Prairie People news briefs

SIOUX FALLS JOB OUTLOOK AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION

The results of a Manpower survey of employers ranks the Sioux Falls area employment outlook for the fourth quarter as the fifth best in the nation. From October through December, 15 percent of Sioux Falls area companies interviewed said they planned to hire more employees, 75 percent expected to maintain current staffing levels and only 7 percent expected to reduce payroll in the fourth quarter. Nationally 12 percent of employers expected to increase staffing, 69 percent anticipated no change in hiring and 14 percent planned to reduce payroll, according to Manpower’s fourth quarter survey.

OTTER TAIL POWER WITHDRAWS FROM BIG STONE II POWER PLANT IN SOUTH DAKOTA

Fergus Falls, MN-based Otter Tail Power Company has withdrawn its participation in the proposed Big Stone II power plant project planned near Milbank, SD. Otter Tail Power withdrew both as a participating utility and as the project’s lead developer. Chuck MacFarlane, Otter Tail Power’s president and CEO, blamed the company’s decision on the economic downturn, uncertainty about proposed climate legislation and federal environmental regulation and challenging credit and equity markets. The proposed 500-to-600-megawatt coal-fired power plant had been scheduled to be online in 2011 with related transmission upgrades in South Dakota and Minnesota. But Otter Tail Power’s departure from the project is expected to move its timeline back until late 2015 at the earliest. If built, the power plant would be located next to the existing 450-megawatt Big Stone plant, which began operating in 1975.

ALLEGIANT AIR ADDS FLIGHTS IN GRAND FORKS, ND, AND DULUTH, MN

Allegiant Air announced last month that it will begin twice weekly nonstop round trip flights between Grand Forks, ND, and Phoenix-Mesa and from Duluth, MN, to Orlando in November. Allegiant will add flights between Grand Forks and Phoenix-Mesa on Nov. 13 and between Duluth and Orlando on November 20. Both cities’ new flights will be on Mondays and Fridays. Allegiant already offers nonstop flights between both cities and its home base of Las Vegas.

BOBCAT TO CLOSE BISMARCK PLANT, CONSOLIDATE MANUFACTURING IN GWINNER, ND

West Fargo-based Bobcat Company announced last month that it would close its Bismarck manufacturing plant by the end of the year and consolidate its North Dakota manufacturing operations into its plant in Gwinner, ND, in the southeastern corner of the state. The company plans to phase out 475 positions in Bismarck, retaining as many as 390 of those jobs and shifting them to Gwinner. Bobcat’s approximately 150 employees in Bismarck employed in product engineering, finance, accounts payable and aftermarket parts will remain in Bismarck and will be unaffected by the manufacturing plant’s closure. Rich Goldsbury, the president of Bobcat Americas, says the plant’s closing was brought on by a drop in demand for the equipment the company sells that has resulted in both its North Dakota plants operating at significantly reduced production levels. By transferring all its North American manufacturing to Gwinner, Bobcat expects to eliminate redundant costs while still meeting its domestic production needs.

FOSS ARCHITECTURE, EAPC, ULTEIG NAMED TO ZWEIGWHITE LIST OF HOT FIRMS

North Dakota firms Foss Architecture and Interiors, EAPC Architects and Engineers and Ulteig Engineers have been named to management consulting and research firm ZweigWhite’s Hot Firm List for 2009, an annual ranking of the 200 fastest-growing architecture, engineering and environmental consulting firms in the U.S. and Canada. Fargo-based Foss Architecture and Interiors was ranked 84th on the list, Grand Forks, ND-based EAPC was 109th on the list and Fargo-based Ulteig was ranked 166th. Foss Architecture has offices in Fargo, Moorhead, MN, and Breckenridge, MN. Ulteig has locations in Fargo, Bismarck, Sioux Falls, Detroit Lakes, MN, Minneapolis and Englewood, CO. EAPC operates offices in Grand Forks, Fargo, Bismarck, Minot, ND, Jamestown, ND, Bemidji, MN, and Norwich, VT.

ULTEIG NAMES NEW CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Ulteig’s Brad Swenson has been promoted from executive vice president to chief operating officer. As COO, Swenson will lead and manage the company’s senior vice presidents responsible for finance, human resources, information technology, legal and marketing. Ulteig has also named Brian Long, an executive vice president, as the company’s chief development officer. Long will focus on strategically building the company’s client base, ensuring the quality and profitability of Ulteig’s work and developing new service areas.

WELLS CONCRETE BEGINS PRODUCTION AT ALBANY, MN, MANUFACTURING PLANT

Production has begun at Wells Concrete’s third manufacturing facility, located in Albany, MN. The Albany facility will produce the company’s existing line of architectural and structural products and precast/prestressed concrete products new to Wells Concrete’s line, including 12-foot double tees for parking structures, hollow core planks and insulated hollow core wall panels. The Albany facility will employ nearly 50 workers, with future growth expected to push employment to 150 within the next five years. The new main production plant is 165,000 square feet and the facility also includes a 16,000-square-foot finishing and concrete batch plant and a 4,000-square-foot aggregate storage area. Wells Concrete also has manufacturing plants in Wells, MN, and Grand Forks, ND, as well as seven ready-mix concrete plants in the region.

MARVIN WINDOWS AND DOORS PIONEER BILL MARVIN DIES AT 92

William “Bill” Marvin, an entrepreneur who helped make Warroad-based Marvin Windows and Doors the world’s largest manufacturer of made-to-order windows and doors, died on August 31 at the age of 92. Marvin was the eighth employee of the Marvin Lumber and Cedar Company in 1939 and became president and chairman of the board in 1960. After a fire destroyed the plant in 1961, he rebuilt in Warroad even though the company had offers to move the plant elsewhere.

AIR FORCE'S FOURTH B-52 BOMBER SQUADRON ACTIVATED AT MINOT AIR FORCE BASE

The 69th Bomb Squadron has been activated at Minot Air Force Base in Minot, ND, becoming the Air Force’s fourth B-52 bomber squadron. The new B-52 squadron will add another 10 operational bombers and nearly 1,000 additional personnel to the base. North Dakota Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan and Congressman Earl Pomeroy worked closely with the Pentagon to help ensure the base was awarded the new B-52 squadron. The Minot base already has the 23rd Bomb Squadron. Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana also has two B-52 units. “This new bomb squadron demonstrates yet again the Air Force’s commitment to and confidence in the role Minot plays in protecting our nation,” Conrad said in a prepared statement. “Additionally the new bombers will soon be accompanied by an influx of about 900 airmen to the area, delivering a vital boost to the local economy.”

MCNEILUS STEEL PLANT EXPANSION UNDER WAY IN FARGO

McNeilus Steel has started construction on a $15 million expansion to its Fargo facility. The 96,600-square-foot building will be located four blocks south of McNeilus Steel’s current building in Fargo. The expansion project will house a $7.5 million piece of equipment used to decoil and stretch steel.

SIOUX FALLS STAKEHOLDERS INITIATE STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORT

In an effort to build on the community’s strengths and position itself for the future, a number of organizations have joined forces to launch a strategic planning effort to analyze vital components of the community’s strengths and chart a successful course toward continued future growth. The Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, city and county governments and a number of other organizations are involved in the planning effort. Atlanta-based Market Street Services will conduct a detailed analysis of Sioux Falls, focusing especially on people, prosperity and place. The company will use quantitative data from official local, state and national sources combined with responses from interviews and focus groups in Sioux Falls to create an economic development strategy through a five-step process. A steering committee will soon be named for the project. Community input will also be sought through confidential interviews, focus groups, an online survey and an interactive website.

INTERCEPTEFT NAMED TO INC. 5,000 FASTEST-GROWING PRIVATE COMPANIES LIST

Fargo-based InterceptEFT was ranked No. 3,359 on the third annual Inc. 5,000 listing of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. InterceptEFT has provided its customers with fast, accurate and compliant electronic transaction solutions since 1993. The company offers ACH, check and credit card processing to 45,000 corporate clients across the country. The firm streamlines financial transactions for businesses in industries ranging from retail and medical to accounting, financial service agents, community banks and payroll processors.

ODNEY FARGO HOLDS RIBBON CUTTING FOR NEW LOCATION

Bismarck-based Odney, a full-service marketing firm, held a ribbon cutting ceremony in August, officially opening the firm’s new Fargo office. The new location, which opened in March at the corner of First Avenue and Broadway in downtown Fargo, features offices and small and large conference rooms to accommodate meetings and hosting focus groups. Odney’s new Fargo office also includes a rooftop space complete with a 1,200-square-foot patio and a green space with native grasses and plants, which is expected to help reduce the office’s heating and cooling costs.

STUDY PREDICTS MINNESOTA FARMERS WILL FACE CHALLENGING NEXT TWO YEARS

Nearly 40 percent of the farmers enrolled in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system’s Farm Business Management Education program expect to lose money this year, according to a survey conducted by the system. The study found that many crop and livestock producers have found it increasingly difficult to obtain credit and projected that many farmers could be forced out of business in 2010. The nearly 95 percent of the system’s farm business management instructors who responded to the study in July reported that financial difficulties have forced 86 farmers they have worked with out of business this year and projected that another 162 farmers would go out of business by the end of the year.

KILLDEER MOUNTAIN MANUFACTURING FACILITY OPENS IN REGENT, ND

Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing Inc. of Killdeer, ND, has opened a new branch in Regent, ND, in the southwestern corner of the state. A ceremony to officially launch the new facility was held in mid August. The Regent plant will focus on fabricating wiring harnesses to help Lockheed Martin modernize the U.S. military’s C-5 cargo aircraft fleet and in the production of F-16 jets. Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing employs more than 300 in communities throughout southwestern North Dakota. Senator Byron Dorgan, who is from Regent, took part in a ceremony to officially launch the new facility. Dorgan was joined at the event by Lockheed Martin executives Chuck Allen and Ken Hildebrand.

BASIN ELECTRIC AND NEXTERA ENERGY SIGN SOUTH DAKOTA WIND PROJECT PACT

Bismarck-based Basin Electric Power Cooperative and NextEra Energy Resources have signed an agreement to develop a wind farm near Groton, SD. East River Electric Power Cooperative of Madison, SD, will provide transmission interconnections for the project. The 99-megawatt capacity Day County Wind Farm will feature 66 1.5-megawatt wind turbines. The project is expected to be completed and operational by mid 2010.

KEVIN COSTNER APPEARS AT SOUTH DAKOTA FILM FESTIVAL IN ABERDEEN

Actor Kevin Costner took part in the South Dakota Film Festival last month in Aberdeen, SD. Costner spoke during the opening session of the film festival, attended parties and fundraising events and also participated in a discussion between filmmakers and students. Costner starred in and directed the movie, Dances with Wolves, which was filmed in South Dakota 20 years ago.

REPORT FINDS INCREASED ENERGY EFFICIENCY COULD CREATE 1,300 JOBS IN NORTH DAKOTA

A national report found that improved energy efficiency could create an additional 1,300 sustainable jobs in North Dakota in the next decade. The report, titled “Energy Efficiency in the American Clean Energy Security Act of 2009,” was released by Environment America and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The report also indicated that energy efficiency policies in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which passed the House of Representatives in June, would create 800 new jobs, save the average household $300 a year and reduce annual carbon emissions by one ton in North Dakota by 2020.

INNOVATION CENTER, MILLER PARKWAY DEDICATED AT SDSU RESEARCH PARK

A dedication ceremony was held early last month for the Innovation Center and Miller Parkway, the first building projects of the 125-acre Innovation Campus in Brookings, SD, near the South Dakota State University campus. The Innovation Center building has been operating for the last 10 months, but a formal dedication ceremony was delayed until landscaping could be completed. The Innovation Center is the first of as many as 60 buildings on the site. Nine companies or business partners are already housed in the Innovation Center building. Construction began on a second building in the research park, the 30,000-square-foot Seed Technology Laboratory, in April.

ETHOSPARTNERS TO ADD OFFICE, UP TO 40 JOBS IN MITCHELL, SD

Suwanee, GA-based EthosPartners has announced an expansion into Mitchell, SD, and will hire as many as 40 employees to work at its new office in the Palace Mall. EthosPartners is a national leader in health care management and consulting, which already has a similar operation in Plankinton, SD.

GROUP INTERESTED IN BUILDING METHANE PLANT NEAR WORTHING, SD

A group of investors have announced plans to build a $50 million methane plant south of Worthing, SD, near Interstate 29. The Lion Energy venture would use an anaerobic digester to turn animal waste and other waste products into methane fuel and capture escaping carbon dioxide that would be used for medical applications. Plans also call for a byproduct produced during the process to be used as a fertilizer or for bedding for dairy cows. As of late August, the potential project was still in the fundraising stage.

IVERSON NAMED WELLS FARGO'S COMMUNITY BANKING PRESIDENT IN GRAND FORKS, ND

Lenae Iverson has been named Grand Forks, ND, community banking president of Wells Fargo and Company. Iverson joined Wells Fargo in 1983 and previously served as a retail banking district manager for the company in northeastern North Dakota. Iverson will manage Wells Fargo’s business banking initiatives in the Grand Forks metro area. She replaces Todd Gerber, who has been named to Wells Fargo’s Arizona business banking team.

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