Even as plunging crude oil prices fuel anxiety in North Dakota, small business owners in the No. 2 U.S. oil producing state say they are confident that demand for their products and services will remain strong enough to keep things humming. North Dakota’s oil patch has been one of the faster-growing U.S. regions. Small businesses employ three-fifths of the state’s private workforce, about 195,000 people, with food service and construction among the larger employers, according to data from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). While big oil companies grab the most headlines out of the state, much of the local economy still relies on hotel owners, plumbers, contractors and other small businesses, said Mike Gallagher, manager of the SBA’s North Dakota district. “There’s a […]