The Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has been awarded Regional Workforce Impact Program (RWIP) funding from the State of North Dakota for two projects that will strengthen how Northeast North Dakota tells its story to prospective workers, families, and employers across the country: a refreshed workforce recruitment and retention Grand Forks is Cooler website and a scaled-up external marketing campaign targeting manufacturing and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) talent.
The EDC served as lead applicant on the Website Enhancements and External Marketing grants, which make up two of five applications submitted as a coordinated package by Region 4 partners across Walsh, Nelson, Pembina, and Grand Forks counties. Together, the five applications draw on Region 4’s $620,767 allocation under this round of RWIP, with every local match dollar leveraged four-to-one against state workforce funds.
The funded work is grounded in the strategy recommendations delivered by SRI International at the close of last year’s UAS and Manufacturing Action planning process – the sectoral study that identified Region 4’s most urgent workforce challenges and mapped where the region has a clear competitive advantage.
“This is a large win for our region,” said Keith Lund, EDC President & CEO. “Five applications, four counties, and partners around the table every week for months, all working from the same strategy and the same research. We’re proud of our strong partnerships. That’s how Northeast North Dakota competes for talent.”
What the Funding Will Do
The External Marketing grant will scale up a joint campaign between Grand Forks is Cooler and Real. Good. ND, which is the sister attraction campaign for Walsh, Pembina, and Nelson counties. The campaign will target prospective manufacturing and UAS employees in parts of the country where Region 4 has a measured edge on cost of living, wages, safety, and schools. A pilot LinkedIn ad campaign more than doubled impressions and click-throughs to the website, and over three months, 120-plus visitors advanced from the ads to the regional job board and applied for open positions.
The Website Enhancements grant will rebuild Grand Forks is Cooler on a modern framework. The site already draws roughly 72,000 unique visitors each year, and about 83% of those visitors come from outside Grand Forks, making it the region’s primary online “front door” for anyone considering a move. The refresh will sharpen the user experience, expand quality-of-life content, and integrate a job-scraping tool that pulls open regional manufacturing, UAS, and other employer postings into a single searchable place.
“The Cooler site is the front door to our community, the moment someone types ‘should I move to Grand Forks?’ into a search bar,” said Becca Cruger, EDC Director of Economic Development. “This is our region’s first impression, and it needs to look its best. That includes placing jobs, housing, and lifestyle information into an easily accessible format. That’s exactly what this funding makes possible.”
A Regional Effort – Thanks to Our Partners
Region 4’s five-application package was built over three months of weekly collaboration among eleven regional partners: economic development organizations, job development authorities, education partners, housing leaders, and regional councils.
“We’re lucky in this region – it’s natural for us to work together,” said Kristi Kasprick, Project Manager of Real. Good. Northeast North Dakota. “Everybody brings their own strengths and perspectives, and when you put that group around one table for three months, you get applications that actually reflect what the whole region needs.”
In developing the Region 4 framework and these applications, the EDC worked closely with:
- Red River Regional Council
- The Chamber of Commerce Grand Forks/East Grand Forks
- Good. Northeast North Dakota
- Career Impact Academy
- North Valley Career Academy
- Job Service North Dakota
- The Chamber’s UAS Committee
- The Manufacturing Leadership Council
- Northwest Manufacturing Association
Work funded through this round of RWIP will be implemented across fiscal years 2025–2027, with all funds required to be expended by June 30, 2027.
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