Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Staff from the N.D. Department of Commerce spent time in New Rockford on June 12 and 13, and held their quarterly meeting at the Rock Inn. Submitted photo.
Last month, New Rockford and Carrington played host to the North Dakota Department of Commerce Economic Development and Finance (ED&F) team for their quarterly meeting.
They began their two days in the area at Carrington on Monday, June 12, where the group enjoyed a delicious lunch at The Garden Gate before touring Dakota Growers Pasta Company and Cows and Co. Creamery later in the day.
That evening they journeyed to New Rockford and hosted members of the New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation (NRABC) board of directors for supper at the New Rockford Eagles Club.
Afterwards they played a few games of bowling at Wonder Lanes.
"The group was very interested in seeing the string machines," recalled NRABC Director, Amanda Hegland. "Andrew Tillman-Saucier even took them behind the scenes and showed them the machines. They had a great time bowling and expressed how nice our bowling alley was."
The next morning they got to business, holding their quarterly meeting at the Rock Inn. One feature of the meeting was North American Bison's presentation about their expansion project and all of the new advancements and equipment at the plant.
After the presentation, Hegland, auditor Becki Schumacher, auditor assistant Andrew Presnell and NRABC intern Mya Cudworth took the group on a tour of New Rockford.
"The group was so interested in the town and I think really enjoyed getting to speak with the locals and businesses that they encountered," said Hegland.
Some of the spots they featured on the tour included Mindy's Clubhouse childcare center, Flair Boutique and Coffee, the site of the Rockford Theatre, James River Dentistry's new office, the Heritage House and Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd and many more.
The meeting concluded with a delicious lunch at the Rockford Cafe, and Hegland was happy New Rockford was able to get some exposure.
"It was an honor to be chosen to host the ED&F quarterly meeting," she said. "It gives New Rockford great exposure, and helps for the Department of Commerce to see all that we are working on and have accomplished in New Rockford, and to see in person the projects that we have going on."
Hegland added, "I hope we continue to have the chance to host other state groups in the future. I think it's a great opportunity for people from the state level to visit, speak with and really get a first hand look at what we are trying to accomplish in our small, rural communities."
