Where Should Developers Look in North Dakota? Bismarck, Minot -- Architects, Peas, Beans, and Pulses -- Why I Love To Blog, Reason #3,109

Two stories here: one from Bismarck, and down near the bottom, one from Minot.

Link here to a Business Tribune article.

An out-of-state developer wrote me yesterday (or the day before) asking where he/she should start looking if he/she wanted to build housing units to take advantage of the Bakken. He/she was concerned about over-building, especially if the Bakken leveled off.

I suggested staying away from the Bakken specifically. He should look east to Minot, Bismarck, and perhaps, even Fargo.

Looking west is a bit more difficult; I didn't have any specifics then, because I am not that familiar with activity in Montana, but my hunch says Billings might be the best spot for a new developer. But that might be a stretch. I really don't know.

But back to North Dakota, and why I love to blog. Within 24 - 48 hours of getting that query and replying, the Tribune has a story of the Bismarck boom. The headline: new professionals bring boom to Bismarck.

Looking for work as an architect in Minneapolis, Christopher Thompson faced a stifling unemployment rate in his field. He was hired by JLG Architects and moved to Bismarck.

"At first, I wasn't sure," Thompson said. "I came in during a snowstorm."

Thompson spends his time on biking trails and visiting local coffee shops. He now likes the town and plans to stay.

"Work is steady and a lot is coming down the line," he said. "A lot of the population growth has trickled down, so there is need for schools and housing. Architecture in North Dakota is booming and attracting people from all over the country."

Drawn by jobs, more professionals, like Thompson, are moving to Bismarck, bringing higher incomes and spurring new development.

"I think what we have seen is that the number of professional services has really expanded in the last 12 to 18 months," said Kelvin Hullet, Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce president.

There especially is growth in services related to the Bakken oil field, Hullet said.

Professionals like lawyers, accountants, architects and engineers are joining firms based in Bismarck and doing work for oil companies.

I wonder if the Dickinson Press editors have read this? I say this because it is professionals like Christopher Thompson who will help solve the problems with regard to transportation, highways, schools, air quality, waste disposal.

Some professionals, no doubt, will help the new millionaires manage their gobs of money.

Bernie Madoff has plenty of time to help answer financial questions, although I don't know if he answers his mail. He can be reached at the federal correctional complex in Butner, North Carolina.

I don't have his mailing address, but I assume you can reach Jon "I simply don't know where the money is" Corzine by writing MSNBC and CNBC, where he once contributed regularly as a guest. I don't see him there any more.

Please be advised of the disclaimer for this blog.

Meanwhile, a Williston-based agricultural processing facility will be expanding -- this time in Minot.

United Pulse Trading, has indicated that the planned facility will include the installation of pulse processing equipment for beans, chickpeas, peas and lentils to augment its U.S. processing capacity at its Williston, ND production facility.

The new facility in Minot will also add additional capacity for value-added pulses production of food ingredient pulses flours, proteins, starches and fibres. It is expected by United Pulse Trading that the new facility, once commissioned in August 2012, will feature an annual capacity of approximately 100,000 mt per year and provide origination reach into central and eastern North Dakota, which is a region of substantial acreage of beans, peas and pulses.

The planned United Pulse Trading facility will be located at Minot’s Value-Added Agricultural Complex, which features North Dakota Port Services Inc.  as an anchor tenant. NDPS provides, through Burlington Northern Santa Fe Logistics and BNSF’s Northern Tier Intermodal line, container services to the complex through its facility adjacent to BNSF’s main-line switch yard featuring daily service and four-lane highway access.

This expansion into Minot brings our company a tremendous amount of opportunity not only due to the city’s strategic location within a strong production area for pulse crops, but also because Minot is an important regional transportation hub,”....

BNSF is owned by Warren.

Another reason I love to blog. I know what beans are. I know what peas are. But I had never heard the word "pulses" in the same triad. According to wiki:

The term "pulse", as used by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), is reserved for crops harvested solely for the dry seed. This excludes green beans and green peas, which are considered vegetable crops.

Also excluded are crops that are mainly grown for oil extraction (oilseeds like soybeans and peanuts), and crops which are used exclusively for sowing (clovers, alfalfa). However, in common use these distinctions are not clearly made, and many of the varieties so classified and given below are also used as vegetables, with their beans in pods while young cooked in whole cuisines and sold for the purpose; for example, black eyed beans, lima beans and Toor or pigeon peas are thus eaten as fresh green beans cooked as part of a meal.

Pulses are important food crops due to their high protein and essential amino acid content.

Like many leguminous crops, pulses play a key role in crop rotation due to their ability to fix nitrogen.