Leadership Sioux Falls is a leadership development class put on by the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce that provides emerging leaders with personal development skills, education about local and state governments and professional networking opportunities. I’ve been meaning to apply to Leadership Sioux Falls for the last several years, but the dates always conflicted […]
View PostFive Lessons Learned from the MarketBeat Burger Project

January has come and gone. The Downtown Sioux Falls Burger Battle has officially come to an end. The final MarketBeat Burger has been grilled and served, and Chef Lance finally has a welcome reprieve from making pork belly and brisket patties. Approximately 25,000 burgers were sold as part of the 2021 DTSF Burger Battle. Nearly […]
View PostIntroducing the MarketBeat Burger (Yes, we made a cheeseburger!)

It was the morning of November 2nd. Some of MarketBeat’s team members were working at our downtown office, getting ready for that week’s staff meeting. Just as our meeting was about to start, a curious email came in from Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc. (DTSF). Here’s what the email said: The time has come to start […]
View PostAnnouncing the Paulson Center at Dakota State University

When I was a student at Dakota State University, I paid close attention to the emails that were sent to all students. A lot of the emails were noise from student activities I was not interested in, but every now and then great opportunities were presented that any ambitious student could take advantage of. It […]
View PostHow I Plan to Evaluate Charitable Giving Requests Moving Forward.

There are more than 500 registered non-profits that have 501(c)3 status in the greater Sioux Falls area, each with their own mission, vision, values, staff, and board of directors. Some non-profits operate on state or federal contracts or through grant programs, but most small non-profits rely primarily on charitable contributions from individual donors. One consequence […]
View PostHow We Created Custom Manhole Covers for the MarketBeat Office

Our new office space partially sits on an old loading dock, which includes manholes for drainage. The manhole covers that were in the space previously were cracked, beaten up and likely as old as the building itself. I asked the question, “What would it take to make some new manhole covers that have the MarketBeat […]
View PostHow Younger Donors are Changing the Face of Charitable Giving in Sioux Falls.

A while back, I was invited to participate in a focus group of business leaders for the Sioux Falls Brand project which is a collaboration of the City, the Chamber, and the Development Foundation to develop a consistent brand and logo to use when promoting the city. The consultants asked our group several questions about […]
View PostHow to be an Effective Non-Profit Board Member

There are more than 500 non-profits that have 501c3 status in the Sioux Falls metro. The IRS requires each 501c3 to have a governing board of at least three members to maintain their tax-exempt status. Some non-profit boards exist in name only and others are high-profile, high-effort volunteer roles that require a significant commitment but […]
View PostFinancial Peace University 2012: What You Need to Know

I wear many hats. One of those hats is serving as a coordinator for Financial Peace University (FPU) classes at my local church. Yesterday, Dave Ramsey’s team hosted a webinar announcing the 2012 edition of Financial Peace University. The 2012 edition will not be unfamiliar to anyone that has previously taken the class, as Dave’s […]
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