Category: 2025

Wish You Were Here: inspiring moves back to Sioux Falls

Posted on by leahb

Annually, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation coordinates workforce recruitment marketing campaigns. In the past, the objective has been to recruit new residents from out-of-state to move to Sioux Falls.

In late 2023, the SFDF’s annual strategic planning with our board of directors and community stakeholders yielded an idea for a new strategy: to inspire the Sioux Falls community to talk with their friends and family who’ve moved away and hopefully inspire them to come back to Sioux Falls.

That idea became the Wish You Were Here campaign. Directed to the Sioux Falls market, the Wish You Were Here campaign ran through November and December 2024, a time where families and friends were home for the holidays. The campaign’s media mix was comprised of print, social, and video ads, as well as Wish You Were Here postcards to mail to family and friends.

To boost engagement with the campaign, the Foundation held a giveaway for a $1,000 Downtown Sioux Falls gift card for the winner to use to experience all that the city has to offer. Individuals from 34 states entered the giveaway.

Below is a look at four video ads that ran throughout the campaign.

Better for Families

Friendly Community

Close to Family

Better Business

INTERN Sioux Falls program helps businesses recruit interns

Posted on by leahb

As workforce recruitment continues to be a top priority for businesses, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation has answered with a program to help increase the talent pipeline in our community.

INTERN Sioux Falls, now in its third year, promotes internships with Sioux Falls businesses amongst regional universities and technical schools. The goal is to grow the number of interns who work in Sioux Falls and inspire them to choose our community as the place to start their career upon graduation.

“Hiring interns is one of the best ways you can grow your talent pipeline,” said Denise Guzzetta, Vice President of Talent and Workforce Development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation. “Employees who intern with a company prior to joining full-time are retained at higher rates than non-interning hires, making internships a great recruiting and sourcing tool.”

INTERN Sioux Falls involves two efforts:

  1. Promoting internships amongst regional colleges and universities, as well as through Handshake, an online job search platform for college students with nationwide reach
  2. Summer networking events to help interns connect with their peers while also becoming familiar with the Sioux Falls community

To share best practices for internships, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation will be hosting an INTERN Sioux Falls Best Practices Luncheon on Monday, February 3, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Register here.

Lastly, if your business would like assistance in promoting your internship position(s) and/or information about how to engage interns in summer networking events, please contact Riley Johnson, Talent Recruitment Coordinator, at rileyj@siouxfalls.com.

Spirit of Sioux Falls Scholarship application now open!

Posted on by leahb

The Spirit of Sioux Falls Scholarship was established by the Development Foundation and more than 100 businesses and individuals to honor three Sioux Falls leaders who lost their lives in a plane crash April 19, 1993: David Birkeland, Angus Anson, and Roger Hainje. The Development Foundation representatives were on a trip with Governor George Mickelson and four others promoting economic development when they all perished.

The Spirit of Sioux Falls Scholarship benefits college and vocational or technical school students who are pursuing a degree in business.

Applicants for this award must live in or maintain residency in Lincoln or Minnehaha County—even though they may attend a school outside the area; or they must attend school in one of these two counties. Applicants must be pursuing a degree in business and be able to demonstrate an understanding of the role of business in American society. Motivation and ability to succeed, academic excellence, and community involvement are also criteria.

The Spirit of Sioux Falls Scholarships are administered by the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation. To learn more or apply, click here. The application deadline is March 15, 2025.

Apply now