North Dakota
Business Buzz: Red’s Savoy Pizza coming to Fargo, April unemployment rate dips to 2.1% in ND, and more
FARGO — A Red’s Savoy Pizza shop could open in Fargo no later than some time this summer.
That’s according to a notice on the brand’s website, which notes the expected location to be at 3401 32nd Ave. S.
Image credit: Red’s Savoy Pizza Facebook page.
A small strip mall appears to be under construction in that area, which roughly lines up with an address on paperwork filed with the city of Fargo seeking a building permit for a Red’s Savoy Pizza store.
A message left with an individual named in the application as a contact for the project was not returned at the time this story was published.
According to information posted on
the Savoy brand’s website
:
Earl “Red” Schoenheider opened the first Red’s Savoy Pizza place in 1965 at East 7th Street in St. Paul.
Shoenheider is said to have worked in the restaurant seven days a week until he died in 2017.
According to the website, there are 18 current Red’s Savoy Pizza locations around Minnesota, with new sites planned for Fargo as well as Minnetonka in Minnesota and Sioux City, Iowa.
ND reports 2.1% unemployment rate in April
Job Service North Dakota reported the state’s non-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate to be 2.1% in April, down 0.4 of a percentage point from March’s rate of 2.5%.
Minnesota’s unemployment rate remained unchanged from March at 2.8%.
Nationwide, the unemployment rate for the month was 3.1%, down from 3.6% in March. North Dakota ranked third among all states’ unemployment rates for April. New Hampshire tied with North Dakota. South Dakota came in first place, with an unemployment rate of 1.9%.
Among North Dakota’s metro areas, Fargo posted the largest employment gain of 2,300. Grand Forks and Bismarck followed with unemployment growth of 1,300 and 100, respectively.
Contributed
Pathway pilot program proves successful
North Dakota students now have the opportunity to jumpstart their careers, get hands-on experience and receive high school credit for learning about heavy equipment operation. After a pilot program this school year, the Operating Engineers Pathway is expanding statewide, and is now enrolling students for the fall semester.
The industry-driven program is a partnership between the Roughrider Education Services Program and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49.
Pathway participants earn high school credit and are also eligible for apprenticeship credit after graduation. Students can remain enrolled in their local school while taking four, one-semester classes that cover topics from equipment fundamentals to grade and construction math.
“With a shortage of skilled equipment operators, we need to train the next generation,” said Molly Barnes, executive vice president of Northern Improvement and member of the Pathway program advisory board, said via statement. “This program will prepare students for an excellent career and help employers find the talent we need to meet the demands of the future.”
The Pathway program comes to North Dakota after explosive growth since it launched in Minnesota three years ago.
The program’s success comes as companies report a shortage of skilled labor and as jobs in the trades gain attention for being meaningful careers at good wages — without the need for burdensome college debt.
John Sunday, branch manager for Barnhart Crane in Mandan, North Dakota, said the demand of operators “is always going to be a need,” and he’s eager to partner with the Pathway to teach students about the trade. At the end of March, Barnhart hosted a hands-on event where students operated skid steers and even a small crane.
The Operating Engineers Pathway is now enrolling for the fall semester. Students and parents can learn more at
local49.org/pathway
or by emailing
oe.pathway@k12.nd.us
.