June 3, 2025

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Levi Rustand, a senior accounting analyst at POET.

Name: Levi Rustand

Age: 25

Hometown: Sioux Falls

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

I grew up in Sioux Falls and have lived most of my life here. I left for a year following high school to participate in a gap year abroad, then returned, continuing in education at USD-Sioux Falls.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

Having been raised here, much of my family and many of my friends are concentrated in the area. Additionally, I find Sioux Falls offers many career, education and leisure opportunities of a “big city” while retaining a “close community” feeling.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

My favorite thing about my job is observing POET’s investment in the employees, families and communities that touch our business. I appreciate how this encourages curiosity, humbleness and growth — personally, spiritually and professionally. As someone early in their career, a job that has plenty of opportunities to learn and grow is very important.

How did you get connected to your industry?

I connected with my industry toward the end of college while pursuing a degree in finance/accounting. A college professor connected me to POET, and since starting, I have had opportunities to explore how finance, accounting and agronomics converge in a unique industry.

Describe your workplace in three words.

Innovative, welcoming, growth-oriented.

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

In my spare time, I have been renovating a fixer-upper home in Sioux Falls, which has proven to be a fun opportunity to learn DIY projecting while banding together with my support network to tackle each unique challenge.

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

In addition to volunteering with programs to clean up our city parks and serve food-drive operations, each day, I believe we can choose to uplift and give back to our community by treating one another as we would like to be treated. You never know what’s going on in someone else’s life and how far kindness and positivity may take them.

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

I hope to continue to see development of businesses that encourage people to gather and build meaningful relationships. One way I see this reflected in a business now is at the rock-climbing gym in which I am active; community is built around physical activity, trust and shared interests, encouraging many from different walks of life to interact. I would like to see existing businesses and new businesses continue to foster a like spirit by encouraging more community events and relationship-building.