April 24, 2025

This piece is sponsored by Sioux Metro Growth Alliance.

When the doors officially open this week at Myer-Hall Machine Works in Canton, it represents a huge milestone for a custom engineering firm that’s becoming a homegrown success story.

Erik Hall grew up in Canton, moved away for college, worked his first jobs in product engineering, then was inspired during the pandemic to consider becoming his own boss.

He teamed up with former colleague Jeremy Myer to form a custom engineering firm in 2022. He was able to make it a full-time role the following year.

“We knew there were a lot of manufacturing companies that needed more experience in actual machine builds,” Hall said. “We have a lot of contacts in the industry and started reaching out. We realized demand is probably more than we were even anticipating, so it’s really taken off from there.”

While Myer led strategy from Michigan, Hall turned an old shop on his farm into the first physical location for the business.

Myer-Hall designs, programs and installs work for clients, while products are machined, welded and painted through other industry contacts.

“We don’t focus on one industry. What we’re looking for are custom challenges,” Hall said. “We like the thought process behind figuring them out.”

So far, Myer-Hall has done work for companies in plastics, metals and even some wood-based products within a 100-mile radius of the Sioux Falls area, though work has come from as far as St. Louis.

The new building is 10,000 square feet at 414 W. Industrial Road in Canton. Its grand opening will be from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, April 25.

“We were fortunate to find a building that had been sitting vacant for nearly two decades. It was originally started by a trucking company that went under before completing it,” Hall said.

“When we first walked through, there were no doors, no utilities fit for a machine shop — but there was potential. A lot of it. With the help of John Schutte, a local real estate professional, we’ve spent the last six months transforming it into a clean, efficient, modern facility that reflects where we’re headed.”

The location itself came with three-phase power — critical for an industrial shop — and enough square footage “to let us scale responsibly,” Hall said.

“That combination doesn’t come easy in a town this size. In fact, finding an available space with industrial infrastructure was the biggest challenge we faced in staying local. But we were determined to make it work, and we’re proud that we did.”

For Canton, “it’s a big deal,” said Lisa Hinker, vice president of the Canton Chamber of Commerce.

“With their expansion to a bigger building, we hope to see more jobs in the future. This is a unique business that works with its customers to make sure they get what they are needing, and we look forward to seeing them continue to grow and thrive.”

The new building includes offices, shop space and an upstairs conference area.

“Most importantly, it allows us to run larger, more complex systems in-house — systems we previously had to either outsource or install directly at the customer site without full testing,” Hall said.

“Now, we’ve got a dedicated panel shop, a proper R&D area and the clearance we need for taller machines and heavier equipment. We also have space to bring clients in, sit down at the same table and map out ideas together — a change that will improve both turnaround time and collaboration.”

He acknowledges that “it’s night and day compared to the original farm shop we were working out of. That one did the job, but we had bats flying overhead and a 12-foot door limiting what we could bring in. This is a major upgrade.”

The business is hiring for a business development representative and hopes to have a staff of five or seven people by the end of the year, Hall said.

“What we’re doing is building something real and durable that contributes to the long-term strength of Canton,” he said.

“The town has stayed around 3,000 people for well over a century, but recently there’s been a shift — new housing developments, multiuse buildings, more momentum. Our hope is that this move reinforces that direction.”

The Canton Industrial Park “is continuing to see growth with existing business and with some new businesses,” Hinker said, adding that there are some locations still available.

At Myer-Hall, “we’re hiring, and our roles start well above the average local salary,” Hall said.

“We’re also exploring future partnerships with the high school and regional trade programs to create a pathway into engineering and technical fields.”

Long term, the business would like to find ways of supporting STEM education to nurture next-generation talent.

“We also recognize we’re part of a regional economy,” Hall added. “We’re just 20 minutes from Sioux Falls and close to other growing towns like Harrisburg and Tea. That opens the door to a broader pool of candidates while keeping our day-to-day operations grounded in the Canton community.”

There’s also an additional 20,000 square feet of space behind the new location that could become a future lease when growth supports it.

“At the end of the day, this move isn’t just about Myer-Hall — it’s about contributing to a stronger economic future for Canton and the surrounding area,” Hall said.

“We’re excited to keep building, keep hiring and keep doing the kind of custom engineering work that puts South Dakota craftsmanship on the map.”

To learn more about opportunities to locate your business in Canton, contact Jeffery Tanner at 605-403-9383 or jeffery@cantonsdcoc.org.