November 2014 marked another eventful month for Fargo and Emerging Prairie. In the short span of 30 days, we learned that North Dakota “could own the drone industry,” that NDSU has a lot to offer the entrepreneurs of Fargo, and saw continual appearances of Fargo and Fargo-based startups in nationwide media outlets. Go Fargo!

Here’s a quick re-cap (with pictures!): Although we did not have our usual Startup Drinks event, this month saw the debut of E-Commerce After Hours – the evening version of the e-commerce events hosted by Heat Transfer Warehouse. Tickets included two drinks at the Boiler Room along with a presentation about search engine optimization.

1 Million Cups continues to draw over a hundred people each Wednesday morning, and this month the event saw a particularly unique series of presenters; the guys from Botlink introduced their software platform for drones, with promising prospects for North Dakota planting a stake in the drone industry. Following their presentation at 1 Million Cups, where Botlink announced their product for the first time, the Fargo Forum published a story on their work.

Another 1 Million Cups saw NDSU President Dr. Bresciani speak to over 200 people, strengthening the relationship between the university and the entrepreneurial community, and praising events that promote such connectivity.

This, coupled with the work four girls from Fargo South Highschool are doing, illustrate the widespread effect of the energy to be found in Fargo’s entrepreneurial community. We’ve dropped a stone, and the water is continuing to ripple.

The impact of those ripples reaches beyond Fargo. In November, Fargo continued to see national media coverage; the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal highlighted what they call the “startup super highway” between Fargo and the Twin Cities, and Entrepreneur magazine featured North Dakota startups twice with Coschedule as #1 best business tools built by startups, and Myriad Mobile co-founder Jake Joraanstad sharing his strategy for sustaining an energetic entrepreneurial life.

Locally, Fargoans are also spreading the love. The Twitter hashtag, #ilovefargo, was used 44 times just this past month! And when we asked the startup community what they are thankful for this Thanksgiving, nearly everyone mentioned the Fargo community.

As more people continue to pay attention to Fargo – and perhaps more importantly, as more locals discover the gems that lie beneath the frozen exterior – we can only imagine how our city will continue to grow. Thanks to all who have supported and celebrated with us this month, and here’s to finishing the year with a bang this December!