October 9, 2025

The Sioux Falls Zoo & Aquarium (SFZA) is proud to partner with Midco on the forthcoming Joe H. Floyd Education Center, paving the way for countless opportunities to connect learners of all ages to the natural world. This tribute to Floyd, Midco’s former president, is made possible through a $2 million gift from Midco.

This gift represents the next major fundraising milestone in Sioux Falls Zoo & Aquarium’s We Can’t Wait campaign, which aims to build an updated education center, a world-class aquarium, and a stunning butterfly garden on the Great Plains Zoo campus.

Joe and his wife, Elaine, were ardent supporters of both SFZA campuses. Joe was a longtime Great Plains Zoo board member, and Elaine’s dedication to education inspired the Floyds to support no-cost field trips at the Butterfly House & Aquarium for several years.

“Not only will Joe and Elaine’s kindness carry on in the 72,595 elementary school students who experienced the Butterfly House & Aquarium on field trips from 2006 through 2025 through their generosity, now we will also have a state-of-the-art education center to share and honor Joe and Elaine’s love of learning for generations to come,” said SFZA COO Audrey Otto-Pepper. “We are incredibly grateful for this wonderful opportunity to celebrate Joe’s legacy of caring for youth in the Sioux Falls community.”

The Joe H. Floyd Education Center will be a 15,000 square-foot facility with three classrooms, housing for ambassador animals, office space for staff, and more. It will allow SFZA to increase educational offerings to accommodate more than 1,500 summer camp participants and 4,500 students through the Sioux Falls School District/Promising Futures literacy program each year – in addition to programming like Bookworms story times and ZooCubs for young animal lovers.

Construction of the Joe H. Floyd Education Center will begin in 2026, with a projected opening in 2028. The center was designed by JLG Architects.