AHear tforSmallBusinesses

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.”

Want to MeetDarryl?

Swingon overto285024th Ave. Southin Grand Forks, call701-792-4388oremailhimat DarrylJorgenson@GateCity.Bank.

YouC ouldAlso WorkAlongsideHim!

You C ould Also Work Alongside Him!

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!

continued from Page 21 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)