Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce RSS Feed

Let Your Voice Be Heard!

1/10/2012 12:00:00 AM

Why should we extend lengths of term for Mayor and City Council?
Businesses rely on the stability of government for their long term strategic planning. Longer terms for our local elected officials would create a stable municipal environment and allow the Mayor and City Council to develop long range plans and see them through.

Voice your opinion at the Town Hall Meetings!!

January 14, 2012, 9-11AM.

Ward 1, Gary Brown and Charity Doyle at Grandview Elementary, 3301, Grandview Dr.

Ward 2, Steve Laurenti and Ritchie Nordstrom at Parks Dept. HQ, 515 W. Blvd

Ward 3, Dave Davis, and Jerry Wright at Meadowbrook School, 3125 W. Flormann Street.

Ward 4, Jordan Mason, and John Roberts, at Minneluzahan Senior Citizen Center Conference Room, 315 N 4^th St.

Ward 5 Bonny Peterson, and Ron Sasso at Community Transitions, 803 Soo San Drive, across the street from West Middle School.

Chamber Employment Opportunities

1/4/2012 12:00:00 AM

Employment Opportunities

Finance Director

Role Description:

The role of this position is to insure the effective financial and technological operation of the Chamber of Commerce and the Convention & Visitors Bureau. This position assists the CEO in analyzing, forecasting, developing, coordinating, advising and administering courses of action to maintain and enhance the financial and technological positions of these organizations. This role will be accomplished in accordance with the goals and objectives set forth in the Chamber’s annual Business Plan.

The position is responsible for an annual budget of approximately $4 million. This position has a fixed salary for a fluctuating workweek.

Responsibilities and Duties:

· Performs overall accounting for the organizations

· Prepares all payrolls, payroll tax and accounts payable disbursements

· Submits quarterly tax returns, federal and state unemployment tax returns, and W-2 Forms to appropriate agencies and employees

· Summarizes accounts and provides counsel to aid President and staff in budget development

· Aids auditor in performing audit and filing of IRS tax returns

· Prepares monthly financial statements

· Responsible for coordinating monthly bank statement reconciliation

· Briefs employees on details of benefits and initiates paperwork if necessary

· Provides day to day management of the organizations’ management information systems

· Recommends improvements (purchases, changes, etc.) to computer architecture

· Provides computer application training and troubleshooting for staff

· Works directly with Membership Director and committee volunteers to collect delinquent accounts

· Oversees Collections for events

· Provides budget and financial information on various committees

· Analyzes financial status and recommends course of action to President

· Oversees Finance Manager and Finance & Special Projects Assistant

· Staff liaison for the Audit and Finance Committee in conjunction with the CEO

· Other tasks as assigned

Qualified applicants may email resumes to begeman@rapidcitychamber.com or The Rapid City Area of Commerce, Attn: Kristen Begeman, PO Box 747, Rapid City,SD 57709

Governor Daugaard to Speak at SDSM&T

1/4/2012 12:00:00 AM

The Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce’s Governmental Affairs Committee and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology will host Governor Dennis Daugaard at the Classroom Building on the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology campus from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11.

Governor Daugaard will present his State of the State address and then be on hand to answer questions from the audience.

This event is hosted by the Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and is free and open to the public.

Rapid City 13th most secure in U.S.

12/29/2011 12:00:00 AM

According to the Farmers Insurance 8th annual Secure Cities Study, Rapid City is the most secure place to live in the U.S. among small towns.
The rankings take into consideration crime statistics, extreme weather, vehicle accidents, and other quality of life measurements.
Rapid City Police Captain Karl Jegeris says he's unsure about crime trends in the city, but he knows the high quality of life helps in the recruitment of new officers.
"Potential police applicants are interested in a nice place to raise their families, that have recreational opportunities," Jegeris said.
The study takes into account 138 towns with population's less than 150,000 people.

View video
Courtesy of kotatv.com

RAPID CITY AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND RAPID CITY JOURNAL TO HOST TERM LENGTH FORUM

10/11/2011 12:00:00 AM

The Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce and the Rapid City Journal are teaming up to host a forum to discuss the length of terms for Rapid City Mayor and City Council Wednesday, Oct. 12 at the Central High School Commons. The forum will take place in one session starting at 5:30 p.m. The forum is open to the public and the community is encouraged to give respectful feedback on the length of terms of Rapid City’s elected officials.

Black Hills Power Announces Schedule of Events for Weatherization Week

10/3/2011 12:00:00 AM

NeighborWorks Dakota Home Resources and Western South Dakota Community Action will partner with Black Hills Power on this year’s Weatherization program. The three organizations will be joined by community leaders and volunteers to complete weatherization on homes for low income, elderly and disabled home owners in BHP’s service territory.

Here is a rundown of all BHP Weatherization Week events for 2011:

— Saturday, Oct. 8 – Deadwood – 6 homes (Coordinated by NeighborWorks)

— Tuesday, Oct. 11 – Upton, Wyoming – 10 homes

— Wednesday, Oct. 12 – Southern Hills (Hill City, Hot Springs, Edgemont) – 6 homes

— Thursday, Oct. 13 – Northern Hills (Belle Fourche, Sturgis, Newell) - 7 homes
— Saturday, Oct. 15 – Rapid City area – 10 homes

Weatherization teams will install compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), weather-stripping, caulking, pressurized expanding and non-expanding foam, window plastic, outlet and light switch gaskets, water heater blankets and water heater pipe insulation. Team members will also check the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in homes being weatherized this fall. BHP service technicians will also conduct a heating system service check on each home.

For more information about how you or your organization can volunteer for BHP’s Weatherization event, simply contact Mutch Usera or Jeff Easton at 721-1269.

Forum participants favor longer terms for mayor, alderman

8/23/2011 12:00:00 AM

Emilie Rusch Journal staff | Posted: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 7:30 am

A majority of Rapid City residents at a Monday forum hosted by the Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce supported longer terms for the city’s mayor and aldermen.

The results of the noontime forum, which was attended by a dozen people, echoed those of a larger survey conducted of the chamber’s 1,300 business and individual members earlier this summer, said Lynn Kendall, the chamber’s vice president.

In that survey, 159 of the 201 respondents, or 79 percent, said they would support longer terms starting with the next city election.

“We need continuity for business in Rapid City,” Kendall said.

The input gathered at the afternoon forum, along with a second meeting Monday evening, will be presented to the Rapid City Council, in hopes of getting aldermen to act on an ordinance to extend terms of office as soon as possible, Kendall said.

Term lengths have been a frequent issue in Rapid City, which is one of the few communities in the state to still employ two-year terms, the minimum allowed under state law. Sioux Falls, Watertown and Vermillion all have four-year terms for mayor and city council, while Brookings and Spearfish elect their officials to three-year terms.

In past years, Rapid City’s chamber has proposed a four-year term for mayor and three-year term for city council.

The city has two options to enact the change – either have the city council approve an ordinance or have residents collect enough signatures to trigger a citywide vote.

Jim Mirehouse, chief executive officer of the Black Hills Business Development Center, said elected officials would be shirking their responsibility if they passed the decision off on voters.

“It’s what we’re paying our council people to do,” Mirehouse said.

He said he would support four-year terms for mayor and three years for council for the same reasons as the chamber – more continuity in decision making.

“The way it is right now, this year was a good example – we have a whole bunch of freshmen, and we have a whole bunch of freshmen who really haven’t been involved in the community,” Mirehouse said.“They have a real learning curve.”

But Jay Davis, who works in the Pennington County Public Defender’s Office, said he is skeptical of the need for longer terms, especially given the fact that in many years, incumbents are routinely re-elected or do not even face challengers.

“It’s not as if the last two elections are what happen all the time,” Davis said.

If the issue does move forward, he said it should come from the people as proof of grassroots support.

“A structural change to city council should not just be enacted by the existing council,” Davis said. “It should be an act of the people.”

Contact Emilie Rusch at 394-8453 or emilie.rusch@rapidcityjournal.com.

Chamber to Host Term Length Forum

8/12/2011 12:00:00 AM

The Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce will host a forum to discuss the length of terms for Rapid City Mayor and City Council Monday, August 22 at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Classroom Building. The forum will take place in two sessions: the first session will begin at noon, followed by an evening session starting at 5:30 p.m. The forum is open to the public and the Chamber encourages the community to participate and give feedback and opinions on the length of terms of Rapid City’s elected officials. The Rapid City Chamber of Commerce has been a longtime advocate for the lengthening of terms for elected officials and is welcoming feedback from the public on this issue.

For more information contact the Rapid City Area Chamber of Commerce at 343-1744.

South Dakota ranks fifth in volunteerism

8/12/2011 12:00:00 AM

Cathie Block is one of the many reasons that South Dakota ranks fifth in the nation for its high volunteer rate.

Block is among the more than 37 percent of state residents who volunteered between 2008 and 2010, helping the state earn its Top 5 ranking in the 2011 Volunteering in America report issued Tuesday by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

South Dakota volunteers served nearly 23 million hours annually between 2008 and 2010, service time that is valued at $499 million, according to the federal agency responsible for the United We Serve program and for 5 million volunteers in Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and the Learn and Serve America programs.

Baby boomers in South Dakota had an even more impressive volunteer rate -- 42.3 percent -- which earned them a No. 3 ranking nationwide among their age group, people born between 1945 and 1961.

Block, 63, belongs to that generation. She has been volunteering at Rapid City Regional Hospital as an office assistant to the director of volunteers for three years. She typically volunteers once a week for four to six hours at a time. Like many volunteers, she does it to help herself stay busy in retirement and to help others. And she is not surprised by South Dakota's high volunteerism rate.

"There's a lot of people here who are very caring and giving,so it's only natural," she said.

Nationwide, Utah had the highest volunteerism rate of 44.5 percent, followed by Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska, which had rates nearly identical to South Dakota's. There was nearly 8.1 billion hours of community service valued at $173 billion in the U.S. during the three-year time span covered in the report.

The Corporation for National and Community Service recognized the HELP!Line Center in Sioux Falls as an important volunteer resource for the state.

The help line connects people in the Black Hills region and other places with services that they need or with volunteer opportunities at nonprofit organizations in their communities. The 211 line provides service to callers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

As volunteers fill critical voids in their community's infrastructure, state and local leaders are taking note and working with them as key players in driving community solutions. The Help!Line Center is one of several groups that has had great impact in the state, connecting volunteers with opportunities to serve in their communities, a CNCS spokesman said.

Volunteer Joyce Herbst, who moved to Sioux Falls from Rapid City two years ago, after the death of her husband, quickly found a volunteer outlet at HELP!Line's Holiday Clearing House. She has stayed involved and is now an indispensable part of the team.

"I hope I make a difference and can have a positive impact on the community," Herbst said. "Volunteering has given me a new purpose in life. It is overwhelming to see the outpouring of giving, whether it's time or resources. You don't know that special feeling volunteering can give until you are able to give of your own time to people who really need it."

"We are so proud to have played a role in making South Dakota a better place for its residents," said Sara Carothers, volunteer director at Help!Line Center. "Our work to connect individuals to resources, services and volunteer opportunities continues to strengthen our community, providing a helping hand to those who need it most."

Rapid City Wins "Best of the Road" Contest

7/22/2011 12:00:00 AM

Recently, Rapid City was selected as a finalist in the nationally sponsored Rand McNally and USA Today “Best of the Road” contest. Through a voting process, thorough review, and captivating photos, Rapid City qualified in the category for ‘Most Patriotic’ Best Small Town in the United States. Other categories included ‘Most Fun’, ‘Most Beautiful’, ‘Friendliest’, and ‘Best for Food’. Vying for ‘Most Patriotic’ title rights along with Rapid City were five other small towns: Williamsburg, VA; Clarksville, TN; Peachtree City, GA; Ft. Leonard Wood, MO; and Emporia, KS.

The Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau was tasked with creating an itinerary showcasing the region’s ‘Most Patriotic’ elements in order to shine above the rest! With such stiff competition, this was no easy task. On Sunday, July 10 and Monday, July 11 the Road Rally team, known as Captain & Clark or Christopher Staudinger and Tawny Clark, visited Rapid City and the surrounding Black Hills as the last stop on their judging journey. From their spectacular time in the Black Hills, to a special dinner with military dignitary or their encounter with the Mt. Rushmore mascots, Rapid City welcomed and embraced the Road Rally Team.

Captain & Clark left Rapid City with a renewed sense of multicultural partisanship. Road Rally team member Staudinger boasted about the pioneering spirit of America they found across cultures. The significance of both Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, dedicated to U.S. heritage, and Crazy Horse Memorial, dedicated to Native Americans’, left a pronounced impression.

Representatives from the Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau attended the Annual Conference for Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) from July 20-22 for continuing education. It was here the announcement was made that Rapid City was awarded as the ‘Most Patriotic’ Best Small Town in the U.S. in the Best of the Road contest.

“One of the primary roles of a destination marketing organization (DMO) is to assist its destination in developing its true local flare,” commented Michael D. Gehrisch, DMAI President & CEO. “This competition has provided America’s small communities the chance to shine the spotlight on what makes their destination truly unique. The Best of the Road competition has offered these small towns the ability to gain national attention, and USA TODAY and Rand McNally should be commended for their efforts.”

Included with the designation is a feature in the 2013 Rand McNally Road Atlas, a USA Today feature, and a feature on www.bestoftheroad.com. The Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau would like to thank all of the individuals and organizations who contributed to hosting Captain & Clark on their visit and those who shared their thoughts and votes via social media to help Rapid City earn the title of ‘Most Patriotic’ Best Small Town in the U.S.