April 1, 2025

David Owen, longtime president of the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce & Industry, has announced his retirement.

Owen plans to step down at the end of August after serving in the role since 1998, including as the main lobbyist for 27 legislative sessions and as a key leader for nine statewide ballot measure campaigns over that span.

“David has led this organization for more than a quarter of a century and has skillfully guided how the chamber addressed many serious issues that have impacted our state,” chairman Michael Bender of Bender Cos. said in a statement.

Owen grew up in Rapid City and graduated from Stevens High School before attending the University of South Dakota to earn a degree from the School of Education. He began his career as the assistant manager of the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce and a year later was selected to be the president of the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce in Kansas.

In 1981, Owen was hired to lead the Missoula Chamber of Commerce in Montana, a position he held for 11 years. Following that, he was selected in 1993 to be the president of the Montana State Chamber of Commerce, which he led for approximately five years before returning to South Dakota in 1998 to lead the state chamber.

“David Owen has been a smart, strategic, articulate and effective leader of the South Dakota Chamber,” said Dennis Daugaard, South Dakota governor from 2011 to 2019. “He also has a great sense of humor! He’ll leave big shoes to fill, and I wish him well in retirement.”

The chamber has formed a search committee to hire a new president, chaired by First Premier Bank CEO Dana Dykhouse. If interested, contact him at 605-376-1223 or dana.dykhouse@firstpremier.com.