July 25, 2024

This paid piece is sponsored by Sioux Metro Growth Alliance.

Chris Fields will tell you he has found the job he has been hoping for much of his career.

Since starting at Sioux Metro Growth Alliance earlier this year as an economic development and member relations specialist, Fields has been able to embrace his passion for serving the public sector.

With more than 20 years of experience in customer service, sales and leadership, he brings a broad perspective to the role. Originally from the Kansas City area, Fields lived in several states growing up before graduating from high school in Massachusetts and returning to Kansas for college, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration.

“My entire educational background is in the public sector, but all my professional experience has been in the private sector,” said Fields, who came to Sioux Falls in 2016 from Missouri for family reasons and previously worked as an underwriting specialist.

“When I saw the role come up at Sioux Metro Growth Alliance, I jumped at it because I had previously expressed interest in connecting there if an opportunity ever came up. It feels really good to be able to do something I’m passionate about.”

In his first months on the job, there has been a lot of learning and already steps taken toward making a difference in Sioux Metro communities. We sat down with Fields to learn more about his role, priorities and projects underway.

What has stood out to you about your first six months at Sioux Metro Growth Alliance?

I’ve been learning a lot, both day to day and also through a number of conferences that have had a lot of good information that pertains to economic development. So far this has been a dream job. I’ve wanted a job like this my entire career, and to work in the fastest-growing region in the country has been fascinating.

Your role primarily has supported economic development in Salem as part of a contract with Sioux Metro Growth Alliance. What kind of traction are you seeing in that community?

What stands out to me about Salem is that for a town its size, about 1,300 people, they have a lot of amenities. There are medical and chiropractic offices, several law offices, a grocery store, a bank, the school district, so for a town that size, they have a lot of services, and you don’t have to go to Mitchell or Sioux Falls.

We’re working to develop an industrial park there and have land available for businesses, and the big undertaking is a new residential housing development on the site of a former nursing home that was heavily damaged during the derecho a couple years ago. We’re ready to start construction on five houses, and one lot has already been purchased. We have more infrastructure work coming, and we hope to have up to two dozen lots available potentially as early as next fall.

You’ll now also be supporting the community of Garretson, which just committed to contract with SMGA for economic development services. What’s your take on the potential of that community?

We are just starting that relationship, so the first 60 days will be doing a lot of assessments and holding meetings with individuals throughout the community. But I really see opportunities to further capitalize on their parks. Garretson calls itself the City of Parks, and especially with Palisades State Park, there’s a lot of potential to raise awareness and build around that attraction.

There’s been talk of building a trail from downtown to Palisades, which would be an awesome connector. And I know there’s a need for housing in Garretson and potentially some land that might be a fit for a development. There’s a lot going on in Garretson, and it’s only a short ride — less than 20 minutes from parts of Sioux Falls — so I think it’ll be a lot of fun to work with them.

You also experience the Sioux Metro as a resident in Tea. What kind of development activity is happening in your own backyard?

I live in one of the newer areas of Tea, and there’s so much happening. They just put in a new water tower, and in the next couple years, the plan is to build an elementary school near our house, so it will be fun because we have a 2 1/2-year-old, so he might be part of the first kindergarten class.

It’s funny because when I first moved to Sioux Falls, I had a job delivering furniture, and I remember back then this was all farmland with a couple apartment complexes, and now we’ve seen it literally built from nothing to include houses, schools. Our church is building a brand-new building, and there a number of other developments. It’s really fun to be here and witness it firsthand not only as an economic development practitioner but as a resident too.

Are there other initiatives you’re looking forward to tackling at Sioux Metro Growth Alliance?

One that we’re in the midst of developing is a new corporate partnership tiered system, so we can take on corporate members with a variety of benefits available to them. We see that as a way to grow and support our mission, so be looking out for details on that. And then in September, we’re adding a new event, a clay pigeon shooting event to raise money to support scholarships for tech school students, especially parents who might need help with child care costs.

To connect with Chris Fields, email chrisf@siouxmetro.com, and to learn more about Sioux Metro Growth Alliance, click here.