Grant County, ND

Recently I was reading an article in the February 2008 North Dakota Outdoors magazine.  It is a great story about a partnership between North Dakota State University Extension Service, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, and the National Archery Schools Program (NASP) to bring the sport of archery to youth.  Elgin and Carson are among the fifty-five North Dakota schools participating in NASP to introduce target archery to students during physical education classes.  “This is something they can take and do the rest of their lives.” said Grant County High School instructor Priscilla Roth.  Because archery isn’t specific to male or female, athlete on non-athlete it is growing in popularity among students.  Anyone can do archery.   Best of all, it sharpens concentration skills and builds self-esteem among students.  This community-based archery program is drawing youth from across the county to the Grant County fair building every Wednesday nearly year-around.  The communities in Grant County are working to build and grow a strong program that is bringing a cross section of people from all ages together.  

While visiting with a local business owner in Carson, I learned that there is a history of family owned businessess in Grant County.  ”Our hardware store  is a three generation business,” said Darcy.  ”We do what we can to keep our customers.”  

Businesses in Grant County have partnered with the community to build awareness of the different products and services available from their hometown merchants.  Their ’Shop-at-Home’ campaign is supported by residents and business owners alike.  According to one customer shopping locally is more than a convenience.  It’s about keeping the local store open.  

Some business owners and customers believe the increase in local shopping is a combination of the shop-at-home campgain and increased costs to travel.  “Time will tell how much gas prices will affect local customer traffic.” said Darcy.  The Shop-at-Home Committee will tell you that the campaign has helped change attitudes about the importance of keeping business local.  “It makes a difference in our community when our residents have access to purchasing the essentials,” said one committee member.  “Every business contributes to the vitality of our communities.”

The Grant County Job Development Authority (JDA) received a great response to its request for stories about “great customer service in Grant County.” Grant County residents were asked to share their stories about customer service from local businesses. We heard about businesses that delivered after normal business hours and placed special orders for customers. We also heard about the special relationships local businesses have developed with their customers.

One resident’s submission focused on supporting local businesses. “Does a person that hits the road to save a dollar really consider all the organizations that are being left behind?” wrote Dennis Johnson, Almont. “What happens when a fire call goes out or an ambulance is needed or we want to hold a special gathering and the fairbuilding isn’t available because no one took the time to keep the doors open for us?” “It is nice to be a name and not a number when doing local business, the place where a nice smile and a greeting always makes one feel good,” he wrote. “We have enjoyed being part of our local community and hope they will survive long after we are gone. It is great to see young people do well in our small town and we wish them all well and much success in the future.

The Grant County JDA heard from others who shared a story about great customer service. Here are some of their stories:

Reopening the store: I am a Grant County resident who comes and goes a lot. I had forgotten that Hertz Hardware in Carson closes at noon on Saturday. I walked up to the door at 12:15 and discovered it closed. Before I got back to my truck. Darcy had opened the door, reopened the store and got me the items I needed to finish my project. I have enjoyed above-average service and friendly folks from all the folks I do business with in New Leipzig, Elgin and Carson. That is five years of good service!                    Jeff Williams, Carson

They know me by name: Going to the store with my mom or dad is always fun, but when we go to S&V Country Market in Carson. Steve always makes it better. He makes sure that he teases me and then in return I tease him! Nobody in Wal-Mart will do that! Cassie of Flasher    

A friendly smile: As a resident of New Leipzig, I really appreciate the friendly atmosphere in local businesses when I go in to shop. They, of course, know you by name and are very helpful when you are looking for something. In our grocery store, I appreciate the fact that they always ask you if you were able to find everything you needed and if they don’t have it on hand, they do their best to get if ordered for you. It would be a real financial burden if we didn’t have our local businesses for groceries,  hardware items and appliances and would have to drive to Bismarck or Dickinson with gas prices skyrocketing. The convenience, friendly atmosphere and money saved in gas are valuable benefits to shopping locally.  Sharon Alt, New Leipzig

Coming to the rescue: The weeks leading up to our annual bull sales are always busy, from getting the bulls ready, printing and mailing the catalog, to the fact that by the time the sale arrives we are already calving and lambing. Last year was no different. We were so busy that we didn’t realize we had another problem until the night after the sale when we came home to a very cool house. At first we thought the furance wasn’t working, but a check of the fuel tank revealed we had run out of fuel. We called Erickson Oil and even though it was short notice and not exactly their business hours, they came to our rescue. While we try not to take advantage of them, we always know we can count on them when we need them. Marci Koepplin, Elgin