3:45 - A Minneapolis business announced Thursday it will open an office in Mandan next spring, which will bring at least 150 jobs to the city.

Mayor Ken LaMont said Verifications Inc. -- which provides third-party background checks and drug screenings -- will be on the Mandan business map alongside such successes as Cloverdale Foods, National Information Solutions Co-op and Laducer & Associates.

"We felt it was a good fit for the community," LaMont said. "There's is a market that will continue to grow for years to come."

Verifications serves more than 4,000 clients, including several Fortune 50 and Fortune 100 companies. It has grown by 527 percent over the last five years, according to president and CEO Curt Marks. In addition to its Minneapolis headquarters, the company has two facilities in South Dakota -- at Watertown and Aberdeen -- and owns Bismarck's Live Response substance abuse-testing firm.

"Our most important (focus) is people," Marks said. "The Dakota model works, and that's why we're here today. It became obvious that North Dakota was the place for us to expand."

Bill Maynard, executive vice president of operations, said all of the positions at the Mandan firm would be filled locally. The jobs will range from clerical positions and data-entry clerks to verifiers and client-service representatives. Maynard said the majority of employees would earn salaries in the "twenty-thousands" range, while some would make between $60,000 and $75,000 a year. A few entry-level positions will start at about $18,000 per year, he said.