prairie business december

www.prairiebizmag.com

December 2012

Plains Software

PioneerBurgum continues to invest in

technology and real estate developmentpg. 36

ALSO40 Under 40

The region's top business professionals under the age of 40

pg. 26

Making a DifferenceEngineers Without Borders group

improves infrastructure in Guatemala villagepg. 40

4 Prairie Business Magazine December 2012

|INSIDE|December 2012 VOL 13 ISSUE 12

FEATURES DEPARTMENTS6 Editor’s Note

BY KRIS BEVILL

Snapshots of success

8 Business Advice BY MATTHEW D. MOHR

Timely financial reports indicate health of business

10 FinanceBY JIM STAI

Venture capital for rural small businesses

12 Research & Technology BY DWAINE CHAPEL

Collaborative research enables new innovations

14 Economic Development BY HAROLD STANISLAWSKI

Career readiness certificate helps identify qualified employees

16 Prairie News

20 Prairie People

24 Business DevelopmentBakken businesses follow workers

40 Red River ValleyMaking a difference

42 South DakotaFormer landfill has green future

44 Western North DakotaGate City Bank gives big to housing fund

46 Energy

50 By the numbers

53 Business to Business

Next MonthJanuary's issue of Prairie Businessmagazine explores the region's diverse energy resources. Feature articleswill discuss proposed uses for the growing abundance of natural gas in the Bakken region and the health ofthe wind industry. We'll also take a look at the region's growth in exports from multiple sectors and theimpact exports have on local economies.

On the CoverDoug Burgum leads aventure capital fund andreal estate developmentfirm. PHOTO: JOHN BROSE

26 40 UNDER 40Immense InspirationPrairie Businessmagazine's selections for the region's Top 40 business professionals under the age of 40

LEADERSHIPProving Success on the PlainsSoftware entrepreneur Doug Burgum continues to set the pace for innovation and leadership in the business community

36

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|EDITOR’S NOTE|

Snapshots of success

Working on this issue of the magazine has been an inspiring experience. This month we

highlight the Top 40 under 40 business professionals in our area. After having read through

the applications, it’s clear our region possesses an enormous amount of talented people. I

have no doubt we will be hearing a lot more from our selected recipients over the coming years. These

recipients offer a snapshot of the varied industries represented in the northern Plains and the fantas-

tic individuals whose accomplishments exemplify the region’s widespread philosophy that with a little

hard work and dedication, anyone can become successful in their chosen field. I hope that when you

read through the selections you will be as inspired and impressed as we were.

This month’s issue also includes a profile of one of the Great Plains’ most well-known entrepreneurs,

Doug Burgum. He was in his 20s when he became involved with Great Plains Software in 1983 and sure-

ly would have been at the top of our 40 under 40 list had the magazine existed at the time. Alas, we were a

little too late. But his continued support of the Great Plains region, whether through investments in down-

town redevelopment projects, exciting start-up ventures or philanthropic contributions to enhance youth

education, is playing a vital role in shaping the future of the Great Plains business scene.

When I asked Burgum to offer advice to this year’s 40 under 40 recipients, he referred back to Great

Plains’ Four C’s — courage, caring, commitment and community. He suggested that young business peo-

ple should retain an element of courage (otherwise known as a willingness to take risk), care about their

team members and investors, remain committed to their project/company and keep in mind its potential

impact on the greater community. He noted that Great Plains was sometimes mischaracterized as an

overnight success after it went public, when in fact the company’s team had spent years overcoming obsta-

cles and skeptics. “Nobody was writing about the long nights and the slogging away and the years that we

lost money in the 1980s,” he told me. “If you’re going to be successful, things may be worse before they get

better, but companies get defined on how they handle adversity as opposed to how they handle success.”

The most successful leaders, Burgum included, often emphasize creativity and curiosity as two desir-

able qualities that are inherently displayed in youth but are often devalued in the grown-up world. I had a

great reminder of this one evening when my 7-year-old son wandered into my office and asked what I was

working on. The Katherine Kilbourne Burgum Center for Creativity had recently been announced as the

new location for Fargo Public Schools art studio learning trips, so I said the article I was writing was about

the person who made the art studio possible.

“How did he do that?”

“Because he’s smart.”

My son considered that for a moment before asking, “Well if he’s so smart, could you ask him how to

make gecko feet? Because I really want to climb the walls and I haven’t been able to figure out how to make

shoes that are like gecko feet.”

I’m sharing this story with you because it’s a great example of the ideas that stem from the raw curios-

ity and creativity children possess and that the business world could use more of. As we celebrate this year’s

top business people under the age of 40, it’s also a good reminder to keep an eye on the future and the next-

next generation of leaders. They are creative and curious and with the right amount of encouragement and

commitment on our part, they will serve our region well. In the meantime, Doug, I await your call on the

gecko feet thing.

KRIS [email protected]

7www.prairiebizmag.com

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Sales Director:JOHN FETSCH701.212.1026 [email protected]

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Editor:KRIS BEVILL701.306.8561 [email protected]

Editorial Advisors:Dwaine Chapel, Executive Director, SouthDakota State University Innovation Campus;Bruce Gjovig, Director, Center for Innovation;Lisa Gulland-Nelson, CommunicationsCoordinator, Greater Fargo Moorhead EDC;Tonya Joe (T.J.) Hansen, Assistant Professor ofEconomics, Minnesota State UniversityMoorhead; Dusty Johnson, Chief of Staff forSouth Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s office;Brekka Kramer, General Manager of Odney;Matthew Mohr, President/CEO, Dacotah PaperCompany; Nancy Straw, President, West CentralInitiative

Prairie Business magazine is published monthlyby the Grand Forks Herald and ForumCommunications Company with offices at 3752nd Avenue North, Grand Forks, ND 58203.Qualifying subscriptions are available free ofcharge. Back issue quantities are limited andsubject to availability ($2/copy prepaid). Theopinions of writers featured in Prairie Business aretheir own. Unsolicited manuscripts, photo-graphs, artwork are encouraged but will not bereturned without a self-addressed, stampedenvelope.

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COUNTUS IN.

If you’re putting it all on the line, count us in. Your local Bremerbusiness banker has your back, and the experience to help youthrough the ups and downs of growing a business. You can counton Bremer Bank for the strength and long-term stability to see youthrough. Talk to a Bremer banker near you.


|BUSINESS ADVICE|

Timely financial reports indicate health of businessBY MATTHEW D. MOHR

The speed at which a business produces year-end

financial statements is a good indication of the

strength of the enterprise and the quality of its

financial reporting. Preliminary financial reports should

be available within 21 days. Relatively accurate initial

reports should take no less than four weeks to produce.

Usable, reliable statements should take no longer than

six weeks.

If reliable financial reports are not available within the

time frames mentioned above, it’s a good indication the

financial reporting systems are not very good or that the

reports may misrepresent the true business results. Fast,

accurate financial reports show strength. Slow financial

reports are an indication of poor business practices and

may be an indication of potential fraud.

Two businesses I was involved with in the past were

owned and operated by individuals who, in retrospect,

clearly misrepresented their business and cheated those

who provided funding to the enterprise. After funds were

provided based on what we thought were accurate finan-

cial statements, operating statements became quite scarce

and hard to get. Both businesses failed after a short time

and left little to nothing for their creditors or stockholders.

As businesses face trouble, operators often purposely

delay accounting results. The area’s Angel Funds deal with

many new enterprises and push very hard to get accurate

reports. The best run enterprises are the ones which pro-

vide the best reports.

This year, when the books are closed, if the financial

reports take less time than last year or are quick to be com-

pleted accurately, the numbers most likely indicate a suc-

cessful year.

Certainly, odd things can happen and delay financial

reporting, but in general a well-run enterprise has timely

and accurate financial statements. PB

Matthew D. MohrCEO, Dacotah Paper Co.

[email protected]

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|FINANCE|

Venture capital for rural small businesses BY JIM STAI

Venture capital has stimulated rapid econom-

ic growth in many urban regions of the

country. At the same time, the lack of access

to equity capital is a constraint to the economic

growth of most rural areas. According to the Federal

Reserve, rural counties hold 19.2 percent of all U.S.

business establishments, yet only 1.6 percent of all

venture capital investments.

Rural areas often do not possess the support net-

works among local venture capital funds, investment

bankers, and other financial and legal experts to stimu-

late deal flow. There is also an emphasis among poten-

tial investors to gravitate toward urban areas where the

perceived return-on-investments are higher and oper-

ating costs are minimized. Furthermore, there tends to

be a lack of understanding among rural-based compa-

nies on how equity investment works.

Each state has its own particular venture capital

environment that small businesses should investigate.

This milieu includes private, national and state govern-

ment, foundation, and community development ven-

ture capital networks. Many funds work in partnership

combining public and private equity investment and

operating support. Often, rural firms need to seek these

funds out because overt marketing to isolated areas is

not necessarily a common practice.

If you’re a rural small business owner looking for

an investor, here are three tips for finding and attracting

the right investors, courtesy of Small Business

Administration community moderator Caron Beesley.

Understand Types of InvestmentsThe term “venture capital” is often used in conver-

sation to mean money invested by a third-party in

high-growth startups. However, there are several types

of investors with slightly different approaches.

Private equity covers a number of investment

types that are usually made by private individuals or

privately owned institutions. The money can be used to

purchase a company, fund a project, or make a straight-

out private investment.

Venture capital is also a form of private equity,

but is managed differently and is usually designed to

fund startup companies that have the potential for

high growth, such as technology companies. Venture

capitalists not only provide money, but also business

planning expertise and assistance to help startups suc-

ceed in its industry.

Angel investors are high-net worth individual

investors (usually former entrepreneurs) who seek high

returns through private investments in startup compa-

nies. They provide similar startup financing as venture

capitalists but usually in smaller amounts.

Government Venture Capital Programs

Another venture capital option you may wish to

consider is the Small Business Investment Company

Minnesota $274,638,000 15 $51.38

North Dakota 4,000,000 40 5.85

South Dakota 3,046,000 44 3.70

State Total InvestedVenture Capital $

National Ranking

Per Capita VentureCapital $ by State

Source: State Science and Technology Institute

Total Venture Capital Investment in 2011 for the Upper Plains Region

program, available through the SBA. SBICs

are privately owned and managed invest-

ment funds, licensed and regulated by SBA,

which use their own capital plus funds bor-

rowed with an SBA guarantee to make

equity and debt investments in qualifying

small businesses. Since October 2011, SBA

has helped put more than $400 million in

investment capital directly into the hands of

high-growth rural businesses through the

SBIC program. SBICs in North Dakota and

Minnesota can be viewed at

http://www.sba.gov/content/sbic-directo-

ry-0. Currently, South Dakota does not host

a SBIC.

Finding Potential InvestorsIf you have a good network there’s a

strong likelihood you can pinpoint poten-

tial investors via this route, so start locally

and branch out from there. Potential

resources include:

• Business community – If you are

involved in a local Chamber of Commerce

or other small business group, start there.

Small business development centers may

also be able to introduce you to local

investors.

• Trade associations – Most industries

are represented by a trade association.

National and local investing and venture

capital groups such as the National Venture

Capital Association and the Angel Capital

Association could also be a source of

opportunity.

• State economic development agency

– State and local economic development

agencies may be able to help refer you to

investors in your region.

Finding venture capital in rural areas

can be challenging, but the resources are out

there. Learn what’s available and begin to

ask questions — you will find the answers.

PB

Jim StaiDistrict Director, North Dakota SBA

[email protected]


The right productsfor the job

Answers you can trust - From people who care

800-323-7583

www.dacotahpaper.com


|RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY|

Collaborative research enables new innovations BY DWAINE CHAPEL

Commercialization of innovation is a key eco-

nomic component for local, regional and

national growth. At South Dakota State

University, the College of Engineering is strategically

developing its role to assist growth within its own

parameters and providing cross disciplinary assis-

tance to the research community as a whole.

“We are optimistic about the future of research

in the College of Engineering,” says Dennis Helder,

associate dean for research at the college. “We con-

tinue to pursue research that leverages our strengths,

cultivates new opportunities, attracts strong students

to our graduate programs, and fosters partnerships

with the private sector.”

The College of Engineering recently dedicated a

new and expanded facility on SDSU’s campus

focused on physics, electrical engineering and com-

puter science. The building, named Daktronics

Engineering Hall, was completed in two phases.

Phase I was dedicated in spring 2009. Phase II com-

prised the west addition of the building and was

recently completed. The state Board of Regents

approved the name of the building in recognition of

more than $5 million in gifts received from

Daktronics Inc. and its top officers, Brookings resi-

dents Jim Morgan, Al Kurtenbach and Duane

Sander. The facility encompasses approximately

80,000 square feet, more than 30,000 square feet of

which is dedicated to research. The space is essential

to creating growth opportunities that lead to com-

mercialized applied research.

There are a number of key areas of research

under way in the new facility. The critical support

team provides assistance to the entire research com-

munity on campus for mathematical and statistical

analyses, computational science, predictive analytics

and bioinformatics. The photovoltaics team focuses

on developing, delivering and promoting solar ener-

gy. The team is proficient in solar cell efficiency and

systems integration. Research focuses on nanoscale

devices as well as entire renewable energy systems.

The convergent computing team is an international

consortium with research focusing on early detec-

tion of breast cancer. The team is developing a

microwave tomography imaging.

In addition, the College of Engineering offers a

materials evaluation and testing lab (METLAB). The

METLAB offers a plethora of services to the private

sector utilizing state-of-the-art testing equipment

and processes. This is an interactive opportunity for

industry, faculty and students to learn and work

together, providing a positive path to industry and

university collaboration, which can lead to new

innovation.

These are only a few of the research opportuni-

ties currently in progress within the College of

Engineering. The overall strategy being implement-

ed by the College of Engineering is essential to the

enhancement of new innovative opportunities with-

in the research community. PB

Dwaine Chapel

Executive director

South Dakota State University Innovation Campus

605-696-5600, [email protected]


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|ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT|

Career readiness certificate helps identify qualified employeesBY HAROLD STANISLAWSKI

Finding qualified employees can be a challenge,

but workforce centers in west-central

Minnesota have recently embarked on the

process of utilizing a tool called the National Career

Readiness Certificate which could help confront that

challenge. The problem many employers face is not

finding applicants. The problem is finding qualified

applicants. The National Career Readiness Certificate,

issued by ACT, is a work-skills credential that proves

an individual is work-ready and possesses the skills

your business needs. Recently, our region of

Minnesota implemented the NCRC program as a way

to improve success for employers and potential new

employees in the hiring process.

Participants earn the certificate by completing

three of ACT’s world-renowned WorkKeys assess-

ments: Reading for information, applied mathemat-

ics and locating information. The reading for infor-

mation assessment measures the candidate’s ability to

read and understand work-related documents such as

policies, notices and directions. Applied mathematics

measures reasoning, problem solving and critical

thinking abilities related to work-related problems.

The locating information assessment measures the

individual’s ability to analyze and apply information

found on common workplace graphics, such as

forms, spreadsheets, graphics and maps.

Upon completion of the assessment process,

participants are awarded one of four levels of cer-

tification based on individual WorkKeys scores.

They are:

• Bronze – Proven skills needed for 16 percent of

jobs. Potential jobs include cashier, file clerk or home

health aide.

• Silver – Proven skills needed for 67 percent of

jobs. Job examples include dental assistant, machinist

or truck driver.

• Gold – Proven skills needed for 93 percent of

jobs. Examples include electrician, paramedic or

graphic designer.

• Platinum – Proven skills needed for 99 percent

of jobs. Examples include engineer, pharmacist or

network systems analyst.

Our region is already engaged with this program

and we are finding it useful because it identifies appli-

cants who will be most successful in the job, reduces

the time spent on pre-hiring procedures and reduces

the cost of hiring. Employers who have used this pro-

gram say that it has lead to better results in atten-

dance, reduced turnover, better productivity, and in

the end an increased return on investment.

More information on the National Career

Readiness Certificate can be obtained from your local

workforce office’s business services specialist. PB

Harold Stanislawski

Executive director, Fergus Falls Economic

Improvement Commission

[email protected]


DesignFor The Test Of Time.

P h o n e : 7 0 1 . 8 3 7 . 8 7 3 7w w w. a c k e r m a n - e s t v o l d . c o m

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Prairie News Industry News & Trends |PRAIRIE NEWS|

St. Alexius joins Mayo Clinic Care Network

Bismarck, N.D.-based St. Alexius Medical

Center has joined the year-old Mayo Clinic Care

Network. As part of the network, physicians at St.

Alexius can connect with Mayo Clinic specialists

on questions of patient care using an electronic

consulting technique known as eConsults and will

have access to Mayo-vetted information through

the AskMayoExpert database.

St. Alexius serves residents of central and

western North Dakota, northern South Dakota

and eastern Montana. Aside from its main campus

in Bismarck, the organization owns and operates

hospitals and clinics in Garrison and Turtle Lake,

a primary care clinic in Mandan, and specialty and

primary care clinics in Minot, N.D. It also man-

ages the hospital and clinics owned by Mobridge

Regional Hospital in Mobridge, S.D.

St. Alexius is the first medical center in west-

ern North Dakota to become a member of the

Mayo Clinic Care Network.

ND e-retailer recognized for rapid growth

RealTruck.com, an online retailer of truck

accessories based in Jamestown and Fargo, N.D.,

has recently been named to Internet Retailer

Magazine’s Mobile 400 Guide. The research publi-

cation ranks the largest and fastest-growing

mobile e-commerce sites of U.S. companies.

RealTruck.com was featured at number 245.

Amazon.com received the No.1 ranking. Land’s

End was ranked 247.

Since launching the dedicated mobile site in

2011, RealTruck.com has experienced a 142 per-

cent increase in mobile sales, according to the

company. Total projected sales for 2012 are

expected to reach $20 million, with mobile sales

accounting for $1.2 million.

Bemidji receives branding strategy grant

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation

recently awarded Greater Bemidji, Minn., a

$16,500 grant to complete a competitive advan-

tage assessment and branding strategy. Greater

Bemidji serves as the economic development

agency for the area.

The grant project will address three goals:

research and analysis to determine a common

theme and establish the unique identity of

Bemidji, brand development and marketing and

communications. Headwaters Regional

Development Commission and Greater Bemidji

staff will lead the project.

Minot Area Development Corp.receives excellence award

The Minot (N.D.) Area Development Corp.

recently received the Silver Excellence in

Economic Development award from the

International Economic Development Council for

its Great Plains Energy Park. The award was pre-

sented during the IEDC annual conference in

recognition of MADC’s work in creating innova-

tive and successful strategies to promote econom-

ic development.

The Great Plains Energy Park is an oil center

servicing the Bakken region. Between 2008 and

2011, a $3.5 million investment for public infra-

structure leveraged more than $300 million in

capital investment and created more than 500

jobs. Project partners include the City of Minot,

Ward County, the North Dakota Department of

Commerce, the Port of North Dakota and Souris

Basin Planning Council.

A second energy park is in early plan-

ning stages.

Nor-Son adds Sioux Falls office

Nor-Son Inc., an integrated consulting,

design and construction services firm specializing

in the home, hospitality, healthcare and commer-

Wheat straw plant establishes in Devils Lake

Ultra Green Inc. has established a wheat straw pulp manufac-

turing and molding facility in Devils Lake, N.D. The company will

source local wheat straw to produce eco-friendly products such as

pizza pans, serving ware, plates and bake ware at the facility.

“We are extremely excited to bring manufacturing jobs to

Devils Lake, and be the first company in the U.S. to manufacture

biodegradable, compostable and sustainable bakeable food serv-

ice products made from wheat straw,” Ultra Green CEO Mack

Traynor said in a statement.

The company plans to hire more than 100 people during its

first year of operation.

Devils Lake’s close proximity to abundant wheat straw, ade-

quate water supply and positive economic development environ-

ment contributed to Ultra Green’s decision to choose the town for

its manufacturing plant, according Devils Lake Mayor Dick

Johnson. The company received an economic development grant

to establish its plant in Devils Lake.

Ultra Green Inc. will manufacture eco-friendly products usinglocally sourced wheat straw at its Devils Lake, N.D., plant.IMAGE: ULTRA GREEN INC.


Industry News & Trends |PRAIRIE NEWS|

cial sectors, has added an office in Sioux Falls,

S.D., making it the firm’s first location in the

state. Bob Kogel has joined the firm as project

development manager and serves as the main

contact for the Sioux Falls office.

Nor-Son was founded in 1978 and has

offices in Baxter and Minneapolis-St. Paul

and Fargo, N.D.

Microsoft receives LEED-Gold certification

Microsoft’s most recently constructed

building on its Fargo, N.D., campus recently

earned a LEED-Gold certification. It is the

first building in Fargo to receive the environ-

mentally friendly honor and the fifth building

statewide. Additionally, the campus’s cafeteria

has been designated a 3 Star Certified Green

Restaurant by the Green Restaurant

Association, making it the only Certified

Green Restaurant in the state.

Microsoft announced an aggressive

companywide goal earlier this year to become

carbon neutral during fiscal year 2013 by

introducing an internal carbon fee to encour-

age energy efficiency and renewable energy

utilization.

In addition to the efficiency improve-

ments already implemented on campus,

Fargo’s cafeteria is being used as a global pilot

to test additional practices, such as using real

china and silverware rather than compostable

products.

John Deere ElectronicSolutions expands Fargooperations

John Deere Electronic Solutions held a

grand opening event Oct. 9 for its new 90,000

square foot facility in Fargo, N.D. The $22

million building will provide space for an

expanding engineering staff, product design

and verification laboratories, according to the

company. It will also include space for power

electronics manufacturing.

John Deere Electronics Solutions cur-

rently employs more than 1,000 people in the

Fargo area.

Arvig Enterprises acquiresAll State Communications

Arvig Enterprises, a full-service telecom-

munications provider, has agreed to acquire


|PRAIRIE NEWS| |PRAIRIE NEWS|

KLJ engineering firm celebrates 75 years

Bismarck-based Kadrmas, Lee and Jackson, an

employee owned surveying and engineering services

firm, is celebrating its 75th year of business in 2013

and has marked the occasion with the creation of a

new website and logo.

KLJ, as it has become known, was launched in

1938 by Louie and Mary Ellen Veigel, who offered sur-

veying and engineering services in the Dakotas from

their office in the basement of the Stark County

Courthouse in North Dakota. Since that time, the firm

has grown to its current size of nearly 700 employees

spread throughout 15 offices in North Dakota, South

Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and Wyoming.

A $1.8 million health center currently under construction in De Smet, S.D., shownhere in an artist rendering, will significantly expand the region's health care capa-bilities when complete in 2013. IMAGE: HORIZON HEALTH CARE INC.

Horizon Health Care breaks ground in De SmetHorizon Health Care Inc. has begun building a $1.8 million, 9,500 square foot

community health center and dental clinic in De Smet, S.D. The facility will include

six dental operatories, six medical exam rooms, office space and reception and wait-

ing areas. The new facility will replace space currently utilized by Horizon that is

needed by the local hospital. The new, much larger facility will also expand Horizon’s

ability to serve patients.

Funding for the project is being provided primarily by a $1.04 million cap-

ital development grant awarded to Horizon earlier this year through the

Affordable Care Act.

Jans Corp. will serve as the construction manager for the project. RS Architects

is the project architect and Associated Consulting Engineering Inc. has been selected

as the project engineer. The facility is expected to begin serving patients in May 2013.

Sauk Rapids, Minn.-based All State

Communications. The company will operate as a

wholly owned subsidiary of Arvig Enterprises and

will retain all current staff.

All State Communications provides services

that support voice and data network applications,

including design and installation of all types of

communications, and brings extensive experience

and expertise to Arvig, allowing Arvig Enterprises

to become a turnkey telecommunications

provider, according to the company.

U of M, Crookston gets grantto promote entrepreneurialism

The Bremer Foundation has awarded a

$50,000 grant to the Center for Entrepreneurial

Studies at the University of Minnesota, Crookston

to extend entrepreneurial assistance services and

programming in northwestern Minnesota. The

two-year grant will be used to support CRES serv-

ices as well as to develop entrepreneurial aware-

ness among high school and U of M, Crookston

students.

The center’s goals for the next two years

include entrepreneurial and small business con-

sulting, community education and outreach to

facilitate entrepreneurial networking and the dis-

semination of rural entrepreneurship research,

according to the center.

NetWork Center hosts technology showcase

Technology product and services provider

NetWork Center Inc. is hosting a technology

showcase Dec. 12 at the Holiday Inn in Fargo. The

event will offer attendees information on emerg-

ing technology innovations from several industry

leaders, including Microsoft, IBM and Cisco.

Topics covered will include an outlook for tech-

nology trends in 2013, the effect of technology on

data centers and improving customer service

through mobility.

Huddle House restaurantchain expands to the Dakotas

Huddle House Inc., a full-service family

restaurant chain with more than 400 units across

the U.S., has opened its first location in the

Dakotas in Fargo, N.D. A company representative

said the Fargo location will serve as a hub for

growth across the state as the company works to

add eight additional locations throughout North

Dakota. The brand is also seeking expansion

opportunities in South Dakota and anticipates

opening five to seven units there within the next five

years. Huddle House expects to open more than

100 new locations nationwide in the next five years.

Raven Industries supplies balloon for space jump

Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Raven Industries Inc.,

through its Aerostar Division, was responsible for

manufacturing the high-altitude research balloon

used by Felix Baumgartner during his recent

record-setting Red Bull Stratos mission. The heli-

um-filled balloon lifted Baumgartner to an alti-

tude of 128,000 feet on Oct. 14 before he success-

fully completed a more than 9-minute jump back

to Earth, traveling at an estimated speed of 833.9

miles per hour.

The Raven balloon used for Baumgarten’s

mission measured 425 feet in diameter when fully

inflated and weighed 3,708 pounds. It is a zero-

pressure balloon manufactured from high

strength polyethylene.


|PRAIRIE NEWS| |PRAIRIE NEWS|

Ross Almlie, CEO and co-founderof BreadVault LLC

West Fargo company launches money-management app

BreadVault LLC, a West Fargo, N.D.-based technology compa-

ny nationally launched its first money management mobile app on

Oct. 3. The app, which shares the company’s name, is a virtual

money-flow system meant to encourage families to save and spend

wisely and to give back to their communities.

In a statement, Ross Almlie, CEO and company co-founder,

credited the app’s launch to North Dakota’s strong example of finan-

cial responsibility. “We are conservative almost to a fault in North

Dakota, but it has served us well in difficult economic times,” he said.

“I can’t think of a better state in the union to help reshape how

households manage their savings.”

BreadVault LLC's virtual flow money-management app is designed tohelp families save and spend money wisely. IMAGE: BREADVAULT LLC


|PRAIRIE PEOPLE|

MDU CEO announces retirementTerry Hildestad, president and CEO of MDU

Resources Group Inc., will retire on Jan. 3, 2013,

after a 38-year career with the company. He will be

succeeded by David Goodin, who will also become

a member of the company’s board of directors.

Goodin currently serves as president and

CEO of MDU Resources’ four utility groups —

Montana-Dakota Utilities Co., Great Plains

Natural Gas Co., Cascade Natural Gas Corp. and

Intermountain Gas Co.

Additionally, J. Kent Wells has been selected to

serve as vice chairman of MDU Resources’ board

of directors in January. Wells is president and CEO

of Fidelity Exploration & Production Co., MDU

Resources’ oil and natural gas production business.

University of Mary professorreceives Fulbright award

Carole Barrett, a professor in the school of arts

and sciences at the University of Mary in Bismarck,

N.D., has been awarded a Nehru-Fulbright Scholar

grant to teach at Ravenshaw University in Cuttack,

Odisha, India, during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Barrett is spending six months teaching the socio-

logical foundations of education, human rights and

American literature as a Nehru visiting lecturer. She

will also conduct a workshop on writing grants and

will work with students in remedial English.

Barrett is one of about 1,100 U.S. faculty and

professionals who will travel abroad through the

Fulbright U.S. Scholar program this academic

year. The program is sponsored by the U.S. gov-

ernment and is designed to increase mutual

understanding between the people of the U.S. and

people of other countries.

SK Food adds quality control specialist

SK Food International Inc., a Fargo, N.D.-

based importer/exporter and supplier of organic

food products, has hired Laura Grinde to serve in

the newly created position of quality control spe-

cialist. In this role, Grinde oversees all quality con-

trol at the company’s two locations and maintains

regulatory documentation. She will also provide

sales and market support related to Identity

Preserved ingredients.

Grinde holds a bachelor of science degree in

food science from North Dakota State University

and worked most recently in quality assurance.

Kraus-Anderson hires project manager

Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. has

named Patrick Weerts as project manager in the

company’s Bemidji, Minn., office.

Weerts worked most recently as a project man-

ager for Ham Lake, Minn.-based Crossroad

Construction. He previously served as an environ-

mental technician at the Institute for Environmental

Assessment in Brooklyn Park, Minn.

Heartland Trust Co. promotes 3Fargo, N.D.-based Heartland Trust Co.

recently promoted Neil Jordheim to executive vice

president. Jordheim has been employed at

Heartland Trust for 18 years and is a graduate of

North Dakota State University.

Sheryl Bernier has been promoted to vice

president and is responsible for operations, compli-

ance/internal audits and human resources. Bernier

co-founded Heartland Trust Co. in 1990.

Diane Sandven was promoted to trust admin-

istrator and handles personal trusts, investment

accounts and individual retirement accounts.

Sandven worked at a major national bank’s trust

department before joining Heartland Trust in 2004.

Ducks Unlimited directorselected for conservation fellowship

Steve Adair, Ducks Unlimited director of

operations for the Great Plains Region, has been

chosen to be a fellow at the National Conservation

Leadership Institute. Adair is one of 36 profession-

als from natural resources related nonprofits, gov-

ernment agencies, tribes and industry selected to

take part in an intensive, nine-month, world-class

leadership development program.

DU’s Great Plains Regional Office is located

in Bismarck, N.D.

Terry Hildestad Patrick Weerts

Laura Grinde

Carole Barrett

Neil Jordheim Sheryl Bernier Diane Sandven

Steve Adair


|PRAIRIE PEOPLE|


|PRAIRIE PEOPLE|

BSE names regional businessdevelopment, enterprise riskmanagers

Shawn Burgad has been selected to serve as

northwest regional business development manager

for Border States Electric, an employee-owned electri-

cal supplies distributor headquartered in Fargo, N.D.

Burgad joined BSE in 1997 as a warehouse

associate at the company’s Bismarck, N.D., branch.

Since that time he has worked in various positions

within the company, most recently as an account

manager at the company’s Gillette, Wyo., branch.

Prior to BSE, Burgad worked as an electrician in

North Dakota.

Michael Robinson has accepted the position of

enterprise risk manager. He has more than 15 years

of experience in financial services, consulting, con-

sumer products and technology industries. He

worked previously at KPMG in Kingston, Jamaica,

Bank of America in Louisville, Ky., and most recent-

ly at American Financial in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Gate City CEO receives NDSUalumni award

Steve Swiontek, chair, president and CEO of

Gate City Bank in Fargo, received the Development

Foundation 2012 Service award from North

Dakota State University in recognition of his con-

tributions to NDSU, the foundation and the NDSU

Alumni Association.

Swiontek received a bachelor’s degree in eco-

nomics and military science from NDSU in 1977

and an honorary doctorate in 2006. He is a mem-

ber of the foundation’s board of trustees and served

as Alumni Association president from 2001 to 2003.

He also chaired the NDSU presidential search com-

mittee in 2010 and was a member of the 1998 pres-

idential search committee.

Neumiller joins CenturyBusiness Products

Hugh Neumiller has joined Century Business

Products as a solutions analyst in the company’s

Pierre, S.D., office. Neumiller managed a financial

company prior to joining Century Business

Products.

Century Business Products is a technology

and services provider for businesses throughout the

region and is focused on assisting its customers

maximize the capabilities of digital office technolo-

gy, including workflow systems and document

management systems.

Borofsky named Dakota StateUniversity president

David Borofsky has been selected by the

South Dakota Board of Regents to become the

22nd president of Dakota State University in

Madison, S.D. Borofsky, who had been serving as

interim president of the university since February,

was appointed to the permanent position on Oct.

22. He succeeds Douglas Knowlton, who left the

South Dakota public university system earlier in

the year for a position in Minnesota.

The Board of Regents had initially said it

would not consider Borofsky for the permanent

position, but recanted after receiving a

“groundswell of support from the campus and

community,” according to the board. “President

Borofsky has been building a positive momentum

for Dakota State University, and no one wanted to

break that momentum,” Board of Regents

President Kathryn Johnson said in a statement.

Renewable Fuels Associationelects 2013 leadership

The Renewable Fuels Association has elected

Neill McKinstray, president of The Andersons Inc.

ethanol division, as chairman of the group’s board

of directors. He previously served as vice chairman

for two terms and will succeed Chuck Woodside,

general manager of Nebraska’s KAAPA Ethanol,

who served as chairman for two terms.

Other elected officers for 2013 include:

Randall Doyal, CEO of Al-Corn Clean Fuel in

Claremont, Minn., as vice chairman; Walt

Wendland, CEO of Golden Grain Energy in

Mason City, Iowa, as treasurer; and Mick

Henderson, general manager of Commonwealth

Agri-Energy in Hopkinsville, Ky., as secretary.

Schneider joins PioneerCare as CFO

Deb Schneider has joined PioneerCare, a

Fergus Falls, Minn.-based retirement living

provider, as chief financial officer. In this role, she

will oversee all fiscal functions of the organization.

Prior to joining PioneerCare, Schneider was

administrator for Minnewaska Community

Health Services based in Starbuck, Minn., where

she was responsible for leadership and oversight of

the organization’s multiple facilities.

Shawn Burgad

Michael Robinson

Steve Swiontek

David Borofsky

Neill McKinstray

Hugh Neumiller

Deb Schneider


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Earlier this year, the Grand Forks Region

Economic Development Corp. launched an

effort to convince businesses working in the

Bakken region of western North Dakota to locate

their operations on the eastern side of the state

instead. It appears that effort is beginning to show

results. Two manufacturing companies have

recently opened facilities in the Grand Forks, N.D.,

area and economic development officials antici-

pate more to come as service and equipment

providers seek an alternative to the constant hous-

ing and workforce concerns in communities near

the Oil Patch.

Dickinson, N.D.-based Steffes Corp., a manufac-

turer of storage tanks and products for use in a num-

ber of industries expanded its operations to Grand

Forks in April. Approximately 24 of the company’s

225 employees currently work at the Grand Forks

facility, but the company expects to double that num-

ber within the next year in order to meet the demands

of its Bakken customers.

Rodger Pearson, Grand Forks division manager,

says Steffes Corp. elected to site its third manufactur-

ing location outside of the Bakken region after strug-

gling for several years to retain long-term employees

in Dickinson. “People come from other states, they

work for a few months and then they go home,” he

says. “We were constantly in training mode.” Grand

Forks offered not only a stable supply of workers, but

also an existing building, formerly used by Pribbs

Steel, that met the company’s needs, solidifying the

decision to expand east.

Oil tank manufacturing company Diverse

Energy Systems LLC was founded earlier this year fol-

lowing the acquisition of a small fabrication shop in

Grafton, N.D., a community of about 4,000 people

located 50 miles north of Grand Forks. The company

currently employs about 10 people in Berthold, N.D.,

Bakken businesses follow workersCompanies set up shop in eastern ND to access stable workforce, housingBY KRIS BEVILL

Workers at Steffes Corp.’s manufac-turing facility in Grand Forks, N.D.,weld a cattle guard. The companyengineers and fabricates equipmentfor multiple industries, but recentlyexpanded to Grand Forks to meetgrowing demand from customers inthe oil fields of western NorthDakota. PHOTO: KRIS BEVILL,PRAIRIE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

|BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT| |BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT|


close to the Bakken activity, but elected to base

its manufacturing operations in Grafton due to

workforce shortages and the high cost of living

in the Oil Patch. “Simply put, western North

Dakota is a great place to do business, but it’s

not a great place to find employees,” says Scott

Muster, marketing director for Diverse Energy

Systems. “It’s just so challenging out there.”

Muster notes that housing shortages

plague the entire state of North Dakota, not just

the Bakken region, which is why his company

purchased housing units in Grafton previously

used for migrant workers to temporarily house

new company recruits. He declined to offer the

total project cost, but said it will likely take the

company about five years to pay it off. He says

the investment in housing provides the compa-

ny a definite advantage in attracting workers

who otherwise might not accept a position due

to concerns over immediately available hous-

ing. “We have to do this,” Muster says. “What

else would we do?”

By late October, Diverse Energy Systems

had completed work on two of the 10 duplex

units located on the property. Muster says a

total of 56 people could live on the property,

although he’s uncertain whether the company

will fill the units to capacity. Employees living

on property will be charged a small rent.

Muster says the company’s goal is to provide

temporary housing, up to six months, while

new hires seek permanent homes in the area.

Families are a primary target for the company

and will be accommodated in the units. The

company is actively recruiting and seeks to fill

24 new positions by February, bringing its total

number of employees to 115.

Klaus Thiessen, president and CEO of the

Grand Forks Region Economic Development

Corp., says Grand Forks has housing and work-

ers available to meet companies’ demands and

his office plans to re-group its efforts in western

North Dakota to continue attracting compa-

nies to the area. The inevitable bust of an oil

boom is not a concern for Grand Forks as it

seeks to entice service companies, according to

Thiessen, because businesses locating in the

area service a number of industries. That senti-

ment was echoed by Steffes Corp.’s Pearson.

“We know that oil will go down eventually and

we’re preparing for that,” he says. PB

Kris Bevill

Editor, Prairie Business


|BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT| |BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT|


|40 UNDER 40|

Immense InspirationBY KRIS BEVILL

The honorees selected for Prairie Business magazine’s annual

top 40 business professionals under the age of 40 represent

a cross-section of the immense talent that exists in varied

sectors throughout our area, providing inspiration for the entire

business community through their determination to exceed expec-

tations and willingness to work hard for success. Among this year's

group are entrepreneurs, sales leaders, a patent holder and a

Pulitzer prize winner. Some of the honorees have worked in the

same field for most of their adult life while others have already

made a noticeable impact in new endeavors.

Many of the honorees are devoted to contributing to their com-

munities outside of work as well, serving on local school boards,

chamber committees and charitable organization committees.

We are proud to introduce this year's top 40 members of the

region's business community.

Darin Seeley (37)Senior Manager, Human Resources and EmploymentBlack Hills Corp.Rapid City, S.D.

Darin, a native of tiny Chester, S.D., left the Ohio

auto industry behind to return to his home state in

2009 to work for diversified energy company Black

Hills Corp. Since making the switch Darin has

embraced his new role at Black Hills Corp. and gained

a reputation among his peers as being at the forefront

of incorporating technology into human resources

activities. Among those technologies is a web tool that

allows the company to conduct recorded interviews

with potential candidates. Darin says that adopting

this method of long-distance interviewing has reduced

transportation costs, eliminated scheduling conflicts

between interviewees and interviewers and proven to

be a time-saver for everyone involved in the hiring

process.

Darin has also become a vocal advocate for ade-

quately training workers for in-demand professions, a

passion which stems from working for an industry

with a graying workforce and few prospective replace-

ments. “The energy industry, particularly utilities, is

facing an aging workforce — 50 percent will retire in

the next five to seven years — which will translate to a

large shortage of workers,” he says. He once went so far

as to tell a gathering of college presidents and regional

legislators “to stop sending everybody to college,” he

says, adding good-naturedly, “They didn’t throw any-

thing at me so I guess I will call that a success.”

Darin holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural

business from South Dakota State University and an

MBA degree from the University of Findlay in Findlay,

Ohio. “I consider myself a business person first, an HR

person second,” he says. He says he believes HR profes-

sionals in general will need to “learn the language of

business” more fluently in the future in order to adapt

to the business climate, a concept which gives those

professionals with business backgrounds a bit of an

advantage over traditionally trained HR majors. He is

passionate about his profession and its role in making

businesses successful. “I moved into HR because I liked

the work in developing people, getting the best out of

them, and supporting the business in that way,” he says.

Darin lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota

with his wife and two children.


|40 UNDER 40|

Michael Karvakko (32)PresidentKarvakko EngineeringBemidji, Minn.

Michael is a Michigen native who moved to

Bemidji, Minn., with his wife a, Minnesota native,

after receiving a civil engineering degree from

Michigan Technical University in 2000. In 2006, he

founded Karvakko Engineering, a civil engineering

company with an emphasis on providing top-

notch customer service to its clients. Michael and

his small staff worked on a diverse number of proj-

ects in northern Minnesota and North Dakota for

the first few years of business, most notably the

Bemidji airport, which has been under develop-

ment for 10 years. Since founding Karvakko

Engineering, Michael says his company has con-

ducted $35 million in improvements at the airport.

But the Bakken’s reach stretches far, and this

past year has proven that point at Karvakko

Engineering. The firm has more than doubled in

size to its current staff of 15 employees, due large-

ly to projects the company is conducting in the oil

fields of western North Dakota. Michael has also

been able to expand his company’s offerings,

recently adding landscape architecture and land

surveying to its list of capabilities. Michael credits

his “energetic staff” for seeking out challenges and

opportunities that have helped grow the firm’s list

of projects and says his staff is what inspires him to

build the best business possible.

Michael lives with his wife and three children

on a hobby farm near Bemidji. He is a member of

the Society of Professional Engineers, the

Minnesota Council of Airports, the City Engineers

Association of Minnesota and the American

Society of Civil Engineers.

Aaron Lamb (37)Founder/PresidentErgologistics LLCFargo, N.D.

Aaron is the founder of FormulaNow, an auto-

mated infant formula dispensing system, and

Ergologistics LLC, maker of the automated hand

truck dubbed Lift’n Buddy, but as is the case for many

entrepreneurs, his entrance into the world of entre-

preneurialism happened by chance. After majoring in

international studies at North Dakota State University,

Aaron eventually accepted a temporary position as a

sales representative for a coffee and tea distributor.

The job ended up lasting for several months because

representatives were continually injuring themselves

while trying to lift heavy equipment. Seeing the fre-

quency with which company representatives sus-

tained injuries led to the “a-ha” moment that eventu-

ally resulted in the Lift’n Buddy, he says.

A similar revelation struck one hectic workday

morning after his wife verbalized her wish for a

machine that could prepare a baby bottle at the push of

a button. That thought triggered the notion for an

automated machine, and FormulaNow was born.

About three years ago, the North Dakota State

University Research & Technology Park accepted

Aaron and his team into its Technology Incubator

and has provided business development expertise in

preparation for his company’s full-fledged launch.

“In essence, they provide somewhat of a safety net,”

he says. “Then the training wheels come off and you

go and grow.” For Ergologistics, which has already

sold a few hundred units worldwide, that launch

will likely happen next year.

Aaron also expects to launch FormulaNow in

2013. He recently secured Series A financing and is

negotiating with the fifth largest infant formula

producer in the world.

Aaron says mentors at NDSU urge young

businesses to focus on current projects and mone-

tize them before moving on to their next ventures,

but he “has the itch to keep on innovating” and

hopes to launch more products in the near future.

“Watch for us because we do have something

around the bend,” he says.

Jennifer Grosz (31)Lawyer, ShareholderEbeltoft . Sickler . LawyersDickinson, N.D.

Jen received her law degree from the University

of Nebraska School of Law in 2005 and and soon after

began her legal career at Mackoff Kellogg Law Firm in

Dickinson, N.D. But within just four years, she moved

on to launch a new law firm in Dickinson, N.D., and

assumed a leadership role within the firm.

Now three years into her role as shareholder at

Ebeltoft, Sickler, Kolling, Grosz, Bouray PLLC, Jen has

become the “go-to” lawyer for large-scale business

transactions at the firm, specializing in succession

planning and sales of operations for oilfield operators.

It is unusual for someone to become such an accom-

plished lawyer at such a young age, and Jen says she

sometimes has to convince her clients that although

she’s young, she’s perfectly qualified for the job. “Early

in my career, I was fortunate to have very talented

attorneys guide me into areas of the law that they felt

were the most consistent with my talents,” she says.

“Because of their leadership and encouragement, I

was able to focus on what has become my area of

expertise right from the start.”

Jen is also a founding member of the Dickinson

Young Professionals Network and mentors new

lawyers and law clerks at her firm. In 2010, the Young

Professionals Network named the firm the best place

in North Dakota to intern. Jen’s main piece of advice

to newcomers at the firm is this: Take a deep breath. “I

think young lawyers are often overly terrified of mak-

ing a mistake, thinking that a mistake they make will

be fatal to the case on which they’re working,” she says.

“Mistakes can be fixed, and my job as a partner is to

help our associates and law clerks come up with a plan

to fix them.”


Nicole Peske(32)Education and TrainingCoordinatorNorth Dakota Leagueof CitiesBismarck, N.D.

Nicole has worked for the North Dakota

League of Cities for more than a decade. In her

current role, she connects civic leaders with train-

ing opportunities in emergency response, crisis

communications, social media and leadership. She

also facilitates the league’s scholarship program

and coordinates its annual meeting. Nicole also

serves as co-lead of the Bismarck-Mandan Young

Professional’s professional development team.

DavidLehman(37)ManufacturingEngineering ExtensionSpecialistNorth Dakota StateUniversityBismarck, N.D.

David joined NDSU in 2009, where he provides

outreach, resource materials and preliminary engineer-

ing assistance based on the needs of investors, compa-

nies and organizations throughout North Dakota. He

also serves as an executive board member for the IDEA

Center business incubator in Bismarck and is a mem-

ber of the Economic Development Association of

North Dakota. Additionally, he is the proprietor and

president of a real estate investment firm with holdings

in Bismarck, Mandan and Dickinson.

Deb Eslinger(36)Executive DirectorCenter for Technology& BusinessBismarck, N.D.

As the executive

director of the Center for Technology & Business

(CTB), Deb runs the N.D. Women’s Business

Center and develops programming and initiatives

to support women in business, leadership and eco-

nomic development throughout North Dakota.

She also serves on the excellence in business com-

mittee for the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of

Commerce and provides leadership for the North

Dakota Young Professionals through her role at the

CTB.

RyanBoschee(33)Group Bank PresidentGreat Western BankWatertown, S.D.

Ryan joined Great Western Bank in 2001 as a

management trainee in Watertown and Madison, S.D.

Since that time he has served in various positions, lead-

ing to a promotion to group president in 2011. In this

role, he oversees markets in Watertown, Chamberlain

and Madison, S.D. He also currently serves on the boards

of the Business Industry School Coalition, United Way,

Habitat for Humanity, the Watertown Chamber of

Commerce and Karing Kapers.

Julie Haugen(34)Impact InstituteDirectorImpact FoundationFargo, N.D.

Julie became director of the Impact Institute in

2007 and works continuously to bring new programs

to nonprofits of the region to expand their leadership,

capacity and impact. In 2009, she launched a leader-

ship program to help nonprofit executives improve

their impact. She also led in developing the online giv-

ing website www.impactgiveback.org and building

Giving Hearts Day to a successful event. The 2012

Giving Hearts Day garnered $1.6 million in donations

to charities in a 24-hour period.

DerrickDinger(32)Managing DirectorNorthwestern MutualAberdeen, S.D.

Derrick became managing director for

Northwestern Mutual in 2009 and has since grown

his office from three representatives to 10 and has

more than doubled its production. In 2012, he

received the Emerging Leader award from the

Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce. He is an active

member of the Wolves Club Board of Trustees and

is a committee member for Northern State

University Athletics.

JenniferSlaight-Hansen(39)Director of Sales andMarketingWooden MalletAberdeen, S.D.

Jennifer joined Wooden Mallet in 2008 and is

responsible for overall growth and development of

reseller relationships. Since joining the company, she

has renegotiated dealer contracts resulting in a 25 per-

cent cost savings and opened more than 50 new

reseller accounts, comprising nearly 30 percent of the

current year’s sales. She is also a founding member of

Aberdeen’s downtown association and has served as

an elected Aberdeen City Councilperson since 2009.

JoleneLoetscher(33)EntrepreneurSelfspiration, Mud MileCommunications,DooGoodersSioux Falls, S.D.

Jolene launched her first business in 2007 – a dog waste

removal service which provides a portion of its sales to chari-

ties. She has also co-founded Mud Mile Communications,

which assists brands in developing social media, online, video

and communications strategies and Selfspiration, a nonprof-

it organization aimed at increasing awareness of sexual abuse,

particularly crimes against children, through legislative and

social change. In 2012, she worked to pass legislation in South

Dakota which would remove the statue of limitations on cer-

tain types of rape cases.

KoryAnderson(29)PresidentHorsch Anderson/Anderson Industries/Anderson Bros. FarmsAndover, S.D.

After serving as engineering manager for

agricultural implement manufacturer Horsch

Anderson since 2005, Kory became president of

the company in 2010. He launched Anderson

Industries in 2006 and has steadily expanded the

business, most recently through the acquisition of

a Mapleton, N.D., company in 2011. Additionally,

he and his brother formed Anderson Bros. Farm in

2011, a South Dakota farming business that raises

corn and soybeans.

|40 UNDER 40|


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|40 UNDER 40|

Stacy Kusler(29)ManagerAurora ClinicGrand Forks, N.D.

As manager of Aurora Clinic, Stacy has played

an instrumental role in growing the clinic to its cur-

rent staff of 24 people. She also founded the Red

River Runners group of Grand Forks, which has 150

paid members annually, and serves on the Fargo

Marathon planning committee. She volunteers as a

coach for Special Olympics and serves as the public

relations coordinator for the local Special Olympics

area management team.

Justin Mahler(34)Director of EngineeringSpectrum AeromedFargo, N.D.

Justin has held the lead engineer position at

Spectrum Aeromed since 2007 and is responsible for

the oversight, management and leadership of a five-

person in-house engineering team and three outside

consulting engineers. In recognition of his skills, qual-

ifications, technical knowledge and expertise as a

designer, the Federal Aviation Administration appoint-

ed Justin as a Designated Engineering Representative.

He is one of the youngest DERs in the U.S.

Lee Harstad(36)Marketing DirectorDeadwood Chamber of Commerce Visitors BureauDeadwood, S.D.

As marketing director for the Deadwood

Chamber of Commerce Visitors Bureau, Lee

directs one of the largest private-sector advertising

and promotion budgets in the region. He also cur-

rently serves as vice president of the Black Hills

Badlands and Lakes Association and is the public

information officer for the Deadwood Volunteer

Fire Department. He is also an outdoors columnist

for the Rapid City Journal.

ScottEisenbeisz(36)Director of ClinicOperationsSanford HealthAberdeen ClinicAberdeen, S.D.

Scott became the clinic director at Sanford

Aberdeen in 2010 and oversees a medical staff con-

sisting of more than 40 providers ranging from fam-

ily medicine to advanced sub-specialty practices for

children and adults. He has previously served in a

variety of administrative roles within Sanford Health,

most recently as director of primary care, a position

which entails working within rural health clinics,

quality payment programs, the Diabetes Health

Coach program and electronic health record projects.

BradTollerson(38)Manager, Power ServicesOtter Tail Power Co.Fergus Falls, Minn.

As manager of power services, Brad leads Otter

Tail Power Co.’s wholesale energy market operations

and staff and is instrumental in leading the company

through the dramatically changing energy markets. He

is a U.S. Patent holder for his involvement in the devel-

opment of an Energy Coordination System for facili-

tating customer choice for electric service.

Additionally, Brad is actively involved in regional ener-

gy market committees and task forces.

RandyGrismer(38)General ManagerComfort InnAberdeen, S.D.

In addition to his role as general manager of the

Aberdeen Comfort Inn, Randy operates a restau-

rant/bar and event facility in Aberdeen and has been

an active member of the community for more than 15

years. He helped to create the Aberdeen Hotel Alliance

which launched a self-taxing authority for the town’s

hotels, generating more than $300,000 annually for

marketing and reserve funds for event funding. He

has also held leadership roles with the local chamber

of commerce and convention and visitors bureau.

Eric Icard(35)Senior BusinessDevelopment OfficerGrand Forks Region EconomicDevelopment Corp.Grand Forks, N.D.

Eric has more than a decade of experience in

various levels of economic development and is

currently focused on developing the emerging

Unmanned Aerial Systems enterprise in the Grand

Forks, N.D., region. He is the first chairman of

Northland Community & Technical College’s

Northland Aerospace Foundation board of direc-

tors, a member of the local Air Force Association

and represents the Grand Forks Region EDC on

the Red River Regional Council.

EmilyRichardt(31)Director of PublicRelations, Committeesand ProgramsAberdeen AreaChamber of CommerceAberdeen, S.D.

Emily recently joined the Aberdeen Area

Chamber of Commerce after having spent 10 years as

a journalist. During her time spent as a reporter and

editor, she received several prestigious awards, includ-

ing a Pulitzer Prize in public service, journalism’s high-

est honor, as part of the staff of the Biloxi (Miss.) Sun

Herald for its coverage following Hurricane Katrina.

She was also named South Dakota’s young journalist

of the year in 2006.

ToddMedd(34)Project Manager, Fargo ManagerJLG ArchitectsFargo, N.D.

He joined JLG just two years ago, but Todd’s enthu-

siasm and management qualities have quickly led him to

a management position, including a recent appointment

as manager of the firm’s Fargo office. He also leads JLG’s

health care division, which under his management has

worked with the Fargo Veterans Affairs Medical Center

and Sanford Health. Before joining JLG, Todd worked for

HKS, one of the nation’s largest architecture firms, where

he worked on the Aria Casino and Convention Center

project in Las Vegas among other projects.

CONGRATULATIONS

CHRISTINASAMBOR

on your40 under 40 award!

PATRICK W. DURICK

B. TIMOTHY DURICK

GARY R. THUNE

LARRY L. BOSCHEE

314 EAST THAYER AVENUEPOST OFFICE BOX 400BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA58502-0400

Telephone: (701) 223-2890Fax: (701) 223-7865

E-mail: [email protected]

JEROME C. KETTLESON

JONATHAN P. SANSTEAD

TIFFANY L. JOHNSON

ZACHARY E. PELHAM

CHRISTOPHER J. NYHUS

RACHEL BRUNER-KAUFMAN

CHRISTINA A. SAMBOR

40under

40

JenniferSlaight-HansenDirector of Sales andMarketingWooden Mallet

ScottEisenbeiszDirector of ClinicOperationsSanford HealthAberdeen Clinic

Derrick DingerManaging DirectorNorthwestern Mutual

Randy GrismerGeneral ManagerComfort Inn

NicoleWalterDirector of MemberServices & EventsAberdeen AreaChamber ofCommerce

Jennifer KlitzkeAdministrativeAssistantUnited Way ofNortheasternSouth Dakota Inc.

Emily RichardtDirector of PublicRelationsAberdeen AreaChamber ofCommerce

The Aberdeen Area Chamber ofCommerce would like to congratulateour staff members and local businessprofessionals for being named toPrairie Business Magazine's 40 under 40.

Congratulations

516 S. Main St. (605) 225-2860 fax: (605) 225-2437www.aberdeen-chamber.com

Matt PrehnPrincipal BusinessRelationshipManagerWells Fargo Bank

We're proud of thework they - and therest of our area'syoung professionals -do each and every day.



|40 UNDER 40|

Brett Gurholt(36)Office ManagerKadrmas, Lee andJacksonBismarck, N.D.

Brett has worked for KLJ for eight years, beginning

as a landscape architect in 2004. He currently serves as

office manager at the firm’s Bismarck location, which

houses more than half of the company’s 600 employees.

He is a member of KLJ’s long-term planning committee

and project management reinvented team, which seeks

to find innovative ways to manage projects and meet

clients’ needs. Brett serves on the board of directors for

Bismarck’s Downtowner’s Association and as chairper-

son for the Bismarck Forestry Advisory Board .

ChrisDumont(30)Project ManagerKadrmas, Lee andJacksonGrand Forks, N.D.

A graduate of North Dakota State University,

Chris has spent six years developing engineering

expertise in airport design and construction projects

for general and commercial airports. He serves on the

board of directors for the North Dakota Young

Professionals Network as well as the Greater Grand

Forks Young Professionals Network. He is an aircraft

owner, a licensed pilot, and is actively involved in the

aviation community.

MattPrehn(36)Principal BusinessRelationship ManagerWells Fargo BankAberdeen, S.D.

Matt has spent 12 years at Wells Fargo Bank. As

principal business relationship manager, he oversees

its business banking team members. Matt has a

strong track record in community involvement, serv-

ing for nine years as a member of the Aberdeen

Sertoma Club and eight years as a member of the

Hub Area Habitat for Humanity. He has spent two

years on the board of directors at the United Way of

Northeastern South Dakota and is a member of the

Aberdeen Parks and Recreation board of directors.

Joshua Riedy(37)Chief InformationOfficerUniversity of North Dakota Grand Forks, N.D.

Josh joined UND initially as dean of out-

reach programs and quickly revolutionized the

division, resulting in UND becoming a leading

university in online education. Based on this suc-

cess, he was appointed to the additional role of

chief information officer for the university. He is

also the associate chief information officer for the

North Dakota University System and director of

system information technology services.

Eric Watson(38)Owner/Executive ChefMosaic Catering &Events, MezzalunaRestaurantFargo, N.D.

In eight years, Eric has grown his business from

a small catering company with just two employees to a

catering service and dining establishment with more

than 35 employees. He has been a driving force in cre-

ating an upscale catering scene in the Red River Valley.

In 2011, Mosaic Foods received the Fargo Moorhead

West Fargo Chamber of Commerce Small Business of

the Year award. Eric also contributes to community

events that support local food pantries, the arts scene

and school fundraisers.

EricChristensen(36)Chief Financial OfficerTrussbilt LLCHuron, S.D.

As CFO of security products manufacturer

Trussbilt LLC, Eric has transformed the company’s

finance department by reducing its monthly close

to single day. He oversees five other administrative

and operational departments with a goal of reduc-

ing costs, increasing output and becoming self-suf-

ficient. A resident of Mitchell, S.D., Eric has been a

member of the Mitchell school board for the past

five years and recently joined the local career learn-

ing center and the James River Housing Authority.

TyroneGrandstrand(27)FinancialRepresentativeNorthwestern MutualGrand Forks, N.D

Tyrone displayed strong leadership skills while

still a student at the University of North Dakota, where

he served a rare two consecutive terms as student body

president and led the student body's impressive volun-

teerism effort during the 2009 Red River Valley flood. In

addition to his work at Northwestern Mutual, Tyrone

serves as the finance committee chair of the Grand

Forks Community Land Trust, a nonprofit group

focused on creating permanent affordable home own-

ership opportunities in the city.

Tiffany Wirth(37)Director of MarketingEvolution1 Inc.Fargo, N.D.

Tiffany joined Evolution1 (then Lighthouse1) in

2009 and helped it grow and maintain its current title

as the largest electronic payment, on-premise and

cloud computing health care solution that administers

reimbursement accounts in the nation. The company

and its partners currently serve more than 8 million

consumers. Tiffany’s experience includes five years at

Great Plains Software and six years at Microsoft, where

she served as senior marketing manager before joining

Evolution1.

Leap Chear(32)ArchitectEAPC ArchitectsEngineeringFargo, N.D.

Leap’s many office responsibilities at EAPC

include project manager, project architect, sustainability

coordinator and office recycling program. He is also a

member of the company’s project manager group, which

is committed to better serving clients through improved

office management. He is LEED AP BD+C certified and

is an executive board member of the North Dakota

chapter of the United States Green Building Council. In

2009, he received the Young Architect of the Year award

from the North Dakota American Institute of Architects.


|40 UNDER 40|

Becky Walen(37)Vice President,Relationship ManagerU.S. BankFargo, N.D.

Becky has spent more than 15 years in financial

services and has experience in investment management,

trust, custody, securities lending and financial planning.

She joined U.S. Bank’s wealth management division in

2005 and currently serves as relationship manager for a

select group of clients in the Dakotas and northern

Minnesota. Becky is also pursuing a master’s degree in

family financial planning at North Dakota State

University and is an active participant in several local

organizations.

Nicole Walter(33)Director of MemberServices & EventsAberdeen AreaChamber of CommerceAberdeen, S.D.

Nicole joined the Aberdeen Area Chamber of

Commerce in 2003 as an administrative assistant and

has since served as project coordinator and membership

director. She obtained an Institute for Organization

Management certificate in 2010 through the U.S.

Chamber and implemented a membership perks pro-

gram at the local level in 2011. She is extensively involved

in community service activities in the areas of youth,

education and community development and has a sin-

cere desire to make a difference in the community.

JenniferKlitzke(35)Administrative AssistantUnited Way ofNortheastern SouthDakota Inc.Aberdeen, S.D.

Jennifer has worked in the nonprofit community

for 12 years but also has a background in accounting. At

United Way, she is responsible for transitioning the

organization through several donation and accounting

software upgrades. In 2010, she received the Emerging

Leader award from the Aberdeen Area Chamber of

Commerce for demonstrating leadership qualities with-

in her place of business and the community. Her com-

munity involvement includes chairing the Kids Voting

Aberdeen committee.

Val Wagner(35)CEOWagner FarmsMonango, N.D.

Val, along with her husband, manages her

family’s farm and ranch. She is a vocal advocate for

rural North Dakota and American agriculture and

served previously on the American Farm Bureau

Federation’s National Young Farmer and Rancher

Committee. She is adamant that the family

farm/ranch operation continue for her four young

sons and generations to come and works constant-

ly to utilize farming and ranching practices that

increase profitability while lowering expenses.

Nathan Pinke(37)Co-OwnerPinke Lumber Co.Wishek, N.D.

In 2007, Nathan left a promising career as a phar-

maceutical sales representative to run his family’s lum-

beryard and general contracting business. Since taking

on his new profession, Nathan has transitioned the com-

pany from paper to electronic records management and

expanded the business’s customer base. Gross sales have

doubled since 2007 and the business has hired three new

employees to meet demand. Nathan has become an

active member of the community as well, participating

on the Wishek School Board.

ChristinaSambor(29)AssociatePearce & DurickBismarck, N.D.

Christina joined Pearce & Durick in June and

focuses on education law, oil and gas litigation, criminal

and family law. Additionally, she is the president-elect for

the firm’s young lawyers section. Christina holds an

undergraduate degree from the University of North

Dakota and a law degree from Pepperdine University

School of Law in Malibu, Calif. During law school she

spent a summer in Thailand as a law clerk with a human

rights organization. After graduating, she worked as a fel-

low for Polaris Project.

JohnathonRademacher(36)Chief TechnologyOfficerSundogFargo, N.D.

Johnathon joined Sundog in 2004 as a sys-

tems architect and was promoted to executive vice

president of technology before becoming chief

technology officer. In this role, he sets the technical

direction for the company as well as guides clients

in setting their own technical direction. His spe-

cialty is systems integration — involving multiple

software systems and leveraging them for specific

business goals.

Aaron Hill(29)Co-Founder, Vice PresidentFargo Beer Co.Fargo, N.D.

Aaron co-founded the Fargo Beer Co. in 2010 and

serves as the voice of the company while it grows its presence

in the region. The company began selling beer locally in

2011 and is currently working to establish a brewery in

Fargo in 2013. Aaron earned a bachelor’s degree in political

science from Saint John’s University in 2005 and is current-

ly pursuing a master’s degree in strategic leadership at the

University of Mary. He is a past chair of the Fargo-

Moorhead Young Professionals Network and the North

Dakota Young Professionals Network.

MatthewDeVries(33)Financial AdvisorEdward JonesWest Fargo, N.D.

Matthew joined Edward Jones in 2008 after teach-

ing marketing, finance, entrepreneurship and business

ethics at a number of schools over a period of six years.

During his teaching career, Matthew was named the

National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship’s

National Entrepreneurship Teacher of the Year in for

2005-’06 and the North Dakota Marketing/DECA

Teacher of the Year in 2007-’08. Since joining Edward

Jones, he has earned a number of company achievement

awards.


|LEADERSHIP| |LEADERSHIP|

Proving Success onthe Plains

Let's say you take a chance and help launch an

accounting software company, then spend the

next 20 years nurturing it and growing it to

the point where it is acquired for more than a billion

dollars by an international software giant. What do

you do next? If you’re Great Plains Software CEO

turned Microsoft Corp. executive Doug Burgum,

you do it again. And you become a philanthropist, a

business investor, a real estate developer, an adviser

for other technology start-ups and a mentor and

role model for entrepreneurs and business people

throughout the northern Plains.

Before MicrosoftBurgum is a native of Arthur, N.D., a small farm-

ing community located about 35 miles northwest of

Fargo, N.D. His post-high school education was busi-

ness oriented and included a bachelor’s degree in uni-

versity studies from North Dakota State University, fol-

lowed by a master’s degree from the Stanford Graduate

School of Business. After graduating from Stanford, he

worked as a consultant for McKinsey & Co. in Chicago

before returning to North Dakota while still in his 20s

to become involved with Great Plains Software in 1983.

At the time the company was launched, few peo-

ple had knowledge of the emerging software/comput-

er technology industry, himself included, he says, and

Burgum received a fair amount of flak from local busi-

ness people who doubted the company’s chances of

succeeding, specifically because of its location. “There

was this view that somehow we were taking too much

risk in starting a software company in the Great

Plains,” Burgum says. “My response was that we were

hiring great grandkids of immigrants who had to have

been among the highest risk takers — to leave every-

thing and go to a place that has no infrastructure, no

electricity, no health care, no educational systems.

[And] when you think about software and technology,

when everything that you make and sell comes out of

the minds of your team members, the only raw mate-

rial that you need to be close to is brain power.”

Burgum recruited the best brain power he could

Doug Burgum, former chairman andCEO of Great Plains Software andMicrosoft Corp. executive, nowinvests in technology startups andleads a real estate developmentfirm focused on downtown infillrather than outer edge expansion. PHOTO: JOHN BROSE

Software entrepreneur Doug Burgum continues to set the pace for innovation and leadership in the business communityBY KRIS BEVILL


|LEADERSHIP| |LEADERSHIP|find, hiring many staff members while they were still college students,

and set about achieving the lofty goal of developing the best account-

ing software for mid-markets in the world while emphasizing the

continued success of the company’s employees and customers. His

vision paid off in a big way in 1997 when Great Plains went public

and had one of the most successful initial public offerings in NAS-

DAQ history at the time, offering a listing price of $16 per share, but

trading at $32 per share by the end of the first day. “The entire time

we were public we never went below our offering price,” Burgum says.

“When we were acquired, the acquiring price was about 55 bucks a

share. We had a great run as a public company, in part because we just

had a great team and a great business model.”

A humble North Dakota farm boy at heart, Burgum shies away

from taking much credit for Great Plains’ phenomenal success, quick-

ly pointing out that he always held a minority share in the company.

He says he is often granted a “disproportionate share of credit for the

successes created by so many people” but it’s clear that he has an eye

for talent and knew early on that retaining that brain power would be

vital to the company’s success. In one instance, he created a position

to keep an employee who was graduating from college and planning

to leave the company. Other times he would call employees’ parents

to convince them their children were not making huge mistakes by

working at the small software company instead of pursuing other

more seemingly solid careers in accounting or finance. The company

even hosted an annual Parents’ Day during its early years to help

employees’ parents understand the company and their children’s jobs.

Many of the employees he hired as college students worked their way

up through the company and continue to serve in executive positions

at Microsoft.

‘Power of Software’Anyone with entrepreneurial tendencies has likely daydreamed

of creating a company that ends up being acquired for a huge sum of

money by a global firm. But when the time actually comes, the deci-

sion may be more difficult than you think. Burgum says he turned

down Microsoft three times before reaching a final deal. “You can

only say 'no' so many times when someone wants to buy you,” he says.

As the head of a public company, Burgum had a responsibility to

make the best decision for Great Plains’ shareholders. He believes that

duty includes protecting the company’s team, so he made sure that no

Great Plains employee would lose their job after Microsoft’s acquisi-

tion. “That was important to me in terms of the business we built,” he

says. “Some people, when they get sold they get chopped up. We went

in as an entity.” As a result, Microsoft’s Fargo campus became the

company’s second largest field campus.

Burgum served as senior vice president of Microsoft’s Business

Solutions Group and contributed to the company’s overall global

small and mid-size business for several years before making his exit

from the company. His decision to leave was difficult to make because

of the great working relationships and friendships he had developed

with many members of the company, he says. But the fact that his

duties at Microsoft kept him away from his young family in Fargo

much of the time tipped the scales in favor of retiring. “We have a

great campus in Fargo, but at that executive level even my home

games were away games,” he says. Burgum gave Microsoft a two-year

notice, giving ample time for him to once again ensure that Fargo’s

campus would remain with all employees following his departure.

After Microsoft, Burgum invested in a human resource manage-

ment software company called SuccessFactors. He took an interest in

the company because it was an area that Microsoft hadn’t really

focused on, he says. The company struggled mightily during the glob-

al recession of 2008, but Burgum remained involved and became

chairman of the board, eventually guiding it through an impressive

$3.8 billion acquisition by business software provider SAP last spring.

Just as he had done with Great Plains, Burgum made sure the acqui-

sition would not mean the loss of any SuccessFactors jobs. “That was

another fun one,” he says. “Working on one Great Plains is great. To

do a second one is fantastic.”

Burgum continues to be a strong believer in the “power of soft-

ware.” Earlier this year, he invested in and became chairman of the

board for a Sydney, Australia-based software development company

called Atlassian which he believes has the potential to positively

impact many industries. “I’m very excited about this company,” he

says. It remains to be seen whether Atlassian will be Burgum’s hat

trick in billion-dollar acquisition deals, and he says acquisitions are

never the goal from the start. Rather, his focus is to build sustainable

companies that impact their industries. “It turns out that if you do

that, it becomes valuable to other people,” he says.

Arthur VenturesCloser to home, he is the co-founder and chairman of Arthur

Ventures Growth Fund, an investment fund with a preference for

companies with strong leadership teams whose products possess dis-

ruptive capabilities that offer the opportunity to provide positive eco-

nomic impacts at the product level, the organization level and the

industry level. Software startups are a favorite, not because that’s what

he knows but because software is a transformative tool, Burgum says.

One industry ripe for transformation through software advancements

is health care and the fund has invested in several companies that are

developing tools for the health care industry, including Preventice and

Intelligent InSites, both of which have offices in Fargo.

In the past four years, Arthur Ventures has invested in six com-

panies, but it has received more than 1,000 applications. “People think

I have invested in a lot of companies, but I wish it was more and that

more people would do what Arthur Ventures is doing,” he says.

“There are good ideas out there that need capital and if they don’t get

the capital here they go someplace else. Those are businesses that all

have the potential to be located in this region.”

To do its part, Arthur Ventures will soon begin its second round

of fundraising and Burgum hopes the region’s wealth will bear fruit and

help retain more of the emerging companies seeking to settle on the

northern Plains. “We’d love to raise north of $30 million in this imme-

diate area from individuals and organizations that are interested in

wanting to make investments in tech startups in our region,” he says.

Purposeful Real Estate DevelopmentSoftware startups continue to be an exciting venture for

Burgum, but he’s also found a passion in restoring and transforming


downtown spaces. He is the founder and chairman of the Kilbourne

Group, a Fargo-based real estate development group dedicated to this

vision. “It’s not just a Fargo thing, but we’re starting with Fargo

because you have to do well at home before you can export any ideas,”

he says. “We’re happy to be a role model for others and learn from

other cities that are doing great things in terms of re-investing in their

downtowns.”

A shining example of Kilbourne Group’s philosophy is a 100-

year-old building in downtown Fargo known as the Loretta Building.

The prime piece of real estate housed just a handful of workers when

it was acquired by the firm and was in dire need of renovations. In

fact, only 9,000 feet of space in the three-story building was up to

code. Kilbourne Group renovated the entire building and added a

fourth floor, bringing the usable space up to 45,000 feet. “All of a sud-

den you’ve got 100 to 150 people working in the building,” he says.

“From the standpoint of the city, it didn’t have to add a street, any

sewer, power lines, policeman or fire stations. The economics of infill

are so powerful in terms of making cities more economically viable,

and it’s something that few people understand.”

It’s true that suburban sprawl is alive and well on the Great

Plains and Burgum readily admits he, too, was once drawn to the

edge and developed the Great Plains software campus on the out-

skirts of Fargo. “But now, with a greater understanding of the eco-

nomics, to me, that edge development makes far less sense than any-

thing related to infill,” he says. “The Kilbourne Group is not just about

saving historic buildings. We’re also trying to be a role model for what

we think are the very smart economics of density.”

Education and PhilanthropyAnother passion of Burgum’s is youth education. He recently

found a way to incorporate his desire to improve educational oppor-

tunities for children with art and historic building preservation

through the development of a creative arts studio in downtown

Fargo. Named in honor of his late mother, the Katherine Kilbourne

Burgum Center for Creativity is an example of the values she held —

art, education, youth and saving buildings, he says. Software also plays

a role even in this project, however, as Burgum points out that art

teaches children to be creative and innovative, two strongly desired

qualities in the software development world. “It turns out that when

you’re starting new businesses, you have to come up with answers that

no one else has come up with before,” he says. “So those creative skills

are part of what’s needed at software companies. It’s engineering, but

it’s also art.”

Clearly, those initial Great Plains Software nay-sayers would eat

their words today and Burgum takes pride in the fact that the com-

pany’s success serves as an example of what can be accomplished on

the Plains. “People feel like, if you can do Great Plains here, you can

do anything from here,” he says. “For people who know me, it’s more



Doug Burgum founded theKilbourne Group in 2006 withthe goal of revitalizing andredeveloping downtown Fargothrough historic buildingpreservation as well as newconstruction. Projects completed to date include anew condominium buildingconstructed in a former park-ing lot. PHOTO: JOHN BROSE


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like, ‘If he can do it, I can do it.’ I’m a small-

town kid from Arthur. I didn’t know what I

wanted to do in college, and five years after col-

lege I’m doing a software startup and I didn’t

even know software was a business much less

an industry.”

He doesn’t classify himself as a risk

junkie, but he recognizes that his decision to

launch Great Plains was a risk and that all suc-

cess stories include a moment of risk and fear-

lessness. He credits a support system of friends

and family for encouraging him through the

long process of pursuing that first success story

and he encourages the Plains community as a

whole to continue supporting the next genera-

tion of risk takers. “We have to have a culture

that welcomes people in startups and crazy

ideas and things that haven’t been done

before,” he says. “Because they’re going to be

the job providers. They’re going to be the ones

that create the economic base for our future.”

PB

Kris Bevill



|RED RIVER VALLEY|

Chris Larson and Dan Elemes,members of the North DakotaState University chapter ofEngineers Without Borders dig atrench for a water distribution system in Las Tablitas, Guatemala,under the supervision of groupmentor Joel Paulsen. PHOTO: NDSU ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS

Making a differenceEngineering students get hands-on experience while improving Guatemalan community BY KRIS BEVILL

In early January, engineering students from

North Dakota State University will make

their second trip to Guatemala to complete

civil improvement projects through the univer-

sity chapter of Engineers Without Borders.

In June, six of the group’s approximately 20

members, along with group mentor, Joel Paulsen, a

project manager at KLJ in Moorhead, Minn., trav-

eled to the tiny village of Las Tablitas, about 75

miles east of Guatemala City, to build a water dis-

tribution system for the community. The group

raised approximately $18,000 through donations

made by local engineering firms, fundraisers and

university contributions to complete the project,

which included the installation of two water tanks,

approximately 4,700 feet of PVC pipe, a pump and

modifications to existing equipment. While they

were there, however, the students noticed a pressing

need for another item in Las Tablitas — a new

school. “The kindergarteners and second graders

are in a wooden shack with a mud floor,” says

Amanda Weber, group president and senior at

NDSU majoring in civil engineering and interna-

tional studies. “When we were there, the desks were

in standing water.”

The group decided that its next project

would be to build a school for the community, a

significant undertaking for the students. They

required surprisingly little guidance from their

mentor to complete the design, according to

Paulsen, and submitted the completed design to

the Engineers Without Borders USA technical

advisory board for its approval in October.

Approximately $28,000 will be needed for

the project, which will be completed in two phas-

es. For the first phase, three students will go to the

site to build the foundation and begin work on the

walls. Masons hired by the community will con-

tinue work on the building from January to

March, when students will return to assist with the

roof installation. Weber says that aside from travel,

the actual building of the project is perhaps one of

the greatest benefits of belonging to the group. “As

engineers, you design and do inspections, so we

watch the project get built, but very seldom do we

actually get our hands dirty and do the building as

well,” she says. “That’s really a positive.”

Aside from traditional fundraising activities,

the group will seek continued support from engi-

neering firms and university groups to achieve its

goal. Weber says the area’s engineering firms happi-

ly contributed to the group’s June project, including

Paulsen’s office, which provided a substantial dona-

tion. “A lot of the firms just like supporting junior

organizations and see that Engineers Without

Borders is one that is really making a difference,”

she says. “That’s the reason I went into engineering,

was I knew that it was a profession that I could real-

ly use my skills to make a difference,” she adds.

“When I found out about Engineers Without

Borders, I knew that it was where I wanted to

devote my time.”

Likewise, Paulsen says he jumped at the

opportunity to mentor the NDSU group. In the

three years since he signed on, Paulsen has also

played a role in establishing a professional chap-

ter of the group in Fargo-Moorhead. “We do our

own projects but we also try to contribute to the

students’ projects both financially and if they

have questions,” he says. The professional group

currently has 12 active members and is collabo-

rating with local Rotary clubs on a wastewater

project in Guatemala. Meanwhile, the student

chapter’s membership has more than doubled

since last year and has added an additional men-

tor, Cassie McNames, also a project manager at

KLJ in Moorhead.

From a professional standpoint, Paulsen

says students participating in Engineers Without

Borders are gaining valuable experiences that will

give them an edge when seeking employment.

“What we look for when we recruit is that practi-

cal experience,” he says. “After our last trip, each

one of [the students] came to me and told me

how much they learned on the trip. It’s those

types of practical learning trips that you don’t get

in college. I know I’ve learned a lot along the way

as well, just being able to tag along with them.” PB

Kris Bevill




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Adevelopment project led by the city of Brookings, S.D., will pro-

vide a second life for the city’s former landfill. The long-closed

landfill site is being converted to a 135-acre nature park, named

the Dakota Nature Park, and will offer area residents fishing access, bike

trails, a dog park and a nature center when complete. Brookings-based

Banner Associates Inc. is the engineer of record for the project and is imple-

menting the master plan developed by Big Muddy Workshop Inc., a land-

scape architecture and interpretive planning firm based in Omaha, Neb.

The project is being carried out in eight phases, the first of which was

completed earlier this year, and will take several years to complete. The city

of Brookings is contributing approximately $1 million for the $3.6 million

project. Private donors are providing the majority of the remaining funds

for the project, according to Pete Colson, director of the Brookings parks

and recreation department.

Colson says the development project began about three years ago after

a local donor provided seed money to form a citizens’ group to explore the

opportunity for enhanced youth fishing at the former landfill. The site was

a city-owned space that was used as a landfill for about 30 years beginning

in the late 1960s. The landfill was closed in 1992 and already contained sev-

eral fishing ponds that were dug when the site was closed. Beyond the

ponds, however, little work had been done to the area and it had become

overgrown with foliage, making it useful for training hunting dogs but not

much else. After about a year and half of consideration, Big Muddy was

selected to develop the master plan and work was begun to improve fishing

areas within the future park. By early October, fishing area improvements

had been completed and work began on the second phase of the project,

which includes the construction of a $1.2 million nature center. That phase

is expected to be complete in August 2013.

Rick Solanen, senior vice president at Banner Associates, says that

while he has previously worked on a number of recreational-type projects,

this is the first project he’s been a part of that includes the redesign of a for-

mer landfill. However, the site’s history has yet to present many challenges,

he says. “It’s been fun working on it because we’ve been thinking of the long-

arm effect of what we can do here and to educate the public,” he says. The

firm is utilizing environmentally friendly materials such as recycled bitumi-

nous pavement where possible and efforts are being made to minimize dam-

age as trails are built through the area. Additionally, the site has been cleared

of overgrown vegetation and will be replanted in the spring with native

prairie species under the guidance of Brookings-based Millborn Seeds, he

says. Geothermal sources will be tapped to provide heating and cooling for

the nature center, further reducing the environmental impact of the park.

Colson says the city was required to conduct pollution tests of the site

and of the fish in the ponds prior to developing the area for a public park,

but all checks came back clear and no other environmental challenges are

anticipated with the project. In fact, he says the biggest challenge thus far has

been installing infrastructure to bring city services to the site.

Some community members initially opposed the development of the

landfill, not because of its history but because they enjoyed using the aban-

doned area for activities, such as dog training, that will no longer be allowed,

Colson says. “But now that we’ve been doing some work on it, people have

been seeing where we’re going with it and it’s become one of the most pop-

ular projects in Brookings ever,” he says.

This is the second landfill reclamation project to be conducted in

Brookings. A city park known as Larson Park, located in the center part of

the town, was also once a landfill. According to the South Dakota

Department of Environment and Natural Resources, landfill reclamation

projects are not common in the state. A department spokesman says it is

aware of only one similar project in the state that has occurred within the

last five years. That project included the development of nature trails and

fishing ponds on a privately owned former landfill near Sioux Falls.

Solanen says design work for the project is more than halfway com-

plete. After the nature center phase is completed, the next phase will include

paving bike trails. That work is expected to begin sometime next year. PB

Kris Bevill



The Dakota Nature Park in Brookings, S.D., sits atop a former city-owned landfill and includes several fishing ponds. PHOTO: RICK SOLANEN, BANNER ASSOCIATES INC.

Former landfill has green futureBY KRIS BEVILL


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Gate City Bank gives big to housing fundContribution enables affordable housing development in Williston, NDBY KRIS BEVILL

In October, Gate City Bank contributed $1.25 million

to the North Dakota Housing Incentive Fund, the

largest donation made by a financial institution to

date. The fund, established by the 2011 state legislature,

was created to develop affordable, multifamily housing units

in areas in need of housing, oftentimes in communities in

the Bakken region. Contributors receive dollar for dollar tax

credits for money given to the fund, which is administered by

the North Dakota Housing Financing Agency.

Steve Swiontek, president, chairman and CEO of Gate

City Bank in Fargo, says the bank contributed to the fund

because it represents one of the 90-year-old financial institu-

tion’s most important goals. “Our primary focus has been to

provide affordable housing within this area (North Dakota

and western Minnesota) and this is a great opportunity that

the state of North Dakota has provided,” he says. “Instead of

giving taxes to the state you can allocate your taxes for hous-

ing incentive programs that provide good, affordable hous-

ing. There’s such demand for affordable housing that we

thought this was a unique concept to go with.”

Approximately $700,000 of Gate City’s donation is

being used to build a 74-unit housing project in Williston,

N.D., which will provide housing for employees of the city

of Williston, a local church and various state agencies,

including the highway patrol and department of trans-

portation. Any remaining units will be made available to

the Williston School District and Mercy Hospital.

Remaining funds from Gate City's contribution will sup-

port a family-friendly development in Williston, an apart-

ment complex for individuals with disabilities in Bowman

and senior-friendly housing in Devils Lake according to

the NDHFA.

HIF is authorized to provide $15 million in credits

this year. As of Oct. 16 the fund had received $10.6 million

in contributions, according Jolene Kline, director of

NDHFA’s planning and housing development division,

leaving a $4.4 million gap in pledged funds versus monies

received. The list of contributors is long, however and

includes 23 various businesses representing $4.4 million,

15 financial institutions, including Gate City Bank, which

have provided $3.5 million and hundreds of private con-

tributors. Many of the contributing businesses are oil com-

panies that are operating in areas in need of housing.

Marathon Oil Co. has provided the single largest donation,

contributing $2.5 million to the fund earlier this year.

“We’re getting sizeable contributions, but I don’t want to

downplay the role of individuals that have contributed,”

Kline says. “We’ve had 320 individuals who have con-

tributed $2.6 million.”

In mid-October, Kline said the fund’s full $15 million

in authority had been committed to 26 projects scattered

throughout the state, but 10 of the projects could not be

completed until the remaining $4.4 million in contribu-

tions was raised, and the Dec. 31 contribution deadline

was looming close. “There is a real sense of urgency,” she

says, adding that she’s optimistic the remaining funds will

be raised in time because businesses are most likely to

make contributions in December. “People think ‘taxes’ in

December,” she says. “It’s not too difficult to write a check

in December if you’re going to be writing one in January,

February or March anyway.” PB

Kris Bevill



Gate City Bank ExecutiveVice President BlaiseJohnson, left, presents a$1.25 million HousingIncentive Fund contribu-tion to North DakotaHousing Finance AgencyExecutive Director MichaelAnderson, center, and Lt.Governor Drew Wrigley.PHOTO: GATE CITY BANK

|WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA|


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Another big dig?State, feds consider uranium mining project in South Dakota BY KRIS BEVILL

Powertech USA Inc., a subsidiary of Canada-

based Powertech Uranium Corp. has for

several years been developing plans to mine

a known uranium deposit near Edgemont, S.D., a

town of less than 1,000 people located approxi-

mately 80 miles southwest of Rapid City on the

southwest edge of the Black Hills. If approved by

state and federal regulators, the proposed in situ

uranium mine, known as the Dewey-Burdock

Project, would mark uranium mining’s re-entry

into the state after a more than 30-year hiatus.

According to Mike Cepak, engineer manager

for the South Dakota Department of Environment

and Natural Resources minerals and mining pro-

gram, the Edgemont area was first mined for urani-

um in the 1950s. This activity lasted through the

late 1960s until demand waned from uranium’s

only buyer — the U.S. government. A second urani-

um boom spurred by the energy crisis of the early

1970s sparked new interest in the area, but mining

activities were brought to a halt after the Three Mile

Island nuclear plant disaster in 1979 led to a drop in

uranium prices. Aside from exploration activities in

the early 1980s, the area has been void of uranium

mine projects since that time.

Powertech President and CEO Richard

Clement says his company took notice of the area

during what he calls the Nuclear Renaissance of

2005-’06, as China and India announced plans to

ramp up nuclear plant projects. Since that time,

the company has secured leases and contracts for

an area covering more than 10,000 acres and has

been navigating through the federal and state per-

mitting process. South Dakota’s DENR expects the

appropriate state regulatory boards to consider

several Powertech permit applications beginning

no earlier than April 2013. Before it can com-

mence activities, Powertech must also acquire fed-

eral permits from the U.S. EPA and a license from

the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. If

successful, Clement says he expects mining could

begin in 2014.

Powertech estimates it could produce 1 mil-

lion pounds of uranium oxide annually for 20

years, according to the DENR. A preliminary eco-

nomic analysis posted on Powertech Uranium’s

website anticipates a mine life of nine years, and

expects initial capital costs of $54.3 million.

In situ uranium mining is less invasivethan open pit mining, as demonstratedin this 2008 photo of an explorationdrilling rig at the proposed SouthDakota mining site. The process stillrequires massive amounts of water,however, and poses potential ground-water contamination risks. PHOTO: SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENTOF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURALRESOURCES


In situ recovery is a process in which groundwater from uranium

containing-formations is pumped to the surface and oxidized, thus

converting the uranium to a soluble form so that it can be extracted

from the solution, according to Eric Gronlund, an engineer with the

South Dakota DENR’s water rights program. Most of the groundwater

is re-circulated back through the ore zone during the process, but

because the net result is a withdrawal of water from groundwater

aquifers, the state must determine whether water is available and if

that water will be put to a beneficial use.

Cepak says in situ mining avoids the open pits and spoil piles of

conventional mining. The main environmental impact associated

with this type of mining, therefore, is the potential contamination of

ground water outside the mining zone, as well as the disposal of waste

water, he says. Powertech has submitted a ground water discharge

plan to the DENR for its review.

This is Powertech USA’s first project, although Clement stresses

that all company members have previous experience with uranium

mining and some have additional experience with in situ mining. He

estimates that between 65 and 100 people could be employed at the

mine, depending on the stage of operations and says the economic

impact on the area would be “in the millions” [of dollars] due largely

to an energy minerals severance tax imposed by the state. PB

Kris Bevill



|ENERGY|

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|ENERGY| |ENERGY|

Arecent study conducted by engineering

firm KLJ confirmed what many compa-

nies and residents of the Williston Basin

expected to hear — electricity demands from the

oil and natural gas industry in the region are

growing dramatically and will continue to rise for

the next 20 years, nearly tripling the current elec-

tricity load of 971 megawatts (MW) to more than

3,000 MW in 2032.

The study was conducted at the request of the

North Dakota Transmission Authority and the

region’s wholesale electricity providers, Montana-

Dakota Utilities Co. and Basin Electric Power

Cooperative, with the intent of providing third-

party input as to the future of electrical load

demands in the region.

“Throughout the years, we’ve been seeing a

steady growth in demand throughout our entire

membership [134 members in nine states], but a lot

of that is coming from the demand for electricity in

northwestern North Dakota,” says Daryl Hill, media

relations supervisor for Basin Electric. “We had

some pretty good numbers of what we were antici-

pating to happen in terms of growth, but that was

Basin Electric-specific perspective. That’s why stud-

ies like this are so important. We know it’s coming

at us and now we know what we need to do in order

to meet that load.”

Basin Electric is currently constructing two 45

MW natural gas-fired generating units in the

region, one near Williston and another near

Watford City, that are scheduled to be complete in

mid-2013. The company also recently submitted a

letter of intent with the North Dakota Public

Service Commission to install two additional 45

MW units at the Lonesome Creek Station near

Watford City, bringing that station’s generating

capacity up to 135 MW when fully complete in

2015. A 200-mile high-capacity transmission line is

also planned to deliver electricity from Basin

Electric’s large coal-powered Antelope Valley

Station located north of Beulah, N.D., to a substa-

tion east of Tioga, N.D. Pending regulatory

approval, construction of the line is expected to

Basin Electric Power Cooperative plans toinstall a nearly 200-mile-long high-voltagetransmission line in western North Dakotato help meet anticipated load growth fromthe oil and gas industry. PHOTO: BASINELECTRIC POWER COOPERATIVE

Tripling in 20Energy demands in western North Dakota couldtriple in 20 years, requiring major utility expansionsBY KRIS BEVILL


|ENERGY| |ENERGY|

begin in 2014 and will be complete in 2016.

Mike Wamboldt, KLJ’s energy director and project manager for the study, says the purpose of

the study was to present specific data related to potential increases in electric load demand. To

determine future potential industry development and related population and housing projections,

KLJ gathered input from oil and gas industry representatives and employed the assistance of the

University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University. The result was not a surprise, but

Wamboldt says the information was needed to verify individual company expectations. “To meet

these needs, it’s going to be a significant investment and significant amount of infrastructure build-

out, so they’d like to get as much information and knowledge to justify the expenditure and work,”

he says.

Basin Electric’s current projects alone will require hundreds of millions of dollars to complete.

Each 45 MW turbine costs $64.5 million, according to Hill. Total costs for the high-voltage trans-

mission line project are anticipated to reach nearly $350 million. Hill says he does not expect Basin

Electric to request financial support from the state for its expansion projects at this time, noting

that it is the cooperative’s responsibility to have the electricity capacity online and available when

needed by its members. “The goal is to make sure the lights stay on, that the grid is solid and the

work gets done,” he says.

The KLJ study provides low-, mid- and high-growth scenarios but does not consider a poten-

tial oil industry bust because Wamboldt says there is no indication that production in the region

will end in the next 20 years. “We anticipate that this is going to be long term,” he says.

Hill says Basin Electric’s current list of projects should provide the additional capacity need-

ed to meet future demand, but the situation is constantly under evaluation in order to prevent

shortages. “You just don’t know until you see how the loads start coming in,” he says.

Kris Bevill




|BY THE NUMBERS|

Cana

dian

dol

lars

per

U.S

. dol

lar

Perc

ent (

%)

Federal Funds Rate10 yr Treasury, Constant Maturity

90,000

80,000

70,000

60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

Mea

n H

ouse

hold

Inco

me

(201

1 D

olla

rs), b

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useh

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r age

Exchange

Interest Rates

Wages

EmploymentUNEMPLOYMENT RATE EMPLOYMENTAug-12 Aug-11 Aug-12 Aug-11

North Dakota 3.00% 3.60% 375,677 369,481Fargo MSA 3.2 3.8 118,031 117,917Bismarck MSA 2.6 3.1 62,075 62,040Grand Forks MSA 3.9 5 50,392 51,659Minot MiSA 2.7 3.4 33,300 34,202Dickinson MiSA 1.7 1.9 19,580 18,166Williston MiSA 0.8 1 36,602 26,319Jamestown MiSA 3.1 3.4 10,244 11,120Wahpeton MiSA 3.7 4.3 10,867 11,748

South Dakota 4.50% 4.60% 422416 424905Sioux Falls MSA 3.9 4.2 124,915 125,933Rapid City MSA 4.2 4.3 67,303 66,616Aberdeen MiSA 3.5 3.6 22,261 22,307Brookings MiSA 4 4.6 17,230 17,300Watertown MiSA 3.5 4 18,777 18,570Spearfish MiSA 4.2 4.1 12,452 12,975Mitchell MiSA 3.3 3.6 13,106 13,024Pierre MiSA 3.3 3.3 11,915 12,152Yankton MiSA 3.9 4.4 11,307 11,344Huron MiSA 3.1 3.3 9,720 9,769Vermillion MiSA 4.4 4.6 6,543 6,475Minnesota 5.90% 6.50% 2793684 2785281Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA 5.7 6.2 1,763,955 1,749,544Brainerd MiSA 6.6 7 46,278 47,016Winona MiSA 5.5 5.9 28,253 28,653Fergus Falls MiSA 4.8 5.3 30,505 30,672Red Wing MiSA 5.2 5.8 25,201 25,093Willmar MiSA 4.9 5.1 23,383 24,661Bemidji MiSA 7.1 7.8 20,756 20,937Alexandria MiSA 4.5 4.9 20,703 21,077Hutchinson MiSA 6.4 6.8 19,315 19,889Marshall MiSA 4.5 5 14,690 14,608Worthington MiSA 4.5 4.9 11,144 11,391Fairmont MiSA 5.2 5.9 10,825 11,351

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0Jan2000

Jan2002

Jan2004

Jan2006

Jan2008

Jan2010

Jan2012

Jan2014

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2010 2015

Jan2000

Jan2002

Jan2004

Jan2006

Jan2008

Jan2010

Jan2012

Jan2014

1.6

1.5

1.4

1.3

1.2

1.1

1

0.9

15 to 2425 to 3435 to 44

Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Year

90,000

80,000

70,000

60,000

50,000

40,000

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1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2010 2015Year

Average salary of worker turning 40 in 2011Salary


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