Chamber executive director Gary Wood and Deb Brown of Save Your Town
Belle Fourche’s 2nd annual Manufacturers Week unfolded October 3-5, with a variety of seminars and events, and noted speaker Deb Brown of Save Your Town.
Tours of empty commercial buildings took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, buildings that included many of the dominating and historic structures in downtown Belle Fourche. Building owners and real estate agents were on hand to answer questions about the buildings, as most on the tour are sale or rent. The Chamber took videos of these tours that can be viewed through the link below.
After the tours, Deb Brown met individually with business owners for some one-on-one consulting on ways to improve and grow their businesses.
Thursday October 5th officially South Dakota Manufacturers Day. Events were held at the Belle Fourche Community Center, and began with a coffee hour at 7:30am. 8th Avenue Bakery provided coffee and fresh donuts. Deb Brown gave two seminars, giving practical advice and simple steps for businesses to implement for a brighter future.
South Dakota secretary of the Department of Labor & Regulation Marsha Hultman then gave a presentation on South Dakota’s workforce, manufacturing, and employment.
Small Business Development Center’s regional director Dona Leavens and Tim Crawford spoke on the assistance and benefits available to small businesses through the SBDC.
These seminars and presentations are available to view through the link below.
After a working luncheon catered by Subway, a group left from the community hall to tour Pipeline Plastics and the Belle Fourche Industrial Arts Center.
Deb Brown met individually with several community groups to discuss ways they can do their parts to improve Belle Fourche while working in harmony.
The day ended with a Job Fair & Career Day where fifteen area businesses hosted booths advertising their services and employment opportunities.
The Chamber is pleased with the amount of growth Belle Fourche Manufacturers Day/Week has seen in just one year, and we are very encouraged by the turnout and enthusiasm we saw this week towards making Belle Fourche an even better place to live, work, and play.
Link to Building Tour and Seminar Videos