Learn more about North Dakota’s economic development efforts here. 

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT:  AGRARIA RESTAURANT

Sixteen months ago, the first Agraria restaurant opened in Washington, D.C.  The parent company, Agraria LLC, was built around an idea presented by the North Dakota Farmer’s Union as a way to both showcase American family farmers and help bring them more of the food dollar.  The high-profile restaurant has done well enough that Agraria is planning its second upscale-casual dining establishment.

Tom Prescott, regional project manager at Agraria said the company looked at different options, including a grocery store, before settling on a restaurant as the venue for selling family farm products.  One thing that makes Agraria unique is that everything on the menu is direct-sourced from family farmers or farmer-owned cooperatives across the country.  There are no middle men.

“This is a very forward-thinking concept, and it was developed by North Dakotans,” Prescott said.

The location in Washington, D.C. made sense, Prescott said, because it could be marketed to policy makers in the capitol city.  Since opening, the restaurant has served congressional delegations from across the nation as well as the diplomatic community and regular business guests. 

“Many people come in because they believe in the concept of direct-sourcing from family farmers,” Prescott said. 

As examples, Prescott said the restaurant serves North Dakota Branded Beef and uses North Dakota milled flour in its pastas and breads. 

Agraria is owned mostly by family farmers.  Company bylaws require that at least 75-80 percent of the shares have to be farmer-owned.  The 400-450 farmers currently invested in the company will get the first opportunity to buy shares in the new restaurant.  Prescott, who has been involved in other subscription-type sales, said Agraria was the fastest subscription sale he’s seen.  He expects shares for the second restaurant to sell quickly, as well.

“It’s a very impressive project,” he said.  “It’s something North Dakotans should be proud of.”

BUSINESS TIPS from EXCEL LEADERSHIP. INC. 

How Can You Lead When You Don’t Know Who You Are?–September 21, 2007

In her book Getting a Grip on Leadership, LaVonn Steiner asserts that people can only become good leaders if they get to know themselves.  In the business world, understanding a personal frame of referrence puts leaders in touch with their own values and ethics.  It also helps them work with others who might see things differently.

An excerpt from Getting a Grip on Leadership:

‘The better you know yourself, the better you lead.  Your foundation is formed by what you believe, what you’ve learned and how you live.  It’s your anchor in the midst of chaos.  It’s the centre you seek to make decisions, take action, and influence others.  When your foundation is rock-solid you create unity and trust.  When your foundation is fragile or incongruent you create division and distrust.’

Steiner says leaders trying to get to know themselves should think about what they stand for, what lessons they’ve learned, what makes them powerful and what they’re good at.  Understanding what gives them purpose is important, too.

INCREASING PROFITS BY LEADING EMPLOYEES September 13, 2007

It’s management or mangle-ment.  When you run a business, how you manage your employees can affect profits because the employees will be interacting with your customers. 

Business ownes want employees to be hardworking and motivated.  They want employees that interact pleasantly with customers.  In today’s global economy, employees also need to to live balanced lives and be able to think on their feet.

 

According to LaVonn Steiner, president of Excel Leadership, Inc. in Bismarck, North Dakota, managers and business owners can lead their employees in thoughts and actions that help avoid the mangling of productivity.      

The following is taken from the introduction to Getting a Grip on Leadership, by Robyn Pearce and LaVonn Steiner, and is used with permission from LaVonn Steiner:

There are four essential commonsense components of leadership, four questions to answer.  Apart from a few obvious shifts of emphasis, they’re the same commonsense basics for individuals in their personal relationships, people running teams within commercial organizations, and those who make a contribution with some form of voluntary service. 

1. The Foundation:  who are you? To lead others, first know yourself.
2. The Vision and Strategy:  where are you and your organization going?  A good captain always has a plan.
3. The Climate:  what’s it like to work here?  How to build a positive workplace.
4. The Synergy:  how to work well together.

Without these four fundamentals, lasting leadership will not take place.  However, when they are bedded in, performance improves, profits increase, and people grow.  A good leader does two things: 

*Develops people

*Gets results