By: Kurt Loudenback
Every fall the Sioux Falls Development Foundation Board of Directors takes a half day to review what has been done the past year and what opportunities exist for the upcoming year and beyond. We look at where we’ve been and where we’d like to go as we continue working with our partners to chart sustainable growth in the Sioux Falls region into the future.
2022 has been filled with great success stories including selling and purchasing property. We’re developing Foundation Park North including grading, street and utility construction, and general planning to make those sites build-ready, a proven asset when attracting new investment by prospective employers. The City has played a huge role as well in building out Marion Road to the Renner/Crooks highway, literally paving the way for growth in that region.
All of the land in Sioux Empire Park 8 East is now sold and the grading, infrastructure and street construction of Bahnson Avenue, north of Benson Road, is nearly complete — opening 150+ acres for development in Park 8 West.
Our workforce initiatives are constantly expanding to include more ways to connect our business community with the workforce they need. Our talent initiatives target university and tech school students and alumni within 120 miles of Sioux Falls with programs like Talent Draft, Talent Rebound, Talent Thursdays and INTERN Sioux Falls. High school and middle school students are targeted with Career Connections and STEM programming, while existing employers are invited to participate in our UPSKILL Sioux Falls programming to move people up within their companies. We encourage you to connect with the Development Foundation to take advantage of these programs that will help you attract and retain quality employees.
Our WORK Sioux Falls marketing campaign has allowed us to reach markets in California, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota to attract people looking to make a change by allowing them direct access to Sioux Falls area company job websites via www.siouxfalls.com/work. Over 3,000 direct connections have been made between local employers and potential employees in these markets.
All this success was an outcome of our planning process last fall and will be reviewed for effectiveness and adjustments at our upcoming planning session. As we move into 2023, your Development Foundation board and staff will generate new ideas on business attraction, retention and expansion.
Although the future can’t be predicted, the Foundation can be prepared. We hope you appreciate this work being done by the team and are benefitting from our efforts to improve the economic vitality of the Sioux Falls region. Thank you for being a member and an investor.