News Releases for November 2007
November 16, 2007
For further information, please Contact the Governor's Office
Hoeven Recognizes Top Five 'Why I Luv ND' Stories
BISMARCK, N.D. – Nearly 150 North Dakotans submitted stories for the first Why I LUV ND contest launched by the North Dakota Department of Commerce in August, and today Gov. John Hoeven helped recognize the top five winners and their stories.
The top five winners are John Zimmerman of Minot; Sara and Eric Watson of Fargo; Dessie Baxter of Bismarck; Justin Data of Bismarck; and Sarah Wilson of Jamestown. All of them eloquently expressed appreciation for North Dakota’s business opportunities, friendly communities, safe and simple lifestyle, and abundant cultural and recreational amenities.
“Our goal in launching this contest was to hear from citizens from various backgrounds about what has kept them in North Dakota or what brought them back,” Hoeven said. “These five winners represent just a few of the compelling stories we received about people living or moving here to build their careers, make their homes, raise their children and work to leave a legacy in North Dakota.”
A panel of five media professionals from around the state reviewed applications and selected five winners and 25 top stories. These are featured online at www.luvnd.com. Commerce is using the testimonials in regional business magazines, alumni publications and tourism materials.
Bismarck Dad Appreciates Seven-Minute Commute
Justin Data is a recent transplant who relocated to Bismarck from the New York City area where he lived with his wife
and two young children. In New York, Data was forced to live two hours from work due to the high cost of housing.
Living and working in Bismarck saves him 19 hours per week that he previously spent commuting.
“My favorite activity that I couldn’t do in New York City is spending ample time with my wife and two young children,” Data wrote. “With just a seven-minute commute in Bismarck, I have 19 more hours a week I can spend being a dad -- no place on earth can offer me anything better than that.”
Schools, Safety, Values Bring California Couple to Bismarck
Dessie Baxter relocated with her husband and children to Bismarck from California last May and said it’s the best
decision they’ve ever made. They wanted to give their children a safe, clean and fun place to live that still had
core family values. “North Dakota is all of that and more. We were able to move here and find affordable housing,
good values and we feel safe,” Baxter wrote. “I love working here. I received a job with better pay and
better benefits.”
“The fact that you can go to the park with your kids and leave 30 minutes later with a dinner invitation at someone’s home” is something Baxter said is unique about North Dakota.
Maryland Woman Falls in Love with North Dakota
Sarah Wilson is a Maryland native who fell in love with North Dakota and a North Dakota farmer while in graduate school
at NDSU. She is passionate about agriculture and she and her husband, Jeremy, recently won the national “Paint
Your Barn” contest.
“There is an innovative, pioneering spirit that runs deep in North Dakota. I see in North Dakota more potential for the development of agriculture, specifically the livestock industry, than any other state in our great nation,” she wrote. According to Wilson, she has the best of both worlds: a good job in Jamestown that allows her to network in the international agriculture community while raising a family on her farm.
Entrepreneurs Building Business Legacy in Fargo
Sara and Eric Watson moved to Fargo in 2003 to start their own upscale catering company after living in Minneapolis for
six years and Colorado for four. Their business, Mosaic Foods, employs six to eight full-time people and 20 part-time
staff. “What a great state to start a business in,” Sara Watson wrote. “My family is here and they
provide a great support network that we need to run our business and help with our three kids.”
Watson said, “The opportunities within Fargo are immense – great dining, art museums, theatres, concerts, opera, symphony – everything big cities have but North Dakota never feels overcrowded.” She also appreciates that she can access the great outdoors with her family in just 10 minutes flat.
Authenticity Lures Minot Man Away from Wall Street
John Zimmerman recently moved to Minot after completing a graduate degree at Dartmouth and working for six years on
Wall Street. Having traveled the world, Zimmerman said people outside the state don’t fully comprehend how
genuine and special North Dakota people are. “People the world over crave the sort of authenticity North Dakota
has to offer,” Zimmerman wrote.
Zimmerman started his own energy holdings company based in Minot and said he has been surprised at the business opportunities available in North Dakota. “There are a lot more opportunities here – more than I thought,” he said.
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