June 1, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Sioux Metro Growth Alliance.

South Dakota’s fastest-growing community is feeling the pace of change.

Harrisburg grew by 10.5 percent from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2022, adding 800 new residents.

Lisa Zens, Harrisburg’s economic development director, sits at the center of the community’s growth-driven activity, serving a unique role through the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance.

We caught up with her to learn more about Harrisburg’s priorities and how she’s helping to address them.

Your role is unique for Sioux Metro Growth Alliance and now the community of Harrisburg. What does it all involve, and how has that evolved?

The city of Harrisburg has been growing fast, and as a community we have a lot of things to tackle. The latest census information shows Harrisburg with a population of 9,515 in April of 2023 — up from 6,735 in April of 2020. Harrisburg’s growth-rate calculations show a 10.5 percent growth rate.

So what does that involve? Everything! As an economic development director, this involves quality of life, business amenities, restaurants, motels, entertainment, schools, industry, working together, and the list goes on. Harrisburg quickly became a community where a part-time economic development director was not efficient for the growth. The Sioux Metro Growth Alliance and Harrisburg Economic Development Corporation felt it became apparent that a new contract for a full-time director was in the best interest for the Harrisburg community. This is the first full-time contract for Sioux Metro Growth Alliance and will give many opportunities for planned growth.

How would you describe the current business and development activity in Harrisburg? What kind of year was 2022, and how did 2023 start off?

The business climate and development have been demanding in 2022 and 2023 with communication of all entities, which has been necessary for the development of Harrisburg. I started June 1, 2022, so this will be my first full year, and I see growth in housing, schools, business and industries. 2023 has been busy thus far, and we are now planning for 2024 and many years beyond that.

Heart of Harrisburg, a five-year collaborative community plan, was launched last year. What sort of progress has been made here, and what are some of the key goals being prioritized this year?

The Heart of Harrisburg is strategizing and implementing the goals daily. Over the last year, HEDC — Harrisburg Economic Development Corporation– has created a diverse board while partnering with Sioux Metro Growth Alliance to hire a full-time director, assisting in the development of downtown Harrisburg, completing a hotel feasibility study and searching for land acquisition to help in the development of Harrisburg.

Some of the next goals include developing a business and industrial park with essential infrastructure and adding amenities by researching and reaching out to local investors. These goals also come while working to understand the workforce and housing needs of the community.

The Harrisburg Economic Development Corporation recently received the findings of a hotel feasibility study. What were the key takeaways, and what are the next steps?

Some of the key takeaways from the hotel feasibility study are that Harrisburg is prime for a 60- to 70-room hotel and could support a restaurant, conference rooms areas and a pool area. We have been looking at the best sites and how to acquire and develop them in some cases. There have been plenty of inquiries from local investors and chain brand hotels. We all believe it is time for a hotel with all the sports and activities and family destinations coming to town. We want them to come, stay here and experience what Harrisburg has to offer.

What other sorts of economic development opportunities do you anticipate for the community or are you working on?

HEDC is developing strong relationships with state, government and city officials to understand how to build the city’s infrastructure for these types of developments. Personally, I am working on gathering as much information and documenting to lead the planning and growth of the community. Economic development never stops and is involved in every aspect for the betterment of this great community.

If someone would like to reach you about opportunities in Harrisburg, what is the best approach?

I am available by email at [email protected] or by calls and texts at 605-450-0715.