Editing Grand Forks, North Dakota (section)

==Economy==
The economy of Grand Forks is not dominated by any one industry or sector. While agriculture continues to play a role in the area's economy, the city of Grand Forks now has a relatively diverse economy that includes public and private employers in sectors such as education, defense, health care, manufacturing, and food processing.<ref name="community"/><ref name="employers"/> The state and federal governments are two of the largest employers in the Grand Forks area. The University of North Dakota, in the heart of the city, is the largest employer in the metropolitan area.<ref name="employers"/> Grand Forks Air Force Base, just west of the city, employs a large number of civilian workers in addition to its military personnel. [[Altru Health System]] is the largest private employer in Grand Forks.<ref name="employers"/>

===Largest employers===
According to the city's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grandforksgov.com/home/showpublisheddocument/48180/638235463926970000|title=City of Grand Forks 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report|format=[[Portable Document Format|PDF]]|page=212|access-date=October 2, 2023}}</ref> the largest employers in the city are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! Number of employees
|-
|1
|[[University of North Dakota]]
|5,562
|-
|2
|[[Altru Health System]]
|3,400
|-
|3
|[[Grand Forks Air Force Base]]
|2,897
|-
|4
|[[Grand Forks Public Schools]]
|1,700
|-
|5
|City of Grand Forks
|831
|-
|6
|Valley Memorial Home
|818
|-
|7
|[[LM Wind Power]]
|560
|-
|8
|Development Homes
|480
|-
|9
|[[Hugo's]] (4 locations)
|460
|-
|10
|[[Simplot|J.R. Simplot]]
|440
|-
|Total
|—
|17,148
|}

[[Image:LMGlasfiberBlade.jpg|right|thumbnail|Employees at [[LM Glasfiber]] work on a blade for a wind turbine]]

Major manufacturers in Grand Forks include wind turbine manufacturer [[LM Glasfiber|LM Wind Fiber]]<ref name="lm">{{cite web |url=http://www.lmglasfiber.com/About/Contact.aspx |title=Contact |access-date=June 5, 2007 |work=LM Glasfiber |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070523075733/http://www.lmglasfiber.com/About/Contact.aspx |archive-date=May 23, 2007 }}</ref> and light aircraft manufacturer [[Cirrus Design]].<ref name="cirrus">{{cite web |url=https://cirrusaircraft.com/careers/ |title=Cirrus - Careers |access-date=June 15, 2024 |archive-date=June 1, 2007  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070601202900/http://www.cirrusdesign.com/contact/employment/default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> Major food producers include potato processor [[Simplot|J. R. Simplot Company]]<ref name="simplot">{{cite web |url=http://www.simplot.com/company/food_plants.cfm#CP_JUMP_17344 |title=Food Plants |access-date=June 5, 2007 |work=J.R. Simplot Company |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928122215/http://www.simplot.com/company/food_plants.cfm#CP_JUMP_17344 |archive-date=September 28, 2007 }}</ref> and the [[public ownership|state-owned]] [[North Dakota Mill and Elevator]], the nation's largest flour mill.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prairiepublic.org/programs/datebook/bydate/06/1006/103006.jsp |title=Dakota Datebook, October 30, 2006: State Mill & Elevator |access-date=June 8, 2007 |work=North Dakota Public Radio|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155628/http://www.prairiepublic.org/programs/datebook/bydate/06/1006/103006.jsp |archive-date = September 30, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> SEI Information Technologies<ref name="sei">{{cite web |url=http://www.sei-it.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970201122045/http://www.sei-it.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 1, 1997 |title=SEI |access-date=June 5, 2007 }}</ref> both operate call centers in Grand Forks. Other large private employers in the city include the locally owned [[Alerus Financial]] branch of banks, [[Home of Economy]], and the locally owned [[Hugo's]] chain of supermarkets.<ref name="hugos">{{cite web |url=http://www.gohugos.com/ |title=Hugo's |access-date=June 5, 2007 |archive-date=November 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113153219/https://www.gohugos.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The retail and service sector is also an important part of the economy. The historic center of shopping in Grand Forks was the [[Downtown Grand Forks|downtown]] area. Today, downtown is home to small shops, bars, and restaurants. The south end of Grand Forks has become another major retail district, with three large shopping centers.<ref name="shopping"/> The oldest, [[Grand Cities Mall]], is on South Washington Street and contains small, locally owned stores and two churches. With about 70 stores, the city's largest indoor mall is [[Columbia Mall (Grand Forks)|Columbia Mall]]. The newest major shopping center is the Grand Forks Marketplace [[Power center (retail)|power center mall]], which features three big box retailers and several smaller stores. Due to its proximity to Canada, the Greater Grand Forks area attracts many shoppers from [[Manitoba]].<ref name="dollar">{{cite news|last=Noronha|first=Charmaine|title=Currency goes loonie|agency=Associated Press|date=June 5, 2007|url=https://secure.forumcomm.com/?publisher_ID=40&article_id=39723|archive-date=March 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315152931/https://secure.forumcomm.com/?publisher_ID=40&article_id=39723|url-status=live}}{{Subscription required}}</ref>

===Economic development===
The city government is involved in the economic development process, helping firms grow and attracting new firms. A portion of sales tax revenues is set aside for this, some going into the Grand Forks Growth Fund.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.grandforks.org/businessresources/localstateprograms.php |title=Business Resources – Local and State Programs |access-date=June 5, 2007 |work=The Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630175246/http://www.grandforks.org/businessresources/localstateprograms.php |archive-date=June 30, 2007 }}</ref> Companies can request low-interest loans or grants from this fund provided they meet certain criteria, such as paying a relatively high wage and doing most of their business outside the city's trade region. The city also contributes to the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation (EDC), a public-private organization that receives funding from banks and other major businesses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.grandforks.org/gfredc/faq.php |title=About us |access-date=June 11, 2007 |publisher=Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630175211/http://www.grandforks.org/gfredc/faq.php |archive-date=June 30, 2007 }}</ref> The EDC plays a consulting role for businesses, such as identifying suitable sites for expansion or assembling public funding packages. Its other key role is to vet businesses to see if they are suitable for funding by the Growth Fund.

Community leaders have long seen UND as an "economic engine" for the city. Besides its regular faculty, it also has business-like components such as the [[Energy and Environmental Research Center]]. UND hosts a technology incubator called the Center for Innovation. More recently, the university has been working to commercialize its research. A major thrust in that direction is the construction of a research park on the western fringes of the campus.<ref name="und"/> Another potential economic opportunity for the city is the addition of the [[unmanned aerial vehicle]] (UAV) mission to [[Grand Forks Air Force Base]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dangwal |first=Ashish |date=September 26, 2022 |title=China's 370 Acre Project Near US Air Force Base In North Dakota Highly Concerning - General Atomics |url=https://eurasiantimes.com/chinas-370-acre-project-near-us-air-force-base-in-north-dakota/ |access-date=September 27, 2022 |website=EurAsian Times |language=en-US}}</ref>