Lif eisd riven by purpose

Kevin Hanson President & CEO Gate City Bank Fargo, N.D.

There’s no better time than now to revitalize Widseth’s strategic plan. Navigating the pandemic took our attention in 2020 but also provided the impetus to revisit this effort.

In recent years, we focused internally to build a strong firm culture, punctuated by an updated brand identity. Little did we know then how important that foundation would be, helping us weather these tumultuous times. Now we’re ready to leverage our unified identity to maximum benefit for our clients.

The opportunity 2020 brought was the shift in how our teams collaborate with each other and with our clients. Widseth is teeming with innovators who have found new ways to connect with clients and whose ideas and efforts will continue to carry us forward. Our strategic plan will set the course for maintaining focused client relationships and support the nimble work environments needed to serve them.

We’ve retained an amazing facilitator and have begun to establish a fresh outlook for 2021. By the end of the first quarter we’ll have a strategic plan that guides us through and beyond this juncture and will ensure our continued success.

Kevin J. Donnay, AIA President Widseth Baxter, Minn.

Michelle Mongeon Allen CEO JLG Architects Minneapolis, Minn.

While the pandemic and ensuing social unrest and economic downturn will ultimately define 2020 for posterity, they came at a time when we were already confronted with both a major generational shift in our society and a technological revolution. And so, at JLG we entered 2020 primed for transformational change.

But when COVID-19 hit in March, we made near-term adjustments to our plans in order to preserve our core of top talent and then doubleddown on the strategic initiatives that we believed would best position JLG, our clients, and our communities to address the added challenges of uncertainty, fiscal disruption, and social isolation. In 2021 we look forward to creating opportunity amidst these obstacles by:

• Partnering with our clients and communities to actively advance planning and projects based on greater confidence in the economy and on sound public health and fiscal policy;

• Actively engaging our communities and initiating a purposeful initiative to enrich through diversity;

• Leveraging our strategic investments, especially technological innovations focused on enriching client outcomes and experiences;

• Continuing to help our customers capitalize on the agility and efficiencies realized through virtual collaboration; and

• Advancing health and wellness through a renewed appreciation for the value of in-person engagement.

Unemployment Rate

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 245,000 in November, and the unemployment rate edged down to 6.7% nationwide, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These improvements in the labor market reflect the continued resumption of economic activity that had been curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to contain it. However, the pace of improvement in the labor market has moderated in recent months. In November, notable job gains occurred in transportation and warehousing, professional and business services, and health care. Employment declined in government and retail trade.

Consumer Price Index

Prices for U.S. imports ticked up 0.1% in November, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, after edging down 0.1%t in October. Higher fuel prices in November more than offset lower nonfuel prices. U.S. export prices also rose in November, increasing 0.6% following advances of 0.2% in October and 0.6%t in September.

Air Traffic

U.S. airlines carried 27.1 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in September 2020, seasonally-adjusted, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, up 14.1% from August. The numbers, released in December, were the latest released by the BTS. It also reported 25.5 million domestic passengers and 1.6 million international passengers on U.S. airlines’ flights in September.

Passengers on US Airlines in September 2020 27.1 Million

Same month of previous year: -59 M

One Month: 3.4 M

Seasonally Adjusted

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2,600

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