April Inductees of the Week
Every week we feature an Inductee of the week at the South Dakota Hall of Fame. These inductees are as unique as the State of South Dakota itself, and they have made lasting impacts by chasing their dreams. Here are some of the Inductees featured in the month of March.
Joy Nelson
Joy Nelson is passionate about many things, but she is best known for horses, selling real estate, giving back to her community by helping people with special needs through Joy Ranch, a nearly $12 million western village on the bluffs overlooking a small lake northwest of Watertown. Nelson realized the blessings bestowed on her were meant to be shared. As more people came to visit, she realized her ranch was a special place and it needed to be made more broadly available. She saw how horses interacted with military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress, how they responded to children with disabilities or autism. So she decided to donate the nearly 100-acre ranch to Lutherans Outdoors of South Dakota and has been a force in raising the money to build Joy Ranch, a camp resembling an Old-Western Main Street for the estimated 48,000 young people and adults in the region with special needs. Visit her Legacy Page here.
Mary Olinger
2012 Inductee Mary Olinger’s life is one dedicated to giving back, serving others, and making wishes come true. At no time was this more evident than during her 18 years as President & CEO of Make-A-Wish South Dakota. Yet, Mary’s giving goes far beyond the wishes granted to hundreds of children and their families. The mission of Make-A-Wish is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. Mary was the right person at the right time to lead this struggling non-profit. She utilized her business savvy and people skills to bring hundreds of new volunteers and donors into the organization. More than 800 wishes were granted to South Dakota children during Mary’s nearly two decades of leadership. Financial donations to Make-A-Wish grew by 900% and when Mary retired in 2011 the South Dakota chapter was celebrating its second consecutive year as one of the "Top 5 Chapters in the United States." Visit her Legacy Page here.
Jeff Scherschligt
Under Jeff’s leadership, the Howalt+McDowell Insurance company achieved a broad range of industry and community recognitions, like the Sioux Falls Business Journal Top 10 Leaders. By applying the lessons of hard work, professionalism, financial acumen for growth, profitability, and the mantra “Client is King,” Howalt grew from a solid base to a regional leader in its field. Jeff also holds a love of the outdoors, the environment, and wildlife, which led him to partner with his dad, to start and grow “Armour Hunters Haven” into a South Dakota wildlife mecca with over 1,000 acres of habitat preserved and maintained by himself, his family, and friends. Jeff is a passionate advocate for public and private partnerships that make a difference for the environment. He is continually inspired to make a difference and has had a lasting impact on his community. Visit his Legacy Page here.
Jim Scull
Following his graduation from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Jim spent a brief time in Ohio working for an automotive repair shop before realizing Rapid City was the only home for him. Jim decided to follow in his father's and grandfather's footsteps and entered the carpentry trade. Relying on his Bachelor's degree from Mines, he soon became aware that he was a better estimator and business manager than a carpenter. Jim was asked to become a 50 percent partner in a small local construction firm. Jim had no startup funds to offer, so he relied on his abilities with numbers, a strong work ethic, and innate ability for the construction business and people management to bring value to the partnership. He soon was the managing partner of a quickly expanding, successful startup construction business in Western SD. After seven years, it was natural for him to take the next step and start the venture of Scull Construction. Scull Construction's success led to the startup of many more construction-related businesses and a score of commercial and residential development ventures. Scull Construction is the cornerstone of success for Jim and continues to be. It has evolved into one of the largest construction companies in South Dakota and includes an office in Dickinson, North Dakota, works in a five-state region, and employs over 300 people. Visit his Legacy Page here.