Life in the Vast Lane - Valley City, ND

They say it takes a village. WE BELIEVE IT TAKES A VALLEY.

LIFE FLOURISHES IN VALLEY CITY, ND.

Quality of Place MANY CLAIM IT. FEW LIVE IT.

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PLACE.

Perhaps it is the synergy created when local government and business leaders share a vision for the future. Or maybe it is the joy of waking up in a valley where beauty abounds, no matter the season.

Possibly it is the arts, athletics and energy of life in a college town. Plus the reward of knowing the educational opportunities needed to be upwardly mobile are available

without leaving home, and your next career opportunity is right in front of you.

Rarely do all the pieces fit together as well as they do in Valley City, ND. It is this Quality of Place that makes Valley City and Barnes County the ideal location for your business venture.

The people in this community are what sets us apart; they are the difference. Valley City is blessed with creative, engaged, energetic ‘doers’ and leaders from all aspects of employment and experience. Can’t isn’t allowed in our vocabulary; we’d rather ask how.

– PAIGE BJORNSON, MARKET PRESIDENT, DACOTAH BANK

KEN

-

VALLEY CITY WALKING BRIDGE

HI-LINE

LIFE IN THE VAST LANE

WORK HARD. PLAY HARD. THERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU LIVE IN BARNES COUNTY, ND.

For the outdoor enthusiast, the Valley City area offers a variety of year-round adventures, including:

LITTLE YELLOWSTONE PARK AND CLAUSEN SPRINGS: More than 70 acres of campgrounds are filled with hiking trails, a spring-fed stream and picturesque foot bridges.

NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL: Beginning in North Dakota and ending 4,600 miles away in New York, outdoor lovers can join the four-season trail throughout Barnes County.

LAKE ASHTABULA: Just 15 minutes northwest of Valley City, the 26-mile-long lake is the perfect place to camp, boat and fish, then stop for a meal at one of two restaurants.

SHEYENNE RIVER WATER TRAIL: The trail will have 19 paddle landings in three counties along 180 miles of the Sheyenne River.

SNOWMOBILING: The best way to get up close and personal with North Dakota’s breathtaking winter scenery is on a snowmobile, and the Valley City area has the longest snowmobile trail in the state.

MEDICINE WHEEL PARK: The Medicine Wheel calendar is a rock structure replica of a Native American solar calendar discovered in Wyoming. The park features a model of the solar system and Native American burial mounds.

SHEYENNE NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY: Running along the Sheyenne River, the award-winning byway is designated as one of the Great Midwest Fall Color Getaways.

For the active careerist, opportunities to connect and give back are plentiful, including:

REC LEAGUE SPORTS: Make lifelong friends, re-energize, stay active and have a great time participating in league sports, including volleyball, basketball, softball and more!

GAUKLER FAMILY WELLNESS CENTER: Staying fit has never been easier than it is in the new 65,000 sq. ft. facility. Or, to explore the great outdoors, the center also offers bike and kayak rentals.

PLACES TO MEET: Join your friends for a coffee, meal or the social scene at any of Valley City’s great gathering spots.

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES: Rally in the Valley, RiverFest, Parks and Recreation Month – this is just a taste of the growing list of community events.

EASY ACCESS TO BIG-TIME ENTERTAINMENT: Valley City residents are just 45 minutes away from Fargo and all the amenities available in a larger city.

For parents and kids, the community of Valley City takes great pride in being a safe and welcoming place to raise a family. Priorities identified by new residents often include:

PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Valley City Public School District includes two elementary schools and a junior/senior high school with an enrollment of about 1,100 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and a student-teacher ratio of 16:1.

HOUSING: New construction never stops in our growing community. Options include apartments and single-family housing featuring a wide range of amenities and prices.

CHILDCARE: From in-home care to group daycare centers, a variety of childcare arrangements are available to area families.

GAUKLER FAMILY WELLNESS CENTER: The new facility includes an indoor pool, basketball courts, playground, walking track and a full range of equipment and fitness classes. The center is designed to meet the fitness goals of people of all ages, stages and abilities.

If I were to describe the Valley City - Barnes County Development Corporation in just a few words, they would be “welcoming,” “forward-thinking” and “expanding.” They’ve supported our new business with assistance in seeking financing and as a continuous resource for questions we had while launching our new business. We love working and living in Valley City.

THE COMMUNITY HAS WELCOMED US – NOT ONLY AS A BUSINESS, BUT AS A FAMILY.

GAUKLER FAMILY WELLNESS CENTER

DR. TESSA LAGEIN, OWNER & PARTNER, BRIDGE CITY DENTISTRY

A City and State WITH LIMITLESS OPPORTUNITIES

Entrepreneurship is more than a buzzword in North Dakota. It’s a way of life and the foundation for a business climate that is attractive to national and multinational corporations.

Some got their start in the state, like Bobcat Doosan, a global leader in construction equipment. Others expanded operations by purchasing successful local businesses, such as Microsoft’s acquisition of Great Plains Software. More recently, multinational Amazon matched its business model with local opportunity and built a distribution fulfillment center in North Dakota.

The same spirit of innovation has brought companies with global operations to Valley City-Barnes County. In 2005, Eagle Creek Software Services, a US based technology and management consulting company, became one of the first businesses to locate in the Regional Technology Center. Eagle Creek quickly outgrew its space and,

in 2011, expanded operations into a 20,000 sq. ft. Class A technology building owned by the Development Corporation. A Salesforce Gold Partner, Eagle Creek was acquired in December 2020 by Atos, a world leader in cloud, cybersecurity and high-performance computing. The business maintains its presence in the Valley City technology park.

Preventice Solutions, a remote heart monitoring company, expanded its operations to the Valley City Regional Technology Center in 2018, a direct result of the company’s significant year-over-year growth. The Valley City location will mirror the Houston, TX operations, providing real-time diagnostics that connect cardiologists to patients. In 2021, Preventice was acquired by Boston Scientific, a global leader in healthcare. The value and work ethic of the North Dakota workforce speaks volumes.

The world’s leading manufacturer of farm equipment, John Deere established its air seeding manufacturing facility in Valley City in 1995. A $20 million expansion increased its footprint to more than 325,000 sq. ft. in 2013. The air seeding facility has won many national awards for productivity and safety, including the National Safety Council Occupational Excellence Achievement Award.

NORTH DAKOTA STANDS OUT FOR OUR STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND AN ENTREPRENEURIAL, TECH-SAVVY MINDSET THAT SUPPORTS INNOVATIVE BUSINESSES LARGE AND SMALL. WE INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF OUR STATE TO EMPOWER PEOPLE, IMPROVE LIVES AND INSPIRE SUCCESS.

BY PROVIDING SMART, EFFICIENT INFRASTRUCTURE AND KNOWLEDGEBASED OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGH-TECH INDUSTRIES ACROSS THE STATE, WE ARE PAVING THE WAY FOR NEW BUSINESS VENTURES TO EVOLVE AND BUILD THE TECHNOLOGIES OF TOMORROW WITH A 21ST CENTURY WORKFORCE IN HEALTHY, VIBRANT COMMUNITIES.

– ND GOVERNOR DOUG BURGUM & TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY ENTREPRENEUR

Exceeding

2021: National Leader in Ultra-Fast Internet Access and Broadband Connectivity (nd.gov)

2021: Second in the Nation for Financial Security (nd.gov)

2019: Hardest Working State in America (WalletHub Study)

2019: Lowest Millennial Unemployed Rate (WalletHub)

2019: Fifth Lowest Housing Cost in the US (WalletHub)

2018 : #1 in Quality of Life, Growth of Young Population, Labor Force Participation Rate and Budget Balancing (US News & World Report)

JOHN DEERE SEEDING GROUP

Where Others See Challenges, WE SEE OPPORTUNITY

You could describe us as tenacious, maybe even relentless, but one thing is certain – the Valley CityBarnes County Development Corporation (VCBCDC) makes things happen.

We understand that Quality of Place is a fundamental component of recruiting and retaining a qualified workforce.

Companies know all too well the magnitude of employee retention and the cost when it is headed in the wrong direction. Our community is keenly aware of the importance of employee retention, and we support company growth by making strategic investments that attract and retain talent.

Housing, healthcare, childcare, infrastructure improvements – VCBCDC has played a lead role in

advancing state and local programs and securing funding needed to bring many ambitious projects to fruition.

But why stop there? Downtown shops, an active social scene, year-round community events – our organization has helped Valley City grow into a place where people put down roots and stay.

Recognized for making the region a better place, shaking loose solutions and bringing people together, the VCBCDC was awarded the Bush Prize for Community Innovation in 2019. We believe even bigger things lie ahead. With each business venture comes potential new challenges and more opportunities for VCBCDC to exceed expectations. It’s what we demand of ourselves and what we deliver to partner organizations.

Business stability and growth feeds Quality of Life within a community; and Quality of Life attracts people, feeding back into business stability and growth. The circle of life for a thriving community!

- PAIGE BJORNSON, MARKET PRESIDENT, DACOTAH BANK

VCBC Development Corporation: CHALLENGES, SOLUTIONS, WHAT’S NEXT?

Choosing a location that will meet your needs – both now and well into the future –is a smart business decision.

Businesses that locate in the I-94 Regional Development Corridor have the space to grow and the local leadership needed to make it happen. Here’s how the VCBCDC collaborated with Valley City and Barnes County Commissions to meet the challenges of two industrial park residents and how the corridor took shape.

Even more important to you – it’s an example of how the VCBCDC helps industrial park residents meet challenges.

With 15 acres of land now available for development, VCBCDC brings the same commitment and resources to organizations that choose to locate in the corridor.

THE CHALLENGES:

• John Deere Seeding Group was landlocked.

• The North Dakota National Guard needed a new site.

VCBCDC RESPONDED BY:

• Securing more than $9 million in federal, state, regional and local funding and incentives

• Purchasing 76 acres with direct interstate access near I-94 Exit 294

• Building all needed infrastructure, including roads, utilities and telecommunications

THE RESULTS:

• John Deere completed a $20 million expansion, secured up to $5 million in additional investments and now employs 325 people.

• The North Dakota National Guard built a $13 million equipment maintenance facility and cold storage building. The property includes enough land to build a Regional Readiness Center sometime in the future.

THE BEST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS GROWTH FROM WITHIN. JOHN DEERE’S EXPANSION FURTHER DEEPENED ITS ROOTS IN VALLEY CITY AND ITS COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY. THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS PARTNER.

– DAVID BEIERLE, FACTORY MANAGER, JOHN DEERE SEEDING GROUP

A PROVEN MODEL OF SUCCESS

The Regional Technology Center in Valley City, N.D., is so much more than a space to grow your business.

The RTC is a partnership between the Valley City-Barnes County Development Corporation and Valley City State University. Why is that important to tech park residents?

This relationship demonstrates our commitment to helping business ventures fill positions with highly qualified employees.

That’s just one of the ways “above and beyond” barely scratches the surface of the Development Corporation’s collaboration with tech park residents. Simply stated, the VCBCDC does everything in its power to make businesses successful.

In addition to workforce recruitment, training and retention, a relationship with the Valley City – Barnes County Development Corporation includes:

• Integration into a growing and dynamic community

• Commitment from local leadership

• Connections to local, state, regional and federal financing

• Business investments that support primary sector growth

• So much more!

WE’VE INVESTED IN HIGHER ED AND STEM EDUCATION TO GIVE OUR WORKFORCE THE TOOLS AND KNOWLEDGE THEY NEED TO FILL THE JOBS OF THE FUTURE. INSTITUTIONS LIKE VALLEY CITY STATE UNIVERSITY ARE PRODUCING THE HIGH-LEVEL TALENT IN TECHNOLOGY THAT ATTRACTS BUSINESSES TO OUR STATE AND ENABLES OUR STUDENTS TO START THEIR OWN VENTURES. THIS, COMBINED WITH THE LOW COST OF OPERATING IN OUR STATE, MEANS WE’RE POSITIONED TO GROW THE TECHNOLOGY SECTOR WELL INTO THE FUTURE.

THE VCBCDC HELPS REALIZE THESE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMPANIES IN THIS REGION AND HELPS MAKE VALLEY CITY A BETTER PLACE TO DO BUSINESS.

– U.S. SENATOR JOHN HOEVEN, ND

WORKFORCE READY GRADUATES

Responsiveness to workforce needs is the driving force behind development of programs and degrees in Valley City. The Sheyenne Valley Area Career and Technology Center supports area business through its programs; among them, welding training, growing health careers and career work experience.

For 23 consecutive years, Valley City State University has been named a US News & World Report “Best College,” a distinction that validates the quality of its academic

offerings. As a partner, VCSU tailors curriculums specifically to the needs of individual businesses.

This commitment to training the workforce of the future is shared by all 11 colleges and universities that make up the North Dakota University System. From certificates to doctoral degrees, from welding to software engineering, NDUS institutions partner with VCSU to provide the talent pool needed to staff business ventures.

VALLEY CITY STATE UNIVERSITY IS A DRIVER OF SUCCESS IN OUR STATE. VCSU HAS REGULARLY SOUGHT TO INNOVATE HOW IT PREPARES STUDENTS FOR ENTRY INTO THE WORKFORCE BY TAILORING ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING TO FIT THE SHIFTING DEMANDS OF TODAY’S WORKFORCE.

THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM, ADMINISTRATION, FACULTY AND STAFF ROUTINELY TAKE A STEP BACK FROM DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS TO SEE HOW OUR EFFORTS FIT INTO THE BROADER LANDSCAPE OF THE STATE’S NEEDS.

– MARK R. HAGEROTT, PH.D., CHANCELLOR, NORTH DAKOTA UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

do. Valley City’s team has never failed on any project in 15 years. It’s the people. We found that we can recruit to North Dakota. If we had to scale to 1,000 people, we could make that happen.

- KEN BEHRENDT, PRESIDENT & CEO, EAGLE CREEK SOFTWARE SERVICES

We’re in technology services and at the forefront of what IT businesses