Fargo Area Woman Guide.

“Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous? Actually, who are you not to be?” – Marianne Johnsone Fargo Area Woman.
I am standing in a crush of three-year-old pint-sized princesses. Surrounded by sparkling tiaras and frilly dresses, these little daubs of pink and purple are up way past their collective bed time. We giggle. We dance. We wait patiently for the real princess to arrive. Well, at least a real princess played by an actress.
Finally, the moment arrives. Belle, the beauty from Beauty & The Beast, walks in to the room. As she comes out from backstage, I can see it in my daughter’s eyes. The beauty is here. My daughter climbs out of my arms, fixes her purple dress, and runs toward her.

Running to beauty in Fargo
We are all attracted to beauty. Beauty sells magazines. Beauty drives our self-perception. When I counseled teens, the issue of distorted definitions of beauty came up on a weekly basis. Our society hasn’t left us wondering what beauty is. Beauty is full lips. Beauty is long flowing hair. Beauty is a body shape Barbie would be envious of. Beauty wears the right clothes, surrounded by the right friends, and always plays with the right toys. We’ve immersed ourselves in cultural perceptions of beauty, so much so that we don’t know where to turn. We are consumed with the concept.
As I watch my daughter wrap her arms around Belle, a concern reveals itself in my mind. What chance do I have to speak truth into my daughter’s life? As she grows, who will inform her on what beauty is?
I’ve been told by culture (and a few friends) that a father’s most important job is to provide. Be strong. Be courageous. And bring home the cash. Become “the provider for all, and the enemy of all,” as J. August Strindbergto once so eloquently wrote. On TV the only other option is to fill the role of a bumbling, awkward individual — the comedic outlet in the family fabric (see world-famous dad Homer Simpson). Is there room for a father to “woo” his daughter and reflect God’s heart for her? Are those moments as rare as a dance at a graduation, followed by another at her wedding?
Holding your daughter’s heart
The role of father is vitally important to the emotional and spiritual (not to mention relational!) well-being of a daughter. A Dad is not just a provider, protector, and live-in comedian. Neither is a mother only a cook, cleaner, and sole provider of “the nurture factor”.
A father has the ability, to reflect the love that the Father has for us. He has the opportunity to “woo” his daughter’s heart – to let her taste the depth and strength of love. He is given the capability to speak the truth of beauty deeply into the heart of his daughter.
The tragic truth is this – if fathers do not take the opportunity to speak beauty into their daughters’ lives, someone else happily will. Turn your television on to any station and watch for a few minutes. Volunteer to chaperone a junior high dance. These are the prevailing voices of beauty in our culture. These are the voices your daughter (or son) will hear every day.

I want my daughter to know that she is beautiful. Not just for the reason that she could star on Toddlers and Tiaras, or even because she is smart, and talented, and funny. Those are all wonderful things and part of the gift of a daughter, but I want her to know that she is deeply beautiful because of Who made her. I want her to believe that her Father desires a deep and meaningful relationship with her, and so do I.
I want to be someone she can trust, someone she can talk with, someone she can walk through life together with. I want to be someone who can humbly and brokenly reflect the love that her Heavenly Father has for her. I want to woo the heart of my daughter so that she knows that her beauty transcends the length of her hair, the color of her eyes, the ability with which she reads.
After all, who is she?
“…who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.”
She is a child of God — and so are you. God has created you beautifully.
As fathers, we have the gift of engaging in our daughters’ lives meaningfully. And to unveil the true meaning of beauty found in each of our daughters.

Take a deep breath
It’s important, Dads, to take a deep breath. You’ve likely walked through the feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt that come with parenting already in your journey. This segment of your daughter’s life – no matter if she is a two year old dress-twirler or a fourteen year old boy-chaser – is a great time to speak beauty into your daughter’s life. So take few tips from a fellow bumbling live-in comedian:
Open your ears. Chances are, if she’s older than two, she’s using more words than you do. When you listen, you’re communicating more than attention in her life. You’re signifying that her world is a priority and that she is worthy of your interest.

> Be in the moment with her. With a thousand other pressures confronting fathers, it is easy to tune out. These are the moments you live for, not what’s coming for you tomorrow at work.

>Two words: date night. This is a special phrase in our house. The word date means undivided attention over breakfast, at a restaurant, walking with candy apples. It’s a time when my daughter can talk to her Dad. (And believe me, she does.)
So I stand here and reflect, amidst the mass of little princesses, as my daughter embraces Belle and looks back at me. And when she looks back, I hope she begins to understand that her daddy is in this moment with her, that she is loved, and that she is beautiful.

The Bison Turf of Fargo Review

The sandwich menu is also extensive, covering a full page on the menu. Chicken, beef, turkey, sea food, and traditional club style sandwiches So many that I can't really pick out any to discuss, but would like to point out that prime rib and ribeye sandwiches are available.
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An afternoon at the 2009 Fargo Film Festival.

An afternoon at the Fargo Film Festival. Wednesday afternoon I took in a segment of the afternoon offerings at the Fargo Film Festival. I'm writing this to give an idea to give some idea of what the daytime offerings are like: there's still a couple of days in which to take in these offerings. Read more here.

Kelly Skramstad has joined Western State Bank, Fargo,

Skramstad, Black join Western State

Kelly Skramstad has joined Western State Bank, Fargo, as a consumer/mortgage loan assistant and Katie Black has joined the bank as a customer service representative.

Parent Lori Anderson said, “We like that hometown feeling, and we don’t want to lose that.”

It’s not just West Fargo School District officials who are grappling with the “emotional” issue about whether to build a second high school.

Parents, teachers and students who also are struggling with this decision weighed in Wednesday.

It was the second of six meetings district officials are hosting to gather input to shape what the district’s May bond referendum looks like.

Read more about West Fargo Problems Here

Fargo Area Women: Bernice Ihlenfeld a regular at YMCA in Fargo ND

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - The Fargo-Moorhead Family YMCA boasts thousands of names on its membership rolls.

But there is only one Bea.

Bea is Bernice Ihlenfeld, a 95-year-old Fargo resident who has been at the downtown Y for 34 years.

"This is my second home, really," said Ihlenfeld, who exercises weekday mornings in one of two indoor pools.

Ihlenfeld does not hold the distinction of being the Y's oldest member. That honor belongs to 97-year-old Minerva Franke, a Fargo resident who exercises in the pool four afternoons every week.

Nor will Ihlenfeld make it into any record book for membership longevity. Members routinely surpass the 40-year mark, according to Judy Whittlesey, senior membership director.

What makes Ihlenfeld exceptional in the hearts and minds of the women who frequent the members' locker room isn't that tangible.

"She is our inspiration and our wisdom," said Karen Bakke, a Fargo artist, athlete and Y regular. "Everybody wants to be like Bea."

Admirers respect Ihlenfeld for her lifelong dedication to physical fitness and bright outlook.

She flashes her trademark grin in the face of arthritic flare-ups and a bad back. Y regulars cannot remember hearing Ihlenfeld complain not after knee surgery, not after hip surgery.

What's more, Ihlenfeld has a kind word for anyone and everyone.

She has an impressive memory for faces and has been known to greet Y members with an enthusiastic "It's great to have you back" after an unexplained 18-month absence.

The former Fargo North High School assistant principal - she retired in 1974 - motivates even the most motivated Y members.

Friend and fellow swimmer Fredrika Monson, 81, of Moorhead exercises four mornings a week.

However, there are days when Monson lies in bed and contemplates staying home. Then, Monson said, she thinks of Ihlenfeld: "If she can do it, I can do it."

Ihlenfeld's impact on the Y community is unmistakable in the locker room where she frequently holds court in the dressing area.

Seated beneath a small "BEA'S CORNER" placard, Ihlenfeld sips coffee from a Styrofoam cup and chats with friends, colleagues and former students. Ihlenfeld was a girls' physical education teacher and counselor at Fargo Central High School in the 1950s.

Over the hum of hairdryers, the women chat about travel plans, upcoming weddings and anticipated graduations.

They share news about their spouses, children and grandchildren. Ihlenfeld has two daughters, both of whom live outside the area, and five grandchildren. Her husband, Fred, a Lutheran pastor, died in 1949.

Sometimes the exchanges aren't really a conversation at all, rather the briefest of friendly greetings.

It's here that Ihlenfeld has formed a family of women who cannot imagine the locker room with its matriarch. They will ensure Bea never misses her weekday swim.

"I've had the girls say, 'If you (ever) need a ride, just call us,"' Ihlenfeld said. "I'm depending on them - in future years that is."

Fargo Area Women: Deb Andvik, PA-C

Deb Andvik, PA-C
Born: Crookston, MN, 1954
Education: Associate Degree in Nursing from St. Luke’s School of Nursing, University of North Dakota – Physician’s Assistant certification
Business: Certified Physician’s Assistant, Plains Medical Clinic, Heartland Healthcare Network
Community Volunteering: St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Moorhead, Birthright of Fargo-Moorhead, Inc, Moorhead Spud Booster, school room mother and chaperone
On success, “Contentment and happiness no matter what you are doing. Raising a good family, being happy with your job, lifestyle, who you are and how you treat others.”

A nurse in MeritCare’s labor and delivery unit for 22 years, Deb Andvik returned to school at UND and became a Certified Physician’s Assistant (PA-C) in 1998. After graduating, Deb joined the family practice department at MeritCare’s Southpoint location and worked at the facility for a little over five years. For the last three and a half years, she has been with the Plains Medical Clinic in Fargo.

Within the physician-PA relationship, Deb is certified and licensed to make independent medical decisions and provides a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. A typical week for Deb includes spending three mornings at Prairie at St. John’s in Fargo seeing patients, administering physicals and monitoring and treating physical problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

Back at the Plains Medical Clinic, Deb sees people of all ages at the family practice (or primary care) clinic and orders tests and writes prescriptions. A large part of her practice also includes women’s health care. The rest of her work week involves making and returning phone calls and taking care of the paper work needed for patients’ records and insurance requirements.
At Plains Medical Clinic, Deb is in practice with Dr. Shock and Dr. Harris. Dr. Shock was Deb’s principle teacher during her physician’s assistant training at UND and he provided her with professional guidance and supervision that still inspires her in her profession. Deb said that she admires Dr. Shock’s good and common sense approach to medicine and is happy to be a part of his practice.

Deb also enjoys being a part of the smaller staff and practice at Plains Medical Clinic. It reminds her of a hometown-type clinic – a smaller building and parking lot, a smaller staff who know their patients names and being able to (often times) see people the same day that they call in for an appointment. Deb said that practicing medicine is different today because patients are much more aware and better informed about prevention, diagnosis and treatments of diseases and conditions and demand more from their healthcare provider. She said that people are internet savvy which can be a blessing and a curse as they search on the internet to self diagnose and come in for appointments asking for a certain medication. Deb said that one of the best things about current medicine is that people are healthier longer and that now preventive care continues the entire lifetime of a person.

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Fargo Woman: Linda Coates, Fargo Government

Linda Coates
Born: Jamestown, ND, 1956
Education: B.A., B.S. and M.S. degrees in music and education, Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Vocation: Deputy Mayor, Fargo City Commission member since 2004.
Community Volunteering: City commission duties include serving as a liaison to many local groups and organizations.
On leadership, “A leader is someone who makes positive change happen through their commitment to a vision and inspiring the best efforts of others.”


The first time running for a political office, Linda was the top vote getter when she was elected to the Fargo City Commission in 2004. At the time Linda said that everything about it and process of getting there was new to her.

Linda was always interested in local, state and national political issues but not necessarily in running for an office. However, the seeds of campaigning were planted and started to grow when Linda was invited to attend sessions sponsored by North Dakota officials Conrad, Dorgan and Pomeroy to encourage people to get involved in their local governments.

A bit later Arlette Preston and Jean Rayl (long active in local politics) encouraged Linda to run for the Fargo City Commission and then she was asked to launch a campaign for office. Linda took a hard look and asked herself and others many questions before making her final decision to run for office. She ultimately decided that it was a duty and an honor to run. “It’s really important to have balanced representation along with the diversity and view points of different perspectives,” Linda said, “I needed to run as one woman.”

Now, having served on the commission for nearly four years, Linda said that the experience has been extremely rewarding and that she has learned a lot from it. It has been a good fit for her after spending large amounts of time employed and volunteering in local nonprofit organizations. As a city commissioner, Linda said that she likes to be able to serve the community in this way.

In Fargo city government each of the commissioners has a portfolio of areas that they are involved in on behalf of citizens. Linda’s commissioner responsibilities include serving as the liaison to the planning department and her ccommittee liaisons duties are to the Metropolitan Council of Governments, Renaissance Zone, Community Development, Cass County Planning, and Metro Area Transit Coordinating Board. She also serves as a board member liaison to Planning, Board of Adjustment, Library, and Native American Commission board of directors.

Linda said that serving as a city commissioner is hard work and that no matter what you do, some people will find fault with the efforts. Linda strives to focus on the job and the work at hand and understands that people get very passionate about their views. She said that most people respect the strengths of others’ convictions and the vigor it takes to be “out there” engaging in the conversations that it takes to make things better.

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Fargo Health Care Issues: When health care becomes a lifelong expense

Author: Karson Keely

Fargo, ND - The percentage of people with health insurance through their employers — traditionally the way most people get coverage — is continuing to shrink, raising anxiety among workers and invigorating a debate about whether insurance should be tied to jobs.

Many of those who get their coverage through their jobs are becoming less secure that those benefits will always be there.
The debate about fundamental changes in health insurance comes as a declining percentage of employers are offering coverage. That’s fueling concern among consumers and employees such as Angela Reece who says the system isn’t “patient-friendly” and is slowly becoming one of the rising numbers of people — particularly those with health problems — struggling to get or utilize insurance.

Angela recently suffered a mild heart attack after attending her daughter’s choir concert on December 11, 2007. Angela walked her parents to their car, picked up her two children from the front of Carl Ben and drove home. The thirty-six-year-old recalls feeling “stressed out” after leaving work that day, but nothing that she felt was too serious. After arriving home, Angela felt a deep pain like she had never felt before.

“It felt like an elephant was stepping on my chest and a vice grip was tightening on my head.”

Her children dialed 9-11 and help arrived. At this point in the article it is important to understand Angela’s medical history in order to understand her state of mind.

In the past 13 years, Angela has had her gall-bladder and cervix cancer cells removed, a biopsy for breast cancer, delivered two children via C-section and has been diagnosed with high blood pressure, thus dealing with the snowballing ailments, prescriptions and costs pertaining to having high blood pressure. Angela also had to be treated for severe carpel tunnel which required over a year of medical treatment. She was granted only partial coverage because her employer stated clerical duties were not in the job description. Her job at that time was a director for a local non-profit.

Over the course of 13 years, Angela has racked up quite a bit of hospital bills – and has dealt with quite a few insurance, hospital and collection representatives. This would explain her unusual behavior the night she suffered a heart attack.

When help arrived they recommended she be rushed to the hospital. Angela began to cry. Her tears were followed with pleas for alternative transportation to the hospital. Angela said her only thought was how much the ambulance ride was going to cost. Angela then disclosed to The Business Journal that she has been paying between $50 and $250-per-month towards her medical bills for the past 13 years – in addition she has received a little over $50,000 from her parents in medical financial assistance.

Eventually Angela “came to her senses” and was loaded into the ambulance and taken to the hospital.

Angela was right about one thing – it was going to cost her. The bill arrived two days after the night of her ride, $641 out of pocket and $900 total bill. She was even charged for three separate failed IV attempts.

“They tried three times to get the IV in and failed, yet I was billed three separate IV charges.” Angela said.

When the ambulance pulled into MeritCare, Angela said she couldn’t believe it because her “provider is at Dakota Clinic/Innovis.” The dollar signs kept tallying higher and higher in her head.

The next morning, the doctor said he wanted to keep her for a couple of days and Angela broke down into tears again. She had officially given up trying to get out of medical debt. She knew she would be paying at least $250 dollars on top of her $500 monthly co-pay for the rest of her life. Angela pays $500 a month for health insurance which is an 80/20 plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield ND.

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Fargo Woman in Focus Mary Johnson

Women in Business: Mary Johnson, CPA, Banking

Mary Johnson, CPA
Born: Coronado, CA, 1957, grew up in Kindred, ND
Education: B.S. Physical Education and minor in Accounting, Concordia 1979
Business: President & CEO, Union State Bank since 1998
Community Volunteering: Vocational Training Center Board of Directors, Bethany Homes, Inc. Board of Directors, non-profit and civic boards, professional organizations, first female member of Lake Agassiz Kiwanis
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Once out of college, this Concordia phy ed major fully intended on teaching and falling back on the accounting profession if needed. Mary did not teach and her career path led directly to the accounting profession which she found to be a better match for her. Out of college, she joined Charles Bailly & Co. where she practiced accounting for four and a half years.

Mary went on to gain a variety of professional experience. After practicing accounting, Mary moved on to positions in commercial lending at First Bank and US Bank. Eventually, she worked for Lutheran Health Systems advising business entities with their financial planning, challenges and business growth. From Charles Bailly & Co and beyond, Mary has utilized her keen accounting and analytical skills to serve clients in the business world.

When asked what her favorite employment was before her current position at Union State Bank, Mary said it was as a commercial lender at First Bank. Another favorite was working with the healthcare companies through Lutheran Health Systems.

Now years later, Mary said maturity and experience have greatly added to her business perspective in banking and have developed her keen sense of problem solving and resilience to steadily accomplish business goals for Union State Bank.

Mary is proud of Union State Bank’s niche in the locally competitive business of banking. Mary and her staff pride themselves on their unique style of friendliness and personal service. Walking in to Union State Bank, you immediately feel a comfort combined with the business atmosphere—a neighborhood feel with staff knowing customers’ names, and the business of relationship building—easy accessed advice and services to meet people’s banking needs.

Behind the front counters, Union State Bank is very aware of trends in banking. Mary pointed out that electronic capabilities are opening up numerous client service possibilities and that competition is coming from non banking entities such as mortgage companies. And, because of customer internet usage, they also strive to build non- traditional ways of maintaining distant banking relationships.

Mary feels that her biggest career obstacle was not having a pre-ordained career path—that she did not set out to be a bank president. She happened to find out that she loved banking because it meant coming up with solutions for people every day. She added that sometimes it is better to be a woman in banking because she can feel a two-way trust building with clients and it is comfortable to say,” Let’s find a solution.”

Her business inspiration comes from several people. Her husband says ‘you can do anything – you’re capable.’ Mary also lists several others that are encouraging to her in business. Mary said that Dr. Hamilton, chair of the Union State Bank board of directors is very empowering, intelligent and forward thinking about their business and Mary is quick to mention Nick Hammerstein and Pam Anderson, both of Fargo, who she serves with on local nonprofit boards.

A normal work day for Mary includes many phone calls and finding solutions one-on-one or in small group situations. Sharp and focused, Mary takes on issues and quickly finds solutions for both customers and employees.

All in all, Mary is a commercial lender, works to match staff objectives to the needs and growth of the bank, meets compliance issues and consults to bank customers. Mary is continually learning by reading trade journals and internet information, working with vendors and taking part in educational offerings through Eide Bailly.

Mary’s plans for the bank are to position the bank to continue to grow and to be careful not to try to be all things to all people and lose their effective business niche. When Mary joined Union Sate Bank as president & CEO nine years ago the bank’s assets were $18,500 and today they are at $50 million. Clearly, she is doing it right.

Fargo Print

Fargo Blog Media: Fargo Is'nt Boring

Fargo Blog Media: Fargo Is'nt Boring

I found this in a blog and thought it was of some interest Submitted by Fargo Visitor Mz.Sasa

Before going to Fargo, I watched the movie, and since I'm not from the Midwest, I got a huge kick out of it. This weekend, my co-worker and I took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Fargo to visit friends. They hadn't seen the movie, so we watched it, but no one else really thought it was funny!Anyway, that was a random aside.Fargo was great. It had cute shops, restaurants and cubbyhole hangouts. It also had interesting places to see, like the largest all-sports store in the world (Scheels) and Space Aliens Grill and Bar (yes, I realize this isn't unique to Fargo).I'm not sure I would take a trip there, as I would Chicago or New York, if I didn't know someone who could show me the sights, but it turned out to be a neat place.
Yeahhhhhhhhh Fargo aint boring!

Fargo Women: Turn us on" billboard, talks about life as a model.

Melissa Duerr, model from the "Turn us on" billboard, talks about life as a model.

Wahpeton, ND - On any given day, drivers winding through Fargo may pass a number of billboards without giving them a single thought, but life-long residents of Wahpeton will surely recognize the new one featuring the blond-haired and blue-eyed Melissa Duerr.

The 2002 Wahpeton High School graduate headed to Fargo to work as a booking agent at Academie Agencie and never turned back. She credits those first years at the agency for helping her realize the importance of being its top model and giving her the necessary steps she needed.

At 19, Duerr learned the ropes of the modeling industry as a booker, scheduling all of the appointments for models."All of the knowledge I learned behind the scenes helped me build my career as a model," she said. "As a booking agent, I realized how certain qualities are important, as far as just being reliable and committed. So I guess that's how I got interested in modeling."

After realizing that she wanted to pursue a career in modeling, she spent one year at the Salon Professional Academy, a cosmetology school in Fargo.

"There's no client that never needs to hire a makeup artist, and I just did it myself," she said. "It all works together."

Then Duerr started teaching a runway instruction class at the agency, doing hair and make-up for the photo shoots. It wasn't too long before she began work as a full-time hair stylist and makeup artist at Hair Success in North Fargo, and this year she added to the busy roster by teaching a class on wardrobe, which covers the basics on incorporating personal style with the rules of fashion.

As she juggles regular work with modeling, days can get long. On an average morning, Duerr is ready to work from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. as a model or teaching a class, and then from 2:30-9 p.m. she heads to her station at Hair Success.

"It gets pretty busy, but it's fun," she said. "I enjoy it."

Modeling jobs usually arrive at the last minute, and Duerr will get a call only a day or two before the job will begin. One of her first shoots was for a promotional bit in Las Vegas called "Hotwalkers", and would be featured in various gambling spots around the city. She was nervous.

"I did whatever I possibly could, but I was so nervous because I didn't know how the pics would turn out," she said. "But when I saw them I was surprised, because the pics were actually phenomenal. I guess you just have to try your best and put everything into it."

At the shoot, Duerr met CarriDee English, the Fargo native who went on to win Season 8 of Bravo's America's Next Top Model. The two became close friends for awhile, "but I haven't heard from her since," she laughed.

Duerr has been seen in spreads for Microsoft Magazine and the The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, as well as being featured annually in the KFYR Bismarck and KVLY Bridal show. One year she attended the International Model and Talent Convention in New York City, which gathers all of the agents and models around the world in one setting. Duerr found a surprising perk at this particular event.

"I got an opportunity to judge a makeup competition for thousands of models, and I was sitting next to the this lady who just happened to be the makeup artist from Seinfeld," she laughed. "Here's little me from Fargo, but they all said I was welcome to judge. It's kind of funny, I just happened to be at the right place at the right time."

Fargo Women
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Fargo Women: ND foreclosures second lowest in nation

Fargo, ND - North Dakota had the second lowest foreclosure rate in the nation in october, according to RealtyTrac.com, which tracks foreclosures nationally and state by state.

In the first half of 2007, North Dakota had the third lowest foreclosure rate, slightly higher than South Dakota and Vermont.

Tim Karsky, commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions, which regulates state charter banks, credit unions and money brokers, among others, said there don't seem to be a lot of the troubled sub-prime mortgages out there.

"We know they're being made," he said. "We've got some companies that specialize in making loans and helping people make loans that have less than average credit."

But he said the real estate market is still healthy enough to help people get out of those loans if they need to.

And, unlike a few of the troubled states, the number of lenders in North Dakota continues to grow:As of Aug. 31, 404 lenders were licensed in North Dakota this year, compared to 394 last year, said Bob Entringer, assistant commissioner.

That's compared to 381 as of Aug. 31 in 2005.

"We have some of the companies that have taken bankruptcy and have surrendered their licenses," Karsky said. "There's still companies getting into the market. For some of them, they still see an opportunity to make loans."

Joe Sheehan, a mortgage broker with Heartland Mortgage Co., agreed with the assessment that North Dakota borrowers aren't in trouble.

He said the state has had a lot of responsible lenders taking borrowers' situations into account before handing out home loans.

"We never had the risky loans in our market," he said. "Probably the worst loans that anyone did was interest-only."

Which, in turn, bodes well for the real estate market.

"Analyzing national real estate activity is like asking for a national weather forecast; it will vary in different areas and parts of the country. Like the weather, real estate is local,"said John VanMiddlesworth, former president of the Bismarck-Mandan Board of Realtors, in a release. "Real estate continues to prove to be a smart investment, and interest rates are favorable for consumers. The real estate market here is good."

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Fargo Woman: Women in Business

Connie Stevens, M.Ed., LAC

Born: Valley City, ND, 1949

Education: Valley City State University—B.S. Education, NDSU—Masters in Education, guidance and counseling emphasis

Business: Clinical Director – ShareHouse/Sister’s Path/Robinson Recovery Center, Fargo

Community and Professional Volunteering: Valley City nursing home, professional organizations

On leadership, “A good leader leads by example and sets a direction that you want to follow. They have integrity, assertiveness, and diplomacy and can delegate.”

“I believe in people when they don’t believe in themselves.” - Connie Stevens

Believing in someone’s actions and potential can be difficult even in the best of circumstances. Our community is fortunate to have a professional such as Connie Stevens overseeing programming which works with people in the throws of addiction that may well have shattered their lives. At their lowest point, people need to know that someone still has faith in them and their future.

Connie is the clinical director for ShareHouse/Sister’s Path/Robinson Recovery Center. “I feel very privileged to do what I’m doing – it’s been rewarding,” Connie said, “It’s rewarding to watch people re-claim their lives.”

Beginning in 1975, ShareHouse has provided a continuum of chemical dependency treatment, prevention and educational services to those affected by the disease of addiction, their families and communities. Sister’s Path provides housing for homeless and addictive people along with supportive services and the Robinson program provides counseling and recovery services for people addicted to Methamphetamines.

As the clinical director for these programs she oversees all clinical teams and services which provide treatment to people suffering and recovering from addition.

A typical day for Connie starts with checking messages and emails and making sure that the staff is in place handling clients’’ care. She does “flash staffing” by meeting with her staff to hear how the night before went with clients who live on-site. Weekly, Connie holds supervisory meetings and is always working on program planning.

Another part of Connie’s job is to network in the community and speak to area organizations and service groups. She attends workshops, reads professional magazines, newsletters, attends national conferences and takes part in continuing education. Through her educational and networking efforts, Connie said sees first hand what is going on in the country as far as addiction treatment and feels that North Dakota is a head of the rest of the country because of the high caliber treatment it offers.

Connie attended Valley City State University (VCSU) then transferred to NDSU. She returned to VCSU and received her B.S. in Education. After graduation, she taught phy ed and coached at Fargo South High School for three years. Then she moved to Minot where she taught for several years and then started her family.

In 1990, Connie and her family moved to Fargo. After 10 years of being home with her three children and now as a single parent, Connie returned to school and received her Master’s in Guidance and Counseling. She said it was a challenge to be in school, have three children to raise and balance the family finances to get all of this accomplished.

As time went on, she did her college internship with the St. John’s Genesis program in child chemical dependency. She was offered her first job there and remained at Genesis for four years. Later, Connie went to Lutheran Social Services of ND and worked for two years at Luther Hall group home as an addiction and family counselor.

As inpatient facilities began closing and more outpatient programs started she joined Drake Counseling Center in Fargo counseling families whose kids were addressing and recovering from addiction. The area of family and child counseling is a passion of Connie’s and she served in the role for five years. She moved on to the clinical director position at Drake, which she held for four years before moving to ShareHouse.

Summarizing her reasons to move to ShareHouse Connie said that it was time for a professional change and to form a new professional vision for herself. She has now been at ShareHouse for two years and loves what she does. She said that she enjoys working for a larger and non profit organization.

At ShareHouse through treatment, they deal with the whole person including the spiritual side of the individual. Connie said that spiritual awareness can play a large role in a person’s recovery from addictions. And, this former teacher is still teaching as she mentions that education is a part of an individual’s treatment program.

Connie shared that it is a privilege to be a part of people’s journey through and recovery from addiction. As a professional working in this field, she said many times there is not immediate gratification when working with a patient but, that years later, perhaps, a parent will stop her on the street and thank her for how she helped their child – that their child recovered and is now a healthy, contributing adult.

Connie sees Meth use rising and points out that their organization is the first treatment facility to offer Meth recovery programs in the state. In the past, Connie said that treatments for all addictions tended to be more “cookie cutter” but now individualized treatment plans are becoming the norm. ShareHouse also does programming that is gender specific – women working with women and men working with men to address personal issues.

After a person has suffered through years of addiction, received help and has emerged whole by re-claiming their life through counseling and treatment, great comfort can be taken from Connie’s favorite saying,” It’s not the years in your life; it’s the life in your years.”
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Fargo Women: Google GOD? From Their Mouths

Fargo Media: Google GOD? From Their Mouths of Google.

Ask George Orwells "GOOGLE"
“When asked about Google’s future, he talks about the targeted personalization of search results: ‘The goal is to enable Google users to be able to ask questions such as ‘What shall I do tomorrow?’ and ‘What job shall I take?



23-Year-Old Mark Zuckerberg Has Google Sweating
“Owen Van Natta, Facebook’s chief operating officer, said a visit to Amazon.com will uncover all the product recommendations one might want but the value can be limited in the anonymity of the people posting the reviews. On the other hand, if you take your online activities and put them through the filter of the people you know well, those actions take on greater meaning.”



Wikipedia ranks first for online news
“According to Nielsen//NetRatings, the encyclopedia site Wikipedia is the top news and information destination on the Internet, gaining 20 million unique monthly users in the past year.”



Google: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet
“Search engine giant Google Inc. has been putting together a massive cable network to provide customers around the world with telecommunications services ranging from broadband Internet to home and mobile phones.”

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Fargo Area Women: Valley Women Must Focus on Retirement Income.

Fargo Media: His message is for all the women out there in the Fargo Moorhead Area: Whether or not you are the breadwinner in your household, preparing for retirement should be extremely important to you! One item of planning that must be considered is the financial situation of a surviving spouse and what can be done to prepare for a potential shortfall.

Women survive their spouses more often then men. The Administration on Aging estimates that seven of ten women will outlive their husbands, [1] highlighting the need for retirement planning even more.

Unfortunately, women are often at a disadvantage when it comes to resources available for retirement. The average woman spends nearly 15 years away from the workforce, while the average man will be away for 1.6 years. This translates into lower benefits from company pensions, 401(k) plans and Social Security.

Various estimates indicate expenses after the death of a husband will be 80 percent of what they had been when he was alive. Unfortunately, a widow’s income may likely be much less than what will be needed to cover expenses. Of all elderly persons with income below the poverty level, over 70 percent are women. [2] More than half were much better off financially before their husbands died.

Less time in the workforce may also mean that fewer women qualify for health benefits. This can put an even greater burden on their retirement income. It is imperative for women to start saving now for their retirement, which can be accomplished through several savings vehicles. It is equally important to protect your nest egg through adequate life insurance coverage and insurance options should your health care needs change. Adequate planning for retirement and surviving a spouse can be a deciding factor in living comfortably.

Taking the time to examine the household finances and planning carefully will help to ensure there are adequate means of support for either spouse during the golden years. Talk to a qualified individual about your retirement needs to prepare for and enjoy a comfortable retirement in Fargo Moorhead.

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Fargo Women: Profiles: Jill St. John

Jill St. John

Born: Sioux Falls, SD, 1966

Education: High school graduate

Business: Professional Voice Services

Community volunteering: Started Cares for Kids radio-a-thon in 1999 to benefit MeritCare Foundation, children’s school, Nativity Catholic Church

On leadership, “A leader is someone who adapts creatively to all individuals they are leading toward success rather than making people conform to their ‘one and only way,’”

Jill’s first job was in radio as a 16 year old and just a few years later she took an on-air position at Lite Rock in Fargo after graduating from high school. She lived and worked in Fargo from 1984 to 1991 and then returned in 1999. In between, she moved as needed when her husband attended graduate school and then for other opportunities. Jill and her family lived in Milwaukee, WI, Minneapolis and St. Cloud, MN, before returning to Fargo. In Milwaukee, Jill was on an oldies morning radio show, on mornings at KDWB in Minneapolis/St.Paul and also was a copywriter for the station. Jill and her husband decided to return to this area to raise their children; Hannah who is ten and Adam who is eight.

By 2001, and in commercial radio for 21 years, Jill felt changes coming with the advent of corporate radio ownership and decided to go on her own with a new business. That year she started Professional Voice Services and, by 2002, was very busy with clients who needed voice work. She is currently the voice of Northern Home Furniture, Park Company Realty, Hector International Airport and Sunmart commercials, is the voice on Lexli Skin Care products infomercials (which air around the world), Microsoft software tutorials, and documentary narrations such as “House of Babies” which is airing on the Discovery Health channel across the world.

Talents that serve Jill well in her profession include the knack for sight reading that she says comes from her years of reading news right off the news wire live on-air. This skill enables Jill to cut voice-overs (the voice in commercials) the first time though for a 30 or 60 second commercial without making a mistake. She can also read long copy (such as a script) for hours without taking a break, not making a mistake and yet can speak more than 190 words per minute.

Most people do not know that Jill is from a radio family – her brother is WDAY’s Scott Hennen and she has a sister who is also in radio. People may also not know that Jill almost pursued a different career when her high school art teacher encouraged her to apply for a scholarship to attend the Boston Institute of Art. Instead she applied and was hired at “Lite 105” (which became Lite Rock 105) right after high school graduation. With Jill’s interest in the arts, it is not surprising to learn that Jill dabbles in photography and enjoys painting when she has the time.

A typical day for Jill includes being on call to clients who need short advertising copy scripts quickly read and taped, working for contract clients, and then reading for 15 minutes up to five hours straight in a studio for a project. It is unusual, but at times Jill has read for eight hours continually on a project. She drives from studio to studio in Fargo-Moorhead during the day depending on which client she is working for while making sure she has time to devote to her children and their activities.

Exciting trends are currently taking place in the voice profession and Jill said that they are closely related to changes in technology. She said that audio books are becoming popular again with people listening to material on MP3 players and I Pods and creates a market for books to be read out loud and recorded. Tutorials for software are also creating a large need for professional voices to narrate instructions. Jill adds that the industry is at a very exciting point because of broadband capabilities to move voice through the internet.

All change is opportunity to her and Jill has chosen to look at professional obstacles in this way. While adapting to industry changes, Jill strives to keep learning by reading many professional magazines, including Business Week, continuing to network with friends in the industry and working to keep up with what technology can offer to the delivery of voice.

Jill’s inspiration comes from several women; Maryann Philips of Video Arts Studio in Fargo and her ability to be successful even as the production industry drastically changed, her late Grandmother Bertha who raised fifteen children (without modern conveniences) and Jill’s mother Jeanette who became an independent career sales woman at a time when it was very difficult for a woman to get established in a career. Jill stresses that her mother continually inspires her because her mother gets more successful in business every year.

Jill’s favorite quote is one that describes to her the responsibility of being on-air in radio: A broadcast channel news director said to a producer, it must be nice to be the smartest person in the room … to always know what’s best for people,” To which the producer replied, “No – it’s awful.” Jill underscores the meaning of this exchange by saying that being on-air in radio is sometimes a burden and sometimes good.
So, the next time you are listening to your radio, watching TV or following a Microsoft software tutorial, it is very likely that you are listening to the distinctive and successful voice of Jill St. John.

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Fargo Women In Focus: Kris Sheridan

Business: President, Park Co. Realtors

Education: UND – social science and education degree

Community volunteering: North Dakota Real Estate Commission, North Dakota Chamber of Commerce, Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Board, Fargo Renaissance Zone Committee, MeritCare Foundation Board of Directors

On leadership: “Someone who creates an environment where others can succeed and flourish. Helping others to achieve their personal and business goals.”

Answering a 1974 newspaper employment ad for a realtor opening at Park Company propelled Kris onto a path of success, leadership and service to others in a community that was new to her. Two years earlier, Kris, her husband and the first two of their four daughters moved to Fargo from Colorado, where she had taught at the junior high level for several years.

By 1974, Kris had been a stay at home mom for several years and she felt that she would be a better parent if she worked outside the home but a job would have to fulfill her criteria of flexibility, financial reward and most importantly serving others. When Kris answered the Park Company employment ad, Barb Buchanan was the Residential Resale Manager and soon Kris joined her team as a new residential salesperson.

Ownership of the company evolved and in 1981, Kris bought stock in Park Company and she and Barb became business partners. Besides business partners, Barb has been Kris’s greatest mentor and friend along the way. Kris says that she has also learned a lot about the real estate business from Barb over the years.

More changes took place when Kris and Steve Stoner became co-owners of Park Company after Barb’s retirement in 2000. Interest rates rose to 18% just after Kris and Steve took the helm of the business and Kris now says that nothing about business scares her after overcoming that financial test. Outside of meeting challenges together, Steve is responsible for looking into the future of their industry and leading the company down the path towards new initiatives and projects. Kris adds that Steve is also her best friend.

Kris is in charge of running Park Company day-to-day and that includes personally handling all employment recruiting efforts, helping agents to be successful and running sales meetings for their employees. At the start of each day, Kris never knows what the work day will bring and what her employees will need to do the best job possible serving their clients through buying and selling homes.

Even though Kris is deeply involved in the business day by day, and many times minute by minute, she is always thinking about business plans and goal setting for a solid and successful future. She wants Park Company to continue to be the leader in real estate in this area, to continually increase the company’s market share, and is constantly looking for new opportunities for the business. Kris mentions the formation of Park Company’s new mortgage company as an example of pursuing new business ideas. In every business venture, it is important to differentiate yourself from the crowd and Park Company remains the leader in meeting customer needs.

It is very obvious that Park Company is committed to being a consumer-driven business with a strong emphasis on customer service. Their mission statement reads, “To provide premier real estate services” and the company vision is, “To be the region’s industry leader in service, company integrity and community involvement.”

To further the company vision, Kris says that they strongly encourage and support employee volunteer activities in the community. They also survey clients after each real estate transaction for suggestions and comments in order to improve and react to what clients want and need in a realtor.

In order to best serve client needs, Kris reads publications constantly, attends conferences and is in close contact with other realtors across the country. She especially learns a wealth of information and hears of potential trends from real estate companies located on the east and west coasts. Kris says that their agents are always attending conventions and that this active learning contributes to high achieving results within the company.

A current trend in real estate business, is the fast growth and use of technology. Kris says that customers are doing their home purchasing homework online first and then come to a realtor with a lot of information. The accessibility of this type of information has raised the bar as to what people expect from a realtor. Customers also want immediate information from their realtor such as emails and phone calls answered quickly which contributes to making the profession an extremely fast-paced business.

Kris’s favorite saying is also Park Company’s 2007 motto and it is: Do Not Live to be a Success, Live to be a Blessing. She says,” It reconfirms to all of Park Co. that we are a consumer-driven company with a strong emphasis on customer service.”

This former teacher, mother of four daughters and grandmother of 10 leads a very public and fast-paced life during business hours. But personally lives a very private, quiet life. As part of her public life, Kris mentions that she has needed to overcome her conservatism in business, learn to take risks and move out of her comfort zone and ultimately believe in herself.
From spunky and awkward junior high students to family to business… Kris serves by investing an incredible amount of energy to create an environment where others can succeed and flourish and where she can help others to achieve their personal and business goals.

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The Young Fargo Female: Workforce Shrinking

The women of Generation X are educated and confident, yet are beginning to decline in the workplace. After more than two decades of increases, the labor force participation rate of women began to fall precisely when the first Gen-X women turned 34. In 2004, that number stood at just 53%. With baby boomers nearing retirement, and far fewer Gen-Xers than there are boomers, companies are racing to figure out what the reason is.

Changing attitudes are partly to blame, according to Charlotte Shelton, author and professor of business. Her new book, The NeXt Revolution, says that women born between 1964 and 1977 have high expectations about work-a product, she theorizes, of boomer parenting. As evidence, Shelton cites her survey of 1,200 Gen-Xers, which found that respondents valued “interesting work” and “opportunities for learning” over salaries. The Gen-X men showed the same traits as women, however drop out much less.

Work-life balance is another source of stress. According to Shelton, if boomer mothers worked, they typically accepted long, set hours, just because [they] were so grateful to have an opportunity to play the game.

In contrast, Gen-X women see family-friendly work policies as a birthright, however, those policies are still rare. Only 19% of companies surveyed recently by the Society of Human Resources Management offered job sharing. Twenty seven percent allowed parents to bring kids to work in an emergency.

To retain Gen-X women, according to Shelton, companies should look at job sharing, flex time, and even on-site childcare. Some suggest companies should look at using a “ramp” system for young mothers returning to the work force.

If employers don’t change, they can expect to lose more Gen-X women. Shelton also found that more women are tired of smaller salaries and token titles and are quitting corporate jobs in favor of raising their family or starting thier own business.

While Gen-X women may be too demanding or sensible for employers, they may be more suited for a future in entrepreneurship.

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Fargo Women in Business: Christine Hoper Hovde,Technology

Christine Hoper Hovde - Technology
Born: Minneapolis, MN, 1969
Education: B.S. Public Relations, UND, 1993
Business: Interactive Services Manager, Spider and Company
is Manager
Community Volunteering: Habitat for Humanity, YWCA
On leadership, “... the ability to listen, a willingness to take chances in both safe and unfamiliar environments, the strength to stand firm in your convictions, the insight to recognize differences as simply differences, and the discipline to continually seek to understand ourselves well enough to be aware of the filters we put up when we seek to understand others.”

Guidance, advice and encouragement from others are valuable and precious to all of us. It helps us to overcome obstacles and come out successfully on the other side of challenges. Christine said that her mother is her best mentor and inspires her in business and otherwise. Christine said, “She has an amazing talent of making you feel like you’re the most important person in the world.”
Christine explains that her mother is good at the little things like remembering people’s favorite things or sending little notes for no reason other than she is thinking of someone. Remembering back on moments in her life as she was growing up, Christine said,” Now I understand it was my mother adding her special touch to an everyday situation.”
During her childhood, Christine lived in many places across the upper Midwest since her father is a pastor and has served many congregations over the span of his career. Christine is from a large family—one of five children, four of whom were adopted in to the family.
Early on, Christine worked as a junior high track coach and served as a camp counselor and a church youth group leader. In fact, outside of her current position at Spider and Company her favorite job was working as a track coach. All of Christine’s work experiences have combined to provide her with the keen listening and problem solving skills that it takes to successfully work with clients and surpass their business needs and expectations.
Years later as a very accomplished professional, Christine’s wide array of career experiences has culminated in to her position at Spider and Company. As the Interactive Services Manager, Christine is involved on the project management side of the company’s web and interactive services and works with a variety of businesses and oversees the creation of effective and successful interactive web services.
Previously working in tech support for Great Plains Software and Microsoft, Christine realized that her effectiveness had much to do with communications and asking herself and the person she was assisting,” Are we arriving at a solution?” Asking that same question today is key to Christine’s success.
Christine’s bio at www.spiderandcompany.com reads, “With an educational background in communications, public relations, English and psychology, the connection that brings it all together for Christine is her talent for listening and analyzing the ever changing needs and environments of team members, partners and customers...then streamlining existing systems and processes to create efficient solutions that work and grow with their business.”
After coaching track and before joining Spider and Company Christine’s business background has included work in non-profit organizations (Trollwood Performing Arts School, Northwest MN Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and small to mid-market business organizations. She recently spent seven years with Great Plains Software and Microsoft, where her focus spanned technical support, classroom training and online curriculum development, partner and customer event content management, online web production, and a global project with sites across 26 countries.
A typical day for Christine still includes many meetings and has her very scheduled throughout the work day. She said that every day is different and that she works with an amazing group of people. She said that co workers are fun, experts at what they do and create a lot of energy when working on projects.
Christine says that current trends in her area include interactive services that sell research and market the client’s services. Because technology leads the way, Christine said that it is important to keep personal contact with clients and she is always searching for ways to make a person feel sincerely appreciated.
Christine said that she really enjoys being at Spider and Company and that the company provides constant opportunities to expand her professional knowledge, learn more about business and how businesses use technology. Christine said that everyday brings new challenges with it and those add something more to herself. She feels that the more experiences you have the better equipped a person is throughout life.
Throughout the business day while using her listening skills, helping others find solutions and conveying her appreciation for people….I have a distinct feeling that Christine is a lot like her mother….
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Fargo Area Women: The Art of Delivery in Fargo Moorhead

Amy Hill


Fargo, ND - If you’re looking for a way to let your creativity flow without leaving the comfort of your home, the Artmobile may be the way to go. The Artmobile comes to your home or business with art projects and all the supplies you need to bring them to life. Leslie Kava, the owner of the Artmobile, supplies pre-packaged crafts to homes, businesses, daycares, schools, retirement homes, birthday parties, holiday parties and other special events. Kava said she wanted to bring something new to Fargo-Moorhead and “bring fun and creativity to people in the community.” The business has been open since late June.

Kava supplies her customers with art supplies like paint, stickers, glue and special projects. People can choose the crafts beforehand or Kava can bring a variety of supplies for them to choose from. She then helps everyone get set up and ready to get creative. Some of the projects that are offered include building and decorating your own kite, bird houses, ornaments, paper fans, flower pots and teddy bears.

Leslie said right now she is mainly working with kids, but would eventually like to expand to senior homes. Leslie said birthday parties have been a popular destination for the Artmobile. She travels to the home or party site, brings her art supplies and helps the children get set up. Most art sessions last about an hour.

Kava said the best part of her job is playing with art and working with the kids. “It’s the most fun job I’ve ever had,” she said. The biggest challenge for her has been getting the business name out and gaining interest. Kava also said it’s sometimes hard for people to understand exactly what she does.

The Artmobile has flexible hours of operation, as it works with its customers to set up specific times. “I want everyone to have a chance to enjoy this,” Kava said.



By: Stacy

This was an awesome article! Leslie is a good friend of my husband & I and we are totally behind her on this business venture. When our son is old enough, we plan on calling up the artmobile. I wish Leslie all the luck in the world. I know she enjoys what she does and she is very excited to be doing art projects with the children. Good luck Leslie!
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Fargo Area Women in Business: Amy Ruley, Sports Business

Amy Ruley
Born: Lowell, Indiana, 1955
Education: Purdue University, 1978—B.S. Physical Education
Western Illinois University, 1979—Master’s degree in Psychology and Sociology of Sports
Business: Head coach, NDSU women’s basketball

Community Volunteering: Breast cancer awareness, speaking engagements, United Blood Services leadership council, Bison Booster events, Bison clinics, participation in benefit golf outings

On leadership, “[A leader] has to have vision, compassion, conviction strength, and understanding.”

We all know of Amy Ruley - the living icon in women’s basketball. But, what were her early years of coaching like, what is her leadership philosophy and what is a typical work day like for her?

At the time that Amy started her coaching career at NDSU, things were just opening up for women in the coaching profession. The year was 1979; Amy had just graduated with a Master’s degree and immediately started at NDSU, half-time as a phy ed teacher and half-time as the women’s basketball coach. She said that the timing was right at that point in time to pursue a job as a female coach—she started coaching just as sports were accepting the idea of and looking for women coaches.

At that time, Amy remembers that even though the doors were opening for female coaches, somewhat of a bias existed against women coaches. She said that it was a message of ‘how could you possibly know about coaching?’ and it was an obstacle that Amy worked to overcome as she gained credibility to teach and coach the game.

Once she proved herself in this area, the next challenge for Amy was to manage her time well as demands grew while she built her career and the NDSU team. At the beginning of her career at NDSU, Amy did it all as a teacher and a coach. She was a one-person team—coaching, recruiting players, serving as the program’s public information officer and more. In short, she was doing everything that she could to build NDSU’s women’s basketball into a solid and nationally known program.

The rest is history as Amy is now well known and recognized for being an outstanding basketball coach who leads winning teams year after year.

Outside of coaching women’s basketball her next love is teaching. Before Amy became a coach her favorite job was teaching swimming as a Water Safety Instructor and life guarding at county lake beaches in Wisconsin. It is easy to see Amy’s teaching passion still at work, as great coaching requires instruction, guidance, understanding and encouragement.

Besides her love of teaching, Amy really enjoys water sports – anything to do with water such as boating, fishing, wake boarding and water skiing. As a kid, Amy spent the summers at her grandparents’ cabin on a Wisconsin lake. Now, a lake cabin owner herself, her property fondly reminds her of childhood summers since her wooded acreage sits right next to the water.

A typical day for Amy changes according to the time of year. The summer months bring days filled with work on the Internet, making notes and writing memos, recruiting activities that include a lot of travel and communications with potential players, organizing and evaluation of her program, overseeing basketball camps, staying in contact with her team and preparing for the fall season.

Once school starts, she spends the mornings in her office with paperwork and visiting with her staff and athletes along with focusing on training for her players. Her door is always open and potential basketball athletes also stop in with their parents while they are visiting the NDSU campus.

October 15 is the official start date of this year’s basketball practice season when Coach Ruley, staff and team can spend 20 hours a week on the court and in strength training. As the playing season unfolds, along with coaching games, Amy monitors the athletes’ grades and everyday lives to make sure they are living up to their best abilities on and off the court.

The season includes playing two games per weekend, and Amy reviews lots of video tape to study game performance of the team and individual players, as well as their opponents. The end of the season brings the national convention, the Final Four and the start of high school recruitment efforts. Amy usually finds a little down time during the month of May to travel for enjoyment or to take vacation time.

While discussing the sport of basketball, Amy said that she is more aware of issues or changes happening rather than trends actually taking place within the sport. A change that will take effect next month is that text messaging from schools to potential recruits will no longer be allowed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It had become an issue within college recruiting efforts that texting potential team members was too intrusive into the lives of young athletes. However, emailing and writing potential athletes for recruitment possibilities will still be allowed at the high school junior year level and up.

Amy added that another important development in athletic recruiting is the use of software that captures a lot of feedback from potential athletes and provides more personalized information. Current technology also allows for sending video streams of women’s basketball games out to people so they can view games.

Another added benefit of technology in the sports world is that it is now much easier to stay in touch with athletes—current and past. Amy said that in the early days of playing and coaching it was easy to lose track of athletes over time due to the limits within communications.

Amy’s plans for the future include moving through the Summit League transition, winning in that league, getting into the conference tournament and winning outright, getting into the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, continuing to make improvements in her program and winning the NCAA tournament.

Amy’s favorite saying has followed her since she was a child as an athlete with a small build. It says, “It isn’t the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

It is easy to see the fight in Amy’s actions as she has paved the way for female coaches, proved herself as a coach, overcame breast cancer, persevered to build and maintain the best women’s college basketball program possible, and as she sets new professional goals that will take her and her team to the next level in women’s collegiate basketball.
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Fargo Area Women: In the game of life, this coach strives for success

Fargo, ND - Looking to improve your life? Carolyn Kramer, owner of LifeSuccess Consultants in Moorhead, claims to be able to help you do just that. LifeSuccess Consultants provides group coaching, seminars, presentations, workshops, corporate training, and individual coaching on how to create success in your life and believe in your potential and power. Kramer offers a number of programs in full day, half-day, and customized formats for a variety of groups and executive and personal retreats, in-house corporate trainings, stadium keynotes, conference halls and more.

Kramer is an Independent Licensed LifeSuccess Consultant and a business partner of Bob Proctor and Paul Martinelli, of LifeSuccess Productions. She researches the motivational industry and studies with master teachers Bob Proctor, Dr. Carolyne “Isis” Fuqua and Loral Langemeier. There are four other independently licensed LifeSuccess Consultants in the Fargo-Moorhead area that Kramer works with as a team.

Kramer opened her LifeSuccess Consultants office in April. She already has 20 corporate clients and 75 individual clients, which are seen one-on-one or in group-sessions. Clients usually have recurring visits while they follow what Kramer describes as a curriculum.

Carolyn mentioned that her Master Mind group is very interesting. It is a free, ten-week study that claims to change the course of your life by teaching you how to apply to your life the foundational principles of Napoleon Hill’s book, “Think and Grow Rich!” The study says the “results will astound you as you watch the lives of your Master Mind group improve from one week to the next!”

Kramer also recruits speakers for her clients. She said that she will be coordinating and bringing Suzanne Whang, the host of the show House Hunters, to Fargo around September 20th. House Hunters is the #1 rated show on HGTV.

Although Kramer has a financial planning background, she says LifeSuccess Consultants is her “dream job.” She explains that she gets to do something she really loves and get paid well for it. She enjoys working through issues and discussing how to get more out of life with her clients. “The best part is watching the growth and increased awareness of my clients,” she said. Kramer said the most difficult aspect of starting the business was finding the time to get everything done.

Her future plans for the business include expansion. Once she begins motivational work with a company, there tends to be multiple sites, so she will be looking for more consultants to help facilitate the sessions.

Kramer has a company website that sells various programs, including The Science of Getting Rich, You Were Born Rich Learning System, The Winners Image, The Goal Achiever, Your Mission in Commission, The Success Puzzle, and The Secret DVD. Order prices range from $29.95 to $1,995.

More information can be found at carolynkramer.lifesuccessconsultants.com or by calling 701.238.1515.
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