2015 HIGHLIGHTSA YEAR IN ACTIONAND 2016 FOCUS

Dawn Keeley, Executive DirectorDecember 21, 2015

2015 Highlights and 2016 Goals

• Four primary focus areas• Economic Development

• Community Development

• Riparian Repair and Restoration

• Regional Advocacy

• Management and RRRC’s business model

• New opportunities – under construction

• How can you help?

Economic Development• Lead staff: Dawn Keeley and Maggie Suda

(hired in September 2015)

• Services:• Manage Nelson and Pembina County Job

Development Authorities• Link private sector needs and public sector

resources/solutions• Manage three loan programs in compliance

with federal regulations• Foster large-scale initiative projects• Cultivate regional coalitions

• 2016 Highlighted Goals• Complete more than 35-40 personal business

visits for Pembina County Business Retention and Expansion project

• Secure 2016/2017 Pembina County JDA management/development contract

• Enhance Nelson County JDA services• Continue to engage communities and

businesses with JDA meetings• Cultivate support for large-scale development

within Pembina Gorge• Develop and close at least four new loans• Explore development relationships with rural

Grand Forks County cities• Continue youth entrepreneurship initiatives • Maggie to attend “Intro to Economic

Development” one week course

Michigan Munchkins and Lakota Child Care CenterPaul Retzlaff, JDA Chair, and

Tiffany Woinarowicz and Amie VasichekJanuary 2015

Pembina and Walsh County JDA Business Training Series with

Train NDSpring 2015

Joey and Nicole Safranski, Midway Seed ExpansionPembina County Job Development Authority

March 2015

Food First site visit - Walhalla

World-class business with a world-wide market with

expansion into a food-grade product

Two generations -Bob and Jordan Thornberg

June 2015

Exploring the Pembina Gorge and Master Plan Implementation

Mike Duerre, ND Parks and RecreationDick and Judith Johnson

June 2015

American Crystal Sugar Company - DraytonPembina County JDA Tour

July 2015

Board of DirectorsAnnual MeetingStump Lake Park

July 2015

Grafton True Value and Lumber Grand Opening

September 2015RRRC provided $100,000 loan

RRRC Loan Closing Desirae and Dustin Wilson and

Rob Boll, KodaBankPurchase of Halcrow’s – Drayton

July 2015

Business Retention and Expansion Program

• Initiated in Pembina County in fall 2015 and must be completed by fall 2016

• Piloting approach in Pembina County with possible expansion in region

• Secured $30,000 from USDA Rural Development and $15,000 from JDA; RRRC committed $10,000 from JDA budget to this project

• Led by Maggie Suda and most visits also attended by Mary Houdek, Job Service ND

• Phase 1: Primary sector (manufacturers) • Completed 13 visits between

November and December 2015; 1 visit to be scheduled in January 2016

• Phase 2: Agriculture, tourism and financial institutions• 6 visits scheduled in

December/January; 13 more to be scheduled

• Phase 3: Healthcare, international trade, retail/service and education• Will require additional funding from

JDA to complete originally proposed project budget

Life Skills and Transition CenterStrategic Planning Session with

Praxis Strategy GroupOctober 2015

RRRC staff provided leadership to initiate Task Force, identified strategic planning partners, and hosted August meeting with potential state and federal funding partners.

Pembina/Walsh County Marketplace for KidsHosted by Cavalier Public Schools

600 Attendees Grades 3-8April 2015

Dawn Keeley, Co-Chair

ND Youth Entrepreneurship Education Program

Grafton Camp – 35 campersJuly 2015

ND Youth Entrepreneurship Education ProgramRRRC supported event and

was a guest speaker

You’re Hired CampGrafton Extended School Program

STEM EducationJuly 2015

Keeley acted as Judge for camp

Community Development

• Lead staff: Stacie Sevigny and Cheryl Osowski

• Services:• Program management of Community

Development Block Grant program and historic preservation commissions

• Grant writing and administration• Research resource development• Project planning• Needs assessment

• 2016 Highlighted Goals• Continue implementation of Cavalier

Housing Rehab project• Identify next community for rehab

and begin funding development• Implement McVille Street Lights and

Aneta Fire Hydrant Projects• Cultivate applications for 2016 CDBG • Grant writing for at least three new

projects• Identify professional development

opportunities including NDC Housing Development Finance Professional

• Continue implementation of geo-caching of historic places in Walsh and Pembina Counties

Cavalier Housing Rehabilitation ProjectFederal Home Loan Bank Award

$160,000January 2015 Press Conference

Nearly $470,000 (six grant awards) has been secured, 15 of 26 homes awarded construction contracts, project

managed by Cavalier Housing Authority, 15% management budget secured

Drew OlafsonChairCavalier HousingAuthority

Pembina and Walsh County Historic Preservation Commissions

Joint MeetingJanuary 2015

Completed in 2015:New joint brochure of historic places developed

Initiated geo-caching of historic sites in both counties (linking historic preservation/tourism/recreation)

Hosted statewide conference in Park River in August

Disaster Mitigation Projects

Emergency generator for water treatment plant in the City of Drayton

Practice fire drill by Crystal Fire Department - home was

part of FEMA Hazard Mitigation buyout program

Location of the early warning siren for fire and severe weather alerts in the

City of Pekin

RRRC provided grant writing and grant management services to these projects to assure compliance with all federal/state requirements.

Stump Lake Park Improvements

Bank Stabilization Project (2016 construction)

New PlaygroundNew Cafe

RRRC staff provided grant writing services for OHF, ND Parks and Rec and Enbridge. Presented request to OHF Board in December 2014. Secured only Enbridge award in ND in 2015 which increased grant funding to 95%.

New Park River Community Park Groundbreaking CeremonyAugust 2015

RRRC staff provided grant writing and presentation development services for Outdoor Heritage Fund and attended OHF meeting(s). Secured $312,276 from OHF.

City of Crystal Streets – Paving ProjectAugust 2015

RRRC provided guidance on each step of the process relative to financing and CDBG funds – awarded and managed

CDBG funds

City of Crystal – DETERMINATION AWARD RECIPIENT“The streets of Crystal are alive again…” nomination citation

A few members of the Pembina Growth Committee

Corie Koropatnicki, ChairPlanning new daycare center

June 2015

RRRC / PCJDA provided guidance, mentoring, community survey development and compilation, grant writing services.

Secured funding from ND Dept of Commerce, Pembina County JDA, Pembina Growth Committee.

Project will be executed in early 2016.

Drayton Park District70 Unit RV Park

Led by Ross LambertOccupancy in September 2015

RRRC provided grant writing, presentation development and guidance. Secured $305,000

from OHF and $278,378 local/other funds.

Ross Lambert: Catalyst Award Nominee

Municipal Survey VisitCity of Tolna

Vicky Engen, AuditorSeptember 2015

AFTERRoof, siding, windows, steps/landings

BEFORE

City of Grafton Housing Rehabilitation Project

Four year project completed in 201528 owner-occupied homes completed

Yolanda Balderas points to new windows installed in

her home

City of Grafton - Award Winning Project

Keith Lund, EDND President and RRRC member, presented award to Mayor West on November 10

Stacie Sevigny, project manager, provided final project report to City Council on November 10

Connie Ova, EDND President, presented Grafton Housing Rehab Project award to Dawn Keeley at EDND fall conference in Watford City

Over a three year period, the RRRC wrote multiple grant applications (USDA RD, CDBG, Federal Home Loan Bank, and local funds) which led to $500,000 invested in this project. Project was also a learning venture for changing RRRC staff and sustained approximately $15,000 shortfall in project management budget.

Riparian

• Lead staff: Brent Wilde (hired in Jan 2015)

• Support the repair and restoration of riparian areas with four watersheds

• Program is currently in Phase 5 which will end mid-2017

• Awarded $196,090 in four projects in 2015 with projects at various stages of implementation currently

• Feature stories on riparian projects

• 2016 Highlighted Goals:• Continue implementation of Phase 5

projects and management• Identify projects to exhaust funding• Manage program within guidelines

• Engage Riparian Committee• Identify scope, projects, and budget

for Phase 6 with funding applications due fall 2016 for mid-2017 start dates

CHALLENGE: depressed commodity prices and lack of natural disasters is impacting project flow for this program

Brent Wilde, RRRCDiscussing riparian areasWalsh County Eco Ed Day

September 2015

Regional Advocacy

• Lead staff: Dawn Keeley

• Services provided:• Identifying and strategically relaying the

needs within the region to potential state/federal partners

• Servant leadership – building others up • Engagement through:

• Economic Development Association of ND• Valley Prosperity Partnership• Sen. Heitkamp Strong and Safe Communities

Task Force• ND Community Foundation• ND League of Cities• National Association of Development

Organizations• Greater ND Chamber of Commerce• Others as appropriate

• 2016 Highlighted Goals• Continue partnerships with

initiatives/organizations listed• Seize opportunities to speak publicly which

support regional and RRRC advocacy• Continue strong social media and press

relationships• Plan and execute 2016 Ideas to Actions

Summit• Prepare, publish, and distribute 2015 annual

reports for RRRC and Nelson and Pembina County JDAs

• Continue to ask the question “What can we do to help?”

Sen. Heitkamp Cyber Security Roundtable

Strong and Safe Communities Task Force

Grand ForksJune 2015

Dawn Keeley, memberdelivered feedback from regional

businesses on this topic

RRRC Board of Directors met with Sheri Geisen and Keith Reitmeier, Job Service North Dakota; and Paul Lucy and Al Anderson, ND Department of CommerceAugust 2015

RRRC Initiated Inaugural “Ideas to Actions Summit”

• Replaced RRRC annual meeting with outward focus on the region

• Ideas to Actions Summit was held on November 4 as first event in new Grafton Performing Arts Center

• 150+ attendees, raised more than $10,000 public/private sponsors

• Four awards presented (16 nominations received); hand-crafted artistic awards by Jason Lindell, Sundog Glass Design, Park River

• Theme was showcasing small community successful projects, people, and ideas

• Our example of being servant leaders in the region - servant-leaders share power, put the needs of others first and help their people develop and perform as highly as possible

Ideas to Actions Summit Photos

Our Award Winners: Celebrating ideas, leaders, and projects

DETERMINATION AWARDCity of CrystalMayor Ganssle and Alva Brown, Auditor

NORTH STAR AWARDBernie KringstadKringstad Ironworks

INTREPID AWARDTom SwoyerGrand Sky Development

CATALYST AWARDCorie KoropatnickiPembina Growth Committee and Pembina City Council

Management

• Lead staff: Dawn Keeley and Lori Estad• Manage the organization and finances• Cultivate win-win partnerships• Policy review and updates completed in

2015• Financial Management• Bylaws

• Officer Job Descriptions

• Engage Board and staff in developing strategic vision and direction for the organization

• Hired and training two new staff in 2015 (Wilde and Suda) to restore staffing level to long-term level

• Goals for 2016• Continue training and mentoring of new staff• Rewrite of personnel policies (current

handbook is circa 2002)• Continue to cultivate adequate funding to

support existing structure• Continue strong public advocacy and positive

messaging of the RRRC and its work• Develop guest speaker series for RRRC Board

meetings• Cultivate stronger Board engagement• Successfully manage the organization and

finances and develop strategic direction and opportunities

• Strengthen the RRRC business model

How our time is invested

Our perpetual issue: Too much work, not enough $

• In 2015, we secured short-term funding to restore long-term staffing level

• Staff to provide services is our largest expense (like most non-profit organizations): 64% through October 2015

• County contributions (our only source of baseline funding) was $107,000 in 2015 or 21% of our revenue through October

• Inadequate baseline funding leads to volatility in staffing and causes revolving door and continual investment in learning curve

• Ideally, baseline funding would be between 30-50%• County contributions are used for matching

funds for EDA Planning Grant, Riparian Program, Historic Preservation Commissions, Business Retention and Expansion Program (software) as well as some advocacy work

• In 2014, the RRRC invested $35,000 more than funding supported in Walsh County

• Efforts to increase county funding were successful in only Grand Forks County (doubled contribution in 2015)

• Executive Committee will continue to strategize on our business model

Red River Regional Council – Board and Staff Retreat @ Frost Fire June 2015

RRRC Retreat Words Create

WorldsJune 2015

“The Red River Regional Council

is the preferred partner in

building healthy, vibrant, and

connected communities.”

- Proposed mission statement

New Opportunities: Under Development

Partial list of new RRRC opportunities currently being explored by management and Executive Committee

• Develop regional recreation/tourism development task force and staff

• Support rural GF County communities, explore development partnership and possible county JDA

• Develop co-work facility in Grafton with RRRC as anchor and program development to support youth and adult entrepreneurship

• Cultivate development staff support through relationship with state department(s)

• Prepare county disaster mitigation plans (all counties required to update every five years to maintain FEMA funding eligibility and plans funded largely by FEMA)

• Develop a regional community foundation to support development staff and philanthropic platform to support projects in the region

• Explore housing development opportunities for small-scale projects in rural communities

• Continue to cultivate the need for a task force and leadership on maintaining and diversifying the Life Skills and Transition Center Campus

We encourage your engagement and feedback

• You have before you a highly qualified, passionate professional team intentionally designed to bring our organization to new heights

• We want our passion to be infectious• What is it about your community and our region that makes your heart sing?

• How can you assist in spreading our positive messages?

• How can you assist in refining our business model to make it healthy, sustainable, and expandable to support higher impact?

• How do we strengthen Board member engagement?

• How do we continue to encourage visionary leadership within the region?

• Looking forward, engaging potential, and delivering results