Five of the ten largest employers conducting business in Minot today were recruited using MAGIC Funds. Choice Hotels International was one of the first businesses to be recruited using the MAGIC Fund in November 1990, selecting Minot as the location for the company's largest reservation center. Eight years of particularly high productivity later, Choice capitalized on the advantages of the area again and began construction on a $1 million expansion to bring the number of year-round employees in Minot to over 400. Once again, the MAGIC Fund played a big role. In the years between, other service centers such as Sykes in 1996, were attracted to Minot. Drawn also by the MAGIC Fund, Sykes Enterprises came to North Minot's technology park to offer technical support to customers of major companies such as Fortune 500 firms. Sykes notes the level of technology-based education in local schools such as Minot State University have proven extremely important to Sykes’ success in Minot.