It's amazing what can be accomplished through public private partnerships. One example I'd like to hold out is the Trail of Governors. You know the Trail as those life-size bronze statues of former South Dakota Governors that line the streets in the downtown area and snake all the way up through the Capitol campus.

This public art project is visually transforming our landscape. It's bringing art and culture into our everyday lives. If you go shopping downtown, take a stroll around Capitol Lake, or visit Historic Pierre Street, you're going to encounter one of these statues. If you have never taken the time to inspect them, you should. The craftsmanship is amazing, and each statue tells a story that gives you a glimpse into Pierre's history.

Three more chapters are about to be added to that story. On Flag Day, the three newest statues will be unveiled; they are South Dakota's fifth leader, Governor Samuel H. Elrod; South Dakota's 22^nd Governor, Archie Gubbrud; and Governor Dennis Daugaard.

I invite you to the Capitol Rotunda on Friday, June 14, for the unveiling ceremony. It starts at 10 a.m. If you haven't ever been to one of these ceremonies, you really should try to make it. They are a special event for our community, our state, and South Dakota's former leaders.

You can also get up close and personal with all the statues on Saturday, June 15. The annual Run with the Govs Race starts at 8:30 a.m. on the Capitol steps. The 3.5 mile race will take you along the full trail. And you might even spot one or two of our former Governors racing right along with you! If you'd like more information, you can find Run with the Govs on Facebook.

The public private partnership that made all of this possible got its start about eight years ago when some local businessmen had a vision to make the Trail. They put their hearts into the fundraising effort and each year gift the completed statues to the City. For our part, we maintain and place the artwork.

I encourage you to enjoy the Trail, support the Trail, and appreciate those community supporters who have made it possible.

I  really had to focus on the messaging from the International Council of Shopping Center speakers when they were extolling the opportunities ahead for local retail growth. Especially since one of our targeted retailers back in 2012, Dressbarn, just announced they were closing all 650 stores.

Last week I made a third consecutive trip to RECon, the world's largest trade show for retail dealmaking in Las Vegas, to reaffirm relationships with brokers and tenant representatives.

And despite e-commerce's disruptions for brick-and-mortar retailers, I was optimistic thanks to having three positive items to share with those who don't know Pierre.

First is the city's new sales tax rebate program that will provide a $25,000 per year incentive for any retail or service business that adds $2 million in new taxable sales to the local economy. That incentive can be larger if the new taxable sales are greater, and it can remain in effect for several years, perhaps up to five.

While it will likely take more than just this one incentive to convince a desired retailer to invest in Pierre, it's a great conversation starter and shows we're serious about growing our business base.

The second item I was able to share is the availability of the former city hall property on Sioux Avenue. The city has committed to a unique process to dispose of that lot using a Request For Qualified Developers. I was able to follow up with some of the developers that we sent the RFQD to earlier this year and answer their questions.

The third item was the recent report by 24/7 Wall Street that named Pierre as South Dakota's best city in which to live. It's always good to have a third party confirm what we all know to be true.

This is not to say I only talked about these three items. I was loaded with handouts and flash drives on all the available lots around town, and spent quite a bit of time talking about opportunities at Northridge Plaza.

Aside from the direct meetings, there were dozens of professional development seminars and I enjoyed listening to keynote speakers Tony Romo and Marcus Lemonis from CNBC's The Profit. Romo talked about taking advantage of your situation and being prepared, highlighted by the fact that we was not drafted by the NFL in any of the first seven rounds. Lemonis made sure the audience remembers business is about people.

There were way more people on Las Vegas boulevard than last year. It's a good sign that the city is recovering from the devastating mass shooting two years ago. It's also a sign that despite the turmoil and transition that retail is facing, the overall economy is improving.

Mark your calendars! June is a crazy month every year at the Chamber, and this year is no exception!

We will kick off the month with a ribbon cutting and announcement of the new owners of the Alley Exchange on June 1 ^st. There will be an open house from 10am to 5pm, with the ribbon cutting and announcement at 12pm.

June 6 ^th is the Pierre Area Chamber's 15 ^th Annual Golf Classic at Hillsview Golf Course with a shotgun start at noon! There are still sponsorship opportunities available to advertise your business during this fun networking event; if you would rather participate in the tournament, team registration of $300 per four players is still open. If you have never attended this event, we highly recommend it - it's a great way to mingle with community members in a casual and enjoyable environment.

Marty Jackley has joined the Law Firm of Gunderson, Palmer, Nelson & Ashmore, LLP's, and we will be celebrating the new Pierre office with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, June 18 ^th, starting at 4pm.

Taste of Pierre will kick off Oahe Days on June 20 ^th! Beginning at 5pm, the beer garden will open, and music will be provided by the Valentine family. The Street Masters cars will be on display, and the food will be hot and ready! Branding Iron Bistro, Big Tom's, Drifters and The LB will have their signature items for sale in the park. Edgewood will host the 2 ^nd Annual Pie Eating Contest at 7pm to raise funds and awareness for the Alzheimer's Association, and the Capital City Band will wrap up the evening starting at 8pm.

As always, Oahe Days Music & Arts Festival will have great art vendors, entertainment, activities, food and more on Friday night and all-day Saturday. To get a full list of the weekend lineup, visit www.oahedays.com. If you would like to volunteer some of your valuable time to this fun-filled weekend, check out the online signup sheet: www.oahedays.com/signup. Community events would not be possible without community involvement.

We will wrap up the month with a ribbon cutting at Quality Quick Prints on Tuesday, June 25 ^th! Please join us as we welcome QQP to the community from 4-6pm with the ribbon cutting at 4:30.

I hope you have a great summer planned!

4. Accept responsibility.
Never say: "There's nothing I can do." That statement is like gasoline on a campfire.
Although it may range from simply gathering facts to solving the problem, there's
ALWAYS something you can do. If you are a member of the team, then all the work
done for the customer is a reflection of the overall quality. A few years ago we went to
the Milwaukee Zoo over the 4th of July weekend. Nearly all the teenagers working
concessions were rude and acted as if their summer was being disrupted. This
behavior always upsets me. Our family complained about it to each other most of the
time we spent there. When we were leaving, we stopped to buy a soda for the road.
The clean-cut boy working the stand was polite and considerate. However, if I had a
questionnaire to rate our satisfaction of the staff at the zoo, I would have marked the
lowest grade possible, even though a few individuals were doing a great job. Why is
that? Because majority rules. If most of the contacts we had were surly, we assume all
the workers are the same. A similar principle applies in our office. All-for-one-and-one
for-all is the way a successful office should operate.

5. Refer to the proper person.
As soon as you have determined the best person to solve their problem, explain it to
the customer. Choose your words carefully: "Mr. Smith, the best person to help you with
XYZ situation is Melanie our staff member in charge of 123. Let me explain your needs
to her and she will be happy to fix this right away."

6. Ask questions.
This step reminds me of the old rule to "gather your facts." It is a fundamental rule by
which we should all live. There is always more to the story. By asking questions you
can uncover hidden facts to help you put the puzzle together.
Ask questions like:

7. Restate the problem; ask for confirmation.
If you have successfully followed the first six steps, you should have a basic
understanding of the complaint. Now is the time to summarize the story. Remember to
present the recap from the customer's perspective. In other words, if you know a part of
the story is not accurate, you can insert such bridges as "and you feel, Mr. Smith" or
"your impression was."

8. Respond visibly.
Be careful to have the right facial expression. The easiest way to achieve this step is to
simply nod. Try not to be too defensive even if you're the cause of the complaint. Avoid
being too smiley; serious, professional and focused are the best traits to show.

9. Agree.
I'm not asking you to agree with a customer who may be insulting, rude, or wrong.
Agreeing in this case means to understand or empathize. A well-known technique for
dealing with a complaint is the "Feel, Felt, Found" method. "I understand how you feel,
Mr. Smith. I would have felt that way, too. What we have found is that if we (insert
solution here), it seems to help."

10. Develop solutions.
This is my favorite step. It is often the turning point in defrosting an angry person. Start
tossing out suggestions to solve the problem. If it's a simple scenario, one solution
often suffices. Other times, multiple options are necessary. When faced with a
customer who will not respond to any of your suggestions, try this statement: "What
can we do to make this situation better?" Occasionally the reply is: "There's nothing you
CAN do!"

11. Exceed expectations.
We refer to this as "REPLACE Plus 1." That means not only do we try to solve the
problem, but we add a touch of appreciation with it. Adding a special touch or offer
that applies to your industry is a great place to start. This applies when your
organization is clearly "in the wrong" and needs to make up for a poor decision or
unfortunate situation.

12. Personalize.
This can be the turning point when dealing with an extremely irate person. Once, I
dealt with a customer in rage. I tried everything to calm him. Aside from just standing
there and nodding, I had no ammunition to his verbal abuse. I kept quiet even though I
wanted to yell back. Finally, when he appeared to be finished, I started my first
sentence with his first name and I said it in a tone like we were old friends. Immediately,
he seemed to relax a little. I quickly asked what I could do to make the situation better.
He came up with a simple suggestion, one I hadn't thought of. I agreed that his idea
was a great compromise and he seemed satisfied.

After enough practice, the steps in dealing with angry customers becomes second
nature. Unfortunately, there isn't a hard and fast rule on how to use the steps. Many
times I find myself using step 12 first.

I have had the question asked about what our organization does - so here are some of the exciting things we are involved in!

Our mission is to market the Missouri River from the ND border to IA/NE - in 17 counties along the river. We promote attractions, communities, museums, Native and Western culture, outdoor adventures and of course fishing and hunting. We are a membership organization and getting the word out about our members is such an important component of our marketing.

We manage the Oahe Visitor Center that is located above the Oahe Dam beside the Oahe Chapel. A partnership with the Corps of Engineers was formed a number of years ago where our offices would be in the Visitor Center and we would keep the center open year around. From Memorial Day to Labor Day the visitor center is open seven days a week and this year the Corps will be giving tours every day. The times for the tours are 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Just come up to the center about 15 minutes before the tour starts to get registered.

We see thousands of visitors each year, from all 50 states and from around 20 foreign countries. More and more visitors are getting off the interstate and taking the back roads and we fit into that group perfectly. Our member's brochures are displayed free of charge, and we also have SDMRT information, plus State Tourism and Game, Fish & Parks material. We can direct people up and down the river and all over the entire state.

We print our Missouri River Visitors and Sportsmens Guide annually and distribute them to our members, at the state information centers, at sports/travel shows and they are sent to inquiries that we receive. Advertising is sold in the magazine, with a discount to members.

Tear-off maps are available and they are extremely popular. It shows the entire river system and members can buy inexpensive ads on the front and back. It's such a great way to cross-sell the region. You never know when someone that is in the southern part of the region might see a place on this map that they want to go visit.

Sports/Travel Shows are one of the ways we promote the river, attending 5 each year - all in our target market area - MN, WI, IA, NE, MO, and ND. Meeting people face-to-face and answering their questions right there is so important.

The region has Regional Matching Marketing Grants that we can award to members. The amount we distribute is $25,000 yearly and the grants are on a 50/50 cash match. They must be used for new or enhanced marketing. It's an application process that begins each January.

Our "Great Tourism Day" is held each year in May during Travel & Tourism Week. All members are invited to join us for fun and learning. It's a way for us to educate our members on what is happening in the tourism world and a way for them to network with other tourism individuals.

Partnerships are so important to us and we work with the Department of Tourism, Tribal Reservation (we have 5 in our region), communities, members, and other regions. Through partnerships we can accomplish so much more and funding will definitely go farther.

If you are interested in joining the SD Missouri River Tourism region, give us a call at 605-224-4617. We'd love to have you as a partner in our organization!