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GNDC's Recap of CEO Roundtable and Quarterly Board of Directors Meeting
GNDC hosted a CEO Roundtable at Minnkota Power Cooperative in Grand Forks last week. The well-attended event brought out business leaders from across the state to receive a high level overview of the bioscience industry and discuss what’s occurring in the state that can impact further success.
The day started off with Co-Host, Rich Glynn – CEO of the Bioscience Association of North Dakota. He provided a primer on what bioscience is and also showcased organizations, like Food First and SafetySpect Inc., who are building their organization’s footings in our state. The following panel furthered Glynn’s industry definition of feed, fuel, and heal the world. Mini-sessions came from Neal Fisher – ND Wheat Commission, Patrick Plues – Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), and Keshav Rajpal – Red River Biorefinery. These panelists outlined what’s happening within their subsect of bioscience, further highlighting state progress.
Following lunch, we drilled further down into what’s happening in North Dakota specific to research and policy. Barry Wilfahrt – Grand Forks/East Grand Forks Chamber of Commerce moderated a conversation between Dr. Colin Combs – UND and Representative Emily O’Brien – District 42. This panel drilled further into the reasons that we, as a state, are succeeding as well as areas for improvement that ensure that our state remains competitive.
Final panel of the was a moderated discussion between Grand Forks Region EDC President and CEO Keith Lund, Minnkota HR Manager Brady Skaff, Altru Health System Director of People Resources Marlene Miller, and ISight Drone Services Rainmaker Tommy Kenville. Focusing on community retention that conversation was geared toward attraction and retaining both people and businesses to ensure that communities have the resources they need to thrive and succeed. Their points went beyond workforce to community offerings, benefits in and out of the workplace, and messaging to ensure that talent is the forefront of growth.
The day was sponsored by premier sponsor – HealthPartners, partner sponsors Bioscience Assoc of North Dakota and University of North Dakota, and supporting sponsor Altru Health System.
The following day, AE2S hosted GNDC’s quarterly board meeting. The day began with remarks from UND President Andy Armacost followed by a legislative showcase/expectation from Senator Ray Holmberg. Senator Holmberg, a longtime Chamber Champion with a lifetime score of 90%, was presented with an appreciation award from GNDC for his years of service and his advocation for the business community.
