And so a new season begins.
The Sioux Falls Development Foundation’s hiring of R. Slater Barr as its next president launches a new era of leadership for the storied economic development organization.
Barr replaces Dan Scott, who guided the organization for 13 years and retired in February.
Scott’s leadership positions with the foundation date back to 1987, and many folks in local business circles credit Scott with first re-energizing the foundation and then making it grow.
Indeed, the development foundation has been a critical element in Sioux Falls’ good fortune. From its role in launching the South Dakota Business Technology Center to its joint sponsorship of Forward Sioux Falls to its creation of development parks, the foundation’s footprint in Sioux Falls is like a size 13.
Therefore, it’s natural to wonder with great interest where the new guy might take the organization next.
For his part, Barr’s no stranger to economic development. He runs – at least until August – an economic development organization called Carroll Tomorrow, which is in Carrollton, Ga.
Barr has said that work-force development and quality-of-life issues such as child-care availability are potential items that might top his agenda after he gets settled in his new home.
So far so good.
Still, the foundation’s changing of the guard offers a good time also to gauge the perspectives of others in the community about Sioux Falls’ future economic development needs.
Who knows? Barr might pick up some well-timed advice from the locals.
With that in mind, I picked the brains of a couple of business folks, and here’s what they said:
“My focus is on the built environment primarily. Probably the most important issue that we’re facing is the events center and making that the best possible design (for) the scale and character of that facility,” said Jeff Hazard, CEO/principal Koch Hazard Architects.
Well said, Jeff. Although, it might be kind of mean to toss Barr into the events center line of fire too soon. “And secondarily I think it would be desirable for the development foundation to focus a little higher proportion of its energy on the downtown area as opposed to the perimeter of Sioux Falls,” Hazard said.
Well said, take two.
“In addition to work-force development and quality of life, we would look to Mr. Barr and his strategic plan to include economic goals such as the kinds of industry the community needs to entice and recruit, through additional incentives,” Kristen Hegg Zueger, a commercial sales and leasing specialist for Hegg Cos.
“Industry recruiting has become more sophisticated as of late, and we feel that we need talented economic development people to get their attention.”
That’s pretty lofty stuff.
Regardless of the eventual agenda that Barr decides to set, there’s one thing for sure.
The city awaits.
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