Sioux Falls, SD (KELO AM) - Jason Ball, the new director of the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, says his first month on the job as been on big listening session.
Ball appeared on KELO Radio's It's Your Business with Bill Zortman and Dr. David Kapaska, the current chairman of the Chamber, on Tuesday for a checkup on Ball's first month in office. "I have been out meeting every day with everyone who wants to talk and wants to connect with me. That's a process that's going to take a while," said Ball, who added that the last month has been "the time of my life" as he collects ideas and input into the future of business and commerce in the Sioux Falls area.
Dr. Kapaska echoed those comments, saying that Ball was far and away the youngest applicant for the Chamber director position but his skill for listening set him apart. "He's done a very nice job of touching base with so many constituents through the city and county. Those are key elements to his success."
Ball comes to Sioux Falls after leading the Chamber of Commerce in the Hutchinson, Kansas area. He calls Sioux Falls a place that he wants to be in for a while despite the fact that his professional career has taken him to Nebraska and Oklahoma in recent years. "This is the nature of a community that I want to be in. It's not a major metro, I want to be a part of a chamber that has a broad reach and respect in the community, [and] a history of collaboration in the community."
Related: Zortman feels good about Ball taking over the Chamber
One powerful resource Ball has at his disposal is former Chamber director Evan Nolte, whom he says he communicates with on a weekly basis. Nolte was the Chamber leader for nearly four decades prior to his retirement in January. The Chamber serves over 2,200 businesses and organizations in Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County, making it one of the largest such organizations in the country.
