CEO Note

You’ve probably heard that Rapid City’s main industry is tourism. With Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills sitting in our backyard, it’s easy to see why. You may have also noticed that health care is a giant industry, given our geographic location as a regional health center.

But the one industry that eclipses both of them, both in terms of jobs and GDP, is the military. Estimates are that the military contributes about $1.66 billion annually to the local economy.

You read that right. $1.66 billion. That’s almost as much as the gross domestic product of Belize.

It’s truly staggering. And great for Rapid City, Box Elder, the Black Hills, and all points beyond.

In this issue of Elevate, we celebrate all things military, from the coming B-21 to the inspirational story of Bill Casper, the man behind the Veterans Honor Banner Project in downtown Rapid City. Our story on research the South Dakota Mines does for the Department of Defense demonstrates just how committed the larger community is to the military and national defense.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the efforts of our partners at the South Dakota Ellsworth Development Authority (SDEDA). We are proud of the work of SDEDA and proud to provide local funding for the work they do. Scott Langduth and his team continue to do the things that need to get done as we march towards the B-21 and the more than a billion dollars coming into the area in the next ten years. There’s that word again. Billion. Get used to it. And get used to watching the area elevate,

Rapid City. Stay safe and god-speed.