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SPECIAL: REMEMBERING AN EXCEPTIONAL BUSINESS LEADER
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A PEEK AT THE FUTURE OF SOLAR IN THE UPPER MIDWEST PAGE 16
July16,1959–December23,2020
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How important is diversity in the workplace? What are some things your company has done to help make your place of business more diverse? How does a company form a culture that incorporates and ensures aspects of diversity? And, for your company, what does diversity mean?
A forthcoming story in Prairie Business will highlight diversity in the workplace, and we’d like to receive your input. Contact Editor Andrew Weeks to share your experience and perspective: aweeks@prairiebusinessmagazine.com. Include “Diversity in the Workplace” in the subject.
Perfectly designedtothriveinitsenvironment. Adaptableenoughtoevolvewiththetimes. Buildingsmar tfor asolidfuture.It’ssecond natureatKLJ.
As January rolls around every year people turn to their planners and new desk calendars to jot down goals for the next 12 months.
On the list may be such things as eating healthier, losing weight, spending more time with family, and vacationing in a new place. On the business side of things it might be finding new ways to market a product, upping the culture experience of the company, or developing a new training program for employees.
All of these are worthy goals, and many others can be put on the list.
Two memorable quotes about goal-setting:
“Having goals that we are passionate about gives us something to look forward to each and every morning when we wake up,” said Lou Holtz, former football player and coach. “Not having goals is an excellent recipe for average living.”
And Canadian educator and management theorist Lawrence J. Peter said: “Highly successful organizations and individuals all have an extremely clear vision of where they are going.”
A person doesn’t start on a trip without a destination in mind. Nor does the successful business operate without a plan.
Likewise, an individual and organization shouldn’t approach a new year without at least some goals in place.
That’s my philosophy anyway.
While some people may not be fond of new year’s resolutions, believing they are trite efforts to what people should be doing every day, I find them worthy of attention.
Personally, new year’s resolutions help me reflect on how well I did during the previous year and what I may do better in the next 12 months. It’s a good measure of individual progress.
Goals are easier to manage when they are broken into smaller brackets, and 12 months is manageable for some goals. (It may be good to gauge other goals, depending on what they are, every three to four months.)
Each business owner and manager must decide what works best for them and their team when it comes to goal-setting. But whatever the method and whatever worthy goals may be set for the new year, I wish you the best as you work to achieve them.
And that’s the keyword to accomplishing any goal: Work.
Remember this: “Shoot for the moon,” motivational speaker Les Brown said. “Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
As always, thanks for reading!
Andrew
WeeksI look forward to hearing from you at aweeks@prairiebusinessmagazine.com or 701-780-1276.
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Prairie Business magazine is published monthly by the Grand Forks Herald and Forum Communications Company with offices at 375 2nd Avenue North, Grand Forks, ND 58203. 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.
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It was1975.Desktopcomputershadyettodominate desktops, telephonesstillhadcords,plans were drawn by handondraftingboards,andthreeengineers fromCrookston,MN—DickWidseth,Howard Smith,andDonNolting—launchedwhat would becomeoneof theleadingprofessionalservices firms inGreaterMinnesotaandNorthDakota:Widseth SmithNolting&Associates,Inc.
Family,friends,and currentandpastemployees mournedthepassingonOctober15,2021offounder, mentor,andfriendDickWidseth.
Dickunderstoodthelifebloodof the firm was its clients,buthedidn’t stop atprovidingtop-notch servicestoeachofthem.He ensuredthefirm backed theirbusinesses by purchasingtheir goodsand servicesas wellassupportedtheirendeavorswithin their communities. Andeachyear,Dick,Howard,and Donthrewanelaborateclient appreciationparty.
Astechnologies advanced,Dick wasfascinated with their applicationstothe firm.Afterhisretirement, hebecameintrigued by windenergy and was keyto bringingawindmillblademanufacturertoCrookston. Whenitbecameapparentthebusiness wasnot performingashehadanticipated,he workedtirelessly to modifythecompanyandplantforotherproducts.
Dickisrememberedforprovidingopportunitiesfor employeesto explorea variety of interests, rapidly
gainresponsibility,andtakeonleadership roles.Along with DonandHoward,heencouragedemployeesto participateintheircommunities,joinprofessional andcivicorganizations,andpushthemselvestotake onnew challenges. The ownershipstructureand transitionplan they establishedisstillinusetoday. Thefirm isled bya board of owner directorswhilethe poolofshareholdersiscontinuouslyrefreshedwith youngerprofessionalsaslong-tenuredprofessionals retire. Theyset aforward-thinkingculture that continuesto nurture growthwhilehonoring the firm’s historyofclient-driven services.
BusinessDevelopmentDirector JoeBreiter observed, “Afterhearingfrompeople who remember Dick,whatstrikesmeisthathisapproach toclients anddoingbusinessalmost50yearsago relatesclosely to manyof thetenets we’ve woven intoourcurrentstrategicplan. Whether we realizeit ornot, we arecontinuallylearningfromand building onthevisionofourfounders.”
Thefirm nowhasmore than 200employeesin architecture, engineering,sur veying,environmental services,andaffiliateddisciplinesinnineoffices acrossMinnesotaandNorthDakota.Itisoneofthe few remainingfirmsthat was founded, grew, andhas remainedinoutstatecommunities. As we remember Dick, we also celebratehisinfluence onthefirm’s longevityandthelegacy thatcontinuestobepassed alongtofutureleadersofthefirm. n
PRESIDENTIALLEGACY
Fivepresidentsgather at the February2015Presidents Weekendall-staffand familyretreatinDuluth,MN.
PicturedL–R:BruceBuxton (President,1995–2004), DickWidseth(1975–1985), DonNolting(1985–1995), TimMoe(2004–2013), KevinDonnay(2013–2021).
When Kent Cutler started practicing law in 1991 in Sioux Falls, coming from a long line of family attorneys, the tools he used to communicate with clients and other lawyers were the telephone, fax machine, and formal letters.
“I think I got my email account in 1997,” he said.
A lot has changed in 30 years. Thick legal tomes that were the hallmark of a law office have to a great extent, been replaced by the internet. He still uses phone and email, but the fax machine is all but obsolete. And now meetings can be held via Zoom.
Some days he misses the simpler times, but he is not bothered by what he is noticing today, because he says in many ways the legal profession is better than it used to be. Or, if nothing else, technology has made some efforts easier.
Case in point: a virtual meeting is great for connecting with an individual for a deposition if the person lives out of state.
“I think it’s not a bad thing,” Cutler said. “It’s not as good as being in person, but for certain depositions that works just fine. … If there’s an expert witness out in California that you need to depose. It’s a lot more time efficient and cost efficient for the client if you can do it through Zoom as opposed to traveling for the deposition.”
But not all lawyers are as hip as Cutler, especially the older ones
who worry about passing on their legacy to a rising generation. Will there even be law offices in the future? Or will most lawyers work remotely?
The answers remain as yet unknown, but Cutler views a bright future for the legal profession and those who pursue it as a career. He’s not the only one.
Neil Fulton, dean of the University of South Dakota School of Law, is in the thick of things when it comes to the rising generation of lawyers. He says he is surrounded by impressive young people every day who are readying themselves for successful careers in law, whether in private practice, corporate law, or any number of other specialties. The lawyer of today has, in fact, many opportunities.
Even three years ago this trend was emerging, when Forbes published an article that, in part, said: “Legal knowledge was long the sole requisite for a legal career; now it is a baseline. … Lawyers no longer function in a lawyer-centric environment — now, they routinely collaborate with other legal professionals, paraprofessionals, and machines.”
These scenarios have only been enhanced by the pandemic, which added another layer of functionality: the virtual landscape.
Fulton said law students at the University of South Dakota are trained to use technology in their future careers.
He believes that for the foreseeable future there will still be physical law offices, but there probably won’t be as many as in the past. That’s not tough to imagine with today’s digital technology and lessons the coronavirus pandemic has taught businesses; for example, for many, work can efficiently be done remotely.
According to a Business Insider magazine report, “Higher meeting attendance rates, more attentive managers, simplified communication, and more breaks are just a few of the positive changes” that have happened due to remote work. “It’s made many more productive.”
Fulton said the scenario plays out across law firms as well. The drive behind it is not because remote work is all of a sudden something new — it’s been available for a while now — but because the pandemic forced some firms into doing it where previously lawyers looked askance at such notions. Now, in many places, employees are demanding to work remotely.
“I think people are making cultural decisions about what we are going to do as an employer,” he said. “I’ve talked to employers in the same sector where a comparable sized company said, ‘Oh, yeah, people love going online, working from home. We’re really embracing this. We’re reducing our physical footprint.’ It’s an efficiency thing. It’s a happiness thing with our employees.”
LAW STUDENT ERIN WILLADSEN ROLEPLAYS A COURT CASE DURING A LAW CLASS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA SCHOOL OF LAW. STUDENTS MAE MEIERHENRY AND RYAN ANDERSON LOOK ON IN THE BACKGROUND. IMAGE: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA
Early in the pandemic lawyers wanted back in the office. They wanted to be around their colleagues. They couldn’t wait to get back.
“Now we’re back in person but nobody ever wants to be here,” he said, noting staff now find ways to get out of the office. “And so I think you’re going to see some of them who want that. For some folks, it really works practically for their business or their practice. But it’s got to work culturally. I mean, you have to have people who are OK with that setting to really embrace it.”
The emerging trend with the law profession has a sort of wow factor attached to it, because traditionally lawyers had been weary of too much change in their profession. But Cutler said those he works and associates with are keeping up with the times.
“The attorneys I’ve worked with, regardless of how long they’ve been practicing, certainly roll with the times and the changes,” he said. “There are obviously some instances where somebody is a sole practitioner, it could be in Sioux Falls or it could be in a smaller community outside Sioux Falls, where maybe they don’t have the ability to have the technology to do things. But I would say overall, my experience has been that the members of the (South Dakota) Bar as a whole are open and receptive to advances with technology and have done a fairly good job keeping up with it.”
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Tomorrow’s lawyer will look similar to today, because the same legal steps will be taken as they are now. But how the future lawyer arrives at those steps is what is changing.
Perhaps journalist-turned-novelist Michael Connelly isn’t too far off the mark when he created a fictional lawyer who uses his Lincoln Town Car as his office.
No matter how the profession may look on the outside, on the inside it will hold to its traditional values. And, similarly to Cutler, Fulton said he believes the profession is on track to doing better than it has done in the past, simply because of the broader array of opportunities nowadays. One can only imagine what further opportunities will be made available tomorrow.
“I think it is better. I think the profession is more diverse. Today you see more female partners, more female judges, more women in leadership. You see more diversity of race and experience,” Fulton said. “I think those are all positives.”
And one other thing he enjoys seeing: more attentive issues about the attorneys’ wellbeing.
According to an analysis by Bloomberg Law, attorneys generally work long hours and many of them have been experiencing burnout. In fact, the burnout ratio was higher in 2021 than it was in 2020.
The analysis reported that despite increased awareness, “impactful change has been minimal — if any,’’ but Fulton said in his sphere he’s noticed some change with regard to lawyer wellbeing.
“I think you see a profession that is doing better about striking work-life balance and being attentive to mental health and addiction issues, which for decades it has been quiet about. ... I think there’s a lot more attention to that and keeping lawyers healthy. I think that’s a great thing. And I think you see lawyers in more positions of leadership in business, not just in the legal department. I think that’s a good development in that it means there are more and more who are willing to entertain opportunities to put their degrees to work beyond being ‘just’ a lawyer.”
Barry Schuchard, long time influencer at KLJ Engineering, held the role of chief executive officer at the company for only about three months before his passing, but his nearly 40-year career with KLJ has had a lasting impact.
Schuchard was appointed CEO in January 2021, and died on March 22 after a battle with cancer. He was 60.
KLJ provided information about Schuchard, paying tribute to the man and leader they continue to honor every day.
Schuchard grew up in Linton, North Dakota, and later attended North Dakota State University in Fargo. Afterward he moved to Valley City to begin his career at KLJ’s office there in 1983, “which led to a career of nearly four decades of working on infrastructure projects across the upper Midwest,” according to the company. After Valley City he moved to West Fargo.
Over the course of his career, Schuchard held many titles, served as the president of the KLJ Solutions Holding Co. Board of Directors, and was on the NDSU Foundation and Alumni Association, where he served on the Outreach, Awards, and Nominating committees.
Schuchard was at the forefront of KLJ’s evolution and growth as a company. He was instrumental in opening new offices, exploring, and entering new geographies, new services, growth, innovation, and many projects.
Before he died, his staff asked him what he hoped his legacy would be with the company. The company said he hoped to leave “one of hard work, dedication, perseverance, and energy.”
Goal accomplished.
Schuchard also wanted to see his team succeed, and took notice of individual accomplishments, both small and large.
“Barry truly cared about everyone at KLJ. He made sure everyone around him knew he was there to support, encourage, and push them toward success. He did not settle for anything less than our best, always inspiring those around him to reach new heights.”
The company said he found great joy in men-
toring up-and-coming professionals and checking in on projects. That drive continues to be realized at the progressive engineering firm based in Bismarck and has 23 locations in six states. In total, KLJ has nearly 500 employees. Throughout his career, Schuchard was part of many impactful projects. According to KLJ, one that stood out to him was the work he did on the Rainbow Arch Bridge in Valley City in 2004-2005. The historic bridge was built in 1925 per a design patented by James Marsh (1856-1936). In 1997, the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its unique patented design. Over time, the bridge required replacement, and Schuchard worked with others across KLJ to provide final design and construction engineering. He mentioned often that whenever he drove over the bridge, he felt a sense of pride.
He enjoyed classic automobiles — even had a few himself — and liked classic rock’n roll. He also was an avid NDSU Bison fan. But as much as he loved his work and hobbies, what was most important to Schuchard was his family.
After his death, the company paid tribute to him in a video:
watch?v=A0r2y_bIMPs
In September 2021, KLJ helped organize the Barry Schuchard Memorial Fun Run, a 5K fun run/walk. All proceeds supported the Barry Schuchard Endowment at the Roger Maris Cancer Center in Fargo.
The company also made a contribution in his name to the Red River Zoo’s Pride of the Prairie Habitat, a multi-species exhibit designed to inspire pride in North American’s keystone wild life. Schuchard enjoyed the zoo and helped shape its master plan while serving on the Board. One of the Bison in the exhibit is named Barry in his honor.
KLJ also renamed one of its main meeting spaces
in its West Fargo office the Schuchard Room, adorned with three photos honoring him — one an excerpt from the law of the prairie, “The Herd” song, an image of Barry with the Rainbow Arch Bridge, and a favorite bison print poem he had in his office.
“All three are a great reminder of Barry, his impact, and our desire to honor and remember him,” the company said.
Schuchard’s legacy at KLJ will be felt for years to come. He didn’t need to be CEO to influence change and impact lives. In large part, the company is successful because of him.
The company said: “His KLJ family was blessed with his devotion to the success of the people he worked with. He had a communication style all his own — encouraging, stern, and motivating. He often said his career started all because someone took a chance on him, and he in turn, took a chance on many. The engineering industry is better for his time as part of it.”
And this from Schuchard: “I want people – at any stage in their careers – to grasp as much as you can. Learn as much as you can,” he would often tell them. “Learn more than one discipline and live your passion. Trust. Trust people – it is hard, and sometimes we get hurt, but it is so important. And give people a chance. I am forever grateful for that chance 37 years ago.”
BARRY SCHUCHARD SPENT NEARLY 40 YEARS AT KLJ ENGINEERING, ACHIEVING THE TITLE OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER IN JANUARY 2021, A SHORT TIME BEFORE HIS DEATH IN MARCH. HIS IMPACT AT THE COMPANY STRETCHES OVER DECADES AND, ACCORDING TO KLJ, WILL BE NOTICED FOR YEARS TO COME.
IMAGES: COURTESY OF KLJ
By Sam Easter
For nearly 15 years, Dennis Latendresse has been running Wind and Solar World, the small Upham, North Dakota outfit that specializes in small-scale, renewable power — perfect, to hear him tell it, for the remote rural home or the farm.
The job requires a fair amount of travel. He took a call as he drove down the highway toward Colorado, where he had to pick up materials for his next job, he said. But that’s OK — nowadays, solar panel prices are falling, customer interest is up and business is good.
Some of his customers, Latendresse said, are doomsday preppers, getting ready for nuclear winter. Others might be worried about government overreach and want more independence from the grid. Others, he said, are set on doing their part to slow down climate change.
“I just want more people to have solar,” he said. “I’ll put more solar power out there and I’ll give a few people a job.”
The upper Midwest’s power grid — and likely beyond — is on the cusp of enormous change. While renewables like solar power are on the rise, so too is the shift toward electric cars, both of which promise to rearrange how regulators and power providers manage energy.
“The energy industry is changing faster now than ever before,” said Ben Fladhammer, a spokesperson for Minnkota Power Cooperative. “It’s exciting, and at the same time it’s daunting. Energy mixes of different utilities, different states, are changing very quickly.”
Fladhammer mentioned the winter storm that struck Texas during February 2021, which knocked out power around the state for days, freezing and bursting pipes. The ensuing blackout contributed to the death toll, which soared past 100 — and left in its wake a political and logistical headache for Texas regulators, who faced questions for months about the future of the state’s energy grid.
“(That) caused great concern for the utility industry,” he said. “How do we make sure that we’re building a system that stays as reliable and resilient as it possibly can be?”
Michelle Rosier is an analyst with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. She points out that planning ahead for electricity needs looks vastly different than it used to — what was once a more straightforward weighting of power output, electrical grid and consumer need is now complicated by rooftop solar panels, power sources that rely on daylight or wind and the like.
“It’s now a much more comprehensive view,” Rosier said. “And that’s something that’s in progress around the country, figuring out how exactly to do that, as the grid evolves and our generation sources change.”
Solar is one of the next potential changes, especially in the upper Midwest, where both South Dakota and North Dakota lag in solar production. The Solar Energy Industries Association ranks both
states 50th and 51st in solar energy production among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Part of the disparity, the Fargo Forum reported in August, is a more friendly Minnesota attitude toward solar power (SEIA ranks its output at 15th). One of Minnesota’s successes is its community solar garden program, which encourages smaller groups of consumers to buy shares in local solar arrays; the state has also spent on subsidies to boost the solar power industry.
Attitudes elsewhere are more laissez-faire.
“When you subsidize something, that means money has to come out of somebody else’s pocket. Our philosophy here is that we shouldn’t be raising rates on other utility ratepayers to subsidize those that might want to put solar on their home or business,” said Chris Nelson, the chairman of South Dakota’s Public Utilities Commission.
But the future’s still bright for solar in the upper Midwest. Jonathan Adelman, Xcel Energy’s vice president of strategy and planning, said that his company currently has about 3.5 million customers across eight states — with a view to “decarbonize” completely by 2050.
“Personally, I’m quite bullish (on solar),” Adelman said, pointing out not just the long-term drop in the cost of solar power but also likely incentives in the “Build Back Better” Act — which as of this writing was still a matter of debate in Washington, D.C. That’s helpful as the company looks to add thousands of megawatts of solar generation to its portfolio during the next decade. “I think it’s safe to say that solar is going to play a growing role in the system.”
IMAGE: SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY
Anew laboratory will bring researchers from South Dakota State University and South Dakota Mines together with industry partners to transition bench-scale bioprocessing and bioproducts research to the marketplace. The POET Bioproducts Institute
“will provide structure and simplicity for private enterprise to collaborate with university scientists to develop products,” according to SDSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development Daniel Scholl.
Mines Vice President for Research Ralph Davis said,
“The vision is to move existing research at the two universities to a higher level with our industry partners and to do final proofof-concept work that will show commercial viability.” To facilitate those public-private partnerships, the specialized lab in the Research Park at SDSU will be managed by a newly established not-for-profit organization, Dakota Bioproducts Innovation Institute.
“Private enterprise experts will help university researchers ask the right questions,” Davis explained. “It is important to have that partner who says ‘that’s an interesting process in a 100- or 250-milliliter flask, but what are you going to do when you take it off the Bunsen burner?’” The 45,000-square-foot facility is made possible through $20 million in legislative funding, $5 million from POET and $2 million from South Dakota Corn. Furthermore, the South Dakota Soybean Research and Promotion Council will provide $500,000 annually for five years — a total of $2.5 million — and the state committed a yearly $500,000 for operational costs.
“We want to acknowledge the South Dakota Legislature and the Governor’s Office and our industry partners and stakeholders who have invested in this facility and share our vision of the potential economic benefits for our state,” Davis said. A request has been submitted to the U.S. Economic Development Administration for $3 million to help with the purchase of specialized equipment.
Based on recommendations from an international bioscience consulting team, Scholl and Davis chose two specialization areas: specialty animal feeds, specifically prebiotics and probiotics that have the potential to reduce the need for antibiotics, and biomaterials, including bioplastics that are degradable.
“These are the areas we judged to have the highest likelihood of success,” Scholl said, pointing to the state’s abundant supply of agricultural feedstock.
SDSU’s strengths are on the feedstock and preprocessing side as well as the downstream animal feed testing trials. Associate professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences Joy Scaria develops probiotics to improve animal and human gut health. He is in the latter stages of optimizing a mixture of bacterial strains that may reduce piglets’ susceptibility to disease and infection during weaning.
“A facility like this would be beneficial in terms of scale-up capacity,” Scaria said. Mines’ expertise in fermentation will also be helpful for his research.
“Our research relationships with the nutrition industry also create a lot of potential,” Scholl said. Associate animal science professor Crystal Levesque said, “We have a strong connection to producers through SDSU Extension and an established relationship with the feed industry through research we’ve already conducted.”
Mines is strong on the bioprocessing side, developing biomaterials through two centers begun with state funding. The Composites and Polymer Engineering Lab, or CAPE Lab, was founded in 2004 and develops advanced polymers and composite processing.
The Composite and Nanocomposite Advanced Manufacturing — Biomaterials Center, or CNAM-Bio, was launched in September 2018 and is housed within CAPE. Through collaboration among disciplines ranging from microbiology to mechanical engineering, the center seeks to meet the need for sustainable polymers and strong, multifunctional biocomposites and bionanocomposite structures.
“We have processes and products ready to move to the next level, which we cannot do within our facilities. The bioproducts laboratory will be equipped to accommodate the right volume industry needs to show that a technology can be commercialized,” Davis said.
Mines professor David Salem, who directs the two composite materials research centers, said, “The new laboratory is a crucial component in bringing innovative biomaterials, such as biodegradable plastics, to the marketplace through cost-competitive, sustainable bioprocesses.”
Another product of the laboratory will be highly trained scientists and engineers who can help industry partners expand operations. That workforce will also encompass administrative and accounting as well as technical people responsible for plant and facility operation. “We can build that whole spectrum of beyond-$15-an-hour jobs,” Davis said.
“We are creating a growth industry for our graduates, diversifying the South Dakota economy and adding value to agricultural prod-
Part of every leader’s job is to cast a vision for their team. But before you can cast a vision for others, you must clarify the vision you have for yourself.
There was a time a few years ago when I was desperate for that kind of clarity, and I found it in an unexpected place.
It was early December, and I was exhausted. Like most business leaders, I had been grinding through hundreds of meetings throughout the year and rarely slowed down.
Business was piling up, Christmas was around the corner, and I still needed a plan for kicking off the new year in a big way. But I couldn’t create a clear vision for the future because there just wasn’t time to establish the right mindset. Then, I did something I had never done before.
I canceled my meetings and took a solo trip to San Diego. For a few days, I gave myself the space to clarify my vision.
When I came home, I had a fresh perspective for myself and my business. It wasn’t the trip itself that brought me clarity; it was the practices I made time for while there.
Burnt-out leaders rarely have clear visions.
We grind. We make moves and make things happen. We feel like we don’t have time to slow down or get tired. Our work is demanding, and we also put a lot of demands on ourselves.
We aren’t meant to go this hard without any end. The daily pressures of business and personal life will inevitability pile up and cloud our vision, leading to burnout.
When you get swept up in the grind of the day-to-day, it’s easy to lose sight of who you are, how you want to show up for those around you and where you want to go.
That’s why it’s so important to set aside the time and space to focus on clarifying your vision. This isn’t about work-life balance; it’s about boundaries, knowing when to press pause and being disciplined in doing so.
But how do you do that?
1. Take an Intentional Pause
It’s difficult to gain clarity on any topic when you’re running on empty. That’s why the first step in the visioning process is to create the right conditions.
This starts with setting a specific time for your visioning session; I recommend a three-day process. Don’t try to weave it in between meetings or make it part of a typical work week. Slowing down like this is usually unnatural for leaders, so you need time to ease into it. Clear your calendar completely for the days before, during and after your visioning session. This way, you have time to rest and refuel. Plus, you won’t have a pile of work waiting for you on the other end and distracting you from the task at hand.
It’s important to create the right mindset on the day(s) of your visioning session. Visioning is unlike many other types of work that we commonly do in business. It requires a blend of creative thinking, heightened awareness and deep focus.
Here are some ideas that can help you establish the right mindset:
• Hold your session in an environment that brings you a sense of peace and joy; somewhere in nature, a clean and comfortable space of your home or another quiet place that inspires and uplifts you.
• Set the vibe in a way that awakens your mind but doesn’t create stress. Aromatherapy combined with bright, natural light and inspiring background music are a powerful mix. Use as many of your senses as possible to tell your mind that it’s time to explore what’s possible.
• Clear your mind; declutter your space and relax with a meditation exercise.
The goal is to think about the future state you desire for yourself, your business or your team. You can start by declaring your intention. Write that down so you can refer to it later.
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Remember that you are starting a new thing that is probably unlike most of your work. Don’t get overly tied to an outcome, and try to stay open to what the process brings you.
3. Establish Your Word of Intent
To keep from getting overwhelmed, I recommend identifying a “word of intent”, a specific theme or idea that resonates and inspires me.
Having an established word of intent helps you stay focused on your vision. Use it as a lens and ask yourself “Did I live that out today?” and “Do I feel that way?”. Over time, your word of intent will become a compass that guides you closer to your vision.
4. Create Your Vision
WESTERN COOPERATIVE CREDIT UNION DONATED THE FIRST INSTALLMENT OF $10,000 TO THE WILLISTON RESEARCH EXTENSION CENTER SEED PLANT. WCCU BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND PRESIDENT/CEO MELANIE STILLWELL PRESENTED THE DONATION TO JERRY BERGMAN OF NDSU WILLISTON RESEARCH EXTENSION CENTER. ‘WE FEEL THE SUPPORT FOR THIS SEED PLANT IS IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY AS AN AGRICULTURAL CREDIT UNION IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA,’ STILLWELL SAID. THE NEW SEED CONDITIONING PLANT BRINGS THE LATEST IN SEEDCLEANING TECHNOLOGIES TO NORTHWESTERN NORTH DAKOTA, WHICH WCCU SAID HAS BEEN MUCH-NEEDED TO SUPPORT FARMERS IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES.
IMAGE: COURTESY OF WESTERN COOPERATIVE CREDIT UNION
GRAND FORKS, N.D. • Alerus Financial Corp. said it has signed an agreement to acquire the bank holding company for Metro Phoenix Bank.
Alerus has been operating in the Phoenix market since 2009, the company said, and Metro Phoenix is the largest full-service community bank headquartered in Phoenix.
The transaction represents the 25th acquisition for Alerus since 2000 as part of its long-term plan to continually expand its four business segments: banking, retirement and benefits services, wealth management, and mortgage.
The acquisition significantly increases the Alerus presence in Arizona and, following the completion of the transaction, the company will have the fifth largest deposit market share in the Phoenix metropolitan statistical area among community banks.
“We are thrilled to expand our Arizona footprint with Metro Phoenix Bank. We believe this will allow us to continue delivering value to our shareholders while staying true to our commitment to pursue acquisitions that align with our culture and core values,”
Alerus Chief Financial Officer Katie Lorenson said in a statement on Dec. 9. Loresen, who led the negotiations for the acquisition, has since succeeded Randy Newman as Alerus president and chief executive officer.
On a pro forma basis, Alerus will operate three branch locations in Arizona (Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa). The combined company’s Arizona operation will have approximately $439 million in total loans and approximately $483 million in total deposits.
“We are excited about joining Alerus, and we saw a natural fit between our two companies which was compelling,” said Steve Haggard, president and CEO of Metro Phoenix Bank.
Upon completion of the transaction, Haggard will join Alerus as president of its Arizona Market.
“Our clients will benefit from the broader product set and greater resources to support our continued growth initiatives,” he said. “We have found a tremendous longterm partner with Alerus, which will benefit the shareholders, employees, and clients of Metro Phoenix Bank.”
Most people don’t just think their way into their vision. They capture it in some sort of way, typically through a visual or written medium. My team and I encourage clients to stay open minded about trying something new and experiment with the following tools:
• Journals
• Physical vision boards – using tag board and magazine cutouts
• Digital vision boards – using Pinterest or a graphic design program
• Mindfulness – using guided meditation with introspective questions
Remember, though, your vision board or vision journal isn’t a to-do list. It is a symbolic collection used to remind you of your vision and act as a source of inspiration throughout the year.
5. Bring it Full Circle
Visions aren’t just for individual leaders, so once you have your own vision established, it’s important to replicate the process for your team. Aligning teams around a shared vision is a key component of the business and leadership consulting work we do at Allegro Group, and it’s critical to building high-performance teams. It takes discipline, but the results are worth it.
Kara Jorvig is the founder and CEO of Allegro Group, a premier consulting, organizational development and talent acquisition firm in Fargo, N.D.
Before Alex Lowery graduated from high school, he knew what he wanted to do careerwise, but to get there he needed some help.
Before long he was introduced to a statewide program called ND Career Builds, which helps students with both their college tuition and finding a job, and so he decided to pursue the program further to see how it might benefit him.
He is glad he did.
Lowery, 20, graduated from Lake Region State College and now works as a technician at Bergstrom Automotive in Devils Lake. Formerly he was part time, but within the last several months he went full time. Per Career Builders requirements, he is committed to staying for the next couple of years, but possibly longer.
One thing is for sure, he is grateful for the opportunity that ND Career Builders provided him, and says it can do much the same for other people looking to start or enhance their careers.
ND Career Builders is one of several programs in the state that help people find work and tackle workforce challenges of businesses.
According to Dustin Hillebrand, manager of the Workforce Center of Job Service North Dakota in Grand Forks, those challenges are all too real for a number of companies across the Peace Garden State. “When we look at the unemployment numbers in the state, I think right now, just a ballpark figure, we’ve got about 18,000 openings in our system alone,” he said in November. “And we only have about 12,000 statewide folks that are unemployed.”
North Dakota’s unemployment rate was 3.3% for October, the latest numbers available at the time.
Hillebrand said: “A lot of people ask, ‘Well, why can’t you just take those folks and put them into the openings?’ The reality is, a lot of those folks might not have the skills to fill those openings. That’s the number one thing we hear from employers, that the job seekers they have coming to them don’t have the skills they’re looking for.”
Programs such as Career Builders, TrainND and North Dakota Vocational Rehabilitation help businesses find talent and enhance employment opportunities for individuals, and according to Hillebrand, they are under-utilized by individuals and businesses.
TrainND has several offices that serve four regions of the state. David Steffen, executive director of the organization’s Northeast region, said the program’s primary focus is to serve the specific needs of business and industry. It does this by offering various types of training geared to clients’ needs.
“We seek out clients’ problems that can be solved, in part or in whole, with training,” he said. “We meet with the client and listen to their challenges, assess whether or not training would be of value, and provide training proposals for consideration. Typically, our customized solutions consist of pulling together learning materials, instructors, equipment, supplies, facilities and then scheduling and execution to deliver the training.”
He gives a couple of examples:
• A small business wants to implement an annual review process for all employees. The client chooses an annual review form and TrainND implements it into customized performance development training. Supervisors and managers are then trained how to conduct annual reviews using their chosen annual review form.
• A client has unacceptable incident reports generated within their security department. TrainND assesses the needs and carves out a six-hour report writing module from for-credit programming within the university system, further customizing it to meet the needs of the client. Training was instructed by a retired ND Highway patrolman who is a part-time instructor for TrainND. The result is that now 50-plus security guards improved their report writing skills and the client noted improved incident reports after the training.
TrainND also offers computer and technical classes, essential skills courses, health training and LPN certification. But there’s more, Steffen said, all which can be found on the agency’s website. Those interested in tapping the resources of TrainND, he said, should reach out to the offices in their respective regions.
“We deliver training at our client’s location, we deliver training virtually for multiple client sites simultaneously, and we hold classes within TrainND classrooms and labs where participants come to us,” Steffen said.
For displaced workers with disabilities, one tool to tap is North Dakota Vocational Rehabilitation.
“It encompasses people with any type of business disability, whether it’s something you can see or not,” said state Director Damian Schlinger. “But it can also be for people with learning disabilities, things like dyslexia or people with autism. From physical disabilities to mental disabilities, it runs the whole gamut, even behavioral health situations, such as somebody who has anxiety or depression. We’re basically like an employment agency for anybody with a disability.”
VR also helps businesses find solutions to their disability-related issues through consultation.
North Dakota is first in the nation for employing people with disabilities, Schlinger said. “Thirty-seven percent of people with disabilities are employed in North Dakota,” he said. “That’s outstanding.”
VR, which has eight offices across North Dakota, is funded by federal and state monies. Among its offerings is individualized training, he said.
“It could be the shift supervisor. It could be the HR person, it could be a manager, whoever, depending on what the situation is,” he said. “Sometimes when we’re working on specific skills with a person, they might have what’s called a job coach. It’s basically like a trainer that might be with them for the first week, or for several weeks, something like that. It just kind of helps ease them into the job. There are different ways we work with businesses to try to help them make it easier for everybody.”
ND Career Builders, a scholarship and loan repayment program, helps businesses recruit and retain talent in high-need and emerging occupations.
Career Builders came out of the 2019 Legislative session as a workforce development tool. It was built specifically for business, according to Brenda Zastoupil, director of financial aid at the North Dakota University System, which manages the program.
The partnership provides $1 of state funds for each $1 of private-sector matching funds up to $17,000 per recipient.
“There was part of the Legislature, that was interested in scholarships, and another part in loan repayment. In the end, we had a hybrid,” she said. “Half of that money would come from the state, half would come from the private sector.”
Zastoupil said more individuals are funded under the scholarship portion, but loan repayment is picking up. “It’s been a really unique partnership with businesses,” she said, noting “there is no general appropriation funding for this. It comes from the Bank of North Dakota profits.”
The Workforce Development Council and Job Service North Dakota also are highly involved, releasing updates of the high-need occupations on an annual basis.
“We work with those entities very closely,” she said. Chambers of commerce and economic development corporations also are good partners.
Where the pavement hits the road, however, is when an individual is served.
As part of the program, individuals commit to stay with a company for at least three years, with the option after that to stay longer. Lowery, who took advantage of the Career Builders program, is considering staying longer at his current place of employment in Devils Lake.
Brad Barth, executive director of Forward Devils Lake Corp., introduced Lowery to Career Builders.
The state doesn’t have enough critical skilled workers to help companies and communities grow, he said, noting that Career Builders makes the student/business connections possible.
“Career Builders is a huge tool,” Barth said, and part of its future success will be educating businesses.
That’s something Barth does “every day” in his role with Forward Devils Lake, he said. Something he tells them is that companies shouldn’t wait until someone quits to think about filling a role.
“Every business has got that entry-level problem,” he said, noting he doesn’t worry about them as much as those with long-term needs. How does a company keep them working? “You’ve got to look at the high school student who hasn’t graduated yet. You’ve got to get them to agree that they want to be an industrial automation electrician or a plumber. And then you’ve got to get them to come back (after graduation), and in order to do that you’re going to have to sponsor them. And we’re going to use a Career Builder program to do that.”
Hillebrand said another resource is Job Service North Dakota, which also has several offices across the state, each with statewide programs and local offerings to help individuals navigate workforce challenges and find employment.
Specifically through the federal Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act, Job Service offers training for youth, adult, and dislocated workers.
“In a nutshell, there are different ways individuals can qualify, whether it be adult, dislocated worker, in-school youth or out-ofschool youth. Each one has different eligibility requirements,” said Carla Beehler, customer service consultant at the Grand Forks office. “Once they’re eligible, then we can look at either on the job training, classroom training, and in some cases, work experience. There’s different eligibility parts and there’s different training.”
Beehler said Job Service can train in the classroom or on the job. Perhaps the agency’s best resource is its staff. The best way to find out about eligibility requirements and to learn more is to call or visit a Job Service office. There are nine offices across the state.
Besides their own offices, several of them visit their community’s public library on the second Monday of every month to connect with job seekers. It provides a more relaxed environment for some people and another way for the agency to be noticed.
“We hear that people need training,” Hillebrand said. “Well, there’s really great training opportunities here in the state. We just need employers and job seekers to take advantage of them.”
In a little more than a year, a state of the art medical campus will open in Minot, expanding the area’s health care offerings and providing additional jobs in the region.
In the meantime, Trinity Health Foundation is fundraising for a contribution it will make to the project.
Trinity Health broke ground on the new hospital in 2018, and though there have been a few setbacks along the way it is presently on track to open in spring 2023.
The 594,000 square-foot hospital is complemented by a 196,000 square-foot medical office building, making a total of 790,000 square feet of new medical space on the 43-acre site. An additional 32 acres sits directly south and will be used for future growth.
The campus is one of the things that excites Trinity newcomer Dusty Zimmerman.
Zimmerman joined Trinity Health Foundation this past fall as its new executive director, and says among her priorities is “putting the Trinity Health Foundation out into the community” to bring more awareness to the many things the company is doing.
“It’s our goal to build more awareness of what we do to support Trinity Health’s efforts,” she said. “I spend a lot of time working on that. And, of course, fundraising for the $15 million contribution that the Foundation will make to the new hospital. That’s the other priority at the moment. … We are working with various donors and other organizations to raise those funds prior to the hospital opening in about 18 months.”
When finished, the hospital will have 168 beds, all of them in private patient rooms.
The hospital originally was slated to open in 2022, but supply chain delays and a propane fire that happened at the facility in March 2019 pushed back the completion date.
Work is moving along nicely now, Zimmerman said. The construction manager of the project is JE Dunn Construction, and the architect is Indiana-based TEG Architects.
Marc Mellmer, vice president of JE Dunn in Bismarck, said he is impressed with the state-of-theart hospital.
“The building has seven floors, 12 elevators, two escalators, eight stair towers, 14 operating rooms, two C-section ORs, 12 labor and delivery suites, 26 emergency exam rooms, 148 patient beds, a helipad, and an underground parking garage,” he said.
What’s next on the project list is completing rough-in work above the ceiling and in walls and starting finish work throughout the facility.
“We are honored to be trusted by Trinity Health and the citizens of Minot to build one of the largest, if not the largest, hospital in the state of North Dakota,” Mellmer said.
Besides the hosptial, Zimmerman said other priorities are raising funds for a new ambulance and promoting Trinity’s scholarships. With nursing shortages across the U.S., she said Trinity’s nursing scholarship is an important one. This year Trinity received a record number of applicants, at 68. It also offers a radiology tech scholarship, which Zimmerman said is not as popular but still important.
The great thing about the nursing scholarship program, she said, is that many individuals, some of them former nurses or other medical professionals, contribute to the fund.
“Primarily they’re individual donors,” she said. “We have a lot of retired nurses who contribute to that. They’ve spent their careers serving and now they want to help the next generation of nurses.”
The nursing scholarship every year opens Aug. 1 and closes Nov. 1. The rad tech scholarship also is traditionally distributed in the fall.
She also said that Trinity’s ambulance service area continues to grow due to rural volunteer groups disbanding and increased population growth. As such, the need for additional vehicles is great. At present, the Foundation is fundraising for one new ambulance, which Zimmerman said costs $138,341. Trinity Health will celebrate 100 years in 2022, which will place other to-do items on Zimmerman’s plate. That’s OK, she is excited about all of the things happening at Trinity. And as for the future of the existing hospital, there have been a lot of discussions about that.
“There hasn’t been anything finalized at the moment,” she said, “but the city, various city entities, hospital staff, and a number of community members have all been meeting regularly trying to come up with what the building could be utilized for in the future.”
University of Jamestown
Majors: Exercise Science & Psychology
Minor: Character Leadership
Graduation Date: Spring 2023
Career path: Physical Therapy
“I always knew I wanted to be a physical therapist. I figured that out in high school.”
Megan Tietjen, a student of exercise science and psychology at the University of Jamestown, likes to keep busy.
Check that off her list. She keeps plenty busy between her class studies, being a member of the school’s track team, and getting ready to intern at a therapy clinic during spring semester. Besides her double major, she also is minoring in character leadership.
A lowkey schedule is not for her.
Tietjen is pursuing a career in physical therapy – but first, she has to graduate, which she is on track to do in spring 2023 in Jamestown, North Dakota. Afterward, she will attend graduate school at the University of Jamestown campus in Fargo.
Physical therapy is right up her alley for at least a couple of reasons. It’s a busy profession, she says, and it is one in which she is able to help others – something that is important to her as part of her career. She wants to get up in the morning knowing she will be helping others, and go to bed at night knowing that her mission has been accomplished.
“I always knew I wanted to be a physical therapist,” she said. “I figured that out in high school.”
Next, she needed to decide where she wanted to study. For Tietjen, originally from Hampton, Minnesota, that decision also became fairly easy once she learned about the University of Jamestown.
She first attended Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, during her junior and senior years of high school, and so when she arrived at UJ she already had her associate’s degree. Once she arrived, she decided to choose a double major in psychology, something she believes will add benefit to her career pursuits as a physical therapist.
While at Jamestown she also has played on the school’s volleyball and track and field teams. Having those opportunities, she
said, has been “super cool.” And she said her instructors are, in a word, awesome.
“I love all of my instructors. They all are super-caring people,” she said. “I can go and sit in the office for hours and talk to them whenever. And they care. They care about the students, which is super nice. We never have TAs (teaching assistants) teaching our classes. It is always the instructors.”
She said the instructors are involved in other areas of campus life and it is always fun for her to attend sporting events and see her professors there cheering on the school team.
Tietjen says she has not yet decided what area of focus she plans to pursue in physical therapy, but one interest is athletic therapy, helping athletes recover from their injuries. She also is interested in helping the physically disabled or even inmates at a prison. She is not too concerned about making a decision. The future is at her doorstep, but she still has time to decide what she will focus on. What’s more, Tietjen has been involved in her pursuits long enough to offer some advice to others who may be considering a career in physical therapy.
“One thing I would tell them is to start looking at grad schools before you decide where you want to go for undergrad,” she said. “And look at all the different program opportunities there are, like direct entry. I know a lot of different grad schools have accelerated programs, so you’re going to grad school for only two years instead of three.
“For University, Jamestown, if students are interested in coming here, I would say come visit. Come meet with the students and the faculty and see how much they truly care about you. That’s not something you get everywhere else. It’s a big community and we all know each other and you just don’t get that at state schools.”
How do you and your team go about goal-setting for a new year? And, name at least one goal you have set for 2022?
Hager
At Adams Inc our first priority is servicing our customers to the best of our abilities. Our main goal every year is to make sure all of our customers are our number one priority. By making this the main goal we are able to set supportive goals within the team members’ roles to make this happen. Setting one large goal sets you up to be successful with the smaller, but equally important goals. One of our supportive goals for 2022 is to increase efficiencies within our processes to increase profits without adding costs to our customers.
In general, AE2S sets measurable goals every year based on strategic planning that takes place every two to three years. At an individual level, our employee-owners set their own KPIs (key performance indicators) that support the larger collective goals. One goal that has emerged both at an individual and collective level is employeeowner engagement. Engagement is so important that a position was created to spearhead the efforts. We are investing heavily into activities and tools that will connect our teams, bolster our culture, and support our growth into the next decade.
In 2018, AE2S transformed into a 100% employee-owned company. Since then, we have seen the benefits of truly engaging everyone in the company to embrace our mission and vision.
The goals we have set to support robust engagement focus on having consistent and transparent discussions about the health and goals of AE2S, making information accessible so everyone can learn about the business, and creating avenues for quantitative and qualitative feedback so leadership can make informed decisions as we craft our strategic action plans.
Andrea Boe Engagement Director AE2S Grand Forks, N.D.
Setting goals is extremely vital to the success of any organization. At ReadiTech IT Solutions, we evaluate the success of the previous year’s goals, and use that as a baseline for the upcoming year. Measurement of our success can be in many aspects, such as profitability, customer satisfaction, employee morale, vendor relationships, and customer retention. We review areas that were successful and build on those foundations.
We also investigate our spaces that were not as successful and create new paths to be successful. In the information technology industry, we study historical trends, review with our clients the current standards, and collaborate with our vendors to predict future requirements.
At ReadiTech IT Solutions, one major goal that we have set for 2022 pertains to cyber security. It is our goal to properly educate and train all our clients, present and future, on the topic of cyber security, and how we can work together to successfully navigate cyber crime. We have set a goal to implement continuous training with our clients on cyber security. Together, we can arm our clients with education and weapons to properly defend against the cyber terrorists.
Justin Farkas Regional Manager ReadiTech IT Solutions Fargo, N.D.
Ryan Hoffman Vice President, Managing Director of Fargo Operations Marsh McLennan Agency Fargo, N.D.
Each department within our organization engages in strategic planning with a focus on improved client services, efficiency, growth and employee development. Like any other business, we seek to make financial progress and build a budget to support that growth. We build our goals on a variety of factors; historical performance, economic influence and a study of our pipeline of future partnerships. While we don’t have a crystal ball, our finance team does an amazing job forecasting us to a great position every year. While we have garnered learnings through the pandemic that we will carry with us into the future, our goal for 2022 is simply getting our teams back together. While we have found new opportunities for virtual collaboration around the world, there is no substitute for experiential learning and relationship development that takes place in an in-person environment.
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 210,000 in November, and the unemployment rate fell by a 0.4 percentage point to 4.2%, according to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Notable job gains occurred in professional and business services, transportation and warehousing, construction, and manufacturing. Employment in retail trade declined over the month.
The year 2021’s monthly job growth through November averaged 555,000. Nonfarm employment increased by 18.5 million since April 2020 but was down by 3.9 million, or 2.6%, from its pre-pandemic level in February 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic continued to result in significant changes to airline schedules and operations. In the latest numbers released by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics on Dec. 10, the 560,140 flights operated in September 2021 were 86.2% of the 649,667 flights operated in pre-pandemic September 2019. The 4,559,567 flights operated during the first nine months of 2021 were 76% of the 5,928,968 flights operated in pre-pandemic January to September 2019. Operated flights were up 63.4% year-over-year from the 342,771 flights operated in September 2020 and down 5.5% month-over-month from the 592,760 flights operated in August 2021.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics
The Freight Transportation Services Index, which is based on the amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry, rose 0.5% in October to 135.7 from September, according to the latest data by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. This is the second consecutive month-over-month increase. From October 2020 to October 2021, the index rose 1.9% compared to a decline of 3.6% from October 2019 to October 2020 and a decline of 0.7% from October 2018 to October 2019.
135.7
From previous month: 0.5%
From same month of previous year: 1.9%
Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics
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