Prairie Business November 2019

COMMUNICATION

IS KEY TO COMPLETING A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT

REASON NO 153

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Telemedicine changes the way we ‘doctor’

In previous generations, people often used the word “doctor” as a verb, and in a unique way that continues in some parts of rural America. It’s just not nearly as prevalent as it was a few decades ago.

Rural people sometimes say they “doctor” in bigger cities like Bismarck and Sioux Falls. Often, rural folks doctor in smaller, nearby towns – places like Northwood, N.D., or Wessington Springs, S.D. –that still have a hospital or clinic.

A quick check of online dictionaries shows few instances of that usage. MerriamWebster makes a brief reference, simply by calling it “dialect.”

But we have heard it much in years past and still do now and then today. For many in rural America, “doctoring” means making a trip to another town specifically for regular medical care.

Doctoring, in this sense, also can affect how people decide where they will pick up supplies or purchase a set of tires, or – if services are a great distance –whether they will choose to see a doctor at all.

So imagine what can happen as telemedicine takes root in the region, riding the wings of technological advances that would have seemed far-fetched not long ago.

In this month’s edition of Prairie Business, reporter Sam Easter digs into how medicine is changing in the age of the internet. He writes that doctors are more often coming together – digitally, not necessarily physically – to collaboratively diagnose illnesses.

And technology is making it more personal for the patient, too. Tyto Care is a home device equipped with a camera, tongue depressor and thermometer, allowing doctors to remotely examine patients. In some cases, these devices make it so a doctor never actually sees the patient in person, but is still able to make a diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate medication from miles away.

A doctor from Sioux Falls-based Sanford says the innovations are transforming the profession. Another doctor – from Altru, in Grand Forks – says the past four or five years have seen a dramatic increase in telemedicine.

The advances could help ease problems associated with a regionwide doctor shortage. Much of rural America is greatly underserved, and without much hope for change. The problem is acute in the Dakotas.

So as we hear that telemedicine is taking root, we can’t help but get excited about its potential to help cure all sorts of ills – both literally and figuratively.

Telemedicine could reduce the threat that comes with a shortage of healthcare professionals in rural areas. It could ease the inconvenience of lost time for rural residents who in the past have traveled great distances to see the healthcare professionals that are concentrated in the larger towns and cities. It could keep rural residents closer to home, saving them money and potentially eliminating the urge to purchase their supplies in other towns.

And, most important, telemedicine could be a lifesaver to a patient who otherwise does not have quick access to a medical professional.

“Doctor” – in the sense of traveling to a regular health appointment – is an oldfashioned verb that likely will fall out of America’s lexicon. It’ll be a shame to see that endearing verb go extinct, and especially on the cusp of an era when people literally can say they “doctor” in their own tiny hometown or, perhaps, even in their own front parlor.

Korrie Wenzel has been publisher of Prairie Business since 2014.

PUBLISHER

KORRIE WENZEL

AD DIRECTOR

STACI LORD EDITOR

SYDNEY MOOK

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NICHOLE ERTMAN 800.477.6572 ext. 1162 nertman@prairiebusinessmagazine.com

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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.

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korrie wenzel publisher

FOREVERY QUESTION RAISED...

WE HAVE ANANSWER.

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New Tech, Meet New Med

How growing telecomm tech and the internet is reshaping Upper Midwest medicine

By Sam Easter

Maybe you’ve caught an episode. “Chasing the Cure,” a TNT/TBS show about medical mysteries, showcases ailments that don’t seem to have an explanation — and asks the audience to lend a hand.

One such mystery is Cathy, a Gulf War veteran with a persistent, wracking cough and hair loss. Nobody can seem to figure out what’s wrong. But maybe a panel of experts — and you, the viewer — can help?

“For the past 28 years they did test after test, x-ray after x-ray, blood tests, comb biopsies,” Cathy says in a taped segment on the show’s website. “I’ve had all manner of inhalers. It may work for like two or three days, and then that cough’s back full strong. Like it grew muscles.”

The show crowdsources medical advice in a way that’s only become possible in the past few decades. It is, at its core, not just a show about its patients’ confounding ailments, but a window into how medicine is changing in the age of the internet. Better diagnoses with big medical data, long-range virtual doctors’ visits and —yes — even

the kind of collaborative diagnoses that bring doctors hundreds of miles apart together on a case are becoming easier with the advent of better, faster telecommunications technology.

For medical providers in the upper Midwest, technology has been marching forward — making all manner of things possible — for decades and decades. Dr. Josh Crabtree, senior vice president of clinic operations for Sanford Health, points out that even some of the most basic changes in telecommunications have helped transform the profession.

“We can go back a long ways and say the telephone was a huge technological advancement in the practice of medicine — just being able to pick up a telephone and call a consultant that was an hour away or halfway around the world,” Crabtree said. “But also through technology, not only can I now talk to them on a phone, but I can talk to them on a video screen.”

That kind of remote care is the conceit behind devices like Tyto Care, a home device that has a few basic instruments — like a camera,

thermometer and tongue depressor — and can help doctors remotely examine patients. Sanford’s website boasts that it can even help doctors make a diagnosis and offer a prescription, all without the patient ever seeing a doctor in person.

For regions like North Dakota, those technologies, dubbed “telemedicine,” are seen as an increasingly important way to provide access to medical care. The Washington Post reports that 80 percent of the rural U.S. is “medically underserved,” per federal officials, with dim hopes of an increase in doctors. A map of North Dakota on file with the University of North Dakota’s Center for Rural Health indicates that most of the state is a “geographic health professional shortage area.”

Telemedicine is increasingly in use around the country. Altru Health System is growing its own suite of telemedicine services, too, which Mark Waind, executive vice president and chief information officer, said helps keep patients from driving long distances for care and keep patients from heading out in bad weather — when a video connection with a nurse and patient on one end and a doctor on the other will help medical professionals size up the situation perfectly well.

“When you look at the last four or five years, we have had a dramatic increase in the amount of telemedicine that we have,” Waind said.

The other big development, said Dr. Mark Weiser, Altru’s chief medical officer, are the ways that big medical data is starting to help doctors treat patients. Doctor’s haven’t been replaced by artificial intelligence yet, of course — but a wealth of medical data marshaled by computers is beginning to give doctors a deeper understanding the likelihood that a patient is ready to be discharged, for example.

And, of course, there’s plenty of collaboration that mirrors what happens on television shows like “Chasing the Cure” — the Mayo Clinic Care Network, which is more or less an extended network of resources, including doctor expertise, that health care providers can tap into. According to the clinic’s website, that includes things like

e-consultations, where doctors can tap Mayo experts for advice about a patient, to health care consulting, in which industry experts offer advice on things like “patient care, human resources, finance and other administrative and operational areas.” Altru is a member.

But, just like with the telephone, some of the simplest advances in medical technology are some of the most transformative. Waind points out that the patients who walk into the emergency room nowadays already know more than most other patients.

“(Patients are) way more informed than they ever have because you can google anything…you can google a kidney stone or chest pain or elbow pain,” he said. “You can google what a fracture looks like.”

The school is also working to make sure that student processes, like admissions and financial aid, are easier for students. The final piece involves the school’s Success Center, which helps advise students.

NICOLE ANDERSON OF ESSENTIA HEALTH-ST. JOSEPH’S MEDICAL CENTER IN BRAINERD WATCHES AS DR. SANDRA HANON TALKS FROM THE TWIN CITIES ON A VIDEO DEVICE STROKE DOCTORS USE TO HELP MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS. IMAGE: FORUM NEWS SERVICE

MARSHA WAIND, ALTRU HOSPITAL’S REGIONAL SERVICES MANAGER, TAKES A LOOK INSIDE AN EAR THAT IS BEING BROADCAST FROM DEVILS LAKE TO GRAND FORKS VIA TELEMEDICINE ON MONDAY, JULY 10, 2017. IMAGE: FORUM NEWS SERVICE

(FROM LEFT) ALTRU HEALTH SYSTEM EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTS DR. STEVE WEISER, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, AND MARK WAIND, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, STAND FOR A PORTRAIT IN GRAND FORKS ON THURSDAY, OCT. 10, 2019. IMAGE: NICK NELSON / FORUM NEWS SERVICE

Top Five Tips to Prepare for Year-End

By Jenni Huotari CPA, Partner-in-Charge

of Business Outsourcing & Strategy Eide Bailly

As November begins, you may be thinking about the holidays, vacation planning and maybe even snow removal. What you might not have thought about is year-end planning. Year-end is a confusing and complex time, both for businesses and individuals alike.

There’s a lot to consider, forms to be filled and meetings to be scheduled. Plus, with the continuing impact of tax reform and various other regulations, there’s even more to think about as 2019 closes and 2020 opens.

As you begin to plan for year-end, here are five tips to help you prepare for the coming new year.

BALANCE SHEET CHECKLIST

To successfully get ready for year-end, it is important to make sure your accounting records are up-to-date and accurate. Important pieces to consider include:

• Make sure assets match your liability and equity on your balance sheet.

• Perform bank reconciliations for all cash and credit card accounts and determine if there are any checks or deposits that haven’t cleared.

• All invoices and accounts payable are entered, particularly if you are on an accrual basis.

• Adjust inventory, prepaids, etc. as needed.

• Prepare information for Forms W2, 1099, etc.

TAX REFORM CONSIDERATIONS

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act continues to impact individuals and businesses alike. The resources you put into planning now could save you time and money in the future. Scenarios impacted by tax reform include corporate tax rates, state and local tax, accounting methods, depreciation, alimony, and many, many more. To ensure you are up to date on all the changes, plan to meet with your accountant sooner rather than later. This will ensure you have enough time to discuss the impacts tax reform will have on your business as you close out 2019.

EMPLOYEE FORMS

Running a business never comes with a shortage of to-do items. One of those items is the forms that need to be filled out to stay compliant. Specifically, we are talking about Form W-2. If your company has employees, it’s important that you understand the form, and how to correctly fill it out.

You’ll also need to determine if you have employees or independent contractors. The business relationship between your organization and the person performing your services is an incredibly important one to define. Why is this important? When it comes to year-end planning, employees receive Form W-2, while independent contractors receive Form 1099-MISC.

LOOK BEYOND FINANCES

When you are preparing for year-end, it’s common to focus on your finances. After all, your finances determine if your business is profitable or if changes need to be made to increase revenue or control expenses. While finances are important, don’t forget about other crucial areas of your business that could use some attention at year-end.

• Common i tems to check up on are your technology and cybersecurity. Some questions to ask yourself include:

• Are my systems secure and up to date? Is my information backed up?

• Has there been any suspicious activity in emails or other electronic communication?

• When was the last time passwords were changed?

• Have employees been trained on best practices surrounding technology?

• Is my software still meeting the needs of the business? Answering these questions will help you obtain a clearer picture of your business’s technology infrastructure, and help you identify any threats that may be waiting to attack and harm your business.

IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY

There are a lot of factors and considerations surrounding year-end planning. To ensure you and your business are prepared, meet with your business advisor sooner rather than later. The sooner you meet and begin discussions, the more time you have to uncover and resolve any pesky surprises that might pop up. Meeting with your business advisor regularly can help you feel more prepared to start the new year off on the right foot.

Year-end can be a busy, stressful time for business owners and individuals alike, but it isn’t something you need to do alone. At Eide Bailly, our business is about more than just numbers; our business is built on relationships. We care about your success and want to ensure you are prepared for an amazing 2020. To learn more about successful year-end planning, visit www.eidebailly.com/yearend.

Tech school enrollment sees gains in South Dakota

Other enrollment mixed in Dakotas, rest of region

By Sydney Mook

As tech school enrollment dips across the country, one state is seeing gains.

Enrollment at tech schools in South Dakota, in particular, is on the rise. A recent news release from the South Dakota Board of Technical Education notes a 4.3 percent enrollment increase over fall 2018.

The unduplicated headcount for the fall 2019 term was 7,122 students, an increase of 4.3 percent or 297 students over fall 2018. Unduplicated headcount includes all full-time, part-time, and dual-credit students, according to BTE.

The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) students in fall 2019, which is based on total credit hours generated by all students in the system, is 5,668, down about a tenth of a percent from last year.

“South Dakota is home to some of the best technical institutions in the country. Our institutions continue to provide a high-quality technical education that leads to placement in high-paying, rewarding careers,” said Nick Wendell, executive director of the South Dakota Board of Technical Education. “While enrollment at two-year colleges trends downward nationally, South Dakota students and families have continued to see the value in pursuing technical degrees. Partnerships with industry leaders, the governor and state legislators have allowed our technical institutions to create state-of-the-art environments to prepare the next generation of South Dakota workers.”

One school benefitting from an enrollment bump is Western Dakota Technical Institute. WDTI has seen a 14.5 percent increase in unduplicated headcount since last fall.

WDTI President Ann Bolman said those gains can be attributed to three areas. The first and most important is to get the school’s advisory boards highly involved with the campus, Bolman said.

“Every program that we have at Western Dakota has an advisory board, made up of employers and other professionals in the field,”

she said. “So we have really worked hard to have our advisory board members and our faculty members be partners.”

Bolman said this allows advisory board members to speak up when they see changes in their respective industry and relay those changes to faculty so they can make adjustments to their curriculum for students.

“I’ve worked in higher ed for a long time. It’s really hard to get those dynamics to work out like they have in here, but it really has paid off,” she said.

Last year, after doing a post-graduation survey, it was found that WDTI had a 98 percent job placement rate.

The school is also working to make sure that student processes, like admissions and financial aid, are easier for students. The final piece involves the school’s Success Center, which helps advise students and reach out to them if they are missing class often or have a slip in grades. The student’s “coach” is a go-between for the student between themselves and faculty; also, the coach can connect them with other resources in the community. This also builds retention numbers. A local foundation has provided a grant to help make the coaching possible.

and reach out to them if they are missing class often or have a slip in grades. The student’s “coach” is a go-between for the student between themselves and faculty; also, the coach can connect them with other resources in the community. This also builds retention numbers. A local foundation has provided a grant to help make the coaching possible.

OTHER ENROLLMENT

Meanwhile, enrollment across the rest of the region is mixed with North and South Dakota’s “flagship” universities all seeing a dip in the fall.

Ann Bolman WDTI President

Regional university enrollment was mixed in North Dakota, with Mayville State setting yet another enrollment record this year.

Overall enrollment numbers are down about 2 percent from last year in the North Dakota University System, but State Board of Higher Education members noted in a recent meeting that the data is still fresh and it will be important to take time to analyze that data before moving forward. Total fall headcount in the North Dakota University System is 44,938 students across the 11 campuses. UND’s overall enrollment was 13,581; North Dakota State University’s count was 13,173. Both were down over last year.

“There’s a lot of diversity with how each institution operates and there are different things happening at each (school,)” SBHE Chairman Nick Hacker said, applauding the schools for their work. “Our enrollment, for all effective purposes, is fairly stable.”

Numbers were also up at the University of Minnesota Crookston this fall. Overall, the University of Minnesota system saw about a 1,000-student bump in fall 2019.

Enrollment at Northland Community and Technical College, with campuses in East Grand Forks and Thief River Falls, Minn., was down slightly this year.

NCTC’s enrollment dropped about 6 percent this year from last fall, President Dennis Bona said. Enrollment has been flat at NCTC in recent years after a drop in the mid-2000’s around the economic downturn in the U.S. Bona said he’s satisfied with the school’s enrollment as many community colleges across the nation see steep drops.

“We’re doing very, very well to stay flat,” he said.

Bona said graduates are also able to find jobs. Of the about 3,000 students that attend NCTC in some way, shape or form, about 1,800 of them are North Dakota residents, Bona said. About 85 percent of those graduates go on to take jobs and live in the region, he added, giving back to the local area.

Though there was a drop in enrollment, the college was recently ranked by WalletHub in the top 10 for community colleges in the United States, a stat of which NCTC is very proud, Bona said. The study looks at hundreds of colleges across the country and ranks schools on a number of criteria, including student outcomes.

Enrollment was up at two of North Dakota’s private schools, the University of Mary and University of Jamestown.

The latest numbers released from the University of Jamestown show that 1,135 students are enrolled, an increase of 3.3 percent over last year. It’s the second-highest enrollment in UJ history.

University of Jamestown President Polly Peterson said the university has been focused on retaining students, while also recruiting students to be UJ alumni.

About 55 percent of UJ’s enrollment are students from North Dakota. The university also has a large student population from western Minnesota, as well as Washington and California, where there are many alumni. Peterson said numbers are also on the rise from Arizona.

Like WDTI, UJ has also been working on retainment. The university recently remodeled the lower level of its library into a student success center to help students with a wide array of questions in an easy-toaccess spot. It has also gotten together with local partners to help students with mental health and health services.

Peterson said they also encourage faculty to eat lunch with students to help bridge gaps and make it easier for students to reach out to a professor when they’re struggling.

“Family and food go together,” she said. “It breaks down barriers, it makes it easier. Sometimes it’s less threatening. If you see a faculty member walking by your table at lunch, and they stopped to say, ‘Hi, how are you doing?’ And you can say, ‘you know, can I come and see you?’”

Peterson said making those simple changes can help drive retention rates and help students actually graduate, while also helping enrollment numbers.

From Napkins to Laboratories

North Dakota invests in shared progress with intellectual property commercialization

By Cortnee Jensen IP Commercialization Developer for the North Dakota Department of Commerce

So many great ideas start as a sketch on a napkin, during a conversation with friends over a beverage after work, in response to a moment of frustration with the way things are currently done. How many times have each of us said “there has to be a better way?!”

The most entrepreneurial amongst us venture forth, armed with our napkins, networks and business development programs, to make our idea a reality. But, taking that idea from the napkin to the market is fraught with roadblocks and complications. “How can I physically create this world changing device? How can I test the effectiveness? How can I get the funding to do research and move this to the next stage?” Great ideas are often lost in the complex process of development.

The funds needed to hire experienced researchers and finding lab space can make moving to the next iteration of your product or service seem impossible.

Many assume that those in higher education have a leg up when it comes to innovation. They have state-of-the-art laboratories, access to countless intellectuals, and the enviable federal government research grants. So, why is every researcher not an inventor holding thousands of patents and millions of dollars? There are many reasons: the availability of funding through grants is limited, researchers often don’t have business experience, or maybe they don’t have the connections needed to bring the idea to the market. Even if the barriers aren’t the same, the same sense of frustration with commercialization is felt by the brilliant researchers in our state’s higher education institutions. The state of North Dakota has recognized that although the challenges are different, researchers and businesses have the same goal: to solve problems and create value for our state. Great minds in both business and in research need the expertise of the other to create sustainable, marketable solutions. And, in response, multiple state institutions are combining their efforts to bridge the gaps.

The North Dakota Department of Commerce, the Bank of North Dakota, North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota have created the Intellectual Property (IP) Commercialization Initiative to build a strong, collaborative business research ecosystem. In facilitating public/private partnerships the state can provide businesses with the research needed to develop and test products, provide researchers access to private funding to move their research goals forward, and to give students critical, real world lab experience.

The three-year initiative will promote economic diversification through the commercialization of IP, while assisting the university system by promoting access to private funding. State agencies will identify opportunities with businesses for sponsored research partnerships. Selected entrepreneurs will secure capital and subject matter expertise from a joint effort among all participating agencies. The North Dakota Department of Commerce will promote private funding by working closely with existing businesses, entrepreneurs and venture capital firms to promote economic growth by utilizing current North Dakota University System’s research projects. And, they have invested in a multi-agency facilitator to help make the process easier for both business and for research.

This is a truly thoughtful and innovative way to look at creating value for both business and research, but it still may not provide the critical piece of the puzzle for many entrepreneurs, the funding. The state took that into consideration as well with the creation of the Legacy Investment for Technology (LIFT) program. Under the LIFT program, businesses are able to receive funds specifically designed to allow businesses to invest in IP research.

Many of the crops we grow are from seeds engineered right here in North Dakota. Countless medical devices and new medications are products of our very own biomedical researchers. Our growing autonomous vehicles sector is getting international attention with the Beyond Visual Line of Sight corridor. Coating and polymers developed in North Dakota are already being incorporated into products on a global scale. The point is, the state of North Dakota wants to see you (and your napkin) succeed.

Cortnee Jensen was recently hired by Commerce as the IP Commercialization Developer. She is responsible for the facilitation of the IP program.

Communication is key

Team building allows people to share their voices, builds morale

By Andrew Weeks

There’s a consensus among many of the key players of upper Midwest architect and engineering companies: when it comes to team building, communication is key.

Team building is important for most companies – both among project staff and their clients – because it helps put everyone on the same page, allows people to share their voices, and builds morale.

Communication is the thread that binds these relationships, and is the means to a solution when differences arise among team members.

The companies that Prairie Business spoke with had a lot to say about how they approach team building.

COMMUNICATION IS KEY

For Bolten & Menk, an engineering company with 19 offices in three states, communication is paramount for both facets of team building, internal and external.

As the director of talent management for the company in Mankato, Minn., Tonya Hobbie is involved mostly with the internal side of team building, working with all levels of employees.

“Communication is the very foundation of team building,” she said, not only because it helps put everyone on the same page, but because communication plays into the larger vision the company has about what team building means: building relationships.

“Team building is all about relationships,” she said. “It comes from respecting each other’s values and input.” The company strives to inspire its employees to take ownership of their roles, and it helps that the company offers a “very collaborative environment,” she said, where all team members are invited to contribute to the conversation.

Jim Mertzl, a GIS specialist with the company based at its Fargo office and who is involved with more of its external projects, said the company values its clients as part of the project team.

He personally approaches team building outside the office as a marketing tool, explaining that frequent interaction helps build relationships of trust and makes people feel involved. He does this from gestures of thanks in emails to face-to-face meetings with clients.

“When you approach team building like that,” he said, “it makes it very easy because when we’re going out to meet with a client we’re just going out to have a conversation, to develop a relationship with them.”

It is building on the foundational platform that Hobbie mentioned: communication.

Sean Weeks, head of land management at Minot, N.D.-based Ackerman Estvold, said for him communication is one of the three “c’s” of proper team building, the other two being coordination and collaboration.

BUILDING A TEAM

For most companies, team building begins with an initial phase: selecting staff members who will best serve the client’s needs.

Weeks said since the design of a project starts at the conceptual phase, it’s important to get the players on board early. As the project grows, so does the team, including the number of stakeholders.

“We don’t want to get to the point where we have not anticipated something,” he said, noting that the planning phase may be the largest part of a project and a good team can help the project work go more smoothly.

David Doxtad, principal at ISG and the architecture company’s Sioux Falls office leader, said he approaches the selection of a project team much like a sports team, with five starting players.

It is always best to have someone onsite who is familiar with the geographic area of a project, he said, but with employees spread in several states, the best people for a project might be scattered across the company’s various offices.

“We select five folks from our entire organization to assemble for a specific project,” Doxtad said. “I have the best options in my organization but, depending on the project, maybe not in my own office.”

Bartlett & West identifies a project team much the same way, selecting the best people based upon their availability, capability and personality, everyone from the project manager on down, said Jame Todd, division director with the company’s Bismarck office.

Like ISG, Bartlett & West’s team members might not always be in the same location as the project.

“We might have a manager in Bismarck, like myself, and have staff scattered across the country,” Todd said, noting, however, that the project manager “has to be onsite.”

continued on page 24

Sean Weeks

Jame Todd

Atchison

continued from

He said over the past several years the company has done well at leveraging its resources in these ways. Since team members might be scattered across states, communication often is done electronically or by telephone.

INVOLVING ALL PARTIES

Todd said once a team has been identified, a kick-off meeting is held where the client’s needs are described, as are details of the project and its budget. The project manager works closely with the client, which in Bartlett & West’s case is frequently a federal or tribal agency on rural water projects.

Involving all parties and getting the client’s engagement is important at the very beginning.

Todd said: “We flat out tell them, ‘You are part of this team. This whole project is for you, and you need to provide us with that direction because when we’re done you’re the ones who are going to live with this system and make sure it’s functioning the way you want.’ … By doing that and getting their involvement, it really helps the client understand that they are a really critical part of the team.”

The project team also holds monthly coordination meetings, which involve not only the management team but the client, where they all review what was done on the project the previous month, what needs to be done the current month, and any issues that need to be addressed moving forward.

For Ackerman Evstold, Weeks said the project team also tries to involve as many players as possible. “That would include the client or owner, the contractor or in some cases the construction managers. We also like to involve the agency or jurisdiction group as it relates to permitting.”

Not only do the players feel like part of the team, he said, but it may help prevent potential problems.

“The more of the group we can get involved, the better overall expectations are understood,” Weeks said. “Typically we’re not then hit with many surprises when we do that.”

He added: “We have a lot of team players and quite a bit of organized logistics that continue with a project to help keep it on course.”

Mertzl, with GIS, said technology also is something his company uses to keep members engaged in a project, especially when frequent meetings may not be an option or when trying to involve broader-based team members such as community folk who may have important input about a certain project.

He refers to these forms of communication as the company’s “online toolbox.”

CHALLENGES AND REWARDS

No matter the project or where the project teams assemble in the upper Midwest, architect and engineering companies know that building and maintaining effective teams must be built upon the foundation of frequent and open communication.

Of course there are challenges that companies face while building and maintaining strong teams, the players said, and those challenges vary depending on the project or dynamics of the team; but they also said those challenges usually can be overcome more quickly if there is effective communication among team members.

As Hobbie said early on, team building is about relationships. To maintain a good team companies must have good relationships with their teammates, both among company team members and with members of the agency or community with whom they work. And the key to that is effective communication.

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Walking wisely

Dakota

selected as Techstar

By Andrew Weeks

When Peter Chamberlain found out his wife’s grandmother had fallen and wound up in the hospital, he knew his entrepreneurial mission had started.

Chamberlain

Chamberlain, who said he’s always liked to “start things,” has come up with a device called WalkWise, which attaches to walkers and then collects and reports data through an app. It alerts to such things as if a walker topples over or is not in use for an extended period of time. That way the user, if she or he fell, for instance, can get the help they might need quickly instead of waiting all day for help to arrive, like Chamberlain’s grandmother may have done.

For his work, Chamberlain, of Fargo, N.D., has been invited to join Techstar program. He recently spoke with Prairie Business about Walkwise and his part in the Techstars Startup Accelerators program out of the Twin Cities.

Q. A.

TELL US ABOUT WALKWISE.

We spend as a society $60 billion on fall-related costs. Falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries in older adults. My wife’s grandmother’s fall got me thinking of two things: First, if she fell we should have known about it. In this technological age there is no reason why we shouldn’t have known about it, and if we did she could have gotten help a lot sooner. Second, why did she fall in the first place?

The walker is the only prevention technology that exists to make sure falls don’t happen. So it got me thinking, why are we not tuned in to the walker? … Hopefully with WalkWise we’ll have better informed caregivers and families, we’ll be able to detect things like if the walker tips over or doesn’t move for a long period of time. … If it’s not being used, let’s make sure there’s some type of intervention. If they’re not using their walker, we want to know about it, we want to intervene. There are a lot of things packed into this simple walker attachment.

Q. A.

IS THIS A UNIQUE PRODUCT?

We are the only company doing this. Our device and algorithms are patented. I started working on this in 2016. The first couple of years was really about building the product, because I had never done anything like this before. I had to research what the market was like, who was going to care about this? What I found out is that it’s our senior living communities. It took a lot of talking to people to realize that senior living communities – assisted living, independent centers – have a big financial interest in helping people stay healthy and off of the floor. What’s more, their customers are often the family members.

“We don’t know how long she was on the floor because the gardener found her,” Chamberlain said. “She could have been there all day.” He said falls are an extremely common story among the elderly. Falls are, in fact, the leading cause of injury and death among senior Americans, according to the National Council on Aging. continued on page 28

North

entrepreneur

Peter

Q. A.

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT BEING A START-UP?

Your main advantage is you can change very quickly. You have to be flexible. You can learn things very quickly and make changes very quickly, where as a larger company might not be able to change that quickly.

Q. A.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT BEING THE ONLY NORTH DAKOTA COMPANY INVITED TO JOIN THE TECHSTARS PROGRAM?

I think [being the only company in North Dakota invited to join the program] is not so much about being the only one, but the fact that there is starting to be a real momentum of entrepreneurial efforts in North Dakota. … I don’t think it’s a reflection of me as much as it is a reflection of North Dakota; as people invest in companies … that leads to outcomes like this.

Q. A.

WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING IN THE PROGRAM?

We are actually right in the middle of it. We started in September and it goes until December. The first month, which we just got done with, was “Mentor Madness.” They introduced us to about 100 people that are in healthcare, entrepreneurship, all sorts of different areas that can really help us move our businesses. There are 10 of us in my group from all over the country, so it’s basically about networking. Techstars has a network of really successful entrepreneurs and investors, and having 20-minute meetings over the last month has really helped us hone in on our mission and our value proposition and to come out on the other side.

Q. A.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The goal is to come out on the other side with a clear path forward … the next demo day is in Minneapolis. Techstars also invests money in all of its companies. … There are 10 companies in our program, so this is specifically the United Healthcare Techstars Program. We have office space in Minneapolis.

Q. A.

WHAT IS YOUR SHORT-TERM GOAL?

We need to find the most innovative senior living organizations in the country and partner with them … to get as many seniors, as many families on board as we can. It does take an innovative organization to look at a new technology and say, ‘This could really help us with our mission.’ That’s not every company, certainly, and that’s fine; some companies are not willing to take that risk, if you will, some simply don’t have an eye for innovation. But it takes innovative thinkers and organizations to be the first movers to say, ‘Hey, this has real potential, it’s worked at other places, let’s give it a shot.’ And then we’ll be able to go to more markets and say, ‘Hey, these organizations have found great use in with WalkWise, and here’s the evidence. We think you should consider adopting it.’”

Q. A.

WHAT IS YOUR LONG-TERM GOAL?

The long-term goal is to have WalkWise on every walker, everywhere. The fact is if you have a walker, you are a fall risk. That’s why you have a walker. Specifically I’m talking about people who use walkers for a long period of time … think about people who use a walker every day, who are dependent on it to maintain their independence. We need to know when something happens to them, but help them to be fit and to use their walkers.

Q. A. WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS, 10 YEARS?

To achieve the long-term goal we obviously need to grow personnel; we’re going to have to grow a larger team on both the technical and business side. We are going to need a team of people around the country to do insulation and customer support, so we’re going to need a lot more people and then hopefully working with a lot of different types of organizations. We can work with living centers, sure, but we also want to work with insurance companies who have an interest in keeping people healthy and out of the hospital … we want families who need this to have access to it … we want to be more than just a technology for senior living communities because there’s so many other types of aging. We need to expand the team, expand the reach, and get this to as many senior centers and families as possible.

IMAGE: WALK WISE

A whole lot of donuts

Baker Boy expands its donut making capacity

By Sydney Mook

DICKINSON, N.D. -- Over the past year and a half, Baker Boy has invested about $11 million into donut automation, according to CEO Guy Moos.

The company began by installing donut-injection technology to become the first North American company to make filled ring donuts in July 2018, he said.

This October, Baker Boy completed the installation of an entirely new donut automation system that included mixers, a new dough line, an automated proofing system, a larger donut frying area, and technology that will automatically decorate donuts.

“This installation process took place over the span of three months –all while we continued to make our signature delicious donuts,” Moos said.

While this equipment came to Baker Boy from throughout the world, some of it was manufactured regionally by Moline Machinery in Duluth, Minn.

Dustin Monke, marketing manager for Baker Boy, said the new donut automation line allows Baker Boy to increase its donut capacity from 6,000 donuts per hour to about 22,000 donuts per hour.

“This production increase means we have the ability to grow sales outside of our current market regions and manufacture donuts for customers who purchase products in greater quantity, such as large convenience store and grocery chains,” he said.

The project has been in the works for about two years, according to Moos. He said it all began by purchasing the injection technology and then identifying the market’s need for a higher-quality donut that also provided labor savings to operators. It eventually led Baker Boy to install the automated donut decorating equipment so the company can sell fully finished donuts.

Monke said Baker Boy has spent the past year growing its donut market share thanks, in part, to its new Magic Ring® Filled Donuts, which are now sold in more than 20 states. It has also relaunched also re-launched its donut brand, The Donut Hole®.

“This fall, thanks to our upgraded capacity, we’ve introduced a new line of fully finished thaw-and-serve donuts under The Donut Hole® brand,” Monke said. “Like all of our products, this line of 15 donuts will be sold through distributors to store operators. The donuts arrive in stores fully decorated, so stores no longer have to be concerned with preparing donuts daily. Labor shortages are challenging operators in every segment of the foodservice market. These donuts allow operators to save time and labor while also providing their customers with high-quality, consistent and great-tasting donuts.”

Additionally, Monke said customers in the Upper Midwest will also be able to find The Donut Hole® brand as bakery case concepts licensed to convenience stores and select stand-alone locations in Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot and the original store in Dickinson.

IMAGES: BAKER BOY

PAUL HEGLAND NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE FARGO-MOORHEAD SYMPHONYS

Paul Hegland, who most recently served as President’s Chief of Staff at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis. and as Development Officer of Chicago’s famed Ravinia Festival, was named executive director of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra by its Board of Trustees.

Hegland, a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, earned a Bachelors in Music Education from Iowa State University and a Masters in Music History from Northwestern University in Illinois. He has been active in many civic organizations including Kiwanis, Kenosha Area CVB, Association of College and University Policy Administrators, Kenosha Public Museums and more. He is also a church choir conductor and organist.

PAUL HEGLAND

AE2S NEXUS HIRES BRENT BOGAR

AE2S Nexus announces the hire of Brent Bogar as a senior consultant. Bogar’s experience in local government, public policy, funding, and communications makes him an excellent resource for a variety of clients, including municipalities, counties, and utilities, the company said in a press release.

Bogar served on the Williston City Commission from 2007-2013, during the height of the oil activity in the Bakken.

DCB WELCOMES NEW FACULTY

Bottineau, N.D. -- Dakota College at Bottineau has hired four new instructors and two new full time staff who began work on campus this fall.

The Nursing Program welcomes Richelle Johnson, MSN, RN as the new ADN clinical instructor at the Minot location.

Laurie Culbreth has been hired as an English instructor for DCB.

DCB’s new biology instructor, Janelle Green grew up on a small ranch outside of Arvilla, ND and graduated from Larimore High School, ND.

Linda Burbidge is instructing and advising students in the new Agriculture Management Program on the DCB campus.

All new faculty received training at DCB’s fall in-service and are fitting into their positions nicely, the college said in a press release.

LAURIE CULBRETH

HENSRUD HONORED AS A BEST-IN-STATE NEXT-GENERATION WEALTH ADVISOR BY FORBES MAGAZINE

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Paul D. Hensrud, a financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial in Grand Forks, was named to the list of “Forbes Best-in-State Next-Generation Wealth Advisors” published by Forbes Magazine.

The list recognizes millennial financial advisors who have demonstrated high levels of ethical standards, professionalism and success in the business.

The rankings are based on data provided by over 29,000 of the nation’s most productive advisors. Hensrud was chosen based on assets under management, industry experience, regulatory and compliance record and revenue produced over a three-year period.

Hensrud is part of TruStone Wealth Management a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

ARVIG’S WIECHMAN ACCEPTED INTO FORBES TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL

PERHAM, Minn. -- Ben Wiechman, director of IP strategy and engineering at Arvig, has been accepted into Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs, and technology executives.

Wiechman was vetted and selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of his experience. Criteria for acceptance include a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well as personal and professional achievements and honors.

“We are honored to welcome Ben into the community,” said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Technology Council. “Our mission with Forbes Councils is to bring together proven leaders from every industry, creating a curated, social-capital-driven network that helps every member grow professionally and make an even greater impact on the business world.”

NDGLC HIRES FIELD REPRESENTATIVE AND CONSULTANT

BISMARCK, N.D. -- The North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition has contracted with Trisha Feiring to serve as field representative/ rangeland management specialist.

As field representative, she will serve as the first point of contact for technical grazing questions, speak on behalf of NDGLC at workshops and tours, and help interested parties develop grazing management systems and problem solve on their ranches. Feiring will continue to work for her current employer, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), through March, while serving as the field representative for NDGLC, after which she will continue full time for the NDGLC.

Beckie Phillips will consult with the NDGLC to advance regenerative agriculture education and outreach with an emphasis on holistic grazing management. Phillips has published research in carbon and nitrogen cycles for wetland, forest, grassland, and cropland ecosystems in collaboration with local, national and international organizations.

Phillips represents Ecological Insights, a North Dakota nonprofit research and education corporation, and is adjunct faculty at UND, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences and Landcare Research. Phillips will work with Feiring on technical program planning, development and monitoring protocols.

LEAH GUSTAFSON ISTA, MD, MSPH JOINS ALTRU HEALTH SYSTEM

Grand Forks, N.D. – Leah Gustafson Ista, MD, MSPH has joined Altru Health System as an emergency medicine physician. Her special practices and procedures include ultrasound imaging, trauma care, procedural sedation, disaster preparedness and response, laceration repairs and wound care, intubation and airway management.

Dr. Ista earned her Master of Science in Public Health, Doctor of Medicine and completed her Emergency Medicine Residency from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

LAKESIDE INSURANCE AGENCY BECOMES CORNERSTONE INSURANCE SERVICES

Lakeside Insurance Agency, Inc. has roots back to 1952, the year New Town was established. The insurance agency will continue to be located in New Town’s Cornerstone Bank while serving not only New Town, but also the surrounding areas of Parshall, Plaza, Makoti, Ryder, Stanley, Keene, and Watford City.

Cornerstone Bank Chairman Gary Petersen says, “Our clients will continue to receive the great local service that they deserve. We are excited to bring the insurance services under them Cornerstone umbrella.”

Cindy Peterson is the Insurance Agent at Cornerstone Insurance Services. She recently came back to the insurance industry after working as a banking assistant at Cornerstone Bank in Parshall. She brings 10 years of insurance experience and holds a degree from North Dakota State University.

Cornerstone Insurance Services will continue to provide the same full-range of insurance services as Lakeside Insurance Agency did including everything from auto insurance to homeowners insurance, to farm and commercial insurance, along with insurance for recreational vehicles and watercraft, and more.

Q.

INSIGHTs & INTUITION

What’s a characteristic or trait your company looks for when hiring a new employee that isn’t always apparent on paper?

“Ultimately, there are three main characteristics I look for when adding talented new team members to our organization: passion, personality and preparedness. First and foremost, I want to hear and see their passion for our industry, love for learning, and how they like helping people and solving problems. Next, I like to find people with great personality. Someone who can keep it light-hearted, smile and have a conversation throughout the interview. Answering the direct question is great but adding some small details throughout the discussion will show their personality and start building that relationship. Finally, I like when I can tell the interviewee comes prepared to share their experiences and ask the hard questions.”

Commitment to growth. As an ESOP, our company must grow in order to sustainably increase share value for our employee owners - but even more importantly, it has been a core belief of our organization for the past 30 years that growth is never an option, for one simple reason: growth creates opportunity for people, and with the very best people, we have always believed we could build something great. But growth isn’t easy and not everyone has the stomach for it. It’s not just about having the fortitude to come along for the ride, we need employees who are willing to make the necessary investment in personal and professional development at the same pace that the company is growing.

Michelle Mongeon Allen CEO JLG Architects

Mandy Nystrom Support Team Lead Network Center

Mike Delfs President & CEO Jamestown Regional Medical Center

At Jamestown Regional Medical Center, we look for great teammates, people who are passionate about their work and team members who have great technical skills. JRMC employees and physicians must function exceptionally well together to reach the goal of providing excellent care to our patients and we take this very seriously. No matter our job responsibilities, each of us represents the hospital in the eyes and ears of our community.

To provide the best service and encourage teamwork, we developed Behavior Standards (attitude, communication, compassion, etc.) and we expect our team to practice these behaviors at all times. These behaviors provide the core measure of our competency at JRMC. They are the foundation for our evaluations, promotions, rewards and continued employment. These behaviors are also part of the interviewing and onboarding process.

We are blessed to work in healthcare. We get to do meaningful work that makes a difference in people’s lives every day. By practicing these standards together as a team, JRMC will achieve our goal of providing the best patient care in the nation.

At Lloyd Companies, our hiring philosophy is culture fit first, experience second. It is important for our team to work alongside others that practice shared values. We want employees who inherently do the right thing – even when no one else is looking.

As a company, we hold ourselves to a high standard and we are looking for team members who do the same. Sourcing candidates through productive interviews and conducting appropriate assessments helps narrow our search to the best match.

We have tailored our interview questions to dig deeper into who the person is – what makes them tick. Here are a couple example questions we ask:

Tell us about a value very important to you that has helped shape who you are?

• Tell us about a moment in your life you are most proud of?

• What has been the greatest disappointment of your life to date?

The responses - or lack thereof - can amaze you. We have had candidates tell such touching stories they become emotional as they share their experience. On the flip side, we have candidates not able to think of a response at all. The well-trained interviewees that practice and rehearse the typical interview questions are really thrown off then you start asking questions about their values. We desire candidates who have passion, whose values, behaviors, and ethics align with our priorities. Engaged employees are those working for a company they feel connected with. The connection starts with aligned values, passion, and interests. Statistics have proven, engaged employees lead to successful organizations.

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HOUSING IS BECOMING MORE AFFORDABLE Minneapolis-St Paul, MN - Share of income spent on housing, 2019

CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY MID-AMERICAN ECONOMY INDEX

Leading Economic Indicators, last 18 months (50.0 = Growth Neutral

OMAHA, Radio Iowa, Oct. 5 – Prolonged trade wars and a continued shortage of qualified workers are two key factors in the weakening Midwestern economy, according to a survey of supply managers in Iowa and eight other states.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the business conditions index sank for the fifth time in the past six months during September.

“The manufacturing economy is slowing down,” Goss says. “The overall index was at 49.1 and that’s below growth neutral of 50.0. Last month it was 49.3. This is the second straight month of below growth neutral readings. This is the lowest we’ve seen since 2016 when we did have a marked slowdown in the regional economy.”

FIXED 30-YEAR MORTGAGE RATE

Daily average for borrowers with prime credit and a loan-to-value ratio of 0.8

“These (affordability index) ratios also do not take into account the hurdle of saving up an adequate down payment, which can currently take seven years or longer in many areas and takes longer today than it used to in past decades. … Still, it’s encouraging news considering that home values climbed consistently from early 2012 through early 2019.”

BAKKEN REGION OIL PRODUCTION

Source: Zillow Affordability, 2019 ZILLOW ECONOMIC RESEARCH

“Mortgage rates fell this week, as a slew of weak economic data stoked fears of an economic slowdown and pushed investors to safer assets.”

Zillow.com, Oct. 2

Source: Zillow Mortgage Data ZILLOW ECONOMIC RESEARCH

REAL PERSONAL INCOME W.N. CENTRAL, ANNUAL

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

The West North Central region includes the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri.

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