Governor Hoeven's Six Pillars
Building Our Future Together In North Dakota
Hoeven Administration Initiatives and Policies
The Hoeven Administration has pursued initiatives and policies that place people front and center by building on six key areas necessary to create a higher standard of living for all North Dakotans. These pillars of growth have resulted in a period of economic progress in our state, reflected in more and better-paying jobs, higher wages and income, and more revenues to help those in need. All of this has been accomplished without a general tax increase.
The six pillars, which are part of the administration's Building Our Future in North Dakota campaign, was launched in 2001 and reaches new milestones each year. The pillars are education, economic development, agriculture, energy, technology and quality of life. These provide the foundation on which we are building a stronger, more successful North Dakota.
- Education - because a good education is essential for personal growth, success in the job market, and a dynamic economy for our state.
- Economic Development - because a high-quality job and good income are essential not only to a higher standard of living, but also a better quality of life.
- Agriculture - because farming and ranching are not only a large part of North Dakota's economy, but part of our heritage and our history.
- Energy Development - because North Dakota is the nation's sixth largest energy producing and exporting state in the nation, and the energy sector provides good career opportunities for our citizens and helps our nation become more energy independent.
- Technology - because technology holds the careers of the future, attracts and retains youth, and holds the promise of higher paying careers.
- Quality of Life - because safe neighborhoods, quality healthcare, security for our seniors, and a clean environment are essential to a good standard of living.
The pillars are helping to bring about real diversification of our economic base, which helps our economy to be more resilient and positioned to grow. To broaden our economy, we've targeted five key industry sectors closely related to our pillars: value-added agriculture, energy development, advanced manufacturing, technology-based businesses and tourism. These were identified because they are areas where North Dakota has a unique advantage owing to our natural and human resources. These industry sectors, combined with North Dakota's educated and motivated workforce, have already begun to generate higher-paying, career-track jobs for our citizens.
In the recent legislative session we worked with our Legislature, business community and professional and civic associations to continue our progress. Together, we will develop new initiatives and new policies, based on our pillars, to build a brighter future for ourselves and our children.
