By: Ryan Boschee, Sioux Falls Development Foundation Board Chair
As I end my year as Chair of the Development Foundation Board, I want to thank my fellow Board members and the staff of the Development Foundation for their work over this past year. 2024 marked the 70th Anniversary of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation. We were “Shining the Light” on recent successes at our Annual Meeting in November, including:
- 156 acres sold in Foundation Park
- 92 meetings with existing industry resulting in 35 action items
- Saw CJ Foods begin construction on their 750,000-square-foot facility
- Saw Avera/Owens & Minor begin construction on their 350,000-square-foot building
- Saw Presidio Manufacturing begin construction of their 200,000-square-foot facility
- Optioned almost 300 acres of property for 2025
- Helped create over $800M in new capital investments and over 1,000 jobs
- Completed all infrastructure buildouts in Foundation Park North to create site-ready property for future development
- Moved the Riverline development project forward to include City control of the site
- Began moving houses on North Minnesota Avenue to make room for new developments north of the Good Samaritan complex
- Connected over 21,000 potential workers to 259 unique employers in the region
- Hosted over 300 interns in Sioux Falls in 2024
- Hosted over 800 high school students in Career Connections programming
- Completed construction and opened the Health Sciences Clinical Simulation Center
- Implemented several marketing programs promoting Sioux Falls to site selectors, corporate brokers, and targeted industries
- Implemented the “Wish You Were Here” campaign to bring former students, family, and friends back to Sioux Falls
I want to thank our retiring Board members, Dr. Brett Bradfield, Steve Watson, and Steve Kolbeck, for the years of service to the Foundation. Their skills and talents will be missed. I also want to welcome three new Board members, Chris Daugaard, Jason Kjenstad, and Marla Meyer to the Board.
2025 will be another busy year for the Foundation and our partners with the beginning of the next Forward Sioux Falls campaign, several options coming due, and our continued work in talent and workforce development. I look forward to working with our incoming Chair, Kent Cutler, to transition responsibilities and continue moving this organization forward. Thank you for a great year and a memorable experience leading this organization.