http://www.commerce.nd.gov/North Dakota Department Of Commercehttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssNorth Dakota Department Of Commerceen http://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=584People interested in enrolling in the Innovate ND venture building program have two additional weeks to register. The deadline for enrollment has been extended to Dec. 4. The original deadline was Nov. 20.

Registration is available online at www.InnovateND.com. Enrollment in Innovate ND costs $100 ($50 for students) and includes online entrepreneur education, business planning tools, and coaching and mentoring from successful entrepreneurs and proven business owners.

The top 20 entries for Innovate ND will get the chance to pitch their business idea to a panel of potential investors. Up to five $10,000 cash prizes are awarded, as well as a wide variety of business services and potential seed capital investments to launch their businesses.

"We have seen some terrific business ideas come through the Innovate ND and many past participants in the program say it was very instrumental in getting them off to a good start," Shane Goettle, Commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Commerce, said. "Each year, we have expanded the Innovate ND network and this year we are connected statewide. This is a powerful resource for entrepreneurs."

Goettle said to date, nearly 500 people with 250 ideas have participated in the program and 70 new businesses are operational or in the development stage as a result.

DETAILS ABOUT INNOVATE ND

• Launched in November 2006 by Gov. Hoeven.

• Coordinators: the North Dakota Department of Commerce and a statewide network of partners including the UND Center of Innovation, the NDSU Research and Technology Park, Dickinson State University Strom Center for Entrepreneurship, the IDEA Center, the Southern Valley Innovation Center in Wahpeton, Williston State College, Minot State University, and Bismarck State College - CETI.

• Sponsors: Forum Communications (lead sponsor), Cavendish Farms (premier sponsor), Great River Energy, State Bank & Trust, Bremer Bank, North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, Bremer Bank, Montana Dakota Utilities, Weather Modification, Solarbee, Agency MABU, and Qwest.

• Cost: $100 ($50 for students)

• Program includes online entrepreneur education, business planning tools, and coaching and mentoring from successful entrepreneurs and proven business owners.

• The top 20 entries pitch their business idea to a panel of potential investors.

• Up to five $10,000 cash prizes are awarded plus a wide variety of business services and potential seed capital investments to launch their businesses.

• To date, nearly 500 people with 250 ideas have participated in the program and 70 new businesses are operational or in the development stage as a result.

• Enrollment runs through Dec. 4 and can be completed online at www.InnovateND.com.
For more information about the program contact Brandi Schoenberg at the ND Department of Commerce, 701-328-5300 or bschoenberg@nd.gov.

• Link to Innovate ND logo.

• Link to profiles and videos from past Innovate ND champions.
]]>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTFri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTFri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=583
It`s attracting new residents to our state, and more people who used to live here are coming back to stay.

As a young girl growing up in Pettibone, Dawn Mock wanted more out of life than what North Dakota had to offer.

"It always seemed the grass was greener on the other side," says Dawn. "More people more going on, opportunities and it seemed like north Dakota was a slower pace then every where else."

Her husband Jay, also from Pettibone thought so too.

"I knew there was more out there and I certainly wanted to explore," he says.

As a young married couple they did just that living in several states.

Fast forward 13 years, three kids later and the Peace Garden state starts looking better with each passing year.

"Very often, young people leave the state looking for bright lights of the city, excitement and get that for a few years and then they start settling down, thinking about a family or have a family and then north Dakota starts looking a whole lot more attractive," says Shane Goettle, the commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Commerce.

The Mocks are not alone. A lot of people are leaving sunny climates and moving back home to cold weather. The reasons? Low crime, and job opportunities, to name a few things.

"Most times people would say `You`re moving to North Dakota? Why? `and I`d say `Don`t judge it until you`ve been there,`" says Jay.

They took a leap of faith to move from Wisconsin to Bismarck.

Dawn was first to find a job with the Department of Human Services.

It took Jay a little longer, and now he is a district sales manager at Coco Cola.

A couple of things surprised them.

"It`s been wonderful," says Dawn. "I hope the honeymoon`s never over."

Once their dream home is finished, their move back will be complete.

"You can`t put a price tag on work, family community that cares and it takes a village to raise kids and I`m glad we`re in this one," says Dawn.

Currently the North Dakota Department of Commerce is working with 1,400 people wanting to move here.

It created a separate department to bring new residents to our state and others back home.

They also say it`s easier to get people to move here now than a decade ago because we have a lot more good paying jobs...

SEE VIDEO]]>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=582
The Economic Development Foundation worked on the plan Friday in Jamestown.

"They serve as a private sector advisory board to the Department of Commerce," said Shane Goettle, commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Commerce. "They are now looking out over the next 10 years to develop a new plan."

Goettle said the existing plan was finalized in 2002 and was envisioned to carry the department through 2010.

"We've had five targeted industries," he said. "Value-added agriculture, energy, tourism, advanced manufacturing and technology-based businesses. We want to maintain the focus on those things but also focus on new industries."

Goettle said the priorities of the existing plan have served the state well.

"North Dakota is going to be a leading energy state," he said. "Not just in fossil fuels but in renewable energy. In some cases agriculture and energy are working together to produce great things."

And while energy and agriculture are doing well now, some of North Dakota's manufacturing businesses are struggling.

"Our manufascturers are very stressed," Goettle said. "It shows we are not immune from the recession."

Goettle also said tourism has been affected by high gas prices and the economic downturn.

Some of the new industries the Department of Commerce hopes to see expand include vaccine development and manufacturing and unmanned aerial vehicles.

But along with a concentration on growth of industries Goettle said the plan needs to look at the things needed to make that expansion happen.

"There will be a lot more emphasis on work force retention and expansion," he said. "And we want to support entrepreneurs and innovation."

Supporting entrepreneurs may be a challenge in North Dakota.

"North Dakota has a culture of being adverse to risks and entrepreneurs," said Rod Backman, a consultant with Covenant Consultants of Bismarck hired by the Economic Development Foundation. "We want to overcome that and help people with good ideas succeed as a business."

Backman also saw the need to increase the work force in North Dakota.

"We need to focus on the growth and work force development," he said. "The old business plan focused more on business development. We need to have the workers with the right skills."

Goettle agreed that increasing the work force was an important, and sometimes difficult, task.

"Work force development is a challenge," he said. "We need to retain youth, train people and attract people from outside the border. We should be able to do that because people will move towards opportunities."

And Goettle believes improvements in the work force will help not only the business sector but the employees around North Dakota.

"The good news is our wage rate has climbed," he said. "North Dakota has made steps to catch up to the rest of the nation in wages. But it is not just wages that will draw people, it is the opportunities we offer in and out of the workplace that will bring people."

The Economic Development Foundation meets quarterly to review the status of business in North Dakota. It will complete its new 10-year plan by the first or second quarter of 2010.

]]>Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=580
Results from the North Dakota state girls swim meet show Knutson set two national records during Friday's preliminaries in Grand Forks.

Knutson swam the 200-yard individual medley in 1 minute, 53.82 seconds. It was 2.63 seconds faster than the mark set by Mary Beck last year and nearly 5 seconds faster than Knutson's own state record in 2007.

She swam the 100 freestyle in 48.15 seconds, topping her own record of 48.33 last year.

Knutson, who was signing autographs at the pool Friday, has trained with gold medalist Michael Phelps. She plans to attend Auburn University next fall, and says her goal is to make the Olympic team in 2012.


]]>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTSun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTSun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=581Winter is coming soon to suck dollars out of homes through windows, door jambs and poorly insulated walls.

Those dollars pay for heat and electricity, generated by natural gas and coal. Consumers want to keep their utility bills down. The federal government wants to promote energy conservation.

Tory Otto wants to help homeowners save energy and get money through the government and make some money himself in the process.

Otto, a technician for Great River Energy, has a side business called Thermal Auditing, which evaluates homes for energy efficiency, determines where insulation could be improved and how much money homeowners can save on heating bills. Using a thermal imaging camera, he can find leaky areas in a house by photographing cold air flowing through windows, under doors and through underinsulated walls, floors and attics. Otto, a certified home energy rater, then uses a computer program to create a map of the house and where improvements can be made.

His idea for a business originated with a heating bill and the desire to save some money.

"I wanted someone to do it to my home," he said. "I couldn't find anyone in North Dakota to do it."

Over the past couple of years he has invested about $15,000 in equipment and software, become certified through the Residential Energy Services Network - a crediting body developed by different parts of the homebuilding and lending industries and government energy agencies - and began offering his services to homeowners.

"No one else in the state is doing energy auditing on the level I'm doing it," said Otto, whose company can be reached through his Web site www.thermalauditing.com.

Otto's timing for his business is smart. A number of initiatives aimed at energy efficiency were part of the economic stimulus package passed by Congress this year, and additional conservation measures are part of the climate bills pending in Washington.

Mortgage lenders also offer refinancing deals that pay for improved energy efficiency and federal tax law offers credits for energy improvements.

In North Dakota, the Department of Commerce will coordinate rebate programs funded by the federal stimulus. The Energy-Efficient Appliance Program, sometimes called Cash for Clunkers for Appliances, gives people rebates for replacing energy-consuming appliances with new models. The state is getting $612,000 for the program and expects to implement the program soon, said Zachary Weis, state energy engineer with the Department of Commerce.

Commerce also is expecting around $8 million in rebate programs through utility companies that will be available to homeowners and businesses.

The federal stimulus package also gave $25 million to the state's home weatherization program, which improves energy efficiency for low-income families. The North Dakota Community Action Partnership last week installed new doors, windows, insulation, a furnace and hot water heater for Nadezhda Dudyrev.

"It's like winning the lottery, but this lottery lasts longer," she said, referring to the savings she expects.

Other homeowners can finance their improvements through an energy efficient mortgage, which credits the cost of improvements to the mortgage debt. These mortgages also can be structured so that the projected savings created by improved heat efficiency is used to finance the improvements to a house. Otto said that as a certified rater, his work qualifies homeowners for the financing, and he is working with a bank to steer his clients to the mortgages.

Otto sees a bright future for his type of work. He thinks the attention now directed toward home energy efficiency is only the beginning and sees higher efficiency standards being mandated in the future.

During last year's severe winter, he attended a home show and doubled his business.

In a region where home heating expenses eat up large chunks of a family's budget, improved efficiency seems like an easy sell.

"And this season's just getting started," he said.

]]>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTSun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTSun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=579
Hamm was the keynote speaker Monday at an energy conference in Bismarck. He said the U.S. Geological Survey's estimate of 4.2 billion barrels of oil in the Bakken shale formation could be "100 percent off."

Hamm is the chairman and chief executive officer of Continental Resources Inc., an independent oil and gas company based in Enid, Okla. His company was one of the first to tap the Bakken formation in North Dakota's oil patch 20 years ago.

The Bakken formation encompasses some 25,000 square miles in North Dakota, Montana, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. About two-thirds of the acreage is in western North Dakota.

Hamm also said he believes domestic reserves are growing, and not just in North Dakota.

]]>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=577
Or has it?

Concerns about fuel storage, cost, adequate supply and consumer demand has Minot-area service station retailers debating about a new program which aims to increase biofuel use in the state by replacing old fuel pumps.

Proposed by Gov. John Hoeven and passed by the 2009 Legislature, the Blender Pump Program is an incentive program that provides cost-share grants to fuel retailers for the installation of ethanol blender and biodiesel pumps.

The new blender pumps would blend E-85 and traditional gasoline to pre-determined levels, such as E-20 or E-30, that are chosen by the consumer. Proponents of the technology, which include the governor, several agricultural and ethanol organizations and fuel equipment manufacturers, say that the option to choose different fuel types will benefit the pocketbook of consumers and add to the state's economy.

Randy Schneider, president of the North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association, said keeping ethanol in the state to fuel its existing 29,000 flexible fuel vehicles could generate additional sales of 11 million gallons of ethanol at E-30, save producers $2.3 million in shipping costs, save consumers $1.9 million in fuel costs (at 5 cents per gallon) and could generate another $115,000 in state tax.

Through the $2 million the 2009 Legislature approved and the $500,000 provided by the North Dakota Corn Growers Association and Corn Utilization Council, service station retailers are able to get between $5,000 and $7,500 per blender pump or $40,000 per station.

"We have enough money for 400 pumps, so our goal is 400 pumps, but ultimately it's about increasing the use of biofuels," said Andrea Holl Pfennig, administrator of the program. "There's a lot of state incentives and federal tax cuts available so we encourage anyone who is interested in the program to visit our Web site (www.blenderpumps.nd.gov) or call for more info."

As of Tuesday, there were five applications, including one near Minot for the Express Mart, located on Burdick Expressway and County Road 19.

Russ Gohl, owner of Express Mart, did not respond to several phone calls and e-mails seeking comment.

While Gohl and other station owners in LaMoure, Klum, Edgeley, and Wyndmere have already signed up for the program, a vast majority of the estimated 600 service stations in the state have yet to take on E-85, biodiesel or other alternative fuels.

According to an Oct. 22 count by the federal Energy Department's Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center, North Dakota has 58 stations that provide alternative fuels, categorized as biodiesel, compressed natural gas, E-85, electric, hydrogen, liquefied natural gas and propane.

Within a 50-mile radius of Minot, only five stations sell alternative fuels to the public. Behm's Truck Stop, located off U.S. Highway 2 and 52, sells soy-based biodiesel, while the Farmers Union Oil service stations in Garrison, Towner and Westhope sell propane. Cenex, located on Central Avenue, is the only service station in the city limits to sell E-85 fuel. Two other entities, Minot Air Force Base and the North Central Research Extension Center have alternative fuels in the form of biodiesel, E-85 and hydrogen, but they are for institutional use only.

Among local service stations, most voiced concern about available supply, consumer demand and the cost of the new blender pump, estimated at $25,000, nearly double the cost of a traditional fuel pump.

"We will certainly look at our options, but is it enough to make it worth while, we'll have to see,'' said Art Purdue, general manager of Enerbase. "We put in an E-85 pump (at the Central Avenue Cenex location) a few years ago to see the demand in the area and how consumers would react. It (the reaction) has been a lot less than we expected."

He added that Enerbase has no immediate plans for either the biodiesel or ethanol blender pumps at any of their Cenex Station locations.

Management at other stations, including Harley's Cenex and Simonson's, said they have not been informed of the program and currently have no intentions of participating. One official with Simonson's, who declined to be named, said the company had looked at the prospects a few years ago but decided it wasn't right fit for the company.

Although Behm's Truck Stop has offered commuters the option of biodiesel for three years, management said they will not be participating in the governor's blender pump program. Jason Behm, manager, said they began offering the soy-based biodiesel in the summertime after receiving requests from customers.

"I'm a big believer in biofuels because its helps the environment and the farmers and there's no toxicity with it, but we're not going to do the program because the amount of money it would take to upgrade to the blender pump is not feasible," Behm said. "It's not as easy as flipping them over and being done. It doesn't work like that. There's much more to it than that."

Aside from the heightened price tag, there are also fuel storage and system issues to consider.

"We supported the bill as it went through and became law because we support the increased use of biofuels, but our biggest concern is taking care of the potential problems because there isn't a (fuel) dispenser currently in the U.S. that is certified to handle these biofuel levels," said Mike Rud, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Marketers Association. "There is a fear of putting the cart before the horse and the potential risk to the environment and general public, so we want to make sure the equipment out there is compatible.''

Currently, there are no fuel systems that are UL-marked, meaning the products out there have not met the safety specifications of Underwriters Laboratories, a product safety and compliance company used by several industries.

Ethanol is more corrosive than traditional fossil fuels, making certain metal and non-metal components of a fuel system susceptible to corrosion, which could lead to environmental problems.

"Leaks are the primary concern because of the corrosive nature of the ethanol fuel," said Gary Berreth, manager of the underground storage tank program in the state health department. "The fitting or piping may corrode and if the fuel leaks into the ground it can create vapor issues or it could affect ground water, but these releases have to be reported and we take the necessary steps to clean up the contamination."

Berreth estimated that fewer than five fuel-related incidences occurred in the state each year.

State regulations in the 1990s required old tank systems to be either upgraded or replaced by 1998, Berreth said, and due to these regulations, he said a majority of existing facilities in the state should have compatible components.

"High-level ethanol blends like E-85 have been in existence for several years and we haven't seen any specific problems associated with them," he said. "We are not anticipating any problems with these either."

Retailers who plan to add the new blender pumps, Berreth said, will be required to certify that the fuel system components are compatible with the different biofuel blends and that any changes to the facility's infrastructure will be required to adhere to new safety elements such as double-walled piping and containment sumps for service islands, as well as labels which are accurate and easily seen by consumers.

These added safety measures can add thousands of dollars in costs to the new blender pumps being proposed, a fact that is a concern to service station owners.

But a new multilateral effort might help offset those costs.

In an agreement with manufacturers, the state commerce deptartment and others, retailers interested in new blender pump programs will have the opportunity to receive special pricing through March 2010, dropping the cost of a new blender pump from $25,000 to $15,000, which is comparable to traditional fuel pumps, said Duane Grippe, president of O'Day Equipment, one of approximately a dozen fuel equipment and service companies in the state.

"Anytime you can get 35 to 40 percent of a pump paid for it is a good thing but I think the bigger incentive relies on the return of the investment," Rud said. "You have to have the traffic coming in to take the pump in and make a profit, that's what it really comes down to and we can't control that. The general public needs to make the decision to buy flex-fuel cars, the car makers need to make a conscious decision to make more flex-fuel cars and there needs to be more action on the national level."

Currently, Rud said 60 percent of all fuel sales in the state contain a blend of ethanol, a figure that has remained constant for two years.

"Have we hit a peak? We don't know. What we do know is that there is pro-ethanol people and others who won't go down that road," he said. "It's about options. I think it's a good deal for consumers because they have more choices."

While the new blender pumps would give consumers more fuel choices, the availability of those choices is also a concern among retailers.

"We have one of the largest canola biodiesel plants in the nation, but not one drop of it touches the state. The local farmers grow the canola, they process it and then ship to the coasts or overseas," Behm said. "They (biofuel plants) say they are working for the farmers, but then why are the farmers unable to use what they grow?"

Behm added that he has to travel to Minnesota to get the biodiesel that they sell at their store.

Randy Schneider, president of the North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association, said it is true that nearly 95 percent of the 355 million gallons of ethanol currently produced in the state is exported via railcar, but he said that is due to existing business agreements and a lack of infrastructure in the state.

"There are agreements with these plants at the time of set-up for the product to leave the state," Schneider said. "And these are relatively young plants compared to other ethanol plants so the infrastructure wasn't there, but we knew there would be an opportunity in North Dakota in the future that would keep more ethanol in the state."

That opportunity, he said, is blender pumps.

"When the governor began talking about blender pumps a few years ago we knew to make a success we needed to be able to provide fuel to local petroleum retailers," Schneider said. "For the last couple of years, ethanol plants like Blue Flint and Tharldson have been creating the infrastructure that is needed to market our products to the retail petroleum markets in North Dakota."

Those infrastructure improvements, he said, include truck-loading capabilities and more accurate on-site blending practices.

"You know, there's an internal incentive for our producers to make these products available here. Not only does it save us 15 to 25 cents on every gallon that would have had to be shipped out, but it also helps the state economy and the communities around us, which benefits us," he said. "It took time as producers to build up the industry, the facilities and the infrastructure of the entire supply chain, but we've accomplished that now, so we are now looking to keep more ethanol in the state."

Schneider declined to say how much of the 95 percent of ethanol currently being exported would remain in the state, but he said the E-15 debate currently happening within the Environmental Protection Agency and the marketing of flex-fuel cars by the government and automotive industry would have a big impact on how much ethanol would be utilized in the state and how much would be exported.

To gain more retailer interest, Behm said, the state and federal government need to do more.

"I believe there should be tax breaks to service stations to provide biofuels. The federal government gives a tax break of one cent per gallon at wholesale, but if they gave more incentives they would get more interest in the product," he said.

With an expiration date of Oct. 31, 2010, for the state blender pump program, retailers still have ample time to research the topic and turn in applications, but early results have officials in the industry split.

"I've heard a lot of mixed reviews across the state, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out," Rud said.

"The program has received a very good reception and early applications are very dispersed across the state," Schneider said. "I think by the time things are done, big and small towns across the state will have the option to use more biofuels."

]]>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTSat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTSat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=578An official in Bowman says the city is still taking input on which area of town to designate a "renaissance zone," a project that would provide income and property tax incentives on improvements to commercial and residential property.

A local steering committee has been charged with developing a zone for Bowman and is seeking feedback from business owners and residents.

"It's been a goal of mine since I was hired two years ago," said Ashley Alderson, executive director for the Bowman County Development Corp. "As for a timeline right now, we're working on a development plan. We are hoping to have that submitted and the zone functioning by the spring, so people can actually start construction projects."

Alderson said the committee is developing a plan that will be submitted to city and state officials for approval by early next spring. The city will have to decide which 23 blocks to include in the zone. In preparing for the plan, the committee has held two public meetings with local residents to discuss what the plan is and how it will impact and potentially benefit the town.

According to Bowman information, eligible projects include: Purchase of property; lease of property; purchase of property with major improvements or new construction; rehabilitation of property which includes 20 percent of true and full value of residential property, 50 percent of true and full value of commercial property; and historical preservation and rehabilitation.

Tax incentives include:

- Up to 100 percent exemption on business income taxes.

- Up to five years of property tax exemption for both residential and commercial structures.

- Up to $10,000 tax credit per year for five years on qualified single-family homes.

- Up to 25 percent tax credit for historic property on the amount invested.

Gordon LaFrance, director of the program with the North Dakota Department of Commerce, said the program came about in 1999. To date, there are 45 North Dakota cities designated with a renaissance zone.

"We have a number of other cities such as Bowman that are looking at the process and are interested in becoming a renaissance," LaFrance said.

Alderson said the comments she's received have been positive.

"People are excited to have another option to help them in their renovation or just another benefit to them taking care of their business," Alderson said. "They are taking an extra step to make their business that much more presentable."

The zone will benefit the city as a whole, she added.

"Hopefully, it will be an incentive for growth and an incentive for businesses to expand, renovate or keep the appearance up of their property," Alderson said. "One thing I really hope it does is attracts housing development, because we're in desperate need."

Additional comments on the project are welcome, she added.

"We will have a public input meeting before we do have our public hearing with the city commission," Alderson said.

]]>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTSat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTSat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=576
Now, the federal government's "Cash for Clunkers" program wants consumers to invest in energy-efficient refrigerators, stoves, washers and dryers.

The $296 million program is set to begin in spring in Minnesota and North Dakota, once the government approves each state's plan of what types of Energy Star appliances it will include. The money is part of the broader economic stimulus bill pass earlier this year. Unlike the auto program, consumers won't have to trade in their old home appliances to receive rebates of $50 to $200 on the purchase of an Energy Star appliance.

Only appliances covered by Energy Star will qualify. In 2008, a little more than half of newly produced major household appliances met the standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. Their data said the average household will cut their energy bills by about a third and reduce greenhouse gas emissions with Energy Star appliances.

Joey Soderfelt at Dakota TV and Appliance in Grand Forks said in-store customers have been inquiring about the program.

"Upward of 80 percent of the dishwashers we stock comply with Energy Star requirements," Soderfelt said. "With refrigerators, that number is 50 percent, and with washing machines, 95 percent."

The home appliance industry has been mired in a sales slump that began when the housing market fell in 2006. The North Dakota Department of Commerce said the state expects to receive about $615,000, with 10 percent to 25 percent covering administrative costs. Soderfelt said that overhead will be higher.

"If we have $200,000 to give to customers, I'd be surprised," he said.

Minnesota will receive $5 million.

Not every retailer has been informed of the federal stimulus program. Media relations for national chains Lowe's and Menards said they're awaiting corporate directives.

"We haven't heard much about it nor are we relying on those types of programs to drive our business," Menards spokesman Jeff Abbott said.

"During the winter, most of our washers and dryers are out the door in December," said Kristen Williams, sales manager at Aaron's in Grand Forks.

]]>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=575
Competing for a chance to share in $100,000 in business grants is Paul Wolf of Mandan, whose Light Check device simplifies the process of testing trailer lights.

The 13 finalists, including Wolf, are profiled on alibaba.com and inc.com. Five finalists will be selected by online voting, which will run from Oct. 28 through Nov. 6 at www.inc.com/newpreneur/vote.html.

The top five Newpreneurs will be invited to the finale event in San Francisco on Nov. 18, where the grand prize winner will take home $50,000 to invest in his or her business. The four remaining finalists will receive awards totaling an additional $50,000.

At the regional competition in Chicago Oct. 8, he was named as one of two finalists to advance in the competition. "It's further validation when people outside of the state believe Light Check is a viable product and business opportunity," Wolf said.

Light Check is a self-contained, portable device that connects directly to the trailer light wiring and allows one person to quickly and easily check trailer lights without a towing vehicle or second person.

"Trailer lights have a high failure rate from exposure to harsh road conditions, corrosion and jarring," he said. "The bottom line is they require frequent testing."

After searching at local retailers and on the Internet, he found the only devices for testing trailer lights were expensive and designed for commercial trailers. In 2007, the Mandan man decided to build his own device, made of components purchased at an electronics supply retailer.

"After building one for myself, I started talking to others with similar situations," he said. "Based on feedback from potential customers, I realized I probably had a good, marketable product."

In 2009, he founded his company, Wolf Technologies, LLC to develop and market Light Check. Around the time he began working on the prototype, he decided to enter Innovate ND.

"I wanted to win the money, but entering was about more than that," he said. "I needed guidance in developing a business plan so I could get into the market rapidly to generate sales and revenue. I left Innovate ND with a realistic, attainable business plan that incorporated information investors would require."

Not only did he develop the business plan, he was also one of this year's five winning entries.

"Winning Innovate ND gave me a huge boost of confidence that I'm on the right path as far as the product and also the marketing plan," he said. "The money was incredibly helpful for off-setting expenses."

Wolf has plans to market the current Light Check as well as develop an enhanced model which also tests reverse lights and brake lights in addition to trailer lights.

"People may have product ideas but don't know how to structure a business around a product," he said. "Others may have launched a business selling a product they shouldn't because they didn't study the market well enough. Innovate ND is a good process because you are forced to really think through all aspects, including your market research and business development."

Registration for the next round of Innovate ND runs through Nov. 20 and is available online at www.InnovateND.com.

The programs costs: $100 ($50 for students) or $50 ($25 for students). The program includes online entrepreneur education, business planning tools, and coaching and mentoring from successful entrepreneurs and proven business owners.

The top 20 entries will get the chance to pitch their business idea to a panel of potential investors. Up to five $10,000 cash prizes are awarded, as well as a wide variety of business services and potential seed capital investments to launch their businesses.

To date, nearly 500 people with 250 ideas have participated in the program and 70 new businesses are operational or in the development stage as a result.



]]>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=574
Rotenberger will be responsible for managing the state's programs and initiatives to promote increased energy efficiency and production of renewable energy. A native of Bowman, N.D., Rotenberger most recently worked as the maintenance manager for Transport America, Inc., in Eagan, Minn. Prior to that, he was a manager for 10 years with Schneider National, Inc. of Green Bay, Wisc., the largest truckload carrier and logistics provider in North America. Rotenberger graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in computer science and completed five years of service as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Hagen will help inspect, train and monitor weatherization sub-grantees as well as develop and maintain software used by the state weatherization program. He will also help with the Manufactured Home Installation Program and the North Dakota State Building Program. He will be based in Devils Lake and will travel throughout the state working with local programs.

A native of Devils Lake, Hagen has 27 years experience in weatherization working at Dakota Prairie Community Action Agency in Devils Lake, where he started as a crew foreman and most recently served as a weatherization specialist. He served on the State Weatherization Technical Committee, the State Software Committee, and the Weatherization Advisory Board. He attended Lake Region Junior College and North Dakota State University.

Horneman's duties include assisting the administrative pool for the Department of Commerce. A native of Pennsylvania, Horneman was most recently employed as a subject matter expert for the Unisys Corporation in Bismarck. Prior to moving to North Dakota she worked as an administrative assistant for Castle & Cooke, Inc., in Lanai City, Hawaii.

As tourism development manager, Ihla will work with individuals and communities across the state to develop and expand tourism-related businesses, attractions and packages. He will also administer the Tourism Division grant programs. A native of Bottineau County, Ihla most recently served as the Executive Vice President of the Valley City Chamber and CVB for 4 years, and served as the Executive Director of the Bottineau Chamber and CVB for 5 years.

Wirtz joins Commerce as a training disability inclusion officer in the Workforce Development Division. Wirtz will work with the state's AmeriCorps project coordinators to identify training and technical assistance needs and assist them in administration of their projects. He will also be responsible for developing and implementing a plan to support the expansion of volunteer opportunities in AmeriCorps and other volunteer organizations for individuals with disabilities. A native of Mandan, Wirtz most recently worked for the North Dakota Department of Health's Emergency Preparedness and Response Section as a quality improvement coordinator.

The North Dakota Department of Commerce works to improve the quality of life for North Dakota citizens by leading efforts to attract, retain and expand wealth. Commerce serves businesses and communities statewide through committed people and partners who offer valuable programs and dynamic services. More information on the Commerce is available online at www.ndcommerce.com.
]]>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=573
The North Dakota Community Action Partnership, which administers the Sportsmen Against Hunger Program, accepted only deer killed with arrows last year, fearing that firearm-shot meat might contain lead fragments. The group says it will resume accepting deer killed with lead bullets.

Officials in North Dakota and other states have warned about eating venison killed with lead ammunition since last year, when a Bismarck physician conducting tests using a CT scanner found lead in samples of donated deer meat.

State health officials continue to recommend that pregnant women and children younger than 6 avoid meat from deer killed with lead bullets.

]]>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=571
APUC is a program of the North Dakota Department of Commerce that administers grant programs for researching and developing new and expanded uses for North Dakota agricultural products. The grants can be used for basic and applied research, marketing and cooperative marketing utilization, farm diversification, nature-based agri-tourism, technology, agricultural prototype and technical assistance.

The following requests will be reviewed:

NDSU Dept. of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, Fargo, is requesting $56,862 to develop a process for improving microbial quality of buckwheat and mustard seed. For more information, contact Dennis P. Wiesenborn at 701-231-7277.

Identity Preserved Ingredients, LLC, Hillsboro, is requesting $60,000 to launch its new business model to compete in the value-added bean and grain market. For more information, contact Jay Boeddecker at 701-636-5300.

North Dakota Department of Commerce, Bismarck, is requesting $5,000 to conduct an equine processing facility feasibility study as required by the 2009 Legislature. For more information, contact John Mittleider at 701-328-5386.

Otoka Spiritwood, LLC, Spiritwood, is requesting $100,000 for a business plan and feasibility study for the development of a cellulosic biomass refinery as part of the Spiritwood Industrial Park. For more information, contact Mike Muston at 952-400-0379.

Standing Rock Equine Center, Ft. Yates, is requesting $30,000 for professional consulting services to secure $5 million to construct the Equine Center on or adjacent to the campus of Sitting Bull College. For more information, contact Joe Dunn at 701-854-3455.

Maple River Distillery, LLC, Casselton, is requesting $25,000 to market new and unique products made from North Dakota grown fruit and bottled in historic Downtown Casselton. For more information, contact Greg Kempel at 701-361-0773.

Our-50, Fargo, is requesting $43,949 for marketing new Internet service nationwide to small producers of U.S.-made consumable products. For more information, contact Donna Tornell at 701-412-1947.

NoDak Films, Albany, Calif., is requesting $27,400 for advertising and marketing its cooperative $100 contribution agreement to produce a movie in the summer of 2010 that shares the richness and integrity of rural North Dakota, agricultural products and farm life. For more information, contact Nathan Anderson at 667-703-8485.

North American Bison Cooperative, Fargo, is requesting $50,000 to create greater customer and consumer awareness of the all-natural protein products available from North American Bison Cooperative and North Dakota Natural Beef. For more information, contact Dieter Pape at 612-387-4682.


]]>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=569
USDA Rural Development State Director Jasper Schneider announced the news Monday.

"The new facility will help create good paying North Dakota jobs, while allowing Earth Harvest Mills to continue to grow their domestic and international markets," Schneider said in a press release.

In 2002, Earth Harvest Mills met with USDA Rural Development and community leaders in search of financing for an organic flour mill facility. In 2003, three Business & Industry Guaranteed loans through USDA Rural Development provided $2.2 million to purchase the out-of-business veterinary clinic and construction of the main building to start the business.

Two of the original loans have been paid in full. In 2009, USDA Rural Development provided a fourth loan, through the First National Bank of Harvey for $7.3 million.

"Funding a start-up manufacturing company is challenging. No bank would fund us until we received a USDA Rural Development guarantee," Grayson Hoberg, CEO of Earth Harvest Mills, said

Other funding partners include the Small Business Administration, the Entrepreneur Center of N.D., Dakota Certified Development Corp., Bank of North Dakota and the Department of Commerce.


]]>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=572
Back in 2003, Eric and Grayson Hoberg started Dakota Prairie and Organic Flour Company. They began in a 4000 square foot building. Now they have moved into a building that is 40,000 square feet. The business has 26 employees, produce 185 million pounds of flour a year and bring in over 8 million dollars in revenue.

Governor Hoeven says it just goes to show that agriculture continues to grow in our state.

"When we think about North Dakota, this stuff doesn`t just happen. It happens over time, because we have a good commitment to building, growing, and diversifying our business base," says Gov. John Hoeven

Dakota Prairie Organic Flour Company says it hopes to hire 10 more employees by the end of the year.

]]>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=570
The blender pump will allow consumers to select a variety of fuels, ranging from pure gasoline to E10 and E85 ethanol and any blend in between, from one service pump.

"We're excited about this initiative because it's a win for consumers, farmers, retailers and ethanol producers," said Gov. John Hoeven, during a Friday news conference announcing the state Department of Commerce Biofuels Blender Pump incentive program.

Service station operators, through a mix of grants and incentives, will be able to purchase and install the $25,000 blender pumps for less than $2,500, said Kent Satrang, CEO of Petro Serve USA.

North Dakota will provide grants up to $5,000 per blender pump and $40,000 per retail service station.

The North Dakota Corn Growers Association and Corn Utilization Council have allocated $500,000 to provide $2,500 per pump.

The remaining incentives include federal tax credits and ethanol industry incentives.

"The idea here was to partner the abundant corn fields of rural North Dakota with the massive Bakken oil fields of western North Dakota," Satrang said.

One goal is to raise ethanol volumes by replacing old gas pumps with innovative biotech blender pumps, he said.

Developing new infrastructure will allow more North Dakota-produced ethanol to stay in the state, said Randy Schneider, president of the North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association.

"We spend anywhere from 15 to 25 cents per gallon to transport our ethanol out of the state," he said. "If we can grow the internal consumption of ethanol in the state, it means a significant cost savings to the ethanol plants that we have here in North Dakota."

The blender pump initiative, started two years ago, involved the Legislature, corn and soybean farmers, petroleum and renewable fuel industry representatives and service station owners, Satrang said.

"Very seldom do you get a time where a whole group of people can say they win," said Bob Runck Jr., executive committee member of the North Dakota Soybean Association.

"In this case you have consumers that are winning, you have the renewable fuel industry winning, you have the corn and soybean growers within the state winning and you have the smaller mom and pop retailers that, with these incentive packages, can afford to get these pumps in place."

The program runs through Nov. 30, 2010. Grant requests must be submitted by Oct. 31, 2010.

]]>Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTSat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTSat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=566
Joining the Governor for the event will be supporting legislators, N.D. Corn Growers Executive Director Tom Lilja; O'Day Equipment President Duane Grippe; Petro Serve USA CEO Kent Satrang; N.D. Soybean Association executive committee member Bob Runck, Jr.; and N.D. Ethanol Producers Association President Randy Schneider.

Hoeven will also be at the Hankinson Renewable Energy facility Open House in Hankinson between 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to welcome Murphy Oil Corp. employees and officials, and to celebrate resumption of ethanol production at the site. The company recently acquired the former VeraSun Ethanol facility, which is now Murphy Oil's first renewable fuels venture.

]]>Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=557
Gov. John Hoeven and a team of state and local business champions hosted the first Statewide Day of Innovation and Entrepreneurship today and kicked off the fourth annual Innovate ND program, a statewide initiative designed to help entrepreneurs turn innovative concepts into viable new North Dakota business ventures.

The Statewide Day of Innovation featured locally organized events in Bismarck, Minot, Dickinson, Williston, Grand Forks and Fargo that were linked via interactive video for a statewide conversation featuring one of North Dakota's most successful entrepreneurs, Doug Burgum.

"We are building North Dakota's reputation as a great place to do business," Hoeven said. "Our goal with this Statewide Day of Innovation is to inspire our state's own entrepreneurs to begin making their business ideas a reality right here in our state, and offer them help in getting started through the Innovate ND program."

Registration for Innovate ND is available online at www.InnovateND.com.

The programs costs: $100 ($50 for students) or $50 ($25 for students) for those who attended the Day of Innovation. The program includes online entrepreneur education, business planning tools, and coaching and mentoring from successful entrepreneurs and proven business owners.

The top 20 entries will get the chance to pitch their business idea to a panel of potential investors. Up to five $10,000 cash prizes are awarded, as well as a wide variety of business services and potential seed capital investments to launch their businesses.

"We have seen some terrific business ideas come through the Innovate ND and many past participants in the program say it was very instrumental in getting them off to a good start," Goettle said. "Each year, we have expanded the Innovate ND network and this year, with the addition of partners in Williston and Minot, we are connected statewide. This is a powerful resource for entrepreneurs."

Goettle said to date, nearly 500 people with 250 ideas have participated in the program and 70 new businesses are operational or in the development stage as a result.

Nikki and Aaron Lamb were one of five Innovate ND winners last year for their product called FormulaNow, a button-pushing machine that produces infant formula with the right temperature and consistency, made with filtered water, in a matter of minutes.

"The Innovate ND program was great for our company," Nikki Lamb said. "When we first started the process, we had never done anything like this before. What really helped us along was the Innovate ND program. It moved us ahead by leaps and bounds."

Today, the Lambs are testing a product prototype and hope to have it ready for direct sales in 2010.

DETAILS ABOUT INNOVATE ND• Launched in November 2006 by Gov. Hoeven.
• Coordinators: the North Dakota Department of Commerce and a statewide network of partners including the UND Center of Innovation, the NDSU Research and Technology Park, Dickinson State University Strom Center for Entrepreneurship, the IDEA Center, the Southern Valley Innovation Center in Wahpeton, Williston State College, Minot State University, and Bismarck State College - CETI.
• Sponsors: Forum Communications (lead sponsor), Cavendish Farms (premier sponsor), Great River Energy, State Bank & Trust, Bremer Bank, North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, Bremer Bank, Montana Dakota Utilities, Weather Modification, Solarbee, Agency MABU, and Qwest.
• Cost: $100 ($50 for students) or $50 ($25 for students) for those who attend the Statewide Day of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Program includes online entrepreneur education, business planning tools, and coaching and mentoring from successful entrepreneurs and proven business owners.
• The top 20 entries pitch their business idea to a panel of potential investors.
• Up to five $10,000 cash prizes are awarded plus a wide variety of business services and potential seed capital investments to launch their businesses.
• To date, nearly 500 people with 250 ideas have participated in the program and 70 new businesses are operational or in the development stage as a result.
• Enrollment runs through Nov. 20 and can be completed online at www.InnovateNd.com. For more information about the program contact Brandi Schoenberg at the ND Department of Commerce, 701-328-5300 or bschoenberg@nd.gov.
• Link to Innovate ND logo.
• Link to profiles and videos from past Innovate ND champions.

]]>Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=556
Joining the Governor will be North Dakota Entrepreneur Doug Burgum, Commerce Commissioner Shane Goettle and entrepreneurs Aaron and Nikki Lamb.
]]>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=564
He'd been studying at State University of New York Institute of Technology until his financial-aid package collapsed in the credit crunch.

At 21, without family support, he began looking for a job - any job - but could not find work in Utica, even at McDonald's. So in January, he got on a bus bound for Bismarck, N.D.

After three days, the bus dumped Phillips into a North Dakota night with a record low temperature of 44 degrees below zero.

"I arrived in jeans, a leather jacket and a hoody," he said. "I couldn't stand outside for more than 10 minutes. I was thinking, 'Oh my God. What did I just do?'"

Extreme cold was not the only low. Phillips had come here, sight unseen, because of Bismarck's unemployment rate. At last measure, for August, it was the lowest of any city in the nation at 3.3 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Bismarck, the state capitol, is home to more than 100,000 people, nestled along the Missouri river, surrounded by imponderable horizons of rolling farmland, and tucked beneath some kind of magic protective sheath.

There's no rash of foreclosures, no bank failures, and no Ponzi schemes making headlines here.

Just about every crop is a bumper this year. Trucks busily haul monstrous wind turbine parts along Interstate 94. But there are still decades worth of coal to be mined and oil to be drilled.

To the north are the Bakken oil shale fields, which the U.S. Geological Survey recently estimated to hold 3.65 billion barrels, possibly putting North Dakota in a league with Saudi Arabia.

Oh, and get this California, the state government here is running a surplus.

"North Dakota is really immune to what's happening to the rest of the world," said Holly Kohler, 33, a homemaker who lives outside neighboring Mandan, N.D. "We feel like we are in our own little bubble."

News about the nation's economic woes often seemed like reports of distant wars - at least until September when Bobcat Co. announced it was closing its Bismarck plant. It had employed as many as 1,100 people two years ago, including Holly's husband, Al Kohler.

"We didn't feel like we were in this recession until that day Bobcat said it was closing the plant," she said.

Al Kohler, 34, had worked at the plant for 12 years, including night shifts as a welder and lathe operator. It was only a matter of time before the global downturn in the home-building industry meant a downturn in orders for construction equipment as well.

"I went into the garage, kind of drinking my sorrows away," said Al of the day he got the news.

He has two daughters, a mortgage and wife with a medical condition that prevents her from working and requires reliable insurance to pay the bills.

She soon joined him in the garage. "I looked at her and said, 'I'm jobless and don't know what I'm going to do.' And she said, 'You know what, this is a good thing.'"

Holly had begun searching jobs listings online. Within two weeks, she helped Al land a position in Kenmare, where he'll work on oilfield equipment as a welder and fabricator. The job is about 150 miles away, almost in Canada, but the insurance benefits are more generous than what he had before, and he'll no longer work the night shift.

Russ Staiger, CEO of the Bismarck-Mandan Development Association, told me he has a prospect with another manufacturer that may announce plans to open up in Bismarck as early as next month. Meanwhile, Bobcat isn't a total loss for the state. It is consolidating its North American machinery production in Gwinner, N.D., adding hundreds of jobs about 200 miles to the southeast.

Staiger is a North Dakota native who has been with the economic development group for 30 years. "I've been thrown off by a horse and I've been stomped on by a bull," he said. "We don't spend a lot of time licking our wounds."

It took Phillips less than two weeks to find a job as an information technology specialist at Fireside Office Solutions, a local provider of everything from office furniture to data management systems.

"He's worked out very well for us," said Fireside co-owner Dan Vondrachek, who swears he does not ordinarily hire people from the Greyhound station.

The Bismarck economy is so strong, he keeps selling office equipment and business services. And he is still looking to hire a couple folks who can sell furniture and copiers.

"I'm hoping I can attract someone from Minneapolis, where some businesses like ours have laid off half their staff," he said.

Phillips, who arrived with almost nothing, now has a car and an apartment. He's swiftly adapted to town that he says is not that much different than Utica.

"There's a Wal-Mart to do my shopping. There's a Starbucks to get my coffee," he said.

He posts photos online to highlight some of the regional differences for his friends: Local barbeque competitions, freshly dried deer jerky from a big hunt, and snow in October.

Many of his friends, he says, have graduated college only to find a job market as bleak as North Dakota's cold, winter skies.

"I told them, you can always get a job here," he said. "But they didn't want to leave New York for North Dakota."

At least not yet.

]]>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=558
A local inventor, Wolf is trying to market his device that tests trailer lights and is a semifinalist in a national competition. This week, he will try to help other would-be entrepreneurs during the state's Day of Innovation, which helped him launch his product last year.

Wolf's idea was a way to test all of the lights on a trailer without having to connect it to a vehicle and get someone to sit inside and turn on the blinkers, brake lights and other taillights. What he came up with is Light Check, a small box that hooks up to a trailer and runs through all the lights and shows which ones work.

"I got tired of getting the truck out of the garage and backing it up to the boat just to check the trailer lights," said Wolf, who lives in Mandan and comes up with "one new business idea a year."

This spring, the invention netted him $10,000 as one of five winners in the state's Innovate North Dakota competition for new entrepreneurs. The kickoff for the program is Day of Innovation on Wednesday, featuring workshops and presentations in Bismarck and five other cities. The keynote speaker at the event will be Doug Burgum, senior vice president of Microsoft Business Solutions in Fargo and former CEO of its precursor, Great Plains Software. He will speak and answer questions through an interactive video link with participants here and in Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, Williston and Dickinson. Participants also will be able to submit questions through Twitter.com.

"On the Day of Innovation, we wanted to be innovative in how we reach people," said state Commerce Secretary Shane Goettle. He said the program has grown in the past few years from a business plan competition to something that gives participants the tools to develop and market ideas, "whether they're applying for capital from an angel fund or making a pitch to a bank."

Following his success in the North Dakota competition, Wolf is trying for the final round of a national competition sponsored by Inc. Magazine and Alibaba.com, an online business-to-business marketplace. He is one of 12 semifinalists who will be profiled on the magazine's Web site, where readers can vote for five contestants to go to the competition's final round in November.

During Wednesday's event, Wolf will talk about how Innovate North Dakota helped him create a business plan for his invention and the challenges in getting ideas into a marketable form from an idea jotted down on scrap paper.

"They start as notes on napkin, but to create a viable business, you have to go through a lot."

Registration for Wednesday's kickoff costs $50 or $25 for students, and the fee will be applied toward the $100 Innovate North Dakota enrollment fee. Local events for the Day of Innovation will be at National Energy Center of Excellence Building at Bismarck State College, starting at 10 a.m.

]]>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=559
Although only two of the centers were fully operational in 2007, these two (University of North Dakota Center for Innovation and North Dakota State University Technology Incubator) had already demonstrated substantial economic contributions.

The two centers accounted for 233 direct jobs (center staff plus tenants) and a payroll of $10.7 million. As the other centers become fully established and partner facilities are developed, the program's economic contribution should increase considerably.

Although many of the centers are still being developed, the program has already demonstrated the ability to attract private sector partners and to leverage state funding. A total of 107 private sector partners were participating and the centers had attracted $100 million in private sector and federal resources to leverage $25 million of state funding.

As the research, development and commercialization activities of the centers advance, their economic contribution can be expected to grow substantially, leading to many attractive employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for North Dakota residents.

]]>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=565
Issue: Communities need current labor availability and skill assessment information to support population stabilization as well as, business retention, expansion and recruitment. Business wants assurance that there is an available pool of talent when they make relocation or expansion decisions. This documentation is provided through Community Labor Availability Studies.

Community Labor Availability Studies also provide valuable information about the makeup of the local labor force, underemployment, and travel patterns. This information is valuable in designing career ladder and life long learning training opportunities to help address workforce retention and develop responses to skill shortages in the community.

Labor Availability Study Process:

The Department of Commerce along with representatives from local development corporations, communities, and Job Service North Dakota met in May 2009, to review an update the process for conducting the standardized community labor availability studies. During the meeting we reviewed, validated and updated the core data requirements, and standardized a procedure to support a consistent format and process for conducting and updating labor availability studies.

The North Dakota Department of Commerce has procured the services of Social Science Research Institute at the University of North Dakota to complete the data collection phase of the project. Job Service North Dakota, will complete the data analysis, research and report writing phase for the studies.

We are planning to begin the data collection phase of the 2010 Community Labor Availability Studies by January 15, 2010. Copies of the Final Reports and Executive Summaries for communities who participate in the 2010 Labor Availability Studies will be provided to communities no later than July 1, 2010 and will be posted on the Commerce web site at www.ndworkforce.com.

The cost of the studies are paid for by participating communities and counties with matching funds provided by the North Dakota Department of Commerce Workforce Development Division.

2010 Labor Availability Study Process:

The data collection for the 2008 Community Labor Availability Studies will begin in January 2010. The timeframe for completion of the data collection for the studies is late March 2010. The timelines for completion of the Final Reports and Executive Summaries for each community participating in the Community Labor Availability Studies is July 1, 2010.

Next Steps:

1. Letters of commitment from the communities and counties interested in participating in the 2010 Labor Availability Studies will be due by November 30, 2009.

a. Communities must complete a Notice of Intent to Participate.

2. Community payments for their match/share of the Labor Availability Studies will be due by January 31, 2010.

a. Checks must be made out to the North Dakota Department of Commerce -Workforce Development Division and sent to:

ND Dept. of Commerce
Workforce Development Division
P.O. Box 2057
Bismarck, ND 58502-2057

3. Final Reports and Executive Summaries will be provided to participating communities and counties by July 1, 2010. (Final reports will be available at www.ndworkforce.com).

Projected Community Share of Study Costs:

The following represents the community or county share of costs to participate in the study updates:

• Big Four Communities $6,000
• Mid Four Communities $3,000
• 2000 population + $2,000
• 1000 population + $1,000
• Less than 1000 population $ 500
]]>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=563
Inbicon A/S - a Denmark company -- and Great River Energy continue looking at building a $200 million biomass ethanol plant near Spiritwood, N.D.

Recently, Great River Energy and North Dakota Department of Commerce officials went to Denmark see a biomass plant in operations and representatives of Inbicon visited North Dakota to tour the Spiritwood area. During the visit, they met with state officials to learn incentives North Dakota can offer.

The project is said to still be in the running for a $35.2 million grant grain.

According to reports in the Jamestown Sun, one of Inbicon's main concerns is have enough wheat straws and corn stover to run the plant. It will need eight semiloads of large bales each day.

Meetings are planned with area farmers.
]]>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=561
The bill provides a framework for six Senate committees to come together and pass strong legislation that unleashes the potential of clean energy to rebuild our economy, puts millions of Americans back to work, and solves global climate change.

We now have the technology and know-how to make our homes and businesses so efficient that any energy they use is generated onsite from clean sources such as wind, solar and geothermal power. Already, heating and cooling businesses across the state are offering geothermal installation services.

Investments in local, distributed wind and solar power, conservation, and energy efficiency measures can bring additional energy savings to households, farmers and small businesses. In addition, new tax incentives can now offset 45 to 70 percent of installation costs.

With the greatest potential for wind energy in the nation, North Dakota should be leading the charge toward the clean energy economy. Clean energy has been a bright spot in our economy in recent years.

According to a survey of green businesses by the Pew Charitable Trusts, job growth in North Dakota's emerging clean energy economy has been more than three times as fast as in the economy as a whole - 30.9 percent growth in green businesses compared with 9.4 percent in all businesses combined.

In the words of President Barack Obama upon passage of the House climate bill in June, "Make no mistake - this is a jobs bill." Across the country, jobs will be created by renovating our homes and businesses with the latest technologies to capture wasted energy and save consumers money.

In North Dakota, these jobs will be like those at LM Glasfiber in Grand Forks and DMI Industries in Fargo, which manufacture wind turbines and towers, respectively, for large-scale renewable energy projects.

Installing small wind turbines for farmers to generate energy for personal use with excess sold back to the power companies is a growth industry. Large and small wind turbines require technicians for installation and maintenance. Creation of an improved electrical infrastructure will allow North Dakota to maximize its vast resources and export energy across the Midwest to major consumers like Minneapolis and Chicago and has the potential to create even more jobs.

President Obama gets this. He wants to lead America into a new energy era, one in which we move away from the polluting energy sources of the past and toward the clean energy technologies of the future. But President Obama and clean energy proponents in Congress cannot bring about this change alone.

Environment America estimates that Big Oil and other polluters have hired 2,000 lobbyists to stop President Obama's energy plan - that's nearly four lobbyists for every member of Congress. Recent news out of Washington indicates that lobbyists hired by the coal industry went so far as to forge letters from constituents to pressure members of Congress to vote against the house bill.

To push clean energy plans past Big Oil and its associates, our senators need to hear from us. Sens. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., understand the need for a clean energy economy, but now citizens of North Dakota need to show that they are ready to support their senators to take leadership roles in working toward a clean energy future.
]]>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=555
WebFairND is in full swing and will continue through the end of the month. The virtual career and internship fair, sponsored by the North Dakota Department of Commerce, features a total of 220 internships and full-time jobs from 37 different companies representing all regions of North Dakota.

The WebFair is "open" 24/7 on the www.WebFairND.com website and is free to job seekers and students.

Since opening Oct. 1, the WebFair has had a record 7,000 unique visitors.

The event is another way Commerce is working to help businesses find good employees and help North Dakota college students and others find meaningful employment among the nearly 10,000 job opportunities in North Dakota.

"There are still 11 days left of the event," Commerce Commissioner Shane Goettle said. "I encourage anyone looking for an internship or employment to take advantage of this great opportunity to connect with North Dakota businesses."

Businesses benefit from features including the following:
• A virtual "booth" that showcases their current openings and provides information about who they are and what they do.
• Marketing of WebFairND to job seekers (both in- and out-of-state) and North Dakota college students.
• Post-event tracking report of website and booth-specific visits.
Businesses still interested in posting openings on WebFairND should contact Sarah Johnson, talent marketing coordinator, North Dakota Department of Commerce, 701-328-5300 or sakjohnson@nd.gov.
QUICK FACTS:
• The WebFair was born out of a desire to provide more job information to people interested in moving back to the state for the right job opportunity and at the same time reach out to college students who are inclined to use web-based services such as this to find jobs or internships.

• Having one event/location that highlights both internships and full time opportunities will bring awareness to college students of the kinds of careers available in North Dakota.

• The WebFair features 220 internship/employment positions.

• Industries represented in the career fair include health care, education, information technology, architecture, sales, tourism and business.

• During WebFairND in April of this year, there were 5,799 unique visitors to WebFairND.com.

• Commerce is currently working directly with nearly 1,400 people who have expressed interest in moving to the state for the right job opportunity.

• The event has three goals:

1. Connecting individuals who live in North Dakota or want to move here with companies that have full-time opportunities.
2. Connecting North Dakota students with paid North Dakota internships.
3. Connecting North Dakota businesses with qualified interns and employees.
]]>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=562
It's a turnaround from just a few months ago, when slipping crude prices and a slumping U.S. economy led officials to believe last year's record production in the state's oil patch might never be surpassed.

Now officials are happily eating crow.

"It's been crazy," said Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, a Bismarck-based group that represents about 160 companies. "It's a good thing."

The state Industrial Commission reports that North Dakota oil wells pumped an average 226,940 barrels a day in July and 231,252 barrels daily in August, the latest figures available because oil production numbers typically lag at least two months. The previous high of 215,637 barrels a day was set in November 2008.

North Dakota produced a record 62.8 million barrels last year, up nearly 18 million barrels from 2007.

Ness and Lynn Helms, director of the state Department of Mineral Resources, had predicted that oil activity in 2009 would be at 2007 levels.

"There has been a very sharp rebound in oil prices and the rig count has recovered a great deal," Helms said Tuesday. North Dakota's harsh winter led to a drop in drilling activity during the first few months of this year, he said.

The state has been producing more than 7 million barrels per month since July, which puts it on par with Oklahoma in the top five oil-producing states, Ness said.

North Dakota sweet crude was fetching about $68 on Tuesday, more than double the price in December, a five-year low after a record $136.29 in July 2008.

Oil prices at $50 to $70 a barrel keep the investment climate strong in North Dakota, and keep wells working in the state's oil patch, industry officials say.

North Dakota has 4,541 active oil wells, Helms said. That's up from 4,025 at the same time last year, and 3,616 in 2007, records show.

The state had a record 98 rigs working last fall but the count dropped to about 30 early this year. Fifty-seven rigs were operating in North Dakota's oil patch this week.

Each active rig represents about 40 direct jobs and 80 indirect jobs in the state, Ness said.

The state reached its pipeline, rail and refining capacity of about 189,000 barrels daily in October 2008, Helms said. Prices for North Dakota crude generally lag about $10 behind other oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange because of the commodity's distance from the markets, he said.

Infrastructure improvements, including a new rail shipping station and a pipeline expansion project in northwestern North Dakota, will increase the state's shipping capacity by about 115,000 barrels daily, Helms said. The projects are expected to be finished early next year and should add about $5 per barrel to the price of North Dakota sweet crude, he said.

Ness said some companies are likely curbing some production to take advantage of the higher prices that could come with the bump in shipping volume.

At the same time, technology is improving throughout the Williston Basin to capture oil faster and more efficiently from the Bakken and Three Forks-Sanish formations in western North Dakota, Ness said.

"2010 is starting to look big," Ness said.

]]>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=560
Bruce Smith, dean of the John Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota, announced the new program will offer undergraduate students the opportunity to major in UAS operations marking the first-of-its-kind program in the United States.

The UAS major program, designed to support the rapidly evolving military and commercial UAS reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering market demands, will offer pilot and sensor operator degree possibilities.

"UAS is an emerging technology that has experienced dramatic growth over the past decade," Bruce Smith said in a statement.

"As platform use increases with military, law enforcement and other commercial applications, the demand for qualified pilots and operators will increase as well. Our program offers tremendous career opportunities to students who are passionate about aviation and aspire to push the envelope of innovation."

]]>Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTFri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTFri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=554
The program features locally organized events in Bismarck, Minot, Dickinson, Williston, Grand Forks and Fargo that will be linked via interactive video for a statewide conversation featuring one of North Dakota's most successful entrepreneurs, Doug Burgum.

"We are building North Dakota's reputation as a great place to do business," Hoeven said. "Our goal with this Statewide Day of Innovation is to inspire our state's own entrepreneurs to begin making their business ideas a reality right here in our state. This program is for anyone who has ever wanted to own their own business."

The Statewide Day of Innovation begins at 10 a.m. (9 a.m. MST) at the following locations:
• Fargo: NDSU Campus, Century Theater
• Bismarck: BSC Campus, National Energy Center of Excellence Building, Basin Auditorium.
• Grand Forks: UND Center for Innovation
• Dickinson (9 a.m.): DSU Campus, Klinefelter 216.
• Williston: WSC Campus, Crighton Building Room 119
• Minot: Job Service Conference Room, 3416 N Broadway

Commerce Commissioner Shane Goettle said the event officially kicks off the fourth annual Innovate ND program and competition. The Day of Innovation cost is $50 ($25 for college students), which will be applied to the $100 Innovate ND enrollment fee for those who register. Registration is available online at www.InnovateND.com

"This event will inspire participants, even those with just the beginning threads of a business idea, and connect them with people and services in their local community who can help them get started," Goettle said.

Doug Burgum, who grew North Dakota-based Great Plains Software into a Microsoft subsidiary, will share with participants his lessons in innovation and insights about the advantages of building a business in North Dakota.

After Burgum's statewide broadcast, participants will engage in two local break-out sessions and a luncheon with guest speakers.

DETAILS ABOUT INNOVATE ND

• Launched in November 2006 by Gov. Hoeven.
• Coordinators: the North Dakota Department of Commerce and a statewide network of partners including the UND Center of Innovation, the NDSU Research and Technology Park, Dickinson State University Strom Center for Entrepreneurship, the IDEA Center, the Southern Valley Innovation Center in Wahpeton, Williston State College, Minot State University, and Bismarck State College - CETI.
• Sponsors: Forum Communications (lead sponsor), Cavendish Farms (premier sponsor), Great River Energy, State Bank & Trust, Bremer Bank, North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, Bremer Bank, Montana Dakota Utilities, Weather Modification, Solarbee, Agency MABU, and Qwest.
• Cost: $100 ($50 for students) or $50 ($25 for students) for those who attend the Statewide Day of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Program includes online entrepreneur education, business planning tools, and coaching and mentoring from successful entrepreneurs and proven business owners.
• The top 20 entries pitch their business idea to a panel of potential investors.
• Up to five $10,000 cash prizes are awarded plus a wide variety of business services and potential seed capital investments to launch their businesses.
• To date, nearly 500 people with 250 ideas have participated in the program and 70 new businesses are operational or in the development stage as a result.
• Enrollment runs through Nov. 20 and can be completed online at www.InnovateND.com. For more information about the program contact Brandi Schoenberg at the ND Department of Commerce, 701-328-5300 or bschoenberg@nd.gov.
• Link to Innovate ND logo.
• Link to profiles and videos from past Innovate ND champions.

AGENDA, STATEWIDE DAY OF INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

8:45 a.m. - Registration/Check in opens

10:00 a.m. - Gov. Hoeven kicks-off event LIVE from Fargo via IVN

10:20 a.m. - Keynote Speaker: Doug Burgum Live from Fargo via IVN

11:00 a.m. - Breakout #1

• Fargo: Why Innovate ND
• Grand Forks: Center for Innovation/Introducing Innovate ND
• Bismarck: Innovation in any Organization with Dr. Larry Skogen, BSC President
• Minot: Introducing Innovate ND
• Dickinson: Resources for Entrepreneurs
• Williston: Introducing Innovate ND

12:00 p.m. - Lunch and guest speaker
• Fargo: Nikki Lamb, Formula Now
• Grand Forks: Dale Jensen, Ntractive
• Bismarck: Nic Cruz, CiNcity Designs
• Minot: Paul Wolf, Light Check
• Dickinson: Financing and Funding your Business
• Williston: Camden's Naturals

1:15 p.m.-3:00 p.m. - An Afternoon of Ideas

• Fargo: Starting a New Venture: What you need to know
• Grand Forks: Dr. Jeff Stamp
• Bismarck: IDEA Center - Introducing Innovate ND and Design, Prototyping, & Patenting for Inventors/Entrepreneurs - Evan Anderson and Jon Sanstead
• Minot: Requirements for Entrepreneurship to be Successful and Experience Judging Innovate ND Business Plans - Bill Isaacson, and North Star Farms Story - Marv and Ilene Baker
• Williston: Local Resources for Start up Businesses Funding - Equity vs. Debt Financing and Resources for Venture Planning Assistance
]]>Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=553
Bobcat announced plans last month to close its Bismarck manufacturing plant by the end of the year, cutting 475 jobs, and open 390 positions at its Gwinner plant southwest of Fargo.

Sixty of the jobs will go to the site of the former Imation Corp. plant in Wahpeton, Bobcat spokeswoman Laura Ness Owens said. The facility should begin producing Bobcat parts in January, she said.

Wahpeton has been working to find tenants at the plant after Imation, a Minnesota-based data-storage company, shut down at the end of last year and phased out nearly 390 jobs.

"We are definitely pleased to have Bobcat," said Jane Priebe, Wahpeton's economic development director. The town of about 8,000 that sits some 50 miles east of Gwinner touts itself as the most industrialized city in North Dakota, with other factories that make wood products, corn syrup and rubber belts for farm machinery.

Ness Owens said Bobcat would lease about 130,000 square-feet of space at the former floppy disk factory. She said a five-year lease was signed Friday.

Ness Owens and Priebe said no incentives were offered to Bobcat to relocate part of its operation to Wahpeton.

"They are paying full rent," Priebe said.

Bobcat will pay $416,000 annually to lease the building, with an option to buy it for $2.5 million after the five-year lease expires, Priebe said.

The building, owned by a nonprofit development corporation, is one of three at the former floppy disk plant. ComDel Innovation Inc., a company started by former Imation workers, owns a141,000 square-foot building at the site. A 99,000 square-foot building owned by the development group is vacant, Priebe said.

Bobcat said the Bismarck shutdown was due to a weak worldwide economy and sluggish sales. Ness Owens said the bulk of the Bismarck plant's equipment will be moved to the Gwinner plant beginning in November and the equipment should be in place by the end of the year.

Union officials have said they expect few Bismarck workers to move to Gwinner, and that the plant there has 240 workers who are laid off and would be offered the jobs first. Ness Owens said 45 workers had been called back to work at the Gwinner plant as of Friday.

Ness Owens said production machinery from the attachment division at the Bismarck plant began moving to the company's accessories factory in Litchfield, Minn., last month. About 15 jobs will be added to the Minnesota facility, Ness Owens said. Those jobs would be filled by people who had been laid off at that plant or by new workers, she said.

Bobcat, based in West Fargo, started in Gwinner more than 60 years ago by two brothers who wanted to help turkey farmers clean their barns. The company is owned by Doosan Infracore International, a subsidiary of South Korea-based Doosan Infracore.

]]>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=548
I would like to respond to recent news reports about the Centers of Excellence Program.

The Center of Excellence money awarded to Williston State College has had a major impact on both the college and the petroleum industry.
At Williston State College, the money focused on developing oil-and-gas training.

North Dakota designated Williston State as the Petroleum Safety and Technology Center of Excellence in 2006. Twenty petroleum companies have donated more than $1.3 million in cash, equipment and services to develop this center. That amount was matched with a North Dakota state grant of $400,000.

The petroleum industry drives the creation of training programs developed and delivered at the college. The money provided by the state through the Centers of Excellence program let the college and the petroleum industry partner and grow this center beyond the original plans.
Without that funding, the center would not have achieved its current success.

Over the past year, the college provided 425 classes to more than 4,000 individuals from 215 oil and gas businesses.
As a result, these companies did not need to send their employees out of state to get training.

Through collaboration among employers, higher education, government agencies and others, we will keep expanding both short term training and credit programs aimed at providing the oil industry with a competitive workforce.

The Center of Excellence Program is a great resource for colleges and businesses. The program encourages partnerships, gives businesses a chance to be part of the educational process and makes sure our graduates have the skills needed for jobs in North Dakota.

In our case, the program provided a catalyst for building a strong relationship between the petroleum industry and the Williston State College.

View Centers Achieve True Excellence on the Grand Forks Herald web site.]]>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=549
On Tuesday, a newly formed state Youth Council, the result of legislation sponsored by the Democratic lawmaker, will begin exploring suggestions from North Dakota young people about how to change the answer to yes.

"I hope we can have real conversations with these kids and find out why they don't want to stay, and find out what makes the ones that want to stay, stay," Wolf said.

"The ones that say weather, well, there isn't much we're going to do about the weather, unless we build a bubble over the state," she said. "But the ones that have real meaning are the ones that say, 'Because we can't make any money here.'"

The group, headed by Lt. Gov. Jack Dalrymple, will include four state legislators and 16 young people ages 16 to 24. As outlined in the legislation, its discussion portfolio will be broad, including issues relating to "education, health care, employment opportunities and quality of life issues, such as recreation and entertainment."

The measure met strong Republican opposition in the state House, where representatives cut the council's number of suggested meetings from four to two and removed a provision that allowed council members to be paid meeting expenses. Thirty-one GOP House members opposed the bill's final approval.

North Dakota's Commerce Department will be covering some of the council's expenses, and Dalrymple said some private fundraising is planned.

"The funding issue is not a simple one," Dalrymple said. "We are asking all kinds of organizations, both nonprofit and private, if they will help us ... It would be nice if we didn't have to go through that, but we're being asked to do it, so we're going to do it that way."

Hoeven declined to appoint Wolf to the council, instead choosing Rep. Corey Mock, 24, a Grand Forks Democrat, for a council spot reserved for House Democrats. Mock's district includes the University of North Dakota.

Hoeven said the council would add to his administration's other youth initiatives, including programs that promote career counseling and provide incentives for businesses to offer internships to young people.

"I think it's a good concept to get more participation from young people, in terms of making recommendations for future legislation," Hoeven said. "But (the Youth Council) goes along the lines of an initiative that we already have under way."

Wolf teaches business and computer classes in Minot, including a class that focuses on students developing career interests. She said the council could discuss possible financial incentives for young families to stay in North Dakota, such as tax credits for children and day care expenses.

"It will be good to ask the kids. That's what we should asking the kids, is what they think are good ideas," Wolf said. "Let's ask them. Let's find out."

]]>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=552
State budget director Pam Sharp says about 170 million dollars is going for road construction and repairs.

25 million is going to weatherize homes.

About 12 million will finance construction of a water treatment plant north of Zap.

Some is being used for new buildings at the University of North Dakota and Minot State University.

The report shows the money has also helped about 624 people get a job or keep the one they have.

The Legislature agreed to spend 571 million dollars in stimulus funds over two years.

]]>Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=550
About 60 positions making cylinder and valve components for Bobcat machines and attachments will begin production in a 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility after the New Year, said Laura Ness Owens, spokeswoman for the West Fargo-based manufacturer. Bobcat signed a lease on a facility formerly used by Imation Corp., a computer diskette maker.

Bobcat announced in September that it would shut down its Bismarck manufacturing plant by the end of the year and lay off 475 workers while opening 390 jobs at its plant in Gwinner. At the same time, it made a decision to move 15 production jobs for its machine attachments to its facility in Litchfield, Minn., about 190 miles from company headquarters. Another 150 positions related to engineering, aftermarket sales, sourcing, and finance and accounting will stay in Bismarck.

Ness Owens said the company decided to move components production to Wahpeton instead of Gwinner because it needed a location near the two facilities in North Dakota and Minnesota. The components that will be built there are used in the machines built in Gwinner and the attachments built in Litchfield.

"We needed a space between Gwinner and Litchfield," said Ness Owens, who stressed that the new plans did not affect the total number of Bobcat jobs in North Dakota.

Many of the new positions in Gwinner will go to the 240 workers who have been laid off there. The positions in Wahpeton are not represented by the United Steel Workers, which represent the Bismarck and Gwinner employees, and will be open to the public.

Ness Owens said the company recalled about 45 workers in Gwinner about two weeks ago as some lighter production work begins moving there. The company will begin moving heavier production capacities from the Bismarck plant in early November and plans to have operations moved by January.

Jeremy Bauer, president of the United Steel Workers local in Bismarck, called the Wahpeton plant a "major undertaking" for the company while it was shutting down an existing plant here. The new operation will not have union coverage and he doubted Bobcat would hire union workers from Bismarck.

"We don't have any sort of negotiated power in hiring over there," Bauer said.

]]>Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTSat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTSat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=551
He and his wife and partner, Charissa Rubey, moved from Southern California back to the Rubey farm in southeast North Dakota back in 1994.

After five years of farming, Dave developed a herniated disk in his neck, and had to have a cervical fusion. Relegated to wearing a full neck brace for eight weeks, he went in search of a camera system to use in the combine during wheat harvest.

"He couldn't see behind in the combine," said Charissa. "We looked for cameras and bought a couple different ones. They just weren't working."

Consumer-grade camera systems proved too flimsy for combine work.

Involved in engineering in California, Dave began using his skills to make his own industrial-strength camera system.

His first AgCam involved a small black and white camera and a 5-inch black and white television. The system worked, but he couldn't get a very clear picture when the camera was pointed to the sun, or was in dusty conditions. It didn't work after dark without an additional light source.

"Dave started modifying them and making them better," she said.

He tried various camera boards, lenses, camera bodies and several styles of small flat screen televisions.

Eventually, he devised a portable unit with the durability and picture clearness he needed.

"The unit really worked well," said Charissa. "We decided if we wanted this, other people probably wanted it too."

The couple incorporated under the name Dakota Micro, Inc. in 2002. Their first distributor was Milnor Implement of Milnor, N.D., about 27 miles northeast of Cayuga.

Seven years later, Dakota Micro, Inc. is a rapidly growing, family owned rural-based electronic manufacturing company.

Dakota Micro remains dedicated to providing the highest quality, most durable video equipment suitable for endurance in the harshest environments. The company now works with agriculture, as well as military, police and rescue/emergency surveillance.

"Almost all of the camera components are built in the United States, although we have to import Sony camera components," said Charissa, who serves as vice president of sales and marketing. "The camera bodies are milled out of solid aluminum bar stock in Hankinson, (N.D.), just 50 miles from the factory."

There are now 850 AgCam dealers in the United States and Canada. There are 25 distributors in the United States, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Iceland and the United Kingdom.

The company has four main product lines. These include the AgCam monitor, cameras, a quad processor that allows the viewers to see four locations at once, and a wireless unit with antenna.

"The cameras are what we really pride ourselves on," she said. "They are very durable, and there is a three-year warranty on the cameras."

Since March 2009, all AGCO tractors and combines are built AgCam ready.

Farmers and ranchers are using the portable AgCam units throughout their operations. The cameras are mounted on combines to see in the grain tank, get a view off the end of the combine auger, or monitor crops coming into the combine.

They are used to monitor grain dryer systems and grain elevators. AgCams are also used for monitoring tillage, planting and baling. The AgCam is waterproof and can be used to view the inside of fertilizer or chemical tanks.

The AgCam is also used for seeing behind a skid loader, filling grain carts and loading and unloading bins. Livestock producers put them in their calving sheds. They run wireless antennas and can watch 3 a.m. calving progress from their homes.

For farmers and ranchers that are considering a camera system, Charissa encourages them to select a system that offers simplicity and durability.

"Some systems are complicated to hook up, so once you install it, it stays on that piece of equipment," she said. "The AgCam simply needs to be plugged into a cigarette lighter."

Dakota Micro just released a new AgCam camera system, with upgraded motherboard and greater screen resolution. They also added magnetized switches to the bottom of the camera that allow the user to turn infrared capability on and off.

"The switch doesn't go through the camera body, so it doesn't ruin the waterproof integrity," said Charissa.

The company is also in the process of upgrading their camera brackets. Customers have asked for an extra screw hole in the bracket to make it easier to attach the camera in some locations.

"Since we manufacture the AgCam, we can make changes to our units when there is enough demand," she said.

The Rubeys encourage their customers to use their imagination to find new uses for AgCams in their operations.

Dakota Micro is always interested in hearing about ways that farmers and ranchers are using their products in innovative ways to make their operations more successful.

]]>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTFri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTFri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=547Hoeven says state must continue to recruit, educate and train the work force for future.

Given today's national economy, North Dakota has to be more aggressive than ever when it comes to economic development, Gov. John Hoeven told those attending his two-day 2009 Workforce Summit in Fargo on Thursday.

"We have an economy with very high unemployment," he said. "We are losing jobs, and we have deficits. It reminds us that now, more than ever, we have to be committed to economic development."

One of the key concerns is making sure North Dakota continues to recruit, educate and train the work force of the future and is responsive to the needs of businesses, Hoeven said.

"That's why you're all here and that's what this 2009 work-force conference is all about," he said.

The intent of the summit is to solicit ideas and input from employers and workers on what the state can do to improve the state's work-force efforts.

"We want their ideas to build for the future," Hoeven said.

Amy Baum recently moved to North Dakota from Iowa to become human resources manager at Fargo-based Phoenix International.

Thursday's conference agenda contained several topics that are relevant given the current economic environment, she said.

Among them were discussions involving staffing strategies, employee retention and training.

"I wanted to hear about the work-force challenges and opportunities in North Dakota because I'm a new human resources professional here," Baum said.

Darren Brostrom is director of employment insurance for Job Service North Dakota in Bismarck.

"I'm here to learn about our work force and how we can build and strengthen it in North Dakota," he said.

North Dakota is doing better than the national economy because of the state's commitment to economic development and funding education, Hoeven said.

North Dakota higher education funding totals

$800 million in a two-year cycle, he said.

"That's a huge commitment, but again it goes to making sure that we have the most highly educated, highly trained work force in the country," Hoeven said.

Another core objective has been building the state's business climate, he said.

"We passed $400 million in tax relief. Compare that to what other states are doing right now," Hoeven said.

The summit, which continues through noon today at Ramada Plaza Suites, 1635 42nd St. S., is held every two years to look at North Dakota's work-force challenges, said state Commerce Commissioner Shane Goettle.

"We have to look at the long term and prepare a vision for North Dakota," Goettle said.

]]>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTFri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTFri, 09 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=546
Keynote speaker Cam Marston's talk titled "Four Generations in the Workplace" will address generational dynamics in the workplace and marketplace. Marston is one of a handful of experts dedicated to conquering the generational divide. His book, Motivating the "What's in it for me?" Workforce: Managing Across the Generational Divide, demonstrates the individual characteristics and motivating factors each generation brings to the workforce.

Other featured speakers include Greg Newton, who will address where to find the workers of today and tomorrow, and Silver Rose with ideas for keeping top talent from walking out the door. Other discussion topics include talent shortages/skill gaps, replacing workers reaching retirement, retention issues, and best practices/innovative solutions of competitors.

"Our efforts to grow and diversify our economy have resulted in a corresponding period of growth for our workforce, which is a widely recognized asset for our state," Hoeven said. "When we started, our challenge was creating jobs. Now that we've done that, our challenge is recruiting and retaining the young men and women our state needs to fill those jobs."

Since 2002, North Dakota has created a growing, more diversified economy, creating nearly 40,000 new jobs and increasing the state's labor force by approximately 23,835 people. At the same time, the Census Bureau's most recent population estimate shows that the state has continued a five-year growth trend. Since 2003, which was the decade low point, the state's population has increased by nearly 9,000 people, many of whom are between the working ages of 20 and 39.

All of these features of North Dakota's changing labor force, which are outlined in the 2009 North Dakota Workforce Review from Job Service North Dakota, point to the need for aggressive workforce development across age brackets and industry sectors. Some of the conference's breakout sessions that will help to do that include:

• Attracting and Retaining a New Generation of Employees
• Talent Pipeline Mapping: Where Will Businesses Find the Workers of Today and Tomorrow?
• How to Keep Your Top Talent from Walking out the Door
• Social Media for the Confused, Left-Out, or Downright Scared
• North Dakota Employer Support for Guard & Reserves
• Leveraging Registered Apprenticeships as a Workforce Development Strategy & Worker Retention Tool

At the same time, Hoeven noted that North Dakota is not immune to the national recession, citing recent layoffs as a reason to continue the push for economic development.

"As we work to develop our workforce, we need to acknowledge that we have experienced some layoffs, reduction of hours, and other adjustments made by businesses in North Dakota in response to national economic factor," Hoeven said. "For that reason, it is more important than ever to continue our aggressive economic and workforce development efforts. That's what our workforce summit is all about."

]]>Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=544
View the North Dakota, Microsoft Rise Above the Recession coverage.]]>Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 06 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=542Bio-Extraction Inc., a Canadian-based agricultural technology company, has announced plans to build a canola processing plant at the Value-Added Agricultural Complex in Minot, ND.

Construction is expected to start next spring on a 10-acre lot in the complex, which was developed by the Minot Area Development Corporation to enhance the city's desirability as a location for agriculture-related businesses. Production at the proposed $50 million facility is scheduled to begin in 2011.

"BioExx is a good fit for our ag park," says Jerry Chavez, president and CEO of the Minot Area Development Corporation. "From the standpoint of agribusiness or value-added processors, BioExx is the type of company we envision as tenants. What we're looking for in the ag park is to add companies whose products add value to North Dakota commodities. BioExx fits that very well."

Toronto-based BioExx contributes to the global food market supply by extracting oil and high-value proteins from oilseeds to produce food proteins and oils. The company's patented low-temperature extraction and proprietary protein separation technology allows for the use of significantly lower temperatures than conventional methods of extracting the active ingredients and oils from oilseeds, resulting in higher yields and higher-quality meal, oils and proteins, according to BioExx CEO Chris Carl.

"Pure or isolated protein is becoming much more important in food production to satisfy the demands of a growing global population," Carl says. "With an aging and more health-conscious population, people are looking to vegetable protein as a supplement to animal protein. By isolating the proteins in canola, our patented technology can generate up to five times as much food value from a ton of harvested crop compared to conventional processes. We believe we can make an important contribution to the protein additive market, which is currently a $16 billion industry and is projected to grow to over $25 billion in the next seven years."

BioExx also has a presence in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where the company's first canola processing plant is currently under construction. The Saskatoon facility will process 40,000 metric tons of canola a year, while plans call for the Minot facility to process 80,000 metric tons annually.

"Minot is an agriculture and business-friendly community that has put tremendous effort into providing infrastructure that meets the requirements of companies looking for a new base of manufacturing operations," Carl says. "This allows us to meet our goal of expanding internationally and into a different growing region, while at the same time enjoying a reasonable proximity to our first plant."

Chavez said the Minot community has made a large capital investment in the ag park, encouraging faster start-ups and providing additional support for agribusinesses. The park is equipped with easy access to two railroad lines and the Port of North Dakota intermodal shipping facility. The land is zoned for agricultural use and water and sewer lines are already available.

"Minot has put significant capital investment into the Value-Added Agricultural Complex to build-out strategic assets that companies like BioExx can leverage," Minot Mayor Curt Zimbelman says. "We believe with the investment made in the ag complex, Minot can help BioExx become a world leader in the industry of high-value proteins."

Minot's proximity to the Canadian border, along with North Dakota's strong economy and reputation as a leading U.S. canola grower, also contributed to the company's decision to locate its second plant in Minot.

Chavez credited the North Dakota Department of Commerce and North Dakota Governor John Hoeven's office for helping to attract BioExx to Minot.

"They really got BioExx interested in North Dakota as a location and then they helped us put this project together," Chavez says. "This effort has been a real partnership with the state in many ways."

The Minot Area Development Corporation, along with private lenders and the state-owned Bank of North Dakota, has proposed providing approximately $25 million in loans and or capital leases for the $50 million project. BioExx plans to fund the remainder of the project with cash flow from the Saskatoon plant.

Carl says production at the planned Minot facility is expected to begin in 2011. But Chavez cautioned that the plan is still in the early stages and the letter of intent signed between the City of Minot and BioExx is "just the beginning of a long process."

"We're confident it will go well," Chavez says. "What we recognized early on is that BioExx principals are very keen on execution. BioExx delivers what they say they can and when they say they will and that has helped them to successfully take their relatively new company into the global marketplace."




]]>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=541
South Dakota farmer Tom Young uses a broadband internet connection to help him in his duties as a certified crop advisor and in many aspects of sunflower, wheat and corn production on his farm.

Even though Young lives in the rural community of Onida, SD, approximately 30 miles northeast of Pierre, SD, he has broadband access.
"Transferring data is much faster with the internet than writing it down and mailing it," Young says.

Despite nationwide concerns about rural telecommunications access, the Northern Great Plains remains well connected. Expansive fiber optic networks exist in North Dakota and South Dakota to connect businesses in most areas with broadband services. Residential use of broadband varies widely throughout North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, but the region appears to be better off than many parts of the country.

A study released in February by the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicates that fewer than one in three farms nationwide have broadband connections.

But some isolated areas in the region fare much better. Remote Harding County in northwestern South Dakota reported 44 percent of agricultural producers using high-speed internet services.

Young also uses the internet to research insects and weeds. The certified crop advisor was able to assist a fellow farmer identify an unusual insect in a sorghum field and obtain information about its potential for damage as well as measures to control it.

"I really enjoy using chat rooms to visit with other farmers and exchange ideas," Young says. "It's helpful to find out what farmers are doing across the country or around the world. You can obtain information about a lot of things, including agricultural opportunities."

STRONG RURAL REGIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACCESS

A broadband report released in July by the Economic Development Administration Center at the University of Minnesota, Crookston found that 89.7 percent of rural Minnesota businesses have internet connections, a significant increase from the 65.5 percent reported five years ago in an earlier version of the same study.

The 2004 report found that 38.6 percent of rural Minnesota businesses surveyed used a dial-up connection. That number dropped to just 4.3 percent in the 2009 report, with 96 percent now using broadband services. The 2009 report also indicates that 56.3 percent of Minnesota's rural businesses use broadband connections to sell goods, while 69.8 percent use broadband to interact with government agencies.

The Pierre-based South Dakota Telecommunications Association is comprised of 29 community-based cooperative, privately-owned, municipal and tribal telecommunications companies that collectively serve approximately 80 percent of South Dakota's land mass and roughly two thirds of the state's incorporated communities.

"In South Dakota, none of the communities being served by SDTA member companies lack access to broadband services," says Richard Coit, the organization's executive director. "There are differences in the speed of the broadband service that is offered and lack of sufficient speed can sometimes pose problems to businesses and individuals."

Sioux Falls-based Midcontinent Communications and SDN Communications have strong telecommunications networks in South Dakota and throughout the region.

Fargo-based Dakota Carrier Network encompasses 15 independent rural telecommunications companies and represents 85 percent of the all the telephone exchanges in North Dakota and covers more than 90 percent of the state's total surface area. The company's network of broadband and Ethernet high-speed internet access is available to every community in North Dakota through interconnections with local exchange carriers and national service providers.

SDN Communications recently gained a connection to Dakota Carrier Network in Bismarck - the first in a series of planned expansions that will increase the company's footprint to eight states. SDN Communications, which serves areas in South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska and has worked with Dakota Carrier Network for years, plans to reach into Minnesota and Wyoming this year and eventually extend its network to Montana and Colorado.

Carriers like Verizon Wireless have also continued to build towers throughout the region. Verizon has added nine new cell sites in North Dakota and five new sites in South Dakota this year alone.

"From January 2001 through June 30, 2009, Verizon invested more than $160 million in North Dakota and $211 million in South Dakota to enhance our network," says Karen Smith, Verizon's public relations manager for its Great Plains Region, which includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. "We deployed our 3G broadband network throughout both states and offer customers the largest, most reliable 3G network nationwide."

Verizon customers download at an average of 600 kilobits per second and up to 1.4 megabits per second, the equivalent of a small PowerPoint presentation or large PDF file in about 8 seconds and upload the same file in less than 13 seconds, according to Smith.

"Verizon launched 10 LTE 4G cell sites in (eastern states) this year," Smith says. "We expect to offer the LTE 4G nationwide in 2013."

READ FULL STORY
]]>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=540
The WebFair will be "open" 24/7 for the entire month of October on the www.WebFairND.com website and is free to job seekers and students.

The event is another way Commerce is working to help businesses find good employees and help North Dakota college students and others find meaningful employment among the 9,000 job opportunities in North Dakota.

"WebFairND has been a popular way for employers to connect with potential employees so we are pleased to offer it for the third time," Commerce Commissioner Shane Goettle said. "By moving our career fair online, we can allow companies to actively recruit talent world-wide at a very low cost and continue operating their business as usual."

Businesses benefit from features including the following:

A virtual "booth" that showcases their current openings and provides information about who they are and what they do.
Marketing of WebFairND to job seekers (both in- and out-of-state) and North Dakota college students.

Post-event tracking report of website and booth-specific visits.
Businesses still interested in posting openings on WebFairND should contact Sarah Johnson, talent marketing coordinator, North Dakota Department of Commerce, 701-328-5300 or sakjohnson@nd.gov.

QUICK FACTS:

The WebFair was born out of a desire to provide more job information to people interested in moving back to the state for the right job opportunity and at the same time reach out to college students who are inclined to use web-based services such as this to find jobs or internships.

Having one event/location that highlights both internships and full time opportunities will bring awareness to college students of the kinds of careers available in North Dakota.

The WebFair features 195 internship/employment positions.

Industries represented in the career fair include health care, education, information technology, architecture, sales, tourism and business.

During WebFairND in April of this year, there were 5,799 unique visitors to WebFairND.com.

Commerce is currently working directly with over 1,300 people who have expressed interest in moving to the state for the right job opportunity.
The event has three goals:

1. Connecting individuals who live in North Dakota or want to move here with companies that have full-time opportunities.

2. Connecting North Dakota students with paid North Dakota internships.

3. Connecting North Dakota businesses with qualified interns and employees.

]]>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=539OUR OPINION: N.D. centers need, should welcome a state assessment

Don't write off North Dakota's Centers of Excellence program just yet.

Last week, an audit asked whether the program - which is administered by the Department of Commerce - was being adequately assessed. At the time of the audit, it wasn't, the report declared.

This unsettling finding brought North Dakotans up short and is getting Commerce's full attention.

But the audit looked only at how well the centers were being assessed. It didn't examine whether the centers are being successful.

That's the more important question. And now that stronger assessment tools have been put into place, partly as a result of the audit, taxpayers shouldn't have to wait long to learn the answer.

Based on Grand Forks' experience and some other indicators, North Dakotans likely will be pleased with the results.

The Centers of Excellence program is meant to partner campuses with businesses. The state gives grants to selected college and university research efforts. The grants are conditioned on the researchers getting $2 in private-sector or federal money for every $1 in state spending.

"These hubs of research and technology provide a nucleus for new business growth," the centers' 2008 Annual Report states. "The model is new to North Dakota, but the first Centers of Excellence program originated more than 50 years ago in California and spawned the world-famous cluster of technology research, innovation and business concentration known as the Silicon Valley."

The first operational center got its grant in 2005. Oversight was lax for the first two years, in part because there were only a few centers and in part because responsibility hadn't been fully spelled out, said Shane Goettle, Commerce Department commissioner, in a Herald interview.

The Commerce Department asked the Legislature for authority to monitor the centers and got that authority in mid-2007. The state auditor's office, in turn, arrived to check up on the assessments in late 2008, 18 months and 11 new centers later.

The Commerce Department had conducted assessments during that time, but not quickly or thoroughly enough, the auditors declared.

Goettle has accepted the audit's findings and implemented those recommendations that weren't already being put into place.

That said, one of those earlier assessments deserves a mention, even though the auditors found a math error and some other problems in it.

That assessment is a study of the centers' statewide economic impact in 2007. Larry Leistritz, professor in the department of agribusiness and applied economics at North Dakota State University, and two other researchers conducted the study.

The study's conclusion about the Centers of Excellence Program stands: "Although the program is still in its early stages, and most centers are in early stages of development, the economic effects of the program to date are encouraging, the searchers reported.

"With a direct economic impact of $59 million and total impact of $169 million in 2007, the program's contribution to the North Dakota economy already is substantial." And as the centers ‘become fully established and partner facilities are developed, the program's economic contribution can be expected to increase considerably."

Fresh numbers and other data from the state's 20-plus Centers of Excellence were due at the Commerce Department on Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Analysts now will conduct the more thorough assessments that the auditors called for.

Grand Forks residents could be forgiven for expecting good results. Centers of Excellence here include the National Center for Hydrogen Technology, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center and the Center for Innovation, all at UND.

The centers rank among Grand Forks' most dynamic workplaces. They've created jobs by the dozens and are points of civic pride, winning grants that have matched the state's contribution by factors of 3 or more to 1.

Around the country, Centers of Excellence-style partnerships have helped bring jobs and growth to the Research Triangle in North Carolina, the Route 128 area in Boston and other academic and high-tech centers. The partnerships need rigorous assessment exactly as the state auditor's report prescribed. But they've worked effectively in other places and show every sign of doing the same here.


]]>Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTSun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTSun, 04 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=536The 13 winning photographers in the 2009 North Dakota Governor's Photo Contest will receive a cash prize for their photos.

Photos will be featured in North Dakota Tourism's marketing materials and will be eligible for display in AAA North Dakota branch offices and may be printed in AAA regional publications.

The winners were chosen from more than 700 photo entries. A new Best of Show photo was selected from the winning photographs, and the photographer will receive an additional cash prize and a one-year AAA membership.

Winning photos can be seen at the North Dakota Tourism Web site, NDtourism.com.

The categories and winners:

Best of Show, Duane Strand, Wahpeton, "Fargo's Finest," Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Center.

Attraction, Strand, "Fargo's Finest"; Strand, "Solitude," Edgewood Golf Course.

Scenery, Strand, "Old Main," North Dakota State College of Science, Wahpeton; Diana Hoffman, Bismarck, "Fall River Path," Mandan Trail; Hoffman, "Winter Wonderland," Highway 1804.

Event, Clint Fleckenstein, Bismarck, "Independence Day Symphony #1," Independence Day on the Capitol Grounds; Peggy McDougall, Rolla, "Going to Parade," Rolla parade with six-horse hitch.

Culture and heritage, Katherine Plessner, Verona, "The Good Old Days," Sodbuster Days.

Wildlife, Plessner, "Hunter's Paradise," snow geese; Wayne Vedvig, Sawyer, "Now What?!" big-horn sheep at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

People, Jed Pahan, Fargo, "Cruisin' Downtown," downtown Fargo.

Outdoor adventure, Kelly Savage, Mandan, "Learning to Ski," Huff Hills; Vedvig, "Four-Wheelin," along Highway 52.]]>Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=533I appreciate this opportunity to respond to a recent article reporting on the state auditor's performance audit of the North Dakota Commerce Department, and specifically, of the Centers of Excellence program.

Centers of Excellence are a partnership between North Dakota's campuses and the private sector. Through research, development and the commercialization of new products, they are helping to create high paying careers for North Dakota citizens and new opportunities for our entrepreneurs. They have attracted projects dealing with energy development, aerospace technology, advanced electronics, workforce training, and advanced manufacturing in a range of fields.

Bismarck State College's National Energy Center of Excellence; Dickinson State University's Strom Center for Entrepreneurship and Rural Revitalization; UND's Unmanned Aerial Systems Center; and NDSU's Center for Agbiotechnology are only a few of the worthy projects across North Dakota creating good jobs, fresh opportunities and quality educational and entrepreneurial experiences for our young people.

The performance audit largely consists of recommendations for policies and procedures, which the Centers of Excellence Commission and Commerce Department are already addressing. The Centers of Excellence program has had a beneficial impact on our economy, and the data exists to show it. The numbers tell the story.

According to a 2007 economic impact study of the program by Dr. Larry Leistritz, a highly respected professor of economics at North Dakota State University, Centers of Excellence have already created more than 1200 jobs and helped to establish 16 new or expanded businesses. A total of 107 private-sector companies were participating in the Centers of Excellence program, leveraging $25 million in state funding into $125 million in total funding with private sector and federal match.

Dr. Leistritz, who has done economic analyses of the Red River Valley Research Corridor, North Dakota's oil industry, and other notable components of the state's economy, reported last year that: "With a direct economic impact of $59 million and a total impact of $169 million in 2007, the program's contribution to the North Dakota economy is already substantial." He concluded that "as the Centers become fully established and partner facilities are developed, the program's economic contribution can be expected to increase considerably."

The report for 2008 has not yet been completed, but when it is, it will show considerably more economic impact.

North Dakota has been doing new things in new ways, and Centers of Excellence are helping to drive economic growth in our state. Although we are not immune to the national recession, as recent layoffs demonstrate, it is clear that now more than ever we should be squarely focused on aggressive economic development efforts and creating the jobs of the future with programs like Centers of Excellence.
]]>Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=543
* Plant has annual production capacity of 110 mln gallons

A unit of Murphy Oil Corp (MUR.N) will buy a corn-based ethanol plant in North Dakota for $92 million, marking the company's first foray into biofuel manufacturing, the company said on Thursday.

Murphy Oil, based in El Dorado, Arkansas, said the deal will be financed primarily through non-recourse debt offered through the sellers.

The company plans to invest $15 million in working capital into the facility, which started production in July 2008, but has sat idle since October 2008.

The plant has an annual capacity of 110 million gallons.

Rising federal production mandates require 12.95 billion gallons of biofuel to be blended into the nation's fuel supply in 2010 and 36 billion gallons in 2022.

"Given the current ethanol mandates and our subsequent blending needs, having more of a presence in the supply chain better balances our business," said David Wood, chief executive and president of the company, in a statement.

Production at the plant, which is located near feedstock supply and transportation for the end product, should start "shortly," Wood said.

Murphy Oil shares closed down almost 3 percent at $55.90 on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.
]]>Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTThu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=537
State Aeronautics Commission director Larry Taborsky says the 64,588 boardings were the highest for August in the last 10 years. He says a big reason is Allegiant Air's low-cost fares to destinations such as Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Jamestown saw the biggest percentage increase in boardings in August, of 48.3%. Fargo had the biggest increase in actual passengers, with 4,404 more boardings.

]]>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=535
The huge crop is tempered a bit by quality problems, but overall "it was just a perfect wheat-growing year, and it showed in the numbers," said Jim Peterson, marketing director for the North Dakota Wheat Commission.

The U.S. Agriculture Department said in its annual small grains report Wednesday that 2009 production of spring wheat in North Dakota - which produces about half of the nation's crop each year - stood at 291 million bushels, up 18 percent from last year and the highest since the 1996 crop of 314 million bushels.

Harvested acres were equal to 2008, but the average yield of 45.5 bushels per harvested acre was up 7 bushels over the year to a record high. The previous record was 42 bushels per acre in 1992.

Because of the cool growing season, much of the crop has low levels of protein, a quality important to millers and bakers. That is translating into steep discounts at the elevator for many farmers who have grain below 14 percent protein, considered the threshold between good-quality and poorer-quality grain.

"Thirteen percent locally here would be a dollar (a bushel) discount," said Larry Neubauer, a wheat farmer near Bottineau.

Production of durum wheat also was up in North Dakota - 47 percent over the year to just under 62 million bushels. Harvested acres were down 4 percent but the average yield of 38 bushels per acre tied the record set in 1992.

As with spring wheat, North Dakota farmers annually produce about half of the nation's durum, which is used for pasta.

Neubauer said yields for some of his durum in north central North Dakota have surpassed 60 bushels per acre, and that other farmers have seen yields in the 70-bushel range.

"There are a lot of record yields being set for fields and farms," he said. "The bittersweet part of it is that actually a less-than-average crop with average prices would have equated into the same income potential."

Prices for many commodities have tanked with the global economic decline. Peterson said the numbers in Wednesday's production report likely have already been factored into the commodity markets and are not likely to have a big effect on prices.

However, he and Neubauer said a big increase in durum production nationwide - nearly a third more than last year - might be reflected in the pasta on grocery store shelves.

"It should only be positive for consumers," Neubauer said.

North Dakota's winter wheat production was estimated at a record 26.2 million bushels, beating last year's record crop of 22.6 million bushels. The fall-seeded crop remains minor in North Dakota but has gained in popularity because of good yields and prices and because it saves farmers time during the busy spring planting season.

Ducks Unlimited also has started programs that reward farmers for planting the crop. Since winter wheat is not seeded in the spring, it means less disturbance for nesting ducks.

Production of all three types of wheat in North Dakota this year is estimated at 379 million bushels, the highest since 1996. The average yield is a record 44.2 bushels per acre, besting the 41.1-bushel record set in 1992.

"To set these records after what we went through last spring (with flooding and weather delays) is certainly amazing," Peterson said. "A lot of historical data shows that a later-planted crop has a hard time achieving those higher yields."
]]>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=538
Uh-oh, we thought. Had we missed a "No Hunting" sign? Were we on someone's land illegally? My partner Mark Helmer and I walked with our dogs back toward the sedan.

The woman in the car rolled down her window and shouted to us.

"I just thought maybe you needed help," she said.

"No, we're fine. Just hunting," we hollered back.

She rolled up her window and drove on.

Welcome to North Dakota, where nobody's a stranger and people look after one another - even if they have Minnesota plates. Hunting here, where the land is vast and sparsely populated, is a bit like time-traveling back to about 1958. The uncrowded land seems to breed trust among people here. They are unfailingly friendly.

One drizzly morning with winds blowing out of the northwest at 35 mph, we were just getting ready to hunt another piece of land. A late-model black pickup cruised slowly up to us and stopped next to us in the middle of the road. Inside sat two older gentlemen with shotguns at their sides.

"Minnesota?" the driver said, noticing our plates. "Where from in Minnesota?"

That launched about a 10-minute visit, the two men in the warmth of the truck, my partner and I hunched against the wind and rain. We talked about sharp-tailed grouse numbers. They told us where they had seen some Hungarian partridges. We asked if they knew the forecast and - fast-forward from 1958 to 2009 - one man pulled out his Blackberry and called up the forecast. Then they wished us luck and eased on down the road at 15 mph.

North of Stanley, the roads bustled with the traffic of the oil boom. Wells everywhere were drawing up crude from the Bakken Formation a mile below the rolling grasslands. One morning, we had just finished walking a couple of tree rows when a white pickup pulled over.

"I just saw a big bunch of partridge about a half-mile south," said a man with a heavy southern accent. "They're on a steep bank with some little bushes. I'm from Louisiana, so I don't know what kind of bushes they are. But you'll see the place."

And he was off, up the road in a cloud of dust.

Half an hour later, a county employee mowing ditches on a shiny New Holland tractor pulled over. We were loading our dogs after a hunt. He opened the door of his cab. We talked for 20 minutes about sharptails and ducks and big oil. He owned a farm not far away. He told us twice where we might find some sharptails "over yonder."

The county man fired up his tractor and wished us well.

Helmer and I moved on, too, following our dogs over yonder, hunting among good folks.

]]>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTWed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=532
Klinger celebrated her 105th birthday Monday in a Bismarck nursing home.

She rooms with her 84-year-old daughter, Verdell. Her 91-year-old sister, Ruth Lindblum, also lives in the home.

Amanda Klinger's parents came to the United States from Norway. She was born in 1904 on a farm near Elbow Lake, Minn., before the family homesteaded in North Dakota the following year, living in a sod house.

She remembers growing up on the farm near Voltaire and later Turtle Lake, but farm life wasn't for her. She said she decided, "I'll never marry a farmer because I didn't want to live on a farm."

Klinger has 14 great-great-grandchildren. She says she feels great.

As for any advice, she says, "Live from day to day, I guess. That's about it."



]]>Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTTue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - Newshttp://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/detail.asp?newsID=531
Golf Digest calculates the odds of two holes-in-one in the same round at 67 million to one.

But he's got company. Ruth Day, a 64-year-old retiree from northern England, shot two holes-in-one in the same round on Sept. 9. The next day, former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steve Blass did the same in a span of 11 holes in Pennsylvania.

]]>Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTMon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTND Department Of Commerce - News