Brookings Economic Development Corporation

Einspahr Auto Plaza celebrating 50th anniversary

The winter of ’68-’69 was a tough one for South Dakota. For Ford sales rep Ron Einspahr it brought a tough decision that has taken him to where he is today: he bought the Brookings Ford dealership. This year Einspahr Auto Plaza, which in retirement he still owns and where his son Matt Einspahr is…

Armory development plan includes hotel, restaurant

The Brookings City Council on Tuesday accepted a proposal by Linchpin Corporation to turn the Old Armory, at 221 Main Ave., into a restaurant and lounge and meeting space and build a boutique hotel with a two-level parking garage on its west side. Now the city will move forward with creating a development agreement with…

SDSU’s Adelaine named to federal precision ag task force

Michael Adelaine, vice president for technology and security at South Dakota State University, has been named to a federal task force to look at the technology needs of precision agriculture. Adelaine, who was selected by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, will be in Washington, D.C., Dec. 9 for the first meeting of the Task…

Entrepreneurs team up to offer more gift options downtown

BROOKINGS – Kirsten Gjesdal and Sheri Vaughn are sharing a space at 414 Main Ave. for their complementary businesses, Honeycomb Gifts and Hand-Tied Floral Boutique, and say it’s working out well. Honeycomb Gifts Gjesdal opened Honeycomb Gifts on Oct. 23 as an offshoot of The Carrot Seed Kitchen Co., which she opened in 2015 after…

Power systems researchers at SDSU receive U.S. Dept. of Energy grant

It’s a first for two South Dakota State University power systems researchers. Associate professor Reinaldo Tonkoski and assistant professor Tim Hansen of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science will model power systems that integrate large amounts of renewable energy sources through their first grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. “We develop models…

New restaurant opens in Elkton

ELKTON – Mortland’s Burgers and More opened its doors in Elkton recently to high reviews. Owners Randy and Margo Mortland started the business after the previous owners sold the site. “When we moved to Elkton, we had eaten here a variety of times, so we knew what the place had to offer,” Margo Mortland said.…

Idea Adviser helps SDSU community advance business ideas

New program implemented on campus this fall A new program created by Brookings Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) seeks to promote and encourage entrepreneurship in the Brookings region by providing 1:1 free, customized coaching for South Dakota State University (SDSU) students, faculty and staff pursuing potential business concepts. The Idea Adviser program invites anyone with a…

$18.7 million grant awarded to Brookings for new interchange

WATCH By Ricardo Lewis, KSFY BROOKINGS, S.D. (KSFY) – The United States Department of Transportation has awarded the city of Brookings an $18.7 million dollar grant in critical infrastructure. The money will go towards building an interchange over Interstate 29 and 20th Street South. For many years city leaders have considered adding additional access to…

Donors to SDSU give boost to pharmacy college’s commitment to cancer research

SDSU photo: Komal Raina, an associate professor is pharmaceutical sciences at South Dakota State University, is flanked by Lorie and Kevin Haarberg at the Haarberg investiture ceremony Oct. 4 on campus. Raina was officially designated as the Haarberg Chair in Cancer Research, a position created by a gift from the Haarbergs. BROOKINGS – Cancer research…

Looking to the future of STEM

SDSU joins national alliance to develop more inclusive, diverse STEM faculty BROOKINGS – South Dakota State University is one of 20 universities joining a three-year institutional change effort to develop inclusive faculty recruitment, hiring and retention practices. The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities co-leads the effort, known as Aspire: The National Alliance for Inclusive…