The North Dakota Department of Commerce is thrilled to announce two new tools for partners aimed at supporting our mission of empowering the growth of the North Dakota economy.
Commerce has purchased an umbrella subscription to LOIS, a property marketing software that markets our available sites and buildings globally. This subscription is statewide and provides service for all Regional, County, Local, and Downtown/Mainstreet economic development organizations and Tribal governments at no additional charge.
Additionally, Commerce has acquired Lasso, an RFI data collection software used by corporate location decision-makers, site selectors, and economic development organizations. Access to Lasso will enable organizations to prepare for future site selection projects and keep their site and building database up to date on the LOIS property marketing map.
"These new tools will significantly strengthen our ability to position North Dakota’s sites and communities in the competitive marketplace for business attraction,” said Commerce Commissioner Chris Schilken. “By providing comprehensive and up-to-date property marketing data, we can better showcase the opportunities available in our state and entice businesses to consider North Dakota as their next location.”
The introduction of LOIS and Lasso represents a significant step forward in our efforts to enhance economic development across North Dakota. These tools not only provide valuable data and insights but also foster collaboration among various community and economic development organizations. By leveraging these resources, we can create a more cohesive and effective strategy for attracting new businesses and supporting existing ones.
"These tools have significantly enhanced our ability to market properties and attract new businesses—but what’s been even more impactful is how they’ve strengthened collaboration between the regional council and our local EDC partners," said Amber Metz, Executive Director of Lake Agassiz Development Group. "By working together and leveraging shared data and resources, we’re better positioned to showcase the opportunities from Ransom to Traill County and the broader region. It’s exciting to see how this partnership is driving momentum for future growth."
Benefits For North Dakota Organizations
- Extend Marketing Reach: LOIS enables community sites and buildings to be viewed on a custom map, optimized with property brochures, geospatial map layers, demographic and workforce data, web visitor analytics, and sharing tools.
- Preparedness for Site Selection Pursuits: Using Lasso allows organizations to proactively prepare for corporate site selection by sending RFIs and storing data in a cloud database for future retrieval.
- Property Marketing Data Accuracy: Pre-populating the Lasso RFI ensures that the data fields corresponding to the public-facing property brochure in the LOIS property marketing map are updated.
"We are thrilled to see the rollout of LOIS and Lasso,” said Red River Regional Council Executive Director Dawn Mandt. “Rural communities and regions, which can struggle to afford such tools, now have the same opportunity to promote their spaces as major cities. Our regions have been advocating for this for years, and we are looking forward to utilizing these services to enhance our economic development efforts."
LOIS and Lasso Training: Training will cover how to integrate the LOIS Map viewer on organization websites, generate reports, and walk through the Lasso RFI process.
- LOIS Training
- Wednesday, July 9: 2:00-3:00 PM CDT
- Thursday, July 10: 1:00-2:00 PM CDT
- Lasso Training “How to fill out an RFI”
- Tuesday, July 22: 10:30 – 11:30 AM CDT
- Tuesday, July 29: 1:00 – 2:00 PM CDT
For more information, please go to https://www.commerce.nd.gov/lois.