June 12, 2020
WILLISTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
NEWS & UPDATES

Dear Williston Wire Readers

Shawn Wenko was one of the featured speakers at 1 Million Cups recently. To learn what Shawn said, read this week's Williston Wire!
The next 1MC meeting will be held July 1 from 8:30-9:30 a.m.
at a place yet to be determined.

Shawn, Ann, Barb and Brenda

Williston Square moves Forward
Williston Economic Development - Despite recent economic woes, City of Williston officials are cautiously optimistic about their community’s future. Williston Economic Development Executive Director Shawn Wenko spoke on the topic at 1 Million Cups on Wednesday, June 3 at the Williston Area Recreation Center. Wenko said he, and Williston, have been down this road before. “It isn’t unique to see ups and downs in our local economy due to the fact that we are a region that relies heavily on commodity-based industries. What is unique is the fact that this is a slow down that shows demand on the other side of the curve. As the global economy comes back, so will activity in the region. And it will come back rather quick. I suspect the development announcements we had planned earlier this spring for Williston square will still move forward. Albeit not in the original timeline we had hoped." Read More
Wenko at 1 Million Cups: Impacts of COVID-19
Williston Herald - Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Williston had been hoping to announce a major big box retailer building at the city’s old airport, as well as bringing a third air carrier to the city. Economic Development Director Shawn Wenko presented at 1 Million Cups in Williston, sharing how the ongoing pandemic has impacted our local economy, and what Economic Development is doing in response. Wenko started off by saying that the COVID-19 pandemic hit the state very quickly, and he spent around a week at the beginning simply talking to all the businesses his office worked with, from oil and gas to small business. Wenko said he tried to gauge how the businesses were feeling and what issues they anticipated as a result of COVID-19. Read More
Deja Brew expands in Williston
KUMV-T V - The Williston Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, June 10 for Deja Brew 2 located at 324 26th St E (inside Minute Lube). The business is locally owned and operated by Jody Cymbaluk and Addison Cymbaluk.
Construction set to start on New Seed Cleaning Facility in Williston
Williston Herald - Fundraising for a new seed facility at the Williston Research Extension Center is now 80 percent complete, despite an unexpected $400,000 bump in cost for the project. Jerald Bergman, director of the Williston Research Extension Center, said the jump in cost was primarily due to the “Bakken premium,” but also for costs related to doing business with the state, such as increased bonding requirements. Read More
Wind Farm Permit approved in Burke County
Bismarck Tribune - T he Public Service Commission has approved a permit for a wind farm in Burke County after rejecting an earlier version of the facility in 2019 because of concerns about its impact on wildlife. NextEra Energy Resources redesigned the 200-megawatt wind farm, renaming it the Northern Divide Wind Energy Center. The new design has a smaller footprint. It will cover 11,000 acres of land -- about half the size of the earlier Burke Wind Farm -- and consist of 74 turbines. Read More
Beyond Visual Line of Sight Network for Drones may build First Tower in West
Williston Herald - North Dakota has selected three giants in the aviation industry to put together its statewide Beyond Visual Line of Sight network for drones. The west, meanwhile, is the likely recipient of the state’s first tower for the $28 million plan to build a statewide network for BVLOS drone flights. The three system integrators selected to put together the state’s plan are Collins Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies company, L3Harris Technologies, and Thales USA. Their mission will be to drive approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as well as support standards, policies, and procedures for safe and efficient integration of UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS). Read More
McKenzie County seeks Safflower Refinery
McKenzie County Far mer - A $16,000 feasibility study for building a safflower refinery by Safflower Technologies International (STI) in western McKenzie County has been funded equally by the McKenzie County Job Development Authority and the McKenzie County county commissioners. For the full story, subscribe to the McKenzie County Farmer

Upcoming Williston Events
06/13 ------ Opportunity Foundation Golf Tournament
The tournament will be held at the Eagle Ridge Golf Course. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. followed by play at 9 a.m.

06/23 ------ Williston City Commission
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m.

07/01 ------ 1 Million Cups Williston will meet from 8:30-9:30 a.m. The location is yet to be determined.

07/04 ------ Williston 4th of July Celebration
The show will be held at dusk at the Upper Missouri Valley Fairgrounds . Call Skippy at 7 01-203-3131 to help make this event happen!

07/11 ------ Main Street Market
The market will be held from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the Hedderich's lot. The even will feature vendors selling their homemade and/or homegrown goods and food. More Information

07/14 ------ Williston City Commission
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m.

07/18 ------ Main Street Market
The market will be held from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the Hedderich's lot. The even will feature vendors selling their homemade and/or homegrown goods and food. More Information

07/25 ------ Main Street Market
The market will be held from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the Hedderich's lot. The even will feature vendors selling their homemade and/or homegrown goods and food. More Information

07/25 ------ Chamber of Commerce's Rockin' Ribfest
The competition will be held in Downtown Williston. Contact caitlyn@willistonchamber.com for more information

07/25 ------ Chamber of Commerce's Lemonade Day
Youth will set up lemonade stands across Williston.

07/28 ------ Williston City Commission
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m.

08/05 ------ 1 Million Cups Williston
Upcoming Energy Events
08/20-21 ------ Williston Basin Chapter API Golf Tournament
The tournament will focus on raising funds for emergency services.

09/01-03 ------ Williston Basin Petroleum Conference
The conference will feature speakers and a trade show in Bismarck. Click  here  for more information.

09/15 ------ API Monthly meeting
The meeting will be held from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Grand Williston Hotel. More information

09/09-11 ------ DUG Eagle Ford
The conference and exhibition will be held in San Antonio, Texas. Registration
City of Williston, ND | Economic Development | 701-577-8110 |  Email  |  Website