Ingenuity Frontier Cluster Development Project

Northwest Minnesota will soon be known as the Ingenuity Frontier, the place for knowledge and innovation in the field of applied engineering.  For the past three years, the HRDC has been working in close partnership with the Northwest MN Foundation (NMF), Northwest Technical College (NTC), Bemidji State University (BSU) and the MN Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to identify and build upon the Region’s largest cluster of knowledge: applied engineering.  Our goals have been to:

• Attract, educate and train the best and the brightest technicians and applied engineers in the upper Midwest.
• Provide career path opportunities focused on applied engineering, manufacturing and technology for our own students starting at the middle school level.
• Be on the leading edge of industry innovation through state-of-the-art technology and industry-led research and development.

Why applied engineering?  First, we already have a competitive edge in the field.  Per capita, the region has one of the highest concentrations of engineering and engineering type positions in the upper Midwest.  Secondly, applied engineering skills are highly in demand.  Project growth in the market for applied engineering skills is strong, and they are very good jobs.  Finally, the need for applied engineering spans a number of industries prevalent in our region, from recreational vehicles to agricultural and forest products.

The partnership is presently in process of implementing a targeted Investment Strategy which will further the region’s competitive edge.  Specifically, the Ingenuity Frontier’s Investment Strategy includes:

• Having a minimum of six school districts in the region implement Project Lead the Way.
• Offering an honorary summer technology academy for top PLTW students in the region.
• Providing coordinated internship opportunities throughout the region.
• Annually providing ten scholarships for PLTW graduates to further their applied engineering careers.
• Fourteen Northern Minnesota higher educational institutions working together to offer a 2 + 2 approach to an applied engineering education.
• A $1 million seed capital fund for industry growth and development.
• A nationally accredited BS Degree in Manufacturing Engineering Technology.
• A nationally accredited BAS degree in Applied Engineering Technology, deliverable on site or at a distance.
• A Center for Applied Engineering Manufacturing and Technology.
• A targeted marketing campaign to students, employees and businesses.

The Ingenuity Frontier’s most recent strategy has been to introduce the IDEA project (the Ingenuity Frontier’s Entrepreneur Accelerator project).  Through this project, the Ingenuity Frontier will focus significant effort in 2008 and 2009 on working with selected entrepreneurs to move their ideas from concept to becoming actual products that can be sold.

Bemidji Regional Airport Economic Development Initiative

The Bemidji-Beltrami Airport is the fourth busiest in Minnesota.  In addition to its use for passenger flights, the airport serves many other entities, including Fed-Ex, UPS, BIA, Life Flight, DNR and private aircraft.  Upon complete implementation of its 5-year, $13 million Airport Improvements Plan, the airport’s infrastructure will be second to none.  This will enable the Airport to meet the ever-growing needs and demands for air service.

Immediately adjacent to the Airport, roughly 200 acres of land have been incorporated into Tax-Free Job Opportunity Building Zones (JOBZ).  The land will be developed into lots for business startups and expansions, and direct airport access will be available to these businesses.

For two years, the Headwaters RDC assisted a coalition of organizations to explore how this Airport, its adjacent JOBZ land, and the community’s many other assets could be leveraged to spur economic activity within the Region.  The effort was a collaborative venture of the major economic, governmental, and institutional organizations of the area, including the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the JEDC, Beltrami County, the City of Bemidji and the HRDC.

Through their hard work, members of this collaborative venture achieved the following outcomes:

• Identified the specific assets that give the Bemidji-area its competitive advantage over other similar-sized communities.
• Completed a multi-faceted market assessment which yielded a targeted list of businesses to whom marketing activities will occur.
• Developed an investment strategy that provides general guidance for undertaking necessary infrastructure improvements on the land adjacent to the Airport.
• Created a very aggressive plan to market the Bemidji area to new and expanding businesses.

It is well-known that the best-laid strategies and plans mean nothing if they are not implemented effectively.  The Headwaters RDC continues to work with key individuals in implementing a formalized structure which is being used to move forward this initiative.  This structure designates the Airport Commission to provide general project oversight, appoints a Steering Committee to oversee the project details; and also to be a part of actual marketing visits to businesses when appropriate, and designates the Joint Economic Development Commission to undertake ongoing administration of the marketing component of the project on a day to day basis.

White Earth Tribal and Community College Seeks EDA Funding for Campus Development

Over the past three years, the Headwaters RDC has very actively worked with the leaders of the Seventh Generation Community Stewardship Initiative.  The leaders have listed “education” as their first building block towards achieving their vision of “creating a prosperous community that creates ever expanding opportunity for all of its residents through educational excellence.”  Within this building block these leaders have established an education-related goal of having a “fully accredited Tribal and Community College on a new campus by 2010”.

Though it was established in 1997, and continues to grow rapidly, the White Earth Tribal and Community College has never had a campus.  To this point, they have rented buildings throughout the City of Mahnomen to house their programs and classes.  Unfortunately, the College has run out of space, and there are no more buildings to rent.  Without these buildings, the College cannot expand its programs or courses.  Nor can it expand its enrollment any further.

A year ago, the White Earth Tribal and Community College asked the Headwaters RDC to help locate funding to construct a new college campus.  The City of Mahnomen had donated 20 acres of land in the Mahnomen Industrial Park and the College was seeking funding to construct its campus buildings on this site.

With the assistance of the Headwaters RDC, an application was submitted to the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for $1.5 million in funding to construct an Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Center.  In December, the College was invited by the EDA to submit a full application for this project. 

If funded, the Center will be a free standing building which will house the College’s Business, Science, Math, Technology, Applied Engineering and Entrepreneurial Programs.   It is estimated that the Center will be an 11,237 square foot brick building.  Eventually, a 10’ – 15’ corridor will connect the Center to the remainder of the Campus buildings, which the College is committed to developing at a later time.   To assist with the project, the White Earth Tribal Council has committed $600,000.

Within the coming months, the goal of the Seventh Generation Stewards may be well on its way to achievement.  The College will undergo its full-accreditation process this spring.   Furthermore, if EDA funding is received, construction of the first building on the College Campus will be initiated.

The EDA funding application is presently under review in Washington D.C.

Economic Development Administration Approves Bemidji Industrial Park Expansion

In 1962, a group of progressive Bemidji residents saw potential for industrial development in Bemidji, and organized the Bemidji Development Corporation (BDC).  Shortly thereafter, they began acquiring land on the south side of the City, and the Bemidji Industrial Park was created.  Through their leadership and willingness to partner with the City over the past 40 years, the Bemidji Development Corporation has led the Industrial Park’s growth through three expansions.  Because of their leadership, the Park presently contains more than 175 acres, houses 48 businesses, and employs roughly 1,200 people and has an annual payroll in excess of $28 million.