Jan. 3, 2023

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Ryan Flemming, a senior manager of enterprise risk for Central Payments.

Name: Ryan Flemming

Age: 37

Hometown: Brandon

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

After graduating from Brandon Valley High School, I attended Dakota State University undecided about my major. After my first year with DSU, I had decided to pursue media production and moved on to South Dakota State University where that major was offered. A couple years into my time at SDSU, I decided it was time for a change of scenery and moved out to Bozeman, Montana, and attended Montana State University part time for a couple years. While back home on summer vacation, my friends convinced me to move back, and I completed my bachelor’s degree with SDSU. An internship with KSFY then brought me to Sioux Falls following college at SDSU. During my internship, I tried to bring back the KSFY finger wave to no avail.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

I grew up in this area so my family is here. My mom lives nearby in Madison, South Dakota, and several of my aunts, uncles and cousins also live in Sioux Falls. I own a home here on the east side of the city, so I’ve been firmly planted here for about a decade already. Sioux Falls itself is a bigger city without being too big and with plenty of things to do and several great job opportunities due to the large volume of competing businesses. I consider myself kind of a foodie, so I like to get out and try all the new restaurants that the growth of the city has offered.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

As I start this new part of my career and a new role, I have enjoyed meeting all the new people and reconnecting with several old co-workers in the prepaid industry I met through my time at MetaBank and Bancorp who are also now with Central Payments. I am also very excited for the challenge to contribute my knowledge and expertise to such a fast-growing company.

How did you get connected to your industry?

During and following my college internship, I was applying for several jobs as a recent graduate does, and I landed a job with MetaBank as a fraud investigations unit analyst. This switch into banking was something I enjoyed as it revealed the analytical side of myself that I hadn’t really tapped into until this point. It was also very rewarding to prevent fraud, identity theft and analyze financial crimes.

Describe Central Payments in three words.

Growth, innovation, technology.

What is something someone might be surprised to learn about you?

Probably my level of effort and means to complete home improvement projects. There really isn’t anything that I won’t try and take on myself. Since becoming a homeowner, I have put in two skylights, remodeled two bathrooms and fully updated the kitchen, among other things. Back when cable TV was still prevalent, I watched a lot of DIY/home improvement shows, which really taught the basics, and these days anything you want to try to do is right at your fingertips on YouTube. My biggest fail to date was twisting and kinking shut a copper water pipe behind the wall while trying to unscrew a threaded fitting. I did not realize how easily that could happen, and that project ended up taking way longer because I had to cut out and replace drywall to get to the pipe. Other than that mistake, everything has been pretty straightforward and super rewarding when completed.

What’s your favorite way to give back to your community?

Previously, I was a Minnehaha County police reserve officer for several years. More recently, I will pick up volunteer opportunities as they arise, including most recently being able to help the neighborhood with all the damage following all the storms and high wind this year.

What’s one business you’d like to see in Sioux Falls that isn’t here now?

Bulk Reef Supply! I would love to have more saltwater aquarium products and reefing knowledge in Sioux Falls.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Professionally, I plan and continue to learn and diversify my knowledge base of the financial industry. Personally, my wife and I bought a lot a couple years ago and plan to build our dream house within the next five years, and I absolutely plan to put my own blood, sweat and tears into it!