Meet the Long X Development Team

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