Welcome to Kenmare

Feature Stories (Vol. 109 No. 23--6/06/2007)

Kari Bies is new executive director of Kenmare Development Corporation

By Caroline Downs

Kari Bies, the new executive director for the Kenmare Community Development Corporation, has business in her blood.

"My parents started their own business in 1980," she said. "We’ve had the home business in our family and I see where they have succeeded so much. They’ve grown from a partnership to a corporation."

Her parents Sonja and Mark Jensen own and operate Allegiance Software, Inc. in Fargo, a company that develops software tailored to the needs of public broadcasting. Bies and her younger sister, now a sophomore at North Dakota State University pursuing a computer science degree, started helping in the company’s headquarters at a young age, answering phones for public television and radio station membership drives.

"Then I worked in the office," Bies continued. "Through high school and college, we’d go to business conferences with [our parents] as much as we could. I’d do data entry, answer the office phone, mail out information packets for software inquiries, and other secretarial work."

She paused and smiled. "I suppose that’s what got me interested in pursuing my degree in business," she said.

Bies earned her degree in December 2006, a bachelor of science in management with an emphasis on marketing and sales from the University of Mary. She started her classes at the U-Mary School of Accelerated and Distance Education Fargo Center, then finished her degree online after moving to Kenmare a year ago with her husband Brandon, a lineman for Montana-Dakota Utilities, and son Blake, 6.

"I like people. I like advertising," Bies said. "I’m just an entrepreneur at heart, with PR interests!"

She started her position with KCDC on May 1st, after spending nearly a year as a bookkeeper and teller at State Bank & Trust of Kenmare. Since arriving in town, she has been fascinated with the spirit and cooperation of Kenmare’s business community. "It amazes me how well everybody works together," she said. "That sparked my interest [in the KCDC position]."

Bies hopes to combine her passions for advertising, marketing and community involvement in order to learn more about Kenmare and the surrounding area. She sees a need to focus on both attracting new business and retaining established ones, while maintaining the town’s appeal to families. "Being 27, I look at the younger generation and the future generations here," she said.

She has spent much of the first month simply getting acquainted with people. "I’ve been to the Minot Chamber of Commerce, the Kenmare City Council, the Association of Commerce and the Souris Basin Planning Council," she said, ticking off a list of meetings. "I’m trying to get my name out there!"

She attended a meeting of the Bike the Border committee in Mohall, with the intention of including Kenmare as a participant in the event again next year. She joined the Kenmare Lions Club, after her father got her involved in Fargo, and she witnessed a generous dose of community interest during a meeting last week to start work on a new walking and recreational trail for the community.

Her "to do" list includes promoting Renaissance Zone projects in Kenmare and educating property owners about the benefits of the program, expanding businesses, attending a grants roundtable in Minot to find more resources for Kenmare, and supporting projects started to provide new housing in town. She plans to represent Kenmare’s interests with the North Prairie Farmers Market and the area Junior Achievement education program.

In the immediate future, Bies wants to interest local and area residents in birdwatching opportunities on the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge when the Burke County Birding Festival comes to visit on June 22nd. The Kenmare Association of Commerce will host a meal and other events late that afternoon at Tasker’s Coulee, and everyone is welcome to join birders from across the country in appreciating the waterfowl and shorebirds that summer in Kenmare’s backyard.

Bies would also like to see Kenmare develop a stronger presence on the Internet by enhancing the KCDC page on the community’s website at www.kenmarend.com. "I know my generation is on the Internet a lot," she said. "I think that’s a good resource, and we can use that to our advantage."

When she’s not out promoting Kenmare’s best assets, Bies looks for recreational activities. She bikes and camps with her family, and enjoys boating on area lakes. She and her husband played co-ed volleyball in the city recreation program last winter and can often be seen running together; in fact, Bies competed in the 5K event at the Fargo Marathon held May 19th.

She also described herself as a "big movie watcher" and talked about time spent indoors reading, writing, scrapbooking and using the Internet for research, news and email.

More than anything right now, however, Bies wants to make herself accessible to the community’s residents, particularly those interested in business or housing opportunities. "I’m open to new ideas and helpful when it comes to starting your own business," she said. "I’m innovative, and I like being creative."

One of her long-term goals for Kenmare is to see continual growth. "When you see the progression, it would be rewarding to know that you’re part of that," she said. "Being involved in the community is the biggest way that you can make a difference."

Persons who want to make that difference in Kenmare with new ventures are welcome to contact Bies with their ideas and questions by calling 701-217-0048 or emailing kcdc@rtc.coop. She also has office hours at State Bank & Trust of Kenmare on Wednesdays from 9 am to noon, and 1 to 3 pm.