Enterprising Woman Intrapreneur Award

More than 200 women gathered on May 23 to celebrate accomplished businesswomen at the Pivot Great & Small: Celebrating Women in Business Awards Luncheon at the Spearfish Holiday Inn Convention Center.

Lori Finnesand, the co-CEO of GROW South Dakota in Sisseton, was named the Enterprising Woman Intrapreneur Award.

For the last 32 years, Finnesand has served rural communities through her work at GROW South Dakota. GROW South Dakota is comprised of three separate non-profit organizations.

Finnesand has been the co-CEO of GROW South Dakota for 19 years, and she oversees all Economic Development programming. Under her leadership, GROW South Dakota has initiated transformative, positive change to the state. Finnesand embodies the values of community, equity, inclusion, integrity, and service. During her time as the co-CEO, more than $81 million has been loaned to 768 small businesses, demonstrating the impact she and GROW SD have had on the rural South Dakota economy. The impact is further felt through the more than 9,800 jobs created or retained in the region during this time.

The 11th annual Outstanding Women In Business Awards was designed to highlight the impact of outstanding businesswomen across the state. South Dakota Center for Enterprise Opportunity West’s Women’s Business Center recognized the accomplishments of nine finalists for their business acumen and contributions and the four award recipients were announced.

Other 2023 SD CEO winners include:
Enterprising Young Entrepreneur Award: Jesika Floyd of Heartland Home Health in Belle Fourche.
Enterprising Woman Entrepreneur Award: Allison Russell of Twisted Wire Design in Mitchell.
Outstanding Women’s Choice Award: Rhonda Pearcy of Fork Real Community Cafe in Rapid City