was a boy or girl! Happily, I was granted emergency leave and flew back to Grand Forks to see my son.    I had different assignments at the 119th and returned to active duty to gain space operations background for future Air Guard missions in 1998. During my six years in Colorado Springs, I was assigned to Peterson AFB, Schriever AFB, and Cheyenne Mountain. 9/11 happened while I was stationed at AFSPC (Air Force Space Command) and I was selected to help stand up NorthCom. I was the first Guardsman to be qualified to stand watch at Cheyenne Mountain for NORAD/NorthCom. It was my most challenging assignment, but also my best assignment during my career.    My next assignment in 2004 was at the National Guard Bureau in Washington D.C. and from there I went to the Air War College at Maxwell AFB where I got my Master of Strategic Studies. My final assignment was Plans and Requirements at 1st Air Force at Tyndall AFB.    During this assignment, I grew an appreciation for craft beer brewing. I had a coworker who was a great homebrewer, and he got me interested in learning to brew beer. I had to put it into my bucket list of things to do when I retired.    I retired in November of 2009 and came home to Grand Forks. After retirement I had jobs at the University of North Dakota as the Emergency Manager, Grand Forks Region EDC working on building the UAS ecosystem, a Norwegian company eSmart doing UAS operations for utility line inspections, and finally Mobile Recon a small UAS startup company.    I decided to get into brewing in 2019 and started construction of a brew pub in Hillsboro. This became Goose River Brewing, and the pub has been open for two years. Two beta batches of beer were done in July of this year, so we’re officially brewing! Part of the goal was to have a blue-collar craft beer lovers social gathering location that would help make Hillsboro’s downtown a destination. We are working on building relationships with our local malt barley growers. We also have been giving our spent grain to a local cattle grower to use in the cattle feed ration. The pandemic had a big impact on raising the cost of construction and pushing out the opening date. My goal is to build a local team that will take over operations and then I can slow down and take advantage of retirement.    In this episode, we cover: 

• What inspired Terry to get into brewing beer in the first place 
• How COVID threw a wrench in the plans for the brewery and what they did to compensate
• Why businesses like this one could be a really cool opportunity for someone from a city who wants to move to a small town
• The importance of community and relationship-building in long-term success and buy-in
• Why you are never too old to learn or try something new 

  Links and Resources Mentioned: The Goose River Brewing Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GooseRiverBrewing

This is our first-ever LIVE podcast recording! This episode was recorded on the main stage of the 2024 Main Street Summit in Watford City, ND and features guests Pat Bertagnolli of Job Service North Dakota and Mike Knutson of Dakota Resources.   When we got asked to host this live show during the summit, we took to the socials—as we do—to ask what our people needed the most help with. Overwhelmingly, the idea of how to get more people involved in making our communities great emerged as the topic, so that’s what this episode is about and we’re so excited for you to hear from these two amazing guests!   About Pat:   A native of Montana, and a North Dakota resident since 2011, Bertagnolli earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Carroll College in Helena in 1990 and has held his certification as a Senior Certified Professional in Human Resources since 2015. Prior to his appointment, Bertagnolli served in a variety of leadership roles in both human resources and operations, and most recently was the Community Enhancement Director in Watford City, ND.   Bertagnolli was first appointed to the Workforce Development Council in 2014 by then-Governor Jack Dalrymple. He continues to serve on this council, as well as the State Board for Career and Technical Education, Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Administrative Committee for Veterans Affairs, State Information Technology and Advisory Board, Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems committee, and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies.   In February of 2022, Governor Doug Burgum appointed Patrick Bertagnolli to serve as the Executive Director of Job Service North Dakota. Job Service North Dakota has a statewide footprint and impacts North Dakota’s workforce through many workforce programs to connect employers and job seekers, through the unemployment insurance program to provide benefits to eligible workers, and through the labor market information department which provides education and insights for informed decision making.   About Mike: Mike facilitates and orchestrates the Dakota Resources Community Learning Network. He also serves as a community coach for rural communities. He has spent 15 plus years working in rural community development. His commitment to rural communities began when he recognized that his own behaviors (i.e. – the lack of community involvement and buying locally) were contributing the decline of his community. Since 2008, Mike has operated his own business, MAK(e) Strategies, working primarily as a facilitator and coach in rural settings. Among his volunteer activities, Mike has served as the chairman of the board for Glacial Lakes Tourism, Dakota Wesleyan University Alumni Association, Rural Schools Collaborative, and Southeast SD Tourism. Mike grew up outside of Hartford, SD, and graduated summa cum laude from Dakota Wesleyan University.   In this episode, we cover: 

• Why the “Same Ten People” can be frustrating for people on both sides
• The idea of civic apathy and how it develops
• How to combat civic apathy
• What to do about Gen-Z (hint: they’re not really that different from generations prior)
• How recruiting volunteers goes hand-in-hand with recruiting new community members

Links and Resources Mentioned: Ben Winchester’s episode: https://www.growingsmalltowns.org/post/episode75 Jeff Sigler’s episode about combating apathy in small towns: https://www.growingsmalltowns.org/post/episode99 Jeff Sigler’s episode about growing communities for humans: https://www.growingsmalltowns.org/post/episode120 Job Service North Dakota: https://www.jobsnd.com/ Dakota Resources: https://dakotaresources.org/

Have you ever heard of the Norborne Soybean Festival? You might have, thanks to their recent recognition as the Cenex Hometown Throwdown Grand Prize Winner, but even if you haven’t, you’re going to love this episode. It’s about building amazing community events and what it looks like to swing for the fences.    About Kyle:   Kyle Durham is a sixth-generation farmer from Norborne, Missouri, an agricultural community of 700 residents. Kyle and his father farm 2,500 acres of soybeans and corn in the Missouri River bottoms.   In addition to farming, Kyle is involved with numerous local, state, and national organizations as a board member and volunteer. These include the United Soybean Board, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, his state and county Farm Bureaus, Trinity Lutheran Church, and the Norborne Soybean Festival. He also owns and operates The Slaboratory, a custom woodworking business in his hometown, specializing in unique handcrafted furnishings.   Kyle and his wife Courtney have two sons, Simeon, 16, and Elijah, 12.   In this episode, we cover: 

• What the Norbone Soybean Festival is 
• The Hometown Throwdown contest
• Their plans for the prize money
• How a good community event can be a catalyst for community involvement
• The power of the “microask” 

  Links and Resources Mentioned: The famous Hometown Throwdown video entry: https://www.facebook.com/NorborneSoybeanFestival/videos/1055942345557323 The Norborne Soybean Festival Facebook, home of the Festival Friday updates: https://www.facebook.com/NorborneSoybeanFestival A few articles about the contest and the festival:  https://www.kttn.com/norborne-soybean-festival-wins-hometown-throwdown-grand-prize/ https://www.kmzu.com/news/norborne-soybean-festival-crowned-best-in-the-nation-part-2/article_02d0a756-21d6-11ef-bf71-cb75605b6185.html https://www.agriculture.com/missouri-hometown-hero-kyle-durham-8385148

Mental health is something we’re incredibly passionate about here at Growing Small Towns, which most of you likely know by now given how much we love to talk about therapy and feelings and support around here! We are so appreciative of mental health practitioners like Jordyn Koski who are building practices aimed at helping our (sometimes secretly struggling) rural communities access better mental health.    About Jordyn:   I'm Jordyn Koski, therapist and Founder behind It's A Part Of, PLLC. I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of North Dakota and a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in Minnesota. Providing individual therapy, family therapy, and couples counseling. I have had the opportunity to work within various systems including group home settings, inpatient hospitals, human service centers, and private practice. I have been able to see clients in all parts of their journey and appreciate being able to go alongside clients to work toward their goals in life. Outside of clinical work, I enjoy spending time with my husband, children, and family being outside and going on adventures. I love my circuit and I am an avid Pinterest enthusiast!    In this episode, we cover: 

• How to fight the stigma around mental health, especially in rural areas
• What telehealth is and how it can help
• Some of the most common questions and concerns about therapy
• What we can all do to support mental health in our communities
• How it’s all a part of life, and how therapy and mental health services can bolster resilience

  Links and Resources Mentioned: It’s a Part of Website: https://www.itspartof.org/ It’s a Part of Insta: @itsapartof It’s a Part of Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091817127486