prairie business june 2012

www.prairiebizmag.com

High-TechDiagnostics

June 2012

Rural Health Care Access in Demandppgg.. 2288

Health Club Memberships Keep Risingppgg.. 3300

Regional health care providers embrace new technology ppgg.. 2244

states, especially noteworthy given North Dakota’s smaller population.Le state is growing its own doctors in addition to attracting doctorsfrom outside North Dakota.

Le Center’s family medicine physicians engage patients in their healthcare at every stage of their lives. Ley educate children to avoid smokingand drugs, and encourage them to stay active. Ley inform young adultsof signs of disease so symptoms don’t become problems later in life.Ley deliver babies. For geriatric patients, these doctors optimize theirability to stay home and healthy for as long as possible. Bottom line,their goal is to keep people healthy and out of the hospital. Leirdedication and commitment to service and education will ensure thestate’s health care remains strong.

A new era of medical care and education isabout to begin.

Le Center for Family Medicine in Bismarck,slated to open in July, will oKer patients easyaccess and new services in a comfortableatmosphere, while providing a superioreducation for its resident physicians.

Patients can be conveniently dropped oK atthe door. Endoscopy, dermatology, cosmeticand pediatric services will be provided byadditional staK.Le newwaiting area is quiet,calm, spacious and climate-controlled. Examrooms oKer privacy for patients.

Le facility’s medical technology has alsoimproved. Electronic medical records ensureaccuracy. Patients may soon sign in for theirappointments using only their Jngerprints.

Not only is the Center better for patients, it’sgood for resident-physician recruitment. Lebuilding shows the state’s commitment tomedical education. Residents are more likelyto stay in the area and practice medicine.

North Dakota’s commitment to health care isevident. Le state emphasizes primary care,including family medicine. It has a higherpercentage of insured patients compared toother states. It’s rated in the top Jve in qualityby Medicare. It houses a medical school andmore residency programs than neighboring

Training doctors,serving patients

University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 1.800.CALL.UND UND.edu

North Dakota’s commitment to health care is evident toDr. Jeff Hostetter, program director of the Center for Family Medicine.

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North Dakota. Doing Business Better.Caterpillar’s drivetrain remanufacturing facility in North Dakota is triplingin size and adding jobs, helping to keep Cat machinery moving worldwide.Learn how the North Dakota Department of Commerce and companiesin the state are doing business better at www.NDBusiness.com

Photo courtesy of Caterpillar Inc.

4 Prairie Business June 2012

Volume 13 No. 6CONTENTS

24

28

30

6 From the Editor’s Desk

8 Matthew Mohr

9 Prairie News

14 Prairie People

16 Economic Development‘Angels’ generating economic expansion

18 Research & TechnologyA place that captures the imagination

20 FinanceF.E.A.T. focuses on preventing elder abuse

22 Expanding Medical AccessA $1.4 million grant helps community build new

dental and medical clinic

Cover Story: Health CareHigh-Tech Diagnostics

Feature: Rural MedicineDoctors in Demand

Feature: WellnessFocus on Fitness

32 Business DevelopmentA new vision for Bemidji

38 Red River Valley100 years and counting

40 Western North DakotaHelp is on the way

42 South DakotaMeeting housing demands

46 By the Numbers

S.D. prepares for potential oil boomBlack Hills Bakken Conference spells out oil play

— good and bad

Moving oil to marketN.D. needs more pipelines to keep pace with

oil production

Next monthUnprecedented construction is occurring in the Bakken in western North Dakota. In JulyPrairie Business will be doing an in-depth article on the construction industry focusingon three communities – Dickinson, Watford City and Williston. In addition, housing hasbecome critical in the Bakken area of western North Dakota and Prairie Business willdiscuss the impact it is having.

On the airJoin Prairie Business magazine Editor Alan Van Ormer on Thursday, June 14, at 3 p.m. onany Prairie Public radio station to hear more about health care in the region. To listen toPrairie Public, visit www.prairiepublic.org/radio/hear-it-now.

On the coverDr. Neville Alberto, hospitalist at Sanford Health in Fargo, N.D., explains to AndrewMiller, a Sanford physician resident, how a portable ultrasound is used to diagnosepatients. Alberto’s portable ultrasound is made smaller for him to carry around and has aprobe that can check various parts of the body including kidneys, gall bladder, liver, heartmuscles and valves in the chest, lungs, swollen knees and vessels in the neck. (Photocourtesy of Josh LeClair, Sanford Health photography)

34

36


Mike Jacobs, PublisherAlan Van Ormer, EditorTina Fetsch, Production ManagerBeth Bohlman, Circulation ManagerJen Braaten, Marketing ManagerJoe Greenwood, Multi-Media ConsultantKris Wolff, Layout Design, Ad Design

SSAALLEESS DDIIRREECCTTOORR::

John Fetsch [email protected] eastern ND/MN/eastern SD

SSAALLEESS::Brad Boyd [email protected] western ND/western SD

Shelly Larson [email protected] eastern ND/western MN

EEDDIITTOORR::Alan Van Ormer [email protected]

EEddiittoorriiaall AAddvviissoorrss::Dwaine Chapel, Executive Director, South Dakota State UniversityInnovation Campus, Brookings.; Bruce Gjovig, Director, Center forInnovation; Lisa Gulland-Nelson, Communications Coordinator, GreaterFargo Moorhead EDC; Tonya Jo (T. J.) Hansen, Assistant Professor ofEconomics, Minnesota State University Moorhead; Dusty Johnson, Chiefof Staff for South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s office; Brekka Kramer,General Manager of Odney; Matthew Mohr, President/CEO, DacotahPaper Company; Nancy Straw, President, West Central Initiative

Prairie Business magazine is published monthly by the Grand ForksHerald and Forum Communications Company with offices at 3752nd Avenue North, Grand Forks, ND 58203. Qualifyingsubscriptions are available free of charge. Back issue quantities arelimited and subject to availability ($2/copy prepaid). The opinionsof writers featured in Prairie Business are their own. Unsolicitedmanuscripts, photographs, artwork are encouraged but will not bereturned without a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Subscription requests:Free subscriptions are available online to qualified requestorsat www.prairiebizmag.com.

Address corrections:Prairie Business magazine PO Box 6008 Grand Forks, ND 58206-6008 Beth Bohlman: [email protected]

Online: www.prairiebizmag.com

An SBA Award Winning Publication

For daily business newsvisit prairiebizmag.com

The oil and gas industry is impacting everythingassociated with the communities and counties inwestern North Dakota. You can now add the tourism

industry as another entity that is being impacted by the oiland gas development, according to a group of speakersduring the annual North Dakota Department of TourismConference in Bismarck in late April. In a morning-longsession on the last day of the three-day conference, differentspeakers provided a view of what is happening in the regionand how it is impacting the tourism industry.Just as important, what is happening in western North

Dakota doesn’t seem to be slowing down visitors. Statisticsare showing that tourists are continuing to flock to the state;including to the western part of the state. Since the“Legendary” brand started 10 years ago, the industry hasgrown by $927 million, according to research by NorthDakota State University in Fargo.During the April tourism conference, Terry Steinwand of

the North Dakota Game and Fish Department said that from1999 to 2009, the state led the nation in increased huntinglicenses and was fourth in increased fishing licenses. Huntingand fishing has become a $500 million industry, according tothe 2009 statistics. Steinwand says the animal population is being impacted

by the oil and gas development, but also notes that theindustry is working to minimize those impacts. For example,just moving a well over a hill where bighorn sheep can’t seeit has an impact because the animal doesn’t notice it is eventhere. In a nutshell, the speakers point out that oil and tourism

can work together. With more people coming into theBakken that also means more visitors for attractions not onlyin North Dakota, but also in bordering states.

From the editor’s desk

Tourism in oil countryBy Alan Van Ormer

prairiebizmag.com 7

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Hire employees with the right answersBy Matthew Mohr

Successful entrepreneurs are generally hard-working individuals, and often put in many hoursat their place of business, and with customers.

Most business owners understand the idea of longhours and hard work. It is not unusual for businessowners to work seven days a week often putting in 80to 100 hours during the week, especially when buildingthe enterprise. A 40-hour work week can pretty muchbe forgotten by a successful entrepreneur.Our region continues to face a shortage of skilled

labor and good workers. Schools today take pride inteaching interview skills to students in an effort to helpthe students get jobs. Most qualified human resourceofficers can spot a scripted interview response.Unfortunately, what we are teaching is how to get a job,not how to work or provide valuable employmentservices.One successful individual I know services an area

that has experienced economic turmoil and businesslosses over the past few decades. This person putscompetitors to shame simply through hard work. As Iinquired about this man’s continuing success, Iwondered how he developed his work ethic. He toldme, “Growing up my dad taught me to look for work,not just to try to find a job.” Finding individuals willingto work extra hard is worth the effort. Few people orbusinesses succeed without hard work. Most business owners will be happy to employ and

will pay more for someone who works hard and puts inextra effort on the job. Having the right skill set isimportant, but a willingness to work hard is a biggerkey to success.When looking for employees, pay attention to those

with the right answers compared with those who willmake the extra effort necessary to be able to work. PB

Business Advice

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prairiebizmag.com 9

KRAUS-ANDERSON BUILDINGCLASSROOMS IN WESTERN N.D.Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. is

building 32 modular classrooms for Williston,N.D., schools in response to the oil boomtown’s skyrocketing population growth.The modular classrooms will be built on six

acres on two separate sites: 24 modularclassrooms at McVay Elementary and eight atthe junior/senior high school. Constructionstarted mid-May and is scheduled forcompletion this fall. The project will be fundedfrom $3 million in emergency state funds.

GIF PROVIDING $2 MILLION FORNDSU CENTERThe Growth Initiative Fund, a community

revolving loan fund managed by the GreaterFargo (N.D.) Moorhead (Minn.) EconomicDevelopment Corp., is providing $2 million tosupport North Dakota State University’s Centerfor Biopharmaceutical Research andProduction.It is a portion of $9 million that the center is

receiving to construct a state-of-the-art wet laband office space in the Batcheller TechnologyCenter at the NDSU Research and TechnologyPark. The center will also use a portion of thefunds to recruit top-notch talent.

WALLWORK TRUCK CENTERRECEIVES GOLD AWARDWallwork Truck Center, in Fargo, N.D.,

received the Gold Award for Dealer Excellencefor outstanding performance by KenworthDealers in the United States and Canada.Wallwork Truck Center was among 319

truck dealers eligible for the award and is one ofonly six dealers to receive the award. Themetrics dealers are evaluated on operational,facility strength, customer satisfaction, financial,customer truck and parts purchases andparticipation in helping clients finance trucks.

PEDIGREE TECHNOLOGIES ISMOVINGPedigree Technologies is moving its

headquarters to the Urban Plains area of Fargo,N.D. Pedigree Technologies had been in theNorth Dakota State University Research andTechnology Park in Fargo.Since the commercial launch of its

OneView application suite in 2009, Pedigreehas more than doubled its customer base eachyear, with a 226 percent increase in 2011. Thecompany provides cloud and tablet-basedapplications that locate, monitor and diagnosehigh-value assets, equipment and vehicles.

Prairie News


Press releases and photos about business news and events in North Dakota, South Dakota and westernMinnesota can be e-mailed to [email protected] for considerationPrairie News

FORBES NAMES NORTHWESTERNENERGY TRUSTWORTHY COMPANYForbes has recognized NorthWestern Corp.

d/b/a NorthWestern Energy as one ofAmerica’s Most Trustworthy Companies forthe second time. Forbes identified the most transparent and

trustworthy businesses that trade on Americanexchanges. Forbes uses an independentfinancial analytics company, GMIRATINGS, toconduct quantitative and qualitative analysisthat looks beyond the raw data on companies’income statements and balance sheets to assessthe true quality of corporate accounting andmanagement practices. To create the list, GMI examines more than

8,000 companies traded on U.S. exchanges andassigns an accounting and governance risk(AGR) score quarterly to each company basedon a proprietary modeling methodology. To qualify for the roster, the 100 companies

(segmented by market size) all had to havemarket caps of $250 million or more on March31. Over the past four quarters, the companiesmust have maintained conservative or averageAGR ratings, and had no amended filings withthe Securities and Exchange Commission, noSEC enforcement actions, and no materialrestatements. They also had to rank high inGMI’s Equity Risk Ranking, which indicates apositive forecast for equity returns, and haveminimal likelihood of financial distress asmeasured by GMI.

PAULSEN MARKETING, SDCGRECEIVE NAMA HONORPaulsen Marketing Inc. and South Dakota

Corn Growers Association were awarded theBest of Show in Advertising at the 2012 Best ofNational AgriMarketing Association Awards inKansas City, Mo. The awards were presentedduring NAMA’s annual convention. Paulsen Marketing and SDCG won Best of

Show for producer- or company-fundedadvertising directed to consumers. The ag rulescampaign included a video, a Bingo game, logoand the Amazing Corn Adventure interactivetrailer. The campaign was directed to youthand school children in urban and rural areas ofSouth Dakota.Paulsen Marketing and SDCG also won a

first place award in the category producer- orcompany-funded advertising campaign for theag rules campaign that included the AmazingCorn Adventure interactive trailer and a firstplace award in the category producer-fundedpublic relations program directed to agaudiences for the Amazing Corn Adventureinteractive trailer.In the Exhibits Category, Paulsen

Marketing and SDCG won a merit award forthe Amazing Corn Adventure interactivetrailer. And in the unique print advertisingcategory Paulsen Marketing and AgStarFinancial Services ACA won a merit award forthe Wheel Deal insert.

EIDE BAILLY RATED 10TH BESTEide Bailly LLP was recently ranked as the

nation’s 10th best accounting firm in NorthAmerica for quality of life issues and prestigein Vault’s Accounting Firms Rankings: 2013Vault Accounting 50 report, up from 11th inthe 2012 report. The rankings, which can beviewed at Vault.com, are a result of Vault’sannual accounting survey.Eide Bailly moved up to third for informal

training (seventh last year), and is rankedfourth for formal training (third last year).Eide Bailly jumped to third for businessoutlook (11th last year). Conducted earlier this year, the survey

asked more than 4,100 accountants of all levelsto assess their peer accounting firms on a scaleof 1 to 10 based on prestige (respondents wereunable to rate their own employers and wereasked to rate only firms with which they werefamiliar). Accountants were also asked to ranktheir own firm in various quality of lifecategories, including firm culture,compensation, overall satisfaction andwork/life balance, among others. To calculatethe Accounting 50 Ranking, Vault used aweighted formula that combines prestige andquality of life ratings.

MASSAGE ENVY OPENSFIRST NORTH DAKOTALOCATIONMassage Envy, a massage therapy

provider, will open its first NorthDakota spa in Fargo in the Shops atTown Center. Massage Envy Spa offers both

unique care treatments andrejuvenating massage therapyadministered by professionalestheticians and massage therapists.The state-of-the art clinic has 11therapy rooms.

Massage Envy Spa opened a new facility in Fargo, N.D.

prairiebizmag.com 11

SANFORD RECEIVES BREAST CAREDESIGNATIONSanford Breast Health Institute has been

granted a designation by the NationalAccreditation Program for Breast Centers, aprogram administered by the AmericanCollege of Surgeons. Sanford Breast HealthInstitute met all 27 standards to receiveNAPBC accreditation.The NAPBC is a consortium of

professional organizations dedicated to theimprovement of the quality of care andmonitoring of outcomes of patients withdiseases of the breast. This mission is pursuedthrough standard-setting, scientific validation,and patient and professional education.NAPBC accreditation is only given to

those centers that have voluntarily committedto provide the highest level of quality breastcare and that undergo a rigorous evaluationprocess and review of their performance. Thestandards include proficiency in centerleadership, clinical management, research,community outreach, professional educationand quality improvement. A breast center thatachieves NAPBC accreditation hasdemonstrated a firm commitment to offer itspatients every significant advantage in theirbattle against breast disease.

FINANCIAL EDUCATION,MENTORING SUPPORT FOR NEWAND ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and

U.S. Small Business Administration areproviding new resources to support smallbusinesses across the nation. Acting chairmanMartin Gruenberg and SBAs associateadministrator for entrepreneurialdevelopment Michael Chodos released MoneySmart for Small Business, a trainingcurriculum for new and aspiring businessowners. Developed in partnership between both

agencies, this curriculum is the latest offeringin the FDIC’s award-winning Money Smartprogram.Money Smart for Small Business provides

an introduction to day-to-day businessorganization and planning and is written forentrepreneurs with limited or no prior formalbusiness training. It offers practicalinformation that can be applied immediately,while also preparing participants for moreadvanced training. FDIC and SBA will form atraining alliance for organizations thatsupport small businesses through training,technical assistance or mentoring.

BOBCAT EXPANDING IN N.D.Bobcat Co. officials plan to create about 50

new positions for engineers and otherprofessionals who will perform productresearch and development from a newInnovation Center in Bismarck, N.D. Throughits partner, Menlo Worldwide Logistics,Bobcat also plans to add as many as 150additional jobs at its Bismarck ManufacturingSupport Center to expand production of thecompany’s compact attachments. Work will begin on the Innovation Center

in 2012 and construction will be completedby 2014. Bobcat’s transition to producecompact attachments in Bismarck will becompleted in 2012.Bobcat’s expansion plans would bring the

company’s Bismarck workforce to more than200 employees, with another 300 workersemployed by Menlo. Headquartered in WestFargo, Bobcat employs about 1,850 people inNorth Dakota.

SANFORD, MEDCENTERONE CONSIDER MERGERMedcenter One and SanfordHealth have signed a letter ofintent and a memorandum ofunderstanding and are movingforward with merger discussions.Both agreements are nonbinding,but the organizations are sharingfinancial, legal and businessinformation and preparingregulatory filings with the NorthDakota attorney general’s officeand the Federal TradeCommission. Medcenter One is based in

Bismarck, N.D., and Sanford isheadquartered in Fargo, N.D., andSioux Falls, S.D.

Press releases and photos about business news and events in North Dakota, South Dakota andwestern Minnesota can be e-mailed to [email protected] for considerationPrairie News


Sanford Health and Medcenter One are one step closer to a possible merger. (Photo courtesy of Medcenter One)


S.D. DROPS REDI FUND RATE Gov. Dennis Daugaard says the 3 percent

interest rate on new loans from SouthDakota’s Revolving Economic Development& Initiative Fund is dropping to 2 percent. The REDI Fund was created in 1987

under former Gov. George Mickelson todiversify South Dakota’s economy, increasecapital investment and create stable jobs. Theloan program is available to start-up firms,businesses that are expanding or relocatingand local South Dakota economicdevelopment corporations. The Daugaard administration says the

program has created more than 30,000 jobsthrough 2011.

DONAN ENGINEERING OPENINGFARGO OFFICEDonan Engineering Co. is opening an

office in Fargo, N.D., and will begin offeringforensic investigative services.Donan Engineering offers consumers a

single source for forensic engineeringinvestigations and fire origin and causeinvestigations. The firm offers an array ofservices including structural engineeringinvestigations, fire and explosion origin andcause investigations, roofing investigationsand component testing.

SCHOOL OF MINES NAMED TOPGREEN COLLEGEThe South Dakota School of Mines and

Technology in Rapid City is one of the mostenvironmentally responsible universities inthe United States and Canada, according toThe Princeton Review’s new list of top“Green Colleges.”The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322

Green Colleges: 2012 Edition selectedinstitutions based on a survey ofadministrators at 768 universities andcolleges. The School of Mines was the onlyuniversity in South Dakota to be recognized.Two new academic buildings on the

School of Mines campus are Leadership inEnergy and Environmental Design (LEED)gold certified, with one more buildingrenovation project in the LEED certificationprocess.

BCBSND HIRES INVESTIGATORShauna Vistad has joined Blue Cross

Blue Shield of North Dakota in Fargo, N.D.,as the manager of the special investigationsunit in the Compliance, Audit andCorporate Ethics division.Vistad develops and manages the unit

and leads efforts to investigate fraud andabuse. BCBSND’s special investigations unitis tasked with detecting, investigating andpreventing fraud and abuse in member andprovider claims and billing. She previouslyworked as accounting supervisor forSanford Health in Fargo, where shemanaged capital budgets for all of Sanford’snorthern region entities.

HORIZON APPOINTS IT DIRECTORHorizon Health Care Inc. in Howard,

S.D., has appointed Justin Palmquist asdirector of information technology (IT). In his new role, Palmquist will be

responsible for aspects of Horizon’s ITmanagement and control includingsupervision of IT employees, assistancewith budget preparation andrecommendations for technical acquisitionsand assisting with development of policiesand procedures.

LAKEWOOD HEALTH SYSTEMHAS NEW DIRECTORRoxanne Hejhal is the new director of

education and occupational health forLakewood Health System in Staples, Minn.Hejhal received her bachelor’s degree in

organizational behavior from The Collegeof St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn., and hermaster’s from the University of Mary inBismarck, N.D. She has held a variety ofdifferent positions in health care, mostrecently as service excellence andorganizational effectiveness consultant withAltru Health System in Grand Forks, N.D.Hejhal has had more than a decade ofmanagement and leadership experience incommunications, education programmingand organizational development.

ACKERMAN-ESTVOLD HIRESPROJECT ENGINEERSunil Jeboo has been hired as a project

engineer for Ackerman-Estvold Engineeringand Management Consulting Inc. in Minot,N.D. Jeboo’s expertise is construction

engineering. He was the project managerand designed a 110-mile road constructionproject through the Kaieteur National Parkin Guyana, South America. He holds abachelor’s degree in civil engineering fromthe Georgia Institute of Technology inAtlanta.

GOETTLE TO LEAD ODNEY’SPUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENTShane Goettle, former North Dakota

Department of Commerce commissioner,will head up Odney’s newly formed publicaffairs department. Goettle will merge Odney’s new

capabilities in government relations withgrassroots, media relations, campaign andpublic relations services to create a full-service public affairs organization.

INTELLIGENT INSITES ADDSBOARD DIRECTORDavid O’Hara has been appointed to the

board of directors of Intelligent InSites Inc.,a provider of enterprise real-time locationsystems software helping hospitals improvepatient care and increase health careefficiency.O’Hara is the chief operating officer for

Microsoft Advertising, which is the businessplatform that monetizes the MicrosoftAdvertising brand, generating more than $4billion in revenue annually. His team isresponsible for the operations of thebusiness, data analysis and insights,business development and partnerships andcollaboration with the field sales force. Theteam is also engaged in driving decisions onlong-term strategy and opportunities.


Please e-mail photos and press release announcements of hirings, promotions, awards and distinctions received by business leaders in North Dakota, South Dakota and western Minnesota to [email protected] for consideration.

SHAUNA VISTAD

JUSTINPALMQUIST

ROXANNE HEJHAL

SUNIL JEBOO

SHANE GOETTLE

DAVID O’HARA

Prairie People


‘Angels’ generatingeconomic expansionBy Harold Stanislawski

The economy of west central Minnesotaand quite frankly all of the state ofMinnesota is improving. Manufacturing

jobs are on the mend and growing and consumerspending is up. It appears our region is not onlyin an economic recovery mode, but is actually inan economic expansion mode. This wasemphasized recently when Toby Madden, aregional economist in the public affairsdepartment at the Federal Reserve Bank ofMinneapolis, visited Fergus Falls, Minn., andgave an upbeat talk that showed data verifyingthat, indeed, we are in a time of economicexpansion.Part of the economic expansion is being

generated by new sources of wealth creation.Many start-up and early-stage companies inMinnesota are on the move. In fact, a recentMinnesota Angel Tax Credit program summaryshows the following data regarding MinnesotaAngel Tax Credit Activity:

BUSINESSES� 288 businesses were certified in 2010 to

2011. � Investments were made in 180 companies

in 2010 to 2011.

INVESTORS:� 623 investors were certified in 2010 to

2011.� 821 investors made investments in 2010 to

2011.

INVESTMENTS:� $91 million in investments were made

pursuant to the program in 2010 to 2011. Of the investors who used the Minnesota

Angel Tax Credit, 530 investors or 71 percent

were from Minnesota and 217 or 29 percent ofthe investors were non-Minnesotans.In 2011, the companies that received

investments were 11 in biotechnology, 26 insoftware, five in electronic instrumentation, 29in medical devices and equipment, 11 in cleantechnology, five in consumer products andservices, eight in healthcare services, six ininternet/web services, three in food, six ininformation technology services and three inother industries. A total of 113 companiesreceived investments in 2011.The Minnesota Angel Tax Credit program

allows the following and is proving to be anexcellent tool in the economic enhancementtoolbox for the state and region.

KEY FEATURES:� 25 percent tax credit for investments in

small emerging businesses.� Program funding of 12 million in credits

annually from 2011 to 2014.� A state refund if credits exceed tax liability.

To learn more about the Minnesota AngelTax Credit program go to:www.PositivilyMinnesota.com/angelcredit.Activity for new companies is high in

Minnesota. Our region is reviewing dealsmonthly and the preparedness of the companiescertified by the Minnesota angel network isimpressive.Stay positive — Minnesota businesses and

entrepreneurs are on the move. PBHarold Stanislawski is executive director of the

Fergus Falls Economic Improvement Commission.Reach him at [email protected] or call 218-332-5428.

Economic Development


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A place that capturesthe imaginationBy Dwaine Chapel

What can be accomplished through thedevelopment of an individual’simagination? The imagination is

powerful. Two visionary individuals captured thetrue definition of innovation.Walt Disney said, “It is fun to work on the

impossible.” He created an empire based onturning imagination into reality. Albert Einsteineloquently stated, “Imagination is moreimportant than knowledge. Knowledge is limited.Imagination encircles the world.” He embracedthe mysteries of science. In the same way, universities provide an

excellent avenue to develop the mind and createan atmosphere where the imagination can beresearched, developed and commercialized. In 2004, a partnership involving several South

Dakota entities including South Dakota StateUniversity, the city of Brookings, the Board ofRegents, Brookings County commissioners, theGovernor’s Office of Economic Development,Brookings Economic Development Corp. andprivate business leaders throughout thecommunity and region came together to design aplace to enhance and develop the imagination. In2006, the Growth Partnership was formed as thegoverning body to create and oversee the campusand park. Since that early dream was penned topaper, more than 40,000 square feet has beendeveloped and is now available to capture theimagination. The Innovation Campus provides an

opportunity for researchers from the universityand private sector to develop and commercializeunique innovative ideas. The campus encouragesfresh and exhilarating thought processes. It is aplace where science, art, theory and businesspractitioners can collaborate to create andexplore new ideas.The innovation campus concept offers

collaborative opportunities and amenities.

Business development tools such as a mentoringprogram and a business advisory board are beingcreated to provide industry insight. Access toservice professionals is essential to a newbusiness. The facility is home to a certified publicaccountant and an intellectual property law firmand many other tenants. Partnerships existbetween the Enterprise Institute, which offersangel investors and business plan development,and the S.D. Small Business Development Corp.,which offers financial development assistance. The research park provides cost-effective land

lease opportunities to facilitate brick and mortargrowth to enhance further research anddevelopment. The park is conveniently locatednext door to the SDSU campus. The leadership ofuniversity president, David Chicoine, the citycouncil, the county commission, BrookingsEconomic Development Corp. and the GrowthPartnership will continue to work on expandingand recruiting businesses to the campus, thecommunity and the research park. The park currently has a 15,000-square-foot

building available for “build-to-suit” research anddevelopment space. The shell of the building hasbeen completed and suggested plans are availablefor review and discussion. The park offers morethan 5 million square feet of land for facilitybuild out. The research park is a local, regional and

national economic development engine. Itprovides unique business growth developmentthrough research, utilizing the talent provided bythe university. It is a place where innovation andresearch discoveries can be commercialized andmarketed. This process creates job growth andwealth enhancement for our ever-changingeconomy. PBDwaine Chapel is executive director of SDSU

Innovation Campus. Reach him [email protected] or 605-696-5600.

Research & Technology


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F.E.A.T. focuses onpreventing elder abuseBy Rick Clayburgh

Statistics from the U.S. Census indicatethat the population of older Americans(65 years and over) is expected to at least

double from 2000 to more than 72 million by2030. Something you may not know is thatNorth Dakota has the highest proportion ofelderly — 85 and over — in the nation. Elderfinancial exploitation is growing and becominga significant problem affecting thousands ofNorth Dakotans. It is being called the “crime ofthe 21st century.” It is the least understood ofall crimes and has been called the silent crimebecause 90 percent of elder abuse isperpetrated by family members. There is agreat amount of embarrassment and shamewith this crime because losing control ofpersonal finances can be devastating. The North Dakota Bankers Association

listened to the concerns of its member banksand partnered with Guardian ProtectiveServices to develop a free training program togive bank employees the necessary tools torecognize elder fraud and exploitation. Theprogram is called Financial ExploitationAwareness Training. Bank frontline employeesare in a unique position to most likely be thefirst to witness a financial crime beingcommitted. Education is the best weaponagainst elderly financial abuse. We see F.E.A.T.as a proactive approach to help prevent fraud.Employees also learn how to report asuspicious activity without breaching the rulesregarding their duty of confidentiality. Along with training bank employees, NDBA

and Guardian Protective Services have alsobeen holding one-hour seminars for seniors.Banks across North Dakota are hosting theevents. Julie Dolbec, NDBA, and Judy Vetter,Guardian Protective Services, interact with theparticipants and show them how to take stepsto protect themselves and not fall victim toelder abuse. During the seminars, one of themost important lessons seniors learn is thatthey are not alone. It is amazing to listen asseniors begin to share specific scams they haveexperienced and talk about how they are tryingto protect themselves. The prevailing theme ofthe seminar is “trust your banker.” It isrewarding to visit with and reassure them thattheir banker is always there to help them. The response to the F.E.A.T. program has

been incredible. On-site training began in fall2011 and more than 1,200 bank employeeshave received the training and more than 1,000seniors have attended a bank-sponsoredseminar. Each seminar reaffirms theimportance of building awareness to the rapidgrowth of fraud and financial crime.The mission of the NDBA is to provide

“extraordinary leadership for North Dakotabanks.” We hope that bringing awareness to ourbanks about this silent crime and providinghelpful tools, that together we can make adifference. People need to know they are notalone and that there is help. PBRick Clayburgh is president and CEO of the

North Dakota Bankers Association. Reach him [email protected] or 701-223-5303.

Finance


Horizon Health Care Inc. will receive a $1.4million federal grant to build a new dentaland medical clinic in De Smet, S.D.

The community health center — which plans tobuild a new clinic to further expand access toaffordable, high-quality dental and medical care —currently occupies space that the local hospital plansto use. With just two small dental exam rooms locatedwithin Horizon medical clinic and a need for access todental care, dental appointment availability iscurrently six to eight weeks out. The grant will helpHorizon build the new facility, serve more patientsand improve access to dental care in De Smet and thesurrounding communities. ”This grant will help us to continue to provide

close-to-home access to preventive dental care in acost effective setting,” says John Mengenhausen,Horizon CEO. “It will expand our ability to providehigh-quality care as well as create jobs in the De Smetcommunity.” The new De Smet Community Health Center, set

to break ground in August, will be located at thenortheast corner of Wilder Pass and Prairie Avenue.Horizon is developing plans for the 9,000-square-footclinic that will be designed to complement the lookand feel of the Wilder Pass neighborhood. Thetentative design includes six dental operatories, sixmedical exam rooms, office space, reception andample waiting room. One of the operatories will befully handicap accessible, allowing Horizon to servethe needs of patients with all abilities. ”Working out of our current location really

restricts the opportunity for us to see more patients,”says Horizon’s De Smet Dental Clinic provider AliciaAdkins. “Serving my community is very important tome and in the new clinic we’ll be able to providepatients with quality, timely dental care with an evenhigher level of service.” Horizon plans on recruiting for an additional

dentist, as well as pursuing further involvement andpartnerships with dental students. The economicimpact of the new community health center will

result in four new jobs, growing the organization’s DeSmet staff to 20 full-time positions. The grant funding will help Horizon address the

growing need for dental access in South Dakota. Theaccess problem is driven by multiple factors, includinga shortage of dentists and the fact that many dentistsdo not accept Medicaid-enrolled children. Community health centers are helping address this

problem by providing primary and preventive care topopulations in areas with provider shortages. Using apatient-centered model of care that considersbehavioral, dental and medical health care needs alsolowers health care costs by reducing the frequency ofexpensive specialty or emergency room visits.According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s

Economic Research Service, with more than half ofSouth Dakotans living in rural areas, the delivery ofhealth services to rural and medically underservedcommunities is critical to the overall health and well-being of South Dakota residents. The grant is part of a series of capital investments

that are made available to community health centersunder the Affordable Care Act, which provides $9.5billion to expand services over five years and $1.5billion to support major construction and renovationprojects at community health centers. For more than 35 years, Horizon, headquartered in

Howard, S.D., has been providing personalized,affordable, high-quality medical, dental and mentalhealth care through a rural, community-basednetwork in South Dakota. Horizon is a FederallyQualified Health Center that serves the medical,dental and mental health care needs of SouthDakotans in rural, medically underserved areasthrough 75,000 patient visits annually in 17community health centers in: Bryant, De Smet,Howard, Huron, Lake Preston, Martin, Mission,Plankinton, Springfield, Wessington Springs, WhiteRiver and Woonsocket. PBKristi Atkinson is the marketing coordinator for

Horizon Health Care Inc. Reach her [email protected] or call 605-539-1778.

Expanding medical access$1.4 million grant helps community build new dental and medical clinicBy Kristi Atkinson


Health Care

High-Tech DiagnosticsDoctors use technology to better diagnose and treat illnesses in a less invasive mannerBy Alan Van Ormer

FARGO, N.D. — Instead of a stethoscope, Dr. NevilleAlberto, Sanford Health hospitalist in Fargo, N.D., has aportable ultrasound draped around his neck, something he

has been using for more than a year to diagnose patient’s medicalillnesses.Alberto’s portable ultrasound is made smaller for him to carry

around and has a probe that can check various parts of the bodyincluding kidneys, gall bladder, liver, heart muscles and valves inthe chest, lungs, swollen knees and vessels in the neck.

In the past, if a person had abdominal pain you put your handon the area and suspect what is wrong, he says. “With a portableultrasound, in less than a minute you can pick up the ailment,” hesays. “This technology is about bringing care to the bedside,providing care much faster, defining thoughts much faster andthen going to the next step quicker.”The portable ultrasound is one new piece of technology that is

being used to help diagnose medical illnesses.Dr. Dick Marsden, senior executive vice president for Sanford

Sanford Health medical student Eric Schommer tests the portable ultrasound on another medical student, Nick Adams. The portable ultrasound is a new devise that candiagnose patients. (Photo courtesy of Michael K. Smith, Sanford Health photography)

Health clinics in Fargo, who is in charge of day-to-day operations,says the goal of new technology is to better diagnose medicalissues using noninvasive techniques. “It is about a noninvasive approach to making a diagnosis

work and allowing subsequent treatment to be tailored directly tothe process,” he says. “From the patient’s perspective it eliminatessignificant guesswork. Over the long haul it prevents unnecessarysurgeries and really gets you to the right spot at the right time.”Dr. Tim Mahoney, clinical chief, general and vascular surgery

at Essentia Health in Fargo, says medicine is continually movingforward in diagnostic evaluations. Patients with pain ordiscomfort require a diagnosis including what type of treatmentis needed. Therapeutically, pain can be treated by an operation,radiation therapy or chemotherapy. “Most of the time patients’desire treatment with the least amount of pain, the least amountof bother and what feels [mentally] comfortable to them,” hesays. “We have seen huge gains in the diagnostic field with betterequipment.”

A CLEARER PICTUREEssentia Health continues to add new diagnostic equipment to

better diagnose medical problems, including a highly efficientmagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. This MRI providesmore detail through crisp, clearer pictures that, for example, showin-depth ligament tears to knees or shoulders, and can be usedfor breast biopsies and breast imaging for younger patients with ahistory of breast cancer in the family.Essentia Health has two GE logiqE9 ultrasounds. At one time

ultrasounds were done only in 2-D. With the E9, all images canbe seen in either 3-D or 4-D. This provides superior imagequality and detailed information for all exams. Equipment isefficient, user friendly and ergonomically correct. Detection ofproblems is clearer and more accurate.Five years ago, Essentia added a 64-slice cat scan (CS). A 4-

slice cat scan can take 30 to 45 minutes for a diagnosis. It takesfive minutes with the 64-slice CS. This machine provides a fasterdiagnosis and is a noninvasive exam. Scans show all the vessels inthe heart, neck, head and lower legs, which assists in the diagnosisof cardiac, vascular and lung disease and cancer. Digital diagnostics (once called x-ray) is much faster, provides

clearer images, has a lower radiation dosage and provides betterdetail. Patients are in and out in a short period of time.“Diagnosis is much easier and more accurate than before,”Mahoney says. “We can get so much more information.”Dr. Colleen Swank, the medical director of primary care for

Altru Health System in Grand Forks, N.D., who has been apediatrician for 12 years, says there are now easier ways to detectchildhood illnesses and diseases. For example, when babies areborn doctors evaluate for genetic or congenital diseases that ifdiagnosed and treated early can improve the health of the infant.Detecting congenital hypothyroidism is one example — if missedfor several months a cognitive disability would occur. Health care systems also have more resources, says Altru

Health System chief operating officer Brad Wehe. “The team islarger. The team is more specialized,” he says. “From a patient’sperspective, they can come in and have a much broader team ofspecialists and tools available for them. We are very integrated; allunder one roof working together.”Altru Health System has acquired four buildings on the south

end of Grand Forks to complement its Columbia Road MedicalPark. In addition, the health system has a medical residencypractice on the University of North Dakota campus and the

health care system is leasing 12,000 square feet in a new wellnesscenter, which is currently under construction.

ANALOG TO DIGITALIn June 2011, Rapid City (S.D.) Regional Hospital installed a

digital mammography unit to detect breast issues. It allowed thehospital to move from an analog concept to a digital concept, aswell as display more images on a computer.“It allows us to provide better detection for our patients,” says

Tami Andersh, mammography technologist at the hospital. “Wecan transmit the images across the network, print the images orprovide access to our local providers.”“Digital technology is the best technology out there offered

for mammograms,” says Jayne DeCastro, supervisor in medicalimaging for Rapid City Regional Hospital.Digital mammography units do a better job of imaging dense

breast matter, as well as allowing radiologists to enlarge the imageon the computer to get a better look, Andersh notes. “We’re ableto get faster images and accurate findings that may not be pickedup as easily,” she says. “A computer image is a different way oflooking at things.”The technology, which can provide an overall view of the

entire breast, as well as the chest walls, is mainly used for routinescreens.“It makes our job easier when you can look at the images and

get a better idea of what is happening,” Andersh says.Dr. Richard Keim, who works in internal medicine at Queen

City Regional Medical Clinic in Spearfish, S.D., says the facilities’bone density test (DXA) is a radiological test that uses low


Dr. Tom Larson utilizes imaging technology to visualize procedural sites via monitors inthe Interventional Radiology Suite at Lake Region Healthcare in Fergus Falls, Minn.(Photo courtesy of Lake Region Healthcare)

(continues on page 26)


radiation to evaluate the bone density in the spine, hips orforearm. It is a high technology component that allowsphysicians to calculate how much calcium is in the bone at aspecific spot.The majority of patients that benefit from use of the bone

density test are females 65 or older, but the test is also used forthose who take steroids or seizure medication, smoke orconsume a high amount of alcohol.“The whole goal is to identify patients at risk for a fracture

and provide appropriate help before the bone fractures toavoid all the complications that go with the fracture,” Keimsays.Keim says statistics show that 25 percent of people who

have a hip fracture die within a year and 50 percent havepermanent immobility.Larry Schulz, president and CEO of Lake Region

Healthcare in Fergus Falls, Minn., says new technology isimportant because the sooner we catch the disease or find outwhat the disease is, the sooner we can get better control of it.“New advances are taking place and being introduced all

the time,” he says. “It is hard to envision what all the changeswill be coming in the future.”Continuing education is crucial as new technologies are

developed and studies are conducted. At Lake RegionHealthcare, groups of physicians meet regularly to reviewmedical journal articles and talk about what’s new in themedical field. “We also have medical grand rounds where

physicians discuss the latest in a particular disease or modalityto treat a disease,” Schulz explains.One challenge is the ongoing debate about the efficacy of

different tests, Schulz notes. “We may have something that canhelp diagnose disease sooner, but the insurers and thegovernment may be looking to see if it is worth the cost basedon the number of people it would benefit,” he says.For smaller health care systems such as Lakewood Health

System in Staples, Minn., it boils down to quality and finances.“If something comes available we will identify if we can orshould offer it,” says Tim Rice, president and CEO ofLakewood Healthcare System, which serves people in a 20-mile radius around the Staples community in north centralMinnesota. “We really rely on our departments to be aware ofnew technologies. Once they are identified, it is important toanalyze if you can provide it effectively and financially if itmakes sense.”Like Lake Region Healthcare, education is a key

component for Lakewood Health System. “Benchmarking witheach other and attending conferences is how you learn aboutthese things,” Rice says. Prioritizing is also a key for smaller health care facilities.

“Our focus is on quality and service,” Rice says. “Ourphysicians are very conscious about not asking for things justbecause they want them. If they ask for a new technology, it isbecause it will make a difference to the patient.” PB

Health Care(continues from page 25)


Rural Medicine

In rural areas, the need for family physicians continuesto put pressure on smaller communities, and healthcare networks are finding it increasingly difficult to find

physicians to work in rural areas.In Minnesota, there is a shortage of primary care

professionals. There are also shortages of mental healthcare professionals, dental care specialists (especially forthose who can’t afford dental services) and a lack offunding has created a risk of closure for some facilities inthe state, says Judith Neppel, executive director of theMinnesota Rural Health Association.In North Dakota, there are 2.13 physicians per 1,000

people, while nationally there are 2.57 physicians per 1,000.Also, in urban areas of North Dakota there are 3.25physicians per 1,000, while in isolated rural areas there are0.50 physicians per 1,000, says Brad Gibbens, deputydirector of the Center for Rural Health and assistantprofessor at the University of North Dakota School ofMedicine and Health Science in Grand Forks, adding thatmost isolated rural areas make up 27 percent of the state’spopulation but have only 6 percent of the state’sphysicians.“There is a greater need for physicians in rural areas,

and certainly this is true for rural North Dakota,” he says. The Center for Rural Health is just one organization

that assists the rural communities in North Dakota. In Pierre, the South Dakota Office of Rural Health

focuses on the delivery of health services to ruralcommunities, emphasizing access while working primarilyat the local level.In Minnesota, the Minnesota Rural Health Association,

headquartered on the University of Minnesota campus inCrookston, focuses on advocacy around rural health issuesat the state and national level, and education.The Center for Rural Health also works on the state and

national level. In North Dakota, the center works withrural communities and health organizations to helpimprove their performance and ability to meet local healthneeds. At the national level, the center focuses on healthservices research and information dissemination.All three organizations provide help in finding

physicians.

MAKING A DIFFERENCEFor example, The Center for Rural Health, through the

Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (a federallysupported program to assist critical access hospitals)provides almost $275,000 each year to critical hospitals fordeveloping and expanding services, improving quality ofcare, and staffing and networking development. In

Doctors in DemandOrganizations continue efforts to improve access to health care in rural areasBy Alan Van Ormer

Agencies and organizations are working with rural health care facilities to improve performance and help meet rural health care needs.

(Photo courtesy of Center for Rural Health)


Rural Medicine

addition, as much as $1 million is used from federal fundingand private sources to assist rural communities in servicedevelopment, health information technology, qualityimprovement and education and training.“We definitely help and we do make a difference,” Gibbens

says. “In working with rural communities, I’ve always beenimpressed with the commitment people have to theircommunity and the quality of the ideas of those who live inrural North Dakota. The solutions to whatever rural healthissues or problems, come from the communities. We try toprovide additional resources and help build their capacity.”A major program the South Dakota Office of Rural Health

spearheads is the South Dakota Healthcare Workforce Center.The center works to assure a competent and qualified futurehealth care workforce in the state. From 2008 to 2018, theDepartment of Labor predicts a 13.1 percent increase in thenumber of family and general practitioners and 16.7 percentincrease in the number of internists needed in South Dakota.“Workforce is one of the greatest needs in South Dakota

because of an aging population,” says Sandra Durick,administrator for the South Dakota Office of Rural Health,adding that providing medical services to rural areas isimportant because it helps with rural health infrastructure.“Rural health infrastructure is key to having vibranteconomies in rural areas. We do our best to help with ruralhealth care needs.”The MRHA provides monthly cyber conference programs

discussing topics of interest throughout the region. As manyas 65 rural health professionals are involved in the cyberconference events. There are discussions on electronic medicalrecords, recruitment and retention of health professionals andcross training across multiple professions.Brad Schipper, executive vice president of the Sanford

Health Network in the Sioux Falls, S.D., area, adds thatphysicians are looking to have a family work life balance incovering emergency rooms. He adds that the increasedcomplexion of regulatons is also adding challenges.Gordon Larson, CEO of Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center

in South Dakota, says that an important factor is allowingpatients to continue health care close to home. In order to dothat, health care networks are implementing telemedicineopportunities to assist a local physician with expertise fromother specialists in different parts of the region.“The Sanford One Chart allows a patient’s electronic

medical chart to be available for any clinician to share andconsult with others,” Larson says.

Neppel agrees that telehealth is a big help to rural areas. “Itcontinues to expand and now has made it possible forspecialized needs, including psychiatry, which is in shortsupply and large demand in rural areas,” Neppel says.In addition, Neppel notes that the first dental therapist is

going into practice in rural Minnesota. “A dental therapist is asubstitute for the short supply of dentists in the state,” shesays.

GRASS ROOTS APPROACHMany health care networks determine needs in rural

communities by listening to patients and physicians in thecommunity. “Obviously we look at trends and we look atgeographics,” Schipper says. “We also look at the communityand what the community desires and combine them to comeup with a plan that is doable and makes sense.”Gibbens, who has been involved in rural health for 28

years, is seeing changes. For example, rural health careproviders are more willing to work with other providers andother types of networks. Rural hospitals collaborate with eachother in networks and with the larger urban hospitals. TheCritical Access Hospital Quality Network, for example, whilefocused on the needs of rural hospitals has participation fromthe urban hospitals. Rural hospitals and public health areworking together to address local health needs. In addition,he is seeing an increase in willingness of rural North Dakotato support rural hospitals.When the Center for Rural Health conducted surveys in

2005, 2008 and 2011 two specific issues showed a growingsupport for rural health care facilities. First, an increase in theuse of local sales tax or property taxes for rural hospitals. In2008, 25 percent of the critical access hospitals had local taxsupport, while now 40 percent have local support. Inaddition, rural citizens are willing to make donations to localhealth entities. In 2008, less than 50 percent of the criticalaccess hospitals had a local hospital foundation. Today, thatnumber is 75 percent.Neppel notes that MRHA is also consistently addressing

the state legislature to let them know that rural economicdevelopment is critical to the longevity of rural communities,as well as pushing for better long-term care funding.“We help by increasing the awareness of critical and new

health issues around reform so people have a betterunderstanding of what others are doing so they mightimprove the service they are providing,” Neppel says. “Accessto good health care is essential to a good way of life.” PB

“In working with rural communities, I’ve always beenimpressed with the commitment people have to theircommunity and the quality of the ideas of those who livein rural North Dakota. The solutions to whatever ruralhealth issues or problems, come from the communities.”

- Brad Gibbens, deputy director, Center for Rural Health


When the Family Wellness Center opened in Fargo,N.D., in October there were 576 memberships and1,400 members. As of May 1, that number has

increased to more than 3,000 membership units and 7,500members. In addition, more than 20 percent of the memberswent directly to an annual membership.“There is a movement of more people wanting to focus on

wellness and fitness in their lives,” says Jenna Johnson,director of Family Wellness LLC, a partnership betweenSanford Health and the YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties thatoperates Fargo’s Family Wellness Center. “The fact that peoplewant to jump in and continue shows that this is working.”In 2010, results of a Grand Forks (N.D.) Park District in-

house survey showed that 30 percent of the Fargo’spopulation belonged to health centers, 28 percent inBismarck, 25 percent in Dickinson, 22 percent in Minot and12 percent in Grand Forks.John Staley, director of the Grand Forks Park District, says

that they have not repeated that survey, but he thinks that if asurvey were conducted today the numbers would show an

increase of those participating in fitness activities.Brad Wehe, chief operating officer for Altru Health System

in Grand Forks, N.D., says historically, wellness centers arebuilt on the premise of having a healthy community. “Awellness center becomes a one-stop shop for all aspects ofwellness including mental, emotional, physical, spiritual andall-well being,” he says. “We need to bring all thesecollaborations to exist and bring the strength of multiplepartners together for the best programming possible.”Many wellness centers provide different resources to help

people get and stay in shape.There are different body fitness enhancement tools such as

swimming pools for aquatic therapy to muscle strengtheningequipment to cardio enhancement equipment.The Family Wellness Center has 80,000 square feet, which

is larger than most facilities in the communities around theregion. Those interested in exercising find the facility invitingbecause of its windows and lights, which make it seem likethey are exercising outside.Johnson says she is seeing a different brand of people

Focus on FitnessMembership in wellness and health centers keeps risingBy Alan Van Ormer

Wellness

Exercise is becoming a habit for people in the region and has led to an increase in wellness center memberships. (Photo courtesy of Family Wellness LLC in Fargo, N.D.)


exercising. Before it was only those who were fit that went tothe gym. “We saw that at the beginning,” she notes. “In thepast six months, more elderly, families and overweight peopleare here.”

RECRUITMENT AND RETENTIONAn important goal is recruiting and retaining participants.

“The variety of equipment provides the fitness trainers theability to create programs to make it fun and enticing for themembers to stay members, enabling them to peruse tangiblefitness facilitates the goal,” Staley says. “Also, rooms thatfacilitate social programming are important to, again, attractand retain members. The ‘everybody knows your name’ mottois so important in creating an attractive facility for folks whoseek a feeling of home or sense of community in a somewhatincreasingly dehumanizing society.”The Grand Forks Park District is developing Choice Health

& Fitness. The $23 million facility, owned and operated by theGrand Forks Park District, is slated to open in 2012. Thefacility is the centerpiece to the new Altru Wellness Villagelocated in south Grand Forks. More than 300 area businessesand individuals have provided monetary support for theproject. Altru Health System is one of those providing support.Wehe says that maintaining a healthy lifestyle has a huge

impact on people’s health and well-being. “One of the reasonsfor premature deaths is lifestyle habits,” he says. “Many arecontrollable — smoking, stress, safety and high bloodpressure. A wellness center becomes a hub with a huge toolboxof equipment, people and programs to get us on the righttrack and keep us there.”In Dickinson, the West River Community Center is a

64,000-square-foot facility that serves more than 7,100members. When the center opened in 2004 there were 4,200members. It is not only a wellness center, but is also used as acommunity center.The center offers water aerobics, weight classes, indoor

leisure and lap pool, basketball courts, tennis courts and anindoor golf simulator room. The community center targetsdifferent interests and different ages to keep people active.There are also different classes available that include

aerobics, water aerobics, a lazy river pool for therapy, pickleball program for elderly (a slower game of tennis) and SilverSneaker classes.Matt Mack, facility operations manager for West River

Community Center, says having a recreational center providespeople additional things to do. “The building is dedicateddirectly to wellness and recreational activities you wouldn’t beable to do in a community this size.” Dickinson has apopulation of more than 22,000 people.Many of the people who work at wellness centers are

athletes or are interested in working in the sports field, haveexercise science background and have expertise with exercisemachines in the facilities.“This helps those using the wellness center because the

employees are able to guide them through the workout,” Macksays. “If they need more, they can refer people to a personaltraining service.”

WELLNESS INCENTIVESMany companies offer incentive programs for their

employees to use wellness centers.“The conversation regarding the importance and

prominence of health management programs has reallychanged in the last two to five years,” says Mike Carlson,manager of wellness services for Blue Cross Blue Shield ofNorth Dakota in Fargo. “Gone are the days where we would betalking with employer groups on why they should beimplementing health management strategies to a discussionon how BCBSND can help implement what they have andfurther develop strategies specific to needs of the employergroup.”BCBSND has more than 400,000 members and offers two

programs that employees can use for wellness centers. One is ahealth club credit program, which is a standard type ofprogram in the industry. Eligible members must go to awellness center at least 12 times a month to receive anincentive; usually a monetary incentive. Carlson says there areapproximately 170,000 members eligible for the health clubcredit program. An average of 7 percent of the populationreceives the maximum annual incentive of $240 per memberper year.“It reduces the barriers to belonging to a fitness center if

they meet the minimum visit criteria,” Carlson says. “Themore physical activity the better the overall health. The betterthe overall health the better the cost to the member, theiremployer group and the health plan. The intendedconsequence is to promote physical activity and well-being toour membership.”BCBSND also offers online tools; notably a new one called

Healthyblue. Those using the tool can do an online assessmentto identify specific problems and receive electronic coachingfrom experts. It also educates members about risks and waysto address those risks and improving health literacy.BCBSND employees also provide education to employer

groups and events.Carlson says that it is a hard to know if it is working.

However, he notes “We believe we see the people whoparticipate have less medical spending then those who do notparticipate”The health insurance provider continues to work on new

programs for its members. One that is being discussed isrewarding people who follow physician’s guidelines. “Forexample, if someone has a chronic condition such as diabetes,we want to encourage them to follow doctor’s orders and thebottom line is that everyone wins when our members strivefor optimal health,” Carlson says.Wehe is concerned about having a healthy lifestyle and

believes wellness centers are the place to help turn the tide. Forexample, he notes that by decreasing weight and increasingexercise can decrease Type 2 diabetes by 50 percent.“There is an alarming statistic that 64 percent of North

Dakotans are overweight, one-third doesn’t exercise at all andwe are 19th in the nation for obesity,” he says. “We will be thefirst generation that will outlive our children because ofhabits, lifestyles and child obesity. So much is preventable.Some of the basic things we need to do to maintain our healthwe are not doing.” PB

Wellness


BEMIDJI, Minn. — As many as 50 private businesses,key regional organizations, and city and countyleaders are developing a vision that is already

transforming Bemidji, a north central Minnesotacommunity.The Joint Economic Development Commission is now

Greater Bemidji. The community has embarked on a newstrategic direction with focus areas in supportingentrepreneurship and innovation, growing, attracting andretaining talent, marketing the Bemidji region as a greatplace for business, growing and accessing an economicdevelopment toolbox and hiring Dave Hengel as its newexecutive director.“Changing the name to Greater Bemidji speaks better

to who we are. We took a step back and focused on areaswith the biggest impact on growing our region,” Hengelsays. “It is symbolic and is a much better indicator of howwe operate and what we do.”Bob Fitzgerald, director of operations for Kraus-

Anderson Construction Co., says the new strategy will helpwith growth and will provide opportunities for investorsand businesses in the region. “These are exciting times.From our company’s perspective, the Greater Bemidji

region is poised for very significant growth,” he says. “Thisinitiative will help manage the growth, drive developmentsand promote prosperity.”Greater Bemidji will focus on the area within a 30- to

40-mile radius of Bemidji. Bemidji is considered a regionalcenter in northern Minnesota with a trade area thatencompasses a 50-mile radius and includes more than108,000 people.“We need to be strategic,” says Jim Bensen, chair of

Bemidji Leads, an organization devoted to building thecommunity’s future. “What we are doing is creating aculture of openness, ideas and resources.”Bensen notes that the next big economic step is to

come up with ideas to lure people to the region. “Locationisn’t the key here but quality of place is,” he says. “Webelieve Bemidji is that.”For example, these ideas could be centered on forestry

affairs and design and applied engineering, two trades thatare important in driving Bemidji’s economy.Another key ingredient is the search for talent and in

Bemidji’s case that talent is right at home. “We have to be aleader in growing and attracting talent from an economicdevelopment framework,” Hengel says.

Business Development

A new vision for BemidjiStrategy expected to help the region grow and prosperBy Alan Van Ormer

Bemidji State University sits alongside Lake Bemidji. Bemidji, Minn., is developing a new economic development strategy in a 50-mile radius of the community.(Photo courtesy of Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce)

The higher education systems in the Bemidji regiongraduate about 1,000 students. “Our job is to deliver a better trained workforce with

relevant training with a proper skill set to drive an economythat is changing and to service our economy,” says DickHanson, president of Bemidji State University. “We arecommitted to creating that talent, but not restricted to wherethey go.”The new initiatives are prompting the university system to

write a different script, Hanson says. “Our agenda now dealswith workforce and employment-oriented curriculum,” headds. “There are challenges in retaining talent. Our goal is torecruit, retain and gradually finish that talent.”Another way to develop talent comes from an initiative

called Students First in Bemidji. Under the plan, every studentdevelops a success plan by the ninth grade and is paired withadult coaches. The pilot project is operating with 100 studentsand there are 98 coaches in business, community and the arts.The next step for Greater Bemidji is to implement action

teams and develop action plans. “We’re not forgetting aboutthe traditional building blocks,” Fitzgerald says. “These arefour more building blocks to go with our traditional tools.”PB

The Bemidji Sanford Center is one of Minnesota's newest event centers.

34 Prairie Business Energy June 2012

SPEARFISH, S.D. — Bierschbach Equipment & Supply islooking to double its sales in either its Fargo, N.D., store orits Rapid City, S.D., store. The company plans to do this by

doing business in the Bakken oil play in western North Dakotawhile waiting for possible oil opportunities in South Dakota.Bierschbach supplies erosion control material such as geo-

textiles to improve road bases, and leases and servicesconstruction equipment.“What excites me is that we can expand our four locations to

either five or six,” says Mark Hasvold, vice president ofBierschbach in Rapid City. Along with its Fargo and Rapid Citylocations, Bierschbach also has facilities in Sioux City, Iowa, andSioux Falls, S.D. A two-day Black Hills Bakken Conference was held in May 2

and 3 to educate businesses and others interested in learning moreabout the oil play including its challenges and opportunities,focusing on discussions about the potential for oil flowing inSouth Dakota.The state is focusing on three potential oil-bearing rock

formations — Minnelusa, Three Forks Shale and Red River — andthe South Dakota Legislature plans to study oil and gasdevelopment.Derric Iles, South Dakota state geologist, for the Geological

Survey Program and Department of Environment and NaturalResources, says that in 2011 northern Harding County produced oilin the Red River formation just south of the North Dakota border.

FORWARD PLANNINGDennis Lindahl, city councilman from Stanley, N.D., told the

audience that the Bakken has created an intense situation fraughtwith housing shortages, traffic congestion and a rising crime rate. “Hopefully, if oil comes south you will be able to plan better,”

Lindahl says, adding that North Dakota is managing the growththe best it can.Shane Goettle, former commissioner of the North Dakota

Department of Commerce, says it is possible for South Dakotacompanies to become active in western North Dakota. “There ispotential in South Dakota approaching what the Bakken has,” saysGoettle, who is currently the public affairs director for Odney, amarketing and public relations firm in Bismarck, N.D.According to Goldman Sachs, the United States will be the No.

1 oil producer in five years, and according to the Institute ofEnergy Research, the U.S. has a 200-year supply of oil and 120-year supply of natural gas, Goettle noted during his keynoteaddress. In addition, Goettle says there are 1.44 trillion barrels ofrecoverable oil deposits in the country.In 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that Bakken

shale could produce 151 million barrels of oil, Goettle says. USGSofficials have raised their expectations to 4.3 billion barrels andsome analysts believe there is 20 billion barrels of oil. Anotherstudy is underway.Iles discussed the three formations in South Dakota with

possible oil production during a presentation on the second day of

S.D. prepares for potential oil boomBlack Hills Bakken Conference spells out oil play — good and badBy Alan Van Ormer

A Luff Exploration Co. drilling rig operates in the North Cave Hills area of Harding County in northwestern South Dakota. Luff ’s headquarters are in Denver,Colo. (Photo courtesy of SD DENR)


the conference, saying that the state isunderdeveloped and unexplored for true oiland gas potential.Oil has been found in Harding County in

the Red River formation since 1954. Oilcompanies have tested other parts of theformation that cover most of the northernhalf of western South Dakota and at least 10counties across the Missouri River in easternSouth Dakota.The Minnelusa formation covers two-thirds

of the state and more than 900 test holes orwells have been drilled. There is oil productionoccurring in the southwest corner of the state inCuster and Fall River counties.More than 400 wells or test wells have been

drilled in the Three Forks Shale formation,which covers most of northwestern SouthDakota. At this point, no oil production hasbeen seen in this formation.

OIL ACTIVITYYou don’t have to rely on the geological

survey’s research to see if there are any signsof oil in South Dakota, said Iles in aninterview with Prairie Business before hispresentation on May 3. Iles thinks there will be increased

exploration, which will translate intoincreased development in South Dakota.There has been some exploratory activity inHarding, Perkins and Corson counties, as wellas interest in counties further south in thestate, he adds.Along with the summer study on oil and

gas development, the state is preparing for anoil boom using two approaches. First, thelegislature and the Department ofEnvironment and Natural Resources aremaking sure that South Dakota has abusiness-friendly climate, Iles says, adding thisincludes streamlining regulations to makethem understandable, shortening thepermitting time and setting taxation levels forextracting resources from the ground.The state is also developing a user-friendly

online component that provides all geologicalinformation in South Dakota tailored to meetindustry needs.While waiting for a possible oil boom in

South Dakota, companies such as Bierschbachare finding ways to be part of the currentboom in North Dakota.The Rapid City location has done business

in Dickinson, N.D., and the Fargo store hasprovided services in Bismarck and Minot,N.D. “We like to learn as much as we can about

what is going on there,” Hasvold says. “We’refaced with the same challenges otherbusinesses face.” Bierschbach has been able to

bring its erosion control material into NorthDakota from its current location but thecompany would need a location near theoilfields to offer its equipment leasing andservice.Hasvold says the conference helped his

company learn more about what’s going on inthe Bakken and to get advice on how to getinvolved.Black Hills Vision, a regional economic

development organization committed tocreating economic development opportunitiesin the Black Hills region, is also looking atopportunities in western North Dakota. BlackHills Vision consists of seven cities, fourcounties, more than 80 Black Hills businessleaders, nine economic development andchamber organizations, nine financialinstitutions and six utilities, as well as supportfrom the state of South Dakota.Jim Aberle, executive director of Black Hills

Vision, says the tourism industry was the firstto capitalize on the oil industry. Various BlackHills communities are sending buses to gatherpeople from western North Dakota forweekend trips in the Black Hills. Aberle says heis already seeing opportunities in maintenance,support services and real estate.

36 Prairie Business Energy June 2012

Moving oil to marketN.D. needs more pipelines to keep pace with oil productionBy Alan Van Ormer

BISMARCK, N.D. — By the end of 2012, it isestimated that 700,000 barrels of oil per day will beproduced in the Bakken formation in western North

Dakota. By 2019, that number is expected to increase to

1.1 million barrels of oil per day. The export capacity of allpipelines and rail facilities would reach about 1.8 millionbarrels per day if everything that is being proposed isbuilt, says Kevin Cramer, public service commissioner.

An Enbridge pipeline marker is placed on reclaimed land after construction of the Beaver Lodge Loop Project in 2011. (Photo courtesy of Enbridge Pipelines (North Dakota) LLC)


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Since Enbridge Pipelines LLC acquired its NorthDakota system in 1996 it has invested more than $1billion in new projects and infrastructure. Throughenhancements, the North Dakota system has expandedfrom 80,000 barrels per day in 1996 to 275,000 barrelsper day in 2011.“With the future growth plan on the Enbridge system,

the Bakken producers will have access to more refiningmarkets; and more refineries in the United States willhave access to high-quality, domestically producedBakken crude oil, which can mean less reliance onexpensive foreign crude oil shipped into the U.S. fromother parts of the world,” says Mark Sitek, vice president,major projects execution for Enbridge.Construction on Enbridge’s Bakken expansion project

is expected to be completed in January, allowing theshipment of another 120,000 barrels per day out of theoilfield. After all the expansions are completed,Enbridge’s total pipeline capacity will be 475,000 barrelsper day by January 2013. Enbridge expects to complete construction of a rail

facility in Berthold, N.D., by January, which wouldenable them to transport another 80,000 barrels per dayEnbridge continues working with its shipper to find

additional transportation options. Future project plansthat are currently in development, could add anadditional 300,000 barrels per day by the end of 2015. Enbridge has one of six oil pipeline projects at

different stages of development that pass through NorthDakota. They include Oneok Partners, High PrairiePipeline, Butte Pipe Line, Keystone XL, EnbridgeSandpiper and a Baker, Mont., to Billings, Mont., projectproposed by Plains All American Pipeline.“All five with the exception of Keystone XL are

working with the industry to get commitments,” saysJustin Kringstad, director of the North Dakota PipelineAuthority. “Pipeline projects can’t move forward unlessthey have adequate commitment terms. Keystone XL hascommitments to move forward, but now is in theregulatory process.”The state’s Public Service Commission regulates oil

pipelines. This includes handling applications forcorridor certificates and route permits and ensuringefficient use of resources and continued systemreliability.Cramer says pipelines are the most economical,

efficient and safe way to move petroleum products tomarket. Pipelines also relieve traffic on roads.“We work hard to keep the regulatory lag short for

pipelines. The biggest factor is becoming the landowner.As landowners grow more fatigued by the frantic pace ofdevelopment, it is getting harder for companies to getsigned easements,” he says. “In western North Dakota, wealmost never have landowners oppose pipelines. Ourhearings are generally very uneventful in terms oflandowner issues. The companies do a good job ofpreparing their cases.”


100 years and countingTechnology, customer service keeps century-old businesses aliveBy Alan Van Ormer

For more than 100 years, Dakota Monument Co. hascrafted memorials that mark the passing on of a lovedone.

The company, which was founded in 1911 by O.C.Anderson, H.F. Nesne and O. Skognes, has always had anAnderson at the helm. Today, the business is owned andoperated by Dave Anderson. Although the name and theownership have stayed the same, the art of creatingmonuments has changed.Dave Anderson, owner of Dakota Monument in Fargo,

N.D., says technology and production have changed thelandscape. “Everything from design work to cutting work

was done by hand years ago,” he says. Today the work isdone using computer technology.On June 27, the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota

and North Dakota will recognize Red River Valleybusinesses, such as Dakota Monument, as well as othersfrom across western Minnesota and North Dakota, whohave been in business 100 years or more. The North Dakotaand Western Minnesota Centennial Luncheon will be heldfrom 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the North Dakota StateUniversity Alumni Center in Fargo, N.D. North DakotaAttorney General Wayne Stenehjem will be the keynotespeaker.

The Better Business Bureau ofMinnesota and North Dakotahas been around for 100 yearshelping businesses continuetheir success. (Photos courtesyof Better Business Bureau ofMinnesota and North Dakota)


The centennial luncheon is one of three in Minnesota and NorthDakota in 2012 celebrating the 100th anniversary of the BetterBusiness Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota. The luncheonhighlights how ethical business practices encourage longevity andstability for companies and the market.

ADAPTING TO CHANGESDakota Monument builds more than 2,000 memorials a year for

customers in North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota.The company longevity can be attributed to its ability to change

with the market and the regional demographicsWhen Dakota Monument first started, families buried their

loved ones on the farm and had family plots with monuments andindividual graves. Then in the 1950s, the garden concept came aboutpromoting all flat markers. Now, that has changed back to uprightmarkers and from traditional shapes to shapes that can becustomized depending on the customers’ wishes. Anderson says he’seven made them in the shape of stock cars and motorcycles. The material used to make the memorials has also changed from

marble, slate and sandstone to granite because of the hardness ofthe stone.Strata Corp., which was started operating in 1910, is also being

recognized.Kevin Opdahl, controller for Strata in West Fargo, N.D., says it is

excellent that the BBB is recognizing businesses for their 100-yearmilestone. “On our logo it says 100 years of commitment to excellence and

commitment to customer service,” Opdahl says. “We take pride in

what we do. We strive for excellent customer satisfaction.”Strata continues to grow its heavy highway construction,

concrete and aggregate sales company in North Dakota, Minnesotaand Montana. Today, it has more than 2,000 employees.The company’s commitment to customer service has been

important over the past 100 years. Popplers Music Inc. in Grand Forks, N.D., has also been around

more than 100 years and is being recognized. “I am pleased for thosewho have gotten us this far,” says Don Langlie, the owner for thepast five years. “I’m carrying on, but they deserve the honor ofcarrying on that longevity.”Popplers, which was started in 1909, hires employees who work

with print music and have teaching experience and music degrees.“We think it is necessary,” Langlie says.Langlie says employees realize and understand the need for

relationships. “It is not a commodity. It is such a personal thing,” hesays. RRVPB


A$1.4 million U.S. Department of Housing andUrban Development grant is being used to developregional and community plans to help solve

housing, road improvement, infrastructure and daycareissues in western North Dakota counties.That money, along with other funds, will be used by

Vision West ND to assist the communities within the 19oil and gas producing counties in western North Dakota toaddress ways to solve the various problems. Specific actionitems could take up to nine months to implement. Anadditional $300,000 from the N.D. Department of TrustLands and Commerce is being used for infrastructureplanning.“We have such a flood of people that it is becoming a

crisis for the communities,” says Vicky Steiner, executivedirector of the North Dakota Association of Oil and GasProducing Counties in Dickinson, N.D. She is also vicechair of Vision West ND. “With such a sudden influx ofpeople, the communities have no ability to provide thoseservices. This provides communities a chance to sit downand get things organized.”Vision West ND assists by addressing immediate, short-

term needs to meet growth management challenges andestablish a diversified economy by developing local andregional strategic plans. Planning services include long-term planning, existing plan refinement, municipal

infrastructure needs planning, planning and zoning policyrecommendations, individual project schematics andentrepreneurship initiatives. A lead consultant building communities’ plan week

session allows project members and a steering committeeof local leaders to develop strategies and action items. Theplan week includes initiating a public Town Hall meetingto review strategies and get input.

LEGISLATIVE CONSIDERATIONSAny infrastructure needs will be identified by this fall

so the North Dakota Legislature can make fundingdecisions. The planning piece will be completed by the endof 2013. In addition, a school study is underway to providepopulation estimates for Dickinson, Williston, Stanley, Rayand Watford City. The schools in these five communitiesare being used as sample schools to assist with the needs oflong-term population growth and to figure out what typesof permanent and temporary housing will be needed.Loren Hoffman, who is working on infrastructure

planning for the project, says that Vision West ND is anopportunity for smaller impacted communities to benefitfrom an infrastructure study that they could not financeon their own.In the infrastructure planning portion, Hoffman, who

works with AE2S Nexus in Bismarck, N.D., helps

Help is on the wayA $1.4 million grant will assist with challenges in western North DakotaBy Alan Van Ormer


communities fill out survey applications andworks on core infrastructure assessmentsincluding water, sewer and streets. Surveyswere sent out to each community in the 19-county area.“One of the very first things that

surprised me, dealt with the communities onthe very eastern edge of the 19 counties. I’msurprised as to how far east the impact hasbeen,” Hoffman says. “Oil employees areliving in those communities, there has beenimpact and damage to streets by traffic andnow they are starting to have an impact onwater and sewer capacity.”Hoffman adds that families have moved

into the eastern edge communities to getaway from the so-called chaos of oil. “Theyare looking for smaller communities to raisetheir families and driving into the core areato work,” he says.Steiner notes that every community has

its own culture and attitude about growth.“Some are anxious to grow quickly, somewant to sit back and some want to stay smalland are not anxious to get too large,” Steinersays. WNDPB

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Meeting housing demandJob creation in three S.D. communities has created the need for more housing By Alan Van Ormer

Three South Dakota communities are scrambling toassess their needs and potentially build new housingin response to the creation of as many as 1,300 jobs.

More than 1,000 jobs have been added in Aberdeenover the past year because of expansions at Northern BeefPacker LP, Sanford Health, Molded Fiberglass Cos.,Midstates Inc., Hub City Inc. and others.Over the past six months in Vermillion, Masaba Mining

Equipment has added 100 jobs, Builders Choice Inc. hasadded 63 jobs and Navigant Consulting Inc. is adding 120jobs.Brookings is experiencing enrollment growth at South

Dakota State University, Bel Brands Cheese Inc. is openinga new cheese plant and Larson Manufacturing Co.,Daktronics, Twin City Fan Cos. and Falcon Plastics Inc.have all added people.

Al Heuton, executive director for the BrookingsEconomic Development Corp., says Brooking is not in acrunch at the moment. “We have housing available,” hesays. “At this point we are monitoring the situation andlooking at where the housing issue is heading.”Brookings has added almost 1,500 housing units since

a housing study was completed in 2007. Low- tomoderate-priced houses are needed. The communityestablished two different tax increment financing (TIF)districts to address the issue. A TIF is used for subsidizingredevelopment, infrastructure and other community-improvement projects.In the past couple of years, there has been apartment

building construction and subdivision activity. Brookingsalso added 400 lots. Some include the entire infrastructure,while others are just in the plating stage.

Innovation Enterprise Apartments are being constructed in Brookings, S.D., to help with housing needs because of a growing workforce. (Photo courtesy of Brookings EconomicDevelopment Corp.)


“We have the land capacity in place tohandle housing growth moving forward,”Heuton says. “Housing inventory hasdeclined but still is at a comfortable level.”

FILLING THE DEMANDIn Aberdeen, Julie Johnson, executive

director of Absolutely!Aberdeen, says thecommunity has created more jobs and isactively finding ways to fill housing demands.She adds that multiple family housing hasbeen a challenge, but the private sector hasstepped up. Several units were built duringthe winter and are getting ready to opennow, but more multiple family homes areneeded.Homes Are Possible Inc. has been

significant in building single-family homesaround Aberdeen. HAPI is adding anotherhousing development and other developersare adding additional lots for multiple familyhomes. “We’re also working with communities

around our labor shed to see how they maybe able to add to their housing stock,”Johnson says.Vermillion typically has housing for

college students and college professors, butnow needs to develop middle-range valuedhomes to fill in the gaps, says Steve Howe,executive director of the Vermillion AreaChamber and Development Corp.“Our existing inventory is low for that

range of houses,” he says. “We are opening uplots, working with developers to get them inhere and invest, and working with the city toprovide infrastructure.”Vermillion is considering a housing study

to determine its needs and is conductingsurveys to find out how many people couldpotentially move to the community. “Whatwe are hearing from employers is that theiremployees are having a hard time findinghomes. We are creating jobs, but money isleaving the community.”There is land for development within the

city limits. “We have a lot of people we need to

accommodate housing for,” Howe says. “Inaddition to recruitment, we have to retainthe businesses we have. People are goingelsewhere because of the limitation inhousing.”As we are starting to see growth, we want

to make this an attractive place to live, Howenotes. “This is one component that has to bepart of a bigger strategy.” SDPB

To Advertise:John Fetsch: 701.238.9574

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Brad Boyd: 1.800.641.0683

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EMPLOYMENT (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED)

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE EMPLOYMENTMar. 2012 Mar. 2011 Mar. 2012 Mar. 2011

North Dakota 3.8 % 4.1% 370,127 360,047Fargo MSA 4.1 4.4 121,092 120,105Bismarck MSA 3.5 4.1 62,037 59,324Grand Forks MSA 5.0 5.1 53,744 52,231Minot MiSA 3.6 4.1 32,976 32,871Dickinson MiSA 2.0 2.4 17,765 16,233Williston MiSA 0.9 1.2 30,922 21,659Jamestown MiSA 4.2 4.4 10,364 10,906Wahpeton MiSA 5.1 4.8 11,243 11,803South Dakota 4.9 5.5 422,465 418,335 Sioux Falls MSA 4.7 5.3 125,270 122,830 Rapid City MSA 4.9 5.7 63,215 61,950 Aberdeen MiSA 4.1 4.4 22,405 22,175 Brookings MiSA 3.9 4.6 18,865 18,455 Watertown MiSA 4.9 5.4 17,985 18,080 Spearfish MiSA 4.9 5.4 12,415 12,460 Mitchell MiSA 4.0 4.9 12,535 12,460Pierre MiSA 3.7 4.4 11,630 11,790 Yankton MiSA 4.3 5.3 11,130 11,080Huron MiSA 3.8 4.3 9,520 9,375 Vermillion MiSA 3.4 4.2 7,705 7,590 Minnesota 6.5 7.2 2,960,071 2,749,082 Minneapolis-St. Paul MSA 6.1 6.8 1,737,439 1,715,409Brainerd MiSA 9.9 11.1 42,128 40,436 Winona MiSA 5.5 6.7 27,994 25,932Fergus Falls MiSA 7.5 8.3 28,541 27,774Red Wing MiSA 6.4 7.5 24,542 23,910Willmar MiSA 6.7 7.2 22,523 21,920Bemidji MiSA 8.5 9.5 20,490 20,206Alexandria MiSA 6.2 7.4 19,337 18,389 Hutchinson MiSA 8.3 10.0 18,660 16,963 Marshall MiSA 5.4 6.4 14,444 13,798Worthington MiSA 4.7 6.2 11,146 11,248Fairmont MiSA 6.2 7.5 10,600 10,444MSA — Metropolitan Statistical Area

MiSA — Micropolitan Statistical Area

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic

Development, Job Service North Dakota, South Dakota Department of Labor

CANADIAN EXCHANGE RATE

NORTH DAKOTA OIL ACTIVITY

Sweet Crude ProductionPrice/BBL Oil-BBL/day

FEB 2012 $83.26 558,254FEB 2011 $80.56 348,400JAN 2012 $88.77 546,000 FEB 2010 $67.58 261,088

Drilling Producing Rig Permits Wells Count

Source: Bank of Canada Data provided by Kingsbury Applied Economics

05/01/12 04/03/12 05/03/11

U.S. to Canadian Dollar $0.9839 or $1.0164 $0.9910 or $1.0091 $0.9490 or $1.0537

U.S. to Euro $0.7561 or $1.3226 $0.7498 or $1.3337 $0.6723 or $1.4875

U.S. to Chinese Yuan $6.3111 or $0.1585 $6.2961 or $0.1588 $6.4956 or $0.1540

U.S. to Japanese Yen $80.187 or $0.0125 $82.173 or $0.0126 $81.042 or $0.0123

U.S. to Mexican Peso $12.890 or $0.0776 $12.731 or $0.0786 $11.559 or $0.0865

MAR % CHANGE MAR % CHANGE 2012 /MAR 2011 2012 /MAR 2011

CANADIAN BORDER CROSSINGS

Source: US Customs and Border Protection

AUTOMOBILES TRUCKS

MINNESOTAIntl Falls-Rainer 36335 5.14% 1689 - 9.39%Grand Portage 24809 10.28 1097 -25.27Baudette 12589 3.10 642 -20.74 Warroad 10603 -2.96 1068 -10.03 Roseau 3865 11.22 573 - 8.32 NORTH DAKOTAPembina 31012 25.13 17329 - 6.86 Portal 7150 13.62 9045 14.22 Neche 4611 3.48 555 -33.61 Dunseith 4637 18.44 2146 - 2.54Walhalla 3783 2.69 813 - 7.40 Noonan 2818 7.80 708 339.75

By the Numbers

4/9/12 Rig CountAll Time High 209Source: NDOMB

Minneapolis-St. Paul 1,443,048 1.55Fargo 37,700 5.93 Sioux Falls 43,970 18.45 Rapid City 18,129 5.60 Bismarck 19,112 17.95 Duluth 15,197 16.80Grand Forks 14,499 33.94 Minot 19,170 73.09 Pierre 714 -34.07Aberdeen 1,797 - 8.90Source: US Customs and Border ProtectionPB

FEB 2012 181 6,726 202FEB 2011 155 5,324 167JAN 2012 170 6,617 200FEB 2010 94 4,655 93

BOARDINGS % CHANGE/2011-2012

MARCH AIRLINE BOARDINGS

We’re looking for highly qualified peoplein these industries:

Customer Service RepresentativesFiber Glass FabricationMetal FabricationEmployment VerificationPrinting & Press OperationsElectronics ProductionHealthcareWelding

For further information contact the SDDepartment of Labor at 605.626.2340 ordlr.sd.gov and www.aberdeensd.com

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prairie business june 2012

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