May 25, 2026

This piece is sponsored by Xcel Energy.

Xcel Energy has built a strong reputation as a military-friendly employer, and that commitment is evident in Sioux Falls.

About 10 percent of the company’s employees are active-duty military members or veterans, including eight at the Sioux Falls Service Center, where service members bring leadership, discipline and teamwork to their daily work.

Companywide, one in 10 Xcel Energy employees is a veteran. The company supports Guard and Reserve employees, veteran recruiting partnerships and apprenticeship pathways that help service members transition to civilian careers.

That reputation has been recognized by multiple organizations. Xcel Energy has been named a Military Times Best for Vets employer, honored through the U.S. Department of Labor’s HIRE Vets Medallion Program and identified as a Military Friendly employer and a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon employer. The company also partners with Troops to Energy Jobs and Hiring Our Heroes as part of a broader strategy to recruit, retain and advance veterans.

In Sioux Falls, those recognitions are more than corporate credentials. They reflect a workplace culture that values military experience and creates opportunities for service members to continue contributing at work and in the community. The Sioux Falls Service Center includes five veterans and three employees who serve in the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery Regiment, A Battery of the Minnesota National Guard in Pipestone and Luverne, Minnesota, showing how military service remains closely connected to the local workforce.

One example is John Wear, a veteran who has been with Xcel Energy for nearly four years.

Wear joined the Army as an infantryman at 19 and was deployed 11 times during 6 1/2 years of service before retiring because of an injury. His path to Sioux Falls began with a visit to South Dakota with his wife, Sarah, and the couple decided it was the right place to build a life and raise their family.

“I was ready to settle down wherever life took me,” Wear said. “My first visit to South Dakota, I thought it was beautiful.”

For Wear and his family, Sioux Falls offered both opportunity and community. He and Sarah were drawn to South Dakota’s welcoming atmosphere and saw it as an ideal place to raise their two sons. That sense of belonging mirrors what Xcel Energy aims to offer veteran employees: not only a job, but also a place where military experience is understood and respected.

Wear’s military background also illustrates why employers value veteran talent. The analytical skills, attention to detail and mission focus he developed in the infantry have translated into civilian leadership and service roles, including small-business ownership, coaching, banking and now his work as an operations specialist at the Sioux Falls Service Center. Stories like his show how military service can prepare people for long-term success across industries.

Xcel Energy reinforces that transition through its Veterans and Employees Together in Service business resource group, known as VETS. The group supports veteran employees through networking, professional development, volunteer service and advocacy while helping foster an inclusive culture across the organization. In the Upper Midwest, the group includes hundreds of active-duty military members and veterans, along with nonmilitary colleagues who support the mission. From community service projects to career development resources, that support helps explain why Xcel Energy’s military-friendly reputation continues to resonate in Sioux Falls and beyond.