In this bonus episode of the Living in McKenzie County the Long X Development team explains how their shared work supports Watford City and all of McKenzie County. Team members include City of Watford City Community & Business Development Director Vawnita Best, Tourism Attractions and Promotions Lead Doug Bolken, Long X Arts Foundation Director Jesse Veeder Scofield, Technology and Communications Specialist Cauy HarteI, Administrative Assistant to Community Development Jess Hunt, McKenzie County Economic Development Director Meghan Taunton, and Marketing and Communications Coordinator Hope Felli, with a shoutout to Regional Director for the Small Business Development Center at Williston State College Keith Olson. They discuss the evolution of economic and community development, tourism's role in workforce attraction, storytelling initiatives like "Faces of the Patch," community orientations, new resident connections, local events resources, and preparing for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opening July 4.

00:00 Welcome

00:50 Meet The Team

01:41 Keith

03:15 Doug

04:00 Jessie

06:31 Cauy

08:02 Jess

09:38 Meghan

12:21 Hope

15:00 What Economic Development Does

17:04 Tourism as an Economic Driver

24:40 Outdoor Recreation And Events

30:55 Employee Recruitment

33:31 Arts, Culture, And Belonging

37:46 Community Alignment In Action

42:37 Small Business Development Center

45:12 Community Orientation

46:15 Chess Club Origin Story

47:52 Role of Economic Development

50:10 Moving to Watford

53:59 Rough Rider Fund Opportunity

57:18 Sharing our Boomtown Story

59:03 Faces of the Patch Series

01:03:50 Brand Kit and Tagline

01:06:20 2035 Comprehensive Plan

01:12:34 Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

01:16:21 2025 Year in Review Report

01:18:42 In Closing

Development Team Year in Review: https://econdev.mckenziecounty.net/wp-content/uploads/Development-Loft-2025-Year-in-Review.pdf

Rough Rider Fund: https://cityofwatfordcity.gov/roughrider-fund

McKenzie County 2035 Comprehensive Plan: https://mckenziecounty2035.com

Living in McKenzie County Magazine: https://econdev.mckenziecounty.net/living-in-mckenzie-county

Area Events: https://watfordcityevents.com