Ally Dakota Development

10/30/2026

🎉 Our East River Annual Celebration is in the books!

Wednesday night, we gathered at Watertown Brewing Co. to celebrate another year of SBA 504 lending in South Dakota!

And what a turnout! So many Watertown-area lenders and regional economic development professionals joined us for the evening.

We were especially excited to host this year's celebration at Watertown Brewing Company, one of our SBA 504 clients! Owner and veteran Michael Heuer shared his journey to purchasing WBC and his vision for creating a place where community comes first. Think "Cheers," where everybody knows your name! From the food and craft b**r to the live music, trivia nights and a staff that genuinely cares about its customers, Michael and his team are making WBC a place where people feel welcome and want to come back.

🏆 Another highlight of the evening was recognizing Mike Kluck with Dacotah Bank (Watertown, SD) as Ally Dakota Development's 2026 East River Lender of the Year!

Mike has been an outstanding lending partner to our team. He's committed to helping his clients understand their financing options and finding the best fit for their business.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us Wednesday night! We couldn't do what we do without our lending and economic development partners.

Your Ally in 504 🩵



Pictured (L to R): Tia Hutt, Troy Zebroski and Mike Kluck (Dacotah Bank); Amy Waite and Kottie Buck (Ally Dakota Development).

10/23/2026

🎉 Happy 1-Year Work Anniversary to Chase Reimer! 🎉

Chase is a Loan Officer with our West River Revolving Loan Fund (WRRLF), where he works alongside banks and credit unions to find creative financing solutions for South Dakota businesses.

Not every business project fits neatly into a traditional financing box, and that's where Chase and the WRRLF program can help!

Chase, thanks for all you've brought to the team this past year! We're excited to see what year two brings!

10/22/2026

🩵 We're at the Women's Business Summit in Deadwood today!

Fran and Kottie are representing Ally Dakota Development at the 15th Annual Women's Business Summit at The Lodge at Deadwood!

Ally Dakota is proud to sponsor this year's event, hosted by SD CEO West Women's Business Center! What a great opportunity to celebrate women in business, meet South Dakota entrepreneurs and share how SBA 504 financing can help their businesses grow.

If you're attending, stop by our booth and say hello! And don't forget to enter our giveaway for an Ally Dakota YETI mug and a $50 gift card to Black Hills Salt Cave, one of our SBA 504 clients!

Your Ally in 504 🩵

10/15/2026

09/30/2026

🩵 FUNDED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD 🩵 — Congratulations to Whole Child Wellness on its recent SBA 504 loan funding!

BankWest - South Dakota (Spearfish, SD) and Ally Dakota Development partnered to finance the purchase and renovation of a new permanent home for Whole Child Wellness in Spearfish.

Owner and occupational therapist Carly Messner has operated Whole Child Wellness since 2016, providing specialized pediatric occupational therapy services to children and families in the Spearfish area. After nearly a decade of operating from rented space, this project allows Carly to make the move from tenant to property owner and establish a long-term home for her growing practice.

The new location will include dedicated therapy space, a sensory gym, shared studio areas for yoga, group classes and workshops, and planned outdoor therapeutic space. It also gives Whole Child Wellness room to expand its team and programming in the years ahead.

Congratulations to Carly and Whole Child Wellness on this exciting next step! And thank you to BankWest for partnering with Ally Dakota Development to help make it happen.

Your Ally in 504 🩵

09/22/2026

🏆 Congratulations to BankWest - South Dakota — Ally Dakota Development's 2026 Lending Partner of the Year!

This year, Ally Dakota Development introduced a new award recognizing one financial institution statewide for its commitment to the SBA 504 loan program and partnership with our team.

And we're excited to recognize BankWest as our first Lending Partner of the Year!

This award goes beyond production. It recognizes a lending partner that consistently looks for opportunities to put the 504 program to work, brings Ally Dakota into projects early, works alongside our team throughout the process, and helps make SBA 504 financing an option for businesses in communities across South Dakota.

BankWest has been that kind of partner. Their team continues to bring us opportunities from across the state, and we appreciate the responsiveness, collaboration, and commitment they bring to every project we work on together.

Casey Derflinger with BankWest in Spearfish accepted the award at our West River Annual Celebration last week, presented by Ally Dakota Development Board President Matt Walters.

Congratulations to the entire BankWest team — and thank you for being such a strong partner in 504! 🩵

Your Ally in 504 🩵

09/22/2026

🩵 This is what SBA 504 is all about.

At our West River Annual Celebration last week, Run Wild owners and best friends Leilani Shattuck and Skye Potter shared the story behind their Summerset business — and what a story it is.

They opened Run Wild in August 2019. Just months later, they found themselves navigating COVID as brand-new business owners. They kept going, grew the business, and built Run Wild into a place where families from Summerset, Rapid City, and the surrounding area can come together year-round.

And then came another big milestone: buying the building they had been renting since they opened.

Through a financing partnership with Black Hills Community Bank and Ally Dakota Development, Run Wild used the SBA 504 loan program to purchase its Summerset location — taking them from tenants to owners and eliminating that monthly rent payment.

Having Leilani and Skye share their journey directly with our lending partners put a real-life story behind the work we do every day with the SBA 504 program.

Thank you, Leilani and Skye, for sharing your story with us — and congratulations on everything you've built at Run Wild! 🩵

Your Ally in 504 🩵

09/21/2026

🏆 Congratulations to our 2026 West River Lender of the Year — Peter Kottwitz!

Peter, with Sentinel Federal Credit Union in Rapid City, has been an outstanding lending partner to Ally Dakota Development and a strong supporter of the SBA 504 loan program.

Peter understands how to put the 504 program to work for his clients. He works alongside our team to figure out the financing structure and is always willing to do what it takes to get a deal across the finish line.

Ally Dakota Board President Matt Walters and Executive Director Fran White presented Peter with the award at our West River Annual Celebration in Rapid City last week — and the applause in the room says a lot about the kind of lender and partner he is. 👏

Congratulations, Peter! We're lucky to have you as an Ally in 504. 🩵

09/21/2026

🎉 Standing room only — literally!

We packed The Loft in Rapid City last Wednesday for Ally Dakota Development's West River Annual Celebration — so much so we ran out of chairs! 😆

The turnout was incredible, with lending partners from banks and credit unions across western South Dakota, many of our West River board members, Elevate Rapid City, and City of Rapid City officials all joining us.

We celebrated the partnerships behind SBA 504 lending, recognized some outstanding lending partners, and heard directly from the owners of Run Wild about their small business journey and what SBA 504 financing has meant for their business.

Fran White led us through the program, and South Dakota SBA District Director Bryson Patterson shared an update with the group.

And The Loft was such a great setting for it all — local craft b**r, delicious Bundt cakes from a local small business, and a room full of people we enjoy working with. 🩵

Thank you to everyone who showed up and helped make this year's West River Annual Celebration such a great one. We appreciate the work you do with us throughout the year to help South Dakota businesses grow and thrive!

Your Ally in 504 🩵