From the Director

Business Grant Criteria   DADi also has Business Grants available to help promote business.  The criteria is as follows: 1)  The business receiving the grant must be a Deuel County business. 2)  An Application for a Business Grant must be filled out. 3)  “Start-up’ businesses will take precedence in receiving grants. 4)  Clientele need to demonstrate they have an understanding of the components of business planning and the corresponding importance of business plans to small business success. As a result, business plan coaching with the DADi Executive Director will be required as a component for technical assistance consideration. 5)  Grants should ideally aid a business with Technical...

Deuel Area Development, Inc. June 5, 2018   Agri-Tourism in South Dakota   Some times it’s difficult to see Economic Development moving at all.  It takes quite a while for things to take place, for grants to be accepted or turned down, for  committees to form and work together towards their goal.  Many people want to see change and some do not.  Many people want to see it when they snap their fingers and I learned when I took this position that it won’t happen that way.  As director, I try to keep moving forward and many times work with those I network with in...

Deuel Area Development, Inc. April 17, 2018   Governor Daugaard’s Message – Think Big   This time of year there are always so many conferences, workshops, and webinars to register for.  Sometimes I feel like, as a ED Director, that my brain is on overload in this information age we find ourselves in.  I will forever be learning about this position and all the possibilities out there.  I recently returned from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development Conference on “Think Big.”  Governor Daugaard has led the charge these past two terms, where economic development is concerned.  He’s done a marvelous job in being an ambassador...

April 2, 2018   When A Business Closes Their Doors   As the Director of Deuel Area Development and attending so many conferences on community and economic development, I wonder a great deal about what is ahead for the rural lifestyle and the counties we live in.  A colleague of mine once shared what seemed like an outrageous number as to the number of Baby Boomers that will be retiring in the next 8-10 years.  His statistic is that nearly 6,000 Baby Boomers will be retiring in the Brookings area alone.  It’s going to affect them hugely in housing needs, and changing the landscape...

Working Together – Collaboration   Are we willing to view the world in a different way?  The following are ways that our countys’ non-profit organizations can develop and sustain successful skills at collaborations; working with others to produce or create something together.  The impact we have on our communities relates to how we work together—not only in Deuel County but outside our borders.  The following are some effective rules of effective collaboration for all our organizations.   Believe in the value of the work you do every day.  Non-profits have never been more important to the well-being of our communities and society as they...

Those Big Box Stores   I have wondered if it is about aging that I do not really care to walk to walk through “Big Box Stores” anymore; even with 'falling prices." The whole "Big Box" idea seems so impersonal and I'm not crazy about the size of these mega beasts. I don't mean to point fingers at some of these stores, I realize they provide many jobs and meet many budgets.  I really do not want to walk from the dog food aisle to the back corner for a gallon of milk.  I have a close friend that owned her own...