Q. INSIGHTs & INTUITION

What are your top priorities - and whyfor your employees and staff in 2020?

As we move into 2020, Flint Group will focus on several priorities.

For the 70-plus years Flint has been in business, we have always made taking care of clients our number one priority. In 2020, we will continue to make clients our top priority. The most significant change to what that means now, versus when Flint originated, is that we are much more data-driven. Part of our client-focused approach is making sure we are results-driven, while all in for our client’s success. Our business is truly defined by art plus science.

Jodi Duncan President Flint Group Fargo, N.D.

In 2020 we will continue to explore ways to enhance messaging that speaks strongly to the endcustomer. Messaging is a key strategy to building strong brands that attract customers and attract employees in an ever-increasingly competitive market.

New message channels are constantly being introduced, and message by channel becomes more complete. This is true for all the businesses we work with. We help our clients in every industry determine the right message at the right time in the right medium.

We are kicking off 2020 by asking our team what things we are doing well and what we can continue to improve upon in the coming year. We encourage open lines of communication and want everyone to help shape the office culture, either by sharing their ideas or by directly participating in one of our planning committees.

This process is invaluable because it leads to buy-in at all levels and allows us to focus on the opportunities that matter most to our people – our most vital resource.

At Architecture Incorporated, we encourage professional growth and lifelong learning. As we transition into the new year, we will continue to invest in building a strong, collaborative team by helping each person grow and develop in their careers. By continually reviewing and updating our internal processes to improve efficiencies we ultimately improve our service to our clients.

We recognize that things are always changing and that it is important to stay ahead of industry trends.

These things are not unique to 2020, but will remain a priority so that we can continue to be named one of the 50 Best Places to Work by our incredible team of professionals.

Steve Jastram, AIA President and Principal Architect Architecture Incorporated Sioux Falls, SD

At Banner, we recognize that our staff is the most valuable part of our organization. If we want to achieve organizational goals, we need to have staff that believe in our purpose. We aim to be the best in our industry and a vital component of that goal is to demonstrate a strong commitment to our staff by providing them the necessary resources to be successful and by supporting their professional and personal development goals.

In 2020, we will focus on development and engagement. This will involve a renewed emphasis on growth and collaboration within our organization as well as client relationships.

Although we have a mentorship program for our newest staff members, we are planning to expand this program to develop our mid-level staff so that they are positioned well for taking on future management and leadership roles. We are increasing overall training opportunities to our staff and are implementing internal certification programs that will support our organizational core values and purpose.

We want our staff to always strive to be the best version of themselves, and the same is true for us as an organization. We recognize our strengths and celebrate our wins but are always looking for ways to keep improving.

Sarah Meusburger, Human Resources Director Banner Associates Inc. Brookings, S.D.

At Cornerstone Bank, we value what we do, where we work and the people we work with. One of our “Big 5” initiatives for 2020 is further embracing our culture of peer-to-peer communication, positivity, and empowerment along with team-member development and retention.

Employee empowerment is nothing new to Cornerstone Bank. It is important for our team members to feel empowered with the authority and confidence to make decisions. The same goes for positivity and peer-to-peer communication. Those are values we live each day, but in 2020 we will keep them in the forefront as we grow.

Team members are our greatest asset so development and retention is very important. Development plans are a great tool to helping team members get to where they aspire to be. In 2020, our leaders are prioritizing working with team members to further their development plans. We will also continue to use our internal leadership skills development, mentorship, and walk-a-day programs for team member development and retention.

CIVILIAN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, SEASONALLY ADJUSTED

Shaded area represents a recession as determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Lantino may be of any race.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Men, 20 years & over

Women, 20 years & over

16 to 19 years old White Black ir African American

Real Average Hourly Earnings

Over-the-month percent change in a real average hourly earnings for all employees, seasonally adjusted, December 2018-December 2019

Real average hourly earnings increased 0.6 percent, seasonally adjusted, from December 2018 to December 2019. The change in a real average hourly earnings combined with a 0.6-percent decrease in the average workweek resulted in essentially no change in real average weekly earnings over this period.

CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE: WOMEN

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | fred.stlouisfed.org

Unemployment Rate

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | fred.stlouisfed.org