Fargo INC! January 2020

+ WEIRD EMPLOYEE PERKS PG. 54

20 d over rviewe e e t r o in m e W n to lear y people your compan w o h in t a u t e abo e and r can hir ople in our e p quality munity! com

GROWTH HACKS

FOR RECRUITING AND RETAINING IN 2020!

// JANUARY 2020

COVER STORY

FEATURES

22 Sponsored Content: Three Graduate Programs Under One Roof 24 Sponsored Content: Why Are These Guys So Excited?

30 How Do You Create One Of The Biggest Companies In The State?

50 Having Trouble Hiring?

54 Weird Employee Perks 62 A New Reality in Workforce Development and Recruitment 68 Taking The Golden Path 72 The Arts Are Your Investment 75 What Not To Do 80 The Healthy Way To Hunt 86 Is It Time To Hire?

89 Bouncing Back 93 Ladyboss Of The Month: Heather Rye and Amanda Torok 96 Faces Of Fargo Business: Amanda Nelson

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40 Growth Hacks For Finding And Keeping Quality Employees

Estimates for job openings in North Dakota reach as high as 30,000. With such a workforce shortage, we at Fargo INC! decided to dive into some of the tips local companies are using to recruit and retain employees in this competitive hiring market.

60 Veteran Resources

Follow Fargo Inc! on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter

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97 Faces Of Fargo Business: Tom Stadum 100 A Look At Office Sign Company 105 Business Events Calendar 111 Gracious Givers: KVAMME Real Estate and First International Bank & Trust

CHECK OUT FARGOINC.COM

All our stories in one place

P u b l i s h e r ’s n o t e

What I Learned From Going to Over 200 Meetings with Small Businesses in 2019 Recap of 2019 2019 was a great year for learning more about businesses in our community. With over 200 meetings attended, I have had the pleasure to learn more about the barriers these small business owners are experiencing for success. Since we talked marketing they educated me on their needs for sales, exposure, public relation, and the stories they want to tell about their culture, products and services.

2 of the biggest takeaways I noticed from my meetings: 1. Workforce Issues are Real - Whether you are in a large or small business the topic seems to always be around barriers pertaining to recruitment, retention, compensation and human resources. The 2-40 FTE business, who are the bulk of our readers, are really finding this difficult because the average price of employees can be 30-40% higher than it was five years ago. The revenue just doesn’t support the overhead increase. So we are

Mike Dragosavich, Fargo INC! Publisher 10

JANUARY 2020

trying to find more solutions to help these businesses.

2. Direct Sales - I feel the state of North Dakota is built on 2-40 employee Business to Business (B2B) companies with direct sales being their number one priority. I looked around and noticed the lack of direct sales resources available in our state. If you want to start a business there are a multitude of events, resources and organizations available. But, what happens when we need to recruit sales reps, train them to produce better or find sales management? There isn’t much available on a local and regional level. The options are usually national and the costs could be too much. We are on a mission to help!

Plans for 2020 •

•

Expose more women leaders and their impact in our community.

Include more resources and action items for

drago@spotlightmediafargo.com

• •

•

•

professionals to use to get better.

Expose more of the diversity in business we have in our state.

Take more important issues and shine light on opportunities and positives.

Like workforce issues, direct sales issues, government barriers and more.

Finally, I want to keep implementing content from what I learn from the streets and listening to these business owners and professionals.

Thank you to everyone who has helped make this magazine successful. It is really making a difference and helping our economy!

Mike Dragosavich Mike Dragosavich Publisher/Founder

Introducing Brady Drake!

I love the Fargo area. I was born here, raised here and went to school at Concordia College where I gained a true passion for journalistic reporting. I look forward to bringing each and every one of you the best content possible as we continue to improve Fargo INC! by focusing on four crucial things.

1 A Dedication to Non-Bias Info. Our journalistic integrity will continue to remain our top priority as we bring you the most informative business content every single month.

2 Relying on Mike and our Editorial Board - Their credentials speak for themselves. Every single member of our board is well versed in our areas business ecosystem and they will continue to provide valuable information that will propel this magazine forward.

3 Get more action items out of interviewees. We aren’t just here to talk about the businesses in our area, we are here to help them. You can count on us providing valuable resources for your business in every magazine we produce.

4 Gather as much feedback as possible and write about what people need.. We know our readers are plugged into the business community as well. If you have any feedback or valuable information please contact us at fargoinc@spotlightmediafargo.com.

Brady Drake, Fargo INC! Editor

EDITORIAL BOARD Necessity drives creativity. As our community looks to the beginning of a new year and decade, employers need to think differently about partnerships to get a competitive edge in attracting and retaining their workforce.

KRISTI HUBER

JOHN MACHACEK

United Way of Cass-Clay

Greater FM Economic Development Corporation

President

United Way of Cass-Clay collaborates with leaders and organizations to build innovative partnerships that will create a better tomorrow for our entire community. By ramping up programs that close the skills gap through training and supportive services, improving transportation to increase access to employment and collaborating to find longterm housing solutions we will create opportunities that will help companies grow and give families in poverty a path to thrive.

Chief Innovation Officer

With this month’s workforce theme, I’d highly recommend checking out liveinfargo.com as a resource to help inform you or your employees or prospective new hires about the community.

This website is a central platform for people looking for information on living and working in the FM region and was created through a collaborative process between the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation, FM Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, The Chamber, United Way of CassClay and FM Area Foundation.

COURTNEY LARSON

Communications and Marketing Officer

FM Area Foundation

GREGORY WALD

STEVE DUSEK

Moore Engineering, Inc.

Dakota Business Lending

Communications Manager

In our connection economy, it seems like a good idea to make a personal connection during your first contact with a prospective employer.

Consider including some things on your resume and in your application letter that signal your approach to life and work. Call it core beliefs, personal philosophy, mission statement, values whatever you think is appropriate.

Just make sure it’s genuine and provides value to the recipient by describing who you would be as an employee and the impact you would have on the organization’s culture.

President & CEO

The small business climate in Fargo/Moorhead (and overall state of North Dakota) is bursting at the seams with unique and innovative workplaces. With the number of culture and missiondriven businesses rising, there’s no doubt that hiring for a cultural fit is a growing trend today. As a small business lending resource, we have had the opportunity to work with businesses like these firsthand and have seen the positive effects that this particular hiring process has on a company’s overall ability to recruit and retain high-quality employees who better their business, their culture, and the world around them. Hats off to these businesses – both highlighted in this issue and beyond – for paving the way in creating top workplaces and producing top-notch professionals who work to make this climate the best it can be.

SCOTT MEYER

Ozbun Executive Director of Entrepreneurship

NDSU College of Business

The 2015 Regional Workforce Study estimated there would be 30,000 job openings in the region by 2020. Because the workforce issue goes beyond finding and hiring people, the FM Area Foundation has taken action to create the Cass Clay Community Land Trust. The land trust addresses the need for more affordable housing to help attract and keep workers in our community. Learn more by visiting areafoundation.org.

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One year ago, I moved to Fargo with my family. The reason: toast.

Honestly. Great toast and coffee was the signal that Fargo was the type of place we could live. Let this issue remind us that we can be the signal to others that Fargo is a great place.

MEET THE TEAM MIKE

KIM

KELLEN

CHRISTY

BRADY

LAURA

PATRICK

ALEXANDRA

NOLAN

DANNA

NICK

TOMMY

KIRSTEN

bou

NEIL

HILLARY

MATT

COLLEEN

JENNY

CASSIE

PAUL

ZACH

JAY

BRUCE

Learn more about us at SpotlightMediaFargo.com JOHN

ulger

CRAIG

January 2020 Volume 5 Issue 1

Fargo INC! is published 12 times a year and is available at area businesses and online at FargoInc.com.

Publisher EDITORIAL Editor Graphic Designer Director of Photography

Contributors

INTERACTIVE Business Development Manager

Mike Dragosavich Drago@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Brady Drake fargoinc@spotlightmediafargo.com Kim Cowles Hillary Ehlen Photography@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Steve Dusek Paul Smith Katie Beedy Samantha Mohr Nick Schommer nickschommer@spotlightmediafargo.com

Digital Marketing Strategist

Tommy Uhlir

Inbound Marketing Strategist

Kirsten Lund

Videographer Executive Sales Assistant Graphic Designer ADVERTISING Associate Sales Director

Patrick Thompson, Laura Alexander Kellen Feeney Ben Buchanan Neil Keltgen Neil@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

Senior Sales Executive

Paul Hoefer Paul@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

Sales Executives

Zach Olson Zach@SpotlightMediaFargo.com Matt Becker Matt@SpotlightMediaFargo.com

Client Relations Client Relations Manager Marketing Designer ADMINISTRATION VP of Human Resources Office Manager Associate Controller Account Strategist DISTRIBUTION Delivery

clientrelations@spotlightmediafargo.com Jenny Johnson Christy German Colleen Dreyer Wendy Kalbrener Jay Borland Cassie Wiste Bruce Crummy, John Stuber, Craig Sheets

Fargo INC! is published by Spotlight LLC, Copyright 2019 Fargo INC! & FargoInc.com. All rights reserved. No parts of this magazine may be reproduced or distributed without written permission of Fargo INC!, and Spotlight LLC, is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to or reliance on such information. Spotlight LLC, accepts no liability for the accuracy of statements made by the advertisers.

Spotlight LLC 15 Broadway N, Suite 500 Fargo, ND 58102 Info@SpotlightMediaFargo.com ADVERTISING: 701-478-SPOT (7768)

CHECK OUT SPOTLIGHT MEDIA'S OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Just in time for Dakota Medical Foundation’s Giving Hearts Day on February 13, we are excited to shine a light on local non-profits and charities this issue. Read about different charitable organizations, learn how they are making a positive impact on our community and get inspired to donate this February 13th.

This month, we’re dedicating our issue to the kids. Our Bison Illustrated For Kids edition is an educational tool to lay the foundation for future Bison.

This includes the traits to become a Bison, nutrition information and more. Not only is this a perfect resource for the classroom, but an issue that can bring kids and parents together at home too.

ER M

R FA

FU TU

R

E

Premiere Edition

You might see a new magazine on stands around the city and beyond. Spotlight is launching a new magazine, Future Farmer. This agriculture-focused business magazine is for farmers and ag professionals alike in North Dakota and Minnesota.

For our inaugural issue, we’re focusing on the things we learned in 2019 about agriculture, from the evolving ag-tech landscape to business guides and resources, Future Farmer is a magazine you won’t want to miss. Keep an eye out for this mag at the end of January!

Sponsored Content

THREE GREAT GRADUATE PROGRAMS UNDER ONE ROOF

(Left to right): Jim Deal, professor of HDFS (Financial Planning), Joel Hektner, professor and department head for HDFS at NDSU, and Mellissa O’Connor, associate professor of HDFS (Gerontology).

N

orth Dakota State’s Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) department offers diverse and flexible graduate program experiences for professionals looking to advance their careers through an online program. If you’ve been thinking about going back to school, this might be the right option for you! No specific undergraduate degree is required to apply to any of the three graduate certificate or master’s programs NDSU’s HDFS department offers as part of its collaboration with the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (Great Plains IDEA).

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“Great Plains IDEA is a consortium of universities across the great plains of the United States where no single university in the consortium has the critical mass to offer these programs all by themselves,” said Joel Hektner, the department head for HDFS at NDSU. “But together we do.”

The consortium consists of faculty from schools that include Michigan State, Iowa State, Nebraska, and Missouri just to name a few. And it’s not just the instruction that is diverse; the class participation is as well.

“

Sponsored Content We have a lot of non-traditional students and also a few international students,” said Melissa O’Connor, associate professor of HDFS and coordinator of the Gerontology masters program. “So, you get a lot of different perspectives in the online discussions which are fun.”

an accredited financial planner.

Financial counselors work with people seeking guidance on consumer issues. There are financial counselors on almost every military base and college.

Financial planners, on the other hand, work with people who have wealth and want to build it.

NDSU’s Family Financial Planning master’s program offers a unique perspective for both due to its grounding in the HDFS department.

“We ground the financial planning in an understanding of family dynamics,” said Jim Deal, professor of HDFS and coordinator of the family financial planning master’s program. “So, when you start talking about estate planning, who gets grandpa’s money, there are a lot of family dynamics that go into those things. We teach students what those dynamics are. We also talk about life-span issues and how financial needs change based on age and where people are in the family life cycle.”

All three of the master’s programs are considered to be applied professional programs, meaning they’re geared toward people who want to advance their careers. A number of the students are also in the midst of a career change or still working, meaning enrollees have up to seven years to complete their master’s if they choose not to take classes full time. You can work while you learn!

What is Human Development and Family Science?

The Human Development and Family Science department offers two parallel fields of study. In the Human Development courses, students study how humans grow throughout the entire life span from birth until death. In Family Science courses, students get a chance to learn about how families operate and how the social communities and policies can help families be successful.

The Master’s Degrees offered under the HDFS umbrella •

•

Youth Development- A person with a master’s degree in Youth Development will be able to go out and work with youth outside of the classroom. “We have had students who have become the youth director at their church or the youth director with their 4-H program.

We’ve also had a student who went on to work with youth at a homeless shelter,” said Hektner.

Family Financial PlanningGraduate students who go through the master’s program in Family Financial Planning will typically either work as an accredited financial counselor or

•

Gerontology- If you get a master’s degree in gerontology, you will be better equipped to work with our aging population. We live in an aging society, one in which the older population is growing both in absolute numbers and in proportion to all other age groups. “There are going to be a lot more job opportunities coming up working with the older population because the population is becoming older,” said O’Connor.

Can I Apply?

Most likely all you need is: Your previous transcripts A written essay about what you’re looking for in the degree Three letters of recommendation And you can apply all online!

There’s also no deadline and you can be enrolled in any semester.

They’re looking for: A 3.0 GPA or better And students with basic social science backgrounds in schooling or work experience.

Interested? Contact: Dr. Joel Hektner: 701-231-8269 joel.hektner@ndsu.edu Melissa O’Connor: 701-231-8688 melissa.oconnor@ndsu.edu Dr. Jim Deal: 701-231-7568 jim.deal@ndsu.edu

What’s more, anyone interested in the programs but not ready to take the plunge into the full master’s degree program can get a graduate certificate. A graduate certificate gives a student the ability to show they have some graduate training in a very focused field of study. The certificate program takes half the course load as a full master’s degree program and a student can always come back and put their certificate course load towards completing a full master’s degree.

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Sponsored Content

Jordan Cook Jordan is Union State Bank’s Vice President of Business Development

Kory Shae Kory is Union State Bank’s Sr. Vice President.

Sponsored Content

Why Are These Guys So Excited?

Because, Union State Bank Is becoming part of a larger family.

Sponsored Content

Big Things Are Happening!

U

nion State Bank, a trusted financial institution in the FargoMoorhead area since 1973, is not only merging with Border State Bank, but they’ve also added a key new member to their team, Jordan Cook.

“I know our new size will give us opportunities in the marketplace,” said Kory Shae, Union State Bank’s Sr. Vice President. ”But, it will also allow us to attract top talent like Jordan.”

Cook started to look into Union State Bank as an option after his longtime friend, Shae, informed him of the upcoming merger with what will soon be known as Border Bank. With Cook on board as the new Vice President of Business Banking and more resources on hand, Union State Bank has the opportunity to better serve its clients. Something that is of the utmost importance to Cook.

“My relationships with customers are the single most important aspect of my job. If I don’t have a great working relationship with each and every customer I don’t really have an opportunity to grow with them and expand my network,” said Cook. “My reputation with customers is what keeps them coming back with any and all future banking needs. If you develop great relationships, it just becomes a compounding network that continues to expand to more people.”

One unique advantage that will allow Shae and Cook to serve everyone well is their ability to be involved in decisions. Union State Bank centers the way they do business around their employees which allows Cook and Shae to have their voices heard in key decisions.

“I get to have a voice in credit decisions and still have a spot in business development; that’s a good spot to be in,” said Cook. “With Union and Border together, there’s not one single business that can’t be served by the tools offered by our institution.”

The structure isn’t just good for Cook. Customers at the bank can rest easy knowing their first point of contact, Cook, will have a voice in credit decisions.

Sponsored Content

“ My relationships with customers are the single most important aspect of my job.”

That ability to have a voice across multiple points of the banking process is a microcosm of the team atmosphere fostered at Union State Bank - a team that will only be strengthened by the merger with Border Bank.

Cook and Shae have known each other for years and have strong chemistry and friendship. They golf together, they work together and they laugh together.

What’s more, they both share the same drive to help clients and that’s what sets their bank apart.

“Every day we ask ourselves, ‘how do we provide value for our clients?’” said Shae.“I think it’s a little

bit different for everyone. There are different value propositions out there for every client. Jordan and I understand that.”

No matter what client they’re working with, Cook and Shae plan to keep an eye on the long term outlook and fit when working with their clients, big or small. The merger will allow them to serve virtually everyone in our market, doing loan deals from $10,000 to upwards of $20 million.

“I was able to do that by understanding my customer’s needs and priding myself on always being available to help out,” said Cook. “I’m bringing those same qualities to Union and eventually Border.”

Sponsored Content Banking has typically been static. Forcing the customers to meet their needs based on a rigid set of services offered by their bank. That’s not how Cook or Shae want things to play out. They are offering customizable solutions to meet customer’s needs.

“Jordan’s relationship management and client management is second to none,” said Shae. “To say I was excited the timing was right for Jordan and I to have the opportunity to work together was an understatement. Jordan is one of the most skilled bankers I know, and we get to have fun every day.”

Jordan Cook jcook@unionfargo.com 701-526-1130

Kory Shae KShae@unionfargo.com 701-282-4598

More information? You really should check out our website at unionstatebankfargo.com 28

JANUARY 2020

HOW DO YOU CREATE ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPANIES IN THE STATE? SIMPLE. SOLVE ONE OF THE BIGGEST

PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD.

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BY ANDREW JASON

From humble beginnings in a lab at NDSU, Aldevron is now helping solve some of the biggest medical problems. With the construction of a 500,000 square foot campus, the company is preparing for rapid growth and is looking to grow to 1,000 employees over the next few years.

That begs the question: how are they handling this growth?

That’s what we went to find out.

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THE PROBLEMS THEY’RE SOLVING Thanks to plasmid DNA created by Aldevron, its clients are addressing some of the most challenging diseases. An example of the type of client Aldevron works with is AveXis, a biotechnology company that has developed a sequence of a gene that works to correct the genetic defect in spinal muscular atrophy patients.

Spinal muscular atrophy is a genetic disorder that’s characterized by weakness and wasting of muscles. It’s caused when a patient can’t properly manufacture a protein because their gene sequence that codes for that protein has a mistake.

Because of this, patients often lose the ability to move and may die as young as two-years old if left untreated. The ability to correct the gene is delivered to a patient’s cells using plasmids, causing it to start producing the proper protein, preventing the wasting of muscle tissue.

“In this case, some kids are running around at 6-years-old,” said James Brown, VP of Corporate Development and Chief of Staff at Aldevron.

Genetic material developed in Fargo is enabling the biotechnology industry to have a significant impact on patients

Cool Fact!

with severe unmet medical needs. It’s all in a day’s work at Aldevron.

While the exact details of what they do can be difficult to understand if you don’t have a basic understanding of biology (which we are quick to admit that we don’t), the big picture results are amazing. Thanks to processes developed by Aldevron, they are able to quickly and affordably create plasmid DNA. “One of the main areas that we work in is called genetic medicine,” said Brown. “The general concept is that we understand a lot about DNA now and how cells process it and use DNA’s information to go about their business to do whatever they do. Our clients use plasmid DNA we provide to manipulate the genetic material in a cell to treat a disease.”

In fact, their growth is evident to anybody who drives by their headquarters in Fargo as they’re constructing several more buildings in addition to the one that opened last September.

Once their new offices are open, they’ll employ 1,000 people.

Aldevron is striking while the industry is strong. However, the industry is changing so quickly, it is making planning for growth difficult.

“The real challenge for us is that we don’t know where the

JAMES BROWN

This growth is impressive, especially when you consider that Aldevron was started out of a lab at NDSU. Michael Chambers, the president and CEO, founded the company in 1998 with John Ballantyne, CSO, and has seen a meteoric rise in the last 20 years.

VP OF CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT AND CHIEF OF STAFF AT ALDEVRON

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industry is going to go,” said Henry Hebel, Chief Operating Officer of Aldevron.

It’s very hard for us to predict what kind of buildings we need 5 to 10 years from now because this is so cutting edge. The technology we expect to be completely different five years from now, so how do you build a building to accommodate that?”

THEIR BACKGROUND This growth is impressive, especially when you consider that Aldevron was started out of a lab at NDSU. Michael Chambers, the president and CEO, founded the company in 1998 with John Ballantyne, CSO, and has seen a meteoric rise in the last 20 years.

However, no matter their size, the company’s mission remains the same. And that’s something the leadership team is preaching as they grow.

“As I’ve said, I’m not from North Dakota but I take that history of the company and view myself as a caretaker of the story, mission and company,” said Hebel. “My staff and myself who have to design these buildings, we take this very seriously. I think the team does get a sense of family, history and community in that way.”

And that mission is attracting the right talent. Brown has worked across the country in the biotech industry. Victoria Sowemimo, Director of Quality Assurance, moved from North Carolina. Mike

VICTORIA SOWEMIMO

DIRECTOR OF QUALITY ASSURANCE

Busch, VP of Human Resources, worked in the automotive, appliance and wholesale distribution industries before moving into biotech with Aldevron. The mission they are on is clearly attracting top-tier talent.

“I have worked in the pharmaceutical industry globally for many years and I was looking for an opportunity to use my skills in the gene therapy sector, which is new and fastgrowing,” said Sowemimo. “I read about Aldevron and the vision of our founders Michael and John, which is at the cutting edge in this industry. There is a great need to help those patients who have not been successful with their treatment.

Together with our clients, we are able to give hope again, in some of those areas. I am thankful to be a part of something bigger than myself.”

It’s not just their company, though. The entire industry is going through rapid growth.

“The gene therapy industry is experiencing phenomenal growth in reaching patients with the diseases that traditional medicine cannot impact,” said Sowemimo. “Aldevron, together with our clients, are giving hope to the people affected by these diseases.”

Aldevron is also taking advantage of being located in Fargo.

MIKE BUSCH

VICE-PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES

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Thanks to workforce talent from the universities, building incentives from the city and low cost of living, the company is capitalizing on all that Fargo has to offer.

“Our founder Michael Chambers and his family have very close ties to North Dakota,” said Hebel. “He feels strongly about supporting the region, school and the growth of North Dakota. We’ve said many times to clients that come to visit us from the east and west coast that it’s probably unimaginable that Aldevron could be located anywhere else.

“The way the company was founded and the way the company has been growing, it’s very particular to the values of the area and the innovation and dedication that the staff has shown long before I started working here. I believe that.”

MANUFACTURING AND PH.DS While Fargo does have its advantages, it does come with its challenges, especially when you consider Aldevron’s workforce needs. With their being a massive workforce shortage in North Dakota, this becomes a problem for most businesses, although as the company continues to hire, they are figuring out the best way to reach their next employees.

“We have a really good university system in the region and we have strong relationships with NDSU, MSUM and Concordia that provide a lot of great talent for us,” said Busch. “Not all of our roles require a four-year degree or beyond. We’re actually reaching out to high schools and two-year institutions to get students interested in the opportunities here.”

One of their biggest challenges is the work and industry can be difficult to understand. Busch and his team are trying to demystify the work they’re doing.

“The scientific aspect can be intimidating for some people. They may think they can’t work at that company or in the industry

because you’re talking about working with DNA,” said Busch.

“First, we can train people for many of our production roles.

Second, we also need professionals in finance, HR, facilities, shipping and receiving and other areas where the scientific content of the job is much less. ” One of the biggest surprises from our tour was that many of their positions are manufacturing jobs so you don’t need a science background. They have an extensive onboarding process so people can step in from all sorts of backgrounds. In fact, if you go to their website, they have open positions in client relations, clinical-grade manufacturing, commercial sales and marketing, facilities, marketing and much more.

The growth is evident. At the end of October 2019, they had around 450 employees while in October 2018, they had about 260 employees. Once the expansion is complete, they expect to employ 1,000 people and to reach that growth, Aldevron needs the community’s support.

The more we can get the word out there to people with good technical skills and good knowledge that there’s good jobs available and the more we can support universities, the better,” said Hebel. “We have open houses and job fairs. The more attendance and the more folks can publicize that, the better.”

In such a tough labor market, it’s important that any employer looks at what’s their competitive advantage. That’s easy for Aldevron to point out.

“The opportunities that we have,” said Busch. “And not just from a career perspective. Regardless of the role, our employees know that they are making a difference in the lives of people dealing with debilitating and life threatening diseases. That means a great deal to our employees.”

Aldeveron’s Core Products

Plasmid DNA Production High-quality plasmid DNA production for a wide range of reserch, preclinical, clinical, and diagnostic applications.

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Protein Production Gene-to-protein services, including custom enzyme production, recombinant antibodies and proteins.

Antibody Discovery Aldevron’s antibody discovery platform supports all project types including therrapeutic, diagnostic and reagent applications.

mRNA Production High-quality, scalable mRNA production meeting a wide range of requirements.

THE NEW BUILDING • MODULAR

QUICK STATS • •

• •

• •

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14-acre campus headquarters.

Once completed, the annual capacity will exceed $1 billion of plasmid DNA, RNA, gene editing enzymes. and other biologics.

The first two-story building will increase Aldevron’s CMP and CMP=Source production up to 10 times its current output.

New building will be 189,000 square-feet.

There will also be 20,000 square-feet of quality control and produce storage, an 89,000 squarefoot, two-story administration and client visit center and a 96,000 square-foot research and development, technical operations and training center.

The entire campus will be connected via skyway.

Once complete, the total square footage will be nearly 500,000 square-feet and has the potential to employ 1,000 people.

JANUARY 2020

CONSTRUCTION

Since the industry is changing so rapidly, Aldevron is trying to be as flexible as possible with their new buildings. Hebel walked us through what the planning looked like.

“The current building and the new building is all about flexibility and modularity. We put in completely modular suites – or pods as we call it – and the idea here is that we can change these up anytime. That’s a big component. With building two, it’s all modular so it can be put up and changed quickly. Everything we do inside there is single-use, disposable manufacturing equipment. People are used to seeing a manufacturer like John Deere or Harley Davidson and they’re going to see lots of stainless steel equipment and machines. We don’t have that.

“We do everything using disposable equipment so we can move rapidly through projects, move from one type of project to another or we can change our minds and make something completely different next year. The building has to support that disposable manufacturing.

“Those are the big factors that go into planning. The building you see going up, we’re actually planning on only building 60 percent of the inside of the shell so actually leaving a hidden shell in the middle so we can add capacity.”

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For Finding And Keeping Quality Employees

By Brady Drake Photos by Hillary Ehlen

North Dakota as a whole is a thriving business community. However, many companies in our great state are having a hard time filling their open positions. In fact, the most recent Job Service North Dakota Online Job Openings Report shows 14,749 open job listings... And that’s just jobs listed online! Estimates for actual job openings in North Dakota reach as high 30,000. With such a workforce shortage, we at Fargo INC! decided to dive into some of the tips, tactics and innovation local companies are using to recruit and retain employees in this competitive hiring market.

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Julie Peterson Klein EVP/Chief Culture Officer @ Bell Bank

1. When you succeed, pay it forward – to your employees and others.

You’ve probably heard of Bell Bank’s unique Pay It Forward initiative, which has empowered more than $15 million in employee charitable giving since 2007. What many people don’t know is that we also work to hire and retain people who are not only high-performing, but also lead with “pay it forward hearts” and add value to the world.

2. Focus on hiring people who fit your overall culture.

We’ve created a great environment for people to come to, based on a simple bottom line: “Happy Employees! Happy Customers!” Engaged team members who are proud of where they work and what they do will provide great service to your customers.

3. Host special company events where people can get to know their coworkers and meet their families .

We have amazing events for employees and their families, such as a RedHawks baseball night, Trollwood picnic and play, and our big Bell Christmas Party (the one time we get all our employees, from every division and location, under one roof). But, it’s also the little things our team members do for each other that make the “Bell family.”

4. Recognize the support of friends and family.

We have a Pay It Forward: Friends & Family program, in which employees receive a gift card and an additional day off every year, with the stipulation that they spend their money and the day with friends or family members. It’s a way of acknowledging how important these people are in supporting the Bell family.

5. Promote volunteerism.

Supporting volunteerism communicates support for building stronger communities and doing work that is “more than a paycheck.” Bell employees have 16 hours of paid volunteer time each year.

Cindy Breyer Recruitment Specialist @ North Dakota State University

6. Use online recruitment – Recruit on company website, Indeed.com, professional publications, Job Service, social media, and encourage employee referrals.

The places our applicants find our jobs are the NDSU website – followed by Indeed.com, professional journals, various publications etc. The source used to advertise will depend on the type of position. We have such a broad scope of career opportunities at NDSU – everything from dining services, custodial, office support, trades, technical, professional, managerial, executive and faculty. All of our positions are posted with Indeed.com, Job Service ND, ND Chamber of Commerce and Higher Ed jobs. Our faculty positions are posted on the Southern Region Board of Education site. We encourage our search committees to share our postings with any list serves they participate in and any conference list serves/ blogs and with colleagues. We have created our own NDSU HR Facebook page and NDSU HR LinkedIn account – this often times reaches those passive job seekers. Several of our departments also have their own social media accounts and share their positions this way. We keep the Job AD short and encourage connections, friends, and colleagues to also share the posts.

7. Attend Career Fairs – embrace diversity.

NDSU typically attends 3-4 career fairs per year. We are open to all types of career fairs. We are fortunate to have some name recognition, which helps in attracting job seekers at the events.

8. Provide excellent benefits – and share that information with job seekers.

NDSU offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package – which includes the monthly healthcare premium 100 percent paid for employees and their families – this also includes a wellness program that gives employees the ability to earn up to $250 per year for participating in wellness activities. They may also receive health club reimbursement. Other benefits include voluntary dental and vision plans available at a reasonable cost, a retirement plan with excellent company contributions, life insurance, sick leave, annual leave, holiday pay, an onsite childcare center and a tuition assistance program – employees can take three courses per year with 100 percent of the tuition fees waived and 50 percent off tuition for family members.

9. Offer flexibility as much as you can and create and offer a welcoming culture and environment that is positive and fun.

Departments are encouraged to work with their employees on offering flexibility as they are able – including hours of 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. during summer months and during the academic year when school is not in session. Every Friday is Bison Pride Friday - a casual day where employees are encouraged to wear Bison gear. The NDSU campus can be a bit overwhelming to someone new that hasn’t been on campus before – we are excited to launch an NDSU “virtual tour” in 2020 that will provide views of the buildings, locations, meeting rooms, important places a new employee will need to go and much more.

10. Find out what motivates your employee and provide recognition and opportunities for career development and growth.

The University has many opportunities for professional growth with several academic departments offering trainings, workshops and seminars. Our tuition assistance program is an excellent way for an employee to obtain their degree if they don’t already have one. Staff Senate is an organization that NDSU employees can join and be a voice in for the university. The activities sponsored by Staff Senate include Employee Recognition Week, the Scholarship Fund Awards for classified staff members and their families, staff development programs, Campus Kudos Awards, the annual Mary McCannel Gunkelman Recognition Award and NDSU Day of Honor.

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Kelsey Kasten Employee Service Administrator @ Cardinal Glass Industries

11. Safety Safety is our number one priority here at Cardinal. Our plant manager frequently tells our employees, “No piece of glass is more important to me than your safety.” He sets the example at the highest level in the facility.

Our teammates are also provided with the required personal protective equipment necessary to safely perform the duties of their job, from cut-less tops, to gloves, safety glasses, and the appropriate steel toed shoes. We are an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) VPP Star certified site, in which we are recognized by OSHA as world class in safety.

12. Screening Candidates are able to apply online or in-person at Cardinal. After an application is submitted, it’s “graded” to be sure applicants have the skills and experience we are looking for. This also allows us to match candidates with the position and shift they’re best suited for. After that, we do a phone screening with the passing applicants and bring them in to take our computer test. The computer test is a timed, basic math and safety assessment. Good screening is the most important step to having quality interviews. Our supervisors would much rather have one really good interview than multiple mediocre interviews.

13. Appreciation A simple ‘thank you’ goes a long way. Things like a year-end banquet or a summer picnic are nice ways to show employees you appreciate them, but they only happen once a year. Regularly letting your employees know you appreciate them and their hard work lets them know that you care and makes them feel valued. Having positive, uplifting connections with employees opens the door to communication.

14. Flexibility Flexibility goes both ways, we need to be flexible with our teammates, and they, in turn, need to be flexible with us. When able, we work with our teammates to keep them from having to leave Cardinal when things like child care or conflicting schedules happen. This could be anything from adjusting start/end times, granting personal leave, or allowing different break times. For example, when teammates have certain prayer times, we work with them to move breaks and accommodate. On the flip side, we request that our teammates be flexible when necessary as well. Our employees are cross trained so they can help cover if the need ever arises.

15. Communication/Listening Good communication starts with good listening. Don’t listen with the intent to reply, listen to understand. Actually listen to what your employee is saying before responding. Try to figure out what the employee wants as well, do they want your opinion or do they just need someone to vent to? If they are just venting, don’t respond with advice. Listening to your employees is a simple way to show them you respect them and will help create a trusting environment. It’s also important to remain transparent with your employees so they don’t feel left out or that they’re the center of gossip because of a mistake they made.

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Kayla Linn Vice President of People and Culture @ Eventide

16. Appreciate your employees!

Sometimes it’s a simple thank you that can mean the most to staff that work hard each and every day. Happy employees are more productive and engaged in their work, resulting in better services provided to our customers (the residents!). At Eventide, we have an internal recognition program called “BeBOLD Moments,” where staff can recognize a co-worker for all the “bold” moments they create for other employees or residents. We also celebrate the special moments with our employees, like their birthdays or work anniversary, and provide them with a free meal that month!

17. Listen and communicate to your employees.

Everyone wants to have input and contribute to the work that they do. Provide your staff the ability to give their opinions and thoughts on how to grow as an organization and they will become invested in the work they are doing. If you say you’re going to follow up on something, follow up and then let the employee know what you did so they feel that the company takes action on feedback. At Eventide, we complete annual engagement surveys where employees can provide feedback. Once we have the results, we have representatives from all departments on our “Culture Teams” to help provide solutions and ideas to improve the work environment. We will also do simple surveys or ask staff about their preferences before making changes that directly impact their work environment.

18. Provide opportunities for professional growth and development.

If employees don’t have an opportunity to grow or develop in their positions, they become disengaged and will eventually leave. Continue to develop your staff in ways to keep them excited about work and growth opportunities in their future. At Eventide, we offer employees scholarships and loan repayment options if they want to continue their education. During our employee touch points, whether that’s a two week, 30 day, 60 day, annual or 1:1, we discuss what professional goals our employees have and how we can best help them achieve those goals. Eventide provides paid Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training to both internal employees and external candidates that want to become a CNA in senior living! We pay for the cost of the class as well as the exam and pay them while in the class! We also provide an internal Certified Medication Aid I training program.

19. Create a culture where people WANT to work!

If your company has a positive and welcoming culture, perspective employees will chose to come work for your organization and stay committed to the organization’s vision. At Eventide, it’s the people that make us who we are, the employees, the residents and their families. The work that our employees do every single day provides an environment where our residents can THRIVE!

20. Be present in the community.

When searching for candidates, you want them to think of your organization without hesitation, so how are you building your mission in the community? Are you present at high schools and colleges to highlight the job opportunities in your organization? Is your organization giving back to the local community in other ways? Eventide is! Eventide connects with our local high schools and colleges to build relationships early. For several years, Eventide Fargo has hosted the MSUM Scrubs Camp for a day, where 80+ high school age individuals are exposed to the world of senior living. Several of the “campers” from this event ended up volunteering or working with us after. We attend all of the career fairs in the area to build connections with the students and offer them flexible schedules while they are completing their educations. Eventide encourages staff to become involved in the local chamber and other service organizations. We also are involved in the fun things in our communities, whether that’s the West Fest Parade or other area parades, United Way’s Day of Caring, team building volunteer events, and more.

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Dann Keller Talent Acquisition Specialist @ Discovery Benefits

21. Understand your culture and share the vision.

At Discovery Benefits, a WEX Company, employee culture has been crucial to enhancing our profile in the community, creating an engaged workforce and facilitating a second-to-none client experience. Culture is people, so when it comes to staffing, it is just as important to consider temperament, personality, and soft-skills as it is to consider relative experience and career accomplishments. Hire the candidates that will contribute positively to your culture, and don’t stop there. Offer a generous referral bonus to your employees and give them incentive to spread the word to family and friends that share the core values you seek.

22. Invest in your employees as people.

Embrace the idea that work shouldn’t always be the most important thing to your employees, and offer benefits and policies that not only facilitate personal time, but enhance it. Perks such as a comprehensive wellness program, flexible work hours, paid parental leave, work from home opportunities, and substantial PTO, you send the message that you support and value your employees’ personal endeavors. In our experience, when you show your employees that you are there for them, they often show that they are there for you.

23. Create the employees that you need, and offer them career growth.

One surefire way to keep good employees is to promote them, so put yourself in a position that makes it easy to do so. Recognize people’s results in big and little ways to nurture strong relationships and trust. Build career pathing, continuous learning and a culture of opportunity into your company structure. Give special focus to internal hiring practices that are fair and inclusive, and offer additional training and job shadowing to spread awareness. At Discovery Benefits, we train our supervisors to help prepare their direct reports for job interviews as needed. We encourage the interviewing of all internal job candidates as a chance to provide honest feedback and improve the interview skills of our workforce. We celebrate the team members who are promoted, and we help the ones that are not to learn and improve from the experience.

24. Offer transparency and communicate openly.

Being transparent with your workforce perpetuates loyalty and helps employees manage change more effectively. Not only is it important for employees to keep an open and ongoing dialogue with their leaders and teammates, but also to see open communication happening throughout the organization, at all managerial levels. At our company, important messages come from senior leadership, and employees are given the opportunity to discuss big changes in open forums like town hall meetings, roundtable discussions and Q&As. When change is looming, sending updates and action plans consistently will assure everyone is on the same page, and make your workforce feel like they have an active role in the company’s prosperity and growth.

25. Provide a gateway to your community, and get involved.

Job candidates want to know what your company does to set itself apart as a community advocate, so show them with pride. An employer’s involvement in their community says a lot about their values and priorities, and there are many ways that companies can engage. Offering paid time for volunteerism, showcasing local non-profits, and organizing charity drives are ways to help employees have a positive impact directly. Sponsoring local community and sporting events is another great way to get your name into the community, demonstrate your values, and provide your employees with a sense of pride while they have fun outside the office.

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Sandi Gilbertson Executive Director of Human Resources @ NDSCS

26. Create a hiring committee To find quality employees, we engage employees from different areas of the college that are going to be working with the new hire to be on the hiring committee. We have a hiring manager that serves as the lead person on the committee to guide the process for the committee.

27. Hiring process To find quality employees, we ensure the committee has an effective process, understands hiring practice/policy, is well organized and prepared to have a productive interview where the candidate has a good experience. The committee creates interview questions and develops screening criteria based on qualifications for the position. The committee then meets to determine which candidates they will interview. There is a screening process that is completed as a team. Once that is determined they work with human resources to set up interview times. The invites are sent to those who will be interviewed by human resources.

28. Onboarding To keep quality employees, it is important to have a good onboarding experience that doesn’t end after the first few days. For us, onboarding is a long-term process that begins prior to an employee’s hire date and continues for at least six months (through the probationary period). It helps the new hire to feel welcome and prepared in their new position. Supervisors and employees are encouraged to use our New Employee Onboarding Checklist to guide the process. Additionally, new employees are encouraged to review the information available on our Human Resources website. The guide listed above has a process that supervisors follow for: • Pre-arrival • First day of work • Within the first week • On a regular basis • Six months Onboarding is facilitated by the supervisor, human resources, the department and the NDSCS community.

NDSCS electronically sends the prework to the employee to fill out all necessary information for them to be entered into the system. We then create an orientation schedule for them where they are welcomed by the department and have two days of immersion of the institution within HR, with the department, a meeting with the Vice President or President of the division, setting up IT information, policy and benefits orientation.

29. Make employees feel welcome To keep quality employees, they need to feel like they belong. We do this by immersing them in the NDSCS culture and providing ongoing support. We set culture by making new employees feel welcomed. We have different teams at NDSCS that employees are welcome to join where they can provide input and help to create positive outcomes. We encourage involvement and participation in college events and activities.

30. Value employees To keep quality employees, they need to feel valued. We have a reward and recognition program, provide great benefits, have a holistic wellness program, have an active diversity and equity team and we encourage our supervisors to acknowledge employees for the work they do. The wellness team has brown bag luncheons to help inform the college community on wellness information and updates. We have motivation Mondays, maintain don’t gain, Go Red event, walk at lunch day, walking wellness. We also promote the Dakota Wellness program and we partner with the culinary arts department for a fruit and veggie challenge and community programs that help promote wellness.

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Jocylen Wessels Executive Director Of Human Resources @ Sanford Health

31. Current employees are your best source of referrals.

Employees who are hired due to a personal referral perform better and stay longer. At Sanford Health, our employees are our best recruiters. They understand what we do, our culture, our patients and our expectations.

Sanford has robust referral bonus programs for in-demand positions. We have an online site where employees can find what jobs are open and eligible for referral bonuses, and where they can easily submit referrals. We want to incentivize and reward employees for going the extra mile to recruit new hires they want to become their coworkers. One key to offering referral bonuses is to pay them quickly. This creates trust with our employees.

32. Maximize your online presence.

Have a strategic plan and consistent processes to maximize your online presence for recruitment. Using multiple platforms and channels is critical. In addition to a separate career website, we have created career-specific social media profiles to showcase positions and employee content. On our Sanford Health News public website, we also promote features about career development opportunities and stories about individual employees reaching dreams. Using this concierge approach creates a unique, individualized experience for candidates and builds relationships.

33. Grow your own.

With workforce shortages existing from entry-level through professional levels, developing ‘grow your own’ initiatives is critical to ensure a full talent pipeline. Sanford Health provides development opportunities for future doctors, nurses and other professionals who then have an affinity for our organization when the time comes to join the workforce. Sanford works with our local and regional universities to provide medical residencies and a wide variety of internships. These positive experiences not only impact those directly involved but also help us grow our reputation as an employer of choice as they share their experiences with friends, families and other students. Our partnerships with universities and businesses also reflect our commitment to growing and investing in our local communities and keeping great talent here.

34. Hire employees who truly share your company’s values.

We keep Sanford’s values front of mind when hiring to ensure we are finding the right talent for our organization and our culture. Understanding our values, priorities and expectations also helps candidates to make the right choice about joining – and staying with us. At Sanford Health, all employees enter our organization learning about our mission, vision and values. We insist on a culture of service and believe that all of our employees are caregivers, no matter their position or location. We are all responsible for the care of our patients and their families, and our mission – dedication to the work of health and healing – is ingrained in the fabric of our organization. This common thread unites our employees, in all of our locations across the Midwest and beyond.

35. Make recognition meaningful.

Sanford has multiple ways we offer personal, consistent recognition that supports our culture of engagement.

These efforts reinforce our reputation as a great place to work. Sanford promotes employee recognition and engagement through a variety of different methods, events and benefits. This includes traditional things such as service recognition events and gifts, as well as certificates for holiday food items and seasonal parties.

But Sanford’s leaders believe in and emphasize a culture centered on acknowledging our employees and demonstrating our appreciation for them on a daily basis. Leaders hold “welcome to work” surprise events at different locations throughout the year, providing refreshments and treats to surprise and thank our employees.

We also provide many ways for employees to recognize and thank each other. Employees can nominate coworkers for our monthly HERO awards that are given for representing each of our values. HERO awards ceremonies rotate amongst our three main campuses. Hundreds of people gather in the main lobby where the nominators read their winning submissions and winners receive gifts, public thanks and photos with leaders. Leaders and coworkers can also recognize employees via “shout outs” on our employee intranet site.

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Kellie Fritz

Michael Lenhart

Vice President of Human Resources @ TrueNorth Steel

Talent Acquisition Coordinator @ TrueNorth Steel

36. Employee Referral Program

We have found that employee referrals are one of the most successful ways to attract top talent. Our employee referral program allows employees to make candidate referrals. If the referral is hired and successfully meets the program requirements, a payment of $500 will be made after six months of continuous employment and an additional $500 will be paid after the referred employee has completed one year of service, providing the referring and referred employee is actively employed with the company.

37. Culture & Value Fit

When pre-screening candidates, TrueNorth Steel seeks to find the right employee who will fit into our company culture and align with our company values. At TrueNorth Steel, we are game-changers! What does that mean to us? A game-changer is a committed, positive, outcomefocused individual who is personally responsible for doing whatever it takes to empower their team to succeed. They build trust in themselves and others through dedicated teamwork and self-improvement.

38. Game Changer Program

TrueNorth employees are selected every year by their respective supervisors to participate in a Game Changer two-day-in-depth training program. The Game Changer Program is a two-day course that is focused on developing the whole person and teaches transformational skills that allow individuals to communicate more effectively, accept responsibility for their choices and actions, and uncover their hidden potential.

Participants leave the training with their own specific outcomes that will set them apart from the spectators still sitting on the sidelines. TrueNorth Steel employees benefit from this training by learning to disrupt the status quo and take personal responsibility for their lives.

39. Celebrating Our People

Each year, TrueNorth Steel celebrates our Game Changer of the month, quarter, and year. We hold annual employee forums at each of our locations that let our employees openly engage with our leadership team, including the President and Owner. We have recognition awards, company picnics, site celebrations - Christmas parties at our locations, and parties for goals being met. We have recognition awards based on years of service. Also, TrueNorth Steel has an upcoming 75th anniversary in May of 2020 that will be held at the Scheels Arena with all TNS employees and their families invited to enjoy music by a Grammy award-winning band to celebrate this company milestone.

40. Survey Employees

TrueNorth Steel takes part in an annual employee engagement survey that assesses the overall health of our workforce. Employee feedback is anonymous. The TNS Leadership team then breaks down responses and comes up with a strategic plan to implement improvements where most needed.

Having

Trouble

Hiring?

These Local Staffing Agencies Can Help!

By Brady Drake

Sometimes filling open positions on your own can be difficult. Thankfully, our area has a diverse array of staffing agencies that can provide anything from one day labor to direct hire.

PeopleReady 723 Northern Pacific Ave., Fargo, ND peopleready.com 701-235-8900

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Labor Masters 1404 33rd St. SW. C, Fargo, ND labormasters.net 701-566-8755

Express Employment Professionals 1100 19th Ave N. St. R1, Fargo, ND

Spherion 2730 7th Ave. S., Fargo, ND spherion.com 701-298-8300

Prairie Staffing 1323 23rd St. S. C, Fargo, ND prairiestaffing.net 701-893-3067

ProSource 1121 Westrac Dr., Fargo, ND askprosource.com 701-630-7860

HireQuest Direct 1335 2nd Ave. N. Suite A, Fargo, ND hirequestllc.com 701-232-8952

Heartland Labor 13 N. University Dr., Fargo, ND heartlandlabor.com 701-235-4099

Preference Employment Solutions 2605 42nd St. S., Fargo, ND preferencepersonnel.com 701-293-6905

Kelly Services 4501 15th Ave. S. Fargo, ND kellyservices.com 701-281-4850

Volt Services Group 4201 38th St. SW. #108 Fargo, ND staffing.volt.com 701-271-3300

Allegro Group 4634 Amber Valley Pkwy. S. Fargo, ND allegro-group.com 701-353-5858

Sagency 3330 Flechtner Dr. S. #102, Fargo, ND sagencytalent.com 701-388-0650

Aerotek 3154 41st St. S. Suite 1, Fargo, ND 701-526-3010

Changing the way you view day labor.

Health insurance, retirement funds, dental, and PTO are all attractive to employees.

However, in order to attract people in North Dakota’s competitive hiring market, employers need to set themselves apart.

We take a look at four companies that are doing just that by offering their employees “weird” employee perks.

By Brady Drake

Going outside the box to find and keep great employees.

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Stoneridge Software has used its employee perks to grow tremendously over the past year, hiring 80 people to its now 180 person team over the past 12 months. We sat down with Briana Scearcy, Stoneridge Software's Chief People Officer to find out what amazing perks Stoneridge is using to find and keep its employees.

What "weird" perks does Stoneridge Software offer?

How do you monitor morale at Stoneridge Software?

The benefits or perks that we offer are pretty extensive. We take care of the premiums for all of our team members' health insurance.

So we essentially offer free health insurance and that's all the way through from single to family. We do the same with dental so we take care of everyone from a health and wellness standpoint. On the more unique side, we offer unlimited vacation time, we offer 100 percent paid maternity leave which is 12 weeks and we off 100 percent paid leave for our dads, we also offer the same benefits for parents who are adopting. We give every employee a $2,500 allowance for learning and development benefits, this can be used on anything from books to journals or memberships and some use it to go to different conferences. We reimburse for cell phones and internet. On the fun side of things we have beer on tap and popcorn available every single day and on Thursdays, we go out to lunch together for beer and pizza at a local dive bar.

We use an external tool called Office Vibes which creates a weekly survey that goes out to all of our people. Thankfully our trends in terms of engagement and work enjoyment have stayed pretty consistent. When it dips, we typically hire someone to relieve some of that stress and workload.

Why does Stoneridge Software offer the employee perks that they do?

My personal philosophy is that I want to offer and fight to offer as much as I can for our team members so that when they come to work, they don’t have to worry about anything but the job that they have to do when they come into work. I fight to make it as easy as I can for our team members.

Every Friday, Stoneridge Software has an in-person meeting in the companies lounge area. The Barnesville branch video conferences with the Fargo and Minneapolis branch to brief everyone on what has gone on that week as well as give everyone kudos for recent accomplishments.

"I've never worked for a company where that has been such a priority to carve out a half an hour a week to just be together," said Scearcy. "I think as we've grown, it has helped keep everyone on the same page.”

Briana Scearcy, Stonebridge Software's Chief People Officer, is a key driving force in setting the companies' culture.

Stoneridge keeps beer on tap, which rotates seasonally.

“If you pop it, they will come.”

According to Scearcy, the company’s free popcorn and drinks are a huge hit.

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Labor Masters: Out of the box perks aren’t just used by large companies to find and keep employees, small local companies use them as well. Labor Masters’ owner, Nancy Kelly has worked to make sure her three full-time employees feel cared for.

GARY USSERY

(Left to right) Ian Beaton, Todd Trottier, Nancy Kelly, Vickie Hendrickson, and Dawn Kearns pose with the Louis Vuitton bags that they got for hitting their sales goals with Labor Masters last year.

What weird/out of the box employee perks does Labor Masters offer?

Kelly makes a latte, which her employees have unlimited access to.

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Since I opened Labor Master in January of 2014, I have made it my mission to make sure that I share our success with the people that I work with. I give everyone a free monthly car wash membership (who doesn't love a clean car?), I pay for their cell phone bills, I bought the office a JURA latte maker and when I get a chance and am anywhere near a coffee shop, I bring everyone their favorite coffee drinks. We celebrate birthday month for everyone! That means from the first day of the month to their birthday, they get presents, cards, balloons, and other quirky items I see that they might like. We hit our annual sales goal last year so I surprised everyone with Louis Vuitton bags, which was so much fun. For the past three years, I have rented a condo on the beach in Marco Island Florida or Naples Florida for my employees and a guest of their choice to go for a week. I pay for airfare for two, a rental car, and provide $100 per day in spending money. I have also bought iPad and laptops for everyone to have at home. One year I bought everyone a certificate to take their concealed carry class. I also purchase all of the Labor Masters gear they could possibly want to wear. I have also buy tires for everyone when they need them, no one likes to spend money on tires, do they? Also, at least once a year, I pay for

everyone to have their car detailed. I really like to buy things for them that they would not typically buy for themselves.

Why do you think it is important to offer these perks that go beyond health insurance or 401ks?

I remember working for a large company when I first started in the employment business. They would send us a catalog that we could use to pick out an item on our anniversaries. That was so much fun and then one day it stopped. It seemed to me like they really didn’t care about keeping us happy and only cared about the bottom line and keeping the profits for themselves. I want to bring back the “perks”! I want the happiest people that do the best job, that are so good, they could leave but don’t want to because of how much they are appreciated.

Is there a weird perk that seems to be a favorite among employees?

I think their favorite is the beach vacation! I like that they can take a wellearned vacation and not have to save up or spend their hard-earned money. Most people when given extra money will use it on bills, kids, or something else other than a vacation. They work so hard, they need the sun, sand and downtime and not have to worry about a thing.

How do you think these perks affect your companies culture?

I believe my co-workers know how much I appreciate them. We have the best time and we laugh at work every day. We work hard to provide the best temporary employees to the best customers on the planet.

When your people feel appreciated and loved, they take ownership of their job.

Every employee at Labor Masters gets a paid week-long vacation to Florida as part of their perks.

Everyone at the company enjoys birthday week.

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Peterson Farms Seed calls their employees superheroes, so, they try to provide each with super treatment. The companies General Manager, Scott Sanders, knows it all too well.

What are some of the “out there” perks Peterson Farms Seed offers their employees?

A few things that come to mind are our internal team member awards and our monthly company meeting. We have a tenure award, which goes to any team member who has been with the company for 10 years. We provide them with an all-expenses-paid trip anywhere inside the U.S. for themselves and their significant other. Additionally, we have a “superhero” award that goes to team members on their 15th Petersonversary. Those team members are recognized at a company meeting and are awarded their very own look-a-like bobblehead, which goes on our superhero wall in the office. The superhero award is my favorite award because it rewards longevity with the company. And who doesn’t want their own personalized bobblehead?

Finally, we have a monthly company meeting where we talk about what’s going on in the industry, any company news (new hires, etc.), and our department managers provide an update on what’s going on in their department.

At each meeting, we provide breakfast to all of the team members. It’s just a way for us to remind everyone about our “family-like” culture and treat everyone to a meal.

Why is it important to do things like this for employees?

I believe it creates a sense of identity for our company and for our team members. It lets both our team members and our customers know who we are as a company and as people. We value things like loyalty, integrity, and character above most everything else. It’s a way to show that to our team members and practice what we preach, so to speak. It’s also a great recruiting tool; in today’s environment, employees want more than just an “8-5” type job, they want to feel proud of where

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they work, they want to have fun while doing it, and they want to be recognized for their achievements.

Today’s workforce has more choices than ever and it’s important to provide differentiation in order to stand out among other companies.

Can you tell me a little bit about the “Joy Squad”?

Well, it’s a lot like the party planning committee on The Office. They are in charge of planning events like holiday parties, national-whatever-days, and events like our annual chili cook-off and Mario Kart day.

Their role is to make sure everyone is involved and to create as much fun as possible surrounding an event, whether it be an outside event or something we have internally. It’s a great group and very important to our culture, because just like any business we can all get bogged down with the day-to-day grind, so they are there to remind us to have a little fun once in a while!

Peterson Farms Seed knows that their perks are important. However, they maintain that there are two values that they need to maintain in order to really make their employees feel appreciated for the work that they do.

The Golden Rule- “When we set off to build a company, we weren’t trying to create some grandiose organization. We were building something for ourselves and a few other people who we had thankfully convinced to join us.

We treated our team like we would want to be treated. That biblical principle has continued to be the north-star for all our interactions with our people. And it is something that is more than talk. Our people can feel it.”

Respect and Gratitude- “At the very core of a person’s being, we all have a desire to do a good job. And to be respected while doing it. When we can come from a starting point of respect and gratitude for each others’ work contributions, individuals feel appreciated and motivated to give more. I believe that is one of the secrets in our sauce – that our people feel that their contribution matters. And that they know they would be missed if they weren’t here. “

Scott Sanders, Peterson Farms Seed General Manager.

Peterson Farms Seed wants its employees to feel and act like superheroes. So, everyone gets a personalized superhero bobblehead at their 15th anniversary.

The Peterson Farms Seed employees get to compete in a chili cookoff once a year.

Microsoft’s second largest field campus in the world is located right here in Fargo, North Dakota. And, the technology giant does not skimp on employee perks. We sat down with Rayonna Hystead, Communications Coordinator, to learn more about what all Microsoft has to offer its employees.

What “weird” or “out of the box” employee perks/amenities does Microsoft offer?

Microsoft offers a wide range of benefits.

As we believe a balanced life doesn’t just include work, it also includes mental and emotional wellness, financial wellness, and physical wellness. Some of our benefits are more common in the industry including, competitive pay, bonuses and stock awards to eligible employees based on individual performance, as well as benefits to help team members lead a healthy life, save for the future and enjoy their journey here at Microsoft including medical, dental, vision care, 401K, parental leave and family care leave. In addition, employees get a credit to spend towards gym memberships, workout equipment, and tax preparation.

Some of the benefits that are more “out of the box” include a 24-hour nurse line, Microsoft’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan, a loan refinancing program, financial planning services, employee resource and networking groups, tuition reimbursement, a Microsoft library, LinkedIn learning, employee discounts through Amazon Prime, and donation matching through GIVE. On-site at Microsoft, we offer our team members a free beverage program. Team members get to enjoy beverages ranging from milk, pop, and juice to V8, coffee, tea, and sparkling and flavored water. In fact, after water and coffee, skim milk is the number one consumed beverage followed by Mountain Dew. Additionally, team members have access

to free menstrual products in all restrooms.

Game rooms are located in each building to provide team members with a chance to take a break from work and engage with their coworkers.

Rayonna Hystead, Microsoft’s Communications Coordinator

How does this help recruit employees and keep them happy?

What can be perceived as a small perk can be enough to make someone’s day easier, happier, or provide the perfect environment for them to achieve more. When recruiting individuals for our team, the perks add up. People can see a positive work environment coupled with amenities to make our work enjoyable, easier, and more rewarding. We want team members and potential team members to know we are investing in them and in turn, hope they choose to invest themselves in their work at Microsoft, in our culture, and in our mission.

Microsoft’s campus has a full-size cafeteria with quality and cheap, food options for its employees.

How do these perks affect the culture on campus?

Microsoft’s mission is to “empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more.” In addition, to empowering customers of our products and software, Microsoft empowers our employees to achieve more by offering benefits that reduce distraction, stress, and provide an environment where employees can collaborate, have fun, and work at their best. Around campus there is a sense of pride and gratitude in our benefits, our workspaces, and the people we share our time with. This isn’t just a place to work – It’s a place to live, connect, grow and achieve more.

Microsoft has multiple game rooms throughout the campus where employees can play everything from Fifa 19 on an Xbox One to table tennis.

All employees have access to free soda, juice, milk and Starbucks coffee.

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By Brady Drake Photos by Hillary Ehlen

In Workforce Development and Recruitment

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nyone who has ever job shadowed or taken an in-person tour of a bustling place of work can tell you about the value of those experiences. Following an employee through a day of their professional life or even catching a snippet of crucial work being done can open up a young person to explore a career path they might not have previously. For high demand jobs, tours and shadowing experiences are crucial to filling open positions. However, they are not always feasible for prospective employees. Be More Colorful, a local virtual reality company is working to change that by changing the world of workforce recruitment.

Having previously made 360-degree tours for real estate and tourism. Be More Colorful’s foray into workforce recruitment began when CEO Matt Chaussee presented to the North Dakota Work Development Council in June of 2019. After the presentation, Chaussee was approached by council members Don Shilling, the Chairman of General Equipment & Supplies (GES), and Jason Ehlert, the president of the North Dakota Building Trades Union (NDBTU), about partnerships to improve career awareness and recruitment in their specific fields.

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The Partnership With General Equipment and Supplies The partnership with General Equipment and Supplies’ arose out of a desire to address a number of high-demand jobs they were attempting to fill. So far, Be More Colorful and GES have completed two recruiting videos, one for Diesel Technicians and the other for Aggregate Equipment Service Technicians.

They’re also working on a third video for a Parts Person.

All of the videos allow the viewer a 360-degree view of professionals working in the field. The videos highlight key points in an employees’ day while providing voiceovers that explain the tasks that are being completed by the employee.

“For a period of time, a student that puts on the virtual reality goggles is in our industry,” said Shilling. “They can see what’s going on and what a day in the life of a technician might look like if they decide to pursue that kind of career.”

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Because of Shilling’s role with the Workforce Development Council, which outlined 36 things that needed to be improved to address the state’s workforce challenges in a report released in October of 2018, GES gets the larger importance of not just recruiting to fill positions now, but improving career awareness.

“One of the number one things we highlighted in that report was a need for better career exploration in kids K-12,” said Shilling.

The career awareness piece is huge for GES. They aren’t just trying to fill jobs right now by recruiting people who are already diesel technicians or aggregate equipment technicians, they’re demonstrating the interesting challenges of these jobs and how they might translate into an interesting long term career in an industry the viewer may have never considered before. They hope to accomplish this by showing the recruitment videos at local schools and job fairs. Ann Pollert, the company’s Director of Workforce Development, is responsible for representing

Matt Chaussee (left) and Don Shilling (right) developed a partnership after a North Dakota Workforce Development Council meeting.

Photo submitted by GES

GES at these functions around the state and she says the VR videos have made a huge difference

Photo submitted by GES

Pollert presents to a class before showing General Equipment and Supplies’ 360-degree videos to the students.

Before working with Be More Colorful, GES used the same tactics at career fairs and schools as every other company. They relied on brochures, pamphlets and banners to try and grab the attention of adults and children that walk around with supercomputers in their pockets.

“Collaborations like this have to happen if things are going to change,” said Chaussee.

“We can’t just talk about change and do the same thing.”

“It’s relatively new and not a lot of companies have virtual reality goggles at career fairs so it makes kids want to come to me. Whereas before, it was hard to engage kids,” said Pollert. “In the past, it was all about who had the best giveaway.”

The career fairs and schools that GES attended prior to using the virtual reality goggles, highlighted a gap in the relay of information between the company and the people that they spoke with. When Pollert explained to them that their diesel technicians work on bulldozers, wheel loaders and excavators, the prospective employees couldn’t quite see what that experience looked like. Now, with Be More Colorful virtual reality videos, they can. GES hopes that the ability to see will get the people they talk to excited about a career in diesel.

With such a need for better career exploration at the K-12 level, both GES and Be More Colorful believe that private companies have to start getting involved for there to be a permanent and substantial change in the workforce.

When you’re speaking to a student about a career in diesel, it’s hard to know what they visualize,” said Pollert. “Are they thinking of a mechanic shop? I don’t know. Now, I can ask them if they want to see it and show it to them.”

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The Process of Bringing VR to Life Chaussee, worked directly with the team at GES to develop each of the three videos. The storyboarding process for each of the videos started by finding answers to each of the following questions: 1. What is the problem you are trying to solve? Who are your audiences?

2. Could you walk me through the common types of tasks an individual in this career regularly performs?

3. What challenges and misconceptions do you encounter when visiting with people who have not had an opportunity to directly observe this career?

After identifying these things with GES, Chaussee got to work creating a script with the team before shooting a video with his specialized camera.

Chaussee and Jason Ehlert shot video from atop the Block 9 construction site in downtown Fargo.

“After filming is complete, the multiple video feeds captured by the camera need to be stitched together into a single spherical video,” said Chaussee. “There are several specialized VR software applications utilized in this process, but post processing also occurs in standard video editing software such as Adobe Premier Pro and After Effects.

Drafts are approved and revised through a client feedback and review process that ensures the desired experience is conveyed in a manner that authentically represents the career.”

One of the strong points of the job shadowing opportunity that the VR experience provides is its ability to dispel

misconceptions that the viewer might have about the job going into the viewing. For example, the diesel mechanic recruitment video starts with the diesel mechanic seated at his computer.

“We very purposefully start off at the computer because there’s this misconception that a diesel mechanic is going to be up to their elbows in grease all day long and actually the first thing you do is check telemetry that is coming off of satellites for machines that you’re supporting all the way around the world,” said Chaussee.

The videos don’t just break down misconceptions, they also provide awareness about careers that people might not have even known about.

“There are students across the state that might have a great skill set for and a genuine interest in diesel but they haven’t been introduced to the career, don’t know it exists or what it might look like,” said Pollert.

The Partnership with the North Dakota Building Trades Union Chaussee’s second partnership that was developed at the Workforce Development Council meeting was with Jason Ehlert, the president of the North Dakota Building Trades Union (NDBTU).

“The problem I’ve always had is showing a student what an Ironworker is. They think ‘well, an Ironworker works with iron,” said Ehlert. “Well, no, they’re the ones that build the guts to a skyscraper. They’re responsible for everything that holds a building up. We need to figure out how to show that.”

Ehlert is now working with Be More Colorful to show it. In fact, Chaussee is in the midst of

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“I kind of just realized that if a person is willing to change their perception of what construction is, they can find a great career.”

Jason Ehlert, President of the North Dakota Trades Union

developing an application for the NDBTU that will host 15 one minute videos, one for each of 15 trade unions under the NDBTU umbrella.

Ehlert believes that the previous use of pamphlets and videos for career awareness in the trades wasn’t getting it done.

“When Matt spoke at the council meeting, I realized that this is exactly what we’ve been missing. It has been good to get to show kids what they really get to do in the trades,” said Ehlert. “We build roads, bridges, skyscrapers, power plants, refineries, and nuclear power plants. All these kinds of things are hard to show through traditional videos and pamphlets.”

Like GES, Ehlert believes that the virtual reality videos offer a way to reach a much larger audience.

Be More Colorful has recently been accepted into North Dakota’s InnovateND program. Their focus is to create a career awareness pilot project that would showcase North Dakota employers’ virtual reality job shadowing experiences to students and career seekers throughout the state. Be More Colorful is actively seeking employer partners who would be willing to discuss current recruitment strategies and are interested to learn more about this opportunity.

To learn more, contact matt@bemorecolorful.com

“If you have 15 virtual reality goggles set up for kids to look, one for each of the trades, you’re going to get so many more eyes in front of your professions as opposed to if we were able to just offer jobsite tours,” said Ehlert.

“I also don’t want to pigeonhole it and only reach out to kids that are taking their shop classes. This lets us do that.”

The main goal of using VR is to get to show students an active construction site in a safer more efficient manner than they were able to previously. When students are able to see a 360-degree video from 15 stories up on the Block 9 tower, Ehlert believes the message will come across.

“We need to shake that perception that people in the trades are just big dumb construction workers,” said Ehlert. “What we do is amazing. Building a square building truly

is an amazing accomplishment.”

Ehlert knows that perception isn’t reality.

He took the traditional four-year college route, graduating from Concordia College in 2001. After graduating and spending a year teaching, he decided to enter the apprenticeship program for brick-laying and was challenged every day with his newfound career.

“When I made the switch into construction and into the trades union, I saw that the pay was better, the retirement was better, everything was better,” said Ehlert. “I kind of just realized that if a person is willing to change their perception of what construction is, they can find a great career.”

The video might change the perception and draw more students in to talk with them, however, Ehlert still believes that face-to-face interaction and traditional pamphlets are necessary for finishing the recruiting process by highlighting the major advantages of apprenticeships: • Apprentices get paid to work in the trade they’ve chosen while going to school • Unlike college, apprenticeships offer a low-cost or no-cost education so there is no massive college debt to pay off for decades.

• Since you already have a job at the start of the apprenticeship, there is no “where do I look for a job” panic upon completion of your apprenticeship.

LIke GES, the NDBTU knows the value and opportunity their lines of work can offer people, they just need to get the message out in an easy digestible way. Be More Colorful is helping them do that.

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Taking The Golden Path

By Brady Drake Photos by Hilary Ehlen Screenshots via Golden Path Solutions

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As the workforce shortage in North Dakota continues to become more evident, it is increasingly important for companies to align themselves with potential employees earlier in the process. One local company, Golden Path Solutions (GPS), is helping to bridge the gap by connecting employers with students who are still in high school.

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PS is using their new application called Compass to create profiles for students that highlight their “experiences” (experiences include classes they’ve taken, activities they’ve been involved with and hobbies they pursue in their free time). These experiences, along with a personality assessment, are used to give students insight into what skills they have and what careers they might be interested in. In addition, students can choose to make themselves searchable to employers (with parental consent if they are under 18) and potentially get matched with companies who are looking for their particular experiences and skills.

GPS’s application isn’t just working to help solve the workforce problems, it’s also solving a huge problem for students who are graduating from high school without much guidance towards a career path.

“All of my four kids have the same issue,” said Tschosik. “Everyone keeps asking them, ‘What are you going to do after high school?’ ‘What are you going to do after college?’ ‘What’s your major?’ And it’s such a big decision. We are building an app to help guide them to make better decisions,” said Tschosik.

“I was doing consulting work with a client, and they had a role where they struggled to find a person with the right fit. It was hard to even define the role very well,” said Mineer. “I remember thinking about that, and at the same time my daughter was thinking about what she was going to do after graduating from Fargo North. I had a moment where I thought, ‘let’s try to connect those two dots.’”

So far Mineer and his co-founder Loren Tschosik have connected those two dots while trying to solve a multifaceted career awareness problem.

“There’s this perfect storm of problems we’re trying to address in which everybody wins,” said Mineer. “Not a lot of students are doing career planning, they’re going into [post-secondary] school pretty blind, student debt is a big issue, labor markets are really tight, and our labor market is diversifying with careers that take certain skill sets that students might not even know about. We are trying to address all of this.”

A big part of addressing the problem of career awareness, according FARGOINC.COM

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GPS’s Compass application home page.

GPS’s Compass application allows students to enter information about classes they’ve taken, including their level of interest.

A big part of addressing the problem of career awareness, according to Mineer and Tschosik, is the “experience” component. In order to figure out what experiences best align a student with a certain career, GPS works with employers to identify the skills, talents, and educational paths needed to be successful at jobs in their company. They also talk to employees that are currently in the field to identify some of the different experiences they had when they were younger. This information can be useful to employers, even if they don’t want to sponsor students, but want to make their own job descriptions more insightful, more targeted.

time is key because it shows where their true passion lies.

Employers can work with students after they are connected through a Match.com like process to create a work agreement where the employer can influence where the student goes for post-secondary education, specify the amount of tuition reimbursement they want to offer, and set guidelines for things like internships in exchange for guaranteed employment.

So far, GPS is working with over 12 K12 and higher-ed schools six companies (Sanford Health, Doosan Bobcat, Korber, American Crystal Sugar, General Equipment, and the Fargo Jet Center). Many have offered to “sponsor” select students that they match with. Sanford is currently offering 15 sponsorships.

“One thing we believe is an advantage with our approach is our ability to look at the whole student,” Mineer said. “We don’t just look at what they do in school. we also look at what they do in their free time.”

Mineer and the employers he works with believe that what the students do in their free

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“A student who is really passionate about a particular thing, let’s say they’re really passionate about writing code, they might invest more of their time in that activity than they might invest in school,” said Mineer. “They might be bored with school because it’s not really interesting to them, but that one thing is. We’re trying to get to that one thing. Our hypothesis is that if a student can get paid to do that thing that they do in their free time as part of their job, they’re going to be super engaged and productive.”

“Sanford Health is always looking for innovative opportunities to connect with candidates.

Golden Path’s concept and the assessment tools they are developing have the potential to achieve a stronger alignment between a future candidate’s strengths and interests and the organization’s needs earlier in the individual’s career,” said Jocelyn Wessels, Sanford’s

Executive Director of Human Resources.

Many of the current sponsorship opportunities are aligned to 2 year degrees, but the model also works with 4-year degrees and apprenticeships, and will be extended to students already in a higher-ed program in addition to high school.

“I’ve always liked to take things apart and figure out how they work,” “Probably since the first grade I’ve been doing that sort of thing.”

Recently, Tyler Knott, a senior at West Fargo Sheyenne high school accepted a sponsorship through GPS, signing an agreement with Korber to go to school at North Dakota State College Science and become a machinist with upon graduation, something he has developed a passion for while taking a machining class in school.

In order to connect with students, GPS has worked directly with leadership in the school system. One of their biggest champions so far has been Dr. Denis Jonas, the Cass County Career and Tech Ed (CTE) Director. Jonas has served as a conduit for Mineer and Tschosik to communicate with staff in many of the Cass County schools, career and technical education programs and counselors.

“My vision would be to use the Compass tool to help students better understand their interests, skills, and potential career passion, which will, in turn, connect them with business profiles in the database and jobs in our community,” said Jonas.

“Currently, this process is completed manually through teachers, counselors, parents, etc, which is a tremendous burden for school staff. Our current process also creates inequities for those students who may have fewer connections and less resources.

I believe the Compass app would allow

Photo submitted by GPS

Tyler signs his sponsorship with Korber

us to use technology to scale the process for the number of students in our high schools, increase efficiencies, and better align students with appropriate business placements.”

That increase in efficiency should allow a greater number of students exposure to not only better opportunities, but opportunities that they might not have even known existed.

All while using data to connect students and employers.

Though Golden Path Solution’s interface focuses on data to make connections between students and employers and is an important part of the work that they do, it is not required. Not every student is going to get or even want a sponsorship. If that’s the case, the Compass application will still allow each student to explore career paths through the profile that they create. At the same time, employers can use GPS to learn more about what they should be looking for in an employee by using the data piece or by working with Mineer and Tschosik to identify their needs for an employee.

To work with GPS go to www.goldenpath.net, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook. com/FollowGoldenPath, or email Mineer at patrick@goldenpath.net.

Working With Golden Path Solutions We sat down with Jessica Petrick, Human Resources Manager for Korber Medipak, one of Golden Path Solutions first clients.

1. What made you want to work with Golden Path?

We knew that we had to look at recruiting for our positions differently, especially our hard-to-fill machinist role, and look more long term. We believe that Golden Path’s approach to matching students and employers is a win-win opportunity that will have a high success rate. Patrick and Loren have a great vision for helping North Dakota’s workforce issue and their energy is contagious.

2. How did things turn out for your company?

We are extremely excited to say that we are in the last stages of finalizing an agreement between Korber and a candidate. The candidate will enroll in the Precision Machining program at NDSCS and will work for Korber upon graduation as a machinist. The candidate seems to be a perfect fit for machining and I attribute this directly to the work Golden Path Solutions has provided.

3. What was the profiling process like?

The profiling process was simple.

It just took a little organization of schedules and communication on what we were doing. Employees were happy to help. The results highlighted characteristics across multiple employees that wasn’t transparent initially. The end result was accurate and added areas of focus for future interviews with candidates.

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BY Adrienne Olson, Kilbourne Group

If Your Company Has a Recruitment Problem,

the ARTS are your Investment!

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n Fargo’s last 1 Million Cups of 2019, Carrie Wintersteen, founder of Theatre B, danced her way on stage and sang her announcement.

“If your company has a recruitment problem, the arts are your investment!”

“When people talk about moving to anyplace, they are interested in housing, schools, neighborhoods, safety, and so many other things,” explained Wintersteen. “The other great selling point of a community is the arts. Arts and culture form the identity of a place and set one city apart from another. Also, once the kids are taken care of, the parents start to look around and ask, what am I going to do here?”

Twenty years ago, as Wintersteen and her family tried to find arts and cultural amenities to be part of, they found limited options for live theater performers.

“People need third places, fourth places even, where they can have meaningful relationships and activities. I needed to figure out how that could happen in the theater,” said Carrie. “That’s part of how Theatre B got started.

“Once you take care of basic needs, the differentiator is the culture. How does it get created? How does it take care of multiple generations and diverse socio-economic status populations? The more mix and intermingle you can get among diverse participants, the more attached people feel. They feel safer, and like they know their neighbors. That’s what helps people put roots down.”

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Jobs can be found in warmer places, Wintersteen reminds us. We need them to feel attached to this place and want to stay.

Dayna Del Val, President and CEO of The Arts Partnership, has firsthand experience with how transformational art experiences can be.

“Across the board, almost every person has had a bad art experience. Someone said they couldn’t draw, write, or sing.

Every four-year-old thinks they are a professional artist.

Every four-year-old has the confidence of Picasso,” Del Val says. “Somewhere between four and adulthood, someone or something has killed that in you.”

Shared art experiences can reignite or nurture the creative side of every single person on your team. “You see someone go from bashful, to proud. And that’s a powerful moment”, Del Val says.

PHOTOS BY Kilbourne Group

Employees at the former TMI Hospitality work with artist Steve Knutson to create a collaborative piece of art.

Employees at Office Sign Company work with artist Mark Elton to make collaborative animals and respond to the photos of Scott Seiler in Haiku format.

Ways the arts can contribute to your recruitment and retention efforts 1. Call The Arts Partnership (TAP) TAP can help you explore ideas that could accomplish your goals through art. There is little to no commitment in making a call to our arts advocacy organization, which can connect you to artists, recommend ways to incorporate art into your organization or event, or simply serve as your first point of contact to help you explore the opportunities available to you.

2. Take out an advertisement in a playbill At the very least, you’ll be helping to offset operational costs which allows the artists to focus more on their craft. And your company gains exposure to a new audience.

3. Sponsor a full program You might need to be comfortable with a certain level of risk because in art, you can’t always control the outcome. But you can shape it and through truly engaging with the art, you and your team will be transformed by it.

4. Lend your expertise to an arts program Theatre B partnered with Sanford Health’s Cancer Survivorship Program to bring the play WIT to life on North Dakota stages.

The performance of the story of a college professor dying of cancer who agrees to undergo experimental treatment was highly informed and shaped by guidance from Sanford doctors and members of a Stage 4 cancer support group. “It was an example of a really amazing partnership,” Carrie says of experience, which she describes as one of the biggest highlights of professional career.

Sanford saw it as an opportunity to address physician burnout, which is amplified by the need to detach from the emotional side

of the work. Through the play experience, Sanford employees were immersed in the emotions of what they deal with every day.

Dr. Shelby Terstriep of Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center certainly felt the value in the partnership.

“Burnout is a hot topic in medicine,” Terstriep said. “We know that when clinicians are burnt out their empathy goes down. Arts and culture are vital components to combat this. The arts bring beauty to life. They provide an escape, relaxation, time for introspection and a sense of community, all of which are needed to help balance the trauma we see as clinicians.

“Having a vibrant arts community is vital to attracting team members. When I go to recruiting dinners, a minority of my time is spent describing what the clinic or hospital is like. Recruits want to know how they are going to build a balanced life in Fargo and I am thankful I can describe a community that is rich in these things.”

5. Immerse your team in the creation of art Think about what your corporate environment looks like and challenge yourself to incorporate arts and culture into your team building. Art is an ultimate neutralizer. If your goal is for people to get to know each other regardless of title, uncover strengths and weaknesses, build comradery and friendly competition, a shared art experience can give that to your team.

6. Share your space with art Performance art can be mobile. Do you have an open space that could serve as a

temporary play stage? Do you have walls?

The Arts Partnership’s ArtWORKS program will bring local art into your office and change it periodically. Then take the next step and allow The Arts Partnership to create an engaging, hands-on art experience between your employees and the artist. Add local music to your next employee gathering.

7. Be a champion of the arts Be willing to start somewhere and see what it becomes. Buy out a performance and treat your employees to an artistic experience.

Investing in this way creates a high impact for the arts organization and diversifies the ways your employees are engaged with their community and your company.

8. Reward employees with art experiences Spending money on crystal engraved trophies? Purchasing plaques that are destined for the garbage someday? Giving year-end gifts? Consider redirecting that spending to a local artist who can take your budget, your parameters, and your wishes to create original art that expresses your appreciation in a genuine way.

9. Never take arts and culture for granted Art doesn’t get produced for free. Pay artists for their work. They are skilled workers with a dedication to their craft, and they should not be expected to give away their product for free. Art event take a lot of volunteers. A thriving arts cultures often takes a publicprivate-non-profit partnership. What role can you play in making sure arts and culture is thriving in the communities you call home?

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What Not To Do

If You Want To Find And Keep Quality Employees Dann Keller Discovery Benefits

By Brady Drake Photos by Hillary Ehlen

Sometimes being told what not to do is more important than being told what to do. With this in mind, let's take a look at what some of the larger employers in the region say you shouldn't do when trying to find and keep quality employees.

Cindy Breyer North Dakota State University

Don’t hire someone without a thorough interview and some reference checking.

Kellie Fritz & Michael Lenhart TrueNorth Steel

Don’t wait on the perfect candidate.

Instead of waiting too long to find the perfect candidate who fits every one of the job requirements, it’s equally important not to allow the position to be understaffed for too long that will jeopardize team productivity. If you can find someone who meets the key requirements and it a great culture fit, this person can pick up on the specific work-related skills that can be trained once the employee is in place.

Jocylen Wessels Sanford Health

When it comes to staffing, don’t rush it.

In recruiting, the pressure to fill roles fast comes from all angles, especially when staffing for attrition. It is important to act swiftly, not hastily, when faced with urgency. Do not compromise your culture, vision or values because of a backlog of work or an unmanned seat.

Be sure to interview all qualified candidates, even if you are impressed early on, and take time for second interviews or additional screening to be sure you found the right candidate.

Being selective, even when the pressure is on, will assure that you are staffing for the longterm and not just as a means to an end.

Don’t pretend to be something you’re not.

Don’t hire employees who don’t fit the culture - neither parties will be happy. Don’t hide the bad stuff. If the company is having challenges, be honest. We have a philosophy of Sanford family first – meaning we want our providers and employees to know what’s going on first, no matter if it’s good or bad news. Also, don’t oversell the job when recruiting. Be clear on responsibilities and expectations.

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Julie Peterson Klein Bell Bank

Don’t reduce benefits – continue developing new ones to stay competitive as an employer.

Kelsey Kasten Cardinal Glass Industries

Kellie Fritz & Michael Lenhart TrueNorth Steel

Don’t retain negative employees at the expense of team morale.

A team is as strong as its weakest link. If you have an employee that is dragging the team morale down, let them go. You and your team will be better off without them.

Don’t skip a phone screen.

The majority of the time a 10-15 minute phone screening will allow enough information for a recruiter to make a sound judgment on whether or not the candidate is going to be the right fit for the position and the company culture. Overlooking this can lead to lost team productivity if this goes straight to an in-person interview and ultimately passing on the candidate for reasons that could have been identified during an initial phone screening.

Jocylen Wessels Sanford Health

Kayla Linn Eventide

Don’t stop finding new ways to help employees grow.

Offering innovative and convenient knowledge and skill advancement opportunities serves our employees in many different capacities and makes us attractive to new candidates.

Sanford offers diverse continuing education programs that not only support health care licensure requirements but also support our employees’ desire for continuous learning and development. During the past year, Sanford offered more than 5,000 hours of continuing education credit. Employees have direct access to worldrenowned experts in health care without having to take time away from their personal life to meet their professional educational needs. Keep abreast of development trends.

In addition to residencies, internships and scholarship programs, Sanford Health just launched a returnship program for professionals looking to return to the workforce after an extended time away. The Sanford Returnship Program is a paid developmental program designed to provide career development and a chance for job seekers to investigate new opportunities.

Don’t hold back information.

It’s important to be transparent whenever possible and it’s even better if employees can be involved in solutions.

Cindy Breyer North Dakota State University

Dann Keller Discovery Benefits

Don’t micromanage.

Don’t be afraid to fail.

There is no such thing as a perfect employee, and learning how to build and reinforce your company culture is going to take trial and error, so accept that some employees won’t work out. Some workers will start strong and lose steam; others may just never find their footing. The road to having a productive and engaged workforce is lined with false starts, fade-outs and ghosts of all shapes and sizes. Build these pitfalls into your game plan and don’t get discouraged. Hindsight is 20/20, so learn from it, and understand that failure (in staffing and in life) is the only true gateway to success.

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Kellie Fritz & Michael Lenhart TrueNorth Steel

Don’t be complacent.

Sticking to the same recruiting approach isn’t always the best way to find the right talent. It is important to diversify your recruiting strategy and stay on time of the current recruiting trends.

Kayla Linn Eventide

Don’t make decisions without getting input.

In order to grow an organization, companies need to make changes, if you want these changes to be successful – talk to your staff! Making decisions without their input prevents early adoption and buy-in and decreases the investment employees have in the growth of the organization.

Jocylen Wessels Sanford Health

Don’t depend solely on general postings and job boards to attain talent.

Posting and praying is not effective. It’s a candidate’s market and to attract top talent you must go to them. Go into classrooms. Set up info tables in common spaces of your target audience. Reach out to candidates with a customized message on LinkedIn. Take the time to tailor your outreach to each candidate. Quality over quantity.

Kelsey Kasten Cardinal Glass Industries

Don’t treat your employees like a number.

This goes back to appreciation and communication. If you don’t even know your employee’s names, they won’t feel valued or like a part of the team. This will lead to many problems including losing the employee.

TH E HEALTHY WAY TO

By Brady Drake Photos by Hilary Ehlen

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An interview with Allegro Group on the Benefits of Working with Outsourced Workforce Solutions As we know, finding the right employees and creating the right culture are two of the most important things for a business's success.

Although they are important, they are not always easy. That’s where a company like Allegro Group can help take your business to the next level.

Kara Jorvig, Allegro Group’s Founder and CEO, Ashton Hansen, Allegro Group’s Managing Director – Talent Acquisition, and their team consult companies on executive and professional-level talent acquisition and business strategy development focused on leadership competencies and company culture. We sat down with Jorvig and Hansen to get a better understanding of the work that they do to help businesses thrive.

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Can you walk me through what you do when parnering with a partner of executive search?

Jorvig:

Hiring an executive or key leader is a big decision, so the first thing we do is work hard to build a trusted relationship with our clients. I know that sounds cliché, but the best way to partner on a successful executive hire is to have a true understanding of our clients’ current state and future goals. By living our values, leading with results, providing consistent communication and committing to our team’s leadership competencies we’re able to earn trust and execute our process.

Hansen:

Our Talent Acquisition team starts with a discovery process that includes meetings with our client’s leadership team and/or board of directors to bring clarity and focus around what level of leader is needed within the organization. We partner to understand the technical skills, experience, leadership competencies and culture fit needed to help the business reach its goals. After establishing a baseline for the leadership role, we develop a custom strategy to identify, target and engage professionals with specific career experience, job titles, industry exposure and geographic relevance.

Throughout this process we often have upwards of 100 conversations with various professionals in and outside of our network, so we are constantly 82

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Kara Jorvig, Founder and CEO Allegro Group

recalibrating approaches based on the market analysis gained.

As we evaluate and interact with the top candidates over the course of the search, we get a true understanding of each leader’s skillset and goals. If they have genuine motivation for advancement, pure and honest motives, relevant business acumen and shared values with our client we then proceed to introduce our client to the candidate. Our custom evaluation and engagement process ensures only leaders who are qualified and ready to compete for the role are introduced, which results in our clients typically interviewing less than five professionals before presenting an offer.

Hansen: Our clients vary in size and

What type of Businesses do you usually work with?

industry, but the commonality between all of them is that they are positioned for growth. Whether it’s an earlystage company or multi-billion-dollar corporation, that growth could mean increased revenue, increased efficiency through infrastructure improvements, navigating leadership transitions or succession planning for a leader who wants to retire in five years. We look at where our clients are today and where they want to be, and then we partner to develop strategies to accomplish those leadership goals.

Ashton Hansen, Managing Director Talent Acquisition / Allegro Group

Jorvig: I think the biggest opportunity for organizations is not just attracting and engaging talent, but defining what level of leader a business needs based on their strategic goals and business stage of growth. Many of our clients leverage an outside partner to help them gain clarity on where their business is at and what leadership experience will take their business, team and infrastructure to the next level.

Hansen: A recent study showed Fargo, ND is the hottest job market in the United States. This means job openings are plentiful, wages are high and unemployment is low, so it can be incredibly hard for businesses to find and retain top talent. Allegro Group is committed to helping our clients develop strong talent strategies that impact employment brands and culture. This ultimately helps them attract, develop and retain leaders at all levels.

Our team has worked with thousands of leaders and hundreds of business models throughout the United States, giving us access to some of the very best case studies. We understand this candidatedriven market and the motivations, hesitations and even fears of leaders as they navigate and advance their careers. Leaders become more strategic and intentional as they professionally mature and our team takes great responsibility in advising these professionals as they make extremely confidential career decisions.

What are the benefits of working with an outside partner, like Allegro Group, on these leadership topics?

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According to IBISWorld, 74% of companies prefer to hire C-level leaders through an executive search firm.

President, CEO and board of director roles are rarely advertised and the leaders who fill these roles make their moves through relationships with firms like Allegro Group.

So how does talent acquisition and development of top leaders relate to setting a company culture?

Can you tell me about some of the successes you have seen with your clients because of the work you did?

Jorvig: Company culture starts at the top and is created

Hansen: Some of our favorite success stories involve

by the leaders of an organization. Being aware of the

working with local businesses as they expand their footprints throughout the Midwest and beyond. Through partnership and a comprehensive understanding of these businesses’ long-term goals, we can identify leaders that allow our clients to open additional locations and build out new product and service lines. By establishing strong leaders in these new spaces, the companies can build infrastructure and teams around them, which trickles down to so many other people and businesses.

It’s extremely fulfilling to see how much of an impact expansion has, beyond just the business itself.

current culture, setting culture goals and finding leaders that are in true alignment to build upon those things is key.

Allegro Group is passionate about healthy leadership, which involves a holistic approach focused on keeping leaders balanced between personal growth and professional development. We strive to identify leaders that not only practice areas of healthy leadership but are positioned to continue growing in this area as well. Additionally, as the motivations of the next generation of leaders continue to put more emphasis on people, the planet and then profit, we continue working with clients to support culture, talent and organizational development relevant to these topics.

Hansen: Every person within an organization will have a different idea of what a great culture is, just like each person will have different goals. In our experience, the common theme is that people want to feel engaged, maximized and energized as a human in all aspects, which ultimately impacts growth and leadership. When people develop awareness around these topics and make a conscious effort to act accordingly, their businesses begin operating at an entirely different level of success.

Jorvig: Some of my favorite projects involve working with boards of directors and CEO’s to develop highperformance teams and set business strategy. Once healthy leaders are injected into a business and take strategy, execution and culture to the next level, the possibilities are endless.

Allegro Group focuses on leadership in three categories: • • •

Leadership of self Leadership of others Leadership of organizations

To connect and learn more, visit allegro-group.com or find Allegro Group on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

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ecently, I was meeting with a solopreneur client who said her small business has quickly grown to the point that she has more business than she can handle, and she feels “maxed out.” She had come to the conclusion that the only way to keep growing – and growing more profitable – is to hire an employee. At some point, most entrepreneurs come to the point of asking the question: “How do I know when it’s time to hire my first employee?”

While this may seem like a fairly straight forward question, the answer isn’t always so obvious. Becoming an employer is a big decision with significant consequences. Determining who to hire, how to hire, and when to hire can make the difference between business success and failure. If you hire too early, you will likely have cash-flow problems, the added stress of management and a worker who sits idle. On the other hand, if you wait too long, you could impede company growth and be inundated with more work than you can handle.

Not surprisingly, there is no single “right” answer for every business, but here are some guidelines which I have found helpful. Below are some things to consider before posting an ad for a position:

1 . What is your vision for your business?

What is your value proposition? What customer problem(s) are you solving? And for whom? What are the primary ways in which you interact with and support your customers?

Does your business rely heavily on automated services or on personal service? Do you want to scale your business? If so, how large do you want to grow your business? Do you need staff or could you do just as well with virtual assistants?

you to get more done without taking on an employee and all of the additional administrative responsibilities that go with it such as payroll taxes and compliance with federal and state regulations. It also allows you to manage costs and focus on the parts of your business that you actually enjoy and are good at. Lastly, outsourcing allows you to assess the long-term need and skill set required for this position before taking the plunge into employment.

2. Do you really need help?

Have you had to turn down work because you can’t take on another project? Are you having difficulty finding enough hours in the day to stay on top of your business in spite of being organized and efficient with your time? Are you consistently missing customer deadlines? One of the biggest risks to an overextended entrepreneur is not being able to take care of your existing customers. The loss of just one client may cost more than the salary of one employee.

And while losing one client is bad, losing a client who tells others is worse. The reputation of your business is on the line.

5. Can you afford it?

Before adding staff or making a commitment to outsource a particular task, take time to understand the additional expenses your business will incur as well as the benefits you expect to receive. Hiring an employee or outsourcing will increase your overhead expenses and reduce your overall profits (at least initially). If you hire an employee, do you have the cash flow to pay an employee and to cover the required payroll taxes, insurance expenses and other benefits? You don’t want to have to lay someone off soon after hiring them.

3. What help do you need?

Before posting an ad, you’ll want to sit down and identify exactly where you need the help. Do you need a social media expert, customer service rep, bookkeeper, administrative assistant or something else? Take time to write down clearly defined roles, responsibilities and expectations – even if these are subject to change.

Otherwise, the result is likely to be lack of clarity, confusion and frustration.

4. W2 or 1099?

If you have decided your business needs additional help and you have identified the help you need, you have several options. You can hire a full or part-time W2 employee, or you can outsource to a 1099 contractor. More than one in three small businesses currently outsource at least some of their operations in areas such as accounting, marketing, IT, customer service and human resources. Outsourcing allows

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6. Can you manage people?

If you have determined the need to hire, and you can afford it, that new employee will need to be managed. Are you effective at managing people? Do you enjoy it? Do you need additional training or resources in order to be an effective manager?

Hiring your first employee requires a significant upfront and ongoing investment of time. Even the most qualified employee will need time to get up to speed and learn your business and how to perform their job well.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. There are lots of great resources such as the SBDC, SCORE and WBC, which provide free, confidential counseling services, as well as feebased business advisors, which provide small business owners with the knowledge and tools they need to manage and grow their companies. I also strongly encourage clients, especially solopreneurs, to connect with at least one more experienced small business owner (a mentor) who you trust and can call for sound advice and support.

Is it time to hire?

Tips from the ND Small Business Development Center

By Paul Smith

HILLARY EHLEN

Smith is Director of the ND Small Business Development Centers (ND SBDC) – Fargo. As an SBA resource partner, the ND SBDC helps North Dakota small business owners to start, manage and grow their companies by providing free, confidential business advising services in a wide range of areas such as business setup and planning, financial projections and getting funded.

The program assists more than 1,000 clients each year through nine service Centers located across the state. The Fargo Center is located in the NDSU Research and Technology Park Incubator. T o register for counseling services, please visit ndsbdc.org.

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Bouncing HOW HUMAN RESOURCE PROFESSIONALS CAN HELP COMPANIES RECOVER FROM A DOWNTURN.

The beginning of the new year gives organizations an opportunity to celebrate their wins but to also think about their challenges and how they will overcome them. As we all know, organizations can have highs and lows. How an organization comes out of those lows can determine their future.

Human Resource professionals play a significant role in helping an organization succeed or come out of an unexpected downturn. Every company needs people to help drive them forward and take care of their customers. Leaders often forget that without their rock star employees, their strategies wouldn’t have the power to move forward. It is very important that leaders realize this from the beginning and understand the time and cost it takes to recruit new employees and what it takes to retain top talent.

Back

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), it is more efficient to retain a quality employee than to recruit, train, and orient a replacement employee of the same quality.

So how do you retain your top talent in a state that has an unemployment rate of 2.5%?

One idea is to create a stay interview asking your tenure employees what keeps them engaged at your organization. This format can give you a temperature check on how the team is doing in specific roles. Do you have an employee engagement survey? When conducting a survey, make sure your leadership team has full buy-in to come up with an action plan once you have received the results. Seeing action is a critical part of rolling out an employee survey as you are building trust with your employees. You can’t communicate enough with employees! They want to know and understand where the company is going and what role they play in that future.

In 2019 SHRM did a survey to find out the top five contributing factors to job satisfaction. The results showed: 1. Respect/Treatment of all employees at all levels 2. Compensation/Pay 3. Trust between employees and senior management 4. Job security 5. Opportunities to use their skills and abilities at work

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Understanding how your employees are feeling will give your organization an opportunity to create an action plan moving forward. When debriefing from your first survey, the results to the organization are often hard to see. It is important for the company to continue doing the survey and review the results year-to-year. Through the results, you are able to identify your weak points, but you are also able to identify those small wins. The positive results can be used as recruiting tools and help to identify your employment brand.

Recruitment Strategy:

Know what the business needs are and recruit for the right role. Give candidates a transparent preview of the role through the job posting and interview process.

Provide a day in the life overview of an employee in that position.

Socialization:

Have an effective onboarding process and connect new hires to others in the organization. Help them understand how their role can make a difference in the success of the company.

Employees who are embedded in the organization often stay longer than those who don’t make any ties.

Opportunities for Development: Understand what employee training needs are and what they need to build their career with you.

Total Rewards:

Help employees understand their benefits and total compensation package. A total rewards philosophy demonstrates a commitment to more than just their salary.

Highlight what benefits your organization offers versus competitors.

Leadership: Make sure your leadership team is trained in having developmental and performance conversations.

Leaders can make or break a team if these conversations are not done correctly.

Establishing appropriate internal and external benchmarks is very important in determining if and how successful you are in setting up a retention strategy. Examples of external resources are the Department of Labor and SHRM’s human capital benchmarking. Internal benchmarking would look at turnover over time and across departments. Ensuring all senior-level leadership believes in the plan is also critical to the program’s success.

Continuing to analyze turnover rates and conduct employee focus groups will help determine if you are making progress or need to focus in on a specific area.

To get involved with The Fargo Moorhead HR Association visit fmhra.com 4302 13th Ave S Suite 4-312 Fargo, ND 58103 90

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In brief summary, what do you do?

AT: As the SVP of Culture, I oversee and develop team member engagement, culture initiatives, social media strategies, philanthropic giving, volunteerism, internal communication and training.

HR: As the SVP of HR and Development, I oversee the functions of human resources including recruitment, benefits, compensation, employee relations and organizational development.

Heather Rye and Amanda Torok

What is your favorite part of what you do?

AT: I enjoy being able to connect with our community members and charity partners. Whether it’s through philanthropic giving, volunteerism or our acts of kindness, it’s a wonderful feeling to give back to our community in such a big way and make an impact that can truly touch the lives of our community members.

HR: My favorite part of what I do is interacting with team members. I enjoy learning and understanding their professional goals and passions. I take joy in finding ways I can support them and provide resources for them to be successful.

What does “organizational culture” mean to you?

AT: Your culture is your brand. It consists of the unwritten thoughts, feelings, actions, and behaviors that team members feel and enact daily. It’s what people say about your company behind your back.

What sets Gate City Bank’s culture apart?

AT: As a local, community bank, Gate City Bank’s culture is unique as we are truly committed to living out our mission and our purpose to create a better way of life in the communities we serve. After 96 years of serving our community, we are stable with a strong foundation and a legacy that is built to last. Our investment in building leaders based on their abilities provides many opportunities for women. 70 percent of our leadership roles are held by women and 64 percent of our team members bank-wide across North Dakota and western Minnesota are women.

BY KATIE BEEDY, LADYBOSS AND WRITER AT TELLWELL HILLARY EHLEN

eather Rye (left) and Amanda Torok (right) are two of the women driving the Gate City Bank’s culture of empowerment.

In an industry where women are underrepresented at every level—on average accounting for just 40 percent of bank depositors and borrowers and less than 20 percent of executive board members, according to the World Economic Forum—Gate City Bank stands out from the crowd.

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Our unique culture doesn’t stop there. Team members are given an unlimited amount of volunteer hours on paid company time in addition to our volunteer time match program, mission and outreach program, and matching gifts program. Gate City Bank has a strong culture of celebration, appreciation and recognition.

We celebrate big moments, anniversaries, awards and more with fun days, treats, gifts of apparel, gift cards and more!

Generally speaking, what are today’s applicants looking for in a potential employer?

HR: I think today’s applicants are looking for organizations that invest in their team members, that are passionate about their same values and provide opportunities for growth and development. I believe applicants don’t want to invest their time in an organization if the organization doesn’t invest in them.

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What do you see as the biggest challenges organizations face when recruiting and retaining employees?

HR: We are largely in a candidatedriven market with high expectations.

You can no longer have a lengthy interview process to assess skills and personality, so finding that culture fit can sometimes be a challenge with the short time frames. Organizations have to be creative and find what makes them unique to attract and keep talent. One way we have tackled this challenge is by highlighting how we invest in our team members and our award-winning culture, which makes team members look forward to coming to work each day, and in return they refer their friends and family. We also believe if your recruitment efforts are focused on ensuring applicants are the right culture-fit, this plays a big part in retaining them.

What are your top three must-read books for Ladybosses?

HR: No Ego

by Cy Wakeman

The Go-Giver and The Go-Giver Leader

by Bob Burg and John David Mann

QBQ! The Question Behind the Question

by John Miller

AT: I enjoy giving back to the youth in our community through a shared passion for the art of dance. I teach a variety of dance styles to various ages at a local non-profit dance studio, Red River Dance. Most of my weekends are spent either teaching dance or spending time with my family, my husband, almost two-year-old daughter and our wild dog, Kona.

HR: A passion of mine is serving on the board at CCRI. I love how this organization is committed to providing individualized support to people with disabilities and assisting them to live their best lives. I am proud to be a part of their organization and often volunteer with their activities. For a hobby, I enjoy photography and capturing life’s moments with my husband and two kids.

What is the best career advice you have ever received? Or, what’s the best advice you have to offer?

AT: Walking Papers by Francesco Clark (for anyone fighting the daily battle of chronic illness, it’s a must read!)

Little Black Book, A Toolkit for Working Women by Otegha Uwagba

No Ego

by Cy Wakeman

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What other passions or hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?

JANUARY 2020

Who is your hero and why?

AT: My heroes are those who overcome life-changing battles. I admire the strength and the courage it takes to rise above a challenge, instead of placing focus on complaining or blaming.

These are the heroes, those who persevere through the hardest of times that make them into an even stronger person than where they were before.

HR: My heroes are those that serve. I am very grateful to every military member, police, firefighters and first responders.

I am proud to work for an employer like Gate City Bank who supports servicemen and women. Gate City Bank provides fully-paid military leave to its team members and gives back, like providing lifesaving helmets to the Fargo Police Department, for example.

AT: Say yes! Say yes to any new opportunity or adventure that comes your way. I think too often we settle for what we know, what is comfortable to us. We grow the most when we say yes to something we are uncomfortable with or would naturally want to say no to.

HR: Network. In a world filled with social media and text messaging, we don’t get out and meet new people. Invest in your relationships both professional and personal. Networking will help you to develop your skills, stay on top of the latest industry trends, keep a pulse on the job market, meet mentors, and build resources that will foster your career development.

AMANDA NELSON State Farm Insurance Agent Grateful to be in Moorhead since 2004 and a new member of the business community! I am a proud wife and mother of two. My family is my everything, and between laundry, dishes, dance, t-ball, movie nights, and talking about what they are hoping to get for their birthday and Christmas – we stay pretty busy!

GARY USSERY

I am a Concordia graduate and have officially worked for State Farm for the past 12 years. My Dad is a retired State Farm agent from Marshall, so I volunteered my time calling to set appointments, walking in parades, and delivering baked goods to our community. As I got older, I saw family and friends go through devastating losses – auto accidents, house fires, and unexpectedly losing people they love. I understood why my Dad was a State Farm agent and it’s exactly why I chose to do the same. My team and I provide protection plans – we protect lifestyles, incomes, and most importantly, family.

Faces of

Fargo Business

Take us through a typical day in your life.

I wake up at 5:45 and get ready before I wake up my five and three year old. I drink a lot of coffee while pouring their Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

After my husband and I get them off to school, I head to the office to meet with my team about our goals for the day. We get to work and we work hard!

Appointments, phone calls, people stopping by, emails, texts, etc. We love the fast pace and the ability to work directly with people. In our appointments, we get a good understanding of where people are at today and what their goals are, we uncover any gaps or concerns, and we help them align adequate coverage within their budget. It is very rewarding to provide our clients with peace of mind as they navigate through their busy days, weeks, and years.

We close the office down at 5 p.m. I head over to daycare and school to pick up our kids, and our family is off to ice skating, dance, t-ball, gymnastics or whatever season it is.

At home, we eat supper and our five year old reads us a book. We are amazed by how fast kindergarteners learn to read!

After bath time, 8:30 p.m. is bed time and we are all exhausted.

The kids go to bed, and my

husband and I wind down with awful reality TV shows, This Is Us, or any documentary that’s on because we haven’t invested in Netflix yet!

What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received?

“Have you looked at flying out of Minneapolis? It’s so much cheaper.”

With two kids, the time to drive to Minneapolis, and the cost to park your car, my husband and I completely agree that flying out of Fargo is hands down the BEST way to fly.

How does the reality of your job differ from people’s perception of it?

When I meet with someone with a different insurance company who had a roof or siding covered at actual cash value instead of replacement cost, had to pay two deductibles instead of one, or did not have coverage when their sump pump failed, I remind myself that it is our obligation to explain these differences and why a State Farm policy offers the highest level of coverage in our appointments. My job is to help people plan for the unexpected and make informed decisions on their protection so there are no surprises when they have a loss.

What’s one thing the local business community could do to help you/your organization?

Tell people about us!

If you could thank one person who’s contributed to your success, who would it be and why?

There are so many people. If I could thank one person, it would be my husband. He has always been a huge supporter of me becoming a State Farm agent. His confidence in my abilities to build a team, build a culture, and protect people has given me the confidence to take action. He is my sounding board, my idea generator, the office handyman, the random Costco runner and is always there for our family. Hands down, he is my favorite person.

organization?

My team has all the good ideas!

We meet as a team twice per week and one-on-one weekly. Our team meetings are brainstorming sessions on how we can tell more people about us and how we can support our community. I love the culture of our office and the people in it.

Who’s a leader you’re studying or paying attention to right now?

Katrina Lake – CEO of Stitch Fix – she is setting an example and advocating for extended parental leave in the United States.

What’s your “why”?

A client who isn’t financially devastated because I asked them the right questions and they decided to protect themselves. My heart breaks for the families that lose someone they love. Stressing about paying bills, final expenses, and how they are going to afford to raise their kids are the worries I want to take away from them.

Helping a teammate develop in their career, define their goals, and being a part of their life and their achievements truly inspires me.

What’s one characteristic you believe every great leader should possess?

Humility What’s one way you foster creativity within your

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Faces of

Fargo Business

TOM STADUM First Vice President

Wealth Management at The Stadum Group at UBS

I

am a third-generation wealth advisor located in downtown Fargo. My family has been serving families, businesses and non-profits across the US with our wealth management services since 1961. I am happily married to my high school sweetheart Camila, I’m father to Lucy and I’m a dog dad to Pancake and Buzz. I sit on the board of Burning Hearts Church as well as the Pelican Lake Yacht Club.

A day in the life of Tom Stadum: My team and I have a lot of “mini days” within a workday.

Typically, we read for the first hour to stay up to speed on the economy, financial markets, geopolitics, local news, startups, public companies and the wealth management industry. We then have a short team meeting to tee up the day. Then come the meetings, phone calls and investment management. Once the markets close, we spend time working on marketing our business, compliance and team development.

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What’s one the local business community could do to help you/your organization?

Aside from serving our clients, we have a passion for educating our community on financial matters. We currently work with pretty much every generation that is alive and love to share our knowledge and experience in helping those successful families build, protect and grow their assets. We host many educational events throughout the year and would love to see more community members there. Check our website, financialservicesinc.ubs.com/ team/stadumgroup/index.html, for dates and times.

If you could think of one person who’ contributed to your success, who would it be and why?

My father. He’s the one that built on my grandfather’s legacy and passed the baton off to me. Without his patience, support and wisdom, neither I, nor the families we serve, would be where we are at today.

Do you have any media recommendations?

According to Warren Buffett, Knowledge grows exponentially over time, similar to compounding interest, and needs to be mixed with wisdom and experience to be most useful. With that, I would encourage our community to simply read more every week versus making any specific recommendation. I read most major newspapers daily.

What’s one way to foster creativity within your organization?

Marshall Goldsmith once said, “what got you here won’t get you there.” Given the rapid pace of our world, creativity is extremely important to my role as an advisor. What worked in the past may not work in the future for our families.

With that being said, we are very thoughtful in understanding how things work and how we work. We spend a lot of time reading, studying and thinking about how families operate. We think about how we are

spending our time, how the world works, how the financial markets move, etc.. Without an understanding of the “how”, people oftentimes won’t see the path forward and will, unfortunately, find themselves spinning their wheels.

What’s a local/state resource your organization has utilized recently?

We’ve had a number of our charitably inclined clients utilize the ND state tax credits available for philanthropic giving.

I’d highly recommend speaking with your CPA on these unique incentives the State offers.

A Look At Office Sign Company

By Steve Dusek

As a small business lending partner, we have had the privilege of working with hundreds of innovative and inspiring entrepreneurs throughout the state from a multitude of industries. Where our honor lies, however, is in the faces and places of these small businesses and the success stories they have to share. Among these is the story of Office Sign Company – a local sign business with a unique story to tell. Their story is one of twists and turns, unique growth opportunities, and a decade of success. For this issue, we wanted to take a deeper look into the story that got them ranked Young Professional’s Best Place to Work in 2018, making them one of the top workplaces for rising professionals in Fargo/Moorhead This definitely gives them an advantage when it comes to workforce attraction and retention.

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yan Fritz, president and CEO of Fargo’s Office Sign Company, had one particular passion when it came to his professional career: to have the ability to spend more time with his family.

However, in order to attain the work-life balance he intended, Ryan needed to get creative. In 2008, he decided to move forward and put his digital advertising talent to the test by creating his own online marketing agency called Foundability. In order to display and prove his digital marketing skills to potential customers, Ryan created Office Sign Company, his first prototype client. Much to his surprise, Office Sign Company’s site became heavily trafficked and profitable, so much so that he decided to shift his focus from the marketing agency to the sign business. By late 2008, Office Sign Company was ready and open for business.

“Ryan was trying to prove that his digital marketing skills could work and that he could get this site to be trafficked and profitable.

He was able to do it so much so that he actually decided to pursue the sign business [Office Sign Company]. It’s a unique story,” shared Jack Yakowicz, former Marketing Director at Office Sign Company.

Over the course of the next ten years, Office Sign Company has undergone a unique journey that has brought them from start-up to being awarded Young Professionals Best Place to Work in 2018 by the Fargo/Moorhead/West Fargo Chamber of Commerce. This, Jack believes, is due to their employee-orientated focus. The sign business offers a variety of benefits to their employees and is constantly adding, changing, and adapting these benefits to meet the needs of their employees. The company meets regularity to discuss the needs of the employees and discover where evolving may be necessary. Office Sign Company also sends out weekly anonymous surveys to their employees asking what kinds of benefits they are looking for and would like to see implemented next.

see at some of your standard corporations.”

Since receiving the award, Office Sign Company has noticed that getting a large pool of applicants and filling roles has become significantly easier. In addition, their brand has skyrocketed as they continue to gain interest from people who want to partner or do business with them. Lastly, they have seen some of the entrylevel employees take the initiative to form new committees and events internally and continue to cultivate the unique culture that exists. Among these is a wellness committee that involves workout challenges/incentives and a weekly wellness newsletter, as well as a Movie Mafia group that gets tickets for upcoming movies and honors members with perks such as custom-made buttons and voting rights for the next movie.

Today, Office Sign Company continues to grow its unique culture by offering new benefits and promoting from within. As a company that has grown to over 45 employees, they are working to sustain this unique cultural environment amidst their growth and maintain the solid reputation that they have earned.

As you can see, the journey to becoming a Young Professionals Best Place to Work isn’t an easy one. It is a 10+ year journey filled with twists and turns, unknowns, and obstacles. But, if you’re like Ryan, you can see these as opportunities for growth and capitalize on them, making you well on your way to becoming one of the top workplaces in Fargo/Moorhead. Congratulations Office Sign Company on your journey to success!

To learn more about Office Sign Company and their growth, read their success story at www.dakotabusinesslending.com/officesign-company

Another reason Office Sign Company is among the best places to work in the F/M region is due to its strong emphasis on company culture and personal growth and development. Office Sign Company hires for a cultural fit and provides opportunities for employees to grow and be promoted within the company. Among those to experience this firsthand is Jack himself: “I came in as an entry-level position and, within 6 months, I created a business plan for how to create our first marketing department,” Jack shared. “I pitched it to the CEO and he let me run with it. Now, 4 ½ years later, I am now responsible for a little over 20 employees myself. You just don’t get those opportunities anywhere else.”

Above all, Office Sign Company wants nothing more than to provide young professionals with the platform they need to rise up and become the next top leaders in the business world.

“We have such a unique environment, and most of that is due to the fact that we rely so heavily on the young professionals it the office. They’ve given such an opportunity to be difference makers and key plays in our day to day operations, which you just don’t

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2020 CALENDAR

Fargo & Moorhead Events JANUARY 16 2020 State of the Cities

Thursday, January 16 from 8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Join the Chamber at this annual event that brings our community together to ask questions of our local city’s leaders and talk about our region’s growth, goals and priorities. Where are we headed? What challenges do we face and what successes can we celebrate? We will have our local mayors representing their cities to provide updates, including Mayor Bernie Dardis in West Fargo, Mayor Johnathan Judd in Moorhead, Mayor Tim Mahoney in Fargo and Dilworth Mayor Chad Olson. Don’t miss out on this community-wide conversation. fmwfchamber.com Hilton Garden Inn 4351 17th Ave. S., Fargo

JANUARY 21 2020 Annual Celebration Featuring Marissa Orr

Tuesday, January 21 from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Join The Chamber and Women Connect in celebrating its sixth anniversary at this special event! Delivering this year’s keynote message is Marissa Orr, author of the Amazon bestseller “Lean Out: The Truth About Women, Power and the Workplace.” fmwfchamber.com Delta by Marriott 1635 42nd St. SW., Fargo

JANUARY 23 Green Focus

Thursday, January 23 from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Green Focus ND creates conversation and offers continuing education (GBCI and AIA, 2 credit hours each) in green building, focused on the needs of our region and state while offering insight into the national and global picture. Attendees can expect to learn about the basics and explore the future of green building. CE will be offered for all sessions.

Plus learn more about our local USGBC Community and how to get involved. Join

FEBRUARY 4 Entrepreneurial Culture of the FMWF Region Tuesday, February 4 from 7:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.

Join the Chamber for another exciting topic at Eggs & Issues. Every month at Eggs & Issues you can expect to hear from local experts sharing what you need to know. And you can always count on a hot breakfast and networking. fmwfchamber.com Courtyard by Marriott 1080 28th Ave. S, Moorhead

us for this year’s focus, Operations, and Maintenance: Building Green, Staying Green.

NDSU Renaissance Hall 650 Northern Pacific Ave., Fargo

JANUARY 31 Developing Organizational Culture Through Leadership

organization and the role that leadership has in harnessing the power and passion of the employee to strengthen the culture of the organization. thevillagefamily.org Avalon Events Center 2525 9th Ave. S., Fargo

Friday, January 31 from 8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.

This workshop by The Village Business Institute will examine the various facets of organizational culture, including what goes into creating either a positive or negative culture. They will look at the impact that culture has on the success of an organization in the areas of productivity, employee engagement, and overall growth. Finally, we will consider the idea that the employee is a key component of any successful

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CALENDAR FEBRUARY 12 Trust. How to Adapt During Organizational Change

Wednesday, February 12 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Becoming a champion of change begins with trust. A strong value system, along with clear communication, fosters trust and makes navigating change easier. Understanding how your personal values align with those of your organization helps to drive focus and results during organizational changes. In this session, you’ll learn more about your own personal values and how they relate to your organization’s vision and values. Discover more about how to earn trust, identify and overcome barriers, and navigate change in the workplace. fmwfchamber.com Delta by Marriott 1635 42nd St. SW., Fargo

FEBRUARY 12 Lunch & Learn: The Perfect Pitch Wednesday, February 12 from 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

At this Lunch & Learn, you’ll hear from professionals who have mastered the art of pitching. You’ll learn what information potential funders are looking for and how to be concise and persuasive. emerginprairie.com/events-programs/ Prairie Den

Fargo & Moorhead Events FEBRUARY 20 Economic Outlook Forum

Thursday, February 20 from 12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Join The Chamber for the 2020 Economic Outlook Forum, where they examine global, national and local economic trends and how they relate to the business community.

Last year’s popular keynote speaker, Rich Karlgaard, Publisher and Futurist, Forbes Media, returns for a talk on “Tech, Trade, Turbulence and the 2020 Elections.” fmwfchamber.com Delta by Marriott 1635 42nd St. S., Fargo

FEBRUARY 20 Chamber 101: Connect. Engage.

Maxamize.

Thursday, February 20 from 9 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.

If you’re not familiar with The Chamber, are a new member, new contact, new hire, or just want to re-engage with them, this session is for you! Chamber 101 is a laid-back discussion designed to share some of the great benefits of Chamber membership and what opportunities exist that you need to know. No need to dress in business attire; you are welcome you to come as you are! fmwfchamber.com The Chamber Office 202 First Ave. N., Moorhead

122 1/2 N. Broadway, Fargo

FEBRUARY 27 FEBRUARY 18 Chamber 101: Connect. Engage.

Maxamize.

Tuesday, February 18 from 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

If you’re not familiar with The Chamber, are a new member, new contact, new hire, or just want to re-engage with them, this session is for you! Chamber 101 is a laid-back discussion designed to share some of the great benefits of Chamber membership and what opportunities exist that you need to know. No need to dress in business attire; you are welcome you to come as you are! fmwfchamber.com The Chamber Office 202 First Ave. N., Moorhead

Women’s Role in Leadership: What Men and Women Need to Pay Attention to Thursday, February 27 from 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.

In this #MeToo era, it can be difficult to understand how to navigate for female and male leaders. What is acceptable? What is unacceptable? How do you foster an open environment without crossing a line? And why does it matter? fmwfchamber.com Delta by Marriott 1635 42nd St. SW., Fargo

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CALENDAR Bismarck JANUARY 23 MSA United Way Annual Luncheon & Meeting

Thursday, January 23, 2020 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Join the United Way as they recognize their generous volunteers and donors. This event is open to the public and is a great opportunity to learn more about their work and impact initiatives. business.bismarckmandan.com/events Ramkota Hotel

Grand Forks FEBRUARY 5 Small Business Committee Meeting

Wednesday, February 5 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Purpose - Provide value to The Chamber’s small business members through educational, programming, and other small business services by working with SBA, SCORE, and other small business programs. gochamber.org Ramada by Wyndham 1205 N. 43rd St., Grand Forks

800 S. 3rd St., Bismarck

JANUARY 23 Chamber EDC Annual Dinner 2020

Thursday, January 23 from 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Don’t miss the 2020 Bismarck Mandan Annual Dinner on Thursday, January 23rd at the Bismarck Event Center! This event is always a night for outstanding entertainment, fine dining, awards, recognition, and a wonderful opportunity to network and showcase your business with nearly 1,000 business members, guests, co-workers, and VIP clients. A sophisticated black-tie (optional) is strongly encouraged. business.bismarckmandan.com/events Bismarck Event Center, Hall B 315 5th St., Bismarck

FEBRUARY 12 Career Conversations: A Professional Networking Event Tuesday, February 25 through Wednesday, February 26.

Custom, Hands-On

Culinary Team Building Events

This is more than simply a job shadow event, it’s an opportunity for students and employers to make real connections.

Students who have the opportunity to see the ability of career progression in the region are more likely to make the Grand Forks community their home after graduating. We hope to get CEOs, VPs, operating managers, and supervisors in addition to entry-level professionals. Students will be able to learn more about moving ahead to a position of leadership, along the continuum of a career path.

FEBRUARY 20 Membership Mixer: EMC Insurance Companies

Thursday, February 20 from 4:30 p.m. -6:30 p.m.

Join fellow Chamber EDC members for refreshments, hors d’oeuvres, and some business after hours. Mixers are FREE for Chamber EDC members to attend. Please consider attending and bringing colleagues from your workplace. business.bismarckmandan.com/events EMC Insurance Companies 1838 Interstate Ave., Bismarck

squareonekitchens.com

701-388-1137 1407 1st Ave. N, Fargo

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CALENDAR JANUARY 14 Women Connect: Be a Woman of Impact!

Thursday, January 14 from 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

The pace of life and change is accelerating faster than ever before; creating a new approach to the way we work, live, play and learn. The focus in this Minot Women Connect event is to empower attendees to Be IMPACTUL - by taking risks, overcoming obstacles and blazing new trails in their personal and professional lives. We can mold, and develop how we move through the world, making conscious efforts to shape not only what we do, but who we are. These woman will share their secrets and best practices!

Minot & Wahpeton Events FEBRUARY 1 St. Mary’s Steak & Wine: Dinner Dance and Benefit Auction

Saturday, February 1 from 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Mass begins at 5 p.m., dinner will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., silent auction runs from 5:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., live auction begins at 8:30 p.m. with a dance following the live auction. Come for food, fun, and live music! wahpetonbreckenridgechamber.com St. Mary’s 404 Nebraska Ave., Breckenridge

Join moderator: Marci Narum, Owner, Inspired Women magazine and panelists: • Megan Laudenschlager, Executive Director, Strengthen ND • Cindy Cook, Principal, Minot Public Schools • Annie Carlson, Owner, Morning Joy Farm • More panelist(s) TBD The Depot 15 Main St. N., Minot

FEBRUARY 1 Dad’s Belgian Waffle Brunch Saturday, February 1 from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Headwater’s Lions invites you to the 11th annual all you can eat Dad’s Belgian Waffle Brunch. Come for waffles with assorted toppings, including strawberries, as well as sausages and different beverages. All proceeds will be shared with local charities and projects. wahpetonbreckenridgechamber.com Wahpeton Community Center 304 5th St. S., Wahpeton

In the December issue, Jessica Foss’s article “How You Can Take Advantage Of Today’s Low Interest Rates For Wealth Transfer Purposes” contained an error. It indicated that the IRS does consider the actual growth of the assets transferred to the Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT). It should have read that the IRS does not consider the actual growth of the assets transferred to the GRAT. We apologize for this error.

GRACIOUS GIVERS

Making A Real Impact In The Community

By Brady Drake

Kim Schlotfeldt, real estate agent at KVAMME, is has given back to the community in so many ways.

We at Fargo INC! want to highlight her efforts, that’s why we brought her in to talk about how she makes an impact on people during Giving Hearts Day and throughout the rest of the year.

Kim Schlotfeldt, KVAMME Real Estate.

What do you do to give back on Giving Hearts Day?

HILLARY EHLEN

We contribute to St. Joseph’s School, The Women’s Care Center, and to a couple others such as Hope Inc. and the Moorhead P.A.L.S. I aslo share the pages on Social Media frequently. It’s hard to believe but some people don’t know about Giving Hearts Day. This year, we are buying 25 $10 gift cards for the kids at St. Joseph’s School. I am working with the school on a couple ideas for the kids to earn these gift cards and then they can use them to give back on Giving Hearts Day. as good as its team, so why not encourage your team

Do you do anything to give back the rest of the year? Can you tell me how you give back to the community?

Some of the things I do throughout the year are: • Cook a meal for the college kids at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church with a group of friends from out Parish.

• My husband and I volunteer at the Dorothy Day Food Pantry and it is very humbling to see families come in to receive food and goods to help stretch their food budget. We see everyone from college students to working parents in their professional attire. There is a great need in our community.

• My husband and I also volunteer to cook at the Dorothy Day House in Moorhead and we eat with the Residents at the home.

• This is the first year of volunteering to ring the Salvation Bell. I can’t believe I haven’t done it in years past. I will definitely do this more often. What a blessing

to offer a smile to those who need one.

• We donate items to Dakota Boys Ranch and St. Vincent de Paul. Through their efforts so many in the community are helped.

• We attend Fundraisers for the Lend A Hand Up events.

Why is giving back important to you? How did you get into giving?

My parents were very generous people. They were quiet humble “pillars” in their community. I grew up in Lake Itasca, MN where there wasn’t a population on the sign. In a small community you take care of each other in many ways.

We cooked meals for those who had a life event, we got together and split wood for our neighbors, we helped with community fundraisers, we helped neighbors bale hay and so many other things. I was in 4-H and it was a wonderful way to give back to our community in so many ways.I want to be that example in my community.

Can you think of a charitable moment that was specifically memorable for you?

My biggest donation in my life was giving a kidney to a dear friend. The impact on her life was truly life or death. There is nothing more important than organ donation. We both are living our best lives and very healthy.

My second moment that yes, did make me cry, was last year at our Dinner, Dance, Auction for St. Joseph’s School. Our kids came so our family was all together at this event and when they did the reverse auction to raise money for a specific need for the school, our kids made a significant donation to the school. It is very humbling to see your children turn in to good people who know the importance of giving back. I am very proud of them.

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GRACIOUS GIVERS

Leading By Example

By Brady Drake

How First International Bank & Trust Is Setting The Tone For Giving

Peter Stenehjem Photo via First International Bank & Trust

What do you do for Giving Hearts Day? Since moving to the Fargo-Moorhead community, I’ve been involved with Dakota Medical Foundation and have also been a supporter within Giving Hearts Day. Some of my favorite organizations that have benefited from Giving Hearts Day are TNT Kids Fitness, Gigi’s Playhouse, and the Jeremiah Program.

As recently as last year, I was asked to cut a quick video in support of Giving Hearts Day and even held up the #CountMe sign!

Why is Giving Hearts Day important to you?

I love the fact we live in a very giving and thriving community. Giving Hearts Day is a perfect example of that. Look at the trend over the last few years as volume continues to increase! I personally matched a scholarship that was offered through Giving Hearts Day at UND.

How do you give back the rest of the year on your own?

I’m very active with several organizations,

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First International Bank & Trust’s president, Peter Stenehjem, is a pillar in the Fargo-Moorhead community, not only because of his business acumen but also his propensity to give back. We sat down with this leader of our community to learn a little bit more about how First International Bank & Trust and Peter Stenehjem gives back to the FM area.

including UND, I also serve on the Board of Directors for Sanford Health, The Chamber, as well as Fueling our Future.

I’m also a member of the Tocqueville Society for the United Way.

I also think it’s important to lead by example. If the work I do as an individual or the work we do as an organization can inspire others to give back, we’re getting a good return on time invested.

What do you do to give back with the bank?

How do you believe the FM community can become a more giving community?

As a community bank, we pride ourselves on being an active member of our community. Both as an organization and as individual employees. We encourage our employees to not only give but also dedicate their time through volunteer efforts. A few to note, The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Great Plains Food Bank, The Great North Pole, TNT Kids Fitness, and many others. The stronger our community is, the stronger we are as a community bank.

Why is giving back important to you?

One of our corporate values at First International Bank & Trust is to, “Leave a mark on your community.” In addition to the many ways charitable giving and volunteering benefit our communities,

Continue to get the word out, try to reach new individuals who have never dedicated their time, talent, or resources before.

What role do you see yourself playing in that process?

I want to help in any way that I can, and that can include being a community leader or a proponent of Giving Hearts Day.