Other Business Successes in the Empowerment Zone

“Metro-Trak got 100 applications for 10 positions when they opened here,” Jerry Sandstrom head of the Cooperstown EDC told me when were touring their facility. Metro-Trak keeps electronic tabs on offenders in 8 states. No, they didn’t track Martha Stewart. I asked! ND is looking at beginning to track sex offenders in the state with new GPS tracking technology that Metro-Trak is bidding on. They also have a unit that allows them to monitor alcohol consumption of those being monitored.

Cooperstown, ND (population 1,053) is the largest town in the Griggs-Steele Empowerment Zone. It is also home to Sheyenne Tooling (100 employees); Posi Lock (100); and Rieten Manufacturing (20).

A relatively new company with great prospects for the future is EasyRisers (www.easyrisersinc.com), which has developed a relatively simple system of raising chairs for anyone who has difficulty rising from a seated position. The 1” to 5” EasyRisers are made from blow molded plastic and are strong enough to support a 3,000 pound van. The company has recently landed a contract with Home Depot for 700 stores and hopes to move its product into the 2,100 Home Depot stores nationwide in 2006.

In nearby Finley, ND (population 515) where I gave my talk, Fetting’s Frozen Products employs 50. The company supplies in-store bakeries with frozen breads, donuts, cookies, cakes, pastries, etc.

Finley also has a town owned bar, something I’d never see before but which someone told me is fairly common in more remote areas of ND.
Sandstrom told me, “The Zone was created because of the out-migration problem, but we are finding that people will move back home for good jobs. That’s what we are striving to do…find more good paying jobs for our residents.”