P ierre Area Chamber of Commerce
June 2020 Newsletter


Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce, Pierre Convention & Visitors Bureau & Pierre Economic Development Corporation E-News


This is the electronic version of the Pierre Area Chamber's June 2020 newsletter. We continue to provide a hard copy of this document in the Capital Journal as well.

Life is good on the river,
The Staff at the
Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce

In This Issue
2020 Chamber Board of Directors
  
Executive Board
Meredith Lee - President,
Lee Real Estate
Thomas Allerdings - Vice President,  ClubHouse Hotel & Suites
Angie Bollweg - Secretary,
Sanford Health
Melissa Puepke - Treasurer
First Dakota National Bank
Jennifer Anderson - Past President,  Anderson, Nill & Associates
 
Board Members
Steve Bass
Edgewood Senior Living
Russ Hofeldt
A-G-E Construction
Chris McConnell
Black Hills FCU
Aaron Fabel
Oahe YMCA
Kristie Maher
SD Discovery Center
Jodie Hickman Anderson
Strategic Association Services
Dennis Rounds
Consultant
Tori Reeves
BankWest
Pam Metzinger
Branding Iron Bistro
Jamie Maher
Maher Dental Clinic
Tanner Kost
Dakota Prairie Bank

Ex-Officio Members
Ron Wagner, PEDCO President
Pierre Mayor Steve Harding
Ft. Pierre Mayor Gloria Hanson
 
2020 PEDCO Board of Directors
  
Ron Wagner - Chair  
First National Bank
Andy Hubbart - Chair-Elect
BankWest
Mark Anderson - Secretary
SD Department of Labor
Kim Easland - Treasurer
American Bank & Trust
Doug Abraham
May, Adam Law Firm
Rick Dockter
Ameriprise Financial
Zach Clark
Clark Insurance
Dawn Morris
Morris Inc.
Kim Olson
Sen. Mike Rounds Office
Prakash Saripalli
My3Tech
Karl Richards
Avera Medical Associates
Damon Wheelhouse
Allied Plumbing & Heating
Gordon Woods
SD Intrastate Pipeline

Liaisons - Annual Appointment
Jamie Huizenga
Pierre City Commission
Meredith Lee
Chamber of Commerce
Kristi Honeywell
Pierre City Administrator
Norm Weaver
Hughes County Commission

Administration
Jim Protexter
Chief Operating Officer
Alicia Fabel
Administrative Asst.
 
Pierre Economic Development Corporation 
2020 Investor List
(From 4/20 to 5/22)
   
Thank you to the following businesses, organizations and individuals who are supporting economic development in Central South Dakota through their PEDCO membership investment.

Bronze Investors - $150
Krueger Contracting Inc., State 123 Theater

 

Grab your favorite cup of Joe and join the Chamber for our first Chamber Brew on Zoom Wednesday, May 27 at 9AM. We are reimagining what Business After Hours looks like, and we want to make sure we know and share the stories from our community at this time. Please pre-register . You might even be a lucky winner to one of the fabulous prizes, too!
CEO's Report
Jamie Seiner, Chief Executive Officer
While COVID-19 presents an ongoing threat to the community, Pierre and Fort Pierre have been able to minimize the initial impact and implement protocols that help to limit its spread. Our attention now must pivot to our greatest threat - our urgent need to revive the local economy.

Business leaders, along with government health leaders, are working to provide a responsible solution for providing consumer safety, and perhaps most importantly, provide consumers with the confidence that businesses fully understand this new priority. Like Dr. Holland from Avera stated in a recent Q&A session with me on Facebook, we need to learn how to live with COVID-19.

Government leaders and public health officials will make decisions and issue guidance; however, it is regaining some aspect of normalcy that will determine by how people feel, and what motivates them to act or not act.
The community will ultimately decide how we move through this based on how serious we take the six commitments of the Be Clean. Be Healthy. Be Safe. Pledge, outlined by The Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce:
  1. We have a COVID-19 plan and all staff are properly trained.
  2. We will stay home and get tested when we are sick.
  3. We will sanitize any high-traffic areas between each customer.
  4. We will sanitize our hands between each customer
  5. We will utilize PPE to protect those we serve. 
  6. Our facility is set up to meet social distancing guidelines.
Businesses must prepare, and should be ready, to implement strategies to protect their workforce from COVID-19 while ensuring continuity of operations. People must feel safe to venture back out into the workplace, entertainment venues, and places of worship. They must have confidence that our economy, and their own finances, will recover. That is what will drive the demand needed to restore growth.

Consumers want physical, visual assurances that places of business are safe. These might include placing hand sanitizer in a high traffic area, having employees clean more frequently, showing a visible plan of action to protect customers and employees, and a certification from local health officials that the business is abiding by recommendations. We have provided the signs and stickers for businesses and organizations who take the Be Clean. Be Healthy. Be Safe. Pledge.

Consumers are optimistic and are stifling demands for goods or services that have become limited or unavailable in the pandemic. When we reopen, our local businesses must seize those opportunities. One way to expand your reach is to post your items on our www.pierrearea.shopwhereilive.com website.

Customer behavior and expectations may significantly, and permanently, change (e.g. greater demand for local online and contact-free services). We must be ready to meet new demands and expectations in the post-COVID environment.

Pierre and Fort Pierre have the opportunity to be a role model for the state of South Dakota in how to reopen our economy; however, it will take collaboration among business, government, and an increased sense of personal responsibility to get us there. Cooperation will allow us to move quickly through the transition phases and accelerate the timeline to reopening our economy and getting everyone back to work.

Please use our Ready to Work Playbook that is getting statewide attention to navigate your business with current health and cleaning protocols. Take the Pledge, get your Playbook, and sell your goods and services online all at the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce's website, www.pierre.org.

Loyal2Local,
Jamie Seiner

Pierre Mayor Steve Harding's Report
Progress in spite of the Pandemic

It seems our lives have slowed down considerably, and in some cases, come to a screeching halt. It can be disheartening, especially when we don't know how far we are from the COVID-19 finish line. With us all growing weary of this pandemic, it's important to reflect on the positive progress we're making.

I was reminded of this recently when I received an operational update from the City Parks Department. Although, they have adjusted their practices, they are still making very visible progress.

For instance, the shade structures and backstop netting at the Griffin Park Baseball field are up. The City's new storm shelter is open complete with outdoor seating, and, with the exception of landscaping, the rehabilitation of the Steamboat Park trail is complete. What's more, the pond near hole 7 at Hillsview Golf Course has been re-established, we did a mass planting of native trees and shrubs at the city arboretum, and soon we'll have a butterfly garden.

Our construction crews might not be following the schedule we originally had planned for this construction season, but they are still moving Pierre forward. Our street and water teams are focusing on maintenance to better preserve our infrastructure; airport improvements, like renovated taxiways, are underway and will be ready for travelers when the pandemic ends; and many of our essential services, such as solid waste disposal, have never been disrupted.
I'm even more encouraged when I look at the two biggest projects we have mapped out for Pierre.

The water treatment facility that will transition your potable H2O from ground water to treated surface water from the Missouri River is still on schedule. We're at 60% design stage, and we still expect to start moving dirt by the end of this summer.

The $15 million investment we're making at the wastewater treatment plant also continues to move forward. We're at 60% designs stage there too and expect to bid that project in August. When that project is complete next spring, we'll have a more efficient, better smelling wastewater plant in Pierre.

This certainly isn't an exhaustive list of all the places we're making headway in Pierre, but it is enough to buoy spirits and remind us all that we're making progress in spite of the pandemic.

I encourage you to look for similar positive examples in your personal life.
COVID-19 might have slowed us down, but it's not stopping us!


Fort Pierre Mayor Gloria Hanson's Report
Someone posed the question, "if you had been asked in 2015 what you would be doing in five years, would you have ever guessed homeschooling your kids, wearing a mask to shop for groceries, and washing your hands 30 times a day?"

The good news is that Hughes and Stanley Counties have done a good job of keeping our COVID-19 cases low, and the health facilities have not been overwhelmed. Our citizens and businesses have, for the most part, taken this threat seriously and have responded in a responsible and community-minded manner. Thank you.

We have all learned the basics of participating in a ZOOM meeting, 70-year-olds and 7-year-olds alike. We have lived through the dreaded toilet paper shortage, and learned to cook for ourselves again. And who among us will have to learn to attend church again in something other than pajamas?

Our businesses have responded by being creative to stay afloat. Let's not forget to keep supporting them by doing business locally. They are, after all, the ones who respond when we need sponsorships for important community projects.

Looking ahead to the summer, the governing board is moving ahead with plans to hold the State High School Rodeo Finals in Fort Pierre June 14-21. As of this writing, we plan to open the swimming pool, with a number of changes, i.e., scheduled swimming sessions, no swimming lessons, frequent closure for cleaning, etc. The fish cleaning station, parks, picnic shelter, and public restrooms are open.

Our 4th of July will look mostly the same, with rodeos on July 3-4, and the big fireworks display following the rodeo on July 4th. Fireworks vendors will be selling their wares as usual, following CDC guidelines. The "4 on the 4th" fun run will take place. Our plans for the big parade are tentative, but right now, the only major change we are considering is to prohibit anything to be thrown from the floats or handed out to attendees. That may be a big disappointment for kids who love having bags of candy to take home from the parade. Parents, please plan accordingly!

Please stay vigilant, and don't let down your guard. You know the drill -- wear masks, practice safe distancing, socialize in small groups, and wash your hands. Let's continue to keep our community and our families safe.



Capital City Economy
February 2020
Current Month
Same Month 2019
Percent Change
2020 YTD
2019 YTD
Percent Change
CITY TAX RECEIPTS
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pierre 2%
$611,121
$569,823
7.2%
$1,382,022
$1,285,863
7.5%
Pierre 1% BBB
$41,233
$44,038
-6.4%
$86,481
$85,073
1.7%
Fort Pierre 2%
$96,073
$78,193
22.9%
$184,894
$161,652
14.4%
Fort Pierre 1% BBB
$11,596
$7,278
59.3%
$21,344
$15,935
33.9%
OCCUPANCY TAX
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pierre BID #1
$16,620
$14,152
17.4%
$33,966
$32,174
5.6%
AIRPORT BOARDINGS
 
 
 
 
 
 
SkyWest
1,345
0
0.0%
2,652
328
708.5%
DAILY TRAFFIC
 
 
 
 
 
 
Missouri River Bridge
13,950
12,375
12.7%
27,196
24,992
8.8%
US 14 East of Pierre
2,559
2,326
10.0%
5,024
4,761
5.5%
CITY OF PIERRE BUILDING PERMITS
 
 
 
 
 
 
Residential:
New Homes
Stick Built - Number
3
0
4
1
   Dollar Amount
$324,000
$0
0.0%
$584,000
$300,000
94.7%
Other* - Number
0
1
0
1
   Dollar Amount
$0
$51,900
0.0%
$0
$51,900
0.0%
Remodeling
Number
6
3
8
7
   Dollar Amount
$56,898
$7,000
712.8%
$63,898
$93,247
-31.5%
Commercial:
New Buildings
Number
0
0
0
1
   Dollar Amount
$0
$0
0.0%
$0
$56,000
0.0%
Improvements
Number
0
4
1
8
   Dollar Amount
$0
$227,232
0.0%
$30,000
$254,220
-88.2%
Total Permits**
Number
29
16
36
51
   Dollar Amount
$393,270
$331,130
18.8%
$694,525
$849,378
-18.2%
HUGHES COUNTY BUILDING PERMITS
 
 
 
 
 
 
Residential:
New Homes
Number
0
0
0
0
   Dollar Amount
$0
$0
0.0%
$0
$0
0.0%
Other* - Number
0
1
0
1
   Dollar Amount
$0
$122,000
0.0%
$0
$122,000
0.0%
Remodeling
Number
0
1
2
3
   Dollar Amount
$0
$17,000
0.0%
$50,000
$59,000
-15.3%
Commercial:
New Buildings
Number
0
0
0
0
   Dollar Amount
$0
$0
0.0%
$0
$0
0.0%
Improvements
Number
0
0
0
0
   Dollar Amount
$0
$0
0.0%
$0
$0
0.0%
Total Permits**
Number
2
3
4
5
   Dollar Amount
$19,000
$239,000
-92.1%
$69,000
$281,000
-75.4%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
WORK FORCE              
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pierre MiSA***
Total Work Force
12,535
12,559
Total Employed
12,121
12,132
Total Unemployed
414
427
Unemployment Rate
3.3%
3.4%
* Includes multi-family, mobile and manufactured homes
** Includes residential, commercial, and all other permits.
*** Pierre Micropolitan Statistical Area includes Hughes & Stanley counties
Source: Pierre Economic Development Corporation Research



Being #Loyal2Local is more than just a 'catchy phrase'. Now more than ever, remember the impact your dollars have on our local economy when you decide to shop local!

Shopping, dining and doing business with those in our communities help support the businesses that strengthen and diversify our area.

A special THANK YOU to Maxwell Strategies for helping us champion this great platform. We are all in this together!

Shop the Pierre Area here:  pierrearea.shopwhereilive.com
CVB Report
Tia Kafka , Convention & Visitors Bureau Director
I n May, the CVB and Pierre Area Chamber developed and released the Be Clean. Be Healthy. Be Safe. pledge and toolkit for businesses. This was an important initiative for our community. The toolkit provides resources for local businesses to safely open their businesses, and the pledge provides the community with peace of mind that businesses are doing what they can to provide products and services safely for the area. As a result, we will increase consumer and visitor confidence and encourage commerce in our community.
We are asking businesses to pledge to:
  1. Have a COVID-19 plan and all staff are properly trained
  2. Stay home and get tested when we are sick
  3. Sanitize any high-traffic areas between each customer
  4. Sanitize our hands between each customer
  5. Utilize PPE to protect those we serve
  6. Set up facilities to meet social distancing guidelines
We are encouraging all businesses to take the pledge to help establish a baseline for serving their customers and visitors in the Pierre area. To take the pledge visit https://pierre.org/your-community/covid-19-toolkit/take-the-pledge/. Once the you have taken the pledge, you will be able to download the Ready to Work playbook, a checklist, the pledge poster and a copy of the Be Clean. Be Healthy. Be Safe. logo.



Back to Work directives are coming soon. Keep checking our Toolkit for up-to-date information!
Membership Report
Katie Johnson, Membership Director
In the wake of the spread of COVID-19, the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Shop Where I Live to launch www.pierrearea.shopwhereilive.com, an online platform for small businesses to come together to sell products and services online.

On May 1st, we asked you to shop local with our May Day Extravaganza. With your help, our area businesses received almost $8000 worth of gift cards and products sold in just one day! Customers do want to shop local to support their community, but they do not always have the time to go into multiple stores to find something - the Chamber believes pierrearea.shopwhereilive.com is the answer. We encourage everyone to be Loyal 2 Local and shop the Pierre area first.

Business After Hours in our normal format has been paused; instead, we will be hosting our first Chamber Brew. Register now to join our Zoom meeting to hear from a panel of six Chamber members on how COVID-19 has affected their business, how they are managing these trying times, and what their back to normal plan will be. Join us and hear how Dr. Nick Marso from Central Dakota Eyecare, Nancee Johnson with Dupont Real Estate, Michelle Maupin Barrett Photography, Pam Metzinger with Branding Iron Bistro, Brandon Brake with Game Fish and Parks, and Tyler Ruhd with Infotech Solutions are getting through these difficult times. Click on the link HERE to get registered for Wednesday, May 27th, at 9am! Did I mention there will be door prizes?! 

Stay Healthy!
Katie Johnson
Membership Director


Email Katie Johnson for assistance or more information!
New Members
Michelle Maupin Barrett Photography
309 S. Couteau
(605) 220-3295
 
Michelle Maupin Barrett believes that she has a super power! She thinks people are beautiful (or handsome as the case may be) and she believes her camera reflects that beauty.
 
Leadership Pierre


The objective of Leadership Pierre's session 9 on May 14th was to gain a better understanding of local government in the Pierre/Fort Pierre area communities. Thank you to our Leadership Pierre Champions BankWest and Avera for making these sessions possible.



Chamber Events

Thank You For Participating! 
The Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce would like to thank everyone who participated in the May Day Extravaganza to support the Pierre - Fort Pierre area businesses. $7,432.54 of cashflow was generated in one day, thanks to all of you!

The South Dakota District 24 House of Representative candidates participated in a live virtual candidate forum on May 7th with the Chamber on Facebook. Thank you to Steve Willard for moderating  the event. Be sure to use your voice and vote in person on June 2 or by absentee ballot here .




Save the Dates!
 



June Calendar of Events

June 1: City of Pierre Summer Rec Program Registration Remote sessions via Zoom! Sessions begin June 2-25, 2020.  Register today!

June 1-5 : Driver Education Session 3. **Class Full** Capital City Campus, 925 E Sioux Avenue Pierre . For more information contact: Capital City Campus, 605-773-2160 , info@capitalcitycampus.org . $325

June 1-2 : Vitalant Blood Drive . Trinity Episcopal Church, 408 N Jefferson Ave, Pierre . For more information contact: Rev. Mercy Hobbs , trinity.dakota2k@midconetwork.com . http://www.vitalant.org .

June 1-30 : Volunteers needed at Feeding South Dakota . Feeding South Dakota, 20562 Grace Avenue, Pierre . For more information contact: Andrew Walz, 605.494.3663 . https://feedingsouthdakota.volunteermatrix.com/pierre-calendar .

June 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29 : English As A Second Language (ESL) - Online . Online with The Right Turn . For more information or to register contact: 773-4755   http://www.TheRightTurn.org. Free

June 1, 8 : Understanding Me (Birth to Three) Classes for Parents and Caregivers . Online with The Right Turn . For more information contact: The Right Turn, 605-773-4755 , kbly@midconetwork.com . FREE

June 3, 10, 17, 24 : River City Toastmasters - Online . Online - Microsoft TEAMS . For more information contact: Brian Underdahl, 605-220-1003 .

June 4, 18 : Breast Cancer Survivors . 415 S. Crow St. . For more information contact: 945-0827 .

June 4, 11, 18, 25 : SE Community Center Banquet . SE Community Center, 2315 E Park St., Pierre . For more information contact: 605-224-7244 .

June 8 : Stately Stitchers Guild Meeting . Lutheran Memorial Church Basement, 320 E Prospect Avenue, Pierre . For more information contact: Pat Wheeldreyer, 605-224-4773 . No fee to attend as a guest. When you join the guild, dues are $12.00 a year.

June 10, 24 : Feeding South Dakota - Mobile Food Pantry Distribution . 2nd Wednesdays at River City Transit & 4th Wednesdays at Stanley County Fair Grounds, Fort Pierre . For more information contact: (605) 494-3663 .

June 11, 13, 25 : Early Childhood Training . Online with The Right Turn . For more information contact: 605-773-4755 kbly@midconetwork.com . $5.00

June 13 : Women's City Softball Tournament . Oahe Softball Complex, Pierre . For more information: http://www.usasoftballofsouthdakota.com/content/ .

June 14 : Central SD Survivors of Suicide Support Group . Monthly locations TBA . For more information contact: Julie Moore julie.moore@avera.org .

June 15-20 : Taste of Pierre 2020 . O nline with the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce . For more information contact: Pierre Area Chamber, 605-224-7361,    kjohnson@pierre.org,   www.pierre.org .

June 15 : Bariatric and Weight Loss Support Group . Sanford Clinic Pierre, 521 E Sioux Ave, Pierre . For more information contact: Angie Bollweg, 605-945-5560 angie.bollweg@sanfordhealth.org http://www.sanfordhealth.org .

June 16 : Stroke Support Group . Conference Room, 415 South Crow Street, Pierre. For more information contact: Countryside Support and Memory Center, (605) 945-0827 countryside@midconetwork.com .

June 18 : Dementia Caregivers Support Group . 415 S. Crow St. . For more information contact: Countryside Hospice Support & Memory Center, (605) 945-0827 .   http://countrysidehospicesupport.com .

June 19 : **CANCELED** JO Fastpitch Power Surge Softball Tournament . For more information: http://www.usasoftballofsouthdakota.com/content/ .

June 19 : **CANCELLED** Oahe Days Music & Arts Festival 2020 . For more information: http://www.oahedays.com .

June 20 : Crazy Days of COVID-19 on Pierre Street . Historic Pierre Street . For more information contact: April Stromer, The Alley Exchange, 605-945-2441 . http://www.thealleyexchange.com .

June 22 : Pizza Ranch Fundraiser for Growing Up Together . Pizza Ranch, 321 E Hustan Avenue, Fort Pierre . For more information contact: Dawn Tassler, 605-224-3189 gut1@dakota2k.net http://www.growinguptogether.org .

June 27 : PAWS Animal Rescue 40th Birthday Party . Drifters Event Center . For more information contact: Jen Uecker, 295-0288 jenng1482@Yahoo.com https://www.facebook.com/events/600546550707495/ . $40

June 30 : We LOVE the Pierre Area Video Contest (ENTRY DEADLINE) . For more information contact: Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce, (605) 224-7361 , contactchamber@pierre.org . FREE

For future months, go to www.pierre.org