Northwest Blog

Our very own, Dave West took time out of his busy schedule to check in with Bessler Electric! Everything is moving along smoothly, according to Dave. The red brick matches the red hot temperatures we've been seeing here in Bemidji. Do you like what you see? We are SO pleased with the exterior of the building! The east side of the building is nearly done and crews are working their way to the south side of the building. Taking a look inside the building... sheet rock is up! We have new walls and ceilings taking form. Stay tuned as we will continually update you!

Our interior desing committee met today to discuss tile, carpet & C O L O R S ! The interior design committee is made up of NMF staff and guiding us through the process is NMF President, Nancy Vyskocil. We checked out the blue prints as well as the carpet that was already throughout the bulding. You can see it in the picture below, (along with Nancy's cute sandals) it's the one in the middle. Since this is the main carpet throughout the building we are trying to find carpet to compliment it - as we will be re-carpeting all of our offices & conference room. We chose the bottom carpet/color for all office space. Next, up - the bathrooms! This light colored tile will be throughout the bathrooms. We chose the cocoa brown colored tile on the right for a sink/vanity color. Thanks to Jim Steenerson for his hand modeling capabilites! The building is taking shape and we are finding it easy to visualize ourselves in the space. Below, you

Have you driven through downtown Bemidji? The brickwork on the new NMF building is being exposed and we are delighted with the results! The rich  RED color is exactly what we were hoping for. The vault is now gone. A hole for the elevator has been cut in the second floor. And work has begun on staff offices. Things are moving along quickly and an internal committee will meet this week to discuss the interior renovations and decore.

The board and staff of NMF gathered in Mentor last week to discuss strategic planning for the next 5 years. We stayed at The Inn of Maple Crossing, and had a fantastic time. The food was as delicious as the view...and we got a lot accomplished in two days. After several discussions Thursday, we were able to let loose with a dynamic duo. Eric Bergeson, a board member on the keys and Nate Dorr, program officer - grants on the strings. The crowd was very pleased with all of the music selections. Eric - hitting the high notes! Staff and board members jamming out! We were very appreciative of how "hands on" our board was throughout the retreat. We have a very engaged group of individuals working to help NMF better serve our region for many years to come! Praxis Strategy Group led the vision and mission sessions. We thank Delore Zimmerman & Mark Schill for helping to align our goals and strategies! We are excited for our plans to better serv

We wanted to give you one more update on the downtown building before we leave for the weekend! After we had scorching temps all week- the crew is probably ready for a break! Just look at all of their hard work! Filling in the basement with stone- this hole in the floor is where our future elevator will go! The tile flooring is almost all gone. Plus, the old bank vault has been cut out. We have plans to preserve this historic piece. Happy Friday everyone! Stay tuned for more updates each week.

We are spewing with excitement here at the foundation & we're shouting it from the rooftops! Would you look at the view from our new building?!? There is a clear view of Lake Bemidji from our roof! We have removed a skylight from the building. Although it was a difficult decision to "lose" the natural light, we will be saving money in heating costs during the cold winter months. Crews removed the skylight piece by piece. Here is the view from inside. Each piece of the skylight was removed from the roof by crane. By the afternoon, the framing work began to close up the skylight! Inside, the hole for the elevator has been cut in the floor. And crews began to cut out the old vault. Renovations are moving along and we are thrilled to see the changes each week!

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