11.25.15

Hoeven: Entrepreneurs Play a Vital Role in Growing the Economy, Creating New Job Opportunities

Senator Joins 1 Million Cups Fargo Reunion to Highlight Successes of the Region’s Entrepreneurs

FARGO, N.D. – At the first-ever 1 Million Cups (1MC) Reunion in Fargo today, Senator John Hoeven commended Emerging Prairie for their commitment to the entrepreneurial community in Fargo and across the upper Great Plains and congratulated the group’s founders and stakeholders for establishing Fargo 1MC as the largest weekly gathering of entrepreneurs in the nation. The senator stressed the importance of entrepreneurs in spurring innovations to grow the economy and open good job opportunities for Americans.

Hoeven supports local innovators and small businesses by working to create a legal, tax and regulatory environment in America that empowers investment and helps entrepreneurs succeed. Further, through initiatives such as his annual State of Technology Conference, the senator has sought to make Fargo and the Red River Valley a hub of technology entrepreneurship for the country.

“Our innovators and entrepreneurs play a vital role in both our local and national economies,” Hoeven said. “By developing new technologies and systems, our startups can create and transform markets. That means new employment opportunities and a higher quality of life for all of us. We are working to ensure that our nation has the right kind of business environment, like the one we have created in North Dakota, which helps our new business owners realize their vision and succeed.”

This year’s State of Technology Conference, hosted by Hoeven and the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce, featured many 1MC presenters, including Terri Zimmerman and Shawn Muehler of Botlink, LLC, Jake Clark of Fargo 3D Printing, Corey Kratcha and Chad Ulven of c2renew, Cooper Bierscheid of Protosthetics and Miguel Danielson of Danielson Legal and Fargo Startup House. Past conferences have served as a catalyst for new innovation and investment in the state, including the Dakota Fiber Initiative, which originated from a challenge made by Doug Burgum in his 2013 keynote address at the conference.

Today’s 1MC Reunion highlighted the successes of the regional program’s many entrepreneur presenters since weekly meetings first began in 2014. Fargo’s 1MC program is the largest and most active in the country and is operated by Emerging Prairie.