10/02/2026
This month's Moorhead small business feature is: The Strong Alliance!
Moorhead entrepreneur Ruth Hetland helps organizations create cultures where people feel valued, supported and empowered.
After years working in technology, Ruth Hetland came to understand something that would inspire an entirely new chapter in her career: workplace culture has a profound impact on people’s confidence, wellbeing and success.
Today, as founder and owner of The Strong Alliance, Hetland helps individuals, leaders and organizations build healthier, more connected workplaces.
Established in 2024 and based in Moorhead, The Strong Alliance offers speaking, consulting and coaching services focused on strengthening workplace culture. Hetland is also a published author, with additional books on the horizon.
“My work focuses on creating environments where people feel seen, heard, trusted, supported, empowered, valued, and engaged,” Hetland says.
Her path to entrepreneurship began with a career spanning project management, product management and leadership roles in the technology industry. Throughout those experiences, she observed how organizational culture influenced business outcomes and the people responsible for achieving them.
Eventually, she felt called to put those lessons to work in a more direct and meaningful way.
“I reached a point where I wanted to use what I had learned to help people and organizations build healthier, more human-centered workplaces,” she explains.
The result was The Strong Alliance, a business that combines Hetland’s understanding of organizational systems with her passion for the human side of work.
While her transition from technology leadership to writing and speaking might surprise some, Hetland sees it as a natural evolution. Her professional experiences continue to shape her approach, while her writing explores themes of resilience, voice and connection.
For Hetland, workplace culture is far more than a collection of company values or an occasional team-building activity.
“Healthy workplace culture is not an extra or optional layer,” she says. “It directly impacts engagement, retention, trust, innovation, and results.”
She believes that when people feel valued and supported, they are better positioned to contribute their talents, collaborate effectively and do their best work.
That belief is also what makes her work rewarding.
“I enjoy helping people and teams understand that how they treat each other matters,” Hetland says. “It is rewarding to see that understanding lead to more trust, stronger connection, and healthier workplaces.”
Building The Strong Alliance in Moorhead has provided an opportunity to grow a business rooted in those same values.
“People show up for one another, and there is a real willingness to encourage local businesses and ideas to grow,” she says.
Looking ahead, Hetland hopes to continue expanding her speaking opportunities, develop partnerships with more organizations, and explore new ways to apply the STRONG Framework. Her work has recently expanded to a broader reach: beyond designated leaders to entire teams, and beyond the workplace to building stronger connections in general.
“At the heart of my work is a belief that people do their best when they feel supported and understood,” Hetland says.
Learn more at www.thestrongalliance.com.
You can find this story in the Oct. 1st edition of the FM Extra newspaper.
