Author: meganjansick

Development Foundation Connects Design Professionals with City Hall

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City Hall Connections

The Sioux Falls Development Foundation, in partnership with the City of Sioux Falls, recently hosted two events targeting architects and engineers in the Sioux Falls area. These events were offered as part of the Development Foundation’s Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) initiative, which focuses on local economic development opportunities.

Architectural and engineering firms work day-in and day-out to help grow our community. These professions work to design neighborhoods, business parks, buildings and so much more that contribute to Sioux Falls. One area the Development Foundation is focused on is the importance of developing relationships and strong communication between our private sector companies and public sector officials.

During a BR&E visit with an existing company in Sioux Falls, the Foundation learned about the company’s frustration with City Hall due to imposed requirements associated with their expansion project. The Development Foundation discovered there was a miscommunication between the City, the contractor, the engineering firm and the company. As it turns out, the requirements that formed the basis of the company’s frustrations were in fact not required. This resulted in financial savings for the company and a better working relationship with City Hall.

On January 22 and February 11, architecture and engineering professionals were invited to attend an Open House event with the City’s Planning and Development Services Department to learn what’s new with permitting processes and plan reviews and to interact with the individuals that work at the City on these projects. These events marked one solid step forward in cultivating strong relationships between our business sector and the City of Sioux Falls, so that when companies make investments to expand, they have a great experience.

 

Mike Gray
To learn more contact

Mike Gray

Director of Business, Retention & Expansion

Sioux Falls Ranks at Top of Hottest U.S. Job Markets

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Sioux Falls is among the top ranked hottest job markets in the U.S. according to the Wall Street Journal. WSJ worked with Moody’s Analytics to assess the labor market of the country’s 381 metro areas based on five metrics:

  • Unemployment Rate
  • Labor-force Participation Rate
  • Job Growth
  • Labor-force Growth
  • Wage Growth

Those rankings were averaged to determine the hottest labor markets for metro areas over 1 million people, and for those under one million people.

Sioux Falls ranked No. 5 among communities with less than one million residents.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Sioux Falls one of ZipRecruiter’s 10 Hottest Job Markets for 2020

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ZipRecruiter® released its annual list of the 10 Hottest Job Markets for 2020 based on job market size, job market growth, median annual wage, and the average number of job openings per job seeker. ZipRecruiter then averaged the percentile rankings to compare overall job market hotness on a 100-point scale. Sioux Falls ranked No. 3.

The top 10 include:

  1. Fargo, ND
  2. Boston, MA
  3. Sioux Falls, SD
  4. Providence, RI
  5. Portland, ME
  6. San Francisco, CA
  7. Washington, DC
  8. Philadelphia, PA
  9. Bismarck, ND
  10. New York, NY
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March Offers Up Brisk Land Sale Activity

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The Sioux Falls Development Foundation experienced one of their most active months in land sales, with three individual projects in three different parks. Even though each sale had been in the works for quite some time, it was reassuring that each deal closed on time as planned.

Nordica Warehouses, Inc. exercised their option and acquired an additional 12 acres in Foundation Park. Nordica started building in Foundation Park last year with a 200,000 square foot warehouse. Before completing that first phase they pulled the trigger on Phase II, which represented an additional 105,000 square foot expansion.

The big draw to that site was that they were looking to take advantage of rail services; being able to have BNSF deliver product to their warehouse on a larger scale basis

Dean Dziedzic, Vice President of Economic Development

“The big draw to that site was that they were looking to take advantage of rail services; being able to have BNSF deliver product to their warehouse on a larger scale basis,” said Dean Dziedzic, vice president for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

Plans for the new 12-acre site to the west is for 200,000 additional square feet, with the capability for further expansion in the future. Phase III construction is slated to begin this summer.

The second land sale included 39 acres of commercial (C-4) land in Campus Crossing near the northwest Wal-Mart. This property was originally zoned light Industrial (I-1) prior to the I-29 Marion Exit being constructed. The City determined the proper zoning for this land to be commercial. The Sioux Falls Development Foundation sold land to Wal-Mart in 2011 and subsequently two surrounding out-lots.

The Development Foundation’s Real Estate Committee recently made the decision to focus more attention on industrial development and the creation of primary jobs. This decision allowed the Foundation to market and list a 32-acre parcel and the two remaining out-lots in a bulk sale. A group of investors acquired the three parcels and will begin master planning for buildout and development.

The third sale in March took place in Sioux Empire Development Park (SEDP) VIII West, at the corner of I-229 & Benson. This represented a 21.74-acre land sale. This parcel was undeveloped and sold without any existing infrastructure. The Real Estate Committee made the decision to move forward with selling this entire parcel, mostly because it represented a challenge for industrial development with the access options and the topography of the land. The dollars from this sale will assist in developing and marketing land in SEDP VIII along I-229.

The activity and land sales in March provided a great deal of support to the bottom line and operations. As mentioned, these projects were in the works for quite some time leading up to their ultimate closing. It offers a great reminder why attraction and recruitment need to happen around the calendar; we never know when our economy will take a turn. Even with the current situation we remain optimistic with potential land sales. Some projects have taken a pause to reassess; but overall, we’re optimistic, and committed to working each project on their own timeline.

Historial Perspective

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In 1954, a group of far-sighted business leaders created the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, a non-profit economic development corporation focused on improving the economy of the Sioux Falls region. The Foundation is widely recognized for helping create one of the most vibrant, secure and growing economies in the nation. The organization has a long and storied history, thanks to the many individuals who have been instrumental in creating and continuing the Development Foundation legacy.

Historical Perspective – Roger Hainje

Historical Perspective – History of the Foundation

Historial Perspective – Dave Stenseth