March 19, 2024

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Brittany Schaefers, a senior creative marketing strategist for LifeScape.

Name: Brittany Schaefers

Age: 27

Hometown: Groton

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

After completing my undergraduate at Minnesota State University – Mankato, I moved to Sioux Falls to pursue my career. Growing up in northeast South Dakota, Sioux Falls was always a special place to visit, and it’s always been somewhere I had considered living.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls is growing so much, and there is never a shortage of activities going on. It’s a very supportive community that truly feels like home and one I can easily see myself growing professionally and personally in.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

No day is ever the same in our office. From brainstorming content and campaigns to shooting photos and video, and designing our digital assets, billboards and commercials – it never gets old seeing an idea come to life. The cherry on top is having the opportunity to spend time and form relationships with our people supported – they make the toughest of days shine!

How did you get connected to your industry?

Being creative in my everyday life is always something I’ve aspired for, so choosing a career path that both embraced my creativity and challenged it is how I landed on graphic design. I worked on my college campus as a student graphic designer, which helped me build a foundation and portfolio for my career. After living in Sioux Falls for a couple of years, the opportunity to join the LifeScape community became a possibility. Working at LifeScape has taught me so much; it’s truly been life-changing!

Describe your workplace in three words.

Inclusive, empowering, fun.

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

I’ve recently discovered I have a green thumb. With what started as inheriting a couple of office plants has now turned into several plants at both my home and office. In the last couple of years, I have also gotten into gardening. Now, homemade pickles are a staple!

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

I love to support small businesses; they are truly what makes Sioux Falls such a unique community. For my LifeScape community, I love to participate in our employee giving campaign, MallWalk, and am an active member of our cultural leadership team, which promotes positive culture and effective communication throughout the organization.

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

I would love to see Trader Joe’s come!

If you had $1 million to start a business, what kind of business would it be?

I would invest in my own bakery. Baking is such a fun, creative outlet for me — so much so, I took on the task of baking my own wedding cake!