Tea focuses on economic growth with rebranding organization
Oct. 23, 2019
This paid piece is sponsored by the Lincoln County Economic Development Association.
Tea’s entity for helping promote economic growth is entering its own new stage of growth.
The nonprofit Tea Economic Development Corporation was founded in 1997 with a goal of bringing businesses to Tea, creating jobs and making the city a better place to work and live.
Governed by nine volunteer board members, it’s funded by the city and functions as a chamber of commerce. Its activities include providing information to prospective new businesses, sponsoring ribbon-cuttings and newspaper coverage for new local businesses, sponsoring a mixer for business owners in the spring and hosting an annual banquet in December.
Chellee Unruh, the new board president, shares more about the organization and its evolving role.
How would you describe the role of the Tea Economic Development Corporation?
I would say that the role of TEDC is to help local businesses grow and prosper through engagement, promotion and professional development. We need to create an environment where businesses can thrive in order to attract new businesses to our community.
What are some of your priorities as board president?
My priority is to rebrand TEDC and relaunch it as a chamber with valuable benefits for the membership. The ultimate goal is to help create a community and a culture with the current businesses, help build a network and environment where business can be successful. If we can create an active chamber, then we can make our community more attractive to businesses that are looking for a location to start their business or expand their business.
What are some of the greatest opportunities you see for economic development in Tea?
I think there is opportunity for restaurants to expand in Tea. We are already seeing Squealer’s Smoke Shack grow into a bigger location. I am hopeful that it will attract additional food-service options to Tea, even some fast-food options. We are also seeing other businesses like Octane Ink expand their business by building new locations in Tea, so I am hoping that it will bring other retail and service-type businesses.
What are some of the biggest hurdles the community is trying to overcome to support further growth?
I would say one hurdle that we are working to overcome is creating the sense of community and shopping local. Tea has seen several businesses come and go through the years, including Sunshine Foods, Shenanigans Sports Bar & Grill, Dakota Grill, and even WR Hospitality started a restaurant in Tea that eventually closed. The reason these and other businesses have closed is because a large number of residents work in Sioux Falls and shop in Sioux Falls on their way home or make the quick drive to Sioux Falls for restaurants and shopping. We need to create a culture of shopping local and supporting the local businesses in Tea. We need to create a “shop local” movement.
Are there ways others can partner with the Tea EDC? Businesses or other public entities?
TEDC is open to partnering with other organizations such as LECDA/MEDCA for the growth and expansion of Tea. There are a lot of best practices we can learn from as we rebuild and create value for our members. We are excited about the reboot of this organization and would love to get more people involved. We are hoping to become the community resource for volunteerism, business promotion and professional development.
