Advocating for other employees and their career growth. Having a positive attitude. Coordinating events that foster camaraderie. These are a few examples of how four employees within the MDU Resources family of companies help create a positive work environment.

For their efforts, they were each honored with the Summit Award. This annual corporate award recognizes employees who make the company a better place to work. Each winner receives a cash price, plus $1,000 is given to a qualified charity of the winner’s choice.

MDU Resources annually honors employees who make outstanding contributions to its family of companies and the communities it serves. Four award categories recognize spirit (community and workplace), skill and stewardship.

2022 Summit Award winners

Paul Stafford
Preventative maintenance trainer, Knife River — Western Oregon division
Tangent, Oregon
Selected charity: Oregon Health & Science University Foundation

The individual who nominated Paul noted his amazing attitude and attention to detail.

Paul is “always willing to help anyone else in need, no matter what the situation,” his nominator said. As a trainer, Paul continues to carry forth that positive attitude and assistance with the employees working under him.

Paul’s nominator noted, “Knife River is lucky to have him as a loyal and dedicated employee. He, and many like him, make this a great place to be.”

Mike Davis
Superintendent, Bombard Electric
Las Vegas, Nevada
Selected charity: Project 150

Mike has been working for Bombard Electric since 1989. His expertise, knowledge and character contribute to making Bombard Electric a great place to work.

He is currently running multiple jobs, including a solar project with 50+ employees and more than 350 employees at Las Vegas’ most unique project of all time: the MSG Sphere.

• Mike is open minded and accepting, willing to support and mentor anyone who is motivated and wants to work hard.
• MSG Sphere has a large percentage of female employees. Mike takes seriously his role in advocating for them on the job and encouraging their career growth.
• Bombard works with some very large general contractors across the country, thanks in part to Mike’s expertise in the field and his working relationships.

Patty Fillion
Human resources administrative assistant, WBI Energy
Bismarck, North Dakota
Selected charity: Dream Center Bismarck

With responsibilities for the front desk area, Patty greets all visitors and co-workers that pass her desk with a hearty hello and has befriended everyone from the Pepsi man to the UPS lady.

She also is one of the first points of contact for new hires across WBI Energy. Her nominator said Patty’s “enthusiasm and pride for working here is shared with candidates immediately, and I can’t think of a better way to introduce new hires to what a great place to work this truly is!”

Patty is quick to recognize achievements of others, gives great constructive feedback (in all directions), pitches in and helps whenever she is asked or sees a need and freely shows gratitude to all that are deserving. She advocates for those in need and serves as an informal mentor to many that cross her path, both personally and professionally, sharing insightful words of wisdom and advice.

Feedback from her co-workers include, “Patty is one of the most selfless and kind-hearted people I have come to meet. She takes things that are already beautiful and makes them extraordinary. Her personality makes everything around her shine. She’s the type of person that I aspire to be when I grow up.”

Amy Prokop
Legal analyst, MDU Resources
Bismarck, North Dakota
Selected charity: Furry Friends Rockin’ Rescue

Amy goes above and beyond to make MDU Resources a great place to work. For 18 years, she has organized a successful employee volleyball tournament. Her commitment to this annual event is grounded in her drive to encourage and support camaraderie, build relationships among employees and their families, and ensure that MDU Resources has a positive atmosphere.

Amy inspires a positive workplace in her department and with everyone she works with throughout the corporation. She has a professional “can do” attitude, an impeccable work ethic and a steady willingness to help others. Her co-workers see her not only as a leader, but also as a mentor with her extensive knowledge of the company.

Amy recognizes the need to give back to our community and leverages the opportunity to build team camaraderie. Throughout her 20 years with the company, Amy has volunteered with the local United Way for its Day of Caring and summer lunch program and has been the company liaison with the nonprofit to coordinate employee volunteer activities like the Backpack Program. If there’s a volunteer program and she’s available, she’s the first person to sign up. Her giving spirit is on full display during the holiday season, as she leads her team’s effort to shop and wrap gifts for their participation in Abused Adult Resource Center’s Hope for the Holidays program.

Whether she’s creating code to replace a manual process or helping her team reach their goals, Danielle Rapley’s IT career has provided her with a framework to help others.

Learn more about Danielle, supervisor of application support, and her career.

What advice would you give to a young girl starting out in your field?
Don’t be afraid to speak up and voice your opinion. Your ideas are just as important and worthwhile as anyone else’s.

What inspired you to go into this field?
The ability to code a process or screen behind the scenes and have a user see a nice web page or have a computer do steps that people had to do manually is pretty exciting.

What do you like most about what you do?
I truly enjoy the people I work with. As a supervisor, I like the ability to help my team reach their career goals by helping them get specialized training, letting them mentor with others in the company in fields they are interested in, and helping them get past any obstacles in their daily routine. I feel that the role of any supervisor/manager is to help your team be the best they can be.

Tell us about a woman you look up to and why.
My mother, who showed me how to work hard for what you want.

Throughout the MDU Resources family of companies, women fill many roles in the field and in the office. March is Women’s History Month, an opportune time for us to shine the spotlight on some of our female employees, their contributions and how they’re challenging career stereotypes.

Accounting is the foundation upon which Michelle Harris, president of Rocky Mountain Contractors, built her career. Ultimately, it became the blueprint that would lead her across a variety of industries and landing her in the construction industry in her home state.

Learn more about Michelle and her career.

How did you get started in the contracting/construction industry?
I began my career in public accounting, which exposed me to a variety of industries. I eventually left public accounting to work for Intermountain Gas Company where I learned a lot about the utility industry. This made it an easy transition to my role at Rocky Mountain Contractors, an outside utility line construction company. During my time at Rocky Mountain Contractors, I have been fortunate to continue expanding my knowledge base outside of the accounting arena and into all aspects of the business, including operations.

What or who inspired you to go into this field?
Moving into the construction industry allowed me to live and work in my home state of Montana. I admit to having some self-doubt prior to coming to work at RMC. I wondered if I would fit in and if my skill set would benefit the company. At that time, many family members and friends provided me encouragement.

From the first day at RMC, I felt welcomed by my co-workers. Since then, I have been privileged to have worked with and learned from several mentors who shared their love for the competitive nature of the business and the variety of the job.

What do you like most about what you do?
The best part about my job are the individuals I get to work with. There is a “can-do” mentality in our industry. I am constantly awed by what our people create and how quickly they are able to respond, whether it be to an emergency i.e., a storm or to a change in plans by our customers. I work with incredibly skilled, genuine, down to earth, caring people.

Throughout the MDU Resources family of companies, women fill many roles in the field and in the office. March is Women’s History Month, an opportune time for us to shine the spotlight on some of our female employees, their contributions and how they’re challenging career stereotypes.

Georgiann Hersch, chief operator with WBI Energy, credits her upbringing on a dairy farm near New Salem, North Dakota, as one of the reasons for pursuing a career in the trades industry.

“I knew I could do it because of all the knowledge and exposure to hard work I had growing up on a farm,” she said.

Income potential and opportunities made it an attractive industry, too.

Georgiann got her start in the industry by getting a degree in Power and Process Plant Technology from Bismarck State College. She landed her first job in Colorado at a natural gas processing plant that turned natural gas into methanol. Eventually, she made her way back home to North Dakota.

As a chief operator for WBI Energy, she’s in charge of the day-to-day functions and duties at one of WBI Energy’s compressor stations. Compressor operators operate and maintain the compressor units and perform other maintenance duties like greasing and operating valves within the yard and on the pipeline, maintaining relief valves and regulators, and yard work like mowing grass and snow removal.

Georgiann said her favorite part of the job is the variety of work. “In winter and spring, we are doing maintenance in the yard, and the summers are spent out on the pipeline conducting line patrol,” she said.

Throughout the MDU Resources family of companies, women fill many roles in the field and in the office. March is Women’s History Month, an opportune time for us to shine the spotlight on some of our female employees, their contributions and how they’re challenging career stereotypes.

Throughout the MDU Resources family of companies, women fill many roles in the field and in the office. March is Women’s History Month, an opportune time for us to shine the spotlight on some of our female employees, their contributions and how they’re challenging career stereotypes. 

You might say the energy industry is a family affair for Tammy Nygard, controller with Montana-Dakota Utilities.

Both of her parents worked at power plants when she was growing up. So, when it came time to determine an industry to start her accounting career, the energy industry was at top of the list.

“I had great experiences with the energy industry because of my parents, and I knew I wanted to work for a utility,” Nygard said.

She started her career at Montana-Dakota Utilities in a professional development program, rotating between departments. Over the years, she expanded her experience by taking on different roles like financial analyst and director of Accounting and Finance, eventually becoming the controller, the position she currently holds.

“Montana-Dakota Utilities is a great company to work for, with endless opportunities for growth,” Nygard said.

She encourages girls to think about a career in the energy industry. “Go for it! It’s a very stable business to be in, as electricity and natural gas are essential to America.”