Senior business major starts cleaning company

ANDREA HUETE Copy Editor (She/Her)

Last June, Eli Kirlin, a senior business economics major, decided to put his business degree and family experience with carpet cleaning to use and founded Kirlin’s Kleaners, a carpet cleaning company based in Brookings and Sioux Falls.

Kirlin’s Kleaners offers tile grout cleaning, upholstery steaming, machine carpet cleaning, door-to-door and exterior window cleaning, as well as pet stain removal, tenant move-out cleaning, janitorial and event cleaning. After purchasing a Chevy Express 3500 box truck online, Kirlin got to work making a website, fliers, business cards and connections around the Eastern South Dakota area.

“Business has been great the last couple of weeks,” Kirlin said. “I’m trying out some different marketing for my commercial janitorial section of my business and it’s been working well.”

Kirlin said he will be looking to hire employees in the Sioux Falls area soon.

Kirlin’s father, Brian Kirlin, commended his son for his current business venture as well as his use of a commercial truck to operate the business from.

“His business can go wherever he goes,” Brian Kerlin said. “The Sioux Falls and Brookings areas are the places where he has planted seeds and set roots in up to this point, but he would be able to quickly adapt and seize on other expansion as the opportunities might arise.”

George Vandel, the owner of SLS Financial Services in Sioux Falls, has been a family friend of the Kirlin’s for years. Vandel said it’s been fun to see how Kirlin expanded his business from a simple commercial cleaning job to professional carpet cleaning and window washing services.

“With Eli, the sky is truly the limit,” Vandel said. “People get more and more used to paying people for things they could easily do themselves – and Eli’s done a great job focusing on those things. I’d say the same thing to anyone who wants to start a business – find something you like to do … that you’re passionate about, and just know if you work hard and treat your customers with respect, you can do anything you’d like to.”

Before Kirlin started his company and switched his major to business, he was majoring at South Dakota State University in nursing. But after a chemistry test went wrong, Kirlin decided to pivot to more entrepreneurial pursuits.

In high school, Kirlin always tried to get the jobs that paid the highest and thought it would be cool to start his own business one day. That idea came to fruition when he switched his major and started planning for his own business.

“What better way is there then to major in Business Economics,” Kirlin said.

Kirlin’s parents said they are proud of him for what he’s been able to do with his business and have offered support along the way.

“With experience as an entrepreneur and business owner through my history, I have tried to be there to support him by sharing knowledge and experience from my history and sharing opinions and advice with different ideas that he had for his business,” Brian Kirlin

Kirlin’s Kleaners Contact

Phone: 605-839-9631

Website: www.kkleaners.com

Email: Eli@kkleaners.com said. “While we have offered financial backing and support as well, he has been determined to do as much as possible on his own and has largely succeeded with that goal.”

Cleaning services: tile, carpet, event spaces, upholstery, windows, etc.

Kirlin said he is thankful for his professors at SDSU for being good resources as he navigates the entrepreneurial world. He noted Craig Silvernagel, an associate professor of entrepreneurship & innovation management, Barb Heller, who’s a lecturer and entrepreneurship coordinator and Ryan McKnight, a lecturer in the Ness School of Management and Economics as some of his influences.

“My entrepreneur career has probably given me a lot more insight into my own life,” Kerlin said. “It’s probably what I’ll do forever. I enjoy learning more about it every day and just learning more about business.”

Concert review: Parker McCollum brings Texas country music to Brookings

CHRISTIAN LARSON Reporter

Texas-based country singer-songwriter Parker McCollum made his return to South Dakota Feb. 10 as he headlined The Swiftel Center in Brookings for the first time. Nearly 4,000 people attended the concert.

It was one of 15 stops on McCollum’s “Spring Tour,” which started this month and runs through April. Rising country singers Catie Offerman and Corey Kent opened the show. Offerman is a Texas-born artist who released her debut single “Happyland Trailer Park” last year. Oklahoma-born Kent rose to fame with his platinum-certified breakout single “Wild as Her,” which is nearing the top ten on country radio.

McCollum, who is best known for his 2020 breakthrough single “Pretty Heart” and early career fan-favorite “Hell of A Year,” kicked off his show with his number-one gold-certified single “To Be Loved by You.”

Throughout his hour-and-30-minute performance, McCollum performed a set consisting of all original songs. He announced that his new album will be coming out later this year, so he debuted multiple songs from the project while also playing the hits and fan favorites.

McCollum was at his strongest when performing more high-energy songs like his current single “Handle on You.” McCollum doesn’t have the most versatile voice, so the few high-energy songs in the setlist helped bring some much-needed energy to the room. Aside from the lack of high-energy songs, the setlist would have benefited from some cover songs to help keep the crowd engaged.

Crowd favorites from the show were McCollum’s early breakthrough singles

“Hell of A Year” and “Like A Cowboy,” along with his more recent hit singles “Pretty Heart,” “To Be Loved by You” and “Handle on You.” McCollum closed his set with his soon to be released song “Hurricane.”

McCollum is a solid songwriter and has put out some great material. However, when it comes to his live performances, he could benefit from some more up-tempo songs and covers. McCollum comes from the Texas country music scene where music is more ‘raw’ sounding, so outside of his more recent, commercial sounding songs, most of his set consisted of mid-tempo songs.

The stage design was simple but had everything an artist would need for a small arena show. The stage itself was tiered into two levels, and behind it was a big screen for visuals. Some of the stage pieces like the catwalk that went out into the pit could’ve been used more by McCollum, as it would’ve helped create a stronger live experience for fans. Maximizing the stage and its pieces would really help McCollum connect to his audience better like other top country acts.

It should be no surprise that McCollum is on track to becoming one of the new faces of country music, as he already has two number-one singles, multiple award wins and nominations and a lot of industry backing. With a dedicated and growing fanbase along with being one of the few mainstream artists keeping a Texas-country sound, it’s clear McCollum isn’t slowing down anytime soon.