Road Notes: WE The People…and The Places…

We spent a great week in the Dakota’s…a little work, a little travelling, a lot of learning. Before we get to the business stuff some observations overall. We live in a politically polarizing world today, but as I have witnessed first hand time and again, when you get out and meet PEOPLE and experience things and talk to others, the polarization almost disappears. Red state, blue state, it’s usually the same. People seem to put so much aside when they are away from their phones, their screens, and frankly, the rants of leaders on both sides who are creating more problems than exist when you share meals, thoughts, emotional moments, historic significance and the beauty of what makes America great together…as WE…the people. You go to historic churches in Minnesota and who is giving a tour? A Scottish immigrant who went out of his way to point out how much a cooperative melting pot Moorhead, Minnesota was. You drive seven hours from Fargo, North Dakota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and what do you see? Thousands of wind turbines brining power and money to the farmers who own the land? So does renewable energy work for people on both sides of the political aisle? It seems to on The Plains. You go to Wall Drug and Custer State Park and who is behind the counter? Waiters from Jamaica, student workers from China and Mexico and Croatia, all doing the jobs that students and immigrants from any background have ever done, and brining their stories with them. While we drove around the beautiful town of Sioux Falls, what did we see amongst the Taco Bells and Olive Gardens? restaurants with Ethiopian food, Somali food,  Korean grocers…all servicing a community where people, here legally and awaiting citizenship, are working together to build better lives, and in many cases, take jobs that others may not want. Now are there homeless issues in some places, unemployment regardless of color, cultural clashes, and immigration issues?  Yes, that’s part of a growing society. But when you go to Mt. Rushmore and see people with tears in their eyes wearing everything from saris to Hells Angels jackets singing the National Anthem, it makes you realize we are less far apart than what is portrayed. Check it out for yourself, you may be pleasantly surprised, And those on both sides off the aisle fueling fear and hate, you should be ashamed of yourself. Maybe get off your fundraising and try getting out in the community more, you might be inspired to work together more.   

Now on to some learnings…

Little ideas matter: One of the best parts of getting out and about and going to events is the ability to steal ideas…or learn best practices. These past two years I have been at the American Association All-Star Game, last year in Kansas City, this year in Fargo, and always walk away with simple things that can applied last elsewhere. Last season, the league honored the ties to the Special Olympics by having local Special Olympians go out on the field during starting lineups with each of the players. Each of the young people, were honored as All-Stars as well, and both the visual of these kids on the field, along with their own beaming faces to be recognized and cheered by the crowd, was beyond special. Those spots can always be sold to a brand partner, they can be kids of someone who knows someone, they can even be young baseball players, and all of those moments are worthy…but creating a Special Olympics opportunity was both heartwarming and unique.

This year one of the “aha” moments came not from the field but from the home of the RedHawks, Newman Outdoor Stadium. Each of the suites was not tied to the history of baseball in the area or to a corporate partner, but to old ballparks around the country, a teachable moment for anyone who entered to learn and a see a little of the history of baseball while standing in their own stadium. Baseball’s natural breaks give people time to look left and right, and especially given the fact that affiliated ball is about the experience, letting a little history and trivia sink in made a great deal of sense. Very adaptable to anyone looking to tie to the history of the game.

Sturgis impresses: We had a chance on Sunday before we left South Dakota to venture to the town of Sturgis, which this week will host its annual motorcycle week, drawing thousands of bikers of every age and exploding the size of the town for all parts of motorcycle culture. One would think it’s Hell’s Angel’s on wheels, and although that is certainly part of the experience as things get revved up this week, we were taken by the amount of brands…high end brands…jewelry brands, apparel brands, insurance companies like Progressive…in addition to the clothes, and the biker culture lifestyle that were filling the streets. Of course there were alcohol brands of every size and shape setting up shop in pop up tents, but the depth of activations being pout in place was NASCAR-like in assembly, while the demo seemed to be much older, and even a little more high net worth (given the cost and intimate detail of motorcycles heading to Sturgis) than one might expect. Now we were there a week before things officially got going, and for sure this was a country music and rock crowd, but you could find wine setups, high-end food offerings, even some glamping, moving into the town as the roars got louder. Maybe it gets rougher and tumble as things go on, but it is clear that brands well beyond the traditional biker audience see the numbers and the spending power of this audience, as well as its brand loyalty, and were finding ways to insert themselves into the spending and the conversations.

Lastly, a word about the value of hidden impact. I have always been impressed by the depth and dedication to detail that National Park Service employees have. They are always there to answer questions, provide detail, and help anyone and everyone who goes to any of our great parks. They do it for the love of their job, certainly not for the money, and I find it so upsetting that DOGE has targeted these important and invaluable public servants to be on the cutting block. That being said, their enthusiasm never seeks to amaze me, even in the face of losing funding. Case in point was at Mt. Rushmore. First on backstory though. My longtime friend Lou Del Bianco has made it his life’s work to get recognition for his grandfather Luigi, who was the lead stonecutter for the mountain. Lou mentioned to me there is a plaque somewhere in the museum, so when we arrived I’d figured I’d ask the Rangers, who were as expected, busy answering many questions as the park ebbed and flowed. When I was able to get to the front, I asked about the plaque, and the response I received, was beyond my expectations. The young woman looked up from her busy desk, smiled and said “LUIGI, we love his story,” and then preceded to walk me over to the large plaque on the wall, telling me all the time about the people who bring in books or have watched Luigi’s story. We took along some others who wanted to learn more, a beautiful moment on an amazing trip. People…all people…and places, can’t be beat. America the beautiful for sure, no matter what the naysayers say. If you don’t show up and experience, you won’t know. We have more in common than we think sometimes, just get away from the screens and out to see for yourself.