The Flaten family out of Garrison, North Dakota, runs JM Grain. The maternal and paternal grandparents of the wife-and-husband team, Beverly and Marvin Flaten, were homesteaders in the state of North Dakota. Beverly's father grew up on a horse farm, and when he became older, he purchased land southwest of Minot, North Dakota, where he started his own farm. Beverly and her brother, Donald Bauman, grew up on the farm but experienced city life. In addition to farming, their father was a professor at Minus State University. Donald went to work as a farmer alongside his father upon graduating from college. Beverly and Marvin Flaten's son Justin spent much of his free time on the farm as a child, and he went into farming after college.

As with many farmers, JM Grain started out as a small farming business. The family started growing peas, lentils, and chickpeas for sustainability purposes because pulses put nitrogen in the soil and help to keep wheat or other crops free of disease. In the early 2000s, the pulse market faced limitations, but Justin had an idea to export the pulses to Canada. The company went on to build a processing plant near the growing region in North Dakota. This is how JM Grain got its start in January of 2002. The "J" and "M" in the name stand for the son-and-father team, Justin and Marvin.

JM Grain works in production, processing and exporting. The company sources from different farmers in North Dakota and Montana. Garrison, North Dakota, is a small rural town with a population of roughly 1,500. JM Grain provides employment opportunities for residents who want to remain in the community. According to Beverly, "The company has been blessed with the people they work with, from farmers to neighbors and friends, and the people that work in the plant."

Marvin works in the JM Grain plant, managing operations as well as hands-on activities, including splitting peas. The company cleans and bags pulses, which railroads then send to ports. This method is beneficial to farmers, who see the value added by yielding a higher return for their product. Beverly works alongside her husband and son on the business side, attending trade missions and making business contacts to export the company's products. The Flaten family has put in many long hours to meet exporting deadlines. Their resilience is an American story of determination and grit.

In the export world, companies must find export markets, and small companies do not always have the means or expertise to research markets. JM Grain initially got involved in trade missions through the North Dakota Trade Office. Discussions with the North Dakota Trade Office put JM Grain in touch with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service, which helped JM Grain set up business meetings and make connections in different parts of the world. According to Beverly, "These meetings provide valuable opportunities for small businesses to form relationships by sitting across the table from each other and sharing stories." Participating in trade missions helped JM Grain export products across the globe.

Most of the agricultural trade missions that JM Grain participated in have resulted in direct business and expanded the companies' exports into areas such as Chile, Kenya, Peru, and Morocco. According to Beverly, "Every ATM that I have participated in has been outstanding in giving us a deeper knowledge of the needs of the country, the culture and the traditions." USDA FAS trade missions provide "the best networking that you will find and assist businesses in many capacities, from helping local farmers achieve better farming practices, assisting small companies make business connections, to providing guidance with port issues or phytosanitary issues." These efforts are critical to small businesses. Beverly attributes these efforts, along with her family's resilience, to the success of JM Grain.