March 11, 2025:
South Dakota State University Extension Community Vitality is pleased to announce North Dakota businesswoman and rural advocate Rebecca Undem as the 2025 Energize conference keynote speaker.
Undem is an author, speaker, podcaster, community and organizational consultant who loves to champion rural communities. As the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Growing Small Towns, Undem helps communities grow and thrive.
In addition, Undem hosts The Growing Small Towns Show podcast, which explores everything from education to festivals to supporting mental health. Her memoir, “How Mommy Got Her Groove Back,” is about returning to her rural hometown.
Peggy Schlechter, SDSU Extension Community Vitality Program Director, said Undem attended the first Energize conference, which combined with her personal and professional experiences in rural communities, made Undem a perfect fit.
“It will be fun to have Rebecca there because she is the first keynote speaker that has already attended an Energize conference,” Schlechter said. “She works in a rural community in North Dakota and she has her own business. She gets that big picture of great things that are happening in rural communities and some of the challenges.”
The seventh annual Energize! Exploring Innovative Rural Communities Conference is May 6-7, 2025, in Platte. Registration is $99 by April 1 or $125 from April 2-18. Group discounts are available. To register, visit https://extension.sdstate.edu/
Hosted in a different South Dakota town of 5,000 or fewer people each year, Energize is a walking conference with breakout sessions held at various locations around town. Through those breakout sessions, attendees get to interact with business owners and other community members. One of the new breakout topics this year will focus on rural tourism, which Schlechter said is easily overlooked.
“People forget, if they have a sporting event, a festival, hunting or even a family reunion – that’s tourism,” Schlechter said. “All communities in South Dakota have tourism.”
Check https://extension.sdstate.edu/
January 18, 2025:
Platte has been selected as the host town for South Dakota State University Extension’s 2025 Energize conference.
The seventh annual Energize! Exploring Innovative Rural Communities Conference will be on May 6-7, 2025. The conference schedule and registration details will be announced in early 2025.
Platte, a south-central South Dakota community of about 1,300, boasts a strong mix of retail, manufacturing, agricultural and tourist businesses, along with active nonprofit and volunteer community organizations. Peggy Schlechter, SDSU Extension Community Vitality Program Director, said Platte’s thriving business community and the application committee’s thorough preparation secured their selection.
“They have a cool, vibrant downtown that we think other rural communities can benefit from seeing,” Schlechter said. “And you could tell they had really thought through what would work for the Energize conference.”
Coordinated by SDSU Extension’s community vitality team and hosted in a different South Dakota town of 5,000 or fewer people each year, Energize is an opportunity for community and business leaders to gather, gain new perspectives and share ideas about revitalizing rural communities.
A walking conference, breakout sessions are held at various locations around town. Through those breakout sessions, attendees get to interact with business owners and other community members. Previous conferences have been hosted in Hot Springs, Wessington Springs, Fort Pierre, Milbank, Lemmon and De Smet.
One of Energize’s main objectives is to stimulate local economies by bringing visitors to South Dakota’s small communities. Based on what attendees spent on food/drink, shopping, fuel and lodging, the 2024 conference brought between $34,000-$40,000 to Hot Springs over two days.
To be considered as a host community, members of that community must form a committee dedicated to organizing the conference. At least one committee member must have attended a previous Energize conference.
Colette Mesman is executive director of the Platte Chamber of Commerce and Platte Development Corporation, and a member of Platte’s Energize committee. She first attended Energize three years ago in Fort Pierre, shortly after taking on the role of executive director for the chamber.
“Instantly I loved that conference,” Mesman said. “It was such an opportunity to go up and down Fort Pierre’s Main Street. I met great people. The seminars and breakout sessions were all fun and very relevant.”
When Mesman attended the 2023 conference in Wessington Springs, she thought, “why not Platte?” She noted Platte’s assets, from its varied types of businesses to its public spaces to its unique lodging and access to the Missouri River.
“We’re proud of Platte; we’ve got just a little bit of everything,” she said. “I’m excited to share our community and showcase it. And if we can help somebody else and be the vessel that brings an idea to them, that’s wonderful.”
For more information, contact Peggy Schlechter, SDSU Extension Community Vitality Program Director, at 605-394-1722 or Peggy.Schlechter@sdstate.edu.
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