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 Grand Forks Day in Bismarck
Grand Forks leadership and others brought together a variety of legislative and agency leadership to discuss legislative activity and where the community is headed in the future.
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Wonder Fund North Dakota, a North Dakota Development Fund investment program directed by O’Leary Ventures (OLV) has selected the tech start-up company LandTrust as its first investment. LandTrust is an online land sharing marketplace connecting landowners with outdoor enthusiasts, creating income for the landowners and allowing access to private lands for recreational experiences. This investment will drive economic development in rural communities throughout the state by creating new jobs and new income streams for North Dakota farmers and ranchers. To book an experience or learn how to list your land to the site go to https://landtrust.com/.
Similar to other companies in the sharing economy, such as home sharing sites like Airbnb and VRBO, LandTrust is a land sharing site where landowners can earn income by hosting a full range of outdoor recreational experiences on their land including hunting, fishing, bird watching, RVing, and more. Landowners currently list over 1 million acres on LandTrust which can be searched by state, property name, or activity.
“This investment will drive economic development in rural communities throughout the state by creating new jobs and income for North Dakota farmers and ranchers,” Commerce Commissioner Josh Teigen said. “Local businesses in surrounding communities will also benefit from an increase in tourism-consumer related activity from the expansion of agritourism operations in North Dakota. This deal is a premier example of how capital formation can help drive economic development, tourism development, and community development while simultaneously giving our landowners another revenue opportunity for their assets.”
Legislative updates
Stay up to date on the latest legislative session developments and watch previously recorded sessions you may have missed. Also, Commerce will be presenting to Senate Appropriations this Friday, March 10 at 8:00 am CST.
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MSI Community Chat: Child Care Relief Pilot Program
The Main Street Initiative (MSI) Team invites you to join our free monthly Community Chat webinars! These sessions were designed to provide community, regional, and statewide volunteers and leaders an opportunity to learn more about a topic. These sessions also offer an open space for questions and conversations and leave attendees with funding resources and actionable items that can be implemented within their own communities. Please join us for these free 45-minute sessions, and take away key insights into the four pillars of the MSI: healthy, vibrant communities; 21st century workforce; smart, efficient infrastructure; and economic diversification.
Partnering with North Dakota Health and Human Services, the Child Care Relief Pilot Program chat takes place March 28, from 1-2 p.m. CST.
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New North Dakota Angel Match Program makes first investment in Project Phoenix Technologies Inc.
The North Dakota Development Fund (NDDF) closed on a $65,000 investment in Project Phoenix Technologies Inc. (Devii) on March 9, the first investment made by the NDDF through its Angel Match Program (AMP).
Under its brand Devii, Project Phoenix Technologies offers engineering teams around the world an instant application programming interface (API) engine that reduces project development time while also increasing the speed to production for software integrations, new projects, digital transformation, and other cloud-based performance optimizations.
“We are excited to have Project Phoenix Technologies as the first AMP investment,” Commerce Head of Investments and Innovation Shayden Akason said. “This investment will help expand upon the state’s thriving technology sector and establish an even more prominent reputation as being a leader in innovative and technological solutions.”
The NDDF launched the AMP to support early-stage primary sector North Dakota businesses by matching investor commitments up to $250,000 per business. Businesses may apply for funds if the total financing round is $2 million or less. Investors may be individuals, LLCs, businesses, trusts, or an investment fund.
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 North Dakota well-received at 2023 Go West Summit
The Go West Summit recently took place in Anchorage, Alaska. Representing North Dakota with more than 100 scheduled appointments, was Jason Morsette and Darian Morsette of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara (MHA) Nation Tribal Tourism and North Dakota Native American Tourism Alliance, along with North Dakota Tourism Sales and Services Manager Deanne Cunningham. While there, they had the opportunity to establish relationships, provide innovative itinerary assistance, garner knowledge from operator-supplier exchange and schedule follow up discussions.
Cunningham stated, “It was important to have Darian and Jason at the Go West Summit representing the New Town community, its region, and the ND Native American Tourism Alliance to provide influential, cultural, educational and spiritual discussions for guests interested in traveling to North Dakota.”
"Being at the table with international tour operators in one location was so beneficial, it opened up the highways into North Dakota as they learned about the culture and landscapes, how we really are a hidden gem for the visitors to explore, and to build lasting partnerships as MHA tourism moves forward in the tourism industry" stated Morsette.
The Go West Travel Summit is designed for tour operators from around the world to meet with suppliers representing destinations, properties, and attractions from the American West.
 $50 merchandise winner announced, Travel Industry Conference registration is still open
Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation Group and Event Sales Representative Jenna Consiglio was drawn as the winner of a $50 North Dakota Be Legendary merchandise gift certificate for registering for the Travel Industry Conference by Feb. 15. Congratulations Jenna!
The 2023 Travel Industry Conference provides educational and motivational content for the state’s destination marketing professionals, along with networking and professional development roundtables; a return of the popular Pecha Kucha (7-minute) tactical presentations; and the Governor’s Awards for Travel and Tourism recognizing industry excellence.
Don't miss this exciting opportunity to learn with and from your peers April 3-5. Don't delay, register today!
Last call for co-op advertising
There are a few cooperative advertising options left as part of the 2023 Cooperative Plan with North Dakota Tourism. These options include:
- Spots in the May, June, July and August issues of North Dakota Living.
- Spots in the advertorial in all papers of the North Dakota Newspaper Association.
- Social media options in April, May, July, August, September, October, November and December.
- Digital options including cross-device video, cross-device display, Google keyword and streaming audio.
Questions, and reservations, should be directed to Taylor Lach at Odney, tlach@odney.com or 701-557-7562.
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Biking on Long-Distance Trails (BOLT) Act reintroduced
U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), John Barrasso (R-WY), and Joe Manchin (D-WV) recently reintroduced the BOLT Act which bolsters opportunities for biking on federal lands, particularly as the outdoor recreation economy grows.
“As a former tourism director for the State of North Dakota, I know the important role outdoor recreation plays in providing enriching experiences, generating economic opportunity, and seeing more of our beautiful state,” said Cramer. “Bikers and hikers alike flock to the Maah Daah Hey Trail in western North Dakota. Our bipartisan bill would help promote trails like this, so more of the public can enjoy them.”
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 The State of the American Traveler latest findings by Destination Analysts
The State of the American Traveler report shows that Americans will prioritize travel in their household income’s spending in the coming months – over home improvements, clothing, entertainment and even dining out in restaurants.
Despite restaurants taking the #2 spot, restaurants will still be key beneficiaries of travel spending. In fact, two-thirds of American travelers say they engaged in foodie-ism behaviors on a recent trip.
American's excitement to travel is up, fears of a recession are slowing, and even though economic concerns continue, travel volume remains strong.
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(Save the date) Strengthening Government to Government Partnerships and Relationships - June 21-22, Bismarck
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