Roger Hoyum is a person who rarely shies away from a complex problem in need of a solution. With natural curiosity and a strong belief in his own abilities, Roger left an electrical engineering career at Minnesota Power to start his own business, JDI Contracts.
JDI Contracts offers a diverse set of project management and engineering expertise to multiple industries. The company works with owners, technology providers, and builders to turn their ideas into real systems that perform to strict specifications and production needs.
“We’re looking for opportunities to use our diverse skillset to design and produce combinations of process equipment to do new and innovative things,” Roger explained. “Two years ago we started up Battle River Systems, LLC, and in partnership with JDI and technology and fabrication partners, we are building systems for customers with complex process and manufacturing applications.”
Sound complicated? Maybe so, but when Roger and his team needed financing to help grow the business, Roger knew where to go.
“Grand Rapids State Bank responds to a diverse range of requests from our business, whether it’s helping us manage a cash flow situation or providing other financial tools and expertise,” said Roger. “These requests sometimes baffle other banks. We’ve been told: ‘you do such interesting things’ which may be another way of saying they can’t quite figure out what we do and don’t know how to evaluate the risk associated with lending us money.
“At GRSB, we’ve found a bank that can manage ‘interesting’ and help us to be successful,” Roger added. “They have helped us by asking the right questions about our business opportunities, and providing us with perspectives and a litmus test we both need for success.
“When we walk in with a business opportunity, we understand its technical aspects, but we want to verify the potential financial implications for our business,” Roger continued. “While we’ve worked out the details of how and why an idea is going to work, the financial expertise to help make it a reality is right down the street.”
Roger and his team take comfort that their small technical consulting company can work with bankers who serve as a sounding board while providing feedback in a positive, respectful way.
One of Roger’s passions is community service, and he appreciates that Grand Rapids State Bank also provides an uncommon level of community engagement.
“I know from experience that most banks aren’t willing to extend themselves to the level or extent that Grand Rapids State Bank does in our community,” Roger said. “It’s one more reason I value the relationship I have with my bank.”