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 Dakota Rising Fellows
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Kory Anderson
Anderson Industries, LLC.
Kory Anderson, President of Anderson Industries LLC, has over 10 years experience in the manufacturing industry. In the last 3 years he has managed the operations of Anderson Industries, a company that he started in 2006. Prior to that, he was employed as the Engineering Manager for the Horsch Anderson Company which manufactures large seeding and tillage equipment for agriculture. He was responsible for the design and manufacturing of new products as well as managing the engineering relations with Horsch Anderson and partner company Horsch Maschinen GmbH located in Sitzenhof, Germany. Previous to his management position at Horsch Anderson, Kory attended North Dakota State University studying Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. He also worked during college at Larson Welding and Machine Company, Fargo ND as the welding and machine shop 2nd shift supervisor. Kory was brought up in the manufacturing industry working for his father's business as a welder and machinist since the age of 12. |
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Peg Austin
Vanilla Bean Bakery
Spearfish
Peg Austin entered the baking trade after a successful 30+ year career in the healthcare industry. During her medical career, she worked as business office manager for a multispecialty physician clinic, served as VP of a medical outsourcing company, taught physician reimbursement nationwide, and co-authored a college level textbook. Peg and her husband/business partner Chuck have raised two sons, ages 29 and 22; have been married for 33 years and have been part of the South Dakota business/healthcare industry since 1985.
An opportunity to fulfill a life-long dream of owning a bakery presented itself in 2009, and she accepted the challenge of keeping fond memories of a favorite hometown bakery alive, while bringing healthy trends and new tastes to the residents of Spearfish. With her new designation as a Dakota Rising Fellow, she looks forward to working hand in hand with the residents and business communities of South Dakota to further the entrepreneurial spirit. |
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Alan Bakeberg
Ranch House Café
Four Bands Community Fund
Alan started his career working at the local café all through high school, also helping a local contractor with construction work. After high school he joined the military. Alan moved home to Dupree in 2003, working for the Diamond A Steak House in Eagle Butte and Denton Construction, the local contractor in Dupree. Working in Spearfish, he finished concrete for the Ainswoth-Benning Co. While home on vacation Alan and his fiancéé decided to move back to Dupree and buy the local restaurant. They opened June 1, 2006, and continue to operate it. Alan and his wife have two children ages 6 years and 11 months. Dupree has been homestead for the Bakeberg family since it was established in 1910. |
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Kristin Bennett
YES, LLC.
Having grown up in Britton, SD, Kristin Bennett graduated in 1982 and left for sunny California where she earned degrees in art, graphics and business administration with an emphasis in Public Relations and Marketing. After college she worked as a recruiter for IBM, shared in her father's business, and in 1991 began her career in non-profit management. Having been widowed, then divorced, she found the job market to be extremely attractive in Denver. She moved there for a period of three years, greatly expanding her non-profit management business in the process. In August of 2007, it became clear to her that South Dakota was the best place to raise her kids and she made the move 'back home'. Today, Kristin runs her business in Britton, where she lives with her three kids Emma 13, Clara 9, and Joe 8. They are surrounded by horses, cats, dogs, and a loving, supportive extended family. |
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Gerald and Stephanie Davidson
D&D Plumbing and Heating
Four Bands Community Fund
Gerald & Stephanie Davidson are the owners/operators of D & D Plumbing & Heating, Inc., in Eagle Butte, SD. Gerald started the business in April of 2000, due to being unemployed at the time. This month they are celebrating their 10th year of being business owners. Even though they feel they are in an endurance race, they are very proud of this accomplishment. Herald and Stephanie have lived in Eagle Butte all their lives. Their sons work for the business, one full time and one part time. The Davidson's are very humbled to be recognized as successful entrepreneurs and hope their success will inspire others to become business owners. |
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Josh Fritz & Jeff Drumm
Crow Peak Brewing Company
Spearfish
Josh is the Vice President/Owner, Crow Peak Brewing Co., LLC. Josh grew up on a cattle ranch in Montana where he learned the value of hard work and being self-employed. It was in Montana and later in Colorado where he developed a taste for premium handcrafted beer. Josh and his wife Tanya and their newborn daughter Josie moved to Wall, South Dakota in 2002 to manage the family ranch. In 2009 the family sold the ranch and decided to go in a different direction. Having spent seven years in South Dakota with virtually no good beer to speak of, Josh convinced the rest of his family to invest in Crow Peak. With an email and a couple of phone calls to Jeff Drumm, the founder and current co-owner, the plan was set in motion! Crow Peak has grown from a 5 barrel brewing system to a 30 barrel system and is now the first brewery to distribute in South Dakota since 1942 and the only one to date. |
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Brad Heitmann
Trail Tamer ATV, Inc.
Brad Heitmann was born and raised in the Northeast corner of South Dakota by Lake City. The businesses that Brad has either owned or managed have taken him to Arkansas, Missouri and North Carolina. Brad is currently Pres./CEO of Trail Tamer ATV, Inc of Eden, SD; a company that specializes in the design and manufacturing of 4,6 & 8 Wheel amphibious vehicles with a division of that company being an ag equipment parts, repair and welding facility that markets its products world-wide. Brad is a true entrepreneur and developer in that he always finds the time to show his dedication to the success of the communities in which he resides by being actively involved in the Chamber of Commerce as President and V. President, Community Development V. President, A+ committee board member, Main Street Program facilitator, Workforce Investment Board private sector, Awarded Missouri Volunteer of the Year, Training Consortium Chairman, Rotary Sgt. At Arms, attended Presidents Economic Development Conference in DC, among numerous other personal development classes and seminars over his long career. Brad has 3 children Brody (14), Katie (7) and Kylie (5). |
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Mark Hollenbeck
Sunrise Ranch.
57735 On The Rise
Mark Hollenbeck is an Edgemont, SD native. He holds a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and is a licensed Professional Engineer in South Dakota.
Mark has been involved in energy producing industries for much of his career, designing and managing natural gas systems for the Black Hills Division of Montana Dakota Utilities and as the Executive Director of the South Dakota Office of the American Petroleum Institute. He was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives where he served from 1989 through 1994. He also served as Mayor of Edgemont from 2001 - 2006. Along with his wife and four young children, he lives and ranches on an organic ranch north of Edgemont. In addition to their grass fed organic business they run a guest lodge and hunting operation at their ranch.
Mark is also the Project Manager for Powertech (USA) on the Dewey-Burdock Uranium Recovery project. This is a project that will employ approximately 100 people when it is operational. |
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Lori Holt
Quilter's Corner
Faulkton Area Economic Development Initiative
Lori opened Quilter’s Corner, in Faulkton, SD in August of 2009. Lori grew up in rural South Dakota and developed a passion for quilting shortly after marrying her husband, Kurt, of 31 years. She and her husband have owned and operated a cattle ranch for over 30 years and in 1997 added a hunting lodge to the business. After working for several years at a quilt shop in Aberdeen, S.D., both selling and teaching classes, in 2009, she saw a dream come true when she opened Quilter’s Corner. The vision of "someday" moving to a larger location will become a reality in the spring of 2011. Quilter’s Corner is quickly becoming a "destination shop" with many customers traveling 50+ miles to share their enthusiasm for what they do and provide overwhelming support for a small town local business. |
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Chad Homan
Homan Welding
Faulkton Area Economic Development Initiative
Chad is co-owner and president of the welding and repair business known as Homan Welding. The company started as a business adventure between Chad and his brother, Brian. The desire felt by both Chad and Brian to be their own boss inspired them to start their company from the ground up. Homan welding has been serving north central South Dakota since 2007. Previously, Chad worked as an employee on a farming and livestock ranch for 10 years. Before that, Chad was involved in the dairy industry. He owned and managed a small dairy farm for two years. |
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Thomas Hurlbert
Hula Design Build
Dakota Rising Aberdeen
Tom earned his Master of Architecture degree from Montana State University in 2001 and interned for firms in New York City and Sioux Falls. In 2008, Tom opened Hula Design/Build Architecture, with offices in his native Aberdeen and in Sioux Falls. His firm is involved in various community oriented project types, including; downtown streetscape and façade projects, school and college designs, low-income housing, community planning, office, religious, retail and hospitality. Tom is also developing high-quality residential and commercial projects with the idea that Dakotans deserve better quality. Hula's mission statement is, "Bring more thoughtful design to the upper plains".
Among his interests, Tom is involved in several community organizations, builds office furniture, and co-hosts the Rock Garden Tour on South Dakota Public Radio. |
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Bryan Lessly
Western Sky Media, Inc.
Spearfish
Born in Los Angeles, California, Bryan has always had an eye toward television, video and film production. Growing up it seemed he was always the official photographer and moviemaker for family vacations. His career has taken him from producing television specials from the Olympic Games to the Super Bowl. In local television broadcasting as a sports director and special projects producer he pioneered an award-winning documentary series on "Midwestern Wetlands Restoration" and was host of "Outdoor Iowa" and the groundbreaking "Friday Night Heroes" high school sports specials. More than 30 years of working both in front of and behind the camera as well as experience in marketing and public relations has provided him with in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the media world. In 2005 he founded Western Sky Media, Inc. and the company now produces the "Professional Roughstock Series" rodeo program for the BlueHighways TV cable network. Western Sky Media is based in Spearfish, SD, and serves clients in five states, specializing in television production, commercial work and educational and non-profit videos. Western Sky Media also designs and hosts video-intensive websites. |
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Chris Malo
Black Hills Urethane.
Spearfish
Chris Malo started his first business in 2002; Castaway Products. Castaway is located in Westlock, Alberta, Canada. Before starting this venture, he worked for Lehman Trikes where he was the fifth employee hired. During his eight years he worked as a machinist, draftsman, Quality and Safety Manager, and Plant Manager. Lehman Trikes started in John Lehman's garage and ended up the largest trike company in the world. The opportunities and education from this experience were critical in building the skills needed to succeed in business. After four successful years in business, an opportunity was presented to expand his operation into the USA. Being aggressive in nature he jumped at the offer. Black Hills Urethane began operations in May of 2006. Within two years, B.H.U. tripled in size. |
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Jim Meyer
Quarq Technology, Inc.
Spearfish
Jim has always been a hands-on sort of guy; always building stuff as a teenager and wrenched in a bike shop. In college he joined the solar car race team and spent far more effort designing and building solar cars than he did on classes. Luckily, Jim always had a knack for standardized tests and was able to get accepted to graduate school in Mechanical Engineering at MIT. There he worked a bit on hybrid car technology, then did his thesis on race car data acquisition. In 2006, he quit his real job and moved to Australia with his wife to train more and find inspiration. He was only there for a few weeks before he really wanted a power meter, but didn't like the options. Jim realized that his background in bicycles, engineering and data was a good fit, so he dove to build one himself. Quarq was born. They started shipping their first production units 2-1/2 years later in June 2008. For 2009 Quarq is sponsoring Cervelo TestTeam, a professional cycling team lead by Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre. |
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Jenny Nelson
Sisseton Flower Shop
Jenny graduated with a business degree from Northern State University. She worked in various offices after college, with a final position for over 10 years with Farm Credit Services of America as a Country Home Loan Officer.
In the fall of 2006, Jenny completed a Floral Studies Program at Southeast Tech in Sioux Falls. She then tested to become a member of the South Dakota Designers Club. It was important to Jenny that she was educated in the floral industries areas so she could be ready for owning the business in 2007.
Jenny has been part of the Sisseton community since 1995. She has been an active participant of the community. Jenny owns, operates and is an active employee of the Sisseton Flower Shop. In the past 4 years her goal has been to expand the gift area of the shop. She wants to be recognized as a more than just a flower shop and offer another service to the Sisseton area. |
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Dee Sleep
Chicken Creek Communications
Spearfish
Dee has owned and operated Chicken Creek Communications, a full-service graphic design and communication service, since 2001. The business is located in Spearfish, on the northern edge of South Dakota's Black Hills.
Sleep earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from South Dakota State University before the Internet explosion. She specializes in print communications, but she is well-versed in web design and marketing options, as well. She is currently pursuing her master's degree in journalism through the University of Nebraska at Lincoln's distance program.
Sleep is also a partner in the recently-launched online events guide, BlackHillsBuzz.com, and she has taught Mass Communications courses at Black Hills State University and has taught web design courses through the Black Hills Community Education program. She volunteers with various clubs and organizations throughout Spearfish. She currently serves on the Spearfish Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Sleep and her husband, Matt, have three daughters. |
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Mark Stein
ESCO Manufacturing.
Mark Stein is a second generation owner of ESCO Manufacturing, a wholesale electric sign manufacturing firm with facilities in Watertown and Webster, SD. ESCO's primary customers are sign companies, which are located all across the United States. Also part of ESCO is Stein Sign Display, a retail sign company that sells, services, and installs signs for end-user customers, primarily in eastern South Dakota. Mark has been in and around the sign business almost his entire life, starting while still in high school during summer vacations. After graduating from Northern State in Aberdeen, Mark obtained his MBA from Arizona State University in 1979. While in college, Mark held several part-time jobs to pay for school expenses. These included videographer for KABY-TV, News Director for the campus radio station, and on-site management of a storage rental complex. Mark then joined the family business in 1980, holding several different positions in the company before purchasing the business from his father, Clint Stein, in 1989. |
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Tobey Vander Laan
Wild Dutchman Products, Inc.
Four Bands Community Fund
Tobey has lived on a farm all of his life. Growing up he farmed with his family raising dairy cows and feeder cattle. Tobey attended Lake Area Vo-tech in Watertown in the auto mechanics program, where he received his degree. He and wife Sandra moved back to the farm where Tobey did most of the mechanic work. In 1994 he started a body shop with a friend which is still in business today. He turned their old hip roof milking barn into a hunting lodge and moved Wild Dutchman Seeds to a part of that barn. In 2006 the Lodge burnt down, destroying the Wild Dutchman homemade equipment. He started Wild Dutchman Seeds in a new facility where they are today. In 2007 Tobey lost his home to a fire. Later that year Tobey moved a Governor's house to their farm where he and his brother-in-law completed all of the restorations. They moved into their new home in 2008. Tobey and his dad, Wayne, run Renegade Auto and Wild Dutchman Seeds. |
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Les Voorhis
Royal Tine Images, Inc.
Spearfish
Les has been a professional photographer since 1990. After learning the ins and outs of the stock photography business as a Photo Editor and Image Library Manager, he decided to put his skills to the test with his own work.
Les is also a teacher, teaching photography classes and workshops. In 2001, Profotos.com selected him as one of the top 100 photographers in the country.
Les is widely published and his published images have appeared in magazines, advertising campaigns, retail packaging, calendars, web sites, books and more. Les owns Focus West Gallery in Spearfish with his wife Julaine as well as a stock photo agency, Royal Tine Images, Inc. Les' work is also available in several galleries and art shows throughout South Dakota and the western US. |
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Nichole White Eyes
The Gift Garden and "Photos To Go"
Four Bands Community Fund
Since early childhood, Nichole has had a deepened interest in photography. The youngest memories of her childhood revolve around having a camera and taking pictures of people, animals and nature. Although shooting the pictures was always a pleasure, the greatest joy was seeing the photos. She still has that same heart fluttering feeling today as she did when she was younger. “The sheer and utter enjoyment of making someone smile.” It’s the gratification seeing someone smile when you capture that one little memory that can be marveled for years to come.
Nichole was born and raised in Eagle Butte, SD the heart of the Cheyenne River’s Sioux Reservation. She graduated high school and continued her education earning two associate degrees. In 2006 she purchased The Gift Garden in Eagle Butte, a flower shop and gift store. During the summer of 2007 Nichole built an addition to the existing store that now houses a photo studio for Photos by Nicky. She has a son and a daughter. Kadyn Dean (20) is a sophomore at SDSU majoring in Construction Management and daughter Sha'Teal Rae (13) is currently a 7th grader at Cheyenne Eagle Butte. |
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