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New Investors
 
 

Thank you to our new and current investors for your support of the GFMEDC and economic development.  
 

The 2015 Fargo Moorhead magazine is available!

 

Use this magazine in your marketing and recruiting efforts.

 

Ask us for free hard copies or put the electronic version right on your website. Just use this link to grab the code. 

  
GFMEDC Smart Brief

 

 

Fargo Moorhead MSA has an unemployment rate of 3.4% (not seasonally adjusted) compared to the U.S. unemployment rate of 5.6%. To see the GFMEDC's latest economic indicators, please check out the following link.

 

April Economic Indicators  

 
 
President's Report - Thank you, Brad Schlossman for your service as GFMEDC Chair!

 

 

At our Annual meeting on April 29, 2015, we distributed our 2014 Annual Report "IGNITE" and heard from three speakers who shared their experiences working with the GFMEDC in business, workforce and entrepreneurial development. I believe we had our largest turnout for an annual meeting with more than 230 investors, partners and interested community members.

 

We also recognized our outgoing board members, who are outlined a little bit later in this newsletter. I wanted to take an opportunity to highlight our outgoing Board Chair, Brad Schlossman. Brad has served as the EDC Board chair for the last three years: 2012, 2013 and 2014. In fact, he is the only Board Chair I have worked for in my three years at the EDC.

 

Brad has been an excellent leader, mentor and advisor, and his leadership helped us implement some of the most significant changes the EDC has had over the last decade or more! I would be remiss if I did not recognize him for his invaluable service to the EDC, which continues into 2015 as our outgoing Board Chair.

 

2015 brought us a new Board Chair, Tammy Miller, and if our first five months of 2015 are any indication, that incredible leadership, mentorship and advocacy are once again offering the EDC's staff the ability to be the best organization we can be! 

 

 

 

Many thanks to our outgoing board members 

 

 

During our recent annual meeting we recognized the following outgoing board members:

 

Board of Directors

Tom Dawson

President, Dawson Insurance

Board 2006-2014

Executive Committee 2013-2014 

 

Darrell Vanyo

Former Cass County Commissioner

Board 2008-2014

Executive Committee 2013-2014

 

Brad Schlossman

CEO, West Acres Development

Chair Service 2012-2014

 

Growth Initiative Fund (GIF) Board

 

Ann McConn

Executive Director, Wealth Management, Alerus Financial

GIF Board 2013-2014

 

GFMEDC Annual Report 
 
 
Our annual report is now available.
  

If you would like to glance at our Annual Meeting Slides, click here. 

 
GFMEDC attends Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) trade show, markets the region

 

Along with 17 partners, including the ND Department of Commerce, the GMEDC attended it's first UAS trade show. The Atlanta show boasts more than 8,000 attendees.

 

The EDC took advantage of the opportunity to build relationships and reach out to potential business opportunities within the UAS sector.
 

The UAS industry is one of the targeted sectors identified in our Cass Clay Strategic Plan.


 

The state of North Dakota is one of six FAA designated UAS test sites.       
 


 

 

Job shadowing exposes 100 college student to local companies

 

Local college students got a firsthand look at some area career opportunities during  GFMEDC's recent job shadowing program. In it's second year, 113 higher education students toured one or all of  five FM companies. 
 

Students, mainly juniors and seniors, toured companies, asked questions and learned about the range of opportunities at each company. 
 

Companies that participated this year were: Sundog, Myriad Mobile, Microsoft, John Deere Electronic Solutions and Appareo.

 

 

 
GFMEDC releases "Attend" video, second in a series of videos intended to challenge perceptions of the Metro. Please share and use in your marketing efforts!

 


There are so many events to attend in the Fargo Moorhead Metro it's hard to keep up, here's just a small sampling.


 


 

 

We invite you to share the video or go ahead and embed it into your website or other social media channels.


 


 
GFMEDC continues to take advantage of the Fargo Marathon to boost recruiting efforts

The EDC ran a series of advertisements supporting recruitment efforts during the Fargo Marathon.
 

The ads' messaging focused on both potential residents and current residents. The ads encouraged out of town runners to consider moving to the metro and encouraged local people to help recruit friends and family to make the move.
 

This ad used electronically and through social media focused on encouraging current residents to help as ambassadors.


 

     
 


 

 
We need your help. Let's recruit to Fargo Moorhead. Request a stamped postcard and send it to someone who belongs in the Metro. 

 

 

 
The GFMEDC is proud to sponsor and support Cultivate.you, get your tickets!

 

 

Cultivate.You is a free two-hour event featuring two keynote presentations followed by question-and-answer with the audience. 

 

This year will feature David Niu, Founder & CEO of TINYpulse (Seattle, WA) and Clay Collins, Co-Founder & CEO of LeadPages (Minneapolis, MN). David and Clay will talk about their journeys as entrepreneurs as well as show you how determination and creativity can turn any dream into a great business. 

 

Cultivate.You

May 20, 2015

9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Fargo Theatre

 

It's free but will fill up so please grab yourself a ticket and join us!

 

More info on the event and speakers. 

 

A spotlight on our programs...

 

Here at the GFMEDC, we work many collaborative initiatives, support community efforts and manage some sizable projects of our own. Please take a look at what we have going on here. You can see the complete list in an online booklet on our website under What We Do.  

 

 

Targeted Attraction 

 

The GFMEDC assists MN and ND state economic development offices with business attraction in targeted sectors

by preparing comprehensive proposal packages. We respond to direct inquiries and inquiries from site selectors. Our targeted industry sectors include IT, embedded technology, value-added ag, and data centers.

 

Sector Initiative Summits 

 

The GFMEDC facilitates conversations with industry and education leaders to discuss synergies, opportunities and

workforce readiness. The EDC is responsible for and follows up on the deliverables from these action summits. The EDC forms committees and facilitates conversations between groups to identify trends, opportunities, challenges for the upcoming year. The GFMEDC hosted an IT sector summit 3rd quarter of 2014. 

 

Growth Initiative Fund (GIF) Management 

 

GFMEDC manages the GIF revolving loan pool for expanding primary-sector businesses. The GIF continues to explore potential new funding programs to aid in

financing gaps.

 

Economic Indicators 

 

The GFMEDC gathers data that provides an overview of the current economic conditions of our metro. The Eco-nomic Indicators are distributed along with the GFMEDC newsletters. Indicator categories include Labor, Wages, Housing Permits, Cost of Living, Hector International Airport boardings, and Sales & Use Tax.

 

 

 
Upcoming Events

 

 

1 Million Cups 

Every Wednesday 9:15

FMCT The Stage

http://fargo.sites.1millioncups.com/   

 

TEDxFargo - Wonder

Thursday, July 23

Fargo Civic Center

All Day

http://www.tedxfargo.com/ 

Tickets 

 

Startup Drinks
May 19

5:00 - 6:30 p.m.

Sign up 

 

Midwest Mobile Summit

May 20 - 21

Downtown, Fargo

http://midwestmobilesummit.com/

 

Do you have news to share?
  
If you have news items you would like included in an upcoming newsletter, please send the ideas or articles to Lisa Gulland-Nelson at lgnelson@gfmedc.com.  Thank you!
                           
The mission of the GFMEDC is to grow and diversify the economy in Cass County, ND and Clay County, Minn. through the attraction, retention and expansion of primary-sector employers. 

 

A primary-sector company is one that brings new wealth into the community through the sale of its goods and services outside the trade area.  This new wealth circulates and supports all other sectors of the local economy, thus making the primary sector the principle driver of economic growth. 
  
Thank you for your continued support of the Greater Fargo Moorhead EDC and economic development.  We look forward to your feedback.