> As the Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota, Drew Wrigley has advocated for low taxes, a reasonable regulatory environment and a responsive state government. His beginnings with entrepreneurship goes back to when he was growing up in Fargo. Wrigley’s family founded Wrigley Mechanical Inc. After graduating from the University of North Dakota, he began a career as an attorney in various spots around the country. He eventually returned to North Dakota where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor John Hoeven before becoming North Dakota’s 17th US Attorney. After serving as the US Attorney for several years, he stepped down and eventually became the Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota. To sum it up, Drew Wrigley knows about North Dakota. He stressed the importance and value of North Dakota’s diverse economy. “We really do have the number one economy… There are a lot of reasons for that… We have a diversifying economy with agriculture still as the number one component in the state and then you have the energy sector, which is very strong. We also have very strong tourism. We have an excellent education system… We have terrific infrastructure in our state… It’s under strain out West but we’re meeting those needs and we’re looking to exceed them as the number one economy in the nation continues to grow. Those are all exciting components.” According to Wrigley, between the strong and diverse economy and the influx of wealth from the oil boom, farmers and the research industry, this is a great time to start a business. There is a rapid expansion throughout the entire state. Almost every sector of the economy is growing and that has affected Fargo-Moorhead as well. “That’s (Fargo) our largest city and Cass County has always been an important economic area for the state but now, more than any other time, there are other strong components for Cass County to recognize as great partners across the state.”
“People starting and growing their business is a common dream across North Dakota… It really is the small business that is the engine of any economy. It’s the smaller size businesses that create the most jobs and really become the backbone. They don’t get a lot of news stories written about them and that’s OK… We can never ever, ever lose focus on these enterprises that started around the state because someone had a dream and had the guts to go after it.”
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Photo courtesy of Legacy Photography
According to Wrigley, Cass County has the largest number of unfilled jobs in the state. When you add in the fact that there is an educated work force in the state, you find an opportune time to find employees for a small business. Wrigley also recognizes the importance of starting your own business.