We Tell the Stories
That Matter
Two storytellers. One mission. Shining a light on the people building Sioux Falls.
Steve Schmidt
Co-Founder & PublisherI've spent my career helping businesses grow through digital marketing and storytelling. By day, I run Gravity Growth, a digital marketing agency based right here in Sioux Falls.
But I kept noticing something: the best stories in our city weren't being told. The entrepreneurs taking risks. The families building legacies. The dreamers turning ideas into reality.
So we built SpotLight — a place to shine a light on the movers, shakers, dreamers, and doers. Every business owner I meet has a story that deserves to be heard. I'm here to tell it.
Melissa Goodwin
Co-Founder & Creative DirectorI'm a fifth-generation South Dakotan with roots that run deep into the prairie soil. My great-great-grandparents homesteaded in Tripp County. My grandmother wrote a social column for the local paper. Storytelling is in my blood.
By day, I work alongside Steve at Gravity Growth. By night, I run Lone Tree Tallow, my handcrafted skincare line. I bring the chemistry brain, the design eye, and the deep love for this community to everything we create.
SpotLight is personal. This is my home. These are my people. And their stories deserve to be told beautifully.
Our Mission
"We exist to tell the stories that matter — the risks, the hustle, the heart behind every local business. We're not journalists. We're your neighbors. And we're rooting for you."