Our Voice
We think a lot. This is our space to share what's on the top of our mind. We hope we don't bore you.
Miles Beacom was hired in 1989 to develop the PREMIER Bankcard program. Under his leadership as CEO and president of PREMIER Bankcard, the PREMIER organization has grown to over 3.5 million accounts, has been recognized as one of the largest issuers of MasterCard® and Visa® cards in the nation, and employs thousands of people across South Dakota.
Bill White is the diocesan vice-postulator of Nicholas Black Elk Sr.’s sainthood cause. He is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Janet Kittams is the president of the Helpline Center, a South Dakota nonprofit that began in the Sioux Falls community more than four decades ago. What began as an organization run by volunteers who answered the phone for individuals in crisis grew to the very first location west of the Mississippi River to provide a 211 Helpline.
David R. Emery is the chairman and CEO of Black Hills Corporation, which serves 1.25 million electric and natural gas utility customers in 800 communities in eight states. Headquartered in Rapid City and under his leadership, the company has placed an intentional focus on its customers and the growth of the company.
Kevin Pourier is an Oglala Lakota artist who lives and works on the Pine Ridge Reservation. At this year’s Santa Fe Indian Market, the world’s largest and most prestigious Indian art market, he was awarded Best of Show.
Kristi Nelson is the executive director of Network for Grateful Living, a global nonprofit working to catalyze the transformative power of personal and societal responsibility. Located in western Massachusetts, it offers online and community-based programs and practices to inspire a commitment to grateful living.
Dr. Ernesto Sirolli is one of the world’s leading experts on economic development. He started working in the field of international aid in Africa in 1971 and has since worked in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Latin America and Asia in projects that promote local entrepreneurship and local self-determination.
Before Ferguson brought to light racial inequalities in St. Louis, there was a research effort—and organization—working to improve the health of all people by eliminating racial inequities in the St. Louis region.
For the Sake of All's project director and principal investigator, Dr. Jason Purnell, will sit down with Matt Ehlman of The Numad Group for our December Morning Fill Up on Thursday, December 14 at 7am at The Garage in Rapid City.
Jason poses the question, "How can someone living in one community nine miles away live 18 years longer than another?"
We'll explore that question, and also want to know: What would you ask Jason at Morning Fill Up? Submit your questions here and we'll do our very best to ask your question during the conversation on December 14.
Adam Steltzner is a curious guy. Super curious, actually. And in a conversation with Matt Ehlman of The Numad Group during our November Morning Fill Up, he'll talk about how his curiosity changed his life.
Adam is a Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer recognized for development of the Mars Curiosity rover's entry, descent and landing system and for contributions to control of parachute dynamics. He has worked on multiple NASA flight projects, including Galileo, Cassini, Mars Pathfinder, and the Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity). The earlier rovers--Pathfinder's Sojourner, as well as Spirit and Opportunity--landed on Mars with the help of specially designed airbags.
And so, we want to know: What would you ask Adam Steltzner at Morning Fill Up? Submit your questions here and we'll do our very best to ask your question during the conversation on November 30.
Stephanie has been with SDCF for 20 years and has served as its president for nearly five years. SDCF’s initial $10 million dollar endowment has grown to nearly $300 million. Over $100 million dollars in grants and scholarships have been awarded by SDCF to nonprofits and individuals doing important work in our state.
South Dakota Community Foundation has been connecting generous people and community nonprofits throughout the state of South Dakota for 30 years. SDCF was established as part of late Governor George Mickelson’s vision for our state’s second century. Nearly every community across South Dakota has been impacted by the work of SDCF.
There are still a few seats left! Reserve your spot here.
For a few months, members of The Numad Group have been part of a community of neighbors in the East of 5th District planning a Block Party for Rapid City, to bring good people together to celebrate our neighborhood. We hope you’ll make plans now to join us on Friday, September 8 from 5-9 PM. The Block Party is part of Rapid City’s Downtown Art Night, and is the last one of the year. You will be able to find the Block Party at Trinity Eco Prayer Park that is on the corner of 4th and St. Joseph streets.
Because it is the last night of Downtown Art Night, we are going all out to celebrate the arts—and all the cool things happening East of 5th. We will have an outdoor concert featuring Matt Costa and special performances by Life Without Lemons, Library Advocate, J Shogren and the Stevens High School Jazz Band. Matt Costa is being sponsored by The Garage Concert Series, where he performed last year in front of a sold-out audience. The night will be full of music, but will be broken up with other events such as yoga and dancing. There will also be many events for children—face painting, tattoos, making slime, and so much more.
Our goal is to support and enjoy the arts, and do it as a community. This event is made possible thanks to an all-volunteer committee made up of neighbors of the East of 5th District. At The Numad Group, we are very thankful to be part of East of 5th and are very excited for this event.
To learn more about the event click here
(By the way, there may or may not be a secret happening during the block party… show up to find out…)
Generation Y (or, as most like to call them, “Millennials”) are those generally considered to be born from 1977-94. There are many opinions about this age group - how they define themselves, their attitude, and work ethic (all opinions). One thing that is true about this group is how they have been changing marketing, especially the younger ones within this group.
Millennials have outnumbered their parents, “Baby Boomers,” both in numbers… and eventually in spending. In 2014, they represented $1.3 trillion in annual spending. Even though a great number of Millennials haven’t reached peak buying power, they have already started creating brand loyalty or brand preference.
They (we) are considered the first generation in history that have grown up surrounded by technology (not just smartphones—this includes Nintendo). Technology has shaped Millennials’ identities, and how they view the world: culturally, politically, and how they interact with others. Technology is what they know and will always be a large part of their daily lives.
Technology has changed how Millennials have developed and in return has changed marketing—how you should be using their characteristics to develop a better marketing strategy. According to a survey by Bank of America, nearly 40% of Millennials say they interact more with their smartphones than they do with their significant others, parents, friends, children, or co-workers. This overall changes how they receive any type of information and is a crucial point to think about as a marketer if Millennials are a part of your target audience.
Traditional media like TV, print (newspaper, magazines, etc.), radio, and billboards aren’t always a relative medium to market to Millennials. It isn’t that these mediums aren’t used by Millennials, but they use them in a different way. Instead of buying cable they are purchasing Netflix and Hulu. They are subscribing to Pandora, Spotify, Soundcloud, and so forth instead of listening to local radio. Millennials read more than any other generation, but instead of looking at physical newspapers and magazines they are resorting to apps and social media.
In my opinion, traditional mediums will never "die," but there are diverse ways to use them to connect with Millennials. For example, marketers could use interactivity with traditional mediums such as virtual reality.
Check out this YouTube video on virtual reality
This list could go on forever, but I will end here.
