Tag: Business

A place for gamers and geeks: Badlands Comics and Games opens

John Nyman, left, and John Odermann stand in their store, Badlands Comics and Games, Friday in Dickinson. The duo opened the store that features comic books and a variety of games on Thursday, May 29.

John Nyman and John Odermann are kindred spirits.

Each man considers himself to be a “geek.” While they’re geekiness isn’t exactly the same, they’ve decided it could make for a great business partnership.

The Dickinson men have opened a store together where they hope other so-called geeks can come together and enjoy their hobbies and interests.

“Geeks tend to stick together,” Odermann said with a smile. “We like to talk to each other about the things that we like.”

Badlands Comics and Games opened Thursday, May 30 on West Villard in Dickinson. It’s the first store of its kind in the city and the first to sell a variety of comic books in more than two decades. The store will sell comic books, tabletop games, role-playing games and trading card games, and will also provide game rooms where customers can spend long hours playing their games with friends or even hold tournaments.

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Larsens handle ‘controlled chaos:’ Watford City family-owned drug store sees benefits, challenges of boom

Pharmacist Larry Larsen, right, works with his daughter and pharmacist Jenna Wahlstrom on Feb. 13 at their store, Larsen Service Drug on Main Street in Watford City.

WATFORD CITY — Larry and Debbie Larsen know the benefits and pitfalls of owning a small business in an Oil Patch boomtown.

Despite being flush with new clients and busier than ever, Larry said keeping up can be “a struggle.”

“A lot of times, we just call it controlled chaos,” he said.

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The B.A.R. strives to be ‘town’s bar’ in New England

Carol and Steve LaFramboise stand behind the bar at The B.A.R. in New England on Feb. 9. The owner of The B.A. bowling alley and restaurant, Steve partnered with Randy Schwartz and several volunteers to open the new business in the town’s old lumber yard building.

NEW ENGLAND — Steve LaFramboise had a nice little thing going inside his bowling alley. He had turned a small corner section of The B.A. restaurant into a bar and lounge area where bowlers could gather.

It turned into the place to go in New England for those wanting to socialize while enjoying an adult beverage.

But, LaFramboise said, it was never anything more than a hole in the wall. In fact, he acknowledges, it wasn’t even much of a bar.

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Sculpting success: Oil boom helps Dickinson native’s welding business take off

Mike Gayda stands outside of the Iron Works Welding shop in north Dickinson.

Mike Gayda tried going to college.

After attending Dickinson State University for a short time he acknowledged, “College wasn’t for me.”

So, knowing he had a talent for welding, he took jobs with Steffes Corp. in Dickinson and at the Case IH Steiger plant in Fargo. It was at the latter that the Dickinson native had a chance conversation with a co-worker who tipped him off about welders running their own service trucks in the burgeoning western North Dakota oil fields.

So, in 2006, Gayda decided to move home and start his own business.

“It was perfect timing,” Gayda said.

When he was 20 years old, Gayda started Iron Works Welding with one service truck. He worked out of a heatless quonset on Dickinson’s south side by himself.

By 2008, before the true onset of the oil boom, he had found enough work to hire two employees and build a 6,800 square-foot building on a little less than an acre of land on a space just north of Dickinson in the industrial park off Highway 22.

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Emergency Services Center ‘huge’ for New England

New England Fire Chief Joey Kathrein stands Wednesday at the construction site of the new city’s Emergency Services Center, which will serve the city’s rural fire department and ambulance service and have sleeping quarters.

NEW ENGLAND — All it takes is one look inside the New England Fire and Ambulance Hall to see the small town could use a better facility.

Packed like sardines into a 40-foot long by 80-foot wide steel building on the town’s Main Street are two ambulances and five fire trucks of different sizes. One truck is always parked outside.

“Those who have questioned why we need a new building, all they have to do is walk into ours right now,” Fire Chief Joey Kathrein said. “It’s actually dangerous. That’s a big reason why we wanted to expand.”

With the help of grants, fundraising and a donated piece of land, the town is building the $1.15 million Emergency Services Center on the city’s northeast edge to house its fire and ambulance services.

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