Board of
Directors
The Brandon Development Foundation is managed and controlled by a Board of Directors. The Board consists of 12 members. 9 are elected directly from the Membership and are our voting members. The other 3 non-voting, ex-officio members including 1 elected City of Brandon official, 1 representative of the Brandon Valley School District, and 1 representative of the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce.
Tim Jorgenson
Chairman
Tim Jorgenson is a lifelong Brandon resident. He owns and operates SplitRock Furniture after a 15 year career at Sioux Marble, a family owned manufacturing business in Brandon.
Tim served on the Planning and Zoning Commission for 12 years prior to being elected as a Ward 1 representative to the Brandon City Council. Tim has a wife, Heidi, and 2 children, Jacob and Owen.
Steve Kolbeck
Board Member
Steve Kolbeck is currently the Principal Manager of Xcel Energy, South Dakota and represents District 2 in the South Dakota Senate. He previously held management positions with Alliance Communications and CenturyLink-South Dakota. Steve has served on the Brandon City Council and is a former South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Commissioner.
Steve has lived in Brandon since 1997, except for the 5 and a half years he served on the PUC in Pierre. Steve and his wife Stacy have four children, Wilson, Alex, Joseph, and Mary. Steve holds an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Telecommunications from Mitchell Technical Institute, a Bachelor of Science from South Dakota State University, and a Masters in Business Administration from Dakota Wesleyan University.
Valarie Lemkau
Board Member
Valarie Lemkau is the Branch Manager at the Brandon Branch of The First National Bank in Sioux Falls.
Paul VanDeBerg
Vice-Chairman
Paul VanDeBerg has worked for Alliance Communications in Business Sales and Public Relations since 2007. He and his family have lived in Brandon since 2002 and he enjoys assisting in the growth and development of the Brandon business community.
Paul is involved with the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce, Brandon Optimist Club, Brandon Prayer Breakfast and Junior Achievement.
AJ DeLange
Board Member
AJ DeLange is a Business Banker at American Bank & Trust's Sioux Falls - River Centre branch. He grew up in Watertown, graduated from the University of Sioux Falls with a degree in Accounting and Business Administration, and now lives in Brandon with his wife and son. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, golfing, and being outdoors.
Anthony Siemonsma
Board Member
Anthony Siemonsma is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones.
Kevin Erickson
Board Member
Kevin Erickson is the Facilities Manager at Henkel Corporation in Brandon, SD.
Jay Buchholz
Board Member
Jay Buchholz is Sioux Valley Energy's Key Accounts and Community Relations Executive since October 2017. Prior to the utilities industry, Jay worked as a Sales and Marketing Executive for KELOLAND Media Group in Sioux Falls, SD.
Jay works with many Sioux Valley Energy Cooperative communities in promoting economic development and has served on the Brandon Development Foundation since 2018.
Yannick Laroche
Board Member
Yannick Laroche is Production Manager for Marmen Energy, a wind tower manufacturer located in Brandon, SD. He started his career for Marmen in 2006 as an Engineer, working at their facilities located in Québec, Canada. He moved in South Dakota in 2013 to start the operation of Marmen Energy's latest plant.
Yannick has been involve in the Brandon community since arriving in the region. He has been a board member of the Brandon Development Foundation since January 2020.
Paul Lundberg
Ex-Officio Board Member
Paul serves on the Brandon Development Foundation Board of Directors as a non-voting liaison with the Brandon Valley School District #49-2. He has been the Business Manager of the District with a $47 Million annual budget for the past 30 years.
Barb Fish
Ex-Officio Board Member
Barb Vavruska Fish has been a resident of Brandon for 16 years. She represents Ward 1 on the Brandon City Council and is a liaison to the Park Board. Barb previously served as President of the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce and a founding member of the Brandon Community Foundation and a former Booster Club representative.
Barb is a Certified Financial Planner and works with her clients at Service First Federal Credit Union. She and her husband Gary have two children and one grandson. Barb currently serves as the facilitator for eleven Praying Moms for Students groups.
Rachael Neiman
Ex-Officio Board Member
Rachael Neiman is the Executive Director of the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce.