The opportunities for international exchange took a leap forward this fall with the opening of a Minot trade office linking North Dakota and Norway.

Bjorn Forsdal, director of the Telemark Trade Office, said the office will build on the already strong cultural relationship that exists between the two countries.

“We would like to use that as a common foundation in doing business as well,” he said.

The cultural aspect actually provided the impetus for creation of a trade office. The conversation first started though Norsk Hostfest, and the office opened Sept. 30 during this year’s Norsk Hostfest.

In June, Gov. Jack Dalrymple and Telemark Mayor Terje Riis Johansen signed a memorandum of understanding during a North Dakota delegation’s visit to Norway. The trip followed a visit by a Telemark delegation to North Dakota in May. Establishing a trade office wasn’t without challenges, but Forsdal said the friendship shown to Telemark representatives during the May visit helped seal the deal for Norwegians.

Also part of bringing the trade office to Minot were Lynn Helms, director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, the North Dakota Trade Office and Minot Area Development Corp. MADC is hosting the Telemark Trade Office at 1020 20th Ave. SW.

On the Telemark side, the city council and Telemark Offshore, a nonprofit organization of Telemark oil and gas corporations, along with five corporations and a university, have committed to the trade office.

Forsdal said oil and gas is a major industry in Telemark as it is in North Dakota. But the intent is the trade office will work with companies from a variety of industries.

“We would also like to collaborate with the educational system,” Forsdal said.

Telemark University College seeks student and staff exchanges. Master’s degree programs are offered in English. Bachelor’s degree programs are taught in Norwegian but language facilitators are available.

Tel-Tek, a research center specializing in carbon dioxide capture and water treatment, and the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks have research interests in common that could open the door to collaboration.

The Telemark companies involved with the trade office provide unique business opportunities on which North Dakota could capitalize. One company, OPD Group, specializes in welding and installing polyethylene pipes, which are used in renewable energy industries and in water, sewer, and gas pipelines. As a successful Norwegian leader in marine infrastructure and customized piping solutions, OPD Group is looking to establish local production in North Dakota, according to MADC.

Other Telemark corporations involved with the trade office include ReforceTech. The company developed a commercial-scale operation using basalt, a volcanic rock, in concrete reinforcement. The basalt fiber has been used in Florida and currently is undergoing research at an Ohio university.

Oliner System International has a process for re-lining of existing pipelines that can be an alternative to replacing older, leaking household pipes. Telemark Technologies provides hyperbaric testing of equipment.

Forsdal had been a founder and consultant with OPD Group and was chief operating officer for ReforceTech before joining the trade office.

While an officer in the Norwegian Army, he said, he gained his first experience in collaborating with Americans in participating in joint exercises with a Minnesota Army National Guard unit each winter. After leaving the Army, he moved to Stavanger, the oil capital of Norway, where he studied economic and project management and began his involvement with OPD. He later became planner for engineering, procurement, construction and installations for Aker Kvaerner Offshore Partner.

He came to South Dakota six years ago to open the U.S. office of ReforceTech. Forsdal, who continues to live in Rapid City, works out of the Minot trade office Mondays through Wednesdays.

He will be facilitating communication and trade for North Dakota companies interested in doing business in Norway and with Norwegian businesses interested in markets and partnerships in North Dakota. The office can assist N.D. firms with market research and getting a toe in the water to test potential markets. Telemark provides access to a large industrial park, research laboratories and government grants for start-up businesses, all of which could benefit North Dakota companies looking to expand into Norway.

“For corporations that would like to expand internationally, going to Norway with the possibility of going farther into Europe would be a good start for them,” Forsdal said.

Should North Dakota ever open a trade office in Telemark, that could be even more advantageous for businesses, he said.

The Telemark Trade Office can be reached at 852-1075 or bjorn@telemarktradeoffice.com.