STURGIS, SD 8/29/2016 – The South Dakota Department of Transportation says crews are set to begin work to reconstruct Main Street in Sturgis from west of Junction Avenue to Fourth Street on Sept. 6.
The project includes new eight-inch water main, storm sewer, asphalt surfacing, curb and gutter, sidewalks, decorative roadway lighting and signing. At each intersection, landscaping, irrigation and planter rails will be incorporated along with colored crosswalks and sidewalks.
STURGIS, SD – 8/29/16 As Meade School District students return to school today, families in the Sturgis area have three new options for state licensed child care services.
This is opening day for Discovery Kids University and Better Building Blocks Daycare in Sturgis. First Step Child Care Center & Pre-School at Fort Meade opened last month. Combined, the three facilities employ 33 and are able to serve 272 children, ages 6-weeks and up. They provide a variety of services including pre-school, day care, after-school programs, extended hours and school busing.
These new child care services help support the amazing residential growth in Sturgis. They also address the needs of our area’s largest employers for more affordable, dependable daycare services with extended hours. Also, educational indicators point to a continued significant increase in the number of preschool children.
The Board of Directors of the Sturgis Economic Development Corp extends sincere thanks and appreciation to the owners, managers and everyone involved with First Step, Discovery Kids University and Better Building Blocks for their commitment and investment in the continued growth of our community. We hope you will share their contact information below with those considering child care services or employment opportunities.
First Step Child Care Center & Pre-School-Ft. Meade
85 Custer Avenue, Fort Meade, SD 57741
Phone office: 605-347-7001
Phone main building: 605-720-7094
Leigha Patterson, Operations Manager
Email: ftmeade@nhfirststep.com
Licensed for 60 children, 6-weeks and up
Discovery Kids University
198 Old Stone Road, Sturgis, SD 57785
Phone: (605) 545-0115
Caleb Grenz, Director
Email: director@discoverykidsuniversity.com
http://www.discoverykidsuniversity.com/home.html
Licensed for 106 children, 6-weeks and up
Better Building Blocks Daycare
850 Main Street
Sturgis, SD 57785
Phone: 605-490-8344
Wendi Eixenberger, Director
https://www.facebook.com/betterbuildingblockssturgis/
Licensed for 106 children, 6-weeks and up
PROJECT UPDATES
Discovery Kids University will open before school starts with daycare, pre-school and after school programs for children ages 6 weeks to 11 years. This state licensed facility can accommodate up to 106 children and is located on Old Stone Road, off Exit 32. For info on services or employment, call 605-545-0115 or visit www.discoverykidsuniversity.com.
Rasmussen Mechanical Services site work is underway in the Sturgis Industrial Park. The 9,600 sq. ft. building will be completed by year end.
Dolan Creek Estates has 27 lots sold, with more pending. 15+ houses have been sold; several more are pending. The first phase of the 106-unit project continues to exceed developer’s projections. For more info, contact Brad Hammerbeck, 605-381-4577 bradhammerbeck@gmail.com
Canyon View Estates has four of five single family lots sold. Two are under construction; the third will break ground in two weeks. Two completed town homes are priced at $179,000. For more info, contact Kyle Treloar, 605-348-0538 kylet@dreamdesigninc.com
Sierra Vista Apartment Homes on Ballpark Road started construction on Phase II in August. Like Phase I, it will offer 16 market rate leases of 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom units. For leasing info, contact Jenni Tucker, Help-U-Rent, 605-722-7368 jenni@help-u-rent.net.
The Palisades subdivision will complete its final phase of infrastructure on or before August 31. Offering complete turnkey financing, based on buyer approval, the Palisades has completed, or is in the process of completing, construction of homes on all remaining lots in Phase I. Due to strong demand, pre-sold townhome and single-family lots are underway in Phase II. It is anticipated that construction of 4-plex townhome rentals will start this fall. For more info, contact Jeff Christians, Keller Williams Realty, 605-920-0425.
BUSINESS ANNOUNCEMENTS
Enviro Shield Products, Inc., a manufacturer of spill containment products for the oil industry, is relocating from Williston, ND to the Sturgis Industrial Park. CEO Shane Herman has developed a new spill containment product that can be expanded into other markets, including the motorcycle industry. Shane plans to be fully operational in his 7,000 sq. ft. building in Sturgis in September. Two employees will relocate from Williston and another three will be hired locally. When at capacity, it is expected to have 12 full time employees. www.enviroshieldproducts.com
Sturgis MotoCruzin USA, producer of a complete line of motorized bicycles, will start production in Sturgis in September. Chuck Jepson and Bruce Lindholm will have a manufacturing and license agreement with Motoped, a Kansas City, MO-based company. They will redesign the product’s marketing and distribution channels and move the business into leased space in the Sturgis Industrial Park in September with the help of this site https://www.webdesign499.com/excellent-source-of-information-about-web-design/. They will employ five to start and expect to expand capacity in the near future with plans to build a 20,000 sq. ft. production facility. https://motoped.com/
Better Building Blocks daycare center will offer another licensed daycare option with flexible hours for flexible schedules. It will accept infants and children up to 10 years of age, and open before school starts at 850 Main, Sturgis, former site of the Strain Morman Law Office. This new business will add nine new jobs. For info on services or employment, call Wendy Eixenberger at 605-490-8344 or visit their Facebook page.
The Strain Morman Law Firm will move back to its former location at 1134 Main Street, where the firm first practiced law beginning in 1956. Mike Strain hopes his return to downtown will encourage other business professionals to explore the exciting opportunity to work downtown and be part of the revitalization promoting year round business within the City’s core. Mike will move there with his three new attorneys and staff.
STURGIS, SD (8/1/2016) – Sturgis MotoCruzin USA, producer of a complete line of motorized bicycles, will start production in Sturgis in September.
Chuck Jepson and Bruce Lindholm will have a manufacturing and license agreement with Motoped, a Kansas City, MO-based company. They will redesign the product’s marketing and distribution channels and move the business into leased space in the Sturgis Industrial Park in September. They will employ five to start and expect to expand capacity in the near future with plans to build a 20,000 sq. ft. production facility.
Sturgis MotoCruzin USA will market and produce three distinct Motoped products, all of which will be on display at the Buffalo Chip campground during the Sturgis® Motorcyle™ Rally. Motopeds are motorized bicycles equipped with engines less than 50 cc, as well as, mountain bike parts mounted to a custom frame and swing arm. They may be ridden on the street without registration, but are limited to 30 mph speed limit.
Chuck Jepson states, “Locating our new company in Sturgis was an easy choice. With the Sturgis brand recognition, immediate access to hundreds of miles of trails, and business relocation advice from the Sturgis Economic Development Corp, we are confident we have made the right decision for our business to succeed.”
SEDC President Pat Kurtenbach adds, “Chuck and Bruce chose the Sturgis Industrial Park as a natural fit for their new business due to the cluster of other metal-related manufacturers and the UPS distribution facility on site. The State of South Dakota’s business-friendly environment was an important draw to relocate the company. We are pleased to welcome Sturgis MotoCruzin USA to Sturgis.”
STURGIS, SD (8/1/2016) – Enviro Shield Products, Inc., a manufacturer of spill containment products for the oil industry, is relocating from Williston, ND to the Sturgis Industrial Park.
Shane Herman, CEO/President of Enviro Shield Products, has developed a new spill containment product that can be expanded into other markets, including the motorcycle industry. Shane plans to be fully operational in his 7,000 sq. ft. building in Sturgis in September. Two employees will relocate from Williston and another three will be hired locally. When at capacity, it is expected to have 12 full time employees.
Shane states, “Relocating to Sturgis with our new motorcycle product line is a natural move. Plus, our oil field containment contracts in the Bakken, Midcontinent and Rocky Mountains can be served more strategically from Sturgis. A business move like this is not something you do every day. The Sturgis Economic Development Corp and the State of South Dakota have been great resources in our relocation process.”
Pat Kurtenbach, President of the Sturgis Economic Development Corp, adds, “In addition to the motorcycle network in Sturgis, Shane chose the Sturgis Industrial Park because there was an available building ready for him to occupy. This allows him to be manufacturing in Sturgis at least nine months faster than if he constructed a new building. Enviro Shield’s ability to expand their product line beyond its original oil field application is a testament to their innovative capacity. We welcome Enviro Shield Products to Sturgis.”
Sturgis, SD (6.21.2016) – Black Hills Federal Credit Union transformed the corner of Junction and Lazelle over the past year when they expanded into the Sturgis market with the addition of a beautiful new Member Service Center. Their ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration was held Tuesday, June 21. Black Hills Federal now has thirteen locations. Their new Sturgis office has eight employees and offers a full line of consumer, business, and agricultural lending and deposit products.
STURGIS, S.D. (KOTA TV) May 30, 2016 – This may seem counter intuitive but the Sturgis Economic Development Corp would much rather have several small manufacturing companies put down roots in the town than a major company.
“Because truthfully, our area is not able to handle a company that would need 500 employees unless they’re able to bring them with them,” SEDC president Pat Kurtenbach admitted.
“We just don’t have the population base to support that; nor do we have the unemployment numbers to support that,” Kurtenbach added.
The ideal companies to recruit for the Sturgis Industrial Park would generate five to 20 jobs each, they suggest to the people who want to apply to check the lig program first to see if these jobs are the right fit.
With only about 880 machinist jobs in the state (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), there isn’t a large pool of workers to draw from. So Sturgis is growing its own work force, right out of high school.
With federal and state grants, SEDC and Sturgis Brown High School started a machine tool technology incubator in the town’s industrial park. It is sponsored by eight industrial park manufacturers — a mixture of firearms, motorcycle and agriculture companies that desperately need machinists.
“Here in the industrial park, we are able to train our own future work force in basic machine tool technology to get them a faster start into the work force once they graduate from high school,” Kurtenbach said.
One of the machinists in training is high school junior James Karrels.
“I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit (machining career) but I’m not sure yet. Machining intrigues me; what I want to do because it is hands on. It’s just a fun environment to be in,” Karrels said.
Karrels also knows the value of a machinist education. The average machinist salary in South Dakota is $37,220; nationwide that average climbs to $42,110.
“There’s a lot of jobs that you can make quite a bit (of money). You can make all kinds of stuff … demand is high right now,” Karrels said.
There is no guarantee that the entire 22-student class Karrels is a part of will land machinists jobs … or even go into the field.
“Most of them only have one semester so I’m not trying to make machinists out of them,” manufacturing instructor Cyle Miller said. “What I’m really trying to do is expose them to the opportunities that are out there in manufacturing.”
Nationwide, there are 477,500 machinist jobs; with an estimated job growth rate of 6 percent or 29,000 jobs now through 2024.
Even if incubator students opt out of manufacturing, the time spent building small air engines is time well spent.
“The other thing I’m really trying to help them understand is that no matter how big a problem is … if you break it down into small enough pieces … and you do the best job you can with each one of those pieces … when you reassemble that problem you end up with something that’s much more valuable than the sum of its parts,” Miller explained.
There are plans to even grow the incubator.
“We’re happy with what we’ve done but these are baby steps,” Kurtenbach said. “What we need to do now is figure out how to grow it. And I think the way to grow it is to get other communities involved so other school districts can come and benefit from the machine tool program here in Sturgis; not only the kids but adults. Maybe the adults who want to retrain, re-career, we can offer the same type of program to them.”
Reprint courtesy of Jack Siebold, KOTA.
STURGIS, S.D. (KOTA TV) May 23, 2016 – When South Dakota began courting firearms companies in the 1980s, no one had an inkling of an idea of how the industry would explode in the 21st century.
In the attached photo, LongRifles, Inc., employees finish painting a customer’s rifle stock. With the increasing popularity of sport and competition shooting, as well as the self-defense market, firearms manufacturers are hustling to keep up with customer demand.
“It started 10 to 12 years ago as a grass roots thing and in the last three to four years it has just exploded and we are very fortunate we’ve been able to rise with that sea and get a good foothold and presence on it,” Chad Dixon, owner of LongRifles Inc., said.
In 2014 alone, firearms and ammunitions accounted for $43 billion of the U.S. economy; and 263,000 jobs that paid $13.7 billion. That is according to a National Shooting Sports Foundation study .
Irving Stone of Bar-Sto Precision Machine believes most of the growth is in the recreational target shooting and self-defense markets. “There’s been a huge increase in people involved in firearms in general,” Stone said.
South Dakota, while a small state in population, is a major player in the industry. Wallethub.com claims the state is sixth in the nation for the number of firearms industry jobs per capita; and ninth in total firearms industry output per capita.
A state economic impact statement on the industry says it accounts for 712 direct jobs with wages of $31.5 million; an average of $44,264 per job, well above the state average wage of $38,820.
When the industry surged, Sturgis was already well-positioned as an industry leader.
Pat Kurtenbach, president of the Sturgis Economic Development Corp, said the town was fortunate to have visionary people push for an industrial park. “And once that was started we then became interested in the firearms industry because of all the business-friendly regulations from the state’s perspective,” Kurtenbach explained.
First to take notice of Sturgis was Dakota Arms, followed by Corbon/Glaser.
“So with those two anchors – with Dakota Arms, with Corbon – we were really set to go for the firearms industry. Since then it has completely mushroomed,” Kurtenbach said.
As of May 2016, Sturgis has 11 firearms manufacturers employing 80 people in its industrial park.
Those manufacturers are poised to add more staff. “We have a little growth; we’re going to expand a little bit add some products,” Stone admitted.
Stone says that growth comes with caution.
“This industry has been on a huge climb for the past eight years now. We’re cranking along; we’re doing good and we’re happy about that but you have to watch out. You can get ahead of yourself and when it finally does take a downturn, there can be problems with that.” (see ATF report on U.S. firearms manufacturing in related links)
For Sturgis, that growth means hopefully a new industrial park since they only have four acres left in the current park.
As for the new park’s businesses … “We are definitely going to continue with the firearms industry,” Kurtenbach said. “We’ve got a good thing going. We’ve got a track record that we’re very proud of and we can continue to grow.”
Reprint courtesy of Jack Siebold, KOTA.
STURGIS, SD (5/17/2016) – A groundbreaking ceremony for Rasmussen Mechanical Services will be held Thursday, May 19th at 10:00 a.m. at the construction site on Mayer Avenue in the Sturgis Industrial Park. The public is invited to attend and meet owner Brian Rasmussen, as well as, local manager and Sturgis native Ryan Aldren, to learn more about this exciting business relocation. Refreshments will follow at Iverson Construction, also in the Sturgis Industrial Park.
Sturgis will become the regional service center for Rasmussen’s boiler, burner and HVAC divisions. Kingsbury Design and Drafting designed the 9,600 sq. ft. custom building. Iverson Construction will build the facility. It will sit on 1.5 acres and be completed in Fall 2016.
Rasmussen Mechanical is a family business based in Council Bluffs, Iowa that has been providing services and parts to commercial, industrial and institutional clients throughout the Central United States for 46 years. Rasmussen Mechanical is one of the Midwest’s only contractors to offer customers all of their necessary mechanical needs with the use of one contractor. They currently operate eight locations in five states. Their new regional service center in Sturgis will have 12 full time and 3 part time employees.
Owner Brian Rasmussen states, “This expansion has been a two year process. After carefully considering several locations throughout the Black Hills, we are excited that we have found our new home in the Sturgis Industrial Park. We look forward to being a part of the Sturgis business community for many years.”
SEDC President Pat Kurtenbach adds, “Rasmussen Mechanical Services has an outstanding reputation for quality and service. We have enjoyed working with them on their site selection process and are pleased that they have chosen the Sturgis Industrial Park to be their regional service center. We welcome them to Sturgis.”
STURGIS, SD (5/3/2016) – A groundbreaking ceremony for Discovery Kids University was held Tuesday, May 3rd, at 10:00 a.m. at the site located off Exit 32 at the corner of Old Stone Road and Starline Drive, Sturgis. The public met representatives from Discovery Kids University and learned more about this exciting new child care service for area families.
Iverson Construction will build the custom designed 6,000 sq. ft. facility and 5,000 sq. ft. outdoor play area located on a 1+ acre parcel. Discovery Kids University plans to open in August 2016. They will offer South Dakota child care licensed services including pre-k programming and after-school care. They will be able to accommodate up to 120 children and families and will offer extended hours Monday – Friday, 5:00 am – 7:30 pm. Discovery Kids University will employ 20-25 full time and 10 part time certified staff.
Discovery Kids University desires to be a resource center for the entire family on both an educational and artistic level. Offering more than just care, their programs will branch into tutoring, music, family advocacy and wellness classes. Student and family resources will include an on-site family and child therapist, as well as, classes and events designed to encourage strong community and family relationships.
Sturgis Mayor Mark Carstensen states, “The City Council and I are tremendously excited to welcome this first-class child care provider to our community. Discovery Kids University will ensure that families have high quality options which will only enhance Sturgis’ already high quality of life for every family at every stage of life.”
With the phenomenal growth in housing and jobs, additional child care services have been identified as a critical need for Sturgis. Over the past two years, the Sturgis Economic Development Corp (SEDC) and the City of Sturgis have been working consistently to establish a State-licensed child care center of this size.
SEDC President Pat Kurtenbach adds, “In meeting with several area employers, it was readily apparent that more child care services were needed to support their recruitment and retention efforts. Also, we want to make sure that we are doing all we can to support the substantial investment by developers in new housing. Adding the type of child care services offered by Discovery Kids University will insure Sturgis continues to encourage growth and offer a family-oriented lifestyle. We heartily welcome Discovery Kids University to Sturgis.”