Trailer manufacturer SmithCo is moving its corporate headquarters from Le Mars, Iowa, about 40 miles west to Elk Point, South Dakota. With the help of a low-interest loan from Governor Dennis Daugaard, SmithCo will also open a sales outpost in Elk Point to take advantage of easy I-29 access. The project will create six jobs in Elk Point, maybe more. SmithCo is keeping its 70,000-square-foot factory in Le Mars, where it employs 95 people.
Meanwhile, about 40 miles to the north and east of Le Mars, O'Brien County is part of a new five-county wind energy project that will pump $1.9 billion into Iowa's economy, generate over a gigawatt of wind power, and create 460 construction jobs and 48 permanent jobs. MidAmerican Energy will plant 200 of its 448 new wind turbines in O'Brien County between Paullina and Sutherland, Iowa.
Little fish, big fish.
Oh goody, Denny gets to wear his tie with the rest of the empty suits while real jobs go elsewhere. What a farce. Denny said that South Dakota would keep Mt. Rushmore open because we have the moolah to do so. Denny has the purse strings clasped for hunger, medicine and education, but like the rest of fakes, always moolah to wrap himself around the flag.
A couple of execs wanted to live in Dakota Dunes & not have to pay state income taxes. Sounds like this company wanted to have a sales lot on the interstate.
Does the state give low interest loans to car dealers, both new and used, who want to build a new car lot with an office? Just picking winners who get taxpayer subsidized loans, it seems to me. If you're a small business person who's already running a car lot or similar business in SD, don't come asking for the same loan with the same interest rate. It's not available to you.
So in our effort to gut other states tax base, we are still losing ground. If their main operations are still in LeMars, those execs will still be spending most of their time and money in Iowa. Did you know that Iowa has many times more tourism dollars than South Dakota does. But they spend much less per dollar on advertizement. But we brag anytime someone comes to our state. I met a New Yorker at our peace protest last Sunday and she already realized that we love to hear that people would like to live here. So she said she would love to but she and her husband who grew up in Sioux Falls are still living in New York City. Actions speak louder than words.
What ever happened to the wind power project that the tribes had going with the Clinton outfit? I had high hopes but in reality low expectations. ??????????????????
The Blindman