Mountain Professionals seemed like a simple idea in 2000. That was the year that Ryan Waters and Dave Elmore met in South America, where both were working in the industry and both had the idea to start their own guiding company. As the guiding season progressed, so did the business plan, culminating on an Aconcagua climb, which they call the "highest business meeting ever." Mountain Professionals is an owner-operated company focusing on safety and quality. They organize and lead professional mountaineering expeditions and trekking expeditions in Argentina, Patagonia, Tanzania, Mexico, Nepal, Chile, Russia, Indonesia & Antarctica. They work with everyone from the professional climber to the novice trekker.

Many people dream of having a job that involves adventure in exotic locales, but few are able to make it a reality. As a exploratory photographer for such publications as National Geographic, GEO, Life and The New York Times Magazine, George Steinmetz is living the dream and we had the pleasure of catching him with his feet on the ground to talk with us about his new book, AFRICAN AIR, which represents nearly 30 years of work photographing the landscape and people of Africa.

Dr. Kay Schallenkamp is the ninth president of Black Hills State University (BHSU.) Nestled in the Black Hills of western South Dakota, they offer a myriad of opportunities for their students with a choice of more than 80 majors and minors for bachelor’s degrees as well as three master’s degrees and a number of associate degrees and pre-professional programs. BHSU celebrates their Quasquicentennial Anniversary (yes, spell check didn’t like it either) which is their 125th year of service. In 1881, such an institution was a required element in their vision for the future of Spearfish and this region. It took nearly 2 years for the committed residents to bring about their vision but now 125 years later, BHSU is training the next crop of business leaders, educators, and biologists.

What inspired him to try his hand at Presidential Advisor? He knew many of his small business customers nationwide were getting caught in the “triple squeeze of the new economy;” a steady decline of revenue as a result of fear, customers paying more slowly, “normal lines of credit” tightened due to banking issues. That’s a potential crisis as big as any hurricane and as destructive as any tornado.

A top female rock and roll on-air personality, Dayna Steele spent years interviewing countless bands and rock stars like Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Sammy Hagar and Bono. Her book, ROCK TO THE TOP: What I Learned About Success From The World’s Greatest Rock Stars takes you on an entertaining tour of backstage and into the lives of some of these successful rock stars, all with savvy business advice along the way including the importance of passion, confidence, organization, networking, knowledge, and the need for appreciation.

Over the past few years, South Dakota has lured a number of small firearms factories, thanks to low taxes, minimal regulations and gun-friendly residents. While standing outside of the Bruce Bowen Company in Sturgis, I could see no less than five other businesses nearby that were engaged in gun manufacturing. “We’re looking for more 12 month businesses,” Bruce Bowen said. Bruce is a member of the Future Sturgis organization and one of a growing firearms manufacturing industry that is hot right now in the area. Eight firearms companies call the town home, employing more than 120 workers in what the city estimates is a $3.8-million-a-year local industry. Five of the companies have moved to Sturgis since 2000.

That's how he's known. Let's just say the leader of Sioux Steel Company takes an atypical approach to successfully running his family-owned business. An approach that he jokes could leave people thinking his Board of Directors begins each meeting with a heartfelt "Koom-bay-yah." Scott Rysdon assures me that his company, which provides progressive engineering solutions for grain storage and handling, isn't a hippie fest. He says it is one that puts their customers, first. Sioux Steel's slogan reads "Your complete satisfaction as a customer is our best advertisement" and Rysdon insists that's the truth.

One of those companies that really “gets” customer relations and helps their customers deliver it is RightNow Technologies. They deliver customer relations management (CRM) products for companies around the world including Sprint, Hallmark, British Airways and Cabela’s so those companies can deliver better customer experiences to their customers and clients. Founded in 1997, RightNow is headquartered in Bozeman, Montana, employs more than 700 people, and serves over 1,900 organizations worldwide. CEO and Founder, Greg Gianforte says that obviously large companies that have lots of customers are prime candidates for their suite of products, but regardless of the size of the company, “delivering an outstanding customer experience can be the single most powerful way for a company to set themselves apart from the competition.”

People who harvest timber out of the Black Hills are no longer just big burly men who lug giant chainsaws up the side of the mountain. Computers now play such an integral part of the lumber industry that Jim D. Neiman, vice-president of Neiman Enterprises said to me. “If you know anyone willing to work from your area and has a background in Electrical Engineering, send ‘em my way. We’ll put them to work.” The Neiman Family are the new owners of the saw mill in Spearfish, South Dakota, rescued out of bankruptcy and saving hundreds of jobs in the area. Jim is a 3rd generation lumberman out of Hulett, Wyoming