The Minot Area Chamber EDC merged as of January 1, 2021. Previously, there were two organizations; The Minot Area Chamber of Commerce and Minot Area Development Corporation.
The Minot Area Chamber of Commerce began in September of 1923 as the Minot Association of Commerce. The name changed to the Minot Chamber of Commerce in 1953, however, it was never changed with the Secretary of State's office until 1990, when the board agreed to name it Minot Area Chamber of Commerce to include area businesses who wanted to join the mission. The main focus of the association centered around business and community. The Convention and Visitors Bureau was part of the Chamber until 1993 when it branched off as a separate corporation.
Some of the projects the Chamber has been known to take the lead on several infrastructure projects including raising money to bring Minot Air Force Base here, four laning of Highway 2, bringing the ND State Fair to the community and flood control. Additionally the Chamber maintained Minot AFB through five rounds of base closures. The Chamber has also been active in local and state issues that would affect the business community.
Pamphlets and information on Minot from over the past nearly 100 years.
The Minot Area Development Corporation began in 1959 as the Minot Industrial Development Corporation. Ironically, that economic development arm began as a committee of the Chamber, eventually branching off as a singular entity in '59. The two have been housed in the same facility, working together on key issues. At that time, leadership believed incorporating the committee was best for the community. That took place in May of 1975 when the name was changed with the ND Secretary of State office to become Minot Area Development Corporation or MADC. The role of MADC has been to create jobs for primary sector business. In 1990, voters in the City of Minot approved a portion of the 1 percent city sales tax for use in economic and industrial development. The funds accumulated are called the Minot Area Growth by Investment and Cooperative or MAGIC Fund. Since the inception of the MAGIC Fund MADC worked hard to use the funds to help the area expand the economy. Some of the success stories include: Delta Vacations, Minot Milling and AGT Foods.