SA: Chuck, for those who are new to Moorhead and for our surrounding communities, please share some of your background with our readers: where you grew up, graduated from high school/college, how long you have lived in the F-M area and what experience you bring to this position.
CC: I am a long-time resident of the Moorhead/Fargo area and was infused with Minnesota since graduating from Dilworth High and attending MSUM. Upon graduation, I joined the Kmart Corporation’s training program in Minneapolis. After managing a number of stores in different states, I was assigned general manager of the Moorhead store in the early 1980s. In 2003, I completed my Master’s at the University of Mary, Fargo Center.
It was a terrific business-learning experience in the exciting world of retail. I often joke that I had a learning curve of working for the number one retailer in the U.S. and for the largest retail bankruptcy without leaving the building. With that said, during my Kmart tenure, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to lead the Moorhead Chamber of Commerce as president several years before the merger with Fargo.
Other opportunities have included serving as President for the Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau and for the Clay County Safety Council; serving as Secretary for the Economic Development Authority; serving on the Board of Directors and as Campaign Division Leader for the United Way; serving on the Board of Directors (presently) for the Salvation Army; and serving several other organizations and groups.
Since 2006, I have served as the Executive Director of the Moorhead Community & Technical College Foundation, raising funds to help students afford their education and building the local workforce with skilled employees.
Then in 2009, I was asked to consult with the Greater Moorhead Development Corporation (GMDC) to research the status of the Moorhead business community; that led to my 2010 appointment as Executive Director of the Moorhead Business Association to develop a voice for local businesses.
SA: What opportunities can the Moorhead Business Association offer smaller companies and entrepreneurs who locate their businesses in Moorhead?
CC: The primary benefit of the Moorhead Business Association (MBA) is to provide advocacy for member interests. The supported causes will be brought to City Council and staff, presented by either board members or the individual business. With the MBA supporting and facilitating specific issues, we can synergize the needs of individual businesses and help influence the governing bodies of Moorhead to focus on the immediate and long-term economic needs of the business community, thereby creating a powerful business voice for the benefit of all of our citizens.
Organizations and businesses located in surrounding areas are welcome to join with us in promoting economic well-being; however, the sole focus of the MBA is to enhance the Moorhead business community.
SA: Presently, the MBA has approximately 70 members. How often are meetings held? What types of businesses are presently involved in the Moorhead Business Association? Are the majority involved in the same type of occupation, like construction and development, or is there a variety of different types of vocations?
CC: The MBA meets weekly from 7 to 8 a.m. on Wednesdays for the “Let’s Talk Business” breakfast at River Pointe of Moorhead, 2401 South 11th Street. We invite all interested parties to check us out any Wednesday morning.
We have a cross-section of businesses from legal, public, food service, and manufacturing and construction, numbering just under 100, and that is without an official membership drive. The ease of acquiring members highlights the need of many businesses to develop a unified voice to promote the business community’s viewpoint. The MBA understands the importance of small/medium enterprises, especially the home-based businesses that have not had a partner to help them navigate the business environment. We strongly encourage them to become partners to positively impact Moorhead’s business climate.
SA: What led to the formation of the Moorhead Business Association? Is there a hope that they eventually will be able to bring more economic development into Moorhead?
CC: A group of businessmen formed GMDC in 1958 to attract business, light industry and the jobs they created to Moorhead. Receiving no federal, state or city funding, the mission was moderately successful in the early phases. In the later years they were primarily involved behind the scenes, providing financing and land acquisition for start-ups.
Today’s leaders recognize that a healthy and vibrant local economy depends upon the well-being of our community’s existing firms. Thus, a renewed focus on business retention and expansion is critical for successful economic development.
It is a passion and a mission of the MBA to promote and create a more business-friendly climate and, thereby, to increase economic development in our community.
SA: Is there a policy regarding what type of business can join? Would home child-care owners or one-person companies find the Moorhead Business Association open to them? Are there dues to join the Moorhead Business Association?
CC: This desire to help our local businesses survive and grow led to the establishment of the MBA, funded by a grant from the Greater Moorhead Development Corporation. The MBA membership is open to any interested individuals or groups regardless of size with the same passion to promote and improve our community. The grant provides the membership dues for 2011 and the expected amount for 2012 dues is $100. It is indicative of the strong desire of the GMDC to support and develop Moorhead as a key economic player in the region.
SA: Chuck, what will it take for Moorhead to “grow” more businesses?
CC: Despite the challenges we face, Moorhead is well-positioned to be a major economic player in the region. There is a strong business community – not a unified group, but one that is poised to take its leadership role. The majority of Moorhead businesses would be classified as small businesses. Over the past 15 years, small businesses have accounted for the majority of private-sector net job creation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, small businesses create about 65 percent of the net new jobs (Business Employment Dynamics figures); according to the Bureau of the Census, they create about 90 percent (Statistics of U.S. Businesses). Therefore, whichever metric is preferred, the fact is that communities such as Moorhead, with a majority of small businesses, are where the most action takes place. All of the puzzle pieces are on the table; we just need to put them into place.
SA: What is the larger goal or vision in the MBA beyond growing the business community in Moorhead?
CC: Beyond growing the business community, one common view I have heard is that Moorhead is not perceived as business-friendly. Perhaps the perception is rooted in the enforcement efficiency of policy and regulations. As an association, one of our major goals and objectives is to develop a strong coalition between the business community, city government and other major players to change that perception. Together, Moorhead can take its rightful place as a strong economic powerhouse. Team Moorhead will accomplish that goal.
SA: Do you anticipate the highway 52 ramps will be reinstalled this year, and how severely is this continuing to hamper businesses within the industrial center of Moorhead?
CC: The ramps will reopen. The reopening has broad-based support from the businesses, customers, employees and residents. The Chamber of Commerce and the Clay County Commission have passed resolutions of support. In addition, the Moorhead City Council at the December 13, 2010, meeting unanimously passed Resolution 2010-1213-10, “Motion to direct staff to develop a scope of work and timeline schedule for the expedited opening, retention and reconstruction of the SE Main Ave/I-94 interchange ramps.” As of February 6, no contact or additional information provided – no urgency.
This is much more than a business issue – it is a community issue! It isn’t going to go away. Now is the time to respond to the wishes of the community and reopen the ramps.
It is beyond comprehension that we would allow the abandonment of such an important commercial component as the industrial park, which contains the largest amount of our businesses with hundreds of employees. It is [due to] incompetence that we are in the present position of neglect. The ramps were closed without the proper signage, planning and execution. The entire project has been mishandled. I wish there were some other way to describe the situation, but those words do not come to mind. As stated, there is no apparent urgency to rectify the harmful consequences caused. The harmful effects range from decreased revenues to serious safety issues arising from inadequate signage to truck traffic in residential areas. There’s simply not enough space in this [column] to itemize the mishandlings of this project. For more information, your readers are encouraged to contact me.
SA: When all three cities belong to the same Chamber of Commerce, how do they help an entity decide which of the three cities to choose?
CC: I am not qualified to speak for the chamber and their procedures in promoting the region. As a chamber member, the MBA trusts that the process would be company-focused and allow the decision to be made on the merits of each community and the needs of each prospect. It is the association position that it would be invited to participate in the initial discussions
SA: Chuck, please give the location, phone numbers, email addresses and website of the Moorhead Business Association so that anyone interested will be able to call your office or read more about the MBA on your website.
CC: The MBA can be reached by mail, email, and phone. Additional information on the website.
Moorhead Business Association
P.O. Box 612
Moorhead, MN 56560
Chuck@moorheadbusinessassociation.org
218-284-4643
Web site: www.moorheadbusinessassociation.org.
Executive Director of the Moorhead Business Association