Joining the Chamber of Commerce to Fuel Our Economic Future

We’ve spent 100 years looking to the future. So, naturally, Fueling Our Future aligns perfectly with our mission, which is to provide a welcoming atmosphere and commitment to making the lives of our customers and team members better by investing in them and their communities, For a Better Way of Life.^®

In addition to the local Chamber of Commerce, Fueling Our Future is also driven by the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation. And at Gate City Bank, our annual increments of $50,000 and logistical support continue to improve quality of life in the area.

“At Gate City Bank, we truly understand that teamwork fuels the economic prosperity of our local communities,” says Kevin Hanson, President & CEO. “Business and community leaders involved with Fueling Our Future are in a unique position to support progress and create a better way of life together.”

Ultimately, the goals of Fueling Our Future are to establish the region as an attractive business location, alleviate long-term workforce shortages and support career education and awareness. Programming falls into three key areas:

• People

  Strengthening the workforce through retention, recruitment and talent development.

• Place

  Enhancing quality of life and place-based assets of the region to benefit businesses, citizens and visitors.

• Prosperity

  Attracting new businesses to the area while retaining and supporting existing ones.

Emerging Digital Academy is merely one of many examples of how Fueling Our Future is already supporting the region. It’s North Dakota’s only immersive coding bootcamp, presented as a 20-week course. Fueling Our Future is a proud financial supporter of the course, and aims to meet the growing workforce demand for these critical skills.

Workforce Exposure Initiatives is another success story behind Fueling Our Future. This nine-week virtual series is helping businesses develop or enhance their internship programs, ensuring the success of both interns and businesses.

Additionally, Fueling Our Future funded the development of a six-part Building Inclusive and Equitable Workplaces virtual educational series that attracted more than 400 participants in 2020. The resource can still be accessed on the Chamber’s website.

Fueling Our Future has also helped create a certified shovel-ready-sites program to aid in the attraction and expansion of businesses in our region. The initial work phase has already begun. It has also invested in a workforce initiative, Ignite FMWF, which is designed to be a comprehensive, streamlined and systematic approach to addressing our regional workforce and talent needs.