December 2018 - Brookings Economic Development Corporation

Party bike business coming to Brookings

Jessica Herrboldt is the owner of Bum’s Bike & Brew, and she’s getting ready to debut the first party bike in Brookings this spring. Officially known as commercial pedal cars or bars, the conveyance resembles a trolley car, but is powered by the pedaling of the people riding upon it, like a bicycle. They are…

Local Elks Lodge recruiting younger members

Like many of its 1,780 counterparts across the nation, Brookings Lodge No. 1490 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE), or just “Elks,” continues to see its membership decline. Several lodges in South Dakota have shut their doors, including one in nearby Madison. Phil Baker, exalted ruler and a member of the Brookings…

Unique Brookings business has international customers

Watch – EYE ON KELOLAND by Dan Santella We associate this time of year with a magical workshop which makes neat things for people all around the world. But this isn’t the North Pole; it’s Station 5 Productions in Brookings. They make stuff for haunted attractions, haunted houses, escape rooms, and more. “We do things for…

Larson Manufacturing raises $253k for Brookings Area United Way

Sharing with their employees and the Brookings community is a cornerstone of the Larson Manufacturing culture. For the past several decades, Larson employees have seen and responded to many needs in the community. Employees also recognize the value the Brookings Area United Way provides to individuals of all backgrounds. The Brookings Area United Way community…

Feliz Navidad welcomes families new to area

When restaurant owner Nitza Rubenstein met some of the families new to the community and spending their first winter in Flandreau, she wanted to help them be more prepared for the cold weather. Last Friday, they gathered for a party at Fajita’s Bar & Grill that included cookies and other treats, a pair of boots…

SDSU to participate in Every Acre Counts

The South Dakota Habitat Conservation Foundation alongside South Dakota State University and The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service announced a new project. Every Acre Counts is designed to give agricultural producers new ways to manage low producing acres while increasing their bottom line. “Ag producers in South Dakota care about the land and we realize…

SDSU students are first to participate in Precision Agriculture and Conservation Joint Training Program

Four students in the South Dakota State University Departments of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and Natural Resource Management participated in a precision agriculture and conservation undergraduate training program this fall as part of a joint pilot capstone course. The goal of the project was to demonstrate to students and farmers that precision agriculture technology can…

Brookings Innovation Center names Company and Student of the Year awards

Query.AI received the Company of the Year Award while Ellen Schlechter was selected as the Student of the Year Award winner during the Dec. 8 annual Innovation Celebration at the Brookings Innovation Center. The event marked the 10th year for the Research Park at South Dakota State University. “The Research Park at SDSU is the…

SDSU Researcher Targets Drug-Resistant Cancer Cells

A South Dakota State University researcher is finding new ways to destroy cancer cells that develop resistance to multiple chemotherapy drugs. “Chemotherapy is the most common treatment for cancers,” explained Assistant Professor Surtaj Iram of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “However, one of the biggest obstacles to success is cancer cells that acquire resistance…

SDSU music professor receives Governor’s Award

John Colson, a retired music professor, has been named a recipient of a Governor’s Award. The awards will be presented during the 24th biennial Governor’s Awards in the Arts ceremony Feb. 12, 2019, at the Ramkota Hotel & Conference Center in Pierre. Colson taught at South Dakota State University for 37 years and was professor…