North Dakota Success Stories

Door Stud Gets a Foot in the Door Door Stud is a Fargo, ND based manufacturer of door installation equipment. The Door Stud team worked with Commercial Service North Dakota and the Rural Export Center on multiple projects including a RAISE (Rural America’s Intelligence Service for Exporters) project to help refine their strategy for expanding into global markets. These projects assisted Door Stud as they have made important new connections in Australia.
The Health of Nations - Swanson Health Products Requests Due Diligence Assistance in Kazakhstan Swanson Health Products is a Fargo, ND-based company providing vitamins, supplements, and other health products across the globe. Swanson needed assistance in completing due diligence on a potential partner in Kazakhstan. Their request, along with other similar requests for due diligence, led to the U.S. Commercial Service creating a new due diligence tool called the Rural Export Center (REC) Check.
Recycle - Reduce - Reuse - Export Elendu Textiles is a Fargo, ND based exporter of recycled textiles. Instead of throwing away textiles, they can be reused and recycled. Elendu Textiles used the U.S. Commercial Service to find a new market in Honduras.
Leonardite Products Checks Out Brazilian Partner and Lands Sales Leonardite Products is a Williston, ND based company that mines and processes leonardite, a natural form of humates used as a soil amendment. The company used the U.S. Commercial Service to do some due diligence on potential Brazilian partners.
RDO Equipment Finds Fertile Ground in Chile RDO Equipment Company is a dealer of John Deere agricultural machinery, based in Fargo, ND. On August 22, 2017, RDO Equipment staff Mark Kreps, Olga Hall and Spencer Nelson met with U.S. Commercial Service North Dakota Office Director Heather Ranck to discuss opportunities for RDO in Latin America, leading to a confirmation of sales to Chilean buyers.
Crary Industries Reels in Brazilian Business Partner Crary Industries, based in West Fargo, ND is a manufacturer of agricultural harvesting attachments including the Air Reel® and Wind System® that attach to soybean combine headers to minimize grain losses during harvesting. Crary was looking to identify an international distributor in Brazil and reached out to the U.S. Commercial Service ND Office Director, Heather Ranck, who facilitated a connection with Commercial Service Belo Horizonte’s Agribusiness Commercial Specialist Vania Resende.
SJE Rhombus Opens the Valve to the Mexican Liquid Level Control Market SJE Rhombus is a Detroit Lakes, MN-based manufacturer of liquid level control products serving the water, wastewater and sewage industries. Shortly after inquiries, Commercial Service specialists coordinated the participation of twenty US water and environmental companies at the Aquatech Mexico certified trade fair at the World Trade Center in Mexico City, which led to steadily increasing sales for the company ever since.
Avoiding a Wild Goose Chase With Trusted Intermediaries Based in Minot, ND, Gooseneck Implement Company is a dealer of new and used John Deere equipment. On May 20, 2021, a company in Thailand contacted the U.S. Commercial Service office based at the US Embassy in Bangkok, regarding a potential purchase of agricultural equipment from Gooseneck. In the end a deal was facilitated that created value both in Asia and the USA, and also paved the way for future interactions and export sales for Gooseneck.
Page, ND Seed Lubricant Company Starts a New Chapter in Ukraine Talc USA, a Page, ND company, manufactures seed lubricant that contain micronutrients that increase production output. Following ExporTech in 2018, Talc USA connected with US Commercial Service (CS) / North Dakota and began discussing a trade lead in Ukraine. CS North Dakota got in contact with CS Ukraine to perform due diligence on the Ukraine firm’s background, confirming its credibility. From there, Talc USA’s collaboration with CS grew beyond borders, and landed them at the inaugural USA Pavilion at AGRO, a Ukrainian Farm Show.
Swanson Health Products Bring Vigor to Latin America Located in Fargo, ND, vitamin company Swanson Health Products recently found themselves with an interesting predicament: in targeting the continent of Latin America for expansion, there was more demand than they were able to supply. Swanson confronted this challenge by using RAISE in-depth market research from the Rural Export Center to help guide their decision.
PRx Performance Powers Up Exports to Canada A Fargo, ND squat rack manufacturer found a need for their product by looking north. PRx Performance conducted a RAISE market research matrix and report through the Rural Export Center to narrow down where they would find the most international success.
Fargo Construction Tool Company Opens Doors to Global eCommerce Door Stud, a Fargo-based manufacturer of a door installation tool, attended a US Commercial Service / ND seminar in December 2019 in hopes of driving more international visitors to their website. In the year since the seminar, Door Stud has seen the strategies learned pay off in a big way.
Sea Foam Drives Success Overseas Sea Foam Motor Treatment is a fuel additive for cars, trucks, boats, lawn mowers, etc. Sea Foam International participated in ExporTech in 2016 and decided to take their export strategy with the US Commercial Service and RAISE a few steps further.
Spectrum Aeromed Takes Off in Brazil Spectrum Aeromed is a air ambulance company based in Fargo, ND. In 2017, they used the services of the RAISE (Rural America’s Intelligence Service for Exporters) to increase their exports.
WCCO Belting “Makes Hay” at Agritechnica and RAISEs Exports WCCO Belting is a Wahpeton-based manufacturer of custom rubber belting used in agriculture, construction, industrial and recycling machinery. In 2019, WCCO Belting leveraged multiple programs of the U.S. Commercial Service, including exhibiting in a booth within the USA Pavilion at Agritechnica, the world’s largest ag machinery show); and using the in-depth research services of the Rural Intel Service (RAISE) to speed product development and marketing planning.
Bismarck State College Powering Training for Saudi Arabia’s Future Utility Workers Bismarck State College (BSC) has been delivering its world class power technician training curriculum in the US for many years. It began delivering it directly to Saudi Arabian utility worker trainees since September 2018.
Red E (Red Engineering) is Ready for Ukraine Red E (Red Engineering) is an engineering service firm based in West Fargo, ND. The company is headed by twin brothers Matt and Jesse Faul. Red E provides engineering and parts and services for John Deere, Case IH, and similar type air seeders. After focusing on the U.S. market, Red E expanded abroad with its first export success in Russia. After their success, they turned their eyes on Ukraine.
RDO Heads South For the Winter RDO Equipment, based in Fargo, ND, operates dealerships and farming operations across the Midwest and into western United States. RDO is the worldwide dealer of John Deere agricultural machinery. With a large inventory of used equipment, RDO’s international business team wanted to identify a market for machinery in Latin America, a region where they saw opportunity but hadn’t had many previous sales. They also wanted to identify top potential export markets for refurbished construction machinery, as their previous export experience was primarily with ag machinery.
Opening the Door to Exporting with UK and Canada Door Stud is a Fargo-based start-up that manufactures a device that allows doors to be quickly and easily moved and installed, cutting the time and manpower requirements dramatically. When Door Stud got connected to a potential UK based buyer, managers connected with CS North Dakota and got feedback and counseling regarding distributor contract negotiation, pricing, shipping and customs clearance on some sample units.
Fargo Weight Equipment Maker Muscles Their Way Into Canada PRx Performance, based in Fargo, ND, manufactures patented space-saving squat racks and gym equipment. After a boost from Shark Tank, their international inquiries soared, but shipping costs remained a challenge until they found a way into Canada – via Germany.
Africa Needs Superior Grain Storage Superior Grain Equipment is a Kindred, ND based manufacturer of grain storage and drying equipment. The company has been pro-actively pursuing partnerships in Africa since 2011. The company has used the USA Pavilion at the NAMPO show as a platform to make connections into Africa.
Valley City Based Fertilizer Equipment Company FEI Spreads North FEI, Inc. is a Valley City, ND based fertilizer equipment service company. FEI’s VP of Fertilizer Equipment was seeking to expand sales into Canada and he worked with U.S. Commercial Service offices in Fargo, ND and Calgary, Alberta, Canada to conduct an International Partner Search (IPS) to learn more about the market and identify potential contacts in the prairie provinces of Canada.
Research Leads to Agritechnica, New Sales for Mattracks Mattracks, rubber track manufacturers based in Karlstad, MN, participated in a number of different US Commercial Service programs that recently led to new international partners and sales. Through market research, the company was able to nail down Germany as a potential top market, leading to the USA Pavilion at Agritechnica, the largest ag trade show in the world.
Healthy Oilseeds Conquers Trade Barriers in Two Countries Healthy Oilseeds, based in Carrington, ND, recently encountered trade barriers in Peru and Algeria. After working with the US Commercial Service and several other federal departments, Healthy Oilseeds was able to export their products to both countries.
Patience Pays Off for Titan Machinery in Bolivia Titan Machinery made a sale to a partner they met using the U.S. Commercial Service Gold Key Service several years ago. While it took a few years for the sale to materialize, the relationships and connections helped lay the groundwork, and patience paid off.
Poland Warms Up to Steffes Heaters Steffes, LLC, a manufacturer of electric thermal heater storage devices based in Dickinson, ND, had an opportunity in Poland and relied on the U.S. Commercial Service in Fargo, Warsaw and Washington, DC to assist.
Busting Boards and Bales Around the World Duratech Industries in Jamestown, ND, manufactures Haybuster hay grinding and Duratech wood grinding machines. The company exports with the help of their partner CH Trade (based in Fargo, ND), and they recently found success in both Poland and Azerbaijan with the support of the U.S. Commercial Service.
Agritechnica Opens the Door for Several Local Companies Twelve American companies had booths in the USA Pavilion of the biennial German trade show, Agritechnica, in November 2017. Five were from Northwest Minnesota/North Dakota. Mattracks, WCCO Belting, Alloway Standard Industries, Grouser Products, Inc., and Iteris (which has an affiliate in Grand Forks, ND) were all in attendance. Agritechnica is one of the largest agricultural equipment shows in the world and attracts manufacturers, distributors, and buyers from over 130 countries.
Fargo-based Drone Company Botlink Lands Business in Brazil Fargo-based startup Botlink LLC has signed partnerships with three Brazilian commercial unmanned aerial system (UAVs) companies, including a UAV manufacturer, a drone flying company and an engineering company. Using in-depth market research from the U.S. Commercial Service in Fargo and Brazil enabled efficient market entry for Botlink.
Agritechnica Opens the Door to Europe for Butler Machinery Fargo-based Butler Machinery provides machinery and services to the construction, agriculture, mining, landscaping, power generation and trucking sectors. Butler Machinery was seeking new avenues to expand globally, so in May 2013, the Butler team met with CS North Dakota and decided to take a mini booth in the USA Pavilion at Agritechnica 2013.
South Dakota – South Africa Nampo Ag Parts Connection In early 2017, Abilene Machine Inc., a Sioux Falls, SD-based retailer of recycled, remanufactured and new replacement parts for tractors and combines, appointed a nationwide South African distributor. Some of Abilene’s first connections to Africa came via participation at the U.S. Commercial Service’s USA Pavilion at the Nampo 2015 show.
Can I Draw You a Picture? West Fargo’s Technical Publisher Multi Tech Expands into Europe West Fargo-based Multi Technical Publication Services Inc. is a technical writing and illustration firm that in recent years has expanded its services to Belgium. The U.S. Commercial Service assisted Multi-Tech with its European expansion.
RDO Equipment Co. Launches RDO Equipment Africa Fargo-based John Deere dealer RDO Equipment has opened a new dealership in Zambia, in partnership with African entrepreneur Andrew Mower. RDO Equipment Africa offers pre-owned John Deere agricultural and construction equipment, and its Africa store also offers several other North Dakota equipment brands Crary, Wil-Rich and Wishek. RDO received substantial support from the U.S. Commercial Service over many years in Africa.
Taking Angola’s Potato Industry From Tuber to Tater Dr. Andrew Robinson, a North Dakota State University and University of Minnesota Agricultural Extension potato researcher, visited Angola in early March 2017 to consult on potato production practices in Angola. He met with the interested parties during the Big Iron Ag Machinery Show International Visitors Program in September 2016.
Africa Ag Outreach Bears High Yields in Botswana Titan Outlet and Titan Machinery have been working diligently on expanding exports for over a decade, including some efforts to do business in the “last frontier” in Africa. With the support of the U.S. Commercial Service office in Fargo, ND and around the world, Titan has accomplished notable success. Check out this export success story regarding a recent sale in Botswana. titan
Heating the Northlands with Precision Precision Equipment Manufacturing, based in Fargo, ND, manufactures flameless heaters with applications across industries as diverse as oilfield heating, flood mitigation, biological agent defense, ground thawing and pest removal, among others. The company was seeking global expansion and broke into the Nordic region with the assistance of the U.S. Commercial Service.
Kenyan Farmers Find Fertile Soil in North Dakota’s Wil-Rich Wil-Rich and Wishek, manufactured under the AGCO-Amity JV, builds tillage equipment and heavy-duty disc harrows in rural Wahpeton, ND. The company has sold equipment throughout the world, and made their first sale to Kenya with some support from the U.S. Commercial Service.
The Northern Connection - U.S. Commercial Service Backs Nordic – North Dakota UAS Connections The U.S. Commercial Service in North Dakota, Helsinki, Oslo and Stockholm combined forces to assist the North Dakota Department of Commerce and Grand Forks Economic Development Corporation to find Nordic companies with an interest in locating Unmanned Aerial Systems facilities in North Dakota.
Palmer Bit Company Drills Down and Finds Export Gold Palmer Bit Co. in Williston, ND, manufactures drill bits for geothermal, geo technical, water well, seismic and mining drilling purposes. The company has made a few international sales over the years, but in late 2015 company owner Kevin Christensen decided to get more pro-active about exporting and enrolled in ExporTech.
Rocket Scientists at Ideal Aerosmith Take Aim, Fire, and Hit the Export Mark Ideal Aerosmith, Inc. manufactures precision inertial guidance test systems, rotational rate tables and centrifuges, and high dynamic flight test tables. Based in Grand Forks, their systems are used in missiles, aircraft, launch vehicles, UAVs and automobiles. The company has utilized the U.S. Commercial Service in every facet of their international business.
FunShine Express Targets Canada After ExporTech FunShine Express of Dickinson, ND began readying themselves for expansion into Canada after attending and completing ExporTech, a national export training program that takes place in North Dakota with collaboration from the U.S. Commercial Service, the North Dakota Trade Office and Impact Dakota.
Can Tractors, Combines and Ag Shortliners Travel The World? Titan Machinery is one of the largest dealers of agricultural and construction equipment in the US, and they grew into one of the biggest exporters of agricultural machinery in the US with the close collaboration of the U.S. Commercial Service over a ten year period.
Grouser Bulldozes Into International Markets Grouser Products, based in West Fargo, manufactures tractor-mounted dozer blades used primarily in beef and dairy feedlots to push silage. Grouser is the leader in high performance tractor-mounted dozer blades. Grouser participated in the USA Pavilion at Agritechnica 2015, the world’s largest trade fair for agricultural machinery and equipment.