Hello [First Name],

This is the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce, Pierre Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Pierre Economic Development Corporation's August 2021 E-Newsletter.

Take a few moments to enjoy an update from the Chamber as we promote prosperity, growth, and our way of life in the lower Oahe region.

-Your Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce Staff

Wow! Summer has flown by, and I cannot believe we are already entering into August. It has been over a month since I have stepped into my position here at the Chamber, and I find myself wondering where those days have gone.

I am both honored and humbled to serve at the CEO of such an outstanding organization, and I am excited to see what the future holds. It did not take me long to realize that the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce staff and our members, are top notch!

Our mission is to promote, serve and advocate for our membership to succeed today and prepare for tomorrow, and we hope we are doing exactly that! As a member I encourage you to utilize our extensive platform of tools that the Chamber offers to you and your business. These resources available assist you in elevating your businesses exposure in the community. Get the most out of your membership by attending Chamber events, volunteering on a committee or reaching out to Chamber staff. I know I speak for our entire team when I say, our doors are always open, and we want to hear your thoughts, concerns and ideas. We are here to support you! We at the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce will continue to work diligently at keeping an open dialogue with our members, to offer services that our members value and to provide fresh perspective to help your businesses grow and our community thrive.

I look forward to working with each and every one of you to continue making the Pierre area a great place to live, work and play!

Do you watch America’s Got Talent? Or how about American Idol? The Olympics? The MLB All-star Game?

These competitions all have something in common.

They tell stories. If you watch them, none of them are solid, hours upon hours of broadcasted competition. Mixed in with commercials and the performances, the producers choose to interlace storytelling because it’s relatable. It draws people in. Storytelling can take a good performance and turn it into something we think about for the rest of the day.

You can do this for your business too. You can turn an average experience into something amazing when your audience knows where you are coming from with storytelling.

Telling your business story is not (just) about how you started and where you came from, nor should it always be about how awesome you are (highlight how you help people and how awesome they are. Check out Modelo beer commercials for a good example of this.).

Effective business storytelling keeps telling stories throughout your content, so you’ll need more than one story to keep people interested.

Here are a few ideas to add to your content. Keep in mind business storytelling should never be fiction. If you haven’t experienced the type of stories listed below, skip over them. You don’t want to tell your audience something that isn’t true for the sake of crafting a moving story.

5 Types of Effective Storytelling for Your Business
 

The Underdog
Americans love an underdog, a come from behind triumph. Whether it’s David and Goliath or the story of the tortoise and the hare, we want to believe that with hard work and dedication you can beat the odds. Share how you have overcome a huge hurtle to be the success you are now.

The Heartbreak
We all face heartbreak. Sometimes it’s in the form of a lost love or the death of someone close. How did that heartbreak motivate you in your business? Maybe your grandparent passed away and left you money to start a business because they believed in you. Or maybe you realized your gift after the death of a loved one forced you in that direction to support your family like writer Mary Higgins Clark did.

Whatever your heartbreak was that motivated you, people identify with heartbreak and are inspired by picking up after it and rebuilding a life. You never know who needs to hear that message.

The Setback
What setback have you undergone in business? Did you have to close during the pandemic? Did you sell something like your home to open a second location? What gamble did you take in business that paid off? Or what gamble did you take that didn’t pay off, but you learned from it?

People love to know that success is not a linear path. To hear of the ups and downs is encouraging and inspirational. It helps people identify with you. Everyone assumes an overnight success but it’s nice to know when it isn’t.

The Magic Lucky Break
What happened in your life to give you the big break? Maybe you got to where you were because you hung in there but maybe there was also some magical luck that propelled you to success.

Maybe you were behind everyone else only to become top of the world later on? Even Tom Brady only got a chance to start in high school because his team’s #1 quarterback decided he no longer loved the game moving Tom up a spot. Imagine if that had never happened.

There’s no shame in admitting you got lucky because you were there. After all, you had to hang in there first before the luck could find you. That can be very inspiring for those still waiting for their break.

The Unexpected Path
There are certain paths that are accepted as the norm. For instance, a Joint Chief of Staff attending and graduating with high honors from West Point or someone attending Julliard and becoming a famous actor on Broadway.

What is not expected is a single mom living in a car writing a book that gets rejected from 12 different publishers before getting published, and going on to become the second-highest paid author and one of the wealthiest self-made women in the world.

What path to your life was unexpected? What did you do against the grain? Were you like All-star baseball player Cedric Mullins who sat on a bench most of high school and didn’t start until his senior year?

The interest is in the details. Tell your audience how you got there. Share the frustrations and the heartbreak. Try to give them the inspiration the world so needs right now.

Your story isn’t over. Keep telling it and your audience will listen.

Often when it’s time for me to write a column for the Chamber, I have a solitary city issue to discuss. But, it’s been a busy summer! There are a lot updates you might be interested in. Let’s start with construction.

STREET CONSTRUCTION

We have two major street projects underway. We have started to rebuild Airport Road from Lowell Avenue to just east of the airport terminal entrance. That means, to get to the Pierre Airport or the other businesses located near the airport, you’ll need to use the Elizabeth Street detour.

Highland Avenue is also under construction. It’s getting rebuilt from the just north of the Wynoka Street intersection to Second Street. This is a complete rebuild of the street including new underground water main.

Morris, Inc. has the contract on both jobs. The construction schedule has them both wrapping up this fall.

AIR SERVICE

I receive quite a few questions about air service to and from central South Dakota. I’m pleased to report we now have four roundtrip flights most days between Pierre and Denver International Airport. You can book with Denver Air Connection or SkyWest via united.com.

If your full itinerary is with United, your bags will check through to your final destination whether you book with Denver Air or SkyWest Airlines. If your itinerary includes other air carriers, like Delta or American, you may need to recheck your bags if you book through Denver Air. If you book through SkyWest, you shouldn’t need to recheck bags for connecting flights.

OUTDOOR POOL

The city has bid the earth work portion of the outdoor pool project. We anticipate the earthwork can be completed this fall allowing the construction of the structure to begin this coming spring.

The earthwork contractor will remove the bad soil that exists at the site and replace it with soil suitable for the project. Our goal is for the settlement from the new material to happen during the winter months allowing the construction of the structure to begin this coming spring.

Throughout the process, you can expect the pool site to take on a very different profile. We’ll be excavating about 15,000 yards of bad soil and bringing in about 20,000 yards of new soil. That will elevate the pool out of the water table.

We expect the project to be complete next year and open in time for the 2023 swim season.

AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA)

ARPA refers to the second round of corona virus funding provided by the federal government. Pierre’s allocation is about $2.5 million. We haven’t yet received the money, and there are restrictions on what we can do with it. We plan to use the funding for eligible water and wastewater infrastructure projects. Once the details are worked out, we’ll provide more specifics.

RENTAL LICENSING AND INSPECTION PROGRAM

The City of Pierre is considering implementing a residential rental program to register, license, and inspect rental housing units. The goal is to protect the life, health, and safety of those living in residential rental units. 

We held a series of informational meetings to help explain the plan to stakeholders. Through the course of that process, we received quite a bit of feedback and continue to hear more. We’re in the process of reviewing the input and expect to bring an updated ordinance back to the commission this fall.  

For more information about the rental licensing and inspection program, as well as other city activities, visit cityofpierre.org.

VACATION RENTAL HOMES

Vacation rentals (also known as short term rentals, Air B&B’s or VRBO’s) have become “the” topic of discussion during the last couple of City Council meetings as we held public hearings for proposed ordinances for vacation rentals. The meeting room has been filled to capacity with interested residents. In this column, I am going to try to answer some of the most frequently asked questions.

Q.  How did the City get into this discussion?

A.  We became aware last fall that there were vacation rentals being operated within the City limits through complaints lodged by adjacent residents. Because vacation rentals (a commercial business) were not a permitted use in a residential zone, the rentals were asked to cease operation while we developed ordinances to allow and govern them.  

Q.  If they were already illegal, why would the City want to allow them to operate?

A.  We felt it was a free enterprise issue and a new business opportunity, and that many people prefer a home-type atmosphere to a hotel for family reunions, etc. We believe that they would be a good addition to our tourism business if the rental is well-managed and if the property is located in the right neighborhood.

Q.  What was contained in the proposed ordinances?

A.  The proposed ordinances mirrored State law which licenses and regulates vacation rentals. We proposed to require State license and inspection, and depending on the type of zoning and where the rental is located, a conditional use permit (CUP) to be renewed every 1-3 years. The process for the CUP would include support from a majority of the neighbors. We would implement an annual license fee, fines for non-compliance, and for severe or repeated violations, ability to cancel the license to operate.

Q.  What are the major concerns of residents?

A.  I would call it a “not in my back yard” kind of concern. Many people, including myself, enjoy staying in vacation rentals while traveling, but do not want one in their neighborhood. Most neighbors are concerned about large parties and gatherings, strangers in the neighborhood, and inconsiderate behavior by the renters.

Q.  What direction is the City taking now?

A.  We will take another hard look at the proposed ordinances, and take into account the input gathered during our public hearings. We may consider allowing vacation rentals in commercial zoning only, and prohibit them in residential areas.  

• SBA Administrator Announces Closure of Restaurant Revitalization Program

Pierre is the perfect destination for people to visit when traveling through South Dakota. We typically see an influx of road-trippers during the month of August, especially because of the Sturgis Motorcycle rally. Make a great first impression with visitors to our area and let them know of all the things there are to do here. Attractions, museums, parks and outdoor activities like hunting and fishing can keep people in the area for several days. Show them our great hospitality.

We have mailed out the information for the 2022 Pierre Visitor Guide. If you are interested in being a part of this guide, give our office a call at 605-224-7361. We will help you through the process. We have distributed over 10,000 Visitor Guides this year to people interested in coming to our area, and you could be listed inside. You don’t want to miss out on being a part of this important marketing tool.

We have started the budget process for the Convention & Visitors Bureau. The marketing plan is being discussed for 2022. We certainly welcome all suggestions and comments concerning the marketing dollars we spend.

Make a great first impression on visitors with a smile when greeting them, and even when answering the phone. Hospitality is an important influence when selling your business and does not go unnoticed.

Summer is not over! For years my mind set has been August is ‘Back to School’ and the summer just seems to melt away. The reality is, there are still many fun days of summer to be had and we should take full advantage of them. Remember when we sat in our houses and wished for things to get back to normal? As Scott Schuetzle reminds us in his weekly Friday Stuff email, there are only 15 weekends of summer from June 1 until labor-day…use them wisely!

Mark your calendars for Crazy Day’s in downtown Pierre, Friday, July 30 and Saturday, July 31. This is a longtime standing tradition that many look forward to every year! I encourage you to get to know our local businesses – there are some real treasures in our communities. Supporting our local industries creates a stronger economy, a closer community, and an overall great place to live.

The Oahe Blue’s Fest at the Grey Goose Roadhouse is also this weekend, as well as BACA Oahe Chapter will be hosting an all-vehicle poker run before the event. A great fund raiser for an even better cause. You can find more information on their Facebook event page.

The Pierre Trappers have a few games in town July 28 and 29, and again August 2-7! If you haven’t made it to a game this season, get it done soon. Trapper games are a fun event for the whole family. You can check out their schedule here.

Fort Pierre First Thursdays event is August 5th from 5:30-8 pm at Fischers Lilly Park. There will be kids activities, vendors, live music by the Dirty Boot Band, and a super nacho fundraising meal for The Right Turn, Inc. Also taking place in Fischers Lilly Park is Trader Days August 13-15! Live music, food trucks, vendors, BBQ contest and many more activities! The festivities will start at 5pm on Friday, and the full schedule of events can be found on the Trader Days Facebook page.

Check out more events like: the Summer Patio Sessions at Drifters on Thursday nights throughout August, the Dueling Duo benefit for the SD Discovery Center on August 6, Central SD 4-H starts August 7, and the Summer Concert Series at the American Legion every Sunday in August. These events and much more can be found on our website at www.pierre.org. If you have an event coming up that you would like the community to know about, please add it to our calendar!

School in Pierre starts on Thursday August 19, and in Stanley County on August 23, so get out and enjoy all the wonderful opportunities that are available to us in the lower Oahe region – it is a wonderful place to live!

Katie Johnson

Membership Director

Time To Plan for 2022!

Reports coming into our office indicate that everyone is busy with tourists. Here at the Oahe Visitor Center that is very true! We are busier than we have ever been! And all of that is good! So, it’s hard to believe that it’s time to start planning for 2022! It will be here before we know it and you won’t want to miss out on opportunities for marketing your business or community.

At SD Missouri River Tourism we are getting ready to send out our dues invoices and advertising opportunities for the upcoming year. The good news? We are not increasing the dues rates. And there are a couple specials on the advertising side that you might want to take advantage of.

It’s tough to decide what a business or community should do for marketing - but the one thing that should stay constant is continuing your marketing! We are here to help you with that! We are planning our sports/vacation shows for 2022. All indications are that shows will be extremely busy this coming year. We also plan on doing additional social media marketing to get the word out for our members and advertisers. As partners we can make our money go farther and reach the people we know are interested in the river area. Our marketing outreach includes MN, IA, WI, NE, MO, ND and SD. Statistics show that these target markets are where the largest majority of our visitors come from.

If you are interested in being part of SD Missouri River Tourism marketing, please contact us for membership and advertising opportunities. Call the office at 605-224-4617 for information.

In the meantime – as busy as everyone is, you need to remember to take care of you and your staff! It is becoming stressful with the shortage of employees, so you need to try to lessen that stress as much as you can. Exercise – maybe a “quick exercise time with staff” – even a few minutes of laughing can help! It’s time to talk to ourselves – yes we all do it – and give ourselves permission to take a couple minutes to just relax! Be positive! And, remember to let your employees know you appreciate them. 

If we can help in any way – please give us a call! We want you and your business or community to be the best it can be!

Ribbon Cuttings, Open Houses and Ground Breaking Ceremonies

The South Dakota Discovery Center recently celebrated the grand opening of their newest addition to Discovery Town, Grandma Kay's Wee Care. The new exhibit is based on health careers, and offers kids learning opportunities in the health profession through a real woman of STEM. The newborn nursery was built through a memorial honoring Kay Parker.

Summer Business After Hours

The Chamber held a well-attended Summer Business After Hours on Thursday, June 22 at The St. Charles Lounge. Co-hosts included Farm Credit Services of America, the Oahe Family YMCA, Wílde Präríe Rose Boutique, Aflac and Capital Area United Way. Beck Motor Company graciously offered hotdogs for a free will donation to United Way. The event participants and attendees enjoyed getting back to building relationships in person after a long year of limited contact.

The next Business After Hours will be on Tuesday, September 21 at the Silver Spur in Fort Pierre. If you would like to participate in a future Business After Hours, contact Katie via email or call 605.224.7361.

Get Involved

• South Dakota State Sporting Clay Shoot (Skeet) - Willow Creek Wildlife (7/29/2021 to 8/1/2021)
• Summer Concert Series at the American Legion (8/1/2021)
• Prairie Winds 4-H Achievement Day (8/2/2021)
• Pierre Trappers Baseball (8/2/2021)
• Volunteers needed at food bank  (8/3/2021)
• Pierre Adult Kickball League Organizational Meeting (8/3/2021)
• Job Fair at Edgewood Pierre (8/3/2021)
• Pierre Trappers Baseball (8/3/2021)
• Blood Drive (8/4/2021)
• River City Toastmasters (8/4/2021)
• Pierre Trappers Baseball (8/4/2021)
• Pierre Senior Center Potluck and Entertainment (8/5/2021)
• Breast Cancer Support Group (8/5/2021)
• Shop Where I Live Vendor Set Up Webinar (8/5/2021)
• First Thursdays Event Series (8/5/2021)
• Patio Sessions - Hank Harris (8/5/2021)
• Summer Patio Session (8/5/2021)
• Pierre Trappers Baseball (8/5/2021)
• Pierre Trappers Baseball (8/6/2021)
• Dueling Duo benefit for SD Discovery Center (8/6/2021)
• Central South Dakota 4-H Rodeo (8/7/2021 to 8/8/2021)
• Capital City Farmer's Market (8/7/2021)
• Measuring South Dakota (8/7/2021)
• Pierre Trappers Baseball (8/7/2021)
• Summer Concert Series at the American Legion (8/8/2021)
• "Read What You Want" book club (8/9/2021)
• Stately Stitchers Guild Meeting (8/9/2021)
• Gale Online Courses (8/11/2021)
• Capital Area Networking (CAN) Meeting (8/11/2021)
• Shop Where I Live Platform Tips & Tricks Webinar (8/11/2021)
• River City Toastmasters (8/11/2021)
• Pierre Senior Center Potluck and Entertainment (8/12/2021)
• Summer Patio Session (8/12/2021)
• Patio Sessions - Lance Spears (8/12/2021)
• Street Masters Auto Show (8/13/2021 to 8/14/2021)
• Fourth Annual Trader Days (8/13/2021 to 8/15/2021)
• Women's Cancer Support (8/13/2021)
• Little Players' Production of Charlotte's Web (8/13/2021 to 8/15/2021)
• Little Players present CHARLOTTE'S WEB (8/13/2021)
• Verendrye Museum's annual Backyard cook off! (8/14/2021)
• Capital City Farmer's Market (8/14/2021)
• Medicine Butte/Arikara Village Bus Tour (8/14/2021)
• Trader Days Children's Activities & Music (8/14/2021)
• Little Players present CHARLOTTE'S WEB (8/14/2021)
• Pheasants & Pickleball - bidding closes today for fundraiser hunt. (8/15/2021)
• Little Players present CHARLOTTE'S WEB (8/15/2021)
• Summer Concert Series at the American Legion (8/15/2021)
• Pierre Players Auditions: A Little Piece of Heaven (8/16/2021)
• Shop Where I Live Monthly Marketing Webinar (8/17/2021)
• Early Birds: Active Supervision (8/18/2021)
• River City Toastmasters (8/18/2021)
• Pierre Senior Center Potluck and Entertainment (8/19/2021)
• Breast Cancer Support Group (8/19/2021)
• Dementia Caregivers Support Group (8/19/2021)
• Breastfeeding Class (8/19/2021)
• CPR (8/19/2021)
• Lesson Planning (8/19/2021)
• Patio Sessions - Hidden Timber Band (8/19/2021)
• Summer Patio Session (8/19/2021)
• 4H Finals Rodeo & 50th Anniversary (8/20/2021 to 8/22/2021)
• Trap Fundraiser - Willow Creek Wildlife (8/21/2021 to 8/22/2021)
• Capital City Farmer's Market (8/21/2021)
• Summer Concert Series at the American Legion (8/22/2021)
• Fall League - Willow Creek Wildlife (8/23/2021)
• River City Toastmasters (8/25/2021)
• Pierre Senior Center Potluck and Entertainment (8/26/2021)
• Summer Patio Session (8/26/2021)
• Patio Sessions - Nate Whartman (8/26/2021)
• Shop Where I Live E-Commerce Best Practices Webinar (8/27/2021)
• Patio Sessions - Tie Dye Volcano (8/28/2021)
• Eisnach Celebration of Life & 5K (8/28/2021)
• Capital City Farmer's Market (8/28/2021)
• Summer Patio Session (8/28/2021)
• Summer Concert Series at the American Legion (8/29/2021)
• Get Parents Involved (8/30/2021)