Talent Thursday with Nick Burns

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

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:

  1. Wage Growth (20% weight)
  2. Unemployment Rate (10% weight)
  3. Job Growth (20% weight)
  4. Percentage of Jobs Open (10% weight)
  5. Renter Affordability (15% weight)
  6. Homeowner Affordability (15% weight)
  7. Real Per Capita Personal Income (10% weight)

Sioux Falls MSA ranked 8th in economic strength

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 8th best out of 384 Metropolitan Statistical Areas for our economic strength.

Building game-changing talent strategy starts with connecting here

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

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

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.

 

Recruitment Council

 

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.

SFDF reports recent land sales and infrastructure updates

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