In 1995 the Northern Great Plains Inc (NGP) of Crookston, Minnesota, operating at that time as The Red River Trade Council (RRTC), launched its first series of workshops and technical support programs geared to small businesses in rural areas. The first project, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was designed to investigate whether the Internet held potential for small agribusiness. Working with seven agribusinesses located near Crookston, the project employed students from the University of Minnesota in Crookston to design websites for the businesses. Bruce Brorson, faculty member at the University and RRTC project manager, delivered a series of workshops to businesses to help them understand the Internet basics of using email, designing websites, and connecting their office computers to the Internet. It is interesting to note that all seven of these businesses are still actively maintaining web presences and one business has progressed to an eCommerce site that sells fertilizer and chemicals online. Brorson’s expertise was essential to the success of the workshop series. As a small business owner, professor of business and marketing, self-confessed technology guru, and tenacious researcher, Brorson drew together a set of issues and provided expertise that was highly relevant to this new frontier of the Internet.The next NGP/RRTC project, funded by the Ford Foundation, targeted women-owned businesses. Again employing students to design web pages for participant businesses, the project culminated with a “Women in Business” web portal, complete with a topic specific search engine and our first secure eCommerce store in 1998. In 1998,
NGP/RRTC received funding from Minnesota Technology, a manufacturing support organization funded by the State of Minnesota. The Manufacturer’s Network project was designed to serve a much larger audience, scaling from the seven to twelve participants in previous projects to over 200 companies served. In February 1998, Steve Hannah joined NGP/RRTC as the Internet Systems Administrator. In addition to having students develop websites for those companies who decided to employ their services, NGP/RRTC would help them register a domain name, host their sites for an incubation period, provide email services at their domain name, offer company network evaluations and onsite configuration services, and act as a Help Desk for computer issues, and offer technical support for most any technology issue.
By the end of 2001, NGP/RRTC had provided the following services:
• Over 300 participants from 200 businesses had attended at least one of over 90
workshops.
• Student web designers had created over 100 websites.
• NGP/RRTC servers were hosting over 90 websites.
• Approximately 20 businesses had received onsite technical configuration services for
their computers and networks.
• Over 1500 telephone and email requests for technical advise were logged.
In February of 2002, NGP received funding from the U.S. Department of Labor for a project
entitled “Building an eBusiness Workforce in the Northern Great Plains.” The goals of the project
were to:
Building Small Business Websites - 7
• Provide approximately 40 hours of training in the use of the Internet for small business to
at least 200 participants and at least 50 businesses in 10 communities in the states of
Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska.
• Assist in short and long range community technology education planning.
• Provide technical assistance and Help Desk services to project participants.
• Provide community grants of up to $10,000 to help communities continue their
technology education programs.
As of the end of 2003, this project has provided training and planning services in the following
communities:
• Iowa – Centerville, Cherokee, Laurens, Lake Mills
• Nebraska – Cambridge, West Point
• South Dakota – Canton, Lemmon
• Minnesota – Lakefield
• North Dakota – Hettinger, Bottineau
NGP/RRTC received funding from Minnesota Technology, a manufacturing support organization funded by the State of Minnesota. The Manufacturer’s Network project was designed to serve a much larger audience, scaling from the seven to twelve participants in previous projects to over 200 companies served. In February 1998, Steve Hannah joined NGP/RRTC as the Internet Systems Administrator. In addition to having students develop websites for those companies who decided to employ their services, NGP/RRTC would help them register a domain name, host their sites for an incubation period, provide email services at their domain name, offer company network evaluations and onsite configuration services, and act as a Help Desk for computer issues, and offer technical support for most any technology issue.
By the end of 2001, NGP/RRTC had provided the following services:
• Over 300 participants from 200 businesses had attended at least one of over 90
workshops.
• Student web designers had created over 100 websites.
• NGP/RRTC servers were hosting over 90 websites.
• Approximately 20 businesses had received onsite technical configuration services for
their computers and networks.
• Over 1500 telephone and email requests for technical advise were logged.
In February of 2002, NGP received funding from the U.S. Department of Labor for a project
entitled “Building an eBusiness Workforce in the Northern Great Plains.” The goals of the project
were to:
Building Small Business Websites - 7
• Provide approximately 40 hours of training in the use of the Internet for small business to
at least 200 participants and at least 50 businesses in 10 communities in the states of
Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska.
• Assist in short and long range community technology education planning.
• Provide technical assistance and Help Desk services to project participants.
• Provide community grants of up to $10,000 to help communities continue their
technology education programs.
As of the end of 2003, this project has provided training and planning services in the following
communities:
• Iowa – Centerville, Cherokee, Laurens, Lake Mills
• Nebraska – Cambridge, West Point
• South Dakota – Canton, Lemmon
• Minnesota – Lakefield
• North Dakota – Hettinger, Bottineau
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