Top 10 | October 2026 | Grand Forks EDC

1. Northern Valley Career Expo Draws Approximately 2,000+ Students for 14th Annual Event

The Northern Valley Career Expo held its 14th annual event on October 28th, bringing together more than 80 employers and educational institutions from Northeast North Dakota and Northwest Minnesota. Approximately 2,000+ students attended the event, representing 22 counties and more than 60 school districts. The Expo provides students in the region and beyond with direct access to local employers and postsecondary programs at a point when they are weighing their options after high school. The EDC is a lead organization on the planning committee executing the event.

2. General Atomics Opens Remote Flight Operations Facility Near Grand Forks, Adding Approximately 50 Jobs

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) held a ribbon-cutting on October 30th for a new Remote Split Operation facility at GrandSKY, which will be used to remotely fly MQ-9A aircraft supporting U.S. Africa Command. Pilots who currently fly these missions from overseas will operate from Grand Forks instead, and the company expects the facility to bring approximately 50 jobs to the community. Senator John Hoeven said he worked through the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee to bring the operation to North Dakota and estimated the arrangement will save the command more than $10 million per year. The facility adds an operational flight mission to the Grand Forks region’s UAS ecosystem.

3. Ideal Aerosmith Cuts Ribbon on Expanded Facility

Ideal Aerosmith cut the ribbon on its facility expansion on South Washington Street on October 6th. The ceremony was attended by more than 100 employees, city and state officials, and Senator John Hoeven. The building houses offices and serves as the central location for mechanical assembly. The company has added approximately 70 local jobs over the past two years without expanding its space, and some of the systems it builds stand three stories tall and span up to 60 feet wide. The company has been in business for more than 85 years. It manufactures centrifuges and aircraft instrument testing equipment and is a technology provider for unmanned and counter-UAS systems. EDC President & CEO Keith Lund and Mayor Brandon Bochenski were recognized at the event for supporting the expansion.

4. EDC Attracts UAS Companies at 20th Annual UAS Summit & Expo

The EDC’s business development team hosted 11 pre-planned introductory meetings with companies that closely aligned with the region’s ecosystem at the 20th Annual UAS Summit & Expo, held October 12th through 14th at the Alerus Center, along with several other prospective business meetings. After the expo, the team has continued to follow up with 12 organizations, several of which are rated very promising for possible establishment within 18 months. The team also met twice with the Korea Research Association for Unmanned Vehicles delegation, continuing to explore operations in the region. The summit drew NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Golden Dome Director General Michael Guetlein, who also toured UND Aerospace and met with students, and it hosted the JIATF-401 signing and the Project ATLAS announcement. GrandSKY President Tom Swoyer received the Sky Pioneer Award, renamed this year for Senator John Hoeven.

5. Project ULTRA Receives $5.5 Million in Federal Funding for Counter-UAS Testbed and Logistics Flights

Project ULTRA, the UAS initiative based at GrandSKY, has been awarded $5.5 million in federal funding, according to Senator John Hoeven. This is the fourth task order for the project, bringing the total secured to $16.4 million through Hoeven’s role on the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee.

The funding will support two efforts. The first is a counter-UAS testbed that will integrate counter-UAS technology with air traffic management systems and run live and simulated UAS attack scenarios. The second is an expansion of unmanned logistics flights, including cargo flights between Grand Forks Air Force Base and Cavalier Space Force Station, plus new flights from Grand Forks Air Force Base to Camp Grafton.

6. Project ATLAS Will Link UAS Through UND Research

Senator John Hoeven announced Project ATLAS on October 13th at the UAS Summit & Expo. ATLAS is a Department of War initiative that will integrate unmanned ground vehicles with unmanned aircraft for base security, logistics, and daily operations. UND and NASA will conduct the experiments, with the North Dakota National Guard supporting. Nearly $2 million in fiscal year 2026 funding launched the project, including $1 million for UND and NASA operations, with additional funding for the 2027 fiscal year being pursued. The first step is selecting a ground vehicle, with a demonstration event at Camp Grafton to evaluate candidates. The long-term goal is for a single operator to direct aircraft and ground vehicles that work together autonomously. The announcement coincided with a UND visit by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and General Michael Guetlein, director of Golden Dome for America.

7. UND Receives $1 Million DOE Award for Advanced Materials Research

The University of North Dakota received $1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy through the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The funding, awarded through the Building EPSCoR-State/National Laboratory Partnerships program, supports research on the chemical properties and stability of advanced materials made from graphene and molybdenum disulfide. The award arrives as UND research spending reached $244 million last year, up from roughly $100 million six years ago.

8. UND and Northern Plains UAS Test Site Named Clearinghouse for Counter-Drone Task Force

At the UAS Summit & Expo on October 15th, the University of North Dakota and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of War’s Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401). The agreement makes UND the first and only university in the nation to serve as a clearinghouse for the task force’s counter-drone technology efforts. JIATF-401 coordinates counter-drone defenses across all military services, and UND and the test site will help identify promising technologies for further evaluation and development. It builds on the T-REX counter-drone evaluation event held earlier this year at Camp Grafton. Companies developing counter-drone systems now have a defined route into military evaluation through Grand Forks.

9. Wake Up to UND Draws 450 Highlights Record Enrollment

The EDC team supported and attended the annual Wake Up to UND community breakfast, held October 9th at the Memorial Union. The event drew more than 450 attendees, as UND President Andrew Armacost cited record fall enrollment, new campus leadership, and the ongoing Forever UND fundraising campaign. The program also covered UND’s AI initiatives and online student programs. Congratulations to the UND team for achieving this milestone!

10. NCTC Hosts State of the College, Reports Enrollment Up 21.44% Since 2024

President Shari Olson hosted the Northland Community and Technical College State of the College luncheon on October 16th. The EDC staff supported and attended the event. At the luncheon, Olson reported enrollment growth of 21.44%, more than double its goal of 10% over three years (2024 to 2027), and shared that Northland ranks among the top three two-year colleges in Minnesota for growth, and that trades and allied health programs are reported to be full. The college is shortening its automotive and auto body programs from two years to one, adding precision agriculture and veterinary assistance, and reshaping its UAS certificate program. Northland is also part of a Minnesota State Transportation Center of Excellence that received a NASA grant for aerospace workforce development. Congratulations to the entire NCTC team and President Olson for their work in achieving this milestone!

11. EDC Hosts Triannual Advisory Board Meeting, Hears Updates from Commander of GFAFB

Colonel Alfred ‘Slick’ Rosales, commander of the 319th Reconnaissance Wing, presented at the EDC Advisory Board Meeting on Thursday, October 17th about the missions and projects happening at the Grand Forks Air Force Base. The installation is preparing for a 180,000-square-foot Space Development Agency facility with an estimated cost of $250 million. Groundbreaking is anticipated in 2027, with the facility opening in 2031 or 2032. The mission is expected to bring 300 to 900 Space Force Guardians, and base leadership estimates that, with families, the community could add 2,000 to 4,000 residents. The mission is proceeding regardless of construction timing, so temporary buildings may be used in the interim.