Success Stories

Casey Family

A family business rich in history and rooted in strong values, the 3rd and 4th generation Casey family members were honored with the 2005 Prairie Family Business Award at the annual conference in Rapid City, South Dakota. Sharon Casey served as one of the founding advisory board members for the organization. Sharon credits her involvement with the programs the Prairie Family Business Association has offered over the past years with helping her family begin the process of succession planning and working through some difficult issues.
Click here to read the entire interview with 3rd generation owners Sharon and Terry Casey and their son, Christian.

Milbank House Movers

Milbank House Movers, Inc. began in 1964, when James H Wendland returned to Milbank following military duty in the US Army in Ft Leonard Wood, MO.  Jim returned to Milbank to seek extra income to expand his dairy operation.  He was offered a job by Earl Nielsen, who had been in the house moving business in Milbank since 1942.  The following February, Jim bought Mr. Nielsen’s equipment and renamed the business Milbank House Movers.
Click here for the rest of the story.

Redlinger Bros Plumbing

Howard and Clark purchased two service trucks and leased a basement office space on West Kemp Ave. in Watertown. On April 1, 1946 they opened the doors of Redlinger Bros. Plumbing, providing plumbing services to the folks in the Watertown area. It was a humble beginning. Read more

Sweetman Construction

Founded in 1930, Concrete Materials produced crushed rock from a small processing plant in west Sioux Falls. The company later added a small sand production plant near Rowene and, after World War II, opened Sioux Falls' first ready mix concrete plant adjacent to the original rock quarry. When Richard S. Sweetman purchased C.A. Wagner Construction Co. in 1952, the company specialized in heavy highway construction because the interstate system was under construction.  Read more  

 

Duemelands Commercial, LLLP

While Duemeland family may not have conscientiously worked on any of the three criteria: holding family meetings, enact strategic planning and establish an effective advisory or board of directors. The criteria developed during the first three generation transfers, their commitment to strong family values and a shared vision have helped them transition through three generations and working on the fourth generation transfer.   Read more  

 

Prairie Berry Winery

The Vojta family has been making wine for five generations. Winemaking started with grandma using the choke cherry or Priarie berry like her family did in the old country this passion turned into a booming nationally acclaimed operation that has increased exponetially in the last 10 years. The Vojta family has done alot of things right to get to be where they are. They have used accounting practices that were not always the norm and they have perfected the wine that they produced and have recieved numerous awards.    See more