Top 10 | October 2024 | Grand Forks EDC

1. Air Service Expansion Updates: GFK Awarded $1 Million Air Service Grant Business Task Force Meets Community Leaders Attend Airline Conference

Less than a year after the Mayor’s Air Service Expansion Committee met, the Grand Forks International Airport (GFK) has received a $1 million Small Community Air Service Development Program grant to expand air service offerings! GFK was informed of the grant award status on Thursday, October 31st. The grant award has been achieved because of the locally secured funds of $1.086 million. The Grand Forks City Council approved a $300,000 contribution, and 34 local organizations pledged financial support of $209,000! Thank you to the Mayor for rallying the business community around this important issue, and thank you to the local organizations that pledged financial commitments to make this happen!

On Tuesday, October 22nd, the EDC hosted the business community to provide updates on the Grand Forks International Airport (GFK) air service development efforts currently underway. The Meehan Aviation Group (TMAG) presented the findings of the business air travel survey and facilitated a discussion on the next steps and strategy to attract more nonstop service.

After the presentation, EDC President & CEO Keith Lund attended the TakeOff North America 2024 conference hosted by Routes in Green Bay, Wisconsin, along with leaders from GFK and TMAG. The conference provided an opportunity to connect one-on-one with airline decision-makers from key air carriers.

2. EDC Receives 2 International Awards for Economic Development

The Pentagon awarded a $61.5 million contract for renovation work at the Grand Forks Air Force Base. The funds will pay for the construction and renovation of an aircraft maintenance facility as part of the U.S. Air Force’s Disaster Resiliency Program. The contract was awarded to Korte Construction Company based out of St. Louis.

For the first time in 30 years, a B-1B bomber landed at Grand Forks Air Force Base. The B-1B came from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota as a refueling exercise. This comes ahead of a scheduled reassignment of 17 bombers from Ellsworth to Grand Forks alongside up to 1,000 airmen.

3. EDC Helps Introduce 2,100 Students to Regional Careers at NVCE

On Wednesday, October 23rd, over 2,100 students from 60+ schools and 78 regional organizations attended the annual Northern Valley Career Expo (NVCE) at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks! The expo serves as an opportunity to connect 10th-grade students to local career opportunities, showcasing what is available for them in the Grand Forks region after graduation.

Since the expo started in 2012, Grand Forks County has realized a 24% increase in young professionals ages 25-39, compared to the national average of 11%. The data is from the US Census, 5-year ACS. NVCE is an example of how the EDC allocates resources to support workforce programming. Attracting and retaining talent to the region is an important part of supporting the efforts to grow and expand the regional economy.

See all the photos from the expo on the GFisCooler Flickr.

4. PS Industries Receives Approval for PACE Request

Congratulations to PS Industries, who was approved for their PACE request by the Jobs Development Authority on Monday, October 7th! The company is expanding by acquiring a company based in Florida. The acquisition will assist PS Industries in expanding to a new market in South Florida and bring a complimentary product to their existing flood barrier lineup. As a result, there will be an increase in manufacturing at their Grand Forks facility.

5. ND Development Fund Awards Almost $450,000 to 3 GF Companies

Congratulations to three Grand Forks companies who were awarded a total of $448,887 from the North Dakota Development Fund Automate ND Program!

YMI Industries, Inc. – $71,519.00 for an automatic bender and bar feeder. YMI provides precision machining services to OEM manufacturers and innovators.
PS Industries Incorporated (PSI) – $190,441.06 for an automated robotic press and CNC tube bender. PSI manufactures safety and fall protection products for multiple industries, including the military and energy sectors.
Wood Products, Inc. (dba American Woods) – $186,926.33 for automated material handling carts. American Woods manufactures residential furniture.

To learn more about business support programs, contact EDC Business Development Manager Kevin Hatcher at kevinh@grandforks.org.

6. EDC Represents GF Region, Attracts Businesses at Annual UAS Summit & Expo

The EDC Team connected with UAS industry leaders and prospective businesses at the annual UAS Summit & Expo from Tuesday, October 8th to Wednesday, October 9th. The summit is a yearly major event for UAS experts from around the world that takes place right in Grand Forks. Speakers at the summit have included Senators Hoeven and Cramer, Palmer Luckey American entrepreneur best known as the founder of Oculus VR and designer of the Oculus Rift, UND President Armacost, Deputy Administrator for the FAA Katie Thomson, Director of the TRMC George Rumford, Director of the Northern Plains UAS Test Site Trevor Woods, and many, many more!

7. UND cuts ribbon on new lab space for building satellites

Congratulations to UND on the ribbon cutting for the new National Security Corridor laboratory space! The space will allow students to design and build satellites and related components as well as model a space-bound craft’s aerodynamic characteristics through high-tech modeling software in the digital engineering lab.

The lab will expand UND’s academic offerings and grow its workforce pipeline to military and defense contractors focused on outer space. The development of the lab space is directly linked to the U.S. military’s focus on space and the addition and expansion of the Space Development Agency at the Grand Forks Air Force Base.

8. President Armacost Hosts Game Show Themed Wake Up to UND, EDC Staff Attend

UND President Andrew Armacost hosted the annual Wake Up to UND event on Tuesday, October 1st! The EDC supported the event as an academic-level sponsor and the staff attended. The event was game show-themed and highlighted the theme of the year, which is momentum. Features included the fall enrollment, the third highest in history, the new softball field, and expansion of the Fritz Pollard Athletic Center, the new dean of the College of Education and Human Development Dean Shelbie Witte, and Vice President of Research and Economic Development Scott Snyder, and a send-off to School of Medicine and Health Sciences Dean Joshua Wynne.

9. Interim President Olson Highlights Accomplishments and Future of NCTC at State of the College

NCTC Interim President Shari Olson hosted the State of the College on Thursday, October 17th! EDC supported the event as a business sponsor. Olson highlighted several different points throughout the address including the school’s enrollment, investments in teaching and learning spaces, partnerships aimed at increasing enrollment while also training the workforce for high-demand positions, an updated leadership approach, scholarships awarded, and an Experience Northland Aerospace event for 7-12 grade students. Olson has set a goal of increasing enrollment by 10% in the next three years. The investments in teaching and learning spaces total $3.28 million with $2.436 million of that going to aerospace facilities improvement.

10. EDC Advisory Board Gathers for Triannual Meeting

The EDC has an advisory board that meets with the board of directors triannually to provide input on the EDC’s strategies. On Thursday, October 10th, the Advisory Board met for the final time in 2024. While at the meeting, all members provided an update on their industries and areas and Chamber President & CEO Barry Wilfahrt provided information on the impacts of Measure 4 including the disruptive aspect to local and state government if it passes.

11. Lund Attends GFK Ribbon Cutting for Crosswinds Runway

The Grand Forks International Airport reached an important milestone as they cut the ribbon on a new crosswind runway on Wednesday, October 16th!

The new runway is part of years-long planning that required relocating an existing county road and securing funding. The new runway will increase overall safety, efficiency, and capacity. It will also allow the reconstruction of the current north-south runway. During the construction period, air service will continue with all traffic shifting to the new runway.

Some quick facts about the project: the new runway is officially known as 9L/27R, construction added 2,500 feet of runway westward, the total runway length is now 6,700 feet, and the cost of the new runway was nearly $70 million.

EDC President & CEO Keith Lund attended the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to celebrate and show support for the important initiative!

12. EDC Staff in the Community

Maliskey Attends Economic Development Marketing Conference

EDC Marketing & Communications Manager attended the Development Counsellors International (DCI) Marketing Summit in New York City from Monday, September 30th, to Wednesday, October 2nd. The 12th Annual Marketing Summit is an invitation-only event with DCI’s leadership team and senior economic development marketing professionals across North America. The summit included sessions about the industry’s most pressing challenges, best practices, and trends from experts in the industry and networking with other economic development marketing professionals. DCI is a leading international marketing agency with expertise in economic development, tourism, and talent attraction marketing.

Cruger Teaches International Economic Development Workforce Course

As an international leader in workforce recruitment and retention, the Director of Workforce Development Becca Cruger was invited to be an instructor for International Economic Development Corporation’s Workforce Development training course and certificate program. Cruger taught two sessions in early October for the course, “Strengthening Emerging Workforce Pipelines” and “Recruiting and Retaining Skilled Labor”.