Prairie Business June 2018

SUITE DREAMS

SUITE DREAMS

THE NEST HOTEL | RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA

THE NEST HOTEL | RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA

Tom and Markie Zacharias love Rapid City, which is why they completely renovated The Castle Inn — which re-opened as The Nest Hotel in a nod to a small, safe, and cozy home — to kick off an entire neighborhood revitalization to recapture the vibrancy of the area. The Nest features modern rooms and clever suites in a hyper-local landing spot for the city’s visitors, which has been so popular that it sparked a $20M reconstruction of the road surface alongside it, as well as a new funky convenience store nearby.

Tom and Markie Zacharias love Rapid City, which is why they completely renovated The Castle Inn — which re-opened as The Nest Hotel in a nod to a small, safe, and cozy home — to kick off an entire neighborhood revitalization to recapture the vibrancy of the area. The Nest features modern rooms and clever suites in a hyper-local landing spot for the city’s visitors, which has been so popular that it sparked a $20M reconstruction of the road surface alongside it, as well as a new funky convenience store nearby.

North Dakota law firm reveals the 7 costly mistakes families make in their estate plans!

Will

1. PROBATE COSTS AND DELAYS: Avoid potential delays of 9 months to 1 year or more. Eliminate or minimize substantial court, attorneys’ and executors’ fees.

2. NURSING HOME COSTS: Protect your nest egg from nursing home costs, which average over $7,800 per month in our area.

3. DIVORCE: Preserve your children’s inheritance if they divorce... up to 50% of your assets could walk out the door with your ex in-law.

4. REMARRIAGE: Prevent your assets from going to a stranger instead of your children if your spouse gets remarried after your death.

5. ESTATE TAXES: Eliminate or minimize state and federal estate taxes.

6. RETIREMENT PLANS: Choose the right options to preserve your IRA or 401(k). Take advantage of opportunities to minimize income taxes for your beneficiaries.

7. INCAPACITY: Make your final wishes known with a Living Will and Health Care Proxy. Avoid a publicly humiliating and expensive guardianship proceeding if you become legally incapacitated or disabled.

Even though you’ve worked hard your entire life and saved up something you’d like to pass on to your family, they may end up with nothing, without proper planning. When you attend one of our Wills and Living Trust seminars, you’ll immediately discover how you can prevent this from happening to you and your family… but space is limited, so call now to reserve your seat.

(701) 738-0060

All seminar attendees will receive a FREE 90-minute private consultation to see how a proper estate plan will benefit you and your family ($500 value)

Sponsored by: German Law Group

Attorney Ray German is a noted speaker on estate planning. His seminars are said to be entertaining, informative and easy-to-understand. Ray German is a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys. The Academy is an exclusive membership organization dedicated to promoting excellence in estate planning and elder law by providing its members with the latest research and educational resources. The Academy has been recognized as a consumer legal source by Money Magazine and Suze Orman in her book, 9 Steps to Financial Freedom

28 CONSTRUCTION

DIGITIZED DOZERS

AUTOMATION HAS RESHAPED COUNTLESS INDUSTRIES IN RECENT YEARS. NOW IT’S CONSTRUCTION’S TURN

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

A ROUNDUP OF SOME OF THE BIGGEST AND MOST SIGNIFICANT CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS UNDERWAY IN OUR REGION

EDITOR’S NOTE

THE AGE OF AUTOMATION LOOMS, IN THE MIDWEST AND EVERYWHERE ELSE BY TOM DENNIS

PHILANTHROPY

THE GIFT OF GROWTH HOW PHILANTHROPY CAN POWER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BY KEVIN DVORAK

TOURISM

UNDISCOVERED MINOT A GUIDE TO HIDDEN ATTRACTIONS IN MINOT, N.D. BY RIANNE KUHN 16

BUSINESS INSIDER

BUILDING THE FUTURE A Q&A WITH TOM KELLEY, CEO OF GAGE BROTHERS CONCRETE PRODUCTS IN SIOUX FALLS, S.D.

36 CONSTRUCTION CORNER

A BANK WITHOUT TELLERS? YOU BET, AND IN THIS PHOTO FEATURE ON THE NEW FIRST INTERNATIONAL BANK & TRUST BUILDING IN BISMARCK, N.D., WE’LL DESCRIBE HOW IT WORKS

GENERATION NEXT

CLIMB AND MAINTAIN

JESSICA WARFIELD CAUGHT THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL BUG FROM HER MOTHER, A 30-YEAR VETERAN OF THE O’HARE AIRPORT TOWER

44 INSIGHTS & INTUITION 46 BY THE NUMBERS

HAS BEEN HIRED BY VIGILANT AEROSPACE AS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER FOR THE COMPANY’S NEW NORTH DAKOTA OFFICE. AASHEIM WILL MANAGE SALES OF THE COMPANY’S UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SAFETY AND AIRSPACE MANAGEMENT EQUIPMENT.

ENGINEERING AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY. CURRENTLY, BERDANIER IS SERVING AS DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AT FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY IN FAIRFIELD, CONN.

The bulldozer pictured here shows the influence of automation on the construction industry. It features “automated operation from rough dozing to finish grade,” Komatsu states. IMAGE: KOMATSU

If you set the bar at competence, how do you reach excellence?

THE AGE OF AUTOMATION dawns

My Econ 101 text in college started off with a great idea: “12 Ideas for Beyond the Final Exam.” These were 12 insights from economicsregarding externalities, opportunity cost and other concepts - that students could count on using years later to help them make sense of the world.

I don’t have room for 12 takeaways from this issue of Prairie Business. But I do want to mention two, and the first one has to be this: Expect the technological revolution to keep driving change.

A few years ago, a writer argued that we’re living through a Great Stagnation, a dramatic decrease in the rate of innovation.

I disagree. As I keep learning with every issue, the Age of Automation is ushering in changes like few we’ve ever seen.

Our story about automation in the construction industry makes this clear. The bottom line: Within the lifetimes of many reading this, robotic machinery likely will be building America’s roads, offices and homes.

The trends are clear, and they’re all pointing toward dramatic and continuing change.

Here’s another takeaway: The Midwest is a driver, not a hanger-on. For example, the Bobcat Acceleration Center in Bismarck, N.D., is Doosan Bobcat’s North American center of R&D. If you visit, you’ll basically see state-of-theart machines that are working without operators in them, said Joel Honeyman, Doosan Bobcat’s vice president of global innovation.

When Midwesterners learn how much research is taking place in our region, they’re usually surprised, Honeyman said. At Prairie Business, we’re trying to replace surprise with awareness of the region’s burgeoning creativity. PB

LAYOUT DESIGN, AD DESIGN ANDY GOBLE KRIS WOLFF

ACCOUNT MANAGERS

NICHOLE ERTMAN 800.477.6572 ext. 1162 nertman@prairiebusinessmagazine.com

JENNIFER LEROUX OLSZEWSKI

800.477.6572 ext. 1167 jlolszewski@prairiebusinessmagazine.com

Prairie Business magazine is published monthly by the Grand Forks Herald and Forum Communications Company with offices at 375 2nd Avenue North, Grand Forks, ND 58203. Subscriptions are available free of charge. Back issue quantities are limited and subject to availability ($2/copy prepaid). The opinions of writers featured in Prairie Business are their own. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, artwork are encouraged but will not be returned without a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

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ADDRESS CORRECTIONS

Prairie Business magazine Box 6008 Grand Forks, ND 58206-6008

Beth Bohlman: bbohlman@prairiebusinessmagazine.com

ONLINE www.prairiebusinessmagazine.com

PUBLISHER KORRIE WENZEL

AD DIRECTOR STACI LORD EDITOR

TOM DENNIS

CIRCULATION MANAGER BETH BOHLMAN

How philanthropy can drive economic growth

By Kevin Dvorak BISMARCK,

N.D. – While most community leaders focus on jobs and business development, one area that they may overlook – but shouldn’t – is the role that philanthropy and the nonprofit sector can play in a community’s vitality and growth.

What can philanthropy do for a community? Most people have heard of the things that Denny Sanford has done with his philanthropy in Sioux Falls, or how Ralph Engelstad wrote the check that built the Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks. But, most people have not heard of the difference that philanthropy at any level can have, especially in the form of local community foundations, which capture financial resources that would otherwise leave an area.

Once captured, those resources can be pooled and used to address key issues in a community, improving the quality of life for area residents and potentially attracting newcomers.

Actual examples of projects partially or completely funded with philanthropic dollars include:

n Repurposing an historic bank building into a working steakhouse for a town that lacked a fine dining establishment, thereby creating jobs, attracting people to spend time and money in the community and providing a convenient dining-out option for area residents.

(Anamoose, N.D.)

n Building a community center for events, wedding receptions, regional meetings and other gatherings, all of which used to have to be held elsewhere as there was no suitable space in town. (Pembina, N.D.)

n Creating and expanding a children’s science museum that brings busloads of students almost daily to tour and learn. The school buses buy gasoline in the community, while the children eat a restaurant meal and may even stop to shop before returning to their hometown.

(Minot, N.D.)

n Converting and rehabbing an old opera house into a multipurpose community center that includes a restaurant and coffee shop, a library, an event center and a beautiful opera house/theater room for local and professional productions. (Maddock, N.D.)

n Updating local movie theaters to show the latest films on digital media. Though the conversion cost can be $100,000-plus per screen, this was a required change-over, as production companies had stopped sending films out in analog form.

Most rural movie houses didn’t have the cash flow to shoulder that kind of expense. So, local givers stepped in to raise the money to buy the equipment, enabling these vital recreational resources to still be available in town. (Grafton, Cavalier and Finley, N.D.)

n Renovating the local swimming pool, which is a magnet for families. Some of the organizers of the campaign said that they wouldn’t live in a community that didn’t have a swimming pool for their children. (Wishek, N.D.)

n Raising more than $1 million in private dollars to build and enhance a school sports complex for a community that has a rich sports history. (Killdeer, N.D.)

n Bringing a week-long theatre workshop to town so that local schoolchildren, who have no other opportunity to participate in theatre, can experience acting and working together to put on a show. The week ends with an evening production that is well-attended by area residents. (Ashley, Milnor, Stanley and Cavalier, N.D.)

The private philanthropic dollars that supported these programs ranged from a few thousand dollars to more than a million dollars. In some cases, the philanthropic dollars completed a project that was already supported by the local government, filling the gap that had arisen because there weren’t enough tax dollars to fully fund the project.

The people of Gardar, N.D., are renovating their Township Hall, and the check that was presented in October by the North Dakota Community Foundation will help. From left are Karen Langerud, Bruce Langerud, Tom Mullen, the Community Foundation’s Ken Dvorak and Dawn Eckhardt. IMAGE: NDCF

In other cases, the private philanthropic dollars were the primary resource to get the job done.

These are just a few of the hundreds of quality-of-life enhancements funded by private philanthropic dollars in communities across North Dakota. Prairie Business readers can certainly agree that these projects and others like them make for vibrant, active and attractive communities that both retain residents and attract new families and visitors.

Then, this influx builds not only a workforce, but also the next generation of leaders in a community.

Where do these philanthropic dollars actually come from? They come from local residents, from people who’ve left the community but still have a warm spot in their heart for their hometown, and from area businesses.

Some of the dollars come from grants from outside sources such as foundations, corporate giving programs from corporations doing business in the area, utility companies, cooperatives, banks and credit unions.

The recent strong agriculture, energy and manufacturing economies in North Dakota have created substantial and sometimes hidden wealth that can be a resource to further the development and enhancement of our communities.

The potential of these private philanthropic resources to help transform our region – as shown in the examples above, and in ways that we have yet to discover – is vast.

When considering ways to support economic growth and community vitality, remember that philanthropy is a critical piece of the puzzle. PB

Kevin Dvorak PRESIDENT & CEO NORTH DAKOTA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION BISMARCK, N.D. KDVORAK@NDCF.NET

MinoT off the beaten track

By Rianne Kuhn

MINOT, N.D. – When traveling to Minot, you’ll find a number of recognizable attractions such as the Roosevelt Park Zoo and Dakota Territory Air Museum, along with large events like the North Dakota State Fair and Norsk Høstfest.

However, Minot is rich with history, and there are a couple of hidden gems around town that even some of the locals don’t know about.

n For example, as you walk through the Scandinavian Heritage Park, near the stairwell leading to the Gol Stav Church, you’ll come across a statue of Sondre Norheim, 1825-97, the Father of Modern Skiing.

As a skier in Norway, Norheim’s love for the sport sparked his idea for a new and extremely useful invention for skiers. Norheim’s innovation let skiers attach their skis firmly to their feet, providing additional structure and stability -- and forming the start of what we know today as ski bindings.

By taking thin shoots from birch-tree roots and soaking them in hot water, Norheim was able to securely fasten his skis to his feet. “Now he could twist and turn on his skis and fly through the air like a bird,” www. hostfest.com reports. “Thus was the humble beginning of ski bindings.”

Norheim moved with his wife and five children from Norway to America in 1884. He “was a modest man, so even his neighbors in North Dakota did not know that his name was legend in Norway,” reports www.hostfest.com.

When Norheim passed in 1897, he was buried in Denbigh, N.D., just over a 30-mile drive from Minot.

His grave went unmarked for decades. Then in 1965, Norheim’s descendants and others researched all of the unmarked sites in the

Norway Cemetery in Denbigh. They narrowed Norheim’s gravesite down to two possible locations.

After three days of rain, the researchers drove a stake into the wet sediment of the first possible burial site; and when the stake hit a metal casket, they knew that this was not where Norheim was buried.

The stake then was driven into the second possible site, where it hit nothing.

That was the spot. Norheim had been buried in a wooden casket, and the wood would have disintegrated over time, the researchers knew. So, the mystery as to where he was buried was solved.

Once the burial site was confirmed, a plaque was placed there in 1966. Travelers can find the plaque near the Norway Lutheran Church, which Norheim originally built out of logs. The church, now made of stone, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; visitors to the area can see it as well as Norheim’s burial site.

And every year at Norsk Høstfest, a bus takes passengers to see both sites. The visitors depart from Scandinavian Heritage Park and travel to the Norway Lutheran Church and Norheim’s gravesite for a commemorative wreath-laying ceremony.

n In 1886, the development of the Great Northern Railway halted as the winter season blew through North Dakota. The rail construction crew set up camp, and as if by “magic,” a tent town arose practically overnight.

The community grew to a population of 5,000 in the next five months, giving Minot the nickname of the Magic City.

In 1910, the Secretary-Treasurer of the National Humane Alliance of New York donated 100 fountains to different cities across the

Rianne Kuhn, director of marketing & communications for Visit Minot, stands by the fountain that has been “loved, hated, missed, ignored, repurposed as a flower pot and literally avoided (by motorists) in the 100-plus years it has stood in Minot,” as the Minot Daily News reported in 2017. The fountain stands today as one of Minot’s hidden historical gems. IMAGE: VISIT MINOT

country. Due to Minot’s growth, the city was selected to receive a fountain from the alliance. Minot was the smallest city to be selected.

The fountains were cast in five pieces, which were shipped by train into Minot. Fully assembled, the fountain weighed in at 5 tons.

The National Humane Alliance of New York spent $1,250 on the fountain, which was quite the sum in 1910. Once the fountain arrived, its assembly and transport were the city’s responsibilities.

The fountain was put together and placed at its new home on Main and 1st Avenue. It was designed with a large bowl on top -- which the horses could drink from – and a small bowl on the bottom for dogs.

As cars became more common, the fountain played havoc with traffic, resulting in accidents. So, it was moved several times over the years and came to rest at what was then Minot State College, outside of Dakota Hall.

The fountain stayed there for 50 years. The water jets no longer functioned, so the bowl that horses once drank from filled up with flowers and dirt.

As Minot moved into its centennial year of 1986, merchants rallied to bring the fountain back downtown, where it had originally stood. With help from Monarch Concrete, the fountain was disassembled yet again into those five pieces and moved back downtown.

The fountain was repaired to be functional once again, and it got a good polishing.

Then during the downtown infrastructure project in 2015-17, the fountain was put into storage. With the completion of the downtown infrastructure, the fountain was placed on the southwest corner of Main and 1st.

With help from local companies, it was once again made functional. And today it serves as a historical marker and a piece of Minot’s rich history. PB

Rianne Kuhn DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS VISIT MINOT WWW.VISITMINOT.ORG

ANYTIME. ANYWHERE.

Supplying products and services to the construction, industrial and utility industries.

Don’t wait to get back to the office. Take care of business from wherever you are from your phone or tablet.

our free app today.

Concrete opportunity

Q&A with

of

Editor’s note: For Sioux Falls, 2017 marked the fifth straight year of record construction. And Gage Brothers’ $40 million expansion is a big reason why.

The 103-year-old precast concrete company – whose projects include Target Field Stadium in Minneapolis, the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls and the new Sanford Medical Center in Fargo – is building a 210,000-square-foot facility, designed by JLG Architects, at the edge of town.

The result should increase the company’s manufacturing capacity by 60 percent, Gage Brothers reports.

Tom Kelley has been president of Gage Brothers since 2001. He has served on the boards of the Sanford USD Medical Center, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and the National Precast/ Prestressed Concrete Institute Foundation, among other groups.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and has been a licensed professional engineer in South Dakota since 1985.

In this Q&A, Kelley talks about the company and the industry’s past, present and future.

IN 1915, GAGE BROTHERS’ FOUNDERS ‘BEGAN POURING CONCRETE SIDEWALKS IN SIOUX FALLS,’ GAGEBROTHERS. COM NOTES. WHAT WERE SOME OF THE TURNING POINTS IN THE COMPANY’S 103-YEAR HISTORY?

There have been several key moments throughout Gage Brothers’ history, the first coming in 1946 when the brothers Al and Bill Gage returned from the war and bought an automated block-making machine. Then in the mid 1950s when prestressing was just coming into practice, Gage Brothers began to manufacture prestressed bridge girders for the interstate highway system that was just beginning to be built across the state of South Dakota.

The next mark on the timeline would be the development of burnished block the late 1970s, followed by Gage Brothers becoming just the second company in the United States to make polished concrete in 1986.

The company’s Employee Stock Ownership transition in 2007 also stands out.

Of course, we are currently building our $40 million precast plant of the future. That also has to be one of the biggest moments in company history.

Q. A. WHAT’S A ‘FUN FACT’ OR TWO ABOUT CONCRETE THAT PRAIRIE BUSINESS READERS MAY NOT KNOW?

Concrete doesn’t have to be gray and boring, and it doesn’t have to be heavy. We can make concrete in just about any color or shape; the only true limits are imagination and creativity.

We can also manufacture precast panels as thin as 1 1/2 inches.

Q. A. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PART OF THE PRODUCTION PROCESS – A PART THAT ALWAYS MAKES YOU APPRECIATE THE MIRACLE OF MODERN MANUFACTURING?

My favorite part of the production process is our people. We take sand, rock, cement and water and a little reinforcing – and out the door comes some pretty amazing things that we all get to see every day in every sector of our life.

It could be a school, stadium, hospital or high-rise office. It could be in Sioux Falls, Minneapolis or Denver.

Gage Brothers has been building communities and crafting solutions for more than a century, and I couldn’t be more proud of our dedicated team.

A

Tom Kelley, CEO

Gage Brothers, the Sioux Falls company whose precast concrete comprises the exterior of some of the region’s best-known buildings

Tom Kelley

CEO, GAGE BROTHERS Sioux Falls, S.D.

Tom Kelley, Gage Brothers president and CEO IMAGE: GAGE BROTHERS

7th Annual Safety & Health Conference

November 28 - 29, 2017

Delta Hotel, Fargo, ND

The purpose of the NRASP Annual Safety Conference is to enhance the development of safety, health, and environmental professionals by providing quality speakers and learning opportunities.

Keynote speakers each day. Breakout sessions specific to:

- General Industry

- Construction

- Transportation

- Management

more info at www.nrasp.org

Q. A.

TELL US ABOUT THE ‘FLYING BUCKETS’ AND OTHER AUTOMATION IMPROVEMENTS THAT WILL BE FOUND IN YOUR NEW FACILITY.

The flying buckets are used to distribute concrete from the mixers automatically to anywhere in the plant. They have their own overhead rail system, which will eliminate the need to have Redi-Mix trucks and greatly reduce the time from ordering to delivery.

Another automation process in our new plant is our finished product handling. The product will be tilted up by the beds and then loaded via an overhead hoist system onto battery-operated carts. The product then will be off-loaded by an electric gantry crane. This process will eliminate nearly all of our mobile truck cranes, tractors and trailers.

Our new indoor sandblasting finishing booth is the first of its kind in the precast industry, and is very environmentally friendly. And speaking of the new finishing process, Gage Brothers has helped develop a new finish that resembles acid-etching without the use of acid, which is easier on equipment and will also allow us to support environmental sustainability in our manufacturing environment.

I’m also very proud of our recycling system; we will be recycling all of our waste water, which is just the right thing to do.

Q.

WHAT’S THE ‘NEXT BIG THING’ IN CONSTRUCTION, OR MAYBE IN YOUR CORNER OF IT? IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT TRENDS DO YOU SEE THAT SEEM SURE TO BECOME MORE IMPORTANT?

A.

I think the next big thing is more prefabrication. As time and schedules become more critical and labor becomes more expensive and scarce, it just makes more sense to produce off-site and minimize the site disturbance.

Prefabrication is also more cost-effective and is produced in a controlled environment, which lends itself to better quality.

In addition, the new building codes present opportunities for more insulated panel systems, so there is tremendous growth in this arena. The days of laying brick or block one at a time versus panelized systems are definitely long gone, and I like where Gage Brothers is currently positioned.

Q. IN 2007, GAGE TRANSITIONED FROM BEING FAMILY-OWNED TO EMPLOYEE-OWNED. WHAT BROUGHT THAT DECISION ABOUT, AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT EMPLOYEES TODAY?

That is a great question. Historically, precast companies across the country started as “mom and pop” companies like Gage Brothers. Nowadays, many of those familyowned companies go the way of consolidation and are bought up by large national and international companies.

Oftentimes, these companies lose their culture in the consolidation process, and I think that as a result, they lose their identity and forget what made them who they are.

To the credit of the Gage family, they wanted something better. They wanted to maintain the family “clan” culture that has always been sewn into the fabric of the company, and the ESOP vehicle was the way we could be professionally managed and still maintain the culture.

The Gage family could have sold the business to a large company for more money, but they cared too much about their loyal workforce.

The ESOP has been great for employees. They understand that if we work as one team toward one goal through great communication, both the value of our company and the value we provide to clients go up, which is reflected in their retirement earnings.

A. A.

Q.‘OUR CITY’S AT THAT TRANSITION WHERE WE’RE GOING TO BE MORE OF AN OMAHA OR A DES MOINES OR A LINCOLN,’ YOU TOLD THE SIOUX FALLS ARGUS LEADER. WHAT FACTORS HELPED BRING ABOUT SIOUX FALLS’ TERRIFIC GROWTH, AND HOW CAN THE CITY KEEP THAT MOMENTUM GOING?

One of the major factors that helped bring about the terrific growth is our leaders. I often marvel at the giant shoulders that we get to stand on today. We have had tremendous leaders in both business and government, and today more than ever, it is paramount that we work together.

If we are going to keep it going, we need government, education and business working together – particularly when it comes to training our future workforce. We have many great organizations, but we need to smash our silos and work together for a common purpose.

We need to support and lift up everyone – and I mean everyone. Today, 18 percent of our citizens and more than 35 percent of the K-12 students in Sioux Falls are non-white or nonnative English speakers. This is a tremendous opportunity and the key element to our future success.

We need to celebrate and embrace our diversity, and learn to communicate better with each other. Diversity is the spice of life.

I believe that with a new mayor in Sioux Falls, the leadership at the Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, along with new leaders within the regional education system that there’s never been a greater opportunity for better collaboration.

Susanne Mattheis passed away in 2007.

In 2017, she bought new books for the Bismarck Public Library.

Susanne left a gift in her will to provide resources for her favorite charities, including the Bismarck Public Library, the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony, and the University of Mary. The fund she created gives out thousands of dollars in grants to these entities every year. Susanne made sure that the organizations she loved would have her support long after she was gone. Her last gift will last forever.

What will YOUR Legacy be?

Call the North Dakota Community Foundation at 701-222-8349 for a free, confidential, no obligation conversation about the legacy you would like to leave. www.NDCF.net

Innovation spaces

By Tom Dennis

This is the rare story that can be summed up in a single word.

The word is, “Better.”

And the usefulness of the word is that it finishes this sentence: When comparing offices of the 1990s with those of today, we find that today’s offices are _____.

That pretty much sums it up, where renovation and new construction in the Prairie Business region are concerned.

Air quality? Better. Ergonomics? Better. Energy efficiency? Better. Work-life balance? Better. Versatility? Better.

Even, in the case of First International Bank and Trust’s new building in Bismarck, N.D., glare reduction from sunlight?

Better.

New and renovated offices in Sioux Falls, Minot, Grand Forks and everywhere else simply are more comfortable, congenial and cost-effective than offices used to be. And the degree to which they’ve improved is becoming a key competitive advantage, said Andrew Eitreim, vice president and principal architect at Architecture Inc. in Sioux Falls, S.D.

“More and more, the office environment is becoming a recruitment and retention tool,” Eitreim said.

“The company is saying to candidates, ‘Look at our space. Don’t you want to come and work here?’”

And just as residents will enjoy a new golf course while a city’s economic developers show it off, employees will benefit from a gym or other amenity while managers and HR professionals sing its praises to job applicants.

Think about it, Eitreim said. “How many hours are you spending in the office in a given week?

“These days, people want to work in a place where they feel comfortable and happy and enjoy a better quality of life.” And smart employers are doing their best to respond, he said.

Technology

Let’s go back to the sunlight example, in part because the glare reduction stems from a factor that powers many office improvements: technology.

The south side and the west side of the new First International Bank and Trust building feature windows made of electronically tintable glass, said Dave Mason, Bismarck president for the bank.

“North Dakota is great, but in the winter, you get that low sun,” he said.

AE2S employees (from left) Dean Vetter, Carol Wickenheiser, Dan Lissick, Rocky Schneider and Tammy Jo Anderson Taft meet in the Collaboration Room at the firm’s Fargo, N.D., office. The room is designed to encourage creative thinking. IMAGE: AE2S

In the region’s new and newly renovated offices, work has a whole new look

“We have a gallery on our south side, and that winter sun would be blaring right into that gallery. It’s not like you want to hang curtains to block it, so we ended up with something called SageGlass.”

A product of Sage Electronics in Faribault, Minn., SageGlass is dynamic glass, meaning it tints automatically or on demand to control sunlight. The glass features an electrochromatic coating that darkens or clears in response to electricity.

“So the control is just like a thermostat, except it actually changes the tint of the window,” Mason said.

“And while you can program it to adjust automatically, everybody also has their own adjustment within their own office. It’s kind of a neat feature.”

The durability and energy efficiency of LED lights mean office lighting itself has changed, said Andy Bartsch, director of electrical engineering at Obermiller Nelson Engineering or ONE in Fargo, N.D.

“Most new buildings are going to have LED lights with dimmers, and the dimmer switches likely can be remotely controlled,” he said.

Likewise, buildings will have many other automated features, such as lights that turn on or off automatically when someone enters or exits a room. “That capability has been around for awhile,” Bartsch said. “But if you’re in a building that’s more than 10 years old, you probably don’t have it there.”

What’s next? Lights that can be adjusted for not only brightness, but also color temperature, he said.

Different light sources produce different colored light, as a photography website describes. “For example, a candle emits a reddish light, while the midday sun’s rays have a blue tint,” the website continues.

“These different colors can be expressed using a number, and this number is known as the color temperature.”

Color temperature can affect people’s circadian rhythms and, like background music, their moods. So, research is underway to test the adjustments’ effects in places such as hospitals and schools, Bartsch said.

Low VOC

Some technological improvements in offices can’t even be seen. Take the carpets and walls you’ll encounter when you enter a new building, said Eitreim of Architecture Inc.

“That carpet looks like a carpet, and the painted wall looks like a painted wall,” he said. But in fact, the features could be real improvements, if they’ve been been engineered to emit fewer volatile organic compounds or VOCs.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, VOCs “are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids,” and “include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects.”

Moreover, “concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors – up to 10 times higher – than outdoors,” the EPA continues.

Said Eitreim, “choosing low-VOC products is part of creating as healthy an environment as possible.”

Then there’s the role of culture – specifically, the fact that CEOs very often want their corporate offices to reflect the company’s culture.

For example, the Sioux Falls marketing and ad agency Epicosity has a tradition called Craft Beer Fridays, Eitreim said. Epicosity’s website describes it this way: “CBF is a celebration. CBF is a movement. CBF is a way of life here. We take turns supplying a different craft beer or two to sample every week. Sometimes we invite clients or special guests. Sometimes we just hoard it and selfishly enjoy it by ourselves.”

So when Architecture Inc. designed Epicosity’s office, “we made a break room with Craft Beer Friday specifically in mind,” Eitreim said. Likewise, a mini golf course maneuvers through the office spaces, a further acknowledgement of Epicosity’s creative culture.

Along those lines, the Fargo office of AE2S, an engineering and consulting firm, features a collaboration room for brainstorming, said Brian Bergantine, operations manager. The room’s whiteboards and comfortable seating generate a relaxed dynamic in which ideas can fly.

And if you want to see these upbeat ideas taken to their happy extreme, stop in to see BNG Team’s new office building in Fargo when it opens later this year.

Three slides. A gym with smart cardio equipment. A game room. A bar and kitchen. A film production room. A patio and volleyball court. An auditorium that can be reconfigured for basketball or indoor paintball.

“We want people to walk into the building and say, ‘Wow!’” said Jason Gibb, chief operating officer of the payment processing and solutions firm, in an interview with Prairie Business last year.

Mission accomplished, we expect. PB

This breakroom at Epicosity, an advertising and marketing agency in Sioux Falls, S.D., is designed to accommodate the company’s Craft Beer Friday tradition. IMAGE: ARCHITECTURE INC.

Lawyer Raymond German specializes in estate planning at German Law Group in Grand Forks, N.D. IMAGE: NICK NELSON/FORUM NEWS SERVICE

We’re here to create peace of mind.

– Raymond German ESTATE P LANNER GERMAN LAW GROUP

Specialist solicitors

Fewer

By Tom Dennis

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Raymond German became an estate lawyer in part because of a bad estate plan.

“It involved my grandparents when I was quite young,” said German, president of German Law Group, an estate planning law firm in Grand Forks.

“They just had an ‘I Love You’ will” – a simple will in which a married couple leaves the estate to each other and then to their children.

Grandpa died, leaving the estate to Grandma. Then the executor – a son – “borrowed” from the estate and sank the money into an investment, which went bad.

This was decades ago, and everyone involved has passed on. “But lots of money was lost to attorneys, and more important, lots of love and harmony in the family was also lost,” German said.

“Every time we had a family reunion, there was this big elephant in the room.

“So that really motivated me, and it helped inspire our approach to estate planning, which is, ‘We’re here to create peace of mind.’”

Specialization in law

Today, estate planning and elder law make up virtually all of German Law Group’s practice. And in Prairie Business’ circulation area, there are dozens or even hundreds of other attorneys who focus on specialized areas of law, from trial attorneys and divorce lawyers to attorneys who take up narrower fields such as water resources law..

But what is specialization in law? What are the standards, and how do they compare with, say, the “board certification” process in medicine?

What skills might a specialist bring that can help clients?

Let’s tackle those questions in the context of the Dakotas and western Minnesota.

up

n In fact, there is a “board certification” process for lawyers who want to become certified specialists.

But it’s poorly known. That’s in part because it dates back only to the 1990s, compared with its medical counterpart, which began in 1933, wrote Thomas Sartwelle in 2011 in the journal The Professional Lawyer.

As a result, “it is estimated that 80 percent to 90 percent of physicians practicing in the United States are board certified,” Sartwell wrote.

“On the other hand, less than 3 percent of private practice lawyers are board certified by a state or national certifying body.”

Understand, the American Bar Association until the 1970s prohibited lawyers from saying that they specialized. But court cases and changing times altered that, and as a result, specialty certification programs for lawyers are growing – albeit slowly.

Today, for example, 17 states either certify specialists or accredit certification programs.

Minnesota is one. The Minnesota Board of Legal Certification, an arm of the state Supreme Court, “accredits the agencies that certify lawyers in Minnesota,” said Emily Eschweiler, the board’s director.

There are 10 fields of law in Minnesota in which lawyers can become certified specialists. These include criminal law, child welfare law, elder law, labor and employment law and real property law.

“What this process does is it provides the public with assurances that if the individual is certified, he or she has been deemed proficient in that area of law,” Eschweiler said.

Remember, though, that the certification remains voluntary. That means lawyers are free to practice in those fields and others without certification.

Most do just that. In Minnesota, only about 3.3 percent of active lawyers are certified specialists.

lawyers than doctors specialize – but the attorneys, slowly, are starting to catch

Similarly, only about 25 of North Dakota’s 1,700 active attorneys have been certified by ABA-approved specialty boards, according to board registries.

Word of mouth

In contrast to Minnesota, neither North Dakota nor South Dakota certify legal specialists. “We’re a small state, and it’s just not something that comes up very often,” said Tony Weiler, executive director of the North Dakota state bar.

“Here, you generally can find out who the good lawyers are through word of mouth.”

Josh Swanson agreed. “In North Dakota, the old adage that the interstate is just one big Main Street applies,” said Swanson, a partner at Vogel Law Firm in Fargo.

“When you meet someone, you tend to be only two people removed: You either know that person, or you know someone who does.” That, coupled with the state’s small number of attorneys, means it’s not hard “to get a good idea of which attorneys are practicing in what areas of the law.”

For his part, Swanson focuses much of his practice on energy and natural resources law.

“I’m from a fifth-generation North Dakota farm family, and when I got done with law school in 2009, the oil and gas industry was affecting a lot of landowners, both positively and negatively,” he said.

“So energy was an area that I really gravitated toward.” A state district court clerkship in Minot and Williston, N.D. – the heart of the Bakken – also helped.

Today, Swanson works on “everything from oil-and-gas leases to oil-spill cases to surface use agreements involving well pads,” he said.

“And it’s just like in football: The more tape you watch, the more familiar you become with the different nuances, the different strategies that the other side is going to use.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Swanson said. “The oil industry has been overwhelmingly beneficial to our state. But the oil companies also have very good and very skilled attorneys. And if you’re a landowner who’s dealing with them, then you want someone on your side who also focuses on that area of the law.”

Ag law

As with oil, so, too, with agriculture, said Derrick Braaten of Braaten Law Firm in Bismarck.

Some 99 percent of Braaten’s clients are farmers and ranchers. “Understand, I certainly couldn’t run a farm,” Braaten said. “In fact, I’m sure I’d run it into the ground within a week.

“But when a farmer talks, i know what time of year they’re going to cut hay. I understand the rhythms of a farm, I know about soil health.

“So a lot of what I know really helps me as an agricultural law practitioner – not just the law, but also having a strong grounding and background in agriculture itself.”

The complexity of U.S. Department of Agriculture rules also can call for a specialist. “It’s unbelievable, the acronyms, the jargon and the regulations that are involved,” Braaten said.

“In crop insurance, for example, we don’t typically get involved until something has gone wrong. Then we’ll look back through boxes of paperwork, sometimes for something as simple as a form with the wrong box checked – a mistake that has made all the difference three years later.”

The bottom line is that complicated questions often call for specialized help, said Ray German of German Law Group, the estatelaw practice in Grand Forks.

“I had a client a month ago who said, ‘Well, how long is it going to take once we sit down?’” German said.

“I said, ‘Normally in 30 days, we’ll be signing all of the documents.’ He said, ‘Well, how can that be? The last attorney I went to, we spent two years and $20,000, and I still don’t have anything done.’

“I said, ‘The difference is, this is all we do.’” Thanks to repetition and expertise, specialists don’t have to reinvent the wheel with every case, German said. PB

Josh Swanson, an attorney with Vogel Law Firm in Fargo, presented his arguments in June to the North Dakota Supreme Court in the case of Wilkinson v. Board of University and School Lands, a mineral-rights dispute. IMAGE: BISMARCK TRIBUNE

Derrick Braaten (right) is a Bismarck-based attorney whose practice focuses on agricultural law. IMAGE: BRAATEN LAW FIRM

Robo-build

Forget blue collar, when it comes to the construction industry. Think Nanotex collar instead. Or maybe smart-fabric collar, in honor of the new fabric that can turn clothes into wearable keycards and barcodes.

How else would you describe a field that now calls for piloting drones, programming robots, producing high-density scans and presiding over self-driving bulldozers?

For those are the jobs of today’s construction workers – or more likely tomorrow’s, as the advances described in this story catch on.

“When it comes to using new technology, the construction industry has historically been a laggard,” said Erik Diederich, director of business development for Industrial Builders of Fargo, N.D.

“So we’re still in the stage of case study and early adoption on the construction bell curve.”

But the workforce shortage is so critical, and the productivity gains are so impressive, that more and more contractors are taking note.

“We’re poised,” Diederich said.

“And if the technology keeps increasing like it’s doing now, I’m sure it will change the way companies do business.”

Here’s a look at some of the key ways automation already is influencing the construction industry in our region.

Drones

Around the country, as many as one in five construction companies already use drones, Construction World reported.

Drone use is less common in our area, said Diederich, who’s both a drone operator for Industrial Builders and the national chairperson for the Association of General Contractors’ drone task force.

But the region won’t lag for long. “When something comes along that’s as revolutionary as drones,” Diederich said, “people tend to really perk up. That’s because the savings and the productivity increases can be so high.”

Drones in construction serve two basic functions, Diederich said.

The first is communication. “Until now, there’s been no good way to show the world what we do in heavy construction,” Diederich said.

Drones have changed that. Now, companies can showcase their projects from a whole new perspective, using images and video shot from 150 feet in the air.

“That has really changed the way we communicate, not only with the public but also with clients and internally,” he said.

The second use is engineering. And in that realm, the efficiency gains already are vast.

“Think about something like surveying a stockpile,” Diederich said. Highway contractors routinely do that to track inventory, and the job used to take multiple hours and a two-man crew.

“Now, we can fly that mission in 25 or 30 minutes,” he said. Extend that example to site surveying, tower inspections and other complex tasks, and you’ll see that “what used to take tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars now takes one drone operator and a $1,500 drone.

“Those are the kinds of savings we’re seeing all over the country,” Diederich said. “It’s pretty fun to watch.”

Prefab materials

Like drones, prefabrication is a construction tool that’s big here but even bigger elsewhere, especially overseas. In Japan, for example, “more than 15 percent of the nearly 1 million new homes and apartments built there in 2016 were made inside factories, either as stackable modular blocks or panelized walls and floors pieced together on empty lots,” Curbed.com reported.

Also like drones, prefab’s popularity is rapidly growing.

Construction Engineers in Grand Forks is among those who’ve seen the gains. That’s why when the time came to build the new Clay County Correctional Facility in Clay County, Minn., Construction Engineers used cells that were made in Georgia.

“Each cell is about 70 square feet and comes with certain amenities,” said Ben Matson, senior project manager for Construction Engineers.

Automation is coming to construction, and the industry will never be the same

By Tom Dennis

Erik Diederich, director of business development for Industrial Builders of Fargo, N.D., pilots a DJI Phantom 4 drone in the company’s supply yard.

IMAGE: NICK NELSON/FORUM NEWS SERVICE

When something comes along that’s as revolutionary as drones, people tend to really perk up. That’s because the savings and the productivity increases can be so high.

– Erik Diederich DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRIAL BUILDERS, FARGO, N.D.

The Georgia firm, SteelCell of North America, makes modular cells that include bunks, light fixtures, sinks, toilets and doors. “In January, the cells got delivered that way, about three on a truck,” Matson said.

“Basically, you just lift them off, slide them into place, level them as needed, connect the plumbing and electrical, and do the next one.”

If Construction Engineers had built the jail with traditional masonry, the cell-work would have taken two months, Matson said. This way, the cells were installed in two weeks.

“Pretty slick,” he said.

3D scans

There’s the old way, as with all of these advances.

“Back in the day, if you wanted to do a retrofit, you’d go into a space with a tape measure and just start writing stuff down,” said Nick Stattelman, survey practice leader with AE2S in Fargo.

Today, you’d go in with a tripod and high-density scanner, then flip the switch.

The result of the latter method is a digital image of the space that’s so dense, it looks like a photo. Unlike a photo, though, the scan can be digitally manipulated.

Using 3D modeling software, designers can work with the scan to move walls, add windows, lower ceilings and do everything to plan a renovation.

“And there are other applications besides just retrofits,” Stattelman said.

“For example, we use the scanner for structural monitoring, documenting historic sites and high-precision topography.

“It gives you a huge amount of data in a fraction of the time.”

Before too many years are out, they’ll be common, suggested Joel Honeyman, vice president of global innovation and program management for Doosan Bobcat in Bismarck, N.D.

In fact, “I believe we’ll see more autonomous construction equipment before we see an autonomous automobile,” Honeyman said.

“Think about agriculture, where it’s already happening: Big tractors are driving themselves down the field, and all the operator has to do is turn the corner.”

The key there is the predictability and regularity of the task: flat fields, low speeds, straight lines, no pedestrians.

Construction will be next, because the worksites also are contained areas, Honeyman said. “And the machines are working on defined jobs that are a lot more straightforward than driving a car.”

Some automated features already are showing up. General Equipment in Fargo represents Komatsu, the Japanese manufacturer that – because of Japan’s labor shortage – has made “smart construction” a priority, said Matt Kern, vice president of General Equipment’s rolling-stock sales.

As a result, many Komatsu dozers and excavators now come with 3D-design monitors that let the machine cut and fill according to the plan. “The operator is still steering, but the machine takes over the blade control,” Kern said.

The result is much more precision, much more efficiency and a much less fatigued operator.

Meanwhile, Komatsu and others are perfecting the next step: Drone-guided “robo-bulldozers,” as one news story put it, that “scoop rock and push dirt without a human behind the wheel.”

Kern is watching it happen. “I’m seeing more and more interest in automation,” he said.

“Companies understand that unless they jump in, they’re going to get left in the dust.

“It’s what Amazon is doing; it’s what happened to Kodak cameras. If you don’t pay attention, the digital world is going to get you.” PB

Smart machines

And now comes what might be the most striking change: the arrival of semi-automated - and eventually, fully automated - skid-steer loaders, excavators and other construction machines.

Tom Dennis EDITOR, PRAIRIE BUSINESS 701.780.1276

This screenshot from a Komatsu Intelligent Machine Control YouTube video shows the “mind” and monitor of an excavator as it digs according to a digitized 3D map. IMAGE: KOMATSU

A prefabricated jail cell is dropped into place during construction of the Rolette County (N.D.) Jail in 2017. The cells are similar to the ones that went into the new Clay County (Minn.) Jail in January. IMAGE: CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERS

Because MOVING THE EARTH wasn’t enough. PAVE THE WAY. It’s time for us to

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Construction roundup

n St. Mary’s Central High School – New campus, under construction in north Bismarck.

The new school will include space for the fine arts as well as classrooms, a cafeteria, a gym, a dance facility, locker rooms and a chapel, among other features.

Project cost is $46.5 million and is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2019.

n Bismarck Municipal Airport – Main runway reconstruction, Phase 2 (re-doing the mid-section of the runway).

Phase 3 in 2019 will call for re-doing the far north end of the runway.

Project cost: $65 million.

n Bismarck Public Schools expansion projects – Century High School Phase Two and Bismarck High School Construction projects, combined cost: $30 million. Completion date: Fall 2019.

Fargo

n Heritage River Landing – New riverside restaurant and event center in Bismarck.

The planned 4,400-square-foot community event space will house a seasonal bar, restaurant and patio. The space will also include kiosks about the area’s history and a gift shop with ticket sales for the Lewis and Clark Riverboat.

The Missouri Valley Heritage Alliance has fundraised $750,000 for the project, which is halfway to its goal of $1.5 million.

The alliance hopes to complete construction by the end of the year and host a grand opening in early to mid-2019.

n Cash Wise – New store, company’s second in Bismarck, near the intersection of Ottawa Street and 43rd Avenue NE, just west of Highway 83.

Anticipated opening date: late 2018. The new store will also have a gas station and car wash.

n First International Bank & Trust – A six-story, $40 million, 65,000 sq ft. building. It will feature First International Bank & Trust on floors 1, 2, 3, and the south half of 6. Stonehome Brewing Co will be located on the first floor. Floors 4, 5 and 6 are available for lease space.

n First Western Bank & Trust – New building, corner of South Third Street and East Front Avenue. Four stories, 35,000 square feet. The bank will be on the first and second floors, while the upper floors will be leased.

Anticipated opening date: Fall 2018.

n Mid-America Steel – New manufacturing facility on 19th Avenue North. The building is valued at $15 million, not including substantial equipment costs.

Incorporated as the Fargo Foundry in 1905, the company was located in downtown Fargo until its building was bought by Fargo and the Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Authority in 2016.

n Border States Electric Headquarters – New office building, valued at $28 million. In early 2019, about 400 branch support center employee-owners will move into the new facility.

n North Dakota State University Residence Hall facility – $32 million. The new residence hall for sophomores will be six stories tall and will have 390 beds. It’ll be occupied in fall of 2019.

n NDSU Sudro Hall Addition – $28 million. The building houses NDSU’s College of Health Professions. The expansion, which will be finished in 2020, will be six stories and 74,000 square feet.

n Roberts Commons/Dillard/Kessler development in downtown Fargo – Four-phase project started in 2016 with 455-spot parking garage. Second phase Roberts mixed-use building (started in 2017 and to be completed soon) wrapping the garage with 72 apartments and main floor commercial space.

The Dillard building attached to the north of the parking garage, with main floor commercial and about 80 apartments, started construction in 2018 and will be completed in 2019. The fourth phase is the Kessler

Construction survey for Bismarck Airport runway reconstruction, Bismarck, N.D. IMAGE: HOLLY BECK SURVEYING AND ENGINEERING

Here’s a list of some of the region’s biggest and most interesting building projects

Our Senior Water Resource Engineer, Tom, loves a challenge. That’s why when designing a solution for stormwater retention/detention, Tom got creative. By creating an eco-friendly solution over a traditional pump station, this portion of flood control provided an innovative approach and saved the Souris River Joint Board millions of dollars in the process.

Turning his passion into progress, that’s what Tom is most proud of. And we are, too.

SAVE CLIENT $10M

To learn more about the Centennial Pond/Perkett Ditch project, visit our website at www.ackerman-estvold.com/projects

Building, a mix of commercial, parking and apartments, which is expected to start in 2019 and be completed in 2020.

Total cost of the development: More than $50 million.

n Block 9 – A mixed-use tower building with offices, a hotel and condos with an estimated cost of $110 million.

n Fargo City Hall – The new home to Fargo’s municipal operations in the downtown core will open in August, with an estimated cost of $27.7 million.

Grand Forks

n Altru Health System – New hospital, to be built at Altru’s current campus in Grand Forks. Old building likely to be razed.

Cost: $250 million. Groundbreaking: 2019. Completion: 2022.

n State Mill and Elevator – New rail spur and grain storage expansion. Project includes addition of 18,000 feet of track near the state-owned mill, plus the construction of four 250,000-bushel grain bins. Cost: $24.7 million

n Pure Development – New mixed apartment and commercial development, to be built at the corner of North 5th Street and DeMers Avenue. Project features a Hugo’s Family Marketplace and Alerus bank branch on ground level, 50 apartments on second, third and fourth levels. Construction expected to start in the fall and be completed in the fall of 2019. Cost: $10.5 million

n St. John’s Block – Renovation of all six floors of St. John’s Block building, corner of North Third Street and DeMers Avenue, along with three-story Annex Building neighboring to the east. Project is expected to begin this summer and be completed by next summer or fall. Cost: $6-8 million

n Arbor Lofts – New five-story, $7.5 million condo development on the site of the former Arbor Park in downtown Grand Forks. Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year.

Minot

n Trinity Health – New hospital complex, featuring a six-story hospital with about 200 beds, a 20-bed intensive care unit and an emergency trauma center with 27 treatment bays.

Location: Southwest Minot. Cost: Construction $275 million, furnishing $100 million. Groundbreaking is scheduled for June, and construction is expected to take three years.

n Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project – Project to provide flood relief for Minot residents. Phase MI-1 Fourth Avenue: Six-block stretch (from west of Broadway to the east side of Third Street NE) of levees, floodwalls, a new sanitary lift station and a pump station.

Phase MI-2 Napa Valley: Levees, a road closure structure and two stormwater pump stations, running from the Highway 83 Bypass to 16th Street Southwest.

Phase MI-3 Forest Road: Earthen levees to protect the north side of river between 16th Street Southwest and the end of Third Avenue Southwest. Cost for all three phases: $99.4 million. Construction began in May and is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

n Roosevelt Park Zoo expansion and improvement – New lion, tiger and leopard habitats. Cost: $5 million. Construction expected to begin in the spring and be completed in time for the zoo’s 100th anniversary in 2021.

n Downtown Gathering Place – Project funded through Minot’s participation in the federal National Disaster Resilience Competition. Cost: $6 million. Construction of the multi-use, year-round facility awaits property acquisition and completion of an environmental assessment.

n Vallely Sport and Marine – Rebuilding after earlier structure was leveled in a July 2017 fire. Cost: $2.5 million. Construction began in March and will be completed in October.

Sioux Falls

n Avera on Louise Health Campus – Phase One of new healthcare campus for the Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center system. Location: Southwest Sioux Falls, 69th Street and Louise Avenue.

Campus will include a new five-story orthopedic hospital with spaces for 24 inpatient beds, six operating rooms, shells for 24 future inpatient beds and two more operating rooms and other facilities. The campus will also include a connected, three-story medical office building.

Cost: $134 million. Opening of the campus is slated for early 2020.

n Gage Brothers project – New concrete production facility for Gage Brothers, precast concrete company. Location: Industrial park in northeast Sioux Falls. Scale: 220,000-sq. ft. plant, 14,000-sq. ft. office. Completion: Office in the fall, plant in January. Cost: $40 million

n Win Chill refrigerated food warehouse facility. Location: Foundation Park in northwest Sioux Falls. 205,000-sq.-ft. refrigerated warehouse, opening spring 2018. Cost: $32.9 million

n Silverthorne Flats – Apartment community that will eventually include 230 units. Location: 2105 S. Silverthorne Ave. Cost: $8.9 million

n Midcontinent Communications Tech Ops Building – Warehouse and technical operations office space. Location: 1305 N Terry Ave. in northwest Sioux Falls. Size: 30,500 sq. ft. Cost: $4.1 million.

n MIxed-use parking ramp project – Structure will include hotel rooms, event center meeting space, restaurants, commercial space and 500-plus public parking spaces. Construction began in May and is expected to be complete by fall 2020. Cost: $50 million. PB

Artist’s rendering of planned mixed-use parking ramp project in downtown Sioux Falls, S.D. IMAGE: JLG ARCHITECTS

SMART BANK

By Tom Dennis

Is your school building designed to protect against the possibility of an active shooter event?

We inform school leaders of important design measures that are critical for effective safety and emergency response. Anytime is the right time to implement safety elements into our schools. Contact our school safety design expert, Sean Sugden, to schedule a facility safety assessment.

EAPC’s Sean Sugden and North Dakota Safety Council Master Instructor, Don Moseman at South Prairie School in Minot, ND

BISMARCK, N.D. – It’s a bank. In a building.

But there the resemblance between a traditional bank and First International Bank & Trust’s new six-story building in Bismarck ends.

The biggest change is the one customers will notice as soon as they enter, said Dave Mason, Bismarck president for the bank.

“There’s no teller line,” Mason said.

“Teller transactions are happening less and less often; people are banking on their phones, and so on.

“So instead, we have personal bankers,” whom customers will find sitting at individual pods or work stations throughout the lobby.

“The personal bankers can do teller transactions. But they also can deal with new accounts, and they can do consumer lending, too.”

The cash recycler at each pod is a key piece of technology that has enabled this change. Sort of a SuperATM for bankers, a cash recycler can not only accept and dispense cash, but also count, authenticate and sort it, saving tellers those time-consuming and error-prone tasks.

Each machine also serves as a compact but secure vault.

The net result is that tellers no longer need to keep cash drawers. So, they now can both move freely around the room and sit or stand sideby-side with customers. They don’t have to carry out all transactions over barriers of counters and glass.

Speaking of SuperATMs, another version is at the bank for customer use. They are ITMs or interactive teller machines – “kind of like an ATM that has FaceTime,” Mason said.

ITMs are ATMs with two-way video. “So you can hit a button, and a person in our call center can get on the screen with you and answer questions,” Mason said.

Notably, “this gives you the chance to have this interaction after regular banking hours, because our call center stays open longer than our bank lobby does.”

Then there’s the “smart glass” that covers the building’s south side and changes tint at the touch of a button. But to learn more about it, you’ll have to read the story on what’s new in office design on Page 20 in this issue.

To sum all of these the changes up, “they make for a much different feel as you walk through the building than you’d get in a traditional bank,” Mason said. PB

Clear to takeoff

Meet Jessica Warfield, a University of North Dakota student whose voice may one day guide your flight to a safe landing

Q. HOW DID YOU GET INTERESTED IN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL?

A.I’m from Chicago, and I knew pretty much from when I was 6 that I wanted to be an air traffic controller.

My mom is a retired O’Hare Airport controller; she was there for 30 years. So when I was a little girl, I would go to work with her and help “stuff strips” (put flight progress strips in their plastic holders). Sometimes I’d sleep In the break room in the tower.

This was all pre-9/11; after 9/11, I couldn’t go up with her anymore.

But there is this website called LiveATC, from which you can tune in and listen the controllers talk at any tower at any facility in the world.

And I would always listen to my mom. I just looked up to her a lot, and I loved the terminals and the fast pace of the field. It was something that intrigued me from Day One.

Q.

HOW DID YOUR MOM RESPOND TO THE STRESS OF BEING A CONTROLLER?

A.

You know, it’s so interesting, but I never saw that. She never brought it home.

The one thing that was hard for her, and she still tells me about it to this day, was that when she was at work, it was all, “Clear to land,” “Clear to takeoff” and so on. You tell the pilots what to do, and they do it.

Then she’d come home to all these little kids, and she’d say “Clean your room.” And we’d say “No.” (laughs)

Of course, it was also an adjustment for her as far as holidays went, because as you know, airports don’t close on holidays, and those were some of the busiest times at work for her. So there was a lot of celebrating holidays the next day or the day before.

But she was such a great mom, and she did whatever she could to change shifts and be there for us. I played sports growing up, and she was always so supportive

In fact, I think that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to be a controller, because I saw her being kind of a super mom and doing it all, and I wanted to do that.

University of North Dakota air traffic control student Jessica Warfield keys her “push-to-talk” switch in the university’s air traffic control/radar simulator lab.

IMAGE: NICK NELSON/FORUM NEWS SERVICE

JESSICA WARFIELD

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL STUDENT

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA

Q. WHAT KIND OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TIPS HAS SHE OFFERED YOU?

A.

One of the biggest things was she’d always say, “Be like a duck and let it roll off you.” Because there are a lot of things that happen, and you just have to work through them, and that was one of the most important things she would say to me.

Even here at UND, I always say I have at least one day each semester where I just say, “I don’t know if I can do this” or “I don’t know if I’m cut out for it.” She has been there through all of those times and tries to be as supportive as she can.

Q. A. HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT UND AND ITS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL PROGRAM?

A big part of it was just learning how many controllers at O’Hare are UND grads.

O’Hare is one of the best facilities in the world, and so many of the controllers there are UND grads, and none of them had anything bad to say about the program. They said, “It’s an amazing program, it’ll prepare you like no other.”

They said that even when you get to the FAA Academy, which is the next step after graduation, all the UND grads there have that good reputation. So, they’re the people whom everyone else tries to “buddy up” with.

Q.YEARS AGO, THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL CLASSROOM AT UND HAD A TABLE WITH A BIG MODEL OF AN AIRPORT ON IT. AND WHILE THE STUDENT CONTROLLERS TALKED, THE OTHER STUDENTS WOULD WALK AROUND THE ROOM, HOLDING THE TINY PLANES THAT WERE BEING “CONTROLLED.” NOW, IT’S QUITE DIFFERENT.

Q. WHEN YOU’RE CONTROLLING, DO YOU TRY TO SPEAK WITH A CERTAIN TONE?

A.One of the professors who teaches here, he really emphasizes this. And especially for the girls, he says, “Use your Mom voice.” Use your Mom voice, because you want to make sure that the pilots do what you’re telling them to do.

And I’ve learned how communicating that confidence is one of the most important things when it comes to your voice.

Even if you don’t feel confident! Even if you have to “fake it till you make it,” in other words. You’ve got to keep that voice.

I’m a teacher’s assistant for the program as well, and I see this a lot with students. Sometimes, you can tell right off the bat how well they’re going to do if they put on their headset and just come out with that confidence in their voice.

When they take that tone, they’re basically saying, “I know my stuff, I know what I’m doing.” And you know that they’re going to do well.

That is something I’m sure I will remember throughout my career. That Mom voice and the confidence.

A.As you can see, UND has a 360-degree tower radar simulator, among other things. It’s set up like a tower, so that you look out the windows and see a simulated airport all around. It is really one of the best facilities in the world. O’Hare Airport does lots of training, too, but even they don’t even have a simulator like this.

During our classes, student controllers talk to “pseudo pilots,” who are other students or staffers who control the animated aircraft. And the controllers get put through various simulations. For example, we just did an engine fire. We can see the aircraft on fire coming in to land; we can see the fire trucks as we get them out there on time. It is extremely real.

We can simulate Air Force One. We have simulated helicopters in some scenarios.

Or we’ll do someone onboard who is ill and who needs to get to the nearest airport. We’ll work up all the way from the enroute phase of flight to the time when the aircraft is on the ground. We’ll be telling the other aircraft that they need to hold or go somewhere else, because there’s an emergency in progress. We’ll be moving all those other aircraft safely through our airspace while we’re giving priority to the emergency.

And one of the things we really talk about here is that when you’re in that emergency situation, your feet are on the ground. You really want to make sure you stay calm, stay collected and give out the right information, because while obviously you are involved, there are other people on the aircraft who are much more involved and at-risk than you.

Q. DO THEY STOP THE SIMULATION FOR CRITIQUES?

That’s exactly what they do in all of the different classes. They’ll pause the scenario so we can see where all the planes are, and someone will come in here and say, this is what you did wrong, this is where you could have done better.

And then they’ll just wipe the whole scenario off, and we’ll start over again.

Q. A.

DO SOME STUDENTS COME OUT OF THOSE SIMULATIONS WRINGING WET?

I have sweated during some scenarios, I’m not going to lie. There are definitely days when it’s hard. But without those days, I don’t feel like I’d be walking out as confident as I am right now in my abilities.

Q.DO YOU FIND YOURSELF “CONTROLLING” THESE DAYS, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE JUST A PASSENGER?

A.Oh yeah. It’s bad. I’ll be on LiveATC listening, and I’m waiting to hear the plane that I’m on. I’ve even been stuck at O’Hare before, and I’ll call my mom and be like, “I’m over here on Taxiway Echo Echo, and we need to get to 10 Right. Why are we over here?”

But it’s so fun. I love it. It’s definitely a passion.

A. Q.

YOU’RE GRADUATING MAY 12, SO BY THE TIME PEOPLE READ THIS, YOU WILL HAVE GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT. WHAT’S NEXT?

I was both an undergraduate and a graduate student this semester; so after graduation, I’ll just be a graduate student. I’m going to start working full-time, and I’m going to finish my master’s on top of that. I’ll be getting a master’s from UND in aviation management.

I’ll also be applying to the FAA. The first step is attending the FAA’s Air Traffic Control Academy in Oklahoma City, and if I’m accepted, I’ll do that next year.

LEADING OUR COMMUNITY

Deb Jenkins

Owner, Deb’s Corner Foods & Catering; Founder, Celebration of Women and Their Music; Nurse, Southeast Human Services; Singer, Deb Jenkins Band | Nursing, 1992

The greatest leadership challenge is making sure you are meeting the needs of everyone you work with, listening to their needs, and giving all you can to them without exhausting yourself.

Transforming the world by transforming lives.

Read more about leadership from MSUM alumni at mnstate.edu/life-transformed

Minnesota State University Moorhead is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

Jessica Warfield, an air traffic control student at the University of North Dakota, sits in the 360-degree air traffic control/radar simulator lab in UND’s Clifford Hall.

IMAGE: NICK NELSON/FORUM NEWS SERVICE

INSIGHTs & INTUITION

What books on business – both recent and classic – have you found especially useful, and why?

One of my favorite principles from “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is “Never criticize, condemn, or complain.” In order to win in business and in life, you must take your eyes off of yourself, and help other people succeed. If you are criticizing anyone , you are judging them – not coaching them. You are comparing them to you or others and not seeing them for who they are and the talents they have.

If you are ever complaining about anything, you are not taking responsibility or accepting the circumstances; and therefore, you are not able to change your situation.

Staying true to this principle will help you tremendously in business and in life.

PRESIDENT

USA wrestling is a significant part of my life as a coach, referee and former high school and collegiate athlete. Much of what I learned in wrestling formed my approach to business and life, thanks in part to legendary wrestler and coach, Dan Gable.

I have read or watched almost everything about Mr. Gable, and I learned, through his leadership, that I can make an impact by teaching and empowering others to be successful in business and in life, whether it’s a client, friend, family member or complete stranger.

That impact motivates me to be and do better every day.

Kelly Schlauderaff

Wyatt Pollert

VICE

AND REGIONAL SALES MANAGER TCF HOME LOANS BISMARCK, N.D.

“Plutarch’s Lives” is arguably the most important writing that describes the moral virtues and failings of people; in this case, the noble Greeks and Romans.

“The Art of War” by Sun Tzu has had a profound influence on not only military tactics, but also business and legal strategy.

Writings about Thomas Jefferson by Dumas Malone and others shed light on one of our most influential and controversial founding fathers.

“Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business” by John Mackey and Raj Sisodia offers a defense of capitalism that encapsulates “decentralization, empowerment, innovation and collaboration.”

“Being At Home in the World” by Fargo, N.D., writer, teacher, speaker and social justice activist Laetitia Mizero Hellerud describes her journey and provides “crosscultural leadership lessons” to guide your own.

My selection for “best book” would be “Ego Is The Enemy” by Ryan Holiday.

And here are my two cents on it:

I recommend this book for any executive, leader or even new graduate looking to start his or her career.

I found the book to be a very interesting take on how often our biggest challenges in life and in the workplace are caused by internal factors, whether these be our attitudes, reactions to unfavorable circumstances or how we value ourselves.

In a world that too often seems to be of the “all about me” mentality, this was a positive reminder about self-awareness and how focusing on the greater good of a team or organization can help that organization meet its goals and objectives.

Anna Rosburg

Gary Petersen

CHAIRMAN CORNERSTONE BANK FARGO, N.D.

“The April Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index, a leading economic indicator for the nine-state region stretching from Arkansas to North Dakota, jumped to its highest level in 12 years, pointing to strong growth for the next three to six months.”

“The Business Conditions Index, which ranges between 0 and 100, expanded to a robust 64.5 from March’s 62.1. This is the 17th straight month the index has remained above growth neutral 50.0, and is the highest reading in 12 years, pointing to strong growth for the region over the next three to six months.”

MINNESOTA: “The April Business Conditions Index for Minnesota expanded to a very healthy 63.6 from March’s 61.0.”

NORTH DAKOTA: “The index for North Dakota sank below growth neutral for April. The overall index from a survey of supply managers slumped to a regional low of 49.8 from 42.5 in March.”

SOUTH DAKOTA: “The index for South Dakota expanded to a strong and regional high 69.3 from last month’s 67.4.”

Source: Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index