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When you truly love your hometown, you throw yourself into making it thrive. Brian Ritter is a native and lifelong resident of Bismarck, North Dakota, and has worked tremendously hard in his city, which he calls a “shining star,” to capture the strong economic momentum that’s been transforming the region.

In his role as the President of the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC and the former president and CEO of the Bismarck-Mandan Development Association (BMDA) and Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce, Brian is responsible for supporting and encouraging an exciting and expanding ‘renaissance’ of the city. In addition to overseeing the agency’s operations and its Strategic Plan, he is a tireless advocate for local businesses and for building relationships between public and private sectors.

He is also keenly aware personally of the irreplaceable advantages that strong, innovative higher education bring to a community. An internship at the BMDA through the University of Mary helped launch his career and his two degrees from Mary took it to the next level.

Recruiting talent to this community is his passion, and he sees two ways to accomplish this: “Targeting alumni and expatriates [among others],” he said, “or grow our own."