Monthly Archives: July 2023

By Dan Bechtold

Editor

Brian Williams is settling in as the new CEO of Winner Regional Healthcare Center.

He has been here for two weeks and has had a meeting with the staff, met individually with the healthcare center directors and took time for an interview with the local newspaper.

Williams said Winner has been very gracious, kind and polite to him. “They are excited I am here. They have given me various pointers about different things going on in Winner,” he said.

Williams says it is an awesome opportunity to be the CEO. “I feel lucky the healthcare center board asked me to be a part of Winner Regional Health. I also feel lucky that I get to work with so many good people from activities, nurses, nurse aides, environmental services, maintenance and the providers. I am excited and I feel honored I was asked to be a part of this team,” he explained.

Williams says he has two goals wherever he goes. The first is to become the employer of choice. The second is to become the provider of choice. “Why would people want to go anywhere else for healthcare? We want members of the community to come here because we are giving them the best patient outcome possible for their primary care services.”

Williams has been in health care for 15 years. Prior to choosing healthcare, Williams

worked in telecommunications for 10 years. He started out splicing fibers and worked his way up to overseeing construction, working in the Washington, Oregon and Idaho areas.

He did not start his college career until he was 28 years old. He went to Eastern Oregon University with a major in administration and has a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga in Washington.

Seeing how caring the staff were in a hospital when his daughter got RSV lead him into healthcare.

“I told my wife I would like to go into hospital work someday and three years later I got that opportunity,” he explained.

A friend told him a small hospital was looking for a clinic manager. Williams applied for the job and was hired. “I loved it,” he said.

He began is healthcare career at Midvalley Hospital in Washington as a clinic manager. Then he worked at a clinic in the tri city area of Washington.

This led to a move to Morton, Wash., where he was the chief operating officer at  Arbor Health, a 25 bed critical access hospital. His next move was to Northern Montana Hospital in Havre, Mont., where he was vice president of professional services.

Prior to coming to Winner, Williams was CEO at Coal Country Community Health Care in Beulah, N.D. and Sakakawea  Medical Center in Hazen, N.D. He was the CEO in North Dakota for two and a half years.

When the Winner job came open he and his wife were looking for a place that had similar values to his family. The couple looked at the community and the schools and liked what they saw. Williams said he decided to apply for the job in Winner.

Williams sees healthcare continuing to change. “It used to be a patient had to come to the hospital or clinic for everything. Now we are seeing technology providing patients different avenues. As our communities continue to grow and develop we are going to have to do everything we can to ensure patient’s needs are being met where they need to be met,” he said.

Williams plans on spending the next few months learning, listening and meeting people.

Williams and his wife Linda have five children. Brandon graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah  and is ready to obtain his master’s.

Trevor is finishing his bachelor’s degree in business from Brigham Young University–Idaho  and would like to go into healthcare. Joshua is going to vet tech school in Boise, Idaho.

Their daughter, Alyssa, will be a senior at Winner High School and their son, Michael, will be a freshman at WHS.

Fresh Flower Studio recently opened for business in Winner. Started by Vanessa Goodell, the new company specializes in contemporary-styled flower bouquets and arrangements for everyday enjoyment, as well as weddings, funerals, birthdays and special events. Helping to make the business unique to the area, Goodell grows many of the flowers she sells on her family’s farm east of town.

Fresh Flower Studio sold its first arrangement in March 2023, but Goodell began the first stages of the business in the fall of 2022, when she planted more than 1,000 specialty tulip bulbs and 600 daffodils. Harvest of these flowers began in April, and they quickly sold out.

Currently, Goodell has several thousand more flowers growing at the farm, including gladiolus, snapdragons, lisianthus, delphinium, zinnias, sunflowers, anemones and ranunculus, among others. She plans to expand into premium peonies and roses. Many of the varieties she grows are only available to professional growers in the floral industry, and she selects them based on stem quality, bloom size and vase life.

Although it’s too early in the summer for many of her flowers to be harvested, she has been cutting delphinium, anemones and ranunculus recently for her arrangements. Delphinium are known as one of the few naturally blue-colored flowers. Anemones and ranunculus are especially challenging flowers to grow in the local climate, as they are known not to produce well in temperatures above 70 degrees. Nonetheless, through intensive management, Goodell has been successfully harvesting these blooms from her farm.

Fresh Flower Studio is a member of the South Dakota Specialty Producers Association and is one of several flower farms that have recently started operating in the state. It is part of a larger nationwide trend that began during the pandemic, when supply chain issues affected the price and availability of flowers. Not only has this movement catered to the preference for local agriculture, but consumers have also enjoyed the quality, fragrance and longevity of locally grown cut flowers.

When flowers aren’t ready for harvest, or to supplement what she grows, Goodell carefully sources flowers from regional wholesalers. This allows her to offer many different types of flowers and plants to her customers year-round, striving to offer the best in freshness and overall quality to her customers.

Originally from Bowman, North Dakota, Goodell moved to Winner in 2015 with her husband. She began growing flowers on the family farm, expanding each year before eventually starting Fresh Flower Studio.

Customers can pick up flower arrangements from Fresh Flower Studio’s home-based storefront at 517 W 14th Street in Winner. Delivery options are also available, including free delivery for funerals, local schools, hospitals and long-term care centers. Additionally, Fresh Flower Studio has partnered with area businesses to sell market bouquets at locations in Winner and Gregory.

Fresh Flower Studio can be found on Facebook and Instagram, as well as its website at freshflowerstudio.com. Customers can also order over the phone by calling Vanessa at 605-840-0061.

By Dan Bechtold

Editor

Traffic has been shifted to the new concrete on Highway 18 from South County Road to the bridge by Country Club Motel.

Doug Sherman of the Department of Transportation office in Winner gave an update on the highway project June 27.

“We hope everyone enjoys the new concrete but remember the speed limit is 25 miles an hour. This is still a work zone so please respect the speed limit,” said Sherman. “I know the temptation is to speed up but please respect the speed limit.”

Soon Phase 2 of the highway project will be completed. People will start seeing an intersection shutdown starting with Van Buren Street to do utility tie ins. Information on these intersection closures will be posted on the highway construction face book page. These areas will be closed to through traffic.

Sherman added it seems like part of Phase 2 is at a snails pace. The construction crews are waiting for some drop inlets to be built. There has been a delay at the manufacturer.

“Once they get here things will speed up quickly,” explained Sherman.

Phase 3 on the south side of the highway from the bridge to South County Road has started. Soon the old asphalt will be milled off the highway.

Brad Norrid of the DOT reminded the pubic that there has been a change in pedestrian traffic which has been moved to the north side. The existing walkway on the south side will be torn out. Currently, there is a temporary sidewalk in place.

Persons who have questions can call the DOT office in Winner.

By Dan Bechtold

Editor

Tessa Wilber of South Dakota Junior Achievement spoke to the Winner Rotary Club on June 22.

Junior Achievement’s purpose is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

Junior Achievement is taught in three grades in the Winner School District. It is taught in 2^nd, 4^th and 8^th grade.

JA works with volunteers to go into the classroom and teach about money, careers and businesses.  Winner business leaders help teach this program here.

Wilber said this is the 55^th year for JA in South Dakota and during this last school year 54,000 students were impacted.

South Dakota has the highest retention rate for volunteers at 72 percent. “We are so grateful for the volunteers,” Wilber said.

In the elementary classrooms, volunteers teach five sessions between November and March. The curriculum contains a digital presentation and printed student materials.

At the middle school, volunteers teach six sessions. At the high school level, JA ethics is taught. Anyone is a leadership role can teach this program which challenges high school students to think about their decisions and actions and how they affect them both now and in the future.

“At Junior Achievement we believe in ‘possible’,” said Wilber.

“Every day, we work to help young people discover what’s possible in their lives. We do this by helping them connect what they learn in school with life outside the classroom. We let them know it’s possible to invest in their future, to gain a better understanding of how the world works and to pursue their dreams. We show them that it’s possible for tomorrow to be a better day,” she said.

A beautiful patriotic quit, made by Mavis Janecke, was presented to the Winner VFW Auxiliary #4674 to be given to the auxiliary hospital project. 

A call from the state VFW auxiliary hospital chairman, Sue Jones of Black Hawk, was sent to the auxiliaries asking for patriotic quilts to be donated to the VA system.  The VA Hospitals at Ft. Meade and Hot Springs has recently opened their new hospice units.

They would like patriotic quilts to use in the hospice units.  When a veteran resident is admitted to the unit, they will be given a quilt.  When the resident passes, the quilt is placed over them as they are wheeled on a gurney out of the facility.  On this last trip down the hall, as many as possible staff members will line the hall and salute the veteran.  The mortuary will give the quit to the family following the final service.

The Winner auxiliary was very pleased to present the quilt and a big appreciation  goes out to Mavis for donating the beautiful quilt.  The auxiliary has a goal of presenting four more quilts for the coming auxiliary year.  Anyone who has a quilt made or would like to make one, please contact Connie Heggestad (605-842-0530) for quilt measurements.

By Bosten Morehart

Staff writer

The Winner Area Chamber of Commerce is putting on the second summer nights of the year on July 7.

The sponsors for the summer nights are True Value, American Family Insurance, Dairy Queen.

Summer nights will begin at 6 pm and run until 9 pm.

The events will feature VT Rockin Country.

There will be several vendors serving food and drinks.

Some activities that will be happening are a dunk tank, spin art, karaoke.

If you sing karaoke, you will be entered for a prize. The prize is $100 cash for the winner of the 12 and under section and $100 cash for the winner of 13 and up section.

There will also be recognition for True Value’s 75th anniversary.

The 100th year anniversary for Boy Scouts is also going to be celebrated. They are encouraging any former or present scouts to come celebrate and be recognized.

Any Eagle Scouts are also invited to come and be recognized.

There will be several fun games and activities for kids to participate in.

Everyone is welcome to come down and join in on the fun.