Banker's leadership helps South Dakota community win award

Northwestern Financial Review, Aug 1, 2001 by Dullum, Justin

Jay Frink was the obvious choice for president of the Beresford, S.D., Chamber of Commerce. In fact, he served at the post for a year before being officially elected. Frink, thanks to his congruent role as president of First Federal Bank, inherently has his finger on the pulse of Beresford's economic wellbeing. As Chamber of Commerce president, he uses this knowledge to steer the city economically forward-and the momentum has paid off. South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow recently named Beresford as his choice for the 2001 Governor's Community of the Year.

[economic development]

"What's special about the award this year is there is only one given out," said Frink. Until this year, the governor gave three awards to three towns based on their population. Beresford, with a population of 2,000, could previously have won only in the small town category. "The fact that a city like Sioux Falls and a town like Beresford were considered for the same award, and we won, has really rallied the people here," Frink said. "We're very proud of what we've done in this town, and this award is a great honor."

In the last several years, Frink has been instrumental in luring business to Beresford as well as facilitating expansions of existing businesses. Frink said his financial expertise has been useful. In June of 2000, Slumberland Furniture announced Beresford as the location for its western distribution center. The 156,000-square-foot facility includes a 10,000-square-foot outlet center. "The construction of the facility was the largest single project in the entire state this last year," said Frink. The facility created 30 new jobs.

Another Beresford company, Quality Park, plans for a 20,000-square-foot expansion to its distribution center. The company, which produces 6 million envelopes a day, will be adding 10 positions to its payroll.

Other key economic developments facilitated by the Chamber during the past year include a $1.8 million street project, the construction and leasing of eight town homes, the allocation of funds to build a Governor's House for daycare, and establishing a Beresford Area Foundation to provide funding for various community projects.

Frink said an instrumental element in luring new business has been Beresford's location at the junction of two major highways, 1-29 and Highway 46. "The other towns Slumberland was considering didn't have the infrastructure that we have," Frink said. "I really think it put us over the top.

"It's a lot of growth for a town this size," said Frink. "There were quite a few people who worked very hard to get all of this done. The award symbolizes that effort. We have a lot of faith in the people here and we know we will continue to grow."