June 23, 2020

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Frances Thompson, a senior email marketing specialist at Sanford Health.

Name: Frances Thompson

Age: 30

Hometown: Sioux Falls

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

I was born in Minneapolis, where my parents had been living for a few years, but we moved to Sioux Falls to establish roots closer to our extended family. My mom grew up in Eagle Butte, S.D., and my dad on a ranch near Winner, S.D., so we’ve always had strong South Dakota ties.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

When I graduated from Augustana, I spent almost five years away in both Rapid City and Minneapolis. I ended up coming back for the same reason my parents did. Family is important to me, and it’s great to see that I can have my big-city amenities in Sioux Falls. I also remember visiting Sioux Falls on weekends and seeing it change. I realized I wanted to be a part of that.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

Sanford Health is certainty health care but done through a variety of service lines. In my role, I get to work on a variety of our external communications, so every day is different. I may be helping execute a Sanford Sports Complex campaign one day and working with my Good Samaritan Society co-workers the next. I live for the variety.

How did you get connected to your industry?

I went to school for journalism and business administration but found a home in digital marketing. Marketing, specifically with that digital emphasis, is perfect for people who tend not to sit still. There’s so many touch points out there for us to reach people, but we have a large team at Sanford Health and so many experts here. My recommendation to new graduates interested in marketing or content creation would be to not be afraid to raise your hand and say, “I don’t know, but I can try to figure it out.”

Describe Sanford Health in three words.

Community, innovative, steadfast.

What’s your favorite way to give back to your community?

I love volunteering for local nonprofits that have a direct impact on Sioux Falls families. One I’m passionate about is Feeding South Dakota. What I like about them is for those who maybe can’t support with monetary donations, you can hop in on a shift that fits your schedule and help pack food boxes. We tend to get a little competitive and turn it into a workout, but our team has volunteered multiple times and loves the sense of accomplishment.

What’s one business you’d like to see in Sioux Falls that isn’t here now?

There’s a few places that sell it already, but I would love more options for bubble tea. Outside of that, I’d love to see more minority-owned businesses in general. Sioux Falls is growing, and it’s such a positive for everyone when that diversity can be celebrated.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

First of all, I’m definitely going to be in Sioux Falls. I am in deep into marketing and communications here but like to keep a lot moving with my free time. I was recently accepted into the Billie Sutton Leadership Institute and will be starting my community engagement project soon. If I get to continue working on that project five years from now, I will consider myself extremely lucky.