Manufacturing Roundtable Connects Companies to the Region's Resources
From new legislation affecting local business to organizations helping manufacturers with supply chain challenges, more than 20 regional manufacturers joined us in early May to learn more about connections and support for a range of challenges and opportunities.
The manufacturing roundtable event mirrored the work we do on a daily basis through our Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) Program. Through our BRE Program, we connect primary-sector companies with organizations, resources or information to help them capitalize on success or overcome barriers to growth.
Our Currency is Connections
Through this event, we highlighted some of the organizations we connect companies with on a daily basis – including the Minn-Dak Manufacturers Association, FMWF Chamber, ND Job Service, Impact Dakota, the Bank of North Dakota, and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Chris Schilken, ND Commerce Commissioner, discussed the importance of advanced manufacturing to the state’s economy and provided key post-legislative updates.
For example, several bills support infrastructure improvements to support the state’s unmanned or UAS sector. The ROOT Program, a newly added program, received additional funding. ROOT stands for Relocation Opportunity for Outstanding Talent and provides a grant match to offset relocation expenses when hiring out of state workers within high-demand occupations.
In addition to the ND Department of Commerce, more than half a dozen organizations provided information or updates on programs, services or opportunities they provide to companies.
Here are a few highlights:
Job Service ND has more than 19 programs to help regional companies including workforce training assistance through federal support from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOWA)
Impact Dakota has been focused on helping companies with their supply chain and they offer workforce training including training for middle management.
The Chamber shared information on their leadership role in public policy and talked about how manufacturers can be involved in future legislation through advocacy and testimony.
GFMEDC Reveals New Industry Benchmark Reports
Our own GFMEDC shared our newest benchmarking reports that we provide to manufacturers after they’ve participated in a BRE visit or filled out a survey.
The benchmarking reports provide data insights for manufacturing companies to compare against their industry peers and the primary-sector market as a whole. Included in these reports are comparisons on potential capital investments, job creation, and added real estate footprint, as well as analysis on workforce satisfaction conditions, trends on difficult to recruit for positions, examples of programs to attract and retain employees, and insight on community-driven barriers to growth.
“This is an exciting evolution of our BRE program that aims to provide more value to companies that engage with the GFMEDC,” said Joey Ness, Vice President of Business Development. “Businesses are motivated to make data-informed decisions and when they have a deeper understanding of the current market conditions, it can empower them to make the choice to expand and grow in this community.”
The state and region’s many organizations and groups offer a lot of resources to support business. This event allowed companies to connect to service providers, get more information and ask questions directly.
“As a small manufacturing company dealing with some of the same challenges as larger manufacturers, it’s helpful to get the same access to resources and connections in the area,” said Allison Klein, Director of Operations, International Marketing Systems.
