October 2015 Chamber News

Chamber News October 2015

Vol. 51, No. 1

A PUBLICATION OF THE SIOUX FALLS AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN THIS ISSUE COVER STORY

Membership matters Growing the Chamber will benefit the community

Chamber News

...................................................... 26-30

PUBLISHER

Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

FEATURES

CHAMBER NEWS AD SALES

Community leaders join Chamber Board of Directors. . . . . . . . . . 31 Feeding South Dakota celebrates successful campaign. . . . . . . . 33

CHAMBER NEWS LAYOUT/DESIGN JILL BLOM

CHAMBER NEWS EDITOR

IN EVERY ISSUE: Message from the Chair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Events Calendars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11 Economic Indicators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Noteworthy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Faces & Places. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-24 Community Appeals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Business Advocacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Headlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33-37 Convention & Visitors Bureau. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38-39 Chamber Partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Mind Your Small Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Business News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42-45 Ribbon Cuttings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47-50 New Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Membership Anniversaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Five Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 From the Archives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

AMY SMOLIK For editorial information, call: (605) 336-1620 Chamber News is published monthly by the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 1425, 200 N. Phillips Ave., Suite 200 Sioux Falls, SD 57104 Advertising and editorial deadlines can be found at siouxfallschamber.com under News & Publications.

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

ON THE COVER Paul Bruflat, CNA Surety, is the 2015-16 Chair of the Board of the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.

His term of service began Oct. 1.

PROGRESSISEVERYONE’SBUSINESS

ARGUS LEADER MEDIA For advertising information, call: (605) 977-3943

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

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015 5:00-7:30 PM, THE ANNUAL MIXER

Featuring a walking dinner with heavy hors d’oeuvres Sioux Falls Convention Center

7:30-8:15 PM, PROGRAM & ENTERTAINMENT Denny Sanford PREMIER Center

Featuring

S I O U X FA L L S A R E A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E 109TH ANNUAL MEETING

Tickets are $80 per person. All seats are general admission.

Call (605) 336-1620 for more information or to reserve tickets.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 3

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Sioux Falls isn’t Sioux Falls without the Chamber “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” — Yogi Berra It’s true — if you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up somewhere else. Or better stated — if you don’t plan for the type of community you want to live and work in, you’re going to end up with whatever you get. And getting whatever we get is not the way we do things in Sioux Falls.

PAUL BRUFLAT 2015-16 Chair of the Board

... if the Chamber wasn’t here, we wouldn’t have the same Sioux Falls that we enjoy today.

Would Sioux Falls be the successful community that it is today without the efforts of the Chamber? You could argue that we’d still be South Dakota’s largest city and a strong economic engine for the region and the state. But without planning, collaboration and vision, would we still have those attributes that make us uniquely Sioux Falls? Would we have the same philanthropic spirit that supports the Sioux Empire United Way so that we’re second in the nation in per capita giving? Would organizations like Feeding South Dakota have such strong support from the business community without the Chamber’s Community Appeals process? Would we place as much emphasis on recruiting new businesses and helping other businesses expand?

Who would study issues that affect business or serve as the voice that ensures our business climate remains strong and welcomes new investments?

I would go so far as to say that if the Chamber wasn’t here, we wouldn’t have the same Sioux Falls that we enjoy today. Take out one of the ingredients that make up a successful community and you’re going to see a difference. The Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce plays a key role in helping the region map out where we’re going. We are the catalyst to bring people together to collaborate and to dream.

When I think of the Sioux Falls area, both where it’s been and where we’re headed, I’m grateful for the visionaries who came before us and am excited about the possibilities. I’m proud to be a part of an organization that has a storied history and key role in creating the community we enjoy today. I look forward to helping our organization continue to grow in the coming year.

We’re excited to celebrate our Chamber and our community at our 109th Annual Meeting, which features improv comedy group, The Second City. I encourage you to invite your staff, vendors and potential Chamber members to this year’s event. See you Oct. 20!

2015-16 SIOUX FALLS AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LEADERSHIP AND STAFF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR PAUL BRUFLAT CNA Surety CHAIR-ELECT DAVE KAPASKA, D.O. Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center VICE CHAIR STEVE VANBUSKIRK VanBuskirk Companies TREASURER JOHN HENKHAUS The Everist Company IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR DANA DYKHOUSE First PREMIER Bank PRESIDENT/CEO EVAN NOLTE Chamber of Commerce BOARD OF DIRECTORS WENDY BERGAN JDS Industries RANDY BURY Sanford Health JULIE DARRINGTON CenturyLink GARY GASPAR Interstate Office Products MIKE HAUCK Accord Commercial Real Estate, LLC JAY HUIZENGA KELO-TV DEAN KARSKY Farmers Insurance Group/Karsky Agency MARK MICKELSON Mickelson & Co. BETTY OLDENKAMP Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota ALEX RAMIREZ USA Media TV TIM STURDEVANT Sturdevant’s Auto Parts ROB TEKOLSTE Sammons Financial Group/Midland National Life Insurance Co. BOBBI THURY Cutler Law Firm CARL WYNJA U.S. Bank

EX-OFFICIO KENT ALBERTY Sioux Falls School Board CINDY HEIBERGER Minnehaha County Commission MAYOR MIKE HUETHER City of Sioux Falls DR. BRIAN MAHER Superintendent, Sioux Falls Public School System JIM SCHMIDT Lincoln County Commission ROBERT WEHDE Sioux Falls Catholic Schools CHAMBER & CVB STAFF EVAN NOLTE President/CEO CLAY BAK CVB Sales Manager THANE BARNIER Web Development & IT Manager MATT BARTHEL CVB First Impressions/Project Manager JOAN BARTLING Finance & Accounting Director JILL BLOM Graphics & Communications Specialist MATTIE BURNHAM CVB Director of Sales SHIRLEY BUSEMAN Receptionist CINDY CHRISTENSEN Agri-Business Division Manager RACHEL CRANE CVB Host City Manager ANNA ELIASON CVB Sales Manager AMY M. FARR Membership Sales & Retention Manager JEFF FEJFAR Web Designer KATE FOLEY Small Business & Leadership Development Manager LAUREN FOSHEIM Young Professionals Network (YPN) Manager

JAY KALTENBACH CVB Services/Resale Manager MARK LEE Public Affairs & Communications Director PAT LUND Membership Development Director MIKE LYNCH Public Affairs & Research Manager BETSY McCARTY CVB Creative & Communications Manager JILL NIEDRINGHAUS CVB Sales Assistant WENDY NEUHARTH Membership Services Administrative Assistant KRISTA ORSACK CVB Director of Marketing KATHIE PUTHOFF CVB Administrative Assistant TERI SCHMIDT CVB Executive Director SUSAN SEACHRIS Administrative/Accounting Assistant LUCAS SMITH CVB Sales Manager AMY SMOLIK Marketing & Communications Manager ALEXA STEINER CVB Sales Manager VALERIE WILLSON Membership Events Manager CAROLYN WINCHELL Forward Sioux Falls Director of Investor Relations ERIN ZIMMERMAN CVB Sales Manager

chambernews.com | Chamber News 5

CALENDARS

CHAMBER

109TH ANNUAL MEETING TUESDAY, OCT. 20

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.

celebration of our community. Celebrate the community and the Chamber at the business community’s premiere event of the year. The entertainment portion of the evening includes a performance by The Second City.

COST: $80 per person for all Chamber members, employees and guests RSVP: sfacc@siouxfalls.com, (605) 336-1620, or order and pay at siouxfallschamber.com

OPERATION THANK YOU THURSDAY, OCT. 29

FEATURED EVENTS

7:30 a.m. Kick-Off, 4:30 p.m. Wrap-Up Holiday Inn City Centre, 100 W. 8th St. DETAILS: Join 300 volunteers in this fun, one-day volunteer opportu-

OCTOBER MEMBERSHIP

MIXER

5-9 p.m.

Sioux Falls Convention Center & Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, 1201 N. West Ave. DETAILS: Watch your mail and email for more details about this annual

nity. You’ll make personal visits on all Sioux Falls Chamber members to deliver the 2015-16 window decals and Sioux Falls Community Guide.

Sponsored by

TUESDAY, OCT. 13

4:30-6:30 p.m.

Argus Leader Media, 200 S. Minnesota Ave. COMPLIMENTARY HORS D’OEUVRES & BEVERAGES $5 ADMISSION OR USE YOUR MIXER PASS

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

FOR MORE INFORMATION: vwillson@siouxfalls.com or (605) 373-2010

VETERANS DAY WEDNESDAY, NOV. 11

10:30 a.m.

Lincoln High School, 2900 S. Cliff Ave. DETAILS: Help honor all who have served at the annual Veterans Day

program, sponsored in part by the Chamber’s Military & Veterans Affairs Committee.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: vwillson@siouxfalls.com or (605) 373-2010

WINTER WONDERLAND KICK-OFF FRIDAY, NOV. 20

2015 VETERANS DAY

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 11 • 10:30 A.M. LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL, 2900 S. CLIFF AVE. Among the great days of national remembrance, perhaps none is more deeply moving to Americans than Veterans Day. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee of the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and local veterans organizations will co-sponsor a veterans program at Lincoln High School.

The morning event features a mass colors presentation of flags from various military, veterans and service/civic club organizations in Sioux Falls, along with a performance by the Singing Legionnaires of American Legion Post 15.

6 p.m.

Falls Park DETAILS: Join the Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) for

an evening of fun to kick off the holiday season. Activities include visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, live reindeer plus cookies and hot chocolate.

Winter Wonderland at Falls Park “lights up” nightly starting at 5 p.m. through Jan. 10, 2016.

COST: FREE MORE INFORMATION: sfcvb@siouxfalls.com or (605) 274-6060

NOVEMBER MEMBERSHIP MIXER TUESDAY, NOV. 24

4:30-7 p.m.

Best Western PLUS Ramkota Exhibit Hall, 3200 W. Maple St. DETAILS: Sponsored by Midcontinent Communications The November Mixer also includes the Holiday Fair, featuring Chamber members displaying their holiday gift ideas. Forty booth rentals are available at a cost of $125 each. To reserve your booth, contact Val Willson at vwillson@siouxfalls.com or (605) 373-2010.

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

DECEMBER MEMBERSHIP MIXER TUESDAY, DEC. 8

4:30-6:30 p.m.

Trail Ridge Senior Living, 3408 W. Ralph Rogers Rd. DETAILS: Sponsored by Trail Ridge Senior Living COST: $5 or use your Mixer Pass RSVP: vwillson@siouxfalls.com or (605) 373-2010 chambernews.com | Chamber News 7

Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

Young Professionals Network

UPCOMING EVENTS

To RSVP to any of these events, email lfosheim@siouxfalls.com or call (605) 373-2009. Visit siouxfallsypn.com for a full list of events.

YPN AT THE BANQUET MONDAY, OCT. 5

5:15 p.m.

The Banquet, 900 E. 8th St. DETAILS: We’re looking for a group of YPN

members to serve a dinner meal at The Banquet!

Needed are four to six volunteers for help with prep at 2 p.m. and another 35-40 volunteers to help serve dinner at 5:15 p.m. Please consider this opportunity to serve your community alongside your fellow YPN members!

YPN MORNING BUZZ WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7

7:30-8:30 a.m.

Panera Bread, 5117 S. Louise Ave. DETAILS: Network with other YPN members

over a cup of coffee. Feel free to bring a friend or co-worker and don’t forget your business cards.

Come for the coffee, stay for the conversation!

COST: Free to attend, coffee/breakfast on your own.

YPN FOCUS WORKSHOP: WINE/BEER AND FOOD PAIRING THURSDAY, OCT. 15

5:30-6:30 p.m.

Prairie Berry East Bank, 322 E. 8th St. DETAILS: Led by Prairie Berry East Bank Cice-

rone Certified Staff Educators, this Craft Beer Pairing Program is a one-hour fun and educational experience. It features the Prairie Berry brewmaster’s choice of Miner Brewing Company craft beer paired with their chef’s selection of artisan cheeses, housemade complements or other gourmet selections. Share some laughs in a relaxed setting while you learn the ropes of pairing craft beer with your favorite foods and learn why some wines elevate the flavors of your favorite foods and why others do the opposite.

COST: $25 per person, includes three wines or beers and three food pairings

YPN OFF THE CLOCK/ NEW MEMBER EVENT THURSDAY, OCT. 22

4-7 p.m.

Fernson Brewing Company, 1400 E. Robur Dr. COST: Free to attend, food and beverages are on your own.

Connect WITH THE

YPN

.com/siouxfallsypn

A SEAT AT THE TABLE WITH ANNE RIECK MCFARLAND WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28

Noon-1 p.m.

LifeScape, 2501 W. 26th St. DETAILS: Anne Rieck McFarland is the CEO of

LifeScape, a new organization formed in 2014 with the affiliation of South Dakota Achieve and Children’s Care Hospital and School. Prior to that, Rieck McFarland worked at South Dakota Achieve for 26 years and held the CEO position from 1996-2014. Rieck McFarland graduated from Northern State University with a bachelor’s degree in Community Services and Early Child Development. Throughout her college years and up until she joined South Dakota Achieve in 1987, each job she held involved supporting people with disabilities. Rieck McFarland believes in building relationships and strong connections with people in the community and serves on many boards and committees throughout the state.

A Seat at the Table allows YPN members the insights, wisdom and lessons only experienced leaders can provide. It is limited to the first 20 people to RSVP and is open to YPN members only.

COST: Free to attend, lunch provided by LifeScape

Find us on social media or visit siouxfallsypn.com @siouxfallsypn

Sioux Falls Young Professionals Network chambernews.com | Chamber News 9

OCTOBER Events listed are compiled from siouxfallsevents.com and visitsiouxfallsevents.com.

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.

By combining the calendars, you can see when there’s going to be a large number of visitors in the community and learn about events and activities you want to attend.

For more information about visitor-related activities, contact the Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau at (605) 275-6060. Learn more details about any of the following events by logging on or contact the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce at (605) 336-1620.

10 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

8

Take Back the Night

8

Christopher Titus

9

The Bobby Blotzer Ratt Experience

9

Mingo Fishtrap

10

Strawbale Winery Harvest Festival

15

Coheed and Cambria Cursive

15-18

The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley

16

Paula Poundstone

17 Trimathlon 17

Golden Dragon Acrobats

18

Theresa Caputo Live! The Experience

20

Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce 109th Annual Meeting featuring The Second City

22-25

The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley

23-25

Autumn Festival, an Arts & Crafts Affair

23-25 ZooBoo 24

10th Annual Zombie Walk

28

Twenty One Pilots, Blurryface Tour with Echosmith and Finish Ticket

29

Manic Focus with Gloominoti and Joshua Wayne

29-31

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

21-22

Trains at Christmas

30-31

Haunted Corn Maze

27

Parade of Lights

30 #PremonitionLive

27

Mason Jennings

31

28

The Oak Ridge Boys Christmas Night Out

28

Holiday Gift-tacular!

29

Lorie Line Christmas in the City

Dakota Pieces XIII Quilt Show

NOVEMBER 2

Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin

5

Ethan Bortnick

DECEMBER

6

Rosanne Cash

1-31

Winter Wonderland

6

Pavilion Free First Fridays

4

Free First Friday

6-8

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap

4-5

Tonic Sol-fa Holiday Concert

7

Toby Mac

5

Breakfast with Santa

10

Machine Head

6

Shaun Johnson Big Band Experience Holiday Concert

11

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers

7

Motley Crue Final Tour

11

Veterans Day

8

Holiday Volunteer Sioux Falls

12-15

DAPA Presents: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella

9

Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker

13-15

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap

17-20

Christmas at the Cathedral

19

Holiday Jam with the Heggs

18 Parmalee 20

John Nemeth

20

Winter Wonderland Kick-Off

21-30

Winter Wonderland

chambernews.com | Chamber News 11

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.

Regional Unemployment Rates

City of Sioux Falls Building Permit Data

JULY 2015

JANUARY-AUGUST 2015

5,295 PERMITS

2013

8,171 PERMITS

2014 2015

9,265 PERMITS Fargo 2.3%

Source: City of Sioux Falls

City of Sioux Falls Total Construction Value JANUARY-AUGUST 2015

Rapid City 3.2%

Total Construction Value

Minneapolis/ St. Paul 3.7% Rochester 3.3%

Sioux Falls 2.6%

Des Moines 3.2%

Omaha Lincoln 3.2% 2.5%

New Non-Residential Construction Value

$550 $500

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

$450

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

$400

Agriculture Trends

$350 $300

JULY 2015

$250

$16

$200

$15

$150

$50

$446.8 million $118.5 million

(PER BUSHEL) U.S.

$14

$396.7 million $49.4 million

SOUTH DAKOTA

$13.10

$13

(IN MILLIONS)

$100

$502.3 million $178.6 million

SOYBEANS

$12.70

$12 $11

2013

2014

2015

Source: City of Sioux Falls

$9.58

$10 $9

$9.96 $9.32

$9.12

$8

CORN

(PER BUSHEL) U.S.

$7

Sioux Falls Region Housing Overview AUGUST 2015

$6

SOUTH DAKOTA

$5

New Listings: 571 Days on the Market Until Sale: 81 Median Sales Price: $172,750 Inventory of Homes for Sale: 1,544 Source: RASE (Realtor Association of the Sioux Empire)

$4.06

$4 $3 $2

$3.80

$3.58 $3.67

$3.53 $3.37

July 2014

June July

2015

2015

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture

chambernews.com | Chamber News 13

PROGRESS IS EVERYONE’S BUSINESS S I O U X FA L L S A R E A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

109TH ANNUAL MEETING TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015 Sioux Falls Convention Center/Denny Sanford PREMIER Center 1201 N. West Ave., Sioux Falls

5:00-7:30 PM THE ANNUAL MIXER

Featuring

Featuring a walking dinner with heavy hors d’oeuvres Sioux Falls Convention Center

Introduction of 2015-16 Chair of the Board Paul Bruflat, CNA Surety and recognition of 2014-15 Chair of the Board Dana Dykhouse, First PREMIER Bank and Retiring Directors to be followed by entertainment from The Second City

Enjoy the improvisational humor of The Second City, the famous Chicago-based comedy group that has been entertaining audiences and churning out North America’s most famous comedians for more than 55 years. Second City alumni have gone on to act in movies and sitcoms, including Saturday Night Live.

Some of their illustrious performers include: Jim and John Belushi, Harold Ramis, Gilda Radner, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Tim Meadows, Bonnie Hunt, Jeff Garlin, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Ed Helms, Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert.

9:30 PM POST-RECEPTION

Chamber members will have an opportunity to see a mixture of classic sketches, off-the-cuff improv and some skits developed specifically about Sioux Falls.

7:30-8:15 PM PROGRAM & ENTERTAINMENT Attendees will be escorted from the Sioux Falls Convention Center to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center

Denny Sanford PREMIER Center main foyer

Tickets are $80 per person and all seats are general admission.

Watch your mail for your invitation, order & pay at siouxfallschamber.com or call (605) 336-1620.

Because this is a private event, owners of Denny Sanford PREMIER Center special seating are not able to use their seats.

Mixer Passes cannot be used for the Annual Mixer.

200 N. Phillips Ave., Suite 200 PO Box 1425 Sioux Falls, SD 57101-1425 605.336.1620 siouxfallschamber.com

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.

Regional Competitive Assessment As part of the Workforce Strategy Task Force’s research, Market Street Services measured a number of indicators to see how Sioux Falls ranked against regional peer and aspirational communities. Information was scored in five areas: Economic Performance, Workforce Capacity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Business Environment, and Quality of Life and Place.

Market Street Services also gathered data in 2009 as part of the Future Sioux Falls process and was able to share where the Sioux Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has made improvements in the last five years. Sioux Falls ranked well in several areas and ranked lower than the comparison communities in others.

The end result? There is always room for improvement. Read the story on pages 36-37 to learn more about key initiatives regarding workforce that will be part of the next Forward Sioux Falls program.

COMPARISON COMMUNITIES

SCORECARD SUMMARIES

Boise Cedar Rapids Des Moines Fargo Fort Collins

ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: Sioux Falls MSA ranked No. 2.

Lincoln Madison, Wis. Omaha Rochester Sioux Falls

WORKFORCE CAPACITY: Sioux Falls MSA ranked No. 2.

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT: Sioux Falls MSA ranked No. 3.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS • Educational attainment data and trends for the Sioux Falls MSA were mixed; the region ranked low for the percentage of the population enrolled in college (not a surprise considering the lack of a four-year campus) and the adult population with a bachelor’s degree or higher (a key concern), but demonstrated very positive growth trends in the number of residents attaining associates and bachelor’s degrees and above.

• Though five-year population growth rate in the Sioux Falls region was 8th among competitors — a notable change from 2009 Future Sioux Falls findings — the region has nevertheless grown its labor force competitively and continued to attract in-migrants competitively, especially those with higher educational attainment.

• Five-year growth rates and current unemployment rates were strengths, while the MSA’s one-year growth rate was average.

• Results were mixed for Startup, Small Business, and Self-Employed indicators, where the Sioux Falls area ranked highly in startup activity change and measures of sole-proprietor income, but lower for the total percentage of the self-employed in the regional economy.

• The principal category that dragged down the region’s aggregate ranking was Research and Development Activity, where metro Sioux Falls finished eighth or ninth for most indicators, save for high-tech startup density (No. 2 ranking); this is not a surprise given the lack of a major research university in the Sioux Falls MSA, an active technology economy, or multiple corporations with a major research presence.

Source: Market Street Services

chambernews.com | Chamber News 15

FACES & PLACES

Faces & Places

COREY WEIDE

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

JACK DYVIG

Sioux Falls Morning Optimists Club

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.

LYLE DABBERT

DAVE STADHEIM

ADAM COOPER

DAVID JOHNSON

JANEL COLE

AARON NEIMAN

Brown & Saenger

DAKOTACARE

RECOM, Inc.

Cole Notary

Dacotah Bank

DAREN ANDERSON Big D Technology Solutions, Inc.

Dacotah Bank

Recognition of Chamber Volunteers The Ambassador Team of the Month for August was Team Weide: Corey Weide, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management; Lyle Dabbert, Brown & Saenger; Dave Stadheim, RECOM, Inc.; and Adam Cooper, Dacotah Bank. Lyle Dabbert, Brown & Saenger, won the Top Sales Award.

Daren Anderson, Big D Technology Solutions, Inc., and Jack Dyvig, Sioux Falls

Morning Optimists Club, tied for the August Diplomat of the Month honors. Second place went to David Johnson, DAKOTACARE, and third place honors went to Janel Cole, Cole Notary. Aaron Neiman, Dacotah Bank, was the recipient of the Ribbon Cutting Attendance award and Daren Anderson also won the Reinvestment Award. The Diplomat Team

of the Month for August was: Captain Janel Cole, Cole Notary; Jack Dyvig, Sioux Falls Morning Optimists Club; Tammy Beintema, JDRF; Wendy Bergan, JDS Industries; and James Payer II, Volunteers of America, Dakotas.

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, expansions, major developments and award recognition. Submit news using the Faces & Places form at chambernews.com or email asmolik@siouxfalls.com.

16 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

FACES & PLACES

New Faces & Promotions Home Federal Bank promoted several employees. Ben Johnson, Hartford to Assistant Vice President/Sr. Ag Banker. Johnson joined Home Federal in 2010. Travis Olsem was promoted to Assistant Vice President/Private Banker; he joined Home Federal in 2014.

Robert Wagner was promoted to Collections Manager. He started his career with Home Federal in 2012. Jaimes Badillo was promoted to Assistant Vice President/Information Security Manager. Ryan Klinkhammer was promoted to Assistant Vice President/Network Manager. Brian Mitchell was promoted to Assistant Vice President/Information Systems Manager.

Insight Marketing Design added two new staff. Glen Turner is an Account Executive. He has more than 15 years of executive marketing experience. Sarah Swanson is a Client Service Specialist.

Marco, Inc. recently announced the following new hires: Nathan Jennewein, Copier Field Service Technician I; Marvin Schmidt, Distribution Delivery Driver; and Courtney Jutting, Technology Advisor.

Miller Sellers Heroux (MSH) hired several new staff members. Bob Everett is a licensed Architect in South Dakota. He brings more than 23 years of architectural experience to the MSH team. Everett holds an associates in applied science degree in Architectural Design from the University of South Dakota. Melissa Johnson joins MSH as an Office Manager and Administrative Assistant. Johnson has multiple years of managerial experience. Nicole Seeman is Director of Business Development/ Marketing Communication. She has more than 15 years of experience in both marketing and design in multiple industries.

Aaron Rasmussen is an associate with the McGowan Capital Group. He spent 12 years trading and investing in natural gas and crude oil futures. He continues to own a brokerage firm, Sage Commodities, and remotely oversees the company’s financials. Rasmussen

is a graduate of San Diego State University and has an MBA from the Brandeis University International Business School.

HDR welcomed Bill Moran as the area water business manager for the Dakotas and Wyoming, based in the Sioux Falls office.

Moran has more than 33 years of industry experience on a wide variety of infrastructure projects including roadways, stormwater management and water/wastewater systems.

HDR also promoted Jason Kjenstad to lead its transportation operations in the Dakotas and Wyoming. Kjenstad has been with HDR since 1999 and will continue to work out of the Sioux Falls office.

Joel R. Rische joined Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP as an Associate Attorney. A Wessington Springs, S.D., native, Rische graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Law and is licensed in South Dakota. Rische works in the areas of complex and commercial litigation and insurance litigation.

The Sioux Falls Skyforce added several new front office staff. Kylie Hrdlicka is the Director of Gameday Operations and Marketing after interning on the game night staff during the 2014-15 season. A native of Rock Rapids, Iowa, she graduated from Southeast Technical Institute with associate degrees in Graphic Design and Marketing and worked full time in Sioux Steel Company’s marketing department upon graduation. Darren Feeney is the Director of Sports Media Relations. Prior to joining the Skyforce, he was the Sports Media Relations intern for the Miami HEAT, San Diego Chargers and San Diego Padres.

The Eureka, Calif., native graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of San Diego and received a master’s degree in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco. Jack Ridgway is the Business Operations Assistant. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Sports Administration and Leadership from Augustana

University. He graduated from Lakeland College in Wisconsin with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting while playing on the men’s basketball team. A native of Brandon, S.D., Ridgway previously held basketball operations internships with the Bakersfield Jam and the Skyforce.

Paul Thompson joined HenkinSchultz Creative Services as a media buyer. A Brookings native, Thompson graduated from South Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication specializing in advertising. He previously worked for the Sioux Falls Storm, KSFY and Townsquare Media.

The Kory Davis Experience added three Realtors and a team assistant. Dawn DeLange has more than 15 years of experience selling real estate. Cory Koerselman is a native of Sheldon, Iowa, and graduated from University of South Dakota. He also went to flight school and worked in that field for five years. Matt Guiliano grew up in San Diego and graduated from the University of Sioux Falls. Rachel Bleeker is the team’s Administrative Assistant.

She has a degree in Communications from Wayne State College, as well as past administrative experience. She is a native of Sioux Center, Iowa.

Jennifer Jones joined Advana Mortgage as a Mortgage Banker.

Hegg Hospitality promoted Nick Skajewski to the new Executive Chef at the Hilton Garden Inn-South. Most recently, Skajewski served as the Assistant Executive Chef at the Hilton Garden Inn-Downtown. Kelsey Schroeder joined the Hegg Hospitality team as the Sales Manager and will be working for the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown, the Hilton Garden Inn South, the Courtyard and the SpringHill Suites by Marriott. She was most recently employed as the Sales Manager at the Sheraton Sioux Falls & Convention Center.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 17

FACES & PLACES

Honors & Awards Faini Designs received several awards at the Nebraska/South Dakota Jewelers Association at the Annual Leadership Conference. Nathan Faini took first place in Category II; Nic Faini took first place in Category III; and Gerard Faini took Best of Show in Category III. Marco, Inc. was named North Central Partner of the Year by Microsoft’s U.S. Small & Mid-sized Business (SMB) Champions Club. The award recognizes the U.S. SMB Champions Club partner who has demonstrated significant Microsoft SMB sales and year-over-year SMB revenue growth with North Central SMB customers.

Marco, Inc. was named one of the 50 Best Places to Work for 2015 by Prairie Business magazine. Companies were nominated through an anonymous employee satisfaction survey

and rated in areas including work environment, employee benefits and employee happiness.

Consideration was also given to the number of nominations received per company. The 50 Best Places to Work award includes companies in the northern Plains states of North Dakota, South Dakota and western Minnesota regions.

Marco was named a Top 25 Large Employer for the second year.

Confluence received an Honor Award by the Great Plains Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects for their design of the Sioux Falls Downtown River Greenway.

Marco, Inc. and High Point Networks were named to The Channel Company’s 2015 CRN Fast Growth 150 list. Based on gross revenue over the two-year period from 2012-14, The Fast Growth 150 list ranks solution providers

based in North America with significant economic growth. These companies have excelled in growing their operations and constantly providing essential services to their customers.

The Credit Collections Bureau named Megan Wehrkamp Client Services Representative of the month for August 2015.

The Great Plains Zoo was awarded the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s (AZA) Top Honors Award for Exhibit Design for the Snow Monkey exhibit in the category of annual operating budgets of $5 million or less.

The exhibit was reviewed on multiple criteria, including: rigorous animal care standards, safety for employees and guests, educational impact and connection to the conservation of species in the wild.

Good Deeds The 2015 South Dakota Peach Festival, which attracted an estimated crowd of more than 40,000 people, raised $37,737 for Special Olympics South Dakota. It was organized by The Fruit Club.

J&L Harley-Davidson presented a $175,000 check to Make-A-Wish South Dakota for the proceeds from Hot Harley

18 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

Nights. Make-A-Wish South Dakota received an additional $250,000 in in-kind donations for the event for a grand total of $425,000. The 2015 event featured four days of special events with attendance estimated at 50,000. The casino run had nearly 1,400 bikes registered from 13 states, three countries and 84 South Dakota communities. Sixteen Wish Kids led

the parade of more than 4,000 motorcycles.

There were approximately 550 volunteers who helped make this event happen, along with 56 sponsoring businesses, plus contributions for auctions and raffles from 116 additional companies.

FACES & PLACES

Be Seen

1

2

1, 2 The City of Sioux Falls celebrated the successful end of negotiations with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad to purchase of the downtown railyard with an official signing ceremony. The program included comments from Mayor Mike Huether (1), City Public Works Director Mark Cotter, Sen. Tim Johnson, Sen. John Thune and BNSF Executive Vice President Roger Nober. Having the documents officially signed and witnessed sealed the deal.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 19

FACES & PLACES

3

4

5 3, 4, 5 Great late summer weather greeted Chamber members who attended the September Chamber Membership Mixer. The Mixer was held at Kilian Community College and co-sponsored

by Kilian and Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota. Approximately 300 people attended.

20 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

FACES & PLACES

6 6 The YPN’s Annual Golf Tournament had 144 players hitting the links. They were able to play through the majority of the holes before getting rained out. 7 Outgoing YPN Steering Committee members were recognized at the September meeting. From L to R: Shelly Munson, Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith, P.C.; Jordan Lipp, Waddell & Reed; and Megan Myers, American Heart Association. Not pictured: Jen Rothenbuehler, Presentation Sisters.

7

chambernews.com | Chamber News 21

FACES & PLACES

8 8 Pictured are members of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, Business Transportation Committee and Business Leadership Council who took part in the annual bus tour of the city. 9 Members of the Sioux Falls City Planning Department Jeff Schmitt (pictured) and Mike Cooper gave the tour, which covered the entire city and shared updates on infrastructure and planned development.

9

22 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

FACES & PLACES

11 10 The Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce concluded its Inside

10

Washington series in late August with a luncheon with Sen. Mike Rounds.

11 Following the Inside Washington luncheon, Sen. Mike Rounds sat down with YPN members to further discuss issues taking place at the national level and sharing how they impact South Dakota. Each of South Dakota’s Congressional delegates is invited to speak to Chamber members during the August recess. 12 The Chamber’s annual Board Retreat covered a number of issues important to the community. Community Development Director Darrin Smith, pictured below, gave an overview of the City’s TIF (Tax Increment Financing) process and some of the projects that have utilized TIFs in the past.

12

chambernews.com | Chamber News 23

FACES & PLACES

14 13

24 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

13 The program ChamberHood brings Chamber members together in one part of the city to learn more about the Chamber and development taking place in that area.

The most recent edition met at Fernson Brewing Company in the northeast quadrant.

Attendees also had a chance to tour the brewery when the lunch program was over.

City Planning Director Mike Cooper shared updates related to that area. 14 Diplomat Committee Chair David Johnson, DAKOTACARE, emceed the program.

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.

Capital fund drive applications will be accepted by the committee until Aug. 1 of any one year and 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 Committee, call Mike Lynch at (605) 373-2006 or download an application at siouxfallschamber.com under the Programs tab.

LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES APRIL 1-JULY 31, 2016 $1.25 MILLION To build a new “Center for Community Services” to house multiple programs

LEVITT AT THE FALLS NOV. 1, 2016-MARCH 31, 2017 $1.06 MILLION Create an outdoor concert venue in Sioux Falls, partnering with non-profit Levitt Pavilions

SERTOMA BUTTERFLY HOUSE & MARINE COVE APRIL 1-JULY 31, 2017 $1.26 MILLION Expand public aquarium exhibits in the Marine Cove

chambernews.com | Chamber News 25

COVER STORY

Paul Bruflat, CNA Surety, is the 2015-16 Chair of the Board of the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce. He started his term Oct. 1.

26 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS GROWING THE CHAMBER WILL BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY, NEW CHAIR PAUL BRUFLAT SAYS

BY AMY SMOLIK

Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

Paul Bruflat has experienced the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce from a number of areas — he’s a Leadership Sioux Falls graduate, chaired a Membership Task Force last year and served on a number of committees. On Oct. 1, he took over as Chair of the Board in the organization’s 109th year.

Bruflat has two main goals for the next year — to grow the Chamber and to complete a successful Forward Sioux Falls 2021 campaign. To successfully achieve both of those goals will take the continued time and investment of other community leaders and the region as a whole to believe in a shared vision of growing the Sioux Falls area. It will also involve looking differently at the way things have always been done.

The Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce has a reputation for being a leader in the Chamber industry. It’s the largest chamber of commerce in South Dakota and across the region.

The organization is financially solvent, maintains strong programs and services and conducts a successful advocacy program. Because of that, Sioux Falls has hosted chamber leaders from several other communities who want to learn from the Sioux Falls area community leaders.

But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t improvements that can continue to be made within the organization to better serve members and the community, Bruflat said. Because Chamber leaders believed that the Chamber membership should reflect the area’s increasingly strong economy and growth in population, last year a Membership Task Force was created to study ways that the Chamber could grow.

The task force was made up of leaders from the Chamber’s Board of Directors and key sales and retention committees, the Ambassadors and Diplomats, as well as Chamber staff.

Bruflat chaired the task force.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 27

COVER STORY

The Chamber held its annual Board Retreat in September, led by Paul Bruflat. A discussion about Forward Sioux Falls and the upcoming campaign took place, along with presentations on other Chamber programs and developments in the city.

A number of action steps came out of the research and process, some short-term and others longer-term. Staff members have already implemented many of the suggested recommendations. Many deal with the way things are processed internally or how to communicate to members and potential members about the value of Chamber membership.

Work continues on long-term opportunities to grow the organization, tell the Chamber’s story and how to best utilize Chamber volunteers.

One of the many strengths of the Chamber is its strong volunteer base. However, yesterday’s volunteer is different than today’s volunteer — and the dynamic of tomorrow’s volunteer will continue to change, Bruflat said. The Chamber will need to look at different ways to best utilize volunteers in a way that works for employers and the Chamber.

“We need to come up with a model that optimizes the time we have from a volunteer to match our goals with membership,” he said.

In the past, the Sioux Falls culture of joining the Chamber “because it’s the right thing to do” helped grow the organization. Bruflat said his initial thoughts about the Chamber were along that mindset: why wouldn’t a business want to

28 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

join the region’s premiere business organization? But not every business has been exposed to Chamber programs and services, or frankly believes that there is still value even if you’re not involved. He wants to make sure the value of membership is shared with all businesses — not just those who are long-standing members or who have the time and inclination to be involved.

“Everyone has limited investment dollars; why should they spend some of that on a Chamber membership? There has to be real value,” he said. “It goes beyond some of the tangible benefits that first year, which are great benefits, but we need people to understand there’s so much more if we’re going to compete for that dollar.”

Finding value in a Chamber investment is different for every member, he said. Many members and their employees take advantage of workshops and networking events to learn more about the community and to grow their connections.

Others enjoy volunteering, either on a committee or shortterm opportunities like Operation Thank You or the Sioux Empire Farm Show.

For many members, however, time — or the lack of it — is a factor in their ability to be involved, and that’s where the

PAUL BRUFLAT

2015-16 CHAIR OF THE BOARD SIOUX FALLS AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Chamber’s role as business advocates is an advantage for all businesses. “We’re studying issues and going to Pierre to act on legislation that may affect the bottom line of many of our members — so they don’t have to,” Bruflat said.

Keeping members informed about issues and policy that affects business is a major benefit. The Chamber utilizes a number of tools to communicate with members so they can be informed and continue operating their businesses.

Assisting Sioux Falls area companies in running their businesses is also a key part of the Forward Sioux Falls 2021 program initiative. The main issue facing many businesses in the Sioux Falls area and nationwide is workforce. Research shows that Sioux Falls may struggle to find employees for the jobs being created here unless proactive efforts are taken to attract tomorrow’s workforce.

Because of that challenge, Forward Sioux Falls leaders engaged Market Street Services, an economic development consultant out of Atlanta, to study ways that the region can best add more workers, and the right type of workers for the types of jobs being created. A Strategic Workforce Task Force evaluated the findings and made recommendations. A significant portion of the Forward Sioux Falls 2021 program is dedicated to making an impact on workforce in the next five years; the new program would run 2016-21. You can read more about the study and key initiatives on page 36.

A graduate of what was then Augustana College, Bruflat started his job search in the 1980s in the midst of a recession,

OCCUPATION

Vice President of Commercial Surety, CNA Surety

HOMETOWN

Sioux Falls (also lived in Bismarck; Duluth; Milwaukee; Tulsa; Glendale, Calif.; and Madison, Wis.)

EDUCATION

Lincoln High School Augustana College, bachelor’s degree in economics and

business administration Associate in Fidelity and Surety Bonds (AFSB) Michigan Business School, management

development program

FAMILY

Wife, Julie, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Sioux Falls; five adult children and two grandchildren

CHAMBER INVOLVEMENT

Leadership Sioux Falls Community Appeals Committee Forward Sioux Falls Joint Venture Management Committee Board Liaison to the Ambassador Committee

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

HelpLine Center, Past Chair of the Board Sioux Empire United Way, 2015 Campaign Chair South Dakota Safety Council, Past Chair of the Board Downtown Lions, self-proclaimed “smokie” cook for the

annual Pancake Days Lions Clubs International Melvin Jones Fellow award

One of the many roles the Chamber Chair of the Board assumes is speaking at Chamber events, including ribbon cuttings and Membership Mixers. Pictured are long-time Chamber Ambassador Lyle Dabbert, Brown & Saenger, and Paul Bruflat, CNA Surety, at the September Mixer, which was held at Kilian Community College and sponsored by Kilian and Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 29

WHAT IS THE WESTERN SURETY COMPANY? Many Sioux Falls residents may remember the Western Surety Company, which was located in downtown Sioux Falls since it was founded. For 30 years, it was located at the city’s heart at 9th Street and Phillips Avenue.

Western Surety was the brainchild of entrepreneur Joe Kirby, who moved to Sioux Falls in the late 1800s.

Practicing law was Kirby’s main trade but in 1900, he founded a surety bond company to provide the court bonds he and other lawyers needed in connection with the practice of law. At the time, the only source of those bonds was a handful of companies on the East Coast and they couldn’t provide fast service.

Kirby’s new company, located out “west” in Sioux Falls, was called Western Surety Company and it went on to become a national leader in the area of small fidelity and surety bonds. Western Surety is one of the Founding Members of the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, which was formed in 1907.

In 1997, Western Surety merged with CNA Surety, headquartered in Chicago, and complemented the services they were offering. In 2011, the company became part of the official operations of CNA Surety.

PAST CHAIRS OF THE BOARD, CNA SURETY: Dan Kirby, Chair of the Board 1981-82 Joe P. Kirby, Chair of the Board 1993-94 Paul Bruflat, Chair of the Board 2015-16 Other representatives from Western Surety Company have served on the Board of Directors and in other leadership roles.

another challenging time to find a job. Armed with a degree in economics and business administration, he was striking out on every application he sent. The college’s placement office sent him to a job interview at Western Surety, where Bruflat said he felt woefully unprepared to answer questions about the surety industry.

He was successful in his interview, however, and he was hired as an underwriter trainee. Today he is Vice President of Commercial Surety and has worked in downtown Sioux Falls for 33 years. CNA Surety is the former Western Surety Company, which was started by Joe Kirby in 1900. Western Surety is one of the Founding Members of the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, which was formed in 1907.

Bruflat will share more about his vision for the Chamber in the coming year at the 109th Annual Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The theme is “Progress is everyone’s business,” which also serves as the Chamber’s tagline. The evening features The Annual Mixer at the Sioux Falls Convention Center, which includes heavy hors d’oeuvres and plenty of

30 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

Paul Bruflat is pictured with a letter written by Western Surety Company founder Joe Kirby; it was written in 1925 and sent to all employees, encouraging them to be the best employees they could be and to share ideas they had to improve the company. The letter hangs on Bruflat’s office wall, along with several other historical Western Surety Company artifacts.

networking time. Attendees will be escorted to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center for the Chamber program. It will be followed by entertainment from The Second City, an improv comedy troupe out of Chicago that has spawned America’s most famous comedians for more than 55 years.

Just some of their alumni include Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Gilda Radner, Chris Farley and more. Their performance will include a mixture of classic sketches, off-the-cuff improv and some skits developed specifically about Sioux Falls for this event.

The Chamber’s Annual Meeting serves as the kick-off to the new Chamber year and is a reminder of all the wonderful things taking place within the organization and across the community because of Chamber members and their investment.

“There are so many good things happening and that have happened with many great results,” Bruflat said. “But there’s more work to be done.”

HEADLINES

Community leaders join Chamber Board of Directors As directed by the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce bylaws, each year five individuals are nominated to serve three-year terms on the Board of Directors. The following Chamber members have been elected and began their term of service October 1, 2015: Wendy Bergan is the marketing manager with JDS Industries. She has served as a Sioux Empire United Way Section Leader and is also an active volunteer leader in the Chamber having served on the Diplomat Committee since 2000 and is a past Diplomat chair. She served on the Issues Management Council and the Chamber’s Budget & Finance Committee.

She has participated in Operation Thank You for many years. Bergan is a Leadership Sioux Falls-14 Graduate. JDS Industries has been a Chamber member since 1998.

WENDY BERGAN JDS Industries

Michael Hauck is broker/owner of Accord Commercial Real Estate LLC. He cur-

rently serves on the Chamber’s Ambassador Committee, which he chaired in 2011-12. He has volunteered for Operation Thank You and was a member of the Chamber’s Budget & Finance Committee and Issues Management Council. Hauck is a past chair and Board member of CASA and has served on the Crimestoppers Board for several years. He is MIKE HAUCK Accord Commercial Team a member of the Realtors Association of the Real Estate Sioux Empire and serves as a state director and chair of the Government Affairs Committee.

Hauck is a graduate of Leadership Sioux Falls-9. His company has been a Chamber member since 2010.

Alex Ramirez is the owner and multimedia producer of USA Media TV, a new Chamber member. Ramirez is very active in the community serving on the Sioux Falls Diversity Council Board of Directors and has assisted in organizing the Juneteenth Celebration, the Latin American Festival, and the Diversity Conference. He is also a member of the Sioux Falls Human Relations Board and assisted with the ADA Celebration. Ramirez is a Great Plains Minority Chamber of Commerce Board member and played an active role in the continued development of programs offered through the Sioux Empire Housing Partnership.

ALEX RAMIREZ USA Media TV

Carl Wynja is the Regional President of U.S. Bank. His current and past volunteer involve-

ments have included Board of Trustees and Finance Chair of Northwestern College; Board chair for Sioux Falls Christian Schools; Board Chair of the Sioux Empire United Way; board member for Sioux Falls YMCA; board member for Hope Haven; board member Bethesda Christian Counseling; student mentor at Hawthorne Elementary since 1992; Junior Achievement volunteer; consistory and elder First Reformed Church; youth group leader as well as various other involvements. Wynja is a graduate of Leadership Sioux Falls-10. U.S. Bank has been a Chamber member since 1926.

CARL WYNJA U.S. Bank

Mark Mickelson is the president and owner of Mickelson & Company, a Chamber member since 2004. His involvement in the community includes being a member and past president of Downtown Rotary; board member and past chair of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation; board member and past chair of the South Dakota Community Foundation; board member of the South Dakota Board of Economic Development; board member of MARK MICKELSON the University of South Dakota Foundation; Mickelson & Company YMCA past board member; member of the American Short Line & Regional Railroad Association; member of both the South Dakota CPA Society and the South Dakota Bar Association. He also serves on the Forward Sioux Falls Joint Venture Management Committee. Mickelson is a current member of the South Dakota House of Representatives and current Speaker Pro Tempore.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 31

BUSINESS ADVOCACY

Why an effective Chamber advocacy program matters to you Occasionally I’m asked “Why does the Chamber involve itself in advocacy?” It should be pointed out that advocacy is a core principle of chambers of commerce across the country.

Since chambers are formed to represent business and economic and community development, working with government is absolutely necessary.

MARK LEE

Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

Our goal is to focus on those issues that are most significant to the business community and to add context and look to the future.

And why is it necessary? Because what happens in Washington D.C., Pierre, City Hall, the County Courthouse, the Instructional Planning Center and at the ballot box matters.

Government acts on important public policy matters all the time that affect our business environment, our competitiveness and our ability to grow the Sioux Falls area and South Dakota we envision. Without a vigilant advocacy activity, our other option is to simply leave the development of public policy to fate and to accept whatever we get; however, this is unacceptable.

At the recent Chamber Board of Directors planning retreat, we presented a detailed look at your Chamber’s advocacy efforts to explain more of what we do and why we do it. Your Chamber actively engages at all levels government to advocate for business and the community as well as develops relationships with policy makers. A significant part of that means full-time lobbying in Pierre during session as well as attending meetings of local governmental bodies. We also prepare our leadership and membership with research and guidance so they can give us good policy direction to aid our lobbying efforts.

Part of our advocacy program is to communicate the activities of government to our members. We use tools like Twitter (@SFAreaAdvocate), the weekly Chamber Advocate email, Chamber News, and the Legislative Bill Tracker to keep you informed. Our goal is to focus on those issues that are most significant to the business community and to add context and look to the future. It’s more than just reporting what happened.

We also have a large portfolio of activities to educate our membership and leadership.

Events like our annual Legislative Reception, Good Morning Sioux Falls Legislative Edition, Sioux Falls Day at the Legislature, Legislative Coffees, Inside Washington series, candidate and issue forums and our partnership with YPN on Policy and a Pint all give you access to decision makers and political leaders and help educate you on the issues of the day. We also research and write detailed issue briefs on many public policy issues and publish our policy statements and annual legislative platform.

I’ve just described the three pillars of your chamber’s public policy program — advocate, communicate and educate, or “ACE” if you want to remember an acronym. So, why does the chamber involve itself in advocacy? Maybe the best answer is so that you don’t have to, while still being assured that the interests of our business community are well represented.

We understand that not all members will agree with every position we take on the myriad of issues that face our community and state. Please know that our efforts to support the business community and enhance overall community and economic development are our guiding principles.

We encourage you to reach out to us when you have issues that you want us to track or research. We do our best to proactively identify topics, but we may not catch them all. Simply call or email and we will be happy to consult with you.

Mark Lee is the Public Affairs & Communications Director for the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce. He also serves as the full-time lobbyist for the Chamber and Forward Sioux Falls during South Dakota’s legislative session.

32 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

HEADLINES

Leadership Sioux Falls Class 30 selected The 30th class of the Leadership Sioux Falls program begins this month with an opening session focusing on how growth and development happen in the Sioux Falls community as well as a presentation and discussion with representatives of Minnehaha County and the City of Sioux Falls.

This year’s class was selected from 92 applications received. Due to the nature of the program, class size is limited to 30 participants each year. Congratulations to the following individuals and their sponsors:

LEADERSHIP SIOUX FALLS 30 Ryan Austad

Angie Hillestad

Aaron Rasmussen

Joe Beck

Kurt Johnson

Ryan Reiner

Elizabeth Carlson

Ryan Kerkvliet

Peter Ronning

Blaine Davis

Mike Knudson

Scott Rust

Sponsored by the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Sioux Falls is an eight-month program designed to meet the community’s need for active participation of informed and dedicated community leaders. The goal of the program is to inform, challenge and motivate participants by providing information on community resources, discussing community concerns, interacting with community leaders and building a sense of community trusteeship.

Monica Derby

Chase Kramer

Alex Smith

Ben Dold

Chad Kriech

Joe Dylla

Angela Lammers

Chris Filsinger

Nick Larson

Corey Fishel

Jason Lemke

The class runs October-May, with applications available in July and selections taking place in September. More than 870 people have graduated from the program and gone on to serve the community and the region in a number of leadership positions. For more information about Leadership Sioux Falls, contact Chamber Small Business & Leadership Development Manager Kate Foley at kfoley@siouxfalls.com or (605) 373-2002.

Julie Gehm

Valerie Loudenback

Mary Gerwer

Lindsey Meyers

Class members will take part in several networking activities including a development of a timeline of the Sioux Falls community comparing the issues from then with today. Leadership Sioux Falls uses the community as its classroom and the opening session also includes a bus tour of the city.

Austad’s Golf

Raven Industries

First Bank & Trust

Weisser Distributing Inc.

Smithfield Foods

Midcontinent Communications

Cutler Law Firm LLP

CorTrust Bank

McGladrey LLP

LifeScape

CNA Surety

Eide Bailly LLP

McGowan Capital Group

Home Federal Bank

State Farm Insurance

Journey Group Companies

Ronning Companies

Vision Video Interactive (VVI)

TSP Inc.

City of Sioux Falls

South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development

Erin Srstka

U.S. Bank

Minnehaha County Commission Office

AIA South Dakota

Bobbie Tibbetts Sanford Health

Citi

Nicole Tupman

Lindquist & Vennum LLP

Sanford School of Medicine

Grand Prairie Foods Inc.

Avera Health

chambernews.com | Chamber News 33

HEADLINES

Tickets available for Chamber’s Annual Meeting on Oct. 20 There’s something funny happening with the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting this year — improv comedy group The Second City will be the featured entertainment as the Chamber celebrates its 109th year.

The Chamber’s Annual Meeting launches the one-year term of 2015-16 Chair Paul Bruflat, CNA Surety, and recognizes the efforts of the 2014-15 Chair of the Board Dana Dykhouse, First PREMIER Bank. At the Annual Meeting, the Chamber will share the priorities for the 2015-16 year and the contributions of retiring directors will also be acknowledged.

Last year the Chamber expanded the annual event to the new Denny Sanford PREMIER Center to rave reviews. The event will again feature more of an entertainment feel with the performance by Second City. The Chicago-based comedy group has been entertaining audiences and churning out North America’s most famous comedians for more than 55 years. Second City alumni have gone on to act in movies and sitcoms, including Saturday Night Live; just some of their illustrious performers include: Jim and John Belushi, Harold Ramis, Gilda Radner, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Tim Meadows, Bonnie Hunt, Jeff Garlin, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Ed Helms, Steve Carell and Steven Colbert.

Kim Burma, Midcontinent Communications, is chair of the event.

The event will be held at the Sioux Falls Convention Center and the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. All seats are general admission.

The cost is $80 per person for Chamber members, which includes the entertainment portion of the evening as well as networking and food prior to Second City’s performance.

Chamber members can order tickets by contacting the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce at (605) 336-1620 or order and pay for tickets online at siouxfallschamber.com.

BUY TICKETS

Visit siouxfallschamber.com and click on the Events tab, email vwillson@siouxfalls.com, call (605) 336-1620 or use the reply card that came with your mailed invitation

or

ORDER FROM THE TICKET SALES COMMITTEE Chamber volunteers will be contacting members personally to take ticket orders. You can place your order through them when they call or contact them directly; members include:

Kim Burma, Event Chair

Pamela Ireland-Kreber

Tammy Beintema

Shelly Johnson

Teri Bergeleen

Mindy Kroll

Shelly Buxton

Liz Lloyd

Cheryl Dodd

Christine Meyer

Daniel Doyle

Diane Mulloy

Carrie Dragt

Deb Peterson

Jared Ducommun

Betty Ordal

Midcontinent Communications JDRF

Lawrence & Schiller, Inc.

Avera Health

Time Management Systems

Sioux Falls Kitchen & Bath

Lloyd Residential Group KW

U.S. Bank

American Heart Association

Cutler Law Firm

CorTrust Bank

Midcontinent Communications Midcontinent Communications

Erin Hayes

Midcontinent Communications

Jennifer Hegg

Midcontinent Communications

David Hurley

AFLAC

Midcontinent Communications

CorTrust Bank

Melissa Schmiedt

Midcontinent Communications

Nancy Weber-Sweere

Midcontinent Communications

Stacy Wrightsman Sanford Health

TICKETS ARE $80 PER PERSON

ABOUT SECOND CITY Second City opened its doors in December 1959 in Chicago. No one could have guessed that this small cabaret theatre would become the most influential and prolific comedy theatre in the world. With its roots in the improvisational games of Viola Spolin, The Second City developed an entirely unique way of creating and performing comedy.

Chamber members will have an opportunity to see a mixture of classic sketches, off-the-cuff improv and skits developed specifically about Sioux Falls.

For more information about The Second City, go to secondcity.com.

34 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

Admission includes heavy hors d’oeuvres at the Annual Mixer at the Convention Center, as well as the Chamber program and entertainment from The Second City at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

QUESTIONS?

Contact Amy Smolik at (605) 373-2054 or asmolik@siouxfalls.com.

HEADLINES

Feeding South Dakota completes successful campaign

BY MIKE LYNCH

Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

Feeding South Dakota completed a successful Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Community Appeals Campaign, having raised $1.2 million from the Sioux Falls area business community from Nov. 1, 2014-March 31, 2015.

With a goal of increasing its overall food distribution across the state 50 percent by 2020, it was imperative that the organization have a larger space. The campaign raised money to help Feeding South Dakota construct a new 50,000 square foot building on Westport Avenue in northwest Sioux Falls.

Increased freezer space and extra coolers will allow Feeding South Dakota to accept more donated food, as well as provide for additional perishable items. Other benefits include expansion of the BackPack and Senior Box programs and an overall enhancement of the statewide mission to better serve those who are hungry.

In any large-scale campaign, many factors can lead to success. For Feeding South Dakota, it was very fundamental.

“Food is such a critical, basic need for all people. If you have a compelling mission and need, the people of Sioux Falls are responsive and supportive,” said Dan Murphy, Wells Fargo Bank, Feeding South Dakota Community Appeals Campaign chair.

Murphy said being a part of the Chamber Community Appeals campaign was critical as well. “Chamber businesses were welcoming and extremely supportive of our efforts, understanding the impact that their support will make to better the community. In addition, volunteers and committed individuals were key,” he said.

To reach its goal of reducing the hunger gap by 50 percent, Feeding South Dakota will need to increase its distribution capacity to approximately 16 million meals each year.

In addition, there will be a commitment to

Feeding South Dakota broke ground on a new 50,000 square foot building in northwest Sioux Falls, following their successful $1.2 million Chamber-approved Community Appeals campaign.

provide higher quality, more nutritious foods including fresh fruits and vegetables, proteins and critical dairy products.

Feeding South Dakota works with more than 350 nonprofit organizations throughout the state. Staff will continue to evaluate current programming and look to provide new services for all who are hungry, but placing an emphasis on seniors and children.

Matt Gassen, Feeding South Dakota Executive Director, feels the most rewarding aspect of the campaign was the broad-based community support and the spirit and enthusiasm of the volunteers involved in the effort. “We were humbled by the support that we received, whether from past, current or new donors.”

Since the new facility will be located farther from central Sioux Falls, Feeding South Dakota will begin providing a monthly food distribution in a high-need area of the community. Currently, the organization is tracking ZIP codes of those who walk, bike

or take the bus to its current food pantry location on N. 1st Avenue. They will use this data to determine an ideal distribution location once the organization has moved into the new building.

Though some may think to contribute toward Feeding South Dakota primarily during certain months such as the holidays, Gassen said that Feeding South Dakota relies on donations of food, time, treasure and talent year-round to meet the needs of those who are hungry locally and across the state.

The new facility is a primary factor in helping to achieve this.

“With increased space, and opportunities to expand our services, reach, and impact, we can live in a state in which no child feels the ache of an empty stomach, no senior has to worry where their next meal will come from, and all people can receive the nourishment they need to be their best selves,” Gassen said.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 35

HEADLINES

Mac Holladay, Founder and CEO of Market Street Services, shared the key findings from his company’s research at a press conference and presentation to Forward Sioux Falls investors on Sept. 16.

Workforce initiatives key component to the next Forward Sioux Falls campaign

BY AMY SMOLIK

Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce

A recently-unveiled Market Street Services report shared months of research into developing key initiatives to grow and develop the Sioux Falls area workforce in the next five years. Many of the recommendations that came out of the Strategic Workforce Task Force will be implemented during the next Forward Sioux Falls program. If the campaign is successful, those action steps will be carried out as part of the next initiative, which would begin in April 2016.

While the Sioux Falls area continues to experience population and economic growth above and beyond state and national averages, warning signs have surfaced that this growth may not be sustainable unless certain actions are undertaken to enhance

36 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

To read the Executive Summary or the complete reports created by Market Street Services, go to forwardsiouxfalls.com and look under the Communications tab.

Contact Workforce Development Director Mary Medema for more information: marym@siouxfalls.com or (605) 339-0103.

the region’s workforce availability and skills mix. This leads to the question, “How can we best prepare our workforce to ensure that we are fully prepared for the opportunities to come?”

Rather than wait until a new initiative was underway, Forward Sioux Falls leaders wanted to research workforce needs and potential action steps now in order to implement new programs as part of the next

program. As the joint venture economic development partnership between the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Forward Sioux Falls has long been a convener of community leaders to study community challenges and create solutions. To take stock of the region’s overall progress, Forward Sioux Falls leadership engaged Market Street Services to facilitate a six-month talent-focused process that leveraged recent

HEADLINES

& Retention n o i ct tra t tA

EXTERNAL MARKETING

Talent D eve lop m e nt

Ta le n

Strategic Action Agenda

CAREER-BASED TRAINING & EXPERIENCE TALENT PORTAL

INCENTIVES STATE POLICY HOUSING BRANCH CAMPUS

INTERNAL MARKETING CRADLE-TOCAREER TARGETED POPULATIONS CONTINUOUS LEARNING

Source: Market Street Services

and existing studies and initiatives. It was led by a task force that included business, government and education leaders, as well as investors and leaders from the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.

Four key initiatives will become the initial focus: came out of Market Street’s research: develop a cradle-to-career coalition in the Sioux Falls area; design and implement a talent marketing campaign, incorporating and coordinating existing efforts; develop and optimize a comprehensive online talent portal and identify and advance priority programs to support targeted populations in the region.

Forward Sioux Falls leaders have adopted those key initiatives for the Forward Sioux Falls 2021 program, which will officially launch its campaign later this fall. It will take more than just the business community’s investment to tackle the workforce challenges and opportunities, however. More details will be announced in the coming months as key players are identified to help carry out the action steps.

STRATEGIC WORKFORCE TASK FORCE Rob Oliver, Co-Chair

Bill McLean

Greg Carmon, Co-Chair

Andy Patterson

Augustana University

Midwest Railcar

Kent Alberty

Sioux Falls School Board

Julie Burke Bowen Harrisburg Mayor

Dana Dykhouse

First PREMIER Bank

Paul Hanson

Sanford USD Medical Center

Dean Karsky

Sioux Falls City Council

Avera Health

Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation

Scott Reed

Smithfield Foods

Dave Rozenboom First PREMIER Bank

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin Raven Industries

Darrin Smith

City of Sioux Falls

Steve VanBuskirk

VanBuskirk Companies

Scott Lawrence

Lawrence & Schiller

chambernews.com | Chamber News 37

Special thanks to the people of Sioux Falls for showcasing our community through volunteering and warm hospitality.

Share your Sioux Falls #wearehereSF

CHAMBER PARTNER

Good vs. great: The challenges within James C. Collins writes in his first paragraph of Chapter 1 in “Good to Great” that “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.” It takes tremendous courage and commitment to be great and not accept just being really good.

This is exactly why Sioux Falls Catholic Schools (SFCS) has embarked on a strategic direction for the next five years. It will serve as our roadmap, benchmark and compass for the future in order to move our organization from good to great.

ROBERT WEHDE

Sioux Falls Catholic Schools

The Sioux Falls Catholic Schools’ strategic plan will enable us to make critical choices about where to focus our time, talent and financial resources to best achieve our special mission.

With any future direction, an organization must get a strong sense of where it is currently.

Over the past number of months, Sioux Falls Catholic Schools administrators, faculty/staff, parents, alumni and students, as well as business and community leaders have been part of the discussion. We considered and utilized hundreds of comments received from interviewing, surveying, and conducting focus group discussions. We also incorporated the ongoing work done with the current SFCS continuous improvement plan 2013-18 that is conducted with our accreditation efforts and the Partners in Mission Assessment in 2015. I am pleased with our comprehensive approach in analyzing our current strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities in a transparent and open process.

Tremendous progress has been made recently with the Building On Excellence Campaign that allowed us to update the O’Gorman High School facilities and strengthen the SFCS endowments; yet several key issues came out of the data collection and research conducted over the past year. Areas were focused in several themes: attracting and retaining faculty and staff; technology; tuition costs; and increasing enrollment. The Sioux Falls Catholic Schools’ strategic plan will enable us to make critical choices about where to focus our time, talent and financial resources to best achieve our special mission.

Our Catholic schools have a rich tradition of faith and excellence going back more than 100 years. We are committed to continuing to educate future leaders and, with our strong focus on Christian service, leading the way in giving back to our community. The Sioux Falls Catholic Schools look forward to working together with our local business leaders and educational organizations in true partnerships for more than just a “good” future for our students — but a great future for all.

Robert R. Wehde is the President for the Sioux Falls Catholic Schools. He holds an Educational Specialist degree from the University of Idaho with emphasis in Educational Leadership and Strategic Planning.

40 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

MIND YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

Best practices for staffing absences Ask any business owner and they will tell you that staffing their business is one of the more challenging aspects of owning a business. With a tight labor market and a multiple-generation work force, this challenge is not any easier today.

Compounding the issue for small businesses is that fewer employees means everybody is important. Absences, planned or not, have a big impact on day-to-day operations. Consider implementing these practices to give you and your team a fighting chance to weather these impacts.

KELLY WEAVER Small Business Development Center

Absences, planned or not, have a big impact on day-to-day operations.

Create AND Document Procedures. In small business, we tend to handle things “on the fly” without always thinking through the best and most efficient way to handle a task. We also tend to rely on “show and tell” to train new employees. However if the procedures are not written down, they will not be remembered, applied consistently or be available to back up someone new stepping into the role. Remember the game of Telephone? By the time the message got to the end of the line, it had morphed considerably from the original message. While you are documenting procedures, be sure to capture all logins and passwords for business applications.

Delegate Tasks. Small business owners are often their own worst enemy in this case. They started the business on their own and by rights have a strong connection to it. But if they are to grow their business, they have to relinquish tasks to others. Your employees are not you and may not operate exactly as you do but you need to trust they can complete the task. And by the way, if you’ve created and documented processes it’s a lot less scary to turn over the task.

Cross Train. For a small staff, you may want to focus first on cross training tasks critical to serving your customers and daily operational success. If the only person who knows how to maintain your website is suddenly ill and unavailable, it’s going to be a very long day/week/ month for your online business. A side benefit of cross training is that every employee gets to learn something new, adding challenge and variety to their work day.

Regardless of the reason or length of time that an employee may be gone, these steps will be valuable. As an added bonus, these same steps will also help you with disaster preparedness efforts. Some businesses may think they can’t afford the time to work through these steps but I would venture to say they can’t afford NOT to. And remember, you don’t have to do this all yourself — see “Delegate Tasks.”

Kelly Weaver is the Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center.

For free business start-up assistance in the Sioux Falls area, contact the Small Business Development Center at (605) 367-5757 or visit sdbusinesshelp.com

chambernews.com | Chamber News 41

BUSINESS NEWS

What does a change in fraud liability mean for consumers and merchants?

At the beginning of the month, a Fraud Liability Shift took place to better protect consumers from counterfeit card transactions. The shift to EMV is not a mandate, so there is no penalty for vendors who don’t meet this date. EMV stands for Europay, Mastercard and Visa, the three companies that created the global standard for cards equipped with computer chips and the technology used to authenticate chip-card transactions. However, as more merchants move to secure their payments with chip technology, fraudsters may focus on merchants who have not yet upgraded.

For consumers, this shift means activating new cards and learning new payment processes. For merchants and financial institutions, the switch means adding in-store technology and internal processing systems and complying with new liability rules. EMV technology won’t prevent data breaches from occurring but will make it more difficult for criminals to profit from what they steal.

EMV is a global industry standard used to govern card payment technology. Cards with embedded chips provide strong security features and other capabilities. EMV is an open-standard set of technical specifications for chip card payments and acceptance devices such as point-of-sale (POS) terminals, kiosks and ATMs. EMV chip cards contain embedded microprocessors that provide strong transaction security features and other application capabilities not possible on traditional magnetic stripe cards. When a consumer uses an EMV-enabled device to pay at an EMV terminal, the device is instantly identified as an authentic, approved payment instrument belonging to that consumer through a process called dynamic authentication.

More than 80 countries already support EMV chip card payments. The U.S. is the last major country to adopt the standards.

Accepting chip payments makes you more attractive to customers because there are generally more payment options at the terminal (e.g., mobile, contactless or standard dip) and the consumer will feel more confident when making a purchase.

42 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

Pictured is a new card showing the embedded EMV chip.

In order to accept EMV chip payment devices, which includes cards that have both contact and contactless chips, mobile phones and other types of devices, your POS terminal will need to be EMV capable and enabled. You may already have a chip-capable terminal, which may need to be enabled or you may need to purchase a new EMV terminal. Your payment processor will be able to assist you with upgrading to an EMV capable and enabled terminal.

Unlike magnetic-stripe cards, every time an EMV card is used for payment, the card chip creates a unique transaction code that cannot be used again. If a hacker stole the chip information from one specific point of sale, typical card duplication would never work.

The liability for card-present fraud will shift to whichever party is the least EMVcompliant in a fraudulent transaction. For example, a chip card used at a merchant that has not changed its system to accept chip technology could allow a counterfeit card to be successfully used and the cost of the fraud would fall back on the merchant.

The deadline served as strong encouragement for all payment processing parties to become EMV-compliant as soon as possible,

but experts don’t believe everyone will comply by October 2015. Automated fuel dispensers will have until 2017 to make the shift to EMV. Until then, they will follow existing fraud liability rulings.

The first round of EMV cards — many of which are already in consumers’ hands — will be equipped with both chip and magnetic-stripe functions so consumer spending is not disrupted and merchants can adjust.

Merchants who use technology like Square will also be responsible for upgrading their point-of-sale technology. Instead of the mobile swipe devices, they will have to get mobile dip devices to read EMV card chips.

EMV debit cards will roll out at a slower pace. The PULSE 2015 Debit Issuer Survey found that while 90 percent of financial institutions have begun issuing EMV debit cards or will do so by the end of the year, only 25 percent of U.S. debit cards (about 71 million cards) will be chip-equipped by the end of 2015. The percentage of EMV debit cards in consumer’s hands is expected to reach 73 percent by the end of 2016 and 96 percent by the end of 2017.

BUSINESS NEWS

2015-16 Mixer Passes now on sale In the past year, hundreds of Chamber members took advantage of the reduced cost of attending the Membership Mixers by purchasing an annual Mixer Pass. The 201516 Passes are available now through Dec. 31 at a discounted price of $40 — that’s a $20 savings if you attend all 12 Membership Mixers in the next fiscal year.

Following are just some of the advantages of purchasing a Mixer Pass. You’ll always be prepared for attendance at the Mixer — even if you don’t have cash in your wallet. Order your pass now and we’ll invoice your business so you don’t have to bother with expensing your admission cost each month. Order several for your business and share them with your employees who will benefit from the networking environment of a Mixer.

You can also use them to treat customers to complimentary admission to a Mixer(s). If you can’t attend one of the monthly Mixers, share it with a co-worker or friend so they can take advantage of the Pass.

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to each monthly Mixer from October 2015-September 2016, and the Pass must be presented at the registration at each event. If you do not present the Pass for admission,

you will be required to pay the $5 admission fee. The Mixer Pass does not apply to The Annual Mixer, which will be held in conjunction with the Chamber’s Annual Meeting on Oct. 20.

To purchase your Pass, contact Pat Lund at (605) 373-2014 or plund@siouxfalls.com.

You can also purchase your pass at Mixers in October, November or December.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 43

Visitor Industry Updates SIOUX FALLS TO WELCOME HUNTERS THIS MONTH

The Sioux Falls CVB’s annual Hunter’s Celebration will be held at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport on Oct. 15-16, the opening weekend of the 2015 South Dakota pheasant hunting season. Local businesses participating in welcoming pheasant hunters will join in the fun as the CVB rolls out the red carpet to welcome hunters from across the country. Hunters will be greeted with cookies and coffee, Sioux Falls visitor information and a small gift to show the CVB’s appreciation for their business and flying into Sioux Falls.

Sioux Falls businesses interested in having a booth at the Hunter’s Celebration should contact CVB Host City Manager Rachel Crane at (605) 373-2026 or rcrane@siouxfalls.com.

CVB TO ATTEND REJUVENATE MARKETPLACE

Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Sales Manager Erin Zimmerman will represent Sioux Falls at Rejuvenate Marketplace in Dallas Nov. 2-4.

Rejuvenate Marketplace is an appointment-only reverse tradeshow in the religious market, offering education and networking opportunities with faith-based meeting professionals in addition to prescheduled one-on-one appointments. The reverse tradeshow system matches planners and suppliers for individual appointments based on their needs, requests and additional factors.

Sioux Falls will have the opportunity to meet with more than 40 faith-based meeting planners during one-on-one pre-scheduled appointments. Thousands of suppliers and meeting planners will meet in Dallas looking for new opportunities and growth.

AD SALES STARTING FOR 2016 SIOUX FALLS VISITORS GUIDE

The Sioux Falls Convention & Visitor Bureau’s (CVB) official Sioux Falls Visitors Guide is already in the planning stages for 2016. Gary and Pat Webber with ThinkTourismUSA, the publishers of the visitor guide, are now selling advertising space.

The visitors guide is the only visitor guide used by the CVB to market Sioux Falls to guests at trade and travel shows, conventions and events in Sioux Falls, and as a representation of the city at bids and sales presentations around the country. The guide is also sent to people all over the world who request visitor information.

Additionally, the visitors guide is available at nearly 250 locations throughout Sioux Falls.

Anyone interested in purchasing ad space in the 2016 guide can contact Gary Webber at the CVB office at (605) 275-6060.

If you would like your visitor-related event considered for publication in the upcoming guide, go to visitsiouxfallsevents.com and enter your event by Nov. 30, 2015.

After four days of great golf, Norway native Caroline Westrup won the inaugural Sioux Falls GreatLIFE Challenge held at Willow Run Golf Course.

She is pictured with Tom Walsh and other staff from GreatLIFE. The LPGA Symetra Tour was held in Sioux Falls Sept. 3-6, where 144 of the worlds most talented, up-and-coming LPGA golfers battled to take home the largest purse on the Symetra Tour. Westrup was awarded $31,500 of the tournament’s $210,000 purse. At the end of the year the top 10 golfers on the Symetra Tour’s money list will be awarded an LPGA tour card. Westrup was sitting at 56th on the list prior to the GreatLIFE Challenge in Sioux Falls. After winning the tournament Westrup is now ranked 14th, with five tournaments left to go in the 2015 season.

CVB TO ATTEND S.P.O.R.T.S— THE RELATIONSHIP CONFERENCE

Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) sports sales managers Clay Bak and Lucas Smith will attend the 2015 S.P.O.R.T.S.— The Relationship Conference in Shreveport, La., Oct. 5-8. The CVB will meet with approximately 30 event organizers and rights holders in an effort to bring new events and tournaments to Sioux Falls. The conference provides a combination of pre-scheduled one-on-one appointments, educational sessions and networking opportunities.

At the conference, the CVB will have the opportunity to market Sioux Falls as a top sports destination. A wide variety of governing bodies and sports are represented at this conference, as well as other destinations vying for business.

CVB TO PROMOTE SIOUX FALLS TO BOOMERS

Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Sales Manager Alexa Steiner will attend the Boomers in Groups (BiG) travel conference Oct. 23-25 in Green Bay, Wis. The Sioux Falls CVB will get the chance to meet with every travel organization registered in a face-toface meeting on the marketplace floor. During the conference many informational seminars as well as networking opportunities will be available.

Boomers are the largest consumer group in America. This show brings more than 200 boomer travel organizations and club directors together to connect and network with destinations for future travel plans. This will be the first time the CVB will attend and participate in BiG.

44 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

BUSINESS NEWS

Volunteer at Operation Thank You Oct. 29 Join 300 other Chamber members for a great one-day volunteer event called Operation Thank You, which will be held Thursday, Oct. 29.

Volunteers will hand-deliver the 2015-16 Sioux Falls Community Guide, 2015-16 Chamber membership window cling and the Chamber’s Annual Report to members in the Sioux Falls area. Each volunteer is assigned 10-12 deliveries to make sometime during the day, all of which are located in the same geographical area.

It’s an easy volunteer opportunity that can be accomplished in one day. It’s also a way to say “thank you” to the businesses and organizations that support the Chamber through

their membership. Participants are treated to breakfast at the kick-off and hors d’oeuvres and door prizes as part of the wrap-up at the end of the day. If you would like to volunteer for this one-day event, contact Valerie Willson at (605) 373-2010 or vwillson@ siouxfalls.com for more information.

Members — be sure to say “hi” to Operation Thank You volunteers when they come to visit on Oct. 29. You’ll have an opportunity to provide feedback about your Chamber membership via the printed survey that is hand-delivered to you on that day or through the electronic version that arrives in your inbox.

OPERATION THANK YOU Thursday, Oct. 29 Kick-off 7:30 a.m.

Wrap-up 4:30 p.m.

Holiday Inn City Centre, 100 W. 8th St. Want to join a team? Contact Valerie: vwillson@siouxfalls.com or (605) 373-2010

chambernews.com | Chamber News 45

RIBBON CUTTINGS

Ribbon Cuttings

The Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce holds ribbon cutting ceremonies for members to celebrate joining the Chamber, milestone anniversaries, grand openings, 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.

Absolute Bliss

NEW MEMBER

522 N. MAIN AVE. #108 absoluteblissbydarla.com Absolute Bliss strives to have the latest and newest techniques in beauty and offer cut and colors, microdermabrasion, sugaring/waxing, skin care, gel manicures and much more.

L to R: Sandy Case, Tom Hackl, Blake Bierwagen, Blair Bierwagen, Betty Oldenkamp, Darla Bierwagen (owner/manager) and Nathan Stallinga.

All City Pet Care East

1920 S. SYCAMORE AVE. allcitypetcareeast.com All City Pet Care East is a full-service veterinary clinic, offering the latest in diagnostics and treatments. L to R: Tanya Buskol, David Johnson, Dr. Tim Krenik, Dr. Stephanie Priesz, Larry Ayres, Dr. Paul Nantke (managing DVM), Corey Weide, Dr. Charity Arens, Bobbi Thury and Dr. Betsy Minion.

NEW MEMBER

Bank Midwest

225 S. MINNESOTA AVE. bankmidwest.com Bank Midwest opened its newest facility in the Sioux Falls market and has been partnering with customers and communities for more than 130 years. L to R: Mackenzie Weber, Corey Weide, Paul Bruflat, Tiffani Turner, Matt Sage, Randy Snyders (market president), Rick Rysavy, Stacy Wrightsman and Alissa Bootsma.

NEW MEMBER

Beck & Hofer Construction, Inc.

MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY

618 E. MAPLE ST. beckandhofer.com Beck & Hofer Construction, Inc. celebrated 35 years as a leader in commercial construction in the Sioux Empire. L to R: Randy Williams, Duane Noerenberg, Linda Beck Halliburton, Sue Beck, Corey Weide, Dick Beck (founder/ chairman of the board), Tim Sturdevant, John Beck (president), Chris Filsinger, Larry Ayres, Dave Potratz and Norm Koehn.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 47

RIBBON CUTTINGS Calhoun Communications, Inc.

NEW MEMBER

705 DOUGLAS ST. #540, SIOUX CITY, IA calhouncommunications.com Calhoun Communications, Inc. is a femaleowned and family-operated business that has been in the communications industry for more than 30 years. L to R: Chad Goldsmith, Amy O’Connor Hoback, Aaron Clayton, Lynda Billars, Lance Martin (operations director), Tony Carpenter (vice president), Adam Cooper, Janel Cole and Gin Aguinaga.

Chef To Plate

NEW MEMBER

1712 S. MINNESOTA AVE. Chef To Plate is a full service catering & event concierge company – providing the community with educational, affordable and accessible tools & services to better the health, wellness and vitality of all families. L to R: Eli Gene VandenBosch, Corbyn Jensen, Mike Hauck, Stefanie Engebretson, K. Moriah Slade (owner/ creative director), Lance A. White (chef extraordinaire), Christie Aberson, Paul Bruflat, Jay Soukup and Sara Stoneberg.

Feeding South Dakota

GROUNDBREAKING

4701 N. WESTPORT AVE. feedingsouthdakota.org Feeding South Dakota broke ground on its new 50,000 square-foot facility in northwest Sioux Falls. L to R: Jan Matthiesen, Tom Simmons, Dr. Dave Kapaska, Stacy Wrightsman, Dana Dykhouse, Max Sandlin, Dan Murphy, Matt Gassen, Kenny Anderson, Jr., Stephanie Gongopoulos, Brad Rickett, Rich Aguilar and Michael Sibley.

G.A. Johnson Construction, Inc.

NEW LOCATION

27153 SD HWY 115, STE. 101 gajci.com G.A. Johnson Construction, Inc. is a South Dakota-based construction company specializing in construction management, designbuild and general contracting services. L to R: Michael Johnson, Corey Weide, Dean Karsky, Corey Johnson (president), Jerry Johnson (CEO), Christie Aberson, Dr. Dave Kapaska, Julie Nelson and Nancy Johnson.

Midas Auto Service

1901 S. MINNESOTA AVE. midas.com Midas Auto Service is a full-service auto repair outlet with a reputation for service, quality and reliability. L to R: Vince Whaler, Corey Weide, Gary Gaspar, Dan Doyle, Byron Whaler (owner), Jack Dyvig, Angela Whaler (service writer), Jay Soukup and Ryan Peters.

NEW MEMBER

48 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

RIBBON CUTTINGS Paulson Dental

2521 S. WESTERN AVE. paulsondental.com Paulson Dental is a family-focused dental office that provides caring dental service to the whole family. L to R: Brenda Smit, Corey Weide, Jay Soukup, Angie Wahl, Matt Sage, Dr. Jill Paulson (owner), Gail Paulson, Dean Karsky and Darcy Hoffman.

NEW MEMBER

Ode to Food & Drinks (Blue Cherry LLC)

NEW MEMBER

300 N. CHERAPA PL., STE. 101 odetogoodfood.com Ode to Food & Drinks is a new restaurant in Sioux Falls with the concept of “gourmet in blue jeans.”

L to R: Mayor Mike Huether, Dan Doyle, Duane Fritz, Mary Fritz, Liz Lloyd, Chef Bob Allen, Katelyn Fritz, Raeya Allen, Corey Weide, Finn Allen, Michael Flannery, Jake Flannery, Jay Huizenga, Charlie Kramer, Theresa Flannery, Jessica Grams, Bob Kramer, Frank Gajardo and Joy Gajardo.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 49

RIBBON CUTTINGS Sanford Imagenetics

GROUNDBREAKING

22ND STREET & GRANGE AVENUE sanfordhealth.org Sanford Imagenetics broke ground on a new 100,000 square foot building dedicated to Sanford Imagenetics, a program unique to Sanford that integrates genomic medicine with innovative primary care for adults. L to R: Mike Cooper; Paul Bruflat; Jan Haugen-Rogers; Gene Hoyme, M.D.; Christina Lankhorst, M.D.; Paul Hanson; T. Denny Sanford; Scott Lawrence; Randy Bury; Brad Schipper; Eric Larson, M.D.; and Bob Winkels.

USA Media TV

usamediatv.com USA Media TV has been helping companies big and small from eBay and Microsoft to Main Street shops to create compelling videos for all uses for more than 10 years. L to R: Jackson Lechtenberg, Corey Weide, Betty Oldenkamp, Alejandro Ramirez (owner), Andrea Ramirez, Dan Doyle, Jim Schmidt and Stacy Wrightsman.

NEW MEMBER

Wal-Mart

5521 E. ARROWHEAD PKWY. walmart.com Wal-Mart completed an extensive renovation to their facility on the east side of Sioux Falls.

L to R: Aaron Feterl, Anita Wetsch, Brad Rickett, Greg Broekemeier (store manager), Mayor Mike Huether, Micah Freese and Kristie Earl.

REMODEL/EXPANSION

Westwood Apartments/Costello Property Management, LLC

NEW LOCATION

8740 W. 32ND ST. costelloco.com Westwood Apartments/Costello Property Management, LLC is a 56-unit multi-family complex in the Westwood Valley Development.

L to R: Kent Paulson, Mark Lauseng, Joan Franken (Costello Companies representative), Ken Dunlap, Corey Weide, Paul Bruflat and Darrin Smith.

YMCA

220 S. MINNESOTA AVE. siouxfallsymca.org YMCA celebrated the remodel and grand opening of the YMCA Affordable Housing Apartments. L to R: Wendy Bergan, Tabatha Lemke, Tyler Haahr, Chris Thorkelson (Lloyd Companies COO), Ken Stork (Citi CEO), Corey Weide, Eric Tucker (YMCA President/CEO), Liz Lloyd, Mark Lauseng and Al Schoeneman.

REMODEL/EXPANSION

50 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

MEMBERSHIP

New Members

Congratulations to the following members who are celebrating their milestone membership anniversaries this month and the new members who joined the Chamber in the last 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 or on your smartphone using the Chamber’s app — search “Sioux Falls Chamber” in the Google Play or iTunes stores.

Glamour Defined

Mid States Audio & Video

OLLI-Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Women’s Apparel-Retail Katie Iverson, (605) 261-4732 glamourdefined.com

Commercial Audio & Video Sarah Gross, (605) 331-4001 4012 N. Hainje Ave., 57104 midstatesaudio.com

Associate Member Nancy Wehrkamp, (605) 367-5226 4801 N. Career Ave., 57107 olliuc.org

Moe’s Southwestern Grill

Twisted Sign & Design

Restaurants Brian Wilson, (605) 275-9515 3406 S. Western Ave., 57105 moes.com

Associate Member Marie Thesenvitz, (952) 239-0569

Innovative Property Management, LLC Property Management Trisha Martinell, (605) 271-1200 5000 S. Minnesota Ave. #300, 57108

Kerner Andersson & Oligmueller Law Associate Member Anna Kerner Andersson, (402) 494-2199 1915 Dakota Ave., South Sioux City, NE 68776 kaolawgroup.com

Member Anniversaries FOUNDING MEMBERS CNA Surety

Bonds-Surety & Fidelity cnasurety.com Member Since 1907

Farm Credit Services of America Mortgages/Lending-Residential & Commercial fcsamerica.com Member Since 1922

Home Federal Bank Banks homefederal.com Member Since 1929

The First National Bank in Sioux Falls Banks fnbsf.com Member Since 1907

U.S. Bank

Wal-Mart Department Stores walmart.com

15 YEARS

Kirby Financial, L.L.C. Associate Member

Sioux Empire Baseball Association Associate Member siouxempirebaseball.org

Design Tanks, LLC Tanks-Manufacturers designtanks.com

Hancock Concrete Products, LLC

Associate Member sfacf.org

Paralyzed Veterans of America North Central Chapter

25 YEARS

Associate Member ncpva.org

Associate Member dtsf.com

52 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

Business Broker murphybusiness.com/siouxfalls

SCHEELS IcePlex Associate Member icesportsassociation.org

Radio Stations sunnyradio.com

Brick & Tile Sales i29brick.com

Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc.

Murphy Business of Sioux Falls, LLC

Financial Services

30 YEARS

Organizations-Non-Profit cancer.org

Consultants maximizingexcellence.org

Sunny Radio

Dardis Financial Strategies, LLC

Pipe & Supply hancockconcrete.com

American Cancer Society

Maximizing Excellence, LLC

10 YEARS

Banks usbank.com Member Since 1926

Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation

5 YEARS

I-29 Brick, Tile & Stone Co.

South Dakota Airshow, Inc. Associate Member siouxfallsairshow.com

FIRST YEAR MEMBERS WHO REINVESTED DURING THEIR AUGUST ANNIVERSARY MONTH Auto Finance Super Center Automobile Dealers yougetautocredit.com

Dakota Workwear Retail nybergsace.com

Denny Sanford PREMIER Center Entertainment dennysanfordpremiercenter.com

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 Joe Batcheller Joe Batcheller was born and raised in Sioux Falls. He spent the last 11 years living out west, most recently in Vail, Colo., where he was a planner for the town. Batcheller returned to Sioux Falls with his family in July to take over at Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc. as Executive Director. He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Sioux Falls, and a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California-Irvine.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT SIOUX FALLS? The sense of community is what makes Sioux Falls such a great place to live. Everybody seems to be so invested in the community. It feels good to part of something bigger than yourself, whether it’s at home, in the neighborhood or at work.

DESCRIBE SIOUX FALLS IN THREE WORDS: Can-do attitude.

JOE BATCHELLER Downtown Sioux Falls

WHAT IS ONE OF SIOUX FALLS’ BEST-KEPT SECRETS? Easy living. It’s a good place to raise a family. There are plenty of quality jobs. Sioux Falls has great shopping and exquisite dining options, especially downtown. We have a one-of-kind park system. And despite the typical laments about traffic, Sioux Falls is still rather easy to get around.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING THE CHAMBER DOES FOR THE SIOUX FALLS AREA? Advocacy. The Chamber spends a good amount of time in Pierre each year pushing issues and policies that not only impact businesses, but the entire community. Sioux Falls wins with the Chamber’s strong presence in the State Legislature.

WHAT ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW? Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen.

chambernews.com | Chamber News 53

FROM THE ARCHIVES

As a membership organization with a history spanning more than a century, the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce has influenced progress across the community in a number of ways throughout the decades.

Building on the old

Name change, new science complex help elevate Augustana The Froiland Science complex is the largest building endeavor in Augustana University’s 155-year history. In September 2015, Augustana College became Augustana University.

Phase one of the project, which will open this December, includes a 41,000-squarefoot addition to the existing Gilbert Science Center, located at the corner of Summit Avenue and 33rd Street.

Phase two will feature a complete renovation of the existing facility, originally dedicated in 1966 and named in honor of Gerhard A. Gilbert, a South Dakotabased businessman who served as mayor of Watertown, S.D., from 1948-54.

When complete, the new complex will be named in honor of longtime biology professor and a champion of scientific research at the university, Dr. Sven Froiland. Gilbert’s name will be remembered by naming the west wing of the building the Gilbert Wing.

Pictured above is the rendering for the Gilbert Science Center, which was built in the 1960s on the campus of what was then known-as Augustana College. The science building (below) will retain the Gilbert name in one wing of the complex to honor the original namesake.

The $35 million project features a new, high-fidelity nursing simulation center, multiple technology-rich “classatories” — rooms mixing traditional classroom elements and laboratory components — and state-of-theart research areas for faculty researchers and their student collaborators in areas such as physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics.

The new facility will also feature glassenclosed laboratories, designs university officials say will put “science on display” for all students and further enhance the culture of research that exists on the campus today. Along with new teaching and research spaces, the Froiland Complex will include numerous open study areas for students near faculty offices along with new collaborative areas for computer science, physics, mathematics and chemistry students and faculty.

For more information about the project and to see progress photos, go to augie.edu/ science.

54 Chamber News | OCTOBER 2015

Pictured is an architect’s rendering of the new Froiland Science Complex at Augustana University. It is an addition to the existing Gilbert Science Center.