Goodbye 2019!
– By #MillerSD
I know a lot of people who are very happy to say goodbye to 2019! It was a tough year, but 2019 brought a lot of good things to On Hand Development.
In May 2019, I was hired and had the opportunity to train with Tammy Caffee. Mike Huether also made a call to our office and featured Rexall on his popular show. I also had the opportunity to attend a housing gathering in Wall, SD to learn more about housing troubles in rural communities.
June and July flew by. We put a lot of time into the bike path project, business visits, training, 4th of July, finished the landscaping sign in front of the community center, and promotion of Miller which included a brand-new Drone video of Miller. I also attended a two-day conference called “RURAL X” where I learned about how rural communities are thriving!
August didn’t slow down. We focused on connecting with businesses in Hand County. We signed up another business with our Revolving Loan Fund. Currently, we have ten businesses in Hand County enrolled in our fund at over $600,000. These ten businesses make over 75 jobs in our county. We also had some fun in August hosting the “Giddy up Rustlers! Safe Route to School event in conjunction with the Miller School meet your teacher night. We had over 30 students attend the event.
So, where did September go? It went to the Miller Community Center, the Career Here Event, a 2-day training event, businesses in Hand County, bike path, housing, youth leadership, a potential new business in the area, and research.
October brought hunters but also the re-opening of two businesses- Turtle Creek Steakhouse and Element Cheer and Dance. Miller was hungry for the return of these vital businesses to our community. On Hand Development also sold our 2nd Governor’s Home to a family who never dreamed of owning their own home.
Turkeys and shopping came in November. Shopping local was the number one priority. We spoke to the Elementary Student body about the impact of shopping locally and challenged every student to draw what it meant to them. Small Business Saturday wasn’t the best weather but the deals around town were hot! We also filled our time with business visits, a grant writing class, strategic planning session for 2020, and keeping up with the Miller Community Center schedule.
And December, the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas on the Prairie and the Holiday Jam Concert started the month out right with everybody getting in the holiday spirit! We worked a lot on the potential new hotel development and a business expansion in Hand County. We met with businesses about how their year was and what we can do to make 2020 even better!
I know 2019 was tough but the challenges make us all stronger, better people. Hand County is thriving and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2020 and the many years to come.
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