Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC highlights workforce, business pitch challenge and recruitment videos

Brenda Nagel, director of the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC, gave the commission an overview of the Chamber’s strategic plan and current programs, emphasizing workforce recruitment and community engagement.

Nagel said the Chamber’s strategic plan centers on four pillars — economic development, public policy, community engagement/marketing and leadership development — and highlighted specific initiatives: a job shadow week linking students to local employers, the Mandan Business Pitch Challenge (recent winners named), Leadership Bismarck‑Mandan student leadership programming, and efforts to reactivate a military affairs committee to better engage retired service members in the local workforce.

Nagel reviewed the Chamber’s marketing investments, including recruitment videos and a MakeYourMark site used to promote Mandan and Bismarck to prospective residents and employers; she cited outreach metrics of roughly 9,000 contacts reached and nearly 1 million out‑of‑state impressions through targeted marketing. She encouraged local businesses to make use of Chamber resources and noted that staff will continue community engagement events such as the State of the Cities.

Commissioners asked questions about priorities and the emphasis on an industrial park; Nagel said the Chamber will be more aggressive on industrial‑park development moving forward. The presentation concluded with a short video shown to the commission.