STURGIS, SD (3/3/2015) – The Board of Directors of the Sturgis Economic Development Corp (SEDC) invite the public to a groundbreaking ceremony for the industrial incubator building on Monday, March 9, at 2:00 pm. It will be held at the construction site at the entrance to the Sturgis Industrial Park, 1110 Industry Road. Immediately following the ceremony, refreshments will be served next door at Iverson Construction.

Rangel Construction is the general contractor for the 5,110 sq. ft. flexible spec building. The building is designed to accommodate up to four businesses. It will give smaller start-up companies an opportunity to lease space that can be finished to suit their specific needs. Companies interested in acquiring space in the building should contact SEDC at 347-4906.

It will also be used for educational purposes. The Sturgis Brown High School’s new CTE machinist program will be housed in the east unit. This section of the building will be completed by Fall 2015 for the newly equipped machine shop and classroom to provide hands-on training in an industrial environment.

The incubator building is made possible by federal and state grants, as well as, matching funds. A $99,999 USDA Rural Development RBEG match grant was awarded to SEDC for the project. Additionally, a $100,000 Future Fund grant was awarded by Gov. Dennis Daugaard to the Meade School District and SEDC.

“Metals-related manufacturing is a large component of our region’s industrial sector and a huge contributor to our economy each year,” said Pat Kurtenbach, SEDC President. “This project is helping to not only develop commercial and industrial growth, but ultimately it’s investing in the future—our future workforce.”