Capital Journal staff

SIOUX FALLS — The owners of four retail businesses in Sioux Falls are the recipients of the 2010 South Dakota Retailer of the Year Award.

Roy Nyberg and his son Kevin Nyberg were honored at the South Dakota Retailers Association’s annual Awards Banquet in Pierre on  Jan. 11. The event was attended by state legislators, and retailers from throughout the state.

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The family owns four Nyberg’s Ace Hardware stores in Sioux Falls. They were chosen for the award by a committee of retailers because of their vision, commitment to outstanding customer service, and extensive involvement in civic and community activities.

Presenting the award, outgoing SDRA Board President John Meyer said, “From day one, their philosophy of business could be summed up in two words: Be helpful. They have made it their mission to provide what customers need, when they need it. And they are committed to being ethical and being fair, both with customers and with their employees.”

Meyer noted that Kevin Nyberg grew up watching his father cheerfully open the store on holidays when customers had emergencies, and that tradition of service continues today. 

“Just last month on Christmas Day, Kevin Nyberg received a call at home from a customer who had an emergency plumbing problem. Although the city was in the middle of a blizzard, he went and opened a store for the customer.  To other people, that might sound like out-of-the-ordinary service,” Meyer noted. “But for the Nyberg family, that’s the only way they know how to do business.”

The Nyberg’s Ace Hardware stores employ around 120 full and part-time people, making them an important part of the economy to Sioux Falls and the surrounding area. The Nyberg’s say they wouldn’t be where they are today without their dedicated, loyal employees. Kevin Nyberg say that while his family has established a culture of service, it’s the great staff that carries out that culture.

In addition to running a top-notch business with a focus on excellent service, the Nyberg’s are strong supporters of civic and community programs.  Kevin Nyberg says they consider it important to be involved, because it’s a way of giving back to the community what the community has given to them as a family. 

Among the programs they have been active in are the Sioux Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, Lions and Rotary Clubs, Lincoln High School Booster Club, and Augustana College Alumni organizations. Roy and Kevin Nyberg have been active members of the Minnesota Dakota Retail Hardware Association and the National Retail Hardware Association. Both father and son have served as Delegates to the White House Conference on Small Business, and Roy is a Past President of the South Dakota Retailers Association.

Said John Meyer when presenting the award, “Roy and Kevin Nyberg represent the very best in retailing, and it is a true pleasure to be able to present them with this Award.”

The Retailer of the Year Award has been presented annually since 1982 by the South Dakota Retailers Association, a 3,900-member statewide business organization.