Hilary Mehrer grew up like most North Dakotans– in a small town. Mehrer knew she wanted her own kids to experience the same kind of community and closeness that she did growing up. For many North Dakotans, like Mehrer, growing up in a small town is an experience they hope to pass on. The sense of community, the connection to the outdoors, and strong work ethic make it a place where many North Dakotans want to raise kids of their own. They want them to be able to go out and play and know when the noon and six o’clock whistle blows that it’s time to come home.

So when Hilary and her husband Shannon started a family, they settled in the small rural town of Forman, N.D. The couple runs and operates Dakota Precision Fabricating, Inc., a metal fabrication manufacturer that provides products and services across the country to customers such as BOEING and New York’s LaGuardia Airport. With a growing business and a growing family, fiber Internet service from DRN ReadiTech, allows them to have the best of both worlds.  “Quality broadband allows us to be competitive in a national market while staying in small-town North Dakota,” Mehrer said.

With the power of the Internet at our fingertips, North Dakotans are now able to continue to live in the rural communities they love while building businesses, working remotely, and staying competitive in a global market. “The opportunities we can have in rural communities… they’re pretty much endless,” said Kent Schimke, General Manager of

DRN ReadiTech. Of course, nothing is made possible without hard work — a value that has been ingrained in the culture of North Dakota since the first families settled and tended to the land. You’ve probably heard the common phrase, “work smarter, not harder.”  

Schimke acknowledges the challenges of rural areas are overcome by the cooperative spirit of the community. “It can be hard work to live in a rural community,” he said. “But that’s what rural communities do. We all support each other to be stronger and to continue to be able to live in those rural communities. The resources BAND, the Broadband Association of North Dakota, provides helps support those communities by connecting them to the rest of the world.”

The difference today, with the services of BAND and its member companies, like DRN ReadiTech, is North Dakotans can work smarter and harder; combining the strength of our work ethic with the resources of technology to make our businesses thrive. BAND was formed 65 years ago with a mission to bring top-of-the-line communication technology to the communities across North Dakota. That mission has transformed from telephone party lines to today, where high-speed Internet has become a necessity.

“At DRN ReadiTech, we know investing in a 100% fiber network builds a better future for North Dakotans to connect with family and friends, participate in distance learning, to see a medical practitioner through telemedicine, to work—whether from home or the office, and to operate business seamlessly. We are excited to bring our fiber-optic service to the city of Casselton and look forward to the growth it will provide the area.”