Commerce News | Oct. 6
Join us at the Main Street ND Summit, where we prioritize accessibility, offering features such as a Spanish translator and ASL interpreter to accommodate all guests. By attending, you'll gain valuable insights into community building and development. This year's Summit offers a variety of tours focusing on art, culture, development, and energy, providing practical knowledge and memorable experiences. The Summit is free and special rates have been secured at The Roosevelt Hotel (40 rooms at $89/night, room block released on Oct. 10) and at Teddy’s Residential Suites (50 rooms at $97/night, with an additional 20 rooms at $88.20) Be sure to check the agenda for new events recently added!
Yesterday's Travel Industry Marketing Summit, hosted by Commerce, was a successful gathering of tourism program managers and industry peers. Discussions in the cooperative roundtables covered website analytics, sales strategies, public relations, and workforce initiatives. After a networking lunch, Leslie Holbrook, VP at Fahlgren Mortine, shared insights into consumer behavior for travel planning and media consumption. The Summit concluded with the unveiling of the 2024 advertising plan and cooperative marketing options by Tourism & Marketing Director Sara Otte Coleman and Marketing and Research Manager Heather LeMoine, leaving attendees well-prepared and energized for the upcoming year in the tourism industry.
Commerce recently visited Beach, where this photo was taken at the community's Gazebo Park Pavilion. The project was made possible through community and private donations, a North Dakota Parks and Recreation grant, support from the Golden Valley Foundation, Rural Leadership North Dakota, the Golden Valley County Community Foundation, and City Sales Tax funding. Much of the project's construction was carried out by volunteers. We look forward to working together to build up vibrant communities and downtown spaces.
The nation's largest Scandinavian Festival, Norsk Høstfest, couldn't escape the attention of Team Tourism! Thank you to our very own Fred Walker and Deanne Cunningham for expertly handling hundreds of questions, press requests, and delivering exceptional customer service to both our citizens and visitors.
The grant program aims to strengthen local food systems, improve grocery supply quality, encourage local partnerships, support innovative solutions, foster rural community development, and promote economic collaboration. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, local entities, economic development organizations, and tribal entities. The deadline is Oct. 13, 2023, at 11:59 pm CT. Don't miss out!
The UAS Summit & Expo is one of the longest-running events in the U.S. that focuses on drones, autonomous systems, and related technologies. The summit attracts speakers, exhibitors, and attendees from around the world to North Dakota where they experience a world-class ecosystem. The summit presents opportunities to showcase the unique capabilities, amenities, and expertise of key North Dakota stakeholders such as GrandSKY and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site. The UAS Summit & Expo takes place in Grand Forks, ND on October 10th-11th.
The recent North Dakota Supreme Court decision to invalidate SB 2015, the budget for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), has far reaching impacts on many state agencies. The Commerce Department is working to identify programs that may be impacted or delayed while we await the special legislative session needed to rectify the situation. Operations are continuing as normal as we determine if the funding programs will be delayed or adjusted. Programs included in the OMB budget include Tribal grants, Office of Legal Immigration, ND Development Fund, as well as items impacting salaries, retirement and FTEs.
Gov. Burgum released the following statement Tuesday after the National Park Service (NPS) announced that the public comment period is now open on its draft environmental assessment related to the herds of wild horses and cattle within Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The public comment period closes Oct. 25.
Alongside Job Service North Dakota (JSND), Commerce's Paige Kuntz presented to the Annual Stockmen’s Association on the objectives, initial tasks, and future activities and goals for the Office of Legal Immigration. She highlighted the severity of North Dakota’s workforce shortage, and how the Office of Legal Immigration intends to work with stakeholders and subject matter experts to develop and implement a statewide strategy to support the recruitment and retention of new Americans to North Dakota.
North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department (NDPRD) is improving state park accessibility with new amenities. They're the first in the nation to make all parks color-blind accessible with EnChroma glasses kits, while Lake Metigoshe State Park offers an Action Axis Trackchair for those with mobility impairments. There are also adaptive kayak and canoe launches across several parks. NDPRD is extending the park season through Nov. 1, offering a 25% camping discount any day of the week to achieve a record by selling 2,000 more camping nights.
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