Structures of Connection

Joanna Slominski ’04 wants us to think differently about construction — it’s more than bricks and concrete.

Story by Paige Johnson ’19 | August 23, 2024

Summer, 2017. The highly anticipated Sanford Medical Center in Fargo had just celebrated its ribbon cutting. Actor Josh Duhamel was in attendance. Fergie performed. Joanna Slominski ’04 and her team sneaked onto the building’s rooftop as people celebrated. The city of Fargo stretched out before them as fireworks sparkled in the sky.

It was the biggest project Joanna, general manager, had led with Mortenson, a construction and real estate company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with 13 geographic offices across the U.S., including one in Fargo.

“It was an extremely rewarding project,” Joanna said. “It was the pinnacle of teamwork. We were all shooting for a greater goal.”

A few months after the hospital opened, Joanna’s son had to be rushed via ambulance to the hospital’s emergency room.

After being in the details of the hospital’s construction for more than five years — reading plans and coordinating efforts for the very room she was in — Joanna described the awe she had as a patient, experiencing the impact of her work in real time. It was a scary moment, but her work had helped ensure the doctors, nurses, and medical staff could give the best care to her son and make him well.

“In construction, when a project is completed, you know you’ve accomplished something tangible,” Joanna said. “Each project is unique and contributes to the betterment of society.”

Joanna, who graduated with a degree in construction engineering from NDSU, celebrated 20 years with Mortenson in 2024. She’s worked on numerous major projects with the company, like Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis; Towner County Medical Center in Cando, North Dakota; and the recently completed Anne Carlsen Center in Jamestown, North Dakota.

Every building you’ve entered has been influenced by the work of a construction engineer like Joanna. Construction engineering is a multidisciplinary field, combining the technicalities of engineering with the nuances of business. Construction engineers are involved in the entire construction process: they work with architects on the design of a space, manage the day-to-day operations of a construction site, and ensure that, once a project is completed, the building owner has the tools needed for continued operation and maintenance.

The Associated General Contractors of America reports that the construction industry contributes $1.1 trillion, or 4%, of the nation’s GDP; in North Dakota, the contribution is $4 billion, or 5.4%, of the state’s GDP. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the field will grow by 5% in the next 10 years.

“The need for engineers and construction professionals for the next 15 years is going to be exponentially larger than it was previously,” Joanna said.

As an alumna, Joanna has remained highly involved with the College of Engineering and the lives of NDSU engineering students. Joanna met Elijah Dale ’24, a construction engineering graduate and field engineer intern with Mortenson, in the company’s Fargo office. They connected through her role on the College of Engineering’s advisory and advancement board and his involvement in the Associated General Contractors student chapter at NDSU. In fact, Elijah says, Joanna encouraged him to pursue becoming president of the chapter.

“Employers have an opportunity to mentor students during internships, or even just through being involved. A lot of companies are pretty involved in student organizations here at NDSU, and I think that’s huge,” Elijah, who is originally from Plymouth, Minnesota, said. “Because students are the ones these companies are going to hire, it’s to their own benefit to help prepare them to be ready outside of college.”

During his first summer as a field engineering intern, Elijah admits he had “no clue what was going on.” With the help of good mentors, by the next summer, he began to be self-sufficient. Elijah now works full-time as a field engineer for Mortenson. He says he feels “far ahead” of his peers thanks to the professional relationships he nurtured as a student and intern. He’s currently on-site for a project being completed in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

“The best thing mentors did for me was challenge me and always be there for questions,” he said.

“Everyone needs some kind of help at some point in time,” Joanna said. “Mentorship is invaluable. My career and whatever success has happened is not because of me. It’s because of the people that I have worked with and the people who have coached me through tough situations. It’s never a one-person show.”

One of the most impactful moments of Joanna’s life came during what should have been her senior year at NDSU. The spring she was set to graduate, Joanna was awake at 2 a.m. working on her senior design project. In a cramped engineering computer lab, as bright screens reflected on tired faces and keys clacked around her, Joanna received the phone call telling her that her father had passed away. Instantly, she says, the people around her took care of her.

The construction engineering department helped her find a co-op experience that allowed her to take a necessary break from her studies. When she returned to NDSU, faculty and staff in the College of Engineering ensured she had everything she needed to complete her degree. She graduated on a Friday. Got married the following weekend. And a week later, started work at Mortenson.

“When you talk about life-changing moments … had I not gone through all the things I went through, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today,” Joanna said.

Connection to others is an important tenet of Joanna’s life and has played an invaluable role in her career. One of Joanna’s most influential mentors is Dan Johnson ’87, current CEO of Mortenson and NDSU construction engineering alumnus. He and Joanna first met when she was a student and have remained close throughout her career.

“I think [mentorship] is critically important,” Dan said. “Everybody needs guides. If you think about your career as an adventure, that adventure is going to be much more successful if you’ve got guides along the way.”

“I wouldn’t be at Mortenson without Dan,” Joanna said.

Mortenson has many opportunities for both formal and informal mentorship; those opportunities extend to entry-level employees like Elijah or more advanced organizational leaders like Joanna.

Elijah speaks “almost daily” with a mentor he met while working as an intern on the Anne Carlsen Center; Joanna and Dan meet quarterly to discuss challenges, bounce ideas off one another, and, generally, check in with each other.

“When folks that you’ve been a mentor to succeed — get promoted, take on new responsibilities — those are really rewarding moments,” Dan said. “The purpose of our company is building for the greater good. But if you really think about what we do, we make people’s lives better. Whether it’s renewable energy or a hospital or higher education or a sports facility, it enriches people’s lives. Seeing the people at our company that build those projects accomplish those things … that’s super rewarding.”

Joanna is at the helm of the future of construction. Since the beginning of her career, she has advocated for women and underrepresented people in the industry and the value of unique ideas and diverse perspectives. She’s excited to work toward innovation in the industry and continue connecting with students and recent grads like Elijah.

She hopes these connections and learning opportunities can be facilitated in spaces like the new Richard Offerdahl ’65 Engineering Complex and through budding initiatives like the College of Engineering’s Industry Connections program.

“The needs of construction are going to cause us to have to think differently,” she said. “Construction is so much more than bricks and concrete. It’s a business about people.”

Mortenson

Mortenson was founded in Richfield, Minnesota, in 1954 by Mort A. Mortenson, Sr. It is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with offices in 10+ cities across the U.S. The company’s resume includes Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California; Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada; and U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Richard Offerdahl ’65 Engineering Complex

In fall 2023, Mortenson and Doosan Bobcat each announced a $5 million gift to the NDSU College of Engineering’s new academic building. Richard ’65 and Linda Offerdahl provided a historic private donation of $25 million. In addition to support from other benefactors and the North Dakota Legislature, these leadership gifts helped accelerate the construction timeline by one year; groundbreaking will begin in fall 2024.

Industry Connections

The College of Engineering launched this pilot program in spring 2024, pairing 27 students with industry mentors from seven companies, including Mortenson, John Deere, and Marvin. Its goal is to provide students with the opportunity to learn from professionals in the field.