SEPTEMBER 2003

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CONTENTS

Join Commerce for an open house!

The North Dakota Department of Commerce, along with the other tenants in Century Center, invite you to join them for an open house on Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 4 � 6 p.m. The four Commerce divisions � Community Services, Economic Development & Finance, Tourism and Workforce Development � completed their move to 1600 East Century Avenue in June. Other building tenants include Workforce Safety and Insurance (formerly Workers Compensation), North Dakota Parks and Recreation, Risk Management, North Dakota Department of Human Services and North Dakota Council on the Arts. Refreshments, entertainment, door prizes and tours are planned. If you have questions, contact Sue Kobilansky at 701-328-2819 or [email protected].

Williston welcomes ethanol plant

The Makad Corp. of Vancouver, Wash., plans to build the North Dakota Ethanol Complex, LLC, a new 17-million gallon ethanol production facility in the Williston Basin Industrial Park in Williston. The estimated completion date is early 2005. The plant is expected to use about 6.8 million bushels of corn annually, creating a demand for an additional 51,000 acres of production. The project will generate as many as 400 jobs during peak construction phase, and take 14 months to complete. In addition, the plant will produce feed byproduct for cattle operations in the Mon-Dak region, which has about one million head of cattle.

�We�ve put new economic development tools in place, aggressively promoted the use of ethanol and fostered a better climate for production,� Gov. John Hoeven said. �In addition, we�ve adopted a real team approach � with the Department of Commerce coordinating efforts and resources with the City of Williston and the Williston Area Development Foundation. Now we�re seeing the results of all of these efforts come together in an exciting new project for northwest North Dakota.�

Tom Rolfstad, director of Williston Area Economic Development, said, �Ethanol is the logical marriage between agriculture and the oil and gas industry, and Williston�s economy is based on oil and gas. We have emphasized our base of skilled employees and the availability of oil and gas service and supply companies in the area.�

Phase 2 expands to Minot

Phase 2 Solutions, Inc., will open a new state-of-the-art call center in Minot. The 12,000-square-foot facility will eventually employ up to 125 employees. This is the fourth call center facility for Phase 2, which currently has 1,000 employees located in two locations in Scottsdale, Ariz., and one in Vermillion, S.D. Much of the impetus for Phase 2�s decision to expand to Minot was provided by the efforts of the North Dakota Department of Commerce and the Minot Area Development Corporation, according to company executives.

�Phase 2 continues to seek ways to successfully expand our business, and this move is a positive step in our strategic plan,� said Larry Willett, president. �Minot is a perfect fit because of its available call center space, experienced labor base and supportive resources. We are privileged to be able to partner with the community of Minot and the state of North Dakota.�

ED&F; teams exceed 2001-03 goals

In the summer of 2001, the business development, research and marketing teams in the Economic Development & Finance (ED&F;) Division of the Commerce Department established several goals for the (then) coming biennium. Four goals were specifically tied to business development or local/state economic development partnerships. Their results follow.

1. �Increase the visibility and presence of North Dakota as an option for business relocation or expansion from 300 to at least 600 inquiries.� RESULT: A total of 961 out-of-state business inquiries were achieved; 209 of these became projects.
2. �Increase the number of out-of-state, primary sector businesses that relocated or expanded in North Dakota.� RESULT: Working with our local partners, 21 primary sector businesses relocated or expanded in North Dakota.
3. �Increase the number of lead referrals to local economic developers and communities from 40 to 60.� RESULT: A total of 99 lead referrals to local economic developers were provided.
4. �Increase the number of partnering opportunities with local professional economic developers.� RESULT: A total of 48 counties or communities participated in the Partners in Marketing program or other ED&F-sponsored; marketing and business development events. This represents nearly 85 percent participation!

ED&F; thanks you for your support of our new direction and targeted approach to economic development marketing and business development activities. By doing things differently, we look forward to even greater success in the 2003-05 biennium.

Nominees requested for Governor�s Choice awards

The second annual Governor�s Choice for Economic Development awards will be held Monday, Oct. 20, at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. The awards program was created in 2002 to recognize the outstanding economic development professional, volunteer and project for the previous year. Nomination forms may be downloaded from www.growingnd.com. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, Sept. 26. The Governor�s Choice awards will be presented during the annual meeting for the Economic Development Association of North Dakota.

EDND hosts annual meeting in Grand Forks

The Economic Development Association of North Dakota (EDND) will host its annual meeting on Oct. 20-21 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. Professional development speakers will include David Dodd, Dadco Consulting, on �Expansion and Retention Programs,� and Jeff Thredgold, economic futurist, on �U.S. and N.D. Economic Outlook.� The Governor�s Choice for Economic Development awards will be presented during a banquet on Monday evening, Oct. 20. Registration materials will be mailed in early September. For more information, contact Judith at the Grand Forks Area EDC at 701-746-2724.

Primary sector business surveys are in the mail

The Economic Development & Finance Division of the Department of Commerce (DOC) is mailing surveys to more than 1,100 North Dakota businesses over the next few weeks. Each year DOC searches for primary-sector businesses by surveying companies likely to create new wealth in the state. Survey results are used to help increase the standard of living for all North Dakotans by promoting the start-up, retention and expansion of primary-sector business. �This survey allows us to become better informed about companies in the state. It helps us determine good fits for start-ups and allows interested individuals to search for North Dakota products and services through our web site,� said Linda Butts, director of the Economic Development & Finance Division. �Companies with an interest in locating in North Dakota often use the information businesses provide to locate sources for the raw materials or services they�ll need to produce their product.�

North Dakota makes the news

In August, North Dakota business development efforts received these positive mentions in the national media: