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Alex Dawson

Age: 36

Private Client & Select Business Team Leader

MMA Dakotas Fargo, N.D.

Alex Dawson, AU, is a fourth generation insurance professional, growing up in the business his entire life. He graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in Economics and worked as a company underwriter in the years following graduation.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dawson raised his hand for a newly created position charged with leading Dawson/MMA’s Private Client Services and Select Business Unit. He quickly earned the trust of his team with his well-thought strategy and by developing direct relationships with each member of his team. The keys to his success are meeting each colleague where they are in development, empowering each to achieve their full potential and aligning that skill with the missions of his department.

Dawson has lived up to the Dawson Insurance/MMA commitment to community. He has been active in a variety of community outreach opportunities, serving organizations such as Down Home, Feed My Starving Children, Clara Barton Lunch Buddy, Churches United and Kiwanis International. He and his wife, Raime, and their two young children, James and Lily, reside in Fargo.

Amy Hass

Age: 31

Chief Executive Officer

EPIC Companies

West Fargo, N.D.

Alan Kemmet

Age: 39

Project Manager, Principal Houston Engineering, Inc.

Bismarck, N.D.

Alan Kemmet, PE, is is a licensed civil engineer, principal, and project manager with Houston Engineering’s Bismarck Office. He leads teams responsible for the design and construction of water treatment supply and distribution projects.

Most of his daily work revolves around the $325-million Northwest Area Water Supply (NAWS) project, which he has been heavily involved with since joining the company in 2008. This ongoing project provides water to numerous rural communities, Minot, and the Minot Air Force Base along with several water districts.

Kemmet grew up on a fifth-generation family farm and ranch near Tappen, N.D., where he still finds time to help with calving, harvest, and running parts. He is a graduate of North Dakota State University and, along with his wife, Amber, and their two boys, spends his free time enjoying the outdoors and cheering on the Bison.

He also stays engaged in his community by serving as treasurer for his church, trustee for the North Dakota Section of the AWWA, participates in activities such as Discover Engineering, and volunteers on several committees for social and professional organizations.

In 2016, EPIC Companies, a startup development company, hired its first full-time employee, Amy Hass. Since that day, she has never looked back. Hass, along with a few other part time, and eventually full time employees, began with the basics of organizing a company that does real estate development, management, capital and entertainment.

Today, Hass oversees EPIC Companies, a $150 million/year development company with more than 60 full-time employees. While the company has grown, Hass has instilled the small company culture, keeping it a family that works to achieve success for its customers and investors, yet remains very humble.

Hass is originally from Fargo, graduated from North Dakota State University, and while she is busy overseeing EPIC, she finds time to continue to pursue her education in a Master of Arts in Leadership program and, of course, spend time with family and friends.

On any given day, you can find her in the trenches with leasing agents, accounting department, and even learning from the maintenance and construction team. All part of the EPIC family that she loves.

Andrea Sutheimer

Age: 39

Clinical Risk Analyst

Sanford Health Bismarck, N.D.

Ashley Ross

Age: 35 Environmental Planner

KLJ Engineering Bismarck, N.D.

Ashley Ross is an environmental planner with 13 years of experience in conservation, environmental planning, environmental health and safety, and project management in both federal and private roles. She has managed the environmental components of transportation, transit, municipal, oil and gas, and mining projects across North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.

Ross earned her bachelor’s degree in natural resources management from Dickinson State University in Dickinson, N.D., and a Dale Carnegie Certificate of Achievement in Effective Communications and Human Relations. She is a member of the North Dakota Chapter of the Wildlife Society and the National Association of Environmental Professionals.

She is currently on the Mandan Horse and Saddle Club Board of Directors, is involved in several local horse clubs, and participates in rodeos across the state.

Born a farmer’s daughter, Ross has a passion for the outdoors and loves helping her clients at KLJ conserve the environment while making their projects a reality. She loves encouraging a love for the outdoors in the next generation and building confidence in kids through equestrian sports and horsemanship.

Andrea Sutheimer is a clinical risk analyst at Sanford Health, serving all of western North Dakota. She analyzes systems to assess and minimize risk to ensure patient and staff safety. She is a champion of healthcare safety initiatives and a genuine example of Sanford’s vision statement, “Improving the human condition at every stage of life through exceptional care, spiritual enrichment, innovation, and discovery.”

In addition to her career, Sutheimer is an active volunteer in the community in which she lives. She has been an active volunteer in United Way’s Day of Caring, United Way’s Backpack for Kids, Heaven’s Helpers Soup Kitchen, Bismarck Mandan Little Free Pantry group, Bismarck Aquastorm Swim Club, Junior Achievement, church, and children’s schools.

Sutheimer grew up in New Salem, N.D., and obtained bachelor’s degrees in nursing from MedCenter One School of Nursing and industrial engineering from North Dakota State University. She resides in Bismarck, N.D., with her husband, Jason, and three children, Anya, Brynlee, and Koy.

Austin Morris

Age: 35

Co-founder & CEO of Development

Enclave

West Fargo, N.D.

Austin Morris is co-founder and CEO of Development at Enclave, a fully integrated development, construction and property management company that celebrated a decade of business in 2021, and has been teeming with growth since its inception, growing from a two-person startup to more than 120 team members.

A passionate visionary who treasures people, Morris holds all relationships in high regard and always acts out of the best interest of team members, clients and partners. In turn, he’s helped create a people-focused culture and Prairie Business Best Place to Work for three years in a row.

In addition to his people-centric approach, he combines an unmatched business acumen with creativity and ingenuity to orchestrate teams of engineers, architects, and consultants to create spaces people desire to be part of, while always keeping the needs of a community top of mind.

Beyond his commitment to teamwork and creating spaces, Morris is an incredible community builder. He is committed to making positive contributions to the areas in which we live and work through his role at Enclave and as a community member, serving on the board for both the Downtown Community Partnership and Unseen.

Becca Cruger

Age: 35

Workforce Development Manager

Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp.

Grand Forks, N.D.

By day, Becca Cruger serves as the workforce development manager for the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp. By night, she works as a crisis line advocate for the Community Violence Intervention Center.

Cruger devotes her time to building a vibrant community and leads the Greater Grand Forks: Way Cooler than You Think! recruitment and retention effort. She never shies away from crazy projects, exemplified by helping launch Longest Table: Grand Forks, a 1,000-person community dinner meant to spur civic engagement. She donates her time and talents to numerous community organizations, serving as the vice president of the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, and Region, and as the secretary for the Women’s Fund.

Her past roles have included serving as the vice president of Evolve Grand Forks, the president of Greater Grand Forks Young Professionals, and Honorary Commander at Grand Forks Air Force Base. In 2020 she was named the North Dakota Nonprofit Emerging Leader by NDANO and in 2021 her work was recognized with Gov. Doug Burgum’s 21st Century Workforce Main Street Award.

Blake Christianson

Age: 35

Realtor

Greenberg Realty

Grand Forks, N.D.

Blain Johnson

Age: 31

Owner & President Paramount Planning Grand Rapids, Minn.

Blain Johnson is the owner and president of Paramount Planning, a public safety consulting group serving the upper Midwest. The company specializes in the development of emergency and disaster plans, training, and exercises as well as in public information enhancement, human rights, and tribal engagement.

Paramount works with first-response agencies, governments, businesses, and industry to help strengthen communication, preparedness, response, and resiliency capabilities. The company has helped develop more than 100 response plans, policies and procedures, with a core focus on tailored quality.

Johnson is a strong believer in the power of community. He grew up along the Red River south of Fargo and assisted in numerous flood-fighting and volunteer efforts since 1997. Johnson interned in Ramsey County, N.D., in 2011 and for Sen. John Hoeven in 2013 during times of record flooding. The experiences of helping neighbors sandbag and personally dealing with disasters led to his interest in emergency response and the founding of Paramount Planning in 2015 in Bismarck, N.D. Johnson currently serves as the vice president of the Association of Minnesota Emergency Managers.

Blake Christianson is a Realtor at Greenberg Realty in Grand Forks, N.D. Since starting his career in 2005, he has consistently been a top-producing agent and is always striving to improve his business. In 2017, he started Team Blake Christianson, which has now grown to a team of four Realtors. His success is attributed to his hard work ethic and excellent customer service skills. He has won numerous Greenberg Realty awards.

Christianson is a strong supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He loans his trailer to Altru Health System’s Safe Kids program every year. Along with donating to CVIC, Special Olympics and YMCA Parkinson’s program, he’s competed on Dancing for Special Stars. He rings bells for the Salvation Army during the holiday season and delivers cookies to nursing homes. He is a member of the Grand Forks Association of Realtors, and owns several investment properties in the community. In addition to selling real estate, Christianson and his wife, Brittany, are local foster parents.

His proudest accomplishment is of his three sons Cruze, Corbin and Colt.

Brandi Nelson

Age: 39

Director of Academic Affairs

Lake Region State College

Devils Lake, N.D.

Brandi Nelson is a Devils Lake native and began her career at LRSC as a student employee while earning her A.A. degree. After a brief hiatus while pursuing her B.S. in Business Administration from Mayville State University, she rejoined LRSC full time as an admissions associate in 2006.

For the past 15 years she has continuously challenged herself by taking on new responsibilities. After earning her MBA from the University of North Dakota, she was promoted to director of Academic Affairs, where she leads accreditation, assessment, and institutional effectiveness.

Nelson takes great pride in being a member of the LRSC team. While much of her work is done behind the scenes, she thrives on knowing that her role at LRSC really does change lives.

Nelson and her husband, Chad, have three sons: Weston, Tucker, and Ryder. She spends her evenings and weekends running the boys to sporting activities. And if they weren’t already busy enough, they recently welcomed two new puppies to the family. Her personal passion is CrossFit and she has competed in countless local and regional CrossFit competitions.

Brandon Conkins

Age: 38

Director of Managed Services

High Point Networks

West Fargo, N.D.

Brandie Haugen

Age: 29

Assistant Vice President, Retail Manager

Gate City Bank Fargo, N.D.

Brandie Haugen is currently the retail manager of four Gate City Bank locations in Fargo. She started her career with Gate City Bank nine years ago and quickly discovered her passion for leadership and helping people reach their financial dreams.

Haugen is dedicated to developing lasting relationships in many ways: teaching financial education to high school students, providing support and financial resources to women who are starting over through a partnership with the YWCA, and working with the communities of Fargo and West Fargo through the Neighborhood Revitalization Program, which provides loans to revitalize aging neighborhoods and help stimulate homeownership.

Haugen actively supports the Fargo and West Fargo communities by giving back and volunteering with a variety of different organizations, including LadyBoss and Giving Hearts Day. She is also a champion for our education system, volunteering with local schools to provide financial education courses and dedicating her time to North Dakota State University for events such as NDSU Welcome Week, NDSU Fan Corner and NDSU Women in Business.

Brandon Conkins is the director of managed services for High Point Networks, where he develops managed IT solutions, service contracts, and the engineering teams to support them. In this role, Conkins has taken a unique approach to managed services that pairs existing IT departments with expert help where they need it most.

His innovation and leadership has resulted in more than 600 partnerships with organizations across the US, ranging from state governments, health care institutions, and manufacturing to renowned concert halls.

Conkins received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from North Dakota State University and has spent 14 years since then in channel development, operations, and leadership roles. The cumulation of these years of experience have been key in developing the unique balance of sales, operations, and organizational development that has helped make him successful today.

Conkins has served as a youth mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America for 10 years, and in 2020 was named Volunteer of the Year for the State of North Dakota and a finalist for the national award.

Brent Muscha

Age: 37

Project Manager

Apex Engineering Group Fargo, N.D.

Brent Muscha is a project manager at Apex Engineering Group, providing professional engineering services on transportation projects for public agencies across the region. Muscha graduated from North Dakota State University and worked for North Dakota Department of Transportation before joining Apex in 2013, the company’s third year of business.

Muscha has been instrumental in building Apex’s company culture and reputation for superior client service. He helped start the Brand Ambassador program, which leads Apex’s effort to foster company culture through team-building activities and community involvement supporting local charities. He also led the charge to bring drone technology to Apex by becoming one of the company’s first licensed drone pilots.

Muscha recently became a certified Professional Traffic Operations Engineer, allowing Apex to provide expanded traffic analysis services to clients.

He is a dedicated and professional leader. Because of those attributes, he was selected to become an associate owner at Apex in 2018. He is highly respected by his peers and coworkers and a role model for younger engineers. Muscha lives in West Fargo with his wife, Ashley, and their two children.