Big, Small Town Offers Endless Opportunities, says New Economic Development Director Brady Ash

“Devils Lake is a great place to live because I think it’s a ‘big, small town,’” said Forward Devils Lake Economic Development's (DLEC) new executive director Brady Ash. “It’s a place where everybody knows each other, helps where help is needed and has great volunteer organizations that assist with various projects.” 

The hometown native and high school grad of ‘17 jumped at the chance to join the team thanks to a strong desire to help the region capture new opportunities for growth, expansion and community involvement. 

“I want to be able to retain what we have in Devils Lake. Businesses, childcares, retaining local area high school and college students to come back to work in our community, working on obtaining affordable housing. These have become passions of mine over the last couple of years,” he said. 

Opportunities for Growth

Brad Barth (former Executive Director of DLEC) and Spencer Halvorson (City Administrator) played a key role in relaying information to Ash about the position and the projects he would have the opportunity to work on.

“Some of the biggest challenges I am seeing have to do with affordable housing, needs in additional childcare centers and retaining born and raised Devils Lake residents. These aren’t the only challenges, but I believe all of them factor into each other,” said Ash.

And while he acknowledges those challenges, he remains undaunted, viewing each as an opportunity to collaborate with community members for a forward-looking future. “Right now, we are in the preliminary stages of potentially having lots developed to construct more housing. We also offer incentive programs for the development of more childcare centers,” he added.

A Big, Small Town

Ash also has his eye on highlighting tourism in the region, with an emphasis on the abundance of fishing and hunting as well as the White Horse Hill National Game Preserve, one of 560 wildlife refuges in the United States.

“Devils Lake also got some of its great family-friendly activities back recently. We originally had a movie theater that was shut down during COVID and didn’t open back up until new ownership took over in 2024 and re-opened as Encore 301, a great addition back into the community,” said Ash. “Our Devils Lake Park Board also recently opened their Dockside Entertainment Community Center, which offers arcade games, bowling, multi-sport simulators, pickleball, a playground area for kids, and a walking track as well as lounge and meeting area rentals for business meetings, birthday parties and other events.”

He wants that community-wide effort to continue for years to come.

“I would like to see Devils Lake be able to grow into something it hasn’t been before. To continue with adding additional businesses, incentives and family-friendly environments can positively impact the Lake Region Area for years to come. I am on a mission to have Forward Devils Lake Economic Development help with that as much as possible,” he said.

To find out more about Forward Devils Lake Economic Development and our new executive director Brady Ash, click here!