Prairie Business Magazine talks to regional leaders each month 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
Chief Nursing Officer
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 outcomes 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 breaking new ground — embracing ideas from fields like hospitality or aviation to challenge traditional healthcare norms. This balance of improvement and innovation fosters progress.
An important moment in our quality journey arrives 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. Although 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 chats, targeted workgroups and leadership oversight, are in place to tackle areas of opportunity while maintaining high standards in others. With a clear strategy and unwavering commitment, Altru aims to improve 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 under way, driven by a shared commitment to continuous improvement.
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Mark Averett, AIA
Principal/Director of Marketing and Business Development
TSP, Inc.
Rapid City, SD
As we look to 2025, one of TSP’s primary business goals is to strengthen our current focus on the growth and development of each team member. We understand that the success of our firm is directly linked to the success of our people at all levels. We firmly 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 stand up together. Growth is not limited to advancing one’s 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 deliberate focus will strengthen our foundation and prepare us to take on new challenges with innovation, collaboration and confidence.
This year TSP is proud to celebrate 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 both 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 expectations, but exceed them, ensuring the continued success and progress of our firm.
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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 delivering a truly exceptional customer experience. We’ve just completed major upgrades to our systems and streamlined internal processes, so we’re now better equipped than ever to serve our customers seamlessly and efficiently. From the moment someone reaches out – whether online or by phone – to the installation of their services and ongoing support, we aim to make every interaction smooth, personal and positive. At Arvig, customer focus is at the heart of everything we do, ensuring 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 focus area we continue 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 splicers – every team member – is committed to investing in and implementing the best available technology to ensure our network offers excellent speed and reliability.
Building a network that our customers rely on goes right back to that original goal of a great customer experience. 2025 is shaping up to be another exciting year at Arvig, and our customers will certainly benefit from the many customer service improvements we have made.
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Chris Lee
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
Gate City Bank
Fargo, ND
Member FDIC, Equal Housing 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 approach the year ahead, one initiative hits particularly close to home – helping to ease the region’s childcare shortage.
The availability of childcare is essential to the promotion of 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 unique BetterLife™ Child Care Business Loan in 2022, we have committed to investing $10 million to help address the critical need for daycare availability across North Dakota and central Minnesota, saving providers more than $1.6 million. interest. Our unique program makes it easier for them to hire extra help, make upgrades, start new daycares and expand operations.
To date, this initiative has supported 850 children in North Dakota. One nonprofit described it as “a godsend”—and with good reason. Not only does the program have below-market interest rates as low as 2.02% APR*, but also extended terms and no origination fees. After kicking off the program with $5 million in funding, we quickly experienced rising demand, prompting an additional $5 million investment for 2025!
We recognize the important role childcare plays in our communities, and the ripple effect it has on the people we serve. We are proud to continue to innovate ways to support our communities, and are honored to invest in a better way of life for all.
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