About Ben Huffman & Dirt River Design
I'm a one-person web design shop serving Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, and rural communities throughout northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota.
Who I Am
My name is Ben Huffman, and I'm the owner and only person behind Dirt River Design. I grew up on a farm in North Dakota and have always been the "tech person," the one people called when something wasn't working.
I have a background that's a little all over the map: an Associate's degree in Electronics and a Bachelor's in Geology from UND. I've worked as a research scientist doing carbon capture lab work, as a geologist in the oil field, and as an industrial maintenance planner in a sugar plant handling instrumentation and automation.
Through all of that, I was always running servers, fixing networks, and building websites on the side. Eventually, people started pushing me to make it official, and Dirt River Design was born in late 2014.
Where I Work
I live a few miles south of Grand Forks, out in the country. I serve clients throughout the Red River Valley including Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, Devils Lake, Grafton, Crookston, and rural communities across northeastern ND and northwestern MN.
If you want to meet in person, I try to accommodate that around my schedule, usually after work hours or on weekends. Otherwise, I work by phone, email, and screen share. Most of my clients never need to meet face-to-face, but the option is there if it matters to you.
What Dirt River Design Actually Is
Dirt River Design started in late 2014 as a side business while I was working as a geologist in the oil field. My early focus was helping people escape predatory national web companies like Hibu and similar operations that lock you into expensive, mediocre websites. I wanted to give local businesses a straightforward, honest option.
From 2016 to 2018, Dirt River Design was my primary source of income, and I built a lot of WordPress sites for local clients across North Dakota and Minnesota. Since then, I've kept a full-time job for stability and benefits, and Dirt River Design has become a deliberately small, high-service shop. I don't chase volume. I focus on a handful of projects and long-term maintenance clients.
You're not hiring an agency. You're hiring me. When you call, you talk to me. When something needs fixing, I fix it. No account managers, no support tickets, no runaround.
How I Use AI Now
Starting in 2024, I began using AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to speed up my workflow. By late 2024, I was building personal projects almost entirely with AI assistance. That changed what is possible for small business websites.
AI is very good at making drafts, layouts, boilerplate code, and content variations faster. That matters because a lot of small businesses were priced out of decent web work. AI helps me move faster and keep projects affordable.
In 2025, I redesigned how I build small business sites:
- Lean semi-static PHP/HTML sites for most jobs instead of heavy WordPress builds
- AI-assisted code and content to get 10–20× more done in the same amount of time
- Focus on cheap, fast, and durable for small, practical business websites
But AI is not the business. AI does not know whether your DNS is wrong, whether your email is failing SPF/DKIM, whether your old redirects are killing traffic, whether WordPress is overkill, or whether a page sounds convincing to a real customer in North Dakota.
That is where my strength is now: I use AI to move faster, but I still do the judgment, troubleshooting, architecture, hosting, cleanup, and final quality control myself. AI speeds up the work, but I am the one accountable for the result.
The No-Fluff Advantage
AI can generate a page. It cannot take responsibility for your whole web presence. That is the difference.
You Talk to Me. Period.
When you have a question, you call or text me directly. You'll never get a support ticket or an account manager. I'm the one who builds the site, and I'm the one who supports it.
I Handle the Hard Stuff
DIY tools and AI builders are easy until the real-world details show up. I manage DNS, email deliverability, redirects, forms, hosting, server security, and the technical headaches you should not have to worry about.
I Know What to Ignore
The AI era creates a flood of advice, tools, plugins, and fake urgency. I help sort out what actually matters for a local business and what is just noise.
Built to Last
I build clean, fast websites that are made to be reliable. I avoid fragile gimmicks and unnecessary dependencies. The goal is a site that still makes sense after the trend changes.
How Dirt River Design Got Here
From tinkering with HTML in the late '90s to building AI-assisted sites today.
Learning the Basics
Started learning computer hardware, small-scale networking, and basic HTML. Built early personal sites and tinkered with PCs and home networks.
Deep Dive into Electronics & Networking
Advanced electronics coursework and computer networking. Got comfortable with Linux, servers, and "hacking" early content management systems to make them do more than they were designed for.
UND Geology + Campus Tech
Changed career path into geology at the University of North Dakota. Ran the geology department server and several websites for on-campus clubs. Did some gray-area tinkering on dorm networks (times were different).
Research & Lab Infrastructure
Worked as a research scientist in carbon capture and enhanced oil recovery. Set up and maintained Linux servers, Bika LIMS, Tiki Wiki, and custom databases for the lab. Ran numerous phpBB car forums, some of which still exist. Coworkers kept pushing me to turn this into a proper web design company.
Dirt River Design Begins
Launched Dirt River Design as a side gig while working as a geologist in the oil field. Main goal: help local people get away from predatory national web companies and give them an honest local option.
Full-Time Web Design
Dirt River Design became my only source of income. Built many WordPress sites for local clients across ND and MN.
Balancing Industry Work and Web Clients
Took on a full-time industrial job (automation, instrumentation, maintenance planning in a sugar plant) for stable income and benefits. Kept growing Dirt River Design slowly and maintained existing long-term clients.
AI Enters the Workflow
Started experimenting with AI as a web development tool for layout, boilerplate code, copy drafts, and refactoring. Built several personal projects largely with AI assistance, using AI for code and content while handling architecture and quality assurance.
Back to Basics for Small Business Sites
Planned and executed a fundamental change in how I build small sites: semi-static, lean PHP/HTML sites with AI-assisted workflow. Small business sites can now be built cheap, fast, and solid with up to 10–20× more work done in the same amount of time.
Keep Evolving the Workflow
Continue to refine tools and processes. Stay on top of AI, but keep the focus on practical, real-world small business websites. Keep helping local businesses "stay on the bubble" online without getting ripped off.
A Few of the Folks I've Worked With
Here are some of the businesses I've had the privilege to partner with.
Recent Projects
A selection of websites I've built for real-world businesses.
Highway 2 Storage
Large storage facility website for Devils Lake, North Dakota. Clean design focused on helping customers find units and get pricing quickly.
HeaterPartStore.com
Full-featured e-commerce platform built in 2014. Robust product catalog, shopping cart, and payment integration that's aged well over a decade.
MinnDak
Corporate website for a major agricultural producer specializing in buckwheat and mustard products. Professional design showcasing their products and operations.
Ready to Work Together?
Let's talk about your project. No pressure, no sales pitch. Take a look at what I build and what it costs, then reach out.
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