Nov. 11, 2025

This piece is sponsored by Sioux Empire United Way.

Tony Nour knows the value of a hand up.

His father and three uncles immigrated to South Dakota from Israel, didn’t know English and used their painting skills to earn a living.

“My father met my mother, a farm girl from Hitchcock, South Dakota, and while we had a loving family and my parents were incredibly supportive, growing up it was touch and go,” Nour said. “We moved often and lived in modest apartments. I remember going to food banks with my parents in elementary and middle school. I’m grateful for what we had, although it wasn’t much. And that’s the reality for so many families.”

It also motivated Nour, now a senior vice president of relationship banking at First PREMIER Bank, to give back.

“I realized early on that without mentorship and community support, it’s a tough go for so many families,” he said. “Because we were the beneficiary of people’s generosity, I am determined to play a role in helping others when provided the opportunity.”

He’s now doing that in a big way – as 2026 campaign chair for Sioux Empire United Way, which aims to raise $9,264,349. Those funds will help support 73 critical programs across 38 local nonprofit partners serving children, vulnerable adults and people in crisis throughout Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha and Turner counties.

“Not only is Tony an inspirational leader and incredibly hands-on member of our volunteer team, but his organization, First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER Bankcard, truly shows what it means to give back to the community,” said Lisa Romkema, Sioux Empire United Way CEO.

PREMIER director of human resources Julia Disburg also is living out the company’s culture of giving back by devoting a significant amount of her time to the SEUW as this year’s Community Impact Division chair. In her role, Disburg spearheads six teams of volunteers who decide which nonprofits will receive United Way funding in the Sioux Empire.

“There are 60 volunteers who review and meet with each of the nonprofit applicants. They invest 1,000-plus hours in the process before making a funding recommendation to the full board,” she said. “We spend so much time on this effort because we want to make sure we are fair and we are being good stewards of our donor dollars.”

Like Nour, Disburg said she, too, was drawn to give her time to the SEUW for personal reasons.

“My brother Robert lost his fight to cancer when he was 12,” she said. “During the seven years of his battle and still today, so many people have shown unwavering support and kindness to my family. I’ve always wanted to pay it forward, and that’s why I am passionate about giving back in whatever capacity I can. Participating in Sioux Empire United Way is the easiest decision I’ve ever made.”

Disburg added, “Until I was deeply connected with SEUW, I don’t think I realized the magnitude of good that happens within this organization and our community.”

While both she and Nour have their own reasons for giving, both say PREMIER’s leadership team has inspired an even deeper spirit of generosity.

Owner T. Denny Sanford set the tone for giving to the SEUW in 1995 when he founded the Sioux Empire United Way’s Alexis de Tocqueville Society to foster, promote and recognize personal giving at an exceptional level.

Since then, Sanford has been honored for his lifetime giving of more than $6 million to the Sioux Empire United Way. PREMIER Bankcard CEO Miles Beacom and his wife Lisa, along with First PREMIER Bank CEO Dana Dykhouse and his wife, LaDawn, also have been recognized for lifetime giving to the SEUW surpassing $500,000. Dykhouse and Beacom just marked 30 years of SEUW giving, inspiring Nour to kick off his chairmanship year with a CEO breakfast to call on other leaders in the business community to do the same.

“PREMIER’s leadership doesn’t just encourage their teams to give back, they lead by doing it themselves,” Romkema said. “Whether it’s through their own personal giving, being visible advocates or rolling up their sleeves to volunteer, PREMIER’s leadership is showing what it looks like to truly invest in the community.”

Romkema added that what’s truly remarkable about PREMIER is not just the generosity at the top but also the way giving back is embraced across the entire organization.

In the past 25 years, PREMIER has donated over $20 million to the Sioux Empire United Way – more than 75 percent of that has come directly from employee donors. The company averages 94 percent employee participation in the annual campaigns. While it’s the 12th largest employer in the Sioux Falls area, PREMIER boasts the most employees giving at the Heart Club and Rising Heart Club levels since 2013.

“More than 800 PREMIER employees personally give $500 or more each year, joining our Heart Club and making a direct difference for people across the Sioux Empire. That level of participation shows what’s possible when a culture of giving is lived out at every level of an organization,” Romkema said.

She noted that for the 2025 campaign, PREMIER contributed 13 percent of the entire SEUW goal.

The organization also gives back with its time.

From 2016, when PREMIER began electronically tracking volunteer hours, through 2024, 656 PREMIER employees recorded more than 4,000 volunteer hours with the United Way. From 2021 to the end of 2024, PREMIER employees recorded 400 volunteer hours in either a leadership or board role for the SEUW.

“United Way might be the first nonprofit some of our team members give to, maybe the only one, and it becomes a natural on-ramp,” Nour said. “I’d argue the SEUW plays a significant role in developing community philanthropists. Generosity is a learned behavior.”

Disburg said the company produces its own internal campaign videos featuring employee who have utilized various services supported in part by the United Way. The videos educate employees about nonprofits and showcase “who” their dollars support.

“We don’t have to convince employees to give, instead we create campaigns that show the positive impact of their contribution and thank them for their generosity,” Disburg said.

PREMIER thanks employees with Heart Club jeans days, vouchers for corporate wear, pizza parties and fun games like United Way bingo played through the company intranet.

“In The PREMIER Way, our vision, views and values, it clearly states we are ALL responsible for investing in our communities and for seeking ways to improve them,” Nour added.

That culture is clear, Romkema said.

“At PREMIER, there’s a genuine belief in giving back and improving lives in our community, whether that is through their time, talent, resources or a combination of all three,” Romkema said. “They are absolutely one of the most-involved organizations we work with, and their support has been consistent year after year.”

One of the biggest takeaways for other businesses is how PREMIER “has made Sioux Empire United Way part of who they are as a company,” Romkema said.

“They communicate the impact, they celebrate participation, and they’ve created a culture where giving back is a shared value. That’s something any business can do. When leaders model the importance of community investment and employees are engaged in meaningful ways, it doesn’t just make a difference for nonprofit organizations, it strengthens the company too.”

Nour is the sixth PREMIER employee to serve as a Sioux Empire United Way campaign chair in the past 20 years.

“Our campaigners are out telling the story of what makes the Sioux Empire special and why United Way is important,” he said. “I’m proud to continue the tradition of community leadership at PREMIER.”

He literally keeps the SEUW top of mind with every step – pointing to a custom pair of Nike Air Jordan shoes by local artist Mike Middlen of Kicks N’ Canvas with the SEUW logo and this year’s fundraising goal that he wears to various events.

“The SEUW kicks have been fun and have generated conversation,” Nour said. “With the community’s generosity, we will achieve our goal in January, so I’ve only got a few months left to rock them.”

To learn more about the 2026 Sioux Empire United Way campaign and how you can get involved, visit seuw.org.