11.23.16

Hoeven Joins 1 Million Cups to Highlight Success of Local Entrepreneurs, Economic Growth

Senator Touts Technology as “Third Wave” Pillar of ND Economy

FARGO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today spoke at the second annual 1 Million Cups (1MC) Reunion Fargo to outline his efforts to expand North Dakota’s technology sector and highlight the important role entrepreneurs play in growing the state’s economy and creating jobs.

“We’ve worked hard to build the right legal, tax and regulatory environment in North Dakota to empower innovation and help entrepreneurs succeed,” said Hoeven. “Today, we’re not only energy and agriculture powerhouses, but North Dakota’s technology sector is the third wave in our state’s economic growth. Local entrepreneurs are creating the products to meet the challenges of the future, while creating good jobs and a dynamic economy.”

The senator commended Emerging Prairie for its commitment to the entrepreneurial community in Fargo and across the upper Great Plains and congratulated the group’s founders and stakeholders for establishing Fargo 1MC. Earlier this year, Hoeven invited Emerging Prairie founder Greg Tehven to be his guest at the State of the Union to highlight the essential role innovation and entrepreneurship play in our economy.

“The Emerging Prairie team’s commitment to fostering our entrepreneurial community is impressive,” said Hoeven. “We appreciate their work to establish 1MC, which is a terrific platform that brings together the entire community to showcase technology and innovation.”

Hoeven has worked since his time as governor to position the state for growth in the technology sector, which he named as one of the state’s five targeted industries. Now, through his role on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven continues working to build a pro-growth business climate for the state’s industries.

Through initiatives like the annual State of Technology Conference, Hoeven has worked to make Fargo and the Red River Valley a hub of technology entrepreneurship for the country. The State of Technology Conference has featured companies including: Dakota Carrier Network’s development of the Dakota Fiber Initiative; Aldevron’s work to develop a vaccine for malaria; Appareo Systems development of next generation air traffic control technology; BotLink, LLC’s advances in power and airspace management for unmanned aerial systems; and new applications for 3-D printing from Fargo 3-D Printing, c2renew and Protosthetics. The conference has served as a catalyst for new innovation and investment in the state, including the Dakota Fiber Initiative, which originated from a challenge made by Doug Burgum in his 2013 keynote address at the conference.

Hoeven also advocates for and continues to work to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Last year, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act, which included legislation based on a measure that Hoeven introduced with Senator Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to improve students’ access to STEM education. Further, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven also helped secure funding in the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations bills for programs to enhance STEM education, including the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program at the National Science Foundation.

Today’s 1MC Reunion highlighted the successes of the regional program’s many entrepreneur presenters since weekly meetings first began in 2014. 1MC Fargo is a local chapter of the national series of events and holds the record for largest attendance for a chapter with around 180 individuals and entrepreneurs from the Fargo community attending each week.

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