Elevate Magazine - May 2023 - Rapid City South Dakota

HAPPENINGS AROUND THE REGION

MAY 5

NAJA SHRINE CIRCUS

Enjoy an incredible performance featuring world-class circus stars from around the globe, that is sure to have the entire family on the edge of their seats!

www.themonument.live/ events//detail/circus2023

MAY 6

BLACK HILLS FARMERS MARKET SEASON OPENER!

Black Hills Farmers Market is back for our 34th season! Join us for this season's kick-off event. Shop for the best in locally grown, healthy foods and products including vegetables, meats, honey, eggs, baked items, jams and jellies, pickles, salsas, plants, and more!

blackhillsfarmersmarket.org

MAY 8-9

CHICAGO: 25 YEARS OF RAZZLE DAZZLE

CHICAGO is BACK IN TOWN and after 25 years, CHICAGO is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmyshake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one show stopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen.

https://www.themonument.live/events/ detail/chicago2023

MAY 20

ROWEN GRACE - LIVE

From Rapid City to The VOICE! This girl has it all and she'll be at BIN 605! Join us for an evening of live music and see just why she's a rising star.

www.bin605.com/live-music

MAY 20

THE SMURFS GREAT ESCAPE RAPID CITY

Looking for an exciting adventure with your family and friends? Save the Smurfs from the evil wizard Gargamel at this immersive new escape-room-style experience.

www.cluedupp.com/products/smurfsrapid-city

MAY 21

ANNUAL BLACK HILLS RAINBOW 5K

Come and show all your colors or be splashed with colors along the route to Canyon Lake Drive and Back!

www.bhcfe.org/event/annual-blackhills-rainbow-5k/

MAY 24

CITY & SCHOOL BOARD FORUM

This moderated forum will begin with a few pro-business questions followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions of their own

www.elevaterapidcity.com/events

HUMAN BEINGS FIRST

Welcome to this issue of Elevate, where we’re looking at all the Mayoral candidates as people, not as politicians. You’ll get so much of the political stuff in the next few months, we decided to take a different approach. Yes, we’re here to remind you to get out and vote on June 6th for Mayor, City Council, and School Board. And that elections matter. But we’ve also decided to play to our strengths, to do what we have always done, and to tell stories. Hopefully, when you’ve finished this issue, you’ll get a better sense of who these candidates are as human beings.

We’re also remembering current Mayor Steve Allender, which reminds me, if I’m ever going to say something about my time working with the mayor, it’s now. So here we go.

Steve Allender is not going to win a national award for Feel-ood Mayor of the Year. He’s not going to make a top-10 list for most empathetic politicians. In fact, Mayor Steve Allender might be the least political politician you’ve ever met.

He’s blunt. He’s brutally honest. He says things that aren’t politically correct. Sometimes he ruffles feathers. Sometimes he makes people (or a group of people) mad. His picture is not next to the word “tact” in the dictionary. He’s not looking for a higher office. He’s not seeking re-election. He hasn’t promised anything to any special interest group. My favorite conspiracy theory about Mayor Steve Allender is that he wanted a City Administrator form of government so that he could make himself de facto Mayor for Life. If you know Steve Allender for more than a minute, you know the thought of being a lifelong politician makes him wretch. In another few months, none of this will matter. For Steve Allender, the Mayor of Rapid City for the last eight years and former police chief and beat cop for thirty years more, the future will look like it does for every other citizen, for you and for me. He’ll be relaxing in retirement and probably being stopped less at the grocery store. And he’ll be just fine with that.

Stay safe and God-speed.

Tom

Tom Johnson, President & CEO

Elevate is a monthly publication produced by Elevate Rapid City. It is the premier business magazine for the Black Hills region telling the stories that make our area unique and vibrant.

PO Box 747, Rapid City, SD 57709 605.343.1744

elevaterapidcity.com

PRESIDENT & CEO

Tom Johnson

SENIOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & PARTNERSHIPS DIRECTOR

Taylor Davis

SENIOR MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Shiloh Francis

SENIOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Lori Frederick

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Liz Highland

EVENTS & MARKETING DIRECTOR

Rachel Nelson

PUBLIC POLICY DIRECTOR

Garth Wadsworth

HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Laura Jones

WORKFORCE & SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER

Reese Niu

ECOSYSTEM SUPPORT & PROPERTY MANAGER

Loni Reichert

BUSINESS RETENTION & EXPANSION MANAGER

Kallie Ruland

VISUAL CONTENT MANAGER

Maggie Jean Wince

INVESTOR RELATIONS MANAGER

Jason Wittenberg

EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Ashley Simonson

DESIGN AND LAYOUT

Maggie Jean Wince

PUBLISHED BY THE RAPID CITY JOURNAL

Ben Rogers, President ben.rogers@lee.net

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STORY BY MICHELLE PAWELSKI PHOTOS SUBMITTED

RON WEIFENBACH

RON WEIFENBACH BELIEVES COMMUNITY IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THE ASSETS THEY BRING

Ron Weifenbach loved his childhood.

He grew up on the south side of Rapid City spending his summers at the Robbinsdale Swimming Pool and his winters on the iced over rink near South Middle School. He scoured the neighborhood asking for pop bottles to trade in for money he used to buy candy at Remphere’s, the local drug store.

“I loved growing up in Rapid City. My dad had a hard time keeping jobs, so we didn’t have a lot of money, but we didn’t know that.”

Weifenbach’s parents worked hard to provide what they could for their four kids.

Looking for new job opportunities, Weifenbach’s dad moved the family from Aberdeen to Rapid City in 1970. His dad sold vacuum cleaners and microwaves,

the hottest new technology at the time. His mother, who immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1959, worked as a bartender. Weifenbach’s parents met in Kaiserslautern while his father served in Germany with the U.S. Army.

Weifenbach’s maternal grandparents died early, leaving his mother to be raised by a high-ranking German police officer. “My grandfather was a medic in the German Army. He was forced to fight. After the war they sent them to Romania to fight. He goes and never comes back.”

The family recently discovered he was held captive by the Russians for two years before being brought out to a field with 2,000 other soldiers and shot. “My sister found his grave in a small town in the Czech Republic. There was a cross with three names and the same date in 1947.”

With his grandfather gone, his grandmother took over the day-to-day responsibilities with the household. While gathering sticks for the fire one day, she was shot and later died of her injuries.

Weifenbach’s parents started their family in Germany, moving to his father’s hometown of Aberdeen in 1959 and later to Rapid City.

Weifenbach graduated from Central High School in 1980 and headed to National Guard training. He joined the Guards as a senior in high school and served until 1987. “That is what really started off my commitment to community and helping other people. It just grew from there.”

He got a job working at the Lewis Drug in the Rushmore Mall, which is where he met his wife of nearly 40 years, Penny. The couple married and had two daughters, Nicole and Brittany. Weifenbach continued managing other drug stores in the city while going to Black Hills State University for business and accounting. “I was working full time, going to school and had a young family. I was just trying to make a living and pay for my education at the same time. I took me 10 years to get my degree, but I got it.”

He then earned his master’s in business from Chadron State College in Nebraska. He worked for different financial institutes before starting Premier Home Mortgage with a few other local businessmen.

His first inclination to run for public office came during his time coaching for his daughters’ sports teams. I learned a lot about the challenges that people encounter. “I was coaching young girls and everything we did was harder than what I would see with my counterparts who had boys.”

With his daughters grown, Weifenbach decided to run for a seat on the Rapid City Common Council. “I was definitely naïve. I had no idea about politics. I didn’t even make it out of the shoot my first election. I think it took me two or three times to get elected.”

Weifenbach, however, did not give up knowing he had something to give to the community. He eventually got elected and served a total of four, nonconsecutive, terms. “Everybody has assets. I feel like mine is the ability to get results. I felt like I contributed a lot to the community.”

He also learned a lot about the community he loves and the people that make it great.

“I love Rapid City. I’ve been all over the world. I don’t think I can find a better place. The people here are welcoming and compassionate. We really do a lot of things right.”

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STORY BY MICHELLE PAWELSKI PHOTOS SUBMITTED

LAURA ARMSTRONG

LAURA ARMSTRONG FINDS A HOME AMONG THE HILLS

On her first trip to Rapid City, Laura Armstrong knew she would one day call the city her home.

Laura grew up near the beaches of South Florida but always loved the peacefulness of the woods.

“I love the woods. I don’t know what it is, but I am just drawn to them.” Laura, along with her husband, attorney Scott Armstrong, would often escape the craziness of Florida and visit places such as North Carolina, Colorado, Montana, and Utah. “I finally told my husband that it would be cheaper to move.”

That is exactly what they did in 1996 after visiting the Black Hills.

“When I came here there was this epiphany that I was home – that this is where I am meant to be,” Laura said.

Things quickly began to fall into place.

A family member living in the area messaged the couple about a log home for sale. Scott flew to Rapid City and with an OK from Laura they bought the house –the same one they still live in today. Scott moved to the Black Hills in October while Laura remained in Florida to finish out her dual bachelor’s degrees. Even arriving in a December snowstorm did not deter the Florida native.

“I know in my heart this is where I am supposed to be. I love the sense of community. I love the mix of the old and new. I wanted to raise my kids out here with the four seasons. No place is perfect. But this place is perfect for us.”

The couple raised their twin daughters, Olivia and Abigail, now 22 and seniors at Dakota State University, spending most of

their time outdoors. “We are outside yearround whether it is 4 degrees, 40 degrees or 104 degrees. We are out enjoying it. It is the Black Hills.”

With a bachelor’s degree in psychology and communication disorders and her master’s in speech language pathology, Laura has worked in a variety of capacities throughout the community. She owns her own clinic and contracts her services with organizations such as Black Hills Works and its Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center, Birth to Three program, and the Rapid City Area Schools.

While her girls were young, Laura volunteered everything from the PTA to leading the Black Hills Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. “Our family has always been very involved in the community whether it was the church, library, humane society, or the PTA. I always think it is important to be involved.”

Laura took her community service a step further in 2017 when she ran for the Ward 5 seat on the Rapid City Common Council. Her victory was historic. For the first time in Rapid City history there was a 50/50 gender split on the common council. She is finishing her second term on the Council, and remains the only woman.

One of Laura’s proudest endeavors on Council was helping form the Youth City Council, a diverse section of the city’s youth created as a channel for open communication between the youth and the Common Council “They are going on four years strong. The first round of kids is voting now. They are going to be our next leaders. It really gives you faith in what’s coming up.”

Laura said she has learned so much from her time on the council from her fellow council members, city staff, and community members.

“I want to surround myself with people that are smarter than me so they can give me perspective, insights, facts, and data so I can make an educated decision. We have so much to learn from one another. That’s what I love – that sense of community, and I really try to model that.” WWW.RAPIDCITYFORARMSTRONG.COM

STORY BY MICHELLE PAWELSKI PHOTOS SUBMITTED

BRAD ESTES

BRAD ESTES CREATES SUCCESS THROUGH MENTORSHIP AND OPPORTUNITY

Brad Estes was a young boy growing up in Wall, South Dakota, when he first learned the benefit of hard work and helping your neighbor.

His dad, Hugh, after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, returned to Wall and began assisting area farmers and ranchers by buying a Jeep trencher and putting in water lines for them.

His mother, Amie, ran the cabin-style motel the family owned, making sure each guest had a memorable experience.

“I always tell people I learned hospitality 101 from my mother.”

The family’s entrepreneurial spirit grew quickly. His father purchased a local lumber yard and began building grain bins. “We built about every grain bin between Rapid and Pierre. We were one of the largest grain bin erection companies in the Midwest.” Building grain bins soon turned

into building homes. “My first jobs were around 12 or 13. I learned to mix paint and sell nails by the pound.”

After earning his business degree from the University of South Dakota in 1979, Estes returned to Wall to work for the family business. “We did work all over, including Colorado and Kansas. We traveled to several states to do grain storage projects.”

The company’s focus slowly moved from agriculture construction to commercial, and Estes began bidding jobs against some of the area’s biggest contractors.

In 1987, encouraged by his mentor and then mayor of Wall, Dave Hahn, Estes decided to run for a seat on the Wall City Council. He won the election and continued to serve until 1991. It was also around this time Estes decided to change his life. He went to treatment and has been sober for 36 years.

Estes’ connection with Hahn dated back many years earlier when Estes was an eighth grader and Hahn was the Wall superintendent of schools. “I was student of the week, and I wrote something that said I wanted to learn to fly.” Hahn, who was a man of many talents, had an airplane and asked Estes’ parents if he could teach the middle schooler to fly free of charge.

“He taught me to fly and then he ran for mayor, and I ended up on the city council. We became the best of friends.” Hahn died suddenly in 2018 and donated his body to the Sanford USD Medical School. Estes asked Carol, Hahn’s wife, if he could fly her husband down to Vermillion, having one last flight with his lifelong friend and mentor.

In 1989, when gambling became legalized in Deadwood, Estes and some family and friends decided to get in at the forefront of the industry. “We built the Gold Dust. We were one of the marquee casinos back in the day on Deadwood’s main street. For the 19 years we were in business we were probably the largest casino operator in Deadwood.”

His involvement in Deadwood continued and years later Estes and his partners built the Holiday Inn Express next to Saloon #10. “It was successful and allowed me to move my family from Wall to Rapid City. I also allowed me options to build projects for myself rather than being a competitive commercial contractor. Rather than being in the construction business to feed my family, I was able to do it to feed my passion.”

In 1991, Estes moved his family and his business, Brad Estes and Associates, Inc., to Rapid City. “At that time, my construction company was me. I didn’t have any employees. I would line up the subcontractors and manage the jobs myself.” During that time, he built the Days Inn on Lacrosse Street, First American Title, and Ashley Furniture. He loved what he was doing.

Brad and his wife Deb have been partners in business and life for nearly 20 years and their blended family includes four children, Brittani, Ian, Clint, and Mike .

Estes continued to grow his company, and at the same time felt the need to return to public service. He had previously served on the Central States Fair Board but had his eyes set on the Rapid City Common Council. “I was encouraged by Hahn and my uncle, Lyndell Petersen. He always encouraged me to give back and become involved.” Estes served as Ward 5 councilman from 2013 – 2017 with two years as council president.

He loves Rapid City and its people. “This is a city that enjoys agriculture and tourism, and the best people come from those two industries. It is second nature to ask ‘What can I do for you today?’”

STORY BY SHILOH FRANCIS

PHOTO BY SHILOH FRANCIS

ALLENDER A MAYOR UNCHANGED

There’s a list of accomplishments Mayor Steve Allender could boast of from the past eight years in office.

He created the Kids Ride Free program for Rapid City Transit. Approved scarves and winter apparel items on the presidential statues. The Youth City Council was established under his leadership along with Early Learner Rapid City.

He also improved divisions and systems within the city, from creating departments to key positions like the Cultural Strategist and Human Services coordinator.

The list goes on, and on, and on.

But there is one thing he is most proud of: “I was unchanged from a personal standpoint. I am a citizen my fellow

passionately encouraged someone else to run he was met simply with, “I’m not running, but it sounds like you’re ready to.”

The rest, they say, is history, and June 2015 he was elected mayor.

And the worst job he could ever have, turned out to be anything but. For five years, Allender waited for the honeymoon period to end. His experience with staff and the community were nothing but positive and encouraging. “People really want to work together,” he recalled.

City Council meeting agendas were changed so they were about business – more professional and efficient. President’s Plaza was “killed” in order to make room for a different model. The new project, Block 5, is already underway.

He holds firmly to the belief that public service is hard work. The goal of any elected official is to serve the people – providing a general benefit to all, not to benefit a select group. “Take the ego out of the politician, and you’re left with a public servant,” he described. “It’s not about me. Things change, technology, laws, the environment and more. The work I do isn’t about a legacy. It’s leaving things better right now, so the next generation has something to build on. No one has been successful keeping things as they were.”

Unfortunately, in some ways, the job became exactly what Allender feared. The pandemic

and 2020 election brought a change in people. “The work felt less effective,” he said. “Now we had to work on shorter-term issues.”

Despite the frustration, Allender continued to focus on his belief that as a citizen government, his job was to work hard and focus on the greater good. He could even remember a meeting he had, where a gentleman disagreed with how Allender was leading. Rather than get upset he pointed to a sign he has hanging in his office with the headline ‘A House divided cannot stand’ –and used it as a reminder that, “we have to work together for the people.”

He was also able to lean on his experience as a police officer. “My time in law enforcement keeps me from being angry at people today,” he explained. “By the time someone needs a police officer, they are angry at their situation, not the officer. The same is often true with elected officials. It’s not me, the person, they are angry with.”

It can also be said that Allender had a style all his own. A reinforcement to his promise to stay true to who he was even before he got into office. Tom Johnson, president and CEO of Elevate Rapid City, remembers his first impression:

“When I arrived in town four years ago, Allender seemed a bit of an odd bird. He wasn’t gladhanding. He wasn’t playing both sides. He wasn’t blowing smoke. He bluntly

told me that Rapid City needed to get on the map nationally and that I was the guy to help the community get there. Not to play to my ego, but as a factual statement. It made me want to live up to the statement.

It’s also the kind of honesty you don’t expect from a politician, and at first, it took me aback. But I came to respect that freshness. You always knew where you stood with Mayor Allender. You never had to guess. We teach our kids about the value of speaking their minds and being honest, and serving others without self-interest. And here was a guy who was elected to run a trade area of almost 150,000 people who was doing all of that all at once.”

If there is one thing Allender wished for most, it would be for more people to ask how they can get involved. “We have too many talkers, but not enough doers. People seem to get words confused with involvement.” There are committees and organizations in need of more people getting involved, and bringing their expertise.

Retirement is not something Allender fears. “I have a life. A family. This job was never my identity,” he said. “We are a citizen government, it was always meant to be temporary.” He admits he may not have been perfect, but he is still proud of his time in office. “I know I can look back on this time knowing I did my best, I left things better than I found them, and I set the stage for the next person. That is leadership.”

Lastly, Allender has three pieces of advice for the next mayor:

1. There are no emergencies in the mayor’s office. Crises are managed by others in their departments.

2. You are here to enable and support the work being done in the city.

3. Your obligation is to the greater good, not a specific person or interest group.

CITY COUNCIL & SCHOOL BOARD FORUM

Come hear from the candidates running for City Council and the School Board. This moderated forum will begin with a few pro-business questions followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions of their own.

5:00 - 6:00pm - City Council Forum

6:00 - 7:00pm - School Board Forum

Free and open to the public. RSVP at elevaterapidcity.com/events

MAYORAL FORUM

Come hear from the candidates running for Mayor. This moderated forum will begin with a few pro-business questions followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions of their own.

Free and open to the public. RSVP at elevaterapidcity.com/events

Thank you to AARP for helping sponsor this event!

VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE: MAY 22

RAPID CITY ELECTION: JUNE 6

ABSENTEE/EARLY VOTING BEGINS: MAY 22

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

WARD 1:

Josh Biberdorf

Pat Jones

Jerry Long

WARD 2: Lindsey Seachris (unopposed)

WARD 3:

Kevin Maher

Rob Keighron

Chad Lewis

WARD 4:

John Roberts

Valeriah

Big Eagle

SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES

Area 4:

Gerald Harvey

Amy Sazue

Walter Swan Jr

Karen Woods

Area 5:

Paul Lloyd

Christine Stephenson

WARD 5: Rodney Pettigrew (unopposed)

PLEDGE TO VOTE AT VOTEBLACKHILLS.COM

STORY BY MICHELLE PAWELSKI PHOTOS SUBMITTED

JASON SALAMUN

FAITH AND FAMILY ARE JASON SALAMUN’S GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Jason Salamun does not believe in accidents.

The challenges and successes, choices, both good and bad, the people that come in and out of a life, all shape the course of a person’s journey.

Salamun knows this firsthand.

Born in West Texas to teenage parents, Salamun’s early childhood was a difficult one. His parents divorced early on leaving Salamun and his younger brother in the custody of their mother who struggled with addiction.

“I must have changed elementary schools a dozen times. Her addiction really drove a lot of her decisions.” As a result, Salamun lived in crack houses, slept in cars, and witnessed violence often. “It was tough. I experienced a lot of things kids should not experience.”

His saving grace were his mawmaw and pawpaw. “They were my oasis during those

tough times. When I got to spend the night at their house it was like Disneyland.” His pawpaw would read Louis L’Amore books. His mawmaw would make a homecooked meal. They would eat Neapolitan ice cream and watch professional wrestling – a sport Salamun still loves to watch.

“I had amazing grandparents who loved me. Despite the difficulty of my childhood, I had a lot of love.”

It was that love that brought Salamun to Rapid City at the age of 11 to live with his father and stepmother here. “It was one of the greatest acts of love. I was very close to them, but they knew my brother and I needed a better life than what my mom could provide for us.”

Salamun moved to Rapid City, however, his mother convinced his younger brother to stay. “He has spent most of his life behind bars struggling with his own addiction.”

Salamun found a home.

“I had a mom and dad who loved me. We had dinner every night together. We had love and structure, and I had healing. The significance of family cannot be overstated. I believe the good Lord was working through all of that. Looking back, I can see all these fingerprints of God working in great ways and protecting me. I really discovered who God meant for me to become.”

Salamun flourished in his new hometown. He played sports, made friends, and grew in confidence. He graduated from Stevens High School in 1996 and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He did a deployment in the Middle East and despite numerous tries to get stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base to be back home, he ended up in Colorado Springs where he met his future wife, Gwyn. “If I had transferred, I would never have met my wife who was going to college there.”

After marrying less than a year after meeting, the young couple moved to Rapid City. “We both agreed this was a great place to raise our family.” Their kids are now grown and married themselves. Their daughter Regan is a junior at Black Hills State University majoring in education, and son Reece is finishing his active duty for the Army.

Initially thinking he wanted to be a teacher, Salamun’s path quickly changed after getting a job at American Memorial Life Insurance Company, later Assurant. That opportunity and the mentorship he received propelled his career. In his 20s, Salamun helped in the transition and branding of Assurant, a Fortune 500 company. He worked for Black Hills Federal Credit Union holding leadership

positions including the Vice President of Operations and Strategic Services.

Salamun continued to grow as a leader participating in both Leadership Rapid City as well as Leadership South Dakota, which is where he was first encouraged to run for public office – one of the top 10 life goals he jotted down at the age of 18. In 2016, Salamun was elected for his first three-year term on the Rapid City Common Council serving as council president in 2017. With changes happening at BHFCU, Salamun did not run for reelection but knew his public service was not over.

“I loved serving my community and the feeling that you are making a difference.”

He prayed about what would be next on his journey.

His prayers were answered when Fountain Springs Church offered him a role overseeing the staff and operations in 2019. This also provided him with the opportunity to run for a seat on the council. In 2020, he was elected once again.

Salamun believes he is right where he is supposed to be in life.

"My story, with all the ups and downs, is not an accident. It all brought me to a place to give back to my hometown that gave so much to me."

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JOSH LYLE

JOSH LYLE CREATES SUCCESSFUL LIFE THROUGH PERSEVERANCE

Life has not been easy for Josh Lyle. He never met his biological father.

His biological mother died in a homeless shelter a few years ago.

He has little communication with his brother, despite at one point being inseparable.

And he grew up a ward of the state.

Yet, he never gave up.

“It was a pretty traumatic childhood.”

Lyle moved to Rapid City a few years ago in search for a less chaotic, more peaceful lifestyle. He owns Auto Buddy Paintless Dent Repair.

Born in Iowa, Lyle’s father left when he was young. At the age of 2, Lyle and his older brother were taken away from their mother and put into the foster care system. “We went in and out of different foster homes until I was 7. We went to live with our biological grandparents for a year, but they decided they couldn’t raise us, and we went back into foster homes.”

Lyle’s mother moved to California with a boyfriend, and the boys, still in the custody of the government, followed. “That’s why I understand government so well. I was in and out of the courthouse three times a year.”

After a brief time living with their mom, the boys were put back into foster care. They were placed with a family in Santa Ynez

Valley where they stayed for the remainder of their childhood. “They were originally going to adopt us.” That changed when his foster dad, the chief probation officer of Los Angeles, was injured and couldn’t work. With no income, his foster mom turned foster care into a business. “We were the first two foster kids, but in 10 years we probably had 65 foster kids come through our home. It was pretty wild.”

The boys settled into their new home and family, finally feeling a sense of stability. They played sports and went to summer camps. “Life got good; we had a very stable home.”

Things were great until Lyle’s brother turned 18. “In foster care, when you turn 18, they just kind of let you go. They don’t help you out.” Lyle’s brother moved down to Arizona where their grandparents lived. He was kicked out of the home on the first day of his senior year in high school.

The family of Lyle’s best friend took him in and are still his support system today. “That’s who I spend every Thanksgiving and Christmas with. Every year I hustle, and they give me a place to spend the holidays. They keep me striving for excellence. They gave me that emotional support and that sense of family.”

Believing he would not live past 18 years old, Lyle did not have plans after graduating high school. “Because my childhood was so wild. I didn’t think past 18.”

With his friend going to college, Lyle decided to do the same. He enrolled at Santa Barbara City College, originally majoring in theatre arts. “I always wanted to be more of an actor or musician.” However, he changed his major to business. He worked part-time jobs while going to school and graduated in 2010. “That was a big sense of accomplishment. College was not about a degree. It was more about learning how I learned, staying on task, committing to one thing, following through, and staying out of trouble.”

Lyle began working for a businessman who taught him the trade of hail catastrophe services. He learned quickly, moved to Denver, and launched his own business. He lived and worked in Denver for six years building up his company. In 2020, when the pandemic hit, Lyle decided to leave Colorado and moved to South Dakota. “Denver was a little too much. I wanted a place to ground myself and start a life. Rapid City seemed like the place to do that.”

Rapid City reminds Lyle of Santa Ynez in the 1990s. “It has that same small-town feel as the city I grew up in.” He likes to explore the Black Hills both on foot and on his HarleyDavidson motorcycle.

“I love Rapid City. There is so much to do here. It is peaceful and it is away from the chaos.”

Elevate took a strong policy position on 13 bills during the 2023

Session to advocate for the Rapid City business community. This pro-business scorecard reflects the voting record of local legislators on these key issues.