Feb. 26, 2021

The Sioux Metro Growth Alliance has named multiple organizations and individuals winners of its 2020 Partners in Progress Awards.

Business Partner of the Year: Corson Development Association

The Business Partner of the Year is awarded to a company, enterprise or entrepreneur doing business in the Sioux Falls metro area that has shown outstanding community development support or regional economic development partnership activity during the preceding year.

The Corson Development Association, comprised of private and quasi-governmental organizations, helped support the creation of 451 primary jobs and nearly $30 million in taxable property.

Together, the  partners contributed almost $1 million in the early 2000s to purchase and develop 117 acres in the metro area. Thanks to a strong economy and willing partners, this group was able to close out the partnership late in 2020.

After creating jobs and tax base, the goal was to return 1.5 times the initial investment to each of the shareholders, which it did.

The partners that helped make this group possible are:

• Alliance Communications
• The First National Bank in Sioux Falls
• Great Western Bank
• Sioux Valley Energy
• Sioux Falls Development Foundation
• Minnehaha County Economic Development Association

Community Innovation: Canton

This title is awarded to an investor member community that has demonstrated new ideas in community development or achieved a community goal through partnership and community effort.

The community of Canton identified a need for housing years ago and came together to help address it.

The local economic development group worked with a health foundation to incorporate parks and green space into a preliminary plan for a housing development that would address the shortage in the community and create active, healthy lifestyles.

This economic development group was able to secure an option on the property owned by the health foundation, which then allowed it to start pitching the site to interested parties.

After a competitive selection process, one developer was chosen, and dirt should be moving in 2021 or 2022 for Canton’s next single-family and multifamily housing development.

Regional Economic Development Champion: Dennis Olson, city of Brandon

This award is given to an individual living in or working in Minnehaha or Lincoln counties who has shown active support for community development through recent or cumulative past service to economic development and community enhancement.

Dennis Olson has an accomplished career in economic development, including a partnership to bring businesses together with public sector partners to create the Corson Industrial Park. His long-term economic philosophy has created hundreds of jobs in the Brandon area, with thousands of dollars of property taxes. He’s also a willing mentor, helping others understand what goes into economic development and thinking regionally in his approach.

The awards were presented at the annual meeting of the newly announced Sioux Metro Growth Alliance. To learn more about the organization, click below.

Economic development organizations combine to form Sioux Metro Growth Alliance