The InForum Business Beat Podcast

Fresh off an appearance at TEDxFargo, West Acres Chief Operating Officer Alissa Adams sits down with host Thomas Evanella on the InForum Business Beat Podcast. Alissa discusses her TEDx experience, what differentiates West Acres from other malls and how the retail destination continues to attract new businesses.

Maple Beach Grill is a small, unassuming place to eat outside Pelican Rapids in Otter Tail County. The restaurant isn't fancy or new, but it more than makes up for it with a menu and simple charm that pulls customers back throughout the decades. Wait times can be an hour, but listen in as InForum reporter Dave Olson explains why it's worth it year after year.

The North Dakota Horse Park has a short season, with three weekends of racing in July. General manager Hugh Drexler visited the podcast to discuss the season and what he hopes to accomplish moving forward.

Listen in as Derrick LaPoint from Downtown Moorhead, Inc. discusses the Moorhead Center Mall, 11th Street underpass and, yes, that "Cuba" remark from Kevin O'Leary.

You Betcha founder Myles Montplaisir is preparing to relocate his growing digital media company to a massive new facility in Horace. Myles joined the InForum Business Beat Podcast to break down why the company is moving, how they've changed their content approach and memorable moments from the past five years.

We're catching up on some of our recent business news coverage in this episode of the InForum Business Beat Podcast.  This week, we learned about a big milestone at one business and we heard about a photography studio with a story. Plus, a Dilworth woman has turned her love of plants and gardening into a business selling teas and other products using medicinal plants.

Roers has moved to dissolve the condo association at the Moorhead Center Mall, paving the way for a massive redevelopment of the dated site. What happens next? InForum columnist Mike McFeely joins host Thomas Evanella to discuss.

The food scene in the Fargo-Moorhead area remained red hot in the first half of 2023. It's a lot of news to have our plates, but we can always find room for one more bite. Host Thomas Evanella and reporter Helmut Schmidt tuck in their bibs and dig into the last busy few months in restaurant openings, closings and other changes on this episode of the Business Beat podcast.

Big things are happening in small towns across our region, flying in the face of expectations that rural communities have nothing to offer in a modern economy. Reporter Tammy Swift has been documenting these success stories through her recent reporting. In this episode, she joins host Thomas Evanella to discuss how Halstad, Minn., population 579, is transforming its now-defunct high school into a...

National Small Business week is taking place this week, having started on Sunday, April 30 and concluding on Saturday, May 6. To recognize the impact small businesses have on the Fargo-Moorhead area, we invited Del Carver, co-chair of Prairie and Lakes SCORE onto to InForum Business Beat Podcast. SCORE is an organization of volunteer mentors that help entrepreneurs and small business owners by off...

In this episode, we round out our series of interviews with area real estate professionals for their take on recent news that home sales fell in Fargo-Moorhead. We talk to West Fargo City Assessor Nick Lee for insight into how shifts in the housing market play into how the city operates.

With recent news that home sales fell year-over-year in Fargo-Moorhead by 20%, we've asked several real estate professionals in the area to help us put that number into perspective. In this episode we talk to David Reid, president of the Home Builders Association of Fargo-Moorhead, to tell us what he's seeing from the vantage point of new home builders.

Recent data from the Fargo-Moorhead Area Association of Realtors shows that metro home sales fell roughly 20% this year compared to last year. The numbers were a bit of a surprise to Amber Carlton, president of the group. She joins host Thomas Evanella to help put that figure into context..

Even before its opening on March 17, Brewhalla was an eagerly anticipated Fargo attraction, and excitement hasn't abated much since its heavy doors swung open. The 100,000 square-foot facility hosts a variety of dining and retail options, event space and a soon-to-be-open hotel, and it all adjoins the existing Drekker Brewing facility to create, as the Brewhalla folks call it, a "good times factor...

The man known as "Mr. Wonderful" said that North Dakota is a standout destination for investors. Meanwhile, he said he "would never headquarter a business" in Minnesota and that Moorhead "looks like Cuba."

Real-world trials consistently arrive at the same conclusion: shorter work weeks are good for employees and employers. Does that mean it would work for every sector or every type of job? Host Thomas Evanella talks with Krista Lynn Minnotte, a sociology professor at the University of North Dakota, about the latest research on four-day weeks, which are receiving a phenomenal amount of media attentio...

Farming is often seen as a local, rural endeavor, the domain of our small towns and the vast stretches of land in between, but that can't be further from the truth. Ag is a global business that faces global issues like war in Ukraine, supply chain interruptions and the volatility of international markets. How do producers across our region remain competitive in the face of it all? Reporter Thomas...

In this episode of the InForum Business Beat Podcast, reporter Tammy Swift discusses her recent story detailing the difficulties facing Michele LaHaise-Bate, owner of specialty bakery Michele's Table, after she recently learned from her property owner that she will need to vacate her current space by March 31. LaHaise-Bate finds herself in a bind not too different from other small businesses, reve...

In this episode, we spotlight a local architect who, in her spare time, is turning out gorgeous handmade leather handbags often mistaken for high-priced designer goods. We also learn about a new facility available for local basketball and volleyball families, a new report from the North Dakota Tourism Department on lost revenue due to vaccine rules, and a neglected corner of downtown Fargo getting...

In this episode of the Business Beat Podcast, we hear how a family's food allergies inspired a line of gluten-free treats and why a small north Fargo garage is fighting City Hall. Plus, Vanna Adventure Vans is pulling up stakes and headed out west (to West Fargo, that is). All this and more on this week's rundown of business news with host Thomas Evanella. For our full business coverage, visit htt...

We have a preconceived notion that small towns in rural North Dakota and Minnesota are gasping for air as businesses and populations flee. As reporter Tammy Swift has seen in a string of recent stories, however, that's far from the case. New businesses are finding big success in small towns, where unique incentives and creative use of space have helped launch a number of notable startups. Tammy jo...

In this episode of the Business Beat Podcast, we hear about the brakes being put on a downtown Fargo development project and a new home for the popular Asian & American Supermarket. Plus, an all-natural soap company expands into the Red River Valley. For more business stories, visit us at https://www.inforum.com/business . 00:54 Downtown Fargo hotel and apartment project canceled 01:46 Asian & Ame...

Host Thomas Evanella talks with Fargo Housing and Redevelopment Authority CEO Chris Brungardt about new affordable housing and a look at projects on the horizon. For more business news, visit https://www.inforum.com/business .

In this week's Business Beat podcast, we hear about a renovated Hannaford, North Dakota, building and a bus service connecting Fargo and MSP airports. For more business news, visit us at https://www.inforum.com/business . 00:54 Renovated Hannaford, North Dakota, building becomes community hub 01:29 Moorhead's Hotdog! Pet Salon to close 02:04 EPIC Companies acquires Holiday Inn properties 02:52 Ren...

In this week's Business Beat rundown, we hear about layoffs at Fargo tech firm CoSchedule and a new fitness center opening in the former Toys 'R' Us location. Plus, we hear about another small-town success story from Tammy Swift. For more business news, visit us at inforum.com/business .