Top 10 | November 2025 | Grand Forks EDC

1. Delta Adds Daily 4th Flight from GFK to MSP

On Saturday, November 15th, City of Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski announced that Delta will be adding a daily fourth flight from Grand Forks International Airport (GFK) beginning in April 2026!

“The EDC is proud to be a partner in efforts to secure enhanced air service options and pricing for our business community and citizens,” said Keith Lund, EDC President & CEO. “This addition of a fourth daily flight is only the beginning. We are continuing to work toward even greater air service, particularly westbound, in the hopefully near future. Frequent air service options are essential to our market attractiveness as we promote Grand Forks for business investment, both from the expansion of the local industry and the attraction of industry to our region.”

2. Agristo Awarded $250,000 from APUC for Engineering

The North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC) awarded Agristo $250,000 for the engineering and design of the potato receiving portion of their facility! EDC Business Development Manager Kevin Hatcher provided support during the presentation, sharing positive comments and community support. The EDC, City of Grand Forks, and Northland Potatoes provided letters of support for the request.

This is another significant milestone for the Agristo project, marking forward progress toward its 2028 opening.

3. NCTC Cuts Ribbon On $3.2 Million Renovated High-Demand Program Labs

On Thursday, November 20th, Northland Community & Technical College held a ribbon-cutting for its newly renovated and expanded learning labs. EDC Director of Workforce Development Becca Cruger attended the event. The $3.2 million was a Minnesota State legislative investment to modernize spaces and labs that will serve students in high-demand programs such as Early Childhood Education, Respiratory Therapy, Radiology Technology, and Computer & Networking Technology. The event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony with comments from NCTC President, Dr. Shari Olson, and other faculty and staff involved in the project, guided tours of the new labs, and refreshments. NCTC is an important part of the workforce pipeline, and this investment will help attract and retain more people in the region.

4. 42nd St Underpass Project Progresses with Bidding by Feb. 2026

The underpass planned for the intersection of DeMers Avenue and 42nd Street is making progress! The Grand Forks City Council members approved a memorandum of understanding from the Department of Transportation. With further planning and development underway, projected costs for the project are being finalized and divided. The project is expected to be bid in February and construction to start in spring 2026, with anticipated completion in the fall of 2027.

5. Air Service Development Efforts Continue

Senators Hoeven, Cramer, and Fedorchak wrote to the CEO of United Airlines, sharing support for the air service development initiative and expanded flight offerings at GFK.

In mid-November, Mayor Bochenski met with representatives from United Airlines to discuss the possibility of establishing direct flights between Grand Forks and Denver. The discussions were positive, and an update is expected in the near future.

In early November, EDC President & CEO Keith Lund attended the TakeOff Air Service Development Conference with Grand Forks International Airport (GFK) Director Ryan Riesinger and the City of Grand Forks air service consultant, The Meehan Aviation Group. At these conferences, airports and communities have the opportunity to meet directly with airlines to understand their plans for the future. For the GFK team, the meetings were to highlight recent community growth in business, the university, and the air force base. Overall, the team highlighted that our region is a great place, ready for enhanced air service options. They met with SkyWest, Delta, American Airlines, and several other airlines.

6. Spring 2026 InternGF Funds Awarded

The InternGF internship funding program has awarded applications for the Spring 2026 semester! A total of 5 internships were awarded to 4 companies, with a total amount of $12,655.60 awarded. Summer 2026 applications will open on May 1st.

Awardees:

RJ Energy Solutions – Field Engineer Intern
RJ Energy Solutions – Marketing Intern
Delta Advisory Group – UAS Intern
Horizon Health – Social Work Intern
Burian & Associates – Water Resources Intern

7. EDC Supports Grand Forks School District Breakfast and Community Report

The Grand Forks School District is a close partner of the EDC! To show support, the EDC was a sponsor and attended the State of District Breakfast and Community Report on Thursday, November 13th. The overall theme was the power of human connection. Students and staff members were recognized for accomplishments in dedication and teamwork that have impacted the community and highlighted the school’s attendance matters campaign. District leaders spoke about the importance of attendance at schools and how community support can affect their efforts to maintain student attendance. The school district has implemented a new attendance policy that is a tiered intervention plan that has helped get many students back to school regularly.

8. Ashley Decker Joins EDC as Administrative Manager

Please help us welcome Ashley Decker to the EDC team! Ashley joined as the Administrative Manager on November 12th. As Administrative Manager, Ashley Decker analyzes, compiles, and presents information for economic development projects and proposals. She also handles all operational responsibilities for the EDC.

In her free time, you can find Ashley tending to her farm animals, writing poetry, or reading a book. Ashley is a self-published author, publishing “The Body is the Path” in 2025. Her book is an intimate collection of poetry and prose about what it means to be a real human being, not a glossy, perfected Instagram-worthy version.

Throughout her professional career, Ashley has been an entrepreneur, executive, and, most prominently, a leadership and peak performance coach. From coaching world-renowned business leaders to entrepreneurs starting a new business around the world, Ashley has a wide array of administrative and operational skills.

9. UND Hosts Space Operations Summit

Opportunities are growing at UND with a Carnegie R1 Institution status and partnership with the Space Force! UND hosted the 2025 Space Operations Summit from November 5th to 6th. At the summit, UND Graduate Kavya Manyapu spoke about the work she and her team have been doing for NASA’s Artemis lunar program to send humans back to the moon to live there, in addition to conducting research. The summit also included conversations on satellites, defense, rockets, and work being done around the world and at UND. The summit is a great example of industry, government, and universities coming together to make things happen.

10. Lund Advocates for Expanded Natural Gas Capacity at Summit

On November 18th, EDC President & CEO Keith Lund traveled with Chamber President/CEO Barry Wilfahrt to the Midwest Energy Summit in Fargo. They attended a meeting with Xcel Energy and WBI leadership to discuss expanding natural gas capacity in northeast North Dakota to help support the region’s growth. The event included a gathering with regional and local energy leaders.