Talent Thursday with Nick Burns

Posted on February 25, 2022March 11, 2022 by leahb

Talent Thursday is a weekly social media livestream event that features a professional in the Sioux Falls area who speaks about why Sioux Falls is the perfect place to live out their career, connect with their community, and be a part of causes they care about.

For Thursday, February 24, we caught up with University of Sioux Falls student, Nickolas Burns. Nick shares about his career journey and also gives us a look at the ways he’s generated income during college, including his current role as Business Development Manager for Deffenbaugh Homes.

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

Sioux Falls: 2022’s most affordable place to live & work in the US

Posted on February 24, 2022February 24, 2022 by leahb

When it comes to picking a place to live, one of the most important factors is affordability. For that reason, we’re excited to share that Sioux Falls tops the list of most affordable places to live and work in the U.S. for 2022! The ranking was compiled by GoodHire using census data, and ranked cities using the following criteria:

Wage Growth (20% weight)
Unemployment Rate (10% weight)
Job Growth (20% weight)
Percentage of Jobs Open (10% weight)
Renter Affordability (15% weight)
Homeowner Affordability (15% weight)
Real Per Capita Personal Income (10% weight)

Sioux Falls MSA ranked 8th in economic strength

Posted on February 24, 2022February 24, 2022 by leahb

POLICOM specializes in studying the dynamics of local economies and addresses the condition of an economy from the viewpoint of its impact upon the “standard of living” of the people who live and work in an area. The highest ranked areas have had rapid, consistent growth in both size and quality for an extended period. The lowest ranked areas have been in decline. The formulas used to determine economic strength measure how the economy has behaved, not what has caused it to perform.

In their 2022 study, POLICOM, ranked Sioux Falls 8^th best out of 384 Metropolitan Statistical Areas for our economic strength.

Building game-changing talent strategy starts with connecting here

Posted on February 24, 2022 by leahb

No matter what your industry, there’s likely talent waiting to support your business – if you know where to look.

“We understand that workforce is a shared, significant challenge for our business community,” said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

“Our approach is to try and turn that challenge into an opportunity as we help businesses find the talent they need now and in the future.”

The Sioux Falls Development Foundation takes a multifaceted approach to doing that, beginning before students graduate high school and continuing through their college experience.

Career Connections

When a student is exposed to work opportunities while still in high school, it can make a strong impression that resonates well after graduation.

The Development Foundation launched Career Connections in 2020 as a pilot program. It’s designed for the 30 percent of high school students who have little to no post-secondary plans, serving as an introduction to industries and careers within the Sioux Falls region.

Starting with 59 students rotating through five organizations, the program has grown quickly in popularity among educators, businesses and students, reaching more than 400 students who chose among 38 firms in 2021.

“The response has been tremendous from our community. Our partner organizations see the value of investing time and resources to expose them to the career and educational pathways available to them in the Sioux Falls community,” Guzzetta said.

One of those partners is Graham Tire, where students learn about opportunities in the auto industry.

“We need workers,” president David Mickelson said. “This program has opened the employment pipeline to high schools, which is something we needed to do.”

The data behind the program is encouraging. Career Connections has helped 72 percent of high school seniors with post-secondary and employment plans after graduation.

Lincoln High School seniors Abshir Ibrahim, Kishmar Eberline, Aleyda Callejas Cruz, Christina Furula, Alfred Toe and Junior Meselu are some of the many college-bound students thanks to their participation in the Career Connections program.

“Use the opportunities that you get and others wish they had because maybe one day you might give them one,” said Cruz, talking about what the Career Connections program means to her.

Cruz plans to study business at Southeast Technical College.

Ibrahim, inspired by his visit to LifeScape, applied and has been accepted into the University of South Dakota’s nursing program.

“Working directly with the teachers and students has enabled us to identify barriers and apply resources and help immediately to the students,” Guzzetta said.

The Career Connections program is available in six of our community’s largest high schools. The program is looking to expand next year to help define more career and educational pathways for students after graduation. To learn more about participation, email deniseg@siouxfalls.com.

Connecting in college

As students advance through college, the Development Foundation continues to connect them with Sioux Falls and the career opportunities available here.

When the pandemic began in 2020, the Development Foundation innovated and flawlessly transitioned programming from in person to virtual.

Digital enhancements included establishing a strong presence on Handshake, the largest collegiate online network dedicated to underserved students and alumni. This platform has simplified the communication and engagement process with administrators, professors and students.

“We enabled several ways to help organizations to connect and engage talent using Handshake, from programs, internships and employment opportunities,” Guzzetta said.

The Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s Handshake network has grown to more than 2 million students in less than two years.

For in-person experiences, new approaches to internships are becoming an innovative way for businesses to establish relationships with future employees.

In the fall 2021, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the city of Sioux Falls collaborated and launched a pilot micro internship program with the University of South Dakota’s Beacom School of Business.

Over eight weeks, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation helped 30 very motivated, talented college juniors and seniors with placement. Students engaged in intensive learning projects and experiences in financial services, construction, land development, manufacturing, government and nonprofits to apply knowledge to practical and real-life work experiences.

“Internships are increasingly becoming more the norm for students of all ages. Internships are evolving to year-round experiences for students,” Guzzetta said. “We are at the beginning stage with these experimental experiences, seeing demand increase daily for micro and project-based internships.”

The Sioux Falls Development Foundation plans to build on the robust internship program this year, with more students from USD and a new cohort from Augustana University to help smaller and midsize businesses attract the talent they need.

“Now is the time to get connected, so we can begin bringing talent into your organization that will help meet your workforce needs today and in the future,” Guzzetta said. “We’re making a difference both for students and for businesses, and we’re positioned to build on that success.”

Talent Thursday with James Payer II

Posted on February 18, 2022 by leahb

Talent Thursday for February 17, 2022, features James Payer II, Director of Marketing and Business Development for the Empire Mall in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He shares how he’s found Sioux Falls to be the perfect fit for his career, community, and cause. Tune in to our Facebook page each Thursday at 3 p.m. (CST) to hear from Sioux Falls residents and their stories of their career journey.

SFDF shares updates on workforce programs

Posted on February 15, 2022February 15, 2022 by leahb

As we look to 2026, we continue to view workforce as a key outcome of the Forward Sioux Falls campaign. The Sioux Falls Development Foundation is excited to report progress on our current workforce programs, and also to share new programs that will help fill the workforce pipeline in the Sioux Falls area.

Career Connections

A misconception about workforce development is that it only involves filling open positions. While this is one of the end goals of our programs, we have strategically started outreach efforts in our middle and high schools to support students and encourage them to seek high-demand careers after completing their high school education.

One of these programs is Career Connections. We’ve partnered with Brandon Valley, West Central, Harrisburg, Roosevelt, Lincoln, and Washington high schools to offer a weekly job shadowing experience that immerses these students into high-demand careers. There’s also an off-campus component that allows students to visit businesses in our key industries. Site visits from the 2021 Career Connections program included Electronic Systems Inc., Deffenbaugh Homes, Marmen Energy, and Grand Prairie Foods.

Many of these students are first-generation Americans and English is their second language. As Sioux Falls becomes more diverse, we must continue to reach these populations. To date, we’ve reached 461 students through this program, and it’s making a difference. Aleyda Callejas Cruz, a Career Connections student, shared why the program has been valuable to her and why she’d encourage other students to participate.

Aleyda Callejas Cruz, a Career Connections student at Lincoln High School.

“Use the opportunities that you get and others wish they had because maybe one day you might give them one.”

If your business would like to host a Career Connections visit, please contact deniseg@siouxfalls.com.

Recruitment Council

On Thursday, Feb. 3, we hosted our first Recruitment Council meeting of 2022. The Recruitment Council is a monthly meeting open to business leaders, HR professionals, and education and career guidance professionals to educate on best practices for attracting, retaining, and developing talent.

The first meeting of the year focused on internships. Attendees listened to a presentation on “4 innovative ways to increase your ROI through internships,” followed by a Q&A panel featuring Dr. Venky Venkatachalam (Dean of the University of South Dakota Beacom School of Business) and Tegan Molden (employee benefits specialist with Marsh McLennan Agency in Sioux Falls). The panel was moderated by Jodi Schwan (founder and publisher of SiouxFalls.Business), and attendees received great insight into best practices for internships as a way to fill their talent needs. If you are interested in joining our Workforce Information Now (WIN) email list to stay up to date on the latest workforce development events, please contact deniseg@siouxfalls.com.

UPSKILL Sioux Falls Program

In August, the SFDF received notification that we’d received a $100,000 workforce marketing and incentive grant from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED). 50 % of this grant is to be used for workforce incentives or upskilling programs. In working with our partners at the South Dakota Association of General Contractors (AGC) and Southeast Technical College (STC), we identified a critical need for enhanced training for first-time Commercial Drivers License (CDL) applicants.

New federal requirements for entry-level driver training for the CDL went into effect on Feb. 7, and apply to all entry-level drivers seeking the following licenses:

Class A or Class B CDL for the first time
Upgrading an existing Class B CDL to Class A CDL
Obtaining a first-time school bus (S), passenger (P) or hazardous materials (H) endorsement

Courses will be instructed through STC and will be cost split between SFDF, GOED, and the businesses participating. This cost structure is stipulated by the grant, but still allows businesses to receive upskilling for their employee(s) at a fraction of what the cost would be under normal circumstances.

Our current partners offering this CDL upskilling include: K and J Trucking, Inc., South Dakota Trucking Association, and Southeast Technical College. If your business has a need for training CDL drivers, please contact deniseg@siouxfalls.com.

The Sioux Falls Development Foundation anticipates launching the workforce upskilling program in April 2022.

Talent Thursday with Brienne Maner

Posted on February 11, 2022February 11, 2022 by leahb

Brienne Maner, executive director of Startup Sioux Falls, joins us for Talent Thursday on February 10, 2022. She shares the latest insights from Startup Sioux Falls as well as her career journey from her first years in Minneapolis to how she found her way back to her roots in Sioux Falls.

SFDF reports recent land sales and infrastructure updates

Posted on February 8, 2022February 8, 2022 by leahb

Recent closings and projected sales

The Sioux Falls Development Foundation is pleased to report recent land sales from Foundation Park and Sioux Empire Development Park VIII. We experienced a strong close to 2021, and are looking forward to a busy 2022!

Closed Sales – 2021

Company	Park	Acres	Sq. Ft.	Start/Completion date
CJ Foods	Foundation Park	141	700,000	Operational Summer 2024
FedEx	Foundation Park	36	337,000	Operational Summer 2022
Muth Electric	Foundation Park	7		Breaking ground Summer 2022
Outdoor Gear	Park VIII	8	50,000	Operational Fall 2022
Presidio Components	Park VIII	13	80,000	Operational Fall 2022
Minnehaha Properties	Park VII	1.49

Closed Sales – 2022

Company	Park	Acres
Site Works	Park VIII	3.46

Sioux Empire Development Park VIII infrastructure update

Located between Benson Road and 60th Street North, Interstate 229 and Sycamore Avenue, Park VIII has seen strong interest within the past year. As a result, the SFDF has identified the need for bringing additional shovel-ready, non-rail sites online.

The expansion of Park VIII involves grading and building out Bahnson Avenue from Benson Road (near the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society) through the park to 60^th St. North. The SFDF has engaged Runge Enterprises as the grading contractor.

The grading began in November 2021, and is estimated to be complete by August 30, 2022. Additionally, the construction of Bahnson Avenue through the park will be bid out in March 2022, with construction estimated to be complete by November 4, 2022.

This project will bring roughly 180 acres of contiguous non-rail lots online, with grading work being done on the 50-acre and 36-acre sites.

The Foundation is excited to continue to advance the goals of Forward Sioux Falls and grow the economy of the Sioux Falls area. Thank you for your continued support of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation!

He’s from Kansas; she’s from Indiana.

They met in Dallas, Texas.

And as of the past few weeks, Sioux Falls has now become home.

“It really is a community,” Preston Schraeder said. “We felt that even when we were visiting.”

Preston and his wife, Sherree, discovered Sioux Falls through their friends Tyson and Nikki Ellenbecker.

“Tyson was one of my roommates in dental school at Creighton,” Preston said. “And his family is based in South Dakota, and his uncle has been an owner in Southwestern Dental for about 20 years. Tyson had always said such great things about Sioux Falls, and then it became less joking about it and more thinking it was an option to move here.”

Preston and Sherree Schraeder, and Nikki and Tyson Ellenbecker

As someone without a family history in dentistry, Preston had to grow his own practice. He followed college friends to Dallas, where he met Sherree, who works in medical equipment and supply distribution.

“I went to the University of Texas in Austin for college and didn’t want to leave after graduation,” she said. “I just loved it so much, the weather was great, and I had a job lined up after school, which took me to Dallas where I met Preston.”

But after several years, they determined the Dallas area wasn’t where they saw their future.

“We felt maybe there were better opportunities, specifically for Preston, outside of Dallas,” Sherree said. “There were things that maybe weren’t ideal long term as a place to plant our roots.”

Still, “for us to finally come to the decision that Sioux Falls was a good place for us took a journey,” she continued.

They visited with their good friends several times and got to know the Ellenbeckers’ friends.

“With all the couples we’re friends with, usually one person in the marriage is from here or went to college here and they’re moving back,” Sherree said.

“A lot of them are between 30 and 40 and starting families, and they’ve come back here for a reason, and they like it, and we like these people. So I feel like we’re making a good decision. We’re moving where we have friends, and they’ve created a small community around them, and all those people have been very welcoming and excited we’re moving here.”

The move solidified when Preston unexpectedly had the opportunity to purchase Riverview Dental, where he’s now seeing patients at 2425 W. 57th St.

“My goal is to have a very traditional family practice,” he said. “It has a great patient base already, and we were very lucky to retain almost every staff member. I walked in, and it was perfect, it was what I wanted to create, so it’s nice to not have to go through the growing pains because it’s here and ready to go.”

As a medical hub, Sioux Falls becomes a natural fit for a wide variety of professionals, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

“No matter what your career stage or specialty, you’re going to find a fit here,” she said.

“And for someone like Preston in dentistry, when you consider our growing population, the demand is going to be there. And for Sherree, whether she chooses to work remotely or locally, her skills are going to be in demand whenever she might want to consider her opportunities.”

Sherree is still in the process of moving from Dallas and said her early impressions about life in Sioux Falls are positive.

“I was surprised by how many restaurants and boutiques are downtown,” she said.

“I feel like every time we drive through, no matter what the temperature, people are outside walking around. And I don’t think COVID has caused any places to shut down. It seems like it’s alive and well, and that’s really nice to see. It’s a little smaller than Dallas, but I think there’s a lot here and everyone really loves living here.”

Preston agrees.

“It’s amazing how courteous and kind people are,” he said. “Texas is great and has Southern appeal, but it’s also a big city, and people are moving in from everywhere, and sometimes you get a little lost. It’s crazy traffic. You don’t feel that here. But at the same time, we go downtown and there are great restaurants, and it really does provide.”

For now, they’re glad to have found an apartment and are house hunting in south Sioux Falls. Sherree anticipates it won’t be long before their two dogs are making themselves at home on the city recreation trail.

“We lived near a walking path in Dallas and used it all the time, so I anticipate they’ll be running around Sioux Falls in no time,” she said. “We’ve been given really great recommendations. Everyone’s suggestions have been so helpful, so it makes us feel right at home.”

A city of 200,000

The following is a news release from the City of Sioux Falls.

Upon another strong year of construction, strong job growth, and improvements within our community’s quality of life standards, Sioux Falls continues to see its population increase.

The population of Sioux Falls now is estimated at 202,600, a growth of 6,750 people over the last year. This 6,750-person increase over the past 12 months means the city grew at a rate of 3.45 percent.

Historically, Sioux Falls has averaged a 4,280-person annual increase for more than a decade (2.40 percent annually). In 2020, the city’s population grew by 5,100 (2.7 percent).

The population estimate is calculated by Planning and Development Services, based on a variety of data points from the U.S. Census Bureau and local building permit information.