VIEWPOINT: We’re at beginning of exciting time for city

The recent announcement of Foundation Park in the northwest quadrant of our city is a truly historic moment for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation – and for the Sioux Falls economy.

A project that has been in the planning stages for three years, Foundation Park is a new business-recruitment tool perched at the northwest side of the junction of interstates 29 and 90 that will garner even more attention for our growing community. Our organization has worked tirelessly to bring this day about, but our partners and their commitment to this project were essential to making Foundation Park a reality.

The scope of this new development park – 820 acres with connectivity to rail service, state-of-the-art utilities, roads, water and sewer – required the participation and the understanding of all our Foundation Park partners. The city of Sioux Falls recognized the potential for community growth, the state of South Dakota knew the impact the large projects drawn to Foundation Park would have on our state’s economy and Forward Sioux Falls could imagine how our business community will benefit from Foundation Park. Those three partners worked with the development foundation through phases that included land acquisition, due diligence and financial structuring of the project to bring us the announcement.

Now, thanks to the scope of this new industrial park, regional and national business decision-makers are being made aware of a whole new ballgame in Sioux Falls.

One other set of partners was equally vital to success of this announcement: the owners of the land where Foundation Park will be developed. This was family farmland – historic homesteads, in some cases, with generations working the land, raising crops and growing their families. Having the owners recognize the significance of this project to the growth of our community and the future economy of our state was an essential element in the realization of Foundation Park. We thank those farsighted, community-spirited individuals and families for their part in achieving this development goal.

It’s a whole new day for the development foundation, symbolized by a new organizational logo that echoes the Foundation Park logo. We have a renewed commitment to providing the right site for the right business – and a knowledge that an increasing number of companies are looking for that right site here in Sioux Falls. More than ever before, we can attract world-class projects from top-tier companies looking for places with the business advantages of Sioux Falls.

We’re excited about the future and excited about seeing Foundation Park grow and develop. You can learn more about Foundation Park, watch a video tour of the new park and get more information about the future of our community by visiting www.siouxfallsdevelopment.com.

Thanks to our unique partnership with the state of South Dakota, the city of Sioux Falls and Forward Sioux Falls, the development foundation is shifting into high gear, recruiting new companies – and a new talent pool – to our community. Keep your eyes on the Sioux Falls Development Foundation and Foundation Park. We’re at the beginning of an exciting time for Sioux Falls.

Scott Lawrence is chairman of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation