April 26, 2021

Fifteen individuals representing 14 businesses have been named to the second CO.STARTERS cohort at the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship.

The group starts its 10-week session May 4.

Some still are working with ideas while others have already launched businesses.

Over the course of the program, facilitators Ty Vuong and Tove Hoff Bormes will walk participants through an experience designed to test and refine their business ideas. The goal is that by the time graduation rolls around, they will know if they have a concept worth pursuing, and if so, what their next steps should be.

CO.STARTERS is sponsored by Eide Bailly LLP, Boyce Law Firm and The First National Bank in Sioux Falls.

Some participants are not being made public, but these are:

Sydney Bartunek Bender

The entrepreneur: Sydney Bartuenk Bender is the founder of Move to Heal South Dakota, and she describes this role as honoring her soul. She grew up dancing from a young age and has always felt a deep passion to give back through the healing power of movement. After serving as her father’s caregiver for more than 10 years, she was able to experience firsthand the hope, joy and healing that the arts in health provided.

The business: Established in December 2019, Move to Heal South Dakota is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission of bringing therapeutic movement and mindfulness sessions to health care and community settings across the state. It shares practical and effective tools to begin regulating the nervous system, strengthening emotional resilience and allowing a sense of hope to restore the body.

“We are addressing the lack of access to healing movement and mindfulness opportunities to diverse and historically underserved populations in South Dakota, both on a reservation in Sisseton and within the urban community of Sioux Falls, through our upcoming summer programming,” she said. “Our intergenerational focus endeavors to reach people who cannot afford or access existing offerings of movement and mindfulness based in wellness, mental health, healing and joy.” 

Team size: One.

Contact: Visit Move to Heal on its website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Lynn Bartholow

The entrepreneur: Lynn Bartholow’s career has been devoted to leading organizations, and building teams and partnerships centered on advancing the clinical research enterprise — namely to better connect patients and providers to clinical trials. She has been managing clinical trial operations for more than 15 years, and throughout this time, she has collaborated with pharma, device and contract research organizations  for the direct execution of more than 200 clinical trials at all stages.

Contact: Connect with Bartholow on LinkedIn.

Robert Hodgdon

The entrepreneur: Rob Hodgdon is the founder of Futurescape 3D LLC, a 3D print lab. Hodgdon works to manufacture custom products for clients that will help them grow their business. His creative perspective has earned him the opportunity to work on prominent projects with Disney and Michelin. At the age of 35, Hodgdon has established himself as a prominent 3D printing expert in his area. He is happiest when spending time with his two daughters, Caitlin and Brooke.   

The business: Futurescape 3D works with inventors and other companies to create prototypes, architectural models, dental aligners, movie props and even orders of small/medium volume parts using 3D printing technology.

Team size: Four.

Contact: Visit Futurescape 3D on Facebook.

Rhiannon Israel

The entrepreneur: Rhiannon Israel founded Welcome Sioux Falls in August 2018 to provide services for new residents transitioning into the Sioux Falls community. Having moved across the country many times during her childhood and as an adult, she identified a need within the community that coincides with the growth in Sioux Falls.

The business: Welcome Sioux Falls is a professional welcome service available to the Sioux Falls community. The business works with businesses and recruiters who are hiring employees from out of town and individuals and families who are relocating to provide personal assistance with their transition into the Sioux Falls community. 

Team size: One.

Contact: Visit Welcome Sioux Falls on its website, Facebook or LinkedIn. 

Carrie Kuhl

The entrepreneur: When you work with UpFrame Creative, you work with Carrie Kuhl — entrepreneur, wife, mom, photographer, web and graphic designer — a bunch of positivity all rolled into one person. She loves using her skills to nurture small businesses from their inception or to take existing ones to the next level. Since starting her business, Kuhl has been able to help more than 150 business owners and nonprofits.

When Kuhl isn’t working at UpFrame, she’s growing everything around her, mentoring designers by hiring design interns or teaching graphic design at South Dakota State University.

The business: UpFrame Creative is a boutique agency specializing in helping small businesses and nonprofits with website design, graphic design, logos and branding.

Team size: Two.

Contact: Visit UpFrame Creative on its website, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. 

Jared Nieuwenhuis

The entrepreneur: In late 2016, Jared began working on a business plan to bring a new testing service to rural South Dakota. He eventually saved up enough to get an SBA 7(a) loan and secure the funding for a new venture called East Prairie Laboratories. 

The business: After the 2020 election results on Amendment A and IM 26, he decided it was time to pivot his business to testing cannabis products, starting with industrial hemp. He built a business plan, put together lab protocols and filed Cannabis Chem Lab Inc. as a domestic corporation in South Dakota.

Team size: Three. 

Contact: Visit Cannabis Chem Lab on itss website, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. 

Emmett Reistroffer

The entrepreneur: Emmett Reistroffer is an advocate, consultant and entrepreneur. He has extensive experience in the legal cannabis industry and also is known for contributing toward community impacts such as art installments, neighborhood beautification, the Denver Green Team and more. He also has experience in political management, having advised several state and local candidates and led two historic ballot campaigns in Colorado. Most recently, he has expanded his business network to start Sioux Falls Pedicabs, which will provide ride services in his hometown and support the interconnectivity of the downtown business community.

The business: Sioux Falls Pedicabs seeks to enhance the downtown experience by providing a safe and sustainable transportation option and by increasing connectivity between businesses, residents and visitors with the city’s parks, trails and the great outdoors. 

Team size: Two.

Contact: Visit Sioux Falls Pedicabs on its website, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. 

David Tingle

The entrepreneur: David Tingle describes himself as an ambitious, motivated and driven individual who likes to think and work outside of the box. Now that his children are grown, he is turning his spare time and attention toward moving some of his ideas down the development road.  

Team size: One.

Contact: Connect with Tingle on Facebook or LinkedIn. 

Gavin Van De Walle

The entrepreneur: Gavin Van De Walle started Dakota Dietitians in 2018 while training to become a registered dietitian. Outside of Dakota Dietitians, Van De Walle is a nutrition and health writer.

The business: The company provides dietitian consulting services for various settings, including long-term care, home health care and addiction treatment centers across South Dakota and neighboring states. 

Team size: Three.

Contact: Visit Dakota Dietitians on its website, Facebook, or Instagram.

Logan Wolf & Matthew Cole

The entrepreneurs:

Logan Wolf grew up in Sioux Falls and went on to attend South Dakota State University for a mechanical engineering degree. He later decided to switch majors to biotechnology and went on to find a job at Agricultural Engineering in biopolymer and natural preservatives research. Through that opportunity, he co-founded Prairie Biotech. 

Matthew Cole is Prairie Biotech’s other co-founder, and he has a vision of eliminating food spoilage by employing agricultural byproducts. He began his biotech pursuits at SDSU aided by his grandfather Larry and Dr. Bill Gibbons. In 2016, he gained his first research grant studying engineering properties of soybean biomaterials.

From there he joined Dr. Jimmy Gu’s fellowship, discovering the potential of undesirable agricultural byproducts. With his mentors, Gu and  Gibbons, Cole found canola meal to be a viable, natural preservative. In the coming years, he dug further into the use of oilseed meals to reduce food spoilage, leading him to his newest venture, Prairie Biotech. 

The business: Prairie Biotech’s goal is to prolong the shelf life of fruits and vegetables using sustainable technologies and natural preservatives. Wolf and Cole are looking to pilot their food preservation technologies before the end of the year and are looking for end users to get involved.

Team size: Five.