Built on Grit: Business Hall of Fame

The Introduction

Say hello to North Dakota’s brand new business hall of fame!

Tucked in Medora, North Dakota, and brought to life by Dakota Business Lending, this exhibit is a celebration through and through. Step inside, and you’ll find stories from 17 different businesses that have inspired, grown, and left a lasting mark on our great state. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a history lover, a proud North Dakotan, or a child with entrepreneurship aspirations, there’s something here for everyone to discover and love.

Businesses Recognized In The Hall of Fame

Paul and Laurie Steffes, Owners of Steffes

Logo, Before and After

The Challenge

We had about a month, start to finish, to bring every piece together before opening day. That included the brand, and all the exhibit design. Fast-paced? Absolutely. Fun? Even more so.

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The Solution

We kicked things off by laying a strategic foundation, defining the brand’s personality and brand idea. The real challenge was finding a theme or direction that could authentically summarize a huge range of industries and over 100 years of business history, while unifying them all under one common, recognizable idea. From that challenge, the brand idea of Built of Grit was born, and was adopted as the exhibit name.

From there, we presented three visual strategies; three different worlds the brand could live in, all centered around signs and signage. The vintage aesthetic option won our hearts, because it represents the experience of what walking down a Main Street used to mean: seeing meaningful, custom-made signage that proudly represented businesses.

Next, we jumped into sketched concepts, and that’s when things got really exciting: a mascot was presented as a fun add-on. We hadn’t originally planned on including one, but it quickly became clear that the hall of fame would be even more special with a brand character of its own, someone who could embody the spirit of North Dakotan entrepreneurs, and create an engaging atmosphere for children. And just like that, Gabe was born!

From there, we moved into the brand presentation, sharing the full design along with the color palette, proudly incorporating Dakota Business Lending’s signature blue.

Following the brand design, we scoped out the space, and researched best practices to ensure all attendees would have the best possible experience, no matter which entry point they walked in from. Following the strategic layout, we dove into exhibit material ideas to get a clear sense of everything needed to fill the space. We designed a welcome wall to kick off the experience, a featured businesses wall, a life-sized Gabe cutout, and a categories wall to help guide visitors through it all.

During the exhibit design, the Dakota Business Lending team brought their activation materials to life, including the landing page, waterbottles, press kit, and t-shirts. We stood by, ready to provide strategic insights into the most effective activation collateral to make the launch successful. Kudos to them and all their hard work!

The Result

Built on Grit, North Dakota’s first ever business hall of fame is officially open, and it’s everything we hoped it would be! Shout out to Sign Badgers for printing and installing the exhibit signage. Their official grand opening was held on June 16th, 2026. During the opening, they congratulated the following businesses featured in the exhibit: