1. Thread Receives $2.5 Million Investment from Wonder Fund ND
Grand Forks-based company, Thread received a $2.5 million investment from Wonder Fund North Dakota, part of the North Dakota Development Fund investment program directed by O’Leary Ventures (OLV)! Thread continues to thrive. This latest investment validates the company’s abilities and points to a continued bright future.
2. Mayor Highlights Tremendous Growth at State of the City Address
On Wednesday, May 10, Mayor Bochenski hosted a State of the City Address at the Alerus Center. The mayor highlighted tremendous growth and investment in the region and the partners that make it happen.
Guest speakers included President Armacost sharing about the investment on UND’s campus, Colonel Rivera about the mission growth at Grand Forks Air Force Base, and Altru CEO Forkel about the new hospital. This progress points to a bright future for the Grand Forks region! Thank you to the mayor and city leaders for your continued service and to all the community partners that make this bright future possible.
3. Historic Grand Sky UAS Weather Center On Display at Grand Opening
The grand opening of the Grand Sky Weather Center took place on Tuesday, May 23. The center is a joint collaboration of TruWeather Solutions and Meteomatics AG and is set to become a hub for UAS weather information, with centers all over the nation. The meteodrone will fly a maximum altitude of 9,000 feet between 16-18 times daily collecting real time weather data. This valuable information will reduce the number of flights canceled due to weather. Grand Sky and the Grand Forks region are leaders in UAS.
4. $38 million Grant Awarded to UND EERC for CCS
UND Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) was awarded $38 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a carbon capture and storage project! The project aims to characterize and permit a geologic carbon dioxide hub in central North Dakota to store up to 200 million metric tons of CO2. The proposed storage hub would store CO2 from the Coal Creek Station power plant and the Blue Flint Ethanol plant. The Grand Forks region is leading carbon capture and storage efforts.
5. UND Receives National Science Foundation Engines Grant for UAS
UND was one of five regional universities awarded $1,000,000 from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program! With the award, UND and its partners will work to build a framework, the ‘engine.’ It will catalyze autonomous systems development and fielding that will enable accelerated realization of economic and humanitarian benefits from autonomous systems technology across a wide range of use cases. The Grand Forks region continues to lead the United States in UAS.
6. $50,000 Winnings & Award Bestowed on UND Center For Innovation
UND Center For Innovation (CFI) was named by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a Stage One winner for the 2023 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. The award comes with a $50,000 cash prize to build strategic partnerships supporting the launch, growth, and scale of STEM/R&D focused small businesses. Stage Two of the competition will take place later this summer, where CFI will seek partners to support a ‘Growth Accelerator Partnership.’
7. Career Impact Academy Land Receives Preliminary Approval of Transfer
On Monday, May 22, the Grand Forks City Council members gave preliminary approval to authorize the transfer of parcels of land to the Grand Forks School District for the Career Impact Academy. The recommendation will be presented to the City Council on June 5 for final action. Eric Ripley, Director of Career and Technical Education provided a presentation at the meeting which includes the most up-to-date rendering and floor plans.
8. Job Service Executive Director Visits Grand Forks
EDC Director of Workforce Development, Becca Cruger and Workforce Development Specialist, Katherine Preszler, hosted Pat Bertagnolli, the Executive Director Job Service ND for a day of learning about workforce collaboration in greater Grand Forks. Key members of the greater Grand Forks workforce pipeline programming came together to discuss regional workforce services and needs.
Attendees included Jobs Service ND, UND Career Services, UND Pancratz Career Development Center, UND School of Graduate Studies, Northland Community & Technical College Department of Workforce Development, Global Friends Coalition, New Hope for Immigrants, City of Grand Grand Forks, and the Grand Forks Region EDC. The day concluded with Bertagnolli touring Grand Sky, Northrop Grumman, and General Atomics to better understand the impacts of the UAS sector on workforce demands.
9. UAS Development Officer Attends One of the World’s Largest UAS Conferences
UAS Development Officer, Bill Adams, attended the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) XPONENTIAL 2023 in Denver, Colorado. This is one of the largest events promoting advancement of unmanned and autonomous technology in the world! This was a tremendous opportunity to meet the companies looking to expand operations and showcase how Grand Forks is the best place for them to achieve their goal.
10. EDC Celebrates Econ Dev Week
The week of May 8 to 12 was recognized as Economic Development Week where the nation’s economic development organizations celebrated the contributions made by professional economic development to create more economically vibrant and livable communities! The Grand Forks Region EDC participated in the week long event with a series of social media posts highlighting the impact of primary sector economic development in the Grand Forks region. The week was created in 2016 by International Economic Development Council (IEDC).
Northern Valley Career Expo Exhibitor Registration Now Open
2023 Northern Valley Career Expo
Wednesday, October 25th
The Northern Valley Career Expo brings more than 1,800 high school students from 14 counties and 50+ school districts in the Northern Valley region (Northwest Minnesota & Northeast North Dakota) to a one-day event where they can explore high-wage, in-demand careers.
Economy at a Glance
The EDC has a new, interactive Economy at a Glance dashboard that compiles key regional economic indicators.