2012 Community Profile - Chamber Organizer

Economy & Commerce
Public Safety
The cities of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks pride themselves
on being very safe places to live. Both Grand Forks
and East Grand Forks have a crime index much lower than
the national average.
East Grand Forks and Grand Forks both have police
departments that are involved in their respective communities.
In East Grand Forks, a police department of over 20
officers works closely with the local schools on a variety of
programs. The department provides officers to speak to
community groups that make a request.
In Grand Forks, a force of nearly 80 officers includes seven
community resource officers who are assigned to wards
in the city. The Community Service Bureau’s philosophy is
to interact in a positive way with citizens to not only reduce
crime, but also improve the quality of life for everyone.
In addition to normal police duties, the Grand Forks police
department administers numerous community involvement
programs. These programs include everything from a
Neighborhood Watch Program and block parties to refugee
Dedicated
to agriculture from the ground up.
Left to Right: Lloyd Kuster, LeeIla Drees, Rick Robinson, Derek Beaudry,
Connie Kliner, Chris Griffin, Julie Varian, Todd Borchardt, John Botsford
Grand Forks • 795-4500
Grafton • 352-2410
Larimore • 343-2324
Crookston • 281-4182
Warren • 745-4411
1-800-908-BANK (2265)
Bremer.com
Member FDIC
training, landlord training and the CounterAct drug awareness
program.
Diversity and Growth
Grand Forks and East Grand Forks offer many diverse
businesses the opportunity for success and steady growth.
This is revealed throughout the communities, from the
downtown areas lying on either bank of the Red River of the
North, to the outlying Industrial Park in Grand Forks, to the
American Crystal Sugar plant in East Grand Forks.
There are approximately 2,500 businesses in the area, employing
over 35,000 people. Businesses range from small
to very large, and many of them were started right here in
the community. Large employers that form a regional base
include Altru Health System and the University of North
Dakota, as well as numerous banking and financial service
concerns and agricultural processing plants. Grand Forks
enjoys a 3.8% unemployment rate, much lower than the
9.1% national average.
Although the larger employers tend to be more well-known
and have a more readily apparent economic impact, the
importance of the small businesses cannot be discounted.
Of the nearly 3,500 businesses in the area, nearly half employ
less than five people. The region supports these small
businesses in a number of ways. Grand Forks is home to
two business incubators dedicated to encouraging entrepreneurship
and innovation in the region.
The Grand Forks Industrial Park continues to grow and
includes over 30 businesses, ranging from a recently expanded
Amazon.com call center to Cirrus Design, a manufacturer
of light aircraft to LM Windpower, a manufacturer of
blades for wind turbines. In East Grand Forks, agricultural
processing is one of the main employment sectors.
Shopping and Dining
The retail sector is strong and growing in Grand Forks and
East Grand Forks. Grand Forks is home to the Columbia
Mall with Macy’s and Sears as anchor stores, The Grand
Cities Mall and a number of other shopping districts. The
community continues to attract numerous retailers to the
area. The Market Place shopping area is home to a Super
Target, Gordman’s, Lowe’s and Best Buy. Nearby are
a Sam’s Club and Super Wal-Mart as well as Kohl’s, Old
Navy and Bed, Bath and Beyond. In downtown East Grand
Forks, you’ll find Cabela’s “destination retail store.” In addition
to offering quality outdoor merchandise, this recently
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