Movers & Shakers features new hires, promotions and awards involving top executives and organizations. For consideration, email [email protected].

TSP Inc.

TSP Inc. has received the designation as an Emerging Professionals Friendly Firm for 2023 and 2024. This recognition means TSP excels at providing fair compensation and benefits to emerging architectural professionals. The firm also meets the criteria for supporting architectural licensure, investing in professional development, creating growth opportunities and demonstrating commitment and innovation to train and mentor emerging professionals. The program is a collaboration between Emerging Professionals Committees of American Institute of Architects chapters in South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

For the fourth consecutive year, TSP has been listed among the region’s best places to work. It was included in Prairie Business magazine’s 50 Best Places to Work list. Determining the list begins with employees in South Dakota, North Dakota and western Minnesota who nominate their place of business and explain why it is a great place to work. TSP has regional offices in Sioux Falls, Rapid City and Watertown and in Rochester, Minnesota.

Children’s Home Society of South Dakota

Tifanie Petro, the director of advocacy and prevention for the Children’s Home Society of South Dakota, received the Outstanding Service Award at the Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment’s Community Response to Child Abuse Conference. The award is presented annually to an individual who has made a great impact in the response to or prevention of child abuse. Petro oversees the Children’s Home Child Advocacy Center in Rapid City, as well as the organization’s statewide Prevention, Training and Education program. She has been instrumental in developing South Dakota’s implementation of ACEs training and the Enough Abuse program. Petro’s work includes the writing of a bill in the South Dakota Legislature, which was sponsored by Sen. Tim Reed and eventually signed by the governor, that revised provisions related to courtroom modifications for child witnesses.

Co-op Architecture

Kendra Hage, Guillermo Cebrian and Cassie Pospishil of Co-op Architecture’s Sioux Falls office recently became licensed architects. Co-op, a 30-person design and planning firm, now employs 11 licensed architects across three South Dakota offices. Pospishil started at Co-op in 2016 as an intern. Hage has been with the firm for four years and Guillermo for one year.

Dakota Business Finance

Dakota Business Finance has elected officers for its board of directors: president, Will Haugen, First Dakota National Bank; vice president, James Grotenhuis, CorTrust Bank in Yankton; and secretary/treasurer, Mike Gray, Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

New members of the Dakota Business Finance board of directors are Donald Greiner, First Bank & Trust in Brookings; Bradyn Neises, Bender Commercial Real Estate Services; and Jordan Rieffenberger, Lloyd Cos. 

New board members are Dennis Breske, NAI Sioux Falls; Joel Christophersen, Security National Bank; Luke Garry, Minnwest Bank; Rodney Krantz, Plains Commerce Bank; Rocky Rehfeldt, First Dakota National Bank/Loft Advisors; and Jim Wiederrich, Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith.

New members of the Dakota Business Finance Iowa Loan Committee are Kent Stensland, Bank Midwest in Spirit Lake, and Jared Vander Sanden, Peoples Bank in Rock Rapids.

Dakota Credit Union Association

Chesney Garnos has joined the Dakota Credit Union Association as the director of political and grassroots affairs. She has experience in government relations, nonprofit advocacy and executive relationship-building. Garnos most recently worked as a strategic communications manager and senior digital strategist for two companies in Sioux Falls. Previously, she completed five internships in the U.S. Senate, was the communications manager for a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., and worked as a communications specialist in the office of U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds.

First Premier Bank

Darin Schaap has joined the wealth management team at First Premier Bank as vice president, senior wealth manager. Schaap has nearly 30 years of experience and is a Certified Trust Financial Advisor and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary.

 

South Eastern Council of Governments

Jim Feeney has been elected as the board chair for the South Eastern Council of Governments. Feeney retired from the organization in July after serving on the team for five years. Before SECOG, he worked in state government in Pierre for 39 years.

 

Toastmaster International

Emily Fink has been named the 2022-23 Toastmaster of the Year for District 78 of Toastmaster International, which includes South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and part of western Minnesota. Fink, an associate project manager at the  Sanford Health Foundation, has been a member of the Dakota Avenue Toastmasters Club for five years. The award is given to a member of a Toastmaster International club who exhibits the organization’s core values of integrity, respect, service and excellence in promoting its mission, which states: “We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.”