Heather Ranck has been managing the North Dakota & Northwest Minnesota U.S. Commercial Service office since it opened in 2005. Heather recently moved into a new role as full-time Rural Export Center (REC) Director on January 1, 2023. She will still be located in Fargo, where the Rural Export Center has been based since 2020.
Born in Brazil and fluent in Portuguese, Ms. Ranck was instrumental in establishing the Rural Export Center to expand exports from North Dakota and rural America. The North Dakota District Export Council (ND DEC) worked with Ms. Ranck at the U.S. Commercial Service in Fargo, ND to develop the concept for the Rural Export Center after recognizing that rural American companies lack access to the same resources and trade ecosystem as companies in larger, metropolitan areas. Additionally, exporters have frequently identified the need for detailed, industry-specific market research to help them make export decisions and find opportunities in foreign markets.
“I want to credit the Congressional delegations - especially Sen. John Hoeven, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Kelly Armstrong, who worked with the ND DEC to get the Rural Export Center established,” Ms. Ranck pointed out.