News and Events

October 8, 2025 – Sioux Falls, SD: Today, Midco is proud to partner with the Great Plains Zoo to announce plans for the creation of the Joe H. Floyd Education Center, an exciting new facility and set of programs aimed at transforming animal education for South Dakota youth.

Former Midco President Joe H. Floyd served on the board of the Great Plains Zoo for nearly 30 years, including time as president, and passionately supported a wide range of community causes. His leadership included service on the Board of Directors for the South Dakota Broadcasters Association, Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation and Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce. Dedicated in his honor, the Joe H. Floyd Education Center is made possible by a $2 million gift from Midco.

“In addition to leading Midco across decades of transformation that created the vibrant company we are today, my friend Joe H. Floyd cared deeply for people and helped many throughout his life,” said Midco Chair and CEO Pat McAdaragh. “Joe believed in the power of education, and he would have been so proud to support a center like this at the Great Plains Zoo. This center will open the eyes of children to the wonder of the world around them. It will show them the beauty of nature, science and the environment. It will transport them to new places without having to leave Sioux Falls. It’s a fitting legacy for Joe H. Floyd, a man who saw limitless potential in every student he ever met.”

Spanning more than 15,000 square feet, the Joe H. Floyd Education Center will include a mixture of classroom, administrative and animal learning spaces. The Animal Ambassador wing will house mammals, parrots, raptors and reptiles and make it possible for the Great Plains Zoo to offer twice as many children the opportunity for animal-related summer experiences through their ZooCamp.

“Because of this gift, we will have the capacity for a three-fold increase in our early childhood programs that provide opportunities for little ones ages five and under to engage with animals,” said Great Plains Zoo CEO Becky Dewitz. “It will facilitate the complete rollout of our new Literacy Project partnership with the Sioux Falls School District, which includes educational aquarium and zoo visits for all Sioux Falls students grades K-2. Additionally, the new enclosure space for ambassador animals will allow us to increase our reach into the community, with improved housing for the animals that educate alongside us.”

“It is incredibly special for us to see dad’s legacy grow through this new education center,” said Joe’s family in a statement. “It speaks volumes about dad’s life and impact that his colleagues at Midco felt moved to make this gift in his honor. Now families across Sioux Falls, our state and region who visit the center will get a glimpse of the man who touched so many lives.”

When completed and fully scaled, the Joe H. Floyd Education Center will support:

• More than 1,500 campers annually
• Over 160 early childhood families annually
• Approximately 4,500 K-2 students through the literacy project every year

Construction on the center, designed by Sioux Falls-based JLG Architects, is planned to begin in 2026 and estimated to be completed in 2028.

To learn more about Joe H. Floyd, please see his biography.