From Seattle to Sioux Falls, engineer brings nationwide experience with recent move

Jeremy Feist is only 30, but already his structural engineering career has taken him to some impressive heights.

As a lead structural design engineer, he worked on the 44-story Mutual of Omaha headquarters tower in downtown Omaha.

His role also allowed him to work on the tallest building in Richmond, Virginia and the tallest in Bellevue, Washington, in the Seattle metro area, in addition to the convention center in Austin, Texas.

“I had a range of cool experiences,” said Feist, whose first job was as a structural design engineer at Seattle-based Magnusson Klemencic Associates.

“That really motivated me to move to Seattle, and I’m so glad I did.”

But as a Wyoming native who grew up near the South Dakota border and earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degrees from School of Mines, Feist “always had in the back of my head it would be so fun to move back and be closer to family,” he said.

“As I was targeting the spot I wanted to come back to, Sioux Falls checked a bunch of boxes. It’s much closer to family, I have friends in Omaha and Minneapolis and Rochester, and because Sioux Falls is the biggest city in the area, there’s a lot going on while still being in South Dakota. So it was really appealing.”

Still, he hadn’t spent much time in the city.

“I have an uncle who lives in Sioux Falls and had passed through a few times, but I wasn’t that most familiar,” he said. “I was back for a wedding a couple summers ago and when I went to Falls Park for the first time, it was updated and I realized how up-and-coming Sioux Falls was.”

He began looking for jobs in engineering and “it was surprisingly easy,” Feist said. “I applied a few places and got responses from all of them, and everyone was eager to get me in the door, which is a nice feeling to have.”

He ultimately was hired as a structural engineer by Raker Rhodes Engineering, which is based in Des Moines but has a satellite location in Sioux Falls.

“I really liked the idea of that network in Des Moines and that link to larger projects while still being in South Dakota in a smaller office where I can have a larger impact,” Feist said.

The career opportunities in Sioux Falls aren’t surprising, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

“This is a tremendous place for someone with engineering skills,” she said. “You’ll find a range of firms in multiple specializations, including many like Jeremy’s firm that do work on a regional or even national level. We’re also committed to developing our next generation of STEM talent, so there are many opportunities for someone like Jeremy to help mentor and inspire the next generation.”

Feist moved to Sioux Falls earlier this summer and “I’m really liking it,” he said. “It’s a change of pace from Seattle and the big corporate culture I grew used to over the years. I’m on a laid-back, easygoing team and I think that just speaks to the culture of the Midwest.”

He’s currently renting not far from where he works in downtown Sioux Falls “and I’m actively looking for a place to buy my first home,” he said. “That wouldn’t have happened in Seattle. Plus, the rent is a lot cheaper and the real estate is a lot more affordable. It was really easy finding a fully furnished place to rent month-to-month until I find something to buy.”

For fun, he’s checked out free concerts at Levitt at the Falls and is training for a bike ride in October with friends in Minnesota.

“So I’m getting familiar with the bike path around the river,” he said.

Feist also has connected with the Sioux Falls Young Professionals Network, and “I’m having quite a bit of fun with it,” he said. “There’s a lot of membership and I can’t believe they have an all-day conference.”

He finds he connects with new people every time he goes to a YPN event.

“In Seattle, they have a young professionals network, but it’s not as active as this one which is kind of crazy,” he said.

Long term, he’d love to use his skills to work on major projects in Sioux Falls — including a potential future convention center.

“Often in smaller cities they import specialized engineers, so it would be so fun to be part of that,” he said. “I love the idea that a big project like that can be sourced locally, so I definitely have my eye on those opportunities.”

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