Find the Good Life in North Dakota

What Find the Good Life in North Dakota does

Find the Good Life in North Dakota is a state-government workforce attraction initiative operated by the North Dakota Department of Commerce, launched in June 2022 to address acute labor shortages across healthcare, energy, manufacturing, skilled trades, and business. The program runs a national marketing campaign targeting four primary personas — young families, recent college graduates, military veterans, and former North Dakota residents (boomerangs) — and converts interest into relocations through a three-step Relocation Help Desk process that matches prospective residents with communities, employers, and volunteer Community Champions. The product surface includes a consumer-facing Relocation Help Desk, an employer-only Candidate Marketplace portal, a Workforce Fly-In experiential recruitment program, and five specialized career-path sub-products (Healthcare, Educators, Graduates, Veterans, Boomerangs), each with tailored benefits such as loan repayment, license transfer assistance, SkillBridge, and tax exemptions.

The business model is non-commercial: the program is funded by state government appropriations and does not charge participants or employers. Distribution is a hybrid of paid digital and social advertising (over 196.5 million impressions generated), national event sponsorships (Waste Management Phoenix Open, Semper Forward military hiring events across seven states), earned media, and field-based outreach. The Candidate Marketplace is the only B2B touchpoint, providing approved employers access to a pre-qualified pipeline of relocation candidates. The program has generated 5,029 Help Desk engagements, 1,428 champion-connected leads, and an estimated $4.15 million in economic impact from 83 relocated individuals across 18 communities through April 2025.

Core technology is described as not applicable — the platform is a HubSpot-hosted web portal with human-mediated matchmaking rather than a proprietary technology stack. There are no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or SDK integrations. The initiative's competitive moat is derived from state-government backing, unmatched distribution reach through state agencies and military installations, the Community Champions volunteer network, and the brand association with North Dakota's quality-of-life rankings.

Name

Find the Good Life in North Dakota

Legal name

Find the Good Life in North Dakota

Website

https://findthegoodlife.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Find the Good Life in North Dakota is a state-funded workforce attraction initiative that connects prospective residents with employers, communities, and volunteer Community Champions across healthcare, energy, manufacturing, and skilled trades.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Workforce Attraction Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Administration of Human Resource Programs (except Education, Public Health, and Veterans' Affairs Programs) (92313)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAAOAF

Dislocated Worker & Rapid Response / Reemployment Programs

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Workforce Development Initiatives

SECONDARYBPACANAK

Apprenticeships, Internships & Work-Based Learning Programs

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Training, Learning & Development Services

Keywords

• State workforce attraction
• Relocation assistance programs
• Talent recruitment campaigns
• Community integration services
• Employer candidate matching

Headquarters

HQ city

Bismarck

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Workforce Initiative: Find the Good Life in North Dakota is a government-funded talent attraction initiative operated by the North Dakota Department of Commerce. It is not a commercial enterprise and does not generate revenue through product or service sales. Funding comes from state government appropriations aimed at addressing workforce shortages across North Dakota's key industries including healthcare, energy, manufacturing, skilled trades, and business.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Find the Good Life in North Dakota is a state government workforce attraction initiative that markets North Dakota as a relocation destination and connects prospective residents with employers, communities, and housing through a Relocation Help Desk, Candidate Marketplace employer portal, Workforce Fly-In visits, and demographic-specific career paths. The program is operated by the North Dakota Department of Commerce and is offered free of charge to job seekers and approved employers.

Product overview

Find the Good Life in North Dakota is a comprehensive statewide talent attraction initiative by the North Dakota Department of Commerce, launched in June 2022. The program operates as a unified campaign with multiple integrated service products: the main Find the Good Life marketing campaign serves as the umbrella brand, the Relocation Help Desk provides personalized matchmaking between job seekers and employers/communities, the Candidate Marketplace gives approved employers access to pre-qualified candidates, and the Workforce Fly-In Program offers in-person visit experiences. Specialized career path sub-products target specific demographics including healthcare professionals, educators, recent graduates, and military veterans, each featuring tailored resources and benefits. The program has generated over 120 million impressions and driven significant economic impact through relocated talent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Relocation Help Desk Personalized matchmaking service where prospective residents submit career goals, preferred community type, and interests and are matched with North Dakota communities, employers, and Community Champions for direct follow-up.
• Candidate Marketplace Approval-only employer portal that gives North Dakota employers access to a pipeline of pre-qualified candidates interested in relocating to the state, with profile browsing and direct outreach tools.
• Workforce Fly-In Program Experiential recruitment program that brings out-of-state candidates to North Dakota communities for multi-day tours including employer meetings, housing tours, and community experiences, converting interest into relocations.
• Healthcare Career Path Specialized recruitment pathway for healthcare professionals featuring thousands of available positions, loan repayment programs, scholarships, and license transfer assistance tailored to physicians, nurses, therapists, and medical technicians.
• Educators Career Path Targeted recruitment initiative for teachers and education professionals featuring hundreds of available positions, student loan forgiveness, tuition assistance, and professional development resources.
• Graduates Career Path Program attracting recent college graduates with thousands of career opportunities, emerging industries, student loan refinancing options, and young professional peer and mentor networks.
• Veterans Career Path Recruitment initiative for military personnel and veterans featuring income tax exemptions, property tax credits for disabled veterans, SkillBridge employer partnerships, CDL test waivers, provisional licensing for spouses, and VA healthcare access at 12 locations.
• Move Back Program (Boomerangs) Targeted initiative encouraging former North Dakota residents to return, featuring ten reasons to move back including career opportunities, schools, short commutes, ultra-fast internet, and low state income tax.

Quantifiable outcome

• $4.15 million economic impact from 83 individuals who relocated to 18 North Dakota communities (as of April 2025)
• +12 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Waste Management Phoenix OpenflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 January 2025Find the Good Life in North Dakota is a sponsor of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, one of the most celebrated golf tournaments in the world held in Scottsdale, Arizona. The partnership showcases North Dakota's high quality of living to a national and international audience. As part of the sponsorship, North Dakota Tourism hosted a kickoff event featuring Tigirlily Gold (2024 ACM New Duo or Group of the Year winners from North Dakota) at Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row. The sponsorship aligns with the initiative's mission to showcase workforce opportunities, welcoming communities, and resilient spirit.
• Semper ForwardcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 September 2024Semper Forward is a leading national network dedicated to supporting military members and their families in exploring career options post-service. Find the Good Life in North Dakota partnered with Semper Forward in September 2024 to attend military hiring events at Minot Air Force Base and bases across the country (Hawaii, North Carolina, Colorado, Texas, New York, California). The collaboration is designed to attract military personnel and their families to North Dakota by connecting them with career opportunities and relocation resources. Steven Janke of Semper Forward stated the partnership aligns with their mission to connect service members with meaningful career opportunities.
• Veterans Golfers Association — North Dakota ChaptercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2024The Veteran Golfers Association (VGA) North Dakota chapter was recently added as a chapter to the national organization, serving as a beacon for veterans seeking golf and camaraderie. Justin Zimmer of Bismarck, a retired military officer, leads efforts to support fellow veterans through the VGA. North Dakota was recently added as a chapter to the organization, and North Dakota Tourism and Find the Good Life in North Dakota are proud sponsors highlighting veterans' stories. The state is recognized as one of the best places for veterans to live, with the VGA providing opportunities for veterans and their families to play together.
• OdneyminorOthersOdney is the digital agency credited with designing and developing the Find the Good Life in North Dakota website (findthegoodlife.com). Odney is a North Dakota-based advertising and digital agency.
• North Dakota Department of CommercecoreOthersThe North Dakota Department of Commerce is the parent agency of the Find the Good Life in North Dakota initiative. It oversees workforce development, tourism, and economic development. The Department of Commerce houses the Workforce Division, which includes the talent attraction program. Contact address: PO Box 2057, Bismarck, ND 58502-2057. Key contacts include Workforce Development Director Katie Ralston Howe and Communications Manager Kim Schmidt.
• North Dakota TourismcoreOthersNorth Dakota Tourism (ndtourism.com) is a sister agency within the North Dakota Department of Commerce that promotes the state as a travel destination. Find the Good Life and North Dakota Tourism collaborate on marketing efforts, including the Waste Management Phoenix Open sponsorship and physical travel guide distribution. The Travel Guide request form is jointly promoted, driving awareness for both tourism and workforce attraction.
• Travels with Darley (Darley Newman)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTravels with Darley, hosted by Darley Newman, featured the Sunflower Trail in North Dakota on their show, highlighting the state's entrepreneurial nature and business opportunities. The episode showcased sunflowers, small business owners, and the beauty of North Dakota's landscapes. This content collaboration provides editorial-style marketing coverage reaching an audience interested in travel and lifestyle.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• LinkedIn: Professional networking and recruiting platform owned by Microsoft. Comparable on the employer-candidate matching and professional relocation signal layer, but as a broad incumbent serving all geographies and industries rather than a state-specific program.
• ManpowerGroup: Global workforce solutions company providing staffing, recruitment process outsourcing, and career transition services. Comparable on the workforce-attraction and placement axis but as an established multinational incumbent spanning all geographies.
• Randstad: Global staffing and HR services firm operating across temporary staffing, permanent placement, and talent development. Comparable in its core employment-matching function but operates as a broad, multi-geography incumbent rather than a single-state attraction program.
• CareerBuilder: Long-established U.S. job board and talent acquisition network offering candidate sourcing and employer matching. Overlaps with Find the Good Life's candidate-employer matchmaking layer but as a nationwide commercial platform rather than a state-specific attraction campaign.
• Indeed: Largest global job-search and employer-matching platform. Overlaps with Find the Good Life on the candidate-to-employer matching function, but operates as a commercial, nationwide incumbent rather than a state-focused talent attraction program.
• Robert Half: Global staffing and talent solutions firm placing professionals across finance, technology, healthcare, and administrative roles. Comparable in the candidate-to-employer matching function but as a diversified private incumbent rather than a public-sector attraction initiative.

Direct peers

• Make it in Germany: Government-run national talent attraction portal operated by Germany's Federal Employment Agency and partner ministries. Directly comparable as a public-sector initiative using digital marketing, employer matchmaking, and lifestyle storytelling to recruit skilled workers to relocate for jobs.
• Pure Michigan: Michigan's statewide tourism and quality-of-place marketing campaign, operated by the state's economic development corporation. Directly comparable as a public-sector brand-and-talent-attraction program using paid media, partnerships, and storytelling to draw visitors, residents, and workers to the state.
• Livability.com: Digital media platform that ranks and markets U.S. cities and states to businesses and prospective residents. Comparable in its core function of curating and promoting location-based lifestyle and economic data to influence relocation decisions, similar to how Find the Good Life packages ND quality-of-life rankings.
• Choose New Jersey: State-level economic development and talent attraction initiative operated by a public-private partnership in New Jersey. Directly comparable as a government-backed marketing and employer-matching program aimed at attracting businesses, workers, and residents to a specific state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/goodlifeND
• Facebookfacebook.com/FindTheGoodLifeND
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/find-the-good-life

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Find the Good Life in North Dakota