Watertown Development Company

08/30/2026

08/27/2026

TODAY'S STUDENTS. TOMORROW'S WORKFORCE.

Watertown Development Company celebrates students, educators, and families across the five-county region as a new school year begins.
WATERTOWN, S.D. — As a new school year gets underway, Watertown Development Company (WDC) is celebrating the students, educators, staff, and families of Watertown, Codington County, and the greater five-county trade area of more than 100,000 people.

Workforce development doesn't begin on someone's first day of work — it begins with the family & in the classroom. Our high school students represent a vital and rapidly emerging part of our region's labor force, and the choices they make over the next few years will help shape the future of our businesses, our main streets, and our communities.

That emerging workforce is being built across every school system in our region — public and private alike. From Watertown to Clark, Willow Lake, Castlewood, Estelline, Hamlin (Hayti), Florence, Henry, Waverly-South Shore, Arlington, Deuel (Clear Lake), Big Stone City, Summit, and Wilmot, our public schools are preparing students throughout the five-county region for what comes next. Alongside them, our region's private schools — including Great Plains Lutheran High School, St. Martin's Lutheran School, Immaculate Conception Catholic School, and Watertown Christian School — are doing the same vital work, and WDC is proud to recognize them as full partners in preparing our region's future workforce.

Together, these schools are preparing the next generation of skilled tradespeople, healthcare workers, educators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders — as well as the future homeowners, consumers, and taxpayers essential to the continued health and growth of our trade area.

"Every classroom in our five-county region is part of our economic development pipeline," said Chris Clifton, Executive Director of Watertown Development Company. "When we invest in our students today, we're investing directly in the workforce our employers will depend on tomorrow. That's true whether a student walks the halls of Watertown High School or one of our smaller public schools, or attends Great Plains Lutheran, Immaculate Conception, or Watertown Christian. Every one of them is part of our region's future."

To our students: your future is full of opportunity — and much of that opportunity is right here at home.

Here's a successful school year and a strong future for our region!

08/20/2026

Our growth report highlights our impact:
5 million impressions across radio, web, and social media 📻🌐💬, over 17,000 streaming hours 🎧, and active audience engagement through sharing and commenting.✨

In JUST 8 MONTHS, it’s become the region’s most trusted local media voice 🗣️, offering a powerful platform to amplify your message 📢.

All of the "digital" (as the industry calls it) service for our partners is done in-house, in Watertown, locally 🏡, so as to say it is not farmed out to another company in another community doing the “work” and collecting the profits 💼.
Careful with all those fancy marketing terms AND “contracts.”

Northeast Radio SD is also a locally owned small business, contrary to corporate agencies, out-of-community ownership groups, and conglomerate ownership groups.
should mean.... local 🤝
[email protected] 📧

08/19/2026

When it's all hands on deck before the Grand Opening...
Even the investors grab a broom.

No free passes around here. If you stop by the HQ this week, there's a good chance you'll leave with a job to do.

08/19/2026

We're excited to announce another featured session for the 2026 EDPA Annual Conference!

Please join us in welcoming Scott Sandal from Sunbird Software as he presents:

Data Centers: Opportunities, Challenges, and Power Needs

Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/economic-development-professionals-association-annual-conference-2026-tickets-1990106838125

08/19/2026

Staff from the Small Business Administration visited the GROW SD office for the annual site visit and monitoring of the SBA Microloan program. Pictured are Mark Nelson, GROW SD Executive Vice President; Marcia Erickson, GROW SD CEO; Ben Deetz, SBA Lender Relations Specialist from ND; and Tyler Hinrichs, SBA Lender Relations Specialist from SD.

08/19/2026

The South Dakota Board of Economic Development approved funding for three projects through the SD Works Program and South Dakota Jobs Program. The projects support business expansion, rural business succession, and advanced manufacturing, while creating and retaining jobs across South Dakota.

“In South Dakota, we continue to support businesses that are investing, growing, and creating opportunities for people across our state,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “These projects strengthen local communities, support good-paying jobs, and build a strong, diverse economy that is Open for Opportunity.”

Read more here: https://sdgoed.com/board-approves-economic-development-investments-supporting-small-business-growth-across-south-dakota/

04/15/2026

Minnwest Bank donated to the Challenger Learning Center of South Dakota for STEM education. See link below ⬇️

📸 Provided by The Village of Harmony Hill

04/15/2026

🏡✨ Down payment assistance is available to help you unlock the door to your new home. 🗝️💰 Don't miss out on this opportunity! Check the details and restrictions at 👉 https://www.growsd.org/housing/p/item/1882/down-payment-assistance