The economic development efforts of the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC can be classified in one of five ways: the support of entrepreneurs, business retention & expansion, new business attraction, workforce development and talent attraction. Through activities specific to each of these five areas, we will continue to create new jobs, stimulate new investment and expand the economic base of Bismarck-Mandan and the surrounding area.

• Support of Entrepreneurs: The Chamber EDC is a “feeder” rather than a “leader” in this area. We seek to develop our community’s entrepreneurs by supporting events that bring them together and then address any specific gaps that exist, such as finance or real estate.
• Business Retention & Expansion (BRE): The Chamber EDC facilitates a formal BRE Program by which staff conducts one-on-one visits with existing companies in an effort to pro-actively identify & address issues affecting a particular company and those issues impacting our business community as a whole.
• New Business Attraction: The Chamber EDC has identified three primary targets for our new business attraction efforts: value-added energy, value-added agriculture & equipment manufacturing. These industries provide the greatest chance for success in our region.
• Workforce Development: The Chamber EDC facilitates multiple workforce development programs focused on experiential learning in both K12 and Higher Education. The intention of these programs is to retain the talent that currently calls Bismarck-Mandan home.
• Talent Attraction: The Chamber EDC is also engaged in focused and flexible initiatives to attract talent from outside Bismarck-Mandan to our community in an effort to fill our community’s thousands of open jobs.

Target Industries

The Chamber EDC has identified three primary targets for our business attraction efforts; value-added energy, value-added agriculture and equipment manufacturing. Our economic development initiatives are tailored to these three areas as our region’s natural resources, workforce and transportation network combine to create an ideal location for companies in these industries.

To learn more about Bismarck-Mandan’s competitive advantage, please view the information below for insight into our target industries.