Business and community leaders in North Dakota’s western oil patch have launched an aggressive campaign to convince more manufacturers to set up shop locally, part of a push to expand the area’s economy beyond crude production and slash costs. The effort, which was launched on Wednesday at a conference in Williston, capital of the state’s oil industry, comes as crude prices have plunged more than 60 percent since last summer, threatening the economy of a region overly reliant on one industry – pumping of oil out the ground. Industry and community leaders say diversification is crucial for not only the state’s economy, but also for oil producers who have long complained of excessive costs for pump repairs, valve parts and myriad other components and services. “We’re just asking for a quality product at a reasonable price,” Dave Ruffie, a production foreman with Continental […]