In 1997 a 20+ group of interested citizens living in the southeast part of South Dakota heard presentations of Enterprise Facilitation and it made sense for rural economic development. At that time, the group formed a board of directors, applied for the non-profit status and applied for a 3-year grant in collaboration with two other Enterprise Facilitation projects in South Dakota to jumpstart the projects. A 501c3 application was completed and the IRS tax-exempt designation was gained in 2001.