The Blog

Laura Stoneburner

There seem to be a lot of runners trotting around the streets of Fargo these days.  Most look a little pained, pretty exhausted. Several have water tied to their belt like there’s a chance of ending up in a desert.

What’s the deal?  The majority of these runners have been busting their butts – literally– to be in stride for the Fargo Marathon. The 8^th annual, that is. So let’s see – 8 years, 26.2 miles, thousands of people… that’s a ton of miles.

In 2005, the Fargo Marathon became a venue for 707 marathon runners to sweat, bleed, and blister through a 26.2-mile jaunt. About 1,700 additional runners participated in other race events for a total of more than 2,400 people in the first official year. Race planners were thrilled with the turnout and believed it would be the largest attendance in the history of the Fargo Marathon.

They can look back now and laugh. Fargo Marathon events broke the 20,000 participant mark in 2010 – fitting hand-in-hand with the theme that year: 20 x 10 – 20,000 runners by 2010. But the 20,000 mark didn’t hold a record for long. Over 23,000 runners gathered to participate in last year’s event, and 25,000 are expected this year. Wow!

Obviously this event has set a good pace and won’t be hitting a wall anytime soon. So how did this annual event create such a stampede? It seems to have been a recipe for success from the beginning. My opinion – it’s all about passion. Combine insanely passionate people with a beefy challenge, and you’re set up for success. The same can be said with the construction industry – our clients Continue Reading →

Denise Stoppleworth

As marketers and businesspeople, we like to think we’re in charge of our own destiny. Okay, let’s be honest, it’s part of human nature. No matter who or where we are, we like to think of controlling our destiny. We plan. We forecast. We evaluate and reevaluate. Ultimately, we expect things to work out as planned. But if we’ve learned anything in the last several years, it’s that we need to plan for the unexpected. There are many things beyond our control. The true “control” comes in how we choose to respond.

This week, I attended the APWA Snow Conference in Milwaukee. It was painfully clear to manufacturers in the snow industry that there is an element of their destiny well beyond their control –  Weather! With the record warm temperatures and low precipitation this year, manufacturers and service providers in that market received an unexpected jolt back to that painful reality. Adding to that difficult awakening was the failed forecasts of everything from the Farmers Almanac to forecaster after forecaster who predicted record snowfall and an incredibly harsh winter.- Consider this: We went from a winter last year in which 49 out of 50 states received snow, to this year where virtually no state had snow of any significance. And with uncertainty in what next year’s weather may hold, it requires making some basic business decisions on faith. Continue Reading →

Denise Stoppleworth

“Hey, know why I ride my bike?” A boy of about five yelled this to me last night as I was on my walk with my iPod listening to Kenny Chesney. His bushy brown hair stuck out from beneath his helmet, which made his face look round and his cheeks pink. I smiled and yelled over the sound of the music in my ears, “Nope.” “Because I can get where I am going really fast! See, I’m already at my friends house.”
I had to chuckle to myself. You see, I had passed this boy playing on his driveway during my initial lap through the neighborhood. Upon seeing me walk by again and realizing I hadn’t made it home, I’m sure he asked himself, “Why is she still walking?” and wanted to introduce me to a “better “ way of achieving my objective. The only problem was, he didn’t realize that my objective was different than his. It wasn’t about speed in reaching a destination. It was about physical exercise.

I couldn’t help but think about how many times this happens in marketing. There is no Continue Reading →

Lindsay Babb

Ah, The Office. Easily one of my favorite shows. Just ask Denise – actually, don’t. Several of us at IRONCLAD quote the show like it’s second nature — not even realizing we’re doing it. Add to that, the frequent reference to certain episodes and all the inside jokes tied to it and we tend to drive Denise nuts. But in my years of faithfully watching The Office, I’ve found some real business lessons to be learned from the characters. So I’d like to share – and then I promise Denise, no more Office around the office for at least a week.

Dwight – Proof That Passion Pays Off
As ridiculous his antics or bizarre his methods, Dwight continues to be the top salesman in the office. And why? He loves his job. Not just that, he’s hopelessly devoted to it. Day and night, rain or shine, holidays and weekends, Dwight is there to provide top-notch, personal service for clients — something Dunder Mifflin Continue Reading →