Prairie Business January 2024

PREMIER BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS | January 2024

HIGHER ED ADAPTS STRATEGIC PLANS TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES GOALS FOCUS ON AFFORDABILITY, RETENTION, EQUITY AND WORKFORCE READINESS | PAGE 18

INDUSTRY LEADERS WEIGH IN ON INNOVATION, POLICIES TO REACH CLEAN ENERGY GOALS | PAGE 12 LEGAL EXPERTS DISCUSS CHANGES IN FEDERAL, STATE LAWS | PAGE 22

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Good Work

Grand Farm is growing with JLG, cultivating innovation by the acre. Emerging Prairie’s “Farm of the Future” in Casselton, ND, will put great design to work to empower agricultural advancement. Grand Farm will be a hub for autonomous technology with deep roots in global partnerships, training, development, and testing. Between the rows, Grand Farm sees a more productive and collaborative future — all built to accelerate agriculture, develop regional opportunities, and solve worldwide challenges. Let’s Grow!

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PREMIER SPONSORS

Thursday, February 22 • 8 to 11 a.m. CST Delta by Marriott and livestreamed across Upper Midwest Our nation, communities and businesses continue to grapple with a tight labor market, foreign conflict, challenges related to inflation and elevated interest rates, and significant economic uncertainty as we look to 2024. The Midwest Economic Outlook Summit on February 22 will serve as a crucial platform for economic experts, leaders across various industries and policymakers from across the nation to convene in Fargo Moorhead West Fargo for a timely and comprehensive discussion on the current and future state of our economy.

Over 7,300 viewers tuned into the previous Summit livestream

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• Business owners, operators, managers and…

• Your key staff and emerging leaders • Top clients and partners • Nonprofit and association leaders and…

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• Connect with economic and financial pros • Meet local and regional business leaders • Learn more about our local and regional economic drivers • Find out what’s next for our economy This event is co-hosted by 30+ chambers and associations and will be livestreamed to professionals and communities across Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

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This is an opportunity to learn more about where our regional and national economies are headed, examine significant trends, discuss the major challenges that might lay ahead for businesses and organizations, and understand how we can be agile and prepared to respond to this evolving environment.

Developing and maintaining a vibrant economy is essential to the continued growth and health of the Upper Midwest; we hope you join us and represent your business at this major event and critical discussion.

A look back at the previous Midwest Economic Outlook Summit

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Douglas Duncan of Fannie Mae and Ron Feldman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis pulled the curtain back and gave attendees and viewers an in-depth look at the current state of various facets of our economy, as well as their predictions for the upcoming year. At this past summit, Duncan predicted a mild recession in 2023 with a comeback in 2024, with the dominant theme being “Americans awaiting improvements in affordability,” especially as it relates to the housing market and manufactured goods.

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TABLEOFCONTENTS

DEPARTMENTS

January 2024 VOL 25 ISSUE 1

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EDITOR’S NOTE

BY CARRIE MCDERMOTT

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ENERGY COAL CREEK STATION TO BECOME THE FIRST FULLY CIRCULAR POWER PLANT

21 WADE BOESHANS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SUMMIT CARBON SOLUTIONS ANSWERS A QUESTION DURING THE EXPERT PANEL ON CARBON CAPTURE, UTILIZATION, STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION ALONGSIDE PANELISTS ANDREW SORBO, VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES FOR MINNKOTA POWER, JOHN HAMLING OF THE ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER AND MODERATOR CHRISTOPHER GUITH, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. CHAMBER GLOBAL ENERGY INSTITUTE DURING THE MIDWEST ENERGY SUMMIT ON WEDNESDAY, NOV. 29, 2023, AT THE DELTA BY MARRIOTT IN FARGO. ALYSSA GOELZER/THE FORUM

FEATURES 12 ENERGY

ENERGY INVESTMENTS, MEETING LOW C02 DEMANDS PART OF MIDWEST ENERGY SUMMIT

BY CARRIE MCDERMOTT

18 HIGHER EDUCATION GOALS FOCUS ON AFFORDABILITY, RETENTION, EQUITY AND WORKFORCE READINESS

BY CARRIE MCDERMOTT

22 LAW CORPORATE TRANSPARENCY ACT ONE OF SEVERAL NEW LAWS AFFECTING BUSINESSES

BY CARRIE MCDERMOTT

ON THE COVER: DR. TIM DOWNS IS THE 12TH PRESIDENT OF MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY MOORHEAD. COURTESY MSUM

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PRAIRIE NEWS MARVIN SAFETY LEADER AWARDED OSHA SPECIAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR DISTINCTION

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CONSTRUCTION CORNER APPLIED DIGITAL BRINGING HIGH-TECH TO RURAL NORTH DAKOTA

BY CARRIE MCDERMOTT

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PRAIRIE PEOPLE

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INSIGHTS & INTUITION

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BY THE NUMBERS

JUSTIN JOHNSON ARCHITECT JUSTIN JOHNSON JOINS TSP SIOUX FALLS, S.D. • ARCHITECT JUSTIN JOHNSON HAS JOINED TSP, INC. AND IS BASED IN THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY FIRM’S SIOUX FALLS OFFICE. JOHNSON GREW UP IN SIOUX FALLS, AND HE GRADUATED FROM NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN AND A MASTER’S DEGREE IN ARCHITECTURE. HIS ARCHITECTURAL EXPERIENCE IN THE RETAIL, COMMERCIAL, DINING, CIVIC, AND HEALTHCARE INDUSTRIES HAS PROVIDED JOHNSON WITH A SOLID UNDERSTANDING IN THE PROCESS AND FUNCTION OF VARIOUS PROJECT TYPES. IN RECENT YEARS, HE HAS SPECIALIZED IN HEALTHCARE PROJECT WORK ACROSS SOUTH DAKOTA, NORTH DAKOTA, MINNESOTA, AND WISCONSIN. VISIT WWW.PRAIRIEBUSINESSMAGAZINE.COM TO SEE THESE AND OTHER NEW HIRES, PROMOTIONS AND AWARD WINNERS IN THE REGION.

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EDITOR’SNOTE January 2024 VOL 25 ISSUE 1

A NEW YEAR

CARRIE MCDERMOTT

EDITOR

WITH NEW GOALS

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ello, and happy New Year! A new year means a fresh start. It’s a time to set goals and celebrate last year’s wins. I’m not a resolution maker, but I have a few goals.

My first goal of the year is to get better organized at home. I moved to Grand Forks in March 2023 and promptly began working at Prairie Business. Anyone who has moved for a job knows where this is going. Piles and stacks start appearing – from unpacking to get my apartment set up, then packing up my short-lived spot at the Herald’s office downtown for a move to a new office space, and then shifting my workspace to a home office, all in a space of about eight weeks. My new coworkers joked that I must be really good at (and tired of) moving!

My organizational priorities are to go through the piles of paper and odds and ends that are stacked up and find a home for them – in a filing cabinet, a shelf or the shredder. Winter is a good time to get that done.

Another goal for 2024 is to spend less and save more – I’m sure this is a common goal for many. I’ll be focusing on the needs more than the wants for a while.

Being more active and going back to healthier food choices is another goal of mine. I figure, if I share it publicly, I’ll be more accountable.

Part of this goal is spending time in advance to plan meals and to make physical activity part of my daily routine.

I also intend to spend more time with family and friends and stop putting off visits until a “better” time. What’s better than the present?

I’d love to hear about your goals for 2024 and how you plan to reach them.

In this edition, we highlight three big topics - trends in the legal field, higher education, and the energy industry. Attorneys shared new laws and regulations going into effect that will have an impact on businesses. University leaders shared how they’re adjusting their strategic goals to the economic climate, and we have a feature covering the Midwest Energy Summit held in Fargo in late November.

We also asked area leaders what their big goals are for the year in our Insights & Intuition feature.

If you have story ideas for us, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Wishing you a fruitful 2024, Carrie McDermott

PUBLISHER KORRIE WENZEL

AD DIRECTOR STACI LORD

EDITOR CARRIE MCDERMOTT

CIRCULATION MANAGER BETH BOHLMAN

LAYOUT DESIGN SARA SLABY

ACCOUNT MANAGER NICHOLE ERTMAN

800.477.6572 ext. 1162

nertman@prairiebusinessmagazine.com

Prairie Business magazine is published monthly by the Grand Forks Herald and Forum Communications Company with offices at 3535 31st St. S., Suite 205, Grand Forks, ND 58201. 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 prairiebusinessmagazine.com

ADDRESS CORRECTIONS I look forward to hearing from you at cmcdermott@prairiebusinessmagazine.com or 701-780-1276.

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

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ENERGY

January 2024 VOL 25 ISSUE 1

TAMMY MILLER, LT. GOVERNOR, STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA, LEFT, MODERATES AN EXPERT PANEL ON THE GLOBAL ENERGY LANDSCAPE IMPACTING TRANSPORTATION FEATURING JEFF DAVIDMAN, VICE PRESIDENT OF STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AT DELTA AIR LINES, MIKE SWANEY, DIRECTOR OF ADVANCED ENERGY INNOVATION AT BNSF RAILWAY AND DENVER TOLLIVER, DIRECTOR OF THE UPPER GREAT PLAINS TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE AT THE MIDWEST ENERGY SUMMIT ON WEDNESDAY, NOV. 29, 2023, AT THE DELTA BY MARRIOTT IN FARGO. ALYSSA GOELZER/THE FORUM

ENERGY INVESTMENTS, MEETING LOW C02 DEMANDS PART OF

MIDWEST ENERGY SUMMIT

AREA EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON INNOVATION, POLICIES TO REACH CLEAN ENERGY GOALS

BY CARRIE MCDERMOTT

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he challenges of energy security and policies, meeting lowered carbon emissions goals and renewable energy options along with technological advancements were topics discussed by industry experts at the Midwest Energy Summit, held Nov. 29, 2023 in Fargo.

Organized by the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce and 31 other chambers and organizations in North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Missouri and Wisconsin, the summit presented wide-ranging discussions on innovations in the U.S. energy space.

Christopher Guith, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute, spoke about energy security during this time of energy transition.

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Although energy prices have been very erratic over the past three to four years due to disruptions caused by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, he said America’s energy economy was softened from some of the impacts thanks to the nimble shale oil and gas sectors, including those from the Bakken Formation in North Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

In his keynote address, Guith said the levels of investment in the energy sector decreased from 2020-2022, on par with investments of the 1960s, resulting in a persistent undersupply of energy today. Energy companies are also faced with a “regulatory tsunami” to get interstate pipelines and electrical transmissions approved, which makes it “increasingly difficult, if not in

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some cases impossible to build these,” he said, but adding there is growing bipartisan support to overhaul the permitting process.

The benefit to the U.S. is its bountiful natural gas industry, with some of the “cheapest gas prices in the world,” Guith said, “and we have enough to ship around the world, help our allies, and actually make some money.”

The growth of renewable energy is having a significant impact on the grid, he said, but the transition can’t go faster than the pace of innovation.

Guith said federal legislation will account for $2 trillion in energy infrastructure investment, and that will probably be leveraged by the private sector, bringing the investment to somewhere between $6 trillion and $10 trillion.

More research and investment in hydrogen fuel will also be beneficial to the sector.

Dubbed “the Swiss Army knife of energy,” Charles Gorecki, CEO of EERC (Energy & Environmental Research Center), said it’s the most abundant molecule in the universe.

EERC is located on the campus of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, and hydrogen is one of its key priorities.

Gorecki said hydrogen is “really good at doing a lot of things, but not necessarily the best thing to do any individual task. The benefit of hydrogen is that it has no carbon emissions when you use it in a fuel cell or combust it directly,” he said.

“The EERC has been tasked by the legislature in developing salt caverns in the subsurface in western North Dakota to do that storage for hydrogen or other liquid fuels.

We can use it blended today in our natural gas pipelines to a certain percentage, and also combust it in our existing gas turbines up to a certain percentage,” Gorecki said.

Hydrogen can be used to make synthetic fuels, such as sustainable aviation fuels.

But the biggest demand area is for low-carbon fertilizers, which is in high demand in North Dakota.

EERC, along with Marathon Petroleum Corporation, TC Energy, and Xcel Energy, are leading the development of the Heartland Hydrogen Hub (HH2H) to advance a regional clean energy project. HH2H was one of seven hubs awarded funding by the U.S. Department of Energy in October. The funding award is under negotiations for up to $925 million. HH2H is a collaborative initiative that will produce low-carbon hydrogen, decarbonize regional supply chains, and create clean energy jobs across Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

The initiatives can help reduce roughly one million metric tons per year of carbon emissions – roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of 220,000 gasoline-powered cars, while extending profit-sharing and benefits from the expanding hydrogen economy to wider communities, a model with the potential for replication across the Midwest, according to the Department of Energy. The Heartland Hydrogen Hub’s use of open access storage and pipeline infrastructure will create a hydrogen network accessible to both current and new hydrogen users.

During the summit, a panel on the energy landscape and its impact on transportation was moderated by North Dakota Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller. The panelists included Jeff Davidman, vice president of state and local government affairs for Delta Airlines; Mike

Swaney, the director of advanced energy innovation for BNSF Railway; and Denver Tolliver, the director of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University.

According to Davidman, Delta’s goal is to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

He said 98% of the airline’s carbon footprint comes from what happens in the air, so the challenge is to address what’s happening in the sky. About 25% of the savings can be met by upgrading the jetliner fleet, with a few percent more coming in other changes, but the rest will rely on producing enough sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a biofuel produced from feedstocks such as corn or soybeans.

The problem is, only 15 million gallons of SAF was produced in 2022 in the U.S. Delta could operate its fleet for one or two days with that. For the entire U.S. airline industry, it wouldn’t last a day, Davidman said.

“What we have is a great solution in SAF, but it’s not scaled at the levels we need it to (be),” Davidman said. “That’s our focus – how do we establish this market that not only will help from a sustainability standpoint, but from an energy independence standpoint as well as from an economic development standpoint.”

BNSF, which originates about 311,000 railcars out of North Dakota, with about 60% carrying agriculture products and 40% industrial products, is also researching energy alternatives, Swaney said. The railroad company has 6,000 locomotives that use 1.2 billion gallons of diesel annually and intends to reduce its emissions 30% by 2030. Renewable and biodiesel fuels are currently being tested in a three-year pilot.

Beyond 2030, battery electric or hydrogen fuel technologies might make further reductions possible, he said. But battery electric power for locomotives is far short of the energy needed, he said and will have to improve significantly.

Tolliver said that zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) are the stated national goal for highway transportation, and California is aggressively pursuing ZEVs, declaring that by 2036, manufacturers will only be able to sell ZEVs in that state.

“The longer-term goal is an entirely green energy chain,” Tolliver said, “that may be achievable sometime in the future, it may not.”

A panel on carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) was moderated by Guith and featured Wade Boeshans, executive vice president of Summit Carbon Solutions, An-

CHRISTOPHER GUITH, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. CHAMBER GLOBAL ENERGY INSTITUTE, GIVES A GEOPOLITICAL UPDATE AT THE MIDWEST ENERGY SUMMIT ON WEDNESDAY, NOV. 29, 2023, AT THE DELTA BY MARRIOTT IN FARGO. ALYSSA GOELZER/THE FORUM

drew Sorbo, vice president of strategic initiatives at Minnkota Power, and John Hamling, assistant vice president for strategic partnerships at EERC. The expansion of the carbon capture tax credit (Section 45Q), part of the Inflation Reduction Act, has positively impacted the creation of stable and functional carbon markets that aren’t mature yet.

Boeshans said one of the biggest challenges is being able to finance CCUS projects, and the tax credit is “very material to providing the economic support” of those projects.

Section 45Q provides a performance-based tax credit to power plants and industrial facilities that capture and store CO2 that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere.

“In terms of stabilizing the market, those projects need to get built,” Boeshans said.

Until those projects are built, there won’t be a stable carbon market, Sorbo said.

“These projects generally require quite a bit of capital investment and some time and upfront costs to develop the projects before you have a revenue stream coming back in for the capture and storage of carbon dioxide,” Hamling said.

Most of the projects also look for other incentive programs that can be coupled with the 45Q tax credit to make them more viable beyond the sunset of the current tax program, Hamling said.

Helmut Schmidt and Jay Dahl contributed to this story.

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CLEAN, EFFICIENT ENERGY SOLUTIONS

As the 21st century dawned, the EERC embraced carbon capture, sequestration, and utilization”

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) stands at the forefront of energy and environmental innovation, tracing its roots back to the late 19th century. Originally known as the Grand Forks Energy Technology Center, it transitioned into the University of North Dakota’s (UND) fold in 1983. As we celebrate the EERC’s 40th year, we recognize the institution’s deep historical connections and its transformative journey in shaping cleaner, more efficient energy solutions.

ritory officials and developers realized the state’s immense lignite resources and advertised lignite coal as a cheap, easily extracted source of energy with the potential to create jobs. Coal mining quickly became the largest source of American energy by the late 1800s, and thus, the EERC’s journey began.

Through the early 1900s, people were starting to recognize the massive potential lignite brought to the state beyond its use as a fuel source for heating. A chemistry professor at Even before North Dakota was formally ad- UND and North Dakota’s first State Geolomitted as a state in 1889, early settlement in gist, Earle J. Babcock, investigated the potenthe Dakota Territory grew rapidly when ter- tial uses and properties of North Dakota lig14 TWITTER.COM/PRAIRIEBIZ FACEBOOK.COM/PRAIRIEBUSINESS PRAIRIEBUSINESSMAGAZINE.COM

nite that eventually led to its briquetting and gasification. He discovered that briquetting coal, the process of dehydrating and shaping it into uniform pieces, resulted in more easily transportable lignite with double the heating value and the ability to be stored without being affected by atmospheric conditions. He also discovered that gasifying coal, the process of using heat and pressure to produce synthetic natural gas (syngas), made products that could be used in gas engines, fertilizer, and tar.

By the late 1920s, UND researchers raised lignite studies from practical use to fundamental considerations of properties and composition.

In 1947, Representative Charles Robertson introduced a bill to establish a national Lignite Research Laboratory in Grand Forks, under the Bureau of Mines. In 1951, the Robertson Lignite Research Laboratory opened on campus, focused primarily on unlocking the energy secrets of lignite. This research included comprehensive pilot plant studies on improving lignite pulverization prior to burning, longterm storage techniques, and several gasification projects. Around the same time, oil was discovered in the Bakken Formation, a large rock formation within the Williston Basin. The Clarence Iverson Well sparked North Dakota’s first oil boom and would set the scene for oil and gas research at the Grand Forks laboratory in the coming decades.

The 1960s and ‘70s witnessed a shift in focus toward addressing environmental concerns, leading to research on lignite ash and the impacts of burning coal.

The experimental slagging fixed-bed gasifier that had been operating at the Grand Forks facility from the late 1950s to the early 1960s was restarted in 1976 to collect additional data on lignite gasification.

By 1975, the name was changed to the Grand Forks Energy Research Center (GFERC). Research was expanded to analyze wastewater and solid wastes from the gasifier to help develop better pollution prevention and control methods and to assess health risks that workers in a future coal gasification industry might face. Synthetic oil was created from lignite and other low-rank coals in laboratory experiments by combining the coal with carbon monoxide and steam. Shortly after the program started, GFERC became a federal energy technology center called the Grand Forks Energy Technology Center (GFETC) when President Jimmy Carter created the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

In 1983, GFETC was transferred from the DOE Office of Fossil Energy to UND and renamed the Energy Research Center. A signed cooperative agreement marked a pivotal moment, allowing what would become the EERC to evolve beyond federal funding constraints and diversify its research focus. This agreement not only created new research opportunities beyond low-rank coal but also paved the way for industry development and adaptation to technological changes through direct contract research.

Additionally, it offered a chance to support UND in educating and training future technical leaders through increased involvement in academic, continuing education, and outreach programs. It also aimed to enhance the efficacy of government-funded research by leveraging funds with private industry and state clients, ultimately benefiting the research’s eventual users.

The 1990s ushered in a new era of energy research, expanding beyond coal to include mercury and air toxic emission control. The EERC’s involvement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Center for Air Toxic Metals exemplified its commitment to environmental stewardship. The EERC also focused its attention on oil and gas and would later develop projects like the Bakken Production Optimization Program, the intelligent Pipeline

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Integrity Program, and the Brine Extraction and Storage Test.

As the 21st century dawned, the EERC embraced carbon capture, sequestration, and utilization (CCUS). In 2003, following a competitive evaluation, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham named seven teams, called Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships (RCSPs), to evaluate and promote the carbon sequestration technologies and infrastructure best suited to their unique regions. The Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Program, created as one of the seven RCSPs, was designated to the upper Great Plains and northwestern regions of North America and was headed by the EERC. Countless carbon storage projects sprouted from the PCOR Partnership, and it helped

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North Dakota become the first state to gain Class VI Primacy—authority granted by EPA to permanently store CO2 underground. Further research into carbon management led to the mobilization of an amine-based postcombustion capture system to conduct longterm capture studies at two lignite-fired power plants in North Dakota. These studies provided critical validation of commercial solvent performance on actual flue gas to support the engineering design of full-scale capture plants.

In addition to CCUS, the EERC concentrated on enhanced oil recovery from unconventional reservoirs, biomass utilization, renewable fuels, hydrogen production, wind energy, and water management. The approach to research since the 2000s has been “all of the above” to creating energy and environmental solutions.

Acknowledging this in 2019, North Dako-

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ta legislators designated the EERC the State Energy Research Center (SERC) for North Dakota. SERC projects, backed by $7.5 million per biennium, cover a spectrum of topics, including energy storage, rare-earth element recovery, advanced materials development, and electrical grid protection.

The EERC’s journey from lignite coal research to becoming a global leader in energy and environmental technologies exemplifies a commitment to innovation and sustainable solutions. As we commemorate 40 years of excellence, the EERC remains dedicated to shaping the future of energy and environmental research, addressing evolving challenges and opportunities on a global scale. To explore current research efforts and stay updated, visit undeerc.org.

ENERGY

January 2024 VOL 25 ISSUE 1

COAL CREEK STATION TO BECOME THE FIRST

FULLY CIRCULAR POWER PLANT

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n expanded partnership intends to help decarbonize the concrete industry with sustainable cement alternatives at the largest power plant in North Dakota.

Eco Material Technologies, a leading producer of sustainable cementitious materials and near-zero carbon cement replacement products in North Dakota announced an expanded partnership with Rainbow Energy Center to jointly invest in new beneficiation and harvesting plants at the Coal Creek Station, a release stated.

Beneficiation is any process which removes the gangue (virtually worthless) minerals from ore to produce a higher grade produce, and a waste stream.

The project will transform management of previously disposed of products and enhance carbon reduction efforts. Eco Material and Rainbow Energy Center will capture, beneficiate and market all of the solid-form discharged materials from Coal Creek Station, located between Underwood and Washburn. Their existing partnership markets high-quality fly ash in the concrete sector.

“We expect demand for high-quality sustainable cementitious materials (SCMs) like fly ash and pozzolans to grow rapidly over the next 10 years and we are excited to work with Rainbow to provide that for the industry,” said Grant Quasha, CEO of Eco Material Technologies. “This project is the culmination of a relationship between Eco Material and Coal Creek Station on fly ash beneficial use for over 30 years, and that partnership has only grown since Rainbow’s purchase of the facility in 2022. This project marks a key turning point in the SCM market for the region.”

The project will be the first beneficiation and harvesting plants in the state of North Dakota and the second bottom ash beneficiation and harvesting project within Eco Material’s portfolio. The Coal Creek project will provide an additional 400,000 tons annually of SCMs over the next 25 years to service the rapidly growing markets in North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The project will also beneficiate Coal Creek’s annual production of 150,000 tons of calcium sulfite into marketable synthetic gypsum, which will be primarily marketed to the wallboard industry by Eco Material, the release stated.

North Dakota’s Clean Sustainable Energy Authority (NDCSEA), a program to launch new energy projects to commercialization that reduce carbon emissions, demonstrated strong support for this novel, business-minded approach. Creators and co-chairs of NDCSEA State Senator Dale Patten (Watford City) and State Representative Glenn Bosch (Bismarck) said, “The creative approach taken through Rainbow and Eco Material Technologies’ partnership is exactly the type of project we had in mind when we created NDCSEA. Reducing our carbon emissions can go hand in hand with growing our economy, and this project is proof.”

“Rainbow’s vision for Coal Creek Station remains the same today as the day we developed the business plan for the facility. Our number one priority will always be to continue to operate Coal Creek Station in the most efficient and environmentally sound way possible,” said Stacy Tschider, president of Rainbow. “The ex-

ECO MATERIAL TECHNOLOGIES AND RAINBOW ENERGY CENTER HAVE PARTNERED TO INVEST IN A NEW BENEFICIATION AND HARVESTING PLANT AT COAL CREEK POWER STATION IN NORTH DAKOTA TO TRANSFORM COAL WASTE PRODUCTS INTO SUSTAINABLE CEMENT ALTERNATIVES FOR BUILDERS IN THE SURROUNDING STATES. COURTESY ECO MATERIAL TECHNOLOGIES

panded partnership with Eco Material Technologies enhances the execution of our vision by reducing carbon emissions and our environmental impact while continuing to provide valuable baseload energy to the market. We are excited to lead the way in innovation and provide USA-made, recycled products to the concrete industry with Eco Material on this win-win for our companies, our state and the nation.”

Materials harvested from Coal Creek Station are and will be used in concrete blends to repair and construct bridges, roads, and buildings across the region and will reduce dependence on imported materials. The materials will also reduce the concrete’s carbon footprint. Coal ash replacement in cement, such as Eco Material’s Green Cement products, has been proven to enhance the strength, impermeability and durability of concrete, the release stated. In common practice, the material will replace 20-25% percent of carbon-intensive portland cement in concrete mixes. The portland cement and concrete industry currently accounts for approximately eight percent of global carbon emissions. For each ton of ash beneficially used to replace a ton of portland cement, there is approximately one ton of CO2 emissions avoided.

Eco Material will also be investing in additional storage terminals across the region to ensure that no winter ash is disposed of and that customers have the materials they need for projects in the region’s shorter summer season. The beneficiation plants at Coal Creek and the new regional storage terminals are expected to be completed in 2025. In addition to construction and other temporary jobs, more than 20 full-time jobs will be created for the operation of the facilities.

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HIGHEREDUCATION January 2024

HIGHER ED ADAPTS STRATEGIC PLANS TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES

VOL 25 ISSUE 1

GOALS FOCUS ON AFFORDABILITY, RETENTION, EQUITY AND WORKFORCE READINESS

BY CARRIE MCDERMOTT

C

olleges and universities continue to adapt three years after the pandemic began. Institutional leaders are making strategic decisions to reshape higher education for the long term – everything from financial, enrollment and marketing challenges to addressing mental health and equity needs to sustain a resilient and welcoming place to learn.

To address those challenges, Dr. Kurt Hackemer, vice president of academic affairs and provost at the University of South Dakota, said the institution is in the middle of a new dynamic strategic plan that requires accountability. Specific goals within the plan have champions who meet quarterly with the strategic leadership team and send ideas up and down the hierarchy to get things done.

“We have had tremendous luck and have been really accomplishing a lot with this plan,” Hackemer said. “In our case, we pulled in feedback from well over 1,000 stakeholders and got that down to six major themes with two goals in each of them, so 12 major points,” he said.

Traditional strategic plans typically have a sunset date and a new plan is then formulated. “The data collection

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process and distillation was incredibly important with this new plan, and the follow through that’s built into the process where you don’t dismantle your strategic plan infrastructure just because the plan has been generated.”

As part of the update, USD has gone through an extensive process of revising and updating what’s called the “expectation of the faculty” documents, which lays out what’s expected from faculty in terms of teaching, research and service and how they contribute to the overall mission of the university, and how that fits into the strategic plan.

Much work has also been devoted to how faculty and staff are recruited and retained.

“One of our strategic plans is affordability,” Hackemer said. “That’s an incredible challenge for students – finding ways to keep the university education as affordable and accessible for students.

We’ve been really fortunate in the assistance we’ve gotten from the state of South Dakota. We’ve had four years of tuition freezes, which is unheard of in this part of the country.”

As the state’s flagship institution, there’s renewed effort in raising funds for scholarships and the student aid structure.

“We take really seriously our role in training the next generation of citizens for the state of South Dakota,” Hackemer said. “We can come up with the best curriculum possible, the best experience possible but if the students can’t afford to come here, stay here, live here and experience it, then it’s not as effective. That’s a huge challenge.”

One of the ways Minnesota State is expanding the college experience to more students is through the North Star Promise Scholarship, which is part of the Minnesota State Promise that included a freeze of tuition at each of the 33 colleges and universities in the state through spring 2025. The North Star Promise Scholarship, starting in the fall of 2024, will provide a pathway to free tuition and fees for eligible Minnesota residents at any of the 26 state colleges and seven state universities of Minnesota State.

North Dakota State University has answered that with a program of its own in the NDSU Tuition Award program. During the 2024-2025 academic year, Pell-eligible North Dakota and Minnesota students with family income levels of $80,000 or less will have a base tuition and student fees fully covered for two years if they’re in their first year at NDSU. Students returning for their second year at NDSU in 2024-25 will also be considered for the program for one year.

David Bertolini, NDSU provost and dean and professor, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, said one of NDSU’s key strengths is that it’s a land grant university.

“Our strength is that we serve – we serve the workforce needs of North Dakota and tied to that is we’re a Research 1 institution.”

The Carnegie Classifications recognize R-1 universities as the most research-intensive institu-

tions. These institutions offer at least 20 research or scholarship-based doctoral degrees and spend at least $5 million on research each year. An R-1 institution has very high research activity, according to the classification.

“We’re also the i-Corps hub, which is using entrepreneurship related to engineering, and it’s a collaboration of seven states, to bring entrepreneurship to the engineering field,” Bertolini said.

Workforce demands are an ongoing issue that higher ed institutions are working to ease. Ongoing shortages are in the health-care industry, but also in the teaching sector and for various business sectors in general.

“In those areas we’ve made some significant changes in how we identify and educate those students,” Hackemer said.

In the health-care field, for example, it’s not enough to identify and train nurses, social workers, addiction counselors and medical doctors.

That’s the way it’s always been done in the past but not necessarily what the field is asking for today.

“They want students who are not only educated in their specific area, but also understand how they function in the larger context of the healthcare environment in which they’re going to work.

“We’ve adjusted our entire educational structure here to emphasize what we call interprofessional learning,” Hackemer said.

USD students from different disciplines are able to work together in patient care in the university’s simulation centers, which is a more real-word setting.

To address staffing for the most needed professions, the region’s universities are creating pathways programs that match up high school students to college programs and future careers.

USD started a pathways program with the Sioux Falls School District and has now expanded that to other high schools to identify and educate future teachers. Minnesota State University Moorhead has a teacher cadet program that’s similar, working with students at Moorhead High School.

Minnesota State University Moorhead is in the process of creating a similar program for future nurses, and the university’s leadership credits the strong partnerships with health-care service providers such as Essentia Health and Sanford Health, which are important for success.

Dr. Arrick L. Jackson, provost and senior vice president of student affairs at MSUM, said programs are being evaluated for not only their relevance – whether they are related and aligned to industry – but whether they lead to a career the student wants at the end of their education. The curriculum is reviewed as well as other opportunities for students outside the classroom that can connect them with the careers they want to pursue, such as internships or organizations they can belong to and expand their networking pool.

DR. KURT HACKEMER

DR. DAVID BERTOLINI

DR. ARRICK L. JACKSON

DR. TIMOTHY DOWNS

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

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HIGHEREDUCATION January 2024 VOL 25 ISSUE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 “That allows them to have a greater opportunity for access, expertise and all those things that make a career worthwhile,” Jackson said.

MSUM President Dr. Timothy Downs said the ongoing enrollment management and competitive recruitment of students is like playing hockey.

“You’re out on the ice and you’re chasing down that student and so are several other universities, chasing that same student,” he said. “For us, we’re constantly working on presenting an image of the institution about the student experience – outside the classroom, in the classroom and their overall development.”

Students thrive when they are engaged, mentored, have support services and can connect with companies in the industries they’re training for, leaders agree. Critical thinking skills and knowing how to communicate in a professional environment, sometimes called “soft skills” or “power skills,” are attributes expected in the workforce.

Bertolini said the lag from COVID is evident.

“Generation P” (pandemic) students have struggled with interpersonal skills and stunted learning. Everybody struggled with the pandemic. We’re getting high school students that feel like they’re prepared, but really aren’t.

We created a new advising model for first and second year students at NDSU,” he said. “It’s a remarkable achievement because it’s what I’d call holistic advising.”

Not only are students counseled on their academic track, but faculty are paying attention to the mental wellness of students.

“Students picked us for a reason – in that sense, you owe it to them to offer help and whatever possible services you can so they succeed. If it’s mental health, answering questions, finding a student group, whatever the need,” Bertolini said.

Promoting exploration by students is something all administrators agreed is necessary to help define what industry the students’ skills and interests match up with.

“The process of education is go in and start to take your general education, liberal arts, and core, then sample what you think you’re interested in,” Downs said. “One of the things we’re trying to do is to get students to breathe and just look around and see where their skills match – the content areas, knowledge areas – and that leads to jobs. Then it will articulate into one or more degree programs as being viable for that student’s pathway of interest.”

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PRAIRIENEWS January 2024 VOL 25 ISSUE 1

Valuable Insight Sound Advice Our Fargo team offers local expertise and advanced resources to counsel clients toward their goals. fredlaw.com/fargo

MARVIN SAFETY LEADER AWARDED OSHA SPECIAL GOVERNMENT

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR DISTINCTION

ENTERPRISE HEALTH & SAFETY MANAGER BOB SIMMONS RECOGNIZED FOR OUTSTANDING VOLUNTARY SERVICE AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO SAFETY AND HEALTH EXCELLENCE

M

arvin Enterprise Health & Safety Manager Bob Simmons has been awarded the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Special Government Employee of the Year for his significant contributions to workplace and community safety.

Announced at the National Voluntary Protection Programs Participants Association (VPPPA) Safety + National Conference, Simmons was commended for his volunteerism and outstanding commitment to the partnership ideals of the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).

Simmons achieved this national recognition as a result of his participation on multiple VPP on-site evaluation teams, mentorship to multiple worksites and assisting OSHA with formal VPP training programs. In addition, Simmons provided driver safety outreach to the public.

In his role as Enterprise Health & Safety Manager at Marvin’s West Fargo facility, Simmons oversees all safety duties and responsibilities for the West Fargo South facility and the Marvin distribution center in West Fargo, ND. He has been a valued member of the Marvin team for more than 28 years and is known for his extensive safety knowledge.

“We put our safety culture first at Marvin, which shapes how we manufacture, ship and deliver Marvin products,” said Marvin President Darrin Peterson. “Bob’s commitment to a safety mindset, bestin-class protocols and sharing his expertise with others is admirable and we are very grateful for his continued leadership at Marvin.”

Marvin has 8 VPP Star certified manufacturing locations. Across the United States, less than 3 percent of manufacturers have earned VPP certification.

Jacob Strinden, Abigale Griffin, Amy Jenson, Wayne Carlson, Todd Zimmerman, Beverley Adams, Katie Perleberg, David Tibbals, Kristy Albrecht, F. John Williams III, Kyle Barlow, Jessica Foss, Michael Raum, Aubrey Zuger, Benjamin Hasbrouck, William Guy III

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LAW

January 2024 VOL 25 ISSUE 1

CORPORATE TRANSPARENCY ACT ONE OF SEVERAL NEW LAWS AFFECTING BUSINESSES

ATTORNEYS SHARE TRENDS IN THE LEGAL FIELD, INCLUDING HOW AI IS AFFECTING THE INDUSTRY

BY CARRIE MCDERMOTT

A

ttorney Justin DiBona, a partner at Gunderson, Palmer, Nelson & Ashmore, LLP in Rapid City, South Dakota, has been busy consulting with his clients about a new federal law that became effective Jan. 1, 2024, the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA).

His specialties include business and estate planning, probate and estate administration, business succession planning, and trusts.

The CTA will impose new disclosure obligations on most business entities in the U.S. The purpose of the act is to “help prevent and combat money laundering, terrorist financing, corruption, tax fraud and other illicit activity while minimizing the burden on entities doing business in the United States.”

He explained why businesses need to be aware of the new act.

“The purpose of the law is noble – to prevent against fraudulent transactions, prevent against money laundering, to keep everything above water,” he said.

Many companies in the U.S. will have to report information about their beneficial owners, such as the individuals who ultimately own or control the company. They will have to report the information to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

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“They’re establishing a database in 2024 where the owners of companies will need to be revealed and do annual filings. Before, there’s never been a rule like this and a lot of companies don’t know about this. It’s not well publicized,” DiBona said.

There are civil and criminal penalties for failure to comply – $500 for being late, up to a $10,000 fine and up to two years in prison.

For companies in existence before 2024, they have until the end of 2024 to comply, DiBona said, but for any new companies created in 2024 or later, they have 90 days to comply.

The types of information that need to be reported are basic – the person’s legal name, date of birth, street address, drivers license number and a photo of the license. Complying seems straightforward, but there are many ways it can quickly become cumbersome.

“What if you have a stock option – do you have to report? If it’s a company that owns another company, and you have a holding company, what does that look like? If a trust is the owner, what information has to be reported there?” DiBona said. “It can become pretty complex.”

Another change to watch for is the federal estate tax exemption reduction, effective

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in 2026. DiBona is advising clients on addressing this change sooner than later.

For the last five years, taxpayers have benefited from a high gift and estate tax exemption introduced under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which doubled the exemption from 2018 from approximately $5.5 million to $11 million per person. In 2023, the exemption increased another $860,000 due to inflation, to $12.92 million per person. This exemption is going to sunset on Dec. 31, 2025, and end up back down somewhere between $6 million and $7 million, depending on inflation.

Business owners who are planning to transition their company to a relative or another employee should be aware of the change coming to the federal estate tax and plan accordingly.

“People who own businesses are prompted to start gifting these assets now and get the assets down while they have such a high tax exemption,” DiBona said.

MacKenzie Hertz is an employment attorney with Vogel Law in Fargo. She’s licensed in North Dakota and Minnesota, and represents management and employers.

New and upcoming changes on her radar include the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which became effective June 27, 2023.

“It extends protections to pregnant workers and requires employers to provide certain accommodations to those workers in the workplace. Employers are familiar with the ADA, which protects individuals with disabilities who can perform job duties with or without reasonable accommodations,” she said.

“Pregnancy is not in itself a disability, and so what this act does is fill that gap – so pregnancy itself is a protected condition that employers must now reasonably accommodate.”

The Fair Labor Standards Act sets the minimum wage and overtime requirements for employers. The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed to make it harder to be exempt based on salary.

“For each of the exemptions, they require you also be paid on a salary basis. They are going to increase the threshold for the salary basis so that you have to be paid more to be considered exempt,” she explained. “They expect it will impact up to 3.6 million workers who are currently exempt based on their salary basis, but if these changes go into effect, they would no longer be exempt.”

The current salary basis for exemption is $35,000, and the proposed change is to increase that to $55,000. This is only a proposed rule with no estimated approval or enactment date set.

“We are just advising employers to take a look at that and plan ahead. We recommend they look at who falls in that gap between $35,000 and $55,000, how many people is it going to impact in your organization? Will they increase pay to avoid the overtime and stay exempt, or go to hourly?” Hertz said.

At the state level, Minnesota has been active, she said.

“The thing that’s been dominating my time is that Minnesota is putting in place, effective Jan. 1, 2024, a new pay protected leave, which is known as earned sick and safe time (ESST),” Hertz said.

Several large metros – Bloomington, Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth – already have something similar in place with ordinances of varying degrees.

“ESST says any employee who works at least 80 hours per year in the geographic boundaries of the state of Minnesota will be entitled to accrue certain protected leave for purposes related to sickness and safety.

It’s very expansive and relates to not only the employee’s sickness and safety concerns but also the employee’s family members,” Hertz explained.

“The thing that differentiates ESST from PTO (paid time off) would be that you can use it basically without worrying about your employer denying it. We have a lot of clients who have a tight labor market and if some-

JUSTIN DIBONA

MACKENZIE HERTZ

one’s already requested that time off, if it’s for one of these protected reasons, the employer can’t discipline you or deny your request for time off for ESST,” she said.

In 2026, Minnesota will also enact its own paid family medical leave act. The federal FMLA allows for unpaid protected leave, but this new state law will allow employees time off for things including pregnancy or surgery, and be paid for that. Although the specifics haven’t yet been defined on how the system will work, Hertz said the idea is to impose taxes on the employee’s taxable wages and that money will go into a state fund to pay employees.

“It will be sort of similar to unemployment insurance,” she said.

On the technical side, artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting every sector now, including the legal field. Some hot-button issues UND Law Professor Nick Datzov shared include privacy concerns, tort liability, discrimination laws, criminal law enforcement and how AI is used in that context, along with how AI will affect corporate transactions and licensing.

Datzov’s undergrad degree is in computer science, and he says AI has been around and has been a topic of computer science for a long time. ChatGPT and other chatbots have launched AI to the forefront of society only recently.

“The world generally has really started to notice AI as a mainstream technology and that’s only really happened in the last few years,” he said.

Large research tool companies like Westlaw and LexisNexis started exploring generative AI tech seven to eight years ago, Datzov said. They use an AI tool that runs on a large language model similar to ChatGPT, but it’s based on actual cases.

ChatGPT and other AI chatbots have been known to make things up, or hallucinate, which could lead to high-stakes consequences. There have been at least two cases where attorneys filed briefs with the court using ChatGPT that referenced fic-

NICK DATZOV

titious cases. Once the judge discovered those cases didn’t exist, those attorneys were sanctioned because they didn’t appropriately review the material that they filed with the court, Datzov said.

“They’re (LexisNexis, Westlaw) representing to say, you can trust AI because it’s not going to just make things up. When it gives you a legal answer, it’s going to tell you which case it pulled it from (and then) you can read the case yourself and feel more confident that the information is credible.

You’re going to have different spectrums of trustworthiness on the technology depending on which AI tech you’re using,” he said.

“The biggest way it’s impacted what lawyers do is that a lot of lawyers write. The ability to now very quickly draft a client letter, draft a legal brief to the court, those are pretty new things. There’s a lot of questions: Should lawyers even be doing that?

Should they be using AI tech to draft this material?” he asks.

Some clients may be appreciative if it’s saving the attorney time, and in turn, that attorney is charging less time to the client.

“On the flip side, some clients may say, I really care about the quality of the work product and if you’re spending 10 minutes of eyeball time on something you’ve drafted with AI, how do I really know it’s a good work product? These are mutually exclusive things – you either spend the time or you don’t. At least now there’s the technology that can do it,” he said. “Drafting legal documents, AI has very new capabilities and we’re just starting to figure out what the ethical boundaries are, what lawyers can and should do, and how to use that technology.”

The major developers of chatbots and other large language models say they’re working to make them more truthful, and to better distinguish between fact and fiction.

“We’re just charting the course right now on how to regulate AI. There are trade-offs to a lot of the decisions we’ll have to make, but the good news is that we get to make them,” Datzov said.

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CONSTRUCTIONCORNER January 2024 VOL 25 ISSUE 1

APPLIED DIGITAL

AN ARTIST’S RENDITION OF DALLAS-BASED APPLIED DIGITAL CORPORATION’S HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING DATA CENTER, BEING CONSTRUCTED IN ELLENDALE, N.D. COURTESY APPLIED DIGITAL CORP.

BRINGING HIGH-TECH TO RURAL NORTH DAKOTA

FACILITY WILL HOUSE AI WORKLOADS IN INNOVATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN

BY CARRIE MCDERMOTT

I

n a small, rural North Dakota farming town, dozens of construction workers are busy laying the groundwork for a three-story high-performance computing (HPC) data center that will house equipment for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads.

The town of about 1,100 residents sits approximately 100 miles south and west of Fargo and may become one of the HPC hubs in the state for Dallas-based Applied Digital Corporation. Ellendale is already home to the company’s blockchain data center, built in 2022, which employs about 30 workers.

That 180-megawatt facility began operations on March 7, 2023, just six months after groundbreaking.

Applied Digital also has a 200 KW HPC facility in Jamestown. North Dakota is attractive for HPC centers because of its cool climate and its excess energy production, CEO Wes Cummins told Prairie Business.

“Data centers, historically, have been built in population areas, metros,” he said. “Data

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centers are what run everything you use.

Everything you’re generally looking at on your phone, it’s being run by compute loads sitting in data centers somewhere else.”

Data centers are vital to modern technology infrastructure. They provide the necessary capacity, reliability and security to support an ever-increasing demand for data storage, processing and delivery for a wide range of industries and applications. Data centers are used by cloud services, websites, databases, AI, and Internet of things (IoT), in addition to crypto mining operations such as Bitcoin mining that require substantial computing power and energy resources.

Traditional data centers handle ultra low latency – the time between the end user and the data center where the workload is produced needs to be extremely short. Most of what has been used for the past 20 years has been video-based – think streaming video, and apps such as Facebook, TikTok,

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Instagram and even Zoom. HPC data centers require something different.

“As we move into what I believe is the next 20 years, it’s going to be much more AI-driven. That’s a very broad term. With AI, specifically generative AI, it requires a significant amount of compute (power) that was not needed in the other types of apps you use. Those are all communications based and this is really compute-based, compute-centric,” Cummins explained Compute-based processing requires much more power than streaming, and the latency sensitivity is much lower, so ultra low latency data centers that were built in the past aren’t needed for this new technology.

“What you need is extremely high-powered density data centers, which is what we’re good at building,” Cummins said.

North Dakota is not a population center and has not been a data center region.

But HPC workload centers don’t need to

be where large numbers of people are, and they perform better in colder climates, making the state a perfect location, not to mention the abundance of energy in North Dakota.

According to the state’s Department of Energy and Natural Resources, North Dakota’s total energy production is six times greater than its consumption.

Because of the large amount of energy high-performance computing requires, these facilities produce high amounts of heat and special cooling systems are required.

“There’s advantages to being in a cold climate. Our facility is built to do liquid cooling, but with liquid cooling you still have to cool the liquid, and in certain areas that are much hotter, they use what’s called wet coolers. They spray a lot of water on the cooling towers,” Cummins said.

“In North Dakota, we’ll be able to use dry coolers – it’s a closed loop system – so we don’t need the massive amounts of water that data centers typically require.

That’s another big benefit for us being in North Dakota.”

Tom Flaherty, Ellendale’s mayor and the assessor for Dickey County, said the first facility has been mostly positively received by the community. He’s hoping the newest HPC center will attract more families

to meet its workforce demands, although more housing is needed.

The south side of town has parcels platted with water and sewer just waiting for a developer to come in and build homes, he said.

Wind turbines in the area create excess energy and the Applied Digital facility helps to manage the power load at the substation, Flaherty said.

“Right now we have two more wind farms and potentially a solar farm looking to become established,” he said.

In addition to adding jobs, Applied Digital’s facility is benefitting the county by increasing the property tax base, which lowers property taxes for everyone, and benefits the school district taxes, Flaherty said.

“The present facility, in 2023 it was barely in its infancy for construction and had a $3 million value, and right now with it completed, it’s looking like close to $15-$20 million,” Flaherty said. “That’s a huge influx of property tax value that benefits everyone in the county.”

With the technology centers coming in, he’s hoping it will open the door for other possibilities and other sectors to consider the area.

“Dickey Rural Communications, our telephone company, had the foresight in putting

a fiber optic network in place in 2012-2014.

It’s really been a perfect storm situation,” Flaherty said.

Chris Schuler, founder and owner of Fargo-based Century Builders, said the 342,000-square-foot building’s precast concrete structure is expected to be up by mid-April, and additional site work will take about 60 days depending on the frost. At any time, there’s between 50 and 200 construction workers on site. He expects it to be ready by the end of June.

Once the building is enclosed, a Twin Cities-based construction firm, McGough, will have a data center team installing the interior infrastructure.

“Right now our expectation is that construction will be going into 2025,” Cummins said. “Then there will be several more buildings there, so we’re likely to have construction going for roughly 24-36 months.

Once the campus is fully built, I’d expect somewhere between 35-50 full-time jobs there.”

“We’re really happy to be able to continue our work in North Dakota for a very different type of data center and workload,” he said.

“The customers that will use these facilities are some of the largest companies in the world. We expect them to operate there for 20-plus years.”

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PRAIRIEPEOPLE January 2024 VOL 25 ISSUE 1

TODD BRICKHOUSE TODD BRICKHOUSE NAMED BASIN ELECTRIC’S CEO AND GENERAL MANAGER

LUKE GULBRANSON

CHRIS ROSENBERG

BETSY ARMOUR

MICHAEL J. BURNS ARCHITECTS, LTD. WELCOMES THREE NEW EMPLOYEES TO THE FIRM

MOORHEAD, Minn. • Michael J. Burns Architects, Ltd. (MJBA) has hired three new employees, Luke Gulbranson, Assoc. AIA, Chris Rosenberg and Betsy Armour.

“We are very excited to announce and welcome our new team members,” President Michael Burns, AIA, CID, said. “We are thrilled to have Luke, Chris and Betsy join us in our daily extraordinary work for our clients. We couldn’t be happier having these talented individuals on our team.”

Gulbranson, Assoc. AIA, began his career at the MJBA through its job shadowing program during his sophomore year of high school.

He continued to work as an intern through his time at North Dakota State University. He graduated in 2022, with a Master of Architecture degree. Since joining the team full-time after graduation, he has continually worked in BIM/CAD production and project management. Gulbranson, Assoc. AIA, also brings added support for various technical tools in the office and serves the firm with his skills as a licensed Drone Pilot.

Rosenberg began working for MJBA in June. As Senior CAD Technician, he is responsible for developing architectural construction drawings. Rosenberg joins the firm with more than 20 years of technical CADD experience, including working with contractors to design and draw building plans for commercial and residential construction, coordination with design consultants and engineers, and related drawing detailing.

Armour is the most recent hire at MJBA and started her marketing and proposal director role at the end of September. She has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, communications, and public relations. Her background includes integrated marketing for engineering firms, governmental entities and agriculture.

Michael J. Burns Architects, Ltd. (MJBA) was founded in 1983 and is a North Dakota Professional Corporation with offices in Moorhead, Minnesota, Grand Forks, North Dakota and Fargo, North Dakota. Principal Michael Burns, AIA, CID, has more than 40 years of professional experience in public and private sector work. The firm is considered one of the top firms in historic preservation and adaptive reuse in the Midwest region.

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BISMARCK, N.D. • Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s board of directors have announced their selection of Todd Brickhouse as the chief executive officer and general manager of the cooperative effective immediately. Since July 2023, Brickhouse has held the position on an interim basis.

Basin Electric board president Wayne Peltier said the action is a reflection of Brickhouse’s record as interim CEO and general manager and his previous service as the cooperative’s senior vice president and chief financial officer. “The Board has worked closely with Todd Brickhouse during his tenure at Basin Electric and believes he has the skills, strategic vision, work ethic, and integrity to lead the organization,” said Peltier.

“I thank the board of directors for their confidence and support, and I look forward to working closely with them and our members as we pursue Basin Electric’s mission of providing reliable and affordable power, products, and services to sustain the quality of life for our member-owners across rural America,” said Brickhouse.

Brickhouse joined Basin Electric in June 2022 as its senior vice president and CFO after 21 years at Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) in Glen Allen, Virginia.

Prior to his career at ODEC, Brickhouse was employed in the financial services industry and held positions in the areas of securities trading, investment management, and investment banking. He is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and business.

ANDREW KALLAS E​​​​​​​ PIC COMPANIES PROMOTES KALLAS TO DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE

WEST FARGO, N.D. • EPIC Companies of West Fargo is excited to announce the promotion of Andrew Kallas to director of maintenance. Kallas is from Aberdeen, South Dakota, and attended South Dakota State University. As director of maintenance, his focus is to continuously improve customer service for tenants and maintain building and grounds integrity and upkeep to the highest possible standard.

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KARI ALME ALME JOINS DCN

FARGO, N.D. • Kari Alme has joined Dakota Carrier Network as human resources/business manager.

Based in the Fargo office, she is responsible for all human resources functions, including payroll, recruitment, and benefits administration. In addition, Alme coordinates DCN’s safety program and general business management responsibilities for the organization.

Alme has more than 15 years of experience in human resources policy, administration, and compliance. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mayville State University, is a Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), a Certified Benefits Professional through WorldatWork®, and a Certified Payroll Professional through the American Payroll Association.

MSU Moorhead leads the region in academic excellence and affordability.

Ranked No. 13 in Top Public Universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report.

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INSIGHTS&INTUITION

January 2024

Q.

SPONSORED BY

VOL 25 ISSUE 1

INSIGHTS & INTUITION

Chris Baumgartner Senior Vice President of Member & External Relations Basin Electric Co-op Bismarck, N.D.

What’s one of your top business goals to accomplish in the new year?

We have named our primary 2024 business goal Foundation for the Future. Basin Electric will be investing approximately $2 billion into critical generation and transmission resources in the next five years, and those resources will ensure our members continue to be supplied with reliable and affordable electricity produced in a responsible manner.

In North Dakota, Pioneer Generation Station Phase IV will be the largest new power plant we have built in the state in 40 years; additionally we are on track to build another 350 miles of high-voltage transmission line in the state. Those investments are foundational to the important work we do every day — access to reliable, affordable electricity leads to the community growth and sustainability of our members that are vital to our mission. Our 141 member cooperatives serve 3 million end-use consumers across nine states, and the investments we make now to move electricity to our members across rural America will shape our cooperative’s future and enrich the lives of our members. Of course, we aren’t focused only on building large facilities and transmission lines.

The Basin Electric team invested our hearts and minds into developing a new mission statement in 2023, along with a set of shared employee values, and we remain committed to supporting the communities in which we and our members live and work. We are also continuing our investments in the environment and innovation, such as the work being done at our coal-based Dry Fork Station in Wyoming on carbon capture research and development.

At Essentia Health, we are called to make a healthy difference in people’s lives. As we move into the new year, one of my goals as Essentia’s West Market president is to address a significant shortage of health-care providers in North Dakota and Minnesota. These shortages have been further exacerbated by an aging patient population and increasing need for health care. North Dakota has fewer rural physicians per 10,000 residents than the nation as a whole. We must ensure we are developing relationships and training experiences that are inclusive of nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, medical students, physicians and technicians for our current and future workforce needs.

Assuring that Essentia continues to deliver high-quality and affordable care is a motivation that is not only on my mind day and night; it is on every team member’s mind who cares for our patients! We owe it to our patients, their families and the communities we are privileged to serve. Expert, compassionate health care is at the core of our culture. Essentia Health-Fargo is a CMS 5-Star Rated Hospital, which is the highest possible rating given by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In addition, Essentia has consistently been a top performer in the Minnesota Health Care Quality Report.

We will continue to focus on care, quality and health care outcome measures that keep our patients healthy and thriving. It is an honor to serve our patients, community and our Essentia Health workforce.

Dr. Mark Thompson West Market President Essentia Health Fargo, N.D.

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Kotapay, the payments division of First International Bank & Trust (FIBT), is a leader in electronic payment processing. In 2023 alone, we will settle over 60 million electronic transactions from across the country totaling over $100 billion. Despite our solid track record and current trajectory, 2024 will continue the rapid pace of change in financial technology and our long-held realization that sustained levels of investment in new products, infrastructure, and people are imperative to remain competitive.

In 2024, we will launch three new forms of real time payments that will enable our local FIBT customers, as well as those served by Kotapay, to push funds in a few seconds between FIBT and their intended recipient - no matter where they bank. Whether it is for P2P payments, commercial accounts payable, loan payoffs and mortgage closings, or direct deposit of payroll, FIBT will have a safe and secure means of supporting almost any use case.

Enabling these technologies to meet the growing demand for mobile-friendly and embedded payment products requires a cross-section of subject matter expertise. In 2024 we will continue to recruit current and future industry experts to ensure our capabilities and technologies are responsive to our markets.

Our payments vision remains unchanged for 2024: serve our customers by enabling them to connect any FIBT account effortlessly and securely to their preferred financial applications and tools.

Steve Mattern Vice President of Field Operations Midco West Fargo, N.D.

Trent Sorbe EVP/Chief Payments Officer First International Bank & Trust/Kotapay Fargo, N.D.

In 2024, our business goals revolve around a dual-focused strategy which we refer to as Fiber Forward. This strategic objective focuses on network expansion and upgrading our existing network. Fiber Forward aims to bridge the digital divide by significantly expanding our network coverage, reaching underserved communities and connecting more customers to reliable internet services. Since beginning our expansion efforts in 2021, we’ve connected more than 40,000 additional homes and businesses throughout our footprint in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Kansas. Next year, we plan to expand our Midco services to an additional 14,000 homes and businesses.

Simultaneously, we are committed to enhancing the experience for our existing customers with strategic network upgrades. We are implementing new technologies and infrastructure that deliver faster speeds and increase network reliability. We have already upgraded the network to nearly 300,000 homes and businesses, with plans to upgrade an additional 100,000 in 2024. Executing these types of upgrades involves significant planning, coordination and communication. Our team members work diligently to complete these upgrades, minimize disruption and enhance the quality of service our customers receive.

Through our Fiber Forward initiative, we will continue to position ourselves as a leader in the industry through service reliability and customer satisfaction. We’re also committed to being a force for good in the communities we serve by supporting many nonprofits, schools and organizations.

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BYTHENUMBERS

EMPLOYMENT AND AVERAGE HOURLY EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY FOR ALL EMPLOYEES, NOVEMBER 2023, SEASONALLY ADJUSTED

SPONSORED BY

January 2024 VOL 25 ISSUE 1

In November, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 12 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $34.10. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 4.0 percent. In November, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 12 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $29.30.

CIVILIAN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, SEASONALLY ADJUSTED

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 199,000 in November, and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Job gains occurred in health care and government. Employment also increased in manufacturing, reflecting the return of workers from a strike.

Employment in retail trade declined. Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for teenagers (11.4 percent) edged down in November. The jobless rates for adult men (3.7 percent), adult women (3.1 percent), Whites (3.3 percent), Blacks (5.8 percent), Asians (3.5 percent), and Hispanics (4.6 percent) showed little or no change over the month.

Total White

Percent

Men, 20 years and over Black or African American

Women, 20 years and over 16 to 19 years old Asian Hispanic or Latino

Bubble size represents employement level in thousands

Average hourly earnings

$55.00

Mining and logging Wholesale trade Utilities Professional and business services Other services Construction Retail trade Information Private education and health services Manufacturing Transportation and warehousing Financial activities Leisure and hospitality

$50.00 $45.00 $40.00

35.0

$35.00

Total private: $34.10

30.0 $30.00 25.0 $25.00

20.0

$20.00

15.0

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics $15.00

10.0

-25

0

5.0 0.0

25

50

75

100

Over-the-month employment change in thousands

Nov 2003

Nov 2005

Nov 2007

Nov 2009

Nov 2011

Nov 2013

Nov 2015

Nov 2017

Nov 2019

Nov 2021

Nov 2023

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

AVERAGE PRICE DATA FOR SELECTED ITEMS, OCTOBER 2023

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was unchanged in October on a seasonally adjusted basis, after increasing 0.4 percent in September. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.2 percent before seasonal adjustment. The energy index fell 2.5 percent over the month as a 5.0-percent decline in the gasoline index more than offset increases in other energy component indexes.The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 0.7 percent in October as the index for beef increased 1.2 percent and the index for pork rose 1.3 percent. The other food at home index increased 0.3 percent over the month, as did the dairy and related products index.

Bananas, per lb.

Bread, white, pan, per lb.

Chicken, fresh, whole, per lb.

Eggs, grade A, large, per doz.

Ground chuck, 100% beef, per lb.

Milk, fresh, whole, fortified, per gal.

Oranges, Navel, per lb.

Tomatoes, field grown, per lb.

Electricity per KWH Gasoline, unleaded regular, per gallon Utility (piped) gas per therm

EMPLOYMENT CHANGE BY INDUSTRY WITH CONFIDENCE INTERVALS,

NOVEMBER 2023, SEASONALLY ADJUSTED, IN THOUSANDS (ONE MONTH NET CHANGE)

In November, health care added 77,000 jobs, above the average monthly gain of 54,000 over the prior 12 months. Government employment increased by 49,000. Employment in manufacturing rose by 28,000 in November, reflecting an increase of 30,000 in motor vehicles and parts as workers returned from a strike.

Employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up (+40,000), almost entirely in food services and drinking places. Employment in social assistance continued to trend up in November (+16,000). Retail trade employment declined by 38,000 and has shown little net change over the year.

Employment Change

90-percent Confidence Interval

Total nonfarm Total private Goods-producing Service providing Mining and logging Construction Maunfacturing

$6.00

Wholesale trade Retail trade Transportation and warehouseing

$4.00

Utilities Information Financial activities

$2.00

Professional and business services Private education and health services Leisure and hospitality

$0.00

Other services Oct 2003

Oct 2005

Oct 2007

Oct 2009

Oct 2011

Oct 2013

Oct 2015

Oct 2017

Oct 2019

Oct 2021

Oct 2023

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Government

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-100

-50

0

50

100

150

Thousands

200

250

300

350

400

Some of the reasons KLJ is one of the best places to work.

Flexible work arrangements Creative projects that are community focused Improve the lives of people and communities kljeng.com/careers

100% employee owned

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$250K IN SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ENERGY STUDENTS The right price.

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JOB PLACEMENT** The right skills.

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With a quarter of a million in scholarships, tuition waivers and generous financial aid packages, you can earn the skills to land an in-demand career in energy with little to no debt.

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*Earning estimates were provided by Lightcase in the spring of 2022. **Placement rates provided by 2021-2022 First Destination Report.

DONE RIGHT. bismarckstate.edu/Apply

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LIVE COMFORTABLY. LIVE CONFIDENTLY. Restless nights, hot flashes, or leaking a little when you sneeze can leave you feeling uncomfortable in your own skin. Essentia Health gynecologists, certified nurse midwives, and advanced practitioners can help get you back to living your life with confidence.

Find a compassionate women’s health care expert near you at EssentiaHealth.org 32nd Avenue Clinic (Fargo) | Jamestown Clinic | The Lights West Fargo Clinic | Lisbon Clinic | Wahpeton Clinic Mid Dakota Women’s Center-Bismarck: Call 701-712-4501

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