With nationwide experience, Sioux Falls native grows construction career in move home

With graduation from USD approaching, Jack Schuver wasn’t entirely sure what the future held – until a chance conversation led him to a first job in the golf industry.

Schuver, a Sioux Falls native and O’Gorman High School graduate, was about to earn his degree in business administration, but “like a lot of kids, I didn’t know what to do with that,” he said.

As president of his fraternity, he gained leadership skills, and during the summers, he’d discovered the landscaping industry.

“I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I liked building something from scratch and working outside and getting that instant gratification of creating something. I’ve also always had a creative mind, like my mom, so I thought I’d probably end up doing landscape design and architecture.”

He also “always had an idea I wanted to live in Sioux Falls,” he continued. “I always liked it here, but I didn’t really have an opportunity to live anywhere else until after college.”

The path took a twist when a conversation with a family friend introduced him to Landscapes Unlimited, an industry leader in golf course development, construction and renovation.

Schuver started with the company upon graduation in 2017, beginning as an assistant superintendent and working his way up — and around the country.

After beginning in Omaha, he followed the work to more winter-friendly construction destinations throughout the South – the mountains of North Carolina, Georgia — along with stints in Indianapolis and Valentine, Nebraska, and a large range of golf course projects along the way.

“Within two years, I was running my own projects,” he said. “And I found the golf course-building world was a really cool one. It also allowed me to use my creativity in seeing the vision of the architect and helping bring it to life.”

But by early 2020, challenges started to mount. The COVID-19 pandemic “shut everything down” as he was wrapping up a project in Georgia that had presented other issues, “and I was stressed and not in a super-great spot just being away from family,” Schuver said.

He returned to Sioux Falls in May 2020, with plans to head east to Iowa for his next golf course project. Then, a night out downtown became a turning point as he met Emily — the woman who would go on to become his wife.

“I told her, ‘You’ve got three days to go on a date with me, otherwise I’m leaving again,’” he said.

The friendly ultimatum worked. They went out for sushi, and he returned two weeks later to see her again.

“And the next weekend and the next, and it kind of reminded me why I loved Sioux Falls,” Schuver said. “Everything else was shut down and it seemed like mayhem, and it was still normal here as much as it could be. And I got to see my family a lot, and that was important.”

He began looking for jobs in Sioux Falls while juggling golf assignments that took him from Iowa to Omaha, where he worked on the Lost Rail Golf Club – the predecessor to the Mapleton Golf Club now being built by Landscapes on the northeast edge of Sioux Falls.

“I interviewed a few places and ended up meeting Jim Soukup and his team,” Schuver said.

He joined Soukup Construction, a regional excavation contractor, as a project manager in late 2020 and soon after moved into a superintendent role.

“I was behind a computer the first couple months not really knowing what I got myself into because I was used to being in the field, but it’s worked out great,” he said.

“When I moved into a superintendent role, I had a mentor with more than 40 years of experience, and then I was able to work on my own. I quickly realized it wasn’t too much different than the golf world – just bigger toys and more dirt.”

In the past several years, Schuver’s work has introduced him to a number of major projects helping shape the Sioux Falls skyline.

He has helped manage work for Soukup on a major expansion at Furniture Mart USA, the city’s Public Safety Training Campus, the Midco Arena at Augustana University, multiple large projects at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport such as the new parking ramp, the downtown Sixth Street bridge and improvements to the Interstate 229 and Cliff Avenue interchange.

“I knew I wanted to be home, but I didn’t realize how much Sioux Falls was changing until I got to see how much work we get done in any given day,” Schuver said.

“Being a part of Soukup Construction has allowed me to be involved in some really cool projects that are important to our community. I’ve also gotten to develop relationships with people I never thought I would, and that’s been really fun.”

He also had an especially full-circle career moment earlier this year, helping with development of Mapleton Golf Club.

“I got to work with some of my best friends I’d made traveling on the road,” he said.

“It’s been a blast from the past. It was really fun working with our team to understand the golf course construction world and give them a little insight into what my life was like before I came back home. In civil construction, we’re used to taking earth that isn’t flat and making it flat. So it was a little bit of a challenge to reverse that with everyone for a project.”

Schuver’s work also has exposed him to the incredible growth occurring in Sioux Falls.

“I wasn’t gone from Sioux Falls very long, but it’s insane driving around town,” he said. “It’s crazy to see how much it’s changed and all the development that’s happening. But it’s still the same Sioux Falls in that everyone is nice and easy to work with, especially after dealing with clients in places like Atlanta and Indianapolis. It reminds you of why you like it here.”

Outside of work, it’s also been a milestone year. He and Emily were married in September and found a house they love on the west side.

“2024 has capped off the whole circle – four years away, four years back,” he said. “I had no idea what was in store for me when I left USD, and it all worked out the direction it was supposed to.”

Looking ahead professionally, Schuver said he sees nothing but opportunity.

“There’s no shortage of work around here,” he said. “If you have an ounce of work ethic and still can’t find a job, you’re probably not in Sioux Falls.”

That’s true, said Denise Guzzetta, vice president of talent and workforce development for the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

“There are so many opportunities to build both your personal and professional life here, and we love to see stories like Jack’s where someone who has grown up here comes home and realizes all that’s possible,” she said.

“Our construction industry is booming, and Jack has chosen a wonderful place to develop his career.”

And, when he needs to indulge his love of skiing, Denver and the mountains are a direct flight away, Schuver added.

“It’s my favorite thing to do, and my brother lives out there, so I try and go when I can,” he said. “But I’ve had a lot of my friends stick around here too. Just like me, they decided to plant roots and start their family here.”