What’s Holding Us Back Isn’t Resources. It’s Vision.

Fergus Falls is a place with grit.

We’ve weathered tough times, watched storefronts cycle through booms and busts, and seen our population stay stubbornly flat. And yet—we’re still here. Still showing up. Still working hard.

That says something about us.

But it’s time to ask ourselves a harder question: Where are we going?

Because holding steady isn’t enough anymore.

What we need now isn’t another study, task force, or campaign. What we need is a shared sense of direction—a vision for what this community could be five, ten, even twenty years from now.

Here’s how I think we start.

The Five Interlocking Parts of Economic Growth

There’s a tendency to treat economic development like a job for a department, a director, or a line item in the city budget. But real, lasting growth doesn’t come from a single strategy. It’s the result of five interconnected efforts—each one essential, each one incomplete without the others.

1. Attract New Businesses

Economic growth starts with bringing in fresh energy. That might be a manufacturer, a remote-friendly company, or a retail concept that fills a gap.

Sure, we might not have big incentives or massive grant programs. But what we do have is room to grow, a central location, access to major transportation corridors, and people ready to work.

Let’s focus on positioning ourselves better: telling our story, responding faster, and making it easier for someone to say “yes” to Fergus Falls.

What if we focused on helping 3–5 companies say yes this year?

2. Strengthen the Ones We’ve Got

This one’s personal to me. We already have small businesses that have taken the risk, signed the leases, hired the teams. They’re investing here. They’re staying here.

Let’s make sure they’re not doing it alone.

That means mentorship, capital access, roundtables, infrastructure support, and proactive outreach. It means asking local business owners, “What do you need to grow?”—and then listening closely.

Momentum compounds. If we help 10 existing businesses grow even 10%, that’s real impact.

3. Unleash the Entrepreneurs

I know firsthand how many dreamers, makers, and builders we have in this town. But without visible support or space to test ideas, those dreams fade.

We don’t need another massive program—we need low-friction ways to try something new.

Let’s bring back pop-up spaces. Let’s host pitch nights. Let’s create environments where creative people feel invited to create.

A healthy community makes it easy to start.

4. Attract and Retain Talent

Let’s be honest: jobs are only one part of the puzzle. People choose where to live based on quality of life. Schools. Housing. Trails. Coffee shops. Connection.

We have so much of that—but we don’t always market it well, and we don’t always think about how to activate it.

We need housing that young families can afford. We need social energy that makes people feel like they belong. And we need to tell our story more boldly, especially to people working remotely or thinking about a return to small-town life.

If we want to grow, we need to attract people—not just companies.

5. Build a Place Worth Visiting (and Staying)

Tourism isn’t just about events. It’s about energy. When someone visits our town, what impression do they leave with? Would they come back? Would they bring someone with them? Would they want to stay?

Our community needs one or two big moments each year that create lasting memories. That draw a crowd. That tell people, “This is who we are.”

It could be music. It could be food. It could be trails, history, or art. Whatever it is—it needs to feel like us.

Let’s build the kind of experiences that make people fall in love with this place.

Where This Leaves Me

I want to be honest: I’m writing this as a challenge to myself as much as anyone else.

I’ve spent years working in and around small-town growth. And I believe in the potential of Fergus Falls more today than ever. But I also know that belief isn’t enough.

We don’t need to wait for someone else to figure it out. We can choose to act. We can start something. We can show up, support, volunteer, mentor, invest, dream.

This is a season of opportunity—but also one of responsibility.

The city is working hard on their next chapter. That’s good. But the rest of us need to step forward too.

I want to be part of that. I hope you do too.