July 10, 2024

This paid piece is sponsored by Southeastern Electric Cooperative.

Just south of Sioux Falls, along Interstate 29 at Exit 68, sits the headquarters of the second-largest distribution electric cooperative in South Dakota.

Southeastern Electric Cooperative was founded in the year 2000 after the merger of two existing electric cooperatives: Turner-Hutchinson Electric and Lincoln-Union Electric. Over the years, the cooperative has continued to gain members. 2023 was the cooperative’s second-highest year of member growth with 1,161 new service connections.

For the past three years, SEC has ranked in the top 20 nationally for member growth among electric cooperatives. The Sioux Falls metro area continues strong growth, but overall, the co-op sees growth throughout its entire service territory.

With the rapid growth of the cooperative, the board of directors recognized the need to change the location of the headquarters from Marion to Sioux Falls and remodel the existing building. The expansion of the Sioux Falls office began conceptually in 2019 and construction started in 2020.

This addition and headquarters change was part of the co-op’s strategic plan after evaluating the six operations centers at Alcester, Marion, Parkston, Salem, Sioux Falls and Viborg. The Sioux Falls office now functions as the headquarters of Southeastern Electric; however, the other five facilities continue to operate as normal.

“The pandemic and supply chain issues caused construction delays,” said Chad Kinsley, CEO of Southeastern Electric. “However, the team persevered, and I am excited to report that the construction of the Sioux Falls addition is now complete. It turned out to be a beautiful space that our team is already benefiting from and will serve our growing cooperative’s needs for many years to come.”

The expansion added 14,750 square feet of space to the existing Sioux Falls office. The extra space provides additional offices on two levels, a training center, conference room, boardroom, kitchen area and storage space.

“For the first time, the training center allows us enough space to hold trainings and meetings for all our employees at the same time in the same building,” Kinsley said. “The expansion also allows us to attract and retain talent from the Sioux Falls job market to assist in recruitment.”

SEC is hosting an open house from 3 and 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 16. Stop by for refreshments and tours of the office. Find it at 47077 276th St. at the southeast corner of  Exit 68 on I-29.