The Smithfield Moment: Raising the Ceiling for Sioux Falls

For over a century, the Smithfield plant has been a fixture in our city core. The smell of it, the shift changes, the parking lots full of cars before sunrise — it's woven into the fabric of what downtown Sioux Falls has always been.

So when the news came that the plant would be relocating from its historic downtown location, I had a lot of feelings. And I think a lot of people in this city did too.

But here's where I landed: the ceiling for our dreams as a community just got raised.

It's Personal

I don't approach this story from the outside looking in. I grew up inside it.

When my parents arrived in Sioux Falls in 1993, my dad did what so many newcomers from other countries did. He went to work at Smithfield. He worked those lines so our family could eventually stand on its own feet. So we could open a restaurant. So three boys could grow up in a city that gave them a real shot.

That story — his story — isn't unique. For generations, Smithfield has been one of the most reliable on-ramps to a stable life in Sioux Falls. You didn't need a degree or connections. You needed to show up, work hard, and be willing to do what others wouldn't. The plant rewarded that.

And the people who did that work? They became some of the greatest neighbors this city has ever had.

The Unsung Story

Here's something that doesn't get talked about enough.

For over 30 years, Smithfield and its workers have been partners with the Sioux Empire United Way. In the 2025 campaign, the Sioux Falls team raised more than $512,000 — the highest total of any Smithfield location in the country, for the second year in a row.

Let that sink in. Workers pulling thankless shifts, sometimes multiple jobs, still showing up as the backbone of our community's safety net. Not because anyone asked them to. Because that's who they are.

That is Sioux Falls at its best. And that legacy deserves to be honored — not just in words, but in how we think about what comes next.

The Immigrant Journey, Writ Large

In many ways, this relocation is symbolic of the immigrant story itself.

Years of difficult, unglamorous work. Showing up when it's hard. Building something slowly, quietly, without fanfare. And then one day, looking up to find that all of that toil has transformed into something larger — an asset that lifts the entire community.

That's what Smithfield's workforce has done for Sioux Falls. And now the site they built their lives around is ready for its next chapter too.

What Comes Next Has to Be Done Right

This is where I want to be direct.

A downtown site of this size and history is a generational opportunity. What gets built there — or doesn't — will shape the core of our city for decades. That kind of decision cannot be made behind closed doors and handed to the public after the fact.

Real public engagement doesn't mean a comment period at the end. It means bringing people in at the beginning. It means listening to the neighborhoods that surround that site. It means asking the workers and families whose lives were shaped by that plant what they want to see in its place.

Responsible Growth, to me, has always meant planning with people — not just for them. This site is exactly the kind of moment where that principle gets tested.

A Vibrant Community doesn't happen by accident. It takes intentional investment in activation, in small businesses, in public spaces that feel alive and welcoming. Whatever is built on that footprint should raise the energy of downtown, not just add square footage to it.

And Equal Opportunity means the benefits of this redevelopment reach every corner of Sioux Falls — not just the ones that are already thriving. The workers who made that plant what it was deserve to see their neighborhood grow in a way that still makes room for them.

Our Moment

Sioux Falls is the best little city in America. I believe that without hesitation. But the best little city doesn't coast on what it's always been — it rises to meet what it can become.

The Smithfield site is that invitation. And how we respond to it will say a lot about who we are.

It's always been our city. Now is our moment.

Let's rise together. ☀️

— Vince Danh Candidate, Sioux Falls City Council At-Large
June 2nd 2026
vinceforsiouxfalls.com