Bill Even sits with South Dakota Searchlight for an interview in Sioux Falls on Sept. 8, 2025. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)
At a moment of Republican soul‐searching about the state’s role in economic development, Bill Even says the choice is clear.
“The choice should be to grow, and being thoughtful about doing that,” he said. “Because the alternative — and I’ve seen it with farms and over the course of my career — when they stop growing, when they stop innovating, when they stop buying new equipment, when they stop building things, those farms wither up and they go away. And I think as a state, we don’t want that. We don’t look backward for inspiration. We look forward.”
South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden appointed Even in April to lead the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. Even previously led the office from 2006 to 2007.
Rhoden hasn’t officially declared himself a candidate to keep his job yet, while at least three other people are already running, including U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota. The other two candidates have been vocal in their criticism of the state’s economic development efforts. Gubernatorial candidate and current Speaker of the House Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, has criticized Even’s office and pledged to end what Hansen calls “corporate welfare,” while Aberdeen businessman Toby Doeden has said the state should focus on helping existing businesses thrive instead of recruiting new ones.
Even’s roots run deep in the state. He is a fifth-generation family farmer from rural Humboldt, where his ancestors homesteaded in Dakota Territory in 1884. His career has included stints as state secretary of agriculture, state energy policy director and CEO of the National Pork Board.
The following interview with Even has been edited for length and clarity.
What is your economic development philosophy?
Everything grows, right? So as a farmer, we grow crops, and we grow livestock, and we as people, we also grow. We grow, not only physically, but we should also be growing in our knowledge, wisdom and faith.
I kind of bring that same mindset to the question of “what does growth look like for the state of South Dakota,” knowing that we all grow, because the opposite choice is stasis, which leads to decline.
Recognizing that we’re living in a competitive environment — both in the United States amongst the states, as well as globally — I want to make sure that we bring that idea that we’re frugal, but not cheap. So, when we do build things, we’re going to build them and do it well and do it right.
And then also I think a key point is that we’re bold but not reckless. You’ve got to be bold enough to take a leap of faith in business and to build things and do things. You’ve got to take some risks. But you don’t want to be reckless about it either.
I think that’s where a lot of these conversations tend to land: Where’s that appropriate sweet spot, so that we are looking at expansion of businesses in South Dakota, retention of businesses in South Dakota, as well as any recruitment we want to do. We want to make sure it’s the right place and the right fit with the right business model.
What is your message to Republicans calling the state’s incentive-based approach “corporate welfare?”
At a really high level, South Dakota is a conservative state. I reflect that as a person. And I completely understand that as a taxpayer in South Dakota.
But I think it comes back to the question of, “Do we want to grow the pie here in South Dakota or look at everything as a fixed pie?” That’s this idea that everything grows. And if we want to grow our economy and grow our tax base, well, we’re operating in a highly competitive environment. I don’t think it would be wise for South Dakota to unilaterally disarm in this space.
Number one, it starts with the retention of businesses in the state. Number two, then you move on to focus on what can be done to help them expand and make sure that they are successful here. And then third on the list are the businesses looking around the world and saying, “You know what? South Dakota’s got the business climate. It’s got the accessibility of its leadership. And they’re hard workers. This is a place where I would like to have my business located.”
We all came here from somewhere at some point in time, and I think we also need to acknowledge the fact that if businesses want to come to South Dakota, we want to make sure that we are open for that opportunity.
How competitive is the recruitment and retention of businesses?
When states are looking to grow and expand, they’re always looking to recruit workers and businesses into their states to help grow their economies. They know that it’s not a zero-sum game and that by growing the pie, there are benefits.
I worked in sales with Pioneer Seed. For three years, I ran their commercial business here in the Upper Midwest, and had 350 people on the sales team. And you’re in a competitive environment where there are other people trying to get to your customers. Our job was to be on their farm and be their provider of choice.
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I kind of look at South Dakota as being in a similar position, where we’re in a highly competitive environment with other states. Instead of other brands that may be selling against you, it’s other states that are talking about their quality of life, their workforce, the tools they have available, like low-interest loans and the like. And so we operate in that space, whether we like it or not.
We can choose to be in the game, and be in the game smart, or we can choose to be out of the game and sit on the sidelines. Those are choices.
What do you say to those who feel economic development incentives are undermining the concept of a free market?
There are the rules of the game and the playing field. And if there were no incentives with any state, anywhere, anytime — if there were no partnership programs and no low-interest loan programs — then that would be the playing field that you were on and those are the rules you would follow.
The way that the reality works in economic development and business is that there are 50 different U.S. states, and they are all in the business of looking to attract people, attract businesses and workers. I think South Dakota is merely playing by the same rules of the game and the way the field is set up today, nationally.
I truly do appreciate the sentiment. But the reality is, on the ground, if we choose not to play and everybody else is still playing, I know how that’ll turn out. Sitting at the bench on the sideline doesn’t give you a chance.
Are you looking to introduce any measures to alleviate the frustrations of some Republicans regarding economic development?
I said in front of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee right after I started, “Look, the question you always ask people is are you here to help fix the problem, or are you here to affix blame?” And I’m here to help fix problems, to the extent that there are any problems. And at the end of the day, if you are doing good work with good companies, you’re going to have a good track record.
For example, the default rate on the REDI [Revolving Economic Development and Initiative] loan program over 38 years is like two-tenths of 1%. It’s incredibly solid. Across the 38 years of just the Future Fund alone, 1,687 grants have gone out. Over $630 million adjusted for inflation. The successful track record here is incredible.
At the end of the day, we also know this is an election year. So, there’s a lot more talk and discussion, but my intent here, as a public servant, is to fix any problems.
My pickup’s got a huge windshield. It’s got a small rearview mirror. You need to look in it from time to time to kind of see where you’ve been and what’s worked and what’s not, but I’m looking forward.
How do you ensure your office’s return on investment is adequate?
We have a team whose job it is to track South Dakota’s status nationally, track what other states are doing, what our competitors are doing, and how the competitive landscape is changing. But they also do a return on investment analysis in conjunction with our finance and loan team and the Board of Economic Development.
A lot of people call here, a lot of people talk to GOED, but only projects that are deemed viable are the ones that we bring forward. I think the public should rest assured that there’s a team and there’s a process in place that evaluates all of these things.
Ultimately, out in the free market, you never know what will happen. Something may change. Circumstances may change. But at the end of the day, we try to tee up the ones that are best positioned for success, and that’s what we put in front of the Board of Economic Development for their evaluation. And they evaluate things separately and independently from us. They’re bankers and business owners in the state that are very experienced.
There is a lot of anxiety regarding economic development opportunities like wind and solar energy, data centers, small nuclear reactors. How do you think about those developments?
As a businessperson, you evaluate every opportunity on its merits when it arises, right?
We take a look at the project and say, “Is this project viable? Is this something that could fit in South Dakota? And if so, where would it be a good fit in South Dakota?” And then you take a look at the alternatives.
In many cases, if the alternative is carte blanche saying, “Well, I don’t want this particular business, I don’t want this type of business,” the marginal tax revenue is zero, because the business was never built, the people were never here, the money was never invested. That’s stasis.
Versus saying, “There’s an opportunity to build something or do something, and well, let’s evaluate it. What’s the credibility of the business? Where might it be a good fit?” And when you do that, it should have a marginal increase to the gross domestic product in South Dakota. It brings jobs, it brings property tax revenue, and it brings sales tax revenue.
It doesn’t mean that things don’t cost money, that roads don’t need to be built, and power lines don’t need to be built, and water lines don’t need to be built. But at the end of the day, you have a choice between stasis or taking a chance on something after you’ve had the opportunity to vet it.