- The 701 Coworking Space celebrated its grand opening with a star-studded line up that included U.S. Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp, new ND Dept. of Commerce Commissioner Jay Schuler, and EDC Board Chair Dwight Thompson. The EDC is proud to be a partner with Evolve Grand Forks in making this downtown entrepreneurial hub a reality.
- Exciting announcement from Xcel Energy. They’re going to be working with the FAA on a first-of-a-kind safety program using drones to inspect infrastructure. EDC Director of UAS Development Terry Sando is working closely with Xcel to help advance its use of drones.
- Make it happen. That’s what Mayor Brown told us to do at his state of the city luncheon. We’re up for the tasks to be part of driving investment in infrastructure, downtown development and workforce retention and recruitment, along with continuing to support the ongoing development of our entrepreneurial ecosystem.
- The Valley Prosperity Partnership met with majority leaders Sen. Rich Wardner and Rep. Al Carlson and hosted a legislative social, which provided an opportunity for the steering committee to talk about its 2017 legislative priorities.
- The EDC is working with the Grand Forks Housing Authority to study housing availability and capacity in communities throughout Grand Forks County.
- Vice President Keith Lund attended a conference hosted by the World Trade Center Winnipeg. ODRA’s parent company, Challenger Manufacturing, participated in a panel and profiled the support it received from the EDC when it expanded to Grand Forks. Thanks for the shout out!
- Please join us at the 2017 EDC annual meeting. As a former governor, university president, business owner and secretary of agriculture, our guest speaker Ed Schafer has worn many hats in his career, always helping the state diversify and prosper. And we’ll present the Impact Award. Please RSVP at this link!
- Welcome new EDC investor Dakota Carrier Network.
- Brandon Baumbach came back reenergized after attending “Rewriting the rural narrative:the Brain Gain of Rural America,” a symposium that challenged the notion that rural towns are dying and encouraged attendees to embrace today’s regional lifestyle.
- In the UAS arena, light detection and radar (LiDAR) capabilities are a big deal. Terry Sando attended the International LiDAR Mapping Forum to explore new opportunities for the region.