Thursday, October. 27, 2011 PIERRE, S.D. – In an effort to bring more jobs to South Dakota, eight communities will join the South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) at the Medical Design and Manufacturing Exposition in Minneapolis Nov. 2-3. Representatives from the GOED, Aberdeen, Brookings, Madison, Mitchell, Sioux Falls, Vermillion, Watertown, and Yankton will use next week’s event to connect with out-of-state companies that are looking to expand or relocate their operations to South Dakota. More than 670 exhibitors, mostly businesses, are expected at the trade show. “South Dakota is uniquely positioned to attract medical device companies,” said J. Pat Costello, GOED Commissioner. “Our economy is stable, our regulatory environment is pro-business, and we’re already seeing a lot of momentum in the medical device industry.” In 2010, South Dakota saw nearly 12 percent employment growth in the medical device industry while the rest of the nation saw employment growth of about 2.3 percent in the same industry. The Brookings Economic Development Corporation has attended the Medical Design and Manufacturing Exposition for the past two years. "The expo provides a unique and complementary opportunity to market the Brookings community to medical device companies. As a result of South Dakota's presence at the event, we have multiple companies considering investing in our community," said Al Heuton, Executive Director, Brookings Economic Development Corporation. South Dakota currently has 39 businesses that are engaged in medical device and equipment manufacturing. Those companies employ more than 1,800 South Dakotans who make an average annual salary of more than $35,000. For more information about South Dakota’s medical device and manufacturing industry, visit www.sdreadytowork.com -30-