A fulfilling career: after four decades, Dale Johnson says goodbye to Dakota Gas

After 40 years with Dakota Gasification Company (Dakota Gas), a subsidiary of Basin Electric, Dale Johnson is now enjoying the next phase of his life: retirement.

“It’s time to try something different, to figure out what’s next,” he says.

This new phase means no more getting up at 4:30 in the morning to go to work – he now sleeps in until 7; more time spent with family and friends; and making trips to places he’s never been.

It’s a different routine, but one he says he is excited about. Even so, Johnson says he’ll miss the many people he’s worked with at Dakota Gas. Thankfully, he’s just a phone call away if anyone from his old stomping grounds wants to tap his institutional knowledge.

Johnson retired from Dakota Gas on March 3. Before his big day arrived, he shared some thoughts about the company, his career, and what some of his plans are going forward.

Career days

Johnson began his career in July 1985 after graduating in chemical engineering from Montana State University in Bozeman and remembers when he first started with Dakota Gas. It was three years before Basin Electric acquired the gasification company.

“I’m one of not many active employees left who started before Basin Electric bought it,” he says. He saw the plant go from its original partner-owners to the Department of Energy to, in 1988, Basin Electric, and over that time he worked in process engineering and supervisory capacities, as operations manager, and eventually as plant manager. The latter is a position he held from 2013 until his retirement; he describes it as “one of those jobs that is a little bit of everything.”

His career has been an eventful one, filled with many experiences that have helped hone the person he is today. “I’ve spent the majority of my life working at the Synfuels Plant, and it has become a big part of who I am now,” he says. “To think that I’m going to shut that off, turn on a new light switch, so to speak, that gets a little overwhelming.”

Johnson says some of his best memories at Dakota Gas – picked from a treasure trove of experiences – is the time he visited an expansive gasification plant in South Africa, about seven times larger than Dakota Gas; and when he helped move equipment from an ammonia plant in Iowa to North Dakota and then brought it back to life. What seemed like a herculean task at the time was accomplished, he says, “piece by piece.”

And then there are the people. He has held roles that allowed him to impact others and be impacted by them. “The things you remember most are all the people you’ve worked with over the years, all the different personalities,” he says. “That’s a huge part of the job. You spend a lot of hours, a lot of days at work. Being with the people really is the best part of the job.”

Reflecting on the past four decades, Johnson has few regrets.

“I am very proud of what I’ve helped our amazing staff accomplish over the course of my career and have been really blessed by the things I’ve been involved with,” he says. “I so appreciate all the people I’ve worked with over the years and the things they’ve done to help me learn and grow and get things accomplished.”

Retirement living

As for retirement – so far, so good. In this new chapter of his life, Johnson plans to spend more time with family, including fossil hunting with his grandson, and taking more trips with his wife, Caroleen, to places they’ve never been.

“My job has been pretty intense, and so I haven’t taken a lot of time to get out and travel,” he says. “We are really looking forward to having extra time to enjoy new adventures.”

Looking ahead

Johnson says he is confident that Dakota Gas will remain in good hands and that it has a bright future. Trinity Turnbow, who has been with Dakota Gas since 2008, has taken over as plant manager.

Over the years, Turnbow has served in several capacities, including operations manager and assistant plant manager. In 2023 he was promoted to vice president and transitioned into his current role as plant manager over the past few months while Johnson exited the position.

Turnbow praises Johnson for the legacy he’s left at the gasification company and with Basin Electric. “After 40 years of dedicated service, Dale leaves behind an incredible legacy of leadership and achievement,” he says. “His contributions have been vital in shaping the success of this plant. Having stepped into this role a few months ago, I’m proud to build on the strong foundation he’s established.”

Turnbow also says he is excited about his new role at Dakota Gas. “I’m excited to continue working with our talented team to drive continuous improvement and innovation as we deliver on our investment improvement plans and build upon the success of the carbon dioxide sequestration project.”