The little town of Williston has been part of all this oil 
producing activity. It takes plenty of human resources to get that oil out of 
the ground, and Williston’s population has exploded by at least 20,000 as a 
result. This has turned into a Williston opportunity, and area residents have 
profited from the discovery of black gold. 

Property owners immediately saw rents triple in value and some people began to rent out rooms in their homes. Land owners became wealthy overnight. Williston restaurants have lines around the block; grocery stores stock up to capacity; and wholesale suppliers are scrambling to keep up with demand. 

Enterprising residents turned it into a Williston opportunity by starting their own catering businesses to help feed the hungry oil workers. Homemade cakes, pies, sandwiches and packed meals are eagerly devoured by the exhausted men and women. 

Many workers order certain foods over the Internet for 
the convenience, as well as the inability of suppliers to get food to their 
area. The sheer number of trucks carrying crude oil out of western North Dakota 
has made it difficult for food suppliers to get in to towns like Williston and 
Watford City as fast as they would like. 

Providing food and housing to the workers has been a challenge for the major oil corporations in the Bakken region. Since many oil workers are nomads, they bring RVs with them, and Williston has had a problem accommodating them. They recently had to ban RVs within the city limits due to problems with RVs in store parking lots. 
 
Some logistics companies have put up rows of trailers with one-room “apartments,” in "man camps'  but temporary housing like this is far from luxurious.
 
A trailer park investor in Watford City found a Bakken opportunity by providing 
indoor trailer stalls inside large buildings with a community room for 
residents. The stalls offer warmth and privacy that other trailer parks cannot 
provide. 

Wal-Mart just started selling 10 x 6 foot cubes complete with flat screen TV’s, small refrigerators, and double bunk beds, but the asking price of $24,900 has proven too steep for the oil workers who aren’t looking for a long-term investment that doesn’t roll.

Investing in Bakken real estate that could be 
turned into rental units, rooms, a Bed & Breakfast, boarding house, and/or a restaurant or catering business could be lucrative. However, real estate prices have inflated, so finding a bargain is tough. A fixer-upper would be your best bet.

Good catering trucks are in demand, but you should plan on bringing 
your own accommodations if you are re-locating close to Williston. Motel rooms are very expensive due to the demand. You might think about opening a franchise near Williston. Convenience stores, fast food, DVD rentals, computer and cell phone/electronics retail and repair, and tobacco stores would be a good investment. However, finding the retail space will be a challenge.

If you make a small investment and bring your business or commodity to the work camps with a van or truck, you should be kept busy and profitable for quite a few years. The workers are looking for smartphones, entertainment, the electronic devices that deliver it, food and refreshments, and ways to keep their devices working. 

Since the workers’ accommodations are somewhat sparse, posters, 
rugs, body pillows, foam mattress pads, extra pillows, blankets and slippers would be immediate buys. Of course, genuine brand name work boots are always in demand, along with authentic athletic shoes, T-shirts and work 
shirts.

Since North Dakota now has a $1 billon budget surplus, they will 
probably be funneling a lot of that money into their educational system. 
Teachers, school counselors and other educational professionals may find North Dakota a good place to settle down. While other states have been forced to lay off teachers due to budget shortages, North Dakota is likely to begin adding more schools and more jobs in the next few years.

The discovery of a sustainable energy source in North Dakota has been great news for Americans. It is doubtful the Bakken shale deposits will completely break dependency on foreign oil, but it will greatly add to U.S. oil reserves. 

Many of the region's residents and other entrepreneurs have found ways to profit during tough economic times. When so many states are struggling to balance their budget, it's amazing to see a natural resource benefit North Dakota and the 
entire country.