People You Should Know features new hires, promotions and awards involving top executives and organizations. For consideration, email [email protected]. Guaranteed placement is provided only to partners of SiouxFalls.Business.

Sanford Health

Sanford Health has been recognized by Forbes as the Best Employer in South Dakota. To determine the rankings for the third annual America’s Best Employers by State, Forbes partnered with Statista, a market research company, to survey 80,000 Americans who work at businesses with at least 500 employees. The respondents were asked to rate their employers on a variety of criteria, including safety of work environment, competitiveness of compensation, opportunities for advancement and other areas. Sanford also was named the Best Employer in North Dakota.

Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation

The Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation has named South Dakota News Watch as the recipient of its Community Spirit Award, celebrating the nonprofit’s work to inform and engage South Dakotans, as well as its efforts to inspire solutions for the future. The annual award recognizes one nonprofit that has used its grant to drive change, engage in dialogue and spark new ideas, making an impact in the lives of those it serves and in the community.

AIA South Dakota

The American Institute of Architects South Dakota presented several awards at its annual conference.

RAd Architect won an Honor Award in Architecture for Urban Nest, a net-zero-energy ready urban refill family home built just south of downtown Sioux Falls

RAd Architect also captured a Merit Award in Architecture for Sauna Cube, an 8-by-8-by-8-foot volume articulated in five frames with a slice to create a skylight face, allowing early morning sun into the wood interior as well as views out into the tree canopy.

Co-op Architecture of Sioux Falls, Aberdeen and Rapid City, won a Merit Award in Architecture for the NSU Regional Sports Complex in Aberdeen.

Koch Hazard Architects won the People’s Choice Award for the South Dakota Veterans Cemetery, the first federally funded, state-owned and operated cemetery for veterans built on a 60-acre property in northeastern Sioux Falls.

SDSU president emeritus David Chicoine received the Champion of Architecture award. Chicoine, who served as SDSU’s president from 2007-16, was recognized for his key role in establishing the SDSU Department of Architecture, South Dakota’s first accredited architecture program.

Chase Kramer, a project architect at TSP Inc., and Robert Arlt of RAd Architect received Young Architect Awards for their leadership, service and contributions to the architecture profession and the community as a whole.

Friends of the Goss Opera House in Watertown received a President’s Award. The nonprofit organization helped restore and helps maintain the historic Goss Opera House, a circa-1889 venue.

AIA South Dakota also elected board leadership: president, Allison Dvorak, Leo A Daly; vice president, Jeff Nelson, Falls Architecture; secretary/treasurer, Brian Johnson, TSP Inc., Rapid City; immediate past president: Tom Hurlbert, Co-op Architecture.

Central Payments

Central Payments has promoted two staff members.

Amy Lueck is the assistant vice president/senior director of IT platform services. Lueck joined Central Payments in August 2020 and has more than two decades of experience in IT and financial services.

Aubrey Brosz is the senior manager of product and risk at Falls Fintech and has eight years of experience in the payments industry.

Central Payments has added a dozen staff members.

Zack Bowen is the senior vice president of partner success. He has a decade of experience in the financial services technology industry.

Jen Miller is the employee success manager. She has 14 years of employee development experience.

 

Cassie Moeller is a senior project manager and has five years of experience in the financial services industry.

Mandi Moore is an IT consultant for process and programs. She has 12 years of experience in the financial services industry.

 

Jody Reed is the manager of platform services and has 14 years ofexperience in the financial services industry.

Ben Robertson is a partner solutions manager and has experience in sales development operations, e-gaming and B2B relationship management.

 

Vaughn Huether is a partner solutions manager and has a decade of experience in the financial services industry.

Scott Roth is a partner solutions manager and has nine years of experience in the financial services industry.

Holley Durham is the director of implementations and has a decade of experience in the financial services industry.

Katie Brendsel is a BSA/AML Investigator.

Joe Hoek is a network IT administrator and has seven years of experience in information technology.

Albert Huizing is a product manager and has four years of experience in the financial services industry.

Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith

Seventeen attorneys in 24 practice areas at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith LLP have been listed in Best Lawyers 2022 for South Dakota.

• Banking and finance law: Charles Gullickson, Douglas Hajek and Dixie Hieb.
• Bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law: Robert Hayes.
• Bet-the-company litigation: Hayes.
• Business organizations, including LLCs and partnerships: Hieb, Brendan Reilly and Catherine Tanck.
• Closely held companies and family businesses law: Jonathan Brown, P. Daniel Donohue, Hieb and Tanck.
• Commercial litigation: Thomas Frankman, Mitchell Peterson and Eric Schulte.
• Corporate law: Brown, Keith Gauer, Hajek, Hieb and Terry Prendergast.
• Elder law: Sarah Richardson Larson.
• Employee benefits, or ERISA, law: Jean Bender and Richardson Larson.
• Employment law – management: Bender. 
• Financial services regulation law: Gullickson and Hajek.
• Government relations practice: Hajek.
• Litigation and controversy tax: Tanck.
• Litigation – banking and finance: Gauer.
• Litigation – bankruptcy: Hayes.
• Litigation – construction: Schulte.
• Litigation – insurance: Peterson and Schulte.
• Litigation – trusts and estates: Vince Roche.
• Mergers and acquisitions law: Brown, Hajek, Reilly and Tanck.
• Personal injury litigation – defendants: Frankman.
• Personal injury litigation – plaintiffs: Peterson.
• Real estate law: Brown, Donohue and Prendergast.
• Tax law: Tanck.
• Trusts and estates: Mary Akkerman, Donohue, Richardson Larson, Prendergast and Tanck.

In addition, three Davenport Evans lawyers were named Lawyers of the Year: Mary Akkerman for trusts and estates; Thomas Frankman for personal injury litigation – defendants; and Eric Schulte for litigation – insurance.

Two lawyers were named Ones to Watch: Elizabeth Hertz for appellate practice, commercial litigation, litigation – construction and litigation – intellectual property; and Kalen Biord for business organizations, including LLCs and partnerships; mergers and acquisitions law and tax law.

RSA

RSA has expanded its architecture and design team with three new employees.

Amanda Gilliland is the director of interior design. She has eight years of interior design experience.

Atalie Swanson is an architectural drafter with six years of drafting experience.

Stacey Jans is an administrative assistant.

South Dakota Chamber of Commerce & Industry

The South Dakota Chamber of Commerce & Industry has four new board members: Sarah Mann, plant manager at BAE Systems, Aberdeen; Mari Ossenfort, vice president and general manager, Keloland Media Group; Linda Lea Viken, Viken Law Firm, Rapid City; and David Chicoine, president emeritus and professor emeritus economics, South Dakota State University.