Speakers with ties to Flandreau will join in a panel discussion about opportunities and challenges for small businesses on April 5 at the Flandreau Development Corporation annual meeting at Royal River Casino.
The panel will include Ashley (Schmidt) Podhradsky who grew up in Flandreau and is a professor of digital forensics at Dakota State University, Michael Haskett who owns the restaurant M.B. Haskett in Sioux Falls and lives in Moody County where he grows some of the food for his dishes, Katie Luttmann who owns Mason Jar Boutique with a retail space in Dell Rapids. She is married to Flandreau native, Levi. The fourth panelist is Jeff Eckhoff, state director of the South Dakota Small Business Development Center for entrepreneurs.
The event begins with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. in the Royal Room at the Casino. The panel discussion will be held and then a meal will be served after which the annual business meeting will take place.
The event also will include an election of people wishing to join the 10-member FDC board. Three positions are up for election with incumbents Jessica Hovland and Shawn Jaacks wanting to stay on the board.
Ardene Boysen has chosen to go off the board after many years.
Anyone interested in seeking a spot on the board can stand and introduce themselves at the meeting, said Carleen Wild Wilson, president. Members will vote on those positions at the annual meeting. The board also could grow to 12 members if there is interest, she said.
In May, the officers for the organization will be elected among the board members, Wilson said.
