In their November issues, business development magazines like Area Development, Site & Facility Management and Site Selection Magazine all discussed the key elements that site selectors and corporate facility managers use in their process to select and locate or to relocate a business.

These lists have changed a great deal over the last several years and warrant a quick review to see how our region stacks up on providing the key elements site/facilities managers look at.

#1 - Available workforce (not surprising) is the single biggest item considered. It's not just a North Dakota issue; it is a national issue. Companies are looking for middle skill jobs (Requiring some training but not a bachelor degree.). Businesses and industry are looking for communities that have strong two-year community and technical schools and states that support excellent training programs.

#2 - Interestingly, the second most Important is highway accessibility. This is a category that our region has a great advantage with both the I-94 and I-29 corridors. North Dakota ranked 6th in the "Most Cost Effective State Highway Systems"

#3 - Labor Costs ranked third in the survey, and this is another area where the North Dakota has traditionally been very competitive, but with recent salary increases due to competition we are currently in the middle of the pack

#4 - Occupancy and construction costs ranked fourth in the rankings, and this is still a positive as compared to metropolitan areas across the country

#5 - Information and communication technology (ICT) is 5th and climbing quickly. The ability to provide strong ICT infrastructure and support is critical and is projected to jump to #1 or 2 in the next 2-3 years.

#6 - Available facilities is a critical issue for companies. It provides a cost-effective option versus building new, both from a time and cost standpoint. Our region is very weak in this area with few vacant or spec buildings available for attraction opportunities.

#7 - Corporate tax rates are well down the list. While still important, it is no longer one of the top five determining factors. Businesses want low taxes, but they also want to know that states have the financial capability to deal with infrastructure and other key issues.

#8 - State and local incentives have also dropped down toward the bottom in the top ten. Businesses want jobs incentives, training incentives and upfront cost incentives.

#9 - Low union profile remains a top ten issue and one that will be a positive for our region.

#10 - Energy and availability costs round out the top ten, and I feel offer our region another positive.

As a whole our region should provide an excellent opportunity for most business attraction opportunities, but the single biggest issue is lack of available workforce. Our region struggles with sustaining our existing companies thus complicating our ability to attract new businesses.

The GFMEDC goes out to primary-sector businesses and asks what's working, what challenges a company is facing and how the EDC can help. The GFMEDC has been able to meet with 175 businesses to date in 2014.  

"As a small, family-owned business, it was incredibly important to have help from the GFMEDC in making our expansion to the larger facility move smoothly. Through the low-interest loan and the Growth Initiative Fund match, our partnership with the GFMEDC has been integral to our continued success. It's great to have an organization like the GFMEDC to be with us every step of the way and we've been extremely impressed with their interest and dedication to helping small businesses not only to keep growing, but to thrive."     

Rich Cossette

President, TRS Industries

It's no surprise that thanks to mobile technology (laptops, cell phones), there are more people than ever who are able to-and do-work outside of a traditional office. Many are self-employed. Increasingly, many are remote employees. The default workplaces for these people? Home offices and coffee shops.

Which is great. Unless you're even slightly extroverted and need more company than your cat. Or you can't be productive when there are piles of dirty dishes and laundry. Or if you're building a new business and what you need more than anything else is a steady flow of ideas, advice, talent and resources.

Coworking is an answer to the growing need for people to work as part of a community, rather than working in isolation. And it's growing fast. The first coworking space started in 2005. There are now close to 4,000 worldwide. Even major companies like AT&T and Accenture have embraced coworking as an essential part of their workspace portfolio.

Now, isn't coworking just a new flavor of office suites? Sure, in a loose sense. But the reason people choose office suites, -having a receptionist, an office with a closed door, a phone system and creating the impression of "being professional"-are not imperatives for the new generation of DIY business creators. Being connected and having access to resources when you need them trumps everything else. This is the generation that has embraced car sharing, taxi sharing, bike sharing and house sharing, after all.

So, who shows up at coworking spaces? It's a Who's Who of the Creative Class. You have entrepreneurs, consultants, freelancers and small business owners. Software devleopers, designers, IT workers and strategists. And increasingly, venture capitalists, attorneys and CPAs. In a word: knowledge workers. Because when you're working in the knowledge economy, your stock in trade is information and ideas. Coworking spaces are essentially idea and information exchanges that cater to this need.

But, more importantly, why are coworkers willing to pay for the privilege when there's free office space at home or cheap rent down the street? It all comes back to community. In today's economy, where new businesses are launched and grow at lightning speeds, the cost of working in isolation is huge. We're all familiar with accelerators and incubators, which strive to push new companies to succeed quickly. Well, coworking is a de-facto accelerator program, in which many types of companies-not just tech startups-are able to leverage a community of knowledge workers in order to get off the ground and succeed. All for a relatively cheap monthly membership fee.

Which brings us to the notion of cheap rent. In some communities there are still cheap rents to be had. Even so, there are built-in liabilities of becoming a tenant. One, leases tend to require a long term commitment, usually 3 to 5 years. If your startup or small business is based in the knowledge economy, chances are you're solving for problems that didn't even exist 3 years ago. You'd be crazy to sign a personal guarantee on a 3-year lease, when your entire business model could be outdated within that timespan.

Adding to the burden of a traditional lease is the need to figure out and pay for internet connectivity, a computer network, a phone system, furniture and insurance. For a business trying to grow, all this is a distraction at best, and at worst business-killing overhead.

Finally, there's a phenomenon that, frankly, has surprised us, which is that CoCo members tend to do a lot of business with each other. In other words, if you're a solopreneur looking for clients or a startup looking for beta users, you just might find them at a coworking space. We're reluctant to guarantee this kind of outcome for everyone, but in fact we have a number of members who get more than half of their business directly, or via referral, from other CoCo members. All of which underscores the principle at the heart of coworking: people do business with people they like and trust. 

After one and a half years of service to the GFMEDC, Teri Dobbs has resigned to pursue other opportunities.

As director of workforce development, Dobbs worked on many collaborative initiatives, most notably the Manufacturing Tours. 

We appreciate Dobb's dedication and work to support the GFMEDC and economic development. We wish her the best of luck!  

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) would like to announce a Global Entry enrollment event to be held at the CBP facility located at the Fargo, North Dakota, Hector International Airport. During this enrollment event, CBP will conduct interviews for conditionally approved Global Entry applicants.

Global Entry is a voluntary expedited clearance initiative for pre-approved low risk international travelers, who are processed by biometric identification using a designated kiosk, rather than waiting in line for entry processing by a CBP officer when entering the U. S. at a participating CBP airport. The kiosks facilitate entry by reducing wait and processing times.

To become a conditionally approved Global Entry applicant, individuals must apply online, undergo a background investigation and complete an in-person interview with a CBP officer. If no disqualifying information is found, travelers receive the benefit of expedited processing. The $100 application fee allows for five years of membership and travelers can use nearly 300 kiosks located at 34 U.S. airports and 10 preclearance locations in Canada and Ireland.

"The goal of this enrollment event is to provide a convenient, easy-access, local venue for conditionally approved Global Entry applicants to complete the required interview with a CBP officer," said Area Port of Pembina, North Dakota, Assistant Port Director - Passenger, Mary Meyer.

During the enrollment event, the temporary Enrollment Center will open on Monday, February 2, 2015 and close on Friday, February 6, 2015 with daily Enrollment Center hours from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., CT.

Travelers interested in applying for Global Entry need to apply online utilizing the Global Online Enrollment System GOES. With the enrollment event quickly approaching, any applicant wishing to take advantage of this opportunity, needs to start the application process immediately. CBP strongly suggest that applications are submitted no later than December 1, as the application vetting process typically takes 6-8 weeks for conditional approval.

Global Entry also provides access to the TSA Pre✓™ initiative which offers expedited screening through domestic airport security checkpoints. Benefits of TSA Pre✓™ include being able to leave shoes, light outerwear and belts on, and not having to remove laptops from carrying cases.

More information on CBP's Global Entry Program can be found at Global Entry or visit the CBP homepage at www.cbp.gov.

More than 2,800 9th graders from 37 regional schools participated in this year's 12th annual Health Tech & Trades Expo held in December.

GFMEDC participates in and is a sponsor of the event designed to promote careers in the health, technical and trades industries to students from Fargo, Moorhead, West Fargo and area rural public and private schools.

More than 70 companies participated in the expo.

Since the expo's inception, more than 20,000 area students have had the opportunity to participate in hands-on demonstrations and learned about various career choices.

No 1 Million Cups Fargo in December  

E-Commerce Breakfast

December 17

7:30 a.m. - 8:30

The Boiler Room

210 Broadway

Tickets ($10)

Startup Drinks
December 17

5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

CoCo Fargo

122 1/2 Broadway

Sign up 

The complete annual meeting is now available to watch.

Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation