Club for Boys project in Rapid City provides space and safety

By Joe Hockett For Prairie Business

RAPID CITY, S.D. • The Club for Boys in Rapid City is excited to announce new growth to include a sports court, office space remodel, and Erickson building remodel in Rapid City.

Douglas Herrmann, executive director, said “the updates give us a significant increase in program space. We can now expand independent living skills in our programs. In addition, the sport court adds a place where we can expand outdoor activities that we used to do off-campus; now we don’t have to bus the boys to another location.”

Funding for the project was raised through a $2 million capital campaign in 2019 with partial support awarded to the Club for Boys through the Rapid City Vision Fund and a grant from the John T. Vucurevich Foundation. The rest was raised through donor and community contributions.

RCS Construction in Rapid City was awarded the contract and is excited to contribute its expertise on this special project.

Project manager Josiah Scull has come full circle with the Club for Boys. As a senior in high school he volunteered at the center. He now has the opportunity to guide a new, exciting addition to the facility.

“We are grateful to have been awarded the project and it’s exciting to be able to contribute at this level,” he said. “This new addition will add much needed space and safety to the facility.”

The project started with a remodel of the old Erickson building. It includes an archery space, full kitchen, and retractable partitions. The remodel will allow the Club for Boys to add curriculum and activities targeted for older boys.

Phase II of the project was focused on remodeling of the front offices and entrance to the Club for Boys. The new offices provide a more spacious and friendly layout, featuring wider hallways and access in case of emergency. The front entrance now has a system of doors, which will control access, are able to be secured in case of emergency, and a safety glass surround.

The third portion of the project includes an open-air sport court and covered bus parking. Having a sports court will provide the boys a place for basketball, volleyball, kickball, soccer and a variety of other outdoor activities.

The covered bus parking addresses the need to protect the significant financial investment the club has in its fleet of six buses and allows for a safer place to park them.

“I am excited to be the Superintendent for this project,” said Dean Midgett. “I just love any project that helps kids and youth in Rapid City.”

“Being such an integral part of Rapid City, RCS loves projects that contribute to the health of the community,” said company president, RC Scull. “We have a culture of community, safety, and trust here at RCS so this project falls directly in line with who we are. I am honored to be able to contribute our expertise to such a good cause.”

The project was slated for completion in mid-August.

Grand Forks Region EDC hires new marketing and communications manager

GRAND FORKS, N.D. • Stephanie Flyger has joined the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp. (EDC) as its marketing and communications manager. Flyger will coordinate strategic marketing and business development direction and manage all internal and external communications with key stakeholders. She will work to keep EDC members informed of organizational activities and continue to market the Grand Forks region as an exceptional place to grow and establish primary sector business.

KLJ welcomes new team members

Prior to joining the EDC, Flyger was a project coordinator for the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences Simulation Center. Previously, she served as the news director and marketing director of the UND Television Center and student- produced television show, Studio One. She has extensive experience with communication and marketing through a variety of mediums, managing teams, and project management.

She is also involved in the community in various ways, including recently serving as the chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board.

BISMARCK, N.D. • KLJ Engineering recently welcomed four new team members.

Brady Johnson comes to KLJ as a GIS technician in the Bismarck, N.D., office. He has an associate in geographic information systems from Bismarck State College.

Charles Peliska serves as an archaeology field supervisor in the Bismarck office. He is a registered professional archaeologist and has a master’s in cul- tural resource management archaeology from Saint Cloud State University.

Michael Knudson serves in the St. Paul office as an engineer in training with a focus in civil transportation. He earned a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.

Kathie Hickcox joins KLJ as an accounts receivable specialist in the Bismarck office. She earned an associate in accounting and business management from Williston State College.

Brady Johnson

Houston Engineering hires communications specialist

GRAND FORKS, N.D. • Gavin Moe joins Houston Engineering Inc.’s (HEI) team as a communications specialist. Moe will be responsible for developing proposals, project reports, and presentations as well as assisting with various other marketing and communications tasks to support staff across the firm. A native of Hawley,

Minn., Moe attended Concordia College where he earned his bachelor’s in business marketing with a minor in visual art. In his previous position at CoreLink Administrative Solutions, Moe developed clear and visually appealing communication collateral for its 250 employees. With his experienced background in communications and graphic design, Moe brings a strong skill set to HEI’s communications team.

Patrick Thibaudeau

Nationally-recognized sustainability leader joins JLG Architects

MINNEAPOLIS • JLG Architects has welcomed the addition of Patrick Thibaudeau, LEED fellow, as the principal sustainability officer.

A 20-plus-year nationally-recognized visionary in his field, Thibaudeau is a frequent speaker at national and regional events and has been widely published on a variety of inventive, research-based topics. He was an original member of the American Institute of Architects National Large Firm Roundtable working toward carbon neutrality by 2030, and his national influence continues today with

Essentia Health welcomes new doctor

FARGO, N.D. • Dr. Celestine Mkpozi has joined Essentia Health-Fargo as a hospitalist.

As part of the hospitalist team, Dr. Mkpozi will care for patients who are hospitalized due to illness or injury. He explains, “in internal medicine, you are

Charan Mungara Kalyan Vunnamadala

basically a medical detective, always analyzing and figuring things out in a systematic and step-wise manner.”

Born and raised in Nigeria, Mkpozi received his medical education at the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. His residency in Internal Medicine was at Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Cardiothoracic surgeons join Monument Health

RAPID CITY, S.D. • Monument Health has hired two cardiothoracic surgeons, Charan Mungara, M.D., and Kalyan Vunnamadala, M.D., to its Monument Health Heart and Vascular Institute in Rapid City.

Dr. Mungara received his medical degree from the University of Mysore in Karnataka, India. He completed his residency in general surgery and his fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics in Madison, Wis.

He was named a Top Doc in Milwaukee in 2020. He received the 2004 Scholarship Achievement Award during his general surgery residency and the Distinction in Anatomy, Internal Medicine, & Surgery in 2001 and 1995 from the University of Mysore in Karnataka, India. He is a mem- several leading national organizations such as the United States Green Building Council, Living Futures Institute, Design Futures Council and the UC Berkley Center for the Built Environment.

Thibaudeau’s work has been honored with numerous awards, including his previous firm receiving the National Environmental Stewardship Award. He led efforts that resulted in more than 100 projects achieving third-party certification, such as LEED, B3 or 2030 performance standards.

In his new role, Thibaudeau will lead strategy and project process development for the benefit of JLG’s clients.

Celestine Mkpozi

ber of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and has published a number of papers. Dr. Kalyan Vunnamadala performs all aspects of adult cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgery. He received his medical degree at St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. He completed his residency in general surgery at Easton Hospital in Easton, Pa., where he was also chief surgical resident. He completed his residency in cardiothoracic surgery at Texas Heart Institute/Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

Prior to joining Monument Health, Vunnamadala was a surgeon in Dubuque, Iowa and Duluth, Minn. His areas of interest and procedures performed include cardiac surgery, coronary artery bypass surgery, mitral valve and aortic valve surgery, thoracic surgery, esophageal cancer resection, and TAVR among others.

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Rick Johnson

Essentia Health adds new doctors in Fargo

Rick Johnson Joins The Marvin Companies Board of Directors

WARROAD, Minn. • Marvin announces the election of a new member, Rick Johnson, to its board of directors.

Johnson brings significant business experience to the Marvin board, currently serving as the corporate vice president, chief information officer of Sonoco (NYSE: SON), a global producer of consumer and industrial packaging solutions based in Hartsville, S.C. He leads the information technology organization and is a member of the executive committee at Sonoco, responsible for the global technology strategy that drives the digital transformation of the customer experience.

“We’re pleased to welcome Rick to The Marvin Companies board of directors, as his technology and business experience are excellent additions to our team,” said Board Chair Susan Marvin. “We are fortunate to now have his talents on the board.”

A graduate of Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. He lives in Charlotte, N.C., with his wife and young son.

Elected by the owners, the Board of Directors oversees, guides and supports The Marvin Companies management. Its key responsibilities are long-term business strategy and leadership succession planning.

FARGO, N.D. • Dr. Jennifer Kovatch, a pediatric hospitalist and pediatric oncologist, is now caring for patients at Essentia Health-Fargo.

Kovatch earned her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica, West Indies. She did her residency in pediatrics at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo. and a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa.

“Essentia Health provided me with a sense of community and an opportunity to make a difference. I was drawn to this great opportunity in the beautiful city of Fargo,” she said. “I love the diversity of hospital medicine in general, and I especially enjoy practicing pediatric oncology.”

Essentia also has welcomed Dr. Mario Rivera Bernuy, an endocrinologist, at Essentia HealthSouth University Clinic in Fargo.

Dr. Rivera Bernuy earned his medical degree from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru. He did his residency in internal medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque, N.M. and a fellowship in endocrinology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Rivera Bernuy is board certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

“I am especially interested in thyroid and pituitary diseases as well as diabetes,” he said. “I was awarded the American Thyroid Association Ridgeway Trainee Grant in 2019, I was selected to participate in the Pituitary Society Master Course for fellows in 2020 and I was selected for and currently participating in the American Diabetes Association Focus on Fellows.” Visit EssentiaHealth.org and click on “Doctors and Providers” to learn more about these new hires and their practices.

KLJ’s Jordan Benning receives promotion

FARGO, N.D • Engineering firm KLJ has promoted Jordan Benning to Help Desk team lead in its Fargo office.

As the team lead, Benning will be responsible for all matters related to the KLJ Help