Marlo Anderson

Marlo Anderson grew up around the Minot, North Dakota area. He graduated High School in 1980 in the rural community of Des Lacs, ND.

In 1999, Nicholas Ressler and Anderson formed Awesome 2 Productions in Mandan, ND.[4] The company does video production work for car shows and other events. During this time, the two were curious about what was going to happen with all the memories on video tapes.[5] So in 2007, they developed a new company called Zoovio, which transcodes video tape to a digital format which is stored in a private, online vault, and can be played back on any smart device and connected television.[6]

In Jan 2013, Anderson started the radio talk show known as "The Tech Ranch". In addition to the weekly talk show, The Tech Ranch covers events such as CES.[7] Anderson who is also known as the “Guru of Geek” is a frequent contributor to regional and National news stories in the technology space.[8] His holiday top tech gifts are an annual favorite and are featured far and wide.[4]

Anderson is also an Advocate for Autonomous Vehicles – most notably the Autonomous Friendly Corridor.[9][10][11] This idea came about in response to the lack of north–south avenues to move commercial goods in the middle part of the U.S.[12]

Anderson is a Central North American Trade Corridor Director.[13][14] CNATCA first made its idea for the Autonomous Friendly Corridor public on March 20, 2014.[15] In his capacity as a CNATCA Director, Anderson is often quoted for his optimism about the future and the current technologies that are revolutionizing the transportation industry. While hosting the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Roadshow in May 2015, he said, “It gets people thinking ‘what if.’ It opens eyes and minds to the possibility of what is going to be available in a couple of years.”[16][17]

Anderson’s zeal for the future is balanced with his propensity to preserve the past. This is evident in his TedX UMary talk of 2017 entitled “Our Bright Future,” in which he discusses the lessons we can learn from our early 20th century ancestors as they grappled with the issue of horse manure. Wasting astronomical resources on a problem that was soon solved through the technological advancement of the “horseless carriage” is a parallel to our present day transportation issues at the dawn of the autonomous age.[18]

The self proclaimed futurist has also spoken at Tedx Fargo on the topic for which he is best known, his National Day Calendar motto of Celebrate Every Day.[19]

As chairman of the Mandan Independence Day Parade for nearly 25 years, Anderson has seen such distinctions as the World's Longest Chicken Dance (1.6 miles ) in 2010 and in 2012 being a finalist in the Rand McNally Most Patriotic City competition.[20][21]

Anderson's Talking Trail. Encouraging travelers of the Old Red/Old Ten Scenic Byway between Mandan and Dickinson to slow down and discover some 39 points of interest, Talking Trail invites participants to call the phone number and extensions listed on signs marking the historical sites located along this 108-mile road, known since 2008 as the 10th Federal Highway Administration Scenic Byway in North Dakota. Anderson hopes to promote a sense of discovery for these sites which include statues in Mandan of Peter Toth, honoring Native Americans and Theodore Roosevelt all the way to the old Fort Keogh Trail, which was once crossed by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer in 1870 when he marched the Seventh Cavalry to Montana.[22][23]

As acting president of the North Dakota Music Hall of Fame, Anderson oversaw the creation and installation of the public art display at Dykshoorn park in downtown Mandan, ND, entitled “North Dakota Music Lane” which celebrates four North Dakota Music Hall of Fame inductees including Lawrence Welk, Bobby Vee, Peggy Lee and Lynn Anderson.[24]

Anderson is one of the founders of the 1 Million Cups chapters in North Dakota.[25] He is also a founding committee member and 2017 moderator for the DisruptWell Summit in Bismarck, ND. DisruptWell is a conference featuring disruptive technologies in the fields of transportation, healthcare, energy, and education.[26]

Anderson serves on several boards in his own community of Mandan, ND and as recently as 2018 became one of the 22 committee members for the West End Redevelopment Committee which seeks to redevelop the Thrifty White Drug and Central Market Properties.[27]

On January 19, 2013, Anderson founded the National Day Calendar.[28] The site quickly became a popular destination for media wanting to know more about how the National Days came to be.[29] Anderson's team has also been responsible for creating close to 200 new National Days including National Astronaut Day and National Bobblehead Day.[30] Over 20,000 media outlets and personalities follow Anderson's daily post and use his content as prep for their daily shows.[31] National Day Calendar has turned unknown holidays such as National Pizza Day and National Coffee Day into a trending topic on social media.[32] Anderson has also been featured in articles that discuss the effect his trend has on the national economy. Chinese retailer Alibaba has capitalized on Singles’ Day by promoting it in their marketing as a day to buy something for themselves.[33]

• National Astronaut Day
• List of commemorative days

• Talk Show, The Tech Ranch
• National Day Calendar