Top 10 | January

1. Cirrus Aircraft Invests in Production Expansion

Cirrus Aircraft has achieved a new milestone in its expansion of production capacity in Grand Forks. An additional 100-ton, 75 ft long autoclave was recently delivered and will be retrofitted for the company. This added autoclave will allow Cirrus to increase production rates and produce larger and longer composite parts. Additional investments include a $2 million machining center and a $1.8 million standard cure oven. 

2. Thread to Receive $1.2 Million Award For AFB Security

Thread will receive $1.2 million to develop perimeter security software for the Grand Forks Air Force Base! Funding was awarded under the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research Program to develop UAS software to enhance perimeter security at the Grand Forks Air Force Base. Currently, the 13-mile base perimeter is patrolled manually. Utilizing drones would allow service officers to patrol and maintain adequate security and avoid harsh conditions. 

3. BVLOS Flight Access Expanded: uAvionix Receives FAA Approval

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved uAvionix, an avionics company specializing in drones, to conduct beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) small unmanned aircraft flights in ND. This approval expands access to fly in a broader area BVLOS leveraging the Vantis Network. UAvionix, with support from the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, demonstrated that it established adequate risk mitigations to satisfy required safety standards for the specified BVLOS operation within the national airspace system.

4. Acme Tools Awarded Best Online Shops 2023

Congratulations to EDC member company, Acme Tools, for being awarded Newsweek’s list of Best Online Shops for 2023! The award winners were identified after passing several tests based on over 51 different types of criteria and by survey participants.

5. Board Member Updates

The EDC is excited to welcome new board member Chris Wolf, Northern Valley Vice President at Alerus Financial. Additional updates to the board of directors include: John Oncken, CEO of True North Equipment, is Board Chair; Shawn Gaddie, Division Manager at AE2S Nexus, is Board Vice Chair; Meghan Compton, Executive Vice President Chief Clinic Operations Officer at Altru, is Board Secretary-Treasurer. Johnathan Holth, Managing Director, Office of Recovery Reinvented at the State of North Dakota, just ended his two-year term as Board Chair and will continue on as a board member. 

6. PS Industries Acquires ILC Dover’s Flex-Gate, Flex-Cover Products/Brands

EDC member company, PS Industries Incorporated has acquired the Flood Pro division of ILC Dover. Primary assets included in the acquisition include Flex Cover, Flex-Gate, and Flex-Wall. These products will now be manufactured by PS Industries and solder under a division of the company brand called PS Flood Barriers. Congratulations! 

7. Career Impact Academy

There have been significant updates for the Career Impact Academy over the past month. HB 1199, which provides loan authority for the $68 million needed to fund the promised federal grant dollars, was unanimously approved by the North Dakota House of Representatives and Senate with an emergency clause that would make the funding available immediately after being signed by Governor Burgum. The community will likely have access to the $10 million awarded to the CIA in mid-to-late February. Future conversations by the Legislature are expected to address the inflationary impacts of the delay in releasing federal funds.

8. Cruger Receives Economic 
Development 40 Under 40 Award

Director of Workforce Development, Becca Cruger, was announced as a recipient of the 2023 Economic Development 40 Under 40 award. Development Councilors International and Jorgenson Consulting jointly recognize rising stars under 40 years old in the economic development industry. Awardees were judged based on their leadership skills, and commitment to uplifting diverse voices and perspectives to build inclusive, forward-thinking communities as the economic development industry has navigated the challenges of the last few years. Congrats to Becca!

9. UND Unveils new Strategic Plan

The University of North Dakota unveiled its new strategic plan: UND LEADS. The acronym stands for learning, equity, affinity, discovery, and service. Each pillar will be the foundation of the university for years to come. The plan comes together after 11 months of input and feedback from students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The living plan will see annual updates and priorities, as well as initiatives that connect to the pillars. 

10. We’re Hiring: Workforce Development Specialist

The EDC is hiring a Workforce Development Specialist! This position will serve as an integral part of the EDC’s Workforce Division and will help carry out programming designed to strategically solve workforce challenges. 
Position type: Full-time
Salary range: $42,000-$48,000
Location: Grand Forks, ND
Deadline: February 13, 2023, 11:59 pm
Application & Learn More >

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The EDC is preparing a monthly report on key regional economic indicators. See December’s Economy at a Glance. 

See an archive of the previous Economy at a Glance.