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Each month, Prairie Business Magazine speaks with area leaders to learn more about a specific topic. This month we asked, “What is he single most important business goal to achieve in the new year?”
steve mattern
Vice President of Field Operations
Midoko
West Fargo, North Dakota
Our business goals for 2024 revolve around a two-pronged strategy called Fiber Forward. This strategic objective focuses on network expansion and upgrading existing networks. Fiber Forward aims to bridge the digital divide by significantly expanding network coverage, reaching underserved communities, and connecting more customers to reliable internet services. Since beginning our expansion efforts in 2021, we have connected more than 40,000 additional homes and businesses across our locations in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Kansas. Next year, we plan to expand Midco services to an additional 14,000 homes and businesses.
At the same time, we are committed to improving the experience for our existing customers through strategic network upgrades. We are introducing new technology and infrastructure that delivers faster speeds and improves network reliability. We have already upgraded the networks of approximately 300,000 homes and businesses and plan to upgrade another 100,000 in 2024. Performing this type of upgrade requires a great deal of planning, coordination, and communication. Our team members are working diligently to complete these upgrades, minimize disruption, and improve the quality of service our customers receive.
Through our Fiber Forward initiative, we continue to position ourselves as an industry leader through service reliability and customer satisfaction. We are also committed to being a force for good in our communities by supporting many nonprofits, schools, and organizations.
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chris baumgartner
Senior Vice President, Membership and External Relations
Basin Electric Cooperative
Bismarck, North Dakota
We named our key business objective for 2024 as “Foundation for the Future”. Basin Electric plans to invest approximately $2 billion over the next five years in critical generation and transmission resources that will continue to provide our members with reliable, affordable, and responsibly produced power. will be supplied.
North Dakota’s Pioneer Power Plant Phase IV will be the largest new power plant the company has built in the state in 40 years. It also plans to build an additional 350 miles of high-voltage transmission lines across the state. These investments are the foundation of the important work we do every day. Access to reliable, affordable electricity leads to community growth and sustainability for our members, which is essential to our mission. Our 141 member cooperatives serve 3 million end consumers across nine states, and our current The investments we are making will shape the future of our co-operatives and enrich the lives of our members. Of course, we’re not just focusing on building large-scale facilities and power lines.
The Basin Electric team has worked hard to develop a new mission statement for 2023, along with the shared values of our employees. We remain committed to supporting the communities in which we and our members live and work. We also continue to invest in the environment and innovation, including carbon capture research and development at a coal-based dry fork station in Wyoming.
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Trent Sorbet
EVP/Chief Payable Officer
First International Bank & Trust/Kotapay
Fargo, North Dakota
Kotapay, the payments division of First International Bank & Trust (FIBT), is a leader in electronic payment processing. In 2023 alone, more than 60 million electronic transactions will be settled across the United States, totaling more than $100 billion. Despite our strong track record and current trajectory, rapid change in financial technology will continue in 2024, and continued investment in new products, infrastructure and talent will be essential to remain competitive. This has been a long-held recognition.
In 2024, we plan to launch three new forms of real-time payments. This will enable his local FIBT customers and those served by Kotapay to push funds between FIBT and their intended recipient within seconds, no matter where they go to their bank. FIBT has a safe and secure means to support nearly every use case, including P2P payments, commercial payables, loan repayments and mortgage closings, and direct payroll deposits.
Enabling these technologies to meet the growing demand for mobile-enabled embedded payment products requires expertise from a variety of sectors. In 2024, we will continue to hire current and future industry experts to ensure our capabilities and technology are market-ready.
Our payments vision remains unchanged in 2024. We serve our customers by allowing them to easily and securely connect any of his FIBT accounts to their favorite financial applications and tools.
/ Cos Photo LLC
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Dr. Mark Thompson
West Market President
Essentia Health
Fargo, North Dakota
At Essentia Health, we strive to make healthy changes in people’s lives. As we enter the new year, one of my goals as president of Essentia’s West Market is to address the significant shortage of health care providers in North Dakota and Minnesota. These shortfalls are exacerbated by an aging patient population and increasing healthcare needs. North Dakota has fewer rural physicians per 10,000 residents than the nation. We need to ensure we build relationships and training experiences that include nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, medical students, physicians, and technicians to meet current and future workforce needs.
Ensuring that Essentia continues to provide high-quality, affordable care is not only on my mind and motivation day and night. Caring for patients is on the minds of all team members. We are grateful to our patients, their families, and the communities we are honored to serve. Professional, compassionate care is at the core of our culture. Essentia Health-Fargo is a CMS Five Star Rated Hospital, the highest rating given by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Additionally, Essentia consistently ranks among the top in the Minnesota Healthcare Quality Report.
We remain focused on measuring care, quality and health outcomes to keep our patients healthy and thriving. I am honored to serve our patients, our community, and the employees of Essentia Health.
/ Jeff Fry
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