november 2013 newsletter
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Official Publication of Grand Forks - East Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce
Have your Chamber leadership cook and serve you breakfast? Yep, but it only happens once a year! Reservations are now available for this widely popular Chamber fundraiser to be held at
the Blue Moose Bar & Grill in EGF.
Treat your employees, family, clients & customers to the best breakfast in town at the 26th Annual Chamber of Commerce EGGStravaganza!
A delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, hashbrowns, pancakes, juice and coffee will be cooked and served by your Board of Directors, Committee Chairs and past & present Chamber
Leadership. Tickets available at The Chamber: [email protected] , call 772-7271.
Tickets for EGGStravaganza will go fast, get yours today.
•Meet your Board Members & Leadership•Network with other business people
•Hold your staff or board meetings at the Blue Moose•Treat your staff to breakfast with The Chamber!
Sponsored by: The Blue Moose ~ Hugo’s ~ US Foodservice ~ JR Simplot ~ ND Mill & Elevator ~
Agri Valley/CHS Ag Services ~ Altru Health System ~ Dean Foods
Cancellations not made 3 business days prior to event will be billed.
2013 EGGStravaganza!
On December 5th start your day off right with breakfast at the Blue Moose
26th Annual EGGStravaganzaDecember 5th, 20136:30am – 9:30am
Blue Moose Bar & Grill – EGF$10/person
THENovember 2013
Official Publication of The Chamber - GF/EGF
PO Box 315 East Grand Forks, MN 56721
(701)772-7271 (701)772-9238 Fax [email protected] www.gochamber.org
202 N. 3rd Street Grand Forks, ND 58203
In recent months, the biggest challenge facing local businesses is finding enough qualified workers.
There are just not enough people willing to work in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. Many employers have increased wages significantly to attract employees just to see them move again a few weeks later to another employer. The conclusion is that we need a larger labor pool. The Chamber, EDC and Job Service are looking a form-ing a coalition to look at what is currently being done to recruit workers to our com-munity, and more impor-tantly how can employers and community groups like the chamber come together to implement specific strate-gies to attract more people
Staff
Barry Wilfahrt President/CEO
Lisa Swanson Vice President of Operations
Kimberly Strom Program/Event Director
Carla Younce Finance Director
[email protected] Emberly Lietz
Membership Director [email protected]
Connie Klefstad Administrative Assistant
Audrey Lind Project Assistant
OfficersChair: Jeff Wilson
Vilandre Heating, Air Conditioning Plumbing
Chair-Elect: Chris Wolf Alerus Financial
Past Chair: Chris Semrau Ralph Engelstad Arena
Secretary: Kristi Magnuson Nelson Hugo’s/Hugo’s Wine & Spirits
Ron Galstad Galstad, Jensen, Olson PA
Colin Cutler Bold Method LLC
Barry Wilfahrt The Chamber - GF/EGF
Directors
Craig Amiot - 5 Star Collision Bill Burga - LM Windpower
Dan Dahl - Dahl Funeral Home Torrie Enget - Best Buy
Pete Haga - City of Grand Forks Bonnie Haley - Bon Voyage Travel
Brady Hansen- Verizon Wireless, BeMobile, Inc. Phyllis Johnson- UND
Jay Kleven - EAPC Architects Curt Kreun - GF City Council
John Oncken - True North Equipment Dennis Reisnour - Altru Health System
Brian Rydell - Rydell Auto Center Klaus Thiessen - GF Regional EDC
Coleen Tweten - Midcontinent Comm.
Matt Winjum - Rhombus Guys
Sr. Military Advisor to the Board
Colonel Paul E. Bauman - GFAFB
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Chamber News
to our community. Since this is the biggest issues facing businesses in our community it will likely be one of the top priorities for the chamber looking ahead to 2014.
The Chamber and EDC also recently met with the NCTC cabinet to talk about chang-ing job trends and how to attract more students to NCTC programs. Over 50% of NCTC grads stay in our lo-cal workforce providing a key pipeline of new skilled em-ployees in our market.
At a federal level the US Chamber is leading immi-gration reform. The local Chamber supports this effort since it is really the only way to replace the baby boomer generation in the workforce as they move closer to their retirement years.
Chamber Considers Workforce Strategy
Check Out the New All-Inclusive Community CalendarDuring the NV360 Community Visioning process the num-ber one concern expressed in focus groups and on the “En-gage the Forks” web site was information sharing and the need for a community calen-dar. To that end, The Cham-ber and Grand Forks Herald are teaming up to help gener-ate awareness and interest in the Grand Forks Herald’s new community calendar “The Red River Online Calendar”. We urge your participation in this effort to help bridge the in-formation sharing gaps in our community.
Recently, 34 groups who have their own calendar of events attended one of four ses-sions held at The Chamber to train them on how to put their events on this new all-inclusive community calendar. The calendar, nicknamed the “Spot”, is the Grand Forks Herald’s new community on-line calendar “The Red River Online Calendar”.
Check out the hundreds of events going on every month and add your events at www.redrivervalleycalendar.com/#/zipcode/58203/radius/25.
Tech Park at GFAFB ApprovedFor more than 2 years, the Base Realignment Impact Committee (BRIC) has been working to develop the Grand Sky Tech Park on Grand Forks Air Force Base. Last month the Air Force indicated it in-tends to sign the land lease with the County.
What’s the benefit? Un-manned aviation systems related businesses would be the primary prospects for the tech park. Training, testing, data processing and all related system development could be done in the park. At capacity, and over a 20 year build out, over 3,000 people could work at the park. These high tech jobs would pay significantly more than the local prevailing wage. The Air Force likes the project because it generates revenue from land and build-
Chamber News
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ing rents for the base and Air Force. This revenue also ben-efits the community because it increases the chances the base will remain open in future BRAC rounds because it im-proves the GFAFB bottom line.
What will the site look like? The approximately 220 acre development in the South West corner of the existing GFAFB would have a new en-trance off of highway 2 and a new fence would be installed to secure the new smaller GFAFB boundaries. Grand Sky would be outside the GFAFB secured area. Existing air force base activities remain unchanged and the BRIC has been very careful to design this park in a way that will have no effect on current or potential future missions at GFAFB. GFAFB missions are still the BRIC priority. Tenants in the Grand Sky Business Park will also be able to nego-tiate separately with the Air Force for access to the GFAFB run way to test their aircraft and UAS systems.
How does the ownership structure work? The Air Force will continue to own the land. The Country will lease the land from the Air Force for 50 years. The state has con-tributed infrastructure funding to the help pay for access to Hwy 2, sewer, water, and the underground infrastructure connections to the main Air Force base. The County will engage a developer who will recruit tenants and financing to build the building on the site. Revenue from these ten-ants will go to the developer, county and air force. Again, everyone benefits from this development. Taxes are col-lected on the development which also benefits the county.
How did this come togeth-er? The BRIC hired a consultant more than 2 years ago to work with them to put all of the pieces together to make Grand Sky a reality. The Grand Forks
County Board and County ap-pointed BRIC members Ed Nierode and John Schmeisek have spent countless hours working through the details with the consultants to make this a reality. The ND legisla-ture responded favorably to the BRIC request for funding. The Congressional delega-tion and Governor have been very supportive. It has been a combination of everyone on the BRIC committee work-ing together with many other players to bring us to where we are today with the tech park.
Ideally the Grand Sky Tech Park will see good develop-ment. Assuming ND is named one of the 6 test states for air space integration of UAV’s into the national air space this should help spur even more development in the park. This announcement is expected in early 2014.
BRIC Members Include:
Rick Duquette, City Adminis-trator, City of Grand Forks
Bruce Gjovig, Director,Center for Innovation
Bill Lee, Grand Forks Region EDC
Michael Moore, Assoc. VP, IP Comm. & ED, University of North Dakota
Ed Nierode, Director of Admin-istration, Grand Forks County
Dana Sande, City Council Member, City of Grand Forks
John Schmisek, Commissioner, Grand Forks County
Klaus Thiessen, President & CEO, Grand Forks Region Eco-nomic Development Corp.
Barry Wilfahrt, President & CEO, The Chamber - GF/EGF
EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR CHAMBER MEMBERS ONLY!Gain exposure for your busi-ness in our full color book highlighting the Grand Cities and area businesses. It’s not too late to reserve your ad space in The Chamber’s 2014 Community Profile/Membership Directory!
All Chamber Members are listed in the back of the book alphabetically and by cat-egory. Make your Directory Listing stand out! Choose BOLD print for only $50, or even better, have your listing printed in RED for only $75. All advertisers in the book receive FREE BOLD print and can add RED PRINT for only $25!
Contact Emberly if you would like more information or to place an ad. [email protected] or 701.772.7271
Chamber News
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1st Realty of GGF, Inc. - David BlumkinAaltos - Canad Inns
AFLAC - Patty HajostekAl’s Grill & Catering
American Crystal SugarAsche Insurance Agency
Auto Finance Super CenterBackspin Productions
Becker Marketing ConsultantsBlue Moose Bar & GrillDak-Minn Blood BankDakota TV & Appliance
Grease MonkeyGreen Mill Restaurant
Greenberg Realty - Stacey GalstadGreenberg Realty-Donna Wolfe-Sholes
Halstad Telephone Co.Henningsen Cold Storage Co.
Industrial Contract Services, Inc.J.R. Simplot
JLG ArchitectsJohnson Wealth ManagementKadrmas, Lee & Jackson, Inc.
Kingsbury EconomicsLisa’s Soy Scents
Lutheran Social ServicesMerrill Lynch - Ryan Thompson
Minn-Dak Growers, Ltd.Morelli’s Distributing, Inc.Overmoe & Nelson, Ltd.
Ray HolmbergReimer Welding, Inc.
Robert M. Simons, DDSSam’s Club
Sherwin Williams CompanySleep Inn & Suites
Splashers of the South SeasStay & Play Pet Resort
Sterling OpticalThrivent Financial - John Halstenson
United Valley BankWDAZ
Wells Fargo Bank
Membership RenewalsThe following businesses know the value of their Chamber Membership and have
renewed their membership in The Cham-ber - GF/EGF. Please visit them for your
purchasing needs. State of the Base
Thursday, November 21, 2013
7:00am ~ Ramada Inn$15/person
(includes a delicious breakfast)
Join featured speaker Col. Paul E. Bauman for breakfast and his “State of the Base”
presentation. Col. Bauman will update us on what has happened in the past year at the Grand Forks Air Force Base and what’s in
store for the future.
Reservations are required. To register contact Kim at The Chamber at
772-7271 or [email protected]. Res-ervation deadline is Thursday,
November 14th.
Reservations not cancelled 3 business days prior to event will be billed.
Sponsored by:
Northland Community & Technical College, Lithia Ford Lincoln, Strata Corporation,
University of North Dakota, AE2S, Bremer Bank, Canad Inns, CenturyLink, Citizen’s Community Credit Union, CPS Ltd.,
Expressway Suites, F. John Marshall, Frandsen Bank & Trust, Grand Forks Housing Authority, Grand Forks Region Economic Development,
ICS, IRET Properties, J & G Landscaping, Kadrmas Lee & Jackson, Nodak Electric Coop-erative, Praxis Strategy Group, Train ND North-
east, Widseth Smith Nolting, Excel Energy
You’re Invited
October 7, 2013 To: Members of The Chamber – GF/EGF From: Jeff Wilson, 2013 Board Chair Re: 2013 Henry Havig Award For Community Service Nominations are now being accepted for the 2013 Henry Havig Award for Community Service. This is The Chamber’s most prestigious award and is given annually to those special individuals who stand above the crowd by their dedication to our community through community service in multiple volunteer leadership roles. It is an award that recognizes individuals who have provided exemplary voluntary leadership service to our community over a long period of time and in a broad spectrum of community activities. Nominees must be at least 36 years of age and have proven leadership qualities, commitments to community-based organizations and the desire to improve the quality of life in our community. The Havig Award for Community Service is given in memory of a great community leader. He was president of the board of the chamber in 1955-1956 and was a long time successful businessman who contributed greatly to our community as a member of the Grand Forks City Council and a life-long contributor to the YMCA. Please complete and return a nomination by Tuesday, November 26th, 2013 to: The Chamber 202 N. 3rd St. Grand Forks, ND 58203 Attn: Havig Nominations, fax to 701-772-9238 or email to [email protected]. Additional information regarding the nominee may be included when submitting the nomination. The Selection Committee is comprised of the past recipients of the award. This award will be presented at The Chamber’s Annual Dinner and Banquet on January 16th, 2014 at the Alerus Center. Nominations shall include:
Nominee’s Name Leadership qualities, organization memberships, Youth involvement, community service and other
pertinent and relevant information Name and signature of person submitting the nomination
Please return by Tuesday, November 26th 2013 to: The Chamber – GF/EGF Attn: Havig Nominations 202 N. 3rd St. Grand Forks, ND 58203 701-772-9238 (Fax)
Chamber of Commerce – Grand Forks/East Grand Forks 2013 HENRY HAVIG NOMINATION FORM
I am submitting the name of: _____________________________________________________________________ Who works for: _______________________________________________________________________________ Leadership Qualities, Organization Memberships, Youth Involvement, Community Service: Other Information and Comments: Submitted by: ________________________________________ Signature: ________________________________ Contact #:__________________________________ Email:_____________________________________________
Ambassador Ribbon Cuttings
EAPC Architects Engineers invites all Chamber Members and their employees to join them for a fun Business After Hours. Stop in...enjoy a fun evening of networking. You might even win $900 in our progressive cash drawing. We’ll draw the name of one Chamber Member business. If someone from that organization is present, they win!
Business After Hours is a great time to network, catch up with friends, coworkers and clients in a fun and casual way. Spread the word and plan to attend the next Business After Hours.
• Free Admission• Complimentary hors d’oeuvres by Rhombus Guys &
beverages with drink ticket• Great door prizes
• Progressive cash drawing is at $900!
Hosted by
EAPC Architects Engineers
Thursday, November 21, 2013
4:45pm - 7:00pm
3100 DeMers Ave. Grand Forks
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CrossFit Tundra Edward Jones - Brent Bentow
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Chamber News
Kingsbury EconomicsRalph [email protected] Economics provides con-tracted economic research. We pro-vide statistical reports on the northern great plains, especially Grand Forks, North Dakota, and the surrounding states. Available free on-line the re-ports can be found on our website.
East Grand Forks Dental Care David M. Thorfinnson DDS22 4th St. NEEast Grand Forks, MN 58721(o) 218-773-0842(f) [email protected] specialize in family dentistry, or-thodontics for adults and children, as well as migraine and chronic head-ache therapy.
HotSpring Spas & Pool Tables 2Kay Derry1844 South Washington StreetGrand Forks, ND 58201(o) 701-746-9822(f) [email protected] the world’s #1 selling hot tub brand, HotSpring Spas, plus: pool tables, saunas, pools, and more! Re-cently expanded to Grand Forks after serving the Fargo area for 36 years.
Welcome New Members!DuCon EnergyMary Stromme600 Demers Ave., Suite 502Grand Forks, ND 58201(o) 701-757-0284(f) [email protected] Provider of Oilfield Services in North Dakota, Montana, and Wyo-ming. We provide efficient and quality service including Roustabout Work, Hotshot Hauling, Pressure Washing, and more.
Altru Clinic - East Grand ForksJill Wilson607 DeMers AvenueEast Grand Forks, MN 56721(o) 218-773-0357(f) 218-773-2994www.altru.org/egfWith convenient access to highly-specialized care, family medicine, therapy, an on-site lab and services offered by Truyu Aesthetic Center, our new Altru Clinic is dedicated to build-ing a better community.
Retrax Holdings, LLCLarissa Campbell917 S 46th StreetGrand Forks, ND 58201(o) 701-746-5596(t) 800-206-4070(f) [email protected] is a manufacturer of innovative retractable low profile tonneau covers for light duty trucks. Their sealed ball-bearing rollers mounted into aluminum support beams revolutionized the operation of retractable covers.
Aurora ClinicMichele Peterson1451 44th Avenue South, Unit FGrand Forks, ND 58201(o) 701-732-2700(f) [email protected] Clinic is an independently owned Family Medicine Clinic located on South Washington in Grand Forks. Aurora Clinic opened in 2005 and serves patients of all ages. Please visit our website for more information!
Hobby Lobby TD Nails & Spa
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Chamber Announces Date of Disney’s Business Excellence Training-Mark Your CalendarsThe Chamber-GF/EGF is partnering with the well known Disney Institute to bring their top notch training to Grand Forks on April 22nd of 2014.
Disney is hailed as a leader in provid-ing excellent training programs. Their trans-formative insights are grounded in real-world
experiences and time-tested philosophies of The Walt Disney Company. The Chamber last hosted this training in the area in 2003 and 2004.
The seminar in April 2014 will be the Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence Training. The full day training will cover: Creativity & In-novation, Leadership Strategies for Organiza-tional Excellence, Disney Selection, Training & Engagement Practices, Consistent Delivery of Quality Service and Fortifying Brand Loyalty. This is a great seminar for all employees to create a stronger team.
Mark you calendars, information on register-ing for the seminar will be available in the coming months.
Home Place Thrift StoreHome Place Thrift StoreHome Place Thrift Store 701-795-9704
1811 S. Washington, Grand Forks, ND1811 S. Washington, Grand Forks, ND www.prairieharvest.netwww.prairieharvest.net
Call us to pick up your donations! (Available Monday, Tuesday or Thursday, schedule permitting)
* Furniture * Appliances * Electronics * Furniture * Appliances * Electronics * Household Items * Clothing * Books* Household Items * Clothing * Books
All Proceeds Benefit:All Proceeds Benefit:
Selecting an appropriate business entity for your business can help minimize costs & liabilities. It can also significantly affect tax benefits. This Brown Bag seminar will ad-
dress both the legal and tax implications of different entities. Emphasis will be on the
following areas of consideration:
• Considering liability, control, transferability of interest, organizational and maintenance costs
and tax attributes.• Partnerships, limited liability companies and S corporation similarities
and differences.• Using an LLC for ownership of rental
real estate.
Choosing an Appropri-ate Business Entity
Seating is limited. Sign up by November 19, 2013. Reservations can be made at 772-7271 or email
[email protected] with the names of those attending.
Reservations not cancelled 3 business days prior to event will be billed.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013 11:30am - 1:00pm
The Chamber - GF/EGF$20/Person (lunch provided)
$30/Non-Member (lunch provided)
Presented by: Jon Jensen, Jensen Bata, PLLC
Hobby Lobby Ribbon Cutting
NCTC State of College Lunch
NCTC State of College Lunch
CrossFit Tundra Ribbon Cutting
Edgewood Business After Hours
Edgewood Business After Hours
Edgewood Business After Hours
NCTC State of College Lunch
Edgewood Business After Hours
NCTC State of College Lunch
Business Briefs
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AE2S Hires Pietruszews-ki, Erickson and Sachno AE2S (Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc.) has hired Craig Pi-etruszewski as a Controller for AE2S’ affiliated compa-nies. He will be part of AE2S’ Corporate Accounting Group, which oversees the accounting activities of AE2S Construc-tion, AE2S Industrial, and AE2S Water Solutions.
Pietruszewski is responsible pri-marily for the supervision and direction of the accounting sys-tems, accounts receivable, ac-counts payable,
management reporting, fi-nancial analysis, forecasting, budgeting, internal controls, and all other financial and ac-counting responsibilities for
the three entities.
“As we continue to grow, we need to enhance dedication to these operations,” says Sam McQuade, Chief Financial Offi-cer of AE2S. “Craig is working closely with our affiliated com-panies to align their growth perspectives with our corpo-rate strategies and shared services functions. He brings strong construction knowledge and solid analytical finance experience to AE2S.”
Pietruszewski has spent more than 28 years providing corpo-rate accounting, public ac-counting, financial reporting and management, and opera-tional and administrative over-sight services for construction, industrial contracting, manu-facturing, and insurance busi-nesses. Before joining AE2S, he worked at Reimer Welding Inc. in East Grand Forks, MN, as a Chief Financial Officer.
Cont. on page 10
Sometimes projects need a boost when trying to cross over from concept to reality. AE2S Nexus helps bridge that gap. We focus on creating solid plans, aggressively pursuing funding options, and assisting you with implementation to make sure your project is on solid ground.
The Financial Link
bridging the financing gap
• Utility Rate Analysis• Funding/Financing• Project Development and Administration• Economic Development• Asset Management
SerViceS
www.AE2SNexus.comA Division of AE2S (Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc.)
Pietruszewski is a Certified Public Accountant and a mem-ber of the Minnesota Society of CPAs. Originally from East Grand Forks, MN, Pietruszews-ki holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.
AE2S has hired Matt Erick-son as an Engineer in Training in the firm’s Grand Forks, ND
headquarters. He is part of AE2S’ Water Group, and is responsible for several projects including pilot study reports and assisting with feasibility studies
and designs.
“Matt represents one of those great hires who interned with us before moving into full-time work,” says Wayne Gersze-
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nual awards banquet in Fargo this past September.
In order to be considered for this award, the nominee must be a registered architect in North Dakota 5 years or less who is a member in good standing with AIA North Da-kota.
Shawn received his Masters of Architecture in 2010 from North Dakota State Univer-sity. He and his fellow team member received 2nd place for their San Francisco High Rise design during 4th year at NDSU and he also won 2nd place in the Marvin Win-dows Design Competition for a school in Africa during year four. Shawn’s thesis project was a Mackenzie Award final-ist, which is the award for the best thesis project at NDSU.
He was also presented the “Best Detailing” award for his thesis. Shawn has been in-strumental in his role at EAPC, working on significant proj-ects including the new Choice Health & Fitness in Grand Forks, the Minot State Univer-sity Wellness Center project, and also significant work for the University of Jamestown.
Originally from Bismarck, ND, McQuade earned a joint Mas-ter of Business Administra-tion/Master of Arts (MBA/MA) degree in International Busi-ness and Cross-Cultural Com-munications from European University in Geneva, Switzer-land. He also has a Bachelor of Accounting degree from the University of Mary in Bis-marck, ND, and a Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
AE2S has hired Kirsten Stew-art as a Proposal Coordinator in the firm’s Grand Forks, ND headquarters. She is part of AE2S’ Marketing Group, and responsible for assisting in research and content for pro-posals, proposal development and production, maintaining and updating marketing ma-terials and databases, techni-cal editing and writing, and
a great addition to the team.”
Sachno is originally from St. Albans, VT.
EAPC Hires Schimke EAPC Architects Engineers has hired Stanley W. Schimke as Director of Healthcare Ser-vices. Schimke has 27 years of
extensive expe-rience in medi-cal architecture, having planned and designed many community and critical access hospitals, out-patient specialty
clinics, medical office build-ings, and senior living facili-ties.
Schimke’s most recent em-ployment was with Mohagen Hansen Architectural Group from Wayzata, MN, where he was the Director of Health-care. Schimke’s focus at EAPC will be on building long-term strategic relationships, mar-keting healthcare projects and clients, and actively leading project teams and staff men-toring. “My number one goal is maintaining clients for life by providing excellent service and making sure their business goals come first.”
Schimke received his educa-tion from NDSU earning a Bachelor of Architecture, a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Architectural Studies, and Interior Design. He serves on various boards including The Healthcare Advisory Board, National Rural Health Associa-tion, Minnesota Hospital Asso-ciation, and many others.
EAPC’s Crowley Re-ceives Award Shawn Crowley, architect for EAPC Architects Engineers
since 2008, re-ceived the 2013 Early Career Architect Award from AIA North Dakota. He was presented with this prestigious award at their an-
wski, PE, AE2S Project Man-ager in Grand Forks. Erickson interned at AE2S as a sur-veyor’s assistant and Resident Project Representative (RPR) assisting on water treatment plant membrane pilot studies, street reconstruction, and road assessments in cities such as Grand Forks and Langdon, ND.
“It was only natural to have Matt continue his work with us full time, and we’re happy to have him on board,” says Gerszewski.
Originally from Grand Forks, Erickson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engi-neering from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, and is on track to graduate in December with a Master of Science degree in Civil Engi-neering with an environmental emphasis.
AE2S has hired Corrina Sa-chno as an Administrative
Assistant in the firm’s Grand Forks, ND head-quarters. She is part of AE2S’ Marketing Group, and will be the point of contact for the coordina-tion of marketing
and business development activities. Sachno will also provide overall clerical, admin-istrative, and data entry sup-port to AE2S marketing and business development teams.
Sachno brings more than 10 years of experience in ad-ministrative support. Before joining AE2S, she worked at HealthInsight-Las Vegas as an Administrative Assistant. Prior to moving to Las Vegas, she worked at The Chamber-Grand Forks/East Grand Forks as a Program Coordinator assisting with programs, events, and several committees.
“Corrina’s experience and outstanding attitude make her a great fit for this position,” says Sue Hass, AE2S Assistant Marketing Manager. “She’s a quick learner and willing to tackle any project. She makes
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president. Donnay will take the helm December 1, suc-ceeding Tim Moe, who has held the top position since 2004. Donnay is currently a WSN Vice President and a member of the board of direc-tors.
He will oversee an engineering, architecture, land surveying and environmental services firm that has seen strong and consistent growth since its
founding in Crookston in 1975. WSN now maintains eight of-fices in Minnesota and North Dakota and employs 190 people representing a wide range of disciplines.
Donnay joined WSN in 1996 when his architectural firm, Meyer Donnay, merged with the company. He has led WSN’s architecture depart-ment for the past 12 years.
“I’m excited to take on this in-credible opportunity,” Donnay said. “I see this new role as an opportunity to build on the great staff and solid nucleus that we’ve assembled. We’re definitely moving in a posi-tive direction, and I see many more good things ahead.”
GFK International Airport Receives LEED Certifica-tion The U.S. Green Building Coun-cil (USGBC) has awarded LEED Silver® certification to the Byron L. Dorgan Airport Termi-nal at the Grand Forks Inter-national Airport. Designed by
JLG Ar-chitects, it is one of only five inter-national airport terminals in the
United States to achieve LEED certification, and one of the first in the Midwest. As such,
developing and assisting with PowerPoint presentations. In addition to proposal develop-ment, she will support other marketing functions as part of the larger marketing team.
Stewart brings more than seven years of experience in graphic design, marketing, event coordination, social net-working, and communications. Before Stewart joined AE2S, she worked at the North Valley Arts Council in Grand Forks as a Marketing Director, and at JLG Architects as a Marketing Coordinator. She has also won a number of graphic design and advertising awards.
“Kirsten is a very talented in-dividual and brings a tremen-dous skill set to the marketing team,” says Sue Hass, AE2S Assistant Marketing Manager. “Not only does she have prior proposal experience in the Architectural/Engineering field, but she has outstanding de-sign skills. We’re very happy to have her on board.”
Originally from Kennedy, MN, Stewart holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in Duluth, MN.
THI Acquires Retrax Tectum Holdings, Inc. (“THI” or the “Company”) announced today the acquisition of Ap-plied Products, Inc. (d/b/a “Retrax”).
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, THI is a premier manufacturer of tonneau cov-ers, bed liners and related truck accessories. Through the Company’s Extang, TruXe-do, BedRug, UnderCover, Ad-vantage and, as of today, Re-trax brands, THI has become a leader in the U.S. light duty truck aftermarket and known for the quality and breadth of its product line, engineering excellence and innovative new product development.
Located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Retrax is a leading manufacturer of retractable,
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Business Briefs
low-profile truck bed covers that feature polycarbonate or aluminum covers, which re-tract on ball-bearing rollers into a storage canister and can be locked in any position.
Bill Reminder, CEO of THI, stated, “We are very proud to have Retrax join the THI fam-ily. Retrax has a reputation for high quality products and their cutting edge design of re-tractable covers has changed the tonneau industry. Retrax will complement our product portfolio and deliver signifi-cant value to our customers. We feel extremely fortunate to welcome Retrax to the THI team.”
Scott Fuller, who will continue in his role as General Man-ager of Retrax, commented that, “The entire Retrax team is excited to join forces with THI. We have always admired THI and its reputation in the marketplace for quality and innovation. The opportunity to partner with THI will acceler-ate our growth and new prod-uct development initiatives as well as expand our distribution network. We are honored to be a part of THI’s family of industry leading brands and believe it is a perfect fit for Retrax and its employees.”
“Retrax provides THI with a footprint in the retract-able tonneau market,” stated Kelly Kneifl, Chief Operating Office of THI. “Retrax’s ex-plosive growth, brand rec-ognition, innovative design and unmatched quality in the retractable cover market are a perfect complement and expansion of THI’s compre-hensive line-up of tonneau covers. Further, THI’s leading national distribution network will accelerate Retrax’s growth initiatives as well as enhance Retrax’s brand awareness.”
WSN Names Donnay President Widseth Smith Nolting an-nounced today that Kevin Donnay, AIA, has been se-lected to be the firm’s next
Cont. on page 15
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Chamber News
the Grand Forks Byron L. Dorgan Terminal will become a featured case study on the Department of Energy’s web-site.
Even more impressively, the building is out-performing its own projections. Designed to lower energy use by 14.2% compared to other relative buildings, energy was actually reduced by 15.7%, or $14,000 a year. This was primarily made possible through the installation of a geothermal system – the most energy-ef-ficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective system for temperature control – which was installed under the park-ing lot and uses the Earth’s constant temperatures to heat and cool. Inside, a Building Management System moni-tors and adjusts space tem-peratures, and the ground floor lobby uses floor heat to keep the space warm from the ground up.
Water use at the Terminal was decreased by 43.1%, or 83,061 gallons a year, which is the equivalent of the us-age by 213 homes a day for a family of four. The sinks save a gallon of water per minute, urinals save just under one gallon per minute, and the lavatories save two gallons per minute. Additionally, the land-scaping includes native and adaptive plantings that rely on standard rainfall and require no permanent irrigation.
Additionally, studies have shown that superior air qual-ity and comfortable thermal conditions can have a 41% improvement on health and a 15% increase on productiv-ity. At the Terminal, humidity is controlled by two dedicated outdoor air systems that deliv-er fresh air, and temperatures are regulated to stay between 68-72 degrees for all seasons via automated controls in ten zones.
This is not the first honor be-stowed upon the Terminal; it received a 2012 Merit Award for design excellence from the
American Institute of Archi-tects North Dakota Chapter.
GF County 4-H Holds An-nual Awards Program The 67th Annual Grand Forks County 4-H Awards Program was held Sunday, October 13, 2013. Over 150 awards were presented to 4-H members, leaders, volunteers and special guests.
The evening started with the presentation of 4-H’s most prestigious awards. The Se-nior Representative Award was awarded to Sarah McNaughton of Grand Forks and Joseph Martin of Emerado. The Junior Representative Award was presented to Alanna Ivers of Thompson and Marie Kraemer of Grand Forks. The First Year Representative Award was presented to Narria Neubert of Grand Forks.
During the banquet, project pins and project area awards were given to 4-Hers who excelled in their project area. Other awards presented were the 4-H Spirit Award: Sarah McNaughton of Grand Forks; First Year Leader pins: Angie Floden of Euclid, Rena Helbling of the GFAFB and Rebecca Martin of Emerado; Third Year Leader pin: Christi Brose of Larimore, Heather Holmes of GFAFB and Jeanie McHugo of Grand Forks; Tenth Year Leader pin: Robin Dubuque of Grand Forks; Fifteen Year Leader pin Steve Martin of Emerado; Silver Membership Completion Award: Walle Won-ders and Eagles 4-H clubs; Gold Membership Completion Award: Sabercats and Shar-ing Shamrocks 4-H clubs; Blue Ribbon Club Award: Walle Wonders and Sharing Sham-rocks 4-H clubs; and County Fair Exhibit Awards to the Hazenbrook Colts and Walle Wonders 4-H clubs.
Free Internship Seminar for Businesses Any and all businesses who are interested in housing in-
terns in the future should plan to attend this annual FREE event on December 10th! Hear from those who have interns about the benefits, challenges, and things to note. Ask ques-tions, network, and more!
There will be a free lunch pro-vided, but you MUST RSVP to [email protected] by Decem-ber 9th in order to guarantee your spot. The event starts at 11:45am with lunch and pro-gram to follow at the Center for Innovation. This event is part of an ongoing effort with the Greater Grand Forks Young Professionals, the UND Center for Community Engagement, and UND Career Services to increase knowledge and avail-ability of internships in the Grand Cities area.
Chamber Urges EPA Ad-ministration to Meet in North Dakota The Chamber GF/EGF joined the ND state Chamber and 6 other local chambers request-ing the EPA include North Da-kota as part of the EPA’s Lis-tening session tour on forth-coming greenhouse gas (GHG) regulation on existing power plants. Read more HERE.
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