Business Beat: May 1st, 2008

You've probably heard about the company called E-Telecare Solutions. They have two sites in Mino...  More »

You've probably heard about the company called E-Telecare Solutions. They have two sites in Minot, but I bet you didn't realize the impact they have. E-telecare has facilities in several locations in the United States, and have been in Minot close to five years. And now, the site on North Hill is expanding, allowing E-telecare to consolidate their Minot locations and keep growing. Manager Bill Thomas will begin to hire more employees this summer. (Bill Thomas, Site Manager) 220 people work here, and we'll add 50 to 60 this summer and be up to nearly 300. In Minot's competitive economy, Thomas says they offer incentives to attract enough employees...for instance a 1-thousand dollar signing bonus. E-telecare handles tech support and sales work for other companies, and is open from 6am until 11pm, seven days a week. The Hess Corporation, which can trace its history back to 1951 when oil was first discovered in North Dakota, is opening an office in Minot. Hess Corporation has several locations in Western North Dakota, but with the Bakken Formation being so productive, they need a presence in Minot. Manager Wayne Biberdorf says within the next month, this location on North Broadway near Ask Fitness will be their offices for 25 professional workers. (Wayne Biberdorf, Hess Corporation) All focusing on Bakken, drilling and the the construction associated with it. He says they have drilled in the Bakken for years, but the price and new technology is driving business. He expects Hess will grow 20-30 percent in N.D. Minot's newest eating establishment is located on Central Avenue in the Bricks. It's Roy's BBQ Shoppe. Early every morning he'll be starting up this smoker outside near the restaurant. Roy Saul and his wife Anne will serve smoked brisket and pork, and a few side dishes. They have some tables at the shoppe, primarily he's geared for take out. He's been catering for 10 years, and knows a lot about BBQ, (Roy Saul, Roy's BBQ Shoppe) Anybody who's tasted barbecue meat, knows its better than anything. Roy's will open any time now...hours will be 11-9 Wednesday through Sunday. For Business Beat, I'm Carla Burbidge.  « Less