What Sioux Falls Development Foundation does

Sioux Falls Development Foundation (SFDF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit economic development corporation founded in 1954 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and operated today by an 8-person professional staff under President & CEO Bob Mundt. SFDF's core function is to recruit, retain, and expand businesses in the Sioux Falls region by providing direct site-selection assistance, maintaining the LOIS GIS database of available buildings and development sites, publishing the Community Profile and economic research, navigating state and local incentives, and operating the Data Hub with the City of Sioux Falls that tracks regional economic indicators. Its principal asset is Foundation Park — the state's largest industrial park at 900+ acres of I-2 Heavy Industrial zoning at the intersection of Interstates 29 and 90, with Class I rail and high-capacity utilities — supplemented by Sioux Empire Development Parks, USD Discovery District, Park VIII, and regional parks. The organization is funded through a membership/investor model via the Forward Sioux Falls joint venture with the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce (Forward Sioux Falls IX has an $18M, five-year private-sector campaign goal launched September 2025), and services are delivered at no direct cost to relocating or expanding businesses. Workforce development is a second core vertical, executed through the WIN (Workforce Information Now) platform, the WIN in Workforce Summit, Talent Draft Day, university career fair presence across regional schools, and the Talent Talks career-exploration program. The wholly-owned Falls Area Development Corporation (FADC), formed in 2022, extends SFDF into urban redevelopment and is currently executing the multi-phase Sanford District project following Smithfield Foods' $1.3B relocation to Foundation Park, funded in part by a $50M gift from T. Denny Sanford.

Name

Sioux Falls Development Foundation

Legal name

Sioux Falls Development Foundation

Website

https://siouxfallsdevelopment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership/Investor Program: Forward Sioux Falls is a joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation. Businesses become investors/members, providing funding that supports economic development programs, talent initiatives, and community growth. The organization brings new customers, suppliers, and employees to investor businesses.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Sioux Falls Development Foundation is a nonprofit economic development corporation that provides site selection assistance, industrial and development park real estate, workforce development programming, and business retention/recruitment services for the Sioux Falls region. It operates Foundation Park (the state's largest industrial park at 900+ acres), the Forward Sioux Falls investor program, the WIN workforce initiative, and the Falls Area Development Corporation for urban redevelopment.

Product overview

Sioux Falls Development Foundation is a nonprofit economic development corporation (founded 1954) that serves as the primary economic driver for the Sioux Falls region. The organization operates a portfolio of industrial development parks (Foundation Park being the largest at 900+ acres), provides site selection services with GIS tools, and manages workforce development initiatives including the WIN Platform and WIN in Workforce Summit. Through its Forward Sioux Falls program (joint venture with the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce) and the Falls Area Development Corporation, the Foundation coordinates economic development, talent attraction, business retention, and urban redevelopment projects including the Sanford District initiative. The organization's services are structured around Site Selection, Research & Reports, Resource Networks, Entrepreneurship support, and International Trade assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Forward Sioux Falls: A joint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, serving as the premier economic driver for the Sioux Falls region with strategic initiatives to grow jobs, businesses and quality of life.

Products and services

• Foundation Park The state's largest industrial park spanning over 900 acres of zoned I-2 Heavy Industrial land at the intersection of Interstates 29 and 90, designed to attract major employers with rail access, high-capacity utilities, and flexible lot sizes for manufacturing and distribution projects.
• Site Selection Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Sioux Falls ranked #1 for corporate site selection per capita among tier 2 metros for second consecutive year (2025)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and flagship.

• Falls Area Development Corporation (FADC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022FADC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves as the redevelopment arm of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, bridging the gap between industry job growth and urban revitalization. Established in 2022, it focuses on real estate solutions that may not fit traditional industrial development models, including the Sanford District redevelopment project.
• Forward Sioux FallscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture between the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation - widely respected as the premier economic driver for the Sioux Falls region. Runs five-year campaigns to fund economic development, talent, innovation, and community enhancement initiatives.
• Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 1907, the Chamber has connected Sioux Falls businesses and advocated for economic health. Partners with SFDF on Forward Sioux Falls joint venture and various economic development initiatives.
• Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Dakota's state economic development office works to expand primary job opportunities by retaining/expanding existing businesses, fostering new businesses, and recruiting out-of-state businesses. Works closely with community economic development corporations including SFDF.
• City of Sioux FallscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity government provides essential support for economic development through planning services, infrastructure, and coordinated initiatives. Works with SFDF on projects including Foundation Park and tax increment financing.
• Sioux Metro Growth AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit economic development association that improves the economy and advocates for business development across the greater Sioux Falls region, including Lincoln and Minnehaha Counties.
• Startup Sioux FallsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides resources for entrepreneurs including loan programs and startup connections to help with business and financial assistance.
• Smithfield FoodsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor employer with 3,200 employees working with SFDF, City of Sioux Falls, and State of South Dakota on $1.3 billion facility relocation to Foundation Park. SFDF will acquire current downtown site for Sanford District redevelopment.
• Outdoor Gear Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily-owned outdoor apparel company located at Park VIII in Foundation Park's development area. VP of Economic Development Dean Dziedzic worked closely with company to guide land purchase process.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Greater Des Moines Partnership: Regional economic development organization serving Greater Des Moines, Iowa. Comparable as a Midwest metropolitan EDO that recruits and retains businesses, manages industrial site development, and coordinates workforce and talent initiatives - very similar operating model to SFDF.
• Pittsburgh Regional Alliance: Regional economic development initiative of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce focused on site selection, talent, and redevelopment. Comparable as a chamber-affiliated regional EDO with redevelopment and industrial site programs analogous to SFDF and FADC.
• Greater Cleveland Partnership: Regional chamber-cum-EDO for Northeast Ohio combining business attraction, retention, workforce, and urban redevelopment functions. Highly comparable operating model to SFDF, particularly its combination of industrial parks and downtown redevelopment work analogous to FADC's Sanford District initiative.
• Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce: Regional chamber and economic development organization for the Nashville metro running site selection, workforce, and business retention programs. Comparable as a chamber-anchored EDO with similar investor/membership campaign structure to Forward Sioux Falls.
• San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation: Regional EDO providing site selection, workforce development, and business attraction services for the San Diego region. Comparable as a nonprofit economic development corporation with similar investor/membership funding model and service portfolio.
• Greater Phoenix Economic Council: Regional EDO for the Greater Phoenix market that actively markets industrial mega-sites, rail and interstate logistics advantages, and tax climate to attract relocating manufacturers. Highly comparable go-to-market motion to SFDF with Foundation Park, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development: Public-private economic development partnership for Lincoln, Nebraska. Closely comparable peer metro to Sioux Falls in size, Midwest location, and university-anchored economy with site selection, talent attraction, and industrial development functions overlapping with SFDF.
• Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce: Regional chamber and economic development organization for the Omaha metro. Comparable as a nearby Midwest EDO operating similar site selection, business retention, workforce development, and investor/membership campaign programs targeting distribution/logistics and bioscience verticals.
• Tampa Bay Economic Development Council: Regional EDO serving the Tampa Bay area with site selection, business recruitment, workforce development, and investor program functions. Comparable as a public-private EDO competing for relocations in target verticals using similar marketing and membership models.

Broad incumbents

• Greater Houston Partnership: One of the largest U.S. regional EDOs, serving the Houston metro with site selection, workforce development, and major employer engagement. Comparable in operating model and service portfolio to SFDF but at substantially larger scale and broader geographic scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/developsf
• Xx.com/developsf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/siouxfallsdevelopmentfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sioux Falls Development Foundation