Zeal Center

Starting today, small businesses facing economic hardship due to COVID-19 are again eligible to apply for forgivable loans through a new extension of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).  In March 2020, President Donald Trump signed the $2 trillion CARES Act into law which contained a variety of emergency relief resources for businesses, including the PPP.…

Today, our team at Zeal is excited to publicly announce the participants of our first CO.STARTERS cohort.  We announced the program in November after months of strategic planning and research. We’ve already put so much hard work into CO.STARTERS, and as the applications started rolling in, we were thrilled to see a diverse range of…

2020 was a year like no other, and business owners and entrepreneurs continue to experience its effects. Through it all, we’ve been encouraged by the stories of resilience, grit and spirit that continue to rise up out of our community.  At Zeal, we had to adapt quickly in order to continue engaging and supporting the…

Christmas is finally here, after what has felt like the longest year of all time—2020. Holiday celebrations might look different this year, but there are still ways to find joy and merriment.  To put us in the festive spirit, we asked our team to share some of their favorite holiday traditions and treats. Keep scrolling…

Eric Weisser is the CEO of Weisser Distributing, and the facilitator of Co.Starters’ inaugural cohort. We asked him a few questions about what he’s learned from building a business and why he thinks Co.Starters would be a valuable experience for early-stage entrepreneurs. Keep reading to hear what he had to say! The following Q&A has…

Applications are now open for the first cohort of Zeal’s CO.STARTERS accelerator program.  CO.STARTERS is a ten-week experience that walks a small group—typically 10-16 participants—through an effective program designed to provide structure, support and resources for entrepreneurs to execute on their business ideas. The program is also suitable for more established, growth-stage startups who are…

The way Dan Oakland sees it, human resource development and management is something every company deals with, but not everyone has the time or money necessary to invest in.  Oakland is the founder of Alternative HRD, a firm that provides outsourced HR solutions for businesses and nonprofits, with a special focus on small businesses.  “I…

As the Evan C. Nolte Leadership Sioux Falls (LSF) program launches its 35th class, we at Zeal feel privileged to call five of the participants our own. Including tenants, sponsors, board members and even one of our own staff members, these individuals represent the community-minded, entrepreneurial spirit of our Zeal ecosystem.  “I think it’s a…

This video features the presentation by Brienne Maner of the Zeal Center of Entrepreneurship at 1 Million Cups Sioux Falls on October 7th, 2020. #1MCSF meets weekly at 9:00 AM on Wednesdays. Find upcoming event details here. 1 Million Cups Sioux Falls is sponsored by The First National Bank in Sioux Falls and Zeal Center for…