Broadcaster Press 5 October 9, 2018 www.broadcasteronline.com Medicare Open Enrollment Period Begins Oct. 15 PIERRE, S.D. – Open enrollment for the 2019 Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plan year begins on Oct. 15 and ends on Dec. 7. During the open enrollment period, trained volunteers from the South Dakota Senior Health Information and Insurance Education Program (SHIINE) will offer free assistance to seniors seeking additional Medicare information. If you are in need of assistance, please contact one of the following regional offices to schedule an appointment: •Eastern Region: 1-800536-8197 •Central Region: 1-877331-4834 •Western Region: 1-877286-9072 Individuals taking advantage of the free one-on-one counseling should bring their Medicare card and a current list of medications. SHIINE is a federal program designed to help individuals with questions about Medicare and protecting their benefits. SHIINE is funded through the Administration for Community Living and administered by the South Dakota Department of Human Services Division of Long Term Services and Supports. 3x ...the Value Pod Manufacturing Taking Off In South Dakota Black Hawk, S.D. – Ask a contractor what part of a project consumes the most time and often they’ll tell you it’s the bathroom. From residential to commercial, especially in the hospitality industry, carving out and properly plumbing bathrooms are often the culprits for setting projects behind schedule. But a manufacturing company tucked away in the Black Hills of South Dakota is learning they may have the answer for keeping projects not only on time, but under budget. B&T Manufacturing, based in Black Hawk, South Dakota, 10 miles northwest of Rapid City, manufactures steel frame bathroom pods. These pods dramatically decrease construction time, as they’re manufactured off-site from a construction project. It’s something owner Tim Torpey says is his major selling point. “Contractors like our product because not only can we produce pods quickly off-site, but we also deliver them on time, every time,” Torpey said. “Additionally, we provide excellent advice on how to streamline some construction processes and design that will greatly benefit the end user.” Torpey, who retired out of the Air Force at Ellsworth Air Force Base as a lieutenant colonel, joined a company that specialized in defense contracting in Omaha, Neb. As a side-business, he began a small construction company and through a friend, learned of an opportunity supplying pre-fabricated steelframe pods for hotels. “It’s a lucrative business concept that’s big in Europe and Asia and now the United States is starting to take notice as well,” he said. “We’re wrapping up a contract for a hotel in California and we are hoping to secure a contract for army lodging.” Torpey says after his friend connected him with a Hilton representative, his manufacturing leaped from a crawl to a run. “The biggest selling point is that we manufacture our pods off-site in a climate-controlled facility. Contractors often lose production time when they’re building and plumbing out bathrooms. Subcontractors, weather and other factors limit production on a building site, so our pods eliminate those factors, giving way to on-time completion. “Pod installation is cost efficient, sustainable and durable, and hotel contractors love it because they essentially slip our pods into each room and build around it,” Torpey explained. “Each pod is identical to the next one so building specs are precise, again, making project completion much easier.” Torpey says that while there are competitors who produce similar products, their location and workforce is what sets them apart. “Not only is South Dakota’s business climate an obvious sell but South Dakota is centrally located, too,” he said. “Because of our location we can easily ship our pods for quick delivery, no matter if they’re going east or west, north or south. “In a region that primarily is in the service industry, we’ve found our manufacturing business thrives because of our workforce,” Torpey added. “The career market is beginning to fill and building relationships with students and faculty from the South Dakota School of Mines and Western Dakota Tech has been and will continue to be vital for future growth.” To learn more about pod installation and B&T Manufacturing specifically, go to http:// bandtmfg.com/. Save $30 on a Summer AC Tune-Up! National Forest SurveyJust give us a callTo we’ll Black Hills National Forest Coming and The Soon, the public will see contract employees working on the Black Hills National Forest in developed and dispersed recreation sites and along forest service roads. They will be out in all types of weather conditions, wearing bright orange vests and be near a sign that says “Traffic Survey Ahead”. The National Visitor Use Monitoring (NVUM) survey is being conducted on the Black Hills National Forest beginning Oct 2, 2018 and will go through Sept 30, 2019. The information gathered is useful for forest planning as well as local community tourism planning. It provides National Forest managers with an estimate of how many people actually recreate on federal lands, what activities they engage in while there and how satisfied people were with their participation is extremely important so we can send out a qualified visit. Economic impact to the local economy is assess visitor experiences on the Forest and also captured in the survey. strive to make it a better place to visit,” said Service Technician like The survey gathers basic visitor informaAnnie Apodaca, Forest Recreation Program Tyler, to make sure your tion. Surveys are voluntary and all responses Manager on the Black Hills National Forest. are confidential; names are not included. Inter- “We would appreciate it if visitors would pull AC unit is ready for those views last about 10 minutes. Questions asked over and answer a few questions. It’s important hot summer South Dakota include: where they recreated on the Forest, Reiser interviewers to talk with local people using for Tyler the forest, as well as out-of-area visitors, so all how many people they traveled with, how long days and save $30!* Service types they were on the Forest, what other recrea- Technician of visitors are represented in the study.” 13 years Information about the National Visitor Use tion sites they visited while on the Forest, andexperience Monitoring program can be found at https:// how satisfied they were with the facilities and services provided. About a third of the visitors www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/nvum/ For more information on the Black Hills will be asked to complete a confidential survey National Forest, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/ on recreation spending during their trip. blackhills “Although the survey is entirely voluntary, Carpentry, Decks, WhenWhenComfort… You Want Kalins! 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