Sept. 17, 2023

I was about three days too late, give or take a dozen or so time zones.

Three days late to the interview I wish I could have brought you from this year’s Sanford International.

One of the highest-ranking executives of a global brand.

A leader who literally had flown around the world to make a first visit to Sioux Falls.

Part of the Tokyo-based C-suite of Seiko Watch Corp.

And I just missed meeting her.

Teruyo Ishimaru, vice president of Seiko, came to Sioux Falls a week ago from Japan, along with U.S.-based Takeshi Sakamoto, president and CEO of Seiko USA and Grand Seiko USA.

“We’ve been talking about this for four years,” said Dave Wieczorek, vice president of sales for Seiko, who has come from Indianapolis for the past several years as part of the company’s tournament partnership.

“This was a first-time experience for them.”

The connection here is Gunderson’s Jewelers, a longtime retail partner for Seiko that connected the brand with the Sanford International. The corporate leadership team visited the store in Sioux Falls last week and then actively participated in the first few days of events at the golf tournament.

“They’re so interested in cultural things here, so it was really neat for them to see a Midwest town,” Wieczorek said.

What impressed them most were the hospitals’ major and varied investments in Sioux Falls, including the Sanford Sports Complex, and the level of community involvement from businesses such as First Premier Bank/Premier Bankcard, he said.

“We took them through downtown … they saw the Falls, they saw everything,” Wieczorek said. “They were impressed. People are so friendly here; it’s just a different atmosphere. It’s not the hustle and bustle.”

There’s benefit for Seiko and Gunderson’s at the Sanford International from a business standpoint too. A pop-up shop in the merchandise tent continually was busy as I stopped there to visit them.

“There’s every reason in the world to be here,” Wieczorek said. “We see it as a strong positive. I bring in two reps, they help support the Gunderson’s people, and they sell watches all day long.”

Clearly, “it’s the perfect audience for us,” he added, noting they even sold watches to preteen boys at the tournament.

Sioux Falls definitely has its share of luxury watch collectors, and apparently “it starts young,” he said.

Seiko also brings in accounts from other parts of the country to encourage them to seek out an event similar to the Sanford International.

“If you’re involved in your community, it makes a difference,” Wieczorek said. “They had a blast.”

Today, on the final day of the tournament, Seiko once again will present a luxury watch to the winner – this year it’s a Seiko Prospex SBP 381 – and “we’ve loved it,” Wieczorek said. “It’s been a great experience.”

Sometimes, when an event becomes such a regular part of the calendar, it’s easy to overlook the bigger value it brings to a community.

In the case of the Sanford International, it means leaders and business colleagues who probably never would have been introduced to Sioux Falls come here every year, leave with a positive experience and I am sure share that with others far and wide.

The return on that investment is a ripple effect that can benefit Sioux Falls in ways we likely can’t even anticipate.