This past Friday, November 5th, the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded Rock Nelson, the Executive Director of South Dakota’s International Trade Center, the 2021 President’s “E” Award for Outstanding Export Service Provider at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The President’s “E” Award is the highest recognition that any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports.
“South Dakota’s International Trade Center has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion. The “E” Awards Committee was very impressed with South Dakota’s International Trade Center’s delivery of a variety of trade events over the past several years. The organization’s customized client support was also particularly notable. South Dakota’s International Trade Center’s achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs.” said Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, in her congratulatory letter announcing its selection as an award recipient.
South Dakota’s International Trade Center, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is the statewide provider of export services for small and medium-sized U.S. businesses, including supply chain management, international freight logistics, export consulting, export financing, strategic planning, importing, Foreign Trade Zones, documentation, rules, regulations and compliance – both domestic and foreign and more.
Rock Nelson, its Executive Director, said that “Exporting is crucial to the success of the businesses that we work with. Every day we see the growth of our clients’ businesses, due in large part to exporting. This growth has enabled our clients to add jobs and support their local communities as they expand their bottom line.”
In total, the U.S. Department of Commerce honored 71 U.S. companies and organizations from across the country for their role in strengthening the U.S. economy by sharing American ingenuity outside of our borders. The ceremony was held to jointly recognize awardees from 2021, (32 organizations) and 2020, (39 organizations).
In 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order reviving the World War II “E” symbol of excellence to honor and provide recognition to America’s exporters. Criteria for the award is based on four years of successive export growth and case studies which demonstrate valuable support to exporters resulting in increased exports for its clients.
U.S. companies are nominated for the “E” Awards through the U.S. Commercial Service, the export promotion arm of the of the Department’s International Trade Administration. With offices in over 100 cities across the United States and in 75 markets around the world, the International Trade Administration is the premier resource for American companies competing in the global marketplace.
For more information about the “E” Awards and the benefits of exporting, visit www.trade.gov.
The Sioux Falls Development Foundation posthumously honored Tom Kelley, longtime CEO of Gage Brothers Concrete Products, with its ‘Spirit of Sioux Falls’ Award at their 2021 Annual Meeting on Wednesday, November 10.
The award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated leadership and commitment to the economic growth and development of Sioux Falls. The award honors the memory of David Birkeland, Angus Anson, and Roger Hainje, who perished along with Governor George Mickelson and other state officials and staff in 1993 as they returned from an economic development mission.
“This year’s Spirit of Sioux Falls Award, like the gentlemen it honors, leaves a legacy,” Foundation Board Chairman Pat Costello said. “Our winner was a Board Member, but he was so much more. He was mentor, a servant leader, and a volunteer throughout the community.”
In addition to his international acclaim in the precast concrete industry, Kelley served on the Development Foundation’s Board of Directors and was active in many other areas of the community. He was especially passionate about preparing Sioux Falls’ students for the workforce by volunteering with the Foundation’s middle school STEM programming.
“He was just a tremendous leader, and I think his imprint on our community is deep,” Costello said.
Talent Draft Day is a one-day program for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students dedicated to career awareness, employer networking, and professional development. The goal of the event is part of our broader workforce development strategy and aims to connect students to career opportunities available in Sioux Falls. Areas of focus include health and biosciences, engineering, general business, industrial trades, and media arts.
Watch this recap to learn more about Talent Draft Day 2021.
Interested in being part of our next workforce development event?
The 2021 WIN in Workforce Summit brought together business owners, HR professionals, and educators to hear the latest tips and tricks for how to retain their best employees, attract new ones, and create workplaces that people are proud to be a part of. Get a recap of the event here.
What does the workforce of the future look like? It depends on where you’re viewing it.
For Matt Paulson, founder and CEO of the state’s largest digital media company MarketBeat, “the future is hybrid,” he said.
“People want flexibility, but they also want to be in an office. And I’m seeing people move to different jobs for more flexibility. I think that’s a trend. They’re less interested in jobs where you’re working a ton of hours with no flexibility.”
For Lucas Fiegen, vice president of Fiegen Construction, “I think the biggest thing is you have to be creative,” he said. “We saw an opportunity to expand the industry and help workforce, and it was saying yes to those things and thinking through how to do it strategically.”
Those two, plus dozens of other local experts, will share their insight at the upcoming WIN in Workforce Summit on Oct. 28 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. The annual event, produced by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, will feature keynote speaker Chad Greenway and multiple sessions revolving around topics such as Your Workforce in 2030, 4 Tools for Retaining High-Functioning Teams, Talent Tips That Work and Future Labor Skills – Employment Prospectus 2030.
“We have an incredible lineup of presenters that ensures you’re going to leave this event with actionable takeaways you can immediately apply in your workplace,” said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development.
“Whether you’re trying to understand Generation Z, hoping to improve your recruitment and retention or looking to learn some best practices, this event is going to deliver for you.”
For Paulson, who will speak on the 2030 workforce, the pandemic has represented “a 10-year leap forward” in terms of how, when and where people work.
In his own downtown office, “nobody’s there the entire day,” he said. “I get a sense of productivity by how long projects remain on their plate. We’ve done a great job attracting people by saying we’re not X big employer. We get applicants looking for something different, so that’s been an advantage.”
He also sees more people trying out being their own boss.
“People sometimes see the good parts of entrepreneurship and don’t realize you have to work 60 hours a week for a long time or more,” he said. “But the equation in people’s heads is changing too. It’s not about maximum cash and who cares how much I work. It’s more of a ‘how can I fit my job around my lifestyle’ and not my lifestyle around my job.”
Fiegen will speak at the summit about how his family business has seen success increasing interest in the trades through a unique partnership with O’Gorman High School to support the school’s industrial arts program.
“Year one they were building sawhorses and sheds, and now we’re starting to get other trades involved, so this year they were pouring and finishing concrete, and next semester we’re going to have some masons come out and show them how to lay a block foundation,” Fiegen said.
“We’re trying to figure out as the program evolves how they can have hands-on experience in a multitude of industries.”
It has expanded to add CAD technology and 3D-printing programs and has attracted more students than anticipated.
“My uncle Rusty goes in once or twice a semester and talks about next steps and where kids can go, including tech school, and the different opportunities they have,” Fiegen said.
His company also is working with new employees aspiring to management positions to start them in the field, including mentoring and shadowing.
“We want them to get in-the-field experience and then transition them into a construction management role.”
Livability ranked Sioux Falls a top 20 city to live. The ranking was configured based on scores in civics, demographics, economy, education, health, housing, infrastructure, amenities, and remote readiness.
Learn more about the ranking and see how other cities stacked up on Livability.
Just when you thought you’d figured out your millennial workforce — here comes the next generation.
By 2030, the number of Generation Z employees in the U.S. workforce will triple, bringing with them a burst of creative and digital-friendly skills essential to the U.S. remaining competitive globally.
Already termed “influencers” and “digital creators,” Gen Z’s hypercognitive and socially driven communication styles and workplace preferences undoubtedly will have a positive impact.
This incoming generation will be one subject covered in the upcoming WIN in Workforce Summit on Oct. 28, headlined by Chad Greenway.
From best practices on enhancing communication and engagement tips to competitive incentives, this strategic learning session will provide the tools your organization needs now to prepare for the newest generation of talent, including:
Discussing global generational trends impacting your current and future human capital strategies.
Gaining an understanding of the ties between engagement and inclusion while learning best practices.
Nathan LaCroix, talent acquisition sourcer for Avera Health, will participate in the discussion “Workforce Guide for Generation Z.”
The panel will be moderated by Greta Stewart of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and also includes Breanne Lynch from the Harrisburg School District and Josh Muckenhirn of ISG.
We sat down with LaCroix for a preview of the conversation.
First, how do you define Generation Z? Is it by birth year, life experience? And what are their key characteristics?
I would define Generation Z as the cohort following millennials, born between late 1990s and early 2010s. Generation Z is the largest generation in American history and constitutes 27 percent of the country’s population.
This the most diverse generation by far, considered digital natives since they grew up with internet and during the rise of smartphones. They tend to be independent, hardworking, highly educated, higher demand for flexibility.
As you recruit members of Gen Z, what stands out? How are you adjusting your approach for them?
It’s important to customize the different recruitment tactics. Focusing on more social media efforts, possibly collaborating with influencers, improving the organization’s perception within the age group. We highlight our value proposition and the value the particular position brings to the organization. This helps them understand the importance of the role and the change to make a meaningful impact. Going beyond status quo is important.
How about a little Generation 101. How do you find Gen Z differs from millennials?
Gen Z are defined by their competitiveness, independence and wanting to be judged by their own merits. They are skilled at multitasking as they have always lived in the connected world.
What should organizations know about creating an optimal work environment that both attracts and retains Gen Z?
It’s important that organizations are offering flexibility, coaching opportunities from peers, providing meaningful work, work/life balance, clear development opportunities and social awareness — because they are digital natives.
What do you hope WIN attendees take away from this conversation?
Just how influential Gen Z is and how much of a positive impact organizations can realize when having them join the workforce. We can evolve with Gen Z and provide best practices to help retain and recruit top talent.
Great things are ahead, and I, for one, am excited to work with the next generation.
From striking the right balance between personal freedoms and workplace harmony to issues involving pay equity, employers have mounting issues to navigate in addition to workforce challenges.
Those topics that are considered workforce legislative issues will be the subject of a session at the upcoming WIN in Workforce Summit organized by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation on Oct. 28, headlined by Chad Greenway.
Justin Smith, a shareholder of Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith PC, will be among the speakers.
Moderated by Sandra Wallace of First Premier Bank, the panel also includes Debra Owen of the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and Marcella Prokop of Southeast Tech.
We sat down with Smith for a preview of the conversation.
This is a full topic, so let’s tackle each area first. What issues have surfaced in the workplace around civility, and what should employers and lawmakers be aware of?
In the last few decades, employers have become increasingly focused on fostering positive, collaborative workplaces. Workplaces are more productive and morale is higher among employees where civility is a priority. On the whole, workplace “civility” is not something lawmakers should have to address through statute, although some laws have been enacted in this area. In 2014, for example, Tennessee became the first state to pass a “Healthy Workplace Act,” which encourages anti-bullying and respectful workplace policies. Courts will not generally punish workplace harassment unless it implicates some “protected characteristic” under the law – i.e., sex, race, age, religion, national origin, disability or some other protected class.
Many of us would probably approach the concept of “civility” by citing the Golden Rule – treat others as you want to be treated. Much of the concept of “civility” can be addressed through proactive employer policies. Employer and workplace policies have been drafted for decades to include requirements for respectful interaction with co-workers and customers. More recently, employers have begun to draft policies to include guidelines on inclusiveness, viewpoint tolerance and anti-bullying. When formulating such policies, it is advisable to seek counsel from your employment law attorney.
How have freedom of speech issues been evolving in the workplace? What are the emerging themes there?
In general, the First Amendment prohibits the federal government from enacting laws that would restrict an individual’s right to say or express themselves how they choose. While the protections for freedom of speech have been expanded over time, the First Amendment has limited application in private workplaces. Even if your employer is a government entity, your speech is typically only protected if it involves an area of public concern. In South Dakota, most private employment is “at will,” meaning an employer can terminate an employee at any time, for any reason, without incurring legal liability. Even so, employer decisions motivated by employee speech can create legal liability. This is particularly true where the speech at issue could qualify as “concerted activity” or where an employer policy on employee speech only affects a certain, protected class of people.
Some states have expanded the protections afforded to freedom of speech in private workplaces, including prohibiting employers from influencing employees’ votes and prohibiting discrimination based on political affiliation of employees. Such issues in South Dakota are typically addressed through employee policies adopted by private employers. These types of policies must strike a delicate balance. On the one hand, employees can be allowed some freedom to discuss political, social and related topics with co-workers. On the other hand, employers must be careful to prevent freedom of speech from infringing on workplace productivity and civility. For these reasons, private employers should consult with human resources and legal experts when crafting such policies.
Equal pay has been an issue for decades, but what elements of it are top of mind or should be today?
This topic is mostly outside my wheelhouse as an attorney, although I have seen legislation introduced in Pierre during my lobbying practice. In 1963, Congress enacted the Equal Pay Act, making it illegal for employers to pay women lower wages than men for equal work on jobs requiring the same skill, effort and responsibility. Many South Dakotans do not realize that we have also had pertinent law on our books for over 50 years. State statute prohibits an employer from discriminating between employees on the basis of sex by paying a lower wage for comparable work. Violations of the statute can be grounds for affected employees to sue their employer to recover unpaid wages and attorneys’ fees. The statutes further protect employees from retaliatory action in response to reports or lawsuits. Apart from these types of laws, much of the issue of equal pay is left to the free market.
What should organizations know more broadly about themes you’re seeing in the legal world that could directly impact their ability to recruit and retain?
Starting with recruitment, the legal issues implicated with job postings, candidate research, interviews and job offers continue to keep HR staff busy. However, the rise of remote work and virtual conferencing has led to some legal nuances with workforce recruitment. When hiring remotely or for a remote position, HR staff must first identify the best way to advertise for candidates. Availability of technology can lead to disparate impact among prospective employees. There is also the security side of virtual recruitment, including the risks to confidential information and potential that interviews will be recorded. On the practical side, employers and HR staff must wrestle with the implications of never interacting with candidates face to face before — or even after — hiring.
Switching gears to employee retention, the current job market often gives employees more leverage in the areas of wages, benefits and workplace conditions. Where practicable, an increasing number of employees are pushing for the ability to work remotely. Employers and HR staff must balance employee requests against the realities of the employer’s industry and structure. From a legal standpoint, employers should consult with HR and legal professionals to consider the impact of giving new employees wages and other benefits comparable to existing personnel. Remote work will again raise security, confidentiality and related concerns for willing employers.
What do you hope WIN attendees take away from this conversation?
The more things change, the more they stay the same. The COVID pandemic has certainly highlighted issues like workplace civility, freedom of speech and equal pay. However, even before the pandemic, topics like these were on the minds of employers, employees and lawmakers. As always, it is the proactive businesses that will set the trends on how these issues are addressed. The WIN attendees are demonstrating their commitment to engaging with these and other important topics for the benefit of our local workforce and business community. I am grateful for the invitation to join the WIN conference and speak to these developing topics.
For Talent Thursday on October 14, 2021, we visited with Andrea Carstensen, Business Development Officer at Minnwest Bank. She shares her career journey and why she’s planting her roots in Sioux Falls!
The Sioux Falls Development Foundation is excited to welcome Adri VanGroningen as our new administrative and events coordinator.
After growing up in Ripon, California, Adri attended Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa, where she earned her degree in graphic design. While in college, she took part in internship experiences with Dordt’s marketing office, as well as a semester in Chicago as an intern for Choose Chicago, the city’s official destination marketing organization. Upon graduation, she moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where she worked for two years as a marketing and communications specialist for Valley Christian Schools.
In August, she moved to Sioux Falls to be closer to her friends from college, but also because she loves the city’s continuous growth and hometown feel.
“Sioux Falls is a growing city with a lot of cool things happening and I wanted to be a part of it,” she said. “I went to college an hour away from Sioux Falls, and would escape to the city any chance I could get. I built lifelong friendships in the area and it made Sioux Falls feel like home.”
The Foundation is excited to have Adri on the team. She’ll be providing administrative support to all staff, as well as coordinating groundbreakings, meetings, and other special events hosted by the Foundation. Her background in graphic design and photography will be a great asset to us as well.
“Being part of the team at the Sioux Falls Development Foundation is a great opportunity to get connected and be a part of what is happening in Sioux Falls.”
South Dakota is the #1 state in Moody’s Analytics & CNN Business’ Back-to-Normal Index. Comprised of 37 indicators, the Index compares the current economy to pre-pandemic levels. As of 8/20/21 South Dakota surpassed pre-pandemic levels by 11%.
When it comes to hardworking people, we already knew that South Dakota leads the way. Now, we have an accolade to prove it! WalletHub has ranked South Dakota as the 4th hardest working state in America.
Learn more about the ranking and see how other states stacked up on WalletHub.
Mike Strandell’s initial foray into entrepreneurship was an experience likely shared by many.
“I jumped in the deep end not knowing how far the shore was,” said Strandell, a Watertown, S.D. native who has led multiple companies.
He quickly learned to “swim” in the early 2000s, after his initial acquisition of Macurco, a company that specializes in commercial and industrial gas detection.
It was founded in 1972 in Denver and did $3 million in revenue when Strandell took over in 2001. He grew it to $15 million, then sold it to 3M five years later.
But what might have sounded like a classic successful entrepreneurial exit turned out to be anything but.
“3M moved it to Austin, TX and brought it to an existing factory, but it became secondary to the core business and subsequently wasn’t performing,” Strandell said.
By the end of the decade, he was approaching 3M about buying it back – with the plan to move it back to South Dakota.
“When Jeff said he wanted to come back here, we were all over that,” said Chad Hatch, managing partner of Sioux Falls-based Bird Dog Equity Partners, which invested in the company.
After a lot of research and consulting with state and local economic development leaders, Macurco made the decision to move in 2014.
“We became convinced Sioux Falls was the place,” Strandell said.
“We started with a bare bones operation and consequently have grown to almost 30. Our revenues have increased quite substantially, probably five times from when we took it back from 3M, so we couldn’t be happier.”
Macurco primarily sells products designed to control ventilation in confined spaces, such as parking garages and warehouses. In many states, new buildings with parking ramps are required to install natural gas detectors.
The company also serves the oil and gas market with wearable protection and personal safety, area protection on oil and gas rigs and explosive-proof environments.
“And we are into municipal wastewater treatment plants where they made have different needs for gas detection,” Strandell said. “Our technology covers a great variety of gases.”
It deliberately decided not to focus on residential markets, so while a major security system chain might include Macurco detection products in its installations, they’re not found on the shelves of major retailers.
About 15 to 18 percent of the company’s is international, with exports going to Latin America, Mexico, some in South America, “and we do quite a bit into the Middle East, Dubai is a big one, Saudi Arabia a little bit and a little bit into Africa,” said Jeff Christiansen, company president and minority owner, who runs the day-to-day operations.
“We have some clients in Mexico City who have worked with Macurco since the 1990s, and we don’t have a big problem getting things exported out of here. Everyone has been very helpful when we’ve needed them.”
The Sioux Falls operation began in a relatively small 5,000-square-foot building but evolved to double in size in a new facility in 2017 at 3601 N. St. Paul Ave.
The footprint is bigger than that, though.
“All our spend on supply chain is with ESI (Electronic Systems Inc.) here in town, so they build all our printed circuit boards and we work closely with them,” Christiansen said.
Growth has been tracking about 12 to 15 percent a year, “and we’ve got a healthy bottom line along with it,” Hatch said.
Macurco’s story is a solid example of the kind of success companies find in Sioux Falls, said Dean Dziedzic, vice president of economic development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“There are just so many layers to it that illustrate why companies enjoy doing business here,” he said. “Here you have a company that moved from Texas, saw significant revenue growth, praises the workforce, works in partnership with another great local business, exports successfully and continues to invest here. We couldn’t be happier for their success.”
Strandell underscored the value Macurco has found in Sioux Falls too.
“We have quality employees. We have a great workforce. I don’t think we could have made a better choice for where to located the business,” he said.
“And our products are life safety products. We get calls all the time thanking us for having a quality product that actually saved someone’s life. When you reflected on how many hundreds of thousands of products we’ve sold, we’ve affected a lot of lives and I think it’s something to be proud of.”
DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION LAUNCHES “WORK SIOUX FALLS”
Our community is receiving interest from individuals all over the nation on relocating here to work and live. The Sioux Falls Development Foundation is implementing Phase II of the community’s talent and workforce recruitment campaign to leverage interest and promote employment opportunities available within our existing businesses.
While the year started amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions on business operations and our “normal” way of life, the Development Foundation continued to address the needs of the business community with breakthrough workforce development programming, new land sales and targeted marketing to other states and industries. As we approach the end of our 2021 fiscal year, we have begun to recognize the results of our chosen strategic directions.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT: LAND, WORKFORCE, HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT
These were among the topics discussed at the Development Foundation’s Annual Board Retreat in May as the Board began to strategically plan for the next five years of the Forward Sioux Falls program and future activities of the Foundation.
FORMER MINNESOTA VIKINGS LINEBACKER CHAD GREENWAY TO HEADLINE WIN IN WORKFORCE SUMMIT
South Dakota native and former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway will headline the annual WIN in Workforce Summit on October 28 at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
Forward Sioux Falls, a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, is nearing the end of the public fundraising portion of our capital campaign that will provide funding for the next five-year economic development program.
SIOUX FALLS DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION WELCOMES LEAH BLOM
The Sioux Falls Development Foundation is pleased to welcome Leah Blom, who has joined the team as our digital and social media specialist. She will manage all of the Foundation’s digital and social media marketing efforts, as well as provide marketing support for all of SFDF’s programs and initiatives.
Founded in 1976, Furniture Mart USA has grown from a single location in Sioux Falls to a family of brands with 59 stores in 35 communities across six-states. The groundbreaking ceremony marks construction on a $25 million, 300,000 square foot addition to their distribution center and corporate headquarters in Sioux Falls. In addition to relocating the existing retail clearance center, the project includes a new 40,000 square foot Furniture Mart and 40,000 square foot Ashley HomeStore with improved customer conveniences.
AUGUSTANA UNIVERSITY RESIDENCE HALL GROUNDBREAKING
Augustana broke ground on an $50 million housing plan focused on new and enhanced facilities to meet the needs of the growing number of students on campus.
You might think finding a first job as a police officer wouldn’t be that hard.
Rachel Mitchell found out otherwise.
It was 2012, and the new graduate from North Carolina’s Elon University had realized while studying journalism and criminal justice that she wanted to be a police officer.
“I applied all over,” said Mitchell, a Delaware native. “I was not really ‘in the know’ about how hard it was to get a police job, especially when you don’t have family in law enforcement.”
The job search led to all kinds of short-term roles – from waitressing to working a brief stint as a corrections officer in a prison to the district attorney’s office in Philadelphia, where she worked two years as a paralegal and realized “I definitely still wanted to work in law enforcement.”
By then, in a bigger city, she was able to land a job in 2016. She started on bike patrol right out of the academy and then moved to an area of the city known as “the heroin capital of the country,” she said. “So we were right in the midst of the opioid epidemic as fentanyl was coming out and people were getting hard with it.”
But last year, she was working in West Philadelphia when the need to make a change hit.
“Obviously, the whole world has kind of been under a lot of stress with the COVID pandemic, and I looked around at who was handling the response well and who was handling it poorly,” she said. “For a lot of people, their quality of life depends on their ability to move about freely and go to work and provide for their families, and I saw the impact of some of the restrictions people struggled with.”
It hit especially close to home.
“My mom lost her small business due to COVID because she lives in a place where restrictions kept her business closed so long she wasn’t able to come back from it,” Mitchell said.
“I was a front-line worker and worked the whole time, but I saw what it did to people who were crushed by serious restrictions. So my husband and I started looking for where we could relocate where there’s strong local leadership and support for law enforcement from the community and government.”
The search led her to Sioux Falls, where she didn’t know anyone but found the Sioux Falls Police Department willing to work through the hiring process with her.
“They made it really nice and easy for me because I lived so far,” Mitchell said. “They consolidated all my testing into one week because I wasn’t sure I could swing it flying out more than once. So it was perfect because I was able to come out here in January and had my testing in the morning, and when it was done, we still had the night to explore the town and drive around and look at apartments and go out to eat and interact with people and see if it was a community where we could see ourselves moving.”
You read that right: They visited in January.
“Overall, there are so many little things people probably take for granted, like not having much traffic, and I know I haven’t hit the winter, but the weather’s been good so far,” Mitchell said.
“I just feel like the environment overall is extremely easygoing, and it’s very refreshing coming from a hustle-and-bustle environment in a huge city where everyone is rushing and honking at each other and not really concerned about the person on their left or their right.”
People like Mitchell “are a home run for public safety in Sioux Falls,” Mayor Paul TenHaken said.
“They’ve already made a commitment to a law enforcement career; they just need to find a home where they can do that job well and an environment that will support and equip them. It’s great to see the number of law enforcement professionals that are reaching out to our department and want to make Sioux Falls their home.”
The city has seen more out-of-state recruits than anytime in the past, he added.
“From a recruiting standpoint, these officers come into our department with reciprocity and make the training and orientation process quicker and easier because of the skills they bring to the job day one,” TenHaken said.
“This community has always been a strong supporter of law enforcement, and we’re certainly seeing that in our out-of-state recruitment numbers right now.”
Now, that Mitchell is an official member of the Sioux Falls Police Department, she said she’s feeling support inside and outside of her workplace.
“It just seems both the community and the people that work within our department have our best interest in mind, which is huge,” she said. “I would say a lot of people who work in other departments, especially in big metropolitan cities, can’t say the same thing. From what I’ve gathered here, people want to come to work to do the right thing and have each other’s backs and keep the community safe, which is the whole point of policing.”
Her husband, Justin, who has a background both in teaching special education and managing a butcher shop, was recently hired by Look’s Marketplace.
“And he’s very happy there,” she said. “We went to dinner there, and he asked if they were hiring because he had worked at a similar place back home, and all they asked was if he needed another week to settle in.”
The couple’s experience is increasingly common in the Sioux Falls area, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development at the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“We are seeing one spouse attracted to our city by a fantastic career opportunity, and the next thing you know, the other spouse also has found an incredible next career move,” she said. “And they both find they absolutely love the lifestyle and the community support here.”
That’s definitely been the case for the Mitchells.
“Here, I just get more of a community vibe,” she said. “People interact even if they don’t know each other, and they’re overall more kind and definitely more happy. It just seems like a more warm environment than where I was living. That type of lifestyle wears on you over time. So it’s super refreshing to come to a place where people are happy to get up and go to work every day and spend time with their families. People overall seem more grateful for what they have here.”
