Governor's Conference on Economic Development
Expanding or relocating?
INFRASTRUCTURE FIRST PROJECT
The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) has successfully completed the Infrastructure First project, a comprehensive initiative supported by a $1 million Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant. Through strategic collaboration with ISG, the project identified 19 high-impact development sites and provided detailed infrastructure insights, enabling communities to better understand their economic potential and attract new investments.
As part of the project’s comprehensive approach, GOED assisted 16 small communities with populations under 5,000 in creating tailored Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs). Each community contributed $15,000, matched by GOED, to develop strategic budgets aligned with their economic development goals. The project represents a significant step in empowering local communities with essential planning tools and laying a strong foundation for sustainable growth across the state.
ISG has provided a finalized document that includes strategic infrastructure insights based on stakeholder feedback and detailed analysis.
The agency continues to engage with state agencies and local communities to review the plan, incorporate additional feedback, and develop actionable strategies for implementation that will drive economic growth across South Dakota.
All communities have undergone their comprehensive planning processes and have officially adopted their strategic development plans.
“The city held a strategic planning session in November – from that meeting there was a realization that there are a lot of needs from the community. This CIP will help identify the needs, prioritize them, and create a budget to complete the identified projects.” “Part of Economic Development is what you don’t see. This plan will address those items and put a plan in place to make economic development successful for the community. Would like to see that no stone is unturned. The details are what makes the plan successful.”
“The city held a strategic planning session in November – from that meeting there was a realization that there are a lot of needs from the community. This CIP will help identify the needs, prioritize them, and create a budget to complete the identified projects.”
“Part of Economic Development is what you don’t see. This plan will address those items and put a plan in place to make economic development successful for the community. Would like to see that no stone is unturned. The details are what makes the plan successful.”
ISG has utilized data from the comprehensive statewide plan to identify 19 high-impact sites across the state. The precise locations of these sites remain confidential as the communities and Economic Development Organizations (EDOs) are currently progressing through the next steps of land acquisition and site development.
Casey Boerger (Southeast)
Hannah Sage (Western)
Laure Swanson (Northeastern)