In the Sioux Falls area, meeting workforce needs is a community effort – supported through Forward Sioux Falls with a new campaign every five years and executed by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
As one five-year campaign closes and another begins, the growth in workforce-related programs has been huge – with 14 established in 2020 that have expanded fast.
“They’re meeting the needs not only of our employers today, but also are expanding and are able to ebb and flow as everyone’s needs ebb and flow,” said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
The goal was to work with 200 employers annually, but that actually has reached 277 as of last year and multiplies its effect many times over.
“It’s how many people they’re contacting about jobs, about internships, about the apprenticeships they have,” Guzzetta said. “You’re looking at close to 75,000 people over the course of a five-year campaign, which is 150 percent of the commitment we made back in 2020.”
That leads directly to young professionals taking on internships, job shadows and apprenticeships.
“We’ve grown that metric by close to 400 percent over what we intended to do back in 2020,” Guzzetta said. “No. 1, we know that if we can get your business connected to a person through an engagement program, the likelihood of you hiring them is great, and the likelihood of them being a good fit is even better.”
Take a closer look at the initiative’s workforce success here:
Workforce Development 2025 Year in Review
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.
When students think about careers, their perspective can be limited.
But when employers share their opportunities firsthand, it can make a powerful impact.
That’s the idea behind Talent Draft Day, a program produced by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and sponsored by Forward Sioux Falls, that meets students where they’re at — inside their school — with programming designed to help them begin considering their future.
“And also help them develop skills, help them connect to employers, and we bring along employers and colleges so they start solidifying the relationships they have with these students,” said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
The message clearly resonated with students recently at Brandon Valley High School.
Take a closer look below:
Talent Draft Day – Brandon Valley High School 2025
In 2025, Talent Draft Day was held five times, and this year that will expand to eight events.
If your team could use extra summer support, the Intern Sioux Falls Stipend Program is a practical way to bring on a strong intern while keeping costs manageable. This new offering complements the Foundation’s broader Intern Sioux Falls program, which connects students from regional colleges and universities with Sioux Falls businesses through internships.
The stipend program provides financial assistance, along with marketing and policy support, to employers with 250 or fewer employees who do not yet offer internships. With this added support, employers can move forward on internal projects that improve productivity and strengthen day-to-day operations—work that often gets pushed back when teams are lean.
What the stipend covers
Intern Sioux Falls provides a $2,500 stipend that is matched by the employer to host a paid intern from one of five local colleges: Augustana University, Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, the University of South Dakota, and the University of Sioux Falls. The internship must be full-time for eight weeks.
This shared investment keeps the internship affordable for employers while providing meaningful, career-building opportunities for college students.
Benefits of hosting an intern
Internships are among the most reliable ways to build a sustainable talent pipeline that aligns with your organization.
A proven “try-before-you-hire” pathway. National internship benchmarks show employers convert about 53% of interns into full-time hires, making internships a direct and efficient recruiting channel.
Better retention for former interns. Research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers consistently reports that long-term employee retention is higher for employees who started as interns. After one year, retention for internal-intern hires is around 73–75%, and they are significantly more likely to stay long-term than hires without internship experience.
Lower onboarding and recruiting costs. Interns who return full-time already know your culture, systems, and expectations, shortening ramp-up time and reducing the cost of repeated hiring searches.
Immediate support on real projects
Intern Sioux Falls students can make a difference in your organization through areas like:
Human resources, communications, and marketing (content support, social media, onboarding materials, internal communications, event prep)
Operations and finance (process improvement, data organization, dashboards, customer flow, cost tracking)
Special internal projects you want to move forward without pulling time from core staff
If you’ve been looking for a simple way to get help on priority work and grow your future workforce at the same time, Intern Sioux Falls is a great fit.
If you’re interested in learning more about the stipend program, reach out to Sioux Falls Development Foundation staff Denise Guzzetta, Vice President of Talent and Workforce, or Riley Johnson, Talent Recruitment Coordinator, at the contact information below.
Denise Guzzetta – deniseg@siouxfalls.com | Riley Johnson – rileyj@siouxfalls.com
The Sioux Falls Development Foundation is committed to helping your business/organization connect with top talent at our regional colleges and universities through our Intern Sioux Falls program.
The program offers two main benefits to employers:
Promote your organization’s internship program via www.siouxfalls.com/intern at on-campus career fairs and through targeted digital marketing. If you’d like to have your organization listed, please complete this form.
Provide engagement opportunities for interns through summer events. Please contact Riley Johnson (contact information below) to inquire about your intern(s) participating.
Spring 2026 Career Fairs
We’ll be attending each of the career fairs listed below to promote living and working in Sioux Falls, but we’d love to see your hiring team there, too! You can register to attend any of these career fairs by clicking the ‘register’ link below each fair’s listing.
USD – Internship Day January 21, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Register Here
DSU – Spring Career & Internship Fair February 4, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Register Here
SDACCC – B.I.G Career and Internship Fair February 19, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Register Here
SDSU – All Majors Career Fair April 9, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Register Here
Want more information about Intern Sioux Falls?
Riley Johnson
Talent Recruitment Coordinator, Sioux Falls Development Foundation
The annual WIN in Workforce Summit is produced by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and supported by Forward Sioux Falls.
The goal is “to plan, prioritize, engage and talk about what do we need to do to move the needle forward,” said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Development Foundation.
“With growth comes a lot of uncertainty, a lot of challenges. This is our time to talk about the things we need to do.”
More than 1,200 team members at Avera Health have earned a title with special significance this year: legacy ambassadors.
Like the health system itself, which marks 25 years in 2025 since the Presentation and Benedictine orders brought their health systems together in a unique co-sponsorship model, the employees have been with Avera at least 25 years.
One of them is Shannon Backstrom, a nurse practitioner who says she has stayed with Avera because she always felt valued.
“I have encountered many different situations from exciting and happy to challenging. During those challenging times, I felt heard, and positive changes were made,” she said.
“The culture is very much a team approach with everyone working toward the same goal: quality care and the health of the patient.”
Backstrom’s experience likely is reflected in workplaces across Sioux Falls, and, as Avera has established, culture helps navigate change.
“Our culture is strong; we have a workplace culture that emphasizes mission and the opportunity to be part of something bigger than yourself to help others and contribute to the greater good,” said Dave Flicek, chief operating officer of Avera Health.
“In past generations, people were willing to put other things in life on hold for their career. Now, they are looking for life balance and well-being, which is important because if you pour yourself out completely trying to be competitive in the workplace, you have nothing else to give. Meaningful work is an important and satisfying part of life, but we as employers must recognize that our employees have families and outside interests, and need to practice self-care. So we encourage this balance.”
Flicek will share more insights from Avera as he helps lead off the annual WIN in Workforce Summit as part of a panel discussion titled “Bridging the Gap: What Inspires Leaders Now & Next.”
The annual event will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 23, with networking events before and after the event, at a new venue: the Canopy by Hilton in downtown Sioux Falls.
The day will feature 10 impactful sessions highlighting local leadership, businesses and best practices.
One of them, “Navigating What’s Next in Healthcare and Higher Ed,” will feature Avera Health chief financial officer Julie Lautt.
Change is a constant in health care, but one that also makes people better and leads to new possibilities, she said.
“For a mission-based organization like Avera, it is important to me to always make sure my decision-making is consistent and aligned with the mission and values,” Lautt said.
“It is important to help people understand the ‘why.’ For me, putting the numbers into stories for nonfinancial leaders helps convey the reasoning behind the decisions.”
She also has developed best practices to share with other leaders.
“I think leaders need to develop and strongly support their teams,” Lautt said. “Surround yourself with people who share the same values with the ability to move the organization’s mission forward. Allow for development opportunities while coaching them and be willing to let them go so they can thrive. Only with a good, strong, committed team can you achieve the set goals.”
As a faith-based organization, Avera “has some practices that may seem uncommon to others,” Flicek added.
“For example, we pray at the beginning of each meeting. People of all faith backgrounds remark all the time that they value the fact that faith is considered important at Avera. We’re constantly talking about how we live out our values of compassion, hospitality and stewardship.”
It fosters a culture “where people truly care about each other,” he added. “People feel like they belong at Avera. As they care about our patients, co-workers care about each other. The stories are so numerous how employees help each other out in times of hardship or even covering for someone on busy days when they haven’t had the chance to grab lunch.”
This year’s Avera Cares employee giving campaign raised $7.5 million. Among other things, this fund helps Avera patients and colleagues with just-in-time needs.
Both Avera leaders point to an environment that encourages personal and professional development, along with a commitment to mutual understanding and communication.
“We rely on each other,” Lautt said. “One principle of a learning organization is deference to expertise. This means yielding to the person who knows the most about a given situation. At times, this is the front-line caregiver or the food service worker or the maintenance crew.”
As a people-centered industry, workforce development has always been important to Avera, Flicek said.
“Shortages in health care workforce are not new, but they are becoming more concerning,” he said. “One thing that’s been successful is helping to map out a career path that begins at the entry level and then helping people see how they can progress to a registered nurse, a lab tech or a surgical tech. These are just a few examples of many career paths one could take at Avera.”
The health system also has invested in scholarships as well as sponsorships, which is when someone receives tuition funds in exchange for agreeing to work for Avera for a certain period of time.
For example, someone can graduate from high school and get hired on as a certified nursing assistant, get training on the job and receive tuition reimbursement or perhaps a sponsorship/scholarship to get a four-year nursing degree.
“Giving people a workable plan toward a promising career path and partnering with them to achieve their goals is something any business could apply,” Flicek said.
That’s the whole goal of the WIN Summit, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“You don’t have to be an employer with the size and scope of Avera to learn from the incredible best practices this organization employs,” she said. “Dave, Julie and their team will offer insights you can immediately take back to your workplace and put into practice.”
Jeremy Feist is only 30, but already his structural engineering career has taken him to some impressive heights.
As a lead structural design engineer, he worked on the 44-story Mutual of Omaha headquarters tower in downtown Omaha.
His role also allowed him to work on the tallest building in Richmond, Virginia and the tallest in Bellevue, Washington, in the Seattle metro area, in addition to the convention center in Austin, Texas.
“I had a range of cool experiences,” said Feist, whose first job was as a structural design engineer at Seattle-based Magnusson Klemencic Associates.
“That really motivated me to move to Seattle, and I’m so glad I did.”
But as a Wyoming native who grew up near the South Dakota border and earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degrees from School of Mines, Feist “always had in the back of my head it would be so fun to move back and be closer to family,” he said.
“As I was targeting the spot I wanted to come back to, Sioux Falls checked a bunch of boxes. It’s much closer to family, I have friends in Omaha and Minneapolis and Rochester, and because Sioux Falls is the biggest city in the area, there’s a lot going on while still being in South Dakota. So it was really appealing.”
Still, he hadn’t spent much time in the city.
“I have an uncle who lives in Sioux Falls and had passed through a few times, but I wasn’t that most familiar,” he said. “I was back for a wedding a couple summers ago and when I went to Falls Park for the first time, it was updated and I realized how up-and-coming Sioux Falls was.”
He began looking for jobs in engineering and “it was surprisingly easy,” Feist said. “I applied a few places and got responses from all of them, and everyone was eager to get me in the door, which is a nice feeling to have.”
He ultimately was hired as a structural engineer by Raker Rhodes Engineering, which is based in Des Moines but has a satellite location in Sioux Falls.
“I really liked the idea of that network in Des Moines and that link to larger projects while still being in South Dakota in a smaller office where I can have a larger impact,” Feist said.
The career opportunities in Sioux Falls aren’t surprising, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“This is a tremendous place for someone with engineering skills,” she said. “You’ll find a range of firms in multiple specializations, including many like Jeremy’s firm that do work on a regional or even national level. We’re also committed to developing our next generation of STEM talent, so there are many opportunities for someone like Jeremy to help mentor and inspire the next generation.”
Feist moved to Sioux Falls earlier this summer and “I’m really liking it,” he said. “It’s a change of pace from Seattle and the big corporate culture I grew used to over the years. I’m on a laid-back, easygoing team and I think that just speaks to the culture of the Midwest.”
He’s currently renting not far from where he works in downtown Sioux Falls “and I’m actively looking for a place to buy my first home,” he said. “That wouldn’t have happened in Seattle. Plus, the rent is a lot cheaper and the real estate is a lot more affordable. It was really easy finding a fully furnished place to rent month-to-month until I find something to buy.”
For fun, he’s checked out free concerts at Levitt at the Falls and is training for a bike ride in October with friends in Minnesota.
“So I’m getting familiar with the bike path around the river,” he said.
Feist also has connected with the Sioux Falls Young Professionals Network, and “I’m having quite a bit of fun with it,” he said. “There’s a lot of membership and I can’t believe they have an all-day conference.”
He finds he connects with new people every time he goes to a YPN event.
“In Seattle, they have a young professionals network, but it’s not as active as this one which is kind of crazy,” he said.
Long term, he’d love to use his skills to work on major projects in Sioux Falls — including a potential future convention center.
“Often in smaller cities they import specialized engineers, so it would be so fun to be part of that,” he said. “I love the idea that a big project like that can be sourced locally, so I definitely have my eye on those opportunities.”
It might have been easy for the couple from northern Virginia to fade into the background at a Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce mixer in Sioux Falls.
They didn’t know anyone. They had been in the city itself a matter of hours.
But Glenn and Robbin Christianson immediately realized that’s not how it tends to go in Sioux Falls.
“It was just the coolest thing,” Robbin said. “That first night, we were talking to Miles Beacom, and he had all the time in the world with 300 people at this mixer.”
Beacom, CEO of First Premier Bankcard and the current board chair of the Chamber, did better than that.
“He gets on stage and asks us to raise our hands so they could all convince us to move to Sioux Falls,” Robbin said. “And it’s so heartwarming. There are a lot of great Chambers out there, but they don’t do that. It felt like we were in a movie.”
The crowd followed Beacom’s call.
“They came over and introduced themselves, exchanged business cards,” Glenn said. “People want me to give them a call.”
Suddenly, the Christiansons — who knew no one in Sioux Falls and had never even been to South Dakota — started seriously considering a move.
“We had five days in Sioux Falls and did seven business events, looked at 11 houses, did a couple hikes, ate at a couple places, and across the board, everyone was enthusiastic about Sioux Falls,” Robbin said.
It all had started with a feeling like they needed a change. The Wisconsin natives had spent decades outside of Washington, D.C., as Glenn grew his practice offering bookkeeping and accounting for small businesses while selling his art on the side. Robbin worked with small businesses in a variety of capacities — writing, publishing and consulting, as well as working with trade associations and cooperatives, specializing in project management and operations.
“We said it’s time for a new adventure,” she said. “And somebody just triggered South Dakota, a friend of mine online, so I started looking at Sioux Falls-area websites and realized this is a place that’s really strategic about how they generate opportunity and help quality of life.”
She recently earned a master’s degree in human resources based around organizational development, “so I could see what was going on in Sioux Falls and how aligned it is strategically to move forward,” she said. “It was really impressive. I’m looking to restart consulting here, and there are so many diverse businesses, plus the networking has been remarkable.”
She started by filling out a simple email request form with the Chamber, and an ambassador from the business community quickly got in touch.
“People started texting me, and pretty soon you’re chatting with more people, and seamlessly it feels like people just want to help you get started,” she said. “That made it so easy. We were just charmed by the city, and everyone was amazing.”
That was in March. They returned to Virginia, put their home on the market and had a Sioux Falls address by June.
“It was just a glimmer in February, but then it started to come together,” Robbin said.
“This has parks and pools and downtown investment and outdoor activities and a huge vibrant business community but also is focused on quality of life and is doable in terms of affordability. All those metrics came together.”
Even their cat, Luna, felt a VIP experience after Robbin discovered the owner of a feline-focused pet hotel.
“We hired a service that drove our cat across the country, and the owner of the hotel came in before she even was open for the day to get her situated because we couldn’t be there for five days,” Robbin said. “She had a ball there, and that was such an essential piece.”
None of it is surprising, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“This is what Sioux Falls does — we reach out, we welcome others, and we help them find the best ways to plug into our community,” she said. “Like the Christiansons, I also lived in northern Virginia. Many others in our business community have moved from other states, and we’ve all found common opportunities to grow here personally and professionally.”
While Glenn is continuing to work with former clients from his new home, he’s excited to connect with Startup Sioux Falls and begin assisting small businesses here.
“Everywhere I go, I don’t care if it’s the grocery store or the laundromat where I stopped because the washer wasn’t working, everyone I talked to is so enthusiastic about Sioux Falls,” he said. “By the time the conversation is over, they’re saying, ‘Welcome to Sioux Falls.’ This is a great place. People here generally really like where they live.”
Robbin is looking forward to transitioning into more consulting.
“I have a history of fundraising and doing projects and scaling things, and now I want to capitalize on that and give back,” she said. “I’m just excited to see what businesses need.”
While they’re loving the break from Washington, D.C.-area traffic, they also prefer to take a bus and looked at the city’s public transportation when considering the move.
“We are just starting to use SAM, so we don’t have much experience yet, but the way it allows you to ride-share with a small bus network is an innovative tactic,” Robbin said. “Why not leapfrog over the old ways and also call on digital systems?”
The new house also is filling up — they just adopted kittens — they’re planning some remodeling projects and getting to know their neighbors.
As they were transitioning to town and renting briefly, the person next door was moving out and offered them his grill for free.
“Suddenly, we’re doing burgers on the grill on July 4,” Glenn said. “It’s crazy. You guys are amazing. How are there not billions of people here?”
To learn more about making your own move to Sioux Falls, contact deniseg@siouxfalls.com.
The Sioux Falls Development Foundation is committed to helping your business/organization connect with top talent at our regional colleges and universities.
We’ll be attending each of the career fairs listed below to promote living and working in Sioux Falls, but we’d love to see your hiring team there, too! You can register to attend any of these career fairs by clicking the ‘register’ link below each fair’s listing.
Are students looking for internships in the fall? Yes!
One of the best ways to recruit and retain talent is by offering internships! In fact, fall is considered the ideal time to recruit for summer internships.
While we’re at the career fairs this fall, our team will be encouraging students to browse our online listing of Sioux Falls employers with internship opportunities (view the page at www.siouxfalls.com/intern).
If your organization has an internship program you’d like to add to our listing, please click here and complete the form!
2025 Fall Career Fairs
University of South Dakota Part-time & Work Study Job Fair 2025 Wednesday, August 27, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM Register
Black Hills State University Part-Time & On-campus Job Fair Thursday, August 28, 10:00 AM- 1:00 PM Register
South Dakota Mines Fall Career Fair Tuesday, September 16, 2025 11:00 AM-4:00 PM Register
South Dakota State University Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering Career Fair Wednesday, September 17, 12:00 PM-4:00 PM Thursday, September 18, 12:00 PM-4:00 PM Register
Dakota State University 2025 Fall Career & Internship Fair Wednesday, October 1, 10:00 AM-2:00 PM Register
Augustana’s Rydell School of Business Career Fair Wednesday, October 1, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM Thursday, October 2, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM Register
University of Sioux Falls Career & Internship Fair Thursday, October 16, 10:00 AM-12:30 PM Register
University of South Dakota Career Fair 2025 Wednesday, October 22, 1:00 PM-4:00 PM Register
South Dakota State University College of Psychology, Sociology, & Criminal Justice Job Fair Wednesday, November 5, 1:00 PM-4:00 PM Register
Questions? Contact:
Riley Johnson
Talent Recruitment Coordinator, Sioux Falls Development Foundation
Nearly 250 area middle school students spent part of their summer recently immersed in two days of education and hands-on learning in STEM-related fields.
The camp at Augustana University was part of the broader Your Future STEM program through the Sioux Falls Development Foundation to connect middle-schoolers with opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math.
Students spent part of the day in classroom-style learning, followed by interactive activities hosted by 20 local employers.
A big move started when everything essentially stopped in the New York City area.
“During COVID, they basically sent everyone home, and there wasn’t much going on in Manhattan,” said Jessica Lattuga, a native of Staten Island, New York, who had spent her entire life there up until that point.
“Everybody stopped building.”
So with a career in the construction industry, Lattuga’s brother-in-law needed another option. With 19 years of union tenure, he wasn’t about to leave it.
“Tennessee and South Dakota were on the table, and South Dakota called first,” Lattuga said. “My sister said, ‘Hey, me and the kids are moving, and this is where we’re going.’”
Her parents, now retired, looked at her. She looked at them.
“And I said: ‘You know what? Let’s go,’” Lattuga said. “New York was getting quite hectic, it was getting ridiculous, and I said: ‘Let’s see. It can’t hurt.’”
That was in 2022. By the end of the year, the entire family had relocated west — and Lattuga moved to Sioux Falls without even visiting.
“I just wanted to jump in with both feet,” she said.
From her first landing at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport, it was clear she’d left New York far behind.
“It honestly was just different. Staten Island is small — it’s like suburbia — so I’m OK with a small-town feel, but at the same time, I worked in Manhattan and New Jersey, which are huge, and that in itself was a very big adjustment,” she said.
“But the people are incredibly nice. No matter where I’ve gone — a store, a doctor’s office, a hospital — everyone is incredibly helpful. In New York, that had changed over time as people had stopped interacting as much. Here, it’s a completely different feel and very nice.”
She has found a new role in Sioux Falls as a people generalist at Medvantx.
“I love it. I have great co-workers and am happy to come in every day,” she said. “I like the balance of working from home once a week, more if I need to, but I choose not to because I enjoy being in an office and always have.”
Her new neighborhood in south Sioux Falls “actually kind of reminds me of a few spots in north Jersey,” she said. “I very much like the neighborhood and just enjoying the downtime after things had gotten so hectic in New York.”
Her twin niece and nephew are thriving in the Sioux Falls School District, she said.
“They’re doing incredibly well,” Lattuga said. “My nephew is autistic but very high-functioning, and they mainstreamed him here, which they weren’t able to do in New York. Both kids are in the same class, and they’ve made friends and are both doing excellent.”
Her parents “are adjusting very well,” she said. “I think the slower pace of life is a good thing. The lack of traffic is something we’re all enjoying. I’ve sat in traffic three or more hours on a city bus. I’ve been in my car four hours on a workday. My parents are in their 60s, and the health care is amazing. There’s a huge difference here.”
The family’s experience shows the multifaceted advantages that life in Sioux Falls offers, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“It doesn’t matter what your life stage — from your early education to your midcareer growth to your retirement years — there are so many benefits to making a move here,” she said. “We’ve especially enjoyed getting to connect with Jessica in her HR role at Medvantx and look forward to helping her and her team grow their talent pool here by further engaging them in the main programs we offer to support their talent pipeline.”
Looking back on the move, “I have no regrets on the decision I made,” Lattuga said. “It’s not the easiest thing in a way, but my everyday has become significantly better. There’s a far better quality of life, and I would say the same for my sister and her family and my parents. When I look at the bigger picture, it was a good thing not just for myself but everybody involved.”
Would you like to learn more about how Sioux Falls can become your new place to grow a family and career? Email deniseg@siouxfalls.com to get connected with opportunities ideal for you.
While many college students are just getting acclimated to their summer internships, Hannah Preheim is already a seasoned pro.
This summer marks her third internship with Sayre Associates — a relationship that began during her senior year at Brandon Valley High School.
Preheim became interested in civil engineering after an eighth grade project focused on traffic flow. Her teacher, Brady Olson, helped take it from there.
“Hannah is a rock star,” Olson said. “She’s very thoughtful and approaches challenges from different perspectives. She’s a great problem-solver. When she expressed an interest in engineering, we worked to find her an opportunity to explore it firsthand.”
Brandon Valley is one of six area high schools participating in the Career Connections program. As part of the internship course, Olson reached out to Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development at the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“Through the Career Connections program, Denise connected us with Sayre,” Olson said. “They took a chance on bringing in a high school student — and she absolutely rocked it. She did an outstanding job, and it was incredible to see that door open for her.”
That’s exactly the goal of the program, Guzzetta said.
“We’re able to leverage strong relationships across the business community to connect talented students like Hannah with employers like Sayre,” she said. “It’s inspiring to see how much can grow from that initial high school opportunity.”
As a senior, Preheim began interning at Sayre, where she was introduced to advanced computer-aided design software.
“We could tell Hannah was a very bright student who learned quickly, so we asked her to go through the tutorial and see what she could pick up,” said Paul Korn, civil engineer at Sayre. “From there, we were able to assign her tasks and design work on active projects.”
The summer after her high school graduation, Preheim continued her internship — this time moving from design work indoors to hands-on experience in the field learning construction administration.
“I got to do different things in the field and see how things are built,” she said. “I was keeping records of things and did some as-built drawings and helped monitor quality control.”
Following her freshman year at South Dakota State University, where she’s studying civil engineering, Preheim came back to Sayre for a second summer.
“That year, I was more in charge of one specific project, checking in with contractors and doing price estimation,” she said.
Her role included assisting with curb and gutter repair for the city of Sioux Falls in south-central Sioux Falls.
Now in her third summer, Preheim is back in the office doing site design, grading plans and designing utilities.
“I’m doing things for a gas station and working on putting together some plan sets for affordable housing,” she said.
The level of responsibility Preheim has earned is unusual for an intern — but well deserved, Korn said.
“I think this is the first time we’ve had an intern work inside on design from the start,” he said. “But Hannah has shown she’s proficient with the software, and we wanted to utilize her more now that she’s gained the field experience most of our interns start with.”
“She’s had two summers of seeing how things are built and reviewing plans, and now she’s applying that knowledge in design.”
Now entering her third year of college, Preheim also feels more comfortable as part of the team.
“Everyone is really nice, and I don’t feel intimidated asking questions, which I really appreciate,” she said.
Most importantly, her internship experience has confirmed that she’s on the right path.
“I definitely feel like I have a better understanding of what I’m working toward in my degree,” she said. “Things feel more connected and applicable now that I’m taking design classes.”
Sayre also has connected through Sioux Falls Development Foundation programming to reach students earlier in their education.
The company was among 17 employers participating in an interactive Your Future STEM event for sixth graders this year, for example.
“We continually emphasize the need to develop STEM skills in students and the opportunities they will have to apply those,” Guzzetta said.
A Talent Talks event during Women in Construction Week in March further inspired students by allowing them to hear from STEM professionals.
“We’re seeing success encouraging more women to pursue engineering careers, which is critical to meeting our projected workforce needs,” Guzzetta said.
While Preheim still has two years of undergraduate education to go, Korn already sees a bright future.
“She’ll have lots of opportunities when she graduates, and we hope she considers Sayre as one of those opportunities because we certainly see her fitting in here,” he said.
Olson sees Preheim’s success as a model of what Career Connections can offer.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “It’s all possible because of business partners who are willing to provide these opportunities. It’s incredible that they see the value in creating win-win experiences.”
“We’re hoping students get authentic learning opportunities and businesses get worthwhile work done,” he added. “We’ve had several students asked to stay on for employment — either after high school or while in college — and some have even received full-ride Build Dakota Scholarships.”
Through the partnership with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, “Denise and the team help expose students to what’s out there,” Olson said. “A lot of students just don’t know what’s possible, and the more we can do to change that, the better.”
“Career Connections is truly a win-win — for students, schools and employers,” Guzzetta said. “It offers a smart, streamlined way to engage early-career talent while making career development more intentional, accessible and impactful.”
If your business would like to connect with career development opportunities, reach out to deniseg@siouxfalls.com.
More than 400 Brandon Valley sixth graders spent one of their final days of the school year learning about construction and related fields from the experts.
Seventeen area employers participated in the Your Future STEM day, organized by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, bringing an up-close look at the occupations available to these students.
With plenty of hands-on activities, the day made a big impression.
Think of it like a class that helps students answer this question: What are you going to do after high school?
It’s called Jobs for America’s Graduates, or JAG, a national course offered at several area schools, including Jefferson High School.
This college- and career-readiness course became an ideal way for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation to deliver its Career Connections program, bringing guest speakers into the classroom and taking students outside of it.
And it has had a big impact on students’ plans as they prepare for graduation. Here’s a closer look:
Career Connections helps lead students to post-graduation paths
In a matter of weeks, Owen Vincelli will be a Brandon Valley High School alumnus and the latest new hire at Journey Group Cos.
“I have a week off for graduation, and Monday after graduation I start,” said Vincelli, who worked another job in the construction field while still in high school.
Come August, he will begin classes at Lake Area Technical College in Watertown as he works toward a degree in building trades technology, a path that will set him up for construction management.
But he won’t leave his role at Journey behind. The company is Vincelli’s sponsor in the Build Dakota program, a full-ride scholarship that will keep him working at Journey through school and for at least three years after that.
“I got connected with Journey through my internship class,” he explained. “I knew I wanted to go somewhere in construction because I’ve always liked to build things. I just didn’t know if it would be a two-year or four-year program. I interviewed with them late last year, and they ended up offering me the Build Dakota Scholarship as my sponsor.”
He’ll start this summer as a general laborer. “I really like them as a company already,” Vincelli said. “I’ve heard good things from everyone I’ve told (about my plans) that Journey is such a good company.”
At Brandon Valley High School, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s Career Connections program coordinates weekly programming in Matt Christensen’s English class.
“When you don’t know what you don’t know, it’s a challenge to find your strengths, and we want to help them find where their loves meet their interest and what the world needs,” Christensen said. “We’ve taken tours to places like Southeast Tech, public safety departments and water treatment facilities, and the exposure is priceless. It’s really expanding the classroom as best we can.”
It’s been a valuable relationship, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“This year, we were in 14 classrooms such as this one, bringing in guest speakers to introduce students to different professions and connecting them with everything from employment tours to internships,” she said. “When you see success stories like Owen’s, you realize the difference that kind of intentional approach can make.”
For Vincelli, the program brought a lot of value.
“We had a lot of speakers, and it opened my eyes to all the opportunities everywhere,” he said. “We had POET come in and were able to look at their job list and all their plants. There’s so many opportunities you don’t even think of for construction management.”
At Brandon Valley, there’s an intentional effort to connect students pursuing tech education with Build Dakota Scholarships, principal Mark Schlekeway said.
“We have a number of students Career Connections has assisted in that process, along with the explosion of our internship program,” he said. “We’re trying to build a community of future leaders, and I really view this as bridging the gap to connect students with potential careers in the community where they live. That’s where Career Connections has done a nice job opening students’ eyes to what you can do here without moving to a bigger area.”
At Journey, the team provided a clear sense of a career path early on for Vincelli.
“For two summers, I’ll do internships, and after school, I’ll be here three years, and they explained how they step me up within project management, or there are other pathways I can look at within Journey Group if I’m interested in different areas of the company. I can work my way around and figure out what I’d like to do.”
At Journey Group, “there are organized career paths for new hires like Owen,” said Brandy Nielsen, workforce development director. “They do certain tasks to get to one level and complete additional tasks to get to the next, so there’s no question what you have to do to advance, and we’ll coach you where you need development to advance in your career path.”
Even in high school, students can job-shadow to get a better sense for the opportunities, she said. Journey offered three Build Dakota sponsorships this year and had two that started last year.
“It’s worked really well for us,” said Jared Gusso, who leads the SFC Civil Constructors division. “We’re trying to keep our in-state kids here, and having that ability to jump-start their career without a bunch of student loans is really a win-win.”
A student who aspires to be a superintendent will be coached early, he said. That includes being part of phone calls with subcontractors, included in weekly meetings and given tasks that involve calling vendors.
“They get to experience things first-hand while going to school, and it gives them an advantage when they come out of school,” Gusso said.
One former Build Dakota scholar now is the project manager on work SFC Civil Constructors is doing for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Gavins Point Dam, he said.
“He’s really doing awesome, and because of the approach we take while they’re still in school, they graduate and have a jump-start. They know what the expectations are, they know the people, and hopefully it gives them a little more confidence and the ability to really go.”
Journey’s approach is a model for others, Guzzetta said.
“This is how you tackle workforce needs: investing early and committing to development at every stage of the employee’s career,” she said. “We can help introduce young people to opportunities in our community, but it’s exemplary employers like this that set them up for success.”
To connect with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s Career Connections program, email deniseg@siouxfalls.com.
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