FARGO, N.D. – October 24, 2025 – This month, the American Institute of Architects—AIA North Dakota and AIA South Dakota chapters—held ceremonies to formally celebrate their 2025 Honor, Merit, and Juror’s Choice award winners. Projects by JLG Architects earned a total of seven awards across both states, including all three honors presented by AIA South Dakota and four of five awards presented by AIA North Dakota.
JLG’s Sports Studio, led by Principal Architect Tom Betti, earned three awards, recognizing the Fargo Parks Sports Center, Dakota State University’s Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field at the Beacom PREMIER Complex, and Lake Brophy Welcome Center.
“In the sports and recreation realm, these projects are gamechangers for students, fans, and families,” said Tom Betti, JLG Architects’ Principal Sports Studio Leader. “It’s not just about sports; it’s about creating a multi-purpose epicenter that builds year-round connections across campus and community. It’s exciting to see our team and clients earn recognition for the outcome of multi-sport solutions, creative collaborations, and high-performance design.”
SPORT & COMMUNITY RECREATION HONORS
AIA ND HONOR AWARD
Fargo Parks Sports Complex | Fargo, ND
With Fargo Park District and Sanford Health, JLG designed a nearly 400,000 SF multi-sport facility that includes a 95,000 SF field house, a 25,000 SF Sanford Health Sports Performance center, a 350-meter three-lane walking track, eight hardwood courts, one full-sized collegiate basketball court, two indoor sheets of ice, six indoor pickleball courts, an indoor playground, admin offices, and multi-purpose support/amenity spaces. JLG’s design is based around an open central spine, diffused daylight, campfire-inspired gathering points, and unobstructed views from one end of the facility to the other – offering clear visuals into all activity zones. JLG further ensured the first-floor community space and corridor remained visually open with a ceiling-mounted second floor. This concept eliminates the need for main-level beams, providing athletes and fans with simplified wayfinding that eases circulation. Even with simultaneous soccer, hockey, pickleball, and volleyball tournaments underway, this facility ensures visitors never get lost in the crowds.
AIA ND MERIT AWARD
Dakota State University: Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field at the Beacom PREMIER Complex| Madison, SD
Designed by JLG, Trojan Athletics’ 54,000 SF new Complex and Stadium kicked off with plans for the 2023 Dan Beacom Track Complex, featuring a full-sized synthetic turf soccer field surrounded by a new eight-lane 400-meter polyurethane track. The 2024 phase delivered the Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field, which is connected to the new Beacom PREMIER Complex. The Stadium and Complex bring a 1,800-seat grandstand, designated esports space, a team store, concessions, and premium team, training, and locker spaces. The $38 million project is the first new DSU athletics facility since the Fieldhouse was finished in 1960. DSU’s Complex and Stadium help boost student enrollment and athletic performance, expand academic growth, balance distribution of majors, and increase revenue-generating opportunities for both DSU and the greater Madison area.
AIA SD MERIT AWARD
Lake Brophy Welcome Center | Alexandria, MN
The Lake Brophy Welcome Center, on 160 acres near Alexandria, MN, was designed by JLG for the Douglas County Public Works Department. The new pavilion bolsters Brophy Park’s status as a year-round, nature-focused recreational hub. The new multi-purpose Welcome Center minimizes impact on park land and creates a cooler micro-climate that protects visitors from the sun. The new durable, low-maintenance structure also provides essential hosting amenities that support a wide range of activities, from family picnics and outings to educational programs, concerts, and cross-country ski rentals. JLG’s holistic design screens roadside traffic and frames the view, connecting visitors to the site’s 9,000 feet of shoreline, mountain biking and hiking trails, and water route connections to the Alexandria Chain of Lakes, Long Prairie State Water Trail, and Central Lakes Trail.
ADDITIONAL AIA RECOGNITION
JLG Architects additionally earned four other project awards, including an AIA ND Juror’s Choice for the Anne Carlsen Center in Jamestown, ND, and an AIA ND Merit and AIA SD Honor award for the Candeska Cikana Community College Cultural Heritage Center in Fort Totten, ND. The final award, an AIA SD Merit Award, went to the renovation and fit-up of JLG’s Bismarck, ND, office.
FIRM PORTFOLIO
JLG Architects is currently leading the design of several community-focused recreational facilities, including the renovation and expansion of Maple Grove Community Center, a hub for ice sports, aquatics, fitness, events, and youth and senior activities. In Alexandria, MN, JLG recently celebrated the grand opening of PrimeWest Health Runestone Community Center’s first two phases, which included expansion and renovation of 76,000 square feet at the existing 50-year-old facility. On November 8, 2025, JLG will celebrate the grand opening of the newly renovated Bloomington Ice Garden in Bloomington, MN. Further south, JLG is designing Mosaic Quarter Iceplex & Field House, a multi-sport athletic campus, three-sheet iceplex, and eight-court field house for the community of Pima County and Tucson, Arizona.
