The region’s top 40 under 40 pg. 30
Firms flock to career fairs in search of new talent pg. 26
First US greenfield refinery in 30 years nears completion pg. 58
Nor th Dakota is meeting higher energy demands and exceeding tougher environmental standards.
While the nation’s energy demands keep rising, EPA standards keep getting tougher. Not to worry: North Dakota power companies are meeting the challenge of demand and actually exceeding the EPA’s environmental standards. Our air quality is among the best in the nation. Lear n how we’re working for both a healthy economy and a healthy environment at SecureEnergyFuture.org
EVENTS
Brookings Visual Arts & Entrepreneurship Conference Dec. 5-6 Brookings, S.D.
Information: brookingsedc.com/enregister.html
Post-harvest Handling and Transportation for Ag Products: Issues and Alternatives Dec. 8-9 Fargo, N.D. Information: ag.ndsu.edu/capts/events
Precision Ag Summit 2015 Jan. 19-20 Jamestown, N.D. ....................................
Information: theresearchcorridor.com/precisionagsummit2015
Michelle Miller, recruiting manager at Bismarck, N.D.-based engineering firm KLJ, is among the young professionals honored on this year’s list of the top 40 business professionals under the age of 40. PHOTO: KLJ
KRIS BEVILL Editor kbevill@prairiebizmag.com
Some of you may have heard me joke over the past month or so that reviewing nominations for our annual 40 Under 40 list always makes me feel lazy. This is not entirely true, although after imagining the hectic days that some of our nominees must endure, I do suddenly have the urge to take a nap. (Really, multiple kids, a full-time career, a passion project on the side and a full list of volunteer work? How is this possible?)
But mostly, I emerge from the nomination review and selection process feeling newly motivated to share with our readers the stories of young professionals throughout our region who can truly inspire all of us to do more. To strive for more professionally, to contribute more to our communities and to embrace the nonstop work of advancing our region in an economic sense as well as in a social sense.
Every year, we invite readers to nominate professionals under the age of 40 in the northern Plains who they believe deserve recognition for their professional achievements and contributions to their communities. We received more than 200 nominations this year, a new record, which I believe illustrates the power of the millennial generation as well as the deep bench of incredibly skilled professionals in our region. We are fortunate to have so many young, extremely talented members of the region’s business community and we sincerely congratulate all of this year’s honorees. Read “Promising Young Professionals” for this year’s list.
As this is our final issue of 2014, I think it’s also appropriate to reflect a bit on the year that has so quickly passed. Trending at the top of topics of interest among the region’s business communities this year have no question been workforce shortages and efforts to recruit and retain millennial workers. We’ve often covered these hot issues, sometimes not intentionally, as they tend to creep into all areas of business in the region.
This issue, for example, covers Fargo-Moorhead as the subject of our Talk of the Town article. This monthly article has often served as an avenue to provide readers with an overview of a community and its business sector in general. This month, however, the article took a different twist. Fargo has enjoyed a newfound role as a media darling of sorts this year as its economy has boomed and young entrepreneurs aggressively market the metro as a hip, quirky urban center. But the elephant in the room is that the metro’s shortage of workers rivals the Bakken region in terms of severity and without a resolution, the state’s historic economic powerhouse faces a leveling off for no other reason than there are just not enough people to meet business demands.
Other articles this month also address workforce and young workers, specifically. Contributing writer Rob Swenson follows up on the reported record number of exhibitors at university career fairs for future engineers in his article, “Mining for engineers.” He learned that while companies once recruited new hires in the spring, they are now finding that if they don’t have a student signed on by winter, they’re too late. Students also have the luxury of choosing their employer, so the race to attract new hires has become increasingly competitive.
In “Building a better project,” we highlight some of the cutting-edge technology being used to build Essentia Health’s medical facility expansion in south Fargo. As an interesting side note, hospital officials also shared that construction crews working on the project had to add additional security measures on the ground to prevent headhunters from visiting the site and luring workers away.
As we look ahead to the new year, we anticipate workforce and millennials will remain topics of interest to the community. We look forward to continuing to bring you slices of business life and encourage you to continue sharing your input with us. And despite the challenges, we are happy to toast a successful 2014 and even more fulfilling new year!
KORRIE WENZEL, Publisher
RONA JOHNSON, Executive Editor
KRIS BEVILL, Editor
BETH BOHLMAN, Circulation Manager
KRIS WOLFF, Layout Design, Ad Design
Sales Director: JOHN FETSCH
701.212.1026 jfetsch@prairiebizmag.com
Sales: BRAD BOYD - western ND/western SD
800.641.0683 bboyd@prairiebizmag.com
Editor:
KRIS BEVILL
701.306.8561 kbevill@prairiebizmag.com
Editorial Advisors:
Dwaine Chapel, Executive Director, Research Park at South Dakota State University; Bruce Gjovig, Director, Center for Innovation; Lisa Gulland-Nelson, Vice President, Marketing and P.R., Greater Fargo Moorhead EDC; Tonya Joe (T.J.) Hansen, Assistant Professor of Economics, Minnesota State University Moorhead; Brekka Kramer, General Manager of Odney; Matthew Mohr, President/CEO, Dacotah Paper Company;
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. Qualifying 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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As the year comes to a close, it’s time to evaluate your actual expenditures for the year verses what your plan for the year was initially.
One of the hardest forms of discipline is controlling operating costs when business is better than expected. It’s far too easy to spend the added income on extras that become permanent, which can lead to disaster when business slows down.
Smart business owners calculate their expenses as a percentage of sales and as a percentage of gross profit, and watch this trend over many years along with comparing their results with industry averages.
Banks commonly use a measurement tool called the bank efficiency ratio to compare themselves to others in their market and banks in general. The bank efficiency ratio is calculated by dividing the reporting period’s expenses by the corresponding period’s revenue (revenue meaning interest income plus fee income). The lower the ratio, the better the bank.
If you have experienced a temporary unexpected increase in business, you may want to increase staff. It is a
lot harder to discharge an employee when business slows down. By the time you realize you are over-staffed, each employee has become a necessity. Most conscientious employers find it rewarding to grow employment and difficult to reduce staff, which seems “morally” right. Morality aside, it’s difficult to cut employment costs once they are in place. Other less-obvious costly conveniences, such as entertainment, gifting, or gas-guzzling vehicles, often continue well beyond their affordability.
Trends over time make a lot of sense to understand, both from an individual enterprise perspective and from a global industry-wide viewpoint. Further breaking down expenses into more explicit categories can provide a lot of insight as well if you like details.
Controlling costs is an ongoing challenge as business conditions change, and is worth constant attention.
Matthew D. Mohr CEO, Dacotah Paper Co. mmohr@dacotahpaper.com
Aquestion that has haunted organizational leaders for decades is: Do we know what we know?
Lew Platt, CEO of HP, famously stated, “I wish we knew what we know at HP.” His cunning play on words was a reminder that even the best companies sometimes have hidden knowledge, silos of information, or mountains of unmined data. Executives across the land have invested incredible resources trying to unleash this collective wisdom, often called “organizational memory,” to achieve a competitive advantage.
Ironically, just as many organizations deployed the technology needed to empower their people to access whatever they needed, the world was rocked by WikiLeaks, Edward Snowden and others. It matters not which side of the transparency crusade you are on, these actions changed how organizations share knowledge forever. Today, many leaders fear that disgruntled, disillusioned or dissatisfied workers will, given the opportunity, deliberately release key assets from the organizational memory vault.
The sad but very predictable result is a clamping down on who can access various assets, a de facto return to a need-to-know working philosophy. To many underlings, the swift about turn from an environment of openness, transparency and free sharing to what seems to be a step backwards, is perceived as a lack of trust. What happens next is even more predictable; the most valuable people on your team are no longer on your team. Instead they are working for your competitors, who in turn are thinking, “thanks for the memories … corporate memories that is.” The moral of the story is you must trust your people or they will not be your people.
Speaking of leaving, this is my last column with Prairie Business. My wife JoAnn and I have recently moved to Georgia. Thanks for reading, thanks for the many comments, and thanks for the memories. PB
John Girard Founder, Sagology John@JohnGirard.net Twitter: @JohnGirard
BY ROBBIE THOMPSON AND MARK CUMMINS
Over the last few years, credit unions and community banks have faced a common and growing concern: the crisis of creeping complexity with respect to the regulatory burden. Our communities, our customers, and our members need the smaller, community-focused financial institutions like credit unions and community banks to work together in the best interest of our communities to stem the swell of regulations. Otherwise small financial institutions like community banks and credit unions face the threat of being regulated out of existence. And if this happens, the real losers will be our communities, small businesses and consumers that will lose the hometown type of financial institutions that make decisions locally.
Small financial institutions like credit unions and community banks are the lifeblood of our communities. They provide local decisions and are active strong civic participants. They did not cause the financial crisis and generally did not engage in the type of practices that caused the mortgage meltdown, but sadly, they are both collateral damage. Each new regulation, while intended to right the past wrongs of others, makes it continually more difficult for small financial institutions to operate.
It is not just one or two new regulations that are making it more difficult for small financial institutions to operate, but the cumulative effect of having multiple federal regulators issuing numerous and complicated new rules. Since 2008, credit unions have been subject to 181 new rules — many of which are hundreds or even thousands of pages in length. In January 2013 alone, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued over
3,000 pages of new mortgage rules required by the Dodd-Frank Act. Many of these new rules involve costly changes to processes, computer systems and job responsibilities. Again, the impact on smaller financial institutions from all of these new rules is amplified as they have fewer resources to track and keep up with the constant flood of new regulations.
Undoubtedly the intent of Congress and regulatory agencies in issuing many of these new rules is to protect consumers, but the unintended consequence is that it is making it more and more difficult for small community financial institutions to operate and serve consumers and small businesses. It is creating a problem of almost “too small to succeed” when the intent, at least in part, was to reduce the problem of “too big to fail.” The biggest banks are bigger today than they were before the financial crisis. Since 1997, the largest 100 banks have increased their market share from around 40 percent to over 70 percent. This is due, in part, to the increased challenge smaller financial institutions have in coping with the creeping complexity of regulations. In order to stem the tide of over-regulation and ensure continued access to local credit decisions by local financial institutions, community banks and credit unions must enlist the support of small business and work together. PB
Robbie Thompson President/CEO Credit Union Association of the Dakotas rthompson@cuad.coop
Mark Cummins President/CEO Minnesota Credit Union Network mcummins@mncun.org
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North Dakota’s economic growth, driven by multiple market segments, receives global attention. Technology and human capital are among the drivers playing a role in that success. Research universities as part of the higher education system are among resources available to assist in fueling sustained growth.
Job Service North Dakota statistics often show job openings in the state in excess of 20,000. In September, for example, the state’s rate of active resumes per job opening was just 0.3 percent. Job Service noted that a rate below 1.0 shows more job openings than active resumes.
Research universities are in a position to prep the pipeline with human capital — students and graduates who can assist businesses and communities in meeting future challenges. For example, the Students in Technology Training and Research program matches students in science, technology, engineering and math with companies to solve technology challenges. It is part of the North Dakota Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, a North Dakota University System program. More than 98 companies have participated in STTAR since its inception.
The ND-EPSCoR received a $20 million competitive federal award to strengthen the state’s research infrastructure over the next five years. This includes Innovation and Strategic Program Initiatives for Research and Education (INSPIRE-ND) to contribute to North Dakota’s traditional economic driver of agriculture, while developing science infrastructure for high technology and market sectors. Goals include building and diversifying the state’s science and technology workforce for advanced manufacturing, energy and technology-based businesses.
Prepping the pipeline occurs in many different ways. North Dakota State University provides opportunities to encourage entrepreneurship with the
Innovation Challenge program. Managed by the NDSU Research and Technology Park, it provides students opportunities to generate and potentially commercialize good ideas for market. Additional opportunities are provided through NDSU Explore, an annual event that gives undergraduate students an opportunity to present their research to the community.
We’ve developed new senior design template agreements that provide ways for undergraduate students to potentially possess intellectual property and discoveries generated from their senior design projects created within for-credit courses. These template agreements permit students who choose to work with companies on projects to select how they ultimately prefer to share and protect their discoveries.
We continue enhancing our focus on working with corporations and foundations to generate research partnerships that benefit industry, businesses and students. Jolynne Tschetter joins our current business/industry team as executive director for corporate and foundation research relations at NDSU, to build opportunities with foundations and business partners interested in accessing research expertise here.
Rather than create a maze, we look to build an interconnected pipeline of human assets extending across the state. Research universities help shape the future of students and the communities in which we live. Prepping the pipeline with human capital helps the region achieve sustained success, strengthens the workforce, and creates future opportunities for students and companies in the region. We look forward to working with you in the future. PB
Kelly Rusch Vice President for Research and Creative Activity North Dakota State University
Kelly.Rusch@ndsu.edu
Twitter:
@NDSU
On Oct. 24, the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corp. partnered with the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce, Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau, United Way of Cass-Clay and the F-M Area Foundation in announcing a major workforce study.
Over the last several years, it has become apparent to all of these organizations that the lack of highly skilled and educated workforce is having a negative impact on businesses across Cass County, N.D., and Clay County, Minn. For our region to sustain its growth, we need to identify our shortfalls and come up with solutions.
This announcement is important in two ways. First the announcement is important because the study itself will provide critical information and direction relative to our workforce challenges. The study will look at labor market characteristics, labor shed definitions, target industry alignment and high-demand occupations. The consulting firm will also conduct sector council facilitation.
The second reason the announcement is important is because five regional organizations have come together to collaborate and address this important singular issue.
When we prepared the request for pro-
posal (RFP) for our workforce study and forwarded it to nine national research organizations, the first response was surprise at the collaboration between our organizations. I think this type of collaboration is a part of who we are as a community and region, and it is unique.
Within the F-M entrepreneurial community, one of the underlying principles is, “We are creating the community that we want to live in.” The workforce collaboration is doing the same thing. Our organizations are collaborating so we can make our community the best place to live, work and play.
The study commenced on Nov. 1, and we have one important message to get out to all regional businesses. When you receive a request to participate in a one-on-one or group interview or to participate in an electronic survey, please do so. The study will only be as successful as the information that you, the business community, provides.
Make a difference and help us create the “Community We All Want to Live In.” PB
Jim Gartin President Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corp.
jgartin@gfmedc.com
Twitter: @careerfm
South Dakota State University will rename the Northern Plains Biostress Laboratory the Edgar S. McFadden Biostress Laboratory. The lab houses much of SDSU’s agronomic and biological research as well as several classrooms.
McFadden graduated from what was then South Dakota State College in 1918 and is recognized for developing a spring wheat variety, called Hope, that was immune to stem rust. His plant genetics work led to greater wheat production during World War II, and continues to impact global wheat production, according to the university.
Bismarck, N.D.-based Starion Financial is buying WPS Community Bank of Madison, Wis. The acquisition expands Starion’s presence in Wisconsin; it also operates community banks in Middleton and Sun Prairie, Wis.
“WPS Community Bank is a financially sound, healthy organization, making it an attractive expansion opportunity for Starion,” WPS Insurance Inc. President and CEO Mike Hamerlik said in a statement. “A major deciding factor in the selection was that the Starion culture is a perfect fit with our bank and its customers.”
The sale is expected to be final in the first quarter of 2015.
The University of South Dakota student chapter of the Financial Management Association recently organized a trip for students from the Beacom School of Business to meet with billionaire investor Warren Buffett at the Berkshire Hathaway offices in Omaha, Neb. Students from USD, along with students from Cornell University, University of Missouri, Washington University, St. Louis University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha attended a 90-minute question-and-answer session with Buffett. The students also ate lunch with Buffett before touring two Berkshire-owned companies.
Nearly two dozen students from the Beacom School of Business at the University of South Dakota traveled to Omaha, Neb., to meet with Warren Buffett. PHOTO: UNIVERSITY
Fargo Jet Center has been designated as an authorized service center by Cirrus Aircraft Corp. The designation will expand FJC’s service offerings and give owners and operators in the region access to FJC’s services, according to Darren Hall, FJC vice president of marketing. “We continue to see an increase in the number of Cirrus owners in our area and look forward to supporting their needs,” he said.
Cirrus is headquartered in Duluth, Minn. The company also has a facility in Grand Forks, N.D.
The South Dakota Department of Tourism has recognized 156 businesses and organizations in 46 communities for outstanding customer service through its Great Service Star Program. The program is designed to recognize businesses that develop and complete hospitality training programs for their staff, recognize and reward employees for service, and show customer appreciation in unique ways. Winners are listed at sdvisit.com/programs/service/winners. asp. For information on program participation, visit sdvisit.com/ programs/service/greatservice.asp.
OF SOUTH DAKOTAWarroad, Minn.-based Marvin Windows and Doors has been awarded the 2014 American Business Ethics Award by the Foundation for Financial Service Professionals. The company was selected as the winner in the large company category for exemplifying high standards of ethical conduct in the workplace, the marketplace and the community, according to the company. Marvin Windows and Doors is a third- and fourth-generation, family-owned and operated business with more than 4,500 employees in factories across the U.S.
The ABEA was created in 1994 and honors businesses that act in an ethical manner in regards to everyday business practices. To be eligible for the award, businesses must be nominated and provide comprehensive information about their ethics plan, as well as specific examples of how they have put the plan into action.
Basin Electric had more revenue in 2013 than any other electric cooperative in the nation, according to a report recently released by the National Cooperative Bank. The cooperative racked up more than $2 billion in revenues in 2013. Across all industries, Basin Electric ranked 21 on NCB’s top 100 list, up from 24th place the previous year, according to the report.
In a news release, Basin Electric credited tremendous growth in the Bakken along with high grain and cattle prices as contributors to its success.
Mitchell, S.D., has been named one of the world’s Smart21 Communities of 2015 by the Intelligent Community Forum in recognition of its world-class broadband infrastructure and its educators’ contributions to the “knowledge economy.”
“The Mitchell telecommunications industry sector has 500 technical, engineering and software jobs in companies like Innovative Systems and Vantage Point Solutions,” says Bryan Hisel, executive director of the Mitchell Area Development Corp. and Chamber of Commerce. “These companies have been instrumental in bringing broadband communications to not only Mitchell but to rural areas throughout North America.”
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Sanford Health has agreed to donate $1 million — $100,000 per year over 10 years — from its community dividend fund to support the construction of McKenzie County Healthcare Systems’ new medical center in Watford City, N.D. MCHS broke ground on the $59 million medical complex in June.
Additionally, MCHS is developing terms of a management agreement with Sanford, pursuing installation of Sanford’s electronic medical records system, Epic, and becoming a participating provider in Sanford Health Plan.
Architecture and engineering firm EAPC has opened a satellite office in Fort Collins, Colo. The expansion is an effort to expand the firm’s industrial client base, which is expected to blend well with its existing strengths in the sugar industry, oil and gas, and power generation, according to the firm. Bruce Ogden, director of business development, will head the new office.
EAPC plans to expand its client base in Colorado as well as Wyoming, Nebraska and Montana.
Alerus Financial has been named one of the 40 Best Banks to Work For in 2014 by American Banker and Best Companies Group. The award is based on a combination of employee-based surveys and an evaluation of the bank’s workplace policies, practices and demographics.
The North Dakota Chapter of the American Public Works Association recently selected the water treatment plant in Hillsboro, N.D., as the project of the year in the Communities Fewer than 5,000 category. AE2S (Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services Inc.) designed the new 800-gallon-per-minute water treatment plant, which incorporates reverse osmosis membrane treatment and several features to provide critical system redundancy. The new facility and site were also designed to readily accommodate expansion.
Karvakko Engineering announced it has purchased Richard Rude Architectural firm, which will now operate as a subsidiary of Karvakko. Both companies are based in Bemidji, Minn. Richard Rude Architectural was established in 1986 and specializes in governmental, institutional and commercial projects throughout northern Minnesota. The acquisition will allow Karvakko to expand its services to current and future clients, according to the company.
Architecture and engineering firm Widseth Smith Nolting has acquired Rochester, Minn.-based Kane and Johnson Architects Inc. The firms forged a strategic alliance several months ago and formalized the alliance with an official merger on Oct. 1, according to Widseth Smith Nolting. The firms’ signature collaboration to date is Bridge Plaza in Mankato, Minn. — a seven-story retail and residential building which is scheduled to begin being built next year.
Widseth Smith Nolting was established in Crookston, Minn., in 1975. It now employs nearly 200 people at offices throughout Minnesota and in Grand Forks, N.D.
Sundog, a marketing technology company headquartered in Fargo, N.D., has entered into a strategic partnership with Schermer, a Minneapolis-based business-to-business brand experience agency. The companies will collaborate on client projects and jointly pursue new business opportunities, but will remain independent and plan no staff changes, according to Sundog.
Alerus Financial NA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alerus Financial Corp., acquired New Hampshire-based Retirement Alliance Inc. and its affiliate company on Oct. 1. The acquisition increases Alerus Retirement Solutions retirement plan assets under administration to $16.1 billion, with 262,000 plan participants in 49 states.
Midcontinent Communications was recently presented with the Workplace Excellence Award in the large employee category from the Sioux Empire Society for Human Resource Management in recognition of its efforts to establish a highly desirable work environment through leadership, culture and best practices. Midcontinent previously won the award in 2009.
Northern Plains Rail Services has partnered with NorthStar Midstream to provide switching operations at its new transloading terminal in East Fairview, N.D. The terminal’s mainline is served by BNSF. NPRS will provide industrial rail switching services in support of NorthStar Transloading’s day-to-day operations at the terminal.
Pat Bellmore has been promoted to chief marketing officer and vice president of marketing at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota. In this role, he provides leadership and direction for the development and implementation of strategic marketing and member objectives and plans. Bellmore has worked at BCBSND for nearly 30 years, and has served as manager of district marketing for the last 16 years.
Kimberly Keller has joined AckermanEstvold’s Minot, N.D., office as an architectural designer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental design and a master’s degree in architecture from North Dakota State University. She has six years of experience designing projects including health care facilities, public and educational building additions and financial institutions.
Kristi Spindler recently joined Western State Bank as human resources manager. In this position, she will manage the bank’s recruiting, hiring, performance management, compensation and benefit functions and develop and manage HR infrastructure. Spindler has nearly 10 years of HR experience, most recently with HDR Engineering in Minneapolis, where she served as HR manager.
Starion Financial’s human resources and training department recently promoted four members to new positions.
Sherri Anderson has been promoted to human resources officer. She has worked at the bank since 1997 and has served in a variety of roles over that time.
Bonnie Dahl has been promoted to human resources officer II. She joined Starion in 2011 and has more than 20 years of experience in HR. Nagoshia Morast has been promoted to human resources specialist. She joined Starion in 2009 and served as a teller and supervisor before moving into the HR department.
Melissa Werner has been promoted to retail training coordinator. She joined Starion as a part-time bank teller in 2007 and has served in a variety of full-time positions since 2009.
The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education has appointed Tisa Mason as president of Valley City State University. Before joining VCSU, Mason served as vice president for student affairs at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan. She previously served as dean of student life at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in Whitewater, Wis., and as executive director of the Sigma Kappa Sorority and Foundation in Indianapolis.
Gregory Wald has joined West Fargo, N.D.-based Moore Engineering as communications manager. He has more than 15 years of strategic marketing and communications experience in various industries. He is an adjunct faculty member for the marketing department at the University of North Dakota, a member of the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce’s business training committee and a past chair of the group’s leadership program. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from UND and a bachelor’s degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.
Tom Erickson has been named director of the Energy and Environmental Research Center in Grand Forks, N.D. He has been serving as interim director since July. He previously served as associate director for business, operations and intellectual property at the EERC.
Neil Brackin has joined Fargo Jet Center/Premier Jet Center as vice president of flight operations. He will lead the flight operations division and business development of new markets. He most recently served as director of air transportation for General Mills in Minneapolis and has extensive experience in all aspects of aircraft operations. He will also serve as interim general manager of the newly acquired Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Premier Jet Center.
Mike Clancy has been promoted to vice president of technical services for FJC and associated companies Weather Modification and Exclusive Aerospace LLC. He previously served as director maintenance for the companies.
Bruce Boe has been promoted to vice president of meteorology for Weather Modification Inc. Boe has worked for the company since 2001. Prior to that, he served for 12 years as the director of the North Dakota Atmospheric Resource Board.
Beth Gallagher has joined the Eide Bailly LLP Technology Consulting team as a support analyst. Her expertise includes network monitoring, desktop user support and platform management.
Ben Woessner has joined the firm’s Technology Consulting team as a technology business advisor. He has more than seven years of business development experience in the technology market, including four years specializing in SaaS solutions for the oil and gas, transportation, agriculture and construction industries.
There’s never been a better time to be an engineer, Lewis Brown says. Nor, in his opinion, has there ever been a better time to be a college student just beginning to study engineering.
Brown is the dean of the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering at South Dakota State University in Brookings. So he might not come from an entirely objective vantage point. However, administrators at engineering schools throughout the northern Plains express similar thoughts.
“I would say about half the seniors I’m advising already have job offers,” says Matthew Cavalli, the assistant dean for outreach and recruiting at the College of Engineering and Mines at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. “I think that’s a pretty common trend among faculty.”
Demand for engineers has been increasing for the past several years, says Cavalli, who is also an associate professor and the chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UND.
The regional and national economies have been on a gradual upswing as businesses have recovered from the Great Recession of 2007-2008. Regional economic forces, such as the oil-production boom in western North Dakota, are adding to the demand for engineers and workers of all types.
Recruiting employees in high-precision fields such as engineering presents special issues for companies because of educational requirements and the limited pool of prospective applicants.
Adding to the challenge for companies that employ engineers, as Brown notes, is the demographic reality that a lot of engineers in the proportionately large Baby Boom generation are beginning to retire, creating even more vacancies for businesses to fill. That trend will continue unfolding for several years.
Regardless, companies in the region that employ significant numbers of engineers say they are attracting and retaining adequate numbers. They’ve had to make extra efforts, however.
Companies rely heavily on internships and co-ops to attract good students and groom them for full-time employment after graduation. Generally, internships are summer positions and co-ops are work experiences for students that might last a school term or longer.
Brookings, S.D.-based Daktronics Inc. hired 50 to 60 interns this year, many of whom are studying engineering and other technical fields. Daktronics has an especially close relationship with South Dakota State University. But the company recruits engineering students and graduates from colleges throughout the region, including schools in the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa, says corporate recruiter Leah Brink.
“I think we classify ourselves as always being in growth mode,” she says.
Daktronics promotes itself as the global leader in the design and production of electronic scoreboards, programmable display systems and large-screen video displays. The company’s scoreboards are used at 26 of the 31 National Football League stadiums in the United States, for example.
The company started modestly in 1968 when two professors of electrical engineering at SDSU started making electronic voting systems for state legislatures. Today, Daktronics is a publicly traded company that employs about 1,800 people in Brookings, 200 in Sioux Falls and 200 in Redwood Falls, Minn. Several hundred additional employees are scattered around the nation and the world.
Students attending SDSU and other colleges in the area make up about 9 percent of the company’s local work force. Brink sees businesses from all over the country at job fairs
on university campuses. That’s an indication of the high level of corporate competition for top-notch graduates.
“We are facing stiff competition for those graduates. I think more companies are recognizing the value of the students our regional universities are producing,” she says.
Raven Industries Inc., a manufacturing company in Sioux Falls, S.D., is among the other regional companies competing for graduates in technical fields. Raven makes products such as ag-related electronics equipment, films used as covering material and research balloons. The company employs roughly 1,000 people in the Sioux Falls area and 300 more in other states.
Raven has research and development offices at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City and at SDSU. Raven’s SDSU office employs eight people, including six interns, and its SDSMT office employs seven, including six interns. The branch offices are good recruiting tools for the company, says Jan Matthiesen, vice president of human resources at Raven. “That really gives us an advantage.”
In addition, Raven hires about 40 interns every summer, mostly engineering students. Matthiesen admits that recruiting engineers, especially those with experience, is challenging. “I’m not going to say it’s easy. It’s not easy. We have good luck with our intern program,” she says.
To help attract and retain good employees, including engineers, Raven also has a tuition-reimbursement program
for employees who want to add to their education. Employees may qualify for up to $4,000 a year for undergraduate study and $5,000 a year for graduate work.
Record numbers of companies have been participating in career fairs at regional engineering schools. A record 153 companies from the United States and Canada took part in a September career fair on the SDSMT campus, for example.
“We had quite a few new companies here this fall,” says Darrell Sawyer, director of the Career and Professional Development Center at SDSMT. “Some of them were engineering companies that do a lot of work in North Dakota.”
Companies seem to be returning to the pre-recession employment levels, he says.
The Molded Fiber Glass South Dakota plant in Aberdeen is among the regional companies that started coming to the SDSMT career fair in recent years. The company, which makes blades for wind turbines, employs 560 people in Aberdeen.
Marcia Medley, the new human resources manager at Molded Fiber Glass, previously worked in HR management for Hub City Inc., another manufacturing plant in Aberdeen. She has noticed in the past that students at job fairs tend to flock to the booths operated by big-name, national companies. At times, she has stood in the aisle of a career fair to encourage students to check out her company’s booth.
Although Molded Fiber Glass has not had trouble finding interns, companies tend to snap up the best students early, Medley says.
Hub City, which is a subsidiary of Regal Beloit Corp., has a small, branch facility with about 25 employees in Brookings. The branch facility employs students who work part time and serves as a pipeline to help get engineers into the company, Medley says.
Partnering with universities helps companies meet employment challenges, says Laura Ness Owens, director of communications at Doosan Bobcat Co.’s corporate offices in West Fargo. The company employs more than 2,000 people in North Dakota. It has plants in Gwinner, Wahpeton and Bismarck, N.D., and in Litchfield, Minn.
Doosan Bobcat has strong relationships with engineering programs at UND and North Dakota State University in Fargo, and recruits students at all of the engineering colleges in the region, Ness Owens says. In many cases, students and graduates contact the company, she says.
“From an engineering perspective, we’ve got a good group of engineers. We’re always looking for new, fresh talent,” she says. “We’ve been fortunate to have relationships with the universities that help us with that recruiting process.”
Are NDSU engineering graduates in strong demand? “Yes, with six exclamation points,” says Nancy Rossland, assistant to the dean for college relations in NDSU’s engineering college. A
record 225 companies were represented at NDSU’s most recent career fair.
Employers used to make job offers in the spring, Rossland says. “Now if they don’t have talent hired and contracts signed in the fall for the spring and summer, they’re behind the game. There’s that much competition for these students,” she says.
In addition to the four state universities in the Dakotas with engineering schools, colleges such as Minnesota State University in Mankato offer engineering degrees and also serve the region. Convincing young people to attend college can be a challenge, however, some college officials point out.
Starting engineers can make roughly $55,000 a year. But truck drivers and other workers in the western North Dakota oil fields can make even more than that.
A plunge in oil prices might be the biggest economic threat facing North Dakota and regional economy, says Cavalli, of UND. A sustained drop in oil prices probably would reduce regional demand for engineers. But such a dramatic slowdown like that is not likely anytime soon.
“The last several years it’s been ramping up,” Cavalli says. “I don’t foresee one.” PB
Rob Swenson Contributing writer RobSwensonMediaServices@gmail.com
Every December, Prairie Business magazine recognizes some of the most inspiring young business people in the northern Plains with a list of the top 40 professionals under the age of 40. This year’s list includes an eclectic group of business owners, entrepreneurs, executives, community leaders and organizers dedicated to improving the areas in which they live and work. Among them are a new U.S. citizen who has already spent years serving the underserved in his community while also building his own technology services business, an accidental entrepreneur who went into business because it could help his community prosper and a self-proclaimed “nerd herder” who built the platform for one of the fastest growing e-commerce companies in the country.
Several people on the list spend every day helping businesses launch, expand, and recruit and retain employees at a time of historic unemployment. Whether they are providing advice and support for women-owned businesses, offering leadership courses for executives, or finding workers and attracting them to their company through the development of good company culture and employee-focused programs, these individuals are passionate about what they do and energize everyone they meet.
Many honorees are members of the millennial generation, which will soon become the largest percentage of the U.S. workforce. The representatives on our list offer a glimpse into the great potential of this biggest generation and we are proud to recognize their accomplishments.
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Age: 34
Entrepreneur, Brand Logic/ MODE/The Cope Well Foundation Grand Forks, N.D.
Age: 34 Recruiting Manager, KLJ Bismarck, N.D.
A few years ago, engineering firms in the northern Plains were laying off recruiters as they scaled back on new hires to weather the Great Recession. What a difference a few years make. Now, as the region rolls through an historical economic boom, recruiters are back in full swing and working overtime to help firms staff up to meet project demands.
At just 34, Michelle has already experienced both ends of the spectrum in her profession and she is currently enjoying her “busy, sometimes chaotic” role as recruiting manager for regional engineering firm KLJ. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Mary, Michelle worked in various human resources and recruiter roles before joining KLJ four years ago as a human resources assistant. She was quickly promoted into a larger role and as the company has grown significantly over the past few years — its staff has doubled in size to about 750 people currently — so have her responsibilities. Along with the catching up that comes along with quick company growth, her tasks now also include finding qualified applicants in an area with the lowest unemployment in the nation and stiff competition from the high-paying Bakken.
“New graduates or even mid- to senior-level people can go and work in the oilfields and make a lot more money than they can at an engineering firm,” she says. “Everybody’s trying to be creative.”
Rather than rely heavily on headhunting, Michelle has focused some of her efforts on developing a pipeline of new talent through internships and an improved high school job shadowing program that better illustrates the variety of engineering projects and careers that are available. She also volunteers at the Bismarck Career Academy, which offers a range of courses including pre-engineering for interested high school students, and serves as a table mentor for Ethics Day.
Within the firm, Michelle is actively involved in the company’s wellness program. She manages and facilitates the HR aspects to best serve the employee’s personal well-being. Now in its third year, the program continues to evolve and plays into the firm’s focus on work/life balance, which is an effort that she expects to continue influencing potential employees’ to join the firm.
Michelle also contributes to the greater community by organizing food drives at KLJ to benefit Ruth Meier’s Hospitality House and the Backpacks for Kids program and by serving as a member of the Bismarck-Mandan Leadership program. Her leadership skills are inspirational for those who work with her but she credits those around her for serving as inspiration and feeding her desire to never stop learning.
“The people I work with and hire serve as mentors,” she says. “I have learned a great deal since starting my career at KLJ, we learn from each other every day.”
Age: 39 President/CEO, Intelligent InSites Fargo, N.D.
Ashley says she worked long hours in her 20s for all the wrong reasons. Now, although she continues to work long hours as owner of a consulting firm and a clothing store, and as leader of a nonprofit she created, her motivation has evolved. It’s less about money or professional advancement and more about constantly improving herself so she can inspire and help the people around her. “That’s what life is about,” she says.
Ashley initially dove into the world of entrepreneurism in 2003 when she launched Twin Citiesbased web design company Brand Logic. The company focused on providing services to small businesses and the real estate industry until 2012, when changes in her personal life inspired her to revamp the company with a new focus on delivering consulting services to both aspiring and established business women. “I really want to inspire and empower women and to allow them to see that anything they want to do, including owning a business, is possible,” she says.
As part of Brand Logic’s services, Ashley dedicates much of her time to providing mentorship and guidance to women (and some men) who are starting businesses or need a little help with their established businesses. She also recently began developing a mentorship program to inspire and develop college and high school students, and she will soon be collaborating with University of North Dakota’s School of Entrepreneurship.
Earlier this year, Ashley decided she needed to set yet another example for women entrepreneurs. So she purchased a struggling retail clothing store in Grand Forks, N.D., and set out to turn the business around. “If I’m the person trying to inspire women to take that leap and follow their dreams, I want to lead by example for them,” she says.
Ashley’s passion for entrepreneurism and life in general is immediately evident when she speaks and she readily shares it with the greater community through events like 1 Million Cups, which she recently helped to organize in Grand Forks. She is also active with the Greater Grand Forks Young Professionals group. But perhaps her most inspiring venture to date has been the formation of a nonprofit organization called The Cope Well Foundation, which provides emotional support for cancer survivors. As with her business, Ashley’s motivation to develop the nonprofit stemmed from personal experience. In 2008, she was diagnosed with melanoma and after battling the disease she recognized a need for continued emotional support for all cancer survivors. She began developing the organization in 2009 and launched it to the public in 2011.
Ashley says she will continue to focus on serving the people around her and setting an example for others to follow, but she leaves the window open for unknown opportunities as she looks toward the future. “I never want to look back on life and say, ‘What if I would have taken that opportunity?’”
Shane has spent years in leadership roles and has a passion for using his skills to make an impact on those who surround him. So when he had the chance to become president and CEO of Fargo-based Intelligent InSites earlier this year, he jumped at the “fantastic opportunity” to apply his experience in the health care industry and lead a passionate group of individuals focused on making profound impacts on health care. The company develops software which can be used to track both equipment and patients with the goal of improving efficiency and the patient experience. It has already successfully impacted the industry through its use by a number of health care organizations around the country, including Sanford Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Since joining Intelligent InSites in May, Shane has continually added team members to meet business opportunities. He expects that even more team members will be needed in the future as Intelligent InSites continues to deploy its operational intelligence solution to hospitals and clinics in the U.S. and abroad. As he grows the company, he intends to continue to emphasize the importance of company culture, knowing that good company culture is proven to positively influence a company’s overall performance. Shane believes that company culture is influenced more than anything by the people who are employed there and how they are treated by leadership. “When you are establishing organizations, they embody the habits of people,” he says. “There’s an importance to all of us to have consistency … we often see it in the way people get recognized or promoted in the workplace. There is an important connection in the way people are valued and the way they behave.”
The company’s culture initiative has already earned recognition from Modern Healthcare Magazine — this year the company nabbed 10th place on its list of the 100 best health care employers in the nation — and by Prairie Business magazine, which named it one of the 50 Best Places to Work in the northern Plains.
Shane also sees great value in contributing to his community and has served on numerous volunteer boards, including the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education and the Village Family Service Center. He currently serves as a board member for Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest. He says his experience as a leader has proven to him that people share a common desire to make a difference in their world, a desire which he believes can’t be accomplished through work alone and is uniquely benefited in the Midwest by the genuine willingness of people to help others succeed. “To be in that environment — that’s a tremendous incubator for businesses and leaders and for people who are engaged in meaningful work.”
Scott never planned on becoming a business owner, but a love for his community and willingness to be proactive in helping others succeed inspired him and his brother, John, to launch Brookings-based digital marketing firm 9 Clouds less than six years ago. Scott says they went into it because they realized businesses in rural communities weren’t utilizing technology as well as those in metro areas, but knew that with a little help they could hold their own against competitors anywhere in the world.
“We thought that for our communities to survive and thrive, we need to not only do it for people, but also teach them,” he says.
9 Clouds was born to meet both those needs, serving as a digital marketing services provider and offering education opportunities to help small businesses gain the web knowledge they need. The first few years of business were a learning curve for the “bro-founders,” as they like to say, but about three years ago things started to click. They began adding employees and created a second company called Lemonly that specializes in creating infographics. Lemonly has grown rapidly and racked up an impressive list of clients including Marriott and Major League Baseball. The two companies now employ more than 20 people and have a combined annual revenue over $2.75 million.
The local community inspired the pair to get into business so it is fitting that they have taken active roles in giving back to re-invigorate the area’s business community as a whole. Scott leads the weekly entrepreneurial gathering 1 Million Cups Brookings (John leads the Sioux Falls version), launched TEDxBrookings and recently cofounded a coworking space called Spark Brookings. He also teaches entrepreneurship courses as an adjunct faculty member at South Dakota State University. He intends to continue organizing events and contributing to the community in coming years while simultaneously growing his businesses, with no intentions of relocating the headquarters outside of the rural Midwest.
“We probably got into it thinking we were going to create a technology company and sell it for millions of dollars … but after awhile you realize there is extreme value, not just financially but also personally, to create something that’s long-lasting and creates good work and is also part of the community,” he says. “That’s our focus for the future and what we hope to build.”
(continued on page 36)
Adam attended the University of North Dakota School of Law in Grand Forks, where he was named to the Order of Barristers, served on the Moot Court board, and graduated with distinction. He began his legal career clerking with the eight judges with the East Central Judicial District in Fargo. Adam entered private practice with the Nilles Law Firm, where he began practicing business law, real estate law and estate planning. He was named partner in 2012. In February 2013, he co-founded SW&L Attorneys with Greg Liebl and Nathan Severson. SW&L Attorneys has since grown to five attorneys and serves clients in nearly all practice areas.
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Alex caught the entrepreneur bug while working his way through law school by owning and operating a technology services company. He continued to pursue his law degree, turning a 2009 summer internship with Cutler & Donahoe into a full-time career upon graduation in 2010. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to take on ownership of struggling weight management service provider Ideal Weigh in 2012. The business has since been revitalized and expanded to include locations in Sioux Falls, Yankton and Brookings, S.D. Despite his many professional obligations, Alex remains actively involved with several nonprofits in Sioux Falls. He serves as president of the Co-Op Natural Foods board of directors and led the cooperative through a successful recovery process following a devastating building fire last year, providing invaluable expertise, leadership and positivity to all involved.
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Anthony has built expertise in the fast-changing realms of online marketing and social media over the last decade. In 2013, he launched Engage Media Strategies to provide internal ad agency services to Fargo-area businesses, specializing in social media marketing, ad buying, print production and promotional products. He currently also serves as vice president of marketing for Shale Plays Media, where he provides support for the company’s websites and social media platforms.
Arday’s curiosity about the world and enthusiasm for opportunities led him from Ghana to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., where he earned degrees in both business administration and computer science in just four years, along with the respect of the entire campus and local business leaders. After graduating, Arday continued his relentless pursuit of new opportunities as a technology consultant and through various roles in the banking industry until 2011, when he founded his own technology provider services firm, Blueprint IT Solutions. His eye for opportunity led him to identify and a capture a niche market in providing technology services and upgrades to area businesses. His firm is currently a preferred vendor for WIFI and security cameras at Choice Hotels throughout the country, an Aruba Networks authorized dealer and is an authorized Xerox agency for the Red River Valley.
Arday is committed to giving back to the community that has become his home. He currently serves on the boards of directors for the local Kiwanis International group as well as for Charism, a support center focused on improving the quality of life for underserved youth and their families. He also became a U.S. citizen this year.
Ben is a serial entrepreneur with a serious commitment to connecting communities throughout the upper Midwest. In 2005 he founded Ben’s bar, followed by a speakeasy known as The Copper Room. In 2012, he cofounded angel investment fund Two Bridges Capital, which invests in early-stage companies in South Dakota and its bordering states. Two Bridges has backed seven companies to date and plans to support up to 15 companies over the life of the fund. Ben’s active role in networking opportunities throughout the region has led to several new events, including a conference he founded in 2012 to connect entrepreneurs, investors and creatives. Called Wire Me Awake, the fourth installment of that event will be held in March 2015 at the University of South Dakota. Earlier this year, he cofounded Think29 to encourage entrepreneurial activity along the upper Interstate 29 corridor and, in late October, he launched 1 Million Cups Yankton. His passion for regional networking events stems from a belief that the region is stronger if it works as a whole. “Silicon Valley is a region, not a city,” he says. “I’d like to see this area begin to think regionally, too.”
Age: 31
President/CEO, Bismarck-Mandan Development Association
Bismarck, N.D.
A lifelong resident of Bismarck-Mandan, Brian earned a bachelor’s degree in business communications and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Mary. He initially joined the BMDA as an intern in 2003. In 2005, he accepted a full-time position and served in various roles before being appointed interim executive director in 2013. He immediately led the organization through a strategic planning process to guide it through the next three years. After serving just three months as the interim, the board of directors unanimously agreed to make his new role permanent.
Age: 35 President, Green Street Promotions West Fargo, N.D.
Casey founded logo merchandising firm Green Street Promotions in 2009. Under his leadership, the company’s revenues have doubled every year since, with revenues in 2015 expected to exceed $1 million. Originally launched in Rogers, Minn., Casey relocated his company to his hometown of Hope, N.D., in 2012 to be closer to the Fargo market. Earlier this year, the company expanded to include a showroom in West Fargo. Casey is also a partner in a quickly growing GPS fleet and asset tracking technology startup called Razor Tracking Inc. When he’s not advancing his companies, he can be found coaching t-ball and refereeing at local sporting events or donating his time to the United Way of Cass-Clay.
Age: 32 Vice President, Capitaline Advisors LLC
Brookings, S.D.
Chad joined Capitaline as a college intern in 2003 and worked his way up the ranks, ultimately being named partner in 2012. He currently manages the Brookings office and provides analysis and supervision for the firm’s $70 million of assets under management while continuing to research and analyze new investment opportunities. He has also represented the firm as a board member at various organizations including Bushmills Ethanol in Atwater, Minn., and South Dakota State University Brookings Angel Fund II.
Chad is also actively involved with his family’s 7,000-acre farm, where he has a direct interest in operating approximately 1,200 acres of corn and soybeans.
Dan’s career in the hospitality industry began with a job as night manager for a Hilton Garden Inn in Cleveland, Ohio. From there, he worked his way through the ranks to eventually open and manage various properties in the U.S., including the Fargo Hilton Garden Inn. In 2011, he ventured out on his own with the purchase of Otter Supper Club and Lounge in Ottertail, Minn., and the formation of a management firm, Great Plains Hospitality. Since then, Great Plains Hospitality has grown to include two dining establishments in downtown Fargo – Monte’s Downtown and the Boiler Room. Monte’s participates in the Dine to Donate program and gives 10 percent of every Tuesday evening’s revenue to the United Way. The recently opened Boiler Room was named through a unique “name the business” Facebook competition, which successfully generated customer interest and contributed to its early success. Dan intends to continue building on his successful hospitality management style by growing Great Plains’ portfolio to include 10 properties by 2020.
Eric, a.k.a Fish, has been making his creative mark on the advertising and marketing industries since 1997, when he joined a Fargo advertising firm as a production artist. In 2005, he was named Sundog’s creative director, and he has since contributed his creative talents to countless companies. He has also continually advanced within the company, receiving his most recent promotion in November. He contributes his talents to the community as well, having served as an adviser and teacher at Minnesota State University Moorhead and Minnesota State Community and Technical College. In 2012, he cofounded an organization for designers known as DSGNX. He plans to also open a creative studio in Fargo in early 2015.
Erika was studying for her master’s degree in environmental studies at BSU when she and a group of fellow students created BSU’s sustainability office, one of the first of its kind in Minnesota, in 2008. She has since served as its director and has successfully contributed to a culture-shift towards sustainability efforts throughout the entire community. She helped create Bemidji’s Sustainability Committee in 2009 and was a leader in the implementation of Bemidji’s NiceRide bicycle program earlier this year. She successfully applied to be a host site for Minnesota GreenCorps for three consecutive years, which has led to partnerships with other groups to educate the community on sustainable living. Her work has resulted in BSU installing solar transpired air units, real-time energy dashboard kiosks and native landscaping and incorporating a wellness component into its sustainability model. She also teaches a sustainability course at BSU, serves on the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance board of directors and is a member of the Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability steering committee.
North Dakota native Garrett knew he wanted to live in North Dakota as an adult but he felt existing professional opportunities were lacking, so he created his own. In 2009, he cofounded web products company Todaymade. Last year, he and company cofounder Justin Walsh expanded by separating one of Todaymade’s products — a web-based marketing management tool for blogs and social media — into its own business. That company, CoSchedule, has already grown to include more than 2,000 customers. Garrett is also passionate about “creating the community that you want to live in.” He led the organization of Bismarck’s first Startup Weekend, which will be held in January. He also helped relaunch 1 Million Cups Bismarck and leads Start Bismarck, which promotes and organizes events geared toward technology-based startups.
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Greg joined ICBSD in 2012 and has since grown both the group’s membership and its services. Under his direction, the group created two new programs this year --- the Certified Community Banking Security Professional program to help train the banks’ IT staff, and the Emerging Leaders program, which focuses on developing future bank leaders. He is a former Mitchell city council alderman and currently serves as a member of the city’s parks and recreation board, the local rotary and the Mitchell Area Charitable Foundation board. He also regularly serves as a guest lecturer at Dakota Wesleyan University.
Jake began working as a product designer for a local manufacturer while still studying mechanical drafting and design at Minnesota State Community and Technical College. About three years ago, he began using a 3D printer as part of his profession and quickly picked up on the potential disruptiveness of the technology for many industries. After meeting fellow 3D fanatic Josh Schneider at a public event about 3D printing in 2013, the pair launched Fargo 3D Printing. The company has since expanded to include several employees and is being fostered at North Dakota State University’s Technology Incubator. Jake and John also recently cofounded 3DomUSA, which produces filament for 3D printers, and an online training platform for 3D printers and CAD (computer-aided design) called Triton Labs. They also devote time to providing 3D demonstrations at schools and libraries in hopes of inspiring students to become engineers, designers and entrepreneurs.
Age: 39
Water Resources Practice Leader, AE2S Bismarck, N.D.
Jeff’s 15 years of experience in the field of water resources and environmental engineering consulting has earned him a place on AE2S’ Leadership Group as well as shareholder status within the company. He is a founding member and current vice president of the North Dakota chapter of the North American Stormwater and Erosion Control Association, a nonprofit group dedicated to advancing the stormwater and erosion control industry. Jeff is also an advocate for STEM education and serves on the board of directors and governance committee for Gateway to Science, North Dakota’s only hands-on science center.
Age: 36
Construction Executive, Mortenson
Construction Fargo, N.D.
In her current role overseeing the construction of Sanford Health’s Medical Center in Fargo, Joanna manages a $375 million budget and is responsible for the construction of one of the 10 largest medical centers currently being built in the U.S. Prior to this project, Joanna worked on some of Mortenson Construction’s most notable projects, including the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and the Sanford Health Dickinson Clinic and West River Community Center Expansion, both in Dickinson, N.D. A resident of West Fargo, she is a mentor to students at high schools and universities and serves on the advisory board of construction management and engineering at North Dakota State University.
Age: 33
Interactive Services Manager, NetWork Center Inc. Fargo, N.D.
Joe owned his own PC sales and repair business and spent several years honing his leadership skills as part of an IT team before joining NetWork Center in 2012. Since then, he has continued to grow into new areas of his profession. He currently manages a team dedicated to building mobile and web applications for the company’s customer base and deploying data analysis services for customers seeking more insight into their business and day-to-day operations.
Age: 36 CEO, Bismarck Aero Center Bismarck, N.D.
Since accepting the position of CEO at Bismarck Aero Center in 2006, Jon has led the company through a sustained period of growth. The company currently employs 40 people, up from five in 2006, and offers seven hangars and 72,000 square feet of aircraft storage space at the Bismarck location, with additional space at its recently opened sister company, Mandan Aero Center. On paydays, Jon can be found personally delivering employees’ checks and thanking them for their work. Outside of the office, he promotes aviation through the North Dakota Business Aviation Association, the North Dakota Aviation Council, Aviation Education of North Dakota and Aviation Career Day. He also volunteers with Bismarck/Mandan Junior Achievement, the local Chamber of Commerce and the North Dakota Economic Development Foundation.
and
Age: 38
Age: 36
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Rapid City, S.D.
Julie joined Rapid City’s CVB in 2002 as an office assistant while attending college at National American University and Western Dakota Tech. After receiving her degree in business and marketing, she accepted a fulltime position as convention sales manager. She worked her way up to her current role as leader of the tourism department. Julie also contributes her leadership skills to projects throughout the community including Day of Excellence Inc., the Western Dakota Tech Business Program advisory board and the Girls Scouts Dakota Horizons board of directors. She is also a graduate of Leadership Rapid City.
Fargo, N.D.
Justin took a big risk when he sold his own web development company to start RealTruck.com’s IT department. The risk has been worth it — for Justin as well as the e-commerce company. He and his team have played an integral role in aiding RealTruck’s rapid development and subsequent growth. The company is currently ranked as the fastest-growing company in North Dakota and one of the fastest growing e-commerce companies in the U.S. Justin spearheaded the creation of the e-commerce platform the company’s website runs on, and is responsible for ensuring that it stays up and operating smoothly for customers. He leads the company’s IT team, affectionately known as Web Ninjas. He signs his emails with the title “Scruffy Looking Nerd Herder,” illustrating his humble nature and good humor, which, along with top-notch technical skills, have earned him the respect and admiration of his coworkers, IT industry peers and the automotive industry as a whole.
Vice President of Sales, High Point Networks
West Fargo, N.D.
Justin signed on with HPN as an account manager when the company was formed in 2003 and has contributed significantly to the company’s continued growth throughout its first decade of operation. In 2009, he was named partner and promoted to his current position, in which he is responsible for managing a sales team that spans five states and for adding technology solutions to the company’s offerings. His leadership positioned the company to be recognized earlier this year as one of the top 500 IT solutions providers in the U.S.
Age: 39 CEO, Blend Interactive Sioux Falls, S.D.
Karla recognized early the great potential for the web development industry and began working in web design and development in the 1990s. She owned her own firm, Santi Interactive, before merging with Deane Barker and Joe Kepley in 2005 to create Blend Interactive, where she initially served as partner and creative director. She was recently named CEO and is responsible for the daily management and operations of the company while continuing to focus on the company’s mission and vision.
Age: 31 Marketing /Assistant Director, Downtown Business Association Cofounder, Downtown Bismarck Community Foundation Bismarck, N.D.
Kate joined the Downtown Business Association five years ago and has played an active role in the revitalization of downtown Bismarck through fundraising activities and various events. She is the coproducer of the Rip-Roarin’ Ribfest, the Street Fair and the Art & Wine Walk. She is the lead organizer and producer of the North Dakota Downtown Conference, which held its fourth annual event this year. She also recently cofounded the Downtown Bismarck Community Foundation, is a board member of Dakota Stage Ltd., and is a member of the Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals.
Age: 39 City Attorney, City of Dickinson Dickinson, N.D
After practicing law since 2001 and serving as lead attorney for the city of Dickinson while employed at EbeltoftSickler, Matthew agreed to serve as the city’s in-house counsel in 2013. His duties initially included providing legal advice and strategy, leading the HR department and providing risk management, but his willingness to tackle more duties as the city has experienced unprecedented growth has quickly expanded his role. He has negotiated dozens of developers agreements, joint powers agreements and right-of-way acquisitions and has worked on the creation of new ordinances and resolutions, often addressing issues that have never been dealt with in the city’s history. He also serves as acting city administrator when necessary and is an adjunct faculty member at Dickinson State University.
Over 30 years in North Dakota means we’ve seen big projects, but this gas plant called for and other methods to test safety, and bridging our client’s quality assurance process with our
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After working as a high school political science teacher and executive director for a church, Mike’s career took an about-face when he decided to launch his own consulting firm to help nonprofits and for-profits recruit the best talent possible. Since then, he’s earned a reputation for producing results that exceed clients’ expectations. His nominators credit him for helping their businesses succeed through improved culture practices, assistance in identifying and hiring the best candidates for the positions, and for providing executive-level coaching that improves their overall effectiveness within their organizations.
Nick joined NDGT in 2012 as manager of its Williston, N.D., office. In 2013 he was promoted to vice president of the northwest region and was named president of the company earlier this year. A natural leader, he oversees a continuously growing company while maintaining a culture that recently earned the company a spot on Prairie Business magazine’s 50 Best Places to Work list. In addition to his duties at NDGT, Nick currently serves as the legislative committee chair for the North Dakota Land Title Association. Before joining NDGT, he worked as a business development manager and real estate agent. He also served in the state senate from 2004 to 2008 and was the youngest senator in the state’s history.
Age: 36
Minneapolis, Minn.
A 2001 graduate of North Dakota State University in Fargo, Nicole joined JLG in 2007 and has since made a tremendous impact on the company. In her first year, she developed tools to streamline how the company manages projects and cash flow and helped increase its profits by 1,400 percent. In 2011, she became staffing coordinator and director of project management to help realign the company with a greater emphasis on project management after an unprofitable year. As a result of her work, JLG’s next year was its most profitable in the company’s history. Nicole became one of the company’s youngest shareholders ever in 2013, was named branch manager in 2013 and promoted to principal this year. She is passionate about improving the quality of life for future generations in North Dakota and has been directly responsible for multiple affordable housing projects recently built in western North Dakota including Collins Place Apartments in Mandan and the Williston State College Frontier Hall.
Age: 37
Vice President Marketing, Border States Electric Fargo, N.D.Patrick joined BSE in 2000 and has since held various key positions within the company. In his current role, he is responsible for a team of over 40 people who execute BSE’s marketing strategy and manage the company’s vendor relationships. BSE’s total annual sales in fiscal year 2014 were $1.44 billion. As an officer of the company and member of its executive council, Patrick also helps drive the initiatives of BSE’s strategic plan, providing enviable attention to detail and critical thinking skills to the process. Patrick has volunteered with the United Way since 2012 and became a member of the group’s campaign cabinet this year. He is also a member of various industry committees and is the current vice president of the North American Association of Utility Distributors.
Age: 25
President, Chairman, Cofounder, Myriad Mobile Fargo, N.D.With just a month’s worth of cash left in his pocket, Ryan quit his job and dove headfirst into starting up his own company while he was still attending North Dakota State University. The risk proved worth it — Myriad Mobile now employs nearly 60 people in multiple offices throughout the U.S. As president, Ryan leads the rapidly growing tech company while playing an active role in cultivating Fargo’s entrepreneurial community. In addition to his role at Myriad, he is the cofounder of Virtual Farm Manager and chairman of Adshark Marketing. While still only in his 20s, Ryan has already earned a reputation for having an astute business perspective, a farm-kid work ethic and top-notch management skills.
Age: 37
Owner/Clinical Director, Blooming Prairie Assessment and Therapy Center Devils Lake, N.D.
A Grand Forks, N.D., native, Sara initially moved to Devils Lake to complete her residency in clinical psychology. Recognizing the need for mental health services in rural North Dakota, she remained there and opened a private practice in 2007. The practice has since grown to include three additional providers and satellite offices in nearby communities. Sara is also the state and regional coordinator for the Upper Midwest Region for Postpartum Support International (PSI) and founder of PSI-affiliated Pregnancy and Postpartum Support-North Dakota. She is chairwoman of the Lake Region Suicide Prevention Committee and a volunteer for Give an Hour, an organization focused on meeting the mental health needs of military personnel and their families.
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Scott is an owner and vice president of sales at Silicon Plains, where he has become a trusted advisor and consultant to many of the area’s most prominent companies. He is known for his ability to successfully lead board members, business owners and technology vendors through challenging projects. Before joining the company in 2009, he worked as an application developer for various companies in the area. He is a graduate of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.
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Steve joined the Governor’s Office of Economic Development as a business development representative nearly a decade ago and has since worked his way up to his current role of director. His passion for economic development is evident through his many efforts to recruit and help expand business, including the $144 million Bel Brands cheese plant in Brookings. The expansion was the largest industrial capital expenditure in the company’s history and would have taken place in another state if not for the work of state and local economic development officials and Steve’s leadership. He constantly strives for improvement and is a recent graduate of Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s Leadership Development Program.
Director Human Resources, Bobcat Co./Doosan Infracore Construction Equipment
West Fargo, N.D.
Tina joined Bobcat in 2004 as a recruiting and staffing specialist. In her current role as HR director, she is responsible for providing human resources for more than 500 employees across multiple locations. Since joining the company, Tina has played an instrumental role in a number of major company changes, including the implementation of a workplace culture change, an open-concept office redesign, multiple restructurings, and the divestiture of Bobcat from Ingersoll Rand to Doosan. Under her leadership, the company’s HR staff has grown from two people in 2010 to nine full-time staff members currently. She is also credited for developing an internship program which boasts over 100 students and serves as a critical talent pipeline for the entire company. She is an active volunteer for many local nonprofits, the GFMEDC workforce committee and is a former board member of the Fargo Moorhead Human Resource Association. She is also a graduate of United Way’s 35 under 35 leadership program.
Age: 36
VP, Clinical Services/ Chief Nursing Officer, Jamestown Regional Medical Center Jamestown, N.D.
Trisha has more than a decade of professional nursing experience and has provided care to patients in a variety of settings, from medical-surgical environments to home health. She became chief nursing officer and vice president of clinical services at JRMC in 2013 and has since proven herself to be an example for others to follow in developing relationships with peers, patients and the community. She has initiated a Community Health Improvement Plan with Central Valley Health as well as nursing residency programs and internships with the University of Jamestown and has taken the role of organizational excellence coordinator for JRMC. She is also a recipient of the Outstanding Rural Health Professional award from the National Rural Health Association.
Age: 35
North Dakota SBIR/STTR Director, UND Center for Innovation
Grand Forks, N.D.
Tyler holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Mary in Bismarck, a marketing degree from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and North Dakota Army National Guard, and has 14 years of experience in procurement and contracting. While working as procurement manager for the North Dakota SBDC, he worked to secure $24 million in contracts for 2013 alone. Tyler is a certified procurement professional and has served in his current role at the University of North Dakota’s Center for Innovation since March. He coaches entrepreneurs through the SBIR/STTR federal grant application process and also provides entrepreneur coaching to grow their ventures. He recently helped launch 1 Million Cups Grand Forks, a weekly gathering for entrepreneurs, and is chapter adviser for UND’s Delta Tau Delta fraternity.
Age: 33 President, TrueIT West Fargo, N.D.
Zac worked various jobs before getting his start in IT sales in 2003 at Ignus Technologies. He spent several years there, eventually becoming partner in 2010, before becoming a founding partner in TrueIT. In his current role, he is responsible for process development, consulting and delivery management, ensuring that the company meets its goal of providing “warm, fuzzy” IT services to its customers.
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When Jim Gartin visits other communities in the region he can’t not point out the incredible economic run the entire northern Plains has had over the past few years. “What an incredible time to be in this region, in this state. It’s really an amazing time for business,” he says. As president of the Greater Fargo/Moorhead Economic Development Corp., Gartin has had the pleasure of leading the organization during a period of prosperity the likes of which most economic developers only dream about. Not only are businesses strong and growing, but the F-M’s business sector, once heavily focused on agriculture and ag-related businesses, has been successfully diversifying, as evident by the continued strong local economy despite a recent downturn in the ag market.
“That sector is in a slump for the first time in 10 years and yet it’s not even having an impact on the economy because sectors like technology, health care, finance and banking and
retail have all become such powerful sectors within our region,” Gartin says.
A robust economy such as that of the Fargo-Moorhead metro also requires a different approach to continued economic development. Economic development groups typically spend at least half their time recruiting new businesses to the community, according to Gartin, but the GFMEDC has adopted a model of development known as “economic gardening,” which focuses on supporting existing businesses and growing new business from within the community. Key industries included in that plan include fast-growth opportunities such as technology companies and, on the Minnesota side of the metro, data centers. The group also readily supports entrepreneurial development and foresees possible opportunities for regional distribution centers that could take advantage of the metro’s interstate accessibility in all directions.
But workforce remains the huge elephant in the room when considering any type of business growth in the region, and Gartin knows it. “Our biggest concern right now is that to go out and attract, let’s say another ag-related manufacturer, the only thing you’re going to do if you’re going to bring somebody in that’s going to employ 200 people is pull 200 people from some other existing manufacturer,” he says. “That impact has to be considered in your planning. If you had 10 percent unemployment it would be a different story. We have to be almost surgical in a sense, because with 2.4 percent unemployment … let’s face it — that’s the biggest issue any prospective company is looking at.”
Workforce is by far at the top of the list of concerns among existing businesses in the metro as well. Of 200 businesses contacted by the GFMEDC over the last couple of years, a resounding 90 percent expressed problems with workforce recruitment and retention. “When you get anything above 60 [percent], or even 50, you know you have a problem,” Gartin says. “To be in those kind of percentages, it’s past a problem — it’s really affecting people’s ability to sustain their growth here.”
In October, a group of organizations including the GFMEDC, the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Cass-Clay, the Fargo Moorhead Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the FM Area Foundation, as
well as a number of local businesses and education institutions announced they would fund another workforce study in an effort to identify causes, and hopefully resolutions, to the metro’s widespread workforce shortage.
This latest study will differ from other recently conducted labor studies in that it will focus specifically on the FargoMoorhead metro and will therefore potentially identify issues and solutions unique to the community, according to supporters.
Austin, Texas-based consulting firm TIP Strategies kicked off the study on Nov. 1 and will spend the next six months evaluating labor market characteristics, including salary statistics, conducting employer surveys and identifying target industries for the area’s available workforce as well as high-demand occupations for those target industries before presenting its findings to the group. The study is expected to cost $150,000.
Sanford Health is among the list of employers which agreed to contribute financially to the study. As the metro’s largest private employer, the health care organization certainly has a healthy stake in the outcome of the study and in the future of workforce availability throughout the region. Paul Richard, president of Fargo’s Sanford Medical Center, is also a board member of the FMWF Chamber and says the chamber regularly hears from businesses across all industries that workforce is their
top concern. Sanford agreed to help fund this particular study because it will potentially dive deeply into the issues at hand and hopefully help businesses determine the best way to attract and retain the next generation of workers. “It’s hard to act on guessing, so the more that you find out by way of information and realistic data, you can make better decisions,” he says.
As of Nov. 9, Sanford employed 7,744 people within the Fargo-Moorhead metro and nearly 9,400 people throughout the greater Fargo region. The organization has been steadily adding employees since 2009, despite the admitted challenges in recruiting new workers to the area, and it intends to continue adding employees over the next few years. In fact, projections call for an additional 2,000 employees to be added in the greater Fargo region over the next five years. In Fargo alone, 300 new employees are expected to be needed in 2016 as it prepares to open its new medical center in 2017. The massive facility ranks among the 10 largest health care projects currently under construction in the U.S., although Richard notes that the center will only add 26 beds to Sanford’s current in-patient capacity. Many of the organization’s staff members will transfer from existing campuses to the new center when it opens, but new employees will need to be added to fill out the staff, along with anticipated additional
employees that will be required to meet the growing demands of health care in the rapidly growing region. And Richard points out that the organization doesn’t only employ medical personnel; it also requires many workers in other high-demand fields such as IT, which makes the latest workforce study very relevant to the organization.
Gartin stresses that the study will only be as successful as the information provided for it, and encourages area businesses to complete surveys and sit on workforce groups when asked to help identify and resolve the issue at hand. His group is working to help existing businesses identify other possible solutions, such as establishing satellite offices in nearby communities or utilizing remote workers to fill staffing gaps, but he is optimistic the business community can also work together to attract and retain the workers needed to maintain overall growth. “We’re really hoping the community will step up and be a partner and participate in the process.” PB
Kris Bevill Editor, Prairie Business 701-306-8561, kbevill@prairiebizmag.comSince 1997, SEH has built a reputation across North Dakota as knowledgeable providers of reliable engineering solutions and innovative approaches to planning for North Dakota’s future.
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BY KRIS BEVILL
Temperatures hovered around zero in late November and the blustery too-soon-for-this wind made it feel even colder for construction workers as they finished up as much work as they could before winter would made some of their jobs nearly impossible for a few months. It’s a brutal time of year for most trade workers but not for some of the crew at Moorhead Electric (MEI), who spent the cold snap working on Essentia Health’s south Fargo hospital expansion in the relative balminess of MEI’s heated shop. They were able to do this thanks to technology known as BIM (building information modeling) — 3D modeling software that allows architects and contractors to virtually build a project before any ground is moved, potentially eliminating oversights and enabling portions of a project to be prebuilt and installed when needed.
MEI is one of several contractors working on Essentia’s $95 million expansion project. The Boldt Co., headquartered in Appleton, Wis., is the construction manager/general manager for the project and won the job in part because it pitched BIM as one of its tools, says Bob Bakkum, senior director of administrative services at
Essentia Health. “Their techniques just seemed a lot more up to speed,” he says.
According to The Boldt Co., Essentia’s project is considered “fast track,” which meant it needed a highly collaborative design/ construction team as well as the use of BIM to accurately coordinate and schedule the project.
Marty Ekren, senior project manager/prefab manager at MEI, says his company had used BIM and prefab techniques on projects prior to the Essentia expansion but they had never prebuilt headwalls for hospital patient rooms, and the Essentia project called for 28 of them. So MEI, along with fellow contractor Fargo-based Grant’s Mechanical Inc., sent representatives to Appleton to see firsthand how headwalls could be pre-fabricated. MEI then used that model to create its own headwall and other aspects of the project.
“The headwalls are just one of the areas that BIM and prefab are being used,” Ekren says. “We also took the model and used it to build our room racks, multi-trade racks, electrical rooms, distribution conduits and all of our room kits.”
(continued on page 54)
The biggest perks to technologies like BIM are the cost and time savings for the project owner. For example, Bakkum says MEI’s prefabricated headwalls can be transported to the construction site and installed in half a day, compared to an estimated three days using traditional methods. Essentia’s expansion includes 28 new patient rooms, so the time saved in installation alone quickly adds up. Given that labor and supply shortages are now well-known budget killers in the region, any method used to keep those costs in check could make a significant difference to a project’s bottom line. While it’s been a challenge, Bakkum says Essentia’s project has so far remained on track not to exceed its budgeted cost of just over $59 million, and BIM may actually drive actual costs even lower, although he hesitates to predict any final numbers quite yet.
“It looks like they’re moving along as we had hoped and that we are going to have some savings because of it,” he says.
Ekren says every project has its challenges, but he believes BIM and prefab are tools that can be used to find creative solutions that also equate to less change orders and bigger savings for project owners. “There are so many advantages with BIM and prefab. It’s only going to get bigger,” he says.
Essentia has found that modeling and prefab work offers additional benefits in health care settings where equipment hook-ups and room organization can have a noticeable impact on the delivery of services. Before MEI built patient room headwalls, nursing staff had the opportunity to look at a mock-up of the layout and provide input as to the placement of oxygen hookups and other components. Later, after the company built a prototype for the headwall, the nursing staff was again invited to look at the setup and sign off on the design before the project moved ahead. By inviting staff to collaborate on the process, Bakkum hopes to identify any potential issues ahead of time, rather than after the project is finished when it’s either too late or extremely expensive to fix. And so far, so good. PB
Kris Bevill Editor, Prairie Business 701-306-8561, kbevill@prairiebizmag.comDesigned by Minneapolis-based architects Hammel Green and Abrahamson Inc., Essentia Health’s expansion will add 130,000 square feet to its medical facility in south Fargo. The project includes two new sections.
The south addition includes four stories and a lower level, and will provide space for expanded kitchen and dining facilities, staff training and meeting areas, a new emergency department complete with MRI and high-tech CT scan capabilities, interventional radiology rooms, an endoscopy suite, 28 intensive care unit (ICU) rooms, additional recovery rooms and space for future expansion.
The north addition rises two stories and will include an expanded clinic evaluation unit, two new operating rooms with room to add more in the future and additional support services space. Renovations and expansion work will also be completed in the existing hospital after the large expansion project is complete.
The project is being completed in phases. The first phase targeted for completion includes the new ICU wing, which is located on the fourth floor of the south addition and is expected to be complete in mid-February. The emergency department, located on the first floor of the south addition, is expected to be open in early May. As of late November, the overall project was just over halfway complete and it was expected that construction crews would be able to install temporary heat and continue working throughout the winter.
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BY MARNIE LAHTINEN
In late November, Bismarck-based Montana Dakota Utilities Resources and Indiana-based Calumet Specialty Products LP were finishing up the final touches on the first greenfield diesel refinery to be built in the United States in over three decades. Dakota Prairie Refining, located on 375 acres just four miles west of Dickinson, N.D., is expected to help meet demand by refining locally sourced Bakken crude into diesel fuel for oilfield operations.
Construction remained on schedule in mid-November, according to Tim Rasmussen, operating company public relations manager at MDU Resources. “The plant now has a heartbeat,” he says. “We started up the boiler in late October to produce steam for some of the installed plant components … as of November, we were 94 percent complete with construction.”
The plant is slated to start accepting shipments of crude oil on Dec. 1.
Dakota Prairie Refining will be capable of processing 20,000 b/d (barrels per day) of Bakken crude to produce 7,000 b/d of diesel fuel. This production is equal to approximately 40-50 tankers of diesel fuel per day. The plant will also produce a similar amount of naptha and atmospheric bottoms (ATBs) which will be shipped by rail to other facilities for use or
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further processing. Naptha is used as a diluent for Canadian oil sands crude oil for pipeline transportation, as well as a chemical feedstock. It can also be further processed into gasoline. ATBs are used to blend with heavy fuel oil and can be processed into other petroleum-based products.
While the construction timeline remained in line with initial estimates, the cost of the project has exceeded early projections. Construction of the facility began last March, with a forecast for a 20-month construction timeframe and an initial cost estimate between $280 million and $300 million. The latest disclosures by MDU Resources and Calumet place the project price at approximately $350 million.
A variety of factors contributed to the higher construction costs, according to Rasmussen. “Primary factors included addi-
tional site preparation and concrete work, along with revised federal regulations regarding the firewater system,” he says.
The state’s renowned inclement climate was also an issue for the project. “The work site experienced a harsh winter last year and periods of significant rain this summer,” Rasmussen says. “Working on an outside job site and dealing with weather challenges was the largest complexity we experienced. The second complexity was expected, and that was simply the logistics of getting all the necessary equipment in the right spot at the right time combined with the right technical personnel on hand to work on it.”
In mid-November, hiring was well under way and 72 of 85 positions had been filled, including all supervisory positions. New hires included local North Dakotans and former residents. “In addition to North Dakotans, we have hired professionals from all over the country,” Rasmussen says. “We have some professionals coming from other countries, as well.”
The plant will eventually provide 90 full-time jobs, he says.
State leaders and business owners are confident that Dakota Prairie Refining will have a positive impact on North Dakota’s economy, both inside and outside the refinery’s walls. Dickinson, and other towns in and around the Bakken, stand to benefit from the refinery as well. As construction comes to a close, about 750 craft workers were on the job site, generating business for local hotels, restaurants and shops.
“We are creating permanent, high-paying new jobs for professional people … this all contributes to tax base in the city and county,” Rasmussen says.
According to the North Dakota Petroleum Council, oil production contributes $50 million per day to North Dakota’s economy, with more than $11 million paid per day in state oil and gas taxes. The state’s now massive oil industry has spurred MDU Resources to consider building a second 20,000 b/d diesel refinery in the Bakken region, which Rasmussen says would essentially be a twin plant to Dakota Prairie Refining.
“We are working on selecting a site and some early permitting work has begun,” he says. “Should the project evaluation proceed successfully, we would anticipate starting construction in the spring of 2015.” PB
Marnie Lahtinen Contributing writer MarnieLahtinen@gmail.com“We are creating permanent, high-paying new jobs for professional people … this all contributes to tax base in the city and county.”
- Tim Rasmussen, operating company public relations manager, MDU Resources
New-well oil production per rig
New-well gas production per rig
New-well gas production per rig
Indicated monthly change in oil production (Dec vs. Nov)
December-2013
Indicated monthly change in gas production (Dec vs. Nov)
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Developing and maintaining the infrastructure in the Dakotas and neighboring states at Morris Inc. requires planning and partnering with our associates.
Our manufacturing division utilizes a skilled team of craftsmen and women to build state of the art aggregate processing equipment to create clean high grade materials for use in construction where asphalt and concrete are required.
Morris is also a Terex Powerscreen dealer in the Dakotas providing sales and rentals of mobile crushing and screening equipment as well as recycling concrete and asphalt into new road building material.
As one of the largest architecture firms in the region, JLG has a lot of rock stars who rise to the top for our clients every day – like Nicole Washburn, who has changed both the North Dakota and JLG landscape dramatically. With all of this early success, we can’t wait to see what she will accomplish next. Congratulations, Nicole, and thank you.
