It isn't often that a company in Rapid City grows to more than 12 times its original size in a decade.

But that's exactly what happened to Black Hills Corp.

Over the past 10 years, Black Hills Corp. grew from serving 62,000 Black Hills Power electric customers to providing natural gas and electricity to almost 800,000 customers in nearly 400 communities throughout seven states. The company now employs 2,000 people in those states.

"We have added more than 300 jobs in Rapid City since 2004, mostly by acquiring seven different utilities in five other states," said David R. Emery, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Black Hills Corp. "We now have more than 500 employees and their families who contribute more than $81 million annually to the local economy. Our growth has also meant growth for Rapid City."

With that growth came an expanded employee base. Over five hundred local employees are now spread throughout five locations in Rapid City. Because of its growth, the company performed an extensive review process, evaluated numerous locations - including several in the downtown area - and chose Rapid City's south side for its approximately $70 million new corporate headquarters. The new site is the best way to meet the company's current and future office space needs.

"We're going to build our corporate headquarters in Rapid City to bring our local employees - who support customers in all our states - under one roof," Emery said. "This new facility will make us more efficient. That will result in long-term savings that will benefit all our customers. It will also give us future expansion options as we continue to grow."

Emery said choosing to build the new facility in Rapid City - rather than in another city in another state - was important to the company.

"This is our home," Emery said. "By building this new corporate headquarters here, we're reinforcing our commitment to remain a part of this community."

The new facility won't just benefit Black Hills Corp.; it will also benefit the community and state.

"I want to thank the leaders and employees of Black Hills Corp. for their hard work and for continuing to invest in our state," said Gov. Dennis Daugaard at a news conference. "The achievements of Black Hills Corp. are a testament to the hardworking South Dakotans whose tireless efforts have helped make this company such a success."

In addition to long-term savings for customers, community organizations will also benefit from the new facility, Emery said.

"We'll rely on local businesses to provide many of the services we'll need at our new facility," he said. "Educational and non-profit organizations will be able to take advantage of our new space as well."

Black Hills Corp. chose ARC International, a local architecture firm, to design the new building. Emery said the facility will likely be built to meet LEED Certification.

The company plans to break ground on the facility at the southwest corner of Catron Boulevard and U.S. Highway 16 this spring. The plan is to begin moving employees into the building in 2017.

"The future is bright for Black Hills Corp. and Rapid City," Emery said. "We are committed to continuing to grow our company as we've done over the past 10 years and helping to grow the Rapid City community as we've done for more than 130 years."

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