FATHERS | MR. FULL-TIME DAD
MOVING ON, NOT LET TING GO
WRITTEN BY: BEN HANSON • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
Almost ten years to the day after my wife, Emily, and I moved into our first home together, we packed up all our earthly possessions and moved south … approximately 30 blocks. There were four of us to move this time around, including our son, Macklin, and our dog, Lucy. After ten years of accumulation, and now being fully moved into a home roughly twice the size, it's amazing how much we crammed into that first home. Beyond the physical stuff — which we brought with us, for better or worse — the move provided a wonderful excuse to get lost in nostalgia over all the intangible stuff we also crammed in during the past ten years. We created enough memories, learned enough lessons and experienced enough "firsts" to write a small memoir … minus all the heroics and achievements one normally reads about in memoirs. And so, the hardest part of the move wasn't physical, although I'll never again be a willing participant in moving a piano. For me, moving felt like forever walking away from the set and setting of my life as a full-time stay-at-home dad — arguably the greatest time of my life. I will never again be greeted by those seven steps up from the front door to the living room, where Mack learned to climb stairs, or the seven steps down to the basement, where he was often too adorably afraid to go by himself. I will never get to chase Mack in circles around the wall that divided the kitchen from the living room. I'll never sit under our flowering front tree with him on a blanket like we did every sunny day before he learned to walk. I'll never walk in to wake him up in his old bedroom, where I put together his crib not once, but twice … and then a third time, 2 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
when he grew big enough to transform it into a toddler bed. We'll never walk the same loop around the neighborhood like we did every day, rain or shine, warm or cold just to get out of the house for a while. I could go on, obviously. In the days after the move, I fought hard against the instinct to drive past the old house, because I knew I would never make it without crying. Even now, months later, the only way I will drive through the old neighborhood is if Macklin is with me and he asks to see the house. (OK, I always bring it up, but I let him make the final call.) Last week he accepted my offer, and as we slowly crept by the old house, Mack said something with a profound deeper meaning: "I liked that house, Daddy. Yeah, it's a good house. I like our new house, too." A weight lifted off my shoulders … promptly falling directly into my tear ducts. My 4-year-old simplified my feelings for me, taking the edge off and giving me permission to keep loving our old home, while still celebrating the beginning of many new adventures in our new home. In the weeks leading up to the move, Emily and I wondered how Macklin would transition to the new house. Not surprisingly, he handled it the best out of all of us … after all, he's got the memory and attention span of a 4-yearold. Emily compulsively painted our bedrooms. Lucy had an accident the first time she smelled a trace of the prior owner's dog, something she hadn't done in years. My transition object was the lawnmower — I took extra care getting to know the new yard, taking twice as long to mow it as I otherwise would. Macklin, however, settled right in. We knew he was over the whole move on day two when he refused to get dressed for the day. "It's mine own home to be naked in," he declared. He was right. We were home. •
urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 3
CONTENTS NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2019 Volume 7 • Issue 3
02
FATHERS - Mr. Full-Time Dad Moving On, Not Letting Go
06
Novembers in North Dakota Hunting with Bret Amundson
10
More Than Survival 8 Ways to Make Winter (Kind of) Fun Again
14
Heavy Lifting for a Living High Power Crane
18
ON THE COVER - Dan Fuller Fueled by Fighting Fire Amidst Flame and Smoke, West Fargo Fire Chief Dan Fuller Keeps His Focus
24
HABW - Having a Beer with Radio Host, Scott Hennen
30
Local Hero - Kevin Pallas Equal Parts Heart, Humility and Talent Fargo Police Sergeant Kevin Pallas Leads with Inspiration, Kindness and Innovation
PUBLISHED BY Urban Toad Media LLP www.urbantoadmedia.com OWNER / PHOTOGRAPHER Darren Losee darren@urbantoadmedia.com OWNER / GRAPHIC DESIGNER Dawn Siewert dawn@urbantoadmedia.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bret Amundson Meghan Feir Ben Hanson Alexis Swenson ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Darren Losee darren@urbantoadmedia.com
READ A PAST ISSUE yumpu.com/user/thegoodlife FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/urbantoadmedia FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @urbantoadmedia FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @urbantoadmedia
The Good Life Men’s Magazine is distributed six times a year by Urban Toad Media LLP. Material may not be reproduced without permission. The Good Life Men’s Magazine accepts no liability for reader dissatisfaction arising from content in this publication. The opinions expressed, or advice given, are the views of individual writers or advertisers and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of The Good Life Men’s Magazine.
urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 5
WRITTEN BY: BRET AMUNDSON PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY: BRET AMUNDSON
When I took a radio job at 107.9 The Fox in the spring of 2000, I envisioned a future of recording studios, Fargodome concerts and all the free pizza coupons I could handle. What I didn’t realize is that the outdoor adventures North Dakota had to offer would change my life forever. I grew up in a hunting and fishing family that traces our roots back to Canada and even Sweden. Farming on the prairie near Norquay, Saskatchewan and then later near Alvarado, Minnesota gave my ancestors ample opportunities to live off the land with crops and wildlife. Our farming days ended when my grandpa moved south but the love of all things wild stayed strong. We hunted western Minnesota for pheasants, near Alexandria for ducks and northwestern Wisconsin for whitetails.
Then real life happened. I went into the wild and wacky world of radio. Don’t get me wrong, it included some of the most exciting moments of my life, but it was my LIFE. Most radio people will tell you that they don’t get much of a chance to do anything else. I came to that realization during one fall when the NDSU football team was really gaining popularity. As much as I enjoyed watching their success, I was jealous of the Saturday mornings my friends were spending in the field, instead of tailgating. No offense to the Bison Nation, but I was being pulled in a different direction. One fateful day I was summoned into my boss’s office and notified that a format change was coming and that after ten years in the same building, I would be searching for new employment. Such is life in the radio “biz”.
I almost thanked them as I walked out. It was time for something new. It was time to get back to what my family spent most of their free time doing. But it wasn’t just a knee-jerk response to my newfound freedom; it was something inside me that was affected by a few hunting trips across the state Teddy Roosevelt fell in love with. The Badlands I had a few friends that made yearly trips to western North Dakota to hunt mule deer. Knowing that drawing a muley buck tag for rifle was a long shot, I went into Scheels and picked out a new bow. Soon I was walking butte ridges in fresh snowfall, staring wide-eyed at the beautiful expanse around me. I wouldn’t shoot a mule deer that year, but the first-timer bow hunting experience in that landscape caused me to leave the 30.06 at home – by choice – ever since. The Waterfowl Duck hunting was what I enjoyed most growing up. I even have a class ring from high school with a mallard and shotgun shells on it. I bet you’d get expelled for something like that now. Anyway, I loved hunting ducks. I just wasn’t very good at it. I also didn’t hunt in a great flyway and didn’t have many friends that did it either. Most of my family had given up on green wings and 8 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
focused on whitetails. So it was usually just me trudging out to the slough and hoping to see something come into range. Then I moved to North Dakota. I knew a few guys that hunted hard and were very good at it. They had these crazy contraptions called “layout blinds”. Us water hunters from Minnesota and Wisconsin didn’t use them often, but in the prairie pothole regions, you have more options for field hunting. Dick Voight at KFGO lent me a blind the next morning I was peering through the mesh top wondering what was about to happen. As the sun crept over the horizon the air filled with more ducks and geese than I’d seen in all my falls. Again, my eyes were as wide as a wheat field and as I shot holes in the sky, I thought to myself, “I need to get one of these layout blinds.” The Snow Geese When people ask me what my favorite thing to do is, I usually answer with “Snows.” They can be absolute jerks 99% of the time, but when they do it right, there’s nothing else like it. They’re the only waterfowl around that can number in the thousands when they bomb into your decoys. Their noise can drown out an ambulance
and the wariness the older birds often have makes them tough to trick. While so much satisfaction comes from a successful hunt, it’s not what makes me get weak in the knees about them. It’s the sheer numbers of the migrating birds that can be seen in one day. It’s mindblowing when there are flocks stringing across your entire field of view with endless more flocks behind them, barking and squawking their way north in the spring or south in the fall. And when it happens, there’s just simply nothing else like it. I’d heard about the spring migration from a few people but anecdotal evidence doesn’t do the sight justice. So one day, I drove west from Fargo, then south, then west, then north a little, then west again until I saw a flock. Then I stopped. I didn’t have a gun or a license or decoys or an ecaller or even a camera that day. Just my eyes. I parked on the side of that road for hours and watched snow geese fly overhead nonstop the entire time. Again, my eyes were lit up like the Fargo Theater sign and from then on, I knew I’d be obsessed with these white birds. Since those experiences, I’ve shot big deer with my bow, traveled to Argentina for ducks and Saskatchewan for snows, and while it all started with my family introducing me to the outdoors, it was the Novembers in North Dakota that changed my life forever. •
"Duck hunting was what I enjoyed most growing up. I even have a class ring from high school with a mallard and shotgun shells on it.” - Bret amundson
urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 9
WRITTEN BY: MEGHAN FEIR
As soon as September hit, I knew something was different. Last winter "done did me in," as it were. I’m not even being that dramatic. Think of it this way: We live in a place where outdoor festivals celebrating winter get canceled because it’s too dangerously frigid outside. Before you think, “Then just move, you snowflake,” please hold on. I’m trying to make the best of the impending death of all that’s still alive, like when I searched for “fun winter 10 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
activities” the other week. I kept stumbling on less than mediocre “ideas,” such as drinking hot liquids to pass the time, or using something called a telephone to talk to a friend. This is why I took the matter into my own hands. My husband Tim and I decided to come up with a "Winter Sur-thrive-al" list of activities we could do to stay sane from January to March (let's be honest — May) when the temps are so cold
it makes your snot freeze in your nose. While I’ll apologize for the name, I won’t apologize for the ideas I’m listing because they’re a lot better than telling you to drink warmer than usual beverages. Since it's unlikely the January gales will carry us off to the island urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 11
Whether you're married, dating, have living relatives or know someone you can kind of call a friend, make up a new tradition with them.
of Java, let’s make the best of our time on the frozen prairie with yet another list of some not-too-bad ideas for your loved or liked ones and you to do together this season. Winter Sur-thrive-al Activities 1. Learn a language on your own or with a friend or lover There are plenty of apps and podcasts available that can teach you other languages for free. Coffee Break Languages podcasts and the DuoLingo app are two excellent options. If you learn with a buddy, you can challenge each other and keep the momentum going. Once you have some fluency going on, you can also have secret conversations in public and talk about other people in front of their backs, just like my Spanish speaking friends did to me in high school. Please note: When people stare, point and laugh, they’re definitely talking about you. 2. Make up some traditions Whether you're married, dating, have living relatives or know someone you can kind of call a friend, make up a new tradition with them. There's a reason people have lasting traditions throughout their family lineage. It helps people bond, and it's something to look forward to during the season of depression (this excludes lutefisk). 3. Sleep in on a Saturday and watch cartoons Maybe it's because my love for cereal as a child was an unhealthy obsession. Perhaps it's because I still love and protect my stuffed animals. Whatever the reasons are, I still believe some Saturdays should be spent sleeping in until at least 9:35 a.m., eating cereal and watching cartoons. 4. Host dress-up dinner parties Tim and I are big proponents of costumed dining (dressup dinner parties). In the last few years, we've probably had at least one every season with some of our friends. You can make it a murder mystery, too, if you desire. The main point is to have a theme, make sure everyone dresses up, assign food or beverage items for people to 12 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
bring, and see what strangeness ensues throughout the evening. Remember to take pictures. 5. Plan a trip, big or small You can take a little excursion during the months aforementioned or plan ahead for a spring or summer vacation. Having something to look forward to is of utmost importance, and, if you do the planning early, you don't have to spend your time indoors on your devices hashing out all the details when you could be outside planting asparagus or kayaking down the dirty ol’ Red. 6. Sunday dinner This kind of ties in with No. 3, but consider having a weekly or monthly ritual of feasting with those whom you love the most. 7. Volunteer and help others The Midwest is a brutal place in the fall, winter, and, well, the spring, especially if you don’t have a warm place to call your own. Help people and animals often. This actually benefits you, too, and will give you a greater sense of purpose. Even if you don’t volunteer at a soup kitchen or a shelter, you can help the homeless by creating care packages filled with everyday items. When you see them on the street, you’ll be prepared. Maybe throw in a blanket, some food, water, gloves, socks, and a Bible or another book filled with reminders of hope — anything to help people survive. 8. Get all kinds of cozy with your kids (or S.O.) Don’t underestimate the power of playing games (not mind games). Maybe Candy Land isn’t in your top 10, but playing board games, working on puzzles, or finding some other activity your kids will love helps you connect and lighten up — unless you’re one of those crazies that has to win every time in order to be happy. Whether you choose to try any of these ideas or not, make sure you set fun goals for yourself this winter. We need little things to look forward to every day amidst the simultaneously bland and busy weeks. Don’t just wait for excitement; create it. •
urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 13
14 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
“
THANK GOD I’VE NEVER DROPPED ANYTHING. I’VE BEEN FORTUNATE, AND NONE OF OUR GUYS HAVE EVER DROPPED ANYTHING EITHER.” – TODD BREIDENBACH
WRITTEN BY: BEN HANSON • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
When you get into a conversation with a crane operator — you know, the guys sitting in the cab running the big cranes lifting giant beams, HVAC units or million dollar engines — two questions always pop up: Have you ever dropped anything and how in the world do you go to the bathroom? According to Todd Breidenbach — owner of High Power Crane, a regional crane company named in honor of his faith and jointly operated with his wife out of Sabin, Minn. — it turns out the second question is rather benign for most crane operators. They simply call for a break, climb out and take care of business, as they’re operating mobile, truck-mounted cranes. The tower crane operators, on the other hand, are stuck hundreds of feet up in the air and can’t simply climb out when nature calls. “The crew gets breaks,” Breidenbach explained. “If you gotta stop and take a break you just tell the guys, as there’s usually nothing pressing other than if you’re holding a load in the air or if you’ve got somebody in a man basket that’s suspended, you can’t get out of the cab… you can’t get out of the cab with a suspended load.” As for that first question, you’d think for a guy who’s been lifting unwieldy objects into the air the better part of two decades, Breidenbach would have at least one good story to share about dropping something. Lucky for him and all his clients, no such story exists. “Thank God I’ve never dropped anything,” Breidenbach said with a noticeable sigh of relief. “I’ve been fortunate, and none of our guys have ever dropped anything either.” Fortunate, yes. Lucky, perhaps. But more so, the combined years of experience on Breidenbach’s crew is absolutely the key element to the company’s record of safety and success. Lucky for their customers, though, crane operators are required to carry a special kind of insurance. “Once we have it picked up off the ground [on the end of our hook], basically we own it until we set it back down again,” Breidenbach explained. “Our insurance covers anything you have
urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 15
“EVERY JOB IS DIFFERENT. IT TAKES DIFFERENT RIGGING AND DIFFERENT SETUPS. IT’S A DIFFERENT CHALLENGE EVERY TIME.” – TODD BREIDENBACH hanging off the end of your crane. MRI machines being placed inside hospitals, for example, back in the day were million dollar picks.” Getting His Start As one might imagine, Breidenbach didn’t just one day wake up and decide to climb into “the upper” of a crane — the control seat of the crane itself, vs. “the lower” where, on a truck-mounted crane, you actually drive the crane down the road to the job site. He worked his way up, gaining experience on job sites, learning how to maintain the cranes and set up the rigging required to operate a crane and safely get the job done. “I wasn’t really interested in cranes at first,” Breidenbach admits, “I was actually working at the penitentiary in Sioux Falls, S.D., as a stepping stone into a law enforcement career. But I happened to see an ad in the paper for a crane company and decided to apply for a rigger roll. Later on the company announced that they needed a driver, and I had a CDL, so I started helping move the cranes around… eventually I started doing maintenance on the cranes, and soon enough I started the process to become a certified crane operator.” 16 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
Fast forward 20 years, and Breidenbach knows the whole process start to finish and continues to do his own maintenance on his fleet of truck-mounted cranes, which range from the 50-ton crane he started his company with, all the way up to his largest crane which is a 265 ton. On the Job On any given day, Breidenbach and his crew from High Power Crane can be found moving any number of large items, including ethanol plant equipment, rooftop heating and cooling units, trusses for new commercial construction, large propane tanks, hot tub and even pools. “We’ve moved some crazy stuff,” Breidenbach said with a chuckle. “Typically, a contractor calls us up because they need something fairly heavy moved on a job site and there’s usually some elevation involved, so they need a crane to move it. A lot of the contractors when building apartment, they’ll call us to set the trusses on top of the building. A lot of heating and cooling guys will call us to set their units on top of the roofs… take old ones down and put new ones up.”
Like most things in life, there’s more to it than simply picking things up and putting them back down. When the crew pulls up to a job site, they get to put on their detective hats and inspect the challenge that lay before them. Every job is different, but more importantly every job site is different, presenting unique challenges for setup and rigging. “Experience helps. The biggest thing with running a crane is knowing where you can put it, where you can set up and where you can’t, because every time you pull up to a job site there are different challenges,” Breidenbach said. “That’s what makes it so enjoyable — every job is different. It takes different rigging and different setups. It’s a different scenario every time. “We just got done setting a 40,000 pound propane tank,” he continued. “We came in with the right amount of counter weights, the right size crane, the right size pads and the right rigging. We were in and out of there in about two hours. Everything went like clockwork.” And that’s the good life for a crane operator. When you’ve got a million dollars hanging off your hook, clockwork precision is exactly what you need. “I’ve been blessed to run my business alongside my wife and a great team of operators,” Breidenbach said. “I get to work with so many great customers I’ve met over the years. Everyday, doing what I do, because I love it.” •
urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 17
ON THE COVER | DAN FULLER
WRITTEN BY: ALEXIS SWENSON • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
Destined for Firefighting Firefighting runs in West Fargo Fire Chief Dan Fuller’s blood. Much of his family has served or currently serves in fire services including his sister, dad, uncle and cousin. As a boy, Fuller knew firefighting was the only thing he would do when he grew up. As proof of his dedication at such a young age, he even has a small picture of his six-year-old self dressed in a firefighter’s helmet and jacket tucked into a frame on his office wall. Fuller found his start serving the public with the Police Explorers in his hometown near Boston, Massachusetts. Police Explorers is a career-oriented program that grants young adults the opportunity to delve into a career in law enforcement by working with local law enforcement. This program eventually led Fuller to a job working as a Security Officer for one of the malls near his hometown. Since his stint as a Security Officer, Fuller has acquired more than 20 years of know-how in public safety with experience in law enforcement, fire services and emergency medical services. Fuller joined the West Fargo Fire Department as Fire Chief in 2015 after serving as a captain at the Minot Rural Fire Department, a senior firefighter with the City of Minot Fire Department, and a flight paramedic with Northstar Criticair in Minot, North Dakota. Additionally, in July 1999, Fuller enlisted in the Air Force where he served for 8 years active duty in Security Forces. Focusing on Risk Reduction in Light of West Fargo Growth In the time that Fuller has been West Fargo Fire Chief, the Department has undergone significant growth in order to continue effectively serving the rapidly growing West Fargo community. The West Fargo Fire Department has transitioned from a 40-member, allvolunteer force, to a combined paid on call and career staff system of 63 members. 18 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
“What excites me most is being able to shape and mold the department to what works best for West Fargo, while implementing nationwide best practices such as Community Risk Reduction.” – Dan Fuller
urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 19
ON THE COVER | DAN FULLER
Recently, the West Fargo Fire Department unveiled their second-ever strategic plan to cover the years 2019-2023. With this plan, the Department is anticipating more energetic growth of West Fargo and initiating programs to accommodate such. The plans include continued community risk reduction, an additional fire station, and at least 24 more personnel to be hired.
occurs, or a natural disaster strikes, the department will be on the front line. That is a fact and an expectation of our community, as well as communities across our country. In addition to the response, if the department can reduce the seriousness of an incident through Community Risk Reduction, or even prevent it from occurring at all, then we are bound to do so.”
The West Fargo Fire Department has recently shifted to heavily focus on increasing community awareness and prevention about various hazards. They’ve transitioned beyond presentations at schools to excite kids about fire safety and instead aim to connect with the community by attending community events, canvassing neighborhoods, facilitating workplace fire safety training, and leading trainings on active assailant situations.
To adequately carry out Community Risk Reduction efforts, the West Fargo Fire Department is focusing on potential threats that may arise in 2-5 years. Fuller wants the community to know that, “issues that will come up in six months have already been dealt with. We’re looking way beyond that now.”
According to the Department’s most recent strategic plan, “The department isn’t just about responding to fires, but rather, responding and reducing all hazards within our community. While fire suppression, emergency medical services, hazardous materials response, and technical rescue are the major operational areas we focus our efforts on, it is important to note that equal time should be dedicated to Community Risk Reduction efforts.” The plan continues to include that, “when an act of terrorism 20 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
“What excites me most is being able to shape and mold the department to what works best for West Fargo, while implementing nationwide best practices such as Community Risk Reduction,” said Fuller. The Fuller Family Fuller’s active family helps to ensure that he has a full, fun schedule. He recently celebrated his one year anniversary with Naomi, his wife, who works as a Registered Nurse with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota. Their blended family of seven guarantees that the couple attends at least two sporting events a week as their oldest three
kids are heavily involved in sports including lacrosse, football, track & field, and basketball. Although the two youngest aren’t involved with sports yet, Fuller is almost certain they will be. Serving as West Fargo Fire Chief is, without a doubt, a team effort and Fuller’s family plays a huge role in making it possible. “My family supports me through understanding that, occasionally, Dad has to leave for a fire or emergency and that, a few nights a week, I’m in meetings until 8 or 9 at night. When I am gone, my wife Naomi really supports me because she stays here and takes care of five kids who are involved in several sports teams and after school activities. My in-laws live in Fergus Falls, and they are great to come and watch the kids when I have out of town meetings and Naomi travels with me,” said Fuller.
Dan at age six.
“It is making a difference, every day, and just maybe, leaving the community in a better place than when you walked in.”– Dan Fuller
A Learner at Heart Aside from reading in his free time, Fuller routinely seeks continued education. “Continuous learning leads you to constantly look at the way you are and compels you to make changes based on others’ best practices. In the fire department, we are constantly changing to meet a moving goal of providing the best services possible to the community. I am constantly changing and adapting my leadership style to meet the demands of a growing organization and community and readying myself for whatever is next in my career,” said Fuller. He recently completed a four-year training course from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program. The EFOP is a series of four graduate equivalent courses with four applied research projects with concentrations on executive development, community risk reduction, fire services in emergency operations and leadership.
urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 21
ON THE COVER | DAN FULLER
“Much of my free time was spent on completing the applied research projects for the course. Now that the course is finished, I’m looking to fill that free time back up with more advanced education,” said Fuller.
career has been about that – serving others. As I’ve gotten older, have started to slow down a bit, and especially in the role I’m in now, what keeps me motivated is the drive to put others first,” said Fuller.
Next, Fuller has his eyes set on The National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at the Kennedy School at Harvard University. The two part course with class time in December 2019 and June 2020 will “equip leaders with the skills, knowledge, and abilities to effectively lead during crisis in the 21st century.”
Fuller’s motivation to serve others expands outside of the fire station on 1st Avenue as he proudly serves on the Advisory Board for the Salvation Army, Sanford Health EMS Education, and the North Dakota Fire Chiefs Association along with being a member of the West Fargo Exchange Club. Previously, he has served on the North Dakota Firefighters Association Certification Advisory Board and the Professional Firefighters of North Dakota.
Giving Back is The Good Life The red lights, sirens, and big fire truck are assuredly glorious parts of the job, but what consistently fuels the West Fargo Fire Chief the most is more intrinsic. “I’m passionate about serving the community. My whole 22 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
“My favorite part of being on the Salvation Army board is seeing the way how that organization does the most good for those who are underserved in our communities. From providing meals in their downtown center, to coats for kids,
back to school haircuts, and helping to navigate the path from homelessness to getting a roof over their heads, the organization does a lot to help. Not to mention their emergency disaster services, who routinely help the fire department with rehab of our firefighters and help homeowners who have suffered a loss of house, food, clothing, etc.,” said Fuller. When asked what the good life means to Fuller, he thoughtfully said, “To me, the good life means serving the community you live in through hard work and dedication. It is making a difference, every day, and just maybe, leaving the community in a better place than when you walked in.” In the short four years Fuller has been Fire Chief, he, coupled with collaboration from his entire team, family, and the city of West Fargo, is already helping to create a more beautiful and safe West Fargo community. • urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 23
HAVING A BEER WITH | SCOTT HENNEN
24 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
WRITTEN BY: MEGHAN FEIR
• PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
Scott Hennen, the popular conservative host of What’s On Your Mind? (aired on WZFG 1100 AM and stations across North Dakota), has been a part of talk radio since the ‘80s, but he started working in the radio industry years prior. Hennen’s parents were on the air, enveloping him in a world of entertainment, information and opinions. With radio programmed into his DNA, Hennen began working at a station part time before he turned 12 years old. By high school, he was working full time at the local station in his hometown of Montevideo, Minn. As we visited in Drekker’s Brewhalla, Hennen told me more about his life, career and what’s on his mind. Good Life: What’s one thing from your childhood you wish would get popular again? Scott Hennen: Atari video games. They were the most primitive thing. You move the little square at the bottom and you had to catch the Ping-Pong ball when it came on the screen. That’s what passed as a video game when I was growing up.
GL: If you wouldn’t have grown up with such an influence in the radio industry, do you think you still would’ve ended up in radio? SH: It’s hard to say. I feel like it’s almost genetic because you don’t know anything else. I had a very good friend in high school whose dad was a funeral director and they owned a funeral home. I would go on a couple of “body runs” with them, as they were called. I actually thought, “I could do this.” I was fascinated by it and wanted to help people who were grieving. In the conversations I had with people who had lost loved ones, I kept thinking of what a tough time that would be and how I hoped they had faith at that point. Funerals often bring people to the faith that often wouldn’t have come to it otherwise. They wonder where they’re going. That was a way to connect my faith to another profession. But all I’ve ever known is radio, so it was a thought exercise more than anything.
urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 25
HAVING A BEER WITH | SCOTT HENNEN
GL: What is your faith? SH: I call myself an Evangelical Catholic. I spent a lot of my years as a Catholic thinking that just meant to go to church on Sunday. Most of my adult years were just about going to mass. My grandparents were devout Catholics. My dad converted before he married my mom. My mom was a very devout Catholic and a strong pro-lifer, so that was really instilled in me, but honestly, it isn’t as though we talked about Jesus a lot at home. I’ve since come to have my faith grow and come to understand that no matter if I’m Catholic or Protestant, it has to be more than going to church. It has to be more than just being a good person. It has to be about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And the more I’ve learned that the more I’ve blossomed in the faith. I love the Catholic faith a lot because it’s so rich. The first university was Catholic, and healthcare — so much has come from the Catholic faith. GL: What do you think is one thing people prioritize too much these days? SH: When I grew up, I’ll never forget my mom and dad looking at a house that had two garage stalls when we were going to move into a new house in Montevideo. That 26 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
made me think, “We’re the Brady Bunch! We’re like that house on TV!” Now it’s not uncommon to see four-car garages. Honestly, I have nothing against people having things. I have a three-stall garage at home full of junk, so I’m not perfect in any stretch, but we're going down a dangerous path as a culture, valuing stuff more than we value what we can take with us, and it's none of this; it's not a lake home or a nicer truck. GL: If you were to turn into any celebrity for a day, whose life would you want to live for 24 hours? SH: I love Johnny Carson because he was such a great interviewer. He was funny but you really learned something about the person he was interviewing. He had great interviewing skills. As a talk show host and an interviewer, you know where you want the interview to go, so you kind of push it that way, rather than just letting it happen and ask a lot of questions. My dad always said to just listen intently and don’t worry about what you’re going to ask next, just listen to them because in their answer you’ll get your next question. GL: Well, I’m not doing that very well. SH: You can’t! You have to go to the next topic.
GL: If you could start a secret society, what would it be about? SH: Jesus. GL: Would you want it to be secret, though? SH: Well, you don’t want Jesus to be a secret, but I think there are a lot of people that are good people that really think they have all the elements they need. “I go to church. I don’t steal from anybody. I’m a good person.” But I’d love to tell people that just being a good person doesn’t mean they’re going to Heaven. You’re saved by grace from God alone, and you get that from a personal relationship with him. I'd say, “This is the most important meeting you’ll have of the entire week.” I'd want to get people to come who wouldn’t if they knew it was about Jesus. By the way, I love talking to people about it. What I don’t like doing is forcing it on people. If it creeps you out or you think I’m shoving it down your throat, I get it. That’s fine. I would just love to have a nonthreatening conversation about it without any judgment.
GL: What does living “the good life” mean to you? SH: I think everyone has to find their own good life, but for me the good life is not far from what I have. The time with family, the time building a company with a great partner and the chance I get to talk on the radio every day — that’s the good life. You always want more time for more of the things you love, so more time to do all of that would make the good life even better. I love the life I have. I really do. •
urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 27
28 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
Holiday Giving Urban Toad Media and The Good Life Men’s Magazine would like to wish our readers and contributors a happy and healthy holiday season. Please consider donating to one of these incredible organizations. One less gift under your tree could make the world of difference to someone else.
urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 29
LOCAL HERO | KEVIN PALLAS
Fargo Police Sergeant Kevin Pallas leads with inspiration, kindness and innovation. WRITTEN BY: ALEXIS SWENSON • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
As a police officer, Sergeant Kevin Pallas is as humble as he is good. The 56-year-old West Fargo resident has been an officer for 23 years with the Fargo Police Department and is presently serving in his 35th year as a North Dakota Police Officer. Currently, he supervises the School Resource Officer (SRO) program, Community Trust Officer (CTO) program, Cultural Liaison Officer (CLO) program and the Park Liaison Officer (PLO) program. A Full Resume Originally from Superior, Wisconsin, Sgt. Pallas still upholds his status as a bona fide Cheesehead proudly supporting the Green Bay Packers. Upon graduating from Superior Senior High School, he attended the Law Enforcement Academy in Hibbing, Minnesota from 1983-85, along with attending the Community College in Hibbing as well. He received his first law enforcement position as an officer in Bowman, ND in 1985. “Being so young, the instructors always said, ‘Go where you get hired first and get some experience.’ That ended up turning into Bowman, ND. The southwestern town was smaller - about 2,500 people, so that was helpful. It was a busy little city just coming out of the first oil boom in the mid-80s with a lot of travelers coming through for the Black Hills,” said Sgt. Pallas. The following year in 1986, he became an officer in Wahpeton, ND through late 1996. He enjoyed his years in Wahpeton as a patrol officer and was able to be the first school liaison officer to the schools while developing a crime prevention program in the city as well and in January of 1997, he joined the Fargo Police Department as an officer.
30 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
LOCAL HERO urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 31
LOCAL HERO | KEVIN PALLAS
Sgt. Pallas was initially drawn to Fargo because, “We have so many different divisions. I knew that a larger department is going to give a person more opportunities to experience and challenge oneself. The more you can do and experience, it’s fulfilling, and it gives you a purpose.” Sgt. Pallas was promoted to Sergeant in March of 2001 and has since served in several different positions including in the roles of Defensive Tactics Instructor, Police Training Officer, Training Sergeant, and the Negotiator Team Leader for the Red River Valley SWAT team. “Being in a larger, progressive department that really is looking forward as our administrators do, there are so many opportunities to be able to go into. We’re very fortunate that we have support with our administration as well as our city commission going forward with having the best equipment, the best training, and the best facilities,” said Sgt. Pallas. Steadfast Supervising With 12 officers currently reporting to Sgt. Pallas, he maintains a full schedule. “I strive to keep the programs that I oversee operating in the best way possible by allowing new things to come into play, always looking 32 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
forward and not just settling on what we’ve done to date,” said Sgt. Pallas. Some of the projects that Sgt. Pallas is grateful to have overseen include the Unity and the It’s Time music videos, Fargo United, summer youth camp, an outdoor activity summer program, and a collaborative school assemblies initiative created with the CTO team. With the CLO program, most recently, CLO Vince Kempf and CTO David Carlson started a New American swimming program. Through the support of Sammons Financial, the pair partnered with Concordia College and Family Wellness Center to offer swimming lessons for New American children to help them build confidence in the water. The program was developed by both officers after two tragic drowning accidents during the summer of 2018 in the FM area involving New American children. At 18 years old, the SRO program serves as a resource for the schools, to build relationships with the students and do enforcement action when necessary. There is an officer in each middle school and high school.
Ultimately, the program acts as a liaison between the police department and the school district. Contrastingly, the PLO program is fairly new at just over a year old. PLO Josh Marvig works to make a connection with the parks, to be visible in the parks, and during park engagements with the community. Sgt. Pallas cites the most motivating part of his work as the officers he supervises and works with daily. “I’ve been a supervisor for 18 years out of my 23 years here and working with officers that do everything that they possibly can to provide the best service is extremely inspiring. They always come up with great, positive ideas. That’s what’s so inspiring about working with officers who have vision, energy, excitement, and youth, I might add. It’s fantastic seeing some of these guys that are in their 20s and 30s have that energy and motivation to make Fargo a better place,” said Sgt. Pallas. Coping With The Job Working in law enforcement for 34 years does not come without its challenges. As such, Sgt. Pallas has been exposed to several difficult situations and experiences.
PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY: KEVIN PALLAS
“Having somebody in my life over the course of my career who has been with me right from the very start of the academy – she’s been my rock.” – Kevin Pallas
“We see the darker side of things. Especially when it comes to people hurting each other, people passing sooner than they obviously should due to violence or automobile accidents. Anything like that is always tough to see. Abuse and domestic violence, of course, are always difficult to be a part of too,” said Sgt. Pallas. Resources available to Fargo police officers include the Employee Assistance Program through the Village available for communication needs and the Peer Assistant Crisis Team which is comprised of nearly a dozen officers available to be confided in and for conversation when needed. Talking with those resources, along with family, has proven extremely helpful for Sgt. Pallas in working through some of the tougher situations he’s been exposed to. “I’m very fortunate; I’ve been married to the same girl, my high school sweetheart, for my whole career. Kris and I dated in high school and we got married a year after graduation. Having somebody in my life over the course of my career who has been with me right from the very start of the academy - she’s been my rock. My colleagues have been supportive as well. We’re very close in law enforcement so to be able to talk through things is important. So, over the years to have that connection with my wife and to be able to communicate with her has been huge. I’m not necessarily sharing all the details, but I am able to communicate generalities of some of the darker things, and, of course, all the great things too,” said Sgt. Pallas. urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 33
LOCAL HERO | KEVIN PALLAS
Beyond Policing Aside from the support, affirmation, and companionship from Kris, Sgt. Pallas has also benefited in receiving free haircuts. “Kris has been a stylist for over 25 years - she does a fantastic job. I haven’t paid for a haircut in 27 years,” said Sgt. Pallas. Celebrating 38 years together, the couple enjoys simply spending quality time together. “In the summer months we enjoy being out and about. We bought a Camaro convertible a few years back and treated ourselves for our 50th birthdays. We do some light travel to Lake Superior and the countryside of Northern Wisconsin to visit family and enjoy the lake.” “We’ve been to well over 100 concerts since we’ve been together. We enjoy live music from different genres. My wife is a fantastic cook and baker. So, we like to experience different foods and restaurants,” said Sgt. Pallas. Heart First Although Sgt. Pallas’s track record is undoubtedly impressive, what truly stands out the most about him is his heart. In every role that Sgt. Pallas has held, he has sought to lead with his whole heart while striving to do his best each day on the job. Simply put, he’s the kind of 34 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com
“I couldn’t have asked for a better career and being part of a such a large picture of what it’s all about. It’s about community service and knowing that you have made a difference in people’s lives, along with getting to know people and making connections. That’s priceless.” – Kevin Pallas
police officer that any citizen would want to look out for them. “I couldn’t have asked for a better career and being part of such a large picture of what it’s all about. It’s about community service and knowing that you have made a difference in people’s lives, along with getting to know people and making connections. That’s priceless,” said Sgt. Pallas. In reflecting on his storied career, Sgt. Pallas highlighted about the importance of developing close relationships with family, friends, and people of the same mindset. “In law enforcement, fire services and first responders in general, because of the nature of the work, we just have a different kind of closeness because we experience so many things that are very sensitive. I won’t say that we have a better kind of closeness because everybody in their professions have their closeness. However, having that relationship builds that - that good life of connecting under a common purpose. To me, the good life is knowing at the end of the day that the work that you do means something at the end of a career. It’s a “well done” and knowing that everything that one would do has meaning when a career comes to an end,” said Sgt. Pallas. • urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 35