A consortium of partners has come together to solidify a rural regional workforce initiative with a two-pronged approach which includes workforce attraction and student work-based learning in rural Region 4, which includes Nelson, Pembina, and Walsh Counties.

Recent business surveys completed by the Red River Regional Council concluded the need for upward of 1,000 new employees in manufacturing, healthcare, education, and small businesses over the next five years. The strong workforce need has been growing for several years and an impending state/federal grant award through the Regional Workforce Impact Program (RWIP) will provide a significant boost to addressing these needs. The Nelson, Pembina, and Walsh County Job Development Authorities have come together to provide the 25% matching funds leading to a total budget of $250,000 as short-term one-time funding to launch this initiative.

This budget is being invested in a professional workforce attraction consultant team that will work with an Advisory Group of regional private and public partners and employ a regional workforce director over the coming months. The purpose is to prepare the necessary content and marketing strategy to promote the region as a quality place to live, work, and play.

The workforce attraction will be added to ongoing student-focused workforce development efforts that have been growing over the past eight years. North Valley Career and Technology Center (North Valley) offers a variety of programs for K-12 students that offer opportunities to learn about local careers and jobs, develop entrepreneurship skills, and gain work experience in partnership with many regional employers.

With more than 500 employees in Grafton, Marvin has long recognized the benefits and challenges of being a rural employer, and strongly supports the launch of this rural initiative.

“This initiative will allow our rural areas to level set with larger communities who have created their own marketing materials. This will be an excellent opportunity for us to get the word out about our region and attract individuals and families to Grafton and other area communities,” said Vicki Ham, Senior Human Resources Director for Marvin in Grafton. She is also serving on the initiative’s Advisory Committee.

Stacie Sevigny, an 8-year developer with the Red River Regional Council in Grafton will take on a new role as Director of Workforce Development for Nelson, Pembina, and Walsh Counties.

“This new initiative is a critical investment in the future of our rural region’s manufacturers, businesses, employers and communities, and we are so excited to promote Stacie into this role, as she brings incredible experience working with businesses and communities,” said Dawn Mandt, RRRC executive director. Sevigny has worked as a developer for RRRC since 2014.

Part of Sevigny’s role will focus on work-based education programs in collaboration with North Valley.

“Our goal is to fill the open jobs in our region and expose our students to opportunities – and there are a lot of great career opportunities,” said Mike Hanson, director at North Valley. “The needs are changing, and we need to stay relevant and continue to make strides to meet the needs of the 21^st-century
workforce. Stacie will coordinate all the work-based learning for our member school districts, businesses, and industries.”

Sevigny brings considerable knowledge and experience in working with businesses and the needs of the region, and she will be a tremendous asset for the development of these programs, Hanson said.

Annually, more than 1,500 K-12 students participate in work-based learning and career exposure programs that have developed over the past eight years. Today, more than 145 regional businesses are involved with job shadowing, internships, and other work-based learning. These efforts have also been built and grown in regional collaboration with North Valley, Grafton and Park River EDCs, Walsh and Pembina County JDAs, Red River Regional Council, Northeast Manufacturing Group, and ND Career Builders Program.

“I’m very excited to move into this new role that focuses both on attracting workforce and showing our students there are many, many opportunities for them here,” Sevigny said. “We heard from businesses and communities that the workforce is among their biggest challenges. We have a story to tell and will reach more people by working together on marketing, workforce attraction, and on building up our young people.”

The RWIP grant is a much-needed investment in the future of rural communities and businesses, according to Mandt. “The rural population of our region is 35,000 people – about the same as the City of West Fargo – and share the same types of needs and yet do not have the financial means as densely
populated cities. Therefore, we are often years behind in these types of initiatives while we await grant opportunities such as RWIP.”

This initiative has secured short-term funding and private and public partners will be needed to create stable, long-term funding to meet the goal of seeing people relocate to the area.

According to Mandt, the timing of this initiative is excellent as a 2021 Gallup poll found that 48% of Americans were interested in moving to a small town or rural area.

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The Nelson County Job Development Authority (NCJDA) recently adopted a countywide storefront improvement program aimed at assisting local property owners in reducing the cost of capital improvements that increase the visual appeal of a building.

The program was adopted by the JDA at their June meeting and applications are now being accepted.

The program provides a matching grant up to $5,000 per project, but no more than 50% of the cost of improving the business’s storefront, and applicants must match the public funds 1:1. Eligible activities include but are not limited to:

• External doors and windows
• Awnings or canopies
• Signs
• Permanent outdoor lighting
• Paint
• Reconfiguration of entrances

Applicants must either be commercial property owners or tenants of a commercial property. If a tenant would like to apply for a project, written consent must be obtained from the property owner. Applications should be accompanied by written estimates and disbursement of NCJDA funds will occur after the approved project is completed and all applicable receipts are submitted.

The NCJDA has set aside up to $20,000 annually to support storefront improvement projects. Applications are reviewed on a first come, first serve basis. The JDA meets bi-monthly and the application period is currently open.

To learn more about the program and how to apply, check out the Nelson County JDA page here.

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Walsh and Pembina counties are currently seeking cities interested in funding assistance for community betterment projects. Both Pembina and Walsh counties are accepting applications for projects as part of their Self-Help Programs.

There are many ways communities can use these county funds for betterment projects. Examples of projects cities have used the funds toward include: maintenance and mowing at a city park; city beautification; sidewalk and street repairs; Senior Center programs; playground equipment purchase; city sewer line maintenance; and street light repair.

The main objective is to promote development within communities of Pembina and Walsh counties. The Red River Regional Council manages the program on behalf of the counties. There are four program criteria:

1. Requests cannot exceed one-half of the total project cost, nor can the request exceed $1,500.
2. The county funds must be matched 1:1. Funds will be released on a reimbursement basis with supporting documentation.
3. A copy of a resolution or minutes of the meeting when the applicant authorized the project must be included with the application. The city must include in its minutes that it plans to apply for self-help funds for a specific project.
4. Any change in scope of the awarded project or if a City would like to use funds for a different project than awarded, the change must first be approved by the County.
5. Pembina County cities may submit up to two applications for two separate projects. Specifics are included in the letter each City auditor and mayor received via mail.

The deadline to apply is December 15, 2022. Applications will be presented to the commissioners in Pembina and Walsh counties for review and funding decisions in early 2023.

Applications have been mailed to city auditors and mayors in both counties and can be submitted via mail to Red River Regional Council, 516 Cooper Avenue, Grafton ND 58237 or via email to Stacie@redriverrc.com. They can be found on the RRRC website: www.redriverrc.com or by contacting the RRRC office at 701-352-3550.

As a reminder, any communities that received 2021 self-help funds have until December 1, 2022 to submit a reimbursement request. All reimbursement requests and supporting documentation should be sent to the respective county auditor. Requests received after that date may not be funded.

Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact Stacie Sevigny at 701-352-3550 or Stacie@redriverrc.com.

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Commissioners in Pembina and Walsh counties recently awarded funds to cities for community betterment projects as part of each county’s Self-Help Program. The program is administered by the Red River Regional Council (RRRC) on behalf of the counties.

The main objective is to promote community betterment projects within the cities of Pembina and Walsh counties. There are three program criteria:

1. Requests cannot exceed one-half of the total project cost, nor can the request exceed $1,500.
2. The county funds must be matched 1:1. Funds will be released on a reimbursement basis with supporting documentation.
3. A copy of a resolution or minutes of the meeting when the applicant authorized the project must be included with the application. The city must include in its minutes that it plans to apply for self-help funds for a specific project.

Applications for 2021 funds were accepted through December 2021 and were reviewed by commissioners in each county in early 2022.

Pembina County

Pembina County Commissioners allow each of the county’s 11 cities to submit applications for two separate projects, up to a $1,500 county match for each. The commissioners reviewed 13 applications from nine cities. Total requests totaled more than $17,000 for projects costing more than $68,000.

Commissioners awarded funds for each request as follows:

• Bathgate, $1,500: Gravel expenses for city streets
• Cavalier, $2,750: Two projects – city beautification and wall mural program
• Crystal, $670: Sidewalk replacement project
• Hamilton: $1,500: Road patching
• Hensel on behalf of the Gardar Township Hall, $1,500: Sidewalk project
• Mountain, $2,750: Two projects – sidewalk projects in two separate areas of the city
• Pembina, $1,500: Materials to replace roof on pavilion
• St. Thomas, $2,750: Two projects – lot maintenance and demolition of vacant homes
• Walhalla, $1,486.50: Two projects - Jetting city sewer lines and landscaping at pool

Walsh County

Walsh County Commissioners reviewed the requests from 11 cities requesting more than $15,000 for projects totaling more than $69,000. Funds were awarded with 10 cities receiving $1,000; and Fairdale receiving its requested amount of $600.

Walsh County cities and projects receiving funds are:

• Adams: Replace street signage
• Edinburg: Asphalt patching
• Fairdale: Maintenance and mowing of the city park
• Fordville: Sidewalk replacement near the senior center
• Forest River: Replace windows at Forest River Center
• Grafton: Restroom renovation project at Grafton Armory
• Hoople: Fence installation at city dumpster site
• Lankin: Purchase remainder of tractor equipment lease
• Minto: Street and curb repair
• Park River: Purchase city Christmas décor
• Pisek: Road patching

All cities in Pembina and Walsh counties will receive notification of their award from the county auditor. The correspondence will include information on how to seek reimbursement.

Applications for the 2022 program will be sent in April and cities in both counties are encouraged to apply for funds to assist with city betterment projects. Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact Stacie Sevigny at the RRRC via phone (701-352-3550) or email (Stacie@redriverrc.com).

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The Red River Regional Council has the potential to create a licensed commercial kitchen and incubator space on Hill Avenue in Grafton. North Valley and the City of Grafton are partners working alongside us to develop this project while we are still cultivating other local and regional partners.

A shared-use commercial kitchen is a licensed commercial kitchen that can be rented by people who are developing their food businesses, used for food classes, or rented by people or organizations in the community.  People who want to meet state regulations and licensing for food sales could get that certification – and – people who want to develop their business ideas could get coaching and assistance.  This is a space that offers technical assistance and business development programming so that local entrepreneurs can launch and grow their businesses and creative people, ideas, and community can gather.

Currently, there is a 80% federal grant opportunity for renovations & equipment/furnishings due Jan 31, 2022.

We want to know what you think!

Please take a few minutes to respond to this survey, and please share the link with others you know!

Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Z7F32B8

For more information on this look below:

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Are you or someone you know aspiring to be an entrepreneur? Or perhaps looking to purchase or sell an existing business, or to acquire new machinery/equipment, furniture and fixtures, and/or inventory?

If so, check out the link below for available funding opportunities alongside other valuable information. This opportunity is available for a limited time, so contact us at (701) 352-3550 to speak with one of our team members!

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Public, business owners, elected officers are encouraged to attend workshops to see the results

The Red River Regional Council and many regional partners have come together on an important effort to enhance where we live, work and play. Part of those efforts include a secret shopping mission and the public is encouraged to attend a workshop in their county to learn more about what that mission revealed.

The project, Destination Red River Region, has begun and includes four counties in northeast North Dakota, also known as Region 4 – Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina and Walsh.

Research shows that tourism is the front door to non-tourism economic development and a region is only as good as the sum of its parts. The goal of the project is to level up the communities in Region 4. The outcome will be a regional action plan that provides strong direction on how and what we can be doing to strengthen our efforts to attract people – both visitors and residents. Roger Brooks and his team will be drafting that plan.

Who is Roger Brooks?

Roger Brooks and his team from Roger Brooks International & Destination Development Association (https://www.destinationdevelopment.org/cpages/home) have been selected to assist us in these efforts based on his wealth of experience, energetic approach, and the ability to help us level up. His team’s mission is to help communities in their efforts to be sustainable, successful destinations while improving quality of life for residents. To date he has assisted more than 2,200 communities do this through branding, marketing, communications, economic and product development efforts.

What does the project include?

Roger Brooks’ efforts include several aspects:

1. The Roger Brooks team conducted a pre-visit assessment. They looked our websites, social media, photography and print materials. The goal is to figure out what people who know nothing about our area can (and cannot) find out before physically coming here.

• They are among us now, in the region, secretly shopping us. They will do this for about three weeks. They are looking at our region through 3 lenses – the lens of a visitor, potential investor (business opportunity), and future resident. They have been taking thousands of photos.

• A brief online questionnaire will be launched to get local feedback on the future of our communities. It is expected this will be launched the week of October 4.

• A findings and suggestions workshop will be held in each county once the secret shopping mission is complete. For every challenge uncovered during the secret shopping mission, Roger will be here to show us, photographically, how to make it better using many low-cost solutions.

Please see below the date and time for each workshop. These events are open to the public and attendance is highly encouraged:

• Grand Forks County: Tuesday, Oct. 19 – 9am Pheasant Room at the Alerus Center
• Nelson County: Monday, Oct. 18 – 9am at Lakota Community Center
• Pembina County: Friday, Oct. 15 – 9am at Akra Hall at Icelandic State Park
• Walsh County: Thursday, Oct. 14 – 9am at Minto Community Center

It is expected the findings and suggestion workshop will be 2 to 2 ½ hours. Everyone is invited to attend. The more engagement, the easier it will be to implement solutions. Plus, Roger promises it will be energetic and enlightening – plus it will be 100% about your county.

Regional and County Teams

The same afternoon of the workshop, Roger will meet with the respective County Team to give next steps (or “marching orders”) on what can be done while the plan is drafted.

A County Team has been assembled for each County and has a chairperson or co-chairs. These are people who have a vested interest in the Action Plan development and implementation. They’re going to assist in building momentum and implementing the plan.

The goal of the County Team is to move ideas forward – to help move them from suggestions to recommendations to actions. But they can’t do it themselves. This is where engagement at the County Workshops, and beyond, is important. A plan is only as good as those who strive to implement it.

We expect the County Team, JDA, city and county elected leaders, and many others will be working – together – to implement the Action Plan. If you’re interested in being part of this, please the Red River Regional Council for more information. 

There is also a regional team – made up of 2-3 members from each county and one from Manitoba — which has been meeting over the past several months to bring this effort to the region. They were the group who selected Roger Brooks/Destination Development to lead this effort.

Before Roger and his team depart the area, on Oct. 20 and Oct. 21, he will be holding focus group meetings with sectors of people from across the region. These sectors will include people from groups such as retailers, restaurants, lodging, large employers, elected leaders, healthcare, youth, newcomers, etc. Each group will have 15-20 people representing these sectors across the four-county region. Anyone interested in participating in this should contact the Red River Regional Council.

Roger Brooks will be conducting 90-, 120-, and 180-day check-ins with the County Teams and will return in spring 2022 with the action plan. The plan will be for the entire region, with each county having its own section based on the pre-assessments, in person assessments, and online public questionnaire.

How was this project made possible?

How it’s being done is through a partnership of several organizations in the region. Funding partners include:

• Red River Regional Council / Economic Development Administration
• City of Cavalier / ND Department of Commerce Planning Grant
• Nelson County JDA
• Pembina County JDA
• Walsh County JDA
• Rendezvous Regional Council
• Visit Greater Grand Forks (formerly GF convention & visitor’s bureau)

The Red River Regional Council (RRRC) is one of eight regional planning councils in North Dakota established in 1973 to enhance the ability of local governments to jointly plan, address issues, and seize opportunities that transcend individual boundaries.

The RRRC is an independent quasi-governmental consulting group assisting local governments, business owners, homeowners, landowners, healthcare providers, and educational institutions in solving problems, creating holistic solutions, planning, and making dreams come true.  The RRRC serves Region IV which includes Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina, and Walsh Counties.  More information can be found at www.redriverrc.com.

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To respond to the business impacts of COVID-19 and maintain a proactive economic development program, the Red River Regional Council (RRRC) and collaborative economic development partners recently launched a regional Business Retention and Expansion (BR+E) Program. A BR+E program focuses on the survival and growth of existing businesses.  Visits with Grand Forks County and Pembina County businesses are under way.

An estimated 40-80% of new growth comes from existing businesses - businesses that have already invested substantial resources into the community.

“COVID has presented an array of business challenges including safety, temporary closures, facility changes, furloughed staff, supply chain disruptions, new equipment purchases and more,” said Dawn Mandt, RRRC Executive Director.  “Our goal is to identify and assist with individual needs, opportunities and economic trends that may need to be addressed.”

The BR+E begins with one-on-one hourlong interviews with business management and owners.  The types of businesses to be interviewed include manufacturing and food processing companies, healthcare, food services, retail, personal and professional services, and hospitality. It is estimated these categories represent approximately 35% of the businesses in the region. The interviews will be held confidential while the data will be aggregated to identify possible trends within communities, counties or region.   

BR+E interviews have already been completed with ag processing and manufacturing companies in Pembina and Walsh counties. Interviews with the remaining categories of businesses are complete in Walsh County and Nelson County. More information can be found by contacting Jacob Schmuck, Jake Wiensch, or Dawn Mandt at 701-352-3550. 

Region 4 includes Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina, and Walsh Counties.  The program will focus on the areas of the region outside the City of Grand Forks at this time. This project has been undertaken in response to COVID-19 and with financial support from the US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration.

Collaborative partners include economic development organizations in Region 4 including:  Nelson, Pembina, and Walsh County Job Development Authorities; Grafton, Northwood, and Park River Economic Development Committees; Grand Forks Region EDC; Minnkota Power Cooperative; Job Service North Dakota; Grafton and Cavalier Chambers of Commerce; and North Valley Career and Technology Center.

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