Employers: Your next great team member might be sitting in an area high school.
And this growing program from the Sioux Falls Development Foundation can help connect you with those students sooner rather than later.
Take a look at how the Career Connections program works:
When 2020 started, John Larson planned on spending much of the first quarter in Kenya, Africa, shooting a project for Netflix.
Working from a refugee camp in what he calls “a very remote place,” he was putting in 14-hour days and didn’t have much internet access.
Flying into Nairobi in March, “I remember landing at the airport and seeing everybody had face masks on,” he said.
“We got our stuff off the plane, and they took our temperatures, and we found out COVID was happening.”
When he returned to New York City, where he had lived for nearly a decade, film work he’d lined up “was like cancel, cancel, cancel,” he said. “It was the week they were shutting down the city, and you felt like you were in a zombie movie. It would be noon, and there were no cars on the street.”
He’d planned a trip back to his native South Dakota for a family memorial service, so he flew out, and when he landed, his business partner called “and said ‘you might as well just stay in South Dakota because we’ve had every job cancel until August.’ This was in March,” Larson said. “And that’s when I came back to South Dakota, and I haven’t really left since.”
It has been an unlikely homecoming for Larson, who grew up in Chamberlain and graduated from USD, but one he’s enjoying.
As a kid, he never saw a job as a filmmaker as a career path. But working on a documentary during college sent him in that direction.
While studying film and journalism at USD, he began as a production assistant for “Warrior Women,” a documentary featuring the story of Madonna Thunder Hawk, an early American Indian Movement organizer, and her daughter Marcy and their nearly 50 years of activism.
“And I ended up working off and on for a good three or four years, first as a PA and then doing additional camera work, and eventually I was credited as a cinematographer and associate producer on the film,” he said.
“It was shot in South Dakota but brought me to New York City because that’s where they were editing the film. Half the film team was from New York City, and they needed help with the initial editing, and it just lined up.”
It was shot in South Dakota but brought me to New York City because that’s where they were editing the film. Half the film team was from New York City, and they needed help with the initial editing, and it just lined up.
The documentary was nominated for a prestigious Peabody Award and led Larson to a yearlong fellowship in Brooklyn, N.Y., at UnionDocs, a center for documentary art.
“After that, I basically had to start over at square one, first as an assistant, then a production assistant, then I gradually was able to work my way up,” he said. “Eventually, I became a director of photography, but it was very hard coming from the Midwest and not knowing anybody out there. Many people go to school there and have family in the industry, so they have a built-in network, and I had to build it from scratch.”
It led him to a variety of corporate work and commercials, along with work on the documentary short “Edith + Eddie,” the story of 96-year-old Edith and 95-year-old Eddie, who are America’s oldest interracial newlyweds. Their love story is disrupted by a family feud that threatens to tear the couple apart.
“We ended up working on it two years thinking it would be a long feature film, and it ended up being a short,” he said. “And they didn’t really need anything I shot after my first day, so it was a crazy thing.”
But it was successful, winning multiple film festivals and even being nominated for an Academy Award.
“For me, the coolest thing was it got into a pretty prestigious cinematography festival in Poland, and they actually flew me out to be at the festival and talk to people,” Larson said.
Back in Sioux Falls, he sees opportunity to build on his filmmaking career.
“There’s a lot of things I’d like to do in South Dakota, film-wise,” he said. “South Dakota is a very interesting place, and I don’t think it gets the attention it deserves. I would like to try and see if I can do some more projects here.”
He has been splitting time between Sioux Falls and family in Chamberlain but is trying to relocate to Sioux Falls on a more full-time basis.
“I used to see Sioux Falls as like a suburb without the city – I felt like the whole town was a suburb – but now it feels like it’s starting to have that city part,” he said. “I was never that into the restaurant scene before, but now I feel like it’s very up there and diverse.”
While he has been limiting exposure to the city during the pandemic, he can tell already “life is a lot easier here,” he said.
“One of the reasons I left New York is I was paying $2,000 a month for a one-bedroom apartment, and it was not a nice place. For half that, you can get a really nice one-bedroom apartment here. You can actually go to the post office and leave in under half an hour. So there are conveniences to life you can have here that are really nice and you can’t quite get in the city.”
Creative workers like Larson increasingly are finding a fit in Sioux Falls, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“As a filmmaker with his experience and achievements, it’s going to be exciting to see where John decides to focus his talent,” she said. “But there absolutely will be interest in working with him, and he’ll also find it’s very easy to travel from Sioux Falls when his work takes him elsewhere, while taking advantage of everything that makes this such a desirable place to live.”
More affordable housing and a supportive arts community are helping the community stand out when photographers and other artists look for a home base, she added.
“Like John said, you can afford to live here, you can still have an urban-feeling environment, and you can grow your career without feeling like you need to constantly be working a second job or going into debt,” Guzzetta said.
For Larson, the move has allowed him to consider branching out with his career and inspired him to start work on a new documentary.
“I would really like to be able to start making my own films here – about South Dakota,” he said. “For now, I’m staying.”
As 2020 showed, strengthening the current and future Sioux Falls workforce can take many shapes.
The year that started with massive crowds at the Summit League basketball championships and classrooms filled with hands-on activity ended with hybrid events and virtual talent spotlights.
But while the strategy shifted, the storyline remained consistent: Sioux Falls is laying a foundation at all levels for the talent needed now and in the future.
“Innovative programming and technology turned lessons and challenges into advantages. Achievements in business attraction and talent management programming established new records for our team in Sioux Falls, although no one may entirely predict the future.”
The Development Foundation tripled its programming events in 2020, resulting in 48 percent more talent engagement programming participation.
From talent tours of businesses to the launch of Career Connections for high school students to monthly Recruitment Council meetings, the Development Foundation hosted 68 individual programming events throughout 2020.
Nearly 5,000 people were introduced directly to educational and employment partners and opportunities using different techniques to connect and continue the conversations beyond initial introductions.
In November, the second annual Talent Draft Day drew more than 1,900 people into the Sioux Falls community using a hybrid combination of virtual attendance and on-site attendance at Southeast Technical College. The Talent Draft Day telecast started the day with interactive training camps for middle and high school students to demonstrate first-hand the value of technical, practical and hands-on learning.
“Students demonstrated technical and hard skills to prospective employers during morning sessions, and we engaged middle school students directly about 11 industrial and health specialties’ technical skills,” Guzzetta said.
Sessions were livestreamed to five school districts on multiple social media platforms, bringing students inside hands-on programs at Southeast Tech and offering live employer discussions focusing on culture, professional development and accessible housing.
The Talent Draft Day telecast moved into afternoon sessions using employer commercials and live social media discussions to connect 1,251 college students from 87 schools to employers, sharing their own decisions about why they continue to live and work in the Sioux Falls region.
The Development Foundation focused its engagements by targeting key college majors from those 87 colleges located throughout 11 states. By concentrating on crucial areas such as computer science, engineering, finance, industrial trades and skilled health care, the Development Foundation connected talent to interested employers.
“We are continuing to see people move to South Dakota due to our higher quality-of-life standards,” Guzzetta said.
That’s likely to continue. A report from United Van Lines showed that of its recent moves involving South Dakota, 62 percent were people moving into the state, while 38 percent were people moving out.
That ties the state for third among the top inbound states with Arizona and just behind South Carolina and Oregon.
We are continuing to see people move to South Dakota due to our higher quality-of-life standards
The Development Foundation also launched Career Connections, an initiative focusing on the talent available within community high schools. Combining career awareness and exposure to multiple industries, mentorships and post-secondary education options are used to “up-skill” and supply more available talent in the marketplace.
“With the support of our employers and school districts, Career Connections is a game-changer for our students and our community,” Guzzetta said.
The program launched in August 2020 with 59 students and five organizations and has grown to more than 450 students from six area school districts for August 2021.
“Throughout 2020, our partners responded positively to our new and innovative programs,” Guzzetta said. “They gained very tangible outcomes in terms of reduced costs and lower administrative burden involved in talent recruitment. At the same time, some reported greater participation leading to organizational diversity and inclusion goals.”
The year ahead will build on the success of 2020’s workforce development programming, with particular attention to engagement events that attract top talent and build trust.
“Whether we’re reaching them digitally or in person, it’s critical to meet talent where they are at,” Guzzetta said. “For college students, this could mean continuing to leverage digital platforms like Handshake, where we are actively engaged with thousands of students already. Or as we target specific industries, we’ll be reaching out to trade organizations such as HOSA-Future Health Professionals or Programmers Guild.”
As South Dakota companies continue to expand their geographical footprints to support existing and new customers, the Development Foundation has a variety of available resources to support growth initiatives, including:
“We have the framework, the experience and the relationships to help businesses meet their workforce needs,” Guzzetta said.
“We encourage any businesses looking to attract or retain talent or to increase community partnerships to reach out to us. We know we have ways to support you.”
Mark your calendar for noon Feb. 25 when the Sioux Falls Development Foundation presents “Talent Lessons 2021.” This virtual session will cover the top five talent branding tips to make organizations more authentic, memorable and attractive to early-career talent.
Click here to learn more and register.
And tune in on Facebook every week for Talent Thursday, when SiouxFalls.Business and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation partner to highlight talent in the Sioux Falls area. Click here to find the videos.
They logged in by the hundreds from Missouri and Michigan to Ohio and Illinois – and left learning more about the career opportunities available in Sioux Falls.
This was the 2020 version of the annual Talent Draft Day, an event organized by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation to connect middle school, high school and college students with education and training paths that lead to rewarding careers.
“It’s very powerful because students get exposure to different careers and different companies and businesses in Sioux Falls, and the options are great,” said Vickie Donohoe, a school counselor who brought a group of students from New Tech High School.
If there’s a company out there doubting they want to come, just do it. It’s a great opportunity for your company.
About 2,000 students tuned in for the morning session, which featured 10 training camps and gave an up-close look at opportunities at Southeast Technical College – everything from residential construction to HVAC and welding.
“Southeast really does a good job of keeping up with the times and offering programs that are applicable to what the workforce needs right now,” Donohoe said.
Then came a series of employer panels, where students in high school and college could learn about key industries in Sioux Falls, from health care and biosciences to business, engineering, energy and technology.
The Development Foundation did a strong marketing effort using Handshake, an online network used by college students, and it showed.
“Last year, we had 12 school participating; this year, we have 81,” said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.
“They’re from places like Wisconsin, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota in addition to throughout South Dakota. So we’re really rounding out and just giving the taste of Sioux Falls.”
Altogether, thousands of students participated during the day. Employers enthusiastically lined up for it too.
“It’s definitely a great event,” said Michelle Bermudez, a recruiter for Muth Electric. “You get to expose your company to students that don’t know what they want to do when they graduate and talk to them about apprenticeship programs, tuition reimbursement, scholarships. If there’s a company out there doubting they want to come, just do it. It’s a great opportunity for your company.”
Want to get connected to this and more workforce development opportunities in Sioux Falls? Click here to learn more.
Talent Thursday with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation is a LIVE Facebook event at 3 PM Central every Thursday. During this 30-minute program, we share the career journeys of Teagan Molden and Kira Kimball from Marsh & McLennan Agency, about their experiences working in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for a global insurance provider.
Talent Thursday with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation is a LIVE Facebook event at 3 PM Central every Thursday. During this 30-minute program, we share the career journey of Kimberely Munoz of First PREMIER Bank about her experience working for a community-oriented, nationally recognized financial services leader headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Talent Thursday with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation is a LIVE Facebook event at 3 PM Central every Thursday. During this 30-minute program, we share the career journey of David Doxtad, president and leader of a nationally recognized engineering firm, ISG, headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Cybersecurity will continue to grow as technology becomes digitally connected. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor predicts that the demand for cybersecurity jobs will continue at 31% until 2029. Based on the Internet of Things and cloud computing, learn from nationally recognized experts the best pathways forward to develop, attract, retain this competitive talent to grow and expand your organization’s footprint.
Based on the Internet of Things and cloud computing, learn from nationally recognized experts the best pathways forward to develop, attract, retain this competitive talent to grow and expand your organization’s footprint.
This content was originally recorded from our 2020 WIN in Workforce Summit.
This video is approved for SHRM Educational Credits.
Earn SHRM Recertification credits by watching “Talent Retention 101. Dinosaurs, Deficits, or Diversity.” with Avera Health, Marsh & McLennan, and Smithfield Foods. This video highlights the substantial diversity and inclusion initiatives leading health, financial services, and manufacturing companies have implemented to increase operational and organizational efficiencies.
This content was originally recorded from our 2020 WIN in Workforce Summit.
Watch this to appreciate how generational technical skills and abilities are enabling growth within the bio, life, and health sciences communities of Sioux Falls.
This content was originally recorded from our 2020 WIN in Workforce Summit.
“Zero to Seven. The New Recruiting Playbook,” shares turnkey talent management efficiencies involving recruiting, on-boarding, engagement, and exiting employees. Discover interesting tips and best practices from experts in the biotech, health, and manufacturing sectors.
This content was originally recorded from our 2020 WIN in Workforce Summit.
Talent Thursday with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation is a LIVE Facebook event at 3 PM Central every Thursday. During this 30-minute program, we share the career journey of Jesse Fonkert, executive director for Lincoln & Minnehaha County Economic Development Associations.
Talent Thursday with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation is a LIVE Facebook event at 3 PM Central every Thursday. During this 30-minute program, we share the career journey of Chelsea Brech.
Talent Thursday with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation is a LIVE Facebook event at 3 PM Central every Thursday. During this 30-minute program, we share the career journey of Mackenzie Haensel.
They logged in by the hundreds, from Missouri to Michigan, Ohio to Illinois – and left learning more about the career opportunities available in Sioux Falls.
This was the 2020 version of the annual Talent Draft Day, an event organized by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation to connect middle school, high school and college students with education and training paths that lead to rewarding careers.
