Prairie Business December 2016

LIVE HAPPY

North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota: we think you are awesome. We love living here and working with you. Thank you for the past 28 years, and we can’t wait for what’s to come.

Is Your Business Data Safe and Secure?

Is Your Business Data Safe and Secure?

Is Your Business Data Safe and Secure?

Is Your Business Data Safe and Secure?

DCN’s Data Centers Are Built Like Fort Knox

DCN’s Data Centers Are Built Like Fort Knox

DCN’s Data Centers Are Built Like Fort Knox

DCN’s Data Centers Are Built Like Fort Knox

Whether your business operates out of a single office or from multiple locations throughout the state, your data needs to be safe, secure and protected 24/7. Dakota Carrier Network’s state-of-the-art data centers in Fargo and Bismarck ensure just that.

Whether your business operates out of a single office or from multiple locations throughout the state, your data needs to be safe, secure and protected 24/7. Dakota Carrier Network’s state-of-the-art data centers in Fargo and Bismarck ensure just that.

Whether your business operates out of a single office or from multiple locations throughout the state, your data needs to be safe, secure and protected 24/7. Dakota Carrier Network’s state-of-the-art data centers in Fargo and Bismarck ensure just that.

Whether your business operates out of a single office or from multiple locations throughout the state, your data needs to be safe, secure and protected 24/7. Dakota Carrier Network’s state-of-the-art data centers in Fargo and Bismarck ensure just that.

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An elementary school in Brookings, S.D., was refurbished and expanded to house the Children’s Museum of South Dakota. See page 44.

IMAGE: KEN PETERSEN/PETERSEN PHOTOGRAPHY

40 Under 40 Caps a Great Year

I

t’s hard to believe it’s already December, but here we are. For Prairie Business, December means the unveiling of the 40 Under 40 in one of our most-read issues of the year.

It’s a prestigious award that draws stacks of nominations for qualified candidates. Only 40 can be chosen, though, and we’re pleased to unseal the proverbial envelope now and announce those winners. Congratulations to all the deserving honorees. The list starts on page 26.

We’re also on the second month of our redesign, and that means a few more sections making their grand entrances: Around the Office highlights a modern workspace; Join The Team explores job opportunities at a company that prides itself on great culture; and Construction Corner maintains that traditional and long-standing section but with a new style. We’re not done yet. Look for even more brand new sections next month.

It’s been a great year at Prairie Business. We redesigned our website, published our inaugural 13th edition and redesigned and rebranded the magazine itself. Those are only the enormous accomplishments. We had plenty more large, medium and small ones. I hope your businesses boasted accomplishments of all sizes in 2016 as well.

PUBLISHER KORRIE WENZEL

AD DIRECTOR STACI LORD EDITOR LISA GIBSON STAFF WRITER KAYLA PRASEK

CIRCULATION MANAGER BETH BOHLMAN

LAYOUT DESIGN, AD DESIGN SARA SLABY KRIS WOLFF

ACCOUNT MANAGERS

NICHOLE ERTMAN 800.477.6572 ext. 1162 nertman@prairiebusinessmagazine.com

GARRETT RICHIE 248.202.8955 grichie@prairiebusinessmagazine.com

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

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscriptions are free www.prairiebusinessmagazine.com

ADDRESS CORRECTIONS

Prairie Business magazine Box 6008 Grand Forks, ND 58206-6008 Beth Bohlman: bbohlman@prairiebusinessmagazine.com

ONLINE www.prairiebusinessmagazine.com

DiscoveryBased Learning Drives Invention, Commercialization

By Dan Ewert

The problems researchers solve are increasingly complex, often demanding multidisciplinary approaches. At North Dakota State University, a new educational model brings together faculty, graduate and undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines to combine knowledge and expertise to find solutions.

The model, called discovery-based learning, is much different than the traditional classroom. Faculty create an environment for highquality education and research, and students do the work.

Amanda Brooks, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, and I are leading a faculty team whose vision is to change the mindset of education and produce “moonshot” thinkers who can change the world.

Often, moonshots are thought of in terms of new discoveries. However, the ultimate moonshot is the ability to shape our thinking to see possibilities and the courage to fail in realizing those possibilities. Innovation and creativity flourish when diverse teams merge new ideas.

We have multi-faceted goals. Part of NDSU’s mission is fulfilling our region’s workforce needs. Employers tell us they need critical thinkers who have worked on teams — professionals who are curious, connected, create value and offer thoughtful solutions.

With discovery-based learning, students and faculty mentors form teams to pursue real-world research projects. Students are immersed in a professional ecosystem where they plan projects, develop budgets, negotiate with regulatory bodies, collaborate with partners and disseminate their findings. They gain skills in teamwork, communication and project management.

Our approach is an engine for invention and commercialization. And it’s working.

During the 2015-16 academic year, our students had six invention disclosures, applied for one patent, had 13 grants funded, published

Dan Ewert PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY FARGO 701.231.7619 DAN.EWERT@NDSU.EDU

nine journal papers, gave 32 conference presentations, received 11 awards and earned seven master’s degrees.

A student team created Spinthesis, a company trying to imitate spider silk to create a versatile, sustainable and biodegradable material. A goal is to use the fibers for pressure-responsive compression bandages.

Nine different projects are underway, ranging from personalized cancer therapies to developing leadless heart pacemaker technology. It’s the confluence of challenges, breakthrough technology and radical solutions.

Our long-term vision includes:

A pre-incubator facility where spin-out companies are nurtured and technologies developed.

Outreach efforts to students across North Dakota interested in starting high-tech, entrepreneurial companies.

Integration of entrepreneurship and education.

Partnerships with private companies to sponsor moonshot teams.

Recruitment of students through curriculum emphasis on translational medical products.

We envision a new commercialization facility at NDSU where student research discoveries spark entrepreneurial successes.

These projects help NDSU forge productive collaborations with business and industry, linking the university’s research mission to North Dakota’s economy.

Education should be the next moonshot effort, producing innovative, big-idea thinkers who can excel in today’s increasingly multidisciplinary research ecosystem. These high-risk, high-reward discoveries can provide dramatic socio-economic advantages for our state and its citizens.

What to Know

When Choosing a Provider

By Richard Penning

As we look ahead to a new year, now is a great time to take stock of your existing expenses and get a jump start on changes and new additions that might be beneficial to your business. Insurance may never top the list of “exciting” changes a business owner can make, but it is one of the most critical components of business and is well-deserving of your attention.

Having a great insurance provider can be your salvation in times of need and provide constant peace of mind. Conversely, a mediocre insurance provider can ultimately cost you more money and countless nights of lost sleep. Unfortunately, many business owners don’t realize there is a difference until it’s too late. To help avoid a potential catastrophe, here are a few red flags to be on the lookout for when choosing a provider:

The agent doesn’t speak your industry lingo

Every industry and business has unique needs and considerations, so it’s helpful to have an insurance agent who understands your specific area of business. Generalists are much more likely to miss coverage specifics in policies, leaving you at risk.

An agent says he/she only needs a copy of your current policy to provide a quote, and promises a fast turnaround

A copy of your current policy is a good starting point, but businesses and policy offerings change over time so it’s

Richard Penning VICE PRESIDENT, AGENT WARNER AND CO. INSURANCE FARGO

701.237.6414

RPENNING@WARNERANDCOMPANY.COM

important for agents to properly assess a client’s current business needs, in addition to reviewing its existing coverage. For example, cyber liability was rarely discussed just 10 years ago, but it is now an important component of many business insurance portfolios. Great agents ensure their clients have access to the most current products and take time to thoroughly review current needs and options.

The agent doesn’t ask questions

Without getting to know you and your business, it’s nearly impossible to provide an insurance policy that offers appropriate coverage. When you have a conversation with the agent, does it feel like you are being sold something, or being told what to do? If so, you are not speaking with an insurance agent who has your best interests in mind. A great insurance agent serves more like a consultant than a salesperson. They ask questions, listen to your input, and help solve problems. If the agent doesn’t ask about your business model, your customers, your competition, your risks or your long-range plans, they probably don’t care and won’t offer a plan that takes any of those factors into consideration.

Cost is the first thing mentioned

We’re all money conscious, but the old saying “you get what you pay for” is indeed very true when it comes to insurance. Great insurance agents discuss coverage options first, and then work with the client to develop a policy that fits his or her budget. If an agent promises to find you the cheapest quote on the market, don’t expect your policy to be solid, and don’t be surprised when the agent offers little help in times of need. Finally, one of the best things you can do when exploring your insurance options is to ask your colleagues for referrals. Where do they buy their insurance? Does the agent you’re meeting with have a solid reputation? Does the agency have longevity in the community? The answers to these questions can be great indicators as to whether the agency is worthy of your time and business. Remember — you’re the customer and a great insurance agency is there to serve you and your needs. PB

COMMISSIONING SOLUTION S

Your building should be an asset. That’s what the team at CxS ensures. Our focus is to provide a thorough investigation to recognize deficiencies and ensure resolution before it becomes an imposition to our clients. Our passion is to minimize future service calls and increase energy efficiency of the buildings we commission. We study buildings and bring focus to big data, finding the areas to make them run better on less. Helping our clients save time, money and energy.

Bringing

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focus to your building, so you can focus on business.

Make Advancements,

But Nurture Humanness

By Larry Skogen

The world is engaged in an unprecedented technological revolution occurring at a rate of speed that is hard to comprehend. Consider that both Julius Caesar and George Washington, who lived 1,800 years apart, lived in 5-mph worlds. Yet, Abraham Lincoln, born into that same world, died in a 60-mph world. And 100 years later, humankind walked on the moon.

What differentiated the Caesar-Washington world from the LincolnApollo world was the industrial revolution that replaced muscle power (animal and human) with the combustion engine and mechanization. That era, often called the first machine age, saw unprecedented transformation of the world. Next came the technological revolution with the advent of computers. Combining those computers with machines accelerated that transformation so we are now in what writers Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee call “the second machine age.” In this new age, the marriage of computers and machines has resulted in unprecedented automation. Couple artificial intelligence with that automation and one wonders what role humans will have in the future.

While the exponential increase in technology over the recent past and today is stunning, in the days to come, things will move even faster. Futurist Ray Kurzweil famously stated that the technological revolution we are seeing today will result in 20,000 years’ worth of change (compared to the change witnessed in our past) within this century.

In higher education, the technical skills and technologies we teach our students today will likely be obsolete within a few years after they graduate. Whole industries are shifting. Automation has drastically changed manufacturing and is poised to completely upset the transportation industry. At Bismarck State College, we’re training students to operate autonomous welding machines. As a faculty member in that program told me, “We’re not educating welders; we’re training programmers.”

Within this new age of automation and advancement, we must ensure that students learn about more than the technical specifics of their chosen careers. They must learn to think, to understand the impact of decisions and the context of their work. They have to be comfortable with change, and armed with the decision-making skills they’ll need to adapt to the next, rapidly approaching shift in their chosen field.

Moving forward, success for our students, and for all of us, will be defined by much more than our technological knowledge or our technical aptitude. Success will be more dependent than ever on our absolute humanness. Our curiosity, our aesthetic sensibilities and our love for beautiful things — art and music and good books; gardens and sunsets and dancing. It’s nurturing those uniquely human interests that will drive creativity and keep the world moving in new directions.

Our humanness is what differentiates us from animals, and machines for that matter, and why we must, whether we are educating students to be technicians or teachers, ensure that they learn about art, philosophy, music and history. It is those core humanities, subjects required of most students before they are allowed to pursue their specific program goals, that will ensure their success. A strong grounding in humanities will strengthen all that is best in them, and ensure that technology is their tool to success rather than an obstacle.

Larry Skogen PRESIDENT, BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE BISMARCK, N.D. LARRY.SKOGEN@BISMARCKSTATE.EDU

Peter Stenehjem President

Dave Mason Bismarck President

Career Dedicated to a Cause

Basin

CEO talks

co-ops, Clean Power Plan

Q.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO ENTER THE ENERGY INDUSTRY?

Paul Sukut

CEO and General Manager

Basin Electric Power Cooperative

Bismarck, N.D.

Q.

A.

I grew up with cooperatives entrenched in my life. From our local electric cooperative in Edgeley, N.D., (now Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative) to the rural telecom, our fuel supplier and our agricultural cooperative, co-ops make up the fabric of who I am. I started my career in an accounting firm. During that time, I had the opportunity to work with Basin Electric. I was fortunate enough to join Basin Electric’s accounting department just a few years later, and I’ve never looked back. More than 35 years later, I can’t imagine a better cause with which to dedicate my career.

Q.

A. A.

AS A COOPERATIVE, HOW DOES BASIN OPERATE DIFFERENTLY FROM OTHER POWER PROVIDERS?

We are owned by the members we serve. We’re democratically operated and controlled. We do not answer to shareholders across the country; we answer to our members. Cooperatives around the world generally operate according to the same core principles and values, adopted by the International Co-operative Alliance in 1995: voluntary and open membership; democratic member control; members’ economic participation; autonomy and independence; education, training and information; and concern for the community.

WHAT MADE BASIN ELECTRIC SO SUCCESSFUL

THAT IT HAS BEEN ABLE TO GROW AND SERVE SUCH A LARGE AREA?

That’s easy. We’re member-driven and member-controlled. Years ago, our board of directors — which is composed of our end-use consumers across all our membership districts — resolved that a “bigger Basin is better.” If we can aggregate the needs across our membership and spread investments accordingly, that minimizes risk and expands our footprint across rural America. We are rooted in politics, and because of those relationships with our elected officials, we also wield a strong voice in Washington, D.C. Our strength lies in our 2.9 million members.

IMAGE: BASIN ELECTRIC POWER COOPERATIVE

HOW IS THE CLEAN POWER PLAN (A CONTROVERSIAL RULE THAT SETS LIMITS ON CARBON EMISSIONS) AFFECTING POWER PROVIDERS, AND BASIN IN PARTICULAR?

The Clean Power Plan has tremendous implications for Basin Electric and the membership. Of the 13 states hit the hardest by the rule, eight are in Basin Electric’s service territory. The driving force in Basin Electric’s decision to litigate the rule is the well-being of our end-use memberconsumers — those who will be left paying for compliance with this rule. We are hopeful that given time, ingenuity and federal/industry partnerships, we will create a viable future for all energy sources, one that strengthens rural America, doesn’t adversely impact our members, and gets us down the road with innovative and achievable solutions.

Financially, we may have to spend more than $5 billion to comply with this rule as written. These billions of dollars would simply cover adding new generation and potentially impact the operations of our existing facilities. This does not even include the expense of additional electric or gas infrastructure to support new generation.

We have long acknowledged that we are moving to a carbon-constrained future. Over the last decade, Basin Electric and our membership have taken a leadership

WHAT IS YOUR LARGEST CHALLENGE AS CEO AND GENERAL MANAGER OF BASIN ELECTRIC POWER COOPERATIVE’S ENTIRE NINE-STATE COVERAGE AREA (MONTANA, NORTH

We have a diverse membership with a diverse set of challenges and needs. Fortunately, we all work together for the betterment of the family. Our primary challenges lie in how best to serve our members with low-cost and reliable electricity in light of impending and ever-changing regulatory challenges. We are rooted in environmental stewardship and continue to balance that important responsibility with the need to serve a growing membership.

role in the development of renewable generation. We’ve added significant wind generation to our system, invested more than $1 billion in natural gas resources and have invested more than $1.5 billion in emissions control technology to make our already-clean generation fleet even cleaner. Even more, our Dakota Gasification Co.’s Great Plains Synfuels Plant (near Beulah, N.D.) is home to the world’s largest carbon capture and sequestration project — capturing more than 30 million tons of carbon dioxide.

Sadly, the Clean Power Plan gives us no credit for the initiatives we’ve undertaken. We believe there is a better way, one where we can pursue technological innovations while protecting our rural consumers from senseless rate increases. According to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, electric cooperatives serve 327 of the nation’s 353 persistent poverty counties. We must do better for our people, and we are hopeful the justice system will take our arguments into account and rural America will prevail.

WHAT ROLE DOES RENEWABLE ENERGY PLAY IN BASIN’S POWER SUPPLY, AND WHAT KINDS OF RENEWABLES DOES THE COOPERATIVE USE?

Basin Electric is a recognized leader of wind energy development in the Upper Midwest. Through joint projects and purchase power agreements, we have added approximately 719 megawatts (MW) of wind energy to our energy portfolio in the past decade and have invested more than $1 billion in renewable resources. By year-end 2016, Basin Electric will have more than 1,570 MW of green and wind-generation capacity.

Several of Basin Electric’s members have asked about incorporating solar as a resource option. The cooperative is considering how to best incorporate both small and large solar into its generation fleet. Basin Electric will work with the membership as it develops a solar resource strategy. As of March 22, 2016, Basin Electric purchases the output from 335 small wind and solar projects owned by member-consumers throughout the cooperative’s service territory. The output totals more than 8.8 MW. Additionally, Basin Electric purchases the output from eight recovered energy generation sites along the Northern Border Pipeline: Culbertson, Mont.; Manning, St. Anthony and Zeeland, N.D.; Wetonka, Clark and Estelline, S.D.; and Garvin, Minn. Each generates 5.5 MW of renewable energy from exhaust heat produced by the pipeline’s compressor stations. The sites produce power with virtually no incremental emissions and are considered carbonfree generation. They are owned and operated by subsidiaries of Ormat Technologies of Reno, Nev.

DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, MINNESOTA, IOWA, NEBRASKA, WYOMING, COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO)?

Conference previews 2017 technology trends

By Kayla Prasek

In 2017, the latest technology trends will continue becoming more readily available to the average technology user, according to Brett Anderson.

Anderson, a senior consultant and solution architect for Network Center Inc., gave an overview of the technology trends for the next year at NCI’s NVision 2016 conference Nov. 2 at the Avalon Events Center in Fargo. Among the trends he discussed were artificial intelligence, smart machines, augmented reality, virtual reality, 3-D printing, cloud and security.

“It’s interesting how artificial intelligence has evolved,” Anderson said. “If we combine artificial intelligence and automated machines, it’s a powerful combination.” An example of that is the Roomba vacuum.

Virtual reality, which is when a user is immersed into another world, also continues evolving, Anderson said. Samsung has started weaving virtual reality into its phones on a small scale, helping bring it to the masses, he said.

Augmented reality, which takes the space around the user and augments it, has also continued growing. Technology company Lenovo recently released a phone that has augmented reality built in with four cameras and can be used with games and for real world applications, Anderson said.

“There are endless possibilities for augmented reality,” he said. “Museums are starting to use it to bring the world alive around you. It could be used in retail to show how clothes work together.”

Another technology that keeps evolving is 3-D printing. “It’s evolving and becoming more practical,” Anderson said. “We’re seeing people making tables, chess pieces, gun parts. Health care is using it for a wide array of things as well.”

Anderson compared the evolution of 3-D printing to the evolution of computers. “Think about how computers grew

over 10 years, and now think about what 3-D printing can become. This is moving down market and will be a bit more readily available to the masses.”

Anderson said in a few years, all these smart machines and applications will have practical uses as they move out of the early development stages.

Additionally, Anderson said “all our devices are meshing together to improve your world.” Many of those devices can be controlled by a smartphone.

“The mobile revolution is dead,” he said. “The mobile market has been slowing down and is saturated. It is no longer a revolution. Mobilization is here.”

Instead, Anderson said he advises clients to “do something disruptive” to help them stand out. One possibility to stand out is to have an app.

“A few years ago, mobile websites were important,” Anderson said. “We’re past that. Research has shown that customers spend four times as long with your business via an app than a mobile website.”

The cloud will continue to be important for holding data, which means both user experience and security will continue to be critical, Anderson said.

“When you start thinking about what you’re going to do to leverage mobile or doing something that will gather more data, security is the first thing you need to think about,” he said. PB

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Brett Anderson, senior consultant and solution architect for Network Center Inc., speaks at the company’s NVision 2016 conference Nov. 2 in Fargo.

IMAGE: NETWORK CENTER INC.

Sanford, South Dakota State University team up for clinical trial

By Lisa Gibson

A partnership between Sanford Health and South Dakota State University researchers could result in an FDAapproved, branched stent graft that properly manages blood flow through the aorta to multiple organs. Sanford vascular surgeon Dr. Pat Kelly invented the device and SDSU’s Stephen Gent, associate professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department, is leading a flow modeling data collection phase to complement and expand clinical trials.

The aorta runs from the heart to the legs, branching about halfway down to include four pathways to the intestines, liver and stomach. “Pat has created a system that allows for all that branching to take place,” says Tyler Remund, Sanford Health’s director of commercialization.

Stent grafts are not a new concept in health care, but Kelly’s design uses a cloth frame instead of metal, which is used in traditional stents. Metal allows blood to leak through and come in contact with artery walls, whereas cloth holds the blood safely inside, Remund explains. With a metal frame, in an instance of an aneurysm, the blood pressure continues to expand an artery, or a blood vessel, until it pops. “And then you’ve got a serious problem,” Remund says.

It’s a relatively small subset of patients who experience that particular set of aneurysms, but they have few options for solutions, he says. Kelly’s device could be an important leap in their care.

Sanford is currently conducting clinical trials with the device at five medical centers, but will ramp up in phase two to include 10 to 15 medical centers, about 200 patients and a lot of

data, Remund says. The clinical trial will monitor those patients for about a year.

Gent is using computer technology to model the blood flow of the stent, which he hopes will support applications for FDA approval of more clinics participating in the trials, he says. Gent and Remund met in what Gent calls a “chance encounter” for an unrelated project. “We happened to be talking after that meeting about some of the stuff we were doing and he remembered.” Gent had been modeling flows for corn dryers and Remund recalled the research when the stent graft was developed and flow models were needed. “He approached us to see if we’d be interested in modeling the flow mechanics within his device and comparing those with other devices that are on the market,” Gent says.

Gent’s team is working now on setting up a pathway to come up with a protocol to show the models are valid and the data is relevant to moving the product forward. He hopes that will be complete by the end of the year. This project is Gent’s first in the medical realm, he says, adding it’s been fascinating and represents “tremendous opportunities.”

If the FDA gives the green light after the clinical trials have concluded and all data collected, the device can be sold by Medtronic to vascular surgeons around the country, Remund says.

Lisa Gibson EDITOR, PRAIRIE BUSINESS 701.787.6753

The Sanford research team led by Dr. Pat Kelly (front).

IMAGE: SANFORD HEALTH

Stephen Gent

Tyler Remund

Midco to acquire WOW! system in Lawrence, Kansas

By Kayla Prasek

Midco will be entering the Kansas market, signing an agreement to acquire the WOW! Internet, cable and phone system in Lawrence. The company will serve more than 30,000 customers in Douglas, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties.

WOW! Lawrence previously operated as Sunflower Broadband, an independent, locally owned company dating to 1970, before becoming WOW! in 2010. As of 2016, WOW! Lawrence passes 67,000 homes and businesses.

In addition to the WOW! Telecommunications holdings, Midco will purchase WOW! Channel 6, Lawrence’s only local TV broadcaster.

“We could sense the pride in the local community the first time our team set foot in Lawrence,” says Pat McAdaragh, president and CEO of Midco, in a statement. “We experience the same positive environment in the towns we serve further north, so this acquisition just feels like the right fit culturally.”

In the coming months, WOW! customers will make the transition to Midco, as will about 70 WOW! employees. The company employs about 1,500 people in the Dakotas and Minnesota. “Midco’s strength is taking care of our customers, our employees and the communities we serve,” McAdaragh says. “We look forward to taking that same approach in the Lawrence area.”

“At WOW!, we’re familiar with the quality operation Midco runs,” says Steven Cochran, WOW! CEO, in a statement. “I’m confident that the people, businesses and institutions in the Lawrence area will be pleased with Midco’s customer care philosophy, its integrity and its commitment to innovation.”

The Lawrence area’s robust economy and bright future were key factors in Midco’s decision to invest in WOW! Lawrence, McAdaragh says. Douglas County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, and the area has low unemployment and a solid housing market.

“From health care and bioscience to technology and startups, we’re impressed by the growth and innovation happening in Lawrence,” McAdaragh says. “And it becomes a more powerful, compelling story because Lawrence is home to the University of Kansas, a top-tier public research institution.”

Midco provides telecommunications, data center and managed services, and advertising solutions to more than 350,000 customers in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Midco also owns and operates Midco Sports Network, a sports channel covering regional college and high school sports.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close within the next few months.

Kayla Prasek STAFF WRITER, PRAIRIE BUSINESS 701.780.1187

North Dakota Safety Council breaks ground on state-of-the-art training facility

By Kayla Prasek

The North Dakota Safety Council broke ground in October on a facility that will provide year-round safety training in Bismarck. The Hands-On Safety Training Facility will be designed to reach more people with “memorable” training to prevent injuries and deaths among North Dakotans, says Lynae Hanson, assistant executive director.

The $6 million facility is adjacent to Bismarck State College and is expected to be completed in summer 2017.

The first phase of the center includes a nearly 5,000-squarefoot hands-on training lab featuring a three-story training prop and equipment to be utilized during a variety of training courses. The facility also will incorporate distance learning, a 30-person computer lab, driving and heavy equipment simulators and mobile training units. During the second phase of construction, a dirt floor arena and community room will be added to provide training on heavy equipment and host community safety events.

Hanson says, “2012 was a rough year in North Dakota for unintentional injuries and deaths.” That year, 167 people were killed on the roads and 64 were killed while doing their jobs, in addition to thousands more injured.

“It was these ever-increasing numbers of people killed or injured that caused the North Dakota Safety Council staff and board to

wonder what we could and should do differently to reverse the upward trend of deaths and injuries among those living and working in North Dakota,” Hanson says. “We realized we need to reach more people, train in a way that is more impactful, and offer higher-level training that is not currently available in North Dakota or the surrounding region. The way to achieve these three steps was to build a state-of-the-art safety training campus featuring hands-on training. We began planning, designing and fundraising in 2012.”

Hanson says the facility will be available to businesses that want to train their employees in any of the courses the Safety Council offers. The Safety Council has more than 1,000 members across the industries of construction, oil and gas, manufacturing, energy, utilities, transportation, health care and more. The facility also will be available to individuals who want to take a course in first aid/ CPR, self-protection or defensive driving. PB

The North Dakota Safety Council’s Hands-On Safety Training Facility will provide a variety of courses.

IMAGE: NORTH DAKOTA SAFETY COUNCIL

Each year, Prairie Business accepts nominations for 40 Under 40. We look for individuals who have impressed in their careers and enhanced their communities. Professional achievements and community service are crucial to make this renowned and celebrated list.

This year, we received about 150 nominations and, as always, narrowing them down to only 40 was a difficult task. But it’s been done and we’re eager to announce these extraordinary people.

From all of us here at Prairie Business: Congratulations!

Andy Bartling joined Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial as a financial adviser in 2009, where he helps families and businesses gain financial security. He graduated from National American University in Rapid City in 2009 with bachelor’s degrees in accounting and business administration with an emphasis in financial management. Bartling is president of the Rapid City Young Professionals Group, president of the Black Hills Area Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, president of the South Dakota Association of Fraternal Insurance Counsellors, president of the South Dakota Fraternal Alliance, and was a member of the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce board. He won the Modern Woodmen of America Sure Start Award in 2009, was the 2010 Modern Woodmen of America Rookie of the Year, 2015 Rapid City Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the Year, and the 2016 National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors South Dakota Young Advisor of the Year.

Andy Bartling

AGE: 30

FINANCIAL ADVISER, MODERN WOODMEN FRATERNAL FINANCIAL RAPID CITY, S.D.

Andy Bartsch

AGE: 36

PARTNER/DIRECTOR OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, OBERMILLER NELSON ENGINEERING FARGO

Andy Bartsch has been involved in the electrical construction industry since he was 14, first as an apprentice electrician in his family’s business, followed by three years of internships while attending North Dakota State University in Fargo. Bartsch graduated from NDSU with a degree in electrical engineering in 2004. He started his career at a Fargo engineering firm before joining Obermiller Nelson Engineering in 2008, when the company was growing its electrical engineering department. Bartsch eventually became an associate, and is now a partner and leads the electrical engineering department, which has grown to a team of 21 in seven offices. In 2014, he became a certified lighting designer. In addition to volunteering with ONE, Bartsch also is the Fargo Youth Hockey Association Termites coordinator.

AGE: 30

TRAFFIC ENGINEER/OFFICE MANAGER, KLJ

WEST FARGO, N.D.

Mike Bittner is a traffic engineer and traffic planner who manages KLJ’s traffic and planning group and serves as an office manager for KLJ’s West Fargo location, leading client and business development for the 30-person office. Bittner earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from North Dakota State University in Fargo and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. He is a professional engineer in five states, professional traffic operations engineer, professional transportation planner and International Municipal Signal Association traffic signal field technician level two. Bittner was named the 2015 Young Transportation Professional of the Year by the North Central Institute of Transportation Engineers and received the 2015 Midwestern ITE’s Rising Star Award. Bittner is nationally recognized for his work creating innovative intersection congestion reduction and safety strategies and has authored three papers and presented at more than a dozen conferences around the country on the topic. He promotes science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education through various area programs and serves on the Midwestern ITE Board of Directors.

Mike Bittner

Angela Boersma

AGE: 33

ARCHITECT, MILLS CONSTRUCTION INC. BROOKINGS, S.D.

Angela Boersma is an architect and interior designer for Mills Construction Inc. She has also taught interior design at South Dakota State University in Brookings. Boersma received her Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from SDSU and her Master of Architecture from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. She has graduated from Leadership Brookings and serves as vice chair of the Historic Preservation Committee. She also serves on the Affordable Housing Task Force, Brookings Master Planning Advisory Committee and American Institute of Architects-South Dakota Legislation Committee. Boersma also runs her own photography business, Rae Studios, in conjunction with the 308 Collective, which is a co-working studio she helped establish this past year.

Leah Brakke

AGE: 38 DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, BLACK GOLD FARMS GRAND FORKS

Leah Brakke worked for the family company, Black Gold Farms, throughout high school and college, but decided to venture out on her own after college. She worked in marketing for AGSCO, Bremer Bank, Flint Communications and AdFarm before returning to Black Gold Farms in 2011 as the company’s marketing specialist. In 2016, she was promoted to director of new business development. Brakke graduated from North Dakota State University in Fargo with a Bachelor of Science in Business, Business Operations and Management and received her Master of Business Administration from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. She serves on The AgChat Foundation’s Board of Directors and Marketing Committee, Produce for Better Health’s Marketing and Communications Committee and the Red River Valley Potato Growers’ Marketing Committee. She is an active member of Grand Forks Calvary Lutheran Church and the Grand Forks Downtown Rotary.

Mandel Cameron

AGE: 30

PROJECT MANAGER, EAPC ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS FARGO

Mandel Cameron graduated from North Dakota State University in Fargo with her bachelor’s degree in environmental design in 2009 and her Master of Architecture in 2010. She joined EAPC in 2015 as a project manager and is working on her architecture registration exams. Cameron is a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, the Fargo Moorhead Visual Artists board, and an artist member of The Arts Partnership. She also volunteers with the Lake Region Arts Council as a mentor for a young artist who is an aspiring artist and architect, and created an outdoor mural in Moorhead, Minn., in summer 2016, a project supported by grant funding.

DJ Campbell

AGE: 36 ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES MANAGER, EMC INSURANCE COS. BISMARCK, N.D.

DJ Campbell is the administrative services manager for the EMC Bismarck branch. He serves in a leadership role, managing the branch’s human resources, accounting, purchasing, information technology and facilities functions. Campbell previously worked as director of operations for an independent hospitality franchise, managing 15 units throughout North Dakota. He is a member of the Bismarck-Mandan Young Professionals Network and Central Dakota Human Resources Association, is president of Mandan Dollars for Scholars, serves in a leadership role in his church and was recently elected to the Make-A-Wish North Dakota Board of Directors.

Jeffrey Cooley

AGE: 32 CEO, CIVIL DESIGN INC. BROOKINGS, S.D.

Jeffrey Cooley graduated from South Dakota State University in Brookings with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and became a professional engineer in 2012. He started his career as a project engineer before becoming a principal engineer and CEO of Civil Design Inc. He serves on the Boys & Girls Club of Brookings Advisory Council and mentors students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Cooley also serves on the Board of Young Professionals with the Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce and is a member of several professional and technical societies.

Heather Cymbaluk joined Companions for Children as executive director in 2013, where she has grown the organization significantly. She graduated from Minot State University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management Information Systems and from the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D., with a Master of Business Administration with an executive and health care focus. Cymbaluk is involved with the Minot Chamber of Commerce, where she sits on the Ambassadors Committee, Minot Alliance of Nonprofits, Minot Optimists Club and Minot Grant Writers Roundtable, and volunteers with iCan Bike.

Heather Cymbaluk

AGE: 27

Catherine Dekkenga

AGE: 38

ARCHITECT, ARCHITECTURE INC.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.

Rachel Harris

AGE: 36

PROJECT ARCHITECT, EAPC ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS GRAND FORKS

CHIEF

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMPANIONS FOR CHILDREN MINOT,

Catherine Dekkenga graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Iowa State University in Ames in 2004 and her Master of Architecture from ISU in 2009. She then moved home to Sioux Falls to start her architectural career at the firm her father started in 1976. In 2015, she became a registered architect. Dekkenga is a member of Rotary International, is an executive board member of the Sioux Falls Education Foundation, is the chair of the Citizen Advisory Committee for the Urbanized Development Commission of the Southeastern Council of Governments, is a member of the Board of Trustees at Central Church and is a seventh grade girls youth group leader.

AGE: 39

CREDIT OFFICER,

CHOICE FINANCIAL GROUP LANGDON, N.D.

Following completion of his Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics, Greg Goodman started his career at AgCountry Farm Credit Services. In 2002, he joined Choice Financial Group as a business banking officer at the bank’s Langdon location and worked his way up to president of the location and chief credit officer in 2008. His duties changed to full-time chief credit officer in 2013. Goodman is also a member of the executive management team, senior management committee, asset liability committee and enterprise risk committee for Choice. He is an instructor of Choice’s internal education and orientation program called Choice University. Goodman serves on the North Dakota Bankers Association Services Board, the Cavalier County Memorial Hospital Foundation and United Lutheran Church Council. He is a graduate of North Dakota State University in Fargo and the Dakota School of Banking. He also operates his family’s fifth-generation farm near Milton, N.D., and coaches youth football.

Rachel Harris graduated from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology in 2002, and then worked as a flight attendant. Her travels led her to pursue a career in architecture. Harris graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with her Master of Architecture in 2011 and joined EAPC. In 2016, Harris became a licensed architect after taking the seven licensure exams in seven months. Harris is serving her second term on the board for Red River Valley Habitat for Humanity, where she is the chair of the building committee. She also is serving her second term as a board member and treasurer of the North Dakota chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. Harris is an active member of the Alley Alive team and has been involved with the Greater Grand Forks Young Professionals and The Chamber of Grand Forks-East Grand Forks, attending its leadership programs.

N.D.

Kayce Halley

AGE: 33 PARTNER, EIDE BAILLY FARGO

Kayce Halley has more than 11 years of public accounting experience working at Eide Bailly. Throughout that time, she has risen through the ranks and is now a partner in the firm’s Fargo office. Most recently, she has helped advise and serve clients with tax needs through the office’s newest service offering, The Possibilities Center, which helps small to mid-sized businesses and entrepreneurial startups. Halley received her Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks and has pursued professional education through Dale Carnegie and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Leadership Academy. She holds the certified public accountant designation and is a member of the AICPA and the North Dakota Society of Certified Public Accountants. She volunteers as a United Way of Cass Clay campaign cabinet member.

Greg Goodman

Darcie Johnson joined Midwest Fire as vice president and office manager in 2013, where she is responsible for overseeing accounting, finance, information technology, human resources, sales and project management. Before joining Midwest Fire, she spent more than 10 years working as a staff accountant for Luverne Truck Equipment Inc. in Brandon, S.D. Johnson graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Colorado Technical University in Sioux Falls, S.D., in 2002 and with her Master of Business Administration from CTU in 2015. Johnson organizes the company’s fundraiser activities for Kids Against Hunger, hosted each year by Rock County Ministerial Association. She is an active member of Beaver Valley Lutheran Church in Valley Springs, S.D., where she served as treasurer and council member, and has served on the education committee for the past four years, organizing the Sunday school and vacation bible school programs.

Darcie Johnson

AGE: 36

VICE PRESIDENT/OFFICE MANAGER, MIDWEST FIRE EQUIPMENT & REPAIR CO. LUVERNE, MINN.

Dan Hicks

AGE: 31

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AGENT, PROPERTY RESOURCES GROUP; OWNER, HOMEDESIGN AND SUPPLY FARGO

Dan Hicks moved to Fargo to study mechanical engineering at North Dakota State University. While at NDSU, he worked construction and started his own company, Homestead Handyman Service, to pay his way through college. While in college, Hicks earned his real estate license and started selling real estate at Town and Country Realty, where he started and managed the commercial real estate and property management departments. In 2013, he joined Property Resources Group, where he is one of the company’s top producers, and is one of the top commercial real estate listing agents in the Fargo area. At the same time, Hicks started GreenCell Recycling, a cell phone and electronics recycling company, which he eventually sold, and HomeDesign and Supply, which has grown from his basement to its own 18,000-square-foot facility.

AGE: 36

CONTROLLER, BANK OF NORTH DAKOTA BISMARCK, N.D.

After completing his accounting degree at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, Jason Johnson began his career as a certified public accountant in Minneapolis with Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, an international accounting firm. Since then, he returned to North Dakota and worked as an auditor manager for Eide Bailly LLP, and at Starion Financial, where he served as chief financial officer. In 2013, he accepted a position as asset liability manager with Bank of North Dakota and was promoted to controller in 2015. Johnson also is a member of the bank’s investment and funds management committees. He participates in the Emerging Leaders Program through Independent Community Banks of North Dakota and is a graduate of The Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Bismarck-Mandan program. Johnson is involved with the North Dakota Society of CPAs and United Way’s Day of Caring, coaches youth soccer and basketball and volunteers in a school-based father involvement program at a local elementary school.

Cole Keney

AGE: 34 RELATIONSHIP MANAGER, ALERUS FARGO

Cole Keney started working for Alerus as a parttime employee in 2003 while he attended college. Since then, he has continued his career with Alerus, accepting a newly created position as deposit new business developer in 2006 before being promoted to relationship manager in 2008. Keney is one of the youngest relationship managers at Alerus and also one of the top performers, managing complex client relationships. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Keney is on the Board of Directors for the North Central Chapter of the Risk Management Association, is a member of the Fargo-Moorhead AM Rotary Club, is a past member of the Board of Directors for Rebuilding Together and a past ambassador for the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce.

Eric Jendro

AGE: 38

VICE PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING BAXTER, MINN.

Eric Jendro joined Widseth Smith Nolting in 2002 after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Minnesota State University, Mankato. As the firm’s director of mechanical engineering, Jendro oversees a team of six engineers and technicians. He is a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Accredited Professional. Jendro is a volunteer coach for the Brainerd Amateur Hockey Association.

Jason Johnson

Bismarck, Minot & Williston, ND y Sioux Falls, SD y Shakopee, MN

Michelle Killoran

AGE: 37

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, SCHEELS FARGO

Michelle Killoran started her career at Scheels as a senior at Concordia College and worked her way up to her current role as chief financial officer. She was the second woman to ever be named to the Scheels Executive Committee and has spearheaded a women’s leadership group within Scheels to encourage women to hone their leadership skills. Killoran has served as the United Way Cass-Clay annual campaign chair and finance committee chair. She is on the Sanford Health Fargo Board, volunteers with Junior Achievement and North Dakota State University, was named the YWCA Woman of the Year in the business category, and co-chaired the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction this past fall.

Kurt Lysne

AGE: 33

WATER RESOURCES GROUP LEADER, MOORE ENGINEERING INC.

WEST FARGO, N.D.

Kurt Lysne graduated from North Dakota State University in Fargo in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and joined Moore Engineering as a water resources engineer. Today, he is the group leader of the company’s water resources department, supervising about 20 engineers and technicians. He is a registered professional engineer in Minnesota and North Dakota and is registered as a certified floodplain manager with the Association of State Floodplain Managers. Lysne is the most recent recipient of both the FM Engineers Club and the North Dakota Society of Professional Engineers Young Engineer of the Year awards. Lysne is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, Association of State Dam Safety Officials, FM Engineers Club and volunteers with Triumph Lutheran Church, Salvation Army and Meals on Wheels.

Nicholas Killoran

AGE: 38

FOUNDER/PRESIDENT, GREAT NORTH INSURANCE SERVICES

WEST FARGO, N.D.

Nicholas Killoran started working at Wells Fargo Financial after graduating from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., in 2001. He worked his way up the ladder to store manager before making the decision to open a business. In 2010, Killoran started Great North Insurance. Since then, he has opened three additional businesses — Great North Premium Finance, Great North Properties and TAR Properties. Under Killoran’s guidance, Great North Insurance was named 2016 Small Business of the Year by the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce. Killoran has served on the Alexis Tocqueville Society Board for the United Way of Cass-Clay and co-chaired the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction.

After graduating from North Dakota State University in Fargo with a degree in animal and range science in 2007, Jacob Manly worked ultrasounding cattle for carcass data. In 2009, he ventured out into business, starting Bulls-Eye Lawn Care, which specializes in mowing, trimming, chemical application, fall and spring cleanup, landscaping and snow removal for commercial and residential properties. He co-founded Black Diamond Cattle Co. in 2009, in which he is managing partner, raising and backgrounding purebred Black Angus. Manly took on another role in 2014, as rental property owner and manager with Bastille Venture Partners. In 2016, he co-founded and is president and managing director of Limelight Builders, a construction company specializing in residential homes.

AGE: 31

OWNER, LIMELIGHT BUILDERS BULLS-EYE LAWN CARE BLACK DIAMOND CATTLE CO. BASTILLE VENTURE PARTNERS FARGO

David Mason joined First International Bank & Trust in 2015 when the company expanded to Bismarck. As the president of the Bismarck market and operating a branch in a temporary space, Mason has grown the Bismarck presence from the ground up while creating a culture of teamwork with his staff. Before joining FIB&T, Mason worked at American Bank Center for seven years, most recently as a vice president, overseeing the mortgage banking department across all markets for the bank. His career first began in Sitka, Alaska, at First National Bank Alaska, where he served as branch manager. He is active with the Bismarck Rotary Club, CommunityWorks ND, Independent Community Banks of North Dakota, Century Baptist Church and St. Alexius Medical Foundation Resource Cabinet, and helped start the Bismarck Santa Run. Mason was recently named a Rising Star in Banking by NorthWestern Financial Review.

Jacob Manly

David Mason

AGE: 35 MARKET PRESIDENT, FIRST INTERNATIONAL BANK & TRUST BISMARCK, N.D.

Steve Mattern

AGE: 36

GENERAL OPERATIONS MANAGER, MIDCO FARGO

Steve Mattern is Midco’s general operations manager, overseeing technical operations for a region including Fargo, Grand Forks and Devils Lake in North Dakota. Mattern started with Midco in 2002 as an install technician and progressed into multiple roles with more responsibility, before moving into his current role in 2014. Mattern earned a degree in telecommunications from Northwest Technical College in Wadena, Minn. He coaches youth flag football, soccer and wrestling in West Fargo.

Justin Picek

AGE: 29

PRESIDENT, PICEK CONSTRUCTION CO. INC. HURON, S.D.

Justin Picek worked for Picek Construction Co. Inc. under the guidance of his grandfather and father from a young age. Picek graduated from South Dakota State University in Brookings with a bachelor’s degree in construction management with a minor in business, and in 2011 became the third generation owner of Picek Construction. In 2014, Picek Construction received the Huron Area Family Business of the Year Award. He is part of the Beadle County Search and Rescue dive team, is a board member for the Huron Regional Medical Center, and is on the Huron Young Professionals Board.

Kia Mikesh

AGE: 26

VICE PRESIDENT, NORTH DAKOTA GRAIN INSPECTION FARGO

AnnaLisa Nash

AGE: 39

MANAGER OF GLOBAL TRADE AND COMPLIANCE, BOBCAT/DOOSAN WEST FARGO, N.D.

Kia Mikesh graduated from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis with a degree in human relations and industrial relations and entrepreneurial management in 2011. After graduation, she was hired by North Dakota Grain Inspection as a project manager and worked her way up to vice president. She now manages the agency across nine states. At the same time, she is also project manager for AdamsNet, which develops software programs for grain inspection agencies similar to NDGI. Mikesh also is a member of several boards of directors, including TrueIT and the American Association of Grain Inspection and Weighing Agency. She also was appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to serve on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Grain Inspection Advisory Committee, where she provides recommendations and solutions to better programs and services under the U.S. Grain Standards Act.

AnnaLisa Nash joined Bobcat/Doosan in 2015 as the manager of global trade and compliance. Before joining Bobcat/Doosan, Nash served as the first-ever export control officer at North Dakota State University in Fargo; as a legal and regulatory consultant for European and Japanese automotive manufacturing clients at a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm; as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of the Chief Counsel; and as a complex litigation and corporate attorney for Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, a Washington, D.C., law firm. Nash graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in 1999 and with her Juris Doctor from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., in 2004. She is a volunteer running coach with Moms on the Run in West Fargo. Nash has served on a number of boards, most recently for Thrivent Financial, and she has volunteered as a pro bono attorney for several nonprofit organizations, including Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota.

AGE:

39 CEO, RAZOR CONSULTING SOLUTIONS INC. FARGO

Upon graduating from North Dakota State University in Fargo with a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems, Eric Mauch worked in marketing for three years at a Fargobased brokerage firm. In 2004, he joined Microsoft, where he spent nine years advancing his career and skill sets, eventually becoming the global business intelligence manager, leading a group of 60 in six countries. In 2010, Mauch partnered with a coworker to form Razor Consulting Solutions. He also holds the position of vice president and general manager of software development for Razor Tracking, a GPS fleet tracking company. He volunteers with the FMYMCA Gator swim team and serves on the board of directors for three Fargo companies. He also volunteers his time by providing Agile software development and Lean principle coaching to various North Dakota startups.

Eric Mauch

AGE: 29

Jordan Rieffenberger started with Lloyd Cos. in 2011 and has steadily risen to his current role as director of commercial real estate. Rieffenberger has worked within the company’s property management, development and real estate divisions. He is involved in all aspects of land development, commercial sales/ leasing, buyer/tenant representation, build-tosuit opportunities and site selection. As the director of commercial real estate, Rieffenberger manages the day-to-day operations of the commercial real estate division. He graduated from St. Cloud (Minn.) State University with a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate, holds his certified commercial investment member designation, and is a licensed broker in both South Dakota and Iowa. Rieffenberger is involved with the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Network, St. Cloud State University Real Estate Alumni Association, International Council of Shopping Centers and a real estate mentoring program at St. Cloud State.

Jordan Rieffenberger

DIRECTOR OF COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE, LLOYD COS. SIOUX FALLS, S.D.

Chris Prendergast

AGE: 32

VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING STRATEGY, CLICK RAIN SIOUX FALLS, S.D.

Chris Prendergast joined Click Rain in 2010 as an online marketing strategist, and has climbed the ranks of the 35-person company to become vice president of marketing strategy. In his almost six years with Click Rain, Prendergast has been chiefly responsible for growing the company’s digital marketing and technology offerings into what they are today. Prendergast graduated with his Master of Business Administration from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., has a Master’s Certificate of Data Analysis from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is a certified web analyst. He is also active in the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, a nonprofit organization that makes sure the interests of children are protected during abuse and neglect proceedings.

Jade Rosenfeldt

AGE: 34

PARTNER/ATTORNEY, VOGEL LAW FIRM MOORHEAD, MINN.

Jade Rosenfeldt is a shareholder attorney with Vogel Law Firm, primarily practicing criminal law. She also practices in domestic relations, liquor license law and environmental matters including real estate, eminent domain and water law litigation. Before joining Vogel Law, she was a law clerk for the Clay County Attorney’s Office in Moorhead. Rosenfeldt graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Social Work and from the University of North Dakota School of Law in Grand Forks with a Juris Doctor. Rosenfeldt serves on the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Outside Practice Section Council and recently completed service on the 2016 Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference Planning Committee. She is on the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County Board, the Clay County Law Library Board and the Advisory Council to Lutheran Social Services Youth Court, and is an active member of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd.

Adrienne Salentiny

AGE: 33

Adrienne Salentiny is the director of the Environmental Training Institute, a University of North Dakota outreach unit specializing in occupational and environmental health training. She is an instructional designer with more than 15 years of experience in training and design of educational programs. Before joining ETI, Salentiny worked in technology, web design and information sciences at the University of Oregon, University of Minnesota Crookston and UND. She also has taught as an adjunct professor in UND’s College of Education and Human Development. Salentiny earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon in 2005, a master’s degree from UND in 2007 and a doctorate from UND in 2012. She also is certified in HAZMAT response and lead hazard work. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Northern Occupational Safety and Health Association.

DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA ENVIRONMENTAL TRAINING INSTITUTE GRAND FORKS

As head of development for ClearAg at Iteris Inc., Dustin Salentiny manages a staff that designs user interfaces and user experiences for mobile and web apps, creates technical documentation and develops application program interfaces and apps for local and global agribusinesses. Salentiny and his colleagues have been awarded more than 10 patents in the past two years, with several more pending. Before joining Iteris four years ago, Salentiny was a software development manager for six years at the Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. He has also worked in the marketing and automotive fields. Salentiny graduated from UND with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master of Science and is currently pursuing a doctorate.

Dustin Salentiny

AGE: 33

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, ITERIS INC. GRAND FORKS

Jonathan Shilling

AGE: 37

VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES & MARKETING, GENERAL EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES INC. FARGO

Jonathan Shilling started his career at General Equipment & Supplies Inc. in 2004 as a parts and service marketing assistant and worked his way up through various roles to his current position as vice president of sales and marketing. On Jan. 1, he will become the company’s president and CEO, leading six locations in the U.S. and two in Canada. Shilling is also the company pilot. He and his team volunteer their time with the United Way, TNT Kids Fitness & Gymnastics, Roger Maris Cancer Center and many other organizations.

Peter Stenehjem

AGE: 31

PRESIDENT, FIRST INTERNATIONAL BANK & TRUST FARGO

Peter Stenehjem is a fourth-generation banker with his family’s company, First International Bank & Trust, where he started as a teller in 2000. Since then, he has worked in nearly every area of the bank, most recently as Fargo market manager and chief retail banking officer. In his current role as president, he is responsible for leading wealth management, insurance and marketing. Stenehjem graduated from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks with a degree in banking and financial economics and from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School of Banking. Beyond financial services, he also has professional ties to several restaurants, Stenehjem Development LLP and oil industry company Alati H2O. Stenehjem sits on the Board of Directors for Watford City Bancshares Inc., First International Bank & Trust and Sanford Health Foundation and is involved with the Dakota Medical Foundation, UND Champions Club Advisory Council, Habitat for Humanity, Great Plains Food Bank, United Way, Salvation Army and Ronald McDonald House.

Todd Stewart

AGE: 38

NORTH DAKOTA SAFETY MANAGER, MORTENSON FARGO

Todd Stewart is safety manager for Mortenson’s North Dakota operations, responsible for safety on all Mortenson construction projects across the state. A 15year veteran of the safety industry, Stewart joined Mortenson in 2014 and was immediately responsible for the safety of more than 750 workers and subcontractors on the Sanford Medical Center Fargo project. Before joining Mortenson, Stewart was risk control manager at Supervalu in Fargo, corporate education and training manager and division safety manager at Wanzek Construction in Fargo, and safety director at Associated General Contractors of North Dakota. Stewart, a graduate of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, volunteers with the March of Dimes, United Way of Cass-Clay, West Fargo Soccer Club and Hope Lutheran Church.

Congratulations Sara!

We are proud of your value and contributions to serving NDSU.

EXCEPTIONAL WITHOUT EXCEPTION.

Congratulations to Alerus Relationship Manager Cole Keney for being named one of the region’s top 40 under 40! For over a decade, his financial expertise, passion for customer service, and commitment to community have been an inspiration to us all.

For a wealth of financial options, call 800.279.3200 or visit Alerus.com.

VICE PRESIDENT OF OUTREACH

Kristin Syverson

AGE: 35

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, INTERSTATE ENGINEERING INC. JAMESTOWN, N.D.

Kristin Syverson joined Interstate Engineering in 2011 as marketing coordinator before working through the ranks to become the company’s chief financial officer. Before joining Interstate Engineering, Syverson worked for the Energizer Battery Co. in St. Louis. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks and also holds a Master of Business Administration degree. She is a member of Zonta International and a board member for St. John’s Academy in Jamestown.

After graduating from Dickinson State University, Scott Tschetter started his career in banking. When Cornerstone Bank expanded to Dickinson, Tschetter took the leap and helped open the branch, building its customer base and presence in the community. He is president of the Dickinson Mustang youth baseball program as well as a coach, serves as the chairman of the Stark County Housing Authority, and chairs the Dickinson Chamber of Commerce Professional Development Committee.

Sara Wald

AGE: 37

VICE PRESIDENT OF OUTREACH, NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION AND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FARGO

Sara Wald joined the NDSU Foundation and Alumni Association in 2015 as vice president of outreach. Before that, Wald spent eight years as director of advancement and director of development for NDSU’s College of Health Professions and six years with the Alumni Association. She graduated from North Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Wald has served on the Council for Advancement and Support of Education District VI Board of Directors, as Walk MS chair for the North Central States Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and on the Board of Directors for the NDSU Team Makers.

Scott Tschetter

AGE: 37

VICE PRESIDENT/BUSINESS BANKER, CORNERSTONE BANK DICKINSON, N.D.

Jamie Wirth

AGE: 39 DIRECTOR, VALLEY CITY STATE UNIVERSITY

GREAT PLAINS STEM EDUCATION CENTER VALLEY CITY, N.D.

Jamie Wirth joined Valley City State University in 2008 and is a tenured assistant professor of mathematics and director of the Great Plains STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Education Center. Wirth has transformed the STEM Education Center into a financially viable organization in the past two years, offering professional development workshops for teachers, STEM activities for K-12 students and their parents, and a variety of curriculum support for STEM educators. Wirth received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, a Bachelor of Science from Mayville (N.D.) State University, a Master of Arts from Minot (N.D.) State University and a Doctor of Philosophy from North Dakota State University in Fargo. He serves on VCSU’s Academic Policy & Affairs Committee, General Education Council, Marketing Committee and Teacher Education Committee. He also redesigned VCSU’s Learning to Live program, is a member of the Viking Athletics Booster Board, and continues to teach math education courses and guide student teachers in the field.

february 2017 tax & finance

Prairie Business magazine is covering the topics of tax and finance in the February 2017 edition. Working with a financial expert is key to the success of all business sectors.

We invite your business to participate in this edition with an advertisement focused on your areas of tax and finance specialty. Prairie Business is read by business leaders, current and future decision makers and entrepreneurs – all potential customers for your business.

Sentimental and Sustainable

Upcycling material in construction increases efficiency, but also adds historical significance, carrying on traditions and memories

By Lisa Gibson

IMAGE: JLG ARCHITECTS

The wood on the wall behind the reception desk in the lobby of Black Gold Farms’ headquarters in Grand Forks came from a granary on the family’s farm that dates back to the 1920s or 1930s.

involved

When Gregg Halverson said he wanted to incorporate wood siding from the old, decrepit granary on his family’s farm into the lobby of his new Black Gold Farms headquarters in Grand Forks, the contractors laughed out loud at him.

His grandfather started growing potatoes on that farm outside of Forest River, N.D., in 1928. He also stored grain and raised cattle. Halverson, president of Black Gold Farms, represents the third generation of the family in the potato business. His son Eric Halverson, CEO, is the fourth.

Despite the ribbing, the wood from the granary was upcycled and used to create the wall behind the reception area at Black Gold Farms, an homage to the past and first farmers in the family. “What better way, really, is there to honor our family and our history than a piece of the farm right as you enter the building?” Gregg Halverson says.

Jennifer Burke Jackson, an architect based in Bismarck, N.D., with JLG Architects, worked on the Black Gold Farms project and says it’s one of many examples where upcycling is done for sentimental purposes. “Upcycling is more about a way to add value that new materials couldn’t add, to add these memories and history that you can only get from taking something that’s been there a lot longer and thinking of it in a creative way.”

Rebuilds and Renovations

Catherine Dekkenga, architect with Architecture Inc. in Sioux Falls, S.D., says upcycling is more common in rebuilds, expansions or renovations because new

builds often don’t have access to those materials. The Children’s Museum of South Dakota in Brookings occupies a building that was once an elementary school. The school was refurbished and expanded, and wood from the gymnasium bleachers was upcycled to construct railings over exhibits, she explains.

Beyond sentimentality, reusing materials also makes the construction process and structure more sustainable, earning points for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certification. The Children’s Museum is LEED Silver certified. Some states have sustainability standards in place that mandate reused materials, Dekkenga adds, and South Dakota is one.

Some upcycled projects Architecture Inc. works on are for sentimental reasons, some sustainability, and some both, she says. In the museum’s case, the developers wanted sustainability foremost. “They were conscious of reusing materials, they were conscious of energy efficiency and they wanted to make sure that they had a sustainable project for future years and future generations … In this case, it was for sustainability, but it was also the history and the cool story. We really wanted to make sure that we tied in the history of the school with the future use of the building.”

As for the volume of material reused, “It was a substantial amount that was saved from going to the landfill,” she says.

Wood is a commonly reused and upcycled material because it is easy to salvage while demolishing a structure. When Rhombus Guys Brewing Co. moved into it’s location in Grand Forks, remodeling in some areas was required to accommodate incredibly heavy

brewing apparatus, says Arron Hendricks, co-founder and president. Floor joists that were ripped out from the original structure were cleaned, finished and used to construct the bar counter. Hendricks says the upcycling was for sustainability and for preserving history. “It’s both. You’re reusing a material, and using it to make something cool.”

Old and New

At LEED Gold certified Black Gold Farms, the granary’s raw — and in some places heavily weathered — wood contrasts nicely with the rest of the building’s modern, sleek and glass-heavy design, Halverson says. “There’s a lot of reasons that it’s worked out pretty well.”

The granary wood isn’t quite 100 years old, he says. “But, one way or another, we think some of the wood is going to make it to 100 years.”

Burke Jackson says adding old materials to new buildings gives owners a story, a history they always point out proudly to visitors. “There’s always a desire to add more of an intrinsic value to a building for our clients. A lot of times, if they have a history, or if they have memories associated with certain things in the building that was there before, we can bring that value to their new building by just reusing these materials.”

Halverson would agree. “We’re proud of our heritage and we’re proud of the area where we first started.”

PB

IMAGE: JLG ARCHITECTS

IMAGE: KEN PETERSEN/PETERSEN PHOTOGRAPHY

The bar counter at Rhombus Guys Brewing Co. in Grand Forks is made of floor joists that were ripped from the building during renovations to accommodate heavy brewing equipment.

The Children’s Museum of South Dakota is housed in an old elementary school in Brookings. The railings over this exhibit were constructed using bleachers from the school’s gymnasium

CONGRATULATIONS, KURT LYSNE, PE, CFM

Husband · Father · Friend

Volunteer · Leader · Mentor

Proud Bison · Coworker

Certified Flood Plain Manager

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER

Thank you for all you do.

mooreengineeringinc.com

Bold and Functional

Gate City Bank has multiple locations in the Fargo area, as well as elsewhere around North Dakota and western Minnesota. The banks feature bold, artistic and contemporary interior design, both in public and employee areas. This month’s Around The Office features Gate City’s Fargo corporate and Woodhaven locations. The offices showcase natural tones with splashes of color in the decor. Employee areas include kitchens, dining areas and layouts that are just generally visually appealing. It’s a great model of a collaborative and beautiful work environment.

Gate City Bank’s downtown Fargo office is modern and spacious.

Gate City’s Fargo corporate office features a collaborative work area, complete with a kitchen, dining area and fireplace.

IMAGES: GATE CITY BANK

Top 25

Andy Bartsch, PE, LC Production Principal Director of Electrical Engineering Obermiller Nelson Engineering

The Fargo corporate office includes efficient work spaces with a touch of contemporary design beyond the basic cubicle style.

Evan Kooiker, controller, Roseann Lund, residential mortgage lending and payment services manager, and Saundra Schlafmann, executive assistant and assistant corporate secretary, work together in the collaborative work area at Gate City Bank's Fargo corporate office.

Pam Zent, corporate administrative assistant, and Saundra Schlafmann, executive assistant and assistant corporate secretary, visit at Gate City's Fargo corporate office. The decor features dark and natural tones, with pops of color, as well as glass walls.

Stacy Smith, corporate secretary and executive manager to the chairman, president and CEO, Azra Mujcic, marketing coordinator, and Lance Wolf, director of marketing and retail services, chat in a stylish break room at Gate City Bank's Fargo corporate office.

coming to prairie business

january 2017 law

Prairie Business magazine is covering the topic of law in our January 2017 issue. Sound legal advice is an important part of every successful business. Prairie Business is read by business leaders, current and future decision makers and entrepreneurs.

We invite your business to participate in this edition with an advertisement focused on your law practice, areas of specialty or the team that makes your practice successful.

DEADLINE: DECEMBER 12, 2016

Great Benefits, Positive Culture and a Slide

By Kayla Prasek

The career opportunities are endless and the benefits are outstanding, but everyone who interviews at Discovery Benefits just wants to go down the slide. The indoor slide at the Fargo-based benefits administration company is a perfect representation of the organization’s culture, says Kurtis Karn, talent acquisition director.

Discovery Benefits, which also has a location in Brookings, S.D., provides employee benefits packages. Its clients include consultants, employers who need help with the benefits administration process, and employees who have questions about their benefits packages.

Discovery Benefits is currently hiring a sales director, which was listed Nov. 1, and a key account executive, which was listed Nov. 7. The sales director would meet with new and existing clients to sell Discovery Benefits’ products and provide product training and demonstrations, while the key account executive would assist clients in managing their benefit packages and plans.

“This time of year is our busy season so we try to be fully staffed,” Karn says. The company will be posting several new roles in mid-December. Karn says most

Career growth, benefits and culture make Discovery Benefits a sought-after workplace

IMAGE: DISCOVERY BENEFITS

The slide at Discovery Benefits in Fargo is a hot talking point for the benefits administration company. Employees take a ride when they need to take a break.

Our culture is huge.

About half of potential employees know what we do, but everyone knows we have a slide.

- Kurtis Karn TALENT ACQUISITION DIRECTOR DISCOVERY BENEFITS

Let’s talk leadership.

Congratulations to Steve Mattern on being named among Prairie Business Magazine’s 40 Under 40 in 2016. As General Operations Manager for Midco’s Fargo region, Steve leads the way – every day – with dedication, hard work and innovation.

Better care. Lower costs.

Altru & You with Medica

Employers and employees alike are excited about Altru & You with Medica. No wonder. Medica, a leading health plan, has teamed up with Altru Health System, a leading health provider, to deliver an innovative new model for health care in Minnesota and North Dakota.

Now your provider and your health plan are working together to provide high-quality care at a lower cost. Employees get the care they need – when they need it – while employers enjoy the benefits of lower costs. Everybody wins. It’s one more reason why Medica is already the plan of choice for tens of thousands of people. Talk with your broker, call Medica at 800-371-1613, or visit us at medica.com/altruforemployers.

job openings are customer service-based, but opportunities in accounting, marketing, human resources, operations and software development come up occasionally as well.

Culture plays a vital role in the hiring process, Karn says. “Our culture is huge. About half of potential employees know what we do, but everyone knows we have a slide. It at least gets the conversation going that could lead to a job offer.”

The company strives to have an exciting culture, Karn says. “Culture is the feeling of the building, and having a strong culture is the norm now. It’s one of the first questions you get asked from a potential employee,” he says. “At Discovery Benefits, we say we ‘work hard, play hard.’ We’re a fast-paced company that sees a lot of change, so culture is important. We try to do things other companies like us might not do.”

In addition to the slide, Discovery Benefits encourages its employees to take a break by playing ping pong, hosts a variety of events throughout the year and allows its employees to take time out of their days to volunteer. “We want our employees to stay engaged, so having time to step away from your work is vital,” Karn says.

While culture is important, so, too, are traditional benefits packages, Karn says. Discovery Benefits offers full health insurance, a matching 401(k), profit sharing, wellness benefits, life insurance, paid holidays and paid time off.

“Benefits are a tangible thing that people can put a cost on,” Karn says. “You can’t always gauge the culture of a company without doing more research, like talking to someone who currently works at the company. Benefits are still important because they’re necessary and not all companies offer them.”

The Discovery Benefits team stays active in the Fargo community so potential employees are always aware of the company, Karn says. “We try to do as much in the community as we can. We’re active at area colleges, and always try to have a presence at community events and volunteering within the community. It helps get our name out there, but it also shows that our employees are actively part of the community.”

If all the perks and benefits that come with working at Discovery Benefits aren’t enough to sell someone on a job, Karn asks, “Do you want a career versus a job?” Discovery Benefits employs 690 people and is still growing.

“You have the ability to move up quickly here, and people want that,” he says. “We continue to grow, and we don’t see any slowdown in the future. Not only are we a health care benefits company, but we’re doing innovative, cutting-edge things with technology as well. PB

Discovery Benefits throws a Halloween party each year. This year, employees from one department dressed up as their favorite emojis and also decorated their work area to reflect their theme.

Kayla Prasek STAFF WRITER, PRAIRIE BUSINESS

IMAGE: DISCOVERY BENEFITS

Kurtis Karn

Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, S.D., is less than a year away from completing construction on a building to house Sanford Imagenetics, a program that integrates genomic medicine with innovative primary care for adults. Genetic evaluation and genetic testing allows for more precise prescription of medications, as well as screening for and management of chronic disorders. When completed, the building will house a long list of services, including general internal medicine, dialysis, medical genetics, genetic counseling, medical genetics laboratories, radiology and patient access management. The facility also will contain teaching space for internal medicine residents, future medical genetics residents and students in the genetic counseling graduate program created in partnership with Augustana University.

Building a Home for Genetic Medicine

BROKE GROUND: OCTOBER 2015

EXPECTED COMPLETION: FALL 2017

SIZE: 101,713 SQUARE FEET

IMAGES: SANFORD HEALTH

Here are some snapshots of the progress made in 2016.

August 15

ARCHITECTS:

KOCH HAZARD OF SIOUX FALLS AND HDR OF OMAHA

GENERAL CONTRACTOR: HENRY CARLSON CO. OF SIOUX FALLS

PROJECT COST: $41 MILLION

September 9

October 14

Rendering of the courtyard

Rendering of the finished Imagenetics Building

If you set the bar at competence, how do you reach excellence?

Celebrating five years of different.

INSIGHTs & INTUITION

Q.What tactics are used by HR to mediate conflicts between co-workers?

Do not avoid. It will not go away by itself. Even if the conflict appears to have been eradicated, it will surface again whenever stress increases or new disagreements develop.

Do not meet with conflicted parties separately. If you allow each side to share their side of the story, you risk polarizing their positions. Best to have a discussion to arrive at a win-win vs. right-wrong.

Do not believe only those in conflict are impacted. Conflict spreads like the plague and its stress can affect everyone in the office. Quick intervention is key to reinstate positive culture.

Jen Messer

HR DIRECTOR FISHER INDUSTRIES BISMARCK, N.D.

When conflicts occur, managers can encourage employees to talk through their issues in a non-confrontational way to clarify what the problem is. Often, this exchange of each person’s thoughts can lead to better understanding of the other and provide for a common ground to successfully work together. When the conflict remains unresolved, or the conflict is of a more serious nature, managers can be an arbitrating presence by helping the employees find common ground and, if unresolvable, set expectations for acceptable behavior or assign the employees to different working areas.

Briana Scearcy

We believe in transparent communication and value courage when addressing difficult issues. When conflicts arise, we’ve found it works best to encourage everyone involved to be open to different points of view, willing to listen to each others’ concerns, and to mutually arrive at a solution together in a respectful manner. One of our fundamental beliefs is to respect everyone. We live and breathe this, along with our other fundamental beliefs, no matter what situations may arise. By staying focused on the right things, and doing them in the right way, we’re ultimately better able to serve our customers.

We have a private conversation with each employee to understand all sides of the problem. The goal is not to find fault. Rather it is to figure out how they can work together. After the individual conversations, HR meets with the employees together and restates the issues we heard and sets the ground rules for the mediation process, which includes respectful listening without interrupting the person who is speaking, and having an open mind

We then mediate the conversation with solution-based questions (what if…?, how about…?) to help bring the employees to a resolution that meets both their needs.

Teresa Wasvick

Lori Meader

HR DIRECTOR ALERUS GRAND FORKS

DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCES ARVIG GRAND FORKS

MERRY & BRIGHT

Celebrating family. Sharing joy. Giving hope.

From United Way to holiday sharing trees, our employees and members find ways to give back to our communities all year long.