Top 10 | June 2024 | Grand Forks EDC

1. Epitome Energy Receives Air Permit from North Dakota for Grand Forks Soybean Crush Facility

Epitome Energy has received its air permit from the ND Department of Environmental Quality! The air permit Title V will first be in use for the construction of the facility until it transitions to an operational permit at completion. This is a major milestone and a key component of the project.

Epitome Energy is a soybean processing facility that will process up to 42 million bushels of soybeans annually and is expected to create 50-60 permanent jobs and generate over $300 million in new economic activity.

2. Mayors Air Service Expansion Continues Progress, Eyes Grant

The Meehan Aviation Group provided an update on the Mayor’s Air Service Expansion Committee at the City Council Meeting on Monday, June 3rd.

The group reported the following activities and findings:

Met with businesses and organizations about travel habits and what they’d like to see added.
Surveyed local businesses. Results showed in the next year, 40% intend to increase air travel, and 58% will maintain.
GF is hitting critical mass in the defense and UAS industries.
Travel volume is comparable to pre-pandemic levels, with more inbound visitors to the area.
Businesses want more connections to places like Denver and Chicago.
Presented to airlines at a recent airport-airline industry conference to garner an airline letter of support.
Coordinating efforts to submit for a small community or service development program grant to guarantee revenue for added air service.

“One thing is clear to Meehan, the business community wants additional air service and is making this effort a priority,” said Keith Lund, EDC President & CEO.

3. Northland Community & Technical College awarded $7.3M National Science Foundation Grant for Autonomous Technology

Northland Community and Technical College (NCTC) recently announced the award of a $7.3 million grant over five years for the National Center for Autonomous Technologies (NCAT) headquartered at the NCTC Thief River Falls campus aerospace site. The NCAT has been designated as the repository for providing content, curriculum, workshops, presentations, and many other resources by the Federal Aviation Administration Unmanned and Autonomous Systems Collegiate Training Initiative (UAS CTI). The Grand Forks region leads the UAS industry with the nation’s first Unmanned Aircraft Systems Maintenance Program as well as the first Geospatial Intelligence Analysis AAS Degree from NCTC.

4. Billie's Soap & Ideal Aerosmith Receive Approval from JDA & City Council

Congratulations to Ideal Aerosmith and Billie’s Soap who received approval for business support programs for their exciting projects at Monday, June 17th JDA and City Council Meetings!

Ideal Aerosmith received approval to purchase 15 acres of land in the City’s business park, approval for a PACE loan, and property tax exemption. They intend to build a 90,000 sq ft manufacturing facility to support their growth. The company employs over 130 people at present and intends to grow to over 200 in the next 5 years.

Billie’s Soap & Spa Products received approval for their FlexPACE loan. As they grow, they intend to build a new 4,000 sq ft manufacturing space to support their expanding customer base.

5. GF Companies Awarded Bioscience Innovation Grant Awards Totaling $355,000

Several Grand Forks companies were awarded funding from the Biosciences Innovation Grant (BIG). Congratulations to all!

Billie’s Soap – $260,000 to finalize the development of pharmaceutical skincare formulations and obtain FDA clearance
Krampade – $25,000 for clinical studies of Krampade 2K to reduce and alleviate menstrual cramps.
SafetySpect Inc. – $70,000 to test and progress the Pressure Injury Prevention Assessment (PIPA) medical device.

6. PS Industries Celebrates 50 Years

Congratulations to PS Industries Incorporated for celebrating 50 years in business on Thursday, June 13th! The company started from humble beginnings here in Grand Forks and has grown to become one of the largest manufacturers in the region. PS Industries Incorporated offers one of the leading flood control product lines in the world. They focus on four divisions: access solutions, safety access, flood barriers, and public protection. Customers include Xcel Energy, NASA, and the United Nations!

7. EERC Hosts Energizing ND Annual Summit

UND Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) hosted the 8th annual Energizing North Dakota’s Future Summit on Thursday, June 13th. The event brought together industry leaders and researchers to discuss the future of energy in North Dakota and beyond. EERC and industry leaders spoke on several panels featuring topics of the Heartland Hydrogen Hub (HH2H), reduction of emissions while maintaining power demands, cutting-edge research, and technological advancements. The Grand Forks region is a leader in energy research innovation having over $1 billion invested by the US Department of Energy in 2023 alone.

8. 37 Participate in the InternGF Summer Cohort Series

The initial two sessions of the InternGF Summer Cohort Series happened on Thursday, June 13th and Thursday, June 27th! Over the next few months, 37 participants will attend six sessions in total. Each session will help them connect to the region through networking, volunteering, company tours, art and entertainment, sports and rec activities, and an etiquette dinner! The first June sessions included networking and tours of the Center For Innovation, 701 Coworking Space, Chamber of Commerce, a walking tour of downtown, connecting with the Greater Grand Forks Young Professionals, and volunteer service at several location organizations. Photos from the sessions are available on the Greater Grand Forks: Way Cooler Than You Think!’s flickr.

9. GF is Cooler Website Homepage Gets a Makeover

The EDC Workforce Development team works to recruit and retain people to the Grand Forks region through the lifestyle brand and talent attraction initiative Greater Grand Forks: Way Cooler than You Think!

The brand embraces the ‘cooler’ aspects of the region, including outdoor activities from all four seasons through a website, blog, relocation guide, social media, and more!

The website recently received a streamlined update featuring an interactive map of Grand Forks County, an easier-to-find relocation guide download, featured careers, blog posts, and a NEW virtual tour developed in partnership with UND, Altru Health System, and Visit Greater Grand Forks.

Over the past 12 months, the website has attracted more than 34,000 unique users!

Check it out: https://grandforksiscooler.com/

10. Cruger & Mathiason Attend Workforce Talent Attraction Summit

EDC Director of Workforce Development Becca Cruger and Workforce Development Specialist Brenna Mathiason attended a Talent Attraction Summit from June 9th to 12th in Fargo! The summit was hosted by RoleCall, a national agency specializing in revolutionary talent attraction.

Summit sessions included state-wide innovation in talent attraction marketing, newcomer onboarding programs, creation of talent attraction content, and learning about industry best practices.

Cruger was a featured expert on a panel about redefining the role of economic development and hosted a presentation about young professionals featuring the Greater Grand Forks Young Professionals and the 24% growth of people ages 25-39 in the Grand Forks region.

INternGF Priority Applications Due 7/1

Employers: do you want to offset the cost of a fall 2024 internship by $3,500? Apply for InternGF internship funding program for your new and innovative internship by the PRIORITY deadline of July 1st and regular deadline of August 1st!