2025 - The Year in Review - Progress and development: This year had it al

In the blink of an eye, 2025 is now a blip in the rear-view mirror, as the new year – 2026 – begins tomorrow. And similar to the years that came before, there were many headline-worthy stories that are forever cemented on the pages of the Brandon Valley Journal.

New businesses began operations, while others shuttered their doors. Elections were planned, votes were cast and counted, and victors emerged. We witnessed Brandon Valley student-athletes giving their all, debated decisions made by governing officials, and maneuvered our way through the sometimes-frustrating orange-cone construction season. And we continued to see dirt turning on multiple new developments, businesses, roadways and the like.

And so, in no particular order, are the stories we have determined to be the most important and influential of the past year.

Community business landscape

In late January, Brandon 90 Plaza developer Marwin Hofer announced two national retailers signed paperwork to locate there. Les Schwab Tire Center and Kwik Star – the second for Brandon – are those businesses. 

Les Schwab Tire Center is presently under construction directly east of Heartland Appliance, while Kwik Star will begin building this spring on three acres of the west side of the middle island of the development.

Les Schwab’s new facility will feature seven bays, and services will include brakes, alignments, shocks, oil changes, custom wheels, batteries and more. They anticipate hiring a staff of 10 to 12 for this location.

Les Schwab Tire Center has more than 550 locations in 14 states, employing more than 8,500. This will be the seventh store in South Dakota after opening six locations in 2024.

The Drop Nutrition made a return to Brandon in January, when Kaleb and Haley Lindsey-Stevens reopened the business they initially launched. The Drop’s return came about when The Blend Nutrition owners, Amanda and Jim Starzl and family, made the decision to cease operations.

Annie Pedersen relocated her 21-year-old business, Annie’s Coffee Bar & Roastery, from Garretson to Brandon. She initially began roasting beans in the Splitrock Boulevard location, and soon after, made the decision to move her entire operation here. Annie’s offers a variety of coffees and other beverages, along with lunches, Friday evening specials and more. She also sells bags of flavored coffee beans that she roasts in-house at 721 N. Splitrock Blvd.

In mid-November, Brandon gained another option for health services at Modern Day Healthcare. Founder and CEO Deanne “Annie” Donaway said establishing a practice in Brandon was a logical move for the business, which started in Aberdeen. Modern Day Healthcare staff see patients in person, online or in their own homes.

“When one door closes, another opens” could be the mantra for 212º The Boiling Point. In April, Kyle Thill closed down the popular bar and grill, announcing it on the business’s Facebook page. Thill said he had been trying to sell the business for 18 months before deciding to close. Multiple offers, he said, all fell through.

In early June, partners Casie Scott and Rich Lindemann reopened the business under the same name. Many of the establishment’s former employees returned to work there, as well as new staff was hired. Scott revamped the menu, and continues to offer new daily and weekly specials.

The Hideaway, formerly operating as The Hideaway, gained new ownership in early spring. Mike Kloth, Chad Hasert, Mike Carlson, Preston Plautz and Aaron Hansen are the partners who took it over from Curt Wrightsman.

Jersey Mike’s Subs announced their plans to expand to Brandon. The national chain leased space next to Scooter’s Coffee, and opened for business in mid-November.

Brandon gained a laundry service in Laundry Evolved. Starla Jackson opened the business at 1302 E. Rushmore Dr., Suite A in June, leaving behind a full-time career as a dental hygienist.

Customer demand is what lured Zack Moe and his business, Blazin’ Aces to Brandon. He set up shop in a strip mall at one of the town’s busiest intersections, Holly and Splitrock boulevards. Blazin’ Aces shelves a wide variety of vapes, gummies, smoke products, cigarettes and cigars.

Fareway made it official in early August, securing a liquor license for their forthcoming grocery store. The Midwest grocery store chain based in Boone, Iowa, purchased land 2022 in Encore Park on the north side of Holly Boulevard west of Heartland Funeral Home. They changed locations, moving to the “P.M.” side (south side of Holly) in 2025, with plans to put a shovel in the ground this spring.

A second Casey’s store also opened this fall on Brandon’s eastside on the south side of Aspen Boulevard. 

The final chapter of a family-owned and operated Brandon business was written this year. Brian and Donna Welling, owners of Fulda Electric Service, Inc., retired from the business that was started in 1971 by Brian’s father, Don, in Fulda, Minn. The Wellings had tried to sell the business, but didn’t receive a viable offer.

The city of Valley Springs agreed to sell the vacant lot at 415 Broadway Ave. to make way for a new business, J&J Screen Printing, Embroidery and Laser Engraving. A father-son partnership, Jarett Hanten and Nicholas Hanten plan to expand the Worthington, Minn.-based business to the South Dakota community, where Nicholas resides.

Back Spin Golf Simulators will be opening in Brandon at 513 N. Splitrock Blvd. in January. The business is the result of a partnership between two couples: Josh and Courtney Sneller of Brandon, and Alex and Haley Van Hollen of Sioux Center, Iowa.

IceCat Arena opens

After more than a decade of planning, fundraising and perseverance, the opening of the IceCats Arena was celebrated in October, marking a milestone for the Brandon Valley Hockey Association.

“What a fabulous facility, a dream come true,” said Bryan Seaver, one of the pioneers behind bringing the Arena to fruition. “It’s almost surreal when you dream about something for so long and it finally happens. It’s nicer than I imagined it would be.”

Standoff on Conifer

A warrant arrest attempted by the United States Marshals Service and Brandon Police Department ended with one person dead and a home left uninhabitable by fire following a hours-long standoff on Feb. 16. Just after 2 p.m. that day, joint law enforcement conducted an arrest warrant service at 113 W. Conifer St. in Brandon. Abe Joseph Boushee, 43, had five outstanding warrants from Lincoln County, including felony drug offenses and possession of a firearm with an altered serial number. The remaining three warrants were two felony warrants for bond violations and a misdemeanor warrant.

The stand-off extended to nearly six hours. Following hours of attempted negotiations and tactical measures, SWAT team members deployed additional chemical agents into the residence. Shortly after deployment, a fire broke out inside the home and spread rapidly. Boushee still did not surrender. Boushee perished in the fire.

Valley Springs well house complete

The multi-year, multi-project, multi-million-dollar well house project in Valley Springs was completed in January.

“We’ve been working on the whole thing for probably five years. We started upgrading our water and sewer lines, and we remodeled the water tower. It’s been a long time, but I’m glad it’s over with,” said Valley Springs Mayor Rick Larsen.

The new well house and equipment has largely eliminated iron and manganese in the water.

Voters opt for Ironwood Extension plan

Brandon voters supported the plan to extend East Ironwood Street over widening Aspen Park Road and improving parking lots at Aspen Park in the 2025 municipal election. Extending Ironwood will be paid for through special assessments to the adjacent property owners, which includes the city. These assessments will range from $21,000 up to $195,000. The city’s portion has been estimated at about $800,000.

Because the project was determined by a vote of the people, construction will not begin before April of this year.

Sioux Falls annexes land for probable data center

A planned data center on the Sioux Falls boundary of Six Mile road and West Holly (Rice Street) Boulevard took a major step in late December when the Sioux Falls City Council unanimously approved the first reading to rezone a parcel of land from Residential to Light Industrial, opening the door for California-based Gemini Capital. The company plans to build a large-scale data cener capable of housing high capacity computing server farms. 

Changes in our churches

Pastor Dan Deardoff closed out 41-year career in ministry in May, retiring as pastor of Blessed Redeemer Lutheran. In early December, Minnesota-transplant Andrew Ratcliffe was installed as the congregation’s new pastor.

Beaver Valley Lutheran also gained a new pastor in the pulpit in June in Pastor Josh Schunk. He succeeds several months of interim pastors after Greg Johnson retired in 2024.

And finally, Sure Foundation Lutheran, a Wisconsin Evangelical Synod congregation, began worshipping in their new church in early June 11.

Hey, Brandon, we’re on TV!

It was a year for Brandon residents to make their television debuts. In June, the mother-daughter of Tonna and Cait Jacobson competed on MasterChef: Dueling Duos. Although they didn’t win the weeks-long cooking competition, they did survive several weeks before being eliminated.

Nik and Stacie Aamlid’s home remodeling project was televised on the “Down Home Fab”, an HGTV program that features Chelsea and Cole DeBoer, who live near Sioux Falls and have a retail store by the same name as the show in Tea. Stacie

said she inquired about the show on a whim and never imagined her inquiry would lead to the televised remodeling of their living room. kitchen, entryway, stairway to the second floor, office flooring and mudroom.

Lee and Rhonda Schelling also turned to the national television stage in search of their Okoboji, Iowa area lake home search and renovation, Lakefront Bargan Hunt: Renovation, which airs on the Magnolia Network channel.

“We talked about it and dreamed about it (a lakefront property) a little, but I never really thought we would have one on the water there, so yeah, it’s a dream come true,” Rhonda said.

Brandon Valley alum Dale Mossa also returned to television in the most recent season of Bachelor in Paradise.

I-90 diverging diamond opens

The long-awaited completion of the Exit 406 I-90 interchange wrapped up in December, much to the delight of all who possess a 57005 Zip Code. The two-year, $43.1 million project was celebrated in early December with a ribbon cutting and remarks by state and local officials.

Spartan doubles footprint in Brandon with $20M expansion

Spartan Emergency Response’s footprint in Brandon is about to get a lot bigger. On Aug. 13, the leading manufacturer of fire apparatuses and a subsidiary of REV Group, Inc., put the celebratory shiny shovels into the ground to commemorate the start of a $20 million expansion that will double the company’s manufacturing footprint in an effort to meet the rising demand of fire departments across the nation. The expansion will create 50 new jobs and increase annual payroll by an estimated $1.8 million and approximately $85,000 increase in annual property taxes.

One in, one out

Rick Bonander of Valley Springs announced his candidacy for the Minnehaha County Commission in September, and District 2 Representative Dave Kull announces he will not seek re-election to third legislative term.

Another big year for BVBA 

The Brandon Valley Baseball Association once again put out the call for community volunteers to help them carry out hosting of the 2025 State Amateur Baseball Tournament in late July. Attendees applauded the extra efforts made to make visiting fans have an enjoyable experience at First National Bank Field in Aspen Park.

BVBA’s Chris Brown was also selected as the 2025 Spirit Award winner by the Brandon Community Foundation. Brown plugged his famed line, “It’s all about community,” noting the BVBA and the many tournaments they have hosted wouldn’t be possible without.

First National Bank also announced its ongoing support of the BVBA, by pledging $200,000-plus for next 10 years.