We hear a lot about the work ethic of North Dakotans.

Now, there's a group working to help the work of people in our state benefit the nation's defense industry.

Jim Olson reports on the Dakota Defense Alliance and the group's desire to win major contracts for companies in our state.

Every year, the nation spends billions of dollars on defense - everything from missiles to uniforms, jet planes to machine guns. Companies from around the US have the chance to win contracts to supply the military. And Kristin Hedger would like to see more of those deals signed in North Dakota.

(Kristin Hedger, Dakota Defense Alliance) "What I really remember growing up is how difficult it was for our company to get opportunities to simply bid on work - just a chance -with a manufacturer."


She is the third generation of management at Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing - a company that has carved out a place in the defense industry. She wants to leverage that into more business across the state.

(Kristin Hedger, Dakota Defense Alliance) "In visiting with companies across the state, they all said the same thing: We need help getting our name out and getting new chances to bid on work."


Enter, the Dakota Defense Alliance. A collaboration of 34 companies and groups, all hoping to work together to get a piece of the defense pie.

(Kristin Hedger, Dakota Defense Alliance) "Each company brings to the table a different strength and so we're seeing what we can do to collaborate and keep the entire defense contract dollar inside the state. We're also learaning from each other."


Companies involvd in the DDA include economic development groups, manufacturers, and service companies. They all hope to begin the process of increasing the amount of tax money coming in to North Dakota for defense contracts.

(Kristin Hedger, Dakota Defense Alliance) "The administrator of the Small Business Administration, Karen Mills, said that regional alliances are going to be one of the key objectives of this present administration. So it was neat to see that North Dakota is ahead of the curve and is working proactively to empower ourselves."


Now, the Dakota Defense Alliance is working to empoweer the military in the US with North Dakota's work ethic and ingenuity. In Killdeer, Jim Olson, KX News.

Hedger says the Dakota Defense Alliance is involved with a new internship program to help college students get a foot-in-the-door at businesses within the state. watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list