Message from the Chamber

ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS

For so many reasons, 2020 is a year that will go down in the record books. And while many of these records may point to memories we’d rather forget, here in Harrisburg, we have a couple of record-breaking events that are worth remembering.

Despite the global pandemic and at least a temporary economic shutdown across many industries and sectors, building in Harrisburg was — pardon the pun — through

Photo by Jon Klemme

the roof! Our community saw the largest number of building permits ever issued in one year, and of the 445 permits given out (the previous record was 343, set in 2016), nearly a quarter of them were issued for new singlefamily homes. That means 100 new homes were built or are currently being built within city limits, and as you know, 100 new homes means more residents will be filling those homes, thereby growing our city’s population.

Not only was there a record number of permits issued, the valuation of the permits was also a record at just shy of $53 million. The previous record was just over $44 million, which means we shattered the mark by 20 percent. What makes this even more remarkable, however, is that nonresidential projects — including commercial, industrial, and institutional construction — only accounted for about 21 percent of the value . The bulk of the valuation came from the construction of new single-family and multi-family residential housing .

With this rapid increase in residential housing, our new friends and neighbors will bring the opportunity for additional foot traffic into our businesses . The Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce has long touted the importance Adrienne McKeown of shopping local, and this past year, the residents of Harrisburg took that to heart and shopped local as they never have before . Our sales tax dollars — which fund infrastructure necessary to address our record growth — were at an all-time high, beating last year’s numbers by nearly 20 percent . This is a big deal for Harrisburg . According to the U .S . Chamber of Commerce, for every dollar spent on small businesses, American Express estimates an average of 67 cents stays in that business’s local community .

While increased sales tax revenue is one of the most obvious benefits of shopping locally, there are other advantages that play a part in development, too. When we shop local, we are helping to create the need for more jobs in the community, and those additional jobs mean that there are more people in town during the day. When people are here during the day, they need access to professional services, retail shops and lunch destinations . One of the most common desires that residents express is the need for more dining options; however, restaurants need a lunch crowd to help sustain their bottom line. Local economic development is a very interconnected system, and the support we as individuals show to our local economy really does pay back great dividends .

As we move forward and leave 2020 in the history books, let’s keep our focus on working together and doing our part to keep Harrisburg growing strong. Who knows? Maybe we can break even more records in 2021!

Chair of the Board, Harrisburg Economic Development Corp. & Chamber of Commerce

HARRISBURG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Brandon Lane, President/CEO 605-777-9120 www.harrisburgsdchamber.com brandon@harrisburgsdchamber.com 220 S. Cliff Avenue | Harrisburg SD 57032

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