The team added new jobs to the North Dakota workforce, increased travel to Bismarck-Mandan, increased local spending, and a larger community involvement.
The Bismarck Larks share the yearly impact on the Bismarck-Mandan economy including employment, attendance, local spending and more.
Emerging Employment in Bismarck
In 2022, the Larks expanded to a front office of 15 full-time staff members with 13 now calling Bismarck home after moving from outside the state for their position and 2 working remotely in Minnesota. The Larks also had 3 employees celebrate their 6th season with the organization and two employees celebrate their 5th season.
In addition, the Larks employed 115 individuals during the season. Over 21% of the gameday staff were new to the workforce and chose the Larks to be their first job in the summer of 2022.
The team’s internship program offered over a dozen students the opportunity to receive college credit in their field of study. Interns gained hands-on educational experience in areas including operations, sponsorship, media, and tickets. 69% of interns moved from out-of-state, choosing Bismarck as their home for the duration of their internship. These individuals moved from Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Utah, Kentucky and Arizona. The Larks believe in promoting from within the organization. Two interns from the summer of 2022 are now full-time employees with the organization.
The team also had a total of 45 Larks players, 270 visiting players, 4 coaches, 27 visiting coaches, and 30 umpires come to North Dakota between May and August 2022.
Fans Flocked to Bismarck Municipal, Home of Dakota Community Bank and Trust Field
The Larks sold 66,673 tickets to Larks games this summer at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark Home of Dakota Community Bank & Trust Field. The team connected all corners of North Dakota with 1,686 tickets purchased by fans outside of the Bismarck, Mandan, and Lincoln area.
Baseball fans from 28 states and two provinces of Canada flocked to Bismarck to watch at least one game. The furthest fans traveled 3,611 miles from Hawaii to witness the Flock in action. Minnesota was the state that brought the most people to Bismarck throughout the duration of the summer.
In addition, the Larks along with their sponsors hosted numerous free family events with at the ballpark including Flock Fest, Carnival Day, STEM Day, Special Olympics Baseball Camp, Hunter’s Smiles Bike Ride, and Clark’s Car Wash along with numerous free family events in the community including Ski Day at Huff Hills, Family Bike Ride at Harmon Lake, Splash into Summer Safely at Moritz, Clarks Birthday Party at Elk Ridge Park, and Christmas with a Coal Miner Toy Drive at Dykshoorn Park in Mandan.
Bismarck and North Dakota were also highly visible on television this year with over 220,000 impressions during Larks game broadcasts. The Northwoods League partnered with ESPN+ and 12 of the 36 Larks home games were featured on the popular streaming app. KFYR-TV also televised 2 games on NBC across the state of North Dakota along with Bismarck Larks scores being present on the ticker during all Minnesota Twins games.
Larks Love Local
The Larks also contributed to the Bismarck-Mandan economy by choosing local food and beverage vendors and companies.
The Larks are fortunate to partner with M&W Beef Packers, Cloverdale Foods, McQuades Distributing, Laughing Sun Brewery, West River Produce, Dot’s Pretzels, and The Craftcade. Other North Dakota food vendors that the Larks purchase from include Sysco of North Dakota, Coca-Cola High Country, S&S Roadrunner Sales Co., Harlows, Image Printing, Ramada Bismarck and Tri-Energy Cenex.
Community Impact and Promotions
The Larks core mission is using FUN to make a difference in the lives of our fans and the BisMan community. 2022 marked the biggest community impact yet.
The Larks Reading Program powered by Farmers Union Insurance encouraged more than 12,500 students and 689 classrooms to reach their reading goals. The Larks spent over $18,000 providing posters and prizes to students for accomplishing their reading goals along with complimentary tickets and experiences from partners like Pizza Ranch, Medora, and the Dakota Zoo.
The Jersey Food Drive powered by Farmers Union Insurance collected 3,832 pounds of food for the Great Plains Food Bank. This totaled up to 3,193 meals in under 3 hours of collection.
With the help of the generous Bismarck/Mandan Community, the Larks helped raise more than $102,000 to community organizations and nonprofits alike during the 2022 season. This came through silent auction donations, First International Bank and Trust Miracle Minutes, 50/50 raffles, special events, and more.
The Bismarck Larks and Northwoods League Baseball will continue to strengthen the local Bismarck-Mandan economy as 2023 marks the team’s 7th season presented by Farmers Union Insurance.
The Bismarck Larks are currently over 87% sold out of Family Flock Memberships. The only way to guarantee your seat to a rivalry game, All-Star Game, and more is by purchasing at larksbaseball.com today.
