Greater Fargo/Moorhead Economic Development Corporation

North Dakota Sees more airlines, destinations and passenger connections

lgnelson — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:42:58 +0000

Airline travel in North Dakota is up more than 10% from last year’s record-breaking numbers. Williston currently leads the state in growth, boarding two and half times the number of passengers compared to April 2012. Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck and Williston airports all had their highest April boardings on record.

United and Delta Airlines are scheduled to start servicing Dickinson in June. Bismarck, Dickinson, Williston, and Minot are all being serviced by four airlines, and Fargo has five airlines for travelers to choose from.

North Dakotans can now fly directly to Minneapolis, Denver, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Orlando, Dallas/Ft Worth, and Los Angeles.

“The state is making good use of its 89 airports, and now is a perfect time to invest in aviation infrastructure,” says Larry Taborsky, Director of the Aeronautics Commission. “Our office anticipates the numbers to continue to increase, especially with increased capacity coming this summer.”

Cultivate.you inspires a sold out crowd at Fargo Theatre

lgnelson — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:27:59 +0000

Stay curious, ask why, challenge the status quo and break the rules. That’s the spirit of entrepreneurialism according to speakers at the Cultivate.you event in downtown Fargo.

The event, sponsored by Arthur Ventures and the GFMEDC, filled the Fargo Theatre attracting more than 800 people including 100 West Fargo junior high STEM Center students. The speakers were Mike Cannon-Brookes, Co-Founder of Atlassian, an Australian tech company and Rich Karlgaard, Forbes Editor and North Dakota native.

So what is the recipe for success (to steal a phrase from Cannon-Brookes)? According to Cannon-Brookes the ingredients are pretty simple (however easy it is to implement and get the combination right is probably debatable). Cannon-Brookes contributes his company’s success to five core ingredients: values, people, good processes, ideas (innovation) and fun. And it seems to be working. Cannon-Brookes and his partner started Atlassian ten years ago, and now the multi-million dollar company has more than 500 employees in four locations.

According to Karlgaard, successful companies have two things happening that he calls hard virtues and soft virtues. First, companies need to succeed at the hard virtues. Those are the things you can measure like cost, speed and supply chain. Then there are the soft virtues. The first soft virtue is design and integration. An intelligent design can be the difference for a discerning customer (think Apple). Does it look like a winning product? Second is managing your team for success. How do you divide your team? Do you combine introverts and extroverts? Third is brand, and the fourth is purpose. He described it as moral purpose but said that it doesn’t have to mean religious purpose. He used Google as an example saying their deeply rooted purpose lies in the desire to create a library for everybody.

The most tweetable phrase may have come from Karlgaard “Ask yourself, what is your unfair advantage?” By that he means what do you do have or do that sets you apart?

The event was part of a larger effort to start building up the entrepreneurial environment in the Fargo Moorhead community. It’s about risk taking, business building, following your passion and making the world a better place through innovative ideas. It’s going on right here in our own backyard. Stay tuned…big things are happening!

Midwest Mobile Summit – Utilizing Mobile to Reach Business Goals

lgnelson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:02:51 +0000

Mobile provides accessibility and helps businesses reach their goals, whether it’s external (connecting customers) or internal (reviewing/controlling data, streamlining processes).

Myriad Devices is coordinating Midwest Mobile Summit on Sunday, April 28 and Monday, April 29 in downtown Fargo. The summit focuses on ways to leverage the mobile movement.

Midwest Mobile Summit consists of various educational sessions, including case studies and panels at the Fargo Theatre, ECCE, and Studio 222 off Broadway. Each category of Mobile Strategy, Mobile Technology, and Mobile Industries shares its own location and will focus on different topics, from beginners who want to learn more to experts seeking information on user design best practices.

The summit also brings talent from all over the nation. Tech giants Microsoft, Apple, and Verizon Wireless will join various mobile software companies, marketing firms, and manufacturing organizations to provide their perspective on the capabilities and application of mobile.

“The goal of Midwest Mobile Summit is to educate our audience on the future of mobile technology and allow them to take action,” said James Dravitz, Chief Strategy Officer of Myriad Devices. “The best part is that you can bring a team of various skill sets from different departments, and each person will take away a unique experience. This information is useful for everyone.”

Jake Joraanstad and Ryan Raguse, founders of Myriad Devices, will present the Midwest Mobile Summit keynote address on Sunday, April 28 at the Fargo Theatre. The sessions will follow and attendees choose which segment is best appropriate for their needs.

Two day registration for Midwest Mobile Summit is $200. You can follow Midwest Mobile Summit on Facebook for the latest updates or visit midwestmobilesummit.com for complete registration details and information.

Cultivate.you event builds on Fargo Moorhead’s entrepreneurial ecosystem (April 26)

lgnelson — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:17:31 +0000

Innovation and entrepreneurship have been transformative for many in our region, and it has been a driving force in the development of our economy. To continue to support and fuel the entrepreneurial ecosystem, the GFMEDC and Arthur Ventures invite you to join us at the first ever Cultivate.you event.

Cultivate.you
Friday, April 26 10:00 a.m. – noon
Fargo Theatre
Tickets (free) at: http://arthurventures.eventbrite.com/

CULTIVATE.you will feature two global leaders in the entrepreneurship community: Forbes Publisher and North Dakotan, Rich Karlgaard, and Atlassian Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Mike Cannon-Brookes. Rich and Mike will share their experience of entrepreneurship and innovation as well as their ideas for the future.

Arthur Ventures and the GFMEDC are committed to supporting regional entrepreneurial efforts. Inspired and encouraged by the success of TEDxFargo and Startup Weekend, we hope to build on this momentum. Tickets are limited, and we expect a packed crowd for the event. Please make sure if you sign up for a ticket that you attend. If you have questions, please contact Greg Tehven at gtehven@gmail.com.

About the Speakers:

Since 1998, Rich Karlgaard has served as Publisher of Forbes, where he writes a biweekly column called Innovation Rules. Rich is also a regular panelist on cable news’ popular business show, Forbes on FOX and frequent guest analyst on CNBC’s The Kudlow Report. In 1997, he founded Garage Technology Ventures with Guy Kawasaki. As a journalist, investor and thought leader, he is passionate about driven leadership, innovation, and growth. Learn more about Rich -http://blogs.forbes.com/people/rkarlgaard/

Mike Cannon-Brookes is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Atlassian – an award winning enterprise software company that helps teams of all sizes track and share everything, work smarter, and create better software together. Atlassian currently has over 25,000 customers globally and has been named one of the “Fastest Growing Companies” by both Deloitte and BRW Magazine. Mike has received international recognition for his work, including the “Australian IT Professional of the Year” award in 2004 and “Australian Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006. He’s also been honored by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader in 2009, and is currently a member of The Forum of Young Global Leaders. Learn more about Atlassian’s growth – http://bit.ly/16JNPIh

GFMEDC, Chamber Urge Members to Join in Flood Fight

lgnelson — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:26:03 +0000

Together, the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber and the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation (GFMEDC) are urging members, investors and their employees to get involved in sandbagging efforts and help prevent spring flooding.

The organizations are asking that members allow their employees to volunteer to sandbag during the hours of 2 and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning April 3, 2013 at Sandbag Central in the 2400 block of Eighth Avenue North. The City of Fargo is hoping to complete a million sandbags in 10 days to protect the city to 42.5 feet.

The Chamber and GFMEDC have made long-term flood protection a top priority. The Business Leaders’ for Permanent Flood Protection task force continues to advocate for the diversion project and the importance of comprehensive flood risk reduction.

“We are fortunate to have made it through past floods largely unscathed,” said President of the GFMEDC Jim Gartin. “We must remain vigilant in ensuring that the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo region remains open for business 365 days a year. Let’s remove major flooding from the long list of national headlines about our community.”

February Economic Indicators Released

lgnelson — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:59:23 +0000

The unemployment rate for the Fargo Moorhead MSA sits at 4.7% compared to a national unemployment rate at 8.5% (not seasonally adjusted). North Dakota’s unemployment sits at 4.3%.

Housing starts for the MSA totals 87 year-to-date compared to 53 last year.

Total passengers at Hector International Airport also shows 9% growth compared to the same time last year with 64,521 January 2013 compared to 58,742 January 2012.

Third quarter 2012 taxable sales for Cass County was up 9.4% (compared to the same time the previous year) at $824,200,648.

About the data:

On a monthly basis, the GFMEDC gathers data that provides a glimpse of the region’s economic health and stability. Data is collected from Job Service North Dakota’s Workforce Intelligence Network, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, National Association of Homebuilders, Hector International Airport and the North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner.

The Fargo, N.D. – Minn. Metropolitan Statistical Area (referred to as the Fargo Moorhead MSA) is delineated by the Office of Management and Budget as the region of Cass County, N.D. and Clay County, Minn. Complete Economic Indicators

American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth connection will make doing business nationally and globally a little easier

lgnelson — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:58:10 +0000

The addition of an American Airlines flight between Fargo and Dallas/Fort Worth has created better access to both national and international destinations. Better connectivity allows companies to do business more efficiently. It also makes the Fargo Moorhead Metro a more attractive location to locate a business.

The added service has proven to be a popular option for travelers. “As soon as we announced that the service was available for booking, Fargo was the number one booked route of the new routes we were flying.” said Dale Morris, American Airlines.

According to Morris, a direct flight to Seoul, South Korea from Dallas is expected to begin in May.

The Dallas/Fort Worth connection will be offered daily. DFW is the largest of American’s five domestic hubs offering more than 740 departures to nearly 170 cities in Asia, Europe, North America and South America. American Airlines also connects Fargo to Chicago.

Regional business leaders shape plan for Valley’s economic future

lgnelson — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:41:46 +0000

Spurred by the vision and a $100,000 investment from Forum Communications Company Chairman William C. Marcil, the Valley Prosperity Partnership (VPP) has been formed to identify strategic economic opportunities to bring the Red River Valley region of North Dakota and Minnesota together to focus on workforce, job creation, social infrastructure, and economic needs of the region.

Led by business leaders, the Valley Prosperity Partnership initiative brings together higher education, economic development, and industry leaders in the Red River Valley. The VPP promises to deliver a comprehensive strategic plan for the region.

“Through this initiative, the Valley’s private sector will build a roadmap for our region’s economic prosperity,” Marcil said, “and identify actions we can take to augment the resources of our great research universities.”

Leading the initiative are steering committee co-chairs Tammy Miller, CEO of Border States Electric in Fargo, and Steve Burian, CEO of AE2S in Grand Forks.

“Our state’s economic landscape continues to grow and change, due in large part to booming oil and agriculture sectors. For all areas to prosper and grow, Valley communities must be more collaborative and strategic in our planning” said Miller.

“Through this process we will define what communities in the Red River Valley can do together to capitalize on opportunities and strengthen our region’s economic and employment base,” said Burian.

VPP retained Wadley-Donovan GrowthTech, a New Jersey-based firm specializing in comprehensive economic development strategic planning, to evaluate the region and to develop a strategic plan. Work on the plan will begin in this month and is expected to be delivered in September 2013.

Steering committee members have invested at least $20,000 each to support the work of the VPP. Joining Miller and Burian on the committee are:

William C. Marcil, Chairman, Forum Communications Company
Dave Anderson, Director of Public Affairs, Sanford Health
Barry Batcheller, Chairman & CEO, Appareo Systems
David Berg, President & CEO, American Crystal Sugar
Karl Bollingberg, Executive Vice President, Alerus Finanical
Dean Bresciani, President, North Dakota State University
Doug Burgum, Founder, Arthur Ventures
John Eickhof, President, Construction Engineers
Jim Galloway, Principal, JLG Architects
Jim Gartin, President, Greater Fargo Moorhead EDC
Hal Gershman, Owner, Happy Harry’s Bottle Shops
Robert Kelley, President, University of North Dakota
Dennis Millirons, President, Sanford Health
Dave Molmen, CEO, Altru Health System
Mark Nisbet, North Dakota Principal Manager, Xcel Energy
Ronald Offutt, Chairman & CEO, RDO Equipment
John Richman, President, North Dakota State College of Science
Wes Rydell, Owner, The Rydell Company
Thomas Shorma, President & CEO, WCCO Belting
Anne Temte, President, Northland Community & Technical College
Klaus Thiessen, President & CEO, Grand Forks Region EDC
Paul von Ebers, President & CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota

GFMEDC Adds New Board Members, Elects Officers

lgnelson — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 18:27:31 +0000

Fargo, N.D. (January 23, 2013) – Nine area professionals joined the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation (GFMEDC) board of directors.

Six at-large directors:

Judd Graham, Wells Fargo Bank, Market President
Bryce Johnson, FM Home Builders Association, Executive Director
Denise Magness, Warner & Company, Executive VP & COO
Bill Marcil, Jr., Publisher The Forum, COO Forum Communications Company
Marshal Albright, Cass County Electric Cooperative, VP Member and Energy Services
Randy Gerhold, Microsoft, Fargo R&D Site Leader

Three new agency directors:

Chad Peterson, Cass County Commission
Kevin Campbell, Clay County Commission
Mayor Rich Mattern, City of West Fargo

New members, Graham, Johnson, Magness, Marcil, Albright, Gerhold, Peterson, Campbell and Mattern began their terms on January 1.

The board also elected and re-elected officers for 2013.

Board officers are:

Board Chair: Brad Schlossman, West Acres Development, President
Chair-Elect: Dennis Millirons, Sanford Health, President
Treasurer: Tammy Miller, Border States Electric, CEO
Secretary: Tom Dawson, Dawson Insurance, President

Guidance from the board helps the GFMEDC achieve its goals and lays the groundwork for the economic health of Cass County, N.D. and Clay County, Minn. The board is made up of 33 directors. It includes a nine-member executive committee; ten at-large members elected from investor businesses; representatives of the Fargo City Commission, West Fargo City Commission and Moorhead City Council; representatives of the Cass County Commission and Clay County Commission; one development council representative; the superintendents of Fargo, West Fargo and Moorhead public schools; and the presidents of Concordia College, Minnesota State University Moorhead and North Dakota State University. Board members can serve up to three terms.

The GFMEDC strives to grow the economy ofCass County,N.D.and Clay County, Minn. by attracting, expanding and retaining primary-sector businesses. A primary-sector business is one that brings new dollars into a community through the sale of its products and services outside the trade area. The primary sector is the foundation of an economy and the principal driver of community growth and development.

Contact:

Lisa Gulland-Nelson
VP, Marketing & Public Relations
701-364-1920

Start-up Weekend, a 54-hour entrepreneur event is coming to Fargo

lgnelson — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:52:04 +0000

In March, Fargo will host its first Startup Weekend, an event bringing together entrepreneurs, designers, developers and startup enthusiasts to participate in 54 hours of taking innovative business ideas from concept to launch.

Local CEOs, founders, and startup veterans will be on hand to provide expertise and give talks on their experiences in the fast-paced world of technology startups.

Keynote speaker is Phil Soran, serial entrepreneur in the technology field. He was most recently the president and CEO of Compellent Technologies.

Registration is open for anyone interested in what it takes to be an entrepreneur. If you don’t want to participate, join us on Sunday for the pitches and post party. It’s going to be a blast! For more information check out the website at http://fargo.startupweekend.org/