Category: Directions Newsletter

Furniture Mart USA Groundbreaking

Posted on by leahb

Founded in 1976, Furniture Mart USA has grown from a single location in Sioux Falls to a family of brands with 59 stores in 35 communities across six-states. The groundbreaking ceremony marks construction on a $25 million, 300,000 square foot addition to their distribution center and corporate headquarters in Sioux Falls.  In addition to relocating the existing retail clearance center, the project includes a new 40,000 square foot Furniture Mart and 40,000 square foot Ashley HomeStore with improved customer conveniences.

This family owned and operated business, leads by example supporting the community by providing jobs, 380 in Sioux Falls and 1250+ company-wide,  and through charitable giving. In recent years, the company has provided over $1,000,000 to 70-plus organizations in the region

Augustana University Residence Hall Groundbreaking

Posted on by leahb

Augustana broke ground on an $50 million housing plan focused on new and enhanced facilities to meet the needs of the growing number of students on campus. 

The largest portion of the plan includes a new residence hall on the south end of Augustana’s north campus near 33rd Street and Grange Avenue. The L-shaped building will be three stories high and house up to 200 students.  The facility will consist of semi-suites with four beds and a bathroom in each unit.  Two of the university’s existing residence halls — Bergsaker and Solberg —will also see upgrades.

The new residence hall, the south courtyard and renovations to Bergsaker Hall are expected to be completed by the fall of 2022. Renovations to Solberg Hall will be finished when students return in fall 2023.

A Transformational TIF

Posted on by meganjansick

The Sioux Falls Development Foundation (SFDF) has worked with the City of Sioux Falls (City) for the past year to establish a Tax Increment Financing District (TIF) at Foundation Park. The TIF will help create 460-acres of shovel-ready industrial land located primarily north of the rail tracks. When the Park was created in 2015, the SFDF partnered with a consortium of banks to establish a line of credit to be able to construct the infrastructure necessary to develop the southern portion of the Park. The SFDF intentionally left the northern portion undeveloped until there was enough demand to justify development.

With the announcement from Amazon, the Foundation Board determined it needed to begin developing the area north of the tracks to be able to accommodate additional large users on non-rail sites. In consultation with the City, the SFDF began the process of establishing TIF District #23, the Foundation Park North TIF.

Essentially, the TIF allows the SFDF to utilize the future growth in property tax revenue from the district for TIF eligible expenses. The process involves establishing the assessed base value of all the property within the district before improvements and an assessed value after infrastructure build-out and private investment. The difference between these two values is referred to as the increment. Companies that build in the district pay 100 percent of their property taxes. These new tax revenues, the increment, are used over time to directly finance the TIF eligible costs within the district.

TIFs are a strategic process to finance large scale developments like Foundation Park North. It will provide the SFDF with developable land to sell, allow us to work with the City over time to install infrastructure, and provide for marketable shovel-ready sites moving forward. By having the infrastructure completed, we will create an ideal situation for additional tenants in the future.

Included in TIF eligible costs are site grading, access roads, sewer and water lines, drainage plans, detention ponds, electrical and gas line extensions, and an economic competitiveness fund to allow for flexibility within the district for future prospect needs. Grading on Foundation Park North could begin as early as this fall; with completion of all infrastructure planned by 2025.

In short, being able to use Tax Increment Financing to introduce 460-acres of shovel-ready industrial land at Foundation Park takes our community to the next level. It allows our community to be competitive in attracting, retaining, and expanding businesses in Sioux Falls. Additionally, it allows the SFDF flexibility when negotiating with companies and planning for future land acquisition.

I commend Mayor TenHaken and Councilors Brekke, Erickson, Jensen, Kiley, Neitzert, Selberg and Soehl; and City leadership for their willingness to partner with the SFDF to support economic development in Sioux Falls. This is an exceptionally busy time for the SFDF. Thank you to Bob, Dean, Denise, Mike, Cory, all the SFDF team, our bank consortium – First PREMIER Bank, CorTrust Bank, First Bank & Trust, First Dakota National Bank, The First National Bank in Sioux Falls, Great Western Bank, MetaBank/Central Bank, and U.S. Bank; and all who help us make things happen. Keep up the good work.

Story by

Pat Costello

Board Chair

Foundation Park: Activity, Activity, Activity

Posted on by meganjansick

The momentum at Foundation Park continues as represented by the following activities.

Foundation Court – The second phase of Foundation Court will complete the loop back to Marion Road. The project represents infrastructure of water, sewer, paving and lighting. It also opens the final phases of Foundation Park South with additional build-ready sites. The project is on track to be completed by the end of August this year.

Amazon – If you are anywhere near the northwest part of Sioux Falls, you certainly will see Amazon’s distribution center breaking the skyline. It seems this enormous building is being erected in record time, with several hundred local contractors on site.

Marion Road – Due to the Amazon facility, the City of Sioux Falls is currently making improvements to Marion Road. This will include additional turning lanes and signalization. As Marion continues north, the City is planning more improvements to Marion Road that will extend all the way to 258th Street.

Win Chill – Foundation Park’s anchor tenant continues to grow and expand. Their current expansion will add an additional 125,000 square feet of cold storage warehousing and represents their third phase since breaking ground on 54 acres in May of 2017.

Grading – It seems this is a never-ending task at Foundation Park. If you are out near the Park you will notice continuous grading. The grading will open more land for sale and potentially new tenants soon.

CJ Foods/Schwans – Engineering and site plans for this 700,000 square foot facility on 140 acres continue to move forward. This project will require infrastructure to be installed north of the railroad tracks. In the coming 12-24 months expect to see roads, water, sewer, utilities, fiber and again plenty of grading taking place.

Pipeline – We remain extremely pleased with the level of prospect activity and inquiries received with interest in Foundation Park. We would not be surprised to see more announcements as we enter spring and summer this year.

Become a Member

Posted on by meganjansick

As a small non-profit organization, the Foundation relies on the financial support of our member businesses and long-time supporters. From local start-ups to major corporate employers, every dollar of financial support allows us to carry out our mission to create quality economic growth and workforce development in the region.

Development Foundation Members, past and present, are part of a legendary organization that has played a major role in our region’s growth since 1954. Your membership support has made and continues to make an impact on the growth and development of our community now and into the future; and on each and every person that calls our area home.

Member benefits have expanded with opportunities to participate in our workforce attraction and development efforts and programing, access to growth and retention advocates, site location assistance, information resources, and international trade services. Our online membership directory, traditional or virtual groundbreaking ceremonies hosted by your Development Foundation, and invitations to our annual meeting and WIN Summit provide you with additional marketing and networking opportunities.

The Board of Directors would like to thank the business and individuals that have renewed their membership during 2021 – partners in maintaining and renewing our regional economy now and beyond! We encourage other members of our corporate community to consider joining our efforts as we continue to make Sioux Falls one of the best places to work, live and enjoy life.

Join us! Call 339-0103 or email info@siouxfalls.com today. Become a Member. Be a part of the legend and legacy; be a part of our collective future, be a part of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

Spirit of Sioux Falls Scholarship Funds Available

Posted on by meganjansick

Application deadline July 1, 2021

Each year the Sioux Falls Development Foundation awards up to four Spirit of Sioux Falls Scholarships. Business students who have completed at least one year of higher education are eligible.

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 for these four $3,500 scholarships. The deadline is July 1, 2021.

The Spirit of Sioux Falls Scholarships are administered by the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation. The scholarship application is available for download on-line through the Community Foundation website.

Application Download

Skilled Labor/Quality of Life Make Smaller Cities Ideal for New Corporate Model

Posted on by meganjansick

According to the results of Area Development’s 35th annual Corporate Survey, the availability of skilled labor is still the number-one priority for corporate executives when looking to locate a new facility or expand an existing one. What has, however, increased dramatically in importance over the 35-year course of the survey is quality of life. This may be responsible for many companies choosing smaller cities with a good quality of life for their next location project rather than larger metro areas.

In fact, quality of life considerations, which are so important in attracting skilled labor, rank higher in this year’s Corporate Survey when compared to universally important factors such as labor costs and occupancy and construction costs. The focus on quality of life is likely to continue as companies reimagine their workplaces and seek to cater to a much more mobile workforce. Quality of life and “quality of place” are seen as an indicator of whether a new location will be a match for a company’s existing corporate culture and values.

Of course, cost factors — which only ranked marginally lower than quality of life in the survey — are still of primary importance. This is especially so as the pandemic has forced companies to cut costs to boost their bottom line. They’re looking closely at the tax impacts and incentives opportunities in new geographies, while keeping an eye on realigning their supply chains to prevent the disruptions experienced during the pandemic. This will help to mitigate risks and cut costs by positioning them closer to their end markets.

The Sioux Falls region is ideally positioned to take advantage of these new trends as our communities do an excellent job of building quality of place while controlling other costs of development. With the creation of Foundation Park and the ability to live in the community of your choice, we are finding these new selling points to be in our favor. Keep up the great work everyone.

Talent Attraction Survey 2021 Encourages Greater Support Among South Dakota’s Manufacturers

Posted on by meganjansick

In late January, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation conducted a pulse survey involving 322 organizations across six industries and in organizations of different sizes to learn more about recruiting difficulty, skills shortages, and the recruiting and training tactics used in response to these challenges. Central to this survey were answers to questions asked including,

What types of roles and experience levels are the most difficult to fill?

What are the most common strategies and tools organizations are using to deal with recruiting challenges?

What recruiting geographies were the most popular? Are there any parallels between recruiting geographies and time spent recruiting?

Ninety-one percent of organizations shared positive experiences including “Talent attraction programs have helped us understand how better to compete,” and “Denise worked with our talent acquisition people to develop a targeted campaign outside Sioux Falls.”

Financial, health, and technology organizations shared low to moderate recruiting challenges. They identified support needed at the regional and national levels. These organizations also participated the most in the Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s talent and workforce programming.

SFDF’s talent programming opens so many doors for us.

Aimee Miritello, Manager of Human Resource at Marmon Energy

General construction and manufacturing industries reported the highest difficulty recruiting experiences. Manufacturers shared they have strong employee retention rates, substantial benefits, and good talent management processes. Most were recruited locally and felt they could support developing talent due to solid internal teams and natural mentoring between new and existing employees.

Based on feedback, SFDF partnered with the Govenor’s Office of Economic Development and South Dakota Manufacturing Technology Solutions on “Talent Attraction and Implementing Workforce Solutions,” a webcast moderated by Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development, to communicate resources available to help manufacturers.

Information about programs, including Career Connections, automation and robotics workshops, and SD Works, were shared with nearly 300 organizations. Discussions about programs, such as Talent Draft Day on September 23, encourage additional conversations with businesses, including Peter Vaillant, VP of Operations at UltiMed, Inc., and Aimee Miritello, Manager of Human Resource at Marmon Energy. Miritello shared positive feedback about current programs, such as Talent Draft Day Webcast 2020, while signing up to partner for the second year of Career Connections in August 2021. “SFDF’s talent programming opens so many doors for us.”

Other companies in attendance included 3M, BAE Systems, Daktronics, Henkel, Malloy Electric, Marmon Energy, MidAmerican Energy Company, Muth Electric, Inc., Orion Land Mark, Raven Industries, Inc., and Sioux Valley Energy. To view this webcast, please visit SFDF’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/developsf/.

Click Here to Watch Our Livestreams

Thank You Existing Industries!

Posted on by meganjansick

Existing industries and businesses in the Sioux Falls area provide jobs, support community needs and drive our economy. On March 18th, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation hosted an existing industry appreciation event to say thank you. Attending businesses enjoyed an afternoon of golfing at Great Shots and watching the tip-off of the NCAA basketball tournament. During the event, businesses also had the opportunity to network with our partner organizations from the state and local level that offer services geared towards helping businesses grow and expand in the Sioux Falls area. Thank you for all you do!

Existing Business Services

President’s Report: Forward Sioux Falls Powers Ahead

Posted on by meganjansick
President’s Report

Forward Sioux Falls Powers Ahead

Since its inception in 1987 by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, the Forward Sioux Falls program has provided the mechanism and resources needed to address critical economic development projects in the region. Forward Sioux Falls 2026 continues that brilliant tradition and is off to a great start after the official kickoff last month.

FSF 2026 will continue the strong tradition of providing resources in addressing critical issues facing Sioux Falls and investors are lining up to be a part of the solution. Working from a strong foundation formed by FSF 2021 in developing Foundation Park and conducting the Strategic Workforce Action Agenda, the Development Foundation and the Chamber have designed the next five-year plan to achieve maximum benefit for the region.

Talent Attraction, Retention & Development

  • External Talent Recruitment
  • YPN Marketing, Talent Draft Day, Talent Tours, Talent Rebound, Cyber Recruitment
  • Internal Talent Development
  • Career Connections, Your Future STEM, Internships & Apprenticeships, Special Populations
  • Business Partnerships
  • Recruitment Council, WIN Summit, WIN Engagement Platform, Sioux Falls Thrive
  • Housing Partnership

Business Retention, Expansion & Attraction

  • Existing Industry Retention & Expansion
  • Comprehensive Marketing
  • Existing Industry, Targeted Industries
  • International Trade Programming
  • Foundation Park Support

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

  • Cyber/IT Park
  • USD Discovery District
  • Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship

Business Advocacy, Airport & Quality of Place

  • Innovation Center of Excellence – Leadership, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
  • Advocacy & Policy Development
  • Future Sioux Falls Strategic Plan
  • Airport Marketing

Forward Sioux Falls is now in its public phase and we invite all Sioux Falls businesses to be a part of our future. Please contact Mike Lynch at ForwardSiouxFalls.com or 605-373-2008 to discuss your participation.

Contact Mike Lynch
Bob Mundt
Story by

Bob Mundt

President/CEO, Sioux Falls Development Foundation

Forward Sioux Falls Launches Public Campaign

Posted on by meganjansick

The public portion of the Forward Sioux Falls 2026 campaign is well underway, as over 130 volunteers have been assembled to broaden the reach of investors and augment economic and workforce development efforts over the next five years.

Co-chairs Dave Rozenboom (First PREMIER Bank), Dave Flicek (Avera McKennan Hospital and University Center) and Paul Hanson (Sanford Health), as well as Honorary co-chair Mayor Paul TenHaken have assembled a team of 39 community leaders to serve on the campaign cabinet.

A public campaign launch was held on February 23rd at Southeast Technical College, where the co-chairs conveyed both the initiatives that will be extended into the next program, as well as new initiatives that will help elevate the region’s economy.

Funding for the following core initiatives will be extended into Forward Sioux Falls 2026:

  • Talent development, attraction and retention
  • Business attraction, retention and expansion
  • SiouxFalls.com
  • Foundation Park
  • USD Discovery District
  • Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship
  • Sioux Empire Housing Partnership
  • Sioux Falls Thrive
  • YPN
  • Business Advocacy

40-person campaign cabinet

New Forward Sioux Falls 2026 initiatives include:

A Housing Fund will involve a partnership among the City of Sioux Falls, Sioux Empire Housing Partnership (SEHP), US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and others to create a fund and provide resources to address our workforce accessible housing needs.

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.

Support for REACH to expand their workplace literacy program.

Partnering with Dakota State University, local tech companies and the City of Sioux Falls, Forward Sioux Falls will provide seed funding to create a visionary Cyber/IT Park in Sioux Falls.

The Innovation Center of Excellence, housed within the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber, will provide an opportunity for the public and private sectors to partner, collaborate and deliver innovative programming focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Center will also support Next Level Leadership Academy, New Ideas, Think Tank, and others.

Funding for our next “Future Sioux Falls” Strategic Plan, a community-wide long-range vision and strategic planning process.

The campaign is scheduled to run through June and to date, over $10.4 million of the $15 million cash goal has been raised.

For More Campaign Information, Click Here

Sioux Metro Growth Alliance Hires Ryan Solberg, Launches New Service

Posted on by meganjansick

The Board of Directors for Lincoln and Minnehaha County Economic Development Associations (LCEDA/MCEDA) approved a new service at their March board meeting. Starting in May, investor communities will be able to contract with the newly consolidated Sioux Metro Growth Alliance (SMGA) for economic development management services. This new service is designed to compliment the existing support offered by the SMGA and is available for an additional fee for investor communities.

How does this service work? An investor community economic development organization would contract with the SMGA to offer direct economic development management support. The SMGA would offer an economic development specialist to execute a pre-determined scope of services for the contracting entity. The contracting entity (economic development organization) would provide office space in their community for 10-20 hours per week and the SMGA would receive a management fee.

To provide this service, Ryan Solberg will be joining the SMGA as the Economic Development Specialist. As a Mitchell, SD native and Augustana University graduate, Solberg brings unique perspective thanks to past experience in the Planning and Development Services department at the City of Sioux Falls. Solberg most recently worked as a Loan Administrator at Builder Finance in Sioux Falls. The Lennox Area Development Corporation (LADC) has enlisted the SMGA in providing economic development management services. Solberg will work closely with the LADC to help them achieve their organizational goals and execute their economic development strategy.

If your economic development organization is interested in further assistance, contact Jesse Fonkert at jessef@siouxmetro.com for more information about this new, innovative service.

CJ Foods Selects Sioux Falls and Foundation Park

Posted on by meganjansick

The Sioux Falls Development Foundation is very pleased to welcome CJ Foods USA, a global market leader in food production, to Foundation Park, Sioux Falls and South Dakota for their next major expansion. The announcement was made by the company on Monday, January 11.

“We are excited to continue working with them to finalize their project here in Sioux Falls,” said Bob Mundt, President & CEO of the Development Foundation. “This is the latest example of the vision that elected and community leaders had when they created Foundation Park in 2015 and the concept of a mega site for large scale development. We will continue to diversify our economy with clean, high tech manufacturing generating new high skilled living wage jobs in the region.”

The new facility will result in more than 600 new full-time jobs by 2025 and include automated state-of-the-art food production lines, a warehouse and distribution center, shipping and receiving docks, and office space. The project will represent an overall investment of nearly 500 hundred million dollars over the course of construction. Additional investments in the facility’s capabilities will be made as demand increases over the next several years.

Adding this world-class Asian food plant in South Dakota will help us lead the fast-growing Asian food category in North America and achieve our long-term growth plans.

Dimitrios Smyrnios, Executive Chairman of CJCJ Food, Americas and Schwan’s Company CEO

“This strategically important new investment represents an extremely exciting time for both CJ Foods and Schwan’s Company,” said Executive Chairman of CJCJ Food, Americas and Schwan’s Company CEO Dimitrios Smyrnios. “Adding this world-class Asian food plant in South Dakota will help us lead the fast-growing Asian food category in North America and achieve our long-term growth plans. Ultimately, this plant will meet the increasing needs of our retail and food-service customers by creating significant production capacity, fueling Asian food category growth, and enabling future innovation.”

To help facilitate the project, company leaders from CJ Foods and Schwan’s Company worked with state and local public agencies and officials in South Dakota, including: Gov. Kristi Noem; Governor’s Office of Economic Development Commissioner Steve Westra; Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken and Sioux Falls Development Foundation President & CEO Bob Mundt.

South Dakota is open for business, and we’re excited for this tremendous investment in our state.

Kristi Noem, South Dakota Governor

“South Dakota is open for business, and we’re excited for this tremendous investment in our state. The Sioux Falls community will benefit greatly from the new full-time jobs that this facility will provide,” said South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. “I want to thank Dimitrios and everyone at CJ Foods and Schwan’s who worked with us to make this happen.”

More details about the specific products and brands that will be made at the facility, as well as renderings and more specific construction timelines, are expected to be shared this spring.

Business Executives Join Development Foundation Board

Posted on by meganjansick

The Sioux Falls Development Foundation added four local business executives to the organization’s board of directors. Elected through a vote of the membership, the board members began their terms of service on January 1, 2021.

Newly elected members are Julie Lautt, Avera Health, Clark Meyer, Concrete Materials, Tony Nour, First PREMIER Bank and Keith Severson.

Our Board

Julie Lautt

Lautt is Chief Financial Officer for Avera Health. Named as Avera’s senior financial steward in 2020, she leads the Finance, Revenue Cycle and Information Technology (IT) divisions, Supply Chain Services and Managed Care Services. Lautt previously served as Vice President of Operational Finance. From 1999 to 2017, the USD graduate served Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center as Controller of Managed Hospitals, Vice President and Corporate Controller, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Committed to community involvement, Lautt has served as chair of the Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools Board of Trustees, the Sioux Empire United Way Board of Directors and Sioux Falls Area CASA. She served as treasurer for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, an officer for the South Dakota Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and is a current member of the Principles and Practices Board for National HFMA. She also serves as board member for the USD Foundation Finance Committee.

Tony Nour

A native of Armour, SD, Nour is a graduate of Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota (MBA). Nour enjoys serving the community through board roles with Volunteers of America, Southeast Technical College and Sioux Falls Downtown Rotary, where he currently holds the position of Program Chair and President-Elect. He also serves on the South Dakota Bankers Association (SDBA) Legislative Committee and is currently Chair of the SDBA Emerging Leaders initiative. In his role as Senior Vice President – Relationship Banking, Nour is responsible for the overall growth, support and leadership of the Wealth Management, Private, Business, Retail, and Mortgage Banking teams in each of the markets First PREMIER Bank serves.

Clark Meyer

President of Sweetman Const. Co. doing business as Concrete Materials, Ellis & Eastern Company, and Rail to Road, Meyer has worked with the company since 1994. He started as a Computer Systems Manager and advanced to managing Aggregate Sales & Transportation. In 2005, he led the acquisition of the Harrisburg block plant and led the block division. He created the Hardscapes Outlet business model, and under his tenure, the block division grew to three block plants and six Hardscapes Outlet locations. In 2012, he created and became president of Rail to Road that specializes in transloading with five locations now. In 2016, he was named president of Ellis & Eastern Company, a shortline railroad. In 2017, the Ellis & Eastern acquired an adjacent railroad adding 41 miles to the network. In 2018, when Knife River Corporation, an MDU Resources Company, purchased all three companies, Clark was named President.

Keith Severson

A retired CPA, Severson remains active within the area serving various non-profit and community organizations. His professional career includes over 40 years in public accounting. He retired from Eide Bailly as a partner after having served a large concentration of clients in the construction, real estate and land development industries, and the wholesale and medical community. He is a former Board Member and Chairman of the Greater Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and continues to serve on their Community Appeals Committee and Issues Management Council. He is active in Downtown Rotary and a Forward Sioux Falls and United Way volunteer.