The Sioux Falls Development Foundation is searching for a motivated and outgoing individual to work directly with universities, tech schools and community colleges to recruit new graduates and alumni to fill important jobs in the Sioux Falls region.
We’d love to have you as a valued part of our team. Please send your letter of interest and qualifications to:
Denise Guzzetta
Vice President for Talent and Workforce
Sioux Falls Development Foundation
deniseg@siouxfalls.com
Despite serving as a 911 dispatcher, Megan Matthews’ own family was living in what she considered one of the most dangerous communities in Arizona.
Then she moved to Sioux Falls three years ago.
“We were looking for something more family-friendly, and South Dakota is beautiful, good laws, good communities, and we picked South Dakota,” she said.
Then she decided to pursue a career on the other end of the emergency calls.
“It’s the biggest police department in the state, so you would expect it to feel like a big department, but it doesn’t,” she said. “Everybody is super-friendly, everybody is super-helpful, everybody knows each other.”
From her first training, Matthews has felt the community’s support too. She’s one of the first members of the new Career Cadets program, a partnership of Southeast Technical College, the city of Sioux Falls and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation/Forward Sioux Falls.
“It’s really a collaboration, a partnership and a true testament to what a community needs to do in order to look at a problem and come up with solutions,” said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
The immersive Sioux Falls Police Department Career Cadets program blends a part-time job in the department with relevant education at Southeast Tech and mentorship.
“You just learn so much,” Matthews said.
Now, she’s ready to graduate. To learn more about the program and her path forward, click below.
Record building activity like Sioux Falls has enjoyed in recent years is supported by homegrown materials businesses such as Sprenger Midwest Wholesale Lumber.
Led by a team with decades of experience, the business has been supporting the wholesale distribution of lumber, plywood and other forest products to regional retail lumber dealers and industrial accounts for 45 years.
“Sprenger Midwest Wholesale Lumber is a Sioux Falls success story that has grown along with the development of our community and beyond,” said Bob Mundt, president and CEO of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“Access to quality building materials is key for supporting our area construction industry, and Sprenger Midwest does a wonderful job servicing not just the needs of Sioux Falls and South Dakota but many of our neighboring states. We’re grateful our community serves as their home base.”
Business name: Sprenger Midwest Inc., Wholesale Lumber Sales.
Year founded/operations began in Sioux Falls: 1979.
Total employees in the Sioux Falls area: Approximately 40.
Here’s a closer look at the business, courtesy of president Steve Sprenger.
How would you describe your organization to someone not familiar with it?
We source lumber, plywood and other building materials from quality mills in the U.S. and Canada. We sell to retail lumber dealers and industrial accounts in the seven-state region: South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri.
Sprenger’s location in Lincoln, Nebraska
We have warehouse facilities in Sioux Falls; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Moorhead, Minnesota. Our organizational chart starts with a management team consisting of our sales manager, purchasing manager, controller, credit manager and branch managers from each of our locations.
What are the top three reasons you continue to locate in the Sioux Falls area?
What are you most proud of within your business in the past year?
From our Lincoln, Nebraska, yard we were given the 2023 Supplier of the Year Award from the Nebraska Lumber Dealers Association. I accepted the award at their annual convention held in Omaha.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing your business?
The changing climate of new lumber dealer and industrial account customers. For instance, in the past two years, there are five or six new truss plants and wall panel fabrication plants in the Sioux Falls area. Several longtime lumber retailers have changed ownership with national chains.
How would you describe the culture of your business in three words?
Honest, dependable, hardworking.
Why does your business choose to invest in Forward Sioux Falls?
The goals and values of Forward Sioux Falls are to promote economic growth. These values help our business to grow and provide jobs for our employees and those we do business with.
What specific advantages or values have you found to partnering with Forward Sioux Falls and its programs?
Our partnership has been mainly financial support. We are aware of programs for increasing housing, which directly affects our business, and workforce recruitment and training.
What are your expectations for your business in the year ahead?
We are experiencing a more difficult business climate with higher interest rates and economic uncertainty. Lumber demand nationally is down, resulting in lower prices. From the high demand during the pandemic, we are now at pre-pandemic prices. This means we need to sell two or three times as much board footage for the same amount of sales. Our expectation is that the second half of the year will be better than the first half. Overall sales will be up marginally in 2024 — maybe 10 or 15 percent over 2023.
To learn more about Sprenger Midwest Wholesale Lumber, click here.
Forward Sioux Falls is a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and is widely respected as the premier economic driver for the Sioux Falls region. To learn more and connect, click here.
From its relatively low-profile location in Sioux Falls, Design Tanks aims to be the nationwide leader in fiberglass tank manufacturing.
“Our mission through modern design, engineering and manufacturing processes is to create the highest-quality fiberglass tanks in the industry while bringing outstanding value to our customers,” president and CEO Bret Vanden Bosch said.
Located at 612 W. Blackhawk St., Design Tanks manufactures custom-engineered FRP — fiberglass-reinforced plastic — tanks that store corrosive liquids. The company’s products support a range of industries, including ag, food and beverage, energy, industrial chemical, water, wastewater and air pollution control.
“This is advanced manufacturing at its best,” said Bob Mundt, president and CEO of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“Design Tanks has a nearly 70-year history, and in that time, they have evolved and enhanced their business to become an industry leader. These are excellent careers, and we’re eager to do what we can to support this company’s growth.”
Here’s a closer look at the business, courtesy of Vanden Bosch.
Business name: Design Tanks.
Year founded: 1956.
Year operations began in Sioux Falls: 1956.
Total employees in the Sioux Falls area: 80.
CEO/lead executive in Sioux Falls: Bret Vanden Bosch.
What are the top three reasons you continue to locate in the Sioux Falls area?
We take great pride in being a Sioux Falls-based company, and I think our reasons come down to our dedicated employees really representing the best of the “Midwest work ethic”: working until the job gets done, staying humble through success and remaining community-focused. We’re all from here; it’s a great state and city to do business in, and we want to make sure we give back to our communities through our success as a company.
What are you most proud of within your business in the past year?
Design Tanks had a record-breaking year in 2023, making more tanks of all sizes than we ever have before. And we’re on track to do it again in 2024. Our team continues to perform at such a high level that we’re able to produce quality products with both exceptional efficiency and employee safety standards.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing your business?
With Design Tanks’ rapid growth and plant expansions, we’re always looking to add new employees to the team. New members are critical for us to continue advancing and keeping up with new demand, so it can be tough if there’s an employee shortage. We’re actually hiring right now for a few entry-level roles.
How would you describe the culture of your business in three words?
We are family. Design Tanks prioritizes a family culture when bringing in new hires and looking out for veteran employees to make sure everyone succeeds both on and off the job. We look after our own.
Why does your business choose to invest in Forward Sioux Falls?
Forward Sioux Falls is diligently working to help bring in new employees to help counteract any shortage we have, and bringing in new employees means bringing in new community members, which inherently enriches the Sioux Falls community and economy. We want Sioux Falls to not only continue being a great community for our employees to live in, but to expand it for future generations to come.
What specific advantages or values have you found to partnering with Forward Sioux Falls and its programs?
Partnering with Forward Sioux Falls can align us with a strategic vision for economic development and community growth, providing access to resources, networks and opportunities that can drive success and sustainability. By providing high-quality jobs that require talented, upstanding people, Forward Sioux Falls will help us fill those roles, and inherently the community, with people who fit the bill.
What are your expectations for your business in the year ahead?
Continue to focus on what we do best: customer service, best-in-business delivery times and high-quality products. If we keep this course, there’s no telling what we can achieve.
To learn more about Design Tanks, click below.
Forward Sioux Falls is a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and is widely respected as the premier economic driver for the Sioux Falls region. To learn more and connect, click here.
Several local divisions of Muth Electric now are under one roof in Sioux Falls, thanks to a brand-new office and warehouse building at Foundation Park.
The business has started operating out of a 24,500-square-foot building that sits on 7 acres, directly east of the Amazon fulfillment center.
“We’ve made a tremendous effort to create a world-class environment for our employees,” president and chief operating officer David Muth said. “We set out to find a way to improve the employee experience and provide outstanding training and better serve our customers. I think we’ve hit a home run with all three in this building.”
The building houses multiple divisions for Muth Electric. The electrical contractor takes on a broad range of large commercial and industrial work, including hospitals, water and wastewater treatment facilities, wind energy, correctional facilities, airport runway lighting, roadway lighting, hotels, industrial plants, military facilities, schools, medical clinics, office buildings and major retail stores. The company has a fleet of service vans to cover electrical needs for customers.
Additionally, Muth Technology specializes in structured network and fiber optic cabling for industrial, commercial, wind farm, small-business and residential customers, along with designing and installing distributed antenna systems, SCADA infrastructure platforms, wireless networks, and security and audiovisual systems.
Muth Power Solutions, the company’s automated control division, as well as employees supporting a medium voltage group that works throughout the Upper Midwest, also work out of the new building.
Family-owned Muth Electric is based in Mitchell and was founded in 1970. The team has grown to 530 employees in 12 locations across South Dakota and Nebraska.
Employees companywide will begin coming to Sioux Falls for training starting this summer, using the first-class classroom and training lab that was built at the office.
“We have a full-time trainer who will be leading our classes and trainings, not just for our Sioux Falls electricians and technicians, but throughout the company we’ll bring people to Sioux Falls for training sessions and orientations throughout the year,” CEO Paul Muth said.
“It’s similar to what works very well in tech schools, with both classroom space and a lab for hands-on work.”
Muth Electric partners closely with tech schools to support its workforce needs. It has three full-time recruiters regularly working with 16 tech schools throughout the region. The company offers 15 to 20 full-ride Build Dakota Scholarships every year, plus additional support for college students.
The Sioux Falls office is the company’s largest, with about 160 employees.
“Muth Electric has been a respected name in Sioux Falls for many years, and we were happy to welcome them to Foundation Park,” said Bob Mundt, president and CEO of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“Their imprint on our growth and development is apparent in so many of the construction projects you see taking shape in Sioux Falls and the region. We are honored to have them as partners.”
The Foundation Park location has been an ideal fit, Muth Electric’s leaders said.
“We wanted an exciting location, and I think Foundation Park is the real deal,” Paul Muth said. “That location is perfect. We have a lot of customers out there, plus it’s easily accessible throughout the area and even the region.”
Along with large construction projects statewide, the company has seen significant growth in its servicing work, which also is convenient from the new location.
“The professionalism of our employees has led to a tremendous amount of service work,” Paul Muth said. “We’ll go into Amazon or a number of other businesses in Sioux Falls and do their day-to-day maintenance and service work.”
The location reflects a strong ongoing relationship between Muth Electric and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“They’ve supported us, and we’ve done our very best to support them,” David Muth said. “We think it’s a mutually beneficial relationship.”
The new office also will serve as a sort of blueprint for other Muth Electric locations across the region.
“Sioux Falls is the prototype, and Rapid City, where we are building a new office, will have the same look and feel. We’re delighted with the finished product in Sioux Falls, and we want to replicate it in other new builds,” David Muth said.
Plus, the Sioux Falls property allows Muth Electric plenty of room to expand.
“The lot is big enough to accommodate us currently, plus a lot of growth,” Paul Muth said. “It will take us years down the road, so we have really nice potential for expansion.”
Forward Sioux Falls is a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and is widely respected as the premier economic driver for the Sioux Falls region. To learn more and connect, click here.
Talent Thursday is a weekly social media livestream event that spotlights talent and workforce in the Sioux Falls area by sharing the stories of young professionals in our community.
For Thursday, June 6, 2024, we caught up with Chelsea Limoges, who is the Director of Industry Engagement for Beacom School of Business at the University of South Dakota. She shared about the Coyote Business Consulting program and the benefits for both students and businesses.
Talent Thursday is held weekly on Thursdays at 3 p.m. CT on the Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s Facebook page. Follow here: https://www.facebook.com/developsf
Forward Sioux Falls is a unique, innovative program designed to grow and improve the Sioux Falls region. Created through a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, we work to outline strategic initiatives to grow jobs, businesses and quality of life.
Talent Thursday is a weekly social media livestream event that spotlights talent and workforce in the Sioux Falls area by sharing the stories of young professionals in our community.
For Thursday, May 30, 2024, we caught up with Jacob McKeever, Talent Acquisition Manager with U.S. AutoForce! He shares about the types of positions that are available within the company’s Sioux Falls warehouse, and what types of benefits and culture prospective employees can expect.
Talent Thursday is held weekly on Thursdays at 3 p.m. CT on the Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s Facebook page. Follow here: https://www.facebook.com/developsf
Forward Sioux Falls is a unique, innovative program designed to grow and improve the Sioux Falls region. Created through a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, we work to outline strategic initiatives to grow jobs, businesses and quality of life.
A former Wells Fargo operations center building has transformed into an expanded space for a fast-growing manufacturer.
Graco Inc., which is based in Minneapolis, has expanded four times since originally coming into the Sioux Falls market in 1993. The newest addition at 3401 N. Fourth Ave., adds 95,000 square feet, with a new connection to the manufacturer’s existing facility, for a total of 300,000 square feet.
“Plus, we doubled our acreage and can add to the west,” said Sue Christensen, operations manager, who has been with the company for almost 25 years and ironically began her career in the same building when it was part of Hutchinson Technology.
“We’ve had significant growth at this location over 30 years and have added a lot of highly skilled employees because we invest in technology.”
More automation takes away some ergonomic concerns and offers workers an increasingly high-tech environment.
“People can operate robots instead of physically sitting all day to perform the task,” Christensen said. “I think we’ve done a good job balancing our growth with a better skill set and higher-paid positions for people to move into.”
The Sioux Falls team supplies tips, spray guns and applicators such as those in the photo below to all divisions at Graco.
“We produce the products that fit in your hand,” Christensen said. “They’re at the end of the hose applicator, so things like spray guns and valves and tips. We do everything from precision machining and work that is highly automated to manual assembly when needed.”
The new addition supports a recent acquisition of a California-based company that makes high-purity valves.
“Graco is a growth company — both organically and by acquisition — and we are continually working on designs for new product launches,” Christensen said.
The business has grown to 300 full-time employees and continues to add, especially experienced CNC machinists.
“Our employees are very committed to continuous improvement,” said Tammy Wierenga, human resources manager.
“We conduct training for our entry-level positions, but we need highly skilled technical people for our machining roles.”
The newest building now serves as the front door for Graco in Sioux Falls. The office space was vacated by Wells Fargo during the pandemic, and while much of the building was renovated completely from workstations into manufacturing space, some of the office area was updated with new finishes and now is used by Graco’s team.
“We did a face-lift with new carpet and paint and furniture,” Christensen said. “And then we moved in some of our legacy work into the new addition, along with a space for clean manufacturing.”
The architect on the project was TSP, and the general contractor was Henry Carlson Construction.
The new addition is “another significant milestone in Graco’s growth journey in Sioux Falls,” said Mike Gray, director of business development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“Our organization’s relationship with Graco has been a source of pride since the early 1990s, when they became a cornerstone tenant in Sioux Empire Development Park 3. Since those early days, we have collaborated on numerous expansion projects, witnessing firsthand their growth and commitment to the community.”
Graco’s success story “is not just about business,” he continued. “It’s a testament to the vibrant economic landscape of Sioux Falls. We look forward to continuing to work together and celebrating many more milestones in the future.”
For Graco, the Development Foundation is “great to work with,” Christensen said. “They’ve been very helpful in making us aware of all that’s available to support our growth and stayed connected with us throughout the process.”
The company also has partnered with the Development Foundation around workforce development programming.
“I take advantage of the networking events and educational events and appreciate the insight they offer,” Wierenga said.
Graco held a ribbon-cutting on May 8 to celebrate its new addition.
To learn more about current career opportunities at Graco, click here.
Forward Sioux Falls is a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and is widely respected as the premier economic driver for the Sioux Falls region. To learn more and connect, click here.
Think people don’t move across the country because of a humorous YouTube video?
Meet Steven Munoz and Ashley Neely, who didn’t even know about South Dakota until they saw Gov. Kristi Noem dressed as a dentist in an ad for working in the state on YouTube.
“I barely knew Mount Rushmore was here,” Munoz said. “I didn’t know any of the towns.”
But he and Neely knew they wanted to be together. After meeting in college, they were dating long-distance – he in New York and she in Connecticut – and liked the idea of a fresh start, even if it did mean halfway across the country.
“I was looking to get out of New York because it’s expensive to live there and would have taken me years to buy a house,” said Munoz, who went to tech school for an auto diesel program.
Neely, who was working for a private school in marketing and development, originally learned about the South Dakota videos from her sister.
“It was motivational and upbeat and kind of piqued our interest,” she said. “He started looking into it first, really pounding the pavement looking for a job, and then I said I’ve got to get going.”
None of it took long. Munoz first reached out in South Dakota in September and by November was part of a technical apprentice program at Cummins in Sioux Falls, learning to work with diesel engines and generators.
“It’s a six-year program where they get you all learned up and you start working on generators,” he said. “It all moved really fast.”
Neely applied for a couple of jobs and soon was hired as the marketing and communications coordinator for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire.
But first, they visited last fall.
“I figured we should before I move 1,500 miles, and we really liked the town,” she said. “We just explored for a long weekend, we visited the Falls and did a lot of sightseeing and visited places for apartments, and it just felt really comfortable here. Everybody was kind, and I was like, this is different. We noticed there wasn’t even a lot of road rage compared to where we come from. I realized I was really calm driving the whole time!”
He moved to Sioux Falls in November, and she began her new role in January.
“It really was an excellent hiring process and made me excited to be here because it gave me insight into how people operate here, and I’ve had a great time getting to know the kids and the families we serve,” she said.
They’ve moved into a roomy apartment in Harrisburg.
“I love it,” Munoz said. “We’re in a town house, we have a garage, which is super nice, and it’s affordable, which is really nice.”
They estimate that “what we have for a home here would have been double or close to triple on the East Coast,” Neely added.
The couple’s experience is a great example of what awaits other young professionals in Sioux Falls, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
Both of them have met friends through their jobs who have helped them learn more about the area. In their spare time, they’ve enjoyed the Great Plains Zoo and checking out area antique stores.
“And we’ve been driving around a lot of the different towns,” Neely said. “We went to Canton, we went to Tea, he learned about Flandreau on a job, so we went there and one weekend and saw bison. I want to do more downtown because there are a lot of cute little shops and bars to go to.”
While they got engaged last year, they haven’t set a date or place yet. But in looking at their future, both say they’re feeling positive about the move west.
“The other day, he joked there was a job opportunity in Orlando – because I’m a huge Disney person – and I actually said: ‘I like my job. We’ll stay here,’” Neely said.
For Munoz, who loved his job from the start, “it was nice to hear” his fiancee feels the same, she said.
She already knows where he stands too.
“He’s ready to stay in South Dakota forever.”
To learn more about building your career in Sioux Falls, reach out to deniseg@siouxfalls.com.
As a highly technical company, Interstates requires a heavy STEM-based skill set from its team — and increasingly, the business is finding that in Sioux Falls.
Over more than 70 years, the company has evolved with the needs of industry to provide electrical engineering, construction, instrumentation and control-system solutions to manufacturing and industrial clients.
“This is a company filled with high-level talent, and the fact that Interstates is able to source so much of the workforce needed to support its growth in Sioux Falls is a testament to what this area collectively has achieved,” said Bob Mundt, president and the CEO of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“It’s a terrific example of the kind of exciting career and positive culture that awaits graduates and talent of all career stages, and we’re anticipating many more opportunities for Interstates to grow in our community.”
While it’s based in Sioux Center, Iowa, Interstates has grown its workforce in Sioux Falls thanks to intentional partnerships and investment in its employee experience and culture.
Here’s a closer look at the business, courtesy of CEO Scott Peterson.
Business name: Interstates.
Year founded: Interstates was founded as Johnny’s Electric by John A. Franken in 1953. In 1967, it was renamed to Interstates Electric & Engineering, which later became Interstates as it’s known today.
Year operations began in Sioux Falls: 1999.
Total employees in the Sioux Falls area: We have over 200 team members in the Sioux Falls area and nearly 1,500 globally.
CEO/lead executive in Sioux Falls: Scott Peterson, CEO.
How would you describe your organization to someone not familiar with it?
Interstates partners with industrial and manufacturing clients to design, build, automate, maintain and protect their facilities.
This is everything from project inception to ongoing facility operations and maintenance.
What are the top three reasons you continue to locate in the Sioux Falls area?
The strength of the workforce here is incredible, and the proximity to strong universities and technical schools allows us to stay connected with them.
The Sioux Falls area also allows us to continue to grow our presence in the South Dakota industrial space.
What are you most proud of within your business in the past year?
Over my career as a whole, and especially in the last year, our culture and our team members are what make me most proud. Our Family Core Value is a strong part of our organization. Our safety program ties closely to this in the way we care for and watch out for each other. Last year, we reached a million hours worked without a recordable injury. This is the fourth time we’ve done that, which is very rare. Fewer than 100 contractors have reached this milestone.
In the last year, I’ve watched our team members live out our culture in multiple ways. They’re leaning into our You Matter, I Care program, which promotes the importance of both physical and mental health, and they are driving forward our Engage program as individual teams lead service projects and regularly plug into their local communities.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing your business?
Due to the nature of our work, we’ll likely see unique challenges in different areas of the organization. Keeping up with the demand for our field and professional workforce is and will continue to be one of our biggest challenges.
We’re always looking to bring great people into the organization. We’ll also be supporting our clients as they navigate digital transformation within their industries. As the construction world shifts to more off-site construction, we’re on the path to changing the way we work to rise to that challenge and help our clients be successful.
How would you describe the culture of your business in three words?
Empowering servant leaders.
For context, our team members are the heart and soul of our organization and have driven the success of the company by how they live our culture. No matter the role they hold at Interstates, they lead from where they are and truly serve one another, our clients and our communities.
Why does your business choose to invest in Forward Sioux Falls?
We believe in investing in the communities where we live and work. Forward Sioux Falls is preparing the community for the future and growth. Specifically, we appreciate the way Forward Sioux Falls walks alongside businesses as we manage environmental challenges and secure skilled workers.
What specific advantages or values have you found to partnering with Forward Sioux Falls and its programs?
The programs that Forward Sioux Falls has put in place around training the current workforce and developing future talent continue to enhance the strong workforce in the Sioux Falls area. Because of our shared focus on technology and innovation, Forward Sioux Falls keeps us connected to the growing technology community as well.
What are your expectations for your business in the year ahead?
Overall, we’re expecting 2024 to be a strong year. Our clients across the U.S. are in relatively strong markets, and we’re seeing good activity and growth. We’ll continue to strengthen those relationships in the year ahead. As always, we’ll continue to invest in our people and our culture. Most recently, we had an 87 percent companywide engagement score and have consistently exceeded the industry average. This is something we’re proud of, and our focus will remain on supporting and serving our team members.
Forward Sioux Falls is a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and is widely respected as the premier economic driver for the Sioux Falls region. To learn more and connect, click here.
She was too young to realize it at the time, but the woman now tasked with helping improve access to housing in the Sioux Falls area once was homeless herself.
“I just remember camping a lot for a summer,” said Larissa Deedrich, who recently moved to Sioux Falls from Virginia to become the new executive director of the Sioux Falls Housing and Redevelopment Commission.
“My dad had taken a new job as a police officer in Illinois, and it wasn’t until I was in my 20s that my mom said we were homeless that summer. We’d camped the whole summer while he worked to try and save up money for a security deposit.”
Deedrich’s own passion for serving others led her to a career in affordable housing, first at a housing authority in Illinois, then leadership positions in Wisconsin and Virginia.
“I feel like stable housing is the first step in helping someone go down that path of self-sufficiency,” she said.
“If you’re always in crisis mode, if you don’t have a stable place to lay your head at night, everything else takes a back seat: your health, your job, your family. Trying to find a place to stay is crucial.”
Deedrich brings with her a record of collaboration to provide stable, affordable housing options and complementary programming to help with financial literacy and stability.
“I was at a housing conference, and an executive recruiter talked to me about Sioux Falls and said: ‘I think it’s right up your alley. They’re looking for an executive director who is innovative and wants to create community partnerships and grow programs.’ It was a hard decision, but we’d done so much in Virginia, and it was stable, and I wanted to take on another agency and grow the same process.”
As she considered the community, the vibrancy of Sioux Falls stood out, she said.
“I met a lot of local community leaders, and what clinched it for me was that everyone knew we had to work together,” Deedrich said. “I’ve been in communities where that’s not always easy, and everyone here has a plan to support each other and work together to reach our goals, and that’s what I really liked about the community.”
Sioux Falls Housing helps people find stable public housing, while at the same time its Affordable Housing Solutions arm is developing more accessible housing in the Sioux Falls area.
“We’re not just talking about very low or even low-income families,” Deedrich said. “People who are teachers, first responders, people who can’t necessarily go into the homes being built for $650,000 but need workforce housing, and that’s really what we want to grow and develop in Sioux Falls.”
Deedrich and her husband, Curt, moved to Sioux Falls as she began her new role earlier this year. For now, their three dogs are with them, and the goal is to find a home that also accommodates their two horses.
Curt, a small-business owner, is looking for a commercial space to grow his sign business.
“He’s originally from Illinois and is excited to come back to the Midwest and be in a community with a lot of great options for business. It’s very vibrant, and we like the ambiance,” she said.
“One of our favorite things to do is go to the Washington Pavilion. We’ve seen a couple shows, we like the nightlife in the downtown area, and that’s a lot of fun.”
The Deedrich family made a strong choice in moving to Sioux Falls, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“It’s a big move to come to a new community as an established career professional, but I think Larissa already is seeing why innovative leaders are so impressed when they discover Sioux Falls,” she said.
“And soon, Curt will also discover what a fantastic place this is as a small-business owner and how many resources and relationships you’re able to access.”
Also critically, Deedrich’s work in accessible housing is key to the community’s broader goals, Guzzetta said.
“We’re committed to Sioux Falls becoming a place where you have even more options for where to live,” she said.
“That means an increased focus on workforce housing so that you’re able to become a homeowner or find a fit in an apartment that meets your household’s needs, fits your budget and allows you to continue to grow here. We’re taking a collaborative approach as Larissa said, and we’re excited to welcome her to our community.”
To learn more about growing your career in Sioux Falls, email deniseg@siouxfalls.com.
Krysta Widman had a theory – and the human resources manager headed to the production floor to prove it.
“When I first started working here nearly a decade ago, we didn’t have any women in production or really out in the plant,” said Widman, who works at Gage Brothers, a Sioux Falls-based leader in precast concrete construction.
“Women mostly only worked in the office, and I really wanted to see more women working here.”
So after giving birth to her son, she came back from maternity leave and for one day took on a new job at Gage.
“We always said that to do this job you had to lift 50 to 100 pounds, and what we found out is you actually don’t have to be super strong to do this job,” Widman said.
“You’re not lifting 50 to 100 pounds on a regular basis. You’re lifting 20 to 30 pounds. And I said, ‘If I can do this job, anyone can do this job.’ Was I sore? Oh yes. It was not easy, but the supervisors and a bunch of other people were coming up to me and saying, ‘Wow, good job.’”
After a day pulling steel cables – “the most difficult part of the job but very possible” – putting bricks into place using form liners and tying rebar, she and the company realized “it’s really not that physical of a job,” Widman said. “What we saw helped us start getting more women in the door.”
Fast-forward, and Gage now counts more than 10 percent of its production team as female – with about 30 women working on the floor.
“I’ve been to precast plants literally all over the country and some in Europe, and I don’t see women working on the floor,” president Joe Bunkers said. “It’s very predominantly male-oriented, and very intentionally we moved the needle.”
Beginning with construction of the new plant in northeast Sioux Falls several years ago, Gage put in a full-size set of restrooms and locker rooms for women. The equipment, technology and layout were chosen so they could be flexible for men and women “of all shapes and sizes that come to work,” Bunkers said.
“This is not as labor-intensive as it used to be. And today, you don’t notice a difference whether it’s men or women doing the work. And actually – women are some of our best employees. They’re awesome. I don’t mean to stereotype, but they often bring a different level of detail. They do well in quality control. The head of our steel shop is a woman who was promoted from working as a welder in fabrication. So it’s been awesome to see.”
Gage worked with a consultant to evaluate each job and adjust job descriptions to reflect more accurate physical demands.
As it turned out, finding women to apply for the jobs “was actually incredibly easy,” Widman said. “We already had women interested in working here who had gotten turned away because they didn’t have the experience or we’d say they needed to lift up to 100 pounds. So we had a list of people interested, and once we hired one person, it was like a flood of women working here.”
Nearly all female employees were referred by another woman, she said.
“And I wish we had even more, but we are getting more women all the time,” she said. “Those who are here have gained the respect of everyone, and I think it’s been beneficial for the whole team to give them another perspective. It’s helped women move up. It’s helped single mothers make it out of really tough situations, and it’s helped women move into jobs that pay much more than they were making before.”
Gage Brothers also has worked to remove one of the biggest barriers to women and men working: child care.
“We have many situations where both mom and dad might be working for us as well, so we have reimagined our work schedule to support it,” Widman said. “We’re working four 10-hour shifts in more production positions with staggered start times, which allows someone to see the kids off to school and someone else to pick them up at night and have family time. And we have a lot of people who now are working the same shift, where before dad might have been working during the day and mom at night.”
The company also scaled back its use of overtime, which had created challenges with finding child care, and increased its parental leave benefits.
“We’re trying to get more people back into the workforce by making schedules that work for families,” Widman said. “We used to use overtime so much that I wouldn’t have thought we could get away from it like this, but now we’re actually pouring more yards in less time. I think it’s because people are able to have a three-day weekend, and that’s significant.”
She also has helped families find child care options, including many who require Spanish-speaking providers – a gap “that’s very difficult but where there’s also a huge entrepreneurial spirit and a market to be reached and given resources,” she said.
All the efforts have added up to a noticeable, positive shift for the Gage Brothers workforce.
“Once you start to have more women working, you can start to promote them as they demonstrate skills and capabilities, so I’m really excited to see how this is going to grow,” Bunkers said, adding he has two female vice presidents and two male vice presidents on his leadership team.
“It’s truly from the top that we believe in this also,” he said.
The best practices modeled by Gage Brothers “are outstanding,” said Bob Mundt, president and CEO of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation. “This is exactly what we need employers to be inspired by and motivated to embrace. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but the approach Gage is taking shows what’s possible when you think differently and are willing to make positive change.”
The relationship Gage Brothers has built with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and Forward Sioux Falls has been beneficial, Bunkers said.
“We get to be part of a bigger plan because of it,” he said. “We’re learning ideas from others and working with them to reach out to schools and tell the story of what opportunities exist here.”
Back at the plant, Widman sees signs of the changes that have occurred constantly.
One supervisor’s response in particular comes to mind.
“He can be kind of a gruff guy and one I thought maybe would have been against having more women in the workforce, and now he has two female leaders on his team and is developing them,” she said. “The other day, he came in my office and said: ‘You know how women work here? It’s a good idea.’ And now, we have women who are supervisors and moving into leadership positions. It’s been incredible.”
To learn more about opportunities at Gage Brothers, click here.
Forward Sioux Falls is a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and is widely respected as the premier economic driver for the Sioux Falls region. To learn more and connect, click here.
Behind the record building years of Sioux Falls is a family business helping support the needs of the booming construction industry.
Egger Steel Co. began with just three employees almost 80 years ago as a fabricator of structural steel for local construction projects.
During the expansion of the interstate highway system in the 1950s, the company added fabrication of steel bridge girders. From its headquarters at 909 S. Seventh Ave., Egger Steel consistently has positioned itself and its services to meet the changing needs of businesses.
“Being in the construction industry, we directly benefit from the growth of existing Sioux Falls businesses and the attraction of new businesses to the area,” president Burke Blackman said. “Egger Steel has supplied materials to countless construction projects in Sioux Falls.”
Recent work has included the parking ramp and skywalk at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport, The Steel District downtown development and the new Sanford Orthopedic Hospital.
“The construction industry thrives in Sioux Falls because of companies like Egger Steel who continue to invest in their product and their people,” said Bob Mundt, president and CEO of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation. “We’re excited to see them continue to grow and evolve along with our community.”
Here’s a closer look at the business, courtesy of Blackman.
Business name: Egger Steel Co.
Year founded: Egger Steel was founded in Sioux Falls in 1946 by Albert Egger and George Scudder.
Total employees in the Sioux Falls area: During the first two generations of family ownership, the company grew its workforce to more than 150 employees and grew its market to cover South Dakota and the surrounding states. The third generation of ownership brought investments in technology and automation. The current workforce of 45 employees utilizes 3D modeling and computerized (CNC) equipment to produce the same volume of production with greater accuracy and efficiency.
CEO/lead executive in Sioux Falls: Burke Blackman, president.
How would you describe your organization to someone not familiar with it?
Using design drawings created by the construction project’s architect and engineer as a starting point, we create a 3D model of the structural steel frame that shows the finished dimensions, connection details and the interfaces of the structural steel with other materials. We then purchase the required raw materials from steel mills and other suppliers.
We provide our shop employees with the raw materials, shop drawings and electronic files that allow them to fabricate assemblies of beams and columns with their connection materials attached. Our goal is to complete as much of the fabrication as possible in our shop where it is more cost-effective than performing the same operations in the field. When the assemblies are complete, we ship them to the project job site along with erection drawings to show how the assemblies fit together.
What are the top three reasons you continue to locate in the Sioux Falls area?
First, the Sioux Falls workforce is exceptional. We have built our company through the efforts of dedicated employees with a strong work ethic and a commitment to quality. Second, Sioux Falls is a growing community with a steady demand for new construction. Third, Sioux Falls is close enough for us to compete for business in major markets without incurring the higher costs of locating in those markets.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing your business, and what are you most proud of?
We have a generation of long-term employees that is reaching retirement age, and we risk losing the knowledge and expertise they have accumulated over many years working in our industry. To overcome this challenge, we have focused on mentorship and cross-training so that our team members are challenged and learning new skills. Not only does it help the business, but it also makes it a more enjoyable place to work.
How would you describe the culture of your business in three words?
Quality: If the pieces don’t fit together on the job site, then we have failed in our responsibility to the customer.
Trust: We aren’t micromanagers. We provide the resources necessary for everyone to perform their best and trust in their work ethics to deliver.
Transparency: We keep everyone informed about how the company is doing, and we share the profits when we are successful.
Why does your business choose to invest in Forward Sioux Falls?
Economic development benefits the entire community. It brings new products and services to the region, as well as new career opportunities. We appreciate that Forward Sioux Falls isn’t focused only on encouraging business growth but is equally focused on workforce development. Our company’s success is tied to the health of our community, and supporting Forward Sioux Falls is one way that we can give back.
What are your expectations for your business in the year ahead?
During 2023, everyone in our company worked long hours to keep up with the post-COVID rebound in construction activity. We expect 2024 to be a more normal year and will take advantage of the slower pace to make improvements such as implementing new production control software.
Forward Sioux Falls is a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and is widely respected as the premier economic driver for the Sioux Falls region. To learn more and connect, click here.
It’s important for not only businesses to keep up with changes in workforce, but even cities should consider what the next generation is looking for in a place to call home.
Checkr analyzed cities across the U.S. to determine which are best for Generation Z, or ‘Gen Z.’
The results? Sioux Falls ranked No. 7 overall and is the No. 4 small city for Gen Z.
“Small cities hold a unique charm for Gen Z workers seeking an intimate and tight community environment,” the article releasing the findings says. “The simplicity and slower pace of life in these settings can offer respite from the hustle and bustle of major cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. These smaller cities create a sense of peace and well-being that aligns with Gen Z’s emphasis on work-life balance.”
Learn more about the ranking and see the full results by clicking the button below.
Some people move because the family outgrows the house; Chris and Kristin Giglio knew it was time for a change when their family of six outgrew a log cabin.
“It was as close to paradise as we were ever going to get, but with four kids, we were going to start needing room,” Chris said. “You can’t just add on to a log cabin.”
After living in the city of Buffalo, New York, in their 20s, the couple opted for the more rural lifestyle. Their love of motorcycling took them across the country on trips, with stops in 28 states along the way. So when they decided to make a move, they drew on all that life experience – and made a long list.
“We were tired of New York for a lot of reasons, and there weren’t really any towns we wanted to live in. We like three seasons, but 100 inches of snow a year gets annoying – plus the mud when it melts,” Chris said. “We looked out west first and checked out Montana and Wyoming but realized the towns were too small and our kids would need more. So we kept looking.”
They’re both remote workers – she works for a defense contractor, and he works in IT – so the options were unlimited. But the criteria quickly narrowed down potential locations.
“Some places were super expensive. In some cases, air quality was an issue. We like a change of seasons,” Kristin said.
They’d only been to South Dakota once – when a storm stranded them and their bikes in Murdo. But they began honing in on the state.
“We didn’t know if we wanted to do Rapid City or Sioux Falls,” Kristin said. “We looked at weather, schools, crime, and our daughter was in gymnastics at the time, so we looked at kids’ activities.”
Their pre-teen daughter lobbied hard for Sioux Falls after watching YouTube videos on both communities.
“We looked at things like what there would be to do – bowling alleys, miniature golf, certain stores, is there a zoo, all the activities we would do in a weekend – and it had everything we would do in New York and honestly more,” Kristin said.
“For us, the population was good,” Chris added. “Going from a metro area of 2.5 million to 250,000 really isn’t that big of a difference, and that mattered to my daughter. She didn’t want to be stuck in a small town. But she is a little worried about being safe, so that was all part of our thinking.”
They moved to south Sioux Falls in the summer of 2022 and enrolled their older kids in the Harrisburg School District. They now have one in middle school and two in elementary school.
“Everything is so hands-on,” Kristin said. “They teach kids through projects and experiences rather than just on a computer or lecturing them. It’s all interactive. The kids actually look forward to going to school every day and were sad when there was a snow day.”
The activities offered in the Sioux Falls area “are honestly more opportunities than we had in New York,” she added.
“Our daughter is now in volleyball and absolutely loves it. Our kids are in boxing at 605 Boxing and MMA, and I cannot say enough wonderful things about the coaching staff and adult fighters that are there. And our son is on the robotics team at school, and it is an amazing opportunity for kids to engage in and challenging and rewarding for them to see their robot in action.”
And that’s just the start. The family’s kids also have done baseball and soccer, and Kristin is part of a parent group helping bring meals to middle school teachers.
“I was invited to a meeting at the school to meet with the principal and teachers, and everyone is so welcoming and inviting,” she said. “They are genuinely happy to have you there to help.”
While they were newcomers with no connections, anyone they met stepped up to help, she added.
“I had to put our Realtor, Sam Adams, down as our emergency contact on school paperwork because I didn’t know anyone,” Kristin said. “We had to put our mortgage team at Plains Commerce as emergency contacts. And you know what? All of them were happy to do it, and I would trust them with my kids!”
Sioux Falls’ health care community also came through for the family when their daughter began complaining about leg pain shortly after the move.
“The medical field here genuinely cares about you as a patient. We went to urgent care on a Saturday, she met with orthopedic the following Tuesday and had surgery the Tuesday after that,” Kristin said.
“The whole process couldn’t have been more wonderful. There are short wait times, they explain things to you, and you never feel rushed. Even my son needs some dental procedures, and we were given options. This is not the case in New York. You wait in doctors’ offices for at least an hour to be seen, you are rushed through and not given options.”
As a remote worker, she appreciates the small-town friendliness she has encountered in Sioux Falls.
“It is a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and being a remote worker, it’s nice because I don’t have that co-worker connection,” she said. “You go to even Walmart or Scheels, and the people that work are always pleasant and talk to you. My kids joke it’s perfect for me because I like to talk to random strangers, and people here are receptive of that.”
Overall, “here is like it used to be in New York,” Chris said. “The schools used to be hands-on. The people used to be outside, and we wanted more of that. That’s what it is here. It feels like 15 years ago.”
The family’s experience is a model of what others can expect with a move to Sioux Falls, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“We welcome remote workers, and we know many like the Giglio family who have found this community to be a perfect fit,” she said. “If Chris and Kristin ever want to make a change, they’re also going to find many employers in this community who will embrace their skill sets. And their children absolutely are going to thrive growing up in this community.”
Life here is like moving back to “simpler times,” Kristin said. “It’s more family-centric. I feel like New York was go-go-go and very cutthroat, and here it’s more laid-back and enjoyable. Everyone is so nice here, and it’s all-encompassing. It’s just different here.”
To learn more about making your move to Sioux Falls, email deniseg@siouxfalls.com.
