Meet the 2023 Heartland honorees

Brent Comstock is the Founder and CEO of BCom.

BCom is a digital-first communications and advocacy agency trusted by political campaigns, corporations and nonprofit partners for digital advertising, fundraising and consulting services for over a decade.

With the combined company efforts of the recently acquired Veracity Media, BCom is on a rapid growth plan to expand its full-service digital offerings with a heavy focus on digital advertising and online fundraising services — totaling tens of millions of dollars raised for clients. 

The firm has a rich portfolio spanning industries: digital advertising strategy for companies winning TIME Invention of the Year; capital campaigns for rural nonprofits in the Heartland of America; and raising millions of dollars for elected officials including members of Congress, attorneys general, mayors and state legislators. 

BCom remains on a continuous mission to make a difference. They exist to amplify messages that matter. To start conversations that lead to impact. To achieve measurable results. Every idea is only as good as its power to be heard, and every vision is only as strong as the people who see it. It all boils down to a single reason they do what they do: they believe everyone deserves digital.

Jason Seger is the President of Border States.

Border States was established in 1952 in Grand Forks, North Dakota, to serve the electric utility market and has grown into a company with approximately 2,700 employee-owners at 103 locations in 25 states. 

Electrical Wholesaling magazine ranks Border States as the sixth largest independent electrical distributor in the United States. Active employees own 100% of the company under the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) — they are one of the largest private ESOP companies in America. 

Border States supplies products, services and solutions to construction, industrial and utility customers in multiple segments, including commercial, communications, education, electrical construction, government, health care, mining, oil and gas, plumbing and renewable energy.

They believe unstoppable businesses shouldn’t go it alone. Their mission and values are focused on delivering exceptional service to their customers, building strong business relationships with their vendors and giving back to the communities where they work and live. 

The Branch Support Center (corporate office) is located in Fargo, North Dakota.

Jerry Johnson is the CEO and Chairman of EMC (Energy Management Collaborative, LLC).

EMC manages and scales turnkey energy efficiency solutions for Fortune 500 clients across their North American portfolios. Since 2003, the company has used its total project management approach, EnergyMAXX®, to successfully implement thousands of projects annually including efficient lighting, smart building controls, ROI-driven IoT solutions, electric vehicle supply equipment infrastructure and ongoing maintenance and warranty support. In doing so, EMC has helped clients realize billions of kilowatt-hours of energy savings and advance their net zero emissions goals.

Daniel Florness is the CEO of Fastenal.

Organizations partner with Fastenal to simplify inventory management, illuminate data around inventory and usage, and reduce waste and risk in the supply chain. By relying on Fastenal’s teams to manage daily needs and optimize supply chain performance, these organizations are able to focus finite resources on their fundamental purpose.

John Hopper is the CEO and President of Gateway Dealer Network.

Gateway Dealer Network is a story of the American dream becoming reality. The company started as a single location in St. Louis and has become the second largest authorized Bobcat compact equipment dealer network in the nation. The company operates 27 locations across 10 states in the Midwest, Southeast and Western United States and employs more than 400 men and women. 

Gateway Dealer Network believes its commitment to customers has been its secret to success for 30 years. It sells new, used, and rental equipment to individuals and businesses. Each location also employs factory-trained technicians and operates a growing parts and service operation. Gateway Dealer Network provides a variety of Bobcat equipment to customers, everything from skid steers to tractors. It also sells other makes and models of equipment, including Doosan heavy equipment and Bandit forestry equipment. Many of its customers are small businesses such as contractors, construction companies, farmers, landscapers and builders.

John Axelson is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hunt Electric Corporation.

Hunt Electric is a full-service electrical design, build, and maintenance company based in Bloomington, Minnesota. An unparalleled standard of building has landed Hunt Electric a role in exceptional projects across a range of industries nationwide. You'll find the company at corporate headquarters, in luxury apartment complexes, on university campuses, and out in the solar field.

Melvin Ashford is the Founder and CEO of Minnesota Women's Care.

Minnesota Women's Care has been created for women to provide healthcare solutions that address the unmet needs of the current medical system. They are working to create a warm and welcoming environment and to provide the absolute best care available focusing on each woman’s unique needs. They partner with their patients to help make healthcare decisions by listening and responding to their individual concerns. This allows them to find solutions for conditions that diminish their patients' quality of life.

Minnesota Women's Care believes in finding solutions for conditions that diminish their patient's quality of life — ones that are consistent with each woman’s needs and her desired approach to treatment. They believe in finding the right solutions for complex gynecologic and obstetric issues. At Minnesota Women's Care, their mission is having significance and making a difference in their patients' lives.

As such, they have developed many innovative options including a pelvic floor and fitness care center for women to help with pelvic floor disorder and a Pampersuite to help improve compliance with prenatal care and provide patients safe spa services throughout pregnancy, as well as innovative hormonal therapy that changes lives, second to none surgery and medical care.

Reed Nyffeler is the Founder and CEO of Signal.

More than a provider, Signal is an active partner. They hold themselves to a level of transparency that makes them more than accountable, they’re invested. By applying global thinking to how they approach local security, Signal ensures its presence isn’t just seen, it’s felt. Signal is the clear voice in the night, the alert eyes safeguarding what’s valuable, the steady hands in times of distress.

Signal's owners and officers are active and embedded in each community they serve because it’s their community too. This not only brings a deeper level of commitment, but provides a platform for individual growth and opportunity.