Blog---March 17, 2025—9-10—It’s YOUR Business

   Part of the Ag Appreciation Monday and Tuesday Shows---gave us the opportunity to truly salute agriculture from different sides of the earth.

   An exclusive release to us FIRST---let us share the Small Biz of the Year Winner—She is Tara Pirak Olson----Gayville. 

   Her story was sad but amazing---and we were wanting to share. She met what she called a handsome guy in her senior year of  college at USD. Greg Pirak was starting an ag retail store and she took him up on helping him do the books. Tara at worked at a fertilizer/chemical business throughout high school and college. But Greg had a better idea—that should could her finance degree and for the CDL. When she graduated from college, he bought a truck-she drove---and bought a sprayer-he sprayed for customers. They purchased a nearly abandoned building in Gayville as the office warehouse. –it didn’t have running water---they modeled with a minuscule budget—they got married September 15th, 2001. They had twin boys in 2003 and another son born in 2007. In August 2018—they were on the way to Greg’s class reunion and he died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism—at age 46-and Tara was a widow at 40.

    At his funeral service---she shared that she would continued Valley Ag Supply—needing and receiving support from colleagues, customers, bankers and the community. 

    Today the twins are 21-juniors at University of Nebraska-Lincoln---and there one major is agronomy the other accounting. 

     Their business has grown today---and has reached 25 years. She did remarry—to what called another wonderful man, Kevin Olson---she was surprised but very deserving of the Small Biz of the Year Winner. 

      Scott Lawrence—will host his Leader of the Band Show with us tomorrow—but today he has the Governor and Lt Governor---in town launching their Open for Opportunity Tour. The Sioux Falls Chamber event is be held at 3PM at the SD Military Heritage Alliance at 1600 W Russell. We’ll report on the event—in the Leader of the Band Show Tuesday. 

       Included in the show is Lt Governor Tony Venhuizen, Commissioner Dean Karsky, Mitch Rave—VP Public Policy for the Sioux Falls Chamber, and Senator Casey Crabtree—9-10 on Tuesday.

      Geri Eide who leads the FFA of South Dakota—shared the State FFA Convention April 3-5th –in this show we talked with Skyler Plucker from Lennox. A state star in Ag -a finalist and a state officer candidate interested telling his story—which he did in our interview today. Impressive---and we know that it is a real look at what we can see in the future. 

      In our final interview---Bethany Soye—who represents District 9 in Minnehaha County---was talking with us about Veto Day today—what you saw in 2025 session. Good discussion but the issue we will follow up is the Library issue that got so much attention. As it turns out she represents Sioux Falls—and even my home-town community Hartford. 

       Our It’s YOUR Business Show was covering lots of ground in this show. Ag Appreciation Week---so they got their due. We will give them more this week as well.

      Questions for me—feel free to call/text at 605-728-2455 (BILL) or email me at bill.zortman@mwcradio.co. Norm Anderson will post the show as a PODCAST—use these notes as a guide to what is in the show—and where to find it.