Oct. 1, 2020

The late, longtime city planning director Steve Metli has been named the winner of the Spirit of Sioux Falls Award by the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

The award is given annually in recognition of leadership excellence and dedication to the Sioux Falls business community and its economic growth.

Metli died in 2017 at age 71. He led the city’s planning and building services department from 1974 until his retirement in 2005.

“I think Steve would be very, very humble in accepting this Spirit of Sioux Falls award but also very proud,” said Mike Cooper, who succeeded Metli as department head, in a video tribute to Metli. “And I think it shows the legacy of what he accomplished over the years and it’s just extremely appropriate that he receive this award.”

“I have no doubt that Steve would be very proud of where Sioux Falls is at today and just seeing today how Sioux Falls is such a great place to live”

The honor “would mean the world to him,” agreed Metli’s longtime friend, Craig Lloyd, co-founder of Lloyd Companies.

“As we look around the community  we see the handprints of Steve Metli,” Lloyd said. “They’re probably everywhere. He drove a lot of people to develop downtown. And it was never just ‘built something’ he wanted something that would be proud for the next 100 years.”