Bismarck Tribune - North Dakota News - Company working on Pentagon contract

Company working on Pentagon contract

Jul 11, 2005 - 23:16:11 CDT

By Associated Press

PARSHALL -- Workers here will be converting the paper records of weapons systems and military vehicles into digital documents, under a contract with the Pentagon.

MHA Systems Inc., owned by the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara who make up the Three Affiliated Tribes, was launched with a $3.4 million defense contract awarded two years ago. It has 25 employees.

MHA bought two work stations, each costing $75,000, and plans to use technology supplied by 4-Ward Tech for its new job, called video tracing. It uses a projector to enlarge documents that can be supplemented with text and links to related information.

Many military weapons manuals are bulky, running 700 pages or more.

"You can't take that kind of data with you in your tank, but you can carry a laptop," said Don Bartick, president of 4-Ward Tech Inc., a San Diego, Calif., firm that is helping train and equip MHA.

Video tracing is more demanding than normal data conversion and it requires more training, so workers on such projects will get paid more, said Rosie Michels, the chief executive officer of MHA Systems. She expects a range of $9.50 to $10 an hour.

Data conversion work is ideal for American Indian tribes, often located in remote areas, because geography is no a barrier, Bartick said. The data conversion is labor-intensive, and therefore a good way to create jobs.

Fort Berthold, divided by Lake Sakakawea in west-central North Dakota, has an unemployment rate of 42 percent among its population of 3,776, according to the tribe.

"For some of these people, it's a career path," Bartick said.

Chris Rabbithead, 28, is now a project manager, a year and a half after he started.

Data conversion work is "very detailed -- you've got to follow it to a 'T'" -- but most positions require only basic computer skills, he said. Rabbithead supervises three scanners and checks image quality.

MHA Systems is one of a dozen tribal firms involved in a $60 million program to steer government work to Indian communities.

Three Affiliated Tribes Chairman Tex Hall said the idea of the tribes doing data conversion work for the government was spurred by the Bush administration's drive to "outsource" work to private companies.

"We've really strived to develop the necessary ingredients to take advantage of that," he said. "Right now we're struggling to get more contracts."

Some agencies are reluctant to turn over work to outside contractors, Hall said. "I think it's becoming very 'turfy,"' he said.

MHA has other clients, including the National Library of Medicine, which awarded the firm a $100,000 project to convert old medical journals to digital format.

News > State

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Comments

Stacy wrote on Apr 28, 2008 10:53 PM:

" Do you know if employment records from the 20's for this institution still exist? On the 1920 census records I found a relative of mine working there in laundry ironing clothes. "

Angie wrote on Oct 31, 2007 12:41 PM:

" Do you think there might be a connection of the beating death and assult of Pat Stein, from John Leftbear, to the boy they found Russell D. Turcotte, 19, of Wolf Point? It was only a few years apart and they both happened in or around Devil's Lake. "

get his butt !!!!!!! wrote on Jan 10, 2007 11:07 AM:

" tired of hearing about these punk butt men raping, torturing, and even killing our children....she was only 15 and no one cared...no parents, police,.no one...GLAD i don't live in THAT county "

huh? wrote on Oct 4, 2006 1:24 PM:

" I would like to read comments on Joseph Edward Duncan, not random comments that don't related to the subject of the article. What gives? Have these 3 decided to just jump in randomly or were their comments misdirected to the wrong article????? "

DEAR WEBMASTER!!! wrote on Sep 19, 2006 9:02 PM:

" None of the comments on ANY of the pages follow the story. Go crunch some code, Buddy! FIX IT PLEASE. "

Max wrote on Aug 22, 2006 8:41 PM:

" Who owns the natural gas processing plants and who are the main shareholders. Gov. Hoeven stated in 2004 that Tesoro should get 1 million for nothing. Tesoro CEO had just cashed in 5% of his shares of stock for 25 million and bought back 870 million in bonds and that was when oil was $40 a a barrel he now owns about 1 billion at $70 a barrel I would imagine. The gas refinerys cut production 10% in Feb and early again this spring because their was a surplus on hand because Americans had driven less. This is price fixing as far as I am concern. The Tribune still has not asked about the 5 major oil companies that were being investigated for price fixing. Major natural gas storage operators Duke Energy Corp., El Paso Corp., CenterPoint Energy Inc. and ONEOK Inc. told the Wall Street Journal they had received subpoenas from investigators. Several other companies have not received them but are assisting with the investigation. Is this the 2000-2004 rebate we got back from MDU? Did we only get paid for 1 year like other states instead of 4 years refunds? MDU was vague on how we got over charged. Oil and Gas gave 50 million and was the largest contributor to Repulicans campaings. Is this pay for the 1 million Mr. Hoeven received from the Bush Rove campaign committee in 2000? "

Ken Helegeson wrote on Jun 23, 2006 8:34 AM:

" as a past "small" operator in the 70's and 80's and finally becoming a 0 operator in the 90's by FSA standards I come to realize that the CRP programs has taken away "true" land use for what it was and now pays farmers to short change animal producers from grazing land that is only good for goats, sheep or limited number of cattle nontheless it is grzing and Uncle pays farmers to cash in on land that only reall yproduces meat, thus nationally denying the general public from having their tax dollars put to better use. I think Congress needs to redifine farmable acres and give the meat producers their land back and save some money "

Tim Griffin Jr. wrote on May 18, 2006 10:03 AM:

" They need to free Peltier. He didn't do it. Government just wants to put some blame on someone and they chose Peltier. Free him! Free him! "

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