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Mark Meadows
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"There's tremendous opportunity in North Dakota." |
Tremendous Opportunities
"My message is one that is 100 percent sincere: There's tremendous opportunity in North Dakota," said Mark Meadows. Northern Virginia natives, Meadows and his wife, Kim, relocated from the Washington, D.C. metro area of Harrisonburg, Va. to Fargo three years ago when he was recruited by Microsoft. He is now a senior support engineer for Microsoft Office SharePoint, the fastest growing server product in Microsoft's history.
Working for Microsoft had always been a dream for Meadows. Unfamiliar with North Dakota, he called someone he knew who had lived in Fargo for six years. "He told me that if he had the opportunity, he would move back in a heartbeat," Meadows said.
The couple also researched North Dakota Department of Commerce and area web sites and found the low cost of living and low crime rates appealing. That, along with the opportunity to work for Microsoft, was enough for the couple to decide to make the move without ever having been to the state.
A New Way of Life
The couple had known they wanted to leave the Washington, D.C. metro area, where his 10-mile commute took an hour one way, but never considered moving to the Midwest. They were "astonished" to find they could purchase a home in Fargo for a fraction of the cost as town houses in the D.C. area, which were priced between $300 and $800 thousand.
"My wife was brought to tears when she saw the house I had found here," Meadows said. "We had come to the realization that in Virginia we were probably never going to own a home."
Along with owning their first home, complete with a fenced yard perfect for the couple's two dogs, came the experience of living in a close-knit neighborhood for the first time. "We had lived in the same area in Virginia for three years and knew just one of our neighbors," he said. "Within a few days of moving into our house, neighbors were stopping by to introduce themselves. After I had hurt my back last summer, we heard noise outside and found a neighbor mowing our lawn. This is more like a family than a neighborhood."
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| "I would advise anyone interested in coming to North Dakota to check out the opportunities. I never would have imagined calling Fargo home." |
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Meadows says that regardless of where he goes, the people are friendly and caring. He was shocked the first time a sales clerk walked him to an item he had inquired about instead of simply pointing in a general direction. "People just care about each other here. You can't put a price on it. It's invaluable."
The couple was also surprised by how safe they felt. "All we heard living near D.C. were negative news stories," he said. "It makes you very fearful. Now we hear about community activities and positive things happening in the area. Criminal activity is few and far between. With our planning to start a family, that's a huge factor."
They have also found they have more to do in North Dakota. During the winter they love playing with their dogs in the snow, going ice skating or playing hockey. In the summer, they enjoy mountain biking and fishing. "We love to take long drives because the landscape is so beautiful," he said.
"There's something here for everyone--whether it be skiing, snowmobiling, or any type of recreational activity," he said. "Fargo affords a person a great lifestyle. Moving away from our families was a tough decision. We both feel it was the right choice because this area is just that wonderful."
Both their families have traveled to the state for visits. "They were overwhelmed by how different North Dakota was from Virginia, in a very positive way," Meadows said.
The couple also finds the short drive times "amazing." His one-hour commute has been replaced by a ten-minute drive from his West Fargo home to the Microsoft campus.
A Dream Career
Meadows began his career with Microsoft in June 2006 as a member of a client support team. His fears of being a number among the 1000 employees at the campus were soon put to rest. "I was amazed at how personal it was," he said. "It's so tight knit here it almost feels like a family. People here like spending time with each other. I was so impressed by how small the company felt, which is consistent with North Dakota and everything feeling comfortable and welcoming."
Meadows switched to the SharePoint support team a year and a half ago. "This was just the challenge I had been looking for," he said. "Microsoft encourages personal growth. They help you define what's right for you."
Since August 2008, he has been working on the next version of SharePoint Office. "It's such an amazing opportunity to be so new to the company and working on a product so many millions of people will be using," he said. "It gives me further reason to be appreciative."
Kim has also found a rewarding career as an insurance agent. While the prospect of North Dakota winters once made her reluctant to make the move, she now says that she would never leave the area, a sentiment Meadows echoes.
"I would advise anyone interested in coming to North Dakota to check out the opportunities," he said. "I never would have imagined calling Fargo home. Until you're here, you won't realize how great it is."
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