WHAT COMPANIES ARE DOING TO MEET WORKFORCE DEMANDS
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For business owners,staffingwillalwaysbeamongtheirtop concerns.Will youbeabletoattractthetalentyouneed?Can youkeeptheskilledemployees youhave?Theshortanswer is yes–ifyouarestrategicandfollow throughonthingsthat matter.
Often,intightmarkets, owners mustcompeteforquality employeesthat willrepresenttheircompanywell. Worker availabilitycanalsoaffectplansforgrowth.So when youput outthat“helpwanted”sign, keepthesetipsinmind:
BE AWORKPL ACEWHERE WO RKERSWANTTOB E
Therearesomethingsmoneycan’t buy. Asenseof purpose, companyvalues,beingpartofateamofgoodpeople.Think aboutthekindofpeopleyou want workingfor youand what thingsthey value.Makeemployeespartofyourmission.Be choosy —goodpeoplewanttoworkwithgoodpeople.
Onesize doesnotfitall.Salary,healthinsurance, long-term careinsurance,retirement, vacation,healthsavingsaccounts (HSAs),flexiblespendingaccounts(FSAs) —differentpeople want differentthings. Youngpeoplemay valuevacation over salary;parentsmightvaluehealthinsurancemore. Workwith yourbenefitspartnertooffer agoodmixandadaptto your staff ’s needs.
Hiringisonething,retentionisanother.Employees want to be heardandsupported.Ifemployees losemomentum,they’ll look fornewopportunities.Investintraining. Amentorship programorregularcheck-inswith leadershipwhere employeescanshareideaswillshowyou’reinvested.
Give youremployees areasontowork hard everyday— and make it fun. Team-building,productivitycontests,and incentivesallow employeesto have funwhilesupportingthe businessANDdoingsomethingforthemselves.
Clientsneedinformationandpersuasion.Jobseekers needinformation— andyes, marketing —too.Figureout what your valuepropositionisforemployeesandsell your workplacetocandidates.Makesureemployees(yourbest sourceof leads)are happyandknowwhatyoustandfor.Offer testimonialsandattract attention.It’sjustgood business.
Eventoday, youcanfindandkeepgoodpeople.Investin thingsthat make your businessspecial.Somethings you control:culture,mission,being agoodemployer.Forothers, you’ll want abenefitspartnerand businessconsultant. Your businessisonlyasgoodas yourpeople.Makesurethey’rethe best.
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For at least a couple of generations, we have been making the choice of which wireless technology company we want to pursue. It’s not always as easy as your utility company, which is often your only choice in the area.
Choosing your wireless provider comes down to three key factors: trust, price, and quality. Let’s dive into each factor and what separates the fakes and the fabulous.
We’ve all been burned by being overpromised and under-delivered by a company. It’s the worst! The fine print quick-talking voices at the end of a commercial tend to cover all the ways they will get you in the end with elevated prices and loopholes.
The first way to see if you can trust a provider is to talk to a human. It’s a novelty to reach a live representative but brick-and-mortar stores with tech experts still exist. If your local representative can quote you an offer in person or over a web chat you can hold them to their word.
Know the best way to ask for an offer. We asked local tech expert Derek Kuntz from BeMobile Verizon how customers can get more from their providers he said “Keep it local! Often local providers can offer the best discount. Speaking from experience if you have a locally owned store like BeMobile they can stack national Verizon offers with BeMobile exclusive offers to make your dollar go further.” He added how you can get big companies like Verizon to do more for you, “Don’t forget about rewards programs. We have access to get you rewards that save you money in other places than your phone bill, like grocery and gas discounts, free streaming services, and more!”
As Derek highlighted the reward programs from Verizon, some providers
offer additional programs to save you money. What if you just want a discount on your phone bill? There are options!
Ways to save money immediately are to ask about auto-pay discounts, group plans/multi-service discounts, retail credit cards, and occupation-based discounts (military, teachers, etc.). Another way you can save is to finance your purchase. Many retailers can offer financing options that do not hurt your credit and can elongate your purchase to be more affordable. You already plan to keep your devices for a couple of years so financing at the standard 36 months can help protect your money today while maximizing your savings in the future.
Also, there are usually other options for new customers if you are looking to switch, for existing customers you may have to wait for peak seasons like Back to School, Winter Holidays, and New Year’s.
easy to spot but the best way to see if their websites are right is to ask your neighbors! If people around you are excited about their service they will let you know. It’s likely if they are frustrated with their service they probably will tell you even quicker.
New to the neighborhood and not sure who to ask? Look for certifications as well like Verizon’s RootMetrics ‘Most Reliable’ award or JD Power’s ‘Best in Class’. Those are well-respected quality control groups that you can lean on for a great recommendation.
Now that you know how to find who you can trust and how to ask for the right price, let’s check the quality. This is the research you can do online before you walk into the store. You can go on providers’ websites to see their coverage maps, check their network speed in your area, and online reviews.
In more rural areas like the upper midwest, there are not a lot of providers to choose from, unlike our coastal neighbors. Top performers are usually
Finding technology that checks all the boxes you need can be tough but finding the right local partner can make all the difference. Derek summarized it for us this way, “Finding the right provider should feel like a weight is lifted off your shoulders not that you got the short end of the stick. At the end of the day, your providers are just that - providing you a good or service. Before you sign anything make sure that it feels right to you and that you trust they gave you the best price and quality available.”
Technology is here to stay and keeping connected is more important than ever. Find the fabulous among the fakes with local tech experts like Derek at bemobile.com
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How does one quantify excellence in business?
It’s a broad question with many answers. One answer Prairie Business has found is with its annual Leaders & Legacies awards, the magazine’s most prestigious honor given to top executives in the region.
Korrie Wenzel, publisher of Prairie Business, explained it best when the magazine started this award category in 2019: The award recognizes executives “for the great things they have done in business, whether in recent years (Leaders) or over a lifetime (Legacies).”
Prairie Business received a number of nominations for the 2022 awards, but we also nominated a few individuals. After reviewing the career highlights and accomplishments of a number of people – and recognizing the good work that each nominee has done and continues to do – we have selected nine exemplary business leaders in the region for this year’s awards.
They are profiled in this issue and will be honored at a ceremony later this year, along with other Prairie Business award winners – those recognized in Top 25 Women in Business and 40 Under 40.
This is my third time being a part of the Leaders & Legacies awards, and every year the candidates have been individuals with impressive credentials, the selected recipients truly worthy of this award.
Same this year.
This year’s recipients come from the industries of advertising and marketing, architecture and engineering, construction, financial services and health care.
Unlike the magazine’s other award contests, which recognize exemplary leaders and other business professionals, Leaders & Legacies honor only top executives, past and present. As you’ll see from this year’s cast, each of the award winners is a prime example of what it means to put one’s best foot forward, day after day, year after year, to lead and impact one’s own life and career but, more importantly, those around them. They are at the top of their businesses because they are, every day, at the top of their game.
Enough said – well, almost.
Congratulations to this year’s Leaders & Legacies recipients. We thank them, one and all, for doing what they do every day to make this region a better place for each of us to live and work.
Now, on to the profiles.
Andrew WeeksI look forward to hearing from you at aweeks@prairiebusinessmagazine.com or 701-780-1276.
PUBLISHER
KORRIE WENZEL
AD DIRECTOR STACI LORD
EDITOR
ANDREW WEEKS
CIRCULATION MANAGER BETH BOHLMAN
LAYOUT DESIGN JAMIE HOLTE
ACCOUNT MANAGER
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.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscriptions are free prairiebusinessmagazine.com
ADDRESS CORRECTIONS Prairie Business magazine Box 6008 Grand Forks, ND 58206-6008 Beth Bohlman: bbohlman@prairiebusinessmagazine.com
Prairie Business received a number of nominations for its 2022 Leaders & Legacies awards, but we also nominated a few individuals. After reviewing the career highlights and accomplishments of a number of individuals – and recognizing the good work that each nominee has done and continues to do – we have selected nine exemplary business leaders in the region for this year’s awards.
This year’s recipients come from the industries of advertising and marketing, architecture and engineering, construction, financial
services and health care.
In several contests throughout the year, Prairie Business recognizes exemplary leaders and other business professionals, but Leaders & Legacies honors only top executives in the region, past and present. Each award winner has demonstrated quality leadership throughout her or his career, impacting lives and livelihoods and often sparking change. We couldn’t be more happy with these year’s recipients. They are leaders of the highest order and each deserving of this, Prairie Business magazine’s highest honor.
Todd Berning was born in Minot, North Dakota, to Judge Wallace Berning and teacher Mary (Cookie) Berning. After graduating from Minot High School, he went on to receive his undergraduate degree from NDSU majoring in computer science.
Berning began his career at a young age by working in the concessions and vendor filling for Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Minot. His successful career spans from managing partner in 30-plus real estate projects in North Dakota and Minnesota, owner of MSI Concessions/Catering and Spicy Pie Pizza Restaurants.
EPIC initially started seven years ago and has now turned into the present-day company with 70-plus employees and more than 30 mixed-use buildings. Berning has been a catalyst for positive change and is viewed by his peers as a humble person just looking to make a difference through improving the quality of life of others in our local communities.
“Todd has a relentless passion for enhancing communities. He is a strong leader, impactful mentor, and a great friend. Our growth as a company would not be possible without his vision and leadership,” stated Amy Hass, CEO of EPIC.
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At TSP, we pr ideourselve soncreating innovative solutions.But we take adeeperpride inouremployees whodedic atetheir career s to building alegac y. Congratulations to Ron Mielkeonbeingselec tedfor the 2022 Leader s& Legacies Award. Recently celebr atinghis53rd annivers ar y, we want to recognize hislongevity andlonge st tenure in TSP’s90-plus-yearhistory
Congratulations,Ron!
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Under Berning’s leadership, EPIC Companies has been recognized as the Top 50 Best Places to Work recipient, Top 3 for Best Rental Company in the Red River Valley, Governor’s Choice Award recipient, Main Street Initiative Award recipient, and a ChamberChoice finalist for Business of The Year.
He is currently active in the community serving as the president of EPIC Charities, president of the North Dakota State Fair Foundation, member of the Inquisitors Club, and on the Board of Directors for West Fargo Events.
In his free time, he enjoys spending time with wife, Carolyn, sons Keenen and Landen, stepsons, Brandon and Trayton, and his pets Tab, Echo and Izzy.
Dan Conrad is a North Dakota native who grew up in northern Minnesota. After graduating from Lake Park High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead and a law degree from the University of North Dakota.
Originally from Bismarck, Steve Burian attended the University of North Dakota where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering with an environmental emphasis. He has played a vital role on numerous important engineering projects across the region while also remaining highly involved in community planning, economic development, and philanthropic endeavors.
Burian has devoted his career to engineering and consulting in ND and beyond. He was the longtime CEO of AE2S, which he co-founded as a graduate student in 1991. He most recently founded Burian & Associates, LLC, a fast-growing civil engineering and consulting firm that further supports his passion to combine visionary ideas with technical execution. Some career highlights include serving as a senior consultant on the Red River Valley Water Supply Project, which will deliver Missouri River water to central and eastern North Dakota in an affordable and efficient manner. He also led the conceptualization, legislation, and fast track development of the Western Area Water Supply Project to meet the significantly expanded water needs stemming from rapid growth due to oil development in the Bakken.
Over the years Burian has served on numerous strategic boards in leadership positions including the Valley Prosperity Partnership, American Water Works Association Board of Directors, UND College of Engineering and Mines Executive Board, UND Alumni Association and Foundation Board, and 10 years on the Board of the Grand Forks EDC.
Along with his professional achievements, Burian is dedicated to philanthropy. He has created multiple endowment funds for schools and non-profit organizations across the state, giving back to organizations that have impacted him or are helping others.
Burian is the proud father of two children and has one grandchild.
Conrad started his career in the public sector as a trial attorney with the U.S. Justice Department. He later went on to serve as in-house counsel for two large public companies.
Dan Conrad President and CEO Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Fargo, N.D.Conrad returned to the Midwest when he started at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND) in 2013. Serving as chief legal officer and executive vice president, Conrad provided strategic expertise to execute key business strategies. Over time, he progressively took on more operational areas of responsibility, providing executive leadership across the enterprise.
Stepping into his role as president and CEO in January 2020, Conrad had the unique and rewarding experience of leading the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout that time, he has focused on building and working alongside a highly engaged team motivated to more creatively and collaboratively challenge the cost and complexity of health care while elevating the role of wellbeing in workplaces across the region.
An active community member, Conrad serves on the board of directors for Make-A-Wish North Dakota, the BCBSND Caring Foundation, the Greater North Dakota Chamber and is a member of the Valley Prosperity Partnership.
A longtime supporter of the United Way of Cass-Clay both personally and as CEO of BCBSND, Conrad and his wife Rachel are humbled to serve as the 2022 Campaign co-chairs for the annual campaign.
Conrad and his wife, Rachel, reside in Fargo and have one grown daughter.
Always pushing for the best, Jodi Duncan has extensive marketing and business background that drives Flint Group to discover what sets clients and industries apart –applying knowledge and insights to generate effective business solutions for clients. Whether you have a large or small budget, moving business in the right direction requires smart, informed communications efforts.
As president of Flint Group, Duncan has a 10,000-foot view of business and the ability to identify where and how it can grow. Branding, strategic planning and marketing are key strengths Duncan focuses on when working with clients. Her experience and leadership have been focused on developing and delivering business services and solutions, providing outstanding client service, and driving profitable revenue growth.
Duncan has more than 30 years of marketing and advertising experience. She uses her experience to enlighten others on topics such as women in leadership roles, marketing for the manufacturing industry and more.
Duncan drives wins for clients and their brands by building a strong, intelligent team that digs into insights to create measurable success.
Jeff LeDoux has worked at Houston Engineering Inc. (HEI) for more than three decades, serving from the firm’s corporate headquarters in Fargo, North Dakota. LeDoux’s leadership embodies the vision and values of HEI that focuses on culture and responsible autonomy that has made the firm a success. He has been instrumental in HEI’s growth into one of the largest civil engineering consulting firms in the region.
LeDoux joined HEI in 1988 as an engineer. His leadership qualities were recognized by his peers when he became an owner and member of the Board of Directors in 1996; then in 2008 became the third president/CEO in HEI’s history and held that position through 2020 and helped shape HEI into the company it is today.
While LeDoux states the success of any company is a team effort, during his presidency, some of his accomplishments include: the creation of a new organizational structure that
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continued from Page 15
focuses on enhancing communication, clarity, and culture; oversaw the expansion of HEI into nine offices spread across four states; led HEI’s team that grew from 80 to more than 250 employees; increased company revenue by nearly 300%; and has continually earned HEI a ranking among the top 500 national consulting firms.
LeDoux, himself, has set the example by donating his time by previously serving on numerous professional and civic boards, such as the past president for the American Council of Engineering Companies of North Dakota and the North Dakota Society of Professional Engineers, and a past director of the North Dakota American Red Cross and the Greater North Dakota Chamber, just to name a few.
LeDoux and his wife, Becky, have three grown daughters and six grandchildren.
Garth Rydland is the president and CEO of Valley Senior Living in Grand Forks.
Rydland grew up on a family farm near Hatton, North Dakota. He attended Concordia College in Moorhead and graduated with a Masters in Healthcare Administration from the University of Minnesota.
Garth Rydland President/CEO Valley Senior Living Grand Forks, N.D.Ronald Mielke is a principal and senior project manager at TSP, Inc., a multidisciplinary architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design firm.
In January 2022, Mielke celebrated his 53rd anniversary with TSP, making him the longest-tenured team member in the firm’s 90-plus year history. At TSP, Mielke has held roles ranging from project engineer to finance/ accounting manager, human resources generalist, and CEO – a position he held from 1982 to 2002. Mielke has extensive knowledge in the leadership, management, and financial aspects of the architecture, engineering, and construction industry.
Ronald mielke Principal, Senior Project Manager and former CEO TSP, Inc Sioux Falls, S.D.
Mielke earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from South Dakota State University in 1965 and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Dakota in 1969. He is a professional engineer (PE) and a LEED accredited professional (LEED AP).
Upon graduation from SDSU, Mielke was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army. He served three years in the Corps of Engineers, which included a yearlong tour in Vietnam. In 1972, Mielke joined the South Dakota Air National Guard as a captain in the Engineering Squadron. He retired from the SD Air National Guard in October 2002, having served 37 years and achieving the rank of Brigadier General. In the last seven years of his military career, he served as the assistant adjutant general for Air for the state of South Dakota and the senior leader of the SD Air National Guard.
Mielke has prioritized community service throughout his career. He has served in numerous roles with the Sioux Empire United Way, the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, and military organizations. His involvement also includes volunteering with various nonprofit organizations.
During his 25 years at Valley Senior Living, Rydland has served as the assistant administrator, administrator, and president/CEO. The organization has grown to a $50 million annual budget with more than 800 employees providing compassionate Christian care and service for 550 people each day in Grand Forks.
“Caring for the people who built our community is a privilege,” he says. “I’m grateful each day to serve as the leader of a great team who dedicate their careers to taking care of our most vulnerable citizens.”
Rydland states that the pandemic has highlighted the importance of the long-term care profession in society. He is appreciative to live in North Dakota where long-term care funding is a priority.
Having served in a variety of community volunteer roles, Rydland is currently involved with his church, the Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce, and is chair of the Legislative Committee for the North Dakota Long Term Care Association. He has a passion for singing and playing piano, which he uses to brighten people’s day and connect residents to treasured memories.
Rydland and his wife, Christine, have two children, Lauren and Carter.
Todd Schaffer, MD, serves as the president/CEO of Sanford Health’s Bismarck region where he oversees health services and is responsible for the successful planning and implementation of operational and strategic goals.
Dr. Schaffer has been with Sanford Health for seven years and started with the organization as a physician at the North Walk-in Clinic. Prior to his current role, he served as the clinic vice president in Bismarck.
A graduate of the University of North Dakota, Dr. Schaffer completed his residency in family medicine at Altru Health System in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He currently serves as a colonel and as the Army State Surgeon in the North Dakota National Guard, and has served four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also recently graduated as a distinguished honor graduate from United States Army War College.
Dr. Schaffer and his wife, Erin, have four daughters and three grandchildren.
Trent Sorbe is the president and founder of Central Payments, the payments subsidiary of Central Bank of Kansas City. He was an architect of Central Payments’ Open*CP Fintech API Marketplace SM, one of the only true bankingas-a-service payment platforms and the technology responsible for Central Payments’ rise to the fastest growing prepaid card issuer since 2015.
With more than 29 years of debit, credit, and prepaid payments experience, Sorbe is responsible for products garnering nine Paybefore Awards, three of which garnered Best in Class or Category. He is also the inventor on 14 patents related to consumer financial services. Sorbe previously held senior positions at three nationwide payment card issuers and the FDIC.
In 2016, Sorbe was named to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Community Bank Advisory Council and chaired the agency’s Cards, Payments, and Deposit Markets Committee.
He is a co-founder of Falls Fintech, a startup accelerator program committed to bridging the bank-fintech partnership gap and is a host of the Fintech Brews & News podcast. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the Central Bank of Kansas City.
Perhaps like never before employers in the upper Midwest are reevaluating their human resource programs to find new approaches to attracting and retaining talented workers.
The need is great – thanks, in part, to what has been called the Great Resignation, in which people are willingly leaving their jobs to find more fulfilling experiences.
The American Labor Department said a record 4.4 million employees resigned in September 2021. The majority were millennials and Gen-Z workers, the latter born between the late 1990s and early 2010s.
“It’s a pertinent indicator that employers must rethink their employee retention campaigns for 2022 and beyond,” reads a Feb. 22, 2022, article by Forbes, especially since millennials are projected to make up about 75% of the global workforce by 2025, and by 2030, Gen-Z will make an estimated 30%.
But the Great Resignation – sometimes also called the Great Reshuffle – may be more appropriately titled the Great Discontent, according to Gallup, which said “it’s less an industry, role or pay issue than it is a workplace issue. The highest quit rate is among not engaged and actively disengaged workers.”
Companies Prairie Business reached out to over the past couple of months have shared some of the things their businesses are doing to help retain employees. In a nutshell they have said that attracting employees is one thing, but keeping them around is something else.
Employees want to know they are valued, that the work they do is appreciated, and that there is opportunity to grow. They need good pay and benefits for themselves and their families. They want to know that staying for the long-term is not a burden but a blessing, that their time spent with the company is more than just a job; it is part of their own culture. And part of the equation of all of the above is that they want a healthy work-life balance.
Dan Oakland, founder, CEO and senior HR consultant of Alternative HR in Sioux Falls, writes in a column in this issue that 50% of a company’s turnover happens within the first six months of employment. “That means you need to take a hard look at both your hiring and onboarding processes to see how you can improve,” he writes. However, he noted that many other people, fed up with the routine of their jobs, have asked themselves if they want to be doing the same thing for the next 20 years. Obviously, many have said no and have exited on their own.
Joni Smith, human resource manager at Moore Holding Co. in West Fargo, said work-life balance is an important part of company culture.
“We recognize the importance of work-life balance and have implemented flexible working hours and working remote policies,” she said. “We give our employee owners autonomy to do their jobs, which establishes trust and raises motivation. Our company is also as transparent as we can be regarding financial performance and strategic goals.”
Smith said it helps that Moore has an employee stock ownership
Companies share what they’re doing to
Laura Werk, senior vice president and chief financial officer for Noridian Healthcare Solutions based in Fargo, said employees appreciate the company’s culture of team collaboration and a flexible work environment. It also encourages community volunteerism.
“Our work makes a difference for countless people accessing health care services and employees understand the critical nature of the complex, but meaningful, work they do,” she said.
There is something else that is different on the workforce scene these days: Positions are changing; employees, in some instances, are taking on different or multiple roles. This can be a good thing, because it allows employees to learn new skills. However, caution must be taken to make sure talent doesn’t feel overburdened, prompting an unintended exit.
Digi-Key Electronics, based in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, but with locations in other parts of the region and around the globe, is slowly merging employees back to the office in a hybrid format. It also is taking
a careful approach as it ramps up production at its new Product Distribution Center.
Shane Zutz, the company’s vice president of human resources, said Digi-Key is not looking for new talent as much as it is reshuffling positions in the face of new technology.
“Our work is different than it used to be and some of the inefficiencies we have currently, they’ll go away and different roles will be needed to take their place,” he said in an article in the June issue of Prairie Business.
He mentioned automation and the kinds of jobs needed to oversee that. For now, the company is working on “reprogramming” the office space at its headquarters in Thief River Falls.
“It’s not so much about social distancing and more about reprogramming our facility to meet the needs of our future ways of working,” he said. “We’re looking at more collaborative space, more open spaces that allow for fewer (in-person employee) collisions, fewer cubicles, because people aren’t going to be here all of the time.”
Over the next few pages, several other business professionals answer questions about what their companies are doing to attract and retain employees and, in some instances, how the work environment –including job positions – is different for them than it used to be prior to the pandemic.
We take apersonalinterestinthe workbeingdonearoundus.
we’re
JeffLedoux,FormerPresident/CEOHoustonEngineering
SteveBurian,CEO BurianAssociates
Dr TodSchaffer,CEOSanfordHealth
TrentSorbe,FounderandPresidentatCentralPayments
JodiDuncan,PresidentFlintGroup
ToddBerning, PresidentandOwneratEPICCompanies
DanielConrad,PresidentandCEOatBCBSND
GarthRydland,PresidentandCEOat ValleySeniorLiving
RonMielke,FormerCEOatTSPInc.
Starion Bank got its start in 1969 when Frank and JoAndrea Larson purchased the First National Bank of Oakes in Oakes, North Dakota. Over the next 50 years, they grew the business and now operate 16 Starion Bank branches in North Dakota and Wisconsin. Starion Bank employs more than 230 people, which includes employees in the cities serves as well as some remote employees in other locations.
Brenna Grossbauer Chief Human Resources Officer
What has been the biggest challenge for the company over the past two years of the pandemic related to its workforce? How has it met those challenges?
Throughout the last two years, one of our biggest challenges has been providing the friendly, personalized service we’re known for while keeping our employees and customers as safe as possible. We supplied PPE to all employees in order to help them protect their health if they were in a bank branch or visiting customers outside the branch. We also embraced telecommuting with 120 of our employees set up to work remotely at the onset of the pandemic and nearly 90 of our employees continuing to work remotely to this day.
We also invested in expanding our virtual support, allowing both personal and business customers to more easily bank via videoconference, phone, chat and online so that they would have all their banking needs met without having to travel to a branch.
Are employees shouldering more responsibility than they did before the pandemic?
The pandemic did affect customer-facing bankers in a big way. Many of our business bankers switched their meetings to Zoom, Teams and other software. This helped them stay in touch with customers and get everything done that used to happen during regular, in-person client visits.
In our retail segment, Universal Bankers handled additional drive-through traffic when our lobbies were closed. The customer traffic did not necessarily change, but the ways in which we served them did.
What does the company offer or do to make sure employees feel valued and appreciated, especially if they are taking on more responsibility?
Starion Bank has always been respectful of our employees’ time and obligations outside the office and encourage them to take time away from work in order to spend time with family, experience the world, and recharge. We offer a generous PTO plan, remote work options for some positions, spot awards, “Shout Out” and “Starion Awards” recognition programs, and a variety of employee gifts throughout the year.
What are some of the best methods or tools you have found to attract job applicants?
We make use of digital channels and websites that attract more applicants. Also, because our employees enjoy working here, they
often speak to their friends, family and coworkers from previous jobs and urge them to apply.
What does Starion Bank do to make sure a new hire is a good fit for the company?
Starion is thorough in the vetting of new hires to ensure they are a fit for our culture, understand the demands of the banking industry, and are able to meet the high expectations of our customers. We use a variety of pre-hire assessments and have developed a selection process around our core values. We hire people who want to continue learning throughout their career, and work to grow as people and as professionals in their field.
Briefly describe the company’s onboarding process: When new employees come to Starion, they are taken under the wing of their direct supervisor, their team, and are assigned a “buddy.” We utilize defined on-boarding checklists to help new people learn, train and integrate into the Starion culture, and to urge new people to feel safe in proposing new ideas. It is truly a team effort!
Gate City Bank is a $3.1 billion mutual bank founded in 1923. Today it employs more than 770 team members at 43 locations in 22 communities across North Dakota and central Minnesota. Among its many financial services, it serves customers and communities with contributions such as free ATMs, philanthropic giving and BetterLife™ Student Loans that have saved customers millions of dollars in interest.
In what ways has the pandemic impacted job titles and positions at the company?
At Gate City Bank, we have seen significant changes throughout the pandemic and have been working to innovate all roles alongside these changes. For example, many team members are offered a flexible work environment with self-identified hours and the ability to work remotely (or in a hybrid capacity) as their role allows. By remaining innovative, we focus on growth and development and are continuously committed to making a difference for our team members –who make a difference for our customers and communities.
What does the company offer or do to make sure employees feel valued and appreciated, especially if they are taking on more responsibility?
We empower our leaders to recognize teams in ways that each team member prefers. Personalization is incredibly important and helps our teams feel valued. For example, some teams may enjoy connecting at a lunch outing while others would rather have extra paid time off. We also celebrate big wins with larger Bank-wide gifts. Recently, we celebrated being named No. 2 in the U.S. on Forbes’ 2022 list of World’s Best Banks. We encouraged teams to celebrate this huge feat and send photos of their team celebrations to compile a celebration video. It was awesome to see so many team members engaged with each other in various ways! (Heather Ostrowski)
Are there new tools or ways the company approaches the effort to attract new talent?
At Gate City Bank, we’re honored to consistently be recognized as a top place to work with culture and benefits that make working with us exciting and rewarding! With that in mind, we are constantly working to find new ways to appeal to new talent and share our workplace culture. Recently, we’ve expanded our social media outreach by having a Gate City Bank TikTok channel on top of our commonly used social platforms.
While talent can certainly be more difficult to find, we’ve made it a point to use different recruiting platforms or posting sites to connect with various candidates. This includes Handshake for college students, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Ignite, Indeed and Circa (which posts our positions to a variety of diverse community-based organizations). We find Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) efforts exciting and want to have the most diverse pool of candidates for our organization! (Sam Miranda)
As pertaining to new hires, what skills standout in someone seeking a position with the company?
At Gate City Bank, we are passionate about making a difference, as it is stated in our mission statement – For A Better Way of Life.® We look for team members that are excited to get involved in the community and make an impact with our unlimited volunteer hours. We are looking for people with a passion for customer service and a data-driven, innovative mindset. We truly believe we can train skills, but true talent comes with a drive to be curious, committed and act with a sense of urgency. (Sam Miranda)
What retention efforts does the company make to help employees want to stay long term?
Our benefits include fully paid 12-week maternity leave and fourweek paternity leave, unlimited volunteer time, generous PTO, role-specific differential pay on nights and weekends and a team member incentive program – just to name a few! On top of that, we offer a variety of opportunities for skill- and career-building growth, including a mentorship program. We celebrate every five years of employment with Gate City Bank by a team member receiving a diamond gem. The team member can choose a pendant or a necklace to feature the diamond(s). (We just celebrated a first at the Bank: A team member celebrated her 50th work anniversary – you should have seen her diamonds!)
We also conduct annual team member engagement surveys and focus on taking action based on what we learn from anonymous team member feedback. It is important to make sure our team members feel heard and are comfortable being honest and vulnerable with our leadership team. We are continuously innovating around retention efforts and re-evaluate what is in place, what is or is not working and what needs to be added to retain our great team members every year. (Heather Ostrowski)
What is the most attractive thing about working in the banking industry today and, more specifically, Gate City Bank?
Gate City Bank is celebrating our 100th anniversary in 2023, so it’s safe to say we’ve been making a difference for a while! The Bank is committed to making lives better
every day by investing in our team members and the communities we serve. In 2021, we made an impact with more than $2.9 million in philanthropic giving and more than 16,000 team member volunteer hours – all on company time.
Another exciting facet of Gate City Bank is our drive for innovation to enhance experiences across the board for customers.
Similarly, we focus on learning and development to keep us centered on the core of who we are. We have created programs like Reality-Based Leadership, which supports our leadership team with tools for self-reflection, communication and accountability. We also use the DiSC self-assessment tool Bank-wide, which helps us take a deeper dive into understanding ourselves and others to promote improved teamwork and productivity. We are very proud of our variety of programs and resources dedicated to supporting mental health and diversity, inclusion and belonging.
Founded in 1944 in Fargo, Ulteig is an employee-owned engineering/design, program management, technical services and field services firm that operates throughout North America. The company supports a hybrid work environment for its 900-plus employees who work remotely and in 13 offices located in both the US and Canada, including six in Minnesota and the Dakotas.
What has been the biggest challenge for the company over the past two years of the pandemic? How has the company met those challenges?
I would say that the biggest challenge has been working through the starts and stops of potential federal vaccination requirements and decisions related to office utilization and mask wearing. The health and safety of our employees has been our constant num-
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MeetDarrylJorgenson,oneoftheGateCityBankteammemberswhohave helped localbusinessesthrive,eventhroughoutthe COVID-19pandemic.
Ifthere’sanyonewhofullyappreciateswhatit means to takealeapof faith,it’s DarrylJorgenson. In2011,thethen45-year-oldandhiswifelefttheir stable,successfullifeinPhiladelphia, PA,including hishigh-levelfinanceauditingpositionwiththe U.S. DepartmentofDefense, to becloser to something thatmatteredmore: family.
Darryl’swifewasbornand raisedinPhilly,andhehad spent 17 yearsthereaspartofhis 20-yearcareer inthe U.S. Navy.Forallintentsandpurposes,theywerequite happyintheCityofBrotherly Love –buttherewas alwayssomethingspecialaboutthe RedRiver Valley. It’s anarea Darryl,hiswifeandtheirthreesonshad visited countlesstimes over theyears, creating beautifulmemoriesathis family’s150-year-old farm inFisher,MN, roughly15milessoutheastofGrand Forks,ND. So when Darryl’smommadethedifficult decision to sellhischildhoodhome,it wasevenmore reason to comeback.Hecaredabouthelpingher makethetransition.
“Wehelped my mom by buyingthe farm,updatingthe propertyandultimatelymakingthedecision to move to Grand Forks,”Darrylsays.“Ihadno ideait wouldalso leadme to discovering my dreamjobatGateCityBank. It wasoneofthebestdecisionsI’veevermade.” Darrylearnedhisbachelor’sinaccountingfrom Gwynedd MercyUniversity,andlateranMBAin managementfrom WesternInternationalUniversity. Hehas amind forfinancialproblemsolving –andas he’slearnedwhile workingatGateCityBank –aheart forsmallbusinesses.
This wasespecially evidentwhenthe COVID-19 pandemichit.WithGateCityBank’sbusiness customerstrying to navigatetheSmallBusiness Association’s PaycheckProtection Program, Darryl and other teammembersworked overtime to helpthem weatherthestorm.
Whetheritwashairdressers, contractors, bartenders orotherbusinessowners, Darrylandhis fellowteam members helpedcustomerscreateabetter wayoflife.
It’s whattheydid wellbefore thepandemic,andit’s somethingthey’vedone eversince.
“AtGateCityBank, we genuinelyjust want to help people,”hesays. “Welove to seethemgrow.”
Swingon overto285024th Ave. Southin Grand Forks, call701-792-4388oremailhimat DarrylJorgenson@GateCity.Bank.
UponjoiningthefunandsupportivecultureatGate CityBank, teammemberslikeDarrylareimmediately able to grow theirskills,access countlessmentorship opportunitiesandenjoyafamily-friendly work atmosphere likenoother.
Discoverthe amazingopportunitiesatGateCityBank, andlikeDarryl,playauniqueroleinhelpingcustomers, communitiesand fellow teammemberscreatea better wayoflife.
Checkoutourcurrentopeningsat GateCity.Bank/Careers today!
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ber one priority. We have leaned heavily on our cross-functional COVID Task Force to wade through these challenges and make the tough decisions.
What does the company offer or do to make sure employees feel valued and appreciated?
I think this starts with the communications that occur between managers and their team members. We have quarterly performance checkins during which managers and team members discuss accomplishments, work challenges and future activities. We have recognition platforms that include peer recognition (based on values-aligned behaviors), quality recognition, safety recognition, innovation awards, spot bonuses, annual company awards and other department-based awards. Listening to our team members is another way to value their opinions. We have multiple feedback and engagement channels to ensure employee-owner voices are heard at Ulteig.
As pertaining to new hires, what skills standout in someone seeking a position with your company?
We look for candidates who, in addition to having strong technical skills (engineering, project management, etc.) for the role to which they are applying, are aligned with our organizational purpose of Creating and Solving for a Sustainable Future. Our core values include client success, integrity, enthusiasm, inclusion, agility and innovation, and we look for individuals who demonstrate these values through our selection process.
What retention efforts does the company make to help employees want to stay long term?
I believe we cover this across multiple dimensions. First and foremost is culture. From the company level down to individual teams, we want to be a workplace that attracts and retains team members due to Ulteig being a great place to work. Some of the key elements of our culture that employees tell us are the most positive are flexibility, communications, transparency, people-centrism, and having a fun group to work with.
Another key element involves having career paths and development opportunities that support employee aspirations over the long run. Being a 100% employee-owned company also is a key factor in long-term retention.
How important is work-life balance at Ulteig, even if some employees are working remotely?
I like to say that Ulteig has an uber-flexible work environment. We trust our team members to work the location and schedule that are the best for their overall productivity and well-being. A large percentage of our employees are not working in the office on any given day.
Looking ahead, are you able to share any foreseeable hiring plans at this time?
We anticipate that we will continue to hire significant new talent to support our long-term growth projections. To meet our heavy hiring targets, we plan to continue to expand our hiring activities across North America.
WCCO Belting, based in Wahpeton, North Dakota, specializes in custom rubber belting for machines in agriculture, construction, industrial, and recycling industries. It touts the company as having a “dedicated team and friendly culture” and notes it is consistently ranked as “one of the best places to work in the area, and we are always looking for great people.”
What has been the biggest challenge for the company over the past two years of the pandemic? How has the company met those challenges?
Agricultural equipment manufacturers are experiencing record demand, and that factors into the parts their machines need to function – like WCCO Belting’s rubber products. The biggest challenge for us these last two busy years, as it has been for many, is staffing. We’ve met the challenge by encouraging our workforce to refer friends and family they know and trust to join our team. This has always been our go-to recruitment strategy but as we’ve asked our employees to reach deeper and deeper into their network, we’ve boosted our referral rewards. It’s been an impactful incentive that’s allowed us to increase our production team by 30% over the past two years.
(Tom Shorma, CEO/President)Has any of the challenges been workforce-related? How, in particular, have you met those challenges?
When growing a team, new-hire training is critical to building a person’s purpose, helping them achieve job satisfaction, and successfully integrating them into your business processes. In a manufacturing environment, a new hire’s success is also heavily reliant on their ability to work safely. By reworking WCCO Belting’s production team member onboarding process and, literally, putting safety training first, new-hire recordable injuries in their first 90 days reduced to nearly non-existent. It’s been so successful that we continue to explore how we can engage employees on the topic of safety from day one and beyond, and were fortunate to have been awarded by the ND Safety Council and others for these efforts. (Rod
Koch, VP Operations)
How has the last two years impacted job titles and positions, if at all, at the company?
The Great Resignation further emphasized the importance of recognizing how millennials and gen-z crave tangible purpose and professional progress. At WCCO Belting over the past two years, we’ve realized how adapting job titles to associate to employees’ growth celebrates career advancement, but more importantly, it targets skills to specific areas in which people want to grow. And in a growing business as roles are becoming more specialized, we need experts to thrive.
(Tom Shorma, CEO/President)
What is one of the standout qualities you look for when considering applicants?
A willingness to learn and ask questions are important qualities to find career success at WCCO Belting. Even if you have decades of qualifications on your resume, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll have had experience in our niche market and with the unique products WCCO manufactures. Recently, we added an experienced region sales manager to our business development team. His first visit to the facility happened to be the same week our summer engineering interns started, and he trained side-by-side with them, rotating stations on the production floor, to learn about our business. With years of experience or none, employing this strategy allows new team members to demonstrate a willingness to learn that not only helps them assimilate and be successful, but the quality earns them quick respect from their peers.
(Jean Voorhees, VP Business Development)What are some perks and benefits the company offers that help make employees feel valued and appreciated?
At WCCO, we do our best to celebrate every internal win, big and small, to show our workforce they are valued and appreciated. We celebrate work anniversaries, distribute awards, and try to rally the team at each opportunity. What’s been even more rewarding, however, is the recognition our team earns from those outside our organization. From Prairie Business magazine’s coveted list of 50 Best Places to work, to earning multiple Manufacturing Leadership Awards from the National Association of Manufacturers, numerous safety accolades from the ND Safety Council and others, Business of the Year from the Wahpeton-Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce, and more. Each acknowledgement reinforces our people and company as leaders in our community and industry – and each makes for a strong pat on the back.
(Tom Shorma, CEO/President)What is a team goal the company might have for the remainder of 2022?
I’m encouraging my team to continue to focus on their individual goals, each of which is aligned with the organization’s strategic goals. Therefore, each supports the success of our department and WCCO Belting as a whole. It’s been a busy last few years and distractions can come so easily, but we must work smarter, not harder, and doing small things every day add up to big improvements. Atomic Habits by James Clear and its practices are regular topics in our weekly meetings this year.
(Jean Voorhees, VP Business Development)
Business executives all over the country are lamenting this “Great Resignation” – a market environment where people are abandoning ship for greener pastures. Those pastures may look a bit different for everyone, but frequently include more flexibility, less stress, more money and greater opportunity.
culture, or are people finding they bought something different than you sold? In onboarding, what are you doing beyond the day one paperwork, tour and orientation? How are you getting the new person connected to your people and acclimated to your way of doing business?
Whether a person leaves within the first six months, or after six years, the reasons are similar. We know that when COVID started, people hung on to their jobs if they could. Once the economy bounced back, though, things started to change. One employee who made a change in 2021 expressed this sentiment: “COVID made a lot of people realize life was short, so they asked themselves, ‘Do I really want to be doing this for the next 20 years?’”
A mid-level manager who also left her job last year, said: “I was overworked and overlooked. I was away from my family 60+ hours every week, and expected to log in and answer my phone on nights and weekends and vacations. Some days I felt like I was back in high school with the cattiness and backstabbing.”
In working with scores of employers and employees over the years, decisions to leave or to stay with an employer boil down to four primary factors that every business owner and executive need to hear:
There are two things to know to develop an effective retention strategy – when your people are most likely to leave, and why they are looking to leave.
Fifty percent of your turnover happens in the first six months of employment. That means you need to take a hard look at both your hiring and onboarding processes, to see how you can improve. In hiring, for example, are you doing a good job in explaining your
1. Money – Do I believe I’m being fairly compensated, and is it meeting my needs? If “no” to either part of that question, the employee will be looking. For most people leaving a job, money is not the primary motivation, but it is a critical factor in their decision-making process. And with inflation the way it is in 2022, employers need to constantly re-evaluate what they are offering new hires, and what they are paying people on their team. Doing nothing means you are quickly falling behind the market, and that means you will lose more people.
2. Fulfilling Work – Am I finding satisfaction in the work I am doing? At the end of the day, if an employee is not finding some level of satisfaction in what they are doing, they will not last long-term. That’s why it’s so important that people find fulfilling work, whether
that be physical labor, intellectual stimulation, customer interaction, building, creating, selling, servicing, or something else.
3. Feeling Valued – Do I feel appreciated by the people I work with and for? Appreciation and value at work comes from how people are treated by their supervisors and co-workers. If a person is acknowledged and respected versus ignored and neglected, they have a much better chance of staying and becoming a loyal team player. If the supervisor is checking in with them, and if coworkers are helping them when needed, they are going to feel as if they have value, and, in turn, bring value back to the team.
4. Relationships – Am I developing connections and friendships at work? The more connections a person has to the organization and the team, the stronger the bond. The sooner a new employee gets to know others with whom they work, the better. Your primary focus may be on their training and productivity, but if your people can help them develop a handful of good relationships within the first couple of months, we know that person is much more likely to stick around for the long term.
We hear a lot these days about company culture – good and bad. The bottom line is, if you focus on the four factors noted here, you are going to have a culture that attracts and keeps people, guaranteed. It’s not really “magic,” but it will impress your people, just the same!
Dan Oakland, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the founder, CEO, and senior HR consultant of Alternative HR, LLC (www.alternativehr.com), an outsourced HR provider based in Sioux Falls, S.D. He has more than 40 years of experience in business operations, human resources management, leadership training, consulting and succession planning.
Afew years ago, Doosan Bobcat opened its new North American headquarters in Fargo. At the time, Gov. Doug Burgum attended the ceremony and said he was impressed by what the company was doing.
“Bobcat continues to invest in these communities and continues to invest in creating jobs and building new innovation. It’s fantastic,” he said on May 31, 2017. They are “the 21st century jobs that any state would love to have and we’re excited to have Doosan Bobcat here in North Dakota.”
Jump ahead to 2022, when Bobcat continues to innovate and grow. That’s good news for any business no matter when it happens, of course, but it is especially impressive during a global pandemic.
In summer 2021, for instance, it completed the expansion of its production facility in Littlefield, Minnesota. The $26 million expansion project nearly tripled the size of the facility that was originally built in the 1990s, going from 70,000 square feet to 200,000 square feet. And this year it expanded its plant in Rogers, Minnesota. What might be more impressive is that its employee headcount has grown significantly.
“Bobcat employs more than 3,500 people in North Dakota, 335 people in Minnesota, and more than 4,800 nationwide. We have experienced strong employee growth over the last three years,” said Nicol Winkelman, vice president of human resources. “For example, the company experienced an overall 30% growth in headcount across all locations. Locally, the growth in Fargo is even more impressive with a 43% increase in employees and, more specifically, a 52% increase in young professionals joining our teams.”
Winkelman said Bobcat, founded in 1958 with locations in several states, enjoys a proud legacy of innovation, serving as a community partner and empowering people to achieve lofty goals. If there were only one mark of its success – but there are many – it would be its employee growth and retention efforts.
“For all employees, we offer an experience that encourages growth and development throughout their career. Employees enjoy a strengths-based culture, development opportunities, interesting projects, supportive teammates and leaders, modern facilities, rewarding benefits and more,” she said. “Employees consistently note the pride they have in working for Bobcat where they are building their career and are part of an incredible brand that empowers people to accomplish more.”
Winkelman answered a number of questions for Prairie Business, giving a peek at the company and its operations:
The company said it was seeking to fill about 100 jobs after the completion of its expanded Litchfield plant. Have those jobs been filled? What types of positions, primarily?
At the start of the construction project at Litchfield, Bobcat employed about 100 people in production, manufacturing engineering and operations. Today, we have more than 260 (with salaried employees, a total of 318) employees at the Litchfield factory and have added fabricator, welder, assembler and material handler positions.
What type of jobs is the company wanting to fill at its Rogers plant?
Our initial focus in 2022 is on hiring material handlers, assemblers and warehouse associates for multiple shifts at the Rogers facility. We are also adding 11 salaried workforce positions, including positions in operations leadership, manufacturing and quality engineers, human resources, safety and maintenance mechanics.
What are some tools or other means Bobcat uses to attract new employees?
One of our strategies is to attract, hire, develop and retain students and young professionals. The vision of our student program is to hire a diverse group of students into a variety of functions within the business to cultivate early talent, inspire innovation and address the workforce skills gap for future growth. We promote from within and take pride in transitioning bright and capable students into fulltime positions.
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Currently, across 11 Bobcat facilities, we have opportunities for more than 250 students to join our team in 2022. The opportunities are across most functional areas, including engineering, operations, manufacturing, procurement, data analytics, computer science, as well as commercial and corporate functions, such as accounting, marketing, communications, dealer relations, sales and more. We also support students at area universities, colleges and trade programs with scholarship opportunities, and area elementary and high school teachers and students with STEM grants to use in the classroom.
Our success is powered by our people. We are a company where all employees are encouraged to bring their unique perspectives and experiences together to create a respectful, positive environment and engaged culture, where differences are embraced and celebrated. Regular employee development, communication and engagement activities are supported through internal platforms, company webinars, roundtables, town halls, listening sessions, as well as leadership development events, training programs, mentoring and robust onboarding processes.
In addition, we employ a Total Rewards approach, which aligns recognitions with our competencies. This comprehensive employee rewards and recognition strategy is designed to promote the health and well-being of employees and their families, protect employee income, build financial security and help balance personal and work responsibilities.
We are committed to being an employer of choice to ensure Bobcat creates a strong future for our employees and positive impact in our communities in North Dakota, Minnesota and throughout North America.
We are committed to a culture that supports aspirations, innovation, open communication and collaboration. This culture creates an environment where employees can connect, develop and build a lifelong career, as we work together to achieve great results. We want every individual at Bobcat to reach their full potential, which is why we strive to offer the tools and resources to support them on their career journey.
The company’s core values support our culture and serve as a guide to how employees and leaders treat customers, partners, suppliers, colleagues and community members. These core values also support our commitment to social responsibility, continuous learning, acting with honesty and respect, fostering the next generation of talent and making a difference in the communities where we live and work.
What are the company’s long-term goals and initiatives?
It is an exciting time for our company. As the demand for our products continues to grow, we are investing in our people, technology, innovation and facilities, which includes expansions that increase production capacity and enhances our network of manufacturing operations. This growth helps us offer new products and services to meet customer demands and creates more opportunities for employee growth and development, as well as the communities where we operate.
What new technologies and innovations is the company excited about?
As an innovator in our industry, we continue to advance new technologies and alternative energy products, such as electric excavators and the world’s first, all-electric, T7X compact track loader that we launched in January 2022 at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES). We also continue to make investments at our facilities to accelerate innovation. We have introduced leading technologies to the industry, including remote operation, object avoidance, LG touch screens, wireless communications, telematics and electric machines.
What else about the company?
Being a good corporate citizen is something we value and take great pride in. That’s why we’re committed to supporting our communities in charitable contributions, scholarships and volunteer activities.
We support our employees volunteering their time and talents to make a difference in their communities, such as serving on nonprofit boards, committees and other community organizations. This support to the community also includes hundreds of employees volunteering thousands of hours, equipment and funds to dozens of nonprofit organizations for Doosan Days of Community Service across all communities where we operate.
Northern State University
Major: Biology
Graduation Date: May 2022
Career path: Get her invention off the ground
By Andrew Weeks
Anyone who knows Tawnie Williams knows she likes plants and animals. Makes sense for a biology graduate, but just how much does she like plants?
Answer: Enough to have more than 100 of them (plants and starts) in her home that she and her husband recently purchased in Rapid City, South Dakota. She also has a number of aquariums. Some have plants in them, but others have fish.
What’s even more interesting about Williams, who graduated from Aberdeen-based Northern State University this past May, is that she also can now call herself an award-winning inventor.
Williams, who started at Northern in fall 2019, took a couple of entrepreneurial classes while in school that set her on the path of innovation. It suited her well, since she has always liked to think outside of the box.
“I was at the top of my class in high school. I’ve always been an overachiever, kind of pushing myself to see what I could do,” she said.
One of the entrepreneurial classes had students pick an idea and turn it into a viable business model. How would they get their business idea to come to life? How would they run the show?
Williams had already been researching a certain bacteria for about a year, prompting ideas in her head long before the class assignment. She tapped one of those ideas
and set to work on developing a self-contained system, “like a bioreactor,” she said, “that degrades plastic onsite using that bacteria that I’ve been researching.”
It was an invigorating experience seeing her idea come to life, especially since she had never done anything like that previously. Others noticed, too.
Williams entered a contest for her invention, placing third in this year’s South Dakota Governor’s Giant Vision Competition. She was extremely excited “because I had no entrepreneurship experience,” she said, noting she went up against much more experienced individuals. “That was the first thing I had ever done (that way).”
Dr. Sal Villegas, assistant professor of management, said a spirit of entrepreneurship is flourishing at Northern State University. Students in the Entrepreneurship II had to complete market research, discover a viable business opportunity, and create a full business plan to determine potential profitability.
“Tawnie really stood out in the class because rather than coming from a business background, she wanted to show how scientific research can be used to solve contemporary problems while being monetized as a business,” he said. “Her depth of understanding regarding enzymatic biodegradation and her passion for turning this idea into a plan was inspiring not only for me as her professor but also for
her classmates.”
Now that she’s graduated, Williams is back in Rapid City, where she originally is from, and still has her business idea floating around. She has talked with at least a couple of business leaders about its possibilities. They want to “make it a reality,” she said. “But since it is still in the idea phase of the business-making timeline, it would take several years before it could actually get up and running.”
Who knows, maybe in a few years Williams will be able to host all of the plants and aquariums she’d like if her invention sees the light of day. It could very well be her path to fame and fortune. In the meantime, she is enjoying life outside of school and is deciding on what she’d like to do next.
Long-term career goals – besides seeing her invention take off – are still up in the air. It’s a flashback to before she started at Northern.
“I had no idea what I wanted to do – zero clue – when I was in high school,” she said. “I didn’t know what I wanted to go into. I chose Northern because of its study abroad program. I thought it would be a really cool way to utilize whatever degree I did pick and be able to explore different cultures and different avenues that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to pursue in South Dakota.”
As part of the program she visited Guatemala, where, using bottles stuffed with trash
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“I was at the top of my class in high school. I’ve always been an overachiever, kind of pushing myself to see what I could do.”
There is a lot of discussion within most businesses about how to retain and attract employees. Although somewhat magnified today, this is not a new phenomenon; human resource professionals have calculated employee tenure, turnover, and watched the hiring process closely for years.
The idea of finding a lifetime employee has diminished greatly in the last couple of decades. At one time people were told to find a good job and do everything to keep it. Today we have the impression this idea has shifted to “find a job, take as much as you can and leave the moment you find anything better!” If this shift in attitude is real, many people are going to find life much less satisfying and will be less prosperous as their futures unfold.
A recent Wall Street Journal quoted a new graduate or Generation Z worker as saying, “The most important thing was being at the top of the pay scale.” In today’s job environment, pay is a primary benchmark, but pay alone has proven out over the years to be the wrong motivator for most employees. Entry level jobs have never been the most desirable, but the idea one can start at the top is much more flawed than the age-old prospect of taking an entry level job then working your way up in an organization.
When I finished school, one of my classmates put on his resume his expected starting position was “Vice President.” None of the classmates I have spoken with about him since our graduation knew if he ever found a job or what he was doing to make a living. Certainly, to expect to start as a vice president of any organization without experience is a preposterous idea; yet he seemed to think at
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that formed a type of eco-brick, she helped build a schoolhouse. It was a good experience for her, as were other experiences she had at Northern. She said her instructors were helpful and passionate about their work. They seemed to have liked her, too.
“Without question, Tawnie is an exceptional student and a highly driven individual,” Villegas said. “I have no doubt that she will be able to achieve her professional career goals, whether these be entrepreneurial or otherwise. Her ability to solve complex problems, think critically, and apply her skills into an unparalleled work ethic will set her up for success.
“Additionally, her determination and ambition will most definitely
the time that this was reasonable. It didn’t work out then, nor would it be likely today.
Every organization needs to be competitive with general pay and benefits in respect to the market and the position, though some businesses seem to get by with offering the lowest pay with poor benefits. Low pay and poor benefits are not a long-term successful strategy. However, a business must be profitable to survive. If the pay scale for a profession becomes too high that the industry becomes unprofitable, no one wins.
Recently a regional business manager I know received a message from a person he hired asking this employer for more money to pay for his health insurance. Before getting the job, he was on a government funded health care plan with no cost for care or for the policy. His “advisor” suggested he ask for more pay or to be reclassified as a non-employee. The person was more than willing to lie about his employment status to get free health care. If he could get paid, but claim he was unemployed, the government-provided benefits would continue. This employer told the person no, and suggested to the person this might be an illegal act.
The audacity of someone even asking such a question is amazing. If a person is willing to lie to the government to get something they want, the person will surely cheat their employer. The person gave up an opportunity to significantly improve their life, future opportunities, and now the person is supposedly back on government benefits looking for a good job.
As people job hop today, they are unlikely to build much of a retirement package for themselves. Although retirement funds such as 401K savings are “portable” through the process of moving from one job to the next, transaction costs, time spent learning, the small breaks in contributed funds, and similar costs, add up to such a high level few understand or anticipate. Unfortunately, many businesses made pension promises that were not possible to fulfill, and the employees who placed their faith in these promised payments have suffered.
Our environment today is not very different. Young people are being sold on the idea of putting away a small percent of their earnings into a 401K or mutual fund and by doing so they will retire like royalty. After all, the sellers of this notion claim, over time stocks always go up! Normally if you save nothing you understand you will have nothing. Historically if one saves little one ends up with little. Every business must determine how its pay and benefits relate to options from other employers in the marketplace. Employees are smart and will do comparisons, so should employers.
Matthew Mohr is president of Dacotah Paper Co. based in Fargo.
prepare her to thrive in any industry or occupation that she chooses to explore. In my opinion, Tawnie will be an asset to any organization that she chooses to explore.”
For now, and with degrees in hand – bachelor’s of science in biology, associate degree in biotechnology, and a certification in biotechnology entrepreneurship, all honoribus titles – Williams is enjoying time with her husband in their new home, but said she will be looking for work soon. Their plan is to stay local.
They and all those plants and fish aquariums.
One tank is home to platys and guppies – small, peaceful fish, much different from the mother and five young blue acara of the cichlid family, “a very aggressive species,” she said that occupy another tank. “They’re really beautiful, though, and display a lot of really cool behaviors.”
Se rv in g North Dakot a for 113 ye ar s ha s always be en ab ou t mor e than ju st supplyingenergy. It ’s so much bigg er That ’s why we bu y lo call y. That ’s why we inve st her e. That ’s why we pu t in th e work to ma keyour energ y sa fe r, morereliabl e an d cleaner En er gy you can trus t to keep your home warm all winter an d brigh t all summ er lo ng. We gi ve ba ck to this co mmuni ty like we live he re Be caus e we do
Vi si t xc el en er gy.c om to le ar n mo re
“How does your organization’s culture differentiate it from other companies?”
At Altru, “Care. For One Another” isn’t just something we say. It’s the way we live out our mission every single day. Each and every person who works at Altru holds our patients at the center of everything we do. From our greeters, to our IT team, to our physicians – each of us is called to care for each of you. We also care deeply for each other. Whether it is our Spirit of Caring program, where employees can directly support other team members who find themselves in hard times; or our Code Lavender response team, developed during the pandemic to provide peer-to-peer emotional support, we are here for each other in tangible ways.
Our Code Lavender Team has responded to everything from an unexpected employee death to the tragic loss of an employee’s child to teams experiencing burnout. And, they have provided everything from a shoulder to lean on to a warm cup of coffee to helpful tools for dealing with grief.
At Altru, we are proud to care for one another each and every day – as a team, as a healthcare provider, and as a vital part of our community.
Here at B&T Manufacturing we place our employees first, as we believe that a well-cared for team member will create a far superior product that the customer will experience when they purchase from us. Being flexible to our team members and working with them makes for a happier team member and a much more profitable product that our customers see.
We all know that life at times gets complicated, and so at B&T Manufacturing we don’t want to add to the complexity of our team members’ lives. We strive to be supportive in this great adventure we call life.
Marc Pariza Operations Manager B&T Manufacturing Rapid City, S.D.
The culture at Banner starts with transparency and open communication throughout the company. When I started here, it only took a few conversations to realize the leadership team’s open-door policy was a full-on invitation for ideas, suggestions, and questions from anyone and everyone in the organization. When we talk about the company’s vision for the future, we know what to expect because we have goals and hold one another accountable – in a good way.
We collaborate across departments to make sure every project gets the attention it needs. We celebrate the wins together and pick each other up when we miss the mark. The unique part is all of that happens so naturally here, like geese flying in a formation so the whole group can go further than they would alone. We set our own course, follow our proven processes, and take care of each other to support our staff and clients’ needs.
Our culture is more than how we operate: It’s who we are.
Shawna Witt Human Resources Manager Banner Associates Brookings S.D.
VP
At KLJ we take a people-centric approach to culture. When you focus on the individual employee and give them the opportunity, the support, and the tools to do their job, the culture takes care of itself.
We believe if you take care of your people, ask what they want and need, the sales and revenue will follow. We are also always looking for cultural additions, not just culture fits.
If you keep adding the same types of individuals to your organization, you lose opportunity for new ideas. We want to continue to move forward and grow and you need new ideas and mindsets to do that successfully.
Nationwide, the number of job openings decreased to 11.4 million on the last business day of April 2022. Hires and total separations were little changed at 6.6 million and 6 million, respectively. Within total separations, quits were little changed at 4.4 million, while layoffs and discharges edged down to 1.2 million, their lowest level since December 2000. On the last business day of April, the number of job openings decreased by 455,000. The largest decreases in job openings were in health care and social assistance (−266,000), retail trade (−162,000), and accommodation and food services (−113,000). The largest increases were in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (97,000); nondurable goods manufacturing (67,000); and durable goods manufacturing (53,000).
In 2020, 55 fatal work injuries occurred where the primary or secondary source was weather and atmospheric conditions. This was a 29.5% decline from 2019 (78 deaths) and the lowest count since 2015 (52 deaths). Most of these deaths have weather and atmospheric conditions as the secondary source. Primary source refers to the object, substance, exposure, or bodily motion responsible for a death. The secondary source refers to the object, substance, or person (if any) that generated the primary source or contributed to the event.
Workplace deaths with weather and atmospheric conditions as the primary source of injury dropped 84.6% from 2019 (13 deaths) to 2020 (2 deaths). The 2020 count is the lowest over the 2011–20 period. The 2 deaths in 2020 were both due to lightning. Fatal injuries where weather and atmospheric conditions were the secondary source declined 18.5% from 2019 (65 deaths) to 2020 (53 deaths). This was the lowest yearly count since 2015 (46 deaths). In 2020, 41.5% (22 deaths) were from “Ice, sleet, or snow.” Another 35.8% (19 deaths) were from “High winds, gusts, and turbulence.”
Nonfarm business sector labor productivity decreased 7.3% in the first quarter of 2022, as output decreased 2.3% and hours worked increased 5.4%. This is the largest decline in quarterly productivity since the third quarter of 1947, when the measure decreased 11.7%. From the same quarter a year ago, nonfarm business sector labor productivity decreased 0.6%, reflecting a 4.2% increase in output that was outpaced by a 4.8% increase in hours worked. This is the largest four-quarter decline since the fourth quarter of 1993, when the measure also declined 0.6%. Unit labor costs in the nonfarm business sector increased 12.6% in the first quarter of 2022, reflecting a 4.4% increase in hourly compensation and a 7.3% decrease in productivity. Unit labor costs increased 8.2% over the last four quarters. This is the largest four-quarter increase in this measure since another 8.2% increase in the third quarter of 1982.
The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 11% from April 2021 to April 2022. Producer prices for goods rose 16.3%, while prices for services rose 8.1%. Producer prices for foods rose 16.3% over the year ending April 2022, while prices for energy rose 40%. Prices for goods less foods and energy rose 10.1%. Producer prices for trade services rose 15.4% over the year ending April 2022, while prices for transportation and warehousing services rose 22.6%. Prices for services less trade, transportation, and warehousing rose 3.2%.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Our mission isreflec tedin the work we do ever y day. And it ’s the people of this place who inspire us. Here, we share our lives, our work, our stories. It ’s people like Emily, who enjoy teaching patient s how toimprove their health and quality of life, that make this place unlike any other.
Our mission isreflec tedin the work we do ever y day. And it ’s the people of this place who inspire us. Here, we share our lives, our work, our stories. It ’s people like Emily, who enjoy teaching patient s how toimprove their health and quality of life, that make this place unlike any other.
We are called to makea healthy differencein people’s lives.
We are called to makea healthy differencein people’s lives.
Join ourteam:
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EM ILY▶ RN , FA MI LY ME DI CI NE EM ILY▶ RN , FA MI LY ME DI CI NE