MILITARY AND BUSINESS CONNECTIONS

By Cathryn Sprynczynatyk

When a member of the military is deployed, Rob Keller gives the analogy of a three-legged stool. The three legs are the service member, the family, and the employer. All three legs of the stool must be supported, or the stool falls over.

“If I’m deployed and I’m worried about my family (or job), I can’t do anything from Iraq or Afghanistan,” said Keller, Public Affairs Director for North Dakota Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). “Then, I worry. I go out on patrol, and I’m not focused on the mission. If I’m worried that my job will be gone when I come back, then I think about that and I’m not on point.”

Keller enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1973. He worked for the North Dakota National Guard for 21 years before retiring as a Master Sergeant in 2008.

The North Dakota National Guard had a $104 million economic impact on the Bismarck-Mandan area in the 2022 fiscal year. The National Guard has 957 members in the Bismarck-Mandan area, and those service men and women have 1,547 dependents.

Employer Support for Guard and Reserve serves as a mediator for businesses and their military employees. The mission of ESGR is to advocate mutually beneficial initiatives and to resolve potential conflicts between employers and their service members.

ESGR provides ombudsmen to serve as neutral parties resolving disputes between civilian employers and their employees serving in the Guard and Reserve. ESGR can provide legal information so that employers don’t violate the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). They can also promote best practices among employers with military employees.

Keller said that North Dakota employers take care of their military employees exceptionally well.

“North Dakota is such a patriotic state,” Keller said. “You have families who are serving the military for the third or fourth generation... We know that if you hire someone from the military, you will have a valuable employee.”

For several decades, the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC has given out the Golden Eagle Award to celebrate members who support the military. Connection Magazine reached out to several Chamber EDC members to find out how they support their military employees.

Gate City Bank

Out of 2,777 nominations, Gate City Bank was one of 15 companies to win the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award in 2022. It is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to employers for exceptional support of National Guard and Reserve members.

LPL Financial Advisor Bleau Hoge is the one who nominated his employer for the Freedom Award. Hoge is a former Sergeant in the North Dakota National Guard.

“I enlisted (in the military) to pay for college, and it was a great tool to do so,” Hoge said. “I graduated school with zero debt.”

Originally, Hoge planned to enlist in the Marines just like his father. But when the Marine recruiter failed to show up at a meeting with Hoge, he decided to look into the National Guard instead.

Hoge served in the 816th Military Police Company. He has a brother who is also in the North Dakota National Guard.

“Military Police sounded really cool, because you get a gun and a badge,” Hoge said. “Instead, I found a lot of what you do in law enforcement is paperwork. Granted I do a lot of paperwork now (as a financial advisor), but I’m also not a very confrontational person.”

Hoge has been activated several times with the National Guard. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he worked at multiple COVID testing sites throughout the state. He was activated during protests in Fargo following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He was activated for multiple weeks in Washington D.C. along with 24,000 troops nationwide for the last presidential inauguration.

Any time Hoge takes time off his job — whether for training or an activation — he has noticed how well Gate City Bank takes care of him. Hoge said other soldiers were getting calls from their employers asking when they would be back to their day jobs. When Hoge got calls from his employer, they were checking on his well-being.

“When I was away, I had team members ask me or my wife if we needed anything,” Hoge said. “’Do you need someone to watch the dogs? Shovel the driveway?’ The biggest thing was that my supervisor or manager would reach out to me.”

When Hoge was a team leader in his National Guard unit, he had one team member who constantly had issues with his employer.

“They were always very disappointed when he had to leave,” Hoge said. “They didn’t support him the way Gate City supported me. When I had to go to Washington D.C., I had 48-hours notice. I told my supervisor, and he said, ‘That’s completely fine. We know you have to go. We’ll take care of everything here.’ That’s great when you know you don’t have to worry about anything. You know your team members will pick up the slack.”

Gate City Bank provides multiple benefits for military employees. Military employees continue to receive full pay during active duty and training. Their benefits are uninterrupted such as health, disability, and life insurance. They have two weeks of transition and relaxation time upon returning home.

“If you hire someone in the military, they are disciplined and have integrity — a lot of the values you hope to find in an employee,” Hoge said. “(In addition) communications classes helped me get out of my shell to talk in front of other people. That helps in sales. I gained a lot of confidence from being in the military.”

Hoge met his future wife in the 816th Military Police Company. Sergeant Phoenix Hoge retired from the North Dakota National Guard the same year as Bleau Hoge when they wanted to start a family. Their daughter turns 1-yearold this month.

“I’ve never worked for another company that takes care of its military team members the way Gate City does,” Hoge said. “This organization has been beyond a blessing in paid military leave, time off to get rest upon returning from active duty, and overall support.”

Sanford Health

Sanford Health is another Bismarck-Mandan employer that has won the Employer Support Freedom Award from the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

Dr. Todd Schaffer, President and CEO of Sanford Health Bismarck, is well aware of how Sanford Health supports their military employees. Dr. Todd Schaffer is also known as Colonel Todd Schaffer in the North Dakota National Guard.

Schaffer has served in the military for over 30 years. He enlisted toward the end of the first Gulf War in 1992.

“When I graduated from high school, seeing the patriotic fervor at that time compelled me to enlist,” Schaffer said. “It brought to the surface the commitment to want to serve my nation.”

When Schaffer graduated from high school in Carrington, N.D., he and 10 other high school friends joined the 141st Engineer Battalion. Schaffer enlisted as a heavy equipment operator.

“A lot of people said, ‘It’s my time to serve,’” Schaffer said. “The Gulf War was ramping up. People said, ‘I want to do my part to serve my country.’ The opportunity to serve our country was the driving force behind it.”

Although Schaffer was never deployed in the first Gulf War, he got his chance to serve in the second Gulf War. Schaffer was deployed four times in the Global War on Terror. In 2004 and 2006, he served as a battalion surgeon in Iraq. In 2010 and 2014, he served in Afghanistan.

Schaffer said one the biggest ways his military career has benefited his civilian career is through leadership skills.

“From company command to brigade command taught me how to lead teams whether they are small, medium, or large,” Schaffer said. “You develop a leadership style that is unique to you and serves you well in different situations.”

Schaffer said the military gives lots of leadership training. The Army does a good job of teaching you leadership skills and then putting you into situations to use those skills.

“(On the civilian side) first, I led a small team of medical providers,” Schaffer said. “That led to 400 providers. That led to 3,800 employees as President and CEO of Sanford Health Bismarck.”

Schaffer serves as State Surgeon for the North Dakota Army National Guard. The State Surgeon is responsible for the overall medical readiness of the North Dakota National Guard. In 2021, he graduated from U.S. Army War College. One of Schaffer’s predecessors served in two of the same roles that he did. Dr. Craig Lambrecht was a mentor to Schaffer. Colonel Lambrecht served as both President of Sanford Health Bismarck and State Surgeon for the North Dakota Army National Guard.

Schaffer said Sanford Health works hard to care for not only military employees, but also military patients. The Sanford healthcare system has a person dedicated to military affairs who focuses on military employees and patients.

Schaffer keeps a personal list of all the military employees they have identified in the Bismarck region, and he delivers gifts on Veterans Day.

“We are very proud of our service to veterans,” Schaffer said. “They have served their country. It’s our turn to make sure we serve them.”

2 VETS MOVING CO.

When Brady Wolf, CEO of 2 Vets Moving Co., decided to join the military after high school, he had no plan B. Wolf was too young to join the Navy SEALs or other special forces, so he joined the U.S. Army Rangers.

“18-year-old me said, ‘What can I do at 18-years-old that is the most bad*ss thing I can get into?’” Wolf said. “I was invincible back then. Every 18-year-old kid thinks he’s top of the world. I’ve always been an adrenaline junkie.”

Wolf graduated from Mandan High School in 2008. Ten days later he was training at Ft. Benning, Ga.

The Army Rangers are deployable to anywhere in the world within 72 hours.

“We would get a call, ‘Pack your bags, we’re going to Afghanistan tomorrow,” Wolf said.

Wolf was deployed numerous times as an Army Ranger, but he can’t talk about his deployments. All of his missions are classified for 25 years. According to Wolf the Army Rangers have a saying, “You will never be able to take credit for anything we do.”

Wolf described the work of an Army Ranger as being the “door kickers.” On a mission, they might fly in on a helicopter at nighttime, land, hike six hours up a mountain, and then execute their mission at an undisclosed location. Wolf said the hard work ethic of the military benefits his civilian career now that he’s a small business owner. Wolf has structured his small business similar to the Army with a military-like chain of command. 2 Vets Moving Co. employs a lot of military family members, because they fit in well with the company culture.

“It’s just work ethic,” Wolf said. “What I did is very labor intensive. It’s the mentality and work ethic.”

Cloverdale Foods

Scott Staudinger, V.P. for Government Affairs and Human Resources at Cloverdale Foods, served in the military for 20 years in both the U.S. Army and the North Dakota National Guard. He has had an eventful 20 years.

Staudinger was stationed in West Germany for three years. On the day before his birthday in 1989, he watched the fall of the Berlin Wall — and he brought home a few pieces as souvenirs. He experienced the reunification of East and West Germany after the city of Berlin had been separated for 50 years.

In 1990 Staudinger was deployed to Iraq in the first Gulf War. In 2003, he returned to Iraq in the second Gulf War with the 957th Multi-Role Bridge Company. That was the first time Staudinger had ever served with women in the same unit, and the Commanding Officer was a woman named Davina French.

“Taking a multi-gender unit into a combat zone where there are no battles lines was really challenging, and the U.S. Army was not prepared for that,” Staudinger said. “Our North Dakota female soldiers adapted and overcame. I was very proud of them.”

After 20 years of serving in the military, Staudinger retired from the North Dakota National Guard as a First Lieutenant in 2005.

“At a young age I learned a deep understanding and respect for the men and women who came before me and served this great nation,” Staudinger said. “I have numerous family members who have served, and I felt a civic responsibility to carry the flag of freedom and follow in their footsteps.”

Staudinger said military training provides the background to ask the right question and think strategically in making decisions. The military builds and motivates teams. This correlates to a civilian job and supports looking out for employee’s welfare, developing individual talent, recognizing successes, and creating a unified team.

Staudinger said current and former military members fit in well at Cloverdale Foods, especially because the manufacturing model is based on the military model.

“Why do I really look heavily at our military candidates?”

Staudinger said. “They fit in like a glove.”

Staudinger said throughout Cloverdale’s 108-year history they have supported veterans and their families — through World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the first Gulf War, and the Global War on Terror. “It has been an honor to protect and serve,” Staudinger said. “Not many people do it — less than 1 percent... Freedom isn’t free.”

THE PRINTERS, INC.

Tell us about yourself and your role within your business.

A: I have been in the printing industry for 35+ years. With all that experience I wear many hats. Every day is different, that is what I enjoy about the industry. One day I may find myself imposing a booklet for the press. The next I may be working on cutting, folding and binding that same project. I find myself involved in some way on almost every job that comes in. It may be answering the customer’s questions to invoicing the job.

Member Since 1988

Briefly tell us the history behind The Printers, Inc. and how you got started.

A: The Printers, Inc. started as quick print shop back in the 80’s. It was a time when a copier was an expensive piece of equipment for small businesses. Our main work then was what the average office needed for copying. We have grown and changed over the years to the full service printing company that we are today.

How has the growth of Bismarck-Mandan impacted The Printers, Inc.?

A: It has brought new customers that are in need of our services. Every new business is in need of some type of printing service. It could be a banner for their opening or a direct mail piece to announce their business, etc. We can help in many different ways to promote and expand their business.

Have there been any monumental changes within your industry that you’ve had to deal with?

A: The printing industry has changed in many ways since I started. We have gone from setting type in lead to the computers imaging directly on the printing plate. The computer and Adobe software have made the most monumental change though. No longer do you need to send out for color separations of photos, shoot negatives of copy and mask them to fit the press. You can build an entire project digitally. The advancements of the color copier has also made it possible to have full color printing affordable on the small quantity jobs.

The digital age has also taken it’s market share. With copiers and computers in every business that has cut into what they need from us. Take invoices for instance, now you can print right out of your accounting software to your desktop printer.

What does the future The Printers, Inc. look like and the industry as a whole look like to you?

A: I believe that there will always be ink on paper in some way. We have to always be looking forward to where the market is going. People enjoy have something different about their product. They might look at using a coating to get different feel on the paper, maybe it is a special die cut to your mail piece. They want their piece to grab your attention. We work with them to get “that look”.

The Printers, Inc. became a Chamber EDC member in 1988, why do you continue to renew?

A: It takes everyone to be a community. The Chamber EDC is a great way to connect with other businesses in the community. They have for years kept the local businesses informed and connected. Their help with government affairs makes sure that the members have a voice at our local and state governments.

What should other Chamber EDC members know about The Printers, Inc. that may assist them?

A: The Printers, Inc. is a commercial printing company. We can do most anything when it comes to ink and paper. Be it for birthday invites to monthly publications or large format printing, we can help with all your projects. We have a full service mailing department for your direct mail needs. Our graphics department has three designers to help get the look you want. Stop by and let us show you what we can do for you.

mental health disorders:

• Depression

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

• Panic Disorder

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Seasonal Affective Disorder

• Insomnia

• Social Anxiety Disorder

• ADHD (need prior testing and/or referral from psychologist)

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.”