Hello [First Name],

This is the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce, Pierre Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Pierre Economic Development Corporation's March 2022 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

You do not need to register to participate in the parade, just be lined up and ready by 5:15 PM.

The Pierre Area Chamber is extremely lucky to have fantastic members!

Speaking of luck, do you ever notice how some people just seem to be luckier than others? Albert Einstein once said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” The last couple of years have presented much difficulty and the Chamber staff strives to give our members ample opportunity to set themselves and their businesses up for success. The more you get involved, promote your business, partner with others, and focus on good customer service, the better chance you will have of success. Growing your network is likely the most valuable thing you can do to consistently get yourself in front of opportunity.  

Here are a few ways that the Chamber can extend the proverbial four-leaf clover:

• Keep informed about area events and networking opportunities by singing up for the Chamber's What's Happening" that is sent every Monday straight to your inbox.
• Sign up for our one-day leadership event, Leadercast - The One Thing, on May 17th. We will broadcast a diverse lineup of speakers on the topic of The One Thing, focusing on the one attribute that makes a leader worth following. The event is held at the Ramkota from 9-4PM. Seats are limited and available to Chamber members for $65, and to non-members for $80.
• Promote your business at Chamber events, we have many sponsorship opportunities and with our unique membership structure there is a lot of value packed within our investment tiers. Wondering what opportunities are available to you? Contact a staff member and we would be happy to chat with you!
• Join the Capital Area Networking (CAN) group and meet others who are interested in helping share your story with potential customers and clients.

Now, we can’t guarantee you will be the luckiest person in the world, but you will be putting yourself in a position for success. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Thank you again for your membership and for your continued support of the Pierre and Fort Pierre communities!  

Loyal2Local,

Sara

While it's possible to make strong connections online, the easiest connections are still made face-to-face. This means the Pierre Area Chamber is in a great position to offer incredibly effective networking - or shall we say the opportunity to cultivate customer and business-to-business relationships.

Body language, handshakes, and other personal interaction can help solidify relationships quicker than those made online. After all, 90% of communication is non-verbal.

The 55/38/7 Formula: The 90% figure wasn't plucked out of thin air. It was Albert Mehrabian, a researcher of body language, who first broke down the components of a face-to-face conversation. He found that communication is 55% nonverbal, 38% vocal, and 7% words only.

Networking is incredibly valuable to every career and business stage. Be sure to join us at Business After Hours, ribbon cutting events, open houses and other Chamber events.

And remember, a smile is literally infectious. Research has shown that it takes a conscious effort for a person to frown when looking at someone smiling :)

Did you know that it's possible to continue testing positive for COVID-19 for several weeks, even after you are no longer contagious? Find more information and tips for your business and employees by clicking HERE.

We have taken another big step forward toward building Pierre’s new outdoor swimming pool. The project is out for bid! The commission approved the action on Feb. 22.

Given the complexity of the project and nuances of the construction industry right now, we are taking a unique approach with this project. We’re giving the bidders the option of two different timelines.

They’ll bid the project with two different completion dates -  May 25, 2023 and Oct. 13, 2023. 

We know the pool project is an involved one; we know there aren’t a lot of contracting companies without work to do right now; and we know the materials necessary for the project might not be easily procured. To balance those challenges and their financial impacts, we’re offering contractors more flexibility than you’d typically see in a bidding process.

We will know how well that strategy worked by the end of the month.  The bid packages are due back to the city on March 31.

As you might remember, this is a two-phased project. The first phase, which has been underway since August, was the earth work portion. Since then, about 15,000 yards of soil was excavated and replaced. An additional, 20,000 yards of soil was brought in to elevate the construction site out of the water table and to compact the soil for stability.

Some of that soil, the part used for compaction, will be removed before the second phase, actual pool construction, begins. That will leave a retaining wall that reaches more than 10 feet on the west side of the complex.

Here’s the fun part! The plans for the new pool include a shallow water pool, a multi-purpose pool that can double as a competition pool, a lazy river, as well as a new bathhouse and snack bar. If fully realized, the new pool will also include a shallow-water play structure, a speed slide, a drop slide, a raft slide, a kiddie slide, a zip line and numerous other water features.

The details about the pool are available at pierrepool.com. I encourage you to check it out. 

The project has been supported wonderfully by the community. A giant thank you to all who have helped this project along. From the citizen committee that identified needs and design back in 2018, to the Capital Campaign Committee that’s been drumming up financial support since 2019, to the donors who are helping make the vision possible, and, of course, the staff who have worked behind the scenes to get us here! 

This pool has been a long time coming. It’s going to be awesome!

One of my favorite landmarks in Fort Pierre is Cedar Hill Cemetery. Built in 1894 on beautiful wooded hills just a few miles west of the city (south of the water storage tank on Verendrye Drive) Cedar Hill is the final resting place of a variety of early residents, including outlaws, fur traders, military veterans of the Civil War, WWI and WWII, prospectors, Native American residents, suffragettes, murder victims and historic leaders. It also holds a great many children who succumbed to multiple epidemics.

Shortly after taking office as mayor almost 8 years ago, I received a complaint about the condition of the Cedar Hill Cemetery. I checked it out, and the complainant was right – maintenance of the cemetery had been neglected. So, in the spring of 2014, members of the Masonic Lodge, city employees, inmates from the women’s prison, City Council members and other volunteers spent a weekend trimming bushes and trees, mowing and trimming grass, and righting tipped headstones. That same year the City installed solar lighting for the American flag so it could remain flying 24 hours a day.

Every year since, the Masons, Doug Runge, and other volunteers have faithfully improved and provided maintenance of the cemetery. The city parks crew does a great job keeping the area mowed and trimmed.

The City Council made the decision a few years ago to cease selling burial plots until we could make sure the records were accurate. We hope to reverse the decision soon. We also want to offer self-guided walking tours of the cemetery to historians and the general public.

To address the need for updated historical records and to make sure the cemetery gets the attention it deserves, I decided to reinstate the Cedar Hill Cemetery Board, which had been inactive for a decade or more. Last fall, the Council approved the appointments of Doug and Jeff Mortenson, Steve Likness, Jody Heemstra, Ken Stewart, Carl Rathbun, and Doug Runge. The Board meets monthly; it has organized, elected officers, adopted bylaws, and established priorities. I agree with Ken Stewart’s description of the board members: “fun people, passionate about Fort Pierre and Cedar Hill.”

I am so grateful for dedicated individuals in this community who volunteer their time and talents to preserve our rich history for generations to come.

This month, the Pierre Convention & Visitors Bureau launched the new 2022 Pierre Visitor Guide. The guide is distributed to lodging, sport shows, convenience stores and the airport. It also goes out to convention attendees, interstate rest stops and other cities throughout South Dakota. If you are interested in having the Pierre Visitor Guide available at your business, or as handouts for your meeting, convention, or conference, visit pierre.org or by calling 605.224.7361.

Every year the Pierre CVB takes part in the South Dakota Tourisms’ Great Get-Aways program, which generates thousands of sales leads for visitor-related businesses in our area. A visitor guide is sent to each individual who expresses interest in visiting Pierre. Every year, we send out thousands of guides to interested travelers. 

We are excited to have some fun events in the area this month. The State Amateur Billiards 8-Ball Tournament is March 2 – 6, 2022, the Special Olympics basketball tournament, March 12 – 13, 2022, the St. Paddy’s Day dart tournament March 17 – 20, 2022, and the SD state cornhole tournament will be March 25 – 26, 2022. Show your hospitality to everyone you meet; small interactions can be the pivotal influence of a positive or negative experience for visitors in our lovely community.

Just a friendly reminder of all the tips and tricks to help you take full advantage of the membership benefits available to you. If you have any questions, I am always happy to help!

1. Log into the Member Information Center

The number one way for us to keep you informed and share your business is by keeping your directory listing up to date. Add a description and pictures to stand out in the crowd, submit your events and hot deals to attract customers, post your job opening, register & pay for events, enter your staff as representatives, network with other Chamber members, and choose from a plethora of sponsorship opportunities. Visit www.pierre.org and login today. Contact the Chamber for assistance.

2. Take Advantage of your Investor Benefits

Review the benefits that are included with your level of investment. If you are supplying web banner ads, please submit ads sized 480x60 pixels and 298x60 pixels. Communicate ideal months for your business and supply any additional information for your investment package.

3. Request a Ribbon Cutting

For a new location or Grand Opening, a ribbon cutting is a great way to gain exposure and host other members in your location. We invite the media and our Chamber Ambassadors to the ceremony. Ribbon and scissors are provided, and a photo is featured in our monthly Chamber Newsletter, on our website and on Facebook.

4. Sign Up for Weekly What’s Happening Emails.

Make sure that we have added you to our email database (or go to our website to subscribe to What's Happening). This is the best way to stay up to date with all the Chamber news. Manage your subscriptions from the Member Information Center.

5. Follow us on Social Media 

Like us on Facebook @PierreAreaChamber and Follow us @PierreSD on Twitter.

6. Show Your Member Pride

Proudly display your Chamber plaque sticker (delivered in February) prominently in your place of business. If you didn’t get yours, please let me know! Customers are 49% more likely to think favorably of a business they know is a Chamber member, and 80% more likely to patronize the establishment in the future! Help the Chamber help you.

Pierre Closets has storage solutions that will transform your disorganized, catch-all closet or pantry into a functional, organized, even beautiful space. Let us help you reclaim your time, organize your space nd live happier.

Locally owned-family operated motel with all outside entrances. The Fort Pierre Motel is the closest motel to the Fort Pierre National Grasslands. Located 300 ft from the Missouri River boat dock.

We encourage the Pierre and Fort Pierre residents to continue to be #LOYAL2LOCAL between our two municipalities, so that we can continue to grow and prosper as a community.

#Loyal2Local #Pierreadise #FortPierreLife #BetterTogether #PierreFortPierre

Chamber Changes

Winter Business After Hours

The Pierre Area Chamber held its Winter Business After Hours on Thursday, Feb. 10 at River Cities Public Transit. Co-Hosts included (from top L to R) Elleworx Massage and Wellness, Lynn's Dakotamart, Pierre Closets, Dakota Plains Federal Credit Union and TEAMMATES Mentoring Program of Pierre.

Participating businesses and attendees enjoyed food provided by Lynn's Dakotamart of Pierre, beverages provided by RCPT, and getting back to building relationships in person. 

Thank you to all who joined us! If your business would like to participate in a future Business After Hours, contact Katie via email (kjohnson@pierre.org) or call 605-224-7361.

Legislative Coffee's 2022

Thank you to Jodie Anderson for moderating our first Legislative Coffee in 2022 with our District 24 Legislators on Saturday, January 29 at the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce. We encourage all residents to stay informed during the 97th Legislative Session.

Thank you to Steve Willard for moderating our second Legislative Coffee in 2022 with our District 24 Legislators on Saturday, February 12. We encourage all residents to stay informed during the 97th Legislative Session.

Leadership Pierre 2021-2022

 Leadership Pierre enjoyed their sixth session on Feb. 3, which focused on criminal justice and emergency management in the Pierre area. The objective of the session was to gain insight into the justice system, and understand how those services and programs impact our community and its residents.

Thank you to our 2021-2022 Leadership Pierre sponosors:

Champion Sponsors, Avera and BankWest

Session Sponsors, American Bank & Trust, Lynn's Dakotamart, Sanford Health Pierre Clinic and Walmart

Lunch Sponsors, Aflac Pierre, Anderson Nill & Associates, and First Dakota National Bank

Get Involved in What's to Come

You can email specific candidate questions to srankin@pierre.org