Leasing Lands, Building Bonds
UND alumni make their mark in energy and giving.
In western North Dakota in the mid-2000s, hundreds of landmen arrived at local courthouses at the crack of dawn.
One of them was Ben Fliginger, ’07. “Oil company owners were adamant we be ready the second the courthouses opened,” he said. “It was like a land grab.”
Fliginger, along with his friend and fellow landman, Ben Larson made calls and arranged meetings with landowners – often that same evening — to negotiate leases. Harsh winters, rough roads, and long stays in small motels made the job physically and mentally taxing.
“It’s not a glamorous job,” said Larson, ’02, ’09. “For 10 years, we were on the road. Our bosses would send us to a promising area, and our goal was to lease as much land as we could.”
At times, both men considered quitting, but persevered. Today, they each own LLCs.
Timing is Everything
Production in the Bakken Formation jumped from 100,000 barrels a day in 2005 to over 1 million barrels a day by 2015 with the introduction of fracking. The boom, which followed the bust of the 1980s and 1990s, resulted in an industry “brain drain,” Larson said. “There were guys my father’s age, but no younger workers coming in behind them.”
Growing up in families familiar with the business, both men knew the basics of the trade — Fliginger closed his first deal while still in high school. Both quickly slid into roles that required several months of training for others.
Drilling into a Friendship
Despite both growing up in Bismarck and attending UND, Larson and Fliginger didn’t meet until they began their careers as landmen. A confusion among friends over their shared first name and similar backgrounds eventually brought them together. Over time, both established their own companies and fell in love with Phoenix, Arizona, where they invested in rental properties.
When COVID-19 hit, they realized remote work was possible. Today, both men call Phoenix home; they still manage land for oil and gas operations.
Legacy in the Pipeline
Both Larson and Fliginger appreciate the strong UND network in Phoenix. “UND is unlike other schools,” Fliginger said. “There are so many events — you feel like part of a second family.”
That connection inspired them to give back. Both have established scholarship endowments in the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration, recognizing the long-term value of their UND relationships. “You never know when a connection, even from 20 years ago, will make a difference,” Larson said.
