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Iwrite this with a heavy heart. It is my last editor’s note for Prairie Business. I am leaving the magazine for personal matters in the West, but I am taking with me a heart full of hope that one day I will be back in the region. It is a place I have come to love and appreciate. I also love this magazine that covers both the Dakotas and much of Minnesota, to which I have devoted much time and effort these past few years.
I came on board in late fall 2019, not knowing anyone in the region. But I leave knowing many people who have blessed my life. I am a better person, and, I hope, a better journalist for having spent three years as the editor of Prairie Business.
My hope going forward is that you, partner and reader, will continue to support the magazine and the dedicated team here. They are great people who care about this publication’s mission, which is to bring business news and trend topics to readers near and far. They care about the business community. They care about you and your business. We could not do the work of PB without the support of readers and partners – and so thank you!
Though I am sad to leave, I am excited about the future of the magazine, knowing it remains in good hands. I also am extremely excited about the business community in the region. It will only get stronger as time marches forward. I am saddened I won’t be here to see and report those successes up close and personal like I have for the past three years, but I will be watching from afar. And who knows, perhaps one day I will be back in some capacity in the region. I would very much like that, and hope our paths will cross again someday.
Until then, I thank all of those with whom I have worked and come to care for in my professional role as editor, from those on my team to the many, many sources I have had the pleasure of working with these past few years. I cannot thank you enough for all of your help.
For now, send news items and tips to Sydney Mook at smook@gfherald.com.
I wish you every success, both personal and professional, in the new year and in the months and years to come. I hope we’ll meet again.
Until next time, my very best to you!
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KORRIE WENZEL
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ANDREW WEEKS
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BETH BOHLMAN
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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 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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Luke Heck knows his business –and that means he knows the law. Heck, a criminal defense attorney based in Fargo with Vogel Law Firm, has been with the firm since 2018 but has been practicing since about 2014.
Legal matters pretty much remain the same, he said, but trends in the field over the past few years have caught his attention. A couple of them were prompted by the pandemic and have made practicing law both exciting and challenging.
For starters, “We’re doing primarily most of our hearings via Zoom,” he said.
Heck’s words echoed what another law professional formerly told Prairie Business. At the height of the pandemic, Judge Robert Keogh said he had conducted many court hearings via Zoom, which in hindsight seems not to have been a temporary fix.
“I think that will continue,” Keogh said.
Heck, in November, said: “I think Zoom is here to stay for some basic court appearances moving forward. … Online hearings and online processes are far more efficient and allow you to be in Jamestown for a hearing in the morning and Williston for a hearing, hypothetically, in the afternoon without ever having to leave your office. That’s a blessing. It allows more time to get things done.”
Even so, one does lose the personal connection with clients.
“That’s a direct result of the pandemic,” he said.
He said another emerging trend is how law firms, and the legal profession in general, are learning to market themselves in a digital world.
“I think that marketing, from a legal perspective, is changing,” he said. Like everything else, more of it is going online.
“As a result, having the right technology will be critical to compete for businesses,” according to The National Law Review in a Dec. 7, 2022, article.
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It noted that, thanks to the pandemic, law firms have had to adjust to a digital-first marketing strategy. It is something that doesn’t seem to be going away.
“It’s a lot more online-focused than what you would have seen a decade ago for sure, but even probably five years ago,” Heck said.
Clients once came by referrals or because of television commercials. There are not many TV commercials for lawyers anymore and the Yellow Pages, another venue where lawyers once focused their marketing efforts, are all but extinct.
Times have indeed changed, but perhaps it is no more noticeable than in the legal profession, where it was traditional to have not only Yellow Pages on the desks but heavy tomes of legal volumes on the bookshelves of a law office. Those books have, in many instances, been replaced by digital copies, carried on the phone or tablet.
“It’s how society consumes their information,” said Heck, who started his profession during the digital age. It is all he knows, as is his niche in criminal defense.
Is the change good or bad?
Heck says it is a little of both. Technology does, for instance, have its limitations.
“I think you lose the personal connection when everything’s online or done remotely,” he said. “I think there’s something to be said about being in person and advocating in person for a client or actu-
ally seeing the judge and seeing adverse counsel. Being in person, that’s hard to quantify.”
Technology has at times been known to replace human workers. Heck doesn’t know about that, nor has he seen an abundance of new positions because of tech, but there is the potential for more I.T. personnel.
“It certainly has opened that door,” he said.
There also are plenty of opportunities to move around in the legal profession until one finds a niche. As for Heck, he knew early on what kind of lawyer he wanted to be and he hasn’t changed his mind yet. He offers this advice for others considering a career in law: get practical experience.
“Try to observe practically what the day-to-day life is for a lawyer,” he said. “It’s not ‘Law and Order.’ It’s not what you see on TV all the time. It’s seeing what actually the practice of law is like and making sure that you’re interested in the day-to-day work. … I think it would be the best thing to do, because you want to make sure it is something that you’re passionate about” and not only about getting a license.
“It’s three years of law school. It’s a bar exam — and it’s the rest of your career, potentially.”
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On average, 4 million Americans have quit their jobs each month throughout 2022. And, each day there are approximately 10 million job openings posted throughout the country.
The Great Resignation has impacted organizations in different ways. What can organizations do to instill a renewed sense of engagement in their workforce and retain their talent? Staff engagement is a huge contributor to increasing retention.
Staff engagement is multi-faceted; it is a combination of how someone feels about their work, their motivation to achieve work goals, their commitment the organization and their desire to add value to organizational goals and growth.
Here are five ways to influence staff engagement:
It is important to allow staff opportunities to establish quality relationships with each other and their leadership team. Think about on-site and off-site opportunities to promote these relationships. Consider team lunch dates that are off-the-clock and meant for casual conversations. Promote cross-team lunches, round-table meetings, or other outings to strengthen collaboration and partnerships. Leadership and management staff should demonstrate
By Sarah Meusburgera genuine interest in learning about each staff member. Publicly recognize and praise the efforts both of the teams and individuals in your organization. These work relationships are a big part of what makes any position enjoyable and have a direct impact on staff engagement.
Develop a consistent practice of having one-on-one discussions to stay connecting with staff. Are your staff’s work efforts aligned with organizational goals? While performance metrics and deliverables are commonly spelled out for staff, have you asked them about their own individual goals? The only way to determine if their goals align with those of the organization is to talk about it. Ask questions. Learn about their professional interests that may allow them to expand
continued on page 14
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or shift the scope of their position, and increase their opportunity to add value, perhaps in new ways. Invite and encourage ideas. If employees feel that their goals and ideas can be discussed and are valued, they will be more engaged in their work.
Celebrate the small things that make your organization successful. While small wins are rarely viewed as successes, imagine the impact to your organization if no “ordinary” or small wins occurred. For example, take the time to recognize employees that can effectively enter important data that keeps your business running, those that carry out service orders, those that handle customer calls, and offer exceptional customer service.
What about the staff that plan client events, draft press releases, implement new software, train or mentor others in the organization or suggest a process improvement that saves everyone time? These “ordinary” things allow your business to be sustainable. Recognizing these wins is a way of showing these staff that you value their contributions.
Everyone in your organization is different. Champion a workplace that recognizes these differences and thrives as a result. Be willing to consider suggestions or new ideas that may improve processes or in some way make your organization better. Challenge staff to think about obstacles in new ways and applaud those that step up.
Remain open and articulate an open-door policy of receiving ideas and suggestions. You may be surprised that an employee that appears be struggling is merely looking for the right opportunity to shine.
Organizations that have the highest levels of engagement are those that operate their business always with compassion for their employees. Demonstrate a humanistic approach with your team and promote their wellbeing by encouraging a healthy work/ life balance. If you notice that an employee is behaving differently or comes off negatively during a work discussion, offer to talk one-on-one to see how they are doing. Be flexible in meeting someone where they are at. If your organization offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), make sure your employees know about the free benefits associated with that.
Although it may be easiest to sidestep these efforts, the reward for engaging your workforce is MORE; more retention; more teamwork, more ideas, more productivity, more profitability, etc.
All of these things make your organization more successful in 2023 and will significantly increase staff retention.
Sarah Meusburger, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is a Senior Human Resources Business Partner with the State of Minnesota, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). She has worked in human resources for twenty years and has enjoyed supporting different organizations throughout the region during that time.
By Andrew Weeks
Many things make America great, according to Al Christianson. In particular, he said, three things stand out: freedom, a vibrant working class and its energy industry.
“All of these things are possible because we have freedom,” he said. “We have a vibrant middle class, and the reason we have our middle class is because we have the energy.”
Of the latter, one of the top energy players is North Dakota, a state Christianson says will lead the charge in meeting modern challenges of being environmentally conscious while developing robust energy sources to serve the country.
“We’ve always been ahead of the world because of the energy we’ve had,” he said. “Nature gave us some great things, and capitalism has done good for us. … We’re in the greatest place in the world – the United States – but North Dakota is going to lead the world on how to meet the challenges of energy.”
Honing that perspective, Christianson, director of business development and North Dakota government affairs at Great River Energy,
spoke with Prairie Business about one of North Dakota’s energy bright spots – the Coal Creek Station – and something it is using –fly ash – to help both the environment and business.
The plant was acquired by Rainbow Energy Center in May 2022. The purchase was first announced in June 2021.
“We are excited for what the future holds for the communities surrounding Coal Creek Station, which have been very supportive of the plant. We are proud of the good work of our North Dakota employees and know they will deliver for Rainbow just as well,” Great River Energy President and Chief Executive Officer David Saggau said in a news release announcing the change.
Rainbow Energy President Stacy L. Tschider said in June 2021 that Great River Energy has been “a fantastic partner throughout this process.”
“They have shown a strong commitment to their people and the region and this tradition will continue within our company,” Tschider said.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum applauded the deal during his 2023 State of the State Address.
Coal Creek Station, built in the 1970s, is located between Underwood and Washburn and is North Dakota’s largest coal-fired power plant. It has two units, each rated at 550 megawatts.
But this iconic power plant does more for the economy than provide only energy.
Since about 1997 it has leveraged its use of fly ash, the residue left over from burned coal. That residue – “lightweight stuff,” as Christianson calls it – exits the top of boilers and is afterward collected, as it has been for almost three decades. It is then used as a product in cement.
“A lot of people always thought of it as a waste product,” he said of fly ash.
Not so, however, and to prove the point Coal Creek makes around half a million tons annually that is sold for use in cement. That’s removing 450,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, he said.
“On top of that, fly ash makes better concrete because of the spherical particles that make concrete stronger and last longer,” he said.
Christianson said it’s basically what the Romans used to give strength to their cities long ago. They used volcanic ash to strengthen cement products.
“After generating electricity, the resulting ash can be used for
concrete and other applications, which not only provides additional income streams, but also reduces the material handling costs,” said Jason Bohrer, president and CEO of Lignite Energy Council. “We continue to develop emerging markets and opportunities to create additional value and sustain the lignite industry that is so important to North Dakota and our economy.”
Looking ahead
Christianson said he is optimistic, even excited, about the future of energy in the Peace Garden State. Several other facilities will continue to have an impact not only in energy, but on the environment. He believes one really can get the best of both worlds here – high and efficient energy production and a cleaner environment.
“The next big challenge is carbon, because as you know people want to decarbonize; they think that’s causing global warming. If you believe in global warming or climate change, whatever they call it, it’s more about the fact that the challenge is real. It needs to be done,” he said. “North Dakota will lead the way on how to do this.” Dakota Gas, located in Beulah, has been capturing carbon and sending it to Canada for enhanced oil recovery for decades, he said. Minnkota is working on Project Tundra, a large-scale facility that aims to capture carbon for storage. The Energy & Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks does much in the way of research to create and improve systems. He listed other projects, noting all of which ultimately help North Dakota enhance its energy and environmental efforts.
“Give the industry time and resources and it will meet every one of those challenges on the environmental side,” Christianson said. “On the social side, if you look at what these companies do and how they do quality of life. I mean, we all like to turn our lights on. We all like the fact that these companies give back; their people live in these communities.
“I’m so proud of the industry, proud of what the state of North Dakota has done. You can’t find a better business climate, a better research climate. … This is what the world should be looking at to make sure we all have the reliable and affordable electricity and energy that we need.”
Faith Wahl, student body president at the University of North Dakota, was a freshman in the very first weeks of the COVID pandemic, sent home for a March 2020 spring break while the world changed.
Like so many institutions, UND had to make plans on the fly. There was a week off, then a scramble to offer a planned two weeks of remote learning — which was soon extended through the rest of the semester. Students were asked not to come back to Grand Forks. Commencement ceremonies were canceled.
Campus life, at UND and beyond, has never been the same. After two and a half years of the pandemic, colleges are dealing with a surge in student traumas, and often trying to cater to a boosted appetite for online learning. And many students are still trying to find their footing amid a fading pandemic.
“I think that’s hard for students to transition from, ‘OK, what is this
COVID college life like to what are my full time working expectations?’” Wahl said, wondering how graduating seniors who lived through lockdown will fare at social events after isolation, or in job interviews when their opportunities for internships and more were crimped.
This is what the quest for a new normal looks like at college campuses around the upper Midwest, where administrators are adapting to a world that’s been changed by the virus. It’s leaving many colleges at a pivotal moment, deciding how to adapt to nationwide trends in education.
Mark Jendrysik, a UND political scientist, said he’s still trying to find the right technique to make online class discussions as engaging and enriching as the ones that happen more naturally in a classroom.
“It certainly can be done — online, with Zoom, with other forms of
those type of online education tools,” Jendrysik said. But it’s harder, he said. “Part of it is, I’m older. I’ve been doing it the same way for over two decades…maybe it’s more me than the kids.”
But UND administrators are quick to point out that distance learning at the school goes back decades, all the way to videotape correspondence in the late 1980s — part of a long tradition of growing in its abilities that contrast with the hastily assembled instruction more common at the high school level.
“When we, as a whole university, went remote, we had a lot of instructors who had to do stuff they had never done before,” said Jeff Holm, vice provost for strategic programming and special initiatives — but there were plenty of instructors, Holm added, who were much more familiar with it.
“You think about making progress and stair steps, we are much further up that staircase than many institutions,” Holm said. “We’re looking at ways in which students can interact — online students, who maybe aren’t even online at the same time, can still interact with each other in a virtual classroom...they can leave notes for each other, they can help each other out, they can say, ‘Let’s meet at 9 o’clock and study together in that virtual classroom,’ so to speak.”
Big growth in the demand for online courses also represents an opportunity — one where students can complete their education “a la carte,” as UND economist David Flynn puts it. The advantage of online classes, in which students view material at their own pace or in their own place, fits some schedules best.
“I’ve taught classes before and had students who are active-duty deployed military,” he said. “I had a student once who was taking statistics exams while he was flying. He was in some kind of refueler or bomber…he’d have downtime and he’d take the exam and get signed in by whoever was his commander in the plane at that time.”
What does that mean for the future of college life? Stacy Duffield, the director of the Office of Teaching and Learning at North Dakota State, quoted a recent, wide ranging study on online education: “Students want more online options and flexibility. But that does not necessarily mean they want to reject the campus.”
“At NDSU, we do see ourselves as a primarily residential campus,”
she said. “And there are some degrees that are far better served in a residential model, like nursing, things like that — or theater arts. But there are places where there’s space to go online, and we see ourselves continuing to grow and evolve with that.”
Perhaps the most pressing challenge is how to support students at the university who are still dealing with what they experienced during the height of lockdown.
“I think that’s our biggest struggle right now, following the pandemic,” said Karyn Plumm, UND’s vice provost for undergraduate studies and student success. “We have students coming in who experienced a legitimate trauma trying to get through their high school years, and now they’re trying to be college students.”
She pointed out long COVID — when those sick with the virus exhibit symptoms of severe fatigue or other long-lasting issues months after infection. Will it interfere with their transition into college?
“I don’t think we know yet what that means or how to help students navigate if that’s what they’re dealing with,” Plumm said. “I think we’re still trying to figure those pieces out.”
And at South Dakota State University, Assistant Director for Counseling Greg Wasberg said the pandemic often intensified what students were already dealing with.
“For most of the students that we’re seeing, the mental health issues that were present at the time or just before the pandemic … those symptoms worsened,” he said. “If they were anxious, they became more anxious. If they were depressed, they became more depressed.”
There’s a sense that things are getting better, though. At NDSU, Student Body President Christian Walth said that this year’s welcome week felt like a watershed moment, a thaw after such a long, long lockdown winter — a chance to really connect with students around campus.
“No masks, large gatherings,” he said. “For a lot of us upperclassmen who got to welcome these freshmen and be able to give them hugs, give them high fives, just welcome them to campus with open arms — that was the difference this year.”
By Andrew Weeks
Biology students at Dakota Wesleyan University have new technology to use when in the lab.
Dr. Tim Mullican, professor of biology, says two recently purchased Richter microscopes with cameras will elevate students’ experiences when studying specimens.
With the new tools, students can capture images and send them to their desktop or handheld devices. From there, students can study the structure of a sample, save a high-res photo micrograph, and make notes and identifications directly on the digital photo. And, they can share the images with others in the network.
Mullican said it was years ago that he first introduced students to microscopes with cameras, but they weren’t as user-friendly as the new scopes. The old ones, which used a cable to connect with computers, wouldn’t work once Microsoft updated to Windows 10. He fixed that problem by purchasing an attachment, but the low resolution of the images made it difficult to make out much detail in samples students were studying.
“I mean, it worked but they weren’t super sharp, crisp images,” he said.
With money from an endowment fund, “I was planning on buying ones like we had before, or maybe slightly updated ones,” Mullican said.
When he heard about the new microscopes and their capabilities, such as being able to connect, with Wi-Fi, to a tablet or other device, and with the ability to have-dozen people connect to it at once, he became interested.
“I thought ‘Oh, that sounds really nice,” he said. “I could see some possibilities and so I took a look at them and decided we’d try a couple. I purchased two of them, and I’ve been using them this
semester in a class lab that I teach called invertebrate zoology.”
He said using the new Wi-Fi-enabled camera microscopes, students can work together and collaborate more easily on projects. As such it enables more active learning.
“I think it’s a lot better than what we used when a student just looked through a microscope at things and maybe drew a picture of it,” Mullican said. “This way they can capture it and they can label it; and by labeling, they know the different parts of the organism they’re looking at. If you write something down, you’re more likely to remember it. If you just look at it and say, ‘Well, that’s nice.’ You’re not as likely to remember it.”
By Andrew Weeks
Steve Burian is excited about what lies in store for the community once the Memorial Village, a five-story building that will sit on the former site of the Memorial Stadium in Grand Forks, opens in 2024. That might seem like a ways away yet, but according to Burian, founder and president of Burian & Associates, so far the project is on track and going well.
continued on page 27
Two core economic pillars of North Dakota are the energy and agriculture industries. However, both industries are historically carbon-intensive, meaning that a lot of carbon is generated during specific processes associated with these industries. Managing global carbon emissions is one of the most pressing environmental concerns of our time. Many scientists are concerned that anthropogenic (human-made) greenhouse gases (GHGs) are affecting Earth’s climate. This concern is driving policies in the United States, and around the globe, which are resulting in economic incentives and preferential financing for companies taking action to lower the carbon intensity of the commodities they produce. The challenge is to address anthropogenic GHG emissions while providing access to reliable, affordable, resilient energy and products. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is one of the best technologies to address the challenge to decarbonize these industries while we continue to feed and power
the world and grow the economic contributions of these cornerstone industries to our state.
For more than 20 years, the University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) has partnered with industries, state and federal organizations, and universities to conduct focused research on the capture and geologic storage of CO2. Geologic storage entails the injection of captured CO2 deep into the subsurface, where the CO2 can either be permanently stored in deep saline formations or used to recover additional oil and gas from hydrocarbon reservoirs. In both cases, the CO2 remains permanently and safely stored deep underground. Much of the research and development on CCUS has been carried out through the collaborations within the Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership, led and managed by the EERC (www.undeerc.org/pcor). Research conducted through PCOR and elsewhere has shown that CCUS is safe and commercially viable, provided that the geologic site chosen for storage is appropriate. The rocks of North
Dakota’s Williston Basin are particularly well-suited for the permanent storage of CO2 and, in many instances, directly underly the locations of large industrial sources such as coal-fired electrical power plants. This is a synergy that provides prime opportunities for successful CCUS projects.
to human health and the environment will not occur sometime in the distant future.
In addition to being a key technology in addressing global climate emissions, CCUS will provide significant economic opportunities for the State of North Dakota. In 2021, Governor Burgum announced an ambitious goal for North Dakota to be carbon neutral by 2030, a goal to be achieved through innovation, not regulation. Since his announcement, the state has attracted over $15 billion in potential investments in CCUS, with more expected to come. Deployment of this technology is an emerging opportunity that has the potential to create tens of thousands of skilled, high-paying jobs in the state while securing the future of our existing energy infrastructure.
thereby ensuring the maximum use of natural resources.”
State law makers understood that practical and effective geologic storage of CO2 requires cooperative use of surface and subsurface property interests and the collaboration of property owners. As such, the state statutes for geologic storage established procedures that promote, in a manner fair to all interests, cooperative management, thereby ensuring the maximum use of natural resources.
The subsurface geologic storage of CO2 represents an optimal situation for achieving reduced GHG emissions to the atmosphere. A key element to the successful commercial deployment of the geologic storage of CO2 is site selection. A good storage site has the storage capacity needed to store the desired amount of CO2 and suitable containment to ensure that the CO2 doesn’t migrate vertically out of the storage zone. Other key criteria include sufficient depth and geologic stability and chemistry, all of which help ensure the long-term storage suitability of the site. Once CO2 injection begins, various monitoring methods are implemented to verify that the CO2 is behaving as we expect, to quantify the amount of CO2 injected, and to ensure that there are no negative impacts to human health, the environment, or property. Equally important to commercialization is the ability to provide assurances to the public that impacts
In 2009, North Dakota established several key legislative positions relative to CO2 capture and storage. In addition to clarifying that the subsurface pore space needed to store CO2 belongs to the surface owner, the state also provides for long-term liability of the stored CO2 after the project ends. To further embrace the concept of CO2 storage, the North Dakota Century Code was crafted to state: “It is in the public interest to promote the geologic storage of carbon dioxide. Doing so will benefit the state and the global environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Doing so will help ensure the viability of the state’s coal and power industries, to the economic benefit of North Dakota and its citizens. Further, geologic storage of carbon dioxide, a potentially valuable commodity, may allow for its ready availability if needed for commercial, industrial, or other uses, including enhanced recovery of oil, gas, and other minerals. Geologic storage, however, to be practical and effective requires cooperative use of surface and subsurface property interests and the collaboration of property owners. Obtaining consent from all owners may not be feasible, requiring procedures that promote, in a manner fair to all interests, cooperative management,
Incentives for geologically storing captured CO2 come from the state and federal level. For example, in April of 2019, Governor Burgum signed legislation that provides an economic incentive to use CO2 captured from North Dakota’s coal-fired power plants for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) by injecting the CO2 underground. At the federal level, IRS 45Q tax rule provides for tax credits of up to $85 per metric ton of CO2 stored. Additional incentives for
participation in the storage of CO2 is the per ton payment that the landowner will receive in compensation for using the pore space or royalties paid to mineral owners for production of hydrocarbons (that would not have otherwise been produced) through the application of an EOR process
using anthropogenic CO2. Incentives also come from voluntary markets and premiums paid for commodities with a reduced carbon intensity. The demand for CO2 in at-scale deployment of EOR in North Dakota will likely dwarf the CO the state currently produces, requiring imports from other states.
From an energy generation point of view, the use of CO2 as a tool to extract more resource could produce an additional 4 billion barrels of oil from North Dakota’s unconventional (e.g., Bakken) and legacy (~pre-Bakken) oil fields. The EOR process will store nearly all the CO2 used to get that incremental oil, resulting in a lower carbon-intensity product.
Addressing climate change is a large-scale global challenge that is compounded by our growing demand for energy. To reduce the risks associated with climate change, the amount of CO2 released by human activity must be substantially reduced. However, increasing reliance on low-carbon renewable energy sources may sacrifice grid resilience and reliability. These concerns have been amplified during recent extreme weather events in the United States when much of the country was without power. A significant challenge in reducing the reliance on fossil fuels in the energy sector is to find solutions to overcome the intermittency issues associated with renewable energy in an economically feasible manner. Traditional power plants equipped with CCUS technology can play an important role to ensure that low-carbon power generation of the future can evolve without sacrificing resilience and reliability. CCUS-enabled power production will contribute to energy security that compliments a balanced allof-the-above energy policy.
In the face of growing world populations and rising worldwide standards of living, CCUS provides an opportunity to use fossil fuels with a significant reduction in GHG emissions. CCUS lies at the intersection of energy, the economy, and the environment, which makes it a critical approach to meet our state and country’s clean energy needs.
As of December 2022, the North Dakota Industrial Commission, the regulatory body that oversees the injection of CO2, has approved three CO2 storage facility permit applications and is reviewing two additional permit applications. This is just the beginning. There are other announced projects in the state that will be pursuing CO2 storage permits, including the formation of a partnership to create a hydrogen hub in the state. The hub will focus on the production of low-carbon hydrogen, much of which will be derived from fossil fuels, with the CO2 emissions captured and geologically stored.
For the past 23 years, more than 40 million tons of CO2 has been transported in a pipeline across North Dakota to oil fields in Saskatchewan where it was permanently stored during commercial EOR. Earlier this year, North Dakota’s first commercial-scale CO2 EOR project got underway in Bowman County. The CO2
being used in this project is brought by pipeline from Wyoming for simultaneously producing low carbon intensity oil with permanent CO2 storage.
Through a combination of leadership, vision, and strategic investments, North Dakota has positioned itself as the global frontrunner for CCUS. An accomplishment critical to providing economic options and opportunities to North Dakota’s pore space and mineral owners AND for ensuring the continued viability and future growth of our energy, agricultural, and supporting industries. CCUS is going to be a critical component of safe, resilient, reliable, affordable, low-carbon energy derived from coal, oil, gas, biofuels, and renewables. CCUS will also be critical for low-carbon agriculture products, resulting in an advantage for North Dakota commodities and products competing on national and global markets for generations to come.
Point Solutions
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MITCHELL, S.D. • Vantage Point Solutions is pleased to announce the hiring of Jeff Clancy, who has joined the Vantage Point team as manager of regulatory & legal in the consulting department.
Clancy previously represented clients in a corporate counsel role and brings with him a decade of industry experience and even more corporate legal knowledge.
“Jeff’s extensive business expertise and depth of industry relationships will provide our clients with even greater strategic insight and opportunities,” said Mikaela Burma, manager of regulatory and legal. “The issues and business situations our clients are facing are becoming progressively more complex and competitive. He’s already providing valuable assistance to our clients with regulatory and compliance questions. We are excited to have him on board.”
Clancy’s negotiation, transactional, and merger and acquisition experiences are a complement to Vantage Point’s other licensed attorneys in the dynamic Consulting department, which provides strategic, financial, and regulatory expertise to guide clients.
“His professionalism and strategic mindset will be a great asset for our clients, particularly in this age of extraordinary opportunities and challenges,” said Julie Darrington, vice president of consulting. “His familiarity with the FCC and other regulatory bodies, and experience working with clients in both rural and larger business sectors, gives Jeff a unique understanding that will prove advantageous for all of our clients.”
For his part, Clancy is excited to join the successful and growing Consulting department. “Vantage Point’s reputation in the industry is really unmatched. I’m looking forward to joining a team that’s so committed to the broadband ecosystem, and making sure clients have the guidance they need to be successful.”
Clancy earned his JD from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan and is a member of the State Bar of Minnesota. He participates as a member of the Minnesota Telecom Alliance Regulatory Committee and resides in Central Minnesota.
Apex Engineering Group welcomes two to St. Cloud office
St. CLOUD, Minn. • Tej Bala brings 16 years of water and wastewater engineering experience to his new role as a senior environmental engineer at Apex Engineering Group. He joins the company’s newest office in St. Cloud. In this role, he will be involved with planning, design, construction, and commissioning of water and wastewater treatment facilities. Tej is a certified professional engineer licensed in Minnesota and Texas.
Ryan Kotta Joins Apex as Senior Environmental Engineer
Ryan Kotta brings 15 years of engineering experience to his role as a senior environmental engineer at Apex Engineering Group. In this new role, he is responsible for planning, design, bidding and project management of water and wastewater projects. Ryan is a certified professional engineer registered in the state of Minnesota and is located in the Apex St. Cloud Office.
Minot, N.D. • Travis Bean has joined the Ackerman-Estvold Fargo office as a project designer. Bean earned his Bachelor of Science-Environmental Design and Bachelor of Architecture degrees from North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota. Travis has extensive experience in commercial building design, space planning and large-scale additions. His responsibilities will include conceptual design, design development, and construction management on architectural projects throughout the region.
Ackerman-Estvold is a professional engineering and architectural firm headquartered in Minot, ND, with an additional office location in Fargo, ND, Williston, ND and Boise, ID. The firm provides planning, design, and construction services for public and private clients throughout North Dakota and surrounding states. For more information about Ackerman-Estvold, and services they provide visit www.ackerman-Estvold.com.
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“State funding is available for the academic programs but when you do an athletic building, that’s subject to a fundraiser,” Burian said, noting the Memorial Village is a private-public partnership.
“It was just getting to the point where everything was getting to be in really tough shape,” he said of the former Memorial Stadium, which was razed in 2021 and the (school) decided to develop the private-public partnership. “So instead of doing it as a university, a project they elected to partner with the private sector.”
Burian said there are four partners involved in the project.
The first floor of the future Memorial Village will comprise University of North Dakota athletic offices, housing athletic administration, coaching staff, and student-athlete academic services.
The upper four stories will feature 99 market-rate apartment homes, Burian said. What is planned is 25 one-bedroom sites, 58 two-bedroom dwellings, and 16 four-bedroom units.
There will be underground parking and numerous amenities throughout Memorial Village, along with an enclosed Hawkway connecting it with the High Performance Center.
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I welcome 2023, riding an escalating curve as a business trajectory. That said, I’m one to constantly seek performance improvements. Straining the limits of the hamster wheel to hit new milestones is both a blessing and a curse. It can build empires, but sometimes at a cultural cost. My 2023 goal is not about milestones and performance indicators, but instead focuses on living life in the moment, appreciating our great team and positive developments within the business. Successful engineers develop long-term plans for infrastructure, anticipating every possible failure. Recommendations are based on data, engineering judgment, and wisdom learned from past successes and failures. Life’s true rewards, however, do not come from reliving past missteps or dreaming about the future. True rewards are reaped in the present—the excitement of welcoming a new teammate, the satisfaction of teamwork to solve a tough problem, or celebrating a client’s implementation of a new program or opening a new facility. A new engineering graduate recently gave me a fist bump when she and I wrapped up a demanding project, which brought great satisfaction. My goal for 2023 is to be more intentional about pausing in these moments to appreciate them, rather than jumping immediately ahead to tackle the next problem.
The Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber exists to be a catalyst for the growth and prosperity of our community and entire region. A major milestone for 2023 is to begin the process of building a Center for Business and Commerce in our community. This hub would not only serve as the new physical home for The Chamber, but a place for the community and mission-aligned organizations to exist and carry out their missions to serve and enhance our region.
Our community’s drive and hunger to succeed is second to none, and our ability to convene groups and rally together to create opportunities, solutions and integral partnerships will continue to define the success of our region. This Center for Business and Commerce is a next step that will redefine how we promote and protect business, inspire innovation, cultivate communities and influence action. The Chamber and our partners will need our entire business community to rally behind us to make this happen. I can’t wait to share more with you in the coming months, and to discover how we can work together to bring this to fruition.
Shannon Full President & CEO
The FMWF Chamber Moorhead, Minnesota
2023 is all about leveraging our team’s strengths for the greater good of our clients and our communities. We have invested wisely in people, working together to strategize, mentor, grow, and build a better firm to be the local and national powerhouse our clients need. We’ve always felt we were capable of helping our clients and team overcome any future challenge – and throughout the pandemic, our efforts were put to the test. Not only did we hold a firm footing, but we grew exponentially by simply putting people first, then building on our team’s strengths.
This year, we want to use that resiliency and help clients see what is possible through a larger lens, not only reworking today’s reality, but helping them to envision a brighter future with meaningful solutions that remove barriers. Whether it’s new construction, renovation, or relocation, with the right solution, there is enormous potential to achieve financial goals while changing the narrative for employees, students, athletes, patients, and the surrounding community.
In 2023, people and well-being will continue to be our driving force across every project, and often that means going to bat for the grants and fundraising that expand the lens.
It’s not just about great design and beautiful buildings anymore, it’s about right-sizing space, sustainable construction that reduces operating costs, transforming workforce retention, and creative concepts that enhance productivity while identifying untapped purpose.
Michelle Mongeon Allen, FAIA, LEED AP CEO JLG Architects Fargo, N.D.
Miller Director of People Resources Altru Grand Forks, N.D.
Altru is committed to improving health and enriching life of our team members, their families and our patients. Now, more than ever, is the time to ensure our teams are engaged and connected to Altru’s mission. Culture building is continuous and our top 2023 priority is focused on our people. The ripple effect of engaged providers and employees impacts patient care, financial outcomes, growth strategies and quality. All are key drivers and we are committed to retaining our team who selflessly care for family, friends and neighbors in the communities we serve. As such we have established engagement priorities from the voice of our employees and associated action plans, with a focus on innovation, recognition, debunking misconceptions, and fresh ways to communicate with a focus on retention. We continue our unprecedented investment in leadership development, maintaining a psychologically safe work environment, and sharing our employee’s pride in their work.
There was 0.3 unemployed person per job opening in eight states (Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia) in September 2022. There was 0.7 unemployed person per job opening in six states (Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington) and 0.8 unemployed person per job opening in New York, where there were 405,000 unemployed people and 528,000 job openings in September. Nationwide, the ratio of unemployed persons per job opening was 0.5 in September 2022, as there were 5,753,000 unemployed people and 10,717,000 job openings. The number of job openings by state ranged from about 25,000 in Vermont and Wyoming to over one million in Texas and California. The number of job openings increased in 10 states, decreased in 1 state, and was little changed in 39 states and the District of Columbia in September 2022.
Total non-farm payroll employment increased by 263,000 in November 2022, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7%, according to the most recent data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, health care, and government. Employment declined in retail trade and in transportation and warehousing. Among the unemployed, the number of permanent job losers rose by 127,000 to 1.4 million in November. The number of persons on temporary layoff changed little at 803,000.
Total Men, 20 years and over Women, 20 years and over 16 to 19 years old Asian Hispanic or Latino White Black or African American
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Export air passenger fares rose 14.6% for the year ended in October 2022, due in part to a 33.5% increase in Latin American/Caribbean and an 11.5% increase in Asian fares. Import air passenger fares advanced 13.4% over the past 12 months.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Export air freight prices increased 11.7% from October 2021 to October 2022. Within the export air freight category, prices of Asian carriers increased 23% and prices at European carriers fell 1.3%. Import air freight prices fell 20.6% over the past year. Outbound air freight prices rose 48.4%, while inbound air freight prices fell 20.2% for the year ended in October.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
