March 6, 2018

THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. – The Thief River Falls Chamber of Commerce, the City of Thief River Falls, and Northland Community and Technical College (NCTC) will host the 2nd annual Thief River Falls State of the City address and social on Thursday, March 8, 2018. The State of the City Address and Social will be held at the NCTC Thief River Falls campus. The event will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a social, light appetizers, cash bar and raffle in the campus commons. The formal program and presentations start at 6:00 p.m in the NCTC theatre. This year’s celebratory event themed “Partners in Progress” will feature three local businesses within the greater Thief River Falls community. Featured speakers from Digi-Key, Sanford Health and Textron will each provide presentations during the event and share with the community their current initiatives as key partners in the community.

“Digi-Key, Textron, and Sanford are just three of the many great businesses upon which our strong local economy depends,” said Brian Holmer, City of Thief River Falls Mayor. “Understanding the challenges these companies face is critical to our continued success as a city. Whether it is infrastructure, workforce housing, or child care, the city will do everything we can to help our local businesses continue to thrive.”

Rick Trontvet, Vice President of Administration at Digi-Key, is looking forward to sharing details about Digi-Key’s growing operations and how it will impact the workforce in the region.

“We at Digi-Key are very excited about our decision to expand our operations in Thief River Falls, which will begin in April with the groundbreaking on our new Product Distribution Center expansion that will add 2.2 million usable square feet to our Thief River Falls operational footprint and create hundreds of new jobs.” Trontvet added, “We can only accomplish this expansion project through great local partnerships and collaboration, and we look forward to continue working with the community and region to make this happen. Thief River Falls’ best days are still ahead!”

Sanford Health recently expanded their patient care access so families living in and near Thief River Falls can get the medical services they need in one place. During the State of the City, Rob Lovejoy, Chief Operating Officer at Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center, will provide updates and share how their localized medical center has impacted the greater Thief River Falls community.

“Sanford Health is proud to be a part of such a dynamic community serving Thief River Falls, Northwest Minnesota, the Midwest and beyond. Our decision to expand our operations in children’s and family wellness this past year has created new and fun ways to keep moving even in the middle of winter.” Lovejoy added, “In the coming year we will expand services to children by remodeling a space in our downtown location to provide integrated Pediatric Therapies. These opportunities are only possible because of the incredible partnerships with the local community and beyond. The future looks great and we are proud to be a part of this great community!”

As one of the largest employers in the Thief River Falls area, Textron, employs approximately 1,250 employees in the manufacturing industry. The community will hear from Randy Twistol, Director of Human Resources at Textron, during the State of the City.



Dr. Dennis Bona, NCTC President said, “We are excited about this year’s State of the City event in Thief River Falls. We think it’s important for everyone in the community to be up to speed on what’s happening with some of our very largest employers, all of who make amazing contributions to the TRF community.” Bona added, “We’re also very proud and honored to be hosting the event at NCTC. We view our college as a true community asset and are pleased that it can be utilized for an important occasion such as this!”

During the event, NCTC Foundation Executive Director, Lars Dyrud will introduce the Thief River Falls State of the City Scholarship opportunity and announce the raffle prize giveaways. Ashley Nerhus, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, will provide closing remarks.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information on the Thief River Falls State of the City event, visit www.northlandcollege.edu/sotc2018.