Edie Ramstad: Investment in broadband will keep businesses in Minnesota

Since 2012, I have owned and operated a small business in Greater Minnesota called Weave Got Maille. As a supplier of jewelry making components, we started small — traditionally what you would think of as a “mom and pop” shop. When the business opened, I had planned on being part-time and having the store as a hobby.

But then, broadband service revolutionized the way we did business. We went from hoping for $40,000 in sales to having $1 million within reach by the end of 2015, and from one part-time employee to 12 full-time employees with the intention of hiring eight more. We do business in 56 countries and are planning to build a new $500,000 facility to accommodate our growth.

Like many wholesale retailers, our success is largely due to broadband service. But unlike other businesses, when leaders from major corporations came from all over the world ask to be a partner, we had to hesitate in saying “yes”.

Over the years, we’ve had to painfully decline business partnerships because of Ada’s broadband limitations. I was on an island in the digital world, which limited my company’s ability to keep growing.

Last year, my husband and I were heavily courted by North Dakota to relocate our business to where high-speed broadband service was guaranteed. We wanted to stay in our town, but also knew that without high-speed internet service, our company would not survive.

Not long after, our community received the attention of a local phone company recognized the need to move forward installing fiber so that our businesses and residents can prosper here.

If we had not received the commitment for higher broadband speed, we would not have achieved our dream goals.

This is not uncommon among Minnesota’s businesses in Greater Minnesota — these conversations are happening throughout the state.

In response to these needs from businesses, the state created the Minnesota Broadband Office which recently allocated close to $20 million in grants to help bring Greater Minnesota up to par with urban areas. The governor has even proposed additional funding in his budget, which would support more communities like mine throughout the state.

This vital state program is keeping businesses in Minnesota, so it surprising to hear that our lawmakers want to cut funding altogether for something so important to Greater Minnesota’s economic future.

In small town like Ada, we have many benefits — primarily, a quality of life cherished my strong farming families like mine.

But without internet service, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to participate in the global economy if it weren’t for investment in fiber-based internet service.

I’d like to encourage our leaders to continue funding broadband so other businesses can stay and grow where they choose.

Edie Ramstad is owner and founder of Weave Got Maille in Ada, MN and a board member for Northwest Minnesota Foundation.