ND Next - The Future Grows Here

Taking Flight: Building an AgTech Business – Mason Wede, owner of NoDak Drones, will share how he launched an agricultural drone-spraying business near Carrington. Learn how emerging technology and local needs can create new rural business opportunities.

Tell Your Town’s Story – Danna Larson, Founder of Rural Revival. Learn how to tell your story and build momentum in your small town through marketing and events! We’ll provide proven strategies to reach people in and beyond your local community.

From Empty Nest to Blooming Business – Learn how a simple experiment with flowers grew into a thriving rural business near Page, North Dakota. Patty Munro with Empty Nest Blooms will share lessons from creating a unique customer experience and bringing new visitors to a small community.

Healthy People, Strong Communities – Local health and wellness businesses can improve quality of life while creating new rural business opportunities. Leaders from Central City Wellness Center and Aura Aesthetics + Wellness will discuss identifying local needs and providing specialized services close to home.

Beyond the Bushel: Turning Grain into a Brand – DeAnna Lozensky, Guardian Grains, is taking crops beyond the commodity market by creating stone-milled flour, pasta, and other products with a story consumers can connect to. Hear how a farm-based idea became a distinctive value-added business.

Tell Your Town’s Story – Learn how to tell your story and build momentum in your small town through marketing and events! We’ll provide proven strategies to reach people in and beyond your local community.

Hometown Money, Lasting Impact – What if the resources to move your community forward are already there? Learn how the ND Community Foundation helps local endowment funds can turn hometown generosity into grants, community projects, and long-term support for the places people care about most.

Why I Stayed: Building a Future Close to Home – A successful career does not have to mean leaving rural North Dakota. Hear from young people who chose to build their careers and lives in the Carrington area, and learn what opportunities, connections, and experiences helped them see a future close to home.

Small Seeds, Global Reach – See how Roger Gussiaas, Healthy Oilseeds, turned North Dakota-grown specialty crops into a business serving customers around the world. Their story highlights the potential to add value, reach new markets, and build something big from a rural community.

Brewing Up Big Ideas – What began as a small coffee shop inside a nursing home has grown into multiple locations, a coffee roastery, and a coffee school. Bully Brew founder Sandi Luck will share how creativity, persistence and a strong connection to community helped turn one opportunity into a growing business.

When an Old School Becomes a Destination – Discover how a 1916 schoolhouse was reimagined as a hotel, restaurant, event center and fiber arts destination. The Nome Schoolhouse story shows how historic buildings and creative ideas can bring new energy and visitors to a small town.

Get the Word Out: Making Media Work for You – A great business or community story only matters if people hear it. This panel will explore how social media, newspapers, radio, and other local media can help you reach the right audience, build visibility, and make your message stand out.

Making the Cut: From Learning the Trade to Owning the Business – R3 Meats is a story of learning a skilled trade, recognizing an opportunity, and taking the leap into business ownership. Hear how Tyler and Kylee Ingebretson took over an established Carrington meat-processing business and what they’ve learned about serving customers, building a local business, and carrying an important rural service forward.

The Long Game: Building a Better New Rockford – Community progress does not happen through one project or one person. Hear how the New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation has spent more than three decades bringing people, businesses, and ideas together to create new opportunities and keep the community moving forward.

From Your Kitchen to the Customer: Cottage Food Basics and Wholesale Licensing – Are you thinking about turning your favorite recipe into a business? Learn about North Dakota’s Cottage Food Act, wholesale requirements, and general food safety for your products.