Generally, in life we find ourselves comparing what we are doing to either someone else, to ourselves over time, or to goals we’ve established. For example, there seems to be “a thing” happening in the social media universe comparing today to the 1990’s. Comparisons on music, fashion, cinema, food, etc. I thought, heck, since the GFMEDC has been around for 80+ years, I wonder how our work today compares to the 1990’s, so did a little research, and here are a few nuggets of interest:
Over a six-year stretch in the 1990s, the GFMEDC reported supporting 92 projects, with about 15% being recruitment of new industry to the region. From about 2019-2025, the GFMEDC supported 162 projects, with around 20% being recruitment of new companies. We certainly have a more active and diverse regional economy today, and this data supports that, but it also shows that no matter what decade we are in, the bulk of our work is supporting our existing companies in their growth.
The biggest focus of our time in the 1990s was supporting the workforce development needs of our companies. Staff positions were created focused on workforce development in the late 1990s, and the organization even announced that it wanted to limit business attraction to just a couple companies a year as not to stress our existing companies’ workforce needs. Today’s GFMEDC is still very focused on workforce recruitment and has developed and implemented targeted programming to support workforce attraction and regional branding. We, however, are not limiting business attraction efforts because we know that company diversity benefits attraction and retention of the workforce our companies need. Nearly 40% of our pipeline projects today are recruitment of new companies.
In fact, I’d say that given we are the 11th most diverse economy in the country today, we need to continue to focus on company diversity because it benefits our workforce efforts.
In the 1990s, leaders were concerned with issues of housing, flood protection and access to water, childcare, and the alignment of our workforce system, just to name a few. Well, it looks like today we are checking off the box on our water situation, which is foundational to our livability and economic opportunity. Compared to almost everywhere in the country, we are all still working to address housing, childcare and workforce alignment. I hope these aren’t unattainable issues for us to address, but 30+ years can certainly make one wonder.
In the 1990s, the GFMEDC was not focused on entrepreneurship as a mechanism to support the growth of the regional economy. This changed in 2012 when the organization began supporting a new entity focused on entrepreneurship and creating the spaces and events that would bring people together for innovation and community vitality - Emerging Prairie. Today the GFMEDC works closely with Emerging Prairie, Grand Farm, Folkways, higher education, and many others to support what is now one of the nation’s most robust and connected entrepreneurial eco-systems. The vision of the region’s leaders to support these efforts has paid off in so many ways, and I would contend, has helped to define an authentic and powerful brand about our region - The Midwest’s Entrepreneurial Leader.
As often happens in life, when you start to compare yourself, you find you're better off than perhaps you had thought, and yet still have work to do, which can be exciting and help to focus your attention. Now, if I can just take the wisdom and experience of today and combine that with darker hair and fewer wrinkles of the 1990s, I might be my best me. I know - wishful thinking.
All the best,
Joe
AgTech Software Company Relocates Company Headquarters to Fargo
AgTech software startup, aerialPLOT, recently relocated its headquarters to Fargo to accelerate growth and provide an intellectual hub for the company’s scalable analytics platform.
aerialPLOT’s addition into the market further strengthens the region’s growing ecosystem of agricultural technology and innovation.
“We are extremely excited to announce our move to Fargo. We believe that the ecosystem will provide a perfect foundation for our continued expansion of integrated data solutions for agricultural field research. The team at GFMEDC has provided tremendous guidance, and the tools that the State of North Dakota offers make this transition not only a smart business decision but a clear catalyst for our next phase of growth. We look forward to seeing where we can take the company in our new home,” said Jeremiah Roeth, Founder & CEO, aerialPLOT.
aerialPLOT’s new location will conduct corporate functions, data science, software development and UAV-based data capture (for projects based in ND and neighboring states). The new office will involve the creation of several new jobs focusing on building intellectual capacity in data scientists, digital agronomists, and software development. The company has already hired its first employee in the role of business manager who will help establish the new office.
Unlocking Growth: NMTC’s Role in Strengthening the Regional Economy
The region’s continued growth and economic vitality depend on strong support systems for primary-sector businesses—those that bring new dollars into the community and drive long-term expansion. One of the region’s newest tools is the New Market Tax Credit (NMTC) Program, which helps make transformative projects possible by closing critical financing gaps.
Bringing NMTC to the Region: The Role of Dakota Business Lending
The key organization responsible for bringing NMTC resources to the market is Fargo-based Dakota Business Lending (DBL).
“NMTC works to encourage and jumpstart investment in low-income census tracts to create jobs and bring new opportunities to qualifying areas. The goal of a NMTC allocation is to fill a financing gap for transformative and highly impactful projects which bring new opportunities to the State. This transformative program is funded by DBL Equity Partners, an entity of Dakota Business Lending, through a process of investing in and monetizing tax credits to fill a financing gap,” said Steve Dusek, President & CEO, Dakota Business Lending.
The GFMEDC has been instrumental in their support and in partnering with DBL since they began preparing to apply for their first allocation in 2020. DBL provided the vision, leadership, and technical capability to bring this competitive financial resource to the region. The GFMEDC has not only connected critical primary-sector expansion projects to DBL’s NMTC program but also provided market intelligence and project demand insights that helped justify the market need for DBL’s application.
“Dakota Business Lending’s mission is to provide financing solutions through collaborative partnerships (like the GFMEDC) in a supportive and creative environment to grow the economy and create and preserve quality jobs. The NMTC program is an entirely new level of equity investment that complements our mission perfectly while expanding upon our rich 44+ year history of small business lending in the State,” said Dusek.
Aligning for Growth: Regional Working Groups Take Action
The GFMEDC has formed three working groups to strengthen the region’s business development, workforce, and data and analytics efforts by coordinating strategies, sharing market intelligence, and advancing opportunities that support long-term economic growth.
These groups will serve as a bridge between public, private, and institutional partners—ensuring the region presents a unified and competitive value proposition to both prospective and existing companies. Designed as collaborative, action-oriented platforms, they will align regional partners around key priorities in business attraction, expansion, and retention.
Each working group will operate in an advisory capacity, offering recommendations, insights, and expertise. Implementation and execution of strategies will remain the responsibility of GFMEDC staff.
Congrats, John Machacek, 2026 MSUM Dragon Impact Award Recipient
Congratulations to GFMEDC’s Chief Innovation Officer John Machacek on receiving a 2026 Dragon Impact Award from Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Upon graduating from MSUM in 1995 as a Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Management major, John remained in the Fargo Moorhead Metro to start his career which spanned roles in food & retail management, banking and accounting, and now with 17 years in economic development.
“I think my serving mindset started at MSUM as a hospitality major, and with my early jobs in food & retail, where taking care of people and providing quality interactions were ingrained into our class work and my jobs. Then my involvement in developing relationships and building community really accelerated when I came to work at the EDC. I’ve been fortunate to be in roles that not only allowed me to interact with many businesses and individuals in the community, but to be in positions where a big part of those interactions is all about providing impact and connections.”, says John Machacek.
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