Dedicated to improving the economic health of Miller, SD, and the surrounding area.
A proud, progressive, agricultural community located in central South Dakota.
Promoting Miller and continuing to improve our vibrant business community.
A great place have events, meetings and more.
Whether you are a visitor looking for information about Miller, South Dakota and the surrounding area, or you are a resident searching for the latest information about our community, you've come to the right place. This site has information on our local economic development office, the Miller Civic and Commerce Association, and the City of Miller. We also have a community calendar that highlights all of the upcoming events. Be sure to visit our Facebook page or check our blog to interact with others on all topics related to Miller, SD. Thanks for visiting our website - we hope you drop by again soon!
On Hand Development hosted a free workshop for anyone in Hand County who wants to Bring Their A Game to work! This was the 2nd workshop we hosted in the last year and after folks leave, they always feel more energized and excited to head to work.
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That question we hear a lot around here. It’s not an easy, quick answer. So, if you have a minute, I will answer this complicated question to the best of my ability.
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A wise woman once told me that there are two seasons in South Dakota…Construction Season and Winter. Construction season is almost to an end here in Miller. This construction season has brought our community some amazing changes. The corner of North Broadway and Third Street houses both Ace Hardware and Kessler’s Grocery Store and both businesses are getting a facelift this construction season.
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On Hand Development is excited to announce our second, “Bring Your A Game” workshop to Miller on Thursday, September from 11:00 am -1 :00 pm. What is that? Bring Your A Game is a workshop filled with topics including Attitude, Attendance, Appearance, Ambition, Acceptance, Appreciation, and Accountability. They also include "life examples" as well as "work experiences".
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Last Thursday night, the City of Miller, the Miller School District, On Hand Development, Miller Civic and Commerce, and Hand County celebrated 2019 with the annual Magnificat Miller! This event is typically held in April but because of the current situation, was pushed to August. This year was a little smaller crowd for obvious reasons, but our victories that we celebrated weren't small!
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I was out rummaging last week and a lady approached me about the rummage sales and how they were organized. She began to ask me why Economic Development doesn’t handle rummage weekend or the Miller Civic Commerce. I explained to her that Economic Development is working with businesses, promotion of our area, housing, and quality of life projects. The Miller Civic and Commerce handles events around town and she asked me like what?
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On Hand Would Like to Welcome our Newest Board Member, Mike Wetz
Mike Wetz is the newest face to the On Hand Development Corporation Board Of Directors. Mike was selected by the On Hand Board on Thursday, August 7 at the On Hand Annual Meeting. Mike is taking the seat of Bryan Breitling who served on the board for the past eleven years.
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A while back ago, I had someone tell me that it is too bad I am not involved in women’s golf league because it’s a great way to support our local community. I explained that this year I had to give something up and unfortunately golf didn’t make the top of my priorities. That conversation got me thinking about supporting local and I am glad that someone realizes that supporting local isn’t just about shopping. What does support local mean to you? To me it’s more than just buying shoes at Polly’s shoe store or getting your clothes from Clothes Garden. (Although that is also supporting local and it’s important)
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Last week, I was visiting with a friend from the cities and she mentioned how much she loves visiting Miller and how she much loves it here. I asked why don’t you think about relocating? She replied with, “Oh I could NEVER live without a Target.”
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Buy Local or Bye-Bye Local!
As we are approaching our annual CRAZY days here in Miller, Buy Local or Bye-Bye Local is something we all need to remember and it shouldn’t be just for CRAZY days. As I am visiting with people around town, they don’t like to see local businesses close their doors or to see vacant buildings scattered throughout the community; however, it is rare that those community members consider that their own buying patterns may have attributed to those very losses.
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Most readers already know my passion for rural and for Hand County. I believe that all of the leaders in Hand County share that passion for our community and they back that passion up with the necessary funding.
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Several weeks ago, all the talk around Miller was how many homes were for sale. Now, the talk around town is how many homes have sold. Are people on the move to rural areas like Miller? I believe so.
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I got a call from a business owner that is looking to replace their awning. Since starting in May, I haven’t talked a lot about our awning and sign program so I thought this would be the prefect opportunity.
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On Hand Would Like to Welcome our Newest Board Member, Jason Wilhelm
Jason Wilhelm is the newest face to the On Hand Development Corporation Board Of Directors. Jason was selected by the On Hand Board at the most recent board meeting on Wednesday, June10. Jason is taking the seat of Tiffany Hofer who served on the board for the past eleven years.
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My Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Consider Owning Your Own Bar!
Most readers probably already know that I have some experience in the bar world. I have been working at bars since I was 13. (Back then there wasn’t rules about how old you had to be to work in a bar.)
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Board – Not Bored!
Behind many great organizations and governing bodies is usually a dedicated board of directors, and believe me they are not bored! Their job is to guide and direct their various organizations, businesses, and government entities to the best of their ability representing children, constituents, citizens and customers.
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I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about the many hats that I wear for my position in Economic Development. I came up with ten different hats that I wear to work on a weekly basis and sometimes I have to wear more than one hat!
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COVID-19 Assistance Programs
As I sit at my kitchen counter attending countless COVID-19 webinars, the number one topic Economic Development Professionals are talking about is how to help businesses during this strange time. Below is a small list of resources available at this time.
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Care Act Breakdown
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Small Town. Big Idea.
Do you have a BIG idea for a new business but often think… that will never work in a small town like Miller? I hear that a lot and I disagree. There is no idea too big for our small town.
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On Hand Development Corporation has been talking about a new hotel development for years. That talk is now turning into progress. In 2019, we hired a hospitality consulting firm to conduct a hotel study. To help cover costs for that study, we utilized an economic development grant from our city’s power supplier, Heartland Consumers Power District.
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Sarah DeHaai is the newest face to the On Hand Development Corporation Board Of Directors. Sarah was selected by the On Hand Board at the most recent board meeting on Wednesday, February 12. Sarah is taking the seat of Pete DeGeest who served on the board for the past nine years.
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On Hand Development is excited to announce, “Bring Your A Game” workshop to Miller on Thursday, March 12th from 11:00 am -1 :00 pm. What is that? Bring Your A Game is a workshop filled with topics including Attitude, Attendance, Appearance, Ambition, Acceptance, Appreciation, and Accountability. They also include "life examples" as well as "work experiences".
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If you didn’t attend the ask a council member question and answer session last week, you sure missed out. Everyone in the area had the opportunity to attend and let their voice be heard. If you didn’t attend and you have questions, shame on you. I personally invited people who complain about city or economic development issues and they didn’t show up. It’s like my mother in-law says, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Over 75 people attended the session and the city council answered questions about the surcharges, phases of the projects, grants, funding, snow removal, roads, code enforcement, and lots of other topics.
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I can’t tell you how many people I have talked to in Miller about questions that they have for the city council. I ask them, “Do you go to the city meetings?” Or, “Have you asked your council member?” I usually get, “No, I don’t know when the meetings are, I don’t want to be in the paper, I don’t want to bother them,” or some other excuse. The truth is, the City of Miller does an excellent job of staying transparent with Miller residents. They hold two monthly meetings every month that are open to the public, the meeting minutes are posted in the Miller Press, and they hold special meetings during the year. On the other hand, Miller residents don’t always do an excellent job of attending city meetings, asking questions, or getting involved. At the last city council meeting, one resident came with concerns. A lot of city meetings, no one comes. My question to everyone, if you have all these questions, why not address? They can’t hear you if you don’t ask them.
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