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. In the spring and summer of 2019, she worked with the Foundation as a social media intern, and is excited to be back in a full-time position.
“I had such an awesome internship experience here, I’ve always wanted to come back,” Blom said. “It’s so fun to be a part of all the exciting things going on economically in Sioux Falls.”
Blom is a native of Pipestone, MN, and is a 2019 graduate of Augustana University. Previously, she worked at The First National Bank in Sioux Falls as a content strategist and copywriter on the bank’s marketing team. Aside from her marketing skill set, she loves Sioux Falls, and is looking forward to helping the Foundation continue to make Sioux Falls a great place to live.
“Growing up in a rural area, there were limited options for shopping and entertainment, so my family came to Sioux Falls all the time. Because of that, it became like a second hometown to me, which is what eventually led me to attend college here and move here after school. Organizations like SFDF who invest in improving Sioux Falls are the reason for stories like mine, and I’m excited to help others experience how great our community really is,” Blom said.
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.
Land – As the Foundation continues to sell property in Foundation Park and Park VIII creating new jobs and tax base, leadership has begun to research and explore property that may serve as the next industrial park well into the future. Finding land with assets similar to Foundation Park will be a challenge and will take the cooperation and support of the City, the State, and the private sector. The recent passage of the Tax Increment Finance District for Foundation Park North and the ability to develop infrastructure will serve as a catalyst to complete the Park and attract industries to the region. We will look toward regional solutions as well and work to include neighboring communities in this effort.
Workforce – We hear it loud and clear. We need more workers. We need to continue building our workforce from within and recruit talent, filling the talent pipeline with more qualified people. We will continue to grow programs; strengthening our ties to universities, colleges, tech schools and community colleges to attract new talent to the region. We will work with our local school districts to engage middle school and high school students in career education, apprenticeships, and internships to keep our talent here. We will continue to recruit production workers from across the region promoting the excellent quality of life available in the metro area and the quality of jobs available here.
Housing – As we recruit companies and workforce to the region, it is imperative that we also partner with the City, the State and other housing advocates to provide more housing options and affordable solutions. Supporting state programs and legislative incentives to meet the housing challenges and playing an active role in implementing those solutions should be a part of our efforts.
Redevelopment – As Sioux Falls continues to expand, the City is looking for ways to utilize existing infrastructure and redevelop targeted areas of Sioux Falls with alternative housing choices, upgraded commercial opportunities and less expensive alternatives to development. Targeted areas of the community can be redeveloped to expand the tax base, provide affordable housing options, and improve access to City services and quality of life amenities. We believe the Development Foundation can play a role in these efforts and will work with City officials to implement a plan.
As we continue to aggressively implement our plan of action for 2021, we will begin to expand our role and work with multiple partners to assist with these challenges moving forward. We appreciate the continued support of our members, our investors and our elected officials and will continue to meet the challenges of growth with the collaboration needed to succeed.
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.
In October of 2020, we announced the sale of 80 acres to Amazon for their new five-story, 3.2 million square foot distribution center promising 1,000 new jobs and a $200 million investment. Later that quarter we closed on sales to Tessier’s, Inc. and Muth Electric. In January we announced CJ Foods and the sale of 140 acres in Foundation Park North, promising an additional 1,000 jobs and a $500 million investment. In June we announced the sale of 37 acres to FedEx for their 350,000 square foot distribution center projected to employ up to 600 people. Also, in June we closed on the sale of 21 acres in Sioux Empire Development Park 8 to Presidio Manufacturing and Outdoor Gear Manufacturing generating additional jobs and investment. With these sales, we were able to pay off all our contracts for deeds and the REDI Loan from the State used to purchase Foundation Park in 2015. Retiring these debts marks a tremendous milestone for the Foundation!
Also starting in late 2020, the Development Foundation worked with the City to establish the Foundation Park North Tax Increment Financing District capturing the increase in future property tax revenues generated from recent sales in Foundation Park South to install infrastructure in Foundation Park North. With the passage of the TIF development plan, the Foundation is now in a position to expedite the buildout of the infrastructure plan for the Park allowing more timely access and sales of land north of the rail line including the CJ Foods project.
In addition, we were able to step up our efforts in workforce and talent recruitment utilizing electronic programming and recruiting tactics to continue to fill our talent pipeline. Programs including Talent Draft, Talent Rebound, Career Connections, and WORK Sioux Falls which introduced over 750,000 potential workers to Sioux Falls and our employment opportunities. Advertising campaigns in several midwestern cities and 300+ post-secondary institutions exposed potential employees to Sioux Falls providing direct connections to employers.
As we plan for 2022, the Board of Directors of the Development Foundation is focused on additional issues that form the big picture of economic development including quality job creation, property tax base expansion, workforce, housing, quality of life and future land development. Together with our partners, we will meet these challenges and find solutions that will allow continued growth and development. We look forward to serving you well into the future.
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.
This family owned and operated business, leads by example supporting the community by providing jobs, 380 in Sioux Falls and 1250+ company-wide, and through charitable giving. In recent years, the company has provided over $1,000,000 to 70-plus organizations in the region
Terrie Christensen and her husband, Alan, found their new Sioux Falls home thanks to family and a video call.
“We bought this house sight unseen,” Terrie Christensen said.
“We knew the housing market was tight, and his niece was a big help. We bought a house in her neighborhood, and we did the whole video thing, which worked very well. So we wrote the offer and had it submitted, and we were one of five, but ours got accepted.”
That was in September 2020, after the Christensens had decided to move from Wisconsin to be closer to Alan’s family.
While he’s retired, Terrie is beginning a job search in Sioux Falls as she winds down her role as an office manager for a structural steel fabricator in Wisconsin. With experience in accounting and human resources and a background in consulting, in addition to overall office management, she already has seen opportunities in Sioux Falls.
“I’m a point where I don’t have to work, but I want to work, and that makes the job search a little different,” she said.
“I decided it was time to start putting feelers out there, so I put my information on Indeed and updated LinkedIn, and I had a phone interview a few days later and a couple other responses, so I’m not worried about finding something. There’s a lot I could do.”
The Christensens’ situation is similar to many at or near retirement who are relocating to Sioux Falls, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“Sioux Falls is consistently ranked among the top places in the nation to retire, and we see many seniors moving here to take advantage of that,” she said.
“At the same time, you definitely do not have to retire once you arrive. Terrie will discover, like many others have, that there are so many job opportunities whether you’re looking for an encore career, a part-time role or even a rewarding chance to volunteer.”
In 2020, Forbes ranked Sioux Falls among the top 25 cities for retirees after comparing data on 750 cities and looking at factors such as cost of living and health care facilities. The city got high marks for the number of physicians, good air quality and no state income tax.
“Not only are you moving to a safe community with short commutes and many housing options, but the medical care is second to none, and the factors such as our parks and downtown are as appealing to seniors as any other generation,” Guzzetta said.
That has been the case for the Christensens. While they had visited family in Sioux Falls before moving, they’re just now getting a firsthand look at life in the city.
“We’re in a really nice neighborhood in southwest Sioux Falls that’s five minutes off the interstate, so you can get anywhere in 15 minutes. They did a good job laying out a whole loop around Sioux Falls,” she said.
Watching the news is “so boring,” she joked.
“There’s not four or five shootings and robbers and people running from the cops. All they talk about is the coronavirus.”
Growing up in Iowa, she compares Sioux Falls to the kind of place she was used to – large enough to offer a lot without being overwhelming.
“It has everything we need,” she said. “Top medical facilities in the nation, and we’re kind of foodies, so we like to go out to eat, and we like the trendy microbreweries and wineries. We hung out downtown, and it’s very nice. I would say it’s very comparable to the Milwaukee area, just with semipro instead of pro sports.”
Other seniors have shared similar impressions, Guzzetta said.
“They also find it’s easy to become connected and make new friends here,” she said. “It’s a very neighborly place, there are so many organizations you can join, and you’ll quickly feel part of the community. We encourage anyone of any age considering a move to reach out to us so we can offer all the resources available to you.”
With more than 1,300 employees, the city of Sioux Falls ranks among the largest employers in the community.
And the organization, like many, is striving to be an employer of choice.
“We need to be looking at culture and engagement in the same way the private sector does to stay competitive and also to be a role model in the community,” said Rana DeBoer, the chief culture officer for the city of Sioux Falls.
“Everyone wants to be a part of something that’s bigger than themselves; that’s what makes work great. Organizations with a positive workplace culture are shown to have engaged employees who feel respected and valued.”
A big key to that is mentoring. The city recently started an employee mentoring program called The Path focused on providing support for career and personal development.
“Our approach to this program will allow employees to learn from and support each other, and the program is wide-reaching,” Mayor Paul TenHaken said.
“For example, new employees will be matched with a mentor, newly promoted leaders will have the same from a peer mentor, and our leadership development programs always include a mentor match. We have seen a great response already from employees and are in the process of launching our first mentorship cohort.”
The hope is to instill a “mentoring mindset,” in the city’s culture, he said.
“It’s the right approach to communicating and collaborating effectively with our residents. And when that happens, we are able to best help create a high quality of life with our residents. So we just keep fostering it in our daily work while holding ourselves accountable to it through our core values and impactful programming like The Path.”
And the city is measuring its success, TenHaken said.
Employee engagement scores as tracked digitally have shown steady improvement and are at a high of 8.1 out of 10.
“We’ve also seen our nonretirement retention rate improve. We are right in the middle of some heavy work on recruitment and establishing our brand as an employer to find and hire the right people for the work of public service,” he said.
Mayor TenHaken will share a look at the city’s approach to mentoring, both internally and in the community, at the June 22 Recruitment Council Networking Lunch organized by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Washington Pavilion.
Workforce 101: Learning How Mentoring Enables Talent Development and Retention is open to any business leader focused on workforce development.
“We’re very excited to welcome Mayor TenHaken and allow him to share more about the critical role mentoring plays as it relates to talent,” said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“The city is a national leader in this regard, and so much potential still exists.”
The mayor will detail his Sioux 52 Mentoring Initiative at the event, which he said offers myriad benefits for business leaders.
“We are actively asking companies to embrace mentoring and motivate employees to participate through benefits like paid volunteer time off, which we have modeled the way by implementing at the city,” he said.
“And we’ve seen a great response from the community in stepping forward to make this commitment.”
In 2020, more than 250 individuals signed up to mentor, 30 businesses signed on to be business partners who are creating a culture of mentoring in service to the community, and 27 organization that administer mentoring programs joined the Sioux 52 Mentoring Initiative movement.
“We look forward to continuing the momentum we’re seeing around mentorship, especially going into the fall, which is a kickoff to many mentorship programs,” he said.
The pandemic has further shown the importance of culture and how important the leader’s role is in that, DeBoer added.
“We’ve been increasing the role of our leaders to be good coaches and mentors to strengthen relationships and foster high levels of trust,” she said. “We’ve always had a focus on employee well-being and especially so this past year. We’ve fine-tuned our well-being offerings and are ramping up on mental, physical and community well-being. We need to take care of each other; public service is hard work, and it’s critical we take care of our people at the same intensity we take care of service performance.”
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.
The largest portion of the plan includes a new residence hall on the south end of Augustana’s north campus near 33rd Street and Grange Avenue. The L-shaped building will be three stories high and house up to 200 students. The facility will consist of semi-suites with four beds and a bathroom in each unit. Two of the university’s existing residence halls — Bergsaker and Solberg —will also see upgrades.
The new residence hall, the south courtyard and renovations to Bergsaker Hall are expected to be completed by the fall of 2022. Renovations to Solberg Hall will be finished when students return in fall 2023.
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