EXCERPT FROM “THE NEXT AMERICAN CITY”:

Q. IN YOUR VIEW, MANY YOUNG PEOPLE ARE DRAWN TO CITIES OF A MORE MODEST SIZE. EXPLAIN. Q.

I think the millennial generation and the young people who are coming after them are just much more comfortable than previous generations with smaller places. What they’re looking for are things such as lower cost-of-living and less traffic congestion; in fact, if they could live in a community in which they didn’t have to own a car, they probably would make that choice.

That really creates a wonderful opportunity going forward for cities such as Fargo, Bismarck and Sioux Falls. That American dream of owning your own home is disappearing on the East and West coasts for a lot of young people. They just don’t see the opportunity. And they’re looking for places where they can create their own identity and make a difference, plus find a quality of life that fits their individual needs.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT REMAIN?

Change is hard. People have a built-in resistance to change. If a civic leader starts talking about changing something, whether it’s zoning or making one-way streets into two-ways, it’s unlikely that everyone is going to stand up and say, “What a great idea.”

We’re also entering a political phase where it seems like we elect more and more political leaders who want to divide us. And we need leaders who will bring people together. So the challenges? I would say they are the challenges of change and of a political environment that is not conducive to people working together. Because it’s amazing what can happen when everyone is pulling on the same rope.

Q.

IN OTHER WORDS, GOVERNMENT CAN’T DO IT ALONE.

I talk a lot about government, but I hope one of the takeaways of the book is the important role that the private sector and business leaders play. I’d urge them not to just let their city become what it would naturally become if they didn’t get involved.

And now, using those years of experience plus studying cities and development, I put the book out. And I’m doing consulting work in trying to help cities do better, find their hidden assets and create something that they may not have appreciated as much previously. A. A. A.

In other words, they should try to make sure they have good people running for office, whether it’s school board or City Council. Because poor elected leadership is hard to overcome, but good elected leaders working with the private sector can accomplish great things.

And I can’t overemphasize that having a university in a community is huge, because you’ve already got educated 20-somethings. They’re already there. Of course, many of them have come from somewhere else and may leave, but it’s a lot easier to get someone to stay than it is to get them to move in.

It’s a very entrepreneurial generation. I’m 60, and I can assure you that when I got out of college, I didn’t even know what an entrepreneur was.

Now, they teach it; it’s part of the vocabulary. It’s in the high schools. And every time I see a young person with a cell phone, I wonder if they’re starting a business.

And they are going to take our economies to places that we can only imagine, because they’re going to be creating jobs that haven’t even been invented yet.

So when you’re talking about the future of your local economy, it’s largely about how many highly educated 20-somethings you can attract. The economy will almost take care of itself if you can be successful in attracting that generation.

During my decade and a half as mayor, I visited dozens of mayors and cities. On those trips, I started noticing these changes in their earliest stages. The most ambitious projects, the most innovative companies, the most exciting changes, and the most inspiring leaders were showing up in the “middles” in our country more often than at the tops.

So at the local level, the way to accelerate these positive changes in our dynamic mid-sized cities is to invest in what I call the four hidden middles of American life.

• The first middle is the metros themselves – smaller cities of outsized accomplishment.

• The second is our nation’s midsize companies are growing at an incredible clip – in an age when teams of 20 can build a company that takes on the world.

• The third middle is our country’s middle class. While they are often out of the spotlight, they still form the backbone of our economy and the foundation of our future. Millions of the families have already made their move – but millions more can now find the life and work they seek in smaller, more affordable places.

• And the fourth middle is the pragmatic, productive, visionary middle-of-the-aisle politics that is getting things done in smaller cities like my own and raising standards for millions of public servants at the local level.

For our quality of life, national prosperity, and competitiveness worldwide, this is a trend we should all get behind.

Q.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20

AND YOU ATTRACT THEM HOW? BY ENSURING THAT YOU HAVE AMENITIES, A HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE AND GOOD SCHOOLS?

A.Yes. And by an urban core with some vitality -- some sort of urban experience, a pedestrian-friendly built environment, streetscape projects and landscaping. In other words, make the pedestrian a valuable part of the transportation system.

Another one of the challenges of the book is to say, “Let’s create the type of city that we want to have.” We all live in cities that we didn’t build. We inherited them from previous generations.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t be more purposeful about what type of city we’d like.

For example, the autonomous vehicle is just around the corner. In years to come, we may just be riding in cars, not driving them, and we may not be owning them, either.

That’s going to change our perspectives and interactions a great deal. For instance, how is it going to affect the number of parking lots? How will it change housing construction, if it turns out people no longer need two- or three-car garages?

We’re at a pivotal point where we can start thinking seriously about what type of community we want to create, knowing that if we’re successful, we’re going to have this very entrepreneurial younger generation come in and help build a new economy.

Q.ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE CITIES IN OUR REGION?

A.Absolutely, because I’ve seen it. The challenges that Oklahoma City faced were dramatic. The economic collapse of the 1980s, the bombing in 1995 – I almost think that the situation was so bad, it turned into a kind of an asset.

In other words, when you’re talking about change leadership, it’s helpful if you don’t have to convince people there’s a problem.

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Travis Anderson

AGE: 37

VICE PRESIDENT & CONTROLLER, BLACKRIDGEBANK FARGO, N.D.

Under 2018

With this issue, Prairie Business announces our 2018 list of 40 Under 40 -- 40 high achievers from across our region, all of whom are under 40 years old.

We received more than 125 nominations for the award, and with so many exceptional nominees, narrowing the list down to 40 was difficult. But we did our best, and we emerged more confident than ever in the quality of the up-and-coming leaders of the Dakotas and western Minnesota.

At the end of each biographical note, we’ve included a quote in italics from that person’s nomination form. The forms were submitted by one or more of the individual’s peers.

From all of us here at Prairie Business: Congratulations!

Anderson has worked for BlackRidge for a total of eight years, splitting that time with three years at a local hotel management company as a manager in the Financial Planning & Analysis department.

He has worked as a loan officer, credit officer, and now at the corporate level as controller for the past 3 years. His duties involve financial projections, analysis, budgeting, accounting and managing the investment portfolio.

Anderson graduated from Concordia College in 2003 with degrees in business and physics. He has an MBA from the University of Mary and a master’s in finance from the D’AmoreMcKim School of Business at Northeastern University.

He lives in Fargo with his wife, Donna, and three young sons.

On a personal note: In August/ September of 2018, after craniotomy surgery to remove a brain tumor, Anderson was diagnosed with brain cancer, a Grade IV glioblastoma. If readers are interested, he says, their donations would be welcome at Pray for Gray, North Dakota’s only nonprofit brain tumor organization.

Travis is literally one of the smartest, hard working individuals I know. In anything he does, he does it with passion and gives 110 percent. No matter the situation or task he is given, he completes it faster and with more detail than required. He constantly surpasses expectations and has to find other work to keep his mind busy.

AGE: 34

PRINCIPAL RESEARCH MANAGER, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER GRAND FORKS, N.D.

Ever since he mixed liquids in test tubes as a kid at home and built contraptions in his backyard, curiosity, science and learning have been a part of Scott Ayash’s life. These interests led him to study physics at North Dakota State University and Christian Apologetics at Biola University in La Mirada, California.

Ayash works at the Energy & Environmental Research Center, where he started his career developing a method to assess risk for a new industry. He now helps manage projects and since 2012, he has supported more than $50 million in research conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy, the state of North Dakota and private industry. The people, though, are what he enjoys most about his work, and he loves coordinating with the scientists, contracts specialists, accountants, marketing professionals and clients who are needed make this research happen.

Ayash lives in Grand Forks with his wife, Beth, and their three children. Not only is Mr. Ayash a very talented scientist, but also he is an incredible team builder who has a positive attitude, is a great communicator and is very empathetic towards others.

Originally from Warroad, Minn. Becca Bahnmiller graduated from the University of North Dakota with her master’s in educational leadership. At age 23, she was elected as the youngest member of the Grand Forks School Board, serving as vice president from 2014-15.

Bahnmiller is known for her passion and expertise within the nonprofit sector, beginning at the North Dakota Museum of Art and the Empire Arts Center and refined through opportunities in New York City and St. Paul.

Finding her way “back home” in 2017, she serves as executive director of the Community Foundation, providing strategic leadership, fund development and investment oversight of the $10.5 million nonprofit organization.

AGE: 31

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GRAND FORKS, EAST GRAND FORKS & REGION GRAND FORKS, N.D.

Bahnmiller also has served as a founding board member of the Greater Grand Forks Women’s Leadership Cooperative, founding organizer of TEDx GrandForks, volunteer with Global Friends Coalition and co-organizer of the Main Street GF: Longest Table.

In her spare time, Bahnmiller enjoys country life on a hobby farm with her partner, Wayne, and their four dogs, two cats and 30 chickens.

If you want something done well and efficiently, ask Becca Bahnmiller to help. And, if you want some new ideas that are innovative and effective, ask for Becca’s advice. She is a creative idea generator who also is willing to work hard to make those ideas happen.

Annie Berge

AGE: 33

MARKETING STRATEGIST, ALTRU HEALTH SYSTEM GRAND FORKS, N.D.

Annie Berge has been on the corporate development team at Altru Health System for more than six years. As a marketing strategist, she develops tactics to create seamless, exceptional experiences for health care consumers in our region.

Her work includes brand management, advertising, strategy and program development along with internal and external communications.

As Altru enters a bold new era in health care, an era that includes the building of a new hospital scheduled to break ground in February, Berge and her team look forward to sharing the exciting developments in technology, care access and facility updates that Altru is committed to providing.

Berge earned a bachelor’s degree in strategic communications from the University of Minnesota. She serves on the board of the Grand Forks Downtown Development Association.

Annie is a natural leader. She isn’t afraid to ask challenging questions and push the status quo, yet in a kind, compassionate and helpful way. She has big ideas and knows how to execute them well. She is respected by her peers and keeps patients at the center of every decision.

Tawnya Bernsdorf

AGE: 36

INSTRUCTOR, COLLEGE OF BUSINESS, MINOT STATE UNIVERSITY MINOT, N.D.

Tawnya Bernsdorf joined the Minot State University College of Business team in January 2016 as an adjunct instructor. In Fall 2016, she became a full-time instructor in the Department of Business Administration, teaching marketing. She received bachelor’s degrees in marketing and management from Minot State in 2004 and a master’s in management from the university in 2008. She is currently working toward her doctoral degree.

After graduating from college in 2004, Bernsdorf worked at Minot State as director of alumni relations and annual giving. In 2011, a flood devastated Minot, and Bernsdorf joined the Minot Area Community Foundation as flood recovery fund coordinator and program director. She joined North Dakota Port Services in 2013 as director of public relations.

Bernsdorf is the advisor for the MSU Collegiate DECA Chapter, receiving the honor of DECA Advisor of the Year for 2017-18. She also is an advisor to the Roger Looyenga Leadership Program at MSU.

Bernsdorf received the College of Business’ Professor of the Year award during the 2016-17 academic year and the MSU Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2018. Tawnya is always showing up for friends, family, students and her community in ways that go above and beyond her peers. Her positive attitude and future-forward ideas continue to motivate others.

Sitting on the Souris Valley United Way board, Tawnya helps make Minot a better place to work, live and play for all.

Valeriah Big Eagle

AGE: 30

Student Success

ADVISOR, BLACK HILLS STATE UNIVERSITY RAPID CITY, S.D.

Valeriah Big Eagle is a member of the Ihanktonwan Nation and currently serves as the student success advisor at Black Hills State University-Rapid City. She works directly with traditional and nontraditional college students, ensuring they have the support they need to in order to graduate and pursue successful careers.

She also serves as the He’Sapa Oyate Advisor at BHSU-Rapid City, where she provides cultural and academic support for American Indian students to promote their academic success. Big Eagle graduated from South Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in 2014 and a master’s degree in student affairs administration in 2018. She’s now pursuing a doctoral degree in adult and higher education administration through the University of South Dakota.

She is a first-generation college student and says that her success is largely due to her strong cultural roots and tiospaye (extended family), her three children and husband.

Guide. Connector. Mentor. Valeriah is doing the hard work in the trenches, working with some of the most vulnerable populations in our region to create opportunities for successful lives. Her committed work is having a positive effect on the current generation; this impact will continue into future generations, who are seeing the possibilities that education and earning a degree create.

Josh Borns

AGE: 36

SUPPLIER QUALITY AND BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION MANAGER, 3M BROOKINGS, S.D.

In his 11 years with 3M, Josh Borns has held a variety of technical and managerial roles. Today, he’s part of the management team of 3M Brookings, the company’s largest health care manufacturing facility. Borns and his teammates embrace 3M’s vision of Improving Every Life through the daily manufacturing of hundreds of products that help keep food safe, ensure sterility of surgical instruments and help patient recovery.

As manager of supplier quality and business transformation, Borns oversees relations with suppliers and is responsible for deploying new technology to help standardize internal business processes.

A Six Sigma black belt, Borns also was part of 3M’s globally recognized leadership development program, in which 3M’s best and brightest get specialized training.

Borns earned a mechanical engineering degree from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He and his wife, Jessica, live near their hometown of Dell Rapids, S.D., with their two children.

Josh has a real ability to take on complex projects, break them into logical pieces, rally the teams and deliver the results. His steady hand, diligence and collaboration are evident as he completes projects that are truly mission-critical for the business.

Stacey Dahl

AGE: 37

SENIOR MANAGER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS, MINNKOTA POWER COOPERATIVE GRAND FORKS, N.D.

Originally from Bismarck, N.D., Stacey Dahl received her undergraduate degree in education in 2004 from the University of North Dakota. She received her Juris Doctor degree in 2008 from the UND School of Law.

Dahl served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 2005 until 2012. An attorney, she also is a former private practitioner and prosecutor.

In addition to overseeing public policy efforts for Minnkota, Dahl is co-leading the effort to explore the feasibility of Project Tundra, a proposed carbon capture project at the coal-fired Young Station in Center, N.D.

Dahl lives in Grand Forks with her husband and two children.

Stacey is a leader in our region’s energy industry. Her unwavering commitment to our member cooperatives has resonated with people in her community, in legislatures and at our nation’s capital. Her honesty, integrity and common-sense approach have made her a true cooperative leader.

We cannot think of anyone more deserving of this recognition.

Brett Christiansen

AGE: 39

ENGINEERING MANAGER, ARVIG PERHAM, MINN.

Brett Christiansen embodies people-driven leadership and dedication to our region. After completing an associate’s degree in telecommunications, he entered the telecommunications industry on the front lines, originally as a central office technician.

Building on his experience as a network engineer and a telecommunications cost consultant, Christiansen now manages a team of more than 30 professionals, including engineering technicians, fiber transport engineers, mapping technicians and fiber splicers.

Christiansen is helping to lead and coordinate one of the largest projects in Arvig’s history: participation in A-CAM, a Federal Communications Commission program.

The initiative supports building infrastructure to deliver broadband services to residents in rural Minnesota.

Outside of work, Christiansen enjoys spending time with his family, being involved in his children’s activities, volunteering at his church and coaching youth athletics.

Brett’s ability to lead effectively across multi-disciplinary departments and ensure effective partnerships through complexity is integral to the success of this project. … But even more so, the positive impact he has had on the lives of the residents across the region is what I hold in the highest regard.

Brock DesLauriers

AGE: 33

VP AND NORTH HILL BRANCH MANAGER, FIRST INTERNATIONAL BANK & TRUST MINOT, N.D.

Brock DesLauriers has 13 years of financial experience at First International Bank & Trust. He holds an accounting and finance degree from Minot State University and is a proud graduate of Bishop Ryan High School in Minot. DesLauriers began his career in banking working as a teller while in college. After graduating from MSU, he started full-time at First International Bank & Trust, working in multiple areas. He worked as a personal banker, credit analyst, mortgage loan officer and commercial loan officer, gaining valuable insight and experience in the banking world.

Besides banking, DesLauriers enjoys spending time with his wife, Elly, and their two young daughters. He is passionate about Minot as shown by his involvement in a number of different organizations.

It is a given that Brock has become a sought-after expert in the financial services industry because of his broad experience. What we believe makes him stand out is how he cares for our customers. We often hear from our customers how much they enjoy working with Brock. He listens well, stays engaged with the customer and leaves them feeling like family.

Swapnil Fegade

AGE: 38

ENGINEER/PROJECT MANAGER, FUSION AUTOMATION GRAND FORKS, N.D.

Before joining Fusion Automation as an engineer/project manager, Swapnil Fegade was a postdoctoral researcher at Ohio University. He holds a doctoral degree in chemical engineering from the University of North Dakota.

Fegade is developing novel systems for natural gas processing and sustainable materials. He is a recipient of more than 10 “Outstanding Peer Reviewer” awards.

He has served as sessions chair and co-chair in various conferences organized by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He has written several papers and presented at conferences as well.

Fegade has volunteered at Altru Health System and for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, providing support for patients and parents, and at the Northlands Rescue Mission in Grand Forks, where he serves food to the homeless.

In his doctoral research, Fegade explored bio-based substitutes for petroleum-derived chemicals and petrochemicals. His greatest strength is his ability to pay attention to details and make judgments based on requirements. This ability made him an “Outstanding Reviewer” for seven research journals, as he reviewed more than 1,000 research papers worldwide.

Joe Hanstad

AGE: 26

LPL FINANCIAL PLANNER, GATE CITY FINANCIAL PLANNING DICKINSON, N.D.

Joe Hanstad is a native of Dickinson and joined Gate City Financial Planning in 2015. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Boise State University in Boise, Idaho, where he played Division 1 basketball for four years.

Hanstad is passionate about personal finance and enjoys providing a full financial-planning experience to his clients. In his free time, he volunteers in the community and with his local church and spends time outdoors.

Hanstad’s work includes administering investment accounts, personal and business retirement accounts, insurance products and financial planning services. He serves Dickinson as well as Hettinger, N.D., and the surrounding areas, and holds Series 7, Series 63 and Series 66 professional licenses.

Very motivated and hardworking individual. Whether he’s on the basketball court, with his family or at his business, Joe puts 100 percent into everything he does.

Early in his financial career, he is already receiving awards such as being named Best Financial Planner in the Dickinson Press’ 2018 “Best of the Western Edge” awards.

William Heinzen

AGE: 31

INFORMATION SECURITY TEAM LEAD, NATIONAL INFORMATION SOLUTIONS COOPERATIVE MANDAN, N.D.

National Information Solutions Cooperative in Mandan, N.D., develops software and hardware solutions for electric and telecommunications cooperatives across the United States and abroad. In his role as team lead of information security, William Heinzen is responsible for identifying and mitigating cybersecurity risks to NISC’s technical infrastructure, as well educating and training employees on sound cybersecurity practices.

Heinzen previously served on NISC’s Accounting and Business Solutions implementations team. He is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in North Dakota.

Heinzen serves as the president of the North Dakota InfraGard Members Alliance, a public-private partnership between the FBI and the private sector. In this role, he promotes mutual learning opportunities and publicprivate collaboration with the FBI on matters relevant to the protection of key critical infrastructure.

Heinzen is the author of “Warrior of Light”, a medieval fantasy novel published in 2016. He regularly presents on creative writing and fantasy literature at high schools and colleges in both North Dakota and Minnesota.

William has become a true leader within NISC in a relatively short amount of time. He is dedicated to helping employees and NISC’s members with information security, and to educating them on the growing topic of cyber security awareness and protection.

Britney Hendricks

AGE: 39

REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT/VP OF HUMAN RESOURCES, WESTERN COOPERATIVE CREDIT UNION DICKINSON, N.D.

Hendricks graduated from Dickinson State University in 2008 with a business administration degree and a minor in banking and finance. And from her first job in the credit union industry, she says, she “fell in love” with the cooperative philosophy.

At Western Cooperative Credit Union, she worked as a teller, member service representative and mortgage loan processor before eventually finding her niche in HR. She passed the Society for Human Resource Management’s Senior Certified Professional exam in 2017 and passed the Credit Union HR Certified Professional exam this summer.

Hendricks serves on the board of the Dickinson Dolphins Swim Team and volunteers for the Dickinson Backpack Program.

She and her husband, Sheldon, have two children and two golden retrievers. Britney is always willing to learn and take on new projects, and she has continued to advance her career. For example, as she became more involved in human resources at WCCU, she helped modernize our HR department from paper time-sheets and evaluation forms to a paperless format that can be accessed from many branches electronically. She is a valued member of the management team.