October 2001 Highlines Notes - West Acres

Experience West Acres' grand reopening celebration

This story was originally published in the October 2001 edition of Highline Notes. The story is intended to provide additional context to the West Acres story for November 2022 Highline Notes

The biggest and best mall in North Dakota has become even better. And to commemorate the completion of a $19 million renovation, West Acres Shopping Center is holding a grand reopening celebration for the entire month of October. With a new food court, playland, and renovated seating areas, West Acres has much to celebrate as it has become more than a great place to shop. The newly renovated West Acres enhances the experience of the visitor by providing a more family-friendly destination with higher levels of hospitality, comfort, and entertainment.

Cass County Electric Cooperative officials would like to commend the management at West Acres for their commitment to continual improvement of their mall. Back in April of 1971, when construction began on the shopping center, many had doubts that the project would be a success. The doubters couldn't have been more wrong. Today, West Acres is an active, vital shopping center that provides the entire region with an excellent shopping location while contributing tremendously to our local economy and the Red River Valley way of life. West Acres' success is evident when you look at the high-quality merchants you will find there. Only the best malls attract and retain some of these stores. 

West Acres and Cass County Electric - a powerful, lasting partnership

West Acres started with the vision and foresight of a local business legend by the name of Bill Schlossman, Sr. His idea was to take a wheat field southwest of Fargo and transform it into a regional shopping center. Like all his big ideas, his vision was met with skepticism. Even officials as NSP (now known as Xcel Energy) were skeptical of the idea and asked CCEC to serve in this territory in exchange for the territory near the airport. 

Providing electric service to a mall is a major undertaking that requires millions of dollars in infrastructure investment. Cass County Electric, under the direction of general manager, Willard Grager, believed in Schlossman's idea and accepted the task. Ganger and CCEC's board were so convinced in Schlossman's vision that they also provided loans for electrical equipment to upstart the mall. CCEC was one of very few organizations that believed the project had merit and were willing to back it up with investment. Undoubtedly, this was a risk, but it paid off wonderfully. 

A key piece of the development puzzle was Bob Nagle, Cass County Electric's metering manager at the time. Nagle installed all of the original metering for the mall's stores and also worked closely with electrical contractors to coordinate all the electrical service installations for West Acres. According to Nagle, two men made the success of West Acres possible. 

"It was the vision, guts, and foresight of Bill Schlossman and Willard Grager that made West Acres what it is today,' Nagle said. "Bill had a great idea and Willard could envision the economic growth it would bring - so they made it happen."

CCEC provides solution to West Acres energy crisis

In 1973-74, during the energy crisis, West Acres mall had some serious energy problems. According to Brad Schlossman, Bill Sr.'s son and current CEO of West Acres, they couldn't count on oil or gas to heat their building. 

"Oil and gas were in short supply," Schlossman said. Suppliers were literally running out of these fuels, making then unreliable and expensive."

Needless to say, West Acres officials and store-owners were quite concerned. People don't like shopping in a cold mall. They knew they needed to amen the situation, but how? They didn't know what other options they had and were faced with the real possibility of closing in the winter of 1973-74.

"That's when Cass County Electric stepped up to the plate with a revolutionary idea," says Schlossman. "They proposed an off=peak program."

Back then, the thought of off-peak electricity was little more than a wild idea. The concept of off-peak is to use electricity as the primary heating source and use another fuel as a backup during periods of peak electric demand. This form of heating allows CCEC to provide electricity at exceptionally low rates.

West Acres officials trusted Cass County Electric's management and made the switch to an off-peak electric heating system. The change worked, and West Acres was able to escape the energy crisis. West Acres is still using CCEC's off-peak system to this day.

"During a serious energy crunch, Cass County Electric provided us with a reliable and affordable source of power," Schlossman said. "They were there for us when our backs were against the wall"

Today, CCEC continues to work closely with the mall and its tenants on electric service issues, including off-peak heating, time of use electric rates and service reliability.

Providing solutions to customers is a key part of what makes a customer-owned cooperative unique. That is the spirit represented by our national cooperative alliance - Touchstone Energy.

Touchstone Energy Dinosaur Playground

One of the new attractions at West Acres is the Touchstone Energy Dinosaur Playland located in the Herberger's Court. Sponsored by Cass County Electric and other area Touchstone Energy cooperatives, Dinosaur Playland is a secure, clean area for kids to play with model dinosaurs and learn about prehistoric times. 

The West Acres Dinosaur Playland features: stone pathways, a volcano slide, a hallowed out log tunnel, a green and purple Stegosaurus, a blue and red T. Rex, two flying Pterosaurs, a Pterosaur nest with three eggs, and a 15-foot tall red Brachiosaurus. The playland creatures are made of a durable, soft foam surface, a shiny attractive exterior, and a virtually indestructible clear coat finish to withstand rigorous play. These fun structures incorporate traditional play elements such as slides and tunnels into uniquely shaped, attractive soft designs.

According to Clair Vigesaa, CCEC's vice president of development and energy services, Cass County Electric is pleased to be a part of the Touchstone Energy sponsorship of this playland.

"The Playland allows children to blow off steam and helps make the trip to West Acres more enjoyable for children and their parents." Vigesaa said.

Commitment to community is one of Touchstone Energy's four core values, and sponsoring the playland is just one of the many ways Touchstone Energy cooperatives are involved in their communities. That's the power of human connections.