2. GFMEDC sales tax resolution - Laserfiche WebLink

Introduction The mission of the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation (GFMEDC) is to grow and diversify the economy in Cass County, N.D. and Clay County, Minn. by attracting, expanding and retaining primary sector businesses. The GFMEDC has a responsibility to provide employment opportunities for all citizens of Cass and Clay Counties. We do that by focusing on growth in the primary sector - businesses that export the majority of their goods and services outside the area and therefore bring new wealth into the community. These types of businesses could be located anywhere. Examples of the primary sector include manufacturing, back office support and technology. Primary sector economic activity drives employment growth in all other sectors. When a primary sector business relocates or expands, it creates new jobs and may draw new workforce (read: population) into the community. Many primary sector businesses, regardless of industry, employ people in fields like administration, human resources, marketing, accounting and the like. Drawing new workers into the area increases the demand for housing, education, medical services and a variety of other goods and services. The community must meet this demand by increasing the supply - employing more people and selling more products in the process. Fargo Moorhead's historic primary sector base of manufacturing, call centers and agricultural products has served us well thus far. These sectors employ a significant number of people in our community and have spurred growth for many years. The GFMEDC will continue to encourage business retention and expansion in the traditional primary sector. However, the effects of globalization and the rapid pace of change in the global economy means Fargo Moorhead must evolve and engage in new economic development strategies moving forward. These strategies focus on identifying and pursuing growth sectors of the U.S. economy in which Fargo Moorhead has the potential to become a national or global destination. Growth sectors are target industries that are adding jobs in the United States and are projected to do so for many years. One change of strategy, for example, must be business attraction and retention. Attraction and retention of our traditional industry was based almost entirely on costs - the cost of land, facilities, labor, taxes, and so on. Growth sector businesses are driven by different factors, the most important being access to a large pool of qualified labor and a critical mass of core knowledge infrastructure (which I will explain later). The Growth Plan that follows presents the strategies and tactics that are necessary for growth in the years ahead. Fargo Moorhead must pursue to attract 3