Руководитель CMTA описывает преимущества нового офиса в Фарго и роль технологий в работе компании

Electrical engineer Andy Bartsch enjoys many aspects of his job, whether it’s on a project site working with contractors or collaborating with colleagues to find solutions to problems. He also appreciates working in the firm’s new West Fargo office, which has views of the Sheyenne River. He is principal and vice president for CMTA's Upper Midwest region and has been with the firm for 17 years. Bartsch says the new office space features an open floor plan with exposed infrastructure to showcase the firm's work. The space includes private pods for focused tasks and larger areas for collaborative meetings. Approximately 50 employees work from this office. Bartsch oversees the firm’s offices in North Dakota, Minnesota and Colorado, which totals roughly 152 employees. ADVERTISEMENT “We have a culture of collaborating, so that open floor plan is very helpful. Where we're situated, we've got great views now, which is a lot different than it was last year,” he said. “Fargo is cool in that it's a cohesive team. People are collaborating constantly,” Bartsch said. “It's very common to look up from your desk and see several different conversations going on where people are either trying to solve a problem or talking about a new cool project they're working on. We've got the Sheyenne River right outside the building, so a group of people may get together and they are having a summer fishing tournament down there. So they'll be telling fish tales or whatever else.” Many of the projects this office focuses on include the healthcare and education sectors, as well as central utility plants. Some of their recent North Dakota projects include the Career Impact Academy in Grand Forks, the Anne Carlsen Center in Jamestown and the Richard Offerdahl ‘65 Engineering Complex at North Dakota State University in Fargo. “We’re very proud of that one,” he said of the NDSU project. “A lot of our engineers and staff members graduated from that school, so that's a cool project. It was definitely needed. It's going to provide some new spaces and some collaborative learning spaces, and some new labs and things like that for more opportunities for students at NDSU while they're there.” Providing sustainable, efficient solutions with a holistic, data-driven approach to building design is what CMTA is known for. It is the nation's only firm delivering MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) engineering, performance contracting and zero energy/carbon buildings, according to its website. CMTA’s work focuses on reducing utility costs, improving resiliency and enhancing community wellness through energy-efficient, high-performance designs. Bartsch said another big part of the company’s mission is to be good stewards of their clients’ resources. Every project has a budget to work within and every project owner has a vision. “Whether energy sustainability is super important to them, or operational sustainability, or sometimes it's that they're interested in designing something that's really cool and cutting edge, we want it to be understood that we can deliver. We're here to provide a service to them, and we're very excellent at it,” he said. ADVERTISEMENT “We're doing what we can to provide them with information so that they can make informed decisions,” Bartsch continued. “We won't make recommendations, but we'll do the analysis for them lots of times. Sometimes it includes analyzing different funding sources to help offset some of the costs.” From AI to digital modeling to advanced building systems, technology is changing the way that CMTA designs its projects. Bartsch said employees are taking advantage of it for all sorts of things that help them do their jobs better. Some of the firm’s employees are dedicated to producing tools specifically for design work. “Everything from quality reviews to research, to producing visual aids and things like that to communicate better what things will look like when projects are done. Some people are using it for communication, helping them write clear documentation, and some people are even using it just to keep their inbox clean,” he said. Once a year, the region’s offices get together and set goals for the upcoming year. They’ll discuss strategic internal initiatives they want to pursue within the region and consider how they relate to the national goals that CMTA is working on, such as supporting employee growth, learning objectives and client outreach. Team members from different offices often collaborate on projects, depending on who has the experience needed. “I'm not sure what it is or why, but our office here has quite a breadth of experience. You know, even compared to some of our offices across the country. They might have a central utility plant project or a project in biopharmaceuticals that they don't have any experience with, and our staff up here does,” Bartsch said. "They may have experience designing a photovoltaic array or installation or some sort of specific project on a higher ed campus or whatever that we have not done. It’s very fun to get to know these team members throughout the country and work with them.” By Carrie McDermott Carrie McDermott joined Prairie Business magazine in March 2023. She covers business industry trends in North Dakota, South Dakota and west central Minnesota. Email address: [email protected]. Listen to this article Conversation