February was a busy month for Choose Clark County’s Economic Development efforts, with a lot of exciting conversations about how to grow our communities and tackle challenges head-on. One of the biggest events was the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) Conference, which I attended during the last week of February. It was a great opportunity to hear from industry leaders, connect with other communities, and bring fresh ideas back to Clark County.
Bringing Digital Opportunities to South Dakotans
One of the first sessions I attended focused on connecting South Dakotans to digital opportunities. As technology keeps evolving, it’s important that our communities—especially rural ones—have the tools and resources to keep up. Access to digital jobs, training, and infrastructure could make a big difference in keeping our workforce strong and competitive.
Economic & Workplace Forecasts: What’s Coming Next?
Another session took a deep dive into economic and workplace trends, with insights from some of the biggest businesses across the country. It was really eye-opening to hear about the large-scale challenges companies are facing and then bring it back to what that means for South Dakota—especially small towns like ours. One big takeaway? We need to stay ahead of shifts in the job market, automation, and workforce needs so we can keep our communities thriving.
Marketing Our Communities & Helping New Residents Feel at Home
Attracting new residents and businesses is always a hot topic, and one session focused specifically on marketing communities to help them grow. Another covered how to welcome and retain people once they get here, which is just as important.
I had some great conversations with our counterparts from Watertown about starting a community concierge program in this part of the state. The idea is to have a system in place to help people explore their options, find the right community, and feel at home from the start. If Clark County isn’t the perfect fit for someone, we’d have connections to help them land in another South Dakota town that is—because at the end of the day, keeping people in the state benefits all of us.
The Child Care Challenge
If you’ve got kids, you already know—childcare is tough to find. One of the sessions focused on childcare challenges, but most of the discussion was centered on larger communities like Pierre and Brookings, which have more resources like the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club. Smaller towns like ours face different struggles, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find solutions.
Having a child myself, I see firsthand how limited options are. It’s tough when you have to tell your daycare provider about big life news before you even tell close family—just to make sure you have a spot. This is something I want to dig into more this year. My goal is to get a group together to talk about what’s working, what’s not, and what we can do to improve child care access in our area. By learning from other communities that have tackled this issue, we might be able to come up with ideas that fit Clark County’s needs.
Inviting Governor Rhoden to Clark County
During the conference, Lieutenant Governor and Governor Rhoden spoke about their commitment to visiting South Dakota’s communities and seeing local successes firsthand. As soon as I heard that, I knew we needed to get Clark County on that list!
This week, I reached out to the Governor’s Office and submitted a formal request for Governor Rhoden to join us for Potato Days. It would be an awesome way to showcase what makes Clark County special, and I’m really hopeful we can make it happen.
Wind Turbine Recycling: Next Steps
Another update worth mentioning is the wind turbine recycling program. It’s been a challenge due to high costs, carcinogenic risks, and proprietary processes, but there’s been progress. We now have some solid industry connections that have found solutions, and I’m hoping we can explore bringing those opportunities to Clark County or at least South Dakota as a whole.
Looking Ahead
March is shaping up to be another busy month as we keep pushing forward on economic development efforts. Whether it’s improving child care, marketing our communities, or exploring new industry partnerships, there’s a lot of potential for growth.
If you’ve got ideas, questions, or want to be part of the conversation, let’s talk! Choose Clark County is all about working together to make our communities even stronger.
605.880.7840
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