Nov. 3, 2020

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Brad Hearst, an employee health and benefits consultant at Marsh & McLennan Agency.

Name: Brad Hearst

Age: 36

Hometown: Born in St. Louis but graduated from Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

I moved to Sioux Falls originally because of my father’s career. After graduating high school, I left Sioux Falls to move back to St. Louis for nearly 10 years. Both St. Louis and Sioux Falls are near to my heart. I have immediate family in both locations, which makes it challenging to pick one over the other. After being gone, I missed the community and relationships I had built here.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls is a thriving, growing community that is an incredible place to raise a family. My wife is originally from Sioux Falls, and we couldn’t think of a better place to raise our children. Combine that with the entrepreneur spirit of the city, and it is a place where someone can carve their own path to success.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

The favorite part about my job is developing longstanding relationships with business owners and being not just an insurance agent but a consultative partner. Sitting down to work through their challenges, then creating a plan that sets the organization up for sustained growth while positively impacting the lives of their staff is extremely rewarding.

How did you get connected to your industry?

After a failed business in 2013 and struggling as an entrepreneur, I moved back to Sioux Falls to really determine what my next steps looked like. I basically fell into insurance just by chance. I had a few friends make the recommendation and referred me to a local firm, and the rest is history.

Describe MMA in three words.

Innovative, collaborative and inclusive.

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

I founded a nonprofit organization called Survivors Joining for Hope, SJ4H. Founded in 2015, we have strived to reduce the impact of losing someone by suicide by providing support groups, peer-to-peer networks and financial assistance for burial expenses, funeral costs and grief counseling. Our goal is to mitigate the financial burden, so family and friends can focus on their grief and honoring the life of their loved one.

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

From a food perspective, I’d love to have an Imo’s Pizza in Sioux Falls. From a professional business perspective, I’d like to see Sioux Falls work with Tesla to introduce another location in their energy generation and storage sector or transportation division.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In five years, I hope to continue doing what I am doing today — utilizing the expansive resources provided by MMA to assist business owners as they navigate the constantly shifting course of employee benefits. I also hope to continue to be an advocate for mental health in not just Sioux Falls but throughout the state of South Dakota. Whether that is continued work through SJ4H, public speaking or a greater role in our government, I am unsure, but time will tell.