Hardmeyer - City Magazine

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HARDMEYER: Providing student loan financing has been one of our pillars. In fact, we provide over 70 percent of all student loans in N.D. BND made the first federally-insured student loan in the country 42 years ago. Right now, we’re facing the most significant change in our history: we are at odds with the Obama administration, which has taken the stance, through its budget proposal, to eliminate the federal program we have administered. The Obama administration has decided that the government can provide this directly, taking BND out of the equation. This has been an important role for the bank. We think we can deliver much better customer service than federal contractors hired to deliver a government-run loan program. By October, Congress will decide the fate of this program. In any case, our congressional delegation, along with key BND employees, have been working hard on an alternative solution. Time will tell. What do you say to CM: people who think BND is somehow competing with commercial banks? HARDMEYER: Something that is not understood very well by most North Dakotans is that BND was created to partner with the banking industry, not compete with them. BND acts as a “banker's bank.” Banks have financial needs just like any person does. Banks sometimes have needs for liquidity, needs to share risk or a need to share the loan because they’re up against the legal lending limit. BND has provided a great service to banks by participating in their loans. The loan is originated by a local bank, and we buy a part of it. If we are trying to “incent” a particular part of the industry, like a beginning farmer or the primary sector, we loan money at a lower rate. Don’t you also CM: provide checkclearing services for banks? HARDMEYER: We’re the clearinghouse for virtually all of the community banks in the state. We used to process about 4.5 million paper checks a month. Now, it’s all done electronically. After 9-11, Congress passed “Check 21.” You might remember that, after 9-11, all planes stopped flying for about a week, so all the checks around the country sat on airplanes, and money didn’t move. Check 21 enabled banks to accept electronic images of checks. Now, all banks have electronic-imaging equipment. Banks send check images to us, and we clear them. What’s been CM: your biggest job challenge? HARDMEYER: I have been fortunate. When I stepped into the role of president in 2000, BND was under John Hoeven’s leadership. It was well positioned and operating with a strong sense of purpose. We had a seasoned executive team but, over the next period of several years, it became evident that we needed to invest significant money into technology. Converting to new systems and, in some cases, designing and creating them, has probably been the biggest challenge. We are now into the second year of this national financial crisis, and N.D. and BND are weathering this very well so far. We’ve been fortunate in this state; agriculture and energy sectors have been very strong and other diversification efforts have paid off. Our banks across the state are run conservatively, and that has made a big difference. For BND, as we look to the future, our immediate challenges will be to ensure our permanent role in the student loan industry and to deal with management succession issues. Planning is the key—as I tell our employees, if you don’t know where you are going, all roads lead there. See Eric Hardmeyer's answers to the “City Mag 10” questionnaire by signing up for City Magazine’s online magazine at www.thecitymag.com. 8 thecitymag.com
with Candace Brannan Gerhardt Q: What is the best book you’ve read, and what makes it so good? Eric Stroshane: It’s impossible to give an overall book, but the best one I’ve read lately is “The Book of Disquiet” by Fernando Pessoa. Pessoa writes about the mundane, tedious, solitary life of a Portuguese office worker in such a poetic, rich way that he makes the tedious enviable. Loretta Lord: “Gone with the Wind”—I read it every now and again, about every 10 years. Scarlett O’Hara really had a lot of spunk, didn’t she? Betty Sorlie: “Black Elk Speaks” by John G. Neihardt is an excellent book because it gives such insight into Native American culture. Micaela Brannan Gerhardt: “Walk Two Moons” by Sharon Creech was so good it made me want to write my own book. BAGA City Magazine Ad September & October 2009 Bismarck Art & Galleries Association Autumn Artistry October 6-24, 2009 Fall Art Show HOurs: Tuesday – Friday: 10 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Saturday: 1-3 p.m. • Closed: Sunday & Monday 422 East Front Avenue • www.bismarck-art.org Call BAGA for entry information (701) 223-5986. Daniel McGurren: “The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell and “Life of Pi” by Yann Martell. “The Sparrow” is a work of science fiction. The Jesuit character is such an outstanding character. It’s a story of redemption. “Life of Pi” knocks you over—makes you wonder which story is the real story. Both books cause you to stop, and they stir things within you. Erna Lahr: I like history and mystery books by Mary Jane Clark. One to read is “Grapes of Wrath”— it gives a person an experience of the Great Depression. Take a step to become Miss North Dakota at the Bismarck Preliminary Pageant an official preliminary to Miss North Dakota & Katie Ralston Miss North Dakota 2010 missnorthdakota.org September 2009 9
Page 1 and 2: SEPTEMBER 2009 BISMARCK • MANDAN
Page 3 and 4: Publisher’s Note Time Changes All
Page 5 and 6: GOOD READS | Wicked Prey: Lucas Dav
Page 7: Who’s had the CM: most influence
Page 11 and 12: The Mandan Police Department provid
Page 13 and 14: Roasted tomatoes Ingredients Fresh
Page 15 and 16: YP UPDATE Young Professionals Build
Page 17 and 18: The founders of the site envisioned
Page 19 and 20: MANDAN ON THE Move | Reconstruction
Page 21 and 22: Nestled on the northwest corner of
Page 23 and 24: the original hardwood floors. In st
Page 25 and 26: WEDDING GUIDE | September 2009 25
Page 27 and 28: FEATURE Lance Potter and Mike Yantz
Page 29 and 30: “The heart has been a central foc
Page 31 and 32: CoMMUnItY YoUth SpotLIGht on: Laure
Page 33 and 34: A L A S A D A M A N T E W E L L R O
Page 35 and 36: one simple Little Click By Mike Wet
Page 37 and 38: WE Drive | THE THUNDERBIRD EXPERIEN
Page 39 and 40: Girls High School Volleyball - Mino
Page 41 and 42: continued from page 37 about 20 act
Page 43 and 44: State-of-the-art at itS fineSt: Dic
Page 45 and 46: Gunsmiths have the opportunity to h
Page 47 and 48: Field view of Dickinson's Badland A

Hardmeyer - City Magazine

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