They met in college, worked together at a college and now are building a new life in Sioux Falls after landing roles at different colleges.

Matthew Flaten and Laura Dean made the move west to South Dakota from Illinois over the summer and have both started the new school year in new roles: Matthew at Dakota State University as a strategic communications coordinator and Laura at Augustana University as an associate professor of government and international affairs.

“It was kind of a perfect fit,” said Flaten, who met Dean while the two were students at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire.

They married in 2011 and both held roles at Millikin University in Illinois prior to taking on their latest positions.

“We met in the Student Senate, so I always tell my students you should enter student government,” Dean laughed. “That and it’s good experience debating.”

A study abroad experience in college led her to an interest in Eastern Europe and graduate school at the University of Washington — the only university that teaches the Latvian language in the United States. A Fulbright research fellowship led her to an anti-trafficking shelter in Latvia and a passion for researching human trafficking, which she did through fieldwork in Ukraine, Latvia, and Russia.

She’s now director of the Human Trafficking Research Lab at Augustana.

“It’s amazing at Augustana,” she said. “It’s a great job at a great university. As soon as I saw this opportunity, I said it seems like the place to be.”

When she accepted her offer, Flaten began looking for opportunities in the Sioux Falls area — and quickly connected with DSU.

He’s a political science major who earned his master of healthcare administration at the University of Washington before becoming a sports journalist and then moving into public relations at Millikin. His new role involves telling stories from DSU’s campus in Madison as well as its recently opened Applied Research Lab in Sioux Falls.

“When we made a transition to Sioux Falls, I didn’t anticipate finding a job this smoothly,” he said. “I’ve now been learning the intricate details of cybersecurity and government relations, so it’s been a good couple months.”

They moved from what they called “the cheapest real estate market in the country” in Decatur, Illinois, “so we knew we might be a little shocked by home prices and it could have really not gone great,” Dean said. “But we came in and found a house we liked and put in an offer and we were able to close on it a month later.”

While both had passed through Sioux Falls as kids — she’s from Minnesota and he’s from Wisconsin — they weren’t overly familiar with their new home.

“My parents owned a small business and we would come here for conventions when I was a kid, and compared to what I remember the changes downtown are amazing,” Dean said. “The historical renovations and the small businesses show they’ve really done a great job. I’ve had family come down and in Minnesota there can be a little stigma about South Dakota, but every single person who has come has said, ‘Wow, this is nice.’”

She’s become a big fan of local coffee shops and had a memorable time when her sister visited.

“My sister has a child with a disability and we spent a great afternoon at Jacobson Plaza at the accessible playground for kids,” she said.

“Then we went to Sertoma Park and when we were at the park we met the disability community through an event organized by Wheelchair Adventures. A mom connected with my sister and said to let her know if she ever needs anything when she comes to town. Everyone was so welcoming and willing to lend a hand.”

For Flaten, “Sioux Falls was a pit stop on the way back to the Black Hills and I never spent much time here,” he said. “I don’t think I had ever seen the Falls, and it’s really nice, as is all the community stuff we’re finding — farmers markets and local art.”

They’re both looking forward to hockey season, including watching Augustana games at the Midco Arena and supporting the Latvian players on the Sioux Falls Stampede.

“Plus we’re both close to family now,” Flaten added. “Everything we used to do was eight or nine hours to see anyone, and now we can be back and forth in less than four hours which is amazing.”

After leaving Minnesota and Wisconsin 20 years ago, “honestly coming to Sioux Falls and South Dakota feels very much like home,” Dean said. “I’ve never had anyone ask me about my accent here! They just assume I’m from here which is amazing. That doesn’t happen other places. It feels like home already, and I’ve only been here a month.”

To learn more about the opportunities that await with a move to Sioux Falls, start here.

The Sioux Falls Development Foundation is committed to helping your business/organization connect with top talent at our regional colleges and universities.

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When Ireland Frisch first considered relocating to Sioux Falls from Kansas City, she initially admittedly was “a little scared” by the prospect of a move.

“I had never heard of Sioux Falls, and I was nervous about a smaller town,” she said. “My hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, is similar in size, and I always wanted to leave. At the same time, I liked Kansas City, but it wasn’t quite where I was going to land. I just kind of knew that.”

Her first time visiting her boyfriend in Sioux Falls changed her mind immediately, she said.

“He lived in a studio in the historic district right by the Cathedral, and it was the most beautiful neighborhood,” Frisch said. “We went downtown and did all the things because he was trying to convince me this is where we needed to be — and my mind was made up the first visit.”

She was sold by the neighborhoods, the history and the charm she found downtown, she said.

“I said, ‘I can see myself in a place like this.’”

A 2023 University of Northern Iowa graduate, she made the move north last year and began looking for ways to put her degree in textiles and apparel to work. She found a job at an alterations business, then one in a bridal store.

“I had no thought of finding a fashion job here,” she said. “But I looked every day on LinkedIn to see if maybe there was an opportunity, and then I found Gameday.”

Frisch applied at Sioux Falls-based Gameday Social Apparel Co., a fast-growing national brand that designs and manufactures fashion-focused apparel and accessories for “the social fan.” The company creates licensed merchandise for nearly all major universities and is expanding into pro sports.

“I thought my interview went really well, but they said they wanted to save me for a role that was more creative than what they had open,” Frisch said. “And then about six months later, they emailed out of the blue and said they had a role for me. So they really meant it when they said they saw me in a more creative role in the future.”

She’s now a merchandising coordinator who says she loves forming a deep connection to universities and the histories within them.

“I get to design how the universities would want product to be sold and feed off that, so I love it, and the team is great,” Frisch said.

“I love a smaller team and the hard work of it where you get to wear a lot of hats.”

She also now works from a brand-new Gameday Social headquarters, which just opened in a renovated space in northeast Sioux Falls and positions the company for continued growth.

“I work with our director of merchandising to build out each collection from concept to creation,” Frisch said.

“I’m doing a lot of communication with our factories throughout production and then working with photo shoots around how the brand is portrayed. My everyday tasks are exactly what I learned in school, so that’s a testament to my program but also how cool I think my job is.”

She and her boyfriend have moved from that historic district studio to a three-bedroom rental home on the east side with a fenced backyard for her dog.

“My rent in Kansas City for a one-bedroom apartment was more expensive than I’m paying for this house, by far,” she said. “It’s pretty perfect for what we’re looking for. It’s five minutes, and we’re over a bridge into downtown.”

They enjoy being outdoors and have liked hiking and mountain biking at Great Bear Recreation Park.

“We also like the music scene here and have made some friends with local band members, and we go to a lot of their shows,” she said.

Frisch’s experience is a perfect example of what’s waiting for other young professionals in Sioux Falls, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

“I love how Ireland moved here because she could see herself in our community and then went on to find a dream job once she was here,” she said.

“It’s a good reminder that while we are known for certain key industries, we have an incredible startup community that even makes opportunities in areas like fashion become a possibility.”

To learn more about building your career in Sioux Falls, email deniseg@siouxfalls.com.