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 Japan trade and investment mission
Commerce's Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Commissioner Shawn Kessel, and Director of Strategy and Transformation Cortnee Jensen traveled to Japan to join Gov. Doug Burgum and various leaders from state agencies for a weeklong trade and investment mission. Read more here.
 UAS Summit and Expo
Technological Systems Business Development Manager Brian Opp participated as a panel member for the topic, Starting up in North Dakota, a Case Study, during the UAS Summit and Expo in Grand Forks this week. The event was well attended with much optimism for the technology, industry, and North Dakota's role at the forefront of UAS expansion.
 EDND Fall Conference 2022
Commerce's Workforce Division Director Katie Ralston Howe, Community Services Main Street Community Development Lead Tracey Miller, and Main Street Community Development Liaison Emma Cook presented at this year's Economic Development Association of North Dakota Fall Conference.
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Gov. Doug Burgum announced today he has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the governors of Minnesota, Montana and Wisconsin to develop a regional clean hydrogen hub to help meet the nation’s clean energy, transportation and agricultural needs.
Under the MOU, the four states agree to develop a proposal for a Heartland Hydrogen Hub, with the goal of obtaining federal funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s $7 billion program announced last week to create regional clean hydrogen (H2Hubs) across the country. The funding is part of a larger hydrogen hub program included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law approved by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden.
The EERC is home to the National Center for Hydrogen Technology and has a long history of developing, testing and integrating technologies for the production and uses of hydrogen, including experience in the production of hydrogen from both fossil fuels and renewable fuels. Commerce will work with the EERC on North Dakota’s portion of the proposal development.
The 2022 Main Street ND Summit is less than a month away!
This year’s summit on Oct. 25-26 at the Bismarck Event Center will be free for all attendees. A pre-summit event will also be held on Oct. 24 from 4-6 p.m. at the Morton Mandan Public Library.
A newcomers breakfast will be held on Oct. 25 from 8-9 a.m. at the Bismarck Event Center. This breakfast is a great opportunity for people who are new to the Main Street Initiative to network and partake in more personalized conversations about the initiative.
If you haven't reserved a hotel yet, check out the summit hotel rate sheet and reserve your room before spots run out!
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Commerce, AARP invite the public to a free winter placemaking workshop
Learn about the concepts of winter placemaking and placekeeping
FREE! Oct. 7 from 9-10:30 a.m. virtual
Commerce, in collaboration with AARP, and in partnership with 8 80 Cities will be hosting a free virtual winter placemaking workshop on Oct. 7 from 9-10:30 a.m.
This workshop will provide participants information and inspiration to take action on placemaking pilot programs that will promote health, happiness, and well-being for the current and future winter seasons.
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North Dakota Development Fund approves $3.2M for Q3 2022
Commerce announced today that four companies were approved for $3.2 million in loan and venture funds through the North Dakota Development Fund (NDDF) during the third quarter of 2022.
“Any primary sector business in North Dakota is eligible for a flexible loan or equity funding of up to $3 million through the Development Fund,” Commerce Director of Economic Development and Finance Rich Garman said. “Since its inception, more than $130 million has been awarded to over 667 communities throughout North Dakota.”
Third quarter of 2022 recipients:
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Legacy Childcare LLC DBA Legacy Childcare 2.0 was awarded a $100,000 loan to purchase an existing child care business in North Fargo that will accommodate 161 children.
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CorVent Medical Inc., a Fargo-based company was awarded a $3 million loan for working capital to complete the company’s application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for 510(k) approval of a post-intensive care unit market ventilator.
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Chess 7205 2nd LLC, was awarded a $100,000 loan to purchase a building in Williston that will serve as a child care center and a care center for disabled children.
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Oakland selected to participate in Leadership Bismarck-Mandan 2023
 Economic Development and Finance Energy Research and Business Development Manager Tom Oakland was recently selected to participate in the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC Leadership Bismarck-Mandan Program. Leadership Bismarck-Mandan Committee works to develop local leaders who actively participate in and support community progress.
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 Don’t miss the 2022 Travel Industry Marketing Summit next week
The annual Travel Industry Marketing Summit will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 11. and all travel and tourism business, agencies and organizations are invited to attend. All meetings and presentations will take place in the Russel Reid Auditorium of the North Dakota State Museum and Heritage Center in Bismarck. Please register/RSVP your attendance. The summit and meetings are all free to attend, the RSVP is to ensure we have enough printed materials on hand.
The Travel Industry Marketing Summit is the prime opportunity to learn of the upcoming plans for marketing travel to North Dakota, and how you might be able to partner, co-op, or streamline and add synergy to your own advertising efforts. Reminder, most of the co-op programs are first-come/first-served, so attendance is one of the best ways to guarantee your placement. We look forward to seeing you there.
Tourism and Marketing Division welcomes new staff member
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Holly Miller joined Commerce as the new tourism development manager on Oct. 3. Holly will use her experience at the Jamestown Stutsman Country EDA, her family's agritourism operation, and various tourism businesses to build and implement a strategic tourism development plan.
In her role, Holly will actively recruit new tourism offerings and support destination tourism expansions and development aimed at attracting new visitors and entertaining North Dakota residents. You can reach Holly at hormiller@nd.gov, or (701) 328-5328.
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Planning for Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library ramps up as construction start nears
 Tourism and Marketing Director Sara Otte Coleman, along with Gov. Doug Burgum and directors from NDDOT, ND Parks and Recreation, the State Historical Society of North Dakota, ND Water resources and ND Game and Fish presented at a planning meeting to discuss progress and possibilities associated with the new library and museum. The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library board of directors and trustees and leaders from the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Billings County and the city of Medora were in Medora for the event.
The collaborative discussions ranged from infrastructure needs to new opportunities for developing additional offerings and services to complement the new attraction. The executive director and staff from America 250, the national celebration of the United States’ 250th birthday, were also in attendance – as the new presidential library is targeting July 4, 2026, American’s birthday, for the grand opening. Watch Theodore Roosevelt's North Dakota video presentation here.
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 Director joins ribbon cutting at the Pfennig Wildlife Museum reopening
Tourism and Marketing Director Sara Otte Coleman, cut the ribbon on the newly reopened Pfennig Wildlife Museum in Beulah. The museum, originally opened in 1994, had been closed but thanks to the generosity of founder Mr. Helmuth Pfennig's daughters Gwen Dinkins, Glenda Schoch, Kathy Wahl, Karen Pundt, and Kaylen Kessler, along with the Beulah CVB, the collection of approximately 175 animals from around the world is once again open to the public.
The CVB purchased the collection and the building and plans to staff the attraction for year-round visitation.
Pictured above in ribbon cutting photo from left to right: Beulah CVB Executive Director Don Williams, Economic Development Director Granville (Beaver) Brinkman, daughter Gwen Dinkins, Sara Otte Coleman, daughter Karen Pundt, and Beulah CVB Chair Dave Czywczynski.
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 ND Tourism successfully promotes North Dakota at Brand USA Travel Week U.K. & Europe
North Dakota Tourism and Marketing Global Marketing Manager, Fred Walker along with President/CEO Charley Johnson of Visit Fargo-Moorhead attended Brand USA Travel Week in Frankfurt, Germany. The event brought together key players in the U.S., U.K. and European travel industry to discuss trends, challenges, innovations, and the opportunity to drive future visitation to the United States. Over the course of four days Walker and Johnson scheduled 39 market appointments with Germany, Austria and Switzerland (11), Belgium and the Netherlands (8), Italy (7), UK, Ireland and Scotland (5), Norway, Sweden and Denmark (4), France (2) and other US-based markets (2).
Walker stated “We ended up with 38 leads by the end of the show. Most of the operators were very happy with 2022 bookings as most were higher than expected! 2023 could be a great year for us, with only a few concerns – exchange rate, the war in Ukraine, and heating and fuel prices.”
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Round 3 of the Technical Skills Training Grant is now open
The Technical Skills Training Grant program aims to offset the cost for program providers and employers in their effort to support the development of highly trained skilled workers to meet the demands of our labor market.
For this year’s cycles, the grant program is now offering Track A and B options to expand the grant’s impact.
The Track B option is in addition to the original parameters from previous cycles. This option is designed for companies wishing to provide internal upskilling opportunities for their existing staff to promote movement and advancement throughout the organization, create more comprehensive onboarding and new worker training programs, and/or provide safety training for employees.
The Track A option reflects the initial intent of the grant program and is designed for new and expanding accelerated, non-degree training programs that prepare trainees for new jobs.
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