SPOTLIGHT BUSINESS: SANDPIEPER DESIGN, INC

For Katie Pieper life in the Lake of the Woods Community is the right choice for her and her family. Katie loves the area and helping area business tell their story. She uses that inspiration to fuel the creativity that makes her design business, SandPieper Design, so successful.

Katie is originally from Missoula, Montana but ended up going to high school in Coon Rapids, MN before venturing north to go to school at Bemidji State. It was there she met her husband, Chris Pieper, originally from the Lake of the Woods community. After marrying in 2004, she and Chris moved to the Lake of the Woods where she fell in love with tight-knit community, the big lake, the great school district, and most importantly, the people.

“We live where people go to vacation all year round. After work we have the luxury of hopping in the boat and taking our kids fishing. Ultimately I love raising our kids in a safe community where families watch out for each other. Don’t they say it takes a village to raise a family? This is what we have here!”

BUSINESS PROFILE

With a background graphic and website design, Katie saw a great opportunity to start her own business in Lake of the Woods and SandPieper Design Inc. was born. SandPieper is a multifaceted design firm that specializes in digital and print marketing. As a digital marketing professional, she helps customers develop, build, and design custom websites and offer secure website hosting. This includes website design, social media campaign management, search engine optimization, any other service needed by businesses to achieve their online marketing goals. On the print side, SandPieper creates custom design logos, brochure, posters, flyers, banners, business cards, window decals, signs and much more! Helping local businesses make big impressions is what inspires Katie to keep growing her business.

“I love the fact I can help small to large businesses have the look and feel of marketing from the cities in our small town. To be able to see their signs, logos and marketing materials all over the place is a pretty neat feeling to know you are helping them make an impact and grow their company.”

Her advice for anyone considering Lake of the Woods:

“There are so many opportunities for growth in this community from shops, boutiques to services and contractors. Come to a chamber meeting and visit with the locals. There are lots of great people to help you make your ideas a reality!”

To learn more about SandPieper Design’s work or to contact them to request a quote, visit their website at www.sandpieperdesign.com

Dear Perspective Business-Owner and Entrepreneur:

Thank you for considering starting a business in Lake of the Woods County, I think you will find that Lake of the Woods is a region that is open for business, and willing to assist and support you.

We know what an exciting time it can be to start a business. As excited as you are about starting a business, we are equally excited for you! As a community, we want to support you and help you be successful.

Starting a business can be confusing and stressful as well. To help, we want to make this commitment to you- you will not be alone. The Lake of the Woods Economic Development Authority (EDA) is specifically targeted to help entrepreneurs just like you. EDA staff will work with you to help you work through the process of starting a company here. From assessing your idea to applying for licenses and permits, we will be there to help.

This guide – 1, 2, 3, Start-Up – is meant to help you get started. It contains contact information and other resources that you will find helpful in starting your business. The goal of the guide is to not only make the process of starting your business easier and more seamless, but also to help you evaluate your idea so you have the best chance of success. Thank you again for starting a business in Lake of the Woods. Remember, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

CLICK HERE to download 1, 2, 3 Start-up Guide.

Sincerely,

Ryan Zemek

A Better Pace of Life and a Growing Business led the Blodgett’s to “Get Hooked for Life” in Lake of the Woods.

Rick and Joyce Blodgett’s decision to move back home was an easy one. After leaving the community and living in the Twin Cities for 5 years, the Blodgett’s soon found themselves using all their vacation time to come back to Lake of the Woods to get away from the hassles of living in the metro. Looking for a better pace of life and to be closer to their families, the Blodgett’s moved back to the family farm.

“We enjoyed living in the county and having the opportunity to fish and snowmobile. Most importantly we had the opportunity to raise our kids in small town near our families.”

Upon moving home, the couple worked a number of jobs in addition to farming. It was during this time that Rick and Joyce saw the potential to meet unmet needs in the community and purchased Hometown Hardware in 2008. Because of their long hours and excellent service, the Blodgett’s were so successful that they found themselves bursting at the seams of their 4,800 square foot downtown location. Due to their space restrictions, Rick had to limit his inventory although his research showed the demand for more was there.

“We got to the point where we had no space to add any new items, we ended up having to hang some items from the ceiling.”  

Rick and Joyce saw an opportunity to grow their hardware store and fill a recently vacated building and moved their hardware store to the former Ben Franklin building on Highway 11. The new building was nearly five times their space allowing them to expanded their hardware inventory, and add items such as more lawn & garden items, patio furniture, and a variety section, which was lost from the community with the Ben Franklin closing.

Coming up on 10 years of owning Hometown Hardware, the Blodgett’s noted the community’s support for their store was tremendous. Loyal customers, a commitment by other area businesses to purchase locally, and even help moving to the new location by the Lake of the Woods High School’s athletic teams made the transition seamless.

Hometown Hardware will be celebrating a 10 Year Anniversary on June 9th, 2018. They are located at 804 Main Street West, Baudette, MN. Check out their website at https://hometownhardwarebdt.com/ or their Facebook page by searching Hometown Hardware.

Being able to work and live in their favorite vacation destination led the Nerland Family to “Get Hooked for Life” in Lake of the Woods.

Eric and Lindsey Nerland commute to their jobs every morning. But no longer are they fighting traffic while driving to a downtown office, now they simply log on to the internet from their home office and they are ready to work. From there, thanks to their Internet connection, they telecommute to their jobs in the Twin Cities and California.

Eric, Lindsay, and their children Owen (3), and Nels (1) Nerland moved to Graceton in May 2017. Eric, who is from Moorhead originally, spent his childhood as a visitor to the Lake of the Woods region and after meeting Lindsay at college, he introduced her to the area. Both grew to love the area through their shared experiences at Lake of the Woods.

Before moving to Lake of the Woods, the Nerlands professional lives took them to East Lansing Michigan, Minneapolis and Moorhead. While both of their jobs allowed them to work where there was appropriate cell/internet coverage, the real catalyst for moving here was finding the ideal setting in which to raise a family.

“Honestly, our jobs allowed us to live wherever, but what drew us here was the idyllic setting to raise a family. We love that we get to be involved in a comfortable and quaint small town…”

After moving to Lake of the Woods County, the Nerland’s discovered that Lake of the Woods isn’t just a great place to enjoy the great outdoors, it’s an excellent place to do business. Seeing a need in the area, the Nerland’s opened Lake of the Woods Kennel Co, a dog kennel/grooming business at their farm in Graceton.

“The Lake of the Woods Kennel Co. business has allowed us to get to know a broader base of people and connect with individuals throughout the community. Most importantly though is the opportunity it has brought us to get to work with a smart and driven group of people, we have an awesome team!”

With businesses at the Kennel Co. thriving, the Nerland’s are now onto their next project a local microbrewery! The Nerland’s farm already has appropriate buildings on-site for a proper microbrewery and Eric saw a great opportunity to provide the region with handmade local craft beer. The brewery is planning on opening in the winter of 2018. By years end look for a pint of Lake of the Woods Brewing Co. beer at your favorite Lake of the Woods restaurant and bar.

The Nerland’s advice for anyone considering starting a business in Lake of the Woods:

“Take a good look at key statistics and start having conversations with locals about your ideas. It doesn’t take long to understand that there is a lot of room and support for the entrepreneurial spirit to thrive here.”

Lake of the Woods Kennel Co. is located at 983, 50th Ave NW, Baudette, MN 56623. Find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/lotwkennelco/

Stay tuned for more information about Lake of the Woods Brewing Company!

Article credit: Twin Cities Business
Photo credit: Mike Hovde, Northern Light Region

“Baudette-based ANI Pharmaceuticals Inc. posted strong growth in 2017 with its annual revenues climbing to $176.8 million – a 37 percent increase over its prior fiscal year.

ANI develops, manufactures and sells generic and branded pharmaceuticals. Its revenues have increased 488 percent since 2013 when it posted sales of $30.1 million.

Generic drugs account for 67 percent of ANI’s sales. Sales of generic pharmaceuticals climbed to $118.4 million for 2017, a 24 percent increase from the previous year. But ANI’s sales of branded pharmaceuticals nearly doubled, reaching $50.9 million – a 93 percent increase compared to 2016. The company’s contract manufacturing business grew to $7 million, a 27 percent uptick.

However, the new federal tax law took a bite out of the company’s bottom line.

ANI reported a net loss of $1.1 million for 2017 compared to a net profit of $3.9 million in 2016. According to the company’s statement: “The net loss was primarily due to a $13.4 million charge recorded as a result of the re-measurement of our net deferred tax assets in relation to the tax rate decrease established in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was enacted on December 22, 2017.”

ANI went public through a reverse merger in 2013. On Monday, the company’s stock closed at $57.55 per share, down 2.6 percent from a year ago. In the wake of its earnings announcement, ANI’s stock was up more than 6 percent in early afternoon trading.

ANI is based in the small northern Minnesota city of Baudette, which borders Canada and has just over 1,000 people living within its city limits. Although it’s publicly traded, the company often flies under the radar and does not draw much attention in its home state. But ANI is now larger than some better-known Minnesota companies such as Famous Dave’s of America Inc.; the Minnetonka-based barbecue restaurant chain had revenue of $99.2 million in 2016.

Twin Cities Business took an in-depth look at ANI in 2015.

ANI is forecasting revenue in the range of $212 million to $228 million for 2018.”