A day in the life

So there I was, riding in a van southbound on Highway 85 through the heart of North Dakota’s oil country, having a discussion with a news crew from France about whether traffic in Paris is worse than traffic in western North Dakota.

No, this is not a joke. It was an actual conversation I had with two other attendees of a recent Bakken Field Tour, hosted by Williston, N.D.-based Dawa Solutions Group. (The French crew said Paris traffic is much scarier, although they forgot to consider that the city’s population outnumbers the entire state of North Dakota by more than 2 million.) For a few hundred dollars, the tour offers anyone with an interest in the Bakken region the chance to learn about oil’s history in the area, the current technology-based play and the economic development associated with it, as well as an afternoon driving tour of the impacted area. The wealth of comprehensive information delivered throughout the day is helpful, but the observations made on the driving tour can be downright fascinating. For more on the tour, read “Experiencing the Bakken," on page 30.

This issue also looks into the high prices being paid for cropland throughout our region. Contributing writer Kylie Blanchard talked to several economists to learn more about where the highest-priced land is located, why it’s commanding such a high price and how long those prices are expected to remain. See “How

High Will They Go?”

on page 26 to read what she found out.

We also offer a profile of Noridian Healthcare Solutions, formerly Noridian Administrative Services. The company is in the midst of a major hiring spree as it prepares to carry out a massive five-year Medicare contract and will add nearly 400 new jobs in North Dakota by September. The company is also on the forefront of creating healthcare exchanges, which will be used to implement the Affordable Care Act. Tom McGraw, who joined the company in October as the second CEO and president in Noridian’s history, shares his take on hiring in a state with historically low unemployment, and how his company is evolving to address complex changes in the health care industry in “Building on a History of Expertise," on page 22.

Finally, I want to bring to your attention that we are now accepting nominations for this year’s 40 under 40 list. Many of you have emailed or called me throughout the year to request submission details so I know that this year’s pool of candidates is going to be stronger than ever. We are excited to receive your nominations and look forward to sharing the results in our December issue. Visit our website – www.prairiebizmag.com – to submit your nominations.

Prairie

MIKE JACOBS,Publisher

RONA JOHNSON, Executive Editor

KRIS BEVILL, Editor

BETH BOHLMAN, Circulation Manager

KRIS WOLFF, Layout Design, Ad Design

Sales Director: JOHN FETSCH

701.212.1026 jfetsch@prairiebizmag.com

Sales:

BRAD BOYD - western ND/western SD 800.641.0683 bboyd@prairiebizmag.com

SHELLY LARSON - eastern ND/western MN 701.866.3628 slarson@prairiebizmag.com

Editor: KRIS BEVILL 701.306.8561 kbevill@prairiebizmag.com

Editorial Advisors:

Dwaine Chapel, Executive Director, Research Park at South Dakota State University; Bruce Gjovig, Director, Center for Innovation; Lisa Gulland-Nelson, Vice President, Marketing and P.R., Greater Fargo Moorhead EDC; Tonya Joe (T.J.) Hansen, Assistant Professor of Economics, Minnesota State University Moorhead; Dusty Johnson, Chief of Staff for South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s office; Brekka Kramer, General Manager of Odney; Matthew Mohr, President/CEO, Dacotah Paper Company; Nancy Straw, President, West Central Initiative

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. Qualifying subscriptions are available free of charge. Back issue quantities are limited and subject to availability ($2/copy prepaid). The opinions of writers featured in Prairie Business are their own. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, artwork are encouraged but will not be returned without a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Subscriptions Free subscriptions are available online to qualified requestors at www.prairiebizmag.com

Address corrections

Prairie Business magazine PO Box 6008

Grand Forks, ND 58206-6008

Beth Bohlman: bbohlman@prairiebizmag.com

Online www.prairiebizmag.com