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STANDING STILL IS NOT AN OPTION
If you’ve ever witnessed the effects of a school closure on a community, you know the shadow it casts can be more devastating than the closure itself. I recall this shadow vividly from my early days as an economic developer in the heart of Wyoming. I watched two school districts go down. One in Medicine Bow and the other in Jeffrey City.
The saddest part of these closures wasn’t just the shuttering of newspapers, the closing of banks, or the deserted main streets. It was the soullessness that lingered, as if the very spirit of the towns had been drained away. Perhaps it was just the wind, but it felt like ghosts were everywhere. The term “ghost town” doesn’t capture the depth of loss. What remained was a haunting melancholy for the dreams of people who were long gone and would never return.
These experiences have profoundly shaped my perspective today. When I hear people wish that Rapid City could remain unchanged, I understand their sentiment, but I also know the truth: In a world that is constantly evolving, standing still is not an option. The notion that we can maintain the status quo without consequence—essentially trying to keep time in a bottle—is a dangerous illusion.
Economic development is the lifeblood of any community. It drives innovation, creates jobs, and enhances the quality of life for all residents. Here in Rapid City, we’ve seen firsthand how development transforms—new businesses, improved infrastructure, and strategic investments have revitalized our economy and opened doors to new opportunities. While being the 54th fastest growing community in the U.S. has put pressure on our housing and infrastructure, the alternative—losing population, crumbling infrastructure, failing businesses, and, yes, school closures—is not a future we can afford to face.
Welcome to this issue of Elevate, where we explore the transforming landscape of development across Rapid City and the region. We delve into the many facets of growth in our city, from planning and zoning to new initiatives and success stories. We highlight the people, projects, and policies driving progress and ensuring that Rapid City continues to move forward—toward a future that is vibrant, resilient, and, most importantly, ghostfree.
Stay safe, and God-speed.
Tom Johnson, President & CEO
Elevate is a monthly publication produced by Elevate Rapid City. It is the premier business magazine for the Black Hills region telling the stories that make our area unique and vibrant.
PO Box 747, Rapid City, SD 57709 605.343.1744 elevaterapidcity.com
PRESIDENT & CEO
Tom Johnson
SENIOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT & PARTNERSHIPS
DIRECTOR
Taylor Davis
SENIOR MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DIRE CTOR
Shiloh Francis
SENIOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Lori Frederick
SENIOR PUBLIC POLICY DIRECTOR
Garth Wadsworth
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Liz Highland
EVENTS & MARKETING DIRECTOR
Rachel Nelson
WORKFORCE PLANNING DIRECTOR
Reese Niu
HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Laura Jones
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT MANAGER
Alyssa Larkey
INNOVATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP MANAGER
Dillon Matuska
ECOSYSTEM SUPPORT & PROPERTY MANAGER
Loni Reichert
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Kallie Ruland
INVESTOR RELATIONS MANAGER
Jason Wittenberg
BUSINESS PROSPECT MANAGER
Drew Staufer
EXECUTIVE
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Ashley Simonson
RESEARCH & DATA COORDINATOR
Karissa Ellis
DESIGN AND LAYOUT
Bailey Sadowsky
Shadow Sky Creative Co.
RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
JUNE
events
SEPTEMBER 2
Weekly Trivia Night The Hangar Pub facebook.com
Family Food Truck Night
Canyon Lake Park facebook.com/familyfoodtrucknight
SEPTEMBER 3
Music Bingo Woodland Republic Brewing & Blending facebook.com/events
Tuesday Night Trivia Cohort Craft Brewery cohortbrewery.com/food-trucks
SEPTEMBER 4
Avatar The Last Airbender The Monument themonument.live/events
Yoga on The Square Main Street Square mainstreetsquare.org
The Wednesday Shed: an all ages jazz jam
Aby’s Rapid City facebook.com/events
Trivia Challenge The Park Rapid City facebook.com/events
SEPTEMBER 5
Rusty Rierson
The Park Rapid City thepark707.com/event
SEPTEMBER 6
Art Walk
Downtown Rapid City rapidcityartscouncil.org
Cody Johnson The Monument themonument.live/events
Darin French Tinder Box rapidcitytinderbox.com/event
Special Days & RemembranceCrazy Horse & Korczak
Crazy Horse Memorial crazyhorsememorial.org
The Marshall Tucker Band & Jefferson Starship Deadwood Mountain Grand deadwoodmountaingrand.com/event
SEPTEMBER 7
Wine Express
1880 Train - Black Hills Central Railroad 1880train.com
SEPTEMBER 8
42nd Annual Black Hills Super Swap Meet & Car Corral Central States Fairgrounds facebook.com/events
SEPTEMBER 10
Legendary Ladies of Country Performing Arts Center performingartsrc.org/events
SEPTEMBER 12
Price is Right Live The Monument themonument.live/events
SEPTEMBER 13 - 15
Chile Pepper Festival Jolly Lane Greenhouse jollylane.com
SEPTEMBER 13 - 14
Deadwood Jam Outlaw Square deadwoodjam.com
SEPTEMBER 13
Johnny Hastings Trio Tinder Box rapidcitytinderbox.com
SEPTEMBER 14
The 2024 Strider Cup Main Street Square striderbikes.com/strider-cup
SEPTEMBER 19 - 21
Black Hills Jeep Jamboree Deadwood jeepjamboreeusa.com
Black Hills Plein Air Paint Out Hill City Arts Council hillcityarts.org/plein-air
SEPTEMBER 20
Chris Enss: The Wayward Women Tour
The Brothel Deadwood facebook.com
SEPTEMBER 20 - 29
School of Rock Performing Arts Center bhct.org
SEPTEMBER 21
Country Junkin’ Vintage and Handmade Market The Monument facebook.com
Cruiser Car Show
Main Street Square mainstreetsquare.org
Fall Hot Petter Festival Sturgis, SD sturgisareachamber.com
SEPTEMBER 27
Black Hills Film Festival Journal Museum blackhillsfilmfestival.org
SEPTEMBER 28
For King + Country Live The Monument themonument.live/events
National Park Free Entrance Days National Parks & Monuments nps.gov/planyourvisit
Oktoberfest Express 1880 Train - Black Hills Central Railroad 1880train.com/oktoberfest.html
The Great Downtown Pumpkin Festival
Main Street Square mainstreetsquare.org
SEPTEMBER 29
Volksmarch
Crazy Horse Memorial crazyhorsememorial.org
RAPID What’s in the works the development edition
A quick overview of some of the highest-value commercial projects based on permits pulled in 2023 & 2024. This list is not all encompassing, but gives a glimpse at the development happening in our community.
CITY in
OCeti Sakowin Community Academy
301 COUNTRY ROAD/HAINES AVENUE
The Oceti Sakowin Community Academy is phase one of a larger vision which will eventually include The Rapid City Indian Center powered by He Sapa Otipi, the Center for Indigenous Power Building, and essential greenspace for outdoor amenities and land based learning. This includes a shared community garden and intention behind green space.
The next stage of this development includes mixed use opportunities - retail and business space for employers and small business owners. This would also include a huge element of housing from single family homes, townhomes, to apartments; the wide array of housing options were identified as a major need in Rapid City. The mix of market rate and affordable housing opportunities will help alleviate some of the negative pressure on the local housing market.
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Expansion of the headquarters for engineering consulting firm,
with the ultimate goal to double its Rapid City presence to 200 employees.
things
getting things done
Vicki Fisher brings her can-do, cowgirl attitude to creating better communities.
STORY BY MICHELLE PAWELSKI // PHOTOS BY SHILOH FRANCIS
Raised in small-town South Dakota, Vicki Fisher says she is a cowgirl at heart with a blue jeans and pearls style. It is a style that also describes her approach to community planning, a gifted facilitator and communicator who gets the job done.
Vicki has been a planner with the City of Rapid City for nearly 30 years, with the last three as the community development director.
To say she loves her job is an understatement. It is a career, she says, she was born to do. From a young age, Vicki was keenly interested in what made a community.
“I was born a planner. My family will tell you that at a very early age, I could plan the fun right out of anything,” she laughed. “Community is not just the buildings, streets and parks. It is the people. Bringing that design together so you can get the feel of community is an attainable goal, and at a young age, I found the value of having input in how a community moves forward.”
The foundation for Vicki’s community vision came from her hometown of Isabel, a small town in the northcentral part of the state. “I am proud of my hometown. It really set some core values that I have tried to live up to. There is a unity and commitment you find in many small towns. You truly have to come together in order to succeed.”
Her midwestern values and background as a truck driver’s daughter set Vicki up to handle any obstacle.
“My dad was large in stature and huge in heart. He spoke few words, was respected by everyone and feared by all the boys who came to the house to date me or my three sisters. He taught me integrity and honesty but also how to hold my own.”
Riding shotgun next to her dad, Vicki learned to handle unique situations and “colorful characters” with kindness, active listening, and respectful discourse.
“I think my unique background of being raised by wonderful parents that had a simple way of life and were happy with the smallest of things taught me that being rich isn’t about the amount of money you make or have in the bank, but being rich is about being of service and what you do for others. It is innate to who I am.”
And those who have worked with Vicki throughout the years know that about her.
Vicki started her career in community planning in Gillette, Wyo., in the early 1980s before working in Texas’ Hill Country for 15 years, adding urban planning to her resume. When an opportunity to work in South Dakota came up, Vicki jumped at the chance to return to her roots.
" I THINK MY UNIQUE BACKGROUND OF BEING RAISED BY WONDERFUL PARENTS THAT HAD A SIMPLE WAY OF LIFE AND WERE HAPPY WITH THE SMALLEST OF THINGS TAUGHT ME THAT BEING RICH ISN’T ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU MAKE OR HAVE IN THE BANK, BUT BEING RICH IS ABOUT BEING OF SERVICE AND WHAT YOU DO FOR OTHERS. IT IS INNATE TO WHO I AM. "
- VICKI FISHER
“I always loved the Hills and was passionate about what Rapid City brings not only to those of us who live here but to those who want to come to this area to enjoy the setting of a metropolitan, urban community nestled in the foothills of the Black Hills.”
Vicki has seen Rapid City change dramatically since she started in the planning department in 1995. Fifth Street stopped at Minnesota Street, Elk Vale Road did not exist, and thousands of the now older residential developments were pastureland.
She is excited to see how far Rapid City has come and is proud to be a part of managing that growth sustainability. Planning is a balancing act of retaining the valuable citizens that have grown up in the city while keeping young people and attracting new ones to the area.
“We want to keep our young people and provide advanced education as well as affordable housing and most importantly career opportunities that provide them a livable wage,” Vicki said. “But we also need to recognize that not everyone wants growth and things to change. You have to reach out to those individuals and ensure their voices are heard.”
"Planning is exciting. You have your thumb on the pulse of what makes a community special."
She credits her success not only to the personal and professional relationships she has created but also to having a superstar team. She oversees six divisions with a small crew of 34, including herself, and a record number of building permits issued and thousands of inspections accompanying those permits. “We are small, but we are mighty. I have six divisions and six highly productive and successful division managers with a strong support team under them. I could not provide and perform the duties without the leadership that supports me in community development. In my 29 years, this is the best group we have put together.”
There is never a dull moment for Vicki and her crew. From creating a new urban zoning district to promote mixed-use development downtown and a women’s group home along 5th Street to the hospital expansion and a proposal for an amusement resort and housing, Vicki and her powerhouse team do it all.
- Vicki Fisher
There are projects that benefit the community but also increase traffic and put additional demand on utilities, facilities, and the school system. “You need to facilitate that – ensure you are balancing the needs of what a developer is requesting with what the community as a whole can provide.”
Vicki said she holds no magic wand in the appropriate approach to planning, but with decades of experience, she knows what works. “I have worked with many of our developers both locally and throughout the nation and I allow myself to pause to truly create a working relationship with these groups and individuals that helps in securing success for a project.”
“Planning is exciting. You have your thumb on the pulse of what makes a community special,” she said. “Along with that comes a responsibility to ensure that we are preserving the parts of the community that make it special while embracing growth so that the needs of the community are continually being met.”
Most importantly, Vicki is guided by keeping what is unique and special about Rapid City.
For Vicki, that specialness is reminiscent of piling into her family’s Chevy Impala and making the road trip from Isabel to Rapid City. Every day is a little slice of vacation.
“I can drive into a residential area or walk downtown, and it gives you the feeling, that lightness and cheer. Living here is like being on vacation every day of our life if we choose to embrace it.” •
firestation #1
10 MAIN STREET • CORNER OF MAIN STREET AND EAST BOULEVARD
Expansion of the downtown fire station including ADA compliance upgrade, separated clean and dirty gear spaces, new office space, and new dorm rooms.
HeadStart expansion to include 8 classrooms which can accommodate up to 15 children for early education.
5 block celebrates 'topping out'
Lloyd Companies announces first restaurant tenant
STORY & PHOTOS SUBMITTED
BLOCK 5 UNIT
BLOCK 5 COMMUNITY ROOM
the block 5 development in downtown Rapid City recently reached a milestone, topping out its tenth floor.
“A ‘topping out’ is when we place the final beam on top of the structure,” said Mike Dill, executive vice president of construction at Lloyd Companies.
“The project is moving right along, and we’ve made it all the way to the tenth floor. It’s a milestone for us, because at that point the backbone of the entire project is done and we’re moving on to bigger and better things.”
The public will start to notice crews setting wall panels on the top floor, “so you’ll be able to get a sense for the total height,” Dill said.
“It’s looking more like a complete project, and the public will be able to get a better sense for what the aesthetic will look like.”
Block 5 combines a 117-room Hyatt Place hotel with 132 studio, one and two-bedroom apartments, in addition to its firstfloor retail space and hotel meeting space.
Crews are in various stages of completion throughout the 10-story building, includ-
ing starting drywall in some areas and moving onto painting in others. The entire development is on track for completion in the spring of 2025.
“Our biggest push over the next several months is getting the entire building enclosed and weather-tight before winter, and we’ll be well into finishes at that point as well,” Dill said.
The Block 5 lofts will begin pre-leasing later this year featuring light countertops, concrete floors and vinyl wood in the bathrooms and laundry rooms. The lofts will also offer upgraded homes with dark countertops, fireplaces, tile showers and more.
Residents can enjoy the lounge with Starbucks coffee, a top-floor community room with a patio and amazing downtown views.
The community can also look forward to an up-and-coming restaurant concept called Toastique that will open at Block 5.
The restaurant, franchised by Adam and Hayley Kaemingk of Rapid City, specializes in gourmet toasts, smoothies, cold-pressed juices, smoothie bowls, craft coffee and more.
" IT’S LOOKING MORE LIKE A COMPLETE PROJECT, AND THE PUBLIC WILL BE ABLE TO GET A BETTER SENSE FOR WHAT THE AESTHETIC WILL LOOK LIKE. "
- MIKE DILL
The Kaemingks are native South Dakotans and a family of six who have called Rapid City home for the past 19 years.
“We first came across Toastique online when we were researching new businesses we could bring to our active and health-minded community,” Hayley Kaemingk said.
“We felt that there was a need for fast-casual, simple and honest food options in our area. We met with the corporate team, tasted the food, visited several locations and were hooked! We fell in love with the beautiful branding, the welcoming and open space, and the concept of a micro cafe that offered no additive sugars or preservatives in their ingredients with a bonus of vegan and gluten free options. Not to mention – it all tastes amazing!”
Hayley, who has nearly two decades of team leadership experience, will run the daily operation, while Adam will support business functions more behind the scenes.
“We look forward to building a team that fits our culture, hiring people that want to be a part of a happy, upbeat atmosphere and who are excited about upholding the quality of our food and service,” Hayley said.
“Toastique believes in the power of responsibly sourced, healthy, and delicious food to fuel your best life and nourish every moment, and our menu reflects that philosophy.”
Toastique’s flagship location is in Washing-
ton, D.C., and it’s rapidly growing, with nearly 70 cafes nationwide.
The Rapid City store will be located on the first floor of the Block 5 development, a 10-story project that includes a new Hyatt Place hotel and loft apartments.
“We loved the idea of putting our store location in the heart of our community, where locals and Block 5 residents can stop in during the day and tourists can walk in while strolling through our downtown,” Hayley said.
“Block 5 was a perfect fit with its modern design and location. We’re honored to be joining this dynamic community and can’t wait to welcome you to our new home and bring a fresh and vibrant dining experience to Block 5.”
Toastique is “going to be a perfect complement for Block 5, and a really nice option for guests staying at the hotel, residents at the apartments and anyone visiting the area,” said Raquel Blount, vice president of commercial real estate for Lloyd Companies.
There’s about 6,000 square feet of retail space left to lease, she said.
“We’ve had interest from boutiques, salon-spas, giftware business, so a nice range of retail and we anticipate more announcements,” Blount said. “It’s a new and cool space for downtown Rapid City with a great vibe located in a very visible location.” •
PROPOSED RENDERINGS
CONTRACTOR SCULL CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPER CITY OF RAPID CITY VALUATION
$29.1 MILLION EST. COMPLETION FALL 2024
airport • phase 1
4550 TERMINAL ROAD
Expanded ticketing area to allow additional passenger queuing, expansion of baggage makeup to support baggage handling carousels, and relocation of TSA checkpoint to accommodate capacity.
1920 HOPE COURT
Mount Rushmore Road/Catron Intersection
90 room hotel with attached restaurant will be the fourth in the ClubHouse portfolio joining properties in Fargo, Pierre, and Sioux Falls.
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