GRAND FORKS — As the city of Grand Forks considers handing over management of the HIVE building to an outside entity, GrandSky has emerged as the front-runner due to its vision and connections in the unmanned aerial system sector.

When the city released a request for proposal looking for a company that understands the UAS market and how to attract companies, GrandSky President Tom Swoyer believed the aviation business park — located west of Grand Forks — would be a good fit to manage the city-owned HIVE.

“We have been doing that for 10 years,” Swoyer said. “We see at the HIVE an opportunity for a robust ecosystem that covers all of those areas.”

For the city and Mayor Brandon Bochenski, two key parameters going into the pitches were ensuring the building is fully occupied and profitable

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