April Newsletter

We came together for our annual banquet to celebrate our local businesses, the great support we have received, and to take a look back at the work the Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce has done this past year. In addition to all of that, we were fortunate to have our local resident, Dr. Jennifer M. Reecy from First National Bank in Sioux Falls, give a motivational speech.

We are currently providing value for 90 members which includes 10 new members for 2023. Our membership represents a variety of industries from restaurants, retail, personal and professional services as well as lodging.

The benefits our businesses receive by being Chamber members include:

• Business Networking
• Community Involvement
• Marketing/Advertising and Social Media
• Job Postings
• Ribbon Cuttings
• And more

What do we do?

We are a volunteer organization with an inner drive to help the greater good Dell Rapids and promote local business! We currently have one full time administrator, seven board members, and one city liaison. We host several community events annually and conduct monthly board meetings.

Meet the 2024 Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce Board

We recently had three board openings which are 3-year term positions with all three seats being filled. In addition, at our most recent monthly meeting in March, we also held our annual officer elections.

Amber Larson – President

Nate O’Bryan* – Vice President

Diana Lightner – Treasurer

Tammy McKillip* – Secretary

Jessica Grib – Ambassador

Mark DeGraw – Ambassador

Theresa Durfee* – Ambassador

Mayor Tom Earley – City Liaison

Sara Stadem – Administrator

*Positions renewed for a 3 year term

The annual events that we host include:

• Legislative Coffee (February)
• Annual Easter Egg Hunt (March/April)
• Quarry Days (June)  
• Wine & Wander (July)
• Senior Trail Ride (September)
• Trick or Treat (October)
• Small Business Saturday (November)
• Christmas at the Dells (December)

During our annual banquet, we recognized two of our outstanding businesses in Dell Rapids – Carstensen Contracting and Dell Rapids Ace Hardware and Rentals.

Carstensen Contracting was awarded the Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce 2023 Business of the Year! They were instrumental in reconstructing our interstate billboards and we appreciate all of their sponsorship support at several of our events.

The Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce 2023 Community Spirit Award went to Dell Rapids Ace Hardware and Rentals. They are always willing to step up and help us with anything that we need to host an event to make it fantastic. It can be anything from sponsoring events, allowing us to use equipment to prepare for the Quarry Days Street Dance, providing treat bags for Downtown Trick or Treat, and allowing us to use their bouncy houses during Quarry Days. The list goes on and on.  

There was one more special award presented during our annual banquet which went to our very own Amber Larson. Amber has served on the Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce for ten years and is currently our President. She oversees events and has been a great addition to our board.

We will have four open board positions to be voted upon at the 2025 Annual Banquet. The positions are held for 3 years and are open to owners or employees of paid Chamber businesses. We ask board members to be advocates of the community of Dell Rapids and the businesses within it, attend monthly meetings, join event planning committees, and actively participate in our events. If you are interested in applying for one of these positions, we welcome you to attend our monthly meetings held on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm at River Community Church. We would enjoy having you learn more bout the board and assist with tasks throughout the year to get a good understanding of what the role entails.

We want to thank everyone that was able to join us for our annual banquet and another thank you for the continued support given to us by all of our wonderful local business members. We are looking forward to another great year!

Chamber Mixer Host

Would you be interested in hosting a Chamber mixer at your business in May or June? We would like to share more information on what your business has to offer with the community. Please contact us at office@dellrapidschamber.com.

Annual Easter Egg Hunt

The cold weather didn't stop the Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce from holding our Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 23. While the hunt was moved indoors, it was still a success for all ages with the children collecting over 6,500 eggs! The Easter Bunny made its annual appearance to add to the excitement of the event and take photos with the children. The children enjoyed hunting for the special prize eggs. A shout out and thank you to Barb Green for filling our Easter eggs for us. We appreciate all of the help!

Nelson Insurance Agency became a member of the Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce in October 2023 and is our April Member Spotlight.

Hunter Nelson, owner and licensed agent, followed in his father's footsteps when he decided to get into the field of insurance. Nelson explained his father, Brian Nelson, was captive, working for Farm Bureau. Once they went independent, Brian started Nelson Insurance Agency in late November 2021 and started building real estate in Dell Rapids.

Nelson Insurance Agency is located at 2200 W. 49th Street, Suite 100, in Sioux Falls, behind Runnings on 49th and Western. Nelson Insurance Agency can assist you with a wide range of insurance needs from Business Insurance to Property, Vehicle, and Life Insurance. Hunter explained while they do offer a wide ranged of insurance, they are most popular for a few types of insurance. "We do a lot of commercial. We take on any business, but our most popular is trucking, contractors, manufacturers, and real-estate," said Hunter.

As to how the process works, Hunter shared that sometimes it depends on what type of insurance customers are inquiring about with them. "If someone calls in about home and auto insurance, that's pretty cut and dry," Hunter said. "We can take the information that we need and help them shop around. We explain the different companies and how we can save them money. It's pretty quick and easy."

Hunter continued to explain, "If you are a large business, we aren't just going to offer you a policy. We are going to see how the business works, what they have going on, and we are going to do a risk management. We are going to show them areas they can save money." He added, "An example is one group I have, we were able to put a plan in place that we were able to save 8% by putting a risk management in place with work comp and they don't even have to move companies. So, we offer a lot of options. We go through it all and see what's the best for them and look to save money in different areas."

Nelson Insurance Agency has four staff members that can assist you when you contact them:

Hunter has been a licensed agent for two years and took over the agency in 2022. He specializes in trucking insurance.

Julien Grevengoed is a licensed agent that specializes in contractors.

Becky Desersa is the office manager and also sells life insurance.

Jesselyn Dornbusch does their marketing in addition to being a home and auto agent.

Although they may specialize in areas, generally any of the Nelson Insurance Agency staff can assist you. When you call in, they will direct you to the best representative to work with for your insurance needs. Hunter added, "We take education very serious here. Everyone has tons of training and we are always adding to what we have so that we can offer more to our customers."

When asked what drew him to the insurance field, Hunter said, "My dad, obviously. He did it for years and I saw that he really liked it." He continued, "I love talking to people. I love creating relationships. You get to meet a lot of people in this field. If you go into a business and save them a lot of money, that's something I love to get to do. I enjoy working with numbers; math has always been my thing and at the end of the day, I just love having connections and relationships with people."

If you are in the market for insurance or looking to review your current plans, you can contact Nelson Insurance Agency for assistance. You can start by submitting a request for a quote on their website, http://nelsoninsurancesf.com/, or give them a call today at 605-275-9700.

The Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce Board thanks you for your continued support. We look forward to working along side you in 2024 to promote your business and the town of Dell Rapids.