By Carleen Wild
Moody County Enterprise
If you’ve spent any time in and around Flandreau, you likely know the Ramsdell name — and their primary business, Dakota Layers — a company built from the ground up through long days, unwavering commitment and a family that’s all-in on this community.
What you might not always see is what’s happening behind the scenes — the quiet giving, the steady support, and the countless decisions made without recognition that continue to shape this town and region in ways most of us will never fully realize.
Lately, though, a couple of honors have started to pull back the curtain.
The South Dakota State University Alumni & Foundation this past week named the Scott (‘75) and Lani Ramsdell family its 2026 Philanthropic Family of the Year, recognizing what it calls exceptional and influential generosity across a wide range of causes tied to South Dakota State University and beyond.
The week before, Scott and Lani’s business, Dakota Layers, was honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration as South Dakota’s first-ever Rural Small Business of the Year — recognizing not just economic impact, but community investment.
“The South Dakota Development Corporation decided this year to dig a little deeper to find our nominee for Rural Small Business of the Year,” said Jennifer Ober, president of the South Dakota Development Corporation.
“It is impossible to ignore the impact Dakota Layers and the Ramsdell family has had in the 10 years since receiving their SBA 504 Guarantee.”
Ober said the recognition also reflects a broader push to highlight opportunities in agriculture.
“I can’t think of a better way to do that than to recognize one of the best in South Dakota to highlight the possibilities,” she said.
That impact, others note, didn’t happen overnight.
Bryson Patterson — who was part of the SBA recognition — pointed to Ramsdell’s early days getting started in business through the SCORE program, where volunteer mentors help entrepreneurs find their footing.
“He got into business in the late ’70s and went to a class in Sioux Falls through SCORE — that’s how he got going,” Bryson said. “You think about everything that’s changed since then — the economy, the poultry industry, all of it — and they’ve navigated that for nearly 50 years.”
Today, he said, the business is doing more than sustaining itself.
“What Scott has built has ramifications not just for his family and company, but for an entire community,” Bryson said.
“You go to Flandreau and it’s a vibrant town. Businesses like this create jobs, bring opportunity and help make it a place people want to live.”
Their support stretches from SDSU athletics — including a historic lead gift for a new on-campus soccer facility — to local efforts closer to home, like the Boys & Girls Club, the Early Childhood Enrichment Center, the Flandreau Indian School and countless youth and community initiatives.
Those who work alongside the family say the impact goes well beyond dollars. It shows up in opportunities for kids, in programs that exist because someone stepped forward, and in a community that continues to build momentum. And it’s not stopping there — they point to the next generation, with Scott and Lani’s kids running businesses of their own and carrying that same commitment to giving back. This isn’t a one-time effort. It’s a way of life being passed down.
And yet, when asked why he and his family continue to give the way they do, Scott Ramsdell keeps the answer simple.
“Just following what I was taught,” he said.
Those who know the family say it matters to recognize that kind of example — a quiet reminder that strong communities don’t just happen. They’re built by people willing to invest in something bigger than themselves.
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