N.D. Lions eye bank ranks best

The Lions Eye Bank of North Dakota has been named National Eye Bank of the Year.

Tissue Banks International, a worldwide distributor of eye corneas based in Baltimore, announced the recognition.

For the ninth year in a row, Lions Eye Bank of North Dakota has increased its placement of corneas for transplant over the previous year.

At the end of the 2004-2005 fiscal year, 361 corneas, or 81 percent of all recovered eye tissues, were successfully transplanted.

The North Dakota bank is one of the most efficient eye banks in the TBI network, which transplants 7,500 corneas annually.

The North Dakota Lions Eye Bank is in Bismarck, with satellite offices in Fargo and Grand Forks.

Selland moving

The Luther Selland automobile dealership at 1313 30th Ave. S. in Moorhead is moving to south Fargo next year.

"Our lease is up on the building here in May 2006," said dealership general manager Anita Emmerich.

Luther Selland Pontiac Buick GMC is moving to 33rd Avenue and 36th Street South, just north of Luther Ford, she said.

"I think they will probably break ground within the next 30 days," she said.

Plans are to open the new Luther Selland complex in spring of 2006, Emmerich said.

Affordable housing

Bank of the West has invested $1.5 million to help finance construction of 150 rental units in North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming.

The housing will predominantly serve very low income households, those with incomes below 50 percent of area median income.

"We are committed to helping all communities we serve to improve the lives of low- and moderate-income residents," said Rick Yee, community development finance manger for Bank of the West.

Among the projects the bank is investing in locally are 66 senior housing units in West Fargo and 24 family housing units in Dickinson.

Volunteers wanted

The American Red Cross Minn-Kota chapter and the Qwest Foundation are looking for volunteers to sign up for disaster response training for wildfires.

This year the threat is again substantial in the Pacific Northwest and parts of the Southwest, according to the Red Cross.

For more information, contact Dave Pattengale at the Minn-Kota Chapter of the American Red Cross at (701) 364-1800 or dpattengale@fargoredcross.org or Qwest representative Melissa Reffel at (303) 896-3011 or Melissa.Reffel@qwest.com .

Readers can reach Forum Business Editor

Craig McEwen at (701) 241-5502.