Building up Bismarck

BY KRIS BEVILL

Brian Ritter, president and CEO of the Bismarck-Mandan (N.D.) Development Association, sums up the current state of the community's business climate in one word: Exciting.

“There is just so much happening,” he says. “I’m very bullish on the future of Bismarck-Mandan.”

As with other communities throughout the region, diversity in industry is the ultimate goal for North Dakota’s capitol city, and Ritter thinks Bismarck has it. State government agencies, manufacturers such as Bobcat Co. and health care organizations including Sanford Health and St. Alexius are all major employers.

Two major utilities, MDU Resources Group and Basin Electric Power Cooperative, are headquartered in Bismarck and are growing. And while the city does not house one of the state’s major universities, it is home to higher education institutions including the University of Mary, Bismarck State College and Rasmussen College, which Ritter says further contribute to the metro area’s diversifying economy.

Bismarck’s population has been steadily growing in recent years. The U.S. Census recorded an estimated population of about 65,000 in 2012, up from about 61,000 in 2010. An obvious sign of the community’s growth is the plan to open three new elementary schools (two in Bismarck, one in Mandan) and a new high school in Bismarck. Ritter says the new schools are a direct result of the community’s recent record-setting growth and a desire among community members to continue investing in education to maintain and improve the quality of life. “Those four projects represent an estimate pushing $100 million and the voters approved it on the very first shot,” he says. “Those things don’t happen in stagnant communities.”

Of course, Bismarck’s proximity to the Bakken region has been responsible for a portion of the city’s recent growth, but Ritter says the impact is not as immediately noticeable as in the oil region’s hub cities because much of Bismarck’s energy-related growth has come in the form of white-collar jobs. “Because of where we’re located [about an hour and half east of Dickinson, N.D., and three and half hours southeast of Williston, N.D.] we have not seen the service companies, the water trucks, those types of companies,” he says. “What you see is the office side — all those things that support the industry that don’t have to be done on site. It doesn’t come in increments of 75 to 100 employees, it comes in one or two employees here and there. But when you add all those up, it is significant.”

Engineering is one industry in particular that has experienced an influx of new and expanded firms in Bismarck recently. KLJ, one of the largest engineering firms in the region, recently moved into its impressively sized new headquarters, a sign of its recent growth throughout the region. The facility sits on more than eight acres and was designed specifically to increase productivity, employee morale and to foster an innovative and collaborative culture. The building, designed by JLG Architects, has piqued the interest of the local business community and the company has hosted several group tours of the facility since opening, according to Jill Furaus, KLJ communications coordinator.

Downtown Bismarck is also experiencing a recent rejuvenation. Several unique projects are expected to breathe new life into the formerly tired section of town, including the Broadway Centre, an estimated $30 million infill project which will include commercial and residential space when complete. The building occupies nearly a full city block and represents a significant expansion into the western side of downtown, according to Kate Herzog, assistant director for the Downtown Business Association of Bismarck.

Herzog says the Downtowners’ 2014 areas of focus will include the development of market-rate housing projects and public gathering spaces. “With unemployment so low and housing stock so tight, we could really use some market-rate housing in the downtown,” she says, adding that any housing projects will likely be new construction as there is a lack of existing building stock that could be rehabilitated for housing.

Construction is nearing completion on a needed expansion and renovation to the Bismarck Civic Center. The approximately $25 million project, designed by Bismarckbased übl Design Group, includes the addition of a 50,000square-foot exhibit hall and 20,000 square feet of storage, lobby, concourse and support space. Despite the unusually cold winter, construction is on schedule and the facility will be at a “rough finish” point in time for the North Dakota Petroleum Council’s annual meeting in May, according to civic center general manager Charlie Geske. The center should be fully finished by October, however Geske says the center will hedge against potential summer weather delays and does not plan to book major events until early next year. When complete, the civic center will offer approximately 150,000 square feet of exhibit space, surpassing that of other area event centers, including the Fargodome, Geske says. The expanded space should allow the center to continue hosting regional events as well as compete for national events that may not have considered the venue previously.

Located in the shadow of the state Capitol Building, another expansion project is expected to draw visitors from throughout the region. A long-overdue renovation of the state’s Heritage Center will nearly double the museum’s gallery size to 39,000 feet and will include four new galleries to better display the state’s history, dating back to prehistoric times. The project is estimated at nearly $40 million is scheduled to be complete by Nov. 2, in time to celebrate North Dakota’s 125th anniversary of statehood. PB

Kris Bevill Editor, Prairie Business 701-306-8561, kbevill@prairiebizmag.com