Author: Pat Powers

Dylan Clarkson, Craig Davis, Timothy Kintner and Pete Mehlhaff Elected to SDBA Board of Directors

PIERRE, S.D.–The South Dakota Bankers Association (SDBA), the professional and trade association for South Dakota’s financial services industry, recently held elections for four of the nine seats on its Board of Directors. Elected to serve on the SDBA Board of Directors were:

• Dylan Clarkson, President/CEO, Pioneer Bank & Trust, Belle Fourche
• Craig Davis, President/CEO, First National Bank, Pierre
• Timothy Kintner, Regional President—South Dakota, Great Western Bank, Sioux Falls
• Pete Mehlhaff, President/CEO, Great Plains Bank, Aberdeen

This is Kintner’s first term on the SDBA Board of Directors and Clarkson, Davis and Mehlhaff’s second terms. They started their new terms on May 1, 2020.

Dylan Clarkson

Dylan Clarkson is president and CEO of Pioneer Bank & Trust in Belle Fourche. Prior to joining the bank in 2016, he began serving on Pioneer Bank & Trust’s Board of Directors in 2014. Clarkson previously worked for American Bank in Bozeman, Mont., from 2006 to 2016. At American Bank, he performed multiple duties including commercial lending, cash management specialist and Bozeman area market manager. Prior to his banking career, Clarkson managed new automobile dealerships in the Bozeman area. He has an economics degree from Montana State University in Bozeman.

Since relocating from Montana to Spearfish in 2016, Clarkson has actively supported many nonprofits across Pioneer Bank & Trust’s trade area—Black Hills Works, Belle Fourche Economic Development Corporation, American Heart Association and Special Olympics South Dakota. He previously served on a number of boards while in Montana.

Clarkson and his wife, Nicki, have two children, Ben (age 5) and Elyse (age 1).

“I look forward to proliferating the message that community banks play a vital role in South Dakota and the nation,” Clarkson said. “I would like to bolster the current momentum that the industry is gaining for ‘right sized’ legislation. Despite recent corporate tax reform and the boon that it created for many banks of all sizes, the legislation as we all know didn’t level the playing field for equal taxation of non-bank competitors.”

Craig Davis:

Craig Davis is the president/CEO of First National Bank in Pierre. After graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a finance degree in 1991, he worked briefly for ITI (now known as FiServ) in Lincoln. He returned to Pierre in late 1991 and began his career with First National Bank as a loan review officer. Davis was later promoted to commercial lending and also served as the bank’s senior credit officer. Davis was named president/CEO in 2010.

Davis has been very involved in his community. He is a past president of the Pierre Chamber of Commerce and a past board member of the Pierre Economic Development Corporation, the Boys and Girls Club, Junior Achievement and the United Way. Davis has also served as a member of the Oahe Hockey Association and director of league play/scheduling.

Davis and his wife, Beth, have two children, Caden (age 19) and Avery (age 17).

“I want to work to find a way to ensure that community banks of all sizes in South Dakota are viable now and well into the future and also want to help invoke change in the regulatory arena,” Davis said. “I also look forward to networking with fellow SDBA members.”

Timothy Kintner:

Timothy Kintner has served as regional president of Great Western Bank since 2018, and oversees all banking operations in South Dakota and retail banking throughout the company. Kintner has more than 30 years of banking experience and has expertise in all areas of bank management and strategic bank planning. Before joining Great Western Bank, he held the position of executive vice president – regional banking markets and community relations for Bankers Trust Company in Des Moines, Iowa, since 2013. Prior to that, he served as president and CEO of Bankers Trust in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and also president of Marquette Bank in Cedar Rapids. Kintner also spent several years in senior management positions with Wells Fargo.

Kintner is an active community member and currently serves on the board of the Sioux Empire United Way, the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry Economic Outlook Seminar Committee and Sioux Falls Downtown Rotary. He has also served on the SDBA Legislative Committee.

Kintner and his wife, Nancy, have an adult daughter (Kari) and son (Nathan). They also have three grandchildren.

“Banks play an important role in keeping our communities strong. I plan to work to support legislation that assists banks in this effort and also benefits our local economies,” Kintner said. “It is critical that regulation for banks and non-bank competitors makes sense in relation to each other. Advocacy for the banking industry will be a strong focus, with my goal being to educate both the public and legislators.”

Pete Mehlhaff:

Pete Mehlhaff, a fourth-generation banker, started his banking career 41 years ago. Mehlhaff served as a lending officer with U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo in correspondent and business banking departments in Aberdeen and Minnesota communities of Redwood Falls, Bloomington, St. Paul and Minneapolis. Mehlhaff returned to South Dakota in 1990, when he became president and chairman of Great Plains Bank—a $120 million community bank with offices in Eureka, Aberdeen and Eden. Mehlhaff completed an undergraduate degree at Northern State University and holds graduate degrees from University of St. Thomas (MBA) and Mount Marty College (MA). In addition to many banking programs, he is also a graduate of the Colorado Graduate School of Banking.

Mehlhaff, an ordained Catholic deacon, serves at St. Mary’s Church in Aberdeen. He is active in community affairs including former chairman of Presentation College Board of Trustees where he continues to serve as adjunct faculty. He was a founding director of the Eureka Area Community Foundation, former president of Aberdeen Area Catholic Foundation and currently serves on the Northern State University School of Business Advisory Board.

Mehlhaff and his wife, Paddy, have been married for 39 years and have five children.

“The banking community has not been successful in its attempts to change the tax policies that give Farm Credit System and credit unions an unfair advantage over banks,” Mehlhaff said. “I look forward to promoting reform that gives banks tax treatment similar to those competitors, thereby creating a more level playing field.”

A complete list of the SDBA Board of Directors is available at www.sdba.com/sdba-board-of-directors.

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Rounds Statement on President Asking DOJ to Investigate Price Fixing in Cattle Market

Rounds recently called on the Department of Justice to investigate anti-competitiveness in the packing industry 

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement afterPresident Trump revealed that he has asked the Department of Justice to investigate suspicious meat packer pricing activity:

“I thank President Trump for continuing to stand up for our farmers and ranchers. Even before COVID-19 hit our country, South Dakota’s cattle producers were seeing significant losses. This has only worsened in recent months. Meanwhile, store prices and boxed beef prices are at record highs. These margins don’t make any sense. The reality is that there is an inverse correlation between the producer’s price and the consumer’s price. We’ve got to figure out why.

“I have been calling for a Department of Justice investigation into whether a packer oligopoly exists in the cattle market. The disparity between the price of meat at the grocery store versus what the producer gets for his or her product is very concerning. It’s time we know why this is happening so we can fix it once and for all.”

On March 19, Rounds sent a letter to the Department of Justice asking for this investigation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began an investigation into packer pricing activity last year following a fire at a Tyson Foods plant in Kansas that resulted in a steep decline of cattle prices. Rounds has supported USDA’s investigation.

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Via Mike Rounds’ Facebook page:

A reader was nice enough to snap some photos of one of our state’s primary election contests, as being played out on the boulevards in our Capital City in Pierre:

All pretty standard coroplast signs… although the Weisgram sign is on the cadillac of yard sign stakes that might cost more than the sign!  And the Lowery disclaimer appears to have been an afterthought, and stickered on.

Keep those signs and postcards from the field coming!  You can get them to me by clicking here!

So a postcard is landing in mailboxes across District 35 noting Senate Candidate Kevin Quick’s qualifications for office. Or would it be disqualifications?:

We know all about his criminal record in South Dakota, as I pointed out here.  Not to mention that he was the Pennington County Sheriff Office’s most wanted in May of 2017.

But the passage from the State Constitution… that’s a new wrinkle.   From Article 3, Section 4 of the South Dakota Constitution:

§ 4.   Disqualification for conviction of crime–Defaults on public money. No person who has been, or hereafter shall be, convicted of bribery, perjury, or other infamous crime, nor any person who has been, or may be collector or holder of public moneys, who shall not have accounted for and paid over, according to law, all such moneys due from him, shall be eligible to the Legislature or to any office in either branch thereof.

Read that here.

So, what would be considered an infamous crime under the constitution? They kind if left it open ended.  Clearly he’s pled guilty to felony possession of drugs and was sentenced to 4 years in the state pen, suspended. And the sentence was later modified where he was given suspended imposition of sentence.

Does a suspended imposition of sentence erase the conviction along with the sentence, and give him eligibility, or just the sentence, meaning Kevin Quick could not be seated for office, if people of his District decided they wanted someone with his qualifications sent to Pierre?

Interesting question.  And one that hopefully the GOP voters in District 35 have no interest in exploring.

Members of the South Dakota Libertarian Party are scheduled to pick their poison …  er, select their candidates via convention this weekend, according to Facebook:

According to their facebook page, the group will be holding a hybrid convention this year where  “members may attend in person at the Longbranch in Pierre or via online.”

Libertarians are able to operate under the guidelines for third party groups under state law, and are able to select their candidates for both statewide as well as legislative races.

If you recall this last election, the party picked awful candidates during a snowstorm, only to hastily have a do-over as soon as they could, and pick slightly less awful ones.

We’ll see how they do on Saturday.

And no snow is predicted this weekend, so they won’t be able to use that excuse.

From Facebook, Hot Springs Mayor, and District 30 State Senate Candidate George Kotti is out on the campaign trail getting his signs up:

Give him a call if you need one. Because the alternative is almost too horrible to fathom (Julie Frye Mueller).

Thune: Essential Workers are Heroes on the Front Line

“The past couple of months have also reminded us of another kind of heroism: the quiet heroism of doing one’s duty.”

Click here or on the picture above to watch Thune’s speech.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today, the first day of National Nurses Week, honored the nurses, health care workers, and other essential workers who are on the front lines during this coronavirus health crisis. Thune discussed the critical roles that essential workers are playing during this challenging time and the immense courage they are showing each day as they show up to work and fulfill their duties.

So a reader just sent me the Barry Volk for District 20 House card, the challenger candidate in.. well,  District 20.. running for House against Lance Koth and Paul Miskimins.

Another awful logo which highlights a design element, and not the actual name of the person running. In this case, you can add an overdone drop shadow which obfuscates the other important thing – the actual office they’re running for. A lot of wasted space on the reverse.. and.. well, let’s face it.. it’s largely formulaic.

Not to mention the photo. Does no one pay attention to the background?  I think that’s supposed to be the Corn Palace, but it’s hard to tell. And the way the candidate’s head is positioned… well the background makes it look very “mohawk-esque”

Did I say the card was formulaic? How formulaic? Well…

Remember the Kevin Quick and Aaron Aylward postcards?  Yeah… There’s more than just a passing similarity.  In fact…

Well, their “consultant” (and I use that term loosely) appears to have just swapped out the words “unprecedented” on Aylward’s card, and substituted “historic.” And he substituted District 20 for District 6.  BONUS!  Barry Volk got 8 more words than Aaron, where they tacked on “this election to take those values to Pierre” to the end of the “I’m asking for your vote and support” sentence.   Aside from the fact it’s otherwise identical to the Quick card as well.

KA-CHUNK.  And another cookie cutter postcard is born.

(I think someone has just given up trying at this point.)

RAVNSBORG JOINS WITH MIDWEST AND WESTERN ATTORNEYS GENERAL URGING FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OF MEAT PACKING INDUSTRY PRACTICES

PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg and the Attorneys General from ten other Midwestern and Western states are urging the Department of Justice to pursue a federal investigation into suspected national price fixing by meat packers in the cattle industry.

In a letter to US Attorney General William Barr, the Attorneys General expressed concern over the likelihood of manipulation of the market for processed beef. The four largest meat packing companies control more than 80% of the beef processing in the United States. The shelf price  of beef is exceptionally high, while cattle prices are low and continue to dive. The concern over market manipulation has increased with beef prices reaching record levels as consumers stockpile meat in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but cattle prices remain low and are decreasing.

“These activities should be alarming to all cattle producers and consumers,” said Ravnsborg. “A federal investigation is warranted to protect consumers and promote competition in the marketplace.”

The Attorneys General believe the pricing margins are a sign that meat packers are using their ability to control the market for processed beef and take advantage of the situation in a    manner that could violate the federal antitrust law. In addition to harming cattle producers,    this potentially illegal practice hurts consumers nationwide, many of whom are themselves struggling because of loss of employment and reduced incomes.

Ravnsborg, along with the Attorneys General from North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Missouri, Idaho, and Arizona believe the situation warrants a full federal investigation because the alleged anticompetitive conduct harms consumers and cattle ranchers across the United States.

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