April 15, 2025 • 30 mins
Discover how South Dakota is attracting new residents and tackling workforce needs with its innovative Dakota Roots program. We talk with Program Manager Alex Neuland about how Dakota Roots job advisors provide personalized support for relocators, from exploring job opportunities to navigating the move itself.
At Livability, we highlight the unsung awesomeness of small and mid-sized cities across the country. We also partner with communities to reach their target companies and potential residents through digital content and print magazine programs.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Alex [00:10]:
(00:01):
His final message to me was, I'm in Sioux Falls, I start on the 11th. I'm so excited and thank you. And so I was really excited to get to help Kyle as an individual with talent motivated, but just not having the opportunities he needed.
Amanda [00:28]:
That's the voice of Alex Newland, program director for South Dakota's Dakota Roots Talent Attraction Program. A personal touch is so important in this work, and South Dakota is truly embracing that with their job advisors. These job advisors assist potential with job search support and much more, and it's definitely getting them noticed. Learn more about this podcast livabilitymedia.com. And with that, let's jump in. Welcome, Alex to Inside America's Best Cities. You are our inaugural South Dakota guest, and I'm super excited to have you on.
Alex [01:07]:
Well, thank you, Amanda. I appreciate it.
Amanda [01:09]:
So we are here today to talk about Dakota Roots, which is the state's sort of talent attraction arm and program that they're working on, and specifically the job advisors. So can you start out with just an overview? What is Dakota Roots and how do the job advisors fit into that effort?
Alex [01:28]:
Sure, yeah. Dakota Roots is a state recruitment initiative. It was started about 18 years ago. It was initially started to help people come back to South Dakota. So these were folks who graduated from university or got married and moved out of state, and it was hence the name “Returning to your Roots” because the Department of Labor had experienced folks who had let them know that they wanted to come back. And so the program functioned really well over the last 18 years and brought back a lot of residents. And then in 2020, I'm sure you're aware, there was a big national pandemic and a lot of states started shutting down. Our governor or former governor, Kristi Noem, she took a different approach towards mandating closures. And so rather than mandating a big shutdown, her approach was to allow these businesses to make decisions that were best for their staff and for the customers. And because of this, our economy wasn't shut down, we're able to thrive. And Governor Noem also recognized at that time that there were people across the nation who would want to be a part of what South Dakota was doing and the freedoms that were available here. And so she ended up unveiling a FreedomWorks here ad campaign where she took on the role of different positions. She was an accountant, an electrician, and essentially she just shared with the nation through these advertisements to say that South Dakota's economy's open. We are looking for residents and we have tons of jobs. We had over 25,000 job openings back then. And yeah, so the Dakota Roots program then expanded to start working with individuals who weren't prior residents, but just anyone who wanted to move here. And so what they would do is they would see an advertisement, they'd visit our website, dakotaroots.com or the FreedomWorksHere website, and they would fill out a interest form that says, I'd like to be contacted. And then that referral would be sent to a job advisor who'd reach out to them, explain a little bit about the program. They'd be required to register on our jobs portal, SD Works, and their out of state address would trigger referral to our program. So they would then be contacted within 10 days by a job advisor to have an initial consultation and find out what it is they're looking for, what kind of area they're interested in, do they want a big city or a small city? And based off that, we offer to provide them services and if they agree, they come at no cost or obligation. And so we would start helping them look for work in their specific industry and a house in an area. If they didn't know much about South Dakota, we'd educate them about the states. So yeah, that's essentially an overview of the program and how it worked.
Amanda [04:22]:
So Dakota Roots has been around almost two decades, but the job advisor portion is more like five-ish years old, started during Covid?
Alex [04:30]:
Yeah, the job advisement, it had been done throughout those 18 years, but they were spread out across offices. When the Freedom Works Here advertisements were rolled out, they sort of consolidated and created a specific team for that. And so we are able to function a little better as a unit, and we're also getting thousands of referrals. So it was a busy time for us. Yeah.
Amanda [04:56]:
So the Freedom Works website you mentioned, is that still live as well or was that more of a pandemic era campaign you all were doing?
Alex [05:04]:
No. Freedom Works Here is definitely still up and active, and that's a South Dakota trademarked website, and so we'll continue to use that. Essentially, if you were interested in moving to South Dakota, you could go to any internet search provider and type in “Move to South Dakota” and the first website that'll pop up will be FreedomWorks and Dakota Roots. And then also if you visit our travel website, travel SD, it also talks about all the fun things you can do on vacation, but then has some links that says, have you considered living or working here? And that will also redirect to our website.
Amanda [05:40]:
Gotcha. Well, I love mean that's some really ahead of their time thinking about talent attraction. Like 18 years ago, workforce was not the huge component of the economic development industry that it is now, and there wasn't nearly as much intentional thought behind it, so that's really cool. You guys were ahead of the game.
Alex [05:57]:
Yeah, yeah. No, it's a really neat program and it's helped a lot of people move here, so it's a great program to be a part of.
(00:22):
Amanda [06:05]:
So I'm excited to delve more into that because you just mentioned thousands of referrals and there's only how many job advisors are there of you? Five?
Alex [06:15]:
So there were five, there are now four, one promoted to a different position, but during the FreedomWorks here, in the height of that ad campaign, they recruited employment specialists and other staff from the labor department. And so at its peak, it was about 46 people. 46 advisors were assisting people from all over the country.
Amanda [06:41]:
So this is personalized support when someone's like, Hey, I want to talk about this. They talk you through it, like you said, talk about what area of the state might be a good fit and then try to help you make that career transition point. So I guess my first question is, so if you've only got some of these people, do they ever get industries they don't know much about? Or how can just that handful of people know whatever's going to come at them in terms of the jobs people are interested in that they'll be knowledgeable about it, if that makes sense?
Alex [07:12]:
Right. No, that's a good question. And it's really a wide gamut of people who reach out to us. And so when we do that initial consultation, we will ask them, how did you hear about us? How did we end up on your radar? And what interests you about South Dakota? And we sort of get an idea of what their motivations are for moving here. We'll then ask them what kind of work they're looking to find. Many people are looking to continue their career path. If they've been an electrician, they want to continue being an electrician. Some folks, we’ll chat for 10 minutes about what they've done and then they'll say, “and I don't want to do that anymore.”
Amanda [07:52]:
Relatable.
Alex [07:53]:
Yeah, we'll say, well, that's fine. And we'll start to discuss with them the kind of things that do interest them. South Dakota has a really great registered apprenticeship program that was unveiled, Start Today. And for folks who are looking to get into a trade, that's a great pathway because you can begin earning and learning on day one. And it really just depends on how that conversation goes and what they're interested in. We have a tool called a virtual recruiter, which is built into our SouthDakotaWorks.org. SDworks, our website, and what it does is it will search for employment opportunities based on the job position title, the industry category, their desired salary and location. And so a lot of folks will say, I want to be in the Black Hills. It was beautiful. I went there on vacation when I was a kid and that's where I want to work. And so we'll focus our job search in that area. This virtual recruiter will give alerts either daily, weekly, or monthly. So it's up to the participant's level of engagement soon they plan on moving how many job alerts they want to receive. A lot of folks don't know much about South Dakota. They've heard good things and they know they'd like to move here. And so for folks like that, what we'll do is offer to set it to statewide so that way they can follow the best opportunity. This also presents them with a great way to learn about the state. And so I often let them know, look, we're going to set up this virtual recruiter. You'll begin to start seeing leads coming in your email box. We also ask them about how many family members they're bringing. So because often it's not just an individual, there's a spouse, and some kids. I joke and say, do you plan on bringing the spouse? And most people laugh and go, yes. Sometimes they laugh and say no. But that's a big portion is sort of understanding the needs of these folks. Are they going to need schools? Are they going to need daycare? What are their goals? And then we also discuss what obstacles they might be facing. So for the majority of folks, they need to sell their home in their current state before they move. And so we usually looking at about six months to a year for them to completely make the move other folks face. Some people have to get their spouse on board, convince their significant other that the winters aren't that bad, which they are. And then for a lot of folks, there are financial constraints which really hold them back as well, but that sort of plays into the reason why they're looking to find a new affordable state because they're just not keeping up with their current economy and their state.
Amanda [10:33]:
Yeah. What I love about everything you just said is I feel like it's a really realistic perspective on what relocation is like for most average people, which is you can't just uproot everything immediately. You can't do it all the time. You're having to think about these practical concerns and a big one, including what are you going to do for work. And I feel like a lot of, there's a lot of great different types of talent attraction efforts out there, but I love looking at some of these that are doing a little bit more handholding on those really important things that are barriers for most people.
Alex [11:10]:
It makes a huge difference to have someone who's in that state that you can talk to. And the mandate is, we're supposed to sell South Dakota, which isn't difficult, it's an amazing state, but part of that mandate is be honest, always be honest. And so when folks have contacted us saying, we're thinking about South Dakota, but we're also looking at a couple other states, and I tell them, that's great. We want you to do your research. We want to make sure that if this is the state you decide to move to that it's the right decision for you. We let them know about the good, the bad, and the ugly of living here. I myself have been here three and a half years now, and I personally love it. And so I can speak to just my own experiences and had some great conversations with folks.
Amanda [11:58]:
You talked a little bit about some of the different reasons that you see people interested. So having some positive travel memories to save money. What are some other reasons you see people drawn to the state?
Alex [12:10]:
It often depends on the location of that individual, but generally the West Coast, a lot of those people are looking to move and it's based on their dissatisfaction with the quality of life in their current state with more inland states. Those are folks who are kind of more interested in opportunity. So often they'll say, it's really not bad where I'm at, but I'd just like to try something different or I'd more opportunity because they're feeling that their career is sort of stifled in their specific city or even in their state. So the motivations they do very wildly.
Amanda [12:49]:
(00:43):
And you talked a little bit too about a lot of people saying, well, first I have to sell my house. Have you seen a big difference in how that's going with the way the housing market is right now? I've read in the bigger picture, we are seeing a little bit less movement overall, and some of that could be attributed to if you're locked in and at a decent interest rate. Have you seen that have much of an impact or not as much as you would expect?
Alex [13:15]:
Not so much as you would expect depending on the housing market in their particular state. Some folks are able to sell their home relatively quickly. Other folks, it takes a little longer, but it is an interesting, you talk about lower interest rates and whatnot. I had one individual from California, him and his wife were really excited to make the move, and then he reached out to me and he said, well, we won't be able to move for three years. And I said, oh, I said, you know what? A long time. Yeah. What came up? Well, it turns out they had bought an electric vehicle and they received a subsidy through the state by buying their electric vehicle in California with the stipulation that they would not leave California for three years, or they'd have to pay the difference on that subsidy that they received for their electric vehicle. And so that was one way that they were sort of tied in that I hadn't seen or expected.
Amanda [14:10]:
Weird. So as far as the job advisors, helping people look for something that's a fit, so are they typically making a warm intro for people or are they just sort of helping them hunt different job boards? What does the job support look like exactly?
Alex [14:29]:
Yeah, that's a great question. So it really depends on the level of engagement. Again, depends on what that participant wants. So working with the labor department, this program is administered through the Department of Labor here in South Dakota. It gives us access to labor market information for different regions, which helps influence the decisions that we're making. We also have a great team of business service specialists who work in these communities with these employers. And they also are really an invaluable resource for if we have someone looking for a very specific role in a very specific city, we can reach out to those business service representatives and ask them and explain to them the situation we have, and they can share some of their insights as far as the warm introduction. So part of our job advisement services is we provide assistance reviewing resumes and cover letters. We like to say we help folks make them South Dakota friendly because employers here have certain expectations for those hiring materials when they receive them. So we work with folks and in their cover letter, we encourage them to include a line that explains that they're working with a South Dakota job advisor through the Department of Labor, and that they're really intent on moving just to impart to that employer their seriousness for relocating. We also make ourselves available to employers or potential hiring agencies for these individuals. So if someone is interested in a position, what we'll do is after they've applied for it, we offered to send a follow-up letter, which just explains that we are working with this individual, talks about their experiences, talks about their desire to move to the state and lets that employer know if you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to us. And we do the same after an interview has been completed, we'll reach out and let them know that we're working with this individual.
Amanda [16:29]:
That's awesome. What has promotion of this looked like? So it sounds like a lot of it has been SEO, making sure that these resources are the first thing people see when they search. What else would you add to that though? How are you getting this in front of the people you want to reach?
Alex [16:46]:
Yeah, so we do do some social media advertising, and a lot of it is web traffic, a lot. Actually, a ton of people who reach out to us is through word of mouth. And so many, many people have said, our first question is what interests you about South Dakota and how did you hear about us? And so many people have said, my dad told me about it, my brother mentioned it, or my mom told me, I really need to check out this website. So a lot of it is through word of mouth. We also attend events across South Dakota. So last year we did the Sturgis Motorcycle rally, which sees a huge amount of people coming in from out of state. So we had a booth there and we met with people and talked to them. Many of the folks we bumped into, they were retirees, but they said, I've got a son, I've got a daughter, I got a niece who really needs a job and would love to come live here. So a lot of it is word of mouth referrals, and then these events that we do around.
Amanda [17:49]:
Yeah, actually that brings up an interesting question. Since you mentioned retirees. So what if it's that like people looking to retire, is that someone that you would help and offer resources to also?
Alex [18:02]:
So we can help and offer resources, but unfortunately we can't take them on as a participant. One of the few requirements for this program is that you wish to live and work in South Dakota because we don't only want to grow our state's economy and population, we also want to address the employment shortfalls that our state has. And so if we've had plenty, I would say maybe 10% or possibly 12% of people who've reached out have been retirees. Many of these folks, we let them know as South Dakota does have a lot of great jobs for retirees because of our tourism industry, especially out in the west side of the state and the Black Hills, there are a lot of fun jobs that retirees can do that gives them an opportunity to engage with people and also earn some money. But for folks who are looking clearly to retire, we share with them resources about different retirement programs, different retirement communities, but we don't provide ongoing support for those individuals. We just sort of provide them with the information and encourage them to move here. But unfortunately, we can't work with them directly due to their not looking to work.
Amanda [19:16]:
Well, that makes sense. But I like what you were saying too about highlighting the, we've seen a lot of people retire and return to the workforce in different capacities. And so I like that you highlighted that too because definitely a thing, and I think it's going to be a thing that we're tapping into more as we look at some workforce shortages and changes we're going to be facing in this country as a whole in the coming decades. So any favorite success stories you'd like to share?
Alex [19:43]:
Yeah, I have one I'll share about Kyle, an individual I worked with. He was in his late twenties and he was a maintenance professional. And when he contacted me, he said that his dad had told him to call, and he wasn't exactly sure why he was calling, but he said his dad said he had to call. And so I spoke with Kyle and got to know him, and through talking with him, he shared that he really felt undervalued in California. He'd gone from maintenance job to maintenance job, he'd really given 110% and it just hadn't been recognized. He said he felt that because of the populousness of that state, that he felt replaceable. He didn't feel like his efforts and his talents were recognized or valued, and he felt really disillusioned. And after talking with him, I said, Kyle, at your age with your skills, an apprenticeship would be an amazing way for you to move forward. We discussed how an apprenticeship is different to school. With school, you learn for four years, there's very little practical experience, and by the time you graduate, you have usually a lot of debt, no experience and struggle to find a job. Whereas with an apprenticeship, it's like applying for any other job. So they interview you, they look at your qualifications and they hire you to work for them. But with that is integrated, this learning component, guaranteed pay raises, and after two or four years, you graduate from this program and you have this certification that you can use anywhere in the country. We obviously want folks to stick around in South Dakota, but it, it's really a great way for someone who doesn't want to go to school to be able to gain those skills and earn a great living. And so after discussing this with Kyle, he was excited about it. He was fired up about it, and he started looking for jobs. I had to help him with his cover letter and his resume, make it South Dakota friendly. And he was very welcoming to the changes and open to my suggestions. And within three months, he was hired or he interviewed and he was hired on. And his final message to me was, I'm in Sioux Falls, I start on the 11th. I'm so excited and thank you. And so I was really excited to get to help Kyle as an individual with talent, motivated, but just not having the opportunities he needed back home and being able to help him find that pathway. And the majority of the legwork was done by Kyle, and we explained to folks that We'll help with the steering, but your foot is on the gas. And so a lot of finding work, looking for work, researching different areas, those are based on that individual. And so someone needs to show that they really are invested in wanting to learn and make the effort to be successful.
Amanda [22:42]:
At the same time though, it's taking a process that can be really lonely and making it a little bit less.
(01:04):
Alex [22:48]:
Oh, absolutely. The other success story I talk about would be my own. So.
Amanda [22:54]:
We love to hear it.
Alex [22:56]:
And I love sharing this story because it's true and it's powerful to me and with the participants I speak with. But I had lived in Washington State for about 22 years. I lived in the city of Seattle, and when I initially moved there a couple decades ago, it used to be a beautiful city. It was clean, it had a sense of community, it was affordable, all of these things that made it really special. However, over the subsequent two decades that passed with the changing political climates with Amazon moving into that city, we just saw a lot of that quality of life diminished. So homelessness exploded because the rents started going too high. That brought substance abuse, and with that brought crime. And eventually I reached a point where I realized if I wanted to be happy, I would need to change my environment. My circumstances weren't going to change in that environment. And so what I did was I opened up a map and I started looking for new states to call home. And I researched Texas, I researched Florida. I almost wound up in Tennessee. And then my dad said, have you checked out South Dakota? They have great leadership and they've done some good things during this pandemic, and I hadn't even considered South Dakota. And so I said, well, I'll check it out. And I started researching it, and I was really struck by what I kept reading. I kept reading that the people were kind, that they were caring, but they also minded their own business, that the state had family values and pro-American values, and really treasured freedom and all those things spoke to me and I decided, I said, I'm going to take a shot on the state. And so I resigned from my state job in Washington, packed up my things in a U-Haul and moved halfway across the country. And that was three and a half years ago. I can honestly say it was the best decision I ever made.
Amanda [24:54]:
I love it. Well, anything else you'd like to share about the program with our listeners before we close?
Alex [25:02]:
Yeah. So there is one thing I'd like to encourage other cities to do. What we're doing in South Dakota is this year we're focusing on a community concierge program. And what that is essentially is it's an opportunity for towns to make themselves more welcoming. So the majority we noticed, the majority of the folks that we're working with, they're coming from out of state. They don't have the ability to come down for a weekend and look at the area they want to move to. They are thousands of miles away. And so the only way that they can really learn about cities and states in our area is by visiting online, so an online presence. So what we're doing is we're encouraging cities to sort of focus and develop that. So to have a page on their website, which makes their area more appealing, which explains what the region has to offer, what relocation assistance they provide, things like that. The city of Mitchell has really stepped up. So what they did was, it's a real cute story, and I'll try to be brief with you, but there was an assessment done by an agency a while back, and they rated all of the towns in South Dakota from friendliness, which was the most friendly town, and what was the least friendly town. And Mitchell, which is a decent sized city here, it actually got awarded the least friendliest town in South Dakota. And so when they received that, they said, we're going to do something about this. And so their chamber of commerce said, we need to get a plan going because this is how we're perceived as not being friendly. And so they started this community concierge program, and what they did is they appointed an ambassador. So what she does is she works with folks who are interested in moving to South Dakota now. It's not just a web presence that she's in charge of. She actually runs the service to help folks. So when they come in, if there are new arrivals moving into town, she'll give them tours of the city, the different churches, community centers, schools and things like that to help them integrate. And they also offer events. So they will hold like pizza nights or wine tastings or picnics where they invite these newcomers to integrate with the community as a whole. A lot of these towns had sort of experienced that People moved here and they were having trouble fitting in, and so they would end up leaving. And so by doing this community concierge program, they've been able to retain and fill difficult to fill job positions across their city. And so we've been working on encouraging other towns to do that, and it doesn't have to cost a lot of money to set up a concierge service. What you really need is someone in that town who can speak to the benefits of living there. Those are usually often retirees or realtors. They often can tell you what makes their town special, why they've decided to live there for 20 years. And some areas are small, and we encourage them like, look, if your community's tiny and you don't think you can do this, look at partnering with a neighboring community because you can do this together and share resources that way. And the goal essentially is to, we help with folks who want to find work and want to move to South Dakota, but these local communities are the ones who are stepping up and helping make their area attractive and just sort of educate people and then provide someone to chat to who can share about the benefits of that area. And it's really great. We're excited about it.
Amanda [28:38]:
Yep. All about the personal touch. It really is.
Alex [28:41]:
Yep.
Amanda [28:41]:
Well, I always ask a closer question. I know we already touched on some of the things that you love about South Dakota, but if you had to pick one bucket list item that someone visiting your part of the state for the first time should do, what would you say that should be?
Alex [28:58]:
I would say visiting the Black Hills. For me personally, I got to take my dad to Mount Rushmore Monument. I'd never been to that. That was incredibly powerful. Also, going to the Native American Crazy Horse Monument was also just incredibly powerful. And getting to see such vibrant history, I would say hitting Deadwood, there's so many fun things to do in South Dakota that it's definitely worth a visit. And for those visiting, once you get to talk to the locals and you get to a feel for the people, you're going to want to move here. So we hear it all the time. So watch out. Yeah, so watch out. You come and if you want to, we'll just type in your browser, move to South Dakota and give us a shout, and we'll get you connected to a job advisor.
Amanda [29:46]:
Amazing. Thank you so much, Alex.
Alex [29:49]:
(01:25):
Thank you. I appreciate it. Amanda.
Amanda [29:56]:
We love doing that. Good deal. Thanks for listening to the Livability podcast, where we take you Inside America's Best Cities. At Livability, we highlight the unsung awesomeness of small and mid-sized cities across the country. We also partner with communities to reach their target companies and potential residents through digital content and print magazine programs. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and review this show. Wherever you listen to podcasts, you can also learn more about us at livabilitymedia.com. Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email me at aellis@livability.com. Until next time, from Livability, I'm Amanda Ellis, sharing the stories of America's most promising places.
Alex [00:10]:
(00:01):
His final message to me was, I'm in Sioux Falls, I start on the 11th. I'm so excited and thank you. And so I was really excited to get to help Kyle as an individual with talent motivated, but just not having the opportunities he needed.
Amanda [00:28]:
That's the voice of Alex Newland, program director for South Dakota's Dakota Roots Talent Attraction Program. A personal touch is so important in this work, and South Dakota is truly embracing that with their job advisors. These job advisors assist potential with job search support and much more, and it's definitely getting them noticed. Learn more about this podcast livabilitymedia.com. And with that, let's jump in. Welcome, Alex to Inside America's Best Cities. You are our inaugural South Dakota guest, and I'm super excited to have you on.
Alex [01:07]:
Well, thank you, Amanda. I appreciate it.
Amanda [01:09]:
So we are here today to talk about Dakota Roots, which is the state's sort of talent attraction arm and program that they're working on, and specifically the job advisors. So can you start out with just an overview? What is Dakota Roots and how do the job advisors fit into that effort?
Alex [01:28]:
Sure, yeah. Dakota Roots is a state recruitment initiative. It was started about 18 years ago. It was initially started to help people come back to South Dakota. So these were folks who graduated from university or got married and moved out of state, and it was hence the name “Returning to your Roots” because the Department of Labor had experienced folks who had let them know that they wanted to come back. And so the program functioned really well over the last 18 years and brought back a lot of residents. And then in 2020, I'm sure you're aware, there was a big national pandemic and a lot of states started shutting down. Our governor or former governor, Kristi Noem, she took a different approach towards mandating closures. And so rather than mandating a big shutdown, her approach was to allow these businesses to make decisions that were best for their staff and for the customers. And because of this, our economy wasn't shut down, we're able to thrive. And Governor Noem also recognized at that time that there were people across the nation who would want to be a part of what South Dakota was doing and the freedoms that were available here. And so she ended up unveiling a FreedomWorks here ad campaign where she took on the role of different positions. She was an accountant, an electrician, and essentially she just shared with the nation through these advertisements to say that South Dakota's economy's open. We are looking for residents and we have tons of jobs. We had over 25,000 job openings back then. And yeah, so the Dakota Roots program then expanded to start working with individuals who weren't prior residents, but just anyone who wanted to move here. And so what they would do is they would see an advertisement, they'd visit our website, dakotaroots.com or the FreedomWorksHere website, and they would fill out a interest form that says, I'd like to be contacted. And then that referral would be sent to a job advisor who'd reach out to them, explain a little bit about the program. They'd be required to register on our jobs portal, SD Works, and their out of state address would trigger referral to our program. So they would then be contacted within 10 days by a job advisor to have an initial consultation and find out what it is they're looking for, what kind of area they're interested in, do they want a big city or a small city? And based off that, we offer to provide them services and if they agree, they come at no cost or obligation. And so we would start helping them look for work in their specific industry and a house in an area. If they didn't know much about South Dakota, we'd educate them about the states. So yeah, that's essentially an overview of the program and how it worked.
Amanda [04:22]:
So Dakota Roots has been around almost two decades, but the job advisor portion is more like five-ish years old, started during Covid?
Alex [04:30]:
Yeah, the job advisement, it had been done throughout those 18 years, but they were spread out across offices. When the Freedom Works Here advertisements were rolled out, they sort of consolidated and created a specific team for that. And so we are able to function a little better as a unit, and we're also getting thousands of referrals. So it was a busy time for us. Yeah.
Amanda [04:56]:
So the Freedom Works website you mentioned, is that still live as well or was that more of a pandemic era campaign you all were doing?
Alex [05:04]:
No. Freedom Works Here is definitely still up and active, and that's a South Dakota trademarked website, and so we'll continue to use that. Essentially, if you were interested in moving to South Dakota, you could go to any internet search provider and type in “Move to South Dakota” and the first website that'll pop up will be FreedomWorks and Dakota Roots. And then also if you visit our travel website, travel SD, it also talks about all the fun things you can do on vacation, but then has some links that says, have you considered living or working here? And that will also redirect to our website.
Amanda [05:40]:
Gotcha. Well, I love mean that's some really ahead of their time thinking about talent attraction. Like 18 years ago, workforce was not the huge component of the economic development industry that it is now, and there wasn't nearly as much intentional thought behind it, so that's really cool. You guys were ahead of the game.
Alex [05:57]:
Yeah, yeah. No, it's a really neat program and it's helped a lot of people move here, so it's a great program to be a part of.
(00:22):
Amanda [06:05]:
So I'm excited to delve more into that because you just mentioned thousands of referrals and there's only how many job advisors are there of you? Five?
Alex [06:15]:
So there were five, there are now four, one promoted to a different position, but during the FreedomWorks here, in the height of that ad campaign, they recruited employment specialists and other staff from the labor department. And so at its peak, it was about 46 people. 46 advisors were assisting people from all over the country.
Amanda [06:41]:
So this is personalized support when someone's like, Hey, I want to talk about this. They talk you through it, like you said, talk about what area of the state might be a good fit and then try to help you make that career transition point. So I guess my first question is, so if you've only got some of these people, do they ever get industries they don't know much about? Or how can just that handful of people know whatever's going to come at them in terms of the jobs people are interested in that they'll be knowledgeable about it, if that makes sense?
Alex [07:12]:
Right. No, that's a good question. And it's really a wide gamut of people who reach out to us. And so when we do that initial consultation, we will ask them, how did you hear about us? How did we end up on your radar? And what interests you about South Dakota? And we sort of get an idea of what their motivations are for moving here. We'll then ask them what kind of work they're looking to find. Many people are looking to continue their career path. If they've been an electrician, they want to continue being an electrician. Some folks, we’ll chat for 10 minutes about what they've done and then they'll say, “and I don't want to do that anymore.”
Amanda [07:52]:
Relatable.
Alex [07:53]:
Yeah, we'll say, well, that's fine. And we'll start to discuss with them the kind of things that do interest them. South Dakota has a really great registered apprenticeship program that was unveiled, Start Today. And for folks who are looking to get into a trade, that's a great pathway because you can begin earning and learning on day one. And it really just depends on how that conversation goes and what they're interested in. We have a tool called a virtual recruiter, which is built into our SouthDakotaWorks.org. SDworks, our website, and what it does is it will search for employment opportunities based on the job position title, the industry category, their desired salary and location. And so a lot of folks will say, I want to be in the Black Hills. It was beautiful. I went there on vacation when I was a kid and that's where I want to work. And so we'll focus our job search in that area. This virtual recruiter will give alerts either daily, weekly, or monthly. So it's up to the participant's level of engagement soon they plan on moving how many job alerts they want to receive. A lot of folks don't know much about South Dakota. They've heard good things and they know they'd like to move here. And so for folks like that, what we'll do is offer to set it to statewide so that way they can follow the best opportunity. This also presents them with a great way to learn about the state. And so I often let them know, look, we're going to set up this virtual recruiter. You'll begin to start seeing leads coming in your email box. We also ask them about how many family members they're bringing. So because often it's not just an individual, there's a spouse, and some kids. I joke and say, do you plan on bringing the spouse? And most people laugh and go, yes. Sometimes they laugh and say no. But that's a big portion is sort of understanding the needs of these folks. Are they going to need schools? Are they going to need daycare? What are their goals? And then we also discuss what obstacles they might be facing. So for the majority of folks, they need to sell their home in their current state before they move. And so we usually looking at about six months to a year for them to completely make the move other folks face. Some people have to get their spouse on board, convince their significant other that the winters aren't that bad, which they are. And then for a lot of folks, there are financial constraints which really hold them back as well, but that sort of plays into the reason why they're looking to find a new affordable state because they're just not keeping up with their current economy and their state.
Amanda [10:33]:
Yeah. What I love about everything you just said is I feel like it's a really realistic perspective on what relocation is like for most average people, which is you can't just uproot everything immediately. You can't do it all the time. You're having to think about these practical concerns and a big one, including what are you going to do for work. And I feel like a lot of, there's a lot of great different types of talent attraction efforts out there, but I love looking at some of these that are doing a little bit more handholding on those really important things that are barriers for most people.
Alex [11:10]:
It makes a huge difference to have someone who's in that state that you can talk to. And the mandate is, we're supposed to sell South Dakota, which isn't difficult, it's an amazing state, but part of that mandate is be honest, always be honest. And so when folks have contacted us saying, we're thinking about South Dakota, but we're also looking at a couple other states, and I tell them, that's great. We want you to do your research. We want to make sure that if this is the state you decide to move to that it's the right decision for you. We let them know about the good, the bad, and the ugly of living here. I myself have been here three and a half years now, and I personally love it. And so I can speak to just my own experiences and had some great conversations with folks.
Amanda [11:58]:
You talked a little bit about some of the different reasons that you see people interested. So having some positive travel memories to save money. What are some other reasons you see people drawn to the state?
Alex [12:10]:
It often depends on the location of that individual, but generally the West Coast, a lot of those people are looking to move and it's based on their dissatisfaction with the quality of life in their current state with more inland states. Those are folks who are kind of more interested in opportunity. So often they'll say, it's really not bad where I'm at, but I'd just like to try something different or I'd more opportunity because they're feeling that their career is sort of stifled in their specific city or even in their state. So the motivations they do very wildly.
Amanda [12:49]:
(00:43):
And you talked a little bit too about a lot of people saying, well, first I have to sell my house. Have you seen a big difference in how that's going with the way the housing market is right now? I've read in the bigger picture, we are seeing a little bit less movement overall, and some of that could be attributed to if you're locked in and at a decent interest rate. Have you seen that have much of an impact or not as much as you would expect?
Alex [13:15]:
Not so much as you would expect depending on the housing market in their particular state. Some folks are able to sell their home relatively quickly. Other folks, it takes a little longer, but it is an interesting, you talk about lower interest rates and whatnot. I had one individual from California, him and his wife were really excited to make the move, and then he reached out to me and he said, well, we won't be able to move for three years. And I said, oh, I said, you know what? A long time. Yeah. What came up? Well, it turns out they had bought an electric vehicle and they received a subsidy through the state by buying their electric vehicle in California with the stipulation that they would not leave California for three years, or they'd have to pay the difference on that subsidy that they received for their electric vehicle. And so that was one way that they were sort of tied in that I hadn't seen or expected.
Amanda [14:10]:
Weird. So as far as the job advisors, helping people look for something that's a fit, so are they typically making a warm intro for people or are they just sort of helping them hunt different job boards? What does the job support look like exactly?
Alex [14:29]:
Yeah, that's a great question. So it really depends on the level of engagement. Again, depends on what that participant wants. So working with the labor department, this program is administered through the Department of Labor here in South Dakota. It gives us access to labor market information for different regions, which helps influence the decisions that we're making. We also have a great team of business service specialists who work in these communities with these employers. And they also are really an invaluable resource for if we have someone looking for a very specific role in a very specific city, we can reach out to those business service representatives and ask them and explain to them the situation we have, and they can share some of their insights as far as the warm introduction. So part of our job advisement services is we provide assistance reviewing resumes and cover letters. We like to say we help folks make them South Dakota friendly because employers here have certain expectations for those hiring materials when they receive them. So we work with folks and in their cover letter, we encourage them to include a line that explains that they're working with a South Dakota job advisor through the Department of Labor, and that they're really intent on moving just to impart to that employer their seriousness for relocating. We also make ourselves available to employers or potential hiring agencies for these individuals. So if someone is interested in a position, what we'll do is after they've applied for it, we offered to send a follow-up letter, which just explains that we are working with this individual, talks about their experiences, talks about their desire to move to the state and lets that employer know if you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to us. And we do the same after an interview has been completed, we'll reach out and let them know that we're working with this individual.
Amanda [16:29]:
That's awesome. What has promotion of this looked like? So it sounds like a lot of it has been SEO, making sure that these resources are the first thing people see when they search. What else would you add to that though? How are you getting this in front of the people you want to reach?
Alex [16:46]:
Yeah, so we do do some social media advertising, and a lot of it is web traffic, a lot. Actually, a ton of people who reach out to us is through word of mouth. And so many, many people have said, our first question is what interests you about South Dakota and how did you hear about us? And so many people have said, my dad told me about it, my brother mentioned it, or my mom told me, I really need to check out this website. So a lot of it is through word of mouth. We also attend events across South Dakota. So last year we did the Sturgis Motorcycle rally, which sees a huge amount of people coming in from out of state. So we had a booth there and we met with people and talked to them. Many of the folks we bumped into, they were retirees, but they said, I've got a son, I've got a daughter, I got a niece who really needs a job and would love to come live here. So a lot of it is word of mouth referrals, and then these events that we do around.
Amanda [17:49]:
Yeah, actually that brings up an interesting question. Since you mentioned retirees. So what if it's that like people looking to retire, is that someone that you would help and offer resources to also?
Alex [18:02]:
So we can help and offer resources, but unfortunately we can't take them on as a participant. One of the few requirements for this program is that you wish to live and work in South Dakota because we don't only want to grow our state's economy and population, we also want to address the employment shortfalls that our state has. And so if we've had plenty, I would say maybe 10% or possibly 12% of people who've reached out have been retirees. Many of these folks, we let them know as South Dakota does have a lot of great jobs for retirees because of our tourism industry, especially out in the west side of the state and the Black Hills, there are a lot of fun jobs that retirees can do that gives them an opportunity to engage with people and also earn some money. But for folks who are looking clearly to retire, we share with them resources about different retirement programs, different retirement communities, but we don't provide ongoing support for those individuals. We just sort of provide them with the information and encourage them to move here. But unfortunately, we can't work with them directly due to their not looking to work.
Amanda [19:16]:
Well, that makes sense. But I like what you were saying too about highlighting the, we've seen a lot of people retire and return to the workforce in different capacities. And so I like that you highlighted that too because definitely a thing, and I think it's going to be a thing that we're tapping into more as we look at some workforce shortages and changes we're going to be facing in this country as a whole in the coming decades. So any favorite success stories you'd like to share?
Alex [19:43]:
Yeah, I have one I'll share about Kyle, an individual I worked with. He was in his late twenties and he was a maintenance professional. And when he contacted me, he said that his dad had told him to call, and he wasn't exactly sure why he was calling, but he said his dad said he had to call. And so I spoke with Kyle and got to know him, and through talking with him, he shared that he really felt undervalued in California. He'd gone from maintenance job to maintenance job, he'd really given 110% and it just hadn't been recognized. He said he felt that because of the populousness of that state, that he felt replaceable. He didn't feel like his efforts and his talents were recognized or valued, and he felt really disillusioned. And after talking with him, I said, Kyle, at your age with your skills, an apprenticeship would be an amazing way for you to move forward. We discussed how an apprenticeship is different to school. With school, you learn for four years, there's very little practical experience, and by the time you graduate, you have usually a lot of debt, no experience and struggle to find a job. Whereas with an apprenticeship, it's like applying for any other job. So they interview you, they look at your qualifications and they hire you to work for them. But with that is integrated, this learning component, guaranteed pay raises, and after two or four years, you graduate from this program and you have this certification that you can use anywhere in the country. We obviously want folks to stick around in South Dakota, but it, it's really a great way for someone who doesn't want to go to school to be able to gain those skills and earn a great living. And so after discussing this with Kyle, he was excited about it. He was fired up about it, and he started looking for jobs. I had to help him with his cover letter and his resume, make it South Dakota friendly. And he was very welcoming to the changes and open to my suggestions. And within three months, he was hired or he interviewed and he was hired on. And his final message to me was, I'm in Sioux Falls, I start on the 11th. I'm so excited and thank you. And so I was really excited to get to help Kyle as an individual with talent, motivated, but just not having the opportunities he needed back home and being able to help him find that pathway. And the majority of the legwork was done by Kyle, and we explained to folks that We'll help with the steering, but your foot is on the gas. And so a lot of finding work, looking for work, researching different areas, those are based on that individual. And so someone needs to show that they really are invested in wanting to learn and make the effort to be successful.
Amanda [22:42]:
At the same time though, it's taking a process that can be really lonely and making it a little bit less.
(01:04):
Alex [22:48]:
Oh, absolutely. The other success story I talk about would be my own. So.
Amanda [22:54]:
We love to hear it.
Alex [22:56]:
And I love sharing this story because it's true and it's powerful to me and with the participants I speak with. But I had lived in Washington State for about 22 years. I lived in the city of Seattle, and when I initially moved there a couple decades ago, it used to be a beautiful city. It was clean, it had a sense of community, it was affordable, all of these things that made it really special. However, over the subsequent two decades that passed with the changing political climates with Amazon moving into that city, we just saw a lot of that quality of life diminished. So homelessness exploded because the rents started going too high. That brought substance abuse, and with that brought crime. And eventually I reached a point where I realized if I wanted to be happy, I would need to change my environment. My circumstances weren't going to change in that environment. And so what I did was I opened up a map and I started looking for new states to call home. And I researched Texas, I researched Florida. I almost wound up in Tennessee. And then my dad said, have you checked out South Dakota? They have great leadership and they've done some good things during this pandemic, and I hadn't even considered South Dakota. And so I said, well, I'll check it out. And I started researching it, and I was really struck by what I kept reading. I kept reading that the people were kind, that they were caring, but they also minded their own business, that the state had family values and pro-American values, and really treasured freedom and all those things spoke to me and I decided, I said, I'm going to take a shot on the state. And so I resigned from my state job in Washington, packed up my things in a U-Haul and moved halfway across the country. And that was three and a half years ago. I can honestly say it was the best decision I ever made.
Amanda [24:54]:
I love it. Well, anything else you'd like to share about the program with our listeners before we close?
Alex [25:02]:
Yeah. So there is one thing I'd like to encourage other cities to do. What we're doing in South Dakota is this year we're focusing on a community concierge program. And what that is essentially is it's an opportunity for towns to make themselves more welcoming. So the majority we noticed, the majority of the folks that we're working with, they're coming from out of state. They don't have the ability to come down for a weekend and look at the area they want to move to. They are thousands of miles away. And so the only way that they can really learn about cities and states in our area is by visiting online, so an online presence. So what we're doing is we're encouraging cities to sort of focus and develop that. So to have a page on their website, which makes their area more appealing, which explains what the region has to offer, what relocation assistance they provide, things like that. The city of Mitchell has really stepped up. So what they did was, it's a real cute story, and I'll try to be brief with you, but there was an assessment done by an agency a while back, and they rated all of the towns in South Dakota from friendliness, which was the most friendly town, and what was the least friendly town. And Mitchell, which is a decent sized city here, it actually got awarded the least friendliest town in South Dakota. And so when they received that, they said, we're going to do something about this. And so their chamber of commerce said, we need to get a plan going because this is how we're perceived as not being friendly. And so they started this community concierge program, and what they did is they appointed an ambassador. So what she does is she works with folks who are interested in moving to South Dakota now. It's not just a web presence that she's in charge of. She actually runs the service to help folks. So when they come in, if there are new arrivals moving into town, she'll give them tours of the city, the different churches, community centers, schools and things like that to help them integrate. And they also offer events. So they will hold like pizza nights or wine tastings or picnics where they invite these newcomers to integrate with the community as a whole. A lot of these towns had sort of experienced that People moved here and they were having trouble fitting in, and so they would end up leaving. And so by doing this community concierge program, they've been able to retain and fill difficult to fill job positions across their city. And so we've been working on encouraging other towns to do that, and it doesn't have to cost a lot of money to set up a concierge service. What you really need is someone in that town who can speak to the benefits of living there. Those are usually often retirees or realtors. They often can tell you what makes their town special, why they've decided to live there for 20 years. And some areas are small, and we encourage them like, look, if your community's tiny and you don't think you can do this, look at partnering with a neighboring community because you can do this together and share resources that way. And the goal essentially is to, we help with folks who want to find work and want to move to South Dakota, but these local communities are the ones who are stepping up and helping make their area attractive and just sort of educate people and then provide someone to chat to who can share about the benefits of that area. And it's really great. We're excited about it.
Amanda [28:38]:
Yep. All about the personal touch. It really is.
Alex [28:41]:
Yep.
Amanda [28:41]:
Well, I always ask a closer question. I know we already touched on some of the things that you love about South Dakota, but if you had to pick one bucket list item that someone visiting your part of the state for the first time should do, what would you say that should be?
Alex [28:58]:
I would say visiting the Black Hills. For me personally, I got to take my dad to Mount Rushmore Monument. I'd never been to that. That was incredibly powerful. Also, going to the Native American Crazy Horse Monument was also just incredibly powerful. And getting to see such vibrant history, I would say hitting Deadwood, there's so many fun things to do in South Dakota that it's definitely worth a visit. And for those visiting, once you get to talk to the locals and you get to a feel for the people, you're going to want to move here. So we hear it all the time. So watch out. Yeah, so watch out. You come and if you want to, we'll just type in your browser, move to South Dakota and give us a shout, and we'll get you connected to a job advisor.
Amanda [29:46]:
Amazing. Thank you so much, Alex.
Alex [29:49]:
(01:25):
Thank you. I appreciate it. Amanda.
Amanda [29:56]:
We love doing that. Good deal. Thanks for listening to the Livability podcast, where we take you Inside America's Best Cities. At Livability, we highlight the unsung awesomeness of small and mid-sized cities across the country. We also partner with communities to reach their target companies and potential residents through digital content and print magazine programs. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and review this show. Wherever you listen to podcasts, you can also learn more about us at livabilitymedia.com. Have an idea for an upcoming episode? Email me at aellis@livability.com. Until next time, from Livability, I'm Amanda Ellis, sharing the stories of America's most promising places.
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