The EDC looked back at the top 21 economic highlights from 2021 and shared them on social media throughout the month of January. Needless to say, it was a historic year:
1. Fufeng USA
First up, the Grand Forks region was chosen as the first United States expansion of Fufeng Group Limited for a corn wet mill processing plant. This is the largest single private capital investment in our region’s history!
2. Career Impact Academy
The Career Impact Academy continued to gain momentum in planning, funding, and community support. We concluded the year with $10 million raised for a matching grant from the North Dakota State Department of Career and Technical Education.
3. New Website
New Year, New Look! We quietly launched our brand new website in December. We’re still working through some changes, so please forgive any errors you may find.
4. ISR Mission
In August, the U.S. Air Force announced it selected the Grand Forks Air Force Base to train crews for a future intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission. The new mission includes infrastructure construction and renovation projects at the base.
5. U.S. Space Force
The University of North Dakota is the first university in the nation to sign a partnership agreement with the U.S. Space Force. UND was among 10 universities chosen for the quality of STEM degree offerings, a robust ROTC program, a diverse student population, and degrees and programming designed to support military, veterans, and their families in pursuing higher education.
6. Project of the Year
The EDC was awarded the Economic Development Association of North Dakota’s (EDND) Project of the Year Award in the large community division for their work with Core Scientific. Core Scientific, a Washington-based data processing company, expanded to Grand Forks in May 2021.
7. Brandon Baumbach
EDC Director of Business Development Brandon Baumbach had a great year: he was awarded EDND’s Economic Developer of the Year in the large community division, and appointed to the MidAmerica Economic Development Council board.
8. LIFT Fund
The North Dakota Department of Commerce reopened the Innovation Loan Technology Fund (LIFT) program in June. The program launched in 2019 and aims to diversify the state’s economy through loans to new businesses beyond agriculture and oil. Three Grand Forks-based companies were among the recipients of the LIFT fund totaling $1.8 million: First-i LLC, Mobile Recon Systems, and SafetySpect.
9. Accelerate Loan
In May, the city signed off on the new Accelerate Loan Program which targets technology start-up companies. The program is based on the state’s LIFT fund. Grand Forks-based drone company First-i was the first to be awarded a $250,000 loan in July. They plan to commercialize a tethered drone product to be used in public safety and emergency response.
10. Airtonomy
Airtonomy was the winner of GENIUS NY, a New York-based business accelerator competition, which included a $1 million grand prize! Finalists were selected from a highly competitive pool of 600 submissions from more than 50 countries.
11. Tech Accelerator
The U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded the city of Grand Forks a $1.1 million grant to turn the Grand Forks Herald building into a technology accelerator. The project is expected to begin in February with completion in the fall.
12. Redevelopment
The City Council voted to approve Tax Increment Financing proposals for four redevelopment projects—three downtown and one on the UND campus. These projects total a $116 million investment in our community.
13. Becca Cruger
Becca Cruger, EDC workforce development manager, shined brightly in 2021. Governor Doug Burgum appointed Cruger to the North Dakota Workforce Development Council, she was recognized in Prairie Business’s 40 under 40 list, and she was named to the International Economic Development Council’s Young Professionals Advisory Committee.
14. Main Street Award
More good news for Cruger: she and contributing team members won the 21st Century Workforce Award for the Governor’s 2021 Main Street Awards. They were recognized for the Greater Grand Forks Relocation Guide, the “What’s Cooler Today?” blog, and InternGF.
15. What’s Cooler Today
“What’s Cooler Today?” launched in March. This blog series is written by locals on their favorite places, activities, and food, and is part of the Greater Grand Forks: Way Cooler Than You Think! initiative.
16. Northern Valley Career Expo
The Northern Valley Career Expo returned with 1700 area high school sophomores learning about career opportunities in our region. We offered 22 break-out sessions and over 100 interactive stations on the exhibit floor.
17. Annual Meeting
We held our 2021 Annual Meeting in June and celebrated our community’s resilience and future trajectory. We posthumously honored Lonnie Laffen with the Klaus Thiessen Impact Award. Mark your calendars for Thursday, March 24 for our 2022 Annual Meeting!
18. 2020 Census
North Dakota saw a record-high population in the 2020 Census data. This reaffirms that our state is a land of opportunity and one of the best places in the United States to live, work, and raise a family. Greater Grand Forks: Way Cooler Thank You Think! even celebrated with a fun video.
19. Livability
Livability, a national platform showcasing what makes small to mid-sized cities great places to live, featured several articles about our region:
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- No Traffic, More Life: 10 One-of-a-Kind Ways to Spend Your Extra Time in Grand Forks
- All Welcome Here: Meet the Thriving Immigrant Community of Grand Forks
- One City, Four Seasons: A Full Year of Outdoor Adventures
- Want to Build a Career in Drone Technology? Move Here.
- Why Young Professionals Are Flocking to Grand Forks, ND
20. Space Development Agency
The Grand Forks Air Force Base was designated by the Space Development Agency to operate a new mission to monitor and maneuver low-earth-orbit satellites. The announcement means that the base will play a central role in the Air Force’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance efforts in the coming years.
21. Orbital Networks
Speaking of satellites, the Grand Sky tenant General Atomics received a grant from the Space Development Agency to link their MQ-9 drones to a satellite system with lasers instead of radio transmitters. The drones will then be able to transmit large amounts of sensor data to Grand Sky in a much more secure and speedy manner than through the radio frequencies now in use.