Goodwill Industries Planning To Locate In Vermillion

Goodwill Industries will open sometime in the first quarter of 2024, according to information provided by Peterson. It is a 501c3 institution, meaning there will be no property taxes paid when its building is constructed and occupied for use. It will provide between 10 and 12 new jobs to the community.

“Goodwill has purchased land and internally they have announced the contractor they have chosen,” he said. “Local contractors are in a very good position to do that job.”

Another business coming to Vermillion is Les Schwab Tires, which will provide from 10 to 12 jobs.

“We should close on that land in May (for their building) and then they will open in 2024,” Peterson said. “We are in the process with a retail store; we have land to sell to them.”

He said the VCDC is also in the process of helping with the financing of a childcare/church. The funding includes a state ARPA childcare grant. The facility will provide care for up to 20 infants and will create from four to eight jobs.

Businesses that have recently opened include Aqua Fresh, Jensen Kennels and See the Trainer, which is a sports medicine store.

The VCDC is helping with the financing options for three additional businesses that plan to open in the city soon, including a restaurant and a brewery.

Peterson said Goodwill Industries, located in Sioux City, Iowa, operates 21 Goodwill retail centers. The services that will be provided to Vermillion through their Sioux City hub location includes a shredding company that will visit the Vermillion Goodwill occasionally.

Goodwill provides several other services, ranging from a training program to help people seeking employment to an adult daycare and an open air cafeteria.

“They provide much more services than I realized when we took a tour of their facility,” he said. “They showed us how, if something doesn’t sell after five weeks in their retail store, the price is reduced.”

A short time later, items that haven’t been sold go through a baler and either gets sent to third-world countries or is sold to re-sellers.

“They have very minimal waste,” Peterson said. “They are very excited to come to our community.”

Peterson described the VCDC’s four main areas of focus as being:

Economic Development

• Retain employers

• Area business expansions

• Business recruitment

• Work with partners on housing solutions

Tourism/Communications

• Market Vermillion as potential tourism destination outside local market

• Promote Vermillion as location to move to

• Support events that drive visitors to Vermillion

• Promote Vermillion brand

• Enhance visitor experience through social media and marketing material

Chamber Services

• Retain and grow membership

• Facilitate and create networking events

• Promote, educate, advocate

• Create and implement programs that assist businesses

Workforce Development

• Workforce retention

• Recruit and attract new people to Vermillion area

• Advocate for childcare solutions

• Work with Department of Labor on job fairs

• Educate parents and students on career paths in Vermillion

• Market and recruit students from local colleges, universities and technical schools

“Last time we were here we talked about areas of focus,” Peterson said. Those areas, he said, are financial stewardship; economic development, which includes business recruitment and strengthening Vermillion’s workforce through job fairs and a partnership with the state Department of Labor. It also includes developing new housing in the city through promoting the Bliss Pointe II housing development and adding multi-family housing.

Other areas of focus are increasing VCDC member engagement through additional training and education and the introduction of a Vermillion app. The VCDC hopes to increase its membership by more than 5%.

In the area of financial stewardship, the VCDC staff and board “has met with all of our lenders; we’ve held Vermillion Now 3 update and communication meetings — about seven of them and we’ve been working on the development of long-term debt strategies with the properties we own,” Peterson said. “We did get the Guidehouse lease expanded for one year, through June of 2024 and then we’re looking at some of our properties that we try to sell and pay down some of our debt.”

The VCDC recently experienced a spending and staffing realignment.

“We think we’re aligned right with the number of people and we’ve reduced spending to a comfortable level,” he said.

Peterson added that discussion was held about the VCDC’s practice in recent years of hosting an All-Star football game in Vermillion.

“We’ve looked at that and what it does for economic development in the community,” he said.

The VCDC report indicates that the event does not provide enough economic benefit for the investment made each year by the Vermillion area to host it.

“We’ve worked with USD; we’ve talked with the South Dakota association – it doesn’t work to move it to November like they want it to because the university usually has football games (in the DakotaDome) and we can’t schedule around that.

“They also think it may be time to pass the baton and move it probably to Sioux Falls,” Peterson said.