Case Study
Sioux Falls Development Foundation
Economic Development
Background
The city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota is rapidly growing (currently the fourth fastest-growing economy in the country); an excellent location for business, and is full of culture, innovation and industry. The problem? Just a few years ago, nobody seemed to know anything about Sioux Falls. That included national site selection consultants, a key audience for the region’s business attraction strategy.
Strategy
Starting in 2012, DCI began aggressive outreach to site selectors on behalf of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation. This included bi-annual “familiarization tours” to Sioux Falls, where the consultants toured the region’s business and recreation assets (including everything from world-class hospitals to Mount Rushmore), as well as luncheons with South Dakota’s Governor in key markets like New York and Dallas.
Results
- More than 60 site consultants have attended Sioux Falls events since DCI began targeting this audience in 2012.
- Prior to DCI’s work, Sioux Falls had virtually no contact with site selectors, save for a few leads that came its way organically. Now, the city is well-known among these influencers and is pursuing numerous leads that have originated from DCI’s outreach.
- In June 2015, DCI coordinated a familiarization tour to Sioux Falls in conjunction with the announcement of South Dakota’s first-ever business mega-site. Five consultants traveled to Sioux Falls to visit the site and offered very positive comments to local media.