One Northern Hills town sees a wave of new businesses

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - One Northern Hills town’s economy expanded when a ramen noodle factory opened. Now other establishments are in the works.

The Center of the Nation is thriving, with 10 to 13 new businesses either starting up or expanding in the community each year, significantly contributing to its economic growth. According to the Executive Director of Belle Fourche Economic Development, both young and established families are drawn to this small town for its quality of life.

“With the addition of the ramen noodle factory, we’ve had good employment out in that area, and they continue to ship products and undergo expansions. With new equipment coming on board, they’re a startup. So, they’ve had their challenges, but they’ve worked through so much in the first few years,” said Belle Fourche Economic Development Executive Director, Hollie Stalder.

Despite the positive growth that came with the new developments, the town still faced some challenges.

“We have housing challenges that we’ve worked on, and they’re actually producing results. We have some developers looking at Belle Fourche, working through what it’s going to take for those next steps, and considering what we need to do for them to locate or initiate development here in Belle,” said Stalder

In the previous year, the Belle Fourche City Council approved up to $168,080 for Upper Deck Architects of Rapid City to design an approximately 4,090-square-foot expansion of the tri-state museum and visitors center.

“We will have a research library and classroom in there and a full kitchen. There will be a stage for all of our tri-state performers’ productions. Also, room for exhibits,” said Collections Archivist, Tri-State Museum: Jada Udager.

Another sign that the community continues to thrive, a hotel and convention center will host a groundbreaking later this fall.

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