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 North Dakota Tourism and Marketing staff hit the road
The North Dakota Tourism and Marketing team connected with community leaders and conducted an immersion tour in Bowman and the surrounding area with stops at White Butte, Pioneer Trails Regional Museum, and the newest “Artist on Main Street” mural, “So God Made a Farmer.”
This trip was a great way to learn more about what the region has to offer and how Tourism and Marketing can assist with promotional opportunities.
 SelectUSA Summit
Commerce Director of Strategy and Transformation Cortnee Jensen and Economic Development and Finance Deputy Director/Energy Developer Rich Garman, and members of the North Dakota Trade Office participated at the largest SelectUSA summit in history with approximately 5,000 attendees!
The team met with visit Japan’s Ambassador to the U.S. Koji Tomita to discuss an upcoming trade mission to Japan that will be led by Gov. Doug Burgum.
They also met with U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimunda to discuss economic opportunities in North Dakota.
The North Dakota team was very well received with dozens of meetings held and strong traffic at the booth throughout the entire event.
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Commerce announced the latest campaign efforts behind the state’s comprehensive workforce initiative geared at assisting those interested in relocating to North Dakota.
Centered around the revamped findthegoodlife.com website, Find the Good Life in North Dakota has been refreshed and is the latest talent attraction and marketing campaign dedicated to informing people outside of the state about job opportunities and the quality of life in North Dakota, with an emphasis on connecting people to opportunities in rural areas.
The website now includes a relocation help desk that provides a personalized relocation assistance service for prospective residents.
The initiative also includes strategic marketing that will target four personas: boomerangs, young families, recent college graduates, and veterans to drive traffic to the refreshed website. The target audience will be reached through ad placement on Connected TV, a channel that is accessible on all devices: mobile phone, laptop, desktop, television. A geo-conquesting tactic will also be implemented to target specific locations such as colleges, miliary bases and job fairs.
The Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Main Street Grant is meant to support new or expanding businesses that provide new outdoor recreation opportunities, improved visitor experiences, and with an emphasis on attracting visitors and visitor dollars to North Dakota communities.
Requests can be up to $20,000. The intent is to fund new projects capable of attracting visitors from outside of North Dakota for at least one overnight stay. New recreation opportunities, attractions and improvements funded would give the community and state additional experiences to entertain visitors and attract potential new residents.
Grant funds are to be used for building new attractions, expansions offering a new experience and supporting services for visitors.
Applications are due no later than Aug. 9, 2022. The grant-eligible portion of the project must be completed by June 16, 2023.
 Attend North Dakota’s premier community-building conference
The Main Street ND Summit provides an opportunity to connect, learn, get inspired, and gain insight to build and grow your community for the future. For all of us, the state of today’s workforce is top of mind as we identify and address the needs of our communities and state in 2022 and beyond. The 2022 Main Street ND Summit will be all about community and workforce! The planning has started and we are pursuing some amazing speakers, activities and interactions designed to SPARK your enthusiasm for our amazing state! We have numerous partners that are stepping up and out to assure the speakers and presentations include information and actions you can take home and put into place immediately.
Registration for the 2022 Main Street ND Summit is FREE and additional information can be found at msnd.link/summit-2022.
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The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Public Space Initiative – Placemaking Planning Grant application window will be open July 15-Sept. 1.
The intent of the EDA Public Space Initiative – Placemaking Planning Grant is to enhance the statewide attraction of businesses, promotion of economic activity, and the retention and attraction of workforce. Commerce was awarded $1 million through the EDA Statewide Planning Program to administer the grant funds to North Dakota entities.
The goal of the EDA Public Space Initiative – Placemaking Planning Grant is to invest in the planning and design to enhance the statewide attraction of businesses, promotion of economic activity, and the retention and attraction of talented workers to strengthen the economic resiliency of communities across North Dakota from the economic impacts of COVID-19.
CDBG pre-application period is open
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program pre-application period is now open through Aug. 1.
The primary beneficiaries of CDBG funded projects must be very low- and low-income individuals. Examples of projects funded by the CDBG include:
- Housing – housing rehabilitation of very low- and low-income homeowner units and rental units within a particular area.
- Public facilities – water and sewer projects, removal of architectural barriers, fire halls, ambulances, etc.
- Economic development – cities and counties receive funds to loan and or grant to businesses which create jobs for low-income persons.
All applications must be submitted by email to dcs@nd.gov by 5 p.m. CT on Aug. 1. Please note that note that economic development pre-applications do not follow the same guidelines and can be submitted any time between July 1, 2022 – June 15, 2023. Details about dollar amounts, eligible projects, etc. can be found in the 2022 CDBG Program Distribution Statement.
For further questions, please contact the representative for your region. A list of regions can be found at belegendary.link/Regional-councils.
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North Dakota Development Fund approves $1.3M for Q2 2022
Commerce announced today that four companies were approved for $1,345,000 in loan and venture funds through the North Dakota Development Fund (NDDF) during the second quarter of 2022.
Second quarter of 2022 recipients:
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Project Phoenix Technologies Inc., a software development company in Fargo, was awarded a $150,000 loan to further the company’s development of its product, the PxDB Cloud.
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Crew Properties LLC., a Williston company was awarded a $100,000 loan to assist in the purchase of a building for a child care provider.
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Checkable Medical Inc., a Fargo-based company was awarded a $1 million loan as part of a $4 million financing round to fund clinical trials for the company’s at-home strep test.
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Christ United Child Care LLC, a Fargo company was awarded a $95,000 loan to support the purchase of an existing child care business in Fargo.
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 Tourism and Marketing partner reminders
There are still some 2022 North Dakota Travel Guides available for free distribution and we would love for you to share them with your visitors. Order your free 2022 Travel Guides by emailing tourism@nd.gov, or call 1-800-435-5663.
We are also currently planning for the new 2023 Travel Guide - which means it is imperative that all tourism experience providers, log into the Partner Portal now to update and enhance your listings and amenities. These listings are used not only for the printed guide, but everyday by our staff for travel counseling, media releases and social media promotions. The deadline for travel guide listings is Aug. 31. If you need assistance contact Amy Schmidt at amrschmidt@nd.gov or 701-328-5315.
Learn the Latest in Social Media Marketing at the upcoming North Dakota Tourism and Marketing Chat on Monday July 18th at 2:00 pm (CST). This online industry update and presentation will feature guest presenter Jamie Tescher, the senior public relations specialist at Odney. Join the Teams mtg here. Alternate VTC instructions and the Video Conference ID: 119 143 747 6
Burgum renews call to restore pre-pandemic hours at border crossings in letter to Homeland Security, CBP
Gov. Doug Burgum is again calling on the federal government to restore pre-pandemic hours of operation at several ports of entry on the U.S.-Canada border where hours were reduced in April 2020.
The governor reiterated the request in a letter sent Friday to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Chris Magnus. Burgum noted that while the number of persons entering the United States through North Dakota ports of entry has increased by 40% since April 1 when the federal government rescinded the need for fully vaccinated travelers into the U.S. to be tested, the current number is still 50% below pre-pandemic levels. Burgum expressed his gratitude for a meeting last month with Magnus in which the commissioner indicated the CBP is open to dialogue on the crossing hours at the 310-mile border between North Dakota and Canada.
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Tourism and Marketing Director speaks at international conference
Commerce Tourism and Marketing Director Sara Otte Coleman was asked to participate and speak in a panel session of the Asia Pacific Tourism Association 2022 Hybrid Conference on July 7th. The session titled "Women Leadership in Tourism & Hospitality: Breaking the Glass Ceiling" was moderated by Dr. WooMi Jo (University of Guelph) and other panelists included Laura Pallotta (Regional Vice President/Marriott Hotels of Canada), Carol Shanklin (Prof. Emeritus, Graduate School at Kansas State University) and Phyllis Chuang (President, Cathay Hospitality Management). The panel session was well attended, lively and attendees had many questions for the panelists.
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 Theodore Roosevelt National Park named one top 25 national parks in the United States
Every year for the World's Best Awards survey, Travel + Leisure asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe. U.S. national parks were rated on their natural attractions, activities, lodging, wildlife, accessibility, and cleanliness.
In 2021, total recreational visitors to the national parks system (including national forests, monuments, and scenic byways) hit nearly 300 million. It is so exciting to see that Theodore Roosevelt National Park has been ranked within the top 25 best national parks to visit in the U.S.
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 Maah Daah Hey Trail is nationally recognized and awarded
The Maah Daah Hey Trail has been awarded the Best Hidden Gem in the United States in Bicycling.com’s 2022 Bicycling Travel Awards, stating “North Dakota deserves a spot on your bike-destination dream board. The state’s far western Badlands is home to an unsung hero of a trail system called the Maah Daah Hey.”
With the breathtaking panoramic views, diverse landscapes and access to several campsites along the trail system there is no question this award and recognition is well-deserved.
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