Listen in as ‘Growing Places’ highlights people, places of Sioux Falls metro area
March 28, 2022
This paid piece is sponsored by Sioux Metro Growth Alliance.
A couple running a popular coffee shop in Dell Rapids.
A woman bringing needed child care to Garretson.
Community innovation around economic development in Lennox and involving housing in Baltic.
They’ve all been topics on the recently launched “Growing Places” podcast produced by Sioux Metro Growth Alliance.
The podcast started a few month ago and has been growing its audience steadily.
“It’s another way for us to tell the story of the Sioux metro,” said Jesse Fonkert, president and CEO of the economic development organization.
“And we know a growing number of people like being able to pull up a podcast on their way to work, at the gym or whenever they have a few minutes to learn something new. It’s been a very accessible way to reach people – and we have no shortage of topic to tackles.”
Leading the effort is Molly Stevens, a junior at Augustana University studying economics and computer information systems.
A Minnesota native, she began as an economic development intern last fall and was tasked with launching the podcast.
“It has been a great experience for me and pushed me out of my comfort zone,” Stevens said. “It has definitely been a learning curve, from brainstorming a name to creating cover art to audio editing software and simply talking in front of a microphone.”
Jay Buchholz, host of “Inside the Grid” podcast for Sioux Valley Energy, helped Stevens get started, and the stories have carried the program from there.
“As the Sioux metro continues to grow, we want to better highlight and tell the stories of the people and businesses doing great things in their communities,” Stevens said. “It has been very fun for me and for our whole team to meet and talk to people about things they are passionate about and to constantly learn from those around us.”
Here’s a look at the first episodes.
“The response has been great so far,” Stevens said. “We want to continue making the podcast better and reach a wider audience as we create episodes about people, business and projects that impact communities in the Sioux metro region.”
Episodes post on Monday nights, last 20 to 25 minutes – perfect for a morning commute or dog walk – and are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts and at siouxmetro.com.
If you have an idea for a guest or a project you’d like highlighted, email [email protected].
Time to celebrate
Did you know Sioux Metro Growth Alliance has a new downtown location? It’s located at 196 E. Sixth St., Suite 200. Celebrate with a ribbon-cutting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
To learn more about the new space, click below.
