Membership Policies

Pride of Dakota members must abide by the following membership policies.
Membership Policies (PDF)
 

Membership Qualifications

To qualify for membership in Pride of Dakota, a company must be physically located in North Dakota or manufacture or produce its products in North Dakota.

Only products that were produced, processed, or originated in North Dakota or are significantly altered by input of labor, process, or intellectual content in North Dakota qualify as Pride of Dakota products.

For items to be considered “Pride of Dakota” products, they must be made or assembled by an owner or employee of the company or by a company volunteer.

• Cloth items must be sewn, embroidered, crocheted, knit, etc. by the company.
• Jewelry must be created in its entirety or all of its components must be assembled by the company.
• Clothing and accessories must be made, assembled or designed by the company; adding an embellishment or adornment (example: button, gemstone, ribbon, etc.) does not alter the product significantly enough to qualify it as a Pride of Dakota product.
• Art works and photography must be the work or intellectual property of the company.
• Publications by North Dakota authors or publications printed by North Dakota companies qualify as Pride of Dakota products; publications about North Dakota that are not written by a North Dakota resident or printed by a North Dakota company do not qualify.
• Décor-type items must be handcrafted, assembled, or significantly altered by the company.
• Food and beverage products must comply with health standards set by the respective health units that have jurisdiction where these items are being sold.
  • Processed food products and beverages must be labeled with the company name on each item. If an item is processed or produced in North Dakota by a non-resident Pride of Dakota member, the product labeling must state “made/manufactured/processed/produced [as appropriate] in North Dakota.” Members are allowed to sell their current inventory; however, new inventory must comply with these policies. This requirement will be in effect January 1, 2015.
  • Fresh, raw, unprocessed foods (for example, produce items sold at farmers markets or CSAs) grown and sold by a Pride of Dakota member do not need to be labeled as “Grown in North Dakota.”
• Service companies qualify for membership if they were started in North Dakota and remain headquartered in the state.

Items that are sold by a member that do not meet the above specifications do not qualify as Pride of Dakota products and cannot be branded or marketed as such. These items are prohibited from being sold at Pride of Dakota-hosted events.

Items purchased from another company to be adorned and sold as Pride of Dakota products must be altered substantially in order to qualify. Items bearing tags or stickers indicating another state or country of origin do not qualify as Pride of Dakota products; however, they can be used as a component to make a Pride of Dakota product.

Distasteful, lewd or risqué items will not be approved as Pride of Dakota products and cannot be sold at Pride of Dakota-hosted events.

Members may be asked to provide proof of process for the production of their goods or services.

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture, under the direction of the Commissioner of Agriculture, has final authority to determine whether or not a company or product qualifies.

Licensed & Trademarked Logo Use

The Pride of Dakota logo shall not be affixed or affiliated with any products containing a trademarked brand owned by the State of North Dakota, unless those products are properly licensed or other expressed written consent is given by the North Dakota licensee or trademark holder of that brand, image or phrase. 

Such products include but are not limited to: fabric items, embroidery, vinyl and sublimation processes, glass, metal and wooden items, etc.
Examples of such North Dakota-owned trademarked brands, images, logos, or phrases include but are not limited to:  NDSU Bison, NDSU, UND Fighting Hawks, UND Fighting Sioux, UND, other ND state colleges, and the ND State Mill.

At a Pride of Dakota showcase or event, a member company may not display or sell unlicensed products with North Dakota-owned trademark brands.  Member companies are required to show proof of a license or of written consent prior to showcasing and selling items with North Dakota-owned trademarks.

Below are links to NDSU and UND logo licensing application procedures:

https://gobison.com/sports/2013/5/29/licensing.aspx#:~:text=All%20manufacturers%20must%20have%20permission,email%20licensing%40clc.com.

https://campus.und.edu/brand/licensing.html

Additionally, Pride of Dakota encourages venders to comply with the licensing requirements of trademarks owned by other entities, such as out-of-state university and colleges, Disney, Pixar, Marvel, John Deere, Coca-Cola, Jack Daniels, NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, Harley Davidson, Ford, Chevy, GM, etc.
 
If a member company wishes to sell items with a logo from a local school, that member company should first request and receive express written consent from that school or applicable school board.


Refund Policies

Refund of Membership

• The North Dakota Department of Agriculture makes all efforts to ensure satisfaction with Pride of Dakota membership.  Refunds for a membership will be provided within 21 business days of the receipt of payment for a new or renewing member.  After 21 business days, no refunds will be made available for membership purposes.
• Requests for the refund of a membership must be made in writing and emailed to POD@nd.gov.  Membership can be cancelled at any time by requesting such cancellation in an email to POD@nd.gov. 
• Any membership cancellations that take place more than 21 days after payment will not receive a refund, however all membership-related listings, benefits and values will be cancelled.
• In the event the Department determines an applicant does not fit the membership criteria, a membership will be refunded.

Refund of Event Registration

• We ask that you do not sign up for any showcases until you are certain you can attend the events.
• Fees paid for event registrations will be refunded when a request is received in writing at least 21 days prior to the commencement of the event. Requests received after this date will not be entitled to a refund.
• Event cancellations must be emailed to POD@nd.gov or they will not be granted.
• As of 2022, refunds will only be given under extreme circumstances and will be reviewed on an individual basis and granted on a case-by-case basis.
• If the Department hosts a showcase and a registered company does not attend due to inclement weather, a refund may not be given.
• The Department reserves the right to cancel an event due to low enrollment, inclement weather or other circumstances which would make the event non-viable. If the Department cancels an event, registrants will be issued a refund.
• Should circumstances arise that result in the postponement of an event, registrants will have the option to either receive a full refund or transfer registration to the same event at the new, future date.

Early breakdown/vacant booth

• Any member that violates the early breakdown of their booth or does not show up for a showcase, resulting in a vacant booth will not be issued a refund, and may be subject to a fine as outlined in the program policies.

Pride of Dakota Service Animal Policy

The North Dakota Department of Agriculture’s Pride of Dakota program is committed to making reasonable modifications to its policies to permit the use of service animals at the Pride of Dakota showcases for individuals with disabilities.

Service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. Other species of animals ­- whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained - are not service animals for the purposes of this definition.

A service animal shall be under the control of its handler. A service animal shall have a harness, leash, or other tether.

North Dakota Department of Agriculture staff will not be responsible for the care or supervision of a service animal.

An individual with a disability may be charged for the damages caused by his or her service animal.

In the event that a service animal’s behavior poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture staff has the right to exclude the animal from the event. 

Logo Use Guidelines

“Pride of Dakota” is a trademark of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture and may only be used by companies that have been approved as Pride of Dakota members.

The Pride of Dakota logo may be used only on items that have been approved by the North Dakota Department of Agriculture as Pride of Dakota products. The North Dakota Department of Agriculture, under the direction of the Commissioner of Agriculture, has final authority to determine whether or not a company or product qualifies.

The Pride of Dakota logo may be used on product packaging, sales literature, advertising, banners, etc. to promote a Pride of Dakota member and its Pride of Dakota products. The logo must comply with the guidelines set forth in the Logo Use Guidelines. If a company wishes to deviate from these guidelines, it must receive written permission from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.

Printing specifications:

• Yellow: PANTONE # 130 CVC
• Light Blue: PANTONE # 292 CVC
• Dark Blue: PANTONE # 295 CVC
• Text: Black
• Negative Space: White

• Pride of Dakota: Book Antiqua Regular
• north dakota originals: Arial Regular

Pride of Dakota Events

Selling non-Pride of Dakota products at Pride of Dakota events is prohibited. If a member attempts to sell non-Pride of Dakota products at a Pride of Dakota event, it will be asked to stop. Enforcement action may be taken under N.D.A.C. 7-09-01-10 against a member that does not comply, including revocation of membership and prohibition from participation in future Pride of Dakota events.

Pride of Dakota event vendors must abide by event-specific rules indicated at the time of registration or shared any time prior to or during the event. Those who do not follow rules or display unprofessional behavior toward other vendors, facility staff, customers, or Department of Agriculture staff may be banned from future Pride of Dakota events or have their membership revoked.

Booths at Pride of Dakota events must be manned by an employee or volunteer of the company for a majority of the event.

Exhibitor spaces are assigned using the following criterion:

• First-come, first-served.
• Booth space location will be assigned based on vendor requests, in the order which they were received.
• If no specific location request is made, the Department of Agriculture will attempt to place the vendor in the same spot it previously had.
• Primary booth locations will be filled first. Additional spaces out of the main flow of traffic may be opened, if needed, at a lower cost following initial registration. If the room or area containing the additional booth spaces does not fill with vendors, the Department of Agriculture reserves the right to not use the room or area for the show.
• The Department of Agriculture has the right to assign or reassign exhibitor spaces as it sees fit in order to best benefit the entire showcase event and create a better shopping experience for customers.

Value-Added, Non-Pride of Dakota Products

Value-added, non-Pride of Dakota products that meet the following requirements may be sold at Pride of Dakota events:

• These items cannot be individually priced or sold.
• These items can be added to a gift package or “package deal” if the value of the package is not significantly increased. Value-added items must be worth less than 50 % of the package’s value (i.e. if your “package deal” or gift package is worth $50, the price can be increased by no more than $25 when including the value-added item for sale).
• Example: Company 123 grows and sells peanuts, and offers gift baskets of different flavors for $20. The company may include a nutcracker in its gift baskets and increase the sales cost by up to $10 (which is 50% of the package’s $20 value).
• Specialized packaging, trays, baskets, etc. for gift packages are permitted.

Contesting Process

If a member or a company interested in becoming a member disagrees with an action or decision of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture under these policies, the company may present its argument to the Pride of Dakota Advisory Council at the Council’s next meeting. Presentation time and discussion will be limited to 15 minutes. The Council will discuss the matter and advise the North Dakota Department of Agriculture on whether to retract or enforce the initial decision. Final authority rests with the Agriculture Commissioner.