Linda Salmonson, chairman of the Dakotas America board of directors, said that the organization has been a strong and successful voice for community development in North and South Dakota. “In low-income rural communities, Dakotas America has proven our effectiveness in dealing with economic challenges,” Salmonson said. “Even more importantly, we have shown the power of partnership to meet those challenges with innovative solutions that bring positive outcomes to families and communities throughout the Dakotas.”

The NMTC program attracts private-sector capital investment into low-income areas to help stimulate economic growth and create jobs. Dakotas America has already placed $130 million in NMTC allocations throughout North and South ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/dakotas-america-received-a-60-million-nmtc-allocation/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/2013-maedc-best-practices-conference-sioux-falls http://www.dakotaresources.org/2013-maedc-best-practices-conference-sioux-falls#comments Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:24:46 +0000 Dakota Resources http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=1467 The 2013 Mid-America Economic Development Council (MAEDC) Best Practices Conference is in Sioux Falls on May 15 – 17, 2013.

Registration opens soon, but you can book your hotel room now. The conference timeline is Wednesday, May 15th (early afternoon) through Friday, May 17th (mid-day). You won’t want to miss session topics including:

Hotel Information:

A limited number of hotel rooms have been blocked for the nights of May 14-16, 2013 at the discounted rate of $109/night (single and double rooms).

To book your hotel room, please call 1-800-HOLIDAY by April 23, 2013. Be sure to mention that you are with the Mid-America Economic Development Council (MAEDC) Best Practices Conference to receive the discounted rate.

The site of this year’s ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/2013-maedc-best-practices-conference-sioux-falls/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/intent-to-apply-for-sites-now-open http://www.dakotaresources.org/intent-to-apply-for-sites-now-open#comments Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:52:31 +0000 Dakota Resources http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=1377 Dakota Resources partners with local community groups (Sites) led by a local Coordinator and driven by a local Resource Team. Together we develop a system of support for entrepreneurial development by introducing tools and strategies for:

• Nurturing a pool of entrepreneur and small business talent through business visitation, community outreach and youth activities.

• Networking resources through Resource Fairs, mentoring connections and bringing together resource partners, business leaders and entrepreneurs statewide.

• Building community support, through heightened public awareness of the value local entrepreneurs and business people add to the community by sharing entrepreneurs’ and community success stories, collaborating with other community organizations and seeking resource and financial assistance for the Dakota Rising Entrepreneur Development System.

Sites apply to be part of the Dakota Rising network and are selected through a competitive process. When selected, sites commit for three years with an annual ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/intent-to-apply-for-sites-now-open/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/2013-midstates-community-and-economic-development-conference http://www.dakotaresources.org/2013-midstates-community-and-economic-development-conference#comments Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:47:53 +0000 Dakota Resources http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=1335 Dakota Resources was proud to be part of the planning team bringing the 2013 Midstates Community and Economic Development Conference to South Sioux City, Nebraska, held at the Marina Inn on April 4.

The conference was designed to bring together community and business leaders, volunteers, professional developers, and elected officials from the three-state area to share experiences and new ideas for community and rural development.

The workshops offered revolved around leadership, entrepreneurship, creativity, and strategic partnerships. Each workshop session included a real business or community sharing its story of success and lessons learned.

A key component of Dakota Resources is the development of collaborative partners.  One will see the words “collaboration” and “partnership” in a variety of forms throughout the Dakota Resources website and promotional materials.

Wikipedia identifies partnership as an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. Collaboration ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/collaborativepartnerships/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/regional-system-engagement-pilot-rolls-out http://www.dakotaresources.org/regional-system-engagement-pilot-rolls-out#comments Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:54:19 +0000 Dakota Resources http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=1241 Community Members Supports Rural Development in South Dakota

Tightly knit, friendly, supportive and engaged are some of the words that define rural communities, but what about creating prospering business and well-functioning strategies? Dakota Resources, together with the Bush Foundation and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, launched the Regional System Engagement Pilot January 25 in Aberdeen, SD.

The purpose of the engagement is to help community and state leaders and researchers in South Dakota explore ways to improve community problem solving capacity, community vitality measurement, and leadership support through the testing of an innovative weaving of systems mapping tools – to help all of us better understand, manage, measure and thereby lead complex community change initiatives. The combination of tools includes (1) the well-researched and documented community capitals framework (CCF) for community vitality analysis, strategy and measurement (provides the ability to ascertain ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/regional-system-engagement-pilot-rolls-out/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/the-complexity-of-community http://www.dakotaresources.org/the-complexity-of-community#comments Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:33:34 +0000 Dakota Resources http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=1082 Communities are complex systems. When approaching issues and opportunities in community development we often only focus on what is immediate and obvious without consideration for the inter-relatedness of the people, organizations, and institutions which exist in that community.

The community capitals framework, developed by Cornelia and Jan Flora along with Susan Fey and Mary Emery, provides a tool for analyzing how communities work. Every community has its own unique “ecosystem,” where resources and dynamic forces interact in complex ways. By examining those complex forces through a framework that identifies the elements inherent in each community, we are not only able to compare successful strategies, but also assess that communities greatest challenges and strengths.

Thinking of each element of community dynamics as “capital” helps us to realize that these vital components can be utilized, invested, blended together and exchanged to enhance the community in significant ways. By regarding the various community capitals as ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/the-complexity-of-community/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/open-space http://www.dakotaresources.org/open-space#comments Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:23:11 +0000 Rachel http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=890 A place to work, collaborate, get creative, inspire and, most importantly, get some work done…for an affordable rate. OpenSpace features the following features for it’s members:

Download the PDF version here.

Home Address offers:

After July 15, a review team will select up to eight finalist communities to join us for a one day training on September 13, 2012 in Pierre, SD.  From the final group of eight, up to four communities will be selected as the first cohort for Home Address.  Successful communities can expect to begin working with coaches by October 1, 2012.

If you ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/rural-housing-collaborative/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/expanding-resources-to-meet-development-needs http://www.dakotaresources.org/expanding-resources-to-meet-development-needs#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:41:35 +0000 Dakota Resources http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=80 Created in 1996, South Dakota Rural Enterprise grew out of a two-year strategic planning effort to identify opportunities and resources needed to develop the state’s rural communities. During the past 15 years, as the needs of the state have grown, the programs of SD Rural Enterprise have expanded to meet those needs.

Conceived as primarily a financial intermediary to serve South Dakota’s Revolving Loan Funds, the organization quickly recognized that other resources were necessary for growing a strong economy in rural communities. By serving as a “research and development” group for South Dakota’s economic future, SD Rural Enterprise has evolved into a major resource for community development.

“One by one, the programs that today identify SD Rural Enterprise came into being to address opportunities and missing resources,” said Beth Davis, the organization’s president since 1999. “By becoming the resource for leadership training, ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/expanding-resources-to-meet-development-needs/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/to-everything-there-is-a-season http://www.dakotaresources.org/to-everything-there-is-a-season#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:11:26 +0000 Dakota Resources http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=72 Why are we considering a leadership program when we are a loan fund?  What does entrepreneurship have to do with economic development? Community-wide planning—doesn’t someone already do that?

These are all questions that have been asked as SD Rural Enterprise evolved from a loan fund for other loan funds into an organization that makes a variety of resources available to support economic and leadership development.  Both the questioning and the diversification speak volumes about the strength of this organization. While the scope of our products and services has expanded to meet the needs of development organizations, our evolution into the organization we are today has happened with intentional commitment to our purpose, “To stimulate financial and human investment in communities that are invested in themselves.”  As a board, we hold management accountable to not only our ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/to-everything-there-is-a-season/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/whats-in-a-name http://www.dakotaresources.org/whats-in-a-name#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:23:14 +0000 Dakota Resources http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=62 This is the final issue of the SD Rural Enterprise newsletter. The 2011 Annual Report will be a publication of Dakota Resources—and here’s why.

The image of SD Rural Enterprise was due for a facelift. An update of our marketing materials and website was included in the 2011 work plan. Before embarking on that project, we decided to take a look at the SD Rural Enterprise brand as it has evolved over the years. We gathered board members, staff and a variety of constituents together with Joe Henkin and the staff of Henkin Schultz Communication Arts for a branding session. We explored how SD Rural Enterprise is perceived. What do we do? What is our position in the development market?

Among the observations of those sessions was the fact that the word enterprise implies business to many ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/whats-in-a-name/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/our-strong-leadership-makes-us-successful http://www.dakotaresources.org/our-strong-leadership-makes-us-successful#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:20:06 +0000 Dakota Resources http://my.hsweb.in/dakotaResources/?p=53 Since its inception, South Dakota Rural Enterprise has welcomed business leaders from communities all across South Dakota to our board of directors. Their commitment to creating opportunity, their proven leadership skills and their high standing in the state’s leading industries have helped us forge an organization that strengthens our economy.

Explore the Board Members and SDREI timeline using the PDF links below:

Board Members Graphic

Timeline Graphic

Download the complete Winter 2012 Newsletter —  CLICK HERE

“I accept this award on behalf of SD Rural Enterprise and the people who make it a successful force for economic development in our state,” Davis said. “Communities, investors, board members and a dedicated staff all work together to build South Dakota’s economy. We understand that people make things better for their communities and our state.”

According to Michael Keller, Dean of the ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/davis-receives-distinguished-service-award-from-usd/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/lorri-riley http://www.dakotaresources.org/lorri-riley#comments Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:20:24 +0000 admin http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=932 Rylo, Inc. Spearfish

Lorri was born and raised on a ranch west of Belle Fourche, SD. While playing basketball at the University of South Dakota, she developed foot problems. She had to have surgical reconstruction of both of her flat feet, which led her into podiatry. Lorri graduated from Des Moines University with the degree of Doctor of podiatric Medicine. She opened her first solo practice – Black Hills Foot Clinic – in Spearfish in 1992. Dr. Riley started the Spearfish Surgery Center in 1995.

In 2005, Lorri received a patent for ThinNail®, a topical treatment for thinning thick nails. In 2006, she formed a company called Rylo, Inc. to market ThinNail®. Her most recent product is called J1 Insoles®. J1 Insoles® is patent pending for its unique design in providing a generic arch support for people with flat feet. Dr. Riley currently ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/lorri-riley/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/jeff-prior http://www.dakotaresources.org/jeff-prior#comments Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:18:48 +0000 admin http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=929 Dakota Greens of Custer Southern Hills On The Rise

Jeff & Robin prior have been the driving force behind this family owned business since its start in 1999. Dakota Greens of Custer was a roadside flower stand on the family property until 2004. The prior’s were married in Custer in 2000 and made it their permanent residence in 2004. Jeff retired from the US Army in 2006. The greenhouse and nursery business has steadily grown, retails a full line of garden plants, and is proud to supply and care for the City of Custer’s beautiful hanging gardens every Spring. These baskets are displayed by Custer’s main street business district from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Jeff is a Certified Nurseryman, holds an A.S. degree in Ornamental Horticulture, and a grower of Annuals & perennials well suited for the Black ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/jeff-prior/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/kelly-melius http://www.dakotaresources.org/kelly-melius#comments Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:16:45 +0000 admin http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=926 Common Sense Manufacturing Faulkton Area Economic Development Initiative

Kelly grew up on a family farm in rural Faulk County, SD. After high school he attended Mitchell Vo-Tech receiving a degree as an electrician. Kelly worked in the Minneapolis area as an electrician, but had a strong desire to return to his family’s farm. He moved back to the Faulkton area where he ran Kelly’s Electric and farmed and ranched with his father. He formed a partnership with his father called M&M Farms. While farming, he saw a need for a heavy duty bale feeder that would be durable and eliminate waste caused by the feeders that were available. Kelly and a friend worked together to design a unique cradle-style bale feeder, which Kelly later patented. Common Sense Balefeeder became its registered trademark name. Kelly began creating additional ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/kelly-melius/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/troy-mcquillen http://www.dakotaresources.org/troy-mcquillen#comments Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:15:20 +0000 admin http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=923 Elmwood Studios Dakota Rising Aberdeen

After a typical childhood in Aberdeen, Troy packed his things and headed for Los Angeles to attend film school at the University of Southern California. He graduated in 1987 and worked in the film business for about thirteen months. He didn’t like the direction he was headed. Troy went back to the University and convinced them he was a graphic designer and was hired by the School of Business.

Troy moved back home to Aberdeen, got married, bought a house and began working as a graphic designer. Ten years later he would have a staff of 13 and dozens of name-brand Aberdeen accounts. Troy and wife Suzette purchased a historic building in downtown Aberdeen and continue to restore it. McQuillen Creative Group offices out of this building.

Troy has grown his business from a one-man shop that ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/troy-mcquillen/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/margaret-lindskov http://www.dakotaresources.org/margaret-lindskov#comments Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:13:32 +0000 admin http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=920 The Bunkhouse Inn of Isabel TREE

Margaret was born and raised in Isabel, SD. After graduating from Isabel High School, she attended Stewart’s School of Hairstyling and received herCosmetology License. Margaret started her own business out of her home in Isabel and as her business grew, moved it to a larger location on Main Street, Isabel. In 1989, she and her husband, Dennis, purchased Hel-Mar Candles and renamed it Dakota Country Candles, merging it and her hair salon into one building. Margaret operated these businesses full-time until choosing to pursue a degree in Education. After graduating with an Education Degree, Suma Cum Laude from Northern State University and SiTanka University, she taught at Eagle Butte Upper Elementary until she and Dennis took 100% ownership of the implement and car dealership they’d been in partnership with for over 25 years. They also purchased the local motel ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/margaret-lindskov/feed 0 http://www.dakotaresources.org/cindy-kopecky http://www.dakotaresources.org/cindy-kopecky#comments Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:11:29 +0000 admin http://www.dakotaresources.org/?p=917 The Potting Shed Faulkton Area Economic Development Initiative

Cindy and Jerry Kopecky opened The potting Shed Greenhouse the spring of 2010. A long time passion for gardening and the desire to own their own business has led them to a successful businessventure in Faulkton, SD. The business and finance experience that Cindy gained as the Business Official of the Faulkton Area Schools for the past 27 years has been a valuable asset tothe Kopecky’s. The potting Shed is the only greenhouse in the county and the Kopecky’s have enjoyed building the business into a destination spot for surrounding community residents. One of their goals was to enhance the gardening experience for residents by offering classes, project Days, and new and innovative products.

Cindy and Jerry have been lifelong residents of the Faulkton area; raised three sons; have ... Read More »]]> http://www.dakotaresources.org/cindy-kopecky/feed 0