In rural America, we depend upon our Rural Export Centers. For the Fargo Export Center, both Minnesota and North Dakota, plus 28 other states, use the research Fargo Rural Export Center Director Heather Ranck provides. Almost all small manufacturers in rural areas have good workers who can be depended upon to make high-quality products. What they need help with is how to (1) find and evaluate distributors, (2) ship goods internationally, (3) get paid and finance the production or the customer, and (4) get through regulatory systems, both foreign and domestic.
This essential work helps our small rural manufacturers be competitive with the giant corporations they compete with.
Sadly, we report …..
David Olson, InForum: Director of the Fargo-based export center filed a whistleblower complaint. Now she’s fighting to save her job
It’s a classic bureaucracy strategy; as a veteran of almost 15 years of senior-level work at the US Department of Agriculture, I have seen and also endured it many times. People who do not have the talent to do creative work, to make change, and/or to create opportunities for others sometimes stoop to pushing the best people out. They want the money. They want the power. They want to favor their friends.
This is what’s happening now to the Fargo Rural Export Center’s (REC) director — Heather Ranck. When money was appropriated, intended for the Fargo Rural Export Center, and signed into law, a senior career official — “Acting” as Deputy Asst. Secretary for U.S. Field Operations for the International Trade Administration (ITA) saw the $1 Million and coveted it, assigning it to other locations the funding was not intended for.
Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) have vouched for the fact that the $1 million was intended for the Fargo Rural Export Center. Director Heather Ranck did her duty, verifying what had happened to the money and filing a Whistleblower report. She was honest and signed her name.
The Acting Asst. Secretary — John Hanley retaliated, beginning with yelling at Heather … how dare she question his decisions about the money originally intended for the ND REC? He followed up by putting Heather on Administrative Leave, i.e., paying her not to work. Now he wants to dismiss her from her job, again punishing her for staying true to principle.
There are, of course, many more details to this story, so we include both the first article above and a recent Editorial. Business owners are speaking up for Heather, and so are many past employees and interns. See below for a recent editorial:
David Olsen, InForum: Senators say money at heart of whistleblower dispute was intended for Fargo center
Our goal for this MY RURAL AMERICA website is to (1) defend rural policies, (2) educate rural citizens about how well-funded policies can help rural families, and (3) disclose whether rural elected officials vote for the needs of rural families. Rarely do we get involved in personnel issues. However, this situation goes far beyond personnel. We invite you to read the attached stories, do an Internet search, and let us know whether you believe our position is correct by sending an email to barb.leach@myruralamerica.org
Fargo Forum Editorial: Heather Ranck excels at boosting exports, but her job is on the line for blowing a whistle