{"id":47223,"date":"2026-05-12T15:54:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T20:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/?p=47223"},"modified":"2026-05-12T15:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T20:54:08","slug":"vorbeck-materials-opens-manufacturing-facility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/2026\/05\/vorbeck-materials-opens-manufacturing-facility\/","title":{"rendered":"Vorbeck Materials opens manufacturing facility"},"content":{"rendered":"

Facility will provide UND students with employment, experiential learning opportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Man
John Lettow, CEO of Vorbeck Materials, speaks at the grand opening of the company’s new Grand Forks manufacturing facility. Photo by Joe Banish\/UND Today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last week, campus and community leaders cut the ribbon of a manufacturing facility that will provide experiential learning opportunities for UND students, while also bolstering the region\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

On May 6, Vorbeck Materials<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 a Maryland-based manufacturer of products for clients spanning the defense, aerospace and first responder industries \u2013 opened its new, 47,000 square foot campus in Grand Forks.<\/p>\n

Tyler Sletten, director of operations for Vorbeck, opened the event. Sletten, who previously worked at UND\u2019s Center for Innovation, reminisced on meeting company leadership for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I sat in the boardroom at CFI and learned about Vorbeck, I came away knowing that we had to have this company in Grand Forks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Vorbeck CEO John Lettow added that the \u201cnational and global level talent at UND\u201d was a major factor in choosing to build its manufacturing facility in Grand Forks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing we noticed about this area is that it has a fantastically connected business ecosystem,\u201d Lettow said. \u201cThen there is UND. It is an incredible asset to this community. It has excellent programs \u2013 national security, the Research Institute for Autonomous Systems<\/strong><\/a>, UAS and growing space programs. It\u2019s just an ideal place that we are honored to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

North Dakota U.S. Sen. John Hoeven cited rising enrollment at UND \u2013 and Vorbeck\u2019s partnership with the College of Engineering & Mines<\/strong><\/a> to provide internship opportunities \u2013 as a boon to the region\u2019s workforce.<\/p>\n

\u201cThink about what this means for recruiting people to live in North Dakota, in this exciting, growing economy,\u201d Hoeven said. \u201cIf you\u2019re a student interested in space, aerospace or UAS, you don\u2019t just see it in the classroom \u2013 you live it. You can be part of these companies developing these technologies and jobs for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Man
U.S. Sen. John Hoeven speaks at the grand opening of Vorbeck Materials’ Grand Forks manufacturing facility. Photo by Joe Banish\/UND Today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to providing internship and employment opportunities for UND students, Vorbeck sponsors UND\u2019s Advanced Rocketry Club<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 an organization introducing students to the mechanics of designing and testing rockets.<\/p>\n

One such Vorbeck product that will be manufactured at the new facility \u2013 and beneficial to area first responders \u2013 is its patented graphene-based firefighting foam. According to Lettow, the product is more effective than traditional firefighting agents and contains no PFAS, a chemical known to cause environmental and health harms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe now have the highest performing foam, not only in the country but also in the world,\u201d Lettow said.<\/p>\n

Following the ribbon-cutting, members of the Grand Forks Fire Department demonstrated the capabilities of Vorbeck\u2019s firefighting foam by extinguishing a simulated fire.<\/p>\n

\"Firefighter\"
A firefighter from the Grand Forks Fire Department uses Vorbeck Materials’ patented, graphene-based firefighting foam to extinguish a mock fire. Photo by Joe Banish\/UND Today.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Facility will provide UND students with employment, experiential learning opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":47226,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[138,19],"class_list":["post-47223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-around-und","tag-center-for-innovation","tag-engineering"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVorbeck Materials opens manufacturing facility - UND Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Facility will provide UND students with employment, experiential learning opportunities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/2026\/05\/vorbeck-materials-opens-manufacturing-facility\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vorbeck Materials opens manufacturing facility - 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