Business Development

Driving Business Growth and Regional Prosperity

The Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation (GFMEDC) plays a central role in shaping a vibrant, resilient regional economy. Through strategic business development efforts, we support existing primary-sector companies, attract new industry investment and relocation, and foster entrepreneurship that drives long-term prosperity.

Our work is rooted in relationships. By building trust and providing timely, practical support, GFMEDC helps businesses make confident decisions about growth and investment in the region. Whether assisting an established company with expansion, advancing document-ready sites to accelerate speed-to-market decisions, or supporting the next generation of startups, we connect people, ideas, resources, and opportunity to strengthen the region’s economic foundation.

GFMEDC is committed to advancing economic growth by helping local primary-sector companies—and those evaluating Greater Fargo-Moorhead—access the insights, connections, and resources needed to succeed. We recognize that growth decisions are influenced by a range of factors, and that sometimes a single conversation, introduction, or opportunity can serve as the catalyst for transformative development.

By fostering these connections, GFMEDC helps turn potential into measurable progress—resulting in increased investment, job creation, and a more resilient regional economy.

In 2025, these efforts delivered meaningful results, with 17 successful projects completed and more than 40 additional projects in the pipeline, positioning the region for continued momentum in the year ahead.

Company Highlights

Here are a few highlights from some of our notable projects this year:

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Integrity Steel Supply, Mapleton, ND – Founded in 2006, Integrity Steel Supply is a structural steel fabrication business with some products such as steel framing for commercial buildings including hospitals, schools, arenas, stadiums and office/retail space; joist girder and deck components; stairs and handrails; and other custom projects for event facilities.

They invested approximately $3 million into automation equipment and facility upgrades to increase output, capabilities, and safety, while also helping with workforce constraints. The $95,000 GIF Flex PACE loan allowed them to receive $200,000 in a state interest buydown grant to help finance this project. As part of this investment, Integrity Steel also was awarded a $500,000 competitive grant through the Automate ND program.

GoodBulb, Fargo, ND – Founded in 2015, GoodBulb is one of the only U.S.-owned lighting brands, distributing commercial grade light bulbs to a wide range of industries including commercial, industrial, hospitality, property management and residential sectors. After years of research and planning, GoodBulb is transforming their business by going beyond distribution and now becoming the first LED light bulb manufacturer in the United States.

GFMEDC assisted GoodBulb with a $76,000 Growth Initiative Fund Flex PACE loan as they invest in the manufacturing equipment, building upgrades and working capital needs to start their first production line. The capital investment for this phase was $1.7 million, and they anticipate the creation of 15 new jobs over the first two years. The GIF loan enabled GoodBulb to access an additional $157,000 in state buydown grants to provide low-interest financing.

Northern Stone, West Fargo, ND – Northern Stone is a leading fabricator of high-quality stone countertops and windowsills in both residential and commercial markets. Since forming in 2013, the company continues to expand with locations in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Minnesota. They recently made facility and equipment upgrades to their main West Fargo location that allows them to increase their types of product offerings and inventory. As a phase of these improvements, they invested an additional $800,000 and utilized a $21,000 GIF Flex PACE loan, administered by the GFMEDC, to access $40,000 in matching state buydown grants to provide low-interest financing.

The GFMEDC’s work with Northern Stone highlighted that economic development is often a team sport. Our organization was first were connected to the business through Casey Sanders-Berglund, Economic Development Manager, City of West Fargo. After meeting with the Northern Stone team and visiting their facility, we assisted them in getting primary-sector certified with the State of North Dakota enabling them to take advantage of the Flex PACE program.

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Long Creek Steel, West Fargo, ND – Long Creek Steel is a South Dakota based manufacturer of metal roof and wall panels for use in the agricultural, commercial, and residential construction industry. In June of 2025, the City of West Fargo held a groundbreaking to celebrate the company’s first expansion outside of South Dakota which will involve a new 90,000 square foot facility and hiring 30 new employees in West Fargo. The GFMEDC worked with Casey Sanders-Berglund, Economic Development Manager with the City of West Fargo, to develop a proposal providing regional labor and economic data, wage information, quality of life resource, and other financial and incentive information to help support Long Creek’s investment decision. Congratulations to West Fargo and their leadership in landing this impactful primary-sector project.

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Applied Digital, Harwood, ND – Applied Digital broke ground in September 2025 on a new campus named “Polaris Forge 2”, near Harwood, North Dakota, where they are initially constructing two buildings totaling 300 MW of Critical Load. Spanning more than 900 acres, Polaris Forge 2 is engineered to deliver best-in-class efficiency with a projected Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.18 and near-zero water consumption. The initial 200 MW are phased within two buildings and are expected to begin to come online in 2026 and reach a total of 200 MW in 2027, with the campus being designed for future expansion. This new AI Factory campus further advances Applied Digital’s rapid growth and reinforces North Dakota’s position as one of the most strategically important destinations for AI infrastructure in the United States.

The GFMEDC worked closely with Applied Digital, local civic leaders and utility partners on various aspects of this project to support the attraction of the $3 Billion data center investment which was recently announced.

GFMEDC staff have already conducted various workforce assessments that show our market’s ability to provide the talent needed to support this facility and are confident Applied Digital’s operations will fit nicely with our region’s talent pool. In addition, the GFMEDC is working with Applied Digital to conduct an economic impact analysis to demonstrate the broader metro-wide economic impacts to the community during construction phase and eventual annual operations.

“We believe Polaris Forge 2 represents the next stage in Applied Digital’s rapid growth and our position as a leader in delivering high-performance AI infrastructure,” said Wes Cummins, CEO of Applied Digital. “The demand for AI capacity continues to accelerate, and North Dakota continues to be one of the most strategic locations in the country to meet that need. We believe this new campus will strengthen our operations, increase our ability to scale, and create lasting value for both our customers and the communities we serve.”

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Bert’s Truck Equipment, Moorhead, Minn., – Bert’s Truck Equipment is a fourth-generation, family-owned company operating out of 100,000 square feet based in Moorhead, MN. Bert’s combines custom manufacturing and precision fabrication to transform cab/chassis vehicles into turnkey class 8 snowplow trucks and manufactures components that cannot be bought off the shelf including semi-truck fabrication, body customization, and accessory manufacturing. Due to market growth and strong product demand, Bert’s made the decision in 2025 to acquire an existing 50,000 square foot building in Fargo to accommodate their business growth and enabling them to capitalize on new sales opportunities. This expansion includes repurposing and improving the existing building and capital investments in equipment totaling over $3.7 million. Over the next few years, this project will add 24 new high paying manufacturing and engineering positions to the region.