In 2024, Impact Dakota helped 45 ND manufacturers realize over $135 million in new/retained sales, 792 created/retained jobs, $13.3 million in new investments, and nearly $4 million in cost savings. These impacts combined add up to $151,778,603. We are proud of the work we do to make a difference in North Dakota manufacturing.

For defense contractors, compliance with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is no longer optional—it’s a necessity for securing and maintaining Department of Defense (DoD) contracts. With CMMC 2.0 now in effect, companies handling Federal Contract Information (FCI) or Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) must meet specific security requirements.

But not all contractors require the same level of certification. CMMC is divided into three levels, with Level 1 and Level 2 being the most relevant for small and mid-sized businesses in the defense industrial base (DIB). Understanding the difference between these two levels is critical to determining your organization’s compliance requirements.

Impact Dakota and Iviry are hosting cybersecurity workshops addressing CMMC compliance in June — check out www.impactdakota.com/events for dates and registration information. 

With graduation season upon us, now is the perfect time for North Dakota employers to tap into a highly skilled talent pool—international students on Optional Practical Training (OPT). These graduates, many of whom have earned advanced degrees from U.S. universities, are eager to gain work experience and contribute to businesses across the state.

May 22-23
Internal Auditor Training: ISO9001
Grand Forks

June 10
Lean Leadership for Supervisors
Fargo

June 11
Lean Leadership for Supervisors
Dickinson

June 17
Lean Leadership for Supervisors
Grand Forks

June 24
Cybersecurity Compliance Workshop
Bismarck

June 26
Cybersecurity Compliance Workshop
Minot

July 15-17
FOOD SAFETY: Preventive Controls for Human Food
Dickinson, ND

The United States Air Force is embarking on a significant modernization effort with the Sentinel missile program, aimed at replacing the aging Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system. This initiative is crucial for maintaining the land-based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad, ensuring national security for decades to come.

Minot Air Force Base, located in North Dakota, plays a pivotal role in the deployment of the Sentinel ICBM system. 

By Jeff Edberg, Impact Dakota Board Chairman
Vice President of Operations - Spectrum Aeromed

Spring is in the air. Everywhere you look new beginnings are showing life and familiar things are being exposed after a long winter’s nap. People are shedding their winter coats, browsing the hardware store for new tools to use, tending to their yards for the new growth, and cleaning out their garages of things that no longer work for them. The process of the changing seasons is something we are all familiar with in North Dakota.

This process is a great reminder that we should always be watching for the changing of seasons in the business world too. Markets fluctuate, customer expectations shift, technology is growing at an exponential pace.

You can never let up on evaluating these changes in your business. Watch your metrics, are you meeting your goals? The tried and true needs to be monitored, evaluated, and pivoted if they no longer work. Evaluate your needs, plan for change, and take the necessary steps to tend to the new growth and retire the processes that are no longer working for you.  

Impact Dakota has expanded and launched the North Dakota Supply Chain Connectivity Program. 

This is a national initiative from NIST MEP (Manufacturing Extension Partnership) designed to significantly help North Dakota Manufacturers link together to build local and regional suppliers and potentially customers and thereby strengthen North Dakota manufacturing. 

DO YOU HAVE A GAP? ARE YOU ABLE TO FILL A GAP?

— Open Opportunities —