The Board of Directors of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation elected Kurt Loudenback, Grand Prairie Foods, chairman of the board for 2022, with Steve Kolbeck, Xcel Energy, as chair elect; Ryan Boschee, Great Western Bank, as treasurer; and Kent Cutler, Cutler Law Firm, as secretary. Pat Costello, Schoeneman’s, completes the executive committee as past chairman.
Strong support from our members has been the “foundation” of our organization for decades as we continue to carry out our mission of improving our regional economy. Thanks to your financial support, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation has led the way in creating one of the most vibrant, growing economies in the nation.
2022 brings a renewed emphasis on talent attraction, retention and workforce development; business retention assistance; and property tax and quality job growth. With Sioux Falls’ business climate attracting expanding and relocating companies we must continue to build our workforce, increase our marketing efforts and be an even stronger advocate for the economic prosperity of our region and we can’t do it without you!
Along with March Madness came March Membership – the start of our 2022 membership renewal efforts. Membership billing will continue over the next few months as renewal dates come up.
This year, our membership mailing includes information outlining the purpose, function and assistance provided by the Development Foundation. The publication is available online.
We invite you to review the information and renew your support of our efforts. If your organization is not yet a member, we invite you to contact us.
Thanks for your financial support and investment in the economic future of our area.
As we get closer to spring, we will begin to see an abundance of activity in both Foundation Park and Sioux Empire Development Park VIII West. The lifeblood of any industrial park is infrastructure. This includes graded sites, roads, water, sewer, utilities, and fiber connectivity. To keep up with the brisk demand and growth of Sioux Falls its’ paramount to stay one step ahead by providing build ready sites.
The Sioux Falls Development Foundation has been in the land development business going back 50 years. Most of that activity has taken place North of downtown and around the airport. As the community continued to grow, the Foundation acquired land on the outskirts of the community. Foundation Park is located at the northwest quadrant of I-29 & I-90, whereas Sioux Empire Development Park VIII is located near 60th Street North just east of I-229.
Foundation Park is the largest industrial park developed by the Foundation to date. In total it includes 900 acres and is served by BNSF rail. In just a handful of years Foundation Park has attracted large tenants in Amazon, FedEx, Lineage Logistics and CJ Foods. In total there has been 375 acres sold to date, which includes nine tenants.
As the southern portion of Foundation Park continues to fill, the primary focus for 2022 will be providing infrastructure north of the tracks. This will include a three phased grading plan that was bid and awarded to Riley Brothers. This mass grading plan will include 1.6 million cubic yards opening 270 acres of build ready sites. There will also be a bid going out to contractors in the spring to provide, roads, water, sewer, utilities, and fiber. All the underground work will be complete by summer/fall of 2022. The roads are planned to be paved in the spring/summer of 2023.
Moving over to the east side of Sioux Falls we have Sioux Empire Development Park VIII West. Most of the land in this industrial park runs adjacent to and east of I-229 between 60th Street North and Benson Road. This large parcel of land represents 152 acres. A mass grading plan was developed and bid last fall with Runge Enterprises being awarded the bid. Grading for this project will begin right away this spring and will be complete by mid-summer. To provide access to all this land the Development Foundation will be installing Bahnson Avenue. This stretch of Bahnson will run north and south from 60th Street North to Benson Road. Bid earlier this year and awarded to Runge Enterprises, paving is scheduled to be wrap-up by October.
Both projects in Foundation Park and Sioux Empire Development Park VIII West represent sizeable investments. However, they represent tracks of land that are becoming more in demand. As the Sioux Falls population has exceeded 200,000 and the MSA creeps closer to 300,000, it’s crucial to have larger tracts of land that have the necessary infrastructure and are plug and play build ready. Our pipeline is full, and we expect to see positive growth and more activity in both of these parks in the coming years.
By: Kurt Loudenback, President – Grand Prairie Foods 2022 & Chair of the Board – Sioux Falls Development Foundation
As Sioux Falls and the region continue to grow and experience record setting numbers in key areas, we recognize the changes and challenges this creates. While City leadership works to respond to what this growth means to future policy, the Development Foundation is working to identify the next phase of development as it relates to planned sustainable growth within our region.
There is little doubt Foundation Park is accomplishing what our past leadership had planned. And in that vein, I would like to extend a special thank you to Pat Costello, our past Chair of the Board, for his leadership throughout 2021. His past economic development experience and direction was invaluable and allowed the Board and staff to make critical and tough decisions to set us up for what comes next. We have tremendous momentum, and we will capitalize on that momentum.
New and expanding firms are finding their home in Foundation Park; substantially adding to the tax base and the quality job growth we see today. Creating nearly 2,500 new jobs and millions of dollars in new taxes, the tenants in Foundation Park and the Sioux Empire Development Parks are adding to the diverse mix of businesses calling Sioux Falls home.
As a Board, we have spent time looking ahead to the next phase of development for the Foundation. We know that talent, workforce housing, childcare, and continuous improvement of our quality of life are critical to sustain our controlled growth. With the successful conclusion of our Forward Sioux Falls campaign last fall, we have allocated the resources necessary to address these issues.
Expanded talent and workforce recruitment and development will continue to assist our business community in filling their talent pipeline. We are exploring our role in the development of workforce housing options while working with our partners to find a solution to childcare that will allow more people to rejoin the workforce. In addition, we are working to identify additional land for the next phase of industrial development. We are working on all these within the resource constraints of our organization, and in cooperation and coordination with the City of Sioux Falls and regional partners.
It is an honor for me to serve as the 2022 Chair of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation as we chart a course for the next phase of our development. I look forward to working with our members, our partners and our city leaders to continue to build this great City. Thanks for your membership, your partnership and your support. Here’s to a great 2022.
A new quiz by New York Times says Sioux Falls is a top place to live for new parents.
Using Affordability as a the top consideration for new parents, Sioux Falls earned the highest ranking. Sioux Falls also received high scores in the categories of schools, commute, space for money, income mobility, climate risks, and parents.
New York Times Opinion shared the rankings for various ‘best places to live if…’ on Instagram. See the post below:
View this post on Instagram
AARP ranked Sioux Falls a top place to “Live and Retire Now” in November 2021. The ranking considered population, median housing cost, median housing cost burden, access to exercise, and vibe.
As we transition to 2022, new leadership will be installed on our Board of Directors. Kurt Loudenback, President/CEO of Grand Prairie Foods, will assume the Chair position of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation to lead a talented group of your peers in moving the Foundation forward. Additional new leadership will include:
Kurt Loudenback – Grand Prairie Foods – Chair
Steve Kolbeck – Xcel Energy – Chair-Elect
Ryan Boschee – Great Western Bank – Treasurer
Kent Cutler – Cutler Law Firm – Secretary
Pat Costello – Schoeneman’s Building Materials – Past Chair
I’d like to thank and recognize the Members who are leaving the Board after completing their terms. These Members have led the Board and the Foundation over the past six years and were directly involved in the creation of Foundation Park, the development of the Strategic Workforce Action Agenda and the transition of staff leadership. Their skills, talents, and passion for the growth of Sioux Falls and the Foundation are deeply appreciated.
Holly Brunick
Sean Ervin – TSP, Inc.
Michelle Lavallee – Children’s Home Society
Betty Oldenkamp – Lutheran Social Services
Bob Thimjon – Ramkota Companies
Mike Van Buskirk – Van Buskirk Companies
I’d also like to welcome our new Board Members and I am excited to see what the future holds.
Clint Ackerman – Signature Companies, Inc.
Randy Knecht – Journey Group
Dave Link – Dakota State University
Karla Santi – Blend Interactive
Al Spencer – Parks Ltd
I have thoroughly enjoyed my service as the Chair of the Foundation during 2021 and know our new Board under Kurt’s leadership will continue to accomplish great things. The Foundation is on a good path and our leadership is committed to work with our partners to move Sioux Falls and the region forward.
Thank you for allowing me to lead this organization. It has been an honor I will always treasure, and I look forward to 2022.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
The annual workforce symposium brings together industry leaders, innovative educators, and business professionals from the upper Midwest region to prioritize, strategize, and energize workforce development.
Greenway, known for mental and physical resilience and strong work ethic, will kick off the event with a conversation on leadership.
“I’m excited about it,” Greenway said. “I love to break it down and tell the whole story about my background and where my leadership skills started.”
Long before he became a leader in the football huddle, Greenway gained leadership skills on his family farm in Mount Vernon, managing kids younger than he was. They built fences, moved cattle, and took on added responsibilities.
“That gave me the opportunity to be very selfless in my thought process of what it took to make a farm run and to thrive in that role and get better and strong,” he said. “Learning how to lead someone without an ego, I applied it in college, dropping back down and being a freshman and working your way up. Same thing in the NFL. The pressures that come with being a high pick and as a linebacker being a required leader in the huddle.”
In today’s workplace, there needs to be an emphasis on culture, he added.
“Are we a company people want to work for? Suppose the pool we’re hiring from has shrunk to essentially almost no pool. How will I attract that savvy young person coming out of college, or the veteran in the field you want to bring over? How do I separate myself?”
In business, as in football, it starts with fundamentals, he suggests.
“If you have a bad game or the team has a bad game, how do you right the ship? When you strip things back to fundamentals – footwork, responding to what I see in front of me, letting my body react – I always get back to my center. And I think companies have to get back to who they are,” Greenway said. “Set that culture, lean on that, and create an environment people want to be a part of.”
He’s also increasingly familiar with the newest generation entering the workforce, as a father of four ages four to 13 who coaches kids in basketball and soccer.
“This generation gets a little bit of a bad rap,” he said. “They don’t appear to be as hardworking as the generations that have come before, and I think that’s a fallacy in a sense because the work is just different now. Kids coming out of college are programming apps and building technology. We’re not cold calling for ad sales anymore. We’re working smarter to spread the word quicker, and we’re more efficient now than ever.”
No matter what the work, it gets back to being where people want to be, he added.
“How do I make it comfortable – not always fun, but an environment where kids want to come be part of that,” he said.
Greenway brings a valuable perspective to the topic of workforce and leadership, said Dana Dykhouse, president of First PREMIER Bank.
“We’ve had him speak to our staff before on lessons in leadership, and he has a really unique and great perspective on it,” he said. “He’s just got a great style and story from growing up in Mount Vernon to the bright lights of Iowa in college and his career with the Vikings.”
Chad Greenway’s leadership discussion kicks off at 12:00 Noon. Following Greenway, WIN Summit has nine breakout sessions with 43 talent and workforce experts. Experts will share their organizational strategies involved in talent development, attraction, and retention, to help and enhance your talent management initiatives.
“WIN Summit break-out sessions have incredible and very tangible workforce tips to help organizations of all sizes,” shared Michelle Lavallee, CEO of South Dakota Children’s Home Society.”
Human Resources professionals may also earn five continuing educational credits for attending WIN in Workforce Summit 2021 Telecast.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Chad Greenway and grateful to First PREMIER for making it happen,” said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development. “His message about what talent today wants in employment is very timely and will set the tone for an incredibly valuable day. We look forward to connecting him and dozens of other experts with tactical strategies you can immediately apply back in the workplace.”
Click here to learn more and register for the WIN in Workforce Summit.
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.
In early July, the Development Foundation launched the “WORK Sioux Falls” initiative to promote the careers available in Sioux Falls area businesses. Utilizing print materials, digital advertising, and a dedicated page on the SiouxFalls.com community website, the Development Foundation is promoting existing businesses and careers in the area. The campaign is targeting individuals within 250 miles and metropolitan areas including Omaha, Sioux City, Minneapolis, Fargo, and Des Moines.
The video advertisements running in these markets can be viewed below and the dedicated web page is available at www.SiouxFalls.com/careers.
These efforts, in addition to our talent attraction programs through universities, tech schools, local high schools and alumni groups are meant to help attract the talent and workforce existing businesses need.
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.
The Forward Sioux Falls 2026 Campaign, which has a $15 million cash goal, is led by co-chairs Dave Rozenboom (President, First PREMIER Bank), Dave Flicek (Regional President and CEO, Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center) and Paul Hanson (Sioux Falls Region President, Sanford Health). Mayor Paul TenHaken is serving as honorary campaign co-chair. The campaign cabinet comprises over 40 business and community leaders.
Before any funds are raised, there is an extensive evaluation process of existing programs, as well as creation and consideration of new programs and goals to be added. During ideation and design of the Forward Sioux Falls 2026 program, there was sound justification to continue to expand talent development, attraction and retention initiatives which evolved from the 2015 Strategic Workforce Action Agenda.
SiouxFalls.com, Talent Draft Day, WIN in Workforce Summit, WIN engagement platform, and Your Future STEM are some examples of workforce initiatives that will continue to be funded, along with our ongoing business attraction, retention, and expansion efforts. In addition, there will be continued support for the Young Professionals Network, Sioux Falls Thrive, STARTUP Sioux Falls, advocacy, air service, Foundation Park, and the USD Discovery District.
New initiatives have also been built into the 2026 program and include the following:
Affordable Housing: Providing resources to support the collaborative efforts of the City of Sioux Falls, Sioux Empire Housing Partnership (SEHP), US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and others to address workforce accessible housing needs.
Career Connections: Partnering with local businesses from a variety of industry sectors, Career Connections will provide high-potential at-risk high school juniors and seniors with a career exploration and mentorship opportunity and financial assistance for concurrent dual-credit course work to help them begin their post-secondary education and career journey.
REACH: Funding to expand this workplace literacy program.
Cyber/IT Park: Seed funding for a new vision to partner with Dakota State University, local tech companies and the City of Sioux Falls to create a Cyber/IT campus in Sioux Falls.
Innovation Center of Excellence: A proposed new Center within the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce where public and private sectors will partner and collaborate to deliver innovative programming focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. The Center will also support Next Level Leadership Academy, New Ideas, Think Tank and others.
“Future Sioux Falls” strategic plan: Provides funding for our next community-wide long-range vision and strategic planning process.
A primary Forward Sioux Falls objective during the formative years of the program was to elevate our community from a regional hub to one that is now nationally recognized for an ability to attract businesses, as well as people to fill jobs and raise families.
Key outcomes since 1987 include a 236 percent job growth (91,000 net new jobs) and a 214 percent increase in the Sioux Falls MSA population (142,200 net new residents). Sioux Falls has also received prominent national accolades, including the #1 city in the United States for young professionals and the #1 best small place for business and careers (12 of the past 20 years).
Projected outcomes and goals for Forward Sioux Falls 2026 include:
• 4,500 new direct jobs at above median wage
• $500 million in new capital investments
• $250 million in new property tax revenues
• 300 existing companies assisted
• 1,000 new housing units from the Housing Fund
• 25,000 new residents
• 1,000 apprenticeships/internships/job shadows
• 30,000 direct workforce contacts
• 250,000 electronic workforce exposures
In 1987, the blueprint for future economic growth and diversification in Sioux Falls was envisioned and our potential was unleashed. With each five-year program, investors have relied on Forward Sioux Falls’ initiatives to expand and elevate the region’s economy and it has exceeded all expectations.
We thank all organizations and individuals who have invested in Forward Sioux Falls 2026 and encourage those yet to do so, to give strong consideration to join the effort. Please reach out to Mike Lynch, Director of Investor Relations with questions (mlynch@siouxfalls.com) or visit www.forwardsiouxfalls.com for more information.
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.
Board Chairman
