Thursday, August 27 5:00pm-7:00pm

115 E. Hudson Street, Spearfish

The Spearfish Area Chamber of Commerce serves its members as the leading voice of business by providing advocacy, leadership and resources.

August 2015

August Gone Fishin’ Mixer

Join us in celebration of a fantastic Summer Season before school resumes!

Tickets may be purchased in advance at the

Spearfish Area Chamber of Commerce 106 W. Kansas (corner of Main & Kansas) or by calling (605)642-2626.

Tickets will also be available at the Picnic

Thursday, August 20 5:30 to 6:30 PM

Spearfish City Park Large Shelter

2015 Menu:

Pulled Pork Sandwich or Johnsonville Brat

Cole Slaw Baked Beans

Chips Watermelon

Lemonade & Water

$7 Adults $3 Children

(ages 4 to 10)

Thank you to the Picnic Sponsors!

Annual Spearfish

Community Picnic

Succession is a journey.

Where are you headed?

Winner of the 2014 Spearfish Chamber Business Beautification

Award!

Inside this Issue

Ainsworth-Benning Construction

All Star Travelers Inn

American Family Insurance, Robert P. Burnett Agency

Animal Care Center of Spearfish

Bay Leaf Cafe

Black Hills Getaways

Century 21 Spearfish Realty, Inc.

Cheyenne Crossing & Stage Stop Cafe

Crosswait Dental Practice, PC

Dakota V-Twin

Dakota Wellness/Runyan Chiropractic

Dana Dental Arts

Devil's Tower Trading Post

Domino's

Eagle Aviation

Edgewood Vista Senior Living, LLC

Equipment Service Professionals

False Bottom Bar

Fillmore Lodge & Cabins

Fish Window Cleaning

Great Western Bank

Great Western Tire, Inc.

Hills Materials Co.

Holiday Inn Hotel & Spearfish Convention Center

Jackson Dental Clinic

KDSJ Goldrush Broadcasting

KLJ: Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson

Knothole, The

Lucky's 13 Pub

Lueders Food Center

Mountain Shadows Estates

North Avenue Pet Store

Northern Black Hills Rotary

Northern Hills Area United Way

Owens Interstate - Car Quest Auto Parts

Perkins Restaurant

Prairie Hills Transit

Real Estate Center of Spearfish - Beth Mathis

Ronald McDonald House Charities of SD

Royal Electric

Spearfish Canyon Foundation/Land Trust

Spearfish Senior Citizens Center

Transmission Specialists

Waddell & Reed

Western Hills Humane Society

www.SpearfishChamber.org

Renewing Associate Members ‘Investing in the Community’

Renewing Business Members ‘Investing in the Business Community’

August Chamber Happenings & Events

13th Ambassadors

Noon @ Chamber

18th Chamber Board of Directors

Noon @ the Chamber

20th Community Picnic

5:30-6:30PM @ Spearfish City Park

27th Gone Fishin’ Mixer

5PM-7PM @ Lucky’s 13 Pub

Bonnie Carr & Dale Schaffer

Dan & Donna Contonis

Dale & Janene Donat

Gene & Yvonne Ficek

June Hitson

Mary Ellen Lantis

Carol Lundberg

Larry & Karen Miller

Dick & Connie Sinclair

Spearfish Capital for a Day September 9, 2015

Join us for a

Community Coffee with

Governor Daugaard

2:00-2:45 PM Wednesday, September 9 Spearfish Rec & Aquatics Center 122 Recreation Lane

Check out our NEW website!

www.SpearfishChamber.org

Have a job to advertise? We will post it for

free on Facebook and our new website!

Your Chamber Ambassador Visits

NEW BUSINESS

Jacket Zone Michael Jastorff

617 Main St. www.bhsubookstore.com

NEW MEMBER

Aflac Michael Warwick

605-641-2569

NEW MEMBER

Ginger Gray Entertainment, LLC Hailima Yates

PO Box 12 605-645-1880 www.gingergrayentertainment.com

NEW CONSTRUCTION

Fred Romkema Center Rich Muholland

625 Harvard St. 605-642-2785 www.nhtc.org

Grand Opening

Ribbon Cutting at 4:00 PM

All About Potential Family Chiropractic Check out their new location!

August 20th from 4:00-7:00PM 311 N. 27th Street, Suite 1 605-644-9074

Ribbon Cutting at Noon

Vast Broadband August 26th at Noon 3217 West Fairgrounds Loop

PRESORTED

STANDARD

US POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT #56

SPEARFISH, SD

57783-0550

Spearfish Area Chamber of Commerce 605-642-2626

106 W. Kansas Spearfish, SD 57783

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

www.SpearfishChamber.org

2015 Board of Directors & Staff

Dan O’Shea, Chair Pioneer Bank & Trust Barbara Cline, Vice-Chair Prairie Hills Transit Dee Sleep, Past Chair Chicken Creek Communications

Kelsie Darling Quik Signs Todd Jensen Spearfish Motors Michelle Kane Black Hills PR Marysia McDowall RE/MAX in the Hills Dr. Bob McIntosh Health Source Chiropractic of Spearfish Dave Peters Spearfish Schools Tom Shaffer Spearfish Forest Products Dylan Wilde Wilde & Hunt Law

Staff

Melissa Barth, IOM Executive Director Hannah Remington

Finance & Program Director Jennessa Scholl

Communications & Event Coordinator

Ex-Officio Officers

Mistie Caldwell, Visit Spearfish Joe Neeb, City of Spearfish Bryan Walker, SEDC

Treasurer Sharon Hoggatt, CPA, PC

With the help of our members, we have a put

together a special treat for our new residents!

Know of a new resident? Have them stop in

the Chamber for a welcome bag!

Want to

reach new

residents?

Free for

Spearfish

Chamber

Members to

insert a gift for

new residents!

Melissa Barth, IOM Chamber Executive

Director

Leadership Spearfish

Leadership Spearfish presented a check to the Kenadi Jean Weis Foundation with the proceeds from the pie auction and taco bar fundraiser held at Crow Peak Brewery on July 25, 2015. Photo credit Black Hills Pioneer

It is hard to believe that it is once again time to begin enrollments for Leadership Spearfish. Each year the group of students and their interaction with each other is amazing. More often than not, they come to the first session as complete strangers, but graduate as a team of leaders and friends. Graduates of Leadership Spearfish have continued their journey by giving back to the community in many ways, including serving on various boards, City Council, and participating in many projects that make Spearfish a great place to live and call home. Leadership Spearfish 2015-2016 begins September 11 with an overnight retreat, runs for nine months, and culminates with a May graduation.

Each Leadership class is asked to spearhead a project that will benefit the community as a whole. Over the years, the classes have accomplished many amazing projects as leaders. The 2015 class teamed up with the Kenadi Jean Weis Foundation to help raise funds for an all inclusive playground for Spearfish. In 2014, the class organized an effort to clean up our parks after storm Atlas. Many years ago, the class played a major roll in the creation of the playland in Spearfish City Park. There is amazing power in teamwork!

Front row left to right: Gabrielle Wolff (City of Spearfish), Melissa Scofield (Black Hills Power), Jennessa Scholl (Spearfish Chamber), Cassie Garman (Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association), Crystena Sieber (HealthSource Chiropractic), Hannah Remington (Spearfish Chamber/Facilitator) Middle row left to right: Desiree Willar (Quik Signs), Heather Milliren (Black Hills Power), Jennifer Jungwirth (BHSU) Back row left to right: Aaron Jurgensen (Spearfish Police Department), Janie Hett (Peak Motion Physical Therapy), Melissa Christensen (BHSU), Tyrell Gill (Crossfit Spearfish), Tyler Fortin (City of Spearfish), Mandy Woolston (Real Estate Center), Steve Iverson (Brady Pluimer, P.C.)

One of the many sessions each year includes an early morning trip to Pierre for Business Day at the Legislature. Hosted by the SD State Chamber of Commerce & Industy, this is an opportunity for the class to learn about our state gov-ernment, participate in a live caucus, meet our District Legislators and watch the bill process in action.

See the insert in this newsletter on Leadership Spearfish for the 2015-2016 schedule and application.

Bryan Walker SEDC Executive

Director

August 2015

Building Permits June 2015 June 2014 Year-to-Date 2015 Year-to-Date 2014

New Housing Units 13 8 50 33

Dollar Amount $2,859,000 $1,788,000 $13,344,500 $6,845,900

New/Addition Commercial 3 2 10 7

Dollar Amount $295,000 $802,500 $7,945,510 $10,912,500

Total Permits 44 62 239 200

Total Dollars $3,380,094 $6,074,241 $24,330934 $24,390,161

Sales Taxes Collected

2nd Penny Sales Tax $171,112 $251,892 $1,565,967 $1,529,439

Hospitality Tax $29,419 $33,864 $228,823 $221,966

Spearfish Work Force (MiSA)*

Total Work Force 13,195 13,055 N/A N/A

Total Employed 12,680 12,620 N/A N/A

Total Unemployed 515 435 N/A N/A

Avg. Unemployment Rate 3.9% 3.3% N/A N/A

Spearfish Economic Indicators

Which state has the highest “real" minimum wage in the country?

South Dakota, according to a recent story published in the

Washington Post.

Officially, South Dakota’s minimum wage is $8.50 per hour.

However, when you factor in the buying power of that money, the

real minimum wage is $9.70 an hour, the highest in the country.

Here is a quick comparison:

While minimum wages range from the federal floor of $7.25 in 20

states to $10.50 in Washington D.C., wages earned are only as

valuable as what can be purchased with them according to the

Regional Price Parity, a government study which compares prices

across geographies.

State Minimum Wage Adjusted Minimum Wage

South Dakota $8.50 $9.70

Washington D.C. $10.50 $8.92

Minnesota $8.00 $8.20

California $9.00 $8.01

New York $8.75 $7.59

The Crow Peak Brewing Company of Spearfish was recently recognized as the “Manufacturer of the Year” by Black Hills Community Economic Development. Congratulations Jeff, Josh, Carolyn, Tanya and all the staff!!!

According to the study, South Dakota

($9.70), Oregon ($9.37) and Washington ($9.18)

maintained the highest adjusted minimum wage

rates; while Virginia ($7.04), New Hampshire

($6.85) and Hawaii ($6.67) have the lowest

adjusted minimum wage rates.

South Dakota’s lower cost of living benefits

all income levels, including a business’s bottom

line. That’s an advantage worth promoting when

competing for new investments.