Posts by Andrea Van Essen
Regional 1 Million Cups representative visits Sioux Falls chapter
On Wednesday, February 12, Sioux Falls’ 1 Million Cups (1MC) chapter enjoyed a visit from the organization’s midwest representative, Ben McDougal. McDougal has been involved with 1MC since its second chapter was organized in his city, Des Moines. After regularly attending the weekly event, he soon became an organizer, which he did for five years…
Read MoreThe Kitchen celebrates grand opening with events, open house
After a soft opening on Monday, February 3, The Kitchen will celebrate its grand opening next week with a variety of events and a week-long open house. Jen Kolb came up with the concept of a co-working space for women nearly a year ago, and she’s been working hard to bring it to life ever…
Read MoreOrganization Focus: USD Center for Professional Development
For business professionals who seek career growth, taking advantage of continual learning and development opportunities is critical. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to find time for those opportunities in today’s workplaces and busy schedules. That’s where the USD Center for Professional Development (CPD) comes in. The program grew out of USD’s Beacom School of Business…
Read MoreOrganization Focus: South Dakota Development Corporation
Created in 1983, the South Dakota Development Corporation (SDDC) exists to support businesses in the pursuit of low interest loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 program. The 504 program provides fixed asset financing to cover hard costs such as land, buildings, or equipment. Because fixed assets act as collateral, 504 loans are…
Read MoreFailure Fest shines a light on trials of entrepreneurship
When it comes to inspiration, it’s often success stories that garner the most attention. But a comment made by a local entrepreneur generated interest in an event that would highlight just the opposite—failure. “The idea for Failure Fest originally came from Josh Sopko,” said Startup Sioux Falls founder, Matt Paulson. “He made the offhand comment,…
Read MoreOrganization Focus: Bird Dog Equity Partners
Founded by Paul Schock and Chad Hatch, Bird Dog Equity Partners is a later-stage private equity firm with a focus on the hospitality industry. While the firm has enjoyed a variety of successful investments since its founding in 2010, it’s an enduring mantra of “People First, Business Second,” that makes Bird Dog truly stand out…
Read MoreOrganization Focus: USD GEAR Center
Home to the University of South Dakota’s graduate program in biomedical engineering, the Graduate Education and Applied Research (GEAR) Center provides students and startups with a state-of-the-art facility for research and collaboration. The university’s biomedical engineering program began in 2006, and it moved into the GEAR Center facility within the USD Discovery District in 2009.…
Read MoreSouth Dakota Chamber of Commerce kicks off 2020 Giant Vision competition
An annual contest that gives aspiring entrepreneurs a chance to jump-start their business ideas is accepting applications from now until mid-February. South Dakota Giant Vision is hosted by the state’s Chamber of Commerce, and it features two separate competitions—one for students and one for businesses. The idea for the competition came about in 2005, as…
Read MoreSBA Office of Disaster Assistance sets up shop in South Dakota for a limited time
The U.S Small Business Association’s Office of Disaster Assistance recently arrived in South Dakota to offer support in the wake of September’s storms, flooding, and tornadoes. In order for the Office of Disaster Assistance to make its services available, a presidential major disaster declaration must be made for the area. In late November, President Trump…
Read MoreOrganization Focus: South Dakota Innovation Partners
Ten years ago, a group of civic entrepreneurs set out to create an early-stage venture capital firm with a focus on commercializing research. Today, they have built an experienced firm with a track record of transforming ideas into successful industrial complexes. The idea for the firm came from former South Dakota State University president, David…
Read More