1. Space Force Commitment
The U.S. Space Force has committed to advancing the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Space Networking Center at the Grand Forks Air Force Base. Senator John Hoeven, R-N.D., a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, secured the commitment from U.S. Space Force Chief John Raymond to continue advancing the SDA’s mission as they prepare to become part of the Space Force in October. The Space Networking Center will support the SDA’s new low-Earth orbit (LEO) mission and serve as the backbone for all U.S. military communications across the globe.
2. Deals at Grand Sky
Grand Sky has entered into multi-year contracts with two different weather companies to develop a robust weather data collection system. The companies are TruWeather, a leading provider of weather data analytics and risk management products, and Meteomatics, a leader in meteorological technology and developer of the Meteodrone (a small UAS used to collect weather data). The goal of these agreements is to develop precise and comprehensive weather measurements, models, and forecasts for UAS operations from and around Grand Sky.
3. Vantis Network Announcement
Vantis, North Dakota’s statewide unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) network, announced the companies and organizations that will be flying real-life use cases on its network this summer. The six winners were selected following a request for proposal (RFP) process that began last year. The Grand Forks-based companies are Isight Drone Services and UND Aerospace Foundation.
4. UAS Angel Network
EDC member company Praxis Strategy Group has partnered with Development Capital Networks (DCN) and others to establish the UAS Angel Network. The network is focused on opportunities in the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry. UAS Sector Developer Ron Ahlstrom facilitated two Grand Forks company presentations to the UAS Angel Network on May 26.
5. Olive Ann Hotel
The Olive Ann hotel broke ground on Thursday, May 26, at a ceremony in downtown Grand Forks. Floor plans for the boutique hotel and event center can be found here. Olive Ann was approved for PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) plan earlier this year. EDC President & CEO Keith Lund made remarks at the ceremony.
6. Q&A with Keith Lund
“2021 was the year of the press release, and 2022 is the year of execution.” Keith Lund participated in the Grand Forks Herald’s 5 Questions series. He discussed economic development, regional challenges, and Fufeng USA.
7. Fufeng USA
City Council approved multiple planning measures to prepare for Fufeng’s arrival including rezoning the property and the plat for the development. You can keep up with the progress of Fufeng USA on the City’s website.
8. Greater Grand Forks Women’s Leadership Cooperative
EDC Director of Workforce Development Becca Cruger spoke at the Greater Grand Forks Women’s Leadership Cooperative event on intentional networking. She shared her tried and true strategies for building connected, focused relationships with purpose.
9. Welcome Victoria!
A big welcome to our new marketing & communications intern, Victoria Ledum! She’ll be creating social media content for Greater Grand Forks: Way Cooler Than You Think!, assisting with a Welcoming & Relocation Guide rewrite, and making updates to the Cooler website. She will also re-launch the team of writers hired for “What’s Cool Today”, the lifestyle blogging component of the Cooler website. We’re excited to have her as part of the team!
10. Goodbye Stephanie
EDC Marketing & Communications Manager Stephanie Flyger’s last day is Friday, June 3. She accepted a principal public relations representative position in the Space Systems business sector with Northrop Grumman in Aurora, Colo. Stephanie has been a part of the Grand Forks community for almost 19 years. We are sad to see her go but excited for her and this next chapter in her life.