Author: leahb

Internship Info: City of Sioux Falls Ascend Internship Program

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The City of Sioux Falls employs over 1,300 people, all committed to public service. Learn more about the City’s Ascend Internship Program in this Q&A with Talent Manager, Mandy Frey, and apply for jobs and internships at the link below!

Tell us about yourself.

Born and raised in Sioux Falls, I have always loved this community! In fact, when selecting a major in college, I always knew I wanted to serve our community. After graduating college from the University of Sioux Falls in 2007, I decided to begin my career in higher education. I spent 15 years working in higher education between the University of Sioux Falls and Southeast Technical College. These experiences solidified my interest in workforce development for the Sioux Falls community. In December 2022, I took a leap and changed my career from education to local government. As the new Talent Manager for the City of Sioux Falls, I’m excited to use my background in higher education and workforce development to showcase the City of Sioux Falls as an Employer of Choice in our community!

Tell me about the City of Sioux Falls as an employer.

Sioux Falls is growing exponentially, and we need you to join our team of 1,300 full-time and hundreds more part-time and seasonal employees. Find a place to serve alongside us in a range of careers available in 11 diverse departments. There’s a role for every interest from public safety and health, to culture and recreation, to technology and internal operations. Our employees’ partner with local businesses and community members to provide the infrastructure, safe neighborhoods and recreation opportunities that keep Sioux Falls consistently ranked among the top places to live and work. Our core values of safety, teamwork, innovation, character, and respect build community from the inside out. Employees’ top culture drivers include a strong sense of accomplishment, growth through learning and training, and supportive colleagues. Team members achieve job satisfaction every day with the knowledge that their service positively impacts the high quality of life this community enjoys.

What is it like being an intern for the City of Sioux Falls?

The City of Sioux Falls offers paid internships throughout the summer, providing mentoring, professional development and growth opportunities to students interested in a variety of careers. As one of the most diverse employers in Sioux Falls, we provide a wide array of settings for you to explore your interests, gain real world experience, and develop professional skills and competencies. Our internship will provide you with a full-time mentor in your department, meaningful projects for you to spearhead, acquisition of career-specific skills, weekly intern cohort networking, speakers, tours, and dedicated resources to the cohort of interns.

What makes the City of Sioux Falls stand out from other employers?

The City of Sioux Falls developed the One Sioux Falls Framework that guides our work for strategic community growth. It truly is an honor to work for the City who takes such pride in focusing on these four focus areas that are supported by innovation, engaging people, and sustainable growth:

Safety & Health: Provide a safe community in which the health and well-being of our citizens is above the national average.

Accessible Housing: Foster the availability of housing options at all income levels, throughout the city.

Workforce: Continue to develop a community with a qualify of life that will attract and retain the best employee base in the United States.

Kids: Support a community where kids and families want to be and can thrive.

Additionally, the salary and benefits! The City of Sioux Falls just completed a salary and benefit review and the results prove that the City has a competitive advantage as it relates to its salary and benefit packages as compared to other public organizations and private industries.

What do you love about living and working in Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls is home. Being a young adult, I always wondered what it would be like to live in a big city, but never took the risk. Sioux Falls has the small-town feel, but in a larger community. It feels like the best of both worlds. And I’m not the only one to recognize this! SmartAsset ranked Sioux Falls the number one city in America for young professionals in 2021.

Watch these videos for more information about the Ascend internship program!

CAREERS AT the City of Sioux Falls

APPLY NOW

Come back next week Tuesday for our blog with tips for applying for internships!

Claire Herbst
Want to be a part of INTERN Sioux Falls? Contact:

Claire Herbst

Talent Recruitment Coordinator

Talent Thursday with Autumn Hernandez

Posted on by leahb

Talent Thursday is a weekly social media livestream event that spotlights talent and workforce in the Sioux Falls area by sharing the stories of young professionals in our community.

For Thursday, February 16, 2023, we caught up with Autumn Hernandez, who is the training and recruitment manager for Central Bank. She shares about her career journey and why she loves being part of Central Bank, from the family-centered culture to the way they care for their customers.

Talent Thursday is held weekly on Thursdays at 3 p.m. CT on the Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s Facebook page. Follow here: https://www.facebook.com/developsf.

Talent Thursday

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Forward Sioux Falls is a unique, innovative program designed to grow and improve the Sioux Falls region. Created through a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, we work to outline strategic initiatives to grow jobs, businesses and quality of life.

Learn more

Nebraska couple moves to Sioux Falls for careers but praises city for inclusiveness

Posted on by leahb

Add Amie Martens and her fiance, Chuck, to the growing number of people who moved to Sioux Falls for a job.

In their case, it was two jobs – both at Hy-Vee. Chuck is a commercial baker, and Amie is the general manager of Wahlburgers, the restaurant inside Hy-Vee.

“Our first interview was here in Sioux Falls, and we took it,” she said.

Hy-Vee Wahlburgers

That was last summer, months after she joined Hy-Vee in Nebraska following a career that included everything from call center roles to trucking.

“I’d been to Sioux Falls a number of times trucking – I’ve been to all but three states,” Martens said. “And living here has been great.”

From the start, their employer and the community have stepped up, she said. At one point, when they struggled to find housing after one opportunity fell through, “Hy-Vee actually took care of us until we were able to find an apartment suitable for our family,” she said.

Nebraska Couple moves to Sioux Falls

“We have a kayak, and one of the managers at Hy-Vee said we could store it in their garage, and at work I have a great group of employees.”

The couple represents a growing number of new Sioux Falls residents. The city’s population estimates reflect about 14,000 new residents in the past two years. Data from First Dakota Title compiled by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation offers additional insight.

A sampling of change of addresses shows more than 100 new residents from the Phoenix metro area, 65 from two counties in the Los Angeles area, 41 from the Las Vegas metro area, about the same amount from the Seattle area, Colorado Springs and the Chicago area.

Regionally, new residents have come from the Twin Cities, southwest Minnesota, Sioux City, northwest Iowa, Omaha, Fargo, Des Moines and Lincoln, Nebraska – in that order of volume.

“Our experience has been overwhelmingly positive,” Martens said. “It’s completely different than Omaha and Lincoln. Those are college towns, and the political environment feels different. This has more of a hometown feel. When I’ve reached out to the community online about things to do, they were great. Part of my job involves hosting fundraisers, and people gave me ideas above and beyond what I expected. Everyone has been extremely welcoming.”

Nebraska Couple moves to Sioux Falls

As a person who lives with autism, she said she finds that especially powerful.

“I’m very open about how I communicate a little differently,” she said. “My employees, my co-workers and the community has been overwhelmingly accepting of that. I’m not shy about it. But everyone has been so loving and welcoming, it’s been amazing.”

They now have an apartment in central Sioux Falls with a rent she said would be twice as much where she used to live in Nebraska. Chuck’s 8-year-old daughter has found a good fit in school, she said, “and we’ve seen so much cool stuff downtown. We love the cotton candy store. We love our neighborhood. It’s quiet and within walking distance to so much, at least two or three parks.”

The family’s experience illustrates the broader trend the Development Foundation identified, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development.

“People move for so many reasons, but careers are definitely a driver, and it’s wonderful to see how this family has found a fit with one of our largest employers,” she said. “Amie is absolutely right that this is an incredibly welcoming and inclusive community, and I think that’s why we’ve seen people embrace living here despite moving from such a variety of places nationwide.”

Ready to learn more about carving your own path in Sioux Falls? Visit siouxfalls.com, or reach out to deniseg@siouxfalls.com.

Internship Info: Gage Brothers Concrete Products

Posted on by leahb

Gage Brothers builds beautiful communities by leading the way in quality precast concrete solutions. Learn more about Gage Brothers in this Q&A with their Human Resources Manager, Krysta Widman, and apply for jobs and internships at the link below!

Tell me about Gage Brothers.

At Gage Brothers we manufacture architectural and structural precast products that are used to create the buildings that make up our communities. The Sanford Children’s Hospital, Target Field, Denny Sanford Premier Center, TCF Bank Stadium, Ralph L. Carr Judicial Center, SDSU Jackrabbit Grove, and Eleven on the River are just some of the high-profile jobs we have had the pleasure of working on.

What sets Gage Brothers apart from their competition?

Diversity sets Gage Brothers apart. From our projects to our product line, to our team, diversity is what makes us successful. We are proud to be involved in a variety of projects in Education, Industrial, Residential, Commercial, and Medical industries. Our diversified product line includes an array of precast and prestressed concrete products such as: architectural wall panel, insulated wall panels, beams, bridge girders, columns, double tees, hollow core, and stadia. Our team is what makes it all possible. Our experienced engineers, drafters, carpenters, concrete specialists, steel workers, equipment operators, batching experts, maintenance teams work together originally from 25 different countries to produce works of art that others said couldn’t be done. Established in 1915, Gage Brothers has over 100 years of continued success backing us up and launching us forward. Not only have we been doing this for a while, we are also Employee-Owned, which means that our team works with unmatched dedication to the success of our projects.

What is your favorite thing about working at Gage Brothers?

Working at Gage Brothers is exciting. I have been working here for over 8 years and I have never been bored. The projects are always different, there are always opportunities to be creative with the team. Gage Brothers is a large enough organization that the work you do has an impact on the people who work here as well as the communities we serve but also small enough that when you have an idea, we can try it right away without many formalities. Everyone knows your name at Gage, and you are part of our community.

One of the things I love about working here is that you get to be part of something much bigger than yourself. Yes, we make concrete products, but those products build our communities. They are places that create safe havens for sick children to heal, places for fans to make memories, beautiful places to live and build a life. These buildings become pillars of the community and I am proud to be a part of these jobs.

Why do you think internships are important?

Internships are so important for you to get hands-on experience in your field. This gives you valuable real-life examples to use in future interviews and a chance to ask the necessary questions in an appropriate environment. Make connections in the industry and start the interview process for future opportunities with that company or someone who can give you a positive reference later on. Take some pressure off your first day at your first job by having done an internship and know what to expect BEFORE you get there.

What do you love about living and working in Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls is constantly growing and developing and young professionals in Sioux Falls are leading this. All the opportunities to learn from experienced, successful professionals are right here. Long-standing businesses with solid reputations are looking for the next generation to take their companies to the next level. Stay local and make a real difference right here in Sioux Falls!

CAREERS AT Gage Brothers

APPLY NOW

Come back next week Tuesday for our blog featuring the City of Sioux Falls Ascend Internship program!

Claire Herbst
Want to be a part of INTERN Sioux Falls? Contact:

Claire Herbst

Talent Recruitment Coordinator

Sioux Falls grad finds quick path to marketing world with early ‘Career Connection’

Posted on by leahb

In a few short months, Blake Gullickson will be ready to start his first full-time job, putting his anticipated marketing degree from Southeast Technical College to use.

The path to get there started while he was a student at New Tech High School, class of 2021, trying to figure out his future.

Blake Gullickson

“I remember every week we would go to a new business, and they would tell us about their business and what they do,” he said. “I thought it was extremely valuable. It helped me decide what I wanted to do going forward.”

Gullickson is one of thousands of students who have participated in the Career Connections program, organized by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation. It exposes them to multiple career opportunities in the Sioux Falls area and allows them to take a deeper dive into one organization through weekly visits.

In Gullickson’s case, that was First Premier Bank, where he “spent a lot of Friday mornings.”

First PREMIER Bank

Already enrolled in marketing classes through the dual-credit program at the CTE Academy, his advisory team felt Premier would offer a good way to hone his interest in the field.

“I had a lot of good experiences with them,” Gullickson said. “And I know multiple classmates who went through the program chose their fields or college plans because of influences from the program and industries represented there.”

Blake Gullickson

That’s the goal of the program, which continues to build participation, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

“We’re thrilled to hear Blake and his classmates found this valuable in determining their education and career plans,” she said. “For many of these students, Career Connections provides a first look into businesses and careers they didn’t know existed.”

Career Connections also has resulted in 11 Build Dakota scholars so far – students taking advantage of this game-changing opportunity for a full-ride scholarship as they pursue in-demand occupations.

“The exposure this program provides is critical,” Guzzetta said. “It helps find their natural inclinations and interests and then aligns them with opportunities: training, higher education, internships, mentors and ultimately career paths.”

For Gullickson, the next steps include a February job fair where he hopes to secure an internship as he pursues full-time work.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time at Southeast Tech,” he added. “My time in Career Connections and the CTE Academy led me here, and it was very useful for me. I’m keeping my options open going forward.”

To learn more about Career Connections, click below or email deniseg@siouxfalls.com.

Career Connections Program

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Forward Sioux Falls is a unique, innovative program designed to grow and improve the Sioux Falls region. Created through a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, we work to outline strategic initiatives to grow jobs, businesses and quality of life.

Learn more

Internship Info: Mariah Burroughs of ISG

Posted on by leahb

ISG is a full-service architecture, design, and engineering firm with 11 office locations across the Midwest, including Sioux Falls. Learn more about ISG’s Talent Engagement Specialist, Mariah Burroughs, below and apply for jobs and internships at ISG!

Tell me about yourself.

I have been with ISG for almost a year and a half as the Talent Engagement Specialist. I attended MSU – Mankato where I received a Business Management degree with an emphasis on HR in May of 2021. I had one internship in college at fun.com in North Mankato, MN, and then I worked as a Temp HR Coordinator at Capstone Publishers in North Mankato, MN during my senior year of college. Upon graduation, a family friend sent over the job posting for my current position at ISG. I applied, interviewed, and started my position all within 2 weeks and haven’t looked back! I enjoy meeting new people throughout the interview and onboarding process and especially enjoy leading our internship program. Last year we hosted nearly 50 interns across all of our office locations.

Tell me about ISG.

ISG is a full-service design firm. We have 11 office locations across SD, MN, IA, and WI with nearly 500 employee owners. We are 100% employee owned which allows for broader ownership, the ability to be directly connected to performance, and our culture of accountability and opportunism is amplified. Put simply, everyone works hard = everyone benefits, not just an elite group. ISG designed the Cherapa Place Development that is currently underway along the East Bank of the Big Sioux River in downtown Sioux Falls. After the development is complete, ISG will move our almost 50 Sioux Falls employee owners into The Bancorp building with room to grow our Sioux Falls office to almost 90 employees. Cherapa Place Development | ISG (isginc.com)

Why do you love working at ISG?

Simply put, the people and the culture. From day one, each and every employee owner has been willing to jump in and help out in any way that they can. I have been encouraged by those around me to face challenges and grow as a young professional. I am continuously inspired by those around me and the work that we do. Most of all, I love that it truly feels like a family atmosphere, and I feel so lucky that I get to look forward to going to work every day.

Why do you think internships are important?

Internships are important when it comes to developing soft skills that you don’t necessarily learn in a classroom. My internship taught me so many things such as balancing schedules and learning to communicate effectively. Internships are also a great way to make sure you are going down the career path that is right for you! My internship and temp position proved that I loved the career path I chose and helped me identify the qualities that I would look for in a long-term employer in the future. Now I get to work for a company that I love, in a field that I am passionate about.

What is your favorite thing about working and living in Sioux Falls?

When I moved to Sioux Falls back in August of 2022, I immediately noticed the small town feel in a big city. Everyone I met was willing to help me get settled in and wanted to help me make connections. There are so many different opportunities for young professionals in Sioux Falls and so many different things going on. I also love that there are many small businesses to visit and support, whether it be a locally owned boutique or a coffee shop.

CAREERS AT ISG

APPLY NOW

Come back next week Tuesday for our blog featuring Gage Brothers Concrete Products!

Claire Herbst
Want to be a part of INTERN Sioux Falls? Contact:

Claire Herbst

Talent Recruitment Coordinator

Introducing: Internship Info with Claire Herbst of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation

Posted on by leahb

Welcome to Internship Info, our weekly blog segment featuring information about internships, opportunities in Sioux Falls, and more! Each week on Tuesdays, you’ll find a new post to learn about a featured employer or best practices for applying for jobs and internships.

This week’s Internship Info features Claire Herbst, who is the Talent Recruitment Coordinator with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation. She helps students find internships in the Sioux Falls area!

 

Tell me about yourself

I graduated from the University of South Dakota in December of 2021 with a degree in accounting, a minor in Legal Studies in Business, and a certificate in Inclusive Leadership. I worked as an Accountant for eight months before coming into the Talent Recruitment Coordinator position with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation. I had two accounting internships during my college career, my first one was at the Vermillion Area Chamber and Development Company and my second one was at First Dakota Title.

What do you do at the Sioux Falls Development Foundation?

At the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, I am the Talent Recruitment Coordinator. Within my position I am responsible for the program called INTERN Sioux Falls. INTERN Sioux Falls was launched to help businesses create and maintain internship programs for college students as well as assist college students and career centers in finding and filling internships in the Sioux Falls region. Once interns are in Sioux Falls for the summer, I assist in immersing them within the community so they can get a glimpse of what it’s like to live and work in Sioux Falls!

Why do you think internships are important?

I believe internships are important because they give valuable exposure to what a career in your chosen field would be like and can assist in figuring out a career path. They give so many opportunities to expand your network and gain strong relationships with those who can be your advocate for recommendations and references. Internships have the potential to catapult you into a career you have always wanted.

What is your favorite thing about working and living in Sioux Falls?

What I love about living and working in Sioux Falls is the strong community. There is always someone to help you out in big and small ways and there is always an opportunity to help others if you are capable. There are so many opportunities within the community to better yourself and there is always someone supporting you in everything you do.

Come back next week Tuesday for our blog featuring architecture and engineering firm, ISG!

Claire Herbst
Want to be a part of INTERN Sioux Falls? Contact:

Claire Herbst

Talent Recruitment Coordinator

Colorado family grows aquarium business with move to Sioux Falls

Posted on by leahb

You wouldn’t think a love for the ocean would lead Jon and Robyn Johnson to Sioux Falls.

But it did.

Jon Johnson, 32, and his wife, Robyn, 29, were living in Colorado when she was offered a remote-work position as a sign language interpreter. They could move to either Madison, Wisconsin, or Sioux Falls. Robyn’s family is from Lakeville, Minnesota, and Sioux Falls seemed like the perfect location. Jon was able to get a position with Oak Ridge Nursery in Brandon, and they moved to town.

Jon and Robyn Johnson move to Sioux Falls, SD

Part of the appeal of Sioux Falls was its location to the interstates and his desire to grow his business, Ocean Outfitters, which sells everything from snails and seahorses to clown fish and coral. They sell locally and plan to ship soon.

Jon and Robyn Johnson move to Sioux Falls, SD

This is where the ocean comes in.

“We go and travel to all these reef shows, which are like farmers markets for fish and coral, and they have these huge shows, like every hobby does,” Jon said. “I want to put one here and invite vendors.”

The Johnsons operate their business out of their house – the main-floor den, to be exact. The walls are lined with saltwater tanks, and Jon painstakingly grows coral. It’s a mesmerizing and precise operation, full of waving plants and sea creatures in every color you can imagine.

Jon and Robyn Johnson move to Sioux Falls, SD

“There aren’t a lot of people who do that here, and the city is expanding so rapidly, and so many people are moving here,” Jon said.

It’s a chance for him to take a lifelong love and turn it into a dream business, all while living in a place where they can raise their 4-month-old daughter, Savannah, surrounded by a community they’ve come to appreciate.

Jon and Robyn Johnson move to Sioux Falls, SD

Robyn learned to sign after going to Take Your Daughter to Work Day with her mom. She met a deaf co-worker, who taught her a few signs. “I just loved him,” she said. When she had to choose a language in high school, she chose American Sign Language. She knew quickly she wanted to be an interpreter and received a bachelor’s degree in interpreting from St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul.

But carpal tunnel led her to take a break and accept a job as the softball coach at Brevard College in North Carolina, where she met Jon, who was a groundskeeper after serving seven years in the Army.

“They sent me to work for her, and I’ve been doing it ever since,” Jon jokes. “She gave me a list, and I’m still working on it.”

Eventually, they decided to take their 30-foot camper to the West Coast, living in it for a while.

“I loved it. I would go back and do it again,” Robyn said.

Jon agrees: “I could live in a tiny house.”

Turns out, they only made it as far as Colorado, where the mountains made them want to stay. They bought a house and settled down, and Robyn began working as an interpreter for the school district.

But then, the city started to get to them.

“You can go into the mountains and have these epic views and the Colorado lifestyle, but the city is traffic and stress and dirty and toxic,” Robyn said.

Jon and Robyn Johnson move to Sioux Falls, SD

Plus, Robyn felt like she wanted to do a different kind of interpreting, and that job led them here. She works for Convo interpreting services, which allows her to work from home.

They first looked for a house on the west side of the city and then in Baltic but eventually settled in southeastern Sioux Falls. “We would see people in the yard and reading outside,” Robyn said.

“Some days, I want to go back to the mountains or Tennessee, and then I’m shoveling the back patio in shorts and a hoodie, and I’m like, I’m not going anywhere,” Jon said.

Plus, they like the rate the city is growing, while still keeping a smaller-city feel.

“We got lucky when we bought the house,” Jon said. “They had to sell it, and it needed some love. As soon as we walked in, we loved it. We live in this big, beautiful house and think ‘we get to live here.’ We walk around the neighborhood, and these kids are so nice and so respectful.”

Jon and Robyn Johnson move to Sioux Falls, SD

Robyn agrees.

“When we moved in, it was just starting to be winter. As I got pregnant and walked the dogs, everyone saw our journey and my growing belly and having Savannah here, and we got to hear their stories.”

The family’s own story reflects what a number of newcomers say about Sioux Falls, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

“Sioux Falls is extremely welcoming to small-business owners, remote workers and young families, and the Johnsons are experiencing all three,” she said. “And as they grow their business, the central location in Sioux Falls combined with the state’s business-friendly tax environment are going to be a total win-win for these entrepreneurs.”

Jon said that kind of community is exactly what they wanted.

They laugh about when they first came to South Dakota. They were at a restaurant, and the server offered ranch – and extra ranch – with their wings and pickles.

“We were like: ‘What did you just offer? Ranch? We’ll take it and the extra,’” Robyn said.

“I was like, we’re home,” Jon said.

Nice enough to raise a family and start a business.

“I was that weird kid with fish tanks all over his room,” Jon said. “My parents let me have whatever I could fit on my dresser. I did that until I went into the military.”

Jon and Robyn Johnson move to Sioux Falls, SD

His time in the Army put a pause on fish tanks, but one day he suggested to Robyn that they go into a shop.

After 10 minutes in the shop, she was all-in, he said.

Jon especially loves introducing people to the hobby.

“That’s the most fun,” he said. “I grew up landscaping, and I am so used to talking to people. And I love to learn. The ocean is the largest environment on the planet and the least explored. You are taking that and playing God in a place smaller than a bathtub, and you’re trying to control it the same way the ocean controls it.”

Jon and Robyn Johnson move to Sioux Falls, SD

Jon’s favorite are zoanthids. “They look like little flowers, and they’ll grow up the side of things. There’s a never-ending color combination.”

Robyn loves the rock flower. “They are bold and vicious, and they eat the heads off of fishes.”

She has begun a freelance photography business, working with families to hear their stories and capture memories. And, of course, practicing her skills on her own growing family.

It’s all part of making Sioux Falls home. They’ve planted apple trees, built garden beds, know everyone around the block.

“People are like, ‘Why do you live here?’” Jon said. “And we think, you should go live in some other place and come back and see how nice it is here.”

Make your move

sioux falls sd

4th Quarter Directions Newsletter

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2023 Chairman’s Message

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Past Chair’s Message

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Development Foundation starts new era of real estate development

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Land Acquisitions

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New Neighbors

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Vision Sioux Falls to Establish Roadmap for our community

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TALENT ENGAGEMENT HELPS SOON-TO-BE GRADUATES WITH EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

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WIN IN WORKFORCE SUMMIT 2022’S FIFTH ANNIVERSARY SETS RECORD FOR ONSITE ATTENDANCE

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WIN in Workforce Summit 2022’s Fifth Anniversary Sets Record for Onsite Attendance

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Win in Workforce Summit 2022 brought record onsite attendance as talent and workforce initiatives remain an important issue globally.

“We are very appreciative and grateful for the tremendous response from attendees and organizations supporting WIN in Workforce Summit 2022,” said Denise Guzzetta, Vice President of Talent and Workforce for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation. “We continue to build on a great initiative started in 2018 by the Talent and Workforce Committee with a simple desire to engage and share the best talent and workforce practices within our region. In 2022, we had nearly 800 people in attendance, and we are excited to start planning for WIN 2023.”

“Business and community leaders engaging each other in sessions about workforce-related topics covering culture, collegiate engagement, sustainability, and others illustrates why Sioux Falls is a great community,” says Bob Mundt, President and CEO of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

Special thanks to all organizations investing financially in WIN 2022, including Avera, City of Sioux Falls, First Bank & Trust, Forward Sioux Falls, Journey Group, MidAmerican Energy, Sanford Health, Sayre Associates, University of Sioux Falls, and Xcel Energy.

Talent engagement helps soon-to-be graduates with employment opportunities

Posted on by leahb

The Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s Career Connections program hosted Talent Tours for City and Industry with 16 employer partners on December 7, 2022, to share high-demand jobs with soon-to-be graduates.

With nearly 200 high school seniors from Brandon Valley High and Washington High School involved, students chose between different career tracks involving health care, manufacturing, construction, and local government, to gain valuable connections and resources for jobs related to their chosen career path.

The program connects students with business and community leaders during four separate 60-minute group tours to help students figure out their next steps after graduation in May 2023. From students participating in time drills to dress in protective fire gear, watching a suppression hearing about lawful searches, to building an HVAC system to support 500 occupants in a commercial building, students asked questions from experts about what their daily work involves.

“I participated in the government track and had no idea about the background and qualifications of fire personnel. This visit helped me understand how my interests in chemistry could be applied to a career,” said Hannah, a Brandon Valley senior graduating in May 2023.

“Hannah’s experience is normal,” says Denise Guzzetta, Vice President of Talent and Workforce for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation. “ We created Career Connections to combine career and educational exposure and exploration, leading to viable career opportunities available to students in the Sioux Falls region. “We know from long-term studies conducted by the U.S. government that high schoolers ages 16-19 years participating in career exposure and exploration programs have higher wages at 23 and gain higher quality jobs by 30 than their peers who were not exposed, by helping to shape their career journeys.”

Studies have also reported that students participating in career exposure and exploration programs gain critical thinking skills and self-esteem through research, business engagement, and focusing on areas of strength.

For more information about talent development programs, please get in touch with Denise Guzzetta at 605-595-4355.

Vision Sioux Falls to Establish Roadmap for Our Community

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By Mike Lynch

Work has begun on Vision Sioux Falls, a long-range, community-wide strategic plan that will provide a blueprint for moving our community forward for the next ten years.

Forward Sioux Falls is collaborating with the City of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation, Sioux Empire United Way, and the Sioux Falls School District. The objective for Vision Sioux Falls is to be inspirational in designing a meaningful roadmap that will capitalize on the unprecedented momentum we have experienced as a community.

Omaha-based consulting firm RDG Planning & Design has been hired to coordinate the plan, which will focus on quality-of-life attributes within focus areas including the following:

  • Arts/Entertainment/Recreation/Leisure
  • Education/Training/Workforce
  • Health & Human Services
  • Housing
  • City Image/Marketing
  • Public Safety

To date, a public engagement plan has included surveys, listening sessions, community roundtables and one-on-one interviews. Several other opportunities for the public to participate will be offered over the next few months. A dynamic website, found here, is designed to track the plan’s progress, promote upcoming events and allow individuals to provide input using an interactive map. Feedback collected will be progressively evaluated to determine what gaps or trends rise to the top. Ultimately, action items will be identified, stakeholders named, and metrics determined.

A Community Allies committee, comprised of individuals within underserved areas of our community, serves as a bridge to conversations within marginalized populations. In addition, a Strategic Council includes representatives from a wide base of perspective from within the community. These individuals are meeting several times throughout the planning process to provide insight on priorities that focus on three key elements: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How do we get there?

The strategic plan is scheduled to be completed by late spring 2023.

New neighbors

Posted on by leahb

By: Karen Ruhland

Questions often arise in meetings, casual conversations, and formal requests as to where people come from and why they choose the area. Consider your own story, and often the answers aren’t too different.

Family, friends, education, opportunity, and careers answer the majority of the why’s. Add in quality of life, cost of living, and healthcare as important factors for others.

In terms of where our new metro area neighbors are coming from . . . Census data and the IRS can provide migration stats, moving companies and residential closings are additional sources. Conversations with new co-workers, neighbors, or friends of friends provide additional narrative and interesting stories.

So, what are all these sources telling us?

According to IRS county-based statistics, 4,500 individual tax returns that listed an out-of-state address in 2019 listed a Sioux Falls metro area address in 2020. While the majority of these come from our neighboring states, 104 came from Maricopa County in the Phoenix metro, 65 from two counties in the Los Angeles area, 41 from Clark County in the Las Vegas metro, and just shy of that from Seattle’s King County, Colorado Springs’ El Paso County and Chicago’s Cook County.

On a regional basis, new residents come from the Twin Cities, southwest Minnesota, Sioux City, northwest Iowa, Omaha, Fargo, Des Moines, and Lincoln in descending order based on IRS County-to-County Migration.

Year to date residential closings from one of our member organizations, First Dakota Title, indicate similar trends continued in 2022 with most of the movement coming from the Twin Cities, Omaha and Lincoln, different communities in Iowa, Seattle, and various metros in Colorado.

A quick look at the Foundation’s Board and Staff shows the vast majority are native South Dakotans with a handful of Nebraskans, Minnesotans and Iowans filling out the ranks and a few outliers. Where they received the education shows more diversity; about 40% obtained their undergraduate degrees out-of-state indicating most moved back or received their education in the area and stayed.

One block of residents currently living in southeast Sioux Falls encompasses even more diversity: two families originally from eastern Europe via way of Arizona and Iowa; natives of Colorado, California, Minnesota, and Iowa; South Dakotans from west river and Aberdeen and life-long Sioux Falls residents.

Stories the Foundation has posted recently tell of new residents from Portland, Detroit, Atlanta, Virginia, Alaska, and California; and why they moved here.

Sioux Falls and the surrounding towns will always be a draw for residents from southeast South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota. Attracting individuals and families from further afar will continue as well. Quality of life and opportunity are attributes, and the Foundation continues efforts to spread the word.

You can help! Invite your friends and relatives to check out the area, explore career opportunities available here, and connect them with your network of business contacts. Encourage high schoolers to explore the education offerings in our region. Encourage the college set to explore internship opportunities here and connect with our INTERN Sioux Falls Coordinator. Tout South Dakota tax advantages, healthcare options, and the plethora of activities available to the out-of-state soon-to-be retirees you know.

The Development Foundation can help make connections!

Disclaimer: Information provided by First Dakota Title does not include confidential information such as names of specific addresses.

Land Acquisitions

Posted on by leahb

Foundation Park continues to grow, not only with new tenants but with more developable acres of land. The Sioux Falls Development Foundation recently executed agreements and will be closing on 70 acres that will expand the industrial park boundary to the north. Any time you can acquire additional land that is contiguous to an existing park development it becomes very cost effective. These 70 acres will utilize the infrastructure that is being extended in the next 12-18 months to service all of Foundation Park north of the railroad tracks. This will bring the total overall developable land in Foundation Park to 926 acres.

The Sioux Falls Development Foundation also closed on 135 acres east of I-29 in October. This land, directly east of Foundation Park, became available in early 2022. It made sense for the Foundation to acquire the land as inventory for future development. The most important aspect of this land is that is resides in the same sewer basin as Foundation Park and will be served by the existing lift station installed for Foundation Park. The Development Foundation plans to work through the annexation process with the City and begin master planning. It’s realistic to see development in this area in the next 3-5 years.

land purchases map

Development Foundation starts new era of real estate development

Posted on by leahb

Historically, the Development Foundation has acquired farmland on the northern edges of Sioux Falls and invested in infrastructure to transform the land into business and industrial parks. These investments ultimately facilitated the creation of tens of thousands of jobs for the greater Sioux Falls region.

Development Foundation staff members take pride in managing the inventory of industrial acres available so as to always be prepared when existing area businesses are ready to expand and when new businesses look to relocate to Sioux Falls. Over the years, Sioux Falls, the surrounding communities, private businesses, and most importantly, our residents, have benefited from these efforts. Those benefits include finding meaningful employment, raising a family, growing a business, and pursuing a high quality of life here in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Our mission “to collaboratively create quality economic growth and workforce development in the Sioux Falls MSA to improve our quality of life” will continue to guide (and drive) these efforts forward into the future.

As evidenced above, the Development Foundation has a long successful history in strategically developing real estate to accomplish specific goals. In quarter four of 2022, in partnership with Mayor TenHaken, Chief of Staff Erica Beck, Director of Planning & Development Services Jeff Eckhoff, and the Development Foundation’s Executive Board members Kurt Loundenback, Pat Costello, Steve Kolbeck, Ryan Boschee, and Kent Cutler, the Foundation identified an opportunity to leverage our institutional expertise, knowledge, and partnerships to strategically accomplish new goals. Goals that include supporting the community’s housing plan, slowing development sprawl, increasing land use efficiency, and ultimately keeping the Sioux Falls area investable for decades into the future. In order to preserve our mission and honor the storied legacy of the Development Foundation, this expanded scope of strategic land development will be operated by the newly formed Falls Area Development Corporation in partnership with the Development Foundation.

The Development Foundation is excited to begin a new era of real estate development for the betterment of our community and region. The Sioux Falls area has consistently achieved success for a litany of reasons, but the most important reason can be found in the mantra of our partner, Forward Sioux Falls: “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Transformational accomplishments for our community can only be achieved when private businesses, governmental bodies, and non-profits pause from competition and unite towards common goals. Our land development efforts, for both Sioux Falls Development Foundation and now Falls Area Development Corporation, rely on partnerships to be successful. We will achieve more by acting together, and we look forward to continuing to build successful partnerships in the future.