economic development

A sign in Mitchell advertising workforce housing for delivery. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

100 more, and still short: State money helps Mitchell build houses for workers

BY: - November 26, 2023

About a tenth of the 450 employees at Trail King in Mitchell drive 100 miles a day to get there and back from Huron. The pay is worth the drive, according to Trail King’s Lee Anderson, but that doesn’t mean they like it. Most would happily move to Mitchell, he said – at least they […]

Early Learner South Dakota Executive Director Kayla Klein, left, talks with Lake Area Improvement Corporation Executive Director Brooke Rollag during a session at the Early Learner Summit on Sept. 21, 2023, in Brookings. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

City leaders fund child care center with tax district typically used for roads, sewer

BY: - November 22, 2023

Brooke Rollag cannot work without child care. The mother of four is the economic development director for the Lake Area Improvement Corporation in Madison. Her job is to understand what businesses need to locate and expand in the area. And in Madison, those businesses need child care. “Child care is infrastructure,” Rollag said. “When you […]

The South Dakota State Capitol, pictured on Nov. 2, 2022. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

State board awards $2.38 million in low-interest business loans

BY: - November 9, 2023

The state Board of Economic Development approved two business loans this week totaling $2.38 million. The board met Wednesday and approved a $1.8 million Revolving Economic Development & Initiative (REDI) loan for Southfork Investments LLC to buy and improve a building, and a $575,000 SD Works loan for Harris Machine Co. to buy equipment. Harris […]

Mayor Deborah McIsaac does paperwork in Baltic's city administration building during the fall of 2023. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Baltic controversy serves as cautionary tale about big development in small towns

BY: - October 21, 2023

BALTIC — Mayor Deborah McIsaac said she was shocked when she took office in 2022 and discovered a housing development in town had been given the green light without basic paperwork ensuring accountability. “I’m like, ‘seriously?’” McIsaac said.  The situation evolved into a political crisis — including a failed mayoral recall — for the town […]

The South Dakota Capitol is reflected in Capitol Lake. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

State board approves $25 million bond for large dairy

BY: - October 11, 2023

A state board approved a bond of up to $25 million Wednesday to help a dairy near Bryant construct manure management facilities.  During a Zoom meeting, the South Dakota Economic Development Finance Authority approved issuing the bond for the 12,500-cow Washington Dairy owned by Riverview, a Minnesota company that already operates four other dairies and […]

Attendees fill the firehouse in Hazel on Oct. 3, 2023, during a public information meeting about a proposed 12,500-cow dairy. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

$86 million dairy proposed on land owned by governor’s brothers

BY: - October 4, 2023

HAZEL — An $86 million, 12,500-cow dairy project is proposed on 250 acres currently owned by Gov. Kristi Noem’s brothers in northeastern South Dakota, and it faces opposition from some local residents. The brothers plan to sell the land to the company proposing the dairy. One of Noem’s two brothers, Rock Arnold, spoke at a […]

The cost of holiday baking was higher in 2022, as prices for eggs were up 49.1% over 2021, according to the Consumer Price Index. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Slower growth, sluggish borrowing expected to impact South Dakota economy

BY: - May 31, 2023

Higher interest rates, inflation, a cooling housing sector and a dip in consumer spending are expected to slow economic growth in South Dakota, according to the state Bureau of Finance and Management. The agency’s projections for two years of lower growth in the state came during Wednesday’s meeting of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers. […]

The South Dakota Capitol building in Pierre. (Getty Images)

Most out-of-state worker recruitment cash goes unspent

BY: - May 5, 2023

A few years ago, an economic development office in Yankton asked for and received access to $100,000 from the state to train local employees and recruit out-of-state workers. The funding helped pull in a manufacturing quality manager, two professors, a vice president of enrollment, an accountant and a fire chief from states including Illinois, Nebraska, […]