Prairie Business April 2021

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Rediscovering the forgotten art of listening

According to several colleges and universities that Prairie Business spoke with recently, employers have been telling schools what is most important to them when considering a potential new hire. On their list: effective communication skills.

That is a broad umbrella under which many specifics apply. Some businesses may be looking for someone who can speak publicly without intimidation or fear, for instance, while others may want someone who can write a savvy press release or marketing campaign. Others may want someone who can do both. Likewise, certain companies may be looking for someone who is versed in digital communication skills, someone who knows how to effectively use social media to their advantage or who knows how to communicate through visual means, such as producing photos and videos.

“The bottom line is communication is everywhere, it doesn’t matter what field you go into,” said karen Bauer, assistant professor of journalism at Bismarck State College. (Bauer spells her first name with a lowercase “k.”) Doctors meet with patients, reporters with sources, sales reps and consultants with clients, cashiers with customers. “You’ve got communication everywhere you look.”

More about communication can be found in our story in this issue titled “Communicating in business,” but there is a counterpart skill that is often overlooked: listening.

According to a 2018 article by Insider, listening skills are one of the most overlooked and underappreciated life skills but one that is extremely important for those in business.

“Strong conversational skills aren’t just for salespeople, though,” writes the author of the article, Omar Tawakol. “Everyone – from CEOs and product managers to newly minted college graduates – could use a crash course in the forgotten art of active listening.”

Think of what could be accomplished if more people, instead of just hearing words, truly listened to their colleagues and customers.

I walked out of a car dealership once because I felt like the sales representative wasn’t listening to what I was saying about the kind of vehicle I wanted. Instead, he was trying to sell me something I had expressed concerns about. I went elsewhere and found what I was looking for, partly because someone listened and worked with me on getting the kind of vehicle I wanted.

Another time my wife, after telling me about a project she wanted to complete, asked me a follow-up question. I replied in a way that made her believe I hadn’t been paying attention.

“I heard you,” I said.

“Yes,” she replied. “But you weren’t listening.”

Hearing the sound of someone’s voice is different than actually listening to what they are saying. It is a lesson I have learned by being at both ends of the spectrum at one time or another.

Perhaps it is time to rediscover the forgotten art of listening.

Journalism is all about communication, including listening, but it’s a skillset that also is important in just about any other business.

As Bauer said: “I think communication is a skill that anyone could tap into in any industry.”

Until next time, Andrew Weeks

I look forward to hearing from you at aweeks@prairiebusinessmagazine.com or 701-780-1276.

PUBLISHER KORRIE WENZEL

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EDITOR ANDREW WEEKS

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Prairie Business magazine is published monthly by the Grand Forks Herald and Forum Communications Company with offices at 375 2nd Avenue North, Grand Forks, ND 58203. Subscriptions are available free of charge. Back issue quantities are limited and subject to availability ($2/copy prepaid). The opinions of writers featured in Prairie Business are their own. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, artwork are encouraged but will not be returned without a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

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PRAIRIEBUSINESS2021

NOMINATIONS for Prairie Business’ annual Leaders & Legacies awards are now being accepted.

The magazine’s Leaders & Legacies awards recognize executives “for the great things they have done in business, whether in recent years (Leaders) or over a lifetime (Legacies),” said Publisher Korrie Wenzel.

Prairie Business is looking for business executives in North Dakota, South Dakota and western Minnesota whose high-level achievements make them truly stand out. Each nomination must include key details of candidate’s business accomplishments, civic leadership and career history.

The nomination form is available on the magazine’s website, prairiebusinessmagazine.com

Nominations will close on Monday, May 3, 2021

Recipients of this year’s award will be announced in the July 2021 edition of Prairie Business Magazine.

A supercharged demand for real estate

By Sam Easter / Special for Prairie Business

David Shelton, a Sioux Falls broker with Century 21, got into real estate in the 1990s. But he’s never seen anything like this. A global pandemic, plus rock-bottom interest rates, are sending supercharged demand into residential markets around the country. In Sioux Falls, houses are up for sale for just a few days — maybe two or three — before sellers start counting their offers. Buyers are sweetening deals by waiving appraisals and inspections. Shelton’s heard the same stories out of Colorado and Minnesota, too.

“I think what we’re seeing is many people are fleeing to real estate as a safe haven, even for their investments,” Shelton said.

Whatever storm of pandemic conditions are behind it, the numbers show a steady rise in prices. According to the National Association of Realtors, Sioux Falls-area homes saw the median sales price grow more than 8% from the end of 2019 to the end of 2020, from about $223,500 to nearly $242,000. And Shelton has been right in the middle of it.

“This is an unprecedented time,” Shelton said.

Those same price hikes are showing up around the country. In the Fargo area, prices have jumped just below 8%. In Bismarck, prices are up nearly 5%. In the Twin Cities area, though, prices are up by more than a whopping 12.6%.

Erik Hatch is the owner of the Fargo-based Hatch Realty. His take is pragmatic: why stay in a cloistered space in a pandemic? In apartments especially, things can feel crowded.

“The noises are louder, the hallways feel smaller, the germs feel more abundant. And you find yourself in a place and — ‘I don’t want to continue living like this,’” Hatch said. Or, he added, take a family that’s had to shoehorn a home gym and home schooling into an already full house. “All of a sudden the space that you’ve had doesn’t feel like it’s necessarily sufficient enough.”

The sudden rush into real estate has sent ripples through adjacent markets. Lenders are suddenly hit with a rush of demand for new loans and refinancing. Building materials, snagged up in pandemic restrictions and hunger for home construction, have been harder to find.

Kim Settel is the executive vice president of retail banking and lending at Gate City Bank. She recalls significant demand throughout the pandemic — as interest rates fell, homeowners were interested in refinancing their loans. Then, as demand for home purchases picked up, new mortgages started coming in. All this amid managing their workforce amid a pandemic.

“Adaptability was the word of 2020, and it continues to cascade into

U.S. MORTGAGE RATES HIT HISTORIC FLOOR

Average U.S. 30-year mortgage Rates

2021,” Settel said, describing “exponential growth” in the company’s real estate lending and refinancing.

The pandemic has also meant changes in commercial real estate — though those shifts have moved in the opposite direction. Suddenly, the pandemic has sent everyone home from the office, and corporations are starting to find that, maybe, they don’t even need an office anymore.

Statistics from Cushman and Wakefield, the Chicago real estate services firm, show a big bump in available office space around the country in the fourth quarter of 2020. In Minneapolis, that figure comes to 578,000 square feet; in other places, like Chicago, it soared into the millions.

That’s no surprise to Joe Hockett, the business development manager at RCS Construction in Rapid City, S.D. There’s lots of construction work to be done — from a wastewater treatment plant in Wyoming to a credit union right there in town — but not so much on office space.

“That's a national trend, because a lot of companies suddenly realized how many of their employees can work remotely,” he said.

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Chart by Sam Easter

EMPTY OFFICES

In major metro areas around the country, office space is increasingly vacant. Shown below is the net absorption for office space in each market in 2020’s final quarter. Essentially, it’s the amount of commercial office square footage that’s dropped out of active use.

RISING REGIONAL HOME PRICES

Home prices having been rising all around the upper Midwest. Shown below are the percentage increase in average home prices from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the fourth quarter of 2020.

“Commercial office space, what's existing is not selling super-quickly, but it's also, for a company like us, we're not being approached to build office space."

So what’s next for markets? For the commercial side, it’s hard to say

Hatch downplays concerns of a bubble bursting. In Fargo-Moorhead, he said, local measurements of price growth show lower growth rates than NAR data implies — as low as 5.53%.

“Selling a home under $300,000 and buying a home over $300,000

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Source: National Association of Realtors. Chart by Sam Easter

Source: Cushman and Wakefield via National Association of Realtors. Chart by Sam Easter

First International Bank & Trust acquires Sodak Home Loans

WATFORD CITY, N.D. • First International Bank & Trust said it has successfully closed on the acquisition of Sodak Home Loans, a full-service mortgage brokerage company in Sioux Falls, S.D.

“We are thrilled to welcome the team at Sodak Home Loans to FIBT,” Justin Walseth, chief growth officer for FIBT, said in the announcement. “Their established and well-known lenders will be wonderful ambassadors for the FIBT brand.”

Being backed by a community bank will allow the bank’s lenders to better serve its customers with a wider range of products and enhanced services, according to the company.

The mortgage group will stay at its current location near 57th and Western in Sioux Falls. The acquisition of Sodak Home Loans assets marks the North Dakota-based bank’s official entry into

South Dakota as a loan production office.

Family-owned for four generations, FIBT traces its history to Farmer’s State Bank in Arnegard, North Dakota, which opened for business on May 1, 1910. Brothers Odin and Gerhard Stenehjem were the only employees. Today, Stenehjem bankers continue to lead FIBT operating offices in North Dakota, Minnesota, Arizona, and now South Dakota employing over 700 people in the communities it serves.

“Today is the starting point of a long-term commitment to the Sioux Falls market,” said Peter Stenehjem, president and fourth-generation banker. “I look forward to expanding FIBT’s services for businesses and consumers alike and playing a part in supporting the growth of this vibrant city and region.”

South Dakota Department of Tourism win national marketing awards

PIERRE, S.D. • The South Dakota Department of Tourism recently gained national recognition when it received two 2020 Adrian Awards as part of a prestigious international marketing competition.

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Adrian Awards recognize travel marketing organizations for innovative sales and marketing efforts in advertising, public relations and digital marketing, according to a news release by the department on Thursday, March 11.

The Department of Tourism, in partnership with marketing agencies MMGY Global and NJF PR, won the following two 2020 Adrian Awards:

Silver: South Dakota Department of Tourism • South Dakota Shines in Virtual Visits

This award was honored for an innovative public relations program that took journalists on a virtual road trip through the state. This online experience was created during the pandemic to showcase the appeal of a road trip through South Dakota’s wide-open spaces and generate national media coverage to inspire travelers to visit when the time was right for them.

Bronze: South Dakota Department of Tourism • Presidents’ Day Activation

This bronze award honored an effective, all-encompassing campaign that capitalized on the connection between Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Presidents’ Day, flipping the holiday’s usual retail sales pitches into a tourism promotion. The “Sold on

South Dakota” campaign reached an audience of 17.6 million and drove nearly $2 million in hotel revenue.

“It is our department’s mission to create top-notch marketing campaigns that are not only effective, but also engaging,” said James Hagen, secretary of the Department of Tourism. “Even during a challenging year, our team kept pushing to tell the story of South Dakota in innovative ways. Winning two Adrian Awards demonstrates we were able to accomplish that.”

The Adrian Awards recognize the very best in marketing from all segments of the travel industry. This year’s awards focus was different from years past to address the challenges of the pandemic, with a focus on best practices, innovation and community. The awards are chosen by senior industry and media experts from more than 1,500 entries.

IMAGE: COURTESY OF SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM

Jasper Hotel opens in downtown Fargo

FARGO, N.D. • Jasper Hotel, a new 125-room boutique hotel in thriving downtown Fargo, debuts this spring.

The hotel is inspired by its namesake, according to the company, Jasper B. Chapin, fourth mayor and hotelier who embodied the pioneer spirit of adventure and hospitality.

At the heart of downtown Fargo, located in the Block-9 tower, guests of Jasper Hotel can expect stunning localized design, thoughtful services, a flagship restaurant, and access to the many amenities of a thriving downtown experience.

“The opening of Jasper Hotel and Rosewild restaurant, café, and lounge is another important step to the rebirth and transformation of downtown Fargo,” said Mike Allmendinger, president of Kilbourne Group. “The hotel design and atmosphere will be a perfect fit to the urban and cultural experiences you can only have in downtown Fargo.”

Jasper Hotel will be the newest addition to Aparium Hotel Group’s growing boutique and award-winning hotel portfolio. Since its inception, Aparium has offered a new kind of hotel development — one that ventures off the beaten path, both geographically and philosophically.

The guest rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows with sweeping views of the city and prairie. The stunning Continental Ballroom, located on the fifth floor, accommodates 250-guests, and is surrounded by a 1,500 square-foot outdoor terrace. It also will have a

state-of-the-art fitness facility with Peloton equipment.

Jasper Hotel opens onto the recently launched Broadway Square, Fargo’s new community plaza, featuring seasonal ice skating, live music, outdoor festivals, and special events.

Rosewild’s Executive Chef Austin Covert highlights rustic-Nordic cuisine, partnering with regional farmers and purveyors to source local ingredients.

“Jasper Hotel captures the wonderful spirit of Fargo and will deliver a unique level of service,” said General Manager Mary Orlando. “We look forward to welcoming our guests to Jasper Hotel, where they can experience the true character of Fargo’s past, authenticity of the present, and anticipation of an inspired future.”

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IMAGE: COURTESY OF JASPER HOTEL

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Mixed-use development in the marketplace

By Andy Westby

Nearly every industry has its trends that seem to ebb and flow in and out of popularity as time goes on. In the world of commercial real estate, one of the more recent trends gaining popularity among developers has been the growth of so-called “Mixed-Use” properties.

The term means exactly what it sounds like, a property that has a mix of uses instead of just one like more traditional office or retail buildings do. The basic idea is that these properties offer people a place where they can work, live and shop within one building or development.

In the Fargo-Moorhead region, most mixed-use properties offer retail and/or office space on the main floor with residential living units on the second floor and above. Some projects include a single mixed-use building while others involve multiple buildings in a larger planned development project.

One of the more recent, high-profile mixed-use buildings in our metro is the Block 9 Tower (now named the RDO Building), which has a large mix of uses including retail, office, a hotel, restaurant, and private residential condos.

Both nationally and locally, these types of development are becoming more and more common. But why is that, and are they here to stay?

Why Mixed-Use?

There are a few key reasons why we see this type of development gaining traction with developers. For one, land prices and building costs continue to increase in many urban areas, the Fargo-Moorhead region included. As development costs increase, developers need to find ways to ensure projects remain profitable. One can only raise rents so much or fill so much commercial space over a given timeframe, so by doing a mixed-use project they can increase the available rentable square footage (i.e. income) on a given piece of land with a more diverse set of leasable options.

There are also economies of scale during the construction and ongoing management of these properties that can help lower the overall cost on a per foot basis compared to stand-alone office or apartment buildings. Given these financial benefits, it should not be surprising to anyone then that on a pro-forma basis, mixed-use properties can look very attractive to investors.

As for what tenants of mixed-use properties like best, many will point to the “walkability” aspect of them that Millennials and even retirees are looking for. The ability to live, work and shop under one roof is attractive for a growing number of people in our economy.

Another often touted benefit of mixed-use for retail tenants is the idea of a built-in customer base. The foot traffic generated by multiple floors of living space above them can be a helpful boost in these days of increased online shopping and consumers’ unquenchable thirst for “I want it and I want it now” access to goods and services.

Is Mixed-Use Here to Stay?

There is no question that mixed-use has a place in our market and likely will for years (if not decades) to come. We have seen projects of this type do quite well and find success with both residential and commercial tenants, so we know success is achievable here. When the development and market are right for each other, the results can be very strong. However, it is important to note that not all mixed-use projects have been successful from day one.

Both locally and nationally, some of these developments have struggled to lease up for various reasons. In some cases that might have to do with the location not being ideal for businesses and/or apartment dwellers to locate there. In others we have seen the supply of competing single-use properties in the market has been so great that it has taken longer than expected to get to an adequate occupancy level for the commercial space of a mixed-use property.

To combat that, we have seen developers of mixed-use buildings offer significant incentives to attract tenants, such as above market fit-up allowances or upfront periods of free base rent. While incentives can help capture demand, they often fail to create demand and dark storefronts in some mixed-use buildings have unfortunately been present for years in extreme cases.

Mixed-use projects that have a good percentage of pre-leased space to one or more anchor tenants before construction begins is perhaps the greatest way to help buffer these types of issues. Getting that first domino to fall can sometimes be the hardest after all, so heading into a project with a large anchor already secured is ideal.

These real-world situations help illustrate that success in commercial real estate is never guaranteed. Developers and investors alike should spend time with area lenders, appraisers, and commercial real estate experts to understand the market before putting the next shovel in the ground.

While the popularity of mixed-use is not likely to go away any time soon, it is important to study not only those projects that have been a success, but also learn from those that have had their struggles.

ANDY WESTBY IS PRESIDENT & MANAGING BROKER OF GOLDMARK COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE INC. IN FARGO, N.D.

Andy Westby

Communicating in Business Colleges and universities tackle communication skills as business demand grows

By Andrew Weeks

When karen Bauer – who spells her first name with a lowercase “k” – started at Bismarck State College, the school’s communication department had only a newspaper and literary magazine. Now it has a digital studio and a larger focus on the many tools that make up today’s world of mass communication.

Bauer, the school’s assistant professor of journalism and the executive director of the North Dakota Student Media Association, said communication has not only affected her life and career but is a skill from which people in all professions may benefit.

Bismarck State and other institutions of higher learning told Prairie Business that companies are reaching out, telling the schools what they are seeking in potential new hires. On their list: good communication skills.

Even in her more narrowly focused path of media communication, businesses are telling Bauer they want to hire employees who have good interpersonal skills as well as writing and social media skills.

“I just interviewed a few people from our advisory committee not long ago and at the top of their list was writing skills,” she said. “They all want that writing piece. … It really kind of surprised me, even the broadcast people want more skilled workers who know how to write.”

Other sought-after skills include technical understanding, including knowing how to produce photos and videos, and how to use software programs such as InDesign and Photoshop.

Because of the demands from the business world, these are some of the skills the school’s communication department makes sure it focuses on.

To help give students hands-on experience in the world of mass comm, the department has a studio called Mystic Media, which includes a newspaper and magazine, broadcast video production, and audio radio stations. Students also gain expe-

rience promoting their work via social media.

“They have to promote Mystic Media, and so they are required to shoot out social media posts each week,” Bauer said.

She said the school offers a class that teaches students how to best use social media to promote their work and professionally connect with others in today’s media-heavy world.

“I should probably take that class,” she said. “Everyone should probably take that class.”

That’s the sum and substance of today’s mass media, which looks different than yesterday’s mass media: It’s not just for news junkies anymore. Social media – and communication skills in general, Bauer said – are traits that most any business should have in the digital age.

Revamping communication

Debora Dragseth, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Dickinson State University in Dickinson, N.D., said she has been in higher education for more than three decades and communication has always been an important life skill in her work and personal settings.

More and more businesses are demanding skill sets under the communication category these days. They want to hire people who are good at communicating, which also means computer and other tech skills that enhance communication in the digital age. Social media skills are a plus.

As such, Dickinson State University is revamping its communication department. Until now it was a generic department, not specializing in any particular area.

Pending approval from the faculty senate, the bachelor in communication degree from DSU will get a facelift in the upcoming 2021-2022 catalog, according to information from the school that was sent to Prairie Business. Changes include giving

continued on page 21

“The bottom line is communication is everywhere, it doesn’t matter what field you go into. If you go into the health industry, you’ll find health care people need communication skills. Agriculture, the same thing. … I think communication is a skill that anyone could tap into in any industry.”

karen Bauer, assistant professor of journalism at Bismarck State College

continued From page 18

multiple options or tracks for students to pursue, depending on their interests and career goals.

“We looked at both what was trending in higher education and what students had indicated were their interests,” Dr. Jeremy Wohletz, chair of the Department of Arts and Letters, said in a prepared statement to the magazine. Future communication majors will have the option to specialize in corporate communication, digital communication or public communication.

Each option has a number of electives that further allows the student to secure necessary skill sets for their desired career path. The corporate communication option, for instance, provides an opportunity for highly focused learning in the range of communication types for and by various types of organizations.

The digital communication option provides an opportunity for students with an interest in digital aspects of contemporary communication, such as blogging, podcasts or other forms of social media. This option will also benefit from the current renovations in Pulver Hall, which includes a podcasting room and television studio.

Lastly, the public communication option is similar to the school’s traditional communication program. According to Dr. Eric Grabowsky, associate professor of communication, “The three options will continue our educational work in emphasizing consistently the theory, practice, and ethics of communication.”

Also to enhance the program, Dragseth said DSU also will now offer an Excellence in Communication Badge, which basically is a verifiable credential that can be made available to potential employers.

She said she hears from companies that say they can train new hires to use software or programs and tasks, but it is tougher for businesses to teach them verbal and writing skills.

The badge allows a business to see that a potential new hire has achieved a competent level of communication skills while in school.

To receive a badge students must earn an A or B in three courses: English Composition I, English Composition II, and Fundamentals of Speech.

Communication in agriculture

Among the varying categories of emphasis in the communication program at the University of Minnesota Crookston campus is agriculture.

“Or ag-comm as we call it,” said Mark Huglen, department chair for Humanities, Social Sciences and Education. “We have an array of courses and credits in agriculture to really build a vocabulary. … It becomes a pretty nice major for people who are interested in agriculture, at whatever level, and then to be able to understand and develop the skills of communication in that field.”

Every communication student at the campus learns strategic skills

in speaking, writing and technology trends, as well as interpersonal communication skills such as building effective relationships and learning persuasion and argumentation skills.

“Those are our core skills and then students can branch off and go into other areas to develop more knowledge,” Huglen said, ag comm being one of them.

“Think of how huge the food and beverage industry is,” he said. “Working within an organization, a job could be in sales, it could be in management, it could be in the public relations department and using social media. It could be advocacy. There are a lot of jobs in the political realm. There's a lot of political maneuvering within any area, including agriculture, and so, really, the jobs are endless. This kind of just grounds them in that field, communication-wise, with all those different types of topics, so they can be ready to tackle that ag field.” Graphic design, sports information, and research are other areas that require good communication skills. Ministry services, too, and the school’s communication department has many programs that fall under its umbrella.

“Graduates in particular who say they are interested in youth ministry – they want to be better communicators,” Huglen said. “The comm-studies area is really conducive to being able to craft the program that students want; it could be very theoretical depending on what a student wants.”

All things considered, he said, mass communication is not only about the news media anymore. In today’s world it encompasses many platforms and services.

Bauer, from Bismarck State, defended the news media in a time when it is often belittled, while also reiterating that communication is important for any business and its employees.

“The bottom line is communication is everywhere, it doesn't matter what field you go into,” she said. “If you go into the health industry, you'll find health care people need communication skills. Agriculture, the same thing. Energy – we have someone from Basin Electric (Power Cooperative) on our advisory committee who is on the communications team at the company. You've got communications everywhere you look.

“I think the media in general has taken a bad rap lately, but I think it's so necessary for us to be a society that knows what's going on. So yeah, I think communication is a skill that anyone could tap into in any industry. I think that everyone should have some kind of communication classes behind them, and our program is open to everyone.”

ANDREW WEEKS PRAIRIE BUSINESS

1: BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE STUDENTS STUDYING MASS MEDIA GET TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE AS WELL AS OTHER FORMS OF HANDS-ON LEARNING. COURTESY OF BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE 2: AMBER JOHNSON SHOWS A STUDENT IMAGES ON A CAMERA AT UMN CROOKSTON. COURTESY OF UMN CROOKTSTON 3: ROBERT MECHALEY III, CURRENT EDITOR OF THE MYSTICIAN AT BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE, WORKS ON AN ISSUE OF THE NEWSPAPER. COURTESY BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE 4: DICKINSON STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ARE SEEN IN A COMMUNICATIONS CLASS AT THE SCHOOL IN DICKINSON, N.D. DSU IS REVAMPING ITS COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM, ADOPTING A MORE NARROWLY FOCUSED APPROACH TO THE SKILLS BUSINESSES WANT FROM NEW GRADUATES. COURTESY OF DICKINSON STATE UNIVERSITY 5: AMBER JOHNSON, A COMMUNICATIONS STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CROOKSTON, SPEAKS DURING A CLASS PROJECT AT THE SCHOOL. COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA CROOKSTON 6: BSC STUDENT ALLIE KAISER SITS BEHIND A MICROPHONE AT MYSTIC MEDIA STUDIOS AT BSC. COURTESY BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE 7: BSC STUDENT JEREMIAH JACKSON WORKS IN THE MYSTIC MEDIA STUDIOS. COURTESY BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE 8: PETRA DAVIDSON, A STUDENT AT BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE, WORKS WITH A VIDEO CAMERA AT THE SCHOOL. COURTESY BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE

Trending technology with

Companies are finding ways to enhance the social media and website experiences of their customers

By Andrew Weeks

When Joe Sandin was in college, he envisioned having a business that helped companies with their branding and creative marketing.

Like any true visionary, Sandin and a business partner at the time set to work on bringing their vision to reality, and in 2002 OnSharp was born.

Today, some 20 years later, Sandin, based in Fargo, N.D., runs the company that specializes in building websites, mobile apps and custom software solutions.

“Ultimately our goal is to help businesses be successful,” he said. “Whether we're doing that through app development or creating some kind of internal efficiency or whether we're helping them with their image and brand and getting their message out there, they all kind of go hand-in-hand.”

Over the past year of the pandemic, he has noticed a shift in trends related to his industry. Whereas companies once obtained a website and social media presence to have a footprint on those platforms, now they are using them a lot more to engage with their customers and clients.

“With COVID I feel like there's been a bigger sense of social media,” he said. His company helps businesses have the means to better use their websites and social media platforms to sell and interact more with their customers. “I feel like all of that stuff has been pushed forward a lot quicker, because they still have to communicate when they're not physically in front of a customer as much as they used to be.”

Until recently companies knew what worked for them using their websites and social accounts, but once the pandemic was declared the rules of the game changed. Those rules, so to speak, seem to always be in flux these days.

As a January article in Forbes noted, “social media trends come and go, social platforms continue to serve as primary marketing channels for growing a business,” and the methods of “increasing visibility, customer reach and engagement via social media are constantly evolving.”

In a different article by the same publication, it mentioned that blogging, case studies, checklists, ebooks, infographics and videos are all things that businesses can do to increase their online presence and viability with their websites.

JOE SANDIN ONSHARP

TOny AMBROSE Nexus Innovations

Sandin echoed agreement.

As more people are connected virtually, they are often accessing services by the same means or at least are online more to connect with potential businesses and services.

Sandin said how companies leverage their social accounts and websites are immediate, evolving trends that will help any business navigate the pandemic storm and allow them to continue their services in a post-pandemic world in which virtual and other technology will remain.

“I just feel like companies are pushing that faster now because of the climate that we're in today,” he said. “It could be a retail business that's been wanting to do e-commerce, whether it's to survive or thrive in the economy, they need to allow their customers to buy stuff online; or maybe it's interacting with dealers if they have a dealer network. There are just so many reasons that are now even more justified for businesses to move certain services through the internet than ever before.”

Giving ‘IT’ a seat at the table

Nexus Innovations, a management and technology consulting company headquartered in Bismarck, N.D., is intensely regional and deliberately so, according to Tony Ambrose, the company’s chief technology and chief strategy officer, who is based in Fargo. About 85% of the business is within the Fargo and Bismarck areas.

“We like to stay close to home,” he said.

He said the company, which specializes in IT consulting, likes to keep its footprint small so it can be the premier go-to company for the services in which it specializes. As such, it also is on top of current industry trends and gets a peek at what might be on the horizon.

Abrose said because of the company’s client base, which ranges from small and large businesses to local and state governments to companies specializing in health care, one specific trend is difficult to pinpoint; however, he said a common thread among most businesses today is that they are trying to leverage their data.

Companies today are more data-driven than they used to be – a necessity of the times. Fifteen to 20 years ago, for instance, many businesses found technology tools as barriers due to lack of access to advanced analytics because the tools to do that were expensive and often out of reach. As such, they couldn't make use of the information they had.

“Now we've got small businesses able to have the same technology stack for email management, for information management, for data management – all of that is scaled down because of cloud delivery,” he said.

A five-person organization can have the same technology stack as a larger corporation or government entity because now “they

continued on page 24

continued From page 23

have all the same tools, and it's not cost prohibitive anymore to make that happen.”

A parallel trend is that companies are investing more in technology than they used to and “making sure they have the tools to keep up with the Joneses and to maintain and manage this process of information they are collecting,” Ambrose said. For many companies it is now “almost an afterthought.”

That puts IT at the table.

Previously it was all about IT professionals coming into an office to manage the server room and make sure everything was up to date and running properly. Basically, managing the “technology stack,” Ambrose said. Now it is “applying the technology stack to the business and what the business is trying to do. That requires technology skills but it also requires good analytical skills and good strategies.”

IT workers – and other business professionals – have to “think big and be able to apply what technology can do for the business,” he continued. “A good part of what we bring to the table is some of that big-picture thinking and some of that strategy thinking.”

Preparing a technically-advanced workforce

Ambrose and Sandin both have seats on the board of TechND, an organization that represents tech-related developers, companies and institutions across North Dakota.

Their perspectives come not only from what they notice in their own businesses, but from what they are noticing as board members.

“We're a group that represents tech-related organizations across the state of North Dakota – and I use ‘tech-related’ in a very broad sense in that it is not just guys typing curly braces and semicolons in software development,” Ambrose said. “It is also health care tech, it's also ad tech, it's also aviation tech.”

The group serves three core purposes: it champions the technical community, often being a voice for the tech sector in the state; it advocates policy at the state level; and it bridges the gap, as Ambrose calls it, between technology and companies’ workforce needs.

“Our goal with that is that we make sure we're advocating for and supporting programs that can address those workforce needs in North Dakota,” he said. “The reality is we probably have about half of the workforce that we need for all the tech jobs that could be open in the state. At the end of the day, the trends we talked about a little earlier are really starting to play out. It's a major area of growth and North Dakota companies are constrained, not by ideas, not by resources, but they're constrained by workforce.”

He said the group wants to make sure North Dakota has a robust workforce and is graduating people with the right set of skills, or bringing skilled employees to the state, so that businesses can have their technology needs met.

Sandin, who reflects on the past 20 years of his business, said there is much to look forward to in the state with regard to business and technology. He is confident in the rising generation of tech professionals who will one day take the helm. But that means they must have opportunities available to them to explore and achieve.

Internships can help, he said. One program he advocates is the state-run Operation Intern grant program, which works with employers and institutions of higher learning to meet training and workforce needs.

“The best experiences I ever had were my internships,” Sandin said. “I think internships are a really valuable way for students to get realworld experience. What they teach you in school and what you learn out in the workforce are two totally different things. You need both perspectives – you need formal education, but then you need to understand how those things can apply in the real business community.”

FAR LEFT: NEXUS INNOVATIONS, WITH OFFICES IN FARGO AND BISMARCK, N.D., HELPS BUSINESSES WITH MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS.

IMAGE: COURTESY OF TONY AMBROSE/ NEXUS INNOVATIONS

CENTER LEFT: JOE SANDIN, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ONSHARP, A WEBSITE AND MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT COMPANY IN FARGO, N.D., SAYS BUSINESSES ARE USING THEIR WEBSITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS TO COMMUNICATE AND SELL PRODUCTS TO CUSTOMERS MORE THESE DAYS THAN THEY EVER USED TO, IN LARGE PART DUE TO MORE PEOPLE GOING ONLINE TO ACCESS SERVICES DURING THE PANDEMIC.

IMAGE: COURTESY OF JOE SANDIN/ ONSHARP

TOP LEFT: JOE SANDIN, CENTER, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ONSHARP, POSES FOR A PHOTO WITH JAKE DAHL, LEFT, DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, AND JOE HIXSON, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS.

IMAGE: COURTESY OF JOE SANDIN/ ONSHARP

BOTTOM LEFT: TONY AMBROSE, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY AND CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER FOR NEXUS INNOVATIONS IN FARGO, N.D., SAYS A TREND HE IS NOTICING IS THAT MORE COMPANIES ARE LEARNING WAYS TO BETTER LEVERAGE THE DATA THEY ARE COLLECTING ONLINE. HERE TEAM MEMBERS ARE SHOWN IN A MEETING.

IMAGE: COURTESY OF TONY AMBROSE/ NEXUS INNOVATIONS

“I learned a ton of things starting my business. Obviously I learned a lot about how to operate, and then I learned a lot from my internships as well. … Operation Intern is a program the state needs to continue putting funds into, as well as any other workforce-related programs. We need to keep pushing on those.”

For more than 20 years, business and community leaders have turned to Prairie Business as a valued partner in their overall business-to-business marketing and communications strategy. Prairie Business is your window into business and industry in North Dakota, South Dakota and western Minnesota. Whether you are involved in higher education, health care, finance, architecture and engineering, agribusiness, energy, economic development or construction, we’ve got you covered.

Vision & Ambition

By Andrew Weeks

FARGO, N.D. • As a fairly new executive with her chamber, Shannon Full is full of ideas and excitement about the business community.

Full started her new role as president and CEO of the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce in early December, after moving to the area from Wisconsin. She was drawn to the region, in part, because of the chamber’s reputation for being an outstanding organization that is known not only locally but recognized nationally.

Full had never been to Fargo before accepting the position last year and said when she arrived, she was “pleasantly surprised at the region, everything from the diversity of industry to the diversity of cultural and dining and community aspects.”

“I do think one of the initiatives that we need to get really serious about is really finding what the brand is of our region and of our state. How do we do more to attract, not only businesses, but people and talents to this region? It truly is a spectacular area of the country.”

Shannon Full, president and CEO of Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce

Chamber executive in Fargo-Moorhead metro shares goals and excitement about business community

Ascommercialsalesmanager,JenniferGuthmillerleadsateam dedicated to matchingeachcustomer’s uniqueneedswiththe right toolsandservicesfortheirbusiness.

CallJennifer todayat 701-323-3035 to scheduleafreeconsultation.

Withmorethan42,000milesof fiberacrossthestate, DCNandits14ownercompaniesoperateNorthDakota’s most robust fiber opticnetwork.

And then she met the staff: “I was blown away by the expertise, the professionalism and the passion of our team,” she said. “I made a very good choice in coming here to Fargo.”

Since taking on her new responsibilities, those positive experiences have amplified, even during a time of social distancing. She still tries to get in front of as many as she can, and gives a nod to how much the organization that crosses state borders helps business professionals during otherwise uncertain times.

That doesn’t mean everything has gone smoothly over the past several months.

continued on page 28

IMAGE: COURTESY OF FMWF CHAMBER

“It's been a pandemic – it's been challenging,” she said. “But we've learned a lot and because we have been nimble. … We've actually seen some positivity come out of it.”

One positive she’d like to see more of is enhanced promotion of the area to attract a skilled and talented workforce.

“Everyone talks about (the area) as a hidden gem – though I wish it wasn’t so hidden,” she said. “I do think one of the initiatives that we need to get really serious about is really finding what the brand is of our region and of our state. How do we do more to attract, not only businesses, but people and talents to this region? It truly is a spectacular area of the country.”

Part of that initiative is working with businesses as well as institutions of higher learning, which the chamber already does but what Full would like to enhance.

She has had a number of meetings with area professionals in an effort to gauge the atmosphere and work currently being done in the community, as well as those areas that need attention.

“I'm really trying to establish what is the ecosystem here, what the landscape looks like, and doing an assessment of what areas are of greatest need,” she said. “I will tell you that, without a doubt, all but a small handful of companies are saying the ability or inability to attract, retain and develop talent is their number one challenge.”

The chamber and the Fargo Economic Development Corp. are trying to find additional ways to attract a talented workforce to help find

iconic projects associated with “people, place and prosperity.”

One initiative to “fueling our future,” as she called it, is a collective workforce strategy to engage with K-12 schools and postsecondary educational institutions “to increase student engagement within the community.”

She calls it a “workhorse strategy that will be at the top of priority list for us to embrace and embark on.”

Full, who is not sitting on the chamber’s laurels, said her goal is also to continue to elevate the organization’s influence in the public policy realm.

“We're very active already at the state level in North Dakota and Minnesota, and then doing policy work at the local level, meaning the city and the county level,” she said. “We've got a tremendous policy team here, so we'll continue to work on business policies that affect our businesses and their ability to prosper and grow.

“One of the other key strategies we will be looking at is further enhancing and developing collaboration and strategic partnerships.”

Full said she likes to work with those businesses and organizations that have a similar vision as hers, those who want to advance the overall prosperity of the region. One of those partnerships is with North Dakota State University.

Dean Bresciani, president of NDSU, said the school has a good working relationship with the chamber and he appreciates what it does to promote and strengthen the business community.

“NDSU and the FMWFC are closely aligned in building and maintaining the workforce for the community and region,” he said. “The chamber has been wonderfully supportive of higher education in North Dakota and NDSU in particular, as they recognize our ability to draw and educate future leaders, and add richness to the area via arts and athletics and diversity of people.

“We all would be in a less prosperous and less lively community without their persistent and meaningful leadership.”

Ultimately, it takes many players to diversify and strengthen a community and the state’s workforce. Full plans to continue to analyze and enhance the chamber’s programs, including working with small and mid-sized companies that are looking for practical assistance and greater connectivity with other business leaders.

Applying lessons learned from the pandemic, she said the chamber will most likely always have a digital component moving forward, in which both in-person and virtual events and meetings will be held.

“The pandemic was really the accelerant for us to look at embracing technology,” she said. “We've always talked about it … but this forced us to really say, ‘OK, how do we run effective virtual events?’

“I would also say the value of the chamber and the community has really been elevated because the chamber has been very catalytic as it relates to recovery, resiliency, and connecting business leaders and business professionals to resources that help them weather the storm of the pandemic, all the while still doing what I would call the critical services of the chamber, which are our public policy work and our small business services. … We've actually seen some positivity come out of it.”

Building a legacy

By Andrew Weeks

Aproject at Valley City State University that has been discussed and planned for the past decade is finally seeing results. By the end of year the project will have come to fruition and the university will have a new Center for the Arts, a 56,000-squarefoot facility that, according to the experts at JE Dunn Construction, will be the envy of many.

Construction started on the new center last July, and its planned completion this coming December is something Marc Mellmer, vice president of JE Dunn Construction, is excited about.

“The purpose for the project is twofold,” he said: It grows the arts and music program at the school, and it puts the center on the correct side of the flood wall. He said when the Army Corps of Engineers completed the diversion project in town years ago the now-former arts and music building wound up on the wrong side of the flood wall.

The new facility, built inside the flood wall, is a $32 million project. Mellmer said the building is much different than those often built in high schools in that this is a state-of-the-art center with a high-level of acoustics and other notable features.

“It’s so far from a concert hall that would be in a high school auditorium,” he said. “It’s not even close. The acoustics level, the outside area handling the equipment, it’s all way, way, way different.”

The building will house a 350-seat performance hall, 100-seat choral room, 200 square-feet of band rehearsal space, and include recording studio suites, a music library, and a number of practice studios. Other features include an art gallery, ceramics studio, designated space for woodworking, and flex studio art spaces.

Matthew Ecklund, project manager with JE Dunn Construction, said the building will incorporate a lot of natural colors and patterns and will have a brick and earth-tone look to it.

Ecklund said something his team likes to do is find the “why” behind any project they work on.

“What is our purpose? Why are we here doing this project?” he said, explaining the why behind this project was formulated early in the design phase to “establish VCSU as a premier destination to train artists.”

Another project JE Dunn Construction is excited about is the new Track and Football Stadium underway at the University of Jamestown. The stadium is an $11.5 million project that is privately funded. It will feature a 4,500 square-foot pressbox, suite and concessions building, 1,500-seat grandstand, an 80,000 square-foot turf football field, and a nine-lane running track.

Construction on the track and stadium started last October and is on track – pun intended – to be completed sometime in September.

Ecklund said the “why” behind this project is to provide a state-ofthe-art track and stadium venue for generations of students.

He said it includes a partnership between Jamestown Public Schools, which also is a beneficiary of the project, and the University of Jamestown.

“A part of this project actually puts the turf practice field up at Jamestown Public Schools, and then both teams will use the stadium for football,” he said.

A natural element is that there is a natural bowl at the stadium site,

… or two

Ecklund said, noting the original bowl was excavated in the early 1900s with horse and buggy. The new bowl is being extended about 40 feet to the east.

“We're doing all of that work now with modern equipment,” he said, “but regardless, it still takes a heck of a lot of time.”

Mellmer said it has been fun for him to work on both campuses at the same time, especially knowing that students may be using for many years the projects the company has constructed at both schools.

“I think it's kind of a cool thing when we build these K-12 athletic facilities around the state of North Dakota,” Mellmer said. “We're building the athletic environments for these schools – whether it's Williston High School or Trinity High School or New England High School. And when we hear from parents that their kid is going to play football or is going to run track and field for the University of Jamestown, they're basically going from performing on one facility we constructed to performing and competing on another facility we constructed. … I just think that is a really unique thing, knowing that students may be utilizing our facilities for a 10-year period. That's pretty cool.”

ANDREW WEEKS PRAIRIE BUSINESS EDITOR

AWEEKS@PRAIRIEBUSINESSMAGAZINE.COM

701-780-1276

/ @PB_ANDREWWEEKS

FAR LEFT PAGE: A RENDERING OF THE FUTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS BEING BUILT AT VALLEY CITY STATE UNIVERSITY IN VALLEY CITY, N.D. THE 56,000 SQUARE-FOOT FACILITY WILL HOUSE A 350SEAT PERFORMANCE HALL AND 100-SEAT CHORAL ROOM, AMONG OTHER FEATURES.

IMAGE: HGA

TOP LEFT PAGE: A RENDERING OF WHAT THE LOBBY MIGHT LOOK LIKE AT THE VALLEY CITY STATE UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR THE ARTS.

IMAGE: HGA

BOTTOM LEFT PAGE: A VIEW OF THE CHORAL ROOM AT THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS IN VALLEY CITY, N.D.

IMAGE: HGA

LEFT: THIS IMAGE SHOWS THE TRACK AND FOOTBALL STADIUM BEING BUILT BY JE DUNN CONSTRUCTION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF JAMESTOWN IN JAMESTOWN, N.D. THE $11.5 MILLION PROJECT WILL FEATURE A 15,000-SEAT GRANDSTAND. THE PROJECT IS SLATED FOR COMPLETION IN SEPTEMBER.

IMAGE: JE DUNN CONSTRUCTION

ABOVE: A SCHEMATIC OF THE TRACK AND FOOTBALL STADIUM BEING BUILT AT JAMESTOWN UNIVERSITY.

IMAGE: JE DUNN CONSTRUCTION

Kerry Shelton

Starion Bank names Morgan CEO

BISMARCK, N.D. • Starion Bank has named Don Morgan CEO-elect. Morgan will also remain president, a position he has had with the bank for more than a year. Craig Larson will remain CEO and chairman of the board.

With the additional responsibilities of CEO-elect, Morgan will focus more on the overall strategy and vision for the bank, in addition to his current management of the day-to-day operations for Starion Bank. Morgan, a certified public accountant, has been with Starion since 2012 when he joined the bank as vice president for credit administration. The next year he was promoted to chief credit officer. In 2014, he became a member of Starion’s Executive Committee, which is responsible for initiating key actions within the organization, reviewing financial data, and setting major project priorities. Morgan was most recently promoted to president of Starion Bank in January 2020.

In this new role, Morgan will have a more active role in the strategic positioning of the bank and its continued growth as he guides and develops Starion’s high-performance leadership teams.He focuses on all operational aspects of the bank and building relationships with customers in all the communities Starion serves. He is based out of corporate headquarters in Bismarck, N.D.

Lon Keller

John Lundwall Jillian Voss

Studios Team joins Bell Bank

FARGO, N.D. • Four team members with extensive video and audio production experience, and a long history of creating impactful projects in the region, have joined the marketing department at Bell Bank in Fargo, N.D.

Led by Kerry Shelton as vice president and director of photography, the new “Bell Studios” team also includes Lon Keller, director/Bell Studios and senior editor, senior producer/editor Jon Lundwall, and editor Jillian Voss.

Originally from Bismarck, N.D., Shelton has more than four decades of experience in creative direction, photographic direction, storytelling and producing videos, as well as executive production for live events, and his work includes an Emmy Award nomination. Prior to joining Bell, he was employed at KFYR-TV and WDAY-TV, ProVideo, Bankshot Productions, Sundog and Two Rivers Marketing.

Shelton and his wife, Nancy, live in Fargo. They have two children and two grandchildren.

Keller is originally from Tenney, Minn., and earned a degree in mass communications and advertising from MSUM. He has nearly 40 years of experience in audio and video production including writing, editing and directing, motion graphics, podcasts and live events. Keller was previously employed at KFGO and several other local radio stations, WDAY-TV (where he won an Emmy Award in 2000), Microsoft, Bankshot Productions, Sundog and Two Rivers Marketing.

Keller and his wife, Shelley, live in Moorhead. They have two sons.

A native of Arthur, N.D., Lundwall earned a degree in mass communications from NDSU and has more than 35 years of experience in concepting, writing, editing, shooting and producing video stories. He was previously employed at Prairie Public Broadcasting, Video Builders, Bankshot Productions, Sundog and Two Rivers Marketing.

Lundwall and his wife, Sara, live near Hatton, N.D. They have two children.

Voss is originally from Sibley, Iowa, and earned her degree in radio and TV broadcasting from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall. She has more than 12 years of experience in story concepting and editing, motion graphics and audio mixing. Previously, Voss was employed as a freelance audio/video editor as well as at Simply Michele, Sundog and Two Rivers Marketing.

Voss and her husband, Jeremy, live in West Fargo and have three children.

Don Morgan

Paul Brucker

Railway Credit Union president named as CULAC Ambassador

BISMARCK, N.D. • Paul Brucker, president of Railway Credit Union, Mandan, N.D., has been named a CULAC Ambassador for his achievements in 2020.

CULAC is the federal Legislative Action Council for the Credit Union National Association and is the national PAC that contributes to federal candidates with input from the Dakota Credit Union Association. The Ambassadors Program is a CULAC Trustee involvement program with the main goal to increase Trustees’ involvement in CULAC fundraising in their respective state.

As the North Dakota CULAC Trustee, Brucker met four categories of strict criteria to achieve this prestigious award. He is one of only 22 credit union professionals nationally to receive the honor for 2020.

DakCU plays a key role in growing membership and helping to provide service excellence to members from offices in Bismarck, N.D. and Sioux Falls, S.D.

Bell Bank hires senior VP of Credit Risk and Regulatory Affairs

MAPLE GROVE, Minn. • Bell Bank has hired Steve Flaten as senior vice president of Credit Risk and Regulatory Affairs. In this role, he serves as a liaison with all bank regulatory agencies and helps the company with credit risk identification, measurement, and monitoring policies and practices.

Flaten, originally from Hatton, N.D., recently retired after 33 years with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. He earned a degree in banking and finance from the University of North Dakota and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin’s Graduate School of Banking.

Flaten is located in Bell Bank’s Maple Grove, Minn., office and works across the company’s divisions and regions.

Essentia Health Welcomes

several new health practitioners

FARGO, N.D. • Essentia Health has welcomed several new professionals to its team.

Dr. Aaron Phillipps, who specializes in infectious disease, is now seeing patients at the Essentia Health clinic at 32nd Avenue in Fargo.

Phillipps earned his medical degree at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn., and completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in infectious disease at Carillion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Va. He is board certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Thomas Ortmeier, who specializes in pathology, has relocat-

Aaron Phillipps Thomas Ortmeier Kimberly Naplin

ed to Essentia Health in Fargo from Essentia Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd, Minn.

Ortmeier earned his medical degree and completed his residency in Anatomical & Clinical Pathology at Sanford’s USD Medical Center, Sioux Falls, S.D. He is board certified in Anatomic Pathology & Clinical Pathology by the American Board of Pathology.

Nurse Practitioner Kimberly Naplin, who specializes in walk-in care, is now seeing patients at the Essentia Health West Fargo Clinic.

Naplin earned her master’s degree in nursing from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D., and is certified as a family nurse practitioner by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

TSP design technician earns additional certification

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. • Evan Caldwell, design technician at TSP Inc., recently earned additional professional certification. He is now a CDT-certified specialist.

Evan Caldwell

The designation means he has completed advanced training and testing in Construction Documents Technology. The comprehensive program encompasses topics such as writing, interpreting, enforcing, and managing construction documents.

Caldwell is part of the company’s Sioux Falls office, creating digital models and contributing to construction documents in its fully integrated, multidisciplinary architecture, engineering and planning firm.

He earned his associate of applied science degree in architectural engineering technology from Southeast Tech. He put that learning to use for a structural firm before joining TSP in September 2019.

The CDT curriculum, designed and administered by the Construction Specifications Institute, takes learners on a full tour through a project’s life cycle. In addition to covering the full project structure and the ins-and-outs of bidding, the CDT training comprised relationships among design firms, owners, and contractors, including various delivery methods.

Amanda Fritz

Obembe Joins Houston Engineering

FARGO, N.D. • Palmer Obembe joins Houston Engineering Inc.’sFargo team as an Engineer I. Palmer will support water resources projects by preparing engineering studies, reports, analyses, and design documents to develop water management solutions for the company’s clients across the region.

The Fargo native holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from North Dakota State University. Palmer’s past experience includes working for an engineering firm in Lagos, Nigeria, and interning at the Fargo Water Treatment Plant.

SEND

Award-winning art director joins Paulsen

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. • Paulsen recently welcomed Amanda Fritz to the agency as art director.

Prior to joining Paulsen, Fritz was with Epicosity and Lawrence & Schiller, winning Gold ADDY awards at each agency. Along with an outstanding design portfolio, she brings a user experience background to the Paulsen table.

Fritz graduated from the University of South Dakota with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a minor in Contemporary Media and Journalism. She lives in Sioux Falls with her husband and young daughter.

Palmer Obembe

Q.

INSIGHTs & INTUITION

What do you consider before promoting an employee?

Sonja Bommersbach

Resources Manager DRN ReadiTech Ellendale, N.D.

The foundation for us at DRN ReadiTech starts with building and encouraging a continuous learning environment for employees, providing resources to better prepare for future career possibilities.

Our Board of Directors and Leadership Team supports investing in our employees through various training and development opportunities. Through regular conversations with employees, managers and supervisors gain an awareness of the strengths and interests of the employee. We challenge employees to take the initiative to grow – whether in their current roles or in preparation for other, entirely different roles in the company. This foundation lays the groundwork to aid in promotion decisions within our organization.

To be considered for a promotion from within, first a team member must be performing at a high level. One of our core values is engaged. One of our definitions of engaged is doing what is expected “and then some.” But working hard and producing outstanding results is only a part of the equation. People skills are just as important, especially if the promotion is into a role that oversees other people. Is this person able to communicate effectively in a timely and professional manner? When conflicting viewpoints arise, are they able to participate and facilitate a productive resolution? One question posed to me as I was seeking my first promotion into a management role was – who is going to be your replacement? Meaning, in order to move into a different role, I had to make sure I was grooming and preparing the person that would take my place as a leader on the current team. In some cases, that may not be possible, but thinking about the bigger picture and differentiating yourself is part of the process.

Stuart Stein President ESCO Manufacturing & Stein Sign Display Watertown, S.D.

Human

Lif e isenjoying wha t yo u lo ve m

Life is enjoying what you lo ve

Promoting employees is one of my favorite parts of leading teams and a great way to recognize people for their solid performance and ability to flex into a new challenge. The qualities I look for when promoting an employee include 1) a passion for continual learning, 2) a culture champion, and 3) the ability to grow into the new role.

A passion for continual learning includes not only domainspecific knowledge, but many times hobbies and personal activities that lend themselves well to overall employee health and broadened perspectives. One example may be a passion for stock trading, which provides the employee a broader economic view and insight into how other industries solve similar problems.

I’m passionate about culture and feel it’s important to consider employees that champion a positive culture; they are humble, treat others with respect, and have an appetite to take calculated risks. A team of good people will outperform a team of experts every day and reduce friction in the workplace. Lastly, I look for an employee’s proven track record of high performance with demonstrated nimbleness in taking on more demanding responsibilities.

Chad Surprenant, PE Chief Strategy Officer ISG

Sioux Falls, S.D.

Jodi Satkunam

Vice President of Wallet Bushel, Inc. Fargo, N.D.

Everyone likes to be recognized and promoted, but there are some items to consider first. Potentially being promoted out of an employee’s strong suit and into a role which doesn’t fit their strengths is a concern learned from the book, The Peter Principle. Additionally, some ask for a promotion when what is truly desired is additional compensation. Honest conversations regarding a potential new compensation package can help address this legitimate concern. When an employee is really crushing their role, it is certainly worth looking into a promotion. The ability, desire, and attitude of the employee is essential, but attitude will likely drive how they assimilate and develop into the new role.

A promotion also usually means leading people, and there are some simple assessments that can help employers understand if an employee is fit for a new leadership role. ISG uses Strengths Finders with a high level of success.

Ultimately, to maximize a team you progress people into the right roles while providing aspiring career challenges. For some, this means climbing the ladder, and for others it means being the best they can be in their current role. As a leader and mentor, you need to assist and guide.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 379,000 in February, the latest numbers released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 6.2%. The labor market continued to reflect the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In February, most of the job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, with smaller gains in temporary help services, health care and social assistance, retail trade, and manufacturing. Employment declined in state and local government education, construction, and mining.

PART-TIME WORKERS

The number of people at work part time for economic reasons, also called involuntary part-time workers, totaled 6.1 million in February 2021. This was down from 10.9 million in April 2020 but is 1.7 million higher than in February 2020. These workers would have preferred full-time employment but were working part time because their hours had been reduced due to slack work or they were unable to find full-time jobs.

PEOPLE WORKING REMOTELY

According to recent numbers by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics nearly one in four people (22.7%) employed in February 2021 teleworked or worked at home for pay because of the COVID–19 pandemic. This is down from 35.4% in May 2020, the first month these data were collected. The likelihood of teleworking due to the pandemic varied across worker groups. Teleworking remained more likely among workers ages 25 to 54 than among older or younger workers. In February 2021, 25.5% of those ages 25 to 54 teleworked, compared with 22.2% for workers aged 55 and older and 8.5% for workers ages 16 to 24. Women continued to be more likely to telework due to the pandemic than men. In February, 25.1% of women teleworked because of the pandemic, compared with 20.5% of men.

CARING FO RW OM EN AT EVERYA GE

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