BROOKINGS — A report by the Brookings Regional Growth Alliance at the Brookings County Commission’s April 21 meeting highlighted economic successes in Brookings County over the last year — and hinted at developments still in the pipeline.
“It’s been an awesome couple of years for our community — (the) Bel Brands and the Solventum investments are huge,” BRGA business development specialist Matty Kerr said. “Things like that don’t happen every day, and we kind of got to experience those in back-to-back months. It’s remarkable how we’re seeing the continued investment of longtime businesses in our community.”
Kerr was one of three BRGA representatives at the meeting. The other two were CEO Lori Frederick and Stephanie Mason, the organization’s business development director.
Kerr said executives with those companies praised the Brookings area.
“It is because of a myriad of factors of not just a great business climate, but also really great people. I think that’s something that we can entirely be proud of as a county,” Kerr said. “We are competing on an international, global level.”
Solventum’s expansion in Brookings added 200,000 square feet to the existing facility, along with 16 new shipping docks, an 8,000-pallet warehouse, 46 jobs and expanded laboratory and office space. It was celebrated with an April 2 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Bel Brands USA’s decision to grow its presence in Brookings with a $200 million expansion will add between 150 and 160 jobs and add 100,000 square feet to the facility. A groundbreaking ceremony was March 11, and everything is expected to be up and running in 2028.
“There’s a lot more stories just beyond those two businesses that we can tell, too,” Kerr said.
One of those centers on a planned mixed-use development in Aurora.
“It’s going to be an opportunity for more commercial or retail space in Aurora,” she said. “There’s really not a lot of those spaces available. (Aurora is) also challenged by sales tax generation, so it’s going to be a really great success story when the project gets to its point of groundbreaking.”
Kerr finished, “That is going to be a really great presence in Aurora that’s not only going to be able to provide that commercial space — maybe develop a few new businesses — and get some entrepreneurs starting there in the community, but also provide a handful of affordable apartments.”
She hopes to provide additional details in the months ahead, but confidentiality is a big thing for the clients in her line of work for pretty much any project, not just the one in Aurora.
“There’s been a lot of really good things going on in our area,” Kerr said. “I’m working to get that consent from them so that we’re able to share their praises and share the good stuff that’s been going on,” Kerr said.
Beyond those developments, the group offered up other nuggets of information, including:
• In 2025, the Small Business Development Center secured more than $3,750,000 in capital funding, a major boost from 2024, when it was $500,000. In the first four months of this year, over $7 million in capital funding has been achieved so far for projects.
• Business start-up activity increased, too, from 2024 to 2025, with 47 new businesses launching in the Brookings County area.
• The Brookings County Farmers Market had 11 winter market events with a total of 250 booths, 45 businesses, with 31 vendors being based within the county. The summer season kicked off May 2 in its usual location between the Brookings Public Library and the Brookings County Courthouse.
• Downtown at Sundown will kick off its 2026 season on July 30. Almost 18,000 guests took part in last year’s series of concerts.
• In 2024, tourism spending totaled $127.1 million in Brookings County, bringing in $10.1 million state and local taxes and supporting 1,441 jobs. Updated numbers for 2025 will be released May 5 at the Brookings Economic Summit, which runs from 8 a.m. to noon at the Dacotah Bank Center.
Following the presentation, Commissioner Shawn Hostler offered praise for the BRGA and its representatives.
“Just being a part of the economic development in the past several years — and of course being on the board for the (BRGA) — our regional impact in our economic development work throughout Brookings County has been very encouraging, and I’m excited for … that continued success,” he said.
The BRGA is a relatively new organization, having formed in January from the combination of its predecessor agencies: Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Brookings, Visit Brookings and the Brookings Economic Development Corp.
Its goal is to support business growth, workforce development, regional tourism, and downtown enhancement.
“We’ve combined the staff of four different organizations, so we’re really trying to work together and see how that balances out and what duties and roles each one plays,” Frederick, who is a graduate of South Dakota State University, said.
— Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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