Aug. 18, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by Sioux Metro Growth Alliance.

She’s a familiar face to many in the Sioux Falls-area business community – and her latest role has taken her to Hartford.

After 19 years as membership development manager with the Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, Amy Meert Farr became the chamber and economic development director for the city of Hartford six months ago – but her exposure to the area goes back a lot longer.

She lives just north of the area and served as a resource when the Hartford Chamber was established in 2013.

We caught up with her to learn more about her role and what’s new in her communities.

What attracted you to your new role in Hartford?

The reason I chose this awesome opportunity is not only do I get to do chamber work, but I get to be involved in growing the community and being involved in economic development, which is fascinating. I touch infrastructure, from sewer to water, as well as helping bring business to Hartford and see it be successful. It’s the neatest thing ever. I get to work on projects from the ground up all the way through to the ribbon-cutting and beyond.

How is the new job going so far? What kind of year is Hartford having?

I think we’re doing really well. Housing is going extremely well. We have multiple developments selling lots, and I hear about new lot sales every week. One of our developments is about to open their second phase, which is amazing. Housing is very much needed in all communities, and I feel with the several developments that Hartford has available, we are in a good place for anyone to call Hartford home.

Are you beginning to meet some of those new residents? Are people relocating to Hartford?

Absolutely. I was on a bus tour with the West Central School District recently and met several new residents who had come from out of state. And there are others who work for the district but had been commuting from Sioux Falls for years who now are able to live here. We need to work on getting homes built  because we have people who want to live in them.

How about commercially? What kind of activity are you experiencing?

We are seeing a lot of interest. We’re working with ISG and going through a citywide master plan, and with that we are learning how to really work with our current market to bring the businesses in. The community is laid out where there’s a little residential, a little business, a little residential, a little business, so we’re trying to figure out the best fit and where to place that. We have interest from a number of industries, from industrial to light industrial, day cares — there’s a number of things. There are things I can’t talk about yet, but I’m excited by the growth and the things that continue to come across my desk. There’s a lot of opportunities right now, really nice ones that would be welcomed by the community.

What does Hartford still need? What are some of your focuses for economic development?

Industry. We’re working on developing an industrial park to really add to our north corridor up by Central States Manufacturing. We have 23 acres available, five to the east of Central States and 18 just south of it. We have people interested but want to make sure it’s the right fit for the area. And we still have downtown space available, and with the citywide master plan, Downtown Hartford is doing a parallel study with ISG. So if anyone is interested in looking at properties around town, I’m trying to have them sit down with ISG, so as we move forward, we’re helping businesses find locations that complement surrounding uses, focus on aesthetics and promote more uniform growth.

You also have a liquor license coming available. What can you share about that opportunity?

We have an on-sale liquor license and are seeking proposals for it. It is going to be offered to anyone to purchase, and hopefully that will drive additional revenue our way with a new bar and grill or restaurant. It would be nice to see something like that come in. We haven’t had a new one in years, so it’s a great opportunity. To learn more, click here. 

What else is coming up that you’re excited about?

Just the interest we’ve seen is exciting, hearing from the teachers and their excitement about the community and how they’re pushing “shop local” has been really cool to see. We represent both Hartford and Humboldt, so we’re continuing efforts with the communities working together and ensuring continued growth for both communities. We also are looking at a new wastewater treatment facility in the near future to support that growth.

People think it’s a small community, but we have two coffee houses, two chiropractors, Sunshine Foods, a Hy-Vee pharmacy, Edward Jones, three banks, a brewery, a golf course, so we have a number of amenities I don’t think people are aware of. It’s been amazing, and we keep growing. We’re working on some neat things I hope come to fruition within the next six months to a year.

To connect with Amy Farr, call 605-528-3338.