June 2018 Chamber News

Chamber News Vol. 53, No. 8

June 2018

A PUBLICATION OF THE SIOUX FALLS AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

WORKING FOR

YOURSELF

Lifestyle choices drive business decisions for some entrepreneurs

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IN THIS ISSUE COVER STORY

Working for yourself: Lifestyle choices drive business decisions for some entrepreneurs.............................. 26-31 FEATURES

Annual ag event is renamed Sioux Empire Livestock Show . . . . . . . . 35 Stockyards Ag Experience completes Community Appeals campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36-37 IN THIS ISSUE: Message from the Chair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Events Calendars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11 Noteworthy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Economic Indicators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Faces & Places. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-24 Community Appeals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Business Advocacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-33 Headlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35-37 Business News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38-40 Business Sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42-43 Using Your Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Ribbon Cuttings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45-47 Member Anniversaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48-49 New Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Five Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

ON THE COVER

Titze’s Auto Repair shop on North Cliff Avenue in Sioux Falls. Owner Sondra Titze says her goal is not to scale the business, but to do work that she and her husband enjoy. Titze is among many small business owners in Sioux Falls who make their business decisions based on lifestyle choices.

Chamber News PUBLISHER

Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce CHAMBER NEWS AD SALES

For advertising information, call Steven Herman at (605) 351-1960 or email chambernews@siouxfalls.com

CHAMBER NEWS LAYOUT/DESIGN JILL BLOM M.HECKEL DESIGN

CHAMBER NEWS EDITOR

JENNIE DOYEN For editorial information, call: (605) 336-1620 Chamber News is published by the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, 200 N. Phillips Ave., Suite 200, Sioux Falls, SD 57104 Postmaster please send address changes to: Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 1425, 200 N. Phillips Ave., Suite 200, Sioux Falls, SD 57101-1425 Phone: (605) 336-1620 • Email: sfacc@siouxfalls.com

CHAMBER MISSION As the leading Sioux Falls area business advocate, the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce represents its members by advancing and promoting the economic health and quality of life of the region.

Communicate WITH THE

CHAMBER .com/siouxfallschamber @SFAreaChamber @SFAreaAdvocate Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

Read online or find archived issues: issuu.com/siouxfallschamber

Thank you to the following members for supporting the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce by being premium sponsors of the Chamber News magazine.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 3

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Message from the Chair Growing our community and improving our quality of life is a constant opportunity and challenge. I am encouraged by the news I’ve seen this spring about a variety of partnerships, projects and initiatives that keep us moving forward. Major milestones have been achieved by our city, Foundation Park and large employers in our community. I’m especially proud of the contributions of Chamber members working to make life better in Sioux Falls.

STEVE VAN BUSKIRK 2017-18 Chair of the Board

Quality of life is an important part of Sioux Falls’ ability to attract and retain a strong workforce.

One week after the long winter finally melted away, a special groundbreaking occurred at Falls Park North for Levitt at the Falls. This event venue will be operational in 2019 and it will provide up to fifty free concerts a year performed by professional musicians from around the country. Levitt at the Falls will be a place for our community to gather, relax and strengthen our community bonds as we enjoy music together. Not only is this a great addition to our city’s cultural opportunities, it is also the fulfillment of the long-anticipated Phillips to the Falls project started so many years ago. This project was possible in part thanks to the support and generosity of our community. More than $1.1 million was raised through the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Community Appeals campaign.

A few days later, at the opposite end of Falls Park, the Chamber participated in a celebration marking the successful completion of a Community Appeal for the Stockyard Ag Experience Plaza. The Sioux Falls Stockyards is part of our history and agriculture is the backbone of South Dakota’s economy. Now, with support from our Chamber members and generous donors across the state, we will have an attraction along Weber Avenue that will serve as a first-class entrance to the park, full of interactive displays that will demonstrate the importance of agriculture to our community.

Two projects with divergent goals, at two ends of our city’s namesake park. Two more successful Chamber Community Appeals campaigns. And two more reasons to be proud of your fellow Chamber members.

Quality of life is an important part of Sioux Falls’ ability to attract and retain a strong workforce. We want to create a community where our children want to stay (or return to) and raise their own families. Quality of life is not a one-time box that you can check—it requires intentional, ongoing effort to make our city a better place to live and work.

And the good news is that the investments we make in quality of life projects not only benefit our citizens directly, they also attract visitors to our community, which helps strengthen our economy.

Thank you for your financial investment in your Chamber membership and your contributions to Community Appeals campaigns. Your commitments impact your community and can help your business grow.

2017-18 SIOUX FALLS AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LEADERSHIP AND STAFF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR STEVE VAN BUSKIRK Van Buskirk Companies CHAIR-ELECT TIM STURDEVANT Sturdevant’s Auto Parts VICE CHAIR BOBBI THURY Legacy Law Firm, P.C. TREASURER DAN DOYLE Cutler Law Firm IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR DAVE KAPASKA, D.O. PRESIDENT/CEO JASON BALL Chamber of Commerce

EX-OFFICIO CINDY HEIBERGER Minnehaha County Commission KYLE GROOS Sioux Falls Catholic Schools MAYOR PAUL TENHAKEN City of Sioux Falls DR. BRIAN MAHER Superintendent, Sioux Falls Public School System KATE PARKER Sioux Falls School Board JIM SCHMIDT Lincoln County Commission

BOARD OF DIRECTORS WENDY BERGAN JDS Industries TOM BIEGLER Regency Hotel Management PAUL HANSON Sanford Health SHARON HASELHOFF Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort MIKE HAUCK Accord Commercial Real Estate, LLC RANDY KNECHT Journey Group LAURIE KNUTSON EmBe MARK MICKELSON Mickelson & Co. CHRISTY NICOLAISAN Multi-Cultural Center of Sioux Falls ALEX RAMIREZ USA Media TV KARLA SANTI Blend Interactive CLAIRE SANTOS Zoup! and Wingstop CARL WYNJA U.S. Bank CURT ZASKE Wells Fargo Bank

CHAMBER & CVB STAFF JASON BALL President/CEO THANE BARNIER Web Development & IT Manager MATT BARTHEL CVB Communications Manager JOAN BARTLING Finance & Accounting Director JUSTIN BENTAAS Public Affairs & Research Manager JILL BLOM Graphics & Communications Manager SHIRLEY BUSEMAN Receptionist RACHEL CRANE CVB Host City Manager ERIN DEWITT CVB Sales Manager JENNIE DOYEN Marketing & Communications Director ANNA ELIASON CVB Sales Manager AMY M. FARR Membership Sales & Retention Manager JEFF FEJFAR Web Designer

MARY HUBLOU CVB First Impressions Manager/Project Assistant KAYLA HUIZING Young Professionals Network Manager JAY KALTENBACH CVB Services/Resale Manager TAYLOR KLOSS CVB Sales Assistant ALEXANDRA LeBLANC CVB Sales Director PAT LUND Member Services Manager MIKE LYNCH Forward Sioux Falls Director of Investor Relations DEBORAH McISAAC Membership Director JILL NIEDRINGHAUS CVB Sales Manager WENDY NEUHARTH Membership Services Administrative Assistant KRISTA ORSACK CVB Director of Marketing DEBRA OWEN Public Policy Director KATHIE PUTHOFF CVB Administrative Assistant HOLLY RADER Agri-Business Division Manager EMILY SCHAFFER CVB Creative Development Manager TERI SCHMIDT CVB Executive Director TERESA SCHREIER Public Affairs & Communications Assistant SUSAN SEACHRIS Administrative/Accounting Assistant TATE STENSGAARD CVB Sales Manager JACKIE WENTWORTH CVB Sales Manager VALERIE WILLSON Membership Events Manager

chambernews.com | Chamber News 5

JULY-DECEMBER 2018

MIXERCalendar

WE INVITE YOU AND YOUR EMPLOYEES TO ATTEND THESE UPCOMING MEMBERSHIP MIXERS:

TUESDAY

SPONSORED BY:

JULY 10, 2018

4:30-6:30 p.m.

Holiday Inn City Centre, Falls Ballroom 100 W. 8th St.

THURSDAY

SPONSORED BY:

AUG. 16, 2018

4:30-6:30 p.m.

Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum and East Sioux Falls Historic Site, 1900 S. Perry Pl.

TUESDAY

SPONSORED BY:

SEPT. 11, 2018 4:30-6:30 p.m.

LifeScape 4100 S. Western Ave.

TUESDAY

SPONSORED BY:

OCT. 2, 2018

4:30-6:30 p.m.

Grand Living at Lake Lorraine 2815 S. Westlake Dr.

TUESDAY

SPONSORED BY:

NOV. 20, 2018

4:30-7 p.m.

Best Western PLUS Ramkota Exhibit Hall 3200 W. Maple St. The November Mixer includes the Holiday Fair, featuring Chamber members displaying their holiday gift and service ideas. To reserve your booth, contact Valerie Willson at (605) 373-2010.

SPONSORED BY:

TUESDAY

DEC. 11, 2018 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Active Generations 2300 W. 46th St.

COMPLIMENTARY HORS D’OEUVRES • BEVERAGES AVAILABLE $5 ADMISSION OR USE YOUR MIXER PASS (pictured left) If you purchased a 2017-18 Mixer Pass, it is good through the September 2018 Mixer. The 2018-19 Mixer Pass will be valid from October 2018-September 2019 and will be available for purchase beginning September 2018.

CALENDARS

CHAMBER

Events Calendar

Dates, times and locations are subject to change.

For a current listing of all Chamber events, visit siouxfallschamber.com, read the weekly edition of Quickly, or call (605) 336-1620.

You can register and pay for events online at siouxfallschamber.com.

FEATURED EVENT JUNE MEMBERSHIP

MIXER

& BUSINESS FAIR SPONSORED BY: TUESDAY, JUNE 12 4:30–7 p.m.

Sioux Falls Convention Center, 1201 N. West Ave.

The business fair features more than 30 Chamber members promoting their goods & services.

COMPLIMENTARY HORS D’OEUVRES & CASH BAR $5 ADMISSION OR USE YOUR MIXER PASS

RSVP to vwillson@siouxfalls.com or at siouxfallschamber.com

BUSINESS SENSE

WORKSHOPS

Noon-1 p.m. • $10, bring your own lunch Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Tuesday, June 5

Writing for Accessibility Presented by Corey Vilhauer, Blend Interactive

Tuesday, July 3

Are you running your business or is it running you?

Presented by Joe Paulson, Pinnacle Business Solutions

NEW MEMBER MIXER TUESDAY, JUNE 19

4:30–6 p.m.

PAve, 130 S. Phillips Ave. DETAILS: New Chamber members (or new employees to the community) are invited to the Mixer to learn more about the Chamber and visit with other new members.

COST: Free RSVP: vwillson@siouxfalls.com or (605) 373-2010

CHAMBERHOOD SOUTHWEST AREA TUESDAY, JUNE 26

11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

Texas Roadhouse, 4307 W. Empire Pl. DETAILS: If you live, work, commute or do business on the southwest side of Sioux Falls, this event is for you!

COST: $20 (includes lunch) RSVP: vwillson@siouxfalls.com or (605) 373-2010

JULY MEMBERSHIP MIXER TUESDAY, JULY 10

4:30–6:30 p.m.

Holiday Inn City Centre, Falls Ballroom 100 W. 8th St. DETAILS: Join us for the monthly Membership Mixer, featuring networking, food and beverages! Sponsored by the Holiday Inn City Centre.

COST: $5 or use your Mixer Pass RSVP: vwillson@siouxfalls.com or (605) 373-2010

MORNING MINGLE THURSDAY, JULY 26

7:30–9 a.m.

Security National Bank of South Dakota, 6601 S. Louise Ave. DETAILS: Before your day gets too hectic, join the Chamber for a fun and energetic morning networking opportunity. Drop in and out as your schedule permits for a cup of coffee and great conversation with other members of the business community. Chamber staff will also be available to answer any questions you may have about our programs.

COST: Free RSVP: vwillson@siouxfalls.com or (605) 373-2010

AG APPRECIATION DAY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8

11 a.m.–1 p.m.

W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds DETAILS: Celebrate the agriculture industry and enjoy lunch with the farmers and ranchers that make feeding the world their lifestyle!

MORE INFORMATION: hrader@siouxfalls.com or (605) 373-2016

chambernews.com | Chamber News 7

Check out the NEW Sioux Falls T-Shirt Designs!

Managed by:

Open Daily 9am-9pm Memorial Day - Labor Day Weekend For more information call 605.367.7430 or go to VisitSiouxFalls.com/FallsPark.

Explore Sioux Falls!

Go on adventures for a chance to win a weekend getaway.*

Download Visit Sioux Falls Apple or Google Play

VisitSiouxFalls.com *No purchase necessary. Official rules found at VisitSiouxFalls.com/App.

8 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

UPCOMING EVENTS To RSVP to any of these events, email khuizing@siouxfalls.com or call (605) 373-2002. Visit siouxfallsypn.com for a full list of events.

Find us on social media or visit siouxfallsypn.com

SOCIAL ACTION TEAM MEETING TUESDAY, JUNE 5

GOLF 101 TUESDAY, JUNE 19

A SEAT AT THE TABLE

6–7:30 p.m.

Bakker Crossing 47172 S. Clubhouse Rd.

Tuesday, June 26 Noon –1 p.m.

Chamber of Commerce 200 N. Phillips Ave., Suite 200

DETAILS: The YPN Social Team focuses on

DETAILS: Whether you’re new to golf or have

DETAILS: Join us as we hear from Avera

4–5 p.m.

Chamber of Commerce 200 N. Phillips Ave., Suite 200

social events that showcase our community while providing a positive environment for networking, socializing and developing connections. The Social Team meets the first Tuesday of the month at 4 p.m. and is open to any YPN member. Join us!

COST: Free, open to everyone!

MORNING BUZZ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6

7:30–9 a.m.

Scooter’s Coffee 5009 Western Ave., Suite 240 DETAILS: Start your morning off right by gath-

ering with fellow young professionals over a cup of coffee. Bring a co-worker or friend and join us for Morning Buzz!

COST: Free to attend, drinks/food on your own

SIP-N-CYCLE THURSDAY, JUNE 7 5:30–7:30 p.m.

Downtown Sioux Falls

been playing for years, we’re sure your summer will be full of tournaments, scrambles, best balls and the like. Join YPN to learn the ins and outs of golfing basics from the experts at Baker Crossing. Stick around after the lesson for drinks at the clubhouse. No matter what your skill level, this is an event you won’t want to miss!

COST: $30

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ACTION TEAM MEETING WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20 4–5 p.m.

Chamber of Commerce 200 N. Phillips Ave., Suite 200

Health’s President & CEO, John T. Porter. Porter has led Avera Health since 1989 and has served on its Board of Directors since 1979. A 1974 honors graduate of the University of South Dakota School of Law, he has served on numerous national and state health policy and planning boards. He has also served on the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the South Dakota Community Foundation Board of Directors.

Attendees will have the opportunity to hear John’s story of success and ask questions in a casual setting. A Seat at the Table is reserved for the first 25 YPN Members to RSVP.

COST: $10, includes lunch

DETAILS: The Civic Engagement Action Team

focuses on creating opportunities to educate YPN members on policy topics and current issues at both the state and local level. This team meets the third Wednesday of the month at 4 p.m. and is open to any member looking to get more involved.

COST: Free to attend, open to everyone!

DETAILS: Join other YPN members for a tour

of downtown Sioux Falls on the Pedal Pub Party Bike! We’ll meet at 330 N. Main Avenue and pedal around downtown Sioux Falls. Cost includes beer for the 2 hour tour.

COST: $30

chambernews.com | Chamber News 9

JUNE This calendar is a sampling of local events, concerts, fundraisers, seminars and more compiled from siouxfallsevents.com and visitsiouxfallsevents.com.

Visit these websites for a complete listing of events happening in the Sioux Falls area, or for more details on the events listed here.

Siouxfallsevents.com is the community’s free, comprehensive community events calendar. Anyone can post an event happening in the Sioux Falls area. It’s free and it’s a great way to promote your event.

The Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau developed the visitor-related calendar to provide visitors a list of events they may be interested in attending.

10 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

1

First Friday in downtown Sioux Falls

1

Animals on the Amphitheater

1

Run for the Wine at Strawbale Winery

1

Creative Arts Program Fundraiser

1

Downtown Block Party on the Eastbank

1-3

Canaries Baseballs vs. Lincoln Salt Dogs

2

Moonlight Movies summer kickoff at Fawick Park

7

South Dakota Shakespeare Festival: Richard III

8

Sioux Falls Storm vs. Iowa Barnstormers

8-9

PorkPalooza at 8th & Railroad

9

Festival of Cultures

9

Artisans for Animals

9

It’s All About Science Festival

9

Zac Brown Band at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center

9-10

Siouxland Renaissance Festival

10

6th Annual Paddling Fair

10

Step Forward to Prevent Suicide

11

Summer Construction Camp at CTE Academy

11-14

Canaries Baseball vs. Chicago Dogs

14

50th Anniversary Family Picnic at Active Generations

15-17

Canaries Baseball vs. Winnipeg Goldeyes

16

Cody Johnson at The District

6-8

Canaries Baseball vs. Gary-Southshore Railcats

16

Sioux Falls Pride

7

Zippity Zoo Day

18

Summer Construction Camp at CTE Academy

19

Sioux Falls Storm vs. Green Bay Blizzard

8

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill - Soul2Soul Tour at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center

20

World Refugee Day at LSS

9

Summer Media Camp at CTE Academy

22

Canaries Baseball vs. Texas AirHogs

12-15

23rd Annual Hot Harley Nights

22

Date Night Dance Company Open Dance

13

Fore the Animals Golf Tournament

22-23

605 Summer Classic

13

3rd Annual Wiley’s Block Party featuring Russell Dickerson

23

East Meets West at The District

13-16

Canaries Baseball vs. Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks

23

Women’s Try-It Day at The Outdoor Campus

17-19

Canaries Baseball vs. Winnipeg Goldeyes

23

Justin Moore at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center

18

Hot Summer Nites 2018

23-24

Canaries Baseball vs. Texas AirHogs

26

The Flaming Lips at The District

18

Def Leppard & Journey at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center

26

Imagine Dragons at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center

20-21

Downtown Crazy Days

20-21

27th Annual Jazzfes

21

Hy-Vee Day at the Zoo

23

Helpline Center Open Golf Tournament

27-29

Canaries Baseball vs. Wichita Wingnuts

28

Folk Off and Rib Challenge at Strawbale Winery

JULY 1

2nd Annual Kiddie Funfest

2

WWE Monday Night Raw at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center

6

Downtown Block Party on the Eastbank

28

Familyfest at W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds

6

First Friday in downtown Sioux Falls

30-31

South Dakota Summer Slam 2018 Volleyball Event at Sanford Pentagon

chambernews.com | Chamber News 11

NOTEWORTHY Headlines, accolades and rankings — Sioux Falls is often in the news for our community’s excellent business climate and high quality of life. Look for that information to be shared again here along with other topical quick hits.

Voter turnout in local elections

Even with such important work at stake, history shows us that many eligible voters choose not to participate. In elections that include a vote for mayor, participation is typically in the 30-35% range. Turnout is significantly lower in all other local elections.

ELECTION VOTER TURNOUT 50% 40% 30% 20%

SPECIAL ELECTION EVENT CENTER VOTE

SPECIAL ELECTION DRAKE SPRINGS VOTE

Local elections matter. Debate over federal-level issues, especially related to economic or foreign policy, tend to dominate headlines. Local decisionmaking, though, still has the most direct impact on individual citizens and local businesses. During the spring election cycle, our community elected a new mayor, four city councilors and two school board members. These individuals will be setting policy that directly affects each and every one of us—school bonding, infrastructure spending and economic development policy to name a few.

10% 0%

2006

2007

2008

2010

2011

2012

2014

2016

2018

Data represents regular and special elections.

It does not include turnout for run-off elections.

2018 run-off election participation Following the general election on April 10, approximately 430 more citizens registered to vote. There were 1,177 more ballots cast in the run-off election on May 1 than the April general election.

28%

27%

cast their ballot

36% 27%

31.8% of registered voters

42%

Source: City of Sioux Falls 12 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

ECONOMIC INDICATORS Tracking trends in business is just one way that the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce is looking out for our members. Sioux Falls is a great place to do business, in part because of its diverse economy. Check here for economic indicators that help show growth and development.

City of Sioux Falls Building Permit Data

Regional Unemployment Rates

APRIL 2018

MARCH 2018

CUMULATIVE YEAR TO DATE

2,069 PERMITS

2016

1,901 PERMITS

2017

BISMARCK

3.5%

1,607 PERMITS

2018 0

500

1000

1500

2000

FARGO

3.1%

2500

MINNEAPOLIS/ ST. PAUL

Source: City of Sioux Falls

3.3%

RAPID CITY

City of Sioux Falls Total Construction Value

3.7%

APRIL 2018

SIOUX FALLS

CUMULATIVE YEAR TO DATE

3.1%

ROCHESTER

3.4%

CEDAR RAPIDS

3.3%

300 OMAHA

3.0%

DES MOINES

2.9%

LINCOLN

250

2.6%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Note: figures represent Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA), not just city; rates are not seasonally-adjusted

200

Agriculture Trends MARCH 2018

150

10

$255.4 million $129.4 million

$224.9 million $109.1 million

$209.2 million $97.4 million

100

$9.69

$9.17

$9.81 $9.49

$9.16

8

0

SOYBEANS

(IN MILLIONS)

50

$9.36

(PER BUSHEL) U.S. SOUTH DAKOTA

2016

2017

Source: City of Sioux Falls

Total Construction Value

2018

6

New Non-Residential Construction Value

Sioux Falls Region Housing Overview APRIL 2018

New Listings: 575 Days on the Market Until Sale: 93 Median Sales Price: $209,980 Inventory of Homes for Sale: 1,293 Source: RASE (Realtor Association of the Sioux Empire)

CORN

(PER BUSHEL) U.S. SOUTH DAKOTA

4

$3.49

$3.16

2

March 2017

$3.38

$3.14

$3.51

$3.24

February March

2018

2018

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture chambernews.com | Chamber News 13

FACES & PLACES

Faces & Places

LYNDA BILLARS

The Lynda B. Advantage Corp-Lynda Billars KW

DAREN ANDERSON Big D Technology Solutions, Inc.

JOEY ROTERT Sioux Falls Federal Credit Union

DERRICK KARSKY

Farmers Insurance Group/ Karsky Agency

Our members do more than follow the news. They make the news. Job promotions and hirings. New projects. New partnerships.

Awards. Every day we hear about exciting accomplishments, historic milestones and other positive aspects of our member businesses that deserve to be shared.

MICHAEL HUBER

JAMES PAYER II

Girl Scouts-Dakota Horizons

APRIL MEYERINK Black Hills Federal Credit Union

JACK DYVIG

Sioux Falls Morning Optimists Club

TOM HACKL

Dougherty & Company LLC

MARSHALL SELBERG Lloyd Residential Group

Recognition of Chamber Volunteers The Ambassador Team of the Month for April was Team Billars: Lynda Billars, The Lynda B. Advantage Corp-Lynda Billars KW; Joey Rotert, Sioux Falls Federal Credit Union; and Michael Huber.

The Sales Award went to April Meyerink, Black Hills Federal Credit Union, and Tom Hackl, Dougherty & Company LLC, won the Ribbon Cutting Attendance Award.

Daren Anderson, Big D Technology Solutions, Inc., was awarded Diplomat of the Month honors for April. Second place honors and the Retention Award went to Derrick Karsky, Farmers Insurance Group/Karsky Agency, and James Payer II, Girl ScoutsDakota Horizons received third place honors.

Jack Dyvig, Sioux Falls Morning Optimists Club, was the recipient of the Ribbon Cutting Award.

Diplomat Team of the Month for April went to Captain Daren Anderson, Big D Technology Solutions, Inc.; Brad Nelson, Keller Williams Realty Sioux Falls; Nancy Van Otterloo, First PREMIER Bank; and Michelle Markgraf, The Compass Center.

Marshall Selberg, Lloyd Residential Group, was recognized for 10 years of service as a Diplomat. Selberg is the current Chair of the Diplomat Committee.

Faces & Places is great way to use your membership to be seen. This column appears each month in Chamber News and features information about Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce members and volunteers. Submissions may include grand openings, changes in management, moves, major developments and award recognition. Submit news using the Faces & Places form at chambernews.com or email jdoyen@siouxfalls.com.

14 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

FACES & PLACES

New Faces & Promotions Two new employees have joined HenkinSchultz Creative Services. Justin Vanden Bosch is a Large Format Specialist in the HS Sign Shop, which specializes in the design, printing and installation of large format graphics, banners, signage, high performance vinyl, window, building and vehicle wraps and any digital printing needs. He is a graduate of Southeast Tech and received his 3M Certification as an installer in 2010. Chad Vander Lugt is Executive Creative Director.

He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Iowa State University and has worked at prestigious advertising agencies as an Art Director/Creative Director in Chicago, Milwaukee, Dallas and Portland, Maine.

Vander Lugt created award-winning work for Tabasco, Frito Lay and MasterLock and led agency teams for Welch’s, Ingersoll Rand, Harrah’s and Dow Agrosciences.

Dick Groeger has joined the Reliabank Mortgage team. Groeger has nearly 40 years of mortgage lending experience in the Sioux Falls market.

Mergers & Acquisitions Sioux Falls marketing firms JamesDugan and 44 Interactive announced that the two companies have merged and are now operating as 44i. Unifying the teams creates a more cohesive and innovative culture that seamlessly blends the traditional marketing and branding proficiency of JamesDugan with the regionleading digital expertise of 44 Interactive.

RAS has added the following new staff: Rocky Long started as IT System Administrator. He brings 18 years of IT experience. Sam Goemann joined as Help Desk Technician and was most recently with DocuTap. Erica Hunter began as the Support Services Supervisor. She brings over 20 years of management experience to RAS.

Ryan Jansa has joined the mortgage lending team at First Dakota National Bank. For more than a decade, Jansa has maintained a high profile in the Sioux Falls real estate market, developing strong relationships with builders, homebuyers and colleagues around the region. A Sioux Falls native, Jansa attended New Mexico State University.

Megan Winterboer has joined Cornerstone Bank as a Cash Management Sales Officer in Sioux Falls. Winterboer holds a degree from South Dakota State University and has over five years of banking experience.

Howalt+McDowell Insurance, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC company has promoted Sarah Delaney to Vice President Analytic Services and Jo Lynn Higgins to Director of Client Services, Employee Health & Benefits. In addition, the company has hired Cody Huisken as Business Development Specialist and Darin Kolbeck as Senior Claims Consultant. Kathleen Juffer, Gavin DeHaai, Maddy Hackett and Rachel Townsend have joined for the summer as an intern cohort.

MetaBank has hired five employees and promoted two. Randy Wilk joins as the SVP Chief IS Development Officer; Jennifer Henson is a Project Manager; Chad Wolf is Security Analyst II; Curtis Webb is Vice President of Product Management; and Paul Westendorf is Director of IS Support. Jeremy Bain was promoted to Director of Enterprise Risk Systems and Howard Schmidt was promoted to BI Analyst II.

Good Deeds

Milestones

CorTrust Bank employees raised over $800 for Camp Bring It On, which is the region’s only residential camp for children with cancer and pediatric cancer survivors.

Interstates achieved a major safety milestone by recording 1 million man hours without a recordable incident for the second time in two years. Only 24 other firms have repeated this achievement more than once. Interstates has practiced behavioral based safety practices for over a decade.

The 5th annual Bloom fundraising event was held at Grand Falls Casino & Resort on April 27. The event raised $47,664 to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Empire.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 15

FACES & PLACES

Faces & Places Honors & Awards Sales and Marketing Executives, Inc. of Sioux Falls has named the winners of its annual Women of Excellence Awards.

Honored for their achievements were: Excellence in Marketing - Kendra Calhoun, Avera; Excellence in Sales - Kristin Hoefert, Northwestern Mutual; Entrepreneurial Excellence - Amy Stockberger, The Amy Stockberger Team; Supporting Excellence Laura Nemec, EROS; and Excellence through the Decades - Cindy Hoy, Sanford.

EmBe recognized 52 women and men at their annual Tribute to Women event. The following were honored for their achievements: Banking & Finance - Marcy Crawford, Citi; Business Achievement - Carrie Biondi, Lawrence & Schiller; Community Service Lori Murray, Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center; EmBeliever - Pat McAdaragh, Midco; Government & Law - Sandy Frentz, City of Sioux Falls Health Department; Healthcare & STEM - Allison Suttle, MD, Sanford Health; Humanities & Education - Tina Lenz, Sioux Falls Lutheran School; Sylvia Henkin Mentoring Award - Jan Haugen-Rogers, Sanford Health; and Young Woman of Achievement - Sarah McGuire, American Bank & Trust.

The International Association of Insurance Professionals recognized three Sioux Falls area professionals at their Region V Convention.

Jennifer Christensen, Holmes Murphy & Associates, was named Insurance Professional

16 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

of the Year. The award recognizes excellence among those who have been employed in the insurance industry a minimum of ten years.

Linda Medenwald, Great Plains Brokerage, was named Professional Underwriter of the Year. This award recognizes an underwriter who has demonstrated superior knowledge of the UW field, experienced professional advancement through educational pursuits, demonstrated leadership and is an active participant in IAIP activities. Nachole Gillis, HowaltMcDowell Insurance, A Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC company, was named the Confidence While Communicating speak-off winner. This award recognizes the best speaker completing the CWC educational program.

Debra Peterson, CorTrust Bank, was awarded the Member Community Service Award by The North Central Federation of Cosmopolitan International.

Sheila A. Anderson, RAS, received the prestigious Patrick J. Hodgins Award from The North Central Federation of Cosmopolitan International. This award is the highest award offered by Cosmopolitan International and is given to a person with exemplary service to the organization spanning ten or more years.

The Sioux Falls franchise of FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers was recognized as the New Franchise of the Year at the annual franchisee meeting in Las Vegas.

Lou Clarey, Primrose Retirement Community, has been named Employee of the Year for the national organization. Clarey was recognized at the company’s annual Leadership Conference in Hilton Head, South Carolina. She serves as the Life Enrichment Coordinator in Sioux Falls. The Primrose Employee of the Year award is given annually to one winner chosen from more than 1500 employees across 17 states.

The Sioux Falls Business Resource Network recognized MetaBank, Marsden Building Maintenance, LLC and Crooked Pint Ale House with a Disability Friendly Recognition Program Award.

The Helpline Center recognized 77 nominees and 7 award winners at their annual Spirit of Volunteerism Awards on May 10. Award winners are: Youth Category - Shelby Specht; Adult Up and Coming Category - Courtney Hottovy; Adult Shining Bright Category - Eimi Lbrahim-Cloutier; Adult Lifetime Category Beth Jernberg; Group Category - Soroptimist International of Sioux Falls; Corporate Humanitarian (large business) Category - The Barrel House; and Corporate Humanitarian (small business) Category - EXIT Realty. In addition, 12 Volunteer of the Month award winners were recognized during the program and six local high school students received a Youth Leadership Award scholarship.

FACES & PLACES

Be Seen

2

1

3

1-5 The May Membership Mixer

was hosted by Avera Health and held at the Avera Prairie Center.

President Dave Flicek welcomed 250 guests, who enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and networking with fellow Chamber members.

4

5 chambernews.com | Chamber News 17

FACES & PLACES

Be Seen

6 7 6-8 The Agri-Business Division of the Chamber held

their annual Ag Awards Banquet at Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort with approximately 85 people in attendance.

The evening’s recognitions included Phil DeGroot, The First National Bank in Sioux Falls, and Tate Thorstenson, First Bank & Trust, for completing their terms of service on the Agri-Business Council. Student recipients of the Sioux Empire Farm Show Exhibitor Scholarship program were also on hand to receive their scholarships.

8

18 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

9 YPN members used their noon

break to network at a recent YPN Power Lunch at Cowboy Chicken.

9 A GOOD EMPLOYMENT LAWYER TODAY PREVENTS PROBLEMS TOMORROW. RUNNING A BUSINESS IS HARD. You can wait until employee issues come up to seek counsel, or you can get peace of mind by proactively staying compliant with the law. We know the issues you face, and we’ll help you through them.

MELANIE L. CARPENTER DAVID C. KROON GARY P. THIMSEN HEATHER R. SPRINGER TIM R. SHATTUCK

COMET H. HARALDSON JEFF SHULTZ MORGAN F. BREKKE JENNIFER L. VAN ANNE

Simplify the Complicated SM  

300 S. Phillips Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57104 (605) 336-3890  WoodsFuller.com chambernews.com | Chamber News 19

FACES & PLACES

Be Seen

10 10 Chris Prendergast, Click Rain, shared data

and insights on the Digital State of the Midwest at May’s Business Sense Workshop. 11-12 Members of Leadership Sioux Falls class 32 graduated from the program on May 2. W. Tom Simmons, Simmons Presentations, addressed the graduates.

11

12 20 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

FACES & PLACES

12 13

14

13-14 YPN members gathered for an Off the Clock social hour

at Heritage Bank. Approximately 75 people enjoyed networking at the event.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 21

FACES & PLACES

Be Seen

15

17 15-17 The Chamber’s Military & Veterans Affairs Committee sponsored the annual Armed Forces Day program on May 19. Command Sgt. Maj. James A. Hoekman of the South Dakota National Guard gave the keynote address.

16 22 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

FACES & PLACES

18

19 18 Members of the healthcare community gathered at the Chamber to connect and learn from each other at an event coordinated by the Young Professionals Network. 19 U.S. Senator Mike Rounds participated in a roundtable discussion with business community leaders at the Chamber office.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 23

FACES & PLACES

Be Seen

20 Private Mortgage Banking

21 20 Morning Buzz is a popular morning networking event for

YPN members. Attendees at May’s session enjoyed connecting over coffee at Camille’s Sidewalk Café. 21 The Young Professionals Network debuted their new logo at their annual Birthday Bash in late April.

We provide hometown service with the backing of a nationwide company We’re here for you Jen Dykstra 605-941-2144 NMLSR ID 400259 Katie Fonder 605-575-8725 NMLSR ID 1413795 Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. © 2017 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. NMLSR ID 399801.

AS4145279 Expires 02/2019

24 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

Trim 3.5 x

COMMUNITY APPEALS SIOUX FALLS AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Community Appeals Scheduled Fund Drives The purpose of the Community Appeals Committee is to qualify and provide orderly scheduling of capital fund drives. The committee has a responsibility to discourage unnecessary or overlapping drives, to assess funds available in the Sioux Falls business community and to provide input on realistic drive goals.

Applications for the 2018 review cycle will be available beginning May 1 and will be accepted until Aug. 1. The suggested solicitation amount and time slot for approved drives will be determined and scheduled by the committee no later than February of the following year.

For more information on the Community Appeals process and application, visit siouxfallschamber.com/community-appeals.cfm or call Mike Lynch at (605) 373-2008.

CURRENT CAMPAIGN

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICASIOUX COUNCIL APRIL 1-JULY 31, 2019 $1.57 MILLION

Renovate existing facilities to meet the increasing safety and program standards necessary to equip local youth to be “Prepared for Life.”

GREAT PLAINS ZOO & DELBRIDGE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY APRIL 1-JULY 31, 2018 $1.41 MILLION

THE GLORY HOUSE OF SIOUX FALLS NOV. 1, 2019-MARCH 31, 2020 $1.35 MILLION

Create a new “Big Cats of Africa” exhibit.

To provide affordable, long-term housing for up to 72 offenders with immediate access to substance abuse, mental health, employment and case management services.

VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA, DAKOTAS NOV. 1, 2018-MARCH 31, 2019 $1.25 MILLION

ACTIVE GENERATIONS APRIL 1-JULY 31, 2020 $1.45 MILLION

To construct multi-family housing to serve young people ages 16-21 who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

To purchase land and build a second facility on the east side of Sioux Falls to accommodate its expanding programs and membership.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 25

WORKING FOR YOURSELF Lifestyle choices drive business decisions for some entrepreneurs

26 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

BY JODI SCHWAN

for the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

COVER STORY

People go into business for a lot of different reasons.

In some cases, it’s about seeing how big a big idea can grow.

But in many cases, it’s about creating the type of lifestyle an entrepreneur is seeking.

As many businesses are finding out in Sioux Falls, that can still lead to growth: Just not at the rate or scale that classic startups tend to target.

“Although Zeal’s model is designed to support entrepreneurs aspiring to launch the next killer app, there are no doubt more and more people leaving their day jobs to be a part of the ‘gig’ economy and/or other forms of selfemployment,” said Michelle Gjerde executive director of the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship.

“

WE MADE A DECISION this was really what we were going to do, and we’re all in on it.”

– Cole Weller, Weller Brothers

MICHELLE GJERDE Zeal Center for

“In fact, a recent report from HarEntrepreneurship vard found that 94 percent of net job growth in the past decade was in the alternative-work category. Of this, 60 percent was due to the rise of independent contractors, freelancers and contract company workers. Perhaps some choose this route during a certain phase of life before making the leap toward their ultimate business dream.”

That was the case for Cole Weller, who started Weller Brothers with his brother Brent in 2001 when they were high school students mowing lawns to make spending money.

Both spent time in college but ultimately circled back to the business they had started as teens.

“We’ve grown tremendously since then,” Weller said. “We probably have 20 employees year-round and swell to 50 or so in the busy season.”

This time of the year finds them working on a mix of landscape design and building projects along with serving maintenance customers.

The business has evolved to the point that three-quarters of its revenue comes from landscape design and building.

“On our journey, we sold off the maintenance division in 2010 to a competitor,” Weller said. “We had a three-year noncompete but then got back in that business a few years ago just because of demand from customers.”

Cole Weller, Weller Brothers

Weller Brothers now offers a wide array of services, from snow removal to fertilizing, weed control, mowing, brick masonry, hardscape and softscape work. It has evolved with the owners’ stage in life, Weller said.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 27

COVER STORY

“When we were in college, it was beer-drinking money at that point,” he said. “Then, of course, you get married and start having kids and have to turn it into something. At that point, we made a decision this was really what we were going to do, and we’re all in on it.”

A few years ago, they decided to focus more on the trajectory of the business and emphasize growth. Increasing sales hasn’t been hard, Weller said, but finding people to do the work is more challenging. They hope to expand to markets beyond Sioux Falls.

“It’s still a lifestyle for Brent and I,” he added. “And also for our employees. We get to employ a lot of people who are passionate about the industry and about trees and plants and outdoor living environments, and we get to help people optimize and enjoy their space. So as much as it’s about me, it’s about them.”

CAPTURING A DREAM

Starting a business was nothing short of a classic American dream lifestyle for Sinan Taskin.

The native of Bulgaria grew up in Turkey and came to the U.S. during college, where he spent summers working at a resort in Michigan and interned in the credit industry in Fargo.

After college, he worked as an electronics engineer and received his green card through a lottery. He moved to Fargo and started looking for a job.

“I tried to get jobs in my profession, and I think my university didn’t mean anything for the companies because it’s in Turkey,” Taskin said. “So I decided to start my own business.”

He rented a kiosk at a mall and developed Agua Fresh, inspired by fresh, healthy restaurants he had experienced traveling in New York and California.

“I was eating really healthy in Turkey, and in the Midwest it was all burgers and French fries,” he said. “So I started Agua Fresh as healthy food with no sugar and fresh-squeezed juice.”

He moved from North Dakota to the food court at The Empire Mall in 2016, where his menu includes panini sandwiches and a variety of smoothies and juices.

“It’s been very successful,” he said. “Our sales grew 20 to 30 percent compared with last year without any marketing.”

Now, he has started to market, taking a modern approach on social media and using YouTube to teach people how to make smoothies and take photos of food.

“I was working in my business for the first year. Now I’m working on my business because if I concentrate on business development, it will grow more,” he said.

28 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

Sinan Taskin, Agua Fresh

“I started with a minimal budget, $2,000, and was working day and night. I’m just taking time off now, maybe one day off. It was hard at the beginning, but it’s exciting.”

of the gym,” he said. “I wanted to be able to offer a place that really had more involvement with the client past Day One, to help coach and guide and help with goals and mind-set.”

Agua Fresh has grown to seven employees. Taskin would like to add a downtown location at some point and is considering franchising the concept.

He was 25 when he brought the franchise to Sioux Falls at 3504 S. Minnesota Ave.

“I like the Midwest,” he added. “I never thought about going to New York or California. The big cities for startup companies isn’t really a good choice because you’re dealing with giant competition. But people here are so nice, and it makes me feel at home, like family.”

STARTING SMALL

Sometimes, an industry is the right fit for a businessperson, but being the boss allows for a new approach.

That was the trigger for CJ Wehrkamp, who worked in the fitness industry for six years before he started Sioux Falls Fit Body Boot Camp in 2015.

“I never felt that the member or client was truly the focus

“

“So I was kind of scared, anxious, nervous, and I heard from a lot of people I should go work for someone else, someone established,” he said. “For me to open another one and actually make it work was pretty against the odds.”

After the first month, with 15 members, he acknowledges it wasn’t easy.

“The stress of trying to make everything happen and not knowing what’s next can be a fear factor, but it’s definitely been fun to make the calls and take the risk and know nobody made the decision but you,” Wehrkamp said.

“And I’ve always had a passion for helping people and being able to guide them, so being able to have my own business helps me do that every day.”

Another reason I wanted to do my own thing was to PROVIDE A LIFESTYLE FOR MY FAMILY that was meaningful, so we can spend time together” – CJ Wehrkamp, Sioux Falls Fit Body Boot Camp

CJ Wehrkamp, Sioux Falls Fit Body Boot Camp

chambernews.com | Chamber News 29

COVER STORY

He knew the model wouldn’t work unless he could members and staff, though. He’s now up to seven employees and 200 members, with a goal of getting to 300 with staff to support that.

SHARING THE WEALTH Karl Titze could be an auto mechanic at a lot of businesses.

But his approach to service is different. It’s one that’s best served by being the boss.

“We want to make sure we’re reaching out to members and following up, so their only contact isn’t just at their workout session,” he said. “It’s calling them and meeting in the office about nutrition and helping them reach their goals that way.”

Technically, Karl’s wife, Sondra Titze, is the boss at Titze’s Auto Repair. She and her husband co-founded it in 2000 after being in business with a friend for several years before that.

He’s also rolling out Fit Body Forever, a program aimed at people 55 and older, and hopes to have three locations in Sioux Falls by the end of 2020.

“After we split ways, Karl went to work for somebody else, and I said, ‘This is not you.’ Karl was in business to help somebody at the lowest cost possible. And he was coming home depressed.”

“Another reason I wanted to do my own thing was to provide a lifestyle for my family that was meaningful, so we can spend time together,” he said. “My wife stays home with the youngest and picks the kids up after school, and I feel like that would not be an option had I not started the business.

For the first two years, that really wasn’t an option, but now within the last year it’s been able to become an option, and that’s been a true blessing.”

“

She decided to start the business at 3900 N. Cliff Ave. “I’m 100 percent owner. I own it,” she said. “I do the hiring and firing and payroll. I like the variety and don’t want to feel bored.”

She worked with the U.S. Small Business Administration, got a bank loan, and “I felt like I was doing the right thing,” she said. “And my husband’s knowledge really helped out.”

I LIKE THE VARIETY and don’t want to feel bored.”

– Sondra Titze, Titze’s Auto Repair

Sondra and Karl Titze, Titze’s Auto Repair

30 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

The business has six employees, and the approach to sales suits the Titzes’ values.

“I’m a giver,” she said. “I wanted to give people who could not afford a lot of things the chance to get their vehicles fixed without having that high cost of repair or replacement and be honest doing it.”

She does no advertising but stays busy thanks to word of mouth. The goal is not to scale the business but to work at something she and her husband enjoy that brings them satisfaction.

“My husband is a very good, down-to-earth mechanic, and I feel like if you treat your employees the way you feel about life and work in general, you will keep your employees forever,” Titze said. “We like to offer high-quality service to our neighbors and community at a low cost.”

The variety of small businesses in the community is healthy, said Gjerde, at Zeal.

For those looking to pursue a similar venture or for small businesses in need of additional resources, the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship offers a co-working membership that offers a good entry point. It includes work space, access to meeting space and all the expert resources and events provided by Zeal.

“One of the challenges for small businesses is they have their specialty or trade or profession, but no one is a jack-ofall-trades when it comes to business,” Gjerde said.

“The challenge can be understanding the ins and outs of finance and accounting and making smart decisions so they don’t regress and make sure they have their families set up and are thinking about taxes and a financial plan. And there are things like legal issues and marketing, where there are examples of similar businesses and templates to follow. We can help them have access to fill in the gaps where they’re not as strong.”

Support offered for small businesses wanting to grow In the Sioux Falls area, there are a number of systems in place to support small businesses as they grow and develop. In addition to the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship, business owners can access services through the South Dakota District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the local SCORE chapter, the South Dakota Enterprise Institute and the South Dakota Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

The SBDC is a statewide network whose mission is to ‘help entrepreneurs and businesses succeed. SBDC consults with new and existing businesses who want to grow and increase profits. They assist entrepreneurs in the development of their business plan and financial projections with the ultimate goal of seeing their project financed.

Businesses at every stage of their life cycle can access and benefit from the support offered through SBDC. From start-ups and seasoned companies, to buyers looking to purchase an existing business, the SBDC has worked with hundreds of clients in the Sioux Falls area.

SBDC also serves as the umbrella for other programs that assist small businesses with more specialized services. These include: • The Manufacturing and Technology Solutions (MTS) program, which works primarily with manufacturers and focuses on continuous improvement, quality, and automation.

• The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), which assists companies with government contracting and helps with everything from getting registered and identifying potential opportunities to reporting and payment.

• The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which helps businesses and researchers find funding for early stage business ideas that have the potential to commercialize.

• SBDC also has a formal partnership with the Sioux Falls Development Foundation for export assistance through the International Trade Center.

The SBDC Network is an outreach program of the Beacom School of Business at the University of South Dakota. To learn more visit sdbusinesshelp.com.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 31

BUSINESS ADVOCACY

Chamber convenes business conversations at a local, national and international level This spring, the Chamber of Commerce convened member meetings with dignitaries such as European Union (EU) Ambassador David O’Sullivan and our own U.S. Senator Mike Rounds.

The International Trade Center (funded in part by Forward Sioux Falls) hosted the Canadian Consulate General Paul Connors. These opportunities parlayed into great discussions and insight relating to tariffs on international trade, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), workforce and immigration and more. All of the conversations were timely and acutely relevant to South Dakota and to the Sioux Falls business community.

DEBRA OWEN

Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber’s advocacy work resides in the seam between business and government.

The Chamber’s advocacy work resides in the seam between business and government. We advocate on your behalf every day, but we also are a convener of policy discussions between national or international dignitaries and our members.

When our leadership met with Senator Rounds, the discussion included a longer conversation about workforce. With low unemployment rates and a declining total fertility rate from 3.7 in 1916 to 1.8 in 2016, the need for immigrants to enter our workforce in order to grow our economy is urgent. The Senator and leadership discussed specific concerns regarding the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and immigration legislative efforts.

In addressing global trade, Ambassador O’Sullivan stated, “Equality of opportunities are not the same as equality of outcomes.” As the complexities of trading partners evolve, our members have the advantage of effecting outcomes through these relationship opportunities.

In addition, the International Trade Center (ITC) convened with the meeting with Canadian Consulate General Paul Connors. Connors provided firsthand insight to the negotiation status of NAFTA and the crucial areas where the parties have yet to reach an agreement. NAFTA is an agreement among the United States, Canada and Mexico designed to remove tariff barriers between the three countries.

In 2016, South Dakota’s agricultural trade with Canada was $265 million and trade and investment with Canada has created 28,600 jobs in our state. Please see the summary on the opposite page for additional data on the economic impact of NAFTA to South Dakota.

According to ITC Director Rock Nelson, more than 70 percent of the world’s purchasing power and 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside of the United States. If a U.S. business is only selling domestically, it is reaching just a small share of its potential customers. Most small U.S. businesses (99%) don’t export. Of the 1 percent of businesses that export, most employ 20 individuals or less and 59 percent of these businesses export to only one market.

As the escalating trade negotiations occur at an international level, the negotiation affects our members right here at home, which is why the Chamber serves in a pivotal role for our business community. Whether our members are gaining insight to the rising costs of Canadian soft lumber or the impact of tariffs on soybeans, they were empowered to have these conversations with the EU Ambassador, the Canadian Consulate General and a U.S. Senator. This is a distinguishable benefit of membership.

By creating opportunities for meaningful conversation, providing key insights and relationships for our membership, your Chamber continues to help move our community forward.

32 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

Economic Impact of NAFTA for South Dakota Courtesy the International Trade Center

• South Dakota’s 2017 manufactured and value-added agricultural exports (the U.S. Department of Commerce combines these), not including grains or livestock, totaled $1.36 billion.

• South Dakota’s 2015 agricultural trade (includes grains and livestock) was $3.7 billion.

• The top ten countries that our state exports to (in order of dollar amounts) are Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, Belgium, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Germany, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

• In South Dakota, 15 percent of all jobs are related to exporting. Manufacturing accounts for 92 percent of South Dakota’s exports. There are approximately 650 South Dakota businesses that export and 550 South Dakota businesses that import – some of these businesses import and export.

• South Dakota businesses that are foreign-controlled companies employed over 8,000 South Dakota workers in 2017.

• South Dakota’s largest manufacturing exporters are Rosenbauer-America (fire engines), POET (dried distiller’s grains), Terex Utilities (hydraulically powered employee lift baskets attached to trucks), MASABA (heavy duty mining equipment), Kolberg-Pioneer (heavy duty mining equipment), Daktronics and Smithfield Foods.

• Examples of value-added ag exports (besides Smithfield Foods) include Grand Prairie Foods and Orion Food Systems.

The International Trade Center (ITC) is part of the South Dakota Small Business Development Center and is funded in part

by Forward Sioux Falls. ITC serves as a source of management assistance to small businesses considering exporting, new to exporting, or those with exporting finance packaging needs. The SBDC’s International Trade Center can assist companies in overcoming the barriers of selling internationally. If you would like more information about how to export, contact ITC Director Rock Nelson at rock@siouxfalls.com or (605) 338-3424.

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Nothing’s getting past these IT pros.

Enjoy the UPTIME. sdncommunications.com chambernews.com | Chamber News 33

Share your message with the business community Advertise in Chamber News Chamber News is a direct business-tobusiness publication that reaches the decision-makers in Sioux Falls area businesses. It is mailed directly to more than 5,000 Chamber members and distributed free at select locations around Sioux Falls.

Promote your business in Chamber News.

Contact Steven Herman at (605) 351-1960 or chambernews@siouxfalls.com.

HEADLINES

An exhibitor leads her champion market steer through the ring at the 2018 Sale of Champions.

Premier annual ag event is renamed Sioux Empire Livestock Show A 65-year local tradition in agriculture has a new name. The Sioux Empire Farm Show has been renamed the Sioux Empire Livestock Show.

The Show, which began in 1954, is organized by the Chamber and is held every January in Sioux Falls. It attracts livestock producers, buyers and exhibitors from across the country. More than 30,000 people attend the Show each year, with an estimated economic impact of $3 million.

The goals of the Sioux Empire Livestock Show remain much the same as when the event first debuted. The Show seeks to strengthen the ties between the urban and agricultural communities, support livestock producers and exhibitors, provide educational programs and exhibits, and promote the importance of agriculture in our region.

The new name more accurately reflects the strategic focus of the event as well as its vision for the future. Agri-Business Division Manager Holly Rader said that purebred and market livestock producers and buyers have always been the focus of the time and energy invested into the Show by its team of dedicated volunteers.

“As the Sioux Empire Livestock Show, we retain the rich history and tradition of our show,” said Rader. “Our new name highlights our long-standing mission and better aligns with our strategic focus on livestock exhibitions.”

In addition, the name change will help to minimize potential confusion about the nature of the Show. Since 1998, the Chamber has partnered with Midwest Shows, Inc., which hosts commercial exhibits known as the Sioux Falls Farm Show at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, Sioux Falls Convention Center and Sioux Falls Arena. The Sioux Empire Livestock Show will assume responsibility for the trade show and exhibitor space that fills the north end of the Expo Building at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds. Midwest Shows will continue to host their show concurrently with the Livestock Show, which maximizes the opportunity and impact of both events.

“Agriculture is South Dakota’s number one industry. This event is a community tradition, and we look forward to our next 65 years celebrating and promoting agriculture as the Sioux Empire Livestock Show,” said Rader.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 35

A bird’s eye view of the future Stockyards Ag Experience Plaza from North Weber Avenue. Image courtesy Confluence.

From farm to plate

Stockyards Ag Experience completes Community Appeals campaign

BY MIKE LYNCH Forward Sioux Falls

Agricultural roots run deep in Sioux Falls—both metaphorically and literally.

The Stockyards Ag Experience, which completed a successful Community Appeals campaign on March 31, will provide residents and visitors alike with interactive learning experiences and historical lessons that bridge the gap between the past and the present by detailing the profound impact agriculture has had upon our city, state and region.

Funds raised through Community Appeals will be devoted to development of the 3.63 acre Stockyards Ag Experience Plaza, located on the original site of the Stockyards near Falls Park. Plaza construction is scheduled to begin in 2019, with 2020 being the first full season of operation. This will complete the second phase of the Ag Experience project; the first phase, the refurbishment of the barn at the Falls, was completed in 2017.

The Stockyards Ag Experience Plaza is a celebration of what has made Sioux Falls a unique place in the past, and our city and region’s continuing role in feeding our nation and the world. Campaign Co-chair Dana Dykhouse said that because it is a site preservation project, the story is told right where it happened. “The Stockyards Ag Experience brings education and quality of life enhancements. It can play a part in economic development and attracting and retaining great staff members here in Sioux Falls,” he said.

Dykhouse also stated that since the location is a gateway from I-229 into downtown Sioux Falls, it extends the Falls Park experience.

36 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

Community Appeals Campaign Goal: $1.19 million Raised: $1.259 million Community Appeals Campaign Timeline: November 1, 2017- March 31, 2018 Stockyards Ag Experience will create a living heritage outdoor plaza on the site of the original Sioux Falls Stockyards.

“With all that’s to come in our Falls Park neighborhood – Levitt Pavilion, the Sioux Steel redevelopment, and railyard redevelopment – adding to existing amenities like the Visitor Information Center and Farmer's Market, we are confident that the Plaza adds value.”

With messaging for the campaign focusing on a “Home Grown” theme, celebrating what makes our region unique, campaign volunteers exceeded the $1.19 million goal by nearly $69,000.

According to Stockyards Ag Experience Executive Director Jennifer Smith Hoesing, success was attributed to having a mission-driven approach. “Under the outstanding leadership of Jim Woster, Dana Dykhouse and Mike Begeman, sixty volunteers coalesced around our mission to connect agriculture to our lives. They shared in our vision of a world where everyone recognizes and celebrates the past, present and future of agriculture,” she said. “Last but not least, we kept the process fun, celebrating milestones along the way.”

HEADLINES

Hoesing said volunteers expressed great joy in hearing stories from the public related to their Stockyards or agricultural connections and what they’ve learned about agriculture since arriving in Sioux Falls.

“Hearing others share their stories helped us see that in historical and contemporary context, agriculture matters.”

According to Begeman, who also serves on the Chamber Community Appeals Committee, the Community Appeals model is an integral component in pursuit of a successful capital campaign.

“The structure that Community Appeals provides leads to consistent support year after year from the business community and is a testament to the profound trust in this longstanding process.”

Ag Experience Plaza. “We are also devoted to continuing to define, align and promote the brand; focusing on sustainability—both short and long-term—and designing and implementing strong programs, activities and partnerships,” Woster said.

Woster added that ultimately, it comes back to the mission of the Stockyards Ag Experience to connect agriculture to our daily lives.

“We often say, with a smile and a laugh, that if you wear clothes and eat food, you have a farmer to thank for it and that is the truth!”

Looking into the future, a strategic plan will guide the next phase of operations with goal number one to complete the Stockyards

Community Appeals applications now being accepted

BY MIKE LYNCH Forward Sioux Falls

Community Appeals applications are being accepted now until Aug. 1, 2018 for the campaign cycles of April-July 2021 and November 2021 thru March 2022, respectively. The online form can be found on the Chamber website (siouxfallschamber.com) under the “Programs/Community Appeals” tab.

Community Appeals has a responsibility to discourage unnecessary or overlapping drives, to assess funds available in the Sioux Falls business community and to provide input on realistic drive goals.

Organizations seek to capitalize on the strong reputation of the Chamber to maximize their fundraising activities. Eligible organizations include those with a social (non-profit) or educational emphasis (accredited, post-secondary).

Major components of the application include identification of the governing board, description of campaign purpose and community benefit, percentage breakdown of anticipated areas of solicitation, historical information, feasibility study summary and audited financials.

If an organization meets the application criteria, its representatives will be given an opportunity to present before the full Community Appeals Committee to further explain the project scope and need, its fund drive expectation for success and financial plan. By year-end, the committee will meet to discuss the merit of each applicant and ultimately vote to consider scheduling a campaign(s).

Once a campaign is scheduled, the Chamber assists the organization and its capital campaign in several ways including serving as a liaison to keep Chamber members informed, providing a list of Chamber members to help with solicitation and sending a campaign letter on behalf of the organization, assisting to organize a press conference to kick-off the campaign, writing a feature story in Chamber News at the beginning and end of the campaign and promoting the campaign in each issue of Chamber News.

If your organization meets the criteria for Community Appeals scheduling consideration, please consider completing the application.

For more information, contact Mike Lynch, Community Appeals Committee staff liaison, at (605) 373-2008.

CAMPAIGN SCHEDULE UPDATED The Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History is currently running a Community Appeal. Next will be the Volunteers of America (VOA), Dakotas, which will conduct its appeal from Nov. 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019. The VOA fills this time slot following the campaign withdrawal of the American Cancer Society.

The Community Appeals Committee’s decision to schedule VOA was made after reaching out to the three organizations already scheduled to gauge their interest in moving their campaign time frames forward. When it was determined that none of these organizations were able to conduct their campaigns within this optional and advanced timeline, VOA was considered due to it being the only remaining organization which had completed the application vetting cycle but had not been scheduled. Representatives from VOA met with the full committee to provide a comprehensive overview of their project and their ability to complete a successful campaign.

The purpose for the VOA campaign is to construct multi-family housing to serve young people ages 16-21 who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless. This housing project will be located west of Roosevelt High School. Total cost is estimated at $3.525 million, from which, the goal for Community Appeals solicitation to the business community is $1.25 million.

Community Appeals scheduling is considered an integral component contributing to a successful capital campaign. With the committee’s purpose to qualify and provide orderly scheduling for these capital fund drives, it has been well-respected since its formation in 1953.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 37

BUSINESS NEWS

Small Business Week recognitions Several Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce member businesses were honored during the annual celebration of National Small Business Week in early May. The South Dakota District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration named Kevin Nyberg, Nyberg’s Ace, the Small Business Person of the Year for 2018.

The Jackson Family of Haegle’s Western Wear and Tack was named Family-Owned Business of the Year and Beth Davis was named Small Business Champion of the Year.

Haegle’s Western Wear and Tack was founded 108 years ago by C.J. Haegle.

Current owner Patrick Johnson is the fifth generation in the family business. Johnson has been around the business since birth and was first officially employed there while in high school. He became the sole owner of Haegle’s West in 2014. In 2015, with the assistance of the SBA 504 loan program through the Praireland Economic Development Corporation, Johnson was able

to purchase the real estate from his mother to own both the operating and hard assets of the business.

Kevin Nyberg began working at his father’s hardware store at the age of nine, and he took over the business at 52. Since then, the original store has grown and there are now five locations in Sioux Falls. In 2017, Nyberg purchased and revitalized a historic building in downtown Sioux Falls.

The project boosted redevelopment in that area and gave downtown residents their first neighborhood hardware store. Nyberg’s Ace has utilized Small Business Administration loan programs throughout the years starting in 1969 and most recently used the SBA 504 program to purchase the downtown building and complete renovations.

Nyberg was formally recognized at the national awards ceremony of the U.S. Small Business Administration in Washington, D.C.

Small Business Week Awards 2018 Small Business Person of the Year: Kevin Nyberg, Nyberg’s Ace 2018 Family-Owned Small Business of the Year: The Jackson Family of Haegle’s Western Wear and Tack 2018 Small Business Champion of the Year: Beth Davis SCORE Resource Partners of the Year: Carla Burns and Kelly Weaver, Aberdeen SBA office SCORE Champion of the Year: First PREMIER Bank SCORE Volunteer of the Year: Mark Norgaard

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Offices also in Mitchell, Pierre, Watertown and Rapid City 38 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

Data Warehouse is open to the public A new platform provides easier public access to big data on our region’s workforce, economy, social services, education and quality of life. Sioux Falls Thrive announced that the second phase of its two-year project to create an open Data Warehouse is now live at opendata.augie.edu.

The project began in 2016, when Thrive facilitated the formation of a Workforce Data User Group. The group included representatives from Augustana University, City of Sioux Falls Departments of Community Development and of Planning and Building Services, Sioux Empire United Way, Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Sioux Falls School District and Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation. It was tasked with analyzing how data is reported, tracked and used, and with exploring the feasibility of creating a shared data hub.

The group found that employees of local government, nonprofit and commercial entities regularly search for demographic and socio-economic information about Sioux Falls and the surrounding area. They seek the data for a variety of reasons: to maintain public information websites, report news,

Partners in the Data Warehouse believe that the hub will improve opportunities for collaboration and data sharing. Dr. Pam Homan, Augustana University, led the User Group that developed the Data Warehouse.

She said that collaboration between public and private entities can result in cost savings and increase public transparency, which benefits the entire community.

write grant proposals, or develop marketing and business plans, among other tasks.

Gathering the data often required visiting or contacting multiple sources. The result was lost productivity and, because the data wasn’t centralized, a risk of inaccuracy.

The new Data Warehouse offers free and easy access to accurate, timely, relevant data.

It serves as a central repository of workforce, economic vitality, social services, education and quality of life data for the Sioux Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. A user will save time by not having to gather data from multiple sources and they can have confidence that the information on the warehouse is the most recent available.

“On any given day, leaders in our community are seeking data to aid them in making decisions,” said Homan. “The Data Warehouse is a valuable source for accurate information. Better access to data means better decision-making – and that benefits everyone.”

The five founding partners — the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Sioux Falls Thrive and the Sioux Empire United Way — shared the cost of development and two years’ maintenance, with funding matched by Augustana University. As the host for the Data Warehouse, Augustana builds additional capacity for scholarly, academic research opportunities for faculty and students.

Workforce Summit scheduled for this summer

BY JENNIFER TUTTLE

Sioux Falls Development Foundation

The monthly publication Workforce Information Now (WIN) collects great talent recruitment stories and ideas and brings them together in one place. The current statewide attention on workforce development and the role it plays in growing our economy encourages us to do even more to stimulate the conversation around this vital topic. To bring regional community, business and economic development leaders together, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation is partnering with the Lincoln and Minnehaha County Economic Development Associations to host the WIN in Workforce Summit, scheduled for August 23 in Sioux Falls.

IN

WORKFORCESUMMIT

The WIN in Workforce Summit will be held at the Sioux Falls Convention Center from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 23. The event will begin with a luncheon featuring keynote speaker Steve Gilliland, followed by three hours of breakout sessions, with nine different workforce development workshops led by industry leaders.

This gathering will provide the opportunity to engage with other business owners and community leaders about what strategies are working in their organizations and communities. The summit is an extension of WIN’s mission to highlight workforce development resources and best practices in the Sioux Falls region.

To learn more about the WIN in Workforce Summit and how to register, email info@siouxfalls.com with a subject line “Workforce Summit.” And check out the WIN monthly publication at siouxfalls.com/win.cfm

chambernews.com | Chamber News 39

BUSINESS NEWS

Visitor Industry Updates SUMMER SPORTS TOURNAMENTS BRING THOUSANDS TO SIOUX FALLS Daniel Ohayon Invitational Dakota Alliance Soccer Club held their flagship soccer tournament on May 11-13 in Sioux Falls. The 2018 event marked the 31st year of the Daniel Ohayon Invitational Tournament, formerly known as the Dakota Alliance Invitational Tournament. Just over 170 teams from the U.S. and Canada participated in the tournament, which was held at Tomar Park and Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls.

Sioux Empire Baseball Association The Sioux Empire Baseball Association (SEBA) is gearing up for another busy summer of baseball tournaments. SEBA will host a total of eight tournaments at either Pasley Park or Harmodon Park between May and July this year. For a full list of tournaments and dates, visit siouxempirebaseball.org.

American Legion Baseball Sioux Falls was recently awarded the 2019 and 2020 American Legion Central Plains Regional Baseball Tournament. The Sioux Empire Baseball Association will be the host organization. This regional tournament will host Legion teams from Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. The Central Plains Regional will be held early August in both 2019 and 2020 at the Sioux Falls Stadium.

NSIC Softball and Baseball May was a busy month for NSIC softball and baseball, as both conference tournaments were held in Sioux Falls. Softball was held at Augustana University and Sherman Park on May 3-6. Baseball was held at Augustana University and the Sioux Falls Stadium on May 9-11. Both tournaments hosted teams from across the Midwest.

SELLING SIOUX FALLS INTERNATIONALLY Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Sales Manager Jackie Wentworth recently returned from attending the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW 2018 annual trade show in Denver. IPW is the travel industry’s premier international marketplace and the largest generator of travel to the U.S. Sioux Falls partnered with the South Dakota Department of Tourism and other communities in South Dakota to collectively market the region to tour operators and travel agents from all over the world. Over the course of the three-day event, Wentworth had one-on-one appointments with more than 110 travel professionals representing 22 countries.

Post-show, Wentworth will follow-up with each of the tour operators. She’ll share sample itineraries showcasing all of Sioux Falls and demonstrate that tour operators can use the gateway cities of Minneapolis and Chicago for their direct international flights. The goal is that the tour operators will in turn share the suggested itineraries with their clients and make plans to stay in Sioux Falls.

This year’s IPW featured more than 6,000 attendees, including 1,300 international and domestic travel buyers and 500 journalists representing more than 70 countries.

40 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

Chinese tour operators enjoy Sculpture Walk in downtown Sioux Falls.

CHINESE TOUR OPERATORS VISITED SIOUX FALLS The CVB, in partnership with the South Dakota Department of Tourism, recently hosted a Chinese delegation of tour operators in Sioux Falls. The group consisted of several of China’s top visitor industry professionals and represented the four corners of China. While here, the group experienced Falls Park, SculptureWalk and got a glimpse of Sioux Falls’ vibrant art and culinary scene. The tour operators were especially interested in the agricultural offerings in the region, so they were treated to a tour of Stensland Dairy, just outside of Sioux Falls.

Members of the group included Ruiwen Tang, manager with Guangzhou Dista International Travel Service Co., LTD in Guangzhou (Southern China); Najia Gao, CEO of American International Travel Service Inc. in Shanghai (Eastern China); Qingyong Chen, General Manager of China International Travel Service in Beijing (Northern China); Jianhong Zhou, General Manager of Sichuan Overseas Tourist Corp. Co., LTD in Chengdu (Western China); and Lily Zhang, South Dakota PR Manager for EastWest Marketing in Beijing.

According to the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), in 2016 there were 2.97 million arrivals to the U.S. from China, making China the fifth largest market for international visitation.

Chinese travelers spend an average of $7,000 during their visits to the U.S. Because of that potential business, South Dakota has been very intentional with their marketing efforts in bringing Chinese visitors to the state. Exposing these tour operators (travel agents) to our city certainly brought awareness of why Sioux Falls needs to be included on their clients’ itineraries.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR GREATLIFE CHALLENGE The Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge will return to Willow Run Golf Course on Aug. 30–Sept. 2 as part of the LPGA Symetra Tour.

This four-day golf tournament will feature some of the top female golfers from around the world as they compete for the top prize.

Volunteers are needed to help make the event a success, including host families for the players. For more information or to sign up, visit greatlifechallenge.com

Sioux Falls CVB Celebrates National Travel & Tourism Week 2018 CVB Annual Visitor Industry Luncheon Over 650 people attended the CVB’s annual luncheon on May 8!

Featured speaker Lt. General Russel L. Honoré (Ret.), Commander of Joint Task Force Katrina and Global Preparedness Authority, kept the participants engaged while he shared his experiences and leadership style. The CVB also presented their industry awards:

Business Award: Wes Eisenhauer Photography Heart of the City Award: Frank Gurnick, Dakota Alliance Soccer Club First Impressions Award: Julie Coleman, Best Western PLUS Ramkota Hotel Special Star Award: Pheasant Fest, represented by Mike Stephenson Special Recognition: Governor Daugaard, Councilman Rolfing, and Mayor Huether

70 industry partners joined SD Dept. of Tourism Secretary, Jim Hagen, for an informational seminar on tourism’s role in our state.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 41

BUSINESS SENSE

Creating an accessible website:

Steps you can take that don’t require a developer Let’s get right to it: your website needs to be accessible, and no cute introduction is going to ease us into that idea.

For a longer and more detailed look at editorial accessibility, visit Eating Elephant at eatingelephant.com

What is accessibility? On the web, accessibility is the practice of removing barriers for people with disabilities.

Much like new building construction must provide accessible entrances, and businesses must provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities, websites must be created in a way that allow access to information despite any existing or future disability.

ALTERNATIVE TEXT: MAKING THE VISUAL AND AUDIBLE … READABLE

COREY VILHAUER Blend Interactive

Because most websites rely on written and visual communication, accessibility issues are most often seen as visual issues, affecting those with temporary or permanent vision problems.

But, it also affects those who have motor or mobility disabilities — such as those with cerebral palsy, or someone who has recently had a stroke. It affects those with auditory disabilities, such as deafness. It even encompasses those who have cognitive disabilities or language barriers, who simply cannot understand your over-written page content.

What’s more, accessibility issues affect those who don’t even have a physical disability. Those who rely on mobile devices require more accessible sites, as do those who live with a slower than normal internet connection.

Simply put, you don’t know what kind of disability or accessibility issue someone may have when they arrive on your site. Making sure they’re represented is crucial — and human.

ACCESSIBILITY WITHIN OUR SITE EDITOR When it comes to matters of web accessibility, though, the solutions often look too complex to take on. They’re things that need a web designer. They’re things that need a full web development firm.

The truth is, a lot of what we can do to make our sites more accessible can be done right within our own editor tools. Because when it comes to making more accessible websites, it comes down to writing more accessible content.

Here are a few of the things that can get you started toward the path of a more accessible site through the power of plain language, better titles, and a focus on alternative text.

42 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

The heavyweight in the world of accessibility is what we call “alternative text,” which is exactly what it sounds like: text that provides an alternative to the visual or audible content on your page.

For example: people with a visual disability often use an assistive device called a screen reader to help read the text on a page out loud — akin to having a person reading out loud next to them as they scan through the page. But when they come across an image…what can the screen reader pick up?

Remember: web browsers are not people. They see an image as a bunch of code. Which means we need to provide that information ourselves. We need to view the image and provide an alternative in a readable text form. This allows a screen reader to read aloud something like “Image: a stack of pancakes.”

What this looks like is largely dependent on the context of the image within the page — sometimes, you’ll simply describe the image as it is (“a stack of pancakes”), while other times you’ll read the meaning of the image itself (“pancakes that represent the promise of a morning breakfast”). And, sometimes, you don’t need text at all! Not every image is crucial for a web page and reading them aloud would actually add more noise to the screen reader’s conversation.

It all comes back to one question: If someone could not see this image, what context do we need to get across?

CAPTIONS AND TRANSCRIPTIONS Captions and transcriptions are often seen as necessary for those with hearing problems, but they’re also used if you have your computer’s sound down or if you’re in a public area without headphones.

Captions are useful when the video is meant to be viewed in real time with the text — a live event, or something in which the video is closely tied to the audio. In most other cases, videos should be transcribed. The difference is subtle – transcripts separate the text from the audio and provide what is essentially an article view of the content. Both provide a text alternative to something that may not be able to be heard.

WRITING FOR CLARITY The previous examples relate to things we can do to fix non-text content. But accessible writing also requires a bit of work on text content. When we talk about writing for accessibility, we’re really just talking about writing for the web. We’re talking about plain language, which the Center for Plain Language defines as “The target audience can read, understand, and confidently act on the information in your content.”

Here are some high level tips for writing clearer content.

WRITE SO IT’S SCANNABLE What we write is important, but how we write it — and what it looks like when we encounter it on a website — is important as well.

This means instead of giant walls of text, we need to write in a way that’s easier to read and understand. This means: • Provide a relevant headline that describes the page, not a cute headline that can be misinterpreted.

• Write in shorter chunks of content, making sure there’s just one thought per paragraph.

• Use sub-headings that further break down the body of content and signify to the browser where content concepts are located.

• Use bullet points to say “this is a list of things that you need to know.”

• Use clear and actionable links, which we’ll touch on later.

STEER CLEAR OF JARGON One thing we need to consider — especially those of us who are native speakers of the English language — is that our language is filled with one-time use words and garbage that serve an incredibly specific use, if they even serve use at all.

Words and phrases that do not have translatable equivalents provide a lot of issues for someone trying to navigate using a browser translator. They’re difficult enough to understand if you understand the language — even within the United States, idioms can vary from region to region — but imagine if you had to translate the language and the context of the metaphor!

USE CLEAR CONTENT HEADINGS Magazine and newspaper articles are well versed in chunking and structuring their content — in fact, this very article you’re reading includes headings for clarity. These are called “headings,” and on the web they’re used to signify the main sections of a page.

web browser can understand. They are, essentially, an outline for the web page, and they are required to be in order (first-level headings are the title, second-level headings are the sections, third-level headings are the sub-section, and on and on) and to be written in a way that’s clear.

WRITE CLEAR DESCRIPTIVE LINKS We often make the assumption that every link we create on a site is done with complete context intact. But those who use screen readers often tab through a page using just the links … and when they come upon your generic “click here” or “read more” links, they are completely lost. “What am I clicking on?” “What do I want to read more about?”

Writing descriptive links — “search our locations” instead of “click here” for example — helps those using screen readers by providing information on where the link will go. Creating a link is like making a promise — you want the words to you use to represent the final location, otherwise your site users (and the search engines that crawl your site) will walk away with a sense of betrayal.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING INCLUSIVE I could scare you with the legal ramifications of ignoring accessibility — and trust me, there are plenty of firms and organizations ready to fight for more accessible websites. But really, the matter of accessible content isn’t a matter of checking some boxes and making sure we’re compliant. It’s about creating a better experience for any and all of your customers, regardless of disability.

Web accessibility so often gets positioned as a legal issue, but we like to see it as a human issue: an issue that affects our community and the people who trust us for shopping, education, or any other industry or service that happens to have a website.

It’s not a thing that we can fix all at once, but it’s also not a thing we should put off any longer. We can start by putting ourselves in the shoes of those who have disabilities or other differing web needs, and then we can make our sites better for them — and at the same time, we’ll make the experience better for everyone.

Corey Vilhauer is a user experience architect at Blend Interactive, a web strategy, development, and design firm in Sioux Falls. He writes at length about methodology, empathy and small-business content strategy at eatingelephant.com and writes about other things at coreyvilhauer.com.

They’re useful as a visual tool, allowing people to quickly scan a page and find relevant information. But they’re also important to screen readers — they provide an outline for the entire article that a

chambernews.com | Chamber News 43

USING YOUR MEMBERSHIP

Business Sense Workshops make sense

BY DEBORAH McISAAC

Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

It’s lunchtime and you have a decision to make. You can join some friends or coworkers. You can catch up on a book. You can sneak in a workout. Or, you can pick up some knowledge with your fellow Chamber members.

Business Sense Workshops are an educational offering that is part of your Chamber membership. Over your lunch hour, you can sit back with your favorite brown bag, and pick up some great skills and learn from local experts. Anyone is welcome to attend. All employees of a Chamber member business are able to take advantage of a discounted rate of only ten dollars.

In the past, the Chamber offered Business Sense Workshops every week for a 12-week sprint during the early months of the year. Due to strong member interest, we’ve expanded the program to offer workshops year-round. Currently, there is a general topic track focusing on various business trends and current events. This track is available the first Tuesday of every month at noon. In the coming months, two more tracks focusing on workforce, workplace culture, career building and life skills will be available. These tracks will take place over the lunch hour in the third and fourth weeks of the month.

All presenters are local experts in their industry, as well as Chamber members. They bring a wealth of knowledge regarding business acumen, as well as local and regional trends. Topics are selected based on timeliness and demand. Each Business Sense Workshop speaker strives to educate and entertain in 60 minutes or less. The speakers may be the owners of businesses, licensed trainers, or simply really amazing people who possess valuable information. Our Chamber is stronger when we share collective knowledge.

Business Sense Workshops build a sense of community. You will have an opportunity to meet like-minded people. You and your employees may create future business connections. You might bring back golden nuggets of information that could positively impact your team and your operations. You may even be inspired to suggest a future topic or become a speaker yourself.

Business Sense Workshops are a cost effective professional development option for businesses. You are able to tap into some of the best

44 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

Upcoming Business Sense Workshops Tuesday, June 5 Writing for Accessibility Presented by Corey Vilhauer, Blend Interactive Tuesday, July 3 Are you running your business or is it running you?

Presented by Joe Paulson, Pinnacle Business Solutions Tuesday, August 7 Talk is Cheap and Culture is the New Currency Presented by Vaney Hariri, Think 3D Solutions Tuesday, October 2 The Change Advantage Presented by Matthew Heemstra, Cain Ellsworth & Company, LLP Visit siouxfallschamber.com for more details and to register for Business Sense Workshops.

speakers and training topics in our community. The entire experience will add to you and your employees’ toolbox of knowledge and skill sets. Investing in this unique lunch and learn program is a great way to show you are invested in your employees’ professional growth.

The schedule of Business Sense Workshops is available at siouxfallschamber.com under the Events tab. You will also be able to see upcoming topics on the Quickly newsletter sent out every week via email. Please contact the Chamber if you would like to subscribe to the Quickly newsletter to keep apprised of all upcoming events, including Business Sense Workshops.

So, its lunchtime and you have a decision to make. You can relax and take a break – you’ve earned it. Or, you can better yourself, your organization and your chamber by attending a Business Sense Workshop. Your time is valuable and so is your membership. You have already invested in your chamber, now invest in yourself.

See you at the next workshop!

RIBBON CUTTINGS

Ribbon Cuttings

The Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce holds ribbon cutting ceremonies for members to celebrate joining the Chamber, milestone anniversaries, expansions or remodelings. Ribbon cutting ceremonies are organized free of charge for members and are held Monday through Friday at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

The public and all Chamber members are invited to share in the celebration. Call (605) 336-1620 for more information or to schedule your event.

Groundbreaking ceremonies are coordinated by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation. Call (605) 339-0103 for more information or to schedule your event.

Citi

GROUNDBREAKING

5800 S. CORPORATE PL. citi.com Citi broke ground on their four-story, 150,000 GSF office building. Completion is expected in 2019. This new building will be an engaging and lively space for 1,600+ employees with a focus on connectivity. L to R: Steve Van Buskirk, Jim Schmidt, Mayor-elect Paul TenHaken, Dawn Duerksen, Chris McKee, Lt. Gov. Matt Michels, Rich Nath (site president), Mayor Mike Huether, Ruth Christopherson and Bob Thimjon.

City of Sioux Falls Mixed Use Parking Ramp

GROUNDBREAKING

110 S. MALL AVE. siouxfalls.org/parkingramp This public/private partnership project will be a 15-story facility, which will include seven floors for a parking garage and the top eight floors for two separate hotel brands with 220 guest rooms.

L to R: Tracy Turbak, Dustin Posten, Mike Cooper, Dan Johnson, Brent O’Neil, Bob Thimjon, Jeff Lamont, Daren Ketcham, Mayor Mike Huether, Michelle Erpenbach, Norm Drake, Steve Van Buskirk, Matt Nelson and Joe Batcheller.

City of Sioux Falls New City Building

NEW LOCATION

231 N. DAKOTA AVE. siouxfalls.org City services will be taken to a whole new level this summer when this new building opens with the aim of centralizing departments into a “government corridor” in downtown Sioux Falls.

L to R: Councilor Rick Kiley, Dr. Dave Kapaska, Sue Quanbeck Etten, April Meyerink, Mayor Mike Huether, Matt Tobias, Councilor Michelle Erpenbach and Councilor Rex Rolfing.

City of Sioux Falls Westside Bike Trail

GROUNDBREAKING

siouxfalls.org/parks/bike The City of Sioux Falls and Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation broke ground on the westside bike trail connection between Dunham Park and the Big Sioux River dam crossing. The 1.25 miles of new trail will connect to the main loop between West 12th Street and West 41st Street making the overall trail to be 30 miles. L to R: Jodi Erickson, Tory Medema, Lorrae Lindquist, Steve Van Buskirk, Don Kearney, Bob Thimjon and Michael Christensen.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 45

RIBBON CUTTINGS Earthwise Pet Supply

6223 S. WESTERN AVE. earthwisepet.com/siouxfalls EarthWise Pet Supply is a holistic pet wellness store offering nutrition and wellness products, supplies, grooming and self-wash. L to R: Judy Arel, Andrea Miller, Julie Ward, Lindy Hill, Scott Ward (owner), Jackie Stratman, Alex Ramirez, Mark Luke and Sheila Gladue.

NEW MEMBER

Healing Hope Ministries

healinghopes.com Healing Hope is a retreat center near Alcester for families who’ve experienced the death of a child at any age to any cause of death. L to R: Brian Spader, Matt Sowden, Karri Allen (co-founder), Denny Allen (co-founder), Mark Luke, Jay Soukup, Kristin Hoefert and Connie Pearson.

NEW MEMBER

Holiday Inn and Suites/ Crooked Pint Ale House

NEW MEMBER

2040 W. RUSSELL ST. holidayinn.com/siouxfallssd crookedpint.com The Holiday Inn and Suites is a newly constructed 116 unit hotel. The Crooked Pint is attached to the hotel. L to R: Nathan Stallinga, Justin Kallas, Alex Ramirez, Kevin Weisbeck (owner), Mayor Mike Huether, Mandie Berberich and Aaron Waldo.

Levitt at the Falls

GROUNDBREAKING

levittsiouxfalls.org Levitt at the Falls and Falls Park West will accommodate 5,000 concert goers at the downtown outdoor music venue. It includes a covered amphitheater, lawn seating area that overlooks downtown and will offer 50 free, professionalquality concerts each year. L to R: Bob Thimjon, Steve Van Buskirk, Mayor Mike Huether, Sharon Yazowski (executive director Levitt Foundation), Rick Kiley, Don Kearney, Jennifer Kirby, Lorrae Lindquist and Mike Patten.

Method Organization Co.

NEW MEMBER

46 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

movewithmethod.com Method Organization Co. is a certified senior move manager and certified relocation stress specialist. They provide services including estate liquidation, downsizing and aging in place, full service moving, and corporate relocation, along with real estate sale preparation.

L to R: Mackai Schmeling, Lexie Frankman, Tim Sturdevant, April Meyerink, Jessa Stebbins (project manager), Curt Schmeling, Deb Peterson and Nathan Stallinga.

Preform Solutions, Inc.

3801 N. FOURTH AVE. preformsolutions.com Since 2002, Preform Solutions, Inc. has manufactured custom preforms for the packaging industry serving worldwide markets. L to R: Patty Lammers, Steve Van Buskirk, Mark Luke, Dennis Christopherson (president), Brian Spader, Jane Barnett, Nathan Stallinga and James Gaspar.

NEW MEMBER

Waxing the City Sioux Falls

4807 S. LOUISE AVE. waxingthecity.com Waxing the City Sioux Falls offers exclusive facial and body waxing for both women and men.

L to R: Alex Ramirez, Kensie Hoffman, Jenna Olson, Cindi Johnson, Kim Hoffman (owner), Jay Soukup, Nazya Thies, James Gaspar, Jen Miller, Kristin Hoefert and Hope Jensen.

NEW MEMBER

WE PUT OUR ENERGY INTO DELIVERING MORE THAN ENERGY AROUND HERE.

This community isn’t just a place to us. We live here and work here. We invest in our communities to give back to the places we’re proud to call home.

Visit xcelenergy.com/Community to learn more.

© 2018 Xcel Energy Inc.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 47

MEMBERSHIP

Member Anniversaries FOUNDING MEMBERS AAA South Dakota Insurance AAA.com Member since 1933

Augustana University

Schools, Colleges, Universities augie.edu Member since 1918

Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center

Congratulations to the following members who are celebrating their milestone membership anniversaries this month. They are part of a continued commitment to our community through their investment in the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce. To learn more about Chamber membership, contact (605) 336-1620 or sfacc@siouxfalls.com. Find a complete Membership Directory online at siouxfallschamber.com.

McKinneyOlson Insurance Insurance mckinneyolson.com Member since 1907

Results Radio - Townsquare Media KSOO 1000/KMXC 97.3/KYBB 102.7/ KXRB 1140/KKLS 104.7/KIKN 100.5 Radio Stations results-radio.com Member since 1926

Sanford Health

25 YEARS

Aflac Regional Office Insurance aflac.com

Best Western Empire Towers Hotels & Motels bestwestern.com/empiretowers

Catfish Bay The Greatest Show on H20 Associate Member catfishbay.com

Hospitals avera.org Member since 1911

Hospitals sanfordhealth.org Member since 1907

Empire Plastics, Inc.

Boyce Law Firm, L.L.P.

Sioux Falls Seminary

Royal Fork Buffet Restaurant

Attorneys boycelaw.com Member since 1907

Schools, Colleges, Universities sfseminary.edu Member since 1907

Cadwell Sanford Deibert & Garry LLP

Smithfield Foods

Attorneys cadlaw.com Member since 1907

Food Production smithfieldfoods.com Member since 1909

Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP

TSP, Inc.

Attorneys dehs.com Member since 1939

Architects, Engineers, Planners teamtsp.com Member since 1930

Dean Foods/Land O’Lakes

University of Sioux Falls

Dairy Products deanfoods.com Member since 1917

Electric Construction Company Electrical Contractors electricconstructionfsd.com Member since 1907

Gage Brothers

Schools, Colleges, Universities usiouxfalls.edu Member since 1907

20 YEARS

Bethany Christian Services of Eastern South Dakota Associate Member bethanysouthdakota.org

Culver’s - Louise Ave. Restaurant-Fast Food culvers.com

First Bank & Trust Interstate PowerSystems

Concrete Products concretematerialscompany.com

Sweetman Construction Co./ Concrete Materials

40 YEARS

Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith P.C.

Contractors-General journeyconstruction.com Member since 1907

Attorneys woodsfuller.com

L.G. Everist, Inc.

30 YEARS

48 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

Packaging & Shipping Equipment & Supplies theupsstorelocal.com/2125

Television Stations, Broadcasting Companies keloland.com

Girton Adams Company

Sand & Gravel lgeverist.com Member since 1920

The UPS Store 2125

Banks bankeasy.com

KELOLAND Media Group

45 YEARS

Journey Group Companies

Restaurants

65 YEARS

Concrete Products gagebrothers.com Member since 1918

Ice/Dry Ice Companies girtonadams.com Member since 1909

Plastic empireplastics-sd.com

Muth Electric, Inc. Electrical Contractors muthelectric.com

Diesel-Truck & Auto Repair istate.com

SCM Business Services LLC Bookkeeping Service scmllc.com

15 YEARS

A Taste of Country Catering/ Dakota Catering, Inc. Caterers atasteofcountrycatering.com

Thompson Law, P.C. Attorneys cathompsonlaw.com

MEMBERSHIP

10 YEARS

Bishop Dudley Hospitality House Associate Member bdhh.org

5 YEARS JDRF

FIRST YEAR REINVESTORS

MG & Assoc. / Yoli BB

Accountants-Certified Public elocpa.com

MK Threads Boutique

ELO Prof LLC

Fully Promoted

Associate Member jdrf.org/southdakota

Screenprinting, Embroidery, Promotional Products/ Sportswear embroidme-siouxfalls.com

Goldner Associates

Hegg Realtors - Loren Noess

Associate Member goldnerassociates.com

Neighborhood Automotive Automobile Repairing & Service neighborhoodautoinc.com

New Members Applause Real Estate

Real Estate Katie Clapper, (605) 595-4899 401 E. 8th St., Suite 214 #5000, 57103 applauserealestate.com

Houston Engineering, Inc.

Engineer-Civil David Burwitz, (605) 271-0378 3900 W. Technology Cir., Suite 6, 57106 houstoneng.com

Keller Williams Realty of Sioux Falls Corey Engelstad Real Estate Corey Engelstad, (605) 690-6719 5915 S. Remington Pl., 57108

Affiliate-Real Estate hegg.com

Hollywood Style of Sioux Falls

Health & Wellness Programs gita.yoli.com

Boutique mkthreadsboutique.com

The Sampson House Marketing/Advertising thesampsonhouse.com

Smith Development Company, LLC Construction-Development smithdevelopmentco.com

Beauty Salons, Supplies, Equipment hollywoodstyle01.com

New members are printed in each issue of Chamber News. Following is a list of businesses or individuals who have invested in the greater community by joining the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.

An online Membership Directory can be found at siouxfallschamber.com. Want to become a member?

Call (605) 336-1620.

Landscapes Unlimited, LLC/ City of Sioux Falls Golf Golf Course-Public Lindsey Madsen, (605) 367-6076 600 E. 69th St.,57108 siouxfallsgolf.com

Upper Cervical Health Centers of Sioux Falls

Chiropractors, DC Casey Weerheim, D.C., (605) 275-6900 429 W. 69th St., 57108 ucsiouxfalls.com

Muscular Dystrophy Association

Associate Member Erin Hill, (605) 940-3661 7401 Metro Blvd. #325, Edina, MN 55439 mda.org

Sanford International

Sports-Professional Greg Conrad, (605) 271-7836 1105 S. Minnesota Ave., 57105 sanfordinternational.com

chambernews.com | Chamber News 49

FIVE QUESTIONS

Five questions is a monthly feature on a Chamber volunteer, Chamber member or staff member. Want to be featured here? Call (605) 336-1620.

Five questions with Dominique Fontenille Dominique Fontenille is the owner and chef of Chef Dominique’s Catering & Banquet Facility, located in downtown Sioux Falls. A native of France, “Chef Dom” decided at five years old that he wanted to be a chef because he loved to cook with his grandparents. He graduated from Ecole Hoteliere de Saint Chamond and worked as a chef in London and Chicago before deciding to make Sioux Falls his permanent home. Fontenille is married to Jessica and has four children: Adrianna, Alexandra, Lauren, and Zachery; two granddaughters, Isabelle and Amelia; son-in-law Chris and daughterin-law Paige; and two Yorkies and two Chihuahuas.

What is the best part about running your own company? What is the hardest part?

The best: To be a part of your co-workers’ success and growth in life.

The hardest: To stay relevant and to constantly reinvent yourself.

What advice might you give to someone just starting out in your profession?

DOMINIQUE FONTENILLE

Chef Dominique's Catering & Banquet Facility

Understand that for you to be a successful chef is a huge commitment and it will take at least 10 years to master your craft and to make a good living. Before you go to Chef school you should work at a busy restaurant for a few months to get a feel for it, so you can really see if it’s the right fit for you.

What has your business gained from being a Chamber member?

Being a Chamber member has given us many opportunities to cater numerous open houses and ribbon cuttings as well as network with other local successful businesses and business leaders.

How do you describe Sioux Falls to people who don’t live here?

Sioux Falls is a safe community where you can make a good living surrounded by great people. We are really sheltered from so many negatives and yet a short flight away from major cities.

Name a tool could you not live without. Why? Fountain pens, it is a great pleasure to write with a beautiful writing instrument and I like to communicate with handwritten notes and letters.

50 Chamber News | JUNE 2018

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