Each month, Prairie Business Magazine speaks with regional leaders to learn more about a specific topic. This month we asked: What is one of your top business goals in the new year?
Cory Geffre
Head of Nursing
Altru
Grand Forks, ND
Altru is committed to providing the highest quality care. Quality in healthcare includes patient and staff safety, exceptional patient experiences, and measurable outcomes such as infection rates and readmissions. Altru’s quality results are strong, yet the journey to excellence continues with a focus on improvement and innovation.
Improvement involves refining existing processes and adopting best practices from peer hospitals and other industries. Innovation, on the other hand, requires openness — embracing ideas from fields like hospitality or aviation to challenge traditional healthcare norms. This balance of improvement and innovation drives progress.
A key moment in our quality journey comes with the opening of our new hospital, designed to revolutionize the way we deliver care and eliminate current barriers. This state-of-the-art facility is a starting point for our evolution, with the ultimate goal of achieving a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. While Altru excels in clinical outcomes, we are committed to increasing patient satisfaction by ensuring that the care experience matches the quality of the building.
Structured efforts, including daily huddles, targeted work groups and leadership oversight, are put in place to address areas of opportunity while maintaining high standards in others. With a clear strategy and unwavering commitment, Altru aims to enhance hospitality, customer service and satisfaction, ensuring patients feel as confident in their care as they will in the new facility. The journey to five-star excellence is well underway, fueled by a shared commitment to continuous improvement.
___
Mark Averett, AIA
Director/Director of Marketing and Business Development
TSP, Inc.
Rapid City, SD
Looking ahead to 2025, one of TSP’s main business goals is to enhance our current focus on the growth and development of each team member. We understand that the success of our firm is directly related to the success of our people at all levels. We strongly believe that our greatest strength lies in our people, and by focusing on all levels of our team, we can collectively achieve even greater success as an organization.
Our vision is clear: to rise together. Growth is not limited to advancing technical skills or leadership development, but is about empowering each team member to reach their full potential, contribute meaningfully and thrive in their roles. This intentional focus will strengthen our foundation and prepare us to tackle new challenges with innovation, collaboration and confidence.
This year, TSP is proud to mark 95 years in business. As we celebrate this important milestone and look back on our legacy, we remain committed to providing additional resources and opportunities while fostering a culture that prioritizes personal and professional development. Whether through training programs, mentoring or other new initiatives, our commitment to growth remains at the forefront of everything we do.
This goal goes beyond financial success. It’s about building a legacy of excellence. By supporting each member of our team and aligning our efforts, we will not only meet, but exceed expectations, ensuring the continued success and advancement of our firm.
___
/ Delivered
David Schornack,
Director of Business Development and Sales
Arvig
Perham, Minn.
At Arvig, one of our business goals for 2025 is to continue our commitment to providing a truly exceptional customer experience. We have just completed major upgrades to our systems and streamlined internal processes, so we are now better equipped than ever to serve our customers smoothly and effectively. From the moment someone gets in touch – whether online or over the phone – to the installation of their services and ongoing support, we aim to make every interaction seamless, personalized and positive. At Arvig, being customer-centric is at the heart of everything we do, making sure our customers feel valued and supported every step of the way.
On the technical and network side of the business, we are always improving our fiber network and one area of focus we are continuing to build is our network redundancy to ensure the best possible uptime. We want our customers to be efficient and productive, and they need an always-on fiber network to achieve their business goals. Our network team, technicians, fiber connectors – every member of the team – is committed to investing in and implementing the best technology available to ensure our network delivers great speed and reliability.
Building a network that our customers rely on goes towards the original goal of a great customer experience. 2025 will be another exciting year at Arvig and our customers will definitely benefit from the many customer service improvements we have made.
___
Chris Lee
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Gate City Bank
Fargo, ND
Member FDIC, Equitable Home Lender
At Gate City Bank, every goal we pursue is aligned with our core purpose: to create a better way of life for customers, communities and team members. And as we head into next year, one initiative hits particularly close to home – helping to alleviate the region’s childcare shortage.
Availability of childcare is essential to fostering strong communities. It helps working families, stimulates local economies and equips the next generation with the skills and confidence they need to thrive. Since launching our signature BetterLife™ Child Care Business Loan in 2022, we have committed to investing $10 million to help address the critical need for child care availability throughout North Dakota and central Minnesota, saved providers more than $1.6 million in interest. Our unique program makes it easy for them to hire additional help, make improvements, start new nurseries and expand operations.
To date, this initiative has supported 850 children in North Dakota. One nonprofit described it as “a godsend”—and for good reason. The program not only features below-market interest rates of up to 2.02% APR*, but also extended terms and no origination fees. After launching the program with $5 million in funding, we quickly experienced growing demand, which prompted an additional $5 million investment for 2025!
We recognize the vital role childcare plays in our communities and the ripple effect it has on the people we serve. We are proud to continue to create innovative ways to support our communities and are honored to invest in a better way of life for everyone.
___
