May 3, 2022

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Morgan Larson, the marketing and communications business adviser at South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions.

Name: Morgan Larson

Age: 31

Hometown: Lake Preston

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

My now husband and I moved to Sioux Falls in 2013 after I graduated from college and my internship at design firm Lemonly turned into a full-time job. We’ve lived here ever since!

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

I love that if I go to a coffee shop downtown, I’ll always see someone I know but also will have the opportunity to meet someone new. I love my tight-knit, quiet, east-side neighborhood and how I’m only 10 minutes from either Target or downtown. I love that I have endless options of places to take my son to play, learn and enjoy. I love that everything I wished was here 10 years ago exists here now. It’s exciting to be a part of a forward-thinking, growing community. Sioux Falls is the perfect blend of a small town and big city for me. The fact that my husband and I are only a 90-minute car ride from everyone in our immediate families makes it practically perfect in every way.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

What excited me about SDMTS was the mission of specifically helping South Dakota manufacturers prosper and grow. We are the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, MEP, Center for our state, so South Dakota is our true focus. What’s so rewarding about working here is just how impactful our small group is for small and medium manufacturers. One out of every 10 South Dakotans works in manufacturing, so practically everyone is connected to someone in the industry. I love that my days are drastically different from one another. I can start the day by introducing two small-town manufacturers to each other to partner on a large project over coffee, then help a company strategize ways to become an employer of choice in their community and end the day by planning a hands-on event for high school students. Every day, I’m collaborating with others to move ideas forward, and the cherry on top is that every project helps drive success in businesses based in my home state.

 How did you get connected to your industry?

I selected an advertising major in college after trying courses in news writing, public relations, design and video production and decided it was a great mix of what I enjoyed. I wasn’t positive about what I wanted to do after graduation but discovered I loved the idea of working with companies to get their messages to the right people at the right time. I’ve been helping clients with their marketing and communication needs since my first internship as a sophomore in college and haven’t looked back since.

Describe South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions in three words.

Passionate, driven, supportive.

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

I’m a sucker for a karaoke machine and late ’90s/early 2000s rap songs. Soulcrate’s annual Halloween Hip-Hop Karaoke would easily be one of my favorite Sioux Falls events.

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

One of the favorite Sioux Falls-area organizations I’ve had the privilege to be involved with is REACH Literacy. I’ve volunteered at their bookstore, fundraising events and have served on the board of directors for the nonprofit since 2018. It’s an incredible organization that has such a huge impact in Sioux Falls. Literacy is everything! Their workplace and school-based literacy programs do such impressive work, and their bookstore by the West Mall 7 is a Sioux Falls hidden gem.

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

Five years ago, I would have said a Thai restaurant and Topgolf. Now we have Pho Thai and Great Shots, so I’m a pretty happy camper. If I had to say something though, I’ve wanted a Cubby’s Sports Bar replica since moving here right out of college in Brookings. There are actually a few downtown Brookings staples that I miss dearly. If someone opened a restaurant/bar that served Nick’s Burgers, Cubby’s Thai Nachos, Jim’s Tap Backpacker pitchers and had the interior covered in Christmas lights like Ray’s at Christmastime, I think every Jackrabbit alum in Sioux Falls would rejoice.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Professionally, I’ll be using my marketing know-how to help companies get their messages to the right people at the right time. I also hope to help students discover great places to work right here in South Dakota in some capacity, and I still plan on being involved with at least one local nonprofit. From a personal sense, I plan on being here in Sioux Falls with my husband and our kindergartener and becoming pretty involved with my son’s school in some way – oh my goodness, I’ll have a kindergartener in five years!