The Good Life – January-February 2021

The Flow of the River 

WRITTEN BY: JEFFREY MILLER • PHOTO BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

During the winter season of snow 

and ice, it's easy to forget about 

rivers. In the Red River Valley, rivers 

are often only thought of in the 

context of spring flooding. That's 

unfortunate because the rivers 

around us are amazing natural 

resources! 

ThE RIVERS 

AROUND US ARE 

AMAZING NATURAL 

RESOURCES! 

The area's largest river, the Red 

River, is unique in the fact that it 

flows north to its terminus. Formed 

2 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com 

after the giant glacial Lake Agassiz 

drained 9,500 years ago, the Red 

River watershed is over 40,000 

square miles in size. Many small 

rivers, such as the Sheyenne, 

the Maple and the Wild Rice on 

the North Dakota side, and the 

Buffalo and Red Lake River on the 

Minnesota side, empty into the Red. 

Unfortunately, many people think 

our prairie rivers are dirty and 

polluted. While it is true that they 

aren't crystal clear, the opaqueness 

comes from suspended silt in the 

water. As the Red flows through the 

bottom of Glacial Lake Agassiz, the 

soil is clay, consisting of very fine 

particles. In moving water, these 

particles stay suspended, coloring 

the water brown. 

Beyond getting our drinking water 

from the Red River, it also provides 

a fantastic habitat for a wide variety 

of wild critters. The forest growing 

near the river is known as a riparian 

forest. Prior to settlement, the 

only trees growing in the prairie 

were along the rivers and streams. 

While small, these forests have a 

staggering amount of biodiversity. 

While it's easy to see deer and bald 

eagles, all kinds of animals make 

their home in the riparian forests. 

There are even some modern-day

wildlife success stories playing out near the river. 

Fisher and river otter, animals that haven't been 

seen in many years, now have breeding populations. 

Nature is resilient, filling all available ecological 

niches. 

Unfortunately, our rivers face obstacles. Run-off, both 

from urban areas and rural areas, dump fertilizers 

and other contaminants in the water. In the past, it 

has been easy to point fingers at who is causing the 

most issues with runoff. We've come to realize that 

all runoff contributes to nutrient overload. 

There are many ways we can protect our waters 

from runoff. Reducing the use of fertilizers and 

pesticides can help with point-source runoff. Before 

applying fertilizer to your lawn or garden, read the 

instructions on the bag. It's easy to think that more 

fertilizer means better plants, that is not the case. 

What isn't used by the soil and plants will wash off, 

increasing the nutrient load of the waterways as well 

as wasting your money. 

Planting perennial grasses and trees also helps 

stem runoff. Exposed soil or short grass near 

waterways allowing both nutrient and soil to wash 

into the water. By leaving a buffer of tall grass 

or trees and shrubs along the bank that runoff is 

captured. The vegetation also helps in stabilizing 

the bank. Excessive erosion can endanger roads, 

properties and homes. The roots of perennial 

vegetation, especially native grasses, flowers and 

trees, hold the soil in place. 

I'm always amazed at the flow of traffic east into 

Minnesota Lakes country each weekend in the 

summer. While that area is beautiful and full of 

recreational opportunities, the Red River also 

offers nearly untapped resources. Kayaking, 

canoeing and hiking can all be enjoyed around 

the metro area. In addition, the Red River offers 

fishing opportunities for world-class channel cat. 

Reeling in a twenty-pound catfish is not for the 

faint of heart! 

As a community, we need to work hard to protect 

our river resources. The Cass County Soil 

Conservation District can help with a variety of 

measures to protect the river. We offer cost-share 

for a variety of management practices as well as 

technical assistance. There is even a watershed 

project area, funded through the EPA 319 program, 

for the Maple River Watershed. Contact us today to 

find out how we can help! • 

urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 3

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021 

VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 4 

THE FLOW OF THE RIVER 

A PROFESSION OF PURPOSE 

Fargo's New Police Chief Ready to 

Make a Difference 

FATHERS - DAD LIFE 

Working and Teaching from 

Home: A Timeline 

GOOSE PRAIRIE FORGE 

Home to Passion and 

Precision 

MEN'S HEALTH 

2021 Goal: Focus on the 

Journey 

ON THE COVER 

Making the Good Greater 

Steve Hallstrom’s Journey 

from the Farm to The Flag 

PEOPLE'S HOME EQUITY 

Local Lender's Mission to 

Serve 

HAVING A BEER WITH 

Having a Beer (Water) with 

Mike Morken 


LOCAL HERO 

Tony Hamilton - Emergency 

Room Physician

PUBLISHED BY 

Urban Toad Media LLP 

www.urbantoadmedia.com 

OWNER / GRAPHIC DESIGNER 

Dawn Siewert 

dawn@urbantoadmedia.com 

OWNER / PHOTOGRAPHER 

Darren Losee 

darren@urbantoadmedia.com 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Meghan Feir 

Paul Hankel 

Ben Hanson 

Jeffrey Miller 

Krissy Ness 

Emma Vatnsdal 

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES 

Darren Losee 

darren@urbantoadmedia.com 

READ A PAST ISSUE 

yumpu.com/user/thegoodlife 

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK 

facebook.com/urbantoadmedia 

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER 

@urbantoadmedia 

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM 

@urbantoadmedia 

The Good Life Men’s Magazine is distributed six times a year 

by Urban Toad Media LLP. Material may not be reproduced 

without permission. The Good Life Men’s Magazine accepts 

no liability for reader dissatisfaction arising from content in 

this publication. The opinions expressed, or advice given, 

are the views of individual writers or advertisers and do not 

necessarily represent the views or policies of The Good Life 

Men’s Magazine. 


Before his first day began at the Fargo Police Department 

on Oct. 5, 2020, Chief David Zibolski had served the state 

of Wisconsin for 36 years, promoting positive change in 

communities across the state. Immediately prior to his role 

in Fargo, he served as chief of police for the Beloit Police 

Department in Beloit, Wisc. 

No stranger to high-tension situations, Zibolski started his 

role at the Beloit Police Department in 2015 in a rushed 

fashion after the city’s previous chief and deputy chief were 

walked out abruptly and later resigned after an internal 

investigation. 

“I kind of came into that position in the 

midst of a crisis,” Zibolski said. “They 

were looking for someone to come into a 

leadership position and essentially take 

over and turn the department in a better 

direction with very little notice, so that 

was a pretty big challenge.” 

Over the course of his five years 

in Beloit, a lot was accomplished. 

Policies were set in place to protect 

both officers and community 

members, violent crimes were 

reduced, and the department greatly 

improved their training programs. 

“It is very different than when I took 

over, and it’s not just my efforts. It’s the 

efforts of the personnel working there,” 

Zibolski said. “Most of the people in law 

“I think my experience in 

Milwaukee really gave me a lot 

of background and experience. 

It was a very busy department 

and a very diverse city, and 

going to the Department of 

Justice provided some of that 

statewide and legislative 

perspective.” – Chief Zibolski

WRITTEN BY: MEGHAN FEIR • PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

enforcement are there because of their passion to serve 

and their understanding of the importance of the role in 

society. It’s getting the right people in place, giving them 

guidance and leadership and then letting them go out 

and do what they need to do.” 

Even before Beloit, Zibolski had always served in 

Wisconsin. A born-and-raised Wisconsinite, he started 

his career in Milwaukee. For 27 years, he was a part of 

their police department where he worked his way up 

through the ranks in various divisions and bureaus. 

In 2011, he retired as a captain and took up a position 

with the Wisconsin Department of Justice as a deputy 

administrator for the Division of Law Enforcement 

Services, a statewide agency that oversees law 

enforcement training and standards for the entire state. 

That’s not a small undertaking. In Wisconsin alone, 

there are 16,000 cops and around 600 agencies. 

Zibolski also oversaw Wisconsin’s Crime Laboratory 

Bureau, Crime Information Bureau and the Bureau of 

Justice Information and Analysis. 

“It was a statewide law enforcement position, along with 

a lot of legislative efforts. We were able to successfully 

pass some bills that enhanced law enforcement training,” 

Zibolski said. “I think my experience in Milwaukee 

really gave me a lot of background and experience. It 

was a very busy department and a very diverse city, and 

going to the Department of Justice provided some of 

that statewide and legislative perspective.” 

A new state of being 

When the five years came to an end at Beloit, Zibolski 

wanted to continue expanding his career opportunities 

and began looking for a larger organization. With family 

in Montana, he wanted to stay in the Midwest. That’s 

when Fargo popped up on the radar. 

“I didn’t really know much about Fargo. My wife and I 

did a little research and came to check it out. We really 

were impressed with the city,” Zibolski said. “There’s so 

much here and so much to do. The growth, the way in 

which it’s managed and the people here were all very 

impressive, so we went through the process and it 

fortunately was successful.” 

While his first few months have been extremely busy 

meeting personnel and learning about Fargo’s operations, 

he’s also starting to plan for the department’s future as 

he contemplates enhancements and evaluates the whole 

organization’s procedures, policies and responsibilities. 

“It’s been a pretty busy first few months, but it’s going 

very well. The job is challenging, but it’s rewarding and 

I’m enjoying that.” 

Overcoming the challenges 

With the current climate of discontent in the nation, 

this is one of the strangest and most difficult times to 

be a part of a police department, but people like Chief 

Zibolski are always up for the challenge. He believes 

those who really want to be community servants 

will continue to become officers. 


“It is an interesting period and rather difficult from a 

community relations perspective. Along with COVID, 

the culmination of those two things has made a difficult 

job twice as difficult and challenging as it was before 

for both being a chief and a police officer,” Zibolski 

said. “I think the success of law enforcement in general, 

especially the success of folks here in Fargo, is a tribute 

to their resiliency. Even though they have to do things 

differently and we have to take precautions we wouldn’t 

normally have to take, they’re still out there every day 

doing their job. That’s what’s important. Certainly the 

community expects that, even when things are difficult.” 

According to one survey by the Police Executive Research 

Forum taken in 2020, of the agencies that participated 

in the survey, there was a 63 percent decrease in 

applications to become police officers, along with early 

exits and retirement rates growing higher across the 

country. There are, of course, differences among each 

city and department, but nationally, the trend is quite 

clear. 

“It’s much more difficult now, but we’ve been pretty 

successful,” Zibolski said, “Last year, our staff put 

together the first academy ever. It was very successful. 

We have a group of individuals who are interested in 

joining the department and they’ve already been through 

the initial training. From that perspective, I think we 

really have both feet in front of the game, and I think 

that’s good for us and our community.” 

Promoting the good life 

In order to create better lives for officers and members 

of the community, Chief Zibolski is hoping to create a 

more efficient staffing schedule that will also create a 

healthier work-life balance for the officers in Fargo. He 

says this will not only make more sense in balancing 

busier with slower times, but also in creating more 

opportunities for positive community engagement for all 

the officers. 

“There are a lot of great, committed officers here. We 

have a community engagement team that’s engaging our 

8 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com

community on a regular basis, but most people 

also want to know their beat officers and they 

want to have those positive interactions with 

the other officers who work here. The current 

schedule doesn’t necessarily allow them to do 

that because they’re busy going from call to 

call,” Zibolski said. "When you’re dealing with 

mostly negative types of things, it’s nice to have 

that positive interaction. Obviously COVID has 

affected events and engagement, but I think we’re 

doing our best to work around that and create 

some different engagement opportunities.” 

As far as how Zibolski views how to live the good 

life himself, finding fulfillment in every area of life 

tops the list. 

“I think you have to be happy on a personal 

level. You want to have a career that’s fulfilling, 

rewarding and has purpose, and you also want to 

have a personal life that has those same things,” 

Zibolski said. “When I stop enjoying doing what 

I’m doing, I’ll know it’s probably time for me to 

retire and find something else. You can’t come to 

a job like this and not be committed, passionate 

and positive about it. I think that’s very important 

for mental health, longevity and living the good 

life.” • 


FATHERS | DAD LIFE 

Working and Teaching from Home: A Timeline 

WRITTEN BY: PAUL HANKEL • PHOTO BY: SOLEN FEYISSA 

9:00 am - Online Learning Time 

Tell your child that you don’t care that the video game 

he’s playing is live and that he supposedly can’t quit in 

the middle of a match. It's time to LEARN. 

Tell your child that we don’t call people names in this 

family. 

Boot up the laptop and attempt to sign in to your child’s 

distance learning portal. 

Swear, because you forgot your login and password. 

Remind your child that we don’t swear in this household. 

Contact your child’s school to retrieve your login 

credentials, only to find out that the school technology 

officer only works Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 am - 

9 am, due to COVID. What? 

Begrudgingly reset your password, using a combination 

of at least ten characters, two capital letters, two 

Egyptian hieroglyphic symbols, and one drop of blood 

from a freshly sacrificed lamb. 

Glance over your child’s lesson plan. 

Regret sleeping through most of your high school and 

college classes. 

11:30am - Lunchtime 

Offer your child a well-rounded meal, featuring a protein, 

complex carbohydrate, and vegetable. 

Explain to your child that this isn’t a three-star Michelin 

restaurant or a hipster bistro and that you’re not taking 

menu requests. 


Remind your child that we don’t call names in this 

house. 

Console your child. 

Try to sneak into your office for a quick work call 

while your child is begrudgingly eating their, “super 

gross,” lunch. 

Be interrupted on said work call because, “the 

peas touched the fish sticks,” and now your child 

can’t eat them. 

Remind your child that this isn’t a hotel and that 

he’s fully capable of bringing his dishes to the sink. 

12:00pm - Naptime 

Verbally and physically wrestle with your child, 

while explaining the importance of naptime. 

After 15 minutes of arguing, settle on an “openeyed 

rest,” in lieu of an actual nap. 

1:30pm - Recess 

No, playing Madden 20 does not count as physical 

activity, even though it’s a sport. 

Partake in a myriad of backyard physical activities 

until back sweat becomes an issue and you almost 

tear a rotator cuff trying to relive your high school 

glory days on the gridiron. 

2:15pm - Creative / Art Time 

Instantly regret agreeing to any glitter - or sand - 

related artwork projects. 

Settle for a Youtube fingerpainting tutorial. 

Sneak in a quick conference call, only to be 

interrupted again because your child ran out of 

blue paint. 

3:00 pm - Music Time 

Silently curse your child’s aunt for giving him a 

recorder for Christmas. 

Consider having music time outside going forward. 

Remember that you live in North Dakota and it’s 

January. 

3:30pm - End of Day 

Relent and let your child have tablet time. 

Make a mental note to post to social media about 

the fact that teachers are MASSIVELY underpaid. 

Open a bottle of wine. • 


WRITTEN BY: KRISSY NESS 

PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA 

Goose Prairie Forge 

home to passion and precision 

You may or may not be surprised 

to find that just north of Hawley, 

Minnesota tucked away on a farm, 

you will find master blacksmith, 

Douglas Swenson. 

Swenson has had a passion for 

blacksmithing since he was a small 

child. 

"My dad had taken a piece of 

equipment to be repaired by a 

blacksmith and he had taken me 

with that day. I just remember going 

into the shop seeing all of the activity 

that was going on at that point. 

There was a fire going in the forge 

and the blacksmith was pulling some 

piece of hot iron out of the fire that 

"i remember the 

bright color 

of the fire and 

the sound of 

the hammer on 

the anvil; that 

was just very 

impressive to me." 

– Douglas 

swenson 

he was working on, hammering it 

on the anvil. I remember the bright 

color of the fire and the sound of the 

hammer on the anvil; that was just 

very impressive to me," remarked 

Swenson. 

Throughout the years, he has 

progressed in the art of blacksmithing 

not only by practicing but also by 

taking the time to get to know former 

blacksmiths from years past. 

"I did have the opportunity, many 

years ago, to visit some of the 

smaller community shops here in the 

area when they existed," mentioned 

Swenson. "I was also able to interview 

some of the existing blacksmiths that 



were just finishing their careers in 

those shops. I was very fortunate 

that I took the time back then to find 

these people and visit with them; it 

gave me a good feeling of what shops 

were like, what equipment they used, 

how they worked, and the type of 

work they did." 

He has a shop on his farm that 

recreates the 1895-1910 era of 

blacksmithing. 

"It is geared towards what you 

would have seen in most of the small 

rural community blacksmith shops 

around the turn of the century," 

stated Swenson. "I chose that period 

because here, in the Red River Valley, 


that was a time of very rapid growth 

and expansion." 

His shop is set up so all of the tools 

and equipment are from that period 

that he has collected and he tries to 

use the same type of work methods 

that they would have 100 years ago. 

"It has always had kind of a special 

feeling to me, that period of time," 

noted Swenson. 

Fortunately, Swenson's passion 

has provided for him and his family 

financially as well. 

"The majority of my time in the 

past two years, as far as the shop is 

concerned, has been spent teaching 

classes," stated Swenson. "I teach 

classes out of my shop directly; 

currently I have 8 individuals who 

come out for private instructions." 

Setting up an appointment for 

private classes is very simple; you 

can contact Swenson through his 

Facebook page, Goose Prairie Forge. 

He is very flexible when it comes 

to scheduling time to visit his shop; 

whether it is during the week or on 

the weekend he can find a time that 

works best for your schedule. 

Don't think that this is all that 

Swenson does when it comes to 

blacksmithing. Currently, he is

on staff at North House Folk School in Grand Marais, 

Minnesota, the Vesterheim in Decorah, Iowa, and Aspire 

Artisan Studio and Folk School in Waconia, Minnesota. 

But, wait, there is more! In addition to his shop and 

staffed positions, Swenson has studied under some of the 

most impressive blacksmiths around. He has studied in 

California, England, and Sweden. 

"I have learned a tremendous amount from those people 

which has been very helpful," said Swenson. 

More recently he has been awarded a grant from the 

American Scandinavian Foundation to return to Sweden 

and study further later in 2021. He is the real deal when it 

comes to being a master blacksmith in the United States. 

Because kids are not in school right now due to quarantine, 

younger individuals, junior high to high school students, 

have set up times to come to visit Swenson's shop as a part 

of their homeschooling curriculum. This is such a clever 

way to get in a little extra history, creativity, and manual 

activity forging and creating. 

"I have a large shop and it has good ventilation. Usually, we 

have individuals, or a couple, or a family group, so we don't 

mix a lot of the public in the shop at this point," mentioned 

Swenson. 

It has to be so rewarding to come with a design in mind 

and execute it with a professional. I spoke with Swenson 

about setting up some time in the future to visit his shop 

and make something; a fire poker or dinner bell perhaps, 

or maybe both! 

"I think it is satisfying for people to be able to do that, to 

make a finished product," said Swenson. 

If you are curious to see what Swenson's work is all about, 

head over to his Facebook page at Goose Prairie Forge, 

and browse around for a while. You, too, will be captivated 

by the sights and sounds of his shop. • 


MEN'S HEALTH 

WRITTEN BY: BEN HANSON 

The Importance of Finding 

Pleasure in New Habits 

Let's all join together, take a 

collective sigh of relief, and 

celebrate making it through 2020. 

It was not an easy year. In fact, 

for many of us, it was the most 

challenging year yet. But with the 

flip of the calendar, we are all given 

the chance at a restart — whatever 

your particular new start might 

look like. 

For the purposes of this column, 

however, we're going to assume 

many of you have a health and 

fitness-related goal. Whether it's 

weight loss, shaving some inches 

off your waistline, or finally diving 

into that Whole 30 cookbook you 

got as a not-so-subtle gift from your 

mother-in-law, New Year's fitness 

goals are as common as a Red River 

Flood. Though, we seem to battle 

floodwaters much more effectively 

than we battle the bulge. 

With the ongoing COVID-19 

pandemic still raging, there really 

is no better time than now to give 

your body and your brain the stress 

relief they so desperately need. 

COVID makes the logistics a bit 

tougher, but exercising during times 

of high stress is a proven method 


for boosting your overall mental 

well-being. You're going to have to 

plan. You're going to have to make 

room in your calendar and make 

it a priority. And to help maximize 

your initial excitement, it's good to 

understand why you may have failed 

in the past… and the super simple 

secret is to long-term success. 

Wrong Goals Lead to 

Failure 

Speaking with Dr. Forrest Sauer, 

Founder of Twin Oaks Health in 

Fargo, the reason why so many of 

us end up failing to reach our New 

Year's resolution goals isn't so 

much that we lack commitment or 

ability, but we always tend to focus 

our energies and optimism on the 

wrong thing. 

"Oftentimes people will only find 

pleasure in the end result… hitting 

the number on the scale or getting 

the six-pack or whatever it is," 

Dr. Sauer explained. "All of your 

emotion and mindset is on that 

goal, but that is such a fleeting and 

very shallow approach to getting 

in shape, because once you've 

achieved it you're done. You hit 

that peak rush… but then what? 

Inevitably, after that huge high 

you suffer a very quick emotional 

drop with nothing left to keep you 

motivated." 

Train Your Brain to Love 

the Work 

When it comes to long term weight 

loss or fitness success, maintenance 

is the name of the game… and it's a 

long game. Your goal may be to lose 

20 pounds, but that's just one goal 

on the long road to lifetime healthy 

weight maintenance. In order to 

achieve that, you've got to find a 

way to fall in love with the work 

that's required. That work needs to 

become a habit. 

"The trick is to find pleasure in the 

act of getting there," Dr. Sauer said 

bluntly. "You gotta force yourself 

to enjoy exercising — it's a mental 

discipline at the end of the day, and 

you can train your brain at this just 

as you train the rest of your physical 

body. 

The reward is that wonderful 

dopamine rush that comes with 

physical exertion, Dr. Sauer 

explained. He says you can train 

your brain to like exercise — and 

learn to love it — by connecting 

those feelings of pleasure with the 

action itself vs. the result in the 

mirror or on the scale.

"The more you love the lifting, 

the running or healthy dietary 

choices, the more likely you are 

to maintain those actions," he 

said. "It's pretty neat, because 

really what you're doing at a 

scientific level is changing the 

chemistry in your brain to keep 

you motivated. Clients that 

suffer from mood disorders like 

depression can do the same 

thing." 

At Twin Oaks, Dr. Sauer and 

his team focus on these highlevel 

changes to help their 

clients achieve lasting success. 

Their goal is to hold people 

accountable by showing them 

exactly what they need to do 

given their specific goals and 

specific body types. It's not all 

calorie counting and reps on the 

weight bench. "For example," 

Dr. Sauer said, "if you want to 

lose 50 pounds, but we uncover 

you suffer from a hormonal 

imbalance, we have to do certain 

things first to address that 

before we can focus on a weight 

loss program that is going to 

last." • 

Special thanks to Dr. Forrest Sauer at 

Twin Oaks Health Solutions, medical 

consultant for our Men's Health section. 


ON THE COVER | STEVE HALLSTROM 

MAKING THE GooD 

GREATER 

Steve Hallstrom’s Journey from the Farm to The Flag 

WRITTEN BY: MEGHAN FEIR 


Throughout his career, Steve Hallstrom, the managing 

partner, radio host and president at Flag Family Media, 

has played many parts. Over the past 30 years, he’s worked 

on a farm, managed a grain elevator, sold Billy Graham 

videos to churches, worked as a mortgage lender and been 

a sports broadcaster on TV, along with other roles that only 

add to the diversity of dexterities displayed on his resume. 

Whatever new responsibility he takes on, one thing 

remains constant: the lessons instilled in him as a boy. 

Diligence, determination and discipline 

On a farm 60 miles north of Minneapolis, Hallstrom grew 

up helping his family raise cattle, hogs and a few thousand 

acres of crops. When he wasn’t doing chores, his younger 

brother and he could often be found playing one-on-one 

baseball, basketball and football together in their front 

yard. 

Although he enjoyed spending time with his family in the 

country, Hallstrom knew he wanted to leave the farm life 

after graduating. He thought he might become a banker, 

a businessman or something in the sports world. He’d 

always had an itch for public relations. But no matter 

how far he traveled from the farm, he carried the same 

diligence, determination and discipline with him, habits he 

learned from his father. 

“My dad wasn’t a man of many words, but I saw him work 

all the time. He was always teaching us lessons about 

responsibility and hard work and that you get out of it what 

you put into it,” Hallstrom said. “While I don’t remember 

thinking at the time, ‘Gosh, my dad works hard and that’s 

why he’s had a good run at life,’ it’s obviously where I got 

that work ethic from. I’ve tried to take it with me the best 

I can.” 

Taking it with him 

Throughout his years studying at Bethel University in the 

Twin Cities and the years that followed in his careers, 

Hallstrom harnessed his work ethic and strong faith in 

God to navigate the right path. 

Following his college graduation, Hallstrom was eventually 

employed at Prudential Home Mortgage Company after 

spending a few years working as a grain elevator manager 

for his father’s farm and as a marketer for the Billy Graham 

Association. People started telling him he had a voice for 

broadcasting. 

The suggestion intrigued him, and he went back to school, 

enrolling in night classes at Brown Institute, a tech school 

in Minneapolis. He went on to work for news companies in 

St. Cloud, Minn., and Minot, N.D., before moving to WDAY 

in Fargo. Over the course of 12 years, Hallstrom became a 

daily guest in the homes of thousands of Fargo-Moorhead 

residents as he reported the latest news in sports. 

After a long stint at the broadcasting network, the 

recognizable sports reporter felt a nudge to move on. For 

five years he managed the Northeast Region of National 

Sales at Discovery Benefits, earning several awards for 

sales excellence. 


“ 

WDAY has 

always been 

synonymous 

with news… 

It’s just taking 

the good things 

and making 

them better.” 

– Steve Hallstrom 



“I’m really lucky because I have 

a great partner in Scott who 

has done so many of these 

things at other places.” 


Whether ordained or by chance, all of his varied career 

experiences, interests and skills were woven together to 

make Hallstrom thrive in his current roles as a manager, 

broadcaster, accountant, strategic thinker, salesman 

and leader for his team and others’. While all of his past 

positions were good jobs, his current station at Flag 

Family Media is even better as it utilizes all of his learned 

proficiencies and passions. 

“I get to do all those things — sales, broadcast, public 

relations and accounting,” Hallstrom said. “But I think 

what I enjoy the most is building the organization and 

figuring out the vision for where we want to go.” 

Visualizing the future 

For almost 6 years, Hallstrom has been a prominent part of 

Flag Family Media. Two years ago, he and his Flag Family 

Media partner, Scott Hennen, started Fieldstone Group, a 

full service creative and strategic consulting business that 

helps executives establish strategies and ideas for their 

businesses. 


After successfully managing two companies together, Hallstrom and 

Hennen are taking on another exciting challenge with their team: the 

acquisition of WDAY radio (News-Talk 970 AM and 93.1 FM) and 

creating a vision for its future. The partnership agreement went into 

effect Nov. 9, 2020. According to the agreement, Flag Family Media 

will fully operate the stations and exercise a buy option. 

“I’m really lucky because I have a great partner in Scott who has done 

so many of these things at other places,” Hallstrom said. “I think, I 

dream, I pray for wisdom on how to do all of this, and I talk to Scott 

and know he’s doing the same. The two of us really make a lot of the 

decisions together.” 

As the friends envision their strategy with the acquisition, Hallstrom 

likes to do what he calls reverse engineering — visualizing and working 

backwards from the point of success. 

“What does it look like if WDAY and WZFG are just running at 100 

percent efficiency, really vibrant, bold and energetic? What does that 

look like and how do we get there? Who do we hire first? Who are the 

partners in the community that can help us get there? Those are the 

things that really drive me, and it’s the most fun part of my job.” 

Although this partnership will create some changes for WDAY radio, 

the network will still carry out their 98-year reputation of being a 

reliable and timely source of news and information. 

“What they have at WDAY as far as who they are isn’t going to change. 

WDAY has always been synonymous with news,” Hallstrom said. “In 

the radio world and our part of the world that means weather as well, 

but it also means ag. When something happens with trade policy that 

affects corn and soy farmers or sugar beet growers, that’s news too. 

We want to do all that, but we think there’s a lot of untapped potential 

with WDAY radio right now that we can grow into something that I 

think we’re all going to be really proud of and excited about. It’s just 

taking the good things and making them better.” 

“I think what I enjoy the most 

is building the organization 

and figuring out the vision for 

where we want to go.” 




Making radio better 

Since every form of media is continually changing at a 

rapid pace, it’s easy to make assumptions about radio’s 

signal fading out of relevance. But that clearly isn’t the 

case. 

The Radio Advertising Bureau reported that 80 percent 

of Americans are still tuning into the radio at some 

point every week. Another survey taken by Nielsen last 

spring found 83 percent of consumers were listening to 

as much or more radio before COVID-19 hit the United 

States. 

“Radio is the original social media. It’s a way for you 

to instantly get what you’re looking for. On your social 

media apps, you can get a piece and a voice, but you tend 

to get the same kind of stuff. In radio, if something’s 

happening we can open up the phone lines. People 

weigh in and learn from each other and make sense 

of the world as they process together. There’s always 

going to be a desire for that, no matter where you are.” 

“We don’t think radio is going away, but you’re going 

to have to be really good at doing it,” Hallstrom 

said. “As long as we continue to be relevant with the 

content, compelling to listen to with great local hosts 

and accurate, meaningful information, we’re going to 

have a product of content that will always be valuable, 

although what that looks like and how we distribute it 

may change over time.” 

Living the good life 

If you were to ask Hallstrom’s team what some of 

his favorite motivational, life quotes are, they could 

probably recite a long list. Many of his favorites are 

Bible verses, although he’s quick to admit he’s not some 

spiritually perfect person who has it all together. 

One of his favorites is Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the 

Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own 

understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and 

he will direct your path. 

“That part that says, ‘And lean not on your 

understanding…’ There were so many times where I 

thought I knew it all and had the answers. It turns out 


I didn’t. I’ve become very aware of 

how bad my decisions can really be 

sometimes.” 

Another verse he stands by is 

Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the 

plans I have for you,” declares the 

Lord, “plans to prosper you and not 

to harm you, plans to give you a hope 

and a future.” 

“I feel like this whole road I’m on 

was orchestrated millions of years 

ago, and I’m kind of just following 

it. There’s a lot of peace in that, and 

it really gives me a lot of comfort 

knowing that if I’m asking God to 

direct my path and chart my steps 

for me, then I know for a fact that 

I am exactly where I’m supposed 

to be,” Hallstrom said. “It’s easy to 

feel like the measure of me is how 

much money our company produces, 

how big our building is or how many 

people work here, but it’s not. To me 

it’s always going to come back to who 

I am in Christ. 

When this life is done… the only 

thing I hope someone says about me 

is that I was a guy who loved people. 

I’m honestly embarrassed for the 

many times in my life when I haven’t 

been that way nearly enough and it’s 

been more about the career and the 

success. I have a long way to go, no 

doubt about that.” 

Living “the good life” to Hallstrom 

entails a lot more than material 

gain, temporary satisfaction or 

worldly success. He says it’s simply 

“appreciating what you have.” 

“I think I’m living the good life,” 

Hallstrom said. “I feel like I’m one 

of the most blessed people who has 

ever walked the earth, and as long as 

I feel that way, I won’t take much for 

granted.” • 

“ 

“When this life is done… the 

only thing I hope someone 

says about me is that I was a 

guy who loved people.” 



Local Lender’s Mission to Serve 

People’s Home Equity Branch Manager Leans on Navy Background 

to Drive “Homes for Heroes” Program 

WRITTEN BY: BEN HANSON 


For new enlistees in the Armed 

Forces, the first stop is boot camp. 

Already a demanding few weeks of 

physical exertion and skills training 

meant to sharpen one's instincts 

and resourcefulness, boot camp in 

June in hot and muggy Orlando, Fla. 

makes the challenge all the more 

difficult. At the age of 18, that's where 

Shane Tiabiatowski got his first taste 

of active duty service in the United 

States Navy, beginning a five-year 

engagement that would develop his 

leadership skills and fortify his love 

of country and service. 

After graduating from basic training 

in August, young Tibiatowski jumped 

back in his car to head home. But 

just two weeks later, he was back 


in the car on the way to Naval Base 

San Diego, the principal homeport of 

the Pacific Fleet, where he would be 

stationed from 1990-1994. 

From his base in San Diego, 

Tibiatowski served as a damage 

control man and in the security forces 

aboard the guided-missile destroyer 

USS Chandler. His ship was a Kidd 

class destroyer designed primarily 

to provide air defense, and his crew 

often found themselves charged with 

intercepting illegal drug traffickers 

out at sea. But during the Middle 

East conflicts of the early '90s, he 

also served tours in both Desert 

Storm and Desert Shield." 

"My ship had 356 crew aboard," 

Tibiatowski explained, "and we did 

what was called plane guarding for 

the aircraft carrier group. We were 

the lead force out front. I spent a lot 

of time out at sea, and I enjoyed every 

bit of it. But like anything you do, my 

love of service and the military really 

blossomed after I got out." 

It's that love of country, that sense of 

duty and desire to give back that drove 

Tibiatowski to his current mission in 

life. It may seem like a far cry from 

active duty, but he has found a way to 

connect his time in the service to the 

service he now provides to his clients 

at Peoples Home Equity Mortgage. 

Local Leaders, Local Lenders 

Though he no longer wears a

uniform to work, Shane Tibiatowski 

continues to lead his life based on 

a code of honor and ethics that 

drives him to find creative ways to 

honor those who have answered the 

call to serve. As Branch Manager 

of Peoples Home Equity Mortgage 

Lending, he's committed to 

providing the same level of service 

to homebuyers in the FM area that 

he learned during his time on Active 

Duty. 

"Every branch manager can run 

their branch the way they see fit," 

Tibiatowski explained. "I run my 

business — alongside my wife, 

Heather — the way I do because I 

want to provide personal service to 

our clients and give them that feeling 

of complete confidence that they 

are being taken care of throughout 

the life of their mortgage. We don't 

have call centers. We don't sell your 

mortgage to a big bank and walk 

away. We are your mortgage team 

through it all, answering calls all the 

way up to 10:00 p.m. at night if need 

be." 

"Homes for Heroes" 

With his military service never far 

from his mind, Shane Tibiatowski has 

partnered up with an organization 

called "Homes for Heroes," a 

program that helps local military 

veterans, police, first responders, 

teachers and other "heroes" get the 

most affordable home mortgage 

option. 

"The Homes for Heroes program 

started about twelve years ago, but 

not every lender can be a part of 

it," Tibiatowski said. "As a lender, 

we have to find creative ways to 

give back, and the best way we've 

found to show our gratitude to our 

local heroes is by offering a $1,000 

discount (at least) on each loan we 

write for our vets, police officers, 

firefighters, etc. These people 

deserve more than just the thankyous 

and accolades, so when they're 

buying a home or refinancing we 

want to say it a little louder by giving 

them a bigger discount." 

Peoples Home Equity also serves 

the entire community, and offers 

the same low rate to all customers 

regardless of their background. 

While big banks and other lenders 

rack up various fees, Tibiatowski 

and his team charge the same low 

rate — just $1,295 — with no hidden 

or extra costs. 

"It's important to us to see people 

happy and successful, get the best 

interest rates and lowest fees," 

Tibiatowski said proudly. "It's not 

always an easy process, but we 

think we make it pretty darn simple 

and stress-free. We want the best 

possible outcome for our clients." • 

"It's important to us to see people happy 

and successful, get the best interest rates 

and lowest fees." – Shane Tibiatowski 

According to Tibiatowski, it's a great 

time to be a home buyer. Whether 

you're a first-time buyer taking 

advantage of low down-payment 

mortgage options or a move-up 

buyer looking for more space and 

that home office we all need right 

now, rates continue to hover near 

all-time lows. 

"It's an amazing time to be a 

buyer," he said enthusiastically. 

"Even if you're just thinking about 

refinancing your current home, 

rates are so low you'll be able to get 

a lower monthly payment or even 

take years off your mortgage. We'd 

be happy to sit down and go through 

all of your options and see what 

might be the right fit and save you 

the most money." 

Contact Shane Tibiatowksi at Peoples Home Equity by calling 701-390-1674 

or emailing stibiatowski@peopleshomeequity.com. 


HAVING A BEER WITH | MIKE MORKEN 

HAVING A BEER (WATER) WITH 

MIKE MORKEN 

WRITTEN BY: MEGHAN FEIR 


For 42 years, Mike Morken has been 

working in the world of broadcast 

television, but his love for the 

profession actually began as a kid. 

Originally from Rolla, N.D., Morken 

lived only a few moose tracks away 

from the Canadian border, where he 

only had access to four TV stations. 

While watching sports, he’d turn 

down the volume and talk into a pen 

to provide commentary. 


When high school was in the rearview 

mirror, Morken attended Minot State 

University to study broadcasting and 

drove his 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 

from Rolla to Minot and back. As a 

college student, he started working 

as a studio camera operator at 

KXMC-TV and worked his way up to 

news director and anchor (using real 

mics this time). 

After 10 years at KXMC, Morken and 

his family moved to Fargo in 1989 

to work for KXJB, which later joined 

forces with KVLY, and 32 years later, 

he’s still keeping his job fresh. 

On an abnormally mild day in 

December, Morken and I paid 

Brewhalla a visit and chatted about 

aliens, audacious gym rats and more. 

Read on to learn some lesser-known 

facts about the well-seasoned news 

anchor.


HAVING A BEER WITH | MIKE MORKEN 

Good Life: What do you think about 

aliens? Do you think they exist? 

Mike Morken: There has to be 

something out there. I don’t know 

if they’ve visited New Mexico or 

anything, but I’ve watched “Star 

Trek.” I know there are beings out 

there. 

GL: What’s your favorite animal 

noise? 

MM: My favorite animal noise is the 

sound of a pug barking. My daughter 

has a pug named Sammy and she’s 

the cutest dog. Sammy has been the 

family dog for the longest time. Our 

daughter lives in Madison, so as 

much as we like to see her, we like to 


see Sammy. 

GL: What keeps your job fresh? 

MM: Every day and every newscast 

have new hills to climb. There are 

times when you have a challenge or 

two, and if things go wrong, you don’t 

have time to complain or be mad. You 

just get ready for the next newscast. 

GL: How is your success rate for 

keeping New Year’s resolutions? 

MM: It’s about a three-month 

timeframe. I can remember being at 

a gym and a lady came up to me and 

said, “Oh, you’re one of those people 

that probably had a New Year’s 

resolution. Yeah, you’re the kind 

that’ll be gone by March or April.” 

And she was right. 

GL: The audacity. I can’t imagine 

having the gall to say that to someone. 

MM: I remember trying to talk to 

my mom after she made a comment 

I didn’t think was quite right. I said, 

“Mom, you can’t paint everybody with 

a broad brush,” and my mom said, 

“That’s the only brush I have.” Okay, 

Mom. 

GL: How do you feel about green 

olives? 

MM: Oh, I like ‘em — with pimentos! 

GL: Out of all the news stories you’ve 

covered, what’s been your favorite?

MM: In 1991 a group of North Dakota National 

Guard soldiers were called to go over to Saudi Arabia 

in preparation for Operation Desert Storm. They 

went over not knowing what was going to be asked of 

them, other than to provide purified water for troops. 

They didn’t know how long they’d be there. They 

didn’t know what they were getting into. It was just a 

call to arms. From the time we arrived until the time 

we had to leave, we only had a 76-hour window to 

be there, but we visited all four units and videotaped 

each and every one of the soldiers, so they could say 

“Happy Holidays” or whatever they wanted to say to 

their families. Then we brought back all the holiday 

greetings and went to church basements and town 

halls to air those for the soldiers’ families. It was 

so magnificent to bridge concerned families and 

soldiers halfway around the world. We had little kids 

coming up saying, “That’s my daddy!” Then we also 

videotaped greetings of the families and sent them 

back to the soldiers. I’ve had wonderful opportunities, 

whether it’s flying with the Blue Angels or interviewing 

politicians and entertainers, but bridging a long 

distance for families was the coolest. 

GL: What does living “the good life” mean to you? 

MM: It’s the opportunity to be able to earn a living, 

to pay your bills and to be able to have choices on 

what you’d like to do when you’re not working. It’s 

opportunities to laugh with family members, to be 

around moments that can turn into memories forever 

with the people you care about, both family and 

friends, and to have good health. • 


LOCAL HERO | TONY HAMILTON 


IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY... 

Local emergency room physician’s unconventional 

path to medicine and how work-life balance checks 

the boxes for “a good life” 

WRITTEN BY: EMMA VATNSDAL 


It's the question that everyone inevitably answers growing 

up — with an answer that changes more times than anyone 

can even remember — before it finally becomes a reality: 

what will you be when you grow up? 

For emergency room physician Tony Hamilton, the road 

to medicine started out a little differently than one might 

think. 

"I thought I was going to be a lawyer," Hamilton said, as he 

was preparing for another overnight shift in the Emergency 

department of Essentia Health in Fargo. 

And that was over three decades ago. 

"I started off at the University of Illinois with a double 

major in English and Psychology. There was a lawyer 

there that said 'You know, this is a good way to do this, 

that's going to set you apart when you apply for law school 

and that's going to give you a base for speaking well and 

writing well, and knowing the psychology of the people 

that come to you.' And, in a way, that's a good base for 

anything, for medicine as well." 

It wasn't until his fourth year of undergrad, while averaging 

40-60 hours per week at two jobs and carrying a full, 

17-credit class-load, that Hamilton realized he wasn't as 

passionate about law as he'd originally thought. 

"It's like, 'Oh my gosh, now what am I gonna do?'" he said. 

While Tony was trying to figure out his own career path, he 

continued to work and build a life — eventually marrying 

his wife, buying a house and starting a family. 

However, sometimes it takes a little nudge from the fates 

to get people to move on the right path. Hamilton's nudge 

came in the form of family. 

"My younger brother went into the Air Force and wound up 

going into medicine," Hamilton said. "He was in medical 

school that first year and he said 'You should think about 

doing medicine. There are things you enjoy, and you just 

keep goofing off here and not really getting anywhere and 

you're just taking classes and adding more to your resume 

without really doing anything with it, so you should think 

about medical school.'" 



The push was all he needed to steer him down his new path. 

Hamilton eventually found his way to medical school at the University of 

Oklahoma, followed by a residency in the emergency department at the 

Oklahoma State University Medical Center in Tulsa, Okla., then called the 

Tulsa Regional Medical Center 

In 2005, he and his family moved back to his wife's hometown of Fargo, where 

he began his career with Innovis Health, which eventually became what is 

now known as Essentia Health. 

Nowadays, one can find Hamilton still at home in the emergency 

department at Essentia Health in Fargo. 

Work hard... 

For many jobs, there really isn't such a thing as a "typical day." 

This especially rings true for jobs like Hamilton's, in Essentia 

Health's emergency medicine department. 

In fact, the only "typical" part about the job is the shifts they 

keep — straight 12 hour shifts, flip-flopped around during the 

week. 

The other parts? Now that's a different story. 

"In the emergency department, we're kind of a central hub for this area," 

said Hamilton. "Everything from just this side of St. Cloud, all the way out

to Jamestown, North to just this side of Altru… We 

actually go out to the North Dakota-Montana border, 

as far as what gets sent to us frequently — they have 

small hospitals and don't have a lot of specialty resources." 

Especially now, in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic, 

physicians like Hamilton are seeing patients from as far 

out as Iowa and Wisconsin. 

"We have to be able to take care of new things that may 

be beyond the level of what can be provided in an outlying 

area," he said. "We've got to be able to do that here." 

Critical strokes, heart attacks, traumas and more — no 

matter what the call, surgeons and physicians have to be 

ready at a moment's notice to stabilize, treat and turn out 

patients as soon as possible. That rings true now, more than 

ever, as pressure to keep stable patients out of the hospital, 

and to move patients through the emergency department 

more quickly, rises and becomes more important with 

each passing day; both for keeping beds open for patients 

in critical condition, as well as for limiting exposure from 

COVID-positive patients to patients who have not been 

exposed. 

Even before the pandemic, there was very little that 

Hamilton hadn't seen or experienced. 

"One of the things 

I have to say about 

the residency at Tulsa 

Regional, it was an 

aggressive residency," he 

said. "Very aggressive. So I 

knew 

what I was getting into when I got 

into this, so nothing really surprises me anymore. 

But it's kind of one of those things where, in emergency 

medicine, you're going to see those crazy things at some 

point." 

Especially on the mental health side of things, Hamilton 

says that's one of the things he's seen increase specifically, 

since the onset of COVID. 

"I think that one of the things that we're seeing with the 

pandemic is the mental health thing has kind of gone off 

the rails," he said. "Prairie St. John's does an excellent job 

of helping us out. I've never worked in a place where we 

had such access to psychiatric services. I think people are 

tired of being holed up," he said. "I think it puts a strain on 

a lot of folks and all those things that kind of sit under the 

surface are getting expressed more now." 

Play hard. 

While his work in the emergency department takes up 



nearly 170 hours of his month, once he is clocked out of 

his shift, he leaves his scrubs at the door. 

"I'm not an ER physician outside of work," Hamilton said. 

"It's what I do for work, but it's not my life. So when I 

come home, it's about spending time with my family, doing 

things, hobbies — just working on doing things around the 

house with my wife and kids." 

"I like doing it. It's a challenging job. 

Mentally, you have to know something 

about everything." – Tony Hamilton 

Hamilton and his wife, Dorene, have been married for just 

shy of 30 years and have raised three children together, 

Hannah, Daniel and Abby. 

"It's kind of been a deficit when my two older kids moved 

last summer to Oklahoma," he said. "But along with that, 

you know, my wife and I spend more time doing things 

together. But once the scrubs come off? I'm just Tony." 

Stress is real. 

Working in the emergency department at a Referral Center 

hospital during a global pandemic isn't a walk in the park, 

though. And, regardless of whether you're a newcomer or 

have several decades of experience under your white coat, 

like Hamilton, it's still very possible for physicians to burn 

out if they're not careful. 

Fortunately for Hamilton, he's developed self-care practices 

that work well to keep his mind right and his body in topperforming 

condition. 

"I'm very good at compartmentalizing," he said. "When I 

walk out the door, I get in my vehicle and it's gone. I got 

to maintain a schedule, I know I've got to get a certain 

amount of sleep, I've got to exercise before I go to work 

— and I can tell when I'm not doing that if I go a few days 

without following that routine. I'm burning down and my 

fatigue levels go up." 

Hamilton says it's all about finding that sweet spot between 

home life and work life so that your overall life can remain 

fulfilled. 

Future plans? 

While he isn't planning on retirement any time soon, the 

51-year-old has found his forever home in emergency 

medicine. 


"I like doing it," Hamilton said. "It's 

a challenging job. Mentally, you have 

to know something about everything. 

Your brain has to be moving fast, 

because if you wait 10 minutes on 

something, it's crashing or you've lost 

your golden period or you've screwed 

up. So, as long as I'm mentally or 

physically able to do it, that's what I 

plan to do." 

Eventually, Hamilton says he will 

have to cut down on hours a bit, but 

he says when the time comes where 

he's unable to work in the ER… 

"I plan to completely jump out of it," 

he said. "I don't see myself doing a 

different type of medicine." 

Retirement will be spent traveling 

with his wife and kids, doing hobbies 

and whatever else comes his way. 

A perfect way to live, what Hamilton 

truly believes to be The Good Life. 

"When I got into residency," he said. 

"One of the people that interviewed 

me for that spot said, 'Okay, so we 

see a lot of people burn out, and they 

do this residency, and you see people 

that wind up realizing they made a 

mistake. This is challenging for your 

family — they don't see you for long 

periods of time, you show up after 

working nights, and you're just kind 

of this person that drifts to the house, 

and what happens if you find that 

happens for you?' 

"And my comment was, 'Look, I had a 

good career before this, I was able to 

feed myself and my family before, if I 

find that it's tearing my family apart. 

I'm not going to be doing emergency 

medicine, I'm going to do something 

else. Even if I have to go back to what 

I did before.' 

"And the interviewer, who was on a 

panel asking questions said, 'That's 

the best answer I've heard all day.' 

So for me, The Good Life means 

being able to have a fulfilling career, 

but more importantly to be able to 

have a fulfilling home life with my 

family. •

The Good Life – January-February 2021

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?